US government's debt.

Everett Dirksen must be effing spinning in his grave.

1,000,000,000,000 times 20.

13 zeros, folks.

GDP was estimated at 14.4 trillion for 2008. So, the debt is currenlty less than one year's worth of GDP, but still.

The debt to GDP ratio is also very similar to that of Western Europe, so we are also not unique, but still.

Skew me to the right on this issue, I wish we had more budget hawks in DC and our state capitals.

20 trillion dollars.

When does PayGo start?

As a "former audiophile" who burned out in the 1990s, I haven't had anything resembling trendy or current audio gear in quite some time. I've been getting by with old Dynaco tube electronics, old Quad "57" Electrostatics, and affordable source components.

I'm considering replacing my Krell KCT preamp with either the Evo 202 or Evo 222. I'm currently using the KCT to drive a Krell FPB-700cx amp with Nordost MMF CAST. Does anyone know if there are any potential problems using the Evo preamp series to drive the previous generation Krell amps?

I just destroyed a brand new CD. Chris Isaak's latest to be exact. I bought it a couple of days ago, listened to it almost once, then threw it on the floor and stomped it into little pieces.

Anyway, to the real topic...

South African athlete raises concerns that she is not an actual female, and the governing body of her sport wants an 'inspection.'

Sounds fair, but dig who they want her checked out by:

"...internal medicine specialists, gynecologists, psychologists, geneticists and endocrinologists."

Interesting how these NFL players are facing up to crime and punishment.

Plaxico Burress owned a gun. Perfectly fine exercise of his Second Ammendment rights. he's a prominent guy and potential trouble target, so he packs some personal heat. Burress even had an (expired) concealed carry (CCW) license from Florida, but no New York license. Still, he went to the trouble of trying to abide by gun laws, when he could.

So, he is minding his own with his homies at a local club when the gun slides down his leg and as he goes to grab it, he accidentally shoots himself in the leg.

After sorting out a channel dropout on my Nottingham 294 'table and arm w/Dynavector 17D3 cartridge, I got out an old audioquest demagnetizer and used it. Good Grief!! What a difference. I'd been noticing the music seemingly getting blurred, but that got cured big time. The sound is cleaner, crisper and extended. How often should you demagnetize? The cartridge had about 500 hours use.

Levon Helm is just the schiznit.

He and Buddy Guy are in this movie.

It's pretty good as flicks go, part of the "spending money in New Orleans after Katrina" genre.

Actually, it's great until the last 20 minutes, when someone in charge must have said, "Hurry up and wrap this in a tidy package."

Anyway, Levon Helm is great at everything he touches and I am so glad to see him alive and well - and y'all should listen to his two new discs, which are achingly great.

I am new to this site and to the wonderfully complex world of home audio. I am looking to put together a fairly budget system and could use some help deciding on the set up. I currently have a polk rm6750 system which is just not cutting it. I will be using it for 50/50 HT/music and would like a 5.1 system for the HT use. I am looking at two main set ups. The first is a higher end complete system like the Definitive Technology Procinema 800. The other set up I'm looking at is more of a peice meal set up in which I'd be buying a separate sub, center, bookshelves and rears.