Bald Eagle

The politically correct term now is "female actor". What's that all about?

My 2WD Nissan pickup has developed a low moaning noise when the clutch pedal is depressed. At 106,000 miles my guess is that it's the throwout bearing. I assume that you have to drop the transmission to get to the throwout bearing which means I may as well replace the clutch. Any comments/insight from people with experience with this problem?

My Nissan pickup just started making an odd noise when the AC is running. It sounds like a quick burst of air being released, similar to disconnecting an air hose from a tire valve. It's somewhat random, but seems to happen more frequently the longer the AC is on. Sometimes it's a soft "poof", sometimes louder with a slight metallic ring to it. I still get cold air, but have the feeling that this is a warning that the system is about to fail. The truck is meticulously maintained and in otherwise excellent condition.

Any ideas?

Powell, who served in both Bush administrations, announced on Meet The Press that he will vote for Barack Obama.

The McCain campaign's "guilt by association" smears, especially the latest attempt to link William Ayers to Obama sounds an awful lot like McCarthy's Communist witch hunt of the 1950's.

While watching the debate tonight my wife kept asking, "Who does John McCain sound like?" Near the end of the broadcast she blurted out, "Hannibal Lecter!" What do you think?

They haven't gotten around to blowing each other up yet, but politcal party polarization is destroying the U.S. like the Sunnis and Shiites are destroying Iraq. Will we ever be able to stop demonizing each other and work towards the common good?

My Nissan pickup has developed an annoying rattle in the steering wheel hub. It's most noticeable when turning or when you start to go up or down a steep grade, not so much on bumps or rough roads. I've removed the cover plates on the side of the steering wheel hub and it looks like there is a small metal counterweight flopping around inside. I hesitate to take it apart because of the airbag, or take it to a dealer/mechanic because of the repair cost/availability of parts. Comments? Suggestions?

My wife and I had a significant problem with a recent Orbitz booking. On a return trip from Phoenix they had us scheduled on duplicate connecting flights. One flight was no longer in service (not cancelled, NO LONGER IN OPERATION) and the second took off a hour before we arrived on the first leg of the flight. When I contacted Orbitz their response was basically thank you for contacting us, but it's not our problem.

Tried to post a review on Epinions and Trip Advisor but Orbitz is a sponsor and any search on "Orbitz" leads nowhere. I used to have confidence in the Orbitz site, but not any more.