Imagine having so much fun at the largest U.S. military base in Iraq that an Army colonel says, "We almost forgot we were in a war zone."
In late March, thanks to $40,000 in video games, dozens of XBox consoles, Zunes, T-shirts and tons of esprit de corps, troops at Camp Anaconda spent three hours rocking out at the I-Roq Band Tournament, crowning four combat engineers from North Dakota as America's first ostensible "Military Idols."
MSN Video from Soapbox shows a high-kicking guitarist, makeshift costumes and cheerleaders in combat boots, but the real story behind the "Rock Band" event is how heartfelt efforts by stateside Americans can make a difference.
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You can reach Inside MSN from the "MSN Services" box on the bottom right of the home page; it can also be accessed, with Letters to the Editor, from the alphabetical MSN Directory, listed near the top left of the home page.
The Week on Point
if $250,000 is middle class, then where does it leave me? To me that's really about $60,000 to $150,000 a year. I never even made that, and I worked hard for years. I must be in the poverty level, with too much to get help but not enough to live decently on at $19,000 a year. I remember taking my aunt to the welfare office to see if we could get her some help with food and medicine, and they said her $729 month income disqualified her. Her rent was $140, medicine about $250, utilities $270 and that left her with about $69 for medical expenses. Food? What about that? Where is the help for people in this situation? – Charles, Columbus, Ga.
Excessive taxes not only affect the middle income, but they affect those of us who are below poverty level but not low enough to get welfare. Talk about stuck in the middle –try $22,000 after taxes. Uncle Sam funds the war, rockets in outer space and still tells us we don’t pay enough. We pay for Medicare out of our paycheck and can’t even afford medical insurance for ourselves! – Chris, Corpus Christi, Texas
With the gas and oil prices skyrocketing, why don't the car companies go back to making cars like they made in the 1960s, '70s & '80s, like the Dodge Colt, etc. They got great gas mileage, were not excessive in price, were smaller, and didn't require a lot of materials like today's big cars and SUVs. Instead, they are building hybrids that most of us cannot afford. We want something economical all the way around, and the big companies seem to be ignoring that. – B.D., Buena Park, Calif.
Quick Question
- When it comes to blogging
- I have at least one active blog
17% - My blog is dormant
8% - I might try it someday
21% - I have no interest
54%
- I have at least one active blog
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Your Perspectives
War & the giant turtle
I read the recent story about the turtle found in Vietnam. In 1969, while serving near Hue, our base caught a giant turtle in a string of anti-swimmer buoys protecting our base. The turtle was hoisted on to a repair barge using an overhead crane. It was so big several of the guys had their photo taken while sitting on it, to show its size. It must have been thigh high and about 5 feet long. We intended to make soup of it and use the skeleton in our club, but the turtle was lost during a typhoon. –Leonard, North CarolinaCelebrity coverage
I think MSN is cool, and I know you may not able to do this, but I was hoping you could allow us to have a conversation with pop stars like Lebron James, Will Smith, etc. I hoped you guys understand where I'm trying to go with this. Thank you very much for your time and patience. – Jim, Logan, Iowa
Editor's note: Currently MSN does not have live chats with celebrities or newsmakers, but at Lebron.MSN.com you can read King James' blog and share a comment.More 'Good News,' please
Please continue your previous experiment with offering uplifting articles. It may take more effort to rise above the smut and negativism of the day, but there is really more good news than bad happening every day. We all need to be inspired rather than depressed." – Doug, Florence, Ariz.
Editor's note: The Good News page, currently updated weekly, is a part of MSN Extra, which can be reached by bookmarking it or accessing from the link near the bottom of the MSN Home Page.