Michael Jackson Not Biological Father to His Kids

This explains why none of the kids look like Michael!!!!

Reports: Michael Jackson Not Biological Father to His Kids

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Jackson's children, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. -- also known as "Prince" -- in an undated photo.

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Michael Jackson is not the biological father of his three children, according to multiple internet reports.

Sources tell TMZ that Jackson did not provide sperm donations for any of his children and that Debbie Rowe was merely a surrogate for Prince Michael Jr. and Paris.

According to a report in Us magazine, Jackson’s dermatologist and Rowe’s former boss Arnold Klein is the biological father to Prince and Paris.

He is the dad," a Jackson insider told Us. "He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth."

In the case of Jackson’s youngest son Blanket, TMZ reports that the surrogate was never told that the baby was for Jackson.

A custody battle for the Jackson children has already begun, with his mother Katherine Jackson winning temporary guardianship. A hearing is set for August 3.

Ten or more face possible Madoff charges

Round 'em all up and put them in front of a firing line!!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. investigators believe 10 or more people associated with imprisoned swindler Bernard Madoff could be criminally charged in the coming months or beyond, a law enforcement source said on Tuesday.

The source, who asked not be identified because of the ongoing investigation into the multibillion-dollar Madoff fraud, said the FBI was "closer to the beginning than the end" of the probe.

Disgraced financier Madoff, 71, was sentenced to 150 years imprisonment on Monday after he pleaded guilty in March to orchestrating a worldwide investment scheme of as much as $65 billion. Madoff has not named accomplices in the classic "cash in, cash out" fraud and the only other person charged so far is his outside accountant.

"There will probably be more people charged," the law enforcement source said. "It is likely to be 10 or more, but it is going to be a lengthy process that could take months or more."

A spokeswoman for the Office of the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, which prosecuted Madoff and accountant David Friehling, declined to comment on the investigations.

Federal investigators have declined to identify who is the focus of their inquiries, but they are skeptical of the claims by some people who worked at the Madoff firm that they had no knowledge of the scheme.

Lawyers and white-collar crime experts have said all along that Madoff's decades-long scheme appeared to be too complex to have been the work of one person alone.

Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC in New York had a brokerage unit and an investment advisory business. The court-appointed trustee winding down the firm said the nefarious activity took place on the investment side.

The trustee and regulators have sued several businessmen, who made billions in handling Madoff money through so-called feeder funds, charging that they knew or should have known the financier was running a fraud.

Michael Jackson broke the internet!!

News of Michael Jackson’s death broke on the Internet late Thursday afternoon. Not long after that, the Internet broke too. Twitter crashed, as did Michael Jackson’s Wikipedia entry. Facebook lumbered under countless Michael Jackson video uploads retrieved from an over-accessed YouTube, and both ground to a halt.

Everything else online, including the historic battle over democracy currently being raged in Iran, paled as people clambered onto social networks to confirm what they were hearing was really true.

Eventually, the World Wide Web recovered, Jackson traffic cranked into gear, and per their predictable nature, Internet cranks made their feelings known.

“‘Micheal Jackson’ (sic) is the trending topic. Good job, America,” one unusually adroit culture critic posted on Twitter, in reference to the microblogging site’s leading topics (and the misspelling). Most were more typically ranty about Michael Jackson usurping Iran as the latest historical moment in both the news and social networking history, such as this tweet:

“It's pitiful how fickle the American people are. People ate, slept and breathed Iran until Michael Jackson died. Really?! Good grief.”

Or this “Not that this is more important than Michael Jackson dropping dead...Iran doctor tells of Neda's death.”

Yep. For every social network, there are countless passive-aggressive jackasses who seem to believe anyone expressing a thought on a single topic is obviously incapable of multitasking interests and emotions. If anything, social networks prove that we as a species are not mono-themed. Maybe the news is wall-to-wall MJ, but social networks can chew gum and walk at the same time.

When Twitter support for the protesters in Iran hit critical mass, author and Internet smartypants Clay Shirky pointed out once again that Twitter’s immediacy meant it wasn’t the best source for accurate information, but a perfect gauge of universal emotion.

Our concerns, both internal and external, do not operate on zero-sum balance. While #Michael Jackson, #RIP MJ, #Thriller, #Pop (as in “Prince of…”), and even #Farrah Fawcett take up most of Twitter’s current trends, #iranelection never left the list. (Nor did #unfollowperezhilton, for that matter.)

Social networks are a collective brain that, like individual brains, allow for dissimilar ideas to occur simultaneously: A pop star who died. A historic battle for demoracy in a region devoid of it. This is social networks on mourn.

Rest assured, those who temporarily switch their green-shaded Twitter avatars to a Michael Jackson headshot are not dooming Iranian protesters any more than re-tweeting every piece of information and/or misinformation about Iran and changing your Twitter location to Tehran will save them.

Meanwhile, this sudden wave of mournful nostalgia, all these videos and songs posted on personal profiles, come from three generations of Americans that grew up with Michael Jackson as a constant. To spite ourselves, we feel like we know him. As much as it pains me to draw attention to John Mayer’s generally insipid tweets, his anomalous comment about MJ is true, no matter what you think about Jackson, he is “a major strand of our cultural DNA.”

(Meanwhile, 10 hours later Mayer was back to his regular Twitter form, updating the world on his Nyquil intake.)

It was as if the past 20 years had been erased. As always the case of grief, Jackson's death gave us permission to ignore decades of weirdness, and appreciate everything that was great about him. And there was a lot great about him. We listened to his music and watched is videos an enjoyment that can only be described as pure.

“It's amazing how music can store so many memories,” Shantae Joseph posted on her Facebook status.
“It's amazing how many stations can all play ‘Thriller’ at the same time,” her friend Angel responded, aptly.

Unlike two days previous, nobody was interested in making jokes about the plight of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. No more punny lines such as “Appalachian Tail” or “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” Even those given to Internet cynicism weren’t in the mood.

“Please Note: If you feel the need to bitch about Michael Jackson getting coverage, know you will be blocked. Emo is being EMO.” tweeted @emokidsloveme, whose avatar still features an Iran-supporting fist wrapped in green.

This isn’t just about a pop star of talent directly inverse to his oddness. This is about us too. When a childhood totem dies, we feel the wind blow across our graves.

What’s more, as blanket pooh-poohers on Twitter, Facebook and everywhere else criticize what they see as America’s fickle tweets, they succumb to their own Western centrism. The United States is far from alone in this social network wake.

More than any entertainer ever, Michael Jackson is an international phenomenon, perhaps even more beloved beyond this hemisphere, where news about his increasingly odd behavior was overshadowed by his music and glamour.

The morning after Jackson’s death, it seemed the whole world shared their grief. Even Iran. Friday morning on MSNBC, Iranian-born international affairs author Reza Aslan talked about how strange it was, monitoring Twitter feeds from Iran, seeing tweets about horrific gun fire interspersed with those about Michael Jackson. “It shows not just what a big influence (Jackson) had in the world but how much we have in common with Iranians,” he said.

Like the international support for Iran, Jackson’s death marked an historic point in social networking. His death generated the most tweets per second on Twitter since Barack Obama was elected president.

"We saw over twice the normal tweets per second the moment the story broke as people shared their grief and memories," Twitter co-founder Biz Stone told the Associated Press via e-mail.

Of course, it wasn’t all about memories. Along with the “Is this the only thing we care about?”

monothoughtist cranks, there were plenty of gallows guffaws ranging from giggle-inducing to tasteless.

Then there were the pranksters who slammed Twitter with rumors about actor Jeff Goldblum’s fictional demise, enough to get the actor’s name briefly in the site’s top trends. Once the Internet recovered after the initial slam, budding urban legends about the “facts” of Jackson’s death took hit warp speed.

On “Oh No They Didn’t,” which suffered various crashes along with other celebrity gossip sites, snarky users expressed their collective grief by posting a Fantasia Barino gif, in which the American Idol star wails and flails her arms wildly. Many bemoaned how the humor was now gone from another popular image taken from “Thriller,” featuring an excited Jackson eating popcorn, commonly posted by an uninvolved party when a flame-worthy topic hits the forum.

This too is grief. Grief is weird. It expresses itself in often odd, seemingly inappropriate ways. Grief permeates in all areas of life, including the Internet. And that’s no sin.

Ode to The One

Ode to The One

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the
Land called America, having lost their morals, their work
Initiative, and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their
Supreme Leader that person known as "The One". He emerged from the
vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the
people telling them, "I am sent to save you. My lack of experience, my
questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil
doers are of no consequence. For I shall save you with Hope and
Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who
preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he
has built must be destroyed."

And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what "The
One" would do, he had promised that he would bring change, and they
proclaimed "Yes We Can".

And "The One" said "We live in the greatest country in the world.
Help me change everything about it!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Change is good!"

Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats,"---- And the
people said "Sock it to them!" "---- and "Redistribute their wealth."
And then He said, "Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody"

And the people said, "Show us the money!"

And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding me? You're going to
steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??"

And "The One" ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records
were hacked, publicized, and ridiculed; though no crime could be
found.

One lone reporter asked, "That shouldn't be, isn't that Marxist policy?"

And she was banished from the kingdom!

Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and
having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with
radical terrorists?"

And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with them and talk kindly
to them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget
that they ever wanted to kill us all!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can
beat our weapons into free cars for the people!"

Then "The One" said, "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes."

And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes."

So "The One" said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the
fat-cats pay!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Show us the money!"

Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell
your homes!"

And the people yawned and the already slumping housing market fully
collapsed.

And He said, "I shall mandate employer-funded health care for EVERY
worker and raise the minimum wage, and lower the white collar wage.
And I shall also give every person unlimited healthcare and medicine
and even transportation to the free clinics."

And the people said, "Give me some of that!"

Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas."

And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?"

Then "The One" said, "I shall bankrupt the coal industry, and
perhaps even the oil industry (Cap & Trade/Carbon Tax) and though
electricity rates will skyrocket, we shall soon build wind farms and
solar power stations and drive green cars that I shall mandate in
Detroit!"

And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal!
But we don't care for that part about higher electric rates."

So "The One" said, "Not to worry. If your rebate ($10/week) isn't
enough to cover your extra expenses ($3,000/year), we shall bail you
out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!" "Only
the fat cats will have to pay."

Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's
grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches,
free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing..."

And the people said, "Hallelujah!!" And they made him King!

And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and
ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers; though
they sold much less of their products. Others simply gave up and
went out of business, and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped
from a cliff. The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing
slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of
support.

So "The One" again blamed the prior administration, extended
unemployment benefits to a year, bailed out his favorite banks, and
then took over the banks and auto industries. "The One" said, "I am
the "The One" - The Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall
just print more money so the government will have enough!" "Surely
one trillion dollars will make everyone happy." And immediately the
Fed complied and the money presses roared.

And China reconsidered their one trillion dollars of loans to the
US ,, and threatened to call in their debts. Other fo reign trading
partners said unto "The One", "Wait a minute. Your dollar is not
worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more.. for
everything.. as your dollar becomes worth less."

And the people said, "Wait a minute.. That is unfair!!"

And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you
have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a
second-rate power. What factories are not owned by your government
are owned by us. Now you shall play by our rules!"

And "The One" said "Americans are arrogant, divisive, and
derisive!" "We will listen."

And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?"

But yea verily, it was too late. The people eventually set upon
"The One" and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. But
the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were
without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change that "The One"
had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them from
within, and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.

And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in
anguish, "Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!"

But it was too late, and the once-glorious "Home of the Brave and
Land of the Free" was no more..

###############################################################

You may think this is a fairy tale, but it's not. It's happening
RIGHT NOW, Already everything down to the last couple of lines....

The Man Rules

The Man Rules At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down Finally,the guys' side of the story.
(must admit, it's pretty good.) We always hear"the rules". From the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules! Please note.. these are all numbered "1 "
ON PURPOSE!

1.Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down.
You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.
Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done.
Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine..Really

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as FOOTBALL or motor sports

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can -to give them a bigger laugh

The Air Down There - June 18, 2009

The Air Down There - June 18, 2009

Busted for indecent exposure, Memphis man give cops unique excuse

JUNE 18--Nabbed yesterday for indecent exposure, a Memphis man offered cops a unique explanation for his alleged criminal behavior. Augustus Hudgins, 41, was arrested after witnesses reported seeing him "masturbating on the bench in Court Square," according to the below police affidavit.

When questioned by cops, Hudgins denied fondling himself, explaining instead that he was "giving [his] penis some air."

Despite that claim, Hudgins was booked into the Shelby County jail, where the mug shot at right was snapped.

Click the above link to view the Smoking Gun website for the police report.

Gives a whole new meaning to "Bunny Ranch"

Oregon woman obsessed with rabbits arrested again - Yahoo! News: "TIGARD, Ore. – Authorities said a woman obsessed with rabbits is in trouble again: In violation of probation terms, she was found holed up in a hotel room with more than a dozen rabbits. Officers said they had to break into the room Tuesday and found eight adults and half a dozen baby rabbits, one dead. The police say some were caged, some roaming.
They arrested 47-year-old Miriam Sakewitz.

She was arrested in 2007 with more than 250 rabbits in squalid conditions. In a plea deal, she was forbidden to have animals for five years.

Before her conviction, police said, she broke into a holding area to retrieve her rabbits. Four months after the plea deal, she was sent to jail for three days for having a rabbit."

Man accused of spitting on officer's Egg McMuffin

BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich

Authorities said a man faces a felony charge after allegedly spitting on a police officer's McDonald's breakfast sandwich. Police said a 32-year-old man was working the drive-thru window at the southwest Michigan restaurant when an unidentified officer bit into an Egg McMuffin on June 3 and immediately realized something was wrong.

A police report obtained by The Herald-Palladium said the restaurant's assistant manager noted the sandwich contained a 'stringy with mucus' substance. She placed the sandwich in the off-duty manager's trash bin, but said it disappeared while she phoned him.

The suspect, a parolee who spent 14 years in an Indiana prison, said he has nothing against police. He's being held in the Berrien County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

A June 23 preliminary hearing has been set."

Boston is messing up all over - see previous post!

BOSTON – Officials said a two-pound, eight-week-old kitten was dropped in a public mailbox in Boston and later found unharmed among envelopes and packages. According to the MSPCA Animal Care and Adoption Center, the kitten they're calling 'Postina' likely was stuffed Friday through a small opening of the mailbox and dropped several feet below.

A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier discovered Postina on Saturday during a scheduled afternoon pick-up.

The MSPCA is offering Postina for adoption after several days of nourishment and a round of vaccinations.
Animal abandonment in Massachusetts is punishable by up to a $2,500 fine and 5 years in prison.

The MSPCA said there has been a 48 percent increase in pet owners citing financial reasons for surrendering their pets."

Airline sends Cleveland-bound girl, 10, to Newark

BOSTON – Continental Airlines is apologizing for sending a 10-year-old Massachusetts girl flying alone to New Jersey instead of Ohio. Jonathan Kamens said he brought his daughter, Miriam, to Logan International Airport in Boston on Sunday. She was to fly to Cleveland to visit her grandparents.

He tells WBZ-TV that shortly after the plane landed in Ohio, his father-in-law called saying she had not arrived.

Kamens says for 45 minutes no one could tell him where his daughter was, setting off a panic among the family. She was finally located unharmed in Newark, N.J.

The airline says the error was caused by staff miscommunication. The two flights used the same doorway at the airport.

Kamens says the number of people who failed to do their jobs is 'mindboggling.'"

$3.4M for a 13 foot tunnel for turtles!!!

Report Cites Wasteful Stimulus Spending

Vice President Biden Contests Report Listing 100 Stimulus Projects Coburn Considers Dubious

By JONATHAN KARL

June 16, 2009

Why did the turtle cross the road? Because there was no tunnel for him to go through, but thanks to $3.4 million in stimulus money for an "eco tunnel" in Florida, that's about to change.

The 13-foot tunnel under U.S. Rte. 27 in Lake Jackson, Fla., -- you might call it the Turtle Tunnel because it primarily designed for turtles that are frequently killed as they cross the highway -- is one of 100 stimulus projects targeted in a report released Tuesday by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a leading critic of the $787 billion stimulus plan passed by Congress in February. Coburn's report, entitled "The Stimulus: A Second Opinion," lists 100 stimulus projects the senator considers dubious.

But the stimulus watchdogs in Vice President Biden's office are pushing back hard, arguing that Coburn's report is poorly researched, littered with errors and includes several projects that will never be funded with stimulus dollars.

"We have approved more than 20,000 Recovery Act projects to get America's economy moving again," said Ed Deseve, director of the White House's Recovery Office, which is tracking stimulus spending. "The program is, overall, a great success. With 20,000 projects approved, there are bound to be some mistakes -- when we find them, we have been transparent about it, and worked on a bipartisan basis to shut them down immediately."

The Turtle Tunnel project, however, seems to be moving forward. The Florida Department of Transportation has been awarded $3.4 million to build the tunnel.

Local officials defend it as necessary because so-many wild animals -- including alligators, otters, lizards and turtles -- have been killed crossing U.S. Rte. 27 in Jackson Lake that the road killing has become hazardous to both animals and drivers.

Coburn Report Lists Skylights, Marijuana Analysis

Here are some other projects highlighted by Coburn that, as of now, appear to be going forward:
$2.2 million to put skylights in a state-run liquor warehouse in Montana. It's called "daylighting." Local officials say it's a green energy project that will eventually save money by cutting down electricity costs at the warehouse.

The towns of Union, N.Y., and Altoona, Pa., are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars for homeless programs, though both towns say they don't have any homeless people.

The town of Washington, N.C., is using $40,000 in stimulus money to pay for a "project-funding manager" whose primary job will be to drum up more stimulus money. Washington State University is getting $148,438 to analyze "the use of marijuana in conjunction with medications like morphine."

Vice President Biden's office says the administration has acted aggressively to stop wasteful projects before they get started. For example, Coburn's report also highlights a $1.15 million project to build a guard rail around remote Optima Lake in Oklahoma, which barely has any water. The White House, however, says that project was stopped last week, shortly after Coburn raised questions about it with the Army Corps of Engineers.

It is unclear whether any of the other projects highlighted by Coburn will be now be defended, but Coburn's report also included some projects that were never funded in the first place, including money to repair a steam room at a fitness center on Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. In fact, the administration says this proposal was never part of the stimulus and had been rejected by the Department of Defense.

Stanley Cup Motivation Poster

Gives a whole new meaning to Scouting

Scout's Dishonor - June 16, 2009

Florida campers charged with forcing 12-year-old boy to drink urine

JUNE 16--A Florida boy attending Boy Scout camp was forced to drink urine after he was accused of using a racial slur, according to police.

The boy, 12, was accosted Friday by a quartet of attackers who pushed him to the ground and placed duct tape over his mouth. According to the below Putnam County Sheriff's Office report, the child told cops that he was "blamed for calling a black boy a nigger," which the boy denied.

The attack, which occurred at Camp Shands in Hawthorne, resulted in the arrest of three minors and Joseph Reid, a 21-year-old volunteer. The victim told investigators that he was lured into the woods, where he was set upon by the quartet. The child's attackers said that "they were going to teach him a lesson and he was either going to drink a bottle of urine, or they were going to beat him up," according to the report. One assailant took the tape off the Boy Scout's mouth "and poured urine down his throat." Police recovered two bottles of urine and pieces of duct tape that were apparently used during the attack.

Reid and the three minors were charged with kidnapping and aggravated child abuse, both felonies.

Dyno-Rod Rescue Puppy From Drain

Dyno-Rod Rescue Puppy From Drain

Click the above link to visit the Dyn0-Rod website to see the amazing rescue of this 1 week old puppy!!

=====================================================================

When the Fire Brigade or the RSPCA can’t help who do you call? – Dyno Rod of course!

Yesterday Dyno-Rod (BC Services) took a call from a very distressed lady from North London saying “Please help me, I don’t know what to do, the fire brigade are here and they can’t do it”.

The call was taken by Emma in BC Services Wembley offices who calmed the lady down and managed to establish that a week old puppy had accidentally been flushed down the toilet and was now stuck in the drains.

The Fire Brigade and the RSPCA had been on site for around 3 hours but they could not rescue the tiny puppy so of course the next thing to do was to call Dyno Rod for help.

Local Dyno Rod Operations Manager, Mark, soon took charge of the rescue operation. Quick thinking Mark, suggested that Dyno Rods CCTV technology could be used to find out exactly where the puppy was stuck within the drainage system and that the neighbours needed to be told not to flush any toilets to ensure the puppy wasn’t flushed into the main sewer. “The lady was very concerned” said Mark “she was worried about the puppy and about the cost of the rescue”. Mark was able to reassure her that there would not be a charge from Dyno Rod. “All we were concerned about was getting the puppy out alive” he added.

Dyno-Rod engineer Will Craig was at the scene a few minutes later to put the plan into action. CCTV was used to find the puppy and then the equipment was used to gently push him through the drainage system to the next manhole where a fireman was waiting to rescue him.

The puppy has now been checked over by the local vet and remarkably is unhurt and recovering well. As a tribute to the rescue team he has been named Dyno!

The Trials Of Paying For Health Care In A Recession : NPR

With health care reform back on Washington's agenda, NPR went to one locale to see how the big national issues play out there. In Howard County, Md., near Baltimore, we spoke with patients, doctors, administrators and employers about the costs of health care and access to the health care system.

Howard County is not typical: It's rich. It's progressive. The Maryland state government sets hospital fees. The local hospital is part of the elite Johns Hopkins system. And last year, the county itself launched its own program for the uninsured. If health care reform can work anywhere, it should work here.

But like the rest the country, Howard County is facing the impact of the recession: Employers have to cut back on benefits, so employees cut back on their coverage.

The Recession

Herb Huston, 61, was in a semiprivate room at Howard County General last month. Until that week, he had seldom seen the inside of a hospital. He was in the hospital for the first time in 1956 for a tonsillectomy and again in 1973 for injuries from an auto accident.

Herb worked as a computer programmer from the late 1960s until 2005 on everything from huge mainframe computers to personal computers and "quite a few things in between," he says.
Huston says he always had health insurance and contributed premiums for years but hardly ever filed claims against it.

Then, in his late 50s, Huston was laid off. For 18 months, he was covered by COBRA. But then his COBRA expired. Huston knew that he needed another health insurance policy.

"I was beginning to search around for a replacement plan when the current economic crisis hit," he says. "And instead of taking on new expenses, I had to desperately trim back my already existing expenses. The luckiest item for me was that I actually paid off my mortgage in August of last year."

The unluckiest was what happened one Saturday night in May. Huston says he was home and took an after-dinner nap. He awoke at 10 p.m. with "pretty acute chest pains."

He knew it was a heart attack. He called 911 and was rushed to the hospital, where he received a cardiac catheterization. Three days later, he was in good spirits, completely satisfied with his treatment and trying not to think about the cost, which should easily exceed $50,000 — a cost he is now responsible for.
"The various insurers for my employer got a real bargain from me," Huston says.

But that doesn't matter: Huston is uninsured. He is neither old enough for Medicare nor poor enough for Medicaid.

"And the thing is, this is going to be continuing," he says. "I've gone from someone who had very little interaction with the medical profession to the complete opposite."

All Expenses Covered

On the other hand, 62-year-old Judy Weeter of Ellicott City, Md., was also treated at Howard. The divorced mother of one grown child was diagnosed with breast cancer in February.

"I pay no premium, none. I'm one of the few fortunates — that is one of the benefits of where I work," says Weeter, who is an executive assistant for a search firm that places government contractors. "I have no monthly copayments for my health insurance. That was a marvelous plus of this job I have."

At Maryland Oncology, Weeter was getting her second chemotherapy treatment. She already had a lumpectomy and she expects radiation treatments after the chemo. And the cost to her, she says, will probably be nothing other than her $20 copays.

"I'm starting to get those reports back from my health insurance and I'm seeing the many many many many thousands of dollars being spent on me and I've had one treatment and two surgeries," Weeter says. "It's incredible. I'm blessed. I know it."

Most people in Howard County are somewhere between Weeter's situation at the top of the scale with perfect insurance coverage and Huston's at the other end with no coverage at all. But because of the recession, a lot of people have reduced their coverage.

The Burden Of Costs

Linda Faggio administers the oncology practice where Weeter gets chemo. She says she is seeing an increasing number of patients who are underinsured and can't afford adequate coverage.

"The burden of the cost of that is now their own," Faggio says. "They may have a $5,000 or $10,000 deductible and that's the only way they afford coverage at all. No one anticipates that they're going to be diagnosed with cancer. It's not unusual to have a dose of chemotherapy being several thousand dollars a dose up to even $10,000 a dose."

Often those patients have reduced their coverage because their employers have reduced their contributions.

Lisa Jolles, a Howard County insurance broker, says her clients — the employers — have typically experienced huge losses of business in the recession.

"A lot of them, their thinking is, 'The employee may have to pay more for the health plan, but they still have a job,' " Jolles says.

One of her clients is Lin Eagan, who employs 15 people at Lakeview Title in Columbia, Md. They do mortgage closings. There's been a rare bright spot in the business lately — homeowners are refinancing en masse, so there are closings once again.

But when the residential real estate crashed, Eagan cut her staff, and she went from paying 100 percent of her employees' health insurance to a 50-50 split. There are also higher deductibles that are covered in part by health savings accounts.

"In 2008 we didn't know what hit us, so of course we needed to make adjustments for the economy," Eagan says. "Every business did. Obviously we needed to look at cuts in the payroll. In our whole budget, health care was a big number."

For a family of four, Eagan says she guesses it cost $1,100 a month, or about $13,000 a year. For 25 employees, paying 100 percent was a lot of money.

"That's a number that becomes unsustainable especially when the economy starts to contract," she says.
Small businesses like Eagan's have been making similar decisions in Howard County and all over the country. Workers who are laid off get COBRA and without a new job could end up uninsured. But workers who keep their jobs face steeply increased premiums as the burden shifts to them, and they take cheaper options and risk being underinsured.

The Associated Press: Crosby dismisses Red Wings handshake flap

He knows that handshaking goes on after the finals - he was too busy getting his ungrateful ass kissed!!

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby isn't apologizing for unintentionally failing to shake hands with some Detroit players after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, saying he didn't realize the Red Wings were leaving the ice before he joined the handshake line.

During a chaotic postgame scene on the crowded Joe Louis Arena ice following Pittsburgh's 2-1 victory on Friday, Crosby was ushered to several live TV interviews by NHL personnel, hugged some teammates and was handed the Stanley Cup by commissioner Gary Bettman.

Crosby was celebrating when Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom, alternate captain Kris Draper and some other key Red Wings players went to their dressing room. Crosby estimates he shook hands with about half the team, including goalie Chris Osgood and coach Mike Babcock, who congratulated him on his leadership ability.

That wasn't enough to satisfy Draper, who told The Associated Press that "Nick was waiting and waiting, and Crosby didn't come over to shake his hand. That's ridiculous, especially as their captain, and make sure you write that I said that!"

Crosby finds any suggestion that he would intentionally avoid shaking hands nonsensical, saying, "It's the easiest thing in the world to shake hands after you win."

After losing is different, as the Penguins experienced a year ago against Detroit, so Crosby understands why some Red Wings players quickly shook hands and left before the Penguins' postgame celebration began.

"I really don't need to talk to anyone from Detroit about it," Crosby said Sunday. "I made the attempt to go shake hands. I've been on that side of things, too, I know it's not easy, waiting around. I just won the Stanley Cup, and I think I have the right to celebrate with my teammates.

"On their side of things, I understand if they don't want to wait around."

At 21, Crosby is the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup, but he routinely shows an understanding of NHL traditions and it would be out of character for him to snub any such ritual.

"I had no intentions of trying to skip guys and not shake their hands," Crosby said. "I think that was a pretty unreasonable comment. The guys I shook their hands with, they realized I made the attempt. If I could shake half their team's hands, I'm sure the other half wasn't too far behind. I don't know what happened there.

"I have no regrets. I've been on both sides of it, and it's not fun being on the losing end. But it doesn't change anything. You still shake hands no matter what."

CIA head says Cheney almost wishing US be attacked - Yahoo! News

Smooth move ex-lax!!!!


WASHINGTON – CIA Director Leon Panetta says former Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration's approach to terrorism almost suggests "he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."

Panetta told The New Yorker for an article in its June 22 issue that Cheney "smells some blood in the water" on the issue of national security.

Cheney has said in several interviews that he thinks Obama is making the U.S. less safe. He has been critical of Obama for ordering the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, halting enhanced
interrogations of suspected terrorists and reversing other Bush administration initiatives he says helped to prevent attacks on the U.S.

Last month the former vice president offered a withering critique of Obama's policies and a defense of the Bush administration on the same day that Obama made a major speech about national security.

Panetta said of Cheney's remarks: "It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that's dangerous politics."

Asked if he agreed with Panetta, Vice President Joe Biden told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he wouldn't question the motive behind Cheney's criticism.

"I think Dick Cheney's judgment about how to secure America is faulty," Biden said. "I think our judgment is correct."

Get a life Sarah Palin

Comics Crack Wise on Palin's Pregnant Daughter - ABC News

Jokes about your family are old news. Keep them home - not pregnant and quit having your tween daughter dressing like a 25 year old!!!!

Bristol Palin, Like Jamie Lynn Spears Before Her, Is the Punch Line Du Jour

By SHEILA MARIKAR
Sept. 4, 2008

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Teen pregnancy: If you can't prevent it, you might as well make it a punch line.

At least, that seems to be the country's current comic mantra.

Pundits from all over the pop culture world are sounding off on the pregnancy of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's unwed daughter.

(AP Photos)

Pundits from all over the pop culture world are sounding off on the pregnancy of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's unwed daughter, and just as Jamie Lynn Spears was raked over the coals when she was with child, Bristol Palin's become the butt of a lot of jokes. (Spears sent her a message of solidarity along with a gift of $60 burp cloths: "Dear Bristol, Hang in there! XXOO, Jamie Lynn Spears.")

Below, a roundup of comedians, celebrities and talking heads opining on the younger Palin's pregnancy:

Kathy Griffin

"I think it's great the potential vice president basically has Jamie Lynn Spears as a daughter. If it were up to me I'd have Jamie Lynn Spears as vice president."

Related

Spears to Palin: 'Hang in There! XXOO'

WATCH: Kimmel: McCain's Safe Sex Advice

Palin Provides Real Northern Exposure

"Sarah Palin talks about creationism. Well there's a lot of creationism going on in Bristol's tummy. She makes the Bush twins look like nuns. It was shocking when they were running around with beer in their hands. But she's made it trendy to be a pregnant teenager. I hope she has a really nice trailer park in Alaska."

"I might switch to the Republican Party just for the comedic material. I've got four shows coming up this weekend; I've got to send the Palins a muffin basket for everything they've given me."

"The only thing that would top this is if Bristol Palin were dating Samantha Ronson." -- ABCNews.com, 9/4/08.

Jay Leno

"Gov. Palin announced over the weekend that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. And you thought John Edwards was in trouble before! Now he has really done it." -- "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," 9/2/08

Craig Ferguson

"I don't think that a young lady getting pregnant should even be news, unless John Edwards is the father. Then that is kinda news." -- "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson," 9/2/08

David Letterman

"Here's good news, ladies and gentlemen: The Palin family crisis that we were talking about on Sunday and Monday, that has been solved now and, today, the baby is being adopted by Angelina Jolie." -- "The Late Show With David Letterman," 9/2/08

Conan O'Brien

"The theme for tonight's Republican convention is 'Who is John McCain' … Tomorrow night's theme is, `Who forgot to check if the vice president's daughter is pregnant?"' -- "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," 9/2/08

Related

Website of Palin's Ex Church Shuts Down

WATCH: Walters on Palin's 'Difficult' Life

Celebs Come Out for GOP, Too

Jimmy Kimmel

"Remember when the Republicans compared Barack Obama to Britney Spears? Now they've got their own Jamie Lynn Spears." -- "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," 9/2/08

Joan Rivers

"[Sarah Palin's] against premarital sex -- talk to her daughter. She's against abortion. She's against women's choice. She's against everything I stand for. … It's all right because God forgave [daughter Bristol.] God should have handed her a condom." -- Sky News, 9/3/08

Glen Beck

"I am white trash. And a lot of people are white trash, and hold their family together the best they can. And we're looking for somebody who's real, who's like us, who also has the courage to stand up, stand true to their convictions, and take on the Beltway robots." -- CNN, 9/2/08

Judge promises ruling on Coyotes' relocation issue to Hamilton, Ontario

PHOENIX (AP)—The issue of how much Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie should pay the NHL to move the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario, will not be the subject of another hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Judge Redfield T. Baum said Thursday that he will deal with the fee issue as part of his ruling resulting from a 6 1/2 -hour relocation hearing held Tuesday.

Baum made the comment during a brief hearing Thursday requested by the Salt River Project utility for assurances that it would be paid for future electric service to the franchise.

Baum had indicated he might hold a separate hearing on the fee issue. The judge said Tuesday that he believes the NHL is entitled to a fee, leading to widespread speculation of how big it might be.

The league has indicated it would seek a relocation fee as well as an indemnity fee to pay the franchises in
Toronto and Buffalo for lost territory, a number that could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

However, the court would have to determine any fee as fair.

Hamilton is just down the road from Toronto, where the Maples Leafs are considered the most valuable franchise in the NHL. Forbes magazine estimated the Maple Leafs’ worth at $448 million. The magazine said the Coyotes are the league’s least-valuable franchise at about $142 million.

Baum has made it clear that a franchise in Hamilton is more valuable than a franchise in Arizona.
Balsillie is offering $212.5 million for the Coyotes, contingent on moving the team. Any fee to the league would be separate from that offer.

Just when Baum will rule on the crucial relocation issue was uncertain. Attorneys for Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes filed an emergency motion Thursday seeking a hearing on the assumption of the contracts of 50 Phoenix players.

“It is absolutely imperative that the proposed sale, or a transaction with another party, close as soon as possible,” the motion said.

Moyes want the contract assumption hearing to be held June 22, the same day Balsillie wants to get an order from the judge allowing him to purchase the team. Baum said Tuesday he might go along with the June 22 purchase date to force the NHL to come up with a figure for the relocation fee.

Under Moyes’ proposal, Balsillie’s company, PSE Sports, would assume the player contracts when it takes over ownership. The team currently is being funded by the NHL.

If the fee is too big, Balsillie might balk and the NHL will get its way in court. The league says it has four prospective buyers who would keep the bankrupt team in Arizona, where it has lost more than $300 million since moving from Winnipeg in 1996.

The league says it will fund the Coyotes in Arizona for the coming season while the ownership issue is worked out.

The NHL has said that any new owner in Arizona would need to rework the lease agreement with the city of Glendale. That could be a politically difficult goal, since the city council would have to approve any changes.

The conservative Goldwater Institute, which strongly opposes government subsidies for private enterprise, has indicated it is closely watching the Glendale situation.

Balsillie says the sale must be completed by the end of June or he will withdraw his offer.

NYSE Computer Outage, 240 Stocks Affected

NYSE Computer Outage, 240 Stocks Affected

Senate passes the most sweeping tobacco-control bill - USATODAY.com

Senate passes the most sweeping tobacco-control bill

By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY

Cigarettes marketed as "light," "low" tar or "mild" will be banned within a year as part of a historic bill the Senate passed 79-17 on Thursday.

The legislation, approved by the House in April, is the most sweeping tobacco-control measure ever passed by Congress. It goes now to President Obama, who has said he will sign it.

The bill, which gives the Food and Drug Adminstration the authority to regulate tobacco products, comes after more than a decade of congressional debate and a half-century since the U.S. Surgeon General's 1964 landmark report linking smoking to lung cancer.

"It's long overdue," said Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut.

The bill will dramatically affect how tobacco is marketed as the bill's provisions are phased in:

• Immediately, tobacco makers can no longer make claims that their products pose fewer health risks.

• Within three months, candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes are banned, and the FDA can extend that ban to cigars and moist snuff, where such flavorings are more common. Menthol is exempt.

• Within nine months, the FDA must publish marketing restrictions that will take effect six months later.

• Within 12 months, new warning labels will be placed on smokeless tobacco products.

• Within 15 months, tobacco companies must disclose the ingredients in their products.

• Within two years, the FDA must issue rules on graphic warrnings for cigarettes that will cover half the pack. The labels will take effect 15 months later.

How exactly the market will change is unclear, says Tommy Payne, executive vice president of RJ Reynolds, the nation's second-largest tobacco maker. His company opposed the legislation, which major health groups supported.

Payne says the bill bans "light" or "ultra-light" cigarettes, which are slightly more than half the market, but it does not specify acceptable words for differentiating them from other cigarettes.

Payne says companies may need to use different packaging colors so smokers can find cigarettes with less tar. He says most currently package menthol cigarettes in some shade of green.

"Consumers have become acclimated to color coding," so removing terms such as "light" won't have a big impact, says Nik Modi, a tobacco industry analyst for global financial services company UBS.

Tagging a cigarette "light" misleads smokers into thinking the product is less harmful, says Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Myers says research shows "absolutely no health benefit" to smoking a "light" or "low tar" cigarette. "Consumers smoke them differently," he says. "They inhale more deeply and smoke them further down."

Cher's lesbian daughter Chastity Bono is becoming a man

Sonny Bono and Cher's daughter, Chastity Bono, a longtime, openly out lesbian civil-rights advocate, journalist, author and musician, wants to become a man.

According to TMZ, Chastity, or Chaz, as he now wants to be called, started the transition to becoming a male shortly after turning 40.

Wow. Here's the deets:

"Yes, it's true — Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity," confirmed Bono's publicist, Howard Bragman.

"He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."

Coming out as a lesbian, then becoming a man? Wow. That is brave. You go, girl/guy!

California seen missing budget deadline again | Politics | Reuters

California seen missing budget deadline again

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Barring a miracle, California lawmakers will miss their June 15 deadline for passing a balanced budget -- a staggering challenge with the state facing a $24.3 billion shortfall amid the worst drop in state revenues since the Great Depression.

Observers of the most populous U.S. state's political scene laugh at the idea of a budget deal by Monday.
"It's about as likely as me being named MVP of the Stanley Cup final," said Dan Schnur, director of the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.

Lawmakers have in prior years routinely disregarded the deadline. How their two chambers are looking to solve the current budget mess point to another blown deadline.

Democrats who control the legislature are not on the same page on how to fill the budget gap, though they dislike Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan, especially its proposal to eliminate the state's welfare system.

He also has proposed filling the gaping budget hole for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 with steep spending cuts, layoffs and furloughs of state employees.

Citing the state's weak economy and double-digit unemployment rate, the movie star-turned politician has ruled out new taxes, which has raised his standing with the legislature's unruly and anti-tax Republican minority.

Schwarzenegger on Wednesday sounded like congressional Republicans of the 1990s by threatening a government shutdown. He said it is an option if lawmakers steer toward an emergency loan to help keep the state's finances afloat rather than concentrate on closing the budget shortfall.

"What we need to do is just to basically cut off all the funding and just let them have a taste of what it is like when the state comes to a shutdown -- grinding halt," Schwarzenegger told the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times.

DEMOCRATS UNDER PRESSURE

Schwarzenegger also urged Democrats to ignore lobbying by their union allies against sharply lower spending levels to help balance the state's books.

"Do they want to protect the workers that provide the services, or do they want to protect the people that get those services? The choice is up to them," he said.

His blunt talk came as the Service Employees International Union launched an advertising campaign against his budget plan, a threat to many of its 700,000 members in the state.

Other groups that stand to lose under his plan, including local governments fearing its proposal to borrow $2 billion of their money, are stepping up lobbying against it. Democratic leaders especially are feeling the heat.

"They're caught between satisfying the ideological needs of their members' funders and the need to work toward a budget compromise," Schnur said. "Republicans also feel the same pressure from their members' funders, but it just so happens it's the Democrats turn to face it in public."

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has said spending cuts are inevitable, but he opposes Schwarzenegger's plan for scrapping state programs. Instead, he wants to tap reserves in the governor's plan to maintain the programs -- an idea State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, also a Democrat, dislikes because he wants a healthy reserve to help assure investors the state can pay the $7 billion to $9 billion in short-term debt his office assumes the state must sell.

Assembly Democrats have yet to unveil their budget concept. Members expect to swallow spending cuts but are discussing possibly raising revenues, most likely through fees of various kinds. That would rankle Republicans and invite the effective veto their numbers give them on spending plans.

Without Democrats unified, Monday's deadline will pass without a budget, and Schwarzenegger will increasingly brandish sticks at them because "There aren't any carrots left," said Republican political consultant Wayne Johnson.

"If there aren't enough dollars to go around, somebody has to decide who gets a check and who doesn't," Johnson said. "The situation isn't going to get any better."

White House proposes new pay legislation - Jun. 10, 2009

Now if only we could curb the polititian's pay and benefits and bring them more in line with the average American Joe!!!

Obama administration wants to give investors more say on executive compensation. But will the changes, including a new 'pay czar,' go far enough?

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner named Washington attorney Kenneth Feinberg as the administration's "pay czar" as part of the latest effort to tackle executive compensation abuses.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Obama administration moved forward Wednesday on curbing runaway corporate pay practices, proposing new legislation aimed at giving shareholders a greater voice on executive pay and appointing a new so-called "pay czar."

The White House's two-part proposal would give shareholders a voice on executive compensation, or a "say on pay" for senior management.

The legislation, which would effectively be carried out by broadening the powers of the Securities and Exchange Commission, would also attempt to establish greater independence for board members responsible for setting executive pay packages. This is similar to what the Sarbanes-Oxley Act established for audit committees in the wake of the Enron scandal earlier this decade.

If approved by Congress, the proposals would affect all public companies, not just the banks and other financial firms that had a direct role in the current economic crisis.

Separately, the White House also officially named Washington attorney Kenneth Feinberg as the administration's "pay czar" on Wednesday.

Feinberg, who previously oversaw the federal compensation fund for September 11th victims, will be responsible for approving major expenses for banks, automakers and insurers that took government funds under the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

Setting a low bar

Wednesday's announcement marks the latest attempt by the Obama administration to tackle the issue of pay in corporate America.

In February, the administration unveiled a broad set of guidelines for financial firms that took taxpayer money under TARP. That included limits on executive salaries and the creation of so-called "clawback" provisions which would reclaim pay from workers whose actions may damage the firm's long-term financial health.

Some of those policies became law as part of an amendment authored by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. that was added at the last minute to the $787 billion stimulus package passed in February.

In a series of remarks published Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged companies, not just those in the financial services sector, to act responsibly, suggesting that they align executive pay packages with the long-term performance of their businesses.

"This financial crisis had many significant causes, but executive compensation practices were a contributing factor," Geithner said in a statement.

Critics have charged that bankers were tempted by the lure of short-term gains, namely big bonuses, instead focusing on the long-term health of their firms. Such bets were believed to contribute to the downfall of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers.

At the same time, soaring compensation packages and outsized bonuses have become lightning rods of debate for lawmakers and taxpayers.

Public furor erupted earlier this year over the $165 million in annual bonuses that AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) paid to employees, after the government stepped in numerous times to prop up the insurance giant.

Some close observers of executive pay trends were skeptical about just how effective Wednesday's announcement would be, particularly the legislative proposal which would give shareholders a "say" on executive pay.

Shareholder activists have had little success in getting companies to change their ways in recent years. At the same time, the "non-binding" vote means that companies do not necessarily need to heed investors' wishes.

"It seems pretty timid," said Sarah Anderson, executive pay analyst at the Institute for Policy Studies. " 'Say-on-pay is about the lowest bar they could possibly have set."

Some answers, but still more questions

The issue is clearly not going away anytime soon. The House Financial Services is holding a hearing about executive compensation on Thursday.

In addition, hundreds of banks and other troubled firms remain stuck in the TARP program and will continue to wrestle with the issue of compensation limits until they return taxpayer funds to the government.

Late Wednesday, the Treasury Department issued an interim final rule for companies in that very position. Bonuses paid to senior executives and other highly-paid employees at TARP recipients will be limited to one third of their total compensation.

For small community-based lenders that took just a sliver of taxpayer aid, only the CEO might be affected. But for institutions that received over $500 million in aid, including big banks Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) or Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), the rules would affect the top five senior officers and the 20 most highly compensated employees.

Both bank leaders and pay experts contend that the crackdown has already prompted top performers at Wall Street firms that have received taxpayer assistance to jump ship for other firms that are not beholden to government restrictions. There are fears that the trend could persist given the latest pay restrictions.

On Monday, 10 banks, including Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), won approval from the agency to pay back money received as part of the program. Once these banks do so, they will no longer be obligated to abide by many of the pay restrictions the administration outlined earlier this year.

Firms that remain under the government's thumb would also have to put in place a so-called "luxury expenditure" policy. That would require top executives to get board approval for the purchase of big-ticket items.

Several banks came under fire from politicians in recent months after large expenditures came to light. Most notably, Citigroup drew the ire of the Obama administration earlier this year once its plans to take delivery of a $45 million corporate jet were made public.

Regulators also said that the seven firms which received "exceptional" government assistance -- AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial -- would be required to live under a set of more severe compensation restrictions to be overseen by Feinberg.

In his new role, Feinberg will have the power to review compensation for the top 100 salaried employees at those firms. That means he will get the final say on salaries that might be deemed excessive or inappropriate, a White House official said.

One expert warned, however, that it would be troubling if Feinberg was given too much power.

"Should [Feinberg] oversee, supervise and control compensation at these companies? Sure. Should he actually be designing programs and setting individual pay levels? That's concerning." said Susan O'Donnell, managing director at compensation consultancy Pearl Meyer & Partners.

Geithner, however, attempted to silence criticism that the administration was overstepping its bounds in the affairs of private firms.

"I want to be clear on what we are not doing. We are not capping pay," he said. "We are not setting forth precise prescriptions for how companies should set compensation, which can often be counterproductive."

California near meltdown as revenues fall: official | U.S. | Reuters

California near "meltdown" as revenues fall: official

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's government risks a financial "meltdown" within 50 days in light of its weakening May revenues unless Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers quickly plug a $24.3 billion budget gap, the state's controller said on Wednesday.

Controller John Chiang, who has previously warned that California risks running out of cash without a budget deal, said revenues in May fell by $1.14 billon, or 17.7 percent, from a year earlier.

The revenues of the government of the most populous U.S. state fell short of estimates in Schwarzenegger's budget plan by $827 million, Chiang said.

"Without immediate solutions from the governor and legislature, we are less than 50 days away from a meltdown of state government," Chiang said in a statement.

"A truly balanced budget is the only responsible way out of the worst cash crisis since the Great Depression," Chiang said.

California's revenues have been on a dramatic slide as a result of recession, rising unemployment and its lengthy housing downturn.

The state's revenues from personal income taxes tumbled by 39.3 percent in May from a year earlier while revenues from corporate taxes fell by 52.1 percent and revenues from sales taxes sagged by 7.6 percent, according to a report released by Chiang's office.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has proposed filling the state's budget gap with deep spending cuts, borrowing from local governments and by scrapping some state programs, including its welfare program.

Democrats who control the legislature are crafting a rival budget plan that includes spending cuts and saves programs Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating. They instead would use reserves estimated in Schwarzenegger's budget to narrow the state's shortfall.

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said on Tuesday he wants a budget through the legislature by the end of this month.

California's new fiscal year begins on July 1. The sooner the state has a budget signed into law the better poised it will be to raise short-term funds to fund its operations through the sale of revenue anticipation notes on the municipal debt market.

Holocaust Museum Shooting Suspect Reportedly Linked to White Supremacists

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The elderly man suspected of killing a security guard in Washington's Holocaust Museum on Wednesday is an anti-Semitic World War II veteran with links to white supremacist groups who tried nearly 30 years ago to take Federal Reserve board members hostage, according to media reports and Web sites.

Police have yet to publicly identify James W. Von Brunn as the gunman, but law enforcement officials told FOX News they believe he is the shooter.

Von Brunn, in his late 80s and an artist by trade, has a history of racism and anti-establishment aggression.

A Web site maintained by Von Brunn says that in 1981 he tried to carry out a "citizens arrest" on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, a body he accused of treason.

When he was arrested outside the room where the board was meeting, he was carrying a sawed-off shotgun, a revolver and a knife. Police said he was upset about high interest rates and economic turmoil in the United States.

He was convicted two years later of attempted kidnapping and second-degree burglary, among other charges, and sentenced to prison, where he served 6 1/2 years.

On his Web site he describes the outcome of his case as, "convicted by a Negro jury, Jew/Negro attorneys, and sentenced to prison for eleven years by a Jew judge. A Jew/Negro/White Court of Appeals denied his appeal."

The Web site attributed to Von Brunn also says he wrote a book called "Kill the Best Gentiles," about how to "protect your white family."

Online writings said to be Von Brunn's claim the Holocaust was a hoax and lambast a Jewish conspiracy to "destroy the white gene pool."

"At Auschwitz the 'Holocaust' myth became Reality, and Germany, cultural gem of the West, became a pariah among world nations," the writings say.

A woman identifying herself as Von Brunn's ex-wife said he is an abusive, racist alcoholic, and she divorced him because his hatred of Jews and blacks "ate him alive like a cancer," according to the New York Daily News.

The woman said she married Von Brunn in the mid-1960s and divorced him 10 years later. She said he drank red wine all day, frequently engaged in verbal attacks and was consumed by his prejudices.

"It's all he would talk about," she told the paper.

A few years ago, Von Brunn reportedly had a volatile exchange with novelist Tom Clancy in which he called Colin Powell a n----r, according to the white-supremacist Web site Thebirdman.org.

Clancy responded to the Web site by suggesting that the novelist was interested in and often writes about "abnormal personalities," but Von Brunn was an "ass" and an "idiot" who didn't deserve his time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Donald Trump Finally Says 'You're Fired!' to Miss Cali - ABC News

Donald Trump Finally Says 'You're Fired!' to Miss Cali

No More Second Chances for Carrie Prejean as She Loses Crown

There will be no more second chances for former Miss California Carrie Prejean. The Miss USA runner-up has officially been fired, this time with the blessing of pageant owner Donald Trump.

Carrie Prejean fired

Miss California pageant officials said Wednesday that Prejean was fired because of continued breach of contract issues.

"This was a decision based solely on contract violations including Ms. Prejean's unwillingness to make appearances on behalf of the Miss California USA organization," executive director Keith Lewis said in a statement sent to ABCNews.com. "After our press conference in New York we had hoped we would be able to forge a better working relationship. However, since that time it has become abundantly clear that Carrie is unwilling to fulfill her obligations under our contract and work together."

Even Trump, the real estate mogul who co-owns the Miss USA organization and saved Prejean from losing her crown last month, did not stand in the way this time.

"I told Carrie she needed to get back to work and honor her contract with the Miss California USA Organization and I gave her the opportunity to do so," Trump said in the statement. "Unfortunately it just doesn't look like it is going to happen and I offered Keith my full support in making this decision. Carrie is a beautiful young woman and I wish her well as she pursues her other interests."

Prejean's representative did not respond immediately to requests for comment from ABCNews.com.

Miss California runner-up Tami Farrell will immediately take over the crown and Prejean's responsibilities as Miss California. The current Miss USA Kristen Dalton and Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza will also lend a hand in making appearances.

Conservatives Redraw Plan Of Attack On Sotomayor : NPR

Conservatives Redraw Plan Of Attack On Sotomayor

by Liz Halloran

NPR.org, June 10, 2009 · In the two weeks since President Obama made Judge Sonia Sotomayor his pick for the Supreme Court, outnumbered Republicans on Capitol Hill and conservative activists have struggled mightily over how to mount a credible opposition.

Conservative efforts to frame a coherent case against the nation's first Hispanic nominee took on new urgency Tuesday, after Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced that Sotomayor's confirmation hearings will begin July 13, months earlier than many GOP leaders had wanted.

The GOP is still debating how to make that case against a nominee who, barring a disqualifying revelation, is expected to emerge from her Senate review as the newest justice. But consensus is emerging over how to use Sotomayor's confirmation process —and its three or four days of televised hearings — as a jumping-off point to appeal to the moderate and independent voters whom the party has been rapidly shedding.

Rule 1: Focus On Her Rulings

Conservatives seem intent on staying away from the kinds of personal attacks that marked the days following Sotomayor's nomination. Instead, they'll focus on her role —both while on the bench and before — in racial preference cases and in cases that conservatives say suggest the judge's decisions were colored by "empathy" based on her own ethnic identity.

"There's clearly an effort under way to make this an educational experience and to draw a clear line where liberals stand on the courts and where conservatives stand, and what they're looking for in a judge," says Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council.

"The party should celebrate yet another barrier broken in American politics," says Whit Ayres, a longtime GOP pollster and consultant, "while simultaneously engaging in a professional and respectful way the very real substantive issue that her nomination raises."

That means examining what role the judge's Puerto Rican ethnicity has played in her interpretation of the law, Ayres says, "and the extent to which group rights trump individual rights."

For Ayres and other conservatives, that leads directly to Sotomayor's concurrence in Ricci v. DeStefano. In that opinion, a three-judge 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals panel on which Sotomayor sat upheld the city of New Haven's decision to throw out a firefighters promotions test because no African-Americans scored high enough to be eligible for advancement.

White firefighters claimed racism, and the case is currently before the Supreme Court. During oral arguments, the high court appeared sympathetic to the firefighters' claims; it's expected to issue a decision this month.
Sotomayor's decisi
on, Ayres says, "runs against the grain of most Americans' sense of fair play."

A recent analysis by Tom Goldstein of SCOTUSblog found that in the 96 race-related cases decided by Sotomayor while on the court of appeals, she has voted to reject discrimination claims 78 times and upheld the claims 10 times — nine of those times joining her fellow judges in a unanimous decision.

But Ayres argues that many of the cases may have been "slam-dunks, and not raised significant issues." He says that Goldstein's analysis isn't sufficient enough to suggest that the high-profile Ricci case doesn't matter.

Ricci and Race

Conservative lawyers provided more details on their plan of attack Tuesday during a call with journalists that was organized by the Federalist Society.

While the Ricci opinion is likely to form the centerpiece of the conservative case against Sotomayor, look for Republican senators to also engage her in lines of questioning on the following:

• Her role, as a board member with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, in the group's successful suit in the 1980s against the New York City Police Department charging that its promotional exam discriminated against minority candidates.

• Her reasoning behind joining a dissenting opinion in 2000 that suggested police in Oneonta, N.Y., violated the Constitution when they rounded up African-American men for interrogation after a local white woman reported being attacked by a black male. A majority on a divided court disagreed.

• Her failure last week to submit a memo she signed while an assistant district attorney in Manhattan in which she asserted that capital punishment is "associated with evident racism in our society."

• A three-judge panel opinion she signed on to earlier this year that says the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies only to limits the federal government seeks to impose on that right.

With the table set, the hearings, says GOP strategist Kevin Madden, "offer us an opportunity to make an argument on fairness — how fairness is interpreted through the law, not on one race against the other."

Treading Lightly In The Face Of History

In announcing the start date for hearings, Leahy took a slap at critics who have characterized Sotomayor as racist, and he urged the Senate to strive for bipartisanship in the wake of the "historic nomination."
"She deserves a fair hearing," he said.

GOP strategist Brad Blakeman says he agrees, and he advises conservatives to tread lightly and hold their fodder for the hearings: "Trying to fight a battle in the press or using third parties is fruitless to somebody who is likely to be confirmed."

But that doesn't mean, he says, that senators should abdicate their responsibility to question her closely and keep up the drumbeat of conservative concerns.

So after stumbling out of the gate, conservatives appear to be getting their talking points and lines of inquiry in order. And none too soon: A USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday says that a third of Republicans say they view their party unfavorably, compared with just 4 percent of Democrats who feel the same about their party.

Aiming For Independent Voters

The best-case outcome for Republicans once Sotomayor's hearings and Senate confirmation vote are over? A strong showing that appeals to independent voters, Ayres says.

"When it comes to issues like affirmative action and the Ricci case, independents are closer to Republicans than Democrats," he says. "The hearings should make that crystal clear."

But much of that depends, Blakeman cautions, on how well conservatives "stick to the issues and stick to her decisions and ability to serve fairly, and not go off on tangents to hurt or destroy her."

After all, the ultimate judges, he says, are the American people sitting at home and making their own assessments about Sotomayor — not only her ability and credibility, but that of their elected leaders.