Ramblings and Stuff

For Profit colleges may face tighter rules

2011-06-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Redlands Daily Facts 06/20/2011, Page A06

For-profit colleges may face tighter rules

tighterfederaloversight may see For-profitcolleges

By ANDREW EDWARDS

Staff Writer

The federal government is moving toward tougher regulations of for-profit colleges, an industry that has greatly expanded its presence within the Inland Empire during the past few years.

The Department of Education’s new, and still controversial, “gainful employment” rule announced this month requires graduates of for-profit career colleges to meet certain loan payment standards to gain access to federal financial aid.

The government’s thresholds are aimed at ensuring for-profit schools and their students are channeling federal aid toward lucrative careers.

But the rule could cause profits to decline at for-profit schools, which count on federal financial aid dollars for up to 90 percent of their revenues.

Career colleges and critics also decry the rule as a regulation that will limit students’ access to job training.

However the rule’s consequences play out over time, the Education Department’s action is sure to affect an industry that has grown quickly even in the economic downturn.

In the Inland Empire, the expansion of for-profit schools has breathed some life into an otherwise struggling office scene.

“Within the last 10 months over 100,000 square feet have been leased to schools in this market (Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga),” said Carol D. Plowman, a senior vice president of commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates’ office in Ontario.

A number of career college representatives said they were not yet prepared to comment on how the U.S. Department of Education’s “gainful employment” rule may affect their business practices.

“The best I can tell you is we’re still reviewing the information and how it may affect our students,” University of Phoenix spokesman Rick Castellano said Thursday.

In a statement issued June 8, Penny Lee, managing director of the pro-career college group Coalition for Educational Success, defended for-profit schools’ roles among institutions of higher education.

“While there is no single right answer on how to train workers for tomorrow’s jobs, career colleges offer access and choice to millions of students who otherwise would not have a pathway to a higher education or a career,” Lee stated.

From a job recruiter’s perspective, a traditional university degree is generally more valuable than one from a career college, although courses taken at career colleges can have value, said Sarah Cullins, president of Rancho Cucamonga-based Finesse Staffing.

“I think some of the good things about these schools is that if you’re already employed, they can help you in the career where you’re at,” Cullins said.

For-profit schools are where 12 percent of the nation’s college students take classes, according to the Education Department.

Students at for-profit institutions have taken out 26 percent of the nation’s student loans, but owe 46 percent of the student loan dollars in default.

The “gainful employment” rule would tie for-profit students’ loan payments and balances to career colleges’ abilities to receive federal aid.

The rule requires the schools to meet one of three standards: at least 35 percent of former students are repaying the loans, the estimated annual loan payment of a “typical graduate” does not exceed 30 percent of his or her discretionary income, or the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 12 percent of one’s total earnings.

andrew.edwards@inlandnewspapers.com, 909-483-8550

Copyright © 2011 Redlands Daily Facts 06/20/2011

This Senior Nailed It

2011-06-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming, Co-Chair of Obama's deficit
commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he
compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats.
August, 2010.

Here's a response in a letter from an unknown fellow in Montana...
I think he is a little ticked off! He also tells it like it is !
----------------------------------------------------

"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..

1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY
YEARS.

2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15
years old. I am now 63).

3 My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other
Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for
decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give
OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus
bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme
that would have made Bernie Madoff proud.

4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and your ilk pulled the
proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing
retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to
age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission is proposing to move the
goalposts YET AGAIN.

5 I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare
from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the
game. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy
to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay
the bills.

6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes
our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why?
Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that
you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come
to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.

To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" on
your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for
YOU.

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during
your pathetic 50-year political career?

2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and
how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the
American taxpayers?

3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?

4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you
proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual,
have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called
Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow
nutcases who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream
from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes.
That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole
purpose of advancing your pathetic political careers. You know it, we
know it, and you know that we know it.

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

Be aware that some of these statements may not be 100% true. Refer to http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/simpson.asp for more clarity.

Thank you.

How in the world did we ever survive???

2011-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

"Good night and God bless."

Black and White (Under age 40? You won't understand.)

You could hardly see for all the snow,
Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.
Pull a chair up to the TV set,
'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e..coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool full of chemicals (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE...and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations. We had to use our brain then.

Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either; because if we did we got our butt spanked there and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that he could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family.

How could we possibly have known that?

We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!

How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA; AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T, SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING!

Wal-Mart vs the Morons

2011-01-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

Snopes has verified this as "mostly correct"
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/bigwalmart.asp

1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than
Target sells all year. (This is not true)

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer,
And most speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in
Mind they did this in only fifteen years.

8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers;
This is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores.
(Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy. This should be Read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To the President and all 535 voting members of the Legislature, both parties. It is now official . . . You are ALL corrupt morons.

a. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.

b. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.

c. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.

d. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right. $1 trillion of our Money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.

e. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

f. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.

g. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more Oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and
It is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while Overspending our tax dollars.

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ?? YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN THE AUTO INDUSTRY.... THE BANKING
SYSTEM?????

MAYBE WE OUGHT TO KICK YOUR EGG-HEAD BUDDY BUMS OUT OF OFFICE AND HIRE
WAL MART TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT ???

WAL MART SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS.......WHY DON'T YOU GUYS
JUST ADMIT IT'S WAY BEYOND YOUR PAY GRADE AND QUIT?

Folks, keep this circulating. It is very well stated. Maybe it will end up in the e-mails of some of our "duly elected' (they never read anything) and their staff will clue them in on how Americans feel.

Republican/Democrat- There is no honor amongst thieves. TB "You can't fix stupid, but you can vote it OUT."

House Democrats Introduce A Bill To Help “99ers” - Atlantic City Liberal | Examiner.com

2010-12-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

House Democrats Introduce A Bill To Help “99ers” - Atlantic City Liberal | Examiner.com: "The '99ers' are people who have exhausted the full 99 weeks of unemployment benefits without being able to find work. These are hard-working Americans who had jobs prior to the financial meltdown caused by the rapacious greed of the wealthiest and most powerful in the country. Right now there are roughly five unemployed workers for every available job. That means that for 80% of the unemployed there simply are no jobs available no matter how hard they try.

In the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitcan area the '99er' problem is even worse. The unemployment rate in Atlantic City is 11.5%, nearly 2 full points higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8% The Obama-McConnell tax cut raw deal does nothing for 99ers who have lost their last lifeline, through no fault of their own.

To remedy this unacceptable situation, House Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee (pictured) (Calif.) and Bobby Scott (Va.) introduced legislation Friday that would provide additional assistance to “99ers”, to which I say, about damn time. The legislation would add 14 weeks of benefits to the first “tier” of Emergency Unemployment Compensation, one of two programs that together give the unemployed up to 73 weeks of federally-funded benefits for workers who exhaust 26 weeks of state benefits. The full 73 weeks are available in states with unemployment above 8.5 percent.

With the Republicans about to take over the House in January, the expectation among the political punditry is that this bill will stall indefinitely. The excuse that Republicans give in opposition to helping the 99ers is that they are against more deficit spending, which is really just their excuse to be cold and heartless. Their desire for fiscal restraint certainly did not stop them from joining hands with President Obama to add hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy to the deficit. But on this issue I think the Republicans are playing with fire and will break eventually.

According to Republican Fed Chairmen Ben Bernanke, it will take 4-5 years for the country to reach a normal level of unemployment again, without factoring the possibility of a double-dip. That is a long time to leave millions of suffering voters high and dry. Republicans may not have compassion, but they do have a strong sense of self-preservation. At some point voter anger will reach a tipping point where the Republicans will have to buckle. But maybe I am just being hopeful?

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Rant - Democrats Cave In: No Tier 5 for Unemployment Extension 2010

2010-12-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

Rant - Democrats Cave In: No Tier 5 for Unemployment Extension 2010

As they say, a week is a long time in politics and no more so then in the current lame duck session. Less then a week ago, the Democrats in the House of Representatives were in rebellion over the deal made between President Obama and the Republicans.

The most contentious issues of the agreement between the President and the GOP were the extensions of all the Bush era tax cuts for a further 2 years, but only a further 13 months extension for federal emergency unemployment insurance tiers 1 - 4. And a glaring omission was that the subject of a Tier 5 for the long-term unemployed – the 99ers, was not even discussed by those brokering the agreement.

On Wednesday, one of the most vocal Democrats in opposition to the bill, Peter Welch [D,VT], appeared to sum up the Democrats current position on the bill, with him being resigned to the fact that the bill would be passed by the House without any "significant" modification, saying "The die is now cast," and that "any further discussion of changes to the bill are now academic."

So it appears now that the Democrats have rolled over and caved in to the Republicans threats to block any amendments to the bill. By folding so easily, the Democrats have abandoned several million people to fend for themselves, leaving them without any form of assistance or income to tide them over until the nations depressed job market improves. To say that these people feel betrayed and abandoned by the Government is an understatement.

Readers have expressed their dismay, with Martin writing "I can't believe that this country of ours runs to help other countries in need, but is unwilling to help its fellow Americans. These Republicans are fighting because they want tax breaks for the wealthy and super wealthy, who in turn are sending all their jobs and business overseas. This has to be a literal crime against all Americans. I really don't understand why no one is voicing this in the media."

Another reader writes "It is said that the American voter has a short memory, but without relief for millions of 99ers in this package, this nightmare is just beginning. How many will it take before Congress wakes up to the untold suffering that is life without any unemployment benefits and abject poverty? When will the numbers get big enough that even the Republicans can not ignore them? Can they ever get big enough to make a difference?

The feelings of many were summed up by this comment: "There was never a Country as free as the United States of America. When it came into being, no such country had ever existed. People fought for their lives to keep such a freedom alive…Now once again more than ever here we stand again, watching our freedoms begin to disappear one by one. The Rich are becoming richer and more powerful as the Middle Class Begins to disappear and the poor just become poorer. How long will we stand and watch before we take action again, to save our freedoms here in the United States of America!"

Long-term unemployment is worrying - Dec. 13, 2010

2010-12-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

Long-term unemployment is worrying - Dec. 13, 2010: "FORTUNE -- What happens to a nation's collective psyche when millions of once-productive people remain out of work for months or even years? What happens when unemployed husbands resign themselves to relying on a wife's income, when unemployed wives feel trapped at home, when twenty- and thirtysomethings calculate that they'd rather live off their parents than face a cut-throat job market, when middle-aged men and women stop searching for jobs after realizing they're hopelessly lost in a haze of rapid-fire technological change?

The pre-holiday bickering over tax cuts and extending unemployment benefits is drowning out a December government number so frightening it should concentrate the minds of every posturing political leader in Washington: 9.8% unemployment. That is staggering, up from when the recession ended 18 months ago, and comes despite signs of recovery in retail, real estate, and corporate profits.

Especially troubling is that long-term unemployment continues to mount. 'It is unprecedented in post--World War II U.S. history to have 3% of the labor force unemployed for over a year,' Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said in a recent speech. 'If history is any guide, this year-plus unemployment rate will only revert to pre-recession levels after several years.'

Add to that mix this perplexing fact: While there aren't nearly enough jobs, there are more of them -- a lot more. Since the month after the recession ended, the number of available jobs has surged 44%, according to the Labor Department. Job vacancies are nowhere near pre-recession levels (according to the Conference Board, there are still 10.4 million more unemployed workers than advertised vacancies). Still, there are as many as three million jobs going unfilled.

Various economists have posited various reasons for this mismatch:

* Employers, still reeling from all the downsizing they've had to do, are pickier about whom they hire and slower to close the deal.

* Jobless workers, especially those out of work for months and years, don't have the skills to multitask in a fast-paced economy where medical workers need to know electronic record-keeping, machinists need computer skills, and marketing managers can no longer delegate software duties.

* Workers, some of whom feel cushioned by unemployment benefits, are too picky to take lower-paying or less prestigious jobs.

* There is a geographic divide between where the jobless are -- states like Florida, Nevada, and Michigan -- and where the jobs are -- states like Maryland, South Dakota, and Iowa. Relocation is especially hard if your mortgage is under water.

The cost of not working

Whatever the right mix of reasons, the fallout is crippling. Economically, long-term joblessness means fewer dollars for consumption. For deficit control, it means fewer taxpayers contributing to government revenues and tens of billions more spent on unemployment insurance. Then there is the psychological toll on individuals and families -- and on the nation.

Early on in the recession, popular culture seized on the romantic notion of tightening our belts and looking inward to frills-free fun with our friends and families, after a decade of borrowed hyperconsumption. Now we need to ask a less romantic question: What happens when millions of Americans lose the habit of work, a habit that lends balance, structure, dignity -- and, of course, economic support -- to lives?

The longer people are unemployed the less employable they become. Skills become rusty; managers look more suspiciously at someone who has been out of work for years than a candidate already employed. I remember an old conservative saying: Graduate from high school; get a job -- any job; get married -- stay married; and (statistically speaking) your chances of landing in poverty are practically nil.

Even if that was once true, that calculation has lost some relevancy in this far more complex economy. But the concept of getting people back on the ladder, even if it's on a lower rung, is a worthy one.

Hopefully, Congress will pass a tax bill that gives business enough certainty and financial incentive to create more jobs. Hopefully, economic growth will begin to put a dent in that loss of 8 million jobs since the recession hit.

But an even knottier problem facing the nation's political leadership, from the President on down, is how to get the long-term unemployed into jobs as they become available. To avoid becoming chronically unemployed, people need more than platitudes offering sympathy. Career reinvention requires encouragement and guidance. Business leaders have specifics to offer on what jobs will be coming down the pike in expanding sectors like health care, and what skills are needed. They should to be brought into the political dialogue.

President Obama opened the conversation this fall with an industry-led initiative to better match community college graduates with skilled jobs. He followed with a Dec. 6 speech calling for a 'Sputnik moment' to restart American innovation to create jobs and compete in the world.

But as he assembles a largely new economic team, the President face a more immediate challenge: the need for a 'Manhattan Project' to get the long-term jobless back to work, something that would boost the psyche of both the unemployed and the nation

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Abby Ale to be made in Chico

2010-12-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

Reporting from Vina, Calif. — For the Trappist monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux, life follows a pattern centuries old.

They spend their days in the field and their nights in silence. They gather in prayer seven times daily, starting at 3:30 a.m. In many of their affairs, they are still guided by the 6th century Rule of St. Benedict — but not one of its 73 chapters deals with their current travails.

Benedict offers no words of wisdom on how the monks might find the funds to complete their most passionate pursuit: the resurrection of a medieval monastery from a jumble of stones William Randolph Hearst shipped over from Spain.

He is silent, too, on negotiating deals with a major brewery.

The 23 monks at the rustic abbey north of Chico are seasoned winemakers — their Poor Souls Petite Syrah is a prizewinner — but, until a recent agreement with Sierra Nevada, all they knew of beer was how, on occasion, to drink it.

They are learning.

In partnership with the monks, Sierra Nevada next year will release an ale that pays tribute to the renowned Trappist beers of Europe. The brew also will be a boost to New Clairvaux, with the company pouring some of the venture's profits into the monastery reconstruction project. Sierra Nevada will train Father Thomas X. Davis, New Clairvaux's 77-year-old abbot emeritus, as a "sensory professional" — a beer taster who knows his phenols from his esters.

The alliance was forged only in the last year when the monks contacted the brewery, one of Chico's biggest businesses.

"We approached them for a fundraiser," said Davis, a trim, wry man who also serves as the abbey's forklift operator. "I felt so outlandish."

But what's one outlandish moment in a saga spanning more than 800 years?

****

In 1190, monks started building the Santa Maria de Ovila monastery about 90 miles northeast of Madrid. For centuries the complex thrived, but by 1835 it was left to decay. Farm animals wandered through the chapel. The chapter house — a community hall so named for the chapters from the Rule of Benedict that were read daily — became a manure pit.

Nearly a century later, an art dealer working for Hearst, a voracious collector, stumbled across the ruins and purchased them for $85,000. Never one to think small, the legendary newspaper publisher planned to use Ovila's limestone blocks in a grand redesign of Wyntoon, his family retreat at the base of Mt. Shasta.

In 1931, more than 100 workers dismantled the monastery and 11 freighters hauled the stones — 2,200 tons in all — to San Francisco. Under Hearst's plan, they were to be used for a palace that would outshine San Simeon. Ovila's 1,800-square-foot chapter house was to be reconstructed as a reception hall for an eight-story castle. Its chapel was to be transformed into a swimming pool 150 feet long.

The Depression scuttled Hearst's vision. Ultimately, he gave the stones — some weighing as much as half a ton — to San Francisco for construction of a medieval museum. But for decades they sat in Golden Gate Park, where they were scorched by fires and smashed by vandals. Some were used for a retaining wall at the Japanese Garden and others in projects throughoutthe park.

In 1955, Father Davis was passing through San Francisco when a friend pointed out crates of stones piled in a eucalyptus grove behind the de Young Museum. The friend told him they were the remnants of a Cistercian monastery.

"It was like being caught up in a dream," Davis recalled. The neglected remains were those of an all-but-forgotten sacred place founded by members of his own order — now known as Cistercians of the Strict Observance, or Trappists.

"Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing," he thought, "to get them for the abbey?"

****

When Davis took over as abbot 15 years later, he hadn't forgotten the stones. From time to time, he read stories in the San Francisco papers either about new plans to use them or anger at their continued neglect. He never quit thinking that somehow they could be put to good use on the abbey's 590 acres of vines and prune trees, part of a huge spread once owned by California railroad tycoon and politician Leland Stanford.

Sometime in the 1980s, a group of New Clairvaux monks drove to San Francisco and, with permission from parks officials, loaded a pickup with about 20 stones. "I thought we'd use them artistically around the abbey somewhere," Davis said.

But nobody told Margaret Burke, an architectural historian who had a grant to study the prospect of the monastery's reconstruction. When she learned that some of the stones were at New Clairvaux, she showed up to retrieve them.

"She was expecting I would give her a hard time," said Davis, "but I'm not that kind of person."

Burke left with the stones — and with the impression that if Ovila didn't rise in Golden Gate Park, it just might have a good home at New Clairvaux

In 1994, museum officials gave the monks the go-ahead to take the lot. The only requirement was that they start work within 10 years on a project that would be open to the public.

The next year, the last of 19 truckloads left San Francisco for Vina. It was a poignant moment, ceremonially marked by a handful of modern-day Druids who had long used the stones in worship. Davis left some behind for them.

When the dust cleared, the abbey had about 1,300 stones — a fraction of Hearst's shipment from Spain. That would be enough, Burke had concluded, to restore the chapter house.

****

Davis became the plan's overseer, champion, fundraiser and publicist. As word spread, foundations and individuals gave money. Some people made bequests. So far, about $6 million has come in, with an additional $1 million needed to complete the chapter house by 2012.

It's exacting work, made even more complex by the need for a concrete superstructure to brace the medieval building against earthquakes. Craftsmen familiar with dramatically vaulted Gothic ceilings are rare in the farm country around Vina.

For six years, the job has been supervised by Frank Helmholz, a German master mason who splits his time between the abbey and a restoration project at Egypt's Temple of Luxor. Clambering up a ladder in the chapter house, he confesses to a daily dose of awe, pointing out the signatures inscribed by long-ago Spanish carvers: cross-hatched lines, a backward N, even a Star of David. Others are still heaped shoulder-high in the vast brick barn built to store Stanford's brandy at what was once the world's largest winery.

"I feel a connection to the old stonemasons," Helmholz said as he helped workers hoist a stone with a pulley and chain. "For me, it's a labor from on high."

The building is about three-quarters done. It's as spare as Shaker furniture, reflecting the Trappists' unadorned faith.

"The simplicity, the depth, the light: It's a nice image of God," Davis said.

With its columns and arched entryways, it is intended to look much as it did when Spanish monks assembled it in the centuries before Columbus set sail.

Exactly how it looked back then is a matter of scholarly speculation. Builders working on the New Clairvaux project were guided by photographs and drawings made as the original chapter house was pried apart in 1931 — when it was a dilapidated shell. Only about 60% of the original stones survived the centuries in Spain and their exile in San Francisco; the rest were carved out of a limestone quarry in Texas, the closest place builders could find stones that matched the ones in Spain.

****

At Sierra Nevada's headquarters in Chico, 20 miles south of the abbey, executives have been keeping an eye on the chapter house's progress.

Seven Trappist monasteries in Belgium and Holland own the trademark "Trappist beer" and zealously guard its use. Sierra Nevada's "abbey ale" will be released in three varieties next winter, summer and fall. All will be called Ovila, in a nod to the project at New Clairvaux.

Though Ovila will not be labeled a Trappist beer, the brewery is taking the Trappist tradition seriously.

"Everybody in the brewing business knows about the legacy of Trappist beers," said Sierra Nevada spokesman Bill Manley. "It's monumental."

Manley, Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman and other executives recently visited Trappist monasteries that brew beer in Belgium, with Davis as their guide.

"I know some of the monks over there," he said. "And, as it happened, I had nothing else to do."

Neither the abbey nor the brewery is disclosing how much money the ale will generate.

At about $10 per champagne-style bottle, that's up to high-end consumers who have a taste for Belgium or a soft spot for medieval monastic history.

"Who knows?" Davis said with a smile. "It depends how much they drink."

steve.chawkins@latimes.com

Repeal health care? Give up your own first!

2010-11-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Repeal health care? Give up your own first!: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

For 2 years, GOP leaders in Congress fought tooth and nail to oppose health care reform. They did their best to keep tens of millions without coverage, decrying any effort to help citizens as "socialist," "fascist" or some other equally baffling "ist." And incredibly, they are now talking about repealing it.

And yet, when it comes to their own coverage, Republicans in Congress are not only using government-sponsored health care, they are whining about having to wait for it.

Well, four brave members of Congress are calling GOP leaders on their hypocrisy, demanding they practice what they preach, and calling on them to give up their government-sponsored health care:

Four members -- Joe Crowley (NY), Linda Sanchez (CA), Donna Edwards (MD), and Tim Ryan (OH) -- are rounding up signatures for a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Speaker-to-be John Boehner, encouraging them to press their members to refuse their federal health benefits based on the same principles underlying their opposition to health care reform.

"It is amazing that your members would complain about not having health care coverage for a few weeks, even after campaigning to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which will help provide coverage to millions of Americans who find themselves without health insurance for months or even years," the letter reads. "It begs the question: how many members of the Republican conference will be forgoing the employer-subsidized FEHBP coverage and experiencing what so many Americans find themselves forced to face? If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk."

We couldn't agree more. Write McConnell and Boehner today, and ask them if they will practice what they preach - and ask other GOP members to do the same.

OBAMA'S COLLEGE CLASSMATE SPEAKS OUT

2010-11-05T20:19:00.001-07:00

OBAMA'S COLLEGE CLASSMATE SPEAKS OUT

By Wayne Allyn Root, June 6th, 2010

Barack Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. To the contrary, he is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social chaos -- thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within.

Barack Obama is my college classmate ( Columbia University , class of '83). As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Obama is following the plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University . They outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with government spending and entitlement demands.

Add up the clues below. Taken individually they're alarming. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant, Machiavellian game plan to turn the United States into a socialist/Marxist state with a permanent majority that desperately needs government for survival .. and can be counted on to always vote for bigger government. Why not? They have no responsibility to pay for it.

-- Universal health care. The health care bill had very little to do with health care. It had everything to do with unionizing millions of hospital and health care workers, as well as adding 15,000 to 20,000 new IRS agents (who will join government employee unions). Obama doesn't care that giving free health care to 30 million Americans will add trillions to the national debt. What he does care about is that it cements the dependence of those 30 million voters to Democrats and big government. Who but a socialist revolutionary would pass this reckless spending bill in the middle of a depression?

-- Cap and trade. Like health care legislation having nothing to do with health care, cap and trade has nothing to do with global warming It has everything to do with redistribution of income, government control of the economy and a criminal payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Those powerful and wealthy unions and contributors (like GE, which owns NBC, MSNBC and CNBC) can then be counted on to support everything Obama wants. They will kick-back hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to Obama and the Democratic Party to keep them in power. The bonus is that all the new taxes on Americans with bigger cars, bigger homes and businesses helps Obama "spread the wealth around."

-- Make Puerto Rico a state. Why? Who's asking for a 51st state? Who's asking for millions of new welfare recipients and government entitlement addicts in the middle of a depression? Certainly not American taxpayers. But this has been Obama's plan all along. His goal is to add two new Democrat senators, five Democrat congressman and a million loyal Democratic voters who are dependent on big government.

-- Legalize 12 million illegal immigrants. Just giving these 12 million potential new citizens free health care alone could overwhelm the system and bankrupt America . But it adds 12 million reliable new Democrat voters who can be counted on to support big government. Add another few trillion dollars in welfare, aid to dependent children, food stamps, free medical, education, tax credits for the poor, and eventually Social Security.

-- Stimulus and bailouts. Where did all that money go? It went to Democrat contributors, organizations (ACORN), and unions -- including billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering $125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues). All those public employees will vote loyally Democrat to protect their bloated salaries and pensions that are bankrupting America . The country goes broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful. The ends justify the means.

-- Raise taxes on small business owners, high-income earners, and job creators. Put the entire burden on only the top 20 percent of taxpayers, redistribute the income, punish success, and reward those who did nothing to deserve it (except vote for Obama). Reagan wanted to dramatically cut taxes in order to starve the government. Obama wants to dramatically raise taxes to starve his political opposition.

With the acts outlined above, Obama and his regime have created a vast and rapidly expanding constituency of voters dependent on big government; a vast privileged class of public employees who work for big government; and a government dedicated to destroying capitalism and installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system.

Add it up and you've got the perfect Marxist scheme -- all devised by my Columbia University college classmate Barack Obama using the Cloward and Piven Plan.

True per snopes!

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/overwhelm.asp

Facebook | 3rd Largest Hospital Is Using Essential Oils In A HUGE WAY Now!

2010-10-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

Facebook | 3rd Largest Hospital Is Using Essential Oils In A HUGE WAY Now!

Joe Biden tells Democrat base ’stop whining’ about Barack Obama » Right Pundits

2010-09-28T07:42:00.001-07:00

Joe Biden tells Democrat base ’stop whining’ about Barack Obama » Right Pundits

You just have to hand it to the Democrats, nobody can insult people more than they. If remarks from Senator John Kerry (D-MA) about American voters being ignorant were not bad enough, Vice President Joe Biden added to the folly yesterday. Appearing at a fundraiser for Paul Hodes, who is running for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, Joe Biden told the Democrat base to ’stop whining’ about Barack Obama. Various factions within the Democrats all have a beef about Obama, ranging from anti-war groups mad about our continued involvement overseas to Socialists who think Obama is not going far or fast enough with transforming America.

Both Biden and Obama are cautioning their political base about the lack of enthusiasm for the fall mid-term elections in November. President Obama recorded a ‘robo-call’ message along this line, encouraging people to get active. He tells Democrats that you cannot get excited and vote once every ten years. In New Hampshire, Biden assured ‘the base’ that Obama has done ‘an incredible job’ and that ‘He’s kept his promises.’

Today, both Obama and Biden head ‘back to school’. President Obama will appear at the University of Wisconsin and VP Biden will be at Pennsylvania State University. Every single poll shows the Democrats losing control of the House of Representatives. Some 54 seats appear to be in the bag for GOP victories. Polling data shows perhaps another 20 or so in doubt. What’s more, in over 100 districts nationwide, there is practically no polling data at all. With the current mood of anti-incumbency and a wholesale rejection of Obama’s economic agenda and health care reform, November could be a very bad for Democrats.

Both Biden and Obama now admit that if the November election winds up being a referendum on the economy, Democrats will lose. Both are urging their base to consider what may happen if the GOP wins control of the House, and even the Senate. Former White House ‘green jobs czar’, Van Jones is also out stumping for the Democrat base to get in gear. He recently spoke in California warning “If you think things are bad now, what will happen when the people are screaming and yelling at these Tea Party events are actually in charge of your government, and in charge of your life and in charge of your kids’ future?”

Jones forgets to point out that if the Tea Party has it’s way, government won’t be ‘in charge of your life’. The whole idea the Tea Party advocates is for a smaller, less intrusive government. But, that is beyond the comprehension of people like Van Jones, Joe Biden and Barack Obama. They see government as needing to be as large and as intrusive as possible, since, as John Kerry points out, Americans are too ignorant to be in charge of their own lives. For Obama and like-minded Progressives, government must have power over all of us.

With just five weeks to go before the November mid-term elections, it may be too late for Joe Biden and Barack Obama to get the Democrat base to ’stop whining’ and energize them. I have heard the recording Obama made for the ‘robo-call’ message and it is BORING! He should of asked his pal and former spiritual minister, Jeremiah Wright to make it. At least Wright has a pulse and can show some emotion. Unlike stiffs like Joe Biden, Barack Obama and John Kerry.

Oh my: Biden tells liberal base to ’stop whining’

Obama, Biden head back to school to reach young voters

Van Jones Slams Controversial California Ballot Proposition

More Political News:

Random Observations

2010-09-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Some good funny questions and observations and I'm pretty sure the women will agree with # 24.

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on step #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions usually form the basis for some pretty good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray DVD's? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Road Hogs" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. (bath towels may get wet but they also never get dirty as you are clean as you step out of the shower).

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important!

Religious leaders condemn plan to burn Koran on Sept. 11

2010-09-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Religious leaders condemn plan to burn Koran on Sept. 11

2010-08-28T16:56:00.001-07:00

Robot Bartender!!

2010-08-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Guy goes into a bar, there's a robot bartender.
The robot says, "What will you have?"
The guy says, "Martini."
The robot brings back the best martini ever and says to the man, "What's your IQ?"
The guy says, "168."
The robot then proceeds to talk about physics, space exploration and medical technology.
The guy leaves, but he is curious...So he goes back into the bar.

The robot bartender says, "What will you have?"
The guy says, "Martini."
Again, the robot makes a great martini gives it to the man and says, "What's your IQ?"
The guy says, "100."
The robot then starts to talk about NASCAR, Budweiser and John Deere tractors.
The guy leaves, but finds it very interesting, so he thinks he will try it one more time.

He goes back into the bar.
The robot says, "What will you have?"
The guy says, "Martini," and the robot brings him another great martini.
The robot then says, "What's your IQ?"
The guy says, "Uh, about 50."
The robot leans in real close and says,
"So, you people still happy you voted for Obama?"

Buchannan to Obama

2010-07-26T13:02:00.001-07:00

BUCHANAN TO OBAMA
By Patrick J. Buchanan

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America . Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation.. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.... This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.. Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream. Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??

Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks.. Let him go to Altoona ? And Johnstown , and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids...? Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America 's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?

We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena . And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.
This needs to be passed around because, this is a message everyone needs to hear!!!

Buchannan to Obama

2010-07-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

This needs to be passed around because, this is a message everyone needs to hear!!!

What has America Become?

2010-07-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

July 19, 2010

The following document was printed in a newspaper. I believe it comes from a city in Michigan but I cannot authenticate the source. No matter the source, the content is worthy of being posted here to stimulate discourse.

Gary Harper
Orrville

What has America become?

"Editor,

Has American become the land of the double standard?

Lets see: if we lie to the Congress, it's a felony and if the Congress lies to us its just politics; if we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black person dislikes whites, its their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don't burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama's policies you're a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don't want to work; we all support eh Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?

-Ken Huber
Tawas City"

G.M. Buys a Subprime Lender for $3.5 Billion

2010-07-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Where did they get this money?????

DETROIT — General Motors said Thursday that it had agreed to buy a financing company, AmeriCredit, for $3.5 billion so it can lease more vehicles and increase sales to consumers with lower credit ratings.

The transaction, expected to close in the fourth quarter, gives G.M. a captive financing arm for the first time since 2006, when it sold control of GMAC Financial Services. G.M. recently considered starting a new financing arm or reacquiring GMAC, now known as Ally Financial, to strengthen its lending capabilities and to raise the carmaker’s value ahead of a public stock offering.

“Our dealers have been telling us that not having an in-house finance arm hurt our ability to finance certain loans and leases,” Edward E. Whitacre Jr., G.M.’s chief executive, said in a conference call. “It hurt our ability to meet rising customer demand for G.M. cars and trucks. Now we’re going to fix that.”

Shareholders of AmeriCredit, which is based in Fort Worth and has 3,000 employees, would receive $24.50 a share, a 24 percent premium over Wednesday’s closing price of $19.70. AmeriCredit was founded in 1992 and has assets of about $10 billion.

G.M. will use money from its cash reserves, which stand at more than $30 billion as a result of the aid it received from the federal government before and during last year’s bankruptcy.

“We’re in the fortunate position that we have a very strong balance sheet,” G.M.’s chief financial officer, Christopher P. Liddell, said. “That gives us the flexibility to do acquisitions like this.”

G.M. said its ownership of the company would have minimal impact on its balance sheet and would not detract from its goal of regaining a strong investment-grade credit rating. AmeriCredit will maintain direct access to the capital markets for financing requirements, G.M. said.

G.M. executives have been seeking ways to improve sales in North America, where its earnings have greatly improved, but market share in the United States remains below year-ago levels. Owning AmeriCredit would let the company offer more leases and approve customers that Ally or other banks might have rejected.

G.M. said its sales to customers with subprime credit ratings have increased “significantly” since beginning a program with AmeriCredit aimed at writing loans for shoppers in that category last September. Ownership of AmeriCredit, which already has a relationship with about 4,000 G.M. dealerships, “will allow us to provide a full range of financing alternatives for all customers throughout all economic cycles,” Mr. Liddell said.

General Motors said it would continue to use Ally Financial and other banks to procure financing for prime customers. The company still owns 9.9 percent of Ally; it was required under federal law to sell the rest of its stake so that Ally could convert itself into a bank. Ally also provides financing to customers of Chrysler dealerships.

Currently, subprime customers account for 4 percent of G.M. sales, in line with the industry average, but about 40 percent of the population has a subprime rating, Mr. Liddell said.

“At the margin those are very good sales,” he said. “An extra percent here and an extra percent there will make a big difference from a sales point of view.”

Only 7 percent of the G.M.’s vehicles are leased, compared with an average of 21 percent for the industry. G.M. and other automakers sharply cut back on leasing, which is more popular for upscale vehicles, when the credit markets tightened in 2008.

AmeriCredit’s chief executive, Daniel E. Berce, said the company did not plan to stop financing customers of G.M.’s competitors. G.M. currently accounts for 15 percent of AmeriCredit’s business.

Mr. Berce said most of AmeriCredit’s 800,000 customers had credit ratings of 500 to 650. A rating below 640, on a scale that ranges from 300 to 850, is generally considered subprime.

Obama Blasts GOP for Blocking Unemployment Extension - US News and World Report

2010-07-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Obama Blasts GOP for Blocking Unemployment Extension - US News and World Report

What if 20 million illegal aliens left the United States Today???

2010-06-07T10:56:00.001-07:00

Tina Griego, journalist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News wrote a column titled, "Mexican visitor's lament" --

She interviewed Mexican journalist Evangelina Hernandez while visiting Denver last week. Hernandez said,

"They (illegal aliens) pay rent, buy groceries, buy clothes...what happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?"

That's a good question - it deserves an answer. Over 80 percent of Americans demand secured borders and illegal migration stopped. But what would happen if all 20 million or more vacated America? The answers may surprise you!

In California , if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico , it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupted hospitals and overrun prisons. It would leave highways cleaner, safer and less congested. Everyone could understand one another as English became the dominate language again.

In Colorado, 500,000 illegal migrants, plus their 300,000 kids and grand-kids - would move back "home," mostly to Mexico . That would save Coloradans an estimated $2 billion (other experts say $7 BIL) annually in taxes that pay for schooling, medical, social-services and incarceration costs. It means 12,000 gang members would vanish out of Denver alone.

Colorado would save more than $20 million in prison costs, and the terror that those 7,300 alien criminals set upon local citizens. Denver Officer Don Young and hundreds of Colorado victims would not have suffered death, accidents, rapes and other crimes by illegals.

Denver Public Schools would not suffer a 67 percent drop out/flunk out rate via thousands of illegal alien students speaking 41 different languages. At least 200,000 vehicles would vanish from our gridlocked cities in Colorado .

Denver 's four percent unemployment rate would vanish as our working poor would gain jobs at a living wage.

In Florida , 1.5 million illegals would return the Sunshine State back to America , the rule of law and English.

In Chicago , Illinois , 2.1 million illegals would free up hospitals, schools, prisons and highways for a safer, cleaner and more crime-free experience.

If 20 million illegal aliens returned "home," the U.S. economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn't be working off the books. That would result in an additional $401 billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local state and city coffers.

No more push '1' for Spanish or '2' for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must contend with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids. Our overcrowded schools would lose more than two million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches.

We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually. That includes 15,000 MS-13 gang members who distribute $130 billion in drugs annually would vacate our country. In cities like L.A, 20,000 members of the "18th Street Gang" would vanish from our nation. No more Mexican forgery gangs for ID theft from Americans! No more foreign rapists and child molesters!

Losing more than 20 million people would clear up our crowded highways and grid lock. Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens!

Drain on America 's economy; taxpayers harmed, employers get rich: Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to their home countries by cash transfers. Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America 's economy - which currently suffers an $8.7 trillion debt.

At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, costing us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California , Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupted out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act. Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders.

Our cities would see 20 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the "progressives" on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11 percent of our greenhouse gases.

Over one million of Mexico's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville , Texas to San Diego , California in what the New York Times called, "colonias" or new neighborhoods. Trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, electricity, roads or any kind of sanitation. The New York Times reported them to be America 's new " Third World " inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 20 million residents of those colonias. (I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona ; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.) By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico .

High integrity, ethical invitation:

We invite 20 million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico . We invite a million people into our country legally more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation.

It's time to stand up for our country, our culture, our civilization and our way of life.

Obama is a victim of Bush's failed promises

2010-05-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Aurora Sentinel Archives Opinion Columnists Green: Obama is a victim of Bush's failed promises

Barack Obama is setting a record-setting number of records during his first year in office.

Largest budget ever. Largest deficit ever. Largest number of broken promises ever. Most self-serving speeches ever. Largest number of agenda-setting failures ever. Fastest dive in popularity ever.

Wow. Talk about change.

Just one year ago, fresh from his inauguration celebrations, President Obama was flying high. After one of the nation’s most inspiring political campaigns, the election of America’s first black president had captured the hopes and dreams of millions. To his devout followers, it was inconceivable that a year later his administration would be gripped in self-imposed crisis.

Of course, they don’t see it as self imposed. It’s all George Bush’s fault.

George Bush, who doesn’t have a vote in Congress and who no longer occupies the White House, is to blame for it all.

He broke Obama’s promise to put all bills on the White House web site for five days before signing them.

He broke Obama’s promise to have the congressional health care negotiations broadcast live on C-SPAN.

He broke Obama’s promise to end earmarks.

He broke Obama’s promise to keep unemployment from rising above 8 percent.

He broke Obama’s promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo in the first year.

He broke Obama’s promise to make peace with direct, no pre-condition talks with America’s most hate-filled enemies during his first year in office, ushering in a new era of global cooperation.

He broke Obama’s promise to end the hiring of former lobbyists into high White House jobs.

He broke Obama’s promise to end no-compete contracts with the government.

He broke Obama’s promise to disclose the names of all attendees at closed White House meetings.

He broke Obama’s promise for a new era of bipartisan cooperation in all matters.

He broke Obama’s promise to have chosen a home church to attend Sunday services with his family by Easter of last year.

Yes, it’s all George Bush’s fault. President Obama is nothing more than a puppet in the never-ending, failed Bush administration.

If only George Bush wasn’t still in charge, all of President Obama’s problems would be solved. His promises would have been kept, the economy would be back on track, Iran would have stopped its work on developing a nuclear bomb and would be negotiating a peace treaty with Israel, North Korea would have ended its tyrannical regime, and integrity would have been restored to the federal government.

Oh, and did I mention what it would be like if the Democrats, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, didn’t have the heavy yoke of George Bush around their necks. There would be no earmarks, no closed-door drafting of bills, no increase in deficit spending, no special-interest influence (unions), no vote buying (Nebraska, Louisiana).

If only George Bush wasn’t still in charge, we’d have real change by now.

All the broken promises, all the failed legislation and delay (health care reform, immigration reform) is not President Obama’s fault or the fault of the Democrat-controlled Congress. It’s all George Bush’s fault.

Take for example the decision of Eric Holder, the president’s attorney general, to hold terrorists’ trials in New York City. Or his decision to try the Christmas Day underpants bomber as a civilian.

Two disastrous decisions.

Certainly those were bad judgments based on poor advice from George Bush.

Need more proof?

You might recall that when Scott Brown won last month’s election to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, capturing “the Ted Kennedy seat,” President Obama said that Brown’s victory was the result of the same voter anger that propelled Obama into office in 2008. People were still angry about George Bush and the policies of the past 10 years, and they wanted change.

Yes, according to the president, the voter rebellion in Massachusetts last month was George Bush’s fault.

Therefore, in retaliation, they elected a Republican to the Ted Kennedy seat, ending a half-century of domination by Democrats.

It is all George Bush’s fault.

Will the failed administration of George Bush ever end, and the time for hope and change ever arrive?

Will President Obama ever accept responsibility for something — anything?

Chuck Green, veteran Colorado journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Denver Post, syndicates a statewide column and is at chuckgreencolo@msn.com

Chabot tells voters to 'return to sender' - Topix

2010-05-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Chabot tells voters to 'return to sender' - Topix

Measure O, if approved, would ban supercenters from Redlands | Politics | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

2010-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Measure O, if approved, would ban supercenters from Redlands

4 hurt in street-racing crash | Local News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

2010-04-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

4 hurt in street-racing crash Local News PE.com Southern California News News for Inland Southern California

4 hurt in street-racing crash

10:44 PM PDT on Friday, April 23, 2010

The P{ress-Enterprise

Four people suffered moderate injuries Friday in a collision that police believe was the result of an illegal street race downtown.

A silver Saturn sedan, with four Redlands High School students inside, was racing a white Mercedes Benz sometime before 2:30 p.m. near Redlands Boulevard and State Street, police said in a news release.

The Saturn struck a red sport utility vehicle, police said. The collision totaled both cars, and a fire crew had to cut the roof off the SUV to free the driver.

All occupants of both cars were taken to a hospital.

A silver Saturn sedan sits at the Redlands Boulevard and State Street in Redlands after colliding with the red sport utility vehicle lying on its side in the background.

The Mercedes, carrying two Redlands High students, avoided the collision and fled, police said. Investigators later arrested the driver at his home on suspicion of felony hit-and-run. He was released to his parents.

Most of the race was caught by downtown surveillance cameras, police said.

It was the second street-racing crash involving Redlands high school students this month. A bicyclist was struck and killed April 8 on Greenspot Road by an out-of-control car traveling about 70 mph, police said.

Anyone with more information on Friday’s crash is asked to call Officer Josh Atwell at 909-798-7681.

—Steven Barrie

sbarrie@PE.com

Recognizing and Minimizing Tort and Regulatory Risk

2010-03-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

It is extremely important to identify and manage possible tort liabilities for a company. There are ways to manage risks effectively but there must be proactive methods taken by the company. Common torts that were covered in our collaboration that could have been prevented or minimized will be addressed below.

The textbook describes a company that disposed of radioactive waste (radium) that was left over from its manufacturing process in an urban area (Jennings, 2006, p. 458). Knowing that radium was a potentially dangerous product, the company continued to dispose of it in an urban area. The company was negligent in the handling of the product. They knew that the product was dangerous. One scientist went so far as to cut off the end of a finger when a piece was lodged in his finger because of the possible contamination. Research should have been performed to see about a more responsible method of discarding the hazardous materials.

Direct causation in the simulation is due to the fact that the company had contaminated the waters of the lake. The contamination caused contaminates to infiltrate the local water supply and a 10 year old girl contracted leukemia. The company knew it was using toxic chemicals and the leak of materials should have been discovered before it had the opportunity to enter the water supply. The company did what it could once the leak was discovered, but there should have been more preventative measures in place. Inspections of the water lines and the plumbing and holding tanks should be performed more often to catch possible leaks.

Violation of environmental regulation due to the water contamination found during a routine EPA inspection. The company was well aware of the prescribed limits of PAH that can be discharged into the environment. The company was not making inspections and self testing itself often enough to ensure that their output was within regulatory limits. While to company complied promptly and cleaned up their discharge. The next inspection showed that the company was in compliance. Regular and frequent tests need to be made of all discharges coming out of the plant. All testing must be documented to prove the company being proactive.

Approaching Kelly Bates to test her resolve would be characterized as an intentional infliction of emotional distress. The company knows that her daughter has leukemia. Approaching Kelly Bates regarding these issues personally would not be in the company's best interest. The emotional stress inflicted on her would cause the courts to be sympathetic to Kelly Bates and could be devastating to the company. It is very important for the company to not stir up animosity for itself by antagonizing the plaintiff. Use lawyers to approach the plaintiff through her lawyers for any information you need regarding Kelly Bates.

Running a private investigation of Kelly Bates would be a violation of her privacy as well as a violation of her constitutional rights. This action would also cause a jury to be sympathetic to Kelly Bates. Having a big company coming at her personally would look like she was being attacked for trying to protect her daughter. The company needs to tread lightly. Stick with the facts of the case. No investigations into backgrounds of the plaintiff could come to any good and would be a public relations nightmare for the company.

The local newspaper printed allegations that the company was being defensive and must be hiding something. This is a tort of defamation. The newspaper reported on something blatantly not true to bring public confidence of the company in question. The defamation would have serious consequences on the business being able to continue its business practices in the future. Releasing information that is being requested is what is needed to give the public confidence that the company is being upfront and honest with any investigation. The company needs to be proactive and work with the public and avenues of information dispersion like the newspaper, radio, and television. Do not give the impression that pertinent information is being withheld or covered up.

Proximate causation is another tort that has been brought to bear in the simulation. Injury was caused due to the company allowing contaminates into the water supply and Kelly Bates' daughter ingesting the water. This is the proximate cause of the injury. There may be a "substantial factor" to see if the injury was directly caused by the contaminated water supply. If it is determined that the leukemia was substantially caused by the water supply being contaminated, then the company can be held liable for the damages (“Proximate cause“, 2010).

The company needs to prevent future litigations by ensuring that inspections of equipment and plumbing be conducted on a regular and frequent basis. Being proactive in keeping future violations from occurring will help to keep the company from being litigated on in the future. The company should be as upfront in handling upcoming litigations needs to work with the surrounding community. Be prepared to open their inspection reports to public scrutiny. Allow copies of inspections to be public for the community to see how efforts to be compliant are being made. The company needs to show the community that it is working with them and the environment that they share. Hiding information or making it difficult to obtain information regarding business practices could cause the community to lose confidence in the company and want to know what is being hidden or omitted from public scrutiny.

References

Jennings, M. M. (2006). Business: Its legal, ethical, and global environment (7th ed.). Mason, OH: Thompson.

Proximate cause. (2010). Retrieved from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/proximate+cause

Exciting money-making opportunity!!!!!

2010-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Potential Business Owner:

If you are like me, I've searched the Internet over and wasted lots of time and money with "get rich quick" businesses that turned out to be schemes. I've always wanted to start my own business that was LEGITIMATE and HONEST (and not a "pie in the sky" fairy tale). Well, I did it! I've officially started my own home business as an affiliate with SFI (Strong Future International). Here are some of the reasons why I decided to go with SFI:

* Their parent company has been around since 1985.
* It's free to get started.
* They're in over 190 countries worldwide.
* You can do everything from home on your computer.
* 24-hour support.
* Free training and free Website.
* They're growing rapidly and there's lots of money to be made.

There's nothing to lose and everything to gain here, including more time with your family and more money in your wallet. It's well worth looking at SFI and investing in your future with us.

For more information, see http://www.sfi4.com/10983645/FREE

Appeals court limits police use of Tasers in Calif. case of nonviolent suspect who was shocked

2009-12-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

December 30, 2009 11:28 a.m.E-mail Print Share Text Size

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has set down strict guidelines for when police officers may use Tasers.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that a Coronado, Calif., police officer used excessive force when he used his Taser on an unarmed, nonviolent suspect. The unanimous three-judge panel upheld a trial court's decision allowing the suspect, Carl Bryan, to pursue his lawsuit against the city, police department and officer.

The appeals court says police should use a Taser only in threatening situations because it inflicts more pain than other so-called nonlethal weapons at an officer's disposal.

Experts expect some police departments will have to change their Taser policies if the decision stands."

Damn - Now we all have to take off our underwear to board a plane!!!!

2009-12-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

Eugene Robinson - Air terrorism attempt reveals bigger 'system' failure - washingtonpost.com

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano's initial assessment of the Christmas Day airliner attack -- that "the system worked" -- doesn't quite match the absurdity of "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." But only because she quickly took it back.

A 'system' dangerously off course
A system that allows a man identified to U.S. officials as a potential threat -- by his own concerned father -- to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit with powerful explosives sewn into his underwear? That lets this man detonate his bomb as the plane prepares to land, igniting a potentially catastrophic fire? That depends on a young, athletic passenger to be seated nearby? That counts on this accidental hero to react quickly enough to thwart the terrorist's plans?

If that's how the system works, we need a new system.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not blaming the Obama administration for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's alleged terrorist attack, and it would be reprehensible for anyone to try to use the incident to score political points. The White House is guilty only of defensiveness in not immediately recognizing the obvious: We have a problem. Actually, we have two problems.

The first is that the incident reveals serious deficiencies in the "system" that Napolitano and others were so quick to defend. At this point, no one can doubt that civilian aviation remains a major target of al-Qaeda, affiliated groups and imitators. Most of us are under the impression that removing our shoes at the airport and limiting ourselves to those tiny, trial-size containers of toothpaste, shaving cream and lotion are enough to ensure a safe flight. For passengers on Northwest Flight 253, this was not the case.

One solution -- expensive and intrusive, but effective -- would be to make use of new airport screening technology mandatory. Either a "whole-body imaging" scanner, which gives a much more detailed picture than a regular metal detector, or a "sniffer" machine, which analyzes trace chemicals, would have been likely to detect the explosives that Abdulmutallab allegedly was carrying.

In this instance, however, the system seems to have malfunctioned well before Abdulmutallab reached Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Abdulmutallab's father, wealthy Nigerian banker Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, had warned U.S. and Nigerian authorities about his son's increasing radicalization -- information that led U.S. officials to put Abdulmutallab's name in a database, along with 550,000 other names, but not to revoke his multiple-entry visa or keep him off a Detroit-bound jetliner.

It is an ordeal for anyone from the developing world to obtain a visa to enter the United States. We already turn away multitudes. It will be no small task, but the system needs to be re-engineered to let the right people in and keep the dangerous people out.

When Abdulmutallab allegedly set his lap on fire, there were no air marshals on board to handle the situation. I realize it is not possible to provide an armed federal escort for every flight. But whatever algorithm officials use to determine which flights get marshals evidently needs improvement.

The second problem we face is much bigger, and there is no real solution in sight.

According to reports of Abdulmutallab's statements to authorities after his arrest, he claims to have gotten the bomb -- and instruction on how and when to use it -- from al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen. As noted previously in this space, and illustrated by a sobering report Monday in The Post, Yemen features prominently in al-Qaeda's expansion plans. Abdulmutallab's story suggests that an infrastructure for indoctrination, training and bomb-making is already in place, and that this ambitious young branch of al-Qaeda is confident enough to launch an attack on what the George W. Bush administration infelicitously called the "homeland."

Our enemy apparently sees its future in places such as Yemen -- or perhaps Somalia, a failed state for almost two decades, where militant fundamentalist Islam is on the march. The enemy's leadership is believed to be ensconced in remote areas of Pakistan, beyond the government's reach. Yet the United States will soon have about 100,000 troops chasing shadows in Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda's presence is now minimal.

I understand and appreciate the fear that if the Taliban were to take power again, it could invite al-Qaeda back into Afghanistan to set up shop. But I can't escape the uneasy feeling that we're fighting, and escalating, the last war -- while the enemy fights the next one.

California is in deep doo-doo again!!

2009-11-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

California again faces massive deficit, projected at $21 billion
The state's chief budget analyst foresees a fiscal mess extending past the recession for years to come. He puts much of the blame on unrealistic budgeting assumptions.

Reporting from Sacramento - California government is again beset with red ink, facing a nearly $21-billion deficit over the next year and half, according to a report released today by the state's chief budget analyst.

Nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor projected state spending severely out of line with tax collections not just amid the current recession but for years to come. Solving the fiscal mess will require "painful choices" in both cutting services and raising revenue, Taylor warned.

The gloomy forecast, which comes after Sacramento officials have already raised taxes and slashed programs this year, portends a fierce budget battle again in 2010.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who last week predicted more across-the-board budget cuts, in January must unveil his plan to address the deficit.

"We look forward to receiving the governor's new budget proposal in January," Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement, "and will immediately begin work on crafting budget solutions that will once again require both difficult spending reductions and additional revenues."

The legislative analyst, whom both Republicans and Democrats look to for fiscal advice, reported that the current budget year accounts for $6.3 billion of the deficit. Much of that is the result of unrealistic budgeting assumptions that have evaporated in the four months since lawmakers and Schwarzenegger agreed on a spending plan.

That budget, currently in place, assumed receipts of nearly $1 billion from the federal government for Medi-Cal, a sum the analyst questioned. Another $1 billion was assumed from the sale of a quasi-public workers' compensation agency that has stalled. Prison spending has outstripped its allotment, and schools are owed more than had been expected under the state's complex funding formula.

An additional $14.4 billion of the deficit is for the fiscal year that begins next summer.

The deficit is expected to be worse in the years beyond, as temporary taxes expire and raids on local government funds must be repaid by Sacramento. The analyst projected a $21.3-billion deficit in fiscal 2011-12 and $23 billion in 2012-13.

Even those numbers could turn out to be conservative. The figures assume that California wins all its pending court cases, in which billions in spending reductions are being challenged.

The forecast also assumes no cost-of-living adjustments for state workers and programs, after the Legislature suspended them this year.

Management assignment 11/12/2009

2009-11-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

For this assignment I am going to use as a consumer item a new Blu-ray player. Analyzing this using the four Ps of marketing that are product, price, place, and promotion (Nichels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2008, p. 352). These factors are the marketing mix.

First step is to find a product that is in demand. Blu-ray players are big today and consumers want extra bells and whistles in their electronic purchases. Next is setting up a price for the product. Your price needs to remain competitive to other Blu-ray players on the market. Setting the price too high for comparable features would keep consumers from purchasing your product. Not charging enough and the company will lose money and quickly be out of business. The company needs to find the “sweet spot”. Third, is place. The Blu-ray player is an electronic device and will be purchased from an outlet such as Best Buy or similar electronic outlet stores. People looking to buy consumer electronics will shop these stores and the company needs product in the mix to move units. Fourth in the mix is promotion. The company may design an eye-catching flyer to accompany the player on the store shelf. There can be a large banner placed in front of the store announcing the new addition to the Blu-ray player scene. The company must develop some sort of consumer relationship (Nichels et al., 2008, p. 356). Obtain customer feed back with questionnaires or handouts. Ask the customer how to improve the product or what options they need in the next model.

Marketers must watch closely the economic climate of the products they are promoting. Take the housing market crash that has occurred over the last couple of years. Not keeping a close watch on economic developments caused many small and large businesses to go under. Keep watchful of signs of economic change to the target market. Consumers need to have a desire for a product and the resources to purchase the product. An overpriced item that the consumer purchases and has regrets having paid too much is cognitive dissonance (Nichels et al., 2008, p. 367). The customer must be reassured that purchasing the product is a good decision.

I have purchased in the past products that were marketed directly to me and my demographic. That item would be Williams Lectric Shave. As their marketing campaign goes, “It makes your beard stand up for a smoother, closer shave”. I have never been able to use an electric shave but once in a while I try them out again. I do not receive a nice, close, and clean shave with an electric. I am a blade guy, always have, always will. An item that I have purchased that is not marketed to my specific demographic is ponytail hair bands. Ponytail hair bands are marketed to women, but as my hair is longer, I like to keep it clean looking. I want to project a professional image and unkempt hair is not the way to go.

Reference
Nichels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2008). Management, leadership, and employee empowerment. In Understanding business (pp. 180-203). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Amazon Kindle E-book Deletion Prompts Lawsuit -- Amazon Kindle -- InformationWeek

2009-07-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

Electronic book burning if you ask me!!!!
==============================

Amazon Kindle E-book Deletion Prompts Lawsuit

Amazon angered customers when it remotely deleted two books in from Kindle e-book readers without notifying their owners.

By Antone Gonsalves InformationWeek July 31, 2009 04:57 PM

A high school student has sued Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), claiming the retailer ruined his homework on George Orwell's 1984 by deleting the electronic version of the book without warning from the teenager's Kindle.

Justin D. Gawronski, who lives in Michigan, filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Seattle. He was joined in the complaint by Antoine J. Bruguier of California, who also had the book deleted from his Kindle.

The plaintiffs, who claim Amazon did not have the right to remove the book, are seeking class-action status.

Amazon angered customers and drew severe criticism from consumer advocates when it deleted 1984 and Orwell's other well-known book Animal Farm in mid-July from Kindle e-book readers without notifying their owners.

Amazon, which developed and sells the Kindle, later said it took the unusual action after learning that the books had been added to its e-book catalog by a third-party who did not have the rights to sell the books.

Removing the books from the catalog alone would have sparked little controversy. But Amazon's decision to also delete them remotely from customers' Kindles highlighted the retailer's control over electronic content purchased for the devices. This week, the Boston non-profit, The Free Software Foundation, said it would present Amazon with a petition asking that Amazon relinquish control of the e-books customers load on Kindles.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that Amazon never disclosed its ability to remove content at will, a fact that might have affected customers' decision to buy the Kindle.

"The capability for Amazon to remotely delete purchased items is material in a consumer's decision to buy Kindles or e-books through the Kindle Store," the lawsuit says. "The value of Kindles and reading materials purchased through the Kindle Store are significantly diminished by Amazon's ability to remotely delete digital content, including e-books, magazines and newspapers."

In Gawronski's case, the student lost more than just the Orwell book. The copious notes he had made on the e-book version of "1984," which had been assigned to him as a summer homework assignment, "were rendered useless because they no longer referenced the relevant parts of the book."

"Mr. Gawronski now needs to recreate all of his studies," the suit says.

Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos last week apologized for removing the books, saying the company's handling of the problem presented by unknowingly selling illegal copies of the books was "stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles."

Nevertheless, Gawronski and Bruguier argue that Amazon is still liable for the damages caused by its actions that go beyond refunding the money spent on the e-books. The plaintiffs are seeking restitution for "all damages caused by its conduct," as well as litigation expenses and attorney fees. The plaintiffs are being represented by the Chicago law firm KamberEdelson.

In addition, the suit asks the court to rule that Amazon does not have the right to remotely delete digital content from Kindles and such action is a violation of Amazon's terms of use for the device.

"Unless restrained and enjoined, Amazon will continue to commit such acts," the lawsuit says.

Police: Woman accused of killing newborn ate brain - Yahoo! News

2009-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

SAN ANTONIO – A woman charged with murdering her 3 1/2-week-old son used a knife and two swords to dismember the child and ate parts of his body, including his brain, before stabbing herself in the torso and slicing her own throat, police said Monday.

Otty Sanchez, 33, is charged with capital murder in the death of her infant son, Scott Wesley Buchholtz-Sanchez. She was recovering from her wounds at a hospital, and was being held on $1 million bail.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the early Sunday morning attack occurred a week after the child's father moved out. Otty Sanchez's sister and her sister's two children, ages 5 and 7, were in the house, but none were harmed.

Otty Sanchez's aunt, Gloria Sanchez, said her niece had been "in and out" of a psychiatric ward, and that the hospital called several months ago looking to check up on her. She did not elaborate on the nature of her niece's health problems.

"Otty didn't mean to do that. She was not in her right mind," a sobbing Gloria Sanchez told The Associated Press on Monday by phone. She said her family was devastated.

McManus, who appeared uncomfortable as he addressed reporters, said Sanchez apparently ate the child's brain and some other body parts. She also decapitated the infant, tore off his face and chewed off three of his toes before stabbing herself.

"It's too heinous for me to describe it any further," McManus said.

McManus described the crime scene as so grisly that police officers barely spoke to each other while looking through the house. Parts of the child were missing, including pieces that Sanchez allegedly ate.

"At this particular scene you could have heard a pin drop," McManus said. "No one was speaking. It was about as somber as it could have been."

Officers called to Sanchez's house at about 5 a.m. Sunday found her sitting on the couch screaming "I killed my baby! I killed my baby!" McManus said. They found the boy's body in a bedroom.

Police said Sanchez said the devil told her to kill her son and that she was hearing voices.

"It was a spontaneous utterance," McManus said.

Police said Sanchez did not have an attorney, and they declined to identify family members who might speak on her behalf.

No one answered the door Monday at Sanchez's one-story home, where the blinds were shut. A hopscotch pattern and red hearts were drawn on the walk leading up to the house.

Neighbor Luis Yanez, 23, said his kids went to school with one of the small children who lived at the house. He said he often saw a woman playing outside with the children but didn't know whether it was Otty.

"Why would you do that to your baby?" said Yanez, a tire technician. "It brings chills to you. They can't defend themselves."

Authorities said Sanchez and her sister took turns watching the baby Sunday morning, and that the boy was placed in Sanchez's care at about 1:30 a.m. Her sister discovered what happened about three hours later and called police.

Investigators are looking into Sanchez's mental health history to see if there was anything "significant," and whether postpartum difficulties could have played a role in the attack, McManus said.

The killing called to mind the drowning of five children by their mother in the bathtub of their Houston-area home in 2001. Attorneys for the woman, Andrea Yates, said she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and, in a delusional state, believed Satan was inside her and was trying to save them from hell. A jury found Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006.

Saucy sausage ads condemned

2009-07-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

LONDON (Reuters) – A saucy radio advert for sausages which encouraged listeners to reveal "where you like to stick yours" was criticized by Britain's advertising watchdog on Wednesday.

The ads for Mattesons smoked sausages elicited 21 complaints from listeners who said they were offensive because of the sexual innuendo and should not have been aired when children were likely to be listening.

"Think about all the things you can stick this tasty, extraordinarily large sausage in," one advert said.

"Mmm... Pizza, pasta, stir fry. You have any ideas? Give me a call and tell me where you like to stick it."

Kerry Foods, which makes the sausages, said its adverts were intended to be tongue-in-cheek and were not designed to be offensive.

The Advertising Standards Authority did not uphold the complaints about the innuendo because it was not sexually explicit, but said the ads could "cause harm to children."

It ruled the ads should not be aired at times when they were likely to be heard by children.
==============================
Listen to the ad and give your opinion!!!! Click the link below

Listen to Mattesons sausages 'Where do you like to stick it?' advert Media guardian.co.uk

Man claims he found condom in French onion soup - Yahoo! News

2009-07-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

This can only happen in America folks!!
===================================

Man claims he found condom in French onion soup

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man has sued a local Claim Jumper restaurant claiming he ordered French onion soup and bit into a condom instead of melted cheese. Zdenek Philip Hodousek filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court seeking unspecified damages over fears he may have contracted a disease.

Hodousek's attorney Eric Traut said his client wants to have restaurant employees' DNA tested to find a match to the condom.

A public relations firm representing Claim Jumper said no one can prove the so-called "foreign object"
Hodousek took from the restaurant is the item that was submitted to a lab for testing.

The firm said an internal probe revealed no employee wrongdoing.

Katherine Jackson lives on Michael Jackson's money - Suprised????

2009-07-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

from The Dish Rag by Elizabeth Snead

Michael Jackson's estate attorneys -- and Katherine Jackson's lawyer -- are seeking temporary money from the singer's estate for Jackson's mom and his kids.

Seems Katherine desperately needs money to live on. And to take care of his kids.

Why are we not surprised? Who wasn't living off Michael Jackson's money and talent?

Lawyers for the estate wrote: "We are informed that Mrs. Jackson was also financially dependent upon Michael Jackson and that other than extremely modest social security benefits, Mrs. Jackson has no independent means of support."

The attorney's papers cite an urgent need for the Special Administrators to be authorized to pay family allowance for the benefits of Minor Children "in order to ensure that the Minor Children's needs for maintenance and support are met."

No word what will happen until Aug. 3, when the lawyers -- who cost a ton of money -- all appear in court again.

Wanna bet this estate is quickly eaten up by legal fees?

And good luck suing whoever was responsible for Michael Jackson's death, if that comes to pass.

Can anyone say Duh??

2009-07-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

French tourists seen as world's worst: survey - Yahoo! News

PARIS (Reuters Life!) – French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant, according to a survey of 4,500 hotel owners across the world.

They finish in last place in the survey carried out for internet travel agency Expedia by polling company TNS Infratest, which said French holidaymakers don't speak local languages and are seen as impolite.

"It's mainly the fact that they speak little or no English when they're abroad, and they don't speak much of the local language," Expedia Marketing Director Timothee de Roux told radio station France Info.

"The French don't go abroad very much. We're lucky enough to have a country which is magnificent in terms of its landscape and culture," he said, adding that 90 per cent of French people did their traveling at home.

"So when they're on holiday they can be a bit stressed, they're not used to things, and this can lead them to be demanding in a way which could be seen as a certain arrogance."

French tourists are also accused of generally spending less than other nationalities when abroad.

De Roux said the French, not accustomed to leaving large tips at home where a service charge is automatically levied on restaurant bills, can seem "tight-fisted" compared with other nationalities.

The Japanese ranked top of the Best Tourist survey, with the British and the Germans judged the best of the Europeans.

But French tourists received some consolation for their poor performance, finishing third after the Italians and British for dress sense while on holiday.

The Associated Press: El Nino conditions return to affect weather

2009-07-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — El Nino is back.

Government scientists said Thursday that the periodic warming of water in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which can affect weather around the world, has returned.

The Pacific had been in what is called a neutral state, but forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the sea surface temperature climbed to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit above normal along a narrow band in the eastern equatorial Pacific in June.

In addition, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said temperatures in other tropical regions are also above normal, with warmer than usual readings as much as 975 feet below the ocean surface.

In general, El Nino conditions are associated with increased rainfall across the east-central and eastern Pacific and with drier than normal conditions over northern Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

A summer El Nino can lead to wetter than normal conditions in the intermountain regions of the United States and over central Chile. In an El Nino year there tend to be more Eastern Pacific hurricanes and fewer Atlantic hurricanes.

The forecasters said they expect this El Nino to continue strengthening over the next few months and to last through the winter of 2009-2010.

"Advanced climate science allows us to alert industries, governments and emergency managers about the weather conditions El Nino may bring so these can be factored into decision-making and ultimately protect life, property and the economy," NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said in a statement.

NOAA officials noted that not all El Nino effects are negative. For example, it can suppress Atlantic hurricanes and bring needed moisture to the arid Southwest.

But it can also steer damaging winter storms to California and increase storminess across the southern United States.

The warming of the ocean can also lead to a reduction in the seafood catch off the West Coast, and fewer fish can also impact food sources for several types of birds and marine mammals.

A recent study by researchers at Georgia Tech suggests there may actually be two forms of El Nino, depending on whether the warming is stronger in the eastern or central pacific.

While the current warming seems to be strongest in the east, the more traditional form, government forecasters did not categorize it.

If the Georgia Tech study is correct, this would be the type of El Nino that reduces hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean. The other form, centered farther west, reportedly seems to promote Atlantic storms.

Could tremors be building for new California quake?

2009-07-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Thu Jul 9, 2009 4:00pm EDT

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Constant tremors along part of California's San Andreas fault could be building up to a more serious earthquake in an area due for a big one, researchers reported on Thursday.

A team at the University of California, Berkeley, has measured 2,198 tremors after the 6 magnitude quake in 2004 centered near Parkfield, California.

"The persistent changes in tremor suggest that stress is now accumulating more rapidly beneath this part of the San Andreas Fault, which ruptured in the ... magnitude 7.8 Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857," seismologist Robert Nadeau and colleagues wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.

That region, in southern California north of Los Angeles, experiences a quake every 85 to 142 years, they said -- making a quake theoretically 10 years overdue.

There have been some quakes nearby in the meantime, but the tremors keep occurring, Nadeau said.
"What's surprising is that the activity has not gone down to its old level," Nadeau said in a statement.

A series of small tremors was seen a few days before the Parkfield quake, so Nadeau hopes there may be a way to interpret them to get some kind of warning of future quakes.

Seismologists have taken many different tacks but remain unable to accurately predict when quakes will occur, although they usually know where.

"If earthquakes trigger tremors, the pressure that stimulates tremors may also stimulate earthquakes," Nadeau said.

The tremors are not volcanic but Nadeau is not sure what is causing them. Underground movement of fluids is one possibility, but Nadeau says it is possible that shattering bits of sharp rock in a deep region of hot soft rock may be responsible.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Rejects Michael Jackson Resolution

2009-07-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that there are much better things the government can be doing besides giving this to Michael Jackson. Bravo Nancy! I applaud you.

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

'I don't think it's necessary,' Pelosi says.
By Gil Kaufman

During the Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday, Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas proudly proclaimed her support for House Resolution 600 in praise of the King of Pop, even holding up a copy of her proposal honoring the singer for his humanitarian efforts during a lengthy, loving speech about the singer.

A number of Republicans in the House — most notoriously New York Representative Peter King — were quick to shoot down the effort and on Wednesday, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the chorus. While she said she would allow fellow House members to express their sorrow over the pop icon's passing, Pelosi stated emphatically that she didn't think a resolution was necessary.

According to a transcript of her weekly press conference provided by her office, when asked at a news conference if she would support the resolution, Pelosi said, "Michael Jackson was a great, great performer ... [there's] lots of sadness there for many reasons."

She went on to say there is plenty of "opportunity on the floor of the House to express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish. I don't think it's necessary for us to have a resolution." She added that a resolution would open up Jackson's life to "contrary views that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different," seemingly referring to the more sordid elements of Jackson's life, including two allegations of child molestation and allegations that he abused prescription medication.

The non-binding resolution proposed by Jackson Lee — who noted during her speech on Tuesday that Jackson was acquitted on criminal charges of sexual molestation of a child in 2005 — would have been a symbolic gesture from lawmakers with no legal or political implications. Pelosi's spokesperson said the House Speaker was not available at press time for further comment and a spokesperson for Jackson Lee could not be reached for comment.

Renting a kilt - helpful information!!!!

2009-07-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

Scottish Import Store Toronto, ON, Canada

(This gentleman works at a Scottish import store that specializes in kilts. They mostly rent them out for weddings.)

Me: “Okay, guys, you’re all fitted up. Everything will be ready for pick-up the Thursday before the wedding.”

Customer: “Guys, you know what we have to do, right? We have to go commando! No wearing anything under the kilt!” *to me* “That’s the way to do it, right?”

Me: “Well, gentlemen, we don’t have a policy on that one way or the other. Personally, though, before you decide, I’d advise you to take a moment and consider ALL the implications of the word…’rental.’”

Customer: “What? But…oh…oh! Ewww!”

The brilliant NFL overtime silent auction system

2009-07-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

from Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports by MJD

No one seems to be satisfied with the NFL’s current “Win the coin toss, get the football” overtime system. I’ve been against changing it, though, mainly because I haven’t heard any ideas that I’ve liked better. Until today, anyway.

The Fifth Down brought to my attention a beautiful system that involves strategy, rewards the boldest head coach, does not lengthen the game, keeps the basic structure of a football game intact, and, perhaps most importantly, leaves no one with any room to whine.

Here’s how it would go. The sudden death system stays in place, and the first team to score still wins the game. If that happens on the first possession, so be it. That's still the same.

However, we throw out the coin toss, and in its place, to determine which team gets the football first, we have a silent auction.

Each coach writes down the yard-line at which they’d be willing to accept the ball, and they put their bid in a sealed envelope. Both coaches hand the envelopes to an official at midfield, and the coach who’s written down the least advantageous yard-line gets the ball, at the yard-line he's written down.

So, for example, say the Steelers and Cardinals are going to overtime. Naturally, both teams want the ball first. Mike Tomlin would like the ball, but he wouldn’t mind putting the responsibility on his great defense, either, so he writes down “22 yard-line.” But Ken Whisenhunt is willing to take more of a risk, trusts his offense more, and he’s written down “11 yard-line.”

So we start overtime with the Cardinals having possession of the ball, first and 10 at their own 11. The Cards have the ball, but they’ve got quite a bit of work to do to get into field goal range. The Steelers defense has them in a tough spot, and if they do their job, the Steelers get the ball in good field position.

If Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t like that, he shouldn’t have been willing to take the ball at the 11. If Mike Tomlin doesn’t like not getting the ball first, he should have been willing to start from deeper than his own 22.

I think it’s brilliant. Perhaps some will bristle at the thought of a silent auction, a term more traditionally associated with vintage cars or estate sales, but I really think it’s perfect here. The randomness of the coin toss is eliminated, and instead, the reward goes to the coach who makes the best football decision.

The plan was dreamt up in 2003 by a fellow named Chris Quanbeck, but today’s the first I’ve heard of it. They wrote to the league about it, and NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira expressed some interest, but nothing ever came of it.

Maybe a bit more publicity will help, so this is me, doing my part. Really give it some thought, NFL. This is the best system, and I think it’s something fans would eventually grow to love.

Michael Jackson Not Biological Father to His Kids

2009-06-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-06-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

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"

2009-06-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-06-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Gives a whole new meaning to Scouting

2009-06-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

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

328 comments

FONT SIZE

RSS

DIGG

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."

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

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

2009-06-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

NYSE Computer Outage, 240 Stocks Affected

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

2009-06-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Stephen Colbert is in Iraq - Shows begin Monday 6/8/09 at 11:30 on Comedy Central

2009-06-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert shaves head for U.S. troops in Iraq. Funny or off-base? The Dish Rag Los Angeles Times

In front of about 300 U.S. troops who had gathered for the taping of "The Colbert Report" in Baghdad on Sunday, Colbert declared: "By the power vested in me by basic cable, I officially declare we have won the Iraq war!”

Colbert got loud applause from the troops when he poked fun at the fact that many of them have been deployed to Iraq multiple times.

"It must be nice here in Iraq because I understand some of you keep coming back again and again," he said during the taping of the first show on Sunday. "You've earned so many frequent flier miles, you've earned a free ticket to Afghanistan."

But the loudest roars came when his first guest, Gen. Ray Odierno, accepted a videotaped order from President Obama to shave Colbert's head.

The general started the close shave with an electric razor, although a professional was allowed to finish the job.

Funny or tasteless? Your thoughts? (Personally for me it is funny!!!)

C'mon people. Planning is the key!!!!!

2009-06-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

Bank robbery suspects' getaway car runs out of gas - Yahoo! News:

"DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Authorities say they've arrested two suspected bank robbers after their getaway vehicle ran out of gas.

Daytona Beach police say 38-year-old Randall Fredric Walker went into the Riverside National Bank

Tuesday afternoon and demanded money from a teller. After leaving the bank with the money, authorities say Walker jumped into a Jeep Cherokee driven by 35-year-old Jason Warren Dietrich. The two didn't get far before the vehicle ran out of gas.

The men got out of the sport utility vehicle and left the area separately. But police found the abandoned

SUV and traced it back to Dietrich, the registered owner.

Both men face bank robbery charges. They were being held on $50,000 bail."

LA police arrest veteran detective in 1986 murder - San Jose Mercury News

2009-06-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

They need to realize that no one is above the law and will in all probability get caught!!!

LA police arrest veteran detective in 1986 murder - San Jose Mercury News: "LA police arrest veteran detective in 1986 murder

LOS ANGELES—A veteran police detective was arrested Friday on suspicion of murdering her ex-boyfriend's wife nearly a quarter-century ago—a killing police originally blamed on robbers.

Stephanie Lazarus, 49, was arrested at downtown police headquarters after a sample of her saliva taken recently matched the killer's DNA, police said.

Lazarus, who joined the force in 1983, is accused of killing Sherri Rae Rasmussen, director of critical care nursing at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Her husband found her beaten and shot to death on Feb. 24, 1986, in the living room of their Van Nuys condominium.

'It's very bittersweet,' police Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, who oversees the detective bureau, told the Los Angeles Times. 'Our goal is to always bring people to justice, but this is somebody we know.'

Lazarus was being held without bail at the Los Angeles County jail and could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

She was mentioned in the original case file because she had a relationship with Rasmussen's husband, John Ruetten, Beck said. However, she was not pursued as a suspect at the time because investigators believed Rasmussen was another victim of armed robbers who had confronted two men shortly after the killing.

No suspects were found and the case went cold for years, until last week when undercover officers followed Lazarus and obtained a sample of her saliva to compare with DNA left at the original crime scene, Beck said.

Lazarus worked patrol duty in the San Fernando Valley when she joined the force. She was later promoted to detective and since 2006 has worked in a unit that tracks stolen art, according to police records.

Paul Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said her arrest is disturbing to the department and the public.

"If convicted, the actions of one police officer should not tarnish the trust and respect the public has for the more than 9,800 dedicated police officers," the union president said. (But we all know that the repspect has already been tarnished Paul!)

Mattel gets $2.3 mln fine for lead-tainted toys

2009-06-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that it is about time we held the importer responsible as well.

Mattel gets $2.3 mln fine for lead-tainted toys Reuters:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Friday said it imposed a $2.3 million civil penalty against Mattel Inc. for violating a ban on bringing dangerous products to the United States.The fine stems from Mattel's recall of 95 types of toys and up to 2 million units, from shelves in recent years, primarily for excessive lead content in paint. The toys were all made in China, the CPSC said."

Obama urges laggards get ready for digital TV | Reuters

2009-06-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Lets see if they don't give these people that have had over 5 years to update another extension!!
======================================================

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned Americans on Thursday who have not prepared for the June 12 transition to digital television that their TVs could go dark if they do not get a converter box soon.

"I want to be clear: there will not be another delay. I urge everyone who is not yet prepared to act today, so you don't lose important news and emergency information on June 12," Obama said in a statement.

Congress originally mandated the nation's nearly 1,800 full-power television stations to switch to digital signals from analog on Feb. 17, and about one-third did so at the time.

But fearing that as many as 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households were not ready, lawmakers voted early this year to postpone the transition almost four months.

"The number of households unprepared for digital television has been cut in half. Still, some people are not ready," said Obama, who has been traveling in the Middle East.

"I encourage all Americans who are prepared to talk to their friends, family, and neighbors to make sure they get ready before it's too late," Obama said.

The switch is intended to free up airwaves for broadband and enhanced emergency communications for police, firefighters and other first responders.

A converter box for TVs that now rely on an antenna to receive a broadcast signal costs between $40 and $80.

The Commerce Department offers $40 coupons through its website at www.dtv2009.gov. It warns consumers who apply now that they may not receive a coupon in time. (Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Peter Cooney)

FTC Shuts Down 'Worst ISP In U.S.'

2009-06-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Bravo - they have a lot more to go!!

FTC Shuts Down 'Worst ISP In U.S.'
Pricewert LLC is accused of hosting and actively distributing child pornography, malware, and spam.
By Thomas Claburn InformationWeek June 4, 2009 06:38 PM

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday said that it had shut down a rogue Internet service provider that knowingly hosted and actively distributed child pornography, malware, and spam.

Pricewert LLC, which does business under several names, including 3FN and APS Telecom, had its Internet connection terminated on Tuesday by order of a San Jose, Calif., district court judge, at the request of the FTC. A hearing on the temporary restraining order is scheduled for June 15.

Cadillac is now offering wireless Internet access with its CTS sedan.According to court documents in support of the temporary restraining order, Gary Warner, director of computer forensics research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, believes that following the shutdown of McColo and Atrivo/Intercage last year, Pricewert "is now the worst ISP located in the United States in terms of hosting malicious content."

The only entity named in the case is Pricewert. Ethan Arenson, an attorney with the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said that the individuals behind the company are overseas in Eastern Europe. He declined to comment on a possible extradition effort or coordination with authorities abroad.

Whether the individuals doing business as Pricewert will face charges remains an open question. Pricewert is essentially an Oregon shell corporation with some servers in San Jose.

Vincent Weafer, VP at Symantec (NSDQ: SYMC) Security Response, said his company had provided data gathered from its global Internet sensor network about malicious software served by Pricewert.

Symantec identified more than 600 IP addresses controlled by 3FN that had launched malicious attacks, according to court documents. The FTC said it had identified more than 4,500 malicious programs directed by the command-and-control servers hosted by 3FN.

Weafer doesn't expect a repeat of the 50% spam volume decline that followed the closure of McColo. Those behind Pricewert are already taking their business elsewhere. "I'm seeing messages of people moving rapidly to other hosting services," he said.

"The bad guys like operating out of developed countries like the U.S. because the hosting is reliable and more likely to be accepted to users," he said. "But they don't physically need to be there. You can run an awful lot of this remotely."

Weafer said that several computer security companies and organizations contributed information to bring down Pricewert. Beyond the FTC, the University of Alabama, and Symantec, other contributing organizations include NASA (targeted by 3FN hosted attacks), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Shadowserver Foundation, and the Spamhaus Project.

Since the DNS flaw identified by Dan Kaminsky last year and the more recent Conficker worm, there has been more cooperation in the fight against cybercrime, Weafer said.

"We definitely want to be much more active in this because we think it's very much a part of our business," he said.

Nadya Suleman admits she 'screwed up' her life and her 14 kids' lives

2009-06-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Can someone out there say "DUH" - (Dumb ass)

Nadya Suleman, in a purported candid interview videotaped by RadarOnline.com over dinner at The Melting Pot with a close friend, reveals the truth about why she had 14 kids.

She also spills the truth about how she lied to her babby daddy, coercing him into having kids with her six times, then lying to him about using the last frozen embryos in order to have a "stronger connection" to him.

And she openly admits that she lives in denial because "I screwed up my life, I screwed up my kids' lives. ... What was I thinking?"

Over a fork of cheesecake, she says that when they are old enough she will tell her kids, who are already asking, about their father, who is probably "scared and angry." Unless he comes forward privately before then, she will give her children his name.

Sounds like a thinly veiled threat to us!

She also expresses serious concern -- for the first time -- about how she will support her 14 kids on a measly $60,000 a year counseling job, which by the way, she doesn't even have.

That's like double delusional!

"If I don’t do some thing like a documentary-style reality thing, how the heck am I gonna support these children?" she asks her friend. But then she worries how she make her children's father feel safe when "our lives are in a fishbowl."

Yup. It's definitely a pickle, Nadya. And its a pickle you had plenty of time to think about before bringing 14 innocent helpless -- and fatherless -- children into the world.

What do you think about Nadya's personal confession?

Too little, too late? Or about time?

This is a sad day for all Marines across the globe

2009-06-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Marine recruiter charged with pimping teen - Military- msnbc.com

HEMET, Calif. - A U.S. Marine Corps recruiter in Riverside County, Calif., has been accused of pimping a 14-year-old girl. Police were also looking into whether he used the girl to entice possible Marine recruits.

Staff Sgt. Bryan Damone Cunningham pleaded not guilty to seven felonies, including felony pimping and kidnapping. Police in Orange, Calif., said they discovered the teenage girl in a car with Cunningham and two other men, ages 18 and 19, described as potential Marine recruits.

The girl, who has since been returned to her parents, told police that she'd met Cunningham online and had sex with all three men, authorities said.

The two potential Marine recruits face felony charges of having sex with a minor.
Cunningham is being held on $1 million bail and has a court hearing June 18.

Amazon.com: Rayzor's Edge: Rob Ray's Tough Life on the Ice: Rob Ray, Budd Bailey: Books

2009-06-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com: Rayzor's Edge: Rob Ray's Tough Life on the Ice: Rob Ray, Budd Bailey: Books

I must say a very good book for hockey fans

Another that is good : http://www.amazon.com/Then-Perreault-Said-Rico-Buffalo/dp/1600780954/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

OAS lifts Cuba suspension after 47 years

2009-06-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

Does this mean that Cuban Cigars will be legal in the US???
~~~~~~~~~

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (Reuters) - The Organization of American States lifted its suspension of Cuba on Wednesday, opening the door for the communist-run island to return to the regional group after 47 years.

The 34-member hemispheric body, meeting in Honduras, unanimously scrapped a 1962 decision that suspended Cuba as Fidel Castro's revolution took the island toward communism and an alliance with the Soviet Union.

U.S. President Barack Obama has taken steps toward a more open relationship with Cuba, lifting restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba for Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island.

Washington had said Havana should not be allowed to return to the OAS until it embraces democratic principles and makes progress on human rights, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came under pressure on Tuesday from Latin American leaders.

In a diplomatic compromise, the group said Cuba's re-entry would be "the result of a process of dialogue begun at the request of the Cuban government and in line with the practices, purposes and principles of the OAS."

That was an apparent reference to the group's stated mission to defend democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

Cuba has repeatedly said it has no interest in returning to the OAS, describing it as an instrument of U.S. policy in Latin America, but Cuba's leftist allies in the region pushed for the suspension to be lifted.

GM to sell Hummer to Chinese company

2009-06-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

Way to go - GM!!!

DETROIT – General Motors Corp. took a key step toward its downsizing on Tuesday, striking a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturer, while also revealing that it has potential buyers for its Saturn and Saab brands.

China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. said Tuesday afternoon that it reached an agreement to acquire the brand from GM for an undisclosed ammount. The Detroit automaker had announced Tuesday morning that it had a memorandum of understanding to sell the brand of rugged SUVs, but it didn't identify the buyer.

Sichuan Tengzhong deals in road construction, plastics, resins and other industrial products, but Hummer would be its first step into the automotive business.

GM said the sale will likely save more than 3,000 U.S. jobs in manufacturing, engineering and at various Hummer dealerships. Tengzhong said it will assume GM's existing agreements with Hummer dealers.

"We will be investing in the Hummer brand and its research and development capabilities, which will allow Hummer to better meet demand for new products such as more fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S," Chief Executive Yang Yi said in a statement.

As part of the proposed transaction, Hummer will continue to contract vehicle manufacturing and business services from GM during a transitional period. For example, GM's Shreveport, La., assembly plant would continue to contract to assemble the H3 and H3T through at least 2010, GM said. AM General LLC in Mishawaka, Ind., makes the larger H2 under contract for GM.

Hummer will keep its existing management team and remain based in the United States, the companies said. Tengzhong said it expects to expand the brand's dealer network worldwide, including to China.

"GM is close to a sale of its Hummer brand, which is good news for the 3,000 Americans who will be able to keep their jobs, the two American plants that will remain open and the more than 100 Hummer dealers that should be able to stay in business all around the country," White House spokesman Bill Burton said earlier in the day.

On Monday, the Shreveport plant, which has about 800 workers, escaped being among 12 plants that GM said would be shut down by next year. The plant, which employed 3,000 several years ago, also produces Chevrolet and GMC pickups.

Johnny Bell, 59, who has worked at GM for 28 years, said many workers are still concerned about the plant's long-term future.

"Good news is good news, but we want all the news," he said. "We're concerned about what happens after 2010."

Morgan Johnson, head of the United Auto Workers local at the plant, said GM indicated to the union that pickup assembly would continue in Shreveport through 2012.

"We're just happy that the doors are still open considering all the plant closings," said Sharon Brock, 52, who has worked at the sprawling plant for 26 years.

GM also said Tuesday that it has 16 buyers interested in purchasing its Saturn brand, while three parties are interested in the Swedish Saab brand.

Chief Financial Officer Ray Young told reporters and industry analysts on a conference call that GM is continuing to pursue manufacturing agreements with a new Saturn buyer.

GM would like to sell the money-losing Saturn brand's dealership network, contracting with the new buyer to make some of its cars while the buyer gets other vehicles from different manufacturers.
At the same time, bridge loan discussions with the Swedish government are progressing, Young said.

GM, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Monday, is racing to remake itself as a smaller, leaner automaker. In addition to its plan to sell the Hummer, Saab and Saturn brands, GM will also phase out its Pontiac brand, concentrating on its Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC nameplates.

The company hopes to follow the lead of fellow U.S. automaker Chrysler LLC by transforming its most profitable assets into a new company in just 30 days and emerging from bankruptcy protection soon after.

But GM is much larger and complex than its Auburn Hills-based rival and isn't up against Chrysler's tight June 15 deadline to close its deal with Fiat Group SpA.

Sharon Lindstrom, managing director at business consulting firm Protiviti, said the companies pose different challenges. But as with Chrysler, she notes that the Treasury Department made sure many of GM's moving parts were in order ahead of time so a quick bankruptcy reorganization might be possible.

"They had a lot of their ducks in a row because the terms of the government financing forced them to get all the parties to the table in a very, very short period of time," Lindstrom said.

Separately, the German government said Tuesday it paid out the first euro300 million ($425 million) in bridge loans to GM's Adam Opel GmbH division. The loans are part of a deal to shrink GM's stake in Opel and shield it from GM's bankruptcy protection filing in the U.S.

Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc. and Russian-owned Sberbank will acquire 55 percent of Opel.

A sale of the Hummer brand had been expected. Chief Executive Fritz Henderson had said in April that the automaker was expecting final bids from three potential buyers within the month.

Eric Lane, vice president of Baton Rouge, La.-based Gerry Lane Enterprises, which has four dealerships — including one offering Hummers — welcomed the sale.

Lane said a lack of new products and the recession figured into the Hummer equation much more than last year's runup in gasoline prices. "I haven't had a single owner complain about mileage. Nobody buys a Hummer because of the gas. You don't buy a vehicle for $60,000 and worry about the price of gas."

Critics had seized on the rugged but fuel-inefficient Hummer as a symbol of excess as GM's financial troubles grew and gas prices rose. Sales at Hummer, which is known for models with military-vehicle roots, have been in a steep slide since gasoline prices rose to record heights last summer. For the first five months of this year, Hummer sales are down 64 percent.

GM nailed down deals with its union and a majority of its bondholders and arranged the Opel deal in order to appear in court Monday with a near-complete plan to quickly emerge with a chance to become profitable.

The government has said it expects GM to come out of bankruptcy protection within 60 to 90 days. By comparison, the judge overseeing Chrysler's case approved the sale of its assets to a group led by Italy's Fiat in just over a month. Some industry observers think Chrysler could emerge as early as this week.
During Monday's hearing, GM attorney Harvey Miller stressed the magnitude of the case and the importance of moving GM through court oversight as fast as possible. He noted that the automaker only has about $2 billion in cash left.

"If there's going to be a recovery of value, it's absolutely crucial that a sale take place as soon as possible," Miller said in his opening statement.

The automaker wants to sell the bulk of its assets to a new company in which the U.S. government will take a 60 percent ownership stake. The Canadian government would take 12.5 percent of the "New GM," with the United Auto Workers union getting 17.5 percent and unsecured bondholders receiving 10 percent. Existing shareholders are expected to be wiped out.

U.S. Judge Robert Gerber moved swiftly through more than 25 mostly procedural motions during the automaker's first-day Chapter 11 hearing.

Gerber set GM's sale hearing for June 30, putting it on a path similar to that of Chrysler. Objections are due on June 19, with any competing bids required to be submitted by June 22.

Gerber also gave GM immediate access to $15 billion in government financing to get it through the next few weeks, and interim approval for use of a total $33.3 billion in financing, with final approval slated to be ruled on June 25. The funds are contingent on GM's sale being approved by July 10. Gerber also approved motions allowing the company to pay certain prebankruptcy wages, along with supplier and shipping costs.
The sheer size of GM makes it a more complicated case than Chrysler.

GM made twice as many vehicles as Chrysler's 1.5 million last year and employs 235,000 people compared with Chrysler's 54,000. GM also has plants and operations in many more countries, meaning it will likely have to strike separate deals to navigate the bankruptcy laws of those places.
Henderson said GM has learned a few things by watching Chrysler's case.

"Certainly the court showed that it can address 363 (sale) transactions in an expeditious fashion," Henderson said at a news conference Monday. "Particularly in our case with what will be a very large 363 transaction."

GM's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is the largest ever for an industrial company. GM, which said it has $172.81 billion in debt and $82.29 billion in assets, had received about $20 billion in low-interest loans before entering bankruptcy protection.

Barack Obama, I have had it with your behavior and administration

2009-05-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama, I have had it with your behavior and administration

Pennsylvania Mother Who Faked Abduction Tricked Co-Worker Into Borrowing ID

2009-05-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

This woman has some severe issues that need to be addressed!!!

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

A Pennsylvania mom found at Walt Disney World after claiming she and her 9-year-old daughter were abducted by two men and stuffed into a car trunk, allegedly conned a co-worker out of her identification to use in the hoax.

Bonnie Sweeten used a co-worker's driver's license and presented it as her own when she bought an airline ticket and flew to Orlando, Fla. on Tuesday, Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said, adding
Sweeten also used the license to check into the Grand Floridian Hotel at Disney World.

Jillian Jenkinson said Thursday on CBS' "The Early Show" that Bonnie Sweeten's request to use her identification to fix a discrepancy on her 401(k) "seemed innocent."

She said she had worked with Sweeten for nine years, but didn't specify where they had worked. She described Sweeten as a good mother who was always on top of things.

"I think whatever's going on in her life is a way bigger issue than my ID," Jenkinson said. "I hope that she's OK."

Sweeten and her daughter, Julia Rakoczy, were taken into custody Wednesday night at their hotel in Orlando, Henry said.

Sweeten is expected to be extradited from Florida Thursday and charged with making false reports and identity theft, authorities said.

Anthony Rakoczy, the girl's father and Sweeten's ex-husband, was expected to pick up Julia in Florida.

"We are taking steps to have her extradited back here to Bucks County to face criminal charges," Henry said Thursday. "The important thing is we're in the process of reuniting the 9-year-old daughter with her biological father and bringing her back safely."

Henry told FOX News their understanding is that Julia was out of school for a doctor's appointment.

"I think if you look at the evidence, it appears she was very calculated in this plan," Henry told FOX News. "This didn't happen in a second. It was very well thought out."

Rakoczy was tight-lipped about his ex-wife's actions, only saying that he was exhausted from the events, MyFOXOrlando.com reported.

"I'm just done, and I got to get out of here," the station reported him saying.

A security camera reportedly showed Sweeten and Julia Rakoczy at Philadelphia International Airport, just hours after Sweeten made at least two 911 calls by cell phone saying she was locked in the trunk of a dark-colored 1990s Cadillac.

They had minimal luggage and the hotel was paid through Friday, Henry said. Sweeten had withdrawn about $12,000 from several bank accounts over recent days, but authorities were investigating whether that money had been stolen.

The day she left, Sweeten withdrew $7,000, prosecutors said Thursday.

ABC reported investigators uncovered that Sweeten allegedly was involved in stealing about $300,000 from her former employer, an attorney in suburban Philadelphia.

Sweeten is listed as the director of The Carlitz Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based charity run by lawyer Debbie Carlitz, MyFOXPhilly.com reported.

The charity raises money for autism research and people in Burma, according to the station.

Detectives and reporters had been puzzled by holes in Sweeten's story, and FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver confirmed earlier Wednesday the existence of "inconsistencies" in her account of the accident and abduction. But he declined at the time to elaborate and said those aren't the focus of the investigation.

Sweeten had told emergency dispatchers that she and her daughter were snatched in the middle of the day Tuesday by two men who rear-ended her SUV in suburban Philadelphia, according to police.

When investigators arrived at the scene, they found no evidence of the crash and the FBI and local police found no witnesses who saw the accident that the missing mother described.

And although Sweeten said the accident took place in Upper Southampton Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, Klaver said authorities discovered her 2005 GMC Denali SUV on Wednesday in Center City, 40 minutes away, along with a parking ticket that indicates it was there about 20 minutes after she dialed 911.

The 911 calls were traced to downtown Philadelphia, about 20 miles from the site of the reported fender-bender and abduction. One was picked up by a cell tower only two blocks from where Sweeten's car was found.

Reports: Missing Pa. mom, girl not abducted - Yahoo! News

2009-05-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia news outlets are reporting a suburban mother who claimed she and her 9-year-old daughter had been abducted were spotted on video surveillance at Philadelphia International Airport boarding a plane to Florida.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and WPVI-TV, citing unidentified sources, report Wednesday that 38-year-old Bonnie Sweeten, and her daughter Julia Rakoczy, were shown boarding a plane to Tampa on Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators say they can now conclude that the two were not abducted by a pair of men following a traffic accident in suburban Philadelphia.

Sweeten called 911 before 2 p.m. Tuesday in downtown Philadelphia, about 20 miles from where the she said the abduction took place.

The FBI had no immediate comment on the reports.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia TV station is reporting that a suburban mother who claimed she and her 9-year-old daughter had been abducted were spotted on video surveillance at Philadelphia International Airport boarding a plane to Florida.

Citing unnamed law enforement sources, WPVI-TV is reporting Bonnie Sweeten, 38, and her nine-year-old daughter, Julia Rakoczy, were shown boarding a plane to Tampa on Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators told WPVI they can now conclude that the two were not abducted by a pair of men following a traffic crash.

Sweeten called 911 before 2 p.m. Tuesday in downtown Philadelphia, about 20 miles from the busy road where the she said the abduction took place. Her 2005 GMC Denali was found downtown early Wednesday, sporting a parking ticket from Tuesday afternoon.

Tyson family asks for privacy after girl's death

2009-05-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

By JONATHAN J. COOPER – 1 hour ago

PHOENIX (AP) — The death of Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter in a terrible accident while playing at her home adds an awful chapter to the boxer's troubled life.

Exodus Tyson died at a hospital Tuesday after being on life support since she was injured Monday at her Phoenix home, police said. She either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under a treadmill's console and was suffocated.

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus," the family said in a statement. "We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal."

Tyson, who has been living in Las Vegas, flew to Phoenix after his daughter was hurt and was seen entering the hospital.

The modest house where his daughter lived contrasts starkly with the lavish lifestyle Tyson had through his tumultuous years of boxing, when he spent tens of millions of dollars and says he had millions more stolen from him by unscrupulous associates.

During just two years at the height of his career, he earned $140 million — but he filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 2003.

He has been promoting a new documentary about his life and told The New York Times earlier this month he had been sober for 15 months after years of drug and alcohol abuse.

"I don't know who I am," he told the newspaper. "That might sound stupid. I really have no idea. All my life I've been drinking and drugging and partying, and all of a sudden this comes to a stop."

Tyson began boxing in a facility for juvenile delinquents in upstate New York at the age of 12. Eight years later, he became the youngest heavyweight champion ever when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in 1986. But in 1990, he was defeated by James "Buster" Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, and soon after was convicted of raping a beauty pageant contestant in Indianapolis.

Tyson, who still denies he raped the woman, served three years in prison.

A few years later, he served three months in jail for beating up two men after a minor car crash in suburban Washington.

As his career continued, so did his bizarre behavior. He bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match and once threatened to eat the children of heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Although Tyson's children had lived in their unassuming neighborhood for several years, he purchased a separate home in the tony Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley in 2005 for $2.1 million, selling it two years later for $2.3 million.

In November 2007, Tyson spent 24 hours in Maricopa County's "Tent City" jail after pleading guilty to one count of cocaine possession and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. Police found the drug when they pulled over Tyson's car after he left a Scottsdale night club.
According to police, Tyson said after his arrest that he bought cocaine "whenever I can get my hands on it."

At Tyson's sentencing hearing, nearly a year after the arrest, his attorney David Chesnoff said his client had taken 29 drug tests without a relapse and was attending Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Tyson had become an example of how a person overcomes problems with drugs, a violent past and poor upbringing, Chesnoff said.

"He's tried his hardest," his attorney said, "despite coming from almost impossible beginnings."

Study: Stockings for stroke patients don't work

2009-05-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP) — Special stockings commonly given to stroke patients to prevent blood clots don't work, a new study reported Wednesday.

Doctors often prescribe the tight, thigh-high stockings to patients who have suffered a stroke, seeking to prevent blood clots in patients' legs — which could prove fatal if they break off and reach the heart or lungs.

About two-thirds of stroke patients can't walk when admitted to hospital, and up to 20 percent of those patients develop a blood clot in their legs. The stockings squash the legs and force the blood to circulate better, and can be used in place of, or alongside, anti-clotting drugs like heparin.

But in a study of more than 2,500 stroke patients in Australia, Britain and Italy, doctors found the stockings did nothing to reduce the chances of a clot. Not only that, but they caused problems like skin ulcers and blisters.

The results were simultaneously published in the Lancet medical journal and presented at the European Stroke Conference in Stockholm on Wednesday.

Some experts were surprised by the findings.

"We have used these stockings because we assume they work," said Dr. Ralph Sacco, president-elect of the American Heart Association, who was not linked to the study. "But sometimes you're surprised when you find out the truth with a randomized trial."

The stockings have been proven to reduce clots in surgery patients, so experts had long thought the low-cost solution might also help stroke patients.

In the study, about half of the patients got standard care in addition to the stockings. The other half just got standard care. Experts took an ultrasound of patients' legs after about 7 to 10 days, and then again after 25 to 30 days. About 10 percent of patients in both groups developed blood clots.

In the group wearing stockings, 5 percent reported side effects like skin problems and blisters. That compares to 1 percent in the group not given the stockings.

The study was paid for by Britain's Medical Research Council, the Scottish government, the health charity Heart and Stroke Scotland, Tyco Healthcare in the United States and the U.K. Stroke Research Network.
In Britain, draft guidelines recommend patients wear the stockings and they are used to treat an estimated 80,000 patients per year. Martin Dennis, of the University of Edinburgh and one of the study authors, said he has contacted British officials to suggest they reconsider their advice.

"This should cause a big change in how patients are treated," Dennis said, noting that in 2002, 90 percent of stroke units in Britain used the stockings.

In the United States, stockings for stroke patients are far less popular than in the U.K.

Dr. Marc Mayberg, co-director of the Seattle Neuroscience Institute, said he hadn't recommended the stockings for patients in about 20 years. He said the stockings were cumbersome and difficult for many patients, whose legs were paralyzed, to put on and take off.

Recommendations from the American Heart Association published in 2005 advised doctors to consider using the stockings in addition to an anti-clotting drug, or for patients who can't take such drugs.

Sacco said American doctors were more likely to use drugs instead of stockings to prevent clots. He thought the guidelines promoting stockings might now have to be revised.

"With this lack of effect, doctors may be much less inclined to use them," he said.

The Queen is NOT amused!!

2009-05-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Left Out of D-Day Rites, Queen Elizabeth Fumes

Indeed, she is decidedly displeased, angry even, that she was not invited to join President Obama and France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, next week at commemorations of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, according to reports published in Britain’s mass-circulation tabloid newspapers on Wednesday. Pointedly, Buckingham Palace did not deny the reports.

The queen, who is 83, is the only living head of state who served in uniform during World War II. As Elizabeth Windsor, service number 230873, she volunteered as a subaltern in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, training as a driver and a mechanic. Eventually, she drove military trucks, though in support roles in England, not on the battlefield.

While serving, she met the supreme Allied commander for the D-Day landings, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, and developed a fondness for him, according to several biographies. This prompted Queen Elizabeth, who was crowned in June 1953, to say in later years that he was the American president with whom she felt most at ease .

But on June 6, when Mr. Obama and Mr. Sarkozy attend commemorations at the iconic locations associated with the American D-Day assault — Utah Beach, the town of Ste.-Mère-Église, where the first United States paratroopers landed, and the American war cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer — the highest-ranking British representative will be Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Although he will join the American and French leaders during the day, his main role will be at ceremonies at the town of Arromanches, near the beaches where British troops landed.

How the queen came to be excluded has become entangled in a thicket of diplomatic missteps, or misunderstandings, depending on whether the account is given in London or Paris. The French have said officially that they regard the commemorations in the American sector of the landings as “primarily a Franco-American ceremony,” and that it was up to the British, not the French, to decide who should represent Britain — in other words, that Mr. Brown was at fault for not seeking an invitation for the queen.

The French have also said the Brown government was slow to accept that the ceremonies merited more than a modest British involvement, since British policy, changed late in the planning for this year’s occasion, had been to give full-scale government backing only to commemorations at decade-long intervals.

The last of those was the 60th anniversary in 2004, when the queen joined President George W. Bush in the Normandy observances. British veterans’ groups demanded more backing for this year’s ceremonies on the grounds that only a handful of soldiers who fought in Normandy are likely to be alive at the 70th anniversary in 2014.

In Britain, commentators have suggested that Mr. Sarkozy, who has declared himself ardently pro-American, did not want to share the telegenic moment when he hosts Mr. Obama, who remains hugely popular in Europe. This was all the more so, the British commentators have said, because the queen’s presence might risk turning the occasion into a celebration of the Anglo-American alliance, whose troops carried out the landings, losing about 37,000 men in the battle for Normandy. French troops played no part in the June 6 landings.

When accounts of the dispute made the headlines of the British tabloids on Wednesday, the diplomatic gloves came off, at least somewhat. “Palace fury at D-Day snub to the queen,” roared The Daily Mail, the first time in days that its front-page splash has been on something other than the furor over British parliamentarians’ expenses. A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment beyond a terse, one sentence statement that “no invitation has been issued as yet to any member of the royal family.”

The tabloids quoted anonymous palace officials as saying it was the Brown government that dropped the ball, possibly because of reported strains between Mr. Brown and the queen. Among other issues, the queen is said to have cooled on Mr. Brown because of his habit of appearing late for their weekly audiences. The Daily Mail quoted one “senior palace official” as saying that the palace had made clear to the government that the queen would have liked to have gone to Normandy.

“We have gone through all the normal channels and had conversation after conversation, but received no feedback,” the official said. “It is very frustrating.”

Police find feral girl in Siberia - Yahoo! News

2009-05-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Police find feral girl in Siberia - Yahoo! News:

"MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian police have taken into care a 5-year-old girl who has been shut up in a flat in the company of cats and dogs for her entire life, police said on Wednesday.

The girl, who lived in the Eastern Siberian city of Chita, could not speak Russian and acted like an dog when police took her into care.

'For five years, the girl was 'brought up' by several dogs and cats and had never been outside,' a police statement said.

'The unwashed girl was dressed in filthy clothes, had the clear attributes of an animal and jumped at people,' it said.

The flat had no heat, water or sewage system.

A police spokeswoman said the girl, known as Natasha, is being monitored by psychologists in an orphanage. Her mother was being questioned but her father has not been found yet.

She appears to be about 2-years-old, though her real age is five, refuses to eat with a spoon and has taken on many of the gestures of the animals with which she lived, police said.

'When carers leave the room, the girl jumps at the door and barks,' the police said.
Feral children, the stuff of folklore all over the world, usually exhibit the behaviour of the animals with whom they have had closest contact, a condition known as the Mowgli Syndrome after the fictional child from Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' who was raised by wolves in the jungle.

Such children have usually built strong ties with the animals with whom they lived and find the transition to normal human contact extremely traumatic."

North Korea Says Truce No Longer Valid - WSJ.com

2009-05-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Lets get those M.A.S.H. units fired back up. There could be some shootin' going on!!!! Hawkeye, Trapper - Let's go!!

North Korea Says Truce No Longer Valid

SEOUL – North Korea on Wednesday delivered an angry response to South Korea's decision a day earlier to join an effort to halt atomic-weapons trafficking, saying it would no longer stick to the armistice agreement that halted fighting in the Korean War of the 1950s.

North Korea threatened a military strike against the South Wednesday, a day after Seoul joined a U.S.-led initiative to intercept shipments suspected to be weapons of mass destruction. Video courtesy of Reuters.
"Any minor hostile acts, including cracking down on or searching our peaceful vessels, will be an unacceptable infringement of our republic's sovereignty," said the statement, issued by North Korea's military and broadcast by state media. "We will respond with immediate and strong military strike."

North Korea routinely uses war-like words in official statements when it is upset with actions taking place in the United Nations or the three countries it considers to be enemies – South Korea, Japan and the U.S.
The latest statement reiterated an earlier one that said South Korea's full participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative would amount to a "declaration of war" against it.

North Korea has used that phrase dozens of times since the 1980s, including when U.S. President Ronald Reagan called it a "terrorist state" and when U.S. President George W. Bush called it part of an "axis of evil."

It has threatened to quit the armistice agreement less often, analysts said and a review of Pyongyang's official announcements and news accounts showed.

"Our military will no longer be bound by the armistice," the North's statement said on Wednesday. It went on to blame the U.S. for persuading South Korea, which it called a "puppet," to go along with the effort to monitor and halt the movement of atomic weapons and related components.

North Korea last said it wouldn't adhere to the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in August 2006, when it expressed anger at the joint military exercises conducted annually by U.S. and South Korean forces.

In response to the latest statement, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea's military said, "Our military will restrain North Korea's additional provocation and manage the current situation stably."

The exchange added to a climate of tension that's been building since North Korea in February began preparing for weapons tests. On April 5, it tested a multi-stage missile for just the third time and on Monday it tested a nuclear explosive for the second time.

The tests showed North Korea's nuclear-weapons development program is advancing. The U.S. and other nations since the early 1990s have tried to persuade Pyongyang to stop such work, using a variety of tactics including incentives and penalties. Monday's test drew strong condemnation not just from the countries North Korea considers to be enemies but also its two closest allies, China and Russia.

In Washington Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that North Korea would face consequences because of its "provocative and belligerent'' actions, the Associated Press reported. Mrs. Clinton also underscored the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea and Japan.

She said that talks at the United Nations "are going on to add to the consequences that North Korea will face,'' but she did not provide specifics.

Analysts say the rapid succession of weapons tests and fiery statements may mark a change from a longtime pattern in which North Korea made a provocative action and then sought economic aid or security concessions not to do it again.

That view was reinforced by market activity in recent days. Though usually unfazed by Pyongyang's words and actions, investors showed some concern over the latest volleys. South Korea's Kospi stock market index fell .73% on Wednesday, a day when most other markets in Asia posted solid gains. The Kospi also performed worse than other Asian markets a day earlier, when it dropped 2%.

"I don't think they will turn their rhetorical harshness into action," said Park Young-ho, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of National Unification in Seoul, a think tank affiliated with the government agency that deals with the North.

But he added that references in the statement to a maritime border dispute with the South – over possession of five islands in the Yellow Sea – suggest the North's next step may be to try to provoke the South Korean Navy.

More of the North's latest statement was directed at the U.S., which it often portrays as ready to invade the country or to oust its authoritarian government.

"There is no bigger misjudgment than thinking that the law-of-jungle kind of U.S. logic could work with us," the statement said. "If needed, we have great military power and our own striking means to conquer a neighboring target at a stroke or to hit vital U.S. points at a blow."

US wants to paint the world white to save energy

2009-05-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

LONDON(AFP) (AFP) – US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Tuesday the Obama administration wanted to paint roofs an energy-reflecting white, as he took part in a climate change symposium in London.

The Nobel laureate in physics called for a "new revolution" in energy generation to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

But he warned there was no silver bullet for tackling climate change, and said a range of measures should be introduced, including painting flat roofs white.

Making roads and roofs a paler colour could have the equivalent effect of taking every car in the world off the road for 11 years, Chu said.

It was a geo-engineering scheme that was "completely benign" and would keep buildings cooler and reduce energy use from air conditioning, as well as reflecting sunlight back away from the Earth.

For people who found white hard on the eye, scientists had also developed "cool colours" which looked to the human eye like normal ones, but reflect heat like pale colours even if they are darker shades.

And painting cars in cool or light colours could deliver considerable savings on energy use for air conditioning units, he said.

Speaking at the start of a symposium on climate change hosted by the Prince of Wales and attended by more than 20 Nobel laureates, Chu said fresh thinking was required to cut the amount of carbon created by power generation.

He said: "The industrial revolution was a revolution in the use of energy. It offloaded from human and animal power into using fossil fuels.

"We have to go to a different new revolution that can severely decrease the amount of carbon emissions in the generation of energy."

NY Senators oppose Coyotes' relocation bid

2009-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

"BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)—U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are opposed to the Phoenix Coyotes relocating to southern Ontario because it would have a potential “crippling” effect on the Buffalo Sabres.

In a letter sent to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday, the two Democrats sided with the league in its bid to prevent Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie from purchasing the bankrupt Coyotes and moving them to Hamilton, Ontario, located about 45 minutes west of Buffalo.

The Sabres, one of the NHL’s strongest U.S. small-market franchises, generate about 20 percent of their revenue from across the border.

The NHL has asked a bankruptcy judge to uphold the league’s right to determine who owns a franchise and where it plays."

Police: Mom killed boy, buried him in playground sand - CNN.com

2009-05-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Police: Mom killed boy, buried him in playground sand - CNN.com

(CNN) -- A 23-year-old woman suffocated her son and then buried his body beneath the sand of a playground, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said Thursday.

Police arrested Tiffany Toribio about 4 a.m., just hours after they said they wanted to speak to her about her missing 3-year-old son, Ty.

Family members had contacted authorities, saying her son matched the description of a boy found Friday at an Albuquerque playground.

Police Chief Ray Schultz said she confessed to killing the boy soon after being apprehended.

"She placed her hand over her son's mouth and nose and suffocated him. She had second thoughts about what she did. She performed CPR on her son, brought him back to life and then decided to go forward with that original act she had started to commit," Schultz said.

"What makes this story especially sad is, when asked the reason why she took Ty's life, Tiffany said that she did not want him to grow up with no one caring about him, the same way that she had grown up where nobody had cared about her."

An emotional Schultz added that Toribio has tried to kill herself since her arrest. She was being held in isolation at a detention facility and kept under observation, he said.

He added, "As you can see, this case has been very emotional for everybody in the department."

Toribio was charged with first-degree murder and an array of other charges, including abuse of a child under 12 that caused death.

The discovery of the body Alvarado Park on Friday shocked the community, which dubbed the boy "Baby Justice" and "Baby Angel" as they rallied around his case.

Police released a composite image of the boy Tuesday, hoping to garner more leads in the case. They weren't able to release a photo of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand's heat.

Schultz said that after killing her son, Toribio dug a hole under gym equipment at the playground, moved the body and buried him in the shallow grave.

The boy was wearing Arizona brand clothing, size 3T: nylon black running pants with red stripes, a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black, gray and lime green Skechers sneakers.

Toribio did not comment Thursday morning after her arrest as she was put in a police car.

Deficit will darken Schwarzenegger's final months - San Jose Mercury News

2009-05-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

By JULIET WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's election six years ago in California's unprecedented recall election was followed by unlimited promise that the state's famously dysfunctional finances would finally be fixed.

Today the Republican governor faces a financial crisis even worse than the one he inherited, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a slate of budget-balancing measures in Tuesday's special election.

Figuring out how to fill a $21.3 billion budget deficit—nearly a quarter of California's general fund—is likely to occupy most of his remaining time in office, foiling any chance he had left to build the type of legacy he desires.

"The budget mess will overshadow everything else the governor does until he leaves office. The problem is so big that he can forget about major policy innovations," said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. "He was hoping to revolutionize state government. He'll be lucky to avoid a complete collapse."

It's the latest blow for a celebrity governor who came to Sacramento promising blockbuster-sized reforms. He vowed to end California's roller coaster finances by running the state like a business and cutting through the political gridlock.

His promises to tear up the state's credit cards and "end the crazy deficit spending" seem like distant memories—and now impossible to accomplish before he leaves office in January 2011.

Schwarzenegger has succeeded in borrowing billions of dollars for infrastructure projects and pushing through redistricting reform, but his major achievements may end there.

A combination of political backbiting and financial reality already forced him to delay or cast aside many of his sweeping policy initiatives. The state's shaky finances will make rebuilding California's water system a longshot priority. Health care and education reforms have been defeated or scrapped.

Meanwhile, the recession is gnawing at the state's image of resilience. Unemployment has climbed to a record 11 percent, home foreclosures continue apace, the commercial real estate market has cratered and much of the construction industry has ground to a halt.

With only a third of Californians approving of his job performance, Schwarzenegger has few bargaining tools remaining as he seeks to address the very same problems that compelled him to seek office six years ago.

The governor said Wednesday that he understands the message from the special election results: Californians want elected officials to solve the problems, not constantly turn to them.

"Don't to come to us for extra help. That was the message," Schwarzenegger said Wednesday after a meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in Washington, D.C. "And you know something? I appreciate that when you hear that from the people. It gives us a chance to go and adjust, and say 'OK, we went in the wrong direction. Now let's go in the right direction and let's go do what the people want.'"

Schwarzenegger was scheduled to meet with legislative leaders Wednesday to begin discussing ways to bridge the budget gap.

Within weeks, the state's budget crisis will transform from an abstraction in the minds of most Californians to painful reality.

The governor has proposed shortening the school year by seven days, eliminating health care for tens of thousands of low-income children, laying off up to 5,000 state employees and taking $2 billion from local governments. The shift of local money is likely to translate into reduced police and firefighting services, shortened library hours and local parks becoming overgrown and strewn with trash.

"To take money out of local government suggests what the state does is more important than police, fire, after-school programs and library programs," said Chris McKenzie, executive director of the League of California Cities. "The voters have made it very clear they want the state to stand on its own two feet."
Tens of thousands of teachers also face the prospect of layoffs, and school officials were bracing for what they called unprecedented cuts.

That is not the California Schwarzenegger hoped to be shaping during his final year-and-a-half in office. He already spent most of the last two years tied up in contentious budget negotiations, and the budget package he signed in February already raised taxes by $12.8 billion and cut $15 billion from state programs.

He has said he won't raise taxes again, setting the stage for clashes with state employee unions and other groups determined to protect their interests.

In campaigning for the ballot propositions before Tuesday's election, Schwarzenegger tried to weave his own narrative in the face of likely defeat. He told audiences that Tuesday's special election was not about his time in office or the legacy he hopes to leave, but rather about California's future.

That future now appears darker, at least in the short term. The scope of the crisis will challenge lawmakers to meet their rarely met June 15 to pass a balanced budget, creating the potential for another prolonged budget fight.

Schwarzenegger did get some good news on Wednesday. The federal government informed him that California will remain eligible for $8 billion in Medicaid funds despite complaints from unions that previous pay cuts to home healthcare workers violated the terms of the federal stimulus bill.

Schwarzenegger had appealed to administration officials not to jeopardize California's share of the economic stimulus funding because of the cuts to state programs lawmakers are being forced to make.

Kenneth Burt, political director of the California Federation of Teachers, which opposed parts of the ballot package, said there is still a role for Schwarzenegger during this critical time for the state—if he can reclaim his role as bipartisan peacemaker.

"He's obviously a lame duck, but he still has a role to play in bringing together the legislative leaders," he said.

I am glad he hears it - now do something about it!!!!

2009-05-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday he's heard "loud and clear" a voter message to take care of deficits through budget cuts alone, without passing additional costs along to them.

Voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected Schwarzenegger's package of budget-balancing measures that he promised would temporarily fix the state's financial crisis.

Instead, he now faces a $21.3 billion budget deficit.

Schwarzenegger said the state's residents have had to sell off motorcycles, second cars and hold garage sales to make ends meet in recent months. Now, they're telling state officials that the government has to shrink, too.

"Don't to come to us for extra help. That was the message," Schwarzenegger said after a meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "And you know something. I appreciate that when you hear that from the people. It gives us a chance to go and adjust, and say 'OK, we went in the wrong direction. Now lets go in the right direction and lets go do what the people want.' "

Still, Schwarzenegger said the budget cuts to come may be more painful than California voters realize. While they may not want to pay more for services, they can't say specifically which services they would pare, he said.

He said cuts will certainly come in education, health care and in prisons by transferring undocumented immigrants to federal facilities and transferring more non-violent offenders to local jails. He plans to meet with state lawmakers in the afternoon to discuss the state's options.

Schwarzenegger did get some good news on Wednesday. The federal government informed him that California will remain eligible for an extra $8 billion in Medicaid funds despite complaints from unions that it violated the terms for getting extra stimulus dollars for health care.

The governor said he felt all along the state should trim certain government services, but he didn't want to make what he described as drastic cuts.

"Now we have to. There's no other choice. I think the message was clear from the people: Go all out and make those cuts and live within your means," Schwarzenegger said.

What the new credit card law means to consumers - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com

2009-05-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

What the new credit card law means to consumers

By David Lightman
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday to protect credit card holders from sudden interest-rate spikes, but consumer groups and card issuers warned that people are still likely to face obstacles in getting and maintaining credit.

The Senate vote was 90-5. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the bill overwhelmingly, probably Wednesday, and it then will go to President Barack Obama, who's pushed hard for the legislation.
The new law would protect consumers from sudden increases in interest rates, but companies are saying that they'll be more selective in issuing cards.

The Senate vote represents "the biggest reforms of the industry since the invention of credit cards," said Peter Garuccio, a spokesman for the American Bankers Association.

Consumer groups voiced similar thoughts. "The biggest change is that the contract between the consumer and the companies will become stronger," said Nick Bourke, the manager of the Pew Safe Credit Cards Project, which provides education and advocacy for consumers on credit matters.

That may not mean instant help for many people, however.

The bill, similar to regulations the Federal Reserve Board issued recently that will take effect in summer 2010, probably will require significant changes in how card issuers do business, notably by offering fewer cards to high-risk consumers.

"There will be a different business model going forward," Garuccio said.

Issuers long have practiced "risk-based pricing," in which they impose higher interest rates on people who are more prone to pay late. The bill will restrict issuers' ability to increase interest rates, and as a result "your ability to use risk-based pricing is very limited," Garuccio said.

Consumer groups have a more immediate concern: Most of the bill's provisions won't go into effect for nine months, giving card issuers time to hike interest rates, a practice that helped spur the congressional action.

Pew surveyed 12 large card issuers last year and found that 93 percent of the cards permitted the issuers to raise any interest rate at any time. Eighty-seven percent of the cards could have automatic penalty interest-rate increases imposed on balances, even if the accounts weren't 30 days or more past due.

As a result, the study said, "current credit-card practices place American cardholders at risk of sudden, potentially drastic price increases, which can seriously impair a household's stability and spending power."
The legislation takes strong steps to discourage such practices. The Senate measure would require that consumers get 45 days' notice before any new interest rates, fees or finance charges went into effect.

Interest rates couldn't be increased during the first year an account is open, and promotional rates must remain in effect for at least six months.

It would prohibit issuers from imposing retroactive rate increases until consumers are more than 60 days behind in payments. After six months, if the consumers have paid the minimum balances on time, the lower rates would return.

The bill also would require parents or guardians to guarantee any debts assumed by cards issued to most people younger than 21, unless the young people have sufficient independent income.

Consumers need to be unusually vigilant in the months ahead, said Adam Levin, the chairman and co-founder of Credit.com, an education and advocacy Web site.

Even after the law takes effect, issuers still would be able to cut off customers' cards suddenly. While the measure restricts changes in credit card interest rates, it sets no limit on what rates can be imposed initially. Issuers also can still cut customers' credit limits dramatically.

Consumers should "come up with a plan to reduce debt," and "have an arsenal of credit cards, so if one experiences a cutback, they can go to another," Levin said. They also should try to pay off balances first that are subject to the highest interest rates.

People should be aware of what fees and rates are being imposed. Go online constantly, Levin advised, look for such charges and question anything that seems unusual.

Garuccio, though, maintained that issuers aren't about to act arbitrarily or irresponsibly. They've known for months that changes are coming and have moved to change their practices.

"The industry is already taking steps to implement the new rules," he said.

For instance, it may impose higher interest rates in the future because it's unable to spread risk as it has in the past.

Garuccio cited this example: If a company gives cards to 20 people with the same credit profiles, history shows that one will have trouble paying on time (though recent experience suggests that two of the 20 could have problems). The issuer has no way of knowing who might have that trouble, so all 20 get a lower interest rate at first.

In the past, the company then would charge the delinquent consumer a higher interest rate than the others. Since new restrictions on rate increases are likely, however, the company would be inclined to charge all 20 a somewhat higher rate from the start.

Consumer groups remain wary, warning that simply because the president and Washington lawmakers are celebrating a great consumer victory, the fight isn't necessarily over.

"This bill is a significant first step," Levin said, "but it's not a silver bullet."

Nancy Pelosi Owes America an Apology… and the Truth

2009-05-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

The quarterback of the Central Intelligence agency says he doesn’t want his agency to be a pawn in a game of political football; it’s too late, Democrats have been tackling the CIA for months and President Obama is not willing to toss a penalty flag.

If Nancy Pelosi really believes the enhanced interrogation techniques were unlawful, we now know she was aware of it and did nothing to stop it. That makes her an accessory to a crime.

It’s difficult to say which is more troubling, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi playing a game of CYA at the expense of the CIA, or President Obama’s continued support as she calls members of the intelligence agency liars. Either way, Republicans say it’s time for Nancy Pelosi to put up or shut up, after she apologizes of course.

The primary mission of the CIA is “to collect, evaluate, and disseminate foreign intelligence to assist the president and senior US government policymakers in making decisions relating to the national security.”

CIA Director Leon Panetta said it’s against the laws and values of the agency to lie to Congress. On Monday, he urged lawmakers (including Pelosi) to keep the CIA out of their partisan political battles, or run the risk of jeopardizing our national security.

“If they start to use these issues as political clubs to beat each other up with, then that’s when we not only pay a price, but this country pays a price,” Panetta said.

Speaker Pelosi has long called for a “truth commission” to look into the investigation techniques of terror suspects after 9-11. In her recent train wreck of a news conference, Pelosi tried to clear up inconsistencies about what she knew and when she knew it. The problem is, she just made matters worse for herself, and the country.

As ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, Pelosi told reporters she was briefed by the CIA in September, 2002, saying, “the only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed.” She goes on to say, “I was informed then that the Department of Justice opinions had concluded that the use of enhanced interrogation techniques were legal.”

In February of 2003, Pelosi said she was informed by a member of her staff that waterboarding was being conducted.

The Speaker wrapped up her statement by saying the CIA not only gave her inaccurate and incomplete information, they lied to her and Congress repeatedly.

Careful Madam Speaker, as Abraham Lincoln said, “truth is generally the best vindication for slander.”
The truth is just what the media wanted from Pelosi, and they pushed her to explain previous claims that the CIA never told her about the use of waterboarding.

As Pelosi lost her place on her notes, her credibility went right along with it. Her story went from “I wasn’t briefed” to “I was told” to “I was informed from someone who was briefed” to “I was just briefed that they were informed.” What?

It makes me think of Bill Clinton’s grand jury testimony on the Lewinsky affair when he said “it depends on what your definition of the word ‘is’ is.” In Pelosi’s case, it depends on what your definition of the word “briefed” is.

And when the media stripped Pelosi down to her briefs, she resorted to calling the CIA, and the Bush administration a bunch of liars.

From all indications, Pelosi and “The Gang of Four” were told about the interrogation techniques. If they weren’t told specifically, they were told enough to ask the tough questions, but they chose not to, so as to avoid the appearance of being soft on terror.

Instead of raising objections when she was first briefed seven years ago, the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee said she was busy “doing her job” of changing leadership in congress and the White House. Excuse me? The dust was still settling on 9/11, Americans were afraid of airplanes, anthrax, and Al Qaeda; and Nancy Pelosi believed electing a Democratic president took precedent over our national security?

When Rep. Jane Harman wrote a letter to the Bush Administration with concerns about the interrogation techniques, Pelosi supported the letter.

If Pelosi believes the CIA lied to Congress, that’s a crime, take it to the Justice Department.

If she really believes the enhanced interrogation techniques were unlawful, we now know she was aware of it and did nothing to stop it. That makes her an accessory to a crime.

Speaker Pelosi, you have the right to remain silent.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Package Appears Headed to Defeat in Tuesday Vote

2009-05-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Schwarzenegger Package Appears Headed to Defeat

California Voters Appear Poised to Reject 5 of 6 Budget-Related Ballot Measures Tuesday

By TEDDY DAVIS

May 18, 2009

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is facing a drubbing at the polls on Tuesday as California voters prepare to weigh in on six budget-related ballot measures backed by the former action movie star.

"Five of the six ballot measures are headed to defeat," Mark DiCamillo, the director of the non-partisan Field Poll, told ABC News. "There's a lack of trust. Voters have turned away from the governor. He will certainly be in lame duck status for the rest of his term."

A defeat on Tuesday would be a big setback not only for the Republican governor but also for the scores of Democrats and six Republicans in the state legislature who placed the propositions on the ballot as part of a budget deal struck in February. Voter approval is needed for these measures because they involve changes to the state's constitution.

According to public polling in the state, the only measure which is headed towards passage is Proposition 1F which would restrict pay hikes for elected officials in deficit years but not actually generate much in the way of savings for the taxpayers.

The other measures appear to be headed towards defeat (see below for a summary of all six).
California, home to one in eight Americans, is in dire fiscal shape.

Even if all of the ballot measures were to pass on Tuesday, the state is facing a deficit of $15.4 billion. If the measures do not pass, the state's budget shortfall gets even worse.

Schwarzenegger warned last week that if his package goes down to defeat, the state's deficit will swell to $21.3 billion.

The governor said a deficit of that size will force him to shorten the school year by seven days, cut off health care to more than 200,000 children, and shorten the state prison sentences of up to 19,000 illegal immigrants so they can be handed over to federal authorities for deportation.

If Proposition 1A, a measure that includes a tax hike and rainy day fund, goes down to defeat on Tuesday, anti-tax groups will have defeated a "yes" campaign which had significantly more resources.
It is not clear, however, how the state will react to the deep cuts which the governor says will be necessary if his ballot measures fail.
said DiCamillo. "In our recent poll, the only areas where a majority supported making cuts are . . . the prison system and state parks."

"Public schools, health-care, higher education -- those are areas that voters are least apt to make major cuts to and yet those programs constitute about 75 percent of the budget," he added.

Asking voters to approve higher taxes in a bad economy was never going to be easy, but DiCamillo thinks advocates of the ballot measures made things harder on themselves by choosing "obtuse" ballot language.

"They were too cute by half," said DiCamillo. "They wanted to avoid describing any of the negative impact. But as a result, they made the language so vague that even a knowledgeable voter was left to wonder what would happen if they voted 'yes.' When voters are confused about what the effect of a measure will be, they tend to vote "no" because it's seen as a safer vote."

SUMMARY OF CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURES:

Proposition 1A: Raises sales, car, and income taxes by $16 billion over a two-year period and requires a bigger rainy day fund going forward.

Proposition 1B: Requires the state to make $9.3 billion in additional payments to schools and community colleges. 1B only takes effect if 1A passes.

Proposition 1C: Authorizes the state to expand the lottery by offering bigger prizes and then borrows $5 billion against the new revenue that the expanded lottery is expected to generate.

Proposition 1D: Directs tobacco tax revenue away from director Rob Reiner's Early Childhood Development program and toward the state's general fund.

Proposition 1E: Directs "personal income tax surcharge" away from specified mental health programs and toward the state's general fund. (The "personal income tax surcharge" is a tax of 1 percent on the portion of taxable income in excess of $1 million).

Proposition 1F: Prevents legislators, the governor, and other state elected officials from receiving pay increases in years when the state is running a deficit.

Former NFL great Bruce Smith faces drunken driving charge

2009-05-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

VIRGINIA BEACH (AP) — Former NFL star Bruce Smith was charged with drunken driving Friday morning after a police officer stopped him for speeding, Virginia Beach police said.

Police spokesman Jimmy Barnes said Smith was released on bond a few hours after being charged with speeding, driving under the influence and refusal to take an alcohol breath test. He could not determine whether a hearing date has been set, and it was not immediately clear whether the 45-year-old Smith had an attorney.

Smith, who played for the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins, is the NFL's all-time sacks leader. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. He played in 11 Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection nine times.

Smith played at Virginia Tech before being taken by the Bills as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in 1985. He is a native of Norfolk but now lives in Virginia Beach.

Barnes said an officer in a special DUI enforcement unit stopped Smith's vehicle on Interstate 264 at about 1:42 a.m. He said he didn't know how fast Smith was driving in the 55 mph zone, but it must have been less than 75 mph or he would have been charged with reckless driving instead.

Putting the yellow in Yellowstone

2009-05-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

You would have to imagine that there is something very seriously wrong with someone who feels compelled to do this!!

`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just about everything is on a webcam these days. So you have to wonder why seasonal employees in Yellowstone thought they could get away with an illegal trek to the edge of Old Faithful, where one of them apparently urinated into the geyser.

The Associated Press reports that one 23-year-old man was fined $750 after the May 4 incident. He also was banned from Yellowstone for two years. The case against a second employee is pending.

Park employees were tipped off by someone watching a webcam who saw six employees making tracks for the fissure's edge. The geyser was not erupting at the time.