Survival Sam says...

U.S. lacks enough troops to support 'low-risk' Afghan option

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military can send only about 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan in the next three months without putting excessive strains on the Army and Marine Corps, but the top Afghanistan commander has said he needs more than twice that number to have the best chance of success, military and administration officials told McClatchy.

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal has said that even if it sent 30,000 additional troops, the U.S. would risk failure in Afghanistan under the current strategy. His resourcing plan offers President Barack Obama three options based on the estimated risk, said two U.S. military officials, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly and because the proposal remains classified.

The low risk option, which McChrystal has said offers the best chance to contain the Taliban-led insurgency and stabilize Afghanistan, calls for 80,000 additional U.S. troops, while his medium risk option puts the number at 40,000 to 45,000, the officials said.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/77269.html

It could be Obama would like to be a 3%er...

It could be Obama is far more radical than he appears...

But the 97% controls the political reality...

So in the end we will build up in Afghanistan...

We will finish our victory in Iraq...

And Obama will just have to explain that he didn't have the votes for any public option....

Life goes on.....

Promises, promises... isn't this the same line he used on the Gay convention...???

----

New Orleans Residents Slam Obama

Thursday, October 15, 2009 6:38 PM

Article Font Size

NEW ORLEANS – Insisting he's "just getting started," President Barack Obama defended his administration Thursday against complaints from some residents of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast that federal help in recovering from the 2005 disasters hasn't improved much since he took office.

"We've got a long way to go but we've made progress," Obama told a town hall at the University of New Orleans. "We're working as hard as we can and as quickly as we can."

As a candidate, Obama criticized former President George W. Bush's response to Katrina, when the government showed up late and unprepared and the Federal Emergency Management Agency became the object of widespread scorn.

The storm killed some 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi — and damage has been estimated at roughly $40 billion. The damage is still starkly visible in New Orleans — in blighted neighborhoods of creaky houses, boarded-up businesses, structure after structure awaiting demolition and critical recovery work not yet started.

Obama wanted to use his first visit as president to the Gulf Coast to listen to residents' concerns about the recovery effort. And although most questions were on unrelated subjects, one man gave him an earful.

"I expected as much from the Bush administration, but why are we still being nickeled and dimed in our recovery?" asked Gabriel Bordenave, 29, of New Orleans.

"I wish I could write a blank check," Obama replied, promoting Bordenave to shout back, "Why not?"

One industry that's booming: debt collection

In the often murky waters of the debt collection industry, United Recovery Systems in Houston is considered a "whale hunter."

In its search for clients, United isn't looking for mom-and-pop businesses with a few hundred deadbeat customers. It wants bigger fish.

Its client roster includes national banks, international credit card issuers and domestic and foreign auto finance giants, each of whom count on United to make good on their bad accounts.

In the current economic climate, the "whales" are virtually jumping out of the water and into United's boat. A year ago, the company was reeling in $540 million to $560 million in new delinquent accounts each month. This year, it's $937 million, said United's marketing director, Sean Keegan.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/77253.html

Said it about 40 minutes ago, before I stepped out fro print cartridges and chicken.

He's been up since about 4.

And...I'm in enough trouble already. ;)

Senator Harry Reid's office is pushing back against reports that the Majority Leader is planning to include Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) among the group of senators tasked with merging varying versions of health care legislation.

"She will not be in the room," said a Reid aide, referencing reports to the contrary that emerged Wednesday evening. "The only people who will be at the negotiating table are Harry Reid, Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Sen. Chris Dodd and the White House."

The aide, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity to discuss procedural matters, said that Reid would listen to Snowe's suggestions throughout the process of melding the Finance Committee and HELP Committee's versions of health care reform.

"The views of our caucus, and those from the other side who are interested in genuine health care reform will of course be considered," the aide said. "Of course we will talk to, among other people, Olympia Snowe and Jay Rockefeller because we want varying point of views represented in the process. But the only people sitting at the table will be those mentioned."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/reid-aide-snowe-will-not_n_3224...

toniD's Ya Think?

Palin to campaign in Texas

Posted: October 15th, 2009 09:43 AM ET

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

Palin will hit the campaign trail for Rick Perry.

(CNN) — Here's one place where a Sarah Palin campaign appearance is welcome: Texas.

Republican gubernatorial campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey are giving Palin the cold shoulder out of fear that she might alienate independent voters.

But it's a very different story in the Texas Republican gubernatorial primary, a conservative slugfest between Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Palin will campaign for Perry sometime next year, according to his campaign, but the dates are still being finalized. Palin endorsed the Texas governor's re-election bid earlier this year.

"She will be coming here to campaign sometime after the first of the year once she is done with her book tour," said Perry spokesman Mark Miner.

Palin's spokesman Meg Stapleton did not respond to inquiries seeking to confirm the visit.

After Palin resigned in July, Perry said he was proud to have Palin's support and boasted that she was planning to come to Texas to campaign for him. "If there's a bigger endorsement in the Republican universe, I don't know who it is than Sarah," he said at the time.

Hutchison spokesman Jeff Sadosky said both candidates will have high-profile conservatives campaigning for them as the race heads down the final stretch.

you oughta just go ahead and do it with a bullhorn sometime.

I don't think that would get you in trouble with anyone too scary.

Wouldn't you love to meet Sarah...?!?

No interest here.

toniD's Ya Think?

Lawmakers are trying to extend and expand an $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers, a stimulus-package tax break that many regard as a significant prop for the still-tottering economy.

The latest Senate proposal would drop the requirement that the credit be available only to first-time buyers, broadening the reach of the program but also adding to its cost, estimated by congressional analysts at $16.7 billion.

The backers of that idea, Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate's banking committee, have suggested that their measure be attached to another pending bill aimed at throwing a lifeline to people hit by the recession, an extension of federal assistance to the millions in danger of exhausting unemployment insurance benefits.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5guZ2uxoyv-PmSFsGGANQP8...

toniD's Ya Think?

(thats how i spelled it many years ago on a cake i made. i have yet to live it down)

over 10 years thats 2 trillion dollars which is twice the worst case cost of healthcare reform.

bueller? bueller? ferris bueller?

Wouldn't you love to meet Sarah...?!?
new
Submitted by 97Percent on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 9:06pm.

Cancelled the next segment. This will be good!

Writing protest signs for teabaggers.

They won't even notice! ;-)

You could probably add a few hundred billion to that because they will raise their prices several times in the next 10 years.

Maybe make that another trillion.

toniD's Ya Think?

my tv is stuck on greys anatomy. whats going on?

does it come with health insurance?

is anybody listening to malloy. he's on a wide ranging tear tonight.

I blame Fernando.
Ever since he went on and on about washing nuts,
comments have taken a turn towards screwy hygiene.

Hairy fishnuts, not from Loch Ness

ROFLMCWAO!!!!

Then the BETA PROSTATE add comes on...hahaha...can't breathe.

with all these reports coming out from the accounting firms about prices going up you would think there should be a shortage on pitchforks. right now all i hear is crickets.

god bless congressman weiner and f%^k senator mary "miss piggy" landrieu (D-La.)

i giggled it but it keeps saying i should look up rotflmao

Balloon boy non-story media fracas pre-empts Arianna Huffington's "Joe Biden should resign" non-story media fracas

Thank FSM for small miracles

Ramen

"this machine kills fascists"

ro(t)flm chalky white ao

fuck definite articles.

That was pretty fuckin' nice for a homemade balloon man!

kudos!

"this machine kills fascists"

Now that's odd.
I think our friend from Oz is very colorful.
_____________

There's only one thing I hate more than those filthy rotten stinking zombies, and that's filthy rotten stinking Nazi zombies!

Source: Irish Central (9-2-09)

A mystery revolving around President Barack Obama’s Irish roots was solved when a tomb containing the remains of Obama’s Irish ancestor was discovered in the Irish medieval city of Kilkenny.

After a painstaking search, film maker Gabriel Murray, who is in the process of making a documentary on Obama's Irish roots, finally found “Obama’s Lost Tomb” inside the 13th century St. Canice’s Cathedral.

Murray, along with Cathedral assistant Frances Moore, used a centuries-old map to identify a hidden vault under the floor of St. Canice’s. They deciphered the Latin on the hundreds of tombs inside the vault, when they came across Bishop John Kearney’s resting place, number 19 on the map, just 20 yards from the main entrance.

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/118425.html

Happy Birthday Cent, you ole optimist you!

Historic graves under supermarket (Scotland)

Source: BBC (10-15-09)

Archaeologists believe they have traced a mass grave of soldiers who fought in a 17th Century battle in Germany under a modern-day supermarket.

Scots - many of them Highlanders - were among the ranks of Protestant soldiers fighting Catholic forces at Lutzen, a key clash during the 30 Years War.

Culloden expert Dr Tony Pollard has been involved in an international team's investigations at Lutzen.

He said another mass grave on another part of the battlefield may be probed.

://hnn.us/roundup/41.html#118445

BERLIN - THE bust of legendary Egyptian beauty Nefertiti, believed to be 3,400 years old, has been moved gingerly to its new home in Berlin before it is to go back on display this month, the city's museum authority said on Monday.

The bust was transferred on Sunday 'with extreme care' to its final resting place, the newly renovated Neues Museum, where it will take pride of place with its own display room, the authority said in a statement.

Nefertiti, renowned as one of history's great beauties, was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaton, remembered for having converted his kingdom to monotheism with the worship of one sun god, Aton.

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/117992.html
German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt brought the figure to Berlin in 1913, a year after it was unearthed on the banks of the Nile. But the bust has long been a source of friction between Egypt and Germany.

of divine retribution unearthed in Turkey

Source: Asian News Internationa (10-13-09)

Ankara (Turkey), October 13 (ANI): Archaeologists have found traces of a temple built for the Greek goddess of divine retribution, Nemesis, during excavations in the ancient city of Agora in the Aegean port city of Izmir in Turkey.

According to a report in Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Akin Ersoy of Dokuz Eylul University’s archaeology department and heading the archaeological excavations in the ancient city, said that there might be a temple built for Nemesis in the area.

“We found traces of such a temple during our excavations in Agora,” he said. “We want to concentrate our work to unearth the temple in the future,” he added.

This year’s archeological excavations have unearthed many important findings that belonged to the Ottoman era, including many pieces of Ottoman ceramics.

“There are several layers to be worked,” said Ersoy. “We will work on the Ottoman era first, followed by the Eastern Roman, Roman and then the earlier ages,” he added.

The sister of Margaret Hassan, the aid worker who was kidnapped and murdered in Iraq, yesterday accused Tony Blair of risking the lives of British forces to help the former US President George Bush.

Deidre Manchanda asked the Chilcot panel, which will hold an inquiry into the Iraq war, to investigate why 650 British troops were deployed to Baghdad in 2004, a place far more dangerous than their base in Basra, just before the US elections. "I want the committee to ask for what political reasons Mr Blair was being asked to do this by George Bush," she said.

What happened to Ms Hassan, who had lived in Baghdad for decades with her Iraqi husband, led to shock even in a city experiencing daily and savage violence. Her friends blamed the US-led occupation forces for helping to create a state of anarchy in which the aid worker, who held British and Irish nationality and was highly popular in the community, could be abducted.

Bust of Nefertiti moved with care
Submitted by smcgee43 on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 12:26am.
---------
Cosmetic surgery is getting out of hand.

sleep tight

was pretty intense while it was going on!

That was an impressive balloon! Part of me wonders whether the kid's narcissist dad staged the whole thing. He seemed perfectly willing to plug his invention during the press conference...

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http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

Where's she been, anyways? Surely Those Darn Contractors are done with her house by now?
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http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

NICKY! HELP SAM!!!!

He's under a tree and babbling nonsense about a pub lick opshwen. Help Sam Nicky! Before it's too late.

Save him. Rescue him. Bring the jaws of life.

Don't call the fire department to help though, it's too socialist and it would be a cliche for Sam to be rescued by the fire department. Call a banker and see if that banker will pull him out of from under that tree. Or call his insurance agent. See if they will save him.

Hold on Sam! They are on their way. Don't give up. Don't fall asleep waiting on your banker or insurance agent. Help is on it's way. I'm sure.

Malloy talking about Silverman's sell the Vatican and feed the poor bit...

But, Mike, the Pope doesn't own Art; he owns propaganda with alot of nostalgic value....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/15/BA3S1A5H25.D...

[excerpt]

Poll: Voters unhappy with where state headed
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Voters in Democratic-leaning California have an increasingly positive view of the direction the nation is heading but they overwhelmingly believe their state is heading in a seriously wrong direction, the latest Field Poll shows.

By a commanding 5-1 ratio - 78 percent to 15 percent - Californians believe the state is on the wrong track, the poll shows, a view that reflects their view of the state's prospects.

But more state voters, 48 percent, think the nation is on the right track - as opposed to the 41 percent who think it's not - an improvement since the last poll was taken in March.

"What's striking to me is that usually the biggest single factor that guides people's assessments relates to economic conditions," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll.

"In California, the wrong-track numbers continue to get higher because the economic picture continues to worsen here," he said. "But the view of the United States is improving during a time of economic recession. And that is almost totally due to the change in the presidency, Barack Obama versus George W. Bush."

Californians consistently believed that the country was on the wrong track from early 2004 to last year, according to Field Research studies. But that changed last year after Obama, a Democrat, was elected. In March, the polls showed that the percentage of Californians who held a negative view shifted markedly, from 75 percent to 47 percent.

Today, 48 percent of voters say the country is heading in the right direction - and California Democrats feel even stronger about the matter, the poll showed.

Democrats in the state, by a margin of 68 percent to 23 percent, say the country is on the right track, a view almost mirrored in reverse by Republicans - who by a 69 to 21 percent margin think the country is heading in the wrong direction, the poll showed.

Among nonpartisan voters, the view is positive - by a 46 to 38 percent margin, they believe the country is on the right track, the poll showed.

The latest Field Poll of 1,005 registered voters in California was taken between Sept. 18-Oct. 5, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/15/BA3S1A5H25.D...

[end excerpt]

Workers' Comp has got to be the template now being used by the INSURANCE INDUSTRY in all areas of medical insurance predation.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/15/BAO61A58PO.D...

[excerpt]

Racial killing at Dollar Tree leads to new law
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, October 15, 2009

(10-14) 12:27 PDT SACRAMENTO -- The case of a murdered African American store clerk, whose family was initially denied workers' compensation benefits because her killer allegedly acted on racial motives, has led to a change in California law.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Sunday that will prohibit insurers from denying workers' compensation claims on the grounds that the employee's attacker was motivated by prejudice.

The measure, AB1093 by Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, D-Davis, was prompted by the case of Taneka Talley, a clerk at a Dollar Tree store in Fairfield.

Talley, 26, was stabbed to death in March 2006 while stocking shelves. Tommy Joe Thompson of West Sacramento was arrested a short time later and charged with murder.

At a March 2007 hearing on the defendant's mental competency to stand trial, a defense psychiatrist testified that Thompson had told him he stabbed Talley because she was black.

Thompson, who is white, was eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to 51 years to life in prison. Prosecutors did not accuse him of a hate crime, and the motive for the killing was not an issue in his trial.

But while the trial was pending, Dollar Tree's insurers denied benefits to Talley's 11-year-old son. In a letter to the family's lawyer, an attorney for the insurer said the child wasn't entitled to benefits because his mother had been attacked for racial reasons, as shown by the psychiatrist's testimony.

State law requires employers to pay benefits to employees or their survivors for all work-related injuries. However, an attack that arises from purely personal motives is not covered.

After protesters picketed the Fairfield store and the family appealed the insurers' decision, Dollar Tree agreed to settle the claim in January. The amount of the payment wasn't disclosed.

Yamada said Tuesday that AB1093, which she called Taneka's Law, guarantees that "no other California family will have to suffer the dual trauma of losing a loved one and having a benefits claim denied, based on one person's personal hatred of another because of who they are."

E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/15/BAO61A58PO.D...

[end excerpt]

SAM's got that orange day-glow knit hat on and seems worried about getting to the other side of Winter.

"We've got enough nukes to blow up the Solar System...."

WTF?

sounds like a good morning to go get a table at zaftigs and read the paper.

Ahh! Already had a bagel, so Zaftigs is out :( I love that place though. Their food is fantastic.

Even though they did once ignore a large table of us so they could better kiss the butt of some total D-List celebrity... Ha ha!
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http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

They're playing some very revealing clips on Morning Joe. Family is already doing interviews. Umm, yeah, it really looks like Narcissistic Personality Disorder Dad has staged the whole thing...

The kid seems coached, he's letting it slip about "the show," and puking everywhere...

And like I pointed out earlier, Narcissist Dad took the time to plug the name of his new invention during his initial "O hai we foundz him" interview.
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http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

Runoff Expected In Afghan Election
Fraud Probe Reduces Karzai's Share of Vote To About 47 Percent

By Karen DeYoung and Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, October 16, 2009

An investigation of allegedly fraudulent ballots in Afghanistan's troubled election has reduced President Hamid Karzai's portion of the vote to about 47 percent, an outcome that will trigger a runoff between him and his closest competitor, according to officials familiar with results.

The tally by the U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission, which one official called "stunning," is due to be finalized Friday. Preliminary results by Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission had given Karzai 54.6 percent of the Aug. 20 vote.

The findings have major implications for the Obama administration's ongoing deliberations over Afghanistan war strategy and could eventually help remove the cloud of illegitimacy hanging over its partner government there. But a new election could also make a difficult situation worse, particularly if fraud is once again alleged or if the vote has to be delayed because of the onset of winter.

Karzai's ambassador in Washington, Said Tayeb Jawad, said Thursday that a second round of voting was "likely," although Karzai himself has never said he would accept the results of the complaints panel, which must be certified by Afghanistan's election commission.

Jawad, who spoke at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said it would be "impossible" to hold a runoff within two weeks of certification, as required by the Afghan constitution. But "to delay until spring is a recipe for disaster," he said, adding that a new vote would have to be held within a month to avoid prolonging the uncertainty.

The United States and its NATO allies in Afghanistan agreed last month that if there was to be a runoff, it would have to be held by the first week in November to avoid a turnout that would almost certainly be low because of the harsh winter.

Ballots listing both Karzai and his closest challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, and printed in London in anticipation of a runoff, have arrived at the U.N. mission in Kabul, a U.S. official in Afghanistan said, while indelible ink is on hand and polling station kits are expected to be packed for distribution this week.

The "preliminary" results announced by the Afghan election commission last month gave Abdullah, a former foreign minister, 28 percent of the vote. The Afghan constitution mandates a runoff if no candidate is awarded more than half of the ballots.

Officials interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity because the situation was developing rapidly; some also refused to be identified by government.

"The big challenge is security," the U.S. official said of new elections. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top military commander in Afghanistan, has told U.N. and Obama administration officials that his forces have begun preparations for providing protection during the vote.

For the Obama administration, much of the delay in determining a way forward in the faltering war has been tied to the uncertain outcome of the Afghan election.

President Obama has held five closed-door meetings with his top national security advisers this month to consider McChrystal's recommendation that tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops be deployed to Afghanistan next year, but White House officials have said a decision is still weeks away.

"We've got to figure out a way to give legitimacy to whoever wins," an official said. A second round, "if clean, and if done properly, basically washes away the sins of the first," he said.

But officials agreed that a new vote would also be fraught with peril. It "definitely cuts both ways," said J. Alexander Thier of the U.S. Institute of Peace, who hosted Jawad at the think tank Thursday. "On the one hand, holding the runoff could clear away some of the problems and allegations of the first round that have tainted the process and rightly made the administration, if this is truly a work of partnership, want to hold off until they knew who the government was going to be."

"But at the same time," Thier said, "there is obviously no guarantee" that a legitimate election could be organized in a few weeks or could avoid another cascade of allegations of abuse. more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR200910...

toniD's Ya Think?

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday cent.

May the oceans protect you today.

it seems to me that strong, unswimmable, ocean currents are the only natural defense against zombies. - Jonah Goldberg

Czar Blocks Bank Of America Chief's Pay
STEVENSON JACOBS and VINNEE TONG

NEW YORK — Capping a year in which he faced shareholder fury, regulatory scrutiny and was stripped of his chairman post, outgoing Bank of America Corp. CEO Ken Lewis will get no salary or bonus for 2009 under an agreement with the government's pay czar.

Kenneth Feinberg, the U.S. Treasury Department's special master for compensation who is scrutinizing pay packages at bailed-out banks, suggested that Lewis should get no pay for the year. Lewis agreed, Bank of America spokesman Robert Stickler said Thursday.

In fact, Lewis will pay back about $1 million he has received so far out of a $1.5 million annual salary.

"He will write a check to the company," Stickler said, adding that Lewis agreed to the proposal because he felt it was not in the bank's best interest "to get into a dispute with the paymaster."

The clawback provision doesn't apply to Lewis' previously negotiated retirement package, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.

Wall Street has been eagerly awaiting Feinberg's decisions about pay for 75 of the highest-earning executives at seven firms that got the most taxpayer money. Other companies under Feinberg's scrutiny include American International Group Inc., General Motors, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial.

Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams declined to comment on Lewis' compensation, saying only that Feinberg would seek to "strike the right balance" in setting pay for top executives of firms that received significant government help.

Many had expected that Feinberg would seek to curb compensation levels. But now that Feinberg has set a precedent for a clawback in pay, eyes will turn to the fate of other Wall Street CEOs, such as Vikram Pandit, whose Citigroup Inc. also has received $45 billion in bailout aid.
Story continues below

"The government is proving they are serious about taking money back for poor performance," said Richard Bove, an analyst with Rochdale Securities, in an interview Thursday evening.

Mark Williams, a finance professor at Boston University and a former Fed examiner, expects that Citigroup and Wells Fargo & Co. executives could also see similar requests from Feinberg.

"It would be inconsistent not to," he said in an interview Thursday.

A Citigroup spokesman declined to comment. more...

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/czar-blocks-bank-of-ameri_n_323...

toniD's Ya Think?

heard it on the grateful dead radio channel this morning.

YEAY ME!!!! :)

I appreciate all the pix and nice comments.

It is so nice to have so many help celebrate my ever increasing state of decrepitude.

It won't be log before you all start calling me "Mean old man Cent"...

Now GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

++++

Nice bidet MB...the least you could have done was fill it with beer. ;)

Now THAT is a happy bidet....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CENT!

toniD's Ya Think?

Ted Turner Wants "Less Fluffy News," "Less Talk, More News" On CNN

Ted Turner wants back in charge at CNN, he said in an interview set to air on Bloomberg TV Friday.

"I'd like to see me running Time Warner," he told Bloomberg's Betty Liu. "I'd like CNN to report to me, and the Cartoon Network."

His plans for CNN would be "less fluffy news and more international news," he said. "Less talk, more news."

Read more about Turner's comments to Bloomberg at The Hollywood Reporter.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8ecb95ad2867...

These comments are similar to ones Turner made earlier this year, when he told Jeffrey Sachs that CNN has "gone a little more tabloid than I'd like to have seen it."

At that time, Turner said he'd like to see "more environmental news and more international news," adding, "I'd like it to be a little more substantive.

"If the stock goes down much more, I could buy it all back," he said.

Turner made similar, if more colorful, comments about CNN when the network turned 25, telling Christiane Amanpour he'd like to see "a little less pervert of the day" type of news:

"The only thing I can suggest, and I love it the way it is, but I would like to see us return to a little more international coverage on the domestic feed and a little more environmental coverage," Turner said in response to a question from CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour before an audience of hundreds of journalists from around the world on the network's anniversary.

"And maybe a little less pervert of the day," said Turner. "I mean, there's a lot of perversion around, I know that, but is it really news? I mean, some of it is. I guess you've got to cover Michael Jackson, but not three stories about perversion at the lead of every half-hour."

Turner founded CNN in 1980.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/ted-turner-wants-less-flu_n_322...

toniD's Ya Think?

Bill forces standard derivatives onto exchange. Banks lobbied bill.

Cantwell is on now talking against the bill.

The bill is no good.

go to Heed the call at dylan.msnbc.com

toniD's Ya Think?

It nice to have my b-day on friday....

I can "barrage" my ass off till sunday... :)

Dinner and a play tonite with wifey.....Blues, Beer, and Friends tomorrow nite....

Gen. McChrystal's Credibility Problem

by Jon Krakauer

The man chosen by Barack Obama to lead the war in Afghanistan also helped cover up the friendly-fire death of NFL player turned soldier Pat Tillman, writes Jon Krakauer. He administered a fraudulent medal recommendation to keep the public in the dark. So why isn’t anybody talking about it?

Shortly after President Obama nominated Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal to command U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, the general was summoned to the U.S. Senate to be grilled by the Armed Services Committee. Although McChrystal had enthusiastic admirers on both sides of the congressional aisle and was regarded as an innovative, uncommonly effective leader, he was expected to face difficult questions about two incidents that occurred during his tenure as leader of the Joint Special Operations Command (or JSOC): the torture of detainees in 2003 at the secret facility in Iraq known as Camp Nama, and his role in the coverup of Pat Tillman’s fratricide in Afghanistan in 2004. During the committee hearing, though, none of McChrystal’s inquisitors probed deeply into either of these issues, and on June 10 the Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination.

McChrystal has lately been the subject of numerous media profiles, most of them adulatory. Dexter Filkins has a long story in the upcoming New York Times Magazine. In an October 5 Newsweek article, Evan Thomas referred to the general as a “Zen warrior… with a disarming, low-key style, free of the bombast and sense of entitlement that can come with four stars…. He has great political skills; he couldn’t have risen to his current position without them. But he definitely does not see himself as the sort of military man who would compromise his principles to do the politically convenient thing.” In the week after Tillman was killed, however, this is precisely what McChrystal appears to have done when he administered a fraudulent medal recommendation and submitted it to secretary of the Army, thereby concealing the cause of Tillman’s death. More...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-14/gen-mcchrystal...

toniD's Ya Think?

I cannot support what his admin is doing. It's reached a point now where it's hard to believe him. It's sad but I think he is being controlled by his admin.

Adam Storch: SEC Hires Ex-Goldman Sachs Exec As Its COO Of Enforcement

For those who've lamented the various links between Goldman Sachs and the financial regulatory system, this certainly isn't good news.

Bloomberg reports that the Securities Exchange Commission has named Adam Storch, a former Goldman exec, as its enforcement division's first chief operating officer. Storch is actually just 29 years old and previously worked in Goldman's business intelligence unit.

Here's Bloomberg:

"The COO, who started Oct. 13, has "a great deal of background" in technology and managing processes and the pace of work, Robert Khuzami, head of enforcement, said yesterday in Washington. Storch, who worked since 2004 in a unit at Goldman Sachs that reviewed contracts and transactions for signs of fraud, will be charged with making the unit more efficient. Storch, reached by telephone at the SEC, declined to comment."

According to what appears to be his LinkedIn profile, Storch spent his undergraduate years at the State University Of New York At Buffalo, and earned an MBA from New York University's Stern School Of Business. Other experience -- besides Goldman -- includes working as a Senior Analyst at Deloitte and Touche.

The Business Insider grabbed a picture of Storch, who they write, "seems to be a big fan of Bill Clinton. At Stern, he created a website asking people to vote for Bill Clinton in the 2008 election. 'Don't stand for the 22nd Amendment!' the website implores." (Check out their screen shot of Storch's site here.)
http://www.businessinsider.com/found-photo-of-adam-storch-29-year-old-go...

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/16/adam-storch-sec-hires-exg_n_323...

toniD's Ya Think?

if you can't get out of that trash can sir...

I'll never forget that kind warning from that ociffer on that evening in 1978. The night of the old UT-OU weekend 31 years ago today. The night of the now outlawed Commerce Street parade parties in Dallas. I had turned 18 just weeks before it. I'll be remembering you again tonight cent.

Soros says U.S. economy will be drag on world growth

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros said on Thursday that the world's current "currency arrangements" are fraught with danger and that the world needs global regulation.

Soros, who runs hedge fund firm Soros Fund Management and has made his reputation with bold currency bets, said the U.S. dollar ought to be falling in value against the Chinese currency to allow the United States to contain its current account deficit.

However, Soros said because the renminbi is tied to the greenback, the Chinese currency is constantly undervalued leaving the dollar to sink against the world's other major currencies.

The dollar has lost about 7 percent this year against a basket of the world's major currencies.

Meanwhile, an undervalued yuan makes Chinese consumer goods cheaper in foreign markets. Beijing has powered the country's growth by targeting U.S. and other consumer markets with its exports, putting many producers in those markets out of business because they cannot compete.

Soros, who earned $1 billion in 1992 by betting against the British pound, said current currency arrangements are "fraught with danger."

He said that the globalization of financial markets was built on a "false pretense" that financial markets could be left to their own devices and said global regulation was needed.

"That is a tremendous challenge," he said at an event sponsored by the Economist magazine held at the New York Stock Exchange.

Soros spoke only hours after the U.S. Treasury Department said that China is not manipulating its currency but is piling up foreign exchange reserves at a rate that threatens progress in reducing global economic imbalances.

Turning to the world economy, Soros said "the world economy is going to have some growth, but we are bound to be flat."

He also said the U.S. is going to be a drag on world growth.

In China, Soros said he also believes there is a something of an asset bubble.

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE59F07C20091016?feedTy...

toniD's Ya Think?

I'll wear my jeans below my butt crack and run around in a dirty t-shirt for Halloween.

Guess who I will be representing?

Bill Shields Most Banks From Review
By STEPHEN LABATON

WASHINGTON — Bowing to political pressure from community bankers, the House Financial Services Committee approved an exemption on Thursday for more than 98 percent of the nation’s banks from oversight by a new agency created to protect consumers from abusive or deceptive credit cards, mortgages and other loans.

The carve-out in legislation overhauling the regulatory system would prevent the new consumer financial protection agency from conducting annual examinations of the lending practices at more than 8,000 of the nation’s 8,200 banks, leaving only the largest banks and other lenders subject to the agency’s examiners.

Earlier in the day, the committee completed its work on a different contentious provision of the legislation when, on a nearly straight party-line vote of 43 to 26, it approved tougher regulations over the derivatives market. That provision, too, contained exemptions for many businesses.

The exemption for the banks was endorsed by the chairman, Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who saw it as necessary to win support for the overall bill from the committee’s moderate and conservative Democrats. Their support is particularly important because the Republicans are unified against the legislation.

The committee approved the exemption for all but the largest banks in an amendment offered by two of those Democrats, Representative Brad Miller of North Carolina and Representative Dennis Moore of Kansas.

“Community banks and credit unions were perhaps not without sin in the last couple of years but they were certainly not engaged in the worst abuses,” Mr. Miller said. “They make the argument that for bigger banks, examiners are camping out. But for them, examiners come and it is very disruptive and adds compliance costs. The consumer financial protection agency will be able to do the job but it will not create a further burden on small banks and credit unions.”

The measure creating the new agency has already been significantly pared back from the Obama administration’s proposal. While the exemption approved on Thursday would cover a vast sector of the banking industry, those institutions control only about 20 percent of the roughly $14 trillion in assets held by commercial banks. The 150 largest banks, which would face more regulatory scrutiny, hold the remaining four-fifths of the assets.

Under the Miller-Moore amendment, the new agency would have the authority to write rules for all banks and other lenders, including lenders that have never faced significant regulation. But the banks with assets of less than $10 billion and credit unions smaller than $1.5 billion would not face regular exams by the agency.

Instead, the consumer regulations would continue to be enforced in most cases by the agencies that monitor the financial condition of the banks. Mr. Frank said that under the amendment, the new agency would still have the authority to investigate complaints raised at any bank.

Mr. Frank and senior administration officials have accused the bank agencies of failing to aggressively enforce rules protecting consumers from predatory loans. Mr. Frank said the change would not in any way diminish the oversight of the smaller banks, which would continue to face regular examinations by bank regulators for consumer problems. He also noted that the largest banks, which would face examinations by the new agency, had engaged in the worst abuses.

The amendment was warmly greeted by lobbyists for the smaller banks,

“The Miller-Moore amendment addresses some of our key concerns,” said Camden R. Fine, president of the Independent Community Bankers of America, which represents about 5,000 financial institutions.

But the American Bankers Association said it was not enough.

“We continue to have our fundamental concern that the bill will create a new agency with incredibly broad powers that will be in constant conflict” with other regulators, said Edward L. Yingling, president of the association.

In a briefing by telephone with reporters, the assistant Treasury secretary, Michael S. Barr, deflected questions about whether the administration had a view about the Miller-Moore amendment.

The legislation’s chapter on derivatives would impose new regulations and capital requirements on dealers, and would force more trades onto exchanges or electronic platforms. But in a major concession to businesses, many trades intended to hedge risks by companies like airlines, manufacturers and energy interests would be exempt from trading through exchanges or clearinghouses.

While the administration quickly embraced the derivatives legislation, a top regulator appointed by President Obama indicated that compromises made to win the support of moderate Democrats led to problematic loopholes. The regulator, Gary G. Gensler, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, vowed to try to strengthen the measure when it is considered by a second House committee next week.

“The committee’s bill is a significant step toward lowering risk and promoting transparency,” Mr. Gensler said. “Substantive challenges remain.” He added that he hoped a final bill “covers the entire marketplace without exception.”

Mr. Gensler did not spell out the specific problems with the legislation on Thursday, but last week he listed a host of exemptions and loopholes, a few of which have since been addressed.

The derivatives legislation was criticized by consumer groups as being too weak and by Wall Street interests as being too onerous.

Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr., an executive vice president at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, said provisions requiring some types of now-private transactions to trade through clearinghouses or exchanges “could raise transaction costs while not necessarily reducing risk in a commensurate amount.”

Robert G. Pickel, the chief executive of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, a trade group, said the legislation would “force people to trade a certain way, which ultimately means parties would have less flexibility to effectively manage their risks.”

But Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director at the United States Public Interest Research Group, said the legislation had “broad exceptions that swallow any rule it creates.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/business/16regulate.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1...

what the hell is the point of consumer protection legislation if it wont protect consumers...?

Oh, wait, that is right on par with Lobbying Reform that wont reform Lobbying, and Health Care Reform that doesn't reform Health Care....

Nevermind....wtf was I thinking anyway......

i'm pretty sure thats a beatles song:

You say it's your bidet
It's my bidet too--yeah
They say it's your bidet
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your bidet
Happy bidet to you.

Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party.

it must be they are all channelling sennsennbrenner.

I didn't really have time to wrap this

"this machine kills fascists"

Palin’s Popularity Sinks To A New Low

A fun nugget buried in some new Gallup numbers suggests the slow and clumsy rollout of the new Sarah Palin isn’t going all that well:

Palin became a bit of a sensation after John McCain tapped her as his running mate last August. But over the course of the campaign, her image suffered, going from a 53% favorable rating immediately after the 2008 Republican National Convention to 42% by the end of the campaign.

Palin’s ratings have not recovered, and her current 40% favorable rating is the lowest for her since she became widely known after last year’s Republican convention.

Not only is Palin at her lowest favorability yet, her unfavorability ratings have hit a high of 50%. She’s also tanking among independents: Only 41% view her favorably, versus 48% who view her unfavorably.

Which sugggests a bit of a dilemma for Palin as she seeks to improve her national political profile as a private citizen. In order to break through into the national conversation, she’s resorted to harsh, attention-grabbing assaults on Obama and his policies, which she and her ghostwriters have executed with undeniable virtuosity (see Panels, Death).

This approach seems to have hardened her emotional grip on Palin Nation. Her popularity is soaring among Republicans, with 69% of them viewing her favorably. But it may be alienating everyone else, complicating (to put it mildly) efforts to broaden her appeal, which everyone keep saying she has to do in order to be viable in 2012.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/sarah-palins-populari...

toniD's Ya Think?

Castellanos’ Firm Also Has Contract With U.S. Chamber Of Commerce

We’ve spent some time here looking at the web of contracts and clients that pay GOP consultant Alex Castellanos’ firms, even as he also goes on CNN regularly to discuss the main issues of the day as an onstensibly independent-minded, if right-leaning commentator.

One of Castellanos’ firms, as you know, was the ad buyer behind a major insurance industry TV campaign against health care reform. His firm also has raked in nearly $500,000 from the Republican National Committee, which enlisted him to craft anti-reform talking points.

Here’s one more interesting data point: Another one of his firms, Purple Strategies, also has a contract with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the most determined and well-funded foes of Obama’s governing agenda.

J.P. Fielder, the Chamber’s spokesperson, confirms that Castellanos’ firm is doing the advertising on the Chamber’s multi-million-dollar campaign hailing the virtues of the free-market system — a campaign that has the specific goals of derailing Obama’s climate change and health care reform initiatives.

To be clear, there’s nothing necessarily amiss here, and I wanted to take this occasion to clarify something. The reason we’re digging into Castellanos is not because of Castellanos per se, but because his case tells a larger story about how Washington works. You hear a lot about the revolving door between government and lobbying. But there’s another, less-remarked-on revolving door: One between consulting and commentary.

Castellanos is by no means the only figure who cycles back and forth between the two, and there are plenty of high-profile Democrats who do the same thing. It’s an accepted fact of life in D.C. that commentators — Republicans and Democrats alike — offering ostensibly independent-minded commentary also take in big bucks consulting for businesses with specific legislative goals.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that in and of itself, but it does create journalistic challenges for the networks, who have to grapple with how to identify these commentatators. Witness how CNN is struggling to deal with Castellanos’ case. More broadly, the commentary/consulting revolving door is a story we’re hoping to dig into more and more on this blog. Castellanos is just one example. We’re hoping to document much more of it here going forward.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/climate-change/alex-castellanos-firm-a...

toniD's Ya Think?

CBO Estimates House Health Bill at $905B or Less

So does this mean Progressives are fiscally conservative, now, too!?

Here's a Kos post on it.

"this machine kills fascists"

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. — The most dangerous young man on campus stands about five and a half feet tall, covers his fiery red hair with a modest ball cap, drawls sir and ma’am at his elders, and seems well on his way to establishing a fine medical practice someday. First, he has the weekend to get through.

“I actually did get an invitation,” Mr. Pulliam said, “but I had to decline due to our protest.” - NYT

http://vodpod.com/watch/2348876-does-the-right-still-dominate-the-news-c...

Obama-hating South the
biggest recipient of his stimulus funds

Businesses in the South benefited most from the first federal contracts awarded under President Barack Obama's stimulus program, according to initial data released by a government oversight board.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_go_ot/us_stimulus_jobs

White House met secretly with corporate healthcare lobbyists

The Obama Administration, which continues to take flak from liberal Democrats over its tepid support for a public health insurance plan that could trim industry profits, met privately with healthcare lobbyists and the aides to the chief Democratic proponent of the president's overhaul in Congress.

Jon Selib, chief of staff to Senate Finance Commitee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Obama White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina met healthcare lobbyists at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee offices Apr. 15. The meeting, revealed by Politico on Friday, has not been previously disclosed.

"The previously undisclosed meeting April 15 at the offices of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee led to the creation of two groups — Americans for Stable Quality Care and a now-defunct predecessor group called Healthy Economy Now — that have spent tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising supporting health reform efforts," Politico's Ben Smith and Ken Vogel write.

"In the most recent ad sponsored by Americans for Stable Quality Care," they continue, "Obama speaks directly into the camera for 60 seconds, extolling the virtues of health care reform, while text at the bottom of the screen encourages viewers to visit the websites of the White House and the Finance Committee, which this week approved a 10-year, $829 billion health overhaul.

Both coalitions operate independently of the administration and Senate Democrats, and spokesmen for both the White House and Baucus said that no pressure — implicit or otherwise — to join the pro-health-care reform groups was applied to industry representatives at the meeting.
Story continues below...

After arriving late, Messina delivered a presentation to what was one of many such “outreach” meetings he has attended, and he left before the other participants began talking strategy. Selib, who had convened the gathering, “didn’t ask anyone for money,” said committee spokesman Scott Mulhauser.

Indeed, attendees describe a more subtle dynamic: The Democratic officials made no overt demands. Rather, they brought together the players and laid the groundwork for the creation of the coalition, and that was followed by more-direct solicitations from an outside Democratic consultant, Nick Baldick, retained by Healthy Economy Now, asking attendees at the meeting to join the coalition and contribute to its ad campaigns.

One ethics expert, however, said the meeting still raises issues. No matter how careful Messina and Selib were to avoid conversation about Healthy Economy Now, their mere presence at what proved to be the coalition’s creation raises questions, according to Bill Allison, a senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that advocates for greater transparency and ethics in government.

The Administration brokered a deal between the pharmaceutical industry and the bill's proponents in which the industry agreed to price concessions valued in the tens of billions in exchange for not facing any additional penalties under the bill. They also were seen as being conciliatory with private health insurers by not coming out strongly in public for a so-called public option.

http://rawstory.com/2009/10/white-house-met-secretly-with-corporate-heal...

Student killed after altercation with school official.

per MSNBC

http://www.uttarbharat.com/images/ganesh_chaturthi.jpg

The jig is up for House Blue Dogs and Senate Moderates.

Congressional budget analysts have given House leaders cost estimates for two competing versions of their plan to overhaul the health-care system, concluding that one comes within striking distance of the $900 billion limit set by President Obama and the other falls below it.

House leaders have been working to lower the cost of the $1.2 trillion health-care package they offered in July. The report from the Congressional Budget Office, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, puts the cost of one plan at $859 billion over the next decade and the other at $905 billion.

....

Both packages are based on the original House framework, which proposes to extend coverage to more than 30 million Americans by expanding Medicaid eligibility and subsidizing private insurance for people who lack access to affordable coverage through an employer. Each would expand the ranks of the insured to more than 95 percent of Americans by 2019, and each would create a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurance companies.

....

The moderates like Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sen. Ben Nelson are now only left with the Republican argument that this is a "government take over" of health care (which the media dutifully reiterates using Frank Luntz's language. I notice the word "public option" is not used in the bolded quote above). There is simply no other argument against having a public option remaining. If they are truly fiscally conservative, they would change course stat.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=anG85QhPQZu4

Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Raj Rajaratnam, the billionaire founder of the hedge fund firm Galleon Group, and ex-directors at a Bear Stearns Cos. hedge fund were among six people charged in a $20 million insider trading scheme by federal prosecutors.

Also accused were Rajiv Goel, who worked at Intel Capital as a director in strategic investments, Anil Kumar, who worked as a director at McKinsey & Co., and IBM Corp. executive Robert Moffat. The former officials at Bear Stearns Asset Management are Danielle Chiesi and Mark Kurland, who were affiliated with the firm’s New Castle Partners, which managed about $1 billion.

Federal prosecutors have been investigating the case since at least March 7, 2008, when they obtained court approval to intercept a cell phone Rajaratnam used, according to one of two criminal complaints in the case. Prosecutors said they’ve also been listening to two of Chiesi’s landlines since August 2008 and to the cell phone of a person they didn’t identify who is cooperating in the federal probe.

“A number of the calls intercepted over the wiretap consist of Rajaratnam either providing, receiving, or seeking material nonpublic information about various publicly traded companies,” the complaint says.

The six are charged with using insider information in 2008 and 2009 to trade in shares of companies including Google Inc., Polycom Inc., Hilton Hotels Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc., according the complaints filed in Manhattan federal court today. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan will hold a press conference today at 1 p.m. to discuss the charges.

Arrests

Five of the defendants have been arrested in the New York City area and will appear in the Manhattan court today. Goel was arrested in California.

Rajaratnam, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, was identified this year by Forbes as the 559th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $1.3 billion. Galleon Partners is based in Manhattan.

Galleon said in a February 2009 press release that it has a “17-year track record in the alternative investment business specializing in long/short equity strategies.” It has offices in London, Singapore, Mumbai, and Menlo Park, California.

Phone calls to Galleon were referred to an executive, George Lau, who didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Secret Tips

According to one of the two complaints, Chiesi got secret tips from an unidentified person at Akamai Technologies Inc. and from Moffat, who passed along information about IBM, Sun Microsystems Inc., and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

“Chiesi shared certain of this inside information with Kurland,” and they bought securities in the companies, the complaint says.

Chiesi also passed along tips to Rajaratnam, “who in turn provided Chiesi with inside information regarding AMD and other publicly traded companies,” prosecutors said in the complaint. Authorities said that Chiesi made illegal insider trades with accounts affiliated with New Castle.

The cases are U.S. v. Rajaratnam, 09-02306, and U.S. v. Chiesi, 09-mag-2307, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Man

Last year, the price of gasoline in the United States topped the $4 per gallon mark.

This year in Afghanistan, the price has topped $400.

The stunning revelation emerged Thursday in a report by the Congressional Research Service, an arm of Congress that conducts non-partisan evaluations of projects and programs. The report says that part of the reason it costs so much to keep US forces in Afghanistan, is because the government is paying $400 per gallon of fuel.

$400 per gallon.

Why so much? The cost includes shipping, which sometimes includes the pricetag of a helicopter flight. Sending fuel by helicopter is woefully inefficient, because it uses up almost as much fuel as it carries.
Story continues below...

Speaking to the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill, House Appropriations chairman John Murtha (D-PA) said the figure was “worrisome” and "we started looking into it.”

Afghanistan is also landlocked, meaning that fuel must be transported in ways that stretch the limits of economic reason.

Because the country has no seaports, fuel is shipped to Karachi, in Pakistan, then carried across land by commercial trucks through Afghanistan. For remote bases, gasoline is sometimes transported by air.

"One of the most expensive ways to supply fuel is by transporting it in bladders carried by helicopter; the amount that can be flown at one time can barely satisfy the need for fuel," the Hill notes.

The paper notes that the $400 pricetag is referred to in Pentagon argot as the “fully burdened cost of fuel.”

The government's Defense Energy Support Center provides fuel to the military at $2.78 per gallon, the conveyance of which then grows exponentially more expensive as it travels through dangerous combat zones.

Gen. James Conway, who runs the Marine Corps, told a Navy forum that perilous risky routes up gasoline that originally cost $1.04 gallon up to $400.

“These are fairly major problems for us,” Conway was quoted as saying.

http://rawstory.com/2009/10/us-pays-400-per-gallon-for-gas-in-afghanista...

OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a Nebraska meatpacker has recalled 33,000 pounds of beef tongue.
The agency announced in a news release Thursday that inspectors discovered the tonsils had not been completely removed from the tongues processed by J.F. O'Neill Packing Co. of Omaha.
Tonsils are a specified risk material for mad cow disease and are required to be removed from cattle of all ages.
The USDA says the recall, which involves tongues packed from July 1 through Oct. 8, represents a low risk to human health.
The beef was shipped primarily to distribution centers in Nebraska and California.
Each recalled case bears the establishment number "EST. 889A" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
(This version CORRECTS that company is located in Omaha.)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_bi_ge/us_beef_tongue_recall

Democracy Corps: Republican Base Voters Living In Another World
Eric Kleefeld | October 16, 2009, 12:02PM

A new focus-group of Republican base voters by the Democracy Corps (D), the consulting and polling outfit headed up by James Carville and Stan Greenberg, presents a picture of the GOP base as being motivated by a fundamentally different worldview than folks in the middle or on the Dem side -- and they see the country as being under a dire threat.

"They believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a 'secret agenda' to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control to an extent nothing short of socialism," the analysis said." While these voters are disdainful of a Republican Party they view to have failed in its mission, they overwhelmingly view a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of this country's founding principles and are committed to seeing the president fail."

The analysis argues that Obama's unpopularity among conservative Republicans is both quantitatively and qualitatively different from liberal Democratic ire against George W. Bush -- that the GOP is more heavily conservative than the Democrats are heavily liberal, and that the hatred of Obama is more intense than Dem hatred of Bush was. All of this adds up to a powerful set of emotions that the Republican Party as a whole cannot ignore.

One thing that the firm makes clear, though, is that this is not about racism, but about ideology: "Instead of focusing on these intense ideological divisions, the press and elites continue to look for a racial element that drives these voters' beliefs - but they need to get over it. Conducted on the heels of Joe Wilson's incendiary comments at the president's joint session address, we gave these groups of older, white Republican base voters in Georgia full opportunity to bring race into their discussion - but it did not ever become a central element, and indeed, was almost beside the point."

The voters in these focus groups saw Obama as being deliberately out to destroy the American economy in order to undermine personal freedoms, and that the speed of his agenda was a part of this strategy:

"I think that he is deliberately misleading people... if he is not deliberately trying to do harm to the country, which is my view, he doesn't understand anything about how the economy works."

"There's a school of thought that if you overload the system with programs and bailouts and all that, that it will create an opportunity, some people believe it started in the 60's with welfare and Medicare and Medicaid; if you load the system down enough till it to- tally collapses it, I mean, I know it sounds kind of like a conspiracy theory, but it opens the door for this whole new way of governing. I'm not saying he's a sleeper or anything like that, but it is something to think about... I think your statement's correct. I think it's intentional."

I'm sure there are a lot of well-intended people in Washington, but I don't really believe that they care about our health. I think that this is a control issue... It is absolutely.

By contrast, Democracy Corps also interviewed a separate group of somewhat conservative-leaning swing voters, and these attitudes were not to be found: "One of the most telling differences between the partisan Republican groups and the independent groups was the language they used. Conservative Republicans fully embrace the 'socialism' attacks on Obama and believe it is the best, most accurate framework for describing him and his agenda. Independents largely dismiss these attacks as the kind of overblown partisan rhetoric that obscures the facts and only serves to cheapen the political discourse." more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/democracy-corps-republican-ba...

Obama: Pelosi Has 'Steel' And 'Doesn't Break A Sweat'
Christina Bellantoni | October 16, 2009, 9:22AM

"I love Nancy Pelosi," President Obama declared last night at a swank San Francisco fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. He lauded the speaker (D-CA) and talked about her role in health care.

"She faces down some of the toughest problems -- not just policy problems, but political problems that you can imagine -- and she doesn't break a sweat," Obama said. "She is willing to stare folks down and tell them how things are going to be. And that steel that Nancy Pelosi has is part of the reason why this has been such an incredibly productive Congress and why I'm so confident that we're going to end up getting health care done."

The San Francisco Chronicle has more detail.

DNC officials told reporters the two fundraisers at the Westin St. Francis raised $3 million.

Obama's remarks at both events after the jump.

Fundraiser 1:

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat. Now, I am not going to spoil a good dinner with a long speech. (Laughter.) But there are some big thank yous that I've got to say.

First of all, I've got to say something about my introducer. We are doing some tough stuff in Washington, and Mark is absolutely right that everybody has a story about Nancy's kindness and her thoughtfulness, her intelligence, her passion. I just want to say a little bit about her toughness. (Laughter.)

Washington, unfortunately, I think over the last several years has been engulfed with a climate that isn't just partisan, because we don't want to romanticize the past -- things have always been partisan; that's the nature of democracy -- but rather a sense that partisanship overrides the national interest. There's always been politics, but there's been a sense lately that goes beyond just the run of the mill politics; a sense that we are going to slash and burn and go after folks just because we want to win, as opposed to because we're trying to get something done. And as a consequence, being Speaker of the House is challenging job. You are constantly the target of attacks. And then there's the other party. (Laughter and applause.)

And yet, having now known Nancy first as a senator and now as President, I can tell you that day in, day out, she faces down some of the toughest problems -- not just policy problems, but political problems that you can imagine -- and she doesn't break a sweat. And she is willing to stare folks down and tell them how things are going to be. And that steel that Nancy Pelosi has is part of the reason why this has been such an incredibly productive Congress and why I'm so confident that we're going to end up getting health care done. And so I just want everybody to give Nancy Pelosi a big round of applause. I love Nancy Pelosi -- love her. (Applause.)

Now, speaking of strong women, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer aren't around, but Dick and Stu are here to accept their accolades. (Laughter and applause.) I love them, as well, and they have been showing extraordinary leadership on a whole host of issues.

To the people who helped to set this up this evening -- Mark Gorenberg, along with Wendy, have just been diehard supporters from the very beginning of this unlikely journey. I'm grateful to them. Azita Raji, Doug Hickey, Denise Bauer, Steve Westly, Wade Randlett, and Jeff Bleich -- we are so grateful to you for your willingness to step up and to support Democrats not just right before an election but during these, sort of, trials, these periods where everybody is impatient and trying to figure out why we haven't transformed the world overnight.

And all of you understand that when I ran for office and we talked about change, I think all of you understood that change wasn't going to be easy. Change is hard. In a country of 300 million people, change is hard. And then in a world with several billion, arriving at a time when we were on the brink of the worst -- we were on the brink of a great depression, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression; at a time when our relationships with other countries all around the world were strained, to say the least; at a time of two wars and great danger; and a sense that on a whole host of big challenges, from health care to energy to the way our schools work to how our courts work to how we engage with one another, that we had been stuck in a place that wasn't working for the future of the country. We had to understand that change was not going to be easy.

And what was so exciting about the campaign -- not just mine, but the whole movement behind Democratic victories more than a year ago -- was the recognition not just that people wanted change, but that I think the American people were hungry to take responsibility again for trying big things, for stretching out of our ruts and our comfort zones and our habits, and saying, well, let's see what it is that we can do to make this country work even better. We know we live in the greatest country on Earth, but, gosh, we also knew that there was this big gap between what was possible and where we were.

And so we came in and we got busy. We went to work. And working with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, we decided that we were not going to shy away from the tough stuff. We decided we weren't going to read the polls and see how we could calibrate and make sure that we didn't offend anybody. What we said was, there are some big challenges that nobody has taken on for a long time and we're going to take them on. And some of those challenges were not of our making, and we decided we were going to take them on anyway. (Applause.)

So we passed a Recovery Act that has now brought us back from the brink of recession, and also ended up being the largest investment in clean energy and the largest investment in infrastructure and the largest investment in educational reform that we've ever seen. And then we -- (applause) -- we, as Nancy already mentioned, we ended up saying, you know, it's time to put science back on the front burner and we ended up making sure that stem cell research was possible so that it could save lives and cure debilitating diseases. (Applause.) And then we said, you know, it makes sense for us to make sure that women are paid the same for the same work, and we signed the Lilly Ledbetter act. (Applause.) And we gave insurance to 11 million children who had been left out of the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Applause.)

And we moved forward and we said, we are going to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible close. And we're going to close Guantanamo. And we are going to ban torture. (Laughter.) And we are going to once again achieve the kind of moral primacy that America had previously been known for. And that was the easy stuff. (Laughter.) more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/obama-says-pelosi-has-steel-a...

toniD's Ya Think?

Torture documents' can be seen

Source: BBC

The High Court has ruled that US intelligence documents containing details of the alleged torture of a former UK resident can be released.

Ethiopian-born Binyam Mohamed, 31, who spent four years in Guantanamo Bay, claims British authorities colluded in his torture while in Pakistan.

High Court judges were previously blocked from making the details public.
...
Any publication of the material will be delayed until an appeal takes place.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8311075.stm

toniD's Ya Think?

http://michiganmessenger.com/27861/momentum-builds-for-tighter-regulatio...

Momentum builds for tighter regulation of industrial chemicals
Health care providers: Reform of chemical regulation is key to creating public health system
By Eartha Jane Melzer 10/14/09 7:47 AM
Amid growing concerns about the health effects of chemical exposure, the Obama administration has laid out a plan to strengthen federal regulation of the chemical industry.

In a Sept. 29 speech at the California Commonwealth Club, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Jackson called the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act an “inadequate tool” and presented a set of guidelines that she said should steer efforts to improve regulation of chemicals.

New chemical regulations could have special meaning in Michigan. Midland-based Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), the nation’s largest chemical company, is in negotiations with EPA officials over how to handle the company’s widespread contamination of the state’s largest watershed with industrial chemicals. In the Midland area, and in other industrial and post-industrial sites around the state, people are burdened with historic chemical contamination in the environment as they also encounter new chemicals in everyday items.

Unlike pharmaceutical chemicals, which are often only available by prescription and only after they are evaluated for safety by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and manufacturers are required to divulge information about possible side effects, industrial chemicals — found in plastics, food packaging, cleaning products, building materials, furniture, medical supplies and a host of consumer products — are generally not reviewed for safety by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“[W]e need to review all chemicals against safety standards that are based solely on considerations of risk — not economics or other factors ,” Jackson said, “[A]nd we must set these standards at levels that are protective of human health and the environment.

Although more than 80,000 chemicals have been manufactured, since the 1976 enactment of the Toxic Substances Control Act, EPA has only declared five unsafe.
(article continues)

Shit meet fan.

Talking about slicing testicles. Is Rachel Maddow planning on giving Tim Phillips his nut sack back anytime soon? Or is she having those stuffed, mounted and hung on the wall?

Halliburton earnings down 61% in third quarter Updated at 12:03 PM

Employee separation costs contributed to a 61 percent decline in third-quarter earnings at Halliburton Co., the company reported Friday.

The Houston-based oil services giant reported net income for the three months ended 30 Sept. 2009 of $262 million, or 29 cents a share. Excluding employee separation costs, net income was $281 million, or 31 cents a share.

In the same quarter last year, Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) reported net income of $672 million, or 74 cents a share.

...

“While I am pleased with our results, overall market dynamics remained difficult in North America in the third quarter,” Dave Lesar, Halliburton chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “However, Halliburton continued to benefit from its balanced global portfolio and broad offering of services. Total revenue increased 3 percent from the second quarter, representing our first sequential revenue increase since the fourth quarter of 2008.

“Given the current challenging environment, I believe we are in a strong position at this point,” he added.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/10/12/daily42.html

toniD's Ya Think?

And other stuff I shouldn't wonderin' and thinkin' about right now like...

tweeted: The more things don't change... Gil Scott-Heron-Pardon Our Analysis. Hey c: listen: "Oatmeal man!" Ha! Freakin' out! http://blip.fm/~excqz

tweeted: All the synchronicity: Good, bad, indifferent? Agujeros?

Back at it...

Bank of America posts $2.2 billion loss

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Embattled lender Bank of America had its latest setback Friday, suffering a steep loss as increasing numbers of Americans are defaulting on their credit cards and mortgages.

The nation's biggest bank, which lost $2.2 billion in the third quarter, was also hit with a number of costs associated with the government's move to rescue the firm over the past year.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based lender said it paid $1.2 billion in dividends to its preferred shareholders, most of which went to the government. The company agreed to make quarterly payments in exchange for getting $45 billion in bailout money.

Bank of America also paid $402 million during the quarter to exit an agreement it had struck with the government in January that was designed to shield the company from further losses.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/16/news/companies/bank_of_america_results/i...

toniD's Ya Think?

THIS Friday, Oct. 16 on KPFK 90.7 FM at 5PM there will be the world broadcast debut of a dramatic new radio play for peace, "It's Up To Us Alone."

Advocates of both sides of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians are already accusing the play of being too sympathetic to the other side, or too critical of their own. Says Pen, writer and director of the play, "Even as we were starting to circulate the script, we heard from people condemning it, evidently because we did not favor one side 100% over the other."

The radio play features an extraordinary performance by Ed Asner, star of the huge summer movie hit, Up! "Someone had to tell us that Mr. Asner was himself brought up in an orthodox Jewish family," says Pen. "We had no idea, and cast him solely on the basis of his acting genius."

I just put their stream in my presets on radiotime the other day. At least I think they have a stream...

Nice goin' there, Ensign.´*.¸.•´*..´*.¸.•´*..´*.¸.•´*.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/ensigns-fundraising-pool-drie...

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/vince_vaughn_appears_on_tonight

US tax amnesty nets thousands of cheats

Source: Swissinfo

A United States tax amnesty, part of a campaign to crack down on perceived tax havens such as Switzerland, has netted 7,500 repentant tax dodgers.
An investigation into UBS, that found that the Swiss bank had helped US citizens evade tax, helped fuel a crusade to weed out cheats who were using offshore accounts to hide undeclared assets.

The amnesty, that ended on October 15, offered reduced punishments for those who voluntarily declared their guilt. Culprits will pay a fine between five and 20 per cent of their stashed assets as opposed to a 50 per cent levy and a possible prison sentence faced by those who did not come forward.

The IRS even extended the amnesty for a month to help tax lawyers cope with a deluge of worried clients who wanted to come forward.

It is not yet clear how many of the 7,500 had accounts in Switzerland. But Doug Shulman, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), said the disclosures would be scoured to identify which institutions had helped the tax evaders.

UBS bears brunt

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front.html?siteSect=105&ty=st&ref=fb&sid=113...

toniD's Ya Think?

Alan Grayson Sticks a Pitchfork In Harry Reid's Ass

"You gotta love this guy, if for nothing else having the balls for doing what every single Democrat in America has been wanting to do for just about ever - stick a friggin pitchfork in Harry Reid's skinny little impotent ass telling him to 'shit or get off the pot.'

Needless, to say Harry (the fake Democrat)Reid was not pleased. More below the fold after I get off of the floor from laughing."

"this machine kills fascists"

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee far outraised its Republican counterpart in September. - The Hill

The Teabaggers are helpful in destroying the Republican party. Everyone now sees them as they joke they have always been.

Charged With Widespread Mortgage Fraud

Source: NYT

Published: October 15, 2009
Federal prosecutors announced charges on Thursday against 41 lenders, lawyers and others in the real estate industry who they said used fraud to obtain more than $64 million in loans connected to more than 100 residential properties in New York State.

An investigation involving the F.B.I., the Secret Service, the New York State Banking Department and other agencies led to the wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy charges against the lawyers, mortgage brokers and loan officers, who engaged in complex plots that operated over a period of years, said Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.

“The fraud schemes alleged in the cases unsealed today reflect a veritable smorgasbord of scams,” Mr. Bharara said during a news conference in Lower Manhattan. “Whether the economy was going up or the economy was going down, these alleged fraudsters were working feverishly to game the system.”

Mr. Bharara said that the investigation, which he called Operation Bad Deeds, uncovered eight separate cases in which people were accused of obtaining loans through fraudulent means by falsifying mortgage applications, flipping properties and stripping equity from properties.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/nyregion/16fraud.html

toniD's Ya Think?

The cops that forced this handcuffed G20 student protestor to kneel down pose for a group photo were Chicago cops!

"Chicago police are investigating more than a dozen officers accused of forcing a suspect to kneel in front of them for a photograph while they were on loan in Pittsburgh for last month's G-20 economic summit.
The internal investigation was announced after a video surfaced showing the officers, in riot gear, gathering around a handcuffed college student, Kyle Kramer, and making him kneel spread-eagled on the street. An officer in a white shirt then appears to take a picture of the group.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said the department would investigate the alleged conduct of the officers, who he said used their vacation time for the special detail but whose expenses were paid by the city of Pittsburgh."

I suppose now the MSM might find this newsworthy.

"this machine kills fascists"

Confidential memo shows Amway could move hundreds of West Michigan jobs to Costa Rica

Edited on Fri Oct-16-09 12:39 AM by Bozita
Source: Grand Rapids Press

Confidential memo shows Amway could move hundreds of West Michigan jobs to Costa Rica
By Chris Knape | The Grand Rapids Press
October 15, 2009, 5:36PM

A confidential memo obtained by The Press shows Amway Corp. is poised to move what could be hundreds of local jobs to Costa Rica. Download PDF of letter

ADA TOWNSHIP -- Amway Corp. is poised to move what could be hundreds of local jobs to Costa Rica as part of a sweeping streamlining of its global operations, according to a confidential memo obtained by The Press.

The Ada-based direct seller on Oct. 5 told employees it was moving finance functions currently handled locally to a new "enterprise process center" in Costa Rica.
Other centers are planned for central Europe and Asia that will affect operations in those regions.

"This move will have a substantial impact on current finance positions in North America, Latin America and Europe, though specific impact and numbers will not be clear for six to eight weeks," a fact sheet provided to employees said.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/10/confidenti...

Isn't Prince of Blackwater/Xe related to the Amway founder?

Prince's father co-founded the Family Research Council with Gary Bauer.[13] Prince is the brother of Betsy DeVos, a former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and wife of former Alticor (Amway) president and Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos[11], son of Richard DeVos, Sr. (listed by Forbes in 2007 as one of the world's richest men, with a net worth of $2.4 billion).[14] (wiki)

toniD's Ya Think?

Ways and Means approves reconciliation letter

House Democrats are taking necessary precautions to jam a contentious health care reform bill through the Senate, should party moderates turn their backs on the legislation.

The House Ways and Means Committee agreed Thursday to send a letter to the Budget panel setting the ground rules for the reconciliation process, should Democrats need to employ a "just in case" fallback. Reconciliation allows the party in power to approve legislation with a simple majority, not the 60 votes leaders often need to initiate a vote on contentious bills.

The vote doesn't mark a change in strategy; Democrats just needed to meet an Oct. 15 deadline included in the annual budget blueprint for the initiation of the reconciliation process. So far, only the Education and Labor Committee included reconciliation instructions in its draft of the health care bill.

Twenty-two Ways and Means Democrats agreed to send the letter, but a trio of Democrats - Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota and John Tanner of Tennessee - sided with Republicans to oppose the move because they don't want party leaders to use this tool.

http://www.politico.com/livepulse/1009/Ways_and_Means_approves_reconcili...

toniD's Ya Think?

ßidet ßoy?
yes 2 day?

Happy crotchwash, once a year whether u need it er non.♥•°*"˜ .•°*"˜˜"*°•..•*"˜˜"*°•.•*¨`*•.•´*.¸.•´* .

Obama's favorable ratings return to where they were ... last election day.

And in comparison:

Sarah Palin's Ratings Plummet To An All Time Low

by John Cole

Jim Cramer just told Chris Matthews that we are going to have a great retail season this Christmas. Given Cramer’s track record, I’d start preparing for a complete economic collapse somewhere around Thanksgiving, complete with people jumping from buildings, mass layoffs, hyper-inflation and bread lines.

Dawn Johnsen confirmed to her post in the Department of Justice.

Eric "BlackWater" Prince's parents company

Randi is talking about the "Ballon Boy"
boring

Archaeologists have discovered two Crusader-era murals depicting heaven and hell in a medieval church near Syria's coast — a rare find that could reveal new information about the Christian knights who battled Muslims for control of the Holy Land hundreds of years ago.

Experts are now renovating the 12th century paintings, which were discovered last year by a joint Syrian-Hungarian team excavating an old Crusader fortress on a hilltop near the Mediterranean Sea in the western province of Tartous.

The discovery was announced Saturday by Bassem Jamous, Syria's director general of antiquities and museums, who told the state-run Al-Thawra newspaper that the paintings could provide information about the traditions and beliefs of the Crusaders.

The murals, which measure about 8 feet (2.5 meters) high and 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide, were hanging on either side of the altar of a 12th century chapel inside the al-Marqab Citadel and had accumulated thick layers of dust and dirt, archaeologists said.

Rockefeller Says Democrats Can’t Tailor Health Care to Snowe

Rockefeller Says Democrats Can’t Tailor Health Care to Snowe

Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Jay Rockefeller said
Democrats shouldn’t tailor a health-care overhaul to the wishes
of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe and need to push for
legislation that includes a government-run insurance program.

“We can’t sort of hedge and say ‘what’s Olympia going to
do,’” Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in an
interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al
Hunt,” airing this weekend. “We’ve got to decide what we
want.”

Snowe, who this week voted for an $829 billion finance
committee bill, is the only Republican to back an overhaul
plan. Keeping the Maine lawmaker on board as the legislation
moves through the Senate may help attract Democrats facing re-
election battles and possibly other Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to craft a
final measure that satisfies conflicting demands of his party,
such as whether to include a government-run plan.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=abuv6QZiPPrA

---

Rockefeller fires warning shot at Reid
Rockefeller offered his comments in an interview with Bloomberg TV's Al Hunt, set to be broadcast this weekend.

ROCKEFELLER: Harry Reid can put into that mark whatever he wants, and so if he puts in mine - less likely - or Schumer’s - more likely - if he decides to do that, then it’ll take 60 votes to take it out because it will be in the mark and that’s the genius of that melding of the two things.

HUNT: You think he’ll put that Chuck Schumer mark in?

ROCKEFELLER: I think it’s more likely that he would, yeah.

HUNT: Well, the most coveted woman in the world is Olympia Snowe, was on the committee and will still be on the floor and, you know, mightn’t Senator Reid have to put her proposal in there? Or let her offer that proposal?

ROCKEFELLER: If we calculate so finely, and so exquisitely, we’re going to lose our leadership and our momentum. And right now, yes, we did get her vote, she said just for this one, it doesn’t mean for the next one - round of votes. But we can’t sort of hedge and say, ‘What’s Olympia going to do?’ we’ve got to decide what we want. And now you’re on the whole floor, with all Democrats participating, or your close to that point, and Harry has to speak for the whole caucus.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/16/794083/-Rockefeller-fires-w...

toniD's Ya Think?

NEW YORK (AP) -- One of America's wealthiest men was among six hedge fund managers and corporate executives arrested Friday in a hedge fund insider trading case that prosecutors say reaped more than $20 million in illegal profits and should be a wake-up call for Wall Street.

Raj Rajaratnam, a partner in Galleon Management and a portfolio manager for Galleon Group, a hedge fund with up to $7 billion in assets under management, was accused of conspiring with others to trade based on insider information about several publicly traded companies, including Google Inc.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, putting total profits in the scheme at $20.6 million, told a news conference it was the largest hedge fund case ever prosecuted and marked the first use of court-authorized wiretaps to capture conversations by suspects in an insider trading case.

He said the case should cause financial professionals considering insider trades in the future to wonder whether law enforcement is listening.

"Greed is not good," Bharara said. "This case should be a wake-up call for Wall Street."

Robert Khuzami, director of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission, said the charges show Rajaratnam's "secret of success was not genius trading strategies."

"He is not the master of the universe. He is a master of the Rolodex," Khuzami said.

Rajaratnam, 52, was ranked No. 559 by Forbes magazine this year among the world's wealthiest billionaires, with a $1.3 billion net worth.

Rajaratnam - born in Sri Lanka and a graduate of University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business - has been described as a savvy manager of billions of dollars in technology and health-care hedge funds at Galleon, which he started in 1996. The firm is based in New York City with offices in California, China, Taiwan and India. He lives in New York.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEDGE_FUND_INSIDER_TRADING?SIT...

toniD's Ya Think?

A man stabbed and bludgeoned his sister and her husband to death in El Cerrito in 2006 because he thought the couple were too liberal, were raising their children wrong and because they hadn't invited him over for Christmas, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday.

...

Although Wycoff was also armed with a gun, he didn't use it because he didn't want to boost the cause of gun-control supporters, the prosecutor said.

Wycoff, who is serving as his own attorney, told jurors that he still hates the couple "a little."

"They owe me a life," he said. "This has ruined my life, and Julie and Paul owe me for that."

Wycoff agreed with the prosecutor that he resented members of Paul Rogers' family for their liberal politics, and that he thought the couple were at times "too easy" when they disciplined their children.

He also said that "it wasn't just Christmas" when he wasn't invited over. It was also Thanksgiving in 2005, the year his and Julie Rogers' father died.

"When someone does that, they hate you - they're out to destroy you," Wycoff said.

Peterson said Wycoff had planned to adopt the couple's three children after he committed the killings.

...

Wycoff's opening statement indicated he would try to justify the killings to the jury, rather than deny he committed them.

At the close of his remarks, Wycoff told the "few fans" in the gallery to contact his advisory attorney, David Briggs, if they wanted autographs.

Indicted Man Threatened To Kill President And Scrawl "Fed ..." On His Chest

In the latest unhinged threat on Barack Obama's life, a California man has been indicted by a federal grand jury after allegedly writing a deranged and racist email screed that urged recipients to "kill the 'president,'" and seemed to invoke the recent death of a Census Bureau worker in an apparent act of anti-government violence.

On September 28th, according to the indictment filed by prosecutors and examined by TPMmuckraker, John Gimbel of Crescent City sent an email whose subject line read:

Operation kill big--rig: kill the 'president' , then write 'fed shit' on his chest with a felt tip.

That last clause appears to be a reference to the recent death of a Census Bureau worker, who was found in rural Kentucky with a rope around his neck and the word "Fed" scrawled on his chest, in what many have suggested was an act of anti-government violence.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/california_man_indicte...

toniD's Ya Think?

A related commentary:

Dem on Dem Crime...And the Hollow Reid That Allows It

In the long and storied history of our fine and glorious land of sweeping plains, crashing oceans, and majestic mountains, a democracy that sweeps from sea to shining sea, a land that has been through a Civil War and racial strife, and perceived internal enemies, in an entire history of a land beset by challenges and strife, through all that we have been through as a nation, in the 233 years that this shining city on the hill has existed...

...NO POLITICAL PARTY HAS EVER FILIBUSTERED ITSELF.

Never, not once, ever, nada, zip, bupkis. It is just NOT done.

But that is quite possibly what is about to happen.

...

One man has the power to stop it, one man selected by all the other Senators to lead them, one man in charge of the entire Senate, one man whose only job it is is to ensure that this exact thing does not happen....

...

That feckless Harry Reid.

Sen. Maria Cantwell Savages Derivative Reform Legislation: "The Treasury Department Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves"

On today's Morning Meeting, Dylan Ratigan brought on Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to discuss the ongoing attempts to achieve a measure of financial reform, so that the widespread systemic failures of "too big to fail" banking institutions that cratered the economy maybe don't happen again. Cantwell went off: "The shenanigans just began here in Washington." Cantwell continued, "What is moving through on the House side is a bill that supposedly has a new rule, but has so many loopholes that the loophole eats the rule. We want to say we have transparency and regulation, but it will continue to have loopholes."

At issue were some specific holes in the Defense against Wall Street's Dark Arts. First: no government oversight of which derivatives get traded on open, transparent exchanges. Instead of the SEC or other regulators making decisions on what goes on the exchange, the exchange would be overseen by banks, who are strongly incentivized to keep derivatives off of exchanges, where they make less money.

Rob Johnson, former managing director at Soros Fund Management and chief economist of the US Senate Banking Committee, called it a "form of Wall Street protectionism" that would not "address the fault lines that OTC derivatives represent."

The second major loophole is the exclusion of foreign currency swaps, which would create a strong incentive for U.S. businesses to go offshore and avoid regulatory supervision. Cantwell wryly noted that "current law with its loopholes would actually be better than these loopholes, which are just going to continue to promulgate the problem."

"The Treasury Department should be ashamed of themselves," said Cantwell, "they have blessed this deal." Johnson added that the whole idea that the proposed legislation would ameliorate the problem was "a mirage." "It's an act of commission," Johnson said, "that's very, very dangerous for the future of our financial system." Great!

WATCH: at link

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/16/sen-maria-cantwell-savage_n_323...

toniD's Ya Think?

Goldman Sachs posts massive profits
Goldman's profits were boosted for the second successive quarter by trading in bonds, commodities and currencies.

Investment banking revenue, which is traditionally the foundation of the company's business, dropped to $899m in the third quarter – a fall of 31 per cent from the similar quarter last year and 38 per cent worse than the second quarter of this year.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/10/20091015164452667523....

Bank of America reports losses
Bank of America is considered by analysts to be particularly vulnerable amid rising US unemployment. The US jobless rate rose last month to 9.8 per cent.

The bank has about 53 million consumer and small business customers, meaning that it is exposed to payment defaults in the present economic climate.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/10/2009101616453921206.h...

Syria has said it will hold military exercises with Turkey, less than a week after Ankara cancelled an air exercise with Israel.

The announcement came after officials from Ankara and Damascus held the first meeting of a new co-operation council in the Syrian city of Aleppo aimed at ending years of tension between the two neighbours.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/10/200910141059701561....

that doesn't make sense that a person with a net worth of 1.3 billion would do something criminal to share 20 million with a bunch of other people.

Sri Lanka has rejected a human rights group's claims that the lives of hundreds of thousands of Tamils held in internment camps are in "serious danger" from the imminent rainy season and a looming threat of disease.
Nearly 300,000 minority Tamils were forced into the military-run camps after fleeing the final months of the government's war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) earlier this year.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/10/2009101215511819527.html

USDA: Pigs in MN may have tested positive for H1N1 virus, first potential US cases in swine, US
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8758848

Why Healthcare Reform is Good for Older Americans

This week, the Healthcare Reform Bill finally made its way out of the Senate Finance Committee. While there has been much debate about this bill, most Americans simply don't know that the bill contains a provision that will protect older Americans from violence, abuse and neglect - it's called the Elder Justice Act (EJA).

Older Americans like New York socialite Brooke Astor (whose son was just convicted of stealing tens of millions of dollars from his aging and now deceased mother of 105 years) and my grandmother Bernice Matheson, along with millions of others all over the country, share one thing in common; they are victims of a hidden yet growing crisis in America: elder abuse.

Elder abuse refers to intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or "trusted" individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of an elder. In almost 90% of the elder abuse and neglect incidents with a known perpetrator, the perpetrator is a family member, and two-thirds of the perpetrators are adult children or spouses. And, it is estimated that for every one case of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect reported to authorities, at least five more go unreported.

Financial exploitation is one aspect of elder abuse. Financial elder abuse has been characterized by some experts as "the crime of the 21st century." Every year elder financial abuse robs older Americans -- along with those who would inherit the wealth -- of at least $2.6. billion. Every year medical care and services for elder abuse victims costs America more than $13 million. And with the graying of America, every year, these figures will undoubtedly grow.

My grandmother's story illustrates how statistics become reality. She lived alone in a small third floor apartment in Des Moines, Iowa, working as a secretary for the Kiwanis Club, spending with frugality in the hope that she would not outlive her savings. With my grandfather gone and dementia clouding her mind, she became a perfect target for a financial scam. The first was the door-to-door salesman who sold her two gold-plated John F. Kennedy coins valued at $2.00 for $900.00. The next was the funeral provider who sold her not just one funeral, but two. And that was just the beginning of a series of scams that cost her thousands of dollars and forced my parents to intervene on her behalf. Others aren't as lucky as my grandmother.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-matheson/why-healthcare-reform-is_b_...

toniD's Ya Think?

They sent out an email the other day announcing that they have "launched a new site". Again. Good job, guys. Keep up the great work.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

your gift....maybe trade it in for a "SCOTUS smacks down fascism" gift card...? Or maybe I can just re-gift it to WaDo...I am sure it will make him happy.....

Thanks again to all for the groovy birthday vibes...

...a glass of vino, then it's out on the town.

See youse.

and it's my long night. Well, long as apposed to my other nights. 5 hours.

Have a great evening all.

2 good things to watch tonight.

Moyers

and the interview of Brown, the DaVinci Code author on NBC. He's talking about the the Masonic Order in the US and his new book.

toniD's Ya Think?

If NORAD was up there faster for that mylar balloon than for the 9/11 attacks -- what's that about? (Randi's caller had a very good point.)

Well, I'll ask the question: Is there a reason NORAD rapidly responded for this and not 9/11? Possible answers:

1. We have a Democratic Party administration now. (But are the religious crazies controlling the Air Force free agents or do they follow orders? Just wondering.)

2. EVERY media source let this 'balloon boy' story crowd out the Afghan War Escalation story or the spiraling unemployment issue because they were given the okay to do so. (Is the Media (or are the media corporations) creating/taking advantage of the American Culture's consistent state of reaction to the point of carnival/circus atmosphere where all manner of freak shows are hawked for profit (and market share)? Is this done automatically like a knee-jerk, or is it planned (like, don't worry, Crazy Folks, the celebrity we grant you (and its cash potential) will more than make up for any legal repercussions)?)

3. Maybe yesterday NORAD was in normal mode, in contrast to the 9/11 event when somehow they got some order to 'stand down'.

Yesterday's media frenzy reminded me of the newsreels of the Lindbergh kidnapping story and the depiction of frenzied crowds and hawkers in the play/movie "Inherit the Wind" (based on the Scopes' "monkey trial").

One thing valid investigations into the balloon boy story and 9/11 might prove is that the CLAIMED storylines of both are hoax enhanced by media willingness to treat them as factual/true.

Another of Randi's callers said that the ballon boy story is 'creepy' and 'stinks'. Since that's the way I also tend to describe the events of 9/11, I can't help noticing how the Public's media mezmerization is a common denominator between the two.

I'm off too!

toniD's Ya Think?

All the best to you on your Birthday! Happy, happy!

Erik is related by marriage only. His sister Betsy married Dick DeVos, Jr., noted yachtsman and failed gubernatorial candidate, son of Amway founder Richard DeVos.

;-)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules

Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

okay, cent, here's your real gift :)

"this machine kills fascists"

I may have to take Home Depot off my shit list. I'm sure I'll be labeled somehow. My understanding about my cousin in Mexico is that they are protecting him. He's been threatened by corrupt police in Vera Cruz with death and have taken his bank account balances. We usually take care of our own but they actually rushed in first.

If what I'm hearing is correct, I'll be doing an about face and backing Joey Legano on Sunday's race.

Home Depot rocks. Go Joey Go!

Call me any name you want. If Home Depot will intervene to back my cousin the way they did, I will not bash them. This isn't a right or left issue. This is a family issue.

My cousin is young and his hobby is mountain climbing. He got off the toll road for gas and was stopped for "speeding" next to a ranch. The officers told him to go to an ATM nearby, drain his account, and they would return his car and be free to go. They told him if he didn't return, that they would have him killed. He called Home Depot where he works, they settled the speeding charge for him and returned his car.

This doesn't sound like an emergency to many, but in Mexico the police are as corrupt as any criminal if not worse. These pigs were hoping to take my cousin for all he was worth, and his car, and leave him for dead hundreds of miles from home and alone.

This incident was settled quickly but it has taught me a lot.

Submitted by mhappenow on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 11:26am.
Sammy!

_______________
Thanks for the link,
I'm watching it now.
With Katrina Vanden Heuvel, and Joe Conason !

.
.
.
.
.

  brr  

Wolf Biologist Killed In Plane Crash in Denali National Park, Pilot Survived

A noted Alaskan wolf biologist has been killed in a plane crash in a remote area of Denali National Park and Preserve. The pilot, though he suffered burns, was able to walk out and alert authorities.

Dr. Gordon Haber and pilot Dan McGregor had left Wednesday for a flight over the northern end of the park to monitor wolf packs. When the Cessna 185 didn't return on schedule that evening, authorities were notified and an aerial search was mounted by the National Park Service and Alaska State Troopers.

Wreckage of the single-engine plane was spotted from the air Thursday afternoon on a steep slope west of the East Fork of the Toklat River, approximately seven miles north of the Denali Park Road, park officials said. "A search plane was able to land later in the afternoon on the river bar approximately one-half mile below the crash site, and an Alaska State Trooper hiked to the scene to investigate. The aircraft was substantially damaged by the impact and the post crash fire, but the trooper was able to determine the presence of human remains before increasing darkness prevented his further investigation," they said.

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/10/wolf-biologist-killed-plane...

is on FIRE tonight..
I'm lovin it -

Pakistan Getting Speedy Military Aid Delivery From Pentagon

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20091016_pakistan_getting_sp...

for the Malloy wake up call. 18 laps to go in the Nationwide race. Logano in 14th place. No rain yet.

An archeological team, digging in Washington DC,
has uncovered 10,000 year old fossil remains
of what is believed to be the first Republican.

www.bartcop.com

**

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules

Well,not really..

But,if you go to www.bartcop.com
and,scroll down to where you see The "WTF with Marc Maron" logo,you will see he put in My blog address..
I think he might have made a mistake..
I'll email him & give him the New www.wtfpod.com
website address..
Too funny though..
I was like,what's my blog address doing on Bartcop ?
If for some crazy reason you see this post Marc..Sorry..I had nothin to do with it.. :)

*Lord knows I steal ALOT of stuff off www.Bartcop.com
But,I always try to link it to his website..
He has a very cool website..Check it out ! :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules

Go NORAD! Fetch Santa and the balloon boy!
We don't even remember the 9/11 fumble.

BREAKING: EPA Denies Permit for Infamous WV Mountaintop Removal Mine
by rperks

Fri Oct 16, 2009 at 06:45:22 PM PDT

Go tell it on the mountain!

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finally put an end to the saga of the infamous Spruce Mine, jamming a stake in the heart of what would have been the largest mountaintop removal project in the history of West Virginia.

EPA rejected the permit for this mine due to massive water quality impacts that would have resulted from a series of mega-valley fills. As the agency said in its just-released statement:
http://wvgazette.com/static/coal%20tattoo/spruceepaletter.pdf

EPA is taking this action because it is concerned about the magnitude, scale, and severity of the direct, indirect, and cumulative adverse environmental and water quality impacts associated with this project . The Spruce Mine as currently configured would bury more than seven miles of streams.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/16/794233/-BREAKING:-EPA-Denie...

toniD's Ya Think?

in re: JC/SRV JB--not. But I like this one. The one guitar player looks like SRV, and maybe if I hadn'ta said anything you'da thought so. But this was after that and SRV was dead already. I am fixing you some more kinda sorta almost what I was tryin' to find ya. And I tried to enlist the aid of a musical bear who seems like a nice gay fella.

And then there was the other unrelated thing I was going to do before all this popped into my fevered brain. (The TAX envelope is sealed and to PO tomorrow.)

HAVE A HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!!!

I reserve the right to use all of it to get your presents delivered in a somewhat less scatterbrained fashion than I would have tonight. I have accommodations, you know... ;)

I am nonplussed as to what has happened to the dog on the right. Is he in a melon? Is the dog with his feet in the cake supposed to be the annoying relative of the dog who may or may not be in a melon? But hey...the puppy/Euripedes combo, not something you see a lot of with the birthday greetings...

The House of Representatives may unveil a unified health care bill as early as next week, and new cost estimates give moderates in the House a stronger argument for the type of government-run health insurance plan, or "public option," that they favor.

Democrats in the House are considering a number of different ways to fashion a public option for their health care bill. Last week they submitted a few ideas to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to find out how much they would cost.

The CBO is reporting that the public option favored by moderates would cost less than the option favored by liberals, the Washington Post reports.

The liberal public plan would give doctors and medical providers the same payment rates they receive from Medicare, plus an additional five percent; this plan had initially been expected to be the most cost-effective, since Medicare rates are cheaper than the rates private insurers pay. But it didn’t turn out that way: A health care bill with this plan would reportedly cost $905 billion, according to the CBO.

Moderates prefer a government-run plan to negotiate payment rates directly with medical providers, so the government would be on a "level playing field" with the private industry. This structure, they argued, would make sure doctors are not short-changed.

It was expected that this plan would cost the government more, however, so the House submitted this proposal along with a plan to expand Medicaid eligibility to 150 percent of the poverty line, a strategy believed to be cheaper than giving more low-income people tax credits to buy their own insurance. The strategy worked: the CBO came back with a price tag of $859 billion for the bill with the moderate public option and expanded Medicaid.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry...

toniD's Ya Think?

BREAKING: EPA Denies Permit
Submitted by toniD on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 11:54pm.

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules

US seeks tougher protections for polar bear
Posted: Oct 16, 2009 01:47 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 16, 2009 02:06 PM CDT

By DINA CAPPIELLO
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - With global warming shrinking Arctic sea ice that polar bears depend upon for survival, the United States is seeking to remove another major threat: international trade in the bears' fur and other parts.

In a proposal filed this week, the Interior Department asked other countries to support a ban on the commercial trade of polar bears and to strictly regulate trophy hunting. The request, if approved, would give the bear the most stringent protection afforded under an international convention to protect endangered species.

It would also upgrade protections for the bear internationally for the first time since 1975, when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, required export permits for the polar bear.

Since then, mounting scientific evidence has shown that Arctic sea ice is melting and suggests that global warming may cause the disappearance of summer sea ice in 30 years.

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=11328086&nav=menu25_2

toniD's Ya Think?

Obama aide fires back at Beck over Mao remarks
updated 30 minutes ago

By Ed Hornick
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- White House communications director Anita Dunn fired back at criticism from TV commentator Glenn Beck on Friday, saying that a Mao Tse-tung quote Beck took issue with was picked up from legendary GOP strategist Lee Atwater.

"The Mao quote is one I picked up from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater from something I read in the late 1980s, so I hope I don't get my progressive friends mad at me," Dunn told CNN.

As for Beck's criticism: "The use of the phrase 'favorite political philosophers' was intended as irony, but clearly the effort fell flat -- at least with a certain Fox commentator whose sense of irony may be missing."

On Thursday night's program, Beck showed exclusive video of Dunn discussing the communist leader, who was responsible for a cultural revolution in 1966 that included re-education camps and setting the army and students on witch hunts against his opponents.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/16/becks.dunn/index.html

toniD's Ya Think?

Paging Glenn Beck: Norquist hung a portrait of Lenin in his Washington living room
October 16, 2009 1:59 pm ET by Brian Frederick

In recent days, Glenn Beck has turned his neo-McCarthyite crusade against communism and "czars" against Anita Dunn after Dunn said of Fox News: "As they are undertaking a war against Barack Obama and the White House, we don't need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave." Beck devoted most of his October 15 Fox News show to claiming that Dunn "worships" and "idolizes" "her hero" Mao Zedong. Dunn had once commented that Mao and Mother Teresa were two of her "favorite political philosophers."

Of course, Beck excels at turning molehills into mountains of misinformation. If Beck were to actually turn his specious spotlight on conservatives who have cited or praised influential communist figures, he would have at least a week's worth of shows. That list includes fellow Fox News friend Newt Gingrich; former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed; Stephen Shadegg, adviser and "alter ego" of Sen. Barry Goldwater (Beck has repeatedly called on Republicans to "get back to the conservative roots of Barry Goldwater"); Peter Germanis, who served as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan administration; and even President Bush, who encouraged Karl Rove to read a Mao biography and whose Social Security reform strategy was reportedly influenced by Lenin.

Beck's crack research staff could fill in the details and no doubt find even more tenuous communist connections among conservatives. But there's one conservative that would provide Beck with endless material if his anti-communist witch hunt was actually anything more than a shtick to smear the Obama administration and play to his conservative base.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200910160023

toniD's Ya Think?

Urantian Sojourn.com

GOPPER.COM

by Michael Hart

http://www.urantiansojourn.com/2009/10/gopper-com/

*Pretty funny..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules

Lost Greek city that may have inspired Atlantis myth gives up secrets

The secrets of a lost city that may have inspired one of the world's most enduring myths – the fable of Atlantis – have been brought to light from beneath the waters off southern Greece.

Explored by an Anglo-Greek team of archaeologists and marine geologists and known as Pavlopetri, the sunken settlement dates back some 5,000 years to the time of Homer's heroes and in terms of size and wealth of detail is unprecedented, experts say.

"There is now no doubt that this is the oldest submerged town in the world," said Dr Jon Henderson, associate professor of underwater archaeology at the University of Nottingham. "It has remains dating from 2800 to 1200 BC, long before the glory days of classical Greece. There are older sunken sites in the world but none can be considered to be planned towns such as this, which is why it is unique."

The site, which straddles 30,000 square meters of ocean floor off the southern Peloponnese, is believed to have been consumed by the sea around 1000 BC. Although discovered by a British oceanographer some 40 years ago, it was only this year that marine archaeologists, aided by digital technology, were able to properly survey the ruins.

What they found surpassed all expectations. Thanks to shifting sands and the settlement's enclosure in a protected bay, the exploration revealed a world of buildings, courtyards, main streets, rock-cut tombs and religious structures. In addition, the seabed was replete with thousands of shards of pottery.

"We found ceramics dating back to the end of the stone age, which suggested that the settlement was occupied some 5,000 years ago, at least 1,200 years earlier than originally thought," said Henderson, who co-directed the underwater survey.

"Our investigations also revealed over 9,000 square meters of new buildings. But what really took us by surprise was the discovery of a possible megaron, a monumental structure with a large rectangular hall, which also suggests that the town had been used by an elite, and automatically raised the status of the settlement."

More than any other underwater site so far, the find offers potential insights into the workings of Mycenaean society.

"It is significant because as a submerged site it was never reoccupied," said Elias Spondylis, who co-directed the survey as the head of Greece's underwater antiquities department. "As such it represents a frozen moment of the past." more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/16/lost-greek-city-atlantis-m...

toniD's Ya Think?

Submitted by toniD on Sat, 10/17/2009 - 12:33am.
Lost Greek city that may have inspired Atlantis myth gives up secrets

*******

Good I hope.. :)

I'd give money to see that underwater Greek city..
I hope they make a documentary soon..
I'd buy that too.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules

Would be interesting.

I've been to some of the Greek Islands. Santorini was the first choice for Atlantis and I've been there. But I'd love to snorkel there. and I'd like to see what they've found in the sea.

toniD's Ya Think?

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/5394

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

MMRules