EDAR Is A Mini Mobile Home For The Homeless

The EDAR, a four-wheeled combination cart and sleeping unit created for use by people experiencing homelessness, is beginning to make its presence known in the greater Los Angeles area.

Designed by Eric Lindeman and Jason Zasa while still in school at Pasadena Art Center College of Design, this modified shopping cart was their solution to a problem posed by local philanthropist Peter Samuelson: improve upon the cardboard box by designing a mobile, single-person shelter.


Sixty prototypes hit the streets beginning in fall 2008, and EDAR, Inc., the nonprofit organization founded by Samuelson, is hoping to release another 1,000 in the near future.

While the Rand Corporation completes an efficacy study on these initial units, EDAR, Inc. is already having trouble keeping up with increasing demand.

According to the organization, the units are currently being used in three ways. In shelters, the EDARs are deployed as additional beds. Cheaper and faster than building new facilities or expanding existing ones, the units can provide a stop-gap solution to the shortage of shelter beds, while also offering some additional privacy to residents.

The EDAR — which stands for Everyone Deserves a Roof — is also being given directly to homeless clients who are reluctant or unable to enter traditional shelters.

story by Leigh Christy for ArchitectureWeek.com

Moody's Bottom Rung list Includes AMD, Clearwire, Palm, Unisys; Media Default Armageddon

Moody’s has released its “Bottom Rung” list of companies that have a high risk of default and weak liquidity and there are a few technology and telecom household names on the list including AMD, Clearwire, Palm and Unisys.

Media companies are the biggest chunk of companies on the verge of credit defaults.

The list, which got some play in the Wall Street Journal Tuesday, covers 283 speculative grade companies. Last year, Moody’s Bottom Rung list had 157 companies.

Moody’s, under fire for failing to warn folks about the impending mortgage meltdown, is looking to get ahead of the latest likely round of corporate bond defaults. The problem is that Moody’s could cause more problems for companies that appear on the list.

story by Larry Dignan for ZDNet

Maytag Refrigerator Recall Affects 1.6 M Units

This morning an enormous Maytag recall is announced. The fire hazard has prompted a Maytag Refrigerator recall, which affects 1.6 million units of refrigerators.


The The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Maytag announced that the company recalls the refrigerators that affect 1.6 million units. It's a voluntary recall and includes Maytag®, Jenn-Air®, Amana®, Admiral®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag® and Crosley® brand refrigerators.

Maytag, a Newton, Iowa based corporation and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission say that Maytag recalls the refrigerators because an electrical failure in the relay, the component that turns on the refrigerator’s compressor, can cause overheating and pose a serious fire hazard.

There has already been a considerable damage done, which in turn prompted the voluntary Maytag refrigerator recall. The company informs of 41 reports of refrigerator relay ignition, including 16 reports of property damage ranging from smoke damage to extensive kitchen damage. The types of the refrigerators that are included in this Maytag recall are those that are side and top freezer refrigerators.

The refrigerators that Maytag recalls are sold at department and appliance stores and also installed by homebuilders nationwide. They have been in operation fromJanuary 2001 through January 2004 and have been sold between about $350 and $1600. Refrigerators with freezers on the bottom are not included in this recall.

Therefore, if you have a Maytag refrigerator that has been manufactured in USA between 2001 and 2004 of the above mentioned brands you need to contact Maytag toll-free at (866) 533-9817 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.repair.maytag.com.

This Maytag refrigerator recall is indeed very disturbing, but has one bright part: actually two. The first is that we know about the danger of the fire and the second is that thousands of repairmen, who are usually a small one-person businesses will get more orders from the recalled Maytag refrigerators, which in turn may help the economy a little bit.

The news that Maytag recalls 1.6 million units of refrigerators are reported both on the company and The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's website, which is charged to protect the consumers.

original post by by admin_huliq for Huliq News

United Technologies To Cut 11,600 Jobs

United Technologies Corp., which makes Pratt & Whitney jet engines and Sikorsky helicopters, lowered its 2009 profit forecast on Tuesday and said it expects to cut 11,600 jobs because of a deteriorating commercial aerospace market.

The moves, part of an expanded $750 million restructuring program, are being driven by a decline in expected revenue, which is now seen totaling $55 billion this year, down $2.7 billion from a December estimate.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected $55.2 billion.

United Technologies cut its 2009 earnings per share forecast to between $4 per share and $4.50 per share, down from its December outlook of $4.65 to $5.15. Analysts, on average, had expected $4.60, according to Thompson Reuters.

Last month, United Technologies Chief Executive Louis Chenevert stood by December’s outlook.

original post by Democratic Underground from MSNBC source

The Consumer Queen Goes Shopping

Consumer Queen offers deals and tips for consumer moms looking for ways to save money in todays economy just like the tag line says Cheap is Good But Free is Better.

Consumer Queen has coupons, deals of the week, freebies and giveaways that can help today’s consumer mom keep the household expenses in check.

Find out how Melissa Garcia aka the Consumer Queen got $300 worth of groceries for only $20! (Turn up your volume, the audio quality is not great.)



With saving tips, printable coupons, and a forum where consumer moms can share ideas and deals they have found, the Consumer Queen can help moms keep the household budget under control.

Sign up for the newsletter, take a look at the message board, sign up for contests to win free products, even check out the Blog Talk Radio. Share your own money saving ideas and talk with moms who are also trying to save money in today’s economy.

original post by 411Chatter.com

USNS Impeccable: Chinese Vessels Harass US Navy Ship

The USNS Impeccable is an unarmed U.S. Navy ocean surveillance ship. The U.S. embassy in Beijing has lodged a protest with China that on Sunday five Chinese ships, including a naval vessel, harassed the USNS Impeccable in international waters in the South China Sea.

The USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS-23) is a surveillance ship that serves in international waters in the South China Sea. Her function is to serve in support of the U.S. Navy using passive and active low frequency sonar arrays to detect and track undersea threats.

Over the weekend the Impeccable was conducting routine operations about 75 miles south of Hainan Island when she was harassed by as Chinese Naval ship. There were five Chinese ships involved in the harassment. They included a Bureau of Maritime Fisheries Patrol Vessel, a State Oceanographic Administration patrol vessel, a Chinese Navy intelligence collection ship, and two small Chinese flagged trawlers. The ships maneuvered dangerously close to the U.S. ship, two within 25 feet.

The crew of the USNS Impeccable radioed the Chinese crews requesting safe passage to leave the area. The Chinese ships maneuvered in front of the ship and stopped almost causing a collision and forcing the Impeccable to an emergency stop. The Chinese crews continued harassing the ship, attempting to hook the sonar that trailed behind the ship. American crews turned fire hoses on the Chinese, who stripped down to their underwear and continued the harassment.

The incidents on Sunday were the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive and provocative incidents between the Chinese ships and the USNS Impeccable.

Earlier in the week, on Thursday, March 5, 2009, a Chinese frigate crossed within about 100 yards of the USNS Impeccable. Shortly after that incident a Chinese Y-12 aircraft conducted 11 fly-bys of the Impeccable and her sister ship, the USNS Victorious. The two unarmed U.S. data collecting and surveillance ships were subjected to the fly-bys that came to within a 100 to 300 foot range of the ships at an altitude of 600 feet. The fly-bys were followed by the same Chinese frigate crossing Impeccable’s bow again, this time even closer, coming within 400 to 500 feet of the U.S. ship.

On Saturday, March 7, 2009, the USNS Impeccable was contacted by radio by a Chinese collection ship. The Chinese accused the Impeccable of conducting illegal operations and demanding that she leave the area or ’suffer the consequences’.

These incidents, one after the other over the last few days, are the most aggressive actions any foreign ships have taken against U.S. ships in international waters. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing has filed a complaint with the Chinese government.

“The unprofessional maneuvers by Chinese vessels violated the requirement under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Major Stewart Upton said in a statement.

“We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision at sea.”

This aggressive behavior on the part of the Chinese is disturbing. It is especially disturbing in light of the threatening and aggressive rhetoric coming out of North Korea this week.

When there is a vacuum of power, then there is chaos and all the petty dictators of the world will jockey to position themselves to fill the vacuum.

It appears that world powers are sensing an opportunity to push the limits of America’s patience. China, as a world power, and North Korea, as a communist state backed by the Chinese, seem poised to test the courage of the new American President. We all hope he passes the test. Most of us fear he doesn’t have a strong sense of the danger posed by these threats or will attempt to appease rather than stop the aggression with a show of strength.

original post by Beth for Blue Star Chronicles

Pimp This Bum

A Houston homeless man is part of an Internet experiment to get him some help, but is it at the expense of his dignity?

Tim Edwards does not like to talk about what got him there, but he has been roaming the streets of Houston for the better part of five years.

“A lot of times you just go to sleep hungry. But tonight, I know I am going to have something to eat. I am going to be all right,” Edwards said.

Edwards said his new hope is thanks to his new job, but not everyone is convinced his path to improvement is guaranteed or ethical.

Edwards’ new employers, who pay him a minimum of $100 per day, have started a Web site called PimpThisBum.com.

The site is all about Edwards and it solicits donations on his behalf.

Visitors to the Web site can buy him anything from a cheeseburger to laser hair removal to a college education.

There is also streaming video showing what Edwards is doing throughout the day, although the video is available only intermittently for now.

Sean Dolan created the Web site with his father, Kevin, who was recently laid off by a software company.

“We had to make it kind of edgy to get the exposure and have people talking about it,” Sean said.

The Dolans promise all of the proceeds go to Edwards, and the Dolans do not keep any of the donated money.

“It all goes to Tim,” Kevin Dolan said.

So what do the Dolans get out of the deal?

They said they’re getting exposure.

Their theory is if they can make Edwards popular, they can make anything or anyone popular, a bankable skill to attract big businesses.

“Take a homeless guy on the side of the street that has a sign, ‘I should have used Monster.com,’ and Monster.com just turned someone into a walking billboard,” Sean Dolan said.

But is it ethical?

“You’re going to find people who offended by anything you do. Judge the outcome, don’t judge the process,” Sean said.

Edwards does not have any complaints.

He said he can now sleep at night knowing he has a source of income.

“This might be an avenue off the streets, a way I can climb up a little bit and get out of here,” he said.

story by News Channel 5 (CBS Alexandria)

Breaking Down The World Baseball Classic Competition

Post baseball writer John Lott takes a look at all 16 teams trying to claim this month's World Baseball Classic.

CANADA (Manager Ernie Whitt)
2006 finish 2-1 record, eliminated under a complicated tie-breaker rule in first round. Defeated South Africa and the United States, lost to Mexico.
2009 prospects Canada needs a perfect planetary alignment to escape Round 1. Its pitching is thin - reliever Jesse Crain is the lone legitimate major-leaguer on the staff - so the pressure is on the offence to meet expectations. Must beat Italy and Venezuela to advance. Home crowd should provide a boost.
The three stars 1B Justin Morneau, OF Jason Bay, C Russell Martin.
Waiting to shine Two young relievers, Philippe Aumont and David Davidson, need to step up and help get the ball to Crain, the putative closer. Starter Scott Richmond must deliver in a key start vs. Venezuela’s potent offence.
From the lip “It’s going to be tough. We don’t have the depth that a lot of other teams do. We’re going to need some big-time performances, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.” — Outfielder Jason Bay

ITALY (Manager Marco Mazzieri)
2006 finish 1-2 record, eliminated in first round. Defeated Australia, lost to Venezuela and Dominican Republic.
2009 prospects Slim. Loose eligibility rules allow U.S.-born Frank Catalanotto, Nick Punto, Chris Denorfia, Jason Grilli and Mark DeFelice to add a smidgeon of legitimacy, but Italy faces a quick exit.
The three stars OF Frank Catalanotto, IF Nick Punto, P Mark DeFelice
Waiting to shine P Dan Serafini has been waiting since 1992, when the Twins made him their top draft pick. At 35, he provides some faint hope for a wobbly pitching staff.
From the lip “It’s a good opportunity for me being of Italian ancestry. I’m excited just to get back on the field a little bit. The fact [the players] are so eager to learn is great. There’s not a lot of ego.” — Hitting coach Mike Piazza, ex-big league catcher, whose father came to the U.S. from Sicily as a child

UNITED STATES (Manager Davey Johnson)
2006 finish 3-3 record, eliminated in second round. Defeated Mexico and South Africa, lost to Canada in Round 1. Beat Japan, lost to South Korea and Mexico in Round 2.
2009 prospects With solid major-leaguers filling every roster spot, the U.S. is the team to beat, insists manager Davey Johnson. The oddsmakers agree, although they also like the Dominican Republic. Team USA will hit, but its success will depend on how far starters Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt and Ted Lilly can go on a tight pitch count. The bullpen could be vulnerable.
The three stars 2B Dustin Pedroia, 3B-DH Chipper Jones, 3B-DH David Wright
Waiting to shine With his speed, defence and gap-to-gap power, OF Curtis Granderson may upstage his celebrity teammates.
From the lip “The target’s on our back anyway, so why not go out there and proclaim it?” — Jimmy Rollins, acknowledging the pressure on Team USA to redeem itself after imploding in the ‘06 tournament

VENEZUELA (Manager Luis Sojo)
2006 finish 3-3 record, eliminated in second round. Defeated Italy and Australia and lost to Dominican Republic in Round 1. Beat Puerto Rico and lost to Cuba and Dominican Republic in Round 2.
2009 prospects While Venezuela lacks the pitching depth of the U.S., its offence packs power and veteran experience. (For starters, the 2-3-4 hitters are Bobby Abreu, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez.) With Francisco Rodriguez to pitch the ninth, Venezuela could go deep in the tournament if it can find enough pitching to pick up starters Armando Galarraga and Felix Hernandez.
The three stars OF Bobby Abreu, 1B Miguel Cabrera, P Felix Hernandez
Waiting to shine P Carlos Silva is trying to rebound from a wretched season in Seattle. If he steps up, Venezuela could contend.
From the lip “It looked like someone cut him in half.” — Seattle skipper Don Wakamatsu, after Silva reported to camp 35 pounds lighter.

CHINA (Manager Terry Collins)
2006 finish 0-3 record, outscored 40-6, eliminated in first round.
2009 prospects Same as 2006. China’s roster includes only three players in major-league farm systems, led by shortstop Ray Chang (Pirates), a Kansas City native who has reached Triple-A. Collins, a former big-league manager, is probably the team’s most familiar name.
The three stars Chang, P Kai Liu, C Zhenwang Zhang. Liu and Zhang, both Yankee farmhands, are the first Chinese players to sign with a big-league club.

CHINESE TAIPEI (Manager Chih-Hsien Yeh)
2006 finish 1-2 record, eliminated in first round.
2009 prospects Same as 2006. Taipei does boast several legitimate prospects, including two Boston farmhands: OF Che-Hsuan Lin, the MVP of last year’s Futures Game, and IF Chih-Hsien Chiang. In this pool, that will not take them far.
The three stars OF Che-Hsuan Lin, IF Chih-Hsien Chiang, P Chi-Hung Cheng. A former Blue Jays farmhand, Cheng is now in the Pirates system.

JAPAN (Manager Tatsunori Hara)
2006 finish 5-3 record, won WBC championship. After losing twice to South Korea in the early rounds, Japan beat South Korea, then Cuba, in the finals.
2009 prospects A definite contender to repeat. Daisuke Matsuzaka leads the pitching staff, Ichiro Suzuki the offence. Rivalry continues with South Korea, which beat Japan on its way to Olympic gold last summer.
The three stars P Daisuke Matsuzaka, OF Ichiro Suzuki, P Yu Darvish. An Iranian-Japanese right-hander, Darvish, 22, is a blue-chip prospect who insists he will resist the lure of the West.

SOUTH KOREA (Manager In-Sik Kim)
2006 finish 6-1 record, best in tournament, but eliminated by Japan in semi-final. South Korea beat Japan twice, but Japan stayed alive via the controversial tie-breaker rule, since dropped.
2009 prospects Will easily advance to second round and continue its heated battle with Japan. Most familiar name is Shin-Soo Choo, a solid hitter for Cleveland, but he may not play because of an elbow injury.
The three stars Anybody’s guess, especially since Seung-Yeop Lee, the top hitter in the ‘06 Classic, begged off to prepare for his season in the Japanese league.

AUSTRALIA (Manager Jon Deeble)
2006 finish 0-3 record, shut out twice, eliminated in Round 1, but did give the Dominican Republic a challenge in a 6-4 loss.
2009 prospects Will battle South Africa to determine who is eliminated first in this pool. Roster is littered with minor-league players, including several genuine prospects (IF Luke Hughes, Twins, for example). Australia’s best-known big-leaguer, P Grant Balfour, wanted to participate but Tampa Bay said no.
The three stars IF Luke Hughes, P Rich Thompson, P Drew Naylor

CUBA (Manager Higinio Velez)
2006 finish 5-3 record, lost to Japan in final. Advanced with 2-1 record in each of first two rounds, then defeated the Dominican Republic in the semi-final.
2009 prospects After coasting through the first round, Cuba will see how strong it is without several stars, including Yadel Marti and Yasser Gomez, who were kicked off the team for trying to defect to the U.S., then managed to defect anyway. Also missing are two top hitters from the ‘06 tourney, Yoandy Garlobo (.480) and Osmany Urrutia (.345).
The three stars 3B Yulieski Gourriel, OF Frederich Cepeda, P Pedro Lazo

MEXICO (Manager Vinny Castilla)
2006 finish 3-3 record, eliminated in second round with losses to South Korea and Japan. Beat U.S. 2-1 in its final game to keep the Yanks from advancing.
2009 prospects A lock to advance to second round again, but likely no further. Mexico has plenty of players with big-league experience, and some pop from Adrian Gonzalez (36 homers for the Padres) and Jorge Cantu (29 for the Marlins), but precious little pitching.
The three stars OF Adrian Gonzalez, OF Jorge Cantu, C Rod Barajas

SOUTH AFRICA (Manager Rick Magnate)
2006 finish 0-3 record, eliminated in Round 1. Gave Canada a scare in the opener, taking an 8-7 lead into the ninth inning before losing 11-8.
2009 prospects Vegas odds are 300-1. This is why. Five players on the South roster have signed big-league contracts. They have a total of three years’ pro experience so far. One will not turn pro until he finishes high school. In the ‘06 Classic, the team allowed more than 15 runs per nine innings.
The three stars Let us be surprised.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (Manager Felipe Alou)
2006 finish 5-2 record, lost 3-1 in semi-final to Cuba.
2009 prospects Even with Alex Rodriguez skipping the WBC, this club could win it all. With Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez at shortstop, Miguel Tejada moves to third, but he can play first if David Ortiz is the DH. The embarrassment of riches extends to the pitching corps, which includes Edinson Volquez, Ubaldo Jiminez, Johnny Cueto and Juan Cruz. Oh yes, and in a pinch, two old jobless guys are available: Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou.
The three stars SS Jose Reyes, P Edinson Volquez, P Jose Arredondo

NETHERLANDS (Manager Rod Delmonico)
2006 finish 1-2 record, eliminated in first round. Lone victory was over Panama.
2009 prospects Another quick exit. The roster includes one player (Rick VandenHurk) with major-league experience (four games), plus a few who have barely dampened their toes in the low minors. Along with South Africa, another example of how difficult it is to find 16 teams to fill out a “classic” international tournament. Maybe the Americans and Dominicans should enter two teams.
The three stars P Rick VandenHurk, OF Greg Halman, P Alex Smit

PANAMA (Manager Hector Lopez)
2006 finish 0-3, eliminated in first round, losing even to the Netherlands.
2009 prospects Dim. Panama has one legitimate star (Houston slugger Carlos Lee), a couple of decent relievers and not much else. Carlos Ruiz had decided not to play, but then Panamanian president Martin Torrijos called the Phillies’ backstop. “We don’t have any catchers,” Torrijos said. “You’re our guy.” Torrijos needs to make a few more calls.
The three stars OF Carlos Lee, P Manny Acosta, P Manny Corpas

PUERTO RICO (Manager Jose Oquendo)
2006 finish 4-2 record, eliminated in second round. Won four straight, then lost to Venezuela and Cuba.
2009 prospects Puerto Rico could be a dark horse and should advance again. The tough sledding starts in Round 2, where the likely opponents will be the U.S., Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Puerto Rico has some firepower (Carlos Delgado, Alex Rios, Carlos Beltran) but lacks the pitching depth needed to beat the big boys. One to watch: Bernie Williams comes out of retirement to lead off.
The three stars OF Alex Rios, OF Carlos Beltran, C Geovany Soto.

original post by Noah Love for National Post

Big 12 Men's Basketball Seeding Scenarios

This is from the Big 12 home office. Here's what we know are confirmed seeds for the Big 12 men's basketball tournament:

Kansas is No. 1, Nebraska No. 8, Baylor No. 9 and Colorado No. 12. The winner of Iowa State and Texas Tech is the No. 10 seed and the loser is the No. 11 seed.


Here are the scenarios:

• If Missouri and Oklahoma win (or both lose): Missouri No. 2, Oklahoma No. 3

• If Missouri wins and Oklahoma loses: Missouri No. 2, Oklahoma No. 3

• If Missouri loses and Oklahoma wins: Oklahoma No. 2, Missouri No.3

• If Texas and Oklahoma State win: Texas No. 4, Oklahoma State No. 5

• If Texas and Oklahoma State lose, but K-State and A&M win: K-State No. 4, Texas No. 5, Texas A&M No. 6, Oklahoma State No. 7

• If Texas, OSU and A&M lose, but K-State wins: K-State No. 4, Texas No. 5, Oklahoma State No. 6

• If Texas, OSU, Texas A&M and Kansas State lose: Texas No. 4, Oklahoma State No. 5

• If Texas, OSU and Kansas State lose but Texas A&M wins: Texas No. 4, Texas A&M No. 5, Oklahoma State No. 6

• If OSU, Kansas State and Texas A&M win, but Texas loses: Oklahoma State No. 4, Kansas State No. 5, Texas No. 6, Texas A&M No. 7

• If OSU and Kansas State win, but Texas and Texas A&M lose: Oklahoma State No. 4, Kansas State No. 5, Texas No. 6, Texas A&M No. 7

• If OSU and Texas A&M win, but Kansas State and Texas lose: Oklahoma State No. 4, Texas No. 5, Texas A&M No. 6, Kansas State No. 7

• If Kansas State and Texas A&M lose but Nebraska wins: Kansas State No. 6, Texas A&M No. 7, Nebraska No. 8

by Richard Durrett for College Sports Blog

From Humble Republic, A Remarkable Western

When Johnny Guitar opened in Brazil probably in 1955, it was released through a big chain of movie theaters and I remember it being quite successful at the box office, no doubt also helped by the song that was a huge hit.



Except for a few critics, most people took it just as a good western with no second thoughts. But there was more to it, "as François Truffaut wrote in his review when it was first shown in France "Never trust in appearances. Beauty and profundity are not always found in the "obvious" traditional places; a Trucolor Western from humble Republic can throb with the passion of "l'amour fou" or whisper with an evening delicacy."" (from "The Western" by Phil Hardy, page232).

Seeing it recently I was impressed with the fast pace of the film, the great dialogs, the unusual settings, the incredibly strong presence of Joan Crawford, the hysterical character played by Mercedes McCambridge. Nicholas Ray was a creative director and his great achievement in this film was to take the story seriously, and not try to make a satire.

review by tmwest for The Internet Movie Database

Terrell Owens And Buffalo Bills: Strange Bedfellows

We could have imagined Terrell Owens taking a bite of the Big Apple in New York City. But biting chicken wings in Buffalo?

Wait until T.O. tries to catch passes from Trent Edwards that are nowhere near as catchable the ones from Tony Romo were.

Wait until T.O. gets his hands on those run-first game plans from offensive coordinator Turk Schonert.

Wait until blue-collar Bills fans get a load of his T.O.-first attitude.

Owens claimed he picked the Bills in part because he believes the team has all the pieces.

"I'm leaving America's team [for] North America's team," Owens said in a news conference.

Owens joins an offense that scored three points or less in three of its last five games, finished 22nd in the NFL in passing yards and did not have a 300-yard passing game all season.

Owens could help generate interest for a team that needs help selling tickets. He also could make life very difficult for Bills head coach Dick Jauron.

story by Dan Pompei for the Chicago Tribune

Nationalized Socialism

Here is a little tidbit, Nazi (yes those nazis) was an acronym in German that pretty much mean the German National Socialist Party.



So, what is Nationalized Socialism, well, look at what Obama is doing. You’re watching the Government trying to become the source of supply for as many Americans as it can. It wants to be “where you have to go” for everything. Jobs, Healthcare, Loans, Investments, Childcare . . .

Sounds like nationalized socialism to me.

written by AttackDog for the Conservative Attack Dog blog

Tactical Solutions And Black Dog Machine Form New Magazine Company

The owners of Tactical Solutions and Black Dog Machine have announced that the companies will be forming a new company, Black Dog Magazine Inc., to sell their highly efficient and high quality magazines.

“The reason that we created this new entity was so we could form a stronger company that can research, design and develop new magazine products to bring to the shooting industry,” said Chet Alvord, Vice President of Tactical Solutions. “We will use the innovation of Kevin Rich (Head of Research and Development and Owner of Black Dog Machine) and our resources to produce the greatest .22LR magazines on the market.”

The recent economic state has created an important niche for conversions. In fact, Tactical Solutions plans on introducing two additional conversion options this year.

With the growing need for cheaper ammunition and companies creating conversions, new magazines are going to have to be created. “There is a huge need in the marketplace for this type of product and we plan on being the major supplier,” said Kevin Rich, the new Vice President of Black Dog Magazine Inc. “We plan on taking over the market for .22LR magazines.”

As far as new products, Black Dog Magazine Inc. will be keeping you on your toes this year. Already being introduced at the 2009 SHOT Show is a 25-Round .22LR Magazine which works with the Tactical Solutions X-Ring and the Ruger 10/22® receiver.

Products will consist of everything ranging from a 25 Round AR-22 Magazine to a WASR AK-22 Magazine. “We plan on taking Black Dog Machine’s already incredible products to the next level as Black Dog Magazine Inc,” said Daniel Person, President of Tactical Solutions.

Tactical Solutions will handle all of the new company’s sales, and can be reached toll free at (866) 333-9901 or (208) 333-9901. You can also visit Black Dog Magazine’s new website at www.blackdogmag.com.

press release by ShootingWire.com

America's Famous Haunted Sanatorium

Waverly Hills Sanatorium has a collection of ghost stories that has made Louisville, Kentucky one of the most sought after locations for paranormal investigations.


During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, tuberculosis wreaked havoc on the United States. In 1900, Louisville, Kentucky had one of the highest death rates by tuberculosis in the entire country. Geographic and environmental factors made Louisville the perfect place for tuberculosis to take hold and spread quickly. Louisville’s placement on low-lying swampland made the city an easy target for disease.

History of Waverly Hills Sanatorium

A hospital was constructed in 1910 to take in victims of the disease but quickly overcrowded and a second hospital was built. Waverly Hills was built in 1924 and although it was considered the most advanced tuberculosis sanatorium in the country, hundreds of people still died at the peak of the epidemic.

Medicines to combat tuberculosis were not yet available when the horrible disease was ravaging the country. The treatments prescribed at Waverly Hills were oftentimes just as horrific as the disease itself. For instance, doctors placed balloons in patients’ lungs and then filled the balloons with air. This procedure usually ended badly. Ribs and muscles were sometimes removed to make room for the lungs to expand. Most patients did not survive these procedures.

Patients that did not survive Waverly Hills were dropped down a chute called The Body Chute. Bodies went through the tunnel from inside the hospital and landed at the railroad tracks at the base of the hill. This was done so that patients would not see the dead bodies leaving the hospital. Corpses were finally removed on trains.

Tuberculosis declined in the 1930s and medicines were readily available to treat the disease worldwide by the 1940s. Waverly Hills shut down in 1946 and was later reopened as Waverly Geriatrics Sanatorium in 1961. There are many stories of patient mistreatment from this time. Budget constraints caused conditions to worsen in the 70s and Waverly was closed indefinitely in 1982.

Waverly Hills saw many different owners in the 80s and 90s and by the year 2000 the building was in very poor shape. The homeless sought shelter in its rooms while vandals sprayed walls and destroyed property. Young people came to Waverly Hills at night looking for a good scare.

Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Waverly Hills gained its haunted reputation first from the young people who wandered the dark corridors. As this reputation grew and stories circulated, the famous ghosts of Waverly Hills began to emerge.

Some of the notable stories include a little girl that allegedly runs up and down the third floor hallway and a young boy who is spotted playing with a leather ball on the floor. A female apparition supposedly appears, wrists bleeding, and shouts “Help me!” A man dressed in white walks through the kitchen and the smell of food has been reported there.

According to Waverly Hills ghost lore, Room 502 might be the most haunted room of all. Voices have demanded that visitors “Get out!” and black masses resembling bodies have been seen in the windows. Apparently one nurse hung herself in this room while another jumped out of the window to her death on the ground below. Other paranormal activity includes slamming doors, disembodied voices, disembodied footsteps and screaming.

Paranormal Investigations at Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Today, Waverly Hills is a hotspot for paranormal investigations. Investigators have obtained audio recordings of voices, moaning and footsteps. Others have reported being touched, spoken to and having objects thrown at them.

Evidence obtained by members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) was featured on Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters. Evidence included video of a short figure running from one side of a hallway to another.

Source: Haunted Sanatorium. Ghost Hunters. Season 2, Episode 24. Air Date: 29 March 2009. Sci-Fi Channel.

written by Emily Eppig

Granny's Hard Times Recipes An Online Hit

Cooking the recipes she learned as a girl during the Great Depression, not so mild-mannered great-grandmother Clara Cannucciari minces garlic -- but never words.

CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports that back then, her family ate what they could afford, or did without.

"Every night was pasta," Cannucciari recalls. "When we got sauce, that was on Sunday."

There was also a lot of egg drop soup eaten in her childhood Chicago home. The two ingredients: eggs and water.

Now Clara's Depression Meals, which on average cost 50 cents a serving, are a surprise hit on the Internet.

The 93-year-old shares a lifetime of savings tricks on her Web videos, along with family memories. In the first episode she explains that for one dish, "We would turn off the gas and let it cook on its own heat so we could save money."

Her Webisodes include pasta (of course), potatoes and stale bread with water and oil.

Cannucciari says, "We went through a lot of hard times." She thinks today's generation is a bunch of whiners in comparison.

CBS News brought her grandson, Chris Cannucciari, along for an interview. He first taped her for the family and then posted the videos online.

Explaining his grandmother's newfound fame, he says, "People started searching the word 'depression' a lot, and the cooking show came up. People saw it, liked it and kept watching."



Chris then created a Facebook page, and a blog for Clara's worldwide fans to let her know what they think.

Cannucciari says she doesn't like the spotlight much, but a new generation is soaking up every word.

story by CBS Evening News

R.I.P. Horton Foote

He was 92 and winner of two Oscars. His most memorable screenplays were Tender Mercies, The Trip To Bountiful and To Kill A Mockingbird.



original post by Nikki Finke

Harvard Professor Jim Yong Kim Is 17th Dartmouth President

Harvard University professor Jim Yong Kim, a former director of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS division renowned for his research on drug-resistant tuberculosis, will become Dartmouth's 17th president, College officials announced Monday. Kim's selection comes against the backdrop of the presidential search committee's calls for a leader with a commitment to graduate education and knowledge of medical schools.

original post by M. Heddaya for The Dartmouth Review

One Survivor Found, Coast Guard Searching For 3 Other Missing Boaters

The Coast Guard says it will continue to search waters off Florida's Gulf Coast for three missing boaters for "quite awhile."

Crews rescued a fourth man earlier today. Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler was clinging to an overturned boat that belongs to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis (mahr-KEES') Cooper.

The Coast Guard says Schuyler told rescuers the boat was anchored Saturday evening when it flipped in rough seas. Schuyler was wearing a life vest and had been clinging to the boat since the accident. He says Cooper and the other two men -- NFL free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith and former South Florida player William Bleakley -- got separated from the boat.

The weather had been calm when the group left Clearwater Pass Saturday morning, but winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy. Waves peaked at 15 feet yesterday.

story by the Associated Press

T. Boone Pitches His Energy Plan In Montana

T. Boone Pickens appeared with the governor to pitch to Montanans his plan to decrease the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

He spoke Friday at an energy conference for leaders in business and education.

Pickens' plan calls for offsetting oil with natural gas and wind energy, a strategy that could be good for wind-rich places such as Montana. The Texas oil tycoon says he doubts low oil prices will continue through the year.

In September, Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed what is known as the Pickens' Pledge, demanding an end to America's addiction on foreign oil.

The governor says Montana can lead the rest of the country to energy independence from its position in a powerful wind corridor that gusts from Canada to Texas.

written by Kahrin Deines for the Associated Press

www.seussville.com - Dr. Seuss Birthday 2009

Dr. Seuss was actually born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. Seuss grew up in the New England area and went to Dartmouth College. That’s where both his writing career began and his “Doctor” moniker was formed.


Seuss, as the story goes, was caught partying during Prohibition. As a punishment, the school told him to step down from his extracurricular activities, which included writing for a school publication called the Jack-o-Lantern. Seuss, however, wanted to keep writing, so he started working under the name “Dr. Seuss” to keep administrators from realizing it was him.

Dr. Seuss eventually became famous for his rhyming, brightly illustrated books such as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. He died in 1991, at the age of 87.

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, you can find Dr. Seuss coloring pages and other kids’ activities at the official Seussville.com web site.

original post by KORMOON

After Failed Attempt To Run A Hedge Fund, Ron Insana Back At CNBC

Ed McMahon In A Fight For His Life With Pneumonia

Entertainer Ed McMahon, who will turn 86 next week, has been hospitalized with pneumonia and other undisclosed ailments for almost a month, according to a spokesperson for McMahon. He’s currently in the intensive care unit at an undisclosed hospital, and seems to only be taking a turn for the worse.

McMahon, who was sidekick to Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” for thirty years and hosted “Star Search” has also been reported to have bone cancer, although those reports have not been confirmed as of yet. McMahon has claimed that he and his wife become sick due to toxic mold in their house that also killed their dog, Muffin. He also suffered a broken neck from a fall a couple of years ago, which left him unable to work and with two spine surgeries under his belt.

Ed McMahon has become well-known in recent years as the spokesperson for Publishers Clearing House and a pitch person for Budweiser Beer, among other companies. He was also the long-time co-host of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon for muscular dystrophy.

Howard Bragman, the Hollywood publicist, will not confirm which hospital is treating Ed McMahon, only that it is not the Cedars- Sinai Medical Center.

original post by eFitnessNow

Specific Changes Needed Now To Fix The Financial Markets And The Economy

The following policy and regulatory changes that Christopher Cox, the SEC, and other regulatory agencies made and implemented from 2004 through 2007 need to be reversed after January 20th, 2009 or immediately. These policy and regulatory changes have destroyed the integrity and reliability of and confidence in our financial markets. The money sitting on the sidelines (approximately $13 trillion) in Money Market and Cash Accounts will not be re-invested back into the markets until these changes have been reversed and the proposed changes below implemented. I am recommending that all of the following policy and regulatory changes be made and implemented immediately by the new Administration:

1. The "Uptick Rule" on all securities (i.e., equities, ETFs, options, futures, and commodities) needs to be reinstated and implemented on all domestic and global exchanges and financial markets. Without the “Uptick Rule” in place, it creates an unfair and imbalanced playing field that favors the short sellers. This gives short sellers the ability to drive stock prices down to nothing. The exchanges are just as guilty and responsible for this problem as all others. The markets/exchanges were not meant to be casinos. New laws, oversight, regulation, and technology needs to be implemented and changed in order to solve these serious problems and abuses and restore integrity and order back to the markets. Get the "Uptick Rule" back in place and the markets will stop crashing. This one item is destroying good, healthy corporations.

2. The new SEC Chairwoman, Mary Schapiro needs to dump or get rid of the Mark-to-market accounting rule now. At the worst possible moment we as a nation chose to alter the way financial assets were evaluated -- through something called FAS 157. We required financial institutions to mark holdings to forced trades in illiquid assets -- mark-to-market accounting. The most powerful critic of this approach was William Isaac, the former head of the FDIC. His viewpoint is that the entire financial crisis -- the destruction of major financial firms, the huge bailouts, the destruction of retirement accounts, and the socialization of private companies -- all could have been avoided with a more measured approach to the needed reduction in leverage. This rule could have been changed by Christopher Cox, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, or even by the president.

3. The SEC under Christopher Cox’s tenure and the exchanges relaxed the dynamic circuit breaker thresholds on all major securities, options, and futures exchanges to levels that are too high and therefore ineffective under current market conditions and volatility levels. The current three dynamic circuit breaker thresholds of Level One (10%), Level Two (20%), and Level Three (30%) should be reversed and reset back to the previous circuit breaker thresholds of Level One (2.5%), Level Two (5%), and Level Three (10%) for all exchanges and markets.

4. All ETFs should have the same SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NYSE/NASD reporting, filing, and regulatory requirements as Mutual Funds. ETFs will need to comply with all of the Rules and Regulations of the Investment Company Act(s) of 1933, 1940, and all their later amendments.

5. All ETFs should be converted back to Closed-End Funds. This means that you can no longer buy/sell/write options, derivatives, and/or short sales on ETFs.

6. All Ultra Short ETFs should be abolished or banned. These products do not perform as specified and their claims are fraudulent. They promote negative price fluctuations and volatility on the underlying securities and indices and perpetuate a disorderly and unreliable marketplace.

7. All of the additional changes made to the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) between 2000 and 2004 need to be reversed. The legislation provided the certainty that products offered by banking institutions would not be regulated as financial futures contracts. It also allowed for the deregulation of financial derivative products (i.e., CDS, CDOs, etc.), which have been destructive to our financial markets.

8. The SEC from 2002 – 2004 relaxed net capital requirements and leverage restrictions for banks to a destructive level. The events leading up to the SEC's decision to relax its net capital rule for the largest investment banks began in 2002. In 2004, the SEC waived its leverage rules. Previously, broker/dealer net-capital rules limited firms to a maximum debt-to-net-capital ratio of 12 to 1. This 2004 exemption allowed them to exceed this leverage rule. Only five firms — Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley — were granted this exemption; they promptly levered up 20, 30 and even 40 to 1. SEC's Consolidated Supervised Entity ("CSE") program, which was established by the SEC in 2004 for only the largest investment banks. Indeed, these five investment banks were the only free-standing investment banks permitted by the SEC to enter the CSE program. A key attraction of the CSE program was that it permitted its members to escape the SEC's traditional net capital rule, which placed a maximum ceiling on their debt to equity ratios of 12-to-1, and instead elect into a more relaxed "alternative net capital rule" that contained no similar limitation. The result was predictable: all five of these major investment banks increased their debt-to-equity leverage ratios significantly in the period following their entry into the CSE program. That higher leverage, coupled with a high concentration of their assets in subprime mortgages and related real estate assets, left them exposed and vulnerable when market conditions soured in 2007-2008. For example, at the time of its insolvency, Bear Stearns' gross leverage ratio had hit 33 to 1, and press reports placed Merrill Lynch's debt/equity ratio at the time of its merger at 40 to 1. The following new net capital rule requirements should be instituted immediately: a). Insurance companies 2 to 1; b). Commercial Banks, mortgage companies, and all other similar entities 5 to 1; and c). Broker/Dealers, investment banks, and other companies in similar lines of business 10 to 1.

9. Credit Default Swaps (CDS), Credit Default Obligations (CDOs), and other similar financial derivatives should be abolished and ruled to be invalid and deemed worthless products/securities and unenforceable legal contracts by the Supreme Court. This would absolve and save all of our traditional banks, insurance companies, and other legitimate financial institutions from the financial obligations/debts they have on their books/financial statements for these unregistered products. The counterparties are domestic and global Hedge Funds, Private Money Managers/Investment Managers, Investment Banking Firms, Goldman Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, Barclays, and more who are seeking payments for these CDS and CDOs, which they own and created, and our government is bailing them out by paying them for these unregistered products/obligations. All that the Administration needs to do is have the Supreme Court rule that these products/obligations are invalid, worthless, and unenforceable legal contracts, and then have Goldman Sachs and all the other similar firms take a “big” loss and write them off their books as worthless. That is, they should take ownership and responsibility for their creation and mess and bear the costs. They made a lot of money in commissions selling, exchanging, modifying, and trading them domestically and globally for years.

10. All of these products are defined as securities--notes, stocks, preferred stocks, treasury stocks, bonds, debentures, options, investment contracts, certificates of deposit, warrants, rights, variable annuities, and collateral trust certificates—and are therefore required to be registered with the SEC. However, currently--fixed insurance policies, fixed annuities, futures/commodities contracts, financial derivatives, precious metals, Credit Default Swaps (CDS), Credit Default Obligations (CDOs), Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)--are not considered to be securities by the Supreme Court’s “Howey Decision”, therefore, they do not need to be registered with the SEC or anyone. This is a loophole that is open to abuse and needs to be closed immediately. All of these products definitely meet the criteria to be considered securities and therefore should be required to register with the SEC. There should be no exceptions. All of these products should have to be registered with the SEC as securities.

11. All Hedge Funds and Private Money Management firms doing business within the United States of America (USA) should have to be registered with the SEC and FINRA as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and Fiduciary with no exceptions.

12. You need to reduce the highest total individual and corporate income tax rates from 35% (2nd highest rate in the World) to 25% to allow U.S. Corporations and Individuals to compete against other workers, companies, and countries around the globe. The three new tax rates on earned income would be 5% ($1 - $50,000), 15% ($50,001 - $200,000), and 25% ($200,001 or more). All dividend and capital gains income would be taxed at 10%. This will have the greatest impact on job creation, lowering the unemployment rate, stimulating the economy, and sustaining growth in the near and long-term.

13. The “Claw Back” law needs to be reinstituted immediately for all US corporations/companies and their Board of Directors, CEO’s, CIO’s, CFO’s, Senior Management, and all employees going back to the date that it was taken off or dropped. This “Claw Back” law should be retroactively applied to all cases and incidences from the date that it was dropped.

All of these key changes need to be made in order to bring order and integrity back to the markets, protect investors, and restore confidence in our financial system. These changes are immediate “hits” with huge positive impacts for your Administration, the economy, the markets, investors, companies, and economic recovery. Also, they require no multi-billion dollar bailout packages or additional funds to implement, simply, just smart policy and regulatory changes that can be implemented immediately with little effort or time. What we need now is solid, simple, and substantive solutions and that is exactly what I am proposing. If the above thirteen changes are made (i.e., action not words), you will see the markets and the economy rally beyond belief and confidence/hope return.

original post by SmartInvmtIdeas for The Motley Fool

How to Organize Your Own “Tea Party” Protest

The internet is abuzz with chatter about organizing protests around the country to put an end to this madness on Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. But I’ve talked to many people out there who have never organized a protest, and so they don’t have a clue where to begin. Here are 10 simple steps that you can follow to organize a protest in your own community. If you want more help, just send me an email at bsteinhauser @freedomworks.org and I’ll work with you one on one to help make your protest a success.

1. Pick a location, date and time in your town. I’d suggest main street at an intersection with lots of traffic.

2. Tell your friends, family, co-workers and everyone else you know about the protest. Build an rsvp email list so that you can provide quick updates if something changes. You should also create a facebook group so that the group can communicate with one another.

3. Make 5-10 signs with legible slogans that send a clear message to the public and the media. Write in BIG LETTERS.

4. Call your local talk radio hosts and ask them to announce the location, date and time on the air for a few days leading up to the protest. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper announcing the protest. Email the bloggers in your area and ask them to post a notice about the protest.

5. Write a press release and email, mail and fax copies to the local tv stations, radio stations and newspapers. Call the reporters that cover local events or politics and leave messages on their voice mail.

6. On the day of your protest, show up with your group, be loud, visible, happy and engage the public. Wave your signs, make lots of noise and move around to get attention. If reporters interview you, give them some good sound bytes for their stories. Stay on message and keep your answers short and coherent.

7. Bring sign-in sheets to capture the names, emails and phone numbers of everyone who attends the protest and/or says that they support what you are doing. You will then have a big list of people that can plan the next, much bigger and louder, event. Also bring handouts with one page of quick facts about why you are protesting in the first place.

8. Add your pictures, video and an after-action report to your facebook group, and send this stuff to the bloggers and reporters that you originally contacted. Ask them to post the photos, story and video.

9. Thank everyone who attended via email and phone, and set up a meeting to plan your next event. Now you have a list of people in your community that can help make the next protest huge. Encourage everyone to commit to bring at least one friend to the next protest.

10. Organize a carpool and go find a friend in your neighboring town or county and help them organize a protest there. You and your people are now veterans and should be able to keep the momentum going around your area.

Email me if you have any questions or want some ideas for signs. bsteinhauser @freedomworks.org

Good luck!

It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds. — Samuel Adams

article by The Conservative Revolution

Robert Gould Shaw

Son of a prominent Boston abolitionist family, Robert Shaw was serving as a captain in the 2nd Massachusetts when he was tapped by Massachusetts Governor John Andrew for a special assignment. Shaw was to raise and command the first regiment of black troops organized in a Northern state.

All the previous 11 colored" regiments had been raised principally from freed slaves in occupied areas. Shaw went about the organization of his command, recruiting free blacks from all over New England and some from beyond. The regiment was mustered into service on May 13, 1863, with Shaw as its colonel, and was sent to the South Carolina coast to take part in the operations against the cradle of secession, Charleston. After leading the regiment in smaller actions on James Island, at Legaresville on July 13, and Secessionville on July 16, Shaw moved the regiment over to Morris Island.

On July 18, 1863, he led the 54th, in conjunction with two brigades of white troops, in an assault on Confederate Battery Wagner. In the unsuccessful charge, the black troops proved themselves to be fully capable of standing up to enemy fire but lost about one quarter of their men, including Colonel Shaw. The rebels in the battery were so outraged by the Union commanders arming blacks that they decided to insult the white officer by burying him in a common grave with his black enlisted men. But Shaw's parents, when they heard of it, were pleased and believed that was the way their son would have wanted it.



Source: Burchard, Peter, One Gallant Rush: Robert Gould Shaw and His Brave Black Regiment "Who Was Who In The Civil War" by Stewart Sifakis

Chandra Levy Was Killed By An Illegal Immigrant?

Supposedly there’s going to be an arrest in the Chandra Levy murder case. Law enforcement officials said an arrest warrant will be issued for Ingmar Guandique, who is currently in prison in California.

Officials said Guandique will be served papers there and likely then flown to Washington, D.C., to hear the charges against him.

Guandique is reportedly in jail for assaulting two women in Rock Creek Park, the same park where Levy's remains were found a year after she vanished, according to WRC-TV in Washington.

Another inmate told investigators that Guandique confessed to Levy's murder, according to the station. But Guandique changed his story when speaking to investigators. He allegedly told police that he saw Levy several times in the park, but played no part in her death.

Gary Condit wasn’t involved? Just a random killing by a local bad guy?

You can read much detail about Guandique in this Washington Post article. What jumps out at me is that he’s an illegal Salvadoran immigrant. We need to put a stop to illegal immigration.

story by Half Sigma blog

Charging the same individual who was cleared in the initial investigation of Levy's murder smacks of a cover up. Particularly when you discover the threat her inside information represented to highly placed government officials. Check out the excerpt below that details why Ingmar Guandique was ruled out as a suspect following the discovery of Levy's body in Rock Creek Park.

There was a genuinely farcical attempt to pin the Levy murder on a minor criminal, Ingmar Guandique, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who had been known to assault joggers in the area. After he passed a lie detector test, and the complete lack of any possible similarity between his crimes and the known facts of the Levy case, they had to drop it. It took more than a year after she was found for her remains to be returned to her family, which is very unusual. During that time several independent expert forensic doctors came foreward and offered to examine her remains in order to help solve the case, but were REFUSED PERMISSION, despite their efforts being widely publicized.

taken from The Northstar Foundation web site

'The Wrestler' Wins Big At Independent Spirit Awards

There's no doubt about this champion. The Wrestler, the tale of a grappler trying for one last comeback, defeated all comers at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards, earning a win for Best Feature and garnering unlikely comeback kid Mickey Rourke the Best Male lead nod.



"I didn't realize how many closet Mickey Rourke fans there were in this world," director Darren Aronofsky said backstage. "That's been the best part of this whole trip -- watching people come out of everywhere."

Mickey Rourke, clearly making the most of his unexpected comeback after spending years in the acting wilderness, proved the clear crowd favorite, with a six-minute off-the-cuff acceptance speech, very little of which can be printed in a family newspaper.

He started off by urging that producers find work for his buddy, actor Eric Roberts, whose career has gone decidedly cold. "Whatever he did 15 for 20 years ago, he deserves to be forgiven," Rourke said, to considerable laughter and an embarrassed shout-out from Roberts, who was in the audience. And he finished with a profane, though hilarious, litany of advice for down-on-their-luck actors.

Still, no one took more delight in winning a Spirit than Melissa Leo, who bested fellow Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) to win for Female Lead. Near tears, she thanked just about everyone who had anything to do with the film, including her fellow cast members, director Courtney Hunt, the residents of Plattsburgh, N.Y. (where the film was shot), even the journalists and entertainment writers "who really gave Frozen River a chance."

"Hooray independents," an emotional Leo shouted as she left the stage

Other Spirit winners included Tom McCarthy, Best Director for The Visitor; Woody Allen, Best Screenplay, for Vicky Cristina Barcelona; and Penelope Cruz, Best Supporting Female, also for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

James Marsh's Man on Wire won for Best Documentary.

Milk, Gus Van Sant's biopic of the murdered gay rights crusader and San Francisco assemblyman, took the day's first two awards, with James Franco winning for Best Supporting Male and Dustin Lance Black taking the Best First Screenplay prize.

Both men sounded hopeful notes backstage, saying they hoped the film marked a new chapter in the country's acceptance of gays and lesbians. "I do believe that America loves gay and lesbian people," Black said. "They just may not have met us yet."

Although the Spirits like to present themselves as Oscar's feistier cousin, the line between Oscar-worthy and Spirit-worthy films has been blurring steadily over the past several years.

Among the most prominent names among this year's Spirit-nominated films were Milk, The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married and Frozen River, all of which were nominated for multiple Oscars as well.

Still, the Spirits reveled in their -- to borrow a word that doubtless will be heard repeatedly at Sunday's Oscars -- slumdog status. Host Steve Coogan's opening monologue was liberally sprinkled with words that George Carlin once proclaimed could never be said on TV. Several of the acceptance speeches were proudly off-color. And on his way into the awards ceremony, a smiling Rourke dropped the f-word repeatedly into every interview, and even displayed his middle finger delightedly -- and was applauded for doing so.

"As a fan of Mickey's," The Wrestler co-producer Scott Franklin said as the ceremonies ended, "I can't wait to see what he does next."

by Chris Kaltenbach for The Baltimore Sun

A Streaming-Only Netflix Plan in the Works?

I’m a subscriber to Netflix’s one-out-at-a-time, unlimited plan ($8.99/month) to keep costs down, yet still receive a physical DVD every week and have unlimited access to the Netflix online video streaming. Some who use the Roku or Xbox 360 might wonder why there isn’t a streaming-only plan for a little less money. According to an interview with Bloomberg News, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is considering that very thing.

Hastings didn’t reveal how much they might charge for a streaming-only subscription with Netflix, but he did say that this type of play could arrive “late this year” or in 2010. The question then would be: How much are customers willing to pay for such a service? They have definitely upgraded their streaming movie collection, but it’s still full of older movies and TV shows. If Netflix offered a “premium” streaming service with newer movies and a larger collection, I’d be willing to pay more. Would you pay for an online-streaming-only service from Netflix?

by Brent Evans for Zatz Not Funny!

GM Restructuring Forces Saab Bankruptcy

Check one item off our GM bailout checklist: With no rescue from Sweden, Saab Automobile AB filed for bankruptcy on Friday. As General Motors Corp. lobbied for more money from Washington, it presented a massive restructuring plan that severed its ties with the unit.

In a statement, Saab said the Swedish court process is to reorganize Saab into a fully independent business, aiming to bring resources back to Sweden. It also has three new models ready to be launched over the next year and a half. And as it turns out, the Swedish government could still provide loan guarantees to Saab following a restructuring, a senior official told Reuters.

Of the restructuring, Saab managing director Jan Ake Jonsson said, "We explored and will continue to explore all available options for funding and/or selling Saab and it was determined a formal reorganization would be the best way to create a truly independent entity that is ready for investment."

As noted by a Bloomberg article, Sweden has ruled out taking over Saab, saying taxpayers' money shouldn't be pumped into a company that's been unprofitable for 19 of the last 20 years. Saab is seeking funds from both public and private sources.

original post by Baz Hiralal for TheDeal Blogs Network

IRS Code 1301 - U.S. Federal Tax Returns Delayed?

Code 1301 means there's a delay in processing the return. With the economic collapse worsening by the day, the delays in processing federal tax refunds are increasing anxiety levels throughout the country.

Here's an enlightening exchange on the popular GodlikeProductions internet forum . . .

Somebody must know why the IRS is delaying returns. Mine has said 1301 for 2 weeks. Yahoo Answers is also deleting some questions reguarding 1301. If I owed them money, they would want it like yesterday plus interest and more taxes. Anyone else having problems?

Last spring I remember an internal memo that came from the USPS HQ [I'm a postal employee] that said around 17% of Americans do not file taxes... and it urged us good, loyal federal employess to do so because if we didn't it inspired a lack of voluntary participation and confidence in the tax system. I found those words to be very odd... and posted a thread here on GLP at the time as I interpreted them to mean that we really WEREN'T required to pay taxes and that it IS voluntary after all. And, I was a little surprised at that high 17% figure!

There was a discussion on this a long time ago. Apparently there is no law saying we need to pay taxes and it is voluntary. The problem, I think, is that they do have laws on the books saying they can prosecute if certain tax codes are violated. (But not for actually paying the tax in the first place - only if you omit something on reporting.) Sort of a catch-22. It's like paying the mob. There is no law saying you have to, but it you don't, you run the risk of having your knee caps broken in an unfortunate "accident".

Scoop44: A New Generation, A New Politics

President Barack Obama made generational change and young people, together, the very centerpiece of his campaign. Now his Administration must find ways to continue to engage those millions of young Americans who participated at unprecedented levels this election cycle. No substantive method yet exists, but Scoop44 fills this void.

Scoop44 follows the same innovative Web-based model of its predecessor, Scoop08, to report on the Obama administration, national politics, and public policy from a fresh generational lens. The Website is uniquely poised to address the surge in political activism and interest among young people.

Hailing from colleges and high schools across America, from Harvard and the University of Chicago to Ohio University, Arizona State, and Washington University in St. Louis to public and private secondary schools nationwide, Scoop44’s staff will venture into territory traditionally left ignored and unreported.

With writers on a myriad of specialty beats, including all facets of Washington, the heartland, race in America, academia, and new media and technology, Scoop44 will deliver substantive stories through multiple mediums and engaging new platforms, including feature-length articles, blog updates, email alerts, editorial digests, video reports, and live online chats with reporters.

Scoop44’s journalism will reveal the new political, cultural, and societal phenomena of 2009, unearthing underreported, even undiscovered, news. We are poised to follow this generation and to usher in a new age of political reporting for readers young and old, inside and outside of the beltway.

Unlike any existing media outlet, Scoop44 will probe particularly into how new policies relate to and affect the nation’s future and young Americans holding accountable this young administration. By drawing on the resources of incisive young minds — and by focusing concertedly on the new administration, its policies, and its impact on a rising generation — we will venture into territory that neither the mainstream media nor any other outlet can explore with equal vigor.

The election of President Obama, a demographic and an electoral sea-change, coupled with the rise of the Internet, a vehicle whose power is being harnessed with the greatest innovation by young people, means that more and more politicians recognize the importance of connecting online to this new generation of Americans. The interest generated already by the 44th President and his new administration is extraordinary — and the media in turn has provided early and aggressive reporting on this watershed moment in American history. But with enormous concerns facing the new President, mainstream outlets are stretched thin.

Meanwhile, there is a demographic more energized and with more at stake in the next four, if not eight, years: America’s young people. Thanks to the opportunities presented by the Internet — online journalism, blogs, networking websites — a new generation, for the first time ever, has the chance to band together for the common purpose of reporting in-depth on the administration.

Our mission is to channel our energy — and to use it for good.

copy taken from Scoop44 web site

A Questionable Cartoon

An uproar is brewing about an editorial cartoon in today's New York Post that appears to tie President Obama to a rampaging chimpanzee killed by police.

The cartoon, by Sean Delonas, shows a chimp splayed on the ground in a pool of blood. Two police officers stand over the body, one holding a smoking gun, and the second saying, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus bill on Tuesday. The cartoon appears to refer to Travis, the pet chimpanzee and TV star who was shot to death by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner.

The Rev. Al Sharpton told the Associated Press that the cartoon is "troubling at best."

Sharpton notes that Obama is the nation's first black president and that African Americans have been depicted as monkeys by racists through history.

"Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama and has become synonymous with him, it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?" he asked, according to press accounts.

Sam Stein at The Huffington Post says it seems "rife with racial and political sensitivities."

The Post is standing by the cartoon, and questioning Sharpton's motives.

"The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut," editor-in-chief Col Allan said in a statement. "It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

original post by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor for The Boston Globe

Obama's Housing Plan

This morning in Phoenix, President Barack Obama announced the third part of his economic recovery package, the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, which will address the housing market and is particularly targeted at 7 to 9 million families facing foreclosure (there were 2.3 million foreclosures last year). Interestingly, the $200 billion in funding for the plan comes from the Housing and Economic Recovery Act passed last August, not TARP or the Financial Stability Plan.

Here are the main points:

There will be refinancing options for 4 to 5 million families whose mortgages are owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Falling home prices have made many ineligible to refinance, but now even homeowners who own less than 20 percent of their home will be able to see lower interest rates and more manageable monthly payments.

Use $75 billion to do loan modifications in the private market for 3 to 4 million at-risk homeowners. This looks to require tax payers to share some costs with lenders, who will be responsible for lowering interest rates on mortgages to a certain level (38 percent of the homeowner's income) and then costs will be matched with the government down to 31 percent. The government will also split the costs of a reduction in principal -- essentially, a write-down of the home's value. There are also incentive fees to mortgage servicers and holders for taking these write-downs, and a $10 billion insurance fund to encourage them to to modify their loans sooner rather than continuing to wait for prices to fall.

The loan modification procedures will be standardized across all government mortgage holding agencies and all financial institutions participating in the program, preventing anyone from seizing a more advantageous deal.

The administration will support the legislation that will allow judges to modify primary home loans during bankruptcy proceedings.

Treasury is buying another $100 billion in preferred stock in both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an attempt to increase confidence; the two government mortgage giants will also be increasing their loan portfolios "by $50 billion to $900 billion," which seems like a hell of a range of possibilities.

The difficulty of foreclosure prevention has always been that someone has to take a financial hit. The previous effort at dealing with the problem, HOPE for Homeowners, came out of last summer's housing legislation and failed because the program was entirely voluntary for mortgage lenders. The new plan obviously offers cost-sharing incentives for lenders (who will still face some initial loss) but also some coercive measures: One is the willingness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand their market share and refinance their loans, which will affect the housing market across the board. The second is the administration's support for bankruptcy loan modification. Now the government is essentially presenting a choice for mortgage lenders: take our deal, which is standardized across the entire industry, or let a bankruptcy judge modify the loan however he or she sees fit.

The president was also careful to present his plan in terms of the overall economic good, since many are still leery about bailing out homeowners who are defaulting on their loans, even if in many cases they were responsible and made their payments. The president stressed that foreclosures result in a drop in surrounding home value, and his fact sheet claims that "the average homeowner could see his or her home value stabilized against declines in price by as much as $6,000." So really, it's a rescue for everyone. Right?

original post by Tim Fernholz for The American Prospect