Every election cycle has its share of upset winners, the candidates who pulled off long-shot victories that surprised the pundits, the political professionals and sometimes even themselves.
Check it out here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081229/pl_politico/16879
Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign - "The president broke his bond with the public.
Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public. State of the Union addresses? It didn't matter. Legislative initiatives? It didn't matter. P.R.? It didn't matter. Travel? It didn't matter."
The full story is here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/177151
Former Merrill Lynch executive Peter Kraus received a $25 million dollar payout from TARP funds after working at the firm for only 3 months.
He also bought an apartment on New York's Park Avenue for $37 million. This is how taxpayer money is being spent--a bailout for the super rich.
Link source:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/30/85952/148/913/678437
BAGHDAD - The trial of the journalist who threw his shoes at President George W.
Bush has been postponed, an Iraqi official said Tuesday.
All these symbolic fights do the same thing: help political activists rally the base and raise funds, which is the reason they exist in the first place.
But in the real world, they cause suffering and death. They cause harm in the exact places where they seek to do good.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/gay-marriage-and-abortion-123008
A lot has been made of the recent public unrest in Russia and the brutality with which the authorities have responded.
The protests are sign that the tacit deal -- the social bribe -- between Vladimir Putin and the Russian people is coming unraveled under the pressure of the financial crisis.
Read the full story here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-coalson/the-myth-of-putins-popula_b_154209.html
The president may assert executive privilege to withhold from Congress records of an FBI interview with Vice President Dick Cheney regarding the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity, the attorney general concludes in a legal opinion released Monday.
The full story is here:
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202427076527
Gas prices fell for the ninth consecutive day, according to a survey of credit card swipes at service stations across the nation released on Sunday. Prices are down 60% from the record high of $4.114 a gallon touched on July 17.
Check it:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/28/news/economy/gas_prices/index.htm?postversion=2008122809
Young and desperate, Somali pirates aren't afraid to commit heinous acts of destruction, says one of their leaders.
Check it out here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/175980?GT1=43002
A Russian academic who has long predicted that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. has recently found an eager audience: Russian state media.
Source:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html
Natalie Hickey picked up $140k in student debt, some of it at interest rates as high as 18%.
Her monthly payments are roughly $1,700, more than her rent and car payment combined. Caught in an increasingly common trap in the nation's $85-billion student loan market, Hickey borrowed heavily, presuming that all her debt was part of the federal loans
Read the full story here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-collegedebt27-2008dec27,0,4636992.column?page=1&track=rss
US president elect Barack Obama has topped a list of 'History Makers of 2008'.
Find out who else made it to the top.
Check it:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/slideshow/obama-tops-history-makers-of-2008-list.html
In addition to his well-documented abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law, Cheneys public disapproval ratings might be explained in part by his own personal disregard for the public.
When told that two-thirds of Americans disapproved of the Iraq war, Cheney responded so?, adding that he didnt care what the American people thought.
Get the low-down here:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/28/cheney-low-polls-dont-know/
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians against Israel's attacks on Gaza, state television said. " the Islamic world's pious people are obliged to defend the defenseless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible"
Check it:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3645719,00.html
The box of crackers Debra Rogoff bought from the grocery store had $10,000 in it.
Police later heard that a woman had mistakenly returned a box of crackers with her life savings inside to a Whole Foods. The Rogoffs returned the money, but never heard from the woman, and never received a reward. They did, however, get a new box of crackers.
The White House issued blistering criticism of Hamas, saying the group had provoked Israels airstrikes on Gaza by firing rockets into southern Israel.
The full story is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/world/middleeast/28diplo.html
The 2008 holiday sales season is one of the worst for retailers in decades, as consumers' concerns about the economy and job losses crushed the typical year-end shopping exuberance. 'I don't see any reason for retailers to be rejoicing at all," said Britt Beemer, chairman and founder of America's Research Group.
Read the full story here:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/26/news/economy/holidaysales_finalnumbers/index.htm
General Motors Corp. is suing a bankrupt automotive supplier for immediate access to specialized parts and equipment, arguing that a delay would hamper the launch of its new Chevrolet Camaro, disrupt assembly operations and cause millions of dollars in damages it can ill afford.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/26/financial/f113411S39.DTL&feed=rss.business
As George W Bush prepares to leave the White House, at least one unpleasant episode from his unpopular presidency is threatening to follow him into retirement.
Link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/28/dan-rather-cbs-lawsuit-bush
The Republican party was able to manipulate Alaska law enforcement to hold off on arresting Bristol Palin's future step-mom's on drug charges until after the election.
Is this legal? I can only imagine if Obama or Biden did such a thing that the GOP would be calling for their heads.
Two environmental activists were detained by the Tennessee Valley Authority police for photographing the site of last weeks ash spill.
While it does not appear that they will be charged with crimes, they were unable to document the ash spills effects on the area and its water supply.
Check it out here:
http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/12/27/activists-detained-for-taking-ash-spill-photographs/
The United Nations is working to establish a commission to investigate the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose death came one year ago Sunday.
Check it out here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/26/un.pakistan/index.html?eref=rss_world
The empowerment of terror in Pakistan has not happened overnight.
This is the logical culmination of the politics and policies pursued by Pakistan for years now. Terrorism in Pakistan has its roots in the culture of hate and the ethos of inequality on the ground of religious faith, leading to their being deeply ingrained in the Pakistani psyche.
As the stock market heads into the last week of the year, what was inconceivable just 12 months ago is now a stark possibility: 2008 could be the worst year ever for Wall Street.
The full story is here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4BP3J820081226
As the world economy falls deeper into recession many people from all walks of life have had a punishing year financially.
From the average investor and home owner to the richest of the rich we spotlight 20 people that are hoping for much better things in 2009.
Company is rumored to be preparing itself for deep layoffs in an attempt to bolster profitability. But even this Microsoft critic can't get excited about Microsofties out of work.
Get the low-down here:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10128880-16.html?part=rss
In exit interviews, President Bush sounds reflective, even chastened, while Vice President Dick Cheney is defiant to the end.
Three Chinese naval ships have set sail for waters off Somalia to protect Chinese vessels from pirate attacks.
The top ten historical moments to land on December 25th
Get the low-down here:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1868127,00.html
The mother of Michael Hammersley alleges negligence.
Four who were injured also file suits.
The families of three men who were killed last week during a search of a grain warehouse want to press charges against American soldiers under the terms of a new security agreement between the U.S. and Iraq.
The full story is here:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/58334.html
An in-depth look into policy clears up the implications behind lobbying.
The full story is here:
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/lobbyings-long-arm/article108833.html
Radical change is needed to re-establish legitimate bounds to executive power as defined in the Constitution.
We must again place beyond the pale Nixon's famous aphorism that "when the president does it, that means it's not illegal."
Check it out here:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/huq?rel=hp_picks
Pope Benedict XVI has used his traditional Christmas Midnight Mass to call for an end to "hatred and violence" in the Middle East.
In a unanimous decision handed down just now, the state Supreme Court denied Republican Senator Norm Coleman any relief in a lawsuit he was waging against Democratic challenger Al Franken.
A win for Franken is now nearly certain.
Check it out here:
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/minnesota_supremes_shoot_down.php
In a not-so-shocking analysis of one of the most-watched TV investment advisers, author Eric Tyson argues that Jim Cramer's actual stock-picking performance doesn't match the strength of his bellowing.
From:
http://consumerist.com/5116676/jim-cramers-advice-slightly-worse-than-a-coin-toss?skyline=true&s=x
Obama's office said in a report that its staff had no inappropriate communications with the office of Illinois Gov.
Blagojevich, who is at the center of a corruption probe. (Report)
From:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123006506377030963.html
Chris Patten criticizes the American culture of debt that President-elect Obama will inherit after his inauguration.
Patten believes Obama will need to convince Americans to believe in "family values -- not running up bloody great deficits."
Link:
http://fora.tv/2008/11/07/Chris_Patten_Can_Obama_Induce_American_Savings_Spree
A changing Internet changes corporate America.
Generation-Y professionals, a name typically referring to young employees between the ages 22 and 28, are bringing the work environment to a completely different level
Link source:
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/40695/128/
Flying J, a big privately held firm that operates oil refineries and truck stops, said Monday it filed for bankruptcy protection, hit by the abrupt fall in energy prices and a credit crunch.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gg1jsxAjG2N-7OQXBASdYUEMdsKw
A woman has been jailed for at least 17 years for stabbing her husband to death after disguising herself with a burka.
Opticians assistant Khatun, who regularly wore Western clothes, wanted to hide her identity from neighbours and CCTV cameras.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3918790/Woman-who-disguised-herself-in-burka-jailed-for-murdering-husband.html
We all know that Cheney was a part of the Plame CIA leak.
How do we know for sure? He admitted it. Here.
The founder of a hedge fund that invested with Bernard Madoff has been found dead at his Manhattan office.
From:
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fi-madoff-suicide24-2008dec24,0,6846750.story?track=rss
A 100-car pileup on I-94 in western Michigan as a result of sustained whiteout blizzard conditions left one person dead and closed down an 11-mile section of the freeway for hours.
Check it out here:
http://jalopnik.com/5115757/100 car-pileup-on-i 94-in-michigan-leaves-one-dead
The story of whistleblower, key witness about to testify that 04 election was stolen, GOP IT guru, threatened by Rove, warned of his safety thru sabotage & feared for his life Connell who died in a fiery plane crash has finally been picked up by TV's MSM.
Link:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Local_TV_news_Connell_crash_accident_1223.html
Barack Obama will be deliberately spitting on everything America holds dear by being sworn into office on the Bible of known atheist and homosexual Abraham Lincoln.
Couldn't he have chosen a better American, like Jerry Falwell?
Amazing glimpses of the year that was.
Check it out here:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1861868,00.html
The Republican consultant accused of involvement in a vote-rigging scandal was warned that his plane might be sabotaged before his death in a crash Friday night, according to a Cleveland CBS affiliate.
The network also reported that the operative -- Michael Connell -- canceled two previous flights because of suspicious problems with his plane.
Get the low-down here:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Killed_GOP_pilot_suspected_plane_had_1222.html
Tony Williamson of Worthing died of a necrotising fasciitis infection he contracted from a small scratch.
It took him just six days to go from healthy to dead.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.theargus.co.uk/search/3992581.Flesh_eating_bug_kills_man/
Increasingly defiant toward international pressure since his nation's first nuclear test in early October, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il condemned this morning's sunrise, calling it "another hostile, deliberately timed act by the world community" and "a clear and blatant declaration of war."
Read the full story here:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/kim_jong_il_interprets_sunrise_as
The recession and economic turmoil is creating a new class of casualties: Married couples who can't afford to get divorced.
In these tough times many people are finding it's cheaper to stay together, even when they can't stand each other.
Link source:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid={ED35EC99-9273-4A10-B437-A177F4EC4D4D}
On Friday, Dec. 5, the President-elect sat down with TIME managing editor Richard Stengel, editor-at-large David Von Drehle and Time Inc. editor-in-chief John Huey in Obama's spartan transition...
Link:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1865069,00.html?iid=digg_share
A mother and her two young children were found shot to death Friday, possibly by the mother who may have also staged a series of attacks on the family over the last two weeks, police said.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20081220/Three.Dead/
"A Saudi court has rejected a plea to divorce an eight-year-old girl married off by her father to a man who is 58, saying the case should wait until the girl reaches puberty." That's family values!
Get the low-down here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1099447/Saudi-court-rejects-divorce-plea-EIGHT-year-old-girl-married-58-year-old-man.html
"Draft resolution XX... approved on 24 November by a recorded vote of 180 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions, would have the Assembly reaffirm that hunger constitutes an outrage and a violation of human dignity, requiring the adoption of urgent measures at the national, regional and international level, for its elimination"
Link:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/20/212722/43/694/675613
This is the full text of Bush's speech.
Remember the one that took America to Iraq almost 6 years ago. It is a cleaver combination of propaganda and manufactured " evidence". The American people bought it; at the time 80% were in for the war.
Link source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/mar/18/usa.iraq
From the great high of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony to the extreme low of the Sichuan earthquake - 2008 was a turbulent year for China.
And 2009 looks poised for more extremes from the economic crisis.
Check it out here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28299697
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday signaled climate change and genetic research will be among his top priorities when he takes office as he named White House science and technology advisers.
The full story is here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081220/wl_afp/uspoliticsobamascience_081220173617
An election in Bangladesh is usually a chance for an ordinary voter to make a quick buck, enjoy a free meal and perhaps even grab a souvenir t-shirt at a campaign rally. "No-one is offering us money or anything else this time," said Abdul Jalil, a rickshaw puller in the capital, Dhaka. "Previously, we would get cash or other gifts during elections.
Check it out here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4BJ0B120081220
In two-and-a-half months, the Treasury has used up half of the money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Here's how it came and went so fast. President Bush has grudgingly allowed General Motors and Chrysler to drive away with the last few billion bucks in Treasury's TARP till, which boasted $350 billion a mere 77 days ago.
Link source:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/19/news/economy/tarp_tale_of_first350b/index.htm
A Floyd County man showed up at the city-county building in New Albany to pay his property taxes with more than $21,000 in coins.
For many of us, this is the first recession where we are responsible for our own financial well-being.
How should we react? What habits are important during a long, deep recession?
Read the full story here:
http://consumerist.com/5113811/top-9-good-habits-for-a-deep-recession
The meter reader who led authorities last week to remains believed to be those of Caylee Anthony called police four months ago, directing them three times to same site, authorities said Thursday.
Read the full story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/18/caylee.anthony/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
'Todays net neutrality tempest - Google: are they or arent they? - is a marketing mistake with grave public policy implications.
The mistake was law professor Tim Wus: creating a new label when a perfectly good one is already there..."
Read the full story here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=373
The Federal Reserve Board, the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration approved regulations to rein in controversial credit card practices. These regs are expected to take effect by July 2010.
The new rules prohibit banks from certain practices like applying interest payments in ways that maximize penalties.
Link:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/18/pf/credit_card_rules/index.htm
Sherry L.
Johnston of Wasilla, Alaska, was arrested Thursday at her home and charged with six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. Her son, Levi Johnston, 18, received international attention when Gov. Sarah Palin announced their daughter was pregnant and Levi was the father. Bristol Palin is due to give birth Saturday.
Read the full story here:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/628010.html
The $13.4 billion in short-term financing and $4 billion at a later date are intended to prevent the collapse of General Motors and Chrysler.
Check it out here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/business/20auto.html?ex=1387429200&en=7e97c5295a9fc8ae&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg
Even Uncle Sam may get burned by Bernard Madoff.
Investors who lost their fortunes in Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme will end up paying far less in taxes and may even be eligible for refunds, according to accounting experts. By some estimates, the Internal Revenue Service could be out as much as $17 billion in lost tax revenue.
The full story is here:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MADOFF_SCANDAL_TAXES?SITE=OHRAV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Several Nobel science prize committees in Sweden are being investigated for possible bribery, a special corruption prosecutor told AFP on Thursday.
The full story is here:
http://www.physorg.com/news148810818.html
what happened to Vickie Lewis could happen to anyone: She got sick, lost her job and fell behind on her house payments. So for the past four years, Lewis, 48, has seen her name on dozens of legal documents and spent hours in court as her mortgage holder, Washington Mutual Bank, pursued foreclosure on the only home she has ever owned.
Check it out here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28265498/
During graduate school, Audrey Troutt managed her expenses with an Excel spreadsheet.
After graduating, she wanted an easier way to handle her bills and to track her finances. "I don't want to calculate an elaborate budget," says Ms. Troutt, a 26-year-old software engineer from Philadelphia. "I don't need that. I just want something simple."
From:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122947318410112313.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has rejected two more efforts to get the court to consider whether President-elect Barack Obama is eligible to take office.
Link:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iHUQU9Oy9bW8w5a5eevJkGvFNtmAD954J4CG0
Obama: The College Years
Source:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1866765_1815188,00.html
Think the recession hit you bad? CEOs of major corporations are hurting, conceding to $1 yearly salaries.
Or are they? While many executives have made the public gesture to rescind their annual paychecks, these corporate leaders are hardly in the poor house.
Check it out here:
http://www.insidecrm.com/features/ceos-1dollar-salaries-121708/
2008 has been an eventful year to say the least - it is difficult to sum up the thousands of stories in just a handful of photographs.
Read the full story here:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/the_year_2008_in_photographs_p.html
An NHS doctor from Iraq convicted of plotting to commit mass murder has been sentenced to life in prison. Bilal Abdulla, 29, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder in huge car bomb attacks in 2007 with accomplice Kafeel Ahmed.
Read the full story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7786884.stm
The Iraqi television reporter who threw his shoes at President George W.
Bush at a news conference appeared before a judge Tuesday and admitted "aggression against a president," a judicial spokesman said. The court may send him for trial under a clause in the Iraqi penal code that makes it an offense to attempt to murder Iraqi or foreign presidents
The full story is here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/16/mideast/iraq.php
The US Federal Reserve has slashed its key interest rate from 1% to a range of between zero and 0.25% as it battles the country's recession.
An accelerant was poured around the exterior of Gov.
Sarah Palin's church before fire heavily damaged the building, federal investigators said Monday. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the accelerant was poured at several locations around the church, including entrances.
Read the full story here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/174696
4-tons of Beluga caviar and $250,000 bottles of vintage Dom Prignon were on hand for America's CEOs to celebrate the historic bailout.
From:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/700_billion_bailout_celebrated
Italian police have carried out a huge raid on the mafia, arresting around 100 alleged gangsters in Sicily and Tuscany.
Check it out here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/3793094/Italian-police-arrest-more-than-100-mafia-members.html
After a Belgian mom cut all her five kids' throats last week (the story being popular on Digg), a few days ago another one sold her twins to get liposuction!...
The price? 9,000. I guess I won't be having a Belgian girlfriend anytime soon.
Since the imposition of Islamic law 25 years ago, having a cool beer in Sudan meant running the risk of 40 lashes.
Today SAB Miller is preparing to open a brewery in the south of the country. We will not only be consuming but producing alcohol, Samson Kwaje, the Agriculture Minister of south Sudan, said at the launch.
Link:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5342339.ece
Al-Zaidi is a 28-year-old journalist for Al Baghdadia, and Iraqi TV station.
So what exactly is the penalty for throwing a shoe at Dubya? Malikis security agents jumped on the man, wrestled him to the floor and hustled him out of the room. They kicked him and beat him until he was crying like a woman,
Link source:
http://gawker.com/5110129/what-will-become-of-the-baghdad-shoe-thrower?skyline=true&s=x
Kentucky is trying to seize the Internet domains of 141 offshore online poker/gaming sites, claiming they are unlawful.
As these sites are not based in the U.S., and as these sites are legal where they operate, this forfeiture action has broad Internet freedom implications. On Friday, an appeal of this action was heard by the KY Court of Appeals.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/625576.html
US President George Bush has arrived in Iraq on a surprise, farewell visit to the country that has defined his presidency since the invasion in 2003. Awwwwww......
Read the full story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7782422.stm
Including yours truly.
And more every day.
Link source:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/12/news/economy/job_cuts/index.htm?postversion=2008121212
That figure " repeated on television and in newspapers as the average pay of a Big Three autoworker " has become a big symbol in the fight over what should happen to Detroit.
But the truth is very different.
Check it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/business/economy/10leonhardt.html
A 75-year-old lion of the bankruptcy bar, Mr.
Miller has been consumed by the largest corporate liquidation in American history: Lehman Brothers, the storied investment bank that set off one of the most harrowing episodes in the financial crisis when it collapsed in mid-September.
From:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/business/14miller.html
John McCain sideswiped the Republican National Committee on Sunday for the intense focus it has placed on Barack Obama's relationship (however thin) to Gov.
Rod Blagojevich.
The full story is here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/14/mccain-whacks-rnc-defends_n_150850.html
The Indian navy captured 23 pirates who threatened a merchant vessel in the lawless waters of the Gulf of Aden and a German naval helicopter thwarted another attack Saturday on a freighter being chased by speedboats off Yemen.
Get the low-down here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/ap_on_re_af/piracy
While women earn less than men in all fields, the difference is particularly egregious in Hollywood because of a long-standing belief that female stars are bad for box office, according to Professor Martha Lauzen of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.
Last night, the test run of "Open for Questions" on Obama's Change.gov site, closed with Marijuana Legalization being THE top issue! It even gained almost 2000 votes more than runner up.
Just a little further down on the front page, Medical Marijuana also grabbed the 7th place spot. Once again proving that this IS a top issue to the people.
Check it out here:
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december122008/barack_cannabis_12-12-08.php
From a Palestinian boy dressed like Santa Claus to a bullet riddled sign reading "May Peace Prevail On Earth" - an interesting look at Christmas in today's Bethlehem (where tradition says Jesus was born)....
Link source:
http://www.upi.com/topic/Bethlehem/1/
The White House has turned down a request from the family of President-elect Barack Obama to move into the White House guest house early so his daughters can start school Jan. 5.
Get the low-down here:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/sorry-were-booked-white-house-tells-obamas/
KB Toys has returned to Chapter 11 bankruptcy, says the Wall Street Journal, and will be liquidated by its parent company " Prentice Capital Management.
Link:
http://consumerist.com/5107696/santas-not-coming-all-kb-toys-stores-to-be-liquidated-and-closed
The Federal Reserve refused a request by Bloomberg News to disclose the recipients of more than $2 trillion of emergency loans from U.S. taxpayers and the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral.
Check it out here:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=apx7XNLnZZlc
The air seems to be coming out of the Web 2.0 bubble, squeezed by the economic downturn and the absence of many solid short-term business plans.
Link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/story?id=6436858&page=1
The bi-partisan election canvassing board in Minnesota has ruled that wrongfully rejected absentee ballots should be counted, despite Republican objections.
Read the full story here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/12/franken-wins-major-victor_n_150560.html
Wednesday was Rod Blagojevich's 52nd birthday, but you can bet it was not a happy one.
After having been charged by federal authorities with trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat that President-elect Obama vacated, the Illinois governor spent most of the day hidden from view. Here's the story behind the story.
Get the low-down here:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1865876,00.html
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - Blaring from a speaker behind a metal grate in his tiny cell in Iraq, the blistering rock from Nine Inch Nails hit Prisoner No. 200343 like a sonic bludgeon.
Stains like the blood on your teeth, Trent Reznor snarled over distorted guitars. Bite. Chew.
A British design company have launched a new product to help children concentrate at school - pre-chewed pencils.
The company, called Concentrate, says the pencils look like they have already been chewed making pupils less likely to put them in their mouths.
People are starting to think more about saving"and investing"than spending, which is perhaps the sole upside to the market turmoil.
Being an investing geek has become much more socially acceptable, and companies are taking notice.
Source:
http://blogs.wsj.com/wallet/2008/12/08/some-new-tools-for-investing-nerds/?mod=googlenews_wsj
The Indian government has announced a number of steps to strengthen internal security after the Mumbai attacks.
The body of a fourth person -- a child -- has been found in a San Diego home that was destroyed Monday when a Marine Corps fighter jet crashed into it, the San Diego County medical examiner's office said Tuesday
Read the full story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/09/military.jet.crash/index.html
This was a big year for women: The first serious female presidential candidate, the first predominately female state senate, the first female Top Chef.
Yet the advertising world has not caught up to the advances of half our population and continues to use stereotypes and violence to prey on our most vile desires. Here are the worst of them--the tre
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-leo/five-trends-the-advertisi_b_149354.html
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu to serve as his energy secretary.
An official announcement is expected in Chicago Thursday.
Link source:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98108540
Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous "Senate Candidate #5" whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S.
Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News...
Read the full story here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ConductUnbecoming/Story?id=6431739
Im sure youve heard about this BULLSHIT, where the SUPREME COURT of all people have turned their backs on the TRUTH and decided to let some guy with a name that DOESNT SOUND VERY AMERICAN TO ME be President.
From:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-truth-about-why-obama-cant-be-president/
Nearly eight in 10 Americans questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out Tuesday morning are giving the president-elect the thumbs up when it comes to his handling of the transition. Seventy-nine percent approve of Obama's performance so far during transition, with 18 percent disapproving.
Check it:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/Obama.poll/index.html
Amsterdam unveiled plans Saturday to close up to half of the famed brothels and marijuana cafes in its ancient city center as part of a major cleanup operation.The city says it wants to drive organized crime out of the district, and is targeting businesses that "generate criminality".
Check it out here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8134055
Congress and the White House inched toward agreement on legislation that would throw a lifeline to Big Three auto makers, a plan that could give the U.S. government a substantial ownership stake in the troubled industry.
Link source:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122875608562688401.html
Liberals are growing increasingly nervous " and some just flat-out angry " that President-elect Barack Obama seems to be stiffing them on Cabinet jobs and policy choices.
Read the full story here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081208/pl_politico/16292
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the $10 million bonus reportedly being considered for Merrill Lynch's chief executive John Thain is "nothing less than shocking.In a strongly worded letter sent to members of Merrill's board of directors, Cuomo points out that the brokerage reported losses for every quarter this year.
Read the full story here:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/08/news/economy/Cuomo_Thain/index.htm
Americans say the sagging economy is making the 2008 holiday season more stressful than previous years, according to a CNN poll out Monday, with up to two-thirds of them reporting some belt-tightening. Four in 10 people questioned in the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey said the recession is adding stress to their holiday season.
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/08/news/money_economy_poll/index.htm?eref=rss_topstories
The Supreme Court will hear the case of terror suspect Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, who has been held without trial in a military brig since 2003, and rule on the validity of the administration's controversial policy.
Read the full story here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-scotus-terror6-2008dec06,0,2479002.story
The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth.
Link source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/08/obama-birth-certificate-c_n_149229.html
There's never been a reality show like this one.
Barry Cooper is my new hero.
The full story is here:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Excop_Barry_Cooper_launches_Kop_Busters_1206.html
Can't Fox News spend even a week without spreading misinformation?
From:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/letter-to-sean-hannity-of_b_148971.html
raqi Army medics were hesitant to provide assistance to the reporter due to his insecure position. This was not the case for Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan P.
Faulhaber, a hospital corpsman serving with Military Transition Team 111 of 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division. Despite the high rate of continuous enemy fire, Faulhaber
SC Senator Jim DeMint (R:Nutjob) wants "In God We Trust" On the Capitol Visitors Center. What was that thing about separation between churchand state again?
Check it out here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/796544.html
WASHINGTON " President George W.
Bush publicly acknowledged for the first time Friday that the U.S. economy is in a recession and worried aloud that Detroit's Big Three automakers may not all survive their mounting troubles.
Check it out here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/05/bush-very-concerned-over-_n_148724.html
An ant species that originated in the Black Sea region has invaded more than 100 areas across Europe and is moving north.
Scientists say if it is not stopped, it will reach Northern Germany, Scandinavia and Britain and could invade the whole world.
Check it:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081203/sc_livescience/superanttakingovereurope
Did the jihadists who tore up Mumbai last week rely on party drugs usually associated with Western decadence to stay awake and alert throughout their three-day killing spree? Britain's Telegraph newspaper suggests that they did, citing unidentified officials claiming physical evidence shows the assailants used cocaine and other stimulants to sustai
From:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081204/wl_time/08599186404900
Well, now it's official: we're in a recession.
And we know when it began: December 2007, according to the official arbiter of business cycles, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which made the announcement Monday. So now the question is: when will it end, and how deep will it get?
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/economy/karydakis.recession.fortune/index.htm
The price of Sarah Palin's RNC-provided wardrobe is approaching the price of an average American home. "The RNC is scheduled to file a campaign report with the Federal Election Commission Thursday disclosing that the committee spent additional funds to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin"
Read the full story here:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/RNC_to_report_another_30000_spent_1204.html
This is the Texas home that George W.
Bush has purchased for his fast-approaching post-White House years. The home, on a Dallas cul-de-sac, sits on 1.13 acres and offers 8501 square feet of living space, according to city appraisal records.
Link:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/1204082bush1.html
Describing Pakistan as 'the intersection of nuclear weapons and terrorism', a top US Congressional panel has warned that the next terror attack on America is likely to originate in its ally's tribal areas.
Link:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20081203/890/twl-next-terror-attack-on-us-will-origin_1.html
Ford Motor Co. will tell Congress that it plans to return to a pretax profit or break even in 2011 when the Detroit Three automakers' CEOs appear before lawmakers this week to request $25 billion in government loans.
From:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081202/ap_on_bi_ge/autos_congress;_ylt=Ano87LxOWCsxSomhsMyLQb2s0NUE
This Honolulu Advertiser announcment of Barack Obama's Aug 4, 1961 birth was published August 13, 1961 on page B-6.
It is available only on microfilm in Hawaii libraries. It has never been posted online in spite of the extensive controversy over Obama's birth certificate. The announcement is 4th from the bottom of the left hand column.
Check it:
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Obama_1961_birth_announcement_from_Honolulu_Advertiser
New video uncovered in which Barack Obama himself confirms he was not born in the U.S.
This video was obtained secretly without his knowledge, and is proof positive that he should be disqualified as President Elect.
Can you combine creative energy, which is a manual and sort of qualitative exercise, with the raw processing power of computing, which is all about quantitative data and create ads on the fly based on contextual databases that measure the effectiveness of each part of an ad to create an ad on the fly based on target demographics? Interesting read..
From:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/business/media/03adco.html?_r=1
U.S. intelligence indicated that a group might enter the country by water and launch an attack on Mumbai, said the source
Source:
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/01/source-us-warned-india-about-possible-mumbai-attack/
The deal with protesters was reached after 7 days camp at the international Airport.
Link source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7757866.stm
Terrorists who battled Indian commandos for 60-hours last week relied on cocaine and other stimulants to stay awake for the duration of the fight.
Read the full story here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3540964/Mumbai-attacks-Terrorists-took-cocaine-to-stay-awake-during-assault.html
A man on drugs videotaped himself raping a woman before laughing while watching the footage in front of her, a jury in the Invercargill District Court has been told.
Read the full story here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4780003a11.html
Pirates chased and shot at a U.S. cruise liner with more than 1,000 people on board but failed to hijack the vessel as it sailed along a corridor patrolled by international warships, a maritime official said Tuesday.
Get the low-down here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081202/ap_on_re_af/piracy
Police are questioning a couple after a bruised and half-naked 17-year-old boy showed up at a gym Monday with a chain locked to his ankle, claiming he had just fled his captors, authorities said more
Bush Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is still considering a proposal to create a free, porn-free Internet, according to today's Wall Street Journal.
Martin was Deputy General Counsel for the Bush-Cheney 2000 recount.
Link:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bush_FCC_chairman_considering_pornfree_Internet_1201.html
A couple from Wales who were holed up in the Taj Mahal hotel, ciaim that CNN broadcast information that could have tipped off terrorists to their location.
Certainly, George Bush has left the Obama Administration much clean-up work to do. The notorious No Child Left Behind Act is such an example, and is currently up for renewal. I suspect this may likely be one of the first projects undertaken by the Obama Administration.
The full story is here:
http://centerleft.info/?p=177
