tagged w/ What Ever
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Well folks, I know I am not the only hard core Republican who is glad Obama won. He is shaping up to be quit a good prospect. He has left our guys in all the important Military positions. He has dropped the RICH TAX BS. Just like he told us he would do. And we are ready for him to lead. He just might be the Republicans best choice in 2012. Sorry,...but politics is complicated. We couldn't afford to have a yes man like McCain in the White House. And ...what is in a name anyways? Republican, Democrat at the end of the day were all just Americans right!!! Go Barack Go!!!Well folks, I know I am not the only hard core Republican who is glad Obama won. He is... more
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WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity lost more than 15 million dollars -- nearly all of its assets -- in the alleged fraud scheme run by Wall Street baron Bernard Madoff, the fund said Wednesday.
"We are writing to inform you that the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity had 15.2 million dollars under management with Bernard Madoff Investment Securities," said the foundation, which aims to combat anti-Semitism, on its website.
"This represented substantially all of the Foundation's assets," it said.
"We are deeply saddened and distressed that we, along with many others, have been the victims of what may be one of the largest investment frauds in history."
The statement added that the foundation "remains committed to carrying on the lifelong work of our founder, Elie Wiesel. We shall not be deterred from our mission to combat indifference, intolerance, and injustice around the world."
Wiesel, 80, a Nobel laureate and prolific author who survived the Holocaust, created the foundation some 20 years ago to foster international dialogue and youth programs to teach tolerance.
He is among dozens of wealthy Jews to have lost substantial amounts of money in Madoff's scheme.
Prosecutors say Madoff confessed to losing upwards of 50 billion dollars over years of running a pyramid scheme, where new investors were secretly fleeced to pay returns to earlier investors.
The 70-year-old former chairman of the Nasdaq stock market and a mainstay of the powerful American Jewish community is currently free on bail of 10 million dollars as police continue their probe.
What could have this guy done with all the money? Is he really guilty? Because If I embezzled
50 billion dollars, I would have left town when I hit 2 billion. Is there a chance he just lost the money from doing a crappy job?WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity lost more than 15... more
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CONAKRY, Guinea – The leader of a coup in Guinea and several thousand soldiers paraded through the capital Wednesday as cheering crowds screamed "long live the president!" Renegade army Capt. Moussa Camara said his group would hold power until elections in two years.
Cautiously at first and then by the thousand, people lined streets to applaud Camara, a virtual unknown until the death two days ago of longtime dictator Lansana Conte set in motion a political upheaval.
He stood in the first truck of a military convoy en route to the presidential palace and waved to the throng. A phalanx of soldiers hoisting Kalashnikovs accompanied the parade.
"I came to see if the terrain is favorable to us. I see that it is," Camara told those in the crowd, many of whom waved tree branches in celebration.
It was the first time the capital's residents had ventured outdoors since the military-led coup was declared Tuesday in this broken West African nation.
Initially the coup leaders promised elections within 60 days, but Camara said in a broadcast Wednesday that the 32-member junta would hold power for about two years.
"The National Council for Democracy and Development has no ambition of staying in power," he said on state radio. "We are here to promote the organization of credible and transparent presidential elections by the end of December 2010."
We..... are the Champions,...My friends,CONAKRY, Guinea – The leader of a coup in Guinea and several thousand soldiers... more
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ALBANY, N.Y. – Caroline Kennedy's bid to get appointed to the Senate and extend the Camelot dynasty has run into the bare-knuckle world of New York politics, where a backlash appears to be building against her.
Some politics-watchers have accused the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy of a series of missteps last week doing an upstate tour, when she evaded questions and in one case was hustled away by an aide after meeting with reporters for all of 30 seconds.
At the same time, some New York politicians, privately and publicly, have complained that Kennedy is jumping the line ahead of political figures with far more experience and that she has become the presumed front-runner by virtue of her name alone.
As the process has dragged on, political adversaries have had all the more opportunities to undercut her candidacy through various attacks, sniping and newspaper leaks.
On Wednesday, Gov. David Paterson said the bickering sounded "more like the prelude to a high school program than the choosing of a U.S. senator."
"She's a pinata now," said Maurice Carroll, longtime New York political reporter and now pollster for Quinnipiac University. "Until Paterson says `yes' or `no,' she's going to be a pinata for everybody to take a whack at, using anonymous sources."ALBANY, N.Y. – Caroline Kennedy's bid to get appointed to the Senate and... more
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WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush on Wednesday revoked a pardon he had granted only a day before — a step unheard of in recent memory — after learning in news reports of political contributions to Republicans by the man's father and other information.
Bush pardoned 19 people on Tuesday, including Isaac Robert Toussie of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had been convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and of mail fraud. On Wednesday, the White House issued an extraordinary statement saying the president was reversing his decision in Toussie's case.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the new decision was "based on information that has subsequently come to light," including on the extent and nature of Toussie's prior criminal offenses. She also said that neither the White House counsel's office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie's father that "might create an appearance of impropriety."
"Given that, this was the prudent thing to do," she said.
The new information came to the White House's attention from news reports, Perino said.
Man I have heard some hard luck stories but this poor guy,hahaha probably wants to Kill his dad right about now.
A story in the New York Daily News said Toussie's father, Robert, donated $28,500 to the national Republican Party in April. It came just months before Toussie's pardon petition, the newspaper said.WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush on Wednesday revoked a pardon he had... more
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Probably gonna beat this one. BUT IT CAN'T HURT TO TRY!!!
Unfortunately, not that happy.
There's a reason you've barely heard about it. It's because the whole thing sounds like a pile of crap. Cheney (and Alberto Gonzales) are named in an indictment alleging them responsible for abuse of prisoners in a private detention center. No, not Abu Graib. The prisons are in Texas. And the only reason Cheney's named is because he had a financial stake in the company that owns the prisons. Or something. The whole thing is really hard to figure out and as of press time, we stopped trying.
To make the whole thing even shadier, yesterday the prosecutor didn't even show up to court.
Okay, you got a Dick Cheney indictment through a grand jury and then you don't show up? It's Dick Cheney! We get that it's probably a trumped up indictment and the chances of a win are slim, but come on! Put him on the stand and try that "A Few Good Men" thing where you get him so angry that he starts confessing to shit. The first thing they should teach you in Law School is if you indict Dick Cheney, you can't puss out.
For future reference, if there are any other psycho lawyers who want to indict Cheney on bullcrap, we put together this little guide to make sure you don't blow it. It's after the jump:
Filed under: Dick Cheney, Cheney indictment, cheney indicted, cheney abuse indictment, cheney prisoner abuse indictment, cheney prisoner abuse, cheney torture accusation, cheney torture indictment, cheney texas border indictment, cheney texas torture indictment
LMAOProbably gonna beat this one. BUT IT CAN'T HURT TO TRY!!!
Unfortunately, not... more
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The head of Guinea's national assembly has urged the international community to stop an attempted military coup.
"The international community must... prevent the military from interrupting the democratic process," Aboubacar Sompare told Reuters news agency.
Soldiers said on Tuesday that they had seized power after the death of President Lansana Conte, but the situation remains unclear.
African Union leaders are holding emergency talks on the crisis.
According to Guinea's constitution, Mr Sompare should be in charge of the government until elections are held in 60 days.
In a telephone interview with Reuters, Mr Sompare said the army was split between loyalists and coup-plotters.
map
Lansana Conte seized power in 1984 and won three controversial elections
Fear in Guinea at army takeover
'End of misrule'
Obituary: Guinea's Lansana Conte
Guinea army statement in full
"The situation hasn't been resolved yet. Loyalists and coup-mongers have met... but they haven't been able to reach an agreement," Mr Sompare said.
But in a statement on national television, a coup representative accused loyalist troops of seekThe head of Guinea's national assembly has urged the international community to... more
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SAQQARA, Egypt – A pair of 4,300-year-old pharaonic tombs discovered at Saqqara indicate that the sprawling necropolis south of Cairo is even larger than previously thought, Egypt's top archaeologist said Monday. The rock-cut tombs were built for high officials — one responsible for the quarries used to build the nearby pyramids and another for a woman in charge of procuring entertainers for the pharaohs.
"We announce today a major, important discovery at Saqqara, the discovery of two new tombs dating back to 4,300 years ago," said Zahi Hawass, as he showed reporters around the site Monday. "The discovery of the two tombs are the beginning of a big, large cemetery."
The discovery indicates that there is even more to the vast necropolis of Saqqara, located 12 miles south of the capital, Cairo, he added.
In the past, excavations have focused on just one side of the two nearby pyramids — the Step Pyramid of King Djoser and that of Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty. The area where the two tombs were found, to the southwest, has been largely untouched.
"This means the royal cemetery is bigger than we thought," said Saleh Suleiman, the archaeologist responsible for the excavation of the two tombs.
Supplying entertainment for Pharaoh Good. Premature mummification Bad.SAQQARA, Egypt – A pair of 4,300-year-old pharaonic tombs discovered at Saqqara... more
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President-elect Barack Obama's team had "no inappropriate discussions" with Illinois governor Rod
Blagojevich, according to an internal review.
But his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel talked to Mr Blagojevich about who should fill Mr Obama's senate seat.
Mr Blagojevich has been accused of attempting to "sell" the seat, but says he is not guilty of any wrongdoing.
The review reveals that the US Attorney leading the Blagojevich probe spoke to Mr Obama as part of his investigation.
Patrick Fitzgerald also questioned Mr Emanuel, and Obama aide Valerie Jarrett last week about their contacts with Mr Blagojevich.
No quid pro quo
The internal review was conducted by Greg Craig, a legal adviser to Mr Obama.
He concluded that Mr Emanuel had indeed discussed potential successors to Mr Obama with Mr Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris, but that at no time had anyone from the Blagojevich camp made "any effort to extract a personal benefit for the governor" from him, or from anyone else on the Obama team.
Mr Craig revealed that Ms Jarrett, who at one stage had beenPresident-elect Barack Obama's team had "no inappropriate discussions"... more
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A French investment manager who put $1.4bn (£1bn) into Bernard Madoff's fraud-hit scheme has committed suicide in his New York office, police said.
Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, 65, was found sitting at his desk with both wrists slashed, New York police spokesman Paul Browne said.
A bottle of sleeping pills was on his desk and a box cutter lay on the floor.
Mr Madoff is accused of running a $50bn (£34bn) Ponzi scheme that wiped out investors around the world.
Big funds like Mr Villehuchet's were especially hard hit.
Paris newspaper La Tribune said he spent the past week trying "day and night to find a way to recoup his investors' money".
Mr Villehuchet, who was married without children, was co-founder of money manager Access International.
Why did this creep get such a low bail? Why did he even get bail?A French investment manager who put $1.4bn (£1bn) into Bernard Madoff's... more
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2008 in Review: Bush's final year Play Video AP – 2008 in Review: Bush's final year
* President Bush Slideshow: President Bush
* Israeli airstrike kills Hamas militant Play Video Video: Israeli airstrike kills Hamas militant AP
* Gaza truce over Play Video Video: Gaza truce over Reuters
President George W. Bush walks along the West Wing Colonnade as he departs the AP – President George W. Bush walks along the West Wing Colonnade as he departs the White House in Washington, …
WASHINGTON – In a gesture of forgiveness for a decades-old offense, President George W. Bush on Tuesday granted a pardon posthumously to a man who broke the law to supply aircraft to Jews fighting in Israel's 1948 war of independence.
Charles Winters, a Miami businessman considered a hero in Israel, was listed in a batch of 19 pardons and one commutation that Bush issued before leaving for Camp David to spend the holidays. No high-profile lawbreakers were on the list.
Winters' son, Jim, had found out about his father's daring missions and imprisonment only after his death in 1984.
"I'm overwhelmed," Jim Winters, a Miami maker of artistic neon signs, said in a telephone interview. "It happened 16 years before I was born. He went to jail and he didn't want his kids to know. He was old-school and proud."
Members of the Jewish community, who adorned his father's funeral with blue and white flowers symbolic of the Israeli flag, filled in details about his father's past. His obituary in The Miami Herald read,....................
BUSH? pardon himself? has anybody actually been watching? He had Congress approval on everything. If he go's to jail so does Pelosi, Reed , and good Barney Frank, oh and a little known Congressman from Ill. what was his name again?*
2008 in Review: Bush's final year Play Video AP – 2008 in Review:... more
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ISTANBUL (AFP) – The maker of the shoes that an Iraqi journalist hurled at US President George W. Bush has had to take on 100 extra staff to cope with a surge in demand for his footwear, he said on Monday.
"Between the day of the incident and 1:00 pm today we have received orders totalling 370,000 pairs", Istanbul-based Serkan Turk, head of sales at Baydan Shoes, told AFP.
Normally the firm sold only 15,000 pairs a year of the model that Muntazer al-Zaidi threw at the US president at a press conference in Baghdad on December 14 to become an instant hero across the Arab world, he said.
Turk said orders had initially flooded in from Iraq, followed by other Middle East countries and finally from the rest of the world, including for 19,000 pairs from the United States.
Formerly prosaically dubbed Model 271, the black polyurethane-soled shoes have been renamed Bush Shoes, he said.
Turk insisted the company was not profiting from the soaring demand to up the factory price from the 27 dollars (19.30 euros) it had been charging, while adding that it was "delighted from all points of view" at its unexpected success.
Throwing shoes is considered a grave insult in the Arab world, but Turk indicated that they would probably not have done Bush much harm had they hit him.
"They look heavier than they are," he said. "They only weigh 300 grammes (10 ounces)."
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Last night after playing on Current for a while I wrote President BUSH a letter, in this letter I ask him to forgive his would be attacker and to call the President of Iraq and see if he would pardon the man which tossed the shoes at him. I'll guess we will see if he listened. I think President Bush should be the bigger man , show some compassion, and truly get some Christmas spirit. I mean a pair of Hush Puppies is hardly a I.E.D. What do my esteemed comrads on Current think?ISTANBUL (AFP) – The maker of the shoes that an Iraqi journalist hurled at US... more
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Not perhaps since John F. Kennedy's own beach photos has a nation been so stirred to seek out revealing images of the incoming commander-in-chief. Searches are soaring for "obama pictures" and, in a realm normally reserved for prepubescent idols, "obama shirtless." Yes, the man so far designated to stimulate the economy, restore American dignity abroad, and save the planet from global warming, has inspired lookups more befitting a, dare we say, heartthrob.
Reassuringly, other recent Obama searches do dwell on the more relevant issues at hand ("obama inauguration," "obama cabinet picks"). The photo exposé, however, once again underscores the celebritization of Obama (as a John McCain ad once famously pointed out).
The latest act of online voyeurism comes from a confluence of three recent pictorial events: Two include Barack Obama's return to Time magazine's cover as Man of the Year and the release of never-before-seen college photos, in which the future No. 44 posed in a Panama hat, leather jacket, and occasionally with a cigarette for a hopeful photographer's portfolio. That momentous puff induced a teacup-sized tempest as people zeroed in on the "obama smoking" pic.
The third event is his holiday trip back to his home state. The president-elect did what any red-blooded American would do in a tropical isle: He stripped down to his swimming trunks and dove right into the winter surf. The ABC video showed a fleeting rear view of Obama descending into the water, but that was enough to trigger the buzz for "obama hawaii" (+130%), "obama vacation" (+113%) and, of course, the aforementioned shirtless queries.
To those who would defend the dignity of the Oval Office and all its inhabitants, will their brains eventually soften with four years of headlines like the New York Post's "O, My Bod!" (with yet another name twist in paragraph one: "Just call him 'Ab'-bama.'"). Forget tabloids—the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported regular citizens turning into paparazzi packs. Meanwhile, a true paparazzo snuck a shot, and the hosting site was promptly overwhelmed by political oglers.
His photogenic vim and vigor have long evoked comparisons to the charismatic Kennedy, who similarly inspired a brouhaha over his beach photo. Former Vanity Fair magazine editor Tina Brown, in a CNN interview about Obama's enormous star power, claimed that Obama is aware of his appeal and "he deliberately dials back on his charisma" to spare the masses. (Brown by the way once ventured on Greek God territory and called Obama "Apollonian.")Not perhaps since John F. Kennedy's own beach photos has a nation been so stirred... more
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What would you do with approximately 250 bottles of nail polish? Why, painstakingly paint a giant colorful quilt on your car, of course.
According to The Maryland Gazette that's just what Urbana resident Jill Bell did. After finding a dent in her car's hood, she cleverly painted a Band-Aid over the unsightly bump. Chuckle. She liked the idea so much, she decided to paint her entire car with nail polish! I'm guessing (and hoping) she didn't use one of those $30-a-pop lacquers from Chanel's Moscow Collection.
Nope. What she did use? The help of others. "Lots of ladies in my church donated nail polish, and lots of ladies at Weight Watchers, too," she told the newspaper. Bell estimates that 100-250 bottles of nail polish were used to accomplish this feat — a feat that took 13 months to finish. Whoa.
More like 600 bottles, and 3 eight balls.What would you do with approximately 250 bottles of nail polish? Why, painstakingly... more
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