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Saturday, November 8, 2008
AIG In Talks With Government To Formulate New Bailout Ahead Of 3Q Report
New York, NY (AHN) - American International Group Inc. (AIG) is reportedly in talks with the U.S. government and the regulators to seek a new rescue package, the reports said Saturday.
The troubled insurer has been discreatly meeting with the government officials to restructure its credit facility, just two months after the company received a bailout of $85 billion loan from the Federal Reserve.
Some reports are speculating that the details on the talks may be released by Monday, then the company is expected release its third quarter earnings report that is anticipated to record losses.
The talks have remained private as no deal has been reached between the participants on the terms including reducing the interest rate on the recent bailout or increasing the loan's two year period.
In September, the authorities also loaned American International Group Inc. upto $85 billion to shore up its finances and to prevent it from collapsing. The company is expected to receive around $144 billion in total from the government.
Last month, the company received $37.8 billion in loan from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and last week the firm asked for an additional $20.9 billion through the Fed credit line.
Once the world's largest insurer is expected to report a third quarter loss of 90 cents per share on revenue of $18 billion, compared to its earnings of $1.53 per share on revenue of $29.84 billion a year earlier in the same period.
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Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner To Walk Ex-Girlfriend Kendra Wilkinson Down The Aisle When She Marries Her Boyfriend
Los Angeles, CA (BANG) - Hugh Hefner will walk his ex-girlfriend Kendra Wilkinson down the aisle when she marries American football star Hank Baskett.
The Playboy founder - who revealed earlier this year he had split from both Kendra and his number one live-in girlfriend Holly Madison - is overjoyed with Kendra's engagement and also revealed the couple will wed at his infamous Los Angeles mansion.
Hugh, 82, said in a statement: "Kendra Wilkinson has met someone who she would like to spend the rest of her life with. His name is Hank Baskett, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he popped the question last week."
"I have given her my blessing and will be giving her away at a very special wedding ceremony at the Playboy Mansion this coming June."
Hugh and Kendra, 23, dated for four years.
Since announcing their split this summer, Kendra has been in the process of moving out of the Playboy mansion, where she lived with Hugh, Holly and Hugh's other girlfriend Bridget Marquardt.
OSAMA Bin Laden is set to release a video threat to Barack Obama, fanatics have warned.
The al-Qaeda chief’s first message in months could come when Mr Obama names his first Cabinet. Hate preacher Omar Bakri led the talk in extremist Arabic chatrooms. He said: “It will be fresh, addressing the Cabinet he chooses.” In a direct threat, Bakri went on: “We will fight him if he fights against Islam.”
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Obama Meets Martin Luther King Shirts.
New Tee Shirt with Photo Shop of Martin and Obama together.
But he hasn't done anything yet.
Hamas 'ready to talk with Obama'
Hamas is ready to talk with American President-elect Barack Obama, the leader of the Palestinian group has said.
Khaled Meshal congratulated Mr Obama and hailed his election as "a big change" both politically and psychologically.
He insisted that the US had "no option" but to end its boycott of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, if it wanted to make progress on peace in the Middle East.
During his election campaign, Mr Obama made clear he was ready to talk to America's enemies, such as Iran, but drew the line at Hamas, which is listed by the US State Department as a terrorist organisation.
Criticising former President Jimmy Carter's contacts with Hamas in April, Mr Obama said: "We must not negotiate with a terrorist group intent on Israel's destruction.
"We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terrorism, recognise Israel's right to exist and abide by past agreements."
But Mr Meshal insisted that Hamas did not pose a danger to anyone.
Speaking at his base in Syria, Mr Meshal told Sky News: "We are ready for dialogue with President Obama and with the new American administration with an open mind on the basis that the American administration respects our rights and our options.
"The American administration, if they want to deal with the region, Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict, they have no other option than deal with Hamas, because we are a real effective force on the ground, and we are a movement that won a majority of votes in the election.
"Second of all, it's not right that Hamas poses any danger to anyone."
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Why Does the World think that Obama is the Mesiah? Antigua wants to rename highest peak ‘Mount Obama’
He is not going to save the World. What is going on here? I think the Socialism thing has captivated the world and they think they are getting a piece of the pie. No pun intended. Talk about pressure.
From Gretawire.com
Antigua wants to rename highest peak ‘Mount Obama’
22 hours ago
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Antigua’s prime minister wants to rename the island’s highest mountain peak “Mount Obama” in honor of the U.S. president-elect.
“Boggy Peak,” as it is currently known, soars more than 1,300 feet (396 meters) over the island’s southern point and serves as a transmission site for broadcast and telecommunication providers. It also is a popular hiking spot.
Political analyst Avel Grant says the name change could draw more tourists to the island.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer announced the plans Wednesday in a congratulatory letter to President-elect Obama.
Attorney General Justin Simon said Thursday he will research if parliament needs to approve the name change.
22 hours ago
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Antigua’s prime minister wants to rename the island’s highest mountain peak “Mount Obama” in honor of the U.S. president-elect.
“Boggy Peak,” as it is currently known, soars more than 1,300 feet (396 meters) over the island’s southern point and serves as a transmission site for broadcast and telecommunication providers. It also is a popular hiking spot.
Political analyst Avel Grant says the name change could draw more tourists to the island.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer announced the plans Wednesday in a congratulatory letter to President-elect Obama.
Attorney General Justin Simon said Thursday he will research if parliament needs to approve the name change.
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Obama gave his speech behind bullet proof glass on Election night.
I did not see it. I was wondering in the back of my mind how they could keep him safe with hundreds of thousands of people at that "party".
Here is an article on the double size of the secret service protecting Barrack Obama.
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Friday, November 7, 2008
Hope College cancels classes until Tuesday, norovirus is suspected cause of 140 sick students
HOLLAND -- It's being called the "Plague of '08."
Hope College students complaining of nausea and diarrhea started streaming into the college's Health Center on Thursday. By noon Friday, the number of students reporting the same "stomach flu" had snowballed to 140, causing the Ottawa County Health Department and college officials to close the campus and forbid students from "gathering" until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
To keep from spreading the suspected norovirus, students are being asked to stay on campus yet stay away from each other. All classes and school activities are canceled Monday. For the next few days, students can pick up carry-out meals only from the college's two kitchens.
It's the largest closure order due to a contagious infection in the county in at least a decade, health officials said.
At a press conference Friday -- the only sanctioned assembly until the ban is lifted -- county Health Promotions Officer Lisa Stefanovsky said the symptoms are consistent with a highly-contagious norovirus illness, although it may be next week before laboratory tests confirm it.
Rest Of the Story.
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Obama apologizes to Nancy Reagan
President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan this afternoon to apologize for a joke about her having heald "séances" in the White House, an Obama aide said.
“President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologize for the careless and off handed remark he made during today’s press conference," said transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "The President-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation."
Obama was asked at his press conference today if he'd spoken to all the "living" presidents.
"I have spoken to all of them who are living," he responded. "I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any séances."
He was apparently confusing stories about Reagan's consulting with an astrologer with those about other First Ladies -- from Mary Todd Lincoln to Hillary Clinton -- who tried to make contact with figures from the past.
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William O. Douglas Supreme Court Associate Justice. Quotes
William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898 – January 19, 1980) was a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court.
Free speech is not to be regulated like diseased cattle and impure butter. The audience that hissed yesterday may applaud today, even for the same performance.
William O. Douglas
When a legislature undertakes to proscribe the exercise of a citizen's constitutional rights it acts lawlessly and the citizen can take matters into his own hands and proceed on the basis that such a law is no law at all.
William O. Douglas
The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of people.
William O. Douglas
The critical point is that the Constitution places the right of silence beyond the reach of government.
William O. Douglas
The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected.
William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us?
William O. Douglas
The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedoms.
William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedoms.
William O. Douglas
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Angelou: ‘I Don’t Have To Apologize For My Country When I’m Abroad’?
I may be really naive but why did we have to apologize for our country before and now just because elected an African American President we can hold our head high? That one moment in time has changed everything? I don't understand this thinking? I am starting to wonder if there was alot of talking behind closed doors about a horrible america that I know nothing about.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream Speech
Not once did I hear this wonderful man in this fantastic speech ever say, 'God Damn America'
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Tuition Free Colleges
Some Tuition Free Colleges from Newsweek.
Click top Left to Go through the Different Options.
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Gun sales skyrocket amid Obama concerns
DENVER, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Sales of handguns and rifles have skyrocketed across the United States amid fears President-elect Barack Obama will curtail firearm laws, figures show.
A Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokesman said a one-day record for background check requests for firearm purchases was set last weekend in the state thanks to concerns that an Obama administration would mean stricter gun laws, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) said Friday.
"We're not really sure who is promoting the concept that a change in federal administrations might affect firearms possession rights," agency spokesman Lance Clem said of last Saturday's record, "but we do know that it's increased business considerably."
David Nelson, who owns a gun supply store in Missoula, Mont., said his store's firearms sales have increased 30 percent since the Illinois Democrat began his presidential run.
"People are concerned about overreaching legislation from Washington," the Montana Ordnance & Supply owner told the Times. "They are educating themselves on the Internet."
UPI
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Brandon Stokely Stops Brandon Marshall From Performing an Obama-Themed TD Celebration
After Brandon Marshall scored the winning touchdown in Cleveland last night, he had a celebration planned that would have garnered a lot of attention. Two days after Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, Marshall planned to pull a glove out of his pants after scoring a touchdown (see right).
Marshall said he wanted to provide a counterpoint to John Carlos and Tommie Smith's protest at the 1968 Olympics by raising a half-white, half-black glove into the air as a salute to racial harmony. It sounds more like a tribute to Jerry Seinfeld's feelings of how to achieve that state, though. Look to the Cookie!
Either way, teammate Brandon Stokely stopped him before he could follow through with it. It's not that Stokely is a depressed John McCain supporter, I've no idea of his political leanings, but because he didn't want the Broncos to suffer for Marshall's efforts. A pre-planned celebration means a penalty, and, with 75 seconds to play, a 15-yard boost to the Browns would not have been in Denver's favor. Given the NFL's penchant for fining anyone who smiles or otherwise shows emotion during games, Stokely likely saved Marshall a few bucks as well.
After the jump, Marshall talks about the plan after the game.
Marshall said he wanted to provide a counterpoint to John Carlos and Tommie Smith's protest at the 1968 Olympics by raising a half-white, half-black glove into the air as a salute to racial harmony. It sounds more like a tribute to Jerry Seinfeld's feelings of how to achieve that state, though. Look to the Cookie!
Either way, teammate Brandon Stokely stopped him before he could follow through with it. It's not that Stokely is a depressed John McCain supporter, I've no idea of his political leanings, but because he didn't want the Broncos to suffer for Marshall's efforts. A pre-planned celebration means a penalty, and, with 75 seconds to play, a 15-yard boost to the Browns would not have been in Denver's favor. Given the NFL's penchant for fining anyone who smiles or otherwise shows emotion during games, Stokely likely saved Marshall a few bucks as well.
After the jump, Marshall talks about the plan after the game.
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Coin Toss Decides Goodridge, Minnesota Mayor's Race
A coin toss has determined the winner of the mayor's race in the tiny northwestern Minnesota town of Goodridge.
Incumbent Bob Homme and former Mayor Dave Brown each got 22 votes. Instead of finding the ballots and recounting the 44 votes, they agreed to decide the winner with a coin toss.
It already was a strange race in Goodridge -- population 98 -- with no one filing to run for mayor. Brown and Homme were both write-ins.
To break the tie, each tossed his own coin. If it was even, meaning two heads or two tails, Homme would win the two-year term. If it was odd, meaning a head and a tail, Brown would win.
It was a head and a tail. Brown won.
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Obama's Already Broken Two Promises, Will Media Report?
Story at Newsbusters.org
I am trying to give him a chance but I don't see him trying yet.
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(Video) Python Filmed Attempting to Swallow Kangaroo Whole
A python in Australia has been filmed trying and failing to swallow whole what looks like a wallaby — a small or medium-sized kangaroo.
In the video, posted on break.com, people at James Cook University can be heard squealing as the python clamps its jaws around the creature and begins to swallow.
But the snake seems to realize it is biting off more than it can chew and is forced to back away and regurgitate the upper half of the animal's body.
The camera operator then jolts and swears as the python pulls away briefly from the animal to inspect the crowd that has gathered.
Andrew Krockenberger, associate professor at James Cook University, said he ran out to watch the attack with some students after being alerted by a co-worker.
"Our lab coordinator came in from the car park and told us there was a python trying to eat a wallaby — so we all went out to have a look," he said. "While seeing snakes and wallabies isn't unusual, it was very unusual to see a snake trying to eat a wallaby on the side of a road."
Prof Krockenberger said the python made several attempts to consume the wallaby before the incident was caught on camera.
"It was a very small python and it gave up after a while. It had a good try but it was a little over ambitious," he said.
"I don't know whether it would have managed to swallow the wallaby if there hadn't had been so many people watching. I think it got a little spooked."
While some believed the wallaby had been hit by a car, Prof Krockenberger said the evidence suggested the snake attacked and killed the wallaby.
"I suspect the snake killed the wallaby because it was right at the end of a low speed road, and the wallaby wasn't there in the morning," he said.
Click here to see photos and watch the video at News.com.au.
Related Posts. golden orb weaver spider Eats a Bird (Photos)
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Mars Petcare US Pet Chow SIckens 79 Human's with Salmonella
A Mars Petcare US Inc. factory churned out bacteria-contaminated dog and cat chow for three years, spreading salmonella that sickened at least 79 people in the first human outbreak traced to dry pet food, a report said.
Rest of the Story Here.
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Mafia Suspect Domenico Magnoli Arrested After Liposuction Surgery
A Mafia suspect was arrested Thursday after undergoing liposuction surgery at a private Italian clinic. After nearly a year on the run, Domenico Magnoli was taken into custody by plainclothes officers who posed as visitors after his surgery.
Magnoli, 27, underwent surgery to remove fat from his thighs and stomach late Thursday at the La Madonnina clinic in southern Italy. When he awoke from the operation, plainclothes officers carrying flowers and boxes of chocolate surrounded his bed.
Magnoli was arrested on a French warrant for drug trafficking charges. He has been linked to the Piromalli crime family.
Source
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GM stock trading halted as earnings announcement delayed
General Motors Corp., reportedly on the verge of releasing enormous third-quarter losses and more cost-cutting measures, delayed this morning's scheduled announcement.
Bloomberg News is reporting that the sale of its stock also was halted shortly after 11 a.m. as the company prepares to disclose results.
Stock last traded at at $4.83 per share this morning after closing on Thursday at $4.80 per share.
Check Stock Price Here.
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This Day in History.
In 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at the Pacific Ocean.
In 1874, the first cartoon depicting the elephant as the symbol of the Republican Party was printed in Harper's Weekly.
In 1916, Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian government in St. Petersburg.
In 1940, only four months after its completion, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state, the third longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, collapsed. No one was injured.
In 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected to a fourth term in the midst of World War II but died the following April. Harry Truman, his vice president, succeeded him as president.
In 1972, Republican Richard Nixon was re-elected as president of the United States, defeatingDemocrat George McGovern.
In 1983, a bomb exploded in the U.S. Capitol, causing heavy damage just outside the Senate chamber but there were no injuries.
In 1985, Colombian troops ended a 27-hour siege of Bogota's Palace of Justice by 35 M-19 guerrillas. Eleven Supreme Court judges were among the 100 people killed.
In 1987, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Douglas Ginsburg withdrew his 9-day-old candidacy following criticism of his judicial ethics and his disclosure that he had used marijuana.
In 1989, Democrat David Dinkins was elected as the first black mayor of New York City. In Virginia, Democrat Douglas Wilder claimed victory in a razor-thin race to become the first black elected governor in the United States.
Also in 1989, "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez was formally sentenced in Los Angeles to die in the gas chamber for 13 killings.
In 1991, basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson disclosed he was HIV-positive and announced he was retiring from the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2000, in one of the closest U.S. presidential elections ever, Republican George W. Bush andDemocrat Al Gore wound up in almost a dead heat with Bush determined the winner more than a month later following turmoil over the disputed Florida vote that ultimately involved the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2001, U.S.-led jets resumed bombing in northern Afghanistan, targeting Taliban positions near the country's northeastern border with Tajikistan.
In 2002, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Saddam Hussein "action will follow" if the Iraqi leader fails to meet demands in a U.N. resolution regarding weapons inspectors.
In 2004, in an overwhelming show of force, France put down a wave of anti-French violence in Ivory Coast, its former West African colony.
In 2005, Chilean police arrested former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori hours after he arrived in Santiago, on his way to Peru to run for president again. The 67-year-old politician was wanted for corruption and human rights abuses in his home country.
In 2006, Democrats regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republicans and reclaimed Senate leadership as well in 2006 midterm elections.
In 2007, the space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth after a challenging 15-day mission that included adding a "room" to the international space station.
Also in 2007, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili imposed a state of emergency after days of protests by opposition parties who want him to resign. He said elections would be in January 2008.
Source UPI
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Iraq insists on 'fixed date' for pullout. Here we go already.
BAGHDAD, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Iraqis want a "fixed date" for withdrawal of U.S. troops despite U.S. demands that a pullout hinges on security conditions, Iraq's chief spokesman said.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have been negotiating a "status of forces" agreement needed for continued U.S. troop presence in Iraq after a United Nations authorization mandate expires Dec. 31.
"Iraqis would like to know and see a fixed date," spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told The Washington Post. (NYSE:WPO)
Under an original draft of the accord, U.S. troops would withdraw from Iraq's main cities by the end of 2009 and from the country by 2011, but any pullout would be subject to prevailing security conditions. The Iraqi change would call for U.S. troop withdrawal from the country within 36 months from the agreement's implementation.
U.S. combat troops should end unilateral operations by June, Dabbagh said, and the status of forces pact should direct that the vast majority of U.S. troops be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
"U.S. troops should be secluded to known camps," Dabbagh said. "The Americans would be called whenever there is a need. Their movement would be limited."
Iraqi officials see President-elect Barack Obama's views on a U.S. withdrawal as consistent with their own.
Dabbagh told the Post negotiations to reach an agreement will collapse if a deal isn't reached by the end of November and called for both sides to return to the table.
A White House spokeswoman said Thursday U.S. officials responded to Iraqi officials with what she called a "final text" of the agreement.
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Obama staff chief was Freddie Mac director
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- President-elect Barack Obama's new chief of staff was a Freddie Mac director while scandal brewed at the mortgage agency, government reports say.
Rahm Emanuel was not named in a complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. But the entire board was cited by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight for failing to spot "red flags," government reports reviewed by ABC News said.
The SEC complaint said Freddie Mac, known formally as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, misreported profits by billions of dollars to deceive investors between the years 2000 and 2002.
In a statement to ABC, a board representative said Emanuel, while on the panel, "believed that Freddie Mac needed to address concerns raised by congressional critics."
The agency agreed to pay a $50 million penalty in 2007 to settle the SEC complaint.
Freddie Mac's actions are cited by some economists as the beginning of the country's economic meltdown.
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