First a Tense Talk With Clinton, Then Richardson Backs Obama - New York Times: "PORTLAND, Ore. — “I talked to Senator Clinton last night,” Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico said on Friday, describing the tense telephone call in which he informed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton that, despite two months of personal entreaties by her and her husband, he would be endorsing Senator Barack Obama for president."
MacBook Air hack unearths more relatively inaccessible USB connectors - Engadget
Here's a hack to add more USB connectivity.
Hillary's NAFTA Lies Kill All of Her Credibility on Trade | Election 2008 | AlterNet: "When it comes to the essential test of the trade debate, Clinton has been identified as a liar -- a put-in-boldface-type 'L-I-A-R' liar."
Fox News Chaos: Anchor Walks Off Set, Wallace Rails Network for "Obama-Bashing" [VIDEO] | Video | AlterNet: "Fox News' very own anchors are speaking out -- and walking off -- over what they perceive to be 'Obama-bashing' on their network."
The Swamp: Obama's poorly chosen words, the bigger picture: "The truth is, virtually every white person and every black person knows precisely what Obama meant. After generations of racial segregation either de jure (Southern) or de facto (Northern), the inbred, impulsive reactions of people who either mistrust, fear or resent members of another race are no secret in America. Even those of the youngest generation, in whom Obama sees hope for progress, can probably recall a parent or grandparent who has given voice to precisely what Obama meant: “Typical.’’"
A Good Name Dragged Down - washingtonpost.com: "More American consumers have gotten caught up in a special brand of watchlist purgatory because their names are similar to ones on OFAC's list of 'specially designated nationals,' according to e-mails and other documents released under court order yesterday. By law, businesses are barred from conducting transactions with anyone on the list. Yesterday's court-ordered release of documents to the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, offers a window into the kinds of disruptions suffered by those ensnared in the process, as well as the difficulty of clearing their names.
More businesses are seeking, as part of a credit check, to know whether a person is also on the OFAC list. Failure to do so can bring a stiff penalty. Often a person whose name is similar to a name on the watchlist will be flagged by credit bureaus, which produce the reports businesses use to decide who is eligible for a car or home loan or to rent an apartment."
Terrorist watchlist screws up lives of innocents - Boing Boing
The Washington Post's Ellen Nakashima wrote an article about the US government's incredibly sloppy job with maintaining a list of terror suspects. If they can't even keep innocent people off the list, how can we expect them to protect anybody from real terrorists?
One man went into a Glen Burnie, Md., Toyota dealership to buy a car, only to be told that a name check revealed he was on a U.S. Treasury Department watchlist of suspected terrorists and drug dealers. He had to be "checked for tattoos," he said, to make sure he wasn't the suspect.Link (Via Farber)An 18-year-old found he could not open an account to accept credit card payments for his fledgling technology consulting business because his name was similar to that of a Libyan official on the watchlist.
A former U.S. Navy officer who served in the Persian Gulf and whose father was killed in the Korean War when he was a child, found himself locked out of his PayPal account because his name was similar to one on the watchlist.
Lawsuits: HTFC Mortgage Company CEO Has A Potty Mouth:
"GMAC Bank is suing mortgage company HTFC for selling improperly secured loans, which lead to the hilariously blue and aggressive deposition from HTFC CEO Aron Wider. Wider dropped the f-bomb 73 times, frustrating the opposing counsel's attempts to get him to answer difficult questions like "Where are you currently employed?"
"Q: This is your loan file. What do Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald do for a living?
A: I don't know. Open it up and find it.
Q: Look at your loan file and tell me.
A: Open it up and find it. I'm not your fucking bitch.
Q: Take a look at your loan application.
A: Do it yourself. Do it yourself. You want to do this in front of a judge. Would you prefer to [do] this in front of a judge? Then, shut the fuck up.
Q: Sir, take a look--
A: I'm taking a break. Fuck him. You open up the document. You want me to look at something, you get the document out. Earn your fucking money, asshole. Better get used to it. You'll retire when I'm done."
If you were in charge of the U.S. economy, what would you do? | BuzzFlash.org: "Here is one take on the sorrows of the region from the Chicago Reader about Richard Longworth's new book, Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism:
'In his telling, the midwest is a region largely abandoned by heavy industry, conquered by corporate agriculture, and occupied by immigrant workers essential to the economies of desperate towns whose natives loathe them. Longworth's midwest reminded me of America's south half a century ago -- a failing region mired in a romanticized past. . . The midwest must learn to think globally and act regionally, Longworth insists, but today it's state against state, county against county, town against town. Decades of good pay for rote work on the assembly lines of patriarchal corporations deadened the spirit of entrepreneurism, in Longworth's view, and when those corporations eventually moved their plants south and then overseas midwesterners were left naked to their obsolescence.'"
2 fired in passport case with Va. firm - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON - The Associated Press has learned that the two contractors fired for snooping into Barack Obama's passport records worked for a Virginia-based company called Stanley Inc."
Paul Kedrosky: Alan Greenspan Loses His Mind: "Then again, what does Greenspan care. He has built a career out of this sort of thing, of dancing around clumsy questioners' questions, and this is easy stuff for a skilled obfuscator. Greenspan's minting money as a hedge fund advisor, speaker, and author, and likely giggling every day at the mess that he left on Ben Bernanke's desk."
Dealbreaker - A Wall Street Tabloid - Business News Headlines and Financial Gossip - "I love the way Jim Cramer breaks down really complex financial issues into ones that are wrong.": "Jon Stewart on Bear Stearns, George Bush and Jim Cramer."
HedgFund.net: Public news from HedgeNews: " Bailout. Blowup. Collapse. Hedge fund parlance is a readymade goldmine for describing the fate of Bear Stearns.
The rise of the hedge fund industry has signaled the advent of a new era of spectacular change within the financial market. As of now, the Bear Stearns collapse has been the most-spectacular change of all, and the industry is in lockstep with that change."
State Dept. Punishes Aides for Obama Passport Breach - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog: "Mr. Obama’s campaign said that the breaches were reprehensible.
“This is an outrageous breach of security and privacy, even from an administration that has shown little regard for either over the last eight years,” said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign. “Our government’s duty is to protect the private information of the American people, not use it for political purposes. This is a serious matter that merits a complete investigation, and we demand to know who looked at Senator Obama’s passport file, for what purpose, and why it took so long for them to reveal this security breach.”"
Molecular Basis of Life Discovered on Extrasolar Planet: "Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have for the first time found the telltale signature of methane, an organic molecule, in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system.
Methane is one of the chemicals of life, an organic compound in the class of molecules containing carbon. However, no life is likely to exist on the large, gaseous planet known as HD 189733b. Its daily temperatures can reach 1,340 degrees Fahrenheit."
Battlestar Galactica Streams Into Season 4 | The Underwire from Wired.com: "NEW YORK -- It's been a long, hard year for Battlestar Galactica fans. The wait for season four is almost over, though, and BSG junkies can get their fix online 10 hours before the show airs on TV. The final season premiere will stream live on SciFi.com from noon to 1 p.m. (EST) April 4 -- get your lunch orders in now."
The Fed may be done - Mar. 19, 2008: "Yes, the central bank delivered another big rate cut. But it may also be getting ready to stop cutting rates so it can fight inflation and the weak dollar."
Daily Kos: State of the Nation: "From Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic comes the reporting that Obama wrote his speech on race and America himself."
The Credit Crunch: How America's Banks Lost their Reputations - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News: "After the near-collapse of Bear Stearns, some of America's biggest banks are reeling badly. The markets are falling into a state of panic -- and elbow room is shrinking when the banks need it most."
Citigroup cuts 2,000 jobs: source | Reuters
Yet their CEO is going to be paid over $160 million dollars.....what bullshit.
Blacks Were Improperly Kept Off La. Jury, High Court Rules - washingtonpost.com: "The Supreme Court yesterday reversed the conviction of a Louisiana death row inmate, ruling that a prosecutor improperly excluded African Americans from the jury in what he had called his 'O.J. Simpson case.'"
The new Coldplay album is called...| Sheknows.com: "Mexican artist Frida Kahlo may seem an unlikely inspiration for a British band, but she was apparently Coldplay leader Chris Martin's muse when it came to naming the band's fourth album.
The title? Viva La Vida ('Long Live Life')."
Here is the original Viva La Vida by Frida Kahlo:
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Spanish title for Coldplay album: "Singer Chris Martin
The band have been recording the album in Spain
British band Coldplay have revealed the name of their fourth studio album, which is due to be released in June.
According to US music magazine Rolling Stone, the album will be called Viva la Vida – 'long live life' in Spanish.
Last year, a handwritten message on their website said recording sessions in Spain and a tour of Latin America had influenced the album's sound.
Frontman Chris Martin saw the phrase on a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, the magazine reported."
Tragic Frida Kahlo Inspires Coldplay - The Elements: "One of tragic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings has inspired the title of Coldplay’s new album.
Frontman Chris Martin has revealed the band’s new release will be called Vida La Vida, and will serve as a tribute to Kahlo, who battled polio and lived with the chronic pain of a broken spine for decades.
The Yellow singer says, 'She went through a lot of s**t and then she started a big painting in her house that said Viva la Vida (Long Live Life). I just loved the boldness of it.
'Everyone thinks it comes from Ricky Martin (Livin’ La Vida Loca), which is fine. I have absolute respect.'"
Filter-Mag.com: "Coldplay Long To Live Life With New Album
by Staff | 03.19.2008
Coldplay plan to drop their fourth studio disc in June and according to Rolling Stone, the album will be called Viva La Vida. Meaning, 'long live life' in Spanish, the album promises a handful of Latin influences after their most recent Latin American tour.
Lead singer, Chris Martin saw the phrase on a painting by renowned Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo."
Coldplay reveals album title and release date | Entertainment | Music | Reuters
Coldplay's fourth album, "Viva la Vida," will arrive June 17 in North America and a day earlier internationally, according to the band's spokesperson.
Comcast Work Around for Azureus
With more and more BitTorrent users being negatively affected by overly aggressive traffic shaping on Comcast and other ISP networks it's become increasingly necessary for some to find a workaround for the problem in order to share data with others.
There's really only 4 things that a person can do to avoid the problem of Comcast BitTorrent throttling, and each are described below in detail.
Sky Talk: Woman files lawsuit against AMR because passenger next to her masturbated while she slept: "A 21-year-old Harris County woman filed a $200,000 lawsuit against American Airlines alleging employees on a flight to Los Angeles from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport failed to protect her while she slept from another passenger who masturbated to her and ejaculated in her hair, according to a lawsuit she filed last week in Tarrant County."
E. J. Dionne Jr. - The Street on Welfare - washingtonpost.com: "The Wall Street titans have turned into a bunch of welfare clients. They are desperate to be bailed out by government from their own incompetence, and from the deregulatory regime for which they lobbied so hard. They have lost 'confidence' in each other, you see, because none of these oh-so-wise captains of the universe have any idea what kinds of devalued securities sit in one another's portfolios."
Dollars tough to sell on streets of Amsterdam | Reuters: "The U.S. dollar's value is dropping so fast against the euro that small currency outlets in Amsterdam are turning away tourists seeking to sell their dollars for local money while on vacation in the Netherlands."
China Terrorizes Tibet - New York Times: "It was impossible not to notice that the United States removed China from its list of top 10 human rights violators just as the biggest anti-China protests in 20 years erupted in Tibet. Even when handed that undeserved dispensation, the Beijing government cannot control its authoritarian nature."
Dalai Lama Decries Violence, Threatens to Resign : NPR: "The Dalai Lama on Tuesday decried violent protests in China-controlled Tibet, threatening to resign as the head of the territory's government-in-exile if the bloodshed isn't brought under control."
The Associated Press: China Blocks YouTube Over Tibet Videos: "BEIJING (AP) — Internet users in China were blocked from seeing YouTube.com on Sunday after dozens of videos about protests in Tibet appeared on the popular U.S. video Web site.
The blocking added to the communist government's efforts to control what the public saw and heard about protests that erupted Friday in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, against Chinese rule.
Access to YouTube.com, usually readily available in China, was blocked after videos appeared on the site Saturday showing foreign news reports about the Lhasa demonstrations, montages of photos and scenes from Tibet-related protests abroad.
There were no protest scenes posted on China-based video Web sites such as 56.com, youku.com and tudou.com.
The Chinese government has not commented on its move to prevent access to YouTube. Internet users trying to call up the Web site were presented with a blank screen.
Chinese leaders encourage Internet use for education and business but use online filters to block access to material considered subversive or pornographic.
Foreign Web sites run by news organizations and human rights groups are regularly blocked if they carry sensitive information. Operators of China-based online bulletin boards are required to monitor their content and enforce censorship.
Students for a Free Tibet : China's Brutal Crackdown On Ngaba Protests: "Please note: Viewer discretion is advised as photos below are graphic and disturbing."
FinanceProfessor.com: More news on Jim Cramer
here is his response after Bear had fallen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyGc_rlF8aA
For Your Entertainment: Gotta hand it to Jim Cramer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUkbdjetlY8
San Diego Politico: Hope Jim Cramer Has a Defined Benefit Plan
A video of Jim Cramer from CNBC's Mad Money has been making the rounds on the Internet following the historic collapse of Bear Stearns.
A lot of people are now vilifying Cramer for his bad (understatement) advice, but it isn't really fair to pick out one mistake and project it to everything the man has done. Especially in light of claims now being investigated by the SEC.
Today, the LA Times reported
that the SEC is looking into claims that traders who benefited from the collapse intentionally spread rumors to cause market panic.
I know this isn't a blog for financial advice, but I think this is a perfect reason why all Americans should strive for a defined benefit plan for retirement.
The bigger issue is that people like Cramer are on television every day making the financial world look easy. People who promote defined contribution retirement plans point out that over time the stock market comes out ahead.
Of course someone in their late 50s who was heavily invested in the fifth-largest securities firm in the country would probably disagree with those claims after the Bear Stearns fiasco.
It is easy to tell everyone who lost large chunks of their retirement that they should have been smarter. But, how can you expect people to make informed decisions when even so-called experts such as Cramer struggle?
It is insane that more and more employees are being pushed toward a retirement system that punishes those who make the wrong decision based on the best information they have available to them.
Supreme Court Clears The Way For Novell To Seek Revenge From Microsoft For Crushing WordPerfect: "Microsoft had tried to block the suit on the grounds that the statute of limitations had run out (the alleged crushing of Novell having occurred a dozen years ago) and that Novell did not compete in the operating system market (WordPerfect is a word processor). No dice, says the Supreme Court.
It is hard to remember now, but at one point (in 1990) WordPerfect had nearly 50 percent of the word processor market. That dwindled to under 10 percent six years later because of, um, incompatibilities with Windows."
Internet addiction as a medical disorder.......um ok i buy it....
Push To Classify Internet Addiction As a Mental Disorder
Charlie Rose Face Plants To Save His MacBook Air
now this guy really loves his mac air.....
Taaz
Taaz is a site that will let you upload and make over pictures and images. Looks interesting....
Whistleblower exposes insider trading program at JP Morgan - Wikileaks: "A confidential memo obtained by Wikileaks shows that not only has the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission created an insider trading loophole big enough to drive a truck through, but that Wall Street is taking full advantage of it, establishing 'how-to' programs and even client service divisions to help well-heeled clients circumvent insider trading regulations."
40% of all spam comes from just one source: "Six bots are responsible for 85% of all spam, according to an analysis by Marshal. The Srizbi botnet is the largest single source of spam - accounting for 39% of junk mail messages – followed by the Rustock botnet, responsible for 21% of the spam"
Fed takes boldest action since the Depression to rescue US mortgage industry - Telegraph
The fed will bail out wall street but no relief in sight for you and me with oil prices....
Shades of 1929: Bear Stearns collapse signals deepest crisis since Great Depression: "However the events on Wall Street play out during the next few weeks, there is no question but that a crisis of historic magnitude is now unfolding. After a generation of relentless media propaganda, which touted the infallibility of the capitalist market and the genius of Wall Street’s financial wizards, the United States economy now stands on the very brink of an economic breakdown on a scale not seen since the Great Depression.
The collapse of Bear Stearns last Friday and its subsequent takeover organized by JP Morgan Chase and the Federal Reserve Board mark a major turning point in the history of post-war global capitalism. It signifies that the contradictions within the world capitalist economy are now reaching the point where the type of financial catastrophe and social and economic devastation experienced in the 1930s is not only possible, but is becoming increasingly likely."
Think Progress » Blog Archive » Perino Defends Administration’s Intervention For Wall Street Instead Of Main Street: "In a new op-ed, the Center for American Progress’s David Abromowitz decries the White House’s hypocritical, pro-business-at-all-costs approach:
[C]onsider that big oil company tax breaks are too integral to our energy plan, but relief for millions of drivers squeezed by rising gasoline prices would be bad economic policy. Or that eliminating the estate tax is promoted as tax fairness, but vetoing the expansion of health care to millions of children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program as too expensive is prudent budgetary management. The list goes on and on.
There are many good reasons, of course, to act to avert a Bear Stearns bankruptcy when one considers the ultimate impact on millions of Americans and around the world of a Wall Street collapse. But the reasons are no less compelling when the devastation hits individual Americans directly—home by home, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood."
The Associated Press: Avoid Overcorrecting Economy, Bush Warns: "'The president continues to convince himself that inaction is the cure-all for the economic problems hurting hardworking Americans,' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a written statement. 'But Democrats know that wait-and-see is not a responsible strategy for an economy that is teetering on the brink of recession.'"
J.P. Morgan Buys Bear in Fire Sale, As Fed Widens Credit to Avert Crisis - WSJ.com: "To help facilitate the deal, the Federal Reserve is taking the extraordinary step of providing as much as $30 billion in financing for Bear Stearns's less-liquid assets, such as mortgage securities that the firm has been unable to sell, in what is believed to be the largest Fed advance on record to a single company."
Selective Bailouts: Help for Wall Street, Not Your Street: "It’s time for President Bush and Secretary Paulson to widen their vision and see the root causes of the problems afflicting Wall Street—under-regulated, bad lending practices that have left homeowners overly in debt. There is still time to act to correct the problem at its source, while doing something worthwhile for both American families and the financial markets. Averting a worsening global credit crisis requires action to restructure bad mortgage loans, put families into sustainable mortgages, buy up foreclosed properties that are ruining solid neighborhoods, and rebuild communities--not just seeing everything through the world of finance."
Bear Stearns CEO played bridge while funds collapsed: report - Nov. 1, 2007: "Bear Stearns CEO played in bridge tournament, without phone or e-mail access, as Bear Stearns hedge fund collapse sparked credit crisis: report."
