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<p>Thomas Lee, inventor of the LBO shoots himself in his office. For a lot of people who used to work for good companies bankrupted by Lee, there is at least poetic justice.</p><p>Thief and a coward. Well, bye.</p><p>"Lee is credited with being one of the first financiers to purchase companies with money borrowed against the business being bought — what is now called a leveraged buyout."</p>

During a portion of an interview with CBS aired on Wednesday’s edition of “CBS Evening News,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declined to say that inflation is near its peak and stated she doesn’t want to insert herself into forecasting things on a month-by-month basis, but she thinks it will “come down over time due to the actions” that are being taken by the Federal Reserve and that she hopes “to see substantial improvement over the coming year.” Yellen said, “Inflation remains a problem. It obviously is of tremendous concern to Americans.”

A local official in Atush, Xinjiang, confirmed to Radio Free Asia (RFA) in an interview published Thursday that Chinese officials had built a public toilet at the site of a demolished Uyghur mosque. The public bathrooms were reportedly not yet in use, nor was there any clear need for more public toilets in the area, the anonymous official reportedly said. China launched a campaign in 2016 to demolish Uyghur mosques throughout Xinjiang, China’s largest and westernmost province. Officials also used other initiatives to erase Uyghur and other Turkic ethnic minority culture, including restrictions on wearing Islamic clothing in public, limits...

President Trump unveils the new VA Telehealth system to allow Vets to get help from anywhere at anytime using their phones and computers. Includes portable medical units like what is used by government NP's can take to the vets' homes.

I am a Progressive Conservative. I base this on the definition of the word "progress". From the Merriam-Webster site: "the process of improving or developing something over a period of time". Among conservatives who follow the news, this word would seem almost a contradiction. They are used to hearing the word associated with liberalism and socialism. It appears those movements have co-opted a perfectly positive word "progressive" with its root word meaning of improvement. My sense is that the average person sees the word "progressive" and thinks "progress". This average person has little connection to secular campuses in which 'progressive'...

Indeed, since 9/11, the U.S. has never been out of the crosshairs of Islamist terrorists. At least 60 of their plots against the U.S. homeland have been thwarted over the last 13 years. ISIS has at least as much resources as al-Qaeda did at the height of its powers in 2001. It’s closer to the West. ISIS also has three decades of transnational terrorism operations and expertise to draw on. Finally, according to a forthcoming report from the Countering Terrorism Center at West Point, the organization has been growing and planning for four years—plenty of time to put a successful...

Criticism by Ari Bussel No one likes to be criticized. When the critique is constructive and aimed at improving, a person must separate one’s emotions from the practicality and wisdom of the criticism and view it with a sense of detachment. Critique can be used as a tool for improvement, yet most government employees will do everything possible to quash it when aimed in their direction. In a recent meeting with a government representative, I pointed out there are complaints that telephone calls and e-mails sent to his office remain unanswered. “Impossible,” was the adamant reply, “It is against regulations.”...

On top of regular donations how much would you kick in to be able to filter things out when you browse FR? There are certain subjects I'd rather not bother with and there are certain posters I'd rather not bother with. I'd kick in a few bucks for the extra functionality. How much would you kick in for this ability? I'll kick in $50

TV listings: The Prime-Time TV grid in Thursday's Calendar section mistakenly listed MTV's "Jackass" show on the MSNBC cable schedule at 7 and 10 p.m. where instead MSNBC's "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" should have been listed.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Jan. 13, 2009 – Improved security has enabled an economics team to step up its efforts to help Iraq move forward. Army Capt. Eric Yarbrough pays workers for a trash collection project in Amarah, Iraq, July 16, 2008. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The security improvement has made it possible for us to grow the economy and build the skills and capacity of both government officials and Iraqi businessmen,” Army Lt. Col. Barry Ross, deputy economics team leader for the 445th Civil Affairs Detachment, said. Ross explained that economics and governance go hand...

Just got out of a meeting that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle held with the state Capitol press corps. cagle.jpg The lieutenant governor was emphatic about one issue in particular. A bill to expand the public areas in which a permitted, concealed weapon can be carried will be going nowhere. State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) has been working on the measure to revamp the state code so as to permit concealed weapons licensees to pack heat in churches and on university campuses. “Let me be very clear. I have no appetite for it,” Cagle said. Last year, the Legislature finally passed...

Ten times more neighborhoods in Baghdad are secure now than at the start of the surge, according to the US military, and 75% of the Iraqi capital now qualifies for that status. The remarkable improvement comes on the anniversary of the shift in strategy and tactics known as the "surge", and it highlights the dramatic turnaround in Iraq over the past year: About 75% of Baghdad's neighborhoods are now secure, a dramatic increase from 8% a year ago when President Bush ordered more troops to the capital, U.S. military figures show. The military classifies 356 of Baghdad's 474 neighborhoods in...

HUSSEINIYAH — A noticeable change has taken place on the streets of Husseiniyah that benefits Soldiers and civilians. Civil service impact projects are changing the city’s appearance, smell and attitude. Formerly an extremely hostile area, Husseiniyah is an ever-changing front, where Soldiers now meet with Iraqi leaders in the street. The violence in and around Husseiniyah made world news earlier this summer. What was once a relatively safe and secure area of operations had turned into a hotbed after the bombing of the Golden Dome mosque, a Shiite shrine, in Samarra June 13. Violence ensued in Husseiniyah shortly after, and...

US Hospitals - once extremely vulnerable to a chaotic bio-attack, are in much better shape than they were in 2001 - no thanks to the critics !

With energy prices now sharply lower than a few months ago and the improving job market forcing employers to offer higher raises, the buying power of American workers is now rising at the fastest rate since the economic boom of the late 1990s. The average hourly wage for workers below management level — everyone from school bus drivers to stockbrokers — rose 2.8 percent from October 2005 to October of this year, after being adjusted for inflation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only a year ago, it was falling by 1.5 percent. In recent years, many Americans grew...

An Economic Pillar on the Verge of Collapse By Steven Pearlstein Wednesday, December 6, 2006; D01 It's been more than a year since we've heard from those who denied there was a housing bubble. Since then, the industry boosters, along with the "soft-landing" crowd over at the Federal Reserve, have coalesced around the idea that maybe the market got a bit frothy after all, but now the correction is almost complete, the unsold inventory's been worked off and the worst is behind us. But just when you're feeling hopeful again, you get reports like yesterday's Wall Street Journal piece reporting...

Cargo theft accounts for approximately $50 billion in direct merchandise losses each year worldwide — $15 billion of that in the United States alone. (SNIP) The Hialeah gang (Miami) is believed to be the single most important theft grouping active in cargo crime across the United States. (SNIP) ..grouped by geography: • Miami/South Florida: Widely considered the most prolific in highvalue cargo theft, the gangs in this region can be divided into two groups: those that operate strictly within Florida and Georgia and those that operate beyond the regional boundaries. Those that roam outside the region generally target high-dollar freight,...

WASHINGTON - The quality of the health care provided to millions of Americans improved last year across several dozen categories, including increased immunization rates among insured children. The improvements are seen through the reporting of data that the White House and Congress want more of from health-care providers. They're contained in a report being issued Wednesday by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which accredits and certifies insurers. The association tracks dozens of care measurements, submitted by many of the nation's insurance plans. The long-term tracking of the measurements helps improve the quality of care, according to the report. For...

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush is taking time to explain himself, open up to the public in new ways and court Congress as he tries to breathe life into a presidency beset by sagging ratings and influence. With a job approval rating under 40 percent, Bush, who went to his Crawford ranch for a quiet weekend, has a long way to go. Aides acknowledge it will take a while to rebuild his image, and much will depend on the outcome of the Iraq war. White House staffers, who have long limited the president’s appearances to speeches and photo opportunities with...

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2006 – Asked how the United States is faring in the war of ideology against violent extremism, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld puts it squarely in the "needs to improve" box. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld speaks to students at the Army War College on March 27. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "If I were grading, I would say we probably deserve a D or a D-minus as a country as to how well we are doing in the battle of ideas taking place in the world...