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Regime Grabs Power to Detain US Citizens January 03, 2012 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Yeah, and I can't believe that nobody's talking about that, either: The thing Obama signed on New Year's Eve, the new Defense Authorization Act.I don't know if people don't know what's in this or if other things take precedence. Well, it is being reported because I saw it. I saw it reported. Obama signed this thing, the new Defense Authorization Act on New Year's Eve. Folks, you know what this thing does? It allows the United States military to detain anybody for no reason! They don't...

Need help from people with Jeep mechanical electrical experience/diagnosis. Our 1996 Jeep Cherokee Country (classic, not Grand) 4.0L I6 4WD has started to have a repeating and random sudden loss of power (engine quits with NO dash warning lights on dash). Need suggestions from people who have been there and done this. I am a fairly savvy and experienced car mechanic on my own, and this has me baffled. See Body of Comment for details.

The Obama administration issued a rule today that is sure to disappoint insurance agents: Fees paid to brokers and agents won’t count as medical care, under limits imposed on insurers in the 2010 federal health law. Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr That’s key because under the health law, insurers must spend at least 80 percent of their premium revenue on medical care and quality improvement – or issue rebates to consumers. The target is 85 percent for large-group issuers. Brokers had lobbied hard to have their fees exempted from the calculation of administrative costs, which also includes such expenses...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government-controlled mortgage giant Freddie Mac has requested $6 billion in additional aid after posting a wider loss in the third quarter. Freddie Mac said Thursday that it lost $6 billion, or $1.86 per share, in the July-September quarter. That compares with a loss of $4.1 billion, or $1.25 a share, in the same quarter of 2010. This quarter's $6 billion request from taxpayers is the largest since April 2010. Freddie's losses are increasing mainly for two reasons: Many homeowners are paying less interest because they are able to refinance at lower mortgage rates. And failing and bankrupt...

In the midst of a grey, damp winter, at the end of a healthy and normal pregnancy, our second child, a daughter, dies at birth. Despite 20 minutes of attempted resuscitation in the delivery room, she never draws breath outside my body. The neo-natal consultant has tears in his eyes when he comes up to the bedside where my husband and I are clutching each other’s hands in disbelief. “I am so sorry. We couldn’t save her.” Our shock is complete. There was no indication this would happen. When we are asked if we would like our baby blessed, we...

We're losing our Bill of Rights. The reason why is so basic it's overlooked; though Thomas Jefferson warned us about this threat to individual liberty when he wrote, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Jefferson said this in a letter to Colonel Charles Yancey on January 6, 1816. It was the basic truth that we can't retain our liberty unless we first grasp it that impelled me to write Saving the Bill of Rights. After two years spent in the National Archives researching...

The man Congress put in charge of auditing the billions of dollars dumped on Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled has told the Los Angels Times he can't rule out the possibility that $6.6 billion in cash sent from the U.S. was stolen. Special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction Stuart Bowen told the Times the missing money may represent "the largest theft of funds in national history." It was not, it is crucial to note here, U.S. tax-payer dollars which have gone missing in Iraq. The money came from a special fund set up by the Federal Reserve Bank of...

~ EXCERPT ~ WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mortgage buyer Fannie Mae reported a loss of $8.7 billion for the January-March quarter, and asked for an additional $8.5 billion in federal aid. The new request is more than three times the $2.6 billion in government aid it sought in the final three months of last year. The loss was caused by declining home prices around the country, Fannie Mae said. It said prices declined on average 1.8 percent, leading more homeowners to default on loans that the mortgage giant had guaranteed. The government rescued Fannie Mae and sibling company Freddie Mac in...

As a critical thinker, I never bought the media’s sales pitch that Obama was the messiah we were all waiting for. [...] As for the media’s anti-Republican hysteria? Granted, not all journalists referred to Bush as the devil, but many portrayed him as one. In Decision Points, though, we meet a greyer, funnier, and humbler man, who lost a sister to leukemia but also treasured simpler times. On quitting cigarettes (page 1): I have a habitual personality. I smoked cigarettes for about nine years, starting in college. I quit smoking by dipping snuff. I quit that by chewing long-leaf tobacco....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mortgage buyer Fannie Mae has posted a loss of $2.1 billion for the October-December quarter of last year, and is asking for an additional $2.6 billion in federal aid. The new request is slightly more than the $2.5 billion it sought in the July-September quarter. The government-controlled mortgage buyer also reported a $21.7 billion loss for all of 2010. AND YOU CAN'T MISS THIS TOO Freddie Mac posts $1.7B loss for Q4asks for additional $500 million in aid

Here's the way I size it up. California was on pace to be on the borderline on July 1, 2009 and I can't imagine the last 9 months they grew enough to maintain that. Texas could gain 4, Arizona and Florida 2, Georgia, Utah, Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington gain 1 seat. Ohio loses 2, New York might lose 2, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Louisiana, and California lose 1. Missouri and Rhode Island could lose 1.

"We're seeing one of the lowest mobility rates in a century," says Nathaniel Karp, chief economist for banking firm BBVA Compass. Karp says the recession has forced many people to stay put because they are unable to sell their homes, cannot find jobs or are unwilling to relocate for work if it means sacrificing a partner's stable position. The slowdown makes the question of who's moving and why even more significant than in years past. Using 2010 projections by Moody's Economy.com, Forbes ranked the states in which people are leaving faster than they are arriving. Economists report several overlapping trends...

NEW YORK - Freddie Mac, the second-largest provider of U.S. residential mortgage funding, on Wednesday said a faltering housing market resulted in a $4.1 billion third-quarter net loss and another draw from the Treasury to maintain positive net worth. Freddie Mac in a quarterly regulatory filing also warned it may face significant costs related to snags in the foreclosure processes at major loan-servicing companies. Freddie Mac's third-quarter loss included a $1.6 billion dividend payment on senior preferred stock purchased by the Treasury

Manning, SC -- Democratic candidate for Senate Alvin Greene saw his longshot campaign come to a close Tuesday night. Although he gained an impressive number of votes, he fell short of defeating Senator Jim Demint. He made a bizarre post-campaign appearance in Manning. 200 people were expected for his campaign party, but only about 2 people showed up, along with Greene and his family. News Channel 7's Jonathan Carlson was the only Upstate reporter there and attempted to speak with Greene in a sometimes odd interview. As he entered the catering hall, Greene was asked if he would run again....

"Lola "... Loyal, conservative Canine Freeper and dedicated K-9 companion of Recovering Ex-Hippie, passed away August 3." I am heartbroken that my wonderful doggie, Lola, died Tuesday morning. She was 15 years old and had been adopted from the Doggie Orphanage in Cleveland. She then moved with me to Jacksonville, FL. Always a Patriotic Pupster, Lola was called upon by the CIA after 9-11 to break up “Terrorist Squirrel Cells “ in our woods….a calling she dedicated herself to with great enthusiasm. She was the mascot for a fund drive to raise money for the New Orleans Humane society during...

NEW YORK -- The U.S. Postal Service reported a $3.5 billion loss in its most recent quarter Thursday, as mail volume plummets and retiree health care costs mount. The USPS, a self-supporting government agency that receives no tax dollars, said operating revenue declined 1.8% to $16 billion during the fiscal 2010 third quarter compared to a year earlier, while operating expenses spiked 4.2% to $19.5 billion.

Link only due to copyright http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100627/NEWS/306270027/String-of-things-leads-to-political-unraveling-of-Bob-Inglis

THERE are senior and experienced federal Labor MPs who say quietly and privately that they can see the possibility "that we could lose the election". This is incredible not only because the people are not newcomers unused to dealing with falls in polling and tough periods of politics, but also because no Labor MP at all would have even thought it possible six months ago. The incredible nature of this situation is heightened for Labor because where there was once certainty about how to defeat the Coalition there is now tension within the ranks about what should be done. ........

Fannie Mae reported a net loss $13.1 billion on Monday and forecast weakness in the housing and mortgage markets to continue throughout 2010.

Crain's New York Business Lazard bonuses so big, they turned 4Q into a loss By Aaron Elstein Published: February 3, 2010 - 3:06 pm What should have been a profitable quarter a Lazard Ltd. turned into a surprising loss due to the investment bank paying its people big bonuses. The firm doled out $616 million in compensation and benefits to about 2,300 employees last quarter, or more than triple the amount handed out in the same period in 2008. It was a consequence, Lazard said, of a decision to pay more bonuses in cash and accelerate some deferred cash awards...

The Internal Revenue Service today issued proposed regulations under a new law that will require reporting of basis and other information by stock brokers and mutual fund companies for most stock purchased in 2011 and all stock purchased in 2012 and later years. The reporting will be to investors and the IRS. This additional reporting will be optional for stock purchased prior to these dates. “This important reporting change will improve tax compliance while reducing the recordkeeping and paperwork burden for millions of investors,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “These taxpayers will now receive the information they need to more...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama was left with the rare taste of failure when votes were counted on Friday, after his hometown Chicago's hopes of hosting the 2016 Olympics died in Denmark. Chicago's rejection by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, dealt a personal blow to Obama, who had put his glowing global prestige on the line, as a favor to the city where he nurtured his own American dream. Obama, who polls show is hugely popular outside the United States, was seen as the trump card in Chicago's pack on decision day at the IOC meeting. But...

U.S. large-loan bank losses triple to $53 billion Fri Sep 25, 2009 6:05am EDT (Reuters) - U.S. regulators say that the level of losses from syndicated loans facing banks and other financial institutions tripled to $53 billion in 2009, due to poor underwriting standards and the continuing weakness in economic conditions. According to the Shared National Credit Program (SNC) 2009 Review, an annual inter-agency report released on Thursday, credit quality deteriorated to record levels with respect to large loans and loan commitments. The Shared National Credit Program which was set up in 1977 to review large syndicated loans now reviews...

The outspoken Democrat and former presidential candidate vigorously defended Jones, who resigned in the wake of criticism over his past statements and associations -- including his past support for a group that believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. "I think he was brought down," Dean told "FOX News Sunday," saying he just spoke to Jones. "I think it's a loss for the country." Dean pointed to Jones' credentials as a Yale Law School graduate and best-selling author. Though Jones signed a 2004 statement calling for an investigation into possible Bush administration involvement in...

NEW YORK: Former world number one Maria Sharapova was ousted in the third round of the US Open on Saturday, with US teen giant-killer Melanie Oudin eliminating the three-time Grand Slam champion 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. Oudin, two weeks shy of her 18th birthday, will play for a berth in the quarter-finals against Russian 13th seed Nadia Petrova after her third upset of a top player in two Grand Slams. "I'm just so happy," the tearful teen said. "I just kept fighting as hard as I could. I tried as hard as I could. I just came in believing." The magical...

Carrollton couple finds support to deal with unborn son's terminal condition Editor's note: Facing death can be hardest for a family expecting new life. Perinatal hospice offers choices and resources for parents when an infant's death is imminent. "We're so grateful that God chose us to be his parents, because he is such a special little boy," Deidrea told the congregation as T.K. nodded beside her. "We're telling God, 'Thank you – thank you for this gift.' "

HORSHAM, Pa., — Toll Brothers Inc. says it lost $472.3 million in its fiscal third quarter, as the luxury homebuilder took a large tax hit. But while Toll Brothers' results were worse than analysts expected, the company is seeing signs of improvement in the industry. The builder said Thursday it lost $2.93 a share in the three months ended July 31. That compares with a loss of $29.3 million, or 18 cents a share, the same period last year. Toll Brothers sold 792 homes with revenue totaling $461.4 million. Those results were down 36 percent and 42 percent, respectively, from...

As I write this, tomorrow is Tuesday, which is a cardio day. I'll spend five minutes warming up on the VersaClimber, a towering machine that requires you to move your arms and legs simultaneously. Then I'll do 30 minutes on a stair mill. On Wednesday a personal trainer will work me like a farm animal for an hour, sometimes to the point that I am dizzy — an abuse for which I pay as much as I spend on groceries in a week. Thursday is "body wedge" class, which involves another exercise contraption, this one a large foam wedge from...

Commercial Loans to Bear Brunt of Future US Bank Losses McKinsey expects the US banking and securities industry to incur losses averaging $125 billion per quarter through 2010, with the bulk of it concentrated in commercial banking loans. McKinsey research estimates that total credit losses on US-originated debt from mid-2007 through the end of 2010 will probably be in the range of $2.5 trillion to $3 trillion, given the severity of the current recession. Some $1 trillion of these losses has already been realized, McKinsey says in a review of the banking industry. “Since US banks hold about half of...

Hear Words and MusicDo you prefer to sit and think alone Or does the silence shake you like the thunder? Can you shut out distractions like the phone? Has worry killed your sense of awe and wonder? Has loss occurred and left a gaping hole Or have setbacks left you wanting to give in? Does heartbreak have you doubting your own soul? Is the universe your enemy or friend? Do you despair each time you see your face? Do past hopes and dreams seem like a waste of time? Do you wish you were in another place? Do you wonder...

Advanta to cease new credit card lending Advanta plans to cease new credit card lending as it battles losses; shares fall On Tuesday May 12, 2009, 10:20 am EDT SPRING HOUSE, Pa. (AP) -- Advanta Corp. said late Monday it will shut down its credit card lending operations next month as it battles surging loan losses. Shares tumbled more than 6 percent, losing 7 cents to $1.06 in early trading Tuesday. Shares have dropped 88 percent over the past 12 months.

Toyota Motor, the world's top automaker, announced Friday a 4.4-billion dollar annual loss, its first ever, and warned it would plunge deeper into the red as car sales collapse during the recession. Toyota lost 765.8 billion yen (7.7 billion dollars) in the quarter to March alone, even more than General Motors, as it idled plants to ride out the biggest crisis in its more than 70-year history. (Excerpt...see rest at link)

According to press reports the IMF may allegedly be increasing its estimate of global bank losses to $4 trillion, a figure consistent with estimates by a variety of independent bank analysts Nouriel Roubini | Apr 10, 2009 A year ago this author predicted that losses by US financial institutions would be at least $1 trillion and possibly as high as $2 trillion. At that time the consensus such estimates as being grossly exaggerated as the naïve optimists had in mind about $200 billion of expected subprime mortgage losses. But, as was pointed out then in this forum, losses would rapidly...

There needs to be a scorecard somewhere that allows us to understand what is happening to us at a glance, a visual and a list of information dated and with links to the background information. The changes, loss of freedom, rights, violations of the Constitution and general crimes against the United States are coming so fast this country boy can't keep up with all of them. Most people I talk to don't know what is going on today let alone understand the cumulative effect of what is taking place. The analogy has been used of the frog in hot water...

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska, March 16, 2009 – Air Force Airman Derrick Bell has found that a lot of determination and a little help from his friends helped him meet his goal of returning to military service when it seemed that both his age and weight might have prevented it. Air Force Airman Derrick Bell, left, after he lost 115 pounds to join the Air Force Reserve’s 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. On right, before he spent 11 months to reaching his goal. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The 38-year-old...

General Motors awaits auditors’ verdict as losses exceed $30bn Christine Seib in New York General Motors (GM) lost almost $10 billion (£6.9 billion) in last year’s final quarter and nearly $31 billion over the whole of 2008, the stricken car company reported yesterday as it awaited advice from its auditors on whether it remained a going concern. Rick Wagoner, the chief executive of the American carmaker, met members of President Obama’s automotive task force yesterday to discuss how to save the company, which has said that it needs about $30 billion in government aid to survive. GM said in a...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Troubled US mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae said Thursday it lost almost 60 billion dollars last year and expected to suffer more losses in 2009, and asked for a further 15.2 billion dollars in government aid. The US government-controlled Fannie Mae reported a loss of 25.2 billion dollars in the fourth quarter driven mainly by the effects of a prolonged housing slump and a global financial crisis. It had a third-quarter loss of 29.0 billion dollars. For the full year of 2008, the company posted a loss of 58.7 billion dollars, almost 27 times higher than the...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Office Depot Inc. said Tuesday it lost $1.54 billion in the fourth quarter as hefty charges and sharply lower sales in North America and abroad weighed on the office supply chain. The loss was much larger than analysts expected, and Office Depot shares tumbled 20 cents, or 13.8 percent, to a 52-week low of $1.25 in morning trading. "We are disappointed with the fourth quarter results," Chief Executive Steve Odland said on a conference call with analysts. "As these times have gotten tough for our customers they have significantly cut back their spending, including their spending...

Song/poem about grief and loss. Click link to watch performance. Thank you. Please don't take my baby. To my sick child I will cling. Please don't take my baby. I would trade 'most anything. Just go 'way grim reaper With the sadness that you bring. Wake up with the night sweats To confirm my baby's here. Wake up with the night sweats Overwhelmed by pain and fear. Just go 'way grim reaper. Don't you quench your thirst for tears. Goodbye to my baby. Watch 'em put you in the grave. Goodbye to my baby. Life your doctors couldn't save. Please...

$1.1 T Potential Loan Losses Plus $700bn Securities Writedowns: How Sound Is the U.S. Banking Sector? Jan 20 Roubini/Parisi: Assuming a further 20% fall in house prices and unemployment peaking at 9%, we project total loan losses to amount to $1.6T out of $12.4T loans outstadning. Of these $1.6T loan losses, about $1.1T accrue to U.S. banks and brokers.Mark-to-market prices as of December imply around $2T in writedowns on 10.8T securities outstanding. Flow of funds data show that 40% of U.S. originated securities are held abroad. U.S. banks' share of writedowns is about 30-35%, or 600-700bn according to weights...

Deutsche Bank loses nearly 5.0 bln euros in fourth quarter by William Ickes Wed Jan 14, 8:32 am ET FRANKFURT (AFP) – Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest bank, said on Wednesday it expected to incur a massive loss of nearly 5.0 billion euros in the fourth quarter after market conditions "severely impacted" its sales and trading operations. The loss of 4.8 billion euros (6.37 billion dollars) over the final three months would result in an annual loss of around 3.9 billion euros, wiping out profits made earlier in 2008. Its shares plunged by 8.22 percent to 22.27 euros in midday Frankfurt...

Happy New Year? Not for credit card companies Wed Dec 31, 2008 4:19pm EST By Juan Lagorio NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. credit card companies have little to celebrate as many analysts brace for 2009 to be one of the worst years on record for consumer credit. Losses for the industry could top $70 billion, but it is hard to predict how bad the pain will be. U.S. consumers have never before been so deeply in debt. There was nearly $1 trillion of credit and charge card debt outstanding as of October, up more than 25 percent since 2003, according...

Johnathan G. Shibley’s letter in the Long Beach Press-Telegram (“Deregulation was culprit”) blaming a “neocon philosophy of laissez faire and deregulation” for our current financial crisis fails to account for the effects of 9/11. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_11352019 (see letter below this post). What brought about our present financial crisis was 9/11. After 9/11 and the rise of terrorism, foreign investors were looking for a safe haven for their money. What could be safer than U.S. real estate? To avoid a major recession after 9/11, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and stimulated huge infusions of cash into the economy. Prior to 9/11,...

Toyota to suffer 1.1 billion dollar loss for 2nd half: reports Sat Dec 13, 1:32 am ET TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese auto giant Toyota is likely to suffer a 1.1 billion dollar loss for the second half of the current fiscal year due to a stronger yen and a global industry slump, news reports said Saturday. Toyota Motor Corp. is likely to incur an operating loss of some 100 billion yen (1.1 billion dollars) for the six months to March next year, the Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News said. It would be Totota's first interim operating loss since the company...

RAWAH, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2008 – Before Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux could become a Marine, he had to become a loser. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux, a telephone system and personal computer repair technician with Regimental Combat Team 5’s Provisional Rifle Platoon 3, patrols the streets of Rawah, Iraq, Dec. 4, 2008. Desruisseaux dropped from 326 pounds to his Marine Corps recruit training graduation weight of 189. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. M. Trent Lowry  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Desruisseaux lost more than 100 pounds between his first visit to a Marine Corps...

Harvard letter on its endowment /snip Harvard Management Company, using standard industry practices for valuing assets, has calculated investment losses of approximately 22 percent from July 1 through October 31. Yet even that sobering figure is unlikely to capture the full extent of actual losses for this period, because it does not reflect fully updated valuations in certain externally managed asset classes, most notably private equity and real estate. HMC expects that as we receive more comprehensive valuations in these asset classes from our external managers, the endowment will realize further declines in value. With those considerations in mind, and...

Fannie Mae reports $29 billion 3rd-quarter loss on $21.4 billion tax charge, mounting defaults Government-controlled mortgage finance company Fannie Mae said Monday it lost $29 billion in the third quarter as it took a massive tax-related charge and saw mortgage defaults continue to rise. The company, seized by federal regulators more than two months ago, warned that it if it has another dismal quarter, it may need some of the $100 billion in federal support that the government promised when it seized Fannie Mae and sibling company Freddie Mac in September. Washington-based Fannie Mae posted a loss of $13 per...

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A financial manipulation scheme cost American International Group Inc investors at least $544 million, a judge has estimated, a finding that could mean the five former executives convicted in the fraud will face lengthy prison terms when sentenced. The case is unrelated to AIG's mortgage-related losses that led to a near collapse of the company in September and an $85 billion emergency line of credit from the U.S. Federal Reserve. Four former executives at General Re Corp, a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, and one former AIG executive were found guilty by a federal...

The Marxists of the Groucho & Chico variety are going back to Karl. With Wall Street teetering, Main Street teeming with people with pink slips in their hands and the government tightening its grip on credit, the common man is returning to the works of Karl Marx. It is understandable. He was the one who wrote to Friedrich Engels during the financial turmoil of 1857, "the American Crash is a delight to behold and it's far from over". He might have a point, yet again, in the 21st century. With no one, except for the unreconstructed left, even claiming to...

There's the "agony of defeat." And then there's this women's ice hockey score from the European Olympic pre-qualifying tournament: Slovakia 82, Bulgaria 0. That's correct: eighty-two goals for Slovakia, none for Bulgaria