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Five major U.S. banks accused of foreclosure abuses have agreed to a $26 billion settlement with the government, the largest payout from banks arising from the financial crisis. The amount, which will include aid from banks in the form of loan forgiveness and refinancing, is intended to help homeowners avoid mortgage default and foreclosure. Most economists believe this is a step in the right direction, albeit only a small one.

The internet has become a powerful catalyst for international violent jihad, according to a new report from the Dutch security service AIVD.

SNIPPET: "While these various elements of the jihadist network are distinct, the Internet brings them together, especially at the grassroots level. Videos, websites and online magazines indoctrinate aspiring militants in the jihadist ideology and provide a forum for like-minded individuals and groups."

There are a 154 million workers in the U.S., and the current 8.5%, unemployment rate means about 13.1 million Americans are still out of work. A new report commissioned by the United States Council for Mayors and prepared by IHS Global Insight shows that only 26 of 363 metropolitan statistical areas have completely recovered the jobs they lost during the recession. We drew on the report to show the number of jobs these metros lost during the recession, their pre-recession peak level, and the metro area's employment level as a share of overall state employment. Note: The “pre-recession peak” date...

The Advocate, an LGBT magazine, has released a list of what it says are the "gayest" cities in the U.S. The equation breakdown used is a bit different from what you may have expected. The magazine takes into account such parameters as LGBT bookstores and "International Mr. Leather competition semifinalists" among the nine criteria used to compile the list.

BEST FILMS: The Artist War Horse Moneyball Hugo Midnight in Paris Win Win The Descendants The Way Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 My Week with Marilyn WORST FILMS: Sucker Punch Conan the Barbarian Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part I Beastly Transformers: Dark of the Moon Jack & Jill Just Go With It I Don't Know How She Does It Hard Breakers Footloose

The Jihad Will Be YouTubed by Raffaello Pantucci December 15, 2011 FOREIGN POLICY - The AFPAK Channel SNIPPET: "While clearly the technology to make such videos is something that is universal, it does seem as though it is aspirant jihadists in the West who find it easiest to use. There was no evidence that Gul was being directed by foreign terrorist organizations to produce his material, and his case shows the continued existence of young Westerners producing radical material on their own. It may indeed be the case that the virtual armies have yet to fully emerge as active warriors...

Quote: homeland.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-jihadist-use-social-media-how-prevent-terrorism-and-preserve-innovation Subcommittee Hearing: Jihadist Use of Social Media - How to Prevent Terrorism and Preserve Innovation Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence | 311 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 | Dec 6, 2011 2:00pm On Tuesday, December 6, 2011 the Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence will hold a hearing entitled "Jihadist Use of Social Media - How to Prevent Terrorism and Preserve Innovation." The Committee will meet at 2:00 p.m. in 311 Cannon House Office Building. Witnesses Mr. Evan F. Kohlmann Flashpoint Global Partners Mr. William McCants Analyst Analyst for the Center for Naval...

Fox News is still leading the cable news ratings race—but for how long? Fox's overall ratings for November dropped 13% compared to the same month last year, reports Mediabistro.

•Barack Obama goes on “The View” •Richard Nixon invites Elvis Presley to the Oval Office •Marilyn Monroe performs for John F. Kennedy •Boxers or Briefs? Clinton answers •Richard Nixon goes on “Laugh-In” •George H.W. Bush invites Dana Carvey to the White House •Jimmy Carter's “Playboy” interview •George W. Bush appears on “Deal or No Deal” •Gerald Ford and Chevy Chase at the White House Correspondents' Dinner •Eisenhower's use of television

How well run are America’s 50 states? The answer depends a lot on where you live. For the second year, 24/7 Wall St. has reviewed data on financial health, standard of living and government services by state to determine how well each state is managed. Based on this data, 24/7 Wall St. ranked the 50 states from the best to worst run. The best-run state is Wyoming. The worst-run state is California. Comparing the 50 states can be a challenge because they are so different. Some states have abundant natural resources while others rely on service or innovation. State populations...

Rolling Stone names Jimi Hendrix the ‘Greatest Guitarist of all Time,’ followed by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page The rest of the top five are Keith Richards and Jeff Beck BY Jim Farber NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Wednesday, November 23 2011, 3:44 PM Yes, he’s experienced. Jimi Hendrix has been proclaimed the “Greatest Guitarist of All Time” by a panel of musicians wrangled by Rolling Stone Magazine. Though dead for more than 40 years, Hendrix’s fiery and distinct style clearly continues to inspire, and intimidate, six-string pluckers the world over.

SNIPPET: "In July, the British government warned that Al Qaeda’s exploitation of social networking websites is on the rise." SNIPPET: "The massive and multifarious network of websites and social media has presented a challenge to authorities in trying to combat it. Additionally, civil liberty concerns have conflicted with government efforts to spy on communications. Reducing terrorist activity on social media sites has been particularly difficult because users have adopted new forms of communication to conform with the new formats. Many Arabic speakers on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other sites use Arabizi, a form of colloquial Arabic written in the Latin...

 Most-popular, most-trusted celebrities  1. Betty White2. Denzel Washington3. Sandra Bullock4. Clint Eastwood5. Tom Hanks6. Harrison Ford7. (tie) Morgan Freeman7. (tie) Kate Middleton9. Will Smith10. Johnny DeppSource: Reuters/Ipsos poll (http://is.gd/otFa7t)   Least popular & least trusted celebrities 1. Paris Hilton2. Charlie Sheen3. (tie) Britney Spears4. (tie) Kanye West5. Arnold Schwarzenegger6. Tiger Woods7. Kim Kardashian8. Mel Gibson9. Donald Trump10. LeBron JamesSource: Reuters/Ipsos poll (http://is.gd/otFa7t)

1. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. 2. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. 3. Jon Tester, D-Mont. 4. Scott Brown, R-Mass. 5. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah 6. Dick Lugar, R-Ind. 7. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio 8. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. 9. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine 10. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

1. “South Park” 2. “Chappelle’s Show” 3. “The Jerry Springer Show” 4. “Family Guy” 5. “Da Ali G Show” 6. “In Living Color” 7. “All in the Family” 8. “Married With Children” 9. “Soap” 10. “Jackass”

1. Bill Clinton & Monica Lewinsky 2. Gary Hart & Donna Rice 3. John Edwards & Rielle Hunter 4. Mark Sanford & Maria Chapur 5. Mark Foley & his text messages 6. Eliot Spitzer & his prostitutes 7. John F. Kennedy & Marilyn Monroe 8. Ted Kennedy & Mary Jo Kopechne 9. Arnold Schwarzenegger & Mildred Baena 10. Anthony Weiner & Twitter pictures

  1. UselessAccount.com2. Virtual-Bubblewrap.com3. Bread Cam (http://wquinn.tripod.com/breadcam001.htm)4. Rock Paper Scissors Society (www.worldrps.com)5. Press The Spacebar (www.zimm-co.com/PressTheSpaceBar/pressthespacebar2000.html)6. KittyWigs.com7. Clock (http://billychasen.com/clock)8. Watch Paint Dry (www.sudftw.com/paintcam.htm)9. The Rolf Harris Jukebox (www.rolfharrisjukebox.com)10. My Pet Goldfish (www.microprizes.com/wingf.htm)   Source: About.com (http://is.gd/PHxelI)

Adolf Hitler Genghis Khan Marcus Brutus Judas Iscariot Cain Osama Bin Laden Saddam Hussein Jack the Ripper Vlad the Impaler Lee Harvey Oswald Source: listphobia.com Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/list/article/10-most-infamous-people-in-history-2158333.php#ixzz1XMsaRBUL

1. “Schindler’s List” 2. “Old Yeller” 3. “Terms of Endearment” 4. “Life is Beautiful” 4. “Brokeback Mountain” 4. “Titanic” 7. “Million Dollar Baby” 8. “The Champ” 9. “Love Story” 10. “An Affair to Remember”

http://internet-haganah.com/harchives/007413.html "Whither the jihadi forums?" SNIPPET: "There are currently only three jihadi forums that are sufficiently active and well-connected to be of any interest whatsoever. Why we claim to be on the verge of defeating al-Qaida while simultaneously watching passively as they use these forums to regroup and regenerate is beyond me. These are the forums three: • al-Fidaa, a forum created by al-Qaida core. That it is directly linked to al-Qaida by definition moves it to the top of the list. Current membership: 2,462, all of whom can be considered "active" if only because they just joined the forum....

10) Olds Cutlass Ciera(GM A-Bodies)1984-1996 9)Geo Prizm 1989-2002 The what? Here’s the story, in short: It’s a Toyota Corolla with a different nameplate, and everyone knows Corollas last forever. 8)Subaru Wagons(All of Them) 1990-Present If all of these failed to start tomorrow, thousands of college professors in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest would have to walk to class. 7)Volvos (Rear-Wheel-Drive Ones)Dawn of Man-1996 To some extent, these are the Subaru wagons’ spiritual and actual predecessors. Volvo's secret? It basically built one car for 25 years under a variety of nameplates. 6)Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Marquis 1992 - 2011 If these can...

Excerpt only site: Cities like New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles may be some of the most popular and exciting cities in the U.S., but they also happen to be the dirtiest. A list of the most filthiest cities in America has been compiled by Travel and Leisure magazine. Most of the places that made the top ten were some of the most popular in all of the country, perhaps something to do with the number of tourists who frequent there or the street parties and events that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

The profane and hysterical "The Book of Mormon" took home nine Tony Awards on Sunday including the prize for best musical, a considerable achievement for a pair of first-time Broadway playwrights known more for their raunchy cartoons featuring potty-mouthed kids. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the Emmy Award-winning "South Park," found a kindred soul in Robert Lopez, who co-wrote the Tony-winning "Avenue Q," and all three found themselves with plenty of awards when they collaborated to gently mock Mormons and send-up Broadway itself. Collecting the best musical prize, a subdued Parker, who tied Josh Logan of "South Pacific"...

The latest ComScore results from the last quarter are in, and the US mobile device wars were hotter than ever as 13% more people reported owning a smartphone. Google conquered most users' territory with Android climbing just over five percent (now totaling 36.4%) and still claiming first for mobile software platforms. Apple's iOS destroyer took second place (at 26%) partially due to RIM's S.S. BlackBerry OS sinking about five percent (now 25.7%) to claim third, while Microsoft and HP / Palm rounded out the bunch struggling to stay in the fight with even lower single-digit scores. In the OEM region...

SNIPPET: "Note: PWP stands for PassWord-Protected, meaning that a login is required to view - let alone participate in - discussions. Since some in the audience don't understand the significance of this, allow me to spell it out: if only members can read the forum, then anyone observed reading the forum is a member. They have zero deniability (they couldn't have accidentally "wandered into" the site), and they had to make the effort to join (an expression of intent). While the goal here is to present a range of sites, the fact is that the jihadis themselves have largely coalesced...

DEERFIELD, Ill., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One hundred colleges and universities out of some 2,000 U.S. schools that offer four-year degrees have been ranked as the top values by Consumers Digest. The rankings are based on attributes that validate or define the institutions' academic prowess factored against annual cost of tuition, fees and room and board. Among 50 public institutions cited, Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo., ranked No. 1. Among 25 private institutions, Yale University took top honors. Among 25 private liberal-arts schools, Grove City College, Grove City, Pa., held the first slot. The rankings, published in CD's June...

I love Mom, apple pie and America! I'm pro-God, pro-Life, pro-Family, pro-Liberty and pro-America! I'm bitterly clinging to my God and my guns! I'm fighting for a return to constitutionally limited government! I detest what the Marxists are doing to my country and I want the America we all know and love back! Free Republic is my home on the Internet! I'm a tea party patriot and I'm ready to ruuuumble! I get all my news and conservative commentary from FR! I post on FR all day, I'd hate to see it go away! ♫ I love FR. ♫...

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp., which is likely to lose its spot as the world's No. 1 automaker to General Motors Co. later this year, reports its fiscal fourth quarter results Wednesday. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Toyota's production capacity was sorely hurt by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11. The twin disasters nearly washed away Japan's northeastern coast, home to a network of key auto-parts suppliers. The maker of the Camry sedan and Prius hybrid overtook GM as the world's biggest automaker in 2008, a distinction that the American car manufacturer had held since 1932....

Top Ten Reasons for Obama’s Timing of the “Osama Kill” Press Conference By Pamela Barnett/UnlawfulPresident.com 1. Detract from his ineligibility. 2. Detract from his using a stolen social security number. 3. Detract from his horrible Hawaii “birth certificate” forgery released last week.

While all eyes this week are on London's royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, my eyes were on an opening statement from the U.K.'s Daily Mail Reporter: "Women who do not wear headscarves are being threatened with violence and even death by Islamic extremists intent on imposing shariah law on parts of Britain." Rich Dart, a former BBC worker who now attends Muslim rallies, spoke for many about how they favor Islamic law's integration in Western politics, when he was heard to say: "When the Taliban defeat the allies we will establish shariah law and take the fight to...

Top jihadi forum list updated

Here’s a marketing question I thought I’d never ask: Would you think that a critically panned, low-budget movie, with a virtually unknown director and cast, could catapult a more than 50 year-old book near the top of the Amazon bestseller list? Well, exactly that appears to be happening with the movie adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

Ratings for Fox News are in the doldrums, down 21% in primetime so far this year. But don't cry for the right-leaning network -- it's been number one on cable for nine years now, and it still has the top 12 shows. According to a report from Business Insider, Bill O'Reilly remains in the top spot, but he lost 14% of his audience from the same three-month period last year. Sean Hannity places second, down 19%. Bret Baier (whoever he is) is third, beating out Glenn Beck, who has lost a whopping 30% of his audience. CNN and MSNBC have been the beneficiaries of...

The Spanish-language soap topped Univision and English-language broadcast networks in the adults 18-34 demo in its time period Tuesday. It's not a good sign when a Spanish-language soap tops English-language broadcast networks. That's what happened Tuesday night at 10 p.m. with Telemundo's La Reina del Sur. The program was No. 1 in its time slot in the adults 18-49 and 18-34 demographics, according to Nielsen. In the latter demo, La Reina topped CBS, ABC, NBC and Univision in the period.La Reina drew 2.9 million viewers and roughly 1.93 million were in the ad-favored 18-49 demo. For Monday and Tuesday's telecasts,...

"TOP TEN JIHADI FORUMS, AS OF 14 FEBRUARY, 2011" SNIPPET: "Assembled with the help of my dear brothers in Fateh al-Islam (and their minders in the Syrian intelligence service). The [PWP] notation indicates the site is password protected. There's nothing worse than the mournful wailing of analysts, graduate students, and reporters who find themselves locked out of their favorite forum. Join early, join often, save important discussions as you find them, try not to say anything too embarrassing, and if you're a civilian, make some effort to let your friendly neighborhood secret police know that you're a good guy, not...

Even those conservatives who will not vote for Herman Cain to win the Republican nomination should hope that he does run -- and that his candidacy lasts a long time during the nomination process, perhaps even succeeding. Not the least of reasons is that a Cain candidacy would be a hoot.  And I do not mean that in a derisive or condescending way at all.  I mean that it would be the kind of doggone honest and refreshing campaign the country needs.  It would be the opposite of the stale McCain run.  Cain does not speak Washington drivel, and...

Honorable Mentions: Al Franken, Al Gore, Al Sharpton, Anthony Weiner, Arianna Huffington, Bill Clinton, Bob Beckel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Dylan Ratigan, Eric Holder, Ezra Klein, Geraldo, Hillary Clinton, James Cameron, James Clyburn, John Edwards, Jesse Jackson, Jimmy Carter, John Conyers, John Kerry, John Lewis, Kathy Griffin, Lawrence O'Donnell, Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga, Matthew Ygliesias, Maxine Waters, Michael Moore, Mike Malloy, Rachel Maddow, Roger Ebert, Roseanne Barr 20) Joe Biden: Everybody knows how goofy Ol’ Say Anything, Do Anything Joe is! He might tell a dirty joke to a roomful of school children! He might stick a squirrel down his pants! Oh,...

SNIPPET - Quote: 17 October 2010 TOP "TEN" LIST UPDATED There are only 7 sites listed, of which one, at-Tahadi has been "closed for repairs" for a couple of weeks.

Steve Jobs has catapulted Apple to the top of the tech heapLOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Steve Jobs is known as both mercurial and visionary, part rock-star CEO and part master salesman, a meticulous micromanager who can drive his employees to distraction — and one of the most important figures in American industry in the past half-century. Jobs’s tenure as the chief executive at Apple Inc. during the past 10 years is well-documented. After pulling his own company back from the brink of bankruptcy before the decade started, he almost single-handedly went on to save the recording industry with the iPod...

One of the TV networks aired its America's Ten Most Fascinating People of the Year Special. Kim Kardashian was one of the people selected. Nothing against this young lady, but what has Kim Kardashian done, other than being Kim Kardashian, to be bestowed the high honor of a place on the list of ten most fascinating individuals in the country? I remember the old days when fame did not come so cheaply; one had to achieve something unique. I have decided to offer my "Top Ten Most Fascinating Tea Party Individuals/Groups of the Year." Number ten on my list are...

Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that makes a lasting impression. A single smart comment or a couple of small gestures can really impress a woman, while an offensive remark or a display of carelessness can utterly doom your chances. A woman will decide relatively quickly whether or not you’re date-worthy, and all the little things you do or don’t do will help her make up her mind. With these realities in mind, we’ve put together this list of the top 10 simple ways to impress a woman. Nothing complicated here. Nothing time-consuming or exceptionally difficult. But this list of habits,...

Here we are at the beginning of the Holiday “season.” All parents know that these breaks bring with them pleas from children for some extra time in front of what my priest refers to as “the magic lantern” and my husband calls “the devil box.” There is truth in each of these labels, but most Moms call it ”an hour and a half of peace and quiet to get a few things done.” Yes, I am speaking of the television. While it can be argued that watching TV is an inferior way to spend time, it does play a role...

Maria Callas Aretha Franklin Whitney Houston Celine Dion Patsy Cline Patti LaBelle Mariah Carey Pat Benatar Christina Aguilera Judy Garland

1. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 2. Austin-Round Rock 3. Huntsville, Ala. 4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 5. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash. 6. Washington, D.C.,-Arlington, Va.,-Alexandria, Va. 7. Raleigh-Cary, N.C. 8. Anchorage, Alaska 9. El Paso 10. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Source: www.milkeninstitute.org/newsroom/newsroom.taf?cat=press&function=detail&level1=new&ID=186

1. Toyota Camry 2. Honda Accord 3. Ford Escape 4. Ford Focus 5. Chevrolet Malibu 6. Honda Odyssey 7. Dodge Ram 8. Toyota Tundra 9. Jeep Wrangler 10. Toyota Sienna Based on sales, where the car’s parts come from and whether it’s assembled in U.S. Source: www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=ami&story=amMade0710

100 Alicia Keys 99 Hall & Oates 98 Depeche Mode 97 Pretenders 96 Journey 95 OutKast 94 Mariah Carey 93 Pearl Jam 92 LL Cool J 91 Green Day 90 Elvis Costello 89 Beastie Boys 88 Bee Gees 87 George Michael 86 N.W.A. 85 The Band 84 Curtis Mayfield 83 Earth, Wind and Fire 82 Steely Dan 81 ABBA 80 Mary J. Blige 79 Eminem 78 Judas Priest 77 Lynyrd Skynyrd 76 Run-D.M.C. 75 Rush 74 The Cure 73 Van Morrison 72 Janis Joplin 71 R.E.M. 70 Def Leppard 69 Tupac Shakur 68 Otis Redding 67 Coldplay 66 Justin Timberlake...

04 September 2010 "TOP TEN JIHADI FORUMS, 04 SEPTEMBER 2010"

DBKP has released its (mostly) monthly ratings of the Most Popular 100 Conservative sites on the web, the Conservative 100. The ratings are based on Alexa traffic rankings 3-month worldwide average.

10. 'The Back-up Plan' 9. 'The Bounty Hunter' 8. 'Clash of the Titans' 7. 'Cop Out' 6. (tie) 'The Great Directors' / 'Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel' 5. 'Grown Ups' 4. 'The Last Airbender' 3. 'The Last Song' 2. 'Sex and the City 2' 1. 'Furry Vengeance'