Free Republic

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) played a bigger role in fueling the mortgage bets that crippled American Insurance Group Inc (AIG.N) than has been publicly disclosed, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. An analysis by the paper of AIG's trades on pools of mortgage debt shows that Goldman was a key player in many, including those involving other banks, the Journal said. Goldman was one of 16 banks the U.S. government rescued last year after closing out losing trades that AIG had made with the financial firms. The bank originated or bought protection from AIG on...

Hot off the press, I have just received the “Top Ten Trades” for 2010 from Jim O’Neill – Manchester United fanatic, eternal optimist, China lover, and head of the markets team at the Goldman Sachs. Bizarrely, there are only eight of them but let’s not be fussy, and some of these are incomprehensible to all but quant anoraks. So here are a few. Long Russian Equities – on the grounds that GDP will recover from its collapse of 9.5pc of GDP this year to growth of 4.5pc next year, along with 60pc earnings growth. Russian stocks have lagged other emerging...

British labor unions agreed Thursday to support a boycott of some Israeli goods in response to the offensive in Gaza. The boycott, approved at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress, calls for a ban on importing goods produced in some Israeli settlements, an end to arms trading with Israel and disinvestment from some companies. Union officials said the boycott would target products including dates, herbs, fruit and vegetables grown on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Another major multi-team trade might be looming in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls having discussed a deal that would be headlined by Carlos Boozer and Kirk Hinrich, according to NBA front-office sources. Sources stressed to ESPN.com that no deal was imminent Thursday and that both Portland and Utah are still evaluating additional trade scenarios. But two sources with knowledge of the three-team proposal confirmed that there have been substantive talks aimed at landing Boozer in Chicago, Hinrich in Portland and Tyrus Thomas in Utah.

Check here every day for new additions http://geo.craigslist.org/ http://www.monster.com/ http://www.indeed.com/ http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ http://www.careerbuilder.com/ http://www.dice.com/ http://www.jobbankusa.com/ http://www.vault.com/ http://www.job.com/

Trinidad - In a country where there is almost one firearm for every man, woman and child, there is actually a shortage of craftsmen who know how to make and repair them. Enter Trinidad State Junior College's 60- year-old gunsmithing program, where the quiet little labs on campus - bedecked with donated equipment from the gun industry and attended by professors who are former gunsmiths - are churning out people each year who have their pick of jobs around the country.

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (March 10, 2006) -- Giving up the fame of the football field at 29 years old, one Company B recruit looked for a glory that was more permanent than any trophy. At age 13, Pfc. Jeremy Staat was 75 inches tall and weighed 230 pounds. It seemed as if he was built for football, according to Staat. “I really didn’t have to work hard at it,” said Staat. Starting as an offensive lineman, Staat grew as a football player and saw his first glimpse of the Marine Corps not long after starting at Arizona...

CAMP BULLIS, Texas (Army News Service, Feb. 8, 2006) – A world-renowned cardiologist and top-ranked university vice president, Dr. Ward Casscells joined the Army at age 53 and led the service’s research on avian flu before graduating Feb. 3 from his officer basic course. Casscells is a teacher, doctor and champion of humanitarian relief, with countless hours spent tending to victims of hurricanes, tsunamis and terrorist acts. His studies have led to breakthroughs in cardiology, and his years of research on avian flu are now deemed cutting edge as a potential pandemic begins to loom. With more than 30 years...

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (Nov. 18, 2005) -- Every Marine who has ever served has made some type of sacrifice in order to wear the “Eagle, Globe and Anchor,” but these sacrifices aren’t always paid in the form of sweat from countless humps and physical training sessions, neither are they from the shedding of blood on the battlefield, nor from the feelings of loneliness during long separations from family and friends while deployed. Sometimes the sacrifices made are simply the other opportunities that were passed up in order to join the Corps. Still, it can be argued...

After the World Series, baseball fans still have football, basketball, and hockey to watch. But the winter months bring about free agency and trade rumors for Major League Baseball and that is always exciting. This year's free agent crop is not as deep as past years. There are no real super-superstars waiting for gargantuan contracts. Not only is the market shallow, trades will be a tie-in with free agents. So with that in mind, here are the top 10 free agents available. There are two leadoff hitters in demand this year, the Atlanta Braves SS Rafael Furcal and the Boston...

CAMP RIPPER, Al Asad, Iraq (Sept. 20, 2005) -- Staff Sgt. Charles E. Sexton, a Florida state trooper, is thousands of miles away from the humidity and the long stretches of highway in the Sunshine State. Sexton, a reserve Marine and camp security chief, recently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Lehigh Acres, Fla., native is responsible for the Marines who guard Camp Ripper’s entry points. He also supervises their training in anti-terrorism and force protection measures. It’s something he does not take lightly. “Being out here doing this is just as dangerous as anything back in the...

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of welders will rise 17 percent to 457,000 from 2002 to 2012, while the number of automotive service technicians and mechanics will increase 12.5 percent to 1.2 million. It also expects heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics to see a 31.8 percent jump to 328,000 workers.

That Brown Decision I listened to all the palaver about the 1954 Supreme Court decision that ended racial segregation mandated by law. All of the talkers seem to have forgotten one important point: providing a sound education to the children. Let's note at the outset that the decision was good. It upset a system based on a lie. That lie was that "separate but equal" met the constitutional requirement of equal rights. It was a lie because the facilities were separate but almost never equal. In my entire career, I have never written a word criticizing busing children, even when...

I have to pick the homer ones here. Worst - 1989 - The Red Wings trade Adam Oates and Paul MacLean to the St Louis Blues for Bernie Ferderko and Tony McKegney. The Wings finish in LAST place next year. Federko retires after one year, and McKegney is traded after 17 games or so. Oates (who was already good with the Wings) on the other hand becomes a superstar with the Blues and hooks up with Brett Hull. MacLean still has a couple of years left with the Blues. Best 1996-97 - Wings trade Keith Primeau and Paul Coffey to...