9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says (Video Satire)
Very Funny interview with Al Qaeda #3 Guy.
Exclusive WQXT 22 Video of St Augustine UFO
The End of Cheap Food?
A sharp spike in prices for wheat, corn, rice and other staples has sparked riots in Mexico and Egypt, marches by hungry children in Yemen and the spectre of starving people in Haiti turning to mud pies for sustenance. This growing unrest is forcing the global community to focus on the causes of higher food costs and what can be done. But it's also raising the troubling possibility that cheap prices for food may be gone for good, an economic relic of the the past.
Court to Microsoft: 'Vista Capable' Appeal Denied
Microsoft took another hit on the legal front Monday when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to let the software behemoth appeal a ruling by the judge in the so-called "Vista Capable" lawsuit that had granted the plaintiffs class action status.
In a brief, one-paragraph order, the appeals court denied Microsoft's request to appeal Judge Marsha Pechman's February 2008 ruling expanding the case into a class action.
$20M 'Virtual Fence' scrapped for not catching enough illegals
The government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted "virtual fence" on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert border patrol agents to illegal crossings, officials said.
The move comes just two months after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced his approval of the fence built by the Boeing Co. The fence consists of nine electronic surveillance towers along a 28-mile section of border southwest of Tucson.
Struggling homeowners could get new government-backed loans
Homeowners staggering under mounting mortgage debt and facing foreclosure could get cheaper, government-backed loans under Democrats' housing rescue plan.
But first, lenders would have to agree to wipe out part of their debt. And the borrowers would have to show they could afford the new mortgage. They also would have to agree to share any future profits on the home with the government.
No heaven on Earth Day
So much for global warming. Earth Day festivities went ahead despite the blast of frigid weather yesterday.
Vendors and presenters from various eco-friendly groups, including Bullfrog Power, CO2 Reduction Edmonton and the local solar energy society, crammed into a lone tent in Hawrelak Park after a blizzard forced them to abandon their original locations.
FDA says Pfizer's online Viagra ad did not mention risks
Federal regulators have warned Pfizer Inc. for not mentioning the risks of Viagra in an advertisement featuring country musicians singing the praises of its popular impotency pill.
The Food and Drug Administration called on Pfizer to discontinue the online video advertisement in a warning letter issued last week and posted online Monday.
The 30-second video, which appeared on CNN.com, showed a group of Nashville musicians singing the refrain "Viva Viagra"
Mother's diet can help determine sex of child: study
Oysters may excite the libido, but there is nothing like a hearty breakfast laced with sugar to boost a woman's chances of conceiving a son, according to a study released Wednesday.
Likewise, a low-energy diet that skimps on calories, minerals and nutrients is more likely to yield a female of the human species, says the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Britain's de facto academy of sciences.
Saliva test may speed heart attack diagnosis
A simple saliva test may one day be used in ambulances, restaurants, neighborhood drug stores, or other places in the community to quickly tell if a person is having a heart attack.
"Proteins found in the saliva have the ability to rapidly classify potential heart attacks," Dr. John T. McDevitt, a biochemist at the University of Texas at Austin, told Reuters Health.
Robotic vigilante: Homemade 'Bum Bot' patrols in Atlanta
Cars passing O'Terrill's pub screech to a halt at the sight of a 300-pound, waist-high robot marked "SECURITY" rolling through downtown long after dark.
The regulars hardly glance outside. They've seen bar owner Rufus Terrill's invention on patrol before — its bright red lights and even brighter spot light blazing, infrared video camera filming and water cannon at the ready in the spinning turret on top.
Colorado Rep. Bruce calls farmworkers 'illiterate peasants'
Rep. Douglas Bruce was silenced Monday for calling seasonal farmworkers "illiterate peasants" during a House debate.
The remark drew loud gasps from Democrats and Republicans, and Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, serving as House chairwoman, immediately cut Bruce off, demanding, "How dare you."
HILLARY'S PENNSYLVANIA WIN: Too Little Too Late
The primaries coming up in the next two weeks - Indiana and North Carolina - are likely to give Obama back a goodly portion of those delegates. By the time all the primaries have been held, after June 3, there is no doubt that Obama will lead by more than 100 elected delegates, and likely 150. From there, it will be an easy route to the nomination.
What are the aircraft career battle groups for?
Three U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups are patrolling waters off southeast Taiwan. The task forces with the Kitty Hawk, Nimitz and Lincoln in the lead are believed to continue the patrol until May 20. Of course, it's rather unusual. But what for?
Chertoff Says Fingerprints Aren't 'Personal Data'
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has badly stumbled in discussing the Bush administration’s push to create stricter identity systems. Chertoff was recently in Canada discussing, among other topics, the so-called “Server in the Sky” program to share fingerprint databases among the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. In a recent briefing with Canadian press (which has yet to be picked up in the U.S.), Chertoff made the startling statement that fingerprints are “not particularly private”:
QUESTION: Some are raising that the privacy aspects of this thing, you know, sharing of that kind of data, very personal data, among four countries is quite a scary thing.
SECRETARY CHERTOFF: Well, first of all, a fingerprint is hardly personal data because you leave it on glasses and silverware and articles all over the world, they’re like footprints. They’re not particularly private.
"Really, Fingerprints are not personal data. It's not like they could be used to Identify you. I am sure Footprints and Fingerprints, are not like comparing Apples to Oranges. Really, that retinal scan we want next is not really personal data either. All that information on your Laptop is not Really, Personal data either, Really" Willy Bova
Border Agents Can Search Laptops Without Cause, Court Rules
Federal agents at the border do not need any reason to search through travelers' laptops, cell phones or digital cameras for evidence of crimes, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, extending the government's power to look through belongings like suitcases at the border to electronics.
The unanimous three-judge decision reverses a lower court finding that digital devices were "an extension of our own memory" and thus too personal to allow the government to search them without cause.
"Presidents appoint Judges, come 11-4-08, Give that some thought before you vote..." Willy Bova
Supreme Court says police may search even if arrest invalid
The Supreme Court affirmed Wednesday that police have the power to conduct searches and seize evidence, even when done during an arrest that turns out to have violated state law. The unanimous decision comes in a case from Portsmouth, Va., where city detectives seized crack cocaine from a motorist after arresting him for a traffic ticket offense.
David Lee Moore was pulled over for driving on a suspended license. The violation is a minor crime in Virginia and calls for police to issue a court summons and let the driver go.
Survey shows hundreds of EPA scientists complaint about political pressure
Hundreds of Environmental Protection Agency scientists complain they have been victims of political interference and pressure from superiors to skew their findings, according to a survey released Wednesday by an advocacy group.
The Union of Concerned Scientists said that more than half of the nearly 1,600 EPA staff scientists who responded online to a detailed questionnaire reported they had experienced incidents of political interference in their work.
Wal-Mart's Sam's Club limiting rice purchases
Sam's Club warehouse division said on Wednesday it is limiting sales of Jasmine, Basmati and long grain white rice "due to recent supply and demand trends."
The news came as rice prices surged, with U.S. rice futures hitting an all-time high Wednesday on worries about supply shortages.
$100 fill-ups arrive at gas pumps
Noel Bosse and Ken Davis watch as the numbers keep spinning at the gas pump -- 70 bucks, 80 bucks. Gulp, guzzle, then it stops: $101 for about 25 gallons. Gas prices in California are the nation's highest, already soaring over $4 a gallon in some areas.
The $100 fill-up has arrived in the United States. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Bosse says with disgust.
Florida House Democrats invoke rare delay tactic
The Florida Legislature doesn't have filibusters, so outgunned House Democrats did the next-best thing Friday by slowing the lawmaking process to a snail's pace in protest of being consistently run over on major policy issues.
For the first time in seven years, a little-known clause of the Florida Constitution was invoked — requiring a full, word-by-word reading of every bill taken up on the House floor.
It's a rare tactic, similar to a fighter clinching to hold on until the bell, and the combatants usually work out their frustrations in an hour or two.
Cablevision Caught Blatantly Lying To Customers About Digital TV Switch
Consumerist has caught Cablevision telling customers that they need to upgrade to a digital cable box by order of the FCC. This is simply untrue. Cablevision is upgrading many of its channels to digital format from analog, and those channels will no longer be available to customers who don't have a digital cable box. But, that's entirely a business decision made by Cablevision, and has absolutely nothing to do with the the FCC-mandated switch for over-the-air broadcasts. It's just that Cablevision timed this deal to coincide with all the stories about the over-the-air switch, and is using that to make people think that it's the FCC's fault.
The Food Irradiation Plot
There's a new plot underway to sterilize your food and destroy the nutritional value of fresh produce. The players in this plot are the usual suspects: The USDA (which backed the "raw" almond sterilization rules now in effect in California) and the American Chemical Society -- a pro-chemical group that represents the interests of industrial chemical manufacturers. The latest push comes from USDA researchers who conducted a study to see which method more effectively killed bacteria on leafy green vegetables like spinach.
Earth's Hum Sounds More Mysterious Than Ever
Earth gives off a relentless hum of countless notes completely imperceptible to the human ear, like a giant, exceptionally quiet symphony, but the origin of this sound remains a mystery.
Now unexpected powerful tunes have been discovered in this hum. These new findings could shed light on the source of this enigma. The planet emanates a constant rumble far below the limits of human hearing, even when the ground isn't shaking from an earthquake.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY ~~ A WEEK OF REVOLTS
On the first Earth Day observance, an estimated 20 million participated in peaceful demonstrations of concern for the environment across the U.S. An estimated 20 million people participated including ten thousand grade schools and high schools, two thousand colleges across one thousand communities.
April 24, 1971
500,000 demonstrated against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C.
It was the largest-ever demonstration opposing U.S. war in Southeast Asia. 150,000 marched at a simultaneous rally in San Francisco.
UFO's over St Augustine
Strange orbs of light spotted flying in the night sky over St. Augustine are the second reported sighting of mystery lights in the area in recent weeks.
The Puckett family said they spotted the lights in the sky over the weekend. Witness Brandon Puckett, 12, said the lights were apparently flying toward each other.
How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power
George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.
The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.
His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act,
Bush meets with Canadian and Mexican leaders at NAFTA summit in New Orleans
While you Democrats are pounding each other to a pulp in Pennsylvania, the President has snuck back down to New Orleans for a meeting of the NAFTA Three: the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of Mexico.
You’re not supposed to know that – for two reasons:
First, the summit planned for the N.O. two years back was meant to showcase the rebuilt Big Easy, a monument to can-do Bush-o-nomics. Well, it is a monument to Bush’s leadership: The city still looks like Dresden 1946, with over half the original residents living in toxic trailers or wandering lost and broke in America.
Bill Clinton: Under GOP Primary System Hillary Would be Ahead
ABC News' Political Unit did some quick math and added up all the pledged delegate counts for the winner-take-all Democratic contest. As of the most recent count on the eve of the Pennsylvania state primary, Senator Hillary Clinton has won 15 state contests and was awarded 1430 delegates, not including unpledged (a.k.a. "superdelegates"). Barack Obama has won 29, and has 1257 delegates.
According to ABC's math -- Clinton would hold more like a 173 delegate-lead if her and Obama were competing in the Republican primary system given the GOP system doesn't have superdelegates. President Clinton was correct, but overestimated what his wife's lead would be by about half.
"Had Al Gore's father been President rather than a Senator, and appointed Supreme Court justices, then Al Gore would have been President" Willy Bova
Tuesday's Pennsylvania Primary Will be 'Unrecountable, Unverifiable, and Unauditable'
On Tuesday night, you will be told who the winner of the Pennsylvania Primary is. You will accept it. You will have no choice. No matter who the winner really is. Or isn't.
This Tuesday's crucial contest will be primarily run on 100% faith-based, Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen or push-button) e-voting machines across the state. There will be no way to determine after the election whether the computers have accurately recorded, or not, the intent of those voters who voted on them. As VerifiedVoting.org summarizes the crucial contest, it "will be essentially unrecountable, unverifiable, and unauditable."
Justice Dept. to monitor Pa. primary
The U.S. Justice Department says it will monitor voting in Philadelphia during Pennsylvania's presidential primary election Tuesday.
The federal monitors will be deployed to try to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws, the Justice Department said in a news release Monday. The monitoring arises from an April 2007 agreement with the city that settled allegations Philadelphia had violated the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act, the statement said.
Obama tells Stewart: Clinton attacks like 'spring training'(Video)
On the eve of the crucial Pennsylvania primary, Senator Barack Obama appeared on The Daily Show by live video feed from Pittsburgh.
“You’ve had a chance to meet Americans throughout the land,” Jon Stewart began. “Are we nice?”
“There’s a core decency and a generosity to the American people that actually makes me feel optimistic,” Obama replied. “People have good instincts.”
Kids Playing Ball on Florida Beach Stumble Upon Skeleton
Authorities say a group of children playing ball on a beach discovered an adult human skeleton in the back yard of home near Port Orange, Florida.
The sheriff's office in Volusia County says yesterday's find is being investigated as a suspicious death. The person had been dead for a few months, but it's not clear if the remains belong to a man or woman.
Florida House passes health insurance bill
The House early Saturday passed a massive plan to make bare-bones health insurance available that wouldn't cover all illnesses, but also wouldn't cost as much.
A less wide-ranging proposal has already passed the Senate, but the goal of both plans is to provide cheaper coverage so that some of the nearly 4 million uninsured Floridians might be able to get insurance.
Democrats complained that the less-regulated plans wouldn't help the uninsured that much, and said the result would be like what happened when government failed to sufficiently regulate mortgages.
"This isn't insurance," said Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando. "This is sub-prime insurance."
$10 Million Florida Road Leads to Alaska
Under the category of "What the Heck?": Florida Highway Leads to Alaska
You've heard of the "bridge to nowhere" that reaches 80 people on Gravina Island, Alaska, right? Republican congressman Don Young of Alaska managed to get more than $200 million allocated last year for his notorious bridge.
However, Mr. Young has managed to top even himself. In 2005, as chairman of the House transportation committee, Young had a transportation bill changed after the bill had already been passed by the House and Senate.
The change to the bill re-allocated $10 million for roadwork in Florida, specifically an interchange near Fort Meyers called the Coconut Road which touches five golf clubs on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. County authorities did not request the funding, and twice voted not to use it until Mr. Young wrote letters warning that a refusal could jeopardize future federal money for the county.
Rocky Road for Credit Card Bill
Congressional lawmakers of both parties have found something to agree on: The credit card industry, they say, has evolved beyond the scope of regulations intended to protect consumers, and it requires reining in. Where they differ is how to do it.
House Democrats are pushing legislation -- the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) -- that would force card companies to disclose looming rate increases, eliminate confusing fees and cease the retroactive application of hiked rates to existing balances. Republicans, siding with the banks, prefer to leave the task of reform to federal regulators, who are in the process of crafting new rules for the industry.
UFO Spotted Over St. Augustine
Locals in St. Augustine are used to planes flying over head. After all, they are close to an airport. But on Saturday night, locals say there was something else flying through the sky. Brandon Puckett, a 12-year-old resident of St. Augustine Beach thinks it was pretty neat he got to see a UFO.
He and his mom, Laura, saw two identical orange orbs that appeared to be on fire. She said the flaming globes looked as though they were traveling at the same speed, with one slightly ahead of the other, flying past the coastline around 9:00 p.m
Inhaled a chip lately? Chemtrail's & Government
Psychotronic (mind control) technologies are mentioned in this study, but not in much detail because that information is classified. The report explores how the weapons system must be able to access what should be private. We read:
The target acquisition system must provide decision makers the capability to detect changes in the personal values of an adversary. Changes in a leader’s emotions, thoughts, or frame of reference are of interest to the strategic attack system. Techniques that get into the ‘head’ of an adversary to obtain valuable information require revolutionary advances. Finding plausible methods for accomplishing this task is the focus of the classified ‘Information Attack’ white paper.(24)
The Air Force would only classify a weapon that can read your thoughts, emotions, and intentions if our country already had this weapon in 1995 or intended to possibly develop it. The sprayed bio-implants and other spy devices are describe below:
Osama Bin Laden Endorses Hillary Clinton, (Video)
(or rather, appears in ad for Senator Clinton)
Hillary's up with a new, last minute spot in Pennsylvania designed to swing the late-breaking undecideds -- and it includes a brief appearance by none other than Osama Bin Laden.
Though there's no mention of Obama here, the crisis imagery, combined with the line "who do you think has what it takes," are clearly designed to sow last-minute doubts about Obama's fitness to be commander-in-chief, just as the "red phone" ad did...
"Senator Clinton's spokesperson declined to comment, when asked how much Osama Bin Laden was compensated for appearing in the "Kitchen Sink" ad" Willy Bova
Wage erosion cuts deeper in U.S
Whatever Senator Barack Obama meant by his less than artful remarks about small-town Pennsylvanians being "bitter" over lost jobs, he certainly turned a lot of attention last week to the decline of the American worker, bitter or not.
The talk most often has been of shuttered factories, layoffs, outsourcing and other effects of globalization, especially in a state like Pennsylvania, which has lost tens of thousands of industrial jobs. But there is another way to look at blue-collar workers or their counterparts in the service sector.
CU's 4/20 pot smoke-out draws crowd of 10,000 Police issue zero tickets during annual marijuana celebration
Nine, eight, seven ..."
A crowd of about 10,000 people collectively began counting down on the University of Colorado's Norlin Quadrangle just before 4:20 p.m. Sunday.
Yet the massive puff of pot smoke that hovers over CU's Boulder campus every April 20 -- the date of an annual, internationally recognized celebration of marijuana -- began rising over the sea of heads earlier than normal this year.
Danica Patrick makes IndyCar history by winning Japan 300, becoming first woman to win an IndyCar race
The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.
"I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back," said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing. "We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many."
Switch off at night
Why is it that, these days, we all seem to be so tired, fatigued and not well-rested? It's the plague of modern society, affecting our lives more than any generation before us.
Several research studies have found evidence that electro-magnetic field waves (EMF) can alter melatonin's circadian rhythm by suppressing its nocturnal rise, thus disrupting your proper sleep rhythm. It follows that if you want to get a better sleep - and even if you think you sleep well enough already - clean out the electronics from your bedroom.
Food Rationing in America?
Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.
Problem-Reaction-Solution: "In Lean Times, Biotech Grains Are Less Taboo"
There’s no conspiracy. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the FrankenpHood Satan worshippers and black magicians are going to use the food crisis as some kind of opportunity to expand the use of their garbage as desperation kicks in.
“Yes, please give us your ‘terminator’ seeds. We want to fill our bellies with hideous pesticides and alien proteins. Thank you, Master.”
Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years, or Since Bush's Father was President
Steve Tarpin can bake a graham cracker crust in his sleep, but explaining why the price for his Key lime pies went from $20 to $25 required mastering a thornier topic: global economics.
He recently wrote a letter to his customers and posted it near the cash register listing the factors — dairy prices driven higher by conglomerates buying up milk supplies, heat waves in Europe and California, demand from emerging markets and the weak dollar.
Late-Night Jokes Of The Week: Obama, Clinton And A Visit From The Pope
Another week, another round of late-night monologues and political jokes. Below are some HuffPost favorites from Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Dave Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert from the week of April 14.
Three States Subjected To "Martial Law Sweeps"
Federal law enforcement agencies co-opted sheriffs offices as well state and local police forces in three states last weekend for a vast round up operation that one sheriff's deputy has described as "martial law training".
Law-enforcement agencies in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas took part in what was described by local media as "an anti-crime and anti-terrorism initiative" involving officers from more than 50 federal, state and local agencies.
Concerns raised as government demands universal wiretapping
Sweeping reforms will make it easier than ever for law enforcement to intercept communications if amendments to the Telecommunications (Interceptions) Act are agreed upon by a Senate standing committee.
The federal government is pushing a bill to force all telecommunications providers to facilitate lawful data interception across fixed and mobile telephone systems, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Instant Messaging (IM) and chat room discussions.
Bad, Bad Idea: The Anti-Hijacking Safety Bracelet
This is the worst air travel security idea I've heard of in a long time.
A Canadian company called Lamperd Less Lethal is promoting the EMD Safety Bracelet. It's equipped with electro muscular disruption technology, which effectively short-circuits the central nervous system. Zap someone and they'll be completely immobile for several minutes. The technology isn't new -- cops and security guards have been using it for years in tasers. What's new is the marketing approach. Lamperd is hawking the EMD bracelet as the ideal tool for fighting terrorists intent on taking over an airplane.
A New World Order as US Sinks
HERE'S a big lesson of the first international financial crisis of the 21st century: some old-fashioned economies are weathering the storm better than those that borrowed big to spur growth or those that bet heavily on debt-strapped American consumers.
The US, the economy at the centre of the turmoil, is dragging down world growth. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave his most pessimistic assessment to date of the US economy's outlook, strongly suggesting that a recession was likely.
Vioxx makers knew of drug's dangers three years before recall
The maker of the controversial arthritis drug Vioxx knew of dangers associated with it for as many as three years before a massive nationwide recall, but withheld the information from federal officials and played down the number of deaths associated with the pain medication, according to an analysis published today by University of Washington professors.
Accidents at Disease Lab Acknowledged
The only U.S. facility allowed to research the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease experienced several accidents with the feared virus, the Bush administration acknowledged Friday. A 1978 release of the virus into cattle holding pens on Plum Island, N.Y., triggered new safety procedures. While that incident was previously known, the Homeland Security Department told a House committee there were other accidents inside the government's laborator
Aboriginal children 'injected with leprosy'
ABORIGINAL children were injected with leprosy treatments in a medical testing program that used members of the Stolen Generation as guinea pigs, a Senate Committee has heard.
Greens Senator Bob Brown said he was "shocked and alarmed" by the claims, heard today by the Senate legal and constitutional committee's inquiry into a Stolen Generation Compensation Bill 2008.
Cancer victim's invention could kill tumours
John Kanzius has leukaemia. He has endured 36 debilitating courses of chemotherapy and in medical terms he is a layman - an engineer with no formal training in high science or medicine.
But, inspired to help the children he met and who died of cancer while he was receiving his own treatment, Mr Kanzius had a brainwave that led him to create a machine, and a technique, that doctors think has a chance of curing some cancers.
The twist, however, is that it may not be perfected soon enough to save Mr Kanzius, who is undergoing chemotherapy to keep him alive but may not live to see his invention fulfil its potential.
Authorities lose patience with collapsing dollar
Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU's 'Mr Euro', has given the clearest warning to date that the world authorities may take action to halt the collapse of the dollar and undercut commodity speculation by hedge funds.
Momentum traders have blithely ignored last week's accord by the G7 powers, which described "sharp fluctuations in major currencies" as a threat to economic and financial stability. The euro has surged to fresh records this week, touching $1.5982 against the dollar and £0.8098 against sterling yesterday.
The man who bet on the credit crisis - and took home $3.7bn last year
It is a jarring comparison for the millions of American homeowners struggling with their soaring mortgage payments, but there is one man who has profited so much from the credit crisis that he is jumping a few rungs on the property ladder this year.
He is John Paulson, a previously obscure hedge fund manager from New York, who took home $3.7bn (£1.9bn) last year, after betting on a calamity in the mortgage market.
Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon's Hidden Hand
In the summer of 2005, the Bush administration confronted a fresh wave of criticism over Guantánamo Bay. The detention center had just been branded “the gulag of our times” by Amnesty International, there were new allegations of abuse from United Nations human rights experts and calls were mounting for its closure. The administration’s communications experts responded swiftly. Early one Friday morning, they put a group of retired military officers on one of the jets normally used by Vice President Dick Cheney and flew them to Cuba for a carefully orchestrated tour of Guantánamo.
Canadians reject North American Union
On the heels of the Leader Summit in New Orleans, the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) received some more bad news as the North American Union agenda appears to be on the ropes especially in Canada. A poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians reveals that the majority of the country wants the Conservative minority government to protect water, energy, and public regulations, and to back off on integration with the United States.
The SPP’s objectives include removing barriers and securing U.S. access to Canadian natural resources. One half of Alberta’s oil sands production is already U.S. owned. The SPP will lead to the further corporate takeover of Canada’s resources. The U.S. government, along with trinational elites in the private sector, will benefit from a North American resource pact.