One protester gives his reasons... Protesters focused the Royal Bank of Scotland because it was bailed out by the British government after a series of disastrous deals brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. Still, its former chief executive Fred Goodwin � aged just 50 � managed to walk off with a tidy annual pension of 703,000 pounds ($1.2 million) � just as unemployment in Britain is at 2 million and rising. "Every job I apply for there's already 150 people who have also applied," said protester Nathan Dean, 35, who lost his information technology job three weeks ago. "I have had to sign on to the dole (welfare) for the first time in my life. You end up having to pay your mortgage on your credit card and you fall into debt twice over." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_eu/g20_protests

One protester gives his reasons... Reasons to protest peacefully, yes. But there is no justification for the violence today.

Quelle horreur! ;-) http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1888962,00.html

I guess chalk another one up for Comedy Central for saying what really should be said. Colbert, Mocking Beck, Goes Where 'NYT' Would Not By Greg Mitchell Published: April 01, 2009 3:20 PM ET NEW YORK (Commentary) Was it another Jon Stewart vs. Jim Cramer take down? Another case of a fake newsman going where the mainstream press dared not go? It was shocking last night to watch the usually pro-right-wing Stephen Colbert faux persona lay into Fox News' TV host Glenn Beck without an ounce of sympathy. It came just one day after that New York Times front page profile of Beck aired only a small portion of his dirty laundry and mainly treated him as just another popular entertainer. Colbert, on the other hand, expressed (albeit with his usual twinkle and silly Halloween coda) all of the passion, and skill, shown by Stewart when he went after Cramer. He was not just foolin' around. Something obviously got to him. Perhaps it was a part left out of the Times' piece, which covered Beck's new "9/12" movement without mentioning that Beck had attacked 9/11 families and said he was "sick" of hearing about it and them. The Colbert punch line: "The 9-12 project is not for families directly affected by 9/11 -- just people building their careers on it." Compare this to the Times' treatment of Beck as largely a voice for "conservative populist anger" with his "moral lessons" and "passion" and "outrage." Yes, the Times did bring up the "rodeo clown" aspect of Beck and his musings about FEMA camps. But the truly toxic Beckisms were ignored, and they go well beyond calling Obama a "Marxist" and Hillary Clinton a "stereotypical bitch." Who can forget (beyond the Times reporters) when he asked the Muslim U.S. congressman to "prove to me that you are not working with our enemies." Now, will Beck go on Colbert's show, a la Jim Cramer? One doubts it, but watch Beck's show tonight for any quick response. All this comes on the heels of the new Rasmussen poll showing that 1 in 4 Americans now see the Comedy Central late-night shows as "viable" news outlets. And today The Onion won a Peabody Award for its videos mocking cable news. Not an April Fools joke, folks! See full Colbert video at our blog: http://www.eandppub.com Greg Mitchell (gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com) is editor. His new book, his ninth, is "Why Obama Won." http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003957744

I never watch Beck so I don't know what the hell Comedy Central is talking about. Nor do I watch Colbert....ever. Have watched Stewart a few times....*shrugging shoulders* Eh, You have to be a hard-nosed lefty to appreciate his predatorial interviews of conservatives. His MO seems to be "Search & Destroy" Now, will Beck go on Colbert's show, a la Jim Cramer? Why should he? *rolling eyes*

On a more important note:-)))) TIME has a great gallery of pics of Michelle's outfits in London. http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1888971,00.html Oh , and I like her new pulled back hair style . Jason Wu can really dress her. Oh, I could lift 10 lbs weights all day and never have upper arms like hers....

Here's the pic I like:

OMG! The moon has passed in front of the sun and I've been pitched into total darkness!

I love that one , Mari. Hadn't seen it.I suppose they were posing for a pic. Thanks. But not everyone did... http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090402/wl_time/08599188896200 I beg to differ with the writer...not to have returned an obvious affectionate gesture ..and stood there paralyzed-stiff...would have been a put-down to the Queen.

LOL and Awe, it's cute, good to see the 'human' touch with the Queen.

I thought it was very sweet also. Was thinking about how many presidents and PMs the Queen has seen come and go. She is such a rock, a constant, bless her. How old is Gordon Brown, BTW? His wife is young and attractive. Britain has certainly shown wonderful hospitality.

According to Wikipedia, Gordon was born 20 February 1951(age 57)

Thanks, Sue. Seems things were calmer today?

Much calmer today, thanks, Mari. A protester collapsed and died yesterday. Police are investigating but it's thought there are no suspicious circumstances. The Police raided a squat near by and arrested a number of the protesters thought to be involved in violence and criminal damage to RBS

For Evelyn: from now on, Silvio needs to bring his pals to the birthday parties.;-)

Glad to hear it, Sue.

What's wrong with that picture? Hmmm... Yes, I've got it! Does that look like a bunch of guys working on fixing the global economy? Or does it look like a bunch of guys, seeing the strippers come out to perform? ;-)

I suppose they were posing for a pic. Thanks. But not everyone did... http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090402/wl_time/08599188896200 Oh I'm sorry, was the link to the Michelle touching the Queen story I posted in #103, to the original Time article I found through the same Yahoo story (that you linked to instead later in 109), not good enough information? Is Time on the blacklist of links you won't read either? ;-)

(Dorine)Is Time on the blacklist of links you won't read either? ;-) LOL.Cute. You couldn't resist, could you;-)*shaking head* But you are maligning me....I didn't realize you had posted the same story. Actually,Yahoo had picked it up from TIME.... .....one of my favorite periodicals;-D (Mari)Britain has certainly shown wonderful hospitality. I was thinking the same thing. Hard to top that one. Oh, I love the pic of The Three Muskateers.I tried to post it earlier. I only wished they could have included the US Benefactor ,President Hu, And PM Brown. But nice that the market went up on the news of the G-20 $1.T boost from the IMF to the World Bank. Gives the world hope.

An update on all that touchy feeliness... Michelle Obama charms queen away from protocol AP * Buzz Up * Send o Email o IM * Share o Delicious o Digg o Facebook o Fark o Newsvine o Reddit o StumbleUpon o Technorati o Yahoo! Bookmarks * Print Raw Video: Obama's meet with Queen Play Video AP � Raw Video: Obama's meet with Queen * Obamas meet Queen Elizabeth II Slideshow:Obamas meet Queen Elizabeth II * Michelle Obama Stylin' in London Play Video Video:Michelle Obama Stylin' in London ABC News * Michelle Obama And The Queen Hug It Out Play Video Video:Michelle Obama And The Queen Hug It Out CBS 3 Philadelphia Michelle Obama, wife of U.S. President Barack Obama, left, walks with Britain's AP � Michelle Obama, wife of U.S. President Barack Obama, left, walks with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at � By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press Writer � Thu Apr 2, 2:15 pm ET LONDON � Michelle Obama's meeting with Queen Elizabeth II began with a handshake and ended in a hug. The first lady arrived Wednesday with President Barack Obama. After separate meetings on the eve of the G-20 summit, the couple attended an evening reception for world leaders hosted by the queen. Mrs. Obama clearly made an impression with the 82-year-old monarch � so much that the smiling queen strayed slightly from protocol and briefly wrapped her arm around the first lady in a rare public show of affection. It was the first time Mrs. Obama � who is nearly a foot taller � had met the queen. The first lady also wrapped her arm around the monarch's shoulder and back. A Buckingham Palace spokesman who asked not to be identified because of palace policy said he could not remember the last time the queen had displayed such public affection with a first lady or dignitary. "It was a mutual and spontaneous display of affection," he said. "We don't issue instructions on not touching the queen." When the former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating put his arm around the queen in 1992, the tabloids dubbed him the "Lizard of Oz." When his successor, John Howard, was accused of doing the same, a spokesman insisted: "We firmly deny that there was any contact whatsoever." In 2007, President George W. Bush gave the queen a sly wink during a visit she paid to the United States. The Daily Mail said the "two women clearly took to each other." Wednesday's reception was followed by a dinner at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Downing Street home, where the leaders' spouses were joined by notable British women, including "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and Olympic gold medal runner Kelly Holmes. "Michelle walks in and she is as she seems," Holmes told reporters Thursday. "So warm, engaging, a beautiful, beautiful lady � and I quickly got my photo in the middle of her and Sarah Brown," the prime minister's wife. Mrs. Obama also seemed to win over the often feral British press. The last time a first lady made such a hit in Britain was last year with French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife, the former fashion model and songwriter Carla Bruni. But on Thursday, London's Times newspaper had moved on, writing "Carla who?" The BBC described Mrs. Obama as her husband's co-star rather than supporting act � appropriate for a Harvard-educated lawyer. Mrs. Obama visited an all-girls school in north London on Thursday afternoon. She told the 240 girls about growing up on Chicago's south side, and urged them to think of education as "cool." "I never cut class. I liked being smart. I liked getting A's," she said. "You have everything you need. Everything you need to succeed you already have right here." At the end of the visit, Mrs. Obama doled out hugs to the students, and was swarmed by them � to the extent that some Secret Service agents stepped nervously forward. Earlier Thursday, Mrs. Obama attended a performance at the Royal Opera House with the other spouses and guests. The program included music by Handel and a dance performance by Ballet Black, a troupe set up to give performing opportunities to black and Asian classical dancers. Wearing a bright teal blue dress by Jason Wu � who designed her inauguration gown � and a sweater by Junya Watanabe, Mrs. Obama posed for photographs with Sarah Brown, Therese Rein, wife of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso's wife Chikako Aso, and Laureen Harper, who is married to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on the stage of the opera house. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_on_re_eu/g20_michelle_obama

Yikes, for once I forgot to edit an article. Ugh. I hate that. (Evelyn) Actually,Yahoo had picked it up from TIME... I know, Yahoo's where I got it. ;-) Stories on Yahoo disappear over time as well as condense material from their sources, so occasionally I prefer to copy it from the original. Except AP. I never copy or really even link to AP. They're real sticklers about copyrighted material being copied elsewhere without permission. I like how conservative yet very classy Michelle has looked there so far. Carla Sarkozy was the same, as I recall, on their first visit there.

I tell ya, Mother Nature is a wonder. I love the incredibly mundane name it's been given. Huge Sea Worm Captured in Britain AOL posted: 1 HOUR 26 MINUTES AGO (April 2) - Staff at a British aquarium have captured a massive sea worm that had been terrorizing other aquatic life. For months, the 4-foot-long creature -- which staffers call "Barry" -- had been devastating coral reef at Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium, the Daily Mail newspaper reported Tuesday. The menacing monster also apparently injured a Tang fish. Initially, aquarium workers weren't sure what was harming the coral, which in some cases was cut in half. After weeks with no clues, they decided to take the display apart to see if they could find the culprit, the Mail reported. Workers laid bait traps, which were mysteriously destroyed in the night, as the glutton apparently devoured the fish hooks right along with the bait. Finally, staffers spotted the tropical worm, which bit through a 20-pound fishing line before staffers were able to successfully remove it from the tank. The creature is covered with nasty bristles that sting and can cause permanent numbness in humans, the newspaper said. "It really does look like something out of a horror movie," Matt Slater, the aquarium's curator, told the Mail. "It's over 4 feet long with these bizarre-looking jaws." Slater said he suspects Barry arrived as a baby in a shipment from another aquarium. The worm now lives in his own tank. http://news.aol.com/article/giant-sea-worm/412269?icid=webmail|wbml-aol|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fgiant-sea-worm%2F412269

Hmmmm, the link to post the pic is invisible. Not even an X box. Click on the link. You have to see it. That's part of what makes the story so interesting.

Wednesday was a difficult day for me, which was made easier by the support and kind words posted here and emails of support which I received :-) I just wanted to say a heart felt 'Thank You', Ladies :-) Ant has told me his office still has extra security and barricades surrounding the building, which is comforting to know. Two people have been charged. The anger towards RBS and Sir Fred has now moved to Edinburgh today. The week of G20 demonstrations will move to Edinburgh today when protesters target the annual shareholder meeting of Royal Bank of Scotland, where the row over Sir Fred Goodwin's pension will result in the bank's pay policies being voted down. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/03/rbs-goodwin-protest-shareholder-meeting Problematic thing is, RBS workers, such as my DH, whom have kept their heads down, worked hard through the years, are seemingly being vilified and punished for the gluttony and selfish attitude of a few RBS workers, whom should know better. I guess,that's life :-(

of a few RBS workers Amendment to above, I should also say and a few RBS executives! It sickens me, sorry, just had to vent.

The G20 protests, which have caused two days of disruption in London, will continue when protesters from People and Planet, a network of student campaigners, will simultaneously converge on the AGM in Edinburgh and the bank's London offices in Bishopsgate. [Ed Note: Oh great, my DH's office! :-( ] The campaign group said last night the protest was designed to highlight the bank's investment in fossil fuels which, it claimed, make it the UK bank with largest investments in oil, gas and coal projects.

Opss

protesters from People and Planet, a network of student campaigners...to highlight the bank's investment in fossil fuels Bandwagaon jumpers. The press is there, so why not. :-(

Nice video of Pres Obama & Michelle being greeted by Pres Sarkozy & Carla. http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12803081&ch=4226714&src=news Can't see Michelle's coat...is it flowered??? Hope not.

More terrible news. I know there are New York Ladies here. I sinerely hope no one here or their families are involved or affected by this. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7982313.stm

It is an emsemble, although Carla's ensemble dress looks more interesting

Oh .... I like *both* outfits . Thanks Michelle's is v. pretty. Love the hot pink, with maybe a solid dress underneath. Actually, that grey number looks a little matronly for Carla.

Another icon newspaper on the chopping block.... Times co. threatens to shut down Globe http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/04/times_co_threat.html Comments are interesting.....

My favorite is #24. More bandwagon jumping... when the real problem boils down to two cliched sayings: (1) why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free and (2) closing the barn door after the horses have left. These are failures of management, who probably haven't had their salaries frozen for years or made any concessions in their compensation packages.

I thought #25 was interesting. What union hasn't gotten a raise in 7 yrs? Please.

Hope this comes out...it did on the practice page.*crossing fingers* Prez and First Lady attending a cultural event in Baden Baden. Looks like an official reception to me.. Another pretty dress. Yahoo had lots of pics in their gallery. http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090404/481/3ca9e44aca0547159f341a4a920c0a05/#photoViewer=/090404/ids_photos_wl/r65830454.jpg A few with Hill who looks v. pretty in pink pants suit.

Love that dress and her hair. You can tell they're having a blast. I hope he works out in the end. I really like them.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090405/ap_on_bi_ge/nytimes_globe Insiders say Globe threat a warning to newspapers Boston Newspaper Guild president Daniel Totten told the Globe the concessions could include pay cuts, the end of company pension contributions and the elimination of lifetime job guarantees. The Guild is the Globe's biggest union, representing more than 700 editorial, advertising, and business employees. Lifetime job guarantees?! Say what?!

Silvio Berlusconi's top 10 gaffes and pranks Silvio Berlusconi, Italy�s prime minister, prides himself on his ability to connect with ordinary people. But he has developed a reputation after making a string of gaffes on the world stage. After his latest mis-step at the G20 conference in London, which earned him a rebuke from the Queen, we count down our favourite Berlusconi moments. 1. Silvio Berlusconi missed a symbolic Nato photo and a ceremony for fallen soldiers because he was too busy talking on his mobile phone. 2. April 2009 Days earlier, he was accused of embarrassing his country by yelling a greeting at US President Barack Obama and earning a rebuke from the Queen during an official G20 photo shoot in London. Footage of the Italian prime minister becomes a YouTube hit in Italy, with one clip posted on the website titled �Bothersome Berlusconi, reproached by the Queen.� 3. March 2009 The 72-year-old self-made billionaire said his response to the global economic crisis was different to that of President Obama because �I�m paler�. �I�m paler because it�s been so long since I went sunbathing. He�s more handsome, younger and taller,� said the media mogul. Also accused of being racist, or at least gauche, in November 2008 when he hailed then President-elect Obama as �handsome, young and also suntanned�. Mr Berlusconi accused his critics of lacking a sense of humour, and a few days later repeated the observation about Mr Obama�s mixed-race skin tone. 4. January 2009 Mr Berlusconi caused outrage by saying that although he was considering deploying 30,000 troops to Italy�s cities, there would never be enough soldiers to protect Italy�s many �beautiful girls� from rape. 5. January 2007 Mr Berlusconi said to a former showgirl and men�s magazine model, Mara Carfagna: �I�d go anywhere with you, even to a desert island. If I weren�t already married, I would marry you straight away.� His wife, Veronica Lario, reacted by writing a letter published on the front page of La Repubblica newspaper calling for a public apology. She duly received one. Mr Berlusconi later made Miss Carfagna his equal opportunities minister. 6. July 2003 Caused a political row at the start of Italy�s EU presidency by referring to a German MEP, Martin Schulz, who criticised him for his alleged links to the mafia, as a �concentration camp guard�. He told the German: �I know that in Italy there is a man producing a film on Nazi concentration camps - I shall put you forward for the role of Kapo (a guard chosen from among the prisoners) - you would be perfect.� He later claimed he had been joking and had been thinking of a character from the popular TV series Hogan�s Heroes, set in a Second World War POW camp. 7. 2006 Offended China by declaring: �Read the black book of Communism and you will discover that in the China of Mao, they did not eat children, but had them boiled to fertilise the fields.� Later conceded: �It was questionable irony ... because this joke is questionable.� 8. Boasted that he had had to �dust off my playboy charms� to convince Finland�s female prime minister to set up the EU Food Safety Authority in Parma, Italy, rather than in Finland. Added the observation that: �Parma is synonymous with good cuisine. The Finns don�t even know what prosciutto is.� 9. He advised investors in New York to relocate to Italy because the secretaries were better looking than their American counterparts. �Another reason to invest in Italy is that we have beautiful secretaries... superb girls.� He also told the New York stock exchange: �Italy is now a great country to invest in... today we have fewer communists and those who are still there deny having been one.� 10. During a group photo of EU leaders in 2002 he made the Italian horned �cuckold� gesture with his hand behind the head of the Spanish foreign minister, suggesting he was being cuckolded. Mr Berlusconi said he was �just joking� and was trying to amuse a group of boy scouts who were nearby, but the gesture was felt to be out of place at an international summit. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/5106644/Silvio-Berlusconis-top-10-gaffes-and-pranks.html

Lifetime job guarantees?!... Just like tenure You'd think The Telegraph would have more to do than count My Silvio's gaffes. Next thing you know they'll be doing Joe Biden's;-)

That would be funny.

(Dorine) Lifetime job guarantees?! Say what?! That's insane. No one has that, except tenured profs and maybe postal employees. It's been done away with for over 20 years.

Postal employees don't have it either...now. Or certain levels don't.

And of course, I know there is tenure for teachers, but for virtually any other job, no. Though actually, I'd have to say many/most union jobs have been considered lifetime guarantees. Ever try to get rid of union employees....the ones that are bad employees and deserve to be gotten rid of? Damn near impossible.

Am guessing most people in the US mildly familiar with the etiology of this bit...calls for do over for the US Senate election in Alaska since Ted Stevens lost after the corruption trial with a subsequent conviction was found to be poorly handled by the Justice Dept, was overturned in the last week and won't be retried. Top 10 elections that needed do-overs by Jed Lewison Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 06:20:05 PM PDT In the spirit of the demand by Sarah Palin and the Alaska GOP that there by a do-over of November's U.S. Senate election, here's the top 10 elections that should have been done-over: 10. Gore-Bush, 2000: Because even though Gore won, Bush somehow became president. 9. Kerry-Bush, 2004: Because the media didn't grow a spine until Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005. 8. FL-16, 2004: Because voters didn't know that Mark Foley was into underage pages. 7. TX-GOV, 1994: Because if Bush hadn't won that election, he'd never have become president, and America would be a better, stronger country. 6. GA-SEN, 2002: Because Max Cleland deserved another shot at that worthless chickenhawk, Saxby Chambliss. 5. ID-SEN, 2002: Because Larry Craig deserved a shot at running as who he really is. 4. FL-STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 32, 2006: Because Bob Allen waited until after the election to offer a cop $20 for the right to perform fellatio. 3. LA-SEN, 2004: Because voters didn't know that David Vitter was one of the DC Madame's most prominent clients. 2. Republican primary, New Hampshire, 2008: Because independents in New Hampshire didn't know McCain was stupid enough to pick Palin as VP. 1. McCain-Obama, 2008: Because if the NH primary were done over, there's no way McCain would have been the GOP nominee. Of course, this is just one top 10 list. There've got to be many more that should be added to the docket... http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/4/716571/-Top-10-elections-that-needed-do-overs

Color me surprised....NOT. (Same people who did the study and reported on the bogus numbers, reports and press releases about released Gitmo detainees.) Newark, NJ - Today Seton Hall Law delivered a report establishing that military officials at the highest levels were aware of the abusive interrogation techniques employed at the detention camp at Guant�namo Bay (GTMO), and misled Congress during testimony. In addition, FBI personnel reported that the information obtained from inhumane interrogations was unreliable. [Ed. note - *cough*] Professor Mark Denbeaux, Director of the Seton Hall Law Center for Policy and Research, commented on the findings: "Who knew about the torture at GTMO? Turns out they all did. It's not news that the interrogators were torturing and abusing detainees. We've got FBI reports attesting to this. But now we've discovered that the highest levels knew about the torture and abuse, and covered it up. "Abu Ghraib was the flashpoint and provoked the FBI to formally hand its reports to the DOD, which in turn forced the DOD to respond with what became known as the Schmidt Report. Schmidt's investigation was essentially a whitewash, but, ironically, the abuse was so pervasive that his team turned up still more incidents. To conceal the problems documented by both the FBI and the military, the DOD published an incomplete, sanitized report, culminating in Schmidt testifying before Congress that there was no torture or abuse at GTMO. "Five generals were either complicit in the abusive interrogation techniques or were central figures in their cover-up. They concealed these practices from Congress, to which they are ultimately accountable. They undermined our democracy, and undercut America's claim to the moral high ground in the fight against terror." http://law.shu.edu/administration/public_relations/press_releases/2009/shl_students_reveal_generals_4109.htm

Doesn't the first third of this sound a bit like money laundering in essence? Treasury working overtime to undo Congressional restrictions by David Waldman Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 09:02:02 AM PDT WaPo reports that Treasury and other administration officials are actively seeking ways around Congressional restrictions on the use of TARP and other extraordinary assistance funds for executive bonuses. And once again, the excuse for going out of their way to make sure execs get our their money is that they're concerned that firms won't participate in the free money giveaways unless their executives are allowed to skim fat wads of it right off the top and pocket them. How does it work? " The administration believes it can sidestep the rules because, in many cases, it has decided not to provide federal aid directly to financial companies, the sources said. Instead, the government has set up special entities that act as middlemen, channeling the bailout funds to the firms and, via this two-step process, stripping away the requirement that the restrictions be imposed, according to officials." Sound strangely familiar? " In one program, designed to restart small-business lending, President Obama's officials are planning to set up a middleman called a special-purpose vehicle -- a term made notorious during the Enron scandal -- or another type of entity to evade the congressional mandates, sources familiar with the matter said." Ah, what a perfect solution! Add Enron accounting to the already toxic mix of meltdown, bailout and bonus embarrassment. Sigh. Are we really going to have to put limiting instructions in the appropriations bills, now? Prohibit the use of funds in appropriations bills for use in establishing these work-around entities? Or perhaps we should take it out of the hides of the people who have such hardons for giving this money away. You want the bonuses paid? To these guys who make a hundred times what you make? Fine. No funds from the appropriations bills may be used to pay the salaries of any government official whose work involves establishing or administering such entities. There's another good idea in the article, too: " Congress has exempted the Treasury from applying the restrictions in a fourth program, which aids lenders who modify mortgages for struggling homeowners." That's an interesting approach. What about using bonuses as a carrot? You're exempt from the restrictions if you hold a significant number of residential mortgages, and agree to some formula whereby you agree to renegotiate them such that distressed homeowners are relieved. I think it's a fair bet that people would be a little less outraged about the bonuses if it wasn't also the case that the same execs pocketing the money are squeezing homeowners to death and driving them out of their homes. And here's a random, but disappointing note: " At first, when the initiative was being developed last year, the Bush administration decided to apply executive-pay limits to firms participating in this program. But Obama officials reversed that decision days before it was unveiled on March 3 and lifted the curbs, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private." Ouch. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/4/716492/-Treasury-working-overtime-to-undo-Congressional-restrictions

Moving on ..changing the subject... I like this one... Pretty cheeky...LOL/

Hope this one comes out here; it did on the practice pad... Michelle in Prague.. I found this write-up somewhere else.. " Having apparently been warned about Prague's omnipresent cobblestones, Mrs. Obama wore flat shoes. She also wore a black Michael Kors skirt, matching Alaia Azzedine cardigan and white Moschino top on a chilly morning that slowly warmed into a beautiful spring day." Actually the least favorite outfit for me...I don't go in for big bows. Yahoo has a good slide show of them in Prague. Having just been there, it was fun to relive locations. One of the First Lady at the Jewish Quarter is especially moving.

I hadn't seen this one... From THE TELEGRAPH Rioters force Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni to cancel Strasbourg cancer hospice visit How disappointing. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5105467/Rioters-force-Michelle-Obama-and-Carla-Bruni-to-cancel-Strasbourg-cancer-hospice-visit.html "Some 1,000 protesters chanted and waved banners outside the hospice, accusing the leaders' wives of being "spoiled tools of capitalism", according to one banner. When violence broke out around 100 officers responded by throwing flash bombs and volleys of tear gas into the crowds" Bet they were glad to get outta Strasbourg.

Really, who gives a rat's ass what she wears? Most of it is pretty pedestrian IMO, which is likely the point, but not worth my time/effort. Apparently there are still vestiges of the "lifetime employment guarantee" at the Globe. This article says 430 of 1,400 union employees have that guarantee status, so it is not part of every union contract that has employees at the paper or has been phased out. Anyway, 1,400 isn't total employees either. Some of them have already taken paycuts, but greedy management still gave themselves raises and bonuses. Yeah, must have been for creating a dynamic future business plan for their comapny. *rolling eyes* Whatever happened to lead by example? Disgusting http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2009/04/05/union_employees_open_to_concessions_but_demand_management_cuts_as_well/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed5

(Karen) Whatever happened to lead by example? Disgusting The bull market and booming capitalism, tax policies and other legislation that favor the top 1% and corporations with virtually no restrictions. Have I left anything out? ;-) Kind of a given an inch, take a mile philosophy on the management side. Or the, if I can get away with it (giving myself a raise/new office decor/etc) without spending a dime of my own money, why not? philosophy. It's because they had to make the "hard decisions" that they get the "reward". :-(

I can go both ways ;-)). Am amazed to realize either A) the Obama's are so tall, or B) most of Europe's leaders are "short". Sarkozy and Carla always seemed taller to me. I had read about the cancelled Cancer Hospital visit. It is a shame. My friend's gfriend got out of town (Strasbourg) just in time. She lives there (with her family when not at her apt in Nice) and flies back and forth to here every couple of months. She left there Friday morning. Good timing. I don't know if she lives near any of the "excitement" going on.

(Dorine) Have I left anything out? ;-) Should've said it was a rhetorical question, but you did leave out probably the most important factor - the rise of the MBA and its quick-fix, short-term focus.

Really, who gives a rat's ass what she wears?.... Comrade, "Have you forgotten how to scroll?";-)

Well, looks like this is the end of the European fashiion show...:-((( In Prague, Michelle Obama visits cathedral, Jewish cemetery 05 April 2009, 20:02 CET (PRAGUE) - US First Lady Michelle Obama toured Prague's hulking Saint Vitus Cathedral and historic Jewish Cemetery on Sunday as her husband met with European leaders. Wearing a black skirt and a white blouse with a big bow, she visited the brooding cathedral that looms over the Czech capital from the grounds around Prague Castle. In front of the castle, the US president gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek before taking to the podium before a rapturous crowd of 30,000 to give his only public speech on the third leg of his maiden tour to Europe. Launching into his speech, he said: "Today, I am proud to stand here with you in the middle of this great city, in the center of Europe. And ... I am also proud to be the man who brought Michelle Obama to Prague." After her husband left for his first summit with EU leaders, the First Lady headed to Prague's Jewish quarter to tour the Jewish Cemetery, one of the city's most noted sites. At the cemetery, she first visited the historic Pinkas Synagogue, which has the names of 80,000 Holocaust victims from Czechoslavakia inscribed on its walls. In line with the Jewish tradition, Michelle deposited a wish on a small piece of folded paper near the grave of Rabbi Loew (1525-1609), who inspired the Golem of Prague legend. Obama then returned to the United States, leaving her husband to continue his trip on to Turkey, the final leg of his first trip outside North America since taking office in January.[my bolds] http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1238954522.12 Wonder why she didn't go to Turkey...she's missing the Hagia Sophia. Oh, hey..... maybe she's getting more clothes and fly back to Turkey. Hope so.

sorry

Awful news from Italy. At least 50 people have been killed in a powerful earthquake that struck central Italy, near to Rome. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7984867.stm

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L6566682.htm Italy muzzled scientist who foresaw quake Source: Reuters By Gavin Jones 06 Apr 2009 11:22:00 GMT ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - An Italian scientist predicted a major earthquake around L'Aquila weeks before disaster struck the city on Monday, killing dozens of people, but was reported to authorities for spreading panic among the population. The first tremors in the region were felt in mid-January and continued at regular intervals, creating mounting alarm in the medieval city, about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome. Vans with loudspeakers had driven around the town a month ago telling locals to evacuate their houses after seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani predicted a large quake was on the way, prompting the mayor's anger. Giuliani, who based his forecast on concentrations of radon gas around seismically active areas, was reported to police for "spreading alarm" and was forced to remove his findings from the Internet. Italy's Civil Protection agency held a meeting of the Major Risks Committee, grouping scientists charged with assessing such risks, in L'Aquila on March 31 to reassure the townspeople. "The tremors being felt by the population are part of a typical sequence ... (which is) absolutely normal in a seismic area like the one around L'Aquila," the civil protection agency said in a statement on the eve of that meeting. "It is useful to underline that it is not in any way possible to predict an earthquake," it said, adding that the agency saw no reason for alarm but was nonetheless effecting "continuous monitoring and attention". As the media asked questions about the authorities' alleged failure to safeguard the population ahead of the quake, the head of the National Geophysics Institute dismissed Giuliani's predictions. "Every time there is an earthquake there are people who claim to have predicted it," he said. "As far as I know nobody predicted this earthquake with precision. It is not possible to predict earthquakes." Enzo Boschi said the real problem for Italy was a long-standing failure to take proper precautions despite a history of tragic quakes. "We have earthquakes but then we forget and do nothing. It's not in our culture to take precautions or build in an appropriate way in areas where there could be strong earthquakes," he said. AlertNet news is provided by

Looks like ther is another bonus "bru-ha-ha" coming down the road http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090403-707525.html Mortgage giants Fannie (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) expect to pay about $210 million in retention bonuses to 7,600 employees over a year and a half, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The top retention bonus for any individual executive under the plan will total $1.5 million during the 18 months ending in early 2010, according to the report, which cited a letter from the mortgage firms' regulator.

BTW, I'm not an evangelist on the art of scrolling like others.

A retention bonus is different than a merit or reward bonus. If they had it in contracts at the start of their employment, and are still working there when it's due to be paid out, they're entitled. If they're new retention bonuses, because they can't keep or get people otherwise, I reserve judgement for now as I haven't read the details, but on the face of it, I don't necessarily have a problem. Depends on who's getting it.

From what I read about the Fannie & Freddie retention bonuses before, these are recent. Evidently, those companies feel that the people they need to work in their world are so unique. *rolling eyes*

Well, this is a switch. Interesting as I didn't know they were overseas. Sallie Mae to shift 2,000 jobs to U.S. from overseas Reuters 57 mins ago NEW YORK (Reuters) � Student loan company Sallie Mae plans to move its overseas operations back to the United States, creating 2,000 domestic jobs, in what analysts called an attempt to curry favor with the Obama administration. SLM Corp, as the company is legally known, said on Monday it plans to add staff over the next 18 months in call centers, information technology and operations support across the United States. Analysts called the move a bid to build political capital in Washington as the Obama administration plots major changes to the student loan market. The administration has proposed a 2010 budget that could hurt Sallie Mae's business by shifting all federal student loans into a program administered by the Department of Education. Michael Taiano, analyst at Sandler O'Neill & Partners in New York, said of Sallie Mae's maneuver, "Will it help them overturn Obama's budget proposal? I don't think so." The company is likely hoping that moving jobs back to the United States will earn it goodwill from the administration, Taiano said, putting Sallie Mae in a better position when the details of the student loan program are worked out. "It probably doesn't hurt to build up political capital, and bringing jobs back to the U.S. certainly does that," he said. Albert Lord, Sallie Mae chief executive, said in a statement, "The current economic environment has caused our communities to struggle with job losses. They need jobs, and we will put 2,000 of them into U.S. facilities as soon as we possibly can." The company did not immediately disclose the location of the overseas operations to be shut down. Sallie Mae employs more than 8,000 people in the United States. It has struggled during the credit crunch to finance the loans it makes to students. Sallie Mae shares were up 25 cents, or 4.7 percent, at $5.60 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares have fallen 39 percent this year. (Reporting by Elinor Comlay; Editing by Derek Caney and John Wallace) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090406/us_nm/us_salliemae_jobs

Officials say 91 dead, 1,500 hurt in Italy quake http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_earthquake Moon...I hope none of your friends/relatives are nr this area.

(Linda) They felt three sharp hits at 3:30am and were far enough away to only have things fall off shelves, etc, but no structural damage. Wow, it was strong enough to wake them up though? Or were they already up? I guess falling stuff would wake me up, maybe. Glad they're ok.

Summers' Takeaway... April 6, 2009 A Rich Education for Summers (After Harvard) By LOUISE STORY Lawrence H. Summers plays down his stint in the hedge fund business as a mere part-time job � but the financial and intellectual rewards that he gained there would make even most full-time workers envious. Mr. Summers, the former Treasury secretary and Harvard president who is now the chief economic adviser to President Obama, earned nearly $5.2 million in just the last of his two years at one of the world�s largest funds, according to financial records released Friday by the White House. Impressive as that might sound, it is all the more considering that Mr. Summers worked there just one day a week. Much is known about Mr. Summers�s days in Washington and Cambridge, but little attention has been paid to his two years in New York, from late 2006 to late 2008, advising an elite corps of math wizards and scientists devising investment strategies for D. E. Shaw & Company. Mr. Summers said in an interview that his experience at Shaw, however brief, gave him valuable insight into the practical realities of Wall Street, insight he is now putting to use in shaping economic policy in the White House. �I have a better sense of how market participants sort of think and react to things from sort of listening to the conversations and listening to the way the traders at D. E. Shaw thought,� he said. Mr. Summers and Shaw executives say his role there was to be a sounding board for Shaw�s traders. But interviews with friends and former colleagues suggest that Mr. Summers�s role at D. E. Shaw was wider and more complex. Mr. Summers, these people say, was a marquee hire, a prized spokesman for Shaw. He routinely made himself available for private consultations with Shaw�s clients, an attractive perk for investing with the firm, as one client put it. Mr. Summers, who taught economics and public policy at Harvard while advising Shaw, also met with investors in the United States, as well as in the cash-rich Middle East and Asia. He spoke at industry conferences, mixing with officials from public pension funds, endowments and other large institutions with many billions of dollars to invest. While at Shaw, Mr. Summers also peered into the inner workings of the $2 trillion hedge fund industry, which the Obama administration is now relying on to buy billions of dollars of worrisome assets from the nation�s beleaguered banks. Some of his critics worry that such ties raise questions about whether the government�s ever-changing effort to bolster the financial industry will benefit Wall Street in general, and hedge funds in particular, at the expense of taxpayers. �This is what might be called contamination,� said Andrew Sabl, an associate professor of public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. �Did Summers spend so much time with the hedge fund, or its investors, sovereign wealth funds and so on, that he started to think like them?� Mr. Summers joined the hedge fund world after his tempestuous, five-year term as the president of Harvard came to an unhappy end in February 2006, after a statement he made that women might lack an intrinsic aptitude for math and science. It was at that time, to the surprise of some colleagues, that Mr. Summers seriously contemplated his options on Wall Street in part because he believed his chances to return to a prominent position in Washington had dimmed, friends say. Although he once compared finance to ketchup sales, Mr. Summers discussed job possibilities with Goldman Sachs, long considered the premier Wall Street bank, and with Citigroup, where Robert E. Rubin, Mr. Summers�s predecessor as Treasury secretary, had become a senior adviser. Then a young Harvard graduate named Julius Gaudio, whom Mr. Summers had met at alumni events, raised another possibility: D. E. Shaw, where Mr. Gaudio is a managing director. As part of Shaw�s rigorous screening process � the firm accepts perhaps one out of every 500 applicants � Mr. Summers was asked to solve math puzzles. He passed, and the job was his. In a rare interview, David E. Shaw, who founded the firm in 1988 above a communist book shop in Greenwich Village, put it simply: Mr. Summers is �a brilliant, brilliant guy.� That is from a former computer science professor at Columbia who now spends his time researching areas like treatments for cancer, while others run his hedge fund day-to-day. D. E. Shaw does not like to talk about what goes on inside its modish headquarters near Times Square. There, esoteric trading strategies are imagined, sketched on whiteboards and modeled on supercomputers by an elite corps of math wizards and scientists, most of them unknown to the outside world. It is nothing like a button-down Wall Street brokerage firm. Jeans, sweatshirts and sandals are common. The firm has not one, but two libraries, where textbooks on computer coding are stacked near academic finance journals dating to the 1960s. For a time, the d�cor included light bulbs strung from the ceiling on various lengths of wire, each determined by a computerized random-number generator. It is a quicksilver business and wildly lucrative. Mr. Shaw is said to be worth $2.7 billion, and today his firm manages $30 billion. At Shaw, Mr. Summers, the professor, was often the student. The arrogant personal style that turned off some Harvard colleagues seemed to evaporate, Shaw traders say. Mr. Summers immersed himself in dynamic hedging, Libor rates and other financial arcana. He seemed to fit in among Shaw�s math-loving �quants,� as devotees of math-heavy quantitative investing are known. Traders joked that Mr. Summers was the first quant Treasury secretary because he had once ordered dollar bills to be printed with the transcendental number pi � 3.14159... � as the serial number. �We could call or e-mail him anytime,� a former Shaw trader said. �He always asked me more questions than I could ask him. He would dig through my entire way of thinking.� At Harvard and at Shaw, Mr. Summers cultivated a small circle of financial professionals � particularly hedge fund managers � to serve as an informal brain trust. He consults with them on policy matters from his perch in the White House. Among these insiders are Kenneth D. Brody and Frank P. Brosens, the founding partners of another hedge fund, Taconic Capital Advisors, for whom Mr. Summers did consulting work from 2004 to 2006. Mr. Summers reached out to Mr. Brosens in December to discuss the Obama administration�s economic priorities. This year, he campaigned to have him run the federal office overseeing the $700 billion bailout program. Mr. Brosens withdrew his name from consideration last month. Others in this inner circle include Nancy Zimmerman, a longtime friend and hedge fund manager in Boston; Laurence D. Fink, the chairman and chief executive of BlackRock, a large money management company that hopes to play a potentially lucrative role in the administration�s bank rescue plan; H. Rodgin Cohen, the chairman of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, who was briefly considered for a senior Treasury post; and three other top fund managers, Orin S. Kramer, Ralph L. Schlosstein and Eric M. Mindich. Friends of Mr. Summers say he has always been meticulous about avoiding conflicts of interest and that he was just as careful at D. E. Shaw. For instance, Mr. Summers went to lengths to pay the Social Security taxes on payments he made to even occasional babysitters from the 1980s, said Jeremy Bulow, an economics professor at Stanford, who has known Mr. Summers since graduate school. �To Larry, it was not about figuring out where the line is and making sure you�re on one side of it,� Mr. Bulow said. �He would never even get close to it.� In addition to his salary at Shaw, Mr. Summers enjoyed growing wealth through investments in the firm�s funds. Unlike most hedge funds, which lost money as the markets plunged in 2008, Shaw posted returns of about 7 percent in its so-called macroeconomic fund. A separate multistrategy fund lost 8 percent, far less than most hedge funds. When investors rushed en masse to withdraw their money from hedge funds last year, Shaw asserted its right to block redemptions from its fund. An exception was made for Mr. Summers, however, because the White House job he was taking required him to divest. A spokesman for Shaw said Mr. Summers�s main job was not to act as a salesman. But in the fall of 2007, as the financial crisis simmered, Mr. Summers traveled to Dubai for a series of meetings with Shaw�s marketing staff and potential investors. Bankers from across the region flew in for the event. Mr. Summers spoke at several lavish dinners and met with local parties involved in Shaw�s real estate investments in the area, people briefed on his trip said. Last September, Mr. Summers explained to Shaw traders what appeared to be an aberration in a key interest rate, the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, thus helping its traders avoid losses. He spoke at the firm�s 20th anniversary gathering for its investors and at a prominent hedge fund investor conference in Boston, weeks before the presidential election. In December, he attended the firm�s annual holiday party, held in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, beneath the giant model of a blue whale. Even so, Mr. Summers, who, before the crisis broke out, spoke and wrote about the need for greater financial regulation, has not resisted the efforts to tighten up on hedge funds like Shaw. The administration, for instance, is moving toward closing a tax loophole that these funds have long enjoyed. A White House spokeswoman says his actions supporting hedge fund regulation prove he is not biased. Some people in the financial world say they have more confidence in the White House�s plans because of Mr. Summers� time at D. E. Shaw. �He had insights into one of the best hedge funds in the world. That can only add value to the things the government is struggling with right now,� said Robert Borden, chief investment officer of South Carolina�s pension fund, which has invested $350 million with Shaw. Mr. Borden met Mr. Summers to discuss how much money a large institution should allocate to hedge funds. �It was a nice perk to have access to some of his thoughts and insights,� Mr. Borden said. Mr. Summers�s experience in hedge funds might leave some wondering if he will return to private investing when his latest White House assignment ends, perhaps even to run his own lucrative fund. Asked about that, Mr. Shaw laughed. �Oh, boy, I have no idea,� he said. �Thankfully he�s doing what he�s doing. I�m really glad he�s running this. It�s a scary time, and I can�t think of anybody I�d rather see there.�

Sorry... meant to add... "Go for it Larry, before The Big O takes it all away...." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/business/06summers.html?_r=1&ref=us&pagewanted=print

"Go for it Larry, before The Big O takes it all away...." He can't go for anything until he steps down from this job. It required him to divest his hedge fund interests, if I read it right.

"Mr. Summers, these people say, was a marquee hire, a prized spokesman for Shaw. He routinely made himself available for private consultations with Shaw�s clients, an attractive perk for investing with the firm, as one client put it. " I dunno......if this passes the smell-test;-) Some people last night on a Bloomberg panel said he should give $$$$ back. Whoa! "Hedge Funds" are a like the plague these days...

Every high profile consultant in firms like that did the same thing. Standard business. The difference is, he actually seemed to work for it unlike many others who seem to just collect a paycheck for associating their names with the firm for positions like that. Gave them cache without having to do much. I don't see what was wrong with that. He actually seems to be much smarter than most of the people who do that.

"The difference is, he actually seemed to work for it unlike many others who seem to just collect a paycheck for associating their names with the firm for positions like that" Read it again... a "marquee hire"...to entice people to invest in Shaw's hedge fund. Hey, I'm all for capitalism...nothing wrong with earning $$$ ...not hypocrisy though;-)Don't start trashing Wall St , CEOs & hedgies now that you're sitting in the WH.

I read it and I stand by my remarks. "Marquee hires" are usually hired for the name only (as I said), not necessarily that they'll do any kind of work, though they may do an occasional meet and greet. From the impression I got in the article, he was very involved in not only meeting and greeting whenever they asked, he also was very into the learning the nuts and bolts of it.

Some people in the financial world say they have more confidence in the White House�s plans because of Mr. Summers� time at D. E. Shaw. Pretty much all the economic advisors and Treasury bigwigs have worked on Wall Street, including top management positions. Personally, I would agree. The knowledge is vital and criticizing this guy because he actually knows the nuts and bolts of the biz is nuts. Slamming someone with knowledge??? *shaking head* Yeah, better to appoint a political hack. (Dorine) "Marquee hires" are usually hired for the name only You're quire right. Standard practice and includes the big law firms as well.

Oh I have no trouble with people making money legally...I'm the capitalist, remember? My beef is that after being one of "them", he now sits and derides the same group he was part of.

Well here's a thought to appease the Left. REVIEW & OUTLOOK APRIL 7,2009 An Idea for Mr. Summers He could pay higher taxes�if he thought that "Larry Summers, the White House economic guru, is taking some hits from the left after his official disclosure forms revealed late last week that he got rich thanks to the financial industry he is now charged with reviving and reregulating. The appearance-of-a-conflict-of-interest crowd isn't happy that Mr. Summers earned $5.2 million last year working for the beneficent hedge fund, D. E. Shaw & Co. He also made a bundle in speaking fees, including $135,000 for a single appearance for Goldman Sachs. That must have been some stemwinder, though we're confident Goldman figures it didn't overpay given Mr. Summers's later White House prominence. We've got nothing against getting rich, though it is worth noting that Mr. Summers will pay Bush-era tax rates on his Wall Street windfall profit. So if the man who would still like to be Federal Reserve Chairman is looking to make a gesture of political solidarity with the middle-class masses, here's an idea: Honor your principles, and pay taxes on that income at Bill Clinton-Barack Obama rates. Mr. Summers could simply calculate his taxes for 2008 based on what he'd pay if President Obama's tax proposals had been law. Thus his top marginal income tax rate would rise from 35% to 39.6%, plus the phase outs in deductions and exemptions, which would make the rate roughly 41.6%. Mr. Summers could write a check to the IRS for the difference. And of course he wouldn't forget to deduct any charitable giving at only 28 cents on the dollar, rather than 35 or 41.6 cents. Mr. Obama likes to say it's the "era of responsibility," and if that's true then we assume Mr. Summers will want to lead by example. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123905884295394797.html

Love this line... "AP shakes fist at Google. Tells Internet to get off its damn lawn," US newspaper owners are "mad as hell" AFP by Chris Lefkow � Tue Apr 7, 10:10 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) � US newspaper owners, their advertising revenue evaporating, their circulation declining and their readership going online to get news for free, are fighting mad. The enemy? Websites that use their stories without paying for them. "We are mad as hell, and we are not going to take it any more," said the chairman of the Associated Press, a cooperative of over 1,400 US newspapers, borrowing a line from the anchorman character in the 1976 movie "Network." "We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work under misguided legal theories," Dean Singleton said at a meeting this week of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) in San Diego, California. Singleton's battle cry came just a few days after News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch launched a broadside against Internet giant Google, whose Google News website is one of the most popular news aggregators on the Internet. "Should we be allowing Google to steal all our copyrights?" asked Murdoch, the owner of newspapers in Australia, Britain and the United States, where his holdings include The Wall Street Journal and New York Post. "Thanks, but no thanks," the News Corp. chairman said. Robert Thomson, the managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, used even harsher language than his boss in describing the situation. "There is no doubt that certain websites are best described as parasites or tech tapeworms in the intestines of the Internet," Thomson said in an interview with the newspaper The Australian. "It's certainly true that readers have been socialized -- wrongly I believe -- that much content should be free," he said. "And there is no doubt that's in the interest of aggregators like Google who have profited from that mistaken perception." The salvos by Singleton, Murdoch and Thomson appear to have been uncoordinated but they reflect rising anger among an industry facing a deepening crisis. Two newspapers, the Rocky Mountain News of Denver, Colorado, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, have shut down in recent weeks and several big newspaper groups have declared bankruptcy, including the Tribune Co., publisher of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other dailies. Hearst Corp., owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, has threatened to shut down the paper unless unions agree to major staff cuts and The New York Times Co. has threatened to close the Boston Globe unless unions there do the same. According to the NAA, last year was the worst ever for the US newspaper industry with print advertising revenue falling 17.7 percent and even online advertising revenue dropping -- by 1.8 percent. The decline in print advertising revenue has been exacerbated by the global recession but the more fundamental problem according to media analysts is that the business model that has sustained the industry for decades is broken. The counter-attack by US newspaper owners has met with a mixed reaction from analysts, with some saying it's about time they went on the legal offensive to defend copyright and others saying they're wasting their time. "What the AP is doing now, like many newspapers, is too little too late in recognizing the threat of the Internet," said Tom McPhail, professor of media studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. "The court system is too slow for their needs and purposes," McPhail told AFP. "They need a short term victory and that isn't going to happen." Peter Kafka, writing on his blog MediaMemo, derided the efforts. "AP shakes fist at Google. Tells Internet to get off its damn lawn," read the headline on a post Kafka wrote about the AP threat to go after websites that use its content or that of its member newspaper without permission. A Google lawyer, Alexander Macgillivray, on Tuesday defended the practice of linking to newspaper articles from Google News, saying it was driving traffic to newspaper websites and providing them with advertising revenue. Google chief executive Eric Schmidt walked into the lion's den himself on Tuesday, appearing before the assembled newspaper executives in San Diego just a day after the AP chairman issued his rallying cry. Schmidt said the reality is the "vast majority" of readers are going to opt for news for free and that newspapers should see Google as a partner and not as a rival as they try to increase their online advertising revenue. "We have to embrace what users want together and by doing that I think we can win big," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090408/lf_afp/usmediaindustrynewspapersinternetgoogle_20090408021655

To get back to Summers... Some of his critics worry that such ties raise questions about whether the government�s ever-changing effort to bolster the financial industry will benefit Wall Street in general, and hedge funds in particular, at the expense of taxpayers. �This is what might be called contamination,� said Andrew Sabl, an associate professor of public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. �Did Summers spend so much time with the hedge fund, or its investors, sovereign wealth funds and so on, that he started to think like them?� Inherently, there's nothing wrong with thinking like them. In fact, it should be considered a big bonus. Can't see how there can be critics yet, when there's no plan to criticize so far, but yes, there could be a potential for those concerns down the road I suppose.

apparently, you haven't read the lefty blogs.. my sources;-) say they are livid Here's what the mother of all lefty mags have to say.... http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090420/scheer?rel=hp_picks (Dorine)Inherently, there's nothing wrong with thinking like them. That has to be qualified; I think Professor Sabl means that it would inspire a "bias"on Summer's part. I don't think Summer is dishonest. But personally, I want the hedge funds reined in.

Mr. Obama likes to say it's the "era of responsibility," and if that's true then we assume Mr. Summers will want to lead by example. What a bunch of hooey. So if the man who would still like to be Federal Reserve Chairman is looking to make a gesture of political solidarity with the middle-class masses, here's an idea: Honor your principles, and pay taxes on that income at Bill Clinton-Barack Obama rates. Principles? Huh? Do they think he's an ideologue? I really doubt it. In another article, he was referred to as a "quant." This is a guy who just works the numbers. He's not tied to any philosophy but a task. I doubt he cares either way, but is challenged by working the numbers. Who better to regulare this esoteria than someone who understands it and can design systems to catch and deal with abuse. I don't understand the innuendo of dishonesty, conflict of interest, etc. (Dorine) In fact, it should be considered a big bonus. Precisely what I've been saying. "What the AP is doing now, like many newspapers, is too little too late in recognizing the threat of the Internet," said Tom McPhail, professor of media studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Like I wrote before: Horse, barn door. ;-)

Any comments on "The Nation" article???? Me thinks it was a little inflammatory.

Haven't gotten to it yet, but will.

Now here's a deal... Time to cough-up girls.... Take your pick of prizes... Hillary Clinton supporters to auction 'American Idol' finale tickets to help retire campaign debt BY David Saltonstall DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Friday, April 10th 2009, 4:00 AM She was once America's biggest loser, but now she wants to send you to "American Idol" - for a price. Friends of Secretary of State Clinton are trying to raise money to retire her old presidential campaign debt, and they're doing it by raffling "fantastic prizes" for a handful of lucky supporters - including two tickets to next month's "American Idol" finale. "You and a guest will watch live as the 'American Idol' judges make their final comments and decisions on this year's most anticipated season finale!" James Carville, a longtime Clinton adviser, wrote in a breathless e-mail Thursday to loyal Clintonistas. The other prizes? There's a day in New York with former President Bill Clinton. If that doesn't thrill you, you can opt to head to Washington for lunch with Carville and fellow Democratic guru Paul Begala. "We will talk about politics, you will get to tour all the amazing sites D.C. has to offer, and who knows what else could happen!" wrote Carville, hinting that maybe - just maybe - a sitdown with Clinton could be in the offing. There is no cost to enter the online contest, but organizers are clearly hoping to raise big bucks, with calls for donations included in the e-mail. The former First Lady conceded defeat to primary challenger and now-President Obama last June, leaving behind a pile of campaign debt that stands at about $6 million, records show. Like any sitting cabinet member, Clinton is allowed to continue raising money to retire old debt. But federal ethics laws prohibit her from personally soliciting donations. That job now apparently falls to Carville.The Fox-produced show does not sell the tickets, but gives them all away. The ducats were not given to Camp Clinton by Fox or its parent, News Corp., a representative of media mogul Rupert Murdoch said.

WRAPUP 4-Warships track U.S. hostage floating to Somalia http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1134689120090412 Pay the ransom!

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04122009/news/nationalnews/glamour_first_164080.htm "Michelle Obama is the nation's first first lady to add a full-time makeup artist to her traveling entourage, according to stylists who have worked with presidential wives over the past 16 years" I'd have one too if the whole world was looking at me. I've always liked her hair; especially the one at the palace. Talking about make-overs...Hill is looking v. v. glam these days. During the campaign she looked haggard. Grueling schedule.

He's free! AP " Administration officials say President Barack Obama approved the military operation that rescued a U.S. captain held hostage by Somali pirates. The officials say Obama ordered the Defense Department to use military resources to rescue Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast. The officials discussed this information on the condition of anonymity because they were not yet authorized to disclose the president's decision-making process. Obama praised the captain for his bravery and courage. The president also said the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable." http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqznz3bUMKIUbrDYAUHHuMQ4vyJAD97H45GO1

What Daily News is that Hillary/American Idol story from. There's no link.

(Evelyn) During the campaign she looked haggard. Grueling schedule. Trying to make peace with the rest of the world is a walk in the park by comparison I'm sure. ;-) I haven't seen her in weeks.

I Googled it: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/04/10/2009-04-10_hil_places_her_debts_on_idol.html

Trying to make peace with the rest of the world is a walk in the park by comparison I'm sure. ;-) You talkin' to me? She was all over the place (in the background)during the Europe jaunt; (with hairdresser, ya/ think?;-)Maybe Michelle "shared". I remarked to someone that she certainly took a lowlier spot than she would have as a former first lady; don't know why she took that job. Though I'm grateful it wasn't Joe. Who said he was given a *choice*. Yeah, sure.

(Evelyn) You talkin' to me? Just playin' with ya. I imagine she's super busy and it's grueling in its own right with her new job. As I said, I can't remember the last time I saw her. Maybe right after she took the job 3 months ago. I can't say if she looks better or worse. While Joe does come off kind of buffoonish in public sometimes, I know he's got a good handle on foreign policy, so I wouldn't have been worried about him very much. Only during press conferences. ;-) Evelyn, Frank Rich discussed Summers today in more detail than I'd read about and seems concerned with potential conflicts of interest as well, from what I can tell. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/opinion/12rich.html?pagewanted=1&em Thanks, Karen.

Excellent news! The Maersk Alabama's Capt Phillips has been rescued safely from the Somalian Pirates. Gotta hand it to US Navy, a stellar job. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7996213.stm

I see a TV movie of the week coming next year.

Frank Rich is harder on Summer than I was. My beef is his hypocrisy which Frank didn't touch.

I don't have time to reread now, but I got the impression that he was so hard on him addressing exactly that hypocrisy.

So glad Capt. Phillips is free! I had a bad feeling about it as the days dragged on. Nice to see something end well.

(Evelyn)I remarked to someone that she certainly took a lowlier spot than she would have as a former first lady Yeah, here's hoping for a major world crisis, so she can get to show her mettle. *fingers crossed* ;-) ;-)

You think she'll get credit? I wonder. This is a v. egocentric WH IMO.

Bo!! *snort* Yeah, he promised "the kids" a dog. ;-)