Overboard: Jennifer Seitz Lost at Sea

Man this doesn't look good. It is hard to imagine falling overboard in this day and age without being pushed. What I don't understand is how they think she might have gone overboard. Where else would she have gone on the ship? It shouldn't be that hard to find a person on a cruise ship. What is going to come out next is if she was on medication or suicidal. I am not saying anything like that since I did not know Seitz.

Survellience Video Shows Woman in Robe Going Overboard

By ANDREA CANNING

The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican authorities are searching for an American woman who went missing on a cruise ship near Cancun, Mexico. Jennifer Seitz, 36, may have gone overboard.

The Coast Guard, along with Mexican authorities, is searching for a missing American woman who is thought to have fallen overboard Thursday night near Cancun, Mexico.

(AP Photo)

Early Friday morning, Seitz's husband reported her missing aboard the Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship, which was steaming towards the Caribbean.

"At that particular point, they started a search on the ship and they eventually discovered some recorded tape, the image of a woman going overboard wearing a white bathrobe sometime around 8 o'clock the previous evening. That would be on Christmas night," Capt. Dean Lee of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, Fla., told ABC News.

When it was reported, the Coast Guard joined Mexican authorities in a search of an area 15 miles off the coast of Mexico. Choppy waters added to challenges of a maritime search and the woman has not been located.

Norad Santa Tracker

It is that time of year again. I know me and my kids will be tracking Santa on the Norad Santa Tracker like most families today and tonight.

The military personnel charged with being the eyes in the sky are certainly acting like he does — and they've been joined on the Internet by millions of believers.

Even doubters have reason to pause when they hear the North American Aerospace Defense Command — or NORAD, which monitors air and space threats against the U.S. and Canada — is in charge of the annual Christmas mission to keep children informed of Santa's worldwide journey to their homes.

"They challenge it, but only to a point," said Senior Master Sgt. Sharon Ryder-Platts, 49, who for five years has been a Santa tracker, taking calls from those wanting to know the location of jolly old St. Nick.

According to NORAD, Santa began his latest flight early Wednesday at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia. NORAD points out that only Santa knows his route.

Last year, NORAD's Santa tracking center answered 94,000 calls and responded to 10,000 e-mails. About 10.6 million visitors went to the Web site, which can be viewed in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese and Chinese.

NORAD's holiday tradition can by traced to 1955, when a Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears, Roebuck & Co. ad telling children of a phone number to talk to Santa. The number was one digit off, and the first child to get through reached the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD's predecessor.

Col. Harry W. Shoup answered.

Shoup's daughter, Terri Van Keuren, said her dad, now 91, was surprised to hear that the little voice on the other end thought he was Santa.

"Dad thought, `What the heck? This must be some kind of code,'" said Van Keuren, 59.

Shoup, described by his daughter as "just a nut about Christmas," didn't want to break the boy's heart, so he sounded a booming "Ho, ho, ho!" and pretended to be Santa Claus.

Enough calls followed that Shoup assigned an officer to answer them while the problem was fixed. But Shoup and the staff he was directing to "locate" Santa on radar ended up embracing the idea. NORAD picked up the tradition when it was formed 50 years ago.

"If we didn't do it, truly I don't know who else would track Santa," Maj. Stacia Reddish said.

The task that began with no computers and only a 60-by-80-foot glass map of North America now includes two big screens on a wall showing the world and information on each country Santa Claus visits. It took off with the Web site's 1997 launch, Reddish said.

Now, curious youngsters can follow Santa's path online with a Google two-dimensional map or in 3D using Google Earth, where he can be seen flying through different landscapes in his sleigh.

NORAD officials are hesitant to list all the potential sites Santa will visit with certainty.

"Historically, Santa has loved the Great Wall of China. He loves the (Space) Needle in Seattle. He of course loves the Eiffel Tower," Reddish said. "But his path is completely unpredictable, so we won't know."

Ryder-Platts, 49, who has a 17-year-old son, said taking calls from children helps her keep her Christmas spirit.

"For someone like myself, my son is older, you know it just keeps you in touch with the spirit of Santa Claus," she said. "I miss out on that at home so this keeps me close to Santa. I believe! It keeps me in touch with other believers."

On the Net:

• http://www.noradsanta.org

Barack Obama Shirtless on Hawaii Beach (PHOTOS)

47-year-old U.S. President shows he is fit to lead

By TheImproper.com

President-Elect Barack Obama looks fit and relaxed during a vacation to Hawaii on Dec. 22. Obama, 47, played golf and walked around shirtless on Hawaii's balmy beaches.

The Obama family is staying at a $9 million oceanfront home over the mountain from downtown Honolulu, where Barack grew up. The five-bedroom house sits on an acre of land in front of Kailua Beach, a favorite spot for windsurfers, kayakers and dogwalkers.

Obama, who is resting before he takes office Jan. 20, is said to be a fitness fanatic, letting nothing keep him from his six-day-a-week regimen. Obama is an avid basketball fan who's reportedly interested in installing a basketball court at the White House when he takes office.

Exercise, Obama says, keeps him focused and relaxed. "The main reason I do it is just to clear my head and relieve me of stress," he recently told Men's Health magazine. "My blood pressure is pretty low and I tend to be a healthy eater."

The former U.S. Senator, who has kept up an insanely hectic schedule since he hit the campaign trail in 2006, prefers early-morning workouts. "Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts. There's always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I'll lift [weights] one day, do cardio the next. "I wish I was getting a 90-minute workout," he added.

Obama's favorite snack is Planters Trail Mix, consisting of nuts, seeds and raisins, washed down with organic berry tea. His vices include smoked sea-salt caramels in milk chocolate.

President Bush: Automakers to get $17.4B

I can't believe this thing passed even though Congress turned them down. I guess we don't live in a democrazy anymore.

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Citing danger to the national economy, the Bush administration came to the rescue of the U.S. auto industry Friday, offering $17.4 billion in emergency loans in exchange for concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers.

At the same time, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Congress should authorize the use of the second $350 billion from the financial rescue fund that it approved in October to rescue huge financial institutions. Tapping the fund for the auto industry basically exhausts the first half of the $700 billion total, he said.

President Bush said, "Allowing the auto companies to collapse is not a responsible course of action." Bankruptcy, he said, would deal "an unacceptably painful blow to hardworking Americans" across the economy.

One official said $13.4 billion of the money would be available this month and next, $9.4 billion for General Motors Corp. and $4 billion for Chrysler LLC. Both companies have said they soon might be unable to pay their bills without federal help. Ford Motor Co. has said it does not need immediate help.

Bush said the rescue package demanded concessions similar to those outlined in a bailout plan that was approved by the House but rejected by the Senate a week ago. It would give the automakers three months to come up with restructuring plans to become viable companies.

If they fail to produce a plan by March 31, the automakers will be required to repay the loans, which they would find very difficult.

"The time to make hard decisions to become viable is now, or the only option will be bankruptcy," Bush said. "The automakers and unions must understand what is at stake and make hard decisions necessary to reform."

He said the companies' workers should agree to wage and work rules that are competitive with foreign automakers by the end of next year.

And he called for elimination of a "jobs bank" program — negotiated by the United Auto Workers and the companies — under which laid-off workers receive unemployment benefits and supplemental pay from their companies for 48 weeks. If they remain laid off beyond that, they move to a jobs bank in which the company provides about 95% of their pay and benefits. Until the most recent contract, people could remain in the jobs bank for years. Early this month, the UAW agreed to suspend the program.

Bush's plan is designed to keep the auto industry running in the short term, passing the longer-range problem on to the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Paulson said that with the help for the carmakers, the government will have allocated the first half of the largest government bailout program in history.

He said he was confident that the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. have the resources to address a significant market crisis if one should occur before Congress approves the use of the second half of the rescue fund.

Paulson said he would discuss the process with congressional leaders and Obama's transition team "in the near future."

The White House package is the lifeline desperately sought by U.S. automakers, who warned they were running out of money as the economy fell deeper into recession, car loans became scarce and consumers stopped shopping for cars.

The carmakers have announced extended holiday shutdowns. Chrysler is closing all 30 of its North American manufacturing plants for four weeks because of slumping sales; Ford will shut 10 North American assembly plants for an extra week in January, and General Motors will temporarily close 20 factories — many for the entire month of January — to cut vehicle production.

Bush said the auto manufactures have faced serious challenges for many years: burdensome costs, a shrinking share of the market and plunging profits. "In recent months, the global financial crisis has made these challenges even more severe," he said.

The president said that on the one hand, the government has a responsibility not to undermine the private enterprise system, yet on the other hand, it must safeguard the broader health and stability of the U.S. economy.

"If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers," he said.

"Under ordinary economic circumstances, I would say this is the price that failed companies must pay," the president said. "And I would not favor intervening to prevent the automakers from going out of business. But these are not ordinary circumstances.

"In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action."

Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli thanked the administration for its help.

In a statement Friday morning, Nardelli said the initial injection of capital will help the company get through its cash crisis and help eventually return to profitability. He said Chrysler was committed to meeting the conditions set by Bush in exchange for the money.

Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said his company would not seek the short-term financial assistance but predicted the aid would stabilize the industry.

"The U.S. auto industry is highly interdependent, and a failure of one of our competitors would have a ripple effect that could jeopardize millions of jobs and further damage the already weakened U.S. economy," Mulally said.

General Motors said the short-term loans would help preserve jobs and "lead to a leaner, stronger General Motors."

"We know we have much work in front of us to accomplish our plan. It is our intention to continue to be transparent as we execute our plan, and we will provide regular updates on our progress," the automaker said.

Bush considering "orderly" auto bankruptcy, Ford and GM

What an Idiot. No wonder all the stocks plummeted right after he talks.

By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration is looking at "orderly" bankruptcy as a possible way to deal with the desperately ailing U.S. auto industry, the White House said Thursday as carmakers readied more plant closings and a half million new jobless claims underscored the deteriorating national economy.

With General Motors, Chrysler and the rest of Detroit anxiously awaiting a White House decision on billions of dollars in emergency federal loans, press secretary Dana Perino said it wasn't simply a choice between government rescue and the disastrous collapse of a major industry.

"There's an orderly way to do bankruptcies that provides for more of a soft landing," she said. "I think that's what we would be talking about."

President George W. Bush, asked about an auto bailout, said he hadn't decided what he would do but didn't want to leave a mess for Barack Obama who takes office a month from Saturday. A White House decision on helping the troubled automakers could come as early as Friday.

Bush, like Perino, spoke of the idea of bankruptcies orchestrated by the federal government as a possible way to go — without committing to it.

"Under normal circumstances, no question bankruptcy court is the best way to work through credit and debt and restructuring," he said during a speech and question-and-answer session at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank. "These aren't normal circumstances. That's the problem."

Perino emphasized there were still several possible approaches to assisting the automakers, including short-term loans from the Treasury Department's $700 billion Wall Street bailout program.

The Big Three automakers said anew that bankruptcy wasn't the answer, as did an official of the United Auto Workers who called the idea unworkable and even dangerous. GM said a report that it and Chrysler had restarted talks to combine was untrue.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Capitol Hill that grim new unemployment data heightened the urgency for the administration "to prevent the imminent insolvency of the domestic auto industry."

The California Democrat said Bush has the legal authority to act now, and should attach the accountability standards that were included in a $14 billion House-passed and Bush-supported carmaker bailout that died in the Senate last week. That plan would have given the government, through a Bush-appointed "car czar," veto power over major business decisions at any auto company that received federal loans.

Pelosi spoke after the government announced that initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 554,000 last week.

The comments in Washington came a day after Chrysler LLC announced it was closing all its North American manufacturing plants for at least a month as it, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. await word on government action. General Motors also has been closing plants, and it and Chrysler have said they might not have enough money to pay their bills in a matter of weeks.

Separately, there were worries that GMAC LLC, which provides financing for GM vehicle and dealer loans along with home mortgages, could be forced to file for bankruptcy itself. GMAC was having trouble finding adequate support from its bondholders for a debt transaction that would allow it to become a bank holding company and gain eligibility for the $700 billion rescue package.

Prices of GM and Ford stocks fell sharply Thursday after the remarks out of the White House. Ford, unlike General Motors and Chrysler, is not seeking billions in federal bailout loans, but a collapse of the other two could hurt Ford as well.

Alan Reuther, the United Auto Workers' legislative director, said the union urged the administration during a meeting this week to follow the provisions included in the House-passed auto aid bill.

Congressional aides in both parties who have been closely following the discussions suggested the talk of bankruptcy could be a tactic to extract more hefty concessions from the companies and union in exchange for granting short-term loans from Treasury's financial industry rescue fund.

Perino said one factor preventing an announcement of action by the administration is that discussions continue with the various sides that would have to sign on to a managed bankruptcy — entities such as labor and equity holders in addition to the companies themselves.

A senior administration official said the talks between Bush officials and the Big Three and their stakeholders amount to information-gathering, not negotiating.

The White House has repeatedly emphasized its opposition to "disorderly bankruptcy" — presumably a Chapter 7 filing that would effectively shut down a company and require liquidation of assets. That has left on the table the possibility of forcing one or more automakers into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows a firm to keep operating while under a court's purview.

Harlan Platt, who teaches corporate turnarounds at Northeastern University in Boston, said the government may be waiting for an offer of an ownership stake in the companies, much as it received in return for capital plowed into banks. "You really have to ask the question: If this is good enough for Wall Street, why isn't it good enough for Detroit?" he said.

On Thursday, spokesmen for Chrysler, GM and Ford generally referred to their previous comments that bankruptcy was not a workable solution. The car companies argue that no one would buy a vehicle from a bankrupt company for fear that the company might not be around to honor warranties.

"We continue to work with the administration to find a solution to this liquidity crisis," said GM spokesman Tony Cervone.

Chrysler spokeswoman Shawn Morgan noted previous statements against bankruptcy by CEO Robert Nardelli. Financing for even a prepackaged bankruptcy would be difficult to get in the current tight credit market, Chrysler has said.

The National Automobile Dealers Association also spoke out against bankruptcy for car companies "in any way shape or form, orderly or disorderly, prepackaged or unpackaged, managed or unmanaged," said spokesman Bailey Wood.

Bush said the auto industry is "obviously very fragile" and he is worried about what an out-and-out collapse without Washington involvement "would do to the psychology" of the markets.

"There still is a lot of uncertainty," he said.

At the same time, the president said anew that he is worried about "putting good money after bad," meaning taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to prop up companies that can't survive the long term.

He revealed one other consideration — that Obama will become president in just over a month.

"I thought about what it would be like for me to become president during this period. I believe that good policy is not to dump him a major catastrophe on his first day in office," Bush said.

___

Associated Press writers Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ken Thomas in Washington, Tom Krisher in Detroit and Bree Fowler in New York contributed to this story.

Actor in Ohio Christmas show dies in 25-foot fall

I wonder if any charges are going to be brought up against the church in this one if they find that the cable that suspended Shryock was not supposed to be holding up a person. I think is is right though that they have canceled the rest of their shows. I don't think anyone would have wanted to participate in the rest of them, and plus who would want to try and replace the actor. That just wouldn't be right.

A spokeswoman at a Cincinnati mega-church says a Christmas pageant actor who fell about 25 feet during the show's opening night performance has died.

Crossroads Community Church says 23-year-old Keri Shryock died Thursday morning at University Hospital. A church spokeswoman says Shryock was a graduate student at Xavier University.

Shryock was playing the role of a wise man in a contemporary Nativity story and was suspended by an overhead cable when she fell Wednesday night. A spokeswoman for the church says it's not clear how the accident happened.

The church says it has canceled the 10 remaining performance of the Christmas show.

Birdman of Berlin shared flat with 1,700 budgies

I can't imagine how he could take the smell of all the poop!!! Let alone the noise. Maybe he just turned his hearing aid off. I understand having pets and not wanting to be lonely, but this is taking it to another level. Go to the park and feed the ducks if you want to be surrounded by birds.

Berlin city officials, summoned by complaints over the noise, found a 60-year-old man sharing his two-room flat with 1,700 budgerigars.

The budgies were living on perches installed along the walls, while the floors were saturated with droppings, veterinary services said here Wednesday.

The pensioner told officials he had adopted two birds because he felt lonely and that nature had done the rest.

About 1,000 of the birds were evacuated on Tuesday, 300 on Wednesday, while the remainder were to be taken from the flat to a rescue shelter over the next few days, officials said.

The tenant was also having to move as the flat was deemed no longer fit for human habitation.

Ga. judge jails Muslim woman over head scarf

This is a different situation for sure. On one hand you have a female whoes religion it is to wear that headgear when she is out in public. And could be shamed for not doing so. And on the other side you have the law in the place she lives in that says no headgear in the courtroom. I believe you have to listen to the law on this one, but she can not be blamed for sticking by her religion.

A Georgia judge ordered a Muslim woman arrested Tuesday for contempt of court for refusing to take off her head scarf at a security checkpoint.

The judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on Atlanta's west suburban outskirts.

Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.

"I just felt stripped of my civil, my human rights," Valentine told The Associated Press on Wednesday from her home, after she said she was unexpectedly released once CAIR got involved. Jail officials declined to say why she was freed.

Municipal Court Judge Keith Rollins said that "it would not be appropriate" for him to comment on the case.

Last year, a judge in Valdosta in southern Georgia barred a Muslim woman from entering a courtroom because she would not remove her head scarf. There have been similar cases in other states, including Michigan, where a Muslim woman in Detroit filed a federal lawsuit in February 2007 after a judge dismissed her small-claims court case when she refused to remove a head and face veil.

Valentine's husband, Omar Hall, said his wife was accompanying her nephew to a traffic citation hearing when officials stopped her at the metal detector and told her she would not be allowed in the courtroom with the head scarf, known as a hijab.

Hall said Valentine, an insurance underwriter, told the bailiff that she had been in courtrooms before with the scarf on and that removing it would be a religious violation. When she turned to leave and uttered an expletive, Hall said a bailiff handcuffed her and took her before the judge.

Drew Peterson Gets Engaged While Still Married to Missing Wife

I can't believe someone would marry this guy after what has happened. Have they been living under a rock or something? Or does this girl just want her 15 minutes of fame. Whatever the reason she is sure going to get it. The attention. This is just so nuts though to even comprehend it for me is crazy.

By Sara Bonisteel

The ex-cop who is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife and whose third wife died suspiciously in a bathtub is planning to walk down the aisle for a fifth time.

Drew Peterson, 54, is engaged again, his lawyer and publicist confirmed Wednesday to FOXNews.com.

Though Peterson is still married to his fourth wife, Stacy, who was 23 when she disappeared last year, he has found a new 23-year-old fiancée, he told "Drew Peterson Exposed" author Derek Armstrong Tuesday.

"The kids have met her," said Armstrong. "They like her and they know about this engagement."

Peterson has two young children, Anthony, 6, and Lacy, 4, with Stacy Peterson. The missing mom's family contends she is dead.

"Oh my God, I’m speechless," Pam Bosco, a spokeswoman for Stacy Peterson's family told FOXNews.com when informed of Drew Peterson's engagement. "History repeats itself, so I imagine that that’s the same situation he had before: He’d be involved with somebody when he was getting rid of the one before."

Armstrong said the new fiancée, whom Peterson refused to identify, lives within 15 minutes of Peterson's Bolingbrook, Ill., home. He said the couple have been dating about four months. Lawyer Joel Brodsky and publicist Glenn Selig did not identify the woman either.

Selig said the engagement happened "sometime within the last couple of days."

A sticking point for Peterson is that he is currently married.

"This is not uncommon for Drew," said Selig. "When he was married to Kathleen still, he was in the process of divorcing Kathleen when he proposed to Stacy. He’s done this before and, you know, he seems very happy."

Earlier this year, Peterson met with high-profile Chicago attorney Jeffery M. Leving, a lawyer in the Elian Gonzalez case, to see what his rights to a split might be.

Leving told FOXNews.com that Peterson had not yet filed for divorce.

Desertion for at least one year is grounds for divorce under Illinois law -- though Peterson, as the divorce petitioner, would have to show he wasn't at fault for causing his wife to leave, Leving said.

Peterson has been at the center of the investigation into the whereabouts of his wife, who vanished on Oct. 28, 2007.

After Stacy's disappearance, the body of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, was exhumed, and her 2004 bathtub drowning was re-labeled a homicide.

Earlier this year, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow issued a statement about the Savio and Stacy Peterson cases, indicating that a special grand jury is still weighing evidence in both.

"I fully expect there to be a resolution in at least one of these investigations in the near future," Glasgow said.

Stacy Peterson's family is pinning its hopes on that resolution.

"You’ve just got to stay focused on the investigation and hope that as the Illinois state prosecutor said, that they’ll have [it] resolved soon," Bosco said.

'Death Map' Shows Where Americans Most Likely to Die

Well damn I live in the South. That sucks. Oh well at least I don't have to worry about freezing to death. That's for sure. I really don't have to worry about hurricanes where I am at, but I do have to worry about tornados a lot. That is the one thing that is common in my area. Hopefully if you are reading this you are lucky not to have to deal with these kinda things, but then again where is the fun at then?

A new map plotting deaths resulting from forces of nature reveals where Mother Nature is most likely to kill you.

People living in the South along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts have a higher likelihood of dying from a natural hazard compared to residents of the Great Lakes area and urbanized Northeast.

And while intense hurricanes and tornadoes steal headlines for their intense winds and overall destruction, the new map shows what other previous studies have found, that everyday hazards, such as severe winter and summer weather, and heat account for the majority of natural hazard deaths in the United States.

"This work will enable research and emergency management practitioners to examine hazard deaths through a geographic lens," said researcher Susan Cutter of the University of South Carolina, Columbia. "Using this as a tool to identify areas with higher than average hazard deaths can justify allocation of resources to these areas with the goal of reducing loss of life."

Cutter and Kevin Borden, also of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, analyzed nationwide data from 1970 to 2004.

In addition to the South having high mortality from natural hazards, other risky areas included the northern Great Plains region where heat and drought were the biggest killers and the Rocky Mountain region (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico) with winter weather and floods as top killers. The south-central United States is also a dangerous area, with floods and tornadoes posing the greatest threats.

Cutter and Borden found that of the natural hazards, some were more deadly than others over the years, including:

"It is the chronic hazards like severe summer weather and severe winter weather and heat that are contributing the majority of the hazard fatalities, not fatalities associated with things like earthquakes or hurricanes," Cutter told LiveScience. She added that people and officials tend to be more prepared for big hurricanes and tornadoes, which could partly explain the lower mortality from these storms compared with everyday occurrences.

Overall, during the study period, nearly 20,000 people died due to natural hazards. For comparison, here are the top five causes of U.S. deaths in 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

The natural hazards research, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Health Geographics, was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

Barack Obama is Times 2008 Person of the Year

Who didn't see this one coming? But then again Hitler, Stalin, and Bush were all named man of the year also. Hopefully he goes the way Time is hoping. As everyone else does, but it is food for thought. I wonder what Obama will do now that he has been named Times Person of the Year.

Posted by Jason Tuohey

It may come as no shock that Time magazine named Barack Obama its "Person of the Year," but the magazine's online package does offer one surprise -- previously unseen photos of the president-elect from his formative years at Occidental College.

Time's managing editor Richard Stengel said the magazine picked Obama for his constant presence in news coverage throughout the year, and for being elected president at a "periolous" and "critical" time in American history.

Obama "energized Americans in a way that we haven't seen in a long time," Stengel said on CNN today.

Time's online package provides previously unpublished photos of Obama at Occidental College, which he attended from 1979 to 1981. The black-and-white photos were taken in 1980 by Lisa Jack, an aspiring photographer at the time, and show Obama wearing a hat and striking a variety of poses. Take a look at the photos.

Obama's time at Occidental College is a largely overlooked period of his biography, but one where he began to lay the seeds for his future in public service and politics.

The Globe's Scott Helman chronicled Obama's maturation this August in an article and video on the president-elect's years at Occidental. Here's a taste:

"Much has been made in this presidential campaign, both good and bad, of Obama's Ivy League pedigree - his bachelor's degree from Columbia University, and his law degree from Harvard, where he led the prestigious Law Review. But it is during the two years Obama spent at Occidental, a small liberal arts school in Los Angeles, that he started on the path that has led to the Democratic presidential nomination."

Fed cuts Rates to Lowest ever, .25%

I think this might be showing the world how bad it has really gotten. Sure they probably already noticed, but when they see us failing this bad that we have to cut our interest rates so low, you know they are going to be scared. If our economy fails then so follows the world. I hope they have some real bright people working on this because Bernanke is going to kill the US economy single handily.

Fed cuts target for key interest rate to record low, pledges to use all available tools.

The Federal Reserve has cut its target for a key interest rate to the lowest level on record and pledged to use "all available tools" to combat a severe financial crisis and prolonged recession.

The central bank on Tuesday said it had reduced the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other, to a range of zero to 0.25 percent. That is down from the 1 percent target rate in effect since the last meeting in October. Many analysts had expected the Fed to make a smaller cut to 0.5 percent.

The Fed's aggressive move was greeted enthusiastically by Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average rose about 350 points in late-afternoon trading.

The Fed's action and statement made clear that economic conditions have worsened since its last meeting in October.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues said they will use unconventional methods to try to contain a financial crisis that is the worst since the 1930s and a recession that is already the longest in a quarter-century. For example, the Fed last month said it planned to purchase up to $600 billion in direct debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by big financial players including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an effort to boost the availability of mortgage loans.

That move was one of a series the central bank has taken to increase its loans by hundreds of billions of dollars as a way to deal with the worst financial crisis to hit the country in more than 70 years.

The Fed on Tuesday also made clear that it intends to keep the funds rate at extremely low levels.

"The committee anticipates that weak economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for some time," the central bank's panel that sets interest rates said in a statement.

Even before the announcement of a lower target, the funds rate has been trading well below the old target of 1 percent. For November, the funds rate had averaged 0.39 percent. Analysts said it was likely to fall further with the Fed setting the new target as low as zero.

The Fed's decision was matched by a reduction in the prime lending rate, the benchmark rate for millions of business and consumer loans. Banking giant Wells Fargo and Co. said it was cutting its prime rate to 3.25 percent, down from 4 percent before the Fed action. Other banks are expected to quickly match Wells Fargo's move.

The Fed has never pushed its target for the federal funds rate as low as zero to 0.25 percent. The lowest target rate before had been 1 percent, a level seen only once before in the past half-century.

Given how low interest rates are, the central bank said it planned to use a variety of unconventional methods to flood the banking system with credit and drive interest rates lower.

"The Federal Reserve will employ all available tools to promote the resumption of sustainable economic growth and to preserve price stability," the Fed said.

The announcement on the deployment of unconventional methods had been expected given that Bernanke and other Fed officials have sought in recent comments to let financial markets know that the central bank will not be out of ammunition to battle the economic downturn even with the funds rate at such low levels.

In its statement Tuesday, the Fed said that since its last meeting in late October, "labor market conditions have deteriorated, and the available data indicate that consumer spending, business investment and industrial production have declined. Financial markets remain quite strained and credit conditions tight."

The central bank acknowledged that it had room to battle the economic weakness because inflation pressures have "diminished appreciably" as the price of energy and other commodities has fallen sharply.

The Fed action came only hours after the government announced that consumer prices dropped by a record amount of 1.7 percent in November, reflecting a record decline in the price of gasoline and other energy products.

ct unemployment - ct department of labor

ark Davis

Hartford (WTNH) - The Department of Labor is struggling to meet the demands of Connecticut residents who are out of work. And another major employer sending out pink slips today will soon add to the department's workload.

Along with all the other money troubles the state is facing, its funds for the unemployed are rapidly running out. In turn, 18,000 residents are being contacted because their 26 weeks of state unemployment has run out. And they are now eligible to apply for seven more weeks of federal coverage.

At the State Labor Department, claims have more than doubled since the same time last year to over 4,000 per week. The agency brought the number of people at their two call centers up to 60 today and are now answering the phones til 6 pm.

"More people are getting through. There's less busy signals and also, because of the extra hours at the call centers, the average wait time is now about 30 minutes versus last week," Nancy Steffens, of CT Department of Labor, said. "It was about an hour."

While News Channel 8 visited the Labor Department today, the computerized system indicated there were about 50 people waiting at any time. Chances are good it's going to be getting even more busy. The agency says filing online at their website is much, much faster.

"We are at 6.5 percent unemployment," Governor Jodi Rell said. "Our fear would kick in if it were to get much higher than that."

The manager at a Watertown plant, that makes parts for all of the auto companies, told News Channel 8 that he has furloughed all of his 250 employees from now through January because there are no orders from the auto companies to fill.

New unemployment numbers for the state come out on Thursday. The Governor says if they're any higher, the state will need help paying benefits.

"We have already asked the federal government, as part of any stimulus package, to also make sure that those states that are reaching a higher number in unemployment be allowed some leeway there and possibly some funds to help cover our balance," Governor Rell said.

Because the state knows that the Unemployment Trust Fund is running out of money, the Commissioner of the Department of Lab has ordered that the unemployment tax, paid by your employer, will nearly double starting next month from the current .9 percent to 1.4 percent.

Delayed 911 response leads to Brittany Zimmermann's death

I really hope heads roll for this. When you become a 911 disptacher you become part of a very important system that can not be taken lightly in any situation. No matter what. Some jobs are like that. I hope Bittany Zimmermann's family can take solace that she is in a better place though. And hopefully they will see her again someday.

A slain 21 year old student who was being attacked by a stranger called 911 but no one came in time to her rescue, according to reports.

dispatcher who took the April 2 call from Brittany Zimmermann's phone shortly before she was murdered told investigators that she either didn't hear a scream or that "it didn't register as a scream."

The length of delay between the mishandled 911 call and when Madison police were sent to her West Doty Street apartment to find her brutally murdered haven't been made known to the public.

Investigators have however revealed in previously sealed court documents obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal that the delay time was 48 minutes.

Dane County has taken some harsh criticism from the public regarding the delay, and tough questions have been raised about whether a prompt response might have saved Zimmerman's life.

Police are still looking for her killer.

"We are working diligently on this case, have generated significant leads, and are making progress," said Joel De Spain of the Madison Police Department.

The police said they believe Zimmerman was attacked by a stranger. Her apartment door showed signs of forced entry.

Adam Walsh Murder Solved; Ottis Toole Expected to Be Identified as His Killer

Well it is good that this is finally over for all the families involved. People will finally get some closure. I am sure most people already had come to the conclusion of this though.

By Carly Hart

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported today that the nearly 30 year old murder of Adam Walsh is solved. At 2:30 p.m. today, investigators are expected to finger Ottis Toole as the perpetrator in the disappearance and murder of Adam Walsh. Ottis Toole, who confessed to the murder of Adam Walsh twice and recanted his confession twice, died in 1996. The 2:30 p.m. press conference will bring closure to the family.

Adam Walsh murder was never forgotten

As a child in the 1980s, I remember the Adam Walsh case. Adam disappeared from a Sears store in Hollywood, Florida in 1981 and I remember watching the made-for-tv movie, Adam (1983), where Daniel J. Travanti played John Walsh and JoBeth Willams played his wife, Reve. I don't know if my parents let me watch it because they wanted me to be afraid to ever wander away, but Adam has stuck with me ever since then. Now that I have children of my own, I can empathize with the Walsh family as I see their loss of a son with a new perspective -- not as a 10 year-old kid, but as a parent who would be devastated at the loss of a child.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported today that the nearly 30 year old murder of Adam Walsh is solved. At 2:30 p.m. today, investigators are expected to finger Ottis Toole as the perpetrator in the disappearance and murder of Adam Walsh. Ottis Toole, who confessed to the murder of Adam Walsh twice and recanted his confession twice, died in 1996. The 2:30 p.m. press conference will bring closure to the family.

Adam Walsh murder was never forgotten

As a child in the 1980s, I remember the Adam Walsh case. Adam disappeared from a Sears store in Hollywood, Florida in 1981 and I remember watching the made-for-tv movie, Adam (1983), where Daniel J. Travanti played John Walsh and JoBeth Willams played his wife, Reve. I don't know if my parents let me watch it because they wanted me to be afraid to ever wander away, but Adam has stuck with me ever since then. Now that I have children of my own, I can empathize with the Walsh family as I see their loss of a son with a new perspective -- not as a 10 year-old kid, but as a parent who would be devastated at the loss of a child.

John Walsh turned his grief into child advocacy. He knows the pain of the loss of a child in a violent crime and strives to help other parents never to have to feel a similar grief. Viewers of the program will tell you that John Walsh is especially passionate about fugitives wanted for crimes against children. America's Most Wanted has had great success with assisting in the apprehension of fugitives featured on the show. As of today, 1,049 fugitives have been apprehended through America's Most Wanted's efforts and the assistance of viewers.

Every week when America tunes into America's Most Wanted hosted by John Walsh they are reminded of the murder of his son just by seeing him on the screen. For me, just seeing him on television is a stark reminder of his personal loss. Now, with the case finally coming to closure with Ottis Toole being named as the killer, I hope that when I and the other viewers tune in that we feel a sense of joy and triumph for the family now that the murder has been officially solved.


Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottis_Toole

Atlantis Airlines Plane en route to NY with 11 on board is missing

I think it is kind of hard to misplace a plane. Especially one that is in the air. I do know though that if they did crash then odds are it will be very difficult to find the plane in the middle of the ocean. Especially if most of it sinks. Hopefully everyone on the Atlantis Airlines plan are ok, and will be found soon.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A plane en route to New York with 11 people on board disappeared after taking off from the Dominican Republic, authorities said Tuesday.

The Atlantis Airlines plane, which was expected to make a refueling stop in the Bahamas, sent an emergency signal before disappearing from the radar 35 minutes after takeoff on about 3:30 p.m. Monday, said Jose Tomas Perez, director of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies were searching in the Atlantic Ocean about 4 miles (6 kilometers) west of West Caicos island but has not found any wreckage, said Nick Ameen, a spokesman.

The plane, a multiengine Britton-Norman Islander, departed from Santiago in the Dominican Republic, he said.

Internet Explorer security problems Alert

This is when I am glad that I use Safari, Firefox, and Camino. I have not used Internet Explorer in over 10 years. I never liked it and thought it was slow. Of course back then everything was slow though. I hope no one is personally affected by this though. I have always been wary of putting my personal information out on the internet.

Users of Internet Explorer, the world's most popular web browser, are at risk of having their computers hijacked because of a security flaw.

By Matthew Moore

The flaw allows criminal gangs to take control of people's computers and steal their personal information when they visit websites that have been corrupted by malicious hackers.

It is believed that as many 10,000 sites have been compromised since last week.

Microsoft said that it had detected attacks on machines using Internet Explorer 7, the most widely-used version of the browser, but that other versions are "potentially vulnerable".

"We are actively investigating the vulnerability that these attacks attempt to exploit," the firm, which also makes the Windows operating system, said in a security statement.

"We will continue to monitor the threat environment and update this advisory if this situation changes."

By last Saturday about 0.2 per cent of Internet Explorer users had already visited one of the websites designed to exploit the flaw, according a statement on the technology giant's Malware Protection blog. The flaw was first exploited last week but there has been a sharp increase in attacks in the last few days.

Given that three-quarters of people on the web use Internet Explorer, millions of people could already have been targeted.

Microsoft has published a list of technical changes that it say should protect against the threat until it can release a software update to close the loophole, although the instructions would be incomprehensible to most casual surfers.

It has also advised users to enable their firewalls and install anti-virus and anti-spyware software, but web security experts say the best guarantee of safety is to use an alternative browser such as Firefox, Safari or Opera, which can all be downloaded for free.

The websites corrupted by the hackers are mostly Chinese, and have been programmed to steal passwords for computer games which can be sold for money on the black market.

But the Internet Explorer security flaw could also be exploited by criminals seeking to steal people's bank details, private data and identities. "That's a big fear right now," said Paul Ferguson of Trend Micro security researcher, warning of "mayhem" if fraudsters succeed.

Graham Cluley, a virus expert at internet security firm Sophos, said that the “staggering” number of people could be affected by the attacks. While many of the compromised sites are pornographic, many are legitimate, mainstream web pages.

“Problems like this are found all the time but Microsoft always has a fix. What’s new about this situation is that there is no fix.

“This is a really critical and serious problem. People should make sure their anti-virus software up to date, and remember to install Microsoft’s security patch when it is released.”

But he added that switching browsers may be an over-reaction. “It’s certainly a fix and gets around this problem, but Firefox, Google Chrome and other browsers all have their own security issues.”

Obama Picks Arne Duncan for Education Post

I didn't even know this was a position until I just read about it. I do think it is kinda weird though that Obama chose someone was also works in Chicago. One would think that Obama would try to stay away from Chicago right now with all the attention on it right now.

By Sam Dillon

Arne Duncan (Photo: Charles Bennett/Associated Press)

President-elect Barack Obama will name Arne Duncan, the superintendent of schools in Chicago, to be his Secretary of Education, a senior Democratic official and a second person close to the decision said.

Mr. Duncan is a Harvard graduate whose friendship with Mr. Obama began on the basketball court and flowered into frequent discussions of education policy.

He has seven years’ experience as chief executive of the Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest school district, where he has earned a solid reputation for confronting pressing issues in public education, like how to raise teacher quality, how to transform weak schools and when to shutter those that are irredeemably failing.

Word of the selection comes as Mr. Obama’s transition team said Monday that he would make an important announcement on Tuesday morning at the Dodge Renaissance Academy, an elementary school that Mr. Duncan and Mr. Obama visited together in October 2005.

SNL's David Paterson Skit Causes a Stir

It will sure be interesting to see what SNL has to say about this once they comment on it. Also what David Patterson is going to say about it too. Probably something that will make him look even better in the public eye. (No pun intended) I didn't see the SNL sketch myself, but I youtubed it just like everyone else.

Live from New York, it's time to mock the disabled!

With Sarah Palin out of the national eye, "Saturday Night Live" turned its satirical guns toward another governor, New York's David Paterson. However, this time the laughs weren't quite as hearty. It's one thing to mock a moose-hunting beauty queen, but quite another to laugh at the visually impaired.

Governor Paterson is a legally blind man who took over for the disgraced Eliot Spitzer earlier this year. SNL's Fred Armisen portrayed Paterson as a bumbling man who is completely unqualified for the position. Funny? The studio audience seemed to like the skit, but many groups are outraged and speaking out.

The National Federation of the Blind issued a statement calling the characterization "absolutely wrong" and criticized the show for playing up the stereotype that blind people are "incapable of simple tasks." Meanwhile, Governor Paterson's office issued a statement that the show should be able to "find a way to be funny without being offensive." Indeed, while comedy is in the eye of the beholder, many of the knee-slappers at Paterson's expense seemed to be, as the New York Post put it, rather "stock." Wandering aimlessly? Confused? One could argue that Mr. Magoo pulled the same gags a lot better 50 years ago.

Still, funny or not, searchers sought out the "SNL" video. Queries for "snl david paterson" and "armisen david paterson" both surged on Sunday and continue to stay hot. "SNL" has yet to release a comment in response to the outrage, but if the heat keeps up, perhaps Mr. Armisen will invite the real governor to make an appearance. Hey, it (kinda) worked for Sarah Palin...

by Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo! Buzz Log

Green Pit Viper,Dragon Millipede Discovered More than 1,000 species discovered in Mekong: WWF

This is always cool to see. 1000 species discovered. Including the Green Pit Viper, Dragon Millipede, huntsman spider, and a Rat that they thought was extinct over 11 million years ago.

This undated handout picture released on December 15 by WWF Greater Mekong Programme shows a Gumprechts green pitviper

BANGKOK (AFP) – Scientists have discovered more than 1,000 species in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region in the past decade, including a spider as big as a dinner plate, the World Wildlife Fund said Monday.

A rat thought to have become extinct 11 million years ago and a cyanide-laced, shocking pink millipede were among creatures found in what the group called a "biological treasure trove".

The species were all found in the rainforests and wetlands along the Mekong River, which flows through Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.

"It doesn't get any better than this," Stuart Chapman, director of WWF's Greater Mekong Programme, was quoted as saying in a statement by the group.

"We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books."

The WWF report, "First Contact in the Greater Mekong", said that "between 1997 and 2007, at least 1,068 have been officially described by science as being newly discovered species."

These included the world's largest huntsman spider, with a leg span of 30 centimetres (11.8 inches), and the "startlingly" coloured "dragon millipede", which produces the deadly compound cyanide.

Not all species were found hiding in remote jungles -- the Laotian rock rat, which the study said was thought to be extinct about 11 million years ago, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market in 2005, it said.

One species of pitviper was first noted by scientists after it was found in the rafters of a restaurant at the headquarters of Thailand's Khao Yai national park in 2001.

"This region is like what I read about as a child in the stories of Charles Darwin," said Dr Thomas Ziegler, curator at the Cologne Zoo, who was involved in the research.

"It is a great feeling being in an unexplored area and to document its biodiversity for the first time both enigmatic and beautiful," he said.

The new species highlighted in the report include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four birds, four turtles, two salamanders and a toad -- an average of two previously undiscovered species a week for the past 10 years.

The report warned, however, that many of the species could be at risk from development, and called for a cross-border agreement between the countries in the Greater Mekong area to protect it.

miami real estate, condo vultures

Looks like everyone is trying to make some money in the downturned economy. Condo Vultures are everywhere. Vultures are everywhere, but you can't blame them. If I had the money I would probably do the same thing.

Condominium units are being offered for bulk sale at a newly-built Brickell high-rise.

BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN

mhaggman@MiamiHerald.com

Want to buy a condominium on Brickell Avenue with sweeping views of Biscayne Bay and a short stroll away from a revived South Miami Avenue buzzing with new restaurants and nightlife?

You have 346 units to choose from -- and the developer wants you to buy all of them.

A newly built two-tower condo project called 1060 Brickell Avenue is putting 60 percent of its units up for sale in hopes of finding a bulk buyer.

Adam Greenberg, a Miami broker who is marketing the units, said the developers realized that selling individual units would take too long in this sluggish market.

''These developers don't want to keep the units and be a rental owner, that's not what they do,'' said Greenberg, the managing director of BayBridge Real Estate Group.

The bulk offer is another sign of growing impatience with South Florida's struggling housing market. Many condo builders are trying to unload units in a tight credit market and contracting economy -- and as thousands of new condo units hit the market.

Few bulk deals have been completed, however, despite an enormous inventory of unsold units and hordes of vulture buyers trolling for bargains.

''It's like the Wild West; the buyers have an itchy trigger finger,'' said Jay Massirman, president of Rivergate Residential, a Miami firm that acquires residential real estate. ``But when you look at the numbers and look at the market, it's hard to make a transaction work.''

The sticking point has been price: Vulture buyers want steep discounts while developers are holding out for better prices.

Lenders, meanwhile, have largely been reluctant to foreclose on developers struggling to repay loans amid slow sales. This has given more breathing room for builders hoping for better offers.

Most bulk deals, thus far, have been for townhomes and condos in suburban areas. The few bulk sales for high-rise condos have largely been internal deals. For instance, Miami builder Related Group joined with a Philadelphia investor to buy 146 of its own units at the 528-unit 50 Biscayne building in downtown Miami.

''There has been this stand-off,'' said Massirman, referring to developers selling units and bulk buyers. ``There has been nothing forcing these people to sell.''

The 576-unit 1060 Brickell, in the heart of Miami's Brickell neighborhood, was finished earlier this year. It was built by Extell Development, a New York City firm with projects in Boston and New York, including the W Hotel in Times Square.

Greenberg said he's betting he can sell the units at 1060 Brickell because the developer is willing to slash prices deeper than other builders have. Greenberg declined to give an asking price but said the builder will entertain offers in the range of the low $200s per square foot.

By comparison, when Related Group purchased its own units in bulk at 50 Biscayne the price was about $250 a square foot.

To date, downtown condos produced during Miami's housing boom have experienced a better closing rate than many had expected. Since 2003, 17,299 condos have been completed -- with 12,169 closing, according to a recent survey by condovultures.com. That is a 70 percent closing rate.

But it has been a struggle to close units in the remaining condo buildings with excess inventory.

While lenders have generally been patient in allowing builders to close units, some have grown impatient. Two weeks ago, Wachovia Bank filed papers in Miami-Dade Circuit Court to foreclose on dozens of unsold units in the Miami River condo, Wind.

Office Depot to Close 112 Stores

It is a dark day when one of the biggest Office shops have to start closing their stores. Office Depot which is one of the 2 biggest Office Retailers in the country seems to be shrinking more and more everyday. As Office Depot closes more of it's stores Staples looks to take advantage of it.

Office Depot Inc. will close five of its seven stores in Massachusetts as part of a larger strategic review that will result in the closing of 112 underperforming stores in North America over the next three months.

Office Depot is an office supplies retailer with headquarters in Florida and a rival of Staples Inc. of Framingham.

When the store closings are completed, the chain will have 1,163 stores in North America, said Office Depot, which added that 40 of the store closings will be in the Northeast and Canada.

Joe Biden gets New Puppy, Beats Obama to punch for first puppy

Looks like Joe Biden beat Obama to the punch to get the first puppy of the white house. It seems that Biden has chose a German Shepherd. In a time everyone is looking up goldendoodles and other fashion breeds, Biden goes with a all time classic. Now the pressure is really on Obama to pick out the next best breed. Maybe stay with the Germans and get a dachsund.

Malia and Sasha Obama apparently aren’t the only ones who were promised a puppy if they stuck it out through the presidential election.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden picked out a German shepherd pup last weekend from a breeder near his Delaware home, according to a local newspaper report.

Biden was reportedly promised the post-election dog by his wife, Jill, who would tape pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of Biden on his campaign plane.

The vice president-elect picked out a month-old male German shepherd from a breeder in Chester County, Pa., according to the Daily Local News. The breeder told the paper Biden wanted a family dog that was social and obedient and said Biden's granddaughters will name him.

The puppy will be delivered to the Bidens at the vice presidential residence after the Inauguration and after the breeder trains him, the paper reports.

GM, Chrysler Face Immediate Cash Crisis As Senate Vote Fails

This is crazy to me for one reason. Sure I don't think they should of given them the bailout. But I don't think they should have given the banks the bailout either. They should of let everyone fail for making the bad investments and then started up news banks that were financially viable. But then that would make a lot of foreign investors pissed off and tried to bomb us. Instead we are making this recession 10 years longer than it needs to be. But I can't understand why they would just hand trillions to the banks so they can spend it on bonuses and trips, and yet they won't give anything to the auto industry and gave a line for line statement of what they were going to do with the money.

DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- General Motors Corp. (GM) and Chrysler LLC face an immediate cash crisis in the aftermath of the Senate's rejection of a $14 billion emergency loan package, analysts said Thursday.

The auto makers, which said they will run out of money by year's end without a government lifeline, will struggle to make massive payments to parts suppliers due at the beginning of January absent government assistance, said Gregg Lemos Stein, a credit analyst at Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.

"If anything, the automotive market has worsened since GM and Chrysler first said they may not have enough liquidity to make it into next year," Lemos Stein said. GM and Chrysler warned last month that liquidity is running dangerously low.

The U.S. auto makers are dealing with the weakest domestic sales environment in a quarter century, as well as deteriorating conditions in overseas markets that had until lately helped offset weakness at home in recent years. Sales have plunged in recent months as the economic outlook worsens and credit conditions remain tight.

Buckingham Research analyst Joseph Amaturo said failure of the loan package could force GM into bankruptcy.

In a note published earlier Thursday, Amaturo said that if the bill failed in the Senate, "GM is in a very precarious financial situation and likely files for bankruptcy by year-end."

The auto maker is trying to avoid being pushed into filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move it contends will eventually lead to liquidation because consumers won't buy vehicles from a bankrupt auto maker.

GM, which burned through $6.9 billion in cash in the third quarter, said late Thursday that it will assess its options to ensure it remains viable. The company is likely to renew its request to the Bush Administration to tap the $ 700 billion in funds made available to rescue the financial system or approach the federal reserve, according to several sources familiar with loan negotiations.

The auto makers and supporters of the bill to provide emergency aid to the manufacturers have argued that failure to provide aid could have disastrous implications, leading to the collapse not only of the auto makers but also the massive supply chain and dealers.

Lemos Stein said S&P is "very concerned about the spillover effects on suppliers," adding, "in a worst case, Ford may have to utilize its liquidity to keep its supply base intact."

Ford Motor Co. (F) didn't ask for an immediate cash infusion but is requesting access to a credit line should the environment deteriorate further. Ford believes a failure of GM or Chrysler would ricochet through the U.S. auto industry and force a bankruptcy at one of both of the other auto makers.

Ford declined comment on the result of Thursday's Senate vote, while Chrysler representatives weren't immediately available for comment.

Shares of the auto makers and most suppliers plunged in New York trading Thursday as pessimism grew about the outlook for bill in the Senate.

-By Sharon Terlep, Dow Jones Newswires; (248) 204-5532; sharon.terlep@ dowjones.com

-By Stephen Wisnefski, Dow Jones Newswires; (312) 750 4142; stephen.wisnefski@ dowjones.com

Macaulay Culkin's sister, Dakota, killed by car

My heart and prayers go out to the Culkin's. But it goes out for anybody who has had this tragic event happen in their family.

"Home Alone" child star Macaulay Culkin's sister died Wednesday after being struck by a car.

According to TMZ, law enforcement sources say that Dakota Culkin was walking on Los Angeles' Westside on Tuesday when she stepped off a curb and was struck by a car.

Macaulay's rep says: "We can officially confirm that the victim is Dakota Culkin. This is a terrible tragic accident. We have no further comment at this time."

The 29-year-old Culkin was taken to the UCLA Medical Center, where she died of her injuries Wednesday afternoon.

So far, no arrests have been made in the case, which is under investigation by the LAPD.

I have no words. This is terrible, terrible news.

And I hate to bring this up, but this is the third actor who has lost a family member violently in recent weeks.

First, Jennifer Hudson's brother, mother and nephew; then Mark Ruffalo's brother, Scott; now McCauley Culkin's sister, Dakota.

Photo: Macaulay Culkin. Credit: WireImage

Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois, on Lockdown

Hopefully everything it OK at the High School. I have been in lockdown a few times for bomb threat when I was in High School back in the day.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois, has been placed on lockdown.

Aurora is just about an hour away from Chicago and a couple of hours from me since I live in Peoria, Illinois.

The article, "Aurora high school on lockdown, police checking rooms," goes on to say that the situation has been posted on the school's website and parents are being advised by phone and e-mail.

So far the action has been evaluated as proactive indicating that all students at

Waubonsie Valley High School

are safe subject to the police and administration going room to room.

Originally it was reported that someone was shot at but that rumor has been deemed false. In fact, at this time the rumor of a firearm is unsubstantiated but, of course, must be checked out.

The Freshman Building at

Waubonsie Valley High School

has been cleared but the main school remains on lockdown. The police want to verify that there is no one being held hostage or hiding in the school.

This type of fear has emanated from the few decades of school violence often ending in mass killings such as Columbine and Platte High school to name just a couple.

I was surprised to find out that this is considered an act of terrorism.

The minds of young people and others don't always mesh.

Back in 1970 there were a lot of confrontations between the National Guard and everybody from students to radicals who wanted to show their dissatisfaction with the government.

One such incident was Kent State University. Students were placing flowers in the barrels of the soldier's guns and putting them in a corner making them feel unsafe. Ultimately they began random firing killing four students who had nothing to do with anything.

The National Guard was heavily criticized but it should be remembered many of these soldiers were just kids as well and it is really unfair to break the law and essentially "tease the dog" and then complain when you get bit.

I recall when my son's high school went on lockdown. Someone thought they saw a gun. They did but it was a wooden model. Still, the kid was expelled. That is how serious school systems are taking the situation these days.

While many people would disagree with me, I am all for weapons checks at school doors. It is better to be safe than sorry.

By Gary Davis

References:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1323596,waubonsie-valley-high-school-lockdown-121008.article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings

FocusGroups.com - Focus Groups

I haven't tried to do this myself, but Focusgroups.com might be able to find a focus group and get you some extra money in your pocket. I tried doing surveys, but they never amounted to anything.

Need a job? Get paid to be in a focus group! FocusGroups.com lists Focus Groups state by State. FocusGroups.com gives you a selection of Focus Groups reduced city by city that hire people like you on a regular basis.

And the listings are extensive.

For example in Los Angeles, the list is reduced to sections of Los Angeles and each section for multiple listings.

On the web: focusgroups.com

Exercise and pre-eclampsia: Are pregnant women at risk?

I like most people are looking up eclampsia because of watching House. Well this is what I found out about eclampsia.

Today’s conventional wisdom is that healthy pregnant women can benefit from exercise. In fact, the new exercise guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that expectant mothers should try to exercise at a moderate intensity for at least two and a half hours throughout the week, and after having their baby. Women who already exercise and are active can maintain that during and after pregnancy, as long as they stay healthy and check in with their doctor to see if their regimen needs tweaking.

But a new study suggests that high levels of activity may increase the risk of pre-eclampsia, a condition affecting pregnant women that’s marked by high blood pressure and protein in the urine and can ultimately cause death to mother or baby. It can also cause symptoms such as headaches, swelling and weight gain. The study looked at the leisure-time physical activity of 85,139 pregnant women in Denmark, assessing the time spent exercising, what type of exercises the women did, and at what intensity.

Among the findings, women who did moderate-level activities for long durations had an elevated risk of severe pre-eclampsia, but there was no correlation between low levels of vigorous activity only (from one to 269 minutes per week) and having the condition.

Severe pre-eclampsia risk was also higher for women whose vigorous activities lasted more than 270 minutes per week, compared with women who did no vigorous activity.

Exercise intensity levels were measured using metabolic equivalents, or the ratio of someone’s working metabolic rate compared with their resting metabolic rate. Researchers noticed a greater severe pre-eclampsia risk among women who came in at more than 40 Metabolic Equivalent Task hours per week, but saw a reduced risk among those in the range of 30 to 40 MET hours per week. Researchers estimated that about 40 MET hours per week was the equivalent of one hour of bicycling or 50 minutes of jogging per day. In addition, specific exercises were examined, with high levels of bicycling or brisk walking — more than 270 minutes per week — linked with a greater risk of severe pre-eclampsia.

In the study, published online this month in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, researchers wrote, "We were not able to confirm that increasing leisure time physical activity in early pregnancy protects against pre-eclampsia. In fact, our data even suggest that leisure time physical activity exceeding 270 minutes/week in first trimester may increase the risk of severe pre-eclampsia."

--Jeannine Stein

Photo credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Activists take polar bear plunge into icy Walden Pond

I remember when I was in scouts they had tthis things where you had to get up at 5 in the morning and go swimming in the cold. You got some kind of Polar Bear Merit badge or something like that. I never did it becuase I watch Seinfeld and saw what could do to you. No thank you.

CONCORD, Mass. -- Dozens of brave New Englanders took the polar bear plunge on Saturday to raise awareness on global climate change.

Activists dove into the icy Walden Pond shouting demands for action to stop the advance of global warming.

Some of the participants were even dressed as polar bears.

The thermometer on site read 38 degrees and the water was 45 degrees.

The polar bear plunge was just one of hundreds of similar events held around the world as part of "Global Day of Climate Action."

Rod Blagojevich, Illinois Governor Arrested

CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Otherwise, Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if "they're not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it."

"I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," Blagojevich allegedly said later that day, according to the affidavit, which also quoted him as saying in a remark punctuated by profanity that the seat was "a valuable thing — you just don't give it away for nothing."

The affidavit said Blagojevich also discussed getting a substantial salary for himself at a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.

It said Blagojevich also talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director's fees.

He also allegedly discussed getting campaign funds for himself or possibly a post in the president's cabinet or an ambassadorship once he left the governor's office. He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to the affidavit. And he allegedly said a Senate seat would also provide him with corporate contacts if he needed a job and present an opportunity for his wife to work as a lobbyist.

"I want to make money," the affidavit quotes him as saying in one conversation.

The affidavit said Blagojevich expressed frustration at being "stuck" as governor and that he would have access to greater resources if he were indicted while in the U.S. Senate than while sitting as governor.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement that "the breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."

"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," Fitzgerald said."

Messages left for Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero and at the governor's press office were not immediately returned Tuesday morning.

Among those being considered for the Senate post include U.S. Reps. Danny Davis and Jesse Jackson Jr.

The affidavit outlined a Nov. 10 call between Blagojevich, his wife, his chief of staff — John Harris, who also was arrested Tuesday — and a group of advisers in which Harris allegedly suggested working out an agreement with the Service Employees International Union.

Under the plan, Blagojevich would appoint a new senator who would be helpful to the president-elect and in turn get a job as head of Change to Win, a group formed by the union. The union would get an unspecified favor from Obama later.

Nothing in the court papers suggested Obama had any part in the discussion. In fact, Blagojevich allegedly said in the same conversation that Obama most likely would not appoint him as secretary of health and human services or to an ambassadorship because of the negative publicity that has surrounded the governor for three years.

One day later, according to the affidavit, Blagojevich allegedly told an associate he knew Obama wanted a specific Senate candidate but "they're not going to give me anything except appreciation." He finished the remark with an expletive.

Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to squeeze out campaign contributions.

Corruption in the Blagojevich administration has been the focus of a federal investigation involving an alleged $7 million scheme aimed at squeezing kickbacks out of companies seeking business from the state. Federal prosecutors have acknowledged they're also investigating "serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" under Blagojevich, who has a $177,412 salary, though it's unclear whether he accepts the total.

Political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko who raised money for the campaigns of both Blagojevich and Obama is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and other charges. Blagojevich's chief fundraiser, Christopher G. Kelly, is due to stand trial early next year on charges of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service.

According to Tuesday's complaint, Blagojevich schemed with Rezko, millionaire-fundraiser turned federal witness Stuart Levine and others to get financial benefits for himself and his campaign committee.

Federal prosecutors said Blagojevich and the chairman of his campaign committee have been speeding up corrupt fundraising activities in the last month to get as much money as possible before the end of the year when a new law would curtail his ability to raise contributions from companies with state contracts worth more than $50,000.

According to the affidavit, agents learned Blagojevich was seeking $2.5 million in campaign contributions by the end of the year, with a large part allegedly to come from companies and individuals who have gotten state contracts or appointments.

The affidavit also outlines Blagojevich conversations related to Tribune Co., which has been hoping to sell Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs which the publishing giant also owns.

Blagojevich was quoted in court papers as telling Harris in a profanity laced Nov. 4 conversation that his recommendation to Tribune executives was to fire the editorial writers "and get us some editorial support."

Harris is quoted as telling the governor Nov. 11 that an unnamed Tribune Owner, presumably CEO Sam Zell, "got the message and is very sensitive to the issue."

The affidavit said Harris quoted a Tribune financial adviser as saying cuts were coming at the newspaper and "reading between the lines he's going after that section," apparently meaning editorial writers. Blagojevich is quoted as saying: "Oh, that's fantastic."

"Wow," Blagojevich allegedly replied. "Keep our fingers crossed. You're the man. Good job, John."

Harris allegedly told Blagojevich in his conversation with the financial adviser he had singled out deputy editorial page editor John McCormick as "somebody who was the most biased and unfair."

After hearing that, Blagojevich allegedly stressed to the head of a Chicago sports consulting firm that it was important to provide state aid for a Wrigley Field sale.

Blagojevich took the chief executive's office in 2003 as a reformer promising to clean up former Gov. George Ryan's mess.

Ryan, a Republican, is serving a 6-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and fraud charges. A decade-long investigation began with the sale of driver's licenses for bribes and led to the conviction of dozens of people who worked for Ryan when he was secretary of state and governor.

FBI spokesman Frank Bochte said federal agents arrested the governor and Harris simultaneously at their homes at 6:15 a.m. and took them to the Chicago FBI headquarters.

He did not have any details about Blagojevich's arrest, only that he was cooperative with federal agents.

"It was a very calm setting," he said.

The governor was to appear later Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan to answer the charges. The time was not immediately set.

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Associated Press Writer Don Babwin contributed to this report.