Boys Are Better Than Girls

When it comes to the hardwood this year.

As it stands there will be three county teams (all boys) making the trip to Amherst (related: Tough Night at the Tournament). The team from the east side of the river was the winner in the hard-fought game I went to last night. After losing a double-digit lead and falling behind by a point halfway through the fourth quarter, the east-siders rallied for an 8-point win, sealing the victory with an impressive display of foul-shooting.

Good news also came from out west. In a surprise development, local boys (related: Tournament Update) took down the second-seed Berkshire squad on road, rallying from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win by 8!!! They will draw another tough Berkshire school next week; however, they made it to the Cage!! That is a successful season around here, no matter what happens -- and anything can happen once you get down there. Win a game and you are in the final, and if you win that -- celebration and states await.

County almost got a double-daily out west, but top-seeded team hit a three-point shot with -- I'm not kidding -- .1 (that's one-tenth of one-second) seconds left to foil upset bid by division's eight seed. Nevertheless, what a game to watch -- and the way it ended. I can hear myself shouting "Ooooooooohhhhhhh" and I wasn't even there!

Meanwhile, down south, defending division champion (and traditionally well-coached squad) in division three easily dispatched their opponent in home game. They will take on region's best team (regardless of division) next week -- the same team they defeated in the final last year.

Anyhow, time to go get the local and read all about them

Also see: Local TV News is Terrible

Sunday Seeds Suck

Update: I will be heading out to play basketball myself today, readers, and am really excited about it. My body is filled with aches, pains, and nagging injuries; however, the kids have inspired me! I truly pray for a good game, and HE deserves all the credit if I do. I must say that some of my awkward, funky moves are only successful because of a higher power. That can be the only explanation for some of the things that happen out there. I'm not so egotistical to believe HE is taking a personal interest; however, HE is omnipotent and everywhere, right?

The Boston Globe's Hatchet Job on the Boston Herald

Attacking a fellow newspaper at a time when you need to band together, Globe?

It's sort of funny, but it's also sort of sad in a way. The end is so near for you, Globe; these last few months have been so trying with you. When I stop going to the newsstand after these basketball games, you are done.

"Herald needs 20 to take buyouts" by Johnny Diaz, Globe Staff | February 28, 2009

The Boston Herald.... the tabloid....

That's LIBELOUS SLANDER, isn't it? And coming from a hypocritical Jewish Mafia shit sheet makes it even more galling!!!!

The announcement comes at a difficult time for the news industry. Papers across the country are grappling with a withering economy, shrinking ad revenue, and pressure to make online news more profitable. Four major newspaper companies have filed for bankruptcy reorganization in recent weeks. The Rocky Mountain News, a daily newspaper in Denver, printed its final issue yesterday after its owner, E.W. Scripps Co., decided to shutter the 150-year-old publication.

That's because YOU TELL OUTRAGEOUS and UNCEASING LIES and WE ARE TIRED OF IT!! I am the MOST FAITHFUL and LOYAL PATRON for I am STILL PURCHASING the GOD-AWFUL SHIT RAG (not much longer) and yet the STINK LIES and AGENDA-PUSHING BULLSHIT CONTNUE DAY after DAY!!!!

The economy is forcing many newspapers to reduce their staffs and shrink sections in order to reduce costs.

Oh, they are blaming the ECONOMY are they? No one needs want ads, huh?

Yeah, don't look in the mirror, Globe; you might not like the sight of your lying, agenda-pushing ass!

The Boston Globe is offering buyouts after announcing last month that it must reduce its newsroom staff by as many as 50 positions.

--more--"

Oh, JUST LIKE the HERALD?

So the GLOBE is a TABLOID, too, huh?

See: It's Official: Boston Globe Now Tabloid Trash

Now when I first saw this item I thought the Globe was just angry at getting scooped over Menino (something they obviously were forced to cover because it has gone away now). I got the feeling Globe got mad at Herald for making them cover the issue, otherwise they really look like the lying concealers they are.

Then something strange happened. The story in paper was not on the web.

So I had to do a web search, and look what came up (Globe picked up AP item in my paper as a brief):

"Police: Nantucket drug lab dismantled " by Associated Press | Friday, February 27, 2009 |

http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

NANTUCKET — Nantucket police say they have arrested a local man and dismantled a drug lab at his home.

Police on Wednesday arrested 32-year-old David Lemberg following a three-month investigation and charged him with attempting to manufacture Class B drugs and possession with intent to distribute. Police say he was making Ecstasy at the home.

What do you know? A JEW running a DRUG RING!!!

Related: Israeli Drug Ring Busted

Israel's Gun-Running and Drug-Running

Authorities say they seized drug lab equipment, a large quantity of the drug GHB, nearly $3,000 in cash, a computer and a car. He was released on $2,500 bail and will be arraigned on Monday. A telephone message left at an address for Lemberg was not immediately returned.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1155088

--source--"

The Globe can NOT NOT KNOW the story is out there, yet they COVER UP JEWISH CRIMES!!!

Here is a PRIME EXAMPLE as this story has simply faded away:

The Boston Globe Buries Mun Murder

Obama's Shame

If Obama won't take a stand on THIS ISSUE of ALL THINGS, then what makes you think he's going to step in and rule out an Israeli attack on Iran -- or not fulfill their wishes himself?

Or stand against them on anything else? Palestinians are still waiting, right?

"US won't take part in racism conference" by Associated Press | February 28, 2009

UNITED NATIONS - The United States has decided not to participate in a UN conference on racism in April unless the final document is changed to drop all references to Israel and its criticism of religion, a senior US official said yesterday.

Got that nose far enough up their ass, 'bamer?

You do know that you are a BLACK MAN, right?

The conference is a follow-up to the contentious 2001 conference in the South African city of Durban which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery.

See: The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews

Jewish Involvement in Black Slave Trade to the Americas

The United States and Israel walked out midway through that eight-day meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism - the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state - to racism.

Oh, they DIDN'T LIKE HEARING the TRUTH, huh?

In fact, ZIONISM is the WORST RACISM because it is based on an ARROGANT CHUTZPAH of God's CHOSEN PEOPLE -- with the rest of us viewed literally as sub-human animals!!!!!!!

Israel and Canada have already announced that they will boycott the upcoming World Conference Against Racism in Geneva from April 20-25, known as Durban II, but President Obama's administration decided to assess the negotiations before making a decision on US participation.

That tells you Canada's government is under as much Zionist control as AmeriKa.

The United States has decided that it will not participate in further negotiations on the document and will not participate in the conference itself on the basis of the latest text, the US official said....

Israel drop a log as you tongue-lapped some 'hole, 'bamer?

--more--"

OneVoice Equals Forked Zionist Tongues

First of all, their idea will never work because of the map:

The only idea that will work now is this: Memory Hole: Future Vision of Israel

"OneVoice movement pushes two-state solution for Mideast" by James F. Smith, Globe Staff | February 28, 2009

There could hardly be a less hopeful moment for peace between Israelis and Palestinians: Israeli forces invaded the Gaza Strip last month, and then Israeli voters marched firmly to the right in elections. Palestinians are more divided than ever, with the hard-line Hamas movement still firing rockets from Gaza at Israeli towns, while the moderate Fatah faction has been sidelined.

Yet Nisreen Abdallah, a Palestinian, joined Roi Assaf, an Israeli, in a conference room at the Harvard Divinity School this week to make the case that this is precisely the moment for compromises that will let Palestinians and Israelis live side by side in two secure states.

I used to think that. Now I think it is too late.

The only solution is to make it all Palestine again.

It was the first stop on a weeklong tour of a dozen schools and colleges in New England for leaders of OneVoice Israel and OneVoice Palestine, parallel organizations that are pushing for a two-state solution. Their goal: build a critical mass of moderates in each of their communities able to challenge the extremists and move toward peace....

So the Zionists can have their Apartheid State? Forget it!

Abdallah said Palestinians in the West Bank watched with a mixture of anguish and anger as the Israelis have focused recently on Hamas and Gaza while all but ignoring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the moderate Fatah faction that controls the West Bank.

"The danger is that people start to think that violence can achieve something," she said. "We have a lot of people becoming pro-Hamas because they see that Hamas is getting more attention from the Israelis."

Well, DOESN'T IT? It sure seems to work for Israel because they are not renouncing it in any form or fashion!!!

(Once again, no reports of any violence in Gaza from my omitting war daily)

*******************

OneVoice also is premised on moving beyond the vexing historical disputes that underlie issues such as the status of Jerusalem and the rights of Palestinian refugees, knowing that Palestinians and Israelis will never persuade each other to concede past wrongs....

Yeah, and UNTIL ISRAEL and ISRAELIS FACE up to the LIES that STOLE LAND from people and its PLANNED GENOCIDE for these 60+ YEARS, then NOTHING is going to happen.

I'm sorry, world, but after seeing everything I've seen, the Palestinians are blameless. They have been mistreated and trampled on for so long that Israel has become a stinking abomination upon the face of this planet!

Oh, yeah, and look who created OneVoice:

OneVoice was founded in 2002 by Daniel Lubetsky, a Mexican-born entrepreneur and social activist who lives in New York and Israel....

Oh, so a DUAL NATIONAL JEW is the one who founded the organization?

Pffft!

--more--"

In the past I would have been supportive of the group's goals; however, now, if it appears in the lying, biased, divisive, distorting, obfuscating, omitting, Muslim-hating, agenda-pushing, war-promoting, Zionist-controlled piece of scitte I m instantly suspicious and totally reject its validity and veracity!!!!

Maybe if they had not and were not lying or distorting everything they print in there endless agenda-pushing promotion, I'd believe; however, they have LOST the TRUST with ME and they will NEVER GET IT BACK -- UNLESS they START TELLING the TRUTH, dammit!!!!

Btw, Israel is already speaking with one voice despite the s*** political fooleys from the Zionist s*** sheet.

See: Israeli Election Results: Likudima Wins!

Now compare:

"Israeli coalition talks falter; Netanyahu, Livni divided on state for Palestinians" by Associated Press | February 28, 2009

JERUSALEM - Israel edged closer to a government of hawks and right-wing religious parties yesterday after Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu failed to persuade his chief moderate rival to join a coalition that could help avert a showdown with the Obama administration....

The breakdown in their talks came as President Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, was in the region meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni did not shut the door completely on an agreement....

Pffffffffttt!!!

--more--"

What, Israel didn't bomb any smuggling tunnels yesterday, MSM?

The Unforgiving Jew: Wiesel the Whiner

Think of it as part of the Zionist-controlled, cover-up Globe's version of an "investigation."

Related: Madoff, Mossad and the AmeriKan MSM

Who’s behind Madoff?

"Wiesel cannot forgive Madoff" by Reuters | February 27, 2009

NEW YORK - Calling accused swindler Bernard Madoff a "crook, a thief, a scoundrel," Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel said yesterday he could never forgive the man he says stole all of his foundation's money.

Ironic bit of justice since he stole other people's money with his lies.

See: Elie Wiesel's book is now suspected to be another in a long series of literary hoaxes. (--hattip--)

Related: 21st-Century Inquisition

The Israeli Extortion Racket

Wiesel said he twice met Madoff, a Wall Street trader who authorities say preyed on the Jewish elite of North America and Europe in what grew to be an estimated $50 billion fraud. They discussed ethics and education, not finances.

"Could I forgive him? No," Wiesel said during a discussion, "Madoff and the Meltdown," hosted by Conde Nast Portfolio magazine. "First of all, it would mean he would come on his knees and ask for forgiveness. He wouldn't do that."

Where's all that Jewish compassion I've heard so much about -- and self-reflection for Bernie? Related: Zionist Whiners

He said the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity had $15.2 million under management with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities. Wiesel said he and his wife lost personal investments.

And he MADE OFF with it!

Madoff, 70, is under house arrest in his luxury Manhattan apartment after being arrested and charged with securities fraud in December.

The guy should be in a jail cell, which tells you a lot about whose calling the shots in this here society.

Asked about so-called affinity frauds and whether Madoff's being Jewish had any relevance, Wiesel said Madoff "is simply a crook, a thief, a scoundrel. It is not the Jewishness in him, it is the inhumanity in this man. What he has done to people breaks my heart."

Yeah, whatever it is it isn't the Jewishness. Methinks the man doth protest too much.

Charitable foundations, universities, hospitals, and thousands of individual investors have said they were victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme, one in which early investors are paid off with the money of new clients.

Yeah, MOSTLY if not ALL JEWISH!!!!

Related: Jew-Ron

Zionist AmeriKan MSM Getting Defensive Over Madoff

Wiesel, who survived Nazi Germany's concentration camps in World War II and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, said he was introduced to Madoff through a friend. He said the unidentified friend lost $50 million in the purported fraud.

The 80-year-old Wiesel, was on a panel with former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harvey Pitt, who addressed some of the criticism of the SEC for not catching the purported fraud, saying the regulator "got the wrong conclusion. At a minimum it looks like human failure."

--more--"

Yeah, right, the SEC.

See: Making Madoff Disappear

Weighing Down the Thrift Shops

One has to wonder if an "unintended" consequence of regulations(!) is to get you into the Wal-Mart, 'eh?

Hey, look, no one wants kids' poisoned; however, when is government going to start looking out for YOUR WALLET? Remember, they gave corporations tax breaks to move overseas.

"Lead law puts thrift stores in lurch; Some stop selling children's clothes" by Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | February 27, 2009

A federal law designed to protect children from lead products has caused several Massachusetts thrift stores to stop selling kids' clothing, shutting off an important shopping alternative for families struggling in this recession.

Yes, we are from the government and we are here to help -- with they approve psychotropic drugs for our kids' "disorders."

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which took effect Feb. 10, prohibits all shops from selling children's products that contain too much lead or potentially harmful chemicals. Congress passed the law in response to a series of recalls of toys and jewelry that had high lead content and were linked to several child deaths and illnesses. But the legislation applies to all children's products, including clothes, which could contain lead in metal zippers, buttons, or painted fabrics.

The sweeping nature of the law has been devastating for many resale shops nationwide, such as those run by Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries. Unlike traditional merchants, thrift stores do not deal directly with manufacturers, which can provide proof that products meet safety standards. The regulation also applies retroactively to goods already in stores, and many thrift stores do not have funds to conduct the tests themselves....

Yeah, better head for Wal-Mart then, huh?

*********************

Morgan Memorial Goodwill chief executive Joanne Hilferty:

"We expected that thrift stores would be exempt from the law for a period of time. But we're not. It's an interesting example of unintended consequences."

I don't think they are unintended. We are always told unintended consequences, but I think they are intended. The elite rulers and manipulators have had things work out just the way they've wanted, but they didn't intend it to be that way?

The fallout from the law is especially damaging for consumers who have increasingly visited thrift stores during the tough economic times.

Yeah, thanks Congress.

The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops said members across the country reported, on average, a 35 percent increase in business in October and November, compared with the same period the previous year. Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries had a record $1 million in sales in October, a 30 percent increase from last year. This boom is in stark contrast to traditional retailers, which saw sales fall 2.8 percent in October - the largest percentage decline since 1992....

I TOLD YOU this was about getting you into the TRADITIONAL RETAILERS -- so they can MAKE PROFIT at YOUR EXPENSE, Americans!!!

--more--"

Too PROTECT YOUR KIDS, of course!!!!

That's why we've been told all the terror lies, right?

For our OWN GOOD?!!!

Rich Town, Poor Town

Guess whose got it better....

"Cuts in local aid slice deeper in poorer cities; Lynn, Brookline highlight contrasts" by Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff | February 24, 2009

Lynn has removed half a dozen police officers from its schools, leaving the 13,000-student district with just one security official. It has mothballed a firetruck and laid off 30 municipal workers. Teachers agreed to work a day without pay to avoid mass layoffs.

I know where they can find some money.

The State Budget Swindle

Governor Guts State Services

Pigs at the State Trough

City government is reeling from a financial crisis caused by a potential $11 million reduction in state aid over 18 months, what Mayor Edward J. Clancy calls a "below the belt" hit that affects the working-class city's poor and immigrant populations....

Oh. That's why this article appears in the pro-illegals, pro-NAU, pro-corporate, agenda-pushing Globe.

The contrasting stories in the two communities - one wealthy, one relatively poor - are an example of how Governor Deval Patrick's emergency spending reductions are delivering far more pain in the state's neediest cities.... The disparities have prompted elected officials who represent harder-hit communities to demand more assistance, an additional safety net for communities with larger crime problems, more immigrant children in the schools, and greater poverty and social needs.

"If you want a just and fair society, you have to care about all 351 communities," said state Senator Mark C. Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat whose home city has laid off more than 180 workers, including 38 police officers and 38 firefighters....

See: People Vs. Profits

The fundamental reasons for the disparities are obvious. Communities with higher-priced homes and robust downtowns lean more heavily on local taxpayers. Poor towns with weaker local tax collections rely more heavily on state aid....

And that's where the cuts are?

Towns less reliant on that aid can get by, especially this year, by spending reserves, avoiding budgeted purchases, even turning down the thermostat. Brookline is considering ways to squeeze more money out of its parking system.

I wish I had reserves to draw on.

That doesn't work in Lynn, where residents are accustomed to watching their city government cut staff and services in hard times.

John O'Neil, a 56-year-old retiree from the local GE plant, after scratching lottery tickets at a newsstand a few blocks from Lynn's City Hall:

"There's not a [heck] of a lot you can do. What are you going to do, raise the real estate tax?"

Anyone they can find around here.

Raising the real estate tax is an option for officials, in some places.

I told ya!

In Boston's most rarefied suburbs, voters routinely grant permission to raise taxes beyond the constraints of the Proposition 2 1/2 tax cap, by passing overrides. Brookline officials waited 14 years between override votes, and when they asked last year, voters approved a $6.2 million override - not just to preserve staff and service levels but also to expand foreign-language instruction to the elementary grades....

(Blog author begins to wonder when or if anything is ever going to be done with AMERICAN kids in mind)

***************

The plight at the Lynn library provides a good example of the stress on the city.

On a recent visit, every personal computer terminal at the library was being used by residents. Job seekers without home computers come to prepare resumes and check e-mail, said Nadine M. Mitchell, the city's chief librarian. Across-the-board reductions forced Mitchell to give back more than $26,000 from her local library budget of roughly $1 million, with the year already more than half gone. She avoided layoffs and hour reductions through personnel savings from a midyear retirement and unpaid maternity absences. That means those left are doing more.

Related: Ssssshhhhhh!: Pension Being Drawn

Next year's budget is still being fashioned, but the mayor expects the library to have less money for materials and operating hours.

Hey, BOOKS and READING are NOT IMPORTANT!

That could jeopardize its certification with the state Board of Library Commissioners, which enables Lynn to receive state grants and allows local residents to access materials from other communities. Lynn's lone library - branches were closed and sold in past budget-balancing measures - is now open just 64 hours a week, one more than the state board's minimum....

So the STATE will be able to SAVE MONEY by not certifying the library!!!

What a win-win for state looters, huh?

--more--"

Gregg's Graft

Ah, now we know the REAL REASON he PULLED OUT of COMMERCE!!!

(And check out what a lying sack of shit Gregg is; I love the agenda-pushing obfuscators at the Globe sticking this in on a slow Saturday, too. Will the omissions, obfuscations, and manipulations never end?)

"Gregg has investment in revamped air base; Says he violated no ethics rules" by Sharon Theimer, Associated Press | February 28, 2009

WASHINGTON - US Senator Judd Gregg, who withdrew as President Obama's nominee for commerce secretary, won taxpayer money for redevelopment of a closed Air Force base where he and his brother had invested in commercial property, an Associated Press investigation found.

Gregg, a Republican from New Hampshire, has personally invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Cyrus Gregg's office projects at the Pease International Tradeport, a Portsmouth business park built at the defunct Pease Air Force Base, once home to nuclear bombers.

The senator has collected at least $240,017 to $651,801 from his investments there, Senate records show, while helping to arrange at least $66 million in federal aid for the former base.

Gregg said he violated no laws or Senate rules. In a conference call with New Hampshire reporters yesterday, he said most of the federal money he steered to Pease had been requested by the National Guard or the city of Portsmouth. "None of these in any way have benefited me personally," Gregg said....

The guy should be tarred, feathered, and dunked on the spot for something so outrageously false!!! I heard that hot tar and harbor water go great together!

Gregg abruptly announced earlier this month that he was stepping aside from consideration for the Cabinet post, citing philosophical differences with Obama.

LIIIIIIIIAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!!

WAR-LOOTING LIIIIIIIAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

The senator said his withdrawal had nothing to do with anything the White House uncovered in his background and "to somehow imply anything else is totally false." A White House spokesman, Ben LaBolt, declined to discuss the matter.

I wouldn't expect them to; this White House, the last White House, no different!

Under new Senate ethics rules, Gregg had to certify that federal aid he directed to specific projects was not intended solely to enrich him or his immediate family, including siblings. Senators are also supposed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, though the Senate Ethics Committee seldom investigates or disciplines senators when questions are raised about their activities....

The head of a watchdog group, Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Gregg's actions have the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if they did not fall under the Senate's narrow definition of an actual conflict.

"He increased the value of the property, which caused his own investment to increase in value," she said. "So, it appears that he earmarked and then financially benefited from his own earmark."

Compare that with what Gregg said above. He really thinks you are that stoo-pid, Noo Hampshirer!

(I know it's -ite, but I'm rolling this morning)

Sloan noted that Gregg secured earmarks for Pease beyond those sought for the National Guard and city.

Yeah, EARMARKED RIGHT for HIS POCKET!!!!

--more--"

Returning to the Colombian Jungle

Who knows what to believe anymore.

Related: Running With the "Rescue"

All I know is if I see it in my lying, biased, divisive, distorting, obfuscating, omitting, Muslim-hating, agenda-pushing, war-promoting, Zionist-controlled, piece of scitte for any reason then I instantly tend to regard everything in there as agenda-pushing lies and deceptions.!!!!

Have a nearly 100% "success" rate, too!!!

"US captives' memoir is critical of Betancourt; Famous hostage called 'haughty'" by Frank Bajak, Associated Press | February 27, 2009

BOGOTA - Three Americans held captive by Colombia's leftist rebels for 5 1/2 years published a memoir yesterday full of wrenching survival stories and unkind words about Ingrid Betancourt, the most famous hostage who shared their jungle prisons.

The chronicle of the US military contractors' 1,967 days as rebel captives describes their pain and perseverance, mind-numbing boredom in jungle cages, forced marches in chains, close calls under fire, and ultimately, a miraculous rescue.

Like I'm supposed to believe in them? They could be NOC CIA for all we know!

"undercover US agents posed as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym, FARC"

That explains SO MANY THINGS!

But the most provocative revelation of "Out of Captivity" deals with Betancourt, a French-Colombian politician kidnapped a year before they were marched into the gulag they say she dominated. One of the Northrop Grumman employees alleges she was haughty and self-absorbed, stole food, hoarded books, and even put their lives in danger by telling rebel guards they were CIA agents....

Which means they PROBABLY ARE!!!!! Either way, I WON'T be buying or reading the book.

Keith Stansell, 44, an ex-Marine, was freed along with Betancourt, fellow contractors Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves, and 11 Colombians, when military agents posing as humanitarian workers in helicopters scooped them out of a jungle in July.

Yeah, did you see my link at the top. The "rescue" was a STAGED EVENT!!!!!

And yet the MSM CONTINUES to WRONGLY REPORT the PAST!! And if they will DO THAT HERE, then there is NOTHING they are NOT LYING ABOUT -- as they prove every day!

Betancourt did not respond to efforts by the AP to obtain her reaction to the criticism. She did not respond to an e-mail, and phone and e-mail messages left with associates were not returned....

--more--"

At this point, who cares? We know what we need to know about this event, and once again, governments and newspapers are lying and covering-up.

AmeriKa's Pakistan Pawn?

Hard to tell, but it is the kind of covert stuff we do in other countries.

Use one against the other, the old divide and conquer bit.

"Protests deepen Pakistan's political turmoil" by Stephen Graham, Associated Press | February 27, 2009

ISLAMABAD - Opposition supporters torched cars and stoned buildings yesterday after Pakistan's supreme court barred two of their leaders from elective office, triggering political turmoil. The unrest occurs as the country's pro-Western government faces strong US pressure to crack down on Taliban and Al Qaeda militants and a punishing economic crisis....

And CUI BONO, 'eh?

Just gonna have to get boots on the ground in there like the war-planners have always wanted.

Hundreds of Nawaz Sharif supporters gathered in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital, waving his party's green flags and chanting slogans against the government. Most were peaceful, but some set up barricades of burning tires. They also used rocks to smash the windows of stores and banks on a main shopping street, witnesses said.

My first thought: agent provocateurs.

Also see: Agent Provocateurs Missing at French Protests

A mob also torched four vehicles on the highway linking Islamabad to the Punjab, police officer Ahmed Latif said....

Yesterday, about 20 lawmakers from Sharif's party were herded into police trucks as they gathered for a protest at the Punjab Assembly in the eastern city of Lahore. Police let them clamber out as the crowd swelled with supporters, who swarmed past barriers, banged on the wooden doors of the assembly building and held a mock parliamentary session on the steps....

Now THAT is a PROTEST!!!!!!

Sharif.... has urged his supporters to join mass rallies planned for mid-March by Pakistan's lawyers, whose protests for an independent judiciary undermined Musharraf's long rule.

--more--"

Now the confirmation of his asset status:

"Opposition warns of chaos in Pakistan; Loyalists riot for third day after ruling" by Kathy Gannon, Associated Press | February 28, 2009

LAHORE, Pakistan - With his supporters rioting for a third day, opposition leader Nawaz Sharif blamed Pakistan's government yesterday for the political turmoil set off by a court order barring him from elective office - unrest that he warned could be exploited by Islamic extremists.

Giving his first interview since the ruling Wednesday, Sharif accused President Asif Ali Zardari of "declaring martial law on democracy," a charge echoing the complaints that forced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to give up the presidency last year.

Sharif's interview with the Associated Press occurred amid a surge of political squabbling that is sure to distract the government of this nuclear-armed country from grappling with the Taliban and Al Qaeda threat spreading from the tribal areas along the frontier with Afghanistan.

So we BETTER GET IN THERE, Amurka!!

Pakistan also is in the middle of a tense time with neighboring India over a deadly militant attack on Mumbai in November, and Sharif said Zardari's pro-Western government isn't going to be able to face any of its key tasks if it continues to wage political war on him....

The political uproar set off by the court ruling against Sharif is lining up influential civic groups led by disgruntled lawyers with Sharif's increasingly popular Pakistan Muslim League against Zardari. It's a confrontation that will also feed worries about military intervention, a frequent result of political turmoil in Pakistan.

And U.S. meddling.

"I think we are heading for some sort of unfortunate situation," Sharif said at his villa near Lahore, without elaborating. "There are a lot of forces - the militants, the extremists - they are all there to take advantage."

Is that ever a RED FLAG or what? Some boom a coming?

**********************

Critics have alleged that Zardari influenced the Supreme Court decision to neutralize Sharif and consolidate the power of his own party, which holds a majority in the national Parliament....

What, power-hungry leaders playing politics? You're kidding, right?

--more--"

Footloose to China

The choice was between an AMERICAN factory and a CHINESE one, and guess which one the golf company chose....

Oh, DOUBLE-BOOGEY!!!!!!!!!

"FootJoy to shutter last shoe factory in Brockton" By Jenn Abelson | February 28, 2009

Golf shoe company FootJoy is planning over the next six weeks to shutter its manufacturing plant in Brockton, the last remaining footwear factory in a city that was once known as the "Shoe Capital of the World." About 103 manufacturing and support positions will be cut as a result of the closure....

FootJoy's remaining factory is located in China.

--more--"

You know what gives my foot joy?

It's implantation deep inside a looter's ass!

Citi, Credit, and Contractions

You got f***ed by each one, 'murkns!

"GDP shrinks in 4th quarter; 6.2% contraction signals little relief until midyear" by Bloomberg News | February 28, 2009

WASHINGTON - The US economic contraction in the fourth quarter was deeper than the government first estimated....

You mean the GOVERNMENT LIED and UNDER-REPORTED the BAD NEWS?

I don't believe it, I just don't believe it!

Consumer spending, which slid the most in almost three decades last quarter, is unlikely to turn around as companies cut payrolls. The credit crunch shows no sign of ending, with the government yesterday forced to rescue Citigroup Inc. for a third time in five months after mounting losses at the lender.

Yeah, the "credit crisis" not over because it is being done ON PURPOSE (except for all that venture capital floating around that just disappears into non-profitable ventures).

And how about that QUIET RESCUE of CITI, huh?

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston president Eric Rosengren said steps to shore up financial markets must be "taken without delay"

Oh, I'VE HEARD the CHICKEN LITTLE STORY already, FED FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

--more--"

FDIC Fee F***

I believe the appropriate and accurate term is chutzpah:

"The industry's biggest trade group said the new insurance fees would place an extra burden on the nation's banks and thrifts"

WTF? They JUST GOT BILLIONS upon BILLIONS! TRILLIONS in fact!!!!

"FDIC raises bank fees" by Associated Press | February 28, 2009

WASHINGTON - Facing a cascade of bank failures depleting the deposit insurance fund, federal regulators yesterday raised the fees paid by US financial institutions and levied a hefty emergency premium in a bid to collect $27 billion this year.... The industry's biggest trade group said the new insurance fees would place an extra burden on the nation's banks and thrifts.

Oh, I SEE! They can take BILLIONS of TAXPAYER MONEY but they will NOT INSURE TAXPAYER DEPOSITS; however, they WILL COVER AIG''s LOSSES!!!!

I guess INCREASED FEES and TAXES are ONLY GOOD for the SHIT-EATING RABBLE to we can throw taxpayer money at favored interests.

--more--"

These bankers, they just don't see it, do they? You can slap a tyranny down on us, government, but the people will be taking some heads as they go down.

This lot of lying looters is first on the list.

AIG Insured by AmeriKan Government

That was the impression I had by the time I finished the piece.

Also see: AIG Asks For More Taxpayer Loot

"AIG says it won't be giving unit to US" by Bloomberg News | February 27, 2009

NEW YORK - American International Group, the insurer in talks to restructure its $150 billion bailout with the US government, plans to keep a division that sells property and casualty coverage to businesses....

This after the bank wouldn't restructure your loan. 'm sorry, readers, but the despair becomes overwhelming sometimes.

You know US government = TAXPAYER DOLLARS in this case, right?

David Monfried, a spokesman for the insurer:

"Turning over the great property-casualty franchise of AIG to the US is not one of the options being considered."

AIG was weighing a plan to hand over the business to the United States to help pay down some of its debt to the government, a person familiar with the matter said yesterday. AIG told the government the division was losing employees and struggling to attract clients, the person said.

Yeah, US TAXPAYERS aren't going to get ANYTHING GOOD out of this "bailout" or whatever you want to call it. I call it a looting.

The bailout may be restructured to include a government backstop protecting AIG against further losses on credit-default swaps, a person familiar with the matter said. AIG is preparing to disclose a record fourth-quarter loss, the person said.

Oh my God, NOW the TAXPAYER is going to have to PAY OFF BANKS and COVER AIG's LOSSES in those HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, SWAP DEALS?!!!!

The property-casualty division was at the core of chief executive Edward Liddy's strategy to revive AIG and woo private investors following the government's initial $85 billion bailout in September. That plan stalled amid deepening losses on subprime investments and Liddy's difficulty finding buyers for other units.

Liddy is scrambling to stem the tide of defections after hurricanes and price competition handed the US property and casualty industry its worst nine-month results since 2001, according to Insurance Services Office Inc.

He needn't worry; it's TAXPAYERS to the RESCUE AGAIN!!!

Also see: Taxpayer Bailouts Never End

Brokers, which help corporate clients shop for coverage, have been presenting insurance buyers with more options when policies came up for renewal. Aon Corp., the biggest broker, said in October that it started selling additional coverage to protect against insurer default. Number two Marsh & McLennan Cos. said last month that most buyers are seeking to spread their risks to more carriers. At Travelers Cos., now the biggest US insurer by market value, customers are renewing contracts at a record rate, chief executive Jay Fishman said.

Because they KNOW the GOVERNMENT will COVER ALL LOSSES -- if you are an INSURANCE COMPANY or BANK!!!!

--more--"

Europe Approves Pharmaceutical Poison

"European officials OK Genzyme plan" by Chris Reidy, Globe Staff | February 27, 2009

Genzyme Corp., the Cambridge biotechnology firm, said it received regulatory approval to manufacture one drug on a larger scale in Europe and to market a therapy in the United States.

Genzyme said the European Commission has approved the 4,000-liter manufacturing process of Myozyme at its facility in Geel, Belgium. The drug will be made commercially available immediately. Myozyme is currently approved to treat Pompe disease, a progressively debilitating and often fatal inherited disorder.

At $300,ooo a YEAR!!!!

Related: The Drug You Can't Afford

In a separate statement, Genzyme said the Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing approval for Synvisc-One, a product intended for the relief of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee.

So what fatal side effects is the FDA overlooking on that one?
--more--"

Swiss Tax Shelter Tanking

Related: Only the Little People Pay Taxes

"UBS hires rival's chief executive" by Associated Press | February 27, 2009

BERN, Switzerland - .... UBS, one of the pillars of Switzerland's crucial banking industry, has had massive losses related to the US subprime mortgage crisis. Earlier this month, UBS reported a loss of $18.41 billion for 2008, the biggest loss in Swiss corporate history. The bank also faces legal pressures in the United States over allegations it has helped wealthy Americans evade taxes."

Notice how the pro-richer paper not really interested in that last bit?

They are just ALLEGATIONS now, huh, even after they ADMITTED IT in SETTLEMENT??

Damn Globe pulled the same shit with Madoff -- using alleged when he confessed.

This Rent Check.... Paid For by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

And donations by viewers like you.

Once again I have mixed feelings about this. In theory, this is the way our society should operate were the tax structures eliminated; however, with all the greed, cheating, and looting, I no longer look to my aristocratic overlords for benevolence.

Then I think of where our tax money is really going, and I get a little angry.

"$4.5m grant to help keep rents in check" by Chris Reidy, Globe Staff | February 27, 2009

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will award Massachusetts $4.5 million to preserve the long-term affordability of existing privately owned rental housing, Governor Deval L. Patrick's office said.

Massachusetts is facing a potential loss of subsidized rental housing that will affect nearly 41,000 families over the next 10 years, according to the governor's office.

Why? Government can not BAIL THEM OUT for some reason?

"This award is expected to leverage more than $150 million - primarily in private investment - for a statewide loan fund to preserve affordable rental homes for an estimated 9,000 families, or more than 20 percent of the rental housing now at-risk of being lost," the governor's press release said.

While he gives a BILLION to biotech (and borrows to do it)!!!

The foundation will also target $3.5 million in program-related investments, or low-cost loans, to support a $150 million preservation loan fund, Patrick's office said. The preservation fund is aimed at helping develop and acquire preservation projects.

Yeah, I knew there had to be some agenda-pushing (in this case, environment).

--more--"

Obama Budgets ANOTHER $750 BILLION for Bank Giveaways

And is the MSM ever keeping QUIET about it!!!

See if you can find where they hid the first hint of it in this article:

"Citizens loses $929m as bad loans proliferate" by Ross Kerber, Globe Staff | February 26, 2009

Citizens Financial Group, New England's second-largest banking system, reported a $929 million loss in 2008 and said it may have to write off nearly $2 billion in bad loans, a surprisingly deep hit for the Providence company.

Citizens made the disclosure in a filing to federal banking regulators this month. The loss is a huge swing from the previous year, when Citizens reported nearly $1.5 billion in profit, and reflects how even a mainstream lender that did not dabble in exotic investments has been hurt by the collapse of the housing sector and the economic downturn....

Still, (sigh) by some common financial measurements, Citizens remains in average shape compared with other banks. But (sigh) its parent company, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, is among the most troubled of the world's large banks. Royal Bank is expected to reveal a major restructuring this morning that could include selling off portions of its far-flung international empire.

Royal Bank has been under government control since the fall, when the United Kingdom stepped in with $29 billion of emergency capital to keep it afloat. In exchange the UK central bank, the Bank of England, now owns 70 percent of Royal Bank and holds several seats on its board of directors.

Neither the Royal Bank of Scotland nor Citizens would comment yesterday because Royal Bank is scheduled to release its earnings in London this morning. In addition to Citizens, Royal Bank's US operations include investment unit RBS Greenwich Capital in Greenwich, Conn., which also has financial problems, and credit card operations....

***************

As a subsidiary of a foreign bank, Citizens does not release financial statements as frequently as US-based banks, so its brewing problems were not as well known as those of institutions that received funds from the $700 billion US government banking bailout. Now, though, its latest financial filing reveals that Citizens has some of the same problems that have dragged down other prominent US banks.

Milton banking analyst Suzanne Moot noted that about half the amount Citizens has reserved for bad loans, some $916 million, stemmed from consumer borrowings such as home-equity lines of credit and credit cards:

"This is really quite surprising to me. Certainly Citizens in the Northeastern states had a reputation of being a responsible lender and you hadn't heard much about them making crazy loans."

.... US officials have been working for months to restore the nation's banks to sound footing. Just yesterday the Obama administration gaves new details on how it would provide funds for large banks if they need more backing....

--more--"

Before we move on, here is some background on RBS (you know, less talk, more action):

"British lender to keep Citizens; Royal Bank of Scotland's chief, Stephen Hester, says cost cuts are planned at its US unit" by Ross Kerber and Todd Wallack, Globe Staff | February 27, 2009

.... The Royal, meanwhile, yesterday reported the largest loss in British corporate history, a staggering $34 billion, and disclosed a sweeping restructuring plan that includes selling other parts of its global banking empire. The huge losses were caused in part by disastrous investment and trades related to the US mortgage market and the collapse of Iceland's banking industry.

As part of its house-cleaning plan, Royal Bank said it would put about $772 billion of troubled assets into a separate division and then try to wind down those investments. Currently, Britain's central bank, the Bank of England, owns 70 percent of the Royal Bank as part of an emergency bailout that injected $29 billion in capital to keep it afloat. Yesterday, Royal Bank struck another deal with the British government to insure some $429 billion of troubled assets, a scheme that could result in the government ultimately owning as much as 95 percent of the bank.

That is YOUR FUTURE, America -- and coincidentally, the MSM is SILENT on the COMING WAVE of NATIONALIZATION and ENDLESS TAXPAYER BAILOUTS!

Neil Smith, analyst for German commercial bank WestLB, said the Royal may have decided to keep Citizens to satisfy a demand from the British government that it develop a credible long-term strategy. Remaining a player in the United States will help maintain Royal Bank as a big international bank.

"They want to be an international player, but that doesn't mean they have to maintain a presence everywhere like in Bahrain and Kazakhstan," Smith said. While not providing specific numbers about the bank's global restructuring, Royal Bank's new chief executive, Stephen Hester said news reports that the bank would eliminate as many as 20,000 positions were not unreasonable.

--more--"

O.K., back to the looting of the American taxpayer.

See if you can find the reference her.

"Obama unveils $3.5t budget; Spending plan predicts record $1.75t deficit" by Andrew Taylor, Associated Press | February 27, 2009

WASHINGTON - President Obama charted a dramatic new course for the nation yesterday with a bold but contentious budget proposing higher taxes for the wealthy and the first steps toward guaranteed healthcare for all, accompanied by a $1.75 trillion federal deficit that would be nearly four times the highest in history.

Denouncing what he called the "dishonest accounting" of recent federal budgets, Obama unveiled his first spending blueprint, a $3.55 trillion plan for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, a bold proposal that would transfer wealth from rich taxpayers to the middle class and the poor.... Other proposals would take on entrenched interests such as big farming, insurance companies, and drug makers....

Related: Obama Making Enemies?

Is this why the FALSE-FLAG FRONTS of RACISM have been in the "news" lately?

And here is SOMETHING ELSE the MSM is keeping QUIET about (it's the last time they refer to it in the piece):

But congressional approval without major change is unlikely. The plan is filled with political land mines, including an initiative to combat global warming that would hit consumers with considerably higher utility bills....

But he's doing it for you -- or is that to you?

The $1.75 trillion deficit estimate for this year is $250 billion more than projected just days ago because of proposed new spending for a fresh bailout for banks and other financial institutions....

Yup, ANOTHER $750 BILLION for a FRESH BAILOUT!

Of course, "It may never be known whether the initial $700 billion plan accomplished its objectives"

How fresh is that ass feeling, American taxpayer?

That's why the MSM is KEEPING IT QUIET!!!!

Here's your bit, America -- don't spit it out!

Obama said: "We will, each and every one of us, have to compromise on certain things we care about but which we simply cannot afford right now."

You mean like, ENDING the EMPIRE and is OCCUPATIONS? Didn't think so!

Signaling budget battles to come.... Domestic programs favored by Democrats would, on average, receive a 7 percent boost over regularly appropriated levels even as many agencies are already swimming in cash from the economic stimulus plan....

How many times do I have to type waste, readers?

Obama plans to move aggressively toward rebalancing the tax system. Using some $526 billion in revenue from selling carbon pollution permits, he wants to extend a $400 tax credit for most workers - $800 for couples - that was provided in the stimulus plan.

So the FART TAX FUCK was in fact part of the "stimulus," huh?

All so YOU could get a TAX CUT?

What about those HIGHER ENERGY BILLS?

The DISINGENOUSNESS of it all is becoming MUY APPARENT!

He wants to let expire as scheduled at the end of 2010 President George W. Bush's tax cuts for individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000 a year. In all, Obama's budget contains almost $1 trillion in tax increases over 10 years on individuals making more than $200,000 and couples earning over $250,000.

Yeah, after he said he would REPEAL IT when he first gets in!! LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!

There is already resistance from Democrats and Republicans upset with the budget's plan to curb the ability of wealthier people to reduce their tax bills through deductions for mortgage interest, charitable contributions, and state and local taxes.

Oh, so the PRO-PEOPLE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS is going to SAVE BUSH'S TAX BREAKS, huh?

At WHAT POINT are the BETRAYALS enough, America?!!!

That tax increase would raise $318 billion over the upcoming decade toward a down payment on Obama's high-priority universal healthcare plan. Cuts to the Medicare and Medicaid federal health programs would supply an additional $316 billion, but that still wouldn't provide enough money to guarantee coverage for all, and Obama wants Congress to come up with hundreds of billions of dollars in additional hard-to-raise revenues to pay for the rest.

He's talking about expanding health care while cutting it. I gotta see him try to do this.

About $350 billion more would be raised through a variety of other increases, including raising taxes on hedge-fund managers by taxing their compensation as income rather than at the 15 percent capital gains rate. Obama would also increase taxes on corporate income earned abroad.

I would really like to know how he thinks he is going to collect revenue from OVERSEAS and in a FOREIGN NATION, but....

A plan to devote up to $250 billion to support as much as $750 billion in increased spending under the government's rescue program for banks and other financial institutions landed with a thud.

That's because the AMERICAN PEOPLE have HAD IT with LOOTING GIVEAWAYS!!!!!

And check out this Orwellian terminology:

Then there is the proposed clampdown on the Pentagon budget, which would get a 4 percent boost, to $534 billion next year, but would then get increases of 2 percent or less over the next several years.

Aww, the POOR BABIES!!!

Separately, Obama asked for $130 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, plus $75.5 billion more in the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Oh, HOW BUSH LIKE!!!!

Obama, whose 134-page outline was an overview of a more comprehensive plan that will be submitted in April:

"For too long, our budget has not told the whole truth about how precious tax dollars are spent. Large sums have been left off the books, including the true cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And that kind of dishonest accounting is not how you run your family budgets at home. It's not how your government should run its budgets either."

--more--"

I'm sorry, readers, but I'm already sick of his bloviating hypocrisies and deceptions.

"Firms cutting back, signaling more economic woes to come" by Bloomberg News | February 27, 2009

WASHINGTON - Companies are slashing jobs and orders at a faster pace in the United States, reports yesterday showed, signaling the economy will contract more sharply this quarter than analysts anticipated....

I swear, they are always wrong.

The economy's deterioration reflects a tightening credit crunch the Obama administration aims to counter with as much as $750 billion in new aid to the financial industry.

So THERE IT IS for the FIRST TIME! 750 BIG ONES!!!

And I told you governments always lie:

The Commerce Department may today revise its estimate of fourth-quarter GDP to a 5.4 percent drop at an annual pace, from the 3.8 percent decline previously reported, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey....

Translation: the LYING GOVERNMENT UNDER-REPORTED the SERIOUSNESS of the DECLINE! Wish I could say I was surprised!

Soaring unemployment and mounting foreclosures are driving away prospective home buyers.

--more--"

And FINALLY, FINALLY I get an article that tells me the true amount of this next giveaway -- on PAGE B6 in the BUSINESS SECTION!

"New bank rescue funds included in US budget; $250b added as a contingency plan" by Associated Press | February 27, 2009

WASHINGTON - President Obama anticipates another $750 billion bank bailout this year, a step that would more than double the direct infusion of taxpayer money into the reeling financial sector.

The White House's 2010 budget released yesterday includes a $250 billion contingency fund for 2009 that - if needed - could leverage three times as much in asset purchases from financial institutions in need of capital.

In essence, however, taxpayers would foot the entire $750 billion up front. Administration budget writers say the value of the assets that the government has already acquired suggests a return to the government of 66 cents for every $1 spent, hence the $250 billion net expenditure.

Remember when they were telling us, the taxpayers -- who ARE the "government" on this one -- that we MIGHT MAKE a PROFIT off this whole thing back in September when they were shoving the first one up our asses?

Hey, what is ONE MORE GOVERNMENT LIE, huh?

Still, the inclusion of the money is the clearest sign yet that Obama's economic team is not certain that the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program that Congress approved last fall has done enough to unlock the capital markets and make credit more available....

Well, according to the "experts" NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW, and as far as the credit, etc, NOPE!!!!

Obama signaled the possibility of a new bailout request to Congress in his address to lawmakers Tuesday.... The Troubled Asset Relief Program has proven to be an unpopular expenditure with the public and with many in Congress who believed financial institutions received the money with little accountability and with few strings attached....

And THAT is why the agenda-pushing newspapers are keeping this NEW BAILOUT QUIET!!

THEY KNOW we are HANGING MAD out here!!!

The administration still has more than $250 billion available from the original TARP funds to inject capital into banks....

Nothing about any mortgages being paid off, huh?

It's just "capital -- read: MONEY -- injected into banks -- as the American people find something else injected into their anus!

Still, it is conceivable that some of the extra money - if needed - would be used to inject more capital into banks and for a soon-to-be operational public-private program to buy rotten assets held by banks, the official said....

--more--"

Yup, all the SHIT is going to be DUMPED ON YOU, AmeriKan taxpayer -- but then again, you are used to getting shit dumped on you, aren't you?

Well, HERE is a LITTLE MORE then.

They save the BEST for LAST on page B9!!!!

"More than two-thirds of all banks and thrifts turned a profit in that period, but their earnings were outstripped by large losses at a number of major banks"

Oh, so you are ONLY BAILING OUT BIG, GLOBALIST BANKS, taxpayers!!!

The SMALL COMMUNITY BANKS, etc, are PROFITABLE because THEY DID THINGS the RIGHT WAY!!!!!!!!!!!

So why is OUR GOVERNMENT REWARDING LYING LOOTERS OUR MONEY, America?

"US banks report biggest loss in 25 years"by Associated Press | February 27, 2009

WASHINGTON - The nation's banks lost $26.2 billion in the last three months of 2008, the first quarterly deficit in 18 years, as the housing and credit crises escalated....

More than two-thirds of all banks and thrifts turned a profit in that period, but their earnings were outstripped by large losses at a number of major banks....

FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair, reaching for a silver lining in the dismal picture, noted that total deposits increased.... That showed confidence in the banking system and deposit insurance, Bair said...

What, the drug dealers upping their deposits?

And you gotta hand it to government: they can find corn kernels in a pile of shit.

The latest indications of financial distress came as the Obama administration proposed boosting the federal deficit by an additional $250 billion, enough to support as much as $750 billion in increased spending under the government's rescue program for financial institutions.

The government began "stress tests" Wednesday for 19 of the largest banks that will gauge whether each institution has adequate capital to survive a severe downturn. Banks that need new funds will be given six months to raise the money from the private sector or, failing that, from additional capital injections under the bailout program.

They ain't going to pass those tests; ever see a house of cards, readers? How much stress can it take?

James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association:

"[The FDIC report] confirms what we already know - the weak economy is continuing to make it difficult for some businesses and individuals to repay their loans. [At the same time], banks are taking the necessary steps to put losses behind them [and continue to actively lend]."

How many times they gonna print that lie?

U.S. Banks Driving Credit Crunch ON PURPOSE!!

Bush Administration Created Credit Crunch Crisis

Banks Cut Off Credit

America Never Had a Chance

Two-thirds of US banks increased their lending in the fourth quarter, Chessen said....

--more--"

When are ENOUGH LIES ENOUGH, hanh?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See: Lying Lenders

Meanwhile, you know what does get a lot of print space?

Dog shit; no, LITERALLY, dog shit.

"Obamas' pet preference gives some pause" by Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | February 26, 2009

President Obama hasn't even filled his Cabinet. And yet now it appears the first family is ready to move ahead and fill at least one key vacancy in the White House.

In an interview with People magazine, Michelle Obama revealed that the long search for a family dog - unveiled to the world during her husband's victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park more than three months ago - is finally nearing an end. She told the magazine that daughters Sasha and Malia will get their promised pooch in April, after spring break, and they are planning to adopt a Portuguese water dog from a shelter.

The news sparked cheers from lovers of the breed but also waves of worry about whether the Obamas are ready for the challenge. Bounding with energy and sometimes mischievous, the dogs were originally bred for their strong swimming skills by Portuguese fishermen, who would send them diving overboard for nets and buoys. They are notoriously hard to handle.

"They're really good at opening refrigerators and cabinets and, so, thank God the White House has staff to take care of things," said Janet Boyd, an "Obama fan" from Snohomish, Wash., who owns three Portuguese water dogs and is active in the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. "I don't think they're an easy dog and that's why I have a little hesitation - and hope for the best."

***************

US Senator Edward M. Kennedy is by far the nation's most prominent owner of the breed. His three dogs - Splash, Sunny, and Cappy - often romp by his side in Hyannis Port and on Capitol Hill. A close ally of the new administration, Kennedy was almost certainly lobbying for the robust breed. "We love our Portuguese water dogs, and if the first family decides to go in that direction, we know they'll fall in love, too," he said in a statement yesterday. "And Splash, Sunny, and Cappy look forward to welcoming the new first dog to Washington."

Yesterday, breed owners accustomed to the reflected spotlight from the Kennedy dogs were steeling themselves for even more attention with the prospect of a more prominent owner in the White House....

Debi Vaccaro of Harvard, a breeder and owner of Portuguese water dogs;

"They're not an easy dog for a first-time dog owner."

Michelle Obama had said months ago that the family was thinking about adopting a Portuguese water dog or a labradoodle, because Malia has allergies and both breeds are considered hypoallergenic. The Portuguese water dog apparently prevailed.

"Temperamentally, they're supposed to be pretty good," Michelle Obama said in the issue hitting newsstands tomorrow. "From the size perspective, they're sort of middle of the road - it's not small, but it's not a huge dog. And the folks that we know who own them have raved about them. So that's where we're leaning."

The remarks immediately reverberated in kennel clubs nationwide. "It's like the biggest thing in the dog world now," said Christina Duffney, director of public relations at the American Kennel Club, which was flooded with inquiries about the breed.

Michelle Obama said her daughters had suggested a few names - Frank and Moose - that were not winning favor with her. "Moose," she said. "I'm like, no, come on, let's work with the names a little bit."

Now, that combination of names is strange.

What do they mean they DIDN'T LIKE those names?

The dog ranked 62d in popularity among the 161 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. "People tend to mistakenly put them in the soft, cushy, teddy-bear category of dog because of the way they look, but they are very much working dogs," Boyd said. "They need a job. They're not a very good lay-by-your-side sort of pet."

The American Kennel Club, however, was confident the dog would be a perfect fit for the Obamas. "I think the dog will thrive on meeting a lot of different people and traveling and going here, there, and everywhere," said Lisa Peterson, a club spokeswoman....

--more--"

Wondering about the lack of highlighting in that last piece?

Tells you how much I cared for that piece of puppy poop "journalism."