Archive for March, 2009
FDIC Friday: Three Banks, Two Credit Unions Taken Over by Regulators
March 21st, 2009Via: MarketWatch: The pace of the ongoing credit crisis quickened significantly Friday when regulators seized three banks and placed two large corporate credit unions into conservatorship, citing a need to “stabilize the corporate credit union system.” Banks in Colorado, Georgia and Kansas were closed by regulators, bringing the number of bank failures this year to […]
Banner Image
March 21st, 2009The current banner image has generated several inquiries from people who are wondering what it is. It’s The Conjurer by Hieronymus Bosch.
France Officially Asks to Rejoin NATO Command
March 21st, 2009Via: AP: President Nicolas Sarkozy has submitted a formal request to rejoin the NATO command structure following a 43-year absence, French and NATO officials said Friday. A letter with the request was presented Thursday to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer during an EU summit in Brussels, the officials said on condition of anonymity […]
Israeli Soldiers Admit to Deliberate Killing of Gaza Civilians
March 20th, 2009Via: Times Online: The Israeli army has been forced to open an investigation into the conduct of its troops in Gaza after damning testimony from its own front line soldiers revealed the killing of civilians and rules of engagement so lax that one combatant said that they amounted on occasion to “cold-blooded murder”. The revelations, […]
Obamas to Plant Organic Vegetable Garden on White House Lawn
March 20th, 2009Hmm. I don’t remember smoking crack this evening, so I’m at a bit of a loss for words here. Rather than trying to be cynical about this, and looking at it in terms of HR875, I’ll just sit here in stunned silence—for now—taking it all in. Ok, just a few words. Could it be possible […]
13 Firms Receiving Federal Bailout Owe Back Taxes
March 19th, 2009It should get interesting around April 15th in the U.S… Via: AP: At least 13 firms receiving billions of dollars in bailout money owe a total of more than $220 million in unpaid federal taxes, a key lawmaker said Thursday. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., chairman of a House subcommittee overseeing the federal bailout, said two […]
U.N. Panel Says World Should Ditch Dollar
March 19th, 2009Mmm hmm. Via: Reuters: A U.N. panel will next week recommend that the world ditch the dollar as its reserve currency in favor of a shared basket of currencies, a member of the panel said on Wednesday, adding to pressure on the dollar. Currency specialist Avinash Persaud, a member of the panel of experts, told […]
Blackwater Still Operating in Iraq
March 19th, 2009Via: Washington Times: Days after the Baghdad government decided it no longer wanted the company then known as Blackwater in Iraq, the State Department signed a $22.2 million deal in February to keep the embattled contractor working there through most of the summer, contract records show. The decision keeps Blackwater – since renamed Xe – […]
Obama Administration: Constitution Does Not Protect Cell-Site Records
March 19th, 2009In my case, there’s no way the programs I want to talk to Congress about should be public ever, unless maybe in 200 years they want to declassify them. You should never learn about it; no one at the Times should ever learn about these things. —Russell Tice, Former NSA SIGINT Officer All of these […]
OIL UP 6%
March 19th, 2009Via: AP: Oil prices hit news highs for the year Thursday after a decision by the Federal Reserve to spend billions snapping up U.S. bonds sent the dollar tumbling. Oil is priced in dollars and when the U.S. currency weakens, it essentially makes crude cheaper. Benchmark crude for April delivery surged $3.39 to $51.53 a […]
