Tux of Borg

Isn't spending money we didn't have the cause of this issue. How much money can the federal government print before the dollar plummets and the cost of foreign goods skyrocket?

At least it's not a blow out.... yet.

The greed from both the Corporations and Unions are responsible for this mess. On a separate note, does anybody know the unions stance on illegal aliens? As they are willing to work for less than min wage, i would think they are a threat to the unions. On the other hand, they are a large untapped resource that would be more than happy to pay union dues if let in.

Spending money we don't have isn't going to turn things around. Washington is long overdue to make painful cuts to the budget.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1229660388...news_technology Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits By SARAH MCBRIDE and ETHAN SMITH After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy. The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened legal proceedings against about 35,000 people since 2003. Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl. [us album sales] Instead, the Recording Industry Association of America said it plans to try an approach that relies on the cooperation of Internet-service providers. The trade group said it has hashed out preliminary agreements with major ISPs under which it will send an email to the provider when it finds a provider's customers making music available online for others to take. Depending on the agreement, the ISP will either forward the note to customers, or alert customers that they appear to be uploading music illegally, and ask them to stop. If the customers continue the file-sharing, they will get one or two more emails, perhaps accompanied by slower service from the provider. Finally, the ISP may cut off their access altogether. The RIAA said it has agreements in principle with some ISPs, but declined to say which ones. But ISPs, which are increasingly cutting content deals of their own with entertainment companies, may have more incentive to work with the music labels now than in previous years. The new approach dispenses with one of the most contentious parts of the lawsuit strategy, which involved filing lawsuits requiring ISPs to disclose the identities of file sharers. Under the new strategy, the RIAA would forward its emails to the ISPs without demanding to know the customers' identity. Though the industry group is reserving the right to sue people who are particularly heavy file sharers, or who ignore repeated warnings, it expects its lawsuits to decline to a trickle. The group stopped filing mass lawsuits early this fall. It isn't clear that the new strategy will work or how effective the collaboration with the ISPs will be. "There isn't any silver-bullet anti-piracy solution," said Eric Garland, president of BigChampagne LLC, a piracy consulting company. Mr. Garland said he likes the idea of a solution that works more with consumers. In the years since the RIAA began its mass legal action, "It has become abundantly clear that the carrot is far more important than the stick." Indeed, many in the music industry felt the lawsuits had outlived their usefulness. "I'd give them credit for stopping what they've already been doing because it's been so destructive," said Brian Toder, who represents a Minnesota mother involved in a high-profile file-sharing case. But his client isn't off the hook. The RIAA said it plans to continue with outstanding lawsuits. Over the summer, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began brokering an agreement between the recording industry and the ISPs that would address both sides' piracy concerns. "We wanted to end the litigation," said Steven Cohen, Mr. Cuomo's chief of staff. "It's not helpful." As the RIAA worked to cut deals with individual ISPs, Mr. Cuomo's office started working on a broader plan under which major ISPs would agree to work to prevent illegal file-sharing. The RIAA believes the new strategy will reach more people, which itself is a deterrent. "Part of the issue with infringement is for people to be aware that their actions are not anonymous," said Mitch Bainwol, the group's chairman. Mr. Bainwol said that while he thought the litigation had been effective in some regards, new methods were now available to the industry. "Over the course of five years, the marketplace has changed," he said in an interview. Litigation, he said, was successful in raising the public's awareness that file-sharing is illegal, but now he wants to try a strategy he thinks could prove more successful. The RIAA says piracy would have been even worse without the lawsuits. Citing data from consulting firm NPD Group Inc., the industry says the percentage of Internet users who download music over the Internet has remained fairly constant, hovering around 19% over the past few years. However, the volume of music files shared over the Internet has grown steadily. Meanwhile, music sales continue to fall. In 2003, the industry sold 656 million albums. In 2007, the number fell to 500 million CDs and digital albums, plus 844 million paid individual song downloads -- hardly enough to make up the decline in album sales.

Don't worry, they'll increase taxes so that those who didn't properly plan for retirement will be covered.

AP study finds $1.6 billion went to bailed-out bank executives Shocking.

Great block by Evans!

It will be interesting to see how Hamdan plays. Losman throws bounce passes to his receivers. Edwards throws passes at his receivers feet.

Way to go Denney! If you are going to get pushed 5 yards back you might as well jump up and try to block the pass.

Actually, i believe it was the Long War Journal that originally broke the story. It has also been reported that the Somali pirates that hijacked this ship suffered skin burns, lost hair, and died a week later. But hey, pass the kool-aid and let's pretend that the world is a perfect place.

Mysterious Cargo Aboard Iranian Ship Seized by Pirates Raises WMD Concerns

Touchdown!

I wish you people would make up your mind. Last week you were pissed that Palin was still in the spotlight. This week you start a thread about her and keep bumping it.

Disorderly Conduct is usually the "catch all" for violations that don't have a specific law written for them.

It's currently 75 and cloudy here in Myrtle Beach.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articl...46_FORTUNE5.htm Treasury Sued By FOX Business Network Over Rescue Plan Info December 18, 2008: 03:48 PM ET WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- FOX Business Network said Thursday it has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department for being slow to provide information on the $700 billion financial rescue plan. The television network, a unit of News Corp. (NWSA), said in a release that Treasury has not responded to two Freedom of Information Act requests, one on Nov. 25 and one on Dec. 1, regarding the use of funds for Citigroup Inc. ©, American International Group Inc. (AIG) and Bank of New York Mellon. The request sought data on the specific restrictions placed on the firms and the collateral extended as part of their acceptance of federal funds, among other things. A lawyer for the network said that "it has become apparent that the Treasury will not cooperate without mounting legal pressure." The complaint was filed in federal court in New York. A Treasury spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. Federal policymakers have come under increasing pressure to provide more information about their efforts to stabilize the financial system and deal with the stumbling economy. A Government Accountability Office report released earlier this month criticized Treasury for not addressing a number of issues surrounding the implementation of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Dow Jones is owned by News Corp. (NWS). In addition to this and other newswires, Dow Jones publishes The Wall Street Journal and its international and online editions, Barron's, the Far Eastern Economic Review, MarketWatch, Dow Jones Indexes and the Ottaway group of community newspapers. Dow Jones owns Factiva and co-owns SmartMoney with Hearst Corp. It also provides news content to CNBC television operations worldwide and to radio stations in the U.S.

Cooks stopped using Sudafed for meth years ago.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home "Under the terms of the plan, if the companies can’t demonstrate financial viability by March 31 the loans will be called and the money must be returned, the statement said." "The automakers much cut their debt by two thirds in an equity exchange, make half of the payments to a union retirement fund in equity, eliminate a program that pays union workers when they don’t have work and have union costs and rules competitive with foreign automakers by Dec. 31, 2009."

Detroit could never build anything as innovated as the E7. The crown vic is starting to lose its dominance in the police field because of lack of change. The backseat is a great example, the crown vic has very little room in the back seat. You have to lean over the suspect to seatbelt him in. After you get to the jail you have to take apart the back seat to search for contraband that might have been left there. The E7 eliminates all these problems. I'm also a big fan of the incar tag reader added to the vehicle. The tag readers we have now are bulky and are mounted on the trunks of our vehicles.

Hopefully Tim Tebow.

I'm all about the E7 - Police Cruiser of the future.

Crude Oil Rises as OPEC Prepares to Make Record Production Cut

http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1990 Billboard Top 100 - 1990 01. Hold On » Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips - Wilson Phillips: Greatest Hits - Hold On (Single Edit) 02. It Must Have Been Love » Roxette Roxette - A Collection of Roxette Hits! Their 20 Greatest Songs! - It Must Have Been Love 03. Nothing Compares 2 U » Sinead O'Connor Sinead O'Connor - So Far...The Best of Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U 04. Poison » Bell Biv Devoe Bell Biv DeVoe - Bell Biv DeVoe: Greatest Hits - Poison 05. Vogue » Madonna Madonna - The Immaculate Collection - Vogue 06. Vision Of Love » Mariah Carey Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey: Greatest Hits - Vision of Love 07. Another Day In Paradise » Phil Collins Phil Collins - Phil Collins: Hits - Another Day in Paradise 08. Hold On » En Vogue En Vogue - Best of En Vogue - Hold On 09. Cradle Of Love » Billy Idol Billy Idol - Billy Idol: Greatest Hits - Cradle of Love 10. Blaze Of Glory » Jon Bon Jovi Jon Bon Jovi - Cross Road - Blaze of Glory 11. Do Me! » Bell Biv Devoe Bell Biv DeVoe - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bel Biv DeVoe - Do Me! 12. How Am I Supposed To Live Without You » Michael Bolton Michael Bolton - The Essential Michael Bolton - How Am I Supposed to Live Without You 13. Pump Up The Jam » Technotronic Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam - The Album - Pump Up the Jam 14. Opposites Attract » Paula Abdul Paula Abdul - Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits - Opposites Attract 15. Escapade » Janet Jackson Janet Jackson - Design of a Decade: 1986-1996 - Escapade 16. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You » Heart Heart - Heart: Greatest Hits - 1985-1995 - All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You 17. Close To You » Maxi Priest Maxi Priest - Maxi Priest: Best of Me - Close to You 18. Black Velvet » Alannah Myles Alannah Myles - The Very Best of Alannah Myles - Black Velvet 19. Release Me » Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips - Wilson Phillips: Greatest Hits - Release Me (Single Version) 20. Don't Know Much » Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville - Linda Ronstadt - Don't Know Much 21. All Around The World » Lisa Stansfield Lisa Stansfield - Lisa Stansfield: Biography - The Greatest Hits - All Around the World 22. I Wanna Be Rich » Calloway 22. I Remember You » Skid Row Skid Row - 40 Seasons - The Best of Skid Row - I Remember You 23. Rub You The Right Way » Johnny Gill Johnny Gill - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Johnny Gill - Rub You the Right Way 24. She Ain't Worth It » Glenn Medeiros Featuring Bobby Brown Bobby Brown & Glenn Medeiros - The Definitive Collection: Bobby Brown - She Ain't Worth It 25. If Wishes Came True » Sweet Sensation Sweet Sensation - Billboard: No. 1 Hits of the '90s - If Wishes Came True 26. The Power » Snap Snap! - World Power - The Power 27. (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection » Nelson Nelson - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nelson - (Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection 28. Love Will Lead You Back » Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne - Greatest Hits - Love Will Lead You Back 29. Don't Wanna Fall In Love » Jane Child Jane Child - Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall In Love 30. Two To Make It Right » Seduction Seduction - 100% Pure Dance - Two to Make It Right 31. Sending All My Love » LinearLinear - Linear - Sending All My Love 32. Unskinny Bop » Poison Poison - The Best of Poison - 20 Years of Rock - Unskinny Bop 33. Step By Step » New Kids On The Block New Kids on the Block - New Kids On the Block: Super Hits - Step By Step 34. Dangerous » Roxette Roxette - A Collection of Roxette Hits! Their 20 Greatest Songs! - Dangerous (G.M. Remaster '03) 35. We Didn't Start The Fire » Billy Joel Billy Joel - The Essential Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire 36. I Don't Have The Heart » James Ingram James Ingram - Billboard: No. 1 Hits of the '90s - I Don't Have the Heart 37. Downtown Train » Rod Stewart Rod Stewart - The Very Best of Rod Stewart - Downtown Train 38. Rhythm Nation » Janet Jackson Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 - Rhythm Nation 39. I'll Be Your Everything » Tommy Page Tommy Page - Billboard: No. 1 Hits of the '90s - I'll Be Your Everything 40. Roam » B-52's The B-52's - Nude on the Moon - The B-52's Anthology - Roam 41. Everything » Jody Watley Jody Watley - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jody Watley - Everything 42. Back To Life » Soul II Soul Soul II Soul - Volume I - Keep on Movin' - Back to Life 43. Here And Now » Luther Vandross Luther Vandross - The Ultimate Luther Vandross - Here and Now 44. Alright » Janet Jackson Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 - Alright 45. Ice Ice Baby » Vanilla Ice Vanilla Ice - Platinum Underground (explicit Version) - Ice Ice Baby 46. Blame It On The Rain » Milli Vanilli 47. Have You Seen Her » M.C. Hammer MC Hammer - MC Hammer: Greatest Hits - Have You Seen Her 48. With Every Beat Of My Heart » Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne - Greatest Hits - With Every Beat of My Heart 49. Come Back To Me » Janet Jackson Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 - Come Back to Me 50. No More Lies » Michel'le Michel'le - Michel'le - No More Lies 51. Praying For Time » George Michael George Michael - Ladies & Gentlemen - The Best of George Michael - Praying for Time 52. How Can We Be Lovers » Michael Bolton Michael Bolton - Greatest Hits 1985-1995 - How Can We Be Lovers 53. Do You Remember » Phil Collins Phil Collins - But Seriously - Do You Remember 54. Ready Or Not » After 7 Ready or Not 55. U Can't Touch This » M.C. Hammer MC Hammer - MC Hammer: Greatest Hits - U Can't Touch This 56. I Wish It Would Rain Down » Phil Collins Phil Collins - Phil Collins: Hits - I Wish It Would Rain Down 57. Just Between You And Me » Lou Gramm Lou Gramm - Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology - Just Between You and Me 58. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven » Phil Collins Phil Collins - Phil Collins: Hits - Something Happened on the Way to Heaven 59. Black Cat » Janet Jackson Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 - Black Cat 60. Can't Stop » After 7 Can't Stop 61. Janie's Got A Gun » Aerosmith Aerosmith - Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology - Janie's Got a Gun 62. The Humpty Dance » Digital Underground Digital Underground - Sex Packets - The Humpty Dance 63. I'll Be Your Shelter » Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne - Greatest Hits - I'll Be Your Shelter 64. Free Fallin' » Tom Petty Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits - Free Fallin' 65. Giving You The Benefit » Pebbles Pebbles - Pebbles: Greatest Hits - Giving You the Benefit 66. Enjoy The Silence » Depeche Mode Depeche Mode - The Best of Depeche Mode, Vol. 1 - Enjoy the Silence 67. Love Song » Tesla Tesla - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Tesla - Love Song 68. Price Of Love » Bad English Bad English - Bad English - Price of Love 69. Girls Nite Out » Tyler Collins 70. King Of Wishful Thinking » Go West Go West - Aces and Kings: The Best of Go West - The King of Wishful Thinking 71. What Kind Of Man Would I Be? » Chicago Chicago - The Best of Chicago (40th Anniversary Edition) [Remastered] - What Kind of Man Would I Be? 73. Get Up! (Before The Night Is Over) » Technotronic Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam - Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over) 74. Here We Are » Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan - Greatest Hits - Here We Are 75. Epic » Faith No More Faith No More - This Is It - The Best of Faith No More - Epic 75. Love Takes Time » Mariah Carey Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey: Greatest Hits - Love Takes Time 77. Just Like Jesse James » Cher Cher - If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher's Greatest Hits - Just Like Jesse James 78. Love Shack » B-52's The B-52's - Nude on the Moon - The B-52's Anthology - Love Shack 79. All Or Nothing » Milli Vanilli 80. Romeo » Dino 81. Everybody Everybody » Black Box 82. I Go To Extremes » Billy Joel Billy Joel - The Essential Billy Joel - I Go to Extremes 83. Whip Appeal » Babyface Babyface - Babyface: A Collection of His Greatest Hits - Whip Appeal 84. Oh Girl » Paul Young Paul Young - Super Hits - Oh Girl 85. C'mon And Get My Love » D-Mob With Cathy Dennis 85. (It's Just) The Way That You Love Me » Paula Abdul Paula Abdul - Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits - The Way That You Love Me 87. We Can't Go Wrong » The Cover Girls The Cover Girls - The Cover Girls: Greatest Hits - We Can't Go Wrong 88. When I'm Back On My Feet Again » Michael Bolton Michael Bolton - Greatest Hits 1985-1995 - When I'm Back On My Feet Again 89. Make You Sweat » Keith Sweat Keith Sweat - The Best of Keith Sweat: Make You Sweat - Make You Sweat 90. This One's For The Children » New Kids On The Block New Kids on the Block - New Kids On the Block: Greatest Hits - This One's for the Children 91. What It Takes » Aerosmith Aerosmith - Big Ones - What It Takes 92. Forever » Kiss Kiss - The Very Best of Kiss - Forever 93. Jerk Out » The Time The Time - Pandemonium - Jerk Out 94. Just A Friend » Biz Markie Biz Markie - Rapmania: the Roots of Rap - Just a Friend 95. Whole Wide World » A'me Lorain 96. Without You » Motley Crue M�tley Cr�e - Carnival of Sins (Live) - Without You 97. Swing The Mood » Jive Bunny & The Master Mixers Jive Bunny & The Master Mixers - Jive Bunny: The Album - Swing the Mood 98. Thieves In The Temple » Prince Prince - The Very Best of Prince - Thieves In the Temple 99. Mentirosa » Mellow Man Ace Mellow Man Ace - Raza Radio - Mentirosa (Mellow Man Ace) 100. Tic-Tac-Toe » Kyper

http://www.forbes.com/reuters/feeds/reuter...L-UPDATE-5.html Oil rises above $46 ahead of expected OPEC cut * OPEC seen cutting up to 2 million barrels a day * OPEC sees sharp fall in demand for its oil * U.S. Fed seen cutting interest rates to near zero By David Sheppard LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Oil rose above $46 on Tuesday, bolstered by expectations OPEC will agree on its largest ever supply cut this week to try to halt a fall in prices due to shrinking global demand. Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meet in Algeria on Wednesday, with many members calling for output cuts of up to 2 million barrels per day (bpd). U.S. light crude for January delivery rose $1.60 to $46.11 a barrel at 1453 GMT. London Brent crude was up $1.73 at $46.33. Oil fell to a four-year low of $40.50 on Dec. 5, down more than $100 from its July record above $147 a barrel. "OPEC won't face a bigger decision than this for some time to come," Bank of Ireland analyst Paul Harris said. "If they don't put a floor under prices with a cut of some significance then it could have huge ramifications for the future of the oil market." The producer group expects global demand for its crude oil to fall by an average of 1.4 million bpd next year due to the downturn in the world economy. The drop in demand will be even more dramatic in the first quarter. "In the first quater of 2009, the demand for OPEC crude is expected to see a sharp drop of 2.3 million bpd from the same quarter in the previous year," it said in its latest monthly report on the oil market. OPEC has already agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels a day at two previous meetings. But demand has fallen faster than OPEC has cut and as a result, stocks of oil are building up. OPEC said 45 million barrels of crude oil are currently being stored at sea on oil tankers. Crude oil stocks in top energy consumer the United States are predicted to have risen by 300,000 barrels last week, according to a Reuters' poll ahead of publication on Wednesday of U.S. fuel inventory data. Global financial markets are watching the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is expected to cut interest rates close to zero on Tuesday in a bid to stall the slowdown in the world's largest economy. The announcement is expected around 1915 GMT..