House Ratifies Great Lakes Compact

House OKs plan for Great Lakes water to stay put
StarTribune.com
By STAFF and WIRE REPORTS
Last update: September 23, 2008 - 10:39 PM

The U.S. House ratified a compact Tuesday to prevent the diversion of water from the Great Lakes, one of the world's largest sources of fresh water.

Eight Great Lakes states negotiated the compact after more than four years of talks involving business, scientific and environmental interests. Supporters said the protections against diverting water were needed to guard the lakes from future depletion.

The compact, approved on a vote of 390-25, now moves to President Bush, who has said he will sign it. The Senate approved the compact in August.

Under the pact, countries or remote states are barred from tapping into the lakes from their natural drainage basin with rare exceptions. It also requires states to regulate their own large-scale water use and promote conservation. The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have enacted similar measures for the lakes.

Minnesota was the first Great Lakes state to ratify the compact in February 2007.

Alison Wolf, legislative director for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said she was delighted that the House passed the measure.

"It's absolutely vital to draw that line in the sand," she said. "We do not want our water taken to other parts of the U.S."

Kent Lokkesmoe, water division director for Minnesota's DNR, was the state's representative during the interstate discussions that began in 1999 in reaction to a plan to haul Lake Superior water to Asia in tankers. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment at first approved a permit for the commercial venture, but soon revoked it because of strong opposition.

Lokkesmoe said the law is well worth the wait. "It provides a better and more understandable protection for all of the Great Lakes," he said.
link to news story

STORY UPDATE

Senate cuts funding to Great Lakes Legacy Act
by Ken Kolker The Grand Rapids Press
Friday September 26, 2008, 3:06 PM

GRAND RAPIDS -- The U.S. Senate drastically cut funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act when it passed its version of the budget Friday, but it will be enough to continue cleaning toxic hot spots in the region, said U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids (pictured below).

Ehlers, whose support was critical to passing the original act in 2002, had hoped the Senate would approve the same $150 million funding level approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 19.

Instead, the Senate approved $54 million a year for two years, according to U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, a co-chairman of the Great Lakes Task Force.

Ehlers said he expects Congress will accept the lower amount without an attempt at compromise.

"We'll have to accept that," he said. "It's more than what we've been getting the last several years. Next year, we'll start working on a different bill with additional funding."

The Legacy Act was the second big win this week for the Great Lakes region. The House on Tuesday approved the Great Lakes Compact, which outlaws siphoning of the basin from outside the region.

The Legacy Act has never been fully funded at its authorized level of $50 billion a year, but has resulted in significant cleanups, including a $14.2 million project to clean Ruddiman Creek, which leads to Muskegon Lake, and projects that removed contaminated sediments from the Detroit River in Trenton and St. Mary's River in Sault Ste. Marie.

The U.S. and Canadian governments have identified 43 toxic hot spots, including 26 in U.S. waters and five shared between the two countries.

They include 80 miles of the Kalamazoo River leading to where it empties into Lake Michigan in Saugatuck, polluted by releases of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) mostly from paper mills.

Also on the list is White Lake in Muskegon County, with pollution that migrated from a chemical company.

link to news story

Images of the Great Lakes

Terrorist Mission Training Video >A military exercise performed to perfection!!

Check out this video of Osama bin Laden's finest, flawlessly executing their mission. This video was taken during a post-assault, damage-assessment, surveillance flight. The terrorists are attempting to recover an unexploded munition from the assault, for use later as an IED against our troops. It's good to see they executed this mission so well, and ended with what they deserved. Keep up the good work boys, and this war will be over soon!!

TROPICAL STORM KYLE
Public Advisory
Latest TROPICAL STORM KYLE News
200 PM AST FRI SEP 26 2008

AIR FORCE AND NOAA AIRCRAFT FIND THE CENTER OF KYLE A LITTLE FARTHER TO THE EAST

BULLETIN

TROPICAL STORM KYLE INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 4A

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL (AL112008)

200 PM AST FRI SEP 26 2008...

AIR FORCE AND NOAA AIRCRAFT FIND THE CENTER OF KYLE A LITTLE FARTHER TO THE EAST...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR BERMUDA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. INTERESTS IN THE NORTH EASTERN UNITED STATES AND THE CANADIAN MARITIMES REGION SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF KYLE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS... PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 200 PM AST...1800Z... THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM KYLE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 68.6 WEST OR ABOUT445 MILES...715 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA.

NOAA Storm Track Forecast of KYLE

2008 ATLANTIC STORM NAMES
Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gustav Hanna Ike Josephine Kyle Laura Marco Nana Omar Paloma Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred Alpha Beta Gamma Delta Epsilon Zeta

Total 2008 Atlantic named storms (tropical storms & hurricanes)as of given dates, and compared to normal.

The Magical Tiger Woods

Want to know what Tiger Woods is up to these days? He's turning sand into grass. That's right, he's building a golf course in the Dubai desert. You have to check it out in this video.

As the Bailout Plan Gets Closer >What will it bring?

Mystery Blogger sense on this post...

In the wake of the bailout plan, there are numerous outcomes that are possible. Today the market futures show a positive slant, as talk suggests that Washington is making progress toward a deal on the $700 billion bailout plan. The current expectations is we'll see a deal no later than Monday. Joining Bernanke & Paulson, Bush warned the country, last night, that a economic disaster awaits if Congress does not hand over the $700 billion, and soon.

In the wake of an agreement for a bailout plan, there are numerous outcomes that are possible. With the importance of this plan deemed super critical, the speculation to its outcome has run rampant. With the American taxpayer funding the bailout a certain outcome, there will be others. To better understand what is truth, and what are the consequences, read the report below. It provides great insight and a comprehensive perspective to a wide range of interesting economic outcomes.

The Kirk Report
Posted by Kirk at 1:03 PM
Thursday, September 25, 2008


Truth or Consequences

Bernanke moves closer to cutting interest rates
Remarkably, Wall Street's consensus on earnings is "Fine in 2009"
Hedge funds move $100 billion into safe havens
Credit derivatives market shrinks 12%
Credit default swaps explained
A simple explanation of what went wrong
A big slowdown in stock buybacks
No IPO flow (which has historically been a bullish signal)
The bailout will make all of us rich?
Working folks are outraged about the government's proposed Wall Street rescue
Bernanke's $700 billion dollar bazooka
Few lawmakers or administration officials are talking openly about where the government plans on finding a spare $700 billion
Paulson cannot be allowed a blank check
A bailout above the law
Are we just a nation of morons, led by idiots?
No, really, how much is $700 billion?
According to David Weidner, how the bailout will benefit us!
Facts on the government bailout
Stopping a financial crisis, the Swedish Way
Lesson from savings and loans rescue
Bill Gross to the rescue
What the death of the investment bank means for Wall Street

"To suggest that September was difficult, volatile, perplexing and frustrating is a little like saying teenagers make sense or that economists speak English." - Laszlo Birinyi

Millions of americans spend half of their income on housing
Mortgage rates jump in wake of bailout plan
Home builders keep guessing
New home sales fall to weakest level in 17 years
FBI investigates four firms at heart of the mess
SEC presses hedge funds
Exploiting FDIC loopholes enriches former U.S. bank regulators
The New Communism
The largest U.S. bankruptcies
More healthcare inflation
Buffett and The Magazine Cover Indicator
Time to take a look at some sector performance
Pickens funds are down about $1 billion
Short-sale ban is hitting mutual funds
The short-selling ban is taking the hedge out of hedge funds
Did you know that nearly 20% of the S&P 500 now covered by no short list?
Traders wonder what is going to happen when the short-sale ban ends
Auto-maker loans advance
Emerging markets hit hard by Wall Street crisis
Huge losses for equity funds in China this year
Customers spark run on Asian bank
Paulson’s hedge fund targets UK banks
Some traders think this might be a good day to spend on the sidelines. Not Scott Black
Trader Mike shares his stock filters
Even legendary stock screen strategies are struggling in this market
Cash is king!
8 stocks that look ripe for a turnaround
A pitch for three cheap stocks
Time to look at railroad stocks again?
Potash is among top stocks with insider buying, buybacks
L-3 Communications shows earnings consistency

"The principals of successful stock speculation are based on the supposition that people will continue in the future to make the mistakes that they have made in the past." - Edwin Lefevre

Alan Farley's 20 tips for market survival
Indeed, the tough get going when the going gets tough
Success in trading is probably far more related to talents, skills, and effort than personality features
What to do with large bid/ask spreads
A nice ETF roundup by Morpheus
Trading activity has soared, reflecting high anxiety as many investors rushed to move money in their portfolios
TD Ameritrade to support clients stuck in Reserve
Glitches on several electronic exchanges led to thousands of canceled trades and stuck some investors with unexplained losses
It's time to reconsider retirement investing rules-of-thumb
Does shopping at Sam Club's and Costco really save you money?
With the credit crisis rupturing the American economy, right now is the perfect time to teach young people the value of spending without borrowing
Rososo is a clean, minimalist RSS feed checker
Although it won't matter, here's how to write to Congress
The World's 10 Greatest Beaches (I think you missed a few)
Tiger's desert paradise
Keeping faith in tough times

"When you lose, don't lose the lesson." - Dalai Lama

link to this kirk report post

McCain Suspends Campaign >But is this a campaign strategy?

McCain seeks to delay debate to focus on economy

Sep 24 02:58 PM US/Eastern
By BETH FOUHY
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Republican John McCain says he's directing his staff to work with Barack Obama's campaign and the debate commission to delay Friday's debate because of the economic crisis.

In a statement, McCain says he will stop campaigning after addressing former President Bill Clinton's Global Initiative session on Thursday and return to Washington to focus on the nation's financial problems.

McCain also said he wants President Bush to convene a leadership meeting in Washington. Both he and Obama would attend the session.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE..link to news story

Here's an interesting take on this news by Richard Miniter.

September 24th, 2008 12:31 pm

McCain’s Bet

In a shrewd move, Senator McCain has just proposed delaying Friday’s first presidential debate–in order to convene a meeting with Obama, President Bush and other decision-makers from both parties to sort out the financial mess.

It makes McCain look engaged in solving the number one issue on the minds of Americans, right now. It gives him a bigger bully pulpit to fight the Christmas tree of legislation that is winding its way through Congress now (even student and car loans have been added to the bailout).

It minimizes the power of Rep. Barney Frank, who has rolled his Senate counterpart, Chris Dodd, and is leading the congressional effort. Rep. Frank is a key Obama ally.

It also presents a strategic problem for Obama. Until now, the Illinois freshman has been able to coast, saying he supports what Rep. Frank and other Democrats are doing. If Obama and McCain attend a White House summit, each will have to lay out detailed proposals for reform. Obama would have to lock himself in–and take criticism for his ties to Fannie and Freddie.

And if Obama refuses to attend the summit, he effectively announces that he is unready to lead in a crisis.

While this may be a shrewd move for the McCain campaign, it is not an example of “country first,” his campaign theme. The Dow may tumble on the news that all of the discussions of the past two weeks will be thrown up in the air, pending a White House summit with two presidential candidates who are 40 days away from an election. The street doesn’t like wild cards.

Get the complete story and reader comments here..

PFNC Global Communities: Suggestion for Barack Obama on helping his brother George

Come on Barack, you claim you want to change the way of life for Americans.

It might be a good idea to first change the way of life for your brother, George.

Here's a suggestion you can start with.

Below is a family portrait of Barack Obama's family.

OBAMA FAMILY MEMBERS-- back row from left: Unknown, Barack Obama, half-brother Malik (Obongo or Roy), unknown, half-brother Abo, Bernard. Front: Half-sister Auma, stepmum Kezia, stepgrandma Sarah, unknown. Half brother George is not pictured and was the son of Barack's father and an unknown Kenyan woman.

So where is half brother George??

The Italian press discovered Obama's younger brother living in a slum hut in Nairobi Kenya. George, below (Photo: Guy Calaf, Vanity Fair, Italy), is the son of Barack Obama Sr. and Jael.

The Telegraph reported:

The Italian edition of Vanity Fair said that it had found George Hussein Onyango Obama living in a hut in a ramshackle town of Huruma on the outskirts of Nairobi.

Mr George Obama, 26, the youngest of the presidential candidate's half-brothers, spoke for the first time about his life, which could not be more different than that of the Democratic contender.

"No-one knows who I am," he told the magazine, before claiming: "I live here on less than a dollar a month."

According to Italy's Vanity Fair, George's two metre by three metre shack is decorated with football posters of the Italian football giants AC Milan and Inter, as well as a calendar showing exotic beaches of the world.

Vanity Fair also noted that he had a front page newspaper picture of his famous brother - born of the same father as him, Barack Hussein Obama, but to a different mother.

He told the magazine: "I live like a recluse, no-one knows I exist." Embarrassed by his penury, he said that he does not does not mention his famous half-brother in conversation."If anyone says something about my surname, I say we are not related. I am ashamed," he said.

Well you'd think Barack might want to help him out a bit, right? Here's something he could do for George that wouldn't put him out much. It's called...

PFNC Global Communities

Obama's answer lies in a humble steel shipping container, 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, 8 1/2 feet tall. A home structured from a standard shipping container that hauls goods worldwide. This 320-square-foot home come complete with a kitchen, bath with toilet, sleeping areas, windows and a bright blue door. The exterior is painted with a white epoxy coating that has light-reflecting properties to prevent the sun's heat from penetrating.

Each small house includes hookups for air conditioning, ventilation, electrical and water systems — and the units ideally could be set up in small communities to make accessing utilities more efficient. Looks alot nicer than George's wood hut to me. What do ya think Barack?

This is the brain child of Brian McCarthy, 30. In July 2007, along with three partners, Pablo Nava, 22; Kyle Annen, 23; and Mackenzie Bishop, 22, formed PFNC Global Communities. PFNC stands for "Por Fin, Nuestra Casa," which roughly translates as "Finally, our own home."

"We started with a kitchen and bathroom because they're the most necessary and most basic ingredients of a home," McCarthy said.

They designed a galley-style kitchen with a stove, sink, refrigerator and dinette, and a 48-square-foot bathroom with a pedestal sink, shower and commode. Adjacent to the kitchen is a bunk area for children; separate sleeping quarters for the owners lie behind the bathroom wall.

They are working hard to keep the price to around $8,000. Hey Barack, not bad for someone with your kind of money. What a great way to help out George!!

Griffin O'Neal seeking melorheostosis treatment

Griffin O'Neal Speaks Out About Family's Troubles
By Champ Clark, PEOPLE.com
Originally posted Wednesday September 24, 2008 08:10 AM EDT

The drug arrests of Ryan O'Neal and his 23-year-old son Redmond at their Malibu home are just the latest chapter in a tragic saga, the actor's other son Griffin O'Neal tells PEOPLE. "It's a very screwed-up family," says Griffin, 43. "If you want to be emotionally healthy and strong, you've got to get out .... It's a truly sad situation." Griffin has also battled drug addiction and says he is now two years sober. While he no longer speaks to his father, 67, the younger O'Neal remains close to his sister Tatum, 44. Griffin is currently staying with her in New York, where he's seeking treatment for Melorheostosis, a rare bone disease which may necessitate amputation of his left leg. "It's horribly painful," Griffin says. "It's off the scale on the pain." Ryan O'Neal's lawyer declined to respond to Griffin's comments. But the lawyer did tell PEOPLE the drugs found by police in O'Neal's home didn't belong to him and O'Neal "will be fully vindicated."

link to story

Ryan (left) and Griffin O'Neal

Photo by: INF, Sthanlee B Mirador

Shooting Star

What is melorheostosis?? It is a rare, non-hereditary bone disease which affects both sexes. The disease causes suffering from severe, chronic pain on a daily basis. “Melo,” as it is commonly called, is a progressive disorder characterized by the thickening of bones. It affects both bone and soft tissue, and while benign, can result in severe functional limitation, extensive pain, and significant deformity. Melo is a “one in a million” disease--fewer than 300 cases have been diagnosed in the world. Melorheostosis’ rarity, combined with minimal support and funding, means very little medical research has been performed. Melo has no cure, no known cause, and no effective treatments.

For more information, visit the melorheostosis fund..

Warren Buffett invests $5 billion in Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs

According to Forbes.com, Warren Buffett, often herald as America's most beloved investor, has a new title as the world's richest man. With a net worth estimated at $62 billion, he blew past his friend Bill Gates, as shares of Berkshire Hathaway climbed 25% since the middle of last July. And with this Goldman deal, it seems Buffett is not going to slow down anytime soon.

Buffett Buys Into Goldman Amid Wall Street Losses (Update2)
By Erik Holm

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who tells investors to be "greedy when others are fearful,'' put up $5 billion for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. after the firm lost 40 percent of its market value in the past year.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is buying a stake in Goldman after three of the investment bank's biggest competitors went bankrupt or were forced into emergency sales. He has already agreed to spend at least $25 billion this year to acquire companies, finance buyouts and purchase securities for Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire.

U.S. flags fly outside the headquarters of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in New York, Sept. 16, 2008.
Photographer: Gino Domenico/Bloomberg

"When the price gets right, you have to get in,'' said Gerald Martin, a finance professor at American University in Washington who has studied Buffett's investment history. "The pendulum may finally have swung too far the other way.''

Buffett, 78, has frequently scolded Wall Street for shoddy accounting and risky investments. By taking a stake in New York- based Goldman, he's investing in the most profitable U.S. investment bank a week after the Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. went bankrupt and Merrill Lynch & Co. sold itself to Bank of America Corp.

Berkshire will buy $5 billion in perpetual preferred Goldman shares that pay 10 percent interest, and will receive warrants to purchase $5 billion of common stock at any point in the next five years at $115 a share, according to a statement from Goldman yesterday. The common stock closed yesterday at $125.05.

'Quite Lucrative'
"It's a deal that will be quite lucrative for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders,'' said Michael Yoshikami, the president and chief investment strategist for YCMNet Advisors in Walnut Creek, California, which manages $1 billion, including Berkshire shares. For financial firms, "this suggests the world is not coming to an end.''

Goldman rose 4.7 percent, to $130.93 at 8:50 a.m. in early trading in New York. The Buffett deal was announced late yesterday. Berkshire has risen 10 percent in the past year.

Buffett's standards for choosing where to put Berkshire's money emphasize companies with what he considers strong managers and a market-leading franchise. He has put more of Berkshire's money to work in the past nine months, after complaining last year that he couldn't find anything big enough to buy.

Berkshire has announced nine acquisitions since October, compared with six in the prior 12 months, when his largest deal was a $350 million purchase of an underwear and pajama company.

This year, the deals have included the $4.5 billion purchase of Marmon Holdings Inc., the Pritzker family's collection of 125 companies, completed in March, and a $4.7 billion bid this month for Constellation Energy Group Inc., the largest U.S. power marketer.

Debt Purchases
Buffett provided $6.5 billion in April to help Mars Inc. buy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., a deal that gave him a stake in the chewing gum maker. He pledged $3 billion in July to Dow Chemical Co.'s $15.4 billion takeover of Rohm & Haas Co. By midyear, his cash holdings had declined to $31.2 billion from $44.3 billion at the end of 2007.

Berkshire has bought $6.5 billion in auction-rate securities since December after the market froze. Yields for the debt rose as investors found themselves unable to redeem the securities. Dealers that ran the periodic bidding to determine interest costs stopped supporting the auctions.

The Goldman investment puts Berkshire back in an industry Buffett has mostly shunned since 1997, when Salomon Brothers was sold to Travelers Group. Buffett helped the firm fend off an unwanted takeover in 1987, only to see the New York securities firm trail every U.S. stock index for the next decade.

There's no better firm on Wall Street than Goldman, Buffett told CNBC today. The firm is "extremely well run'' and properly accounts for its assets, Buffett said.

'Where the Money Is'
Buffett has credited Byron Trott, a Goldman banker, with helping Berkshire complete at least four acquisitions, including the Marmon deal.

Trott "understands Berkshire far better than any investment banker with whom we have talked and - it hurts me to say this - earns his fee,'' Buffett wrote to shareholders in Berkshire's 2003 annual report.

Buffett has sometimes criticized Wall Street, saying at a news conference in May that the industry is "going to go where the money is and not worry about consequences.''

The Salomon experience hasn't damped his enthusiasm for financial companies, with Wells Fargo & Co., American Express and U.S. Bancorp counted among Berkshire's 10 biggest holdings. His company is the No. 1 stakeholder in all three.

Buffett's investment decisions are often imitated by mutual funds and individual investors in an attempt to duplicate his success, and a study by Martin in 2007 found that using this strategy for 31 years would have delivered annualized returns of about 25 percent, double the return of the S&P 500.

Berkshire spokeswoman Jackie Wilson didn't return messages seeking comment.

link to story

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Holm in New York at eholm2@bloomberg.net.

Dating and seduction tips for men

Get the digg on seducing hot babes..

There are many guys on the dating scene today that are feeling frustrated, with what they consider to be, their lack of "success" with women. What most men fail to understand is their definition of success and how they measure this success, is really the main reason for their fustration. The remedy for this frustration is to redefine your success by understanding the key aspects of dating, romance, and seduction, from the ladies perspective. Once you start following this approach to dating, your success level will be greatly improved.

This may sound obvious, but the secret to this success is by making the woman want you! To achieve this, men must know what makes the ladies tick and turns them on, but this comes with good news and bad news. The good news is what makes most women what a man is the same. The bad news is gaining the proper knowledge and using this knowledge effectively.

There is a fair amount of awareness required by the guy, to understand dating and courting. However, gaining the needed awareness is not difficult if the knowledge is complete and adequately articulated. Some areas a man needs to understand includes:

1. Preventing rejection with tips on approaching women. Approaching women can feel like the hardest thing in the world at times. Any women you meet in a bar, or on a college, you will never seen her again if you fail to pick her... You might have noticed that she is just as nervous as you are.


2. Creating healthy conversation. Knowing what type of topics are appropriate to talk about and how to bring them up. Communication by relating the day’s events, sharing your life with others, letting a women know where you’ve been and where you’re going. Telling little true stories is a very healthy form of conversation.


3. Flirting when dating. Knowing the body language flirting secrets is a great way to kick off a courtship. Flirting is a form of human interaction, usually expressing a sexual attraction. Before you know it, you might even be flirting with each other for real.


4. Importance of proper seduction methods. How to seduce a woman you want? How to get the ladies and seduce women with seduction techniques and tips to seduce women.


5. Improving your relationship with a woman. Think first if this relationship might stand a chance? There is more power to the guy when he starts the talking first, even if its just small talk. Estimate the reaction to your hints of interest.


6. Maintaining a positive attitude. Self confidence requires a positive self image. Become aware to different aspects of confidence and try to boost your self image for success with women. Get ideas on neat activities for boosting self-confidence?


7. Plus much more like, how to touch a woman, get what you want from women, how guys screw up first dates, mistakes almost every guy makes, and talking about sex.

Now to gain this knowledge, you could spend hours searching the internet and possibly find a vast majority of this information. However, wouldn't it be worth your time and energy if you could have ALL this knowledge, at your fingertips, in one single source. Plus, since the basis of success with the ladies is knowing what makes them want you, who could provide this information better than a woman.

Well you get the best of both from Tiffany Taylor (yes that's her looking really hot) in her guide on:

"BE THE GUY WHO GETS THE GIRL"

Do yourself a favor and check it out today... just click on Tiff's book, for more knowledge on achieving the success with women you are searching for.

American Apparel CEO, Dov Chaney, Praises Company Milestones

This announcement took place on September 15th, 2008...

Dov Charney (photo right), C.E.O. of retail giant American Apparel, announced the achievement of economic milestones during a recent press conference in Los Angeles. American Apparel, owner of the nation's largest garment factory, topped a worldwide employment figure of 10,000, said Charney. The company has hired roughly 3,500 employees so far in 2008, he added, including 2,500 manufacturing hires at American Apparel's Los Angeles facilities.

Charney also announced American Apparel had completed the grant of roughly 1.9 million shares of the firm's common stock to its factory employees, worth approximately $18 million. The company will distribute another 800,000 shares in the near future, Charney added.

American Apparel Beginnings

The rise of retail giant American Apparel has its origins in cross-border trips founder Charney would make from his native Montreal to nearby U.S. towns. It was during these visits in the early 90s that Charney noticed the disparity between the comfortable casual clothing on store shelves south of the border and the cheaper polyester blends available in Canada. Charney started buying Hanes T-shirts and selling them at a premium back home, and the seeds of an American success story were sewn.

After studying in New England, Charney relocated to Los Angeles and started American Apparel as a wholesale T-shirt manufacturer. In 2003 Dov Charney rented a small storefront in East Los Angeles and immediately recognized the potential for retail expansion. In the fall of the same year, Charney opened three stores. The company’s simple, tight-fitting T-shirts account for the lion’s share of the chain’s success. But the ubiquitous outlets also sell underwear, socks, dresses, tank tops, polo shirts, baby clothes, and even dog clothing.

But American Apparel’s profitability is only half the story.

Charney’s monetary milestones have been somewhat overshadowed by the company’s dynamic structure. As all other major retailers have outsourced their manufacturing to the third world, enticed by cheap labor, American Apparel has remained planted in the United States, sweatshop free.

American Apparel clothing is made at the company’s 800,000 square-foot location in downtown Los Angeles, the nation’s largest garment factory. Charney’s pays his workers almost twice the California minimum wage and offers health insurance for $8 a week. Additionally, American Apparel offers workers free English lessons and provides well-lighted and well-ventilated working areas, conditions that have won Charney praise among anti-sweatshop activists.

And his vertically integrated company can turn an idea for a garment into a finished product on store shelves within days, another surefire strategy for success.

Charney has also remodeled retail’s concept of sexiness by picturing regular men and women in his advertisements, people one might find in the neighborhood coffee shop, or behind the counter at one of his stores. The provocative, lo-fi photos of scantily clad young people are taken by Charney himself, at times, and approximate the extravagant environment at American Apparel workplaces.

Charney’s reputation as a maverick salesman has not come without hazards. American Apparel garnered unwanted publicity in 2005 when several lawsuits filed by former employees accused Charney and American Apparel of sexual harassment.Charney has steadfastly denied the charges, and only one of the three suits had gone to trial.

Charney took American Apparel public through an unconventional 'reverse-merger' with investment firm Endeavor Acquisition Group in December 2006 for an initial value of $382.5 million. Charney continues to maintain his creative freedom.

More photos of Dov..

Check out these other story links on Dov Charney..

Dov Charney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dov Charney (born January 31, 1969 in Montreal, Canada) is the founder and CEO of American Apparel ("AA"), a clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer ... en.wikipedia.org

clipped from Google - 9/2008

Sexy marketing or sexual harassment? - Dateline NBC- msnbc.com
For American Apparel CEO Dov Charney, he's just building a new kind of company . Josh Mankiewicz reports on the allegations of sexual harassment and Web ... www.msnbc.msn.com

clipped from Google - 9/2008

Dov Charney: perv, genius, or perv-genius? - StyleList Blog
May 20, 2008 ... Dov Charney: perv, genius, or perv-genius? ... his name is Dov Charney -- and he was just named the fashion industry's Retailer of the Year. ... http://www.stylelist.com/

clipped from Google - 9/2008

Features : Radar Online : An American Apparel model's defense of ...
Mar 5, 2008 ... My problem is not with the models and whether or not they choose to have sex with Dov Charney (he aint that cute anyways though), ... www.radaronline.com
clipped from Google - 9/2008

Ryder Cup Single Pairings for Sunday 9/21/2008

Find out how you can play golf for FREE...

PLUS see how you can actually get paid to play golf!!

Ryder Cup 2008 Alert

Single Pairings for Sunday 9/21/2008

Here's a look at the 2008 Ryder Cup Sunday's singles pairings and tee times.

12:03 PM: Kim (USA) vs. Garcia (EUR)
12:14 PM: Mahan (USA) vs. Casey (EUR)
12:25 PM: Leonard (USA) vs. Karlsson (EUR)
12:36 PM: Mickelson (USA) vs. Rose (EUR)
12:47 PM: Perry (USA) vs. Stenson (EUR)
12:58 PM: Weekley (USA) vs. WIlson (EUR)
1:09 PM: Holmes (USA) vs. Hansen (EUR)
1:20 PM: Furyk (USA) vs. Jimenez (EUR)
1:31 PM: Cink (USA) vs. McDowell (EUR)
1:42 PM: Stricker (USA) vs. Poulter (EUR)
1:53 PM: Curtis (USA) vs. Westwood (EUR)
2:04 PM: Campbell vs. Harrington (EUR)






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This election has no need for this race card crap!!

This post is in response to Karen Tumulty, TIME's National Political Correspondent, web post and the comments posted about it.

Karen, your headline is a hoot, and kids, do you think people give a hoot about what you think this ad is saying? The message of this advertisement is clear, “Osama bin-Laden, I mean, Obama-Biden team, (I always mix up these names) does not have what it takes to lead this country!”. Period, end of explicit message, nothing more, nothing less. So all the ‘hootin and hollerin’ should be focused on this message, but nooooo. There’s also these moronic ‘trash bashing’ comments of an implicit message, an individual perspective based on personal thinking, for which I say…

Advertisements are intended to get people to think, and when people think, they think what they want to think, and the thinking on this ad illustrates the diversity of what people will think. But this ad is not doing the thinking, the people are doing the thinking, so the ad has served its purpose of making people think. So don’t think, you think, the ad is saying what you think, because ads don’t think, they say. People think, so quit thinking what you think is what everyone else is thinking, and want to hear what you think. So get over it and shut up about what it is you think, and save your thinking for the ballot box, it’s only a 30 second advertisement.

This election has no place for this race card crap. Only if this issue is explicitly reference should it be professional addressed. Even though it may be what many Americans are thinking, this post is NOT the place to announce the race card has been played by one of the players!!

September 18, 2008 9:45
McCain Plays the Race Card
Posted by Karen Tumulty Comments (200) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This

When politicians interject race into a campaign, they seldom do it directly.

Consider McCain's new ad, which the campaign says it will be airing nationally:

This is hardly subtle: Sinister images of two black men, followed by one of a vulnerable-looking elderly white woman.

Let me stipulate: Obama's Fannie Mae connections are completely fair game. But this ad doesn't even mention a far more significant tie--that of Jim Johnson, the former Fannie Mae chairman who had to resign as head of Obama's vice presidential search team after it was revealed he got a sweetheart deal on a mortgage from Countrywide Financial. Instead, it relies on a fleeting and tenuous reference in a Washington Post Style section story to suggest that Obama's principal economic adviser is former Fannie Mae Chairman Frank Raines. Why? One reason might be that Johnson is white; Raines is black.

And the image of the victim doesn't seem accidental either, given the fact that older white women are a key swing constituency in this election.

After the McCain campaign introduced the ad, the Obama campaign responded with this statement:

• Statement from Frank Raines on the ad: "I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters."

• "This is another flat-out lie from a dishonorable campaign that is increasingly incapable of telling the truth. Frank Raines has never advised Senator Obama about anything -- ever. And by the way, someone whose campaign manager and top advisor worked and lobbied for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shouldn't be throwing stones from his seven glass houses," said Obama-Biden campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

At Politico, Ben Smith reports:

• McCain spokesman Brian Rogers notes that Obama didn't contradict the claim when it first appeared in the Post.

But that's not really the point of the ad, is it?

UPDATE: The McCain campaign has now put out an ad on Jim Johnson. Please see my post above.

Check out the rest of the story here.

Financial Market Manipulation >What has this country become??

Being a real believer in capitalism and having a passion for the stock market, this is a sad day for the good old USA. Banning the short selling of stock by the SEC is an outrage, one that will be heard for a long time to come. I'm not sure many Americans understand what this action means, but let's just say it reeks of socialism.

But rather than listen to what one man thinks, below is a summary consisting of commentary from a few of the top free market capitalists. You decide what the truth is, and what's the official BS.

SEC: Ban All Short Selling
Here is tonite's theater of the absurd SEC headline:

SEC intends to temporarily ban short selling, but it's not clear if the commission has approved the move. Cox is briefing congressional leaders. Separately, the government is seeking congressional authority to buy distressed assets.

This is nothing short of a total panic by people who have no clue what they are doing. And to think, I mocked Russia for being a nation run by market commies.

This is the ultimate bailout attempt, which will have repercussions far far beyond our imaginations:
1) We suffer a loss of Market Integrity; The US is now a Banana Republic

2) Blatant market manipulation: this is nothing more than an attempt to force markets higher;

3) 60 days prior to a presidential election? This is a none-too-subtle attempt to influence the elections -- especially coming on top of the Fannie/Freddie bailout;

4) The coming pop will create a huge air pocket, ultimately leading to us crashing much lower;

5) Expect a huge increase in volatility -- upwards first, then down;

We Are A Nation of Morons, led by complete Idiots, making us complicit in our own self destruction.

Bloomberg:
Financial regulators in the U.S. and U.K., attorneys general in New York, Texas and Connecticut, and the three largest U.S. pension funds are cracking down on short sellers in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group Inc.

Hedge funds and investors who profit from share declines are being scrutinized after a crisis of confidence in the financial industry erased more than $3 trillion from stocks globally this week. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, the only remaining independent securities firms on Wall Street, suffered the worst-ever declines yesterday. Morgan Stanley's chief executive officer, John Mack, said short sellers may be spreading false information and using abusive tactics to attack companies.

"You have to enforce the rules with regards to short selling,'' said Mario Gabelli, who oversees about $28 billion as chairman and chief executive officer of Gamco Investors Inc. in Rye, New York. "Shorts were running amok.''

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it may require hedge funds to disclose short-sale positions and plans to subpoena their communications, while the Financial Services Authority in the U.K. banned short selling financial shares for the rest of the year.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began an investigation into whether bears illegally drove down stock prices of financial firms. The California Public Employees' Retirement System and the New York State Common Retirement Fund decided to stop lending shares for short sales, after a similar move by the California State Teachers' Retirement"

Marketwatch:
"Gathering anger over short selling of vulnerable financial stocks exploded into the open Thursday as top market regulators and industry giants took steps to limit the practice and begin investigation into possible abuses.Britain's stock market regulator on Thursday banned short selling in financial companies and said it might extend the ban to other sectors. The move followed the Securities and Exchange Commission's curbs on the practice that went into effect Thursday morning.

In other steps aimed squarely at the bearish practice, the country's largest pension fund, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, said it was taking steps to limit the practice on three financial stocks and the New York attorney general called for a wide-ranging investigation of the short selling of some prominent financial companies, including Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS).

The concerted reaction followed two days of sharp declines in global stock markets, triggered by mounting fears that the credit crunch would spin out of control and deepen the financial crisis. As stock declines have deepened, the role of short sellers has come under fire."

And then there is this from Tom Brown, long and wrong all the way down:

"The moves should help restrain the abusive short-selling practices lately rampant in the stock market," said analyst Thomas Brown of Bankstocks.com. "Short sellers can no longer deceive their brokers about their intention or ability to deliver shares."

Sources:

Short-Selling Crackdown Extends to New York, London

Michael TsangBloomberg,

Sept. 18 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQeq1yaXSHzQ&

Regulators, industry giants seek to curb short selling

Matt Andrejczak, MarketWatch,

5:48 p.m. EDT Sept. 18, 2008

http://tinyurl.com/banshorts-upyours
Thursday, September 18, 2008 07:50 PM

Consolidated source content from:
The Big Pucture
Thursday, September 18, 2008 07:50 PM
Link to from here

Is the US Ryder Cup team too deep (in do-do) with rookies?

My view on this subject is EP based...

With golf being a huge interest of mine, I will be totally dialed into the Ryder Cup action this weekend. From a PGA fan perspective, the team events, like the Ryder Cup, are unique. In regular PGA events, fans may have a favorite player they want to win, but ultimately it's the dramatic, down-to-the-wire, mono-on-mono, competitive action that provides the fan excitement, entertainment, and satisfaction.

For golf fans, a dramatic, great finish is what we desire, not necessarily who wins. Wanting to see this type of golf competition, to the fan, the second place finisher is also viewed as a winner, because they were part of this entertaining thrill (plus they earned half million dollars, or more).

But not with the Ryder Cup competition. No way, ho'se', banana. There is one winner and one loser, just like any other team event. Futhermore, to enhance this competitive team spirit, the event takes place every two years. Both players and fans don't want to endure a two year loser complex. Finally, there's patriotism, just like the Olympics. More than anything, I believe, patriotism is what inspires the players and infatuates the fans.

Can the US team win the Ryder Cup this year? There are two points to thinks about. First one is the greatest golfer that ever lived, Tiger Woods. As we all know, the Man is not playing due to his knee surgery. It's obvious this is a huge negative for the US team. Secondly is the high number of players on the team that are playing in their first Ryder Cup. But ya know, even so, they are still the studs of their profession. And the rookie pressure that's talked about, I feel the pressure will be more on the veterns like Mikkelson, Furyk, and Cink.

So as for my prediction on who will win... lets just say it's mostly patriotic....

Anthony Kim is one of six Ryder Cup rookies on the U.S. team.(How/Getty Images)

Ryder Cup rookies feel new pressure, bring new energy
By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent- PGATOUR.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- To paraphrase Bobby Jones, there are golfing nerves, there are major championship nerves and then there are Ryder Cup nerves, and they are not at all alike.

When the 37th Ryder Cup Matches begin on Friday at Valhalla Golf Club, no competitor for either the United States and for Europe will be immune from feeling pressure like no other in golf. But it's the rookies who will feel it the most, who will recognize the nervousness but won't be familiar with its intensity.

It's largely for this reason that newcomers to the Ryder Cup fray aren't expected to contribute tremendously to the fortunes of their teams. It is the man with experience and moxie who thrives, who can handle the heat, the headaches, the heartaches and the hectic, hair-on-fire schedule.

But while experience can be helpful, and being on form doesn't hurt either, these factors aren't necessarily indicators of success in the Ryder Cup.

"I think experience is overrated," said U.S. captain Paul Azinger, who went 3-1-0 in his debut in 1989 at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England. "My best Ryder Cup was my first Ryder Cup. I played great the whole week. I played. I didn't even play great in '93 at the Ryder Cup (as the reigning PGA champion). I played better than my record, but it was nothing special there."

It's no wonder then, that Azinger was not afraid to use three of his four captain's picks on first-time competitors -- J.B. Holmes, Steve Stricker (in photo, left) and Hunter Mahan. They join fellow rookies and automatic qualifiers Anthony Kim, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley on a U.S. team that features the most newcomers since eight Americans debuted for the 1979 team that went on to a 17-11 triumph.

Europe, which has won five of the last six meetings, counters with four rookies: Soren Hansen, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose and Oliver Wilson. Its highest population of rookies appeared on the 1999 team that dominated for two days before the Americans staged their historic rally from six points down at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

It's important to note that in the history of these matches that started in 1927, there have been 27 first-time American players who have gone undefeated who played at least two matches, including Larry Nelson, who posted a 5-0-0 mark in 1979. The Great Britain-Europe teams have four, led by Nick Faldo, who went 3-0-0 in his '77 debut.

Eighteen Americans have scored at least three points in their debut while Europe has had seven rookies score at least that many, including Sergio Garcia.

"I think the fact that we have six newcomers is a good thing," said Jim Furyk, who is playing for the U.S. for the sixth time. "I think Paul is actually very happy about that. He said it before, I heard him say it at his press conference, 'I don't know if experience is all that important because those guys have experience in losing.'"

"Here we are with a fresh team. To have players that are new that haven't felt the sting of defeat, it's a good thing," Stewart Cink added.

Phil Mickelson chimed in with similar sentiments, but he added that the selection process that was based on a one-year performance cycle initiated the growth of the rookie class. The younger guys played better in 2008.

"I think for the U.S. side, our new points system has helped get the players playing best this year because it's been a one year process," said Mickelson, who went 3-0-0 in the first of his six Ryder Cup appearances in 1995. "Just because some guys have not played in this particular event doesn't mean that they are not ready and equipped and have their games ready to play.

"Also, not being a part of the last few U.S. teams is not necessarily a bad thing," Lefty added. "So the guys who haven't played, they have never lost this event."

And two so-called rookies actually can hang their hats on contributing to a winning team. The fact is that two U.S. Ryder Cup rookies aren't pure rookies. They are new to the Ryder Cup, sure, but Stricker and Mahan competed for the victorious U.S. squad in last year's Presidents Cup, and they teamed up to twice win foursomes matches. Stricker also competed on the winning '96 Presidents Cup squad.

Nevertheless, to circle back to the beginning, nothing correlates to the Ryder Cup in terms of pressure, and Stricker, for one, seemed to understand that.

"The Presidents Cup team, I played on in '96 and then last year, and even the difference between those two years have been a great deal," Stricker said. "Some guys are telling me that it's getting closer to this event as far as impact, the type of crowds, the atmosphere and everything else.

"But they're telling me here, this is another level of anxiety, I guess, but to have fun with it," Stricker added. "That's the bottom line that they're telling us. You're going to be nervous; first tee is a tough one. But I always figured if you prepare well and you feel good about your game, all those things tend to be a little bit easier."

link to this story