Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Eli Manning Signs 6-year, $97 million Deal, Now Makes More Than JaMarcus Russell
$ Eli Manning $: The Giants’ QB inked a 6-year, $97 million deal this morning according to Chris Mortensen. Eli’s guaranteed $35 million. According to these 2008 salary figures, Manning’s new deal will make him one of the five highest-paid players in the league. Very wise of Manning’s agent to get this done before the season. Why? His starting WRs this year are Steve Smith (the one from USC, not the star in Carolina) and Domenik Hixon. Combined, they have 109 career catches and three TDs. [Wes Welker of the Patriots had 111 catches last season.] Yes, they drafted Nicks and Barden, and 2nd-year pro Mario Manningham should be in the mix, but that is a motley crew with no experience. The defense will be fierce, but the offense could struggle, and we expect Manning to revert back to the much-criticized QB he was the year before New York won the Super Bowl.
Wells Fargo Sued For Racist Lending Practices
Actually, Wells Fargo has been getting sued quite a lot. First the NAACP, then Baltimore, and now Illinois.
The New York Times has some statements from former Wells Fargo employees, describing how the system works. Some of the details are jaw-dropping:
Wells Fargo, Ms. Jacobson said in an interview, saw the black community as fertile ground for subprime mortgages, as working-class blacks were hungry to be a part of the nation’s home-owning mania. Loan officers, she said, pushed customers who could have qualified for prime loans into subprime mortgages. Another loan officer stated in an affidavit filed last week that employees had referred to blacks as “mud people” and to subprime lending as “ghetto loans.”
“We just went right after them,” said Ms. Jacobson, who is white and said she was once the bank’s top-producing subprime loan officer nationally. “Wells Fargo mortgage had an emerging-markets unit that specifically targeted black churches, because it figured church leaders had a lot of influence and could convince congregants to take out subprime loans.” [...]
Mr. Paschal, who is black and worked as a loan officer in Wells Fargo’s office in Annandale, Va., from 1997 to 2007, offers a sort of primer on Wells Fargo’s subprime marketing strategy by race.
In 2001, he states in his affidavit, Wells Fargo created a unit in the mid-Atlantic region to push expensive refinancing loans on black customers, particularly those living in Baltimore, southeast Washington and Prince George’s County, Md. [...]
“They referred to subprime loans made in minority communities as ghetto loans and minority customers as ‘those people have bad credit’, ‘those people don’t pay their bills’ and ‘mud people,’ ” Mr. Paschal said in his affidavit. [...]
Both loan officers said the bank had given bonuses to loan officers who referred borrowers who should have qualified for a prime loan to the subprime division.
One example given: Loan officers would falsely claim that Black borrowers had declined to provide documentation of their income, which “flipped” the loan from prime to subprime.
As The Chicago Reporter Blog points out, Wells Fargo isn’t alone. Throughout the industry, Blacks get loans on worse terms than whites with lower earnings.
Wells Fargo is not the only lender giving high-cost loans more often to its highest-earning black customers. Nationwide, African Americans earning more than $300,000 were more likely to get high-cost loans than Asian, Latino and white borrowers earning less than $40,000, according to a Reporter analysis last November.
While income may not accurately reflect credit worthiness, fair lending advocates often point to the racial disparities between wealthy blacks and lower-income individuals of other races and ethnicities as red flags.
I hope these suits encourage a lot of other attorney generals to go rooting through records for evidence of lending racism.
* * *
One thing to keep in mind: It’s not like the lending market just suddenly turned racist now. It’s been like this all along; it’s just that sub-prime lending has made it especially evident.
The New York Times has some statements from former Wells Fargo employees, describing how the system works. Some of the details are jaw-dropping:
Wells Fargo, Ms. Jacobson said in an interview, saw the black community as fertile ground for subprime mortgages, as working-class blacks were hungry to be a part of the nation’s home-owning mania. Loan officers, she said, pushed customers who could have qualified for prime loans into subprime mortgages. Another loan officer stated in an affidavit filed last week that employees had referred to blacks as “mud people” and to subprime lending as “ghetto loans.”
“We just went right after them,” said Ms. Jacobson, who is white and said she was once the bank’s top-producing subprime loan officer nationally. “Wells Fargo mortgage had an emerging-markets unit that specifically targeted black churches, because it figured church leaders had a lot of influence and could convince congregants to take out subprime loans.” [...]
Mr. Paschal, who is black and worked as a loan officer in Wells Fargo’s office in Annandale, Va., from 1997 to 2007, offers a sort of primer on Wells Fargo’s subprime marketing strategy by race.
In 2001, he states in his affidavit, Wells Fargo created a unit in the mid-Atlantic region to push expensive refinancing loans on black customers, particularly those living in Baltimore, southeast Washington and Prince George’s County, Md. [...]
“They referred to subprime loans made in minority communities as ghetto loans and minority customers as ‘those people have bad credit’, ‘those people don’t pay their bills’ and ‘mud people,’ ” Mr. Paschal said in his affidavit. [...]
Both loan officers said the bank had given bonuses to loan officers who referred borrowers who should have qualified for a prime loan to the subprime division.
One example given: Loan officers would falsely claim that Black borrowers had declined to provide documentation of their income, which “flipped” the loan from prime to subprime.
As The Chicago Reporter Blog points out, Wells Fargo isn’t alone. Throughout the industry, Blacks get loans on worse terms than whites with lower earnings.
Wells Fargo is not the only lender giving high-cost loans more often to its highest-earning black customers. Nationwide, African Americans earning more than $300,000 were more likely to get high-cost loans than Asian, Latino and white borrowers earning less than $40,000, according to a Reporter analysis last November.
While income may not accurately reflect credit worthiness, fair lending advocates often point to the racial disparities between wealthy blacks and lower-income individuals of other races and ethnicities as red flags.
I hope these suits encourage a lot of other attorney generals to go rooting through records for evidence of lending racism.
* * *
One thing to keep in mind: It’s not like the lending market just suddenly turned racist now. It’s been like this all along; it’s just that sub-prime lending has made it especially evident.
Judge: 6 NC terrorism suspects to be held
— A federal judge in North Carolina has ordered six terrorism suspects detained until trial, saying each is a flight risk and a danger.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Webb said Wednesday that the defendants had contacts in foreign countries and had access to large amounts of money or were able to raise it.
A seventh suspect in the case requested a new interpreter and attorney, so a decision on his detention was delayed. An eighth suspect is still at large.
Prosecutors argued the men were a flight risk, noting their aspirations for jihad, past encounters with the law and plans to travel overseas. Defense attorneys had argued that they had ties to their communities and that at least some were not followers of lead suspect Daniel Boyd.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Attorneys for six of seven terrorist suspects argued in a North Carolina federal courtroom Wednesday that their clients should be released because they're not a flight risk or a danger.
Prosecutors highlighted ties between lead suspect Daniel Boyd and the other men, including his two sons, as well as past criminal activity and travel plans as reasons why they should be held.
"Daniel Boyd has proven himself, by the evidence presented, to be a dangerous individual," said prosecutor Jason Kellhofer from the Counterterrorism Section in the U.S. Justice Departments National Security Division.
His comments came on the second day of a detention hearing for the suspects, who are accused of plotting to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in an unspecified foreign country.
On Tuesday, federal authorities played audio tapes of a man they identified as Boyd saying "I love jihad" and talking about the struggle of Muslims, the honor of martyrdom and his disgust of the U.S. military.
They said they seized from Boyd's home and cars more than 27,400 rounds of ammunition, 26 weapons, gas masks, a handbook on how authorities respond to acts of terrorism and the text of a fatwa urging jihad against Americans. One agent testified that a trench was dug under Boyd's deck that a witness described as a place to hide weapons.
Defense attorneys on Wednesday stressed their clients' ties to their families and communities and said they weren't closely connected to Boyd. When Daniel Boyce, attorney for Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22, asked that Hassan's family members and supporters stand, about 30 to 40 people rose to their feet.
Attorney Robert J. McAfee, who represents Hysen Sherifi, 24, said his client had two reasons not to flee: His wife's pregnancy and his lack of ties to Boyd. "My client never accepted or manifested some sort of approval of Mr. Boyd's exortations," McAfee said.
Even the attorney for one of Boyd's sons, 22-year-old Dylan, tried to separate his client from the father.
"Dylan said he had complete faith and trust in his father, but he had a disobedience problem," said Joseph E. Zeszotarski Jr., adding that that disobedience meant Dylan didn't always support his father. He also said that Dylan Boyd's wife is pregnant.
Daniel Boyd's lawyers argued he's never been convicted of a violent crime.
Also charged in the case are another Boyd son, Zakariya Boyd, 20, and Ziyad Yaghi, 21.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Webb recessed court until later in the morning. He agreed to hold a hearing for Anes Subasic, 33, at a later date because he asked for a new attorney and interpreter.
An eighth man, Jude Kenan Mohammad, is still at large and authorities said Tuesday they last heard he was in Pakistan.
Iran 'cannot confirm' US arrests
Iran's Foreign Ministry says it can neither confirm or deny that three Americans have been arrested after crossing the border from Iraq.
On Tuesday, an official in the western border region said the three were being questioned for entering Iran illegally.
But Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said the reports of the arrests were still being investigated.
The Americans' families say they must have strayed over the poorly-marked border while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Tehran to return them as quickly as possible.
"There have been contradictory and vague reports on their arrest in Iran," Mr Qashqavi told Iranian state radio. "I cannot confirm or deny the arrests until further investigation."
On Tuesday, Iraj Hassanzadeh, the deputy governor of Iran's Kurdistan province, told Iranian news agencies that three Americans were arrested on the Malakh-Khor border, near the town of Marivan.
"We don't know whether they are tourists or not. We are questioning them," he said.
The Americans were named by relatives as Shane Bauer, a Middle East-based freelance journalist from Minnesota, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, and Joshua Fattal from Pennsylvania, whose father is Iraqi.
On Tuesday, an official in the western border region said the three were being questioned for entering Iran illegally.
But Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said the reports of the arrests were still being investigated.
The Americans' families say they must have strayed over the poorly-marked border while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Tehran to return them as quickly as possible.
"There have been contradictory and vague reports on their arrest in Iran," Mr Qashqavi told Iranian state radio. "I cannot confirm or deny the arrests until further investigation."
On Tuesday, Iraj Hassanzadeh, the deputy governor of Iran's Kurdistan province, told Iranian news agencies that three Americans were arrested on the Malakh-Khor border, near the town of Marivan.
"We don't know whether they are tourists or not. We are questioning them," he said.
The Americans were named by relatives as Shane Bauer, a Middle East-based freelance journalist from Minnesota, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, and Joshua Fattal from Pennsylvania, whose father is Iraqi.
Federal Probe of Texas Dragging Death Demanded
PARIS, Texas (FinalCall.com) - In a time when many Americans are caught up in the euphoria of a so-called post-racial era, a crowd of Black and White protesters angrily squared off during a rally here over the dragging death of Brandon McClelland.
With the book now closed on local legal action, the family and supporters are gathering signatures on a petition to call on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to intervene immediately and initiate a federal probe into the case.
“President Obama, you tell your Attorney General Eric Holder to get down here to Paris, Texas, and give these White boys some Texas justice,” yelled Hashim Nzinga of the New Black Panther Party. “Prosecute these White beasts.”
The demonstration headed by members of the New Black Panther Party and local Paris activists was countered by White skinhead Nazis waving flags and reportedly a few KKK members sprinkled amongst the crowd but not in traditional white sheet attire.
“Let them vent what they want to vent. They will never be happy. They still going to be Black, they still going to be poor and on welfare,” said KKK member Rocky Banks.
“We are peaceful people but if we are provoked then we have to handle our business,” said James Blackwell of the Tarrant County Local Organizing Committee. “But we have to stay focused on what we came to do and not worry about that trash over there.”
The KKK members did not live up to pre-media hype that had law enforcement on high alert but the scene July 21 was reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s as a few of the White skinheads yelled, “Go back to Africa” at the Black crowd. And some young Blacks encouraged them to cross the sheriff department's human barrier for a fight.
The attempt by Lamar County law enforcement to establish “protest zones” was thwarted when each side decided to meet head on in dividing streets. Their heated confrontation drew a helicopter and approximately 40 state police in full riot gear.
Paris resident and Neo Nazi member Antony Somers said, “Leave! Leave our town alone. Just get the hell out of here and leave us alone.”
The Blacks, numbering nearly 200, called for a “street trial” with the protest held the same day originally for the trial of Shannon Finley, who had been charged in connection with the death. He was released along with Charles Crostley in June after special prosecutor Toby Shook dismissed the charges for what he called “lack of strong evidence.” The trial was to take place in Sulphur Springs, 40 miles outside of Paris.
“A trial was supposed to take place today but since they did not do it, we have taken the trial to the streets,” said Deric Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. “We declare Shannon Finley and Charles Crostley guilty. We declare Toby Shook guilty.”
The two White males were initially charged with the murder of Mr. McClelland who was dismembered after being dragged over 70 feet down a Lamar County road. His body was discovered on the morning of Sept. 16.
“Lack of evidence? When we went out to the scene there were still pieces of Brandon's skin and skull on the side of the road,” said a cousin of the victim. “They murdered him.”
“Black Power!” “White Power!” shouted the two opposing groups back and forth. No punches were exchanged and Mr. Somers was arrested for reported disorderly conduct.
“I am happy to see people still coming out to support,” Jacqueline McClelland, mother of Brandon McClelland, told The Final Call. “This will only get worse. I want justice for my son. I am going to continue to fight this until the end.”
“This is a serious cover up,” Krystal Muhammad of New Black Panther Party told The Final Call. “We can't let them get away with this.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this article)
With the book now closed on local legal action, the family and supporters are gathering signatures on a petition to call on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to intervene immediately and initiate a federal probe into the case.
“President Obama, you tell your Attorney General Eric Holder to get down here to Paris, Texas, and give these White boys some Texas justice,” yelled Hashim Nzinga of the New Black Panther Party. “Prosecute these White beasts.”
The demonstration headed by members of the New Black Panther Party and local Paris activists was countered by White skinhead Nazis waving flags and reportedly a few KKK members sprinkled amongst the crowd but not in traditional white sheet attire.
“Let them vent what they want to vent. They will never be happy. They still going to be Black, they still going to be poor and on welfare,” said KKK member Rocky Banks.
“We are peaceful people but if we are provoked then we have to handle our business,” said James Blackwell of the Tarrant County Local Organizing Committee. “But we have to stay focused on what we came to do and not worry about that trash over there.”
The KKK members did not live up to pre-media hype that had law enforcement on high alert but the scene July 21 was reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s as a few of the White skinheads yelled, “Go back to Africa” at the Black crowd. And some young Blacks encouraged them to cross the sheriff department's human barrier for a fight.
The attempt by Lamar County law enforcement to establish “protest zones” was thwarted when each side decided to meet head on in dividing streets. Their heated confrontation drew a helicopter and approximately 40 state police in full riot gear.
Paris resident and Neo Nazi member Antony Somers said, “Leave! Leave our town alone. Just get the hell out of here and leave us alone.”
The Blacks, numbering nearly 200, called for a “street trial” with the protest held the same day originally for the trial of Shannon Finley, who had been charged in connection with the death. He was released along with Charles Crostley in June after special prosecutor Toby Shook dismissed the charges for what he called “lack of strong evidence.” The trial was to take place in Sulphur Springs, 40 miles outside of Paris.
“A trial was supposed to take place today but since they did not do it, we have taken the trial to the streets,” said Deric Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. “We declare Shannon Finley and Charles Crostley guilty. We declare Toby Shook guilty.”
The two White males were initially charged with the murder of Mr. McClelland who was dismembered after being dragged over 70 feet down a Lamar County road. His body was discovered on the morning of Sept. 16.
“Lack of evidence? When we went out to the scene there were still pieces of Brandon's skin and skull on the side of the road,” said a cousin of the victim. “They murdered him.”
“Black Power!” “White Power!” shouted the two opposing groups back and forth. No punches were exchanged and Mr. Somers was arrested for reported disorderly conduct.
“I am happy to see people still coming out to support,” Jacqueline McClelland, mother of Brandon McClelland, told The Final Call. “This will only get worse. I want justice for my son. I am going to continue to fight this until the end.”
“This is a serious cover up,” Krystal Muhammad of New Black Panther Party told The Final Call. “We can't let them get away with this.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this article)
No Smiles Here - Obama Jokers Plaster L.A.
Grab your umbrellas because it's raining stupidity nowadays.
Some supposed "artist" is going around LA plastering posters of the first black prez made to look like Heath Ledger's Joker in the "The Dark Knight." Not only that, but the word "socialism" is prominently situated under the image.
The unknown person or persons created the poster by combining the cover photo of President Obama from the October 2006 issue of Time Magazine, with the face makeup from the Joker.
With only about 200 days into his term, President Obama has been called everything including racist, un-American, illegitimate, and socialist amongst other things. ...
While Americans have been suffering lately through the nuts proclaiming his supposedly questionable citizenry, the detraction with the most legs has been and continues to be the claims of the President's socialist agenda. If he wasn't born in the United States, then he's obviously a racist. And if he's not a racist, then President Obama is obviously a socialist joker.
Over the last several months, it's sad to say, but I'm really beginning to question the gullible nature of some American people.
ADP report shows that 371,000 jobs were lost last month
What do we expect in Friday's job report? A preview of what it may contain was published by separate data collection companies. Automatic Data Processing and Macroeconomic Advisors published their findings today. Their estimate is that 371,000 jobs were lost in the latest month, up from the previously estimated 350,000.
This clearly is bad news for workers who now are faced with unemployment and the prospects of losing everything they have worked for. This added to the already large unemployment numbers will create more hardship and take buying power out of the economy.
This number is more unsettling because it was higher than previous estimates. Still more disturbing is that the government stimulus program is not making a dent in the unemployment situation.
These numbers led lower stock prices on the open and lower bond prices. The 10-year note fell 14/32 to yield 3.74% and the 30-year bond fell 12/32 to yield 4.53%.
Do you believe that the government should do more to help stimulate the economy?
This clearly is bad news for workers who now are faced with unemployment and the prospects of losing everything they have worked for. This added to the already large unemployment numbers will create more hardship and take buying power out of the economy.
This number is more unsettling because it was higher than previous estimates. Still more disturbing is that the government stimulus program is not making a dent in the unemployment situation.
These numbers led lower stock prices on the open and lower bond prices. The 10-year note fell 14/32 to yield 3.74% and the 30-year bond fell 12/32 to yield 4.53%.
Do you believe that the government should do more to help stimulate the economy?
Obama says Indiana 'factories coming back to life'
Trumpeting a "made in America" message, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a national investment in electric cars as the latest effort to rebuild an economy that keeps shedding jobs.
"We don't give up," Obama told employees on the steamy factory floor of Monaco RV in northern Indiana, a region suffering from one of the worst unemployment surges in the nation.
Obama's comments amounted to part pep talk, part defense of his economic agenda. In the heart of small-community America, he relied heavily on a pro-American spirit in his remarks.
"I'm committed to a strategy that ensures that America leads," said Obama, promoting a $2.4 billion program of grants to build up electric-car manufacturing, from batteries to motors.
He spoke near the border region of Michigan and Indiana, the two states that will benefit the most from the grants. It is part of a $787 billion stimulus program approved by Congress at Obama's urging — one he defended Wednesday amid criticism the plan has been slow to kick in.
Obama said Indiana's factories "are coming back to life," earning robust cheers.
For his backdrop, he chose Monaco RV, purchased in June by Navistar International Corp. after its previous owner went bankrupt because of the collapse in the recreational vehicle industry. Indiana's Elkhart-Goshen area had an unemployment rate of 16.8 percent in June. That's up 10 percentage points from last year.
"We don't give up," Obama told employees on the steamy factory floor of Monaco RV in northern Indiana, a region suffering from one of the worst unemployment surges in the nation.
Obama's comments amounted to part pep talk, part defense of his economic agenda. In the heart of small-community America, he relied heavily on a pro-American spirit in his remarks.
"I'm committed to a strategy that ensures that America leads," said Obama, promoting a $2.4 billion program of grants to build up electric-car manufacturing, from batteries to motors.
He spoke near the border region of Michigan and Indiana, the two states that will benefit the most from the grants. It is part of a $787 billion stimulus program approved by Congress at Obama's urging — one he defended Wednesday amid criticism the plan has been slow to kick in.
Obama said Indiana's factories "are coming back to life," earning robust cheers.
For his backdrop, he chose Monaco RV, purchased in June by Navistar International Corp. after its previous owner went bankrupt because of the collapse in the recreational vehicle industry. Indiana's Elkhart-Goshen area had an unemployment rate of 16.8 percent in June. That's up 10 percentage points from last year.
Rihanna Wants Chris Brown Restraining Order Lifted
Amid repeated reports that she and Chris Brown are sneaking around together, Rihanna says there is no need to keep her ex half a football field away.
Brown, who will be sentenced today after pleading guilty to assauling the "Umbrella" singer in February, is under court order not to communicate with her at all.
Moreover, he is not to come within 50 yards of her – and 10 yards if they're both at the same event. Rumors suggest the two have hooked up in NYC recently.
"If asked, we will tell the court that all that's necessary is a level-one order: That Brown not annoy, molest or harass her," Rihanna's lawyer Donald Etra said.
"No stay-away order was ever requested by Rihanna."
Could this legally clear the way for the reconciliation some believe has already begun in secret? It will be up to judge Patricia Schnegg to decide that issue.
At the last hearing, Schnegg said she'd consider Rihanna's request for a less-restrictive order against Chris Brown, which could allow the pair to be together.
Will Rihanna and Chris Brown soon be together as a couple? [Photos: Fame]
Etra wouldn't comment on whether the singers are still romantically involved. Rihanna will not be attending the hearing. Brown is required to be there.
After pleading guilty to felony assault, Brown is expected to be sentenced to five years probation and 180 days of community labor to be served in Virginia. He will also complete a year of domestic violence classes, and pay fines.
In exchange for the plea, he will avoid serving any time behind bars, and a second felony charge of making criminal threats is expected to be dropped.
Last month, Brown publicly apologized for the incident for the first time, saying, "I have told Rihanna countless times, and I am telling you today, that I am truly sorry and that I wasn't able to handle the situation differently and better."
Warren Buffett Makes $1 Billion Profit on Electric Car Maker BYD, Decides to Invests More
In Less Than a Year
Last fall, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought a 10% stake in Chinese electric car maker BYD last fall (and is reported to have wanted more than 10%), and despite the huge slowdown of the world economy since then and the big slump in car sales, BYD's share has increased about fivefold in value at the Hong Kong stock exchange. This gives Mr. Buffett a cool $1 billion in paper profits (it's a "paper profit" because he hasn't sold his stake). But that's not all, Buffett is now putting more cash in BYD.
Buffett Buys 225 Million New Shares
According to Bloomberg: "Berkshire’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. unit agreed to buy 225 million new shares of BYD for HK$8 apiece. That stock now has a market value of HK$9.66 billion ($1.25 billion), based on today’s closing price. Buffett will pay HK$1.8 billion."
Will this new investment (and show of confidence) help BYD stay on track for the sale of the F3 DM plug-in hybrid in North-America? Or will we see more delays (it was originally supposed to come to the US in 2010, but the target date is now 2011)? Let's hope so.
Even if BYD's cars don't make it over, its battery technology - which in many ways seems more advanced and environmentally friendly than others - could help accelerate the switch to EVs. A partnership with VW and a possible partnership with Ford could be a faster path to getting BYD's technology on the road in Europe and in the US.
Toyota's new president plans to fast-track new sports car
Fans of Toyota's sporting history have often lamented the current lineup of perfectly competent yet decidedly boring offerings, calling them 'appliances'. The days of the Supra, Celica and MR-2 may yet return, however, with new president Akio Toyoda at the helm.
Speaking today at the 2009 Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Conference, Toyoda said, "My hope is that I can transfer some enthusiasm from the race track to our vehicles and make driving fun for our customers around the world.
"And to that point, I am happy to announce this morning that Toyota plans to build an exciting...fun-to-drive...affordable sports car and launch it within the next few years.
"I am very excited about it...and I plan to fast-track it."
That could mean a debut of the new car as early as 2011 or 2012, which would put the vehicle right on schedule for the 086A joint project currently being developed with Subaru.
That car is expected to be a RWD sports coupe powered by a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine rated in the neighborhood of 200hp. Some reports have the car being sold in the U.S. as a Scion, which would help mate the car with Toyoda's statements about affordability and excitement.
Whatever the car ends up being, or looking like, it's exciting to see such enthusiasm for driving, racing and cars in general at the head of Toyota. Let the talk of a Supra revival - hybrid or not - begin!
Broward sheriff's deputy arrested on sex-abuse charges
rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com
In a series of events that Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti called ``an abuse of power'' and ``a tarnish to the badge,'' law enforcement agents arrested one of their own Monday and accused him of sexually assaulting victims -- while in his uniform, in marked vehicles and on the job.
Jonathan Bleiweiss, 29, of Fort Lauderdale, who in March was honored as employee of the year for the Broward Sheriff's Office's Oakland Park District, was booked at 11 a.m. on 14 charges, including sexual battery, false imprisonment and stalking in connection with abusing one of the victims, a 30-year-old male. Bleiweiss was held without bail Monday.
Investigators said Monday they were preparing to file charges involving seven more male victims, and said there might be even more. The alleged victims range in age from 17 to 30, but all have something in common: They are undocumented immigrants, mostly from El Salvador and Mexico, who speak little English.
``I can't think of a worse betrayal of public trust,'' Lamberti told reporters Monday evening, adding: ``The fact is, he preyed on one of our most vulnerable communities.''
The investigation began in April, when an attorney contacted the Fort Lauderdale Police Department to say two of his clients claimed to have been assaulted by Bleiweiss. BSO's sex crimes unit took over the investigation.
Lamberti said they gave Bleiweiss ``the benefit of the doubt'' until they fully substantiated the allegations in July, which is when he was placed on restricted administrative duty. He is now suspended without pay.
Detectives said Bleiweiss used his authority to manipulate recent immigrants who feared the police. About 6 a.m. April 23, investigators said, Bleiweiss approached a 30-year-old man who was waiting for a ride to work outside the man's apartment complex.
The man told BSO that he was then frisked and fondled, with Bleiweiss sticking his hand inside his underwear. He said Bleiweiss demanded his cellphone number, then continuously called and sent him text messages.
According to the arrest warrant, Bleiweiss is accused of performing oral sex on the man on at least four occasions between that day and June 7. He ordered the man to comply or risk deportation, said BSO Detective Graciela Benito.
She said that when BSO investigators interviewed residents at the apartment complex, they discovered a similar pattern: On multiple occasions, she said, Bleiweiss stopped a victim, demanded an ID, then sexually abused them when he determined they were undocumented.
Bleiweiss, a graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, came to BSO in 2002 after serving almost two years with the St. Petersburg Police Department.
The only consistent criticism in his BSO personnel records concerned his penmanship. However, in March he was suspended for one day after improperly reporting an illness, according to an internal affairs report.
His base pay in 2008 was $61,098 a year.
In his 2008 nomination letter for the Oakland Park District's employee of the year, Sgt. Kelvin Phillips championed Bleiweiss as a deputy who projects ``a constant and present reminder of the Broward Sheriff's Office determination to serve the community.''
In March, Bleiweiss was featured in a glowing article in The South Florida Blade as a pioneering openly gay police officer.
Lamberti emphasized that immigrants should not be afraid to report crime, regardless of their status. He encouraged anyone else Bleiweiss may have abused to call Benito at 954-321-4249.
Miami Herald staff writer Amy Sherman contributed to this regardless
Billions of Dollars Lost in US Postal Service… Blood in Mail
The United States Postal Service is out with its quarterly filing of earnings, and it is not pretty. In fact it is uglier than a head on collision. The quarterly report dated today shows a loss of $2.382 billion. That compares to last year’s same quarter loss of $1.105 billion. Revenues were $16.339 billion versus a year ago revenues of $17.91 billion. Here is the sad case, this is going to essentially need another tax hike equivalent via another postal rate hike.
For the USPS to make money based solely upon the exact percentage of losses on revenues to get to a break even number, the postal rates need to increase by just over 14.5% on whatever the median postal rate comes to. Sadly, this would have been even a wider loss if gasoline prices were the same as a year ago.
The loss for the 9-month period ending June 30, 2009 now stands at $4.664 billion. The USPS said that a significant portion of the loss in the current year is attributed to “an unprecedented decline in mail volume, which fell by 20 billion pieces…” resulting in a $4,823 million or 8.4% decrease in revenue.
There is a further warning ahead. The USPS says that continued downward pressure on mail volume is expected throughout the current fiscal year and even with substantial cost reductions the 2009 net loss is projected to be in excess of $7 billion.
As far as 2010, the USPS said that mail volume could decline another 10-15 billion pieces and the net loss is expected “to be on the same order of magnitude as the projected net loss in 2009.” That is despite a broad range of actions by the USPS to cut costs in response to lower mail volume.
The obligations for the USPS only merit more pain and losses. It has an obligation to pay $5.4 billion into the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefit Fund by September 30, 2009. The USPS says that it does not expect to generate sufficient cash flow from operations in the last quarter of 2009 to fully fund this obligation. And to pour salt on the wound, the USPS also disclosed that it is required to pay approximately $1.1 billion to the Department of Labor for Workers’ Compensation by October 15, 2009. It can fund some of this through debt, but that is limited by caps.
In short, you better go ahead and brace for postal rate increases. Hopefully the government doesn’t go back to considering ways to tax email to fill the gap. That was a big argument back in the 1990’s.
JON C. OGG
For the USPS to make money based solely upon the exact percentage of losses on revenues to get to a break even number, the postal rates need to increase by just over 14.5% on whatever the median postal rate comes to. Sadly, this would have been even a wider loss if gasoline prices were the same as a year ago.
The loss for the 9-month period ending June 30, 2009 now stands at $4.664 billion. The USPS said that a significant portion of the loss in the current year is attributed to “an unprecedented decline in mail volume, which fell by 20 billion pieces…” resulting in a $4,823 million or 8.4% decrease in revenue.
There is a further warning ahead. The USPS says that continued downward pressure on mail volume is expected throughout the current fiscal year and even with substantial cost reductions the 2009 net loss is projected to be in excess of $7 billion.
As far as 2010, the USPS said that mail volume could decline another 10-15 billion pieces and the net loss is expected “to be on the same order of magnitude as the projected net loss in 2009.” That is despite a broad range of actions by the USPS to cut costs in response to lower mail volume.
The obligations for the USPS only merit more pain and losses. It has an obligation to pay $5.4 billion into the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefit Fund by September 30, 2009. The USPS says that it does not expect to generate sufficient cash flow from operations in the last quarter of 2009 to fully fund this obligation. And to pour salt on the wound, the USPS also disclosed that it is required to pay approximately $1.1 billion to the Department of Labor for Workers’ Compensation by October 15, 2009. It can fund some of this through debt, but that is limited by caps.
In short, you better go ahead and brace for postal rate increases. Hopefully the government doesn’t go back to considering ways to tax email to fill the gap. That was a big argument back in the 1990’s.
JON C. OGG
FDA Says Arthritis Drugs Raise Cancer Risk in Children
Boston (DbTechNo) - According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certain rheumatoid arthritis drugs taken by children may raise their risk of developing cancer.
For those of you who think that arthritis only effects the elderly, think again as millions of young people are also living with the condition.
Drugs to treat arthritis are from a class of drugs called TNF blockers, and the FDA is demanding tougher warnings on the labels of these drugs.
They cited results from 48 previously performed studies dealing with children with arthritis taking these TNF blockers.
Results showed that in the children taking the drugs, their risk of developing cancer was much greater than those not taking the drugs.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease classified as an autoimmune disease, in which the body’s own immune system attacks the body resulting in inflamed and very painful joints.
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Guard troops may be needed in troubled Ala. county - Yahoo! News
Guard troops may be needed in troubled Ala. county - Yahoo! News: "BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The sheriff in Alabama's most populous county may call for the National Guard to help maintain order, a spokesman said Tuesday, after a judge cleared the way for cuts in the sheriff's budget and hopes dimmed for a quick end to a budget crisis.
Circuit Judge Joseph L. Boohaker ruled that leaders in Jefferson County — now trying to head off a municipal bankruptcy filing of historic proportions — could go ahead with plans to slash $4.1 million from the budget of Sheriff Mike Hale, who had filed a lawsuit that temporarily blocked spending cuts for his office."
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And so the idea of having to defend your own home may be coming back into fashion.
Circuit Judge Joseph L. Boohaker ruled that leaders in Jefferson County — now trying to head off a municipal bankruptcy filing of historic proportions — could go ahead with plans to slash $4.1 million from the budget of Sheriff Mike Hale, who had filed a lawsuit that temporarily blocked spending cuts for his office."
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And so the idea of having to defend your own home may be coming back into fashion.
LA Fitness shooting in Bridgeville Pennsylvania leaves at least five people dead
At least five people are dead after a man opened fire on a women’s fitness class at the L.A. Fitness Center in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania Tuesday evening.
Reports are sketchy, however local media reports the unnamed man entered the center around 8:15pm carrying a duffle bag. Witnesses then say that around 10-15 shots were heard from within the center. It’s believed that as many as 16 people were shot at the scene.
Eleven people have been rushed to hospital, but it’s not known if any have since died. The gunman is believed to be among the dead at the scene.
Police have made no official statement on the shooting at the time of writing and are keeping reporters away from the scene. More when we have it.
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