To get around all the bad publicity that comes with big bonuses, Bank of America is considering giving its investment bankers raises in base pay of up to 70%.
More at Bloomberg News Service.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
BofA says, 'how's this for a hard up the whazoo'
Get this ...
To get around all the bad publicity that comes with big bonuses, Bank of America is considering giving its investment bankers raises in base pay of up to 70%.
To get around all the bad publicity that comes with big bonuses, Bank of America is considering giving its investment bankers raises in base pay of up to 70%.
Be careful the truth is coming out
Something else the repugicans don't want you to know:
"Of the roughly $11 trillion in federal debt accumulated to date, more than 90 percent can be attributed to the tenure of three presidents: Ronald Reagan, who used to complain constantly about runaway spending; George Herbert Walker Bush, reputed to be one of those old-fashioned green-eyeshade Republicans; and his spendthrift son George "Dubya" Bush, whose trillion-dollar war and irresponsible tax cuts accounted for nearly half the entire burden. Only Bill Clinton temporarily reversed the trend with surpluses and started to pay down the debt (by raising rates on the wealthiest taxpayers)."
More here
Wall Street has best month in over 6 years
The repugican spin on this ought to be interesting.
Hilarious, but interesting.
Hilarious, but interesting.
Good news from a tech giant and a British bank give the S&P 500 its best month since October 2002.
Wall Street has best month in over 6 years
Israel's Netanyahu vows to seek peace with Arabs
It would be a good thing ...
Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office as Israel's new leader Tuesday, promised to seek "full peace" with the Arab and Muslim world, but refused to utter the words the world was waiting to hear: "Palestinian state." The well-spoken, U.S.-educated hawk took pains to portray himself as a pragmatist, telling a packed parliament that Israel does not want to rule the Palestinians.
Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office as Israel's new leader Tuesday, promised to seek "full peace" with the Arab and Muslim world, but refused to utter the words the world was waiting to hear: "Palestinian state." The well-spoken, U.S.-educated hawk took pains to portray himself as a pragmatist, telling a packed parliament that Israel does not want to rule the Palestinians.
Read the rest here.
Biden in North Carolina
Vice President Joe Biden will be in North Carolina this week to discuss how federal stimulus money will help rural Americans.
The White House released a statement Monday that said Biden and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will "make a major announcement regarding rural housing funding" when they visit the state Wednesday.
Biden and Vilsack are scheduled to visit Goshen Medical Center in Faison. The clinic serves rural residents and will receive funding from the federal Recovery Act.
They also are scheduled to be in Pikeville to visit the local fire department, which also will receive stimulus funding to help build a new facility.
Long necked dinosaurs didn't reach for the sky
A handout image from the University of Portsmouth in 2008 shows an artist's impression.
A fondly-held belief about long-necked sauropods, the giant four-footed dinosaurs beloved of monster movies and children, is most probably untrue, a dino expert said on Wednesday.
At the zenith of the dinosaurs' reign, some sauropods evolved necks of extraordinary length -- more than nine metres (29.25 feet) in the case of the Mamenchisaurus, a titan of the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago.
Prevailing wisdom has it that these leviathans used their necks like giraffes today. They reached up high into the trees, munching leisurely on forest canopy that was out of reach for rival herbivores.
Not so, says a paper appearing in Biology Letters, a journal published by Britain's prestigious Royal Society.
Read the rest here.
Lead Standard
Proud to be the leader in the Lead Standard of blogs!
What with the 'Gold Standard' blogs about 500,000 blogs in front of Carolina Naturally it seems like being the premier "lead standard" blog is a good thing - don't you think?
What with the 'Gold Standard' blogs about 500,000 blogs in front of Carolina Naturally it seems like being the premier "lead standard" blog is a good thing - don't you think?
Lawyer Joke
Do you know the problem with lawyer jokes?
Lawyers don't think they're funny, and the rest of us don't think they're jokes!
Lawyers don't think they're funny, and the rest of us don't think they're jokes!
And I Quote
We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again - and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.
Liars and Fools
Liars and Fools:
The Faux Lies Edition
Who is crazier -- Faux's Brick vs. Fox's O'Really
Damn, that's a hard one!
Faux's Brick says Obama, Democrats are vampires "going after the blood of our businesses," suggests "driving a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers"
An unstable mind that has seen one too many bad "B" movies.
Faux's Handjob lies claiming Obama has proposed UK-style nationalized health care
Lies, lies, lies
Faux's Handjob and discredited guest hysterically hype terrorism threat from Mexico
Insanity breeds upon itself.
Faux's Handjob on auto bailout: "The administration is on a mission to hijack capitalism in favor of collectivism... The Bolsheviks have already arrived"
Actually they were ousted in the last election, and are crying about it.
Faux's Handjob lies that National Intelligence Director plans to "release ... enemy combatants on American soil"
He means Amerikkkan soil or in reality the skidmarks in his repugican underdrawers
Handjob propaganda asks if Obama budget is "a way for the government to completely control our lives"
Like the Handjob propaganda machine, huh?
Faux's Handjob repeats lie that 61 former Guantanamo prisoners have "gone back to the battlefield"
Hey, it's Handjob, what do expect?
Faux's Henneberg lies claiming "reconciliation was last used in 2001"
Another day, another lie.
After UPS pulls advertising from O'Really Factor, O'Really advises Big Brown to "wise up"
They already did, numb-nuts.
Faux's O'Really identifies 'the far left blogs' as his #1 enemy
Actually, there his betters.
After Spanish court begins proceedings against shrub/cabal officials over torture, Faux's O'Really says he's boycotting Spain
Oh, I think Spain is in trouble now! Not!
Faux analysts: Obama is manipulating the liberal press in a 'historic' way
One last time ... there is no such thing as the 'liberal press' ... lying about it does not make it so.
Damn, that's a hard one!
Faux's Brick says Obama, Democrats are vampires "going after the blood of our businesses," suggests "driving a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers"
An unstable mind that has seen one too many bad "B" movies.
Faux's Handjob lies claiming Obama has proposed UK-style nationalized health care
Lies, lies, lies
Faux's Handjob and discredited guest hysterically hype terrorism threat from Mexico
Insanity breeds upon itself.
Faux's Handjob on auto bailout: "The administration is on a mission to hijack capitalism in favor of collectivism... The Bolsheviks have already arrived"
Actually they were ousted in the last election, and are crying about it.
Faux's Handjob lies that National Intelligence Director plans to "release ... enemy combatants on American soil"
He means Amerikkkan soil or in reality the skidmarks in his repugican underdrawers
Handjob propaganda asks if Obama budget is "a way for the government to completely control our lives"
Like the Handjob propaganda machine, huh?
Faux's Handjob repeats lie that 61 former Guantanamo prisoners have "gone back to the battlefield"
Hey, it's Handjob, what do expect?
Faux's Henneberg lies claiming "reconciliation was last used in 2001"
Another day, another lie.
After UPS pulls advertising from O'Really Factor, O'Really advises Big Brown to "wise up"
They already did, numb-nuts.
Faux's O'Really identifies 'the far left blogs' as his #1 enemy
Actually, there his betters.
After Spanish court begins proceedings against shrub/cabal officials over torture, Faux's O'Really says he's boycotting Spain
Oh, I think Spain is in trouble now! Not!
Faux analysts: Obama is manipulating the liberal press in a 'historic' way
One last time ... there is no such thing as the 'liberal press' ... lying about it does not make it so.
Arrested Man Patted Down Four Times, Still Has Gun
A man arrested on a drug charge was able to "survive" four pat-downs, and still keep his gun, showing an alarming security hole, and perhaps a lack of training.
Bernie Madoff Earns a Trading Card Spot
Baseball cards yes, but scammer cards?
That's apparently the idea behind trading card company Topps' latest set of cards, scheduled for release this summer, called the "World's Biggest hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles."
That's apparently the idea behind trading card company Topps' latest set of cards, scheduled for release this summer, called the "World's Biggest hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles."
And I Quote
The Republicans released their budget counter-proposal this week.
It plans to address the deficit, global warming, healthcare, energy, massive tax cuts for the rich.
I'm not kidding.
Also, there are no numbers in this budget.
It's a budget plan without math.
You know, Obama should have saved that Special Olympics joke for these retards.
~ Bill Maher
It plans to address the deficit, global warming, healthcare, energy, massive tax cuts for the rich.
I'm not kidding.
Also, there are no numbers in this budget.
It's a budget plan without math.
You know, Obama should have saved that Special Olympics joke for these retards.
~ Bill Maher
Pre-Foreclosure Scams
One of the biggest scams out there today during these economic difficulties is the 'take over the payments on pre-foreclosure homes with no credit check and no money down'.
What they conveniently forget to mention is the upfront 'registration fee' (fully refundable of course should you not get the home of your choice through their service), of between $85 to $300 dollars - depending on how much work you want to do or have them do to find you a house.
While there may be legitimate 'pre-foreclosure' companies out there, the odds are they aren't many. But there are many non-legitimate ones out there.
One of the most viral of these non-legitimate ones, is Anchor Housing Financial. They spam Craig's List and other web lists mercilessly - so don't be fooled by them ... all they want is your credit card number and become extremely rude when you won't give it to them.
If you get a call on your phone from the toll free number 877-712-4464 that is Anchor Housing calling so I wouldn't answer it if I were you, unless you want to give them $199.00 for nothing, then by all means answer the phone.
The best way to get in on the deals of a lifetime on houses on the cheap is to get a listing from your local tax office of houses that can be had for back taxes. There is a fee (and it will vary due to locality) but you will get the listing. (Note: if you get a listing of these houses you need not do an extra title search to find out if there are any liens on the property you desire - there is ... and you have the lien amount in your hand on the list - pay it and the house is yours)
What they conveniently forget to mention is the upfront 'registration fee' (fully refundable of course should you not get the home of your choice through their service), of between $85 to $300 dollars - depending on how much work you want to do or have them do to find you a house.
While there may be legitimate 'pre-foreclosure' companies out there, the odds are they aren't many. But there are many non-legitimate ones out there.
One of the most viral of these non-legitimate ones, is Anchor Housing Financial. They spam Craig's List and other web lists mercilessly - so don't be fooled by them ... all they want is your credit card number and become extremely rude when you won't give it to them.
If you get a call on your phone from the toll free number 877-712-4464 that is Anchor Housing calling so I wouldn't answer it if I were you, unless you want to give them $199.00 for nothing, then by all means answer the phone.
The best way to get in on the deals of a lifetime on houses on the cheap is to get a listing from your local tax office of houses that can be had for back taxes. There is a fee (and it will vary due to locality) but you will get the listing. (Note: if you get a listing of these houses you need not do an extra title search to find out if there are any liens on the property you desire - there is ... and you have the lien amount in your hand on the list - pay it and the house is yours)
Pakistani Taliban threatens attack on White House
The commander of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy and said the group was planning a terrorist attack on the White House that would "amaze" the world.
Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S., said Monday's attack on the outskirts of the eastern city of Lahore was retaliation for U.S. missile strikes against militants.Video from Reuters:
'Halo effect' explains brightest patches of sky
Light bouncing off clouds and illuminating tiny particles in the atmosphere can brighten clear sky for miles – the finding could be bad news for climate models.
'Halo effect'
'Extinct' possum back from the dead
An Australian possum that was last year mistakenly declared extinct, actually survives in small pockets – it is, however, still endangered by the warming climate.
Early humans may have cared for disabled young
The part of the skull showing prematurely fused sutures: (A) The first segment is completely fused. (B) The second segment is fused, but still noticeable. (C) The lambdoid portion of the suture is completely open (Image: National Academy of Sciences, PNAS)
An ancient human skull shows signs of a disorder that might have caused mental retardation – and the child's age suggests it had been looked after for years.
Early humans may have cared for disabled young
Why Chimps Are Stronger Than Humans
The brutal attack last month by a pet chimpanzee on a Connecticut woman was a stark reminder that chimps are up to four times stronger than humans.
One reason, a new study suggests, is that we pay a price for our fine motor skills.
Read the rest at LiveScience.
Cypriot Temple 4000 years old
A triangular temple on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is thought to be a thousand years older than any other found there. The discovery, supposedly dating back 4,000 years, "confirms that religious worship in Cyprus began much earlier than previously believed," said researcher Maria Rosaria Belgiorno.
Other scientists are not sure its more than 2,000 years old, however.
Contrary to normal protocol in which scientists get their findings reviewed and published in journals, Belgiorno first gave the scoop to a weekly English language newspaper on the island.
Music's craziest hoaxes
Miley Cyrus, Phil Collins, and Paul McCartney are some of the stars who have been targets of bizarre rumors.The truth behind music's craziest hoaxes
Caffeine
Are you relying too much on that energy jolt to get you through the day?
Wean yourself with these simple steps.
6 ways to cut back on caffeine
Also Read: Problems from too much caffeine.
Stimulus cash for employees on the way
Most workers will soon find a bump in their paychecks as the president's tax credit kicks in.
Stimulus cash for employees on the way
Voters don't blame Obama for economy
Despite what the wing-nuts are howling, voters do not blame President Obama for the state of the economy.
President Obama benefits from a broadly held perception that others bear the bulk of responsibility for state of the U.S. economy, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today.
President Obama benefits from a broadly held perception that others bear the bulk of responsibility for state of the U.S. economy, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today.
Asked who was responsible for the economic meltdown, 80 percent in the poll blamed banks, financial institutions and corporations. Some 70 percent also blamed consumers for taking on too much debt and the former shrub cabal for lax regulation.
Bank pushing 120% APR loans
There is something fishy going on at a "large west coast bank, relatively well known including for some recent financial games with the Feds" -- tellers are pushing "direct deposit advances" that let you access deposited checks in real time for the low-low APR of :
Here is how one depositor describes it ...
Here is how one depositor describes it ...
This time, the nice lady at the counter asked me if I needed immediate access to the deposit? Huh? Said I. Looking at the payeee - "I think the check will clear..."Oh, it is not that, said she, it is just that some people need immediate access to their deposits, like same day, or tomorrow, and if you did we can expedite it.
Oh, that's nice, thought I, and said "no thanks, got enough balance to cover any outstanding transactions thanks, but been there..." so, I wandered off, and suddenly though - well was prompted by my better half to think - "expedited? at what price?"
So, I checked online - there is nothing about expedited access to deposits, rather a guarantee that deposits before 4pm are available same day... or next day. Unless: several reasons, none of which apply to me, nor, I sincerely hope, the payee.
But, there is "direct deposit advance". Interesting:
"The Finance Charge is a one-time transaction charge and is not dependent upon the length of time the advance is outstanding. The Finance Charge is $2.00 for every $20 that is advanced, which equates to an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 120%."
Unusual Celebrations and Holidays
The last day of March - March 31st to be exact - happens to be:
Bunsen Burner Day
and
National "She's Funny That Way" Day
(and she is, too!)
and
National "She's Funny That Way" Day
(and she is, too!)
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Krakow, Malopolskie, Poland
Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Kokkola, Western Finland, Finland
Toowoomba, British Columbia, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Perpignan, Languedoc-Rossillon, France
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
as well as Hong Kong and the United States
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Krakow, Malopolskie, Poland
Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Kokkola, Western Finland, Finland
Toowoomba, British Columbia, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Perpignan, Languedoc-Rossillon, France
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
as well as Hong Kong and the United States
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Sometimes your impressive intellectual strengths can be intimidating to lesser minds. But today, your brains will help you make good connections with and great impressions on people from all different walks of life. You are going to be exposing folks to an avalanche of new ideas, and they're going to get quite excited about the possibilities you are showing them. This level of power and influence feels new for you, but it is something you need to get used to.
I guess I'll just have to get used to it then.
Sometimes your impressive intellectual strengths can be intimidating to lesser minds. But today, your brains will help you make good connections with and great impressions on people from all different walks of life. You are going to be exposing folks to an avalanche of new ideas, and they're going to get quite excited about the possibilities you are showing them. This level of power and influence feels new for you, but it is something you need to get used to.
I guess I'll just have to get used to it then.
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