8am: Flags to be flown half-staff  Wednesday

LANSING – Governor Granholm ordered United States flags throughout the state of Michigan and on Michigan waters lowered for one day Wednesday in honor of Army Specialist Brandon K. Steffey of Sault Ste Marie who died in Laghman province, Afghanistan, while on active duty supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Flags should be returned to full-staff Thursday, November 5.
Spc. Steffey, age 23, died October 25 of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 178th Military Police Detachment, 89th Military Police Brigade, 111 Corps, Fort Hood, Texas.
Funeral services will be held 4 p.m.Wednesday, November 4, at Sault Area High School.
Spc. Steffey was serving his second tour of duty, having first served in Iraq. He became a dog handler during his tour in Afghanistan. His dog Maci was trained to find militants who build, place and detonate IEDs. Spc. Steffey saw Maci as a fellow soldier and his best friend. They were inseparable.
When flown at half-staff or half-mast, the United States flag should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff or half-mast position. The flag should again be raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.

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 WELCOME TO CEDAR CREEK VOICE.

   Email address: http://cedarcreekvoice.wordpress.com

Cedar Creek Voice is a weekly news magazine and opinion blog dedicated to the citizens of Cedar Creek Township, as well as greater Wexford County, Michigan.

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WEXFORD  COUNTY,  MICHIGAN:

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Want to leave a comment?  Click on “Make Comment” at the beginning of each Post.

Want to send in a letter?  Email it to cedarcreekvoice@yahoo.com.

Updates are usually done every week.

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    H A P P Y     H A L L O W E E N !

witches familiar Avalonian Gir… flickr.com Black Cats Folklore - Witches - Beliefs About Black Cats Witches’ Familiars and Other Longtime  Superstition About Black Cats By Franny Syufy, About.com   Black cats have played a major role for centuries in folklore, superstition, and mythology. Black cats in the middle ages were believed to be witches’ familiars, and some people even believed them to be witches incarnate. Many of these old superstitions about black cats exist to this day.Explore the mythology and lore about black cats, witches, and other beliefs that carry on in the 21st century, especially around Halloween. Black Cats and Luck Depending on one’s area of the world (and the century one lived in), black cats portend either good or bad luck. Here are some examples, a couple of them quite involved, with some tongue-in-cheek asides. In Asia and the U.K., a black cat is considered lucky. In Yorkshire, England, it may be lucky to own a black cat, but it is unlucky have one cross your path. To dream of a black cat is lucky. On the other paw, seeing a black cat in your dream indicates that you are experiencing some fear in using your psychic abilities and believing in your intuition. I wonder who makes up these things? A funeral procession meeting up with a black cat is believed to forecast the death of another family member. In 16th century Italy, people believed that if someone was sick he would die if a black cat lay on his bed. In North America, it’s considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In the U.K., switch the colors, I guess unless you live in Yorkshire. Finding a white hair on a black cat brings good luck. Don’t pluck it though, or your luck may turn bad. A strange black cat on a porch brings prosperity to the owner. (Scottish Lore) A black cat seen from behind portends a bad omen. (And a black cat seen from the front is a GOOD omen?) Ahhh…an explanation here: If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it. If a black cat crosses your path while you’re driving, turn your hat around backwards and mark an X on your windshield to prevent bad luck. Oh my, what if you aren’t wearing a hat? Or you’re not carrying a felt-tip pen or lipstick? Please, don’t try this one at home! Black Cats and Witches Black cats have long been associated with witches and witchcraft to the extent that during October, the Month of Halloween, black cats and witches are favorite icons used for costumes, home decor, and party themes. This trend is so embedded in modern society that we’ve forgotten that the modern holiday we celebrate as Halloween has ancient beginnings as well as names: Samhain The religious year of Pagans starts and ends with Samhain, which is also the beginning of the Celtic new year,” according to Patti Wigington, Pagan/Wiccan Guide. Samhaim is also a time for honoring ancestors who came before, Patti explains. All Hallows’ Eve Catholics celebrate the first of November as The Solemnity of All Saints. October 31st is thereby designated as All Hallows’ Eve (since the Saints celebrated on November 1st are considered hallowed. Despite these religious beginnings of Halloween, old beliefs about black cats and witches still play a large part in this holiday. Black Cats as Witches’ Familiars It was largely in the Middle Ages that the black cat became affiliated with evil. Because cats are nocturnal and roam at night, they were believed to be supernatural servants of witches, or even witches themselves, according to Glenda Moore. Folklore has it that if a witch becomes human, her black cat will no longer reside in her house. Some believe that black cats are witches in disguise, or witches reborn. Others believe black cats are witches familiars (beings that aid witches in performing their craft). Not all familiars were black cats though; some were cats of other colors, dogs, pigs, or other animals. For several centuries “witches” were rounded up, tried, and killed by burning or other violent methods; often their familiars were killed along with them.

BlackCats cal jpg 324 x 324 | 80k thecatconnection.com

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      H A P P Y     V E T E R A N S    D A Y !

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ATTENTION:

For those of you who have tried to get to TRAVERSE CITY from points south & east, like the  CADILLAC area,  but were surprised when you got to the Manistee River bridge on U.S. 131 and found it was closed due to construction:    Like many people, you may have noticed there were no signs anywhere near the bridge offering an alternate route or pointing the way toward a detour.   Actually we found one sign between Cadillac and Traverse City that tells you not to use M-113, but rather to take M-115 West (to Mesick), then turn right  onto  M-37 North, which will take you across the Manistee and  all the way into Traverse City.   We did find shorter alternate routes, but they were complicated.   This route is longer, but direct.  Hope this helps!

Editor -

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  HAPPY  NOVEMBER  BIRTHDAYS

NOVEMBER 5 …..Remembering CHARLES RAMSEY.

NOVEMBER 13 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHERRIE FUSCONE!

NOVEMBER 14 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JERRY LOFTIS!

NOVEMBER 17 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOIS STANCIAK!

NOVEMBER 20 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JERRY AHRENS!

NOVEMBER 21 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEAN AHRENS!

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CURRENT POSTS (from 11/01/09):

• Bulletin Board
• Letters, Opinions, & Commentary
• Local News
• Michigan News
• National News
• State of Our U.S. Economy
• Politics…As Usual!
• Rx:Laughter, P.R.N.
• Celebrities in the News
• Police Files
• U.S. Troops & Veterans News
• Amelia Earhart: Photos: Mystery Solved?
• Elsewhere in the World
• Health News
• The Baucus Health Care Plan
• Science News
• Tracking Local Gas Prices: November, 2009

“FOOD PANTRIES in MISSAUKEE, OSCEOLA, and WEXFORD COUNTIES.”

            – Or call the Chamber of Commerce of town nearest you and ask where you may donate (or obtain) needed food items.

-FOOD STAMP HOTLINE…..

          1-800-481-4989.

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-Call DEPT. OF HUMAN SERVICES OF 

      WEXFORD & MISSAUKEE COUNTIES

 re:  food, housing, and other basic needs  ……..  (231) 779-4500.

                        Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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  h     o     m     e     s    

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Governor Granholm Announces Toll-Free Number to Help Families Facing Mortgage Foreclosure.  

“Save the Dream” campaign toll-free number is ………………….1-866-946-7432.

ALSO:  See Link titled, ”HELP FOR THOSE FACING FORECLOSURE”  with information from HUD.

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VETERANS:  Please see the 10/11/08 Post, “U.S.Troops & Veterans’ News” regarding President Bush signing the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act,  especially the part about V.A. home loans:

“…One change in the benefits law that would be vital to many veterans at a time of turmoil in the home mortgage is an overhaul of the veterans’ home loan program that makes it easier for people with non-VA loans to refinance their mortgages through VA. This is done by raising the amount VA will guarantee and reducing the amount of equity a homeowner must have in order to refinance…”

[Editor's note:  For information regarding many Veteran's needs, see the Post "VETERANS'  HQ"]

 Call, Visit, or Write your local MICHIGAN WORKS! at:

Michigan Works! Service Center,  401 Lake St., Ste. 700,  Cadillac, 49601,

Telephone: (231) 775-3408.

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FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR

A FIRST JOB, 

A NEW JOB,

OR ANY JOB: 

 Be sure to check the job listings and career information in the (NOW 20) LINKS under

the heading: JOB SEARCH!  To go directly to  these websites to check “help wanted”, ”employment” or “careers” - just click on the name of the Link itself  (all start 

with  “JOB SEARCH:…”).   The link will take you directly there.

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VETERANS:  Try checking the Link: JOB SEARCH:  DESTINY GROUP – “Employers Seeking Those Who Served in the Military.  Search over 100,000 jobs.”

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UNEMPLOYMENT   BENEFITS  

                                 in MICHIGAN:

How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

Claims by Mail:

Jobless workers may take cuts in line by using our convenient Claims By Mail service.  Mail-in applications are available in Bureau branch offices, most Michigan Works! service centers and in the FORMS section of our Web site…

Internet Claims:

To use the on-line servcice, applicants must be filing a new or additional claim.  An additional claim is one filed to reactivate benefits when a person already has a claim in existence, interrupts the payment of benefits on the claim by returning to work and then becomes unemployed again.

Applicants filing new claims must meet these criteria:

• Are not employed full time.

• Have been employed during the past 18 months.

• Live in Michigan.

• Were employed by only one Michigan employer during the past 18 months.

• Filed a claim for unamployment benefits during the past 10 years.

• Did not work in family employment.

• Were not in Military Service during the past 18 months.

• Were not employed by the federal government during the past 18 months.

• Did not work in another state during the past 18 months.

• Did not file a claim against another state during the past 12 months.

• Did not work under more than one social security number diring the past 18 monhts.

• Are not trying to claim past weeks of benefits.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AGENCY:

To File a Benefit Claim, Call (toll free): ………………….1-866-500-0017.

Click on website:  http://www.unemploymentoffice.net/State_resources/Michigan.htm 

10 Highest-Paying Blue-Collar Jobs

by Tisa Silver
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

 

provided by

 

Who says hard work doesn’t pay? These 10 blue-collar jobs show that the color of your collar doesn’t necessarily dictate the level of your income.

What Does It Mean to Be a Blue-Collar Worker?

Blue-collar jobs are typically classified as involving manual labor and compensation by an hourly wage. Some fields that fall into this category include construction, manufacturing, maintenance and mining.

What It Does Not Mean

Do not mistake blue-collar jobs for easy to land, easy to keep or low-paying ones. Although some blue-collar jobs do not require a four-year degree, many of them require additional education by way of specialized training, a certification or an apprenticeship.

There are several blue-collar jobs that offer competitive compensation packages, relative to their white-collar counterparts.

Elevator installers and repairers sit atop the list with an average hourly wage of $42.08. This hands-on occupation involves many tasks, including assembly, testing, maintenance and repair of elevators, escalators and moving sidewalks. On average, an elevator installer or repairer can bring in over $87,000 per year.

Ship and boat captains and operators earn an average of $24.86 per hour for navigating their vessels through a variety of waterways. On average, a captain or operator brings in almost $58,000 each year, but these captains have to work a bit harder for the money — the average work week is 51.8 hours.

The pressure is on, literally, for gas plant operators who control compressors to keep gas flowing through pipelines. This essential job pays workers just under $64,000, or approximately $30.71 on an hourly basis.

There are several specialties within the electrical and electronic repair industry. The most lucrative area involves inspecting and repairing electrical equipment at generating stations, substations and in-service relays. These workers bring in an average salary of $68,000 per year.

The Top 10 List

1. Elevator Installer and Repairer

Average salary: $87,518
Average hourly wage: $42.08
Average work week: 40 hours

2. Electrical and Electronics Repairer — Powerhouse, Substation and Relay

Average salary: $68,084
Average hourly wage: $32.75
Average work week: 40 hours

3. Power Plant Operator, Distributor and Dispatcher

Average salary: $65,846
Average hourly wage: $31.50
Average work week: 40 hours

4. Gas Plant Operator

Average salary: $63,872
Average hourly wage: $30.71
Average work week: 40 hours

5. Locomotive Engineer

Average salary: $63,125
Average hourly wage: $28.27
Average work week: 42.5 hours

6. Electrical Power Line Installer and Repairer

Average salary: $60,354
Average hourly wage: $29.02
Average work week: 40 hours

7. Structural Iron and Steel Worker

Average salary: $59,224
Average hourly wage: $28.55
Average work week: 39.9 hours

8. Construction and Building Inspector

Average salary: $59,144
Average hourly wage: $28.31
Average work week: 40.2 hours

9. Ship and Boat Captain and Operator

Average salary: $57,910
Average hourly wage: $24.86
Average work week: 51.8 hours

10. Radio and Telecommunications Equipment Installer

Average salary: $57,149
Average hourly wage: $27.48
Average work week: 39.9 hours

About the List

The jobs are ranked by annual salary, from highest to lowest, excluding overtime. The data was pulled from the National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008, which is published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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1026-39521-623-1101

LOCAL LETTERS

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CALL COMMISSIONERS AND SAY “NO DEAL”  

When haulers take trash over the county line, small business gets the shaft.
Small businesses don’t have the volume or political connections to negotiate lower trash rates. Haulers use the county’s high rates and flow control policy to justify expensive pickup. Then they take the trash over the county line, dump at a cheaper landfill, and pocket the profit.

By turning a blind eye to offenses, county officials collude in theft from their own residents.

Instead of being outraged on the people’s behalf, the BPW looked for technical loopholes. Trash didn’t go to another landfill, they said; it went to a transfer station in Grand Traverse.

Instead of seeking restitution for stolen revenue, they recommend that the people pay a $1.2 million debt to expand the landfill for the benefit of a private company.

The video presented to the BPW showed an American Waste truck picking up garbage from mom and pop businesses in Buckley . The truck left Buckley, crossed the county line, topped off in Kingsley, and wound up at a Grand Traverse transfer station.

Did Wexford collect one dime on trash taken to the transfer station?
Did Buckley businesses benefit from lower trash rates because their garbage went out of county?
Does our solid waste plan allow trash to leave the county except under emergency situations?
The answer to all these questions is no.

The taxpayers have sunk roughly $19 million into landfill operations and expansion.
Should that investment be handed over to a company that pulled revenue out of the county?
Should taxpayers be strapped with construction debt that benefits American Waste?
Should we become a 23-county dumping ground because American Waste says so?

Call your commissioner and say, “No deal.”

  Rita J. McNamara   

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     COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANOTHER BAD PLAN     

Wexford County has an unprofitable landfill that has contaminated the aquifer in Cedar Creek Township.  Much of the funds set aside to close the landfill went toward the new county courthouse.  Commissioners spent a fortune to rectify contamination problems, but failed. They spent even more installing a water system, but were so high-handed and treated people so unfairly that lawsuits were brought against the county.  

Wexford commissioners also found a way to make the rest of the county pay for their mistakes.  They couldn’t raise taxes.  However, they fixed it so individuals and businesses in Wexford must pay much more for waste disposal in their own county than if they hired an outside company–which they aren’t allowed to do.

 For several years Wexford commissioners have discussed plans which all involve taking in trash from 21 outside counties at cheap rates, but forcing our residents and local businesses to pay high rates in order to sell the landfill.  Negotiations were with three companies:  TransGreen, Waste Management, and American Waste.

 Haulers from American Waste charge expensive waste pickup fees to local businesses due to Wexford’s high rates and flow control policy.  Yet citizens have brought evidence to the commissioners’ attention that this waste is not being dumped in our landfill.  Results:  Our businesses are charged more for pickup;  our landfill makes no money; and it’s against Wexford’s policy.  Did our commissioners call for an investigation?  No.

They again ignored citizens’ concers and voted 7-2 to sell out to American Waste.  (Commissioners McKeever and Beck voted against it.)

I suggest we call our commissioners to say “NO” to this sale.  And if they can’t come up with better plans, we need to vote them out!

Sherrie Fuscone

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summer2.jpg Wexford County Courthouse

    <!–   –>

A look at the area’s

election issues

 By Sheri McWhirter
smcwhirter@record-eagle.com

… WEXFORD COUNTY

  Cadillac Area Public Schools

Board member, two, six-year terms
- Eric Baker
- Craig Weidner

City of Cadillac

Mayor, two-year term
- William Barnett
- Jay Thiebaut

Council member, Ward 2, one four-year term
- Antoinette Schippers

Council member, Ward 4, one four-year term
- James Dean
- Douglas Mellema

 City voters will decide whether to amend the city’s charter to allow for two changes. First, the city’s Board of Review would be reduced from seven to five members, done by removing two of three City Council member position on the board. Second, it would authorize the City Council to appoint alternates for the council and non-council positions.

 City of Manton

Mayor, two-year term
- Adam Hagstrom
- Ruth Tiszai

Treasurer, four-year term
-Debra Bever

Commissioner, three, four-year terms
- Chuck Brandt
- Michael MacCready
- Wayne Seger Sr.
- Christine Stuart
- Bertha Vincent

Board of Review, two, two-year terms
- No candidates

 Mesick Consolidated Schools

Board member, one four-year term
- Randy Brewer

Board member, one partial term ending in 2011
- Michael Chandler

Some Wexford County voters will vote in Kingsley Area Public Schools and Benzie County Central Schools elections.

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CADILLAC NEWS

October 30, 2009

Wexford Historical Museum haunted?

 By Kayla Kiley 

//

KAYLA KILEY | CADILLAC NEWS

Dan Holroyd of Southern Michigan Paranormal finds with his electromagnetic field detector what he believes is a child spirit near the baby cradle at the Wexford County Historical Museum & Carnegie Library in Cadillac.

KAYLA KILEY | CADILLAC NEWSIn the childrens area of the Wexford Historical Museum, Dan Holroyd of Southern Michigan Paranormals tries to make contact with a spirit.

KAYLA KILEY | CADILLAC NEWS

Dan Holroyd, founder and CEO of Southern Michigan Paranormals of Kalamazoo, uses an electromagnetic field detector in hopes of finding a ghost.

KAYLA KILEY | CADILLAC NEWS

In the basement school room of the Wexford Historical Museum in Cadillac, Dan Holroyd, founder and CEO of Southern Michigan Paranormals of Kalamazoo, uses an electromagnetic field detector in hopes of finding a ghost.

CADILLAC – Dan Holroyd places an electromagnetic field (EMF) detector on a chair in the museum and speaks into the dark, “Touch it once for yes, step away for no.”

Dan is the founder and CEO of Southern Michigan Paranormals (SMP) out of Kalamazoo, and he and five of his team members recently came to Cadillac to investigate paranormal activity at the Wexford County Historical Society & Museum. Dan is in the research room and about to ask – what he hopes is – a ghost a series of questions.

Dan, the SMP investigators and interested locals half-circle the chair in the Research Center of the museum.

Ten seconds go by.

“Is this your desk?” says Dan, as if he’s talking to the chair.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Twelve beeps sound through the stationary EMF detector as its red light flashes.

Silence.

“OK, thank you. Do you…” Dan trails off, as the beeping and flashing start again. “Did you live here in Cadillac?”

 Four beeps.

Dan and his team investigate the space – they look for electrical wiring or a power source surrounding the EMF device that could be setting off the detector – but they find nothing. Therefore, the paranormal group believesit’s communicating with an intelligent spirit.

“Are you still here with us?” Dan asks.

Beep, beep, beep …

 “It shouldn’t be doing that – that’s all I can say” laughs Dan, while the beeps continue. “There’s no power source over there on that desk, no power source on that chair. And it wouldn’t be able to pick up any of that, or the fan – it’s too far away.”

The chair seems to have a history of its own.

Some museum employees claimed that the chair, which is part of an antique chair-desk set, had been moving throughout the room, according to Nan Taylor, Wexford County Historical Society president. “There was one day that I was working,” said Erica Long, Hope College student, who worked at the museum over the summer. “I was sitting there talking on the phone, and I thought I heard the ladies general-store door open. I thought, ‘Nobody’s in here – that’s a little weird.’”

Erica went to check out the situation and looked in the research center room and noticed the chair “way out in the middle of th e room and kind of turned away from the desk, almost like somebody pushed it out there.”

“It was a weird spot – didn’t make sense,” Erica said. “I didn’t remember seeing it like that when I first turned the lights on.”

After six hours of investigating the museum’s numerous rooms packed with historic and antique items, Dan, who has performed nearly 40 investigations, said the museum is one of his best hunts, and it’s “very haunted.”

“A lot of strange things are going on there,” Dan said. “I, throughout the night, witnessed shadows moving, heard voices in the lower level. We had EMF hits; I felt I was picking up something upstairs. There seemed to be one or two small children, and I got the feeling of a librarian lady and man there who were not sure that we were there – they were checking us out.”

Dan said the negative energy came when he was investigating activity in the basement near an old fire truck. That’s where Dan claimed to see a shadow move, which produced a force of air.

Each investigator reported having similar experiences of seeing “shadow people” or having similar feelings about the ghosts in the building. Dan said the group recorded a few electronic voice phonemenas (EVP), including a woman crying saying “And then he didn’t say anything…,” and a faint voice saying “I will try” in response to an investigator’s question “can someone tap on something?” While Dan claims that the museum is haunted, he said people shouldn’t be afraid, noting that the librarian woman with whom he believes he made contact is “a friendly spirit.”

“She’s an old librarian who spent a lot of years and who in her day had a lot of love for the library,” Dan said. “She’s still there, watching over the place.”

—–

kkiley@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)

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  October 26, 2009

Castro’s sister says

she collaborated with CIA

AP – FILE – In a Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006 file photo,

Juanita Castro, the sister of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, …

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ, AP Hispanic Affairs Writer

Juanita Castro, 76, initially supported her brother’s 1959 overthrow of the Batista dictatorship but quickly grew disillusioned. In a Spanish-language memoir published by Santillana USA and co-written by journalist Maria Antonieta Collins, she says the wife of the Brazilian ambassador to Cuba persuaded her to meet a CIA officer during a trip to Mexico in 1961.

By then, her house had already become a sanctuary for anti-communists, and Fidel Castro had warned her about getting involved with the “gusanos,” or worms, as those who opposed the revolution were called.

Castro says in the book, “My Brothers Fidel and Raul. The Secret Story,” that she traveled to Mexico City under the pretense of visiting her younger sister Enma. There she also secretly met a CIA officer who identified himself as “Enrique” at the elegant Camino Real hotel.

A spokesman for the CIA in Langley, Va., declined to comment on Castro’s account.

Castro said that during the hotel meeting, she expressed her concerns that those who supported Batista’s overthrow but were not communists were being pushed out of the new government. Castro writes she agreed to help the CIA gather information but refused to accept money for her efforts and said she wanted no part in any violence.

“I want to be very clear that agreeing to collaborate with you does not signify that I will participate in any violent activity against my brother, nor any official in the regime,” she told the agent. “This is my most important condition. And moreover, I would say it is the only condition.”

“Enrique,” whom Castro says she later learned was a CIA officer in Cuba named Tony Sforza, then asked her to smuggle messages, documents and money back into the country hidden in canned goods.

He told Castro she would receive information through shortwave radio communications. Castro chose a waltz and a song from the opera Madame Butterfly as the signals her handlers would use to let her know if they had information for her.

Castro said she remained on the island while her mother was alive, believing she was protected from the full wrath of her brother. Her mother died in 1963 and she fled Cuba the following year, eventually settling into a quiet life in Miami, where she ran a pharmacy until 2007 and is generally well regarded by other Cuban exiles.

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October 27, 2009

Reuters – Over 250 protesters march outside

the American Bankers Association annual convention in Chicago, Illinois …

Carrying signs proclaiming “Hold Wall Street accountable” and “Foreclosures ruin communities,” they demanded an end to massive bonuses for the bankers who they say helped bring on the financial crisis and credit crunch which dragged the United States into the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

Organized by a coalition of union and community organizations, the protesters called on the bankers to stop lobbying against financial reform and to invest the trillions they received in government bailouts to stem the tide of foreclosures and invest in businesses which will help kickstart the economy.

“We love our country when you work hard and you’re able to take care of your family,” Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union’s Illinois office told the crowd gathered near a meeting of the American Bankers Association.

“The people (at the bankers’ meeting) are people who love their company more than our country… Who love their bonuses more than our country.”

Organizers said the American Bankers Association and six top banks have spent 35 million dollars fighting financial reforms after accepting 17.8 trillion dollars in taxpayer bailouts and backstops.

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October 28, 2009

The Vilages’

DAILY SUN

October 28, 2009

Gas prices climb

as crude oil futures fall

By DAVID R. CORDER, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES – Gasoline prices hit a new recent high in The Villages while crude oil future prices settled lower Monday for the first time in days.
The dichotomy left consumers and market watchers wondering whether the lower crude oil prices signaled a return to relative price stability in the wake of this recent unexpected run-up in local gasoline prices.

“We do not know if this is just a one-day anomaly or whether this is something that really reflects a turnaround in crude prices,” AAA Auto Club South spokesman Gregg Laskoski said.
Prices ranged from around $2.69 a gallon for unleaded regular gasoline Monday in The Villages as crude oil futures settled down $1.82 on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $78.68 a barrel.
The price drop in crude oil futures came as the U.S. dollar traded up against the European dollar, the Euro, CME Group, parent of the NYMEX and Chicago Board of Trade, reported Monday.
Anytime the dollar trades lower, speculative investment traders typically seek profits in the commodities markets, said Jim Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association.

Such influence concerns market watchers like Smith because they cite speculative investment activity as the reason for the record high crude oil and gasoline prices recorded a year ago this summer.
The market dynamics have not changed, Smith argued, with U.S. crude oil inventories still up and motorist demand for fuel still down.
Such an aberration in supply-demand economics tells Smith other forces are at work — speculative investors.
“Where oil speculators are concerned, the phrase would be any port in the storm,” Smith said of their investment market strategies. “Quite frankly, they’ve entered back into the marketplace. And they’ll take advantage of the marketplace anyway they can.”
Concern over the recent run-up in prices poses serious complications as the U.S. economy recovers, noted David Denslow, a University of Florida professor and research economist.
If gasoline prices return to summer 2008 levels of $3 to $4 a gallon, Denslow acknowledged, consumers and businesses could face even more dire consequences this time around.
Neither might have the resources to absorb that type of price increase, Denslow said, which could result in even greater job and business losses.
“That’s money that’s not available for normal expenditures such as food, clothing, school and health-care costs,” Denslow said. “So it does hurt retail sales.”
It would be even worse for restaurateurs.
“Restaurants are particularly hurt, because people have less discretionary income,” Denslow said. “The restaurants already are confronted with an increase in minimum wage costs that took effect in January.”
That could result in fewer jobs, Denslow said.
“At the low end, it’s become very hard to get jobs,” Denslow said. “So this would hurt.”
However, Denslow remains optimistic about the dynamics of this recent influx of speculative investment in the oil futures markets.
“I don’t think the huge funds will be able to hold up the price of oil all that much,” Denslow said. “They’re gambling. They’re putting money on the bet that the price is going to rise. That’s a bet the world economy is going to grow very fast. It doesn’t grow that fast, and they lose.”
—–
David R. Corder is a reporter with the Daily Sun. He can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9066, or at david.corder@thevillagesmedia.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 28, 2009

Obama financial reforms

advance in Congress

Reuters – President Barack Obama

delivers remarks at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign

Committee (DSCC)/ Democratic …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration made gains on Tuesday in its push for U.S. financial reform, unveiling a landmark bill to tackle systemic risk in the economy and winning congressional committee approval for a measure to expose hedge funds to more government scrutiny.

The systemic risk bill would grant vast powers to a new systemic risk regulatory council, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp to monitor and address risks to economic stability posed by shaky financial holding companies.

Those deemed severely undercapitalized by the council could be restructured or even shut down by regulators. Managers could be dismissed, credit exposures limited, pay and bonuses restricted, acquisitions and new ventures blocked.

In a measure meant to reverse decades of weakened oversight of Wall Street and the banks, the bill aggressively asserts government power to prevent bailouts like last year’s rescues of AIG, Citigroup and Bank of America.

It also attempts to shift the cost of future financial stabilization efforts toward industry and away from taxpayers by forcing financial firms with more than $10 billion in assets to foot the bill for any losses from Federal Deposit Insurance Corp actions to resolve the problems of failing firms.

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the bill was urgent and crucial to prevent excessive risk-taking by big firms.

“We cannot meet these tests with a set of small changes at the margin,” Obama said in a letter to Barney Frank, chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, that also stressed the importance of building a stronger financial system in which no firm was “too big to fail.”

If approved by Congress, where industry lobbyists and Republicans were certain to push back against it in weeks ahead, the bill would form the centerpiece of a sweeping effort by Democrats to tighten bank and capital market oversight.

After the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a packed room of Wall Street dealers and bankers on Tuesday they could not look America in the eye and argue that financial regulation is fine as it is.

Geithner said the financial system was tragically fragile after the crisis and the government must respond by adding new regulations and strengthening old ones.

“It’s a war of necessity, not a war of choice,” he said at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association annual meeting in New York. “And it’s a just war.”

Another part of the administration’s reforms — requiring hedge funds and private equity firms to register with the government — won approval from Frank’s committee on Tuesday.

The committee already has approved bills to form a new watchdog agency to protect consumers of mortgages and credit cards, and to regulate over-the-counter derivatives.

The full House was expected to vote as early as Thursday on the financial consumer watchdog bill, also a central piece of the administration’s reform program.

Frank will meet this week with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson to reconcile their panels’ OTC derivatives bills, said Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler on Tuesday at a roundtable meeting.

The CFTC is working with both panels, which are targeting a vote on the House floor for a single bill next week, he said.

Frank’s committee was expected to vote on Wednesday on a bill to regulate credit rating agencies. The panel put off for now a proposed bill to set up a new National Insurance Office to monitor insurers, which are now policed at the state level.

While House Democrats have been making steady progress on financial reforms, despite stiff resistance from lobbyists and Republicans, the Senate has been moving very slowly.

Key lawmakers in the upper chamber of Congress are still far apart of key issues, including the consumer watchdog, known as the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, aides said.

—–

(Reporting by Kevin Drawbaugh, Rachelle Younglai, Lisa Lambert, Ross Colvin and Charles Abbott, with Al Yoon and Walden Siew in New York; editing by Carol Bishopric)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 29, 2009

The recession may be over at last

— so what now?

 CBS4 Denver– How Will We Know The Recession Is Over?

AP – In this Oct. 27, 2009 photo, a contractor worker installs a sprinkler system that uses recycled water …

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer – Thu Oct 29, 6:09 pm ET

WASHINGTON – After a record four straight losing quarters, the economy finally grew again. It was hardly a boom, and it was almost all because of government spending. But it was enough to change the question from when the recession will end to whether the recovery will hold.

Unlike past rebounds that were driven by the spending of everyday Americans, this one appears to hinge on spending by businesses, foreigners and — until it runs out — the government.

Helped in large part by federal support for spending on cars and homes, the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent from July through September, the government said Thursday.

It was the first time the economy grew at all since the spring of 2008, and one economist, Brian Bethune of IHS Global Insight, estimated it would have been more like an anemic 1 percent without the popular Cash for Clunkers rebates and an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

But the government help is only temporary, and without it, consumer spending is likely to weaken. If shoppers clam up as credit stays tight and jobs remain scarce, the economy could tip back into recession.

President Barack Obama called the report “welcome news,” but acknowledged that “we have a long way to go to fully restore our economy” and recover from the deepest and longest slump since the 1930s-era Great Depression.

The return of economic growth puts the White House in a delicate position: The president wants to take credit for ending the recession, but unemployment is still causing pain and anxiety throughout the country.

Millions have yet to feel a benefit from the recovery in the form of a new job or even an easier time getting a simple loan. Even those with jobs are reluctant to go on a spending spree. The values of their homes and 401(k)s remain shrunken.

“The benchmark I use to measure the strength of our economy is not just whether our GDP is growing, but whether we are creating jobs, whether families are having an easier time paying their bills, whether our businesses are hiring and doing well,” Obama said.

The rebound ended the record streak of four straight quarters of economic contraction and gave the stock market its best day in months. The Dow Jones industrial average gained nearly 200 points.

Whether the recovery can continue after the government supports are gone is unclear. Economists predict growth will be slower as the benefit of the $787 billion stimulus package fades.

And next year could be even slower than that. A rising number of analysts say the economy will grow at a 1 percent rate in the first quarter — perhaps more if Congress extends the tax credit for homebuyers.

Christina Romer, Obama’s chief economist, has acknowledged that the government’s stimulus spending has already delivered its biggest economic jolt.

Federal government spending rose at a rate of 7.9 percent in the third quarter, on top of an 11.4 percent rate in the second quarter. And businesses increased spending on equipment and software at a 1.1 percent pace, the first increase in nearly two years.

For now, the economy will have to keep counting on businesses replenishing their depleted stockpiles and replacing outdated equipment.

“A good part of the demand we’re seeing is because companies have to reorder to replenish inventories,” said Herb Goetschius, president of McNichols Co., a Florida maker of metal gratings and other products. “Because they can’t build new plants right now, they are spending more on repairs and maintenance.”

Businesses that slashed their stockpiles of goods in the second quarter cut them more slowly from July to September. Now that inventories are at rock-bottom levels, even the smallest increase in demand will probably lead factories to produce more.

Helped by a cheaper dollar, exports of U.S.-made goods to foreign customers should help support the recovery, analysts said — particularly as economies improve in Asia and Europe. A modest recovery in U.S. housing will likely contribute, too.

“Those will be the driving forces of this recovery,” said economist Ken Mayland of ClearView Economics. “I think this is one recovery that is going to probably be the least dependent on consumers.”

In 1980, businesses led an economic recovery. It quickly fizzled, and the economy fell into a severe recession in 1981 and 1982. The unemployment rate climbed to 10.8 percent, the post-World War II high. Today, it stands at 9.8 percent.

For now, economists say the risks are low that the economy will suffer a so-called double-dip recession. They hope businesses will spend enough to sustain the recovery. But the possibility can’t be dismissed.

By itself, growth in a quarter doesn’t mean a recession has ended. For example, this recession began in December 2007, according to the panel of academics in charge of declaring the beginnings and ends of downturns — even though the economy grew that quarter.

“Even if we’ve turned the corner, we know it’s a long way before we’re completely recovered,” Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You can’t have an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent and not be deeply troubled.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

October 30, 2009

Flat incomes, weak consumer

spending raise concern

AP – In this Oct. 7, 2009 photo,

a Best Buy saleswoman, lower, gives change to a customer at

Best Buy in Mountain …

“This recovery is going to be very weak. Consumers are in no position or mood to spend. Their wages are down and they can’t get credit,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University’s Smith School of Business.

Concerns about the economy sparked by disappointing government data on spending and incomes sent stocks down Friday, erasing the previous day’s big gains. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 250 points, and broader indexes also fell.

The Commerce Department reported that personal incomes were stagnant in September while the all-important wage and salary category dropped 0.2 percent, as unemployment rose.

Consumer spending — which accounts for 70 percent of total economic activity — dropped 0.5 percent, the first decline in five months and the biggest since December.

The spending retreat reflected a sharp falloff in auto sales following a spike in August from the government’s Cash for Clunkers program.

The overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, actually grew at a 3.5 percent rate from July through September, signaling an end to the longest recession since the 1930s.

But analysts said the income and spending report underscored fears about a weak recovery. The most pessimistic worry the nation could be headed for a double-dip recession as consumers, concerned about further job losses and their tattered investment holdings, refrain from spending.

Some analysts believe that GDP growth, which received a big boost from the government’s stimulus programs in the third quarter, will slow to 2 percent or less in the current quarter.

David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor’s in New York, said a recent spike in energy prices and other problems will depress sales in coming weeks, giving the nation’s retailers another lackluster shopping season.

Gasoline prices have risen for 17 straight days to a new high for this year of $2.695 per gallon, according to auto club AAA. The increase will add about $50 a month to the typical customer’s gas bill, meaning less to spend at stores during the holidays.

Sliding incomes and rising energy costs further darken the outlook for consumer spending during the holidays. People who do spend will stick to discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp., and continue shying away from big-name department stores like Macy’s, said John Lonski, chief economist of Moody’s Capital Markets Group. Price will be key again this year.

“It most definitely limits the upside for consumer spending and scares the wits out of retailers,” Lonski said, adding that consumers are “going to spend as though the economy is still in a recession.”

“If you don’t make it, you can’t spend it, especially with the access to credit much reduced,” he said.

A second report Friday showed that wages and benefits including health care rose just 1.5 percent for the 12 months ending in September. That’s the smallest increase for the Labor Department’s Employment Cost Index on records that date to 1982.

The Obama administration also released a new report that said about 650,000 jobs had been saved or created under the government’s $787 billion economic stimulus program. Congress is currently debating expanding certain elements of that program including unemployment benefits and the first-time homebuyers tax credit. Many private economists said the new income and spending report showed the need to do that.

Unemployment, currently at a 26-year high of 9.8 percent, will edge up to 9.9 percent when the government releases the October jobless report next week and will peak at 10.5 percent in the middle of next year, Wyss said.

Last month’s spending drop resulted in a boost in the savings rate to 3.3 percent of after-tax incomes, from 2.8 percent in August. Many analysts believe households will keep striving to increase savings and replenish nest eggs that were crushed by last year’s stock market crash. That also would hold back spending in the months ahead, weakening the recovery.

But inflation remains in check. An inflation gauge tied to consumer spending edged up just 0.1 percent in September, after a 0.3 percent August rise. Excluding food and energy, the gauge rose 1.3 percent over the past year, well within the Federal Reserve’s comfort zone.

Fed officials meet next week and economists believe they will again keep a key interest rate at a record low.

___

AP Economics Writer Christopher S. Rugaber in Washington, AP Retail Writer Emily Fredrix in Milwaukee and AP Energy Writer Mark Williams contributed to this report.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  AP  – Obama hails new GDP, talks health care reform

 

AP – House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, right, looks on as House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Va. …

 

WASHINGTON – It’s alive. The Medicare end-of-life planning provision that 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said was tantamount to “death panels” for seniors is staying in the latest Democratic health care bill unveiled Thursday.

The provision allows Medicare to pay for voluntary counseling to help beneficiaries deal with the complex and painful decisions families face when a loved one is approaching death.

For years, federal laws and policies have encouraged Americans to think ahead about end-of-life decisions, and make their wishes known in advance through living wills and similar legal documents. But when House Democrats proposed this summer to pay doctors for end-of-life counseling, it touched off a wave of suspicion and anger.

Prominent Republicans singled it out as a glaring example of government overreach.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, at the time a lead negotiator on health care legislation, told constituents at a town hall meeting they had good reason to question the proposal.

“I don’t have any problem with things like living wills, but they ought to be done within the family,” he said. “We should not have a government program that determines you’re going to pull the plug on grandma.”

Thursday, the sponsor of the provision said the barrage of criticism may have actually helped.

“There is nothing more basic than giving someone the option of speaking with their doctor about how they want to be treated in the case of an emergency,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. “I think the outrageous and vindictive attacks may have backfired to help raise awareness about this problem, which is why it’s been kept in the bill.”

The legislation would allow Medicare to pay for a counseling session with a doctor or clinical professional once every five years. The bill calls for such sessions to be “completely” voluntary, and prohibits the encouragement or promotion of suicide or assisted suicide.

The counseling provision is supported by doctors’ groups and AARP, the seniors’ lobby. It was not included in health care bills passed by two Senate committees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 30, 2009

Gov’t says stimulus saved

or created 650,000 jobs

 

AP – FILE – In this Sept. 14, 2009, file photo,

road workers begin construction along California interstate …

By MATT APUZZO and BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE, Associated Press Writers  – Fri Oct 30, 3:14 pm ET

 

WASHINGTON – About 650,000 jobs have been saved or created under President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan, the White House said Friday, saying the president’s goal of 3.5 million jobs by the end of next year is on track.

New job numbers from businesses, contractors, state and local governments, nonprofit groups and universities were scheduled to be released publicly later Friday. White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein said the figures will show that, when adding in jobs linked to $288 billion in tax cuts, the stimulus plan has created or saved more than 1 million jobs.

Government recovery plans — everything from the $787 billion stimulus to tax credits for buying new homes to government deals on new cars — are credited with helping the economy grow again after a record four straight losing quarters.

But the job market has yet to show signs of recovery, putting pressure on the White House to show that the stimulus was worth its hefty price tag. The economy has shed millions of jobs since Obama signed the stimulus in February, giving Republicans ammunition to say the government is spending too much for too little effect.

The White House says the report bolsters its case that the economy would have been far worse without the stimulus — a package of government spending, tax cuts, state aide and social programs.

Friday’s data will have its limitations, since calculating “jobs saved” will always produce an inexact estimate and collecting data from so many sources is certain to produce errors. But the number released Friday represents the most accurate head count of stimulus jobs to date, one that is more precise than previous estimates based on White House economic formulas.

And it represents the most extensive effort ever by any administration to calculate the effect of a spending program in real time.

“It’s a great example of the unprecedented transparency, where the American taxpayer can point and click and see their taxes creating jobs,” Bernstein said.

The White House promised the data would be far more reliable than the first batch of numbers, on federal contracts, which the administration initially embraced, then branded a “test run” after thousands of errors were discovered.

Teachers are expected to represent the largest number of jobs in the report. With state budgets in crisis, federal aid helped governors avoid major cuts in education, which officials said spared hundreds of thousands of teachers from the unemployment line.

In Indiana, where officials reported saving 13,000 teaching jobs, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels warned against putting too much stock in the job numbers.

“I personally wouldn’t try to tell a taxpayer that this had any effect that I can see on the economy or let alone that there is some specific number of jobs attached to it,” Daniels said earlier this month.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, said Friday “there’s just no doubt” that the federal aide spared 6,100 government jobs, including teachers, police officers and firefighters, in his state.

“There would have been dramatic layoffs,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., contributed to this report.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POLITICO

October 30, 2009

Jeff Flake to Nancy Pelosi:

Strip PMA Group earmarks

Citing the revelation of an ethics review of senior defense appropriators, a leading House earmark critic has asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to eliminate more than 70 projects — totaling nearly $200 million —- for former clients of a now-defunct lobbying firm with close ties to the powerful lawmakers. 

 

“I respectfully request that all of the no-bid contracts in the form of House earmarks for former clients of PMA be stripped from the pending fiscal year 2010 defense appropriations conference report,” Rep. Jeff Flake wrote to Pelosi (D-Calif.), Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) and the top Republican on the committee, Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) in a letter released to POLITICO after it was sent. “There is simply no defensible reason to allow no-bid contracts for former clients of a lobby firm embroiled in an ongoing scandal currently under investigation.” 

 

Flake’s request, which refers to earmarks for former clients of the defunct PMA Group lobbying firm, is the first fallout from the revelation on the Washington Post Web site Thursday night that ethics investigators has been looking at the actions of seven of the 16 members of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, including the five most senior Democrats on the panel and the top Republican, Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.). 

 

The PMA Group, stocked with former employees of defense appropriators, specialized in winning defense-bill earmarks for its clients. A review of the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill by the watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense found nearly $300 million in earmarks for PMA Group clients. 

 

Its political action committee, its lobbyists and executives of its client companies served as a ready fundraising base for the senior defense appropriators and their allies in Congress, funneling millions of dollars of campaign contributions to lawmakers over the course of the last decade. 

 

At the center of the setup was Paul Magliocchetti, a former Appropriations aide with close ties to Defense Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.). His colleagues at PMA included aides with strong ties to Defense Subcommittee members Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), and Norm Dicks (D-Wash.). 

 

The FBI raided Magliocchetti’s office and home, precipitating the disbanding of PMA Group at the end of last year. Federal investigators are looking into whether he illegally used “straw donors” to exceed limitations on campaign contributions. 

 

In addition to those members, the ethics committee is also looking at Defense appropriators Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Bill Young (R-Fla.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), though they have not previously been linked PMA and may be under review for other matters. 

 

Moran and Kaptur have both talked with the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which has the power to investigate complaints lodged by members of the public. The House’s ethics panel – called the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct – cannot accept complaints made by anyone other than House members. 

 

Flake has been the leading critic of PMA and tried several times earlier this year to get the House to force the ethics committee to investigate the relationship between earmarks and campaign contributions. 

 

Ultimately, Democratic leaders had the House refer a non-binding resolution to the ethics committee this summer, giving cover to party members who didn’t want to vote against a probe. 

 

“[N]o one can deny the cloud that the PMA scandal continues to cast over this institution,” Flake wrote in his letter, which was copied to Ethics Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and the panel’s ranking Republican, Jo Bonner of Alabama.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

October 30, 2009

Cheney told FBI he had no idea

who leaked Plame ID

AP – Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld speaks as former Vice President Dick Cheney listens at the Center …

 

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer

 

WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney told the FBI he had no idea who leaked to the news media that Valerie Plame, wife of a Bush administration critic, worked for the CIA.

An FBI summary of Cheney’s interview from 2004 reflects that the vice president had deep concern about Plame’s husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador in Africa who said the administration had twisted prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Cheney’s chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, was convicted of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI in the probe of who leaked Plame’s identity to the news media. President George W. Bush commuted Libby’s 30-month prison sentence but rejected Cheney’s vehement appeals to pardon Libby.

The 28-page FBI interview summary was released Friday to a watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

In the interview whose participants included federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, Cheney told agents that he did not recall having a conversation about either Plame or her husband with Bush.

The vice president said he probably discussed Wilson with Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove, but told the FBI he would not have talked to Rove about Wilson’s wife.

Cheney’s denials that he talked about Plame are among the few things in the lengthy interview with the FBI that Cheney appeared certain about. He repeatedly said he could not recall key events. Among them, he said he did not recall discussing Wilson’s wife with Libby before her CIA employment was publicly revealed by conservative columnist Robert Novak in mid-July 2003.

 

Evidence at Libby’s criminal trial showed that Cheney had told Libby about Wilson’s wife in mid-June 2003.

According to courtroom testimony, Rove was one of Novak’s sources for his column disclosing Plame’s CIA identity and Rove and Libby were sources for Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper, who also wrote a story identifying Plame.

Cheney said he was not aware of any discussions Libby may have had with Rove about Wilson or Wilson’s wife, and Cheney said Libby did not tell him about any such discussions.

The vice president advised the agents that he had no idea what Libby knew on the days before Plame’s CIA identity was publicly revealed.

Cheney said he did not recall if he told Libby about Wilson’s wife and her employment at the CIA or if Libby revealed to the vice president his independent knowledge about that fact.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

October 27, 2009

Swank, Sidibe win as Hollywood

award season begins

AP – Hilary Swank poses with her award for

actress of the year backstage at the 13th Annual Hollywood Awards …

 

By MIKE CIDONI, Associated Press Writer  – Tue Oct 27, 9:33 am ET

 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – And they’re off.

A new crop of Oscar prospects crammed the red carpet at what is widely considered Tinseltown’s award-season starting gate: the Hollywood Awards.

“I think I was extremely naive when I showed up here tonight,” giggled New Hollywood Award winner Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe, who plays the title role of an abused daughter in “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Saffire.”

“This is a big thing,” she said.

Among the other honorees walking the media gantlet Monday night: Hilary Swank (“Amelia”), Julianne Moore (“A Single Man”), Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) and Christoph Waltz (“Inglorious Basterds”).

Presenters included Sandra Bullock, Ewan McGregor, Kate Beckinsale, Morgan Freeman and “Juno” screenwriter Diablo Cody. “I first came to this show a couple years ago, and we won for ‘Juno,’” Cody said. “I think this is kind of like the first. There’s something in the air.”

“It’s a great festival,” commented Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, whose performance in “North Country” earned her the Hollywood Actress Award at the 2005 gala, and she went on to nab an Academy Award nomination that year. “It really does create a bit of noise.”

Theron dropped by to present a Hollywood Breakthrough Actor Award to her “North Country” co-star and friend Jeremy Renner, honored for his performance in “The Hurt Locker.”

“You know, he’s been great in everything,” Theron said. “But he really shines in this film. This is really his moment.”

While the festival is 13 years old, only over the last few years has its gala emerged as one of the award season’s tentpoles. The fest’s chairs, judges and advisers include film critics, film-industry executives and film-festival chiefs from all over the world — making for one enigmatic voting group.

Christoph Waltz, the veteran German character actor who won the Hollywood Supporting Actor Award after stealing scenes from Brad Pitt as ruthless Col. Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds,” admitted to not knowing who the voters are. He said it actually “helps me get through it in a sort of relaxed, organic way.”

For at least some of the attendees, this likely marked the first of four constant months on the award-show circuit. “Four months of this?” asked British actress Carey Mulligan, sounding surprised.

Mulligan’s portrayal of a young student in a relationship with an older man in “An Education” earned her the Hollywood Breakthrough Actress Award, and has some Oscar pundits saying it’ll also lead her to the Kodak Theatre next March for the Academy Awards.

“Oh, I just met Hilary Swank. I’m in a little bit of a daze,” Mulligan continued. “This is exciting. The photo bit is a little scary. The lights flash a lot and they made my eyes water, which is terrifying. But it’s amazing.”

Four-time Oscar nominee Julianne Moore, honored with the Hollywood Supporting Actress Award for a blast of films including designer-turned-director Tom Ford’s “A Single Man,” said balancing life, work and award shows does present its challenges.

“Obviously, it’s all a lot easier if you do live in Los Angeles,” explained Moore, who lives in New York. “And the flying. I was just at the London Film Festival, so I came from the London Film Festival, right to here. So, that’s kind of exhausting. And I am anxious to get home to my kids.”

“I have to say it’s something very surreal,” noted Swank, the two-time Oscar winner who won the Hollywood Actress Award for her work in “Amelia.” “But to have your work recognized? At the end of it all is something that continues to leave me speechless.”

___

On the Net:

http://www.hollywoodawards.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  

 October 28, 2009

Abigail Breslin set to play

Helen Keller on B’way

AP – This photo taken Sept. 29, 2009 shows

actress Abigail Breslin posing for a portrait in New York. Breslin …

 

By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Writer – Wed Oct 28, 2:21 pm ET

NEW YORK – From spunky “Little Miss Sunshine” to an even more heroic young girl.

Abigail Breslin will play Helen Keller in the first Broadway revival of William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker,” scheduled to open on March 3, producer David Richenthal announced Wednesday. Previews begin Feb. 12 at Circle in the Square Theatre.

Alison Pill will portray Annie Sullivan, the determined instructor who teaches the deaf and blind Helen how to communicate.

“I am so honored,” the 13-year-old Breslin said in an interview. “It’s like the biggest thing in the world. … I have read the biography of Helen Keller. So I’ve always known the story, and it’s always been something I wanted to play.

“Helen is a hero of mine — for so many reasons. She never gave up on herself and she had so many people who believed in her like her teacher Annie Sullivan.”

The production will be directed by Kate Whoriskey, who has extensive regional theater credits and recently was named artistic director of the Intiman Theatre in Seattle.

Richenthal, producer of acclaimed revivals of such classics as “Death of a Salesman” and “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” has long been a fan of the play, particularly since he was good friends with Gibson, who died in 2008.

“But I think one always needs to find ways to reintroduce it,” Richenthal said. “I have been waiting for the right director and the right cast.”

And he feels he has found them in his director and two stars.

About Breslin, Richenthal said: “I have never met a young girl her age who is so clear-eyed and unstarry. Helen Keller was brilliant — an IQ of 150-something — and obviously a courageous person to overcome what she did. I see in Abigail those qualities.”

The producer said he thought “The Miracle Worker” also needed a great woman director.

“This is a play that should not be part of the old boys’ club,” he said. “And I loved Kate’s take on it, which is that it’s really about everybody’s family. Now this (story) is a little more extreme but there’s hardly a family that doesn’t have a child or a relative that has some real issues.”

Whoriskey also told the producer “The Miracle Worker” was about three women — Helen, Annie and Helen’s mother (a role still be to cast), a woman who insisted against her husband’s advice of reaching out to this young teacher for her daughter.

“Then the question is ‘Who can play Annie Sullivan?’,” Richenthal added.

“I must say when I first started working on the production, the obvious thought was ‘You get a star to play that role.’ … But it’s an incredibly difficult part and a movie star might or might not be able to have the stage chops.

“I think Kate was delightfully pleased that I was in favor of Alison Pill because she is not exactly a household word — not yet. She will be,” Richenthal said of Pill, who has appeared in several Broadway productions, HBO’s “In Treatment” and the film “Milk.”

Gibson wrote “The Miracle Worker” for television’s “Playhouse 90″ in 1957, with Teresa Wright as Annie Sullivan and Patty (billed as Patricia) McCormack as Helen Keller. His Broadway adaptation opened two years later with Anne Bancroft as Annie and Patty Duke as Helen. The stage production ran for more than 700 performances. Both actresses won Academy Awards for their performances in the 1962 film version.

There have been several subsequent television versions, including one in 1979 in which Duke played the teacher and Melissa Gilbert her pupil.

Rehearsals for this new “Miracle Worker” begin Jan. 11.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 October 29, 2009 

Bullet hits Lou Dobbs’ NJ home

with wife nearby

AP – FILE – In this 2005 file photo provided

by CNN, news anchor Lou Dobbs sits on the set of his show, ‘Lou …

 

WANTAGE, N.J. – Police in New Jersey are trying to determine who fired a bullet that struck CNN commentator Lou Dobbs’ home as his wife stood nearby. State police Sgt. Stephen Jones says Dobbs’ wife and driver were outside the home Oct. 5 when they heard the gunshot. Jones says the bullet didn’t penetrate the siding and fell to the ground outside.

Dobbs mentioned the bullet earlier this week on CNN and his radio show.

Dobbs says he had been receiving threatening phone calls for weeks. On his radio show, he connected the gunshot to his advocacy for a crackdown on illegal immigration and to his opponents’ rhetoric.

The home is on a farm in Wantage, about 50 miles northwest of New York City.

It is small-game hunting season, but no hunters were seen in the area.

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 October 29, 2009

Sting: Obama best person

to handle world’s ‘mess’

AP – British recording artist Sting is

photographed in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Jim …

 By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer – Thu Oct 29, 3:06 pm ET

NEW YORK – Sting isn’t a religious man, but he says President Barack Obama might be a divine answer to the world’s problems.

“In many ways, he’s sent from God,” he joked in an interview, “because the world’s a mess.”

But Sting is serious in his belief that Obama is the best leader to navigate the world’s problems. In an interview on Wednesday, the former Police frontman said that he spent some time with Obama and “found him to be very genuine, very present, clearly super-smart, and exactly what we need in the world.”

“I can’t think of anyone better qualified because of his background, his education, particularly in regard to Islam,” he said.

Still, Sting acknowledged the president had a “difficult job” ahead of him.

The British singer, who released the seasonal album “On A Winter’s Night” this week, said he’s fascinated by American politics, Obama, and also by Obama’s opponents on the right.

“It’s aggressive and violent and full of fear,” he said of the backlash against Obama. “They don’t want change, they want things to feel the same because they feel safe there.”

Sting, 58, said he’s hopeful that the world’s problems can be dealt with, but is frustrated that “we seem to be living in a currency of medieval ideas.”

“My hope is that we can start talking about real issues and not caring about whether God cares about your hemline or your color,” he said. “We are here to evolve as one family, and we can’t be separate anymore.”

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