Former lawmaker Cynthia McKinney remains in an Israeli jail along with other human rights activists.

McKinney was on a Gaza bound ship when it was boarded by the Israeli Navy for violating the Israeli blockade and trespassing the country’s territorial waters.

Now consider this,  President Obama has condemned the blockade of Gaza, McKinney is left-winger, yet Obama isn’t doing anything to get her and the other activists released.  Heck, he’s not even addressing the issue.  Something fishy is going on…

Here’s a new picture of what it looks like when a plane breaks the sound barrier.

This is from June 22 of an F22 Raptor just released by the defense department.

What I find extremely upsetting about the utility company Dominion Power  is the fact that if you can't afford to pay your bill every month on time they tack on a security deposit. The security deposit is calculated by an average of your three highest monthly bills. After your security deposit is paid if you pay your bill late one month you lose it. It's ridiculous. I think thier should be laws against this type of billing. It's one thing if you get shut off and have to pay a security deposit. But to charge you one because you can't afford to pay on time every month is appalling. Is thier anything I can do? I feel so defenseless against such a large utility company.

Billy Mays, 50, was found dead this morning by his wife.  Yesterday Mays was on a flight home to Tampa when the plane he was on had a hard landing, blowing the front tires.

The police department said there was no indication of foul play.

"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times," Mays wife, Deborah, said in a statement on Sunday.

My son always spun his head around when Mays was on the tube and I'll miss Pitchmen.

Link to more

Here’s a look at the fake April Rose pictures.  You know the story and I’m not going to post a link to the “mother’s” blog because she’s a scamming low life.

As expected, GM filed for bankruptcy this morning. Here's some bits and pieces:

General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday as part of a plan under which the government will pump another $30 billion into the company with the aim of re-creating the troubled automaker.

Now get this crap:

Senior administration officials, who declined to speak for attribution, said the U.S. government will be a "passive" investor but will oversee operations at the new GM because "the taxpayer will want us to."

They haven't been passive in firing the CEO.

The government will receive $8.8 billion in debt and preferred stock and 60 percent of the company's equity. Treasury will appoint all new board of directors members not appointed by the VEBA and the Canadian government.

That's not very "passive".

 

And if you own stock, say goodbye:

The plan is for the federal government to take a 60 percent ownership stake in the new GM. The Canadian government would take a 12.5 percent stake, with the United Auto Workers getting a 17.5 percent stake and unsecured bondholders receiving 10 percent. Existing GM shareholders are expected to be wiped out.

Goodbye Hummer:

The downsized GM brands will be limited to Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. Its Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab operations will be either sold or closed. GM said it was finalizing a deal to sell Hummer, and plans for Saturn are expected to be announced within weeks.

The government will only vote on core governance issues, including the selection of a company's board of directors and major corporate events or transactions.

That could include sporting events, such as NASCAR.

Well, there's nothing we can do about it, so we'll have to sit back and see if the Obama administration keeps it word. I doubt they will.

Link to complete article:  GM Declares Bankruptcy

So the dog returns wearing a collar this time.

Better double-check the leash law in Hampton.

Drew Peterson entered a not guilty plea today.  Can you believe this guy?  You just know he killed at least one of his former wives.

This man is milking his 15 minutes of fame with the likes I haven't seen in a long time.  He sure appears to love the attention.

On the positive side of things, Peterson gets to stay in jail because he can't post the $20 million bail.  That means he's can't mug for the cameras anymore.

Nearly one in three US homeowners owe more on mortgage than their home is worth

The downturn in home prices has left about 20% of U.S. homeowners owing more on a mortgage than their homes are worth, according to one new study, signaling additional challenges to the Obama administration’s efforts to stabilize the housing market.

The increase in the number of such “underwater” borrowers comes amid signs that falling prices are making homes more affordable for first-time buyers and others who have been shut out of the housing market. But falling prices also make it more difficult for homeowners who get into financial trouble to refinance or sell their homes, and for others to take advantage of lower interest rates.

For instance, fewer will qualify to take advantage of a key component of the Obama administration’s plan to stabilize the housing market. Under the plan, announced in February, as many as five million homeowners whose loans are owned or guaranteed by government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can refinance their mortgages, but only if the mortgage loan is a maximum of 105% of the home’s value.

Government officials are considering an increase in that limit. “It’s a question that we’re looking at,” said James Lockhart, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie and Freddie.

Real-estate Web site Zillow.com said that overall, the number of borrowers who are underwater climbed to 20.4 million at the end of the first quarter from 16.3 million at the end of the fourth quarter. The latest figure represents 21.9% of all homeowners, according to Zillow, up from 17.6% in the fourth quarter and 14.3% in the third quarter.

“What’s going on here is that you don’t have any markets that have turned around and you have new markets, like Dallas, that have joined the ranks” of communities where home prices have fallen, said Stan Humphries, a Zillow.com vice president.

Borrowers who owe far more than their home is worth may also be less likely to participate in another part of the government’s housing plan, which provides incentives for mortgage companies to modify loans to make payments more affordable. Thomas Lawler, an independent housing economist, said borrowers who owe 30% more than their homes are worth are far more likely to walk away from their property than those who owe just 5% or 10% more and expect prices to rebound. More than one in 10 borrowers with a mortgage owed 110% or more of their home’s value at the end of last year, according to First American CoreLogic.

There are some recent indications that the housing market could be beginning to stabilize. The National Association of Realtors pending home-sales index, for instance, increased 3.2% in March.

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Just how many borrowers are underwater is a matter of some dispute, with the answer depending in part on assumptions regarding home values and mortgage debt outstanding. Variations in home-price estimates can make a major difference in the number of borrowers who are underwater. In addition, borrowers who are already in the foreclosure process may be counted as being underwater if the title to their property hasn’t changed hands.

Kenneth Rosen, chairman of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, said underwater estimates can be too high if they use price data that includes a large number of foreclosures. Foreclosed homes tend to sell at a discount, he said, making it appear that prices have fallen more than they actually have.

Moody’s Economy.com estimates that of 78.2 million owner-occupied single-family homes, 14.8 million borrowers, or 19%, owed more than their homes were worth at the end of the first quarter, up from 13.6 million at the end of last year.

Part of the reason Zillow’s numbers are higher may be that it looks at mortgage debt taken out at the time the home was purchased and doesn’t adjust for any payments since made toward the outstanding mortgage balance. It also assumes that borrowers who took out home-equity lines of credit at the time of purchase have fully tapped the amount they can borrow. That approach can overstate the portion of borrowers who are underwater, Mr. Zandi said.

Mr. Humphries of Zillow calls his methodology conservative and said Zillow’s use of pricing for individual homes provides a better measure of home valuations than Mr. Zandi’s approach, which relies on market-level estimates of home values. He adds that Zillow doesn’t include foreclosures in its pricing models.

Write to Ruth Simon at ruth.simon@wsj.com and James R. Hagerty at bob.hagerty@wsj.com

Good Morning to Fox43 tv,

I continue to be dismayed by the uneven coverage that your station gives to the Portsmouth Walk for the March of Dimes,  Two nights ago, I looked at your promotion of the Virginia Beach Walk on April 29, and the fact that you proclaimed that you would be participating.

There was no mention of the walk in Portsmouth on 5/2 @ 1PM in Olde Towne.  Every year, I notice the exclusion of coverage for this walk.  Let's be fair and consistent, all of the volunteers in both of these cities work hard for the promotion of healthy babies,

I will keep checking to see if you will do Portsmouth justice and advertise their walk too!

Thanks,

Our weather has been crazy considering that we had near record breaking temps this past week. I mean near 70 degrees and that was on Monday!

http://www.megavideo.com/?c=profile&user=mizokagex

I do not know how anyone could be surprised by this sudden recession/depression. Computer people began losing our jobs in the 1999 great overseas job migration. Certainly when millions of jobs are sent from one country to another, the economic ramifications are guaranteed. Greed and corruption has done to the United States what our enemies could have only dreamed.

“And then they came for me” by Lasantha Wickrematunga inspired me to write:

• When they laid-off the steel workers, we did nothing because we were not steel workers.
• When they laid-off auto workers, we did nothing because we were not auto workers.
• When they laid-off the computer techs, and sent their jobs away, we did nothing because we were not computer techs.
• And when they laid you off, you did nothing but blame the unemployed.

January 31, 2009

 

Fox 43TV

 

Re:  Chase MasterCard

1-800-945-2000

www.chase.com

 

I have a credit card that I have had for awhile with a promotional rate of 3.99.  I have always been in good standing, never late.  I received information that starting from the payment due 02-2009,then that they are now applying an additional 10.00 transaction fee every month to my bill, along with changing the minimum of 2% due each month to a 5% due every month.    I don't have a problem with them changing their policy's, however, I feel the people in good standing should be able to continue their promotional rate, and the changes should only apply to new charges.

There may not be anything I can do about this, but I would like to bring it to your attention - I would like to know why they can break the rules but we can't. Can this be checked out, when I called the credit card company they told me it was for everyone that had the credit card. It did not matter if you were in good standing, or on a promotional rate.

 

Regards,

 

sassychevy@charter.net

Order yours TODAY!! Call us at 757-399-3780 (Aarons)

Come to our 4 day sale here at Aarons 3125 High St Portsmouth

WHY IS THE PRESIDENT OHBAMA REFERED TO AS

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND NOT

BI-RACIAL?

IT IS WRONG FOR EVERYONE (TV,RADIO,NEWSPAPERS ECT)TO REFER TO OUR NEW PRESIDENT AS BLACK WHEN IS TRUELY BI-RACIAL. IT UPSETS ME EVEN MORE THAT HE HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS HIMSELF AND/OR CORRECTED IT.

ITS MORE CONCERNING HAVING 3 BI-RACIAL SONS OF MY OWN AND THEY DONT EVEN KNOW THAT HE IS BI-RACIAL.YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE AMAZEMENT ONMY 8 YEAR OLDS FACE WHEN I TOLD HIM THE PRESIDENT IS BI-RACIAL AND NOT JUST AFRICAN AMERICAN.

DONT TAKE THIS BLOG AS A PUT DOWN TO THE PRESIDENT OR ANYONE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RACE BUT BEING BI-RACIAL HAS ALL ITS OWN PROBLEMS WITH SOCIETY. NOT ALWAYS BEING ACCEPTED ON EITHER SIDE OF EITHER RACE CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR A CHILD SO FOR THE PRESIDENT TO SPEAK PROUDLY AND ONLY CLAIM ONE RACE IS WRONG. MY CHILDEREN AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER BI-RACIAL KIDS NEED A GREAT ROLE MODEL.

SO WRITE BACK AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ON THIS MATTER

As terrible as the conflict is currently in the middle east there is something even more tragic that is happening there-that is the humanitarian crisis. It makes no sense now to point fingers to call who is right or wrong when the humanitarian need is so great. People are hurt and the aid must get there and cuick. Anyone and everyone who wishes peace for this troubled region must now lay aside their differences and work together in helping those hurt in this tragic conflict. It is not Impossable--the very same hands that can  give a cup of cold water can also build a bridge.

On one of the New Year's Eve specials, they were asking members of Congress what their goals were for 2009.  I was very surprised with how few of them mentioned the economy in any fashion.  I think they need to work on fixing the economy first.  I think it is clearly the biggest issue facing our country right now, and that seems to be reflected in the vast majority of polls.  But Congress just doesn't seem to get it.

Unfortunately, with the many band-aid bailouts that were passed in 2008, Congress seemed unwilling to even consider the long-term effects of what they were doing.  They didn't provide adequate methods for oversight or regulation of how the bailout money was spent.  And since the money was handed out, there have been a lot of news stories about how some of that money was wasted.  It doesn't seem logical to me that wasting additional taxpayer money will create long-term growth for the economy.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican Minority Leader in the Senate, has been one of the few Congressional representatives who is talking about fixing the economy every chance he gets.  He is making two key points.  The first is that we don't waste any additional tax dollars.  The second point is that any economic stimulus/recovery plan needs to be well thought out.  I strongly agree with both of those points.  We need to make sure that any short-term fix doesn't have major negative long-term consequences.

One of the areas I am most concerned about is the power that President-elect Obama and the large Democratic majority in Congress will have to repay political favors.  Repaying those favors may come at the expense of truly fixing the economy.  For instance, labor unions spent well over $300 million to help elect Obama and strengthen the Democratic majority in Congress.  Now it seems the unions expect to get repaid for their support by having Congress quickly pass the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as the "Card Check" bill.

This bill would take away secret ballot elections in businesses where unions want to organize.  I have no problems with unions when the workers decide on their own to form one.  Especially in business sectors involving dangerous materials or processes, unions can serve a great purpose to protect worker safety.  But it doesn't seem to make any sense to take away the workers' right to decide whether to unionize in a secret ballot election.  Just as people were intimidated and coerced to vote certain ways in political elections in the early days of this country, the same thing would happen to workers who weren't able to keep their votes secret.  It would effectively stifle a lot of the debate because people with dissenting viewpoints would be opening themselves up to retaliation.

Plus, the fear of harassment could lead to "push-button" unions in a lot of businesses that really don't require them - like very small businesses.  Small businesses have always been the driving force of job growth and this bill could stifle them under excessive regulations.  And that would really hurt the long-term prospects for the economy.  I saw that the Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is working to make sure everyone knows about the potential negative effects of this bill.  I encourage the other readers to sign their petition or directly contact their Congressional representative and ask them to protect worker privacy, fix the economy first, and fix the economy in the right way to ensure long-term growth.  Here's a link to the petition and some more information about the bill - http://friendsoftheuschamber.com/email/email4.cfm?id=1
78

Just wanted to say "HELLO" to everyone out there. This is my first post and hopefully not my last. I have a tendancy to stat these things, and then to die off. I need to find a kind sole that can hold me responsible in some way, so I will stick to this writing down of things ... so I am willing to finishing things through. Maybe this will be my starting point?

I see I have to select a catagory for this blog ... I have no idea, so if it ends up in the wrong place I truly apologize to you all. I am chosing news as I sure don't think this goes into any other catagory, although I don't think of this as news either.

Well, once again Hello to all.

Pat