We Are Alpine Innovations

News in 30

2012-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

COMPENSATION?: Costa Crociere S.p.A. has offered each surviving, uninjured passenger from the Costa Concordia 11,000 euros as compensation. The US Dollar equivalent is $14,460.

The company said it negotiated the amount with an Italian consumer group that is representing 3,206 passengers from 61 countries. All passengers involved in the negotiations had no injuries. Costa Cruises also said they will be reimbursing cruise and travel expenses, as well as any medical costs that were incurred as a result of the ships grounding.

Passengers who did not participate in this deal are able to pursue legal action on their own. Many consumer advocacy groups have been involved in the criminal case against the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino. Schettino has been accused of manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Many passengers have said they are still working to come to terms with the accident and find themselves struggling emotionally. American passengers are also angry at what they believe was inaction by the U.S. Embassy on behalf of the passengers.

Editor's Note: That just doesn't seem like enough does it?

SAVING THE DAY!: A 16 year old is credited with preventing a bomb plot at a Utah school.

Bailey Gerhardt told authorities after she received a text message from one of the students accused int he plot. The message said, "I get the feeling you know what I'm planning. Explosives, airport, airplane. We ain't gonna crash it, we're just gonna kill and fly our way to a country that won't send us back to the U.S."

According to documents filed in the case, Gerhardt was told by one of the students that if she wee ever told not to go to school, she better make sure "[you] are not there."

The students who were arrested Wednesday morning. The students were offended they were compared to the Columbine plot because "those killers only completed one percent of their plan."

A police spokesman credited Gerhardt for notifying officials, but pointed out that the plan would have been very difficult to pull off.

Editor's Note: In a sea of difficult, it's nice to know that some people will stand up and do the right thing.

News in 30

2012-01-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT: In a brief, but stunning display of tension between President Obama and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a photograph showing the two in an exchange is now all over the internet.

President Obama had touched down on the tarmac in Arizona and was greeted by many, including Governor Brewer. She hand delivered him a letter and then had an intense exchange that was photographed with the Gov. pointing her finger at the President.

Representatives for the two both agree that the conversation was about Brewer's book, "Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border".

A section of Brewer's book discussed a meeting she had with the President during the summer of 2010. The meeting was described as a "good meeting" by the White House, while Brewer's representatives said it was "cordial". However, Brewer's book described the event as "cold" and that many of their devices were taken by Secret Service. Brewer described the President as "condescending".

In the face to face exchange today, the President chastised the Governor for her characterization of him in the book. He also told her that "he didn't feel that I treated him cordially." She said that she began a dialogue with him, but was cut short and didn't even get to finish her sentence.

The letter she delivered to him was an invitation to meet to discuss Arizona.

Editor's Note: Is that a Fed vs. State thing or a constitutional right to Freedom of Speech thing?

News in 30

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

BE FAIR: President Obama presented his vision for America by outlining a plan defined by "fairness".

"The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of American barely get by. Or we can restore and economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules," he said during his speech.

Obama highlighted many of his policies as the reasons why the economy is starting to turn around. He also made new proposal that he believes would help manufacturing and energy fields while improving the skill sets of American workers. As part of his proposals, there would be new government departments.

Republicans had their own ideas about the State of the Union, making them well know ahead of the President's speech. House Speaker John Boehner said, "The president checked out last Labor Day. He spent the last four months doing nothing but campaigning. He hasn't been engaged in the process. If the president wants us to be engaged in the process, it takes two to tango."

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels delivered the official rebuttal. As part of his speech Daniels said, "No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others. As in previous moments of nations danger, we Americans are all int he same boat." Daniels also discussed the "gravity" of what Americans were facing both economically and tactically.

Americans are still divided, wanting improvement but not sure how to make it better.

Editor's Note: I just want fair to mean fair....not redistribution. We our responsible for ourselves, and those who CANNOT care for themselves. We should all be rewarded for working hard, doing our share and showing compassion for all.

News in 30

2012-01-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

STATE OF THE UNION: President Obama is preparing to make his third State of the Union Address tonight. Many pundits are expecting him to "draw the election year line in the sand".

In a video on his re-election campaign website, Obama said this is a "make-or-break moment for the middle class and folks trying to work their way into the middle class."

Sources say that President Obama is planning to make taxes and fairness the main theme of his speech. He plans to use Warren Buffet's secretary as an example. Debbie Bosanek pays a higher tax rate than her boss. Obama is going to have her sit in the Presidential box during the speech.

Many of the ideas Obama put forward in 2011 are still not in practice. Eliminating oil company subsidies, changing No Child Left Behind and fixing the immigration system are all still unresolved. Tax reform has not been completed either.

While everyone expects Obama to go after what he calls the "Do-nothing congress", Republicans are already prepping their rebuttals. "I read a lot about what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night. And it sounds to me like the same old policies that we've seen," said House Speaker John Boehner. "More spending, higher taxes, more regulations--the same policies that haven't helped our economy, they made it worse. And if that's what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night, I think it's pathetic."

Editor's Note: The rhetoric continues to go back and forth ahead of tonight's speech. Tomorrow should bring some light onto where Americans stand on the issues.

News in 30

2012-01-23T12:44:00.001-08:00

GIFFORDS QUITS: Justover one year ago, Representative Gabrielle Gifford’s was shot in the head by aman who also killed six other people.

Yesterday Representative Gifford’s announced her plans toresign from the House of Representatives after the President’s State of theUnion Address on Tuesday night. She intendsto offer her written resignation on Wednesday morning.

Gifford’s plans to end her tenure in government with a visitto the Gabrielle Gifford’s Family Assistance Center in Arizona. The center opened in September of 2011 usingfunds that were donated in Gifford’s honor. She will sit with her colleagues during the State of the Union addresson Tuesday evening.

Gifford’s cited her need to work on her recovery as thereason for her resignation. But shesaid, “I will get stronger. I willreturn. I want to get back to work. Representing Arizona is my honor. I miss you, I miss home. I will see you real soon.”

Members of both the Republican and Democratic parties haveexpressed their sadness at her decision, but applaud her efforts to continue onher road to recovery.

Editor’s Note: I may ormay not have agreed with her politics, but no one can dismiss her perseveranceand amazing attitude!

News in 30

2012-01-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

DROP OUT: Rick Perry has announced his withdrawal from the race for the Republican nomination for President. As part of his withdrawal from the race he also endorsed Newt Gingrich.

"There is no viable path forward for me. I gave fully of cause worthy of this country," he said. "Newt is not perfect, but who among us is? There is forgiveness for those who seek God."

Gingrich has recently been showing well in the polls, and has had strong showings in debates. The endorsement will likely give yet another boost to his campaign.

With Perry no longer in the race, Gingrich is looking more and more like the fiercest opponent to Mitt Romney.. Gingrich is still tailing by about 10 points in the polls.

With another debate tonight, and the recent recount in Iowa showing Santorum actually took the lead, many are watching to see how Perry's withdrawal actually effected the race.

Editor's Note: Politics, politics, politics.

EVEN MORE PROOF: An Italian newspaper published records today showing that the Coast Guard became aware of the trouble about 15 minutes after the Costa Concordia ran aground. When the Coast guard contacted the ship, they were told it was a blackout and they could handle it themselves.

The captain of the ship has been accused of being the main cause of the shipwreck, driving to fast to allow proper reaction time, veering off course and abandoning ship. Francesco Schettino, who is currently under house arrest, will likely face manslaughter charges for the deaths that resulted from the accident.

Authorities are preparing to stop looking for survivors and turn all operations over to recovery. Eleven people have been confirmed dead, and 21 are still missing.

Editor's Note: This is still such a devastating tragedy. I think mostly because it was completely avoidable.

News in 30

2012-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

I TRIPPED: Francesco Schettino, captain of the doomed luxury liner Costa Concordia said he didn't intentionally leave the ship during the crisis.

While in an Italian court yesterday, Schettino said he tripped and fell into a life boat as it was being lowered into the sea. In his statement to the court he said, "I had no intention of escaping. I was helping some passengers put the life boat to sea. At a certain point the mechanism for lowing it, blocked. We had to force it. Suddenly the system unblocked itself and I tripped and I found myself inside the life boat with a number of passengers." He claims that once the lifeboat was lowered, it was "impossible to go back on board."

Schettino said he made a lot of mistakes on the cruise liner, but he maintains the path he took was approved from the beginning. He was caught in a lie with the Port Authority, telling them at first he and fellow officers abandoned ship, but when questioned by the PA, he said the ship listed so forcefully they were all ejected from the boat.

Schettino has been crucified by local papers and is currently keeping a low profile.

Editor's Note: If he is going to admit to lying, you do have to wonder how far he will take it.

PUT A PIPE IN IT: The Keystone crude oil pipeline has been briefly in the news, poised to be a huge debate between Republicans and Democrats. Regardless of who won the 'debate' over the issue, someone was going to be left angry.

Trans Canada's proposed 1,700 mile pipeline has been the focus of the discussion about U.S. energy policy. Many saw the pipeline as a way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but environmental groups saw the move as dangerous to the climate.

It is expected, by all parties, that the Obama administration will reject the pipeline today. Before making it's statement, officials have said they are doing one last look over alternate routes and options.

Editor's Note: Don't know how it would effect global warming, but I do know how it would affect our dependence on foreign oil....so, I guess that is the side I'm on....I guess.

News in 30

2012-01-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

MORE BODIES: During a search today, five more bodies were found among the wreckage of the Costa Concordia. The victims were found after divers blew holes in the hull of the ship to access the lower decks.

While the search was going on the captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, was in a courtroom waiting to hear if he will be charged in the accident. If the Italian court decided to pursue charges, they will likely be for the criminal charges of Reckless Control of the Ship, Abandoning Ship and possible manslaughter charges in the deaths related to the accident.

Schettino had been found on shore while passengers were still trying to get off the ship. A recording was played in court today where officials could be heard repeatedly ordering Schettino to return to the ship, while he made excuses as to why he couldn't.

The ship is currently perched precariously on a ledge that sits over water that is 224 feet deep. Rescue divers have reported hearing the sounds of screeching metal every time the boat moves. Officials fear the ship may drop into the deep before search and rescue operation are completed.

Officials also revised the number of missing upward, now saying there are 20 people still unaccounted for. It is unsure whether or not the number includes the five bodies found today.

The investigation of the accident is ongoing, but statements released by officials, Costa Cruises and even postings found on Facebook indicate that the captain made unauthorized movement of the ship towards the coast. There is also evidence to suggest that the captain delayed calling for help by at least an hour as he tried to free the ship from the rocks.

Editor's Note: That's pretty bad. Off course by 4 miles, close to an island so a waiter could wave to his sister, untrained staff....I don't know that the families of those who didn't make it will be very understanding.

News in 30

2012-01-16T12:05:00.000-08:00

SHIPWRECK: On Friday evening, the Costa Concordia ran aground in rocks near Giglio, a small island off the coast of Tuscany. The ship was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew at the time of the accident. The ship appeared to be showing off for tourists on the island and came an astonishingly 450 feet off of Giglio. Six people have been confirmed dead and 16 are still missing.

Passengers gave accounts detailing panic and chaos that has been likened to what was described on the Titanic. There have been several reports that the captain abandoned ship and left the passengers to their own devices. Some crew member said that they too saw the captain leave before the passengers.

After the ship ran aground, it began tilting to one side, rendering the life boats on one side completely useless. The boat eventually began listing so severely that the remaining lifeboats became stuck on the side and couldn't be used either. Many passengers actually jumped off the boat and swam to shore.

The captain of the Costa Concordia has been held in connection with the accident and will likely be charged with manslaughter and abandoning his ship. He was seen on shore by rescue officials who told him to return to the ship and he refused.

Yesterday, two passengers and a crew member were found by rescue personnel and taken from the boat. The rescue operations continue, although they have had to be suspended several times because of the danger associated with the listing.

Officials are currently listening to the "black box" in order to figure out exactly what happened.

Editor's Note: Yeah, that really stinks. I've always wanted to go on a cruise....now I'm not so sure.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: In a move that didn't surprise anyone, Jon Huntsman withdrew from the GOP Presidential race and has endorsed Mitt Romney.

Huntsman, the "other Mormon" in the race, hoped to take on President Obama on the economy and foreign policy. With his own background as the United States Ambassador to China, Huntsman had firm opinions on foreign strategy.

Huntsman, as part of his withdrawal speech, asked candidates to stop attacking one another. He also asked that voters get behind a 'non-extreme' candidate, in order to do what was best for the country.

Editor's Note: November seems to far away....it gets even further when politics are involved.

News in 30

2012-01-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

TRADITIONAL PARDONS: While Former Governor of Mississippi is still fielding criticism for his last minute pardons, other are delving into the paperwork to find out why the former governor would make such a bold move.

Yesterday, it was revealed that many of the necessary documents were not filled out correctly. The documents were missing information such as crime, sentence, one document even had a semicolon where the date was supposed to be.

Some are looking beyond the paperwork to the reasoning that may be behind the decision. Mississippi is one of the few states in the Union that still uses a "trusty" system. Under the system well behaved prisoners are allowed to work in the governors mansion, regardless of crime and sentence.

Barbour explained the system in an interview in 2008, sharing that it was customary for Mississippi governors to reduce the sentences of prisoners who performed the work for the governor. The tradition has roots in the south, but states have been phasing out the tradition as inmates have abused the tradition.

Editor's Note: So the ability to vacuum or clean toilet means murder isn't as bad you think....?

SENTENCED FOR SOMETHING: It has been 2 days since Joran van der Sloot plead guilty to the killing of a 21 year old Peruvian woman. Family members of the victim plan to be in court on Friday when the sentence is pronounced.

By pleading guilty, van der Sloot hoped to received a lighter sentence, but under Peruvian law he could be sentenced for up to 30 years. Van der Sloots attorney is arguing for special circumstances that should allow for a shorter sentence.

The attorney is using the extreme stress van der Sloot felt because of the accusation in the Natalee Hollaway case as his argument. The attorney says that the accusations have always proved baseless as he dhas never been charged in the death of Natalee Hollaway.

Editor's Note: He has managed to face charges for extortion for trying to get m money from Hollaways parents. He made statements that Flores saw information about Hollaway on his computer and that's why he had to kill her. He doesn't seem to do things that make people think he is innocent.

News in 30

2012-01-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

PARDON ME!: In the final hours before Haley Barbour left his seat as Governor of Mississippi, he pardoned over 200 men. Some of the men released were convicted of murder.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood requested an injuction preventing the release of any more until the cases could be reviewed. Hood believes that Barbour violated the state's constitution by failing to give public notice that the men were seeking clemency. The state constitution requires public notice about men seeking pardons be published for 30 days before the governor can grant one.

Mississippi Circuit Judge Tomie Green has issued a temporary block of the release of 21 inmates. He is also requiring a letter be sent to the inmates already released that they may have to report back to prison, and to "not go far".

Victims and family members of victims gathered to decry the move of Barbour, speaking of their loved ones and the terrible emotions and anguish these surprise pardons had brought to the surface

Barbour released a statement overnight saying the majority of men he gave clemency to, had already been released from prison. The others had performed services at the governors mansion. He said his decisions were based on recomendations made by the parole board.

Editors Note: Having a hard time with this. I struggle with outgoing political pardons anyway.....so we will just leave it alone.

A LITTLE LOWER: After a positive start to the new year, stocks are trading lower today after a an increase in unemployment claims. Also contributing to the mood change on Wall Street are mostly flat retail sales and bond auctions in Italy and Spain. While the stocks have not fallen by a large amount, it could signify that we could potentially have another rocky year.

Midway through the day, the Dow Jones was down 30 points, while the S&P 500 was down 2 points.. The Nasdaq had manage to go positive by 3 points, but over it has remained stagnant for six days.

Investment strategists believe the small decline is actually a sign of the market becoming stable. Ralph Fogel from Fogel Neale Partners said that small to moderate moves in the market are a healthy sign. We need to watch out for the steep rises and declines that were so common last year.

Overseas it appears that Italy and Spain may be starting to stabilize as well.

Editor's Note: Sooooooo, now no movement is good? Well, I think we all see why I didn't go into finance....

News in 30

2012-01-11T09:38:00.001-08:00

GUILTY: In asurprise pleading, Joran van der Sloot pled guilty to murdering Stephany Floresin Peru in 2010.

Flores was the daughter of a wealthy and influentialPeruvian businessman. She was foundstrangled in van der Sloot’s hotel room. According to reports, Van der Sloot and Flores at a casino in Lima,Peru.

Van der Sloot was arrested 3 days after Flores’ body wasdiscovered. There were reports that Van der Sloot had immediately confessed tothe murder, indicating that he had to kill Flores because she found prooflinking him to the death of Natalie Holloway on his computer.

Although he had admitted to this killing, Van der Sloot hasnot admitted to do doing any harm to Holloway. He maintains the last time he saw her was on a beach and she was drunk.

Editor’s Note: I haveto wonder how Natalee’s parents are feeling about this….

ON TO SC: After MittRomney’s decisive win in New Hampshire, the GOP candidates are now eyeing SouthCarolina.

In his victory speech in New Hampshire, Romney was quick topoint out that he was not yet the Republican nominee for President of theUnited States. “Tonight wecelebrate. Tomorrow we go back to work.”

The other candidates downplayed the importance of New Hampshire,but have acknowledged that South Carolina hold greats importance. Many of the candidates are taking the stanceof ‘eyes on the prize’, and the prize is South Carolina.

Editor’s Note: Have Imentioned how excited I am that it’s politics season…..riiiiigggghhhhtttt!

News in 30

2012-01-10T10:44:00.001-08:00

AT THE POLLS: Afterthe Iowa poll gave the edge to Mitt Romney, the second round has begun in NewHampshire.

Romney is expected to have a solid lead over his opponents,since it is considered more of his “home turf”. Romney had previously been governor of New Hampshire’s neighbor, Massachusetts.

While most expect Romney to take first in the politicalrace, what everyone is anticipating is who will come in second and third. Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrinch andRick Santorum have been in a variable heat, depending on who gets polled. Santorum has had a recent surge, whileGingrich has been sliding.

In spite of two debates last week, most votes have saidtheir opinions haven’t changed much and they haven’t made any new choices inregards to who they will vote for. Romney has stayed focused and voter driven, defending attacks from othercandidates and keeping comments limited to his policies rather than attackinghis opponents.

Editor’s Note: I hatepolitical season. It’s nowhere nearNovember and it has begun……dum, dum, dum……(cue ominous music).

News in 30

2012-01-09T12:23:00.001-08:00

YOU’RE FIRED: BillDaley has resigned as President Obamas chief of staff. Jacob Lew, who has been serving as thedirector of the Office of Management and Budget, has been promoted and willtake over as the new chief of staff.

Daley was brought in as a replacement for Rahm Emanuel, butin November began sharing large portions of his position with Pete Rouse.

According to the White House, Daley offered the President a letterof resignation last week. The Presidentasked Daley to think about it for 24 hours, after which Daley came back to thePresident and said he was firm in his decision to resign.

The marks the latest change in the Obama Administrationsstaff. Obama has been plagued with aseries of turnovers in many high ranking positions.

Editor’s Note: Wow. 2 in 3 years…

News in 30

2012-01-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

GOING UP?: December’sjobs report had some solidly good news. It also had some not-so-positive news.

Payrolls increased by 200,000 in December, bringing thenation’s unemployment rate down to 8.5%, the lowest level since February of2009. The unemployment rate has droppedfor the fourth straight month.

Dan Greenhaus, an analyst at BTIG LLC said, “There is noquestion that today’s employment report is a positive and there is also noquestion that the pace of job growth has accelerated of late.” Payroll Company ADP said its own reports showsignificant gains in comparison to what it forecast.

On the flip side, analysis shows the pace of job creation isgoing to slow to indicate that the economy is truly on the mend. In order to continue reduce the unemploymentrate, the job market would need to add between 200,000 and 250,000 jobs permonth.

Analysts are cautiously optimistic, saying that although itwasn’t all good news, it is definitely a good sign.

Editor’s Note: Keepit going!!!

News in 30

2012-01-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

CASEY’S BACK: CaseyAnthony spoke publicly for the first time through a video diary she postedonline. “The good thing is things arestarting to look up and things are starting to change in a good way. Let’s just hope they stay, that things staygood and that they only get better. They’llonly get better.”

Also in the video, you could also see the physicaltransformation she has made. Anthony nowhas a bleached blonde bob that is a stark contrast from the long, dark she hadduring her trial. She also had on darkglasses.

Anthony went into hiding after she was acquitted in thetrial in the death of her daughter. Shewas, however, convicted of lying to law enforcement. She is currently on probation in Florida fora check fraud conviction.

Anthony didn’t mention any of her family members on hervideo, but did mention a dog she had adopted. Anthony said she is looking forward to doing more of the videos.

Editor’s Note: How doyou start over after what she has been through? Guilty or not…..how do you start over???? I guess we will all find out if we choose towatcher her video blog.

News in 30

2012-01-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

STARTING THE YEAR ON A GOOD NOTE: In a devastating accident off an icy road inUtah, a car was plunged into a freezing river carrying the driver and 3children.

Roger Andersen, the driver of the car and father of two ofthe children, was able to get out of seatbelt and move around in the car, butwas helpless to save the children.

Andersen, who was disoriented from the crash, had to go upfor air. Eight to ten individuals werealready going into the water to try and save anyone that remained in the car.

One man used his handgun to shoot out one of the carswindows to get to the children that were still trapped. More people clambered into the river tohelp. At least a dozen individualshelped save the lives of three children.

In approximately 4 minutes, all of the occupants of the carwere on dry land. Andersen said of thegood Samaritans, “We’re just so grateful for their ability to just act swiftlyand decisively and really just step up when the moment was there in front ofthem.”

Andersen and his wife have both expressed there are no wordsto express their gratitude to those who helped. The children have all been treated and released, and will be fine.

Editor’s Note: Ithought today would be a great day to highlight something good….as a way tokick of the New Year in a positive way.

News in 30

2011-12-29T10:02:00.001-08:00

PROMOTION: Kim JongUn has officially been declared the Supreme Leader of North Korea. Kim Yong Nam, the ceremonial head of NorthKorea said, “Respected Comrade Kim Jon Un is our party, military and country’ssupreme leader who inherits great comrade Kim Jon Il’s ideology, leadership,character, virtues, grit and courage.”

Un attended a public memorial for his father onThursday. The memorial was attended bymilitary personnel and civilians. Thenumber of people there, showed the country’s acceptance of Un as their leader. During the memorial service, businesses wereclosed and the main city of North Korea had virtually shut down.

Because Un’s age is thought to detract from his position asleader, he will be mentored by his father’s younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui andher husband, Jang Song Thaek.

Leaders within North Korea are trying to make this aseamless transition. With internationalpressure mounting regarding North Korea’s nuclear program, it is important thatthe nation have a unified front.

Editor’s Note: I amstill curious if Un is going to be as ruthless as his father.

PUT IT OUT: A fire onboard a nuclear submarine forced crew members to shut down the nuclear reactoron board.

Russia’s emergencies ministry has reported that radiationlevels on board the submarine were normal, and the fire did not cause anyradiation leaks or injuries. Firefighters are currently working to put out the fire and prevent anymore damage on board.

A statement seen on the ITAR-Tass news agency said the firewas caused by a violation of technological rules. Not other information was given.

Editor’s Note: Nuclear submarine on fire….yeah, last place in the world I would everwant to be.

News in 30

2011-12-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

MOURNING IN THE STREETS: As the two day state funeral for former North Korean leader, Kim JongIl, tens of thousands of mourners can be found in the streets, weeping andwailing as they pay their respects.

Successor Kim Jong Un has led the procession, and picturesof the new leader crying over his father’s body have begun to surface. Kim Jong IL’s other two sons have not beenseen since his death. The weather hasbeen dreary with some snow, which mourners say is a sign that the heavens areweeping for their lost leader.

Only the state media has shown any of the funeralproceedings, which leads some outside of the country to question how much ofthe mourning is real versus staged.

South Korean leaders have expressed their condolences, aswell as leaders from all over the world.

Editor’s Note: Whichleaves everyone wondering…..Is Un going to be a firm a ruler as IL? Only time will tell.

IS IT GOING TO GET BETTER?: CNNMoney recently conducted a survey of economists to get a feel ofthings to come.

According to the survey, most economists believe that thingsmay be turning around. Economistslargely agree that 2011 will end relatively strong, and should carry through to2012.

The Gross Domestic Product looks to finish out the year ataround 3.3%. That would be the best seensince the second quarter of 2010. Economists also believe that we will start seeing an increase in hiring,but think that needs to tempered with the reality of how many are stillunemployed.

Overall, it is believe that 2012 will be a modest economicyear, but it is believed that the year will be much less volatile than 2011.

2011 was one of the most unpredictable financial years in recentmemory. With global uncertainty andlarges swings in global stocks markets, every day was a financial adventure.

Editor’s Note: I votefor stability!

News in 30

2011-12-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

SAD CONFESSION: Aneighbor was babysitting a 9 year old Indiana girl and her younger sisters whenshe disappeared last week. On Friday,December 22^nd, he admitted to killing her.

39 year old Michael Plumadore admitted he beat AliahnaLemmon to death with a brick. Afterkilling her, he dismembered her and hid her remains in his freezer. He said later, he chopped up her body andspread part of her remains through garbage at a nearby business, while keepingher head feet and hands at his trailer.

Aliahna's family was stunned by the news. They viewed Plumadore as a trust familyfriend and couldn’t believe he would do this to her.

Before confessing, Plumadore had told investigators he wentand got a cigar while the girls will still sleeping. Then he came back home and went back tobed. He said when he awoke Aliahna wasgone and her six year old sisters said the girl’s mother came and got her. They didn’t realize she was missing until hespoke with Aliahna’s mother later that night.

Plumadore broke down after extensive questioning. Investigators said Plumadore’s story didn’tmake sense from the beginning and they were determined to get to the bottom ofthings.

Editor’s Note: Such asad, sad story…especially right before Christmas. What a horrible tragedy.

ON A NOT SO GOOD NOTE: Sears and Kmart are planning to shut down between 100-120 stores. The company has not decided which stores willbe closed yet.

Sears Holdings said sales fell 5.2% in the eight weeksleading to Christmas. Kmart stores had a4.4% slide. Sears Holdings have fallen50% year to date.

The company has said that if sales continue to staydepressed in the current market, there is a possibility that it is possibleeven m ore stores could be closed.

Editor’s Note: HappyNew Year?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

At the joyous time of year, we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for you, our customers and friends.

May you be blessed with prosperity and happiness at this blessed time of year.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Happy Hanukkah!

and

Peace and Joy to All!

News in 30

2011-12-22T12:29:00.001-08:00

WILL THEY DO IT?: Nine days. Nine days until thepayroll tax break expires. The glovesare off as the President calls out both Democrats and Republicans for lack ofaction.

“This isn’t a typical Democrat versus Republican issue. This is an issue where an overwhelming numberof people in both parties agree,” the President said. “How can we not get that done? Has this place become so dysfunctional thateven when people agree to things, we can’t do it? It doesn’t make any sense.”

President Obama has taken to social media to get people toshare their stories and urge lawmakers to act. Most Americans would lose $40 per paycheck, the difference to some meansmaking ends meet or losing everything.

Speaker of the House John Boehner called the White Houseasking for meeting to help secure a one year deal for the extension. The President said that Boehner should passthe two month extension now, with plans for working out a deal for a longerterm solution after the New Year.

Both sides continue to point fingers, each blaming the otherfor hurting the American people.

Editor’s Note: I don’tunderstand why it has to be a deal…..do it or don’t. Reign in the country’s fiscal affairs andstop having the people pay for politician’s bad judgment.

News in 30

2011-12-21T08:58:00.001-08:00

CHARGES FILED: Private Danny Chen was found shot to death in a guard tower inAfghanistan. Initially, it was believehe committed suicide. After a militaryinvestigation, it was found that Chen had been a target of malicious slurs andbeatings by other soldiers.

The investigation was unclear on whether or not Chen waskilled or committed by suicide due to the abuse he suffered. However, eight soldiers have now been chargedin his death. The military has a zerotolerance policy on hazing.

1^st Lt. Daniel J Schwartz was charged with eightcounts of dereliction of duty. StaffSgt. Blaine G. Dugas has been charged with violation of general regulation,dereliction of duty and making a false official statement. StaffSgt. Andrew J. Van Bockel, Sgt. Adam M. Holcomb, Sgt. Jeffrey T. Hurst, Spc.Thomas P. Curtis, Spc. Ryan J. Offutt and Sgt. Travis F. Carden have allbeen charged with various offenses as well, ranging from dereliction of dutyand involuntary manslaughter to negligent homicide.

The military isworking to completely eradicate hazing from within its ranks.

Editor’sNote: I hope this works as a deterrent.

SHOWDOWN: The Republicans and Democrats of Congresshave yet to come up with a solution to the expiration of the payroll taxbreak.

President Obamaappeared at a White House briefing this morning and condemned Republicans forplaying politics with the vote. He said,“Let’s be clear: Right now, the bipartisan compromise that was reached onSaturday is the only way to prevent a tax hike on Jan. 1.”

House MajorityLeader Eric Cantor said, “The bill is back in the Senate, so if Harry Reid sayshe’s not going to appoint conferees…he’s going to have to answer to theAmerican people.”

Each sideappears to be waiting for the other to make a move. With the impending holiday, it is likelynothing will be settled before lawmakers go to their home states for the break.

Editor’sNote: I love watching others play withmy money.

News in 30

2011-12-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

INDECISION: Republicans and Democrats have been going at one another over theSenates passage of the two month extension on the payroll tax. The House does not seem poised to pass themeasure, a move which has been blasted by Democrats.

Senator Dean Heller said, “What is playing out inWashington, D.C., this week is about political leverage, not about what’s goodfor the American people. Congress canwork out a solution without stopping the payroll tax-cut extension for themiddle class.”

An article in the New York Times said that instead of theusual up or down vote on the measure, the House “will implement a proceduralmaneuver in which they will ‘reject’ the Senate bill while requesting to go toconference with members of that chamber in a single measure, protecting Housemembers from having to actually vote against extending a payroll tax cut.”

With poll deadlines looming, politicians are scurrying tofind favor with their constituents. TheAmerican public is looking to see if anyone puts their interests before theirpolitical ambitions.

Editor’s Note: Anovel idea….making it about the American people.

COMING BACK: Afterseveral days of steep declines, the stock market has rebounded. Helping bolster the market is good economicnews. U.S. housing starts have reached ahigh not seen in the last 18 months.

There is still much uncertainty with the European economiccrisis. The tension on European bankshas spilled over to U.S. banks. Bank ofAmerica Corporation’s stock price has fallen below $5. Nathan Snyder of Snow Capital Managementsaid, “We will continue to see it as we get a lot of volatility, mainly becausethere are no new assets coming back into the equity markets to drive directionin the market.”

AT&T has seen some of its own volatility after droppingits bid for T-Mobile yesterday. Severalother companies have seen some economic struggle as well.

After yesterdays big sell-off the market looks poised to endthe day in positive territory.

Editor’s Note: Youthink you can, you think you can, you think you can….C’mon market!

News in 30

2011-12-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

GREAT SUCCESSOR: Longesteemed leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il, dies this weekend at the age of69. He had been thought to be ill forquite some time. Il’s son, Kim Jong Un,is already being hailed as the “Great Successor”.

Un’s age is unknown, although he is thought to be around27. He was already appointed as a 4start general and held a prominent political post. Earlier this year, Un made a diplomatic tripto China, a move which solidified his position as heir apparent.

It is believed that Un is going tofollow in the footsteps of his father, and rule North Korea with a militaristicapproach. He is also expected tocontinue forward with North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Un was educated in Switzerland,and those who believed they knew him said he was just a normal guy who lovedbasketball. Of Il’s 3 sons, Un is saidto be most like his father in looks and philosophy.

Editor’s Note: From bad to worse?

NOT GONNA HAPPEN: After the Senate passed a two month extensionof the payroll tax, all eyes turned to the House of Representatives. Initially, it was believed that the Housewould pass the measure with little opposition; today it is believed the Housewill outright reject the measure.

The main sticking point for theHouse is the two month time period. Speaker of the House John Boehner said, “It’s only for two months. You know, the president said we shouldn’t goon vacation until we get our work done.”

Several Democrats came out andsaid that failure to pass the measure would cost the Republicans dearly at thepolls, especially with the Iowa caucuses coming up in a few weeks.

Politics are the issue as eachparty fights to convince the American public that they will do a better job ofprotecting the middle class. Republicanswant the matter settled now and Democrats are hoping to extend the negotiatingperiod.

Editor’s Note: Sick of politics.

News in 30

2011-12-16T06:36:00.001-08:00

ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: After the roller coaster ride the stock market has endured this week,early morning indicators show what may be a positive ending to a tumultuousweek.

Key euro zone bond yields have eased just before the releaseof U.S. inflation data. BenchmarkItalian bond yields are stable below 7%, and Spanish yields have fallen aswell. While there is still thepossibility a credit downgrade, overall the situation is quieter than it hasbeen all week.

Also contributing is Zynga Inc’s IPO, set to make a solidintroduction on the NASDAQ on Friday. Zynga’s IPO is set as $10 per share.

The Labor Department also released its November ConsumerPrice Index, which showed loser prices for cars and gas. The 12 month inflation reading fell for thesecond straight month which could allow the Federal Reserve more room forhelping the economy.

Overall, the sentiment is that no news out of Europe is goodnews.

Editor’s Note: I’mtired of taking Dramamine on days I watch the stock market.

GOING THROUGH: Congressional negotiators have come to an agreement to avoid agovernment shutdown.

Also still under consideration are plans to extend thepayroll tax cut. Senate leadershipbelieves that there will be a deal made before Christmas break, but mostcitizens won’t believe it until they see it. With taxpayers looking at paying an addition $1000 in taxes if theextension does not go into place, all are hoping members of congress canfinally make something work.

2011 will go down in history as one of the most politicallycharged in history with the sheer number of near hits and misses, with shutdowns, taxes and rhetoric on whose fault it all was.

Senators are trying to get as much done before Christmas aspossible.

Editor’s Note: All AIwant for Christmas, are less taxes to pay, less taxes to pay, less taxes topay!

News in 30

2011-12-15T11:09:00.001-08:00

STILL HOPE: Membersof Congress have gone back and forth over whether or not the payroll tax cutwill be extended. But Senate leaders metWednesday night, and have additional meetings scheduled for today, and arehopeful they will come to an agreement.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, “We hope that we cancome up with something that would get us out of here at a reasonable time inthe next few days.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “We hope to beable to pass a combination of appropriation bills and we are working hard toresolve the remaining differences on the payroll-tax extension and the relatedissues that are important to both sides. We are confident and optimistic we’ll be able to resolve both on abipartisan basis.”

While leaders appear to be showing a united front, there arestill serious differences in ideology over the payroll tax extension cut. The worst sticking point is the Keystone oilpipeline provision, which

Republicans have yet to back down from. Democrats, however, are indicating they mightbe willing to drop the surtax on people making over $1 million dollars a year.

The bill could be voted on as early as today, depending ontalks. Leadership acknowledges that itwould be a grave mistake to leave for Christmas break without resolution.

Editor’s Note: I say,vote yes on the extension. But that’sjust me.

GOOD NEWS?: After aweek of being battered, the stock market has seen some positive news from anupbeat jobs report.

The market has taken a beating mostly on concerns over theEuropean debt crisis. The concerns arestill present, but the market was encouraged by some positive jobs news.

Also helping with the small bump today, were positivenumbers on positive earnings reports.

Editor’s Note: Juststabilize already….

News in 30

2011-12-14T10:23:00.001-08:00

SLOWING DOWN: TheUnited States Postal Service has decided to slow down its planned closures ofoffices until May 15, 2012. The hope isthat Congress will be able to have time to come up with a plan to save thestruggling institution.

Senator Richard Durbin said it was time for Congress to “putup or shut up”. He went on to say, “Ifyou don’t like what the postal service has put forward (to cut costs) byclosing processing facilities and post offices and eliminating job, then comeup with a better approach. It’s achallenge we need to accept, and this agreement with the postal service givesus that opportunity.”

The USPS is currently under a $5.1 billion cloud ofdebt. The beleaguered giant is alsofacing a deadline for a $5.5 billion payment for pre-funding health careretirement benefits. The payment isrequired by law.

The USPS has tried to come up with several ideas to savemoney, including cutting back on next day services, raising the price ofpostage, among other options.

Editor’s Note: Hopefully there will be a solution. I like mail.

HURTFUL ERROR: TheMarine Corps mistakenly sent Purple Heart Christmas tree ornaments to over 1,000deceased Marines and sailors.

Family members began calling on Monday evening, questioning thereceipt of the ornaments. Colonel JohnL., Mayer said, “There are no words to express how very sorry we are for thehurt such a mistake has caused the families of our fallen warriors. There is no excuse for why this happened.”

Mayer has begun calling each family to apologize for theerror. In addition to the phone call,letters of apology will be sent out.

Editor’s Note: I knowit must have hurt, but it could also be seen as recognition of the ultimategift these brave men and women gave.

Get it. Use it. Love it. Repeat.

2011-12-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

--Special thanks to Jeffrey Guyer for his review of the Spudz!

Asa professional photographer, not only do my lenses have to be absolutelyspotless, but I need to be able to clean them quickly when they aren’t. Over my nine years in this business I’vetried all sorts of solutions in my search for the quickest, most economical andenvironmentally friendly way to make sure that my lenses are always ready tocapture the moment. A couple of yearsago I discovered the Spudz microfiber lens cloth from Alpine Innovations and itblew me away.

TheSpudz is a microfiber cloth attached to the inside of a small neoprene bag thatkeeps the cloth clean when not in use. Ican hook it to the outside of a camera bag and keep it handy, or drop it insidemy bag and know it’s not going to pick up any unwanted dirt between uses. In the rare event that the cloth does getdirty, you can either wash it by hand with a mild detergent or do what Ido—just drop it in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry.

Sinceit’s a microfiber cloth, it’s great at getting just about anything off my lenswithout having to resort to any liquid chemical cleaners that might damage thecoating on professional lenses.

TheSpudz Classic comes in different sizes, but my favorite is the larger 10x10 size—notbecause there is any difference in quality, but because I have big hands andthe extra cloth helps make sure I don’t accidentally touch the surface of thelens while I’m trying to clean it.

Almostforgot the really cool part. I don'tknow if the gray cloth is a true 18% gray, but it is so close enough that youcan photograph it in a reference shot and use it as a point for establishingcustom white balance in post-production.

Truthbe told, I've developed a bit of an addiction (but hey-- I can quit any time Iwant!) to these great lens cloths. Ihave at least one in each camera bag, one in the car, one in my desk, andprobably a couple more that have escaped to who-knows-where.

Check outthe website http://www.alpineproducts.comor find someplace local that carries them. Get it. Use it. Love it. Repeat.

--Jeffrey Guyer

News in 30

2011-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN: Arizona’s controversial immigration law is going before the SupremeCourt.

Arizona’s ‘Support Our Law Enforcement and SafeNeighborhoods Act’, also known as SB 1070 has been in the spotlight sincebefore it passed. Several other statesmodeled their own tough immigration bills, including Georgia, Alabama, Utah andSouth Carolina.

The federal government has vigorously fought against thebill, saying it oversteps into federal jurisdiction and complicates enforcementissues. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer hasmaintained the law was necessary because the federal government has not enforcedthe laws on the books.

Complicating the case is that Justice Elena Kagan isrecusing herself from the case since she was on Obama’s administrations initiallegal opposition as solicitor general. It is possible that court could end up in a 4-4 tie. A tie would prevent the provisions goingbefore the court from being enacted into law.

The ruling on Arizona’s law could set the precedence for allother immigration laws currently working their way through the justice system.

Editor’s Note: Between immigration and health care, it isn’t looking like any one isgoing to be getting along any time soon.

News in 30

2011-12-09T08:19:00.001-08:00

WHY?: A Virginia Techpolice officer was killed in a shooting on campus yesterday. During a press conference today, authoritiesconfirmed the shooter was not a student at the university.

After police officer Deriek W. Crouse was shot, a secondvictim, believed to be the shooter was found in a parking lot nearby. Corinne Geller of the Virginia State Policesaid, “We found him laying on the ground and he had suffered what appears to bea self-inflicted gunshot wound and the handgun was found nearby.” A motive has not been found as of yet, andinvestigators are trying to piece together a timeline of events.

There are indications that Crouse was specifically targetedby the gunman. Crouse was a four yearveteran of the force and father of five. Crouse was also a trained crisis intervention officer and a firearmsinstruction. He was also a U.S. Armyveteran.

University President Charles W. Steger said in a statementavailable on the schools website, “My heart goes out to his family who willsurely feel most keenly, in the days and months and years ahead, the profoundloss that today’s events have brought to pass. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and tohis colleagues in the police department.”

Editor’s Note: Such ahorrific tragedy. Our hearts go out toOfficer Crouse’s family.

News in 30

2011-12-08T09:59:00.001-08:00

MORE ACCUSATIONS: Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State coach who has been charged on severalaccounts of child molestation, was arrested yesterday and charged with newcounts from a new accuser.

Sandusky posted bail, and is now placed on house arrest withan ankle monitoring bracelet.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly said, “Today’s criminal chargeswere recommended by a statewide investigating grand jury, based on evidence andtestimony that was received following the initial arrest of Sandusky onNovember 5^th.”

Through all of the accusations, Sandusky has maintained hisinnocence. He now faces accusations from10 different victims. Many of thevictims claim they met Sandusky through The Second Mile charity, Sandusky’s nonprofitorganization that works with underprivileged children.

A grand jury report detailed the 40 charges against Sanduskyat that time. They were graphic, verydetailed and according to the victims, most of the abuse took place over theperiod of several years.

Editor’s Note: Innocent until proven guilty…..but it makes it difficult with so manycoming forward, making accusations.

LOOK WHAT WE GOT!: AU.S. surveillance drone recently crashed in Iran. The U.S. expressed concern over what Iranwould be able to learn about their military surveillance program. Iranians took the drone to the airwaves.

Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Forces Amir Ali Hajizadehshowed off the drone saying the aircraft was “to infiltrate our country’sairspace for spying missions.” He alsosaid, “This kind of plane has been designed to evade radar systems and from theview point of technology is amongst the most recent types of advanced aircraftused by the U.S.”

While the U.S. is concerned, the situation is completely outof their hands.

Editor’s Note: Spygames!

News in 30

2011-12-07T10:38:00.001-08:00

I DID IT: As RodBlagojevich attempts to avoid a 15 to 20 year prison sentence, he stood beforethe judge and said, “I have nobody to blame but myself. I’m not blaming anybody. I realize I was mistaken. I realize the things that I thought werepermissible were not.” Blagojevich alsoacknowledged the damage he did to his family, in particular his children, andto the office of governor.

Blagojevich was convicted of several counts of corruptionfor several inappropriate deals, including attempting to sell President Obama’ssenate seat.

Blagojevich’s family has pled with the judge on hisbehalf. A letter from one of hisdaughters begged the judge not to send her father to prison, and begged formercy on his behalf. She explained thatif her father went to prison, she would not get to share milestones in her lifewith him.

Defense attorneys also argued that should Blagojevichreceive the 15 to 20 years, he would be receiving the harshest punishment in astate with a history of corruption.

Editor’s Note: Theother corrupt guys may not have gotten that long….but what they did get wasobviously didn’t discourage the behavior in others.

UPDATED: Blagojevichreceives 14 years!

News in 30

2011-12-05T11:59:00.001-08:00

SLOWING DOWN: TheUnited States Postal Service will begin slowing down service in 2012, removingthe possibility of letters being delivered by the next day.

The USPS said it plans to quickly close 252 mail processingcenters and begin slowing the processing of all mail. David Williams, vice president of the PostalService said that they are not “writing off first class mail”, ratherresponding to the new reality of global communications.

Mail service has dropped off every year since hitting itspeak of delivery in 2006. Analystsexpect mail delivery to be half of the current volume.

The Postal Service is trying to avoid bankruptcy. In addition to closing the processingcenters, they are planning on closing 3,700 local post offices. The closures will likely result inapproximately 100,000 postal employees being laid off.

The Senate and House have both passed separate bills givingmore authority to the USPS to help with the financial difficulties.

Editor’s Note: This has been in the works for quite sometime….I can’t say I’m very surprised.

News in 30

2011-12-02T11:55:00.001-08:00

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: Theunemployment rate fell in November to 8.6. The economy reported an addition of 120,000 new non-farm jobs during themonth. This is the first timeunemployment has been below 9 % since March of 2009.

Stephen Bronars of Welch Consulting said, “This is the bestseries of jobs reports, including revisions, we have seen in months.”

13.9 million People are still out of work, and the numberdoesn’t include individuals who have stopped looking for work. Most expect the unemployment rate to hoveraround 9 percent throughout 2012. It ispossible to see a slight increase in the unemployment number as people who hadpreviously given up begin looking for jobs once again.

Combined with the positive economic news regarding BlackFriday sales, it would appear the economy is starting to show some signs oflife.

Editor’s Note: Wehave to add 400,000 jobs per month in order for unemployment to go down, and Idon’t know that we are there yet, but adding is DEFINITELY better than losing.

WORKING TOGETHER?: President Barack Obama, fellow Democrats and Republicans have agreedthat an extension of the payroll tax cut would be good for the economy, butthat is where the agreements end. Neither party can agree on how to pay for the tax cut.

Late on Thursday, the Senate blocked both Democratic andRepublican proposals regarding the tax cut extension. The block sets the stage for the parties towork together and create a negotiated settlement.

Immediately, the President blamed Republicans andRepublicans blamed Democrats. Meetingshave been set up by both sides to try and come up with a solution to thedisagreements.

Both parties agree that failure to pass an extension wouldbe extremely detrimental to the economy.

Editor’s Note: Cananyone say “Super Committee”?

News in 30

2011-12-01T11:16:00.001-08:00

FORECLOSURE NO MORE?: Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has sued five UnitedStates banks, accusing them of illegally foreclosing and using deceptive loanservicing practices.

In the lawsuit against Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and GMAC, it said, “The single most important thing wecan do to return to a healthy economy is to address this foreclosurecrisis. Our suit alleges that the bankshave charted a destructive path by cutting corners and rushing to foreclose onhomeowners without following the rule of law. Our action today seeks real accountability for the banks illegalbehavior and real relief for homeowners.”

Coakley’s lawsuit joins other state lawsuits againstmortgage lenders over deceptive lending practices. The 50 state attorneys general have triednegotiating a settlement with mortgage companies, but the talk have recentlyfallen apart over which practices would be covered by agreements and financialsettlements.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has orderedmortgage lenders to correct “inadequate quality control and audit reviews toensure compliance with legal requirements, policies and procedures.”

Editor’s Note: I wanta piece of that action…oh wait, I was never foreclosed on.

News in 30

2011-11-30T09:47:00.001-08:00

SKYROCKET!: The U.S.Federal Reserve announced that it would participate in a coordinated globaleffort to stabilize financial markets and triggered a massive surge on WallStreet.

In an unusual move from China’s central bank, the country cutits reserve requirement ratio for commercial lenders. This is the first time China’s central bankhas made such a move in 3 years. The efforts by China and the United States are part of aglobal plan to ease the European debt crisis and stabilize economies all overthe globe.

Also adding to the bump in the market is a report issued bypayroll processor ADP that showed private employers added 206,000 jobs in themonth of November. The ADP report istypically a good indicator for the next monthly government report. Also showing signs of improvement are pendingsales of existing homes during the month of October.

Donald Selkin, chief market strategist at National Securitiessaid, “With this turnaround, we’re right back in the same range we were a fewweeks ago. For this rally to continue itwill be incumbent on the data to keep coming out OK. I don’t think it’ll be up, up and away here,but I believe we won’t break the bottom we had in October.”

Editor’s Note: Sustainability is the key…’nuff said.

NOPE: As the Occupyprotests continue, law enforcement officials in Los Angeles and Philadelphiahave begun dismantling tents and arresting protesters who refuse to leave cityproperty.

Early this morning, approximately 200 people were arrestedas police dismantled the tents in the camp. Los Angeles Mayo Antonio Villaraigosa praised the officers for theirprofessionalism in the low-key mostly peaceful operation.

In Philadelphia 52 people were arrested. There are several camps set up around thecity, and the arrests took place at several of them. Three people were injured in the Philadelphiaencampments, none of them serious.

There have been several disagreements between encampmentsand the government. Protesters say theyare asserting their right to Free Speech, while governments are enforcinganti-camp ordinances. Several of thedisagreement have ended up in court and are waiting for judgment.

Editor’s Note: Istill question the right to set up camp on public property. Does it create a public nuisance or infringeon other peoples rights?

NEWS in 30

2011-11-29T11:01:00.001-08:00

FOUR YEARS: Dr.Conrad Murray, the doctor who was convicted in the death of Michael Jackson,was sentenced to 4 years in prison today.

The judge told Murray he had executed a “horrific violationof trust” during his time as Jackson’s doctor. The judge said, “Dr. Murray created a set of circumstances and becameinvolved in a cycle of horrible medicine. The practice of Propofol for medicine madness, which violated his swornobligation, for money, fame, prestige and whatever else may have occurred.”

In a statement read by Jackson family attorney, “There’s noway to adequately describe the loss of our beloved father, son, brother and friend. We still look at each other indisbelief. Is it really possible he is gone? The Bible reminds us that men cannot dojustice, they can only seek justice. That is all we can ask as a family, and that is all we ask forhere. We are not here to seekrevenge. There is nothing you can dotoday that will bring Michael back.”

Even though Murray received a 4 year sentence, due toCalifornia’s prisons being so overcrowded, it is likely he will only serve 2years of his sentence.

Editor’s Note: Such asad situation.

PROTECTION FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES: AmericanAirlines parent company AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. AMR said all airline subsidiaries will honortickets and reservations and will continue to operate a normal schedule.

As part of the announcement, AMR said chairman and CEO isretiring and Thomas Horton would be replacing him. AMR said the airline was forced into bankruptcybecause of cost disadvantages placed on them by other airlines that had alreadygone through the bankruptcy process.

AMR believe that with their current cash reserves andongoing ticket sales will give them the necessary funds to go throughreorganization.

Editor’s Note: I’lladmit it…I didn’t even know that the other airlines went through bankruptcy….thisway everyone is on even ground!

CYBER MONDAY.....AND TUESDAY!!!!

2011-11-28T10:31:00.001-08:00

News in 30

2011-11-28T10:14:00.001-08:00

BLACK CHRISTMAS: After a dismal showing last week, stocks have rebounded after a strongBlack Friday.

Initial reports show that sales on Black Friday were up about7% over last year. Stores are reporting recordturnout this year, which is welcome news after the rocky economic fall.

European markets are also up today on the news that Europeanleaders are close to resolution over the European debt crisis. Investors have been wary of solutions thatpast few weeks, but are now seeing signs of hope for the European economy.

The global market has been volatile this year as the worldhas struggled to overcome financials in several countries.

Editor’s Note: Christmas always brings out the positive.

FRANK-LY DONE: BarneyFrank, the long term Democrat from Massachusetts, has announced he will notseek re-election. After serving 16terms, Frank has decided to retire.

Frank is well known for pushing through last year’s bankingreform, but has also served on the House Financial Services Committee. He was the first representative to announcehis homosexuality.

Frank had once been reprimanded for using his status to helpa male prostitute. He has also been tiedto other minor scandals.

Frank is the 17^th House Democrat to retire orseek other office this year.

Editor’s Note: I’mall for fresh blood in government.

News in 30

2011-11-22T08:57:00.001-08:00

OH NO YOU DIDN’T: South Korea’s parliament was disrupted when alawmaker used tear gas in an attempt to prevent the ratification of the Tradeagreement between South Korea and the United States.

As lawmakers voted 151 to 7 in favor of ratifying the tradeagreement, opposition lawmakers stormed the parliament floor. On lawmaker fired tear gas directly towardsthe speaker. Lawmakers in the vicinitywere seen wiping their eyes and frantically attempting to get out of the way.

Security guards had to intervene, and were seen removing thelawmaker from the floor. There wereadditional scuffles with the police outside of the National Assembly building.

The agreement between the two nations is the biggest sincethe North American Free Trade Agreement was forged. Trade between South Korea and the UnitedStates was approximately $90 billion last year.

The agreement faced opposition in the United States, but wasultimately approved.

Editor’s Note: I don’tthink tear gas is the way to go!

SCANDELOUS: In one ofthe largest SAT cheating scandals reported, students continue to turnthemselves in.

Samuel Eshaghoff, a 19 year old graduation of Great NeckNorth High School, would fly home to impersonate current students at theschool. Eshaghoff accepted between$1,500 and $2,500 for each test he took. In a brazen act, Eshaghoff would take multiple tests in one weekend, andeven took a test for a girl. Several ofthe students were accepted at prestigious universities, in part because oftheir SAT scores.

Another man has also come forward as part of thescandal. He expected to face a charge ofa felony scheme to defraud.

Eshaghoff will likely face multiple charges.

Editor's Note: E for effort...but really????

News in 30

2011-11-21T11:07:00.001-08:00

SUPER FAIL?: Duringthe summer, the country was riveted as Congress fought bitterly over raisingthe debt ceiling limit. As part ofnegotiations, a bi-partisan “super committee” was created to hammer out thedifferences between the parties and create a long term solution to the country’sfinancial problems.

It would appear the super committee has failed to come upwith any solutions. The deadline fortheir decisions is now hours away, and should they fail to compromise, the willbegin an automatic “sequestration”, which translates to automatic cuts in defenseand domestic federal programs beginning in January 2013.

If you were to ask many consumers, they would point to afailure of leadership as the main problem. The President has not been involved in the process, nor have any of theRepublican leaders. The super committeelargely stayed off the media radar until the deadline was here, causing many toask if they even made any attempts.

The stock market is down sharply in this morning’s tradingdue to jittery investors waiting to see what the final word from the committeeis.

Editor’s Note: Is ittime to make a change in Washington? Hmmmmm….food for thought.

PEPPER SPRAYED: Lastweek a video surfaced on YouTube showing law enforcement officials pepperspraying passive protesters at the University of California at Davis. The police officers involved have been placedon administrative leave while investigators look into the incident.

Along with the officers involved, Chief Annette Spicuzza wasplaced on leave as well. The Chancellorat UC Davis said, “As I have gathered more information about the events thattook place on our Quad on Friday, it has become clear to me that this is anecessary step toward restoring trust on our campus.”

A task force has been created to review the incident andmake recommendations.

Editor’s Note: Yeah. I don’t know where to gowith that one.

News in 30

2011-11-18T10:39:00.001-08:00

NEW ALLEGATIONS: After the reeling accusations that have rocked the academic community,particularly Penn State, new allegations have been raised against the associatebasketball coach at Syracuse University.

Two former ball boys have come forward and said Bernie Finebegan molesting them in 1983. One of themen, Bobby Davis, said he was abused over a period of 15 years. Davis said the abuse took place at Fine’shome, Syracuse University facilities and on road trips. The Syracuse Police Department said they areat the beginning of the investigation and would have no comment.

Syracuse University’s Public Affairs department hasacknowledged that a complaint was filed in 2005 that a young adult male wassubject to “inappropriate contact” by a men’s basketball coach. The University also said it conducted athorough investigation that lasted nearly 4 months. The investigation was closed after universityfound no basis for the allegations.

Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, sent an emailto students, faculty and staff in regards to the recent allegations. “The recent child sexual abuse allegations atPenn State, a human tragedy that has played out on an immense public stage,remind us all of the responsibility we have, individually and collectively, toensure that Syracuse University remains a safe place for every campus communitymember, or everyone with whom we interact on a daily basis, on campus or in thecommunity, as part of

our learning, scholarship or work.”

Editor’s Note: Responsibility has seemingly gone by the wayside in recent years. We need to return to the era when we all felta sense of brotherhood that encouraged us to take care of one another.

WHODUNNIT?: Theinvestigation into the death of Hollywood Icon Natalie Wood has been reopened.

Wood mysteriously drowned after an afternoon yachting withher husband, Robert Wagner and friend, Christopher Walker. It was widely reported Wood had an argumentwith Wagner that night on board the boat.

The captain of the boat has come forward and said thatRobert Wagner may be directly or indirectly responsible for Wood’s death. Dennis Davern told NBC’s “Today” show that, “Wedidn’t take any steps to see if we could locate her. It was a matter of don’t look to hard, don’tturn on the search light, don’t call anyone.”

The sister of Natalie Wood, Lana Wood, has long beensuspicious about the circumstances of her sister’s death. Last year Lana Wood asked the sheriff’sdepartment to reopen the case. She saidher sister couldn’t swim and it was highly unlikely that she would do anythingon a boat that would cause her to go overboard.

Editor’s Note: Such asad, sad story the first time around. Itwould be terrible if Natalie’s death were the result of a malicious act.

News in 30

2011-11-17T10:49:00.001-08:00

CAMP DIVIDED: TheOccupy movement has received a lot of attention this week. There have been several clashes with policedue to evacuations, legal issues and now, organization of the movement.

The Occupy movement has no official leadership, leaving manyto question, “What do they want?” Sixdays after the Occupy movement began on September 23, the group released a “Principlesof Solidarity” document that was accepted by the group’s general assembly. The document promised that demands wouldfollow.

With movement groups spread across the United States,forming a united front has proved somewhat difficult for the Occupyprotestors. The Occupy movement hasformed over 80 groups to “manage” different aspects of administration. The working group is in charge of expressingwhat the Occupy movement hopes to achieve.

The group has over 250 members online and several dozen thatmeet together in person. Disagreementwith the groups decisions have begun to surface, causing contention within themovement. One protester issued astatement saying, “Inherently, in asking for demands, you are accepting thatthere is a power greater than yourself, which is something that this movementis categorically against. This movementis founded on autonomous action and collective wisdom.”

Protesters within the movement disagree on the basis for thegroup and do not believe there is a way to summarize the group’s intentions.

Editor’s Note: That’sa lot of people to not know what they are doing.

News in 30

2011-11-16T09:52:00.001-08:00

SORTA OCCUPIED: Afterthe legal chaos that ensued after the eviction of the Occupy Wall Streetprotesters, Zuccotti Park has seen fewer numbers in connection with theprotests. Protesters were allowed toreturn to the park, but WITHOUT camping equipment and tarps.

Only about 25 protesters stayed at Zuccotti Park last night,way day from previous nights. There weremore police and workers in the area than protesters.

California officials have created similar rules for theprotesters at Oakland and Berkeley. Mostcity officials are concerned about safety and sanitation issues regarding theprotesters that plan on hanging in for the ‘long haul’.

Occupy Wall Street finance committee member, Pete Dutrosaid, “This is going to make us stronger. We are going to regroup. Theunions are mobilizing people inside the community. We are really going to put pressure oncommunities of faith. We already havemembers of clergy behind us.”

Protesters say the evictions are only making them moreintent on standing their ground.

Editor’s Note: Aslong as it doesn’t create more problems….go for it!

UNDER FIRE: The U.S.Secret Service is investigating a shooting incident near the White House. Two bullets reportedly struck the building,one on the building’s exterior and one hitting a window.

There was a shooting on Friday near the White House, and theSecret Service is trying to determine if the two incidents are related. Shots were fired from a moving car on Fridaysomewhere on the 1600 block. Theshooting was over a third of a mile from the White House, but it is believedthe bullets could have reached the building.

A car involved in the shooting was found about seven blocksaway. The car had into a barrier and hadan assault type rifle still inside. There were also shell casings found inside the car. The car has been traced to Oscar RamiroOrtega, and the Secret Service is actively looking for him.

Authorities believe Ortega may be mentally ill and in needof help.

Editor’s Note: Kindascary!

News in 30

2011-11-15T09:50:00.001-08:00

OCCUPY THE COURTS: Late Monday night police evicted Occupy protesters from the privatelyowned Zuccotti Park where the protesters had set up their main camp. By Tuesday morning, a judge filed an orderthat allows protesters back into the park, with their tents.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hadn’treceived the order and the park would remain closed until the legal issues weresorted out. According to a copy of theorder published on the New York Times website, authorities were not to prevent “protestersfrom re-entering the park with tents and other property previously utilized.”

Bloomberg said the park had to be cleared because it hadbecome a health and fire safety hazard. He also said the people gathering were not there to break the law ratherthan protest.

Over 200 people were arrested in the eviction process, andthere were several reports of protesters resisting the eviction order. Those that were involved in physicalaltercations with police were immediately arrested. After protesters were cleared, a pile ofelectronics, tents and other property was in a pile in the center of thepark.

Occupy groups across the nation decry the move, believing itis simply a method to slow down or stop the movement.

Editor’s Note: Myonly issue with the judge’s order, is if it private property, does the federalgovernment have a say so in who is allowed on it?

LAPSE OF JUDGEMENT: Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant coach that has admittedto showering with young boys has said he is not a pedophile. “I say that I am innocent of those charges,”he said.

Further along in his interview he also said, “I could saythat I have done some of those things. Ihave horsed around with kids. I haveshowered after workouts. I have huggedthem and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact.”

Sandusky’s attorney said he believes in his client’sinnocence and said that his actions largely just add up to a lapse of judgment. He is planning to vigorously defend Sandusky.

Penn State’s legendary football program has been caught upin the allegations and the program has been severely tarnished.

Editor’s Note: Didyou expect him to say something different?

News in 30

2011-11-14T11:03:00.001-08:00

ON FIRE: The KindleFire is a mere days from its official release, but tech enthusiasts everywhereare singing its praises.

In a quarterly survey of developers conducted byAppcelerator has just been released, and the Kindle Fire is by far the mostpopular tablet running the Android platform. Developers list the Kindle Fire as the

tablet they would most like tocreate apps for.

The Kindle Fire’s price is what makes the Kindle soappealing to consumers and developers. Also adding to the allure of the Fire is the wide range of applicationsand content that Amazon has to offer.

Developers have some concerns about the Fire. The lack of camera, GPS and other perks thatare likely to show up in the iPad, make it impossible for applicationstranslate between the Apple operating system and the Android platform.

The biggest buzz among developers is how the Kindle willaffect the overall Android market. Mostbelieve the Kindle is going to take the market by storm.

Editor’s Note: Hey, Ican afford a Kindle Fire….I’ll admit that the price tag has a HUGE allure.

ANOTHER RULING: TheSupreme Court has announced it would soon hear arguments on the health carelaw. Arguments are expected to takeplace sometime on the spring and expect to offer a decision months beforeelections in the summer.

The Supreme Court is planning to rule on a specific part ofthe law, called the Affordable Care Act, which is the mandate that requiresindividuals to carry health care insurance by 2014, or pay a penalty. Several lawsuits have been filed opposingthat particular portion of the healthcare law.

The White House released a statement regarding the courtagreeing to hear the case, “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 1 million moreyoung Americans have health insurance, women are getting mammograms andpreventive services without paying an extra penny out of their own pocket, andinsurance companies have to spend more of your premiums on healthcare insteadof advertising and bonuses.”

Editor’s Note: Finally. Maybe we can move on now…..

WE HONOR YOU

2011-11-11T11:13:00.001-08:00

On this Veterans Day, Alpine Innovations would like to say thank you to the men and women of the armed forces. Thank you for sacrificing so much for us.

We love you.

We are grateful for you.

We are indebted to you.

Let Freedom Ring.

News in 30

2011-11-10T07:48:00.001-08:00

Ummmmmm: No one likeshaving brain freeze, but it’s even worse when you are campaigning to becomePresident of the United States and in the middle of a debate.

At last night’s debate, Rick Perry was asked which threegovernment agencies he would eliminate if he were President and after throwingout two agencies, he grasped for the name of the third. Given it was something he talked about everyday as he stumped on the campaign trail, it was an error that overtook anyother topic at the debate.

Immediately after the debate Perry’s team went into damagecontrol mode. Perry himself made astatement addressing the flub, “The bottom line is I may have forgotten energybut I haven’t forgotten my conservative principles.” The campaign set up an email address and issoliciting comments on which government agencies they would like to see gone(you can send your suggestions to forgetmenot@rickperry.org).

Pundits have been comparing Perry’s gaffe against formerPresident George W. Bush, Sarah Palin and Jan Brewer among others. Most believe that the debate mistake willlikely cause Perry the Republican candidacy.

Editor’s Note: Igotta admit that I hate we hold candidates to a higher standard in things likedebate…but even I think that was pretty bad.

FIRED: Thecontroversy surrounding the actions of coaching staff and administrationofficials has ended in the firing of the winningest coach in college footballhistory, Joe Paterno, and Penn State President Graham Spanier. After a meeting of a board of trustees, bothwere relieved of their positions with the university.

The controversy started after allegations came to lightinvolving an assistant coach molesting children. A witness reportedly told Paterno, who toldan administration official, but neither informed police.

Supporters of Paterno rioted last night, some shouting “Wewant Joe back”, others shouting “One more game!” Rocks and bottles were thrown, a lamp postwas pushed over and a news van rolled over as protesters expressed theirunhappiness at the turn of events.

Paterno had expressed his personal grief at his lack ofinaction earlier in the week, “This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of mylife. With the benefit of hindsight, Iwish I had done more.”

The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating PennState to see if there were other incidents of sexual abuse that were notreported as required by federal law. Theboard of trustees is also beginning its own investigation into the actionstaken by each of the individuals involved.

Editor’s Note: Football does NOT come before doing the right thing. While Paterno legally did nothing wrong, Ipersonally believe it to be morally reprehensible to not follow through on suchreports. Whether the trustee’s actionswere a result of guilt over inaction or simply damage control, who can reallysay? Everyone’s first thought should beof the victims.

News in 30

2011-11-09T10:57:00.001-08:00

GOT TREES?: In a movecompared by the White House to the “Got Milk?” campaign, all imported freshChristmas trees will be assessed a $.15 charge for each tree sold.

White House officials say this is a “grower’s arrangement”designed to boost sales, and should not be considered a tax. The money will be used to fund a newmarketing board set up on behalf of the tree growers industry. Officials expect the campaign to boost sales,just as the “Got Milk” and “What’s for Dinner” campaigns did for the milk andbeef industries, respectively.

In response to the fee, several politicians have taken totheir blogs and social networking sites to decry the fee as an unfair tax. Also criticizing the move is the conservativeHeritage Foundation, which has made many biting comments on their own blog.

In an attempt to prevent criticism, officials have said itis up to the individual growers whether or not they pass on fee to theirconsumers.

Editor’s Note: Thismay end up being a pretty touchy subject….but why only Christmas trees?

MASSIVE STORM IN AK: Residents along Alaska’s northwest coast line have been preparing fordays for what it already being called an ‘epic’ storm.

The giant storm came in from the Bering Sea, and tossedrocks onto the roads, damaged beaches and blew roofs off of homes, and that isall before the storm surge peaks later on tonight. Snow was described as blowing sideways, andthe winds were hurricane strength.

Many in lower lying areas were evacuated ahead of the storm,and businesses and homes were battened up in preparation for the storm. The storm surge is expected to reach 9 feetin Nome, but not until late Wednesday evening. The last time a storm of this magnitude hit the region in 1974, when thestorm surge hit 13 feet.

State officials are concerned for the smaller villages inthe region, because of disruption in telecommunications; contact with thevillages has been spotty.

Meteorologists are warning residents the storm is not over,and to continue being cautious.

Editor’s Note: Alaska, stay safe!

News in 30

2011-11-08T11:04:00.001-08:00

DISMISSED: Whilethere are still hundreds of lawsuits questioning the legality of the HealthCare Law, one panel of the United States Court of Appeals in the District ofColumbia upheld the constitutionality of the law. The ruling specifically targeted the sectionof the law that makes having health care insurance a requirement for allAmericans.

The law suit was originally brought by the American Centerfor Law and Justice, a conservative legal group originally founded byevangelist Pat Robertson. The suitalleged the law is unconstitutional because it forced American to buy aproduct. The suit also claimed the lawviolates religious freedoms, citing Americans whose religion doesn’t believe inmedical care.

The court’s opinion read in part, “That a direct requirementfor most Americans to purchase any product or service seems an intrusiveexercise of legislative power surely explains why Congress has not used thisauthority before-but that seems to us a political judgment rather than recognitionof constitutional limitations. The rightto be free from federal regulation is not absolute and yields to the imperativethat Congress be free to forge national solutions to national problems.”

The dissenting opinion of the panel said theconstitutionality issue was premature. Law experts agree this is just the next step in advancing the healthcareissue to the Supreme Court.

Editor’s Note: We allknew this was going to be a roller coaster ride.

LIAR, LIAR: Open micscan be a dangerous enemy to political voices. Last week French President Nicolas Sarkozy told U.S. President BarackObama he was tired of dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuand then called him a “liar”.

The remark was made during a “private” conversation at theG20 summit. Several journalists heardthe remarks but kept them quiet. Sarkozy’soffice had asked the reporters not to make the comments public because thejournalists were not supposed to turn on their headsets until the pressconference began and the comments were made during what the French considered,private.

French, American and Israeli spokesmen had no comment.

Editor’s Note: Nocomment….HAHAHAHAHA!

News in 30

2011-11-04T09:53:00.001-07:00

A LITTLE BETTER: October’sjobs report was released and show some slight signs of overall improvement tothe economy.

Although weaker than anticipated, the report showed anincrease of 80,000 non-farm jobs. Theperk to the report, was that previous months were revised to show strongernumbers.

Along with the revisions, the report showed workers werestaying steady with their number of hours worked. Hourly earnings also showed a slightincrease. Temporary employment numberslooked encouraging, as they indicate that employers are likely going to starthiring permanent workers.

The economy is still very weak, but it would appear that thenumbers may be turning in favor of the American worker. Companies are starting to show moreconfidence in hiring and inventories.

The European economic crisis still weighs heavily on theU.S. economy, but only time will tell how tightly intertwined global economiesare.

Editor’s Note: Babysteps forward are better than no steps forward.

TODAY IS THE DAY: Greek Prime Minister is facing a vote of confidence today, as thefinancially beleaguered nation struggles with the bailout offered by theEuropean Union.

Global markets are skittish waiting for the results of theno-confidence vote, as well as whether or not the country’s populace will bevoting on accepting the bailout.

Leaders that oppose Papandreou’s have offered their supportfor the bailout, but require many concessions from the sitting government inorder to maintain their support. Thebailout from the EU would keep Greece from defaulting on previous loans thatkept the government from complete bankruptcy.

Most are hoping to keep the government running as it worksout its financial troubles.

Editor’s Note: Yikes.

News in 30

2011-11-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

MAYBE NOT?: GreekPrime Minister George Papandreou is reconsidering whether or not a referendumis the best course of action as the country considers the bailout offer fromthe European Union.

On Thursday, Papandreou told the cabinet there was not aneed for a referendum, since politically opposition supported the bailout. The comments were a complete turnaround fromhis stance on the previous day.

However, the political opposition has given their supportconditionally. Opposition leader AntonisSamaras would require Papandreou into a ‘national unity government’. Panpandreou’s office said he currently has noplans to resign his position.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor AngelaMerkel have stated that Greece would be forced out of the Euro Zone if votersrejected the bailout. The Europeanfinancial markets have been continuously battered as the Greek debt crisis hasbeen completely resolved.

Before it can be decided if Greek voters will even vote,Papandreou will face a vote of confidence from the Greek Parliament. At last count, Papandreou has a one votemajority.

Editor’s Note: Talkabout turmoil.

OCCUPY VIOLENCE: TheOccupy Oakland protest took a violent turn, after authorities had to use forceto disperse protesters.

The group was able to shut down the Port of Oakland, butauthorities had to force them out of the area in order for workers to return totheir jobs. Port officials said, “Themost current field reports confirm that in the port area there were noinjuries, no property damage, and no major security problems from last night’s demonstrations. There was a limited incursion into a privaterail facility, and trespassers were escorted off peacefully.”

Reports say a crowd was throwing rocks and shootingfireworks at officers, as they were asked to leave the area. Once the group left the port, they reconvenedat a city park, where there were reports of violence. There have also been reports of buildingsbeing broken into and several fires being started.

Editor’s Note: Thisis pretty much the opposite of a peaceful protest.

News in 30

2011-11-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

GOING FORWARD: After worldwidefinancial turmoil on the decision to hold a referendum on the European Bailoutproposal of Greece, Prime Minister George Papandreou is standing by hisdecision.

He told the ministers in a Cabinet meeting, “We will notimplement any program by force, but only with the consent of the Greekpeople. This is our democratic traditionand we demand that it is also respected abroad.”

After the 7 hour meeting, the Cabinet held a vote offeringsupport for the referendum. Spokesmanfor the government, Ilias Mossialos said the Cabinet offered, “…total supportfor the initiatives taken by the prime minister.” Mossialos said the government is working tohave the vote held as soon as possible.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German ChancellorAngela Merkel have made public statements regarding their surprise at the Greekvote, but remain committed to the safeguards and policies discussed by theEuropean Union financial body. The plan forthe two countries is to continue to move forward with implementation throughoutthe region.

The Greek government teeters on the edge of collapse withthe decision to face a referendum. Should the bailout be opposed, Greece would face default on all of theirloans. If the measure is approved, thosewho disagreed with the measure could force a government collapse.

Editor’s Note: Talkabout a rock and a hard place.

STRIKING OUT: As theOccupy movement begins it second month, several cities are planning strikes tocontinue the momentum of the protests.

Protesters in Oakland are planning a “warning shot to the 1%”by holding a city wide strike. Organizers are urging the 99% to walk out of work and join them downtownin an effort to shut down the city. Theyhave also urged students to walk out of school. They have asked any resident of the area to join them in protest.

Philadelphia protesters are asking for a 99 minute strike inode to the 99% of the population from noon to 1:39 p.m. on Wednesday. Cincinnati protesters are currently trying todecide whether or not it should pursue some form of a strike as well.

Editor’s Note: I’mall about peaceful protest, but I hope the students they were talking about….werecollege students.

News in 30

2011-11-01T10:52:00.001-07:00

STILL UNCERTAIN: Themarket took major losses today after Greek Premier, George Papandreou,announced he was putting the bailout deal through a referendum. If Greek voters reject the bailout, Greecewould be forced into default, which would trigger bigger losses and couldpotentially cause a systemic failure throughout the European region.

The European Union approved the bailout deal last week,which sent stocks soaring in relief over avoiding a global financialcollapse. The announcement by Papandreoucould undo everything the EU agreed to.

France and Germany remain committed to the plan, and intendto implement the safety nets set in place by Summit. John Canally, investment strategist said, “Thiswas completely unanticipated….It is not needed and it is just sort of aninternal politics thing.”

Jean-Claud Juncker said he cannot anticipate what the Greekpeople will do. “…It depends on howexactly the question is formulated and on what exactly the Greek people willvote on. It is something that brings agreat nervousness, that adds great insecurity to already great insecurity andtherefore we need to see calmly how we will deal with this.”

The move has triggered panicthrough world wide markets.

Editor's Note: Bail-out......Default.....Bail-out.....Default.....hmmmmmm, is it really that difficult of a choice?

News in 30

2011-10-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

STUCK: The massivestorm that has crippled the North East, also caused massive travelheadaches. Passengers were stuck ontrains and tarmacs across the region. One situation involving JetBlue is currently under investigation.

A Jet Blue flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Newark,New Jersey left travelers on a plane, sitting for over seven hours. There was no food and the toilets had backedup, prompting the pilot to call airport officials and beg them for help. He told officials that he “can’t seem to getany help from our own company” after the plane was diverted to Connecticut.

One passenger said what happened on the tarmac was only partof the problem. The passenger reportedthat the plane had to circle the Newark Airport several times, and that thepilot said they only had 30 minutes of fuel for their redirection toConnecticut, which was more than an hour away. The pilot came back on the PA later to inform passengers they had plentyof fuel.

Passengers said it was an absolutely nightmare, especiallyafter the bathrooms stopped functioning. Jet Blue said that the airport was simply overwhelmed by the sheernumber of planes that had been diverted to the airport.

Jet Blue has apologized to its customers and given refundsfor the flight.

Editor’s Note: Thewhole bathroom thing is just gross.

News in 30

2011-10-28T10:06:00.001-07:00

CANCEL THAT: Earlierthis week, Kansas City officials scheduled interviews with the half brothers ofmissing 11 month old, Lisa Irwin. Lastnight the family attorney cancelled the interviews and said they would have tobe rescheduled next week.

The police planned on having the boys sit down with childspecialists to see if they could remember any additional details about thenight their sister disappeared. Thepolice also planned on taking DNA samples for the boys, which Joe Tacopina (theattorney) said was still going forward.

Another member of the family’s legal team was reportedlyforced off of the team, and was going to be releasing a statement as towhy. Before leaving the team, Short hadissued a statement that said, “That last few weeks have been exhausting toeveryone working on behalf of the Irwin family. It has exhausted Lisa’s parents and her friends and family. Therefore, the consensus is we all need arest until next week.”

The parents of the missing child have maintained that shewas kidnapped from her home. It wasn’tuntil at least a week after her disappearance that the mother, Deborah Bradley,admitted she was drunk on the night her daughter disappeared.

An anonymous individual has offered a $100,000 reward forLisa Irwin’s return to conviction of whoever took the baby.

Editor’s Note: Thesethings are so interesting to me….I hate it when little ones are involved andespecially when it would appear there is dishonesty involved as well.

WE STAY: Occupy WallStreet protesters have said that regardless of weather, they are in it for thelong haul. Protesters have beengathering donated coats, blankets, scarves, cots and tents as they prepare forwinter.

While protesters may be committed to staying, officials areworried about the dangers of staying out in cold weather. Already this week, 2 individuals werehospitalized with hypothermia due to staying out in a storm that hit Denver.

Other groups are looking to move their protests indoors andhope to circumvent the weather through creative thinking. While police are trying to stick to cityordinances, some protesters have not been allowed to created shelter foroutdoors, forcing them to look at other options.

Organizers have acknowledged they may lose support as wintersets in, but are determined to continue forward with their cause.

Editor’s Note: So…..honestquestion, how are these “Occupy” protesters paying their bills? Is this why they want redistribution sobad???? Just curious.

News in 30

2011-10-27T09:07:00.001-07:00

GROWING….: The U.S.Commerce Department showed gross domestic product grew at a whopping 2.5 %annual rate in the third quarter of this year. While not typically considered a stellar number, it shows that consumersare starting to shake off some of their economic fears

Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California StateUniversity on the Channel Islands said, “The probability of a double dip hasdiminished quite a bit.” Consumerspending is the strongest it has been all year. The report also showed that business investment spending had beaten itsbest in more than a year.

While these numbers show a positive pace, it will likelyhave a delayed effect on job growth. Chief economist David Resler of Nomura Securities said, “This validatesthe economy is still growing, but probably not thriving, that’s the bottomline.”

According to the data, corporate America is still continuingto spend, as are consumers. Residentialconstruction spending is up, inventories are down. All signs indicate the potential for a solidfourth quarter. Economists warn theremay be another flat spot in early 2012 though.

Editor’s Note: I likepositive economic news.

GREEK RELIEF: TheEuropean Union announced an agreement that will hopefully stabilize theEuroZone, which has spent the last several months trying to figure out how todeal with Greece’s debt.

In the plan, Greek bondholders agreed to devalue Greek bondsby 50%, which will lower Greece’s debt load from 150% to 120%. The private sector agreed because the publicsector will be contributing as well. There is also a new 100 billion financing program which we be partlyfunded by the International Monetary Fund.

The EU government is also planning to increase the EUbailout fund (also known as the European Financial Stability Facility), andwill now be able to partially insure new government bonds. The EU government is also going to raisecapital requirements for banks vulnerable to losses.

Now that the framework is in place, the European Commissionwill be working to put it all into practice in the next couple of weeks.

Editor’s Note: Goodeconomic news in the US and abroad….wow….Happy Thursday.

News in 30

2011-10-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

RIOT GEARED: As theOccupy Wall Street protests moved across the country and into several othercountries, protestors have started facing opposition from law enforcementpersonnel.

At the protest in Atlanta, police have arrestedapproximately 50 protestors. In Atlanta,protestors refused to obey an evacuation order. As police moved in, people began chanting, “Our park!”

Organizers had asked protestors to bepeaceful if facing arrest and most were. Some linked arms and sang “We Shall Overcome”. Some protestors were dragged by police outof the park to waiting busses, but most walked out.

Officers in Oakland, California are standing by in riot geardue to overnight clashes. Officers wereforced to fire several rounds of tear gas into the crowd after a group gatheredoutside of city hall and refused to leave. Most protesters left after the tear gas, but police still had to arrestnearly 100 people.

The protests began in New York on Wall Street withindividuals fed up by the inequality in the economy. The groups have largely represented manywalks of life, from homeless to wealthy, as they have cried out for a bettersystem of wealth distribution within the country.

Editor’s Note: Personally, not big on wealth re-distribution….but I do believe thingson Wall Street have spiraled dangerously out of control.

STILL LOOKING: As thesearch continues for missing 11 month old Lisa Irwin, investigators have beengranted another meeting with the baby’s half brothers. Officials have not been allowed access to theboys since the night of Lisa’s disappearance.

Kansas City Police Officer said they are also hoping for DNAsamples from the boys. “We are expectingto collect DNA samples. It will be verynon-intrusive, pretty much just a Q-tip swab.” They are hoping to compare the boys DNA with unknown samples from Lisa’shome in order to identify who may or may not have been in the house.

Officers are also hoping the boys may remember more thanwhat they told during their initial interviews. While it is widely believed the boys were sleeping at the time of thedisappearance, police are hoping they may be able to remember any unusual noisesor other abnormalities in the house.

Editor’s Note: Iwould think the family would readily allow access to the children if it meantfinding their baby.

News in 30

2011-10-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

ALIVE: As rescuerswere digging through the rubble, they came upon a 2 week old baby clutched toher mother’s chest. The baby was stillalive, as is the mother and a grandmother nearby. Rescuers were able to get the baby outrelatively quickly and are now working to free the mother and grandmother.

Another family member said, “I am so excited. What can I say? Let God help them.” A rescuer, who was listening to the woman,leaned down to her and told her they would be out soon.

The building the family members were found in collapsedduring the earthquake that struck on Sunday. Part of the building was still leaning dangerously and was being proppedup so rescuers could finish going through the building.

Rescuers have been racing against time to get to anysurvivors of the quake. The two citiesthat were hit the hardest, Eris and Van, are severely strewn with rubble. Residents are afraid to return to buildingsand many are forced to sleep outside because their homes were destroyed.

Government workers are trying to restore power and runningwater. Aid workers are trying to distributemedications and food to those who currently have nothing.

Editor’s Note: Itwould seem that the Turkish government has responded in an organized fashion, butyou can’t get to everyone right away in such a catastrophe. God speed to the workers and those stillwaiting to be rescued.

BURIED: Officialshave confirmed Moammar Gadhafi, his son and an aide were buried at dawn at anundisclosed location.

The bodies had been held in cold storage in Misrata sincetheir deaths. An autopsy confirmed that

Gadhafi was shot in the head, but there is some dispute as to whether or not itwas a result of crossfire or a result of his capture.

Government officials have begun an investigation into thedeaths as they attempt to determine when Gadhafi’s injury was sustained. The government intends to keep Gadhafi’sburial site a secret, for multiple reasons, but largely to keep loyalists fromturning his grave into a shrine.

Editor’s Note: Iwonder how many that suffered under Gadhafi’s rule care how he died. Just askin’.

News in 30

2011-10-24T10:31:00.001-07:00

FOUND: As rescuerscontinue to go through the rubble from Turkeys major earthquakes, they havefound five people alive. Two children,two women and a man were discovered after a man used his cell phone to helpsearches find him.

The individuals had all been trapped within the rubble forabout 27 hours. They suffered under thedebris as the nation suffered through powerful aftershocks to the devastatingearthquake.

Idris Naim Sahin Sahin, the Turkish Interior Minister, saidat least 80 multi story buildings in Ercis had collapsed. So far, they have identified people in atleast 40 of them.

Ercis has a population of approximately 75,000. Another city south of Ercis, Van, also tookheavy damage from the 7.2 quake. Theepicenter was relatively shallow at 12.4 miles.

Most buildings in Turkey are not built to earthquakecode. Although Turkey is known for it’sstrict building codes, the codes are largely ignored.

Editor’s Note: Hopingand praying that survivors are found quickly.

News in 30

2011-10-21T06:18:00.001-07:00

CONTINUING CELEBRATIONS: Across Libya, people are still celebrating, some still dancing in thestreets. The death of Moammar Gadhafimeans a new level of freedom for the people of the ravaged nation.

Gadhafi’s final moments were caught on film, and by allaccounts were very brutal. There areseveral reports of Gadhafi saying, “Haram Aleiko” to his captors, which roughlytranslates to “This is a sin for you.” The phrase is commonly used as a plea by a victim when begging formercy.

Unconfirmed reports say Gadhafi was killed by a young manwearing a Yankees baseball hat. Therehave been pictures of the young man holding onto Gadhafi's personal golden gun.

Many of Gadhafi’s female body guards were killed along withthe dictator. But authorities are stilllooking for Gadhafi’s son, who according to some reports was killed, and yetothers believe he escaped.

Leaders from around the world have made statements quietly acknowledgingthat the death of Gadhafi is a factory for the people of Libya.

Editor’s Note: Abrutal death for sure, but how have the people themselves suffered under hisrule for the last 42 years.

IPO DEAL?: Groupon iscurrently getting ready for its initial public offering (IPO). They plan to sell 30 million shares at $16 to$18 each. If it is successful, they willraise somewhere between $480 and $540 million dollars.

The Groupon IPO has been closely watched due to a series ofproblems within the company. They havehad to change their accounting twice due to investor and regulatoryrequirements. They have also gonethrough two chief operating officers this year.

Other companies on the brink of going public, like Zynga andFacebook, are watching because it could indirectly affect their own IPO’s.

There is concern over whether or not Groupon will succeedlong term, or if they will even become profitable any time soon.

Editor’s Note: Letthe market decide. If the IPO is adisaster….well, it’s because the market doesn’t think they’ll make it.

News in 30

2011-10-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

GONE: MoammarGadhafi, Libya’s leader, who ruled the country with an iron fist, was killedtoday by revolutionary forces. It isreported he was killed in his hometown of Sirte, the final area of resistance.

Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril confirmed the reportsthat Ghadafi had been killed. “We havebeen waiting for this moment for a long time. Moammar Gadhafi has been killed,” he said.

Reports of the downfall said, Ghadafi and the last of hisfighters were engaged in an intense battle near Sirte. There are reports that a convoy tried toleave the area, but was hit by NATO airstrikes. There is no word if Ghadafi was in the car at the time it tried toescape.

Al-Jazeera TV showed footage of a man that looked likeGadhafi lying dead, bleeding from the head and undressed to the waist. Fighters rolled him over on thepavement. Witnesses said his body wasput on display in Misrata. There is noword on Ghadafi’s sons.

Libya’s new leaders have declared “liberation” for thecountry.

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to the people of Libya fortheir freedom. It is still sad that thisis the way it has to go down.

News in 30

2011-10-19T11:46:00.001-07:00

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!: The owner of a wild animal preserve, releasedall of his animals and then killed himself. Heavily armed law enforcement were systematically hunting down theescaped animals and killing them.

As of now, there were only 2 animals left alive, a wolf anda monkey. Authorities were concernedthere was a grizzly bear and mountain still loose until they discovered theywere both killed last night.

Jack Hanna, the wildlife expert at ABC News has urged thepublic to remain cautious. The behaviorof the animals is unpredictable, but the public is likely not in any danger.

Terry Thompson, 61, was the owner of the preserve. He was recently released from prison afterserving a 1 year sentence for federal weapons charges. According to investigators, he has also beencited in the past for animal abuse and neglect.

Hanna visited the compound today, to collect the animalsthat didn’t leave the area and said the conditions were deplorable. He said the animals were living in what hedescribed as a “wire dog pen” and that the animals had to live in “filth”.

Editor’s Note: I don’tunderstand how you take on this kind of responsibility and then not live up toit….but that is how I think of darn near everything.

STILL SEARCHING: Investigators, armed with a search warrant, shovels, rakes and a ladderbegan searching the home and yard of missing

The FBI had crime scene trucks and trailers on the propertyas well. Officers stood guard outsidethe home overnight. A half blockperimeter around the home was marked by yellow tape. There has been no comment on the lead thatinstigated this search.

The City Police Spokesman Captain Steve Young said, “We havea warrant for the house.” And he offeredno additional information. The familyhas repeatedly blocked officials access to their home.

Editor’s Note: They are obviously lookin’ for something….it’scalled a BABY!

News in 30

2011-10-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

FREEDOM: Gilad Shalithas spent the last five years as a prisoner of Hamas in Palestine. He was freed this morning in exchange for1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

As soon as Shalit’s father saw him, he grabbed him in agiant hug. The father told Israelitelevision that it was the happiest day of his life.

Shalit received official word that he was going to bereleased a week ago, but he said that he “felt it for the last month”. In his first interview he said, “I missed myfamily. I missed going out and meetingpeople. I hope this deal will move thepeace process forward.” He said he wasokay with so many Palestinian prisoners being released, “as long as they do notgo back to fighting Israel.”

Palestinian prisoners are singing the praises of Egypt,because of their role in mediating the deal. Egyptian television showed the release.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas greeted someof the returned prisoners at his own compound on the West Bank. Others, who were released into Gaza, weregreeted by a tearful Hamas Prime Minister.

Many are hoping this will be the first step towards MiddleEast peace.

Editor’s Note: Onefor 1,000. That says something.

YouTube CONTEST IS HERE!

2011-10-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

We are looking for commercial ideas! We are going to run with this for a year (and we will have little contests running in at the same time).

The winner receives an:

iPad

and

CREDIT

for their storyline when the video is posted on YouTube.

Are you confused about what we are looking for? No worries! Check out the following. We are going to consider this our first submission!

**************************

You Tube Commercial:

Scene One:

Teenage girl [wearing glasses - she should look veryattractive] wearing a cocktail dress, hovers over a glowing computer in a darkroom. She is obviously stealing encrypted data (think of MissionImpossible stuff), she carefully places her flash drive in her Flash-e flash drive holder. She is startled by aloud knock. The doors explode and large bald guy [preferably with a Frenchaccent] with a patch over his eye and a pipe in his teeth says,

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be in here!”

She steals a drum stick from a nearby Stickit case. Holding onto each side of the drumstick, she slides down the phone line and falls on the lawn. Standing up shetransformed from evening gown to army fatigues. Bodyguards and hungry doberman’sare chasing her! Dashing through the woods, her face is smudged with dirt –like Rambo. Doing an army crawl in the mud, she pulls an Ultracloth from her neoprene pouch, then pushesher hair back underneath her Houdii.Helicopters start to circle over the trees with lights frantically scanning theperimeter. She looks up at the helicopter and has this Angelina Jolie smirk.She puts on her AirSleeve SportsBand whileshe unravels her BudKeeper. She pressesplay and now, ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen plays as she continues to run, jumpover puddles, flip over broken limbs, and dodge wild animals. She slowly(like the Matrix) flies through an opening in the canopy of the trees. Crouchinglow, behind a tree, she takes out her Spudz UltraMicrofiber Lens Cloth to wipe her glasses, when suddenly, a scenechange.

Scene Two:

The same girl is sitting in classroom, her teacher hasbeen repeating her name, because she had been day dreaming. Nibbling on the tipof her glasses, the girl jolts to attention, the SpudzUltra Microfiber Lens Cloth in her hands. She nervously places herglasses back on and apologizes for day dreaming. Now, she looks very nerdy,with her hair pulled back, her teeth are buck and crooked, she has freckles,and her clothing is sloppy.

Camera ends on the girls shoes that are muddy –suggesting that her daydream really happened.

Female [smokey voice] announcer: Alpine Products(pause) for thelifestyle you’ve been waiting for!

News in 30

2011-10-14T06:39:00.001-07:00

KEEPIN’ ON: The ownersof Zuccoti Park have decided to hold off on cleaning up the area, rather thantry to force the protesters out of the area.

Protesters said the “clean-up” efforts were a falsepretense, and what was actually happening was an eviction. Protestors promised to fight back if theywere forced from the area.

There have been four arrested at the Occupy Wall Streetrally. There have been confirmedarrested in Seattle, and Denver authorities are attempting to clear outprotestors who have ignored a deadline to leave their gathering area.

Officials are trying to work out a cleanup agreement withprotestors. But protester's main the underlyingintent is eviction. Deputy Mayor CasHolloway said, “Brookfield believes they can work out an arrangement with theprotesters that will ensure the park remains clean, safe, and available forpublic use and that the situation is respectful of residents and businessesdowntown. We will continue to monitorthe situation.”

The supporters are staying committed to keeping the protestspeaceful. They have even stage some oftheir own cleanup efforts in order to show they are trying to be respectful.

Editor’s Note: It only makes protesters look bad when theydon’t show respect. I think they aretrying…but they have a little ways to go still.

News in 30

2011-10-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

OUR BAD: Blackberryis on day 4 of a worldwide black out. They announced this morning that all BlackBerry and RIM services are “backup globally”.

Mike Lazaridis, founder of Research In Motion, made aYouTube video and released it this morning. “Since launching BlackBerry in 1999, it’s been my goal to providereliable, real-time communications around the world. We did not deliver on that goal thisweek. Not even close. I apologize for the service outages thisweek. We’ve let many of you down.”

Customers may disagree that everything is working, and RIMhas said the backlog of emails and texts may take several days to clear throughthe system. Europe, the Middle East,India and Africa are almost back to working normally.

A bigger problem for the company may be its response to theinformation crisis. Blackberry did notacknowledge the magnitude of the problem until the second day; instead theysent messages about “core switch failures”.

RIM is trying to work out a compensation plan for customersto make up for the down time.

Editor’s Note: Samething happened to T-Mobile a year or so ago. Their outage only hasted a day though….funny how telecommunicationgiants HATE to admit mistakes.

PUBLIC DISPUTE: OnWednesday afternoon, in a crowded salon, a gunman opened fire, killing eightand wounding a ninth.

After firing the shots, the gunman left in a white truck andwas arrested by police about a half mile away. The gunman showed no resistance at the time of his arrest.

An individual that used to work at the salon said the gunmanwas targeting his ex-wife. There isspeculation this may have been because of a custody dispute.

At the time of the shooting, the salon was crowded. When the shots were fired, people ran forcover.

One hair stylist escaped injuryafter finding a hiding place. A man whohid in the restroom was wounded.

Seal Beach is a small community with very low crimerates. Residents of the town are stunnedthat this could happen in their community.

Editor’s Note: Sosad. Our thoughts and prayers are withvictims and their families.

News in 30

2011-10-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

I’M GUILTY: ANigerian man who was allegedly trained by Al-Qaida, has plead guilty ofattempting to blow up an international flight with a bomb in his underwear.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has plead guilty to all eightcharges he was accused of, which included conspiracy to commit terrorism andattempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Abdulmutallab told the court that the bomb was “a blessed weapon to savethe lives of innocent Muslims.” He alsosaid that, “I intended to wreck a U.S. aircraft for the U.S. wreckage of Muslimlands and property.”

Abdulmutallab had managed to get the bomb on board theplane, but the bomb malfunctioned. Abdulmutallab was jumped by passengers when they saw smoke andfire. After the passengers jumped him,and then subdued him until the plan was able to safely land.

The evidence against Abdulmutallab was pretty severe. He was severely burned and there was a planefull of witnesses against him.

Abdulmutallab was hoping for martyrdom.

Editor’s Note: What? Somebody taking responsibilityfor something?????

LOOKING HOPEFUL: Themarket has opened higher and maintained a positive day as investors wait onEurope to expand the euro zone financial rescue fund.

Slovakia is the last of the nations to vote on thefund. The nation initially rejected themeasure and it caused a collapse of the government. Slovakia was able to peacefully transition toa new government quickly and peacefully and the German Chancellor Angela Merkelsaid she believed the measure would pass. Her estimate for passage is October 23.

Investors believe that if the European debt crisis can besoftened, it could potentially push off a global recession. Investors are also watching quarterlycorporate earnings. Most are expectinghigher earnings and profits.

Editor’s Note: Wouldn’t it be nice….sustainable growth?

News in 30

2011-10-11T05:40:00.001-07:00

OCCUPIED: Roughly aweek ago, angry consumers started protesting against corporate greed by staging‘occupations’ near the New York Stock Exchange. The protests have begun to spread to other areas of the county, and evenBen and Jerry’s have created an Ice Cream flavor ‘Occupy’ in support of theprotests (Ben and Jerry’s is a publically traded company).

On Friday, about 100 people were arrested in Boston asprotesters refused to leave a park after being instructed by police to doso. Protesters shouted several slogans,including, “The people will never be defeated” and “This is a peaceful protest”and “The whole world is watching”. Officers gave several verbal warnings before making arrests and takingdown tents.

Police said the arrests were for trespassing. After the arrests, the main body of the groupmoved further down the greenway, causing additional problems because they werecongregating in an area that had recently had approximately $150,000 worth ofgreenery planted.

Both protesters and police have taken to social media sitesasking for consideration and cooperation. Some protesters are providing handouts, asking participants to cooperatewith police in order to keep protests peaceful and meaningful.

Editor’s Note: Civildisobedience….Thoreau anyone?

THE MOTHER DID IT?: With no sign of missing 10 month old baby, Lisa Irwin, a family membersaid the mother of the missing tot is preparing to be arrested in connectionwith the disappearance.

The Aunt of the missing baby said, “It’s what the policedo. They don’t have any leads so theyjust have to pin it on somebody.” AshleyIrwin said she does not believe that Deborah Bradley had anything to do withthe baby’s disappearance. “Anybody whospends any time with them, you know it’s not true. She’s genuine. She loves that child. It’s her baby; she would never do anything tohurt her.”

The police have been suspicious of the parents since theystopped cooperating in their efforts to find the missing baby. A grand jury has issued subpoenas fortelevision stations footage of interviews with any family members so they couldreview the information.

Since the baby went missing, over 250 tips have come in.

Editor’s Note: I hopethey find this little one safe and sound….

News in 30

2011-10-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

NEVERMIND: NetflixInc. has already abandoned its plan to spin off the DVD portion of its businessinto a new business called Qwikster. Thecompany said the move would make using its services more difficult.

In a blog post this morning from CEO Reed Hastings, thecompany announced that customers would still be able to access both servicesunder one account and one password. Hastingssaid, “It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make thingsmore difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go forstreaming and DVD’s.” Consumers largelydecried the requirement of two accounts when the original spin off wasannounced.

The market like what it heard from Netflix this morning,with Netflix stock going up almost 10 percent.

Today’s bump in the stock value is just a fraction of what was lostafter the spinoff.

Editor’s Note: Wow…didsomeone listen to their customers? WHOA.

TRAGIC MIRACLE: Afamily decided to take a relaxing fishing trip off of the Florida Keys thispast weekend, which turned to tragedy.

The boat sank and the 80 year old mother died. However, 7 others were able to tread waterfor 20 hours until they were rescued. Among the survivors was a 4 year old girl that held on to a watercooler.

Three men were able to hold on to the capsized boat. Three women and the 4 year old held on to thecooler, but because of worsening weather conditions, they were swept out tosea.

A commercial boat found the men who stayed with the boat,and the Coast Guard was sent out to find the others. All were found and rescued.

Editor’s Note: Whatan amazingly tragic, yet incredible experience. The range of emotions for that family must be massive.

News in 30

2011-10-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

BETTER NEWS?: Hiringwas stronger than anticipated last month, a surprise boost to the economy inSeptember. Combined with the revisednumbers from July and August, the market saw an increase of 202,000.

While the numbers beat expectations, overall the economy hasonly recovered 2.1 million of the 8.6 million jobs lost when the recessionbegan. Tig Gilliam, the president of theNorth American unit of Adecco, said, “It’s hard to get too excited even aboutthe positive news. In the long-term weare still treading water. No one ishiring unless they absolutely have to.”

Additional analyzing of the numbers shows that there are nohiring trends throughout the country right now. Hiring is sporadic and uneven across the country. It was also discovered that the majority ofthe unemployed have now been out of work for 40.5 weeks, a new record.

The unemployment combined with those who are no longerlooking for jobs (and are therefore not counted in the figure) has reached anastonishing 16.5%.

Editor’s Note: I havefriends who have been out of work for over 2 years. It’s very, very brutal out there.

WHERE IS SHE?: Theparents of 10 month old missing baby, Lisa Irwin, have said the police haveaccused the baby’s mother of being involved in the child’s disappearance.

In an interview on Good Morning America, Deborah Bradleysaid, “From the start when they’ve questioned me, once I couldn’t fill in gaps,it turned into ‘You did it, you did it.’ They took a picture down from the table and said, ‘Look at yourbaby! And do what’s right for her!’ I kept saying I don’t know….I just satthere. I didn’t even ask to leave. I just let them keep asking questions.”

Kansas City police have accused Bradley of failing apolygraph test and said that Jeremy Irwin, the baby’s father has stoppedcooperating as well. Police CaptainSteve Young said, “If they say they’re willing to continue speaking withdetectives, I say great. Our door isopen. Their involvement in the case isthe best thing for this case. Our onlygoal is to find this little girl.”

The parents said the little girl disappeared sometime duringthe night, and that three cell phones were taken from the house as well.

Editor’s Note: Childabductions just get me to the core. Ihope this baby is found safe and sound.

News in 30

2011-10-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

AN ICON GONE: Thetechnology world will never be the same. The world lost a giant in Steve Jobs yesterday, who passed away at theage of 56. Just six weeks ago, Jobstepped down as Chief Executive Office of Apple due to health problems he hadbeen battling for years.

Jobs founded Apple, was fired from Apple, rehired by Appleand rebuilt it into the technology leader it is known as today. It was under Jobs that the first Mac wasdeveloped, the mouse was created and the English language (and technologyworld) was changed with words like iPod, iPhone and iPad.

During the time period Jobs was not with Apple, he purchasedPixar, which gave us movie greats like Toy Story. He also founded the computer companyNeXT. Pixar was eventually sold to TheWalk Disney Co.

Jobs was a firm believer in failure. He believed failure spurs on the creativeprocess that creates success. In anaddress to the graduating class of Stanford he said, “I didn’t see it then, butit turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could haveever happened to me. The heaviness ofbeing successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, lesssure about everything. It freed me toenter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

In spite of his failures, Steve Jobs was a creative geniusthat changed us all forever.

Editor’s Note: I wishto echo the social networking world in saying, “iSad”.

News in 30

2011-10-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

OVERTURNED: AmandaKnox was set free yesterday when a higher Italian court overturned her originalconviction. Knox was convicted, alongwith her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of sexually assaultingand killing her British roommate.

The prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini said, “We will appeal. The higher court will decide whether toconfirm the first sentence or the second sentence.” However, the appeal cannot be filed until thecourt releases its explanation of its decision, which will take several months.

The family of the 21 year old victim, Meredith Kercher,appeared overwhelmed and distraught over the ruling. In a statement, the family said they are backto square one and that they are confused by the reversal of the decision.

This case has had a large number of followers split into 2 camps;either adamant Knox was guilty or certain of her innocence. Many gathered outside the courthousescreaming jeers as Knox left the courthouse.

At the time of the verdict, Knox dissolved into tears andwas quickly ushered from the court room. Knox is already on her way back to the United States.

Editor’s Note: Manyare saying this is over. I highly doubtit.

iWANNAKNOW: In thefirst major announcement since Steve Jobs resigned from Apple Corp, Tim Cook,the new CEO is set to announce (rumor has it) 2 new iPhones. The buzz in Techland is that there will be aniPhone 5, with a slimmer body, larger screen and more or less bettereverything. Also on the menu, is a newiPhone 4 for $99, made with cheaper parts.

None of the rumors have been confirmed. It has been 16 months since the last iPhonerelease, and 9 months since Verizon began selling iPhones. Since the last release, Android has beenrapidly gaining market share. In order todominate the market, they need to come up with a major announcement and/orchange that will direct the focus back to them.

Editor’s Note: Ialways love Apple announcements. It’sexciting to see what is coming next.

News in 30

2011-10-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

OUT OF CONTROL FIRE: A chemical fire in Waxahachie, Texas is currently burning out of control. Magnablend Chemical Company manufactures avariety of chemicals for oil fields, agriculture, pet food, water treatment andcleaning, reported the fire at approximately 10:40 a.m.

The fire has been burning more progressively throughout theday and appears to be moving toward a nearby field. The fire is currently sending giants cloudsof black smoke as it continues burning.

Nearby schools and business are being evacuated to keep thosein the area from breathing the toxic air. Other residents have been advised to stay inside, keep doors and windowsshut to avoid the fumes.

Firefighters are continuing to fight the blaze.

Editor’s Note: Wehope everyone stays safe as they fight this blaze.

VERDICT: A verdicthas been reached in Italy in the Amanda Knox trial. The verdict will be read at approximately3:30 p.m. EST.

Knox made a final plea to the panel earlier today saying, “I’mnot a promiscuous vamp. I’m not violent…Ihave not killed, I have not raped, I was not there, I was not present. I want to go home, I want to go back to mylife, I do not want to be punished and to have my life taken away from me forsomething I have not done, because I am innocent.”

After making her plea, Knox was returned to her cell whereshe has been singing, playing guitar and trying to relax. Knox’s lawyers say although she is trying torelax, she is jittery and nervous.

The panel can completely overturn the sentence or they canextend it from 25 years to life.

Editor’s Note: Thishas been a very interesting case. I amfascinated by the Italian justice system and how it works. I wonder if international politics will comeinto play in the final verdict.

News in 30

2011-09-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER: In an anticipated move, Florida moved up its primary date to January 31^st. The move breaks away from the national partyrules, and creates havoc as other states move to adjust their own primaries tobe a part of the GOP presidential nomination process.

It would appear that New Hampshire will likely be adjustingtheir primaries as well. New HampshireSecretary of State, Bill Gardner said, “Unfortunately, we’ll be unable to havethe upcoming presidential primary on the second Tuesday in March and willcontinue to honor the tradition of our first in the nation presidentialprimary.”

Reaction to Florida’s announcement has been severe in somecases. South Carolina GOP Chairman, ChadConnelly, spoke out sharply against Florida’s change, saying, “Today’s decisionby Florida is hugely disappointing and could have been avoided. Rogue states have once against dictated thePresidential nominating calendar….States who have worked so hard to maintainthe nominating calendar should not be penalized and the offenders….should losetheir entire allocations of delegates at the National Convention.”

The traditional four early states, Iowa, New Hampshire,Nevada and South Carolina are planning to work together to announce their ownprimary dates.

Editor’s Note: Doesit really matter who goes first?

FOUND: A 67 year oldman disappeared, and after 6 days of eating leaves and drinking water, wasfound by his children. David Lavau'skids reported him missing after not hearing from their dad for severaldays. Rescue workers began looking forhim, and so did his kids.

Lavau’s daughter said, “We stopped at every ravine. We kept screaming. We found him, no one else did. We did.” It was Lavau’s son David that shouted into a ravine and heard a voiceanswer. A little more looking and he sawhis dad’s car.

Lavau’s car was at the bottom of a ravine, next to anothercar with a decomposing body in it. Theremains have yet to be identified. Lavauhad rib fractures, a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm, and multiple backfractures. In spite of his injuries,Lavau survived by eating bugs and leaves and drinking water.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is investigating theaccident. They have acknowledged thatparticular section of road is extremely dangerous.

Editor’s Note: What amiracle! What an amazing reunion that musthave been!

News in 30

2011-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

EVEN TOUGHER: Arizonahas been under intense scrutiny ever since Governor Jan Brewer passed thetoughest immigration law in the country. Move over Arizona, Alabama is about to enforce their own immigrationlaw.

When Alabama announced their law, it was immediately opposedand arguments were held before a federal judge. Yesterday, the judge upheld the twoquestionable parts of the law, opening the door for enforcement.

Under Alabama’s law, authorities can question anyonesuspected of being in the country illegally, and the suspects can be heldwithout bond. Authorities can also checkimmigration status of students in public school.

In a statement by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley afterpraising the judge’s decision he went on to say the law was “never designed tohurt fellow human beings. As a physician,I would never ask a sick person if she was legal or illegal. But as governor of this state, it is my swornduty to uphold this state’s laws.”

There are currently three lawsuits against the immigrationlaw, including one from the White House. The ACLU also has a lawsuit and plans to appeal the decision.

Editor’s Note: Thereare still other states considering similar laws. Are the states trying to take power from thefederal government or simply send a message about the state of affairs?

A GOOD DOWNWARD SPIRAL: The number of Americans filing for their first week of unemploymentbenefits fell to their lowest level since April.

Economists hope the drop signals possible improvement in thejob market. Although hopeful, economistsare being cautious in their judgment. Asenior economist with BMO Capital Markets said, “As much as I would love tocheer on this result, it is only one week and we all know how volatile thisseries is.”

Also bolstering hope is the drop in continuing benefitclaims. The number dropped 20,000 to3,729,000. Unfortunately, this numberonly counts individuals that are currently receiving benefits and does notinclude individuals that used up their 99 weeks of benefits.

Editor’s Note: It’ssad when you realize there are 3,000,000 jobs available, but employers arecomplaining about the lack of unskilled workers.

News in 30

2011-09-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

ON FIRE: “18 millionsongs, movies, TV shows, books, magazine, apps and games.” Is how Amazondescribes their new Kindle Fire. Set tobe released on November 15^th, Amazon is now taking pre-orders forthe latest tablet.

The Fire was designed specifically for media application,and with the power of Amazon and the Amazon Prime streaming subscription, itoffers all of the Android applications already on the market. The tablet has an 8 gigabytes of storage,which is less than most, but Amazon expects it to be used mainly at hotspotlocations where streaming would be free.

The Fire has a 7 inch touch screen, and has no camera ormicrophone. While the tablet seemspretty stripped down compared to other tablets, the lack of bells and whistlesis how Amazon is able to keep the price at $199.

The closet comparison in price was the Barnes & NobleNook at $250, but early reviews say the Fire is more fluid and functional.

We’ll get the best reviews after the tablet is released inNovember. Consumers will peg thefunctionality within hours of receipt.

Editor’s Note: Waycool. I was contemplating an iPad, but Imay rethink it.

News in 30

2011-09-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

UP IS GOOD: For thesecond day in a row, the Dow has made substantial gains. With increasing hope that the European Unionwill come up with a plan to prevent Greece from a financial default, investorsare making serious moves.

At midday, markets were up approximately 2.5% across theboard. If the Dow can maintain itspositive momentum, it would mark a third straight day of gains.

Last week was one of the market’s worst weeks since2008. Fears of a new global recessioncreated panic and caused all indexes, plus gold, silver and oil to take a majortumble.

European officials have been meeting, pushing ideas that maysave Greece from the dreaded default. Portfolio manager of the Ridge Worth Large Cap Growth Fund said, “Nothinghas drastically changed. We get Conversationsaround how we can get out of this mess, and those are good. We need those. But we’ve yet to see any concreteaction. Actions speak louder than words,so we’ll flail about until we get some action.”

Editor’s Note: Itwould be nice to not going into financial freefall every couple of days.

DON’T LOOK DOWN: Engineers began rappelling down the Washington Monument to begin repairwork. The Monument was damaged in thissummers’ East Coast earthquake.

The initial phase of the work is to determine the severity ofthe damage and how to best go about fixing it. Bill Line, spokesman for the National Park Service said, “What they willdo is do a very close visual inspection to check to see if there are anysmaller cracks that were sustained during the earthquake.”

The idea is to figure out if the damage islikely to worsen over a period of time.

Inspectors believe that the interior of the monument isstructurally sound, but the outside of the Monument needs to be inspected. After the exterior is inspected, engineerswill be able to work out a repair plan and time line for the reopening of themonument.

Construction on the Washington Monument began in 1848 andwas not completed until 1884. The monumentis 555 feet 5 1/8 inches tall, with walls that are 15 feet thick at the baseand 18 inches thick at the top. Themonument was built out of primarily white marble blocks.

Editor’s Note: Itwould be a shame to see a lasting symbol destroyed. Hopefully, it can be fixed, and fixedquickly.

News in 30

2011-09-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

BECAUSE WE’RE AMERICAN: Two hikers that were released from Iran last week arrived in the UnitedStates and immediately declared their arrest was not for crossing the border,but simply because they are American citizens.

Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were hikingthrough Kurdish territory in Iraq in 2009, when they took “a wrong turn in awrong country”. The three were arrestedand held by Iranian guards.

While in prison, Bauer proposed to Shourd, but their futurewas uncertain when Shourd was released before she even had a trial and the twomen were convicted of spying last month. The men were released under a $1 million bail arrangement. The families of the men do not know who paidthe fee.

During a press conference on Sunday Shourd said, “There’s ahuge burden lifted off of all of our chests-so much joy. Shane and Josh and I are beginning our livesagain, and there are so many new joys that await us; I’ve never felt as free asI feel today.” Shourd also discussed themistreatment they endured, but did not dwell on the subject.

The three hope to move on with their lives.

Editor’s Note: What ajoyous homecoming.

WE’LL DO IT: At aninternational banking conference being held in Washington, D.C., Greek financeminister Evangelos Venizelos said, “Greece wants to make it and will makeit. We are ready to take the necessaryinitiatives, at any political cost.”

Greece has had financial struggles for years, and was bailedout twice last year but other European nations and the International MonetaryFund. Currently, Greece’s debt is nearlydouble its economic output.

Timothy Geithner of the U.S. has recently pointed out thatGreece is not the biggest problems in Europe today. He pointed out the overall debt issues inEurope and other struggling counties within the EU. He told the IMF in a letter that more neededto be done to protect against another situation like this one.

If Greece can stay on track, it is projected they will havea surplus in the second half of 2012.

Editor’s Note: To befair, economics are not my things, but how do you get into a worldrecession? More importantly….how do youget out?

News in 30

2011-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

NOBODY PANIC: WithEuropean and Asian markets already taking another tumble, and American marketsset to follow suit, the world’s economic leaders are trying to keep everythingand everyone calm.

In statement last night, by the Group of 20 [economies],they promised to do whatever necessary to restore financial stability. The finance officials from the United States,Japan, Germany, China, Brazil and India, among others, are hoping to quell someof the fears of a global recession. “Weare taking strong actions to maintain financial stability, restore confidenceand support growth. We commit to takeall actions to preserve the stability of banking systems and financial marketsas required.”

Though the statement was released before European and Asianmarkets, it was unable to stop today’s slide. U.S. traders are bracing for another difficult day.

Investors are selling off anticipating that Greece willdefault, which could destabilize other teetering European economies, includingPortugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy. There is also the possibility that European banks, who hold largeamounts of Greek bonds, could falter.

Timothy Geithner has said he hopes to keep the markets inthe United States stable by working with the Federal Reserve to spur theeconomy.

Editor’s Note: So ifwe ‘officially’ have a double-dip recession….does it really matter to those ofus who never recovered from the first one?

THE SKY IS FALLING: No really, it is. A longabandoned NASA UARS satellite is expected to enter earth’s atmosphere latertoday. And NASA can’t tell where it’sgoing to land….only that it won’t be over North America.

26 different pieces from the satellite will hit theatmosphere and drop down at hundreds of miles per hour, over some area thatwill be approximately 500 square miles. MarkMatney of NASA said, “We believe that the risk is sufficiently low that no oneneeds to, to change their behaviors.

The Aerospace Corporation routinely studies ‘space junk’ forthe atmosphere. They have reported largepieces of satellites as having come down and crashing into villages and farms,and other remote locations. Bill Ailor,principal engineer of the corporation said, “I actually think a lot of thiskind of stuff comes down and nobody knows what it is and just thinks it’s junkand ignores it.”

The Aerospace Corporation said it believe the satellite willcome down at approximately 6:06 pm EST off the coast of Chile, but that itcould change as the day progressed.

Editor’s Note: Cool? Not cool? I don’t know….but it sounds like thebeginning of a really good Sci-Fi flick.

News in 30

2011-09-22T11:31:00.001-07:00

FREEFALL: The FederalReserve announced a $400 billion securities swap, and a dismal jobless claimsreport, combined with the continuing European financial crisis triggered amassive free fall on the markets today. Bythe middle of the trading day, the Dow was down nearly 400 points, and showingno signs of backtracking.

The markets are closely watching Greece, with what appearsto be an imminent default on loans from Europe. After European and Asian markets took a massive tumble, American marketsfollowed suit.

Economists said it isn’t all bad news. While the jobless report was bleak, it wassignificantly better than the net zero amount from August. September show a slight drop in joblessclaims, which could be

signaling the market on the brink of recovering.

Late on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced theirintention to purchase $400 billion of long term securities in the next year,and their intention to sell the same amount in short-term securities. In a statement released by the Fed, “Recentindicators point to continuing weakness in overall labor market conditions, andthe unemployment rate remains elevated. Household spending has been increasing at only a modest pace in recentmonths despite some recovery in sales of motor vehicles as supply-chaindisruptions eased.”

Editor’s Note: Itjust doesn’t seem to get any better, does it?

CONTINUED BACKLASH: Facebook users are struggling to adapt to the new interface on thesocial network, but Mark Zuckerberg has addressed the controversy at a keynotespeech at F8.

Zuckerberg said the new “timeline” feature is a way topresent “the story of your life”, instead of having to put the pieces togetherby scrolling through years of updates. Zuckerberg said the additions allow the user to go in and add importantdates to your profile to create a complete picture of yourself.

Facebook has also added more verbs to its repertoire,including ‘review’, ‘listen’, ‘read’, ‘watch’, etc. All of your activities are still reported toyour friends, just in the smaller space of the “Ticker”.

Many technological gurus hail the changes as the next stepin social networking,

Editor’s Note: I’mstill just trying to figure out how to use it.

News in 30

2011-09-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

COMING HOME: TwoAmerican hikers that were being held in Iran on allegations of spying have beenreleased.

The second judge signed the order and the men were placed ina convoy headed to the Swiss embassy. Switzerland has acted as an envoy and leader in the negotiating processbecause the United States and Iran have no diplomatic ties.

The bail of $500,000 each was promptly paid and the men wereshuttle away. Sarah Shourd, the thirdperson in the trio was released last year with similar negotiations.

The three hikers were arrested in 2009 for spying when theaccidently crossing over the Iranian border. In the time they spent in jail, they had limited contact with theoutside. After Shourd was released, thelast contact the men had was with their mothers in May of 2010.

The country of Oman sent a plane from the country’s ruler topick the men up in case a deal was reached.

Editor’s Note: YAY!

HATERS: Facebookchanged its interface today, and so far, there aren’t many who are happy withthe change.

Engineering Manager at Facebook, Mark Tonkelowitz wrote onthe company blog, “Starting today, it will be easier to keep up with the peoplein your life no matter how frequently or infrequently you’re on Facebook.” Facebook maintains the idea is to keep you upto date on friends, even if you are away for a while.

There are no details on how it works, but Facebook’ssoftware is supposed to be able to determine which are the most ‘interesting’stories from your friends and keep those at the top of your page. In short, it is supposed to act like your ownnewspaper in a single feed.

With reactions somewhere in the range of 2 to 1 against thechanges, many have said they are going to leave Facebook and head to Google+,which is now open to anyone.

Editor’s Note: Oooohhhhh, guess where I’m setting up an account today.

2011-09-20T11:00:00.001-07:00

NETFLIXQWIKSTER?: Customers are once again fuming at changes made by Netflix CEO, ReedHastings. On Monday, Hastings announcedNetflix would be splitting their streaming service and mail order service andcreating a new company for the mail order service to be called Qwikster.

At last tally, over 23,000 people have made comments onHastings blog post that highlighted the changes being made. Most comments cannot be consideredpositive. One poster said, “Reed, thanksfor reminding me that I should go somewhere else for my DVD rentals. It was an insult enough that you raised theprice on me last month, right in the middle of the biggest recession since theGreat Depression, but now instead of a sincere apology, all we get is excusesand a flimsy new name.”

One marketer questioned the announcement by saying, “As anymarketer will tell you, there are some truly awful times to launch a newproduct—like, August, when few potential customers are paying attention, orJanuary, when they’re all shopped out from the holidays, and then there’slaunching your new product in the 10^th paragraph of an apology forsome previous poor communication….”

Some left comments that didn’t even target the businesschange, instead taking aim at the new name. “Hew Qwikster, 1991 called, it wants its radical new company name back.”

Editor’s Note: Wait,when I’m done laughing….I’ll have something brilliant to say!

HOMECOMING?: AnIranian attorney has taken the plea to let to American hikers free before asecond judge in hopes of getting a much needed signature. If the judge signs the order, the hikerscould be released within days.

Months of negotiating between Iranian government officialsand humanitarian envoys have resulted in a $500,000 bail for each man and thepossible removal of their 8 year prison sentences.

One judge signed the order several days ago, but a secondjudge was on vacation, causing a delay in the possible release. The negotiation was similar to the onereached for the female companion of the 2 men last year.

There is speculation that Iranian President Ahmadinejad istrying to aid in the release so that it will coincide with his arrival at theU.N. General Assembly next week. It isbelieved that he is hoping to receive credit for being a humanitarian.

Editor’s Note: Regardlessof credit, it would wonderful to get these men home.

News in 30

2011-09-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

RENO CRASH DETAILS: Asan investigation into the crash of the stunt plane in Reno, Nevada getsunderway, investigators have been able to recover some items that may aid in discoveringwhat went wrong.

The plane, piloted by Jimmy Leeward, was traveling at speedsup to 500 miles per hour when in crashed into the crowd watching theraces. 69 people were injured in theaccident and 9 have died, including Leeward.

Video shows a portion of the tail may have fallen off theplane just before it crashed. There isalso the possibility that something happened to Leeward before the crash. Some photos and videos show there was no signof Leeward in the cockpit, which begs the question of whether or not he was consciousor slumped over the controls.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Boardhave been able to recover a camera and memory cards that may provide clues inthe crash. The plane was also fittedwith a basic flight data recording system.

Survivors of the crash have begun to tell their stories,describing the horrific carnage at the scene. Many are expressing their gratitude at having just survived.

Editor’s Note: We hope everyone recovers swiftly, and offerour thoughts and prayers to victims and family members.

DEBT REDUCTIONS: ThePresident unveiled a new plan to reduce the nation’s debt today. In his outline, the President called for approximately$3 trillion in savings over the next 10 years.

A large part of the plan requires high income individualsand corporation to shoulder a larger portion of the debt by paying highertaxes. The President is firm on hisintent to have the wealthy pay more taxes, “I will not support any plans thatputs all the tax burden on ordinary Americans.” He said he would veto any legislation that doesn’t include higher taxesfor the wealthy.

Republicans were quick to dismiss the plan, while othersquestions what would happen to Social Security and Medicare.

Editor’s Note: Whohas the best idea? Anyone? Anyone?

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2011-09-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

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2011-09-16T09:02:00.001-07:00

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News in 30

2011-09-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

CHUMP CHANGE: Swissbanking giant, UBS, announced today that a ‘rogue’ trader lost $2 billion. 31 year old, Kweku Adoboli was arrested inLondon in connection with the case. UBSsaid no client accounts were compromised in the trading.

Adoboli worked in UBS’s Global Synthetic Equities desk. According to a social networking site,Adoboli had been in the European Equity Trading division for 5 years, afterspending 3 years as a trade support analyst for UBS.

While the loss is big by most standards, UBS will likely beable to absorb the loss. UBS will haveto take a loss on their third quarter financials.

Last month UBS had announced plans to cut 3500 jobs in aneffort to safe $2.3 billion. This newrevelation, coupled with the lay-off announcement will shake client confidence,which was just returning after UBS had to be rescued by the Swiss government in2008 due to massive losses.

UBS stock fell immediately when the market opened.

Editor’s Note: $2billion. Gee honey, it was a bad day atthe office….I lost $2 BILLION….

NON-BELIEVER: Dr.Ivar Giaever, 1973 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, announced hisresignation from the American Physical Society. Giaever’s resignation came as a complete surprise to the group.

Giaever cited his disagreement with the group’s positionover global warming. While APS claimsthe actions of man have led to global warming, Giaever has a differenceopinion. “…the temperature has changedfrom 288.0 to 288.8 degrees Kelvin in about 150 years, which (if true) means tome that the temperature has been amazingly stable, and both human health andhappiness have definitely improved in the ‘warming’ period,” he wrote in anemail.

The APS says it has no intention of changing its position onglobal warming, but the resignation of Giaever highlights the disagreementwithin the scientific community regarding the issue.

Editor’s Note: Whoa….itis hot in here….or is it?

News in 30

2011-09-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

REAL HEROES: In astunning video shot by an onlooker, a group of Good Samaritans rescued a manfrom underneath a burning car.

In an accident where a motorcyclist grounded his bike toavoid a larger, potentially more devastating accident, instead slid underneaththe car and was trapped. As the carcaught fire, students, businessmen and construction workers ran to the site ofthe accident. About 12 people workedtogether to lift the burning car off of 21 year old Brandon Wright. A construction worker was able to drag Wrightout from underneath the car.

Wright suffered some injuries, and was airlifted to thehospital, but thanks to the selfless acts of those around him, is expected tomake a full recovery. Over the phone,Wright said, “I’m just very thankful for everyone that helped me out. They saved my life.”

Those who helped are humble, saying they were just at theright time at the right place.

Editor’s Note: In aworld where we see so many bad things every day, what a beautiful, beautifulsight to see. Get well soon Brandon.

BAD LOAN?: Recentreports indicate the White House gave over $500 million in loans to a solarcompany that has recently declared bankruptcy.

Solyndra, based in Silicon Valley, received the loans in2009 as part of President Obama’s plan to create eco-friendly jobs. Unfortunately, the company has now declaredbankruptcy and has had to lay off all 1,100 of their work force.

Solyndra is now under investigation by the House Energy andCommerce Committee. Also in question, iswhy the government made loans to a company that had significant financial ‘redflags’.

George Kaiser, one of the company’s supporters and donor toObama, made several trips to the White House before the loan went through. The White House said there was no unduepolitical influence involved in the loan decision, and that the company wasviewed as promising. Kaiser has also deniedquestions about his involvement in securing the loan.

Editor’s Note: Hmmmmph….this has been going on in administrations For-Ev-Er….what makesthis one so special?

News in 30

2011-09-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

MORE FLOUNDERING: The American public is very aware of the economy. Recent swings in the market and announcementsby the President have kept the economy in front of everyone’s face. New data released from the Census Bureau saidthe number of Americans living within the poverty line has increased to 46.2million people, or 15.1 percent of the people.

This number represents the highest rate of Americans livingin poverty since 1993. During the sametime period, the Census Bureau reports that the median household income hasgone done, and individuals without health insurance increased.

The Southern states have seen a more rapid increase of thoseliving in poverty, at double. There werealso rapid increases along racial lines and among younger individuals.

Many view this news as confirmation about the severity ofthe recession. With 2.6 percent of thedecline developing in the last two years, it would seem to give credence to thetheory.

Editor’s Note: Is thecurrent state of the economy the new norm or is there any way for things toturn around?

SURPRISING DEBATE: The second round of debates held by the GOP were stage in front of a CNNmoderator and Tea Party followers.

The most notable moment from the debate come from reportsthat the crowd cheered when one contender was asked if a 30 year old whodeclined health insurance fell into a coma, should he be allowed to die? The reports vary on whether the crowd cheeredor just a few member of the crowd.

Another moment in the debate may have given fuel to thestruggling campaign of Michelle Bachman. As Rick Perry defended his decision to make the HPV vaccine arequirement for girls 12 years and older, Bachman made a point that Perry’s chiefof staff at the time, was a top lobbyist for Merck, the manufacturer of the HPVvaccine. Perry said he couldn’t bebought off.

According to most viewers, Perry spent the majority of thedebate defending himself. Although inpolitics, that is usually a sign of who is winning, because everyone else is onthe attack.

The candidates will continue campaigning, with Rick Perrymoving to Virginia next.

Editor’s Note: Sigh. I really, really, really dislike politics. Politics used to be about improving the stateof the country (or state….etc), now it is simply a platform for bickering,character assassination and gossip.

News in 30

2011-09-12T12:18:00.001-07:00

BofA CUTS BIG: Bankof America announced on Monday their plans to cut 30,000 jobs. The hope to save $5 billion by making suchdeep personnel cuts.

Earlier in the year, Bank of America announced a plan to cut6,000 jobs; the latest announcement is in addition to those cuts. There has also been a major change in theupper management of BofA. These changesconfirm the speculation that BofA will effectively be splitting itself into 2 companies,one that will serve normal consumers and the other geared towards commercialclientele.

As part of its announcement, BofA hoped to alleviate somefears by saying, the majority of the layoffs will happen through attrition andunfilled open positions.

The financial giant says the savings will accumulate fromnow through 2014. They are working to simplifybusiness operations in the wake of this year’s financial turmoil.

Many believe this is how Bank of America intends to pay offthe $8.5 billion settlement it made with investment firms over mortgages thisyear.

Editor’s Note: Lovely….justlovely.

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: ThePresident is heading up a major push to get his $447 billion job planpassed. The President refers to his planas ‘common-sense’, and has stated that he hopes that partisan politics will beput aside in favor of jobs creation.

During a speech today, the President said, “This is a billthat will put people back to work all across the country. This is a bill that will help our economy ina moment of national crisis. This is abill that is based on ideas from both Democrats and Republicans, and this isthe bill that Congress needs to pass.

Republicans have not yet rejected the bill, but arecautiously offering their consideration. House of Representatives Speaker, John Boehner, said, “The record of theeconomic proposals enacted during the last Congress necessitates carefulexamination of the president’s latest plan.”

The president’s plan is multi-faceted, making temporary taxcuts permanent, giving tax credits for job creation, closing loopholes for someindustries, and many others.

Editor’s Note: Why doI think this is going to end up with more bickering……?

We Will Never Forget....

2011-09-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

News in 30

2011-09-08T12:01:00.001-07:00

MASSIVE EVACUATIONS: Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee continues to dump rain across theNortheastern coast.

Rivers have overflowed their banks and poured over retainingwalls along the coast. The Wilkes-BarreRiver is projected to crest at 41 feet later today, which is the same height asthe levee.

Sandbags have been placed around the governor’s mansion, andmandatory evacuations throughout Pennsylvania have been ordered. Emergency responders have been conductingdoor to door searches to evacuate anyone who did not heed the original order.

The mayor of Wilkes-Barre has asked all residents to beprepared to stay gone for at least 72 hours. He has also asked businesses to close at noon to allow residents time togather essential items.

In Broome County, water reportedly started overflowing wallsaround 10 am. The National WeatherService said the river level is well above the 25 foot record that was set in2006, and appears to be more than 11 feet higher than flood stage.

Roads and highways throughout the region are closed, makingevacuations more difficult than anticipated.

Editor’s Note: Another storm is forming….stay safe and prepared friends!

NO IDEA: U.S. FederalResearch Chairman Ben Bernanke has said he is puzzled by how cautious consumershave been since the recession ended. Inspite of that, he hasn’t offered any ideas for stimulating the economy.

Bernanke noted the increase in staples, such as food andgasoline, have contributed the cautious behavior. Consumers are still feeling the effects fromthe markets volatile summer.

If Bernanke should propose any type of stimulus plan, he islikely to face opposition from Republicans, who believe that the last stimulusplan was a failure.

Editor’s Note: Oh,look….the government can’t agree….that’s a new one.

News in 30

2011-09-07T11:49:00.001-07:00

PLANE TRAGEDY: Aplane carrying a hockey team with members from all over the world crashed duringtakeoff today. At least 43 of the 45people on board were killed in the crash. The two survivors are currently being treated at a local hospital andare in intensive care.

The team was called Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and was part of thenew Kontinental Hockey League. TheHockey League released a statement that read, “We are only beginning tounderstand the impact of this tragedy affecting the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club onthe friends we’ve lost and the international hockey community. First and foremost, our condolences go out tothe families of the player’s coaches and staff lost in today’s tragedy. We know that there are many in the KHL familywho will be grieving with us.”

An aviation agency spokesman said the plane was not goingfast enough at take off and was unable to reach a safe altitude. The plane hit the antenna of the airportbeacon, broke into several pieces when it crashed and immediately caught fire.

The plane was deemed air worthy until October 1^st,according to its service records.

Editor’s Note: An absolute loss for the families andfans.

UP, UP, UP THE LADDER: After several downward trending days, the market shows signs of lifetoday. After a court Okayed Germany’srole in financially bailing out other European countries, markets saw some hopefor the future.

All major indexes in the United States and Europe rose onthe news. The only major stocks downtoday were Verizon and McDonald’s. Financial stocks also bounced back after officers of Bank of Americaannounced they would leave after the Federal Government filed its lawsuits.

Financial experts and consumers are still jittery as theywait for word on the Fed’s most recent assessment of the economy, set to bereleased later today.

Editor’s Note: Sustain it…..sustain it………

News in 30

2011-09-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

DEADLY SHOOTING: Agunman entered an IHOP in Carson City,Nevada and opened fire today, killing 3 people and injuring at least 6 more.

Eyewitness accounts say the man, wearing a red shirt, gotout of his blue minivan and shot a man on a motorcycle. The gunman then entered the restaurant andopened fire. Witnesses have reportedhearing 5 to 7 gunshots before a long pause and a burst of automatic weaponsfire.

One of the gunmans six victims was himself. Although his self-inflicted wound did notimmediately kill him. A spokesman fromthe Carson City Sheriff’s Office said it is not likely the gunman willsurvive. The Sheriff’s office also saidthey do not believe anyone else was involved.

The gunman fired at an H&R Block, as well as a few otherbusinesses in the same strip mall. Thebusiness remain on lockdown while the police begin conducting their initialinvestigation.

A motive is not known at this time.

Editor’s Note: Why? Why do some people believe that violence is the only option?

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN THE LADDER: Stocks opened down over 250 points today and have spent the majority ofthe day in negative territory.

Many traders attribute the slide to the lawsuits filed bythe Federal government against 17 major banks. Bank of America Corporation, JPMorgan Chase and Co., Wells Fargo andGoldman Sachs have each suffered losses today between 3 and 6 %.

Although a positive report on U.S. service companies wasreleased today, it wasn’t enough to stop the downward spiral.

The nation is anxiously waiting for a speech with a jobsbill proposal from President Barack Obama on Thursday, just before the officialstart of the NFL season.

Editor’s Note: Blech.

News in 30

2011-09-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

ZERO: Although fewerclaims for unemployment were filed than previously expected, the same can besaid for the amount of available jobs.

For the first time ever (since records were kept), there wasa zero net change in payrolls in the month of August. The jobless rate has stayed steady at9.1%. Reports from June and July wererevised to show 58,000 fewer jobs.

One economist said, “August was a pretty rough month for theeconomy. We saw financial marketstighten. I think businesses sort of respondedby putting hiring on the back burner.” Another economist said, “The economy is slowly grinding to a halt. The problem, however, on the policy side isthat I wonder whether the numbers are truly weak enough to galvanize apolitical response.

With the President planning a major speech next week tointroduce his new job bill, consumers and citizens are watching closely to seeif we are in round 2 of a recession or if this is just a bump in the road.

Editor's Note: It couldn't just be good news, could it?

SHAKEN UP: A 7.1magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska near the AleutianIslands. A tsunami warning was issuedright after the quake hit, but was lifted a short while later.

There was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the same area inJune. The area is very remote and hasfew residents. There is little to noexpectation of damage as a result of the quake.

Editor’s Note: Is theearth the rockin’ and rollin’ yet?

WET AND WILD: Tropical storm Lee continues to churn in the Gulf Mexico, preparing tosoak Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Some areas could receive up to 20 inches of rain. Termed a “super soaker” by the NationalWeather service, Lee has sustained winds of 40 mph and the outer bands of thestorm have started hitting New Orleans.

Louisiana and Mississippi have already declared states ofemergency in preparation. Flash floodwarnings extend from Alabama into the Florida panhandle.

While the South prepares for Lee, the East Coast iscurrently watching Hurricane Katia, to see if they are going to take anotherhit. Many oil rigs were shut down thanksto Katia, but it is still too far out to know for sure whether the hurricanewill travel up the eastern coastline.

Editor’s Note: It hassure been an adventuresome few weeks for weather.

News in 30

2011-09-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

IMPROVING AT LAST?: The latest jobs report may indicate that layoffs may be easing. Claims for first time unemployment benefits fell by 12,000. Although the economy is still floundering, it would appear it may be trying to regain footing.

SimplyHired.com, a company that watches employment websites for openings, said that they saw an increase of 4.5% from July to August. Their research found more jobs in agriculture, retail, finance and accounting. There were also increases in the scientific sector. However, legal fields, real estate and the military all posted few positions during the same time period.

Included in the report, were 45,000 Verizon employees who went on strike for a week. Nonfarm jobs increased by 75,000 and payroll rose by 117,000.

The biggest concern in the report is the productivity information. Productivity fell by .3 percent between April and June. A reduced productivity report means corporations are producing thinner margins, which could in turn lead to a pull back for other expenses.

Editor’s Note: I’m gonna overlook the bad right now…Overlooking the bad.

WHO’S THE BOSS?: It would appear that the White House and Republican leaders are still not getting along. The President had announced September 7^th as a date to address a joint session of Congress and introduce his new jobs proposal. Republicans said no. The GOP had already scheduled debates for the GOP Presidential contenders.

Congressional historians said they have never heard of another situation like this, But Speaker of the House John Boehner rejected the President’s request and instead invited him to speak on the 8^th. Now the NFL is up in arms because it conflicts with the first regular season game.

Critics of the President say this is a prime example of how weak the President is. The President’s supporters say this is a prime example of how disrespectful Congress is to the White House.

Editor’s Note: Like they need an excuse to hate each other.

News in 30

2011-08-31T11:15:00.001-07:00

OH NO YOU DON’T: TheJustice Department has filed to block the proposed merger between T-Mobile andAT&T. Deputy Attorney General JamesM. Cole said, “The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens ofmillions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewerchoices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services.”

Sprint Nextel and Verizon have vigorously fought the mergersince it was announced in March. Sprintargues that the merger would add to higher prices due to less competition.

AT&T said it would continue to continue to fight, and aspart of the battle would ask for any hearings to be expedited. AT&T claims that any delay only hurts theconsumer. As part of the proposed deal, AT&Thas promised to pay T-Mobile $3 billion in cash if the merger isn’t approved.

In spite of the AT&T payout, T-Mobile stands to lose themost if the merger does not go through. T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telekom AG has already said it is not willing toinvest anymore into the struggling mobile carrier.

While the Federal Communications Commission has notofficially gotten involved in the merger process, the Chairman has said all ofthe data they have gathered indicates the merger would cause problemsthroughout the market.

Editor’s Note: I’mthe opposite of impartial on this one due to issues with both companies….so let’sjust say I am totally AGAINST the merger.

OH NO THEY DIDN’T: “I’mtoo pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.” Says the t-shirtsold at JCPenny.

The shirt has already been pulled from shelves and JCPennyissued a statement that said in part, “We agreed that the shirt does not deliveran appropriate message.” The shirtoriginally sold for $14.99, but had been marked down to $9.99 before it waspulled.

An online petition, started by Change.org, asked theretailer to, “Stop selling clothing with sexist messages for girls.” One comment associated with the petitionsaid, “Why would I buy something so stupid as this T-shirt for my smart,brilliant granddaughters? It is ignorant– and so is the buyer who thought it was cute! Wake up JCP. It’s 2011, not 1911!”

Adding irony to the situation is the fact that the t-shirtwas from the brand known as “Self-Esteem”.

Editor’s Note: Ithink I’ll have a Napoleon Dynamite moment, “Idiots!”

News in 30

2011-08-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

WORKING TO RECOVER: Several town that were completely cut off due to damage caused byHurricane Irene, began receiving airlifted supplies. 3.3 million people are still without poweralong the eastern seaboard, and New Jersey is still calling for evacuations dueto flooding.

The death toll from Irene has risen to 41, with the latestbeing a man crushed by a tree in New Hampshire. Most commuters in New York and New Jersey were able to resume theirnormal schedules, thanks to the majority of train service being up and running.

New Jersey continued to fight flooding as excess water fromIrene worked their way through the state. Other residents of the state are working to bail out flooded basementsand clear blocked roads.

Vermont’s massive rainfall has continued to plague residentswith swollen rivers and washed out roads. One Vermont resident described his town as a lake and said he would waitout the recession of the waters.

The pictures from along the coastline are incredible. The damage and devastation show significantloss that will take years and likely billions.

Editor’s Note: Thehuman spirit and American ingenuity will be put o the test on this one…but wehave never run from a challenge.

MAKE HIM MEDICATE: JaredLoughner, the Arizona man accused of killing several people and wounding 13others, including Representative Gabrielle Gifford’s, during a shooting inJanuary has been under court order to take requiring him to takemedication. Attorneys for Loughner, whois currently housed in a Missouri prison, are petitioning the court to stop themandatory psychoactive drugs.

A prosecutor argued against the motion, saying sinceLoughner was found mentally incompetent to stand trial, and was deemed a dangerto himself and others, it was necessary.

Attorneys are hoping to convince the Ninth Circuit Court ofAppeals that the issue is not one of medical necessity, but rather a questionof who gets to determine the necessity.

Originally Loughner started receiving medication forschizophrenia. An appeals court orderedthe medication be stopped, but a week later doctors at Loughner's facilitybegan the medication again. Doctors saidthat Loughner had become a danger to himself, and other inmates at thefacility, as well as staff members.

The judge presiding over the case has given September 6 asthe deadline for information regarding the case to be submitted.

Editor’s Note: I’mgonna go with the doctor’s on this one.

News in 30

2011-08-29T09:48:00.001-07:00

STORM ASSESSMENT: Inthe wake of Hurricane Irene, the East Coast is surveying the damage and makingplans for clean up and recovery.

It would appear that Vermont has taken the worst of thestorm, as the state faces its worst flooding in 80 years. Every road, but two, within the state wasclosed at one point during the storm. One resident of the state was killed. President Obama made Vermont’s emergency declaration, the first hesigned. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlinwarned residents this morning that there could be more flooding as smallerbrooks drained into rivers, and the potential for flooding remained high.

Irene has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but in itswake has left millions with no power. Atleast 29 people from the East Coast died as a result of the storm. Airlines are trying to get things back ontrack after having to cancel more than 12,000 flights.

Many are praising forecasters this morning, for their ‘spot-on’forecast of Irene’s path. Governors havesaid that the evacuations and planning did everything it was supposed to andlikely saved lives.

Editor’s Note: Gladit wasn’t worse! Hope everyone continuesto stay safe while the storm recedes.

ARE CARS SAVING THE ECONOMY?: U.S. consumer spending made a major jump inJuly and posted the biggest increase in 5 months. Car sales were up, due to a largerdemand. The car sales encouraged many,and gave credence to the possibility the country may avoid another recession.

Economists are hoping the increase in sales will continue tospur the economy in the second half of the year. Spending on durable goods increased 2.0percent as well.

There has also been an increase in disposable income. This should allow consumers to continuespending. The market has responded wellto the news this morning, and is significantly up in early trading.

Editor’s Note: Wouldn’t it be nice to have SUSTAINED goodeconomic news?