Did you know 2

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Did you know McCain maybe another George W. Bush?


Jack Cafferty: McCain gives shallow answers at Saddleback forum
Why isn't McCain grappling with the complex moral issues we face? Cafferty asks
Cafferty: We can't afford another president like George W. Bush
World is too complex to entrust to someone who lacks intellectual curiosity, he says


Editor's Note: Jack Cafferty is the author of the best-seller "It's Getting Ugly Out There: The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America." He provides commentary on CNN's "The Situation Room" daily from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. You can also visit Jack's Cafferty File blog.

Jack Cafferty says John McCain shows virtually no intellectual curiosity, emulating President Bush

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.
His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.
Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.
I think he made a big mistake. When he was invited last spring to attend a discussion of the role of faith in his life with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, McCain didn't bother to show up. Now I know why.
It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand.
Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?
Don't Miss
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Jack's book: "It's Getting Ugly Out There"
Analysis: Is McCain finding his way on faith?
Throughout the evening, McCain chose to recite portions of his stump speech as answers to the questions he was being asked. Why? He has lived 71 years. Surely he has some thoughts on what it all means that go beyond canned answers culled from the same speech he delivers every day.
He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.
He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.
One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.
Where are John McCain's writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America's moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?
John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.
He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the "Straight Talk Express" for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes. Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly.
I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.
George Bush's record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me most is he seems content with himself.
He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.
I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Do you know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Needed help?

The reason of the rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac needed a helping hand.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy mortgages from approved lenders and then sell them on to investors - rather than lending directly to borrowers
They guarantee or own about half of the $12 trillion US mortgage market. They are relied on by almost all US mortgage lenders. Banks look for funds to meet consumer demand for mortgages when mortgage lenders are linked with investors - they help to keep the supply of money widely available and at a lower cost.

FREDDIE MAC & FANNIE MAE are the two largest firms that buy mortgages from approved lenders and then sell them on to investors - rather than lending directly to borrowers
They have guaranted or own about half of the $12 trillion US mortgage market. They are relied on by almost all US mortgage lenders and are looked to for funds to meet consumer demand for mortgages.


The companies have been taken under government control because they, according to President Bush, pose "an unacceptable risk" to the economy.
It will cost the US taxpayer at least $200bn to rebuild their capital - and the cost could be a lot higher if the US housing market continues to plummet.
Here is a unique that you may did not know... Despite Fannie and Freddy guaranteeing or owning just under half of the entire US mortgage market, you cannot actually get a home loan from either firm.
But while they are invisible to the average borrower, the two firms are highly influential institutions and are key to the US housing market.
As one US Treasury official puts it, the two firms are "way too intertwined with everyone in the world" to fail. Because banks around the world are highly exposed to the two companies.
And, given the unstable state of markets across the world, it had become dangerous for doubts to persist about whether they were viable and would be able to keep up the payments on their massive liabilities, said the BBC's business editor Robert Peston.
The Accounting flaws of the housing market turmoil has caused the firms great damage, its problems appear to be partly be to do with the way it managed its accounts - which had the effect of overstating its capital resources and financial stability.
The New York Times reported that Freddie Mac had pushed losses it had already incurred into the fourth quarter of 2008 - meaning that it would not have to be revealed until next year.
Fannie Mae had done something similar, but to a lesser extent, the paper said, adding that neither firm had necessarily breached accounting rules.
Both firms had also factored in tax benefits on profits that they were yet to see - credits which are worthless until profits are actually made - something neither has managed in the past year.
It was investigations by the Federal authorities into these irregularities that helped prompt the government to act.
The guarantees given by the US government were no longer enough. Even as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had profited from the US housing boom.
As the value of US homes soared, the importance of these two institutions grew in allowing people to purchase property.
The two firms do not lend directly to homebuyers, instead buying mortgage debt from approved lenders such as banks, and then selling it on to investors.



Almost all US mortgage lenders, from huge financial institutions such as Citigroup to small, local banks, rely on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, looking to them for the funds they need to meet consumer demand for mortgages.
The two firms argue that they make home ownership more affordable, lowering the interest rates on the 30-year mortgages that they guarantee.
But their peculiar status has left them in a grey area between being government owned and private sector, with potential risks to the taxpayer should they need bailing out.

The rescue at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae contrast with the recent collapse of California-based IndyMac Bank - the second-largest financial institution to fail in US history, regulators say.
IndyMac had been struggling to raise funds and stay in business in one of the states worst hit by the US housing market slump.
Without similar close links to government it could not weather the storm, and went into administration.
But it is clear that Washington wants to keep Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae alive and kicking, not least so that they can play a key role in reinvigorating the housing market.
But there is a strong consensus that the price of not intervening would be far worse.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Evans makes quick work of Liddell's






ATLANTA — Returning from a long layoff, UFC star Chuck Liddell had the crowd. He had the momentum, chasing Rashad Evans around the Octagon on Saturday.
With one punch, Evans changed all that, landing an overhand right that instantly dropped Liddell. Referee Herb Dean rushed to stop the fight, and doctors immediately jumped in the ring to tend to Liddell.
Evans, unbeaten but unheralded coming into the fight, raised his record to 17-0-1. Liddell, losing for the third time in his last four fights, dropped to 21-6.
STRIKES & SUBMISSIONS: UFC 88 play-by-play
UFC's former light heavyweight champion and breakout celebrity star stalked Evans through the first round but couldn't land a clean shot. After a rare flurry of punches, Evans danced and smiled. But the former Michigan State wrestler did little to challenge Liddell other than a couple of ineffective leg kicks.
Evans countered and opened a small cut on Liddell's cheek in the second round, but Liddell continued to press the action. Evans seemed intent on luring Liddell into a defensive mistake. He got it, then capitalized with stunning brutality. The former champion dropped with a thud, then remained in a daze for several minutes.
"I was trying to get him to come out of his comfort zone because usually he likes you to chase him," Evans said.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

10 Things You Didn't Know About John McCain



1. John Sidney McCain III was born in the Panama Canal Zone on Aug. 29, 1936.
2. The McCains are a prominent military family. His father and grandfather were the first father-son admiral pair in U.S. naval history. John McCain Jr. commanded Pacific forces during the Vietnam War, while John McCain Sr. was commander of aircraft carriers during World War II. The guided missile destroyer John S. McCain is named in their honor. Today, two of McCain's sons are continuing the tradition—his youngest son, Jimmy, is a marine, while another son, Jack, is a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy.
3. In high school, he was a wrestler. His nickname was "McNasty." Later in life, he was nicknamed "the white tornado" because of his prematurely white hair.
4. After high school, McCain was accepted to the United States Naval Academy, though he was not a strong student. He was often disciplined for misbehavior and ultimately graduated near the bottom–790th out of 795–of the class of 1958. In 2005, he returned to the school to speak to a political science class, saying he was pleased to be back at the "old school where [I] did so well."
5. In 1967, McCain volunteered to serve in Vietnam as a naval aviator. On his 23rd bombing mission, he ejected from his plane after it was hit by a missile. He was captured by the North Vietnamese, who would not treat his injuries until they learned who his father was. Later, the North Vietnamese offered to release him early as a strategic measure, but McCain declined since there were others due to be released first. McCain was tortured for this refusal and ultimately was held as a POW for 5 1/2 years.
6. His 1999 autobiography, Faith of My Fathers, tells about his early life and capture in Vietnam. The book was made into a television movie in 2005. Actor Shawn Hatosy played the young McCain, though the senator once joked that Danny DeVito should have been cast instead.
7. As a senator, McCain is a well-known foe of pork-barrel spending. To deter his colleagues from trying to add such government spending to bills, McCain once had a staff member, Mark "the Ferret" Buse, whose full-time job was to monitor any such attempts.
8. He hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live in 2002, poking fun at politics by appearing on a mock edition of Meet the Press and impersonating John Ashcroft.
9. McCain frequently has toys in his office–including a figure of Theodore Roosevelt holding a teddy bear. Roosevelt is one of his heroes for combining conservative politics with reform.
10. His favorite book is For Whom the Bell Tolls. He also enjoys chocolate ice cream and pizza with pepperoni and onions.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Cindy McCain




1. Cindy Hensley, a Phoenix native, is the only child of James and Marguerite Hensley.
2. She attended Central High School and went on to receive a master's degree in special education from the University of Southern California.
3. Cindy met John McCain in 1979, while she was on vacation with her parents in Hawaii.
4. There is an 18-year age difference between Cindy and John, but they both lied about their ages when they met. John said he was younger than 42, and Cindy said she was older than 24. They didn't realize this until they went to apply for a marriage license a year after they met.
5. Cindy and John were married in Phoenix in 1980.
6. She was very close to her parents, who at one time lived across the street from the McCains.
7. They have four children: two daughters and two sons. The McCains adopted their youngest child, Bridget, in 1991 from an orphanage in Bangladesh.
8. Cindy is chairwoman of a business her father started in 1955. Hensley & Co. is one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the United States.
9. She is involved in many charities, including Operation Smile and American Voluntary Medical Team, which she founded.
10. She is a big fan of NASCAR.

Is Oprah Biased? Host Won't Interview Palin




Is Oprah Biased? because she won't Interview Palin Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin is not welcomed on the on her show before the election. She said that after the the presidential election will be fine.

I like Oprah and enjoy her talk show but I think that it is apparent that she wants Obama to win... So is that a crime? Why would she do anything that would hurt him from becoming president?
"The item in today's 'Drudge Report' is categorically untrue," Winfrey said in a written statement provided to ABC News.com. "There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show.
"At the beginning of the presidential campaign, when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates," Winfrey wrote.
O well, I have spoke and everyone will have to just live with my decision.

This is the worlds smallest bodybuilder?




At just 2ft 9in, Indian muscleman Aditya 'Romeo' Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder.

Pint-sized Romeo is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India - for his ability to lift 1.5kg dumbbells - despite his overall 9kg body weight.

Every day, crowds flock to the local gym to the see the mini-muscleman in training.







Did you Know

Did you know that the average human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons? These remarkable cells form intricate networks, allowing us to think, feel, and experience the world around us. Each neuron communicates with others through electrical impulses, creating a symphony of thoughts, memories, and emotions. So next time you ponder life’s mysteries, remember that your brain is orchestrating a cosmic dance of neurons!