Mash'al: if you come bottom - will be 4 Gilad Shalit
Friday, January 2, 2009
While the IDF forces around the Gaza Strip prepared, head of political bureau of Hamas warned Israel: "Gaza Attabi you at sea failure. Maybe Gilad Shalit will be Monday, Tuesday Wednesday. "He insisted: good condition resistance, the enemy failed in attacks in Harktoat
While the IDF forces are ready to action which estimates land in Israel is inevitable, warns Hamas leader: "You expect a black fate". Head of the political bureau of Hamas, Haeld Mash'al, had recorded a TV speech Sshudre tonight (Friday) to the network - C 'Arena, threatened Israel at the cost if you take over terrestrial and promised that "Gaza clash".
Operation "lead casting"
* Fear in Gaza: Foreign Going - Israel will
* "Welcome" the IDF to: Chargers, snipers fired missiles
* Why have to enter the ground / Ron Ben Yishai
"Gaza is a dummy of the most short , Mash'al said, and warned against abducting soldiers: "You will discover you Shaza is Keleat your history, is that you Sattabi failure at sea.
After a week:
"How long, Hamas understands only beaten" / Hanan Greenberg "There is no doubt we achieve, but how long more," said a senior military operation the first week of the lead casting. "Hamas is a war or to cease to be, so they will do everything to not raise a white flag". Palestinians: 150 fatalities - not involved
For the full
. If you come to Gaza by land - the fate of black expecting you.. If you do such a stupid step, maybe you'll even Gilad Shalit Monday, Tuesday Wednesday ".
He praised the residents of Gaza on the compromise resolution in front of Air Force and said that despite grave, not Hamas infrastructure is hurt significantly. " "The enemy thinks Smcha air, that was difficult, Atphyd the people of Gaza - but he was surprised to Gaza has taken hold. Mtoat enemy is destroyed, mosques, homes and ambulances, rocks and trees, but Gazans know the truth - the situation of the resistance in Gaza and is good only lost Sepegha Very small. I am responsible for what I say. The enemy has failed in attempts to offend Ouhaadota rockets that hit the truck he is Sahubilha gas balloons, which also admitted organization B'Tselem 'Zionist ".
Ярлыки: israel Gaza attack
Somebody will go to jail
Sunday, November 9, 2008
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Under new bills proposed by Labor Knesset members, calling somebody a "Nazi" might land you in the clink. And once you're in jail, watching a certain movie by Mel Brooks won't get you off for good behavior. Know someone who recently insulted somebody by
calling him a Nazi? According to the bill proposed by MK Colette Avital (Labor), such a person, or anybody using Nazi terminology or symbolism lightly would face a prison term of up to seven years behind bars.
The Knesset is considering two legislative proposals submitted by Labor party MK's that would impose stiff penalties on anyone using Nazi terms, symbols, or imagery in every-day discourse. The bills outlaw the term "Nazi" or other words carrying a similar connotation. The bills also outlaw symbols of the Holocaust, such as concentration camp style prison garments, yellow Stars of David and swastikas.
Ярлыки: israel nazi jal
New Ruling Suggests Judge Could Send Insurance Execs to Prison for 20 Years
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A federal judge in Connecticut has ruled that five former reinsurance executives who were convicted of securities fraud caused shareholders of American International Group to lose somewhere between $550 million and $600 million in 2005, when the improper accounting came to light and caused a decline in AIG?s stock price.
As a result, Judge Christopher Droney, who presided over the trial earlier this year, has assigned each defendant a minimum offense level of 36, which, under United States Sentencing Guidelines, instructs him to sentence each person to approximately 15 to 20 years in prison. Ronald Ferguson, the 67-year-old former chief executive officer of General Reinsurance Corp., was convicted on Feb. 29, along with Christopher Garand, Robert Graham, Christian Milton, and Elizabeth A. Monrad on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, making false statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and mail fraud.
The judge?s decision is in line with the prosecution's argument that the defendants should each receive no less than a term of 17 years in prison. He did not, however, agree with the prosecution?s position that the defendants must pay restitution.
Droney did not set a sentencing date, but has ordered defense attorneys to provide additional sentencing material within 21 days.
In his ruling, the judge rejected the defense argument that the alleged fraud caused no loss and one government theory that the loss ranged between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion. Rather, Droney ruled that a reasonable estimate of the loss was another alternative calculation ? formulated by a government expert ? based on the AIG?s stock price movement on Feb. 14, March 14 and March 15 of 2005.
?On each of these days, new and significant information related to the LPT fraud was disclosed, and there was a statistically significant price reaction in AIG?s stock price,? Droney wrote in his ruling.
The LPT or loss portfolio transfer consisted of two sham reinsurance contracts and a fake offer letter that made it appear that Gen Re had transferred approximately $100 million in insurance risk ? the difference between the $600 million limit of liability and the $500 million in premiums ? to AIG when, in fact, no real insurance risk had been transferred.
At trial, prosecutors also presented evidence that showed that Gen Re was paying AIG $10 million in cash "premiums" when, in fact, Gen Re never would be out any cash on the transaction. The deal was designed simply to help AIG boost its loss reserves.
Since the conviction in February, family and longtime acquaintances of the defendants have written hundreds of letters to the judge pleading for mercy. For instance, roughly 370 people have written letters in support of Ferguson.
Attorneys for Ferguson have argued that even a 14-year prison sentence "might very well turn out to be life imprisonment" for their client (BestWire, Sept. 10, 2008).
The federal sentencing guidelines recommend graduated increases to a defendant?s offense level depending on the amount of loss caused by the offense. For instance, if the amount of loss caused is greater than $400 million, an automatic offense level of 30 is added to the guideline calculation. The recommended length of imprisonment for a 30-level offense by itself is 97 to 121 months. This level could also be enhanced depending on the number of victims and the criminal history of the defendant.
Ярлыки: aig punishment prison
Who owns the cows?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
After his graduation from college, the son of a Spanish lawyer was considering his future. He went to his father and asked if he might be given a desk in the corner from which he could observe his father�s activities and be introduced to his father�s clients as a clerk. His observations would help him decide whether or not to become a lawyer. His father thought this was a great idea and immediately helped to set it up.
The first client the next morning was a tenant farmer--a rough man with calloused hands who was dressed in workman�s clothing. He said,
"Mr. Lawyer, I work for the Gonzales farm on the east side of town. For many years I have tended their crops and animals, including some cows. I have raised the cows, fed them and looked after them. And I was always given the understanding and the belief that I was the owner of these cows. Now Mr. Gonzales has died and his son has inherited the farm. He believes that since the cows were raised on his land and ate his hay, the cows are his. In short, we are in dispute over who owns the cows."
The lawyer said, "Thank you. I have heard enough. I will take your case. Don't worry about the cows!"
The next client to come in, a young and well-dressed young man, was obviously a landowner. He said, "My name is Gonzales and I own a farm on the east side of town. We have a tenant farmer who has worked for my family for many years, tending crops and the animals, including some cows. I believe the cows belong to me because they were raised on my land and were fed my hay. But the tenant farmer believes they are his because he raised them and cared for them. In short, we are in dispute over who owns the cows."
The lawyer said, "Thank you. I have heard enough. I will take your case. Don't worry about the cows!"
After the client left, the lawyer�s son could not help but express his concern. "Father, I know very little about the law, but it seems we have a very serious problem concernng these cows."
"Don�t worry about the cows!" the lawyer said. "The cows will be ours!"
Ярлыки: lawyer attorney advocate
Congress OKs historic bailout bill; Bush signs it.
Monday, October 6, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) - With the economy on the brink and elections looming, Congress approved an unprecedented $700 billion government bailout of the battered financial industry on Friday and sent it to President Bush who quickly signed it. "We have acted boldly to help prevent the crisis on Wall Street from becoming a crisis in communities across our country," Bush said shortly after the vote, although he conceded, "our economy continues to face serious challenges."
Click here to find out more! Underscoring that somber warning, the Dow Jones industrials, up more than 200 points at the time of the House vote, had fallen into negative territory an hour later. They fluctuated as the afternoon wore on. The final vote, 263-171 in the House, capped two weeks of tumult in Congress and on Wall Street, punctuated by daily warnings that the country confronted the gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression if lawmakers failed to act. There were 58 more votes for the measure than an earlier version that failed on Monday. "We all know that we are in the midst of a financial crisis," House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said shortly before casting his vote for a massive government intervention in private capital markets that was unthinkable only a month ago. "And we know that if we do nothing, this crisis is likely to worsen and to put us into an economic slump like most of us have never seen," he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill was needed to "begin to shape the financial stability of our country and the economic security of our people."
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson pledged to begin using his new authority quickly, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank would work closely with the administration. Wall Street welcomed the action, but investors also were buffeted by a bad report on the job market. The Labor Department said employers slashed 159,000 jobs in September, the largest cut in five years and further evidence of a sinking economy.
At its core, the bill gives the Treasury Department $700 billion to purchase bad mortage-related securities that are weighing down the balance sheets of institutions that hold them. The flow of credit in the U.S. economy has slowed, in some cases drying up, threatening the ability of businesses to conduct routine operations or expand, and adversely affecting consumers seeking financing for mortgages, cars and student loans. Some state governments have also experienced difficulty borrowing money. The House vote marked a sharp change from Monday, when an earlier measure was sent down to defeat, largely at the hands of angry conservative Republicans. A total of 33 Democrats and 25 Republicans switched from opposition to support. Several of the Democrats were members of the Congressional Black Caucus who said presidential candidate Barack Obama had pledged to support legislation easing the burden on consumers if he wins the White House.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain also lobbied for the measure, according to aides who declined to release a list of lawmakers he called.
Following Monday's vote, Senate leaders quickly took custody of the measure, adding on $110 billion in tax and spending provisions designed to attract additional support, then grafting on legislation mandating broader mental health coverage in the insurance industry. The revised measure won Senate approval Wednesday night, 74-25, setting up a furious round of lobbying in the House as the administration, congressional leaders, the major party presidential candidates and outside groups joined forces behind the measure.
In addition, the measure was changed to broaden the federal government's deposit insurance program, and the Securities and Exchange Commission loosened a regulation to ease the impact of the distressed assets on the balance sheet of financial institutions.
Despite occasionally strong criticism of the added spending and tax measures, the maneuvers worked - augmented by a sudden switch in public opinion that occurred after the stock market took its largest-ever one-day dive on Monday.
"No matter what we do or what we pass, there are still tough times out there. People are mad - I'm mad," said Republican Rep. J. Gresham Barrett of South Carolina, who opposed the measure the first time it came to a vote. Now, he said, "We have to act. We have to act now."
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., another convert, said, "I have decided that the cost of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something." Critics were unrelenting. "How can we have capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, a leader among conservative Republicans who oppose the central thrust of the legislation - an unprecedented federal intervention into the private capital markets. It was little more than two weeks ago that Paulson and Bernanke concluded that the economy was in such danger that a massive government intervention in the private markets was essential. White the main thrust of their initial proposal was unchanged, lawmakers insisting on greater congressional supervision over the $700 billion, measures to protect taxpayers and steps to crack down on so-called "golden parachutes" that go to corporate executives whose companies fail. Earlier in the week, the legislation was altered to expand the federal insurance program for individual bank deposits, and the Securities and Exchange Commission took steps to ease the impact of the questionable mortgage-backed securities on financial institutions.
In the moments before the vote, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, pledged "serious surgery" next year to address the underlying causes of the crisis.
If anything, the economic news added to the sense of urgency.
The Labor Department said initial claims for jobless benefits had increased last week to the highest level since the gloomy days after the 2001 terror attacks. The news of the payroll cuts came on top of Thursday's Commerce Department report that factory orders in August plunged by 4 percent.
Typifying arguments the problem no longer is just a Wall Street issue but also one for Main Street, lawmakers from California and Florida said their state governments were beginning to experience trouble borrowing funds for their own operations.
Pelosi said, "We must win it for Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street." One month before Election Day, the drama unfolded in an intensely political atmosphere. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus credited Obama with changing their minds.
Reps. Elijah Cummings and Donna Edwards, both Maryland Democrats, were among them. They said Obama had pledged if he wins the White House that he would help homeowners facing foreclosure on their mortgages. He also pledged to support changes in the bankruptcy law to make it less burdensome on consumers. Obama's rival, Republican Sen. McCain, announced a brief suspension in his campaign more than a week ago to try and help solve the financial crisis. Republican Rep. Sue Myrick of North Carolina, who switched her vote to favor the measure, said, "I may lose this race over this vote, but that's OK with me. This is the right vote for the country." The vote on Monday had staggered the congressional leadership and contributed to the largest one-day stock market drop in history, 778 points as measured by the Dow Jones Industrials.
Ярлыки: bush president attorney
Congress OKs historic bailout bill; Bush signs it.
WASHINGTON (AP) - With the economy on the brink and elections looming, Congress approved an unprecedented $700 billion government bailout of the battered financial industry on Friday and sent it to President Bush who quickly signed it. "We have acted boldly to help prevent the crisis on Wall Street from becoming a crisis in communities across our country," Bush said shortly after the vote, although he conceded, "our economy continues to face serious challenges."
Click here to find out more! Underscoring that somber warning, the Dow Jones industrials, up more than 200 points at the time of the House vote, had fallen into negative territory an hour later. They fluctuated as the afternoon wore on. The final vote, 263-171 in the House, capped two weeks of tumult in Congress and on Wall Street, punctuated by daily warnings that the country confronted the gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression if lawmakers failed to act. There were 58 more votes for the measure than an earlier version that failed on Monday. "We all know that we are in the midst of a financial crisis," House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said shortly before casting his vote for a massive government intervention in private capital markets that was unthinkable only a month ago. "And we know that if we do nothing, this crisis is likely to worsen and to put us into an economic slump like most of us have never seen," he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill was needed to "begin to shape the financial stability of our country and the economic security of our people."
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson pledged to begin using his new authority quickly, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank would work closely with the administration. Wall Street welcomed the action, but investors also were buffeted by a bad report on the job market. The Labor Department said employers slashed 159,000 jobs in September, the largest cut in five years and further evidence of a sinking economy.
At its core, the bill gives the Treasury Department $700 billion to purchase bad mortage-related securities that are weighing down the balance sheets of institutions that hold them. The flow of credit in the U.S. economy has slowed, in some cases drying up, threatening the ability of businesses to conduct routine operations or expand, and adversely affecting consumers seeking financing for mortgages, cars and student loans. Some state governments have also experienced difficulty borrowing money. The House vote marked a sharp change from Monday, when an earlier measure was sent down to defeat, largely at the hands of angry conservative Republicans. A total of 33 Democrats and 25 Republicans switched from opposition to support. Several of the Democrats were members of the Congressional Black Caucus who said presidential candidate Barack Obama had pledged to support legislation easing the burden on consumers if he wins the White House.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain also lobbied for the measure, according to aides who declined to release a list of lawmakers he called.
Following Monday's vote, Senate leaders quickly took custody of the measure, adding on $110 billion in tax and spending provisions designed to attract additional support, then grafting on legislation mandating broader mental health coverage in the insurance industry. The revised measure won Senate approval Wednesday night, 74-25, setting up a furious round of lobbying in the House as the administration, congressional leaders, the major party presidential candidates and outside groups joined forces behind the measure.
In addition, the measure was changed to broaden the federal government's deposit insurance program, and the Securities and Exchange Commission loosened a regulation to ease the impact of the distressed assets on the balance sheet of financial institutions.
Despite occasionally strong criticism of the added spending and tax measures, the maneuvers worked - augmented by a sudden switch in public opinion that occurred after the stock market took its largest-ever one-day dive on Monday.
"No matter what we do or what we pass, there are still tough times out there. People are mad - I'm mad," said Republican Rep. J. Gresham Barrett of South Carolina, who opposed the measure the first time it came to a vote. Now, he said, "We have to act. We have to act now."
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., another convert, said, "I have decided that the cost of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something." Critics were unrelenting. "How can we have capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, a leader among conservative Republicans who oppose the central thrust of the legislation - an unprecedented federal intervention into the private capital markets. It was little more than two weeks ago that Paulson and Bernanke concluded that the economy was in such danger that a massive government intervention in the private markets was essential. White the main thrust of their initial proposal was unchanged, lawmakers insisting on greater congressional supervision over the $700 billion, measures to protect taxpayers and steps to crack down on so-called "golden parachutes" that go to corporate executives whose companies fail. Earlier in the week, the legislation was altered to expand the federal insurance program for individual bank deposits, and the Securities and Exchange Commission took steps to ease the impact of the questionable mortgage-backed securities on financial institutions.
In the moments before the vote, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, pledged "serious surgery" next year to address the underlying causes of the crisis.
If anything, the economic news added to the sense of urgency.
The Labor Department said initial claims for jobless benefits had increased last week to the highest level since the gloomy days after the 2001 terror attacks. The news of the payroll cuts came on top of Thursday's Commerce Department report that factory orders in August plunged by 4 percent.
Typifying arguments the problem no longer is just a Wall Street issue but also one for Main Street, lawmakers from California and Florida said their state governments were beginning to experience trouble borrowing funds for their own operations.
Pelosi said, "We must win it for Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street." One month before Election Day, the drama unfolded in an intensely political atmosphere. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus credited Obama with changing their minds.
Reps. Elijah Cummings and Donna Edwards, both Maryland Democrats, were among them. They said Obama had pledged if he wins the White House that he would help homeowners facing foreclosure on their mortgages. He also pledged to support changes in the bankruptcy law to make it less burdensome on consumers. Obama's rival, Republican Sen. McCain, announced a brief suspension in his campaign more than a week ago to try and help solve the financial crisis. Republican Rep. Sue Myrick of North Carolina, who switched her vote to favor the measure, said, "I may lose this race over this vote, but that's OK with me. This is the right vote for the country." The vote on Monday had staggered the congressional leadership and contributed to the largest one-day stock market drop in history, 778 points as measured by the Dow Jones Industrials.
Ярлыки: bush president attorney law
Bush wants to expand marine protections in Pacific
Sunday, September 28, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush wants to extend environmental protections to more of the Pacific Ocean.
Bush said Friday he has asked the secretaries of the Interior, Commerce and Defense to identify additional areas that could be eligible for conservation.
Click here to find out more!
Acknowledging that his administration is coming to an end, Bush said he is "sprinting to the finish."
"I mean, four months, you can actually get a lot done," he said.
He also announced that the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, off the California coast, will be expanded by 585 square nautical miles to include the Davidson Seamount, an underwater mountain.
Bush's comments came in a speech at the newly completed Sant Ocean Hall, scheduled to open to the public Saturday at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Last month Bush proposed protecting three remote island chains, launching a marine conservation effort that could be one of the largest in history.
He is considering conserving parts of the Northern Mariana islands in the western Pacific, as well as eight islands and coral reef atolls and their surrounding waters in the central Pacific that are part of the Line Islands and American Samoa.
In his comments Friday, Bush noted a life-size model of a right whale in the museum and said his administration has sought to help protect these endangered whales.
Indeed, the government has recommended a speed limit for commercial ships along the Atlantic coast, where collisions with the right whale threaten its existence. Only about 300 or 400 of the whales are left in the wild, and they migrate annually between their southeastern Atlantic breeding grounds to feeding areas off the Massachusetts coast, intersecting busy shipping lanes.
Ярлыки: votes bush president attorney law
