3
POPSAngelo Mozilo's Bedfellows For the sake of its shareholders and the taxpayers who are ultimately on the hook, Fannie should immediately launch an internal investigation into the terms offered to Countrywide, and exactly what role Messrs. Johnson and Raines played in the negotiation of these terms. Did these men exert any pressure on Fannie employees to do business with Countrywide? Congress also needs a full accounting of the contacts between Countrywide and the politicians receiving favors from the lender. Did Countrywide ask for and receive assistance from the Friends of Angelo? Meanwhile, until it is clear how much Countrywide will benefit from Senator Dodd's proposed $300 billion mortgage rescue – and exactly how Mr. Dodd came to do business with Countrywide – Congress should call a halt to legislating bailouts. Taxpayers deserve no less. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121357125417575867.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
4
POPSJuly 4, 1776: To Preserve, Protect And Defend ... The latter turned out to be a bad idea because the Declaration, which was written on parchment, actually needs a bit of moisture to keep from cracking. It wasn't until 1951 that the first modern preservation efforts began. The document was sealed inside a bronze, bullet-proof glass case at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. Humidified helium replaced oxygen to prevent further erosion, and the glass was filtered to cut down on light exposure. After undergoing careful inspection for further erosion in 2003, the document was resealed in a titanium casement filled with inert argon gas. Similar preservation techniques are used to protect the Bill of Rights and Constitution. The Declaration of Independence remains on display in the rotunda of the National Archives, where it is seen by roughly 6,000 tourists every day. At night, when the crowds have all gone home, the case is lowered 22 feet into a vault.
2
POPSColumbian Rescue Marks Major Blow To The FARC An audacious operation by Colombian security forces on 2 July 2008 resulted in the rescue of 15 hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia: FARC), including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. The highly orchestrated operation, codenamed Jaque ("Check") involved tricking the FARC front holding the hostages into thinking that a transfer was underway for the hostages to meet Alfonso Cano, newly-appointed leader of the insurgent group. http://www.janes.com/news/security/iwr/iwr080703_3_n.shtml CBS Bob Orr provides an in-depth analysis how Colombian government officials were able to outsmart FARC guerilla forces into handing over hostages held captive for over 5 years.
3
POPSFamily Details Troubled Life Of Man Behind Rampage But then, he said, a Jewish watchdog group stole her away in the dead of night and returned her to her family. Shortly afterward, he was sent to prison for a year, for what other family members and police said were drug-related charges. “The problems started after he was in jail. After he came out of jail, he was always alone. … He is a good man, but after prison, he was confused and nervous,” his cousin said. However, his family arranged a marriage with a young woman from his village, and they now have two young sons. Israeli police spent Wednesday afternoon interrogating his family but then left, and have said they believe he was acting alone.
4
POPSBBC's First Warped Headline Before It Gets Changed Our Special One Year Analysis of the BBC demonstrated how its headline selection for stories focused on combat and terrorist attacks was inconsistent and favored the Palestinian side. Stories about Palestinian attacks never directly named the aggressors, headlines such as "Rocket injures dozens in Israel" were used. Indeed, even the latest BBC headline "Bulldozer rampage hits Jerusalem", is also fundamentally flawed, failing to attribute the attack to the Palestinian individual who carried it out. It was not the city of Jerusalem, the subject of the headline, that was murdered, but at least three innocent Israelis. For accurate coverage and the latest developments from Jerusalem on this breaking story, see English-language Israeli sources such as The Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz and YNet News. You can also read the thoughts of HonestReporting's Backspin blog editor who happened to be in downtown Jerusalem at the time of the terror atttack.
1
POPSIran Announces Bid For UN Security Council Seat Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced his country's bid today for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, a candidacy that U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad immediately rejected. U.S. opposition would be based on the unwritten rule at the UN that nations under Security Council sanctions aren't elected to the panel. The council has adopted three resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment as part of its nuclear program.
1
Clips
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update