http://www.liveleak.com/browse?channel_token=201_1302948705 Items in channel 'cat-scratch-fever' Fri, 24 May 2013 19:28:18 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?channel_token=201_1302948705 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:30:50 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7bc_1297250772 cat-scratch-fever City Unlikely to Pick Controversial Name Despite garnering far more support in an online poll than the thicket of other suggestions, Fort Wayne's new government center is unlikely to be named after the city's longest tenured mayor, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports. Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said naming the building the "Harry Baals Government Center" was probably not going to happen because, "We're not going to make any decisions that look bad." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7bc_1297250772 cat-scratch-fever Too Good to Be True - Best Name Ever Controversial, Mayor Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:41:41 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c2_1295030234 cat-scratch-fever I bet LiveLeakers in Canada, UK, Australia and others can do better than the US Congress. Try it yourself and report back. The survey asks 33 basic civics questions, many taken from other nationally recognized instruments like the U.S. Citizenship Exam. It also asks 10 questions related to the U.S. Constitution. So what did we find? Well, to put it simply, the results are not pretty. Elected officials at many levels of government, not just the federal government, swear an oath to "uphold and protect" the U.S. Constitution. But those elected officials who took the test scored an average 5 percentage points lower than the national average (49 percent vs. 54 percent), with ordinary citizens outscoring these elected officials on each constitutional question. Examples: Only 49 percent of elected officials could name all three branches of government, compared with 50 percent of the general public. Only 46 percent knew that Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war - 54 percent of the general public knows that. Just 15 percent answered correctly that the phrase "wall of separation" appears in Thomas Jefferson's letters - not in the U.S. Constitution - compared with 19 percent of the general public. And only 57 percent of those who've held elective office know what the Electoral College does, while 66 percent of the public got that answer right. (Of elected officials, 20 percent thought the Electoral College was a school for "training those aspiring for higher political office.") http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c2_1295030234 cat-scratch-fever US Congress ignorant of US Civics Congress, ignorant, US Civics Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:36:45 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d16_1294327687 cat-scratch-fever No Pity for Robert Gibbs and His 'Modest' Salary Perhaps it was the long flight back from Hawaii. But President Obama's first full day back on the job suggested a slight case of tone deafness. In bidding a sort-of farewell to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, he noted the "relatively modest pay" for which Gibbs has labored. In fact, he earns $172,200 in a nation where the average family income hovers around $55,000, unemployment is high, record foreclosures persist and wages for most folks are at best stagnant. But implicit in Gibbs' departure is the desire to slow down, recharge and earn a lot more money, especially after an arduous several years where he's been on call 24/7. He's hired an esteemed lawyer-agent, Robert Barnett, and is expected to hit the very lucrative speaking tour universe exploited by Washington insiders, including high-profile journalists. It's a world in which a one-hour appearance can bring more than many Americans earn in a year, with the elite in the roughly $50,000 to $75,000 range. You offer a few benign inside anecdotes, take some questions and then get taken back by limo to the airport and a seat in first-class (assuming your deal doesn't include a private jet, as is the case for some journalists I know). Full article and source at: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/01/no-pity-for-robert-gibbs-and-his-modest-salary/68943/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d16_1294327687 cat-scratch-fever Obama Press Secretary leaving for better paying job Obama, class warfare, greed, Gibbs, out-of-touch Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:24:34 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=965_1291638084 cat-scratch-fever On the bright side, Ben Roethlisberger will probably forget about his broken foot after taking a vicious shot to the nose courtesy of Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata on Sunday Night Football. Big Ben broke his nose on the play The bridge of his nose has more curve than a roller coaster. NBC announcer Cris Collinsworth was taken aback at the sight of it. "I've had my nose broken two or three times," he said, "and I've never had it go sideways like that." Roethlisberger suffered the injury when Ngata's hand swatted through the quarterbacks's facemask during a sack. It won't comfort Steelers fans that the swipe came on an illegal blow to Roethlisberger's helmet. (You can bet James Harrison would have been flagged if he had done that to Joe Flacco.) After receiving medial attention during the entirety of the offense's time on the sidelines, Roethlisberger returned to action. Though Roethlisberger and the Steelers struggled offensively for most of the evening against the Ravens mighty defense, the Pittsburgh D made the play of the game when a Troy Polamalu sack forced a Joe Flacco fumble to set up what would be the Steelers game-winning touchown. Pittsburgh moved into first-place in the AFC North and has an easy schedule for the season's final quarter. They may need one. There are only so many other body parts Ben Roethlisberger can break before he'd be forced to the sidelines. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=965_1291638084 cat-scratch-fever Broken Nose Can't Stop Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh, Steelers, football, broken nose, injury Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:03:10 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=faf_1289512672 cat-scratch-fever Obama panel probes stimulus waste -- at Ritz Carlton By: Byron York Chief Political Correspondent 11/11/10 10:10 AM EST Members of a key panel created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus bill, have scheduled a meeting on November 22 to consider ways to prevent "fraud, waste, and abuse of Recovery Act funds." The meeting will be held at the super-luxe Ritz Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. The group is the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel, a sub-committee of the larger Recovery Accountability and Transparency board (sometimes known as the RAT board). The stimulus bill set up the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel, or RIAP, to make recommendations to identify and prevent waste of the bill's $814 billion in stimulus spending. "The purpose of the November 22, 2010 meeting is to allow the RIAP to have an open dialogue, with input from the public, on issues relating to fraud, waste, and abuse of Recovery Act funds," says a notice in the Federal Register. Specifically, participants in the meeting will discuss various techniques to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as larger issues of transparency and public awareness. Portions of the meeting will be open to the public, while other parts will be closed. The Ritz-Carlton is located "in the midst of the picturesque Camelback Corridor, the city's premier shopping, dining and financial district," according the hotel's website. Hungry waste-and-abuse hunters can dine in the "casual elegance, relaxed atmosphere and uniquely inviting ambiance of the European-inspired bistro 24." Or they can enjoy Afternoon Tea in the "uniquely warm and inviting" Lobby Lounge. And at any time, waste-and-abuse watchdogs who also enjoy golf will be "just minutes from some of the best courses in the world," including the Tournament Players Club, the Arizona Biltmore, and several others. And of course, there's one other element to the story: The board is holding a meeting in Arizona, home of the immigration law that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have condemned and are challenging in court, and a state that is also the target of boycotts by a number of left-leaning groups and local governments around the country. According to the Federal Register notice, members of the public who want to attend are instructed to send their comments to panel@ratb.gov and write "November 22, 2010 RIAP public comment" in the subject line. Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-panel-probes-stimulus-waste----at-Ritz-Carlton-107236598.html#ixzz150uXOXJ8 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=faf_1289512672 cat-scratch-fever HYPOCRITES! Government waste team to meet at Ritz-Carlton Obama, stimulus, pork, waste, hypocrite Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:09:26 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=93b_1278792380 cat-scratch-fever Bill Clinton is not giving away his daughter Chelsea's hand in marriage for another three weeks. But he is going to get a little practice at the altar on Saturday, when he officiates at the wedding of Representative Anthony D. Weiner and Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The ceremony will be at Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y., in the early evening. Matt McKenna, a Clinton spokesman, told The Associated Press that Mr. Clinton would conduct the ceremony and was authorized to do so, but did not elaborate. Aides to Mr. Weiner, who represents Queens and Brooklyn, declined to comment. Mr. Weiner, 45, has been a longtime ally of Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Weiner, who is Jewish, has also been considered one of the most eligible bachelors on Capitol Hill. Ms. Abedin, 34, who grew up in Saudi Arabia and is Muslim, was once featured in a Vogue fashion spread. The two have been dating for about two years, and announced their engagement last summer, not long after Mr. Weiner decided not to mount another run for mayor of New York. Source: New York Times http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=93b_1278792380 cat-scratch-fever Bill Clinton to Officiate at Congressman's Wedding Clinton, Wiener, Jew, Muslim Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:52:59 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8b5_1277488218 cat-scratch-fever Apparently Kim Jong Mentally Ill needs more expensive hair styling products. Cash-strapped North Korea has demanded the United States pay almost $US65 trillion ($75 trillion) in compensation for six decades of hostility. The official North Korean news agency, KCNA, says the cost of the damage done by the US since the peninsula was divided in 1945 is estimated at $US64.96 trillion. The compensation call comes on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the start of the 1950-1953 Korean War. KCNA said the figure includes $US26.1 trillion arising from US "atrocities" which left more than 5 million North Koreans dead, wounded, kidnapped or missing. The agency also claims 60 years of US sanctions have caused a loss of $US13.7 trillion by 2005, while property losses were estimated at $US16.7 trillion. The agency said North Koreans have "the justifiable right" to receive the compensation for their blood. It said the committee's calculation did not include the damage North Korea had suffered from sanctions after its first nuclear test in 2006. Source:http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2936414.htm http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8b5_1277488218 cat-scratch-fever North Korea suing for $75 TRILLION North Korea, Kim Jong Il Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:58:09 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=37d_1263513187 cat-scratch-fever The floor of a Weight Watchers clinic in Sweden collapsed beneath a group of 20 members of the weight loss programme who were gathered for a meeting. As the dieters queued to see how many pounds they had shed, the floor beneath them in the clinic in V"axj"o, in south-central Sweden, began to rumble, according to a report in The Local, Sweden's English-language newspaper. "We suddenly heard a huge thud; we almost thought it was an earthquake and everything flew up in the air. "The floor collapsed in one corner of the room and along the walls," one Weight Watchers participant told the Smalandsposten newspaper. Soon, the fault lines spread around the room, and other sections of the floor gave way. Luckily, all of the dieters escaped uninjured and managed to move the scales to the corridor, which was not damaged in the accident, and were able to complete their weekly weigh in. The cause of the floor's collapse remains under investigation. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=37d_1263513187 cat-scratch-fever Weight Watchers clinic floor collapses under dieters collapse, fat, weight watchers, Sweden Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:57:13 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=435_1251650945 cat-scratch-fever KENNEDY'S FREE PASS WITH WOMEN WHY DID SO MANY DISMISS HIS CRIMES? In all the obits published and specials aired this week, Chappaquiddick gets a few paragraphs, a few minutes, a tidy recapping of the events of July 19, 1969: The married Ted Kennedy, driving late at night with young campaign aide Mary Jo Kopechne, pitches off a bridge and into the water below. He escapes; she drowns. He does not report the accident for 10 hours. He pleads guilty and gets a suspended sentence, two months in jail. In most of these narratives, Chappaquiddick is told as Ted's tragedy, the thing that kept him from ever becoming president. And in these narratives, he is chastened, goes on to make amends through a life of public service, advocating for the disadvantaged and the downtrodden -- and, especially, women. No one's perfect, right? But how is it that so many women unabashedly revere Kennedy today? The particulars of Chappaquiddick are especially gory; his behavior after the accident approaches the amoral. Once he broke free and swam to the surface, Kennedy said that he dove back down seven or eight times to rescue Kopechne. Failing, he swam back to shore and checked back into his hotel, and a short time later lodged a noise complaint with the desk clerk. The people in the room next to his were partying and it was interfering with his sleep. Then he asked the desk clerk for the time. According to the Aug. 4, 1969 edition of Newsweek, that clerk, Russell E. Peachey, told Kennedy it was 2:25 a.m., then asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" "No, thank you," Kennedy replied.* In 1990, GQ magazine ran a devastating profile of Kennedy. Two 16-year-old girls near the Capitol startled by a limo rolling up, the door opening, Ted sitting in the back with a bottle of wine, asking one, then the other, to join. A former aide who acted as Ted's "pimp." His penchant for dating women so young that one did not know he was the subject of many books. Kennedy, at a swank DC restaurant with his drinking buddy Chris Dodd, throwing a petite waitress on his dinner table with such force that glass and flatware shatters and goes flying. Then Ted throws her on to Dodd's lap and grinds against her. He is interrupted by other waitstaff. He is later caught in the same restaurant, in a semi-private area, having sex on the floor with a lobbyist. In 1991, Kennedy's nephew William Kennedy Smith is charged with rape. Kennedy Smith had been out drinking with Ted and Ted's son Patrick at Au Bar in Palm Beach. Kennedy Smith is eventually acquitted, and it's never proved that Ted had any knowledge of what happened on the Kennedy grounds that night. He remarried, in 1992, and very publicly domesticated himself. But the tawdriness -- the ostensible elder statesmen getting s - - t-faced and picking up women with his son and his nephew; the acquittal won, in part, by shredding the accuser on the stand and in the press; privilege winning out, always -- is in such stark contrast to Kennedy's politics that you have to wonder: Is this really what Kennedy thought of women?* Most feminists don't think Ted Kennedy was a misogynist. Upon news of his death, NOW, Emily's List and Planned Parenthood all released emotional, laudatory statements. It's true that Kennedy's legislative record deserves such a response. And he was quiet enough in the last 15 years of his life that it's not hard to minimize his past behavior if you want to. Or if you're unaware -- Google reported that "Chappaquiddick" and "Mary Jo Kopechne" were the top searches Wednesday and Thursday. "I didn't know about Chappaquiddick and the rape case until yesterday," says Miriam Perez, a 25-year-old editor at Feministing.com. She admires Kennedy's accomplishments, but is perplexed. "Like every person, he's human and there are lots of flaws involved," she says. "But a big feminist tenet is: The personal is political. So I don't feel it's fair to fully ignore it in this case." Perhaps, along with the hagiographic Kennedy myth, we can bury this outdated tradition of excusing the reprehensible treatment of women by the same male legislators who otherwise advocate for our rights politically. It's degrading. It's like making excuses for the husband who beats you up but pays the bills on time. It may be 2009, but the bulk of the talking heads who covered this funeral were older white males, and among the few women -- eminent historian Doris Kearns Goodwin among them -- it's still shocking to hear them, nearly to a one, reduce Kennedy's bad behavior to rakish abandon or poor judgement. Why shouldn't we hold our elected male officials -- especially those who so assiduously court the female vote -- to a standard of personal decency in their treatment of women? Why do we still assume that this is an either/or proposition? "It's a great question," says Gloria Feldt, former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Feldt worked with Kennedy and is an admirer, still. "He worked with women's groups in a very respectful way, in a way that few other senators do," she says. "But I don't know that you can reconcile it -- when it's in a group's best interest that said person stays in that chair, how do you weigh that moral equation? I wish it were simpler than that." By MAUREEN CALLAHAN NYPost http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=435_1251650945 cat-scratch-fever Kennedy's Free Pass from Liberal's and Women? Must Read-New Info! Kennedy, criminal Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:00:49 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a8f_1250103275 cat-scratch-fever This is Congressman Eugene Green (HT to an e-mailer), Democrat from Texas, telling the world that if you're not from his District, you're not welcome at his future town hall meetings -- oh, and how he'll enforce his new rule "Town hall meetings are one of my favorite ways to communicate with constituents. I have held hundreds during my years of service in Congress and always welcomed everyone to attend. Unfortunately, due to a coordinated effort to disrupt our town hall meetings, we will be restricting further attendance to residents of the 29th Congressional District and verifying residency by requiring photo identification. Whether individuals agree or disagree, we must maintain order to have a civil discussion of the issues. While I regret this restriction, it is necessary for the safety and consideration of our constituents. Those who do not reside in the 29th Congressional should contact their Member of Congress to voice any concerns that they may have on issues before Congress." This is how Gene Green has voted on laws relating to requiring photo identification to vote (from the web site "On the Issues"): Voted NO on requiring photo ID for voting in federal elections. (Sep 2006) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a8f_1250103275 cat-scratch-fever Dem Rep Who Opposes Photo ID To Vote Requiring Photo ID For Town Halls town hall meeting, Obamacare, Democrat, liberal, eugene green, texas Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:47:24 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3db_1249907970 cat-scratch-fever Obama has stated many times one of his influences and favorite Presidents is Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps he should read, study and follow what Lincoln believed. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves. .....Abraham Lincoln http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3db_1249907970 cat-scratch-fever Obama is no Abe Lincoln Obama, Lincoln Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:03:56 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b0e_1229097624 cat-scratch-fever Bernie Madoff arrested over alleged $50 billion fraud Bernie Madoff, a former chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, has been arrested and charged with running a multi-billion dollar hedge fund pyramid-selling scheme in New York. By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent Last Updated: 3:34PM GMT 12 Dec 2008 Mr Madoff is alleged to have operated the scheme through his hedge fund business, which was separate from his better-known market-making business, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities (BMIS). Mr Madoff told senior employees of his firm on Wednesday that "it's all just one big lie" and that he was "finished", according to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday night by the US Attorney's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). He allegedly went on to say that the business was "a giant Ponzi scheme" - a reference to Charles Ponzi, one of the greatest swindlers in US history - and estimated that the scheme had lost investors $50bn over many years - which would make the hedge fund one of the biggest frauds in history. When former energy trading giant Enron filed for bankruptcy in 2001, one of the largest at the time, it had $63.4 billion in assets. "There is no innocent explanation," Mr Madoff said, according to the criminal complaint. He told the agents that it was all his fault, and that he "paid investors with money that wasn't there", according to the complaint. A pyramid scheme - known as a Ponzi scheme in the US - is a fraud in which extremely high returns are promised to early investors who are then paid off by money put in by later investors. Mr Madoff, 70, was charged with a single count of securities fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5m if found guilty. The criminal complaint was accompanied by a separate civil lawsuit filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which accuses Mr Madoff of defrauding clients of his firm and seeks emergency relief for the victims. "Our complaint alleges a stunning fraud - both in terms of scope and duration. We are moving quickly and decisively to stop the scheme and protect the remaining assets for investors," said Scott Friestad, the SEC's deputy enforcer. The complaint details that as of Jan 7, 2008, Madoff's investment advisory business had assets of $17.1bn, serving up to 25 clients. Although Mr Madoff is thought to have few direct British links, he did open a London office in 1983, with Madoff Securities International becoming one of the first American members of the London Stock Exchange. In 2000, his market-making business BMIS partnered with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch to the form the new Primex Trading platform, one of the early rival electronic exchanges to the main bourses which eventually fell by the wayside following a partnership with NASDAQ. BMIS is also credited with ending the old practice of quoting New York Stock Exchange-listed securities in eighths of a dollar in 1997, instead listing them in sixteenths. Mr Madoff began BMIS with just $5,000 of savings from jobs lifeguarding at Rockaway Beach and installing sprinkler systems. The firm grew to become a leading market maker, with brother Peter, nephew Charles, niece Shana, and sons Mark and Andrew all involved in the business at some stage in recent years. His firm's website claims that BMIS ranks among the top one per cent of US securities firms, and states that "clients know Bernard Madoff has a personal interest in maintaining... high ethical standards." Mr Madoff's lawyer, Dan Horwitz, called his client "a person of integrity" and said he intends to fight the charge. "We will fight to get through this unfortunate set of events." His client was released on a $10m bond secured by his New York apartment. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b0e_1229097624 cat-scratch-fever Another Obama supporter busted in biggest fraud ever Obama, fraud, wall street, ponzi scheme