Ladywriter

Counts allege scheme to auction off President Obama's Senate seat CHICAGO - Ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich was indicted Thursday on charges of trying to auction off President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat along with new corruption allegations that he tried to extort a congressman. A sweeping 19-count federal indictment alleges that Blagojevich discussed with aides the possibility of getting a Cabinet post in the new president's administration, substantial fundraising assistance or a high-paying job in exchange for the Senate seat. Obama's deputy press secretary, Josh Earnest, said the White House would not comment. The indictment does not allege any wrongdoing by Obama or his associates. Blagojevich says he's saddened Prosecutors also accused Blagojevich and members of his inner circle of scheming to line their pockets with millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains, squeezing contractors, hospital owners and others seeking state business for kickbacks they planned to split after the governor left office. "I'm saddened and hurt but I am not surprised by the indictment. I am innocent," Blagojevich said in a statement. "I now will fight in the courts to clear my name. I would ask the good people of Illinois to wait for the trial and afford me the presumption of innocence that they would give to all their friends and neighbors." His brother, two former aides, a former fundraiser and a lobbyist were also indicted. Blagojevich's wife, Patti, was not indicted. The indictment alleges Blagojevich told an aide he wanted to stall a $2 million state grant to a school that was championed by a congressman until the lawmaker's brother held a political fundraiser for the governor. The congressman's identity wasn't released. It also says Blagojevich was involved in a corrupt scheme to get a massive kickback in exchange for the refinancing of billions of dollars in state pension funds. Accused of trying to get job for wife Convicted fixer Tony Rezko paid Blagojevich's wife, Patti, a $14,396 real estate commission "even though she had done no work" to earn it and later hired her at a salary of $12,000 a month plus another $40,000 fee, the indictment said. And, according to the indictment, Blagojevich told an aide he didn't want executives with two financial institutions getting further state business after he concluded they were not helping his wife get a high-paying job. Others charged were former chief of staff Alonzo Monk; another former chief of staff, John Harris; brother Robert Blagojevich; onetime chief fundraiser Christopher G. Kelly; and Springfield lobbyist-millionaire William F. Cellini. Prosecutors said Harris has agreed to cooperate. Blagojevich was indicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy and attempted extortion, and making false statements. Most of those charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Impeached by Illinois House on Jan. 9 Blagojevich, 52, was arrested Dec. 9 on a criminal complaint and U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald had faced a Tuesday deadline supplant it with an indictment handed up by a federal grand jury. The Democrat's arrest led to his political downfall: The Illinois House impeached him Jan. 9. The Senate convicted him and removed him from office Jan. 29. Blagojevich's administration has been under federal investigation for years and Kelly and Rezko already have been convicted of federal crimes and are awaiting sentencing. Thursday's indictment said that in 2003 -- the former governor's first year in office -- Blagojevich, Monk, Kelly and Rezko agreed to direct big-money state business involved in refinancing billions of dollars in pension bonds as part of a deal with a lobbyist who promised a massive kickback in return. The lobbyist wasn't identified. Rezko raised more than $1 million in campaign contributions for Blagojevich and also was a major Obama fundraiser. Blagojevich at Disney World Blagojevich and his family were apparently at Walt Disney World. A hotel operator at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., connected a Thursday phone call to a room booked under Blagojevich. It went straight to voicemail. After Blagojevich was arrested in December, he took off on a surprise tour of national television talk shows to proclaim his innocence. His initial chief defense counsel, Edward M. Genson, resigned, hinting Blagojevich had ignored his advice to stay quiet. Blagojevich recently signed on Genson's law partner, Terence P. Gillespie. Now the former governor is writing a book. Blagojevich was first elected governor in 2002, promising "reform and renewal" with Ryan headed for federal prison.

AFGHAN PRESIDENT SIGNS LAW "LEGALIZING RAPE" By Jerome Starkey, Independent UK Karzai rushed the new Shia Family Law through parliament in a shameless bid to win votes in advance of national elections. http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/134219/afghan_president_signs_law_%22legalizing_rape%22/ Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, has signed a law which "legalizes" rape, women's groups and the United Nations warn. Critics claim the president helped rush the bill through parliament in a bid to appease Islamic fundamentalists ahead of elections in August. In a massive blow for women's rights, the new Shia Family Law negates the need for sexual consent between married couples, tacitly approves child marriage and restricts a woman's right to leave the home, according to UN papers seen by The Independent. "It is one of the worst bills passed by the parliament this century," fumed Shinkai Karokhail, a woman MP who campaigned against the legislation. "It is totally against women's rights. This law makes women more vulnerable." The law regulates personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and sexual relations among Afghanistan's minority Shia community. "It's about votes," Ms. Karokhail added. "Karzai is in a hurry to appease the Shia because the elections are on the way." The provisions are reminiscent of the hardline Taliban regime, which banned women from leaving their homes without a male relative. But in a sign of Afghanistan's faltering steps towards gender equality, politicians who opposed it have been threatened. "There are moderate views among the Shia, but unfortunately our MPs, the people who draft the laws, rely on extremists," Ms Karokhail said. The bill lay dormant for more than a year, but in February it was rushed through parliament as President Karzai sought allies in a constitutional row over the upcoming election. Senator Humeira Namati claimed it wasn't even read out in the Upper House, let alone debated, before it was passed to the Supreme Court. "They accused me of being an unbeliever," she said. Details of the law emerged after Mr. Karzai was endorsed by Afghanistan's Supreme Court to stay in power until elections scheduled in August. Some MPs claimed President Karzai was under pressure from Iran, which maintains a close relationship with Afghanistan's Shias. The most controversial parts of the law deal explicitly with sexual relations. Article 132 requires women to obey their husband's sexual demands and stipulates that a man can expect to have sex with his wife at least "once every four nights" when traveling, unless they are ill. The law also gives men preferential inheritance rights, easier access to divorce, and priority in court. A report by the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Unifem, warned: "Article 132 legalizes the rape of a wife by her husband". Most of Afghanistan's Shias are ethnic Hazaras, descended from Genghis Khan's Mongol army which swept through the entire region around 700 years ago. They are Afghanistan's third largest ethnic group, and potential kingmakers, because their leaders will likely back a mainstream candidate. Even the law's sponsors admit Mr. Karzai rushed it through to win their votes. Ustad Mohammad Akbari, a prominent Shia political leader, said: "It's electioneering. Most of the Hazara people are unhappy with Mr. Karzai." A British Embassy spokesman said diplomats had raised concerns "at a senior level".

Obama Issues Abysmal New Fuel Economy Standards -- and Center Heads Back to Court In a joltingly disappointing move last Friday, the Obama administration issued fuel economy standards for 2011 automobiles that are actually about a mile per gallon lower than those proposed by Bush last year. What difference does one mile per gallon make? Millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions' worth of difference. Besides, the 2008 proposed Bush administration fuel economy standards -- reluctantly raised from their previous low in response to a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit -- were already way below what are technically feasible and required by law. So today, the Center filed another lawsuit to overturn the poor fuel economy standards. "Obama promised change, but unfortunately this is change in the wrong direction," said Kassie Siegel, director of our Climate Law Institute. "It's unfathomable that Obama would issue regulations worse than Bush, but that is exactly what he has done." Read more in the Los Angeles Times and check out our press release: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2009/los-angeles-times-03-27-2009.html http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/cafe-03-27-2009.html

nice X'D

B&J have a new pomegranate wine cooler. wicked sweet but yummy

I haven't looked at an episode in months

time to take out the trash

well do ya? I got bored and started my own Ning

The devastating effects of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill are still being felt 20 years later. Thousands of animals were killed immediately after the spill, but the destruction lingers: Several species, including the sea otter, have not yet fully recovered to their pre-spill populations. Ensure we don't have another disaster like Exxon-Valdez >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFlwM/zjZ2/ANR12 Researchers estimate that as much as 40 percent of the sea otters who lived in Alaska's Prince William Sound died as a result of the Exxon-Valdez spill. And high mortality rates of juvenile sea otters occurred for years after the disaster. Indeed, the sea otter population continues to decline in heavily oiled areas of the spill like Knight Island, likely because of chronic exposure to hydrocarbons from the Exxon-Valdez disaster. Sea otters forage for food in locations still harboring oil from the spill, perpetuating their exposure to the harmful oil. Instead of opening the door to more Exxon-style disasters, we should be embracing the clean energy solutions that will keep our beaches and marine life intact and will help combat global warming. America's coasts and marine waters provide sanctuary for fish and wildlife like sea otters. Offshore drilling would industrialize our coasts and put our coastal communities at risk. Tell Secretary Salazar: The cure for our dangerous oil addiction is not in seeking a bigger fix by drilling the few remaining protected places >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFlwM/zjZ2/ANR12 Thank you, LiAnna Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

A new ad released by the deep-pocketed Coal Industry defines deception in corporate advertising. The ad uses sleight of hand, keeping your attention on snappy imagery and messaging of coal being the "affordable" energy source behind American workers. The ad wraps up with the falsehood of "clean coal"—Remember that Al Gore said, "Clean coal's like healthy cigarettes — it does not exist." Watch the Video. What the ad doesn't tell you is that coal-fired electricity is the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive form of energy, with an enormous cost to public health which translates into billions of dollars of health-care costs and tax-payer burden. Coal doesn't look so "affordable" when you see the true costs to the economy, public health and a livable planet. The American Lung Association estimates that pollution from coal-fired power plants causes 23,600 premature deaths, 21,850 hospital admissions, 554,000 asthma attacks, and 38,200 heart attacks every year. Watch the ad on YouTube and rate it low to demonstrate to the Coal Industry that you won't be deceived by its slick but false advertising.

MERRILL LYNCH BONUSES WERE 22 TIMES THE SIZE OF AIG'S By Megan Slack, Huffington Post Merrill Lynch's bonuses to execs totaled $3.6 billion, one-third of the money they received from the feds' TARP bailout. http://www.alternet.org/workplace/134235/merrill_lynch_bonuses_were_22_times_the_size_of_aig%27s/

X2epvSAGuLc IEWVch1afbs NSx0UQBPPo8 lMfv6r-Vemk b68oXOmlbHE yes its long and you will be sitting here for a while if yer gonna watch it through but it is worth it.

I like the effects but he looks a lil bit pixelated. Maybe its just the format you saved the file in? Enter it anyway Good luck!

fuckin humans...

They fuckin doomed themselves when they climbed in bed with big oil and threw mpg out the window. Fuckin GM had to own every car company in America; nice little picture of greed.

I wouldn't count on that especially if Sci Fi or Sy Fy or bullshit whatever they call themselves gets the show.

MARATHON, Florida (CNN) -- Juan Lopez reads meters with one eye and looks for snakes with the other. Lopez is a member of the "Python Patrol," a team of utility workers, wildlife officials, park rangers and police trying to keep Burmese pythons from gaining a foothold in the Florida Keys. Officials say the pythons -- which can grow to 20 feet long and eat large animals whole -- are being ditched by pet owners in the Florida Everglades, threatening the region's endangered species and its ecosystem. "Right now, we have our fingers crossed that they haven't come this far yet, but if they do, we are prepared," Lopez said. Burmese Pythons are rarely seen in the middle Florida Keys, where Lopez works. The Nature Conservancy wants to keep it that way. Watch huge python wrap around a CNN reporter » The Python Patrol program was started by Alison Higgins, the Nature Conservancy's Florida Keys conservation manager. She describes it as an "early detection, rapid response" program made up of professionals who work outside. Eight Burmese pythons have been found in the Keys. "If we can keep them from spreading and breeding, then we're that much more ahead of the problem," Higgins said. Utility workers, wildlife officials and police officers recently attended a three-hour class about capturing the enormously large snakes. Lt. Jeffrey L. Fobb of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Unit taught the participants how to capture pythons. "There's no immutable laws of snake catching. It's what works," Fobb said as he demonstrated catching a snake with hooks, bags, blankets and his hands. "We're doing it in the Florida Keys because we have a lot to protect," Higgins said. "The Burmese pythons that are coming out of the Everglades are eating a lot of our endangered species and other creatures, and we want to make sure they don't breed here." Where the snakes are breeding is just north of the Keys in Everglades National Park. An estimated 30,000 Burmese pythons live in the park. The Everglades, known as the "River of Grass," is a vast area with a climate perfect for these pythons to hide and breed. And breed they do: The largest clutches of eggs found in the Everglades have numbered up to 83. The snakes grow like they're on steroids. With a life span of 30 years, these pythons can weigh as much as 200 pounds. And the larger the snake, the bigger the prey. Biologists have found endangered wood rats, birds, bobcats and other animals in their stomachs. Two 5-foot-long alligators were found in the stomachs of Burmese pythons that were caught and necropsied, officials say. Officials also say Burmese pythons can travel 1.6 miles a day by land, and they can swim to reach areas outside the Everglades. This nonvenomous species was brought into the United States from Southeast Asia. Everglades National Park spokeswoman Linda Friar says biologists believe that well-intended pet owners are to blame for their introduction into the Everglades. "These pets were released by owners that do not understand the threat to the ecosystem," she said. Higgins says 99,000 of the popular pets were brought into the United States from 1996 to 2006, the most recent data available. She says they are an easy species to breed, and you can buy a hatchling for as little as $20. The problem with these pets, Friar says, is that they get too big for their owners to handle. Making the owner aware of what to expect when the animal becomes full-grown is a priority. "The pet trade is pretty supportive in educating people," Friar said. She hopes a "Don't let it loose" message campaign makes an impact on pet owners. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, a supporter of restoring the Everglades, has introduced a bill that would ban importing the python species into the United States. The senator saw the need after learning about the effect these snakes were having on the park. "Finding out many endangered species are being found in the stomach of the python," Nelson spokeswoman Susie Quinn said, "we need to do a better job at protecting the resources." In the meantime, Lopez and the Python Patrol will continue to protect the Florida Keys by capturing the snakes and turning them over to biologists to perform necropsies. The Nature Conservancy plans to expand the program to all the areas that surround the Everglades, making these predators their prey. "I would like to find them and get rid of them," Lopez said.

By Jack Cafferty CNN Below is an excerpt from CNN commentator Jack Cafferty's new book, "Now or Never." Cafferty appears daily in "The Situation Room" on CNN from 4 to 7 p.m. ET. (CNN) -- Call it another piece of evidence that this once great nation of ours is crumbling: Half of us believe our schools deserve a C or a D for the job they do preparing kids for higher education and making a go of it as grownups in the work force. So said an Associated Press survey in summer 2008. The AP reported U.S. kids are scoring in the bottom half of the pack when measured against kids from other nations. President Obama's Department of Education (DOE) brain trust has their homework cut out for them if they plan on boosting the grades our schools earn while educating our kids. Getting our kids through school has become a challenging, complex job that most folks say must begin at home with discipline, parental guidance, and closer attention to our kids' needs. Obama said it simply in his final debate with John McCain: Unplug those video games, mom and dad, put other distractions away, and get down to work with your kids. Here's a guy who had no father around, basically; who was raised by a single white mother (helped by his white grandmother), sometimes on food stamps; and who became a star at Harvard Law School. So it can be done. We've witnessed the decline of the importance of schooling in far too many homes. Learning must be a top priority for parents. But in today's brutal economy, breadwinners are forced to work two jobs, two parents sweat to keep their jobs and homes, and the kids get left unsupervised. They go online, text their pals, stare at the tube (or YouTube), and play video games. They're not dashing out to the public library to research renewable fuels or Renaissance history. One major bone of contention among parents and educators was Bush's 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, whose focus was squarely on standardized, multiple-choice test scores in Math and English rather than on the quality (and deeper grasp by the student) of the curriculum. Soon Congress was seeking authorization to pay bonuses up to $10,000 to reward outstanding teachers whose students excel -- one incentive to stem the flight of top teachers from our schools. Even in grades one through three, Bush's NCLB got into trouble. Reading First, the much-touted $1 billion-a-year reading program and NCLB cornerstone for 1.5 million kids in 5,200 schools, proved ineffective. Worse, in 2006, the DOE's inspector general found that several top program advisers benefited financially by steering states and school districts to certain tests and texts tied to Reading First materials. The result: Congress slashed Reading First's $1 billion funding in 2007 to $400 million. Our kids paid quite a price for that mess. I did an April 2008 "Cafferty File" piece that began, "The education crisis in America's largest cities is assuming frightening proportions. Only about half of all students who attend the main school systems in the 50 largest cities actually graduate from high school." It was a "coin toss," according to the non-profit Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center. Nationally, the figure for dropouts was nearly one in three. The group's founding chairman, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, called the situation-1.2 million dropouts a year-"not just a crisis, but a catastrophe." Main school districts in Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Baltimore all had graduation averages below 40 percent, Detroit's being 25 percent. The real threat to the United States, I said in another piece on "dropout factories," where less than 60 percent graduate (one in 10 schools qualify), is that our kids can't cut it against kids schooled in today's emerging economies. How can they compete globally, I asked, when barely half of the kids in our largest cities even graduate? Aron from Toronto wrote, "You're kidding, right? That ship has sailed. As one who traveled 200,000 miles on business last year, I can tell you for certain that the world places no hope, no weight upon America's youth making even a future ripple in the global waters ... Having visited the top public schools in India and China, I can assure you that the future for America's youth is much bleaker than even the greatest skeptics could imagine." One underlying problem in public education is that the system has morphed into this giant government bureaucracy that sucks up billions and billions of dollars for everything except teaching children reading, writing, and arithmetic (and sciences). We pay school administrators hundreds of thousands of dollars to preside over these failed enterprises that produce their share of functional illiterates. Beyond imposing some learning-related discipline at home, parents might also seize the initiative by getting more involved: serving on the school board; volunteering, time permitting, to work at the local school with kids who need extra help. When that mind set of involvement spreads through the populace, change is more likely. I've asked many "Cafferty File" questions (all drawn from the news) about our schools that never fail to trigger intense viewer concern: Birth control pills and maternity leave for pregnant girls? A ban on all school junk food? Mandatory Breathalyzer tests at school dances? In that instance, a New Jersey superintendent said recent events had left him no choice. His program's zero-tolerance message about alcohol was a way to improve the atmosphere for education. As Mark from Philadelphia wrote, "Having just been a high school student less than a year ago, I can tell you how rampant the alcohol and drug problem among our youth is. I can literally only name one peer of mine who has not done marijuana, and not one who has not drunk alcohol. This is just one necessary step in reforming our schools." One "File" piece was inspired by a Chicago district that allowed the U.S. Marine Corps to run one of its high schools. Outrageous? Not to my viewers. Thomas in Florida wrote, "A high school where the students are required to be respectful of authority, that fosters an environment of personal discipline, academic and physical achievement -- sounds preposterous to me. You must be kidding. Why, before you know it, our nation might be churning out mannered, intelligent young adults again. Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and Wal-Mart would never stand for that." Greg in California wrote, "My daughter starts high school next year. Can they build one out here in Southern California by then?"

fuckin Forbes FISCAL STIMULUS - European countries, in particular Germany, have resisted calls from the United States and Britain for more government spending to stimulate the economy. Chances for a specific fiscal package appear remote. FIXING BANKS - The G-20 leaders are expected to agree they must get shaky securities off the balance sheets of banks in their countries, and that more capital to banks may be necessary to get credit flowing normally again. IMF - The International Monetary Fund will likely see its reserves replenished to help it lend money to governments in financial trouble. The EU has called raising its resources to $500 billion. In return for providing more funds, countries like China will be looking to get a bigger say in how it and the World Bank are run. CURRENCIES - China's recent call for the promotion of a new super-sovereign reserve currency to replace, or at least operate alongside, the U.S. dollar, won't get approval but underlines Chinese concern about the value of its holdings of dollar-denominated U.S. Treasury bonds. WORLD TRADE - Leaders are expected to agree on the need to kick-start global trade and get trade finance flowing again. Protectionist measures will be discouraged - although the World Bank says 17 members have already broken that pledge. TAX HAVENS - An ongoing crackdown on tax havens is expected to make it to the final communique, not least because governments around the world will be looking to plug their swelling deficits. HEDGE FUNDS - Tighter scrutiny of hedge funds and private equity funds are likely to be announced as governments look to rein in the activities of the so-called shadow banking system.

CNN (CNN) -- President Obama announced Monday that struggling automotive giants General Motors and Chrysler will be given a "limited" period of time to "restructure in a way that would justify an investment of additional taxpayer dollars." The federal government will give GM "adequate working capital" over the next 60 days to work in conjunction with the administration in developing a better recovery plan, he said. Chrysler will be given adequate capital to continue operations for 30 days while completing a merger with automaker Fiat. The president said that if Chrysler can come up with a "sound agreement that protects American taxpayers, we will consider lending up to $6 billion to help their plan succeed." Obama also indicated that both GM and Chrysler might need to file for bankruptcy in the process of successfully restructuring, which will involve working with creditors, unions and other stakeholders. "While Chrysler and GM are very different companies with very different paths forward, both need a fresh start to implement the restructuring plans they develop. That may mean using our bankruptcy code as a mechanism to help them restructure quickly and emerge stronger," Obama said in remarks delivered at the White House. To help bolster consumer confidence during the companies' potential bankruptcies, the president promised that the federal government will immediately begin backing their warrantees. The administration gave GM and Chrysler failing grades Monday for their turnaround efforts so far. The restructuring plans submitted by the two automakers do not go far enough to warrant the substantial new federal support, Obama said. But, he added, "We cannot, we must not, and we will not let our auto industry simply vanish. "This industry is, like no other, an emblem of the American spirit; a once and future symbol of America's success." The president also warned, however, that the automakers cannot depend on federal assistance indefinitely. "We cannot make the survival of our auto industry dependent on an unending flow of tax dollars. These companies - and this industry - must ultimately stand on their own, not as wards of the state." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement Monday that he shares Obama's "commitment to these objectives, and commend his Administration for showing a firm resolve in its negotiations with GM and Chrysler." "We will not give these companies a blank check. As we have maintained since the earliest days of this crisis, if these companies do not develop strong plans to remain viable in the long term, they will lose our support," he said. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, lashed out on giving any more bailout funds to the beleaguered automakers. "We are now told these two companies are getting their last check from the taxpayers, and that if they don't finally come up with truly viable plans then they'll be forced into bankruptcy. Unfortunately, we've heard this before, from both this and the previous administrations," he said in a statement. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee and member of the Senate Banking Committee, said this is a "major power grab" by the Obama administration. "This is a marked departure from the past, truly breathtaking, and should send a chill through all Americans who believe in free enterprise. I worry that in one fell swoop we've lost our moral high ground throughout the global community as it relates to chastising other countries that use strong arm tactics to invade on private property rights," he said in a statement. Some of Michigan's congressional delegation weighed in after the announcement, laying out the stark reality the automakers that call their state home are now facing. "The road ahead is going to be very difficult and painful, although, as the president said, there is potential for both companies to emerge from restructuring as stronger, more competitive companies," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Michigan. "I stand ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work." Rep. Sander Levin, D-Michigan, said he is confident the companies will meet Obama's demands. "We can do no less because the domestic automotive sector is the heart of the U.S. industrial base, and as the President said, 'it is a pillar of our economy,'" he said in a press release Monday. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Michigan, said that it's now up to the administration to step up to the plate and get things done. "The President and the Auto Task Force have now determined that they know better how to run these complex manufacturing organizations and are going to force changes," she said in a press release. "By implementing these changes they now become accountable for achieving success. "We have little time to force positive change so it is time once again to roll up our sleeves, put our heads down and get to work," she said. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-California, said Monday that it's not time to "hollow out our manufacturing sector" while providing taxpayer dollars to AIG, which faced public backlash over multimillion-dollar bonuses. "All of the creditors of General Motors are losing substantial amounts -- even people who worked their whole lives expecting retirement benefits and health benefits when they retire," Sherman said. "What about the rich and powerful that AIG was owed money to? They are getting paid every penny. They demand it, and it comes from the American taxpayer." GM's restructuring began early Monday when CEO Rick Wagoner announced his resignation, which he said came at the request of the Obama administration. "On Friday I was in Washington for a meeting with Administration officials. In the course of that meeting, they requested that I 'step aside' as CEO of GM, and so I have," Wagoner said in a statement posted to the GM Web site. He is being replaced by Fritz Henderson, GM's president and CEO. Kent Kresa will serve as interim chairman. "Having worked closely with Fritz for many years, I know that he is the ideal person to lead the company through the completion of our restructuring efforts. His knowledge of the global industry and the company are exceptional, and he has the intellect, energy, and support among GM'ers worldwide to succeed," Wagoner said.Watch report on Rick Wagoner's resignation » GM and Chrysler have already received $17.4 billion in emergency federal assistance. Over the past year, Obama noted, the domestic auto industry has lost 400,000 jobs.

Can 'biochar' save the planet? ATHENS, Georgia (CNN) -- Over the railroad tracks, near Agriculture Drive on the University of Georgia campus, sits a unique machine that may hold one of the solutions to big environmental problems like energy, food production and even global climate change. This machine right here is our baby," said UGA research engineer Brian Bibens, who is one of a handful of researchers around the world working on alternative ways to recycle carbon. Biben's specialty is "biochar," a highly porous charcoal made from organic waste. The raw material can be any forest, agricultural or animal waste. Some examples are woodchips, corn husks, peanut shells, even chicken manure. Biben feeds the waste -- called "biomass" -- into an octagonally shaped metal barrel where it is cooked under intense heat, sometimes above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the organic matter is cooked through a thermochemical process called "pyrolysis". In a few hours, organic trash is transformed into charcoal-like pellets farmers can turn into fertilizer. Gasses given off during the process can be harnesed to fuel vehicles of power electric generators. Watch how biochar is made and why it's important » Biochar is considered by many scientists to be the "black gold" for agriculture. Its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink - sequestering CO2 and locking it into the ground. Biochar helps clean the air two ways: by preventing rotting biomass from releasing harmful CO2 into the atmosphere, and by allowing plants to safely store CO2 they pull out of the air during photosynthesis. See more about how biochar works » "Soil acts as an enormous carbon pool, increasing this carbon pool could significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere," said Christoph Steiner, one of the leading research scientist studying biochar. "It gives us a chance to produce carbon negative energy." Worldwide use of biochar could cut CO2 levels by 8 parts per million within 50 years, according to NASA scientist James Hansen. Global carbon levels in the air have been steadily increasing at an alarming rate since the 1980s, according to NOAA. Since 2000, increases of 2 parts per million of CO2 have been common, according to NOAA. During the 1980s rates increased by 1.5 ppm per year. The process of making biochar can also lead to other valuable products. Some of the gases given off during the process can be converted to electricity, others can be condensed and converted to gasoline, and there are also some pharmaceutical applications for the by-products, said Danny Day President and CEO of Eprida, a private firm in Athens, Georgia currently exploring industry applications for the biochar process. Although scientists look to biochar to improve the future, its origin lies in the past. For centuries indigenous South Americans living in the Amazon Basin used a combination of charred animal waste and wood to make "terra preta," which means black earth, in Portuguese. Thousands of years later, the terra preta soil remains fertile without need for any added fertilizer, experts say. "These terra preta soils are older than 500 years and they are still black soil and very rich in carbon," said Steiner, a professor at the University of Georgia. Reducing the need for deforestation to create more cropland. By using biochar concepts, terra preta soils have been proven to remain fertile for thousands of years, preventing further harmful deforestation for agricultural purposes. But still more large-scale tests need to be conducted before biochar technology can be rolled out on a global scale. Day says biomass -- that otherwise would be thrown away --could be developed into entirely new markets for biofuels, electricity, biomass extracts and pharmaceutical applications, in addition to biochar. "We have 3 billion people out there who are at risk for climate change and they can be making money solving our global problem," said Day. Industries can now begin to look at farmers around the world and pay them for their agricultural wastes, said Day. "They can become the new affluent."

Ahead of Obama visit, leaders work to keep homegrown militants in check ANKARA, Turkey - As the only Muslim member of NATO and a candidate to join the European Union, Turkey has come to be seen as a bridge between East and West — held up by Washington as a shining example of how Islam is compatible with modern democracy.But as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to come here next week in a trip some herald as a milestone in ties, Turkish leaders are grappling with a formidable challenge: radical Islamic groups preaching jihad and vowing to unravel Turkey's democratic achievements. The conundrum is twofold: a real threat from Muslim radicals intent on destabilizing the government, and the perception by many that by cracking down, Turkey is betraying the very democratic principles that have helped win it much trust and acceptance in the West. Listening to the radicals, it's easy to fathom Turkey's difficulties. Yilmaz Celik, a spokesman for the shadowy radical Islamist group Hizb-ut Tahrir, was released from prison last month after serving a five-month sentence on terrorism charges. He says he despises the U.S., finds the "Alliance of Civilizations" conference Obama is attending a joke, and believes Turkey's moderate, Islamist-leaning leadership is a stooge of the West. But while Celik explicitly urges Islamic nations to wage jihad to "liberate" Muslims and laces his rhetoric with venom, he insists his group does not itself support or carry out terror attacks. "We're full of grudges and hatred against the United States and Britain for exporting their ideology and giving 'soft messages' to deceive the Islamic world, for example in the shape of an olive branch to Iran," said Celik, whose group has attracted a following in dozens of countries. The fine line Celik tries to tread puts Turkey in a quandary. 'Fourth crusade' Turkey's EU bid depends greatly on its ability to promote itself as a nation that respects civil liberties like freedom of speech. But the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also keenly aware of how fragile Turkey's social and political equilibrium can be. The military has ousted four elected governments since 1960. The government believes its hard line is the only way to keep radical Muslim groups in check. Turkey has been vigilant against homegrown Islamic militants since al-Qaida-linked suicide bombers killed 58 people in 2003. Al-Qaida's austere and violent interpretation of Islam receives little public backing in the country. However, some radical Muslims here regard Turkey's friendship with Israel, the United States and Britain — as well as efforts to join the European Union — as tantamount to treason. And the country is still debating the role of religion in the officially secular state. Celik accuses the United States of waging what he said a "fourth crusade" against the Muslims. "For us, neither (former U.S. president George W.) Bush nor Obama is any different. They are given the same mission. When you look from the outside, Obama might be using a softer language," Celik said. "But Obama is certainly not sincere." Celik said Obama's arrival in Turkey is aimed at "strengthening the United States' influence in Muslim lands through soft messages." Turkey and Germany are among countries that ban Hizb-ut Tahrir, but others such as Britain, Australia and the United States see no hard evidence of terrorist activity and just monitor it closely. Washington sees Turkey as a key player in its fight against terrorism. As such, it appears inclined to give implicit backing to the Turkish government's anti-terror strategy — even though it doesn't itself ban groups like Hizb-ut Tahrir. Security threat? Some activists say the government has gone too far in its crackdown on radical Muslim groups. "The state has no right to ban any group which is not involved in violence, whether it is an Islamic or Marxist one," said Ayhan Kucuk of the Mazlum-Der, an Islamic-oriented human rights organization in Turkey. "Otherwise, it must prove that they pose a security threat." Celik, the official spokesman of the Turkey branch of Hizb-ut Tahrir, or Liberation Party, said the only way to liberate Muslims from the thoughts, systems and laws of nonbelievers is to create a global Islamic state and resurrect the Caliphate to govern with strict Islamic rule, or Shariah. "We're calling on armies and leaders of Islamic countries to wage jihad against forces that have seized the lands of Islam in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya," said Celik, released from prison on Feb. 20 after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the secular republic and replace it with an Islamic state. Celik, 40, still faces trial on terror-related charges in five separate cases and could be imprisoned again. He has served a total of 2 1/2 years in prison on different occasions since 2003. He insists his group does not advocate terrorism. "Hizb-ut Tahrir does not believe that the group itself, as an organization, should commit violence or terrorism," James Brandon of the Quilliam Foundation, a research center in London, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "However, it believes that if individual Muslims want to carry out attacks of defensive jihad, for instance in Iraq or Afghanistan, then they should be allowed to do so." Reducing tensions Obama will travel to Turkey on April 5 to seek Turkish support for U.S. goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will attend a forum sponsored by Turkey and Spain to reduce tensions between the West and Islamic countries. Some experts say the group has tens of thousands of supporters around the world. Turkish police accelerated a crackdown on the group after it held a demonstration in 2005. Celik says he does not post a sign outside his office because he knows the police will tear it down. The group's Turkish members were not swayed by Erdogan's scolding of Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, over the killings of civilians in Gaza. Celik's deputy, Haluk Ozdogan, described the incident as "a mere tactic to raise the profile of moderate Islamists at the cost of deviating from the purity of Islam." so godamn sick of these fucked up religious whack jobs