text:
- For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (disambiguation).
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ4 エピソードII Sonikku za Hejjihoggu Fō: Episōdo Tsū?) is a 2012 platformer video game developed by Dimps with assistance from Sonic Team and published by Sega. It is a direct follow-up of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I. Episode II was released in May 2012 for PC (via Steam), PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, Android and iOS. As with Episode I, the game is intended to emulate the original Sonic titles on the Sega Mega Drive.
In addition, players who owned both episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 on the same systems were granted Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal.
Official website plot
- A few months after the events of Episode I, Little Planet, where Sonic CD took place, approaches once more. Dr. Eggman, who was defeated in the previous installment, knew that it was only the beginning of his big scheme that he had been planning in secrecy. Dr. Eggman planned the entire plan from the very beginning of Episode I.
- Hearing that Little Planet has finally returned, Eggman eagerly hops back into action, the next phase of his scheme will begin to unfold. Elsewhere, Sonic the Hedgehog's old robot rival Metal Sonic has survived his defeat back in CD, though was left on Little Planet when it disappeared before. Eggman finds the Metal hedgehog and has made him even more powerful than before making Sonic no match for him.
- Meanwhile, Sonic has found out about the Doctor and Metal Sonic being back, so he recruits his buddy Miles "Tails" Prower to help him face this new threat and set off to stop Eggman's latest scheme.
- What was Dr. Eggman searching for in the Lost Labyrinth? What was Mad Gear built for? They were all a mere puzzle piece of a grandiose project schemed by Dr. Eggman. When Little Planet reappears, Dr. Eggman's whole scheme will be revealed!
Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.
After the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Sonic and Tails are riding the Tornado through the clouds. Sonic orders Tails to land into Sylvania Castle Zone. They then make their way to the end of the castle and defeat Dr. Eggman in his new contraption: the Egg Serpentleaf.
They head into Eggman's amusement park amidst the snow mountains of White Park Zone, where they see a mechanical construction surrounding Little Planet in the skies above. They then come face to face with Metal Sonic on Tails' Rocket. He hops off and they battle. Sonic and Tails are victorious and they head to Eggman's newest base, the Oil Desert Zone. They then defeat Eggman's new Egg Scrap Mech and pursue him into the air on the Tornado, but are suddenly attacked by Metal Sonic in the new Metal Carrier. They land on the Sky Fortress Zone and manage to defeat Metal Sonic.
Eggman and Metal Sonic then flee to the Death Egg mk.II Zone, metallized around Little Planet. Sonic and Tails then defeat Metal Sonic and Eggman, pursuing Metal Sonic. They defeated him in a race similar fashion in Stardust Speedway from Sonic CD, leaving him out of the picture for the time being. The heroic duo make it to the center, where they defeat Eggman's new Egg Heart. The battle causes the Death Egg mk.II to be destroyed, but Sonic and Tails manage to escape in two escape pods and land down to Sonic's world, while the Death Egg mk.II is drained of its power and is left deactivated in space. Little Planet is presumably still trapped inside the Death Egg mk.II.
Official website description
Episode II
- Metal Sonic has returned to form a formidable alliance with Dr. Eggman. To face this new threat, Sonic will have to call upon an old friend to help him save the day. Joined by Tails, they utilize ingenious combination moves and race across four brand new Zones, in order to put an end to their evil plans. Play alone, or with a friend locally (and online), in an evolution of Sonic 2's collaborative gameplay! Unleash Sonic and Tails' devastating joint attacks and combination moves to fight the united force of Metal Sonic and Dr. Eggman. Episode II features an all new game engine, bringing you updated physics and an original graphical style as you race through 4 unique Zones and a new Special Stage based on the one from Sonic 2.
Episode Metal
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal is an extra Episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 in which the player plays through harder versions of Episode I levels as Metal Sonic. Its story ties in with Episode II's story, much like Knuckles' story in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. It shows how Eggman restored Metal Sonic to power, how Metal Sonic received even more power by absorbing an energy orb in the Lost Labyrinth, and that Metal Sonic found Tails' rocket at the end of Splash Hill Zone. This Episode is actually not downloaded separately; it is part of Episode II, and if the game detects an Episode I save file with at least Splash Hill Zone Act 1 cleared, the content is unlocked. All the player must do is complete Sylvania Castle Zone Act 1, back out of the level select, and then go back into level select. This is available on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android and iOS.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II plays similar to the previous episode, but with several enhancements. Sonic is now accompanied by Tails, either controlled by the computer or a second player via local or online co-operative play (online support is not included on Android version due to lack of Socal gaming support although there's no word if Google Play Games services will be added in the next Android update). Unlike in the 16-bit titles, Tails cannot be played in single player and likewise Sonic can't be played on his own here. There are also new various combination moves that can be performed together, such as Tails lifting Sonic up to places he would be unable to reach otherwise, and the two can roll into a ball to perform a fast and powerful spin attack.[11]
Special Stages in Episode II, also accessed the same way they are in Episode I, are based on the half-pipe style format introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, in which the player is required to collect a certain number of rings before the goal in order to obtain a Chaos Emerald. Also returning are the Red Star Rings that have previously appeared in Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. One Red Ring is hidden per act, and an Achievement or Trophy is unlocked after collecting them all. There is also cross-compatibility planned for the XBLA and Windows Phone 7 versions, allowing players to alternate their games between them using Cloud Saving.
Owners of both Episode I and II (provided they are both on the same unit) will unlock free Episode Metal content in Episode II. Episode Metal explains how Metal Sonic came back to life after being defeated in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Players play as Metal Sonic through four acts, all of which are reworked zones from Episode I, explaining the significance of those zones to the story as well.
|Sonic the Hedgehog
|After the battle from Episode I, Sonic's rest comes to an end as Little Planet re-approaches. Sonic finds out that Eggman is back in action on the neighboring continent. He sets off on the Tornado to investigate the continent with his sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower. His best friend.
|Miles "Tails" Prower
|Sonic's sidekick (who first appeared in Sonic 2) who made the rocket to head to E.G.G Station and was secretly supporting Sonic in Ep: I. In Ep: II he's back in center stage as an active sidekick who Sonic can rely on. He can fly by rotating his 2 tails and will assist Sonic with the Combo Moves in Ep: II.
|Metal Sonic
|The worthy opponent who was thought to be destroyed during the battle of Stardust Speedway in "Sonic CD". He was in fact severely damaged,and left alone on Little Planet for years. Now as the Little Planet re-approaches, and with the close support of Dr. Eggman, Metal Sonic is resurrected and back in full force. Ready to have a rematch with our true blue hero.
|Dr. Eggman
|Dr. Eggman's E.G.G Station was destroyed in Episode: I. However as Little Planet re-approaches, the grand project set up by Dr. Eggman has now come into its 2nd stage, under a veil of secrecy and stealth.
- Egg Serpentleaf
- Metal Sonic
- Egg Scrap Mech
- Metal Carrier
- Metal Sonic and Eggmobile
- Metal Sonic (race)
- Egg Heart
|A Boar type robot newly developed by Dr. Eggman based on his research results from Episode I. They have been created with rich color variation, but Sonic should be extra careful of the formidable red ones that come charging towards him.
|A Hermit crab type robot which has been newly developed for cold regions. The spines on its hard shell will repel any attacks done by Sonic alone. There must be another way to defeat it...
|A newly developed subaquatic Sealtype robot. Its breath can freeze the water around them in an instant, creating obstacles when Sonic needs to look for air bubbles.
|A newly developed Kingfisher inspired robot. It usually flies over the water surface, but as it finds Sonic and Tails underwater, it will dart down at them.
|A Dung Beetle type Badnik designed for use in desert areas. It can generate an infnite amount of large boulders that explode while rolling. A troublesome enemy that is always there in undesirable places.
|A newly developed large Centipede type Badnik designed for use in desert areas. You never know when they will suddenly emerge from quicksand, and be mindful of its robust body that is resistant to attacks.
|Bubbles is a balloon fish type robot who returns back from the ruins of Angel Island. Due to Eggman's budget cuts, not all versions of Bubbles are spiked. However, watch out for the red ones!
|A Grasshopper type robot which was also featured in "MARBLE GARDEN ZONE" in "Sonic 3". Since they can suddenly jump without notice, their moves are unpredictable. Be careful not to bump into them.
|A new series of Sea Urchin type robots which were developed based on the "Orbinauts" & "Spike Spinners" featured in Episode I. The blasting flames of the burners are certainly dangerous, but those fires will spread widely in oily places. Take extra care.
|A Turtle type Badnik last seen in "SKY CHASE ZONE" in "Sonic 2". It serves as a guardian of Metal Sonic's weapon unit "Metal Carrier."
|A newly developed Polar Bear type robot for cold regions. It's specialty is unleashing powerful attacks with its super heavy body. Its body is also tough, and this makes it a formidable enemy that will not be taken down with just a few attacks.
|A Chicken type Badnik last seen defending "WING FORTRESS ZONE" in "Sonic 2". They will stand in Sonic and his friends' way, deployed everywhere within the incredibly enormous "Sky Fortress" as fixed batteries.
|Chop Chop
|A Piranha inspired robot which was last seen in "AQUATIC RUIN ZONE" in "Sonic 2". It lurks underwater hunting for its next victim. Once they spot Sonic and his friends, nothing will stop their rapid approach and attempt to crush them with its powerful jaw.
|A battle plane type bird robot last seen in "SKY CHASE ZONE" from "Sonic 2". A whole bunch of them can be shot out of Metal Sonic's weapon unit, "Metal Carrier", in Episode II.
Animal Friends
Key items
Item Box Power-Ups
- Super Ring (Holds 10 rings)
- 1-Up (Extra life)
- Power Sneakers (Makes you run faster for a limited time)
- Invincibility (Makes you invincible for a limited time)
- Shield (Protects you from a single hit)
- Combo Attack (A golden item box that makes Sonic and Tails attack all enemies on-screen and gives you points and rings if you score enough, by pressing the jump button repetadly.)
Special Stages
Special Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II play akin to the Special Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic and Tails must collect a certain amount of rings, the amount increases after hitting a checkpoint though, unlike Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Tails can collect rings, but will not lose his share if he touches any bombs, although this is only true for Single Player. Also, unlike Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the player can boost by holding the Tag Action button, and while there is no time limit, there is a timer, used for Time Attack scores.
In February 2011, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was confirmed to be in early development. Sega Brand Manager Ken Balough has mentioned that "the idea is to introduce new zones with things you haven't seen." He has also hinted that Episode II may have a larger budget than Episode I, due to the latter being received very well commercially. Balough also mentioned that many ideas for Episode II were planned while the first episode was being developed. [17] Sega of America Community Manager Aaron Webber also hinted that Tails may appear in Episode II as well.[18] On 23 August 2011, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka stated that "this year, 2011, is the anniversary, so we're focusing on the celebration title, but moving forward to 2012, Sonic will still be going, so I'd hope to provide Episode 2 then." He also said that Sonic Team "knew about the anniversary year," and that "Generations was planned way in advance," therefore "it was always our plan to release Episode 2 after Generations."[19] In preparation for Episode II's release, Sega re-released Sonic the Hedgehog CD to digital platforms in Winter 2011, billing it as a 'prequel' to Sonic 4 as the events of Episode II would rely heavily on what occurred in CD.
On 29 December, some new information on Episode II was revealed along with a teaser trailer, including the return of both Metal Sonic and Tails, and an updated graphics and physics engine. Platforms confirmed for release are Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and PC.[20][21] It has also been confirmed that no Wii version of Episode II will be released due to hardware constraints.[22][23]
On 21 April 2012, Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode II was accidentally temporarily released to people who confirmed their pre-order of the game on Steam before it was removed the next day. Known as the "Beta 8" edition, it was quickly dismissed by Ken Balough as an early prototype version that does not necessarily represent the final version, although it was instead found to be virtually complete with very minimal differences. [24]
iOS incompatibility
Due to a near complete rewrite of iOS for the iOS 7 update, this game was no longer compatible with iOS devices running on iOS 7. Sega has announced that they are working on a fix, but nothing related to the game had been released. The fans of the game were unsure as to if game's iOS support has been scrapped or not. They fixed the game on January 11, 2016 with an official update, and put the game back in the store along with the first episode of the game.
Future episodes
As of March 2012, Sega currently has no plans for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 beyond Episode II. Takashi Iizuka says that Sega is looking forward to user feedback and wants to see how users accept this episode. During the PAX East 2012, Cheat Code Central spoke with Sega representatives who informed that the company would be taking Sonic games "one at a time". It was said that if Episode II sells well, an Episode III will likely be developed, as well as a possible Episode IV if that does well in turn. However, in January 2015 in a Facebook interview with pre-Sonic 4 Brand Manager Ken Balough, he confirms Episode III was scrapped, but that there is a small chance that it will happen.[3]
Note: Due to the lack of social gaming networks on the Android Version (depsite having another one Google recently made as of October 2013), the Android version of this game does not offer Achievements support.
|The Adventure Begins
|Clear Sylvania Castle Zone, Act 1. (5G)
|Rolling Combo!
|Activate the Rolling Combo with Sonic and Tails. (5G)
|Metal Sonic Falls
|Defeat Metal Sonic in Sky Fortress Zone, Act 1. (5G)
|A Golden Wave
|Defeat all bosses as Super Sonic. (10G)
|All Stages Cleared!
|Defeat the final foe and watch the ending. (10G)
|Tag Partner
|Upload a Multiplayer score or time. (10G)
|I Love Tails
|Play as Tails 50 times. (10G)
|Ring Collector
|Beat Special Stage 1 after collecting every Ring. (15G)
|Endurance Race
|Clear all stages without returning to the World Map. (25G)
|All Chaos Emeralds Found!
|Collect all seven Chaos Emeralds. (30G)
|Proof of Speed
|Clear Sylvania Castle Zone, Act 1 in one minute or less. (35G)
|All Red Star Rings Found!
Defeat the final boss after collecting all the Red Star Rings. (40G)
- This is the first game since Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (or Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) or Sonic Unleashed in Mini-game in the mainstream games) to promote Tails as a playable character (not counting the digital re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog CD).
- Also in creativity for promoting Tails, the art and styling for the game's pre-release box art represents Tails' two tails in place of the number two. This is also featured in the game's teaser trailer.
- The color of Sandworm looks very similar to its iteration, Caterkiller.
- The first boss, before it actually occurs, pokes fun at Episode I's use of rehashing by tricking players into thinking the boss would be a variation on the Aquatic Ruin Zone boss from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. After the totem poles pop up, however, the Egg Serpentleaf destroys the poles before the fight begins.
- This is the first Sonic game to promote Tails carrying Sonic underwater. The first to feature it was Sonic Advance 3 with Tails' mid air tag action.
- This game celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. As well as the title card paying homage to said game (which is similar to Episode I which pays homage to the original Sonic the Hedgehog), the Special stages are given a Sonic the Hedgehog 2 style. This style of special stage was also previously used in Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, Sonic Rush, and Sonic Colors (DS version)
- This game also celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Tails' first appearance.
- The snowboard from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic Adventure, in IceCap Zone returns in White Park Zone Act 1.
- It appears that Metal Sonic has stolen the rocket Tails made, the one that is used to get to the Final Zone in Sonic 4: Episode I.
- This game marks the return of Little Planet from Sonic CD.
- The music in the second trailer is a remix of the menu music from Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. It was rumored that remix would be in the game, but it was nowhere to be found.
- Red Star Rings make a return, though they only exist for the achievement/trophy in game.
- The warning signs from Sonic Generations are also back.
- Super Sonic is playable in ordinary boss fights, which is the first time since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles to do so.
- According to the world map of Episode II and Episode Metal, Sylvania Castle Zone, White Park Zone and Oil Desert Zone are adjacent and are on the same island of the Episode I world map.
- Metal Sonic's artwork is extremely similar to his Sonic Generations artwork, except in his Modern design.
- Due to a mistake on Steam, very few lucky gamers who purchased Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II were able to play through the "Beta 8" version of the whole game and Episode Metal on 14 April. The Beta 8 is a near-final with the inclusion of a hidden debug command for 99 Rings, although there are some performance issues with full screen on some computers and very occasionally textures will fail to load properly (noticeable in Sylvania Castle Zone's trees and the Death Egg mk.II on the map screen). The Beta 8 was made unavailable the next day and Steam locked its playability.
- Unlike Episode I, Episode II contains 3D cutscenes. An example of this is once you beat the final boss (the Egg Heart) a cutscene shows with Sonic and Tails fleeing the Death Egg Mk.II in escape pods. In at least the Android and iOS versions, the cutscenes are FMVs and not done in-engine, using videos ripped from PC and console gameplay - an inverse since the previous game was primarily developed for iOS rather than the other way around.
- Due to this, there are slight graphical discrepancies, the most noticeable at the beginning of the first act. In the PC/console, the Tornado lands and Sonic and Tails jump onto the ground, immediately starting the level with no fade-out or loading time. The Android and iOS versions fade-out to black right after the cutscene and then start the level.
- Unlike Episode I's Special Stages, this Episode's Special Stages do not contain a time limit; rather, a Time Bonus is rewarded at the end of the stage depending on how long it takes the player to finish.
- Additionally, when Sonic and Tails pass through a gate with insufficient rings, there is no "not enough rings..." message and thumbs-down icon appearing. Instead, an animation of Sonic and Tails stopping and looking disappointed is seen.
- Oddly, the Chaos Emeralds in this game seem to be bigger than Sonic's head.
- The Special Stages, while being based on those seen in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, have a feature that is also included in Sonic Rush, and Sonic Colors which is jumping at the end of the right and left sides of the track.
- Super Sonic's physics remain unchanged from Episode I because Sonic Team didn't see any problem with them, according to Ken Balough.
- On the icon for the trophy/achievement for getting all the Chaos Emeralds, the order of the Chaos Emeralds is flipped vertically from the order in Episode I.
- Episode I did not feature any kind of Retina support. Episode II features Retina support for the iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4G), but not for the iPad 3.
- A comic adaptation was made for the game, and was put into Sonic Super Special Magazine Issue 3.
- The victory poses of Sonic after a boss battle are the same as his stance in Sonic Advance.
- The in-game description refers to the Tornado as Tails' plane. This is incorrect as the original Tornado model airplane belongs to Sonic.
- This game and Sonic Generations are the only games where Sonic can de-transform from his Super state at will; even then, it is only possible in Generations in Planet Wisp by using a Color Power. In Sonic 4: Ep II, it can be done anytime simply by performing a Tag Action. It is extremely helpful if the player wants to conserve rings.
- Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, only one boss in this game (the redux of the Stardust Speedway boss on the Death Egg Mk.II) is based on a boss from the classic games.
- There are slight graphical differences between the mobile versions and the PC/console versions:
- When Tails walks in front of or behind Sonic, he becomes slightly translucent in the PC/console versions. This effect is lost in the mobile versions.
- The lower iOS version (for iPhone and iPod touch) removes Sonic and Tails' facial expressions during levels. They're still present in the cutscenes, however, as those are from the PC/console versions.
- The ripples in the air that Sonic makes when he performs a homing attack are not present in the mobile versions, as with the previous episode.
- There is an unused "To be Continued" scene found in the coding of the game. Originally, it was to play after the player defeated the Egg Heart of Death Egg Mk.II with all seven Chaos Emeralds. This proves that Sega has considered an Episode III.
- The shapes of the continents on the Earth in Episode II are shaped differently than Episode I.
- The ending music of every stage in the game, seems to be a remade version of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) music when finishing a stage as well.
Official videos
- ↑ http://blogs.sega.com/2013/07/08/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-i-and-ii-are-now-available-on-ouya-sonic-cd-to-follow/
- ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-2/videos/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-2-ken-balough-interview-6348001?tag=updates%3Blatest%3Ball%3Btitle%3B1
- ↑ http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?520516-Sonic-the-Hedgehog-4-Episode-III-is-NEVER-HAPPENING-Maybe
External links
- Sonic 4 Episode II Website (Japanese)
- Sonic 4 Episode II Website (English)
- Sonic 4 Episode II Announcement
- http://segabits.com/blog/2012/02/15/dissecting-the-sonic-4-episode-2-screens/
|Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) • Sonic the Hedgehog CD (1993) • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) • Sonic & Knuckles (1994) • Sonic Adventure (1998)
|Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) • Sonic Heroes (2003) • Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) • Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) • Sonic Unleashed (2008) • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010) • Sonic Colors (2010)
|Sonic Generations (2011) • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012) • Sonic Lost World (2013) • Sonic Mania (2017) • Sonic Forces (2017)


text:
Saman Mohammadi
The Excavator
Monday, October 17, 2011
Three years ago, President Obama cynically sold hope and change to get elected. He promised to initiate diplomatic talks with Iran, bring an end to the Iraq war, undo Bush-era laws, and create millions of new jobs.
The American people thought they were voting for the anti-Bush. What they got instead was a third Bush term.
President Obama caved in to the special interests, kept the Neocons around, and let the criminal banksters get away after fleecing the American people.
When it comes to foreign policy, nothing has changed. The plan for World War 3 is still in motion. On Iran and Israel, Obama is a neocon and a Cheneyite. He wants the American people and the international community to unquestioningly love Israel and hate Iran.
But the White House propaganda doesn't match the facts and the truth of history. Reality is not on the side of the hijacked U.S. government and Israel. Top officials in Washington are going against history, logic, morality, and world public opinion by defending Israel's bad action and vilifying Iran for crimes it never committed.
Even the most brainwashed Obama voter now admits that the Obama White House betrayed its promises to the American people, while it honored its promises to the Bush White House and the CIA to not bring Bush officials to justice for the crime of torture.
You don't have to be religious to see that Obama is an angel of the dark side who is leading America and the world down the trail of world war, bloodshed, and mass death.
But the American people have woken up. So as the 2012 presidential election nears, President Obama has to find a way to reinvent his damaged brand or at least make the election not about him but about something else, like another war with Iran, or Europe's financial troubles, or obstructionist Republicans.
Cynical, shocking, and depraved methods are needed to save Obama and help him win re-election in 2012. The hope card has been maxed out. The race card is not enough to win an election. The new guy card is also done. That leaves the fear card and the war card.
This time around, President Obama is copying Bush by selling fear and war to keep his job.
The Obama administration's lie about the Iranian plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador in Washington is part of a larger propaganda campaign by the U.S. shadow government to make the American people focus on an outside enemy rather than on economic problems, Occupy Wall Street protests, and Obama's horrible first term.
In other words, Iran is for President Obama in this election what Osama Bin Laden was for President Bush in his bid to win re-election in 2004. At the time, a number of Bin Laden video messages mysteriously appeared right before the 2004 presidential election to petrify the American people and keep them in a state of fear.
The Bush administration did this on purpose. They released fake Bin Laden videotapes created by the CIA just in time to help Bush get re-elected.
Unfortunately for Obama, the Bin Laden card was ripped apart and thrown in the trash can in May. Of course, it's not all gloomy for Obama. He can use the brand new "I killed Bin Laden" card. But that is a useless card because the American people have tuned out of the war on terror circus show. So Obama can't get re-elected by touting a fake military victory in a fake war.
Something big needs to happen. The CIA, the White House, Israel, the neocons and the banking-military-industrial-media complex desperately need to bring back the mood of 2001-2003, when fear was high and dissent was low.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
- {openx:74}
And the only political tactic that can achieve such a miracle is an act of state terror and mass murder. The evildoers in the White House and Israel need to stage another event like 9/11. Or probably an even bigger event that will shift global public opinion towards supporting a war with either Iran, or Pakistan, or both.
Obama's handlers know that they have to inject a new dose of fear back into American politics and American culture. Thousands of innocent Americans have to be killed and sacrificed by Washington's shadow terrorist state in order for Obama to get re-elected.
Last year, former Clinton advisor Robert Shapiro told the Financial Times that Obama's presidency can only be rescued by another terror attack, which would propel him forward to a new stage of history, making him America's chief guardian in a time of global crisis. Shapiro said:
"The bottom line here is that Americans don't believe in President Obama's leadership. He has to find some way between now and November of demonstrating that he is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can't think of how he could do that."
The traitorous establishment media did not pay any attention to Shapiro's evil and crazy remarks. But the independent media was not blind and timid. Paul Joseph Watson wrote at Infowars.com:
Shapiro's veiled warning should not be dismissed lightly. He was undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs dung Clinton's tenure in the Oval Office and also acted as principal economic adviser to Clinton in his 1991-1992 campaign. Shapiro is now Director of the Globalization Initiative of NDN and also Chair of the Climate Task Force. He is a prominent globalist who has attended numerous Bilderberg Group meetings over the past decade.
Shapiro is clearly communicating the necessity for a terror attack to be launched in order to give Obama the opportunity to unite the country around his agenda in the name of fighting terrorists, just as President Bush did in the aftermath of 9/11when his approval ratings shot up from around 50% to well above 80%.
There is a very real threat of a new Washington/Israel/Saudi Arabia state-sponsored terrorist attack in the United States.
In the coming year, Obama administration officials may move away from foiling fake terrorist plots that were concocted in their own minds with the help of the FBI and other federal agencies.
Instead, they will get more extreme and start staging deadly terrorist attacks to scare the American people, shut down debate and dissent, and move forward with the elitist agenda for world war three and world domination.
The criminal corporate and financial oligarchy that controls Washington depends on periodic acts of state terror to stay in power. Such horrific acts are committed by the shadow government to heighten the tension and remind the American people that the post-9/11 security regime is a good idea and not a waste of public money.
But the psychopathic oligarchy won't only use state terrorist attacks and political theatre to keep themselves in power and secure Obama's re-election. They need a big world war to crush public dissent against Wall Street criminality, the private Federal Reserve cartel, and the traitorous federal government.
In his article, "Corporate-Fascists Clamor for Iran War," Tony Cartalucci says that the Western fascist superclass wants nothing more than a huge war in the Middle East to consolidate political power on a global level in their hands, and President Obama is happily advancing their evil agenda. Cartalucci writes:
While many Americans scratch their heads at what appears to be a profound mystery – a Democratic president carrying the torch of a Neo-Conservative Republican's global war, not only maintaining all previous wars, but expanding the battlefront – in reality this linear, continuous policy that is being executed piecemeal by both sides of the American political aisle is the direct result of these corporate-funded think tanks successfully commandeering both political parties.
These next few months are very dangerous. The hijacked U.S. government, the treasonous neocons, and the barbaric Israeli government are committed to starting a world war with Iran. They will use any excuse, no matter how trivial or manufactured, to launch an attack on Iran's nuclear sites.
The war criminals in Washington and Israel will probably invent an international crisis or stage a false flag attack in America and then blame it on Iran to blacken its reputation on the world scene.
President Obama is busy preparing the political stage in the international arena to make an attack on Iran by Israel and the West sound like a reasonable, appropriate and defensive move. Obama badly needs the support of the international community for a U.S./Israeli/Saudi Arabian war against Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Pakistan.
Obama must be stopped. The evil Israeli government must be stopped. And the traitorous Neocons must be stopped. They want to destroy America, Western Civilization, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Israel and Iran.
Once all the damage is done the totalitarian elite will then try to sell their evil authoritarian global government to the people of the world as a necessity for world peace, world stability and world unity. This solution must be rejected and their evil lies must be exposed, or else we will all be slaves to the tricksters in power who are bringing about the destruction of our world.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!

subset: commoncrawl


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Large narrowboat providing ideal accommodation for groups.
This boat has:
Dimensions:21.03m (69ft)
Celebrating 50 years of providing canal holidays in 2018 Union Canal Carriers offer a fascinating location from which to start your cruise. Nestled in a quiet Northamptonshire valley, and part of an historic area of canal buildings, the base offers an unrivalled choice of routes to suit all capabilities. On board the spacious and comfortable boats you will soon feel at home and with full tuition on handling your boat you know that you are in safe hands and can cruise the canals with confidence.Braunston is centrally located and is easily accessible by major road, rail and airport links.
Early and late season cruising is available please ask for details.Visitors may bring their own bikes/canoes with prior permission from the boatyard.


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He may have escaped punishment on the court, but Kevin Love couldn't hide from the NBA league office. The Timberwolves forward will sit two games (against Sacramento and Memphis) for this face-stomp against the Houston Rockets' Luis Scola.
Love's act may have been retribution for being drilled in the crotch by a ball Scola was trying to save in a game between the two teams a week ago, but it's still a surprise to see the mild-mannered Love acting out in such a way. [FS Houston]


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Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner)
- Employer
- USAJobs
- Location
- Washington D.C.
- Posted
- Feb 04, 2019
- Closes
- Feb 04, 2019
- Function
- Nurse
- Industry
- Government and Public Services, Federal
- Career Level
- Experienced (Non-Manager)
- Hours
- Full Time
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed No
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
Basic Requirements:
Education: A graduate or higher level degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma from an accredited professional nursing educational program is required. This education must have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. You must attach a copy of your transcripts with your application package.
APN Advanced Education: Applicants must possess a graduate or higher level Nurse Practitioner degree from an accredited educational program. You must attach a copy of your transcripts with your application package.
Foreign Nursing Schools: An official certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools is required for individuals who graduated from foreign nursing schools. You must submit a copy of your certification with your application package.
License/Registration: Applicants must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination and must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a professional nurse from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. You must attach a copy of your license/registration with your application package.
APN Registration: Applicants must possess a license or registration by a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States as a Nurse Practitioner. You must attach a copy of your license/registration with your application package.In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
Experience: Applicants must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience in their resume. Specialized experience is defined as providing healthcare services for Internal Medicine patients and their families (i.e., screening, diagnostic, and treatment); preparing assessments of care/treatment for Internal Medicine patients; and inputting detailed patient medical history information into an automated systems such as AHLTA (Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application) or CHCS (Composite Health Care System). This definition of experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
- You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
- Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
- Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
- If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
- Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
- Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
- If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
- Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.
Similar jobs


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Today marks Zane Ibrahim's 73rd birthday – we have been receiving many tributes to him via our Facebook group and from emails sent to the station from around the world since we announced his passing – including from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and local tabloid Die Son.
Bush Radio would also like to thank Voice of the Cape and Radio 786 for helping to spread the word of Zane's passing.
Many people have been asking about a memorial for Zane and we are consulting with his family as to how to best celebrate Zane's life and will post details once these have been finalised.
We thought we'd share a few of the messages that have come to us and the tributes paid to Zane via other media. Click on the pictures to view the original post.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNegQAbL7LU&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pKC8hwAhWI&w=633&h=356]


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Links 1 - 1 of 1 refined by Archives, Directory, Message Boards, Reviews and Stars:
Remove: Archives | Directory | Message Boards | Reviews | Stars
Opinionated reviews of new films and new releases on DVD and VHS, as well as an archive of past reviews. Also editorial installments, reports from the film festivals, and interviews with film-makers and stars.
Pages: 1


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Betsey Johnson's chain of free-standing boutiques is set to close.
Betsey Johnson LLC, the licensee that runs the kooky designer's 63 free-standing stores, filed for Chapter 11 on Thursday, WWD reported.
It's hoping to restructure under bankruptcy protection, and in the meantime, most of the stores will close — and 350 staffers stand to lose their jobs.
U.S. & World
The company's chief financial officer cited "cash flow problems" and said the company couldn't secure restructuring without filing for bankruptcy, according to Fashionista.
Johnson herself, meanwhile, isn't letting her boutiques' bankruptcy bog her down.
"I love our brand!" she said in a press statement. "It's full speed ahead at Betsey."
The 69-year-old is still gearing up for a runway show, unveiling a new fragrance and preparing to start shooting a reality television show with her daughter, "Betsey + Lulu."
"I feel so sad for my store people and all my pink girls. They live and die for me. But I need to be better. I really need to work well and be more efficient," she added.
Betsey Johnson LLC has been run by the Boston private equity firm Castanea Partners since 2007.
Steve Madden, however, owns the entire Betsey Johnson brand's intellectual property rights, Forbes reported. The company said the rest of the Betsey brand — especially its lower-priced designs sold in department stores — is "stronger than ever."
Steve Madden said it intends to focus now on that line, whose dresses retail for hundreds of dollars less than the designs at the struggling free-standing boutiques. It intends to open a handful of flagship-type stores for that line.


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Earlier tonight, the MTV Movie Awards debuted new footage from The Dark Knight Rises. The way the footage is cut together basically makes it a new unofficial trailer, and there's plenty of good-looking stuff. There's even a new line from Bane (Tom Hardy), which I believe brings the total number of lines we've heard from him to three.
Hit the jump to check out the new footage. As we reported earlier today, the movie might be 2 hours and 45 minutes, and will be played as a part of a marathon at AMC Theaters. The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20th.
Here's the official synopsis for The Dark Knight Rises:
Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' "The Dark Knight Rises" is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar(R) winner Christian Bale ("The Fighter") again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar(R) winner Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose"), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar(R) winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar(R) winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") reprises the role of Lucius Fox. The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on "Batman Begins" and the record-breaking blockbuster "The Dark Knight." The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.
Click here for all our Dark Knight Rises coverage or check out the links below.
- Trailer 1, Trailer 2, Trailer 3
- Warner Bros. Initially Wanted Leonardo DiCaprio as The Riddler for The Dark Knight Rises
- Gotham Rogues Wide Receiver Hines Ward Action Figure
- Christopher Nolan Says He Was "Nervous" to Include Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises; Christian Bale Talks the Future of the Franchise
- TV Spot "Retired"
- 20 Things to Know from our The Dark Knight Rises Set Visit
- Limited Edition The Dark Knight Rises-Themed Nokia Phone
- TV Spot, Banners, Images, SDCC Action Figure, and Promo Posters
- Mega Gallery featuring 50 Images and 15 Posters
- Catwoman Poster
- New Footage to Premiere During the MTV Movie Awards
- Set Visit Preview and Four New Banners
- 2 New TV spots
- New Image and Poster Highlighting Bane's Mask
- Images of the Tumbler and Bat-Pod from the Tumbler Tour


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03 Plantronics CS50 Wireless Headset System *Discontinued*
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text:
Jobs helped us connect the dots
October 5, 2011 - Art Smith
A friend that I have never met has died.
Steve Jobs, the creator of all that is cool, is dead.
The co-founder of Apple died of cancer. His innovations help change the way we interact with technology through computers, phones, music and even movies.
A college dropout, he spent his life defining and refining devices on which we would consume and create a wide variety of media.
I have personally been using Apple products since 1982, so to say that his creations have an impact on my life is a little bit of an understatement.
Jobs rarely spoke about himself. In 2005 though, he gave one of the most moving speeches I have ever heard. During the only graduation speech he ever gave he told the graduating class at Stanford three stories of his life.
They are all great lessons. Take a few minutes now and listen to them.
...you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life... - Steve Jobs
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text:
Results of Firefighter Entrance Exam (Posted May 10, 2018)
A true customer service organization, the Waco Fire Department responds to well over 16,000 calls and incidents per year. Calls include structure fires, vehicle fires, grass/brush fires, auto extrication, water rescues, medical emergencies, hazardous material situations and other emergencies.
Additionally, the department responds to non-emergency calls which include animal rescues, lockouts, water evacuation and many other service calls when the citizen cannot find help from other resources.
To protect lives and property from fire, medical emergencies, environmental incidents and other emergencies and disasters through proactive fire prevention, code management and enforcement activities, life safety community education, emergency preparedness and emergency incident response.
Waco Fire Department strives to maintain a safe community and environment that encourages economic prosperity, community well being and desirable neighborhoods.


text:
Flat-Packed Furniture Features Tool-Free DIY Construction
Forget flimsy cardboard boxes, think flat pack plywood furniture: cabinets, wardrobes, dressers, desks, chairs and tables – all able to be pulled apart anytime without removing a single screw or fastener, then fold neatly into a nearly paper-thin pile of parts.
Oli Johann Asmundsson has designed a compelling collection of kitchen, office, bedroom and living room furniture around these simple core themes: ease of construction, assembly and transportation. Material savings are made in many of these products as well via perfectly-considered patterns leaving little to no extra scraps.
Plywood is a cheap material to begin with, and making flat cuts into it is hardly difficult – most of these could be created just as easily from DIY templates and made by amateurs at home. Packed flat, these pieces are highly portable and of course can be put together surface-by-surface without tools or complex instructions. A strikingly uniform aesthetic connects these various pieces despite differences in shape, size, color and purpose – a stylistic by-product of the design and manufacturing processes behind them.


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Regular price
An excellent and essential primer for the aspiring tunesmith, Songwriting: The Words, the Music & Money offers authoritative tips on everything from basic song forms to the hard facts of succeeding in the music business. In between, veteran songwriter Dick Weissman shares his insights into composing effective lyrics, melodies and hooks, as well as detailed breakdowns of every musical style from folk to cabaret to hip hop. The first book on the topic to be accompanied by a CD covering all the musical concepts explored within, this is an invaluable resource for anyone engaged in the serious study of songwriting. No knowledge of musical notation is required. Dick Weissman is an Associate Professor of Music Business Management at the University of Colorado, and the former National Education Coordinator for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.


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- The Priory Hotel
The Priory Hotel has so much to offer ...About The Priory Hotel Room Types & Rates Corporate & Long Term Stays History of The Priory Priory Specials The Priory in the Media Awards & AccoladesPriory Public Events Priory News The Priory for Business Driving Directions & Map Airport Transportation Stash Rewards Program Gift CertificatesComplimentary On-Call Shuttle The Monk's Bar Fitness Center Business Center Priory Courtyard Bike Friendly
Priory Hotel Amenities
The Monk's Bar, located just off the lobby, features a menu of hard-to-find classic cocktails and craft beer. Happy hour runs from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Priory Hotel Brochures Download and print our informative full-color brochures: Priory Hotel Brochure (PDF 9.2mb) Priory Hotel History Brochure (PDF 3.5mb)
- The Grand Hall
Pittsburgh's Premiere Special Event Facility
Pittsburgh's Grand Hall is one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring special event facilities in the Pittsburgh area.
Built as St. Mary's Church in 1854 by German immigrants, restored in 1995, and re-opened as a banquet facility, the Grand Hall and the adjacent Priory Hotel (the former St. Mary's Priory (or Monastery) is now a keystone of the redevelopment of Deutschtown and of Pittsburgh's North Side.
- Meetings & Gatherings
Meeting Spaces for any Event ...
The Priory Hotel has three main gathering spaces - the Refectory (or Monk's Dining Room), The Chapter House Room (pictured right), and The Grand Hall. With these versatile spaces the Priory can host any size event - from 5 to 350 people.
Large weddings and small parties. Bridal and baby showers. Corporate events and retreats. Contact our event staff to plan your next gathering.
- Packages
Add something extra to your stay with a Priory Hotel package ...
- Gallery
- Our Neighborhood
Find out everything Pittsburgh's North Side has to offer ...
And be sure not to miss ...
The Andy Warhol Museum is just a short walk from the front steps of The Priory Hotel. This world-reknowned museum which houses the definitive collection of pop art from one of Pittsburgh's most famous native sons.
The Priory Hotel offers a complimentary shuttle to centrally located destinations in Pittsburgh. See the Hotel Concierge during your stay for more information.Priory Hotel, While Closed Temporarily, Remains Open for Group Stays and Events
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Although we are closed temporarily through November 15, the Priory Hotel remains open for group overnight stays and for events in our Courtyard and in our inside meeting places. Reach out to us ...Read MorePriory Hotel to remain closed through Sept 15
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Overnight stays at the Priory Hotel will be paused until mid-September. We WILL, however, remain open for all group bookings. All public and private events in our Grand Hall and hotel ...Read More
Priory Hotel EventsCancelled: Wine Tasting - Vino de Espana Thursday, July 16, 2020 6:30-8:30pm
Cancelled Due to Coronavirus: July's Priory Hotel wine tasting promises to be HOT. Featured are Winebow Wines with a theme of Vino de Espana.
Musical entertainment by Gary Prisby. And as always, delicious appetizers prepared by our in-house chefs.
Call or email email@example.com for event details and reservations.
See all events on the calendar at The Priory Hotel.
THE HOTELAccommodations
Our Neighborhood
Book a Room
Priory Hotel Brochure
Priory Hotel History
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THE GRAND HALLWedding Receptions
The Priory Hotel
614 Pressley Street
Pittsburgh PA 15212-5616
- Meetings & Gatherings


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TARP as we know it is dead. Now get ready for TARP 2.
Congressional Democrats have been busy drafting new legislation for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout fund—redirecting its bounty to Main Street, not Wall Street—even though President-elect Obama has outlined a sweeping $800 billion stimulus package that covers some of the same needs.
House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D. Mass) Friday outlined his plans for new legislation, making public some of what was contained in a memo to House members earlier this week, a copy of which was obtained by CNBC.com.
The latest business news.
Frank made clear Congress's disapproval of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's conception and execution of the emergency funding plan, its determined opposition to a new Paulson request for funds and, most importantly, six "new conditions that would govern the spending of the remaining $350 billion and that we bring forward a bill…."
In a news conference, Franken said there was "such unhappiness" over how the original plan was handled but said there was a "need" for a second round. He said legislation would be introduced later today and hoped to get a vote on it next week.
Though it is arguably open to interpretation as to whether the Frank plan is intended to be complimentary and supplemental to the Obama plan or folded into it, it still raises a number of critical questions.
Video: Barney Frank talks to CNBC about the new TARP bill.
Are Democrats over-doing it, in suggesting $1.35 trillion in new funding be thrown at the economy? Should the TARP fund be dropped altogether given the change in economic conditions and its intended focus? And are there significant differences in strategy already emerging between Congress and the president-elect?
What Comes First?
Among the measures in the Frank plan are "substantial efforts to reduce mortgage foreclosures", funding for "mortgages at low or affordable rates" and assistance to municipalities and other tax-exempt issuers, as well as help for auto dealers, hurt by the credit crunch.
President-elect Obama's economic plan announced Thursday addresses some of those issues as well as other fiscal stimulus measures and broader economic goals. His economic team is now working on an overhaul of the TARP as well.
"If this is the direction the new Treasury wants to go, then it makes more sense to cancel the remaining $350 billion and have the debate as part of the stimulus bill," says Robert Glauber, who oversaw the Treasury's handling of the savings-and-loan crisis for the first Bush administration.
The question is, what comes first?
"Everyone is expecting the money to be spent. They're certainly going to do it," says a disapproving Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste. who predicts TARP 2 will become law before the stimulus package, partly because it contains previously approved money for the auto makers. "The question is how they do it? Will they eliminate some duplication? That should have some effect on what should happen in the stimulus."
Schatz and others may disapprove of the strategy, but they are resigned to its inevitability. Others are not so accepting.
"The TARP was a bad idea and I don't there's any reason to expand it or extend it, " says former FDIC Chairman Bill Isaac, who is among those of strongly disapproved of using the funds for auto aid. "It's irrelevant going forward. It creates a slush fund. I think that's really dangerous."
Some see an emerging battle between Congress and the President-elect, who appear to have very different ideas about what is best for the crisis.
"It is a contest for power between the president and congress, " says William Niskanen of the Cato Institute, and a former economic advisor for President Reagan. "If there was a choice, I would much prefer what's happening with TARP. It is much more smaller and direct. Frank's plan seems to address the basic problem the economy is facing. The Obama plan doesn't address the housing problem."
Niskanen notes that while Obama and his rivals were on the campaign trail, other members of Congress were back in Washington, confronting the crisis, including a seemingly do-or-die vote on the original TARP, amid serious voter skepticism.
"I think the congressional leadership believes it has every bit as much power as the president to decide these issues," says Isaac. "I don't think is going to be easy sledding."
That's apparent in the somewhat mixed reaction to Obama's ambitious, yet sprawling economic plan, which quickly drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans alike, on subjects as diverse as tax cuts and job creation. Some analysts say it is much more than a fiscal stimulus plan and will be difficult to pass quickly and in one piece.
Frank's plan seems to have broad support, including that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Several members of Congress either failed to respond to a request for comment or declined comment on the subjects.
Late in the last Congress, Rep Maxine Waters (D.Calif), for instance, introduced legislation to cover foreclosure prevention, with the intention it would paid for with TARP funding.
Political battles aside, there's still the matter of money. The federal government has already thrown trillions of dollars at the economy and the credit crunch with limited success.
There's a growing sense that taxpayers want to see results, knowing that money isn't free.
"The numbers are so astonishing that it is finally giving everybody pause," says Schatz.For more stories from CNBC, go to cnbc.com.


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From: http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-out-the-20x20/
It all started—as you would expect—when we were drunk. Somehow my cousin Greg and I got on the topic of eating and we got into a little argument about who could eat more. I told him that I was going to go to In-N-Out and eat a 10×10, 10 beef patties, 10 slices of cheese. The strange thing was, it still sounded like a good idea to me when I sobered up.
Greg and I are the same height (6'2"), weight (200), and age (20), so all things considered, it was a fair contest.
I picked up a 10×10 on the way down to Santa Barbara with my best friend Miles. We stopped at the Salinas In-N-Out. I easily ate the 10×10. Hell, I even managed to scarf down an order of fries and a soda on the side. I called up Greg and let him know the game was on.
I pretty much forgot about the whole thing, until about a month later. I got a phone call from Greg. He started talking trash saying that he did an 11×11—no problem—with fries and a soda. He held the record for about two weeks. Then I was ready for a 12×12—no problem. I called Greg to tell him the news and to talk a little trash. That's when things started to escalate. Greg decided to eat a 15×15. He figured that would be a gastro-intestinal knock-out punch.
A few months passed by and I pretty much decided that he was all mouth and no stomach. I called him out. He responded that he didn't have a chance to go to In-N-Out. OK, that's actually pretty legit. The nearest In-N-Out is more than a half-hour from our school. It was hard for either of us to get to an In-N-Out. That didn't stop me from talking a little more trash.
A few weeks later Greg still hadn't topped my 12×12, but I tickets to an A's game in the City, so I decided to go for the jugular and take Greg out of the game permanently. I would eat a 20×20. I brought my friends Jason and Wendy to act as witnesses, and also because I figured one of them might know CPR. We even left early so that I would have lots of time to slide all that beefy-cheesy goodness down my throat.
On the drive to meet my hamburger destiny, I began to get nervous. A 20×20 is a whole lot of meat, and quite frankly—I was scared. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that nerves are for wusses—like Greg.
"I will have a 20×20 and a soda," may go down in history as the best thing I'll ever say in a fast-food establishment. The cashier looked up from her register, to make sure I was serious. I was. With a stunned look on her face, she began to enter the order into the register. Apparently a 20×20 is complicated, because it took a good five minutes and about three employees to get it entered in. By this time everyone that worked there had heard about the order and one by one they came over to look at the freak while I was waiting to pay. I think I'm now a permanent part of In-N-Out lore.
They charged me about $22. I'm pretty sure that they didn't charge me for a few of the patties. Sure, it may have been a technical snafu from a complicated order. But I choose to believe that they gave me the discount to recognize the greatness of what I was attempting to accomplish. At any rate, they were all on the burger. I counted.
They called my number. I could feel my stomach acid churning as I walked up to pick up the order. I told myself it was just because I was really hungry. Five employees handed me the burger. I'm guessing they all wanted to be a small part of greatness. When they handed me the tray, I got a new theory: it takes five people to carry this thing. It was heavy.
After actually seeing the thing, Jason and Wendy decided that there was no way I could eat it. And even if I could, I probably shouldn't. I decided that unwarranted optimism was my first line of defense. "Meh. No problem." I sucked down some Sprite and dug in.
I started with four patties with cheese and the bottom bun. They went down fast. The middle sections were trickier, as there was no bun to grab. But, no guts, no glory—I grabbed another four off the bottom. Cheese oozed between my fingers. I ate them
Five minutes in and eight patties were gone. I was averaging better than a patty per minute. I started on the next 4 patties. At this point the entire staff of In-N-Out dropped the pretense that they cared about the drive-thru window, other customers, etc. and all gathered around my booth to watch me eat. They were all surprised to see how far I had gotten.
One of the cooks finally spoke up and said, "I am so proud that you are eating my burger. The only time we have ever seen one anywhere near that big was a practical joke we did on our friend for his birthday and he only ate seven." I think he may have been crying. I ate another four. 12 down—eight to go. The staff reluctantly went back to work, leaving a spy. One employee was busy sweeping the same two feet of floor in front of the trash can. There wasn't any dirt there. But he only had eyes for my burger.
Right about then I started feeling it. I nursed the Sprite for a bit. Then got a refill. It took almost 15 minutes to eat patties 13 through 16. The staff lost interest. Even my friends became skeptical. Jason told me point blank, "You are never going to finish that thing." I started to believe him.
By this time, I was chewing on rubber. After 16 patties, even delicious In-N-Out makes you want to shoot yourself. Another 20 minutes passed as I struggled with the last four patties. There were only about four or five bites left, but those four or five bites seemed impossible.
It wasn't that my stomach was ready to burst. It was just the pain of swallowing. Each bite I had to fight down because it was like I forgot how to swallow. My saliva glands mutinied. They wanted no part of the 20×20. I guess that is the body's reaction when it wants you to stop eating. I felt drained. I hunched over the tray and poured soda and water down my gullet to lubricate the way for the last four patties. It was me or the burger, and damn if I was going to let some USDA Choice Beef get the better of me. I hunched over the tray and poured soda and water down my gullet to lubricate the way for those last four bites.
I finished the bite number four, grabbed a glass of water, threw my keys to Wendy, walked straight to my car and laid down in the back seat. I thought I was dying. Is beef poisoning a disease? It should be.
In all seriousness, this was by far the hardest thing that I have ever done in my entire life. I was in more pain then when I broke my arm. I passed out in the back of the car, and slept for a good hour and thirty minutes until we got to the ball park. Jason woke me up.
I felt a little better, but I still felt like God had abandoned me and the terrible, satanic beef devil had devoured my soul. Did you know that if you eat enough ground beef, you start to feel like ground beef? At that point I wouldn't have been surprised if someone told me I looked like ground beef.
We met a few more of my friends in line. Brett took one look at me and said, "You look like shit. Did you finish?" They all began to laugh until Jason said, "Sure did."
The power of beef brought silence to the masses. No one thought it was possible. They were dumbfounded. Brett actually tried to buy me a jumbo dog during the game. I just shook my head and laughed.
By the end of the game I felt a lot better. So I sent Greg a text message that read, "Consider the 20×20 in the record books, bitch!" It may have been a stupid idea when we were drunk, and stupider yet when we were sober, but that 20×20 is now my claim to fame. The story has traveled far beyond my immediate circle of friends, and I think people look at me differently now. Perhaps with a mixture of pity, admiration and fear.
As a follow up, I bet some of you are wondering how it all came out. Well, it came out the same way it went in, four patties at a time.


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Top Items:
Tampa Bay news, weather forecast …:
Jill Kelley requested "diplomatic protection" in 911 call — The South Tampa woman connected to the Gen. David Petraeus scandal has called police to her home several times in the last few days, and at least once tried to invoke "diplomatic protection." — Media from around the world …
Discussion: Associated Press, Business Insider, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, National Review and The PJ Tatler
Henry Blodget / Business Insider: Jill Kelley Is An "Honorary Consul" Of Korea And Thinks She Has Diplomatic Immunity
Andrew Kirell / Mediaite: Petraeus Whistleblower Jill Kelley Reportedly Calls Police Asking For 'Diplomatic Protection'
Bernard Finel / Balloon Juice: Electronic Privacy
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: Jill Kelley: I'm an Imaginary Ambassador So Get Off My Lawn
EndPlay / TheDenverChannel.com:
Photoshopped book title from Paula Broadwell's Gen. David Petraeus' biography goes viral on web — 'All In' book title had been Photoshopped on web — A mistake that aired on Denver's 7 has gone viral on the internet. — On 7NEWS at 5 p.m. on Monday, the station reported …
Discussion: Mediaite, New York Magazine, Crooks and Liars and iOwnTheWorld.com
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite: Eliot Spitzer Says He 'Understands' Gen. David Petraeus' Decision To Resign Over Scandal
Joe Coscarelli / New York Magazine: Petraeus's Pentagon of Love: The Five Key Players
Max Read / Gawker:
A Flowchart of the Petraeus Affair's Love Pentagon, from the Shirtless FBI Agent to Chuck Klosterman — Since CIA director David Petraeus resigned on Friday over an extramarital affair uncovered by the FBI, the story has shifted from John Le Carré espionage novel to Vince Flynn right-wing thriller …
Chuck Klosterman / Grantland: Did I accidentally force David Petraeus to resign? No. Do people believe I did? Maybe.
Joe Coscarelli / New York Magazine: The Media's Five Stages of David Petraeus Grief
Michael J.W. Stickings / The Reaction: Making sense of l'affaire Petraeus
Jason Cherkis / The Huffington Post:
Jill Kelley, Woman Who Sparked Petraeus Scandal, Ran Questionable Charity … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Video, David Petraeus, General John Allen, Jill Kelley, Jill Kelley David Petraeus, Jill Kelley Foreclosure, Jill Kelley Petraeus, John Allen, PAULA BROADWELL, Jill Kelley Charity, John Allen Jill Kelley, Politics News
Discussion: The Daily Beast, Mashable!, Business Insider and Associated Press
Eli Lake / The Daily Beast: John Allen, the Other General
Chris Taylor / Mashable!: Gmail the Petraeus Way: A Scandal of Sloppy Security
Abby Rogers / Business Insider: The Socialite In The Petraeus Scandal Keeps Getting Sued Over Massive Debts
David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:
ABC Affiliate: 'All Up In My Snatch' Petraeus Book Graphic A 'Mistake' — Today in adventures in television news: graphics gone wrong. An ABC affiliate in Denver, Colo., said it was a "mistake" to run an image of Paula Broadwell's David Petraeus biography that listed the title as …
Discussion: Balloon Juice, BuzzFeed and New York Magazine
Paul D. Shinkman / US News:
Paula Broadwell's License Discovered in D.C. Park — Police notify FBI — Broadwell's attorney mum on her whereabouts — The woman revealed to have been carrying on an affair with former CIA Director David Petraeus lost her driver's license in a Washington, D.C., park recently, sources tell U.S. News.
Discussion: Hot Air, JIMROMENESKO.COM, Business Insider, DCist, Gawker and Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Allahpundit / Hot Air: Today's plot twist: Police find Paula Broadwell's driver's license in D.C. park
Michael Kelley / Business Insider: Top US General John Allen Could Be Court-Martialed Over 'Flirtatious' Emails
Martin Austermuhle / DCist: Paula Broadwell's Driver's License Found in Rock Creek Park
Adrian Chen / Gawker: Paula Broadwell's Driver's License Discovered in D.C. Park As Things Just Keep Getting Crazier
New York Post:
Gen. John Allen also helped Jill Kelley's sister during custody battle — WASHINGTON — Both Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. John Allen intervened in the same nasty child custody battle involving Natalie Khawam, the "psychologically unstable" twin sister of Jill Kelley, whose bombshell claims …
Discussion: msnbc.com, Althouse, Vodkapundit, Belmont Club and U.S. News
Matthew Alexander / msnbc.com: Petraeus saga reads like a spy novel meets a three-ring circus
Ann Althouse / Althouse: "Both Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. John Allen intervened in the same nasty child custody battle …
Stephen Green / Vodkapundit: May You Live in Interesting Times
Richard Fernandez / Belmont Club: The Snowflake's Core — The biggest difference between …
Jon Swaine / Telegraph:
David Petraeus affair: The Florida twins at the centre of America's miltary scandal — Twin Florida socialites Jill Kelley and Natalie Khawam have emerged at the centre of the David Petraeus affair. Jon Swaine investigates their high-rolling lifestyles and access to America's elite.
Discussion: Gawker and Business Insider
Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Petraeus Personally Investigated Benghazi Attack
Petraeus Personally Investigated Benghazi Attack
Discussion: Hot Air, ABCNEWS, emptywheel, CNN, Politico and The PJ Tatler
Erika Johnsen / Hot Air: Carney: Obama "wasn't pleased" with Petraeus scandal when he found out, just after the election
Sunlen Miller / ABCNEWS: Senator Says It's 'Imperative' Petraeus Still Testifies
Ashley Killough / CNN: TRENDING: Feinstein says she'll push for Petraeus to testify
Seung Min Kim / Politico: Wolf calls for special Benghazi committee
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
ABC Affiliate Ran Phony Cover of Broadwell Book
ABC Affiliate Ran Phony Cover of Broadwell Book
Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Jawa Report
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: Pic Of The Day...
Mike J Pechar / The Jawa Report: Petraeus Biography with Mistake Cover
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog:
Confirmed: ABC Denver misnames Petraeus book, "All up in my snatch"
Confirmed: ABC Denver misnames Petraeus book, "All up in my snatch"
Discussion: The Raw Story, JIMROMENESKO.COM, Gawker, The Daily Caller and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
John Cook / Gawker: According to This Denver TV Station, Paula Broadwell Wrote a Book Called All Up In My Snatch
Taylor Bigler / The Daily Caller: Denver TV station airs vulgar/hilarious doctored photo of Broadwell's book
Andrew Kirell / Mediaite: Denver ABC Station Misnames Paula Broadwell's Petraeus Book: All Up In My Snatch
Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:
Pat Robertson Excuses Petraeus: 'Here's a Good-Looking Lady Throwing Herself at Him'
Pat Robertson Excuses Petraeus: 'Here's a Good-Looking Lady Throwing Herself at Him'
Discussion: The Raw Story, Gawker, Wonkette, Truthdig, Balloon Juice, Mediaite and Outside the Beltway
David Edwards / The Raw Story: Robertson absolves Petraeus: Broadwell was 'throwing herself at him... he's a man'
Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker: Pat Robertson Says Petraeus Couldn't Help But Give In to Broadwell's Jezebelian Charm: 'He's a Man'
Rebecca Schoenkopf / Wonkette: Nuts & Sluts: In Which Your Wonkette Agrees With Pat Robertson And Richard Cohen About Paula Broadwell
Andrew Kirell / Mediaite: Pat Robertson Justifies Petraeus Affair: 'Here's A Good Looking Lady Throwing Herself At Him'
This Is Awkward: David Petraeus Is In the Next Call of Duty As America's New Secretary of Defense
This Is Awkward: David Petraeus Is In the Next Call of Duty As America's New Secretary of Defense
Discussion: Mediaite, Mashable!, The Atlantic Online, The Raw Story and FP Passport
Josh Feldman / Mediaite: Newly-Released Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 Game Features A David Petraeus Cameo
Chelsea Stark / Mashable!: Petraeus Appears in New 'Call of Duty' as Defense Secretary
Megan Garber / The Atlantic Online: Today Is the Release Day for a Video Game Featuring David Petraeus
Stephen C. Webster / The Raw Story: Whoops: Petraeus stars as Secretary of Defense in new 'Call of Duty'
Uri Friedman / FP Passport: Call of Duty casts Petraeus as future defense secretary
Andrew Malcolm / Investor's Business Daily:
Who's doing who in the Obama team's sex scandals: A handy guide
Who's doing who in the Obama team's sex scandals: A handy guide
Discussion: Chicago Boyz
Sgt. Mom / Chicago Boyz: For the Honor of Service
Washington Post:
Jill Kelley: Tampa woman who was hostess to the military
Jill Kelley: Tampa woman who was hostess to the military
Discussion: WorldViews, Business Insider, Guardian, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Wired, Capital New York, Reuters and Tampa Bay Times
Business Insider: Forget What Jill Kelley Says: There Is No Such Thing As An 'Unpaid Social Liaison'
Reliapundit / THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: HAS THE PETRAEUS AFFAIR EXPOSED A BIGGER, DARKER MORE DISGUSTING SCANDAL?
Tom McGeveran / Capital New York: How to keep writing about the Petraeus-Broadwell affair without the emails
Katie Glueck / Reuters: Carney: Obama backs Gen. Allen
Tara McKelvey / The Atlantic Online:
The Writer and the General: What the Petraeus Affair Exposed About D.C.
The Writer and the General: What the Petraeus Affair Exposed About D.C.
Discussion: Jonathan Last Online, Daily Mail, Conservatives4Palin and The Daily Beast
Jonathan V. Last / Jonathan Last Online: About Paula Broadwell — I find this piece at the Atlantic kind of mystifying.
Daily Mail: Revealed: FBI agent friend of Florida housewife at center of Petreaus scandal who sent topless pictures …
Doug Brady / Conservatives4Palin: More.
Michael Daly / The Daily Beast: PAULA'S EMAILS REVEALED
Fox News:
Holder notified of Petraeus probe in late summer — did he tell anyone?
Holder notified of Petraeus probe in late summer — did he tell anyone?
Discussion: News Desk and The Daily Caller
John Cassidy / News Desk: The Generals and the Women: A Guide for the Perplexed
NY Daily News:
David Petraeus sex scandal: FBI agent who began probing disgraced spy chief allegedly sent …
David Petraeus sex scandal: FBI agent who began probing disgraced spy chief allegedly sent …
Discussion: CBS News, CNN, Sense of Events, Guardian, Shot in the Dark, The Daily Caller and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »
Donald Sensing / Sense of Events: Petraeus and Broadwell: The FBI circles the wagons
Glenn Greenwald / Guardian: FBI's abuse of the surveillance state is the real scandal needing investigation
Caroline May / The Daily Caller: Four-star scandal widens to include commander of US, NATO forces in Afghanistan
Associated Press: Petraeus affair: Timeline on Paula Broadwell and the general's physical special ops
New York Post:
Petraeus helps whistleblower's 'unstable' twin in nasty custody fight
Petraeus helps whistleblower's 'unstable' twin in nasty custody fight
Discussion: The Other McCain, Guardian, Pundit & Pundette, The PJ Tatler, The Greenroom, WorldViews, Poynter and National Review
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain: If You Were Saying to Yourself, 'This Petraeus Scandal Isn't Crazy Enough ...'
Emma Graham-Harrison / Guardian: General John Allen: testing task in Afghanistan for scandal-hit high flyer
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: US Budget Deficit Sends Shirtless Photo of Itself to Your Unborn Grandchildren
Ed Morrissey / The Greenroom: What's missing from the "Love Pentagon" story?
Kenneth Irby / Poynter: How NY Daily News, Tampa Bay Times got those cover shots of Jill Kelley, David Petraeus
Mark Steyn / National Review: There's Something About Jill
Robert Wright / The Atlantic Online:
The Real David Petraeus Scandal
The Real David Petraeus Scandal
Discussion: The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, PRI's The World and Prairie Weather
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish: The Daily Wrap — Today on the Dish, Andrew assessed the career …
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Reconsidering The Petraeus Hagiography
Meteor Blades / Daily Kos: Open thread for night owls: The real David Petraeus scandal
Chris Woolf / PRI's The World: General Petraeus's Positive Legacy
John R. Parkinson / ABCNEWS:
Paul Ryan Exclusive: Obama Lacks Mandate to Raise Taxes — Despite a devastating loss last week, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan rejected Democratic claims of a mandate to raise tax rates on the wealthy. — Asked whether President Obama has a mandate on taxes …
Discussion: Politico, CNN and Political Capital
Kevin Cirilli / Politico: Paul Ryan: Obama has no mandate on taxes
Gregory Wallace / CNN: Ryan: 'Wonk' is a compliment
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Paul Ryan: I Didn't Lose Because Of The Issues, I Lost Because Of The 'Urban' Vote
Paul Ryan: I Didn't Lose Because Of The Issues, I Lost Because Of The 'Urban' Vote
Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker: In First Post-Election Interview, Paul Ryan Blames Loss on Unexpected 'Urban' Turnout
Libby Spencer / The Impolitic: Paul Ryan rejects reality in election results
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite: Watch Former Future Vice President Paul Ryan Blame Loss On Magical 'Urban' Turnout
Walter Hickey / Business Insider: People Are Calling Paul Ryan Racist Over A Comment Which Is Actually Anything But
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: These Are Just Some Very Solid Quotes from a Really Super Guy
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: The Bloc Vote Strikes Again
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill: Rep. Ryan: GOP ticket didn't lose election on budget, Medicare
JM Ashby / BobCesca.com: Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Denial)
Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs: Paul Ryan: I Didn't Lose on the Issues, I Lost Because of Black People
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Ryan Surprised by Voters in 'Urban Areas'
Ryan Surprised by Voters in 'Urban Areas'
Discussion: Hot Air, Paul Krugman, Plunderbund and JSOnline
Mary Katharine Ham / Hot Air: Important story of the day: Paul Ryan mentions turnout in cities, which is insensitive or something
Leonidas / Plunderbund: One Last Paul Ryan Fact Check
Bill Glauber / JSOnline: Paul Ryan says losing race 'a foreign experience'
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
W.H. Petition Calls for Stripping Citizenship and Exile for Anyone Who Signs Petition to Secede — A White House petition gathering force calls for citizenship to be stripped and exile for anyone who signs a petition in favor of a state's secession. — "Mr. President, please sign …
Discussion: Trail Blazers Blog, msnbc.com, Guardian, Truthdig, Michelle Malkin, LewRockwell.com Blog and The Lonely Conservative
Robert Wilonsky / Trail Blazers Blog: White House says it will offer a response to Texas secession petition, but not when or what it will say
Amanda Holpuch / Guardian: White House petition for Texas independence qualifies for response
Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin: White House to review Texas secession petition
Valerie Richardson / Washington Times:
Petitions to secede are filed for 23 states since election
Petitions to secede are filed for 23 states since election
Discussion: The Week and LewRockwell.com Blog
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Broad Concern about 'Fiscal Cliff' Consequences — Public Is Skeptical Deal Will Be Reached — OVERVIEW — As the president and congressional leaders begin negotiations to avoid the "fiscal cliff" deadline at the end of the year, there is widespread public concern about the possible financial consequences.
Discussion: The Fix, Politico, AMERICAblog, Business Insider, CNN, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Political Capital and Prairie Weather
Scott Clement / The Fix: Post-Pew poll: Fiscal cliff negotiations predicted to fail
Kevin Robillard / Politico: Poll: Blame GOP for cliff diving
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider: Here's Why Republicans Have A Lot More Incentive To Get A Deal On The Fiscal Cliff
Dana Davidsen / CNN: Poll: Public concern over effects of the 'fiscal cliff'
Elizabeth Hartfield / ABCNEWS: Majority of Americans Skeptical a Deal Will Be Reached on 'Fiscal Cliff,' Poll Finds
Joan McCarter / Daily Kos: Public ready to blame Republicans if fiscal cliff talks fail
Mark Silva / Political Capital: Fiscal Cliff: Falling Off Republicans' Fault More Than Obama's — Pew Poll
Ryan Tracy / Washington Wire:
Gov. O'Malley to GOP: Remove Tea Party 'Stench'
Gov. O'Malley to GOP: Remove Tea Party 'Stench'
Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler
Jgalloway / Political Insider:
Your daily jolt: An invitation to Allen West from the Ga. GOP — Though he has yet to concede, U.S. Rep. Allen West, a former Army lieutenant colonel and Republican firebrand, narrowly lost his re-election bid last week. — So what's in the cards for the coastal Florida congressman after his lame-duck duties are done?
Discussion: Weasel Zippers, 2chambers, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Election 2012, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Business Insider and theGrio
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: Georgia GOP Wants Allen West To Return To His Home State To Run For Congress...
Kevin Robillard / Politico: GOP invites Rep. West to run in Ga.
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: I THINK I KNOW WHAT ALLEN WEST IS GOING TO DO, AND IT ISN'T THIS
Rachel Weiner / Election 2012: Georgia Republicans courting Allen West
Tengrain / Mock, Paper, Scissors: Allen West Watch: Day 8
Alexis Levinson / Business Insider: Georgia Invites Ousted Florida Congressman Allen West To Run For Congress
Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Democrats Like a Romney Idea on Income Tax
Democrats Like a Romney Idea on Income Tax
Discussion: The American Conservative, Wonkblog, NewsBusters.org blogs and Daily Kos
Scott Galupo / The American Conservative: Fiscal Cliff Deal Hanging Tantalizingly Inside Romney-Ryan Frame
Matt Vespa / NewsBusters.org blogs: Oh, Now They Tell Us: NYT's Weisman Details Democrats' Embrace of Romney's 'Sketchy Deal'
Erick Erickson / RedState:
Is It Time to Roll Up the Welcome Mat Here? — Barack Obama won the election. — He did not win by stealing the election. Voter irregularities always happen. It is one reason we support voter ID rules. But even in the worse scenario of reports out there, there were not enough tales of voter irregularities to matter nationwide.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Roger Ailes
Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo: Conservative Leaders Reject Secession Talk In Wake Of Obama's Election
Jim Nintzel / Tucson Weekly:
CD2 Update: Republicans Go to Cochise County Court To Block Counting of Provisional Ballots in Latino Precincts — As Congressman Ron Barber and GOP challenger Martha McSally continue to battle for every vote in a race that Barber leads by just 512 votes, attorneys were in Cochise County court today …
Discussion: Ballot Box, Blog For Arizona and FayObserver.com
Emily Goodin / Ballot Box: OVERNIGHT CAMPAIGN: Angus King to pick a party
AZ BlueMeanie / Blog For Arizona: Team McSally seeks to suppress conditional ballots from Latino districts in Cochise County
Andrew Barksdale / FayObserver.com: U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre has assembled team of volunteers to monitor count of provisional and absentee ballots
Ryan J. Reilly / Talking Points Memo:
Arizona Republicans Sue To Block Ballots In Latino Precinct
Arizona Republicans Sue To Block Ballots In Latino Precinct
Discussion: Tucson Weekly and The Huffington Post
Jim Nintzel / Tucson Weekly: CD2 Update: Barber Leads McSally By 829 Votes
Kelly McParland / National Post:
Oil report suggests an earthquake in global politics — Take one of the most intractable problems in global politics — one that has been a key driver of political events around the world for decades — and eliminate it. Presto, a wave of the hand and it's gone, just like that. What happens then?
Discussion: JustOneMinute, New York Times, Washington Examiner and IEA
Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute: Taking A Longer View
Elisabeth Rosenthal / New York Times: U.S. to Be World's Top Oil Producer in 5 Years, Report Says
Rick Perlstein / The Nation:
Exclusive: Lee Atwater's Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy — It has become, for liberals and leftists enraged by the way Republicans never suffer the consequences for turning electoral politics into a cesspool, a kind of smoking gun. The late, legendarily brutal campaign …
Discussion: Balloon Juice, Donklephant, The Daily Beast, The Mahablog and thenation.com/blogs/163253
Matthew DeLuca / The Daily Beast: The Independent Rundown, November 13
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Jindal: End 'dumbed-down conservatism' — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday called on Republicans to "stop being the stupid party" and make a concerted effort to reach a broader swath of voters with an inclusive economic message that pre-empts efforts to caricature the GOP as the party of the rich.
Discussion: New Jersey Online, Truthdig, Mediaite, The Reaction, The Week, Little Green Footballs, Hot Air, msnbc.com, The Moderate Voice, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN, Political Watch, Taylor Marsh, The Raw Story, The Daily Dish, GOP 12, Election 2012, National Review, Connecting.the.Dots and Business Insider
New Jersey Online: Gov. Christie to discuss Hurricane Sandy recovery at Republican convention in Las Vegas
Truthdig: Dick Morris Admits to Being Partisan Hack, Bobby Jindal Calls GOP 'Stupid Party,' and More
Josh Feldman / Mediaite: GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal: Republicans Need To 'Stop Insulting The Intelligence Of The Voters'
Richard K. Barry / The Reaction: Bobby Jindal takes his shot at redefining the GOP
Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs: Creationist Gov. Bobby Jindal Calls for the GOP to Stop Being Stupid
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Jindal: End "dumbed-down" conservatism
Aliyah Frumin / msnbc.com: Jindal to GOP: 'Stop being the stupid party'
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice: Quote of the Day: Bobby Jindal Joins Ranks of GOPers Edging and Urging Towards More Moderate
Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner: Jindal's free-market populism: 'We've got to make sure that we are not the party of big business'
David Edwards / The Raw Story: Jindal to Republicans: 'Stop being the stupid party'
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish: Yglesias Award Nominee
Christian Heinze / GOP 12: Jindal blasts GOP for "dumbed-down conservatism"
Rachel Weiner / Election 2012: Bobby Jindal: We can't be 'dumbed-down' party
Katrina Trinko / National Review: Jindal: GOP Shouldn't Be Party That 'Protects the Rich'
Robert Stein / Connecting.the.Dots: Ryan in Denial, Where's Romney?
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider: Bobby Jindal Warns Republicans: 'Stop Being The Stupid Party'
Megan Ruyle / The Hill:
'A lot of energy' in Obama's meeting at White House with liberal groups — President Obama and the heads of several labor unions and prominent liberal groups met at the White House on Tuesday at an event that was more pep rally than negotiating session. — Obama and the participants largely focused …
Discussion: Politico
Reid J. Epstein / Politico: Obama, left leaders discuss fiscal cliff campaign
Manu Raju / Politico:
Welcome to the Rand Paul evolution — He'll push to loosen marijuana penalties, legalize undocumented immigrants and pursue a less aggressive American foreign policy. — Call it the Rand Paul Evolution. — In the wake of Barack Obama's reelection win and ahead of a possible 2016 White House bid …
Discussion: msnbc.com and The American Conservative
Nick Ramsey / msnbc.com: Rand Paul to GOP: Rewrite stances on immigration, pot


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NEW YORK, N.Y. – Vivendi said Saturday it will sell SFR, the No. 2 mobile phone operator in France, to media company Altice in a deal that could eventually be worth more than $23 billion.
Altice owns the French cable operator Numericable. Vivendi wants to focus on its other businesses, Universal Music Group and Canal+ pay television.
The sale comes as the European telecommunications industry tries to consolidate: There are about 150 major operators in Europe compared with four in the U.S.
Vivendi said Altice's bid is worth 13.5 billion euros ($18.5 billion) at closing. The deal also includes an additional payment of 750 million euros ($1.03 billion) if certain conditions are met. Vivendi will keep a 20 per cent stake in SFR and said it may sell those holdings at a later date. It said that sale would bring the total proceeds to more than 17 billion euros ($23.3 billion).
Vivendi said Saturday that SFR and Numericable don't compete with each other. That could improve the chances regulators will approve the transaction. French conglomerate Bouygues also wanted to buy SFR, but some analysts said regulators might object to that deal because the French mobile market would have been dominated by two companies.
Vivendi entered exclusive negotiations with Altice in March. Bouygues offered as much as 15 billion euros ($20.6 billion) for SFR on Friday.


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Symantec Rebrands: Symantec Seal to Norton Secured Seal
VeriSign SSL is now Symantec SSL must aware about this..!!
What is Norton Secured Seal?
In April 2012, Steps on rebrand that All Symantec seal will automatically revise to the Norton Secured Seal, merging the power of the Symantec Checkmark with the same value of the Norton name. The grouping of these most trusted companies will deliver the online message to your customers that your website is safe & secure - from browse to sale or buy and sign-in.
An online business platform always requires security and trust. Lacking a sign of online trust and suitable web site security that will automatically prove to consumers will be less likely to stay on your site and transact with you. The Symantec secured seal is the most trusted and established trust seal on global internet world and when it is automatically revised in April 2012; the Norton™ Secured Seal will be displayed up to 650 million times per day on more than 100,000 websites in 165 countries and partner shopping sites, institutional websites, organizational websites and product review web pages.
The Most Trusted and Established Trust Seal on the Internet world The Symantec Trust Seal, part of the most established and trusted seal on global scale, will be grouping with the leading and innovative name in personal technology, Norton. Consumer tests by Symantec display that the new trust mark will deliver the high level of reorganization and trust which has same value of Symantec Seal Poster. In tests*, consumers selected the Norton Secured Seal more often than our competitors' trust seals for the following attributes:
- 77% of consumers recognize the Norton Secured Seal.
- 65% of consumers agree that a website displaying the Norton Secured Seal is safe to browse and won't give me a virus.
- 55% of consumers agree that a website displaying the Norton Secured Seal means that the website protects your online privacy.