Monthly Archives: March 2009

Smart Phones Lead To Mistrials

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And you thought mixing cel phones and driving was bad… how about web enabled smart phones and sequestered juries?!

Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he had been doing research on the case on the Internet, directly violating the judge’s instructions and centuries of legal rules. But when the judge questioned the rest of the jury, he got an even bigger shock.

Eight other jurors had been doing the same thing. The federal judge, William J. Zloch, had no choice but to declare a mistrial, a waste of eight weeks of work by federal prosecutors and defense lawyers.

“We were stunned,” said a defense lawyer, Peter Raben, who was told by the jury that he had been on the verge of winning the case. “It’s the first time modern technology struck us in that fashion, and it hit us right over the head.”

Chris Dodd Attacks His Own Provision In 6 Month Old Law

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After inserting the provision into the bailout to allow AIG type bonuses into the bailout law – Chris Dodd now wants to tax them at 90% because Congress wasn’t aware about such bonuses!!!

Is anyone even paying attention any more???

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) on Monday night floated the idea of taxing American International Group bonus recipients so the government could recoup the $450 million the company is paying to employees in its financial products unit. Within hours, the idea spread to both houses of Congress, with lawmakers proposing an AIG bonus tax.

While the Senate constructed the $787 billion stimulus last month, Dodd unexpectedly added an executive-compensation restriction to the bill. That amendment provides an “exception for contractually obligated bonuses agreed on before Feb. 11, 2009,” which exempts the very AIG bonuses Dodd and others are seeking to tax. The amendment is in the final version and is law.

Also, Sen. Dodd was AIG’s largest single recipient of campaign donations during the 2008 election cycle with $103,100, according to opensecrets.org.

College Grade Inflation

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Glen Beck brings light to a report on college GPA inflation.  Here’s the dets on the standard 4.0 scale:

Average College GPA 1991: 2.93

Average College GPA 2009: 3.11

U. Michigan Ave  Grades 1951: 2.57

U. Michigan Ave  Grades 2009: 3.29

To put Michigan’s rise into perspective consider this:  it is -or at least was – a significant honor to graduate “Cum Laude” from a University.  Cum Laude simply means that your GPA was above 3.5.  Which used to mean you were a full grade letter above the average student.  At Michigan apparently it means that you did the assigned extra credit assignment.

As standards continue to slide or be watered down, the accomplishment of meeting such standards becomes increasingly meaningless.  Which is why our children will probably need to get a Ph D just to work a non-minimum wage job…

What Does Our Closest Ally Merit? What’evs in the WH Gift Shop

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The statesman that was supposed to make the world like us accepted pens made from a historic ship to match the “Resolute Desk” (yes in the movie National Treasure)… gave a “historic” gift of DVDs (that probably won’t play in the UK due to regional encoding)…Michelle did even worse – taking a first edition book and framed commission for the HMS Resolute and giving a couple of Marine 1 models from the gift shop…

These aren’t tourists on the white house tour! They are the heads of state of our closest ally!!

As he headed back home from Washington, Gordon Brown must have rummaged through his party bag with disappointment.

Because all he got was a set of DVDs. Barack Obama, the leader of the world’s richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films – a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks.

Mr Brown is not thought to be a film buff, and his reaction to the box set is unknown. But it didn’t really compare to the thoughtful presents he had brought along with him.

The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.

The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that has sat in the Oval Office in the White House since 1880.

Mr Brown also handed over a framed commission for HMS Resolute and a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.

In addition, Mr Brown and his wife showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children’s books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.

In return, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John.

How Low Can The Dow Go?

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As the Dow continues to drop day after day, I thought it might be telling to look at the market’s reaction to several historical events… (Note elections end after the market closes)

G. W. Bush Elected Nov 7, 2000

11/07/00 – 10,952
11/08/00 – 10,907

9-11-01

09/10/01 – 9,605
09/17/01 – 8,920

Democrats re-take Congress Nov 7, 2006

11/07/06 – 12,156
11/08/06 – 12,176

Government “Helps” Dow Find The Bottom with Bank Bailout:
Dow drops from 10,917 on Sept 15 to 8,852 Oct 17, 2008

Obama Elected Nov 4, 2008

11/04/08 – 9,625
11/05/08 – 9,139

Obama Inaugurated Jan 14, 2009

1/13/09 – 8,448
1/14/09 – 8,200

Obama Stimulus Signed into Law Feb 17, 2009

2/13/09 – 7,850
3/17/09 – 7,552
(Market closed for Presidents Day 2/16/09)

So how is the stimulus doing???  As of Today (Mar 9, 2009) the Dow closed at 6,547.

-13.3% since the “stimulus” was signed.

-20.1% since America’s first black President.

-31.9% since Hope was elected.

-46.2% since Democrats took control of the government (save a lame duck President).