Nouvelles en Langue Anglaise

Rappel du premier message :

U.S. clamps down on banking transactions; terror group finds new funding

By Robert Windrem and Garrett Haake
NBC News
updated 7:56 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2008
Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. intelligence officials believe they've won many small victories against al-Qaida's ability to finance its operations, but they remain unable to put a concrete dollar figure on their impact.

That's because they have no reliable estimate of al-Qaida's overall budget, according to current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials, which means the only measures of the organization's economic health are sporadic, anecdotal and fragmentary.

"When you see a cell complaining that it hasn't received its monthly or biannual stipend and it's unable to pay the salaries of the people in the cell, unable to make the support payments to the families of terrorists living or dead, that's a tremendous indicator we have pressured the financial channel," said Adam Szubin, the director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control and the man in charge of tracking terrorist finance.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27644191

Message 23)

Complaint Suggests Obama Might Have Caught Wind of Blagojevich Dealings

Barack Obama says he had no contact with Gov. Rod Blagojevich over his vacant Senate seat, but the sequence of events in the FBI complaint suggests he might have caught wind of the governor's alleged dealings.

======

Enfin le reporter n'est pas totalement dupe, heureusement:

But spokesman Dan Pfeiffer also said the office won't release details of its review until the week of Dec. 22 at the request of prosecutors "in order not to impede their investigation of the governor."

That's Christmas week, when few people will be paying attention and when Obama plans to be celebrating the holiday in Hawaii — not in Chicago, which has been the focal point of the federal investigation.

Biloulou a écrit:

As-tu rédigé ton texte en "41" en anglais (c'est l'endroit) ?

Sorry Baylôôôlôôô,

I did not notice !

Biloulou a écrit:

As-tu rédigé ton texte en "41" en anglais (c'est l'endroit) ?

Sorry Baylôôôlôôô,

I did not notice !

Political Corruption

Cet article est interessant (d'autant plus que je l'ai copie de "Slate", il montre la vase dnas laquelle les politiciens de l'Illlinois evoluent, celle aussi de la Louisiane; mais mais ce que j'ai trouve pour la premiere fois par ecrit c'est la reference a la raison pour laquelle si peu a ete fait et pourquoi cela a-t-ete fait si lentement:

And since Katrina, Louisianans seem to have lost their zest for the big heist. There's been no sympathy for those caught siphoning disaster funds.

Je suppose que pour etre au courant il fallait etre resident. Les journalistes qui n'ont eu de cesse d'attaquer Pres> Bush au sujet de Katrina (entre autres) n'ont pas du trouver pertinent de partager cette information avec le reste des Etats Unis et encore moins avec le reste du monde.

...
Louisiana's culture of corruption, by contrast, is flamboyant and shameless. Earl Long once said that Louisiana voters "don't want good government, they want good entertainment." He spent part of his last term in a mental hospital, where his wife had him committed after he took up with stripper Blaze Starr. When Sen. Allen Ellender died in office in 1972, Gov. Edwards didn't try to auction of his seat. He appointed his wife, Elaine, possibly to get her out of town. When Edwards ran for governor in 1983, he said of the incumbent, "If we don't get Dave Treen out of office, there won't be anything left to steal." (He also memorably said Treen was so slow it took him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes.) Raised among figures like these, Louisianans tend to accept corruption as inevitable, to be somewhat proud of it, and to forgive it easily.

In recent years, however, Illinois and Louisiana seem to be copying each other. With Rod Blagojevich and his wife, Patricia—Lady Macbeth of Milwaukee Avenue—Illinois' corruption has gone carnival. And since Katrina, Louisianans seem to have lost their zest for the big heist. There's been no sympathy for those caught siphoning disaster funds. It's going to be a close contest again this year, but I'm betting on the Fighting Illini to claim the national
championship

[url=Political CorruptionPolitical Corruption[/url]

Silence, Sylvete, vous dérangez ceux qui ne veulent pas être dérangés dans leurs certitudes avalées avec délice...

C'est tellement plus simple et satisfaisant ce sentiment de foule continuant a frapper quelqu'un mis a taire pour de fausses raisons.

Ce matin, j'ai oublie sur quelle chaine mais une anglaise, deux "commentateurs" s'esclaffaient en commentant un "cartoon" fraichement dessine et montrant Pres. Bush evitant de justesse les chaussures. Un a meme ajoute qu'en cette periode de Noel ca apportait un peu de joie. On se demande tout de meme si l'on entend bien.

Je dois avouer une chose: Aljezeera du moins international est la chaine que j'ai trouvee a ce jour la plus juste du moins dans la presentation des nouvelles, c'est fou non?

Allez CA-FE, Biloulou , longue journee, je finis d'aider le Pere Noel a enpaqueter les cadeaux pour la fete de vendredi. Pour ces enfants, comme pour tant d'enfants a travers le monde, Pere Noel existe bel-et-bien et ils l'attendent avec impatience et voir leur joie fera oublier toute cette haine mediatique.

Disons que mon expresso de dix heures va encore attendre une bonne heure...

Pour ce "journaliste" mal élevé.... il devait sûrement croire au Père-Noël.
Vous êtes sûre qu'il n'y avait pas une cheminée dans le fond de la salle, derrière les deux présidents ?

j'écoutais ce matin à la radio, que jeter une de ses chaussures à quelqu'un en iraq (ou dans les environs), c'était symboliquement une insulte "forte"
depuis 2003 on estime à environ 1 million, les victimes directes ou indirectes de la guerre
c'est proportionnellement beaucoup plus que de 1991 à 2003 où l'embargo aurait fait entre 600 et 700 milles victimes

Un homme lance une chaussure, un autre tente de l'en empecher. Qui fait la une?

======

Ce matin sur FOX News, le journaliste etait sur la gauche de la photo; cet apres-midi, la photo a ete editee et il a disparu. Seul son bras, qu'il est tout de meme difficile d'oter a moins de passer directement dans la fraude, est encore visible

FOX News

(cette histoire de lien ne fonctionne qu'une fois sur deux ou trois. tant pis)

Impossible, elle est trop neuve.

(C'est où ? Trop chères pour les vendre par paire ? )

La photo d'actu postée par l'excellent Lawrence en 60 :


Je scrute l'objet volant identifié comme crime de lèse président et je comprends pourquoi en cordonnerie on parle de tige pour le montage de la chaussure. J'ignorais que la tige pouvait être métallique et si longue.

Peut-être était-ce une chaussure orthopédique pour un amputé ? Ou chaussait-elle quelqu'un qui rattrapait une claudication provoquée par une jambe plus courte ; la hauteur inhabituelle de la semelle en gomme serait un indice dans le sens de la compensation.

Le slogan publicitaire sur l'affichette indique que la chaussure irakienne a vocation à s'exporter vers les E-U, avec l'appui d'un marketing très agressif. Sûrement expédiée par voie aérienne, pour une clientèle ciblée, nécessairement huppée ; avec son look derby sport sobre elle collerait bien à la mise d'un magnat du pétrole habitué à arpenter ses installations sur le terrain.

Le lancement de ce produit a été appuyé par une campagne promotionnelle tout-à-fait dans l'air du temps en ce qui concerne les fêtes de fin d'année. En jouant sur les mots, le propriétaire de la marque met en avant le montage de la semelle qui est de type Goodyear symbolisant par homonymie les vœux qui s'échangeront à l'occasion du Nouvel An, ce qui pour un prospect idéal ainsi averti saute évidemment à la figure dès qu'il percute le côté malicieux de cette promotion. Mais le pari est risqué car la subtilité n'est pas toujours bien perçue par certains ciblés un peu obtus qui esquivent tout simplement cet argument frappant.

La campagne commerciale a déjà pris un envol surprenant, les stocks de lancement de la pointure 42 sont déjà épuisés. Les experts en communication pensent que cette chaussure fera un tabac et qu'on la verra dans les rues des grandes cités de la Planète. D'ailleurs des gens battent actuellement la semelle devant les magasins qui la diffusent.

Souhaitons que ce produit phare servira la relance d'une économie mondiale sur les talons.

Pour la bande sonore de la pub on prévoit une botte secrète. Il est annoncé que Lee Hazelwood et Nancy Sinatra revisitent un de leurs vieux tubes des années Vietnam sous un titre légèrement renouvelé : "These shoes are made for throwing". Des CDs pirates des premières prises en studio d'enregistrement s'arrachent sous la bullet-jacket des boys en Irak et en Afghanistan. C'est bon signe pour le moral des gars qui en ont plein les bottes et qui mine de rien aspirent à présent à prendre leur pied.

Suite de message 54

Hier, une personne (non-americaine) m'expliquait etre retournee a la Nouvelle Orleans 2 ans apres Katrina et avoir eu le sentiment qu'il s'agissait plutot de 2 semaines, les travaux de nettoyage et de reparation n'ayant pas encore commence dans certains endroits. Le ton etait un de reproche envers le gouvernement americain. Bien evidemment la propagande mediatique tant aux Etats Unis qu'a travers le monde etant parfaitement parvenue a faire porter la responsabilite de tout et de rien au sujet de Katrina par l'administration Bush.

L'article du Wall Street Journal qui suit - qui date de 2005 - donne une vision bien plus pres de la realite, il est un peu long mais en vaut la peine:

From the WSJ Opinion Archives
A Swamp of Corruption

In Katrina's wake, Louisiana's political culture needs a cleanup too. Monday, September 26, 2005 12:01 A.M. EDT

Perhaps no footage from Hurricane Katrina was replayed more often than the "Meet the Press" clip of Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, La., telling Tim Russert that bureaucrats had "committed murder" in the storm's aftermath. He sobbed as he told about a colleague's mother drowning in her nursing home after begging her son on the phone for four days to save her from the rising waters. Talk show host Don Imus said he had never seen such gripping testimony on TV in his life.

But MSNBC.com later found the story didn't hold up. Eva Rodrigue, the 92-year-old mother of Thomas Rodrique, the parish's emergency services director, did drown--but not because federal or state officials failed to rescue her. Mr. Rodrique said his mother died the day of the hurricane because the nursing home's owners ignored commands to evacuate. The owners are now under indictment for negligent homicide. Mr. Rodrique says his mother never spoke with him, and he can't explain why his boss, Mr. Broussard, got it so wrong.

Mr. Broussard returned to "Meet the Press" yesterday to punch back at critics of his obviously embellished statement. "What kind of sick mind, what kind of black-hearted people want to nitpick a man's mother's death?" he roared. When Mr. Russert continued to point out the discrepancies in his account, Mr. Broussard told him "Man, get out of my face" and then said the bureaucrats and officials who failed his region "should be strung up. Those people should be burned at the stake."

No state turns out better demagogues than Louisiana--the state that Huey Long ruled with an near-fascistic fist and that inspired the new Sean Penn version of "All the King's Men" that hits movie theaters this November. While the Bush administration and Congress aren't in danger of being fried as witches, they better figure out that they and the taxpayers are about to be fleeced like sheep as they ship south $62 billion in emergency aid with few controls or safeguards. More will be coming. Last week, Louisiana's two senators didn't even blink when they asked the feds for an ultimate total of $250 billion in assistance just for their state. "We recognize that it's a very high number," Sen. Mary Landrieu admitted. "But this is an unprecedented national tragedy and needs an unprecedented national response."

Even if the total ends up far short of that figure, the opportunity for fraud and waste will be unprecedented. "We're getting a lot of calls" on emergency aid abuses, reports Gen. Richard Skinner, the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. Last week, police officers found a treasure trove of food, drinks, chainsaws and roof tarps in the home of Cedric Floyd, chief administrative officer for the Jefferson Parish suburb of Kenner. Mr. Floyd is one of several city workers who will likely be charged with pilfering.

Despite assurances from President Bush, "the government is fighting this war [on waste] with Civil War weapons, and we're just overwhelmed," Joshua Schwartz, co-director of the George Washington University Law School's procurement law program, told Knight Ridder. Democrats are already scoring political points. Rep. David Obey, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, is lamenting the lack of accountability in the aid package. He is calling for "the beginning of some new thinking" on how to handle disaster relief.

Put bluntly, the local political cultures don't engender confidence that aid won't be diverted from the people who truly need and deserve it. While the feds can try to ride herd on the money, here's hoping folks in the region take the opportunity to finally demand their own political housecleaning. Change is past due. Last year, Lou Riegel, the agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans office, described Louisiana's public corruption as "epidemic, endemic, and entrenched. No branch of government is exempt."
...

[i]Indeed, many local officials are quick to attack any outsiders who question the local way of doing things. Sen. Landrieu is especially sensitive since politics is her family's business. Her father was mayor of New Orleans, her aunt sits on the city's school board, and her brother is the state's lieutenant governor. She did a passable imitation of the overwrought Aaron Brossard when she told ABC News that if President Bush utters any criticism of how local officials responded to the disaster "I might have to punch him--literally." [/i]

...

Wall Street Journal

OPINION: JOHN FUND ON THE TRAIL DECEMBER 15, 2008, 2:51 P.M. ET

Obama Was Mute on Illinois Corruption

The president-elect could use his bully pulpit to drive a clean-up

By JOHN FUND
This week Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on charges that he conspired to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, among other misdeeds. At first the president-elect tried to distance himself from the issue: "It is a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment." But it quickly became clear that Mr. Obama would have to say more, and yesterday he called for Mr. Blagojevich to resign and for a special election to fill the vacant Senate seat.

What remains to be seen is whether this episode will put an end to what Chicago Tribune political columnist John Kass calls the national media's "almost willful" fantasy that Mr. Obama and Chicago's political culture have little to do with each other. Mr. Kass notes that the media devoted a lot more time and energy to investigating the inner workings of Sarah Palin's Wasilla, Alaska, than it has looking at Mr. Obama's Chicago connections.

To date, Mr. Obama's approach to Illinois corruption has been to congratulate himself for dodging association with it. "I think I have done a good job in rising politically in this environment without being entangled in some of the traditional problems of Chicago politics," he told the Chicago Tribune last spring. At the time, Mr. Obama was being grilled over news that he bought his house through a land deal involving Tony Rezko, a political fixer who was later convicted on 16 corruption counts. Rezko is mentioned dozens of times in the 76-page criminal complaint against Mr. Blagojevich.

Mr. Obama has an ambiguous reputation among those trying to clean up Illinois politics. "We have a sick political culture, and that's the environment Barack Obama came from," Jay Stewart, executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, told ABC News months ago. Though Mr. Obama did support ethics reforms as a state senator, Mr. Stewart noted that he's "been noticeably silent on the issue of corruption here in his home state including, at this point, mostly Democratic politicians."

One reason for Mr. Obama's reticence may be his close relationship with the powerful Illinois senate president Emil Jones. Mr. Jones was a force in Mr. Obama's rise. In 2003, the two men talked about the state's soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat. As Mr. Jones has recounted the conversation, Mr. Obama told him "You can make the next U.S. senator." Mr. Jones replied, "Got anybody in mind?" "Yes," Mr. Obama said. "Me."

Starting in 2003, Mr. Jones worked to burnish Mr. Obama's credentials by making him lead sponsor of bills including a watered-down ban on gifts to lawmakers. Most of Mr. Obama's legislative accomplishments came as result of his association with Mr. Jones.

...

John Fund

The President-elect's selection draws fierce responses from gay and liberal groups.

WASHINGTON -- Aretha Franklin will sing, the Rev. Rick Warren will pray and more than 11,000 U.S. troops will be watching over inauguration ceremonies in case of an attack during President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in on Jan. 20.
But not everyone is pleased with the president-elect's selection of Rev. Warren.
Joe Solomnese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, sent a blistering letter to the president-elect, accusing him of delivering a "genuine blow" to the gay community in choosing the reverend to give the formal invocation at next month's inauguration.
"[W]e feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination," he wrote.
Andrew Sullivan wrote on the Atlantic Web site, "[It's] shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now."
Liberal groups criticized the inclusion of Warren, whose "Purpose Driven Life" books and lectures have made his church among the largest in the country. People For the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert said Warren's support for California Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, should have blocked his invitation.

...

The attorney was asked at a news conference if Illinois Gov. Blagojevich was planning to appoint anyone against the wishes of Democrats. 'No,' was his answer.



By The Wall Street Journal

FOXNews.com

Wednesday, December 17, 2008


Gov. Rod Blagojevich said through his attorney Wednesday that he will not appoint anyone to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The attorney, Ed Genson, was asked at a news conference after an impeachment hearing in Springfield if Blagojevich was planning to appoint anyone against the wishes of Democrats across the state and country including Obama.
"No," Genson replied. "(U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid said that they're not going to accept anybody he picks. Why would he do that?"

...

THE NEW YORK TIMES

French Unions Losing Influence in downturn

SOCHAUX, France: When America's financial crisis washed up on Europe's shores and pushed the economy into recession, the workers at the Peugeot car plant in this village in eastern France were afraid - and angry.
Waving the red banners of the biggest French labor union, the CGT, they staged prolonged strikes to demand not only an end to unemployment but also shorter work weeks and longer vacations as well. With millions of other strikers nationwide, they extracted a host of new benefits for French workers, even as the economy continued to drag.
That was in the 1930s.
Today, with the global economy once again in a tailspin, European workers have remained conspicuously quiet. Germany's most powerful union, IG Metall, reached a modest wage deal with employers in record time last month, avoiding crippling strikes and reflecting, perhaps, a national predilection for caution. Yet even in France, where there have been scattered protests over factory closings and job cuts, there is little evidence of a unified labor reaction. Tellingly, efforts by the CGT to organize a nationwide protest before Christmas have fizzled, prompting union leaders to postpone the initiative until next year.
In part, that suggests that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has had some success in taming his country's notoriously rebellious unions, even if this month he made some tactical retreats. But it also shows how fragmented the labor movement has become and how much heavier the pressures of globalization and competition from low-cost countries weigh on the European economy.
...

Hezbollah members to speak in Belgian Parliament hall
(December 15, 2008)

BERLIN (JTA ) -- Representatives of Hezbollah are scheduled to speak in the conference hall of the Belgian Parliament.

The Hezbollah representatives and the manager of the terrorist organization's Al Manar TV will address a symposium on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The CCOJB, which represents Jewish secular organizations in Brussels, and the Forum of Jewish organizations in Antwerp are organizing a protest, sources told JTA.

The conference has nothing to do with the Belgian government, but is sponsored by the International Union of Parliamentarians for Palestine. It reportedly was organized by Fouad Lahssaini, a Belgian parliamentarian from the Ecolo Green Party who requested the use of the room last month and received approval on Dec. 9.

The articles of association of the International Union of Parliamentarians for Palestine refer to Israel as "the Zionist entity" and calls for its "expulsion ... from international institutions."

The Belgian Parliament is not endorsing the event, sources told JTA.

The American Jewish Committee condemned the parliament's willingness to turn a blind eye to the speech in their seat of government.

“Hezbollah has the blood of thousands of American, French, Israeli, Lebanese and other citizens on its hands. It is simply disgraceful that Hezbollah officials were permitted to address a meeting in the parliament building of a leading European democracy,” said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris.

===========================================

Si je trouve cette inconcevable nouvelle en français je ne manquerai pas de la poster sur le fil consacré à la Belgique, évidemment... Entre-temps remarquons une fois de plus le rapprochement entre les écolos et le terrorisme islamiste

Greater than $25,000,000

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation
UNITAID



$10,000,001 to $25,000,000

AUSAID
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Stephen L. Bing
COPRESIDA-Secretariado Tecnico
Fred Eychaner
Frank Giustra, Chief Executive Officer, The Radcliffe Foundation
Tom Golisano
The Hunter Foundation
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The ELMA Foundation
Theodore W. Waitt



$5,000,001 to $10,000,000

Government of Norway
Nationale Postcode Loterij
Haim Saban and The Saban Family Foundation
Michael Schumacher
The Wasserman Foundation



$1,000,001 to $5,000,000

S. D. Abraham
Absolute Return for Kids (ARK)
Sheikh Mohammed H. Al-Amoudi
Alltel Corporation
Nasser Al-Rashid
Smith and Elizabeth Bagley
The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation
Richard Caring
Gilbert R. Chagoury
Citi Foundation
Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative - Canada
Victor P. Dahdaleh & The Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation
Robert Disbrow
Dubai Foundation
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Entergy
Mr. Issam M. Fares & The Wedge Foundation
Wallace W. Fowler
Friends of Saudi Arabia
Mala Gaonkar Haarman
The James R. Greenbaum, Jr. Family Foundation
Robert L. Johnson
Howard and Michele Kessler
Michael and Jena King
Lukas Lundin
MAC AIDS Fund
John D. Mackay
Lakshmi N. Mittal
Open Society Institute
Victor Pinchuk
Presidential Inaugural Committee
Princess Diana Memorial Fund



$1,000,001 to $5,000,000

Paul Reynolds
Robertson Foundation
Bernard L. Schwartz
Walter H. Shorenstein
Arnold H. Simon
Bren and Melvin Simon
Amar Singh
Michael Smurfit
Harold Snyder
State of Kuwait
State of Qatar
Sterling Stamos Capital Management, LP
The Streisand Foundation
Suzlon Energy Ltd.
Swiss Reinsurance Company
Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office
The Alix Foundation
The Government of Brunei Darussalam
The Howard Gilman Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable & Educational Trust
The Sidney E. Frank Foundation
The Sultanate of Oman
The Wal-Mart Foundation
The Zayed Family
T.G. Holdings
The Walton Family Foundation



$500,001 to $1,000,000

AIDS-Life
Malini Alles
Bank of America Foundation
Simon P. Barcelo
Frederick Baron and Lisa Blue
Richard C. Blum
Susie T. Buell and Mark Buell
The Sherwood Foundation
Cisco
Clinton Family Foundation and William J. Clinton
Confederation of Indian Industry
Lewis B. Cullman
Duke Energy Corporation
Elena Franchuk Anti-AIDS Foundation
Global Artists, Inc.
Brian L. Greenspun
Hewlett Packard Company
Patricia A. Hotung
ICAP Services North America
Irish Aid
Walid A. Juffali
Dave Katragadda
Peter B. Lewis

Greater than

Citation :

Following is a list of major donors to the Clinton Foundation

C'est très étrange, on ne voit pas apparaître le nom du groupe Oettinger-Davidoff ou sa filiale étatsunienne le groupe Camacho Cigars de Miami qui propose les authentiques cigares Don Macho, Don Felo, Nude Bundles (entre autres) auxquels un vibrant hommage fut rendu en son temps dans la sdb de l'Ovale Bureau...
(Pour info : en 2007 Oettinger-Davidoff a généré un CA de 1,273 milliard de Francs suisses (!!) soit en €uros 795 873 710 ou en USD 1 125 683 776.
Ça rapporte le roulé main !

Ils n'ont pas la "reconnaissance du ventre" ces cigariers !

Sylvette a écrit:

Greater than $25,000,000

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation
UNITAID



$10,000,001 to $25,000,000

AUSAID
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Stephen L. Bing
COPRESIDA-Secretariado Tecnico
Fred Eychaner
Frank Giustra, Chief Executive Officer, The Radcliffe Foundation
Tom Golisano
The Hunter Foundation
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The ELMA Foundation
Theodore W. Waitt



$5,000,001 to $10,000,000

Government of Norway
Nationale Postcode Loterij
Haim Saban and The Saban Family Foundation
Michael Schumacher
The Wasserman Foundation



$1,000,001 to $5,000,000

S. D. Abraham
Absolute Return for Kids (ARK)
Sheikh Mohammed H. Al-Amoudi
Alltel Corporation
Nasser Al-Rashid
Smith and Elizabeth Bagley
The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation
Richard Caring
Gilbert R. Chagoury
Citi Foundation
Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative - Canada
Victor P. Dahdaleh & The Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation
Robert Disbrow
Dubai Foundation
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Entergy
Mr. Issam M. Fares & The Wedge Foundation
Wallace W. Fowler
Friends of Saudi Arabia
Mala Gaonkar Haarman
The James R. Greenbaum, Jr. Family Foundation
Robert L. Johnson
Howard and Michele Kessler
Michael and Jena King
Lukas Lundin
MAC AIDS Fund
John D. Mackay
Lakshmi N. Mittal
Open Society Institute
Victor Pinchuk
Presidential Inaugural Committee
Princess Diana Memorial Fund



$1,000,001 to $5,000,000

Paul Reynolds
Robertson Foundation
Bernard L. Schwartz
Walter H. Shorenstein
Arnold H. Simon
Bren and Melvin Simon
Amar Singh
Michael Smurfit
Harold Snyder
State of Kuwait
State of Qatar
Sterling Stamos Capital Management, LP
The Streisand Foundation
Suzlon Energy Ltd.
Swiss Reinsurance Company
Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office
The Alix Foundation
The Government of Brunei Darussalam
The Howard Gilman Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable & Educational Trust
The Sidney E. Frank Foundation
The Sultanate of Oman
The Wal-Mart Foundation
The Zayed Family
T.G. Holdings
The Walton Family Foundation



$500,001 to $1,000,000

AIDS-Life
Malini Alles
Bank of America Foundation
Simon P. Barcelo
Frederick Baron and Lisa Blue
Richard C. Blum
Susie T. Buell and Mark Buell
The Sherwood Foundation
Cisco
Clinton Family Foundation and William J. Clinton
Confederation of Indian Industry
Lewis B. Cullman
Duke Energy Corporation
Elena Franchuk Anti-AIDS Foundation
Global Artists, Inc.
Brian L. Greenspun
Hewlett Packard Company
Patricia A. Hotung
ICAP Services North America
Irish Aid
Walid A. Juffali
Dave Katragadda
Peter B. Lewis

Greater than

You forgot MADOFF !!!! 50.000.000.000 $

Missouri Begins Prosecuting Under Cyberbullying Law

Saturday, December 20, 2008
MyFOXSTL.com

Megan Meier
Megan Meier
ST. LOUIS — A 21-year-old woman accused of sending a vulgar text message to a 17-year-old girl is one of the first cases brought under a law against cyberbullying spurred by the suicide of a teenage girl following cruel messages on the Internet.

The 2006 death of 13-year-old Megan Meier prompted Missouri lawmakers to update state harassment law earlier this year so that it now covers bullying and stalking done through electronic media, like e-mails or text messages.

...[/i]Missouri Begins Prosecuting

Friday, December 19, 2008
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — The California attorney general has changed his position on the state's new same-sex marriage ban and is now urging the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8.

In a dramatic reversal, Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right. Earlier, Brown had said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters.

But Brown said he reached a different conclusion after studying the state Constitution.

"It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said in an interview Friday night. "Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitution, I concluded the court should protect the right to marry even in the face of the 52 percent vote."

San Francisco