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Associated Press - July 8, 2008 5:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Treasury secretary Rubber sheet says the Bush administration has been scrambling to help keep people from losing their homes, but many of those foreclosures just can’t be prevented.

Henry Paulson says lax lending standards amidst the once high-flying housing market allowed people to buy homes they could not afford. He adds that there’s little policy makers can do — or should do — to make up for bad financial decisions.

He says there were 1.5 million home foreclosures started in 2007. He said Rubber sheet some economists estimate there will be about 2.5 million foreclosures started this year.

Since last summer, the Bush administration has been working with an industry group called the Hope Now alliance to coordinate a response to the mortgage crisis. Since last July, Paulson Rubber sheet says the industry has helped 1.7 million homeowners with loan workouts that allowed them to stay in their homes.

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BY ERIN EINHORN
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

Tuesday, July 8th 2008, 6:27 AM

More cops and firefighters will drive hybrid cars, hundreds of rec centers, precinct stationhouses and offices will get heating and cooling upgrades, and city streets will glow with Earth-friendly bulbs, according to an ambitious plan unveiled Monday by Mayor Bloomberg.

Going green will cost a whopping $2.3 billion over the next nine years, but Bloomberg says the city will ultimately save money.

“This plan will … more than pay for itself,” Bloomberg said of an ambitious to-do list for weaning city government from its gas-guzzling, fuel-burning ways. “By 2015 we project that we will have saved more on our energy bills than we have spent on all of our planned investments to that point.”

With hundreds of buildings and thousands of cars and trucks on the road, city government accounts for 6.5% of all the power burned in the city. Taxpayers spend $1 billion a year on gas and electricity, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg has been thinking big about the environment. Last year, he proposed his sweeping PlaNYC, which calls for reducing all New York’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. He wants city government to lead the way by reducing its own emissions by 30% by 2017.

He appointed a task force last fall to plot the city’s energy overhaul and signed an executive order authorizing the first $80 million toward the effort. The City Council responded by mandating that future mayors commit to the 2017 goal.

The task force returned yesterday with a report outlining which city vehicles can be replaced with hybrids and which city buildings need new windows, lighting, refrigeration, ventilation, heating or other energy-saving equipment.

In addition to the $80 million already dedicated to the plan, Bloomberg said the city should commit another $900 million over the next nine years. He’s seeking the rest of the $2.3 billion from private sources and state and federal governments.

Ashok Gupta of the Natural Resources Defense Council, who appeared with the mayor yesterday, said he doesn’t doubt the resulting cost savings.

Rather than take seven years, Gupta predicted the city would recoup its investment in five years.

“We did this 20 years ago in our offices,” he said. “The question is really what’s taken [the city] so long.”

eeinhorn@nydailynews.com

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Crossroads Jul 8, 2008 8:54:57 AM Report Offensive Graphite packing Post
It would have been better if Bloomberg had done this back in 2003, but instead he suspended recycling programs because they “weren’t profitable” that year. The price-tag doesn’t even come close to the amount of city money that has been diverted to Bloomberg’s other priorities since taking office. Such as the hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars in public money that has been funneled towards the private Atlantic Yards development, the private Yankee Stadium, the private Met’s Stadium, the ridiculous Highline. the Graphite packing private radio tower for MLB, $600 an hour criminal lawyers for Speaker Quinn, and the list just goes on and on- utterly disgraceful. Also, why does seem impossible for Mayor Bloomberg to ever discuss anything that isn’t 5, 10, even 20 years out? Obviously, no one will be able to hold him accountable or even remember. It would be a pleasure to hear Bloomberg discuss something that will take effect while he’s in office - something other than tax and fee hikes.

Mr.Chulo Jul 8, 2008 9:48:50 AM Report Offensive Post
And let the name calling ensue…Can’t wait to see how many different BLANKberg’s are created by the geniuses on this message board today…last weeks favorite of mine was “Sc umberg” hopefully it will be topped today.

milesbrown49 Jul 8, 2008 12:18:23 PM Report Offensive Post
I wrote this blog a few minutes ago and they erased it. It must Graphite packing be true: “Oh, s h it. One of Bloombergs friends must own a company to service this, or is about to buy one”!!! Billions Huh??????

Ernestoman Jul 8, 2008 5:00:16 PM Report Offensive Post
Now, to lessen our carbon footprint, the city needs to stop buying massive amounts of bottled water and drink NYC water. $ave money too.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — If the presidential election were up to pet owners, John McCain could have a blue ribbon in his future.

From George Washington’s foxhounds Drunkard and Tipsy to George W. Bush’s terriers Barney and Miss Beazley, pets are a longtime presidential tradition for which the presumed Republican nominee seems well prepared, with more than a dozen.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t have a pet, though he has promised his daughters a dog after the election, win or lose.

“From an image standpoint, nothing humanizes a candidate more than seeing him lovingly dote on his pet or toss a ball around on the White House lawn,” says American Kennel Club spokeswoman Lisa Peterson.

Recall Him and Her, Lyndon Johnson’s beagles who appeared on the cover of Life magazine. Or Fala, Franklin Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier who received more mail than many presidents.

An AP-Yahoo News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.

“I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,” said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

Taylor, who described herself as a retired stay-at-home wife, owns two cats, Lady Jane Taylor and Mr. Tommy Katz.

Richard Powell, 79, of Spokane, Wash., whose dog passed away last fall, said if a person owns a pet, that “tells you that they’re responsible at least for something, for the care of something.”

He said pet ownership wouldn’t make a difference in his vote, but if a president owns a pet, “I’m glad to know they like animals.”

If voters identify with a guy who owns pets, then it’s easy to see why they’d like the Arizona senator.

He has a veritable menagerie, including Sam the English springer spaniel, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a bunch of saltwater fish.

The poll found that among people who don’t have pets, Obama leads McCain 48 percent to 34 percent.

But that still leaves McCain looking strong, since the majority of homes have a pet.

The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association estimates that 63 percent of American homes include a pet, including 88 million cats and 75 million dogs.

Dog owners lean toward McCain, 43 percent to 34 percent, while Joke cat owners basically divide their loyalties with 41 percent for McCain and 38 percent for Obama.

The population breakdown of who has pets and who doesn’t may be a factor.

For example, the poll found 47 percent of whites own dogs, compared with just 24 percent of blacks. Whites tend to favor McCain, while blacks overwhelmingly favor Obama.

Some 64 percent of dog owners are married, slightly higher than the overall population. The poll found 47 percent of married people own dogs, compared with 39 percent of non-married people. Married people tend to Joke favor McCain.

The AP-Yahoo News poll is part of an ongoing study that tracks the attitudes and opinions of a group of more than 2,000 Americans to see how their political views evolve over the course of the election campaign.

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Samuel Israel, the hedge-fund firm founder convicted of directing a $400 million fraud at Bayou Group LLC, surrendered to authorities almost a month after he jumped bail to avoid a 20-year prison Ptfe rod term.

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Staff Reports

ALBANY — Beef from a distributor associated with a national recall was found at the Barbecue Pit, the restaurant that is the common thread among all confirmed cases of E. coli in Colquitt County.

“The United States Department of Agriculture has identified some of the meat at the Barbecue Pit as Nebraska Beef products,” Southwest Georgia Public Health District Health Director Dr. Jacqueline Grant said Tuesday. “The meat was not part of the beef included in the recall, although it shares the same date as the recall.”

Nebraska Beef, which is based in Omaha, Neb., has been identified as the supplier of beef products linked to E. coli illnesses in Michigan and central and northern Ohio. Grant said disease investigators learned late Monday that the Barbecue Pit recently began purchasing meat from a new distributor, which said it has acquired meat from Nebraska Beef.

“We brought the USDA, which is the lead agency in the Nebraska Beef recall, into our investigation at that point,” Grant said. “An investigator from the USDA met this morning with the restaurant owner and members of our team.”

Grant said Public Health officials are awaiting test results to verify the beef is contaminated.

“We are still waiting for test results to come back on samples taken from the restaurant July 4,” Grant said. “We need those results to ensure we have taken all the necessary steps to protect the public from infection. Once we know what we are dealing with, we will work closely with the restaurant owners to achieve a thorough disinfection.”

Grant said new patients are continuing to seek sanitary ware treatment and specimens are still being sent to the state laboratory for confirmation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0157.

“Since the restaurant volunteered to close July 3, and people exposed to the bacteria typically show symptoms within 10 days, we hope to see the numbers of people falling ill drop significantly by Thursday (July 10),” Grant said.

To date, Grant said there are eight lab-confirmed cases, four presumed cases and about two dozen tests pending. Investigators also announced Tuesday all the presumed cases of E. coli as well as all the confirmed cases have been linked to the restaurant.

“All four of the patients who developed uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication associated with E. coli infections, ate food prepared by the Barbecue Pit,” Grant said.

Grant emphasized that only a few of the people who ate sanitary ware at the Barbecue Pit, located at 311 First Ave. S.E., during the past month have gotten sick.

“If you ate there recently and are not feeling sick, you need not go to the hospital or seek medical treatment,” Grant said.

People who are experiencing significant symptoms, such as bloody diarrhea, should avoid self-treatment with over-the-counter anti-diarrhea or anti-nausea medications, Grant said.

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On the morning after the house party on Johnson Street, Jenna Foellmi and several nike air force other twentysomethings lay sprawled on the beds and couches. When a friend reached over to wake her, Foellmi was cold to the touch.

The friend’s screams woke up the others still asleep in the house.

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John McCain said the daring rescue Wednesday of 15 DC PUMP hostages from Colombian rebels had nothing to do with his trip to the country, but his campaign is using the incident to highlight the Republican candidate’s gravitas on the international stage.

The presumptive presidential nominee told reporters that the Colombian defense minister and President Alvaro Uribe briefed him on the operation Tuesday night shortly after he arrived in the country.

McCain said he didn’t learn the mission was a success until shortly after his campaign plane took off for Mexico City Wednesday afternoon.

But top-tier surrogate Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is traveling with McCain, said the fact Uribe confided in McCain demonstrates his close relationship with the Colombian leader.

Three U.S. military contractors and Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt were rescued as part of the mission. The hostages were being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which considered the four high-profile hostages their most valuable bargaining chips.

“I think it was a sign of confidence of President Uribe and the defense minister in Senator McCain … that they were prepared to share this information last night, which was highly classified,” Lieberman said. “They were quite detailed about what they were trying to do and thank God they succeeded. It’s a remarkable day. It’s a miracle.”

He said “the timing was DC PUMP fortuitous.”

A McCain aide also characterized the fact that he was briefed on the details as a sign of closeness between Uribe and McCain.

The Arizona senator told reporters he spoke by phone with Uribe after the mission was completed, and he congratulated the president.

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Judge Agrees to Reduce Reiser’s Sentence in Exchange for Nina’s Body
By David Kravets July 08, 2008 | 7:29:34 PMCategories: Hans Reiser Trial
OAKLAND, California — The judge presiding over the Hans Reiser murder trial is backing a deal that would reduce the Linux programmer’s 25-to-life term to 15-to-life, authorities said Tuesday.

Reiser, the developer of the ReiserFS file system, led authorities Monday to the body of his dead wife whom he killed in 2006. He and his attorneys offered to produce the body if his premeditated, first-degree conviction a jury rendered in April could be reduced to second-degree murder.

Nina Reiser’s body was recovered Monday from a ravine along this Oakland hills hiking trail.
Jon Snyder/ Wired.com “We have judicial approval,” Oakland Police Department homicide chief Ersie Joyner told a news conference at police headquarters here.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Larry Goodman was scheduled to sentence Reiser to the 25-year term on Wednesday, but that was postponed as authorities continue to examine the body of the 31-year-old Nina Reiser, who was last seen at her estranged husband’s house in the Oakland hills on Labor Day.

The 44-year-old defendant brought authorities to a wooded area, pictured right, about a half mile from his house on Monday, where her body was found in a 4-foot-deep grave, and was encased in a duffel bag. The authorities confirmed it was her through dental records, clothing and jewelry.

Joyner described the area as “overgrown and heavily brushed.” He said the authorities had “to remove trees and bushes to get to it.” He said the body was found about 40 yards off a heavily traversed trail. He said the only way possible to discover the body was by the person who dug the grave.

“We probably would have never found Nina Reiser,” he said, adding that, at one point, ropes were required to climb down the hillside.

Prosecutor Paul Hora, who put on five dozen witnesses in a six-month-long trail that ended in April, said Reiser would waive his right to appeal his conviction. Under the law, the judge could disregard the first-degree verdict and instead accept the second-degree guilty plea if a deal was cut prior to him being sentenced.

Reiser would become eligible for parole in 13 years, as he as already spent two years behind bars.

“Ultimately, this was done for the family,” Hora said of why the government is accepting the plea deal.

Hora added: “Now the family gets to pick a burial expanded ptfe sheet site, not the defendant.”

The authorities said they were still examining the cause of death.

Hora defended the deal as one that is morally sound in expanded ptfe sheetthat it gives closure to family and friends, and it also sends a message “that if you commit murder, you’re going to be found guilty of murder, with or without the body.”

The defendant claimed his wife abandoned the divorcing couple’s two young children after he accused her of bilking his Namesys software company. He offered the so-called geek defense, in which he claimed that his guilty behavior following his wife’s 2006 disappearance was a function of his social ineptness, not actual guilt.

Among other things, Reiser threw away the front seat of his expanded ptfe sheettwo-seater tiny Honda CRX, tried to hide the car, and hosed down the inside, leaving an inch of water in it when authorities discovered the vehicle near his house.

No date has been set for Reiser to plead guilty to second-degree murder.

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Sci-fi animation moviemaking in aisle four!

Ben Burtt, the two-time Oscar-winning sound engineer who designed the voices of R2-D2, ET and now non asbestos sheet the main character in “WALL-E,” says his out-of-this-world audio often comes from the most mundane, Earth-bound activities — like a trip to the grocery store.

When he non asbestos sheet needed the sound of shopping carts banging together for a scene in Pixar’s robot love story, Burtt took his 10-year-old daughter to a Safeway, where they put their recorder in a cart and pretended to shop (banging into things in the parking lot for good measure).

But when it comes to making robots emotionally resonant, Burtt bases his ideas on the voice of humans. Very small humans.

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The high level of inflation will mean rail nike air jordan passengers having to face huge hikes in fares in the new year, it was revealed.

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