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CEO Council Hopes to Amend Sarbanes-Oxley
http://www.ceocouncil.net
http://forums.ceocouncil.net
For more info, write scrane@ceocouncil.net
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A group of organizations representing small and mid-sized public companies will be taking a message to Washington April 1: "Sarbanes-Oxley is breaking the bank for many small publicly-reporting companies, and these companies need special relief if they are to survive or prosper."
The CEO Council will participate in a private meeting with members of the U.S. Congress and staff to discuss issues affecting small business issuers, including amendments or exemptions to Sarbanes-Oxley. The meeting will take place on April 1st and attendance is by private invitation only.
The event is basically an opportunity to sit face to face with members of Congress and staff members that are both sympathetic to and against our cause," said Steve Crane, CEO of CorpHQ (OTC: COHQ), and chair of the CEO Council's Political Action Committee. "I am told that Rep. Oxley will be in attendance as well as Rep. Renzi (R-AZ) who is a champion of small business, and others are being added to the list in the coming days. We will have the opportunity to present a White Paper and to articulate our positions on all of the issues that confront small business issuers and the micro-capitalization stock market today.
"I believe the Sarbanes-Oxley is a well intentioned law that needs to be 'right-sized' for small business issuers. As it stands today, the yearly cost of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance is beyond the means of most small public companies. If this law is allowed to stand, these companies will have no choice but to become unregulated entities or worse."
Crane stated that "while the intent of Sarbanes-Oxley is to better regulate issuers and to protect investors, the net effect will be to drive small issuers away from regulation which history has shown causes a profoundly negative impact to shareholder value."
The Council says there are many issues and questions that need to be answered before we can
move forward, some of them are --
- What amendments or exemptions are we looking for?
- What is our basis for requesting these amendments or exemptions?
- Do we want Congress to give the SEC full exemptive authority or to make
changes to the law itself?
You can participate in a discussion on these and other topics at http://forums.ceocouncil.net.
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NEWSFLASH
The National Investor Relations Institute (www.niri.org), and the Association for Investment Management and Research (www.aimr.org) have just issued a joint proposal for guidelines that endorse STANDARDS-BASED independent research. The Standards enumerated by the two organizations have been in practice by Investrend Research since it pioneered fee-based research eight years ago, and incorporated into the "Standards for Independent Research Providers" previously promulgated by the FIRST Research Consortium (www.firstresearchconsortium.com).
It is more important than ever for your research provider to display this seal:
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NIRI / AIMR Offers Guidelines for Fee-Based Research
http://www.aimr.org
http://www.niri.org
http://www.firstrearchconsortium.com
http://www.investrendresearch.com
For more info, click on: http://www.investrend.com/contact.asp
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Historically, when Investrend Research held public hearings and promulgated its own standards in 1996 and 1997 as the pioneering fee-based independent research provider, the intent was always to establish a set of principles to insure independence, credibility and objectivity, that would set a precedent for Wall Street when the financial community would eventually embrace the important means for shareholders to receive professional analysis of public companies in which they are invested.
That time arrived a year ago when the NY State Attorney General brought actions against ten investment banks because THEY, not fee-based providers, were found to have severe conflicts. In short order, the media was out in force, editorializing that standards-based fee-based research is the most conflict-free environment for public companies seeking credible coverage. Dow Jones Newswires, for example, specifically pointed to Investrend Research as leading the march to full industry-wide credibility.
At the same time, Investrend Research joined with ten fee-based research providers to promulgate the "Standards for Independent Research Providers" at http://www.firstresearchconsortium.com. These standards were mirrored in the just-released Guidelines for public comment by the Association for Investment Management Research and the National Investor Relations Institute.
Not only does Investrend Research meet the new industry Guidelines, it effectively wrote the book and will be commenting that those Guidelines do not go far enough! The Guidelines provide that independent research providers should not accept stock as compensation, and companies (issuers) are singled out for their own responsibilities not to violate the ethical Guidelines.
The Guidelines also point out that many research providers do not make sufficient SEC Regulation 17(b) disclosures. Investrend Research has been a leader in such disclosures, making them in every publication and every press release, as well as on the research itself, as required by the SEC. So do the other members of the FIRST Research Consortium, all of whom display the Seal signifying their subscription to the Standards and AIMR/NIRI Guidelines.
The message from the SEC, AIMR, NIRI and the FIRST Research Consortium is, before plunking down shareholder money for research coverage, be sure that the coverage is legitimate, standards-based, SEC-compliant and that the provider displays the Seal signifying professionalism that the shareholders can rely upon.
And if you want to be absolutely sure, come to the Independent Research Provider that has the globe's leading distribution, the highest level of ongoing and immediate visibility, easily referenced market response (as an example, TSX Venture: CCB, distributed today by Investrend Research Syndicate already has volume in the first hour equal to its average daily volume), and most importantly, when it comes to Standards, come to the Independent Research Provider that literallly wrote the book.
Click on http://www.investrend.com/contact.asp
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Now It's Getting Personal
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Forget Osama and What’s-His-Name. Forget Inflation. Forget Surprise Earnings. Forget the Jobless Recovery. Forget Finger-Pointing at 9/11. Now it’s getting personal, and we’re not going to take it any more. Retail gas prices are at record levels. There’s a new focus for the consumer, and heaven help the politician, Democrat or Republican, who doesn’t take heed. The average price for regular is at $1.738, a tenth of a cent above the record last summer. Economists can say what they will. Truckers with “I love my mamma” tattoos don’t cotton to no economistology or whatever.
Not when you’re talking about what’s left in the wallet after a trip to the convenience store. OPEC, schmopeck. “Here’s your PEC right here.” The government is predicting prices may hit as high as $1.83 in April and May. Good luck to that government, and good luck to the markets and economy in that environment. A little off the subject, but after 9/11, many Americans began doing internet searches on Al Qaeda and Osama and that gang, and whether or not the government took heed or should have is for someone else to say; but we can attest to the absolute fact that everything about the organization, including organizational diagrams and what it was up to had been laid out in pretty intensive detail for any CIA or FBI or White House person in either administration who could type and had access to the internet.
The Investrend Earnings Calendar today focuses on Merix (NASDAQ: MERX), expected at $0.09 versus $(0.25) a year ago, Micron Technology (NYSE: MU), at $(0.07) versus $(0.83), Robbins & Myers (NYSE: RBN), at $0.05 versus $0.21, and Sonic Corp (NASDAQ: SONC), at $0.23 versus $0.20.
The Investrend Economic Calendar features Durable Goods Orders for February at 8:30 a.m., expected at 1.2%, New Home Sales for February at 10 a.m., expected at 1.10M, and Treasury auctions of 2-year notes. The Fed's Guynn speaks on Economic Outlook in Johnson City, Tennessee, the Fed's Minehan speaks to Money Marketeers in New York, and the Fed's Parry speaks in Portland at the Annual CEO Roundtable.
The Investrend Global Financial Event Calendar showcases the Investrend / Corporate Forum presentation in Kansas City by Bioenvision (AMEX: BIV), Applied Materials Annual Meeting in Santa Clara, CIBC World Markets North American Real Estate Equities Conference in Toronto, Ontario, High Performance Amplifiers Seminar in Santa Clara, USDC Display Industry Investment Conference, and the Wells Fargo Securities Healthcare Conference. Two stock splits are on tap, Corinthian Colleges (NASDAQ: COCO), 2-1, and Asta Funding (NASDAQ: ASFI), 2-1.
The Investrend Money Indice is an indicator of the depth of market direction or indirection. While not always including the same stocks, the NYSE / NASDAQ 50 Most Actives indicate the direction in which the mass of money is flowing. Tuesday’s Investrend “money stocks” showed 24 advancers versus 26 decliners. The advancers were led by PalmOne, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLMO), up 29.99%, Winn-Dixie Stores (NYSE: WIN), ahead 9.93%, Elan Corp. (NYSE: ELN), up 7.07%, and Taiwan Semi (NYSE: TSM), ahead 6.45%. The decliners were led by Proxim Corp. (NASDAQ: PROX), down 24.48%, Sonus Networks (NASDAQ: SONS), off 8.02%, and Calpine Corp. (NYSE: CPN), down 6.39%.
These conditions may impact the conference calls on tap today on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls. Conference call details are at Investrend Broadcast at http://www.investrendbroadcast.com
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FinancialWire is an independent, proprietary news service of Investrend Information, a division of Investrend Communications, Inc. It is not a press release service and receives no compensation for its news or opinions. Additionally, Investrend provides a wide range of forums, independent research and webcasting platforms for shareholder empowerment. For more information or to receive the FirstAlert daily summary of news, commentary, research reports, webcasts, events and conference calls, click on http://www.investrend.com/contact.asp
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NEWSFLASH
The National Investor Relations Institute (www.niri.org), and the Association for Investment Management and Research (www.aimr.org) have just issued a joint proposal for guidelines that endorse STANDARDS-BASED independent research. The Standards enumerated by the two organizations have been in practice by Investrend Research since it pioneered fee-based research eight years ago, and incorporated into the "Standards for Independent Research Providers" previously promulgated by the FIRST Research Consortium (www.firstresearchconsortium.com).
It is more important than ever for your research provider to display this seal:
To see what your shareholders are asking, click on:
http://www.investrend.com/Admin/Topics/Articles/Resources/533_1078076018.doc
For info click on http://www.investrend.com/contact.asp
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CON-SPACE Initiated at ‘Buy,’ C$1.43 Fair Value by Investrend Affiliate Fundamental Research
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) (Investrend Research Syndicate) Investrend Research affiliate Fundamental Research Corp. has initiated coverage of CON-SPACE Communications Ltd. (TSX Venture: CCB) with a “Buy 2 (Below Average Risk)” rating and fair value of C$1.43.
SCO Group Threatens Government; Government So Far More Tolerant
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) The SCO Group (NASDAQ: SCOX) so far hasn’t targeted the Internal Revenue Service, or perhaps, vice versa, but it hasn’t hesitated to threaten other agencies of the government. It has told the government: "If you fail to respond to our efforts to pursue a licensing arrangement, WE WILL TURN YOUR NAME OVER TO OUR OUTSIDE COUNSEL FOR CONSIDERATION OF LEGAL ACTION."
Tyco Jurors Fixated on ‘Criminal Intent,’ No Verdict Yet
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) The jurors hearing the case against two former Tyco International (NYSE: TYC) executives seem to be fixated on “criminal intent.”
FOR FULL ARTICLES AND UP-TO-THE-MINUTE NEWS, VISIT: http://www.financialwire.net
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States Cutting Back on Tobacco Health Programs; Otherwise Funds Could Dry Up. Huh?
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) It wasn’t supposed to work this way but the reality is that states have become not only dependent on the $246 billion tobacco settlement but for all practical purposes are now partners with the companies.
International Monetary Agrees to Purchase California Barter Exchange
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) International Monetary Systems, Ltd. (OTCBB :INLM) says it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the assets and client base of California Barter Exchange (CBX), a well-known trade exchange serving clients in Modesto, Fresno and Stockton, CA.
LocatePlus Signs Deal With Bangor Airport Police Department
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) LocatePLUS Holdings Corp. (OTCBB: LPLHA) has been awarded an exclusive, long-term government contract with the police department that services the Bangor Maine International Airport.
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Sonoran Energy Promotes Ostenfeld-Rosenthal to CEO
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Sonoran Energy, Inc. (OTCBB: SNRN) has promoted Peter Ostenfeld-Rosenthal to President and CEO. He had been Energy's Chief Operating Officer since January.
Bioenvision Presenting at Kansas City Investrend / Corporate Forum Today
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Bioenvision (AMEX: BIV) will be featured in eight Corporate Forum events, co-sponsored by Investrend Forums (http://www.investrendforums.com) over the next three weeks.
ValuEngine Upgrades AmeriCredit, Phoenix, RCM to ‘5’ Rating
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) (Investrend Research Syndicate) ValuEngine, Inc. (www.ValuEngine.com) has upgraded two companies, including AmeriCredit Corp (NYSE: ACF), Presidential Life Corp (NASDAQ: PLFE), Phoenix Companies Inc (NYSE: PNX), and RCM Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: RCMT) to a “5” rating, its highest.
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MIVT Therapeutics Raises $2.34 Million to Complete Research
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) MIV Therapeutics OTCBB: MIVT) said it has raised funds necessary for completion of the next stage of its research and development program leading towards commercialization of its proprietary biocompatible coating technology developed for cardiovascular stents and other medical devices.
Project Group Shareholders Agree to Stock Lock-Ups
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) The Project Group Inc. (OTCBB: PJTG) said it has negotiated "lock up" agreements with key shareholders representing over 65% of the Company's common stock in conjunction with the equity investment announced on March 9, 2004.
Troubling Selective Disclosures of Research Ratings Intensifies on Wall Street
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Selective disclosures of research to institutions and then secondarily to individual investors, sometimes a day or two later, allowing money managers, hedge funds, and brokerage clients to in effect “front-run” individual investors has intensified. In almost every instance, individual investors are also not given access to the full reports received by the institutions and brokerage clients. The latest selective disclosures, subsequently distributed by McGraw-Hill’s (NYSE: MHP) Standard & Poor’s via its BusinessWeek magazine unit were for PalmOne (NASDAQ: PLMO), Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Digital Insight (NASDAQ: DGIN).
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Troubling Selective Disclosures of Research Ratings Intensifies on Wall Street
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Selective disclosures of research to institutions and then secondarily to individual investors, sometimes a day or two later, allowing money managers, hedge funds, and brokerage clients to in effect “front-run” individual investors has intensified. In almost every instance, individual investors are also not given access to the full reports received by the institutions and brokerage clients. The latest selective disclosures, subsequently distributed by New Ratings, includes Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR), BEA Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: BEAS), and Inter Parfums Inc (NASDAQ: IPAR).
Troubling Selective Disclosures of Research Ratings Intensifies on Wall Street
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Selective disclosures of research to institutions and then secondarily to individual investors, sometimes a day or two later, allowing money managers, hedge funds, and brokerage clients to in effect “front-run” individual investors has intensified. In almost every instance, individual investors are also not given access to the full reports received by the institutions and brokerage clients. The latest selective disclosures, subsequently distributed by the Globe and Mail and by Investars, include Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE) and Apple Computers (NASDAQ: APPL).
First-Alert: 8-9 a.m. Investrend / Bestcalls
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Conference calls scheduled during the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. period on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls include Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN), Signet Group plc (ADR) SIGY), Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CBST).
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First-Alert: 10 a.m. Investrend / Bestcalls
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Conference calls scheduled during the 10 a.m. period on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls include Richardson Electronics (NASDAQ: RELL), H.B. (NASDAQ: Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL), Public Service Enterprise (NYSE: PEG).
First-Alert: 11-12:30 p.m. Investrend / Bestcalls
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Conference calls scheduled during the 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. period on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls include Kerr-McGee Corporation (NYSE: KMG), LNR Property Corp. (NYSE: LNR), Microtel International In (NASDAQ: MCTL), PolyOne Corporation (NYSE: POL).
First-Alert: 2-3 p.m. Investrend / Bestcalls
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Conference calls scheduled during the 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. period on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls include Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), Daugherty Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: NGAS), Photon Dynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHTN).
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First-Alert: 4 p.m. Investrend / Bestcalls
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Conference calls scheduled during the 4 p.m. period on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls include Advantage Marketing Syste (NYSE: AMM), Polyair Inter Pack Inc. (NYSE: PPK), Juno Lighting, Inc. (NASDAQ: JUNO).
First-Alert: 5 p.m. Investrend / Bestcalls
March 24, 2004. (FinancialWire) Conference calls scheduled during the 5 p.m. period on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls include EXFO Electro-Optical Engi (NASDAQ: EXFO), Merix Corporation (NASDAQ: MERX), REMEC, Inc. (NASDAQ: REMC), Martin Midstream Partners (NASDAQ: MMLP).
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FinancialWire is an independent, proprietary news service of Investrend Information, a division of Investrend Communications, Inc. Investrend provides a wide range of forums, independent research and webcasting platforms for shareholder empowerment. For more information, Investrend may be contacted at http://www.investrend.com/contact.asp
For more info about many of the companies above, click on its InvestorPower [tm] page at http://www.investrend.com/company/list.asp?sPathParam=yes
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Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by the ATNG, but has an open invoice for $21,625 remaining on account. Enrollment fees for Focus coverage were $2,840, and the fees were paid by Westport Strategic Partners, Inc., which had a marketing relationship with Environmental Power. Enrollment fees for Benchmark coverage were $1,195 per month, and the fees were paid by the MacReport, which had a marketing relationship with T&G2, for six months. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Warrentech Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by AVI BioPharma. Enrollment fees for institutional coverage was $1,950 per month, and the fees were paid by Cyber Digital. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Centrex. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage are $25,800, and the fees are paid by Retractable Technologies. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Chartwell. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Rockport Healthcare. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Delta Apparel. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, but after the conversion to a Benchmark single report platform, Discover Capital Holdings paid a total of $8,350. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Osatron Holdings Corp., which is believed to have been a key shareholder, except for an open invoice of $18,000 to the InstaPay and Osatron on account. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400 per annum, and the fees were paid by Unversal Express for two years. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400 per annum, and the fees were paid by the The Investor Relations Company, which had a marketing relationship with Isonics Corp., for six months. The fee for Fundamental’s standard coverage is $25,000, and the fee is being paid by Resin Systems. Enrollment fees for the Institutional Research platform is $28,300 per annum. ONE Signature has paid eResearch a fee of C$15,000 to conduct continuous research on ONE Signature Financial. Enrollment fees for “Company of the Week” webcasts are $2,840.00. These enrollment fees were paid by Providential Holdings. At the time of enrollment fees for Benchmark coverage were $1,195 per month, and the fees have been paid by Stockgroup Information for two years. PilaGold has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 3,745 to conduct research on it. At the time of enrollment, enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by the VirTra Systems, Inc. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $1,950 per month, and the fees were paid by Scientific Games for six months. Enrollment fees for Benchmark coverage are $14,800, and the fees were paid by Heartland Oil & Gas. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $28,300, and the fees were paid International Monetary Systems. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by AdStar. Enrollment fees for Benchmark coverage are $14,800, and the fees were paid by Ceristar. There were no additional fees associated with the broadcast. Enrollment fees for Benchmark coverage are $1,230 per month, and for the webcast platform, $2,840 total, and the fees were paid by Invisa. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid Investor Communications International, which provided investor relations to Petrogen, except there is an open invoice for $16,800. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by HSPC. Enrollment fees for Focus coverage, plus a webcast were $5,940, and the fees were paid by Strategic Alternatives, Inc., which had a marketing relationship with Hy-Tech. Enrollment fees for Benchmark coverage are $14,800, and the fees were paid by Gastar. There were no additional fees for the webcast. The fee for SISM coverage was $16,500, and the fees were paid by MIV Therapeutics to SISM. Enrollment fees for Focus coverage are $2,840, and Company of the Week are $2,840, and the fees were paid by Atlantic Synergy. Freewest Resources Canada Inc. has paid eResearch a fee of $CAN 3,745 to conduct research on FWR. Wits Basin Inc. has paid eResearch a fee of $CAN 3,745 to conduct research. AfriOre Ltd. has paid eResearch a fee of $CAN 4,066 to conduct research on AFO. The fee for Fundamental’s standard coverage is $25,000, and the fee is being paid by Datec Group Ltd. Zaruma Resources Inc. has paid eResearch a fee of C$4,066 to conduct research on ZMR. Enrollment fees for the Focus Research platform is $2,840, and enrollment in the Investrend Broadcast “Company of the Week™” platform is $2,840. These enrollment fees are being paid by LocatePLUS. Enrollment fees for the Institutional Research platform is $25,800 per annum. These enrollment fees are being paid by Semotus Solutions. IMI International Medical has paid eResearch a fee of $45,000 to conduct continuous research on IMI for one year. OnX has paid eResearch a fee of $4,200 for research. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Media Sciences. Burcon NutraScience has paid eResearch an annual fee of $29,800 for research. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage was $17,500 per annum, and the fees were paid by AlphaTrade.com. Enrollment fees for the Institutional Research platform is $14,800 per annum. Enrollment fees for “Company of the Week” webcasts are $2,840.00. These enrollment fees are being paid by Far East Energy. Broadview Press Inc. has paid a fee of C$4,280 to Fundamental Research for Institutional Coverage. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,400, and the fees were paid by Vasogen. Trio Gold has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 4,066 to conduct research on it. The fee for SISM coverage was $3,500 and the fee is being paid by GlobeMedia AG, Delta Petroleum's European IR company. Gossan Resources has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 4,066 to conduct research on it. Northern Shield has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 3,800 to conduct research on it. Alpha Gold has paid eResearch a fee of C$7,000 to conduct research on it. Lund Gold has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 4,173 to conduct research on it. Virginia Gold Mines has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 3,800 to conduct research on it. OPENLIMIT paid SISM Research a retainer of $6,750, plus $1,750 per month over a two-year period to provide independent coverage. Fundamental’s standard fee for coverage is $25,000, and Bevo Agra has paid Fundamental’s fee. Radius has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 3,500 to conduct research on it. Dominion has agreed to pay eResearch a fee of C$30,000 to conduct continuous research on Dominion for one year. WorldHeart has agreed to pay eResearch a fee of $US 10,000 to conduct research on WorldHeart. Enrollment fees for the Institutional Research platform is $28,300 per annum. Enrollment fees for “Company of the Week” webcasts are $2,840.00. These enrollment fees are being paid by Rascals International, Inc. Beaufield Consolidated Resources has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 3,800 to conduct research on it. International PetroReal Oil Corporation paid SISM Research a retainer of $5,000, plus $1,750 per month over a two-year period solely to ensure independent coverage. Enrollment fees for the Creative Gaming Focus Research platform is $3,640. These enrollment fees have been paid by Gary Cella, a non-affiliated individual. Orphan Boy Resources has paid eResearch a fee of C$3,900 to conduct research on it. Enrollment fees for Institutional coverage were $23,000 per annum, and the fees were paid by Direct Insite. Enrollment fees for the Institutional Research platform are up to $28,300. The Project Group is paying the fees. Enrollment fees in the Investrend Broadcast Company of the Week platform is $2,840. These enrollment fees have been paid by Air-Q Wi-Fi. Enrollment fees for the Focus Research platform are $3,640. These fees were paid by Titanium Corp. Enrollment fees for the Focus Research platform is $2,840. These enrollment fees have been paid by Veltex. The fee for Fundamental’s standard coverage is $25,000, and a fee is being paid by Resverlogix. Boxxer Gold has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 4,300 to conduct research on it. Barker Minerals has paid eResearch a fee of C$ 4,000 to conduct research on it. Foran paid eResearch a fee of C$ 3,800 to conduct research on it. The fee for Fundamental’s standard coverage is $25,000, and a fee is being paid by Con-Space Communications. Sonoroan Energy, as Show-Star, paid Investrend !7,500 for coverage in 2000.
Daniel Webster (1782-1852) Statesman, lawyer, orator. Born in Salisbury NH. Graduated Dartmouth 1801. Opened legal practice in Portsmouth NH in 1807. As the Federal party candidate elected to the US House of Representatives,opposed to the war of 1812. After two terms, left Congress and moved to Boston. Won major constitutional cases before the Supreme Court, establishing himself as the nation's leadinglawyer.. In 1823, returned to Congress from Boston, and in 1827 elected senator from Massachusetts. .Joined the Republican party, allied with Henry Clay. Webster and President Andrew Jackson joined forces in 1833 to suppress South Carolina's attempt to nullify the tariff. In 1841, President William Henry Harrison named Webster secretary of state. The death of Harrison (April 1841) brought John Tyler to the presidency, and in September 1841 all the Whigs but Webster resigned from the cabinet. He remained to settle a dispute with Great Britain on the Maine-Canada boundary and successfully concluded the WEBSTER-ASHBURTON TREATY (1842). Whig pressure finally induced Webster to leave the cabinet in May 1843. Opposing the annexation of Texas in 1845 and the war with Mexico he feared the dissolution of the Union. In a powerful Senate speech on Mar. 7 1850, he supported the COMPROMISE OF 1850, denouncing Southern threats of secession but urging Northern support for the recovery of fugitive slaves. Named secretary of state in July 1850 by President Millard Fillmore.Webster's stand alienated antislavery forces and divided the Whig party, but it helped preserve the Union.
http://www.hungary.ciw.edu/kossuth/webster.html
A computer was something on TV
From a science fiction show of note
A window was something you hated to clean
And ram was the cousin of a goat.
Meg was the name of a girlfriend
And gig was a job for the nights
Now they all mean different things
And that really mega bytes.
An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano.
Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account
And if you had a 3-inch floppy
You hoped nobody found out.
Compress was something you did to the garbage
Not something you did to a file
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in iHub's jail for a while.
Log on was adding wood to the fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a Minnie & Mickey lived
And a backup happened to your commode.
Cut, you did with a pocket knife
Paste, you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu.
I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
But when it happens they WISH they were dead.
Source unknown.
Mad Scientist
A Scientist who didn't get paid for his work.
A man who says that no patriot should attack the war until it is over...is saying no good son should warn his mother of a cliff until she has fallen.
– G. K. Chesterton
DK Equities Confirms Buy Rating on United Technologies
Dan Kurz,CFA,confirmed after the analysts meeting in NYC, " UTX,as just proved by the recently ended aerospace downturn, is a company well positioned to sustain earnings power and maintain high ROI".
(PRWEB) March 23, 2004 -- United Technologies is a globally diversified industrial company focused on commercial infrastructure (Carrier HVAC, Otis elevator systems, and Chubb security systems), jet engines and spares (Pratt & Whitney), and flight systems (HamiltonSunstrand/Sikorsky).
Otis is big in China. China is installing approximately 80,000 elevators a year currently.
It is estimated that in 25 years Chinas population will be 60% urban as opposed to 29% today. Based on population density studies, this suggests 10m elevators will need to be installed. If we cut this in half our estimate becomes 200k annually making Otis’ market share 60,000 installations. Add to this, improved service revenue at higher margins and include Russia and the rest of Asia and you have very good growth prospects.
In a broader sense lets look at UTX’s earnings/growth (versus the S & P 500), which is what investors buy. Lets use GAAP for the period 2000-’03. UTX EPS grew by 32.1% or 9.7% per year while dividends increased by 37.3% or 11.2% per annum. Over the same period S & P 500 EPS declined by 1.8% while cash dividends per share grew by 2.2% or .6% p.a. While the 500’s earnings per share growth compares poorly to UTX the volatility of those earnings is tremendous. Going from $50.00 in ’00 to $24.69 in ’01 and from $27.59 in ’02 to 49.08 in ’03 and a forecasted 52.30 in ’04.This means trading at a multiple of 21.2x as opposed to UTX’s 16.1 multiple.
In summary, United Tech offers better, more stable earnings per share growth and higher dividend increases while sporting a discount to the S & P 500 P/E. We feel this implies better relative and absolute stock performance over time.
We confirm our buy rating on United Technologies shares.
DK Equities provides independent, buy side research focused on investor needs.With no investment banking ties DK Equities offers a truly unbiased disciplined approach to primary research.
Contrarian Michael Steinhardt
BY DOUG TSURUOKA
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Michael Steinhardt was a contrarian almost from day one.
As a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s, he rooted for baseball's New York Giants, rather than Brooklyn's beloved Dodgers.
It was a good way to earn you a black eye in Bensonhurst, the Italian-Jewish neighborhood where he grew up. But Steinhardt was unfazed.
In fact, he made a career out of going against the grain. Steinhardt is considered one of the most successful hedge fund managers on Wall Street ever. Over his three decades as a hedge fund manager, he amassed a fortune — for his investors and himself.
One dollar invested with Steinhardt Partners LP, his flagship hedge fund, at its launch in 1967 would have been worth $481 when Steinhardt retired in 1995.
Now 63, he's made his mark as an equally successful philanthropist active in Jewish-related charities.
He's given a total of $100 million to numerous Jewish causes through the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation, a personal charity he created in 1995.
One achievement he's proud of: spearheading a program that sends Jewish kids from the U.S. to Israel to develop a deeper understanding of their culture. Acceptance to the program means a free, 10-day trip to Israel. He says some people thought it was a waste of money when he started. But Steinhardt had a hunch it would work.
He's since been proved right. His program has sent more than 60,000 youths to Israel to discover their roots. It's one of more than 50 programs he's funded in the hopes of creating a renaissance in American Jewish life.
Steinhardt got used to taking opposing knocks in the tough Brooklyn neighborhood where he learned about life.
His parents divorced when he was a year old. His father, whom he saw irregularly, was a full-time gambler who played cards and horses.
His father paid support. His mother also kept a roof over their heads by riding the subway to Manhattan every day to work as a bookkeeper.
"I had a love-hate relationship with my father," Steinhardt said. "He was a bit ornery and had a terrible temper. But when I was with him, I paid great attention to him."
Despite sometimes-strained relations, it was his father who was behind an event that changed Steinhardt's life forever.
The Gift That Keeps Giving
When Steinhardt reached the age of 13 and had his bar mitzvah at a local synagogue, his father did something highly unusual. He gave Steinhardt stock certificates of 100 shares each in two companies — Columbia Gas System and Penn Dixie Cement — worth a total of $5,300.
His father had been gambling with some stockbrokers, and the stock was part of his winnings.
"My father said, 'Here — this is my bar mitzvah present to you.' It was an extraordinary gift," said Steinhardt. "This is what triggered my interest in the stock market. From that day, the market became my love, my avocation."
Inspired by his father's gift and his mother's hard work, Steinhardt decided to throw his energy into studying the markets. As a teen-ager and through college, he hunkered down with investors at New York brokerages and watched the ticker tape. He boned up on stocks in his spare time and became a knowledgeable investor by his late teens.
When he graduated high school at 16 in 1957, Steinhardt planned to attend a local campus of the City University where tuition was free. Instead, his father urged him to go to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania — and offered to pay for it.
Steinhardt cracked the books hard at Wharton, and finished at the age of 19 — in three rather than four years. He then turned his energy toward his true passion — investing.
His success as a hedge fund manager and picker of hot stocks is legendary. He carefully tracked economic trends, plus knows that sometimes you have to act boldly.
Believing that the '80s economy would weaken faster than expected and cause a big fall in interest rates, he poured all his money into bonds in 1981.
His fund investors almost panicked. But Steinhardt kept betting on Treasury bonds — scoring an instant 60% gain as interest rates cracked and bond prices shot up.
The Steinhardt Six
Steinhardt says he used six rules to become a successful hedge fund manager.
"The first rule is make all your mistakes early in life," he said. He says the more tough lessons you learn early on, the fewer errors you make later.
Steinhardt says one of his big mistakes as a young investor was to be too trusting with brokers who were trying to sell him bad stocks. He said he lost "a lot of money" in his early days before he learned to be more cautious.
His second rule? Always make your living doing something you enjoy. "This way, you devote your full intensity to it," Steinhardt said.
The third rule is always be intellectually competitive. This involves doing constant research on subjects that make you money.
The trick, he says, in plowing through such data is to be able to sense change coming in a situation before anyone else.
Steinhardt's fourth rule is try to make good decisions even with incomplete information. In the real world, he argues, investors never have all the data they need before they put their money at risk.
"In my career, there would be days when I had to make innumerable trading decisions. You never have all the information you need. But there's a way to make judgments with incomplete data, and I was good at that," he said.
One way to do that: Do your homework and focus on the facts that matter most in any investing situation.
Steinhardt's fifth rule: Always trust your intuition. For him, intuition is more than just whimsy. He says intuition resembles a hidden supercomputer in the mind that you're not even aware is there. It can help you do the right thing at the right time if you give it a chance.
"Intuition for me is the accumulation of an experience that can't be easily articulated, but that is very broad and deep and allowed me to avoid the mistakes I had already made in my career," Steinhardt said.
Steinhardt's sixth rule: Don't make small investments.
"You only have so much time and energy," he said. "Do things that matter, that really count."
"Document links Saddam, bin Laden
By GILBERT S. MERRITT
For The Tennessean Wednesday, 06/25/03
Federal appellate Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of Nashville is in Iraq as one of 13 experts selected by the U.S. Justice Department to help rebuild Iraq's judicial system.
Merritt, 67, has made trips to Russia and India to work with their judicial systems. He has been sending periodic reports to The Tennessean about his experiences in Iraq and filed this dispatch recently:
Through an unusual set of circumstances, I have been given documentary evidence of the names and positions of the 600 closest people in Iraq to Saddam Hussein, as well as his ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden.
I am looking at the document as I write this story from my hotel room overlooking the Tigris River in Baghdad.
One of the lawyers with whom I have been working for the past five weeks had come to me and asked me whether a list of the 600 people closest to Saddam Hussein would be of any value now to the Americans.
I said, yes, of course. He said that the list contained not only the names of the 55 'deck of cards' players who have already been revealed, but also 550 others.
When I began questioning him about the list, how he obtained it and what else it showed, he asked would it be of interest to the Americans to know that Saddam had an ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden.
I said yes, the Americans have, so far as I am aware, have never been able to prove that relationship, but the president and others have said that they believe it exists. He said, 'Well, judge, there is no doubt it exists, and I will bring you the proof tomorrow.'
So today he brought me the proof, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is right.
The document shows that an Iraqi intelligence officer, Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, assigned to the Iraq embassy in Pakistan, is 'responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group.'
The document shows that it was written over the signature of Uday Saddam Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein. The story of how the document came about is as follows.
Saddam gave Uday authority to control all press and media outlets in Iraq. Uday was the publisher of the Babylon Daily Political Newspaper.
On the front page of the paper's four-page edition for Nov. 14, 2002, there was a picture of Osama bin Laden speaking, next to which was a picture of Saddam and his 'Revolutionary Council,' together with stories about Israeli tanks attacking a group of Palestinians.
On the back page was a story headlined 'List of Honor.' In a box below the headline was 'A list of men we publish for the public.' The lead sentence refers to a list of 'regime persons' with their names and positions.
The list has 600 names and titles in three columns. It contains, for example, the names of the important officials who are members of Saddam's family, such as Uday, and then other high officials, including the 55 American 'deck of cards' Iraqi officials, some of whom have been apprehended.
Halfway down the middle column is written: 'Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, intelligence officer responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group at the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan.' (For more about the list, see accompanying article on this page.)
The lawyer who brought the newspaper to me, Samir, and another lawyer with whom I have been working, Zuhair, translated the Arabic words and described what had happened in Baghdad the day it was published.
Samir bought his paper at a newsstand at around 8 a.m. Within two hours, the Iraqi intelligence officers were going by every newsstand in Baghdad and confiscating the papers. They also went to the home of every person who they were told received a paper that day and confiscated it.
The other lawyer, Zuhair, who was the counsel for the Arab League in Baghdad, did not receive delivery of his paper that day. He called his vendor, who told him that there would be no paper that day, a singular occurrence he could not explain.
For the next 10 days, the paper was not published at all. Samir's newspaper was not confiscated and he retained it because it contained this interesting 'Honor Roll of 600' of the people closest to the regime.
The only explanation for this strange set of events, according to the Iraqi lawyers, is that Uday, an impulsive and somewhat unbalanced individual, decided to publish this honor roll at a time when the regime was under worldwide verbal attack in the press, especially by us. It would, he thought, make them more loyal and supportive of the regime.
His father was furious, knowing that it revealed information about his supporters that should remain secret.
For example, at the same time this was published, Saddam was denying that he had any relationship with Osama. Therefore Saddam had all the papers confiscated, and he ordered that publication of the paper be stopped for 10 days.
That is the story of the 'Honor Roll of 600,' and why I believe that President Bush was right when he alleged that Saddam was in cahoots with Osama and was coordinating activities with him.
It does not prove that they engaged together in any particular act of terror against the United States.
But it seems to me to be strong proof that the two were in contact and conspiring to perform terrorist acts.
Up until this time, I have been skeptical about these claims. Now I have changed my mind. There is, however, one big problem remaining: They are both still at large and the combined forces of the free world have been unable to find them.
Until we find and capture them, they will remain a threat — Saddam with the remnants of his army and supporters in combination with the worldwide terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden.
http://www.tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908297.shtml?Element_ID=34908297
Will Saddam Confess his Sins at the War Crimes Trial?
"the great whore that sitteth upon many waters...
arrayed in purple and scarlet...is that great city,
which reigneth over kings of the earth...
and in her was found the blood of the prophets,
and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Revelation 17:1, 4, 18; 18:24
Whom the gods destroy will first make made with power./b]
Who knows where that quote came from? I don't.
Puzzling passage precedes list of top Iraqi officials
The newspaper list of top Iraqi officials that Judge Merritt describes in the accompanying article was also the subject of a mid-May report in the Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine. The list, published in an Iraqi newspaper before the U.S. invasion, has received little public attention elsewhere.
The magazine noted, as did Merritt, that one person on the list was characterized as being in charge of relations with Osama bin Laden at the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan. The magazine also mentioned that the list was prefaced by this puzzling passage:
'This is a list of the henchmen of the regime. Our hands will reach them sooner or later. Woe unto them.'
Since the list was published in a newspaper run by Saddam Hussein's son, it was not clear why this passage would have been allowed to appear.
Officials at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA were asked by Gannett News Service for comment yesterday on the list.
Both agencies said they were aware of the list but declined to comment on its status or authenticity.
'There are innumerable lists,' said one official at the Defense Intelligence Agency, who declined to be identified for publication. 'So you have to ask what does it mean to be on this list? It takes time to sort through all this. People give names all over the place.'
http://tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908298.shtml?Element_ID=34908298
There is the other side of the coin..."
"Document links Saddam, bin Laden
By GILBERT S. MERRITT
For The Tennessean Wednesday, 06/25/03
Federal appellate Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of Nashville is in Iraq as one of 13 experts selected by the U.S. Justice Department to help rebuild Iraq's judicial system.
Merritt, 67, has made trips to Russia and India to work with their judicial systems. He has been sending periodic reports to The Tennessean about his experiences in Iraq and filed this dispatch recently:
Through an unusual set of circumstances, I have been given documentary evidence of the names and positions of the 600 closest people in Iraq to Saddam Hussein, as well as his ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden.
I am looking at the document as I write this story from my hotel room overlooking the Tigris River in Baghdad.
One of the lawyers with whom I have been working for the past five weeks had come to me and asked me whether a list of the 600 people closest to Saddam Hussein would be of any value now to the Americans.
I said, yes, of course. He said that the list contained not only the names of the 55 'deck of cards' players who have already been revealed, but also 550 others.
When I began questioning him about the list, how he obtained it and what else it showed, he asked would it be of interest to the Americans to know that Saddam had an ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden.
I said yes, the Americans have, so far as I am aware, have never been able to prove that relationship, but the president and others have said that they believe it exists. He said, 'Well, judge, there is no doubt it exists, and I will bring you the proof tomorrow.'
So today he brought me the proof, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is right.
The document shows that an Iraqi intelligence officer, Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, assigned to the Iraq embassy in Pakistan, is 'responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group.'
The document shows that it was written over the signature of Uday Saddam Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein. The story of how the document came about is as follows.
Saddam gave Uday authority to control all press and media outlets in Iraq. Uday was the publisher of the Babylon Daily Political Newspaper.
On the front page of the paper's four-page edition for Nov. 14, 2002, there was a picture of Osama bin Laden speaking, next to which was a picture of Saddam and his 'Revolutionary Council,' together with stories about Israeli tanks attacking a group of Palestinians.
On the back page was a story headlined 'List of Honor.' In a box below the headline was 'A list of men we publish for the public.' The lead sentence refers to a list of 'regime persons' with their names and positions.
The list has 600 names and titles in three columns. It contains, for example, the names of the important officials who are members of Saddam's family, such as Uday, and then other high officials, including the 55 American 'deck of cards' Iraqi officials, some of whom have been apprehended.
Halfway down the middle column is written: 'Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, intelligence officer responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group at the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan.' (For more about the list, see accompanying article on this page.)
The lawyer who brought the newspaper to me, Samir, and another lawyer with whom I have been working, Zuhair, translated the Arabic words and described what had happened in Baghdad the day it was published.
Samir bought his paper at a newsstand at around 8 a.m. Within two hours, the Iraqi intelligence officers were going by every newsstand in Baghdad and confiscating the papers. They also went to the home of every person who they were told received a paper that day and confiscated it.
The other lawyer, Zuhair, who was the counsel for the Arab League in Baghdad, did not receive delivery of his paper that day. He called his vendor, who told him that there would be no paper that day, a singular occurrence he could not explain.
For the next 10 days, the paper was not published at all. Samir's newspaper was not confiscated and he retained it because it contained this interesting 'Honor Roll of 600' of the people closest to the regime.
The only explanation for this strange set of events, according to the Iraqi lawyers, is that Uday, an impulsive and somewhat unbalanced individual, decided to publish this honor roll at a time when the regime was under worldwide verbal attack in the press, especially by us. It would, he thought, make them more loyal and supportive of the regime.
His father was furious, knowing that it revealed information about his supporters that should remain secret.
For example, at the same time this was published, Saddam was denying that he had any relationship with Osama. Therefore Saddam had all the papers confiscated, and he ordered that publication of the paper be stopped for 10 days.
That is the story of the 'Honor Roll of 600,' and why I believe that President Bush was right when he alleged that Saddam was in cahoots with Osama and was coordinating activities with him.
It does not prove that they engaged together in any particular act of terror against the United States.
But it seems to me to be strong proof that the two were in contact and conspiring to perform terrorist acts.
Up until this time, I have been skeptical about these claims. Now I have changed my mind. There is, however, one big problem remaining: They are both still at large and the combined forces of the free world have been unable to find them.
Until we find and capture them, they will remain a threat — Saddam with the remnants of his army and supporters in combination with the worldwide terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden.
http://www.tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908297.shtml?Element_ID=34908297
Will Saddam Confess his Sins at the War Crimes Trial?
"the great whore that sitteth upon many waters...
arrayed in purple and scarlet...is that great city,
which reigneth over kings of the earth...
and in her was found the blood of the prophets,
and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Revelation 17:1, 4, 18; 18:24
Whom the gods destroy will first make made with power./b]
Who knows where that quote came from? I don't.
Puzzling passage precedes list of top Iraqi officials
The newspaper list of top Iraqi officials that Judge Merritt describes in the accompanying article was also the subject of a mid-May report in the Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine. The list, published in an Iraqi newspaper before the U.S. invasion, has received little public attention elsewhere.
The magazine noted, as did Merritt, that one person on the list was characterized as being in charge of relations with Osama bin Laden at the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan. The magazine also mentioned that the list was prefaced by this puzzling passage:
'This is a list of the henchmen of the regime. Our hands will reach them sooner or later. Woe unto them.'
Since the list was published in a newspaper run by Saddam Hussein's son, it was not clear why this passage would have been allowed to appear.
Officials at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA were asked by Gannett News Service for comment yesterday on the list.
Both agencies said they were aware of the list but declined to comment on its status or authenticity.
'There are innumerable lists,' said one official at the Defense Intelligence Agency, who declined to be identified for publication. 'So you have to ask what does it mean to be on this list? It takes time to sort through all this. People give names all over the place.'
http://tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908298.shtml?Element_ID=34908298
There is the other side of the coin..."
DailyStocks.com's Launches New Feature - Offers Free OTC Bulletin Board Quotes and Market Activity
DailyStocks.com has just launched the OTC Bulletin Board Section. Until now, finding online information about the market activity of OTC Bulletin Board stocks was very difficult. With DailyStocks.com's OTCBB section, finding price gainers, new highs, percent gainers of stocks traded in the bulletin board has never become easier.
(PRWEB) March 24, 2004 -- DailyStocks.com has just launched the OTC Bulletin Board Section. Until now, finding online information about the market activity of OTC Bulletin Board stocks was very difficult. With DailyStocks.com's OTCBB section, finding price gainers, new highs, percent gainers of stocks traded in the bulletin board has never become easier. It is also free.
The OTC Bulletin Board®(OTCBB) is a regulated quotation service that displays real-time quotes, last-sale prices, and volume information in over-the-counter (OTC) securities. An OTC equity security generally is any equity that is not listed or traded on Nasdaq® or a national securities exchange. OTCBB securities include national, regional, and foreign equity issues, warrants, units, American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), and Direct Participation Programs (DPPs).
2003 was the year where the lowest priced microcap stocks have led the gains in the stock market. Most of the microcaps, nanocaps, and penny stocks trade in the OTC Bulletin Board. In the past, there was no convenient way to find online information about the daily gainers/losers, advancers/decliners of the stocks traded in the OTC Bulletin Board.
By going to www.DailyStocks.com and clicking on OTCBB in the top navigation bar, users can view the price percent gainers, price gainers, new highs, new lows in the OTC Bulletin Board market. Futhermore, users can view what's hot and what's not in the OTCBB by daily activity, weekly activity or monthly activity.
Go to http://www.dailystocks.com/otcbb.htm to view the live activity of the stocks trading in the OTC Bulletin Board. You can also access it via the home page of http://www.dailystocks.com and click on the OTCBB link on the navigation bar.
Quotes from American notables
This page contains a short list of excerpts from speeches, letters, etc., from American notables commenting on Kossuth. (Click on the underlined names for picture and brief biography)
Ambrose C. Kingsland (Mayor of New York City, 1851): "We have proclaimed to the world the inherent and indefeasable right of every nation to choose its own rulers and establish its own laws. Hungary asks us, by the voice of her most gifted and devoted son... the free exercise of that fundamental right... there is no aid... in so holy a cause that the people of the United States will not full grant".
Daniel Webster (Sec. of State, in rejecting the Russo-Austrian demand for Kossuth's extradition from Turkey): "If the blood of Kossuth is taken by an absolute, unqualified, unjustifiable violation of the national law, what will it appease ? What will it pacify ? ... it will return with awful retribution on the heads of those violators of national law and universal justice... if such an act take place, then thrones, and principalities, and powers, must look out for the consequences." Also, (Jan 5, 1852, welcoming Kossuth in Washington): "In Eastern Europe... and on the confines between Europe and Asia there is no political sun in the heavens...The country of which your guest is a native, is a remarkable exception... It ought to be known that Hungary stands out in all that respects free institutions, constitutional government and... love of liberty"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (April 19, 1852, in a letter to Charles Sumner): " Every day brings a new speech by Kossuth - stirring and eloquent. All New York is ablaze with his words... Wonderful power of oratory." (April 30, 1852, in a letter to O.W. Holmes): " wonderful man! to speak so long and so well in a foreign tongue... We were stuck with his dignity ".
Gov. Boutwell (April 27, 1852, in front of the Massachusetts State House): "...the people of Massachusetts...welcome you... greet you as one who has nobly served and suffered in the cause of individual freedom and the rights of states...The moment is near when... your own Hungary (will) welcome you... - and we will welcome Hungary to the family of republican, constitutional, sovereign states".
Ralph Waldo Emerson May 11, 1852, in Concord MA, addressing Kossuth): "We only see in you the angel of freedom...The people of this town ..have been hungry to see the man whose extraordinary eloquence is seconded by...the solidity of his actions. ...man of freedom, you are also man of fate... you are elected by God..to your task..."
Horace Greeley : "of the many popular leaders who were upheaved by the great convulsions of 1848... the world has already definitely assigned the first rank to Louis Kossuth, advocate, deputy, finance minister, and finally governor of Hungary." (part of a three page essay by the founder of the New York "Tribune") and "when an Empire so formidable as the Austrian, ... by soliciting foreign aid... (admits that) it is unable to govern a neighbouring state, it plainly admits that its right to do so..has ceased to exist... Among orators, patriots, statesmen, exiles, he has - living or dead - no superior."
Theodore Roosevelt (addressing a Hungarian-American meeting in 1889): "if you bring into American life the spirit of the heroes of Hungary, you have done your share. There is nothing this country needs more than that there shall be put before its men and its future men - its boys and girls, too - the story of such lives as that of Kossuth".
Also Theodore Roosevelt: (Hungarian parlament, April 2, 1910) "There is no more illustrious history than the history of the Magyar nation... The whole civilized world is indebted to Magyarland for its historic deeds".
Thomas Edison (March 15, 1928, in a letter to the unveiling of the Kossuth statue on New York's Riverside Drive): "Recalls that, as a four year old, he saw Kossuth and "asked a Kossuth hat from his father". (As told by Loránt Hegedûs, biographer).
Sen. Robert Dole (March 15, 1990 at the dedication of the bronze bust in the US Capitol): "...nearly a century after his death, we remember... Kossuth... and celebrate... the democratic idea, to which he dedicated his life... I believe that Louis Kossuth - ...represented in this bust - will be be very much at home here. I am proud to be here today... this dedication... for more than a century he has inspired all those dedicated to freedom".
Rep. Richard Gephardt (March 15 1990, at US Capitol bust dedication): "We ... honor Lajos Kossuth, the father of Hungarian democracy... it took 150 years for his dreams to come true, but ... Hungarians are a patient people."
Pres. George Bush (in a letter at unveiling of bust March 15, 1990): "...the people of Hungary have served as a model... of all freedom loving men and women. We rejoice in the freedom imagined by Louis Kossuth finally being realized..."
Henry Clay (in sympathy with isolationism): "...if we involve ourselves in... European politics... and if... Hungary should go down... where would be the last hope... of freedom throughout the world?"
US Senator Chauncey M. Depew (New York): "There are few scattered moments in life... of significance... when sympathy touches the whole country... and and brings its inhabitants to their feet... Three of these happened in my lifetime: the surrender at Appomatox, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the landing of Kossuth."
US Senator Charles Sumner (Lincoln's contemporary, anti-slavery advocate from Massachusetts):"I remember the landing of Kossuth. The admiration... enthusiasm... love of people... gathering force... during the voyage across the Atlantic... gave him an ovation which only two men had ever received - Washington and Lafayette."
William Cohen, US Secretary of Defense (July 10, 1997, before the Hungarian Parliament) :Almost 150 years ago, after Kossuth's brave effort to liberate Hungary wasbrutally crushed, the United States invited him to visit (...) (and) gave him a hero's welcome, with a100-gun salute (...) the Mayor of New York (...) called Kossuth "the champion of human progress and universal freedom." (...) guest of the President at the White House; (...) invited to (...) the US Congress, As (...) Longfellow said, "Every day brings a new speech by Kossuth -- stirring and eloquent." Kossuth clearly struck a chord in (...) America. And America (...) a chord in Kossuth's heart, As Kossuth said: "The Declaration of Independence cast a ray of consolation over the injured land whose chief is a wandering exile for having dared to imitate you."
Today, in a place of honor in the US Capitol, there stands a bronze bust of Kossuth.
http://www.hungary.ciw.edu/kossuth/quotes.html
Pressure...yes...oh the international pressure and intrigue...
As far as he chooses through his own free will I reckon...
And thee and me are still happ hap happy...
Ditto from a undittohead...
Beam me up Scotty, I need to talk to Dr. Spock so we can teach the children a lesson or two:
Logic and Reason dictates that to get to the truth one must differentiate between facts and opinions in any investigation
Somehow the infinite infinitor of infinities has brought us together to communicate...don't ask how, we won't tell.
After a thousand years of squabling, Hungarians have raised the art of diplomacy to an exact science...watch as the raging political machines are calmed by my presents (double puns intended) not arrogance rules me not...
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=2669019
Don't shoot, I am only the horn blower....kill me now Or-Be One-Kan-Not-Be and the Force Will Never Be With Thee...
Gen. Eric Shinseki told Congress that postwar Iraq would require a large occupation force, that was the end of his military career.A faulty opinion where "large" is a relative force to the infinite forces currently at work
When Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV revealed that the 2003 State of the Union speech contained information known to be false, someone in the White House destroyed his wife's career by revealing that she was a C.I.A. operative.[i/]An opinion containing a fact whereby "destruction" is relative to her current career, nonetheless an act of treason when compared to the facts of law.
The rest can be sorted out as to whether it is opinion or fact by this simple test: Is it an observation of the truth or a statement of one persons view of what happened?
A long list is forthcoming if you do enough research and follow another dictum of logic: Proper sequences of events must be evaluated against the facts, not opinions, to get to the truth.
ENOUGH PEOPLE NOW SEEK AND HAVE COME TO KNOW THE TRUTH, AMERICA WILL BE FREE AGAIN - BUT RIGHT NOW IT IS BEING TORN APART BY POLITICAL DEBATE AND THE MORE LIES FOISTED ON THE PUBLIC FROM THE ENSUING CHAOS THE MORE IT WILL BRING ABOUT A GREATER PERSISTENCE OF THE DEBATE. SOONER OR LATER THE VAST MAJORITY WILL AGREE ON THE TRUTH OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AND AFTER ALL THE NUCLEAR FALLOUT SETTLES, THERE WILL BE A PEAS...PIECE...PEACE THAT LASTS A THOUSAND YEARS.[/B]
Some Predictions:
The 911 Commission will ask Saddam to testify.
Saddam will be brought to trial before the Elections and cleanse his soul by confessing everything.
Isreal will be smacked with a nuclear armed car bomb weapon.
The Pope will die within a year from seven days ago.
Ariel Sharon will resign.
Burlesconi will resign.
Arafat will be dead within a month...
Osama bin Laden died before 911...
A million people will die in the world before the elections.
A billion people will witness an event and confuse their opinions about what happened with the facts, making history difficult to decipher for all our children.
GAG - The initials of the hornblower...grab your whistles and blow harder and louder.
Kossuth and the Hungarian Liberation Fight of 1848
Hungary, having been ruled by the Habsburgs since the 16th century, was often subjugated and treated much like a colony. (There had beeen exceptions..) In an attempt to regain its freedom as a self-governing country, in 1848, encouraged perhaps by the revolts in Paris, Milano, Vienna, Hungarian lawmakers and broad sections of the populace asked Ferdinand V (Habsburg monarch) to grant specific freedoms for their country. At first acceeded, later rejected, the country rebelled against absolutism, as the ruling Habsburg monarchy sought to deprive it of democratic institutions and in effect annex the country into the Austrian empire.
Hungarians demanded instead preservation of their institutions, freedom of expression and the levelling of classes: rescind the nobility's tax exemption and- in effect- create a universal citizenship by abolishing serfdom. The throne had in the interim passed to a very young Franz Joseph, reputedly strongly influenced by his mother Sophie.When these demands were refused. the country took to arms. When Austria refused to accede, Hungary declared itself a republic and elected Lajos Kossuth (pronounced Lawyosh Koshoot) governor.
"Battle flag from the Hungarian Liberation Fight of 1848.With bear-claws of the Hungarian tricolor (red-white-green) around the perimeter, it has the 'Kossuth Coat of Arms' in the center with clusters.
Inscription : 85th Honvéd Battalion.
The day of June 1 1949
Long live the freedom of the independent Hungarian Fatherland.
The ensuing war, which has become known as The Hungarian Liberation Fight of 1848, seemed to be successful until the young Emperor asked for (and received) massive help from Russia,where the Tsar feared the spread of democracy and a Polish revolt. In mid-1849, overwhelmed, the Hungarian armies were crushed and repression followed. Kossuth went into exile in Turkey with a number of his followers,but the Western world took notice of the heroic struggle and Kossuth, his cause, became the symbol of freedom especially in Britain and the USA.
While Austria and Russia demanded his extradition, the Sultan was persuaded by the Western powers to refuse. Kossuth did not give up, but planned to force Austria to respect Hungarian independence. He travelled in the West and tried to exert pressure via other countries, e.g. France.
Though neither the 1848 revolt, nor the planned Western alliances brought success, the cause eventually prevailed:
In 1867 - after negotiations and compromises - many of the 1848-49 objectives were realized, as the Kingdom of Hungary, became a partner in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Kossuth died in Italy. His remains were later repatriated in an impressive mausoleum in Budapest (1905).
The Hungarian National Museum, the people join in ...
"Kossuth Window" (stained glass) in staircase of "Gresham Building" (a.k.a. Gresham Palace) in Budapest. Erected cca 1910 by a British insurance company for its offices.
Converted into the "Four Seasons" luxury class hotel, opening in 1902. Location: "Roosevelt tér"
Cant died before you were born...she will...watch and learn young fella...be Kean...
Thomas Kean, chair, is former governor of New Jersey (1982-1990) and, since 1990, the president of Drew University. Kean also served for ten years in the New Jersey Assembly, rising to the positions of majority leader, minority leader, and speaker. As governor, he served on the President's Education Policy Advisory Committee and as chair of the Education Commission of the States and the National Governor's Association Task Force on Teaching. While president of Drew, Kean has served on several national committees and commissions. He headed the American delegation to the UN Conference on Youth in Thailand, served as vice chairman of the American delegation to the World Conference on Women in Beijing; and served as a member of the President's Initiative on Race. He also served on the National Endowment for Democracy. He is chair of the Newark Alliance and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and former chair of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Educate America, and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. Kean is on the board of a number of organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Council of the World Wildlife Fund. He holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College, as well as more than 25 honorary degrees and numerous awards from environmental and educational organizations.
http://www.9-11commission.gov/
http://www.9-11commission.gov/about/bio_kean.htm
I see you are very confused by the confusion and the chaos that has been caste upon your comfortably numb castle yet the cockroaches scurry around the planet looking for their next moment of glory to put millions into their caskets.
Soon you will know the truth and the truth will set you free...and I am not quoting G! Zeuss Christ.
GAG
Thanks Bloss...BTW..here is a rhetorical Q for U;
Does the right to bear arms include nuclear weapons?..mine is in the shop over in the next town in Nevada getting a plutonium tune up before I drive it up to Portland for a test run.
Did you ever visit those missile silos in Hawthorne? Oops, I hope I didn't breach national security with that one.
Daplane Daplane, watch for daplane...
Bloss, i tink you werk much too hard, you need to take a vacation from phantasy is-land and go visit your kitties in Nevada.
Yes Sir- Consider it done!
If Rice testifies under oath she will break down and tell the truth and lose her job for it...her survival and place in history is at stake, but soon the truth hiding in her bush will betray her as well and the drama will be that of a woman whistleblower wacking the bushes for the rest of the world wonderers wandering around for a piece of wisdom.
If you believe the above prediction it will come true, otherwise you can go back to excercising your talents as a master debater.
One Small Law of Logic: Where two or more facts are contrary to each other neither one or the other contain the whole truth.
GAG
I didn't know you were banned when I responded to one of your posts but I thought I would look at the other side of the coin and see what all the fussinshoots was all about:
You were asking for some type of info so I gave it to you with a post at the LipFree Zone:
Your post:
"SH was not connected to 911. If you have any info that proves differently, please share it." PegnNJ
The response:
The proof that Saddam worked with bin Laden
By Inigo Gilmore
(Filed: 27/04/2003)
Iraqi intelligence documents discovered in Baghdad by The Telegraph have provided the first evidence of a direct link between Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network and Saddam Hussein's regime.
Papers found yesterday in the bombed headquarters of the Mukhabarat, Iraq's intelligence service, reveal that an al-Qa'eda envoy was invited clandestinely to Baghdad in March 1998.
The documents show that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a relationship between Baghdad and al-Qa'eda based on their mutual hatred of America and Saudi Arabia. The meeting apparently went so well that it was extended by a week and ended with arrangements being discussed for bin Laden to visit Baghdad.
The papers will be seized on by Washington as the first proof of what the United States has long alleged - that, despite denials by both sides, Saddam's regime had a close relationship with al-Qa'eda.
The Telegraph found the file on bin Laden inside a folder lying in the rubble of one of the rooms of the destroyed intelligence HQ. There are three pages, stapled together; two are on paper headed with the insignia and lettering of the Mukhabarat.
They show correspondence between Mukhabarat agencies over preparations for the visit of al-Qa'eda's envoy, who travelled to Iraq from Sudan, where bin Laden had been based until 1996. They disclose what Baghdad hopes to achieve from the meeting, which took place less than five months before bin Laden was placed at the top of America's most wanted list following the bombing of two US embassies in east Africa.
Perhaps aware of the sensitivities of the subject matter, Iraqi agents at some point clumsily attempted to mask out all references to bin Laden, using white correcting fluid. The dried fluid was removed to reveal the clearly legible name three times in the documents.
One paper is marked "Top Secret and Urgent". It is signed "MDA", a codename believed to be the director of one of the intelligence sections within the Mukhabarat, and dated February 19, 1998. It refers to the planned trip from Sudan by bin Laden's unnamed envoy and refers to the arrangements for his visit.
A letter with this document says the envoy is a trusted confidant of bin Laden. It adds: "According to the above, we suggest permission to call the Khartoum station [Iraq's intelligence office in Sudan] to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq. And that our body carry all the travel and hotel costs inside Iraq to gain the knowledge of the message from bin Laden and to convey to his envoy an oral message from us to bin Laden."
The letter refers to al-Qa'eda's leader as an opponent of the Saudi Arabian regime and says that the message to convey to him through the envoy "would relate to the future of our relationship with him, bin Laden, and to achieve a direct meeting with him."
According to handwritten notes at the bottom of the page, the letter was passed on through another director in the Mukhabarat and on to the deputy director general of the intelligence service.
It recommends that "the deputy director general bring the envoy to Iraq because we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with bin Laden". The deputy director general has signed the document. All of the signatories use codenames.
The other documents then confirm that the envoy travelled from Khartoum to Baghdad in March 1998, staying at al-Mansour Melia, a first-class hotel. It mentions that his visit was extended by a week. In the notes in a margin, a name "Mohammed F. Mohammed Ahmed" is mentioned, but it is not clear whether this is the the envoy or an agent.
Intriguingly, the Iraqis talk about sending back an oral message to bin Laden, perhaps aware of the risk of a written message being intercepted. However, the documents do not mention if any meeting took place between bin Laden and Iraqi officials.
The file contradicts the claims of Baghdad, bin Laden and many critics of the coalition that there was no link between the Iraqi regime and al-Qa'eda. One Western intelligence official contacted last night described the file as "sensational", adding: "Baghdad clearly sought out the meeting. The regime would have wanted it to happen in the capital as it's only there they would feel safe from surveillance by Western intelligence."
Over the past three weeks, The Telegraph has discovered various other intelligence files in the wrecked Mukhabarat building, including documents revealing how Russia passed on to Iraq details of private conversations between Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, and how Germany held clandestine meetings with the regime.
A Downing Street spokesman said last night: "Since Saddam's fall a series of documents have come to light which will have to be fully assessed by the proper authorities over a period of time. We will certainly want to study these documents as part of that process to see if they shed new light on the relationship between Saddam's regime and al-Qa'eda.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/27/walq27.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/04/....
'We'll pay all expenses to gain the knowledge from bin Laden and convey a message back'
(Filed: 27/04/2003)
Document 1, dated February 19, 1998
Marked "Top Secret and Urgent" in the margin and signed by "MDA", thought to be the codename for the director of one of the intelligence sections within the Mukhabarat.
"The envoy is a trusted confidant and known by them. According to the above mediation we request official permission to call Khartoum station to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq. And that our body carry all the travel and hotel expenses inside Iraq to gain the knowledge of the message from bin Laden and to convey to his envoy an oral message from us to bin Laden, the Saudi opposition leader, about the future of our relationship with him, and to achieve a direct meeting with him."
At the foot of the page, after the signature, the director recommends bringing the envoy to Iraq because "we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with bin Laden". The deputy director general gives a signature of approval.
Document 2, dated February 23, 1998
Addressed to codename "M4/7", marked "Information M4 D1/3/4" and given the number 375 by the Mukhabarat bureaucracy.
"The permission of Mr Deputy Director of Intelligence has been gained on 21 February for this operation, to secure a reservation for one of the intelligence services guest's for one week in one of the first class hotels [the Al Mansour Melia hotel in Baghdad]".
Signed by "M.D. 1/3", next to which is written February 22.
In the margin it is written that this has been done in co-ordination with the chief of the Saudi section and that they write to extend the period of host for one more week.
A note at the bottom of the page says "The envoy H arrived 5th March". Another note mentions "room 414" next to the name, Mohammed F. Mohammed Ahmed.
Document 3, dated March 24, 1998
Written by hand and labelled number 736 and marked "Secret" in the margin. This paper has been given the code number M 4/7/2 and is addressed to codename "2/D1/3".
"Your information numbered D1/3/4/375 dated 23rd February 1998, we enclose herewith the bill to host a guest in Mansour Melia Hotel. Please let it be known and get the official permission to spend the amount and return the permission back with our regards. Include the name of bills of the hotel." Signed by another official with the codename M.M. 4/7
At the foot of this document there is another note, dated April 13, that says that after 21 days:
"We have been informed by Saudi section chief [of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, the Mukhabarat] that we get permission to send the amount and the permission is sent to directorate accountant."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/27/walq127.xml&secureRefresh=true&a....
If you have any info that proves differently, please share it.[/]
That should scratch your surface for now
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=2668910
This was in response to someone elses post who asked you a question as well but I am sure you can read it there and can reply to it on this board.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=2668843
Free "How to Prepare for a TV Interview" White Paper - Visit www.paulmcafee.com
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The free “How to Prepare for a TV Interview” white paper is the third in a series of paulmcafee.com public relations white papers which include “The ABCs of Public Relations OR Everything You Always Wanted To Know About PR But Were Afraid To Ask,” and “How to Write a Press Release That Actually Gets Read.”
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The Rules for Nuclear Warfare
Ok, where is my bag of marshmellows?
Is that you in there Bin Laden?
People in common often divide the World history in two eras: Pre-war and post-war, alluding to the time before and after 2004, the year the world finally experienced global nuclear war. But as always, historians (the few that still have an interest in the past), like all scientists, tend to divide things into smaller parts. They have divided modern history into ten eras:
http://mud.astrakan.hig.se/history.html
Herein lies the rules:
http://mud.astrakan.hig.se/law.html
Herein lies another set of rules
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/litesmth/abm/rules.html
Perhaps I have expanded upon your point
Peace of mind produces right values,
right values produce right thoughts.
Right thoughts produce right actions
and right actions produce
work which will be a
material reflection
for others to see
of the serenity
at the center
of it all.
--Robert M. Pirsig
Courtesy of http://www.beaglebay.com/aturningpoint.htm
Dittomania a la boobilicious bushwacking...
The proof that Saddam worked with bin Laden
By Inigo Gilmore
(Filed: 27/04/2003)
Iraqi intelligence documents discovered in Baghdad by The Telegraph have provided the first evidence of a direct link between Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network and Saddam Hussein's regime.
Papers found yesterday in the bombed headquarters of the Mukhabarat, Iraq's intelligence service, reveal that an al-Qa'eda envoy was invited clandestinely to Baghdad in March 1998.
The documents show that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a relationship between Baghdad and al-Qa'eda based on their mutual hatred of America and Saudi Arabia. The meeting apparently went so well that it was extended by a week and ended with arrangements being discussed for bin Laden to visit Baghdad.
The papers will be seized on by Washington as the first proof of what the United States has long alleged - that, despite denials by both sides, Saddam's regime had a close relationship with al-Qa'eda.
The Telegraph found the file on bin Laden inside a folder lying in the rubble of one of the rooms of the destroyed intelligence HQ. There are three pages, stapled together; two are on paper headed with the insignia and lettering of the Mukhabarat.
They show correspondence between Mukhabarat agencies over preparations for the visit of al-Qa'eda's envoy, who travelled to Iraq from Sudan, where bin Laden had been based until 1996. They disclose what Baghdad hopes to achieve from the meeting, which took place less than five months before bin Laden was placed at the top of America's most wanted list following the bombing of two US embassies in east Africa.
Perhaps aware of the sensitivities of the subject matter, Iraqi agents at some point clumsily attempted to mask out all references to bin Laden, using white correcting fluid. The dried fluid was removed to reveal the clearly legible name three times in the documents.
One paper is marked "Top Secret and Urgent". It is signed "MDA", a codename believed to be the director of one of the intelligence sections within the Mukhabarat, and dated February 19, 1998. It refers to the planned trip from Sudan by bin Laden's unnamed envoy and refers to the arrangements for his visit.
A letter with this document says the envoy is a trusted confidant of bin Laden. It adds: "According to the above, we suggest permission to call the Khartoum station [Iraq's intelligence office in Sudan] to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq. And that our body carry all the travel and hotel costs inside Iraq to gain the knowledge of the message from bin Laden and to convey to his envoy an oral message from us to bin Laden."
The letter refers to al-Qa'eda's leader as an opponent of the Saudi Arabian regime and says that the message to convey to him through the envoy "would relate to the future of our relationship with him, bin Laden, and to achieve a direct meeting with him."
According to handwritten notes at the bottom of the page, the letter was passed on through another director in the Mukhabarat and on to the deputy director general of the intelligence service.
It recommends that "the deputy director general bring the envoy to Iraq because we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with bin Laden". The deputy director general has signed the document. All of the signatories use codenames.
The other documents then confirm that the envoy travelled from Khartoum to Baghdad in March 1998, staying at al-Mansour Melia, a first-class hotel. It mentions that his visit was extended by a week. In the notes in a margin, a name "Mohammed F. Mohammed Ahmed" is mentioned, but it is not clear whether this is the the envoy or an agent.
Intriguingly, the Iraqis talk about sending back an oral message to bin Laden, perhaps aware of the risk of a written message being intercepted. However, the documents do not mention if any meeting took place between bin Laden and Iraqi officials.
The file contradicts the claims of Baghdad, bin Laden and many critics of the coalition that there was no link between the Iraqi regime and al-Qa'eda. One Western intelligence official contacted last night described the file as "sensational", adding: "Baghdad clearly sought out the meeting. The regime would have wanted it to happen in the capital as it's only there they would feel safe from surveillance by Western intelligence."
Over the past three weeks, The Telegraph has discovered various other intelligence files in the wrecked Mukhabarat building, including documents revealing how Russia passed on to Iraq details of private conversations between Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, and how Germany held clandestine meetings with the regime.
A Downing Street spokesman said last night: "Since Saddam's fall a series of documents have come to light which will have to be fully assessed by the proper authorities over a period of time. We will certainly want to study these documents as part of that process to see if they shed new light on the relationship between Saddam's regime and al-Qa'eda.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/27/walq27.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/04/...
'We'll pay all expenses to gain the knowledge from bin Laden and convey a message back'
(Filed: 27/04/2003)
Document 1, dated February 19, 1998
Marked "Top Secret and Urgent" in the margin and signed by "MDA", thought to be the codename for the director of one of the intelligence sections within the Mukhabarat.
"The envoy is a trusted confidant and known by them. According to the above mediation we request official permission to call Khartoum station to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq. And that our body carry all the travel and hotel expenses inside Iraq to gain the knowledge of the message from bin Laden and to convey to his envoy an oral message from us to bin Laden, the Saudi opposition leader, about the future of our relationship with him, and to achieve a direct meeting with him."
At the foot of the page, after the signature, the director recommends bringing the envoy to Iraq because "we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with bin Laden". The deputy director general gives a signature of approval.
Document 2, dated February 23, 1998
Addressed to codename "M4/7", marked "Information M4 D1/3/4" and given the number 375 by the Mukhabarat bureaucracy.
"The permission of Mr Deputy Director of Intelligence has been gained on 21 February for this operation, to secure a reservation for one of the intelligence services guest's for one week in one of the first class hotels [the Al Mansour Melia hotel in Baghdad]".
Signed by "M.D. 1/3", next to which is written February 22.
In the margin it is written that this has been done in co-ordination with the chief of the Saudi section and that they write to extend the period of host for one more week.
A note at the bottom of the page says "The envoy H arrived 5th March". Another note mentions "room 414" next to the name, Mohammed F. Mohammed Ahmed.
Document 3, dated March 24, 1998
Written by hand and labelled number 736 and marked "Secret" in the margin. This paper has been given the code number M 4/7/2 and is addressed to codename "2/D1/3".
"Your information numbered D1/3/4/375 dated 23rd February 1998, we enclose herewith the bill to host a guest in Mansour Melia Hotel. Please let it be known and get the official permission to spend the amount and return the permission back with our regards. Include the name of bills of the hotel." Signed by another official with the codename M.M. 4/7
At the foot of this document there is another note, dated April 13, that says that after 21 days:
"We have been informed by Saudi section chief [of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, the Mukhabarat] that we get permission to send the amount and the permission is sent to directorate accountant."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/27/walq127.xml&secureRefresh=true&a...
If you have any info that proves differently, please share it.[/]
That should scratch your surface for now
Document links Saddam, bin Laden
By GILBERT S. MERRITT
For The Tennessean Wednesday, 06/25/03
Federal appellate Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of Nashville is in Iraq as one of 13 experts selected by the U.S. Justice Department to help rebuild Iraq's judicial system.
Merritt, 67, has made trips to Russia and India to work with their judicial systems. He has been sending periodic reports to The Tennessean about his experiences in Iraq and filed this dispatch recently:
Through an unusual set of circumstances, I have been given documentary evidence of the names and positions of the 600 closest people in Iraq to Saddam Hussein, as well as his ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden.
I am looking at the document as I write this story from my hotel room overlooking the Tigris River in Baghdad.
One of the lawyers with whom I have been working for the past five weeks had come to me and asked me whether a list of the 600 people closest to Saddam Hussein would be of any value now to the Americans.
I said, yes, of course. He said that the list contained not only the names of the 55 'deck of cards' players who have already been revealed, but also 550 others.
When I began questioning him about the list, how he obtained it and what else it showed, he asked would it be of interest to the Americans to know that Saddam had an ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden.
I said yes, the Americans have, so far as I am aware, have never been able to prove that relationship, but the president and others have said that they believe it exists. He said, 'Well, judge, there is no doubt it exists, and I will bring you the proof tomorrow.'
So today he brought me the proof, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is right.
The document shows that an Iraqi intelligence officer, Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, assigned to the Iraq embassy in Pakistan, is 'responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group.'
The document shows that it was written over the signature of Uday Saddam Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein. The story of how the document came about is as follows.
Saddam gave Uday authority to control all press and media outlets in Iraq. Uday was the publisher of the Babylon Daily Political Newspaper.
On the front page of the paper's four-page edition for Nov. 14, 2002, there was a picture of Osama bin Laden speaking, next to which was a picture of Saddam and his 'Revolutionary Council,' together with stories about Israeli tanks attacking a group of Palestinians.
On the back page was a story headlined 'List of Honor.' In a box below the headline was 'A list of men we publish for the public.' The lead sentence refers to a list of 'regime persons' with their names and positions.
The list has 600 names and titles in three columns. It contains, for example, the names of the important officials who are members of Saddam's family, such as Uday, and then other high officials, including the 55 American 'deck of cards' Iraqi officials, some of whom have been apprehended.
Halfway down the middle column is written: 'Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, intelligence officer responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group at the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan.' (For more about the list, see accompanying article on this page.)
The lawyer who brought the newspaper to me, Samir, and another lawyer with whom I have been working, Zuhair, translated the Arabic words and described what had happened in Baghdad the day it was published.
Samir bought his paper at a newsstand at around 8 a.m. Within two hours, the Iraqi intelligence officers were going by every newsstand in Baghdad and confiscating the papers. They also went to the home of every person who they were told received a paper that day and confiscated it.
The other lawyer, Zuhair, who was the counsel for the Arab League in Baghdad, did not receive delivery of his paper that day. He called his vendor, who told him that there would be no paper that day, a singular occurrence he could not explain.
For the next 10 days, the paper was not published at all. Samir's newspaper was not confiscated and he retained it because it contained this interesting 'Honor Roll of 600' of the people closest to the regime.
The only explanation for this strange set of events, according to the Iraqi lawyers, is that Uday, an impulsive and somewhat unbalanced individual, decided to publish this honor roll at a time when the regime was under worldwide verbal attack in the press, especially by us. It would, he thought, make them more loyal and supportive of the regime.
His father was furious, knowing that it revealed information about his supporters that should remain secret.
For example, at the same time this was published, Saddam was denying that he had any relationship with Osama. Therefore Saddam had all the papers confiscated, and he ordered that publication of the paper be stopped for 10 days.
That is the story of the 'Honor Roll of 600,' and why I believe that President Bush was right when he alleged that Saddam was in cahoots with Osama and was coordinating activities with him.
It does not prove that they engaged together in any particular act of terror against the United States.
But it seems to me to be strong proof that the two were in contact and conspiring to perform terrorist acts.
Up until this time, I have been skeptical about these claims. Now I have changed my mind. There is, however, one big problem remaining: They are both still at large and the combined forces of the free world have been unable to find them.
Until we find and capture them, they will remain a threat — Saddam with the remnants of his army and supporters in combination with the worldwide terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden.
http://www.tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908297.shtml?Element_ID=34908297
Will Saddam Confess his Sins at the War Crimes Trial?
"the great whore that sitteth upon many waters...
arrayed in purple and scarlet...is that great city,
which reigneth over kings of the earth...
and in her was found the blood of the prophets,
and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Revelation 17:1, 4, 18; 18:24
Whom the gods destroy will first make made with power./b]
Who knows where that quote came from? I don't.
Puzzling passage precedes list of top Iraqi officials
The newspaper list of top Iraqi officials that Judge Merritt describes in the accompanying article was also the subject of a mid-May report in the Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine. The list, published in an Iraqi newspaper before the U.S. invasion, has received little public attention elsewhere.
The magazine noted, as did Merritt, that one person on the list was characterized as being in charge of relations with Osama bin Laden at the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan. The magazine also mentioned that the list was prefaced by this puzzling passage:
'This is a list of the henchmen of the regime. Our hands will reach them sooner or later. Woe unto them.'
Since the list was published in a newspaper run by Saddam Hussein's son, it was not clear why this passage would have been allowed to appear.
Officials at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA were asked by Gannett News Service for comment yesterday on the list.
Both agencies said they were aware of the list but declined to comment on its status or authenticity.
'There are innumerable lists,' said one official at the Defense Intelligence Agency, who declined to be identified for publication. 'So you have to ask what does it mean to be on this list? It takes time to sort through all this. People give names all over the place.'
http://tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908298.shtml?Element_ID=34908298
there is the other side of the coin...
Arafat will be dead within a month...
The Greatest Debate of the Century
Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh Live From Madison Square Gardens
Get your boxing gloves ready...
Dittoheads vs titliwinkers...
Who would win, the pothead or the prescription drug addict?
Three million would die in "limited" nuclear war over Kashmir
By: Rob Edwards
15:05 24 May 02
NewScientist.com news service
A minimum of three million people would be killed and 1.5 million seriously injured if even a "limited" nuclear war broke out between India and Pakistan, warns a new study uncovered by New Scientist.
The estimates are comprised of the immediate casualty list from blast, fire and radiation if only a tenth of both countries' nuclear weapons were exploded above 10 of their largest cities. It does not take account of the inevitable suffering that would result from the loss of homes, hospitals, water and energy supplies, or the cancers that could develop in future years.
Tension between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir has escalated, following an attack earlier in May on an Indian army camp that left 30 dead. Troops are reported to be moving into the area, with up to a million soldiers facing each other across the border. The dispute has seen two full-scale wars and numerous lesser conflicts over the last 55 years.
Fears have centred on a scenario in which an attempt for what India's Prime Minister has called a "decisive victory" could prompt Pakistan, which has far fewer conventional military forces, to launch a nuclear attack. Suggestions on Friday that India will allow Pakistan two months to stop cross border attacks by militants have also been interpreted as buying time for an Indian attack.
Credible and devastating
The US and Asian nuclear researchers investigated the impact of 10 explosions similar to that detonated by the US over the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945. They assume that five 15-kilotonne bombs explode 600 metres above Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and New Delhi in India, while another five explode above Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan.
They conclude that hundreds of thousands of people would be killed or badly injured in every city, amounting to 2.6 million in India and 1.8 million in Pakistan. The prospect is credible and devastating, warns M V Ramana one of the researchers from Princeton University, New Jersey and an expert on nuclear policy in India.
"It is imperative that the two countries not go to war - however limited in scale. Even the most local conflicts have the potential to escalate into a full-scale war, possibly nuclear," Ramana told New Scientist.
Estimates of the size of India and Pakistan's nuclear arsenals vary widely, though the most reliable are those that are founded on their stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium.
The Institute for Science and International Security in Washington DC suggests that India has about 65 warheads made from 310 kilograms of plutonium, while Pakistan has around 40 made from 690 kilograms of uranium.
Most of the weapons are likely to be around the 15-kilotonne range and some of them may not work, says the institute's David Albright. But it is possible to conceive of circumstances in which they could all be fired, particularly if decisions have to be left to individual commanders after a breakdown in communications.
If bombs explode on the ground instead of in the air, the resulting radioactive dust could kill people across hundreds of square kilometres, Albright points out. And because the prevailing winds are from the west, India is more likely to become the victim of its own fall-out than Pakistan.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992326
http://www.nti.org/e_research/e1_pakistan_1.html
http://www.nti.org/db/nistraff/index.html
Bush lit the match that plays a Nuclear Fire and is Getting Burned Badly
Lack of good intelligence information hindered efforts to get bin Laden, commission reports
WASHINGTON - Lacking the intelligence information they needed to strike directly at Osama bin Laden, Clinton and Bush administration officials fruitlessly sought a diplomatic solution to get the al-Qaida leader out of Afghani...
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1494
Bush says he would have acted more quickly against al-Qaida if he'd known attack was imminent
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1493
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Tuesday he would have acted more quickly against al-Qaida if he had information before Sept. 11, 2001, that a te... [more]
Bush administration had plan to overthrow Taliban if they failed to turn over bin Laden
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1491
WASHINGTON - One day before the Sept. 11 attacks, senior Bush administration officials agreed that the United States would try to overthrow Afgha...
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/index.bg?searchSite=recent&keyword=al-Qaida
Panel calls for Rice to appear
CAPITOL HILL - Members of the federal panel that's been looking into 9/11 say they're not hearing from everyone they want to hear from. The pan...
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1489
Clinton administration made futile attempt to get Osama bin Laden expelled from Afghanistan, commission says
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1488
WASHINGTON - In a secret diplomatic mission, Saudi Arabia won a commitment from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to expel Osama bin Laden in 1998, bu... [more]
Preliminary findings of Sept. 11 commission
Here are preliminary findings about U.S. diplomatic and military efforts regarding terrorism before Sept. 11, 2001. They are contained in a state...
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1487
Monday, March 22, 2004
» Former Bush adviser says al-Qaida wasn't chief concern early...
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=1473
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/index.bg?searchSite=recent&keyword=al-Qaida
LAJOS KOSSUTH 1802-1894
Lajos Kossuth, the Hungarian political reformer and leader of the 1848-1849 revolution for Hungarian independence, was one of the greatest statesmen and orators of the mid-19th century. He was a prominent figure, well known in the United States and Europe for his leadership of the democratic forces who sought Hungarian independence from Austrian domination. During his triumphal tour of the United States in 1851-1852, American journalist Horace Greeley said of Kossuth: "Among the orators, patriots, statesmen, exiles, he has, living or dead, no superior."
Kossuth was born in Monok, in northeastern Hungary in the year 1802. At that time Hungary was legally a separate kingdom but practically a part of the Austrian Empire ruled by the Habsburg Dynasty. Kossuth was born in modest circumstances, a member of the lower nobility. Young Lajos, following his father's profession, became an attorney and began his career as an agent for a local noblewoman.
In 1832 he was designated a substitute to represent another local noble in the Hungarian Diet (national parliament) in Pozsony, then the capital of Hungary, (now Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia). Kossuth produced an unofficial record of the Diet’s proceedings, continued as a kind of “samizdat” political journal. His advocacy of political reform resulted in his imprisonment for three years by the government. During his confinement, he taught himself English by studying the Bible and Shakespeare.
In 1847 Kossuth was elected to the Diet as a representative of the county of Pest, which included the twin cities of Buda and Pest. He became the leader of the opposition Reform Party, which was urging an extensive program of political and social reforms. The outbreak of the 1848 revolution in Paris in February gave the Hungarian reform movement new impetus. On March 3, in a powerful speech to the Diet, Kossuth demanded the removal of the dead hand of Habsburg absolutism as the only way to protect the liberties of the Hungarian and other peoples of the Monarchy. The outbreak of a popular uprising in Vienna on March 13 gave the Hungarian reformers new resolve to implement their goals. In another masterful address to the Diet on March 14, Kossuth voiced the popular demands for a new Hungarian government responsible to elected Hungarian representatives, and that liberal political and social reforms, similar to those being introduced in other parts of Europe at the time, be implemented throughout the Habsburg Monarchy.
The road to revolution
On March 15, in response to events taking place in the Diet at Pozsony and elsewhere throughout Europe, Hungarians in the city of Pest staged a massive peaceful uprising demanding radical political reforms. In recognition of the importance of these events, March 15 subsequently became the Hungarian National Day. On that same day in Vienna, Kossuth joined the Hungarian parliamentary delegation to Vienna which presented the demands of the Diet to the Vienna Court. The proposals gave Hungary virtual independence from the Austrian Empire, except for a “personal union” of the Habsburg Emperor, who was also the King of Hungary.
The Hungarian demands were accepted by the panic-stricken Court. Emperor Ferdinand I (King Ferdinand V of Hungary) appointed a Hungarian government responsible to a popularly elected Parliament, led by Count Lajos Batthyány as Prime Minister. When the new ministers took office on March 17, Kossuth was sworn in as minister of finance. Kossuth’s popularity among the Hungarian people was one of the greatest assets of the government.
Initiated by the new government, the last act of the old-style Diet was passing a set of reform laws, known later as the "April laws" or the "1848 legislation," which eliminated the vestiges of feudalism and transformed Hungary into a modern constitutional state. The reform program, however, failed to deal with two critical issues - the pending issues of the relationship of Hungary to Austria and the rights and status of the non-Hungarian ethnic population in Hungary. The plan was to resolve these two issues later through further negotiations, but the failure to resolve the first intensified the confrontation with Austrian authorities, and failure to resolve the second led to national discontent among non-Hungarians and resulted in a serious weakening of the government.
In July Kossuth played a major role in the final break with Austria. He convinced the Diet to link the sending of 20,000 Hungarian troops to the imperial territories in Italy under Austrian command with political demands for Hungary. Vienna found this demand unacceptable. On that same occasion, Kossuth urged the Diet to mobilize a national military force of 200,000 to defend Hungary against the threatening of Croatian and Serbian military units of the Habsburg Army.
Earlier King Ferdinand had appointed Baron Joseph Jellacic the Ban (governor) of Croatia, an autonomous kingdom under the Hungarian crown. Count Batthyány's government attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate with Jellacic, while the Vienna government incited the Croats against Hungary. On June 5, the Croatian-Slavonian legislative assembly rejected the authority of Batthyány's Hungarian government. In September, with the blessing of the Vienna government, Jellacic's army invaded Hungary in an effort to suppress the Hungarian “rebellion”, i.e. the independence of Hungary. Batthyány's government resigned and the new Parliament (elected in the summer) appointed Kossuth President of the newly formed Committee of National Defense and gave him almost full powers.
A leader is born
Kossuth's personal magnetism and courage, his unparalleled oratorical skills, his organizational talent, and his genius for leadership enabled him to mobilize the Hungarian nation against these overwhelming odds. No one but Kossuth could have given the Hungarians the heart to face threat before them. Kossuth established the new Hungarian military force, called “Honvéd” (Home Defence) which was aided by contingents of Slovaks and Ruthenians, as well as by volunteers from abroad, who came to the aid of Hungary from Vienna, Italy, and Poland.
Jellacic was made commander-in-chief of all imperial forces against Hungary, but the quickly-mobilized Hungarian troops drove him out and forced him back to within sight of Vienna, where a revolution, sympathetic to Hungary, broke out. The forces under Jellacic then joined other imperial troops and suppressed it, taking control of Vienna. By the end of 1848, the imperial government (which had fled to Innsbruck) succeeded in putting down the revolutions throughout the empire, with the exception of Hungary. Ferdinand, who had sanctioned the Hungarian Diet's April Laws and whose coronation oath obliged him to recognize the substantial measure of independence Hungary had achieved, was forced to abdicate in favor of his nephew Franz Josef I. The new emperor and his government did not consider themselves bound by the previous promises and agreements with Hungary. On March 4,1849, the Imperial Court issued a new constitution which annulled the Diet's April Laws of 1848 and abolished Hungary's independence.
In January an imperial force succeeded in occupying Buda and Pest and won a further victory at Kápolna in February. The Hungarian troops under the leadership of General Arthur Görgei, however, rallied and, in a brilliant campaign, won a series of spectacular victories against the Habsburg Army by April of 1849 they had again forced the imperial troops to evacuate nearly all of Hungary.
Elected Governor
On April 14, the Hungarian Parliament meeting in Debrecen, inspired by Kossuth, proclaimed the complete independence of Hungary from Austria and deposed the Habsburg dynasty. The Hungarian Declaration of Independence was inspired and influenced by the American document. At this same time the Parliament elected Kossuth "governor-president". Hungary was the last bastion of the democratic revolutions of 1848 to remain standing against the forces of absolutism, and Hungarian developments were carefully followed with considerable sympathy by the governments and people of Europe and the United States.
The inability of the imperial government to reestablish its authority over Hungary was of great concern to the autocratic government of Russia. Czar Nicholas I offered to aid Franz Josef in suppressing the Hungarian revolution. The offer was accepted. On June 17-18, a powerful Russian army of more than 200,000 invaded Hungary from the north, while at the same time an Austrian army began to move against Hungary from the west. The imperial government in Vienna continued to stir up discontent among the Croats, Serbs, and Romanians within Hungary. The exhausted Hungarian army of only 152,000 men was no match for this massive gathering of forces, but troops under General Görgei put up a vigorous resistance. The Russian army swept through eastern Hungary and Transylvania and defeated the Polish general Bem, at Segesvár, and the major Hungarian army at the Battle of Temesvár. The situation was hopeless. Kossuth transferred government authority to Görgei who surrendered to the Russian commander at Világos on August 13.
Despite promises of clemency by the Russian commander and subsequent demands by the governments of Great Britain and France the surrender led to savage reprisals, carried out with imperial authorization by the Austrian commander, General Haynau. Former Prime Minister Batthyány was executed, as were thirteen generals and hundreds of other Hungarian military officers. The execution of the generals on October 6 at Arad (now in Romania) later became a Hungarian day of commemoration. Hungary was put under military occupation and subjected to an absolutist rule from Vienna, carried out by a foreign bureaucracy under the Imperial Minister of the Interior.
Life in exile
At the time of the Hungarian surrender, Kossuth with many of his loyal followers and thousands of Hungarian troops and some Polish volunteers fled to the Lower Danube, which was then a part of the Turkish Empire, to escape Russian and Austrian forces. Kossuth spent two years in exile in Kutahiyah in Asia Minor.
The deposed Head of the Hungarian State, whose inclination to act never abated when it came to a cause concerning his country, elaborated a plan while in exile, which became famous under the name “The Kutahiyan Constitution”. It was a model of a civil state based on comprehensive individual rights, freedom of associaton and local self-governments. The specialty of this model from a constitutional point of view was that Kossuth, about half a century ahead of his time, drew up the idea of an independent body, the “Guard of Constitution” (a precusor of the European Constitutional Courts of today), which would set limits to central power, its legislative and executive branches.
Kossuth realized that the hostile behavior of the different ethnic groups living within the territory of Hungary contributed to the failure of the War of Independence. Therefore he proposed various national groups living on the historic territory of Hungary full collective rights, alongside with equality before the law, and unrestricted use of their mother tongue. In the relations of Hungary and its neighbors he drew up a plan of a Danubian Confederation. That is how, upon Kossuth’s ideas, the notion of a United States of the Danube evolved, to have been cited so often in the course of history.
The governments of Great Britain, the United States, and other West European nations successfully pressured the Turkish Sultan to refuse the Austrian and Russian demands for Kossuth's extradition. The President of the United States invited him for a visit and sent a ship to fetch him to the United States. On September 10, 1851, Kossuth steamed from the Turkish port of Smyrna (now Izmir) aboard the U.S. Navy’s frigate Mississippi.
Glorious visit to the US
After brief stops in France and Britain, he arrived in New York City on December 5, 1851, to great public acclaim. His triumphant six-month tour throughout the country was an unprecedented popular success.
Although Kossuth did not achieve his goal of winning official United States Government support and recognition for continuing his struggle for Hungarian independence, his visit did leave a permanent legacy in America. He gave several hundred speeches in all parts of the United States, including separate addresses to both Houses of Congress.
During his trip Kossuth expressed his view on many occasions that the young Republic as a model for freedom and democracy should end its isolationism, should play an active role in international politics and, in the name of self-determination, should help the oppressed peoples against the dictatorial, autocratic powers. More than half a century later Kossuth’s ideas were adopted by President Wilson and became part of the foundations of foreign policy in the 20th Century. Various representatives of the American people were right in claiming that Kossuth was “a most genuine European representative of freedom and democracy” and, alongside George Washington, a symbol of “universal human values”.
During Kossuth’s tour 250 poems, dozens of books, hundreds of pamphlets, and thousands of editorials were written about him and his democratic ideals. His achievements were praised by English and American political leaders and intellectuals, such as Matthew Arnold, Elizabeth Browning, Algernon Charles Swinburne, John Griscom, William Lloyd Garrison, James Russell Lowell, John Edward Massey, John Greenleaf Whittier, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Horace Greeley.
Kossuth left the United States after six months, returning to Europe in July 1852 in an effort to rally support there for the Hungarian cause. He lived for a period of time in London, and eventually settled in Turin in exile, he continued his efforts for Hungarian independence, but he did not return to Hungary.
Following his death in Turin in 1894, his body was returned to Hungary, where he was buried amid nationwide mourning. After his death, Kossuth continued as the popular symbol of the aspirations of the Hungarian people for independence.
LAJOS KOSSUTH 1802-1894
Lajos Kossuth, the Hungarian political reformer and leader of the 1848-1849 revolution for Hungarian independence, was one of the greatest statesmen and orators of the mid-19th century. He was a prominent figure, well known in the United States and Europe for his leadership of the democratic forces who sought Hungarian independence from Austrian domination. During his triumphal tour of the United States in 1851-1852, American journalist Horace Greeley said of Kossuth: "Among the orators, patriots, statesmen, exiles, he has, living or dead, no superior."
Kossuth was born in Monok, in northeastern Hungary in the year 1802. At that time Hungary was legally a separate kingdom but practically a part of the Austrian Empire ruled by the Habsburg Dynasty. Kossuth was born in modest circumstances, a member of the lower nobility. Young Lajos, following his father's profession, became an attorney and began his career as an agent for a local noblewoman.
In 1832 he was designated a substitute to represent another local noble in the Hungarian Diet (national parliament) in Pozsony, then the capital of Hungary, (now Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia). Kossuth produced an unofficial record of the Diet’s proceedings, continued as a kind of “samizdat” political journal. His advocacy of political reform resulted in his imprisonment for three years by the government. During his confinement, he taught himself English by studying the Bible and Shakespeare.
In 1847 Kossuth was elected to the Diet as a representative of the county of Pest, which included the twin cities of Buda and Pest. He became the leader of the opposition Reform Party, which was urging an extensive program of political and social reforms. The outbreak of the 1848 revolution in Paris in February gave the Hungarian reform movement new impetus. On March 3, in a powerful speech to the Diet, Kossuth demanded the removal of the dead hand of Habsburg absolutism as the only way to protect the liberties of the Hungarian and other peoples of the Monarchy. The outbreak of a popular uprising in Vienna on March 13 gave the Hungarian reformers new resolve to implement their goals. In another masterful address to the Diet on March 14, Kossuth voiced the popular demands for a new Hungarian government responsible to elected Hungarian representatives, and that liberal political and social reforms, similar to those being introduced in other parts of Europe at the time, be implemented throughout the Habsburg Monarchy.
The road to revolution
On March 15, in response to events taking place in the Diet at Pozsony and elsewhere throughout Europe, Hungarians in the city of Pest staged a massive peaceful uprising demanding radical political reforms. In recognition of the importance of these events, March 15 subsequently became the Hungarian National Day. On that same day in Vienna, Kossuth joined the Hungarian parliamentary delegation to Vienna which presented the demands of the Diet to the Vienna Court. The proposals gave Hungary virtual independence from the Austrian Empire, except for a “personal union” of the Habsburg Emperor, who was also the King of Hungary.
The Hungarian demands were accepted by the panic-stricken Court. Emperor Ferdinand I (King Ferdinand V of Hungary) appointed a Hungarian government responsible to a popularly elected Parliament, led by Count Lajos Batthyány as Prime Minister. When the new ministers took office on March 17, Kossuth was sworn in as minister of finance. Kossuth’s popularity among the Hungarian people was one of the greatest assets of the government.
Initiated by the new government, the last act of the old-style Diet was passing a set of reform laws, known later as the "April laws" or the "1848 legislation," which eliminated the vestiges of feudalism and transformed Hungary into a modern constitutional state. The reform program, however, failed to deal with two critical issues - the pending issues of the relationship of Hungary to Austria and the rights and status of the non-Hungarian ethnic population in Hungary. The plan was to resolve these two issues later through further negotiations, but the failure to resolve the first intensified the confrontation with Austrian authorities, and failure to resolve the second led to national discontent among non-Hungarians and resulted in a serious weakening of the government.
In July Kossuth played a major role in the final break with Austria. He convinced the Diet to link the sending of 20,000 Hungarian troops to the imperial territories in Italy under Austrian command with political demands for Hungary. Vienna found this demand unacceptable. On that same occasion, Kossuth urged the Diet to mobilize a national military force of 200,000 to defend Hungary against the threatening of Croatian and Serbian military units of the Habsburg Army.
Earlier King Ferdinand had appointed Baron Joseph Jellacic the Ban (governor) of Croatia, an autonomous kingdom under the Hungarian crown. Count Batthyány's government attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate with Jellacic, while the Vienna government incited the Croats against Hungary. On June 5, the Croatian-Slavonian legislative assembly rejected the authority of Batthyány's Hungarian government. In September, with the blessing of the Vienna government, Jellacic's army invaded Hungary in an effort to suppress the Hungarian “rebellion”, i.e. the independence of Hungary. Batthyány's government resigned and the new Parliament (elected in the summer) appointed Kossuth President of the newly formed Committee of National Defense and gave him almost full powers.
A leader is born
Kossuth's personal magnetism and courage, his unparalleled oratorical skills, his organizational talent, and his genius for leadership enabled him to mobilize the Hungarian nation against these overwhelming odds. No one but Kossuth could have given the Hungarians the heart to face threat before them. Kossuth established the new Hungarian military force, called “Honvéd” (Home Defence) which was aided by contingents of Slovaks and Ruthenians, as well as by volunteers from abroad, who came to the aid of Hungary from Vienna, Italy, and Poland.
Jellacic was made commander-in-chief of all imperial forces against Hungary, but the quickly-mobilized Hungarian troops drove him out and forced him back to within sight of Vienna, where a revolution, sympathetic to Hungary, broke out. The forces under Jellacic then joined other imperial troops and suppressed it, taking control of Vienna. By the end of 1848, the imperial government (which had fled to Innsbruck) succeeded in putting down the revolutions throughout the empire, with the exception of Hungary. Ferdinand, who had sanctioned the Hungarian Diet's April Laws and whose coronation oath obliged him to recognize the substantial measure of independence Hungary had achieved, was forced to abdicate in favor of his nephew Franz Josef I. The new emperor and his government did not consider themselves bound by the previous promises and agreements with Hungary. On March 4,1849, the Imperial Court issued a new constitution which annulled the Diet's April Laws of 1848 and abolished Hungary's independence.
In January an imperial force succeeded in occupying Buda and Pest and won a further victory at Kápolna in February. The Hungarian troops under the leadership of General Arthur Görgei, however, rallied and, in a brilliant campaign, won a series of spectacular victories against the Habsburg Army by April of 1849 they had again forced the imperial troops to evacuate nearly all of Hungary.
Elected Governor
On April 14, the Hungarian Parliament meeting in Debrecen, inspired by Kossuth, proclaimed the complete independence of Hungary from Austria and deposed the Habsburg dynasty. The Hungarian Declaration of Independence was inspired and influenced by the American document. At this same time the Parliament elected Kossuth "governor-president". Hungary was the last bastion of the democratic revolutions of 1848 to remain standing against the forces of absolutism, and Hungarian developments were carefully followed with considerable sympathy by the governments and people of Europe and the United States.
The inability of the imperial government to reestablish its authority over Hungary was of great concern to the autocratic government of Russia. Czar Nicholas I offered to aid Franz Josef in suppressing the Hungarian revolution. The offer was accepted. On June 17-18, a powerful Russian army of more than 200,000 invaded Hungary from the north, while at the same time an Austrian army began to move against Hungary from the west. The imperial government in Vienna continued to stir up discontent among the Croats, Serbs, and Romanians within Hungary. The exhausted Hungarian army of only 152,000 men was no match for this massive gathering of forces, but troops under General Görgei put up a vigorous resistance. The Russian army swept through eastern Hungary and Transylvania and defeated the Polish general Bem, at Segesvár, and the major Hungarian army at the Battle of Temesvár. The situation was hopeless. Kossuth transferred government authority to Görgei who surrendered to the Russian commander at Világos on August 13.
Despite promises of clemency by the Russian commander and subsequent demands by the governments of Great Britain and France the surrender led to savage reprisals, carried out with imperial authorization by the Austrian commander, General Haynau. Former Prime Minister Batthyány was executed, as were thirteen generals and hundreds of other Hungarian military officers. The execution of the generals on October 6 at Arad (now in Romania) later became a Hungarian day of commemoration. Hungary was put under military occupation and subjected to an absolutist rule from Vienna, carried out by a foreign bureaucracy under the Imperial Minister of the Interior.
Life in exile
At the time of the Hungarian surrender, Kossuth with many of his loyal followers and thousands of Hungarian troops and some Polish volunteers fled to the Lower Danube, which was then a part of the Turkish Empire, to escape Russian and Austrian forces. Kossuth spent two years in exile in Kutahiyah in Asia Minor.
The deposed Head of the Hungarian State, whose inclination to act never abated when it came to a cause concerning his country, elaborated a plan while in exile, which became famous under the name “The Kutahiyan Constitution”. It was a model of a civil state based on comprehensive individual rights, freedom of associaton and local self-governments. The specialty of this model from a constitutional point of view was that Kossuth, about half a century ahead of his time, drew up the idea of an independent body, the “Guard of Constitution” (a precusor of the European Constitutional Courts of today), which would set limits to central power, its legislative and executive branches.
Kossuth realized that the hostile behavior of the different ethnic groups living within the territory of Hungary contributed to the failure of the War of Independence. Therefore he proposed various national groups living on the historic territory of Hungary full collective rights, alongside with equality before the law, and unrestricted use of their mother tongue. In the relations of Hungary and its neighbors he drew up a plan of a Danubian Confederation. That is how, upon Kossuth’s ideas, the notion of a United States of the Danube evolved, to have been cited so often in the course of history.
The governments of Great Britain, the United States, and other West European nations successfully pressured the Turkish Sultan to refuse the Austrian and Russian demands for Kossuth's extradition. The President of the United States invited him for a visit and sent a ship to fetch him to the United States. On September 10, 1851, Kossuth steamed from the Turkish port of Smyrna (now Izmir) aboard the U.S. Navy’s frigate Mississippi.
Glorious visit to the US
After brief stops in France and Britain, he arrived in New York City on December 5, 1851, to great public acclaim. His triumphant six-month tour throughout the country was an unprecedented popular success.
Although Kossuth did not achieve his goal of winning official United States Government support and recognition for continuing his struggle for Hungarian independence, his visit did leave a permanent legacy in America. He gave several hundred speeches in all parts of the United States, including separate addresses to both Houses of Congress.
During his trip Kossuth expressed his view on many occasions that the young Republic as a model for freedom and democracy should end its isolationism, should play an active role in international politics and, in the name of self-determination, should help the oppressed peoples against the dictatorial, autocratic powers. More than half a century later Kossuth’s ideas were adopted by President Wilson and became part of the foundations of foreign policy in the 20th Century. Various representatives of the American people were right in claiming that Kossuth was “a most genuine European representative of freedom and democracy” and, alongside George Washington, a symbol of “universal human values”.
During Kossuth’s tour 250 poems, dozens of books, hundreds of pamphlets, and thousands of editorials were written about him and his democratic ideals. His achievements were praised by English and American political leaders and intellectuals, such as Matthew Arnold, Elizabeth Browning, Algernon Charles Swinburne, John Griscom, William Lloyd Garrison, James Russell Lowell, John Edward Massey, John Greenleaf Whittier, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Horace Greeley.
Kossuth left the United States after six months, returning to Europe in July 1852 in an effort to rally support there for the Hungarian cause. He lived for a period of time in London, and eventually settled in Turin in exile, he continued his efforts for Hungarian independence, but he did not return to Hungary.
Following his death in Turin in 1894, his body was returned to Hungary, where he was buried amid nationwide mourning. After his death, Kossuth continued as the popular symbol of the aspirations of the Hungarian people for independence.
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Disclosure Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical matters contained herein, statements in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's business and prospects. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our estimates only as of the date hereof, or as of such earlier dates as are indicated, and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change.
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Recapitalizing Trump
Friday February 13, 11:09 am ET
By Bill Mann
Trump Hotels & Casino Resort, (NYSE: DJT - News), a substantial component of real estate financier Donald Trump's portfolio, announced yesterday that it had entered into a conditional agreement with Credit Suisse's (NYSE: CSR - News) private equity arm to recapitalize Trump Hotel's balance sheet for the sum of $400 million.
Following the recapitalization, the banking subsidiary, DLJ Merchant Banking, will become the majority owner of Trump Hotels, which is to be renamed Trump International Corporation. Donald Trump would remain a substantial shareholder and remain CEO and chairman. His ownership of the company would be reduced from the current 53% to a reported 20% stake.
Trump isn't ceding control because things are going well. Trump Hotels just reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2003 results (income statement only -- yikes!) and showed lower revenues across the board for its casino properties. In particular, the Atlantic City properties struggled, caused in part by the increased competition from the new, massive Borgata resort, owned jointly by Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD - News) and MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGG - News). Trump Hotels has a debt burden of nearly $1.8 billion and operational income barely exceeding debt-servicing costs.
But Trump is nothing if not a survivor, having endured far worse corporate conditions than the one Trump Hotels presently faces. There's an easy solution when the debt levels are too high: Cram down the debtors. When I say "easy," what I really mean is "extremely difficult," but on paper it looks easy enough. The DLJ money is contingent upon Trump's being able to negotiate a purchase price below face value for several outstanding series of mortgage debt. This is tantamount to a default on the debt, and the announcement of this term prompted Moody's (NYSE: MCO - News) and Standard & Poor's to immediately downgrade some of Trump's debt and put other classes on a negative bias.
The deal also depends upon the company being able to negotiate DLJ's purchase of common stock under certain parameters -- read: "a low enough price." What this means is that you can expect no promotional activity from Trump and no attempts to defend the company's share price, because a lower share price soon may equal substantially better overall position down the road.
Much of the $400 million would be used to fend off the debt wolves, but the plan also opens up the opportunity for more global expansion of the company. I doubt it stretches the imagination to picture Donald Trump levering the company's balance sheet back up again. It's other people's money, after all.
While the recapitalization will substantially help the company's current position, history suggests that the whiff of global expansion will be too enticing for Trump to play it safer this time around. Even though he would no longer own the majority of the company's stock, it's still his name on the door of the executive offices, the washroom, the properties, the corporate jet, and so on down to the hand towels and matchbooks. It's also his "magic" that people buy into.
So, he doesn't need to fear that ceding equity control means that he's going to have to hear those dreaded words:
"You're fired."
Bill Mann owns none of the companies mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool has a long history with Trump Casinos. Read about it here! The Motley Fool is investors writing for investors.
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Supreme Court rejects White House appeal over medical marijuana
From Bill Mears
CNN Supreme Court Producer
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Supreme Court justices on Tuesday rejected the Bush administration's request to consider whether the federal government can punish doctors for recommending or even discussing the use of marijuana for their patients.
The decision by the High Court cleared the way for state laws allowing ill patients to smoke marijuana if a doctor recommends it.
The dispute pits free speech rights against efforts to stamp out use of the popular, but illegal recreational drug. Some in the medical and legal community argue marijuana has true medical value to ease pain and stimulate appetite.
Marijuana is recognized as a controlled substance by the federal government and its use for recreational purposes is banned in most jurisdictions. The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy labels marijuana, along with other addictive drugs, as having "a high potential for abuse," lacking "accepted safety for use," even "under medical supervision."
Nine states have laws legalizing marijuana for people with physician recommendations or prescriptions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. And 35 states have passed legislation recognizing marijuana's medicinal value.
California in particular has been at the legal forefront on the issue. A 1996 voter referendum, the Compassionate Use Act, allowed marijuana use by those who receive "the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician."
Federal law bans marijuana distribution and use under any circumstances.
Tuesday's decision means state laws on the use of medical marijuana will stay in place, at least for the time being, and may encourage other states to pass similar referendums.
Federal health officials had told doctors who recommend or prescribe the substance could risk losing their medical license.
A federal appeals court ruled against the government, saying in its ruling, "physicians must be able to speak frankly and openly to patients." The Justice Department then appealed to the Supreme Court.
In a legal brief to the justices, Solicitor General Theodore Olson said, "The government's efforts ... to warn physicians against conduct that is substantially likely to facilitate and promote the acquisition and use of an unsafe controlled substance having a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use under federal law do not abridge any First Amendment rights."
Marijuana supporters argue against federal regulation
But supporters of medical marijuana argue sick people should have a range of options available to them. "Patients deserve access to accurate information about medicinal value in treating pain, nausea, wasting ... and other symptoms of life-threatening diseases," said Graham Boyd of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing a group of 15 patients and doctors in the case.
There is also a states' rights issue at play. Supporters of the medical marijuana laws argue Washington has no business trying to block the will of voters.
"It has always been, and should continue to be, the state's role to police the medical profession while balancing the First Amendment rights of doctors and patients," said Daniel Abrahamson of the Drug Policy Alliance. "The federal government's intrusion into this system is unwarranted."
Keith Vines, a prosecutor in San Francisco who used marijuana to combat HIV-related illnesses, was among those who challenged a federal policy put in place during the Clinton administration. That policy requires the revocation of federal prescription licenses of doctors who recommend marijuana.
"If the government is zipping them up, and we're not being told about options, that's negligence," Vines said in a report from The Associated Press.
A continuing debate is whether prescribed marijuana actually benefits patients medically.
"There is a difference between feeling better and actually getting better," said Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "There is no scientific evidence that qualifies smoked marijuana to be called medicine. Further, there is no support in the medical literature that marijuana, or indeed any medicine, should be smoked as the preferred form of administration. The harms to health are simply too great."
The case is Walters v. Conant, case no. 03-0040.