Most important news story of the week (ending January 23, 2009)

[ColbertWatcher]

Most important news story of the week ending January 23, 2009

A: the Secretary-General of the U.N. tours the Gaza Strip

B: Barack Hussein Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States of America, immediately suspends military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

C: scientists at Berkeley and Harvard find seasons arriving 2 days earlier (Science Daily)

D: Microsoft lays off 5,000 workers, Warner Bros. lays off 850, Clear Channel lays off 1,850

E: Illinois Governor Rod Balgojevich's impeachment begins

F: Anglo Irish Bank is nationalized

G: NSA whistleblower Russell Tice reveals the full extent of domestic spying approved by the Bush Administration

H: North Korean officials claim they have "weaponized" their stockpile of plutonium

I: One of the last-minute "incidents" that are a part of the Friday document dump (please see which in my reply)

J: Other (please see my pick for most important new story in reply)

[NOW tense]

1. Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama Ignite a Fashion Frenzy

J. Crew’s phones have been ringing off the hook as moms across the country try to get the colorful coats Malia and Sasha Obama wore to see their dad sworn in as president of the United States. (You can stop calling; they're not available yet.)

The verdict is definitely in: the Obamas are fashion superstars.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481886,00.html

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:


:sarcasm:

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Tease.

You post about the J Crew coats then say they're not available yet.

Don't post anything else on the coats until they are available.

[NOW tense]

7. Sorry

I will check J Crew daily and keep you updated.

[ColbertWatcher]

11. Maybe we can get Skinner to start a J Crew forum? n/t

[tbyg52]

3. I was torn between B and G,

but without B, G wouldn't mean a thing.

[kimmerspixelated]

8. There you go.

[undergroundpanther]

4. I think this one is pretty damn important

By Candace Rondeaux
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 23, 2009; 1:49 PM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 23 -- At least 20 people were killed in northwest Pakistan near the border of Afghanistan on Friday in two suspected U.S. missile strikes, marking the first such attack in Pakistan's tribal areas since President Obama's inauguration.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012301220.html?hpid=topnews


And this one too

Citigroup, Bank of America May Look ‘Nationalized’ (Update2)
By Ari Levy

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government’s decision to pledge billions of additional dollars with strings attached to Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. may be nationalization by another name, according to former bankers and regulators.

Faced with pressure from lawmakers, banks have shaken up management, eliminated executive bonuses and staff and canceled conventions. They’ll be forced to do monthly reports on how they’ve boosted lending while slashing quarterly dividends to one cent a share for three years.

“When the Treasury tells a bank to pay a penny a share vs. its old dividend, you know who’s calling the shots,” said Jon Bruss, a 40-year industry veteran and founder of Hartland, Wisconsin-based Fortress Partners Capital Management Ltd., which invests in banks. “It may not be de jure nationalization but I think it’s de facto nationalization.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ayHp841RcKAY&refer=home

And this one too

U.S. military report warns 'sudden collapse' of Mexico is possible
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Posted: 01/13/2009 03:49:34 PM MST

EL PASO - Mexico is one of two countries that "bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse," according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_11444354

[ColbertWatcher]

6. I'm sorry I missed those. All very important. Thank you for posting. n/t

[L. Coyote]

5. "NSA whistleblower Russell Tice reveals the full extent ..." WE WISH!!

That's a reach!! But, it is still the biggest story!

[ColbertWatcher]

9. I was thinking of phrasing it differently, but ...

... I figure you can't get more "full extent" than 'every American was spied on.'

So, yeah, it might not be exactly accurate, but it's really, really close.

[lpbk2713]

10. Other: Limbaugh wants Obama to fail.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. Hmm, interesting.

And to add to that, no elected GOP official has denounced him or what he said.

[Tindalos]

13. I think C might be more important in the long term.

However, I had to go with B. I've been worried for 8 years that we might not have a future. Now we have B, we can start addressing issues like the environment.

[ColbertWatcher]

14. Good point.

I'm hoping we can stop the GOP and their corporate sponsors from blocking all his efforts.