April 2, 2009 – Page 2

Apr 02 2009

Docudharma Times Thursday April 2

So, the Republican’s Gave

The U.S. A Budget

Was It Ground Hog Day Or

Fools Gold

Thursday’s Headlines:

Many Medicare patients end up back at hospital

Iraq disbands Sunni militia that helped defeat insurgents

Palestinian orchestra leader deported after death threats

Tough talk at G20 as the EU awkward squad demand rapid results

Protests rock London as leaders open G20 meetings

Taliban in policy shift on beards and burqas

BJP leader Jaswant Singh claims election payouts ‘were charity, not bribes’

As Mexico Battles Cartels, The Army Becomes the Law

China Vies to Be World’s Leader in Electric Cars

By KEITH BRADSHER

Published: April 1, 2009

TIANJIN, China – Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

The goal, which radiates from the very top of the Chinese government, suggests that Detroit’s Big Three, already struggling to stay alive, will face even stiffer foreign competition on the next field of automotive technology than they do today.

“China is well positioned to lead in this,” said David Tulauskas, director of China government policy at General Motors.

USA

U.S. Urges GM to Consider Bankruptcy

Government Plan to Split Ailing Brands From Stronger Ones Is an Option, Firm Says

By Peter Whoriskey

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, April 2, 2009; Page A14

The Obama administration’s auto task force has pressed General Motors to consider a form of bankruptcy that would split the company in two, with one entity containing the unprofitable units and the other in essence becoming the new GM consisting of the company’s more successful brands, people familiar with the matter say.

The company prefers not to ever enter bankruptcy because the mere word would stir fear among consumers and further damage sales. But GM will be forced to do so if it fails to win concessions from its bondholders, union and dealers within 60 days. Then bankruptcy court would compel GM stakeholders to make sacrifices, rehabilitating the company by clearing away billions of dollars of debts from its balance sheet.

“They’re all options. They’re all being studied,” Kent Kresa, GM’s new chairman, said in an interview. “The preferred [option] is to do it outside of bankruptcy.”

Apr 02 2009

Docudharma Times Thursday April 2

So, the Republican’s Gave

The U.S. A Budget

Was It Ground Hog Day Or

Fools Gold

China Vies to Be World’s Leader in Electric Cars

By KEITH BRADSHER

Published: April 1, 2009

TIANJIN, China – Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

The goal, which radiates from the very top of the Chinese government, suggests that Detroit’s Big Three, already struggling to stay alive, will face even stiffer foreign competition on the next field of automotive technology than they do today.

“China is well positioned to lead in this,” said David Tulauskas, director of China government policy at General Motors.

USA

U.S. Urges GM to Consider Bankruptcy

Government Plan to Split Ailing Brands From Stronger Ones Is an Option, Firm Says

By Peter Whoriskey

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, April 2, 2009; Page A14

The Obama administration’s auto task force has pressed General Motors to consider a form of bankruptcy that would split the company in two, with one entity containing the unprofitable units and the other in essence becoming the new GM consisting of the company’s more successful brands, people familiar with the matter say.

The company prefers not to ever enter bankruptcy because the mere word would stir fear among consumers and further damage sales. But GM will be forced to do so if it fails to win concessions from its bondholders, union and dealers within 60 days. Then bankruptcy court would compel GM stakeholders to make sacrifices, rehabilitating the company by clearing away billions of dollars of debts from its balance sheet.

“They’re all options. They’re all being studied,” Kent Kresa, GM’s new chairman, said in an interview. “The preferred [option] is to do it outside of bankruptcy.”

Apr 02 2009

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

An Opened Mind VII

Art Link

Solid Fire

When it burns

It is not ours

We only

borrow it

thinking that we

control it

we have killed

to possess it

’til it is

our master

The fire consumes

clear, sterile

and then waits

for life anew

It will have

the last word

The fire was here

long before

life began

We only live

on its skin

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–January 3, 2006

Apr 02 2009

Late Night Karaoke

Nikai Thursday

Apr 02 2009

Echoes in Eternity

By Rusty1776 in Politics

What we do in life echoes in eternity.

What we’ve done as individuals, what we’ve done as a nation that tortured human beings, will echo in eternity.

John Donne, Meditation XVII . . .

All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated.

What language were we speaking when we locked human beings in cages? What language were we speaking when we tortured human beings to death? We were speaking the same language Inquisition torturers spoke, the same language Stalin’s NKVD torturers spoke, the same language Hitler’s SS torturers spoke, the same language Khymer Rouge torturers spoke. That’s the language we were speaking.

It’s a sadistic language, a degenerate language, an obscene language only psychopaths speak. Yet we as a nation spoke that language. We spoke the language of torture. We did not stop what was being done in our name. We were all holding the leash . . .

Apr 02 2009

In which I make a prediction

By NLinStPaul

The other day I was asking some questions about the alternatives to the current bailout plan by the Obama administration. I thank you all for your input. I have continued to read a fair amount about what’s going on and I want to make a fool’s prediction on what I think the next steps will be from the administration. I know this is dangerous territory. You all will have a written record on the intertubes to rub my face in when/if I’m wrong. But just imagine if I’m right – none of you will be able to abide the gloating that will ensue. LOL

We all know that the current plan is for the government to entice the private sector to buy bundles of the toxic (or so-called “legacy”) assets held by the big failing companies. As thereisnospoon so well described in an amazingly helpful diary at dkos this week, no one knows the value of these things and that is what’s freezing the credit markets right now and crippling the economy. I think the administration’s plan is to try to get someone to take those assets that “might” be worth something and get them back out into the economy to get the ball rolling.