Like a lot of families, mine cut back on holiday spending this year. With the economy weakening and everyone anxious about their jobs, my wife and I agreed to forgo gifts for one another. And while we still spoiled our children, gifts for our extended family were more modest than last year.
While I like gift-wrapped packages as much as the next guy, there was only one present I wanted: the chance to refinance my mortgage at a ridiculously low rate.
The week before Christmas, the Federal Reserve dropped the federal funds rate to zero percent, a number usually associated with the cut-rate financing deals offered by near-bankrupt auto companies. While movements in Fed-controlled short-term interest rates don't always affect long-term rates (which include mortgage rates), in this case they have. The rate on 10-year Treasury bonds recently hit a historic low of 2.1 percent. That, in part, has led to a rush of calls to mortgage brokers by homeowners seeking to refinance, with rates on 30-year mortgages dipping toward 5 percent. Since I hate to miss out on a good deal, I shot my mortgage broker an e-mail just before Christmas and asked if he's got a present for me.
placeAd2(commercialNode,'bigbox',false,'')
I'm not in any rush, mind you. I've read the statement issued by the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee, which made clear it expects to hold short-term rates low for quite some time.
I've also been closely following the debate over whether the federal government should step in and subsidize mortgages for new homebuyers, which could send rates even lower. As ++The New York Times reported a couple of weeks ago, the Treasury Department, real-estate-industry lobbyists and even Ben Bernanke have been chewing over a plan to let new homebuyers finance their home purchases at a rate of 4.5 percent, with the government helping to subsidize those rates. Some proponents of this plan—among them Columbia professors Glenn Hubbard and Christopher Mayer, who wrote about it in The Wall Street Journal—argue for extending this rate to include even existing homeowners, who could refinance their existing mortgages at 4.5 percent. Rates this low, they contend, would help stabilize the falling housing market, which is what caused this whole economic mess in the first place.
For a lot of people, including me, such subterranean rates would mean some serious savings. I carry two mortgages on my house. My first mortgage is a 15-year loan at 5 percent—a rate that's so low, I figured I'd never have to refinance. The second loan, used to finance a big renovation a few years ago, is a 30-year note at 6.25 percent. Like most people, I wish my monthly payment weren't as high as it is, but compared with a lot of people, I don't have too much to complain about. Even as its value has fallen, my home is still worth more than I owe on it, and so long as I remain employed, my monthly mortgage payment is well within the range that lenders think I can afford, based on my income.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Pennington set to give Jets buyer's remorse
A very bad 2008 for Brett Favre (football-wise) has the potential to get even worse Sunday.
The legend, the icon, the mythological gunslingin’, butt-slappin’, MVP-winnin’ greatest quarterback in NFL history (to some) is about to get Buster Douglassed by Chad Pennington.
This little game Sunday between Favre’s Jets and Pennington’s Miami Dolphins? The one that will basically decide the AFC East?
Despite what you’ll hear, this is not the kind of game for which the Jets brought Favre to New York.
Playoff games, conference championships, Super Bowls. That’s why he was imported. Not so that — on the season's final weekend — the Jets would be looking up at a Miami team that was 1-15 last year. Or, for that matter, a New England Patriots team that played almost the entire season without Tom Brady.
The Jets' braintrust of GM Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini didn’t jettison Pennington and bring in Favre as the cherry on top of their offseason sundae for, for … this!
But here are the Jets, 9-6 after an 8-3 start. The lone win in their last four being a pennies from heaven job against Buffalo.
The Legend has thrown six picks and a touchdown in the last four games. Not the kind of finishing kick he’s supposed to bring.
getCSS("3088874")
Special feature
NFL power rankings: Who's the 1?Make your own rankings, compare them to NBC Sports crews
NBCSports.comAnd then there’s Pennington. Drafted by New York in 2000, he was sanctified and vilified during his tenure. He's a player whose on-field strengths are accuracy, measured decision-making and off the field are selflessness and stoicism. Still, he and his noodle-arm were sent by packing by Tannenbaum when Favre came to town. And Favre’s game and persona are — to be sure — the polar opposite of Pennington’s.
You’ll hear a lot of people hype the game, “It duddn’t git any better than this!” Yeah, well, not for the Jets. This is the worst-case scenario. Lose and Miami wins the AFC East. Win and, quite likely, the hated New England Patriots will win the AFC East.
Even though Mangini said that Pennington and Favre, “Aren't in a cage match (on Sunday),” the fact is that one of them will treat it as such. For a win Sunday, Pennington would roll naked on broken glass.
He gave a lot to the Jets. And even if he didn’t have Favre's natural talent, he’s every bit the tough guy/great teammate Favre’s been built up to be. And New York showed him the door. As Miami teammate Vonnie Holliday said earlier this week, that hurt Pennington’s pride.
The legend, the icon, the mythological gunslingin’, butt-slappin’, MVP-winnin’ greatest quarterback in NFL history (to some) is about to get Buster Douglassed by Chad Pennington.
This little game Sunday between Favre’s Jets and Pennington’s Miami Dolphins? The one that will basically decide the AFC East?
Despite what you’ll hear, this is not the kind of game for which the Jets brought Favre to New York.
Playoff games, conference championships, Super Bowls. That’s why he was imported. Not so that — on the season's final weekend — the Jets would be looking up at a Miami team that was 1-15 last year. Or, for that matter, a New England Patriots team that played almost the entire season without Tom Brady.
The Jets' braintrust of GM Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini didn’t jettison Pennington and bring in Favre as the cherry on top of their offseason sundae for, for … this!
But here are the Jets, 9-6 after an 8-3 start. The lone win in their last four being a pennies from heaven job against Buffalo.
The Legend has thrown six picks and a touchdown in the last four games. Not the kind of finishing kick he’s supposed to bring.
getCSS("3088874")
Special feature
NFL power rankings: Who's the 1?Make your own rankings, compare them to NBC Sports crews
NBCSports.comAnd then there’s Pennington. Drafted by New York in 2000, he was sanctified and vilified during his tenure. He's a player whose on-field strengths are accuracy, measured decision-making and off the field are selflessness and stoicism. Still, he and his noodle-arm were sent by packing by Tannenbaum when Favre came to town. And Favre’s game and persona are — to be sure — the polar opposite of Pennington’s.
You’ll hear a lot of people hype the game, “It duddn’t git any better than this!” Yeah, well, not for the Jets. This is the worst-case scenario. Lose and Miami wins the AFC East. Win and, quite likely, the hated New England Patriots will win the AFC East.
Even though Mangini said that Pennington and Favre, “Aren't in a cage match (on Sunday),” the fact is that one of them will treat it as such. For a win Sunday, Pennington would roll naked on broken glass.
He gave a lot to the Jets. And even if he didn’t have Favre's natural talent, he’s every bit the tough guy/great teammate Favre’s been built up to be. And New York showed him the door. As Miami teammate Vonnie Holliday said earlier this week, that hurt Pennington’s pride.
Report: N.Y. Times may sell Red Sox stake
NEW YORK - The New York Times Co is trying to sell its stake in the holding company of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The sale, which could give the Times desperately needed cash as newspaper advertising revenue falls and its debt payments loom, could involve its 17.5 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures and possibly the struggling Boston Globe daily newspaper, the Journal reported.
New England Sports Ventures owns the Red Sox, the Fenway Park baseball field where the team plays, and most of the cable network that shows their games.
A New York Times spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Journal report comes on the same day that the Times Co. reported a 20.9 percent drop in advertising revenue in November, compared with the same period last year.
The Times has said that it is evaluating the future of its assets, which also include online encyclopedia About.com and several daily newspapers throughout the United States, as it tries to meet its debt obligations and cut its borrowing.
Debt is proving difficult for many U.S. publishers to handle because they are bringing in less cash to make them able to meet their obligations. This is partly because of the fading relevance of printed newspapers to people now used to getting news for free online. The world financial crisis has only worsened the ad sale declines.
The Times could raise at least $200 million if it sold its stake, analysts and sports bankers told Reuters earlier this month. The team, while not central to the Times’ business, could be attractive to many buyers despite the recession because it is popular with fans.
Other baseball teams are up for sale as well, including the Chicago Cubs, which is owned by Tribune Co., the privately held newspaper publisher that filed for bankruptcy this month.
The Times got the Red Sox stake in 2002 as part of a group led by hedge fund manager John Henry that bought the team, Fenway Park and an 80 percent stake in the New England Sports Network. The price for the deal was $700 million, including debt. The network also includes a NASCAR auto-racing team.
The Times previously refused to sell the Globe after former General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jack Welch and former advertising executive Jack Connors reportedly asked about the possibility. At the time, they valued the Pulitzer prize-winning newspaper at $550 million to $600 million, the Journal said. Barclays now values the Globe at about $20 million.
The sale, which could give the Times desperately needed cash as newspaper advertising revenue falls and its debt payments loom, could involve its 17.5 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures and possibly the struggling Boston Globe daily newspaper, the Journal reported.
New England Sports Ventures owns the Red Sox, the Fenway Park baseball field where the team plays, and most of the cable network that shows their games.
A New York Times spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Journal report comes on the same day that the Times Co. reported a 20.9 percent drop in advertising revenue in November, compared with the same period last year.
The Times has said that it is evaluating the future of its assets, which also include online encyclopedia About.com and several daily newspapers throughout the United States, as it tries to meet its debt obligations and cut its borrowing.
Debt is proving difficult for many U.S. publishers to handle because they are bringing in less cash to make them able to meet their obligations. This is partly because of the fading relevance of printed newspapers to people now used to getting news for free online. The world financial crisis has only worsened the ad sale declines.
The Times could raise at least $200 million if it sold its stake, analysts and sports bankers told Reuters earlier this month. The team, while not central to the Times’ business, could be attractive to many buyers despite the recession because it is popular with fans.
Other baseball teams are up for sale as well, including the Chicago Cubs, which is owned by Tribune Co., the privately held newspaper publisher that filed for bankruptcy this month.
The Times got the Red Sox stake in 2002 as part of a group led by hedge fund manager John Henry that bought the team, Fenway Park and an 80 percent stake in the New England Sports Network. The price for the deal was $700 million, including debt. The network also includes a NASCAR auto-racing team.
The Times previously refused to sell the Globe after former General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jack Welch and former advertising executive Jack Connors reportedly asked about the possibility. At the time, they valued the Pulitzer prize-winning newspaper at $550 million to $600 million, the Journal said. Barclays now values the Globe at about $20 million.
Bush revokes pardon issued a day earlier
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush took the very rare step Wednesday of revoking a pardon he had granted only a day before, after learning in news reports of political contributions to Republicans by the man's father and other information.
Bush pardoned 19 people on Tuesday, including Isaac Robert Toussie of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had been convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and of mail fraud. On Wednesday, the White House issued an extraordinary statement saying the president was reversing his decision in Toussie's case.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the new decision was "based on information that has subsequently come to light," including on the extent and nature of Toussie's prior criminal offenses. She also said that neither the White House counsel's office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie's father that "might create an appearance of impropriety."
"Given that, this was the prudent thing to do," she said.
The new information came to the White House's attention from news reports, Perino said.
A story in the New York Daily News said Toussie's father, Robert, donated $28,500 to the national Republican Party in April. It came just months before Toussie's pardon petition, the newspaper said.
Outside of the processThe counsel's office generally doesn't include vetting of political contributions in its reviews on such matters, as that would be "highly inappropriate on many levels," she said. The White House decision on Toussie had come without a recommendation from the pardon attorney, Ronald L. Rodgers, as Toussie's request for a pardon came less than five years after completion of his sentence, so that eliminated another step in the review process.
The Justice Department advises the president on who qualifies for pardons. Only people who have waited five years after their conviction or release from prison can apply for a pardon under the department's guidelines. Criminals are required to begin serving time, or otherwise exhaust any appeals, before they can be considered for sentence commutation.
But the president can forgive people outside that process if he chooses. Under the Constitution, the president's power to issue pardons is absolute and cannot be overruled — meaning he can forgive anyone he wants, at any time.
Perino said she is not aware of any other instance of a pardon reversal, in the Bush administration or others.
"The counsel to the president reviewed the application and believed, based on the information known to him at the time, that it was a meritorious application," she said. Bush now believes the case should rest with the pardon attorney.
The Daily News story on Wednesday, and another in Newsday and on blogs, shed light on Toussie's record. He pleaded guilty for lying to HUD and mail fraud, admitting that he falsified finances of prospective homebuyers seeking HUD mortgages. He was sentenced to five months in prison and five months' house arrest, a $10,000 fine and no restitution, the Daily News reported.
Bush pardoned 19 people on Tuesday, including Isaac Robert Toussie of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had been convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and of mail fraud. On Wednesday, the White House issued an extraordinary statement saying the president was reversing his decision in Toussie's case.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the new decision was "based on information that has subsequently come to light," including on the extent and nature of Toussie's prior criminal offenses. She also said that neither the White House counsel's office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie's father that "might create an appearance of impropriety."
"Given that, this was the prudent thing to do," she said.
The new information came to the White House's attention from news reports, Perino said.
A story in the New York Daily News said Toussie's father, Robert, donated $28,500 to the national Republican Party in April. It came just months before Toussie's pardon petition, the newspaper said.
Outside of the processThe counsel's office generally doesn't include vetting of political contributions in its reviews on such matters, as that would be "highly inappropriate on many levels," she said. The White House decision on Toussie had come without a recommendation from the pardon attorney, Ronald L. Rodgers, as Toussie's request for a pardon came less than five years after completion of his sentence, so that eliminated another step in the review process.
The Justice Department advises the president on who qualifies for pardons. Only people who have waited five years after their conviction or release from prison can apply for a pardon under the department's guidelines. Criminals are required to begin serving time, or otherwise exhaust any appeals, before they can be considered for sentence commutation.
But the president can forgive people outside that process if he chooses. Under the Constitution, the president's power to issue pardons is absolute and cannot be overruled — meaning he can forgive anyone he wants, at any time.
Perino said she is not aware of any other instance of a pardon reversal, in the Bush administration or others.
"The counsel to the president reviewed the application and believed, based on the information known to him at the time, that it was a meritorious application," she said. Bush now believes the case should rest with the pardon attorney.
The Daily News story on Wednesday, and another in Newsday and on blogs, shed light on Toussie's record. He pleaded guilty for lying to HUD and mail fraud, admitting that he falsified finances of prospective homebuyers seeking HUD mortgages. He was sentenced to five months in prison and five months' house arrest, a $10,000 fine and no restitution, the Daily News reported.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Bad weather delays frustrated holiday travelers
LOS ANGELES - Colleen Stone and her family left their Illinois home Saturday hoping to fly to Seattle and spend Christmas with her parents. But two days, two canceled flights, a car ride and $600 later, they weren't even close. They were at Los Angeles International Airport, desperately trying to get out by plane, bus, train or rental car.
The Stones were among hundreds of frustrated travelers Monday across the West stuck at airports, bus stations and along roadways due to stormy, winter weather.
"I work for the Red Cross back home and we're trained to be prepared for when disasters strike," said Stone, 51. "This is a disaster and the airlines are not prepared for it."
to stay at the station. At the Old Town station in Portland, about 100 people had set up a second home.
Hopeless situationsA group of three sat against a cool brick wall not far from the ticket counter: Fast friends get made in hopeless situations.
Darlene Robb, 56, met Joshua Wharen, 20, on their bus to Portland. She was heading from Santa Rosa, Calif. to Grangeville, Idaho. He was going from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Spokane, Wash. Erica Wilcox, 22, spotted the duo in Portland, herself caught between Great Lakes, Ill., and Klamath Falls, Ore.
On Monday, they were playing cards, Robb was calling the two younger ones "my adopted kids" and Wilcox was accusing Wharen of cheating. "You're trying to look at my cards!"
If all went well, all three expected to be on buses sometime Tuesday, heading home to family, to friends.
Traffic inched along Interstate 5, the main north-south highway through western Oregon. State highways through the northern edge of the Coast Range were closed. Portland's buses, equipped with tire chains, were having trouble making it along the streets.
Alaska and Horizon airlines, the West Coast's principal carriers, resumed limited service Monday after thousands spent the night waiting. Flight cancelations were reported at Spokane, Seattle-Tacoma and Portland airports.
At Sea-Tac, spokesman Perry Cooper said stranded passengers were given water and blankets, concession stores had adequate food for sale, and there were no reports of temper flare-ups.
Some travelers said they had spent 12 hours waiting for a ticket agent, taking turns sleeping while others held their places in line.
getCSS("3088867")
Video
Harsh weather tightens gripDec. 22: Heavy snow and chilling temperatures continue to plague much of the country. NBC's Jim Gray reports.
NBC News Channel
Much of the available floor space was filled with families huddled and trying to sleep under light blue blankets. Walking space was at a premium. The baggage claim area was littered with mounds of unclaimed luggage 6 and 7 feet high.
Bonnie Fong, 21, said she struggled to get to the airport on time Monday, only to find her flight to San Francisco to visit her family had been canceled. The first available confirmed space, she said, was on a while off: Sunday.
"I guess maybe I'll talk to my mom and see what she wants to do," Fong said. "Maybe I can take the train or something."
Amtrak's Cascades passenger train service remained shut down Monday between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which operates the tracks, said partial service might be restored Tuesday.
Bus passengers bound for Washington and Oregon were stuck for as long as three days in Salt Lake City because of road closures and hazardous conditions, Greyhound Lines Inc. spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said.
'Stuck'Several travelers were at the Salt Lake City bus station on Monday, some of whom had already waited several days for a way out of town.
"I made it this far, and I've been stuck here ever since," said Nathan Collver, 30, a carpenter who was on his way from Austin, Texas, to Portland. Collver's wife is planning to fly to Portland on Jan. 6.
"From the looks of it, she's going to get there before I do," said Collver, who said he'd been at the terminal since Saturday night.
Stone, the stranded passenger in Los Angeles, said her family flew out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in Missouri on Saturday, but their flight to Minneapolis was canceled and they were rerouted to Las Vegas. Then their connecting flight was canceled — after eight hours of waiting.
They spent the night in Las Vegas and spent Sunday driving to California, where they ran into crawling traffic over the 4,190-foot-high Cajon Pass east of Los Angeles because of a big rig crash.
On Monday, the Stones called a few car rental companies, and discovered it would cost $1,000 to rent a vehicle to go one way from Los Angeles to Seattle.
The Stones ruled out that option because they had already spent $600 on hotels and the rental car from Las Vegas.
Then the Stones found out they couldn't get on a flight to Seattle until Christmas evening. So they decided to scrap Seattle altogether and drive to Kansas to visit other relatives.
"We're not going to fly anywhere for the rest of the winter," Colleen Stone said.
The Stones were among hundreds of frustrated travelers Monday across the West stuck at airports, bus stations and along roadways due to stormy, winter weather.
"I work for the Red Cross back home and we're trained to be prepared for when disasters strike," said Stone, 51. "This is a disaster and the airlines are not prepared for it."
to stay at the station. At the Old Town station in Portland, about 100 people had set up a second home.
Hopeless situationsA group of three sat against a cool brick wall not far from the ticket counter: Fast friends get made in hopeless situations.
Darlene Robb, 56, met Joshua Wharen, 20, on their bus to Portland. She was heading from Santa Rosa, Calif. to Grangeville, Idaho. He was going from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Spokane, Wash. Erica Wilcox, 22, spotted the duo in Portland, herself caught between Great Lakes, Ill., and Klamath Falls, Ore.
On Monday, they were playing cards, Robb was calling the two younger ones "my adopted kids" and Wilcox was accusing Wharen of cheating. "You're trying to look at my cards!"
If all went well, all three expected to be on buses sometime Tuesday, heading home to family, to friends.
Traffic inched along Interstate 5, the main north-south highway through western Oregon. State highways through the northern edge of the Coast Range were closed. Portland's buses, equipped with tire chains, were having trouble making it along the streets.
Alaska and Horizon airlines, the West Coast's principal carriers, resumed limited service Monday after thousands spent the night waiting. Flight cancelations were reported at Spokane, Seattle-Tacoma and Portland airports.
At Sea-Tac, spokesman Perry Cooper said stranded passengers were given water and blankets, concession stores had adequate food for sale, and there were no reports of temper flare-ups.
Some travelers said they had spent 12 hours waiting for a ticket agent, taking turns sleeping while others held their places in line.
getCSS("3088867")
Video
Harsh weather tightens gripDec. 22: Heavy snow and chilling temperatures continue to plague much of the country. NBC's Jim Gray reports.
NBC News Channel
Much of the available floor space was filled with families huddled and trying to sleep under light blue blankets. Walking space was at a premium. The baggage claim area was littered with mounds of unclaimed luggage 6 and 7 feet high.
Bonnie Fong, 21, said she struggled to get to the airport on time Monday, only to find her flight to San Francisco to visit her family had been canceled. The first available confirmed space, she said, was on a while off: Sunday.
"I guess maybe I'll talk to my mom and see what she wants to do," Fong said. "Maybe I can take the train or something."
Amtrak's Cascades passenger train service remained shut down Monday between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which operates the tracks, said partial service might be restored Tuesday.
Bus passengers bound for Washington and Oregon were stuck for as long as three days in Salt Lake City because of road closures and hazardous conditions, Greyhound Lines Inc. spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said.
'Stuck'Several travelers were at the Salt Lake City bus station on Monday, some of whom had already waited several days for a way out of town.
"I made it this far, and I've been stuck here ever since," said Nathan Collver, 30, a carpenter who was on his way from Austin, Texas, to Portland. Collver's wife is planning to fly to Portland on Jan. 6.
"From the looks of it, she's going to get there before I do," said Collver, who said he'd been at the terminal since Saturday night.
Stone, the stranded passenger in Los Angeles, said her family flew out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in Missouri on Saturday, but their flight to Minneapolis was canceled and they were rerouted to Las Vegas. Then their connecting flight was canceled — after eight hours of waiting.
They spent the night in Las Vegas and spent Sunday driving to California, where they ran into crawling traffic over the 4,190-foot-high Cajon Pass east of Los Angeles because of a big rig crash.
On Monday, the Stones called a few car rental companies, and discovered it would cost $1,000 to rent a vehicle to go one way from Los Angeles to Seattle.
The Stones ruled out that option because they had already spent $600 on hotels and the rental car from Las Vegas.
Then the Stones found out they couldn't get on a flight to Seattle until Christmas evening. So they decided to scrap Seattle altogether and drive to Kansas to visit other relatives.
"We're not going to fly anywhere for the rest of the winter," Colleen Stone said.
Investigators: Doomed jet made odd noise
DENVER - Investigators trying to determine why a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and skidded into a ravine heard an odd bumping and rattling noise on the flight's recorders shortly before it tried to take off.
The noise was detected 41 seconds after the jet started speeding down a runway at Denver International Airport on Saturday. Four seconds later, one of the crew members called for the takeoff to be aborted, said Robert Sumwalt, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board.
The recording ends six seconds after that, probably because the plane slammed to the ground after hurtling off an embankment, he said.
Sumwalt revealed the findings late Monday after an initial review of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. Experts planned to begin a more in-depth analysis of the contents of the recorders in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday while investigators return to the plane's wreckage in a snowy field at the airport.
All 115 passengers and crew members escaped the jet, which caught fire on the right side. Thirty-eight people were injured, including the plane's captain.
Sumwalt said investigators have found no problems with the plane's engines, tires or brakes, but they are not yet ruling anything out.
The plane traveled about 2,000 feet after leaving the runway, crossing a grassy strip and a taxiway before going off the embankment, hitting the ground at its base. It then went up a slight hill, over an access road and then down another small hill on the other side of the road before landing on its belly, its landing gear shorn off.
ThrustersLead NTSB investigator Bill English said the plane's flight data recorder shows the thrusters on both engines were switched to reverse. He said that normally happens when crew members try to stop a takeoff.
Sumwalt said investigators are still gathering information about the exact wind conditions on the runway at the time of the accident. However, he said the cockpit voice recorder contained no comments about wind.
Investigators have not yet interviewed the plane's captain, who was flying the plane, because Sumwalt said he is physically unable. He didn't elaborate. They have talked to the first officer, who said the plane began moving off the center of the runway as it reached about 103 mph while speeding down the runway for takeoff.
The plane continued to accelerate, reaching a maximum speed of about 137 mph, Sumwalt said.
Off-duty crew members who had flown the plane earlier in the day also were on board at the time of the accident, and Sumwalt said the first officer from that crew returned to the plane three times to help rescue passengers. Sumwalt also reported that those crew members said they had no problems with the plane during their flight.
A fire charred and ripped open much of the right side of the plane, with the worst damage around a crack around the fuselage. Sumwalt said all the passenger seats remained intact during the plane's wild ride off the runway, although seats in row 18, near the crack, had loose fittings.
Sumwalt said the runway was bare and dry when the plane attempted to take off for Houston and no debris was found there.
The noise was detected 41 seconds after the jet started speeding down a runway at Denver International Airport on Saturday. Four seconds later, one of the crew members called for the takeoff to be aborted, said Robert Sumwalt, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board.
The recording ends six seconds after that, probably because the plane slammed to the ground after hurtling off an embankment, he said.
Sumwalt revealed the findings late Monday after an initial review of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. Experts planned to begin a more in-depth analysis of the contents of the recorders in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday while investigators return to the plane's wreckage in a snowy field at the airport.
All 115 passengers and crew members escaped the jet, which caught fire on the right side. Thirty-eight people were injured, including the plane's captain.
Sumwalt said investigators have found no problems with the plane's engines, tires or brakes, but they are not yet ruling anything out.
The plane traveled about 2,000 feet after leaving the runway, crossing a grassy strip and a taxiway before going off the embankment, hitting the ground at its base. It then went up a slight hill, over an access road and then down another small hill on the other side of the road before landing on its belly, its landing gear shorn off.
ThrustersLead NTSB investigator Bill English said the plane's flight data recorder shows the thrusters on both engines were switched to reverse. He said that normally happens when crew members try to stop a takeoff.
Sumwalt said investigators are still gathering information about the exact wind conditions on the runway at the time of the accident. However, he said the cockpit voice recorder contained no comments about wind.
Investigators have not yet interviewed the plane's captain, who was flying the plane, because Sumwalt said he is physically unable. He didn't elaborate. They have talked to the first officer, who said the plane began moving off the center of the runway as it reached about 103 mph while speeding down the runway for takeoff.
The plane continued to accelerate, reaching a maximum speed of about 137 mph, Sumwalt said.
Off-duty crew members who had flown the plane earlier in the day also were on board at the time of the accident, and Sumwalt said the first officer from that crew returned to the plane three times to help rescue passengers. Sumwalt also reported that those crew members said they had no problems with the plane during their flight.
A fire charred and ripped open much of the right side of the plane, with the worst damage around a crack around the fuselage. Sumwalt said all the passenger seats remained intact during the plane's wild ride off the runway, although seats in row 18, near the crack, had loose fittings.
Sumwalt said the runway was bare and dry when the plane attempted to take off for Houston and no debris was found there.
China's 'reunion' pandas arrive in Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan - A pair of giant pandas arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday as a gift from rival China, another symbolic step forward in the two sides' rapidly improving relations.
"Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" set down at the Taipei airport after a three-hour flight from Chengdu in Sichuan province, as Taiwanese around the island watched spellbound on local television.
Taken together, the pandas' names mean "reunion" — underscoring Chinese hopes that the animals' arrival in Taiwan will spur unity between the sides, 59 years after they split amid civil war. Tuesday's panda arrival follows by a week the initiation of expanded transportation links across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait and other signs of friendship between Beijing and Taipei.
The pandas' voyage was minutely chronicled by Taiwan's effervescent media. Newspapers carried front-page photographs of the pandas in their native Sichuan habitat and TV stations followed the flight of the green-liveried Eva Airways jet carrying the animals to Taipei.
The pandas' arrival in Taiwan — more than three years in the making — symbolizes a new spirit across the Taiwan Strait.
Since his inauguration seven months ago, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has moved aggressively to link Taiwan closer to the mainland, opening the door to a substantially increased flow of Chinese tourists and sanctioning a more liberalized regime for bilateral investments.
QuarantineHis steps contrast sharply with predecessor Chen Shui-bian's efforts to emphasize Taiwan's political and cultural separateness, which enraged Beijing, and prompted it to reaffirm long-standing threats to use military force against the democratic island it claims as its own.
After their arrival at Taipei airport, the pandas were prepared for the short trip to the city's zoo, where they are expected to remain in quarantine for 30 days.
Eager onlookers awaited their arrival, though it was likely all they would see was the red, panda-ornamented tarpaulin covering their cages.
Assuming they are disease-free, Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan — and their new, two-story zoo habitat — will be unveiled to the public during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in late January.
China expects big benefits from its panda largesse.
For more than five decades, Beijing has used panda diplomacy to make friends and influence people in countries ranging from the United States to the former Soviet Union.
The giant panda is unique to China and serves as an unofficial national mascot. China regularly sends the animals abroad as a sign of warm diplomatic relations or to mark breakthroughs in ties.
The offer to send Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan to Taiwan was first made in 2005 when the pro-independence Chen was still in charge. Citing various bureaucratic obstacles, his government rejected it, but after Ma's inauguration in May, the way was cleared to reverse that decision.
"Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" set down at the Taipei airport after a three-hour flight from Chengdu in Sichuan province, as Taiwanese around the island watched spellbound on local television.
Taken together, the pandas' names mean "reunion" — underscoring Chinese hopes that the animals' arrival in Taiwan will spur unity between the sides, 59 years after they split amid civil war. Tuesday's panda arrival follows by a week the initiation of expanded transportation links across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait and other signs of friendship between Beijing and Taipei.
The pandas' voyage was minutely chronicled by Taiwan's effervescent media. Newspapers carried front-page photographs of the pandas in their native Sichuan habitat and TV stations followed the flight of the green-liveried Eva Airways jet carrying the animals to Taipei.
The pandas' arrival in Taiwan — more than three years in the making — symbolizes a new spirit across the Taiwan Strait.
Since his inauguration seven months ago, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has moved aggressively to link Taiwan closer to the mainland, opening the door to a substantially increased flow of Chinese tourists and sanctioning a more liberalized regime for bilateral investments.
QuarantineHis steps contrast sharply with predecessor Chen Shui-bian's efforts to emphasize Taiwan's political and cultural separateness, which enraged Beijing, and prompted it to reaffirm long-standing threats to use military force against the democratic island it claims as its own.
After their arrival at Taipei airport, the pandas were prepared for the short trip to the city's zoo, where they are expected to remain in quarantine for 30 days.
Eager onlookers awaited their arrival, though it was likely all they would see was the red, panda-ornamented tarpaulin covering their cages.
Assuming they are disease-free, Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan — and their new, two-story zoo habitat — will be unveiled to the public during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in late January.
China expects big benefits from its panda largesse.
For more than five decades, Beijing has used panda diplomacy to make friends and influence people in countries ranging from the United States to the former Soviet Union.
The giant panda is unique to China and serves as an unofficial national mascot. China regularly sends the animals abroad as a sign of warm diplomatic relations or to mark breakthroughs in ties.
The offer to send Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan to Taiwan was first made in 2005 when the pro-independence Chen was still in charge. Citing various bureaucratic obstacles, his government rejected it, but after Ma's inauguration in May, the way was cleared to reverse that decision.
Beer-loving Brazilians adapt to the 'dry law'
RIO DE JANEIRO - Of all the things you could say to a cop with an automatic weapon after he's pulled you out of the car on the side of the highway at midnight, Isaac Chaves chose: "I've had 15 beers."
And why not? This is Brazil, the land of samba in the streets, beer on the beaches and kiwis in your caipirinha, the place where festivals of debauchery last for days. Drinking isn't a source of shame here. It's part of the daily celebration.
Besides, Chaves, 27, wasn't driving. He never does. He's a lawyer; he knows there are rules, too. "I don't even have a license," he said.
"He likes to drink," said the man behind the wheel that night, Bruno Mendes, 26, an accountant. "A lot."
The important question was whether Mendes had been drinking, because this is the new, more sober Brazil, at least on paper. Six months ago, the government imposed one of the strictest drunken-driving laws in the hemisphere, what people here call the "dry law." Anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol content of .02 percent or higher (compared with .08 in the United States) faces a $400 fine, loss of their license for a year, an impounded vehicle and jail time.
Many welcomed the move, with 35,000 people dying on Brazil's roads each year. Others were skeptical, including many Cariocas, as residents of Rio de Janeiro are known, who said the law was too harsh for the capital of carnival.
"The culture of Cariocas is bohemian -- they like night life, they like drinking beer," said Cesar Augusto de Castro Jr., a chief inspector with the federal highway police in Rio de Janeiro. "This law asks for a behavioral change, and it's hard to change their behavior."
The dry law, introduced in June, hit the country like a cold shower. Police swarmed the streets outside night spots in major cities, setting up sobriety-test checkpoints, handing out fines and seizing licenses. More than 5,000 people have been cited under the law, which joined a measure this year limiting the sale of alcohol along federal highways.
Likened to terrorismCritics have compared the police crackdown to terrorism. The law has been called authoritarian and unconstitutional, and the restaurant association is working to overturn it. Others have tried to adjust. The city of Sao Paulo added night bus routes to get drinkers home. The Brazilian beer maker AmBev started paying 10 percent of taxi fares for imbibers. Some bars and restaurants began driving customers home, while others strung up hammocks for revelers to sleep off their inebriation.
But it is difficult to say how well the new law is working -- or whether Brazilians' behavior has changed much.
The statistics suggest the roads are no safer than before. In the law's first five months, the number of car accidents on federal highways in Rio de Janeiro state rose 17 percent, compared with the same period in the previous year. Injuries also rose, by 32 percent, although deaths fell by 8 percent, according to police.
Across the country, the picture appeared worse. In those five months, accidents, injuries and deaths on federal highways increased over the previous five months.
Police said they were encouraged by accident figures in the initial weeks. But a problem quickly became apparent: It was difficult to enforce the law without breathalyzers.
"We don't have enough machines to do the tests," said Pedro Paulo Bahia, a spokesman for the federal highway police. "After a few months, people started to realize this."
Bahia estimated that Brazil, home to almost 200 million people, had 900 breathalyzers available. Highway police in Rio de Janeiro state have 13. Although there are plans to get thousands more devices soon, police said the shortage has hamstrung enforcement, particularly in the cities.
Police extortionDrivers report other problems.
"The police officers would stop people and ask for money, between $200 and $400 depending on how drunk you were," said Antônio Carlos, 68, who has been a taxi driver in Rio for more than 20 years, echoing the complaints of several residents. "The corrupt police officers were getting rich."
For Carlos and his colleagues, however, the law has also been a boon. In Lapa, a Rio neighborhood known for its all-night samba clubs, taxi drivers report increases in business of up to 30 percent in the dry law era.
"I just think people are more afraid now to drink and drive," said taxi driver Vailtom Mira, 41, idling outside a Lapa bar. "The traffic is a sign of that. Before, it would take 40 minutes to go around the block here. On Friday and Saturday nights, nothing moved. Now it's easy to drive around."
At a sidewalk table nearby, Arthur Vianna, 25, said he could appreciate the new law. "I have crashed my car twice. I was drunk. Completely drunk," he said, showing off a scar on his left forearm.
"I stopped for a while drinking and driving. But after two months I did it again, I have to confess," he said. "I don't have a car anymore."
Vianna, a recent medical school graduate, said that shortly after the law went into effect, he noticed a decline in the number of car crash victims coming in to the emergency room. But lately things seem back to normal, he said.
"There is nobody checking anything anymore," said his friend, Ameusca Santos. "You have the law, but nobody's enforcing it."
And why not? This is Brazil, the land of samba in the streets, beer on the beaches and kiwis in your caipirinha, the place where festivals of debauchery last for days. Drinking isn't a source of shame here. It's part of the daily celebration.
Besides, Chaves, 27, wasn't driving. He never does. He's a lawyer; he knows there are rules, too. "I don't even have a license," he said.
"He likes to drink," said the man behind the wheel that night, Bruno Mendes, 26, an accountant. "A lot."
The important question was whether Mendes had been drinking, because this is the new, more sober Brazil, at least on paper. Six months ago, the government imposed one of the strictest drunken-driving laws in the hemisphere, what people here call the "dry law." Anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol content of .02 percent or higher (compared with .08 in the United States) faces a $400 fine, loss of their license for a year, an impounded vehicle and jail time.
Many welcomed the move, with 35,000 people dying on Brazil's roads each year. Others were skeptical, including many Cariocas, as residents of Rio de Janeiro are known, who said the law was too harsh for the capital of carnival.
"The culture of Cariocas is bohemian -- they like night life, they like drinking beer," said Cesar Augusto de Castro Jr., a chief inspector with the federal highway police in Rio de Janeiro. "This law asks for a behavioral change, and it's hard to change their behavior."
The dry law, introduced in June, hit the country like a cold shower. Police swarmed the streets outside night spots in major cities, setting up sobriety-test checkpoints, handing out fines and seizing licenses. More than 5,000 people have been cited under the law, which joined a measure this year limiting the sale of alcohol along federal highways.
Likened to terrorismCritics have compared the police crackdown to terrorism. The law has been called authoritarian and unconstitutional, and the restaurant association is working to overturn it. Others have tried to adjust. The city of Sao Paulo added night bus routes to get drinkers home. The Brazilian beer maker AmBev started paying 10 percent of taxi fares for imbibers. Some bars and restaurants began driving customers home, while others strung up hammocks for revelers to sleep off their inebriation.
But it is difficult to say how well the new law is working -- or whether Brazilians' behavior has changed much.
The statistics suggest the roads are no safer than before. In the law's first five months, the number of car accidents on federal highways in Rio de Janeiro state rose 17 percent, compared with the same period in the previous year. Injuries also rose, by 32 percent, although deaths fell by 8 percent, according to police.
Across the country, the picture appeared worse. In those five months, accidents, injuries and deaths on federal highways increased over the previous five months.
Police said they were encouraged by accident figures in the initial weeks. But a problem quickly became apparent: It was difficult to enforce the law without breathalyzers.
"We don't have enough machines to do the tests," said Pedro Paulo Bahia, a spokesman for the federal highway police. "After a few months, people started to realize this."
Bahia estimated that Brazil, home to almost 200 million people, had 900 breathalyzers available. Highway police in Rio de Janeiro state have 13. Although there are plans to get thousands more devices soon, police said the shortage has hamstrung enforcement, particularly in the cities.
Police extortionDrivers report other problems.
"The police officers would stop people and ask for money, between $200 and $400 depending on how drunk you were," said Antônio Carlos, 68, who has been a taxi driver in Rio for more than 20 years, echoing the complaints of several residents. "The corrupt police officers were getting rich."
For Carlos and his colleagues, however, the law has also been a boon. In Lapa, a Rio neighborhood known for its all-night samba clubs, taxi drivers report increases in business of up to 30 percent in the dry law era.
"I just think people are more afraid now to drink and drive," said taxi driver Vailtom Mira, 41, idling outside a Lapa bar. "The traffic is a sign of that. Before, it would take 40 minutes to go around the block here. On Friday and Saturday nights, nothing moved. Now it's easy to drive around."
At a sidewalk table nearby, Arthur Vianna, 25, said he could appreciate the new law. "I have crashed my car twice. I was drunk. Completely drunk," he said, showing off a scar on his left forearm.
"I stopped for a while drinking and driving. But after two months I did it again, I have to confess," he said. "I don't have a car anymore."
Vianna, a recent medical school graduate, said that shortly after the law went into effect, he noticed a decline in the number of car crash victims coming in to the emergency room. But lately things seem back to normal, he said.
"There is nobody checking anything anymore," said his friend, Ameusca Santos. "You have the law, but nobody's enforcing it."
Guantanamo prisoners may head to Europe
European nations have begun intensive discussions both within and among their governments on whether to resettle detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a significant overture to the incoming Obama administration, according to senior European officials and U.S. diplomats.
The willingness to consider accepting prisoners who cannot be returned to their home countries, because of fears they may be tortured there, represents a major change in attitude on the part of European governments. Repeated requests from the Bush administration that European allies accept some Guantanamo Bay detainees received only refusals.
The Bush administration "produced the problem," Karsten Voigt, coordinator of German-American cooperation at the German Foreign Ministry, said in a telephone interview. "With Obama, the difference is that he tries to solve At least half a dozen countries are considering resettlement, with only Germany and Portugal acknowledging it publicly thus far.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has instructed officials to look into political, legal and logistical aspects of the matter, a ministry spokesman said yesterday. A discussion paper on the issue has been circulating among ministries in Berlin for weeks, German officials said.
European officials put out tentative feelers to Barack Obama's team to see whether it was willing to discuss the issue, but the incoming administration has rejected holding even informal talks until after the Jan. 20 inauguration, according to European and U.S. officials aware of the outreach.
"President-elect Obama has repeatedly said that he intends to close Guantanamo, and he will follow through on those commitments as president. There is one president at a time, and we intend to respect that," said Brooke Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for the Obama transition team.
'Step forward'The Portuguese government pushed what had been private discussions in Europe into the open this month when Foreign Minister Luís Amado brought up the issue in a letter to his counterparts in other countries.
"The time has come for the European Union to step forward," he wrote. "As a matter of principle and coherence, we should send a clear signal of our willingness to help the U.S. government in that regard, namely through the resettlement of detainees. As far as the Portuguese government is concerned, we will be available to participate."
Amado said yesterday in a phone interview that he plans to raise the issue at a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers in late January. It will also be discussed at an E.U. General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on Jan. 26, he added.
"I believe the new administration will have the conditions to create a new dynamic of cooperation," Amado said. He noted that when he first raised the issue of Guantanamo Bay at a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers about seven months ago, some countries resisted assisting the Bush administration.
"I assume the new administration will have someone on a plane to Europe within minutes of Obama being sworn in," said Sarah E. Mendelson, director of the Human Rights and Security Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the author of a report on closing Guantanamo Bay.
European officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because their governments have not yet formulated a public stance on the issue, said they expect the Obama administration to take steps to secure European cooperation, some of which appear to be under serious discussion by the transition team.
The willingness to consider accepting prisoners who cannot be returned to their home countries, because of fears they may be tortured there, represents a major change in attitude on the part of European governments. Repeated requests from the Bush administration that European allies accept some Guantanamo Bay detainees received only refusals.
The Bush administration "produced the problem," Karsten Voigt, coordinator of German-American cooperation at the German Foreign Ministry, said in a telephone interview. "With Obama, the difference is that he tries to solve At least half a dozen countries are considering resettlement, with only Germany and Portugal acknowledging it publicly thus far.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has instructed officials to look into political, legal and logistical aspects of the matter, a ministry spokesman said yesterday. A discussion paper on the issue has been circulating among ministries in Berlin for weeks, German officials said.
European officials put out tentative feelers to Barack Obama's team to see whether it was willing to discuss the issue, but the incoming administration has rejected holding even informal talks until after the Jan. 20 inauguration, according to European and U.S. officials aware of the outreach.
"President-elect Obama has repeatedly said that he intends to close Guantanamo, and he will follow through on those commitments as president. There is one president at a time, and we intend to respect that," said Brooke Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for the Obama transition team.
'Step forward'The Portuguese government pushed what had been private discussions in Europe into the open this month when Foreign Minister Luís Amado brought up the issue in a letter to his counterparts in other countries.
"The time has come for the European Union to step forward," he wrote. "As a matter of principle and coherence, we should send a clear signal of our willingness to help the U.S. government in that regard, namely through the resettlement of detainees. As far as the Portuguese government is concerned, we will be available to participate."
Amado said yesterday in a phone interview that he plans to raise the issue at a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers in late January. It will also be discussed at an E.U. General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on Jan. 26, he added.
"I believe the new administration will have the conditions to create a new dynamic of cooperation," Amado said. He noted that when he first raised the issue of Guantanamo Bay at a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers about seven months ago, some countries resisted assisting the Bush administration.
"I assume the new administration will have someone on a plane to Europe within minutes of Obama being sworn in," said Sarah E. Mendelson, director of the Human Rights and Security Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the author of a report on closing Guantanamo Bay.
European officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because their governments have not yet formulated a public stance on the issue, said they expect the Obama administration to take steps to secure European cooperation, some of which appear to be under serious discussion by the transition team.
‘No regrets,’ says boy who gave up legs for prosthetics
For the first time in his life, he’s no longer hobbled by a congenital condition that made walking a painful and difficult task. That meant a grand entrance for 10-year-old Nick Nelson, who wasn’t going to begin an interview sitting on a couch.
Instead Nick let his parents, Greta and Gary Nelson, and his sister, Naomi, say hello to TODAY’s Matt Lauer first Monday in New York and waited for his cue. When it came, he walked into the studio on his new, high-tech, carbon-fiber “J” legs, stepped onto a riser, and took his place next to his parents on a couch.
Christmas was just four days away, but Nick said he doesn’t need to find anything under the tree: “I don’t really care if I get presents this year.” He held his new legs up for the camera. “I already got ’em.”
Instead Nick let his parents, Greta and Gary Nelson, and his sister, Naomi, say hello to TODAY’s Matt Lauer first Monday in New York and waited for his cue. When it came, he walked into the studio on his new, high-tech, carbon-fiber “J” legs, stepped onto a riser, and took his place next to his parents on a couch.
Christmas was just four days away, but Nick said he doesn’t need to find anything under the tree: “I don’t really care if I get presents this year.” He held his new legs up for the camera. “I already got ’em.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)