Seems McCain had a point about the SEC

A week ago "Obama heaped criticism and sarcasm on John McCain, his Republican rival, and mocked his call to fire the head of the SEC." (USAToday) Yesterday, the NYT reported "The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged on Friday that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street’s largest investment banks had contributed to the global financial crisis, and he abruptly shut the program down." Story. I don't expect Obama to apologize--he'll explain it away and say 1) it was his idea, or 2) he didn't mean it, or 3) we're all too dumb to understand his nuances.

The Debate

Too close to bedtime for me, so I didn't watch it until this morning when I tuned it in on C-SPAN when I was fresher. WaPo may call it "lukewarm" but that's only because Obama didn't score any points. This debate wouldn't have changed anyone's vote--you'll dance with the one you came with. However, for people like me who became a McCain supporter very late or after Palin was his pick for VP, it was an eye opener. During the primaries, I was supporting first Huckabee then Romney, so I barely paid attention to McCain. The debate was my first time to really hear a broad range of what he believes. And I don't like all of it, but as far as debating or explaining, the old guy was vastly superior to the young whipper snapper. His wisdom and experience were the "brights" on the classic car speeding into the dark night. Obama's vehicle was the experimental model driving on "dims." (For you young folk, that's high beam and low beam.)

Let's set aside Obama's facial expressions which ranged from grim to grimace, from scowel to snippity, from half closed eyes to downcast eyes. He's far less quick than George Bush, whose been the butt of so many jokes from both his enemies and supporters (and he accepts it with humor, something Obama doesn't have). His stammering and parenthetical lead ups to every question seem to imply, "Help, I'm in quick sand, someone write me a speech!" Eventually, he gets to the point and hits his stride that he has memorized, but it is so painful.

And the head nodding during the question? Doesn't that drive you crazy when someone does that to you? It signals: "Hurry up, I know best, so let me speak." If a question is directed to both, Obama would "hit the buzzer" first with "uh, uh, well, I, I, I, . . ." until he could think of something to say, and then he begins, "The only point I want to make is. . ." and you think he'll finally get it out, but it leads to more stammering. The man seems incapable of saying anything with clarity or succintness. Maybe it was his years as an untenured teacher of law. Love or hate McCain, he gets to the point, even if it begins with "let me tell you my record."

Each speaker was skilled in bringing the question, no matter what it was, around to their best talking points, but Obama was not good at trying to paint McCain as a third Bush, which seems to be all his coaches tell him to say. He's voted with Democrats 97% of the time and accuses McCain of voting with the President, his party, 90%. Duh! McCain was a thorn in Bush's side. Are Americans so stupid that they don't see that's a one string guitar? And even Obama's record agreed with the President 40% of the time. Was he wrong?

My opinion: McCain won because he stayed on topic and struggled less for an answer.

And a note from McCain who is returning to Washington to work on the financial crisis in my mailbox this morning: "Our next president and Congress will face challenging times that require selfless leadership. They must find solutions to issues like the economy, national security, and energy independence. I'm ready to work with Governor Palin and our Congressional allies to address the nation's most pressing challenges. Make no mistake, we are ready to lead and the Obama-Biden Democrats are not."

Vote for experience, and the guy who doesn't stammer.

And now a word from our change agent

Sorry, I didn't find this sooner--dated Sept. 24.

The [McCain] announcement knocked the Barack H. Obama campaign, the Democrats, the congressional leadership, and the elite news media (to the extent that those are not simply synonyms) back on their heels... like walking up an unlit stairway and taking that last step that isn't there. They scrambled around like prats, denounced McCain, called it a "political stunt," contradicted each other (and themselves two minutes later), and in general, ran around like chickens with their legs cut off.

In other words, just exactly what they did when McCain named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.

The decision by Sen. McCain to return to the Senate and worry about the country before his own political interests is the same bold, maverick move as the Palin choice... and it tells us once again, if more proof were needed, who the real "change agent" is in this campaign: Consistently, from the moment the Democratic primary was settled, John McCain has been the leader and Barack Obama the reactionary, either following or angrily denouncing. Today was a "denouncing" day:
Big Lizards, Sept. 24

Top Four 527s go for Obama

These are the guys funding all those ads that drive us crazy.

"Of the top five organizations to give money to 527s, the top four are liberal.
They are SEIU ($24,014,524), Soros Fund Management ($4,900,000), Steven Bing’s Shangri-La Entertainment** ($4,850,000), and The Fund for America ($3,770,000).
The fifth is conservative Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($3,597,632).

Here’s the rest of the story.

**Bing's personal fortunes mostly stem from his grandfather, Leo Bing, who built luxury apartment homes in New York decades ago and reportedly gave a $600 million inheritance to his grandson when he turned 18. (SFGate)

Finance/Insurance/Real Estate

Top Contributors to Federal Candidates and Parties: Total contributions: $339,649,585, 50% to Democrats, 50% to Republicans, but the heavy hitters like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, are all betting on the Democrats.

Check it out. Do you suppose there's any arm twisting going on in Congress?

Oh those darn Jesus people!

ACORN and LaRaza, the “community organizers” (like Jesus), apparently would have gotten a piece of the bailout pie.

"House Republicans refused to support the Henry Paulson/Chris Dodd compromise bailout plan yesterday afternoon, even after the New York Times reported that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson got down on one knee to beg Nancy Pelosi to compromise. One of the sticking points, as Senator Lindsey Graham explained later, wasn’t a lack of begging but a poison pill that would push 20% of all profits from the bailout into the Housing Trust Fund — a boondoggle that Democrats in Congress has used to fund political-action groups like ACORN and the National Council of La Raza.

Read the pitiful news here.

Dodd's scam to bankroll the left.

ACORN practices widespread voter fraud to increase liberal turnout in elections, and is guilty of financial fraud and embezzlement, but it has avoided any punishment due to its links to liberal lawmakers like Senator Chris Dodd, Congressman Barney Frank, and Senator Charles Schumer. ACORN is engaged in massive fraud in battleground states like Florida. (Election rules are being shredded for partisan purposes in other battleground states like Virginia and Ohio).

Some of these organizations really are Jesus People. Others are just crooks and agitators. I looked up the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, and our church's Hilltop housing group gets a grant.

When the power goes off

Much of Ohio was without power last week--no electricity, no cable TV, no internet. It was darn inconvenient--and we didn't even lose ours! Meetings were cancelled, traffic lights were out, grocery stores and restaurants had rotting food, lots of "little guys" had no income. Remember folks, 50% of the country's electricity is supplied by coal. Yes, that stuff the environmentalists and the Obamanationists want to ruin. If you think it was dark last week, just wait!

Liberals and fat cat CEOs never worry about the cap and trade costs which will kill the coal industry, dim the lights, and hurt the poor. But if you are a voter in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana, and you're clinging to your religion or guns, you'd better start worrying about where the electricity is going to come from and how you'll pay for it when the e-regulations gear up. And no, I don't like McCain's falling down the green hole either, but sometimes you have to choose your battles. The only hope we have is he has chosen a conservative running mate who might be able to influence him.

Check it out, voters.

Country First

I've never been wild about John McCain, but my respect grows by the minute. I don't know if he can do a thing in Washington, but at least he knows he has a job to do. Both Obama and McCain need to be in DC doing the job they were elected to do. The campaign has already been too long, and people have already made up their minds. Obama is afraid of townhall meetings because he'd have to use his own words, but debates work well for him. On the economy, Obama is clueless. He's also not popular with anyone in Congress. He couldn't referee a little league game let alone bring conflicting sides together. One or the other of these two guys will have this dumped in their laps come January. Will Obama continue to be AWOL as he was in Illinois and as he has been for most of his Senate term?

I just hate the idea of the bailout--I've paid my bills, I've been honest, and then these whiz kids decide every Tom, Joe and Fred needs to buy a home, and the real estate flippers decide to take advantage. These guys have had 4 years to clean up this mess, and the same cheats and liars continue to make money--like Jamie Gorelick and Barney Frank who 2 years ago stonewalled (pardon the pun) the Republicans who wanted to clean house and said there was no need for changes--everything was fine. But given that, I would hope the Senators have a few more details, even Obama, that we haven't been privy to, and which the MSM hasn't spun out of control.

Update: The debate is back on and Obama was dragged kicking and screaming back to DC, then made the rounds stuttering and stammering on the TV news, telling everyone "he's on the phone." I've heard that within another decade there may have to be classes in the public schools to teach kids how to talk to people face to face. Sounds like we might be there.

Janet, Joycelyn and Jamie, Clinton’s back-up singers

Jamie Gorelick has been in the news lately with the Fannie Mae scandal--I think she’s gone on to more millions. Not sure about Janet Reno. But poor Joycelyn is on the rubber chicken circuit, chatting up the folks, earning a few bucks, still mad that “politics” lost her a cushy job.

Former U.S. Surgeon General M. Joycelyn Elders will present “The Politics of Health: What will the New Administration’s Challenges Be?” during a lunch presentation Wednesday (10/8). The lecture and Q&A, from noon-1:15 p.m. at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Café is sponsored by the OSU College of Public Health, Ohio Department of Health, Columbus Public Health and Columbus Metropolitan Club. Lunch is $25.

I tried to find out what agency represented her so I could see what the honorarium is, but the only one I could find (in cache) apparently doesn’t represent her anymore. Of course, if Obama is elected there won't be any politics in health and we'll know that racism is dead in this country. The vast army of Civil Rights folks will be in the unemployment lines. Well, if he isn't elected because of racists, wouldn't the opposite mean racism is gone?

Dear Left Wing Friend

You disparagingly referred to my blog as "right wing," but I notice you don't call yourself "left wing" even though you are working 24/7 for Obama having left family, friends and dog to go out and work for him. I write a lot of blogs--you can check back here to see what else I blog about--which you apparently don't read. Yes, I do think the stakes are high for this campaign, but I thought that in 2004 too. I sort of snoozed through 2000 just beginning my retirement, and wouldn't have been too concerned if Gore had won. At that time he was not unhinged. The attack on this nation on September 11, 2001 turned me into a Bush fan. I just knew Gore wouldn't have been up to the task.

So I'm right wing, but you're not left wing??! If it weren't for abortion, I'd probably be calling myself a libertarian. You will never be anything but a Democrat; you were born one and you'll die one. I'm exposed to the liberal lock-step-think all day. You wear blinders. You have contributed to Moveon dot org and the ACLU and you brag about it. I've never given my hard earned money to any political action group, and only on a few occasions have sent money to a candidate--and usually that is someone at the local level where it's a little easier to see the results. If money is going to leave my piggy bank for a cause, it will be to help poor people through a Christian organization or church, and it won't be given to a politician who will ear mark it for pork to build a park or a highway named for himself. Yes, I'm among those evil conservatives that surveys report give far more time and money to charity than liberals.

I spend about an hour a day telling the folks who stop by here my own researched and thought-out opinion, backed up with links to other writers if I can find them, that your candidate is an empty suit and a disaster for our country, and you spend 8 or 9 hours a day working for him, script in hand, organizing the novices, phoning the undecided, and doing the shitty work women have always been asked to do to move the man ahead. Based on just time spent, that makes you more a fanatic than me.

You live in a state with one massive city that controls the whole state with a history of corruption back to the 18th and 19th century. If it has ever been a swing state, I don't remember. Kennedy wouldn't have been president if the dead hadn't voted in your state. It has such a powerful Democratic machine that it even raises the dead to vote at election time. This is the machine that has nurtured your candidate.

You complain that your salary has been low your whole working life. What? Was that even during Kennedy/Johnson, Carter and Clinton administrations? And all those years we had a Democratic Congress? Didn't they do anything for you? And you think Obama will change that? He wants to decrease our disposable income by increasing taxes on business! He wants to punish the successful. Will you (or your surrogate Democrats who are younger) move to another city for Obama? Will you learn to drive a car for Obama? Will you go to college for Obama? Will you invest in the stock market for Obama? You don't have to have millions or even thousands--I did without and put aside 15% of my salary in tax deferred investments after the children left home. During the 1990s technology bust and fall out from 9/11 my investments didn't grow at all until Bush cut taxes to encourage investment and growth. Over time, the stock market is a much better investment than gold or real estate (although Fannie Mae CEOs and Barney Frank want you to believe everyone, even the poor and illegals, has to have a house). I'm not sure my little pension will recover from this latest government melt down, but at least my candidate knows he needs to be taking care of business in Washington and not saying, "call me if you need me."

You have stayed with your party and never questioned. The party left me years ago. I first began to suspect something was wrong in the mid-80s. Don't know which had more affect--raising teens, the Bork inquisition, or the smearing of Clarence Thomas, but I did eventually learn that I couldn't change someone else's direction and lifestyle--not with lectures, not with money, not with bribes, and certainly not with my politics. It was a valuable lesson, one I've never forgotten. You can stay there on the fringes of the left wing if you want, but not me.

Who helped in the emergency

Columbus got hit hard by the hurricane winds of Ike. We are still watching the clean up, although the power has been restored. Here's the note I've sent Panera's attached to their survey of customer service (www.panerasurvey.com).

I just wanted to let you know what an outstanding job the 2 Paneras I visit did during the recent electric outage (Hurricane Ike) here in Columbus, OH. I go to both the one on Bethel and the one on Tremont Rd in UA.

Just this morning I heard another customer complimenting the manager(?) at Tremont on the outstanding service they provided to the community last week when that neighborhood was without power about 6 days. The lines went out to the parking lot, but the Panera's staff were helpful, patient and friendly with a clientele that was really frazzled.

Just thought you'd like to know what great people you have working there. Give them all a bonus, because they really went above and beyond what is usually asked of a restaurant!

Objects of Wonder

Tonight we're going to the members preview of the "Objects of Wonder" show at the Columbus Museum of Art. These are the treasures found among the libraries and collections of Ohio State University, from the scientific to the artistic, pigeons to paintings, and cartoons to costumes. Should be fun. I had planned to attend a special program on this at UAPL last week, but the power outage cancelled all the programs.

Update: This is an amazing show--don't miss it. We plan to go back again because you can't possibly see it all in one trip. If you have any connection with Ohio State--student, alumnus, employee or tax payer--you just have to see this. And even if you have no connection at all, it's a fabulous art-objects show. I didn't see anything from the Vet college, although they have a wonderful art department and medical artists and photographers on staff. I remember a painting of a horse that is bigger than our condo. But perhaps I just didn't come across it. I did see the eye glass display from the Medical College--it's awesome--eye wear of famous people like Elvis and Sophia and President Ford. Whuddathunkit? The beetles and butterflies, the costumes, displays of wood from Ohio trees that went to Exposition in Chicago in 1893, Alaskan native art from the Byrd collection, John Glenn's gear from space flights, and I had no idea that George Bellows had painted so many presidents. And the rare books--what wonderful bindings. Again--don't miss it.

Your Mind is Blue

Of all the mind types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Mind?

Seen at Antigonos' Annals

You mean like Joe?

". . . at a time when one public gaffe could stall the energy Ms. Palin has brought to the McCain campaign, the self-described “maverick” governor from Alaska has taken few chances in her first week on the campaign trail."
NYT Caucus Blog

I've lost count. He's not even funny, anymore, he's pathetic. Is this what a first class education and years of experience bring to the ticket? Thank goodness for Sarah.

There wasn't enough room under the bus

so Jim Johnson of Fannie Fame is back in the Obama ranks of financial wizards. Story at Politico. If you were wavering toward Obama because you thought he was clean (too new), think again. Only Palin has a clean record on this. Elect Sarah.

Trickle up fiscal responsibility

"She can hardly be blamed. It's not her fault that her parents' income qualify her for the school's free lunch program," said the teacher. "But every day she raises a ruckus in the lunch line because she demands the extras, like cookies or dessert or an extra slice of pizza, that require payment. She sees the other kids can buy them, and she demands the same. She just doesn't get it."

How is she different than our Congress?

Comments, not mine, on the bailout

Dr Patrick Byrne of Overstock commented: "This bailout is necessary to save the bacchanal that is our US financial system. However, at the core of the administration's plan is the assumption that Wall Street is worth saving. It is not. For years Wall Street has bossed Washington, DC around like they're hired flunkies, while preying on Main Street businesses and investors. The federal government should use this opportunity to extract from Wall Street concessions that could never be extracted were Washington in its customary subordinate position." Here.

Nancy Pelosi is pleased.

Michelle Malkin says kill it and says credit is not a civil right.

McCain acting presidential; Obama not so much.

"This is a disaster waiting to happen. The best course of action for Congress is to do nothing and let the situation resolve itself. In short order we will have new market champions. If it absolutely has to do something, it can announce new lending programs to fend off a credit crunch (though this puts more pressure on private financial institutions and shouldn't really be done unless the credit crunch materializes)." Gabriel Malor

"When I and my wife, a legal alien, bought our house, the mortgage company told me that if my wife were an illegal alien, rather than legal, we would have qualified for certain loan programs with big banks. But because she was a legal alien waiting for her green-card (which she had recently applied for), we didn’t qualify." Hans Bader at OpenMarket.org





More as I find them.

Bush's legacy

He's not scrambling for one the way some former and ex-presidents have done, but of course, history (and the media) will assign it whether or not he claims it. I don't know how the bailout will be viewed; I hope not with all the things President Hoover tried (yes, I know Joe Biden thinks Roosevelt was president in 1929, but that's what you get with those first class educations that people like the Palins couldn't afford).

Here's what I wrote on Nov. 27, 2007:

Here are my ten suggestions for a Bush legacy, in order of importance, five positive, five negative.

1) The appointment of two outstanding judges to the Supreme Court, Roberts and Alito. This will extend many years and perhaps be able to return the Supreme Court to its original intention, moving it away from creating law. Kennedy, his father's appointment after the Bork nomination failed, was a tremendous disappointment for conservatives, so it is possible that with time, this one won't be in number one place, but for now, that's where I'd place it for long term impact.

2) The tax cuts and overseeing the most robust economy in the history of this nation I'd place second. Facing my retirement in 2000 dependent on the health of the stock market, I was watching my accounts stagnate, and then tumble after 9/11. Right now the economy is softening and Democrats are making all the wrong moves, especially for retirees (look out boomers) mainly because they use taxes to punish, not to move the country forward.

3) Getting us back on our feet after 9/11. Although I didn't dislike Al Gore and wouldn't have been upset if he'd been President (my first election as a Republican), it is still hard to imagine his taking charge after that disaster. For awhile it looked like there might even be a resurgence of patriotism and love of country, but that quickly faded as the Bush hatred over the lost election of 2000 continued to fester and eat away at the reasoning faculties of otherwise sensible people.

4) Freeing more women in Afghanistan in the 21st century than Abraham Lincoln did slaves in the USA in the 19th century. We don't know yet the full consequences of this, because women were quite advanced in this country before it was stolen from them by the Taliban, and the climb back up will require a lot of will. American feminists have ignored this achievement rather than give Bush the credit.

5) Leading the country into an unpopular, controversial war with the support and backing of both parties, including some of the same senators who later reversed their decision. That Bush held strong and refused to abandon the Iraqi people the way Nixon did the Vietnamese is a huge legacy, especially for those he saved from the blood bath had he caved into demands for pull-outs and withdrawals from his enemies.

And on the negative side of the legacy ledger.

1) Offended his supporters and party by nominating a weak Supreme Court candidate (White House counsel Harriet Miers) and by attempting to partner with the Democrats on an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants. These two actions also hurt any Republicans who supported him on other issues.

2) Not being able to corral his stampeding RINOs and missing the opportunity to reform Social Security by taking total control back from the government to allow investment in personal accounts.

3) Standing firm in his resolve that all societies deserve and desire a democracy. Perhaps only history will decide this one, but you've got to admit trying to jump start a 7th century mentality and push or drag it into the 21st century, is a tough row to hoe.

4) The biggest tax spender on education ever to enter the White House, crafting a program with Ted Kennedy's help. Did he tell us during the 2000 campaign that he wanted to be the "education president?" Earmarks (pork) and wasted foreign aid--but that's more congressional, and something we've just come to expect from our government, isn't it? This and the next one have made him an anathema to many conservatives.

5) Expanding medical care to a government drug program with Ted Kennedy, thus laying the ground work for the Democrats to make it even worse and more expensive. I think government-doled, rock-bottom health care for every household earning less than $1 million is a real possibility after 2008. Those making over a million will still be able to purchase first class care like they do in socialist countries.

I think some items might need to be rearranged. The Iraqi war has been long and has fractured the American spirit from the bitterness of the anti-war crowd, just the way I remember the VietNam years. But he didn't abandon them and turn yellow-belly the way they wanted him to do. Not that they would have praised him for an earlier resolution. The Iraqis will sell their oil to the Chicoms--why mess with our environmentalist nonsense--they have to rebuild their economy which the left says we broke. But I guess that removes "blood for oil" argument. The Dems won that one. Even today, the other party won't use the word victory, and maybe only historians will. Democrats and their progressive/socialist/marxist fringes have been so wrong on all fronts about this, it will be difficult to sort out because the academics and the press always are on the left and write from that perspective.

Dear George, Henry and Ben

Your bailout stinks. In a few months you'll be gone and you are handing the Democrats a federalized economy while you're still in office, what they planned for later on in the Obama years. You're not even going to make them work for it! I don't want to blame this all on President Clinton, because he had a Republican Congress to work with, but getting a home loan used to be very different before the mid-90s. It took 20% down, and our housing cost couldn't exceed 35% of our monthly after tax income. It's possible that since you guys are all rich, you've forgotten how we ordinary folks scrimped and saved and did without to pay our mortgages. Then someone brilliant decided we needed to move everyone into "the American dream," without considering who could or would pay. Then we got the NINJA loans, and even wealthy people took advantage of your lax no interest, no assets loans during the housing bubble. Yes, some minorities and poor people got into homes, most of which they couldn't afford. Again, I don't blame just the Democrats--I seem to remember something laudatory about this in the last State of the Union address.

You, President Bush, proposed in 2001 and 2003 the overhaul in the housing finance industry. It was blocked by liberal Democrats. That's a failure of leadership; we can't blame only the Democrats. Then Senator McCain with three other Senate Republicans tried to reform the government’s involvement in lending in 2005 and again that was blocked by Democrats. So he's not the "can't we all get along guy" that he thinks he is. And Obama? He was missing in action or not on board. (Why is this guy always out of the room when an important vote is taken? He's actually getting points for his absenteeism!)

Maybe you think I’m excusing you, but I’m not. You are the leaders. Why did you let the Democrats bamboozle us, and why put them in charge again when they've made such a mess? Now you are going to make the tax paying, honest, bill paying American pay for the mistake the two parties made together? Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are the reigning Democrats in banking and finance, and the rules were changed during the Clinton administration and it was former members of his administration who drove these GSEs into the ground and walked away with Golden Parachutes.

Tell me why, George W. Bush, should we bail out these bad, bad decisions made at the federal level by the Democrats in Congress and your administration?

Kudos for doing your job!

"9 East Rhodes Achieves 100 Percent Hand Hygiene

Congratulations to faculty and staff in 9 East Rhodes Hall for receiving 100 percent hand hygiene compliance in August. They were selected from 24 inpatient units at UH, Ross, Dodd Hall and UH East and outpatient areas that had 100 percent compliance. To properly wash your hands, wet them with water, apply soap and rub your hands together for 15 seconds. Rinse and dry with a disposable towel then use the towel to turn off the faucet to avoid re-contaminating your hands. You can also use an alcohol-based hand rub for routinely decontaminating your hands."

Below a recruitment notice for overweight people to participate in a heart study, I noticed this item for keeping the Buckeye spirit:

Nutrition Services will begin carrying Suisse Shop cupcakes tomorrow (Sept. 23) at Seasons Cafe at UH and Seasons Express at Ackerman and Morehouse. The cupcakes were selected by Columbus Monthly as the "Best of Columbus 2008." Cupcake varieties include a Buckeye cupcake (chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting and topped with a candy buckeye), Waldorf Red cupcake (with Waldorf Astoria frosting and topped with scarlet and gray sprinkles), White Empress cupcake (chocolate with white truffle frosting) and vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with french buttercream frosting. All cupcakes are available for $2.29 each.

OSU Medical Center This Week Newsletter, September 22, 2008