Houston, TX - Lewis Ranieri, who helped create the mortgage-securities market in the 1980s [converting home loans into bonds that could be sold anywhere in the world] while at Salomon Brothers Inc., became a victim of its collapse after his Houston-based bank was seized. Franklin Bank Corp., formed by Ranieri in 2002, was taken over this past Friday night by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp....

Chicago, IL - On the campaign trail one of the controversy's that was posted on many news sites and bloggers including The Drudge Report [reported by VIN News] was the issue of Obama saying he wants to create a civil police force in the United states. Wondering where that have might come from, and what exactly president elect Obama meant? Perhaps from his newly appointed Chief of staff Rahm...

Jerusalem - A most special opportunity at one of the most special places in the world. tonight, November 8 NY times tens of thousands of jews gather at Kever Rachel in honor of Mama Rochels Yartzeit. At approximately 9:30am est the entire assembly will be reciting the ten final kapitelach of Tehillim at Kever Rochel, joined by thousands of children from schools around the world. You can take...

Dear Rabbi, I'm a father and I have no idea how to bring up a Jewish boy. All I know is not to do as my father did. Although that's generally exactly what I end up doing. I want my son to grow up strong in his Jewishness and confident about his own self. A. Dad Shalom Dad, There's only two short lines you need to know. In the entire written Torah, it's the only dialog there is between...

Monroe, NY - Monroe Ford's former managers accuse Cadi Auto Parts owner Chaim Weinstock of stiffing the dealership to the tune of $90,000, leaving it unable to pay vendors or issue final paychecks to about a dozen employees. "He's a local business, and he's affecting all these local people," said Monroe Ford's former service director, Bob Deming. Weinstock says he has not paid Monroe Ford's...

Mea She'arim, Israel - Tuvia, 20, is working the night-shift this week at Teva Pharmaceuticals. While many of his peers are in the middle of three years of mandatory army service, Tuvia operates a drug-packaging machine to make ends meet. "Right after I got married I knew I had to find a job," said Tuvia. "I did not want to wind up like my brother who fell into $40,000 debt. My mother-in-law...

Chicago, IL - President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan this afternoon to apologize for a joke about her having held "séances" in the White House, an Obama aide said. “President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologize for the careless and off handed remark he made during today’s press conference," said transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "The President-elect...

Tehran - Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani slammed US president-elect Barack Obama on Saturday for saying Tehran's pursuit of nuclear weapons was "unacceptable," the official IRNA news agency reported. "This signifies a pursuit of the same erroneous policy as in the past," Larijani said when asked about Obama's comment on Friday. "If the United States wants to change its standing in...

New York, NY - Believe it or not, there is even grimmer budget news. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is swimming in a sea of red ink and sources say that drivers in the city might not like the bailout plan. Nearly half a million cars go back and forth over the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and 59th Street bridges every day for free. Now state and city officials now seem to agree...

Berlin, Germany - Original plans for the construction of the Nazi extermination camp of Auschwitz, including a gas chamber and crematorium, have been found in a Berlin apartment. The daily printed three architect's drawings of yellowing paper from the batch of 28 pages of blueprints it obtained. One has an 11.66 meter by 11.20 meter room marked "Gaskammer" (gas chamber) that was part of a...