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To: mishedlo who wrote (46063)	2/7/2006 10:47:03 PM
From: redfish	Respond to of 116555

We raised $5,000 for the body armor, we more than covered it, thank you! by John in DC - 2/07/2006 02:48:00 PM UPDATE: Editor & Publisher has something on this now. And the local paper told me we crashed their Web site LOL. I think that's officially the first time one of our links crashed a site. :-) Wow, you guys were amazing. In just two hours, we raised over $5,000, with over 180 donations ranging from $1 to $400 (average donation was around $20, so this really was a community effort). If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, see the post below. I've just spoken to the reporter who covered this story - he reassured me that the guy is for real - they've actually been covering his deployment to Iraq for a while now. I'm calling the service member yet. Here's to hoping that some day we won't need virtual body armor bake sales to help provide for our service members in Iraq. americablog.blogspot.com Mr. Rebrook has 5k headed his way.

To: mishedlo who wrote (46063)	2/7/2006 11:19:01 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 116555

NAR Asks Tsy To Review Policy On Banks In Real Estate Mkt . WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The National Association of Realtors called Tuesday for Treasury Secretary John Snow to reconsider policies that could let banks expand into the real estate business. In a letter to Snow, NAR President Thomas Stevens protested recent rulings by the Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency - rulings that let banks develop office buildings, hotels, apartment buildings and windmill farms. The rulings "represent another leap forward in the OCC's continued effort to dramatically expand the real estate powers of national banks and undermine the national policy requiring separation of banking and commerce," Stevens said. In response to public concern, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said last month the recent interpretive rulings don't broaden banks' powers to hold real estate. The rulings deal with banks' owning real estate used for their own business and providing financing involving an indirect interest in real estate, Dugan said. But in his letter, Stevens said the course the OCC is taking raises concerns about the safety and soundness of the banking system. He cited the role that mixed banking and commercial interests played in the U.S. savings and loan crisis in the 1980s and more recent sluggishness of Japan's economy. The letter asks Snow to request that the OCC reassess its rulings on bank real estate developments while ensuring banks' authority to engage in real estate activity is narrowly interpreted. The NAR president also asked the Treasury secretary to withdraw a rule the Treasury jointly proposed with the Federal Reserve more than five years ago, which would allow financial holding companies and financial subsidiaries to broker and manage real estate. Stevens said this issue should be debated by Congress. On another matter, the real estate industry group leader said he sides with many banks that oppose Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s (WMT) application for a federally insured bank-service subsidiary, known as an industrial loan company, or ILC. But he added that the banking industry holds "hypocritical positions" by opposing commercial companies like Wal-Mart entering the banking business while trying to let banks expand into the commercial fields of real estate brokerage and development. -By Campion Walsh; Dow Jones Newswires; 202 862 9249; campion.walsh@dowjones.com