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To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)11/22/2006 6:00:48 PM
From: stockman_scott  Respond to of 89467
 
9/11 and the Greenberg Familia
____________________________________________________________

By Jerry Mazza
Online Journal
September 29, 2006

Democratic Underground Demopedia reports in Who Killed John O’Neill that at the time of 9/11, AIG, the world’s largest insurance company, and subsidiaries Marsh McLennan, ACE and Kroll, were run by the Greenberg family. With Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) member Maurice “Hank” Greenberg as the AIG godfather, the Familia’s tentacles curled around the heart of the tragedy.

Hank’s son Jeffrey, a CFR member as well, was chairman of Marsh & McLennan, situated on floors throughout the North Tower of the World Trade Center as well as the top floors of the South Tower. Marsh also had ties to the CIA. Son Evan Greenberg, a CFR member, was CEO of ACE Limited, situated in Tower 7, which also contained AIG subsidiary Kroll, closely related to the CIA, also with an office in Tower 7.

Tower 7 also contained offices of the FBI, Department of Defense, IRS (which contained prodigious amounts of corporate tax fraud, including Enron’s), US Secret Service, Securities & Exchange Commission (with more stock fraud records), and Citibank’s Salomon Smith Barney, the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management and many other financial institutions.

Greenberg’s cousin, Alan “Ace” Greenberg, was former CEO of Bear Sterns, where the Bush family, Cheney family, George Schultz, James Baker, et al, did business. It is the leading brokerage firm of the great and all-powerful Bush Familia.

Also reported by Democratic Underground, AIG’s Kroll “provided protection services,” among other things, to high level Americans at home and abroad. Kroll had military teams in their company and merged with Armor Holdings on August 23, 2001, adding Defence Systems Limited, another private military corporation, to their operation, and an ex-KGB team called Alpha Firm earlier acquired by Defense Systems Limited. These four teams could have been used on 9/11, part of a “corporatizing” of black ops in tandem with military teams.

According to whistleblower Richard Grove, who worked as a senior manager for SilverStream Software on Marsh and AIG accounts, Kroll also managed the Enron fraud once Kenneth Lay stepped down.

Marsh, immediately after 9/11, established a specialized terrorism team called Marsh Crisis Consultancy (led by L. Paul Bremer III), adding the teams Control Risks Group, a British ex-SAS team and Versar, bio-terrorism and homeland defense team. These players could have known each other from 9/11, bringing in new assignments and profits.

Democratic Underground also reports, AIG allegedly was laundering drug money, and was involved in the Afghanistan oil and gas pipelines. Greenberg and the Adnan Khasshogi family allegedly benefited from the Afghanistan narcotics trade and interests in the oil and gas pipelines, as well.

Greenberg’s Law Firm Connections to Bush

According to www.sourcewatch.org, the Greenbergs were and are connected to the Bush Familia via their Miami-based law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, a 1,350-lawyer, full-service international firm. Here are a few connects . . .

1) G-T represented George W. Bush in the Bush-Gore 2000 Florida election vote recount.

2) They personally represent Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

3) They hired son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Election Day 2000 -- after which Justice Scalia cast one of the 5 to 4 deciding votes that placed Bush in the White House.

4) They partially funded/sponsored a delegation to Israel by House-Senate Armed Services Committee members and government contractors to witness and be briefed on interrogations resistance procedures and torture techniques.

5) The firm has prominent administrative positions in Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, which also involves Bush family banking house Brown Brothers Harriman (the same BBH involved with Prescott Bush’s bankrolling the Nazis in World War II).

6) Traurig Greenberg works with 9-11 victims on planning their US government “hushmail/bribery estates.” That is, to receive the money, the victim’s family must sign an agreement never to sue the government for any reason. Victim-wife Ellen Mariani is currently being legally harassed for not signing and for holding the Bush government’s feet to the fire.

7) Bush still owes the Greenberg Traurig firm nearly $1 million for work done by dozens of lawyers and paralegals, leaving questions why a Republican candidate would hire a Democratic lawyer from a Democratic firm. See Greenberg Traurig link above for more scandals.

Greenberg’s Relationship to Larry Silverstein

On July 24, 2001, six weeks before 9/11, Larry Silverstein took control of the lease of all the WTC buildings. This followed the Port Authority decision on April 26.

According to democraticunderground.com, the three companies who originally insured the WTC were AIG, Marsh and ACE, all run as mentioned by the Greenbergs at the time. They then sold stakes of the original contract to their competition, a technique called reinsuring.

Once the Towers came down, the reinsurers got caught holding the bag. This would inextricably tie the Greenbergs to Silverstein and the larger conspiracy of 9/11. If they had no foreknowledge of events to occur, why would the Greenbergs have unloaded so many stakes in their contract?

According to Michel Chossudovsky in Financial Bonanza behind the 9/11 Tragedy, “On October 17, 2000, eleven months before 9/11, Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, of The Blackstone Group, L.P, purchased, from Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, the participating mortgage secured by World Trade Center, Building 7.1.” [Blackstone in 2000 also purchased a 50 percent stake in Universal Studios, producers of the myth-perpetuating Flight 93.]

“April 26, 2001 the Port Authority leased the WTC for 99 years to Silverstein Properties and Westfield America Inc.

“The transaction was authorised by Port Authority Chairman Lewis M. Eisenberg. This transfer from the New York and New Jersey Port Authority was tantamount to the privatisation of the WTC Complex. The official press release described it as ‘the richest real estate prize in New York City history.’ The retail space underneath the complex was leased to Westfield America Inc.

“On 24 July 2001, 6 weeks prior to 9/11 Silverstein took control of the lease of the WTC following the Port Authority decision on April 26.

“Silverstein and Frank Lowy, CEO of Westefield Inc. took control of the 10.6 million-square-foot WTC complex.

"Lowy leased the shopping concourse called the Mall at the WTC, which comprised about 427,000 square feet of retail space.”

“Explicitly included in the agreement was that Silverstein and Westfield ‘were given the right to rebuild the structures if they were destroyed.'’

“In this transaction, Silverstein signed a rental contract for the WTC over 99 years amounting to 3.2 billion dollars in installments to be made to the Port Authority: 800 million covered fees including a down payment of the order of 100 million dollars. Of this amount, Silverstein put in 14 million dollars of his own money. The annual payment on the lease was of the order of 115 million dollars.

“In the wake of the WTC attacks, Silverstein is suing for some $7.1 billion in insurance money, double the amount of the value of the 99 year lease.” In fact, some $5 billion was actually returned, given the multiple court-case protests of the insurers.

“The mortgaging of the WTC was handled by The Blackstone Group, headed by Peter J. Peterson, current head of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The Blackstone Group also bought a piece of Kroll in 1993 at the very same time AIG took over majority control. Henry Kissinger sits on the board of the Blackstone Group.”

By his own admission Silverstein had Tower 7 pulled by controlled internal demolition eight hours after the first two hits. No plane hit Tower 7. There were two small fires in it that were under control. In fact, it takes weeks, months to set up a building to be pulled. So his order to “pull it” catches him in a huge lie.

Tower 7 may have been the nexus of the operations. That may have been the real reason to pull it. In fact, it may have been set up weeks in advance with Towers 1 and 2 for demolition. Ironically, Tower 7 is the only tower that has been rebuilt, and more opulently than its predecessor, although tenancy is about 18 percent.

Towers Taken Down for Profit and to Blame Muslims

Given the involvement of the Greenbergs and Silverstein, and other commercial entities that stood to profit hugely, it is difficult to believe 9/11 occurred at the hands of 19 rag-tag Muslims with box-cutters and the help of their leader, Osama bin Laden, sitting in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan with his laptop and dialysis equipment.

The real reasons behind 9/11 were financial greed and the willingness to demonize Muslims for the “Pearl Harbor-type” act that would instigate America to wage a war on terror, pursuing PNAC’s (Project for a New American Century) goal of World Hegemony.

The latest documentary on the WTC, The 911 Mysteries from 911WeKnow.com, provides highly convincing proof that the buildings were taken down in six fatal steps. They involved the use of high-powered explosives, including thermite and/or thermate, with techniques more advanced than those of traditional controlled-demolition companies, most likely the military’s, given their bunker buster technology. The six steps are . . .

1. Pre-collapse sub-basement explosions

2. Pre-collapse interior blasts

3. Pre-collapse ground level explosions

4. Top level collapse initiation

5. Mid Collapse Squibs (explosions)

6. Final time-delayed rolls (explosions)

Without all these steps, the Towers could never have free-fallen in 10 seconds, the speed of gravity. Any obstacles or pancaking had to be eliminated otherwise the number of seconds of fall would increase dramatically. The documentary also reminds us that on February 13, 1975 there was a major fire on the 11th floor of the North Tower that did not topple it, though the loss was estimated at over $2 million, no mean event. Check it out.

It is possible that in 1996, when Securacom took over WTC security and installed a new $8.3 million security system, that the explosives and charges were also put in place. Sitting on the board of Securacom was the director Marvin Bush, George Bush’s younger brother.

In any case, this is patently the confluence of the military/industrial complex with a healthy dose of Wall Street, earning millions if not billions in put and call options on companies involved with the catastrophe, including airlines on the down (put) side and military suppliers on the up (call) side. In addition, there is the missing gold from the basement of Tower 4, $200 million of which was retrieved, and an untold amount stolen.

The real bottom line was that the Towers were two financial white elephants. And both Silverstein and Greenberg had to know that. The tenancy was dropping. They were out of date. And most dangerously, they were asbestos bombs, loaded with the dangerous building material when they were completed in 1972-73.

By law the buildings could not be taken down by internal demolition. And since it would cost a billion dollars or more to take the towers down beam by beam, it would be at great loss to the Port of Authority or its leaseholder. Thus the reasons are obvious to take WTC down in act of terror also a false-flag operation.

Remember, the concept for the WTC Towers originated with the Nelson and David Rockefeller, members of the Council on Foreign Relations and among the world’s elites. A “New Pearl Harbor” would serve those interests well.

Additional Connections to Greenberg

John O’Neill, mentioned in the first paragraph, was the FBI anti-terror chief who spent years trying to track down bin Laden and “al Qaeda” members. At every point, he was stopped or frustrated by his superiors. Finally, O’Neill parted company with the FBI. Jerome Hauer, who formerly worked for Kroll, got him the job as chief of security at the WTC. On 9/11, O’Neill lost his life in the North Tower.

Mr. Hauer’s job as Kroll chief was also held by Michael Cherkasky, who came out of the New York County District Attorney’s Office, which also brought us Rudy Giuliani, Elliot Spitzer and Patrick Fitzgerald. Mr. Cherkasky also brought Mr. Spitzer into the NYC County DA’s office. Today Cherkasky is a substantial contributor to Spitzer’s campaign for New York State Governor. Cherkasky was bumped up to head Marsh McLennan in 2004.

As an aside, there were about 200 electrical engineers working in the World Trade Center around the time. Additionally, AMEC and Tully Construction played a major role in the clean up of Ground Zero and both have specialized controlled demolition companies.

Lastly, can you believe that one of the Council on Foreign Relations members who engaged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran in a debate about the holocaust at CFR’s reception last week was none other than Hank Greenberg, who said he witnessed the Dachau camp as Germany fell? Could it all possibly be payback and then some?

onlinejournal.com

the-catbird-seat.net



To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)11/22/2006 6:22:20 PM
From: stockman_scott  Respond to of 89467
 
Message from a 9-11 Whistle-blower...From 8th Estate Public Media & Research:

June 23, 2006

My name is Richard Grove ...

In the summer of 2001, I was terminated from my job for raising questions about “anomalous” fiscal transactions.

On August 21st, 2001, I was bribed by my ex-employer to “keep quiet”.

On September 7th, 2001, I contacted ex-coworkers and was urged to present my evidence in a staff meeting the following Tuesday morning.

The staff meeting, which I was to join during a break, was interrupted; and I never made it there. I was in traffic in Lower Manhattan on the morning of September 11th, 2001; and the meeting I was to attend was on the 96th floor of WTC 1 (the North Tower) at Marsh & McLennan, the company for whom my ex-employer had been staffing a software project.

There I sat in traffic, watching black smoke pour out of the hole in the side of the building- directly where my ex-coworkers and I were to confront a certain Marsh Executive involved with the anomalous financial activity that triggered my untimely termination.

As I’ve learned more, and more about what happened that day, I’ve focused less on the controversial “How” (i.e. HOW the real terrorists perpetrated a multi-dimensional plan through which they would simultaneously undermine the Constitution, steal hundreds of billions of dollars, profitably solve an “unsolvable” real-estate crises, and launch a never-ending crusade throughout the globe in the name of the terrorist attacks that they themselves created).

Instead I’ve focused on the “Who” and “Why”, as the financial records left in the wake of their exodus following their crimes is much easier to prove in Court- specifically Marsh’s involvement in betting against American Airlines pre-9-11… a clear indicator of foreknowledge, as the insider trading of the airline stocks was clearly a pre-meditative strategy, determined to profit from the mass murder...

To summarize, what I’ve discovered ... based on my own personal experiences and research, not based on what the mass media and traditional newspapers have programmed me to repeat:

1. The events of September 11th, 2001(as extensive research and factual documentation depict) do not resemble in any way, shape, or form, what has been faithfully recited ad nauseam by the mainstream media and press within the United States.

2. The aforementioned mainstream media and press are very much aware at the helms of all organizations, and are provably complicit to the state sponsored terrorism that affects each and every one of us...

3. The evidence reflects that people who we trust and revere as “leaders”, specifically: Rudolph Guiliani (ex-New York Mayor, 2008 Presidential hopeful), George Pataki (current Governor of New York), Eliot Spitzer (New York State Attorney General, running for New York State Governor), and of course, the 1970’s White House “Team B” (now known as neo-cons – or “new-cons”, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz) right up through George H.W. Bush, and the current President George W. Bush… are in fact working on the Terrorists behalf, if they are not the Terrorists themselves (and at the very least, are all professional gangsters).

4. In order for 9-11 to be perpetrated, the Terrorists needed control of elements of the highest echelons of the Intelligence Community and the Defense Department...

5. In order for 9-11 to be “successful” in the eyes of the Terrorists, total control of the U.S. Media Markets was necessary....

6. Critical Elements of the Intelligence Community of the United States, as well as the U.S. Military, in association with NATO, have been strictly controlling and manipulating Black Markets, Arms Markets, and, specifically in reference to 9-11, the Global Illicit Drug Market.

7. American International Group, a.k.a. AIG (is the world’s largest insurance company). Until recently AIG’s CEO (as you will soon learn elsewhere throughout 8thestate.com) was Maurice “Hammerin’ Hank” Greenberg; ex-Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and ex-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). AIG’s foundation grew out of Cornelius V. Starr’s “insurance work” between China and the U.S. in 1919. AIG since the 1950’s has been a front created by U.S. Intelligence interests for the purpose of laundering drug money, under the ruse of Insurance, and noting that C.V. Starr’s career in Intelligence and AIG’s ties to the “Air America” Military Drug Caravan were not coincidental.

8. The “Terrorists” are those who participate in and profit from the Global Illegal Drug Market, and the people who are in the front lines of controlling this market are Politicians, Media Moguls, Military Officers, Intelligence Directors, Insurance Companies, and the Counter Terrorist “Experts” themselves....

The hundreds of billions of dollars in illegal drug money that is annually laundered via this scheme is then “processed” through the U.S. Stock Market, and aggregated by companies like AIG and Marsh & McLennan (the world’s largest Insurance Broker, which until Eliot Spitzer’s pseudo-investigation had Jeff Greenberg, Hank’s son, as it’s CEO) with the help of companies like Kroll Associates (Private Intelligence Firm responsible for World Trade Center Security from 1993 to 2001, coincidentally owned by AIG and sold to Marsh in 2004… Kroll CEO Michael Cherkasky became Marsh CEO in response to Spitzer’s “investigation” into AIG and Marsh).

Who is Michael Cherkasky? Great question. He brought Eliot Spitzer into the NY City District Attorney’s Office way back when, and is a contributor to Spitzer’s campaign to become New York Governor....

We’re ALL affected by 9-11 in ways that most people never take time to fathom… but there are SOLUTIONS, and yes, even a panacea.

It’s called Communication...

The 8th Estate is the state of being where one thinks for themselves, and enjoys the state of infinite possibility and hope…

Looking forward,

Richard Andrew Grove

8thestate.com

*Richard Andrew Grove has extensively documented massive fraud and conspiracy which compromises the very foundation of American's financial institutions. He names names and spotlights 2.3 trillion of taxpayers money, a trillion in gold bullion and hundreds of billions in pre-911 stock market trades which records were conveniently covered-up in the collapse of the WTC. This is the whistleblower that will collapse the 911 fraud! - and the largest single theft and continuous theft in known history. FOLLOW THE MONEY!

~ ~ ~
the-catbird-seat.net

Get your FREE DOWNLOAD of his book
911 Insider at:

lulu.com



To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)12/2/2006 1:01:50 AM
From: stockman_scott  Respond to of 89467
 
Here's a new Financial Times article on Chicago's largest and most secretive Hedge Fund...
_________________________________________________

Citadel trading costs hit $5.5bn
Financial Times News
December 1, 2006

The importance to Wall Street of a handful of large hedge funds was starkly illustrated by the disclosure that Citadel Investment Group paid more than $5.5bn in interest, fees and other investment costs last year.

Although the net asset value of Citadel's two funds is only about $13bn, its costs are high because its managers trade frequently and take on huge leverage.

More than 90 per cent of the investment expenses represent interests payments, including the cost of the roughly $100bn of net debt provided by investment and commercial banks. Citadel had gross assets at the end of August of $166bn, representing leverage of 12.5 times.

Some of the interest expense is payments to owners of securities that Citadel borrows, including other hedge funds. Citadel would not disclose how much of the interest went to banks.

The interest and fees will be spread among a large number of investment banks that act as "prime brokers" and commercial banks. Citadel also has huge interest income which in the current year is running slightly ahead of payments.

Senior Wall Street executives on Friday expressed surprise at the high interest costs and Citadel's willingness to reveal the leverage of its funds.

Citadel was founded in 1990 by Ken Griffin, now 38, who began trading convertible bonds from his room at Harvard. Mr Griffin is estimated to be worth $1.7bn by Fortune.

The figures, disclosed in Citadel's prospectus for a $2bn debt issue, explain why regulators are concerned that banks may be tempted to loosen their controls to win hedge fund business.

It also underlines the threat posed by the big funds' moves to bring more of their trades in-house and raise more permanent capital, reducing their need for bank lending.

Citadel has its own in-house trading arms which are understood to account for a small part of the $5.5bn of expenses. The prospectus discloses that Citadel is considering moving some functions, "such as certain trade execution, financing and/or clearing functions" into a separate unit which may then offer the services to third parties, competing directly with investment banks.

Citadel is raising $2bn in a debt issue managed by Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. Fortress Investment Group, which has $26bn in hedge fund and private equity assets, last month filed for an initial public offering that is expected to value it at about $7.5bn.

But the banks are expected to fight hard to retain hedge fund business. Sylvie Durham, a lawyer at Greenberg, Traurig who represents hedge funds, said: "They will cut spreads on deals and loosen restrictions they have on how money they lend can be used."

Citadel's main fund, Kensington, had $9.5bn in assets under management at October 1 this year, and has returned an average of 20.7 per cent a year since 1998, well above the long-term average of about 10 per cent over that period. In 2005 it returned 7.2 per cent, partly as a result of losses in the credit, energy and reinsurance markets, Citadel said in the document.

Citadel's $3bn Wellington fund has returned an average of 23.6 per cent a year since 1998. In 2005 it returned 6 per cent, also as a result of the same losses.

Copyright 2006 Financial Times



To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)12/2/2006 1:02:36 PM
From: stockman_scott  Respond to of 89467
 
Economists: U.S. recession looms in 2007

speroforum.com

Economic forecast blames housing decline

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

by Spero News

Weakness in the housing market is likely to push the economy into a recession next year, according to a forecast by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

"Recession Looms for the U.S. Economy in 2007," by economist Dean Baker, predicts that the economic recovery that began in November 2001 will come to an end in 2007.

"This recovery has been fueled by a housing bubble, just as the late 90s cycle was fueled by a stock bubble," said Baker. "Now that the housing market has weakened, Americans are looking at a recession in 2007."

Baker expects that the weakness from the housing market, which is already spreading over to other sectors of the economy, will have an even larger impact in 2007 as consumers lose the ability to borrow against dwindling home equity. With weak consumer demand dampening investment, the economy is likely to shrink by close to 1 percentage point over the course of the year.

Predictions for 2007 (2006Q4 – 2007Q4):

GDP growth -0.7 percent
Job growth -1.2 million
Nominal wage growth 3.4 percent
Inflation (CPI) 2.6 percent
Residential construction -12.0 percent
Consumption -1.2 percent
Investment 2.0 percent
Exports 4.0 percent
Imports -2.0 percent
Government expenditures 2.0 percent

Baker also predicts that the Fed will begin lowering rates no later than its first meeting in January 2007 and that unemployment will climb to over 6 percent by the end of 2007.



To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)12/2/2006 9:10:47 PM
From: stockman_scott  Respond to of 89467
 
This could good help Michigan get the chance to play Ohio State in the National Championship game...It will be interesting to see the new BCS standings on Sunday...


UCLA pulls off shocker against No. 2 USC
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
Dec. 2, 2006, 7:38PM

PASADENA, Calif. — Step aside, Trojans. Your chase for the national championship is over.

UCLA knocked No. 2 USC out of the Bowl Championship Series title game with a stunning 13-9 victory over its crosstown rival Saturday. The Bruins did it with a vastly improved defense and a quarterback starting on three days' notice.

Patrick Cowan passed for 114 yards, ran for another 55, and the Bruins snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Trojans in paving the way for a Michigan-Ohio State rematch or an Ohio State-Florida matchup for the national championship Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

The final BCS standings and bowl pairings will be announced Sunday.

The Trojans moved into position for a game-winning touchdown, but Eric McNeal deflected and then made a diving interception of John David Booty's pass at the UCLA 20-yard line with 1:10 remaining.

USC's bid for a third straight appearance in the national title game was over following its only turnover of the game.

The Trojans got one final shot at winning, but Booty's desperation pass from the USC 12 with six seconds left fell incomplete, and the celebration was on at the Rose Bowl. Moments after it was over, defensive end Justin Hickman led teammates into the UCLA student section.

Besides having their national championship hopes ended, the Trojans (10-2, 7-2 Pac-10) had their NCAA-record scoring streak of 63 games in which they had scored 20 or more points snapped.

The loss was just USC's fourth in the last 59 games. As Pac-10 champions, the Trojans will return to Pasadena on New Year's Day and play in the Rose Bowl game.

"I don't have any feelings right now," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I'm just disappointed that we couldn't find a way to score some points today. It just didn't happen today. You've just got to credit them for that.

"We'll go to the Rose Bowl and make it a great event."

The Bruins (7-5, 5-4) hadn't beaten USC since 1998, when they topped the Trojans for the eighth straight time. UCLA, a winner of three straight, will face Florida State in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Francisco.

"I feel great for our players," said UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, who's been hearing criticism all season - his fourth on the job. "I feel great for our players. They've had to endure a lot. We believed in ourselves. We were fortunate to be the ones on top.

"I didn't believe it until the clock hit zero. All we wanted to do was stay close and get a chance to win."

No. 1 Ohio State locked up its berth in the BCS title game by beating then-No. 2 Michigan 42-39 two weeks ago in the regular-season finale for both teams. USC moved ahead of the Wolverines in the BCS standings last weekend after beating Notre Dame 44-24.

The game at the Rose Bowl was delayed briefly with 5:52 remaining after a UCLA punt, when the Bruins gathered for a team huddle a couple of yards onto the field. USC decided to do the same thing, and seconds later, the players began bouncing up and down and waving their arms, triggering offsetting unsportslike conduct penalties.

The coaches and officials made the players keep their distance.

USC then moved to the Bruins' 18 before McNeal's game-clincher on a third-and-four play.

Dorrell decided Wednesday that the more mobile Cowan, who had started UCLA's previous six games, would get the call at quarterback rather than Ben Olson, who started the first five games but hasn't played since tearing a knee ligament Oct. 7.

Dorrell said two days earlier that Olson would get start if he seemed to be up to it in practice. Obviously, that didn't turn out to be the case.

Cowan completed 12 of 21 passes and carried 10 times. Booty completed 23 of 39 passes for 274 yards and the one costly interception.

Justin Medlock kicked a 22-yard field goal with 5:45 left in the third quarter and a 31-yarder with 8:49 remaining in the game for the only scoring of the second half.

USC got an opportunity late in the third period when Michael Pitre couldn't handle a swing pass from Cowan that was ruled a lateral, and Sedrick Ellis recovered at the UCLA 44 for UCLA's only turnover. But C.J. Gable was thrown for a 4-yard loss by Christian Taylor and Alterraun Verner on fourth-and-2 from the 36.

The Bruins then moved into position for Medlock's second field goal. He leads all Division I-A kickers with 26 field goals in 30 attempts.

With defensive ends Bruce Davis and Hickman pressuring Booty just about every time he tried to pass, the Trojans were held in check until a 1-yard run by Gable with 51 seconds left before halftime capped a 66-yard, 12-play drive and put them on top 9-7.

But USC wouldn't score again, and the crowd of 90,266 was roaring at the end.

The Bruins moved 91 yards on their third possession for a 7-0 lead, scoring on Cowan's 1-yard run. Cowan scrambled three times for 54 yards earlier in the 11-play drive. He entered the game having netted 49 yards on 37 carries this season.

After Greg Woidneck's punt was downed at the UCLA 1 early in the second period, a holding penalty against Robert Chai in the end zone resulted in a safety, and that turned out to be the difference at halftime.

USC didn't score despite crossing midfield on its first three possessions, turning the ball over on downs at the UCLA 31 when Taylor held Chauncey Washington to no gain on a fourth-and-1 play, and punting twice.

The Trojans moved into Bruins territory following the second-half kickoff, but a personal foul penalty against guard Chilo Rachel and an incompletion ended the drive.



To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)12/2/2006 9:38:07 PM
From: stockman_scott  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 89467
 
USC upset; U-M eyes rematch /

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF REPORT /

December 2, 2006

It's looking like a rematch.

Michigan fans should thank UCLA. The Bruins upset No. 2 Southern Cal, 13-9, likely pushing Michigan into the national championship game against Ohio State.

But could the pollsters ruin it for the Wolverines?

Since USC lost, it comes down to Michigan and Florida. Michigan is ranked No. 3, Florida No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

Florida is playing Arkansas in the SEC championship and leads 38-28 in the fourth quarter.

The Gators would not only have to beat the Razorbacks, but beat them soundly in order to pass idle Michigan.

"It depends on how impressive (the Gators) are," BCS expert Jerry Palm of collegebcs.com told the Washington Post this week. "They're going to pass Michigan in the computers if they win, but they need to change the minds of some voters. The only way to do that is win impressively."

The BCS is comprised of one-third computer rankings and two-thirds polls (the coaches' poll and the Harris poll). Michigan is No. 3 in both polls, Florida No. 4. Poll voters will have to decide if they want to move Florida ahead of Michigan.

Could it happen? Sure, if enough voters think they would rather see the Gators against Ohio State instead of a rematch.

We'll find out Sunday, when the final polls and BCS standings are released. The official word will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Copyright © 2006 Detroit Free Press Inc.



To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (73574)12/3/2006 12:22:41 AM
From: stockman_scott  Respond to of 89467
 
seattlepi.nwsource.com