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WASHINGTON — Bill Clinton implored Democrats to back the tax-cut deal that President Barack Obama negotiated with Republicans as the former president made a surprise appearance at Obama's side in the White House briefing room Friday. Comparing Obama in '10 and Clinton in '94 "I don't believe there is a better deal out there," Clinton told reporters who'd been summoned at a moment's notice to see the former chief executive back the current one. Clinton and Obama had just finished a private meeting in the Oval Office. Obama said it was a "terrific meeting" and then turned the podium over to Clinton. The voluble former president took it away, and Obama left part-way through his remarks, saying he had holiday parties to attend. "Both sides are going to have to eat some things they don't like," Clinton told reporters. "We don't want to slip back into a recession. We've got to keep this thing going and accelerate its pace...

DRB-HICOM Bhd is scheduled to sign a definitive agreement on December 21 with Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, to assemble VW cars in Malaysia. The cars will be assembled in Pekan, Pahang, for local and Southeast Asian markets. "Tentatively, it is scheduled for December 21 with the signing ceremony being held either in the KLCC area or at DRB-HICOM's (1619) operational headquarters in Glenmarie, Shah Alam," said the source. It is understood that DRB-HICOM's top officials from its automotive divisions are currently abroad for the final leg of negotiations with VW. In August, DRB-HICOM signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany's VW to assemble and manufacture Volkswagen vehicles in Malaysia. An agreement with VW will help boost business and raise its profile among investors further. Although a big chunk of income comes from stable businesses like Islamic banking, insurance and power plant maintenance and plans to expand its property unit, its sh...

Firework Lyrics - Katy Perry Do you ever feel like a plastic bag Drifting throught the wind Wanting to start again Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin Like a house of cards One blow from caving in Do you ever feel already buried deep Six feet under scream But no one seems to hear a thing Do you know that tehre's still a chance for you Cause there's a spark in you You just gotta ignite the light And let it shine Just own the night Like the Fourth of July Cause baby you're a firework Come on show 'em what your worth Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!" As you shoot across the sky-y-y Baby you're a firework Come on let your colors burst Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!" You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own You don't have to feel like a waste of space You're original, cannot be replaced If you only knew what the future holds After a hurricane comes a rainbow Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed So you can open one tha...

HSBC Bank Australia is set to expand its retail footprint and institutional business in Australia after reporting a 28 per cent jump in pre-tax first half profit. The Sydney-based subsidiary of the London-based global banking giant said its interim 2010 pre-tax profit was $152 million in the six months to June 30. The bank does not report after-tax earnings for each of its country operations, but said it enjoyed strong growth across all business lines except for its global banking and markets business. Interim pre-tax profit for the global banking and markets unit declined 10.5 per cent to $76 million on the previous corresponding half, HSBC Australia said in a statement on Tuesday. During second half 2010, HSBC Australia says it will look to increase its penetration of the local institutional market. It also wants to further expand its retail footprint and branch numbers to capture more international and wealthy customers. The bank said it aimed to increase its headcount by 15 per cen...

I have a certain weakness for Charlie Rangel. He's a stone, flat-out war hero--his service in frigid Korea, during a terrible moment in that war, in an Army that was just learning how to integrate (in other words, an institution that was still racist in many ways)--has always earned him some extra tolerance from me, even if his brand of politics was classic, troglyditic inner city cronyism. I've also loved his gravelly New York accent--he's family!--and his flash dress and his sly sense of humor (and his insistence on the restitution of the draft, so that rich and upper middle class kids help bear the brunt of the fighting in America's endless wars--or, by using their class-based megaphone, end them). But he's a crook. No getting around it. And his brand of politics--the Harlem Clubhouse patronage and condescension machine--has, arguably, diminished the chances of success, and increased a culture of dependency, for many of his constituents over the pas...