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NBC 4 New York
Central Park rape suspect David Mitchell spits at reporters as he walks to the police car after his arrest.
Updated at 7:31 p.m. ET: Police arrested a suspect Thursday in connection with the violent sexual assault of a 73-year-old birdwatcher in Central Park, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.
The suspect, David Albert Mitchell, 42, was identified by the victim in a lineup at the Special Victims Unit on Thursday afternoon, NBCNewYork.com reported. He was charged with predatory sexual assault, rape, criminal sex act, robbery and assault.
Mitchell said nothing as he walked out of central booking in Manhattan to a police car, only spitting at reporters as he walked past them.
It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
Mitchell was picked up near the park at 77th Street and Amsterdam Avenue by three rookie police officers patrolling the area at about 7:20 p.m., hours after Wednesday's attack, Browne said.
Police initially held Mitchell on a charge of threatening a man inside Central Park on Aug. 20 as they waited to see if the woman could identify him as her attacker in Wednesday's incident.
Read more news from NBCNewYork.com
The victim in the Aug. 20 incident, a man, told police the suspect threatened him with a large knife inside the park. When police released photos of the suspect while searching for him Wednesday, the male victim recognized him as the man who threatened him several weeks ago.
Mitchell was charged with menacing in connection with the Aug. 20 incident.
Detectives requested a warrant for Mitchell's DNA as well as a warrant to view images on a digital camera memory chip they found on him. He has an extensive criminal record in Virginia and was released in March 2011 after spending about seven years in state prison on a kidnapping charge. He was acquitted of murder and sex assault charges in a separate case in 1989.
It's not clear how long Mitchell has been in New York City. He has no arrests in the city and appears to be homeless, authorities said.
View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.
The bird-watching victim in Wednesday's attack told police she had seen her attacker before, and believed he assaulted her near Strawberry Field's Wednesday morning because he was angry she photographed him exposing himself in a more isolated area of the park a week earlier.
The woman told investigators the man asked, "Do you remember me?" before attacking her about 11 a.m. near the park's tranquil Strawberry Fields that serves as a memorial to John Lennon, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at an earlier news conference.
She said he demanded she delete the image before they went their separate ways. Police said that initial encounter was not reported.
On Wednesday, investigators spoke to Eric Ozawa, a college professor and fellow birdwatcher who had called 911, while other officers and detectives swarmed the scene in search of the suspect.
Ozawa, 34, told reporters he was in the park about 11:30 a.m. when he noticed a pair of legs sticking out along the path but thought it was somebody sleeping. As Ozawa got closer, he realized it was a woman lying face down. Her face was badly swollen, she had a black eye and was covered in mulch, he said.
Seth Wenig / AP
Police officers talk near the scene of the alleged rape of a 73-year-old birdwatcher in a heavily wooded section of Central Park in New York, Wednesday.
Still, she appeared "self-possessed and lucid," he said.
Daylight attack 'shocking'
The woman told Ozawa she had been mugged and raped, he said. He immediately called the police.
"It's shocking that it could happen in the park in broad daylight," he said. "That someone could rape somebody in her 70s."
Police blocked off much of the area near West 72nd Street and Central Park West as they hunted for a suspect described as a man in his 40s.
Complete US News coverage on NBCNews.com
NYPD via AP
This image taken from surveillance video and provided by the New York City Police Department on Wednesday shows a man believed to have mugged and sexually assaulted a 73-year-old woman in New York's Central Park.
Emily Loubaton, 29, of Brooklyn was in the park on a scavenger hunt that her company had organized.
"I think this is pretty disgusting, and so shocking it would happen on such a beautiful day in such a beautiful park," she said.
Asked if she felt less safe in Central Park, she said: "I'd like to believe that New York City has turned the corner for the better. I mean, this isn't the '70s. But it definitely makes you pause before you walk in."
Strawberry Fields was named after one of the Beatles' best-known songs, "Strawberry Fields Forever." It was officially dedicated in 1985, five years after Mark David Chapman fired five shots outside the Dakota apartment house on Dec. 8, 1980, killing Lennon.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Video: Ambassador Stevens remembered in wake of attack
- That Southern Calif. smell? 'Solid evidence' it came from Salton Sea
- Storms flood parts of Vegas, Navajo land, Calif. desert communities
- Drew Peterson fires one of his defense attorneys
- Chicago teachers union: Don't hold breath for deal
- Six percent of pursuit suspects escape California police
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitterand Facebook


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The always interesting and highly entertaining Retronaut has just scanned and published a series of pages from a 1956 article titled, "Here's What We'll Wear in Space." Though it wouldn't happen for another five years, it was becoming quite obvious that that time had come to prepare for space. Here's what the experts thought we'd be wearing.
Lloyd Mallan, the author of the original article, noted that these spacesuits were being designed not by stylists, but by "biophysicists, anthropologists, electronic scientists, and doctors of medicine."
He wrote:
But they have one thing in common: all are willing to risk their own necks to perfect equipment that will make it safe for other men to fly through the alien vacuum of space. Acting as their own guinea pigs, they are locked into altitude chambers, spun wildly on centrifuges, and closed up in insulated rooms. In the process, they discover whether or not their space fashions are practical. And in order to be absolutely certain they plunge needles into their veins and spines, under their skin and over their brains. Wires connected to the needles carry their slightest physical reaction.
Early full pressure suit was not efficient. It looks impressive but it was clumsy and restrictive. Air Force has developed new space suit: the design is Top Secret.
Gee, this looks eerily familiar.
"Open the pod bay doors, Hal."
Testing the suits to see if they'll withstand the pressures of explosive decompression. Mallan wrote, "Problems of living in the alien vacuum of space are being solved."
Ah, finally some signs of modernity.
Much more, including full hi-res scans of pages and text at Retronaut.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Product Information
Enrich the guest experience with a state-of-the-art, customizable in-room TV solution
Designed for the contemporary hotel that prioritizes premium functionality and operational efficiency, Samsung HD690 Series SMART Hospitality Displays deliver a superior TV experience with an array of convenient, embedded management features and guest-pleasing functionality. IT managers can remotely control the TV and manage content in each room in one simple step with IP-based LYNK SINC 3.0, using a hotel's existing IP infrastructure. These capabilities enable hotel staff members to make changes without having to visit each hotel room, which eliminates high maintenance costs and the need for the hotel to purchase an additional STB. Recently updated to include value-added features such as upgraded IP-based LYNK SINC and a convenient Bluetooth music player, HD690 Series displays combine premier entertainment with ultimate efficiency.
- 28 Inch Display
- HD Ready
- Brightness 250cd/m2
- HDMI x 3
- USB x 2


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Weekly Wire: the Global Forum
These are some of the views and reports relevant to our readers that caught our attention this week.
Water for People
The Social Disruptors
"The Social Disruptor podcast series, hosted by CEO Ned Breslin, will highlight innovators across industries from music to fashion to sports – people in the business of pushing limits, finding unseen opportunities and moving on them. Hosted monthly, the series will focus on positive change in the world and how these change makers overcome obstacles and shake things up to achieve sustainable impact. Breslin will interview CEOs, artists, international voices, and leaders from a variety of sectors to understand what it takes to accomplish lasting social change. Change: you can embrace it, cause it, influence it or resist it." READ MORE


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Visit the Bertoni shop in Kolding, or order your items online from the Bertoni webshop and get free shipping to the shop. It's always possible to get free shipping on your online orders, if you pick it up at the Bertoni shop.
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Zuckerberg Lobbies to Become a Bigger Difference Maker
Apr 1, 2013 10:43 AM PT
It appears Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is plunging into the controversial national debate on immigration reform. An issue-advocacy group he formed has hired two lobbying firms: Peck Madigan Jones; and Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock.
It is unclear exactly what Zuckerberg's goals are, but he reportedly wants to push for comprehensive immigration reform, possibly including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. How his group's lobbying efforts dovetail with progress made on immigration reform on Capitol Hill thus far is also unclear, but it looks as though they may be contributing toward getting something done.
Top business and labor groups came together on a guest worker program for low-skilled immigrants, according to reports leaked over the weekend, which will be a crucial plank in a new immigration bill expected to have broad-based support when Congress returns in mid April.
Other Issues
Immigration reform is hardly the only subject Zuckerberg wants to pursue in Washington. He appears eager to explore a range of social and economic issues that will make a difference to the United States' future -- including many affecting education and technology.
As he makes this push, Zuckerberg must surely be aware of the pitfalls that could await him. Getting behind a movement that is controversial in some quarters -- such as citizenship for undocumented workers -- could hurt Facebook, especially now that it is a public company. It could also tarnish Zuckerberg's personal brand.
On the other hand, Zuckerberg and his deep pockets could, in fact, make a significant difference, especially on matters crucial to the tech community, such as H-1B visas, which facilitate recruitment of top tech talent from other countries.
Their role in immigration reform is already under debate in Congress, and recent hearings suggest an immigration overhaul will likely increase the H-1B visa supply. Other leaked reports suggest that Congress may place more controls on them by raising fees.
Self-Serving Lobby
H-1B visas and related issues are likely what Zuckerberg is truly interested in, said Ben Bogardus, assistant professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University.
"He wants to make it easier to bring foreign computer programmers, mathematicians and engineers to the United States," he told TechNewsWorld.
"There aren't enough properly educated people here to fill those jobs," said Bogardus, "but he knows any immigration bill also needs to address low-skilled illegal immigrants. To get one, he needs the other."
Zuckerberg may have larger motives at play as well, he suggested. He wants to leave a legacy.
"He accomplished so much at such a young age -- he feels he needs to do more in order to be considered on the same level as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs," surmised Bogardus.
Issues like abortion, gay marriage or tax reform won't give him that, he said, "but things like immigration policy, education, or poverty- and disease-fighting just might."
There will always be people who suspect ulterior motives behind a lobbying push, but Zuckerberg should just ignore them, said N. Venkat Venkatraman, business professor at Boston University.
"I think Facebook -- both individually and collectively, as part of other high-tech organizations -- should take stands on what they believe," he told TechNewsWorld.
"That could and would alienate some," he acknowledged, "but that is part of the new world where your actions and beliefs cannot be kept secret."


text: Another underwhelming Thursday Night Football matchup on paper, Indianapolis-Jacksonville had its saving grace: it was, somehow, the first and only national game this year for Andrew Luck and the frisky Colts. They didn't disappoint, having their way with the Jaguars. Which is all well and good for anyone who isn't a fan of those sacrificial cats, who had to endure an early blowout followed by a Blaine Gabbert injury. Bags, Gangnam Style, Chad Henne. Is it the 2013 Draft yet?


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Shoe Machine Operators & Tenders
Also called: Boot Maker, Cutter, Side Laster, Stitcher
What they do:Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
On the job, you would:
- Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.
- Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
- Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
Engineering and Technology
Education and Training
Basic Skills
Problem Solving
Hand and Finger Use
Controlled Movement
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
You might like a career in one of these industries:
See more details at O*NET OnLine about shoe machine operators and tenders.


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Tagged: giveaway
Ryan Zimmerman Shirt Winner
It's time to announce the winner. In what Amy called the worst idea for picking a winner ever (due to the set up and clean up process), the winner is…
Here's your past winners:
I've given away a Matt Wieters shirt to Joey Orr,
a Brandon Phillips shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Dustin Pedroia shirt to Stephen D,
a Phillies shirt to Connor,
and this Dodgers shirt shirt to Matt Jackson
Check back tomorrow for our next giveaway.
25 more days until Opening Day!
Ryan Zimmerman Nationals Jersey Shirt Giveaway
Recently, the Nationals made news when they signed Ryan Zimmerman to a $100 million, six year contract extension that runs through 2019. The deal featured a full no trade clause, and made him the highest paid third baseman in the game behind Alex Rodriguez.
I'm giving away a shirt each week as we head to opening day.
To date, I've given away away a Matt Wieters shirt to Joey Orr,
a Brandon Phillips shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Dustin Pedroia shirt to Stephen D,
a Phillies shirt to Connor,
and this Dodgers shirt shirt to Matt Jackson.
This week, I'm giving away this Ryan Zimmerman shirt:
It says Nationals across the chest:
And has Zimmerman's name and number on the back.
A great shirt for a Nats fan, or for a ballhawk that might want to throw this on when the Nationals are taking BP to get a few balls tossed their way. (If you're in Pittsburgh, that would be early Mat when the Nationals visit PNC Park).
The winner can choose their shirt in a Medium, Large, or 2XL.
With the option, the contract will keep Zimmerman in a Nationals uniform through 2020, his age 35 season. What does everyone think of the contract? Too much?
The Nationals handed out a $126 million, 7 year deal to Jayson Werth, and it turned out to be disastrous after only one year. Werth is a mere shadow of the player he was before signing the deal. Hopefully Zimmerman doesn't become injured or just fade – because that would seriously hinder the Nationals ability to compete for the next six years. The Nats are going to need to come up with big time cash to keep Stephen Strasburg in a few years, and will probably want to lock up Bryce Harper too.
By the way, here's how you win the shirt:
I post blog entries every day. All you have to do is leave a comment or retweet my blog link on twitter.
So, again, to enter:
1) Leave a comment.
You can enter up to seven times per week simply by leaving a comment. Non-pertinent, spam, or inappropriate comments will not be accepted. If you comment multiple times on the same blog entry, it still counts as one entry. For example, if you commented on three different blog posts from this week, you'd have three entries. If you'd comment three times on the same blog posting, it would could as one.
2) Retweet (RT) my posts on Twitter
You can find me on twitter under 333greystreet. Simply retweet my daily posts of my blog link and I'll count that as an entry. My blog is connected to my twitter so that I automatically tweet once I post a new entry. Each day, I'll search who's retweeted me and enter those users into a hat along with the commenters. By the way, you do not need to retweet my every tweet, only the tweets that announce a new blog post and url. For example, if I tweeted, 'Rerun of the Pirates Opening Day 2011 on tonight,' if you retweeted it, it wouldn't count as an entry.
At the end of the week on Sunday, I'll have Olivia, Amy or myself choose a name from a hat and announce the winner.
Good luck!
It's been a busy day around here with more season tickets arriving, buying MLB The Show 2012, and keeping up with spring training box scores!
There's only 30 more days until Opening Day!


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Port and I are keeping track of all the things we'd love to buy for ourselves (but cannot (damnit!)) or for clients (hopefully!) at the Hovey Design tumblr page. I'm a bit heart broken that I didn't choose this wonderful grid theme for my own when I launched it. While it's much more fun to look at the page as a chart, we're tweeting all this too via @HoveyDesign.
4 comments
Karena says:
Hollister very cool items on your wish list. I have not used Tumblr or Pinterest and really need to get with the program!
Art by Karena
red ticking says:
loving the inspiration... even though we cannot acquire it all... it is fun dreaming about it!
happy new year....xx
TRADMODGLAM says:
Thanks so much for the lists of shops, bars and eateries- myself and my family will be in NY in feb and we're staing lower eastside for the first time. Can't wait to hit these places ! X
Like hollister.Hollister is so cool!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Latest Tickit version (0.40) is now up on CPAN. Recent changes include:
- Mouse drag-and-drop events (0.32)
Windows now create more interesting events to represent mouse drag-and-drop operations. Starting, moving, and ending a mouse-drag all create events that can help widgets render more interesting behaviours.
- Added Tickit::RenderBuffer (0.33)
RenderBuffer is an in-memory buffer to store content that will eventually be rendered to the terminal. In effect it stores a double-buffer of content, allowing widgets to draw in whatever order is most convenient for them, before efficiently flushing it in a top-to-bottom manner.
Being implemented in C/XS instead of Perl allows it to operate more efficiently than the previous-generation direct rendering to Windows. As it stores the content before rendering it also allows better handling of Unicode line-drawing characters; allowing for characters to be merged together out of multiple line segments, creating the ability for complex line-drawing shapes to be easily rendered.
- Added timer support to core event loop (0.34)
Widgets can now react to timed events, allowing for animation effects and other behaviours.
- Focus management (0.34 and 0.35)
Container widgets now provide management of the focus-chain order of their children, allowing the whole widget tree to maintain the "next" and "previous" direction of focusing. The base code handles the <Tab> and <Shift-Tab> key events to cycle input focus around the widget tree automatically.
- Use RenderBuffer in favour of direct Window rendering (0.40)
Now that RenderBuffer is in the core distribution, all widgets should be using it rather the previous render method to render directly on the window. This is a stepping-stone change to allow for further improvements.
- New sizing model (0.40)
New methods are provided by the base Tickit::Widget class that cache the requested size of the widget, and only inform the parent container when this size actually changes. This allows for more efficient reshaping and redrawing operations when widgets change their size requirements, without needing to recalculate the whole widget tree.
These final two changes help support a couple of interesting planned improvements:
- Widget minimal/maximal size handling
Because the base widget class now handles size information more directly, it can implement bounds on minimal and maximal widget size. These will be derived from Tickit::Style. It may also be possible to consider padding and margin controls in the base widget class and thus automatically apply to every widget.
- Whole-tree rendering via RenderBuffer
By adding area masks to RenderBuffer it should then support being used as a single buffer object to render the entire window hierarchy. Because the masking code will be implemented in C code, it will much more efficient than the current pure-perl Window-based solution involving visibility testing per character cell. This will allow for much more better redrawing performance.
This will also allow RenderBuffer to move out of the Tickit.xs file and into libtickit itself, where it can be useful to non-Perl code (such as native C programs or other language bindings).


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Let the off-season pitching rumors begin. According to a cbssports.com report the Cubs and Red Sox have expressed interest in Angles pitcher (for now) Dan Haren. The Angels have until today to pick up Haren's option, if they don't he will be eligible for free agency. Haren sees the writing on the wall, and he expects to be traded, today, "I'm kind of getting the feeling I'm being traded. I have no specifics on teams, but that's the vibe I'm getting. It's a little disappointing that I won't get to pick up where I want to go, but I'm the one who signed on for the option year." As Heyman mentions in the article, the Cubs are an interesting suitor for Haren as they are not expected to compete in 2013. I'd welcome the addition of Haren to a depleted pitching staff, the 32-year-old right hander would join Samardzija and Garza at the top of an all of sudden interesting starting five. Jed Hoyer commented on situations similar to Haren..
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer declined to discuss their interest, but said Thursday that one-year rentals like Haren are a good "alternative option" for teams unwilling to commit to long-term deals for pitchers in a relatively weak marketplace.
The only issue with Haren seems to be health, as he battled back problems for the majority of last season, and that seemed to mess with his results as he finished last year 12-13 with a 4.33 ERA.
Thanks for reading,
– George


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Miami has long relied on terrible music to rally their football team, but this is the 21st Century, so they hired T-Pain to hip-hopify their fight song by 20% or so. The kids love this stuff.
The Dolphins already had a corny earworm of a fight song that they actually stole from the Houston Oilers. But the Oilers don't exist anymore, except during Hall of Fame Games, so it'sall good. Anyway, to get the kids' toes tapping, the team decided to update the music to the fight song. This would be a perfect job for team co-owners Jimmy Buffett, Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan, if they weren't all so bad at making music. So they hired the guy who auto-tunes T-Pain's songs instead.
What you hear above is the result. It's not quite as good as "I'm On A Boat", but it's slightly better than "Rocky Top." Go Fish!
T-Pain is recording a new anthem for the Dolphins [Shutdown Corner]


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A probate court commissioner in Las Vegas denied a bid Friday by one of B.B. King's adult daughters to obtain the late blues icon's medical records from an executor who she alleges mishandled her father's finances and health before he died.
Patty King can use her position as a party in ongoing probate proceedings to subpoena the records she wants, Clark County Family Court Commissioner Wesley Yamashita said. He said he didn't need to issue a court order.
Brent Bryson, attorney for B.B. King's estate, told the judge that Patty King was fishing for evidence to support false claims the musician's longtime business manager and power-of-attorney, LaVerne Toney, looted his accounts and hastened his death on May 14 at age 89. Toney is now executor of the estate.
U.S. & World
"Things are going along smoothly, the way they're supposed to," Bryson told Yamashita. "If they want to fish for something, they need to do it in a different way."
Lawyer Larissa Drohobyczer, representing Patty King, insisted her client wants the records because she doesn't trust Toney.
"It's not necessarily that she caused his death," Drohobyczer told Yamashita, "but that she breached her fiduciary duty as power-of-attorney."
Drohobyczer has said she thinks the estate is worth between $5 million and $10 million.
Bryson has said an accounting of King's assets, royalties, business and property holdings is still being conducted. He hasn't put a figure on the total.
B.B. King died of natural causes, Bryson said Friday, and Toney is carrying out King's own wishes to keep his private affairs private.
The lawyer for the estate noted that separate investigations by police and a county elder welfare agency in the months before King died failed to turn up evidence that King was abused or exploited.
Reviews by three doctors, including King's personal physician, found that he was properly cared-for before he died after several days of home hospice care, Bryson said.
An autopsy by the Clark County coroner found no evidence to prove allegations by Patty King and her sister, Karen Williams, that their father had been poisoned.
King died of Alzheimer's disease, plus physical conditions including coronary disease, heart failure and the effects of Type 2 diabetes, the coroner found.
B.B. King was survived by 11 adult children, and family members count 35 grandchildren. Several lent support to a failed court effort to block Toney's appointment June 25 as executor of the estate.
Patty King and her son were the only family members at Friday's hearing.
Outside court, Drohobyczer characterized Yamashita's ruling as a setback on a procedural issue. She and Patty King promised to keep fighting to get the medical records.


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In radically reshaping the TARP legislation, Congressional Democrats want to make up for the past as much as provide for the future—and they'll want assurances from the incoming Obama administration that it shares the new focus before signing off on its request for new funding.
Though the president-elect's transition team has taken steps in that direction in recent days, some in Congress say more will be needed, especially now that President Bush has requested the second half of the $700 billion financial bailout fund on Obama's behalf.
"There's two ways to get changes," says Rep. Brad Sherman (D.Calif), a senior member of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, whose chairman Barney Frank has been driving the TARP process. "One is to pass a new statute, which is preferable. The other is to get a letter from the [Obama] administration. A letter would be OK if it was comprehensive, explicit and unequivocal, and deals with the Frank issues."
U.S. & World
And here's an indication of how high the bar may be.
"It would have to come from the President-elect," adds Sherman, who is among those who thinks Frank's tough new restrictions on companies and executives participating in the bailout program don't go far enough.
Larry Summers, Obama's nominee to head the National Economic Council, addressed some of those issues and concerns in a letter to Congressional leaders Jan 12.
Though favorably received by Frank and other Democrats, it does not offer much detail on key subjects such as foreclosure prevention; credit market relief for small business, municipalities and consumers, enhanced oversight and enforcement, as well as criteria for firms receiving assistance.
All of this is contained in new legislative proposals being pushed by Frank, who acknowledged the president-elect's efforts Monday.
"It seems clear the Obama administration agrees with what we are setting forward, and I believe this creates a framework so that the release of these funds," he said.
Frank, however, is pushing forward, holding public hearings on the TARP plan and its new priorities and could hold hold a vote on his legislation as early as this week, even though the president will not be sworn in until Jan. 20.
"There's a particular urgency within the Congress and the people who helped shape the TARP in the first place in dealing with the miserable reality of the people on the grassroots level," says former Senate Banking Committee Chairman Donald W. Riegle. Jr.
Profound Congressional disapproval of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's conception, management and execution of the program has not been limited to Democrats, whose biggest complaint is that too much money has gone to Wall Street, while doing little to address credit-crunch induced problems on Main Street, such as home foreclosures.
"A majority of my colleagues do not like the statue we passed in October," says Rep Sherman, who was among a small minority of Democrats who voted against the legislation." The Frank improvements are steps forward in the eyes of almost every Democrat I've talked to."
"There's no doubt Barney Frank and Democrats across the board want to see more home foreclosure mitigation efforts," says one industry observer, who's group is not commenting publicly on the TARP debate. "It's clear their disappointment is palpable. These are some pretty dramatic changes."
Though there's widespread support in the financial services industry for foreclosure relief, Democratic efforts to create tighter restrictions on companies (and their executives) receiving financial aid, especially retroactive ones, are likely to encounter opposition, say Washington observers, particularly since Paulson essentially strong-armed a pivotal group of major banks to participate in the plan shortly after its October approval.
"We oppose onerous, retroactive restrictions," says Scott Talbott, chief lobbyist for the Financial Services Roundtable, who adds that even prospective new restrictions would probably "have a chilling effect on a company's desire to utilize the program."
What seems like political brinkmanship may be maneuvering at the best, theatre at the least, especially given the complicated legislative process.
Once the request is made for new funds, TARP law states Congress has 15 days to "disapprove", or reject it. The President can then veto that decision, assuming it will survive a legislative over-ride. Inaction essentially means approval.
Though it's likely the House could vote on (and approve) Frank's legislation before the expiration of that deadline, Washington watchers say the absence of a Senate version of the bill means the House one won't go anywhere. At the least, however, it's a marker for how TARP 2 proceeds.
Rep. Frank's "makes it easier for Democrats to vote for the release of the additional $350 billion," says Rep. Sherman, who adds "there is such euphoria about Obama on the Democratic side, I would expect a majority of the House" will support the new funding request.
Republican support for any version of TARP 2 is likely to be limited, say experts. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who supported the original legislation and then faced a tough re-election battle partly because of it, sounded skeptical Tuesday.
"I would be hard-pressed to support additional funding for the TARP without sufficient assurances this money will not be wasted, misspent or simply used for more industry-specific bailouts," McConnell told the Associated Press.
Given the state of the economy, that's certainly hard to rule out. Obama himself, Monday said it would be "irresponsible" to start his adminisatration without "potential ammunition." Although it was unclear what that might be immediately needed for, it certainly could appy to another systemic shock, as Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, have often talked about.
Pro or con, Congress appears to have strong ideas about the TARP, given the grief members have received from constituents since the first bill was proposed by Paulson and passed in a crisis environment.
Congress and taxpayers will get a better idea of where Treasury designate Timothy Geithner stands on the issues when he appears before the Senate for his confirmation hearing Thursday.
Congress "wants a bigger piece of the direction of the rescue program, whatever it will be. They want results right now," says former ten-term GOP Congressman Bill Frenzel now with the Brooking Institution "That is a bad omen for the future."For more stories from CNBC, go to cnbc.com.


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