Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is no joke

Inaddition to the more than 200 speakers and panelists, this multi-faceted eventincludes a lively exhibit hall featuring products and services to help thepublic become more aware of our ever expanding world. This year it is being heldat the LAX Hilton on 5711 W Century Blvd in Los Angeles from February 13ththrough 16th. Visit for more information. Red Velvet MediaHolly Stephey, orMediaLinePaul Williams, Copyright Business Wire 2009. Most fans would seem to be writing off the Raiders season as yet another washout. Though, a win for Oakland on Sunday against the mighty NY Giants would be a huge boost for the franchise and the sullen Raider Nation. Is it possible We have to consider that it is possible if Eli Manning is out with injury as expected. Eli is just too good a QB for the Raiders defense to deal with. David Carr, however, is another story. If the Raiders can apply pocket pressure and handle the running game (no easy task all things considered), maybe get a few tunrovers to give the offense more chances, things could turn out favorable. If the Giants get a large lead in the first half, then all bets are off, time to grab dinner, and forget about it. The Giants defense is no joke. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is no joke. This is in contrast to the Raiders current head coach who initially showed promise, but would appear to be now on his elongated way out (as par the course, Al Davis will mull this for a while, keeping us guessing). We don't need to look at the finer points of the Giants-Raiders matchup. Personnel-wise, the Raiders are outmatched, but this is exactly the type of game that has potential for the unexpected. A few breaks and the Raiders could have a shot. It has been known to happen. So long as JaMarcus Russell is not counted on to generate points, there is hope. Not that we would want to put any pressure on our young millionaire team leader. At this point it really looks like JaMarcus is tired of being JaMarcus, based on his body language and second hand reports he is not bothering to show up for QB meetings. His play, though not as bad as his stats reflect, certainly make him seem like a flop. It could very well be time to let the guy disappear from the team into his private world of expensive living. Though, let's not jump the gun. JaMarcus has led the team to a few wins here and there. Maybe his receivers will step up and beat someone this week. Maybe, just maybe, the O-line will stave off the Giants pass rush and be equally adept at opening up some space for the running game to succeed. Whew, that’s a tall order. Ok, maybe Janikowski will kick a bunch of field goals and Johnnie Lee Higgins will return at least one or two for TDs. Or maybe…uh, hmmm…. .

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The hole in the U.S. economy is so deep that even $825 billion in extra government spending and tax cuts probably cannot fill it right away. It appears to be too late to salvage any semblance of economic growth this year."With every day that passes, the potential impact on 2009 is diminishing," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts.Global Insight has penciled in a 2.5 percent decline in U.S. gross domestic product for 2009, although without the stimulus, it would have been a full percentage point deeper.It is a sticky situation for Obama, who had hoped that lawmakers would have a stimulus bill ready for his signature when he took office last week. Instead, it looks like Congress will approve the package only by mid-February.Even in normal times, it takes months for government spending to spread through the economy. In the midst of a deep recession that has paralyzed consumer and business spending, government checks may wind up sitting in the bank, which means the money does little to stimulate the economy.Obama has said that 75 percent of the stimulus package will be spent within the first 18 months, although a review by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that only about 64 percent of the proposed spending and tax cuts would arrive in the first 19 months.TALL ORDERObama has warned that without stimulus, the economy could fall $1 trillion short of its potential.

In theory, the government would not have to spend that much to make up the difference because each dollar injected into the economy can generate a bigger return.The idea is that money spent on building a new bridge not only puts construction workers on the job, but also supports the restaurant where they buy lunch and the stores where they spend their paychecks.Economists call that the multiplier effect Calculating the impact, however, is more art than science. With economic uncertainty running high, a bigger portion of that money may be saved rather than spent.Between the housing and stock market slumps, American household wealth has taken the worst beating since the 1930s.Merrill Lynch economist David Rosenberg thinks losses could approach $20 trillion if his gloomy projections hold true. The shattered nest egg could take $300 billion out of consumer spending each year through 2011, he said."The government has to boost its spending by 10 percent for every 1 percent decline in consumer spending just to prevent GDP from contracting," Rosenberg said. That would mean government spending would have to double to offset the drop in consumer spending."That's a pretty tall order, even for the most popular president since Franklin Roosevelt," Rosenberg said.JOB MARKET LOOKS STRONGERWhile the final details of the package are still unknown, a version heading for a vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday includes $358 billion for infrastructure, such as rebuilding roads, and $275 billion in temporary tax cuts.Tax cuts tend to reach the economy more quickly than infrastructure spending, although even then it probably will not be soon enough to do much for this year.Most people will receive rebates when they file their 2009 tax returns early next year. Workers could get the money sooner if they choose to reduce the amount of money withheld from their regular paychecks, but that would involve careful calculations and a bit of paperwork.A key component of Obama's plan is to save or create at least 3 million jobs. Economists are more optimistic on that front, although perhaps not as upbeat as Obama's team.A paper co-authored by Christina Romer, the head of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, found that without the fiscal boost, the economy could shed 3 million to 4 million jobs, on top of the 2.6 million lost since December 2007.

Global Insight's Gault said his calculations came up with a 2.5 percent lift to GDP and 2.6 million jobs by the end of next year.But the Romer-Bernstein paper includes several important caveats that are open to debate.For example, the analysis assumes households think of the tax cuts as permanent and ramp up their spending accordingly. Some economists worry that will not happen because people are too concerned about rebuilding their savings."Barring significant changes in the pending U.S. fiscal stimulus plan, its timing and thrust seem likely to disappoint," Morgan Stanley economist Richard Berner said.(Editing by Dan Grebler) U.S. Barack Obama Crisis in Credit Economy. Nanotechnology Center Planned to Spur Energy Innovation and Job Creation HOUSTON, Jan.