Feeding oil spill video stirs the Web

The oil escaping from the platform broke in the Gulf of Mexico has not been arrested. But it can be viewed. As investigators attempt to identify and blame oil executives point fingers Corporation, the curious are directed to the Web for a look at the drama in high seas runs 5,000 feet under water.

It turns out that the oil company BP has a video stream of the platform, which now provides a place at the top of the oil leak endlessly. Under pressure from Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the executives live streams available to the public. The video is hosted within the Special Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming website.

News of the transmission line caused shockwaves Research 1725% on the "flow of oil spills BP live" in one day. Research also gushed about "living foods BP", "cam oil spill BP Live" and "live BP oil spill."

According to AP, a mile-long tube is capturing 210.000 gallons of oil per day, but oil is still a lot of escape - and you can see, lava-lamp-like, oozing on underwater camera. The company initially estimated 210.000 gallons was the amount of the spill - and now admits he was thus broadly. worse, the amount of oil that has already paid is ten times more than the Exxon Valdez.

Here is a picture of the transmission line:

As if any more proof were needed that the world is watching the video stream crashed because of the huge web traffic, so that instead of a plume of oil, viewers are treated intermittently to a black screen. However, live video clips have been captured and are now highlighted on various sites. For live video streams, visit the homepage of BP.

You can also try the Special Committee on Global Warming website.

Be patient: the video signals are overwhelmed by traffic, they are often slow or simply not available.

Reality Flashback: Crystal Bowersox at 13

Crystal Bowersox seems to come from nowhere, transforming a single mother unknown Busker / metro to "American Idol" front-runner in a few weeks. But it was the scene for years, and recently discovered video of a song, then-13-year-old Crystal in 1999 indicates that this raw talent was always destined for great things.

The clip above was filmed at the annual Boat Show, Huron Basin in Huron, Ohio, where the event organizer Cathy Black has traditionally invited to discover young talent to perform. In spite of being barely old enough to get into a movie PG-13, pre-pubertal (Crystal play a song original) seems to be incredibly mature and very Jewel-like, and remarkably the point - just between your typical . Really, all the tweens voting for "Idol" this season should look like Crystal ..

What Crystal wins "American Idol" next week or not, it is obvious that video the music has always been his calling, and she has a great musical career ahead of her.

Jesse James: I am the most hated man in the world

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Jesse James has been dubbed "the most hated man in America" after allegations he had cheated on Sandra Bullock - and sitting in his first interview since the news broke, he said "Nightline "Vicki Mabrey has reached a point even lower than that.

"I think it's" most hated man in the world, 'Now, he says self-deprecatingly in a clip of the interview, broadcast in its entirety Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and "Nightline" .

VIEW THE PHOTOS: They Made Who? "? Surprising Old Couples!

"You cheated on your wife, Vicki told him.

"Yeah," he said, adding: "I took a pretty amazing life and marriage and threw it. "

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebrity Cheaters (allegedly)

During the clamp, Jesse became visibly agitated, started to tear and later moving away from the interview chair.

"Let me pause for one second," he said.

The interview came in the wake of the popular Sandra coverage last month, in which she revealed she had adopted a son, Louis, and has been for divorce from Jesse.

SEE THE PHOTOS: Sandra Bullock: American leading Queen Rom-Com

The couple ex-Sea in 2005.

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Bret Michaels suffers 'stroke warning'

Bret Michaels has suffered what doctors call "a blow" warning ", or transient ischemic attack, according to its website.

The rocker, 47 - who is still recovering from a brain haemorrhage - was "readmitted to the hospital this week after he suffered numbness on the left side of his body, especially the face and hands," a statement on its website.

While undergoing tests - including an MRI and CT - Doctors have also discovered that he had a hole in his heart.

The news was "devastating ... to Bret and his family," said her neurosurgeon, Dr. Joseph Zabramski. Michaels has two daughters, Raine, 10, Jorja, 5, with ex-girlfriend Kristi Lynn Gibson.

Continues Dr. Zabramski, "The good news is that it is usable and workable and we think we may have diagnosed the problem that caused the stroke warning ... but we believe it is highly unlikely that this is related to cerebral hemorrhage he suffered several weeks earlier. Again, it is great that he responded quickly to severe numbness and arrived at the hospital immediately. "

Dr. Zabramski adds: "I realize Bret wants to make a full recovery so he can be active with family, attempting to attend the final of Celebrity Apprentice and especially to get back on the road to continue to make music. Without doubt it is quite determined to get healthy and make a recovery of 100 percent.

'Medically speaking, it is a fantastic attitude both mentally and physically for him to have. However, the brain and body Bret are not quite 100 percent but above the hole in his heart. "

Affirms that its representative Janna Elias, "Bret wants everyone to know he can not thank you enough for all the good wishes, prayers and good vibes you sent his way. Although recent months have been tough on him and his family, especially this latest setback, he is cheerful, large hands and health is positive and hope everything will be OK. He is standing, walking, talking, continuing his rehabilitation daily and very happy to be alive, but he made clear he is sick and tired of being in hospital and is ready to switch again. "

3 Americans jailed in Iran to meet their mothers

TEHRAN, Iran - Three Americans jailed in Iran for 10 months in his arms and embraced their mother in an emotional meeting Thursday after the women arrived on a mission to secure the release of their children. One of the prisoners have said they hoped all go home and in the first trio of public comments since their arrest.

Nora Shourd, Cindy and Laura Fattal Hickey threw their arms in the air and rushed to hug their children as they entered the room at the Hotel Esteghlal north of Tehran, in video broadcast on Iranian TV State Press.

They embraced and kissed the three on the cheeks as they embraced, some rocking back and forth with tears in his eyes. The group then had lunch together at a celebration of rice, kebabs and other traditional dishes of the Middle East.

Iran held the three Americans - Sarah Shourd, 31, her boyfriend, Shane Bauer, 27, and their friend Josh Fattal, 27 - along the Iraqi border in late July and accused them of entering Iraqi territory and espionage. Their parents reject the accusation and said the three were hiking in Iraq and largely scenic peace in the northern Kurdish region.

The mothers, who wore long black dresses and holding bouquets of flowers at the meeting, has arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to visit their children and try to obtain their liberation.

Iran to grant visas to the women to see their children in what she said was a humanitarian gesture and Islamic Americans asked them to release the three on the same grounds.

"We hope we will soon be home, perhaps with our mothers," said Josh Fattal that the group was asked, sitting together on a couch lowered thereafter.

The parents had little new in the three Americans since their arrest and their mothers were eager to speak with them and assess their state of health where after about 10 months of captivity in Evin prison in Iran.

Their lawyer Masoud Shafii said the six would stay together until at least tonight but it was not clear whether the three detainees to go to jail for the night.

Mothers are hoping to meet officials involved in this matter, and ideally with senior Iranian leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters state, the lawyer said

new hero of the Tea Party, Paul Rand is so conservative, it is scary Dick Cheney

Meet the new hero of the Tea Party, Paul Rand - an ophthalmologist ever elected to the land of bluegrass, which is redder than red lipstick State Sarah Palin.

How conservative is it? The 47-year-old Paul - who has beaten the establishment candidate Trey Grayson, Kentucky Tuesday, GOP Senate primary - wants to abolish the federal departments of education, trade and energy, and the tax on income.

Like Palin, with whom Paul is atop the cake tea party, he is opposed to all the rescue operations of government and affects, and President Obama "socialist" legislation on health care. He favors a constitutional amendment banning abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

But in a twist libertarian, it also supports the legalization of medical marijuana.

He began the next phase of its offer renegade Senate Wednesday with a tee shot decidedly strange pointing to Tiger Woods as a model. Somehow.

The man supposedly of the people has defended its decision to hold the victory of his party Tuesday night in an exclusive country club. Enter Tiger.

"I think at some point, people thought of golf and golf clubs and golf courses as being exclusive," said Paul on "Good Morning America." [But] I think Tiger Woods helped to expand this in the sense that it is brought golf to a large number of cities and youth in the city. "

Perhaps, but given that Tiger is best known today for having sex adultery with more than a dozen mistresses, it was a special defense policy.

Not all the many Americans might find a bit strange about Paul. Some of his positions even fear ardent conservatives such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, who supported the GOP opponent of Paul.

For example, the father of three children wants to withdraw U.S. military forces from all missions abroad. Like his father - former presidential candidate and libertarian Ron Paul of Texas - believes that the Federal Reserve as a source of great difficulty to be set down.

"We face a day of consideration," said Paul warnings Tuesday evening in one of his many claims, in the end is near. "And this movement Tea Party is a message to Washington that we are unhappy, and we want things differently. "

This is something that Paul, 47, served in a monotonous crude, but all the screaming "nonpolitician" - which is precisely what so many conservatives find attractive about him.

"A candidate who is not smooth may seem more authentic, especially in this environment," said Dan Schnur GOP consultant.

Whether it's a winning general election in November - when voters will weigh much more - remains to be seen. The Democratic Party leaders do not believe, and yesterday they had all but giddy at the prospect of taking on Paul.

"It's a fight we welcome," said one party honcho.

But Kentucky is still a deeply conservative state and many experts said yesterday that Paul had a good chance of winning in November and become a star of the Tea Party in the Senate for years to come.

Read more: # http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/05/20/2010-05-20_toast_of_the_tea_party_rand_pauls_so_conservative_he_scares_cheney.html ixzz0oTijS6a6

Abu Dhabi hotel installs gold vending machine

AFP – An Emirati man tries the "Gold to Go" vending machine at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. …

ABU DHABI (AFP) – There's no mistaking what's in this vending machine. The well-heeled in the Gulf can now grab "gold to go" from a hotel lobby in the United Arab Emirates, when the need for a quick ingot strikes.

On Thursday, a day after its inauguration, the shiny machine attracted spectators of many different nationalities who gathered to watch whenever an enthusiast was struck with the urge to splurge on a bar of the precious metal.

Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace Hotel became the first place outside Germany to install "gold to go, the world's first gold vending machine," said a statement from Ex Oriente Lux AG, the German company behind the vending machine.

"In addition to one-gram, five-gram and 10-gram bars of gold, the machine also dispenses gold coins," it added.

Gold rates are constantly updated inside the shiny machine -- itself gold-plated -- in the hotel's lobby, courtesy of a built-in computer connected to a dealer which sells gold online.

"This eliminates the risk premiums usually associated with precious metal trading," the German company said.

Hotel general manager Hans Olbertz said they wanted the hotel to be the first in the world to offer guests what he called "this golden service."

The Emirates Palace is often used by visiting foreign dignitaries, and its top floor is reserved for the rulers of the UAE federation's seven emirates, each of whom has his own suite.

Bill Clinton offers himself as lottery prize to pay off Hillary’s debts

There are many ways to pay off campaign debts — cajoling phone calls, begging letters — but Bill Clinton believes that he has come up with a better method to wipe out the financial obligations outstanding from his wife’s failed presidential bid.

He is raffling himself. In an e-mail sent to millions of people who supported Hillary Clinton’s White House campaign, the former President asks: “How would you like the chance to come up to New York and spend the day with me?” For those who would like the One-Day-With-Bill prize, an online donation of as little as $5 (£3) will buy them the chance.

By 2007, seven years after leaving the White House, the Clintons had earned a combined $109 million (£73 million) through speaking engagements and bestselling memoirs. Even so, apparently they would prefer American voters to settle Mrs Clinton’s remaining $771,000 debt rather than paying it themselves.

“Hillary’s campaign still has a few vestiges of debt that I know she would like to see paid in full. Will you reach out today to help Hillary this one last time?” Mr Clinton asks. In her marathon battle against Barack Obama Mrs Clinton’s debts peaked at $25.2 million. More than $13 million of that she lent to her own campaign — a huge sum that she will never recoup.

This is the second time in a year that Mr Clinton has offered himself as a lottery prize to whittle down his wife’s debt, something that makes some of their supporters cringe. As Secretary of State she is barred from raising money herself to pay it off.

What further angers some of Mrs Clinton’s backers from her failed Democratic primary campaign is the name of the creditor to whom she owes all the money: Mark Penn, her former pollster and chief strategist.



Mr Penn, a longtime Clinton pollster from the former First Couple’s White House days, followed what is standard practice for political strategists in US campaigns: he took a cut of the money paid by Mrs Clinton’s campaign to his firm to carry out polling and send mailshots to voters.



A total of $24 million from her campaign was paid to Mr Penn’s firm, Penn Schoen Berland, during her failed presidential bid. Much of that was to cover the cost of the company’s services but there is no doubt that the advice and strategy Mr Penn gave — advice that many Democrats believe doomed her campaign — made him millions.



He is blamed, for example, for failing effectively to gauge the public’s desire for change, and for sending out 20 million pieces of direct mail in a campaign in which the internet was so crucial. By the end of 2008, Mrs Clinton’s campaign still owed Mr Penn’s firm $5.4 million. That is now down to $771,000, although the campaign also has nearly $624,000 in the bank.



There are some Clinton supporters who believe that Mr Penn, a divisive figure, should not be paid. The money is not owed to him personally but to his firm, which is a subsidiary of the London-based WPP Group.

Mrs Clinton’s campaign relied heavily on big-money donors, most of whom gave the maximum amount allowed, hence the mass appeal to the small-donor base.

Russia warns U.S. against unilateral Iran sanctions

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the United States and other Western nations on Thursday against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Interfax news agency reported.







The European Union has said it may impose unilateral sanctions if a U.N. Security Council resolution fails.






U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has been lobbying Western companies not to do business with Iran, but has not imposed sanctions against them.






Countries facing Security Council sanctions "cannot under any circumstances be the subject of one-sided sanctions imposed by one or other government bypassing the Security Council", Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax.






"The position of the United States today does not display understanding of this absolutely clear truth."






Russia is in talks with the United States and other U.N. Security Council members on a fourth round of sanctions. Moscow has indicated it could support broader sanctions but has stressed they must not harm the Iranian people.






Washington has not publicly warned of unilateral sanctions but has made clear it wants tougher measures than veto-wielding Security Council member Russia is likely to accept.






Permanent Security Council member China has joined Russia in opposing Washington's plans to impose tough, wide-ranging sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its refusal to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment activity and open up fully to U.N. nuclear inspections.






Lavrov's warning came just before the arrival in Russia on Thursday of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, a non-permanent member of the Security Council that is also opposed to further sanctions against Iran.






Lula was expected to meet senior Russian officials on Friday to discuss how to revive a stalled nuclear fuel swap deal meant to minimize the risk of Tehran using enrichment for military purposes. Lula will travel on to Iran on Sunday.






Lavrov, speaking to deputies from Russia's upper house of parliament, said the United States tended not to see international law as having pre-eminence over national laws.






"We are now confronted with this problem during discussion of a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran."






Despite his criticism, Lavrov said that relations with the United States had shown clear signs of improvement, specifically with the signing of a nuclear-disarmament treaty that would reduce their deployed nuclear warheads by about 30 percent.

Speer Launches the First “Global Pick-Up Conference” for Men to Attract More Adventure and Fulfillment with Their Love Lives

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 7, 2010 -- Some men are lucky at love... and some are not. For those men that desire to improve their “social skills”, and their ability to attract better quality women into their lives, Speer, voted “The number one “Lifestyle” Pick-Up Artist in the World,” is bringing together over 26 coaches to help men understand women, and improve their lifestyle.

Speer

According to Speer, “In the relationship world, many women laugh at the idea of the “complete man.” But this conference is all about giving men the knowledge and experience to become more effective at becoming more attractive, more socially skilled, and living a more adventurous solid lifestyle.”



“A lack of sexual fulfillment can negatively impact a man’s soul and spirit; it can also deeply affect all other aspects of a man’s life. This conference is geared to help men solve these issues, once and for all.”



The Global Pick-Up Conference is hosted in New York City from May 28 to May 31, 2010. Attendance is limited to 140 people, and tickets are selling fast.

Bin Laden bodyguard: Stop cavity searches

bodyguard told a New York judge Thursday he would boycott his own trial if he kept getting a cavity search every time he went to court.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a suspected al-Qaida militant accused in the deadly 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, told U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan the strip searches, which require him to squat and expose his genitals, brought back memories of enhanced interrogation techniques used to extract information from him when he was held in secret prisons run by the CIA from 2004 to 2006, when he was moved to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"I would not want to come here" and would instead "waive my right" to attend his trial if cavity searches continued, Ghailani told Kaplan.

Kaplan, who told Ghailani his defense against terrorism charges might be harmed if he boycotted his trial, said he would rule on Ghailani's request after hearing from psychologist Katherine Porterfield of the Program for Survivors of Torture at New York's Bellevue Hospital.

Porterfield, who was at a Guantanamo Bay proceeding Thursday, wrote that "nudity serves as a profound 'trigger' for Mr. Ghailani, thrusting him into vivid memories of the interrogation process he endured, as well as a real fear that further maltreatment will occur in the present setting," The New York Times reported.

She said he would be "at risk to be unable to function in a courtroom" if the searches continued.

Ghailani, a Tanzanian, will be the first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be tried in a U.S. civilian court.

He pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy charges on June 10, 2009.

The bombing attacks organized by al-Qaida killed 224 people and wounded thousands.

Ghailani could face the death penalty.

He later served as a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden, authorities say.

Ghailani acknowledged having once met bin Laden and also Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a senior al-Qaida planner held at Guantanamo who is the acknowledged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Ahmadinejad gives an exclusive interview about Obama, USA, Iran's Nuclear Program, & More

In this video; Ahmadinejad gives an exclusive interview on his thoughts of Obama, USA, Nukes, and more..







Watch the video and please leave a comment on what you think.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQjUHvwwPB4&feature=player_embedded
 
 

Firing the Army’s Biggest, Baddest Guns

It's not too often I get to play with military-grade weaponry, and the military is usually pretty wary about reporters handling firearms. But yesterday I traveled to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD to see the latest improvements in soldier weaponry.

Reporters had the chance to test out a range of weapons, from the M4 Carbine to the M107 sniper rifle. It was also an opportunity for the Army to show off the XM25 airburst weapon. The XM25 is an advanced grenade launcher that fires a smart 25mm round automatically programmed to go off just above or behind its target: The idea is to create a devasting, pinpoint-accurate infantry weapon that can hit targets that are "in defilade" (behind a wall, or dug into the ground).






This screen grab from a high-speed camera shows the round detonating just inside a window target. Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, the head of PEO Soldier, told reporters that the $30,000 weapon had already been delivered to the Special Forces and they "going to be taking it downrange this summer."

The service also showcased some less-lethal equipment. This is the CROWS remote weapon station, outfitted with a nonlethal green laser. It's part of an "escalation of force" package the military fielded last month in Afghanistan.







Maj. Michael Pottratz, who made the trip to Afghanistan last month to issue out the new kit, told Danger Room the system had been installed on different variants of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle. The idea is to prevent incidents like the recent deadly bus shooting in Kandahar, where coalition forces failed to warn off an approaching vehicle with a flashlight and flares, and then engaged the bus with gunfire, killing several civilians.

Pottratz, who said he had tested the dazzler on himself, said the effect of the green laser was "exactly like looking at a very bright light, like a welding torch or the sun, for just a fraction of a second."

Supporters: New Immigration Law Will Keep Officers Safe

PHOENIX - We often hear about the protests against Arizona's new immigration law, but there is a large majority that feel the law is going to have a positive impact in our state - especially when it comes to keeping law enforcement safe.







Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio recently came out with a list of officers in Phoenix killed by illegal immigrants, and the number is shocking.






Phoenix Police officers killed or injured in the line of duty due to illegal immigrants:






May 27, 1988: Officer Ken Collins was murdered










December 21, 1997: Officer Brian Wilbur was seriously injured










March 26, 1999: Officer Mark Atkinson was murdered in an ambush










March 26, 2001: Officer Jason Schecterle was severely burned










April 12, 2003: Officer Robert Sitek was shot and seriously injured










Sept. 18, 2007: Officer Nick Erfle was murdered










October 16, 2007: Officer Brett Glidewell was shot in the chest










October 25, 2008: Officer Shane Figueroa was killed






Information from the Phoenix Law Enforcement Administration

Breaking: Obama Administration Removed Faisal Shahzad From Terror Surveillance List Before Attack …Update: Faisal Had Contact with Awlaki, the Taliban Chief, and Mumbai Massacre Mastermind

More hope and change…

Faisal Shahzad was removed from the national terrorist surveillance list before the Times Square attack.
 

The Strata Sphere is all over this story.

Confessed terrorist Faisal Shahzad was removed from the Department of Homeland Security travel lookout list sometime after Barack Obama came into office.

CBS reported:



Sources tell CBS News that would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad appeared on a Department of Homeland Security travel lookout list – Traveler Enforcement Compliance System (TECS) – between 1999 and 2008 because he brought approximately $80,000 cash or cash instruments into the United States.



The New York Times reported that the person who bought Faisal’s apartment back in 2004 was interviewed by federal investigators.



George LaMonica, a 35-year-old computer consultant, said he bought his two-bedroom condominium in Norwalk, Conn., from Mr. Shahzad for $261,000 in May 2004. A few weeks after he moved in, Mr. LaMonica said, investigators from the national Joint Terrorism Task Force [JTTF] interviewed him, asking for details of the transaction and for information about Mr. Shahzad. It struck Mr. LaMonica as unusual, but he said detectives told him they were simply “checking everything out.”



Barack Obama began shutting down Bush-era terrorist investigations last year including the investigation of Faisal Shahzad.

We all know what happened next.

Last week Faisal almost blew a hole in the middle of Times Square.

The only thing that saved the people of New York was Faisal’s incompetence.



UPDATE: Faisal Shahzad had contacts with several other terrorist leaders including the radical American-born Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki, the Taliban Chief, and the Mumbai Massacre mastermind.

ABC reported:



Shahzad also had a web of jihadist contacts that included big names tied to terror attacks in the U.S. and abroad, including the figure who has emerged as a central figure in many recent domestic terror attempts – radical American-born Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki.



Besides Awlaki, sources say Shahzad was also linked to a key figure in the Pakistani Taliban, its Emir Beitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a drone missile strike in 2009. The Mehsuds had been family friends of Shahzad, who is the son of a former high-ranking Pakistani military officer.

Dow Takes a Harrowing 1,010.14-Point Trip

Specialist traders on the New York Stock Exchange floor during the record intraday point decline. The Dow is back at its March 4 level

A bad day in the financial markets was made worse by an apparent trading glitch, leaving traders and investors nervous and scratching their heads over how a mistake could send the Dow Jones Industrial Average into a 1,000-point tailspin.

At its afternoon low, the Dow had plummeted 998.50 points, its biggest intraday point drop ever. The swing from its intraday high was 1,010.14 points.

The Dow eventually rebounded to close down 347.80 points, or 3.2%, at 10520.32, its worst percentage decline since April 2009. Stocks from Dow components Procter & Gamble and 3M suffered precipitous declines. At one point shares of P&G tumbled 37%.

The markets were already on edge before the midafternoon collapse as traders watched televised scenes of rioting in Athens following the Greek government's approval of its portion of the European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout. The euro had tumbled to a new 14-month low and credit markets were showing signs of strain in Europe and the U.S.

Throughout the day, markets around the globe posted big declines as investors reacted with disappointment to the failure of the European Central Bank to signal any heightened concern about the spiraling Greek

debt crisis.

Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dropped 3.2% to 1128.15 Bond, commodity and currency markets were all roiled as investors fled from risky assets toward the safety of gold and Treasurys.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility index, or VIX, which tracks volatility in stock-index options, at one point soared 60% to nearly 40 and ended the day up nearly 32%.

Asian markets immediately opened down Friday. Japan's Nikkei fell more than 4% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell more than 3%.

After the gyrations, President Barack Obama was briefed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers on the situation in U.S. financial markets and the latest moves in Europe to cope with the debt crisis. An administration official said they discussed market structure and the government agencies looking into the crisis and its potential impact on the U.S. economy.