Trash is on the way ..................

The Associated Press wrote about how scientists expect that over the next one to three years "wind and ocean currents eventually will push some of the massive debris from Japan's tsunami and earthquake onto the shores of the U.S. West Coast."

CNN said that "the Hawaiian islands may get a new and unwelcome addition in coming months — a giant new island of debris floating in from Japan." It relied in part on work done by the University of Hawaii's International Pacific Research Center, which predicts that:

"In three years, the [debris] plume will reach the U.S. West Coast, dumping debris on Californian beaches and the beaches of British Columbia, Alaska, and Baja California. The debris will then drift into the famous North Pacific Garbage Patch, where it will wander around and break into smaller and smaller pieces. In five years, Hawaii shores can expect to see another barrage of debris that is stronger and longer lastingthan the first one. Much of the debris leaving the North Pacific Garbage Patch ends up on Hawaii's reefs and beaches."

GOP - Budget

I've got to dig through details some more, but on surface, it sure looks like the GOP caved on budget.

What do YOU think?

Whistle-blower Gets $4.5 Million Award From IRS

by Mark Memmott
The Internal Revenue Service has awarded a Pennsylvania accountant $4.5 million because he blew the whistle on his own employer — an act that "netted the IRS $20 million in taxes and interest," The Associated Press reports.

According to the AP, "the accountant filed a complaint with the IRS in 2007, just as the IRS Whistleblower Office opened, but heard nothing for two years." So he hired a lawyer to help push the case. That lawyer, Eric Young of Blue Bell, Pa., declines to identify his client or the company he worked for.

The whistleblower felt that his company, a financial services firm, had ignored his warning that it had failed to pay some taxes.

One bit of irony: While he's been awarded $4.5 million, the check sent to the accountant by the IRS was actually for $3.24 million, AP says.

He had to pay taxes on it.

Oh, and here's a reminder: Even if the federal government shuts down tonight, the deadline for filing federal incomes tax returns this year is still April 18.

SEVEN Foods to Avoid

1. Canned Tomatoes

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.

2. Corn-Fed Beef
The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. But more money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.

The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.

3. Microwave Popcorn
The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.

The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.

Budget tip: Popping your own popcorn is dirt cheap.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes
The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

5. Farmed Salmon
The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. "You could eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer," says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

Budget tip: Canned salmon, almost exclusively from wild catch, can be found for as little as $3 a can.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most industrialized countries."

The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.

Budget tip: Try Wal-Mart's Great Value label, which does not use rBGH.

7. Conventional Apples
The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.

The solution: Buy organic apples.

GOP-Controlled House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill

by NPR Staff and Wires

April 7, 2011 House Republicans passed a largely symbolic stopgap spending bill on Thursday, as congressional leaders met again with President Obama to try to hammer out a compromise that could keep the government from a partial shutdown.

The measure passed 247 to 181. But Senate Democrats and the White House have already rejected the temporary fix — which is conditioned on $12 billion in immediate spending cuts — saying they want a bill that funds the government through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Moments after the vote, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appeared at the White House following meetings with Obama.

"I did ask the president to sign the stopgap measure, and I expressed my disappointment when he suggested he would veto that measure," Boehner said.

Reid said he and Boehner would return to the White House at 7 p.m. for more talks.

Player was Masters trail-blazer

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AFP) – Gary Player owns a rightful place in golfing history as a trail-blazer in the sport, but there is one "first" he established at he Masters of which he is especially proud.

It was 50 years ago when the South African became the first non-US winner of the storied tournament, grabbing the top prize when a then-dominant Arnold Palmer let slip a two-shot lead with one hole to play.

He was to win again in 1974 and in 1978 and remained the only "international" winner of the Masters until Spain's Severiano Ballesteros triumphed in 1980 to herald two decades of European domination.

But it was Player's trio of wins that proved "an outsider" could win at what has become the quintessential US golf tournament.

"The memories are still lasting, everlasting; to be the first international player of this great event in this great country meant an awful lot to me, particularly being a young man and having aspirations of trying to win a Grand Slam. That was my dream," Player, now a sprightly 75, said.

Three GREATS that are still with us...

Golfing greats Arnold Palmer (L), Gary Player (C) and Jack Nicklaus sit at the ninth tee during the Par-3 tournament ahead of the 2011 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 6, 2011.…

Plans For World's Most Powerful Rocket Unveiled

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The private rocket company SpaceX says its next rocket will be the most powerful in the world.

The new rocket, called the Falcon Heavy, is designed to carry up to about twice as much weight as a NASA space shuttle can take to orbit. It's expected to be at the launchpad at the end of next year for its first flight, with the launch likely coming in 2013.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described his company's new rocket during a press conference in Washington, D.C. He says it will be able to take about 117,000 pounds to orbit.

"So that is really, really humongous," says Musk. "It's more payload capability than any vehicle in history, apart from the Saturn V."

The Saturn V was NASA's moon rocket and was decommissioned after the Apollo program ended. Musk said the Falcon Heavy has about half the lifting capability of the Saturn V.

CURTAIN RODS --- PRICELESS

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.

On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.

On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water.

When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods.

She then cleaned up the kitchen and left...

When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days.

Then slowly, the house began to smell

They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out.

Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned.

Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked!

People stopped coming over to visit.

Repairmen refused to work in the house.

The maid quit.

Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move. A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.

Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.

The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going.

He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house.

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.

She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.

A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home........

And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods.

Let the Race Begin .... On Your Marks ..... Get Set .............

Mondays with Tony Lee 04.04.11


President Barack Obama launched his reelection campaign with a web video. While at first blush the timing of the announcement may be puzzling because the optics imply that Obama is more focused on politicking instead of being serious about the budget and Libya, I think his announcement this week is a brilliant piece of political strategy. Obama has been getting some unfavorable coverage from the mainstream media, so now that he has officially announced his candidacy for reelection, the mainstream media and the White House press corps will surely put on their Obama jerseys again and give him favorable coverage. MSM men will get tingles up their legs and women will get all hot and tingly over the Big O’s speeches and optics.

With this bias and tilted playing field in mind, it is more imperative for prospective GOP presidential candidates to be effective messengers. I suggest that each candidate listen to 9 innings of legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully to learn how to better communicate with voters. 
— Tony Lee

VS COMMENTS

Banks, Credit-Card Issuers Warn Of Email Breach

by The Associated Press

I have received two or possibly three already that are suspicious, so I think that this is a real threat .............. BEWARE

With the possible theft of millions of consumer email addresses from an advertising company, several large companies have started warning customers to expect fraudulent emails that try to coax account login information from them.

A dozen companies said over the weekend that hackers may have learned their email addresses because of a security breach at a Dallas-based company called Epsilon that manages email communications.

Among the affected companies are banks like Capital One Financial Corp., Barclays Bank, U.S. Bancorp and Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and retailers like Best Buy Co., TiVo Inc., Walgreen Co. and Kroger Co.

The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that runs the SATs, also warned that a hacker may have obtained student email addresses.

Walt Disney Co.'s travel subsidiary, Disney Destinations, sent emails warning customers on Sunday.

Epsilon said Friday that its system had been breached, exposing email addresses and customer names but no other personal information.

The email addresses could be used to target spam. It's also a standard tactic among online fraudsters to send emails to random people, purporting to be from a large bank and asking them to login in at a site that looks like the bank's site. Instead, the fraudulent site captures their login information and uses it to access the real account.

Oh, yea, but what I meant was ...................

You just have to admire the "guts" of these sports "experts" and their commentary. None of them have been right yet, but they still, with straight face, tell us what this or that team has to do to win. I don't think any of them have any idea what's going on, they just like wearing those nice suits, expensive shirts and bawdy ties.

They start from "scratch" every time they speak. They forget about how wrong they have been, brush off all those erroneous predictions, and start their "blabbing" all over.

They all have all the qualifications it takes to be politicians. They can say one thing, be wrong, and say something else, or, have reasons WHY, their predictions did not come true.

Plus, I think there are now more "sports" analysts and announcers than there are participants in the games.

Sunday Morning Food for Thought

Gubmint and How de Gubmint Works


Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions and one person to do time studies.

Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people, one to do the studies and one to write the reports.

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created two positions, a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two people.

Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?"

So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, an Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year, and we are $918,000 over budget. We must cut back." So they laid off the night watchman..

NOW slowly, let that sink in.

Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter.

Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY..... during the Carter Administration?

No?

Didn't think so!

Bottom line: We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency...the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember!

Ready?? It was very simple . . . and, at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND, NOW, IT'S 2011 -- 34 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES, AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?"

A little over 34 years ago, 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports. Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports.

Ah, yes -- the good old Federal bureaucracy!!

NOW, WE HAVE TURNED THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY OVER TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?

Hello-o-o-o-o!! Anybody Home?

Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue takes in 33 cats rescued from local apartment

Written by Anna Sudar

NEWARK -- About two years ago, Kathi Brooks started Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue in her Newark home.
Working mostly on her own, she would care for pregnant cats and their kittens until she could help them find permanent families.

But last week, Brooks got a phone call that turned her small animal rescue organization upside down.

On March 22, Newark police and animal control personnel removed 49 cats and eight kittens from an apartment on North Fifth Street. Many of the cats were sick and malnourished.

When Brooks heard what had happened, she knew she had to help the cats somehow.

"I normally don't do this kind of thing," she said. "But they had nowhere else to go."

Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue took in 33 of the cats, which now live in large cages in Brooks' garage. She and a small group of friends and volunteers feed the cats, clean their litter and make sure they get good veterinary care.

Their main goal is to get the cats healthy, then get them adopted, Brooks said.

"I'm not going to give up, and neither will my friends," she said. "We'll get them homes."

HOW TO HELP

» Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue is asking for Purina Cat Chow, scoopable and gravel cat litter, Clorox wipes, paper towels, food bowls and monetary donations to pay for spaying and neutering. To make a donation or adopt a cat, call Kathi Brooks at (740) 349-3254.


» Donations and adoption inquiries also may be made to BARK Animal Rescue, which can be reached at (740) 964-9651, and Stop the Suffering, which can be reached at (740) 507-0996.


» For more information about the spay/neuter clinic at Complete Petmart, call Bob Wirick at (740) 323-0963.


» A Cat-A-Thon adoption event will take place April 15-17 at Complete Petmart, 597 Hebron Road, Heath.

High Justice

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas prosecutor who handled recent drug cases involving Paris Hilton and pop singer Bruno Mars has resigned following his arrest in a crack cocaine case.


Clark County District Attorney David Roger tells The Associated Press he accepted David Schubert's resignation Friday.

A telephone call to Schubert went unanswered. His lawyer, William Terry, didn't immediately respond to a message.

The 47-year-old Schubert was arrested March 19 after Las Vegas police reported watching him in a white BMW sedan buy $40 worth of rock cocaine in a neighborhood east of the Las Vegas Strip.

Schubert was a 10-year veteran prosecutor and liaison for the last two years to a federal drug task force.

He's free pending a May 19 court date on felony conspiracy and cocaine possession charges.

Japanese Dog Rescued

The Japanese coast guard have rescued a dog believed to have survived the massive tsunami of March 11 and also three weeks at sea. The dog was found on the floating roof of a house that had been washed out to sea, nearly two kilometers from the coast of Kesennuma in northern Japan.

 It evaded capture for several hours as it scrambled over the large floating rubble raft. Friday was the first day of an intensive operation to search for and recover the 18,000 people still missing and now presumed dead three weeks after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a killer tsunami.

A total of 27,500 people were either killed or are still missing. US forces, Japan's Self Defense force, Japanese police and coast guards launched a three day operation involving 120 aircraft and 65 vessels over three northern Japanese prefectures. Japanese broadcaster NTV said the Japanese Coast Guard had been hoping the dog would lead them to the pet's owner.

Once rescued, the dog captured the hearts of the coast guard when it licked its rescuers hands. The coast guard could only speculate who the dog belonged to - they could not find a name tag or ID on the collar.

Final Four tarnished by new probes into UK, UConn

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports

It’s Final Four Saturday and to ring in the action there are two new media investigations into NCAA violations, this time at Kentucky and Connecticut, one half of the Bond, Schoeneck and King subregional here.

Jim Calhoun's program could find itself in hot water again if the NCAA looks into new allegations.

The New York Times said that the NCAA could potentially reopen the UConn major infractions case involving one-time recruit Nate Miles after Miles told the paper that Huskies coach Jim Calhoun “knew” of illegal payments from a booster, that he twice received improper help on standardized tests and characterized a number of Calhoun’s statements to the NCAA as “lies”.

Meanwhile, FoxSports.com is reporting a former Kentucky and Memphis basketball staffer, Bilal Bately, made illegal phone calls to recruits, including former Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins. In his job, Bately was not permitted to call recruits. He left the program in 2009.
While neither scandal is overwhelming in nature, together they represent more dings to an already banged up sport. The timing of their release serves as the latest drumbeat that college athletics are at a breaking point.

Already there are major allegations against the football programs of Auburn, Ohio State and Oregon, plus details of illegal activity and rampant fraud involving the BCS’s Fiesta Bowl. There was also this week’s report by ESPN that former LSU All-American Patrick Peterson was shopped as a high school recruit, which follows last fall’s case of Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton being shopped as a recruit. And it turns out Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel knowingly used ineligible players for an entire season

'Tree Of Hope' Stands As Poignant Symbol In Japan

by John Burnett

When a massive earthquake struck Japan on March 11, triggering a tsunami, the city of Rikuzentakata's famous pine trees were wiped away — except for this one. Now it is a symbol of hope for a devastated nation.

On the beach facing the Pacific in a city called Rikuzentakata stands a lone pine tree whose bark is scraped and scarred from the tsunami waters. Remarkably, it is still standing tall.

Rikuzentakata has been, effectively, erased from the map of northeastern Japan. Very little remains of this historic low-lying resort town that was popular for its beautiful white-sand beach. One in 10 residents out of the population of 23,000 are dead or missing, and officials privately expect that figure to go much higher.

The great wave of March 11 scraped the city away in one of the most startling displays of complete destruction that anyone has seen along the hundreds of miles of obliterated seascape. Only a few large, gutted structures — a civic gymnasium, a hotel, a high school — remain as indicators that this was once a populated area.

The city fathers had planted pine trees along a mile and a half of beaches more than 200 years ago and they were a familiar, iconic sight for locals and tourists. Now there is one. The Japanese media have dubbed it "the tree of hope" and the stories have prompted people to drive through the apocalyptic scene to take pictures of the pine. A member of the Rikuzentakata education committee says he heard the federal government is interested in commemorating the tree.

Local resident Yasumori Matsuzaka is one of those who braved a cold late spring wind to come and see what everyone has been talking about. "This tree and all the pine trees on the beach were planted by my ancestors," he said, looking up at the tall tree, whose lower branches have been sheared off. "I have lots of feelings about it. I hope this tree becomes a symbol of rebuilding Takata."

Christina Taylor Green angel dedicated today

TUCSON - It has been nearly three months since the day Congresswoman Giffords and 18 others were shot. The Tucson community has been healing from the tragedy since. Today, an angel will help with that healing.

A sculpture in the form of an angel will be unveiled at 5 pm at James D. Kriegh Park in Oro Valley. The sculpture, titled "Freedom's Steadfast Angel of Love," stands 9 feet 11 inches tall and is a replica of the statues at Ground Zero in New York, the pentagon and the Flight 93 Crash site.

It is the first angel to be made of wreckage from all three sites.

The youngest victim from the January 8th shootings is 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green. She was an aspiring baseball player and the only girl on her little league team. She used to play baseball at the James D. Kriegh Park with the Canyon Del Oro Little League. Green was born on September 11, 2001.

The angel will be dedicated at the park in Green's honor.

Report Criticizes High Pay at Fannie and Freddie

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

Regulators have approved generous executive compensation at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the taxpayer-backed mortgage finance giants, with little scrutiny or analysis, according to a report published Thursday by the inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Michael Williams at Fannie Mae got $9.3 million.

The companies, whose fates are to be decided by Congress this year, paid a combined $17 million to their chief executives in 2009 and 2010, the two full years when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were wards of the state, the report found. The top six executives at the companies received $35.4 million over the two years. Since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over in September 2008, the companies’ mounting mortgage losses have required a $153 billion infusion from taxpayers. Total losses may reach $363 billion through 2013, according to government estimates.

Charles E. Haldeman Jr., a former head of Putnam Investments, the giant fund management concern, joined Freddie Mac as its chief executive in 2009. He made $7.8 million for 2009 and 2010. Fannie Mae’s chief is Michael J. Williams, who has worked at the company since 1991. He received $9.3 million for the two years. Company officials declined to comment.