Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

The Blagojevich Problem

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich got himself into a little trouble last week after trying to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat. Almost everyone is calling for Blagojevich’s head on a plate, but the defiant and quite corrupt Governor is standing his ground. Hubdub gives Blagojevich resigning a over 70% chance, we also forecast resignation by December 21st.

Will Gov. Rod Blagojevich resign?

Rod Blagojevich missed his shot at naming Obama’s Senate successor. So who or what will decide who’s filling Obama’s vacant seat? By 49% Hubdub forecasts Illinois will call a special election.

Who will name Obama’s replacement?

Business

The big three Detroit auto makers failed to get a bailout fund from the Congress last week, but what should happen to those who were at the reins of the big three? General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner, seems the first likely target, especially when Congress is suggesting he get the boot. According to Hubdub though Wagoner only has a 31% chance of removal.

Will GM CEO Richard Wagoner step down or be fired before the end of 2008?

The Box Office

Kenau Reeves did quite good in the box office last weekend. Although this weekend three new movies premier, including Will Smith’s drama, Seven Pounds. For now Hubdub thinks Seven Pounds will be in the top spot this weekend, with Jim Carrey’s Yes Man only having a 33% chance of raking in the most cash.

What will be the #1 film this weekend?

The NFL

On December 21st the Panthers play the Giants. As the season ends both teams are hoping for a good showing. With home field advantage the Giants are the current favorites. What’s better is this market, dubbed ‘IN PLAY’ won’t be suspended during most of the game, so users can forecast who’ll win while the games on!

NFL - (IN PLAY) - Carolina Panthers @ NY Giants. Who will win on Dec 21st?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

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Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

The Auto Bailout

America’s automotive producers have found themselves in a sticky situation these past weeks, and for the past months America’s banking giants haven’t been breezing along just fine either. With the possibility of a auto bailout looming, which failed giant will get better quicker, AIG or GM? Hubdub forecasts by over 55% it’s GM.

Which stock will rise the most in the month of December, AIG or GM?

The automotive industry kind of screwed up big time. Never fear though, the American taxpayers are happy to pick up the slack, or are they? This week the House is supposed to vote on a automotive industry bailout and by large enough margins Hubdub is predicting the bill will be passed with at least 218 to 290 votes.

Congress - How many “Yes” votes will be cast in the House for the Big 3 auto bailout?

Hubdub

There’s nothing like winning a Mashable Open Web Award to bring in the Holiday season! This year it seems Santa’s got his eyes on Hubdub. Mashable nominated an Open Web Award in Social News for Hubdub and we’re steam rolling through the competition. Currently Hubdub is trading above a 65% chance of winning the award, and for a Hubdubber those are damn good odds.

Who will win Mashable’s Open Web Award for Social News?

Sport

The Heisman Trophy is due to be awarded this Saturday. Sam Bradford a QB for Oklahoma seems to be the favourite. Hubdub gives him an over 65% chance of winning. That said ESPN may have shown some weakness to Sam’s main rival Colt McCoy who’s trading at 14%.

NCAAF - Who will win this year’s Heisman Trophy?

This Weekends Box Office

Can some tell me why all the evil disasters that befall Earth seem to always be centred around New York City? First you had Godzilla who made the move from Japan to New York in 1998 and now we have The Day The Earth Stood Still. No fear though Keanu Reeves should be able to clear this whole mess up and get tons of money in the process. How much money? Hubdub forecasts 40 to 50 Million on opening weekend.

US Box Office: How Much Will The Day The Earth Stood Still Make in its Opening Weekend?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.  

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The election might be over, but for the politics geeks out there the fun is nowhere near done! Everyone seems to be talking about who’ll be in Obama’s cabinet, but if you’re looking for the real numbers breakdown based on the wisdom of the crowds, look no further. We’ve already correctly predicted Rahm Emanuel as Obama’s Chief of Staff!

Secretary of State: Initially many suspected John Kerry, in recent days though his stock dropped significantly (less than 20% chance now), even being overtaken by Bill Richardson at one point. Hubdub forecasts though that Obama won’t pick either Richardson or Kerry instead he’ll look for someone else, not currently known.

Who will be Obama’s Secretary of State?

Secretary of Defense: Along with others, Hubdubbers see Robert Gates, the current SecDef to be continuing his role after Bush leaves. Gate’s price is over 50% which is a good indicator, and his closest competitor is Chuck Hagel at just 16%.

Who will be President Obama’s Secretary of Defense?

Attorney General: Janet Napolitano is the front runner for Attorney General. Some rumors from the beltway even point to Napolitano being quite happy with the possibility.

Who will be President Obama’s Attorney General?

Energy Secretary: For all the Schwarzenegger fans out there I’m sorry to say, but it’s unlikely we’ll get Arnie in the cabinet to ‘terminate’ global warming. However I’ll admit it’d be awesome!

Will Arnold Schwarzenegger be President Obama’s Energy Secretary?

Treasury Secretary: Although suggestions of either Paulson staying on or Obama adviser, friend and billionaire Warren Bufftet taking Paulson’s place were intriguing, Hubdub is forecasting Federal Reserve Bank of New York President Timothy Geithner will take the spot.

Who will be the selection of a new Treasury secretary under President Obama?

Other Notable Picks According to Hubdub Markets:

• Al Gore is unlikely to be included in a formal role in the Obama administration.
• Gregory Craig has over a 50% chance of being Obama’s National Security Adviser.
• The new Obama cabinet will only have two or three Republicans in it
• Neither Colin Powell or Linda Darling-Hammond are likely candidates for Secretary of Education.

To get the most up to date forecasts on likely picks for Obama’s cabinet check out our new RSS Feeds here.

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Recently launched Perspctv collates polls, twitter, blog post and news mentions on the forthcoming election. Unfortunately, there is no prediction market data but the quality of the data visualization makes up for that.

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TechCrunch have just reported that polling widget maker, Slantly, has launched today. I’ve tried it out and the widgets are nice and clean. Let’s see how it compares with one of our top tech markets.

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I just received an email to say someone was following me on Twitter.

Will the kitten return? Will she overcome her feelings of low self-esteem or will she spiral down into a mess of self-loathing and negativity? Or, will she just go back to watching TV? I am hooked - this is better than a sitcom! Catch the next installment here.

UPDATE: Turns out midwyke is a friend of our’s mum! Sorry Chris’s mum. I am following you now. Don’t be so down on yourself and we *do* want to hear more about the kitten. Here is a LOLcat to cheer you up:

More at ICanHasCheeseBurger.

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By Diana (General Category Editor)

Every now and then a news story breaks that shakes one’s faith in the integrity of the human race. How a man could rape and imprison his own daughter for twenty-four years is beyond explanation; yet, how Josef Fritzl was able to keep his horrific secret unknown for over two decades is another mystery waiting to be probed. As the days progress, more horrific details surrounding Josef Fritzl’s diabolical double life are being released.

Within the confines of a heavily secured cellar, Fritzl managed to hold his daughter Elisabeth hostage since 1984, fathering seven children with her in his subterranean bunker while leading a conspicuously different life above ground in Amstetten. At this point in the investigation, it is believed that the 73-year-old Austrian exclusively held the cellar’s many keys and codes and neither his wife Rosemarie nor his other children knew of the family beneath their noses. According to Rosemarie Fritzl’s sister, Fritzl would often stay in the cellar all night and his wife was not even allowed to bring him coffee. During this twenty-four year enslavement of her daughter, how did Rosemarie Fritzl not suspect something bizarre was occurring in her house and why didn’t she question the “discovery” of three of Elisabeth’s children on her doorstep?

Perhaps she knew what her husband was capable of doing and that his sexual behaviour crossed the line of normalcy. Reported by Austrian builder, Paul Stocker, the elderly couple was spotted in swingers clubs near Amstetten in the late nineties. Stocker, shocked by the spectacle, watched in disbelief as Fritzl forced his wife into a corner in order to witness him advance upon a young woman. Further investigation may show that Rosemarie Fritzl was always forced into a corner; however it may be discovered that she knew of her daughter’s torture and failed to inform the authorities.

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By Diana

Upheaval and protest have followed the Olympic torch since it began its worldwide journey on April 1, 2008. Reports of violence, numerous arrests, and coverage of the torch being extinguished is widespread. Pro-Tibet and human rights protesters have confronted torchbearers and security guards alike and with many days to go until the August 8, 2008 opening ceremony, there appears to be little sign of the demonstration’s slowing worldwide.

London’s April 6, 2008 portion of the relay was met with heavy resistance when protesters, voicing against China’s position on Tibet and Darfur, attempted to grab the torch and hinder the procession. It was also reported that one protester tried to extinguish the torch’s flame with what appeared to be a fire extinguisher.

Crowds along the torch route shouted “Free Tibet!” and “China, talk to Dalai Lama!”, wielding posters displaying anti-Chinese foreign policy slogans. 37 people were arrested for assorted offenses.

The following day, the Olympic torch faced more disquiet in San Francisco have already begun to experience protest prior to the torch’s arrival, which occurred this morning.
Two days ago, a pair of extremely large banners reading “One World One Dream. Free Tibet” and “Free Tibet 08″ were on display after three activists climbed a suspension cable of the Golden Gate Bridge. Rumor of a larger high-tech insurgency planned in association with The San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition is said to unveil a “viral video,” or a video clip, designed to raise awareness about China’s ties to Sudan and the Darfur conflict just in time for Wednesday’s parade in the Bay Area. Tensions are high for this afternoon’s two-and-a-half-hour relay along the San Francisco waterfront.

With over a hundred days to go until the torch’s arrival in Beijing, the emblem for the Olympic spirit, now a highly politicized symbol of international disunity, is threatened at every turn. Security agents and local police forces will struggle against waves of demonstrators and protesters hoping to extinguish and confiscate the symbolic Olympic vestige are expected. Whether the torch shall remain in torchbearer hands today or if the entire torch relay will be abandoned, has yet to be determined.

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By Nigel (Chief News Junkie)

Get Satisfaction is an amazing service for solving problems and communicating with your users. However sometimes I think we have a different class of problem to other sites…

Will the USA suffer another terrorist attack on their homeland before the end of the 2008 election?

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By Diana (General Category Editor)

Thirty-nine years following the Tate and LaBianca murders, Charles Manson and his notorious “Family” are once again making headlines.
Having served decades behind bars for murder and conspiracy, convicted Manson Family killers are awaiting the exhumation of their past misdeeds—literally.

Shortly following her captivity, Susan Atkins, alias Sadie Mae Glutz, had boasted to a cellmate that the Manson Family was responsible for three unsolved murders. Rumors of murdered hitchhikers and drifters passed with time, yet not until recently had the ghost of Atkins’ jail cell confession prompt a team of investigators and forensic experts to return to Barker Ranch in Death Valley, California, the central setting for the Manson Family’s havoc. In search of unmarked graves, investigators including Sharon Tate’s sister, Debra Tate, seek to uncover the Manson Family’s additional victims in what appears to be a never-ending saga. Their efforts may unearth lost chapters in the grim Manson Family history, but the question remains whether the team will find what they are looking for.

Ordered to life in prison in accordance to California’s abolishment of the death penalty, Charles Manson and company have been denied parole countless times—Manson’s latest parole denial occurring May 23, 2007. Imprisoned Manson Family members are by no means on the verge of release. The results of the current Barker Ranch investigation will make little difference in their condemnation; however, for grieving family member such as Debra Tate, justice is putting the past to rest.

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