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25 Aug 2011 23:58

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Politics: New poll brings bad news for Republicans

  • -6 Obama’s net favorability, as of this month
  • -7 The Democratic Party’s favorability
  • -25 The Republican Party’s favorability source
  • » Why no love for the GOP? Over the last six months, everybody–Obama, Democrats, and Republicans–has seen a net drop in their approval ratings, but Republicans are clearly the most hated of the bunch. This is probably due to a combination of factors: Paul Ryan’s budget proposal, Scott Walker’s anti-union antics in Wisconsin, and the GOP’s handling of the debt ceiling debate were all high-profile issues that attracted (mostly) negative attention to the GOP. Whatever the cause, there’s one thing we can glean from these results: Democrats seem to be out-messaging Republicans in 2011. Whether or not this can carry Obama to reelection amidst a horrible economy remains to be seen.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Aug 2011 23:23

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World: Gaddafi as a wizard

  • He looked like a wizard recovering from an evening of drinking who had wandered into the picture by mistake.
  • The Washington Post’s Alexandra Petri • In a comedic psuedo-obituary to Muammar Gaddafi’s career. Petri also notes that Gaddafi often “looked like he’d shot a couch and was wearing it on his back as a trophy, after an intense struggle in which the couch nearly prevailed.” There’s more to the article than just ribbing the dictator’s physical appearance, of course, but those descriptors are just too rich to pass up. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Aug 2011 22:44

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U.S.: Rape victim forced to apologize to rapist

  • One nightmare after another: In 2008, a seventh grade special-ed student in Missouri told school administrators that she’d been raped by one of her classmates. Rather than fulfilling its legal obligation to report the incident to authorities, the school accused the girl of lying, made her write and hand-deliver an apology to her accused rapist, expelled her for the rest of the year, and referred her to juvenile authorities for filing a “false report.” When she returned to school in 2010, the same boy raped her again. School administrators once again brushed the girl aside, but a medical examination backed up her allegations, and the boy pled guilty in juvenile court. Now, the Republic School District, along with four specifically-named members of the administration, is being sued. There really are no words for something like this. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Aug 2011 16:03

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Politics: Passport revives talk on proper “Gaddafi” spelling

  • So, just how is it spelled? This is a topic that got rehashed as the rebellion in Libya broke out, because it’s one media agencies have dealt with for some time, and have drawn many different conclusions about — how do you spell the now-in-hiding Libyan dictator’s last name? We’ve seen, just from memory, Kaddafi, Gadhafi, Gaddafy, Gaddafi (how we typically spell it), Qaddafi, and Kadhaffy (that one almost looks too silly to use). The reality is, none of the spellings are truly correct or not, as they’re all translated from Arabic (and even his own website uses three different spellings), but this video shows what’s purported to be the diplomatic passport of one of his sons, Mohammed. The spelling on the passport? Gathafi. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Aug 2011 15:34

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Politics: Syrian protesters chant about Gaddafi’s fall, say Assad is next

  • Bye bye, Gaddafi, Bashar your turn is coming.
  • Chanting by anti-Assad Syrian protesters • A show of an often apparent aspect of the uprisings throughout the Arab world in 2011, but still one that bears further notice as protests in Syria continue to be met with deadly force by the government. Namely, the extent to which each uprising inspires and fuels the next — from Tunisia forward, to Egypt, Libya, the upheavals in Yemen and Bahrain, and Syria, protesters have at times been buoyed and given resolve by victories and protests in foreign lands. The ability of a movement to stay cohesive in the face of such violent force can demand a ton of bravery and human solidarity, so it’s a boon that those besieged by the government in Syria can take heart in the fall of another of the region’s longtime dictators. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Aug 2011 15:04

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Culture: Angela Merkel is Forbes’ most powerful woman in 2011

  • germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the top spot on the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in 2011. Merkel’s position as a leader in the EU has grown amidst the dire economic crises facing some other member states.
  • america The second-place spot was given to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, though she’s not the only politically minded American woman on the list — GOP candidate Michele Bachmann clocks in at #22, and Sarah Palin at #34. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Aug 2011 10:44

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Biz: Unemployment claims rise based on a single company’s labor issues

  • what Even though investors were expecting a drop in first-time jobless claims last week to roughly 400,000, they actually went up to 417,000 — up 5,000 from the prior week. Wait a second …
  • why Simple — Verizon workers went on strike, and 8,500 of them filed unemployment benefits (12,500 filed the week before). They’ve since gone back to work, so expect this to change next week. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

25 Aug 2011 10:31

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Biz: Warren Buffett invests a ton of cash in struggling Bank of America

  • $5 billion investment from Warren Buffett to Bank of America source
  • » Giving it to the needy: Our boy Warren Buffett, who recently took the U.S. government to task for not raising taxes on the rich, is giving a big cash infusion to a company that’s struggling build confidence in investors. It’s taken a hit on the stock market — its shares are down nearly 30 percent since the beginning of August and it just announced some huge job cuts — and it owns a couple of properties, Countrywide and Merrill Lynch, noted for their spectacular combustions during the financial crisis. Buffett’s deal is pretty sweet — a 6 percent annual dividend and a 5 percent premium if he buys back the stock — but he nonetheless sounds like he’s doing it out of respect for the company. “I am impressed with the profit-generating abilities of this franchise, and that they are acting aggressively to put their challenges behind them,” Buffett said in a statement. “Bank of America is focused on their customers and on serving them well. That’s what customers want, and that’s the company’s strategy.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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