There are going to be a lot of judgment calls here. There are not going to be silver bullets or perfect answers.
Barack Obama • Speaking about the oil spill in Louisiana today. What are his plans? A few things. First off, check this site for the latest info on the response to the spill, which combines everything from all the involved parties. Second, he’s tripling the size of the response crews in Louisiana. Third, he’s keeping pressure on BP to pay for damages caused by the spill. Fourth, he’s going to help small business with loans needed due to the spill along with loan deferments for those they needed during Katrina. Finally, and most importantly, he’s approving a barrier island that will help prevent some of the oil from reaching shore. Will it help? Fingers crossed. source
The company lost $13.1 billion in their last quarter, so now they’re hitting up the government for another $8.4 billion. Fannie’s too big to fail.
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There are limits to outside engagement, and there has to be an enormous amount of local buy-in for this work.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson • Regarding the off-in-the-distance assistance the country is giving the Somalian government in re-capturing Mogadishu, its capital, block by anarchy-ridden block. Why now? Simple. The U.S. is scared about the anarchic country’s increasing ties to Yemen and al-Qaeda. (Oh, and the pirates.) But they’re trying to help in a way that doesn’t bring back memories of the U.S.’ 1994 retreat from the country, which led to the anarchic state of affairs in the first place. “This is not an American offensive,” Carson said. “The U.S. military is not on the ground in Somalia. Full stop.” source
Press this key and your computer will blow up, Microsoft says. You gotta love the hilarious sense of humor that malware-makers have. People who use Internet Explorer in Windows XP should avoid pressing this key for the time being because a zero-day exploit can severely damage your computer if you use the help function. Well, that’s not very helpful! source