Highlights of this day in history: America normalizes diplomatic ties with Vietnam; Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton in a duel; Skylab makes a fiery return to Earth; Babe Ruth’s major league debut; Laurence Olivier dies. (July 11)
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Highlights of this day in history: America normalizes diplomatic ties with Vietnam; Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton in a duel; Skylab makes a fiery return to Earth; Babe Ruth’s major league debut; Laurence Olivier dies. (July 11)
Continue reading …Ask someone which American company they most loathe, and chances are they’ll struggle to pick just one: The Atlantic rounds up the “19 Most Hated Companies in America” based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Airlines, telecoms, and power companies make frequent appearances. Some of the worst offenders: Pepco (No….
Continue reading …Have you ever wondered what makes one pop song a hit and another a flop? The answer isn’t money, reports NPR’s All Things Considered, which calculated the cost of writing, producing, and marketing “Man Down,” a track from Rihanna’s latest CD, Loud . It’s currently bringing up the rear on iTunes…
Continue reading …Ever wondered how a pair of jeans, even great-looking ones, could possibly cost $300 or more? The Wall Street Journal has the answer—and in large part, it’s because the fancy pants were made in America, writes Christina Binkley. If a pair of $300 True Religion jeans had been made…
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The unemployment rate rose and the economy added far fewer jobs than anticipated in June, confirming fears that an economic slump has taken hold and further dashing hopes that a powerful recovery will be soon forthcoming. Only 18,000 jobs were added to the American economy in June — a blow to Wall Street expectations, which had estimated between 90,000 and 140,000 added jobs — and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly employment report. “Clearly it’s a disappointing number,” said Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at The Economic Outlook Group. “There are just too many factors that are really creating downward pressure on new job growth, among which is the simple fact that the U.S. economy has slowed markedly from late last year.” “Companies are focused — laser focused — on keeping their costs down,” Baumohl added. “And that means that they are not in a mood to hire unless there is a genuine reason to do so.” May’s employment numbers were also revised downward on Friday, suggesting that this is more than just one month’s bad numbers. The unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent in May and only 25,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy, cutting the 54,000 added jobs the Bureau’s June report had estimated in half. Labor experts say a bare minimum of 125,000 jobs must be added each month simply to keep up with population growth. Average hourly earnings for all private sector employees decreased in June by 1 cent to $22.99 and the average workweek decreased by .1 hour to 34.3. Meanwhile, more Americans gave up looking for work altogether, as the labor force participation rate fell to a 27-year low of 64.1 percent. As Capital Economics chief US Economist Paul Ashworth put it: “June’s US employment report doesn’t have a single redeeming feature. It’s awful from start to finish.” In recent weeks economists have been confronting with mixed economic signals. Some signs looked promising: The manufacturing sector picked up in June for the first time in four months, and fresh data showed a glimmer of hope for the housing market, with home prices in major cities rising for the first time in eight months. New claims for unemployment benefits declined, gas prices fell and auto makers cranked up production. Reuters declared the “dark clouds over the U.S. economy are starting to lift” in a report on U.S. private companies hiring double the expected number of workers in June But there have also been indications that a faster recovery will not soon materialize. While home prices are no longer in free fall, there is still a massive pipeline of foreclosed homes that are awaiting processing. Meanwhile, fears of a Greek default and a slowdown in Chinese growth spurred anxiety about the potential ripple effects on America’s still-fragile economy. Baumohl pointed to one looming factor which explains why, despite a handful of promising signs, companies still won’t hire. “Today companies are producing more goods and services than ever before,” he said. “The GDP now is bigger than it ever has been before. And the economy is able to do that with 7 million fewer workers. If we can do so much with so much less, where is the incentive to hire?”
Continue reading …Chuck Todd: Limbaugh Couldn’t Win GOP Nomination – Doubtful Palin Could Either
July 10, 2011 No Comment
David Gregory decided to have a very fair and balanced roundtable discussion at the conclusion of Sunday's “Meet the Press” exclusively with the perilously liberal Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson and the equally left-leaning Chuck Todd of NBC News. With the subject being Newsweek's new cover story about former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Todd mysteriously made the case for how slim her chances of winning the GOP presidential nomination were by claiming, “Rush Limbaugh is an incredibly influential figure in the Republican Party, and he could never win the Republican nomination” (video follows with transcript and commentary): DAVID GREGORY, HOST: Let me do one other political note because Sarah Palin is being heard from again–cover story in Newsweek. And I want to pullout the portion where she talks about her prospects, which is quite interesting. We'll get that together and put that up on the screen. Again, granting an interview to Newsweek. “I can win.” She says, “The people of America are desperate for positive change, and deserving of positive change … I'm not so egotistical as to believe that it has to be me, or it can only be me, to turn things around. But I to believe that I can win.” What is she up to here, Chuck? CHUCK TODD, NBC: I'm not going to pretend–we never–to try to crawl inside and see if she's going to do things predictably the way other presidential candidates do is a mistake. It feels like she is simply trying to go out on her own terms. You know, she didn't want the Tucson response that she made when she called blood libel and all those things after the Gabby Giffords shooting to be the most–the lasting impression of Sarah Palin 2011. She wanted to get out–she wanted–if she's not going to run, she wants to be able to have that be the message. “I could win, but I don't need it.” GREGORY: But she has this quality of wanting to very much stay on the margins, be a spoiler if that's, if that's the role. But it, it's just completely unconventional. EUGENE ROBINSON, WASHINGTON POST: It is completely unconventional. I'm not exactly sure, beyond the influence she has now as a, as a kind of gadfly, as a, as a political presence, I'm not sure how this path that she seems to be on gets her any more influence. I'm not sure where it gets her. She hasn't done any of the stuff that you'd–that you would need to do, traditional or nontraditional, to run for president. I don't think she's running. TODD: Look, Rush Limbaugh is an incredibly influential figure in the Republican Party, and he could never win the Republican nomination. ROBINSON: Mm-hmm. TODD: I think that's where Sarah Palin's coming. She's going to be an incredibly influential figure on a conservative movement in the Republican Party. That's what she wants. And I don't know if she'd get nominated. Look at her numbers among Republicans. She doesn't have the support among Republicans to win this nomination. To begin with, one has to wonder whether “Meet the Press” has decided to go MSNBC on its viewers. David Gregory, Eugene Robinson, and Chuck Todd a roundtable doth not make. This is the kind of “roundtable” one would expect on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” That said, it's quite a statement for Todd to claim Limbaugh could never win the Republican nomination for president. As one of the most popular and highly recognizable conservatives on the face of the planet, Limbaugh could be a powerful force in politics if he ever chose to run for office. If a totally unqualified junior senator from Illinois with absolutely no accomplishments in public or private life outside of academia can get elected president, Rush Limbaugh conceivably could win the Republican nomination. But whether or not that's the case, exactly what has Limbaugh to do with Palin who has successfully run for office achieving a governorship which is no small feat. Bringing Limbaugh into the equation seemed more of an opportunity to bash conservatives, which again was what one would expect from MSNBC. Sadly, this was in keeping with the entire tenor of Sunday's installment which began with a rather softball interview with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner who was largely allowed to echo White House talking points with little challenge. Particularly disturbing was the section about the debt ceiling when Gregory chose to not ask specific numbers despite being given a big opening to do so. The Secretary told his host that following August 2nd, the treasury will only have existing cash on hand and incoming revenues to pay the obligations of the federal government: TIMOTHY GEITHNER, SECRETARY OF TREASURY: And every week starting the week of August 2, we have to go out and finance roughly $100 billion in maturing obligations of the government. We make 80 million checks a month to Americans, 55 million people on Social Security benefits, millions more Americans on veterans benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, people who supply our troops in combat. Eighty million checks a month. So on August 2, we're left with the cash on hand and the cash we take in. And we have to convince people to come and refinance $500 billion in maturing principal payments that come due in August. With such an opening, a good interviewer would have asked exactly how much cash is on hand, what are the projected revenues for August as well as the debt obligations so that they can be met. As NewsBusters has been reporting for days, treasury is projecting $172 billion worth of revenues for the month along with likely no higher than $35 billion in interest payments. Since this is a key issue concerning the debt ceiling, why wouldn't Gregory have asked the man with the most information about these figures? Might that have let the cat out of the bag that this really isn't the crisis the White House has ginned up, and that there is indeed no chance America is going to default on its debt in the coming months? Having let Geithner nicely off the hook for having to answer any indelicate questions, Gregory instead chose to grill Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty like a suspect in a capital crime. If he would have been this aggressive with his previous guest, maybe America would have actually learned something about the looming debt ceiling beyond what the White House wishes. I guess that's not as important to Gregory as bashing conservatives.
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Decision to withhold $800m taken as relations become increasingly fraught following the killing of Osama bin Laden The Pakistan military declared it did not need US military aid as the White House confirmed that it would withhold some $800m (£498m) in assistance to the country’s armed forces. The row will worsen the already poisonous relationship between the two “allies”, which since the unilateral US raid to kill Osama bin Laden in May has lurched towards breakdown. Pakistan recently expelled US military trainers from the country, limited the ability of US diplomats and other officials to get visas, and restricted CIA operations on its territory. “The Pakistani relationship is difficult but it must be made to work over time. But until we get through these difficulties we will hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers have committed to give them,” William Daley, the White House chief-of-staff, told ABC News on Sunday. At stake is Pakistani co-operation against al-Qaida, the Taliban and other extremist groups, which the increasingly bitter relationship is putting at risk. Much of al-Qaida’s remaining leadership is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, while Pakistani territory is used as a safe haven by Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, fighting across the border in Afghanistan. The new US defence secretary, Leon Panetta, said over the weekend that he believed Bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was in Pakistan’s tribal area and “he’s one of those we would like to see the Pakistanis target”. Pakistan responded by asking for the US to share the intelligence on Zawahiri’s whereabouts. Nuclear-armed Pakistan is meanwhile fighting its home-grown extremists in the tribal area on the border with Afghanistan, where a new offensive was launched earlier this month. Major General Athar Abbas, the chief spokesman for the Pakistan military, said that the military had received no formal notification of any aid being cut. He also pointed out that the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, had already declared that cash reimbursements to the military, known as coalition support funds, should go instead to the civilian government, where there was more need. “We have conducted our [anti-extremist] military operations without external support or assistance,” said Abbas. “Reports coming out of the US are aimed at undermining the authority of our military organisations.” Critical stories about Pakistan are leaked on an almost daily basis to the American press, riling Pakistani public and official opinion against Washington. Many in Pakistan believe there is a concerted American effort to weaken Pakistan and its armed forces, which are some of the largest in the world. For Washington, Pakistan’s refusal to launch an offensive against the Haqqani network and suspicions that Bin Laden benefited from some kind of official support to live in Pakistan has corroded ties. There are also questions hanging over future civilian aid, which is meant to provide $1.5bn a year in economic help. Cyril Almeida, a columnist with Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, said the country was in danger of becoming internationally isolated, while US policy towards Pakistan was muddled. “The US can’t decide they if they want to stay in this relationship or cut Pakistan off,” he said. “These leaks and pressure tactics just confirm to the army generals the view that America is no friend of Pakistan and it wishes Pakistan harm.” Since 2001, the US has provided $21bn in civilian and military assistance, including $4.5bn in the 2010-2011 financial year, as aid was increased under the Obama administration. Two proposed bills in Congress over the last week, which were voted down, would have cut off aid to Pakistan altogether. Pakistan’s economy is spiralling downwards, with electricity shortages shutting down industry, and rising food and fuel prices causing protests on the streets. Karachi, the country’s economic powerhouse, is often shut down by ethnic gang violence, which has claimed more than 100 lives in the current spate of bloodshed. Pakistan United States US military US foreign policy al-Qaida Global terrorism Taliban Saeed Shah guardian.co.uk
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As you've watched and read media reports concerning the debt ceiling, have you gotten the feeling the press have given Republicans a pass for standing strong in their pledge to not raise taxes? CNN's Howard Kurtz thinks they have, and said so quite often on Sunday's “Reliable Sources” (video follows with transcript and commentary): HOWARD KURTZ: Katrina vanden Heuvel, here’s David Brooks saying, “Republicans are not a normal Party.” Have most in the media been unwilling to point a finger and say the Republicans are largely responsible for blocking any deal here? That's some question to ask the editor and publisher of The Nation, America's most left-leaning major magazine. Of course, there's no need to bother sharing her answer. Care to guess what it was? Next, Kurtz pushed this line of thinking further with Newt Gingrich's former press secretary Tony Blankley: KURTZ: Tony Blankley, I’m not taking sides here. The Republicans have their standing on principle, but journalists could easily write that by saying we’ll negotiate anything except tax increases, which is of course half of the debate, Republicans are blocking progress toward a deal. Does Kurtz actually think they haven't been doing that? It was CNN contributor Donna Brazile's entire point on Sunday's “This Week.” The Associated Press made a similar case in its piece about the stalled negotiations Saturday evening, as did Mike Barnicle on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” Friday, the New York Times editorial board Friday , the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson Thursday , and NBC's David Gregory Thursday . For the past several weeks, virtually every media outlet has been incessantly blaming the lack of a deal on the Republicans and demanding they give in to tax hikes. Exactly what world has Kurtz been living in that he's missed this? Quite cluelessly, he continued pressing this absurd position with his guests: KURTZ: But on that point, Katrina, the Democrats have their own sacred cows. Medicare is one of them. It’s a great issue for the Democratic Party. But, President Obama has put nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts on the table saying the Republicans should now give something on revenue. But, again, I don’t see the press, I think the press is so worried about appearing to take sides that they don’t want to say, “Well, the Democrats took another step here, and Republicans, and look Boehner is under a lot of pressure from his caucus, are still digging in.” “The press is so worried about appearing to take sides?” Not that that's what they're doing, but isn't it supposed to be? Kurtz – who claims to be a media analyst – is now complaining that the press are worried about taking sides. Look at the chyron that was at the bottom of the screen during most of this segment: GIVING REPUBLICANS A PASS? Media neutral on debt crisis Horrors! The media were neutral on a subject rather than taking sides! I guess that should have given his viewers all they needed to know about which side he was on concerning raising taxes. Maybe he was trying in one segment to compensate for this supposed “neutrality,” which is a heck of a position for a media analyst. Better for Kurtz to stop watching the press for a week and study the Historical Budgets of the United States in order to get a rudimentary understanding of why America is at this juncture. Since the Democrats took over Congress in 2007, spending has risen by $1.1 trillion or 41 percent. If we spent this year what we did in fiscal 2007, we'd only have a $160 billion deficit, which just so happens to be what the deficit was in the last budget created by Republicans and signed by George W. Bush. Even if spending had increased at the rate of inflation since 2007, today's deficit would only be $370 billion and we wouldn't be anywhere near the debt ceiling. As such, this matter isn't about tax receipts, tax rates, or tax loopholes. We've gotten ourselves into this crisis with reckless spending, and the only solution is to reduce it. Maybe if Kurtz was better informed about our historical budgets, he would be complaining that the media are devoting way too much time pushing for tax hikes and not enough time demanding more spending cuts. A conservative can dream, can't he?
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Noam and Tom are 10-month-old lions enjoying their stay at South Africa’s Lion Park. The Gauteng province wildlife conservatory houses over 80 lions, as well as wild dogs, hyenas and other rehabilitating animals. YouTuber theDivan60 spent 8 amazing months volunteering at the park and has been buddies with Noam and Tom since they were 3 months old, creating an incredible bond between man and (really big) cat. You see, volunteering at Lion Park is not your typical experience. Visitors who opt to stay get to take part in hand-rearing the orphan cubs, getting months of hands-on cat time. And because of that bond, they’re able to do things the rest of us can only dream of, like rolling around in the dirt of an animal sanctuary with lions, hugging them and getting big wet cat kisses at will. In that way these big babies are domesticated, like your friendly neighborhood house cat, so kids, we wouldn’t advise heading to the local zoo and trying this at home. WATCH:
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