Month: December 2010 Page 1 of 5

Here is your R&D for December 28th:

US public schools are going broke, yet some spend like a kid in a candy store from the Christian Science Monitor
In this opinion piece, Walt Gardner, a former teacher in Los Angeles, discusses how school districts are not budgeting properly in these tough economic times and are squandering the confidence of taxpayers.

Non-US banks gain from Fed crisis fund from the Financial Times
Revelations that more than half of the Federal Reserve’s aid to the banking industry went to non-U.S. banks has angered Americans and will likely bolster critics of the Fed on Capitol Hill.

Opposition to the Euro Grows in Germany from Der Spiegel
Germans are worried about the euro and fear that Europe’s financial crisis may cause the country to give away its financial sovereignty to the European Union.  All of this is a major problem for German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she seeks to shore up support for the common currency.

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Here is your R&D for December 24th:

Who Are The Anarchists Behind the Rome Embassy Bombs? from Time
Italian anarchists claimed responsibility for two letter bombings yesterday in Rome.  The Chilean and Swiss embassies experienced the attacks.

Assessing Obama’s Foreign Policy at Midterm from the Council on Foreign Relations
In this interview, James M. Lindsay, Senior Vice President of the Council on Foreign Relations assesses President Obama’s foreign policy two years into his administration.  Issues that are discussed include Afghanistan, China, Russia, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Russian parliament tentatively approves arms pact from the Associated Press
Although the U.S. Senate has ratified the new START accord with Russia, the Russian Duma has delayed a final vote on the treaty until next month.  The first reading of the accord passed 350-58.

Oil Consumers Wary as Some OPEC Members Target $100 Before Cairo Meeting from Bloomberg
Ahead of OPEC’s next meeting in Cairo, some OPEC members are eyeing a $100/barrel price for oil.  Saudi Arabia holds that $70 to $80 is a good price, but experts say $100 is on its way because of increasing global demand.

Americans See U.S. as Exceptional; 37% Doubt Obama Does from Gallup
According to this Gallup poll, a majority of Americans hold that America is an exceptional country, but over one-third of those surveyed do not believe that President Obama shares this view.

Here is your R&D for December 23rd:

EPA to double down on climate from Politico
With Congress unlikely to pass a cap and trade bill, the Environmental Protection Agency is set to roll out greenhouse gas regulations next year.  The move could set off a firestorm on Capitol Hill, as Republicans and some Democrats oppose the EPA regulating without Congressional approval.

New Gaza war ‘a question of when, not if’ from the BBC
A senior Israeli military official has told the BBC that if Hamas continues to hold onto the Gaza Strip there will be another war in the region.  Experts are concerned about increased rocket fire that is coming from Gaza over the past week.

Greece Passes 2011 Austerity Budget In Post-Midnight Vote from the Wall Street Journal
Greece’s push for austerity continued today as it passed a 2011 budget that aims to reduce the nation’s deficit from 9.4% to 7.4% of GDP.

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Here is your R&D for December 21st:

Beyond ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’: How is military planning to make it work? from the Christian Science Monitor
Now that Congress has repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell”, how is the military planning on putting the repeal into action?  This article from the Christian Science Monitor provides some answers.

U.S. Sanctions Ivory Coast Leader from the Wall Street Journal
The United States has imposed a travel ban on Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, members of his family, and other members of his government after Gbagbo refused to concede the Ivory Coast’s recent presidential election.  The Ivory Coast has been plagued by violence over the election outcome.

Congress poised to pass ambitious food-safety bill from the Los Angeles Times
Congress is expected to pass a new safety bill aimed at giving the FDA more power over preventing tainted food from entering the U.S. supply chain.  Experts say this is one of the biggest food safety updates since 1938.

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Here is your R&D for December 20th:

The FCC’s Threat to Internet Freedom from the Wall Street Journal
In this op-ed piece, the Wall Street Journal describes the FCC’s push for net neutrality and why it is will hamper innovation and investment in Internet related ventures.

China warns of escalating arms race in Asia from the UK Telegraph
China has warned that an arms race is emerging in Asia because of Japan’s move to build a missile defense shield to protect it from North Korea.

Lukashenka uncovered from the Economist
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belarus’s sitting president, was re-elected in a flawed vote over the weekend.  This article gives you a summary of the flawed vote and how Lukashenka managed to retain power.

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Here is your R&D for December 17th:

Mexico Drug War Death Toll Climbs to 30,196 Since 2006, Government Says from Bloomberg
Mexican Attorney General Arturo Chavez has announced that over 30,000 Mexicans have died from drug related violence since President Felipe Calderon was elected four years ago.  This year’s death toll is the highest since Calderon took office.

Bailout Deal Fails to Quell EU Rifts from the Wall Street Journal
Although European leaders have endorsed plans for a rescue fund for euro-zone members, they have not yet resolved disagreements about whether a stronger fiscal union should be created to stop future crises.

Drug used in Okla. execution could gain wider use from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Death penalty experts believe that Oklahoma’s use of a sedative used to euthanize animals could become popular after a nation wide shortage of sodium thiopental, which is usde to put inmates to sleep.

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