Month: December 2010 Page 3 of 5

Here is your R&D for December 13th:

Ten years after Bush v. Gore, the fight goes on from the Christian Science Monitor
Ten years ago, the Supreme Court settled the 2000 presidential election and enabled Texas Goveror George W. Bush to defeat Vice-President Al Gore.  The election stirs up controversy to this day and is arguably one of the most important elections in American history.

Pelosi Walks Tax-Deal Tightrope from the Wall Street Journal
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is in a tough political position.  She has to let the Democratic caucus voice their displeasure at President Obama’s tax deal with Republicans, but cannot block the bill because it would harm the President’s agenda.

A surprising success from the Economist
According to the Economist, the Cancun climate summit was a success because the agreed upon documents call for new funds for climate finance and reducing deforestation and forest degradation.

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Here is your R&D for December 10th:

No cigar from the Economist
Why did President Obama’s deficit commission fail?  According to the Economist, the answer lies in an absence of political will.

Major setback for ‘don’t ask’ repeal from the Washington Post
The repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” was stymied in the Senate yesterday after a defense bill fell three votes short of the sixty needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.  The move has infuriated gay rights groups.

Bloomberg’s Non-Campaign for President from NBC New York
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a speech earlier this week where he called for bipartisanship and denounced national political figures.  Analysts believe that he may be pondering a 2012 presidential run, but could Bloomberg really win a general election?

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Here is your R&D for December 9th:

Scenarios: Fallout of success or failure at Cancun talks from Reuters
Reuters is back with some new scenarios today concerning the recent climate talks at Cancun.  What will happen if they succeed?  What will happen if they fail?

House sends DREAM Act to Senate from Politico
Yesterday, the House passed the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants.  However, Republicans are likely to filibuster the effort in the Senate.

Western Nations React to Poor Education Results from the New York Times
After an international survey revealed that Shanghai ahas the world’s best educated teenagers, Western nations are starting to question their education systems.

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Here is your R&D for December 8th:

Obama charts his own course from the Washington Post
President Obama’s decision to compromise with Republicans on the Bush tax cuts has earned him a tongue lashing from liberal activists, but he has defended the decision by saying it prevents taxes from going up on Americans making less than $250,000 a year.

Colleges See 16% Increase in Study of Sign Language from the New York Times
America’s colleges are seeing an increase in the number of students who want to study foreign languages.  The numbers are fueled by an interest in Arabic, Koran, Chinese, and American Sign Language.

Scenarios: Possible outcomes in Ivory Coast’s power struggle from Reuters
In this piece, Reuters describes the political situation in the Ivory Coast and lays out how the country’s political crisis may go.  A great article for extempers in approaching this subject.

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