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One Nation’ Rally Exposes Coalition of Far-Left Organizations

Posted on September 28, 2010 at 6:29pm by Meredith Jessup
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Watch the latest video at <a href="http://video.foxnews.com">video.foxnews.com</a>

According to the One Nation Working Together site, “more than 400 organizations, representing tens of thousands of individuals who have endorsed the One Nation Working Together campaign” have signed on as partners for the Oct. 2 rally in Washington, D.C.

This movement includes human and civil rights organizations, unions and trade associations, nonprofit organizations, youth and student groups, religious and other faith groups, educational, peace, environmental, and ethnic associations, and any other groups and individuals who are committed to pulling our country back together now.

President Barack Obama’s own Organizing for America has praised the effort, calling it the “biggest progressive demonstration in decades.” The list of organizations offering their official endorsements for Saturday’s “One Nation” rally reads like a who’s who of the far-left in America, including some usual suspects:

AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers
Center for Community Change
Green for All
NAACP
National Council of La Raza
Rainbow PUSH Coalition
SEIU: Service Employees International Union
Sojourners
UAW, International Union
AFSCME
Alliance for Democracy
Campaign for America’s Future
Campaign for Peace and Democracy
Campus Progress
Chicago Democratic Socialists of America
Code Pink
Color of Change.org
Communist Party USA (CPUSA)
Democratic Socialists of America
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gray Panthers
Human Rights Campaign
International Socialist Organization
National Education Association
National Urban League
Planned Parenthood
United Steel Workers
Working Families Party
Ya Ya Network
For the complete published list of organizations, click here.
Also check out this clip from Glenn’s radio show this morning dealing with 8/28 counter rally sponsors (transcript):

Obama Endorses Jon Stewart‘s ’Restore Sanity’ Rally

Posted on September 29, 2010 at 10:18pm by Meredith Jessup
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RICHMOND, Va. — “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart has won some high-level backing for his “Rally to Restore Sanity” next month in Washington: President Barack Obama.

Stewart says the Oct. 30 rally is for people who think the loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones that get heard.
Obama raised the subject of the rally during a round-table Wednesday with residents of Richmond, Va.
Obama said he was “amused” by Stewart‘s rally and that it’s for people who expect some common sense and courtesy in their daily interactions.
The president said that having those voices lifted up is, as he put it, “really important.”

Geithner: More Stimulus Needed...

Economy still needs reinforcement: Geithner

5:04pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday that the economy still needs reinforcement from Washington.
"We think there's still a very strong case for more work by Washington ... It's important to find a way to put some additional incentives in place for business investment and to start a substantial, multi-year program of investment in infrastructure," he said at a conference. "We're still at a time where the economy needs some reinforcement."
(Reporting by Kevin Drawbaugh; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Health reform to worsen doctor shortage: group

6:04pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. healthcare reform law will worsen a shortage of physicians as millions of newly insured patients seek care, the Association of American Medical Colleges said on Thursday.
The group's Center for Workforce Studies released new estimates that showed shortages would be 50 percent worse in 2015 than forecast.
"While previous projections showed a baseline shortage of 39,600 doctors in 2015, current estimates bring that number closer to 63,000, with a worsening of shortages through 2025," the group said in a statement.
"The United States already was struggling with a critical physician shortage and the problem will only be exacerbated as 32 million Americans acquire health care coverage, and an additional 36 million people enter Medicare."
Medicare is the federal health insurance plan for people over the age of 65, and census projections show that group growing as the giant baby boomer generation born from 1946 to 1964 hits retirement age.
The U.S. healthcare reform plan signed into law by President Barack Obama in March is designed to provide insurance to 32 million Americans who now lack it.
The AAMC projected a shortage of 33,100 physicians in specialties such as cardiology, oncology and emergency medicine in 2015.
It calls for Congress to increase funding to train new doctors. "The number of medical school students continues to increase, adding 7,000 graduates every year over the next decade," the AAMC said.
It said at least 15 percent more were needed.
Other groups, such as the nonprofit Rand Corporation and the Institute of Medicine, have also projected various physician shortages.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)

Barney Frank on mid-term race: Right wing media targeted me

Kerry Picket

Published on September 29, 2010

Updated 9/30/10
Despite reports from local Massachusetts media, Rep. Barney Frank, Massachusetts Democrat, remains confident he will win his re-election in November against his Republican opponent Sean Bielat. Former President Bill Clinton appeared with Mr. Frank recently at a political rally in Taunton last week, and Mr. Bielat claimed, according to reports, that Mr. Clinton was brought in to help buoy Mr. Frank.
"The notion that it’s a sign of panic is just silly. That’s just politics when they don’t have anything else better to say. It’s a tougher race, because once I became chairman of the [banking] committee in 2007, the right-wing media talk show hosts decided to target me," said Rep. Frank, when I asked him about his race during Wednesday votes on Capitol Hill. "They were frankly worried about what we would do, and I also have people who were angry about the financial reform bill."
AUDIO
While House Democrats at large are experiencing a tough re-election cycle, the Massachusetts Democrat who heads up the House Banking Committee believes the factors affecting his race come down to how he is being portrayed in the media.
"I’ve had Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck basically say things about me that weren’t true and if people say things that aren’t true over time and you don’t respond, then it has an impact, so I’m responding."
Mr. Frank's GOP opponent recently released an internal poll showing support for the Congressman is below 50 percent and Mr. Frank ahead by only ten points.
"That’s his poll...ten points. Our polls show me further ahead than that, and I’m very skeptical of that poll of his--also there are two independents in the race," said Rep. Frank. "To the extent that people are unhappy, people are unhappy with both Democrats and Republicans." Mr. Frank pointed out that the Bielat poll did not take into account the independents either.
AUDIO
In the end, Rep. Frank believes that his district will support him over Mr. Bielat, because of where both of them stand on fiscal policies, including the minimum wage and financial regulatory reform. Mr. Frank noted Mr. Bielat's criticism of Senator Scott Brown, Massachusetts Republican, for supporting the financial regulation reform bill.
AUDIO

Wal-Mart's Prices Rise to Highest in Almost Two Years

By Matthew Boyle - Sep 30, 2010 4:08 PM ET Thu Sep 30 20:08:43 GMT 2010

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s prices rose in September to the highest level in at least 21 months, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co., as the world’s largest retailer scaled back discounts from earlier this year.
The cost of a 31-item basket of goods at a Wal-Mart in Virginia was $95.75, a 2.7 percent increase from August and a 5 percent gain from the start of 2010, analyst Charles Grom said today in a report. The price is the most since the New York- based analyst began the survey in January 2009.
Prices for produce climbed as Wal-Mart offered almost no discounts on food last month, Grom said. Price cuts on items such as cereal and ketchup failed to attract as many consumers as Wal-Mart anticipated, dragging down sales in the latest quarter, U.S. stores chief William Simon said last month.
Produce accounted for 7 of the 31 items in the basket, with prices 10 percent higher in September than the previous month. Prices for dairy products rose 2 percent, and meat was unchanged.
Wal-Mart rose 17 cents to $53.52 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares are little changed this year.
Wal-Mart’s prices came in below a similar basket of goods bought at stores operated by Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc. The gap between Wal-Mart and the traditional grocers narrowed in September, the report showed.
To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Boyle in New York at Mboyle20@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net.

Back from the dead: One third of 'extinct' animals turn up again

By David Derbyshire Environment Editor
Last updated at 9:10 AM on 29th September 2010

An okapi: Tracks were seen by researchers five years ago for the first time since 1959

Conservationists are overestimating the number of species that have been driven to extinction, scientists have said.
A study has found that a third of all mammal species declared extinct in the past few centuries have turned up alive and well.
Some of the more reclusive creatures managed to hide from sight for 80 years only to reappear within four years of being officially named extinct in the wild.
The shy okapi – which resembles a cross between a zebra and a giraffe – was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1901.
After increasingly rarer sightings, it vanished from the wildlife radar for decades from 1959, prompting fears that it had died out.
But five years ago researchers working for the WWF found okapi tracks in the wild.
Other mammals ‘back from the dead’ include the rat-like Cuban solenodon, the Christmas Island shrew, the Vanikoro Flying Fox of the Solomon Islands, the Australian central rock rat and the Talaud Flying Fox of Indonesia.
The revelations come as the world’s leading conservationists prepare for a major United Nations summit on biodiversity in Nagoya, Japan, next month.

Thousands show up in LA for free mortgage help

By JACOB ADELMAN (AP) – 1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES — Armed with folding chairs, coolers and jugs of water, thousands of people who want to avoid losing their homes lined up around the Los Angeles Convention Center on Thursday seeking help with mortgages they can no longer afford.
The nonprofit Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, which is offering homeowners the chance to restructure their loans at lower rates, said about 5,000 people were in line when the doors opened at 8:30 a.m.
Thousands more were expected over the next five days, during which counselors will be helping people at risk of foreclosure around the clock.
Bruce Marks, chief executive of NACA, said at similar events around the country, one-third of the applicants have reduced their mortgage rates on the spot.
About 80 percent have reduced their payments within 30 days, Marks said. The reductions typically come through agreements NACA has with lenders to reduce interest, cut the amount owed, and in some cases extend the life of the loans.
Among those waiting in line was Irene Ybanez, 44, a secretary who was looking for help with mortgage payments on a loan that she refinanced in 2007 after her husband lost his job in the real estate business. They refinanced their La Puente home so they'd have money for him to start an architecture business in his native Philippines, but the business failed and now the couple is unable to pay their mortgage.
Ybanez said she had come close to agreeing to a modification deal with her lender, Citibank, but her loan was sold to a third party and the arrangement was canceled.
"It's horrible. It's disgusting, really. It's not that you're begging for anything. You're just trying to make your home payments," she said, choking back tears.
Michael Mendez, 56, a carpenter from El Monte, was coming back to the foreclosure event for the second time in as many years.
After last year's event, he was put in a trial modification that brought his mortgage rate down to 2 percent, which he could afford to pay. But the trial period, which was supposed to last a few months, has never ended and he's looking for a permanent rate that he can afford.
As part of the trial, Mendez is constantly badgered every month for pay stubs and other documentation.
He said he worries he may not end up with a monthly payment he can afford.
"It's stressful, very stressful. You can get physically ill just thinking about that everyday, that you could be out on the street," Mendez said.

Tea Party Coloring Book Prompts Death Threats

Posted on September 30, 2010 at 5:19pm by Meredith Jessup
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A Missouri man is reportedly receiving threatening messages after his company, Really Big Coloring Books, published “The Tea Party Coloring Book for Kids.”
Wayne Bell of Clayton, Mo., says he‘s receiving harsh messages from people apparently angry over his company’s latest work, a coloring book which tells the story of today’s tea party movement with passages like “When taxes are too high, the high tax takes away jobs and freedom.”
“Nobody said ‘Wayne Bell, I’m coming for you and I’m going to do this to you’,” Bell told local CBS affiliate KMOX. “But when people say to me (online) ‘We’re going to give you a chloroform headlock’, or they say ‘Let’s try the inner-city ice cream truck method on this guy’…I mean, we’re reading this in the blogosphere.
“I don’t even know what the ‘inner-city ice cream truck’ thing means.”
“We’re not really making a political statement,” Bell said, adding that his company also publishes coloring books on the Rockettes, Cirque du Soleil and President Obama.
As a result, Bell has been forced to keep his store’s doors locked with a “Please Knock” sign.
“We have talked with our legal department, and they said ‘Hey, what can you do? You’re in the publishing business, you made a book that’s political, get over it!’,” Bell said.
On the bright side, Bell says it’s quickly become his store’s all-time best-seller.

Gallup Poll: Romney, Palin Early GOP Front Runners

Posted on September 30, 2010 at 2:46pm by Jonathon M. Seidl
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A new Gallup poll on Thursday found that Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin are the early favorites for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
According to the poll, 19 percent would support Romney in a primary, followed by 16 percent who would support former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee garned 12 percent of the votes.
But those weren’t the only names mentioned. According to the poll, “in addition to the 12 named candidates, 1% of respondents volunteered the name of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.”

However, an MSNBC/WSJ poll reveals that Romney is starting out in a weaker position than similar front runners in years past:

But if Romney is the front-runner, he’s starting out at a much weaker position than Bob Dole or John McCain ever did at this point in the ’96 and ’08 cycles. According to our latest NBC/WSJ poll, Romney’s national fav/unfav is upside down at 21%-30%, compared with Dole’s net-positive 38%-25% in Sept. ’94 and McCain’s 40%-16% in June ’06. Intensity is a problem, too, for Romney. Just 6% view him VERY positively, versus 14% for Dole in ’94 and 11% for McCain in ’06.

That poll also shows that Republicans have a less favorable view of Romney than they did of Dole or McCain at this point:

His fav/unfav among GOPers and conservatives is, respectively, 38%-17% and 30%-19%. For Dole in ’94, it was 65%-9% and 58%-14%. And for McCain in ’06, it was 47%-16% and 40%-17%.

White House White Board: CEA Chair Austan Goolsbee Explains the Tax Cut ...

White House White Board: CEA Chair Austan Goolsbee Explains the Tax Cut Fight

Obama breaks out the chalkboard

Posted on September 30, 2010 at 2:57pm by Dan Andros
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Imitation is the best form of flattery, and apparently Barack Obama is watching Fox News at 5pm and taking notes because he’s breaking out a chalkboard of his very own.

Well, he’s actually calling it the ‘White House White Board‘ and it’s his new economic guru Austan Goolsbee trying to do his best Glenn Beck impersonation.
The only thing sillier than Obama’s chalkboard theft is the point Goolsbee is trying to make about tax cuts. He spells out the ‘problem’ which is that people who make $1 million dollars or more have a bigger circle than the people making $10k a year (there’s a crazy, wacky concept, eh?). But Obama sees this as a problem, and every problem needs a solution. His? Even out the circles! It’s so simple, so brilliant, so… ah, lets just call it what it is: Marxist!
By the way – notice that when the giant red circle is cut down to size – none of the other circles get bigger. If the rich get poorer and the poor don’t get richer – where’s that leave us? In John Holdren ‘de-developed’ heaven, I guess.

Editor’s Note: Read Stu‘s thoughts on the administration’s new visual display here.

Democrats find many big donors cutting support

Democrats find many big
donors cutting support
By Michael Luo and Jeff Zeleny New York Times
Posted: 09/29/2010 07:11:00 PM PDT
Updated: 09/29/2010 09:39:12 PM PDT

Many wealthy Democratic patrons, who in the past
have played major roles financing outside groups to
help elect the party's candidates, are sitting out
these crucial midterm elections.
Democratic donors like George Soros and fellow
billionaire Peter Lewis, who each gave more than
$20 million to Democratic-oriented groups in the
2004 election, appear to be holding back.
"Mr. Soros believes that he can be most effective by
funding groups that promote progressive policy
outcomes in areas such as health care, the
environment and foreign policy," said an adviser,
Michael Vachon. "So he has opted to fund those
activities."
The absence of these Democratic megadonors is
contributing to a huge disparity in spending
between pro-Republican and pro-Democratic
groups. The groups wield huge influence in many
House and Senate races because they can take in
contributions of unlimited size.
In the past week, Republican-leaning groups
outspent their Democratic counterparts on TV by
more than 7-1 on Senate races and nearly 4-1 on
House races across the country, according to data
from the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising. The gap shows few
signs of abating, even with the midterm election
season in full swing.
The donors' reluctance stems from a variety of
factors, including pessimism about the party's
prospects in November but also President Barack
Obama's strong condemnations of this kind of
independent
activity, both during the 2008 campaign and after
he was elected.
Vachon said Soros, who was also a big donor in
2006 and to a lesser extent in 2008, had been more
focused on pushing to get the policy outcomes he
wants. He gave $5 million each last year to
organizations advocating for the health care
overhaul and the climate change bill, Vachon said.
He also contributed $1.25 million this year to
America Votes, an umbrella organization for a
variety of liberal-leaning groups, which focuses on
the voter mobilization that Soros has supported.

Rupert Murdoch Calls for Amnesty for 'Law-Abiding' Illegal Immigrants

Published on CNSnews.com (http://cnsnews.com)

Rupert Murdoch Calls for Amnesty for 'Law-Abiding' Illegal Immigrants

Thursday, September 30, 2010
By Edwin Mora

[1]

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation USA. (AP File Photo/Virginia Mayo)

(CNSNews.com)--News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch said he supports amnesty for “law abiding” illegal immigrants because as legal residents they can help the nation’s economy by adding to “our tax base.” He also said he supports securing the border to prevent more illegal immigrants from entering the United States.
At a hearing on Thursday before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Murdoch testified [2], “I joined Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg in organizing the Partnership for a New American Economy because I believe that all Americans should have a vital interest in fixing our broken immigration system so we can continue to compete in the 21st century global economy.”
“While supporting complete and proper closure of all our borders to future illegal immigrants, our partnership advocates reform that gives a path to citizenship for responsible, law-abiding immigrants who are in the U.S. today without proper authority,” said Murdoch, who was born in Australia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The News Corp. CEO, whose company owns the Fox News Channel, further said it is fiscally unfeasible to deport the illegal immigrants who are already in the United States, which he estimated as totaling about 12 million people.
“It is nonsense to talk of expelling 12 million people,” testified Murdoch. “Not only is it impractical, it is cost prohibitive.”
Murdoch cited a study that gauged “the price of mass deportation at $285 billion over five years,” which amounts to $57 billion per year, adding that “there are better ways to spend our money.”
“A full path to legalization--requiring unauthorized immigrants to register, undergo a security check, pay taxes and learn English--would bring these immigrants out of a shadow economy and add to our tax base,” said Murdoch.
He continued, “According to one study, a path to legalization would contribute an estimated $1.5 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product over 10 years.”
Murdoch did not cite the source for the studies he cited during his testimony.
Regarding border security, Murdoch said “we need to do more” than spend money on resources to secure our borders.
“We can and should add more people, technology and resources to ensure that we have control over who comes into this country,” said Murdoch, “but I worry that spending alone will not stop the flow of illegal immigrants.”
He said that while the United States has increased border security funding every year since 1992, “the estimated population of illegal immigrants has more than tripled.”
“That number only started to decline when our country hit a recession and there were fewer jobs,” said Murdoch. “So, our border security must also be matched with efforts to make sure employers can’t hire illegal immigrants.”
Both Murdoch and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg testified about the role of immigration in strengthening America’s economy.
“Our system of immigration, I think it fair to say, is broken,” Bloomberg told the subcommittee. “I think it’s undermining our economy, it is slowing our recovery, and it really is hurting millions of Americans. And we just have to fix it.”
“Creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants will strengthen our economy,” said Bloomberg.
Bloomberg also said that his and Murdoch’s experience with the issue stems from having hired thousands of people over the years.
In contrast to Murdoch's and Bloomberg's testimony, Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, told the subcommittee that the economic losses caused by illegal immigrants outweighed the benefits.
He pointed out that the National Academy of Sciences has examined the fiscal impact of immigration.
“They found that the fiscal impact was enough to eat up the entire economic gain,” said Camarota. “So if you put the economic gain with the fiscal impact, you get no benefits at all, it would seem.”
Camarota also testified that illegal immigrants take jobs from Americans while also lowering wages. He said that the wage loss is 12 times bigger than the benefits.

Source URL: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/76043

Links:
[1] http://cnsnews.com/image/59107
[2] http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Murdoch100930.pdf

Ecuador declares emergency as police protest, president is attacked

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Ecuador declares emergency as police protest, president is attacked

By Arthur Brice, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The government declares a state of emergency
The president was led away in a gas mask after police lobbed tear gas at him
"This is treason to the country," says President Rafael Correa
Protesting police say the government canceled bonuses and promotions

RELATED TOPICS

Ecuador

(CNN) -- Ecuador teetered on the verge of a government collapse Thursday, as national police took to the streets of Quito, the capital, and physically attacked the president over what police say was the cancellation of bonuses and promotions.
The government declared a one-week state of emergency Thursday afternoon and put the military in charge of security. The military said it will support the president and the nation's democratic institutions.
"This is a coup attempt," President Rafael Correa said in a TV interview a couple of hours after police lobbed tear gas at him.
Correa, who was forced to flee to a nearby hospital, said police were trying to get at him.
"They're trying to get into my room, maybe to attack me. I don't know," he said in a telephone interview with state-run Ecuador TV. "But, forget it. I won't relent. If something happens to me, remember my infinite love for my country, and to my family I say that I will love them anywhere I end up."
A video by CNN affiliate Ecuavisa later showed a defiant Correa standing at an upper floor window, shouting to a crowd of supporters, "If they want me, here I am," and then rapidly ripping his necktie loose
A broadcast by Ecuador TV showed mobs on the streets and clouds of black smoke coming from burning tires and garbage. Sporadic looting was reported.
Correa had taken to the streets to try to negotiate with police but was soon surrounded and jostled by a crowd and forced to flee after someone fired a tear gas canister at him. Some of those shoving him were police officers in full gear.
Video from CNN affiliate Teleamazonas shows a man in a tan suit punching Correa and trying to yank a gas mask off the president's face.
The broadcast then shows a hunched-over Correa being led away, his face still covered by the gas mask. Correa, who recently underwent knee surgery, leaned on a crutch with his left arm.
A news photograph later showed him lying on a stretcher.
A government helicopter had tried to evacuate him but was unable to land.
He went on the air from a hospital a couple of hours later to denounce what he called a cowardly attack.
"They fired gas on us -- on the president of the republic," Correa said in a telephone interview with Ecuador TV. "This is treason to the country, treason to their president."
Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino led a large and boisterous pro-government rally at the Carondelet Palace, the president's home. He urged the crowd to take to the streets to peacefully "reject this coup" and "to rescue our president."
Said Patino, "We are not afraid of anyone."
Analysts pointed to the government's precariousness.
"This is the most serious protest that the government of Rafael Correa has faced," analyst Eduardo Gamarra told CNN en Espa�ol.
Rank-and-file police took over their agency's headquarters, Ecuador TV said.
There also were reports that the military had taken control of their bases and the airport.
Ecuador has nearly 58,000 members in its military and 33,000 in the national police force, according to Jane's Intelligence Review.
The military, Jane's said, is undergoing a professionalism transformation designed to give it greater flexibility.
The National Civil Police, meanwhile, is the nation's major law enforcement organization.
Government officials tried to quell the rebellion, insisting that the security forces had been misinformed and warning that the nation's democracy was in danger.
"I want to tell the country there has been an attempt at a coup," said Gabriel Rivera of the Country Accord Party.
"This is a Machiavellian plan organized by sectors of the right," Rivera said on Ecuador TV.
Miguel Carvajal, the minister for interior security, said there was no threat to salaries or benefits. He blamed the reports of the benefit cuts on a massive disinformation campaign.
"He who says that is lying," Carvajal said.
"We call on the citizens. We call on the armed forces. We call on other governments to defend our democratic institutions," he said.
A police spokesman went on the air on Teleamazonas to dispute the government's allegations, saying that the security forces were in fact supporting Correa.
"Fellow officers who hear me nationally, stop this action," said the spokesman, identified only as Sgt. Mejia. "Don't close the streets. Return to the streets to work."
The disturbances occurred as Correa threatened to dissolve the national assembly over a dispute about several laws, including public service and education.
Angry police said they were overworked and underpaid.
"We work 14 hours a day," a uniformed officer said on Ecuador TV. "We are the ones who never protest."
Said another: "One hour without police. Let's see what happens."
Diego Borja, director of the central bank, went on the air to urge calm and for people to take care.
"The police are not protecting the people. They are protesting," he said. "There could be problems."
He also sought to prevent a run on deposits.
"The money is safe," he said. "But be careful if making large withdrawals."
Peru closed its border with Ecuador, and messages of support for Correa came from 10 Latin American nations: Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba and Honduras. The Organization of American States also voted to support Correa

The support from Honduras came a little over a year after a military-led coup toppled the democratically elected president there. Correa had criticized that coup, as did most nations in the world. Honduras has held elections since then and elected a president.

CNN's Rafael Romo contributed to this report.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/30/ecuador.violence/index.html?section=cnn_latest

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Some incumbent Democrats brag of work to secure funds for constituents

Some incumbent Democrats brag of work to secure funds for constituents
By Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 30, 2010; 12:42 PM

Voters say they're fed up with big government, but do they really mean it?
Some Democratic incumbents are betting not. "Nevada to get $57 million to help avoid foreclosures," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on his campaign blog this week.
The money was awarded from the Treasury Department's "Hardest Hit" fund, created by the Obama administration to assist people who can't pay their mortgages. Reid lobbied for the program and has sought maximum assistance for his state, the country's leader in foreclosures. "This boost in funding is great news for Nevada homeowners who are still struggling to stay in their homes," Reid exclaimed.
The next entry on his blog: "Washoe schools receive $9M grant," a Reno Gazette-Journal headline about a Department of Education award to bolster teacher training.
Democrats like Reid who are battling for reelection in a hostile, anti-Washington year are being pulled in two directions. They must show that they understand why people are angry and are serious about lowering the deficit and changing the bailout culture that has taken root with the recession. But there's great power in incumbency, especially over federal purse strings. So why not brag a little about how you've used it?
A new television ad from the Reid campaign boasts of a regulatory change the senator secured that saved jobs at Anderson Dairy, a 100-year-old Las Vegas area business. "Because of Senator Reid, we continue to stay in business," Anderson's David Coon says in the ad. "He really came through for us."
One local columnist mocked the Anderson deal as "a government pailout." But for Reid, it's a way of reminding Nevada voters that Sharron Angle, his tea party-backed GOP opponent, can't match his clout. Or as the closing frame of the Anderson ad reads, "No one can do more."
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) narrowly escaped a Democratic primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who mocked her as "Bailout Blanche" for supporting the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Running far behind her GOP general-election opponent, Rep. John Boozman, Lincoln is touting her status as Agriculture Committee chairman, a perch that gives her control over billions in federal pork.
In late August, Lincoln secured a commitment from the Obama administration to provide $1.1 billion in disaster relief for cotton and rice farmers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. She has been hard at work for other sectors, too. On her Senate Web site this week, Lincoln announced $1.4 million for the Little Rock airport; $495,000 to expand nursing education at a local community college; $468,000 in local library renovations; and $100,000 for a motorcycle safety program.
Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), a member of Democratic leadership, is locked in a tight race with a Republican Dino Rossi, who declares on his Web site, "I'm running for the U.S. Senate because our country and our economy are in trouble because of too much spending, debt & government."
Murray puts it this way, "In these tough times, every penny counts."
This week, she announced a $1.1 million dropout-prevention grant for the Sunnyside school district; $1.98 million in subsidies to medical students at the University of Washington; and $960,000 to train primary-care doctors at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

$27 million to change NYC signs from all-caps

By JEREMY OLSHAN

Last Updated: 11:07 AM, September 30, 2010

Posted: 12:53 AM, September 30, 2010

The Capital of the World is going lower-case.
Federal copy editors are demanding the city change its 250,900 street signs -- such as these for Perry Avenue in The Bronx -- from the all-caps style used for more than a century to ones that capitalize only the first letters.
Changing BROADWAY to Broadway will save lives, the Federal Highway Administration contends in its updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, citing improved readability.
At $110 per sign, it will also cost the state $27.6 million, city officials said.
"We have already started replacing the signs in The Bronx," city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan told The Post. 'We will have 11,000 done by the end of this fiscal year, and the rest finished by 2018."
It appears e.e. cummings was right to eschew capital letters, federal officials explain.
Studies have shown that it is harder to read all-caps signs, and those extra milliseconds spent staring away from the road have been shown to increase the likelihood of accidents, particularly among older drivers, federal documents say.
The new regulations also require a change in font from the standard highway typeface to Clearview, which was specially developed for this purpose.
As a result, even numbered street signs will have to be replaced.
"Safety is this department's top priority," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last year, in support of the new guidelines. "These new and updated standards will help make our nation's roads and bridges safer for drivers, construction workers and pedestrians alike."
The Highway Administration acknowledged that New York and other states "opposed the change, and suggested that the use of all upper-case letters remain an option," noting that "while the mixed-case words might be easier to read, the amount of improvement in legibility did not justify the cost."
To compensate for those concerns, in 2003, the administration allowed for a 15-year
phase-in period ending in 2018.
Although the city did not begin replacing the signs until earlier this year, Sadik-Khan said they will have no trouble meeting the deadline, as some 8,000 signs a year are replaced annually simply due to wear and tear.
The new diminutive signs, which will also feature new reflective sheeting, may also reflect a kinder, gentler New York, she said.
"On the Internet, writing in all caps means you are shouting," she said. "Our new signs can quiet down, as well."
jeremy.olshan@nypost.com

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al gore

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Only in America

Only
in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way
to the back of the
store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes
at the front.

>
Only
in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

>
Only in America ......do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

>Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway
and put our useless junk in the garage.

>
Only in America ..........do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight..
>

>
Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

>
EVER WONDER ...

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

>
Why can't women
put on mascara with their mouth closed?

>
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

>
>
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

>
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

>
>Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

>
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

>
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

>
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

>
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
>

>
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

>
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?
Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

>
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

>
>
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

>
>
>
>
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

>
>
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

>
>
Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in
other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.
>Spread the Stupidity!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

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$27 million to change NYC signs from all-caps

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