by Kevin Osborne
02.16.2012
Posted In: Foreign Relations, Economy, Congress, President Obama, City Council at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
Greater Cincinnati's index of economic indicators was flat in December, indicating weak job growth in the coming months, The Business Courier
reports. The index held steady at 97.5, the same as in November. That
indicates "poor employment growth through winter and early spring," said
the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which compiles the
index. (Thank God Congress reached that jobs deal, right?)
Cincinnati City Council will appeal a judge's ruling that allows demolition of the historic James N. Gamble House in Westwood. Although the city's attorney said the likelihood of the appeal's success was low, council voted 6-3 to pursue one. Councilman Chris Seelbach introduced the proposal; he said the structure is a landmark that should be preserved.
She just wants a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t when she gets home. Kierra Reed, 22, is facing a charge of aggravated menacing after she allegedly attacked her boyfriend for not buying her a Valentine's Day gift. Reed began hitting and scratching Henry Brown, police said, and when he locked himself in a bedroom, Reed allegedly got a knife from the kitchen and tried to cut through the door to stab Brown.
U.S. officials have received a copy of the formal charges lodged by the Egyptian government against pro-democracy activists in the Arab nation. Forty-three people, 19 of them Americans, are to be put on trial for allegedly setting up groups without licenses and receiving illegal funding. Critics say the charges are bogus, and being pushed by pro-Islamist groups to prevent dissenting voices from gaining a foothold in the new Egyptian government.
Although it's only about one-third the size of the bill President Obama proposed in September, Congressional lawmakers agreed early this morning to a compromise version that results in a $150 billion jobs plan. The deal includes a 10-month extension of a payroll tax holiday that lets the average worker keep an extra $1,000 a year. Also, it would extend unemployment benefits through the rest of this year.
In a major turnabout, General Motors reported $7.6 billion in profit for 2011, a 62 percent increase from the previous year. Still, all isn't rosy for the automaker. It reported a $700 million loss in its European operations, and a $100 million loss in South America. The firm, which faced bankruptcy two years ago, saw sales rise 7.6 percent last year to more than 9 million vehicles.
The secret is out. Confirming what's been rumored for weeks, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the U.S. government is conducting secret three-way negotiations with the Taliban and his government. Karzai said he believes most Taliban are "definitively" interested in a peace settlement to end the 10-year-old war.
Despite the Obama administration's pledge to put an end to “too big to fail” banks, critics allege more are being created. The Federal Reserve Board has just approved a merger that makes Capital One the fifth-largest bank in the nation, over the objections of smaller banks and consumer advocacy groups.
Cincinnati City Council will appeal a judge's ruling that allows demolition of the historic James N. Gamble House in Westwood. Although the city's attorney said the likelihood of the appeal's success was low, council voted 6-3 to pursue one. Councilman Chris Seelbach introduced the proposal; he said the structure is a landmark that should be preserved.
She just wants a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t when she gets home. Kierra Reed, 22, is facing a charge of aggravated menacing after she allegedly attacked her boyfriend for not buying her a Valentine's Day gift. Reed began hitting and scratching Henry Brown, police said, and when he locked himself in a bedroom, Reed allegedly got a knife from the kitchen and tried to cut through the door to stab Brown.
U.S. officials have received a copy of the formal charges lodged by the Egyptian government against pro-democracy activists in the Arab nation. Forty-three people, 19 of them Americans, are to be put on trial for allegedly setting up groups without licenses and receiving illegal funding. Critics say the charges are bogus, and being pushed by pro-Islamist groups to prevent dissenting voices from gaining a foothold in the new Egyptian government.
Although it's only about one-third the size of the bill President Obama proposed in September, Congressional lawmakers agreed early this morning to a compromise version that results in a $150 billion jobs plan. The deal includes a 10-month extension of a payroll tax holiday that lets the average worker keep an extra $1,000 a year. Also, it would extend unemployment benefits through the rest of this year.
In a major turnabout, General Motors reported $7.6 billion in profit for 2011, a 62 percent increase from the previous year. Still, all isn't rosy for the automaker. It reported a $700 million loss in its European operations, and a $100 million loss in South America. The firm, which faced bankruptcy two years ago, saw sales rise 7.6 percent last year to more than 9 million vehicles.
The secret is out. Confirming what's been rumored for weeks, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the U.S. government is conducting secret three-way negotiations with the Taliban and his government. Karzai said he believes most Taliban are "definitively" interested in a peace settlement to end the 10-year-old war.
Despite the Obama administration's pledge to put an end to “too big to fail” banks, critics allege more are being created. The Federal Reserve Board has just approved a merger that makes Capital One the fifth-largest bank in the nation, over the objections of smaller banks and consumer advocacy groups.
by Kevin Osborne
02.14.2012
Posted In: 2012 Election, Green Party, President Obama, Republicans, War at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
Perhaps sensing they were losing the public perception battle, House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Monday agreed to extend the payroll tax cut for another 10 months without getting offsetting reductions elsewhere in the budget. The action is a victory for President Obama, who opposed the GOP’s attempts to force pay cuts for federal workers and require them to contribute more to their pensions.
by Kevin Osborne
02.09.2012
Posted In: 2012 Election, President Obama, Republicans, Women's Health, Courts at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
With 273 days remaining until the presidential election, some of our readers might already be getting sick of listening to the latest blather from the candidates. Still, a rather blistering analysis of President Obama’s recent actions at Politico is worth checking out. Maybe this line will pique your interest: “So much for the high road: Victory is more important than purity … He’s made a series of calculated, overtly political gestures that are far more transactional than transformational.”
by Kevin Osborne
02.08.2012
Posted In: 2012 Election, Republicans, President Obama, Poverty, New World Order at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
If you care about politics, no doubt you’ve heard by now that birth control opponent Rick Santorum scored upset victories Tuesday in the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and Missouri’s non-binding primary. No delegates were awarded in any of the races, but the showing further undermines presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s efforts to solidify his image as Republican frontrunner.
One of the best number crunchers around, Nate Silver at the FiveThirtyEight blog, says the latest results mean Romney will have a long slog to win the party’s nomination. Given history and voter demographics, Romney should’ve easily won in Minnesota and Colorado and the fact that he didn’t should serve as a warning for him, Silver adds.
by Kevin Osborne
02.07.2012
Posted In: 2012 Election, Campaign Finance, President Obama, Republicans, Women's Health at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
Even though he has criticized super PACs in the past, President Obama has decided he will allow a pro-Democratic one to assist him in his reelection bid. Priorities USA Action, a super PAC founded by two former White House aides, will help Obama counter the deluge of money being raised by GOP groups during the 2012 election cycle.
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told a conservative radio talk show host on Monday that he doesn’t support funding for Planned Parenthood and believes Susan G. Komen for the Cure should have stuck by its original decision to pull grants from the organization.
by Kevin Osborne
02.06.2012
Posted In: Internet, 2012 Election, Republicans, President Obama, War , Women's Health at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
Despite all of the incessant hype, there actually are other things going on in the world besides the Super Bowl. So, grab your beverage of choice, sit back and we’ll tell you about a few of them. (And we promise nary a mention of Tom Brady or Eli Manning. Well, after this paragraph, that is.)
A study by Chicago University’s Booth Business School found that the use of social media might be more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol. A team used BlackBerrys to gauge the willpower of 205 people between the ages of 18 and 85 in and around the German city of Würtzburg. The researchers say sex and sleep still appear to be stronger urges, but tweeting and checking email are more irresistible to some people than smoking or drinking.
by Kevin Osborne
01.26.2012
Posted In: News, 2012 Election, Republicans, President Obama, Neighborhoods at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Morning News and Stuff
It’s yet another gloomy, rainy morning in Cincinnati, so let’s let our minds take a voyage around the Internet and see what is going on in the world during the last 24 hours.
House Speaker John Boehner is probably cringing at a CBS News poll that found an overwhelming majority of Americans like the proposals mentioned in President Obama’s State of the Union address. And by “overwhelming,” we mean a whopping 91 percent of respondents. (You read that correctly.)
by Kevin Osborne
01.25.2012
Posted In: News, President Obama, Financial Crisis, 2012 Election, Development at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
The big news this morning is President Obama’s State of the Union address, which revealed an assertive, populist side to B-Rock that’s largely been missing during the first three years of his term.
Will Obama keep his promises to go after Wall Street excesses and reckless financial firms, or is it mere election year posturing like apparently many of his statements in 2008 were? Only time will tell.
by Danny Cross
12.20.2011
Posted In: Occupy Cincinnati, Occupy Wall Street, 2012 Election, Social Justice, Science, News, President Obama, Sports, Republicans at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Morning News and Stuff
If you're one of those people who enjoys relaxing in a public park, maybe eating a sandwich and enjoying the lush greenspace Cincinnati has grown proud of, that's all well and good. (Bring a blanket and some apples; enjoy yourself.) That is, until you get a little sleepy and want to lie down on the ground or a bench — that's illegal now.
The Cincinnati Park Board yesterday approved a no-lying down rule across all of its 5,000 acres of park land, likely in response to ongoing Occupy Cincinnati lawsuits over the legality of closing the park at night. People who lie down in parks are now subject to $150 fines for the misdemeanor offense.
by Kevin Osborne
12.19.2011
Posted In: President Obama, Bailout, Financial Crisis, Community at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Groups: Mortgage Change Would Spur Growth
A national coalition of community groups, including two Cincinnati organizations, are urging President Obama to push big Wall Street banks into writing down all “underwater mortgages” to market value. The groups said the action would pump up to $1.6 billion into Ohio's economy and create more than 24,000 jobs statewide.
