Michelle Obama and nutrition czar Sam Kass have taken the Food Police nationwide. Last week Wal-Mart announced that it is joining the first lady’s anti-obesity campaign by reducing the salt and sugar content of the food it sells. (more)
1.) White House reporters ask first truly tough questions in two years — Pres. Obama was inaugurated two years ago today, which means it only took the White House Press Corp members one year, 11 months, and 29 days to find their spines. “Could you explain to the American people how the United States could be so allied with a country that is known for treating its people so poorly, using censorship and force to oppress its people?” asked AP reporter Ben Feller. He then turned to China’s Hu Jintao and asked, “How do you justify China’s record and do you think that’s any of the business of the American people?” When a mixup with the translator prevented Hu from hearing Feller’s question, Bloomberg’s Hans Nichols used his turn to ask Feller’s question again. But no amount of tough questioning could force either Obama or Hu to answer honestly. And in front of God and everyone, the 2009 Nobel Prize winner claimed that the country which is keeping the 2010 Nobel Prize winner under house arrest has made “enormous progress” on human rights which has been “widely recognized in the world.” The ensuing cognitive dissonance threw the Washington Post for a spin. Both headlines appeared in this morning’s paper: “President Obama makes Hu Jintao look good on rights”; “Obama presses Chinese leader on rights.” (more)
The resounding win by the Republicans in November holds the promise of getting some control on spending in Washington. It seems, for the moment, that Congress is focusing on this goal, thanks to its members’ feet being held to the fire by the Tea Party. (more)
Many Americans saw the November 2010 elections as a referendum on the size and reach of government, with voters showing greater skepticism of expansive regulatory efforts. This trend spells potential trouble for many federal initiatives, including environmental protection, to the extent that such efforts are viewed as synonymous with large, expensive government interventions into the economy. Fortunately, government regulation is not the only means of protecting our natural world. (more)
No one can deny the pitiful state of America’s education system. A college degree once signaled true academic achievement and set the recipient apart. Now it has become as banal as attaining a drivers license. The average high school diploma only qualifies the holder to work at Wal-Mart. Many colleges offer remedial classes in response to the ever-growing crop of ill-prepared high school grads. Plato surely would not approve of the lowering of standards and expectations at the Academy. Reforms enacted to remedy the situation, though noble in their intent, fail to address the real problem. Bipartisan legislation such as No Child Left Behind and Head Start accomplished nothing. Pouring money into underperforming school districts makes little to no difference. Charter schools, vouchers, and merit pay for teachers can only achieve negligible-to-marginal success. (more)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Teen idol Justin Bieber is launching a line of nail polish inspired by his biggest music hits, nail care company OPI said on Monday. (more)
At a small, informal breakfast in Midtown New York Tuesday morning, House Republican leader John Boehner said the lame-duck Congress, scheduled roughly for November 15 through December 22, will pass a bill that extends all the Bush tax cuts. And he said President Obama will not veto that bill. (more)
The economic sink hole is sucking everybody in, whether you are white collar, blue collar or wear a fire suit to work. (more)
Quietly and cautiously, the lobbying world on K St. is preparing for major GOP gains on Nov. 2, eying new GOP “talent” and preparing to donate a larger percentage to Republicans. (more)
There are a few, but many of the world’s top companies in 1985 have foundered, shrunk, grown obsolete, or been acquired by rivals that grew stronger. General Motors and Ford, the world’s two biggest carmakers in 1985, spent the last decade in a dizzying tailspin, bleeding cash, losing market share, and struggling to turn themselves around. Venerable industrial firms like ITT restructured and drifted down the Fortune 500, while Wal-Mart, Verizon, banks, and technology firms displaced them. Digital Equipment and Wang Laboratories, once leading computer firms, disappeared completely. Even resurgent titans like Apple and IBM stared into the abyss of irrelevance and made painful changes before clawing their way back to the top. (more)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to roll out sophisticated electronic ID tags to track individual pairs of jeans and underwear, the first step in a system that advocates say better controls inventory but some critics say raises privacy concerns. (more)
RICHMOND — For months, aides to Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell have been meeting behind closed doors with alcohol retailers and wholesalers, public safety officials and faith-based groups to come up with a way to fulfill one of the governor’s most notable campaign promises: privatizing the state’s liquor stores. (more)
Nearly everybody now thinks Obama is giving the impression that he hates business — There are no independent voters anymore, just Dems, Republicans, and people who hate Dems more than they hate Republicans — Cable news update: Lotsa car-washing, grumbling, job-hunting — Al Qaeda goes after those harmless ‘Wegians — Following the Blago trial is giving White House officials heartburn –Will a child disarm North Korea? (Figuratively, perhaps?) (more)
Fresh off a deal with the City of Chicago that will allow Wal-Mart Stores to open more than a dozen locations there, the mega-retailer is closing in on an agreement to open its first store in D.C. (more)
If a recently filed medical marijuana lawsuit reaches the Michigan Court of Appeals or state Supreme Court, it could produce a precedent-setting decision that impacts employers and patients, whose jobs may be at risk even when legally using the drug. (more)
After the math department at the University of Texas noticed some of its Dell computers failing, Dell examined the machines. The company came up with an unusual reason for the computers’ demise: the school had overtaxed the machines by making them perform difficult math calculations. (more)
The so-called “Wal-Mart Moms” — a group of traditionally Democratic-leaning, Wal-Mart-shopping, childrearing female voters — may be shifting toward Republicans in 2010, a new study shows. (more)
On the eve of a key vote in the Senate on an issue in which Wal-Mart is deeply invested, the company announced it is donating $20 million to charities and opening scores of new stores in the Chicago area, in the home state of Sen. Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat, the retail giant’s top ally in its push to cap credit card fees. (more)
The Obama administration on Monday released a new regulation setting rules for who can keep their current health insurance plans under the law. The regulation gave special consideration to plans negotiated by unions, quickly drawing criticism from conservatives and others, who argue the rules will put small businesses at a competitive disadvantage. (more)
You never heard of the world’s greatest—and most unlikely—environmentalist, Mike Duke. (more)
