Todd S. Purdum on Sarah Palin | vanityfair.com »
PBOC to Push for Currency System Reform - WSJ.com »
It also issued some veiled criticism of the US policies, saying that one of the major issues was that it was difficult to balance the needs of domestic politics with the requirements of being the world’s reserve currency.
“The economic development model of debt-based consumption is most difficult to sustain,” the PBOC said.
President Obama On health care reform »
Q: Wouldn’t that drive private insurance out of business?
OBAMA: Why would it drive private insurance out of business? If — if private — if private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care, if they tell us that they’re offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can’t run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That’s not logical.
Obama on consumers protection »
There’s a whole bunch of financial transactions out there where consumers are not protected the way they should. And that’s why we said we’re going to put forward a consumer financial protection agency whose only job it is to focus on those issues.
Precious normality »
EXERPTS
His use of the English language, frequently derided by his opponents during the election campaign as verbal garlands, has proven to be a useful and necessary tool of government at a time of profound crisis.
He is both bold and measured. It is called nuance - and America and the world have been yearning for it.
It appears that Mr Obama understands the unavoidable truth that reality is a bit more complex than most politicians usually care to admit.
Without this degree of honesty he could not even begin to launch the dramatic changes that he is hoping to engineer in this country.
Mental cupboard
EXERPTS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8013859.stm
So, can a precise word total ever be known? No, says Professor David Crystal, known chiefly for his research in English language studies and author of around 100 books on the subject.
“It’s like asking how many stars are there in the sky. It’s impossible to answer,” he said.
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US company Global Language Monitor (GLM) believes that the one millionth word will be added to the English language in mid-June.
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Do people know more words than they actually use? And is having a large vocabulary something you learn or have a natural ability for?
Pragmatist and Law - Supreme Court »
EXERPTS
Pragmatism has its detractors, and in a confirmation battle, Mr. Obama’s nominee could face charges that he or she does not give enough weight to formal law. But although Mr. Obama is results-oriented, he retained an overall skepticism for what courts can accomplish, said David Strauss, a former colleague at University of Chicago. In Mr. Obama’s due process and voting right classes, he showed students the broad failures of Reconstruction-era amendments that tried to establish equality for blacks.
Even as law review president, Mr. Obama de-emphasized his own views and instead made himself a channel for those of others. His decision making was “about the group sentiment and what the group majority might agree to,” said Nancy McCullough, a fellow editor.
Obama to Select Justice - Justice Résumé »
EXERPTS
The current court is the first to be made up entirely of former federal appeals court judges. And only a few of those appeals courts at that: seven of the justices served on what might be called the court of appeals for the Acela circuit, in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.
In voting against the nomination of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as a senator, Mr. Obama said that “adherence to precedent and rules of construction and interpretation will only get you through the 25th mile of the marathon.”
Chrysler’s Fall - The Lenders to Blame »
EXERPT
The other creditors, who sought to distinguish themselves from those who have received bailout money, believed they had a stronger hand. Many of them bought Chrysler debt for about 30 cents on the dollar, long after it became clear that the company was in trouble. Most of this debt is secured by Chrysler assets — factories, equipment, real estate and the like. The thinking was that in the worst case, these assets could be sold at a profit if Chrysler were liquidated.
