Illegal Immigration Has Declined: Why?
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 06:06 am PDT
 The Atlantic Wire - A new study from the Pew Hispanic Center finds that illegal immigration is down. Annual inflow between 2007 and 2009 was roughly two-thirds less than between 2000 and 2005, report Pew authors Jeffrey Passel and D'Vera Cohn. Furthermore, "the most marked decline in the population of unauthorized immigrants has been among those who come from Latin American countries other than Mexico." Full Story | Top |
Palin Visits Iowa: Clever Marketing or 2012 Prelude?
Wed, 1 Sep 2010 06:02 am PDT
 The Atlantic Wire - Like it or not, the will-she-or-won't-she whispers about whether Sarah Palin will throw her hat in the ring for a 2012 presidential bid won't end until she states verbatim, "I'm not running." Until then, even the slightest suspicions of her political ambitions will set off speculation. One of the larger such hints is her recent decision to be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Republican Party's Ronald Reagan Dinner. Not only because Iowa plays a unique role in kick-starting the presidential primaries, but because--according to recent polls--Palin clearly needs to bolster her image and credibility in order to have a shot at becoming the Republican nominee. Here's what pundits are saying about her latest turn in Iowa: Full Story | Top |
Can Obama Deliver Israel-Palestine Peace?
Wed, 1 Sep 2010 04:09 am PDT
 The Atlantic Wire - Direct Israel-Palestine peace talks begin today, hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas both join Obama to commence what will be the ninth round of U.S.-led Israel-Palestine peace talks over 31 years. Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak will also be present. The process begins inauspiciously, with Palestinian group Hamas claiming the murders of four Israeli civilians, one of whom was pregnant, and Israeli settlers continuing the construction of West Bank settlements despite a U.S.-backed settlement freeze. Here's what observers have to say about Obama's approach at one of the longest running and most stubborn problems in U.S. foreign policy. Full Story | Top |
A party to reveal your baby's gender?
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 12:16 pm PDT
The Week - Some expectant parents are inviting guests to share their reaction to the "boy or girl" news — a trend some commentators call "presumptuous" and "narcissistic" Full Story | Top |
What Happened to Burger King?
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 10:52 am PDT
The Atlantic Wire - Maybe the pizza burger wasn't such a good idea. Struggling fast food giant Burger King is selling itself to 3G Capital for approximately $3.26 billion. The buyer is an investment firm that owns stakes in Anheuser-Busch InBev, a large retailer in Latin America and a sizable railroad company also in Latin America. According to Reuters, "The company is struggling with weak demand amid a sluggish economic recovery and persistently high unemployment." What happened to BK and where is it headed?Here's BK's Problem, writes The Economist: "Among other things, BK has always had a higher proportion of sales to young men, who have been hit especially hard by the recession. McDonald's, by contrast, has for several years wooed women and older people with relatively healthy salads and drinkable coffee. BK has struggled to follow suit. At the same time, it has had to contend with angry shareholders, as the rising cost of beef and other ingredients has clobbered its profits. BK may also have cannibalised its existing sales by offering value meals that were a bit too irresistible."They Paid to Much Attention to 'Super Fans,' writes The Wall Street Journal: "Franchisees and analysts blame the chain's problems on scant menu development, flawed pricing and an overworked strategy of focusing on so-called super fans, people aged 18 to 34 years old who account for half of all visits to Burger King outlets but have been disproportionately hurt by the economic slump." Catering to those fans resulted in the "creepy king" advertisements attempting to convey hipness, notes Frank James at NPR.Could Be a Big Opportunity, writes Jenara Nerenberg at Fast Company: "3G previously had a 6.7 percent stake in Wendy's, and 3G's principals (a trio of wealthy Brazilians) are also largely responsible for the merger of InBev and Anheuser-Busch. The buyout is viewed by Burger King as a 'turnaround opportunity, one that draws upon the operational expertise gained in its beer and retail investments.'" The Associated Press agrees: "Being acquired by an owner with deep pockets could give Burger King some financial breathing room to refresh its restaurants and expand internationally after years of playing follow-the-leader with McDonald's."BK Leadership Has Been Constantly Shifting, adds The Economist: "BK is used to changes in ownership. It went from being part of Pillsbury, a food company, to Grand Metropolitan, a British conglomerate, then to Diageo, a drinks giant. In 2002 it was sold to a group of private-equity investors: TPG, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs. They did a fair job, improving sales with better marketing. They also helped turn around the most troubled of the franchisees who operate most BK restaurants. In 2006 BK floated its shares again. Its bosses may hope that going private once more will protect them from short-term stockmarket pressures while they ponder how to beat McDonald's." Full Story | Top |
Newt's Faint Presidential Prospects
Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00 pm PDT
RealClearPolitics.com - On Friday, at a town hall in small town Oklahoma, conservative Sen. Tom Coburn said Newt Gingrich is "the last person I'd vote for, for president." Gingrich is "a super-smart man but he doesn't know anything about commitment to marriage." Gingrich lacks, in Coburn's view, "the character traits necessary to be a great president." Full Story | Top |
Schneiderman for Attorney General
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:41 am PDT
The Nation - The Nation -- "Transformational politics is the work we do today to ensure that the deal we can get on gun control or immigration reform in a year—or five years, or twenty years—will be better than the deal we can get today. Transformational politics requires us to challenge the way people think about issues, opening their minds to better possibilities." Full Story | Top |
AMERICA'S LITTLE WARS ARE DRAINING US IN A BIG WAY
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 04:56 pm PDT
Georgie Anne Geyer - WASHINGTON -- You have to wonder exactly what you're supposed to say in a week like this one, as President Obama officially declared the end to the U.S. war in Iraq and most Americans breathed a tempered sigh of relief. Full Story | Top |
OBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 02:53 pm PDT
Ann Coulter - The nonsense about President Obama being a Muslim has got to stop. I rise to defend him from this absurd accusation by pointing out that he is obviously an atheist. Full Story | Top |
Top Tweets: Happy 90210 Day
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 10:46 am PDT
The Atlantic Wire - It's the second day of September in the year 2010. In middle-endian date format, this is written as 9/02/10. "90210" is the name of a television show from the 1990s that people in their late-30s talk about whenever they are nostalgic for their early-20s. Hence, today was 90210 Day. Especially on Twitter:For those of you not quite on-board yet, Bill Simmons has a helpful link .bbpBox22804140148 {background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_background_images/86335168/bob.jpg) #8B542B;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block} Young Jason sets the tone for 9-02-10: http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2010/09/02/90210-day-september-02-2010-get-it/less than a minute ago via webBill Simmonssportsguy33 Full Story | Top |
Why Harvey Keitel Should Replace Steve Carell on 'The Office'
Thu, 2 Sep 2010 10:43 am PDT
The Atlantic Wire - With Steve Carell's planned exit from NBC's The Office, the hunt for a replacement is on. Supposed front-runners include Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, Rainn Wilson and Portia de Rossi. But Office producer Paul Lieberstein reportedly really wants Hollywood tough guy Harvey Keitel. Famous for his brass-knuckle roles in Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Taxi Driver, Keitel would definitely shake things up. Apparently Lieberstein is so excited about tapping Keitel that he's already envisioned the character's back story. "He's an old salesman who thought he could retire and the stock market went down, and he has to come out of retirement to work for a few years," Lieberstein told E! Online. So far, TV critics love the idea: Full Story | Top |
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