Approval of U.S. Congress Falls to 21%

Oct 07, 2009 - Approval of U.S. Congress Falls to 21%, Driven by Democrats Lowest rating for Congress since January by Frank Newport PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing is at 21% this month, down significantly from last month's 31% and from the recent high of 39% in March. Congressional Approval -- 2009 Trend "The current drop in overall job approval to 21% particularly reflects a substantial drop in approval among Democrats, whose 36% rating this month is 18 points lower than last month's 54%, and the lowest since January of this year." - 4 Comments

Thousands of surgeries may be cut in Metro Vancouver due to government underfunding, leaked paper

Aug 19, 2009 - Thousands of surgeries may be cut in Metro Vancouver due to government underfunding, leaked paper By Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunAugust 18, 2009 Vancouver patients needing neurosurgery, treatment for vascular diseases and other medically necessary procedures can expect to wait longer for care, NDP health critic Adrian Dix said Monday. Dix said a Vancouver Coastal Health Authority document shows it is considering chopping more than 6,000 surgeries in an effort to make up for a dramatic budgetary shortfall that could reach $200 million. “This hasn’t been announced by the health authority … but these cuts are coming,” Dix said, citing figures gleaned from a leaked executive summary of “proposed VCH surgical reductions.” The health authority confirmed the document is genuine, but said it represents ideas only. - 0 Comments

Obama feels the heat, changes the play

Jul 19, 2009 - Ben Smith – Sun Jul 19, 8:03 am ET Finally, we’re starting to see him sweat. President Barack Obama made his personal icy cool the trademark of his campaign, the tenor of his White House and the hallmark of an early run of successes at home and abroad. But as the glamour wears off and a long, frustrating summer wears on, he is being forced to improvise — stooping to respond to political foes and adjusting his tactics and demeanor for the trench warfare of a legislative agenda. - 12 Comments

When Weddings Hit the Internet

Jun 26, 2009 - When Yanna Elfes was planning her ultimate big fat Greek wedding in Sydney, she never imagined it would be virtually attended by millions of people around the world or become the subject of a vicious email slur campaign and a police investigation. But that's exactly what happened after she married her husband Kosta two months ago at the Greek Orthodox church in Kogarah. Her friends published photos on their Facebook pages and within days the images were appearing in nasty viral emails that quickly spread across Australia and to workplaces as far flung as London and Dubai. - 5 Comments

The Obama Haters’ Silent Enablers

Jun 15, 2009 - By FRANK RICH Published: June 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/opinion/14rich.html?em WHEN a Fox News anchor, reacting to his own network’s surging e-mail traffic, warns urgently on-camera of a rise in hate-filled, “amped up” Americans who are “taking the extra step and getting the gun out,” maybe we should listen. He has better sources in that underground than most. The anchor was Shepard Smith , speaking after Wednesday’s mayhem at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. - 127 Comments

Sarkozy snipes at 'dim' Spanish PM and 'weak' Barack Obama

Apr 17, 2009 - The Times April 17, 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6106250.ece Charles Bremner in Paris The US President is weak, the Spanish leader is dim, the German Chancellor is clinging on to France’s coat-tails and the head of the European Commission is irrelevant. That, at any rate, is the world according to President Sarkozy, who has spent the week airing his unvarnished opinions of Barack Obama and an array of international politicians — abruptly ending France’s honeymoon with the US and needling Washington on several strategic issues. In the latest in a stream of accounts from the Élysée Palace, Mr Sarkozy was quoted yesterday as telling an all-party group of MPs that Mr Obama was inexperienced and indecisive. - 21 Comments

End of the Honeymoon By David S. Broder

Mar 15, 2009 - End of the Honeymoon By David S. Broder Sunday, March 15, 2009; A17 (Washington Post) Two months into his presidency, it is far too soon to make any judgments about Barack Obama's prospects. All we really know is that he has assembled the rudiments of an administration and launched a batch of ambitious but unproven initiatives. - 1 Comment