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The Young and the Jobless The minimum wage hike has driven the wages of teen employees down to $0.00. Yesterday's September labor market report was lousy by any measure, with 263,000 lost jobs and the jobless rate climbing to 9.8%. But for one group of Americans it was especially awful: the least skilled, especially young workers. Washington will deny the reality, and the media won't make the connection, but one reason for these job losses is the rising minimum wage. Earlier this year, economist David Neumark of the University of California, Irvine, wrote on these pages that the 70-cent-an-hour increase...

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's official news agency is reporting that at least five senior commanders of the elite Revolutionary Guard have been killed in a homicide bombing in southeastern Iran

Imagine an onion ring that's so big you could fit the planet Earth inside it - 1 billion times! Well, according to scientists, that's the size of the previously unknown ring that's just been discovered around the planet Saturn. Only the scientists say this ring is made up of dust and ice particles - not onions. "This is one super-sized ring," said University of Virginia astronomer Anne Verbiscer. It's been approximately 400 years since the legendary astronomer Galileo first identified the rings around Saturn. So why are scientists discovering this new ring only now? The reason, they say, is that...

The City of Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting, before any host city was selected. An expert called it the "biggest shock in IOC history." Supporters gathered in Chicago were equally shocked. Many left the rally in tears.

Detriot Lions Beat The Washington Deadskins 19-14 end losing skid at 19

The news lately has been filled with very rude people, so this week Uncle Jay has become extremely civilized. He's just trying to set a good example. And as long as you don't watch the final ten seconds, you'll think he succeeds! watch

'Oooh. Van Jones, alright!' [Victor Davis Hanson] Ah, the Dividends of a Yale Law degree: The problems with Van “change the system” Jones are not just his serial slurs against much of American society (“an apartheid regime”) as we know it (e.g., capitalism, the coal industry, American farming, the white population, the Bush administration (for causing 9/11), the Republican “***holes”, etc. — but that he simply cannot tell the truth about his own history, in disavowing almost everything he has said, written, or signed in the recent past. (His involvement with the 9/11 “Bush did it” lunacy has a heritage...

ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerian shopkeeper Abdelkrim Salouda has witnessed China's global economic expansion first-hand and he does not like it, especially since he was in a mass brawl this month with Chinese migrant workers. "They have offended us with their bad behavior," said Salouda, a devout Muslim who lives in a suburb of the Algerian capital. "In the evening ... they drink beer, and play cards and they wear shorts in front of the residents."

<p>KINSHASA, Congo -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's temper flared on Monday when a Congolese university student asked her for her husband's thinking on an international financial matter.</p> <p>A week after former President Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea to secure the release of two detained American journalists and stole the limelight from the start of his wife's first trip to Africa, Clinton was clearly displeased by the question at town hall forum in Kinshasa.</p>

Although MSNBC ratings were higher during the presidential campaign, they have slumped badly, especially those of Keith Olbermann. The hallmark of his program was attacking Bill O'Reilly but that began to boomerange because as "The Factor" ratings went up, Olbermann's went down.

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's 2010 reelection lead over Republican challenger Pat Toomey has shrunk to a tie with 45 percent for Specter and 44 percent for Toomey, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. And voters say 49 - 40 percent that Sen. Specter does not deserve reelection. President Barack Obama gets a 56 - 37 percent job approval, compared to 62 - 31 percent in a May 28 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. By a bare 50 - 43 percent majority, voters approve of the President's handling of the economy. Specter, first elected to the Senate...

Ward "Little Eichmanns" Churchill has met his own Little Big HornAcademic Fraud and pretend Indian Ward Churchill got the ultimate smackdown from Judge Larry Naves. No money, no reinstatement, nada. He even took back the $1 settlement the last jury gave him. You get a big award of doodly-squat, tonto! Thus ends the Churchill-CU Circus. Naves is a well-respected judge appointed by Democrat Roy Romer, so this will not be overturned. Even the Daily Camera, newspaper of the People's Republic of Boulder, says it's past time to kick this charlatan to the curb. Native American-Hippie Chic Here in the West,...

Family of Abortion Practitioner George Tiller Will Close Business Wichita, KS -- The family of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, who was recently shot to death, has confirmed they will close is late-term abortion business permanently. The family's attorneys released a statement Tuesday saying the Women's Health Care Services abortion center will be "permanently closed." See http://www.LifeNews.com/state4217.html

The day after Carrie Prejean was told she could keep her Miss California crown, Shanna Moakler has resigned, she confirms to Usmagazine.com exclusively. "Since the press conference yesterday, I had a chance to think about what has taken place, and I feel that at this time it is in my best interest to resign from the Miss California USA organization," Moakler tells Us.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) today said he was guaranteed seniority on committees by Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) in the final negotiations before his party switch last week, talks that, according to Specter, also included a pledge that he would become the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee in several years. Specter stood by his version of the one-on-one talks with Reid, despite the Senate leader's contradictory statements on the matter and the resolution that passed last night placing Specter in the most junior slot on most committees on which he serves. "When I talked to Senator Reid he...

Sen. Arlen Specter was unexpectedly stripped of his seniority Tuesday night in a humiliating blow from Democrats who earlier had welcomed the former Pennsylvania Republican’s defection from the GOP. The move not only strips the five-term senator of his legislative clout but also hampers his ability to persuade voters he can still bring influence to issues in Pennsylvania as he approaches election there in 2010. Specter lashed back Wednesday, strongly suggesting he had been betrayed. In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Specter said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had promised him that his seniority would be preserved.

Despite promises from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) would retain his seniority after switching parties, Specter will be put at the end of the seniority line on all his committees but one under a resolution approved on the floor late Tuesday. Under the modified organizing resolution, Specter will not keep his committee seniority on any of the five committees that he serves on and will be the junior Democrat on all but one — the chamber’s Special Committee on Aging. On that committee, he will be next to last in seniority. As a result,...

The Senate dealt a blow tonight to Sen. Arlen Specter's hold on seniority in several key committees, a week after the Pennsylvanian's party switch placed Democrats on the precipice of a 60-seat majority. In a unanimous voice vote, the Senate approved a resolution that added Specter to the Democratic side of the dais on the five committees on which he serves, an expected move that gives Democrats larger margins on key panels such as Judiciary and Appropriations.

I want to collect the mailing address of every unit of an apartment complex so I can bulk mail to it. I have the building numbers, but I can't get the unit numbers inside each building because the front door is locked and the mailboxes are inside around the corner. I'm wondering if anyone can figure out a solution to this. I hope I don't have to resort to buying a pricey mailing list.

Senior Senate Democrats are objecting to the deal Majority Leader Harry Reid made with Sen. Arlen Specter, saying they will vote against letting the former Republican shoot to the top of powerful committees after he switches parties. Several Democrats are furious with Sen. Reid (D-Nev.) for agreeing to let Specter (Pa.) keep his seniority, accrued over more than 28 years as a GOP senator. That agreement would allow Specter to leap past senior Democrats on powerful panels — including the Appropriations and Judiciary committees. “I won’t be happy if I don’t get to chair something because of Arlen Specter,” said...

MSNBC show host Rachel Maddow has suffered some steep audience erosion in recent months, down more than 40 percent in viewership from her peak last fall during the election. According to the Los Angeles Times, Maddow's audience has gone from a high of 1.9 million viewers in the fall to just over 1.1 million in March. That's a big drop.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank went after “Code Pink” protesters during a congressional hearing yesterday, telling the pink-clad activists to “act your age” and “grow up.” ...“Will you please act your age?” snapped Frank, a Newton Democrat. “If you have no greater powers of concentration, then you leave the room. We’re trying to have a serious discussion. . . . We really need people to grow up.”

{graph] After several months of soaring ratings, the numbers have dipped a tad over at Fox News. But they’re not complaining, because the numbers are in absolute freefall at MSNBC. Looks like the election of President Obama is the best news Fox News has heard in years. The accompanying chart looks at the top 10 cable TV shows for Tuesday, March 10, 2009

by Peter Luke | Lansing Bureau Wednesday March 11, 2009, 6:54 PM LANSING -- Michigan residents bought fewer Michigan lottery tickets, cigarettes, clothes, restaurant meals and household goods, as they saw the stock market plummet and the economic outlook darken. The sharp pullback in consumer spending sent sales tax receipts downward 18 percent in February, or more than $100 million. It will force Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers to cut the budget more, agree on tax increases or use more of the federal economic stimulus money to balance the state's books. It was the steepest monthly decline in 25 years....

FHnetwork: talking to outreach coordinator, very concerned with keeping momentum from this event. jwisom: beginning to bundle up for #climateaction demo at capitol power plant. why is the weather always awful for protests? climateaction: i admit, it's hard to tweet with cold hands! staying warm with a chant: "Clean coal is a dirty lie." #climateaction

OAKLAND -- A man being robbed by two Oakland men in the parking lot of the Fruitvale BART station managed to grab a knife from one of the assailants and stabbed the other one to death, authorities said today. The robbery victim was approached by the two 18-year-old men about 9:30 p.m. Thursday. One of the men showed a knife and the other said he had a gun, BART spokesman Linton Johnson said. Their target, a 23-year-old man who lives out of state, was robbed of some items before wrestling away the knife from one of the men and stabbing...

The first Italian bus to boast an atheist advertisement rolled out Monday and certainly did not have God on its side. No sooner had the bus — carrying the message, "The Good News Is There Are Millions of Atheists In Italy; The Excellent News Is They Believe In Freedom Of Expression" –- hit the streets of Genoa when it suffered battery problems and had to go straight back to the depot for repairs, UPI reported.

They thought they were buying a piece of history but many customers now say they were ripped off. VIDEO HERE

With Dubai’s economy in free fall, newspapers have reported that more than 3,000 cars sit abandoned in the parking lot at the Dubai Airport, left by fleeing, debt-ridden foreigners (who could in fact be imprisoned if they failed to pay their bills). Some are said to have maxed-out credit cards inside and notes of apology taped to the windshield. jobless people here lose their work visas and then must leave the country within a month. That in turn reduces spending, creates housing vacancies and lowers real estate prices, in a downward spiral that has left parts of Dubai... looking like...

Shrine at shooting site in South L.A. leads to more deaths By Ruben Vives and Richard Winton February 4, 2009 The flowers and candles began piling up Friday at the corner of 104th Street and Budlong Avenue, after a suspected gang member was fatally shot there. To residents in this rough section of unincorporated South L.A., that killing was bad enough. Then Monday night, a group of mourners were gathered there when a gunman walked by and opened fire, killing two men -- both suspected gang members -- and gravely wounding a third. By Tuesday afternoon, the corner had the...

The combination of a nationwide recession and the election of a president who supports abortion rights and used to work as a civil rights lawyer has delivered a one-two punch to two of the nation's best-known liberal nonprofit groups: NARAL Pro-Choice America and the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has had to cut staff by 10 percent nationwide, thanks to the tough economic climate and reduced donations and grants, "including those from two foundations that were wiped out by the Bernard Madoff scandal," ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero said in a statement Friday. The steps taken by the...

Columbia University said on Wednesday it had uncovered $3 million in losses tied to accused swindler Bernard Madoff, joining other New York universities hit by the purported fraud. Columbia spokesman Robert Hornsby confirmed the losses, but declined to provide further details beyond saying that information in a Bloomberg News story on the losses was accurate. Bloomberg reported that the school discovered the losses in a review of its investments. The news service said the money was tied to a 1980 gift to Columbia's law school from an unnamed alumnus who had retained the right to decide how the funds would...

With great fanfare, the City of Portland, Oregon, inaugurated its first solar-powered "loo" in Old Town, on December 8. "At the unveiling, mayor-elect Sam Adams gave the fancy new toilet its first ceremonial flush and Commissioner Randy Leonard was awarded with an honorary golden plunger," reported Portland's KGW-TV.Leonard, who helped design the solar-powered outhouse, said the $140,000 price tag was nothing to worry about because "we're patenting the design and we intend to actually market them." The city could actually make a profit down the road, he said.  Mother Nature was less than cooperative, however, dumping record-breaking snowfalls on the...

Protests at The New School, where a student uprising over the leadership of the university’s president, Bob Kerrey, led to clashes with the police and at least one arrest on Thursday morning, took another wild turn later on Thursday evening. A little after 11:30 p.m., Mr. Kerrey emerged from a university building on Fifth Avenue south of 14th Street to a sea of a few hundred protesters chanting for his resignation. As Mr. Kerrey walked down Fifth Avenue toward 12th Street, about 30 protesters began following him, some of them shouting insults. As the crowd’s pace quickened, so did Mr....

A boat carrying international peace activists, including former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said. The crowds on the docks in the Lebanese port city of Tyre were jubilant and cheering as they welcomed the vessel. The boat, which set off from Cyprus Monday wanted to make a statement and deliver medical supplies to embattled Gaza. The trip’s organizers said the boat was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast...

Activists trying to bring aid to Gaza today claimed their boat had been rammed by Israeli gunboats in a "criminal attack" in international waters. The Free Gaza Movement said its vessel, the Dignity, was intercepted by several Israeli vessels as it was heading to the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli aerial bombardment since Saturday. One gunboat rammed the Dignity on the port bow side, causing heavy damage, although no one was hurt, the group said. "[The Dignity] is taking on water and appears to have engine problems," the movement said on its website. "When attacked, the Dignity was...

The Times, which last month mocked Sarah Palin for getting taken in by a French prank…got taken in by a French prank, printing a letter Monday allegedly from Bertrand Delanoe, the Mayor of Paris, calling Caroline Kennedy's bid for a U.S. Senate seat as "appalling" and "not very democratic."

The American Civil Liberties Union sent out an emergency appeal to card-carrying members and donors this week after realizing it is a victim of Bernard Madoff's self-confessed Ponzi scheme. "We've been hit hard in a way that no one could forecast," Alma Montcla, director of administration and finance for the left-leaning advocacy group, wrote this week. "Two foundations that have been incredibly generous and longstanding supporters of our national security and reproductive freedom work have been victimized by the Madoff scandal - forced to close their doors and terminate their grants," the plea said.

The brother of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has said that the reporter has been beaten in custody. Muntadar al-Zaidi has suffered a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC. Mr Zaidi threw his shoes at Mr Bush at a news conference, calling him "a dog". The BBC tried to contact Iraq's top security official but he was not available for comment. Meanwhile, offers to buy the shoes are being made around the Arab world, reports say. Mass rallies...

GOP may seek Bill Clinton’s testimonyBy AMIE PARNES & GLENN THRUSH | 12/10/08 7:58 PM EST Senate Republicans are considering asking Bill Clinton to testify at his wife’s confirmation hearing about potential conflicts of interest involving his worldwide charitable enterprises. “There are concerns about his international work across the board,” a Republican aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Politico. “Seeking donations from foreign governments is definitely concerning. ... It has been discussed, and it will be discussed.” While spouses frequently attend nominees’ confirmation hearings, they are usually there for moral support and window dressing — a sympathetic face...

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota said the bad economy prompted it to eliminate 9.5 positions, including the director of its two South Dakota clinics. Kate Looby confirmed she was laid off, and said she understands it was a financial decision. She has led the clinics since March 2003. Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kathi Di Nicola said the organization felt it couldn't keep its public affairs staffing level and also maintain enough workers for health care services. She said the other positions cut were in Minnesota, and stressed that the Sioux Falls and Rapid City clinics both will...

A mere 5 million viewers tuned in Friday for the 8 p.m. bow of Rosie O'Donnell's variety show, "Rosie Live," on NBC. The show has been dropped from the network's schedule. Among those making appearances on the hourlong program - conceived as a throwback to such series as "The Carol Burnett Show" - were Alanis Morissette, Alec Baldwin, Clay Aiken, Ne-Yo and Liza Minnelli. It earned a 1.2 preliminary rating among adults 18-49.

Word from Capitol Hill is that, despite his kind words for Hillary Clinton yesterday, Sen. John Kerry is angry and disappointed about not being considered a serious candidate for Barack Obama’s secretary of state. “He’s pretty PO’d,” said Someone Who Knows. “After going from the early front-runner to not even being considered, he’s pretty disappointed.” Kerry yesterday issued a statement congratulating Clinton on her nomination for the globe-trotting gig. “President-Elect Obama has chosen a terrific national security team to protect our security and help restore America’s rightful place in the world,” Kerry’s statement read. “As Secretary of State, my friend...

Showbiz Tonight's AJ Hammer talks with his panel about Rosie O'Donnell's variety show being canceled after one episode.

Seems that Governor Schwarzenegger wants to help out his old Hollywood friends with millions of dollars in tax breaks. He makes a case that lower taxes on film and television companies will reverse the trend of runaway production. Currently, California is losing out to at least 40 other states and Canada that are luring away production companies with very attractive tax incentives. Five years ago, 66% of feature film production took place in California. Last year this was reduced to just 31% and the governor wants to help an industry that supports about 250,000 employees. While a non-critical evaluation might...

Feds say 'no' to auto giants Ottawa, Queen's Park out of the loop at Washington auto bailout talksWASHINGTON -- Any chance that Canada would muscle in to play a central role in the U.S. arm-wrestling over an auto bailout vanished faster than cash from the Detroit 3 bank accounts yesterday. "We've had two very high level meetings with senior executives in Detroit and that gave us another level of information," federal Industry Minister Tony Clement said at a rooftop press conference at the Canadian embassy. "Is it enough to make a decision on spending taxpayer's money? I'd have to say...

Nov 20, 2008 7:13 pm US/Central Obama Advisers To Public: Temper Expectations Reporting: Mike Flannery CHICAGO (CBS) ― President-elect Barack Obama and his inner circle fear that some voters expect him to turn around the economy, wind down the war in Iraq and, perhaps, cure cancer -- all by the Fourth of July. They know they must manage and lower those expectations, CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports. A top economic advisor to Obama had a glum warning for the rest of us Thursday morning: Neither the job market nor the stock market will be turning around any time...

Host Don Wade played an interesting Dick Morris sound clip for Stephanopoulos and then asked for his response. That is when Stephanopoulos came right out and said "Dick is a liar." There was no equivocation, no weasel words, just a straight out "liar." Morris was recounting a time when President Clinton called him on the phone and yelled at him for the fact that a Clinton focus group had become news when the group was supposed to be a secret. Morris claimed that Clinton demanded to know who Morris had told of the group. Morris claimed that he only told...

If recent trends continue Hollywood may be looking for a government handout. A surge of liberal style patriotism has gripped the movers and shakers in Hollywood, they have produced movie after movie critical of the war in Iraq. Every one a box office dud. The red ink flowing faster than the blood of Al Qaeda in Iraq as our brave troops hunt them down in every corner of the country. Hollywood reporters seem perplexed -- why isn't the public interested in Iraq war movies? Could it be the clear majority of Americans who consider themselves conservative -- According to this...

This is the story of hope and reality. First the hope from Bloomberg News 10 days ago with the very hopeful title of Oliver Stones' W May End Political Films' Drought: ``W.'' distributor Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. is betting the movie can break a box-office drought for political films. None of the five released in the weeks ahead of the Nov. 4 election has brought in more than half of the $55.3 million in sales generated by Walt Disney Co.'s ``Beverly Hills Chihuahua,'' the current box-office champ, since Oct. 3. ``A lot of eyes are on `W.,''' said Gitesh Pandya,...