Hello
Cold day mishmash ahead.
More Than 5,000 SBA Jobs Act Loans Approved in First Month
From the WH blog:
Just one month after the President signed the Small Business Jobs Act, SBA has supported nearly $3 billion in loans to more than 5,000 small businesses across the country. That’s more than 5,000 small business owners who’ve felt first-hand, within one month, the impact this new law is having on our economy: from Peabody Engineering, a tank and fiberglass manufacturer in Southern California that is using a Jobs Act loan to hire 10 more workers, to Caudill Web Design here in our nation’s capital, who will use their Jobs Act loan to hire more programmers to meet increased demand.
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Jobless Claims in U.S. Unexpectedly Drop To Three-Month Low
Claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly dropped last week to a three-month low, a sign the U.S. labor market may be starting to mend.
Initial jobless claims decreased by 21,000 to 434,000 in the week ended Oct. 23, the lowest since early July when fewer auto plants than normal closed for retooling, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The total number of people receiving unemployment insurance dropped to a two-year low, while those getting extended payments also fell.
Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy, is beginning to stir and may give employers reason to add workers ahead of the holiday shopping season...
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New Federal Rules Set on Career Colleges
The Obama administration will unveil a package of regulations Thursday targeting the misleading practices of career colleges and training programs.
Concerned about the rapid growth of student enrollment in for-profit programs such as University of Phoenix and Kaplan, coupled with increased student loan default rates, the administration has spent the last 18 months negotiating with the higher education community on how to fix the system.
The result is regulations, which will go into effect July 1, focused on holding these programs accountable for preparing students for the workforce. Schools would be required to provide prospective students with their graduation and job placement rates, as well as report graduates’ loan repayment history and incomes to the department.
And to prevent abuse — circumventing regulations by creating a large number of new programs that are unable to measure student debt to income ratios — institutions must alert the department when introducing new programs.
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College Board Report Shows Decrease in Net Tuition Due to Student Lending Reforms
From the WH blog:
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...Today, the College Board released a report that shows that the net price of tuition -- the cost after grant aid and tax benefits -- is lower than it was five years ago, thanks largely to our investments in Pell and the GI Bill. The new American Opportunity Tax Credit -- formerly known as the Hope Credit -- has lowered college costs even further. By cutting out the middle man and shifting towards a direct lending system, we’ve been able to pass on billions of dollars of savings to students. And we have overhauled the student aid application to help more students get the help they need.
However, we know more work needs to be done, and colleges need to do their part by focusing on their mission of providing a quality education at an affordable cost. The same report shows that tuition has increased by 7.9% at state public four-year colleges and 4.5% at private four-year colleges.
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Obama joins gay rights groups to discuss 'don't ask, don't tell'
...The groups were at the White House to discuss a repeal of the law with senior administration officials. The president stopped by "to directly convey to the participants his personal commitment on this issue," a senior official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
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Those invited to the White House included representatives of the Center for American Progress, the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the University of California at Santa Barbara's Palm Center, the Stonewall Democrats and the Log Cabin Republicans, participants said.
They met with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and other officials. Participants declined to discuss details of the exchange.
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Here comes the new RW/MSM manufactured controversy:
Obama to visit mosque, make outdoor speech in Indonesia
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama will visit the largest mosque in Jakarta and make a major outdoor speech when he makes his twice-postponed visit to Indonesia next month, the White House said.
The president will arrive in Indonesia on November 9 after visiting India, and will have a talks and a press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the White House said.
The next day, he will honor the Heroes Day holiday, marking a key battle in Indonesia's independence struggle, then visit the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, before making a speech, for which US officials are seeking an outdoor venue.
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Asia tour complete schedual:
Friday, Nov. 5: leaves for India
Saturday, Nov. 6: arrives in India .... makes statement at the Taj Hotel to commemorate the Mumbai terrorist attacks ...visits the Gandhi Museum ... attends business summit hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council ..... takes part in two roundtable discussions with entrepreneurs and America CEOs .... makes speech focusing on the U.S.-India economic relationship
Sunday, Nov. 7: visits a school in Mumbai and participates in Diwali celebrations .... holds town hall with university students ... on to New Delhi .... visits Hymayan’s tomb ... attends a private dinner with Prime Minister Singh and his wife
Monday, Nov. 8: lays a wreath at Gandhi’s grave ... holds bilateral meeting with the prime minister ... press conference .... addresses Indian parliament ... attends state dinner
Tuesday, Nov. 9: Indonesia.... meets President Yudhoyono in Jakarta ... attends an official dinner
Wednesday, Nov. 10: celebrates "Hero’s Day," an Indonesian holiday commemorating the country winning independence in 1945 ... lays a wreath at the Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta .... visits the Istiqlal Mosque ... makes speech discussing the close ties of the two countries and outreach to the Muslim world ... leaves for Seoul in South Korea
Thursday, Nov. 11: commemorates Veterans Day, speaks to American troops at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul ... holds bilateral meeting with President Lee Myung-bak ... attends a working lunch ... holds press conference... meets President Hu Jintao of China ... attends G-20 working dinner
Friday, Nov. 12: attends morning session of the G-20 program ... G20 photo, working lunch, afternoon session ... holds press conference ... leaves for Japan
Saturday, Nov. 13: gives remarks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Yokohama ... holds bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia ... working lunch at APEC program ... leaders’ retreat ...attends official APEC dinner
Sunday, Nov. 14: holds bilateral meeting with President Medvedev of Russia ... APEC program finishes with a leaders’ retreat and a working lunch ... visits the Great Buddha statue in nearby Yokohama, a place he visited as a child ... in the afternoon, Obama comes back to the United States.
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India is ready:
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"Obama is a philosopher president like only Adams, Jefferson, Madison, JQA Lincoln and Wilson were"
When the Harvard historian James T. Kloppenberg decided to write about the influences that shaped President Obama’s view of the world, he interviewed the president’s former professors and classmates, combed through his books, essays, and speeches, and even read every article published during the three years Mr. Obama was involved with the Harvard Law Review ("a superb cure for insomnia," Mr. Kloppenberg said). What he did not do was speak to President Obama.
"He would have had to deny every word," Mr. Kloppenberg said with a smile. The reason, he explained, is his conclusion that President Obama is a true intellectual — a word that is frequently considered an epithet among populists with a robust suspicion of Ivy League elites.
In New York City last week to give a standing-room-only lecture about his forthcoming intellectual biography, "Reading Obama: Dreams, Hopes, and the American Political Tradition," Mr. Kloppenberg explained that he sees Mr. Obama as a kind of philosopher president, a rare breed that can be found only a handful of times in American history.
"There’s John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Quincy Adams, then Abraham Lincoln and in the 20th century just Woodrow Wilson," he said.
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President Obama and Vice President Biden speak about the unprecedented efforts across the Federal Government to protect victims of domestic and sexual violence in an event marking Domestic Violence Awareness Month. October 27, 2010.
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Middle School students and High School students from around the country present their award-winning experiments and inventions at the first ever White House Science Fair last week.
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All these by AP:
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President Obama meets with some of the Americans involved in the Chilean mine rescue effort today in the Oval Office.
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With a worker at the facilities of American Cord & Webbing in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, October 25.
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with actress Mariska Hargitay at the event marking Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the East Room on October 27
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With Jon Stewart:
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Leaving the studio:
(Official WH photo by Pete Souza)
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...And back at the WH.
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First Lady Michelle Obama and California First Lady Maria Shriver take the stage as they participate in the morning session of The Women’s Conference 2010 in Long Beach, California.
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First lady Michelle Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Dr Jill Biden attend a DCCC fundraiser in San Francisco, October 25.
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Carved pumpkins depicting President Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the White House sit on a stone wall next door to where the President was attending a dinner reception in Providence, Rhode Island, Oct. 25, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Finally, election stuff:
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If you didn't see KO special comment....Do it now.
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President Obama meets with three grassroots supporters, backstage before the Las Vegas Moving America Forward rally.
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Children listen to the President at a rally in Providence, Rhode Island, October 25.
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YES! GOTFV!!!!!
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