Germany Slams "Stupid" US plan
Germany and America were on a collision course on Tuesday night over the handling of Europe's debt crisis after Berlin savaged plans to boost the EU rescue fund as a "stupid idea" and told the White House to sort out its own mess before giving gratuitous advice to others.
The comments risk irritating the White House Photo: AP
11:50PM BST 27 Sep 2011
1017 Comments German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble said it would be a folly to boost the EU's bail-out machinery (EFSF) beyond its €440bn lending limit by deploying leverage to up to €2 trillion, perhaps by raising funds from the European Central Bank.
"I don't understand how anyone in the European Commission can have such a stupid idea. The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense," he said.
Mr Schauble told Washington to mind its own businesss after President Barack Obama rebuked EU leaders for failing to recapitalise banks and allowing the debt crisis to escalate to the point where it is "scaring the world".
"It's always much easier to give advice to others than to decide for yourself. I am well prepared to give advice to the US government," he said.
The comments risk irritating the White House. US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has been a key driver of plans to give the EFSF enough firepower to shore up Italy and Spain, fearing a drift into "cascading default, bank runs and catastrophic risk" without dramatic action.
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For all those who don't think Ron Paul can win, he is gaining on Obama.
Paul trails Obama by 4 points
If you are looking for signs of President Obama’s vulnerability, there are plenty to be found in the latest CNN poll. But one number stands out: If that hypothetical election were held tomorrow, Obama would beat Ron Paul—yeah, that Ron Paul—by just four points.
While it may be a sign that some voters are adopting an anybody-but-Obama attitude, that same poll shows Obama handily stomping candidates such as Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin.
And, truth be told, Obama still tops everyone in the GOP field with the exception of Mitt Romney, who runs even with the president. Obama would beat Rick Perry by five points, the poll said.
The CNN poll also showed that Perry’s poor debate performance Thursday has not seemed to have seriously jeopardized his status as the Republican front-runner. He holds a seven-point edge over Romney at 28%. (If Palin doesn’t run, Perry’s support jumps two more points.)
And while the survey showed Paul to be competitive with Obama in a head-to-head matchup, the libertarian-leaning Texan still didn't crack double digits in the Republican primary. (He's actually down six points from the last CNN poll.)
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Here is Ron Paul's interview with Jon Stewart. He is the most "American" of all the candidates. Normally, I would put the video on the blog but I couldn't get these to imbed.
Ron Paul Full Interview
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Check out this dumb Canadian reporter talk about gold.
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My daily funny...
The D.C. Fire and EMS Department confirms a woman went to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
"The GSA National Capital Regional Office Building experienced a building mechanical incident, which we understand may have resulted in injuries," a GSA statement reads.
Channel 9 (WUSA) reports a memo made the rounds in the GSA building, warning people not to flush.
"Do NOT flush toilets or use any domestic water," Channel 9 quotes the memo as saying.
"Due to a mechanical failure, there is high air pressure in the domestic water system that resulted in damage to toilets ... There has been damage to flushed toilets that has resulted in injuries."
The GSA has refused to respond to specific questions, only referring to its statement.
"The restrooms are back in service, and mechanical systems are being monitored as we speak," the statement says.
The incident is not the first of its kind in the United States. A trial lawyer in Memphis, Tenn., Parke Morris, says he represented a client who was seriously injured when a urinal exploded in a GSA building.
Morris says the client told him he was working on a Saturday at the Federal Courthouse in Memphis when he used the sixth floor men's bathroom.
"This was an old, kind of primitive urinal that had almost like a gas pedal that you would press down when you were finished doing your business," Morris says. "And he pressed it, and it literally exploded. It was like a porcelain hand grenade went off."
Morris says the explosion blew the man backwards onto the floor and severely injured his knee. He required a surgery and seven months of rehab before he could return to work.
After the man was blown back, he called down to the security desk and had a guard come up to help him.
"I don't know if [the guard] didn't believe him, or couldn't believe what he saw, but he decided to flush the urinal next to the one that was now in pieces. That one exploded as well."
Morris said in total, four urinals exploded in that Memphis bathroom that day and it was later determined to be caused by a problem in the water pressure.
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For all those who don't think Ron Paul can win, he is gaining on Obama.
Paul trails Obama by 4 points
If you are looking for signs of President Obama’s vulnerability, there are plenty to be found in the latest CNN poll. But one number stands out: If that hypothetical election were held tomorrow, Obama would beat Ron Paul—yeah, that Ron Paul—by just four points.
While it may be a sign that some voters are adopting an anybody-but-Obama attitude, that same poll shows Obama handily stomping candidates such as Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin.
And, truth be told, Obama still tops everyone in the GOP field with the exception of Mitt Romney, who runs even with the president. Obama would beat Rick Perry by five points, the poll said.
The CNN poll also showed that Perry’s poor debate performance Thursday has not seemed to have seriously jeopardized his status as the Republican front-runner. He holds a seven-point edge over Romney at 28%. (If Palin doesn’t run, Perry’s support jumps two more points.)
And while the survey showed Paul to be competitive with Obama in a head-to-head matchup, the libertarian-leaning Texan still didn't crack double digits in the Republican primary. (He's actually down six points from the last CNN poll.)
**********************************************************************************
Here is Ron Paul's interview with Jon Stewart. He is the most "American" of all the candidates. Normally, I would put the video on the blog but I couldn't get these to imbed.
Ron Paul Full Interview
**********************************************************************************
Check out this dumb Canadian reporter talk about gold.
**********************************************************************************
My daily funny...
Woman reportedly injured by exploding toilet at GSA building
WASHINGTON -- A toilet reportedly exploded Monday and injured a woman at the General Services Administration Building in D.C.The D.C. Fire and EMS Department confirms a woman went to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
"The GSA National Capital Regional Office Building experienced a building mechanical incident, which we understand may have resulted in injuries," a GSA statement reads.
Channel 9 (WUSA) reports a memo made the rounds in the GSA building, warning people not to flush.
"Do NOT flush toilets or use any domestic water," Channel 9 quotes the memo as saying.
"Due to a mechanical failure, there is high air pressure in the domestic water system that resulted in damage to toilets ... There has been damage to flushed toilets that has resulted in injuries."
The GSA has refused to respond to specific questions, only referring to its statement.
"The restrooms are back in service, and mechanical systems are being monitored as we speak," the statement says.
The incident is not the first of its kind in the United States. A trial lawyer in Memphis, Tenn., Parke Morris, says he represented a client who was seriously injured when a urinal exploded in a GSA building.
Morris says the client told him he was working on a Saturday at the Federal Courthouse in Memphis when he used the sixth floor men's bathroom.
"This was an old, kind of primitive urinal that had almost like a gas pedal that you would press down when you were finished doing your business," Morris says. "And he pressed it, and it literally exploded. It was like a porcelain hand grenade went off."
Morris says the explosion blew the man backwards onto the floor and severely injured his knee. He required a surgery and seven months of rehab before he could return to work.
After the man was blown back, he called down to the security desk and had a guard come up to help him.
"I don't know if [the guard] didn't believe him, or couldn't believe what he saw, but he decided to flush the urinal next to the one that was now in pieces. That one exploded as well."
Morris said in total, four urinals exploded in that Memphis bathroom that day and it was later determined to be caused by a problem in the water pressure.
