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If you have the coin and time there are great deals to be had….

Now there are claims of out right assignation….

Despite a recovery and better than expected data Greenhaus feels we could instantly be in recession given the stars align…

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STORY HERE

STORY HERE

Sad times for America

Despite low interest rates and home prices interest in purchasing a home dropped again.

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Everyone expects bad news for the first half of next year, but some analysts a pointing to a surprise in 2012.

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CNN Poll: President’s approval nearing 50%

President Barack Obama’s approval rating, a crucial indicator of his reelection chances, is on the rise, according to a new national survey.

A CNN/ORC International Poll out Tuesday also indicates that the partisan battle over extending the payroll tax cut may be partially responsible for the jump in the president’s numbers.

Full results (pdf)

According to the survey, 49% of Americans approve of the job Obama’s doing in the White House, up five points from last month, with 48% saying they disapprove, down six points from mid-November. The 49% approval rating is the president’s highest since May, when his number hit 54% thanks to a bounce following the killing of Osama bin Laden. Since then, in CNN polling, Obama’s approval rating has hovered in the mid-40s.

“President Barack Obama’s approval rating appears to be fueled by dramatic gains among middle-income Americans,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “The data suggest that the debate over the payroll tax is helping Obama’s efforts to portray himself as the defender of the middle class.”

Obama’s gains have come at the expense of the Republicans in Congress and the GOP in general. By a 50% to 31% margin, people questioned say they have more confidence in the president than in congressional Republicans to handle the major issues facing the country. Obama held a much narrower 44% to 39% margin in March.

And the GOP’s overall favorable rating has dropped to six points, to 43%, since June, while the Democrats’ positive rating remained steady at 55%.

“The Democrats do particularly well among middle income Americans, while the Republicans win support only from the top end of the income scale,” adds Holland.

Overall, only 16% say they approve of the job Congress is doing, with 83% giving lawmakers from both parties the thumbs down. The Congressional disapproval rating has topped 80% since August in CNN polling.

The survey indicates that Obama remains personally popular, with three-quarters saying they approve of him as a person.

“Overall, it’s not a bad position for an incumbent to be in as the calendar turns to an election year, but there are many months to go,” says Holland.

The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18, with 1,015 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

via 

(via HuffPo)

Researchers in the UK have found that 92 percent of over 100 public baby changing tables carry traces of cocaine. Say what?

The study was conducted by a team of Real Radio journalists from a local station in North West England. While not the most science-y of scientists, they used specialist wipes to test facilities in shopping centers, hospitals, police stations, courts, churches, supermarkets and department stores.

Their efforts were fueled by last month’s announcement that the UK is the cocaine capital of Europe. Changing tables are only the latest germy hotspot being tested.

As Jezebel’s Margaret Hartmann points out:

“Considering that money (and plenty of other things we touch) are coated in traces of the drug too, it seems unlikely that the contamination is solely due to addicts doing lines off of Koala Kare changing stations. Though, you should still be cautious about putting your precious child directly on those tables, because according to our scientific research they’re coated in baby poop.”

So thank you British journalists. We were already icked out about putting our kids down on those stations. Now, we’re thinking a nice quiet corner of a bookstore, a hidden booth at a restaurant, a park bench… really anywhere, may be a better bet.

Via Jezebel

SOURCE

Far from spent properly they were literally wasted.

Full report

STORY HERE 

It’s all up to the clam

Can we issue debt free notes or are we too reliant upon foreign investors ?

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Not so fun times

Down 29% from the peak with an additional 3-55 decline expected…

Pawn shops are experiencing high volume growth this holiday season.

Bargain hunters rule retail

Despite the rise, which is good, we are far below the positive line in the proverbial sand.

A revision to 21 was had…well below 50