Category: News

Computex, the big consumer electronics show in Taiwan, is approaching and it’s expected the big focus will be on new tablets. Several companies will be unveiling slates designed to compete with the iPad, and while some of them will be based on technology from ARM and Nvidia there will be some Wintel tablets, too. Intel is expected to announce some silicon designed specifically for tablet products, and it is unknown what processor products this might be.

Two major manufacturers had announced early this year the upcoming release of Android tablets based on Nvidia Tegra technology, but DigiTimes is reporting that pressure from Intel and Microsoft will result in Windows 7 slates from the companies being shown. Asustek and MSI are both major players in the personal computer space, and the race to get a slate to market on any platform validates how hot the segment has become. We were impressed with the Tegra tablets we saw in action at the CES back in January.

This week an Intel executive mentioned that the company will be announcing at Computex new products aimed at tablets specifically. Not much is known about Intel’s planned announcement but it’s clear the company is not ignoring the hot category.

Related content on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Can Anyone Compete With the iPad?

---

Yes, folks, we’re well aware that the Froyo ROM we’re all running on our Nexus Ones isn’t a final build. We said as much on Monday, and it was confirmed by Google just a couple of hours later and has been reiterated several times since.

Think it through: The Froyo update first started showing up on a few devices — journalists no less — and these were devices that originally were distributed by Google. So the Goog knew the IMEIs — a unique identifier of the phone — and started pushing out early updates. It was a targeted distribution.

When an over-the-air update is pushed, it actually just tells your phone "Go to this Internet address to download the update." From that point, it’s just a matter of finding the download location (which takes about 30 seconds if you know how), and that’s the ball game. The rest of us now have this early version of Froyo.

Rest assured, we’ll see a more final build soon, and hopefully we’ll have the source code released before then so that our favorite chefs can get to cooking. As for when a specific phone will get a Froyo update, well, we don’t know. And it’s really unlikely anybody else does at this point either. So be careful in reading those random posts from customer-service bots or some guy in a store. We thought we’d taught you better than that. 🙂

This is a post by Android Central. It is sponsored by the Android Central Accessories Store

This morning, Tyler Cowen links to an interview with Joshua Coval of Harvard Business School on the effect of earmarks on the private business environment of a state.  It turns out that the American political system provides us with a little natural experiment:  when a member of Congress becomes chair of a powerful committee, earmarks to that member’s state or district increase dramatically.  But the result of this spending is more than a little surprising:

Sean Silverthorne: First, a little
bit about your empirical approach to the research. Why did you decide
to study changes in congressional committee chairmanships?

Joshua Coval: Our original goal was to investigate
how politically connected firms benefit from increases in the power of
their representatives. A benefit in focusing on changes in committee
chairmanships is that their timing is largely exogenous from the
perspective of the ascending chairman and his constituents. That is, a
change in chairmanship can only occur if the incumbent retires or is
voted out–both of which are entirely independent of what is currently
happening in the ascending chairman’s state.

Q: One of your findings was that the chairs
of powerful congressional committees truly bring home the bacon to their
states in the forms of earmark spending. Can you give a sense of how
large this effect is?

A: Sure. The average state experiences a 40 to 50
percent increase in earmark spending if its senator becomes chair of one
of the top-three committees. In the House, the average is around 20
percent. For broader measures of spending, such
as discretionary state-level federal transfers, the increase from being
represented by a powerful senator is around 10 percent.

Q: Perhaps the most intriguing finding, at
least for me, was the degree and consistency to which federal spending
at the state level seemed to be connected with a decrease in corporate
spending and employment. Did you suspect this was the case when you
started the study?

A: We began by examining how the average firm in a
chairman’s state was impacted by his ascension. The idea was that this
would provide a lower bound on the benefits from being politically
connected. It was an enormous surprise, at least to us, to learn that
the average firm in the chairman’s state did not benefit at all from the
increase in spending. Indeed, the firms significantly cut physical and
R&D spending, reduce employment, and experience lower sales.

The results show up throughout the past 40 years, in large and small
states, in large and small firms, and are most pronounced in
geographically concentrated firms and within the industries that are the
target of the spending.

Obviously, libertarians will find this result congenial. But frankly, it has me stonkered.  Earmarks are an exogenous gift of cash from outside the state–which in turn means a transfer of real resources into the state.  Why would private activity go down?

I can tell a story about crowding out, where the federal money either does something that the private sector might have done anyway, or hires away resources (particularly skilled labor) from private firms.  If the government is monopolizing the local supply of cranes and crane operators in order to build a new sewage treatment plant, your construction project may not get built.  And because government funds are for discrete projects, and future funds are uncertain–your chairman may get unelected, or their party may lose power–it’s probably hard to get firms or workers to relocate to your area in order to pick up the slack.

I can even tell a slightly more exotic story where there’s what economists call a “resource curse” to federal funds.  Countries that have large deposits of natural resources are not, as you would expect, richer and happier as a result; rather the reverse.  It turns out that when you have a fat supply of practically free money, the elites spend all their time thinking about how to divert that money into their pockets, and none of their time thinking about how to build good political and economic institutions.  And because the government can support itself without tax revenues, it is not made accountable to the citizenry it is betraying.  Norway is the great exception to this rule–but Norway had very strong institutions before it had fossil fuels.

The new thinking is that foreign aid may involve a resource curse as well.  And you can argue that perhaps this argument extends to federal largesse–the more money the state or district receives directly from the federal government, the less incentive it has to maximize the efficiency of its own institutions.

These are interesting stories, but do they explain a 15% drop in capital spending?  That’s a pretty big drop to be caused by something as seemingly innocuous as a new road project.  I remain puzzled, and would like to see a lot more work done in this area.

















United States – United States Congress – Tyler Cowen – Harvard Business School – Congress

Below, from release….

OBAMA APPROVAL TIPS POSITIVE FOR FIRST TIME THIS YEAR,
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL POLL FINDS;
MORE VOTERS APPROVE OF KAGAN SUPREME COURT PICK

American voters approve 48 – 43 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, up from a negative 44 – 46 percent April 21, the first time since December that more voters give him a thumbs up rather than thumbs down, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
But voters say 74 – 21 percent that the U.S. economy is in a recession now and disapprove 50 – 44 percent of the way President Obama is handling the economy, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds.
Voters approve 48 – 30 percent, with 22 percent undecided, of Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Men approve 45 – 34 percent and women approve 50 – 27 percent. Republicans disapprove 57 – 22 percent, but Kagan wins 73 – 10 percent backing from Democrats and 45 – 31 percent support from independent voters.
American voters also say 42 – 36 percent that they would vote for a Democrat rather than a Republican in this year’s Congressional elections, reversing a 44 – 39 percent Republican lead March 24.
Obama’s policies have hurt rather than helped their personal financial situation, voters say 29 – 16 percent, with 54 percent who say the policies have made no difference. Going forward, voters expect Obama’s policies to hurt rather than help them personally 36 – 28 percent, with 32 percent who expect no difference.
“The increase in President Barack Obama’s job approval is a welcome step for the White House. His ratings have been in the no man’s land of just below parity for some time and now the question is whether this is the beginning of an upward trend or just a blip,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll.
-more-
Quinnipiac University Poll/May 26, 2010 – page 2
“The fact that three out of four American voters still see the nation in recession, despite the claims from the so-called experts, highlights the disconnect between Wall Street, Washington D.C.’s K St. and Main Street,” said Brown.
“For Obama to get his job approval back over 50 percent, where the White House would like to be, he needs to convince Joe and Jill Six-pack that his programs are helping them.”
American voters trust Obama 45 – 36 percent over Congressional Republicans to handle the economy. Independent voters trust Obama more 38 – 34 percent.
There is a noticeable gender gap in Obama’s approval rating: Men disapprove 48 – 45 percent, while women rate him positively 51 – 39 percent. His 48 – 43 percent disapproval from independent voters is a sizable jump from a 50 – 38 percent disapproval in April and responsible for much of the President’s overall increase. Democrats approve of his performance 78 – 13 percent while Republicans disapprove 77 – 17 percent.
“On the economy, President Obama gets slightly less negative grades: 50 – 44 percent disapprove, compared to 55 – 40 percent disapproval in April. And on creating jobs his 56 – 38 percent disapproval rating last month has improved to 51 – 40 percent disapprove,” Brown said.
A total of 70 percent of American voters are “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the nation today. And 80 percent say the way things are going makes them more likely to vote this November.
Looking at the Kagan nomination, voters split 43 – 43 percent on whether Senators should consider her views on controversial issues, or just her qualifications for the Supreme Court. But voters say 50 – 37 percent that Senators who disagree with Kagan’s views would not be justified using a filibuster to block her nomination.
Looking at other aspects of Obama’s job performance, American voters:
• Approve 48 – 43 percent of the way he is handling foreign policy;
• Disapprove 51 – 44 percent of his handling of health care;
• Approve 45 – 40 percent of his handling of Afghanistan;
• Approve 49 – 41 percent of his handling of terrorism.
From May 19 – 24, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,914 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.

1. If the 2010 election for the U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for – the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in your district?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Republican 36% 85% 5% 33% 40% 32% 42% 12% 21%
Democrat 42 5 87 30 39 45 35 81 52
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 1 1 6 4 3 4 – 3
WLDN’T VOTE(VOL) 1 – – 2 1 1 1 – –
DK/NA 18 9 7 29 17 19 19 6 24

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Republican 27% 42% 37% 28% 42% 50% 8% 27% 65%
Democrat 54 38 39 49 40 35 78 48 16
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 4 3 4 2 3 2 5 2
WLDN’T VOTE(VOL) 2 – 1 1 1 1 2 1 –
DK/NA 17 15 20 19 15 11 11 21 17

TREND: If the 2010 election for the U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in your district?

May 26 Mar 24 Jul 2 Jun 4 Apr 29
2010 2010 2009 2009 2009

Republican 36 44 34 32 34
Democrat 42 39 42 42 41
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 1 2 2 1
WLDN’T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 1
DK/NA 18 16 21 22 22

2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 48% 17% 78% 43% 45% 51% 40% 90% 67%
Disapprove 43 77 13 48 48 39 51 8 24
DK/NA 9 6 9 9 7 10 9 2 9

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 60% 46% 42% 51% 45% 50% 79% 58% 19%
Disapprove 30 47 49 40 47 45 12 33 75
DK/NA 10 7 9 9 8 6 9 9 6

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (*High also 59% Mar 2009)

PostVt PreVt APPROVE…….
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jun 4 Apr 21
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009* 2010

Approve 48 44 45 46 45 59 44
Disapprove 43 46 46 49 46 31 46
DK/NA 9 10 9 6 9 10 10

INDEPENDENTS…………………………………..
PostVt PreVt APPROVE……
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jun 4 Dec 9
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009

Approve 43 38 40 40 40 57 37
Disapprove 48 50 44 53 49 30 51
DK/NA 9 12 15 7 10 13 11

3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 34% 8% 64% 25% 31% 36% 27% 66% 50%
Disapprove 57 86 26 65 62 52 64 22 37
DK/NA 9 6 11 10 6 12 9 13 14

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 43% 33% 28% 38% 30% 36% 60% 37% 16%
Disapprove 47 59 62 50 63 59 32 51 79
DK/NA 10 8 10 12 7 5 8 12 5

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job?
PostVt PreVt APPROVE…….
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Mar 4 Mar 25
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010

Approve 34 36 30 28 32 45 30
Disapprove 57 55 62 63 59 45 62
DK/NA 9 9 8 9 9 10 8

4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 26% 48% 16% 20% 25% 28% 26% 27% 30%
Disapprove 62 41 73 69 67 58 62 65 55
DK/NA 11 11 10 11 8 14 11 8 15

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 26% 29% 24% 25% 27% 31% 17% 21% 38%
Disapprove 61 61 65 61 65 61 74 67 53
DK/NA 13 9 11 14 8 8 9 12 9

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job?
PostVt PreVt APPROVE……
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Mar 25 Oct 8
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009

Approve 26 34 31 28 32 34 25
Disapprove 62 58 60 61 58 58 64
DK/NA 11 8 9 11 11 8 11

5. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Very satisfied 3% 2% 5% 2% 3% 3% 2% 9% 6%
Smwht satisfied 26 13 44 21 24 28 21 53 28
Smwht dissatisfied 31 28 31 34 30 32 33 20 31
Very dissatisfied 39 56 18 43 41 36 43 17 33
DK/NA 1 1 1 – 1 2 1 – 1

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Very satisfied 4% 2% 3% 3% 4% 4% 4% 3% 2%
Smwht satisfied 37 22 23 29 23 25 45 31 11
Smwht dissatisfied 32 31 31 31 32 33 32 37 25
Very dissatisfied 26 43 42 36 41 37 17 28 61
DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 – 1

TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
VERY+SMWHT SAT
High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 24 Feb 11 Dec 11 Nov 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2001 2008

Very satisfied 3 3 4 3 2 21 2
Smwht satisfied 26 28 25 26 24 47 14
Smwht dissatisfied 31 29 28 29 33 19 38
Very dissatisfied 39 40 41 41 40 10 44
DK/NA 1 – 2 1 1 3 2
6. Does the way things are going in the nation today make you more likely or less likely to vote in the elections in November this year?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

More likely 80% 89% 81% 77% 81% 80% 80% 91% 73%
Less likely 7 2 5 10 7 6 6 2 13
No diff(VOL) 12 9 13 11 11 13 12 5 10
DK/NA 1 – 1 1 1 1 1 1 3

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

More likely 82% 82% 79% 80% 83% 86% 80% 80% 84%
Less likely 7 7 6 8 4 6 6 7 7
No diff(VOL) 10 11 14 10 12 8 14 11 9
DK/NA 1 – 1 1 – – – 1 1

7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – the economy?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 44% 16% 73% 38% 42% 46% 37% 78% 57%
Disapprove 50 81 22 54 54 46 57 18 34
DK/NA 6 2 6 8 4 8 6 4 9

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 53% 41% 39% 45% 42% 49% 73% 54% 18%
Disapprove 39 55 55 48 54 48 19 39 79
DK/NA 8 4 6 7 4 3 7 7 3

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy?

APPROVE……
High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Mar 4 Mar 25
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010

Approve 44 40 39 41 41 57 39
Disapprove 50 55 57 54 54 33 57
DK/NA 6 5 5 5 6 10 5

8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – foreign policy?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 48% 19% 78% 41% 47% 48% 41% 84% 63%
Disapprove 43 71 14 49 47 39 50 7 32
DK/NA 9 10 8 9 6 12 10 9 5

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 58% 46% 41% 49% 45% 54% 78% 57% 22%
Disapprove 35 44 48 40 47 42 17 33 70
DK/NA 7 9 11 11 8 4 5 10 8

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy?

APPROVE…….
High Low
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 13 Apr 29 Jan 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010

Approve 48 48 46 46 45 57 45
Disapprove 43 42 43 43 46 32 46
DK/NA 9 10 12 11 9 11 9

9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – health care?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 44% 12% 75% 38% 42% 45% 35% 88% 51%
Disapprove 51 86 19 56 53 49 60 8 38
DK/NA 6 2 7 7 4 6 5 4 11

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 56% 39% 40% 45% 41% 43% 78% 50% 15%
Disapprove 38 58 53 47 56 56 16 43 81
DK/NA 6 3 7 8 3 1 6 6 4

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care?

PostVt PreVt APPROVE…….
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 July 2 Jan 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010

Approve 44 40 44 36 35 46 35
Disapprove 51 55 50 58 58 42 58
DK/NA 6 5 6 6 6 13 6

10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – the situation in Afghanistan?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 45% 38% 57% 43% 51% 40% 41% 72% 48%
Disapprove 40 47 33 41 38 42 43 20 45
DK/NA 14 15 10 16 10 18 16 7 7

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 49% 49% 40% 43% 46% 56% 51% 52% 35%
Disapprove 39 40 42 40 44 37 41 31 51
DK/NA 12 11 18 17 10 7 8 16 14

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation in Afghanistan?

APPROVE…….
High Low
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 13 Mar 25 Nov 18
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009

Approve 45 49 52 51 45 52 38
Disapprove 40 39 36 39 45 36 49
DK/NA 14 12 12 10 10 12 12

11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – creating jobs?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 40% 17% 67% 33% 37% 43% 34% 69% 56%
Disapprove 51 77 26 58 57 47 58 24 34
DK/NA 9 6 7 9 6 10 9 8 9

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 48% 38% 36% 43% 39% 41% 64% 50% 17%
Disapprove 43 55 54 48 57 52 27 43 76
DK/NA 9 7 10 10 5 7 9 7 7

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling creating jobs?

May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009

Approve 40 38 37 37 34 37
Disapprove 51 56 57 56 59 56
DK/NA 9 6 6 7 7 8

12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – terrorism?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 49% 21% 75% 46% 50% 48% 42% 87% 57%
Disapprove 41 70 18 43 42 41 47 10 34
DK/NA 10 9 7 11 8 11 10 3 9

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 55% 49% 44% 50% 48% 52% 74% 61% 23%
Disapprove 34 43 45 38 45 43 19 28 70
DK/NA 10 8 11 11 7 5 7 11 7

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling terrorism?

May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010

Approve 49 49 49 49 48
Disapprove 41 41 41 44 44
DK/NA 10 10 9 8 8

14. Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 48% 22% 73% 45% 45% 50% 43% 79% 49%
Disapprove 30 57 10 31 34 27 34 10 24
DK/NA 22 21 18 25 21 23 23 11 26

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 50% 49% 47% 47% 49% 57% 72% 61% 22%
Disapprove 24 34 30 28 33 31 12 17 56
DK/NA 26 17 23 25 18 12 16 23 21

15. Should Senators support or oppose Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court based only on whether she is qualified to be a justice, or should they also consider her views on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Qualifications 43% 34% 47% 48% 46% 41% 44% 35% 35%
Consider views 43 57 39 36 41 44 43 49 40
DK/NA 14 10 14 16 13 15 13 16 25

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Qualifications 43% 47% 39% 38% 47% 55% 51% 53% 31%
Consider views 45 43 41 44 45 39 41 37 52
DK/NA 12 10 20 18 8 6 9 10 17

16. If Senators did not agree with Elena Kagan on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage, do you think they would be justified, or not justified in using the filibuster to prevent her nomination from coming to a vote?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Justified 37% 63% 22% 33% 39% 35% 39% 32% 23%
Not justified 50 28 64 54 52 49 50 51 58
DK/NA 13 9 14 13 9 16 11 17 19

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Justified 35% 38% 40% 37% 43% 33% 23% 30% 54%
Not justified 55 52 45 49 51 63 66 60 34
DK/NA 10 9 15 14 6 4 11 10 13

17. Would you describe the state of the nation’s economy these days as – excellent, good, not so good, or poor?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Excellent – 2% – – – 1% – 2% 1%
Good 12 7 19 10 14 11 10 19 15
Not so good 46 42 52 44 45 47 46 47 52
Poor 40 49 26 44 40 40 43 29 32
DK/NA 1 – 2 1 1 1 1 2 –

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Excellent 1% – – – – 2% – 1% –
Good 13 13 11 12 16 13 18 16 5
Not so good 51 45 42 47 43 48 52 53 35
Poor 35 41 44 40 41 36 29 29 59
DK/NA – 1 2 1 – 1 1 1 1

TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation’s economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
EXLNT+GOOD….
High Low
May 26 Dec 22 Nov 18 Aug 6 July 2 Dec 10 Mar 4
2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2003 2009

Excellent – – – – 1 3 –
Good 12 7 8 6 7 37 3
Not so good 46 46 42 49 44 42 28
Poor 40 45 49 44 47 16 68
DK/NA 1 1 1 – 1 1 –

18. Do you think the nation’s economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Better 32% 12% 52% 30% 35% 30% 30% 42% 34%
Worse 24 31 13 27 22 25 25 17 17
The same 43 56 35 42 42 43 44 40 46
DK/NA 1 1 – 2 1 2 1 1 2

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Better 39% 31% 29% 29% 38% 36% 53% 40% 13%
Worse 17 27 25 26 20 21 15 16 38
The same 44 41 45 44 41 42 32 44 47
DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2

TREND: Do you think the nation’s economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6 July 2 Apr 29 Apr 1
2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009

Better 32 28 28 27 24 19
Worse 24 28 29 29 33 32
The same 43 43 41 42 42 47
DK/NA 1 1 2 2 2 2
19. Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy – President Obama or the Republicans in Congress?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Pres Obama 45% 10% 82% 38% 45% 45% 36% 85% 65%
Reps in Congress 36 79 7 34 40 32 43 5 20
DK/NA 19 11 12 27 15 22 21 10 15

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Pres Obama 54% 45% 40% 48% 43% 48% 79% 55% 18%
Reps in Congress 30 40 37 31 44 38 10 25 65
DK/NA 16 15 23 21 13 14 11 20 17

TREND: Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy – President Obama or the Republicans in Congress?

May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6 July 2 Apr 1 Mar 4
2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009

President Obama 45 45 47 54 55 56
Reps in Congress 36 36 36 32 27 26
DK/NA 19 19 17 14 18 18

20. Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped the economy, hurt the economy, or haven’t made a difference?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Helped 39% 12% 69% 31% 37% 41% 33% 77% 40%
Hurt 29 59 6 30 31 27 35 3 21
No difference 28 28 21 34 28 28 30 16 30
DK/NA 4 1 4 5 4 4 2 4 9

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Helped 50% 37% 34% 43% 38% 38% 68% 48% 15%
Hurt 15 34 35 25 35 29 8 17 56
No difference 31 27 26 28 25 31 20 33 27
DK/NA 4 1 5 4 2 1 5 2 2

TREND: Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped the economy, hurt the economy, or haven’t made a difference?

May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009

Helped 39 37 37
Hurt 29 28 29
No difference 28 31 31
DK/NA 4 4 4

21. Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help the economy, will hurt the economy, or won’t make a difference?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Will help 45% 12% 77% 38% 41% 48% 38% 82% 58%
Will hurt 32 65 6 35 36 29 39 3 17
No difference 18 19 13 22 19 17 18 9 26
DK/NA 5 4 4 5 4 6 5 5 –

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Will help 59% 41% 37% 48% 44% 43% 76% 54% 17%
Will hurt 21 39 35 26 43 34 8 20 61
No difference 15 17 21 20 12 20 14 21 17
DK/NA 4 3 7 6 1 3 2 5 4

TREND: Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help the economy, will hurt the economy, or won’t make a difference?

May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009

Will help 45 49 49
Will hurt 32 29 33
No difference 18 17 14
DK/NA 5 5 4

22. Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped your personal financial situation, hurt your personal financial situation, or haven’t made a difference?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Helped 16% 5% 29% 11% 15% 17% 12% 32% 30%
Hurt 29 50 6 35 31 27 34 4 21
No difference 54 45 63 52 53 54 53 60 48
DK/NA 2 – 2 2 1 2 1 4 1

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Helped 19% 18% 11% 17% 14% 15% 29% 17% 7%
Hurt 17 34 34 24 32 36 12 22 47
No difference 63 48 53 58 52 49 57 60 44
DK/NA 2 – 2 1 2 – 1 1 2

TREND: Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped your personal financial situation, hurt your personal financial situation, or haven’t made a difference?

May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009

Helped 16 15 13
Hurt 29 26 23
No difference 54 58 63
DK/NA 2 1 1

23. Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help your personal financial situation, will hurt your personal financial situation, or won’t make a difference?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Will help 28% 7% 52% 21% 25% 31% 22% 62% 42%
Will hurt 36 72 7 39 40 33 43 4 18
No difference 32 19 36 36 32 32 31 31 39
DK/NA 4 2 4 3 2 5 4 3 1

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Will help 40% 28% 20% 33% 26% 24% 53% 33% 10%
Will hurt 20 45 39 29 43 43 10 27 63
No difference 38 25 35 34 29 32 35 37 24
DK/NA 2 2 6 4 2 1 2 3 3

TREND: Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help your personal financial situation, will hurt your personal financial situation, or won’t make a difference?

May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009

Will help 28 31 33
Will hurt 36 37 36
No difference 32 30 28
DK/NA 4 2 3

24. Do you think the United States economy is in a recession now?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Yes 74% 85% 64% 76% 75% 74% 76% 63% 79%
No 21 13 29 21 22 20 20 28 18
DK/NA 5 2 7 3 3 6 4 9 3

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Yes 71% 77% 75% 75% 78% 69% 68% 72% 83%
No 25 19 19 19 20 28 28 25 14
DK/NA 3 4 6 6 2 3 4 3 3

TREND: Do you think the United States economy is in a recession now?

May 26 May 15
2010 2008

Yes 74 71
No 21 24
DK/NA 5 5

25. Do you approve or disapprove of the federal health care overhaul?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Approve 40% 13% 69% 35% 40% 41% 34% 68% 52%
Disapprove 51 83 23 54 53 50 58 23 40
DK/NA 8 4 8 11 8 9 8 9 8

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Approve 51% 37% 37% 44% 36% 44% 73% 51% 12%
Disapprove 40 59 52 46 60 54 21 41 81
DK/NA 9 4 11 10 4 1 6 8 8

TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the federal health care overhaul?

May 26 Apr 21
2010 2010

Approve 40 39
Disapprove 51 53
DK/NA 8 8

26. Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?

Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His

Right thing 49% 70% 35% 50% 55% 44% 54% 29% 42%
Shld not be inv 42 23 56 40 39 44 36 63 53
DK/NA 9 7 9 10 6 13 10 8 5

AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con

Right thing 42% 57% 46% 39% 57% 63% 35% 48% 60%
Shld not be inv 48 37 42 50 35 32 60 44 30
DK/NA 10 6 12 11 8 6 5 8 10

TREND: Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?

RIGHT THING…
High Low
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 14 Jan 14 Nov 18
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009

Right thing 49 56 55 56 59 59 48
Shouldn’t be inv 42 36 37 37 35 35 41
DK/NA 9 8 8 7 6 6 11

What could be the turning point in BP’s efforts to stop a broken oil well from gushing crude into the Gulf of Mexico remains on an uncertain schedule.

This morning, company officials had hoped to begin pumping heavy drilling mud into the well to block the oil flow, a procedure known as “top kill.”

While the method has a good track record on land, it has never before been attempted offshore at a depth of 5,000 feet. Engineers are still trying to determine how the extreme water pressure at that depth will affect the process.

In the pre-dawn hours, BP was still conducting tests on the failed Blowout Preventer (BOP) on top of the well to determine whether the company could successfully execute a top kill.

FOLLOW JONATHAN ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND KYTE.

“The tests involve pumping drilling fluids into the BOP to measure pressures and flow paths,” BP Press Officer Robert Wine explains in an email to FOX News producer Dan Gallo. “This work may take up to another day and, when complete, a decision will be made on the execution of the top kill procedure itself.”

Company officials have given the operation a 60 to 70 percent chance of success. They say the entire procedure could take up to two days.

After considerable discussion and controversy, BP agreed to continue providing a live video feed to the general public, showing the site of the well on the ocean floor during the top kill process.

The company is telling viewers to expect “significant changes” in the oil flow during the procedure and says these changes “will not provide a reliable indicator of the overall progress, or success or failure, of the top kill operation as a whole.”

Reuters reports that BP has another problem on its hands, this time in Alaska – BP-owned Alaska oil pipeline shut after spill.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline, partly owned by BP, shut down on Tuesday after spilling several thousand barrels of crude oil into backup containers, drastically cutting supply down the main artery between refineries and Alaska’s oilfields.

The accident comes at a difficult time for BP — the largest single owner of the pipeline operator, holding 47 percent — as it struggles to plug a gushing Gulf of Mexico oil well.

The shutdown followed a series of mishaps that resulted from a scheduled fire-command system test at Pump Station 9, about 100 miles south of Fairbanks, said Alyeska Pipeline Service Co, the operator of the 800-mile oil line.

The power outage triggered opening of relief valves, causing an unspecified volume of crude oil to overflow a storage tank into a secondary containment. There were no injuries, but the approximately 40 people at the work site were evacuated, Alyeska spokeswoman Michele Egan said.

North Slope oil producers have cut their flow into the pipeline’s Prudhoe Bay intake station to 16 percent of their normal rates, Egan said. There is enough storage capacity to allow the line to be shut down for 48 hours as long as producers maintain the 16 percent flow rate, she said.

It is unclear how long the shutdown will last.

Brenna Gray, wife of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray paid her last tributes to her husband yesterday. Just yesterday, we had reported the death of the great guitar player of the band Slipknot. Brenna told that she had an ‘amazing husband’ and also revealed that she was pregnant with the guitar player’s baby, which would have been the first baby for the couple. A fully Tattooed Brenna, in tears, was seen walking along with the band members.

Cause Of Death could not confirmed even after Gray’s initial post-mortem examination. Authorities told that there were no signs of foul play and the body proved to be ‘inconclusive’.

Brenna Gray was heard as saying:

‘Paul was my husband. He was an amazing person and I just want people to remember him for just that, and his daughter will remember him for the way he was.’

In front of the press after calling a press conference in their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, the lady weeping in tears was all praise for her husband. She told everyone to remember Paul in a good way, while also revealing that the bump on her belly had Paul’s first child which she told was a baby girl.

Another source told that even though the initial autopsy revealed nothing, it could take up to six weeks to find the actual cause of death.

Related posts:

1. Paul Gray Dead- No More Slipknot Bass Player: Farewell Slipknot Bassist!
2. Slipknot Bassist Paul Gray – Found Dead in a Hotel Room
3. Paul Gray Found Dead

Outspoken lensman Quentin Tarantino will be raked over the coals in a biting roast at New York’s legendary Friars Club later this year.

Honorees are ridiculed in mocking tributes during the organization’s annual event. Matt Lauer was the Friars Club’s 2008 guest of dishonor — now it’s Tarantino’s turn!

“Having seen Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, I pray that he understands that we only roast the ones we love,” Friars Club President Freddie Roman joked.

The show will take place at the New York City Hilton on Oct. 1.

If your BlackBerry is acting funny, chances are a simple reboot will do the job. The question, however, is of how to perform the proper reset. Some problems are small and can therefore be solved with a soft reset. Other problems are a bit more ingrained, and will require a hard reset. In this post we’ll go over the terms and how to accomplish them.

(more…)

Hey all, it’s time for another dash of App Catalog newness. Here’s what’s looking cool:

• iTunes Search lets you search the iTunes Store database, listen to previews, and as we saw earlier this week, set those previews as your ringtone.
• Tumbly gives you access to your Tumblr account, post your own stuff, and read what your friends are posting.
• Communicate Speed Dial offers a new option in the ever-expanding speed dial segment of the App Catalog, this time giving you the option to group your contacts and have full access to all communications avenues.

Obviously, that’s not all. If we spotlighted everything, then it wouldn’t be a spotlight. Or would it? Either way, the rest is after the break.

read more

Eco Factor: Green roofed sustainable building with natural surroundings.

Prague-based architects Chalupa Architekti have won a competition to design the new Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington DC, USA. Exhibiting deep connection with the surrounding nature, the new embassy has three distinct parts, all of which have their own story to tell.

(more…)

WASHINGTON–President Obama raised $1.7 million Tuesday night at fund-raisers in San Francisco– $1.1m for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and $600,000 for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

The price list, according to the invitation:

The cocktail reception cost $250 to $500 per person.

It’s $2,000 for the VIP reception, which includes “premium standing area at the cocktail reception,” according to the invite.

The dinner costs $35,200 per couple or $17,000 for an individual, and it includes a photo with the POTUS.

From the pool report: An official from Boxer’s campaign says there will be 1,000 people total attending the fundraisers, roughly 100 paid for the dinner. After the Fairmont events, Obama headed to a private fundraiser at the home of Ann and Gordon Getty

Megan wants to be a Pirate….

Now that her tumultuous tenure in the Transformers series is kaput, Megan Fox has her eye on a new bombshell role in another box office-slaying franchise: Fox is in chats to join Oscar nominee Johnny Depp and Academy Award winner Penelope Cruz in the next Pirates of the Caribbean flick.

Disney chiefs are reportedly on the hunt for an actress to play a sexy mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — opening next year — and a newly-unemployed Megan is itching to land the role.

“Megan is mulling over a number of big movie offers including another sci-fi franchise and a role in the next Pirates of the Caribbean,” an informant at Mouse Headquarters tattled to Britain’s Daily Mirror Wednesday. “She would play a mermaid who charms Captain Jack but she has a dark motive.”

Former Pirates stars Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom jumped ship on the series late last year, but teaming up on the silver screen with Johnny Depp is something Megan has always dreamt of, says a snoop.

“Megan has always loved Johnny and is desperate to work with him. She’s grateful to Transformers for making her name but she’s ready to move on to better and bigger things.”

The White House
Office of Media Affairs
Below, from the White House….

For Immediate Release
May 25, 2010

NEW DETAILS: President Obama Travel to Chicago, IL

WASHINGTON – On the evening of Thursday, May 27, President Obama will arrive at O’Hare International Airport. On the morning of May 28, he will depart from O’Hare, spend the day in Louisiana, and then return to O’Hare later that day. On the afternoon of Monday, May 31, 2010, President Obama will depart from O’Hare and return to Washington, D.C.

All of the arrival and departures of Air Force One at O’Hare are pooled for live television and open to pre-credentialed media.

 

EUR/USD (short term):. The pair should fall to it’s support after a limited rebound. Sell under: 1.2400. TP at 1.2250 and 1.2180. Key levels: 1.2045, 1.2180, 1.2250, 1.2322, 1.2400, 1.2480, 1.2600

GBP/USD (short term): The pair should fail to break resistance. Sell under 1.4450. TP 1.4330 and 1.4260. Key levels: 1.4150, 1.4260, 1.4330, 1.4402, 1.4450, 1.4530, 1.4635

EUR/JPY (short term): The pair is likely to break above declining trend line resistance. Buy above 110.40. TP 111.90 and 113.00. Key levels: 107.65, 108.80, 110.40, 111.41, 111.90, 113.00, 114.50

GBP/JPY (short term): The pair is on the upside. Buy above 129.00. TP 130.50 and 131.50. Key levels: 126.75, 127.70, 129.00, 130.17, 130.50, 131.50, 132.80

USD/JPY (short term): The pair on the upside. Buy above 89.90. TP 90.55 and 91.00. Key levels: 89.25, 89.55, 89.90, 90.41, 90.55, 91.00, 91.50

Source: Forexyard

Related posts:

1. Technical Analysis /12:10 GMT/ (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY) 25.05.2010.
2. Technical Analysis /17:20 GMT/ (EUR/USD, EUR/JPY, GBP/USD, GBP/JPY, USD/JPY) 21.04.2010.
3. Technical Analysis /17:20 GMT/ (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY, USD/JPY, AUD/USD/ 12.05.2010.

Campaigner Ian Sullivan asks, has the first Queen’s speech of the new parliament delivered for poor people?

We had the election and the people spoke – or said ‘hhhhmmmm, not sure’. Now we’ve entered the brave new world of hung parliaments and coalition. Yesterday was a more familiar moment for British people. We had the cosy reassurance and familiarity of the pomp and regalia of the Queen’s speech and the opening of parliament. I didn’t count the number of jewels in the crown but I couldn’t see any cuts there.

This was also the big legislative launch of the Dave and Nick show, or Libcon or Conlibs alliance, depending on where you stand. One area that I was particularly looking forward to hearing about was the commitment to legislate on the historic 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) commitment that had been made in 1970. We’ve only been waiting on this for 40 years now.

Since all three main party leaders promised to introduce this piece of legislation as part of their manifestos, I was excitedly waiting to hear the news of how and when it would happen. I was hoping that they’d get on with it, get it through parliament and onto the books. No more “promises”, “commitments”, “ambitions”, “hopes” or “dreams”. Basically, I was listening out for some cold, hard timetables and some boring official type language that pointed to imminent action. I didn’t hear it.

The good news is that the government didn’t backtrack and scrap our aid commitments. In an age of austerity (cuts to you and me) we have to be thankful for that. They did reaffirm the promise to reach the 0.7% of GDP figure by 2013. This was also put out on the Department for International Development website, and it forms part of the coalition agreement between the two parties. Compared to most rich nations, the UK is in a good position.

But the point is that legislating for 0.7% was what we were sold throughout the election. Today was a great chance to follow through on this promise and show the world that we are serious about tackling poverty. What a great message of global leadership this would have sent out ahead of the G8 and the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit later this year.

In the last ten years, international aid has achieved some pretty incredible results. We’ve seen millions more people on life saving HIV and AIDS anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and 32 million extra children in school. But there’s still more to be done.

We’ve been waiting for 40 years for the government to keep the promises they’ve made, and after today we’ll have to wait longer yet for it definitely to be in the bag.

There’s a lot to be pleased about when it comes to government aid commitments, but we can’t ease up the pressure until we see it sat in the statute books and in the budgets.

Take action and tell the government, “Don’t Drop the Ball on Aid”.

Here is something that will make you wonder “What are the chances of something like this happening?” French automaker Renault SpA, has been threatened with a lawsuit, lest the change the name of their electric car, the Renault Zoe. The person who is threatening the suit? A 23 year old French woman by the name of Zoe Renault.

“I could not bear to hear: ‘Zoe’s broken down’ or ‘We need to get Zoe overhauled’,” she told Le Parisien newspaper. Quiet frankly, we find it amusing.

Renault had chosen the name ‘Zoe’ because it means ‘life’ in Greek. A spokesman from the company said that Zoe was not a ‘definitive choice’ for the automaker. Heck, we’d be honored to have a car named after us.

The Renault Zoe is scheduled for market launch in 2012.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: AutoCar