1. Obama pledges U.S. military power in Pacific
CNN 2011-11-16
Canberra, Australia (CNN) -- President Barack Obama declared Thursday that the United States will take an expanded role in shaping the Asian Pacific region, with an increased military presence one step of that policy.
"Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in this region," Obama said in a speech to the Australian Parliament. "The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay."
On Wednesday, his government announced an agreement with Australia that will expand military cooperation between the longtime allies and boost America's presence in the region.
In Thursday's speech, Obama made clear that the military expansion is a top priority in the wake of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, even as the United States faces the need to reduce mounting federal deficits and debt.
"As we end today's wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia Pacific a top priority," Obama said. "As a result, reductions in U.S. defense spending will not -- I repeat, will not -- come at the expense of the Asia Pacific."
2. Why They Love Edward and Hermione
The Wall Street Journal NOVEMBER 19, 2011
Young readers are snapping up supernatural fiction thanks to characters as weird as teens themselves
Associated Press
Uncanny love Fans at the 'Breaking Dawn' premiere last week.
When "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" opened at midnight Thursday night, the theaters were packed with giddy teenagers ready for the latest installment of the vampires-and-werewolves tale.
As teenagers we exist in extremes. During those angst-filled years, emotions are raw and fresh, and life experiences are few, so every feeling is intense and unprecedented. It's easy to go blind within the brackets of our adolescent years; it's easy to forget that an entire future outside of high school still exists.
At 16, we're never the right color, the right shape, the right kind of rich or poor. We're unique, just like everyone else; we're misunderstood and stereotyped, just like everyone else. We're each very different and therefore exactly the same.
Supernatural and paranormal fiction mimics these feelings perfectly. Characters with strange powers, circumstances and destinies are different from their peers and, in being different, give teenagers someone to connect with.
In many ways, life is much harder in adolescence. We feel trapped as teens; we're too young to move away or get a job, and we're not yet articulate enough to tell the resident bully in our lives to go to hell.
3. Conservatives Ride Crisis to Victory in Spanish Vote
The Wall Street Journal NOVEMBER 21, 2011
MADRID—Spain's conservative opposition won a sweeping electoral victory on Sunday, in the latest sign that Europe's financial crisis is remaking the political map.
Conservatives Sweep Elections
Spain became the third ailing euro-zone economy to see a change of government in recent weeks, as the Popular Party won a strong mandate to overhaul one of the currency bloc's largest ailing economies, after administrations in Italy and Greece collapsed over their inability to push through economic overhauls demanded by the European Union and financial markets.
This political turmoil has triggered a dangerous new phase of the region's sovereign-debt crisis, sending borrowing costs soaring for even the most highly rated countries like the Netherlands and France.
The Popular Party captured 44.6%, according to official results, giving it 186 seats in Spain's 350-seat Parliament. Following a sweeping victory in May regional and municipal elections, Spain's conservatives have a near lock on power at all levels of government in highly decentralized Spain.
The Socialists, on the other hand, captured 28.7% of the vote, their worst result since Spain's transition to democracy.
| 4. 'Super committee' fails to reach agreement - CNN.com CNN 2011-11-21  | |
If super committee fails, what's next?
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and congressional leaders traded blame Monday for the failure of the congressional "super committee" to forge a deficit reduction deal, but they also called for Congress to work out an agreement before painful automatic budget cuts take place in 2013.
Earlier, the co-chairs of the bipartisan special joint committee said in a statement that "after months of hard work and intense deliberations, we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee's deadline."
Markets dropped as news spread of the panel's expected failure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248 points Monday, with a minor recovery after being down more than 300 points earlier in the afternoon.
沒有留言:
張貼留言