LyrArc Article Gist
Questions being raised about the Obama administration's approach to the war in Syria.

LyrArc Article Gist
Goldfarb says everyone is focussed on the "fiscal cliff," yet there are other issues which when put together could lead to a drop of 1 percentage point in growth and add a million people to the jobless. The temporary payroll tax cut for 160 million workers was setup in Dec. 2010. The payroll tax which funds Social Security is 4.2% since then, down from 6.2%, adding about $1000 for the average family to spend. The unemployment insurance benefits which expire for millions of people will also have an impact. As will the $60 billion in spending cuts on domestic and defense spending under an agreement made in the summer of 2012.

LyrArc Article Gist
George Will describes the views of Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on "too-big-to-fail" risks in the U.S. banking system.

LyrArc Article Gist
The Obama administration's misleading statements about the true nature of events during the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Intelligence officials providing testimony to Congress say there were no spontaneous demonstrations before the attack as stated in the administration's version, and efforts to protect the diplomatic mission were stymied by the State Dept and officials in the Obama administration. A dangerous situation was left without the needed attention and action, leading to the tragedy for America's diplomatic mission and the loss of life for brave diplomats helping the Libyan people struggle for freedom.

LyrArc Article Gist
Trends towards fresher ingredients, preparation on the spot, and larger variety of vegetables and fruits in fast food chains in 2012-2013.

LyrArc Article Gist
Increased mortgage lending helped Wells Fargo achieve a 22% increase in profit to $4.9 billion for the 3rd quarter of 2012.

LyrArc Article Gist
Profits from mortgage lending helped JPMorgan increase profits by 34% to $5.71 billion in the 3rd quarter of 2012.

LyrArc Article Gist
Maurice Faure, the last living signatory of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, setting the path to the setup of the European Union, said the award of the Nobel Peace prize to the European Union and the many Europeans who struggled to establish the EU was "an official recognition of what we developed, notably peace." He added that "the European Union is a work in progress." Starting with France and Germany, then bringing in Spain and Portugal with the condition that democracy is established in the two countries, and bringing in Croatia and Montenegro, and now Serbia, it has moved froward step by step to establish reconciliation between the countries in Europe after a century of conflicts and wars. Critics outside the eurozone and inside said the award of the prize was ludicrous considering the differences between Germany and the countries of southern Europe over austerity policies. Looking back Faure's remark that the European Union is a work in progress is true today as it was during the setting up of the European Economic Community, and one could add a work that was never easy in the past to bridge differences and does not look any different in the future. There is a tendency to forget or lose sight of the difficulties in the early years when German chancellor Adenauer and France's Monnet worked to lay the groundwork for Germany and France to work together. German chancellor Merkel described the award as both recognition of the efforts and "an obligation" for the future....

LyrArc Article Gist
China's Nobel prize winner Mo Yan says he hopes democarcy activist and dissident Liu Xiaobo is released soon.