2012, Unions

        This cartoon shows the elephant representing Republicans reading the Mayan calendar. As we all know, the Mayan calendar says the world will end in 2012, but the Republican says "unless public unions give up more benefits".

Carmelo Anthony Trade is finalized

      NBA Superstar Carmelo Anthony is finally being traded to the New York Knicks after Tuesday in a 3 team trade.   The trade also involved the Denver Nuggets along with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Denver is receiving-- Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton(notes), Wilson Chandler(notes), the Knicks’ 2014 first-round pick, two second-round picks (New York acquired from the Golden State Warriors in the David Lee sign-and-trade) and $3 million.


The Timberwolves received-- Anthony Randolph(notes) and Eddy Curry’s(notes) expiring contract  


Knicks receive-- Corey Brewer(notes)(from Minnesota), Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups(notes), Shelden Williams(notes), Renaldo Balkman(notes) and Anthony Carter.


       The biggest detail in the deal is Carmelo signing a 3-year $65 million contract extension, which if he doesn't sign, it may not be available to him after the current NBA collective bargaining agreement expires after the season.  Also, Billups can have the final year of his contract bought out after the season for about $3.7 million, but a league source said the Knicks plan to keep him.  The New Jersey Nets were willing to trade Derrick Favors (rookie drafted #3 overall this year) and four future first round picks for Carmelo Anthony but he was unwilling to sign an extension with New Jersey.
       This trade is starting to broaden a trending pattern where big money market teams are starting to stock pile superstars together such as Boston, Miami, and The Lakers have already done.  While small market teams are stuck with future draft picks and decent and good young talent to build their franchise upon.  However, to do this many role players on these big market teams have cut their salaries for cap room.  Before a team evens lands multiple superstars, the team trades away players in order to create cap space to land big name players.  Teams are trying to do this now because after the NBA's current collective bargaining agreement expires; the max salary for NBA superstars will decrease, in part with the economy also.

Sweethearts

      This is a picture of an elephant representing the Reuplican party and his wife which is the Tea Party, and teh Tea Party is concerned on how much the Republicans are spending because the Tea Party basically operates through the Republican Party.  So, the Tea Party is the one enforcing less spending.
       

Budget-Cutting Tools

      This cartoon has chainsaw with the GOP under it, and a potato peeler with Obama under it.  This represents how the GOP wants to cut the deficit and how Obama is trying to cut the deficit.  From the picture you can tell this is a Republican biased.

Obama sends Congress $3.73 trillion budget

     President Barack Obama has sent Congress a $3.73 trillion budget that holds out the prospect of eventually bringing deficits under control through spending cuts and tax increases, but the blueprint largely ignores his own deficit commission's recommendations to slash huge programs like Social Security and Medicare.  Overall, Obama proposed trimming the deficits by $1.1 trillion over a decade although his changes would actually add to the deficits this year and next. Obama is projecting the deficit will hit an all-time high of $1.65 trillion this year and then drop sharply to $1.1 trillion in 2012.
    I think lowering the deficit is going to take time; however, that is one thing Obama doesn't have. If he doesn't get re-elected I bet the next president will take his (Obama's) ideas into action then take all the credit.  In this economic situation, everyone's patience has been tested.

Republican Caterpillar

    This picture shows a Caterpillar representing the Republicans spending cuts, and it is eating a apple that represents the deficit.  The caterpillar is eating much of the deficit.  This shows that the Republicans aren't really trying to decrease the deficit.

Business Outsourcing

   This cartoon shows business being married to State Government but is having an affair with Job Outsourcing.  Business thinks there is nothing wrong with outsourcing jobs but the state government disagrees.

Super Bowl Ads

        Many people watch the Super Bowl not only for the game but for the advertising.  A two-minute ad for Chrysler starring Eminem and a Volkswagen ad featuring a mini-Darth Vader that went viral before it even aired were two of the most talked-about spots during advertising's big night.  Chrysler was one of nine automakers that took advantage of advertising's biggest and most expensive showcase, at $3 million for 30 seconds.  According to the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, the best-scoring ads featured dogs.  Volkswagen released their ad early on Youtube.com and it had than 13 million views before the game even started.
       I believe the commercials weren't as good as past ones.  The worst one, in my opinion, was the Lipton tea one with Eminem in it, and he's saying why he doesn't do advertisements.  However, they did a poor job of marketing and displaying the product.  Doritos had the better commercials.  Especially the one where the Doritos brought things back to life.  


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Super-Bowl-ads-Eminem-Darth-apf-3611594490.html?x=0

Financial crisis report

        This cartoon shows a couple men wanting to solve the financial crisis.  In the cartoon, the commission is the republicans, democrats, and another man; they are blaming everybody.  However, they still didn't solve the blame and refuse to blame themselves.