After bin Laden’s death, what’s next for the U.S. and al-Qaida?

          Bin Laden's death could trigger a backlash against Americans and other Westerners by those who had strong feelings of affinity for the al-Qaida leader. He remained hugely popular in much of the Middle East.  al-Qaida as an institution is unlikely to be in a position to organize a sophisticated counter-response to bin Laden's death, at least for the time being. Al Qaida's style is to run well-organized operations that involve complex moving parts which simultaneously converge on a high profile target.  Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had become symbolic rather than command and control leaders over al-Qaida assets in recent years. Killing bin Laden removes the symbol, but he could become a rallying martyr in the eyes of some extremists.
           Al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian cleric who remains at large, was an operational and strategic force in building and animating al Qaeda alongside bin Laden. He now becomes the most wanted terrorist in the world.  Bin Laden's death will affect the war in Afghanistan in the sense that the hunt for him was one of the primary rationales for the invasion.  This is the prize George W. Bush wanted and couldn't achieve before the end of his term.  The killing of bin Laden shores up Barack Obama's hard power credentials and will force political opponents like Donald Trump and Sarah Palin to change their talking points.  President Obama approached the bin Laden challenge seriously, cautiously, and showed a focused earnestness in bringing him to justice.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/20110502/pl_yblog_exclusive/after-bin-ladens-death-whats-next-for-the-u-s-and-al-qaida

NFL Players and Owners

       This cartoon shows the NFL Owners and the players fighting over money, and it looks like the players are trying to take the money from the owners.

15 Athletes Gone Bankrupt

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42766400/?slide=1

Summer Job

        This cartoon displays a student and a laid-off worker applying for a summer job to cut grass.  However, this represents the struggle of workers to find jobs and how they now have to compete with teenagers and young adults for low-end jobs.

NCAA formally charges Jim Tressel with lies, coverup of OSU violations

         Initially, before coach Jim Tressel was outed for essentially lying to his bosses and the NCAA, it looked like Ohio State was getting off kind of easy.  That, of course, was before Tressel's long-running, deliberate coverup of the violations saw the light of day, and before it became clear that the NCAA — and possibly the higher-ups at Ohio State themselves — had been misled by one of the most respected men in the profession.   Between November 2008 and May 2010, multiple student-athletes received preferential treatment and "sold institutionally issued athletics awards, apparel and equipment to Edward Rife, owner of a local tattoo parlor," adding up to more than $13,000 in cash, free tattoos, a loan and a discount on a used car one of the players bought from Rife.
       Per standard procedure, Ohio State has 90 days to reply to the allegations by substantially agreeing or disagreeing with the findings (with copious documentation either way), after which it will appear in front of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, which will hand down a verdict and sentencing, which will then be appealed, etc.  As punishment after the 2011 season Ohio State could face the following: vacated wins, a postseason ban and possible scholarship restrictions are very much on the table, as is Tressel's job, arguably the safest seat in college football at the start of the year.

NFL Draft

       This week the NFL will still be have it's annual NFL Draft despite the lockout.  In the NFL, players being drafted are like huge investments.  Over the years, rookie salaries have increased at an alarming rate, so for a horrible team finding a franchise player can be a bit costly with it's risks and rewards.  However, teams who are looking for late round steals and sleeper picks trade down into the draft in order to acquire more picks around the same area on the board to find guys.  With the NFL being in a lockout, it's crucial for teams with high picks to find the right guy so they won't have a "bust" on their hands who wasted millions of dollars. 

To see some of the biggest busts of all-time you can go to  http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/The-worst-No-7-pick-ever-Choosing-biggest-bust?urn=nfl-wp1194

‘The Avengers’ looking for extras

        There have been many movies where scenes have been shot in Ohio, preferribly Cleveland.  However, Marvel Studios will hire more than 2,000 people to have bit parts in the new movie "The Avengers" when filmmakers begin shooting in August.  The production will be the largest feature film ever made in Ohio.  The Avengers film is about a popular group of Marvel Comics superheroes and stars Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson.  But if you miss out at being an extra in this film, you will have other chances because 10 other movies are to be filmed here soon.  The Greater Cleveland Film Commission said the city is becoming a prime location for Hollywood film producers.