President Barack Obama holds a meeting on the economy with his advisors in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Nov. 15, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Archive for November 15th, 2010
15
Nov
10
it’s all bad news! really?
MSNBC: A GM success story? The biggest political story that few are talking about right now? GM’s initial public stock offering, which is set for this Thursday. Looks like it’s going to be a big success and a case where the government may just make money on this deal. This has the potential of being a very good story for the Obama White House, as well as a success of government intervention. Where would the unemployment rate be in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio if GM not gotten major government assistance?
AFP: US retail sales rose faster than expected in October, official figures showed Monday, with the auto sector leading the way.
Retail and food services rose 1.2% from September … that was much better than the 0.7% increase expected by economists.
Auto and other motor vehicle dealers saw business grow 5.7%, more than any other sector. Top US carmakers had earlier reported strong sales in October.
GM, the nation’s largest automaker, said its sales in the United States in October were up 3.5% from a year ago.
Ford, the second-biggest automaker and the only one that did not take government aid during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, reported October sales were up 19%
Chrysler, which was also saved from ruin by a government bailout, said its car sales rose a strong 37% in October compared with a year earlier, marking the seventh consecutive month of increases.
15
Nov
10
toys!
HuffPost: Last week, President Obama visited Japan to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. He also took some time out to interact with the country’s advanced robots.
Obama listened to the croonings of the HRP-4C singing android and petted a moving, squealing plush seal ‘bot used to cheer hospital patients.
The president’s hosts also sat him down in the futuristic Toyota i-Real, a single-person pod car that reaches speeds of up to 15km/hr, reports TechCrunch.
Though Obama wasn’t quite up for the challenge of driving the i-Real, he did say “That’s what we’re going to be driving” as he exited the vehicle.
“Meeting with robots was probably more enjoyable than the often tough negotiations attended in recent days,” Obama said, according to NewsKF.
President Barack Obama observes the Cybernetic Human Robot prior to the start of the APEC dinner at the Pacifico Yokohama Conference Center in Yokohama, Japan, Nov. 13, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
15
Nov
10
picture perfect: no 23
President Barack Obama talks with Jack Lew on the Colonnade of the White House, after he announced Lew’s nomination to replace Peter Orszag as director of the Office of Management and Budget, July 13, 2010. At left, Bo, the Obama family dog, waits for the President inside the doorway of the Outer Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
See all the Picture Perfect photos here
The Obama Diary 