Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

• Can Venture Capital Save The World? - Forbes

  Novogratz plays the role of auditor because, as CEO and founder of the Acumen Fund, helping people starts with financial due diligence. In April Acumen sank $1.9 million into the bank in exchange for an 18% stake, one small investment in a decadelong experiment in charitable giving. Instead of shoveling aid dollars to causes or governments that give away life-­sustaining goods and services, Acumen espouses investing money wisely in small-time entrepreneurs in the developing world who strive to solve problems, from mosquito netting to bottled water to affordable housing. It’s a new twist on the old adage about teaching a man to fish, except that Novogratz wants to build an entire fish market.

• Saudi reshuffle boosts economy team | beyondbrics

  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia appointed two heavyweights to head up the ministry of economy and planning, and the ministry of commerce and industry at a time when consolidating economic planning is crucial to maximizing the benefits of the huge spending earmarked for the coming years.

• IDF agrees to expansion of West Bank settlement - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

  ** But yeah, clearly, Israel wants peace...***

  Israel's military establishment has approved the establishment of a new, permanent neighborhood and a farm near the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The projects will go beyond the community's current built-up area, constituting an effective expansion of the Etzion Bloc of settlements toward the north and north-east. After they are completed, Jewish settlement in northern Gush Etzion will reach the edges of Bethlehem's southernmost suburbs

• Backlash for Lowe's as ads pulled from Muslim show - Yahoo! News

  Lowe's Home Improvement has found itself facing a backlash after the retail giant pulled ads from a reality show about American Muslims. The retail giant stopped advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."

• Perry continues campaign push in Iowa, faces hecklers – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

  **Oh Republican candidates...**

  "No greater example of it than this administration sending millions of dollars into the solar industry, and we lost that money," Perry began. "I want to say it was over $500 million that went to the country Solynda."

• Peter Beinart Is Right—or, a One-State Solution Is Inevitable if Settlements Continue - Atlantic Mobile

  A number of Goldblog readers have forwarded me this video of Peter Beinart speaking at the recent General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. These readers are critical of Peter's assertion that Israel is, in essence, forcing a one-state solution on itself by continuing the occupation and settlement of the West Bank. I watched the video, and, alas, I don't find much to dispute with what Peter says. This isn't the easiest thing for me to acknowledge; I disagree with much of Peter's Middle East political analysis, and I disagree with many of his peacemaking suggestions. But he's not wrong about the most crucial thing: Israel will soon enough be forced to face a choice: Grant citizenship to the Arabs of the West Bank, or cease to call itself a Jewish democracy. Here is a bit of what Peter said:

• Lauren Scruggs, Model, Walks Into Plane Propeller, Survives (VIDEO)

  A 23-year-old model and fashion editor is lucky to be alive after she accidentally walked into a small plane's propeller on Saturday. Lauren Scruggs, of Plano, Texas, was getting off a small private plane after looking at Christmas lights around the area when she walked into the moving propeller, Fox Dallas reports.

• Alec Baldwin: My Flying Lesson

  First off, I would like to apologize to the other passengers onboard the American Airlines flight that I was thrown off of yesterday. It was never my intention to inconvenience anyone with my "issue" with a certain flight attendant.

• Saudi government considers banning smartphones for public employees | Telecoms | AMEinfo.com

  The Saudi government is considering banning all public employees from using smartphones and tablets, such as iPhones, iPads, and BlackBerry devices, during working hours after receiving complaints from the public,

• Kuwait set to open $3.3bn terminal in 2016 | Aviation | AMEinfo.com

  *** Hmmm, somehow I don't see the need for 25 million passengers to commute via Kuwait... ***

  The Kuwaiti ministry of public works has said a new, KD900m ($3.3bn) passenger terminal presently under construction at Kuwait International Airport is due to open in September 2016, Zawya Dow Jones has reported. The new terminal will have capacity to accommodate 13 million passengers annually in the first stage, with the ability to increase this number to 25 million and to 50 million in later stages.

• Facebook makes Gowalla acquisition | Media and Advertising | AMEinfo.com

  Facebook has acquired location sharing service Gowalla for an undisclosed sum, CNN has reported. Most of Gowalla's employees, including founder Josh Williams, will move to Facebook's offices in Palo Alto. The team will work on Facebook's Timeline feature, which launched at this year's F8 conference and is gradually rolling out to Facebook's 800 million members.

• Putin's Treasure Dive Find Was Staged: Spokesman

  ** I don't believe it, it was staged!?!?***

  The widely publicized incident in which Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pulled up ancient Greek jug fragments from the seabed on a diving expedition was staged, his chief spokesman said. The August dive in the Kerch Strait that connects the Black and Azov seas was reported extensively in Russian and overseas media. Putin is noted for his habit of appearing in vigorous and adventurous settings, including fishing while stripped to the waist and riding with leather-clad motorcyclists.

• President Obama calls on Bill Clinton to help unveil energy efficiency program for office buildings - 44 - The Washington Post

  President Obama will announce on Friday a partnership with private companies to invest $4 billion toward making federal government and commercial office buildings more energy-efficient, a program the administration predicted could create tens of thousands of jobs. The program is part of a Better Buildings Initiative that Obama outlined in his State of the Union address in January to increase the energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020.

• Nearly half German city to evacuate Sunday for defusing of WWII era bomb - News - Stripes

  About 45,000 residents of the German city of Koblenz, nearly half of the city’s population, are under evacuation orders Sunday following the discovery of what local officials said was one of the largest unexploded bombs ever found, believed to have been dropped by the British Royal Air Force during World War II. The nearly 4,000-pound bomb, packed with more than 3,000 pounds of explosives, as well as other unexploded ordnance, were discovered in the Rhine River, where the water levels have dropped significantly due to a lack of rain over the past few weeks, according to local authorities.

• 5 Corporations Who Owe Americans Thanks This Thanksgiving Day | Death and Taxes

  Forming a corporation means never having to say you’re sorry. It’s very structure is built around the idea that no one is culpable for wrong action. However, since Citizens United vs. FEC dictated to every American citizen that corporations are people (in their totality), we think that like any good person, they should give thanks where required. Here are five corporations and banks who were either bailed out in recent years or who pay next to nothing in federal taxes.

• Dubai to star in shoot-'em-up computer game - Media - ArabianBusiness.com

  A shoot-em-up computer game which pits gamers against a hostile sandstorm-ravaged Dubai is set to be released next year, its creators have said. Publisher 2K Games said that its much anticipated military shooter Spec Ops: The Line will be released in spring 2012.

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