Word: tasks
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...President-elect has always understood how to maximize photo ops for political ends, and his first day in Washington was no exception. Obama's task was to look like a man in charge, reaching out to Republican and Democratic members of Congress, followed by photo ops and statements that could be read as closely as the oracles. Would the Republican House minority leader, John Boehner, thank Obama for making a courtesy call or praise their "productive discussions"? Would Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell demand for Republicans a bigger seat at the legislative drafting table or simply welcome...
...complexity of this task is magnified by the nature of the spending. Obama officials have suggested that as much as 40% of the stimulus spending will come in the form of tax cuts - the preference of Republicans - including rebates for individuals and business investment. That disclosure has already sparked grumbling among more liberal Democratic activists. Some parts of the stimulus package, like a possible extension of unemployment benefits, will prove to be politically popular. But a large chunk of the spending will come in the form of federally funded infrastructure investment, the sort of spending that is typically doled...
...Them, whose vigorous attempts to shake off the label ("It's not what you think of as a traditional self-help book...I chose instead to look at the context of these lives, to tell people's stories"), just end up making the author sound slightly embarrassed by his task. Not that he should be. There's plenty of interesting stories among the more than 50 presented in the book, but it's just not clear what they amount to. Short and lacking depth (most of the tales average four pages or so), the advice offered is fairly shallow...
...What Suzman found most inexcusable was how the party that was supposed to transform the lives of black South Africans had failed so miserably at its primary task. "There are miles and miles and miles of shantytowns today, many more than before," she said. "No running water, no sewerage, nothing. There are, yes, a handful of extremely rich people whose lives have changed dramatically. But the vast majority have been left behind. Unemployment is 26%. And we have a serious crime problem, and the link is clear: people are getting fed up with this non-delivery of policies, and understandably...
...year of the green for Harvard. In July, Faust announced the University would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below 2006 levels by 2016, the headline recommendation of a task force she convened last February to fashion a sustainability plan for Harvard. And to build enthusiasm for the issue, Harvard held a week-long sustainability fest complete with a speech from eco-celebrity and former Vice President Al Gore '69. And even in the midst of a deepening financial crisis, administrators said Harvard's green commitment will continue unabated...