Cartoons of the Week

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I love these cartoons. Definitely check out Time.com's "Cartoons of the week" series. It keeps you thinking, entertained, and smiling for a long while. Click on the source to explore other pictures like this.

What Would Jesus Buy?

Posted by Brad Tuttle Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 3:00 pm

The popular "prosperity gospel" preached to the adoring masses is being blamed for putting a lot of believers deeply into debt that they'll likely never pay off. Guess they just aren't good enough Christians.

The December issue of The Atlantic asks, quite provocatively: Did Christianity Cause the Crash?

Preachers have been telling their congregations that God wants them to be rich, to reward them with all the material possessions they desire. Forget about "living simply so that others may simply live." Forget about that business about creating false idols. Forget about rewards delivered only in the afterlife. If you want something bad enough—a giant McMansion, a Beemer, a new smartphone, an entertainment center loaded with video games for your kids, whatever—and you're a good enough Christian, God will give you whatever you seek, so long as you believe. No matter the actual plausibility, it's an enticing message: Prosperity sounds like way more fun than poverty, no doubt.

Sure, blind faith can cause people to make poor decisions. Blaming the prosperity gospel message for the subprime loan mess, the greater economic crash, and countless home foreclosures seems like a stretch—but the article's writer, Hanna Rosin, makes a compelling case. The Mercedes-driving pastor featured in the story, Fernando Garay, was known to sell his message alongside mortgages:

From 2001 to 2007, while he was building his church, Garay was also a loan officer at two different mortgage companies. He was hired explicitly to reach out to the city's growing Latino community, and Latinos, as it happened, were disproportionately likely to take out the sort of risky loans that later led to so many foreclosures. To many of his parishioners, Garay was not just a spiritual adviser, but a financial one as well.

This is not an isolated case of churches joining forces with banks and mortgage operations. Rosin cites example after example of messages about God stepping in to tell loan officers to approve mortgages for buyers with bad credit or insufficient income to warrant the loan. Baltimore, for example, is suing Wells Fargo for predatory loans that treated minorities unfairly. Here's how the operations worked, according to a former loan officer named Beth Jacobson:

The idea of reaching out to churches took off quickly, Jacobson recalls. The branch managers figured pastors had a lot of influence with their parishioners and could give the loan officers credibility and new customers. Jacobson remembers a conference call where sales managers discussed the new strategy. The plan was to send officers to guest-speak at church-sponsored “wealth-building seminars” like the ones Bowler attended, and dazzle the participants with the possibility of a new house. They would tell pastors that for every person who took out a mortgage, $350 would be donated to the church, or to a charity of the parishioner's choice. “They wouldn't say, ‘Hey, Mr. Minister. We want to give your people a bunch of subprime loans,” Jacobson told me. “They would say, ‘Your congregants will be homeowners! They will be able to live the American dream!'”

Using God's name to coax people into making bad financial decisions: That sounds like marketing—pretty darn evil marketing at that—not the work of the Lord.

A few pages away from Rosin's story, it should be noted, is a profile of Dave Ramsey, the cash-only, no credit card, no debt, never-borrow finance guru who also happens to base much of his philosophy on Jesus and the Bible. His own financial enlightenment came about thusly:

… searching for help in his hour of need, he turned to the Bible and discovered Proverbs 22:7: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave of the lender.”

(The Atlantic is doing some great, really provocative stuff of late: I am also a big fan of the enormous, eye-opening story the mag did not long ago on health care reform. The suggestions went beyond reform, really, to reinventing it, rebuilding the system as a whole, not merely tweaking it to cover a few million more people with the same broken, inefficient system we have right now.)

Forcing yourself to be responsible and disciplined—that's Ramsey's gospel, one that's not nearly as mystical or mysterious as the "believe and it shall be" word of the prosperity school. To folks who desperately hope for a jackpot-style immediate lifestyle turnaround, the instant magic that's supposed to come via blind faith is far more attractive than Ramsey's prudent, slow-going approach. Ramsey's advice is certainly more realistic, though. Do you really need to spend the $220 it costs for some seats at his seminars to get that message? That's a different issue. Everyone is selling something, I suppose.

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Commentary

A large number of Christians, including a large majority of my friends, believe greed and materialism is sanctioned by the Bible and God.

Who can blame them when the church isn't adamantly fighting against this war.
It's easier to succumb to the dollar than to fight for the divine, humble, and immaterial.

Tuition Hikes: Protests in California and Elsewhere

By Kevin O'Leary / Los Angeles Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

UC Berkeley students hang out in Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California.

Justin Sullivan / Getty

Facing reductions in state funding, public universities from Michigan to Arizona to North Carolina have slashed budgets and hiked tuition. The most extreme case is California where University of California regents voted this week to increase tuition a whopping 32% to more than $10,000 annually — a three-fold increase in a decade. The move was greeted by student demonstrations.

During two days of protests at UCLA, where the UC regents met to vote on the fee increase, about 2,000 students from the 10-campus system confronted riot police, shouted slogans and blocked building exits. Like a scene out of the angry 1960s, students surged against barricades and briefly seized a building near the main campus quad; police used taser guns on several protesters, and arrested nearly 20. All the while, police helicopters hovered overhead, TV vans with high antennas stood ready and students played drums and strummed guitars.

At a sit-down strike that blocked vehicles from leaving, UCLA student leader Michael Hawley spoke through his bullhorn, "We want one regent to come out to speak to us about why the world's richest country will be denying some students higher education next quarter." Police responded by telling demonstrators they had three minutes to leave before being arrested. Then, forming a flying wedge, police led a small group of regents to another building.

Addressing 100 students blocking a parking garage driveway defended by eight visored police with billy clubs, UCLA Sophomore Chiemela Okwandu told the crowd, "This is our university. We can sleep here if we want." Speaking to TIME, Okwandu said the $2,500 tuition increase will be a major problem for many students. "Some of my friends won't be here next quarter. Before it was a question of how smart you were. Now, it's do you have enough money to pay for school." Veronica Hernandez, who grew up in East LA and attends UC Riverside, said, "It took a long time for minorities to increase their numbers at the University of California. Now those numbers are going to go down." University officials say many students would be shielded from the effects of the tuition hike by additional financial aid.

UC President Mark G. Yudof said the tuition increase is unfortunate: "When you have no money, you have no money." And the budget woes in Sacramento continue. California's budget analyst announced this week that the state is facing another huge deficit next year — $21 billion of red ink. (See pictures of college mascots.)

Amid signs reading "RIP Affordable Education" and "California #1 in Prison Spending, #48 in Education," Emily Bischof, a fourth year geography and environmental studies major at UCLA said the cuts are significant. "Upper division classes that once had 30 students now have 80 or 100 students and there are no teaching assistants. Professors are giving true-false, multiple choice Scantron exams." Nicole Garner, a fourth year at UC Riverside, blames the state's famous tax revolt for the university's financial troubles. "Proposition 13 has to go," Garner said.

In addition to the mass protest at UCLA, students at UC Davis, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz occupied buildings to signal their displeasure with the fee increase. At UC Davis, more than 50 people were arrested Thursday on misdemeanor trespassing charges for refusing to leave Mrak Hall. At UC Berkeley, students took control of the second floor of Wheeler Hall on Friday before campus police arrested three students and at UC Santa Cruz protesters occupied a building and issued a list of demands to the campus administration.

From 2002 to 2006, the share of educational costs represented by student tuition rose from just over one-third to nearly one-half at public four year institutions across the country. "Students are paying more and getting less in the classroom," says Jane Wellman, author of "Trends in College Spending," a report by the Delta Project, a Washington, DC nonprofit that tracks postsecondary education costs. The amount of money spent on instruction has declined at all institutions — public and private —since 2002.

The main reason that costs — and tuition — are rising at public universities is a drop in state support. According to Wellman, in 2006, state taxpayers spent $7,078 per student at public research universities. That's nearly $1,300 less than in 2002. Any spending increase has been largely for administration, maintenance and student services, not instruction. At many public universities, the deep recession has made the situation worse.

In Lansing, Michigan, this week approximately 30 Michigan State University students and faculty picketed the state capitol to protest budget cuts and tuition hikes at Michigan's public universities. In a state hammered by the recession, in-state and out-of-state students at the University of Michigan saw tuition rise 11.6% between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 academic years to $11,659 and $34,937, respectively. In Arizona, two tuition hikes within five months added $1,000 to the bills of incoming freshman. For the new students at Arizona State University, tuition and fees spiked 20% to $6,840 a year.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a group of students on Wednesday protested a plan by the UNC Board of Trustees' audit and finance committee to raise tuition 5.2% for undergraduates. Trustees said increase would generate nearly $4 million for the campus and would allow the university to continue to compete for top faculty.

Regents at the 174,000-student University of Wisconsin system have adopted tuition hikes of 5.5% for the past three years. UW System President Kevin P. Reilly says the "modest and predictable" increases have allowed the university to avoid curbing enrollment or cutting programs even as class sizes increase. UW-Madison's tuition still ranks as one of the lowest in the Big 10.

But in California, Jeff Bleich, the outgoing chair of the 23-campus 450,000-student California State University system, warns, "California is on the verge of destroying the system [of higher education] that once made this state great." Disinvesting in higher education is an economic mistake says the UC Berkeley law school graduate, "For every dollar the state invests in a CSU student, it receives $4.41 in return."

Speaking for public university presidents across the nation, UW's Reilly says, "It is simply not possible to maintain the integrity of our academic programs, the quality of our university experience, without raising tuition — particularly in the face of ongoing declines in state support."

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Defund education and defund our future. If you're 40 and you plan on living a comfortable lifestyle at 60, then you need teenagers and Young Adults to keep the revolution going.

We've had such leaps in technology because of our Education Revolution.

UN condemns Iran's response to post-election unrest

The resolution criticised official harassment since the election

A key UN committee has voted to approve a non-binding resolution condemning Iran for its crackdown on protesters following June's disputed elections.

The resolution also repeated annual criticism of Iran's human rights record, including the use of torture and an increasing execution rate.

It urged Tehran to end persecution of political opponents and release those imprisoned for their political views.

Iran's UN ambassador dismissed the resolution as politically motivated.

Mohammad Khazaee said such measures had "created an atmosphere of confrontation and polarisation" at the UN.

Friday's text was approved by 74 votes to 48 with 59 abstentions, which the US said was "the largest vote margin on such a resolution on Iran in the UN ever".

'Deep concern'

Deputy state department spokesman Robert Wood said it demonstrated the international community was "deeply concerned" about the human rights situation in Iran.

Powers 'disappointed' by response Q&A: Nuclear issue

The resolution expresses "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations" in Iran.

But it said there was "particular concern" at the Iranian government's response to the 12 June elections and the "concurrent rise in human rights violations".

It comes as the major powers said they were disappointed with Iran's response to an offer of a deal over its nuclear programme.

President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad was declared the winner of June's election, resulting in large scale protests by supporters of opposition candidates who said the poll had been rigged.

The UN committee criticised the subsequent "harassment, intimidation and persecution, including by arbitrary arrest, detention or disappearance" of opponents of the government.

It also condemned alleged abuses of those in prison and "numerous deaths and injuries" in the crackdown.

The BBC's Barbara Plett in New York says some of those countries which did not vote for the resolution did have concerns about the state of political rights in Iran, but objected to the practice of singling out specific countries for condemnation.

Saudi Arabia broke ranks with Muslim nations and voted in favour of the resolution, possibly because it accuses Iran of backing Shia rebels in neighbouring Yemen, says our correspondent.

On Friday, following meetings in Brussels, the six world powers negotiating with Iran said they were disappointed by Tehran's failure to respond positively to a recent deal on its nuclear programme.

Iran has rejected the offer, which would allow it to continue to develop a nuclear reactor by exporting uranium to other countries to be enriched.

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EU president and Foreign Affairs Chief- Profiles

The European Union has selected a new president to chair EU summits and represent the bloc on the world stage, as well as a new foreign policy chief. The way was cleared by the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic.

PRESIDENT: HERMAN VAN ROMPUY - BELGIUM

The low-key Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, had emerged as the frontrunner for the presidency post before being confirmed in the role.

Profile: Herman van Rompuy

He is seen as a consensus-builder who would not upstage the leaders of the big powers who call the shots in Europe. He has been described as pragmatic rather than charismatic and was reportedly backed by France and Germany.

A Christian Democrat, he was appointed prime minister of Belgium in December 2008, having held the position of president of the lower house of parliament since July 2007.

THE PRESIDENT'S ROLE Chosen by 27 member states by qualified majority vote Two-and-a-half-year term Can be re-elected once Chairs EU summits Drives forward the work of EU Council of Ministers Facilitates cohesion and consensus Represents the EU on the world stage Send us your comments

During his time as budget minister in the Christian Democrat-led government, he took a tough stance on balancing the economic books, drastically reducing the country's public debt.

An avid blogger, the 62-year-old has also penned several books, mainly on social and political issues.

He is seen in linguistically divided Belgium as a unifying force, taking an even-handed approach to resolving conflicts between the Dutch and French-speaking communities - skills that should serve him well in the new top job.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEF: CATHERINE ASHTON - UK

Baroness Catherine Ashton, 53, has been the EU's trade commissioner for little more than a year.

Her nomination as Europe's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs caps a rapid political rise.

Profile: Baroness Ashton

When she was appointed to the Commission her credentials were questioned.

But she is widely regarded to have proved a success in the post over the past year.

She has led trade negotiations with key partners such as China, and argued the case for free trade in the face of the worst recession in EU history.

Before being sent to Brussels, Baroness Ashton held a number of ministerial posts, steadily rising through the Labour Party ranks.

She served in the department of education and the ministry of constitutional affairs before Gordon Brown promoted her to Leader of the Lords when he became prime minister in 2007.

She had a varied career before entering Parliament, starting off in an administrative capacity at the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in the late 1970s before working in business and as a freelance policy adviser.

She is married to the former journalist and respected pollster Peter Kellner.

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Belgian PM named as EU president

European Council leaders have elected a president under the rules of the newly-adopted Lisbon Treaty. But how does the position compare to that of other presidents, such as the President of the United States?

President of European Council

President of United States of America

European Union: Population: 490 million GDP: $18.7tn

United States: Population: 304 million GDP: $14.9tn

Military: 3,800 troops on European military missions

Military: 250,000 on deployment (Iraq/Afghanistan)

Land mass:

Land mass:

Elected by: European Council leaders. Liable to select candidate by consensus. If vote held, each country has different number of votes. Winner must gain 258 out of 345 votes from at least 18 of the 27 countries.

Elected by: Electoral College system. In general election, must win 270 out of 538 electoral college votes. President Barack Obama won 67 million votes in popular vote.

Term of two and half years - renewable once.

Term of four years - renewable once.

Salary reported to be 350,000 euros ($521,374) a year

President earns 268,521 euros ($400,000) a year

Position and key roles:

Position and key roles:

Chairs European Council. Duty to "facilitate cohesion and consensus", without national bias.

Head of state. Partisan, elected on own platform of policies, usually with support of a party, eg Republican or Democratic.

Represents EU abroad on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy.

Negotiates treaties. Directs foreign policy. Can sign executive orders without Congress approval.

No powers of veto.

Power of Veto - President must sign any bill passed by Congress before it becomes law.

Must report to European Parliament after each European Council meeting.

President must report to Congress by delivering State of Union address.

Military control: No influence on military. EU Military staff receives "taskings" from EU Military Committee (which represents defence chiefs of all member states).

Military control: Commander-in-Chief of armed forces - responsible for strategy. Congress must approve going to war but president can decide when to launch nuclear missiles.

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EU and U.S President Roles Compared

Belgian PM named as EU president

EU leaders have chosen the Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, to be the first permanent European Council President.

The other top job created by the Lisbon Treaty - foreign affairs supremo - has gone to the EU Trade Commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton from the UK.

Both are seen as consensual politicians with limited foreign policy experience.

Both had unanimous backing from the 27 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Mr Van Rompuy was widely tipped, but Baroness Ashton was not

Earlier, the UK government had said it was no longer pushing for former PM Tony Blair to get the presidency post.

Mr Van Rompuy, 62, had crucial French and German support. He has a reputation as a coalition builder, having taken charge of the linguistically divided Belgian government and steered it out of a crisis.

Herman van Rompuy: Every country should emerge victorious from negotiations

"Every country should emerge victorious from negotiations," he told a news conference after his appointment.

"Even if unity remains our strength, our diversity remains our wealth," he said, stressing the individuality of EU member states.

Baroness Ashton, 53, said she felt "deeply privileged" to get the foreign affairs post.

"I was the first woman British commissioner, the first woman trade commissioner, so I am also proud to be the first woman High Representative," she said.

"I think there was a strong push to have at least one woman in a senior position," she told the BBC later, adding that she hoped Europe would become "an economic superpower".

UK shifts stance

Earlier, a UK government spokesman revealed the dramatic twist in the British position.

ANALYSIS Jonny Dymond, BBC News, Brussels Against all expectations this deal was done in a matter of hours, the pre-summit deadlock broken by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. His decision to abandon Tony Blair's bid for the new post of President of the European Council meant the field was left clear for the Belgian prime minister, Herman van Rompuy. It also meant that he could bag for a Briton the second job of the night - one arguably more important and probably higher-profile - that of High Representative, something close to a foreign minister for Europe. Neither Mr Van Rompuy nor Baroness Ashton are what might be called big-hitters. Their selection indicates a preference for a low-key start to these new jobs.

The UK persuaded the other six leaders in the socialist group to back Baroness Ashton, having dropped Tony Blair.

EU leaders met in Brussels especially to select their first full-time president and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs - new posts created by the Lisbon Treaty, which will come into force on 1 December.

The idea under Lisbon is to give the EU more coherence and continuity in key policy areas. Up until now the presidency has been held by member states in turn, on a six-month rotation.

Going into the meeting the leaders had various candidates to choose from.

There were fears that the negotiations would go on late into the night, but it quickly emerged that a deal had been struck.

Drive for consensus

Mr Brown praised Mr Van Rompuy as "a consensus builder" who had "brought a period of political stability to his country after months of uncertainty".

THE PRESIDENT'S ROLE Chosen by 27 member states by qualified majority vote Two-and-a-half-year term Can be re-elected once Chairs EU summits Drives forward the work of EU Council of Ministers Facilitates cohesion and consensus Represents the EU on the world stage Profiles of new appointees

Turning to Baroness Ashton's appointment, he said "it gives Britain a powerful voice within the Council and the [EU] Commission.

"It will ensure that Britain's voice is very loud and clear. It will ensure that Britain remains at the heart of Europe."

Baroness Ashton "is the first woman to hold such a high position in the EU," he added.

Commenting on the choice, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "It's so important that Britain remains at the heart of the European project."

The foreign policy chief will have a seat as vice-president of the European Commission, as well as a budget worth billions of euros and a new diplomatic service of up to 5,000 people.

For months Mr Blair had been a favourite for president, backed by the UK government, and he was the highest-profile candidate.

Another contender, Dutch PM Jan-Peter Balkenende, ruled himself out of the contest as the meeting got under way.

Seeking balance

The EU leaders had a working dinner together to negotiate the appointments.

They were reported to be striving for a balance in the two posts, with one filled by a candidate from one of the bigger EU states, the other from a smaller country.

Similarly, the presidency was expected to go to a centre-right politician and the post of foreign affairs chief to the centre-left.

The combination of Mr Van Rompuy and Baroness Ashton achieves that balance, the BBC's Jonny Dymond says.

Mr Barroso said Mr Van Rompuy's appointment was "a tribute to Belgium", noting Belgium's key role as host of the EU's main institutions.

The EU president will chair regular meetings of the European Council at which decisions are taken about the political position of the bloc.

However, correspondents say the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as the post is officially known, could have an even more powerful role.

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Thank God it wasn't Tony Blair, he would have ruined the EU.

Leaders set to pick EU president

Belgium's Herman van Rompuy is widely tipped for the presidency

European Union leaders will gather in Brussels later to select their first full-time president and foreign affairs high representative.

The heads of the 27 EU member nations are divided over which candidates to choose, and after-dinner negotiations are expected to last into the night.

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair had been an early favourite for president.

But France and Germany look set to back a less prominent figure, the Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy.

Lisbon Treaty

The EU leaders will dine together on Thursday evening before beginning negotiations.

They are widely expected to strive for a balance in the two posts, with one likely to be filled by a candidate from one of the bigger EU states, the other from a smaller country.

Similarly, the presidency is expected to go to a centre-right politician and the post of foreign affairs chief to the centre-left.

Both jobs were created under the long-stalled Lisbon Treaty, which will come into force on 1 December, and both are meant to give the EU a stronger voice in the world.

Quite a few countries are deliberately shielding their hands, waiting to see what happens when the leaders meet face to face Gavin Hewitt's EU blog

The BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt said Mr Blair had been an early front runner for the presidency, but some leaders feared he would overshadow them and so the mood shifted in favour of a lower-profile name instead.

Despite Gordon Brown continuing to argue in favour of his predecessor, the camera-shy Mr van Rompuy, who is not well-known outside his own country, is now widely tipped, our correspondent added.

The EU president will chair regular meetings of the European Council at which decisions are taken about the political position of the bloc.

However, correspondents say the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as the post is officially known, could have an even more powerful role.

Whoever is chosen will have a seat as vice-president of the European Commission, as well as a budget worth billions of dollars and a new diplomatic service of up to 5,000 people.

'Excellent candidate'

Mr van Rompuy is seen as a consensus-builder and has been described as a pragmatic rather than charismatic figure.

THE PRESIDENT'S ROLE Chosen by 27 member states by qualified majority vote Two-and-a-half-year term Can be re-elected once Chairs EU summits Drives forward the work of EU Council of Ministers Facilitates cohesion and consensus Represents the EU on the world stage Send us your comments

During his time as budget minister in Belgium's Christian Democrat-led government, he took a tough stance on balancing the economic books, drastically reducing the country's public debt.

Also in the frame to be president are Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

Mr Blair, meanwhile, has not put himself forward for the role, but has not ruled himself out either.

Currently working as Middle East envoy for the US, UN, EU and Russia, he has been described by Mr Brown as an "excellent candidate".

The UK's Foreign Secretary David Miliband had been tipped as a possible contender for the job of EU foreign affairs chief, but he has said he is not available to be a candidate.

BBC correspondent Oana Lungescu says former Italian prime minister Massimo D'Alema has emerged as one of the favourites for the post.

But his communist past makes him unpopular for many Eastern Europeans, our correspondent says - so several other candidates have been mentioned, including British EU trade commissioner Baroness Ashton, and another commissioner, Olli Rehn of Finland.

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Commentary

A more united world is never a bad thing. There was a time that asking for a single European currency was a laughable idea, nothing at all serious. Nowadays that is not only a reality but it seems as if this is how Europe always should have been; united.

If Europe, this conglomerate of ideas, clashing cultures, endless wars, and economic struggle, can come together and make the EU, what is to stop the rest of the world?

We have the AU, African Union; NAFTA for North America; BRIC for the rising economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China; ASEAN for the Asian countries and possibly one of the worlds strongest economic organizations; and UNASUR one of the newest additions to our world stage which encompasses ALL South American countries.

Not only that but we have the U.N, as the largest organization in the world and the OIC, Organization of the Islamic Conference, which represents all 57 Muslim countries in the world. Those 2 organizations alone represent nearly all the world.

Unity is never a bad thing and as we can see here it's leading to a better world. I would love another U.N with actual bargaining power in the world; maybe someday it will occur. Til then, the mere fact that we can all speak together and join as one is a dream many people have had and only now have we seen it realized. Most people take this type of diplomacy too lightly and a cursory study of history shows how crucial and critical these types of connections and organizations are.