Skimm for October 2nd Quote of the day: “I know about budgets. I was a drug dealer.” — Jay Z on where he learned his business skills. Point taken. Is This Thing On? THE STORY: The government is still shut down. Congress has not figured out a way to fund itself. Democrats and Republicans are still blaming each other. And nearly a million federal workers are still considered “nonessential.” DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO UN-SHUT THE GOVERNMENT? Congress and the president will have to agree on a spending bill. That could be awhile. The Republican-led House had an idea — bring back the government piece by piece, starting with three short-term mini spending bills to refund and reopen the National Park Service, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and operations for DC. But Democrats weren’t into it, comparing it to “releasing one hostage at a time.” THIS IS A TERRIBLE GAME. In case you can’t tell, Congress is very divided with blame flying around across the aisle. Republicans have taken a lot of heat for the shutdown and suggestions like the piecemeal spending bill are seen by some as a way to prove they are willing to roll up their paid sleeves and get to work. With the Dems rejecting the offer, it opens up the door to shift blame. And the circle of life continues… IS OBAMA FLIPPING OUT? Well, he called it a “Republican shutdown” and said House Republicans are demanding “ransom” by refusing to fund the government unless Democrats agree to dismantle parts of Obamacare. Hint: he still loves it. WHAT’S GOING ON WITH OBAMACARE? Ready or not, it’s heeeeeere. A key part of the controversial health care law, health insurance exchanges, opened yesterday. While many Americans went online to comparison shop health coverage, they were met with some major tech glitches. Social media called it embarrassing but Obama asked for understanding and likened tech glitches to iOS 7, meaning no one threatened to shut down Apple over its new glitch-y operating system. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO GIVE ME FAITH? Yes, a large group of World War II vets from Mississippi and Iowa arrived in DC to tour the World War II Memorial and the National Mall, all of which are technically, you guessed it, shut down. Led by members of Congress, the vets, many wheelchair bound, got past the barriers and toured the grounds. theSKIMM: The shutdown isn’t even the worst of the government’s problems. It has just two weeks to go to raise the US’s borrowing limit or else default on its debt for the first time ever. Congress needs to get its act together. REPEAT AFTER ME… What NOT to say to your boss… I know you started this company, but I think it’s time to move on over. Three of the top investors in Microsoft are reportedly lobbying the board to push for Bill Gates to step down as chairman. Gates co-founded the software company 38 years ago. Although outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been under a lot of pressure to improve things, Gates hasn’t really felt the heat — until now. While there’s no guarantee that Microsoft’s board will listen to the three, the crabby trio is concerned that Gates as chairman isn’t into new strategies and may limit the power of a new CEO. They also think Gates, who spends a lot of time on his philanthropic efforts, holds more influence than his shares — which makes sense, you know, because he’s Bill Gates. What to say when your BFF gets coffee with your nemesis… If I weren’t so upset, I would recognize that this situation is a lot like what’s going with Israel, the US, and Iran. At the UN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran’s President Rouhani a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who “thinks he can have his yellowcake and eat it, too.” Nuclear weapon jokes are hard to make. Netanyahu thinks the charm offensive led by Iran’s new moderate president is a ploy to get sanctions, which are crippling its economy, lifted. And Israel will be ready to step in solo to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Rouhani’s recent UN visit and historic call with President Obama have led many to think that a deal with Iran over its controversial nuclear program could happen sooner than later. What to say when you feel old… How can Bart still skateboard? Isn’t he in his late 30s now? Mortality is again making its way to Springfield. “The Simpsons” executive producer revealed that one of the major characters will not make it through Season 25. The only hint is that the actor who plays the character has won an Emmy for his/her work. That only leaves…several people. What to say when you get to your desk… I’m neither furloughed nor fired so I guess it’s a good day. Paramount Pictures, on the other hand, is laying off 110 employees across several departments. This was not totally unexpected as its owner, Viacom, has stressed the bottom line while the studio tries to adapt to new competition in the industry. Amazon, however, is determined not to be a Grinch this holiday season, by topping the competition and hiring 70,000 seasonal workers. That’s a 40% increase, meaning the online retailer is very optimistic about Santa Claus and Hanukkah Harry’s gifts this year.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:07:36 +0000
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