Customers shifting money out of banks in southern Europe

Can you blame them? It's a nervous time for many people and none of the options are great. It hardly seems likely that the latest bailout for Greece will do much to settle the situation. The only surprise with the crisis in Europe is that the dollar is falling against the euro. Bloomberg:

Greece (TODETOGR)’s total deposits plunged 28 percent from the peak in June 2009 to 169 billion euros ($225 billion) at the end of December, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. In Spain (TODETOES), deposits slid 5 percent in the five months through November to 934 billion euros, the least since April 2008. Italian (TODETOIT) banks held 974 billion euros in November, the lowest in 18 months. Deposits in Germany (TODETODE) have climbed by almost 10 percent since May 2010, when Greece was granted its first bailout. Deposits have risen every month except five since the end of 2009, and reached 2.15 trillion euros at the end of 2011, Bloomberg data show. The deteriorating growth outlook in the euro region risks exacerbating those flows, according to Dario Perkins, an economist at Lombard Street Research in London. “The biggest systemic risk is if people lose confidence in keeping their euros in Spain, Portugal or Italy,” Perkins said. “It makes sense to put your cash into Germany just to be safe and that’s where the real systemic danger lies. That contagion isn’t priced in, and bank deposits are the place we’d spot it.”

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Santorum on separation of church and state makes him "want to throw up"

Why does Rick Santorum hate America and our founding fathers?  From HuffPost:

Rick Santorum on Sunday took on separation of church and state. "I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state are absolute," he told 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos. "The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country...to say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes me want to throw up."

The GOP candidate was responding to comments he made last October. He had said that he "almost threw up" after reading JFK's 1960 speech in which he declared his commitment to the separation of church and state. Santorum also on Sunday told Meet The Press host David Gregory that separation of church and state was "not the founders' vision."

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TED Talk - Jeff Kluger - The hidden power of siblings

For those of you who have an interest in family dynamics, this is a great TED Talk. At home, Jojo was the "responsible" first born and I was the "wild child" last born. She comes from a larger family (5 kids) so there are more discussions about family dynamics, including the ever-popular birth order debates. Read the rest of this post...

Santorum: College is an evil, lefty plot - it's for snobs, don't go

Says the guy with a BA, MBA and JD degree.

I know his shtick is to be a knuckle-dragger, but he can't stop himself from creating a new ridiculous controversy each week. How can anyone in a position of authority tell people that it's a bad idea to get an education, a bad idea to go to college?  Can you imagine what a roller coaster ride it would be if he was actually in power?

“I understand why Barack Obama wants to send every kid to college, because of their indoctrination mills, absolutely,” said Santorum. “The indoctrination that is going on at the university level is a harm to our country.”

At the Americans for Prosperity rally in Michigan, Santorum took up the theme again, saying: ”President Obama wants everybody to go to college. What a snob.”

A snob because you urge kids to go to college, because you want to help kids get to college? Read the rest of this post...

Mandela leaves hospital after short procedure

Let's hope that it's a speedy recovery for the 93 year old. He's been through a lot and at his age, even something small can become a big problem. Though he's been out of the public eye for a few years, hopefully he still inspires leaders to do the right thing, as he did following the horrible years of apartheid. BBC News:

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after a diagnostic procedure for an abdominal problem, the government says. President Jacob Zuma's office said he was sent home after the checks "did not indicate anything seriously wrong". Officials earlier said the 93-year-old Nobel Prize laureate had undergone a laparoscopy but was recovering well.

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Colbert skewers product "branding" memo

This is a blatant steal from David Atkins at Digby's place, and too much fun not to repost here. It's Colbert skewering a branding memo he got from a company he agreed to do a product placement for.

Be sure to read Atkins' comments on this — as a pro in the branding biz, he adds some interesting context.



As Atkins notes:

[W]hen the hacks behind this cracker brand ... gave Colbert this memo, I promise you they were absolutely in earnest[.]

By the way, political candidates are brands too, and are created in the same completely insincere way. "Hope & Change" is a brand, like "less filling" — and in no way a promise.

And did you notice that the product is not an Occupyer? The brand is a perfect consumer — social, meets with like minds, and conformist. If you don't see the political-social propaganda in that product ad-plan — in fact, in every national product ad-plan — you've got an awakening headed your way.

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R.E.M. - Orange Crush

So the rodeo is coming to Houston, so I'm trying to figure out when to go. Somehow I've never been to one so am curious to see what it's all about. Some people say the best part is seeing the animals outside and others prefer the BBQ competition. It's all new to me so anything will be fun to check out. Read the rest of this post...

Romney’s stadium gaffe

You seriously have to wonder about both Romney and his staff. It's politics 101 that you fill whatever venue you take, or you don't choose that venue. As one of the commentator's notes, there was no venue available between the 700 seat economic club and a football stadium?

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