GOP making life harder for the jobless

President Barack Obama Saturday pinned blame on the Republicans to make life harder for the unemployed and those who might lose their jobs without interference from the federal government new. He did just as he sought to distance himself from politics "sad and familiar" Washington.
Capping a week that the administration won a victory - a fund of 20 billion dollars to be paid by BP for the victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill - Obama has reserved his radio and the internet address to concentrate on work that has not been obtained.
His main concern was the rejection of a bill in the Senate that would have provided more money for long-term unemployed, assistance to state governments short and renewal of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals.
"If the obstruction continues, Americans will see their unemployment benefits stop, Obama said." Teachers and firefighters will lose their jobs. Families will pay more for their first home. All we ask, that is a simple up or down vote. This is what the American people deserve. "
The bill failed Thursday when general economic Democrats could not gather the 60 votes needed to end debate. The vote fell four shy of the 56-40 total needed to break the GOP filibuster. Many Republicans support policies in the legislation, but require changes to reduce its toll on the deficit.
"Americans want us to show we are serious about debt reduction, so the president and his allies in Congress have a choice: they can either vote to cut the deficit, or they can lock arms and digging a hole deeper in debt, "said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Stalemate again revealed the gaps between the Democratic president and Republican leaders of Congress on how to solve the problems of the nation.
Obama was at the same time the image of the opposition party that the obstruction while seeking a better standard of debate in his own party and the Republicans.
"We have an obligation to care for the next generation," Obama said. "I hope that when Congress returns next week, they do so with a greater spirit of compromise and cooperation. America will be watching."
In his speech, Obama also criticized the blocking of a separate measure that would allow a maximum of $ 75 million on the responsibility of economic damage to companies such as BP during disasters like the oil spill in the Gulf. The Senate considers a bill to increase this ceiling to 10 billion dollars.
And Obama also said Republicans are to blame those to prevent votes on its candidates to key positions in government. Former President George W. Bush often have the same complaint about Democratic lawmakers.
Republicans have used their weekly address to claim that the president was too slow to react to threats posed by the oil spill in the Gulf and that certain measures taken by his administration will do more harm than good.
"I'm glad President Obama is finally put this disaster on top of his agenda, but its response was too slow," Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said. Wicker has criticized Obama for pushing an energy bill and the rising costs of oil cleanup and call for a moratorium on drilling in deep water, which he said would cost jobs and increase energy prices .
Wicker said Obama should have made the point in his speech Tuesday that many beaches of the Gulf Coast are clean and would welcome tourists. But he acknowledged that Obama has made this point at a news conference Monday along the Gulf.

World Cup scares off hunters in South Africa

Hanging dry twigs, the dull murmur and are not the only noise that hunters stalk a herd of zebras in the thick bush of South Africa. A thunderbolt suddenly kills a standard: a dozen trophies in one week of installation with a U.S. sniper proud to take account of hunting opportunities in South Africa offered by the successful release abundant wildlife. But managers say the World Cup has driven the foreign customers in the busiest season of the industry, which coincides with the tournament a month. "One by one, they withdrew," said Arthur Rudman, owner of Blaauwkrantz Safaris, which is less than an hour's drive north of the World Cup host city of Port Elizabeth. "We fully support the World Cup. However, unfortunately, it has a negative impact on our hunting industry." An executive member of the Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa, Rudman said the gaming industry contributes annually between five and seven billion rand (up to 908 million dollars, 745 million euros) to the economy.
Hunts are usually booked in advance with the advance payments, but trips over the World Cup were canceled for reasons ranging from the congested airports, concerns over the transport of guns, housing costs and higher inflated airfares. Some operators have tried to attract football fans in the world with special packages Cup chase, as Rudman, whose family firm is offering a package of three nights for 6,800 rand for two trophies. But few have bitten. "Soccer fans are not students who are really hunters. We've had an interest, we have some hunters arrive, but it's not an avalanche," said Rudman. "We do not have the quantities that we should be in the middle of our hunting season is June and July. I think we will be down 30 percent overall for the year."
Customers postponed to 2011, but the shortcomings of this year come after the global recession which saw foreign bookings in 2009 will decrease by 20 percent. "At the end of the day, we could be in the region of 40-50 percent down on 2008 figures," says Rudman, who ran the hunt since 1978. Hunting is an important activity in several regions of South Africa is home to Africa's Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. "We also had many cancellations," said Werner van der Walt of Cheetau Safaris, an operator in the central region of the Free State where costs $ 35,000 for a large male lion trophy. "Our main activity is the lion hunt. It was very touched. It is about 18 lions that we lost, "he told AFP. "In financial terms, that alone would have been 2.2 million" rand revenue. The World Cup is expected to attract 300,000 visitors and boost the economy of South Africa of 0.5 percent, but Van der Walt's World Cup special - from playgrounds to five major packaging - have also tanked. "They do not want to come in the World Cup," said Van der Walt. "We've actually been thinking we were going to get busy. It was certainly a disappointment, but we will get through. " For professional hunters, hunts canceled or postponed also mean a loss of income. "The World Cup has had a very negative," said Philip Dixie, 41, a professional hunter to Blaauwkrantz after helping his client to be satisfied with the zebra stallion. "We have basically two months of no hunting. For me, a professional hunter, is a loss of income. This is serious for us. "