Everything You Need To Know About Today's French Elections

French ElectionsThe first round of the French elections is today.

Click here to meet the candidates >

Here's what you need to know...

The Basics

Held every five years, the President of France is elected by "direct universal suffrage", which means he or she is elected directly by the people, according to the government's website. A person can only serve two terms as president (meaning at worst there's only 4 more years of Sarkozy).

In order to be eligible to stand for the election, candidates have the support (in the form of signatures) of a minimum of 500 elected officials from at least 30 departments, with no more than 10 percent from the same department — a fact that almost killed Marine Le Pen's candidacy before it even started.

A number of potential candidates had to drop out of the race because they couldn't get the required number of signatures in time. What began as a competition between more than 16 candidates has now been officially whittled down to 10, according to France 24.

Remember: There are two rounds

The presidential elections generally take place over two rounds. If a candidate gets an absolute majority of the votes in the first round, the second round becomes redundant and the winner is declared elected.

But if no candidate achieves this in the first round, as is often the case, a second round (May 6) takes place two weeks later: a run-off between the two candidates who won the most votes in the first round.

This is important — if voting goes to the second round, many Le Pen voters might feel compelled to vote for Sarkozy rather than Hollande, for example.

Nicolas Sarkozy (incumbent)

Party: Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) (center-right)

Sarkozy brash style always seemed out of place to French voters, and he's been behind in most polls since before the race even started — even taking the title of most unpopular incumbent candidate since WWII. He did see a surge after his statesmanlike conduct during the Toulouse shootings, but at the moment it looks like a case of too little, too late.

Most recent 1st round poll numbers: 24 - 28 percent

Francois Hollande

Party: Socialist Party (PS) (center-left)

Despite initial worries that he was a "marshmallow man", Hollande has managed to craft a fiery campaign that seems to have captured the French public's imagination. His 75% top tax rate and somewhat anti-EU stance might scare the Parisian business elite , but many ordinary French seem to support it.

Most recent 1st round poll numbers: 26 - 30 percent

Marine Le Pen

Party: National Front (FN) (far-right)

Le Pen has emerged as a serious contender in this election, shedding much of the FN's links to the more unsavory parts of far right culture.  However, she seems destined to fail in any second round votes, and may ultimately just have split Sarkozy's core audience.

Most recent 1st round poll numbers: 14 - 17 percent

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/lID8tI-hsl8/french-election-candidates-odds-polling-2012-4

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Here's How Google's Founders Can Mine Asteroids And Become Trillionaires...

columbus-landing

Last week, it was reported that Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and others are investing in a new company called "Planetary Resources" that wants to mine asteroids.

The company's founder, Peter Diamandis, has apparently been dreaming of mining asteroids since he was a kid. Like others, he thinks the resources in space will create the world's first trillionaire.

But, engineering challenges aside, how exactly can you mine asteroids?

Specifically, what gives you the right to mine asteroids?

Doesn't somebody own asteroids? Wouldn't you have to acquire the mining rights from someone?

According to a panel I attended last winter at the DLD conference in Munich, the answer is no.

Legal scholars apparently disagree about how laws pertaining to ownership apply to space, but the prevailing view is apparently this:

If you go plant a flag on an asteroid before anyone else does, it's yours.

So asteroid mining, at least in the early years, may be all about getting there first and planting flags.

Of course, as soon as Planetary Resources holds its big press conference this week, countries and lawyers the world around will probably begin gearing up for a big legal fight over who owns space.

And that will be amusing to watch.

space travel artBecause the concept that any tiny life-form or group of life forms on one tiny planet in one tiny corner of the universe can "own" the universe is so ridiculous and arrogant that it's basically farce.

But don't forget that there's precedent for the flag-planting theory.

When Europeans started sailing ships around the globe ~500 years ago and "discovering" land, no one "owned" any lands they encountered (least of all, in their view, the people who lived there)... until they planted their flags. And then, in their view, they owned the land--at least until someone else bought it from them or conquered them and took it.

And the same will probably be true of the space race.

So get your flags and spaceships ready...

SEE ALSO: A Bunch Of Cool Things I Just Learned About The Commercialization Of Space

 

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Join the conversation about this story »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/_Ju0tI-1tzc/googles-founders-mine-asteroids-2012-4

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Ronaldo And Messi Battled In This Weekend's Biggest Sporting Event

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

It is La Liga in Spain.

It is Barcelona versus Real Madrid.

It is Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is El Clásico.

And this time, with just four matches remaining for each team, and only four points separating the two teams in the standings, Messi and his Barςa teammates were in a must-win situation.

On the next few pages we will take a closer look at the latest installment of one of the biggest rivalries in sports.

The scene was Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona

The Barcelona fans created this gorgeous Tifo prior to the game

Prior to the game, the two teams gathered side-by-side in the tunnel

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/fTE9oyi9MnI/photos-cristiano-ronaldo-and-lionel-messi-battled-in-el-clasico-this-weekends-biggest-sporting-event-2012-4

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Ronaldo And Messi Battled In This Weekend's Biggest Sporting Event

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

It is La Liga in Spain.

It is Barcelona versus Real Madrid.

It is Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is El Clásico.

And this time, with just four matches remaining for each team, and only four points separating the two teams in the standings, Messi and his Barςa teammates were in a must-win situation.

On the next few pages we will take a closer look at the latest installment of one of the biggest rivalries in sports.

The scene was Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona

The Barcelona fans created this gorgeous Tifo prior to the game

Prior to the game, the two teams gathered side-by-side in the tunnel

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/fTE9oyi9MnI/photos-cristiano-ronaldo-and-lionel-messi-battled-in-el-clasico-this-weekends-biggest-sporting-event-2012-4

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Take Control of Your Finances This Week -- at the Local Library

Teacher libraryToo many Americans are woefully underinformed about financial matters. Surprising numbers of them are on shaky ground, largely because they never learned the basics of money management.

But the ranks of the financially illiterate might shrink a bit over the next seven days, thanks to the Money Smart Week program, a partnership between the American Library Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

First lesson: If you lack financial knowledge, recognize that you're not alone.
Take a look at the state of the average American's finances, taken from the 2012 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey:

  • 33% of Americans don't pay all their bills on time.
  • 39% have no non-retirement savings.
  • 39% carry debt on credit cards.
  • 80% say they could benefit from professional financial advice.

And a brand-new Northwestern Mutual survey found that 45% of Americans have no financial plan at all.

These problems are not new. In 2007, a Bankrate.com poll found that 47% of Americans -- roughly half of us -- find investing to be confusing. Only 29% are aware of the fees they're paying when they invest. Only 32% had an IRA.

These numbers spell trouble. Take credit card issues, for example. Many of those carrying revolving debt on credit cards are paying interest rates of 20% or more. On a not-unusual $25,000 debt, that's fully $5,000 per year just in interest, which could otherwise be put to better use.

Lack of knowledge about all of these things can lead to financial and personal heartache and headaches: If you have no non-retirement savings, you face possible financial ruin should you lose a job or experience a medical catastrophe. If you're not seeking the best mortgage deal, you might end up paying tens of thousands of dollars unnecessarily over the life of your loan. Paying your bills late? That can whack your credit score, which is checked by many prospective employers, landlords, and insurers, and which dictates the financial terms you're offered.

To the Rescue...

Enter the ALA and the Chicago Fed. They've dubbed April 21 through April 28 "Money Smart Week @ Your Library," and their initiative will feature financial literacy programs taking place at more than 200 libraries in more than 35 states.

The programs target Americans of all ages, and teach smart money management. Local community groups, financial institutions, government agencies, educational organizations and financial experts are also participating, and some content will be offered in Spanish. A wide range of topics will be covered, including debt management, retirement planning, savvy shopping, understanding credit scores, protecting yourself from identity theft, and kids and money.


Odds are, you can benefit from this program. Check with your local libraries to see if they're offering any Money Smart Week events. Consider going above and beyond, too, learning a lot more on your own.

There's a lot of guidance available for free online. Spend some time exploring the rich AOL DailyFinance site and The Motley Fool's Personal Finance and How to Invest nooks -- among many other great resources out there.

Take inspiration from the American Library Association and the Chicago Fed. Take control of your financial future by learning smart money management -- all year long.


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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/04/21/money-smart-week-library-financial-literacy-education/

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Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/04/19/a-rudimentary-summary-approximately-debt-consolidation-pertaining-to-less-than-perfect-credit/

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