Supply of NFL Jerseys Dwindles as Super Bowl Approaches

The New York Giants and the New England Patriots played in the Super Bowl four years ago, when Eli Manning led the underdog Giants to one of the greatest Super Bowl wins in National Football League history. This week, the two teams landed in Indianapolis, the site of Super Bowl XLVI, in preparation for a rematch of that exhilarating game.

Dangerous Breast Implants Show Increased Risk of Rupture

Jean-Claude Mas, the former CEO and founder of Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP), faces charges of involuntary injury due to his firm's manufacture of breast implants that contained substandard ingredients. The implants have sparked a health scare for over 300,000 women in 65 countries believed to have supposedly been given the faulty materials. Once the world's third-largest distributor of implants, PIP went bankrupt in 2010 after the implants were banned following the discovery that they contained industrial-grade gel, which has more contaminants than the medical-grade gel that should have been used. CNN reported that Mas apparently authorized a formula for wealthier clients which contained a high-end American-made medical silicone while simultaneously allowing the production of a "house formula" intended for everyone else. The so-called "house formula" was made out of cheap industrial silicone meant for usage in mattresses, which allowed the company to cut costs and boost profits.

British Students Performing Poorly, Test Scores Dismal

England's education proves insufficient for numerous struggling students. Government data suggests that the majority of schools are failing to help students who are behind in subject material for their grade level and age. BBC reports that only 6.5 percent, or one in 15, of those behind students will go on to earn five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics. Even approximately 45.6 percent of individuals who start school at the expected level for their age, earning Level 4 at the end of primary school, fail to earn five good GCSEs.

Company Goes Bankrupt After Taking Public Money

Ever since President Obama's 2008 election, his campaign supporting clean energy has been clear, although increasingly controversial. Ener1, an electric car battery maker and parent company of EnerDel, announced its decision to file for bankruptcy on January 26th, 2012. Only three years after receiving a $118.5 million grant from the federal government as part of Obama's billion-dollar stimulus plan, Ener1 points to a stagnancy in the electric car business as the catalyst of its "voluntary bankruptcy", and promises that business operations will eventually carry on as usual, reports CNN. Unlike fellow federal loan recipient, the now-bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra, Ener1 does not plan to initiate lay-offs of any kind, and assures subsidiaries such as EnerDel, EnerFuel, and EnerTech will not be affected.

British Students Performing Poorly, Test Scores Dismal

England's education proves insufficient for numerous struggling students. Government data suggests that the majority of schools are failing to help students who are behind in subject material for their grade level and age. BBC reports that only 6.5 percent, or one in 15, of those behind students will go on to earn five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics. Even approximately 45.6 percent of individuals who start school at the expected level for their age, earning Level 4 at the end of primary school, fail to earn five good GCSEs.

Company Goes Bankrupt After Taking Public Money

Ever since President Obama's 2008 election, his campaign supporting clean energy has been clear, although increasingly controversial. Ener1, an electric car battery maker and parent company of EnerDel, announced its decision to file for bankruptcy on January 26th, 2012. Only three years after receiving a $118.5 million grant from the federal government as part of Obama's billion-dollar stimulus plan, Ener1 points to a stagnancy in the electric car business as the catalyst of its "voluntary bankruptcy", and promises that business operations will eventually carry on as usual, reports CNN. Unlike fellow federal loan recipient, the now-bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra, Ener1 does not plan to initiate lay-offs of any kind, and assures subsidiaries such as EnerDel, EnerFuel, and EnerTech will not be affected.

Pentagon is Victim of Budget Butchery

Obama Administration Puts Defense Cuts On The Table

Since 9/11, no one in Washington, D.C. has dared to argue for cuts to the defense budget. In a world plagued by fear of the constant threat of terrorist plots, to cut the defense budget was to subject the United States to an inevitable attack. More importantly, however, to the ever politically-conscious members of Congress, to be in support of cutting the defense budget was to simultaneously support the terrorists themselves.

Gates Donates Millions to AIDS Research

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave $750 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to help ensure that the organization can keep supplying AIDS drugs while it seeks to adjust to the global economic crisis. The Global Fund, which has given $15.1 billion to low-income countries in the past decade, said in November that it would not award any new grants until 2014. The fund's money comes from governments in the developed world, many of which are unwilling to increase their donations or fulfill previous pledges. The fear has been that some AIDS programs in Africa might run out of money, preventing people from receiving the antiretroviral drugs that are keeping them alive.

Friar Forecast

Glum

The slow decrease in unemployment is not enough to offset poor consumption numbers and general economic malaise in the United States. With the economy still clawing its way up from its financial decay, The Cowl's Friar Forecast anticipates a weak 2012 across the board, with sub-3.5 percent GDP growth in the first half and unemployment above 6.5 percent through the year.