UNEMPLOYMENT

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in several nations this weekend demanding political justice, economic opportunity, and a change to the status quo. Demonstrators -- who powered the Arab Spring, the worldwide Occupy protests during the summer, and the anti-austerity marches of the European autumn -- are back on the streets in a winter of discontent.

Despite a mediocre earnings season and signs of an overbought market, Wall Street bulls are likely to remain in control this week.

Greek lawmakers looked set to agree to a deeply unpopular bailout deal on Sunday to avert what Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned would be economic chaos, and Germany demanded Greece dramatically change its ways to stay in the euro.

Kohl's Department Stores has introduced Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program which will award more than $420,000 in scholarships and prizes, ranging from $50 Kohl's gift cards to $10,000 scholarships, to more than 2,200 young volunteers who have made a positive impact on their communities.

Greek lawmakers looked set to agree to a deeply unpopular bailout deal on Sunday to avert what Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned would be economic chaos, and Germany demanded Athens dramatically change its ways to stay in the euro.

More than 100,000 people packed Lisbon's vast Palace Square on Saturday in the largest rally against austerity and economic hardships since Portugal resorted to a European Union/International Monetary Fund bailout last May -- and organizers vowed to step up protests and labor action.

U.S. overspending on the military has diverted resources from civilian / social investments, including public goods, weakening the U.S. economy, and, by extension, weakening the nation.

According the Indian Health Services, the rate of alcoholism among Native Americans is six times the U.S. average.

Despite a mediocre earnings season and signs of an overbought market, Wall Street bulls are likely to remain in control next week. There are a number of catalysts that have helped the market this year, including a slew of improved economic data and the Federal Reserve's vow to keep interest rates low.

Greece's prime minister struck back at critics in a letter to his Cabinet Friday evening, delivering a rousing plea in which he asked Greek government officials to coalesce behind a new ambitious but achievable program of fiscal austerity; however, the letter acknowledged that would be difficult politically, difficult economically, and socially difficult.

The fiscal 2013 budget President Barack Obama will present to Congress on Monday will include hundreds of billions in infrastructure spending and a projected deficit of $901 billion, or about 5.5 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.

The historic streets of Athens are the site of much mayhem and political theater as tens of thousands of Greek citizens have taken to the street to demand their government cancel further austerity measures.

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve released a survey Friday that suggests the employment rate will drop further as 2012 progresses. Currently the unemployment rate in the country hovers near 8.5 percent.

Chris Mok, like many Americans over the past few years, lost his job in the wake of the Great Recession.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is up for re-election this year. He faces stiff competition from both the Socialist Party and the extreme right National Front. With France's economy in shambles, Sarkozy's re-election prospects look slimmer every day.

Thanks to expansive oil fields and a reservoir of millions of barrels of crude, Nigeria is the third-richest country in Africa. But due to corruption, poor wealth distribution, and lack of infrastructure, the nation's people suffer from staggering rates of poverty.

Greek political leaders said they had clinched a deal on economic reforms and spending cuts needed to secure a second bailout, but eurozone finance ministers demanded more measures and a parliamentary seal of approval. Finance ministers of the 17-nation eurozone meeting in Brussels warned there would be no immediate approval for the rescue package.

Republicans expressed frustration Thursday at the slow pace of negotiations over extending a tax break for workers that expires at the end of the month, accusing President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats of blocking agreement.

Hours after Greece's ruling coalition announced it had concluded an 11th-hour agreement on new austerity measures in an effort to satisfy foreign lenders, it seemed that everyone - from creditors abroad to political allies back home - was turning on the Greek leadership.

Greek political leaders clinched a long-stalled deal on Thursday on harsh austerity measures and reforms required to secure a second international bailout in two years but the country's financial backers reacted skeptically.

Fresh off the Louis Vuitton condoms hype on Twitter and as the birth control debate gains more steam, a new type of condom is making a splash on the Internet: Romney condoms. They are the latest attempt at poking fun at Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, and were launched on Wednesday.