Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, the reporter whose story about his unlikely relationship with a homeless schizophrenic bassist inspired the film "The Soloist," camped out overnight with the Occupy Wall Street L.A. crowd earlier this week.

Although the Times building is almost directly on the opposite side of the street from L.A. City Hall where about 200 occupiers have been spending the night for nearly two weeks, Lopez told The Christian Post that he wanted to get a better grasp on what Occupy Wall Street was all about.

“I pitched a tent Monday night in a neighborhood of the angry, the disaffected and the disillusioned,” Lopez began in his column, headlined “A festival, a rebellion, an awakening.” Later, in his column, he referred to the occupiers as a “collection of disaffected souls.” more >>

Hundreds of protesters at the U.S. west coast version of Occupy Wall Street camped out at Los Angeles City Hall are splitting major media’s attention because of the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor for involuntary manslaughter right around the corner.

While the gathering of college students, the unemployed, professional and semi-pro activists have shifted back and forth from the lawn of City Hall to the streets of downtown, their wrath against many social issues has rotated as well.

Last night’s local media reports included the fact that arrests were made at a Bank of America protest. However, organizers tried to distance themselves from any reports of confrontation with police by saying the group at the bank was not part of the Occupy movement. Meanwhile, most local news stations led their nightly TV broadcast with coverage of the Dr. Conrad Murray trial, in which hearings include prosecutor's trying to prove the doctor was a catalyst for Jackson's death. more >>

Several CEOs of American companies have reacted negatively to President Obama's calls for higher taxes on the wealthy, nicknamed the “Buffett tax,” and elimination of a tax deduction for corporate jets. Some CEOs have also criticized partisan gridlock in the U.S. government.

Ted Leonsis, a former AOL executive who is now part owner of several Washington, D.C. sports teams, supported Obama in 2008 with his vote and his money. But he wrote a scathing rebuke of Obama's economic policy proposals in a Sept. 25 blog post titled “Class Warfare – Yuck!”

Leonsis writes about growing up in a working class family and achieving success through “luck and hard work.” more >>

The Onion's violent satire painting fictional images of Rep. John Boehner and others as masked gunmen holding up children ignited real fears of gunfire in the U.S. Capitol building.

The jokester paper is known for creating far-fetched scenarios in order to poke fun and possibly make serious points about American culture. However, the Onion's tweet proclaiming at 10:33 a.m. Thursday, "BREAKING: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside the Capitol Building" turned the laughter into stone-faced fear.

The message was re-tweeted over 100 times and ignited speculation of an attack, according to news reports. The capitol was, in fact, largely empty in celebration of Rosh Hashanah. Those who were present were not pleased with The Onion's dark humor. Rep. Eric Cantor's aide, Brad Dayspring, tweeted, "Onion; FAIL." Another congressional staffer fired back at The Onion on Twitter stating that the message had alarmed the office. more >>

Debt management expert Dave Ramsey’s book EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches opened at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list after being released last week.

Ramsey, a syndicated radio talk show host (The Dave Ramsey Show) at more than 475 stations, shares in his new book how he grew his successful company from his living room table with practical tips for starting a business.

The Lampo Group, which was founded by Ramsey in 1992, has more than 300 staff or “team members,” providing a variety of products aimed at helping people reach their financial goals. The group is on a mission to provide “biblically based, common-sense education and empowerment which gives HOPE to everyone from the financially secure to the financially distressed.” more >>

A  recent poll by Gallup shows most Americans would prefer that political leaders compromise to get things done rather than stick to their beliefs. Tea Party supporters are the least supportive of compromise.

Gallup asked those polled to rank on a scale from one to five whether it was more important for political leaders “compromise to get things done,” a one, or to “stick to their beliefs even if little gets done,” ranked five.

The most common answer was “one” with 31 percent. A slight majority of Americans, 51 percent, answered “one” or “two,” indicating they want political leaders to compromise in order to get things done. About one in five, 21 percent, took the neutral “three” position. more >>