Thursday, August 13, 2009
FY08 & FY09 Earmarks and Related Campaign Contributions
http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?category=&type=Project&proj_id=2781&action=Headlines%20By%20TCS
OpenSecrets.org | Tracking the Payback - What are the major issues before congress and who's influencing the decisions?
Tracking the Payback
What are the major issues before Congress and who's trying to influence the decisions? What are the special interests looking to get? We've got it all here in a concise, easy-to-follow format.
For each issue we cover:
- Key Legislation: What legislation has been proposed, and what are the key issues.
- Special Interest Watch: What do the special interests want?
- Industry: What industry stands to benefit the most, with links to political giving by industry.
- Congressional Committees: Find out which committees oversee the issue, and who's giving to them.
Devvy Kidd | According To An MD - Part 1 Of Obama Care Was Already Passed Last February!
"This one I call the gang rape bill is officially titled, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009. (2) Of course, it is no such animal. But, like Roosevelt's NIRA, Obamaination's ARRTA will give birth to even more useless and costly government agencies.
"Sec. 3001. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology sets up another useless bureaucracy. The goal is to have everyone's medical records entered into a massive, electronic government data base. Now, I don't know about you, but I have a real problem with this because I know the real goal is to track medical care and treatment under a totalitarian government. This would mean an already incompetent government is allegedly going to manage some 300 MILLION medical records using technology that CAN be hacked, never mind some nosey busy body snooping into your medical records or "sharing" with some agency or foreign government down the road under world government.
"On March 6, 2009, I sent a certified letter to my primary care physician (which I'm required to have under our broken medical system that Congress destroyed), various specialists (neurosurgeons) and TriCare, our insurance company. I simply told all of them very politely about this new "law" signed by Obama and that the purpose of my correspondence is to notify each of them I do not, under any circumstances, give my permission or consent to have my medical records submitted to the federal government under any agency to put be put into their electronic data base. If it is declared mandatory that physicians and insurance companies hand over my medical records to some government agency, I will sue the federal government to stop such an action."
In my last column, Health Care Reform: Congress Has no Authority to Legislate, (3) I linked a letter by Dr. Dave Janda, MD.
Today, I received an email that shocked me. The shadow government will use any means necessary to Sovietize these united States of America and what better way than to slip draconian laws into bills well over 1,400 pages?
I studied the links and bill sections Dr. Janda provided; it is beyond outrageous. No wonder there was the original thousand plus pages in the "stimulus" package. Then another 318 pages withheld until the last minute. If I recall, that amendment was voted on at 3:00am in the morning. Then the "final" amendments.
Should we be surprised that someone began altering Dr. Janda's letter on the Internet? Shame on those who call themselves Americans and engage in such deceit. They are swimming in a gutter of rotten garbage.
There will have to be lawsuits to get hundreds of the provisions of these bills thrown out of Part One and if Part Two passes because the Politburo (Congress) has no authority to legislate medical practice or treatment within the states of the Union. That is precisely the language contained in the stimulus bill and the Obama Care bill.
For further reference, here is the full Stimulus Bill text and you can compare the sections cited by Dr. Janda as I have done:
Here's the link to the "stimulus bill""
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?db
name=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.pdf
Here is a news item on health care in the bill:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/health/policy/16health.html?_r=1
U.S. to Compare Medical Treatments
February 15, 2009
WASHINGTON - "The $787 billion economic stimulus bill approved by Congress will, for the first time, provide substantial amounts of money for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness.
"Under the legislation, researchers will receive $1.1 billion to compare drugs, medical devices, surgery and other ways of treating specific conditions. The bill creates a council of up to 15 federal employees to coordinate the research and to advise President Obama and Congress on how to spend the money.
"In addition, Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators complained that the legislation would allow the federal government to intrude in a person's health care by enforcing clinical guidelines and treatment protocols."
This is the question everyone should also be asking at all town hall meetings and phone calls to their Congressional representative:
Why were we not told Part One of ObamaCare was passed in the Stimulus package in February?
Without question, the regulation and treatment for health care is in that phony "stimulus" bill that was passed.
Email I received today:
"(Name deleted for privacy), I was concerned about forwarding the article, written by Dr. Dave Janda, that is circulating on the Internet, so I tracked him down by phone in Ypsilante, Michigan. I left a message for him, which, to my great surprise, he returned within the hour. He confirmed the letter circulating around the Internet is his, but he said it has been altered in some ways on blogs, mostly parts removed. He kindly sent me the original letter as well as the text of his congressional testimony.
"Attached is the text of his original letter. He floored me by telling me that the Obama Care plan is in two parts. Part II is what is being considered now in Congress; Part I has already passed and is law -- are you sitting down? -- buried inside the stimulus bill. Please forward the letter and congressional testimony to your contact list. He has given me his permission to distribute this.
"Dr. Janda's letter makes it clear why the Democrats pushed through the stimulus bill so fast without giving anyone time to read it."
Regards, (Name deleted for privacy)
P.S. "In Dr. Janda's email below, he refers to my being "upset." He is referring to my utter shock that part one of the Obamacare plan is already signed into law, creating the federal agencies that will administer it. Even more shocking is that Rahm Emmanual's brother, a physician, is on one of the boards created. Rahm Emmanual, for those who don't know, is President Obama's chief of staff."
From: DOCDHJ@aol.com [mailto:DOCDHJ@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 3:48 PM
To:
Subject: Janda Response
Mr. .....,
" I received your phone message. My note about The Obama Health Care Plan has generated significant interest around the country. Several versions of the article have appeared on the Internet..... the complete version of the article is attached. If you were upset.....it was not my intention to upset you....it was my intention to help educate and inform you . What is of concern....the councils I refer to in my article have already been created and passed into law.....the Obama Health Care Plan is comprised of two parts. The second part is currently before Congress. The first part was buried in The Stimulus Bill that President Obama signed into law in February. The creation of the Federal agencies were in the Stimulus Bill.
"The hardest part of my job is to tell a patient they have cancer.....it is much easier to ignore the x-rays, the lab tests and put on a happy face and say, "Everything is fine." End result....that patient ends up in a box and never had a chance. The hard part is to analyze the tests and data and lay it on the line and tell the truth so that patient has the best opportunity to survive. I stand by my assessment and the similar assessment made by many others that are active in the field of health care.
"The response to bad news such as a new cancer diagnosis is multifaceted.....but it basically becomes manifested as either anger and hostility or acceptance and resolve. I provided data to you that reveals President Obama's Health Care Plan has Cancer and it will metastasize to you and your family. The response from the vast majority has been of resolve to make a better plan and approach. To those of you who became angry.... the diagnosis was and is accurate....the data does not lie. Just do me a favor.....don't say "Everything is fine".....I want to PREVENT you from wearing that box. Other references are the following:
www.liberty.edu/media/9980/attachments/healthcare_overview_obama_072909.pdf
www.defendyourhealthcare.us
Dave Janda, M.D.
Dr. Janda's original letter:
THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE PLAN IN ONE WORD
By David H. Janda M.D.
"As a physician who has authored books on Preventative Health Care and Health Care Cost Containment, I was recently given the opportunity to be the keynote speaker at a Congressional Dinner at The Capitol Building in Washington D.C... The presentation, entitled Health Care Reform; The Power & Profit of Prevention was well received.
"In preparation for the presentation, I read the latest version of "reform" as authored by The Obama Administration and supported by Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reed. It is important to realize that The Obama Health Care Plan is comprised of two parts..that's right, not one but two parts.
"The first part of The Obama Health Care Plan was buried in The Stimulus Bill which was signed into law by the President in February (see http://www.readthestimulus.org/ ). It is the second part of The Health Care Plan which is now being debated in Congress.
"Below is the link to the over 1000 page document.....
http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
"Let me summarize just a few salient points of the two part Obama Health Care Plan. Warning.......They need to put the same warning on The Obama Health Care Plan as they do a pack of cigarettes.....Consuming this product WILL be hazardous to your health.
"The underlying method of cutting costs throughout the plan is based on rationing and denying care, NOT PREVENTING health care need. The plan's method is the most inhumane and unethical approach in cutting costs. The rationing of care is implemented through a Council, equivalent to the National Health Care Board in the British Health Care System. The name given to this panel is The Federal Coordinating Council For Comparative Effectiveness Research ("Federal Council"). (Section 9201 H.R. 1 Version of the Stimulus Bill.)
"President Obama has already appointed the fifteen member Federal Council. According to the Stimulus Bill, p. 152, all members of the Council must be "senior federal officers or employees." Thus, medical treatment will be dispensed by a group of bureaucrats from their ivory towers, not by the hands-on practitioners in the presence of the patients. The council was funded with $1.1 BILLION from The Stimulus Bill. (http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/os/cerbios.html )
"Comparative Effectiveness Research" is based on the formula of the approval or rejection of treatment for patients based upon the cost per treatment divided by the number of years the patient will benefit from the treatment.
"According to former New York Lieutenant Governor and Health Policy Analyst Dr. Betsy McCaughey, the Federal Council will set a cost effectiveness standard for treatment. (Stimulus Bill p. 464) Translation.....if you are over 65 or have been recently diagnosed as having an advanced form of cardiac disease or aggressive cancer, dream on if you think you will get treated.....pick out your box. Oh, you say...this could never happen. Sorry....this is the same model they use in Britain.
"The plan also empowers the Federal Council to create another level of bureaucracy, The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research. (Health Care Bill, Section 1181, p. 502). The effect of this extra level of bureaucracy is to slow the development of new medications and technologies in order to reduce costs. How special is that!
"The plan also outlines that doctors and hospitals will be overseen and reviewed by The National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. This "Coordinator" will be responsible for monitoring treatments to make sure doctors and hospitals are strictly following what the government deems appropriate and cost effective, and to "guide medical decisions at the time and place of care." (Stimulus Bill, p. 116; see also pp. 442, 446).
"The Stimulus Bill goes on to say that hospitals and doctors that are NOT "meaningful users" of the new systems will face penalties. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will be empowered to impose "more stringent measures of meaningful use over time." (Stimulus Bill pp. 366, 478, 511, 518, 540, 541.) According to those in Congress, penalties could include large six figure financial fines and possible imprisonment. According to the Obama Plan, if your doctor saves your life but breaks government protocol, you might have to go to the prison to see your doctor for follow -up appointments. I believe this is the same model Stalin used in the former Soviet Union.
"In Section 102 of the Health Care Plan has the Orwellian title: "Protecting the Choice to Keep Current Coverage." What this section really mandates is that it is ILLEGAL for you to keep your private insurance if your status changes, e.g., if you lose or change your job, become a senior citizen, graduate from college and land their first job. Yes, illegal. When President Obama was asked about this portion of his plan recently, his response was, "I am not familiar with that part of the plan."
"Obama hosted a conference call with bloggers urging them to pressure Congress to pass his health plan as soon as possible.
"During the call, a blogger from Maine said he kept running into an Investors Business Daily article that claimed Section 102 of the House health legislation would outlaw private insurance. He asked: "Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?" President Obama replied: "You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about."
"Then there is Section 1233 of the Health Care Bill, devoted to "Advanced Care Planning." After each American turns 65 years of age they have to go to a mandated counseling program that is designed to end life sooner. This session is to occur every 5 years unless the person has developed a chronic illness then it must be done every year. The topics in this government run session will include how to decline hydration, nutrition and how to initiate hospice care. It is no wonder the Obama Administration does NOT like my emphasis on Prevention. Under the Health Care Plan for cost containment, Prevention is the "enemy," since people would live longer.
"I rest my case....The Health Care Plan authored by Obama / Pelosi / Reed is hazardous to the health of every American.
"In the question/answer session following my Capitol Hill presentation, a Congressman asked: "I am doing a number of network interviews next week on the Obama Health Care Plan. If I am asked what is the one word to describe the plan, what should I answer?"
"The answer is simple, honest, direct, analytical, and sad, but truthful. The word is FASCIST.
Dr. Janda is a practicing orthopedic surgeon and a world-recognized expert on prevention, healthcare cost containment, and health care reform.
His website is www.noinjury.com .
Foot notes:
(1) Will you let the federal government take possession of your medical records?
http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd435.htm
(2) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1/show
(3) Health Care Reform: Congress Has no Authority to Legislate
http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd461.htm
Recovering 93 bodies from the Tonga ferry that sank over a week ago will cost millions to recover
Recovering at least 93 bodies from the sunken ferry Princess Ashika would cost over $25 million, putting it beyond the Tongan government budget and exceeding New Zealand's annual aid vote to the kingdom, experts say.
Political insiders in Nuku'alofa say that if the bodies are left on the wreck, the royal appointed government could find itself in the same kind of danger that saw the capital largely destroyed in riots in November 2006.
The 37-year-old Princess Ashika sank a week ago after sailing from Nuku'alofa with at least 149 people aboard. Two bodies and 54 survivors were found while 93 people, including 33 women and 10 children, were trapped aboard.....
SpaceWeather.com | According to the International Meteor Organization, the shower peaked on August 12th with 140 meteors per hour
During the peak "we recorded a bright meteor or fireball over the Marshall Space Flight Center every 3 minutes--a fabulous rate," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. This image is a composite of the 130 brightest:
Cooke's meteor detection system consists of two cameras separated by 100 miles--one in Alabama and one in Georgia. The wide baseline allows him to triangulate the trajectory of meteoroids with some accuracy. Here is a map of the Perseids shown above. "Last night, says Cooke, "the stars really did fall on Alabama!"
August 13, 2009 Archive Clif High (Webbot) interview on Rumormill News Radio:
http://rapidshare.com/files/267065635/RMN_High_081309.mp3
SteveQuayle.com | Hot Headlines - August 13, 2009
Brain Zapping
Mind Games – flashback
ABC News 1979 Special: Mission Mind Control – video
Bank Alert from Listener
Panel Warns Smaller Banks Face Whole-Loans Threat
We Broke the Bank!
Fed Faces Its Zimbabwe Moment
New Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly to 558K
Strong Quake Hits Shizuoka, Injuring 112
Lightning 'Fireball' Sends 3 to Hospital
Saharan Winds May Help Keep Hurricanes at Bay
Typhoon Morakot's Cloud Top Extent Doubled in Size in 1 Day
Forecaster Roger Hill 'Rains' from his Den in Worcester
Quakes and Typhoons: What's Up with Mother Nature?
NASA Falling Short of Asteroid Detection Goals
Will Americans Follow Orders to Take Flu Shots?
Iran-Venezuela Ties Worry US
Depopulation? Several Globalists in Their Own Words
Will Obama Go to Oklahoma?
Joyce Riley's THE POWER HOUR NEWS - August 13, 2009
The Power Hour: Show-Schedule (7-10am CST)
···Listen Live
Today In History August 13, 2009
1784 - The United States Legislature met for the final time in Annapolis, MD.
1846 - The American Flag was raised for the first time in Los Angeles, CA.
1889 - A patent for a coin-operated telephone was issued to William Gray
1907 - The first taxicab started on the streets of New York City.
1912 - The first experimental radio license was issued to St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia, PA.
1931 - The first community hospital in the U.S. was dedicated in Elk City, OK.
1934 - Al Capp's comic strip "L'il Abner" made its debut in newspapers.
1935 - The first roller derby match was held at the Coliseum in Chicago, IL.
1942 - Walt Disney's "Bambi" opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY.
1961 - Berlin was divided by a barbed wire fence to halt the flight of refugees. Two days later work on the Berlin Wall began.
1989 - The wreckage of Texas Congressman Mickey Leland's plane was found a week after disappearing in Ethiopia. There were no survivors of the 16 passengers.
1990 - Iraq transferred $3-4 billion in bullion, currency, and other goods seized from Kuwait to Baghdad.
1994 - It was reported that aspirin not only helps reduce the risk of heart disease, but also helps prevent colon cancer.
Find Townhall Meetings -- Just type in your zip code.
Cities Tolerate Homeless Camps -- Nashville is one of several U.S. cities that these days are accommodating the homeless and their encampments, instead of dispersing them. With local shelters at capacity, "there is no place to put them," said Clifton Harris, director of Nashville's Metropolitan Homeless Commission, says of tent-city dwellers.
VACCINATION LAWS (amended Aug. 9, 2009) -- The purpose of this page is simply to provide reproductions of and links to various federal and state laws and regulations concerning vaccinations of citizens in the event of pandemics, particularly the predicted "swine flu" episode for this fall. There appears to be great interest at present regarding this matter, yet there is no readily available source where an interested American can actually read the relevant laws for every jurisdiction. The author has been primarily concerned with compiling those laws that actually subject a citizen to forced inoculations.
Donald Rumsfeld makes $5m killing on bird flu drug -- Donald Rumsfeld has made a killing out of bird flu. The US Defence Secretary has made more than $5m (£2.9m) in capital gains from selling shares in the biotechnology firm that discovered and developed Tamiflu, the drug being bought in massive amounts by Governments to treat a possible human pandemic of the disease.
Drug to combat swine flu leaves '1,000 patients in suffering' -- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said yesterday that between 1 April and 6 August there had been 418 reports of adverse side effects to Tamiflu and a further 686 suspected cases of adverse reactions. Last week alone there were 125 reports of adverse side effects in people taking Tamiflu, although not all of them may be due to the drug, the MHRA said.
Think you deleted your cookies? Think again -- Unlike traditional browser cookies, Flash cookies are relatively unknown to web users, and they are not controlled through the cookie privacy controls in a browser. That means even if a user thinks they have cleared their computer of tracking objects, they most likely have not. Read More...
Hunger Hits Detroit's Middle Class -- Food has long been an issue in this city without a major supermarket. Now demand for assistance is rising, affecting a whole new set of people. Take a look at the photo as a security guard watches over groceries being delivered in Detroit.
72% of older drivers have no idea their meds impair driving -- Many older drivers who take medications that could affect their performance behind the wheel are unaware of the risks associated with those drugs, according to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
NY City Swine Flu Victim Widow Plans $40 Mln Suit -- The widow of a New York City school administrator who became the first person in the city to die of H1N1 flu said on Tuesday she planned to file a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city. The widow claims the city of failing to adequately control the H1N1 outbreak and failing to inform Wiener that he had come in contact with individuals who tested positive for the H1N1 flu.
Food Firms Warn of Sugar Shortage -- Some of America's biggest food companies say the U.S. could "virtually run out of sugar" if the Obama administration doesn't ease import restrictions amid soaring prices for the key commodity.
China warns of 'arms race in outer space' -- "Outer space is now facing the looming danger of weaponization," he said. "Credible and effective multilateral measures must be taken to forestall the weaponization and arms race in outer space."
Kissinger continues to influence U.S. policy despite extensive ties to Beijing -- Former Sec. of State Henry Kissinger is continuing to influence U.S. foreign policy, despite conflicts of interests involving his international business relations with China’s government.
Officials see rise in militia groups across US -- Militia groups with gripes against the government are regrouping across the country and could grow rapidly, according to an organization that tracks such trends.
Swastika Painted at Congressman's Office -- A swastika was spray-painted on a sign in front of Rep. David Scott's office early this morning, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. The Democratic Georgia congressman, who is black, suggested that the swastika did not come from any of his constituents. He said he has received racist mail in recent days and is working with local and national law enforcement.
It's Still a Depression -- It is no wonder there seems to be a groundswell of discontent growing throughout the States. Fewer working people are carrying an ever greater burden of people in government. And those people who have lost their jobs are resentful that government workers are immune to the pains of a severe economic contraction.
Government Bailouts and the Stock Market - The Seen and the Unseen -- The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 “paid farmers to slaughter livestock and plow up good crops, as if destroying useful goods could somehow make the nation wealthier,” Hamilton writes on his blog. “And yet, here we are again, with the cash for clunkers program insisting that working vehicles must be junked to qualify for the subsidy.”
Consumer, Celebrity Bankruptcies May Hit 1.4 Million -- Consumer bankruptcies show no sign of abating after rising more than a third this year and may hit 1.4 million by Dec. 31 as jobs are lost and loans are harder to get, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Bob Prechter "Quite Sure" Next Wave Down Will Be Bigger and March Lows Will Break -- "The big question is whether the rally is over," Prechter says, suggesting "countertrend moves can be tricky" to predict. But the veteran market watcher is "quite sure the next wave down is going to be larger than what we've already experienced," and take major averages well below their March 2009 lows.
NaturalNews.com | Today's Featured Stories - August 13, 2009
| Resveratrol - The Miracle Nutrient for Cancer, Cholesterol and Longevity (NaturalNews) You've all heard the good news about resveratrol, commonly known as the "red wine nutrient." There's more to resveratrol than red wine, though, and it's helpful for far more than just preventing heart disease. It's also phenomenal for maintaining... |
| Chinese Herbs Treat Endometriosis Better Than Western Medicine (NaturalNews) Increasingly, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is being put to the test by Western scientists -- and the results are sometimes not only successful but downright astounding. A case in point: a new review of CHM research by British scientists... |
| Wyeth's HRT Drug Increases Risk of Death From Lung Cancer (NaturalNews) Women who take the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drug Prempro not only increase their risk of breast cancer, but their risk of death from lung cancer as well, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Medical Center at the... |
| Infant Primate Study Links Vaccination with Autism A study shows a direct link between standard childhood vaccination series and autism-like symptoms in primates. Presented by one of the principal scientists behind it, Dr. Laura Hewitson, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, the research was presented... |
| The Link between Calcium and Vitamin D: Know How Your Cells Operate Now that much of the Northern Hemisphere is well into the summer and the sun is blazing relentlessly in the sky, the idea of sunscreen and sun consumption is on a lot of people's minds. But before lathering on that sunscreen, there are a... |
| Candida: Lifestyle Changes will Bring Balance Candida is a fungal organism that is in everyone`s gut system, although it is potentially harmful. In healthy people, there is a balance in the body of what is known as good bacteria, and bad bacteria. Occasionally this balance can become... |
| How to Alleviate Eye Strain In today`s high tech world, many of us suffer from eye strain. Sitting too long in front of the computer or watching long hours of TV are partially to blame. Other reasons may include things such as allergens, air pollution, sun, stress,... |
| Frederic Patanaude Part II: Cleansing and Fasting This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Rawkathon, which can be found at http://www.Rawkathon.com. In this excerpt, Frederic Patanaude shares on cleansing and fasting. Rawkathon with Frederic Patanaude. Frederic Patanaude...
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Docuticker.com | Daily update of new reports from government agencies, ngo’s, think tanks, and other groups.
Judicial Watch Uncovers Documents Detailing U.S. Senate Requests for Military Travel
Source: Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Air Force (USAF) related to repeated requests for military aircraft made by members of the U.S. Senate. Judicial Watch recently obtained the documents through the Freedom of Information Act as part of its continuing investigation of waste and abuse related to congressional military travel.
Documents in PDF
Report: Arid West Can Help Meet Its Water Needs While Reducing Energy Use
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council
Implementing rainwater capture and infiltration techniques through “low impact development” at new and redeveloped residential and commercial properties in California and the West can generate billions of gallons of water supplies annually, reduce energy use and global warming pollution, and provide an effective and much-needed way to adapt to the impacts of climate change, according to a report issued today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and University of California, Santa Barbara’s Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management (UCSB).
…
The report, A Clear Blue Future: How Greening California Cities Can Address Water Resources and Climate Challenges in the 21st Century, highlights low impact development, or LID, as a land planning and engineering design approach for stormwater management. LID enables cities, states, and individuals to increase access to safe and reliable sources of water while reducing the amount of energy consumed and global warming pollution generated when delivering water to residents.The study found that implementing LID practices that emphasize capture and infiltration at new and redeveloped residential and commercial properties in the urbanized areas of Southern California and portions of the San Francisco Bay Area has the potential to increase local water supplies by up to 405,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030—an amount roughly equivalent to two-thirds of the water used by the entire City of Los Angeles each year.
Managing Migration: The Points Based System
Source: Home Affairs Committee
Migration trends (from Chapter 2, International migration to the UK):
In 2007 an estimated total of 340,000 people emigrated from the UK and an estimated 577,000 people arrived to live in the UK for at least a year, meaning that total net migration into the UK was 237,000. This was an increase of 46,000 from 2006, but below the record estimate of 244,000 in 2004. 34 per cent of the total (197,000) were from the 27 EU member states.
The 2007 International Passenger Survey shows that, of the reasons for migration, having a definite job was the most cited (with approximately 30 per cent of inflow reporting this), followed by formal study (26 per cent), accompanying or joining a relative (15 per cent) and looking for work (12 per cent).
The number of A8 nationals (nationals of the 2004 EU accession states) approved on the Worker Registration Scheme totalled 227,875 in 2006, three quarters of whom (162,495) were Polish. Since 2006 the number of A8 nationals on the Scheme has fallen. The latest Home Office Control of Immigration quarterly statistical summary shows that the number of approved applicants making initial applications in Q1 2009 (21,000) was less than half that of Q1 2008 (47,000). This compares to 50,000 in Q1 2007. It states that “the decrease is mainly explained by the fall in approved Polish national applicants, which fell to 12,000 in Q1 2009 from 32,000 in Q1 2008 and 36,000 in Q1 2007″. However, an estimate from the UK Statistics Authority, using data from the Labour Force Survey, suggests that the number of EU nationals working in the UK was at or near its highest level in the first quarter of 2009. The number of such workers has risen significantly since the accession of the A8 countries in 2004.
Approved applications for accession worker cards from Bulgarian and Romanian nationals wishing to take up employment in the UK fell by 33 per cent in the last year, from 645 in Q1 2008 to 435 in Q1 2009. This compares to the higher number of 840 in Q1 2007. Operators of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Scheme (SAWS)—restricted to Bulgarian and Romanian nationals—issued a total of 6,770 SAWS work cards in Q1 2009, slightly down on the 6,865 issued in Q1 2008.
Nationals of every non-EEA country wishing to come to the UK for over 6 months or to work require a visa. The latest available figures show that, in 2007/08, the UK received 1.27 million visit applications, 459,000 family visit applications, 344,000 student applications, and 89,000 work permit applications (not including working holidaymakers). The main categories in which applications decreased in 2007/08 were settlement and working holidaymakers (both down 16 per cent). Applications increased for work permits (up 12 per cent) and students (up 9 per cent). The overall refusal rate was 18 per cent, down 1 per cent on 2006/07. The Labour Force Survey estimates that the number of non-EU nationals in employment in the UK has more than doubled since 1997, and in the first quarter of 2009 stood at approximately 1.2 million workers out of a total workforce in the UK of 27.8 million.
+ Direct link to document (PDF; 6.3 MB)
ARRA Advisory on FAA’s Process for Awarding ARRA Airport Improvement Program Grants
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General
The Office of Inspector General is working to ensure that the more than $48 billion in stimulus funds allocated to the Department of Transportation is committed to infrastructure projects that meet ARRA requirements. We issued this advisory to alert the Department that FAA’s process for awarding ARRA grants for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) projects did not ensure all ARRA requirements were met.
Specifically, FAA’s guidance to regional officials for selecting airport projects did not adequately reconcile national ARRA goals with the Agency’s National Priority Rating (NPR) process for scoring potential AIP projects, and the economic merit of some lower–ranked projects may be questionable. Additionally, some projects may involve recipients with histories of grant management problems. As a result, some of these grants may not fully comply with ARRA requirements calling for transparent, merit–based selections and effective administration of funds.
We offer proposed actions for change for the Department’s consideration. Most broadly, to ensure only projects of the highest priority and economic merit receive ARRA funds, FAA needs to reconcile its guidance to regional officials with ARRA requirements and provide a transparent selection process. We suggest that until FAA can demonstrate their economic merit, it should refrain from awarding additional grants for lower–ranked projects. For such projects that have been approved but for which no ARRA funds have been expended, FAA should show their economic merit or consider withdrawing those grants. Finally, FAA should increase its oversight over ARRA grant recipients that historically have not administered AIP funds effectively. We plan to follow up on the information in this advisory with a full audit.
+ Full Report (PDF; 105 KB)
12 Year Nationwide Drop in Tobacco Sales to Minors Continues Under State/Federal Partnership Program
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced that sales of tobacco to underage youth (those younger than age 18) have continued to decline, and have in fact reached historic lows under the Synar Amendment program – a federal and state partnership program aimed at ending illegal tobacco sales to minors.
The Synar Amendment (introduced by the late Representative Mike Synar of Oklahoma) requires states to have laws and enforcement programs for prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco to persons under age 18.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have for the third year in a row achieved a major Synar program goal – a less than 20 percent non-compliance rate among tobacco product retailers. This stands in sharp contrast with the situation 12 years ago at the Synar program’s inception when the highest reported non-compliance rate was 75 percent.
+ Full Report (PDF; 489 KB)
New Report Examines Insurance Company Practice of Denying Coverage To or Discriminating Against Americans Who Have Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In a new report, “Coverage Denied: How the Current Health Insurance System Leaves Millions Behind,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services examines the insurance company practice of denying coverage to or discriminating against Americans who have pre-existing medical conditions. A recent national survey found that 12.6 million non-elderly adults — 36 percent of those who tried to buy insurance on the private market — were discriminated against in the past three years because an insurance company deemed them ineligible for coverage because of a pre-existing condition, charged them a higher premium, or refused to cover their condition. Another survey found 1 in 10 people with cancer said they could not get health coverage, and 6 percent said they lost their coverage because of their diagnosis.
The insurance company practice of denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions is not confined to serious diseases. Even minor problems such as hay fever could trigger prohibitive responses. An insurer could charge high premiums, deny coverage, or set a restriction such as denying any respiratory disease coverage to a person with hay fever, according to the report.
What’s more, some insurance companies respond to an expensive condition such as cancer by initiating a thorough review of the patient’s health insurance application. If the company discovers that any medical condition, regardless of how minor, was not reported on the application, it could revoke coverage retroactively for the patient and possibly all members of the patient’s family, the report said. The practice is known as rescission.
Companies can do this even if the condition found is not related to the expensive condition or if the person wasn’t aware of the condition at the time.
At least one company encouraged employees to revoke sick people’s health coverage through rescissions, the report said.
+ Full Report (PDF; 727 KB)
The Phoenix Program and Contemporary Counterinsurgency
Source: RAND Corporation
Fresh interest in the history of counterinsurgency has focused renewed attention on the Phoenix Program, the United States’ primary effort to improve intelligence coordination and operations aimed at identifying and dismantling the communist underground during the Vietnam War. Modern-day advocates of the program argue that it was devastatingly effective, but detractors condemn it as a merciless assassination campaign. Without a clearer understanding of the truth about Phoenix and its overall effectiveness, analysts risk drawing flawed conclusions about the program’s applicability to contemporary conflicts.
The authors explore the Viet Cong underground (the target of Phoenix operations) and the early U.S. and South Vietnamese operations designed to dismantle it. Tracing the provenance and evolution of the Phoenix Program from these early operations, they identify the program’s three elements and assess its overall success. They conclude that the truth about Phoenix and its effectiveness lies somewhere between the extremes of today’s competing claims: The program made positive contributions to counterinsurgency in South Vietnam, but its political costs to the United States were substantial. The authors note that the Phoenix Program highlights the continuing importance of intelligence coordination and anti-infrastructure operations in contemporary counterinsurgency.
Leaks and Whistleblowing in Whitehall
Source: House of Commons Public Administration Committee
Summary:
In this report we examine the effects of leaks on government. Leaks are damaging to trust within government and trust in government. In particular, they endanger ministers’ confidence in an impartial Civil Service. However, we recognise that leaks can raise matters of genuine public interest and that the Freedom of Information Act has changed the legal landscape in favour of the open disclosure of government information. The Public Interest Disclosure Act sets an appropriate framework that balances these competing interests in almost all of the exceptional circumstances where leaking might be considered justified. However, there should also be a mechanism by which evidence that the Government has misled Parliament or the public, or failed to act on concerns that have be raised, can be investigated and reported to Parliament.
We found evidence to support the view that leak investigations within government often fail to find the culprit. Such investigations are constrained by political leaking. There should be independent investigation of breaches of the Civil Service Code by special advisers and a review of the resources available to leak investigators. We are also concerned that the boundaries between criminal and non-criminal disclosure of leaking established by the Official Secrets Act are becoming blurred.
The most effective way to prevent leaks by civil servants is to provide accessible, effective and visible channels by which civil servants of all grades can raise genuine concerns about the conduct of government. Whilst progress is being made increasing awareness about whistleblowing procedures in the Senior Civil Service, more needs to be done to ensure that all grades know how to access them and have the confidence to do so. In particular, much more should be done to ensure that whistleblowers who raise concerns in good faith are protected and feel that their concerns are taken seriously.
+ Direct link to document (PDF; 828.2 KB)
“Living Apart Together”: Relationships in the United States
Source: Demographic Research
We use two surveys to describe the demographic and attitudinal correlates of being in “Living Apart Together” (LAT), cohabiting, and marital relationships for heterosexuals, lesbians, and gay men. About one third of U.S. adults not married or cohabiting are in LAT relationships – these individuals would be classified as “single” in conventional studies that focus on residential unions. Gay men are somewhat more likely than heterosexual men to be in LAT relationships. For heterosexuals and lesbians, LAT relationships are more common among younger people. Heterosexuals in LAT unions are less likely to expect to marry their partners, but more likely to say that couples should be emotionally dependent than are cohabiters. Regardless of sexual orientation, people in LAT relationships perceive similar amounts of emotional support from partners, but less instrumental support than cohabiters perceive.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 962 KB)
Fighting Oil Addiction: Ranking States’ Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council
America’s addiction to oil continues to threaten not only our national security and global environmental health, but also our economic viability. NRDC analyzed how heavily drivers in each state are affected by increases in oil prices and ranked states on their adoption of solutions to reduce their oil dependence — measures they are taking to lessen their vulnerability and to bolster America’s security. NRDC found that rising gas prices, combined with the economic downturn, are making people more vulnerable to changes in oil prices. But many states are taking significant steps to reduce oil dependence through smart clean-transportation policies.
Our analysis shows that:
- Oil dependence affects all states, but some drivers are hit harder economically than others.
- The trends in states’ vulnerability to oil price increases over the past couple of years are not encouraging — drivers in every state were more vulnerable in 2008 than they were in 2006.
- While some states are pioneering solutions and many are taking some action, a fair number of states are still taking few (if any) of the steps needed to reduce their oil dependence.
New GAO Reports (PDFs)
Source: Government Accountability Office
12 August 2009
1. Equal Employment Opportunity: Pilot Projects Could Help Test Solutions to Long-standing Concerns with the EEO Complaint Process
2. U.S.-Africa Trade: Options for Congressional Consideration to Improve Textile and Apparel Sector Competitiveness under the African Growth and Opportunity Act
Value of Provider Networks Survey
Source: America’s Health Insurance Plans
Protecting consumers from runaway charges billed by some out-of-network physicians is an important policy issue at a time of major economic challenges and a national debate surrounding health care reforms. This report provides a snapshot, state-by-state, of exorbitant charges billed by out-of-network physicians in the 30 largest states by population. It is designed to illustrate the value of provider networks and a growing problem faced by consumers who want affordable, meaningful, access to out-of-network providers.
+ Full Report (PDF; 546 KB)
Individual reports available for 30 states.
The Economies of Scale of Living Together and How They Are Shared: Estimates Based on a Collective Household Model (PDF; 313 KB)
Source: institute for the Study of Labor
How large are the economies of scale of living together? And how do partners share their resources? The first question is usually answered by equivalence scales. Traditional estimation and application of equivalence scales assumes equal sharing of income within the household. This paper uses data on financial satisfaction to simultaneously estimate the sharing rule and the economy of scale parameter in a collective household model. The estimates indicate substantial scale economies of living together, especially for couples who have lived together for some time. On average, wives receive almost 50% of household resources, but there is heterogeneity with respect to the wives’ contribution to household income and the duration of the relationship.
The Effect of Economic Downturns on Apprenticeships and Initial Workplace Training: A Review of the Evidence (PDF; 163 KB)
Source: Institute for the Study of Labor
The existing empirical evidence on the relationship between apprenticeships, initial workplace training and economic downturns, is relatively scarce. The bottom line of this literature is that ratio of apprentices to employees tends to be (mildly) pro-cyclical and to decline during a recession, with the notable exception of the Great Depression, when it rose (at least in England). When broader measures of training are considered, which exclude apprentices, the weight of the evidence is in favour of counter-cyclical training incidence. This paper suggests that a possible reconciliation of these findings is based on recognizing that firms may have incentives to train incumbents during a downturn and at the same time to reduce the recruitment and training of young employees, who are engaged in the transition from school to work.
Disproportionate Minority Contact Technical Assistance Manual
Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
This online manual provides detailed guidance on DMC identification and monitoring, assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Its intended audience is Juvenile Justice Specialists, members of State Planning Agencies and State Advisory Groups, DMC researchers and consultants, and policymakers and practitioners involved in the juvenile justice system at the state and local levels.
This manual incorporates lessons learned in DMC efforts over the years. It brings states and localities the latest information and tools for understanding and effectively addressing minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system. Electronic publication of the manual offers important benefits:
- Wide distribution.
- Hyperlinks for instant access to related materials.
- Annual updates: new information, resources, and examples of effective DMC reduction strategies.
Scientists have placed high-tech "spiders" inside and around the mouth of Mount St. Helens, one of the most active volcanoes in the United States
A sensor like this is being placed inside and around the mouth of Mount St. Helens. One day it may be used to respond rapidly to an impending eruption. (Credit: Image courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Ohio woman said a Lake Erie freshwater drum, or sheepshead, dropped by an eagle smashed the windshield of her car while she was driving
Published: Aug. 12, 2009 at 5:27 PM
"It was a very bizarre situation," Niles said.
"I look in the air and see the most beautiful eagle I'd ever seen in my life," she said. "The next thing I knew, the fish wiggled -- it dropped like a brick and completely shattered my windshield."
Niles said she wound up paying $260 out-of-pocket to have the windshield replaced.
Geology.com | News - August 13, 2009
Impact Between Planets Detected Posted: 13 Aug 2009 01:29 AM PDT “Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence of what might be a planet collision which occurred a few thousand years ago. This planet impact was located about 100 light years from earth, near a star, HD 172555, which is still in the early stages of planet formation.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
| Depletion of Northern India’s Water Supply Posted: 13 Aug 2009 12:02 AM PDT Much of northern India is dependent upon a reliable supply of groundwater for public use and irrigation. Rapid population growth, economic development and groundwater-based irrigation produce a level of groundwater use that can not be sustained. |
| Extreme Drought in Texas and Wisconsin Posted: 12 Aug 2009 06:24 PM PDT Severe to exceptional drought conditions are currently present in a number of US States. Southeastern Texas and northern Wisconsin are especially hard hit with broad areas of several other states experiencing drought conditions. |
| Posted: 12 Aug 2009 05:50 PM PDT Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has an interesting video on farming shellfish in Zanzibar as a method of producing food and reducing poverty. |
| Using Model Airplanes to Fly Research Cameras Posted: 12 Aug 2009 05:45 PM PDT Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has an article about how one of their staff engineers built a model plane to acquire images of Arctic Ocean ice floes and coral reefs. |
| World Population to Hit 7 Billion Posted: 12 Aug 2009 04:31 PM PDT According to an article at the CNN website, the population of Earth is expected to hit 7 billion people in 2011. Much of the recent population growth occurs in the poorest nations. |
| Yardangs of Aorounga Impact Crater Posted: 12 Aug 2009 03:35 PM PDT Yardangs are linear rock ridges which can collect sand dunes between them. This astronaut photo shows the yardangs and sand dunes surrounding Chad’s Aorounga Impact Crater. Zoom in on 50 impact craters with our interactive Google map. |
| Posted: 12 Aug 2009 12:30 PM PDT CNN has an article about how six people found a fortune. One of the stories is about a person finding a 40.23 carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas – the only diamond mine in the world where you can look for diamonds and keep what you find. |
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government - August 13. 2009
Refuse and Resist Mandatory Flu Vaccines --3100 signatures - add yours!
Insurance Lobby Reduces Unemployment By Hiring Thugs For Town Hall Meetings By R J Shulman 13 Aug 2009 Those angry voices shouting slogans against health care reform at town hall meetings come from a group that is actually grateful: Thanks to the Insurance lobby, they have recently left the ranks of the unemployed. UnitedHealthcare, CIGNA Health Insurance, and the Republican National Committee have hired an estimated 5,500 unemployed thugs, bullies, and emotionally challenged people to swarm town hall meetings to shout down any intelligent discussion on the issues. (Satire)
US death squads are little bees! Pakistani Muslim clerics slain in Somalia 13 Aug 2009 Masked gunmen stormed a mosque Wednesday in western Somalia, killing at least five Pakistani Muslim clerics. Authorities tried to find out who carried out the execution-style murders [c'mon], and why. The victims belonged to the Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told The Associated Press in Islamabad. Tablighi Jamaat is believed to be apolitical and nonviolent. Some of its members travel the world, preaching to fellow Muslims.
'Statute of Limitations Has Expired' on Many Secrets, Former Vice President Says --Cheney Uncloaks His Frustration With Bush 13 Aug 2009 In his first few months after leaving office, former vice president [sic] Richard B. Cheney threw himself into public combat against the "far left" agenda of the new commander in chief. More private reflections, as his memoir takes shape in slashing longhand on legal pads, have opened a second front against Cheney's White House partner of eight years, George W. Bush. Cheney's disappointment with the former president [sic] surfaced recently in one of the informal conversations he is holding to discuss the book with authors, diplomats, policy experts and past colleagues. [You know you're in trouble when... you reflect upon your term in office vis a vis the statute of limitations. --LRP]
AP: Former AG Gonzalez says criminal probe of CIA interrogations could be dangerous 12 Aug 2009 Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says a criminal investigation into whether CIA interrogations after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks crossed legal lines could have a chilling effect on U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Gonzales said a Justice Department investigation "could discourage" CIA operatives from "engaging in conduct that even comes close" to department guidelines.
U.S., NATO deaths from Afghan bombs up sixfold --A record 62,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan. 12 Aug 2009 U.S. and NATO deaths from roadside and suicide bomb blasts in Afghanistan soared sixfold in July compared with the same month last year, as militants detonated the highest number of bombs of the eight-year war, figures released yesterday showed. Three U.S. Marines and a Polish soldier were killed in the latest attacks, setting August on course to surpass the record 75 deaths of U.S. and NATO troops from all causes in July. . [See: We can't 'afford' health care for all US citizens, but by golly: Afghanistan Needs More Money --U.S. ambassador asks for an additional $2.5B next year for development and [KBR-funded] civilian reconstruction. 12 Aug 2009 Obama has asked for $68 billion in Defense Department spending in Afghanistan next year, an amount that for the first time would exceed U.S. military expenditures in Iraq. Spending on civilian governance and development programs has doubled under the Obama administration, to $200 million a month -- equal to the monthly rate in Iraq during the zenith of spending on nonmilitary projects there.]
AP journalists wounded in Afghanistan --Photographer Emilio Morenatti loses a foot after bomb attack 12 Aug 2009 Two Associated Press journalists wounded in a bomb blast while on assignment with the U.S. military in southern Afghanistan were evacuated to a medical centre in Dubai today after being treated at a military hospital. The Army said that two U.S. soldiers were also wounded in the bombing of a light armoured vehicle called a Stryker near the Pakistani border. Photographer Emilio Morenatti and AP Television News videographer Andi Jatmiko were travelling on Tuesday with a unit of the 5th Stryker Brigade when their vehicle ran over a bomb planted in the open desert terrain, the military said.
Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan loss to NATO: expert 13 Aug 2009 A U.S. expert sees Canada's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2011 to be a great loss to NATO's mission there, Canadian media reports said Wednesday. The Canadian departure would seriously undermine NATO's war as it is not about a small number of troops but a big issue as the loss of experience and credibility with local Afghans, according to Anthony Cordesman, a U.S. counter-insurgency expert, who served as a special adviser to the alliance's new ground commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.
US soldiers largest swine flu-infected group in Iraq 12 Aug 2009 US soldiers in Iraq have become the largest group in the country to be infected with the deadly A/H1N1 virus, which is rapidly spreading in Asian countries. Iraqi health officials reported on Wednesday that some 67 American soldiers have been diagnosed with swine flu, adding that 23 Iraqis and six other foreigners have tested positive for the deadly virus. [They were likely vaccinated with it. Notice how disease outbreaks and pandemics usually begin at US military bases and Army medical research facilities?]
Baghdad bombings kill at least 8 12 Aug 2009 Several bombs exploded nearly simultaneously Tuesday in a mainly Shiite area of Baghdad, killing at least eight people. An explosives-laden car parked near a market entrance and two other nearby bombs detonated within minutes of one another about 8:40 p.m. in the Amin Thaniya neighborhood in east Baghdad, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 22, police and hospital officials said.
Five killed in Iraq attacks 12 Aug 2009 Five people were killed, including four police officers, and eight wounded in separate attacks in Iraq's tense northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul on Wednesday, police said. Three bomb disposal agents were killed and three hurt as they attempted to defuse a car bomb at around 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), police Major Salam Zinganah told AFP.
Interrogation Inc.: A Window Into C.I.A.'s Embrace of Secret Jails 13 Aug 2009 In March 2003, two C.I.A. officials surprised Kyle D. Foggo, then the chief of the agency’s main European supply base, with an unusual request. They wanted his help building secret prisons to hold some of the world’s most threatening alleged terrorists. Mr. Foggo, nicknamed Dusty, was known inside the agency as a cigar-waving, bourbon-drinking operator, someone who could get a cargo plane flying anywhere in the world or quickly obtain weapons, food, money -- whatever the C.I.A. needed... Mr. Foggo went on to oversee construction of three detention centers, each built to house about a half-dozen detainees prisoners, according to former intelligence officials and others briefed on the matter.
Feds to tour Michigan prison where Gitmo detainees could go 12 Aug 2009 Federal officials will travel to Standish, Michigan, on Thursday to tour a state prison that could be used to house terror suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.S. government officials said Wednesday. Among those who will check out the facility, the officials said, will be representatives from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons.
Bayh seeks more Guard toxin review --KBR may have caused hundreds of U.S. troops to be exposed to dangerous levels of toxin 12 Aug 2009 Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and four other Democratic senators are asking the Pentagon’s inspector general to review the Army’s response to the potential exposure of Indiana National Guardsmen to a deadly chemical in Iraq. The senators said they think that the conduct of the Army and by the military contractor [terrorists] KBR may have caused hundreds of U.S. troops to be exposed to dangerous levels of the cancer-causing sodium dichromate.
KBR Secures Engineering Services Contract for Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Export Refinery Project 12 Aug 2009 The American engineering, construction and service company KBR Incorporated (Houston, Texas) has been awarded a contract by the state-owned Saudi Aramco (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) and ConocoPhillips (Houston) to supply detailed engineering and procurement services for the Yanbu export refinery project.
Lockerbie bomber could be freed from prison next week --Many British families believe Megrahi is innocent. 13 Aug 2009 Preparations are under way to free the Libyan man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing from prison next week, after doctors said his terminal prostate cancer was in its final stages. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, sentenced to a minimum life term of 25 years in 2001 for killing 270 people in the bombing, is expected to be released on compassionate grounds in time to return home for the start of the festival of Ramadan next week.
Secure Flight begins phasing in Aug. 15 --Secure Flight requires that airlines get your birthdate and gender so you can be prescreened against a government watch list. 12 Aug 2009 A change, which is rolling out airline-by-airline but which officially begins to phase in this weekend on Aug. 15, will require that you hand over to the federal government more personal data than ever before in order to reserve a seat on a domestic flight. The overhauled Transportation Security Administration program is required by law, but many consumers haven't heard much about it. A new TSA program called "Secure Flight" transfers the responsibility of pre-screening passengers from the airlines to the TSA.
State to offer 2 types of licenses for renewals 12 Aug 2009 Those who choose not to seek the federally-compliant ID will not be able to board an airplane or enter certain federal buildings beginning in 2016, when the federal government will begin enforcing the new standards. The state will issue two forms of the driver's license or ID -- one labeled federally compliant and one labeled non-federally compliant. Those seeking a new Indiana license -- such as first-time drivers and new residents who have moved here from another state -- will have to obtain the federally-compliant ID or license.
DNA database has 300 children added a day 11 Aug 2009 More than 300 children a day are being put on to the DNA database fuelling fresh fears over the growth of the "Big Brother" state. Almost 1.1 million youngsters aged between ten and 17 have had their profiles recorded by the police since 2000, with a large proportion aged under 15, the Daily Telegraph can disclose. And around one in six are likely to have never been convicted of any crime.
One third of all children in jails are 'wrongly imprisoned' 13 Aug 2009 More than a third of children sent to prison last year were wrongly jailed, a report into child custody rates says. The study by Barnardo's found that the Government had breached its own guidance on child custody by allowing so many 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds to be imprisoned for a non-serious offences.
Study: Militancy on the rise in US 12 Aug 2009 An institutional inquiry into militia growth in the United States points to mounting activities on the part of armed groups amidst economic and state problems. A new report published by the non-profit US legal firm, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), identifies the ailing economy and a 'moderate' Democrat president of African descent as the root causes for the increasing dissent which has led to the mushrooming sprout of armed bands and hate crimes across the country.
Swine flu may have peaked, experts say 13 Aug 2009 An expected second wave of pandemic influenza which was expected to strike Britain later this year may turn out to be less dangerous than previously thought, according to some of the world's leading flu experts. Scientists are having second thoughts about whether they were right to expect a more lethal form of H1N1 swine flu virus to emerge this autumn following a re-evaluation of previous influenza pandemics.
Health agency adopts rules to increase flu vaccinations 12 Aug 2009 (MA) State public health authorities today adopted emergency measures designed to boost flu vaccination rates among healthcare workers and to allow dentists, pharmacists, and paramedics to administer influenza shots. The state Public Health Council, an appointed board of doctors, consumer advocates, and policy specialists, voted unanimously to require hospitals and clinics to provide flu vaccine to all their workers and certain volunteers. Infectious disease specialists have long recommended that medical employees be vaccinated, but studies have shown that barely half of workers wind up being inoculated against the viral illness. Even with the emergency action taken today, medical employees could still decline to be vaccinated. [Right, they're not stupid. They don't want a mega-dose of mercury, squalene, Polysorbate 80 and insect eggs. See: Baxter not to provide anti-swine flu vaccine to Czechs --Czech Health Ministry: Baxter unable to guarantee vaccine is safe, won't be responsible for its side-effects 03 Aug 2009; Baxter Vaccine 'Oddities' 17 Jul 2009.]
Drug to combat swine flu leaves '1,000 patients in suffering' --Officials insist Tamiflu is safe as reports of side effects continue to rise 12 Aug 2009 Health officials yesterday defended the Government's policy of giving the antiviral drug Tamiflu to everyone claiming to be suffering from the symptoms of swine flu despite more than 400 reports of adverse drug reactions since the start of the outbreak. Critics of the policy of widespread distribution of Tamiflu have also warned that people who fail to complete the course of treatment may be fuelling the evolution of drug-resistant forms of the type of H1N1 influenza A virus behind the swine flu pandemic. [See: Donald Rumsfeld makes $5m killing on bird flu drug 12 Mar 2006 Donald Rumsfeld has made a killing out of bird flu. The US Defence Secretary has made more than $5m (£2.9m) in capital gains from selling shares in the biotechnology firm that discovered and developed Tamiflu.]
Did Obama sabotage health care reform? By Lori Price 13 Aug 2009 The health care CEOs are making millions of dollars per year, mainly by denying people coverage. President Obama would have won popular support for quality reform ('single-payer' health care) by putting this issue front-and-center. But he didn't. Instead, he allowed the rightwing to hijack the debate. Did Obama do that on purpose, so that he would not be held accountable to his campaign promise (apparently, a lie) that he would push for universal health care coverage? Health Insurance Company CEOs Total Compensation in 2008 By Michael Ricciardelli 20 May 2009 Ins. Co. & CEO With 2008 Total CEO Compensation: Aetna, Ronald A. Williams: $24,300,112 Cigna, H. Edward Hanway: $12,236,740 Coventry, Dale Wolf: $9,047,469 Health Net, Jay Gellert: $4,425,355 Humana, Michael McCallister: $4,764,309 U. Health Group, Stephen J. Hemsley: $3,241,042 Wellpoint, Angela Braly: $9,844,212]
Leaked Email: CNBC Went to Tea Partiers Looking for Angry Protests 12 Aug 2009 CNBC approached Tea Party activists, looking for angry protest events that would make good television, according to a leaked email from a Tea Party discussion group. And one Teabagger responded by flagging an upcoming event that, he said, "should be a riot ... literally." Yesterday, Tea Party Patriots national coordinator Jenny Beth Martin sent an email, obtained by TPMmuckraker, to a Tea Party google group. Martin told the group: "We have a media request for an event this week that will have lots of energy and lots of anger. This is for CNBC."
Swastika painted at Georgia congressman's office --Congressman, who is black, said he has received mail in recent days that used N-word references to him 11 Aug 2009 A swastika was found Tuesday painted on a sign outside the office of Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat. Scott's staff arrived at his Smyrna, Ga., office Tuesday morning to find the Nazi graffiti emblazoned on a sign bearing the lawmaker's name. The vandalism occurred roughly a week after Scott was involved in a contentious argument over health care at a community meeting.
CLG: Guns OK Outside Obama Town Hall; Kerry Pins Brought Arrest At Bush Rally By Lori Price 12 Aug 2009 Bush's Waffen-SS arrested (and strip-searched) people with Kerry-Edwards buttons pinned to their T-shirts and paper protest signs at his at his GOP-only appearances. But, when a Reichwinger attends a New Hampshire town hall meeting with a gun -- merely yards from President Obama -- the protester not only gets to remain at the meeting but also gets to be a guest on MSNBC's 'Hardball.'
Video: Arrest Yesterday at McCaskill Healthcare By Chad Garrison 12 Aug 2009 As you can see from the [Peter Glickert] video, the woman arrested yesterday at Senator Claire McCaskill's healthcare forum was kicked out of the event after a fellow attendee took it upon himself to confiscate her property. As Glickert observes on his blog, the television news only showed the woman being escorted out by police -- leaving viewers to assume that her actions, alone, prompted her arrest.
Sen. Grassley: Govt. Would 'Decide When to Pull the Plug On Grandma' 12 Aug 2009 Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) continued the thoroughly debunked right wing euthanasia/death panel meme today, telling a town hall crowd, "You have every right to fear....a government run plan to decide when to pull the plug on Grandma..." Grassley is the latest republican to jump on the euthanasia bandwagon. Today, Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele said Sarah Palin's "death panel" comment was "perfectly appropriate" given the "life-and-death decisions" the government would make under a health care reform bill.
Steele: Palin's Talk of a "Death Panel" Is "Perfectly Appropriate" 12 Aug 2009 RNC Chairman Michael Steele just appeared on the Neil Cavuto show, where he endorsed Sarah Palin's accusation that President Obama will set up "death panels" to decide who is worthy or not of medical care.
Wall St. approves as Fed keeps rates near 0% 12 Aug 2009 The Federal Reserve decided Wednesday to keep a key interest rate near zero, saying the economy is stabilizing and inflation is under control. The announcement by the Fed's Open Market Committee was widely expected but was still welcomed on Wall Street: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 120 points, or 1.3%, to 9362. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke "did what everyone [!?!] hoped he would," says Mike Holland of Holland & Co.
Gay-Marriage Bid Is Delayed 12 Aug 2009 California's leading gay-rights group said Wednesday it would wait until 2012 to put a measure on the state ballot to legalize same-sex marriage -- much later than many advocates expected and a sign the national push for gay marriage could stretch for years despite recent victories in some states. Equality California, the group that organized an unsuccessful effort to block California's Proposition 8 last year banning gay marriage in the state, said it planned to wait three years because it would take that long to change enough minds to win at the polls.
Ontario polar bears officially threatened species 12 Aug 2009 Polar bear populations in Ontario's north are on the decline, turning cautious concern for the animal's survival into planned action. The Ontario government is changing the classification of the polar bear population from special concern to threatened species to ensure a greater protection of the bears.
Indianapolis Zoo's polar bear dies 12 Aug 2009 One of the world's oldest polar bears is dead at the age of 34. Indianapolis Zoo officials say the bear named Tahtsa died Wednesday after years of declining health. Veterinarians decided to euthanize her when she could no longer stand.
Previous lead stories: Inquiry into Britain's involvement in torture rejected by Government 11 Aug 2009 An inquiry into whether Britain’s intelligence services have been involved indirectly in the torture of terrorist suspects by foreign agencies is not necessary, the Government said yesterday. Downing Street’s rejection of calls for an inquiry came as the head of MI6 publicly insisted that none of his intelligence officers could be accused of complicit involvement in torture.
U.S. battling CIA rendition case in 3 courts 10 Aug 2009 The Obama administration is fighting on multiple fronts - in courts in San Francisco, Washington and London - to keep an official veil of secrecy over the treatment of a former prisoner who says he was tortured at Guantanamo Bay. The administration has asked a federal appeals court in San Francisco to reconsider its ruling allowing Binyam Mohamed and four other former or current prisoners to sue a Bay Area company for allegedly flying them to overseas torture chambers for the CIA.