US food stamp recipients reach record 33.8 million in April -- A record 33.8 million people received food stamps in April, up 20 percent from a year earlier, as unemployment surged toward a 26-year high, government figures show. Spending also jumped, as the average benefit rose.
14 US personnel treated for swine flu -- A US military spokeswoman said 14 US personnel at the main American military base in Afghanistan had swine flu but were treated successfully.
Argentina to declare bank holiday because of swine flu -- Argentine financial markets and banks will close on Friday as part of government efforts to fight an outbreak of the H1N1 flu strain that has killed 70 people, officials said on Wednesday.
Swine flu outbreak at San Quentin prison limits inmate intake -- An outbreak of swine flu at San Quentin State Prison led officials today to limit the acceptance of new inmates from 19 Northern California counties and halt the transfer of prisoners to other correctional facilities.
Important caution about the H1N1 swine flu vaccine -- If there is any question why parents would not want their kids to be vaccinated, read this link.
Swine flu summit: Govt checks on state readiness -- The Obama administration put the states on notice Thursday: Swine flu promises to create a mess this fall. Are you ready?
Canada finds another new flu strain in farm workers -- Public health officials in Canada yesterday announced that they have detected a new influenza strain—one that contains human seasonal flu and a swine flu virus—in two workers on a Saskatchewan hog farm.
Michael R. Taylor Named Advisor to FDA Commissioner -- While America's media were busy covering the funeral of Michael Jackson, Monsanto has succeeded in getting Michael Taylor into the highest echelon of the Obama Administration.
Related Article: Former Monsanto VP May Be Named To Head FDA Safety Working Group
$18M Being Spent to Redesign Recovery.gov Web Site -- For those concerned about stimulus spending, the General Services Administration sends word tonight that $18 million in additional funds are being spent to redesign the Recovery.gov Web site.
Businesses should prepare now for fall flu -- Nevada businesses large and small have been preparing for “the big one” — a terrorist attack, a natural disaster or a killer strain of global flu. Now it’s time to prepare for the “little one” — the anticipated resurgence of the recent menace, the H1N1 virus (swine flu), this fall.
The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room » White House spells Obama’s name wrong -- In a release touting an agreement between Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev over how to craft a follow-up to the START arms reduction treaty, the White House claimed the document had been signed by one "Barak Obama." Whoops!!!
The jobs situation is even worse than the headlines -- Based on the initial claims for unemployment benefits, it's more likely that the job losses are closer to 600,000 per month rather than the figures officially reported.
IRS tells pro-lifers to give up 1st Amendment -- The Internal Revenue Service has told members of the Coalition for Life of Iowa they would have to give up their 1st Amendment rights in order to be recognized as a non-profit organization, according to a complaint being pursued by members of the Thomas More Society. However, an IRS agent then contacted the Coalition, through its president Susan Martinek, demanding to know whether the group "engaged in any 'picketing' or 'protest' activities at Planned Parenthood. … You then asked Ms. Martinek to have all Coalition Board members sign a statement that the Coalition will not 'picket' or 'protest' outside of Planned Parenthood or similar organizations and will not 'organize' others to do so," the law firm's letter said.
Defense contractor KBR may seek legal defense funds -- KBR is battling three lawsuits stemming from an attack on a truck convoy in April 2004 in which six truck drivers died, 15 were injured, and one remains missing and presumed dead. The plaintiffs claim KBR did not take appropriate measures to protect the truck drivers. An attorney for KBR told the Houston Chronicle that if the cases go to trial, KBR could ask the government to accept responsibility for the legal fees under its contract.
EDITORIAL: Passing unread laws -- As the Declaration of Independence set forth 233 years ago, our government derives its power from the consent of the governed. Such consent does not exist when legislation is purposely rammed through Congress so quickly that congressmen -- let alone citizens -- do not have time even to read it.
Banks Cash in On Huge Overdraft Fees -- With Americans cutting back on credit, more and more people are using their debit cards to purchase that cup of coffee, tank of gas or bag of groceries. At the same time, banks, facing a federal crackdown on their credit practices, are tapping a new cash cow: an explosion in overdraft fees when consumers spend more than they have.
Foods Face Tougher Path From Farm to Table -- Government Rules Aim to Prevent Salmonella in Eggs, E. Coli in Beef. New measures, announced this afternoon by Vice President Joe Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, include requirements to refrigerate eggs during transport and more stringently inspect poultry houses to prevent the spread of salmonella. It also includes efforts intended to keep E. coli out of beef and prevent bacteria from entering fruits and leafy greens.
NYSE, Nasdaq sites targeted by cyber attack -- NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX Group said their public Web sites were targets of "cyber attacks," though market operations were unaffected.
White House among targets of sweeping cyber attack-N. Korea suspected -- The powerful attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was even broader than initially realized, also targeting the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange.
Budget Nightmare: 10 Most Broke States -- Things are so bad that 48 states addressed or are facing shortfalls in the fiscal year that just started. The total deficit: $166 billion, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Many states are also already predicting shortfalls next year. Only Montana and North Dakota have so far been unscathed in their state budgets.
FDIC gearing up for bank failures -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is gearing up to handle a large number of bank failures expected as a result of bad mortgages, both in residential and commercial real estate, an economist said Tuesday.
Text House Resolution 600 - a Tribute to Michael Jackson?! -- Ms. Shelia JACKSON-LEE of Texas (for herself and Ms. WATSON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Colorado: City launches website to stop toll road -- Golden, Colorado wants nothing to do with toll roads. Last month, the city sent a 48-page report to investment firms that had expressed interest in being part of a tolled beltway project near Denver. The city warned that this would be an unwise investment and even set up a website, ReallyBadDeal.org, to outline the case against the toll road.
Website is https://www.reallybaddeal.org
Big Brother is watching you-surveillance pervasive under Obama -- Under the rubric of cybersecurity, the Obama administration is moving forward with a Bush regime program to screen state computer traffic on private-sector networks, including those connecting people to the Internet, The Washington Post revealed July 3. That project, code-named "Einstein," may very well be related to the much-larger, ongoing and highly illegal National Security Agency (NSA) communications intercept program known as "Stellar Wind," disclosed in 2005 by The New York Times.
Darpa's handheld nuclear fusion reactor -- The project, known as the “Chip-Scale High Energy Atomic Beams” program, is an effort aimed at working on the core technologies behind a tiny particle accelerator, capable of firing subatomic particles at incredible speeds. It’s part of a larger Darpa plan to reduce all sorts of devices to microchip-scale — including cryogenic coolers , video cameras and multi-purpose sensors.
Make purchases without cash - barter -- In a tough economy, more business owners are conserving cash by bartering for the stuff they need. Read More...
US consumers fall behind on loans at record rate -- Soaring U.S. unemployment and a shrinking economy drove delinquencies on credit card debt and home equity loans to all-time highs in the first quarter as a record number of cash-strapped consumers fell behind on their bills.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in sewage sludge fertilizer could breed more superbugs -- Waste-water treatment by-products, also known as sewage sludge, are frequently used as fertilizer. And that means whatever this stew of sewage leftovers contains, including substances hazardous to human and animal health, could potentially get into the food supply.
How to get relief from hiccups -- Read some natural remedies to help overcome bothersome hiccups.
Robo-bats to be next eyes in the sky -- Tiny flying machines can survey anything from indoors to collapsed buildings. Now researchers are mimicking nature's small flyers - and developing robotic bats that offer increased manoeuvrability and performance. Read More...
Astronomy picture of the day-The Big Dipper over Mt Rushmore -- Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
