Archivist of the United States Announces Establishment of the National Declassification Center

/PRNewswire/ -- Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero announced today the establishment of the National Declassification Center (NDC) within the National Archives and Records Administration.

The creation of the NDC is specified in the new Executive Order on Classified National Security Information signed by President Obama on December 29, 2009. Specifically, the NDC is charged with streamlining declassification processes, facilitating quality assurance measures, and implementing standard training for declassification reviewers.

In making the announcement, Mr. Ferriero said, "The Federal government has reached a watershed moment in records declassification. The current backlog is so huge that Americans are being denied the ability to hold government officials accountable for their actions. By streamlining the declassification process, the NDC will usher in a new day in the world of access, allowing the National Archives to make more records available for public scrutiny much more quickly."

Initially, the NDC will be located at the National Archives College Park, MD facility and focus on clearing the backlog of referrals in reviewed documents both in Federal records and in Presidential materials. Dr. Michael Kurtz, Assistant Archivist for the Office of Records Services, Washington will serve as Acting Director of the NDC pending the selection of a permanent director. The NDC will be advised by an inter-agency Policy Planning Group made up of senior managers from the Departments of State, Defense, and Energy as well as the Central Intelligence Agency, Director of National Intelligence, the Information Security Oversight Office, and the National Archives.

"The establishment of the NDC provides a unique opportunity for the National Archives and its agency colleagues to create new strategies to protect essential national security and release hundreds of millions of pages to researchers and the public," said Dr. Kurtz

In anticipation of the establishment of the NDC, an inter-agency Program Management Team that has begun examining current declassification review processes throughout the government. The National Archives is working with the Defense Change Management Organization to conduct a study to determine how processes can be improved by reducing process cycle time, defects and costs. The recommendations from this effort will be incorporated into the new NDC processes.

Public input, questions and comments may be sent to NDC@nara.gov . Information about upcoming forums and NDC initiatives may be found at the NDC website: http://www.archives.gov/declassification.

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Facebook to charge for service? Not true...

Does Facebook’s Business Plan Include Premium Memberships?

The world’s largest social network sometimes gets flack from bloggers and industry pundits for not having much of a business model. It’s true that for now, Facebook is more focused on growing its number of users – which passed 200 million this week – than its bottom line. But the company is generating revenue from advertising, as chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg pointed out in her talks with BusinessWeek editor-in-chief Stephen Adler on Apr. 7:

There is a lot of like, “What is the business? What is your business model?” And it’s a really simple answer, which is that our business is advertising. We’re not waiting to find our business, but we found it and it’s actually working very well.

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/04/does_facebooks.html

Thanks to Amy Allen for sharing this article.

Supplemental Notification of Authors and Publishers About Google Book Search Settlement Begins Today

/PRNewswire/ -- Distribution of the Supplemental Notice in the Google Book Search Settlement is now taking place. The Supplemental Notice summarizes the principal changes from the Original Settlement to the Amended Settlement. The Court overseeing the case preliminarily approved the Amended Settlement, and approved the Supplemental Notice, on November 19, 2009.

Please visit http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/ for detailed information, including the Supplemental Notice and revised key dates. The website is available in 36 languages.

The Court will hold a hearing on whether to grant final approval of the Amended Settlement on February 18, 2010.

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In Fayette County? Rumors of Strange Sightings?

Gotta tell ya that this caught my eye. I know the area of Lee's Mill Rd and I even know some fine people who live on that road. Lee's Mill Rd has a bunch of homes along its route, and there are even more trees and woods along it than homes. Bigfoot sighting? In Fayette County? Gee, I guess I must have missed that one. Interesting, but then I've always loved a good mystery......

On the Trail of the Georgia Bigfoot...Latest Sighting-Fayette County

The Georgia Bigfoot, other than being the title of my next book, is also an ongoing mystery in the Peach State. With sightings dating back to the early 1800s in Georgia, and ranging from the mountains to the coast, there is much to be said for the possible existence of the elusive creature in Georgia....http://georgiamysteries.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-trail-of-georgia-bigfootlatest.html


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Legion to Support WWII Veteran's Fight for Flagpole

/PRNewswire/ -- The American Legion has joined the fight being waged by a Medal of Honor recipient against a Virginia homeowner association's demands to remove a flagpole.

Col. Van Barfoot, 90, a World War II and Vietnam veteran, was ordered by the Sussex Square Homeowner's Association to remove the flag pole from his front lawn after he flew the U.S. Flag on Labor Day and Veterans Day. The association is claiming that the flag pole is not "aesthetically appropriate."

"The association underestimated the fight left in this elderly veteran and now they have to contend with the determination and persistence of Col. Barfoot's 2.5 million friends in The American Legion," said National Commander Clarence E. Hill. "Col. Barfoot has hired legal counsel. The American Legion is prepared to help with the expenses and fight these disgraceful actions by the association. Where is the common sense here? Is this anyway to treat any American, much less a true hero like Col. Barfoot?"

Fighting for the flag is not new to The American Legion, the nation's leading authority on flag etiquette. Since 1989, The Legion has been fighting for a constitutional amendment that would grant Congress the authority to protect Old Glory from desecration.

"The flag is a symbol of our country," Hill said. "People should fly it proudly. That's all Col. Barfoot wants to do. If he were desecrating the flag, instead, the association couldn't do a thing to stop him. We proudly stand with Col. Barfoot and say 'enough already!' Let him keep the flagpole and fly the flag as often as he wants. He certainly earned that right."

"What the association is doing is especially disgraceful given the fact that our president has ordered another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in defense of our freedom," added Joseph Caouette, The American Legion's Chairman of Americanism. "I wonder what they think of all of this."

With a current membership of 2.5-million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.

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Douglass Descendants Declare War on Human Trafficking - Modern-Day Slavery

/PRNewswire/ -- "Slavery exists today and it is time to educate ourselves about the brutal exploitation people in our own communities are experiencing."

These are the words of Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., but they echo those of a famous ancestor who escaped slavery at age 20 and went on to become a defender of human rights and one of America's greatest leaders. The family of the great Abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, wants your help in ending all forms of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. "It's the world's second most profitable illegal industry, yet the buying and selling of people is a crime that's poorly understood, " says Mr. Morris, President of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation.

Students from middle schools and high schools across the country have been selected to help the foundation launch an awareness campaign beginning December 2nd. The campaign, being touted as the beginning of a new Abolitionist Movement, happens in concert with the United Nations' International Day for the Abolition of Slavery which commemorates a 1949 UN convention to end human trafficking and the exploitation of people everywhere in the world.

How can you help? On December 2nd, young people all over the USA will communicate the message of Abolition Day to friends, family and as many people as they can reach through the Internet and the media. Non-profit organizations and government agencies that deal with this issue will use December 2nd as a day to talk about the work they do. The foundation also asks:

-- Parents to learn: how their children could become victims of human
trafficking and discuss it openly with the entire family (go to
www.fdff.org/adproject for ideas),
-- Community and church leaders to host: open forums about human
trafficking,
-- Law Enforcement to visit: schools and create programs in which
students can participate.


The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation's Chairwomen, Nettie Washington Douglass, says that, "Women and children are most frequently the victims of these tragic crimes." Mrs. Douglass is the great great granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and she is the great granddaughter of Booker T. Washington. Mr. Morris is her eldest son.

The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. For more information about the Abolition Day project go to www.fdff.org/adproject. For information about the foundation contact Robert Benz at 702-523-4845 or email rbenz@fdff.org.

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Amoena and Young Survival Coalition Celebrate Breast Cancer Survivors With Contest and Cruise

/PRNewswire/ -- Amoena USA Corporation, the worldwide leader of post-surgery breast care products, is sponsoring the 4th Annual Breast Cancer Survivors Cruise. In 2010, for the first time, Amoena will honor survivors and the people who helped them through their recovery by awarding a cabin for the one with the most inspirational story to tell.

As part of the contest, Amoena wants to hear about young mothers who bravely endured treatments; women who, despite their diagnosis, remain positive and optimistic; friends who were there when a survivor was diagnosed, went to appointments and made the recovery process a little easier. The contest is a celebration of survivorship and friendship.

"Amoena's mission is to help restore dignity and a positive self-image to women who have fought breast cancer and won. No woman can go through the battle alone. They need someone by their side encouraging them," said Malissa Magyar, Marketing Manager for Amoena. "We're inspired by the women who have fought this fight, and we're inspired by those who helped them every step of the way to recovery. This contest is our way of celebrating them."

Amoena approached the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an organization focused on addressing critical issues of women under 40 diagnosed with breast cancer, to help sponsor the contest and spread the word among its affiliates.

"As a survivor, I know how important it is to have a support system while you undergo treatment and the emotional ups and downs following a breast cancer diagnosis," said Courtney Bulger, Executive Director, YSC, Greater Metro Atlanta. "We're happy to join Amoena in promoting a contest that honors that support system."

Nominations are now being accepted through March 1, 2010. To nominate, write in 500 words or less, the inspirational story of the woman who never gave up and the people who encouraged her to keep fighting. Amoena will select one winner to receive a cabin for two on the 2010 Breast Cancer Survivors Cruise, May 2-8. YSC will cover travel costs for the winner and guest to the cruise's port city, Ft. Lauderdale.

To nominate someone, simply fill out the online form available at www.amoena.com/cruise.

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First-hand Stories from Marine Corps Boot Camp

/PRNewswire/ -- From the rifle range to the mess hall, the obstacle course to swimming, "A Few Good Memories, Tales of Marine Corps Boot Camp" (published by Trafford Publishing) by Marine Bob Taylor shares more than 400 first-hand stories of Marines and their experience during an amazing time of each of their lives -- boot camp.

"My book is a collection of stories collected through my web site in 1999," Taylor said, who also got a chance to spend two weeks in 2000 at camp at Parris Island. "Over the years, I had read many Marine books - most were of the 'blood and guts' variety. I published the web site and requested first-hand humorous stories about Boot Camp from the Marines who experienced them.

"Hardly two months had passed when I had received over a thousand stories," he added. "I began a difficult selection to filter the best. Most were the humorous type I had envisioned, but a few nostalgic and sad stories made the cut because of their quality - and the balance they provided."

Readers are sure to enjoy the first-hand stories of the men and women of the United States who have volunteered to train to be Marines and defend the country against foreign enemies as well as the highly professional Marine drill instructors, who work day and night to produce the best fighting men and women in the world.

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Snappy Tune for 2010

Tap, tap, snap, snap, I'm singing right along---




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'Dare to Believe in the Man in the Red Suit': Delivering the True Message of Christmas

/PRNewswire/ -- Thanksgiving is next week and retailers are advertising their merchandise and Black Friday deals everywhere you turn. With the bad economy, many families are feeling the pressure of the holidays and stress of not being able to buy the gifts their children are asking Santa to bring on Christmas morning. Melissa Larsen's "Dare to Believe in the Man in the Red Suit," published by AuthorHouse, helps parents and children remember the true reason for the season and reminds them to focus on the seven gifts of Christmas.

Tabby Mae, the story's main character, starts to question Santa Claus as she notices the stress and tension between her parents. Like many families this year, her parents don't have the money to buy new decorations and host their annual Christmas Eve party. They're left with the dilemma of telling their daughter the truth because they won't be able to afford the presents she wants this year.

After overhearing her parents' conversation, the little girl goes to bed and prays for her parents and to help them have the best Christmas. An angel suddenly appears and helps Tabby Mae to recall all of the wonderful Christmas memories stored in her heart and recreated all of the child's favorite family traditions and decorations for her to see. In the middle was the man in the red suit.

Suddenly, Tabby Mae sees the man in the red suit kneeling beside a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. She overhears Santa praying to the baby Jesus explaining that he delivers small presents to people each year as a reminder of the gifts Jesus gives us each year and the red suit represents Jesus' love and life.

The angel explains to the little girl that the man is St. Nick and that to focus on the seven gifts of Christmas: hope, peace, faith, joy, comfort, love and knowledge. Tabby Mae was then able to realize the true meaning of Christmas and what it means to believe in the man in the red suit.

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Apocalypse Time Again

The end of time as we know it is certainly food for thought, and for some, it's a way of life. As the new movie about the alleged apoclypse in a couple of years comes out, it's time to revisit some of the great apocalyses that, well, didn't happen.

Read more...

Ten Notable Apocalypses That (Obviously) Didn’t Happen
Apocalyptic predictions, such as those warning of global destruction in 2012, are nothing new – they have been around for millenia
By Mark Strauss

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Veteran-led Peer Support Combats Suicide

/PRNewswire/ -- Last month in Washington, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki made a staggering announcement: more veterans have committed suicide since 2001 than have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Coming within weeks of the release of the US Army's suicide prevention guidebook, the VA Secretary's statement underscores the commitment to teaching service members and veterans the methods for overcoming combat stress.

While for many the manual will be an important tool, veteran-to-veteran peer support is often the best way to stay mentally healthy during and after wartime service.

For more than a decade, Survivor Corps has helped thousands of military and civilian survivors of war to recover and move beyond their combat trauma. Now, thanks to a committed group of American veterans, the organization is implementing their international expertise here at home.

In 2006, US Army Captain (Ret.) Scott Quilty lost his right arm and right leg to an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Iraq. Today, he is the US Program Manager for Survivor Corps.

"I quickly learned at Walter Reed that isolation will kill me," says Quilty. "After months of rehabilitation I started to sleep more and interact less. The only thing that motivated me to get out of bed for the first time in days was the news that my friend just arrived and lost both his feet."

Survivor Corps partners with the Massachusetts Statewide Advocacy for Veterans Empowerment (SAVE) to implement a pioneering veteran peer support program.

Earlier this year, outreach workers from SAVE attended Survivor Corps' peer support training program, where they learned advanced techniques to identify mental health issues and reduce rates of suicide. Since the training, SAVE has reached over 7,000 veterans and service members.

Cameron Macauley, Survivor Corps' Health Education Specialist, conducted the peer support training in Massachusetts. "From our experience in post conflict countries around the world, it is clear that peer support is key to combating the social isolation felt by survivors. When we adapted our program to help veterans here in the United States we provided special training to our outreach workers in order to properly recognize the signs most commonly associated with suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)."

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Consumer Reports Poll: 65 Percent of Consumers Expect to Cut Back on Holiday Spending

/PRNewswire/ -- The effects of ongoing economic turbulence continue to weigh heavily on the pocketbooks and minds of shoppers as the 2009 holiday season approaches. According to a new Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, 65 percent of Americans plan to cut back on overall holiday expenses such as gifts, travel, and entertaining. The full results of this latest poll are available at www.ConsumerReports.org.

The anticipated decrease in spending comes on top of already dramatic cutbacks that occurred last year. In the 2008 Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, 76 percent of those surveyed said they were scaling back on holiday spending.

The projected decrease in spending is likely to be felt in almost every category. Those surveyed said they're cutting back on purchases of clothing and electronics (still the biggest seasonal gift categories), as well as other items such as gift cards, monetary presents, and jewelry.

Consistent with 2008's findings, Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll also found that some consumers are still saddled with leftover holiday debt. Six percent of Americans--some 13.5 million consumers--continue to carry debt from last winter's holiday season.

"This year, it all comes down to value and getting the best bang for your shopping dollar," said Tod Marks, Consumer Reports senior editor and resident shopping expert. "We've already seen aggressive discounts that make it seem more like November 28 rather than October 28, but retailers are getting more sophisticated about targeting their promotions to their best customers."

Additional findings from the Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll include:

The Gift List: Who's In? Who's Out?

-- Among consumers scaling back on gifts, most (78%) were willing to cut
back on buying for themselves, followed by friends and their families,
other family members, coworkers, and service providers like delivery
personnel and fitness trainers. Among those most likely to be spared
from the budgetary axe: Grandparents, grandchildren, kids under 18,
and the family pet.

A Few Favorite Things

-- Despite the gloomy outlook sales of certain products - notably
desktop, laptop, and netbook computers, cell phones and smart phones,
video game systems, and GPS systems - are expected to at least hold
their own, according to our poll.

Hitting the Stores
-- Similar to the past two holiday shopping seasons, the 2009 holiday
shopping season has begun with about a third of consumers reporting
that they have started their shopping as of mid-October.

-- Only about half (46%) of consumers anticipate they will be done buying
gifts by the second week in December. Approximately 18 percent say
they will push their holiday shopping right up to December 24th. About
4 percent of consumers don't plan to complete their shopping until
after the holidays.

Sticking to a Budget or Not?

-- This year, half (50%) of Americans will be making a budget for their
holiday purchases, yet sticking to it is bound to be a challenge. Of
the 38 percent of consumers who made a budget last year, 44 percent
reported that they exceeded it; five percent said they went way over
budget.

Most (& Least) Wanted Gifts
-- Clothing remains the biggest category, and 52 percent of consumers
plan to give apparel as a gift. But you might want to choose
carefully. Thirty-seven percent of recipients - particularly men -
cited clothes as their biggest gift disappointment of 2008. Socks were
still the single most hated item, but shirts, sweaters, slippers, and
ties, made the list, too.
-- Electronics gear also ranks among the most desirable gifts for both
men and women, and 51 percent of respondents plan on giving recipients
items such as video games or accessories, digital cameras, headphones,
or other gadgets.
-- Other gifts consumers plan on giving this season include gift cards
(46%), followed by money (44%), toys (42%), DVDs (31%), food or wine
(28%), jewelry (26%) and pet toys (19%).

Especially For You?

-- Tis' the season to give and receive and to re-gift what you've
received. According to the poll, 36 percent of adults have given a
gift they have received from someone else to another person as a
holiday gift. That's up from 31 percent in 2008.

The Perils of Gift Cards
-- Despite their drawbacks - fees, expiration dates, and the like - many
people plan on buying gift cards (46%) and many want them (15%) as
well. During the 2008 holidays, about half of adults received a gift
card, but one in four hadn't redeemed at least one of the cards as of
this month.
-- Sixty-five percent of adults who received a gift card in 2008
typically spend more than the value of the card, up from 58 percent in
2007. Forty-one percent of those who have unused gift cards from last
year said that they hadn't found anything they wanted to buy. This
year, lack of time was less of a factor in not redeeming gift cards;
only 37 percent of respondents reporting that they hadn't had time to
redeem their cards, down from 54 percent last year.

Happy Holidays

-- Despite continued cutbacks, a majority (87%) of adults remain hopeful
that their holiday season will be as happy or even happier than last
year.

Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll Methodology

The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 1,000 interviews were completed among adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place over October 15-18, 2009. The margin of error is +/- 3% points at a 95% confidence level.

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Opposite of a Tax Decrease is an Increase

Uhhh--eliminating a tax decrease-- uh-- it' a tax increase --





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Big Win for Academic Inventors

Federal Circuit Court Hands Academic Inventors a Big Win – IP Advocate Founder Says Decision Affirms That Faculty Inventors, Not Universities, Own Their Inventions

(BUSINESS WIRE)--IP Advocate:

A recent Federal Circuit Court decision confirms that universities do not automatically have the right to claim ownership of a faculty researcher’s federally funded invention. That’s a critical distinction that could protect faculty inventors and students nationwide from being forced by universities to sign away the rights to their life’s work, according to Dr. Renee Kaswan, inventor of the billion-dollar drug Restasis® and founder of the non-profit organization IPAdvocate.org.

“The court’s ruling confirms that faculty inventors own the rights to their ideas and their creations, and that universities can no longer use the Bayh-Dole Act as a bulldozer to claim ownership away from the inventors themselves,” said Dr. Kaswan. “Inventors should be able to choose for themselves with whom to partner to bring an innovation to the marketplace and to the people who need it. Stanford’s policy is more inventor-friendly than most, but it’s the overarching principle of inventor ownership that wins in this case.”

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. The patents involved HIV test kits.

Decision on September 30, 2009; opinion authored by Federal Circuit Judge Richard Linn. See the opinion here: http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/opinions/08-1509r.pdf

The Court rejected Stanford's argument that one of the inventors’ assignment of rights to another entity, Cetus, was voided by the university's rights to federally funded inventions under the Bayh-Dole Act. The court’s ruling states: “Bayh-Dole does not automatically void ab initio [from the beginning] the inventors’ rights in government-funded inventions.”

Why this matters now: The 30th anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 is just around the corner, and it’s time to correct the rampant misuse of the law to take IP ownership away from faculty inventors. As the Obama Administration and Congress push for patent reform, and as the country relies on innovation as an engine of economic recovery, the question of the ownership of ideas is crucial in moving those ideas forward from an inventor’s mind to an entrepreneur’s office to a consumer’s bedside table as quickly as possible.

Dr. Renee Kaswan is founder of the non-profit organization, IP Advocate (www.IPAdvocate.org), inventor of the billion-dollar drug Restasis®, founder of Georgia Veterinary Specialists and former University of Georgia Veterinary Ophthalmology professor. Her patented treatment for chronic dry-eye remains the most profitable invention in UGA’s history and has been hailed as one of the “University Innovations that Changed the World” by the University of Virginia Patent Foundation. Dr. Kaswan was recognized by the University of Georgia as its “Inventor of the Year” in 1998 and received UGA’s Creative Research Medal in 1992.

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Arts Across Georgia

Shareholders Challenge Goldman Sachs as It Prepares To Pay Record Bonuses

/PRNewswire/ -- Goldman Sachs is issuing its much anticipated earnings announcement on Thursday (October 15, 2009), and is expected to set aside up to $20 billion for executive bonuses. In view of this action coming so quickly on the heels of the federal bailout money issued to the company during the height of the financial crisis last year, investors are responding by mounting major proxy initiatives.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, Oregon announced today that they have filed a shareholder resolution urging the Board to review pay disparity at the company and analyze the appropriateness of its spiraling pay packages - packages that have an unprecedented impact on Wall Street compensation in general,

The resolution, which is expected to gather more co-sponsors, has been filed early to challenge Goldman Sachs as the Board makes final decisions on bonuses. It was filed to appear in the 2010 proxy and be voted on at the stockholder's meeting. Goldman Sachs had received resolutions calling for shareholders to have an Advisory Vote on executive compensation that received a 46% vote in favor, but the Board has resisted implementing even that modest reform. Other investors may also file resolutions calling for a "say on pay" or for separation of board chair and CEO positions at Goldman Sachs.

Laura Shaffer, who is director of shareholder activities of the Nathan Cummings Foundation and one of the resolution's sponsors, stated: "This request is especially timely as Goldman Sachs rushes to pay huge bonuses, setting an example that many Wall Street firms will no doubt strive to emulate. As shareholders, the ripple effects of this extraordinary compensation are especially concerning. Executive compensation accounts for a considerable portion of aggregate earnings and as firms like Goldman hand over ever larger sums to their executives, these spiraling pay packages will have increasingly significant impacts on investors' returns."

Sister Judy Byron, who coordinates the faith-based Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment and is a longtime proponent of this resolution, said: "Goldman Sachs' announcement of record bonuses is a stark reminder about how executive compensation is spiraling out of control for many firms. It is important that citizens and shareowners both act as voices of reason. As Fortune reminded us in 2007, top executives earn 364 times the pay of the average worker. CEO pay increases significantly for many executives even in rough times, while layoffs skyrocket and pay for average employees stagnate.

Laura Berry, executive director of the Interfaith Council on Corporate Responsibility, said: "As prudent investors, we have a responsibility here to act as the conscience of Wall Street, especially when it fails to do so on its own. How is it possible that the year after billions of taxpayer's dollars helped companies like Goldman Sachs return to financial health, this company shows absolutely no restraint? Goldman Sachs is poised to become the poster child of the company that drives income disparity in the United States."

FULL RESOLUTION TEXT

Recent events have increased concerns about the extraordinarily high levels of executive compensation at many U.S. corporations. Concerns about the structure of executive compensation packages have also intensified, with some suggesting that the compensation system incentivized excessive risk-taking.

In a Forbes article on Wall Street pay, the director of the Program on Corporate Governance at Harvard Law School noted that, "compensation policies will prove to be quite costly--excessively costly--to shareholders." Another study by Glass Lewis & Co. declared that compensation packages for the most highly paid U.S. executives "have been so over-the-top that they have skewed the standards for what's reasonable." That study also found that CEO pay may be high even when performance is mediocre or dismal.

In 2008, Federal Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner stated that, "executive pay is out of control and the marketplace cannot be trusted to rein it in." Legislative attempts to address executive compensation include the Excessive Pay Shareholder Approval Act, which mandates that no employee's compensation may exceed 100 times the average compensation paid to all employees of a given company unless at least 60% of shareholders vote to approve such compensation.

A 2008 piece in BusinessWeek revealed that, "Chief executive officers at companies in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index earned more than $4,000 an hour each [in 2007]." It also noted that an S&P 500 CEO had to work, on average, approximately 3 hours in 2007 "to earn what a minimum wage worker earned for the full year."

A September 2007 study of Fortune 500 firms showed that top executives' pay averaged $10.8 million the previous year, or more than 364 times the pay of the average U.S. worker. Another study by the Economic Policy Institute found that between 1989 and 2007, average CEO pay rose by 163% while the wages of the average worker in the United States rose by only 10%.

RESOLVED: shareholders request the Board's Compensation Committee initiate a review of our company's executive compensation policies and make available, upon request, a summary report of that review by October 1, 2010 (omitting confidential information and processed at a reasonable cost). We request that the report include -

1. A comparison of the total compensation package of senior executives and our employees' median wage in the United States in July 2000, July 2004 & July 2009.

2. An analysis of changes in the relative size of the gap and an analysis and rationale justifying this trend.

3. An evaluation of whether our senior executive compensation packages (including, but not limited to, options, benefits, perks, loans and retirement agreements) are "excessive" and should be modified to be kept within reasonable boundaries.

4. An explanation of whether sizable layoffs or the level of pay of our lowest paid workers should result in an adjustment of senior executive pay to "more reasonable and justifiable levels" and whether Goldman Sachs should monitor this comparison going forward.

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It's Official! "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" Gets The Green Light!

/24-7/ -- The fourth saga in the Twilight Series is going back to it's roots and will be filmed in Portland, Oregon. The original Twilight film was shot there. In addition, a new production company, Sunswept Entertainment, has been brought on board for Breaking Dawn. Sunswept Entertainment was created by Karen Rosenfelt, who is the daughter of former MGM Chairman & CEO Frank Edward Rosenfelt. Karen Rosenfelt served as Producer on both "Twilight" and on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". She did not work on "New Moon", but is producing "Breaking Dawn" through her Sunswept Entertainment banner.

There will likely be quite a bit of tweaking to the fourth novel in the series due to the explicit sex and birth scenes to avoid an R rating. Inside sources confirm that Breaking Dawn may be filmed and released in two parts - "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I", and "Part II". Although this has not been confirmed officially by Summit, author Stephenie Meyer has stated, "it would have to be made into multiple movies because it's hard to imagine it fitting into ninety minutes".

Fans can expect a massive talent search for the role of Renesmee Cullen, the half-vampire, half-human daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, just as there was for the roles of Seth and Leah Clearwater in "Eclipse".

David Slade is directing "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse", but it is unknown if he will also direct any of the Breaking Dawn films. "Breaking Dawn: Part I" should start shooting in September 2010, with a release scheduled for 2011.

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No Dollars Accepted for Payment?

RJ Note: Combine this story with the news of the new world order at the recent G20 meeting. Yep, this ought to give everyone the shivers.

The demise of the dollar

In a graphic illustration of the new world order, Arab states have launched secret moves with
China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency for oil trading

By Robert Fisk

In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.

Secret meetings have already been held....http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-demise-of-the-dollar-1798175.html

G-20 Advances New World Order, Media Admit
Alex Newman

26 September 2009
Almost as if a global memo had been sent out, headlines of major media outlets across the planet announced the unfolding of the coming “New World Order” — with a smaller role for the United States and freedom. A correspondingly larger role will be reserved for tyrannical governments like China and global economic management by international institutions, the news reports explained.

Even U.S. government-funded media outlets like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty used the term in an article headlined, “‘New World Order’ Emerging At G-20 Summit.” The article began: “A new world order is emerging.....http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/economy/commentary-mainmenu-43/1969-g20-advances-new-world-order-media-admit

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Political News You Can Use

Levi's(R) Brand Buries $100,000 Somewhere in America With the Challenge to Pioneers to 'Go Forth'

/PRNewswire/ -- The Levi's® brand challenges today's pioneers to uncover a $100,000 fortune buried somewhere in America by solving the question "Who was Grayson Ozias IV and where is his fortune?"

Launching October 5, 2009, at levi.com/goforth, this interactive challenge invites participants to solve mysteries as they unfold, keep up with other players or go for the gold themselves with the final cipher. It is a mystery, wrapped in a puzzle and an adventure across our country.

"The question we asked ourselves was 'how do we bring the spirit of Go Forth to life out there in the world? How do we bring the unique history and rich legacy of the Levi's® brand to life in a fun and compelling way?' The story of Grayson Ozias's lost fortune seemed like a mystery just waiting to be solved," says Doug Sweeny, Vice President of Levi's® Brand Marketing.

Grayson Ozias IV Fortune

The narrative behind the challenge follows Grayson Ozias IV, a fictional character based on the Levi's® brand's pioneering and innovative spirit, on his adventures across America until his 1896 disappearance into the wilderness, after hiding his considerable fortune. Grayson Ozias IV was a friend of Levi Strauss's nephew Nathan, so the story goes, who recorded newly discovered details about Grayson's journey that hint at the final hiding place of his fortune. These newly discovered recordings and the story they tell will lead participants on a new adventure of discovery.

The story of Grayson's 1890s adventure exploring America will guide our modern-day event. The game's scavenger hunt leads to many cities and towns across America, each a part of Grayson's journey, encourages players to step out from behind their computers and will lead some lucky player into the real world directly to the buried treasure. Each task triggers the next clue in the challenge.

The ongoing puzzle, an elaborate cryptogram, requires a combination of knowledge, skill and determination. The players will be receiving clues and pieces of the puzzle from launch to finish. The first player to crack the final puzzle and send it to the Levi's® game team will win Grayson Ozias's buried fortune. Players can also win other great prizes throughout the journey.

The Levi's® brand is not only awarding the Grayson Ozias IV challenge winner with $100,000, the participants of the challenge will be given the opportunity to nominate and vote for a U.S.-based non-profit organization to receive an additional $100,000 gift from the blue-jean-inventing icon. Sweeny adds, "This is the legacy of Levi Strauss who himself donated a robust portion of his first earnings to a local orphanage that the company still supports today. This began the company's tradition of sharing its prosperity with the community."

The hidden fortune is the third expedition from Levi's® Go Forth campaign, first launched July 1, 2009. The campaign will be supported heavily in digital social media (Facebook, Twitter), online via rich media and offline (ESPN The Magazine). The first two expeditions--the New Declaration and the New Americans--were an homage to today's America.

JADA Study Proves Fluoridation is Money down the Drain

RJ Note: This study raised my eyebrows. Fluoridated water doesn't reduce cavities? I wonder if the children studied in this research brushed and/or flossed their teeth. Was fluoridation the only variable? Hmmm. At any rate, it seems like fluoridated water has been the norm for something like 40 years or so.

/PRNewswire/ -- Children's cavity rates are similar whether water is fluoridated or not, according to data published in the July 2009 Journal of the American Dental Association by dentist J.V. Kumar of the NY State Health Department(1), reports NYSCOF.

In 2008, New York City spent approximately $24 million on water fluoridation ($5 million on fluoride chemicals)(1a). In 2010, NYC's fluoride chemicals will cost $9 million(1b).

Fluoride in water at "optimal" levels (0.7 - 1.2 mg/L) is supposed to reduce tooth decay without creating excessive fluorosis (fluoride-discolored and/or damaged teeth). Yet cavities are rampant in NY's fluoridated populations(1c).

Attempting to prove that fluorosed teeth have fewer cavities, Kumar uses 1986-1987 National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) data which, upon analysis, shows that 7- to 17-year-olds have similar cavity rates in their permanent teeth whether their water supply is fluoridated or not (Table 1).

In 1990, using the same NIDR data, Dr. John Yiamouyiannis published equally surprising results in a peer-reviewed journal. He concluded, "No statistically significant differences were found in the decay rates of permanent teeth or the percentages of decay-free children in the F [fluoridated], NF [non-fluoridated], and PF [partially fluoridated] areas."(2).

Kumar divided children into four groups based on their community's water fluoride levels:

Less than 0.3 mg/L where 55.5% had cavities
From 0.3 to 0.7 mg/L where 54.6% had cavities
Optimal 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L where 54.4% had cavities
Over 1.2 mg/L where 56.4% had cavities


"Dr. Kumar's published data exposes more evidence that fluoridation doesn't reduce tooth decay," says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.

"It's criminal to waste taxpayers' money on fluoridation, while exposing entire populations unnecessarily to fluoride's health risks, especially when local and state governments are attempting to balance budgets by cutting essential services," says Beeber.

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NASA Spacecraft Sees Ice on Mars Exposed by Meteor Impacts

RJ Note: Cool.

/PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed frozen water hiding just below the surface of mid-latitude Mars. The spacecraft's observations were obtained from orbit after meteorites excavated fresh craters on the Red Planet.

Scientists controlling instruments on the orbiter found bright ice exposed at five Martian sites with new craters that range in depth from approximately 1.5 feet to 8 feet. The craters did not exist in earlier images of the same sites. Some of the craters show a thin layer of bright ice atop darker underlying material. The bright patches darkened in the weeks following initial observations, as the freshly exposed ice vaporized into the thin Martian atmosphere. One of the new craters had a bright patch of material large enough for one of the orbiter's instruments to confirm it is water ice.

The finds indicate water ice occurs beneath Mars' surface halfway between the north pole and the equator, a lower latitude than expected in the Martian climate.

"This ice is a relic of a more humid climate from perhaps just several thousand years ago," said Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona.

Byrne is a member of the team operating the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE camera, which captured the unprecedented images. Byrne and 17 co-authors report the findings in the Sept. 25 edition of the journal Science.

"We now know we can use new impact sites as probes to look for ice in the shallow subsurface," said Megan Kennedy of Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, a co-author of the paper and member of the team operating the orbiter's Context Camera.

During a typical week, the Context Camera returns more than 200 images of Mars that cover a total area greater than California. The camera team examines each image, sometimes finding dark spots that fresh, small craters make in terrain covered with dust. Checking earlier photos of the same areas can confirm a feature is new. The team has found more than 100 fresh impact sites, mostly closer to the equator than the ones that revealed ice.

An image from the camera on Aug. 10, 2008, showed apparent cratering that occurred after an image of the same ground was taken 67 days earlier. The opportunity to study such a fresh impact site prompted a look by the orbiter's higher resolution camera on Sept. 12, 2009, confirming a cluster of small craters.

"Something unusual jumped out," Byrne said. "We observed bright material at the bottoms of the craters with a very distinct color. It looked a lot like ice."

The bright material at that site did not cover enough area for a spectrometer instrument on the orbiter to determine its composition. However, a Sept. 18, 2008, image of a different mid-latitude site showed a crater that had not existed eight months earlier. This crater had a larger area of bright material.

"We were excited about it, so we did a quick-turnaround observation," said co-author Kim Seelos of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., "Everyone thought it was water ice, but it was important to get the spectrum for confirmation."

The Mars orbiter is designed to facilitate coordination and quick response by the science teams, making it possible to detect and understand rapidly changing features. The ice exposed by fresh impacts suggests that NASA's Viking 2 lander, digging into mid-latitude Mars in 1976, might have struck ice if it had dug four inches deeper.

The Viking 2 mission, which consisted of an orbiter and a lander, launched in September 1975 and became one of the first two space probes to land successfully on the Martian surface. The Viking 1 and 2 landers characterized the structure and composition of the atmosphere and surface. They also conducted on-the-spot biological tests for life on another planet.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. The Context Camera was built and is operated by Malin. The University of Arizona operates the HiRISE camera, which Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colo., built. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory led the effort to build the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer and operates it in coordination with an international team of researchers.

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Does China's Growing Overseas Investments Signal a Global Power Shift?

RJ Note: Interesting story from Emory University--- Thought you'd be interested in reading it as well.

On July 20, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced that the country intended to invest some of its record-breaking $2 trillion foreign exchange reserve to accelerate China’s overseas investments in natural resources and resource-extraction companies.

Although Chinese officials have refused to specify how much of their reserve they plan to reinvest, and some experts cite practical reasons China’s foreign currency reserve should be kept intact, on September 1 the country’s state-controlled lender, China Development Bank, formed a $5.1 billion investment fund that will be used in part to help Chinese companies acquire essential natural resources abroad.

Regardless of the ultimate dollar value of China’s overseas investment plans, professors at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School see these moves as the latest signs that China is increasingly in the driver’s seat of the world economy.

The tactical move Wen announced is part a larger strategic shift that China is making to transform itself from an export-driven economy and toward an economy fueled mostly by Chinese consumers, according to Jagdish Sheth, a chaired professor of marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and author of the book Chindia Rising: How China and India Will Benefit Your Business (Tata-McGraw Hill, 2007).

Building a huge consumer market in China makes good strategic sense, Sheth says—and it’s similar to a shift the U.S. economy made in the late 19th century.

But why would a strong domestic economy entail buying commodities and assets outside China? The reason is that unlike the U.S., which had abundant resources but needed technology to harvest them, China has technology but limited resources. “In order to achieve its vision, its biggest challenge is going to be access to natural resources, including agricultural resources,” Sheth says. “China has great human talent, but it does not have sufficient natural resources within its own geographical boundaries,” he says.

Wen’s announcement is far from the first sign of the country’s plans to diversify the economy. Over the past six years, China’s overseas investments have risen geometrically, from $143 million in 2002 to $40.7 billion in 2008, according to Chinese government statistics, and up over 63% in 2007 alone.

In search of energy and other natural resources, the Chinese have been reshaping the face of Africa. Some authorities estimate that there are now more than 750,000 Chinese expatriates at work throughout the continent, many involved in developing mines and oil fields. Now they are reportedly looking farther afield, particularly to natural resources and resource companies in South America.

Although China has been criticized for its involvement with unsavory regimes such as the government of Sudan, Robert Ahdieh, a professor at Emory School of Law who has a specialty in international trade law, doesn’t see an ideological agenda involved in these investments. The Chinese are in such places, he says, mainly because assets in more stable and desirable spots were bought up long ago by Western companies. “The Chinese didn’t randomly say we only want to buy oil from rogue states,” he explains. “It’s just that the rogue states are the only ones on the table.”

Why the obsession with commodities? China’s reasoning, Ahdieh believes, is that getting hold of commodities in 10 years’ time could be difficult if India and China continue to grow as quickly as they have lately. “If their growth rates and industrialization pace continue, the level of demand for commodities is going to look very different in 10 and 20 years than it does today,” Ahdieh says.

The decision to cut down its foreign exchange reserve might seem like an internal matter for China, but it has significant implications for the U.S. In June, China, currently the largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities, reduced its holdings of U.S. Treasury debt by 3.1%, the largest percentage drop in eight years, according to Reuters and a Treasury Department report issued on August 17. In addition to the clear hint that China’s leaders may be tiring of the dubious privilege of serving as America’s largest creditor, the presence of a new competitor in the scramble for natural resources heightens geopolitical rivalries in an arena once dominated primarily by U.S. and European companies.

If China were to reduce its foreign exchange reserve, it could have a huge impact on federal borrowing costs and interest rates generally, since many of China’s foreign exchange assets are thought to be kept in U.S. Treasury bonds. (China does not divulge the exact breakdown of its foreign currency stockpiles.) “At the worst, if they really stopped buying they could throw America into a recession because they are now a major purchaser of the Treasury securities we have to sell in order to finance the government deficit,” explains Jeffrey Rosensweig, a professor of international finance at Goizueta and director of Emory’s Global Perspectives Program.

But Rosensweig and other professors don’t anticipate China making this move, except perhaps in a gradual way over time. It’s not in China’s interest to see the dollar go down or to see its best customers out of work, says Rosensweig.

“They may move some of the money they hold in foreign exchange reserves into some of those investments, but I don’t expect them to move a very significant part of it,” agrees Narasimhan Jegadeesh, a chaired professor of finance at Goizueta.

Levent Bulut, a visiting assistant professor of economics at Emory, is also of the mind that China will instead “gradually try to invest in profitable areas in the real market, in the real economy.”

The question remains if the Chinese can’t get away with a large-scale diversification right away, what is the meaning of Wen’s announcement? Rosensweig says we should read Wen’s announcement partly as a warning to the U.S., “reminding us that we’re now in a very vulnerable position. We can no longer just call the tune and lord it over other economies; part of it is saying, `you better respect us, because we could break you.’”

At the moment, it may be only a threat. Although the Chinese seem stuck in what both Chinese and American economists call “the dollar trap,” Emory scholars don’t appear optimistic that they will stay in that trap for good. When they finally escape, Americans could have a major adjustment ahead.

Although the U.S. has dealt with competition before, such as with Germany and Japan, Sheth argues that the competition with China will be different. “The scale economy of the domestic market China has is much larger and that gives it enormous advantages, both in making products but also in sourcing raw materials because you become such a big buyer,” he says.

The volumes demanded by a market of 1.3 billion could create a “Wal-Mart effect,” in Sheth’s view, in which China becomes the dominant buyer of a number of commodities, giving it a built-in cost advantage over other markets.

If that happens, Israeli business strategist Eli Goldratt has quipped, in ten years, the U.S. will have moved from the world’s number one power to “an island of 300 million, six weeks from China.”

Sheth argues that the rise of China to economic superpower isn’t at all far-fetched. Already, the U.S.’s position in the world has changed profoundly, he says. “Think about it—ten years ago, who would have ever imagined that China would become the biggest lender to America?”

While some critics point to the many challenges China faces—the need to feed and employ an enormous population; a government that lacks an electoral mandate; huge gaps between rich and poor—others see, as does Sheth, a country that has made precious few missteps on its way to economic power and is unlikely to start now. “In my view, they’ve done everything right,” Sheth says.

On the other hand, U.S. policy has few defenders among the faculty, some of whom see a much less important future ahead for the U.S.

“It’s our own bloody fault,” says Rosensweig. “We’ve run deficits for so long and had to borrow to finance them, and our own people have not saved enough to buy the bonds themselves—we’ve dug ourselves a debt trap.”

Sheth sees one problem that looms even larger: “The biggest problem in America is we are in a denial stage. We still don’t accept where the world is going and adapt accordingly.”

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Reading Not a Lost Art for Travelers Stuck at Airports

RJ Note: Reading a great book while twiddling my thumbs at an airport or a doctor's office ranks high on my list. I've certainly ready my share of them while I've been a captive audience at both venues. Reading. It does a body good.

/PRNewswire/ -- Despite a measurable decline in reading among the general population, travelers overwhelmingly prefer to read when killing time at the nation's airports, according to a recent survey.

Conducted by GO Group, LLC, the nation's largest airport and ground transportation provider, the survey asked travelers to identify which activities they engaged in while waiting at the airport. Some 83 percent cited reading a book, newspaper or magazine as the No. 1 choice on a list of several options available.

The poll of more than 200 travelers also shows that doing crossword puzzles, Sudoku or other thinking games is the second-most popular method for entertaining oneself while waiting for take off, cited by 29 percent of respondents. Listening to music on an MP3 player was the third-most popular activity at 21 percent, in a survey that allowed for multiple responses.

About 45 percent of the respondents said they found other diversions, such as grabbing a bite to eat, accessing the Internet or buying gifts at airport shops. Other activities included playing handheld video games or watching DVD movies on laptop computers or other devices. Respondents were able to check all of the methods that applied to their time traveling, but reading was the clear favorite activity.

"These results imply that travelers primarily use their downtime at the airport to become either better informed or entertained as they deal with the delays often encountered at the nation's air hubs," says John McCarthy, president of GO Airport Express.

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Social Security Administration Plans to Raise Identity Verification Fees by Nearly 900%

RJ Note: I can see it now-- another $4.46 on a mortgage will take the deal down. Right.

/PRNewswire/ -- Effective October 1, 2009, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will be raising its fees for mortgage and financial companies to authenticate borrower Social Security numbers from $0.56 to $5.00 per verification. This price increase could significantly impair the industry's move to protect itself against identity-based mortgage fraud.

According to a letter sent to Michael Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration by Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Texas), this fee increase could lead to the de facto cancellation of the CBSV (Consumer-Based Social Security Number Verification) program, as it could significantly lead to fewer and fewer lenders using the program. According to that same letter, the decision to increase fees for the CBSV program was made by the Social Security Administration without collaboration with the U.S. Congress. Mr. Astrue denied Congresswoman Granger's initial request for a 60-day delay to evaluate the necessity of this fee increase.

On Tuesday, September 22, Congresswoman Kay Granger and key staff, which includes committees of oversight for the SSA, plan to meet with the Social Security Administration to discuss the negative repercussions this planned increase in fees will have on the mortgage industry and the nation as a whole, and intend to re-propose a delay in implementing these fees. Senate Majority Leader Reid, House Speaker Pelosi, House Majority Leader Hoyer and Senators Hutchinson, Harkin, Cochran and Cornyn have been contacted and are expected to support a delay in implementation as well.

"With lower loan production and lenders' increased focus on cutting costs, this fee increase could have a highly detrimental impact on the mortgage industry, as well as the U.S. and global economies," says fraud expert Jay Meadows, CEO of Rapid Reporting, the mortgage industry's largest provider of third-party income, identity and employment verification services. "While unfortunate, it's a definite possibility that lenders will avoid using these higher priced CBSV-based Social Security number authentication, even though it's a reliable way to protect against identity fraud."

Mortgage fraud has been widely recognized as a leading cause of the industry's collapse, and of the economic troubles that the nation is facing. Increasing the cost for lenders to screen for fraud could prove counterproductive to the industry's recovery efforts, particularly at a time when the industry is still struggling to repair the damage caused by fraud in the earlier part of this decade, asserts Meadows.

According to an article published by National Mortgage News on September 18, 2009, written by Paul Muolo, co-author of Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis, "The country has seen a 'drastic increase' in mortgage fraud cases as a result of the upheaval in the housing market, according to FBI director Robert Mueller. FBI agents are investigating 2,600 mortgage fraud cases as of July 31, up from 1,600 for all of 2008."

Furthermore, the Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI) lists elderly and immigrant identity fraud -- the predatory practice of stealing the identities of elderly and non English-speaking individuals for use in straw-buying or other property transactions -- as one of the three emerging fraud schemes expected to rise throughout 2009, and a Reuter's article citing the FBI Mortgage Fraud report states that higher lending standards have increased the value of identities of individuals with good credit to those who perpetrate fraud.

"Lenders need to remain diligent in their efforts to combat fraud," says Meadows. "With buy-backs costing companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per incident, even adding a few extra dollars per applicant still brings about a strong return on investment."

About Rapid Reporting

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Rapid Reporting Verification Company is a national provider of definitive income, identity and employment verification services for mortgage lenders to help combat fraud. In 2007, the company won the 2007 Fix-It Award for a technology solution that solves an industry problem. Core offerings include IncomeChek, which is used to verify income through information obtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), DirectChek, which meets USA Patriot Act compliance and verifies identity via a direct comparison of the SSN to the Social Security Administration (SSA) database and searches of over 15 billion records in public and private databases for identity fraud and abuse, and EmploymentChek, the company's newest offering that combines live, person-to-person telephone contact and comprehensive database research to verify borrower employment. All services operate over a secure Web-based portal, which is audited daily for security purposes, and both IncomeChek and DirectChek are available through RapidChek, a web services platform that allows companies to access both solutions through a single interface. Rapid Reporting formed and continues to build relationships with government agencies, such as the IRS and the Social Security Administration (SSA), to gather electronic data for verification purposes. Rapid Reporting's executive team led the successful lobbying efforts to secure the continuation of the enumeration verification system (EVS) with the SSA database. For additional information, email Info@RapidReporting.com, call 888.749.4411 or visit www.RapidReporting.com .

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Hope you'll take a minute to do this...

If you care about making sure we're not dependent on foreign countries for our energy, we have a very timely call to action that will take you less than 1 minute.

The Department of Interior, which decides when and where we drill for oil and gas, has been holding a "notice and comment" period. This is when they solicit input from the public as to whether we should drill or not.

This is one way that the anti-energy interest groups have been able to successfully block any common sense development for decades.

Well the deadline for submissions is on Monday, and we need your help to overwhelm the Interior Department with comments in favor of drilling.

Please take 1 minute to submit your comments right now at YourEnergyOpinion.com.

If you don't have time to write anything, don't worry. We've already taken care of it for you.
Once you submit your comment, please forward YourEnergyOpinion.com to anyone else that you think would be willing to help out.

This is an opportunity that we must seize.

Thanks so much for your participation, and we'll report back soon as to how we all do.

Sincerely,
Dan Varroney
Senior VP & COO
American Solutions

Dreamin' of th' Scurvy Pirate Again

Th' the seven seas outside be all wet 'n gloomy, so we might as well find a way to put a smile on our faces.

Bin always adored th' image 'o th' handsome scurvy pirate wit' his white billowin' shirt open exposin' his wonderfully bronzed muscular chest. But somehow, all th' accounts 'o Blackbeard just don't jive wit' th' scurvy pirate 'o me imagination. Nope, I suspect th' scurvy pirates were probably much, much worse.

Heartly enjoy speak Like a scurvy pirate Day, me buckos.

Just in case ye're not up on ye scurvy pirate shout, here's th' link to fix that gross lack 'o education fer ye.

Arrggghhh Mateys, Get Ready for Talk Like a Pirate Day

The day all you lovers of pirates have been waiting for is on Saturday, September 19. Arrrgggg, remember to talk like a pirate or be prepared to walk the plank!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day-- kinda makes me want to see good ole Captn Jack Sparrow again.

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National Poll Finds Most Americans Believe Immigration Adversely Affects the Quality and Cost of Healthcare

/PRNewswire-/ -- The American Council for Immigration Reform (ANCIR) national poll on immigration and its impact on health care issues conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC, of 1,000 likely voters on August 26, 2009 found that 78% of Americans believe that high immigration levels have had an adverse impact on the quality and cost of our health care system. Republicans (89%) felt more strongly on the issue, but Democrats (69%) were not far behind. Other key findings were:

-- Seventy-three percent (73%) of likely voters agreed that hospitals
should be allowed to inquire and collect data about the immigration
status of those seeking Emergency Room care without affecting the
legal requirement that they must provide emergency care. Just 18%
said no.
-- Seventy-seven percent (77%) of the respondents believed that providing
health insurance to illegal immigrants will just encourage more
illegal immigration.
-- After receiving emergency medical care, if it is determined that an
illegal immigrant will require long term follow-up medical care, 47%
believed that the person should be deported to his/her home country.
38% believed care should be provided, but time and cost limits should
be established for eventual deportation. Only 8% believed long term
care should be provided in the U.S.
-- Eighty-three percent (83%) of likely voters were very or somewhat
concerned that the United States will add 135 million people to its
population in the next 40 years, 75% of which is due to immigration.
Republicans (90%) were more concerned than Democrats (74%).
-- Seventy-eight percent (78%) of likely voters were opposed to
legalizing the status of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants
in the U.S. with only 19% supporting it. 88% of African-Americans
were opposed to legalization.
-- Fifty-five percent (55%) were opposed to a government insurance option
under any national health care plan with 28% in favor and 17% not
sure. 73% of Republicans were opposed with 11% in favor. A plurality
of Democrats (47%) supported a government option with 34% opposed and
19% unsure.

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Justice Department Commemorates Fifteen Years of the Violence Against Women Act

/PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice today commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was signed into law on September 13, 1994. This critical legislation was created in recognition of the severity of the crimes associated with domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The anniversary also marks 15 years since the creation of the Department's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), which administers financial and technical assistance to communities around the country to facilitate the creation of programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

"We've made tremendous progress since the Violence Against Women Act first passed in 1994, but we have much more to do. We cannot rest. It will take all of us to fulfill the promise to end domestic violence and sexual assault," said Vice President Joe Biden, the author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act.

"The Violence Against Women Act forever changed the way this nation meets our responsibility to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. It has been an essential building block in the Justice Department's work to end violence against women," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "It is only in working together that we can make a difference and save lives, and the Justice Department will continue to take every possible step to enforce laws protecting victims of violence and to provide resources to aid victim service providers."

"Without a doubt, VAWA would never have happened without the steadfast commitment and work of the countless advocates, coalitions and community partners who worked tirelessly for federal legislation to mark the importance of the issue and provide vital resources," said Catherine Pierce, Acting Director of OVW. "In the past 15 years, countless lives have been saved, the voices of survivors have been heard, families have been protected, and the criminal justice community has been trained on the complex responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking."

The anniversary marks the start of a year-long anniversary effort to raise public awareness on issues around violence against women, to reinforce and build coalitions among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and victim services communities, and to reinforce the goal of ending domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking for men, women and children across the country.

In recognition of the severity of the crimes associated with gender-motivated violence, Congress passed VAWA as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. VAWA is comprehensive legislative designed to end violence against women through criminal penalties, civil remedies, federal grant programs, and research and was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. Since the passage of VAWA, there has been a paradigm shift in how the issue of violence against women is addressed in communities throughout the nation.

OVW was created to specifically implement VAWA and subsequent legislation. Currently, OVW administers two formula grant programs and 17 discretionary grant programs, all of which were established under VAWA and subsequent legislation. The office has also maintained a 15-year partnership with state, local and tribal governments, coalitions, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges and court personnel, victim advocates, health care providers and national organizations.

Every day, VAWA funding makes a difference in how communities across America help victims and hold offenders accountable. For example, subgrantees receiving funding awarded by states through OVW's STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program reported that, in calendar year 2007:

-- More than 505,000 victims were served;
-- Over 1,201,000 services were provided to victims; and
-- More than 4,700 individuals were arrested for violations of protection
orders.

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Bible Literacy Quiz: How Well do You Know the World Around You‏

/Standard Newswire/ -- Bible Literacy Project, publisher of the acclaimed public school Bible
textbook "The Bible and Its Influence," has released a new Bible Literacy Quiz to demonstrate how widespread Biblical references are in our culture. This fall, the textbook is being taught in 337 schools in 43 states, including more than 50 in Texas.

"In national surveys, both high school English teachers and English professors at leading
universities said almost unanimously that students must know the Bible to understand English literature. Our research also found that students need basic biblical literacy to even understand the daily newspaper -- much less to study history, music, art and culture," said Chuck Stetson, Chairman of the Board of the Bible Literacy Project.

The importance of academic study of the Bible was recently underscored by USA Today contributor William R. Mattox's August 17 column, "Teach the Bible? Of Course." The column quoted Barbara Newman, Northwestern University professor of English, Religion and Classics, who said, "Students who want to do serious study of Western civilization need to know the Bible. They need to know the Bible, even if they do not believe the Bible." In February, the United Kingdom's Poet Laureate, atheist Andrew Motion, joined the call for public school education
about the Bible, saying he had struggled to teach Milton's "Paradise Lost" to undergraduates because they had no concept of the fall of man.

Below is an eight-question quiz. How do you fare in understanding the world around you? For more questions, visit http://quiz.bibleliteracy.org.

1. On the evening before he was assassinated, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke these words: "I've been
to the mountaintop....And I've looked over. And I've
seen the Promised Land." To what place does the
Promised Land refer?

A. Atlanta, Georgia.

B. Washington, D.C.

C. The "new world," or North America.

D. A land flowing with milk and honey.



2. A sign at the gas pump gives payment
instructions: "Insert first-born child here." To what
Biblical story is this an allusion?

A. Plagues inflicted on the Pharaoh of Egypt.

B. The crucifixion of Jesus.

C. The stoning of St. Paul.

D. Eli's instructions when Hannah dedicated her son
to the Lord.



3. Erik Brady called basketball star Marcus Vick
a "Prodigal son" ("USA Today," 9/19/05). Why might
someone be called a prodigal son?

A. He is extremely bright and brings honor to his
father.

B. He did something regrettable and brought shame
to the family.

C. He hosted a big family gathering, celebrating victory
over evil or over a formidable opponent.

D. He parted the Red Sea.



4. A national nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that
provides hot, nutritious meals is named Loaves and
Fishes. The name is a reference to ...

A. Psalm 23, "Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies."
B. The Lord's Supper, a traditional meal of "broken"
bread, wine, and fish.

C. The meal the Good Samaritan offered to the victim
of hoodlums.

D. Five loaves and two fish that fed 5,000 people.



5. Which law giver is sculpted on the peak of the
eastern entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court Building?


A. Jesus.

B. Abraham.

C. Moses.

D. George Washington.



6."U.S. News & World Report" reported: "King
Solomon had it easy.... he never would have dreamed
of the complexities that face modern family court
judges, or the rise in the number of stepparents,
unrelated guardians, unmarried couples, gay parents,
and surrogate moms..." (1/17/00, page 46). What
famous dispute is the magazine article referencing?


A. Dividing the land of the Medes and Persians.

B. Sibling quibbling of twins Jacob and Esau over their
father's inheritance.

C. Two mothers disagreeing about a newborn.

D. Dividing the Jewish Kingdom into Israel and Judah.



7. The bronze monument outside the United Nations
Building, New York City, is titled "Let Us Beat Swords
into Plowshares." This is an allusion to ...

A. Words of the prophet Isaiah.

B. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

C. Jesus' parable of the mustard seed.

D. Jesus' parable of the seed sown (1) near the path,
(2) on rocky soil, (3) among thistles, and (4) on good
soil.



8. To what does the title of John Steinbeck's "Grapes
of Wrath" allude?

A. Fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.

B. God's judgment (wrath) on those who follow the
ways of the devil.

C. Years of famine which prompted the Israelites to
migrate to Egypt where they were enslaved by
Pharaoh.

D. The new (at the time) breakfast sensation named
Froot Loops.



Answer Key: 1:D, 2:A, 3:B, 4:D, 5:C, 6:C, 7:A, 8:B.



Bible Literacy Project is a division of Essentials in Education, an educational publisher. Its web sites are

www.bibleliteracy.org (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102697998978&s=13633&e=001FrGMa0_To9QiTX0cZ4ArUWatf8ZMH1NrZn9NRkXO3sLeXubrOm_FFMzZ1gR
Totnb3BntwZF9a06CTjzJqvcgSN_af6lOW3jpRWYZrP2LTOYBU2chu27VXg==) and
www.essentialsineducation.org (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102697998978&s=13633&e=001FrGMa0_To9TGPPKlH1-7iw3XMkxBk5RsPKdpOikDSVaRG2HgpxY5KJxCqAxFeRkOIzIy
lAPTCtkdogcbAYp3Fd8OX5s2g795dEYtyw6Qz974SWQH0wwXaEmmegy9U875).

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Book Review: Other Places - A Family's World War II Experience in Germany and the US

Author Ria Veeren takes readers back to World War II and the struggles of one Dutch family in Other Places. The story is her story as she tells of her immigration to America in 1948 and also of the events which led to her immigration.

Of interest in the book are parts of her family's life in Holland and in Germany during World War II and her father's role in providing for his family during a time of war. Excerpts from her father's, Jack Veeren, diary will appeal to those who have an avid interest in history. The elder Veeren, a photographer, served as in interpreter for the Americans immediately after the war.

Those of who have never lived through a war or have the memories shared by the greatest generation will benefit from learning about the effects of a war on everyday people. Other Places is this experience for one family and worth reading.

Staff Report

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Uh... duh: Births Decline in Most Areas Hardest Hit by Hurricane Katrina

OK, ya'll tell me if you couldn't figure this one out for yourselves...

Births Decline in Most Areas Hardest Hit by Hurricane Katrina

Births in most of the Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina plunged
in the 12 months following the deadly storm, according to a report from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, "The Effect
of Hurricane Katrina: Births in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region, Before and
After the Storm," examines birth certificates for the 12 months
preceding Katrina and the 12 months following the storm, (Aug. 29, 2004
to Aug. 28, 2006). The data cover residents in the 91 Federal Emergency
Management Agency- designated counties and parishes of Alabama,
Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Special detailed data are presented in an interactive map for 14
selected FEMA-designated coastal counties and parishes within a 100 mile
radius of the storm's path
(http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/data/map/HurricaneMap.htm).

Key findings include:

* The number of births in the 14 counties and parishes decreased 19
percent in the year after Katrina compared with the previous year.
Births decreased by 30 percent for the selected parishes in Louisiana
and 13 percent for the selected counties in Mississippi but increased by
6 percent for the selected counties in Alabama.

* The number of births to non-Hispanic black women in the selected
parishes of Louisiana fell substantially (51 percent) after the storm.
Births were also down for non-Hispanic white (14 percent), Hispanic (21
percent), and Asian/Pacific Islander (34 percent) women.

* In Orleans Parish, the central parish of New Orleans, the proportion
of births to non-Hispanic black women fell from 78 percent of total
births before the storm to 60 percent in the year after Katrina hit.

* The proportion of births to teens for these 14 selected counties and
parishes were unchanged after the storm, except in the selected parishes
in Louisiana, where they decreased 11 percent.

* Cesarean deliveries for the 14 selected counties and parishes rose by
10 percent in the Alabama and Mississippi counties and 6 percent in the
Louisiana parishes.

The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.

Book Review: defining Twilight; Enticing Teens to Learn

"Quick," I said to my teenager. "Define futilely." The eyes that bore back into mine were blank, almost oblivious to my question. "Are you woolgathering?"

"What is this?", asked the teenager who was now experiencing grave misgivings over the decision to walk in to the room with me as I sat reading.

So began my excursion into defining Twilight by Brian Leaf, a delightful book chock full of vocabulary words. What's the deal?

The Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer has been the latest rage among teens and young adults for a couple of years now. The movie is seen on a regular basis at my house as others descend in droves. The books are so popular that I've walked in and found the teens playing Twilight Trivia or reciting favorite lines of the movie. The books are kept close as a reference so the kids can be sure of their facts.

I admit I had seen the movie, but had not taken time to actually read the book. When asked to review defining Twilight, I knew I had to bite the bullet and jump head first into the land of chaste vampires. The Twilight book was fun to read, and it was full of wonderful words not commonly used by teens today. Do they understand the meanings?

Enter Leaf's defining Twilight, and it's a match made perfect for any student studying to take one of the college entrance exams. Leaf has provided an entertaining way to use the Twilight book as an aid to learning vocabulary. It's a great concept. Read the page in the book, and define the word. There are also quick exercises to use to complement learning the definitions.

It sure beats digging out the old Digests I had to use when I was studying for the SAT. Perhaps I would have scored better on the standardized tests of my day if someone had made learning the vocabulary more pertinent to the times.

Leaf will release his second book in the Defining series in October. I can't wait to see the words he defines and introduce them to my teen.

Staff Report

Battling Inflammation Through Food An Emerging Field

/24-7/ -- Scientists have identified the inflammatory process as the common soil in a diverse range of chronic degenerative diseases. The news, recently reported in the LA Times article, discusses how foods like cherries may help rheumatoid arthritis or avoidance of gluten may fight off psoriasis.

"Chronic inflammation is an emerging field," says Dr. David Heber, a UCLA professor of medicine and director of the university's Center for Human Nutrition. "It's a new concept for medicine."

According to the article by Shara Yurkiewicz, "The activated immune cells and hormones then turn on the body itself, damaging tissues. The process continues indefinitely, occurring at low enough levels that a person doesn't feel pain or realize anything is wrong. Years later, proponents say, the damage contributes to illnesses such as heart disease, neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease or cancer."

In addition to eating foods that may reduce inflammation, foods that actually cause the inflammation should be avoided. Individual biochemistry and genetic makeup differences may render even normally healthy foods as instigators of chronic activation of the immune system in some people and not others.

Cell Science Systems, maker of the ALCAT Test for food and chemical sensitivity, offers a way to pinpoint which foods may be causing inflammation and recommends an individualized dietary regimen to avoid those specific foods.

"The ALCAT Test provides customized feedback as to which foods and chemicals are activating your immune system," said Roger Deutsch, founder of Cell Science Systems and co-author of "Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat". "We believe in eating anti-inflammatory foods; but we also believe in avoiding specific foods that may not be compatible with your own biochemistry. It's all about customization."

According to a study released by the National Institutes of Health, treating Alzheimer's disease with DHA and EPA, found in fish oil and many plant sources, slowed its progression in a subgroup of the study population. While the ultimate goal of consuming anti-inflammatory foods and supplements is to prevent chronic illness, this study lends credence to the value of this emerging field.

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United States Mint Launches Third Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin at Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois

/PRNewswire/ -- The United States Mint launched the third 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin Friday, July 13, on the grounds of Springfield's historic Old State Capitol. The new coin, placed into circulation today, bears a reverse (tails side) design that honors Abraham Lincoln's professional life in Illinois.

"The professional life design--Lincoln speaking in front of the Old State Capitol--sums up his Illinois experience," said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. "Illinois is where Lincoln evolved into a successful lawyer and politician. His service in the state legislature and Congress, and his debates with Stephen Douglas, paved the way to his election as President."

United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin joined in the ceremonial launch of the Lincoln professional life one-cent coin. To commemorate the event, children ages 18 and younger received a newly minted one-cent coin bearing the new design, while adults in the crowd exchanged their currency for a minimum of two rolls and up to six rolls of coins bearing the new design. The coins, packaged in two-roll sets, also became available at noon Eastern Time today on the United States Mint Web site, www.usmint.gov, and at the toll-free number 1-800 USA-MINT (872-6468). The set contains one roll of 50 coins from the United States Mint at Philadelphia with no mint mark and one roll of 50 coins from the United States Mint at Denver bearing the "D" mint mark. There is an order limit of five sets per household.

The "professional life" design is the third of four new designs appearing on the reverse of the one-cent coin this year. The coin's reverse--designed by United States Mint Artist Infusion Program Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart--includes the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE CENT. The coin's obverse will continue to feature sculptor Victor David Brenner's familiar likeness of President Lincoln, which debuted in 1909. Inscriptions on the obverse are IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and 2009.

The United States Mint also will issue numismatic versions of the four redesigned one-cent coins with the same metallic content as the 1909 coin (95 percent copper, five percent tin and zinc). These coins will be minted in proof and uncirculated condition, and will be included in the United States Mint's annual sets and other product offerings. The fourth coin in the series, to be released in November, will feature a design emblematic of Lincoln's presidency in Washington, D.C.

Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is the Nation's sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage. Its primary mission is to produce an adequate volume of circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The United States Mint also produces proof, uncirculated and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; and gold, silver and platinum bullion coins.

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