Miami hostage scenario at Coral Gables Bank - Bomb stays

In Florida today, a robber walked into Coral Gables Bank of America and took hostages. It is possible that there was a kidnapping connected to this Miami hostage scenario. Investigations into the connection will be ongoing. Law enforcement confirmed that the hostage situation was over before noon on Friday morning. All hostages were out of the structure.

Coral Gables Bank of America site of the hostage situation
Thursday evening, there was a kidnapping associated with the Coral Gables Bank of America heist. An explosive device was strapped to the person who was kidnapped. That person entered the Coral Gables bank. At 8 a.m., officials were notified of the Miami-area hostage situation and began their response. The transportation infrastructure around the Coral Gables Bank of America was shut down, as were the schools right across the street from the bank.

Thursday night kidnapping connected to Coral Gables Bank robbery

The Coral Gables Bank robbery started on Thurs night, with a home invasion at the Nob Hill apartments. All all-points bulletin has been issued for a red Mustang automobile with two passengers that might be linked to this kidnapping and home invasion. The FBI and police have not yet said if the individuals responsible actually entered the financial institution themselves. Either way, it was a Bank of America employee that was strapped to the explosive device. There is not yet a word on if the Coral Gables Bank hostage was actually a robbery, or if there was some other motivation for the crimes.

Explosive device remained after the Miami hostage scenario ended

The Miami-area Coral Gables Bank of America has confirmed that several individuals were held hostage during the situation. The last hostage left Coral Gables Bank relatively easily. By 11:20 a.m., everybody had exited the structure. However, FBI and police confirm that the bomb squad is nevertheless on the scene. The bomb, which was initially reported as strapped to the kidnapped employee, might nevertheless be inside the Coral Gables bank. The preventative and protective closures at schools and for transportation stayed in placed until anything was declared clear.

Find more information on this subject

Miami Herald

miamiherald.com/2010/09/24/1840420/police-hostage-situation-at-coral.html

CBS

cbs4.com/local/bank.robbery.coral.2.1929612.html

Anti-outsourcing bill not something GOP senators prefer

Hiring in The United States is still really bad, although some reports say otherwise. Partisans won’t believe it yet. We nevertheless have to prove it to them. As outlined by the Washington Post, a Democratic bill that will not allow United States of America companies to outsource work is a thing Republicans do not desire them to pass. Senate couldn’t even debate the issue with a vote on the motion. The votes turned into a 53 to 45 making the motion fail. Post resource – GOP Senators block anti-outsourcing bill by Personal Money Store.

Anti-outsourcing bill could create it so more Americans have work

According to the Post, the Democratic outsourcing bill would have raised taxes on corporations that move jobs overseas and rewarded businesses that return work to the United States of America in the form of payroll tax hiatus incentives that would last two years. Outsourcing was viewed as a large issue by Senate Democrats, particularly after they’d decided to jettison middle class tax cuts before midterm elections. Many jobs were lost within the American Midwest and on the East Coast as a result of this outsourcing. Showing concern for it may have helped the Democrats out when it comes to re-election.

Postponing decisions until after elections are determined

Such gamesmanship is common when seats are on the line. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and White House senior adviser David Axelrod may be determined to act before middle-class tax cuts expire in January (raising taxes on income, dividends, capital gains and inheritance), however first things first, politically speaking. Democrats are worried that by letting taxes get raised, they might not really get re-elected. Republicans feel prefer tax cuts are good right now however hope that Democrats are willing to be fair and make the cuts for everyone. Whatever the case, The United States is waiting for a determination from Congress. It’s too bad that will not be a decision made for a when.

No tax news, no careers returning home, no market but the normal

$720 million would be needed for the “anti-outsourcing” law, states Democrats. This would be over 10 years though. Numerous hope that it goes via so they might have the chance to view jobs once again, although congress doesn’t know how to proceed with the large number. That is, if companies even maintain such work when they’re essentially forced to pay more for the exact same labor. Numerous wonder what companies would even do if it can no longer compete against foreign markets the way it does? Businesses used to do lots of “cash now.” But now seems like that is changing with the global economic climate.

Information from

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/cohttp:/www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/28/AR2010092802768.htmlntent/article/2010/09/28/AR2010092802768.html

Cenk Uygur on GOP view of outsourcing

youtube.com/watch?v=USGIiKikaNk

Iran targeted military-grade cyber tool Stuxnet, says specialists

Stuxnet is what many say is the most sophisticated malware ever. Computer security experts across the world are amazed by it. The Stuxnet tool is being said it can sabotage with a search and destroy method. The Stuxnet is said by cybersecurity experts to be so complex that it could only are made by a nation-state. This means that no rogue hackers could recreate the technology. Stuxnet looks for specific software programs, such as factories, power plants and water systems, through thumb drives and printer spoolers instead of spreading on the web. Iran has seen this the most leading many to believe the Bushehr nuclear power plant was the target of the Stuxnet.

Was Bushehr reactor sabotaged by Stuxnet?

Stuxnet was first detected in June. The Christian Science Monitor reports the worm’s complexity and encryption has dumbfounded computer security specialists. Stuxnet is the first malware discovered that targets, infiltrates and takes control of software used to run chemical plants, factories, power plants and electric grids worldwide. The Monitor reports that researcher from Cybersecurity, Ralph Langler, explained that Stuxnet is meant to hit one high value target as a military-grade cyber missile. The Target, according to Langer, was the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. He believes the target was hit already. Bushehr was expected to start up in August but then was delayed for reasons that are unknown.

How Stuxnet is expected to work

Within the world, Stuxnet has already infected computer systems. It has hit at least 45,000 systems so far. The Daily Mail reports the worm targets computer systems that aren’t connected to the internet for security reasons. USB thumb drives spread the virus to PCs running Microsoft Windows. The PC does not need anyone to key in any kind of code for it to work. Stuxnet looks for any Siemens software running control systems that are industrial once in computer. Industrial machinery is given new instructions that are dangerous once it finds the software. Taking control of key processes, Stuxnet may set off a sequence. This is expected to create a self-destruct on the system.

Stuxnet launches new era of cyber warfare

Alarms have been hit with Stuxnet. This is because its code is so complex along with the many different techniques in it. Liam O’Murchu of Symantec talked to BBC News. He explained to them that Stuxnet spreads so easily because the techniques used are so unfamiliar to computers. Windows vulnerabilities that weren’t known before are being exploited by the worm. O’Murchu said Stuxnet was a very big, well-planned, well-funded project. Langer explains that Stuxnet has lots of insider knowledge. It was needed to create a sabotage attack like this. “This is not some hacker sitting within the basement of his parents’ house,” he wrote. “To me, it appears that the resources needed to stage this attack point to a nation state.”

Additional reading

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0921/Stuxnet-malware-is-weapon-out-to-destroy-Iran-s-Bushehr-nuclear-plant

Daily Mail

dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1314580/Stuxnet-worm-targeted-Iranian-nuclear-power-station-sophisticated-virus-attack-ever.html?ITO=1490

BBC News

bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11388018

Unionizing happening beneath Teamsters banner for growers of cannabis

More organized labor needs to get additional people after the economic downturn injured it very much. The Teamsters Union is no exclusion, and the union is looking with expectant eye toward what is proving to be a development industry in The United States. Based on the Associated Press, the industry that has Teamsters high on possibility is weed.

Growing marijuana makes you eligible for the union set up by Teamsters

Teamsters got a lot of marijuana farmers as new members. About 40 new members were in this category. The majority of the members are expected to be from California as it has the most permissive medical weed laws out of every state when that is not certain. Regardless, there are real concerns as to how Teamsters will protect the rights of members whose work constitutes a federal crime.

The AP talked to Lou Marchetti, who works with Teamsters local 70 with newly signed growers, who said that when he joined about 34 years ago, he did not think he’d work with pot workers.

“This is a whole new ballgame,” he said.

Any business that Teamsters think is breaking the law will not be a part of the business. Marchetti made this very clear when talking about growers in California.

Marjyn Investments LLC provides the Teamsters with work

Marjyn Investments LCC works with gardening, trimming and cloning. The company also works to show patients how they can grow weed plants if they are medical pot patients. The Teamsters Union works with contracts. They started the two year contract. They now have pensions, paid trip and health insurance. Wages are expected to rise within the next 15 months, claims Teamsters Local 70. $18 to $25.75 per hour is the expected increase.

Getting rid of pot growing troubles

Growing marijuana plants is against federal law, although states like California do allow the enterprise for controlled medicinal purposes. However, if the federal government decided to crack down on Marjyn Investments, Marchetti is uncertain precisely how Teamsters would respond. Based on the AP, being a cannabis trimmer is really hard work. This is why if the trimmers were abused in any way, the government would not step in on their behalf. Michael Leong, assistant regional director for National Labor Relations Board within the Oakland area, is not even sure if the Teamster cannabis farmers can be classified as farm workers. If they really aren’t farm workers, then things change. The NLRB no longer has jurisdiction over them.

Marijuana dispensaries grow when cultivation remains ‘in the shadows’

There are no laws on how companies like Marjyn Investments LLC should be regulated although California allowed dispensaries of marijuana to grow continually. Labor standards aren’t figured out for the area yet. Of course, numerous people anticipate working in that area eventually in the future. Many have been putting in applications to try and get ready to start for themselves. Of course, we know now that there isn’t any requirement of being within the Teamsters Union in order to get started.

Additional reading

Associated Press

newser.com/article/d9ibmhtg0/us-teamsters-boost-membership-by-adding-medical-pot-growers-to-the-union-rolls.html

How for making the best refinancing mortgage decisions

It’s hard to get a mortgage loan, however refinancing mortgage presently can make up more than 80 percent of home finance loan financing. Homeowners looking at such low interest rates want to refinance in hopes of either improving cash flow with lower payments or saving cash over time with shorter or longer terms. Whether they succeed accomplishing that with refinancing mortgage depends on such factors as interest rates and taxes. You will find also interesting differences in the outcome of refinancing via a 15-year or 30-year mortgage. Source of article – Mortgage refinancing – a number of methods to benefit from low rates by Personal Money Store.

Refinancing keeps mortgage financing alive

It is possible to save thousands of dollars in a year with lower monthly payments by refinancing a home loan. As reported by SmartMoney, more homeowners than ever are attempting to refinance their mortgages. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, refinancing accounted for 80.5 percent of total mortgage lending. MBA records on refinancing activity from 1990 to 2008 average nearly half that percentage of home loan lending. As of Sept. 10, a 20-year fixed rate home finance loan averaged 4.51 percent. A 15-year fixed mortgage averaged 4.02 percent on the exact same date. During the exact same period last year average rates for 30-year fixed and 15-year fixed mortgages were 5.54 and 4.97 percent.

What makes refinancing a home loan advisable

Saving money with lower monthly payments is attractive, however not every homeowner should refinance a home loan. Saving a worthwhile sum over the life of the mortgage should be the primary goal of refinancing. Key numbers in the equation that have to be nailed down are closing costs and monthly savings. The time span for breaking even is determined by dividing closing costs by the amount saved on payments per month. If a homeowners stays put that long, a refinance could work. From time to time taxes can fool uninformed refinancers. An essential detail that cannot be overlooked is the interest paid on a mortgage is tax-deductible. Closing costs usually conserve nothing over time, while interest payments do. At the exact same time, upping money flow by refinancing with a 30-year home loan results in more long term interest paid.

An example for long-term method

The obvious benefit of 15-year refinancing is lower total interest costs. However, Kathy M. Kristof at the Los Angeles Times writes that a shorter-term loan means a higher monthly payment. Homeowners who aren’t’ fazed by a higher monthly payment might do well to think about putting the money someplace else. Kristof uses a $300,000 loan as an example. A 15-year mortgage has a total cost of $399,420. Over 30 years that loan will cost $547,223. Yet the monthly payment is $700 less with the 30-year loan. All that monthly savings, pumped into a diverse collection of stocks—with a documented average return going back 83 years of 9.6 percent, would yield $279,305 within 15 years. Halfway to the 30-year loan, the proceeds could retire the $198,701 balance. That would leave $80,000 to play with. The projected return is in no way guaranteed. But chances are the strategy would net more within the long term than simply refinancing with the shorter term.

Further reading

SmartMoney

smartmoney.com

New York Times

newyourktimes.com

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com

Health care law can be part in place starting Sept. 23

There was a new healthcare regulation transferred. This was about six months ago. On Sept. 23, several changes within the United States health care program start going into effect. There will probably be a few years before the whole bill is put into action. This is because some of it is very controversial. But key reforms such as coverage despite pre-existing conditions begin Thursday. The anti-health care ideas the Republicans have spread are becoming more common. President Obama has responded with his own vigorous defense of the new health care law. The Health care reform law is one thing many Americans wanted until it actually is beginning to kick in.

Until 2011, most won’t get healthcare

Health care reform actually won’t go into effect for most Americans until next year. The Wall Street Journal reports the changes kick in quickly for new health plans began on or after September 23. Until plans renew for employees with work health insurance right now as a job benefit, around January 1, changes won’t be seen. The changes valid Sept. 23 were intended as a bridge until 2014, when subsidies for health plans can be available for individuals who cannot afford them. At that time, most Americans can be required to have health insurance or else be fined.

Health insurance changes starting to happen

Key changes that enter into the works for new health plans started after Sept. 23 incorporated the following, courtesy of CNN:

Children under age 19 can no longer be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. The same goes for adults in 2014.

Insurance companies can no longer drop a customer when they get sick or search for mistakes on their application for the purpose to deny payment when they get sick.

Preventive care such as physicals, mammograms and colonoscopies no longer require a co-payment or deductible.

Insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits, for instance lifesaving treatments.

Patients no longer have to get prior authorization from their insurance business or a doctor’s referral to see a pediatrician or OB/GYN.

Insurance businesses must discontinue prior authorization for ER services. Plus, they can’t charge higher co-payments for out-of-network ER providers.

Insurance companies cannot refuse a claim in appeal, and have to continue paying for treatment until the appeal is resolved.

White House thinks public misconceptions need to be dealt with

Republican misinformation campaigns have fueled public opinion about health care reform. Recently, Rasmussen took a poll on this. It found out that 61 percent of individuals in the poll wanted to repeal the brand new law for health care. The Los Angeles Times reports that to fend off Republican attacks, the White House has unveiled a new site, whitehouse.gov/healthreform. Showing the law is really making a difference is the hope of the site. It is shown by having ordinary Americans show their stories. Obama was in a meeting Wednesday with state insurance commissioners where he spoke on September 23 and what provisions will be made by saying:

“These things are intended not to have government more involved in health care. They’re intended for making sure that you have basic protections with your interactions with your insurance company, that you’re getting what you paid for, that you’ve some basic measures of protection.”

Additional reading

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100922-706473.html

CNN

money.cnn.com/2010/09/22/news/economy/health_reform_six_month_anniversary_package/index.htm

Los Angeles times

latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-new-health-benefits-20100923,,6153569.story

As of 2011, there is not any more Ford Ranger

There will never be another American produced Ranger following 2011 The light pickup by Ford has barely received more than just a little cosmetic upgrade for over a decade. The pickup used to be one of the best selling light pickups on the market. Ford didn’t want to mess with a good thing. That said, the Ranger has had its day. After 2011, it won’t be produced anymore. Ford will try to steer customers toward the Ecoboost F150 with a V6.

The Ford Ranger has had its prime

Throughout the 1990s, the Ford Ranger was incredibly popular. It was really the best selling light pickup in North The United States. The truck was just about anything an individual could ask for, and so its success was deserved. It was priced thousands lower than a full size. It also got pretty decent gas mileage. The Ranger was capable of just about any task on or off road, and it was reliable. Other light truck makers, like Toyota Motors, upgraded light pickups to contain crew cabs and more seating, which started to seal the fate of the Ranger. The peak came in 1999, according to Wikipedia. That year, Ford sold over 348,000 Rangers. That was the high water mark. By 2009, sales had slipped to 55,000.

The Ranger is no more

Ford was presented with choices. The choice was to redesign the Ranger, or come up with something else. But Ford went with another choice. The truck is getting redesigned for overseas markets, according to USA Today, however the new version will not be accessible within the United States. Ford is pushing the new F150 instead. The new model will consist of an Ecoboost V-6, which will get better mileage than the stock V-8. Thinking about that the F150 is more costly than the Ranger, and the Ecoboost turbo V-6 comes with an additional premium. Ford has not heavily pushed the Ranger recently, as many of the sales for the truck have been for fleet applications.

Ranger facility is done as well

A formerly popular truck is no longer being produced. The plant it has been made at is getting shut down too. St. Paul, Minn., will lose the Ford plant that used for making the Ranger. Ford did try to give the truck a facelift. The business tried a crew cab Ranger model, but found it would sell better with a different name. The Ranger technically lives on, however the new name it was given is the Explorer Sport Trac.

Further reading

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger#Yearly_American_sales

USA Today

content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/09/ford-ranger-small-pickup-older-than-sand-dead-in-us-redesigned-for-rest-of-planet/1

Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity a plea to modest majority

Sept 16 was the day that the statement came that dueling rallies were prepared out by Comedy Central’s Jon Steward and Colbert. The dueling events, scheduled for the National Mall on Oct. 30, satirize fellow comic Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally that happened in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Aug. Stewart announced the “Rally to Restore Sanity” on the Daily Show. The Colbert Report then showed the “March to Keep Fear Alive” which was announced by Stephen Colbert.

Stewart and Colbert respond to radical fringe in this way

It only took three weeks for Glenn Beck to get smacked within the face after his “Restoring Honor” rally held in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Stewart and Colbert made bulletins for their rallies then. CNN reports that Beck’s event was considered offensive due to its timing and location–the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered within the very same place. There were numerous logos and icons developed specifically to make fun of Beck for the Colbert/Stewart rallies. They used the exact same style of image and exact same fonts as Beck to do this. On October 30, a collect will happen on the Washington Monument grounds for Stewart and Colbert who got the permit for it, states the National Park Service.

According to Stewart, they’ll “Take it down a notch for America”

The bulk of Americans without extreme political views are also called “the 70 to 80 percenters.” These are the people interested in Stewarts’ Rally to Restore Sanity. The signs he wanted to use for the event said things such as “I disagree with you, but I’m pretty sure you are not Hitler” and “I am not afraid of Muslims/Tea Partiers/Socialists/Immigrants/Gun Owners/Gay…however I am scared of Spiders.” The Comedy Central host concluded by unfurling a sheet bearing the rally’s tagline: “Take it down a notch for The United States.”

” … freak out for freedom!” is what Colbert suggests

Colbert made a nice statement for many after. This announced the rally known as “The March to Keep Fear Alive” which is meant to help with Stewart’s. Colbert vowed “not take it down a notch.” Then he said something else. He said, “Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom!” As outlined by Time, Reddit.com was where all the talk about Colbert satirizing Beck began. A site was created by Reddit users for the event. This website is named after a Colbert catchphrase, “Restoring Truthiness”. Colbert is a board member of the organizations going through DonorsChoose.org, which got more than $100,000 donated to it in just one day of Restoring Truthiness.

Midterms have only had a moderate amount of rallying

By staging the rallies and entering the political debate, Stewart and Colbert just might influence the November midterm elections. The Atlantic reports through Marc Ambeinder that conservatives will not like the timing and message of these rallies. Glen Beck does not seem to have as numerous viewers on Fox News as the Daily Show and also the Colbert Report seem to have. This is because there are more young liberals around that like to fight than you will find old conservatives. As a result of the Tea Party, it seems like a lot of younger voters have tuned out politics totally, although Stewart and Colbert may be able to get lots of those voters more interested, says Ambeinder.

Find more details on this subject

CNN

cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/17/stewart.colbert.rallies/index.html

TIME

newsfeed.time.com/2010/09/14/reddit-campaign-for-colbert-rally-breaks-charity-records/

The Atlantic

theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/stewart-colbert-to-hold-10-30-rallies/63142/

A debate to get a V8

As a driver and owner, a person should always bear things in mind when selecting a vehicle, one of which is fuel performance. You need to always be mindful of what you’ll conserve at the pump when selecting a new car. The automobile industry definitely knows that. The bestselling vehicles in the world are small sedans with 4 cylinder or small 6 cylinder engines. Long portrayed as a villain, some autos are really far better off with an 8 cylinder engine. Article resource – In defense of V-8 engines by Car Deal Expert.

The technology powering performance

Fuel efficiency, or gas mileage, is related to a simple principle of physics. It’s called mechanical efficiency. The ratio of energy used in a task to the amount of work done is the mechanical efficiency. The more energy is used, the lesser the efficiency. It’s not difficult to determine. It’s a simple equation:

Efficiency = Input/Output

In other words, a small engine that has to do more work than a larger engine for the exact same task could be less mechanically efficient. This leads to diminished performance. Performance affects other things. One of the large ones is gas mileage.

Bigger can be much better

Motors with a V-8 configuration put out more horsepower than 4-, 5-, or 6-cylinder counterparts. However, the majority of the automobiles that come with an 8-cylinder standard are already large. For instance, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 gets 15 mpg in the city. Nevertheless, here comes the twist. The Corvette has the exact same 6.2 L V8. The Corvette also gets 26 miles per gallon. There is a good reason for it. The Corvette has a lesser amount of weight to pull.

{A lesser amount of work is also a lesser amount of strain|Work also is strain|Less effort means simpler efforts|Easier signifies a lesser amount of stressful work|A lesser amount of tension means more efficiency

Besides a turbo smaller motor, in case you are in a vehicle loaded to the gills with people and gear, the mileage drops off. This benefit is realized by cars smaller than a full size, as the engine will not have to work as hard to pull the load and therefore be more efficient. The engine will not efforts as hard, and perform much better. It will also last longer due to a lesser amount of damage.

Further reading

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_advantage

Bethany Storro pays cost of crying wolf around deformity

Attention is often all some people want. Many individuals choose to get this with harmless actions. Shaving your head would be an example of this. Other individuals are just sad in what they do. For example, one going on a reality Television show on MTV would do this. Some people need attention so bad that they are willing to harmed themselves and others. Storro hurt people with her attention getting. She permanently disfigured her entire body because of the hoax she did with the acid face attack tale.

Bethany Storro attacked

The news spread like wildfire when the story of Bethany Storro in Vancouver, Washington, came out about how she was disfigured by an attack. The story was that somebody had thrown a container of acid on her face. Nobody thought this was a hoax. It was a young woman who was now disfigured as a result of acid. Bethany Storro, according to CNN was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 30, and released Sept. 5. A young African-American woman asked her if she wanted a drink. Right after that, the woman threw acid in her face, supposedly.

Acid attack hoax admitted

It was the perfect story. It also was a cliché being used. The story was a lie. It was false. Time reports that police started investigating things as she was getting close to being released. They decided things weren’t adding up. Bethany Storro’s acid burns were suspicious. They looked like they had been applied carefully rather than just thrown in her face. According to Sky News, the acid used was of similar corrosive quality to sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. Confronted with the inconsistencies in her acid attack story, she admitted to the acid attack hoax. The meat dress and balloon boy compare to this. They were all just stunts happening.

Paying for it

Bethany Storro could have to live with scars for a long time. She can have it the rest of her life. However, she also is going to have to live with the legal consequences of a likely conviction of filing a false police report. She got lots of donations to pay for the hospital bills. She is going to have to pay those back as well as paying all the bills by her.

More on this topic

Times

newsfeed.time.com/2010/09/17/victim-of-acid-attack-admits-she-did-it-herself/?iid=nfmostpopular

CNN

cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/05/washington.acid.attack/?iref=obnetwork

Sky News

news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Acid-Attack-Victim-Bethany-Storro-Admits-Faking/Article/201009315732007?lpos=World_News_News_Your_Way_Region_9&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15732007_Acid_Attack_Victim_Bethany_Storro_Admits_Faking_

Paydays less beneficial with flat consumer rates

Data was shown that claims the consumer price index has been almost the very same for too long. There are numerous months that prices have been flat on all goods and services. Most people are good when it comes to buying the normal food. No instant loans is needed for them. For a long time, the price index has been at about zero for the part and parcel for a federal rate of interest. An interest rate that holds steady at a low threshold is practically the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, as it typically signals deflation.

Low customer prices to determine everywhere

The Consumer Price Index is how the Department of Commerce tracks the rise and fall of prices of goods and services. For August, the CPI rose by .3 percent, after a .3 rise in July, as outlined by the new York Times. Many thought there were only a couple reasons the number would rise. Numerous thought it was energy and food prices rising. Those two good are all that have changed. Anything else in consumer prices has stayed put. Cost of goods and services is tied to demand, and with unemployment up to it is, hardly everyone is willing to spend much. Retailers aren’t benefiting. They’re getting fewer customers and much less payday cash.

Interest rates too low

Along with consumer prices staying low, federal rates of interest are at near zero for months. When banks borrow or lend to other banks, the interest rate the Federal Reserve set is what banks have to use. Usually these loans are used for loan credit. More are borrowing with such low rates of interest. There is one thing to consider. The economy will not get any better with banks who do not want to lend. Since hardly any money is being used, money begins losing a lot of value. That is called deflation.

Low federal rates hurting even more

If deflation sets in, value of goods will go down, but prices will go up in order to keep suppliers in business. However, that will not be accompanied by a rise in wages.

Further reading

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/09/18/business/economy/18econ.html?src=busln

Christine O'Donnell cast doubt with witchcraft admission

A figure of no small debate, Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell of Delaware has drawn more than her fair share of negative publicity of late. O’Donnell began off by fabricating her scholastic history in classic political fashion. Then info trickled out the born-again Protestant foisted the stink eye toward the topic of masturbation. The Christian Science Monitor reports that O’Donnell has included even more color to the quilt, so to speak. O’Donnell had some witchcraft stories to share on a 1999 episode of the TV show “Politically Incorrect”. To be most specific, she told the guest panel that she had “dabbled in witchcraft”.

Christine O’Donnell claims witchcraft, means Wicca

Wiccan is the Old English term for witch, as outlined by the Australian site Witchcraft.com, and Christine O’Donnell may not know witchcraft or Wicca if her further comments are any indication. Her claim that she saw a “Satanic altar” when on a date may be a dead giveaway that her grip on the nomenclature was rather loose. Wicca, as outlined by Witchcraft.com, is rather different than some fever dream of primordial evil. Celebrations of natural cycles – from the change of season to the changes undergone by the human body – are a part of Wicca, while such cartoonish notions of “black” or “white” magic are not. Nature is neutral; it endures. O’Donnell’s wide-eyed exclamation merely adds fuel to the comedic fire burning under her farcical candidacy in Delaware, and the GOP would like all the baggage to disappear.

‘I never joined a coven,’ stated O’Donnell

So-called “witchcraft” was apparently a teenage phase for O’Donnell. She is not a practicing Wiccan or anything else other than a Protestant, which is a good thing thinking about her jealous God doesn’t suffer the competition. Even GOP strategist exemplar Karl Rove is at a loss when it comes to bailing this woman out. ”She cannot win” has passed Rove’s lips. Republican Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana has called for O’Donnell to publicly explain her 1999 comments. While Delaware voters are the ones who will ultimately choose whether O’Donnell is fit to serve the state in the Senate, Rove is seriously concerned about her “background, character, statements and previous actions,” as he most recently told “Fox News Sunday”.

Governmental policies: The voodoo that you do

Now Raw Story reports that witchcraft may even less essential than the latest scandal for Christine O’Donnell. The allegation is that she used $ 20,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses. If O’Donnell is indeed guilty, such would not be unheard of within the game of politics. That does not mean such corruption should go unpunished, if it is indeed the case with O’Donnell. The Tea Party spectacle claims she’s all about fiscal responsibility in government too, which could come back to bite her.

More on this topic

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/0920/Latest-challenge-facing-Christine-O-Donnell-witchcraft-TV-clip

OpEd News

opednews.com/articles/Good-Gag-Delaware-GOP-Le-by-Robert-S-Becker-100920-9.html

Raw Story

rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/watchdog-christine-odonnell-criminal/

Witchcraft

witchcraft.com.au/

Castro declares disaster has originated from the Cuban Revolution

The Cuban Revolution is not helping the world. The international economic system is doing worse with it. With Cuba on the verge of economic and social disaster, its government announced that more than half one million state workers can be cast adrift to fend for themselves by March 2011. The “Cuban model” was said by Fidel Castro a 7 days before the announcement to not be working anymore to Jeffery Goldberg, Atlantic press reporter. Cuba’s issues go a lot deeper than just government employees as the very last communist system within the world. This is why many think just letting go these people won’t help at all. Post resource – Fidel Castro admits the Cuban Revolution is a dismal failure by Personal Money Store.

Cuban communist party just lets workers off the leash

The Cuban government has made a plan it intends to keep. In this plan, more than half a million public sector workers can be out of a job. The hope is that more private businesses will pick up the workers in order to help the economy grow better. As outlined by the New York Times, after many hurtful hurricanes in 2008 and with the worldwide financial crisis, Cuba just does not know how to deal with the aftermath. Tourism is pretty much dead right about now. Not only that, but sugar crops within the country have also broken down while rice shortages seem plentiful also. In a statement Monday, Cuban Workers’ Central admitted the nation’s economy was within the toilet and that radical changes must be implemented right away.

Good Luck with the problem

Many of the people fired within the Cuban layoffs will be those considered unproductive, overpaid and undisciplined workers. The Associated Press reports this with an internal Cuban Communist Party document. Workers at Cuba’s ministries of sugar, public health, tourism and agriculture will be the first to go. Fired workers will be encouraged by Cuban Workers’ Central to form private cooperatives. The government will also try to foist others onto foreign-run companies and joint ventures. Cubans were given a list of three things within the document that can be their weaknesses when it comes to being on their own. These three things are a lack of initiative, little experience and low skill levels.

Cuba has got to be kidding

Some of the experts of Cuba have the fear that private sectors won’t be able to bring fired government workers under their wings. The Wall Street Journal talked to director of the Institute for Cuban Studies at University of Miami, Jaime Suchlicki, who said that there can be nowhere else for fired workers to go. ”They won’t be absorbed by the private sector because there is no private sector to absorb them,” he said. He thinks this is true. Other experts say Cubans who want to start a business face high taxes, lack of credit and foreign exchange, bans on advertising and burdensome government regulations. To help, the government made a list of “authorized” activities for self employment, including toy repairman, music teacher, piñata salesman and carpenter.

More on this topic

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/09/14/world/americas/14cuba.html?_r=1 and hp

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipe0no99xWr_oUrAP-q6PnKLj8XgD9I7O0BO0

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704190704575489932181245938.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

Dropping 2 U.S. Senate Republicans was all that's necessary to move the small business bill

Congress surprised every person by passing the small business bill. Everybody thought midterm elections in November were too soon for anything to pass. But 2 Republican U.S. senators who are not seeking re-election intersected party lines to give Democrats the votes they needed. Thursday, U.S. Senate approved a small business bill, after fighting all summer over it. The legislation aims to improve access to credit and provide tax relief for small businesses, which policymakers say create a majority of new jobs. The bill now heads to the House, where it is expected to easily move.

Smaller businesses with more access to lending and tax breaks

Regional banks for small company lending may be getting a $30 billion lending fund that would come from the small business bill that passed Thursday in Senate. The fund is being compared by Republicans to the Troubles Asset Relief Program. Many are calling another bailout that is funded by taxpayers. TARP is different than this, of course, since banks actually volunteered to work with the small company lending program, reports the Wall Street Journal. The rate of interest banks are charged for the cash is tied to how much they Use it to increase their small business lending. Part of the small business bill says $12 billion in business tax breaks will be had. Integrated in this is instant write-off of 50 percent of 2010 equipment bought within the year. $500,000 can be the new amount of investment small businesses can sp! end in 2010 and 2011.

Republicans retiring are more interested in issues than getting re-elected

Earlier this year, a smaller version of the small business bill was passed within the House. According to the Los Angeles Times, many businesses chose to Use the plan to weaken the new healthcare reform law rather than supporting it, including the United States Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business. Republicans hoped amendments would be added to legislation as they created a filibuster in July for the small business bill. In the U.S. Senate chamber, House members staged a sit-in at one point. This was done to protest the delays going on. The two Republicans that modified their minds aren’t seeking re-election. These senators are George LeMieux of Florida and George Voinovich of Ohio. The measure passed 61-38 after they joined 57 Democrats and two independents.

Further reading

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440604575495882236157048.html

Los Angeles times

latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-small-business-bill-20100917,,2992847.story

Trade laws broken by Boeing, says World Trade Organization judges

Airline travel has taken a huge financial hit during the global recession, which in turn has decreased demand for new airliners to expand fleets. Thus, aircraft producers are willing to turn to any means necessary in order to boost the net income, including accepting large – and perhaps questionable – government subsidies. Reuters explains what the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled with regards to the American airline manufacturer, Boeing. Boeing was said to have an unfair edge on European competitor, Airbus, because it took out the government subsidies specifically for this reason. The European Union is challenging the subsidies. The business actually received $20 billion. Article source – WTO judges rule Boeing broke international trade laws by Personal Money Store.

WTO points out what’s going on with Boeing and Airbus

The WTO judge’s ruling against Boeing is presently confidential and will not be officially released until mid-2011. It is released to some of course. United States and European officials were able to view it. Some of the findings within the case have been appealed already. The appeal originated from both Boeing and Airbus. The World Trade Organization ruling showed that since relations in transatlantic aerospace travel is really bad right now, there may nevertheless be a settlement negotiated between Boeing and Airbus, says Reuters. Airbus was previously condemned in June 2010 for taking a sizable money advance within the form of a government subsidy from the EU.

There are some research contracts and tax breaks going on

It is like we are playing with kids. One kid seems upset that an additional kid is attempting to do what he got in trouble for a couple of days ago. European sources explain that in Washington state, Boeing got $4 billion in tax breaks when also getting $17 billion in research contracts from National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Pentagon. WTO ruled that Boeing broke international trade laws by accepting the contracts and tax breaks, despite the fact that the government aid is not technically prohibited. Airbus was glad that it could get Boeing in trouble for what it was doing. Boeing thought that what is being done to them is rude. It thinks it was not doing anything wrong with the contracts.

Hope that President Obama take part

EU trade spokesman John Clancy told Reuters that “negotiations at the highest political level” could be the only action that will lead to a long term solution to the feud between Boeing and Airbus. United States of America officials have claimed they will not come to the table until the EU no longer subsidizes the production of the Airbus A350. The U.S. thinks that what the World Trade Organization decided against is the very same thing the EU is doing. Boeing claims it has done nothing to harmed the transatlantic aerospace market. It does say, nevertheless, that Airbus with its EU practices isn’t following the same ideas.

Find more details on this subject

Airbus

airbus.com/

Boeing

boeing.com

Reuters

reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68E47T20100915

WTO and Boeing have had better days

youtube.com/watch?v=50fqfmWbXiY

AIG makes more progress in paying off taxpayer personal financing

AIG had to borrow money within the bailout, and a lot of it. It was controversial that a $130 billion installment loan from taxpayers was taken out by the insurance coverage business. It appears now that AIG is making progress. The business is meeting the Treasury to work out debt negotiation soon. Also, a number of billion have already been paid back. The business is set to convert the 80 % in preferred shares the government holds to common shares, which would be sold for fast money.

Treasury works to help AIG create a payment plan

There isn’t really a company that got emergency money from the government that does not want those balances reduced to zero. AIG received about $132 billion in loans from the working class individuals, and for that nice offer of help, the government got an 80 % stake in the preferred shares of the company. Since then, AIG has been selling sub-companies and creating capital to pay off the government. USA Today explains the Treasury office and American International Group most recently met to talk about payment plans. The business hopes to finish paying off the loan in two years.

Stock getting sold

The bulk of the fund raising would be done via sale of stock. About 80 % of preferred shares in American International Group are held by the government. There is less security in preferred shares than there is in security bonds although you will find more dividends. About 90 percent of common stock is held by the government right now. The government was hoping investors would pick it up. The stock price going up would mean a profit. The government would love for making a profit.

American International Group keeps fighting for its way

AIG is still in debt to the government. It owes about $100 billion still. That is a lot of cash for any corporation to get together in two years. The business has been doing well in settling accounts, as non-essential divisions are sold off to other businesses.

Additional reading

USA Today

usatoday.com/money/industries/insurance/2010-09-14-wsj-AIG_N.htm

Lady Gaga animal meat dress only juice Music Television music awards have to give you

What do you get whenever you mix Lady Gaga and her meat dress with Ke$ha and her garbage bag-inspired creation? It makes a mess you wouldn’t want. There were some interesting things going on at the MTV Video Music Awards. According to Hollywood Life, even Taylor Swift’s forgiveness song to Kanye West motivated just minor buzz. Most of the jokes host Chelsea Handler said were clearly scripted. PETA and vegan groups were really mad about Lady Gaga’s meat gown although it was expected from one who is normally in abnormal clothing. Japanese Vogue had her model a meat bikini already. There was a feature being done by “America’s Top Model” with animal meat clothing. I am not lying.

Lady Gaga meat gown loved by Cher

Lady Gaga and her meat dress were nominated for a record-breaking 13 awards according to SeattlePI.com, and she won eight. Video of the Year went to “Bad Romance” and that was when every person saw her ensemble of various cuts of meat. If it was Kobe beef, that dress was tasty and costly.

Cher hugged Gaga as she passed the award on. If Cher could turn back time, perhaps the embrace would have gone better with seasoning salt and a meat tenderizer. ”Jersey Shore” types certainly showed off their spray tanned bodies in there.

Lady Gaga’s meat dress

Gaga most recently told Billboard that the animal meat gown was a show of solidarity for her gay followers and a protest against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. She wasn’t trying to offend vegetarians in her outfit choice. It was really meant to be an illustration for many. Ellen DeGeneres offered Lady Gaga a leafy veggie dress as a choice, and Carna-Gaga was amused however undaunted. ”If we don’t stand up for what we believe in, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones,” she said. This was said to Billboard. At the MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga had previously said as she accepted the Video of the Year award for “Bad Romance” that “I am not a piece of meat.”.

Lady Gaga as something but a piece of animal meat

What about Ke$ha? Where does that leave her? Miss auto-tune told MTV news in reference to her garbage bag dress that “It’s not like I’m going to go into the garbage with crusty food on it, all garbage isn’t equal.”

Exactly.

Additional reading

Billboard

billboard.com/events/lady-gaga-reveals-motivation-behind-her-1004113855.story?tag=hpfeed

Ecorazzi

ecorazzi.com/2008/03/13/americas-next-top-model-is-dead-meat/

Guardian

guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/13/lady-gaga-triumphs-mtv-vmas

Hollywood Life

hollywoodlife.com/2010/09/13/mtv-vmas-lady-gaga-meatkesha-cher-worst-dressed/

Seattle PI

blog.seattlepi.com/tubular/archives/221120.asp

Lady Gaga in meat dress, Cher handling the meat

youtube.com/watch?v=CsLmRFOZFMQ

Fannie and Freddie are not having bad financial institution loans bought back

Toxic mortgage properties were part of the housing market withering up. A loan lender or bank would lend a mortgage to a customer and sell the debt as an asset. Some bank loans went to individuals that wouldn’t have qualified with basic scrutiny, and some people’s mortgages went sour because of circumstances. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sold a lot of these loans. When the loans went bad, those corporations went poor. Part of the law governing these transactions mandates that if the buyer wants to sell the assets back, the vendor has to do agree, but lots of the sellers are refusing. Article source – Bad bank loans to Fannie and Freddie not being bought back by Personal Money Store.

If the purchaser requests the seller must buy bad loans back

Getting a bundle of bad finance loans back from a company that has been damaged by buying them would seem fair. In fact, laws were passed that guaranteed loans had to be bought back by the seller if the loans in question went bad. A great deal of those mortgage securities that went bad were bought by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The law is on the side of the two mortgage giants. However, the troubled corporations are not getting the pay-backs that are owed.

Sale of bad debt not getting tackled

There have been a fair amount of the poor mortgage properties that aren’t getting repurchased. Freddie and Fannie have been asking for a refund from the businesses that sold the mortgages to them, according to USA Today, and about $11 billion worth is being sold back. Of that $11 billion, a lot of it is going nowhere right now. A full 3rd of the loan refunds are 90 days delinquent. Those aren’t the only corporations that bought those securities. Other lending options were backed by the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration.

Banks are self beating by not really repurchasing these resources

The bank and loan company industry is really hurting itself when the lending options are refunded. Fannie and Freddie are technically in government conservatorship. They are being propped up by tax dollars, which companies and individuals have to pay. That means that the longer the mess drags on, the more everybody has to pay, including bank executives and shareholders.

Discover more info on this subject

USA Today

usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2010-09-15-fannie-freddie_N.htm

Mortgage loan procedure will go faster with MERS, that worries several

America’s housing crisis was caused by numerous factors. One example that numerous didn’t hear about was MERS. Transferring title when hands is done by the Home loan Backed Security (MBS) industry which, Nolan Chart LLC mortgage industry blogs reports, MERS (Home loan Electronic Registration System) controls. Fannie Mae, in the mid-1990s, created MERS. It was meant to be the middle person, not counting homebuyers, for the party involved in the mortgage. Any online transactions are done via MERS. It is convenient to be able to bundle, buy and sell mortgages with the MERS electronic network that provides speed. Fannie Mae works with 50 percent of United States home mortgages however the United States of America treasury now owns it and now several wonder if MERS can legally be listed on mortgages.

Many wondering about MERS

The most significant question raised by the operation of MERS, particularly as it relates to potential mortgage fraud, is whether the company should be able to listen itself on electronic home loan documents, as MERS has neither paid for any property nor represented the home loan holder in any tangible legal way. MERS has a really streamlined method of recordkeeping that mortgage industry critics don’t seem to like. They think that past ways of legally processing documents are much better. MERS says, says Nolan Chart, it represents 60 million mortgage cases. Critics question this number. If that number is true, $10 million in mortgages are being represented by MERS with no free market competition. This means the Supreme Court will probably get involved quite soon. Foreclosing on homes is a right many wonder whether or not MERS should really have. The law will choose the final decision.

Profit made with the state intervention

MERS wouldn’t be anywhere with public funding. It benefits a lot from funding. Thus, argues Nolan Chart, the public has a right to be skeptical when little to no free market competition exists to regulate prices. MERS has operated expediting the MBS because contract law loopholes exist. That industry is largely responsible for creating the U.S. housing crisis within the first place. Homebuyers may just support the highest court pulling in MERS to test them.

Further reading

Nolan Chart

nolanchart.com/article8006.html

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortgage-backed_security

Freddie Mac commercial on mortgage fraud

youtube.com/watch?v=cS2HsaBA5No

Bruni states The First Lady believes being Michelle Obama is nightmare

It must be hard to have lots of pressure on you. To be a world leader does that. President Obama discovered this when he stepped to the United States’ economic minefield, and he has the gray hair to prove it. President Obama isn’t the only one feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Michelle Obama The First Lady is feeling it. Being first lady is hell as outlined by Michelle Obama in a biography about First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, reports the London Daily Mail. The First Lady specifically said in her hell statement in the Bruni biography, “Don’t ask! It is nightmare! I can’t stand it!”.

Michelle Obama, Bruni and the hell of conflict

The First Lady and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are known to have a terrible relationship, although it seems just fine on cameras. There has never been a true confirmation of the relationship to be bad although it is rumored the two are always in competition with one an additional in clothing and public image. This will never be confirmed. The United States and French administration would hate that. The info about that would be saved for biographies. These are from unauthorized biography penned by Besma Lahouri and also the biography called “Carla and also the Ambitious”. Before marrying French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Lahouri accused Bruni-Sarkozy of living like a rock star when it came to her lifestyle. Also questioned is Bruni-Sarkozy saying The First Lady is “the only one able to challenge (her) for world’s sexiest and most glamorous Michelle Obama.”

Michelle Obama is not close

It seems like the media is working hard to try to connect the first ladies of the U.S. and France with the concerns of common people. The only problem with it is among world leaders and public, as is evident with this, you will find layers of separation. On TV, many have seen the ads The First Lady has put together to encourage kids to exercise daily. Of course, even if Mrs. Obama looks like she is inviting, only special children will really be allowed to play with Sasha and Malia. The very same holds true for Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and the French people, although there are some differences. While Michelle Obama comes from a background of law and higher education, Bruni-Sarkozy was a high-fashion model. For a while there, Bruni was a professional vocalist. She was known to have various relationships with rock ‘n’ roll titans. Bruni-Sarkozy is (allegedly) quoted within the Lahouri biography as saying “On top of that, you expect me to be subtle? I am a fem! me fatale, my dear.”

Perhaps Michelle Obama’s right. It is not fun and games to be Michelle Obama.

More on this topic

London Daily Mail

dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1312462/Michelle-Obama-thinks-First-Lady-hell-says-Carla-Bruni.html

Mo Rocca 180° exposes shocking The First Lady scandal

youtube.com/watch?v=3ooBhnjl5v4

Koran fires opposed by President Obama and others

The plans made by a Florida church to burn copies of the Koran has caused an enormous controversy. American authorities and world leaders have announced their dislike and outrage at the proposed action. President Barack Obama is now one of the many asking for the Dove World Outreach Center Church and Pastor Terry Jones to drop it. The church has been told about not only the bigotry within the act, however real world consequences. It will serve as a recruiting tool for terrorists. Nothing can stop it, however some things could be done following the fact should this misguided church fail to listen to reason.

Koran burning off rejected by President Barack Obama

Obama has asked, as outlined by the Los Angeles Times, for Pastor Terry Jones and also the Dove World outreach Center Church to put a halt to burning the Koran. The President maintained that it will only reinforce the idea that Americans are bigots. He also said the Muslim terrorists we are attempting to stop will be aided by the demonstration. The president is not alone in that opinion. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, issued a similar caution. Petraeus said the “burn a Koran day” will still only be a tool for the Taliban to recruit with. He also pointed out that it will make US Citizens more vulnerable worldwide to attack.

The worldwide reaction

The whole global community isn’t exactly thrilled with this proposed demonstration. The British and French governments, as outlined by CNN, have announced their condemnation of burning the Koran. Interpol, the global police force, opposes it also. Interpol has said it will only increase religious violence global. A spokesman for the Taliban said that if the church goes via with it, the Taliban will begin targeting Christians in retaliation. The Tea Party darling Sarah Palin even weighed in. She asked the church to stop. Even the Vatican believes it to be a poor choice. They’ve already also asked for a stop to the planned burnings.

Jones to think about it

Terry Jones, the pastor of the small church in Gainesville, Fla., has said the group is analyzing the decision. President Obama said he hoped Jones would arrive at the conclusion the demonstration would only be destructive. Religious tolerance is an important part of the fabric of American society.

Further reading

LA Times

latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-koran-burning-20100910,,1430372.story

CNN

cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/09/09/florida.quran.reactions/

Previous intelligence officer burns Government with tell-all publication

”Operation Dark Heart” is a publication that joins a growing list of titles that have benefitted from attempted censorship. This time around it comes courtesy of the Pentagon. ”Operation Dark Heart” is a chronicle of Afghanistan written by an ex-intelligence officer. Military spooks claim it contains details that threatens national security. Cash is no object to the Pentagon, which is preparing to write a check for the initial run of the book so it can reduce each pallet load to ashes. Article source – Pentagon to buy Operation Dark Heart first print for book burning by Personal Money Store.

Memoir considered to be security threat

Anthony A. Schaffer, a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserve, penned “Operation Dark Heart” to tell the story of his adventures as a Defense Intelligence Agency officer in Afghanistan. The book is Shaffer’s personal account of five months he spent as a DIA officer stationed at Bagram Air Base outside of Kabul in 2003. ”Operation Dark Heart was initial reviewed by the Army in January. The NY Times reports the publication was given a clean bill of health at the time. St. Martin’s Press, Shaffer’s publisher, went ahead with an Aug. 31 release date. But the DIA did not see the manuscript until July, when it determined the publication contained classified information. By then, various dozen copies of the book had already been sent out to reviewers and online booksellers.

Author’s 9/11 statements draw interest

Some of the allegedly classified information in “Operation Dark Heart” concerns a pre-9/11 operation called “Able Danger,” which Shaffer statements identified hijacker Mohammed Atta as a threat before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. According to Fox News, the DIA wants passages removed where Shaffer alleges he told the 9/11 Commission that Able Danger knew about Atta as early as 2000. Atta was considered to be the ringleader of the 9/11 hijackers. He was at the controls of, American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the World Trade Center. The Defense Department said Shaffer had no proof for his claims in a subsequent report.

Censors are an author’s closest friend

Shaffer’s publisher is negotiating with the Government, which would like to write a check for the first printing of Operation Dark Heart in its entirety. According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon will protect the nation by burning all 10,000 copies. A second printing is already in progress at St. Martin’s press-sans the sensitive passages. Meanwhile, 10,000 copies languish in a warehouse, awaiting their ultimate fate. That has not stopped “Operation Dark Heart” from reaching #19 on Amazon’s hot seller list, even though it is listed as “temporarily out of stock”.

Find more details on this subject

New York Times

nytimes.com

Fox News

foxnews.com

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com

Apple/Flash fight comes to an end with an open app acceptance method

There was an Apple/Flash fight that started last spring. Apple shocked the app developer world Thursday when it announced that the business is soothing controversial restrictions on the tools programmers are allowed to use to develop iPhone and iPad apps. App acceptance guidelines could be released to the public also. Apple declared this as well. Steve Job’s made the announcement without really discussing Flash. Of course, the Flash app toolkit is within the app authorization method at present. Adobe can thank Apple for sending its stock soaring on the news.

The Apple/Flash feud

Apple made a list of approved languages that iPhone and iPad apps might be made on, which is why last April, the Apple/Flash fight began. PC World reports that Apple’s policy excluded Adobe Flash CS5 Flash Packager for iPhone and iPad. Adobe CS5 was mostly used for the iPhone with the Flash Packager. It was made for one reason. It was supposed to be a cross platform toolkit for other iPhone platforms as Adobe Flash. Then there was Steve Jobs. He thought that was a terrible plan. That has changed. It was different before. Thursday was the day things changed. It was all better. Developers have it easy with Flash now. They can make apps to run on Apple’s iOS while publishing it once and also run it on Google’s Android.

Public viewing Apple’s app approval process

Apple’s draconian app approval process has not only been modified, it’s being made public. The Apple App Store Review Guidelines used to be secret rules that decided on whether or not the iPhone or iPad would allow the developer’s app to be used. Wired reports that uncertainty about App Store approval has been keeping lots of top flight development talent from creating iPhone and iPad apps and leading to a proliferation of “fart apps” (junk applications). Before Thursday’s announcement, developers would not know if they had broken a rule until their app was rejected by Apple. There was so much wasted time because of this. Cash was wasted by it as well. Programmers just want to know what the rules are, although what they are doesn’t really matter, says Wired.

Why Apple made a different decision

There was no explanation from Apple as to why it is changing its mind about Adobe Flash and other third-party tools. It also didn’t say why it is releasing Store Review Guidelines. Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune is just one of the bloggers that has made his own opinion on what happened. The leading theories, according to DeWitt, are developer feedback, competition and regulation. It wasn’t because of feedback he says. This is because Apple generally does whatever it wants and doesn’t care about others. Competition from Android-powered smartphones and a coming wave of Android tablets no doubt makes Apple feel threatened. The Apple/Flash feud has caused an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission on Apple. It is investigating the ban on cross-development platforms by Apple. Apple is not as lucky as Adobe. Adobe got what it wanted.

Additional reading

PC World

pcworld.com/article/205114/apple_lifts_app_store_approval_shroud_for_developers.html?tk=hp_new

Wired

wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/09/apple-lifts-app-store-flash-ban-publishes-app-review-rules/

Fortune

tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/09/09/why-did-apple-lift-its-ban-on-flash/

Near-miss with meteors a wake-up call for the Earth

Planet continued to beat the odds as it dodged two asteroids passing via its orbit Wednesday. The narrow escape brought attention to a coalition of scientists and astronauts preparing future space missions to prevent the destruction of mankind by an asteroid. As mankind scans the skies in more detail, it discovers a greater number of “near-earth objects” that underscore the seriousness of the asteroid threat. NASA is stepping up efforts to locate and track asteroids to learn more about how to deflect a catastrophic event. America’s space program has an executive order to develop a plan for sending astronauts to a neighborhood asteroid. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration contractor said it might be possible by 2019.

Meteors become too nearby for ease and comfort

Two small asteroids passed through the space between the Earth and moon Wednesday. Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near Earth Network, told CNN that such events happen every day that humans aren’t aware of. What makes Wednesday’s asteroid encounter noteworthy is that the two rocks, between 20 and 60 feet in diameter, were spotted en route. NASA said the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz., detected the asteroids Sunday morning during routine scanning. Yeomans told CNN Earth needs more, larger telescopes to track objects that come so close. He said humans were blissfully ignorant of the asteroid threat until scientists began looking for them in the 1990s and realized they were a problem.

Video simulates disastrous occasion

For mankind to survive, the Association of Space Explorers says a united global effort to create an answer to the asteroid threat is absolutely necessary. In an interview with the Toronto Star, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, ASE’s president, said Planet is gambling the “big one” fails to arrive until mankind has figured out how to protect itself. In 2008, the United Nations received a report from the ASE defining the possibilities accessible for deflecting a killer meteor. To prevent an impact, technology on hand now could get the job done, the report said. One approach smashes a spacecraft into an asteroid, slowing it down enough so Earth can pass the impact point before it arrives. To be successful, mankind would need to start planning a quest anywhere from 10 to 18 years prior to the projected impact. So far mankind hasn’t proven itself capable of such foresight. If that is the case, the video below imagines what is in store.

NASA planning human spaceflight to meteor

A manned mission to an asteroid by 2025 is being studied. President Obama ordered an overhaul of NASA’s space program last spring. The asteroid mission is a key component of his directive. Even though politicians have been warned of the danger posed by asteroids, the Houston Chronicle reports that numerous in Congress would rather relive the glory of the Apollo moon landings that happened 40 years ago. But Lockheed Martin, which has a National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract to build the Orion spacecraft, is proposing a mission to a nearby asteroid by 2019. The aim of the project is to get data that can be used to conceive a method to deflect a threatening meteor.

Further reading

CNN

cnn.com/2010/US/09/08/earth.two.asteroids/index.html?npt=NP1

Toronto Star

thestar.com/article/857006–asteroid-warning-get-ready-for-the-big-one-astronauts-say

Houston Chronicle

chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7188211.html

Federal authorities advise chapel not to undergo with Koran burning

A planned demonstration against Muslim extremism by the Dove World Outreach Center Church, led by Pastor Terry Jones, is causing good debate. The chapel plans to burn copies of the Koran. Federal officials have asked the chapel call it off. The planned demonstration has led to protests worldwide and strong warnings. The church has been asked to stop the prepared fire of the Koran by General David Petraeus, who said it will only put Americans in greater danger. Post resource – U.S. officials warn of danger in Koran burning by Personal Money Store.

Word of caution to Dove World Outreach Center

As outlined by the Christian Science Monitor, Gen. Petraeus has requested the church to halt any Koran burning. He said it would only harm our troops, and he would know, as the commander of all United States forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban and Al Qaeda will be the sole beneficiaries, according to General Petraeus, as fire the Koran will only be a propaganda victory for the,. He also cautioned that as a result, it would make winning over Afghans and others worldwide that much more difficult and put American soldiers in greater danger. The Ground Zero Mosque debate has currently been enough of a strain, and American-Islamic tensions are currently high as it is.

The church may hold off

The Dove World Outreach Center Church has put a temporary stop to the demonstration. The church is considering whether to undergo with it or never. According to CNN, Pastor Terry Jones and the members are thinking it over for now. The church and its members are concerned about potential ramifications. The intention was to burn Korans on an “International Burn a Koran Day” on Sept. 11 this year. However, the caution from Gen David Petraeus has given them pause. The church has maintained all along that the demonstration was aimed more at the more radical segments of Islam.

Who’s going to be best served?

The pastor and his congregation can believe anything they wish, and protest whichever they wish as it is their right. Nevertheless, Gen. Petraeus is right. This demonstration will only help the enemy. More extremists could be created by this protest of extremism.

Find more details on this subject

CS Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0907/Petraeus-Dove-World-Outreach-Center-s-Burn-a-Koran-Day-endangers-troops

CNN

cnn.com/2010/US/09/07/florida.quran.burning/?hpt=Sbin

Crash tax will go on top of deductibles for car incident victims

Unless you hated your car, there is nothing good that comes from a vehicle crash. Auto insurance deductibles can be costly. The physical repercussions could be anything from annoying to disabling. If that isn’t an unpleasant enough contemplation, there is something else to make it worse. There is a new idea that emergency service departments are starting to use, called a crash tax. Fault isn’t part of the equation at all. If you get in an auto crash outside your home area, and EMS shows up, you get billed, and for lots of money.

You receive the crash tax irrespective of what happens

The way the ‘crash tax’ works is relatively simple. Let’s say a person gets in an auto crash from home. If emergency services shows up and checks them out, even if they don’t ask for it, the person gets billed. The bill is often never gargantuan, however is far from being innocuous. Usually, the bill is for a few hundred bucks. New York Times reports that one crash tax bill recipient was billed $200, and a Chicago Tribune piece profiled a woman who received a bill for $350. Neither needed hospital visits. Both declined to be checked out by medics.

There exists resistance

Several states have banned the practice, though they are a minority. As outlined by Injuryboard.com, you will find ten states that have prohibited it. So far, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, also as Tennessee have outlawed the practice. However, often the decision isn’t made at the state level, however by municipalities. The practice, also called “resource recovery,” is used to get funds back from people that needed emergency services but did not pay taxes in that area. True to form, crash taxes are the highest in California.

Insurance doesn’t include it

Often, a people could be billed for EMS response even if they do not themselves request to be checked out by medics, which an insurance policy company will not cover. Insurance corporations oppose it. You will find also other groups, such as the AARP, which oppose the crash tax.

More on this topic

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/09/05/automobiles/05CRASHTAX.html?pagewanted=1 and _r=1 and ref=automobiles

Chicago Tribune

articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-03-02/business/ct-biz-0302-problem-locklin-20100302_1_billing-ambulance-services-emergency

Sacramento Injury Board

sacramento.injuryboard.com/automobile-accidents/can-crash-tax-help-to-reduce-the-rate-of-accidents.aspx?googleid=284322

August features fewer unemployed claims and a lower trade deficit

In a deviation from form, good employment news was finally reported by the Labor Department. Jobless claims have taken a surprise tumble, as employers are indeed employing. The economy is going to be slow in getting back to pre economic downturn levels. There was other good news. The trade deficit narrowed. Wall Street benefited from the announcements, as there was a modest gain in stocks. Gloom and doom types might have cause to smile a bit. This indicates a double dip recession may not be as likely as thought. Resource for this article – Jobless claims decline and trade deficit recedes by Personal Money Store.

Unemployed claims decrease before fall

Jobless claims, according to ABC, or the brand new filings for unemployment benefits, are at a two month low. It was not a huge drop, though. Only 27,000 fewer filings were recorded. The number of jobless claims is seasonally adjusted to 451,000 which beat Department of Labor estimate of 470,000. In August, private employers went on a miniature hiring spree. Overall, 67,000 jobs were added to payrolls nationwide. However, overall employment has technically declined over the last few months, as outlined by Bloomberg, as the Census is complete.

The trade deficit gets smaller

Over the month of August, the trade deficit, or amount of imported goods that exceeds the amount of exported goods, declined. Buy American; it is the right thing to do. Exports rose by 1.8 percent, to $ 153.3 billion in exports. The bulk of goods were equipment. Computers, machinery, and aircraft made up one of the most of it. Imports, on the other hand, dipped by 2.1 percent down to $ 196.1 billion for August after a 3 percent rise in June, for an overall deficit decline of 14 percent. That said, the main exporters to the United States of America actually shipped more goods. The bulk of imports come to the United States of America from Germany and China.

Very good news for jobs means good news for stocks

The very good news boded well for stock markets, as a slight gain was recorded on Wall Street. Do not bother your broker, though as the gain was less than one percent for any index. Ultimately, most signs point to a slow however steady recovery.

More on this topic

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Business/wirestory?id=11592032 and page=1

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-09jobless-claims-in-u-s-decreased-by-more-than-estimated-27-000-to-451-000.html

Increased urgent loan rates with two Federal Reserve financial institutions

Keeping interest rates near zero is what the Federal Reserve has been doing during the recession. This is because it thinks that will best protect from inflation or deflation. A meeting occurred with 12 regional Federal Reserve Financial institution directors. In this meeting, emergency loan discounted charges were discussed. A discount rate is essentially the interest rate the Federal Reserve charges on loans to banks, and lately financial loans lent to banks are low interest financial loans. Two Federal Reserve branches wanted rates raised, as recovery is too slow to justify the low rate.

Federal Reserve wants low rates

All loans are likely to keep low rates of interest with the Federal Reserve policy that is being kept in place. Essentially, the bet is that if banks need to borrow money, the access to liquid capital is there and breathing room for a strained banking and finance industry is assured. However, signs of recovery are beginning to show, although there is each and every indication that growth within the economy is going to be more modest than hoped, however that a return to more normal conditions is apparently under way.

Asking for higher rates for two Fed banks

A slight raise of the discounted cost was asked for, reports Bloomberg, by directors of two of the 12 regional Federal Reserve financial institutions as the fees could go up on urgent financial loans less than one percentage point. They think it is better to raise the charges now when the recovery is starting to happen than waiting for too long for it to get better. If you were to get a fast personal loans from the Fed, it would have a .75 percent rate of interest. Not only that, however fewer banks are really borrowing these days.

Fed says no

The raise was really small and only asked for by Kansas City and Dallas Federal Reserve Banks. It also was not adopted. Financial institution charges are expected to stay low for a long time.

More on this topic

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-07/fed-directors-last-month-saw-only-modest-near-term-expansion.html

Rising joblessness pace one thing the private sector employment growth does not think about

The U.S. joblessness pace went up again between July and August. It went from about 9.5 percent to 9.6 percent now. Of course, there were nevertheless more people hire than were expected. The uptick in unemployment statistics has been credited to the conclusion of temporary U.S. Census careers, layoffs in state and local governments and an influx of individuals returning to their employment hunts. Hiring in the private sector has gone up for the eight month in a row. There was also a change in June and July figures revised by the Labor Department showing less careers were lost and additional created. The positive aspects of the latest careers report are giving economists hope that the economy won’t relapse into a double-dip recession.

Too many unemployed workers for job creation

The Labor Department explained that Friday’s August jobs report showed the first raise in the U.S. joblessness rate in four months. MSNBC reports that although private employers added 67,000 jobs, the United States of America unemployment pace is skewed by the loss of 114,000 census careers and 10,000 employment cuts in state and local governments. 500,000 individuals decided it was time to start looking for work once again. Since April, this has pushed the unemployment pace to go up again. Revised job creation is occurring also. This greatly helps the employment outlook for many. At first, private sector employment growth was 71,000 in July, although it was changed to 107,000. June job creation was revised upward to 61,000 from 31,000.

Hard to fix labor market

There has been a really large problem with the U.S. unemployment rate for a when. It is hard to fix. The labor market is doing better than it has in the past recessions though, says CNN Money. But because so numerous jobs were lost, higher growth than normal is required replace them. 7 percent of all jobs, or 8.4 million, were lost in 2008-09. Only 3.1 percent of all jobs were lost during the 2001 recession and also the jobless recovery that followed. During the 1990-91 recession, only 1.9 percent of all jobs were lost. In June 2009, the current recession was said to be over while six months later, sustained job growth began. There wasn’t a turnaround for 12 months after the first recession. This is the one from 1990-91. After the 2001 recession, job growth took 22 months to resume.

Population growth too much for economic expansion

Since employers started adding 200,000 workers a month, employment creation has been going down. CNNMoney said at that rate it would take more than three years to replace the jobs lost in 2008-09. The Christian Science Monitor explains that private sectors could create just 100,000 jobs a month. That wouldn’t help the joblessness rate go down though. Population growth continuously adds to the labor force, and workers who had given up reconsider and re-enter the labor force. Hiring is slow at the current level of economic expansion because many corporations have elevated output by working employees harder. There was another report put out by the Labor Department. This showed productivity dropped also. Growth needs to be sustained. Some individuals think the only way to do this could be to start hiring again.

Further reading

MSNBC

today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38988367/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

CNN Money

money.cnn.com/2010/09/02/news/economy/jobs_recovery/?npt=NP1

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/Business/2010/0903/Unemployment-rate-up-to-9.6-percent-but-private-sector-gains-jobs

Professional cards let banking institutions stay away from modern consumer safety guidelines

Customers won a strong arranged of safeguards with the passing of the Credit card Accountability and Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. But financial institutions managed to arrange for a loophole within the form of “professional cards”. Professional card holders are operating without a net. Consumer protections within the form of limited late fees and transparent interest rate policies are non-existent with these cards. With billions of dollars in late fees and interest payments at stake, credit card companies try to convince ordinary customers that they need a professional charge card, small company credit card, or business charge card.

Consumer protections not extended to professional cards

Professional credit cards used to be reserved for small business owners or business executives. However charge card businesses broadened their efforts to include virtually everyone, the Wall Street Journal reports, following the March 2009 passage of the Card Act. In an effort to dodge the consumer protections provided by new credit card rules, charge card companies are swamping ordinary consumers with charge card applications. Synovate, a market research firm, reports that in the first quarter this year, 47 million applications for professional cards-a 256 percent increase from 2009-arrived within the mailboxes of unsuspecting customers.

The professional credit card swindle

Many people will nevertheless opt to hold a professional card. Becoming aware of the risks involved can be their only protection. To take as much of the customer’s cash as possible, Credit Loan reports that card companies will apply payments over the minimum to the balance with the lowest APR. This means the higher interest balance is compounding interest until the lower interest balance is paid off. Allowing 21 days from when a statement is postmarked and also the payment is due isn’t required, which allows banks to shorten the window for making it harder for cardholders to pay on time. Payments one day late can trigger huge arbitrary rate of interest increases. Finally, professional charge cards can change interest rates, transaction fees, annual fees and penalty fees terms without any advance notice.

Small company safeguards could foil credit card corporations

New credit card guidelines do not apply to professional cards because smaller businesses get shafted by Congress when it passes laws to protect consumers, according to Bob Sullivan at MSNBC. Sullivan offers the example of charge card fraud, and just how small businesses are stuck with the consequences . Most cardholders do not realize that their liability protection from credit card fraud comes at the expense of the business that makes the transaction with the lost or stolen card. Now that a different set of rules for professional cards is being exploited by credit card businesses to bait consumers, Sullivan suggests that increasing the exact same protections within the Card Art to businesses would benefit everybody.

Additional reading

Wall Street Journal

wsj.com

Credit Loan

creditloan.com

MSNBC

redtape.msnbc.com

Infamous lawman Joe Arpaio on trial by the Justice Department

The state of Arizona continues to be the center of lots of debate through recent years. The problem over SB1070, which allows authorities to check the immigration status of any person they suspect can be illegal, is nevertheless unsettled, as the Obama administration has challenged the constitutional grounds of the law, which Governor Jan Brewer has decried. The Department of Justice decided to such Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County. This just heats up the battle between Arizona and also the federal government. The Justice Department says that Sheriff Joe Arpaio has not cooperated with an investigation of civil rights abuses.

Joe Arpaio discriminating

The investigation began to fight tactics Sheriff Arpaio supposedly used. Evidently he wanted to “sweep” illegal immigrants by only targeting Hispanics, whether or not they were legal. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hispanic areas were targeted by the Maricopa County Sheriff deputies that stopped every person for anything. When there with the people, deputies had one job to complete. They were expected to check immigration status. Doing this was expected by everybody. It was even expected before Arizona immigration law was in place. The Justice Department asked Sheriff Arpaio for documentation of these sweeps. He was unwilling to give it up. He would let federal investigators in the building or give them the material wanted.

No stranger to lawsuits

The Maricopa Sheriff has had lawsuits before. His jail is called Tent City and has tents within the desert with high fences with barbed wire around it, and many have sued him for family dying in this jail. There is also an ongoing investigation to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office including Sheriff Arpaio by the grand jury. This is happening, reports ABC because of corruption. Through a year ago the Justice Department first requested documentation from the Office. Attorneys suing Arpaio’s department were intended to be able to get a hold of the documents that a federal judge found the Sheriff’s Office had destroyed.

More on this topic

ABC News

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/09/justice-department-sues-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio.html

LA Times

latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lawsuit-arpaio-20100903,,2874529.story

Treasury wants to know what the community thinks regarding financial literacy training

Economic literacy basics are something the Treasury Department considers are important enough to have a basic “food pyramid” if you will that makes it just as easy to know what personal finance tools people should use for cash management as knowing which foods are right to eat. Despite the fact that one third of Americans are obese showing the food pyramid doesn’t really help, the Department of Treasury is still moving forward. The Treasury Department is hoping a financial education program could be set for the whole country which is why public opinions are asked for the “financial schooling core competencies”.

Nation has personal finance issues

The Great Recession taught us one valuable thing when it comes to personal finance. There are too many financially illiterate Americans. A fundamental lack of knowledge about budgeting, investing, credit, lending and saving was exposed by meltdowns in finance, housing and credit. Strategy for promoting basic financial literacy and education as mandated by the Fair and accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 is being reviewed. It is reviewed, reports Investment Advisor, from the Treasury Department’s Economic Literacy and Education Commission. The Commission hopes the use the “food pyramid” as an example in this. It plans to make it very simple to understand financial literacy basics.

Basics of financial education

You can comment on this to the Department of Treasury if you would like. You just have to do it before September 12. According to a Federal Register notice released Aug. 26, the Commission has identified five proposed personal finance concepts – or “financial education core competencies” – that it says “every American should have command of.” They include:

Earning: Understanding the difference between gross pay and net pay, employee benefits and taxes and the importance of training.

Spending: The difference between needs and wants, learning how to create a budget, tracking spending and living within one’s means.

Saving: Understanding how saved money grows, how to meet long-term goals and wealth building, learning concerning bank accounts, understanding financial assets, for instance savings accounts and investments.

Borrowing: Understanding the cost of borrowing and also the role of credit scores.

Protecting: Learning how to protect assets, choosing the right insurance coverage and knowing how to guard against identity theft.

Seeking consensus on financial education

The Federal Register recorded the Treasury Department saying that the problem with financial education is there is no expectations on what is to be achieved. It wants every person to agree on the same things. This is of course in what should be in financial literacy and education. The National Endowment for Financial Education has Ted Beck who the Dallas Morning News reports having saying that in schools, “there’s a wide variance in different kinds of programs, the quality of programs”. “The idea of having a very straightforward checklist about the basics is something we think is very important.” According to a Texas education official, the Treasury is making a “good start” with the core competencies list. He also feels like it isn’t enough. He considers something significant for students to be aware of are the good and bands of all forms of borrowing, including charge cards mortgages, and payday cash advances.

Further reading

Investment Advisor

dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/pyip/stories/DN-moneytalk_06bus.ART.State.Edition1.26bf3ed.html

Dallas Morning News

dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/pyip/stories/DN-moneytalk_06bus.ART.State.Edition1.26bf3ed.html