Click the chart for current market data.
The Unemployment Rate continues to rise.
The Housing Crises is set for a Double Dip.
Yet, the Dow is at a new high.
This can only mean the RICH ARE GETTING RICHER!
Archives
All posts for the month December, 2010
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The Army released suicide data today for the month of October. Among active-duty soldiers, there were nine potential suicides: two have been confirmed as suicides, and seven remain under investigation. For September, the Army reported 19 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, six have been confirmed as suicides, and 13 remain under investigation.
During October 2010, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 16 potential suicides. For September, among that same group, there were 10 total suicides. Of those, four were confirmed as suicides and six are pending determination of the manner of death.
“Army efforts continue to focus on individuals who engage in high-risk behavior. Risk within the force cannot be mitigated by suicide prevention programs alone. Army leaders at every level have an enormous influence on helping to eliminate the stigma surrounding seeking behavioral health assistance, reducing high-risk behavior and reducing our unacceptable casualty rates,” said Col. Chris Philbrick, deputy director of the Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction Task Force.
“Through the coordinated efforts of leaders, medical professionals, chaplains, families and other members of the Army team, we can provide holistic care for those who seek help, while acting positively to reduce the high-risk population,” Philbrick said.
Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Trained consultants are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and can be contacted by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by visiting their website athttp://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental United. States. is 1-800-342-9647; their Web site address is http://www.militaryonesource.com. Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location.
The Army’s comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp.
Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf.
Suicide prevention training resources for Army Families can be accessed at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/training_sub.asp?sub_cat=20(requires Army Knowledge Online access to download materials).
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- Army August Suicide Statistics (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- Army Suicide Data-Sep 2010 (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- Army Releases Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Report (vamortgagecenter.com)
- 32 Solider Suicides in the Month of June (vamortgagecenter.com)
- Are We Giving Our Soldiers Drugs That May Make Them Kill Themselves? (alternet.org)
- Army identifies issues that lead to suicides (skwillms.wordpress.com)
- Fort Hood assessing soldiers in wake of suicides (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- September 5 – 11 Is National Suicide Prevention Week (zocdoc.com)
- Despite Army Efforts, Soldier Suicides Continue (nytimes.com)
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| This week the Army, Navy and Marine Corps announced a decrease in activated reservists while the Air Force announced an increase. The Coast Guard announced no change. The net collective result is 778 fewer reservists activated than last week.
At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 72,143; Navy Reserve, 5,790; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 8,310; Marine Corps Reserve, 5,060; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 779. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 92,082, including both units and individual augmentees. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found online at http://www.defense.gov/news/d20101228ngr.pdf . |
| U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) |
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- National Guard Highlights Top 10 Missions of 2010 (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- SECU’s “Supports the Troops” Campaign to Benefit NC’s National Guard! (eon.businesswire.com)
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Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 29, 2010; 6:44 PM
When Republicans take over the House next week, they will do something that apparently has never been done before in the chamber’s 221-year history:
They will read the Constitution aloud.
And then they will require that every new bill contain a statement by the lawmaker who wrote it citing the constitutional authority to enact the proposed legislation.
Call it the tea party-ization of Congress.
“It appears that the Republicans have been listening,” said Jeff Luecke, a sales supervisor and tea party organizer in Dubuque, Iowa. “We’re so far away from our founding principles that, absolutely, this is the very, very tip of the iceberg. We need to talk about and learn about the Constitution daily.”
These are two standout changes on a long list of new rules Republicans will institute in the House when they assume the majority on Jan. 5. After handing out pocket-size Constitutions at rallies, after studying the document article by article and after demanding that Washington return to its founding principles, tea party activists have something new to applaud. A pillar of their grass-roots movement will become a staple in the bureaucracy that governs Congress.
“On November 2nd, voters called for an end to reckless spending and a renewed commitment to the Constitution,” said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a tea party favorite. “These new rules show that Republicans are serious about respecting the Constitution.”
But the question being debated in legal and political circles off Capitol Hill is whether the constitutional rules are simply symbolic flourishes to satisfy an emboldened and watchful tea party base.
“I think it’s entirely cosmetic,” said Kevin Gutzman, a history professor at Western Connecticut State University who said he is a conservative libertarian and sympathizes with the tea party.
“This is the way the establishment handles grass-roots movements,” he added. “They humor people who are not expert or not fully cognizant. And then once they’ve humored them and those people go away, it’s right back to business as usual. It looks like this will be business as usual – except for the half-hour or however long it takes to read the Constitution out loud.”
House Republican leaders announced dozens of new rules, including several measures designed to increase transparency in the legislative process. Committees will broadcast their hearings and mark-up sessions online, lawmaker attendance will be recorded for each committee hearing and the debt limit will no longer be automatically increased with each new budget resolution.
The reading of the Constitution will occur on Jan. 6, one day after the swearing in of Speaker-designate John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The 4,543-word document, including all 27 amendments, could be read aloud in just 30 minutes. But the exercise probably will last longer.
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- Pointless Constitutional Symbolism In The 112th Congress (outsidethebeltway.com)
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- “The Pledge to America released by House Republicans in September of this year included a commitment to ‘require every bill to cite its specific Constitutional Authority.’” (althouse.blogspot.com)
- The People to Congress – Read the Constitution (redstate.com)
- House GOP may require constitutional test for all new legislation (hotair.com)
- What’s Michele Bachmann up to? (salon.com)
- GOP unveils strict House rules (politico.com)
- Justice Scalia Will Teach Tea Party’s Constitution Class [Video] (gawker.com)
- Will Senate rules reform “come back to bite Dems?” (dailykos.com)
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By BEN NUCKOLS and MATTHEW BARAKAT
The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 29, 2010; 6:02 PM
BALTIMORE — Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation of Delaware Republican Christine O’Donnell to determine if the former Senate candidate broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
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- Feds Investigate Christine O’Donnell’s Campaign Finances (littlegreenfootballs.com)
- One HUGE unresolved issue of 2010- Delaware (minx.cc)
- Meet the Men Who Have Sleepovers with Christine O’Donnell [Video] (gawker.com)
- Christine O’Donnell Threatens To Sue Delaware Radio Station To Get Copy Of Interview (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Christine O’Donnell Responds [Statements] (gawker.com)
- Christine O’Donnell Turns Political Celebrity on Leno (cbsnews.com)
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The Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. and Austal USA each a fixed-price incentive contract for the design and construction of a 10 ship block-buy, for a total of 20 littoral combat ships from fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2015. The amount awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp. for fiscal 2010 littoral combat ships is $436,852,639. The amount awarded to Austal USA for the fiscal 2010 littoral combat ships is $432,069,883. Both contracts also include line items for nine additional ships, subject to Congressional appropriation of each year’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program requirements. When all 10 ships of each block buy are awarded, the value of the ship construction portion of the two contracts would be $3,620,625,192 for Lockheed Martin Corp., and $3,518,156,851 for Austal USA. The average cost of both variants including government-furnished equipment and margin for potential cost growth across the five year period is $440 million per ship. The pricing for these ships falls well below the escalated average Congressional cost cap of $538 million. “The awards represent a unique and valuable opportunity to lock in the benefits of competition and provide needed ships to our fleet in a timely and extraordinarily cost effective manner,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. This award is a unique opportunity to maximize the buying power on the LCS Program by leveraging the highly effective competition between the bidders. Each contractor’s 10-ship bids reflect mature designs, investments made to improve performance, stable production, and continuous labor learning at their respective shipyards. The award was based on limited competition between teams led by Lockheed Martin and Austal USA. Under these contracts, both shipbuilders will also deliver a technical data package as part of the dual award, allowing the government a wide range of viable alternatives for effective future competition. This approach, which is self-financed within the program by adding a year to the procurement and utilizing a portion of the greater than $2 billion total savings (throughout the Future Years Defense Program), enables the Navy to efficiently produce these ships at an increased rate and meet operational requirements sooner. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead praised the Navy’s plan to add both ship designs to the fleet: “The LCS is uniquely designed to win against 21st century threats in coastal waters posed by increasingly capable submarines, mines and swarming small craft. Both designs provide the capabilities our Navy needs, and each offers unique features that will provide fleet commanders with a high level of flexibility in employing these ships.” The innovation and willingness to seize opportunities displayed in this LCS competition reflect exactly the improvements to ‘the way we do business’ in order to deliver better value to the taxpayer and greater capability to the warfighter. Moreover, the Navy’s LCS acquisition strategy meets the spirit and intent of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 and reflects the Navy’s commitment to affordability. The benefits of competition, serial production, employment of mature technologies, design stability, fixed-price contracting, commonality, and economies of scale will provide a highly affordable ship construction program. “The rigor and diligence of the source selection process has resulted in the acquisition of quality, capable ships at fair prices,” said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Sean Stackley. “This dual award strategy exemplifies the Navy’s compliance with Secretary Gates’ and Under Secretary Carter’s direction to improve the buying power of the Defense Department. Both teams have shown cost control on their second ships, and we look forward to the delivery of these capable fleet assets in the future.” The Navy remains committed to a 55-ship program and the LCS is needed to fill critical, urgent warfighting requirements gaps that exist today. The LCS Program is required to establish and maintain U.S. Navy dominance in the littorals and sea lanes of communication choke points around the world. The LCS Program operational requirements have been virtually unchanged since the program’s inception in 2002 and the both hull forms will meet the Navy’s operational warfighting requirements. Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at 703-697-5342. |
| U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/ Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your User Profile Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense · 408 St. Peter Street Suite 600 · St. Paul, MN 55102 · 1-800-439-1420 |
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- UPDATE 2-Lockheed, Austal extend ship offers; hearing set (reuters.com)
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- UPDATE 2-U.S. Navy urges Senate to approve LCS warship plan (reuters.com)
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| DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Cpl. Tevan L. Nguyen, 21, of Hutto, Texas, died Dec. 28, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766. |
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- RIP Pfc Colton W. Rusk (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
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- RIP Cpl. Conner T. Lowry (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
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I took this pic from the main street as you enter Sharpsburg, Maryland. I did have the pleasure of traveling through the newly paved roads and parking lots of the National Park. According to the bid that was sent out by the Recovery Act procurement offices, this bid was estimated to cost the Federal Government between $3-8 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!
I am in the process of finding the lucky contractors that won this bid so I can determine how many unemployed people were put back to work. I did see the work crews on several occassions but they all looked like they were wearing NPS uniforms which makes me wonder.
With an enormous debt crises in this country I just dont understand the importance that Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama and the rest of our illustrious leadership has put on paving roads in a battlefield area. The roads, by the way, prior to the resurfacing were no where as bad as the condition of bridges and main roads in towns around the country with their massive potholes. THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY.
I do hope to find out that this job put people BACK TO WORK! I doubt I will find this out though.
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- Barack Obama: “One of the interesting things about the Recovery Act was most of the projects came in under budget, faster than expected, because there’s just not a lot of work there.” (politifact.com)
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| DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Garrett A. Misener, 25, of Cordova, Tenn., died Dec. 27 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at 910-449-9925 or http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardiv/Pages/Media/default.aspx . |
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- RIP LCpl Michael E Geary (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
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- DOD Identifies Marine Casualty (myfoxphoenix.com)
- N.J. Marine killed in Afghanistan (nj.com)
- RIP Cpl Dave M. Santos (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
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Breaking News Alert: U.S. home prices hit new lows
December 28, 2010 11:28:15 AM
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Home prices fell in the nation’s major metropolitan areas from September to October, with six regions hitting new lows, according to a new index released Tuesday.
The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index, long considered a reliable gauge of the housing market‘s health, reported that prices of single-family homes dropped 1.3 percent in all 20 regions it tracks. The Washington region was one of the few that bucked the trend.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/U38ITL/S31CRM/AMGDBQ/RZ2Q3L/PVG1A/LE/h
For more information, visit washingtonpost.com
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| DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Kenneth A. Corzine, 23, of Bethalto, Ill., died Dec. 24 of wounds received Dec. 5 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766. |
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Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times
A supermarket provides transportation to female employees to protect them from harassment.
By ADAM B. ELLICK
Published: December 26, 2010
KARACHI, Pakistan — Dinner at Rabia Sultana’s house is now served over a cold silence. Her family has not spoken to her since May, when Ms. Sultana, 21, swapped her home life for a cashier’s job at McDonald’s.
Multimedia
Adam B. Ellick on the radio program, The Takeaway.
Her conservative brother berated Ms. Sultana for damaging the family’s honor by taking a job in which she interacts with men — and especially one that requires her to shed her burqa in favor of a short-sleeved McDonald’s uniform.
Then he confiscated her uniform, slapped her across the face and threatened to break her legs if he saw her outside the home.
Her family may be outraged, but they are also in need. Ms. Sultana donates her $100 monthly salary to supplement the household budget for expenses that the men in her family can no longer pay for, including school fees for her younger sisters.
Ms. Sultana is part of a small but growing generation of lower-class young women here who are entering service-sector jobs to support their families, and by extension, pitting their religious and cultural traditions against economic desperation.
The women are pressed into the work force not by nascent feminism but by inflation, which has spiked to 12.7 percent from 1.4 percent in the past seven years. As a result, one salary — the man’s salary — can no longer feed a family.
“It’s not just the economic need, but need of the nation,” said Rafiq Rangoonwala, the chief executive officer of KFC Pakistan, who has challenged his managers to double the number of women in his work force by next year. “Otherwise, Pakistan will never progress. We’ll always remain a third-world country because 15 percent of the people cannot feed 85 percent of the population.”
Female employment at KFC in Pakistan has risen 125 percent in the past five years.
Several chains like McDonald’s and the supermarket behemoth Makro, where the number of women has quadrupled since 2006, have introduced free transit services for female employees to protect them from harassment and to help persuade them take jobs where they may face hostility. “We’re a society in transition,” said Zeenat Hisam, a senior researcher at the Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research. “Men in Pakistan haven’t changed, and they’re not changing as fast as our women. Men want to keep their power in their hand.
“The majority of the people here believe in the traditional interpretation of Islam, and they get very upset because religious leaders tell them it’s not proper for women to go out and to work and to serve strange men.”
More than 100 young women who recently entered service jobs told of continual harassment.
At work, some women spend more time deflecting abuse from customers than serving them. On the way home, they are heckled in buses and condemned by neighbors. It is so common for brothers to confiscate their uniforms that McDonald’s provides women with three sets.
“If I leave this job, everything would be O.K. at home,” Ms. Sultana said. “But then there’d be a huge impact on our house. I want to make something of myself, and for my sisters, who are at home and don’t know anything about the outside world.”
So far, the movement of women into the service sector has been largely limited to Karachi. Elsewhere across Pakistan, women are still mostly relegated to their homes, or they take jobs in traditional labor settings like women-only stitching factories or girls’ schools, where salaries can be half of those in the service industry. Even the most trailblazing of companies, like KFC, still employ 90 percent men.
Pakistan ranked 133rd out of the 134 countries on the 2010 Global Gender Gap Report’s list of women’s economic participation.
While there is no reliable data on the number of women who specifically enter the service sector, Pakistan’s female work force hovers around 20 percent, among the lowest of any Muslim country.
Some women, like Saima, 22, are forced to lead secret lives to earn $175 a month. Her father’s shopkeeper’s salary does not cover the family’s expenses. Without a university degree, the only job Saima could find was at a call center of a major restaurant’s delivery department. But she impressed the manger so much that he offered her a higher-paying waitress job at a branch near her home.
She reluctantly agreed, but pleaded to be sent to a restaurant two hours away so she would not be spotted by family members and neighbors.
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Timeline: February 5th, 1994 – Visit #6
Excerpt
I had a scheduled trip to St. Petersburg for my then employer to work on preparations for an event we were organizing in November 1994 at the LenExpo Fairgrounds. It had been arranged that the KGB, whom I spoke with by phone in January, would meet me when I arrived at Pulkovo Airport and would take me to their offices for an interview.
Like clockwork, when the plane landed and pulled up to our spot outside the main arrival terminal, the voice over the intercom asked everyone to remain seated and asked for Steven Douglas, to collect his belongings and approach the front of the aircraft which I did. The side food entrance was opened and standing at the doorway was a plain clothed officer of the KBG I had spoken to on the phone. Down a stair case was an associate and a large black Russian Volga sedan. We drove to the passenger arrival terminal. They told me I was still required to enter customs as I would have with the other passengers but I did so ahead of the rest. Once I collected my baggage I met them out in the welcome area. Leonid was waiting for me also.
Leonid convinced them to let me go to my hotel first and unwind a bit after my long trip and that we would then meet them at their offices at 5pm that afternoon. After this was agreed to by the officers Leonid and I headed into town to my hotel where we met up with some mutual friends. After spending the day socializing with friends we headed over to Bolshoy Dom.
What eventually became a 9 hour visit to Bolshoy Dom (The Big House), started out very slowly? In fact after parking and arriving at the front door of the building we stood in a freezing cold waiting space between cracked creaking doors with an old dirty grey metal rotary-dial phone on the wall that Leonid used to call inside. We ended up waiting a good ten minutes in that drafty space before we were finally let into the lobby. In the lobby we waited at least another 15 minutes before an officer came downstairs to usher us up to the floor where I would be interviewed…..
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Authorities in Egypt say a tour bus carrying 37 tourists crashed into a parked dump truck in Aswan, Egypt.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The U.S. Embassy in Cairo says its staff is working to identify the Americans involved
- One of three tour buses crashes into a parked dump truck loaded with sand
- 19 American tourists and two Egyptians are injured
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) — Eight American tourists — six women and two men — were killed in a traffic accident Sunday while on a tour bus in Aswan, Egypt, the country’s interior ministry said.
An additional 19 American tourists and two Egyptians — the bus driver and a tour guide — were injured.
A total of 116 American tourists were traveling in three tour buses. The interior ministry said the middle bus — carrying 37 of the tourists — crashed into a parked dump truck loaded with sand.
Video of the crash site showed one side of the bus completely sheared off, with some seats dangling from the vehicle’s shell. Dried blood could be seen on some of the crumpled wreckage.
Aswan is a popular tourist site in Egypt located about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away from Cairo.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a statement Sunday saying it was “deeply saddened” by the accident.
“The embassy has confirmed that the injured are being moved by military transport to Cairo, and has mobilized staff to identify and to assist those Americans involved,” the statement said. “Consular services will be provided to assist any American citizens who have been affected and their families, in coordination with the Egyptian government.”
Embassy staff members in Egypt are available for questions or concerns.They can be reached in Cairo at 011 202 2797 3300.
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWashington, DC – December 23, 2010 – Due to an unexpected change in Congressional scheduling, Railroad Day Organizers must reschedule the 2011 Railroad Day on Capitol Hill. We apologize for this necessity, especially to anybody who had already begun making travel plans. The event will now take place Thursday, July 14, 2011.
Each year we work to select a Railroad Day date that meets three criteria: (1) a day when Congress is in session and Representatives and Senators are in DC; (2) a day when a “reasonable” DC hotel rate and ballroom availability can be secured; and (3) a date that does not conflict with other industry events. Our previously selected date of March 24 met all three criteria. However, with the election of a new Republican House, the incoming House leadership has taken an unusual approach to scheduling. A week in which Congress is ordinarily in session has now been scheduled as a week out of session. This was unexpected and dozens of other conventions are in the process of rescheduling as well. While the new July 14 date is later than originally planned, it is the first date that the hotel had a sufficient room block to accommodate our numbers. We focused on rescheduling rather than cancelling because this event is absolutely crucial to our ongoing success in working with the Congress and Administration here in Washington, DC. ASLRRA will also likely stage an ASLRRA-LPC fly-in in early spring, 2011. ASLRRA’s LPC leadership believes that a fly-in is necessary to secure the early support of Members of Congress, particularly the new Members who know little about the short line industry. The July meeting will allow for the “big show” which we all believe is so critical in demonstrating the national reach and importance of the rail industry. AAR, one of the key partners in this endeavor, has agreed for the need to do proceed on July 14, and they may also conduct an earlier fly-in as well. Thursday, July 14 is: Room rate is $239 Block will open February 1 Click here for the Railroad Day website and further details
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From The Communicator and The Clear Thinker
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5 Post-Election Achievements You Should Know About
Posted by Kori Schulman on December 23, 2010 at 11:39 AM EST
As the President said, it’s been the most productive post-election period we’ve seen in decades, capping off two of the most productive years in the history of Congress. Democrats and Republicans came together and made progress on some very big and important issues. Here are five post-election achievements you should know about (and so should your friends, family and neighbors):
1. Overturned Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
This was the right thing to do for our military, and it was the right thing to do for our country. No longer will thousands of patriotic Americans in uniform be forced to live a lie or leave the military because of their sexual orientation. We are a nation that believes all men and women are created equal. That principle of equality is now enshrined in law.
President Barack Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 during a ceremony at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C., Dec. 22, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
2. Got the New START Treaty Through
The most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades was passed in a bipartisan fashion. In doing so, we’ve strengthened American leadership on non-proliferation issues, reinforced our relationship with a vital ally, and made our country safer.
President Barack Obama shares a toast in the Oval Office with the members of his National Security Staff who worked on the New START nuclear arms control agreement, Dec. 22, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
3. Signed Extension of Middle-Class Tax Cuts & Unemployment Insurance
The package will spur jobs, businesses, and growth. While not everyone was happy with every part of this package, the bipartisan support it received indicates that when taken as a whole, this is a good deal for the American people and the American economy. And economists across the political spectrum agree.
President Barack Obama, joined by Republican and Democratic members of Congress, signs the middle-class tax cuts bill in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. December 17, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
4. A New a Bipartisan Food Safety Bill
It constitutes the biggest upgrade of America’s food safety laws since the Great Depression.
5. Finally Got the 9/11 Health Bill Through
It will help cover the health care costs of the first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center to help, and inhaled toxic air as a result.
President Barack Obama holds a press conference in the South Court Auditorium, Dec. 22, 2010, (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
While we’ve made significant achievements, it’s true that we didn’t get everything done. The President is disappointed that Congress wasn’t able to pass the DREAM Act or come together around a budget to fund our government over the long run.
Despite these setbacks, the past few weeks have proven that Washington is not doomed to gridlock. “I know there will be tough fights in the months ahead,” said President Obama, “But my hope heading into the New Year is that we can continue to heed the message of the American people and hold to a spirit of common purpose in 2011 and beyond. And if we do that, I’m convinced that we will lift up our middle class, we will rebuild our economy, and we will make our contribution to America’s greatness.”
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