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The Paradox of Poverty: How We Spent $3.5 Trillion Without Changing the PovertyRate.
By Robert Rector The U.S. Census Bureau has released its 1992 ieport on income and poverty. Ile report shows that the current prolonged recession-caused largely by Congress's insistence on raising taxes at the beginning of an economic downturn-has thrown m illions out of work. This unemployment and the suffering it causes am real. Expansion of welfare programs, however, will not truly help the un- employed. What they need are jobs and economic growth. Bigger government and higher taxes do not produce jobs a nd growth. Let me begin with seven basic facts:
1) The level of welfare spending in the United States is enormous and Vowing rapidly. In 1990, the latest year for which complete data an available, welfare spending reached a record high of $226 billion, or 4.1 percent of GNP. Contrary to po- litical claims, welfare spending increased during the 1980s, the Reagan era, after adjusting for inflation. Nor was the recent increase restricted to medical aid; in con- stant dollars, cash, food, and housing aid also i ncreased more rapidly than the growth in the population. 2) Total welfare spending is more than sufficient to raise the incomes of all persons defined as "pooe' by the Census Bureau above the poverty income levels. Part of the $226 billion dollars in welf a re spending goes to persons in nursing homes and other institutions who are not included in the annual Census Bureau population and poverty counL But $184 billion was spent on the general non-institutional population in 1990. This sum was roughly two and a half times the amount needed to eliminate poverty. Welfare cash, food, and housing aid alone were more than enough to elimi- nate Poverty. 3) The Census Bureau ignores most welfare assistance when calculating the standard of living of the "poor:' Of a to t al of $184 billion in welfare spending on non-institu- tionalized persons, only $32.5 billion was counted as income by the Census Bureau. The missing funds, which were spent on low-income persons but not counted by the Census Bureau, equalled 2.8 percent o f GNP. The non-counted cash, food, and hous- ing aid alone was more than what was needed to raise all persons' incomes above the poverty level. 4) Few of the people defined as "poor"' by the Census Bureau are "poor" in the sense understood by the general p ublic. Nearly all of the 30 million-plus people identified as "poor" by the, Census Bureau am reasonably well housed. Most are well fed-, there are few nutritional differences between"poor" and middle-class; Americans. 5) The War on Poverty did not succee d. While there may be little material poverty left, this does not mean that the War on Poverty was a success. The recent expansion of the
Robert Rector is a Senior Policy Analyst at 7be Heritage Fotmdation. 7bis kcture is udwn fiwn his testimony to the Congms Joint Economic Committm on September 3,1992. ISSN 0272-1155.0 1992 by Mw Heritage Foundation
welfare state has not really raised incomes of less affluent Americans. Instead it has largely replaced work and earnings with dependence. And by undermini ng family structure, welfare has greatly contributed to the increase in single mothers who have difficulties supporting their families. 6) The real problem in low-income communities is behavioral poverty. "Behavioral poverty" refers to a breakdown in the v alues and conduct that lead to the formation of healthy families, stable personalities, and self-sufficiency. Behavioral poverty is a clus- ter of social pathologies including: dependency and eroded work ethic, lack of ' educational aspiration and achieve ment, inability or unwillingness to control one's children, increased single parenthood and illegitimacy, criminal activity, and drug and alcohol abuse.
So while there may be little material poverty in the United States, behavioral poverty is abundant and growing. For example, the black illegitimacy rate was around 25 per- cent when the War on Poverty began; today two out of three black children are born out of wedlock. A similar increase is occurring among low-income whites. Likewise, crime and dependency rates exploded as welfare spending increased. 7) The central dilemma, of the welfare state is that nearly all of -the cash, food, housing, and medical programs designed to alleviate material poverty have the harmful side effect of profoundly increasing be h avioral poverty. Ile current welfare sys- tem fosters dependency and family disintegration. The erosion of the work ethic and family structure in turn demolishes the real-fife prospects of low-income Americans, greatly contributing to crime, school failur e, and other problems.
K the Census Bureau's methods were corrected to measure accurately the assets, cash income, and welfare benefits of low-income households, the result would show far fewer persons in material poverty than claimed by current official s tatistics. But even the corrected figure still would conceal the red tragedy of America's welfare system: millions of children growing up without fathers, mil- Hons of parents lacking the work ethic and dignity, and entire generations being robbed of real dreams and hopes for the future. By creating a false picture of chronic, pervasive material poverty, the Census Bureau report harms both ft taxpayers and the poor. The false picture of pervasive material poverty has led to the increased spending on welfar e programs which fuel behavioral poverty. It distracts attention from, and makes mom difficult, serious discussions of welfare reforms which -am needed truly to help the disadvanap& p>
Living Standards of the Poor For many years the U.S. Census Bureau has re ported that over 30 million Americans are 96 poor. 99 For most Americans the word "poverty" suggests destitution, an inability to provide a family with sufficient food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. Only a small fraction of the persons identified as " p oor" by the Census Bureau fits that description, however. The actual living standard of most per- sons defined as poor by the Census Bureau is far higher than the public imagines. In fact, numerous government reports indicate that most "poor"Americans tod a y am better housed, better fed, and own more personal property than average U.S. citizens throughout most of this century. In 1990, after adjusting for inflation, the per capita expenditures of the lowest income one-fifth of the U.S. population exceeded t he per capita income of the median American household in 1960.
The following are facts about persons defined as "poor"by the Census Bureau. Data are taken from various government reports: * In 1989 nearly 40 percent of all "poor" households actually ow ned their own homes. Ile average home owned by persons classified as "poor" by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with a garage and porch or patio. Contrary to popular im- pressions, the majority of "poor"persons who own their own homes are not el d erly. # One million"poor"persons own homes worth over $80,000; 75,000"poor"persons own homes worth over $300,000. * Only 8 percent of "poor" households are overcrowded. Nearly two-thirds have more than two rooms per person. # The average"poor" American ha s twice as much living space as the average Japan- ese and four times as much living space as the average Russian. (Note: These comparisons are to the average citizens in these countries, not to those classified as poor.) * 62 percent of "poor" households o wn a car, 14 percent own two or more cars; a third own microwave ovens. * "Poor"Americans live in larger houses or apartments, eat more meat, and are more likely to own cars and dishwashers than is the general population in Western Eu- rope. * About 53 pe r cent of "pooel households, renters as well as owners, have air condi- tioning. By contrast, just twenty years ago only 36 percent of the entire population enjoyed air conditioning. # The average consumption of protein, vitamins, and minerals is virtually t he same for poor and middle-class children, and in most cases is well above recommended norms. Poor children today are in fact supernourished, growing up to be on average one inch taller and ton pounds heavier that the GIs who stormed the beaches of Nor- m andy in World War II. * Family structure and personal behavior are the most important factors in determin- ing a family's economic well-being. In 1990 the Census Bureau found that only 3 percent of married couples with children and a full-time worker were "poor." By contrast, 67 percent of single mothers who did not work were "poor."
What's Going On? Over 25 years have passed since President Lyndon Johnson declared his "Unconditional War on Poverty." Johnson declared that this war was to be a great "investment! which would return its cost to society manyfold. Since then, welfare spend i ng in constant dollars has increased fivefold. Total welfare spending since the onset of the War on Poverty has amounted to $3.5 trillion in constant 1990 dollars-more than the full cost of World War H after adjusting for inflation. In other words, the av e rage American household has paid around $50,000 fighting the War on Poverty. I think that taxpayers are justified in asking what return they have gotten on their "investment." The official picture is bleak. As the following chart shows, before the War on P overty began, when welfare spending was low, the poverty rate was declining dramatically. It plummeted from 32 percent in 1950 to 14.7 percent in 1966 when the War on Poverty was just beginning. After 1966, welfare Vending began to explode; annual cash, f ood, and housing expenditures alone increased by $70 billion by 1990. But as the chart also shows, coincident with this spending explosion, the pov-
erty rate leveled off and, with a few modest dips and peaks, re- The Poverty Paradox: mained largely unchanged for the Massive Govemment Spending Shows No Results next 23 years. Mareover, during the same period that welfare spending soared, "behmioral $260 Billions of 1990 Dollars Poverty Rate 35% poverty" began a dramatic in- crease. For America's taxpa y ers, federal policy makers, and mem- $20 0......... ----------- --- ....................A ...... ... .... 28% bers of Congress in particular, this raises some basic questions: ..................... ............. .......... X.: $150 ....... 21% How is it p o ssible for total wel- fare spending in constant dollars :.x:@:M $100 ----------------------- ............ ....... 14% to have quintupled over the last g 25 years while die poverty rate re- N 7% mained almost unchanged? $60 .......... ........... ......... . . ...... X.-M-52'. X How is it possible for constant X::. -firstname.lastname@example.com ............. . ::Z::: IN dollar welfare spending on cash, X. r. food, and housing to have nearly 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 IM quadrupled over twenty years while the poverty rate remained almost unchanged? Total Note and Federal Welfare Spending Poverty Rate How is it possible to spend (AdJustod for Inflation) $226 billion per year on welfare, more than twice the arnount Hato: Accurate poverty data prior to 1947 are unavailab l e. needed to elWnate aH poverty in '*u'*** Various U.S government reports. Heritage DataChart the United States, and still have over 30 million poor people? The answer, of course, is that it is not possible. Not even the federal government can spend $226 billion per year on low-income people without having a significant effect on living standards. The simple fact is that the Census Bureau counts little of this welfare assistance in calculating the num- ber of poor Americans.
The Politics of Poverty: Busine ss As Usual There is a political bunko game going on in Washington. The elements of this game are as fol- lows: First, the Census Bureau defines as'jx)&'any household which has an income below the poverty threshold, which was $13,942 for a family of four i n 1991. Assets are ignored. Second, the taxpayers are told that there are over 30 million poor Americans. Greater welfare spending is urged. Third, welfare spending is increased. Fourth, quietly, behind the scenes -in Washington, efforts are undertaken to assure that cash earnings of low-income people are undercounted and that virtually no welfare spending is counted as income when determining if a family is poor. Fifth, the next year the public is again told that there are over 30 million poor people and g reater spending is again needed. The cycle continues. As long as nobody checks the numbers, welfare advocates can play the game year after year. As the following table shows, total welfare spending equalled $226 billion in 1990, the last year for which da t a am available. Out of this total $184 billion was spent on the non-institutionalized population covered in the annual Census Bureau income and poverty reports. But the Census Bu- reau counted only $32 billion of this spending as income. The funds which w ere spent on
Missing Welfare Spending:: 1990
Assistance $55.1 $50.3 $32.5 $17.8 Meenefteted Non4asli 25.26 25.26 0.0 25.26 Food Assistance Means-tested Non-Cash Housing and 22.65 22.65 0.0 22.65 Energy Assistance Medicaid and other Medical 97.6 60.7 0.0 60.7 Benefits Urban 3.1 3.1 0.0 3.1 Development social Services and 23.24 23.24 0.0 23.24
S oumo:VeeBurke Cash and Non-Cash Beneft for Persons wfth Limited Income: Efighfifty Rules, P@rt1c*" and Expenditure DataL W 1W8- 1990 (Washington, D.C.: Cort -h S o - of Con .qressional Researc !ry gross), to- 991. BA f! Material on Programs Within the Jurisdiction of the Commit" on ways and' Means. 18'nPptu6bn1Vh;J data pro=:uth the Department of Health and Human Services and other government agencies.
low-income Americans but not counted by the Census Bureau amount to 2.8 percent of GNP. hfiss- ing cash, food, and housing spending alone was around $70 billion, more than enough to raise the incomes of all poor people above the poverty level.
The Liberal Defense W elfare advocates in Washington have criticized my analysis of welfare and poverty. These criti- cisms are offered as a defense of the Census Bureau estimates and as an attempt to keep alive the myth of widespread destitution among America's poor. In effec t they are a defense of Washington's annual poverty game. Among these criticisms: O=g
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L iberal Defonse #1: In addition to its widely publicized official poverty measure that counts only cash income, the Census Bureau also has alternative poverty measures which count non-cash welfare benefits. These alternative measures still show high rates of poverty.
Response: The Census Bureau does have largely unknown alternative poverty measures in some of its publications which include a few noncash benefits. But even the best of these alternative measures still omits most welfare spending. For exa mple, it omits nearly half of cash, food, and housing aid.
Lberal Defense #2: The huge figure of $226 billion in welfare spending includes many prbgrams for the middle class, such as Social Security and Student Loans. Response: This is not true. My calcul ations are based on reports produced by the non-parti- san Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. These CRS reports count total spending on "means-tested!' assistance - that is, assistance which is distributed to persons below ce r tain specific income levels. True, a few programs which CRS includes, such as student loans, are formally means tested, but the income limits are so high that most beneficiaries are middle class. I have omitted such pro- grams; my calculations are confine d to programs which benefit only low-income persons. I have added to the CRS figures Medicare spending on poor persons and some government aid targeted to economically disadvantaged communities such as Urban Development Action Grants. A list of all the wel fare programs included in my count of welfare spending is included in the appendix.
Lberal Defense A: Welfare spending does not go just to poor persons. Some goes to low-income persons with cash incomes above the poverty level. Response: This is true. But if even a quarter of all means-tested cash, food, and housing aid went to Ganon-poor" persons, the remaining amount would still be enough to raise all poor persons' incomes above the poverty thresholds.
Lberal Defense 84: Nearly all of the increase in wel fare spending in recent years has been for medical care. Response: This is untrue. Cash, food, and housing aid measured in constant dollars in- creased faster than the growth of population during the 1980s. In constant dollars, means tested cash, food, an d housing expenditures increased by 20 percent ftom 1980 to 1990.
Limml Defense #5: It may be true that most of the persons defined as '@pW' by the Census Bureau have actual incomes above the official poverty income thresholds, but the poverty income thres holds should be raised. Response: Ile poverty income thresholds were set in 1963 at the level of funds needed to provide for basic needs. Each year they have been adjusted upward for inflation. There is no evidence that poor families are unable to provide for basicneeds with incomes at the poverty level, at least in most parts of the country. Indeed, in many parts of the country a family can meet basic needs with incomes well below -the poverty level. Critics such as Dr. Patricia Ruggles of the Urban Insti t ute advocate raising the poverty threshold and adopting a relative poverty measure. As the general level of prosperity rises, the definition of what is "poor" would rise proportionately. Dr. Ruggles actually has proposed raising the current poverty income thresholds above the income level of the median American family in the early 1950s, adjusted for inflation. According to Dr. Ruggles, Ozzie and Harriet were poor. If Dr. Ruggles's notions were accepted, the poverty income levels would go up and up each ye ar, far faster than inflation. Within a decade or two, most people with a standard of living today considered middle class would be redefined as poor. This gives new meaning to the Biblical statement: "The poor are always with you."
Of course, these n otions have nothing to do with "poverty." What Dr. Ruggles and her supporters really are interested in is radical income redistribution. If an individual's income falls below a cer- tain level, say 50 percent of the income of the average family, then the a verage family would be taxed and its income redistributed to the person with low income. While the American public has lit- tie interest in government income redistribution per se, it is concerned about "poverty." Hence the effort to camouflage redistribu tionist schemes under the guise of "poverty." It is really just an abuse of the English language for political purposes.
Reforming the Measurement of Material Poverty. Finally, some charge that, while I continually criticize the Census Bureau's poverty me asures, I have not shown how to improve those measures. This is untrue. In my publications I have repeat- edly offered recommendations on improving the government's assessment of material poverty. I will summarize these recommendations.
1) Focus on the nu merous government surveys which assess the actual food consumption, physiological status, and housing conditions of the "poor." Expand these surveys, con- duct them more frequently, and issue their findings periodically in a single integrated reporL Ask q u estions like: How many people lack food-, how many are physiologi- cally malnourished, how many lack reasonably decent housing? The answer will be a small fraction of the 30 million currently defmed as "poor." 2) Integrate and expand the Survey of Income a nd Program Participation (SIPP) and the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Get a very accurate count of welfare benefits and their cost to the taxpayer. Then ask questions like: How many families spend less than the Agriculture Department's Thrifty Food Budget o n food after non-cash benefits are in- cluded? Who an they? In how many families do housing costs represent over 50 percent of total consumption including all welfare aid? Who are they? 3) In all reports on poverty include data and a discussion of behavio ral poverty.
Rethiniting the Issue: Material Poverty versus Behavioral Poverty For the general public the real problem with welfare is not merely the rapidly expanding cost -- which now absorbs over 4 percent of the entire national economy. It is also the sense that w e lfare actually harms, rather dm helps, the poor. The key dilemma of the welfare state is that the prolific spendifig intended to alleviate material poverty has led to a dramatic increase in "behavioral poverty." The War on Poverty may have raised the mate r ial standard of living of some Americans, but at the cost of creating whole communities where traditional two-parent families have vanished, work is rare or non-existent, and multiple gen- erations have grown up dependent on government transfers. Our curr e nt welfare system may best be conceptualized as a system which offers each single mother a "paychecle' worth an average of between $8,500 and $15,000, depending on the state. The mother has a contract with the government: She will continue to receive her "paychecle' as long as she fulfills two conditions:
1) She must not work; and
2) She must not marry an employed male.
The current welfare system has made marriage economically irrational for most low-income par- ents. Welfare has converted the low-in come working husband from a necessary breadwinner into a net financial handicap. It has transformed marriage from a legal institution designed to protect and nurture children into an institution which financially penalizes nearly all low-income parents wh o enter into it Across the nation. the current welfare system has all but destroyed family structure in the inner city. Welfare establishes strong financial disincentives which effectively block the formation of in- tact, two-parent families. Example: Supp o se a young man in the inner city has fathered a child out of wedlock with his girlfriend. If this young father abandons his responsibilities to the mother and child, government will step in and support the mother and child with welfare. If the mother has a second child out of wedlock, as is common, average combined benefits will reach around $13,000 per year. If, on the other hand, the young man does what society believes is morally correct (i.e., marries the mother and takes a job to support the family), g overnment policy takes the opposite course. Wel- fare benefits would be almost completely eliminated. If the young father makes more than $4.50 per hour, the federal government actually begins taking away his income through taxes. The federal wel- fare re f orm act of 1988 will permit the young father to marry the mother and join the family to re- ceive welfare, but only as long as he does not work. Once he takes a full-time job to support his family, the welfare benefits are quickly eliminated and the fathe r 's earnings are subject to taxation. Ile onset of the War on Poverty directly coincided with the disintegration of the low-income fam- ily-the black family in particular. At the outset of the Second World War, the black illegitimate birth rate was slightl y less than 19 percent. Between 1955 and 1965 it rose slowly, from 22 percent in 1955 to 28 percent in 1965. Beginning in the late 1960s, however, the relatively slow growth in black illegitimate births skyrocketed-reaching 49 percent in 1975 and 65 percen t in 1989. If cur- rent trends continue, the black illegitimate birth rate will reach 75 percent in ten years. Similar trends are occurring among low-income whites. Generous welfare benefits to single mothers directly contributed to the rise in illegitimat e births. Recent research by Dr. C.R. Winegarden of the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, found that half of the increase in black illegitimacy in recent decades could be attributed to the effects of wel- fare. Research by Shelley Lundberg and Robert D . Plotnick of the University of Washington shows that an increase of roughly $200 per month in welfare benefits per family causes the teenage illegiti- mate birth rate in a state to increase by 150 percent. Similarly, high benefits discourage single moth- e rs ftom remarrying. Research by Dr. Robert Hutchens of Cornell University shows that a 10 percent increase in AFDC benefits in a state will cause a decrease in the marriage rate of all single mothers in the state by 8 percent. Thus welfare programs discou r age young men and women from marrying and promote the disintegration of existing two-parent families. Penalizing Work. Among the poor, another devastating legacy of the past 25 years has been the dramatic reduction in work effort. For a growing number of p oor Americans, the existence of gener- ous welfare programs makes not working a reasonable alternative to long-term employment. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, social scientists at the Office of Economic Opportunity (0EO) con- ducted a series of co n trolled experiments to examine the effect of welfare benefits on work effort. The longest running and most comprehensive of these experiments was conducted between 1971 and 1978 in Seattle and Denver, and became know as the Seattle/Denver Income Maintenan c e Ex- periment, or Advocates of expanding welfare had hoped that SIMFJDDAE and similar experiments conducted in other cities, would prove that generous welfare benefits did not adversely affect "work effort." In- stead, the SRAE)DIME experiment found that every $1.00 of extra welfare given to low-income per@- sons reduced labor and earnings by $0.80. The results of the SIMFJDIME study are directly
applicable to existing welfare programs: Nearly all have strong anti-work effects as those studied in th e SHAFVDMM experiment. The effects of welfare in undermining the work ethic are readily apparent. In the mid- 1950s nearly one-third of poor households were headed by an adult who worked full time throughout the year. Today, with greater welfare benefits a vailable, only 16.4 percent of poor families are headed by a full-time working adulL Inter-Generational Dependence. Of the 3.8 million families currently receiving assistance through Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), well over half will rema i n dependent for over ten years, many for fifteen years or longer. Welfare dependency also appears to spread fi=n one generation to another. Children raised in families that receive welfare assistance are them- selves three times more likely to be on welfa re than other children when they become adults. This inter-generational dependency is a clear indication that the welfare system is failing in its goal to lift the poor from poverty to self-sufficiency.
Eff eceft of Fa -mily Disintegration The collapse of family structure in turn has crippling effects on the health, emotional stability, ed- ucational achievements, and life prospects of low-income children. Children raised in single-parent families, when compared to those in intact families, are one-third m ore likely to exhibit behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, antisocial behavior, and anxiety. In regard to more extreme disor- ders, children deprived of a two-parent home are two to three times more likely to need psychiatric care than those in two- p arent families. And they are more likely to commit suicide as teenagers. Ab- sence of a father also increases the probability that a child will use drugs and engage in criminal ac- tivity. Recent research by Dr. June O'Neill of Ban, h College in New York C ity shows that young black men raised in single-parent families are twice as likely to engage in crime activity when com- pared to young black men raised in two-parent families, even after holding constant a wide range of variables such as family income, u rban residence, neighborhood environment, and parents' educa- don. Because the father plays a key role in a child's cognitive development, children in single-parent families score lower on IQ tests and other tests of mental ability. Children in single-par e nt families are three times as likely to fail and repeat a year in grade school than are children in two-parent fam- ilies. In all respects, the differences between children raised in single-parent homes and those raised in intact homes are profound, and s uch differences persist even if single-parent homes are compared to two-parent homes of exactly the same income level and educational standing. But the greatest tragedy is that children from broken homes, when grown to adulthood, will pass the same proble m s on to their own children. Weakened in their own development, children from sin- gle-parent homes are markedly less likely to be able to establish a stable married life when they be- come adults. Young white women raised in single-parent families are 164 percent more likely to bear children out of wedlock themselves and I I I percent more likely to have children as teenagers. If these women do marry, their marriages are 92 percent more likely to end in divorce than are the marriages of women raised in two -parent families. Family instability and its attendant problems are passed on to future generations. And being raised in a single-parent family also triples the probabil- ity that a child will become a welfare recipient as an adult.
Conclusion: How to Help Low-Income Americans The key to helping low-income Americans is not to throw added billions into conventional wel- fare programs to combat a problem of material poverty which is either greatly exaggerated or non- existent Rather, we must help low-inc o me Americans form stable families and become self-sufficient. First, we must convert welfare from a one-way handout into a system -of mutual obligation. We must convert welfare from a system which rewards non-work and single parenthood into one which rewa r ds work and marriage. Key to doing this is to require most welfare recipients to perform com- munity service in exchange for the benefits they receive.* SeWnd, we must make low4ncome neighborhoods secure from crime, and that means locking up the felons wh o prey on the poor and keeping them locked up. Third, we must improve the education of low-income children through competition in education. Let's empower low-income parents to choose the schools their children will attend through vouch- ers. If Jesse Jack s on can send his kids to private school, why shouldn't a poor parent have the same choice? We also must strengthen the church in the inner city community and across the country. Re- ligious belief is the strongest single factor in determining whether or no t a poor child will finish school and escape from poverty. We must give poor parents with strong religious beliefs the right to reinforce that belief in the children God has given them; they should be given education vouchers and the right to use those vou c hers to send their children to a religious school if they so choose. Fourth, there must be moral renewal within low-income communities. Moral authorities who win be heard and respected within those communities must reanimate the ethical principles which a r e the foundation of successful society. Ile upcoming generation must be taught again: a love of learn- ing, the dignity of all labor, and the sanctity of marriage. The young must learn that out-of-wedlock 9 is not an acceptable "alternative life style." Y o ung men must learn that indiscrimi- nately fathering children whom they have no intention of supporting is not morally correct. Young men and women must both grow to recognize that having children when one is too young to have any real prospects of suppor t ing a family harms the parent, the child, and the community. Fkally, we must all be reminded that the most disadvantaged American has economic opportuni- ties beyond the dreams of most of the world's population. The rules for escaping frcxn poverty in Ame r ica are simple: 1) finish high school; 2) get a job, any job, and stick with it; 3) do not have children outside of marriage. Those who abide by these rules of middle-class existence will not be chronically poor in the U.S. Leaders who ignore personal res p onsibility and moral principles and who falsely belittle the op- portunities available - or pretend they do not exist - do great harm to low-income Americans. By falsely narrowing hopes, they engender a climate of indifference or even hostility to learnin g, work, and marriage among the young. In so doing, they turn youth away from the face of opportunity and into the arms of anger and despair.
*For discussion of welhire reform, see Robed Rector. "Requiem for the War on Poverty: Rethinking Welfin After the LA. Riots"PoUcy Review, Summer 1992.
1 0
CASH AID 01 Aid to Families with Dependent Children 02 Supplemental Security Income 03 Pensions for Needy Veterans, their Dependents, and Survivors 04 General Assistance (cash component) 05 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
06 Foster Care 07 Assistance to R efugees and Cuban/Haitian Entrants (cash component) 08 Emergency Assistance (EA) to Needy Families with Children 09 Adoption Assistance 10 Dependency and Indemnity Cornpensation (DIC) and Death Compensation for Parents of Veterans
11 General Assistance to Indians
DEVELOPMENT AID 01 Community Development Block Grant* 02 UDAG-Urban Development Block Grant* 03 Economic Development Administration* 04 Appalachian Regional Development* 09 Legalization Impact Aid
ENERGY AID 01 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LJHEA.P) 02 Weatherization Assistance
01 Poll Grants
02 Head Start 03 Tide One Grants to Local Education Authorities for Educationally Deprived Children, Elementary and Secondary Education Act*
EDUCATION AID (cont.) 04 College Work-Study Program 05 Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants 06 Vocational Educational Opportunities, Disadvantaged Activities 07 Chapter I b4igrant Education Program 08 Special Programs for Students from Disadvantage d Backgrounds (TRIO Programs) 09 State Student Incentive Grants 10 Fellowships for Graduate and Professional Study I I FollowThrough 12 Nursing Loans and Grants* 13 Health Professions Student Loans and Scholarships
14 Even Start*
FOOD AID 01 Food Stamps 02 School Lunch Program (Free and Reduced Price Segments) 03 Special Supplemental Food Program forW(men, Infants, and Children (WIC) 04 Tonporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) 05 Nutrition Program for the Elderly 06 School Breakfast Program (F ree and Reduced Price Segments) M Child Care Food Program 08 Summer Food Service Program for Children 09 Food Program for Needy Indian Families 10 Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) I I Special Milk Program (free segment)
HOUSING AID 01 Section 8 Lower Income Housing Assistance 02 Low-Rent Public Housing 03 Section 502 Rural Housing Loans 04 Section 236 Interest Reduction Payments 05 Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Loans
HOUSING AID (cont) 06 Section 521 Rural Rental Assistance Payments 07 S ection 235 Homeownership Assistance for Low-Income Families 08 Section 101 Rent Supplements 09 Indian Housing Improvement Grants 10 Section 504 Rural Housing Repair Loans and Grants I I Section 514 Farm Labor Housing Loans 12 Section 523 Rural Housing Sel f-Help Technical Assistance Grants and Loans 13 Section 524 Rural Housing Site Loans 14 Section 516 Fann Labor Housing Grants 15 Section 533 Rural Housing Preservation Grants 16 Public Housing Expenditures by State Goverments*
JOBS AND TRAINING AID 01 Thi ning for Disadvantaged Adults and Youth (JTPA H-A) 02 SummerYouth. Employment Program (JTPA H-B) 03 Job Cmps (JTPA IV) 04 Senior Community Service Employment Program 05 Work Incentive Program (WIN) and Job Opportunity and Basic@ Skills Training (JOBS)- JO BS replaced WIN in 1988 06 Foster Grandparents W Senior Companions 08 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Program* 09 Indian and Native American Employment and Training Program*
01 Medicaid 02 Medical Care for Low Income Veterans Without Service -Connected Disability 03 Generil Assistance (Medical Care Component) 04 Indian Health Services 05 Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, Title V of the Social Security Act 06 Community Health Centers 07 Medical Assistance to Refugees and Cuban/Ha itian Entrants 08 Migrant Health Centers 09 Medicare for Poor Persons*
SOCIAL SERVICES 01 Social Services Block Grant (Tide 3M 02 Community Services Block Grant 03 Legal Services 04 Emergency Food and Shelter Program 05 Social Services for Refugees and CubanAWtian Entrants 06 Tide X Family Planning
08 Child Welfare* 09 Tide M Supportive Services, Older Americans Act*
Current Program not included in Congressional Research Service List
1 4
CASH AID 01 Aid to Cuban Refugees 02 Aid to Indochinese Refugees 03 Aid to War Refugees
01 Urban Renewal 02 h4iscellaneous HUD Spending 03 Urban Planning Aid
04 New Communities
05 Technical Self Help
FOOD AID 01 Food Donations to Institutions (not schools) 02 Food Stamps in 1940s
03 Donated Foods to Schools
GENERAL RELIEF 0 1 Reconstruction Finance Corporation 02 Food Emergency Relief Administration 03 Farm Security Admimstration 04 War Refugee Assistance
JOBS AND TRAINING AID 01 CETA Title 6 Counter Cyclic Public Service Employment 02 CETA-IVA Youth Employment Demonstration 03 CETA-H Comprehensive Employment and Training
MEDICAL AID 01 Assistance for Crippled Children
1 5
SERVICES 01 Office of Economic Opporumity Programs
WORK REUEF 01 Civilian Conservation Corps 02 Civil Works Administration 03 Works Project Administration 04 National Youth Administration
05 OtherWork Relief
Chart 1
Welfare Spending Per Low-income Person: Going Up, But Not Reducing Poverty
45% Poverty Rate Welfare Spending Per, Person $3,000
: iiii.-Ir xl..."'.........'
........... El
1 940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
spending in 1990 Dollars Poverty Rate
H erkige DataChart
Chart 2
Federal, State and Local Welfare
Spending by Program
$250 Billions of 1990 Dollars
$200 ---------------------------------------------
$ 1150 - ----------------------------------
$100 ---------------------------------
. ...... 1.0 $50 - ---------------------------
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 Cash, Food, Housing 0 Education & Training
services & urban Aid IM Medical Aid Work Relief
H eftge DakCharl
Chart 3
Total Welfare Spending as a Share of GNP
S hare of Gross National Product 6%
5% ----------------------------------------------
2% -------------------- -
4 . M... -RX:x: -A X. . ......... -Exi 01 1% . .............. Mn
. . .... .....
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
H edtage DakOwrt
Chart 4
Welfare Spending per Low Income Person on Cash, Food and Housing Aid
$1,400 Spending per Person in 1990 Dollars
$19200 -------------------------------------------
$1,000 -----------------------------------
@.g g@i .is $800 ----------------------------
$600 ---- --------------------------
........ ... .
. ........................ ------------ $400 x
..... .......... .................. Ok
............ .............
1: :x NV.14.3. MY;: 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
L ow income person means the lowest income third of the nation.
Herkige DataChart
2 0


text:
An iPod erupted on a high school science room desk in Pentucket Regional High School in, MA yesterday. Supposedly…
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text:
Bauer sums up Indians' day: "We lost"
KANSAS CITY — The Indians 4-1 loss to the Royals on Wednesday can perfectly be summed up by the 20-second interaction that Trevor Bauer had with a Kansas City reporter.
Reporter: What bothers you most about this loss?
Bauer: "That we lost."
Reporter: The story behind it from your perspective?
Bauer: "The team lost."
Reporter: Can you elaborate?
Bauer: "We lost 4-1."
Reporter: Further?
Bauer: "Next question."
Bauer could have elaborated a little further with this — the Royals took advantage of Tribe mistakes and didn't give them the opportunity to get back in the game.
In the battle of the two hottest teams in the AL Central, the Royals have started to show over the past couple weeks why some pick them to either win the division or make the playoffs. They have won four of five and seven of their last nine.
After hitting three home runs on Tuesday night, Kansas City won on Wednesday with timely hitting and scored all their runs via sacrifice flies. It is the first time in team history when scoring three or more that they've gotten all their runs via sac flies.
In four of his five previous starts, Bauer recorded six strikeouts or more. He had only one on Wednesday. Of the 24 batters the right-hander faced, he got to two strikes 10 other times but four ended up either being hits or sacrifice flies to score Royals runs.
The Indians' day can also be summed up with one play in the second inning. With one out and runners on the corners, Kansas City's Omar Infante hit a high pop fly that shortstop Mike Aviles narrowly caught in shallow left after it got caught in sun. Aviles fell down and Alcides Escobar tagged up to score. Aviles threw from the ground as Bauer fielded the relay, but Bauer's throw to Yan Gomes was high. Nori Aoki, who was on first, went all the way to third.
Said Aviles of the play: "It went right in the middle of the sun. I did my best job of securing the ball. I caught it on the ground and it was a heads up play on their part."
Escobar was 3 for 3 on the day and Mike Moustakas had two hits. Moustakas is hitting only .164 but he is 7 for 23 against the Tribe this season with three of the hits being home runs.
Trailing 4-1 in the eighth, the Indians loaded the bases with none out but Wade Davis got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a grounder. The top of the order with Michael Bourn, Lonnie Chisenhall and Michael Brantley went a combined 6 for 11 but the rest of the lineup was 2 for 24. Chisenhall, who upped his average to .393, extended his hitting streak to a career-best nine straight games.
As was the case on Tuesday, the Indians were stymied by a Royals' starter. Yordano Ventura threw seven solid innings and allowed a run on six hits with no walks and three stirkeouts.
After taking three of four in Texas, the Indians are 3-3 on their current road trip with an important series coming up at Boston. They can ill afford to have a repeat of their last road trip when they won two of the first three games and then dropped the next four.
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text:
Dr. Cassidy knows the road to better jobs with better wages and benefits runs through developing our domestic energy resources. He has proposed legislation promoting natural gas as a transportation fuel, supports hydraulic fracturing, and building the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Cassidy Comments on Harry Reid's Senate Keystone Failure
(Baton Rouge, La) – Today, Dr. Bill Cassidy, U.S. Representative for the Sixth District of Louisiana and candidate for the U.S. Senate, released the following statement on Senator Harry Reid's failure to hold a vote regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline:
"For over 2,000 days the American people have been waiting for the jobs and economic growth that would accompany approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
"Finally, as we entered an election year and after years of silence on the issue, Senator Landrieu joined House Republicans in calling for the pipeline. However, Senate Democrats today proved that they do not stand with working Americans. Harry Reid's failure to move forward with a vote this afternoon proves that as long as he controls the U.S. Senate, our energy economy will suffer. I hope this setback does not deter Republicans in the House from continuing to advocate on behalf of the Keystone pipeline."
LIKE Bill Cassidy's Facebook page to stay updated on what's new with the campaign.
Senator Mary Landrieu, who is set to be Chair of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today announced her support for Rhea Suh's nomination to be the Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks within the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Rhea Suh has a long record of advocating against America's energy economy. This nomination is especially concerning for Louisiana as Ms. Suh played a key role in the moratorium on drilling in the Gulf, which hurt Louisiana workers. As Assistant Secretary Suh could "have the power to block natural gas recovery and eradicate resource production on vast swaths of America's federal lands, the coastal continental shelf, and astonishing amounts of private property."
"Senator Landrieu had an opportunity to stand up to President Obama and stop Rhea Suh's nomination. Senator Landrieu claimed she was indispensable to Louisiana; but the day after she announced her chairmanship she failed her first test by signing off on one of President Obama's most anti-energy nominees. This nomination will hurt Louisiana's economy and make it harder for people to find good paying energy jobs. It turns out that Senator Landrieu isn't willing to stop supporting President Obama 97% of the time, even when that means hurting her state's economy." U.S. Representative Bill Cassidy M.D.


text:
Home » Rodents » Rat Glue Traps » Catchmaster 60RB Rat Glue Board (Gluee Louee) » All Reviews
Displaying 1 to 2 (of 2 reviews)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful:
Messy and Don't Work
By Jonathan on 08/16/2012
Verified Purchase
(1) These are not really pre-baited as they claim. There is a slight peanutty smell that goes away quickly. (2) They are very messy if the glue touches your skin or the surroundings. (3) They move too easily and require some means of anchoring them in position so that they are not dragged away and create a mess. I think some of these issues may be addressed by the glue board that folds over into a box. That might help aim the rats onto the glue, but I've not had a chance to try them. Still, bait is needed.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful:
Glue Boards
By Larry on 08/07/2015
Right off a big rat got stuck on the glue boards. Somehow got free and that was it. They are too smart!


text:
UAE plans $60bn investment to oil the wheels for record output
Oil refinery
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on track to expand its crude oil production capacity to 3 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year, two industry sources said yesterday.
The UAE, one of the world's top oil exporters, increased its production capacity from 2.7 million bpd to around 2.8m bpd earlier this year and expects to add another 200,000 bpd of capacity over the next few months.
"Oil production capacity in the UAE should reach 3m bpd by the end of this year, and already the current capacity is around 2.8m bpd," said an industry source familiar with the projects.
In July the country's production was ramped up close to its maximum capacity of 2.8m bpd, the source added.
"The maximum capacity has been tested and everything is going ahead as planned," he said.
Abu Dhabi, which has the largest share of the UAE's oil, plans to invest $60 billion over the next five years to boost production capacity to 3.5m bpd.
The bulk of the capacity increase this year will come from the Zakum oil fields, said a second industry source, adding that production at the Murban-Bab field had also increased in 2012 but declining to say by how much.
Top Headlines
- Al Tayer bucks the US department store trend with Bloomingdale's Kuwait opening
- Gulf Islamic banks set to outperform conventional banks for second year: Moody's
- Jordan secures EU finance for socioeconomic and environmental programs
- Same-day service deliveries in GCC an untapped market: Wing CEO
- Will terror attacks damper Arabs' appetite for European holidays?


text:
Kontakt oss +31 297 233 999
"Write a little piece on the new rose from van Berg roses will you"?
Piet van Kampen (my well respected boss) asked me this morning.
So here i was looking for information on Facebook on the new buttercup rose.
And there she was! A beautifull refined rose.. not exactly yellow but a creamy color, very sophisticated.
That combined with a bit of an english garden rose. I'm very impressed!
And there.. below the picture of the beautiful buttercup roses in the message it says:
The landscheiding is a G-fresh certified grower so the FRESHEST FLOWERS ARE GUARANTEED! Order directly at the greenhouse and have them IN YOUR SHOP TOMORROW!
This week we visit the greenhouses of this SANTINI GROWER EXRAORDINAIRE! The Sanitni might be one of the most versatile flowers we know!
>> Order your Santini's here http://www.g-fresh.nl/nl/bloemen/chrys-santinihttp://www.g-fresh.nl/nl/bloemen/chrys-santini <<
The Landscheiding has a year-round production of a lot of different…
A nursery specialist in Calla lilies with high quality flowers.
Because of the two production location they can produce an uniform great quality flowers 48 weeks per year. One of the locations is in Lier in the Netherlands and the second location in Chipiona in Spain.
The owner of the nursery is Arschwin de Haas. He taken over the nursery from his father, who was a vegetable farmer. For already more than 10 years De Haas is growing Calla lilies from his nursery and with great success…
Vis flere nyheter (4)


text:
The Annual SYP Pub Quiz!!!
We're delighted to announce that the Society of Young Publisher's Annual Pub Quiz will be on the 23rd of August. This year's event is taking place in trendy club Proud in Camden, in their South Gallery room.
We are holding a fund raising raffle again and you will be able to win all sorts of great prizes!
To attend either gather a team of max 6 know-it-all's or sign up as an individual and we will place you in a team.
If you want to come along but don't yet have a team, email us at firstname.lastname@example.com and we'll match you up with other curious publishers.
Entry costs £7 per person or £6 for SYP members.
For more information and to register, go to


text:
Torterra papercraft by CarnilmoWatch
©2010-2017 Carnilmo
Updating after a long absence. Torterra' been ready for a while, but I still haven't found the right scenario for a pic, so this will do. One of the coolest poké I ever thought I'd build. Helping building tips are found in my journal. Thanks a lot to paperpokes team, specially Brandon and PMF, who made Torterra survive some sort of computer crash!
That tree just asked for a pokémon on it. I'm so glad my Pikachu has a proper size, yay ^^.
That tree just asked for a pokémon on it. I'm so glad my Pikachu has a proper size, yay ^^.
cool... Hey, can you help me on torterra? im kinda stuck on his shell and tree....XD
holy shit that's good o.o
omg SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME!!!!! C:<
Thank you ^^!
I really like it too!
I really like it too!
your welcome,and i like your other paper crafts as well C:
Aww, that's cute!
eu consegui termina ele no papel de 200g !!!! Foi meio que impossível mas eu consegui. Não ficou tão bom quanto o seu, mas dá pro gasto!!!!
t pergunta uma coisa: eu toh acostumado com papel 120, ai naum axei mais o 120 e comprei 160 eu imprimi o torterra em 200g q eh mto mais difícil d dobra e talz. vc axa q dah pra faz o torterra em 200g????? ah e soh pra fla modelo perfeito!!!!! kria q o meu ficasse assim por isso eu imprimi em 200!!! PERFEITO (como sempre)
De jeito nenhum! O meu eu imprimi em 140gsm, pq naum conseguia achar o de 120. Eu recomendo o 120 mesmo, no máximo o 140 q foi o q eu usei. Acho impossível vc conseguir fazer no 200gsm, esse papel so serve para modelos muito grandes. So espero q vc naum tenha imprimido as 20 páginas já...
Te aconselho mesmo a naum continuar, pq o Torterra tem akeles pedacinhos do casco q seriam impossiveis de vc dobrar, o caule também.
Espero q tenha ajudado ^^!
Te aconselho mesmo a naum continuar, pq o Torterra tem akeles pedacinhos do casco q seriam impossiveis de vc dobrar, o caule também.
Espero q tenha ajudado ^^!
infelizmente eu jah imprimi!! mas faz o q neh?? vo reimpirmi agra no 120!!! q porcaria!!!! 20 folhas gastas por nda , mas mesmo assim vlw pela ajuda
Wow...(Faints of Amazement)
Great job on torterra!
very good build we are hoping to do some paperpokes soon your quality build has encouraged us
Thanks a lot! But don't let the picture fool you. I still need to improve a milestone! I almost smashed Torterra when I reached the leaves. And paperpokes is the reason I can build these amazing papercrafts! Your papercrafts are great too, and I just noticed: you guys live in the Shire! (although I definitely would live in Lothlórien)
well it still looks great to us! yeah, we have had models like that, where you just want to destroy them! lol i've just finished ammy from okami and i really wanted to crush that at some points!
lol, we like living in the shire cos it makes us feel like giants! lol
lol, we like living in the shire cos it makes us feel like giants! lol
^^. I wonder wether there are Tolkien related papercrafts. Cities you know? I'd love to spend a year building a paper Imladris or Minas Tirith!
yeah, building one of those models would be epic! doing a little bit of the shire would be sooo cool too! there really should be so many more lotr papaercrafts!
It is beautifull ^^
What kinda paper did you used for it?
What kinda paper did you used for it?
Thx! I used my regular paper (don't even know wether it is really recomended..): 140 gsm (this I know is right) canson paper (and this I don't - canson is actually for drawing, so I print in the non-texture side!)
Ok ^^ here in my country we have only 120 gsm paper which is a little bit glossy too :/
hehe Awesome! looks even better than mine
Thanks! But I think it only looks better because of the lighting. The tree leaves were a mess, I couldn't glue 'em ^^.
aww pikas so cute up there!! nice job


text: Here's my take two on the project for today. I didn't make another match box size as it's a little hard working with small things with my numb fingers so I recovered a small box I got earrings in. Paper from my stash, cut a white diecut out of shiny white paper, Used the red leaves & berries, which I think are Graphic 45, added some gesso here and there. I printed up the Merry Christmas on my computer again. Hand cut a small heart from grunge board which I painted with a shiny green paint I had, then added some tiny green beads while it dried.


text:
Pet friendly and pet free options available
All the features of our Laid Back Lodges with some added extras to make your stay more comfortable. Flat screen TVs in the lounge and master bedroom, a dishwasher to take the hassle out of your holiday, and iPod docking stations to keep you entertained. Complimentary towels and bathrobes, an early check in and complimentary use of the gym add to your stay.
Premium Plus Lodges are located in some of the most desirable locations on the Estate and we also have models with hot tubs too! Check-in for Premium Lodges at Sandy Balls are from 3pm.
inside view
Scott Giles
Marketing Director
Our Premium Lodges have all the qualities of our Laid Back Lodges along with some added extras to make your stay even more memorable.
"Thank you Sandy Balls"
We have always done camping, but as my son is only 10 weeks old we decided to book a Premium Caravan. It was amazing! Thank you Sandy Balls.
Dean Smith
May 2017
"A Fantastic Park"
The park itself is fantastic and caters for every age group and holiday type but maintains a sense of relaxation and tranquillity.
Greg W
May 2017
real people, real views


text:
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Patina Heart Accent Cross Drop Earrings - Silver
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Waking the Dead (2000)
A Truly Fantastic and Gripping Drama!!!
Well what can i say? "Waking the Dead" is a truly amazing TV Drama that is not to be missed. The stories are great and i worship the people who write them, the casting is the best and their acting skills are breath taking and the directing is top class. The most recent episode i would like to comment on is the most recent called Fugue State why they were trying to solve who abducted the twins Jason and Cindy. It was probably the most gripping of all of them and it certainly had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath literally. I loved the end of the first hour shown on Sunday where Mel Silver shot a deaf guy that she thought had a gun. I thought that Monday night's was just as good and i loved how Cindy turned out to be Sarah the Med Student. I was also very pleased that Mel isn't going to be in trouble for shooting that guy as he pulled through intensive care. And Good old Frankie sussed that the person who killed the Green family was Dr. Roper, shame he had been murdered though.
I have nothing but compliments for the cast and crew. The cast are so highly talented. Trevor Eve is fantastic as D.S Peter Boyd the leader of the Cold Case Squad and takes everything in his stride and takes the role and the TV by storm. Sue Johnston is excellent as Grace Foley, she has always been a great actress since i saw her in The Royal Family and she just gets better and better. Wil Johnson is brilliant as Spencer Jordan, Spenc is a great character who will take on any challenge. Holly Aird is a young breath of fresh air to the BBC and is outstanding as Frankie. She is always straight there at the scene of the crime and is very professional in what she does and takes life with a pinch of salt. Frankie is a vital member of the team and does wonders for the Cold Case Squad. And finally i get to my person favourite, the beautiful Claire Goose as Amelia Silver. Now some one please tell me, where would we (and the Cold Case Squad) be without Mel? She's the young and direct member of the team. She is always straight on the case and is very quick in spotting the most tiny but vital bits of evidence. She doesn't like how Boyd treats her, in a way she sees it as though he is treating her like a child as she is the youngest but that doesn't stop her following her instinct and her heart and doing what is right even if he doesn't agree with it and he usually ends up regretting doubting her and her skills. Claire is a phenomenal actress and steals the show every time (for me at least). I love the drama, the characters and the cast. I would be lost with out "Waking the Dead" on my screen. And all that is left to say is that its a shame that these people aren't really Britain's Cold Case Squad as i feel this country would be a lot safer and better with them on the scene! Maybe thats something for them all to think about should they fancy a change of scenery?
Fantastic show, by far the best. It tops all the American Crime and Drama shows and proves that there is still hope for the BBC, definitely the best thing to hit our TVs in a hell of a long time!


text:
$9.95 Oil Changes for Life!
When you purchase a new or used vehicle from Signature Toyota, you will be eligible for oil changes at only $9.95 for as long as you own the vehicle. Just another reason to do business with the largest import dealer in Southwest Michigan! Contact us or just stop in to learn more.


text:
ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA's ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert said that only four people have seen the report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and that he expects to complete the investigation by late October or early November.
"This report has definitely been seen by only four people... nobody else has seen this report, neither FIFA nor any other organisations have got this report and this is how it was meant to be," he told the World Summit for Ethics in Sports on Friday.
"You can rest assured that we professionals know how to safeguard the report, and not give anyone access to it."
"I hope to complete the investigation at the end of October or the beginning of November," he added. "I understand that it is urgent."
Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing by Sudipto Ganguly


text:
Kensington Elementary in Georgetown is creating academic scholars, student leaders, and community champions. We're in Georgetown county for our Cool School of the week.
Students proudly assume the role of leaders at Kensington, as they welcome visitors with a smile and a handshake. Kensington Elementary School is a community school with a diverse population of 646 students in pre-k through fifth grades. The large staff includes speech, and occupational and physical therapists for students with special needs. Students in the upper grades mentor and tutor students in the lower grades. It's an environment designed to create focused and well rounded scholars. Jamie Thompkins is the school's principal. "It is a community school, a wonderful place and we have great support of our parents;" says Thompkins. "We have boys and girls that come and want to work hard every day. We have faculty, I ask our faculty to do things and I ask them to push themselves and to try new things and try new initiatives. They are always willing to go that extras mile. They're team players and it take everybody on staff to make our school what it is." Fourth-grade student Emma Pope says, "We do these activities, and one we had was the color run. We did that for the little kids all the way up to the fifth grade, and we raised money for PTA and some different field trips just so we can have fun while we were helping other people." Staff and students call fifth-grade-student Nylik Darby the little preacher. "We help kids from wheelchair to standing up. We think this is a very great school," Nylik says. "With all the people we love and take care of, it's like a family to us. To me, when I first came here I was making a lot of friends. Now I have a lot of friends now I'm in fifth grade. I came here last year, and now every day and every night I say I have a great school."
KES also has a very active PTA. Coming up tonight on News 2 at 5, we'll take a closer look at Kensington's "House School" initiative, and the school's community service programs.
We want to hear about the good things that are going on at your school. Just send an email to Octavia at omitchell@ wcbd.com.
Cool School: Kensington Elementary School
Cool School: Kensington Elementary School x
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FDA Puts Black Box On Immediate-Release Opioids To Warn Of Abuse Risk
Immediate-release opioids are intended to be taken by patients every four to six hours. In 2013, extended-release or long-acting opioids got a class-wide black box warning about abuse.
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text:
|1,800 sq. ft.
|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|7 nights
Welcome to our beautiful water front home, located in a quite lovely section of SW Cape Coral. Sliding glass doors from 3 rooms open to a lg. lanai to extend your living space. Heated salt water pool has eastern exposure to enjoy sunrises with your morning coffee. Sunbathe, grill on the BBQ, or sit and view the scenic brackish water canal and watch fish jumping and other wildlife. Boat rental available to explore the canals with gulf access. Bikes are available to use and explore the quiet neighborhood and beyond. Private dock on the canal for relaxing, fishing or docking your boat rental. Home is beautifully furnished. Fully stocked kitchen includes, microwave, ice maker, granite counters, fully stocked linens, washer/dryer, 48'' flat screen TV in living room, master bedroom ( Sleep number king bd) & TV's and 2nd bdrm queen. DVD players and Wi-Fi Included. No Pets. Close to Captva, & Sanibel Islands & Ft.Meyers Beach. Many wonderful restaurants and golf courses in the area.
General : Max. Occupancy is 6 persons. The price includes pool service, gardener, air conditioning, bed linen, towels, also includes electricity. Refundable security deposit ($300 USD). Additionally 11% tax for the state of Florida is due with final rental payment. One time cleaning fee $150. USD .
Terms and Conditions: Terms and conditions: The total rental balance is due 30 days prior to the arrival. If the day of arrival is closer than 30 days from the day of booking, the amount is due in full immediately. Cancellations and refunds: Cancellation fees of 10% of the whole amount will be charged up to 60 days before arrival, 59 - 30 days before arrival 30 % of the whole amount, 29 - 22days 60% and 21 days or less before arrival 80% of the total amount. We recommend a trip cancellation insurance.
We enjoyed our stay at Villa Isabella. Comfortable and great home base as we drove to Naples and Fort Myers for things to do. Cape Coral is strictly residential, but that was ok with us. We loved watching the ducks and the fish jumping in the canal. Saved alot of money by making our own meals in the kitchen. Our only suggestion would be to make sure the pool is warmed up before a guest's arrival. We waited almost 2 days to be able to swim since the water was very very cold when we arrived and we couldn't enjoy the lovely pool. So, for a 7-day stay, we lost out on 2 pool days.
Great indoor and outdoor living space, all the amenities of home. We loved having unlimited access to the pool. The beds were super comfy in all the rooms. We loved everything about this home! The sand toys provided were a bonus!
Sadly; only spent a week in the house. The above says it all.
Cape Coral has the feel of a compact community; local amenities are good; with as much to do as most will want; be it sightseeing; boating; beachcombing; shopping; or just sitting by the pool.
Within Cape Coral, traffic is very light; cycling is the preferred means of transport for many.
Very nice.
The house is fully equipped, we missed nothing.
Nice view on the water. Silent neighborhood..
Perfect place to relax.
Well organized process of rental. Nothing to improve.
Very good contact to James.
We will recommend Villa Isabella to friends.
Very comfortable home. Property was clean, spacious and conveniently located to shopping and restaurants. Yet, neighborhood was quiet. We would certainly stay there again and recommend to anyone.
We visit Cape Coral every December over Christmas and New Year's to see family and friends, as we are former residents of Cape Coral, having lived there for 15 years. Since being relocated to Illinois, we've rented a home while staying in Cape Coral to have "down time" with our own family. I was very impressed by the reviews of this home that I read, but they cannot begin to describe how wonderful it really is! Arrival was perfect, with instructions given to enter the home and contact phone numbers in the event of something being amiss. This home has everything you could need while you are on vacation, but just to name a few:
- A sparkling clean, warm heated pool that our three boys used every evening after returning from visiting family.
- A clean kitchen with every cooking utensil you could need and modern, clean appliances.
- Bedrooms that were comfortable and relaxing, with sleep number beds in the master, as well as ceiling fans and televisions in all.
- VERY CLEAN bathrooms with large towels and great showers.
- Bicycles, pool toys, fishing rods, puzzles, books, movies, cable TV that has more than 10 channels!
- A very relaxing view on the lanai that's well appointed with quality patio furniture and a gas grill (which we loved)!
- Finally, great owners who are caring and available to help if need be.
All the other reviews are true, so if you're looking for a great rental home and this one fits the bill, save the time looking and just book it! A great, quiet, safe area and a fantastic value for the money! We will most definitely be staying here again when we come down in the near future!
Thanks so much Sousa family for letting us use your beautiful home!
Some of the finest beaches in the world are located nearby.
Visit Fort Meyers beach, Captiva Islannd and Sanibel Island and enjoy the wonderful sand and surf.
Sun Splash Water Park
Other Activities: Museums, schelling, Kayacking,outlet shopping.
Golf: Cape Coral Oaks Golf 239 593 3100
Palmetto Pines Country Club 239 504 2141
Cape Coral Executive Golf 239 574 4454
Alden Pines Golf 239 283 2179
Royal Tee 239 283 5522
|Rental Period
|Minimum Price
|Additional Nights
|Weekend Night
|Monthly *
|Event Price
Spring/Summer/Fall 2017
1 Apr 2017 - 31 Dec 2017
7 night minimum stay
for 7 nights
Peak rental season
1 Jan 2018 - 31 Mar 2018
7 night minimum stay
for 7 nights
1 Apr 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
7 night minimum stay
for 7 nights
My Standard Rate
7 night minimum stay
for 7 nights
|Refundable Damage Deposit
|Cleaning Fee
|Tax Rate
All rates in USD dallors.
Security/Damage/Electric Deposit: $300.00 USD due 30 days prior to stay, to be returned upon inspection of property.
50% of balance due within 30 days of rental agreement, remaining balance due 30 days prior to arrival.
Cancellation PolicyCancellation fee of 10% of the whole amount will be charged up to 60 days before arrival.
59 to 30 days before arrival 30% of the who
* Approximate monthly price. Actual pricing will depend on the days of the month you stay.


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You may remember that I recently mentioned that a short story of mine, called The Night Bus, had been accepted for publication at The Harrow: Original Works of Fantasy & Horror. Well, the story has now been published. You can read it at The Harrow website by clicking here.
Be sure to have a look at the other stuff in the current issue and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it.
(Image (c) Copyright The Harrow.com.)


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Sunday, July 22, 2012
Posted by Floridaze at 11:24 AM No comments:
Friday, July 20, 2012
Posted by Floridaze at 6:14 PM No comments:
Thursday, July 19, 2012
A Carolina Wedding...my Baby got married!
Nothing like a Barn Wedding! My youngest Son married his sweetheart last month and we have a few pictures to share. I decided NOT to be a shutterbug and just relax and enjoy everything. There are some pictures that cannot be captured through a lens but rather through the heart. Out in the country, a barn was filled with family and friends. It was decorated with wild flowers and the music and champagne flowed through the evening. The ceremony was awesome. There was a butterfly release for the children in memory of those who were watching from up above. There was a bonfire and chinese lanterns that drifted off into the beautiful night air.
Oh and the little guy at the top sitting on a wooden rail...that's the groom in North Carolina many years ago...time flies!
Oh and the little guy at the top sitting on a wooden rail...that's the groom in North Carolina many years ago...time flies!
Posted by Floridaze at 11:04 AM 1 comment:
Boogety Boogety Boogety...lets go racin' boys!
Posted by Floridaze at 8:14 AM No comments:
Posted by Floridaze at 7:53 AM No comments:
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I read in your column about a person who craved ice. A couple of years ago I had the same habit, and had to have ice cubes constantly. Even on trips, my son would have to stop at restaurants, gas stations or anywhere else to get me large containers of ice cubes.
The doctors I consulted could not tell me why I was craving ice. But I got weaker and weaker. I finally went to my doctor who said I looked like a ghost. He ordered blood tests and found I was anemic. I was taken in a wheelchair from the lab to the hospital and given a transfusion. I've had no craving for ice since that time. Perhaps your reader should have a blood test.
Thanks for sharing your story. When people develop unusual cravings they should always be tested for anemia or zinc deficiency. We have heard of other cases where replenishing iron or zinc vanquishes the compulsion to eat ice.
Sometimes a craving for something that is not food (doctors call this "pica") can indicate an even more serious medical problem. We received this message four years ago:
"In 2001, I had a very strong urge to chew on ice. After reading in your column that this could be a sign of anemia, I told my doctor about it. The blood work showed anemia, and I was advised to get a colonoscopy. This test showed cancer in the colon. I had surgery and received six months of chemo. The operation removed 10 inches of my colon. Testing the lymph nodes showed the cancer had spread to three out of 15 tested.I wouldn't have mentioned the craving for ice cubes had I not read about it in your column. I thank you for that timely article. I have been cancer free for these past seven years."
Another person reported this experience:
"I also used to crave crushed ice, eating it daily, summer and winter, many pounds of it on a weekly basis, I was scheduled for surgery and during the pre testing for the surgery, it was discovered that my blood count was so low that I was going to need a transfusion before I could have the surgery.
"I checked into the hospital and constantly ate crushed ice all during the 1st day, that night I was given a blood transfusion and immediately I stopped craving ice and have not eaten it since, and that was more than 20 years ago."
I just received a shipment of supplements and noticed the box was very hot. I stuck a thermometer through the seal and it registered over 100 degrees F.
Does this high temperature degrade supplements? Are they delivered the same way to stores? If so, it may not matter where you purchase them.
You have stumbled on a secret no one in the pharmaceutical or supplement industry likes to talk about. Improper shipping and storage may shorten shelf life for many products.
Guidelines for medications generally call for storage at room temperature (68 to 77 degrees F). Temporary fluctuations are allowed down to 59 or up to 86 degrees.
Shipment in non-refrigerated vehicles can easily allow for long periods at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. That includes deliveries to wholesalers, pharmacies and health food stores.
Drug sales reps often give free samples to doctors. If these drugs have been stored in the trunk of a car, the temperature could exceed 120 degrees. Even more alarming, it has been discovered that ambulances may also exceed the proper storage temperature of some of their crucial medicines.
So many insurance companies now require people to buy their medicines from mail-order pharmacies that no one wants to deal with the issue of proper storage.
Not only is it likely that the mail delivery truck is very hot, even worse is the likelihood that the medicine could sit in a mailbox for hours at a very high temperature.
In our opinion, the impact of this practice on the quality of the medicine has not been adequately addressed by the FDA, the pharmaceutical industry, professional pharmacy or the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).
We are sorry to admit that we do not have an answer to this problem. Try calling the mail-order pharmacy or supplement shipper, and ask him or her about the shipping problem.
Then please let us know what you discover. We would be fascinated to learn the answer you get.
• Write to the Graedons at their website, www.peoplespharmacy.com. Their newest book is "Recipes & Remedies From The People's Pharmacy."


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Background.Cytomegalovirus (CMV), the most common cause of congenital infection, exhibits extensive genetic variability. We sought to determine whether multiple CMV strains can be transmitted to the fetus and to describe the distribution of genotypes in the saliva, urine, and blood.
Methods.Study subjects consisted of a convenience sampling of 28 infants found to be CMV-positive on newborn screening as part of an ongoing study. Genotyping was performed on saliva specimens obtained during newborn screening and urine, saliva, and blood obtained at a later time point within the first 3 weeks of life.
Results.Six (21.4%) of the 28 saliva samples obtained within the first 2 days of life contained >1 CMV genotype. Multiple CMV genotypes were found in 39% (5/13) of urine, saliva, and blood samples obtained within the first 3 weeks of life from 13 of the 28 newborns. There was no predominance of a CMV genotype at a specific site; however, 4 infants demonstrated distinct CMV strains in different compartments.
Conclusions.Infection with multiple CMV strains occurs in infants with congenital CMV infection. The impact of intrauterine infection with multiple virus strains on the pathogenesis and long-term outcome remains to be elucidated.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a frequent cause of congenital infection worldwide. Between 20000 and 40000 children are born each year in the United States with congenital CMV infection; ~15% of those will develop permanent sequelae, the most common being sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) [1, 2]. The reason only some children develop SNHL or other sequelae after congenital CMV infection is not understood but could be related to both host and viral factors.
Human CMV (HCMV) is a large virus with >200 open reading frames. CMV isolates from infected individuals have been shown to be genetically diverse [3]. Several regions of the HCMV genome have been used to define distinct genotypes based on clustering of polymorphisms. Mixed infection with multiple CMV strains occurs in various patient populations including immunocompetent and immunocompromised subjects [4–7]. However, infection with multiple strains has rarely been described in newborns with congenital CMV. This study sought to determine if congenital infection can result from multiple CMV strains by genotyping glycoproteins gB, gN, and gH in blood, urine, and saliva specimens of newborns with congenital CMV infection. In addition, the distribution of CMV genotypes in saliva, urine, and blood was examined.
From May 2007 through January 2009, 201 infants were found to be CMV-positive on newborn screening at the 7 hospitals participating in the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) CMV and Hearing Multicenter Screening Study (CHIMES Study) [8]. Screening for congenital CMV infection was performed by rapid culture of saliva specimens (screening saliva samples). Infants that screened positive for congenital CMV infection were enrolled in the follow-up component of the study and urine, saliva, and dried blood spot (DBS) samples (follow-up samples) were obtained to confirm infection. Institutional review board approval was obtained at each study site. Written informed consent was obtained from a parent for their newborn's enrollment in the study. A convenience sampling of 28 study subjects from all 7 study sites was selected based on the availability of adequate remnant saliva, urine and blood specimens for genotyping. The demographic characteristics of these 28 subjects did not differ significantly from the demographics of the entire group of 201 children found to be CMV-positive during the study period (data not shown). Laboratory personnel were blinded to demographic characteristics, clinical findings, and previous genotyping results of study subjects.
DNA was extracted from urine and saliva samples using commercial spin columns (Qiagen, Inc). DNA extraction from DBS samples was performed from 2 3-mm punches as described elsewhere [8]. For gN (UL73) genotyping, samples underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the gN region using primers and conditions previously reported [7]. To reduce the possibility of PCR artifact, positive and negative controls were included with each PCR run. PCR products were directly cloned into the TOPO TA cloning vector pCR 2.1 (Invitrogen Inc) and up to ten individual colonies were screened for the presence of the gN insert [7]. The nucleotide sequences were compared with the published sequences of the 7 described gN genotypes (GeneBank accession numbers AF309971, AF309976, AF309980, AF390773, AF309987, AF309997, and AF310004). Genotyping of gB (UL55) and gH (UL75) was performed as described using the TaqMan platform [6, 9]. Specimens in which no gB genotype could be determined by this method underwent PCR to amplify the 961–1738 bp gB region with the following primers: gBlong-Fw (5′cac agg ttg gtg gct ttt ct) and gBlong-rev (5′gtc gtg agt agc agc gtc ct). The PCR conditions were optimized for HotStart Taq polymerase (5′) and included initial denaturation at 94°C for 4 minutes, followed by 35 cycles of denaturation at 94°C for 1 minute, annealing at 56°C for 40 seconds, extension at 68°C for 1 minute, and final extension at 68°C for 5 minutes. Nucleotide sequences of purified PCR products were compared with published sequences in the NCBI database (GeneBank accession numbers M60929, M60932, M60933, M60926, and GU180092). Different laboratory personnel performed genotyping on screening and follow-up samples (for blinding purposes).
Study infants were primarily identified from the newborn nursery (27/28, 96%). Just over half were black, 5 (18%) were non-Hispanic white, 4 (14%) were Hispanic white, 1 (4%) was multiracial, and 1 (4%) was Asian. The gender of the study subjects was equally distributed (50% female).
Screening saliva samples obtained at a median of 1 day (range, 0–2 days) of age from the 28 study subjects were analyzed for gN, gB, and gH genotypes. All 7 gN genotypes (1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 4c), all 5 gB genotypes (1–5) and both gH genotypes (1, 2) were represented in the saliva samples (Figure 1). gN genotyping was performed on 26/28 screening saliva samples because the gN gene could not be amplified from 2 specimens. gN type 3a was the most commonly observed strain (32%) followed by type 4c (23%). Genotyping of gB and gH was performed on all 28 screening saliva samples. gB type 1 was the most common variant (42%) followed by type 2 (23%). In 2 subjects, gB genotypes could not be determined using the type-specific real-time PCR. However, nucleotide sequence analysis matched these to a previously described gB genotype 5 [10]. gH types 1 and 2 were distributed in 39% and 61% of specimens, respectively.
6 of the 28 (21.4%) newborn saliva samples had more than one CMV strain. 4 infants had 2 distinct CMV genotypes and 2 infants were shedding 3 genotypes in saliva specimens obtained within 2 days of birth. To further investigate CMV strain diversity, genotyping was carried out on urine, saliva, and DBS samples obtained at enrollment into the follow-up component of the study. To avoid the possibility of identifying CMV strains acquired postnatally, only samples from the group of 13 infants that were enrolled in the follow-up study and had samples obtained within the first 3 weeks of life were examined. The average age at sample collection was 15.3 days (±4.3 days). Genotyping of follow-up urine, saliva, and DBS samples showed that multiple CMV genotypes were present in 5 (39%) of 13 infants (Table 1). Four infants shed 2 different CMV strains, whereas 1 infant (Subject h) shed 3 different gN and gB genotypes. When both screening and follow-up samples were considered, approximately a third of study infants (9/28, 32%) were infected with multiple CMV strains. Interestingly, in 2 infants, (subjects b and j) a new genotype was detected in the saliva specimen taken at follow-up that was not present in the screening saliva specimen. In 1 infant (subject b), gB genotype 1 was detected in the screening saliva specimen; however, gB genotypes 2 and 3 were detected in the follow-up saliva specimen. Another infant (subject j) had gN genotype 4a in screening saliva, whereas the follow-up saliva contained type 1.
The presence of different viruses in different compartments was determined by analyzing saliva, urine, and blood specimens from the group of 13 infants obtained at enrollment into the follow-up study (Table 1). As shown in Table 1, no genotype predominated in saliva, urine, or blood compartments. However, 5 infants (subjects b, d, e, h, and j) had different CMV genomic variants in different compartments. Of the 6 infants whose screening saliva samples contained multiple CMV genotypes, follow-up saliva, urine, and blood samples were available from 4 (subjects d, h, k, and l). Multiple CMV genotypes were found in the follow-up samples of 2 of the 4 (subjects d and h) (Table 1).
This report demonstrates that there is great diversity among the strains that cause congenital CMV infections and congenitally infected neonates often harbor multiple CMV genotypic variants. Among the 28 saliva samples from infants obtained at birth and saliva, urine, and blood samples from 13 of the 28 subjects obtained at follow-up, all gN, gB and gH genotypes were found to cause congenital infection. Furthermore, mixed infection with >1 virus strain was detected in approximately one-third of the study infants. In addition, the presence of distinct virus strains in specimens from different compartments from the same child was demonstrated.
In studies of both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts, multiple CMV genotypes have been detected in older children and adults. Although studies have documented that these viruses are acquired over time through reinfections [4, 11–14], it is also possible that multiple viruses can be acquired at the time of primary CMV infection. It is generally believed that vertical transmission to the fetus occurs after maternal viremia. Whether this transmission occurs as a single event during pregnancy or through multiple placental transmission events over the course of the pregnancy is unknown. Studies of the guinea pig model of congenital CMV infection have shown that maternal viremia leads to placental infection, and, in some instances, a secondary viremia can occur and result in secondary seeding of the placenta. However, dissemination to the fetus is not always immediate and the placenta serves as a reservoir for the virus [15–17]. Studies of human placentas have also shown multiple CMV genotypes at the maternal-fetal interface [18]. Thus, virus transmission to the fetus resulting in congenital infection with multiple CMV strains could occur as a single infection with codisseminating strains, or by multiple transmission events of individual viruses, or both.
Studies examining the association between virus diversity at a single polymorphic gene and outcome in children with congenital CMV infection reported conflicting results [19–22]. However, studies in the murine model and in immunocompromised patients suggest that coinfection with multiple strains of CMV could lead to enhanced pathogenicity [5, 23, 24]. In a study that examined the diversity of 3 polymorphic CMV genes in infants with congenital CMV infection, >1 virus strain was detected in 8/10 specimens obtained from stillborn infants but only a single genotype from 22 living newborns [25]. However, the interpretation of these findings is difficult because tissue-cultured viruses from living newborns were compared with paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from stillborn infants. Since propagation of virus in tissue culture often selects for a single virus strain [26–29], the inability to detect multiple virus strains in infants with congenital CMV infection in previous studies [22, 25] could be due to methodological issues.
In the current study, original saliva, urine, and DBS samples from congenitally infected infants were analyzed to avoid tissue culture selection of viruses, and real-time PCR and cloning of PCR products were used to genotype virus strains. Previous studies examining genotype distribution have used either virus from tissue cultures or samples from urine only. In addition, genotyping was performed by gene amplification and sequencing of the product [22, 25]. Thus, it is likely that only dominant or selected genotypes were detected. Although the implications of finding that congenital infection can be caused by multiple CMV strains, with respect to sequelae such as SNHL, are not yet known, the results from the ongoing NIDCD CHIMES study [8] that includes prospective follow-up of a large number of congenitally infected infants should provide a better understanding of the role of mixed infection on outcome.
In 13 study infants, urine, saliva, and blood samples were available within the first 3 weeks of life and were examined to determine the CMV strain diversity in different compartments. Although there was not a predominant genotype, unique strains in different compartments were found in 5 of these infants. Compartmentalization of CMV strains has been reported in immunocompromised populations [30, 31]. CMV has the ability to grow in certain cell types, and variable cell tropism is conferred by particular viral genes that are present in clinical CMV strains [32, 33]. This observation has raised the possibility that CMV strain variation might explain differences in the biological behavior of different virus strains. The finding that infants with congenital CMV infection can harbor multiple CMV genotypes, and that unique genotypes are found in different compartments, underscores the need for examining the relationship between strain variation and biological characteristics of viruses.
In 2 study infants, genotypes that were detected in saliva at follow-up (at 2–3 weeks of life) were different from those detected in the saliva samples obtained at birth. This finding could have multiple explanations. Although it is possible that these infants acquired new strains during the time between screening and follow-up, this is unlikely because the follow-up samples were obtained between 2 and 3 weeks of age. Alternatively, both strains may have been present at both time points but not detected in the screening samples because relatively low numbers of the minor virus populations were present. In a recent study, investigators examined plasma and bronchoalveolar samples from 9 immunocompromised patients using a highly sensitive deep sequencing method. All 9 patients had mixed infections with 1 or 2 dominant genotypes and several low-abundance genotypes. In addition, the prevalence of the individual genotypes was shown to change over time, with strains that were initially minor becoming dominant [6]. The appearance of a "new" genotype not detected in the initial sample in our study infants may reflect a similar change in the prevalence of the individual strains.
A limitation of this study is that only a small proportion of the infected children identified in the NIDCD CHIMES study were included, which may have led to selection bias. However, this potential selection bias was unlikely to have affected the findings since the 28 study subjects have similar demographic characteristics as all CMV positive infants during the described time period. An additional limitation of the study is the use of real time PCR to detect gB and gH genotypes. The sensitivity of this assay is dependent on the relative amounts of viral DNA; thus, minor viral populations with low abundance of type-specific viral DNA could have been missed. This reduced sensitivity of the real-time PCR may have resulted in an overall underestimation of the true viral diversity within a sample and subject. Our conclusion that infection with multiple virus strains can occur in infants with congenital CMV infection remains valid, however. CMV is a large virus with >140 genes. In this study, only 3 loci (gB, gH, and gN, all known targets of neutralizing antibody) were examined to determine genetic diversity. Since many more polymorphic CMV genes have been identified, it is likely that the true virus strain diversity in the study population was underestimated. Although the relative frequency of mixed infection might change if a larger proportion of infected infants were included in the study and if more CMV loci were examined for diversity, the finding that some congenitally infected infants harbor multiple virus strains remains an interesting observation.
In summary, the present report demonstrates that there is great diversity in the CMV strains that cause congenital infection and that infection with multiple CMV strains occurs in congenital CMV infection. However, the relationship of specific genotypes and the implications of infection with multiple viral strains for the pathogenesis and long-term outcome in children with congenital CMV infection are not yet known.
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (N01 DC50008 and K23 DC008539).
PubMed Central Canada is a service of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) working in partnership with the National Research Council's national science library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine(NCBI/NLM). It includes content provided to the PubMed Central International archive by participating publishers.