text:
Drinking chocolate milk after working out may be more beneficial than some gym-goers think.
According to experts at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), people who consumed chocolate milk after a workout had a better workout the next day when compared to those who turned to traditional post-exercise drinks instead.
"If you look at what goes into a good workout recovery drink, it's a combination of protein and carbohydrates - protein for rebuilding and repairing damage that occurs to tissues and carbohydrates for replenishing the energy that has just been burned. The protein to carbohydrate ratio in chocolate milk actually is very close to what we know is ideal for recovery," said Dr. Theodore Shybut, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at BCM.
Shybut points that while other drinks on the market may offer similar results, chocolate milk is generally seen as the most economical option. He suggests drinking one serving of chocolate milk immediately after exercising and another serving two hours later.
"The early post-workout period is important because immediately after exercise, your muscles are able to absorb nutrients at a much higher rate," he said.
Read more from the Baylor College of Medicine News here.
This isn't the first time chocolate milk has been named a top recovery drink for athletes. From an Olympic swimmer to helping runners go the distance, athletes can't go wrong with incorporating dairy as part of their recovery routine.


text:
J. J. Maloney, an award-winning journalist and founder and editor of Crime Magazine, passed away December 31, 1999, at his mother's home in Webster Groves, Mo. He was 59. Read More About JJ Maloney here.
Now in Paperback!
From the author of the Crime Magazine article comes a historical novel about the Black Dahlia's time in Hollywood. Now available from Amazon, in Kindle Store.
Tweets by @CrimeMagazine
With the purpose of writing about true crime in an authoritative, fact-based manner, veteran journalists J. J. Maloney and J. Patrick O'Connor launched Crime Magazine in November of 1998. Their goal was to cover all aspects of true crime: Read More
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Taking Pride in the Nursery
Posted March 13, 2014
Baby on the way? Congratulations, whether it's your first or any number beyond that! Bringing new life into the world can be a really amazing experience, but there's also a lot to think about, from the mundane to the serious and life-changing. Handling the nursery setup and decoration falls somewhere along that scale, although where exactly is up to you: you need a space that's safe, warm, and comfortable for Baby, as well as functional for you to use in those critical first few years where your child will be dependent on you for everything.
You should think ahead and design a room that will evolve with your baby as she grows, but it's also worth thinking about how to add a little nice decor to the nursery for yourself and the baby now. After all, both of you will be spending a lot of time there, so you might as well have a nice view; and your aesthetics might not match those of an infant and young child! (You, for example, might be more inclined to enjoy neutral colors and restrained crown molding, while infants respond best to bright colors and bold shapes.)
Luckily, both of you can be satisfied in a nursery with a view. Like, speaking of ceilings, check out this built-up coffered ceiling a couple built in their nursery. The ceiling fits in with the decor of the rest of the house so the nursery blends aesthetically, it provides something calming and beautiful for parents and baby to look at, and it's just plain pretty! With colorful artwork on the walls, it can bridge the competing needs of parents who need a little visual relief and an infant who needs some serious stimulus to develop important neurological connections.
This roundup at Style Estate has some amazing ideas. I love the rooms done in charcoal walls with bright, sunny artwork, for example, adding a note of chic and combining it with baby-friendly art. The French country-inspired room is great too, for parents who love the French aesthetic but want a practical, fun take on it for living with a new infant.
Here's a fun, funky wall collage of things for a nursery that can stimulate a baby and add some interesting visuals for grownups, too. The author suggests this is for boys, but I say any gender can enjoy fun things on the wall!
Have a limited budget? You can still have a totally great space; no need to sacrifice when it comes to home decor with a nursery on a budget. There are tons of fantastic design options that won't cost you a ton, and many contractors understand that new parents are often stressed about money matters, so they're happy to work with you on creating your dream nursery, within your dream budget.
And hey -- while you're remodeling your nursery, remember that safety is key. Make sure that your crib and other products haven't been subjected to recalls, and be sure to use nontoxic fabrics, furniture, paints, and other components, right down to the Orlando flooring. Infants and young children are extremely sensitive to environmental toxins, so give your baby's brain a good start in life!
Katie Marks writes for Networx.com.View original post.


text:
The Charlottetown-based Prince Edward Island Potato Board is active with several promotions this year.
In April, the board launched a program with spokeswoman Heather Moyse, who has represented the group for several years.
Moyse, an Olympic athlete, is a large part of the board's activities. Her athletic career makes her a good fit as a spokeswoman for healthy eating, according to marketing director Kendra Mills.
"She has a strong health message and is a great spokesperson. She is active with social media banter, and she often tags her posts with Prince Edward Island potatoes, Mills said.
The April launch included branded packaging with tear-away recipe cards and nutritional information, as well as cooking videos that feature Moyse and a local chef.
"The combined efforts of our new marketing campaign are designed to entice and educate the consumer on the benefits of the potato," said general manager Greg Donald.
The board also is active with local festivals and events.
Mills said the island is often considered a tourist destination. It also is well known for other food commodities, such as fishing, lobster and potatoes.
"We're working with other agriculture industries to pool our resources and efforts to promote Prince Edward Island as a culinary destination," she said.
Earlier this year, the board participated in a Tourism PEI initiative called Taste of PEI, which consisted of a mobile tour that journeyed across Ontario, Quebec and Halifax.
The event included a food truck which served PEI mussels and fries, as well as other activities that centered on food and golf.
Mills said the purpose of the initiative were to heighten the island's tourism appeal as a coastal destination with indigenous foods and experiences.
In April, the board partnered with the PEI Burger Love promotion, a month-long celebration of Prince Edward Island beef.
"Fries make a perfect pairing with burgers, so we think our involvement with the PEI Burger Love made logical sense. As well, a number of PEI potato growers are also beef producers, so we are pleased to sponsor a promotion that highlights both commodities," Donald said.
Each Friday in April was designated as a "Fryday," and consumers were encouraged to order a side of fries made from the island's potatoes.
As part of the project, consumers had the chance to win T-shirts, as well as 50 pounds of potatoes.
In the fall, the board participated in the PEI International Shellfish Festival, sponsoring the chowder competition.
For the 2013 Fall Flavors Festival, the board sponsored the Toe Taps & Taters event, and they participated in the Farm Day in the City on Sept. 29 by having a display downtown with recipes and information, as well as an appearance by Tate, the board's mascot.
Overall, the board tries to stay active in the community.
"These events have been very much ongoing," Mills said.


text:
My Welsh Corgi Is Smarter Than You ! Canvas Tote Bag
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text:
jason c wrote:it would not be my fault, if someone else harmed a member of my family. and it would not be my fault if i could not prevent this from happening.
But would you do what you could to protect them? You wouldn't just sit back and let it happen? I doubt this is what you mean.
You wouldn't sacrifice yourself for another?


text: Nautical-striped heathered T-shirt Item 60983 Color: HTHR INK Size: All sizes are US sizes. X-SMALL SMALL MEDIUM LARGE X-LARGE Size Charts Quantity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prices do not include taxes. Add to Bag Wishlist Add to Bag Add To Wishlist share: size & fit Product Details A wear-with-anything T-shirt, constructed from twisted cotton jaspé—a yarn renowned for its softness and high-low appearance. Cotton jaspé. Rib trim at neck. Machine wash. Import. Item 60983.


text:
A SCULPTURE based on an apple peel is to be installed at a shopping centre in Didcot after being redesigned over health and safety fears.
The Swirl will go into the Orchard Centre next month after winning planning permission from South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC).
Didcot Town Council objected to the original plans over concerns youngsters would climb on it and because it was situated too close to the steps near Sainsbury's.
Following the objections, SODC planners agreed the sculpture should be repositioned so that it is a minimum of two metres away from the steps.
Artist Maria Rosa Kramer
The district council will install the £85,000 sculpture in front of Argos, on Wednesday, March 12, from 8am to 9am.
Town council leader Margaret Davies said: "The position of the sculpture was changed slightly so that it is not so close to the edge of the steps. I like modern art and personally I am all in favour of this – it seems very appropriate.
"The sculpture has been funded by developer contributions – it's money specifically for public art – so you can't argue that it should have been spent instead on flood prevention or something else."
Designer Maria Rosa Kramer said the design of the 6.7m-high artwork represents the peel of an apple, to tie in with the area's origins. The sculpture is a reference to an orchard which once stood in the garden of a house in the area.
One side of the sculpture's ribbon design is polished to represent an apple's flesh, while the other side is painted red, representing an apple's skin.
Ms Kramer said: "I'm really excited about the imminent arrival of The Swirl.
"I love Didcot and it's a huge privilege for me that this sculpture is coming here."
Bill Service, SODC cabinet member for leisure, said: "I am really looking forward to seeing The Swirl standing tall at the Orchard Centre.
"Public art like this helps to give a place identity and makes it really stand out from other town centres around the county."
There will be a display about the sculpture at Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot from Saturday.
It will chart its development, and feature work created by pupils from Northbourne Primary School in a workshop with the artist.
Cash for the project has come from Orchard Centre developer Taylor Woodrow, SODC's Didcot Growth Fund and Hammerson, the centre's leaseholder.
Hammerson and SODC announced plans for a £125m second phase of the Orchard Centre in 2011 but a planning application has not yet been submitted.


text:
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
July 11, 2005
Stay Tuned
Information from Texas Parks and Wildlife is available on radio and television, as well as the newsstand.
Passport to Texas, TPWD's radio series of weekday, 90-second stories, is broadcast on more than 100 Texas stations. Airing July 11-15, they say everything is bigger in Texas, but not so at Acton State Historic Park. Park Manager Bill Grubbs tells us there's only room for three people at the smallest state park in Texas—and they aren't leaving anytime soon. Plus, we'll head out to Eisenhower State Park where Interpretive Specialist, Roger Siems has a fish story (or two) to tell with a slide show and presentation about the many species found in Lake Texoma.
For more information, visit the Web.
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TPWD provides video news reports that run in newscasts on numerous Texas stations, as well as on cable and satellite outlets around the nation.
For more information, go to the Web.
"Texas Parks & Wildlife" is a weekly half-hour television series seen on PBS affiliates around the state. Airing July 10-17, more than 150 years ago the Landmark Inn in Castroville served as a general store and rest stop for travelers. Today it's a bed and breakfast and a State Historic Site. Park manger Ken Conway shows us how to experience frontier Texas with all the modern conveniences. Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame inductee Shorty Powers hasn't let physical challenges slow him down. In fact, it's made him more determined to help others enjoy the outdoors. Ann Miller introduces us to some of the wild symbols of the state. Marine education goes from the ocean to the classroom as a group of teachers from the Houston area go underwater to explore the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. On this week's 'postcard' take an airboat ride at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area.
For more information about this week's programs and where they can be viewed, visit the Web.
Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine is always available on newsstands throughout the state and by subscription for $19.95 a year. To subscribe, call (800) 937-9393 or order online.
On the Net:
- Passport to Texas: http://www.passporttotexas.org/
- TPWD Video News: http://tpwd.texas.gov/news/tv/vnr/thismonth/
- TPWD on PBS: http://tpwd.texas.gov/tv
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(5.4.16 i)


text: I like the team overall. If we where to make a trade I would hope it would be for some guys that can play some Defense. I know before Tyson Chandler got traded to NO I was really hoping we could deal for him I think He and JO together could have been nasty. I was just wondering if you could aquire a few quality Defensive players who would you want? What do you think of Jerred Jeffries?? I like the run and guy style but I don't see why that means we can not build a team the runs and plays solid Defense.


text:
Great team game leads to a great win as we finally beat Memphis after losing the last 5 to them.
Fellow PDers, have a happy New Year! All the best in 2013!
(Courtesy of NBA.com)
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Great team game leads to a great win as we finally beat Memphis after losing the last 5 to them.
Fellow PDers, have a happy New Year! All the best in 2013!
(Courtesy of NBA.com)
Last edited by Trophy; 12-31-2012 at 06:34 PM.
Really hope we see a big turn around from D.J. after this. He looked good out there.
AND.... Chicago lost.
We got beat on the boards, killed on points in the paint, but still scrapped a win. Huge game for us to finally beat a good team. Hit 12 threes on 48% shooting from range -- wouldn't count on that consistently, but I'll take it down two starters.
Great win.
Oh... and Roy Hibbert is still a non factor on offense, going to him at the end of the game gave them a chance to win it. We gotta stop that. I don't care about his confidence, he isn't producing.
PG, DJ and Tyler came up big today.
Great defense on Rudy Gay by West! Solid team effort this afternoon for our second win over a playoff team!
Very good win. DJ, B Hans, and PG bailed out our frontcourt, who were abused by Randolph. I'm starting to worry if Hibbert will ever come around.
Chicago lost too!!
Yes, it's great be back on top of our division! Let's all note that Chicago lost to the Bobcats as well!
D.J. Augustin looked like a stud out there today, great win to get to 18-13
It sure would be nice to have that Chicago win right now.
Best win of the season, no doubt about it.
Great intensity on the defensive end. This said, I think we are very similar to Memphis in terms of style. I love watching them play.
Signature win! The Hansbro's were the driving force behind the turnaround point early in the 4th.
Yea our front court got manhandled out there. I don't think I've ever seen BAMF get shut down like that in the post. And Roy is looking like a rookie out there on offense, very disturbing. At least he is a dominating presence on D.
It was sure nice to see DJ play a good game finally. Maybe this game can turn it around for him...
Great game, loved the effort by DJ Augustin who had a few rough patches but ultimately was our second best player tonight. I was watching the Memphis broadcast and they have some good announcers, not total homers. They said it plainly "We had no answer for Paul George tonight." That was great to hear!
Roy played solid defense as usual, the offense still isn't there but if we keep winning...who cares. I didn't think we had a chance when it was announced G.Hill would not play, great game! I love this kind of basketball between two defensive juggernauts! I would love to see Randolph or Gasol in a Pacers uniform. The Memphis broadcast team was bragging on Hansbrough throughout the game, talking about how Randolph loved going against him because of his intensity. Nice to see another team's announcers give the Pacers some much deserved love!
*removed* Just keep politics and religion completely out of it, please.
Battie last year?
Great win indeed but unfortunately didn't manage to see the game due to New Year festivities over here.
Hey, maybe i say maybe DJ needs to start the games in order to produce
Happy New Year btw and a healthy one above all.
Went to the game. Anyone know why George Hill didn't play?
I'm a Beast
It seemed to me that the officials were really having a hard time figuring out how to officiate the game. Their effort was brutal.
Rodney Mott, does Frank owe him money or something. I don't think I've ever seen the Pacers play well when he officiates.
we just beat memphis without our starting PG and our best player. thats a damn good win.
Don't see the big fuss of Pavers poor record against winning teams. They are doing very well without their best player.
Groin issue
i missed almost all of this game. that being said, i am very pleased with lance this year. i have seen him challenge a defense numerous times and decide to show patience and kick it back out when he had nothing instead of going helter skelter and force a bad shot. this kind of decision making is going to be a big help.
Roy Hibbert is worse in person.
super ugly W.. Truly didn't feel worth the effort especially down 11 in the 3rd. The HansBROS helped lead a solid resurgence and we got the win. Good games from a few ppl but my gosh Roy...
and Gerald Green has one of the lowest basketball IQ's.
Reggie Miller is a God. Period.
Passion. Pride. Pacers.
It's ALWAYS Miller Time.
#31 & Only
Just got home. I'm ecstatic about this win. Thank you, Pacers
However, I'll give Dece this. The Grizzlies indeed out rebounded us in the second half. I lost that bet. No shame to admit it.
But we won the game. And I'm extremely happy for that
I'll give my assessment on the Hibbert vs Gasol match up when I manage to watch the second half. The box score favors Hibbert in every area except scoring but I'll have to watch the second half to give a complete assessment.
So, I'll be back for more, Dece
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.


text:
"Jesus suffered an upper back injury and possible rib fractures. He is awake and alert and will be taken to UK Chandler Hospital (at the University of Kentucky...Read More
4/22/16 3:52pm
Keeneland and five of its sales graduates were honored at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Annual Kentucky-Bred Champions Awards Presentation here on Thursday...Read More
4/22/16 1:49pm
Wet conditions also kept Cash is King LLC's Cathryn Sophia from her scheduled Friday work, said Tyler Servis, assistant to his father,...Read More
4/22/16 1:47pm
Trainer Brian Lynch was back at Keeneland Friday morning following a quick trip to the Palm Meadows training center in Florida to check on his string of 2-year-olds....Read More
4/22/16 1:45pm
Trainer Doug O'Neill opted to wait a day to work his undefeated Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) favorite Nyquist after overnight rains left water...Read More
4/22/16 1:40pm
Dennis Fenton probably has known Reddam Racing's Nyquist longer than anybody.
Fenton works for Gerry Dilger's Dromoland Farm near Lexington and handled Nyquist for...Read More
4/22/16 1:39pm
Click here for a replay of the race
LEXINGTON, KY (April 21, 2016) – Richard and Bertram Klein's Dee Dee Bertie took the lead out of...Read More
4/21/16 6:50pm
When United Tote personnel were entering the Keeneland wagering card for the day at approximately 11:05 AM this morning, Loom (1A) was inadvertently scratched from the 8th...Read More
4/21/16 6:47pm
LEXINGTON, KY (April 21, 2016) – Keeneland sales graduate Donworth has been installed as the morning-line favorite for Saturday's $1.25 million Charles Town...Read More
4/21/16 5:41pm
Through April 20 (nine days of racing)
3rd...Read More
4/21/16 12:55pm


text:
found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
I am already neutered and up to date with shots.
Markie, a Gainesville Chow Chow puppy was adopted! Here's how you can benefit by looking at adoption as an option to buying a Chow Chow for sale in Gainesville, or seeking a Chow Chow puppy from a breeder in Gainesville.


text:
During Holy Week, these young people have accepted Christ´s invitation
to preach the Gospel giving themselves to the marvelous work
of bringing the message of Love, visiting the faithful in
their homes, inviting them to the celebration of the Eucharist,
to pray the rosary, the Way of the Cross and
to particiapte in the sacrament of Confession.In many of the
areas they came into contact with persons who spoke Mayan
instead of Spanish and therefore they enriched their vocabularies with
new phrases such as "bichacaaba?" "coch Iglesia", "Dios botic", which
mean, what´s your name?, let´s go to Church, and thank
you respectively. "We are only a few. We need generous
hearts and young spirits who are willing to be Jesus´
hands, feet, eyes, and ears" Ana Perez Pliego, the local
director of Youth for the Third Millennium in Cancun, told
us.Our goal for next year is to visit ten additional
communities. "Christ, without really needing us, asks us, through his
Vicar on earth, that we be the hope that renews
the faith of America, and that we give ourselves for
Christ so that the mission of evangelization reaches every area
of society from the Mayan sector, to our schools, universities,
workplaces, recreational facilities, and above all our families," Ana Perez
pointed out.


text:
Gio back with Nats after Classic experience
VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez returned to camp on Sunday, two days after Team USA lost to Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Gonzalez worked out with the team that same day and then pitched in a Minor League game Monday.
"During the World Baseball Classic, I was doing my routine, trying to get ready every five days," Gonzalez said. "I think being back with the team is exciting. It was an honor to play and represent USA. It was an experience I will never forget."
Gonzalez pitched once for team USA and pitched five shutout innings as the Americans defeated Puerto Rico, 7-1, at Marlins Park, which was 10 miles southeast of Hialeah, Fla., where Gonzalez grew up.
"It was loud," Gonzalez said. "Every inning, it was like the last out of the World Series. When I was done with that game, I was telling my mom, my energy was down, it was so draining. Every pitch was intense, every play was intense. One little false move could cost you the game. That was it. You had to focus."
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also could be found on Twitter @WashingNats. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Listening to the politicians who spoke at the Washington Public Policy Conference, there is nothing that pains our elected representatives more than the government shutdown that began Oct. 1.
That may well be the case, but the frustrated and impassioned lawmakers leave one wondering how we ever arrived at our current unhappy state if both sides of the aisle so much want to talk things out.
"I did not want a shutdown, nor did my colleagues want a shutdown," said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., chairman of the House subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture.
"We need to get back to governing, and we need to get things done," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
As the shutdown began, it seemed apparent that Republicans were spoiling for a fight over the implementation of Obamacare. While the GOP may have the majority of the public on its side, President Barack Obama showed no signs of giving in.
It played out with extremely divisive politics and the first government shutdown in 17 years.
Compared with the U.S. Congress, Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., said even the California legislature looked bipartisan in comparison.
"There was still enough of a working relationship where you could negotiate on issues," he said in an address to the WPPC Oct. 2.
While he admitted that dysfunctional Sacramento should not be a model for Congress, he made his point about the intractability of the government shutdown.
"We've got to get this solved and solved immediately," he said with no apparent sarcasm.
House Republicans have framed the shutdown as a fight for fair rules over Obamacare.
Denham said Obama has materially changed some aspect of the health care law 17 times during the past eight months, outside of the oversight of Congress.
"The President can't pick what parts of laws he wants to implement," he said.
Denham argued Obama was out of line in making arbitrary exclusions for unions and big business.
"If you are going to give the employer mandate a one year delay, then why not do it for the individual mandate?" he asked.
When and if Congress gets past the government shutdown, Denham said Republicans are concerned about the Senate's request for an unlimited debt ceiling.
He called that issue the crux of the current friction between Republicans and Democrats.
Without a budget in five years, Congress has funded programs with a series of continuing resolutions.
When Obama was elected, Denham said he called the $9 trillion U.S. debt "un-American." Now it is $17 trillion, he said.
House Republicans will never agree on Senate's Democrats desire for a debt ceiling with no cap, he said.
So if Republicans and Democrats can't come together on the simple issues — a delay in Obamacare — how will they solve the looming monster of the debt ceiling debate?
It's hard to envision how that will get done.
Once past the debt ceiling debate, Denham predicted the House and Senate would eventually hammer out a farm bill that will be supported in bipartisan fashion in both chambers. The only drama, he said, would be if the nutrition title in the farm bill is a three-year bill or a five-year bill.
"If it is a three-year bill, that means it is going to be separated from the ag portion of the farm bill," he said.
The biggest issue for Denham — and arguably for the indusry — is immigration.
Denham said that issue will need a push to get across the finish line. The issue doesn't have a deadline, and that makes it easy to ignore. Once expected to be taken up early in 2013, then before the August work period, it still awaits action.
"Immigration, if it doesn't get slotted, if it doesn't become a big issue, it will never get taken up," he said.
Denham faulted the leadership of Democrats and Republicans in the so-called "Gang of Eight" who have let the immigration debate flounder.
In particular, he called for those lawmakers to publish their proposal.
"Introduce your bill! You (had) it ready for six years!" Denham said. "Let's get something out there we can be for!" he said.
In the end, Denham said immigration reform is needed and both parties need to focus on it.
Speaking to United Fresh on Oct. 1, Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., ranking member of the House agriculture committee's subcommittee on horticulture, said the farm bill might be a path where Republicans and Democrats learn again to work with one another. A successful farm bill could be a path to camaraderie, he offered.
That's a rosy view, but we will take it on faith.
But if the farm bill flops, where does that leave America?
What's your take? Leave a comment and tell us your opinion.


text: Seattle, Amazon.com Inc. launched a new on-line grocery store that sells items ranging from household products to organic food. The new on-line store sells more than 1,200 brands; about half of the merchandise is natural or organic. Amazon.com said it would offer first-time customers a $10 instant rebate on grocery purchases of $49 or more.


text:
Peralta's growing confidence translates to results
LOS ANGELES -- If right-hander Wily Peralta stays hot, you'll see the Brewers wearing a lot of gold this summer.
The starting pitcher gets to chose from the Brewers' wardrobe of game jerseys, and in each of his past two starts, Peralta has picked the gold alternates, a new addition for this season. After he pitched six innings and picked up a win against the Dodgers on Saturday night, Peralta said he would go gold again Thursday against the Cardinals.
"Why not?" he asked.
Manager Ron Roenicke doesn't care what color Peralta wears, as long as he keeps pitching. It was only three starts ago that Roenicke referred to Peralta as "out of whack" and spoke with some urgency about figuring out a fix.
Peralta responded with back-to-back quality starts against the Cubs and Dodgers in which he scattered 11 hits, nine of them singles, and most of them softly-struck. On Saturday, he maintained his 96-mph fastball from the first inning through the end of the sixth.
"[Pitching coach Rick Kranitz] worked on some things with him. I think some of it is mechanical, but most of it is the confidence of knowing how to use the stuff you have," Roenicke said. "Wily is being successful, having some good outings, getting that confidence that he needs.
"He's not an overly cocky guy, and those cocky guys, they get it going quicker. They think they belong here, they think they're superstars, and they play that way. [Peralta] is modest, and those guys take longer. They take having success before they have that confidence."
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Completing the Endowment Campaignby Suzanne Calvin
Lots of folks weighing-in today on the Dallas Opera's successful completion of the two-year, $20 million endowment campaign. Including "Dallas Business Journal" And "COMMANDOpera" And D Magazine And "Art and Seek" (KERA) Not to mention, this, from Norman Lebrecht. (Photo courtesy of COMMANDOpera) Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR


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Eric Elwood has made three changes to his Connacht team to face Zebre in the RaboDirect PRO12 on Friday.
Dan Parks returns at out half despite suffering hamstring problems last time out.
Robbie Henshaw, who was on international duty last week, is named at full back, while 27-year-old Brian Murphy, who made his Connacht debut in Cardiff last week, will start again at inside centre in a partnership with fellow Galway native Eoin Griffin.
Skipper Gavin Duffy is named on the wing, replacing Fetu'u Vainikolo who moves to the bench.
Meanwhile, there is just one change up front with Mick Kearney replacing Michael Swift in the second row. Swift sustained a knee injury during training earlier in the week and is waiting on scan results to determine the severity of the injury.
Connacht XV to play Zebre: Robbie Henshaw, Danie Poolman, Eoin Griffin, Brian Murphy, Gavin Duffy (captain), Dan Parks, Kieran Marmion, Brett Wilkinson, Jason Harris-Wright, Nathan White, Mick Kearney, Andrew Browne, John Muldoon, Willie Faloon, Eoin McKeon.
Replacements: Adrian Flavin, Denis Buckley, Ronan Loughney, TJ Anderson, George Naoupu, Paul O'Donohoe, Miah Nikora, Fetu'u Vainikolo


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Hey everyone,
so as we are only a week and a half away from wrestlemania ,I can't help but wonder who will leave as the champion of each division. (Ie: WWE, WHC, US, IC, Divas, Tag team) or maybe who is even in the running to hold the belt in the year coming. Which superstar deserves the shot along with the rest of the locker room who fits and who doesn't. Strap in and here we go.
Hey guys, I had a few thoughts and maybe it would be cool to get a big discussion going... here is what i was thinking how do you see it going
The wrestlemania season is in full swing and based on what we have seen so far ARE YOU EXCITED TO WATCH IT? I personally always do, I have since i was a kid (I'M 23) but this year just hasn't really grabbed my interest. Now i read multiple opinions
Hi guys once again I'm here to hopefully bring you a subject to talk about..... So here it goes.
FANDANGO ? now is it me or are the rest of you really sick of the vignettes and the last four supposed matches he didn't compete in (BECAUSE I AM). With that being said i have a few things i feel i need to say about the situation......
First off who's idea was it to create a dancing
Hey there everyone hope the weekend is treating you all well... so now on to the show. With the recent arrest of jack swagger (#1 contender WHC) there are now many things up in the air as to how the E will go about fixing the situation. Also this is not the first time an incident like this has occurred will the E lean from there mistakes or air on the side of business?
OK so MR. Swagger
HEY guys, whats up ? there is a big winter storm gearing up to slam us here in the north east i live in the MA. SO STAY SAFE EVERYONE!!!!!
I have been reading your guys predictions and dream cards for wrestlemania 29 & 30. to me there seems to be a few things up in the air as to what might be booked because anything can happen in the next 6 weeks or so. many people have been


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But the outlines of the mandate remain essentially the same, offering different levels of religious liberty to churches and ministries. An exemption from the mandate still doesn't reach much beyond the doors of a house of worship — covering only churches, associations of churches and religious orders.
The accommodation for religious charities, colleges and hospitals is effectively unchanged from the last version. While these institutions aren't required to pay directly for contraceptive coverage, they are forced to provide insurance that includes such coverage. It is a shell game useful only for those who want to deceive themselves. "The religious institutions are required by the government to give their workers an insurer," says Yuval Levin of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, "and that insurer is required by the government to give those workers abortive and contraceptive coverage, but somehow these religious employers are supposed to imagine that they're not giving their workers access to abortive and contraceptive coverage." …
It is a valid public health goal to promote the broad availability of contraception. But is a nearly universal mandate, imposed under threat of heavy fines, really the least restrictive method to achieve this objective? The administration has chosen to promote contraceptive access in the most heavy-handed way possible, then define the tightest exemptions it can get away with.
Now it is establishing a pattern of announcing revisions that include few substantive concessions. This strategy is clearly motivated by the courts, which have pressed for clarification on implementation of the mandate. Recent changes seem narrowly tailored to better withstand judicial scrutiny — without shifting the policy itself. Cosmetic concessions also have the benefit of dividing opposition to the mandate, providing cover for those in search of fig leaves.


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Local elections officials across the state are conducting post-election reviews to ensure that voting equipment counted accurately on Election Day.
In Minnesota's second-largest county by population, Ramsey County Elections Director Joe Mansky said after hand recounts in five precincts there was no change from their election night totals. He said that means there should be little change in a likely statewide recount of the governor's election.
"People were better at completely filling in the target this year," Mansky said. "That may well be the people paying attention to what was going on two years ago."
Democrat Mark Dayton unofficially leads Republican Tom Emmer by more than 8,700 votes - a small enough margin to trigger an automatic recount.


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The Fed Looks Poised for Timidity
In the minutes from the Federal Reserve's December meeting, the market keyed on one phrase -- that "several" members of the Federal Open Market Committee thought quantitative easing might have to be curtailed well before year-end. However, a new research note from Morgan Stanley's David Greenlaw suggests we should look elsewhere in that same report for the reason why. In the very beginning of the minutes, under the heading "Options for Continuation of Asset Purchases," we see the following discussion:
"In their discussion of the staff presentation, some participants asked about the possible consequences of the alternative purchase programs for the expected path of Federal Reserve remittances to the Treasury Department, and a few indicated the need for additional consideration of the implications of such purchases for the eventual normalization of the stance of monetary policy and the size and composition of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet."...905 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Just when I start thinking, yes, I am a badass city cyclist, something comes along to humble me. This is probably as it should be. My most recent lesson in humility was 8th Ave. South. I have always avoided this most direct route to downtown, preferring instead to go a couple of miles out of my way to take the Music Row bike lanes, since it's a steep climb on a busy road. But on Saturday I had a friend along who needed to go that way to get out of town (more about that later), and I figured it was a good time to try a new route.
I would post a picture of the hill I was facing, but they never look as bad as they feel. Let's just say it is the kind of hill that has a reservoir at the top of it, and a Civil War-era fort, and the climb lasted for at least three long city blocks. We made it to the top but I spent a lot more time in first gear than I expected to — and had to rest for at least a minute in front of the Scientology Center before moving on (luckily no one came out to recruit us).
But! It was all worth it when we got downtown and the Bat got her first glimpse of Elvis (yes, if you're wondering, he IS from Memphis, not Nashville — but we have kindly provided several statues for drunk tourists to pose inappropriately with).
On the way back, I detoured through Hillsboro Village for another meetup, going down Demonbruen and up Music Row, which provided more photo ops. Enjoy scenic Nashville!


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When I got up yesterday morning, this was the most popular video on YouTube.
It then had about 300,000 views. I went to the gym, worked out, came home, and it was still there, with 300,000 more views. By Saturday night, it had 2,285,415 views, and was still going strong. By 8:21 AM on Sunday, it had 3,703,441 views, and had knocked the trailers for several "big" summer movies out of the top spot. By Sunday afternoon, it had amassed 4,217,784 views, and by Sunday night, 5,461,489 views, and showed no signs of slowing down. As of Tuesday May 13th, it was still climbing, with an amazing 8,502,302 views. So what it is it?
It's 33 seconds of a rabbit, in close-up, eating some raspberries, so you can't say that it's inaccurately described. At least no one is getting killed, there isn't some horrible disaster, and perhaps that's the point – this rabbit doesn't know about any of this, and simply wants to eat some raspberries, even if she/he doesn't know what raspberries are – they're sure tasty!
Perhaps more than a century after the cinema was invented, we've gone back to the days of the Lumière Brothers, who simply photographed the world around them in static, one minute films with no camera movement, showing workers leaving their bicycle factory, or people walking in the park, or a baby having a snack – and why not? It's pure, simple, clear, and innocent.
When Andy Warhol first started making films in the early 1960s, with such titles as Eat (45 minutes of a man eating a mushroom), Sleep (6 1/2 hours of a man sleeping), Haircut (33 minutes of a man getting a haircut), to say nothing of his long series of several hundred 3 minute "screen tests," he was doing much the same thing.
Perhaps we've come full circle again, to meditate on real life.


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Fairfax County 4U
Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Sept. 21, 2005
"Fairfax County 4 U" Community Open House
Fairfax County human services agencies have teamed up to host the "Fairfax County 4 U" community open house on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for the residents of the greater Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Falls Church, Merrifield, Pimmit Hills and Seven Corners communities. The open house will be held at the Region 2 Human Services building located at 6245 Leesburg Pike in Falls Church and will focus on sharing information with residents about programs and services available in the county.
Agencies will have exhibits and literature available, as well as staff members who speak languages other than English, including Spanish, Somali, Urdu, Vietnamese and Korean. There will be entertainment, refreshments, giveaways, and games and other activities for children.
Participating agencies will include the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, Department of Community and Recreation Services, Department of Family Services, Department of Systems Management for Human Services, Falls Church SkillSource Center, Department of Fire and Rescue, Health Department, Fairfax County Public Library and numerous nonprofit service providers.
FASTRAN will sponsor free shuttle bus service to and from "Fairfax County 4 U" and Bailey's Day, an event sponsored by the Falls Church Rotary Club.
For more information about the "Fairfax County 4 U" event, shuttle bus service or to request reasonable ADA accommodations, contact Telly Whitfield at 703-533-5701, TTY 703-803-7914 or by e-mail at email@example.com.


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"Oleanna" by David Mamet
$19 Online/$23 At The Door
In this electric and controversial 2-character drama a seemingly innocent conversation between a student and teacher explodes into a game of sexual and academic politics.
A production that reveals the destructive power of words, explores gender misconceptions, and delivers an ending that will leave audiences reeling.
Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights
June 19-28/July 10-12
Directed by Erin Nicole Eggers
Featuring David Sapiro, Kendall Arbrand


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FREE UK Delivery on orders over £20
Browse our stylish and contemporary selection of soft lambswool throws, perfect for brightening up your interior space. Use them as blankets on beds and covers on couches or wear them as big chunky scarves on colder days, these soft home furnishings will bring warmth and happiness to all. Keep cosy this winter with our colourful selection of designer throws at Howkapow design and homeware shop, all woven to give a wonderfully luxurious feel. These textiles with their unashamedly bright and bold designs will make a statement in any home.


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Topic: Symptoms from biliary stents ?
My partner was diagnosed about 2 months ago. His only symptoms at the time were jaundice and itching. Since the first and second stent his has lots of new symptoms, painful bloating/cramps, pain in back, dehydration, inability to eat or drink much at any one time, and extreme weakness.
I'm wondering if these symptoms are connected to the stents, or show progression of the disease.
He is hoping to begin some kind of palliative chemo soon, since surgery has been ruled out. But I suspect the doctor will want him to be stronger before any treatment is started.
Any help from those with similar experiences would be appreciated.


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We help customers find a color scheme and style that best suits their personality. Our collection includes VT Live Colors, Flexa Whites, Flexa Colors and individually mixed paints. Whatever color our customers are looking for, we'll have it – and if not, we'll create it.
We want to inspire our customers and make it easier for them to get the look they want. So we support our range of paints with testers, color cards, color palettes and a Flexa magazine.
Flexa website
All sites
Copyright © 2016 Akzo Nobel N.V.


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This MSP Guide from Continuum discusses how emphasizing sales and capacity utilization builds and sustains MSP profitability. It includes information regarding the case for increased sales focus, the real managed services business model, 3 phases of MSP sales execution, positive dynamics of utilization tipping point, and what makes MSPs valuable.
The initial discussion of the case for increased sales focus looks at the importance of cash as the lifeblood of every business and how sales is what keeps the cash flowing. It covers two main reasons why a strong sales philosophy and organization are imperative. These reasons are:
This guide notes that managed services success isn't just creating a recurring revenue stream through service payments, but also adding on new accounts and utilizing current service capacity to make the investment worthwhile. It also states, "Thriving MSPs are those that stress their sales infrastructure and practices more than any other facet of their organization."
Download this MSP Guide from Continuum below to read more.


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get wise (to someone or something)(redirected from getting wise to her)
get wise (to someone or something)
To find out, become aware of, more fully understand, and/or no longer be deceived (by something or someone). I've been taking small supplies from the office for a long time, but I think the boss is getting wise. People are finally starting to get wise to the need for environmental protection.


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People who drank green tea retained more teeth, vitamin B12 reduced canker sores, and omega-3s lowered oral bacteria and dental disease, in several new studies.
In a green tea study, researchers reviewed dental data from 25,078 men and women, aged 40 to 64. Those who drank one to five cups of green tea per day were 20 percent less likely to lose a tooth compared to those who didn't drink green tea. Previous studies have shown green tea catechins inhibit oral bacteria.
In an oral health study, 58 people with recurrent canker sores took 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 per day or a placebo. After five months, compared to placebo, the vitamin B12 group had many fewer, much shorter canker sore outbreaks and much less pain. After six months, compared to 32 percent for placebo, 74 percent in the vitamin B12 group had no outbreaks.
Researchers in a lab study found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced the anti-bacterial activity of many oral pathogens by 50 percent. Doctors used eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosahexaenoic (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acids.
In another dental study, doctors measured the amount of omega-3s in the diets of 55 people, average age 74. During five years of follow up, those who consumed the most DHA were 33 percent less likely to develop periodontal disease compared to those who consumed the least. Doctors said DHA has anti-inflammatory properties, which curb bacteria that trigger inflammation, which can destroy the bone structure supporting teeth.


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The horse racing world is buzzing about an exhaustive study of horse breakdowns and jockey injuries detailed in the New York Times.
A state by state survey by the Times, this weekend, shows that about 3,600 horses died racing or training at tracks across the country over the past three years.
In Minnesota, at Canterbury Park, there were 3.2 incidents per 1,000 starts, that's fewer than most tracks nationwide.
The Times investigation also found lax enforcement of horse racing drug rules, with illegal and often legal drugs masking lameness in sore horses.
The racing industry pledged to clean up it's act after the televised breakdown of the filly Eight Belles in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Jeff Maday, a spokesman at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, talked with Minnesota Public Radio's Cathy Wurzer about the safety of horse racing here in Minnesota.


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The Basics
Banana Pudding (aliases: Nana's Pudding, Wafer Pudding) is an unassuming, delicious Southern staple featuring layers of rich, custardy vanilla pudding, crunchy vanilla wafers, and slices of banana. For special occasions, the dessert is often dressed up with a whipped cream or meringue topping.
Similar Desserts
Trifle, Tiramisu, Tipsy Cake, Zuppa Inglese, Banana Cream Pie
Key Ingredient Spotlight: Pudding
Part of the beauty of banana pudding is its simplicity: there's very little fuss to it. Each element of the dessert is delicious on its own so when combined, it's a geological excursion of sweetness. The key to taking banana pudding from church picnic favorite to a dessert worthy of curtsies is all in the preparation of the pudding. While it may be tempting, don't you dare go for the boxed stuff: the thick, supple nature of homemade pudding is the foundation on which the dessert rests and is the lynchpin to ensuring each of the ingredients mesh together properly. The box stuff simply just doesn't cut the mustard.
While some attempt to double up on banana flavor by using banana extract in the pudding, any purist will tell you this is unnecessary, and only leaves the dessert with an superfluously fake flavor (read: like a banana Laffy Taffy). A classic vanilla custard is the preferred variation.
Key City: New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans' role as a culinary gateway cannot be overstated, particularly when it comes to introducing exotic fruits to the United States. During the era when Standard Fruit imported through New Orleans, it was rumored that so many bananas were being shipped through the port that tourists would line up to watch them be unloaded.
The biggest debate over banana pudding stems from whether to pour the custard over the top of a vanilla wafer and banana slice stack or form sweet sedentary layers of pudding, banana, wafer, and—if you're feeling frisky—meringue. While the Napoleon-esque version appears to be the more popular south of the Mason Dixon line, the poured custard variety regularly pops up in recipes books from other parts of the country.
The grandfather of banana pudding is most likely the English trifle, which has a similar combination of pudding, fruit, and cookie spread into delicate layers. Bananas were a rare sight prior to the Civil War, when cargo carriers from the Caribbean began shipping this favorite fruit to the country through ports in New Orleans and Charleston. The banana's ties to the South are in large part due to these port cities as a point-of-entry. The fruit was quickly integrated into traditional custards and meringues, paving the way for the banana pudding we know and love today.
The first popularized versions of the dessert were recorded in cookbooks which came out back-to-back in 1902 (Mrs. Rorer's New Cook Book by Sarah Tyson Rorer) and 1903 (The Kentucky Receipt Book by Mary Harris Frazer). While incredibly similar in their preparation methods, neither of these versions contained wafers, despite the fact that Nabisco began producing their flagship sugar wafer in 1901. The addition of vanilla wafers became the final piece to the banana pudding puzzle in the 1960s. The rapid expansion of highway systems across the South allowed for greater mobility of produce like bananas, and Nabisco's marketing of Vanilla Wafers created the perfect storm for banana pudding's reign.
Pop Culture
The National Banana Pudding Festival—which has a precious logo featuring two bananas dancing in overalls—happens each year in Centerville, Tennessee. The two-day celebration features a pudding cook-off, pudding auction, Miss Banana Pudding pageant, and pudding path where festival goers can walk a delicious trail sampling different varieties of the dessert.
Want to try Banana Pudding at home? Get the recipe here.
About the author: Sarah Baird is a writer, editor, and petit four aficionado living in New Orleans, Louisiana. She likes planning elaborate dinner parties surrounded by her collection of dwarf citrus trees. You can read her latest musings and about her various misadventures on her website: hellosarahbaird.com or follow her on Twitter: @scbaird.


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For millions of hard-working, middle-class families, life during the Bush Administration has grown less affordable and less secure. Lower wages, fewer jobs, and skyrocketing costs for basic necessities like gas, health care, and college tuition are causing anxiety for millions of Americans. Moreover, years of misguided Bush-McCain fiscal policies and irresponsible lack of government oversight of Wall Street have caused a financial meltdown that is crippling the national and global economy and threatening the American Dream for nearly every American.
Though the fundamentals of our current economy are not strong, Senate Democrats believe that by first acknowledging and then addressing the many challenges facing hardworking Americans, those fundamentals will be strong again. Democrats are working for change, not more of the same, and, we invite Republicans to join us in moving the country in a new direction.
In addition to tightening the squeeze on families, Bush-McCain policies have made our entire nation less financially secure. Republicans increased our debt to over $9 trillion and have insisted on spending billions of dollars every year on budget-busting tax breaks for special interests and multi-millionaires. The Bush Administration also continues to compromise our economic security by increasing our reliance on foreign investment from China, Japan, and Dubai.
Middle-class families, and our nation, deserve better. Democrats are committed to protecting middle-class taxpayers, expanding educational opportunities, improving health and healthcare, providing more affordable and sustainable sources of energy, ensuring better pay and protections for working Americans, and restoring fiscal responsibility. Under Democratic leadership, the Senate has already passed:
· An economic stimulus package to boost the economy by providing rebate checks to eligible single, married, and elderly Americans, provide tax relief for American businesses, and help families avoid foreclosure by expanding financing opportunities;
· An emergency extension of UI benefits to respond to increasing long-term unemployment by providing an additional 13 weeks of UI for all workers and another 13 weeks of UI for workers in high unemployment areas (P.L. 110-252);
· Infrastructure investment legislation to prevent job loss and create new jobs by insuring the continuation of our nation's highway and bridge repair projects (P.L. 110-318, P.L. 110-244);
· Middle class and small business tax relief to invest in renewable energy innovation and green jobs; extend the child tax credit to more families; protect unintended American taxpayers from being hit by the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT); provide tax relief for teachers and students; and extend various other tax credits critical to the financial health and growth of American families and businesses during these uncertain economic times (H.R. 6049); and
· A bill to make college more affordable by increasing student aid for low- and middle-income students, providing over $20 billion in new student aid and benefits, and creating incentives for colleges to rein in tuition increases (P.L. 110-84, P.L. 110-315).
Moreover, for the second year in a row, Democrats have approved a balanced budget to restore fiscal responsibility and help promote the type of economic growth that provided so many benefits to middle-class families during the 1990s.
Middle-Class Families Squeezed By Skyrocketing Costs
Health care premiums have increased approximately 80 percent. The cost of family health insurance has skyrocketed nearly 80 percent since 2001.[1] This is compared to a 24 percent increase in overall inflation.[2] When premium growth outpaces increases in wages and inflation, workers typically have to spend a greater portion of their income each year in order to maintain coverage.[3] The average premium for a family of four rose to $12,680 in 2008, with the average family contribution of over $3,350.[4] From 2001 to 2008, the amount families pay out of pocket for their share of premiums has increased by approximately $1,550.[5]
Rising health care costs also jeopardize employer-sponsored coverage. When the cost of premiums increases, employers have more difficulty providing health coverage, and their workers have more difficulty affording their share of the cost. With the increased cost of premiums during the Bush Administration, there has been an erosion of employment-based health benefits. The percentage of non-elderly individuals with employment-based health benefits decreased from 68.4 percent in 2000 to 62.2 percent in 2007.[6] A significant cause of the increase in the number of uninsured Americans is this decline in the number of people receiving health coverage through their employer.[7] The number of uninsured Americans has increased by 7 million people since President Bush took office, from 38.7 million in 2000 to 45.7 million in 2007.[8] In 2007, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults, an estimated 116 million people, struggled to pay medical bills; went without needed care because of cost; were uninsured for a time; or were underinsured.[9] And given the weak economy, the number and percentage of uninsured can be expected to rise in 2008, and probably 2009[10] – the problems for Americans struggling with health care costs are only getting worse.
Gas prices have reached historic highs. Prices at the gas pump have jumped as much as 180 percentfrom$1.47 per gallon of regular gas the week President Bush took office in January 2001 to an all-time high of $4.11 in July.[11] Americans continued to feel pain at the pump at the end of September paying on average $3.64 per gallon of regular gasoline. The price for a barrel of oil has increased 370 percent during the Bush Administration from $31 in January 2001 to highs of $145 in July 2008.[12] At today's prices, the average household with children will spend about $4,143on transportation fuel costs in 2008, an increase of 118 percent or $2,240over 2001 costs.[13]
College education costs have risen by over 60 percent. Average tuition, fees, room and board costs at four-year private universities have increased by $10,067,from $22,240 in the 2000-2001 academic year to $32,307 in the 2007-2008 academic year.[14] Tuition, fees, room and board charges at four-year public colleges jumped from $8,439 for the 2000-2001 academic year to $13,589 for the 2007-2008 academic year – an increase of $5,150, or 61percent.[15]
The cost of a college education is rising faster than family income, but key federal tuition assistance programs such as the Pell Grant program have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of college. While the maximum Pell Grant covered 51 percent of the cost of tuition, fees, room, and board at a public four-year college during the 1986-1987 school year, it covered only about one-third of those costs in the 2005-2006 school year.[16]
Housing affordability remains pervasive problem. According to the Washington Post, "the scarcity of affordable housing is a deepening national crisis, and not just for inner-city families on welfare. The problem has climbed the income ladder and moved to the suburbs, where service workers cram their families into overcrowded apartments, college graduates have to crash with their parents, and firefighters, police officers and teachers can't afford to live in the communities they serve."[17]
The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University has predicted that housing affordability will continue to be a "pervasive problem."[18] Current data indicates that the percentage of median income spent on mortgage payments has risen from 18.6 percent in January 2001 to 21.1 percent in July 2008.[19] In addition, between 2004 and 2005, the number of households with housing cost burdens in excess of 30 percent climbed by 2.3 million, hitting a record 37.3 million in 2005."[20] According to the Center, "five years of stagnating or declining incomes have added to housing affordability problems"[21] and "the need to address housing affordability problems is intensifying as the pressures grow more acute and spread up the income scale."[22] Indeed, the Center for Housing Policy recently concluded that "[d]espite the housing slump, most middle income workers still don't earn enough to buy a median-priced home in their hometowns." Although home prices are coming down, "home costs were still too high for typical working people in most markets." Even when home ownership is possible, "[p]eople are having to stretch their wages from paycheck to paycheck, make sacrifices or move farther out [from their jobs] to afford housing."[23]
Meanwhile, there has been an alarming increase in foreclosures as subprime borrowers' loans reset to higher rates.[24] The number of homes facing foreclosure more than doubled in the first quarter of 2008 from a year earlier, "as weakening property values and tighter lending forced many homeowners to give up their homes."[25] Foreclosure filings were reported on 739,714 U.S. properties during the second quarter of 2008, a 121 percent increase from the second quarter of 2007. One in every 171 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing during the quarter.[26] In August, foreclosure filings increased by 12 percent over the previous month, and a 27 percent increase from August 2007.[27] According to the RealtyTrac report, "one in every 416 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing" in August. [28]
A recent report by the Pew Center estimates that one in 33 current U.S. homeowners will experience foreclosure in the next two years as a direct result of the subprime loans made in 2005 and 2006.[29] According to the Center for Responsible Lending , this is the failure of one out of every five (19 percent) subprime mortgages made in recent years, resulting in a projected 2.4 million foreclosures on homes purchased with subprime loans made during 1998-2006.[30] And the Wall Street Journal noted that "[t]he surprisingly high number of subprime loans among more credit-worthy borrowers shows how far such mortgages have spread into the economy – including middle-class and wealthy communities where they once were scarce."[31]
Subprime borrowers are not the only victims of this crisis. Even homeowners with strong credit, who are in safe, fixed-rate loans are suffering from the reduction in property values and home equity wealth that result from foreclosures within their neighborhood.[32] Entire communities, especially those that are already vulnerable to economic disruptions, are at significant risk. Moreover, the resulting credit crisis in the mortgage markets is making safe, affordable mortgages less available for aspiring homeowners or borrowers in need of a refinancing alternative. As a result, the American dream of owning a home is becoming less and less of a reality for millions of Americans and their families.
Middle-Class Families Squeezed By Declining Income and Fewer Job Opportunities
While families work harder, their wages continue to decline. Middle-class families are working harder and earning less today than they were at the start of the Bush Administration. Median household income, adjusted for inflation, has declined $333 from $50,566 in 2000 to $50,233 in 2007.[33]
During the last seven years under President Bush, the government's measure of take-home pay (median weekly earnings) increased by a mere 0.3 percent (adjusted for inflation), compared with 7.7 percent growth between 1989 and 2000 (the last comparable business cycle).[34] In April, "the government reported that average earnings slipped in March after accounting for the rising costs of food and fuel – the sixth consecutive month that pay failed to keep pace with inflation."[35]
Meanwhile, employment compensation has lagged behind productivity gains. While the productivity of the American worker (output per hour) rose by 20.7 percent between the fourth quarter of 2000 and the second quarter of 2008, average hourly compensation (wages plus benefits, adjusted for inflation) increased by only 7.7 percent during this period.[36]
Between the first quarter and second quarter of 2008, productivity in the non-farm business sector further improved by 4.3 percent, but real hourly compensation decreased by 1.3 percent.[37] In sum, Americans are working harder – and more productively – but are not receiving proportionally increased rewards for their hard work.
This is counter to historical trends: "Economic theory holds that when output per worker rises, so should wages , and hence living standards. In practice, that's what transpired so impressively in the United States during much of the last century. But recent data suggests that for many workers, the elixir has lost its potency…many observers contend that the link between productivity and pay is broken. Employees are working harder and smarter, they charge, but are reaping no reward for the extra effort."[38]
So who has benefited from these productivity gains? The New York Times reported that: "an outsized share of productivity growth, which expands the nation's total income, is going to Americans at the top of the income scale. In 2005…the top 1 percent of Americans – whose average annual income was $1.1 million – took in 21.8 percent of the nation's income, their largest share since 1929."[39] According to the Wall Street Journal, "[s]ince the end of the recession of 2001, a lot of the growth in GDP per person – that is, productivity – has gone to profits, not wages."[40] Economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded that: "[t]o the extent that the productivity growth 'explosion' of 2001-2004 was achieved by cost-cutting, layoffs, and abnormally slow employment growth…the historical link between productivity growth and higher living standards falls apart. Not only have the bottom 90 percent of American workers failed to keep up with productivity growth, many have been harmed by it."[41]
Earnings for workers with college degrees declining. The New York Times has observed that "a college degree does not ensure a bigger share of the economic pie for many graduates."[42] In addition, the Los Angeles Times reported that: "[w]age stagnation, long the bane of blue-collar workers, is now hitting people with bachelor's degrees for the first time in 30 years. Earnings for workers with four-year degrees fell 5.2 percent from 2000 to 2004 when adjusted for inflation, according to White House economists…Not since the 1970s have workers with bachelor's degrees seen a prolonged slump in earnings during a time of economic growth…trends for people with master's and other advanced degrees…have found that their inflation-adjusted wages were essentially flat between 2000 and 2004."[43] And, according to U.S. Census data, "the number of college graduates earning below the poverty line has more than doubled in the past 15 years to almost 6 million people."[44]
Job creation among the worst since Hoover Administration. A growing economy should be good news for those seeking jobs. But over the course of his term in office, President Bush is in a statistical dead heat with his father for the worst overall job creation record since Herbert Hoover more than 70 years ago.
Overall non-farm payroll employment has increased by just 5 million since President Bush took office in January 2001 compared with 22.7 million during the Clinton presidency.[45] Overall employment growth has averaged just 55,000 jobs per month under President Bush (or 0.5 percent per year)[46] – not even half of the 150,000 jobs needed each month to keep up with population growth. It was not uncommon to see monthly job gains of 300,000 and even 400,000 during economic expansions during the Clinton Administration.[47]
Private sector job creation has been especially poor during the Bush presidency, with only 3.4 million new non-governmental jobs created since 2001, an increase of only 0.4 percent per year.[48]
The Washington Times compared the slow job creation growth rate of private sector jobs under the "Bush era" with the 23 percent increase in private sector jobs during the Clinton presidency (an increase of more than 21 million new jobs).[49] The manufacturing sector, often the source of jobs with good pay and benefits, has lost 3.7 million jobs since the start of the Bush Administration.[50] Given the turbulence and uncertainty in the economy today, the pace of job creation is an ominous sign for future job creation for America's middle-class families.
The unemployment rate has increased 45 percent and long-term joblessness has nearly doubled. In part because of this failure to create a sufficient number of jobs, the national unemployment rate stands at 6.1 percent[51], 1.9 percentage points, or 45 percent, higher than the 4.2 percent rate when President Bush took office. This represents 9.4 million people who are officially counted as unemployed – over three million more people than were unemployed in January 2001.
Unfortunately, once they lose their job, America's workers also are staying unemployed longer.[52] Almost one in five (19.5 percent) had been unemployed for more than 26 weeks, an increase of 8.2 percentage points since President Bush took office (from 676,000 in January 2001 to 1.8 million in August 2008).[53] And this doesn't even count the Americans who have been discouraged from looking for work (to be counted as unemployed by the government, a person must be actively looking for work), but does count those who want to work full-time but can only find a part-time job. And "[t]he problem is ensnaring a broader swath of workers than before. Once concentrated among manufacturing workers and those with little work history, education or skills, long-term unemployment is growing most rapidly among white-collar and college-educated workers with long work experience."[54]
Bush's deficit-financed tax cuts have widened the income gap between millionaires and middle-class workers. Recently released data from the Internal Revenue Service indicates that the wealthiest one percent of Americans (with an average income of $1,316,000) earned 21.2 percent of all income while the bottom 50 percent earned only 12.8 percent of all income in 2005. A Wall Street Journal article entitled "Income-Inequality Gap Widens" observed that "[t]he richest Americans' share of national income has hit a postwar record, surpassing the highs reached in the 1990s bull market, and underlining the divergence of economic fortunes blamed for fueling anxiety among American workers."[55]
The Wall Street Journal has attributed the widening income gap to President Bush's tax policies: "[I]t appears that the highest-salaried workers – executives, managers and professionals – are widening their lead on the typical worker…The Bush tax cuts appear to have widened the income gap, according to many analyses."[56] The New York Times observed that IRS data "showed that over one-quarter of the investment tax cut savings went to just 11,433 taxpayers, (those who made $10 million or more) saving them almost $1.9 million each."[57] The Times also reported that a White House spokesman said that"the fact that nearly all of the growth in incomes was among those in the upper reaches of the income ladder and that the majority of investment tax breaks went to those making more than $1 million 'is not a very interesting story.'"[58] The St. Louis Post Dispatch summed it up: "The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy have thrown the federal budget deeper into deficit while doing little for ordinary Americans."[59]
In fact, President Bush's capital gains and dividends tax cuts will cost $2.349 trillion billion over ten years,[60] with most of the benefits going to the richest one percent of Americans.[61] In an analysis by the Tax Policy Center, economists found that the immediate effect of the Bush tax cuts has been "skewed in favor of those with high incomes," benefiting the most wealthy households the most.[62] In 2006, for example, "families making more than $1 million a year saw their after-tax income increase by 6 percent because of the tax cuts, while families making $40,000 to $75,000 saw after-tax income rise by about 2.5 percent."[63]
More American families and children face severe financial problems. In 2007, 37.3 million Americans were living in poverty,[64] an increase of 5.7 million over the 2000 level, the year before President Bush took office.[65]
The average annual increase in the poverty rate during President Bush's first term is second only to that during George H.W. Bush's administration and contrasts sharply
with the declines in the Clinton and Kennedy-Johnson Administrations.[66]
Poverty has hit America's children particularly hard. According to the latest Census report, almost one out of every six American children lives in poverty.[67] The number of children living in poverty increased 15.38 percent during the Bush Administration.[68]
Middle-Class Families Squeezed By Record Levels of Debt
Bush Republicans turned record budget surpluses into record deficits. President Bush inherited a unified budget surplus of $236 billion from President Clinton, the largest surplus in American history.[69] Budget surpluses were expected to continue for another ten years when President Bush took office in January 2001.[70] By 2002, however, the unified federal budget had returned to a deficit of $160 billion and has since reached historic highs.[71] Last year, the budget deficit was $163 billion, or 1.2 percent of GDP.[72]
Bush Republicans, addicted to borrowing, increased the national debt by over $3 trillion. President Bush is the most fiscally irresponsible American president, having presided over the largest explosion of debt in our nation's history. Every year since taking office, President Bush requested that Congress increase the statutory debt limit, resulting in a $3.2 trillion, or 57 percent, increase.[73] At the end of 2007, the federal debt was $9.0 trillion,[74] or nearly $30,000 for every man, woman, and child in America.[75] The public debt currently stands at $9.6 trillion.[76]
Enormous trade deficit is undermining U.S. competitiveness. In 2007, the annual U.S. trade deficit was $708.5 billion – twice the size of the trade deficit in 2000, the year before George Bush took office.[77] For July 2008, the Commerce Department reported a monthly trade deficit of $62.2 billion – when George Bush took office in January 2001, the monthly trade deficit stood at $33.3 billion.[78] As troubling, our trade in Advanced Technology Products, a strong indicator of U.S. competitiveness, which was in surplus as recently as 2001, experienced an annual deficit of more than $53 billion in 2007, and a monthly deficit of $3.34 billion in February 2008.[79]
Debt owed to foreigners climbs to record levels. In order to finance record budget deficits, the United States has had to borrow at unprecedented rates from foreigners. As of September 2007, the United States had accumulated $1.4 trillion more in debt to foreigners than this country had accumulated in its first 224 years.[80] By contrast, during the last three years of the Clinton Administration, the United States paid off more than $200 billion in debt to foreigners.[81]
Record government and personal debt levels threaten economic future. Record federal deficits and debt create record interest costs for Americans. In 2006, interest costs on the federal debt amounted to $405.9 billion and this figure will grow to $645 billion by 2017.[82] Personal debt levels have also reached a modern record. The Washington Post noted that "[f]lat wages and rising debt nationally have converged to leave millions of middle-class households feeling acutely vulnerable to bumps in their financial planning."[83] According to the Federal Reserve, last year the ratio of financial obligations to disposable personal income reached an all-time high since the data was first collected in 1980.[84] The ratio, which accounts for mortgage, consumer, and other obligations, has remained high. In the first quarter of 2008, 19.15 percent of disposable income was spent on debt.[85] Meanwhile, "American consumers are holding debt in growing numbers and in larger amounts than ever,"[86] and "[m]ore Americans have fallen behind on consumer loans than any time in nearly 16 years ,as credit problems once concentrated in mortgages spread into other forms of debt."[87]
Average student loan debt soared to more than $19,000. Interest rates for Stafford student loans have risen substantially over the past three years, from 3.4 percent to 7.14 percent for outstanding loans and 6.8 percent on new loans.[88] As a result, loan payments will be considerably higher for students taking out new loans and for those who did not consolidate loans in recent years. Without adequate federal grants funding, students and their parents must rely more on student loans to finance their college educations. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, more than 60 percent of college seniors graduate with debt, with an average $19,200 in debt per graduate.[89] And, according to the Institute for Public Policy and Higher Education, 31 percent of the median family income is needed to pay for one year at a four-year public college after financial aid.[90]
Erosion of employer-provided pensions threatens Americans' retirement security. Workers' retirement planning once took place primarily within the context of the employment relationship: workers committed a certain number of years to the company and the company committed to providing retirement income. This is no longer the case. The movement from defined benefit to defined contribution plans has meant that workers are increasingly responsible for ensuring adequate income during their retirements – it has also meant that these workers solely bear the investment risks.
Workers should be able to count on retirement promises made by their employers. An analysis by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the federal entity created by Congress to protect employee pensions, determined that nearly ten percent of pension plans halted benefit accruals in 2003 alone, the latest year for which complete data is available. According to PBGC Executive Director Bradley Belt, anecdotal evidence suggests that this number has been even higher since then. A study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that, in the past two years, over one-third of surveyed companies froze their pensions and another one-third will be looking to close or freeze their pensions in the next two years.[91] EBRI showed that the percentage of workers who said they were "very confident about having enough money for retirement" decreased from 27 percent to 19 percent – the sharpest one-year drop in 18 years.[92]
Moreover, recent investor surveys and research indicates that there is a troubling racial disparity in the participation rates in 401(k) plans and retiree savings, suggesting that "the decline of pensions may disproportionately affect blacks" and other people of color.[93] One company found that "race was a more powerful predictor of an employee's retirement plan activity than age, gender, work experience or income."[94] This can also be true for blue-collar workers, who are at greater financial risk as a result of the shift in their retirement from defined benefit to defined contribution.
Even individuals who invest their retirement savings may not experience sufficient growth to retire comfortably. Someone who invested in a recommended 401(k) account indexed to the S&P 500 the day before President Bush was sworn into office in 2001 would have lost money (after accounting for inflation) if they withdrew those funds this month. The New York Times observed that "the simple price return [on the S&P 500] so far in this decade is the worst since the 1930s, when the Great Depression occurred. But the inflation-adjusted figure for total return is actually worse than the 1930s."[95] When adjusted for inflation,[96] the S&P 500 has actually declined by 10.09 percent between January 19, 2001 and September 22, 2008.[97] A columnist recently expressed concern that "…the most widely-watched domestic market benchmark [the S&P 500] is back below where it was in February 2000…Baby Boomers [who are] planning to dip soon into their life savings are quickly running out of time to recoup their losses."[98] The Los Angeles Times summed it up: "As Americans increasingly link their well-being to financial markets, the possibility of recession and a slump on Wall Street has taken on new meaning for the middle class, including baby boomers who are approaching retirement age."[99] The result? "[M]any aging Americans are delaying retirement, electing labor over leisure in uncertain times."[100]
[1] The average annual premium cost for family health coverage in 2008 is $12,680, compared with $7,063 in 2000. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2001 Employer Health Benefits Survey Report, available here; The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust, September 2008, available here .
[2] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator, available here;
[3] The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, August 2007.
[4] The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust, September 2008, available here.
[5] The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust, September 2008; and The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Health Research & Educational Trust, News Release (September 6, 2001).
[6] Employee Benefit Research Institute, September 2008.
[7] Employee Benefit Research Institute, October 2007.
[8] U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 (August 2008), available here; U.S. Census Bureau, Health Insurance Coverage: 2000 (September 2001), available here.
[9] Commonwealth Fund, August 2008.
[10] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 2008.
[11] Energy Information Administration, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices (updated September 28, 2008), available here (see historical data for 2001 numbers).
[12] Energy Information Administration, Spot Prices for Crude Oil (updated June 8, 2008), available S.1_m.htm">here.
[13] Calculations based on data available from Energy Information Administration, Household Vehicle Energy Use: Latest Data and Trends; Short Term Energy Outlook (November 2007), available here, Household Vehicles Energy Use: Data Tables, Table A2 (released November 2005), available here.
[14] The College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2007, available here.
[15] Id.
[16] Analysis of Department of Education data contained in U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, "A New Commitment to Students and Families: Opening the Door to College for All" at 2.
[17] Michael Grunwald, "The Housing Crisis Goes Suburban," Washington Post at B01 (August 27, 2006).
[18] Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, The State of the Nation's Housing 2007 at 19 (June 11, 2007), availableS.On2007/S.On2007.pdf">here.
[19] National Association of Realtors, Housing Affordability Index data.
[20] Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, The State of the Nation's Housing 2007 (June 11, 2007) at 1, availableS.On2007/S.On2007.pdf">here. Housing cost burdens measure the share of income devoted to housing, including rent or mortgage payments, utilities, property insurance, and property taxes. Traditionally, housing is considered affordable if it accounts for less than 30 percent of income. Housing cost burdens of between 30 and 50 percent are considered moderate, while those of 50 percent or more are severe." U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Homeownership Experience of Low-Income and Minority Families (February 2006) at 30, available here.
[21] Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, The State of the Nation's Housing 2007 (June 11, 2007) at 26, availableS.On2007/S.On2007.pdf">here.
[22] Id. at 30.
[23] Les Christie, "Most Middle Class Still Can't Buy a House," CNNMoney.com (January 31, 2008), available here.
[24] See e.g. Joint Economic Committee, "Sheltering Neighborhoods from the Subprime Foreclosure Storm" (June 22, 2007), available here.
[25] Alex Veiga, Homes Facing Foreclosure More than Doubled in Q1, Associated Press (April 29, 2008). RealtyTrac, Foreclosure Activity up 14 Percent in Second Quarter, (July 25, 2008), available here.
[26] RealtyTrac, Foreclosure Activity Increases 12 Percent in August (September 12, 2008), available here.
[27] Id.
[28] Alan Zibel, "Foreclosure Filings Continue to Rise Homeowners Need More Help, Critics Say" Washington Post; D03. (June 6, 2008).
[29] Pew Charitable Trusts, Defaulting on the Dream (April 16, 2008), available here.
[30] Center for Responsible Lending, "Subprime Lending: A Net Drain on Homeownership," CRL Issue Paper No. 14 (March 2, 2007), available here.
[31] Rick Brooks and Ruth Simon, Subprime Debacle Traps Even Very Credit-Worthy, Wall Street Journal at A1 (December 3, 2007).
[32] "The fall in home prices has cut into Americans' home equity and forced many to grapple with mortgages now worth more than the house itself." Michael M. Grynbaum, Consumer Confidence Slips as Home Prices Drop, New York Times (April 29, 2008).
[33] U.S. Census Bureau, Income 2000, available here; Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 (August 2008), Figure 1 (in 2007 dollars), available here.
[34] Joint Economic Committee analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted, available here.
[35] Peter Goodman, Workers Get Fewer Hours, Deepening the Downturn, New York Times (April 18, 2008).
[36] Joint Economic Committee analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (September 5, 2008), available here.
[37] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Productivity and Costs, available here.
[38] Edward Teach, "A Productive Debate," CFO Magazine (December 31, 2006), available here.
[39] Editorial, "Economic Life After College," New York Times at A18 (June 11, 2007).
[40] Greg Ip, "Wages Fail to Keep Pace With Productivity Increases, Aggravating Income Inequality," Wall Street Journal at A2 (March 27, 2006).
[41] Ian Dew-Becker and Robert J. Gordon, Where Did the Productivity Growth Go? Inflation Dynamics and the Distribution of Income (December 2005) at 62, available here.
[42] Editorial, "Economic Life After College," New York Times at A18 (June 11, 2007).
[43] Molly Hennessy-Fiske, "That Raise Might Take 4 Years to Earn as Well: Those with bachelor's degrees are finding their incomes stagnate despite a growing economy," Los Angeles Times at A1 (July 24, 2006).
[44] AP, "College degree may not be enough to protect against poverty" (April 29, 2007).
[45] Joint Economic Committee analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (September 5, 2008), available here. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National), Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail (preliminary) (June 6, 2008), available here.
[46] Id. See also Editorial, "Job Figures in Context," Washington Times (July 23, 2007), available here.
[47] See e.g., Speech of Gary H. Stern,President, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Perspectives on the Economy (March 29, 2007), available here.
[48] Joint Economic Committee analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (September 5, 2008), available here.
[49] Id. See also Editorial, "Job Figures in Context," Washington Times (July 23, 2007), available here.
[50] Id. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industry at a Glance, available here.
[51] Id.
[52] Conor Dougherty, "How Job Report May Be Masking Labor Pains," Wall Street Journal at C1 (September 7, 2007).
[53] Joint Economic Committee analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (September 5, 2008), available here. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, Table A-12, available here.
[54] Michael A. Fletcher, "Highly Skilled and Out of Work: Long-Term Joblessness Spreads in Middle Class," Washington Post at A01 (January 21, 2008).
[55] Greg Ip, "Income-Inequality Gap Widens," Wall Street Journal (October 12, 2007).
[56] Greg Ip, "Wages Fail to Keep Pace With Productivity Increases, Aggravating Income Inequality," Wall Street Journal at A.2 (March 27, 2006).
[57] David Cay Johnson, "2005 Incomes, on Average, Still Below 2000 Peak," New York Times (August 21, 2007).
[58] Id.
[59] St. Louis Post Dispatch, "Falling Behind Dad" (May 30, 2007).
[60] Citizens for Tax Justice, The Bush Tax Cuts: The Latest CTJ Data (March 2007) at 2, available here.
[61] Id. [based on income group].
[62] Greg Leiserson and Jeffrey Rohaly, "The Distribution of the 2001-2006 Tax Cuts: Updated Projections, November 2006," The Tax Policy Center (November 15, 2006), available here.
[63] Michael Abramowitz and Lori Montgomery, "Bush Addresses Income Inequality," The Washington Post at A04 (February 1, 2007), citing "The Distribution of the 2001-2006 Tax Cuts: Updated Projections," supra.
[64] Joint Economic Committee analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (September 5, 2008), available here.
[65] Id. U.S. Census Bureau, CPS 2000 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, POV01 (December 11, 2001), available here.
[66] Joint Economic Committee analysis of data maintained by the Bureau of the Census and U.S. Department of Commerce from 1959-1995.
[67] U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 (August 2008), available here.
[68] U.S. Census Bureau, CPS 2000 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, POV02 (December 11, 2001), available here.
[69] President Bush's Budget for Fiscal Year 2002, A Blueprint for New Beginnings at 201(February 28, 2001), available here.
[70] Id. at 7.
[71] Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, FY2009 Historical Tables (February 4, 2008) available here.
[72] Joint Statement of the Department of Treasury and Office of Management and Budget on Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2007 (October 11, 2007), available here.
[73] Philip D. Winters, "The Debt Limit: The Ongoing Need for Increases," Congressional Research Service Pub. No. RL31967 (updated March 21, 2006).
[74] President's Budget; U.S. Department of the Treasury, "The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It," available here.
[75] Associated Press, "U.S. debt: $30,000 per American" (December 3, 2007), available here; U.S. Department of Treasury, The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It, available here.
[76] President's Budget; U.S. Department of the Treasury, "The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It," (updated April 25, 2008) available here.
[77] U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Foreign Trade Statistics, U.S. Trade in Goods and Services – Balance of Payments (BOP) Basis, available here.
[78] U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: July 2008 (September 11, 2008), available here and U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: January 2001 (March 20, 2001), available here.
[79] U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Advanced Technology Product Data, available here.
[80] U.S. Department of Treasury, Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities (updated January 16, 2008), available here and here.
[81] Id.
[82] Congressional Budget Office (August 2007).
[83] Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Chris Cillizza, "'Mortgage Moms' May Star in Midterm Vote; With Wages Stagnant and Debt Growing, Democrats See an Opportunity," Washington Post at A01 (September 5, 2006).
[84] The Federal Reserve, Household Debt Service and Financial Obligations Ratios (updated June 10, 2008), available here.
[85] Id.
[86] Increasing consumer Debt Level Raises Bankruptcy Filings, St. Louis Fed Reports, BNA Daily Report for Executives (April 9, 2008).
[87] Jonathan Stempel, Late Payments on Consumer Loans at 16-year high, USA Today (April 3, 2008).
[88] David P. Smole, "Stafford Loan Interest Rate Reduction: Background and Issues," Congressional Research Service Pub. No. RS22568 (July 20, 2007).
[89] The Institute for College Access and Success (2006), based on an analysis of data from the Department of Education, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (2004) cited in "A New Commitment to Students and Families: Opening the Door to College for All" prepared by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (July 2007) at 12.
[90] The Institute for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education cited in "A New Commitment to Students and Families: Opening the Door to College for All" prepared by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (July 2007) at 11.
[91] Jack VanDerhei, Retirement Income Adequacy after PPA and FAS 158: Part One – Plan Sponsors' Reactions, Employee Benefit Research Institute (July 2007), available here.
[92] Nancy Trejos, Bleaker Hopes for a Good Retirement, Washington Post at D01 (April 8, 2008).
[93] Daniel Sorid, "Blacks Retirement Security at Risk," AP (October 11):
- "Exelon Corp., the country's largest operator of nuclear power plants, discovered this year that about 15 out of every 100 black employees did not participate in its 401(k) plan, compared with around 10 of every 100 whites. It also found that one in three black employees contributed less than 5 percent of their pay to the plan, compared to just 14 percent of whites."
- "A survey by Charles Schwab Corp. and Ariel Mutual Funds concludes that four in 10 African Americans with household incomes of $50,000 or more have no money in stocks, compared to just one quarter of whites."
- "Ariel's survey also found blacks who enrolled in retirement plans save a median $173 a month while whites save $252."
- "A separate survey of retirees found whites are nearly twice as likely to have $100,000 or more saved than blacks, even when education, peak income level and other factors are held constant."
[94] Id.
[95] Floyd Norris, Not the Decade to Shopping with a Wallet Full of Stocks, New York Times (September 8, 2007).
[96] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator, available here.
[97] The closing price of the S&P 500 on January 19, 2001 was $1,342.54, or $1,600.13 in 2008 dollars On September 22, 2008, the price close was $1,207.09 See Yahoo! Finance, S&P 500 Index, Historical Prices, available here.
[98] Mike Ivey, "Not watching is best market advice," The Capital Times (January 22, 2008) available here.
[99] Jonathan Peterson and Walter Hamilton, "High anxiety for 401(k) investors," Los Angeles Times (January 30, 2008), available here.
[100] Jennifer Levitz, Americans Delay Retirement as Housing, Stocks Swoon, Wall Street Journal (April 1, 2008), available here.