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The excellent John Fund has a piece in the WSJ Opinion Journal in which he argues that the Clintons are hurting the Democrats by "crowding out" and "inhibiting the development" of fresh, electable presidential candidates. Fund cites the grievance to this effect voiced by Democratic commentator and one-time Dukakis campaign manager Susan Estrich. To me this grievance is lame. The failure of the Democratic presidential contenders to impress has little if anything to do with the Clintons. In my opinion it stems from the fact that (1) few contenders seem impressive at this stage of the cycle (think of Bush in 1999 and Clinton himself in 1991) and (2) in this case the contenders are, for the most part, not very impressive. To blame the Clintons for the failure of the phlegmatic John Kerry to light any fires strikes me as absurd, but characteristic of Estrich, who probably still thinks that Dukakis lost because of Willie Horton.
Fund also cites Estrich's opinion that Hillary Clinton is unelectable. I disagree. In the post-9/11 environment (which may or may not endure) seriousness counts. Unlike most Democrats, Ms. Clinton is serious and seems to be working diligently in the Senate to become even more so. I think liberal and swing voters might well trust her more than any other Democrat to mend the economy and fight terrorism. Frankly, I would trust her more than almost any other Democrat on the terrorism front. Accordingly, in a "crisis" election, I think that Hillary is electable.
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"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell


text:
I've neglected my blog. I admit it. Hopeless neglect.
It's not for a shortage of material: I've had event reports, analyses, and opinions ready to go but abandoned due to an obsessively dedication to coding various Strava projects. Any project has a deadline, written or otherwise. Get it done or other priorities will displace it, it gets pushed to the back burner of good intentions, and there it will congeal, momentum lost, trajectory forgotten. I desparately didn't want that to happen, so I've been trying to squeeze every available snippet of time into getting the thing up and running. Unfortunately "snippets of time" aren't the best way to make coherent progress on tasks of any complexity. A day or two of dedicated work is far better than even a month of 30 minute bursts. It's why the "hack-a-thons" are popular: 24 hours straight of total focus can actually accomplish something.
So I've not gotten past the unanticipated hurdles as gracefully as I'd have liked. Some of this has had to do with pecularities with the Strava API. But I've also committed my share of bugs.
Anyway, this past Wednesday I did the noon ride with my PowerTap. This has been a rare occurrance for me: I rarely make the time for the Wednesday Noon Ride, since it results in a 2 1/4 hour lunch. But even when I do make it, I usually have my Ritchey Breakaway with conventional rear clincher wheel due to the random tribulations of strapping bikes onto the crowded racks of Caltrain. Nicked spokes and chipped clearcoat are SOP.
Despite having felt under the weather, including digestive discomfort, and clogged ears and sinuses, I cashed in some of my 2.5 week investment of lunch-at-the-desk for a Wednesday nooner. For a bit last year the Wednesday Nooner had been a rare warmup-plus-race-up-OLH affair, very nice for chasing good times there, but the two times I've done it this year it's been definitely on the friskier side up Alpine Road.
I hit the base of the climb in good position. XXXXX set a really strong pace right away, and I slotted in to follow. But within a short time it became clear that the this pace was going to be unsustainable. I looked at my power meter and was seeing well on the wrong side of 300 watts. I like to believe I can average 280 to 290 watts up Old La Honda on an optimal day, but given the variable grade, that means on steeper portions I've got to see 300 to 320. However, this was too high, so I slotted it back.
As I let the gap open, YYYY then caught me and shouted something to me. I wasn't sure what he said, but as he rode past he repeated: he wanted to know if I was intending to follow the leader. No, I told him -- "too many watts".
So I slowed it back down and tried to ride my own pace the rest of the way. Near the top I started to feel myself unravel. It became increasingly difficult to keep my power at 280 watts or higher. I felt like I was losing more when the grade lessoned, slumping into the low-200 watt range rather than accelerating to accomplish the lower grade. This caused me to desparately try to compensate when it got steeper. The clock was ticking.
I wasn't the only once suffering. XXXX appeared up the road, clearly paying for early enthusiasm. I passed him, hopeful YYYY wasn't much further. But he was long gone.
But I managed to reach the end game before total melt-down. In the final few hundred meters I always find a way to crank it to the next zone, since "sustainability" is no longer an issue. And I finished.
My Garmin showed 17:59 when I crossed the line. This was almost 1.5 minutes slower than the PR I set back in December. I felt crappy, drained, a bit sick to my stomach. I was probably slightly dehydrated, I decided. I'd been feeling bloated lately, and the extra weight from that isn't good for time. But of course for power it's not a direct factor.
I was curious how my power compared with historical efforts. Power meters drift, and it's been a long while since I checked my Powertap, so I wouldn't place too much faith in long-term coomparisons. But it was obvious the early pace was higher, relative to my final average, was high. I arguably could have produced a higher final average power with a more measured early pace. But still, I can't complain. My power story was quite competitive with historical data.
I turned and descended Old La Honda Road. Mark Johnson caught and passed me on the descent as I was putting on my jacket. He continued to gain time on me the rest of the descent, I am uncomfortable with the combination of narrow road, many blind corners, and huge uphill cycling traffic tempting upward car drivers to the wrong side of the road. But Mark waited at the bottom, and led me most of the way around the loop. Finally, though, I succumbed to his pace, and cruised back to the office. I was cooked. On Thursday I didn't feel much better, and on Friday I could barely eat. Ah, well... things can't always go well.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Less than a century ago, the bright arc of our Milky Way was thought to contain all the stars in the universe. But, astronomers were perplexed by a cigar-shaped object in the autumn sky called the Andromeda nebula. Some astronomers thought it was another galaxy like our Milky Way. It too had a flattened-disk shape. But how far away was it? In the early 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble photographed the nebula in detail. He found a pulsating star hidden deep in one of its spiral arms. Edwin Hubble used it to calculate the distance to the Andromeda nebula. This showed it was far beyond our Milky Way. Andromeda in fact was really a separate galaxy. The Hubble Space Telescope has recently observed the star as a tribute to the landmark discovery.
NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay, G. Bacon, and M. Estacion (STScI);
Image: A. Mellinger (Central Michigan University), T. Rector (University of Alaska, Anchorage), Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), STScI/AURA, Palomar/Caltech, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Publication: May 23, 2011


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The first volleys of the next roller coaster revolution have been fired in the forested Idaho panhandle, the emerging epicenter of thrill ride innovation.
Located in the small town of Hayden, Idaho, Rocky Mountain Construction has burst onto the ride manufacturing scene seemingly out of nowhere, shaking the theme park industry like a rumbling coaster train rocketing along a rickety old track with plans to build two looping wooden coasters in 2013.
> Photos: Rocky Mountain and the history of looping wooden coasters
Not since the coaster wars of the 1980s and '90s have the possibilities for thrill rides, new and revamped, seemed so promising.
"It's a huge breakthrough," said Rocky Mountain owner Fred Grubb. "We're barely tapping what we can and can't do."
A carpenter and welder by trade, the 53-year-old Grubb got his start in the ride manufacturing business in the 1980s as the in-house coaster maker for Idaho's Silverwood Theme Park, building Tremors and Timber Terror with Custom Coasters International. In 2006, Grubb teamed with Intamin on El Toro, an award-winning wooden coaster with a prefabricated track at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
But it wasn't until last year that Rocky Mountain roared into coaster consciousness with it's groundbreaking work restoring and rethinking the 1990 Texas Giant wooden coaster at Six Flags Over Texas, awarded the Golden Ticket award by Amusement Today as the best new ride of 2011.
Then came announcements that caused the jaws of coaster enthusiasts to drop, with Rocky Mountain unveiling plans to add a barrel roll to the 1992 Rattler wooden coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and to build the triple-inversion Outlaw Run wooden coaster at Missouri's Silver Dollar City.
Now the phone is ringing off the hook in tiny Hayden, Idaho.
"We have plenty of work," Grubb said. "Our docket's full. We'll probably continue to expand."
> Photos: Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City | Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
A looping wooden coaster has been the Holy Grail of coaster fans for decades, who had their hopes dashed when Kings Island built the Son of Beast wooden terrain coaster in 2000 only to remove the vertical loop a few years later. After a series of injury accidents, the Ohio amusement park has begun tearing down the ride entirely after letting it sit idle since 2009.
Rocky Mountain stepped into the void with the introduction of a hybrid coaster design that combines a steel track with a wooden structure that has enlivened a genre-bending debate about whether to call the revolutionary new ride a wooden or steel coaster.
"I don't consider Iron Rattler or New Texas Giant to be wooden coasters," said Duane Marden, who runs the venerable Roller Coaster DataBase website. "They could be called hybrid or steel, but definitely not wood. Outlaw Run is closer to a wooden coaster."
Indeed, Amusement Today just named New Texas Giant the fifth best "steel" coaster in the world.
Robb Alvey, who runs the Theme Park Review fan site, answers the "Is it wood or steel?" debate with another question: "Does it matter?"
Alvey calls the New Texas Giant "fantastic" and describes anticipation for Iron Rattler and Outlaw Run as "through the roof."
A Theme Park Review trip in August to all three of the Rocky Mountain coasters is already racking up reservations.
"Whatever those guys at Rocky Mountain are doing, they are doing it right," Alvey said. "Two out of three of their rides are still under construction and we have people from literally all over the world who are signing up to ride them."
For his part, Grubb refuses to join the debate for fear of stoking fires in Internet chat rooms, although he acknowledges most casual theme park visitors will view his Frankenstein creations as wooden coasters.
Rocky Mountain has funneled the spoils of their newfound success back into the fledgling company with the addition of a $2 million shop in Hayden, allowing Grubb to build his own coaster trains with steel rather than polyurethane wheels.
Long a staple of amusement parks worldwide, wooden coasters fell out of favor with the emergence of modern steel coasters in the 1960s and looping inversions in the 1970s. A resurgence of wooden coasters in recent decades brought few innovations but plenty of headaches for parks that spent dearly keeping the high-maintenance rides from falling into disrepair.
Rocky Mountain's innovations utilized steel reinforcements to supplement wooden tracks typically held together by only nails, bolts and cross braces. The company's patent pending Topper Track (which replaces the top two layers of wooden track with steel rail) and Iron Horse treatment (which replaces the entire wooden track stack with a steel box) essentially function as rigid steel clamps around a flexible wooden frame.
"It's industry changing," Grubb said. "It's revolutionary."
The result is a smoother and faster ride that replicates the rambling and rumbling sensation of a wood coaster without the roughness that develops as the timber structure flexes with advancing age and weather fluctuations.
The iron exoskeleton also allowed Rocky Mountain engineer Alan Schilke to introduce steel coaster-like near-vertical drops, over-banked turns and barrel roll inversions to the wooden coaster vocabulary.
Schilke, who devised the Iron Horse track with Grubb, made his mark in the industry with his design for the prototype fourth dimension X coaster at California's Six Flags Magic Mountain while working for ride manufacturer Arrow Dynamics.
New York's Coney Island was home to several early looping coasters, including the 1901 Loop-the-Loop. Revolution, the first modern vertical looping coaster, opened in 1976 at Magic Mountain. The Corkscrew by Arrow Dynamics debuted the year before at nearby Knott's Berry Farm.
Rocky Mountain has been refurbishing aging Six Flags wooden coasters for several years, but it wasn't until the amusement park chain's Arlington, Texas park reopened the New Texas Giant in 2011 that the coaster community took notice of Rocky Mountain.
Originally built by Dinn Corporation in 1990, the $10-million rehabilitation of the New Texas Giant added a 79-degree first drop and beyond vertical banked turns along with a million pounds of steel via Rocky Mountain's Iron Horse treatment.
Coaster fanatics are eagerly awaiting the summer 2013 debut of the world's only inverted wooden coasters: Iron Rattler and Outlaw Run.
"The ride is completely different," Grubb said. "It's smooth as smooth can get."
The 1992 Rattler wooden coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas will be reborn as the Iron Rattler hybrid coaster with the Rocky Mountain Iron Horse treatment. The remade ride will remove the cliff-top triple helix while adding a barrel roll inversion and four beyond-vertical banked turns.
The $10-million Outlaw Run hybrid wood-steel coaster at Missouri's Silver Dollar City will feature a double barrel roll, a 153-degree over-banked turn and nine airtime hills along with Rocky Mountain Topper Track. The coaster also marks the debut of the new Rocky Mountain trains, which will reach 68 mph (the second fastest of any wooden coaster in the world) after descending an 81-degree first drop (the steepest of any wooden coaster in the world).
So if Rocky Mountain can build a wooden coaster with a barrel roll, might we eventually see a vertical loop, cobra roll, hammerhead, Immelmann loop or top hat element? Or possibly a launched, spinning, suspended, stand-up or winged wooden coaster?
"We feel we can put all the tricks in that steel coasters have," Grubb said. "Of course, we haven't developed them yet, but the potential is there. We talk about all kinds of different things."
According to Grubb, Rocky Mountain is in discussions about additional projects with Six Flags, which runs 13 amusement parks in North America, and Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or manages five U.S. parks: Silver Dollar City (Missouri), Dollywood (Tennessee), Darien Lake (New York), Wild Adventures (Georgia) and Elitch Gardens (Colorado).
Although Grubb refused to announce any park names or ride details, he did say Rocky Mountain has multiple projects planned for spring 2014.
Roller Coaster Database's Marden was decidedly less shy about picking his top candidates for Rocky Mountain makeovers: Cedar Point's Mean Streak, Six Flags Magic Mountain's Colossus, Knott's Berry Farm's Ghostrider, Busch Gardens Tampa's Gwazi, Wild Adventures' Cheetah and the Boss at Six Flags St. Louis.
Only time will tell what's next for Rocky Mountain, even if Grubb won't: "No comment," he said with a laugh.
> Follow the Los Angeles Times Funland theme park blog on Twitter, Facebook and Google+


text:
There's nothing like getting a deal on exclusive labels. With that in mind, Affluent Goods boutique has opened at Newport Coast Shopping Center.
Cleveland native Abbey Said, 28, dreamed up the concept. Consignment shop Affluent Goods sells new and some gently used designer clothing, handbags, accessories and shoes. The boutique carries brands such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Fendi, Louboutin, Hermes and Prada.
"I always wanted to have my own boutique," she said, adding that she felt there was a need for such a shop in the area. "It's a fun addition to this area and the shopping center we're in."
She said she checks all items to ensure authenticity and also works with the brands' shops to verify them.
Prices cover quite a range. Right now, the boutique has a rare Hermes crocodile bag that's going for about $36,000. Other items, like a Louis Vuitton bag, start at $400. Shoes and jewelry start at about $100-plus.
The boutique is a cool mix of something off Rodeo Drive and fashion-forward elements like mannequins from Hong Kong and dressing room glass doors that frost when someone is in them, a concept Said designed.
In February, Affluent Goods will carry a spring collection of contemporary clothing, consignment pieces from high-end luxury brands and vintage couture.
"We're taking it in a different direction," she said.
Affluent Goods is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The shop is in the Newport Coast Shopping Center, 21111 Newport Coast Drive; (949) 715-1092.
Design Within Reach
Design Within Reach has opened what it calls Studio in the South Coast Collection shopping center.
The 20,000-square-foot shop is one of the largest for Design Within Reach and centers around a design hub that includes the brand's Light Cloud lighting installation and 30-foot walls of upholstered tiles, according to a news release.
Studio features eight house-like rooms for living, dining, bedroom and work/office space.
Shoppers can also test-drive Design Within Reach's dining chairs and upholstery collections.
The store, at 3303 Hyland Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; (714) 427-0628.
Five Crowns carolers
The Handbell Carolers are back at Five Crowns restaurant in Newport Beach, performing at dinner through Dec. 24.
The costumed singers are celebrating 30 years of performing at the Victorian-themed Five Crowns, according to a news release.
"People don't realize how much a song can mean to someone," group founder Randy Pryor said in a statement. "The groups are happy to take requests, and while they never forget the reason for the season, they are dedicated to the idea that Christmas is fun."
Pryor has produced five CDs of the groups' holiday music, the latest of which will be available to guests at Five Crowns.
Five Crowns is at 3801 E. Coast Hwy. in Corona del Mar; (949) 760-0331, or thefivecrowns.com for more information and to make reservations.
South Coast Plaza Happenings
A rash of stores has opened at South Coast Plaza: fine watch designers Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe Corner, IWC Schaffhausen, the newly-remodeled Tourneau, and Vacheron Constantin.
Locally based Fringe, which offers fast-fashion trends for women and young women, opened up in the Crate and Barrel Home Store wing and skin/bodycare shop L'Occitane en Provence is set to open mid-January, according to a news release.
Chef Signings: Food Network Tyler Florence will be promoting his new book, "Tyler Florence Fresh," at 11 a.m. Friday. For details, call (714) 751-1166.
And don't forget Santa's Village and holiday crafts in the Carousel Court and Macy's Home Store wing, as well as Santa's Express Train and Santa's Reindeer Carousel, both $1 each. Complementary hot cider and hot cocoa are served in the Garden Terrace on the weekends.
Craft Guild show
As long as there's no rain, the Laguna Craft Guild will host its art show from 9 a.m. to sundown Sunday at the cobblestones of Main Beach, 335 S. Coast Hwy.
More than 30 artists will be selling unique and handcrafted paintings, glassblowers, textile artists, potters, jewelry and other things, according to a news release.
No cost to attend the event. More information is at http://www.lagunacraftguild.org or call (949) 228-6206.
ALISHA GOMEZ is the managing editor of the Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent newspapers. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (714) 966-4618.


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|Home > Florida Then & Now > A Short History of Florida > The Apalachee of Tallahassee: "Mission Indians"
The Apalachee of Tallahassee: "Mission Indians"
- The students will be able to identify characteristics of the Apalachee Indians and how they differ from other Indian tribes living in Florida.
Sunshine State Standards Benchmarks:SS.A.1.2.1 - SS.A.2.2.3 - SS.A.3.2.4 - SS.A.4.2.1 - SS.A.6.2 .3 - SS.B.1.2.1
Apalachee Tallahassee ambush rituals vital ochre relocated Missionaries Catholicism culture scarce scalp loincloth contagious
Suggested Activities:
- Have the students read the article in cooperative groups using the Reciprocal Teaching technique.
- Have the students complete a Vocabulary prediction confirmation activity for the vocabulary words from the article.
- In collaboration with the P.E. coach, develop a set of rules for the game discussed in the article.
- Have the students research more information on Missionaries.
- Complete and review FCAT questions.
(Note: Actual FCAT practice passages are wrtten at the students' independent reading level. These Florida History selections are written at the students' instructional reading level. Therefore, students should not be asked to complete the questions until after receiving class instruction on the vocabulary and content of the passage. Students should also read the Florida History selection independently before answering the FCAT questions and be permited to return to the selection for rereading as they answer.)
|Home > Florida Then & Now > A Short History of Florida > The Apalachee of Tallahassee: "Mission Indians"
Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2002.


text:
If you are here from Elaine's Blog then you are in the correct spot. If not head to the SCACD Store Blog for the line up of today's hop because you do not want to miss any stops along this fabulous hop! Today I have honor of introducing you to:
Sea Cliff Eyes has been colored with Copics. Her wings, seashells, and ankle bracelet were coated with Star Dust Stickles. I haven't gotten a chance to create a card with her so....be on the look out for that soon! :)
Copic Colors Used: Skin: E000, E00, E11, Hair: E42, E44, E47, E49, E53, Eyes: G14, G19, YR24, Shirt/Headband/Ankle Bracelet: BV000, BV01, BV23, BV25, Skirt: YG13 (tip to tip with YG95), YG95, YG97, BG11, BG13, BG49, Seashells: E30, E31, E33.
Angel Eyes stamp, click -->HERE<-- for that post. Make sure you head over to the SCACD Store to order up your Eyes of Dreams & Beauty Collections!!! Now head over to the fabulous rockstar Alex's Blog for some more Susana Loves Stamps cuties!
♥ Thanks for stopping by! ♥


text: I would just like to take a moment to remind everyone to correctly rate their terrain and cache difficulty rating. When you put down a 1 for difficulty and a 1 for terrain that means that the cache is handicap accessible. And that means it can be reached and gotten from a wheelchair. I have noticed a lot recently with ratings of all 1's and I know for a fact that they couldn't have been gotten by anyone in a wheelchair. I know there is a link on this site somewhere for correctly rating a cache so I would recommend to all hiders of a cache to check it out. Just my 2 cents


text:
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text: This is the accessible text file for CG Presentation number GAO-08- 395CG entitled 'U.S. Financial Condition and Fiscal Future Briefing' which was released on January 3, 2008. This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to firstname.lastname@example.com. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. United States Government Accountability Office: GAO: U.S. Financial Condition and Fiscal Future Briefing: The Honorable David M. Walker: Comptroller General of the United States: 2008 Economic Forecast Forum: Research Triangle Park, NC: January 2, 2008: GAO-08-395CG: The Case for Change: The federal government is on a "burning platform," and the status quo way of doing business is unacceptable for a variety of reasons, including: * Past fiscal trends and significant long-range challenges; * Selected trends and challenges having no boundaries; * Additional resource demands due to Iraq, Afghanistan, incremental homeland security needs, and recent natural disasters in the United States; * Numerous government performance/accountability and high risk challenges; * Outdated federal organizational structures, policies, and practices; * Rising public expectations for demonstrable results and enhanced responsiveness. Composition of Federal Spending: [See PDF for image] There are three pie charts, containing the following compositions of spending by category: Year: 1966; Defense: 43%; Social Security: 15%; Medicare and Medicaid: 1%; Net Interest: 7%; All Other: 34%. Year: 1986; Defense: 28%; Social Security: 20%; Medicare and Medicaid: 10%; Net Interest: 14%; All Other: 29%. Year: 2006; Defense: 20%; Social Security: 21%; Medicare and Medicaid: 19%; Net Interest: 9%; All Other: 32%. Source: Office of Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury. Note: Numbers may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. [End of figure] Federal Spending for Mandatory and Discretionary Programs: [See PDF for image] There are three pie charts, containing the following compositions of spending by category: Year: 1966; Discretionary: 67%; Mandatory: 26%; Net Interest: 7%. Year: 1986; Discretionary: 44%; Mandatory: 42%; Net Interest: 14%. Year: 2006; Discretionary: 38%; Mandatory: 53%; Net Interest: 9%. Source: Office of Management and Budget. [End of figure] Table: Fiscal Year 2006 and 2007 Deficits and Net Operating Costs: On-Budget Deficit, Fiscal Year 2006 ($ Billion): (434); On-Budget Deficit, Fiscal Year 2007 ($ Billion): (344); Unified Deficit[a], Fiscal Year 2006 ($ Billion): (248); Unified Deficit[a], Fiscal Year 2007 ($ Billion): (163); Net Operating Cost[b], Fiscal Year 2006 ($ Billion): (450); Net Operating Cost[b], Fiscal Year 2007 ($ Billion): (276); Sources: Office of Management and Budget and Department of the Treasury. [a] Includes $185 billion in Social Security surpluses for fiscal year 2006 and $186 billion for fiscal year 2007; $1 billion in Postal Service surpluses for fiscal year 2006 and $5 billion for fiscal year 2007. [End of table] Table: Major Fiscal Exposures ($ trillions): Explicit liabilities (Publicly held debt, Military & civilian pensions & retiree health, Other): 2000: $6.9; 2007: $10.8; Percent increase: 57. Commitments & contingencies (e.g., PBGC, undelivered orders): 2000: 0.5; 2007: 1.1; Percent increase: 97. Implicit exposures, 2000: 13.0; Implicit exposures, 2007: 40.8; Implicit exposures, Percent increase: 213; Future Social Security benefits, 2000: 3.8; Future Social Security benefits, 2007: 6.8; Future Medicare Part A benefits, 2000: 2.7; Future Medicare Part A benefits, 2007: 12.3; Future Medicare Part B benefits, 2000: 6.5; Future Medicare Part B benefits, 2007: 13.4; Future Medicare Part D benefits, 2000: [Empty]; Future Medicare Part D benefits, 2007: 8.4; Total, 2000: $20.4; Total, 2007: $52.7; Percent increase: 158. Source: 2000 and 2007 Financial Report of the United States Government. Note: Totals and percent increases may not add due to rounding. Estimates for Social Security and Medicare are at present value as of January 1 of each year and all other data are as of September 30. [End of table] Table: How Big is Our Growing Fiscal Burden? This fiscal burden can be translated and compared as follows: Total major fiscal exposures: $52.7 trillion; Total household net worth[1]: $58.6 trillion; Burden/Net worth ratio: 90 percent. Burden[2]: Per person: $175,000; Per full-time worker: $410,000; Per household: $455,000. Income: Median household income[3]: $48,201; Disposable personal income per capita[4]: $33,253. Source: GAO analysis. Notes: (1) Federal Reserve Board, Flow of Funds Accounts, Table B.100, 2007:Q3 (December 6, 2007); (2) Burdens are calculated using estimated total U.S. population as of 10/1/2007, from the U.S. Census Bureau; full-time workers reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in NIPA table 6.5D (Aug. 1, 2007); and households reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, in Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006(Aug. 2007); (3) U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006(Aug. 2007); and (4) Bureau of Economic Analysis, Personal Income and Outlays, table 2, (Nov. 29, 2007). [End of table] Potential Fiscal Outcomes Under Baseline Extended (January 2001); Revenues and Composition of Spending as a Share of GDP: [See PDF for image] This is a line/stacked bar graph with one line (revenue) and four stacked bars containing four spending items (Net interest, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and All other spending). The vertical axis represents Percent of GDP and the horizontal axis represents fiscal years 2005, 2015[a], 2030[a], and 2040[a]. The following data is depicted: Fiscal year 2005: Net interest: 0.8%; Social Security: 4.3%; Medicare & Medicaid: 3.7%; All other spending: 7.994%; Revenue: 20.3%. Fiscal year 2015: Net interest: 0%; Social Security: 5.1%; Medicare & Medicaid: 4.9%; All other spending: 5.574%; Revenue: 20.4%. Fiscal year 2030: Net interest: 0%; Social Security: 6.6%; Medicare & Medicaid: 9.4%; All other spending: 3.991%; Revenue: 20.4%. Fiscal year 2040: Net interest: 0%; Social Security: 6.7%; Medicare & Medicaid: 9%; All other spending: 4.361%; Revenue: 20.4%. Source: GAO's January 2001 analysis. [a] All other spending is net of offsetting interest receipts. [End of graph] Potential Fiscal Outcomes Under Alternative Simulation; Revenues and Composition of Spending as a Share of GDP: [See PDF for image] This is a line/stacked bar graph with one line (revenue) and four stacked bars containing four spending items (Net interest, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and All other spending). The vertical axis represents Percent of GDP and the horizontal axis represents fiscal years 2006, 2015, 2030, and 2040. The following data is depicted: Fiscal year 2006: Net interest: 1.7%; Social Security: 4.2%; Medicare & Medicaid: 3.9%; All other spending: 10.6%; Revenue: 18.4%. Fiscal year 2015: Net interest: 2.3%; Social Security: 4.8%; Medicare & Medicaid: 5.7%; All other spending: 9.6%; Revenue: 18%. Fiscal year 2030: Net interest: 5.8%; Social Security: 6.6%; Medicare & Medicaid: 8.8%; All other spending: 9.6%; Revenue: 18.6%. Fiscal year 2040: Net interest: 11.6%; Social Security: 7.2%; Medicare & Medicaid: 10.8%; All other spending: 9.6%; Revenue: 18.6%. Source: GAO's August 2007 analysis. Notes: AMT exemption amount is retained at the 2006 level through 2017 and expiring tax provisions are extended. After 2017, revenue as a share of GDP returns to its historical level of 18.3 percent of GDP plus expected revenues from deferred taxes, i.e. taxes on withdrawals from retirement accounts. Medicare spending is based on the Trustees April 2007 projections adjusted for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services alternative assumption that physician payments are not reduced as specified under current law. [End of graph] Growth in Spending for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid Expected to Outpace Economic Growth: [See PDF for image] This image is a bar graph depicting Growth in Spending for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid Expected to Outpace Economic Growth. The vertical axis of the graph represents growth in constant dollars, 2007-2032 in percentage from 0 to 150. The horizontal axis represents spending growth in the four areas. The following data is depicted: Growth in Constant dollars, 2007-2032: GDP: 71%; Social Security Spending: 127%; Medicaid Spending: 224%; Medicare Spending: 235%. Source: GAO analysis based on data from the Office of the Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration; Office of the Actuary,Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and the Congressional Budget Office. Notes: Social Security and Medicare projections based on the intermediate assumptions of the 2007 Trustees' Reports. Medicaid projections based on CBO's August 2007 short-term Medicaid estimates and CBO's December 2005 long-term Medicaid projections under mid-range assumptions. [End of graph] Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid Spending as a Percent of GDP: [See PDF for image] This is a line graph with three stacked lines (Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare). The vertical axis represents Percent of GDP and the horizontal axis represents fiscal years 2000 through 2080. The following data is depicted: 2000: Social Security: 4.229; Medicaid: 1.23; Medicare: 2.277. 2001: Social Security: 4.334; Medicaid: 1.322; Medicare: 2.433. 2002: Social Security: 4.409; Medicaid: 1.44; Medicare: 2.523. 2003: Social Security: 4.371; Medicaid: 1.501; Medicare: 2.56. 2004: Social Security: 4.283; Medicaid: 1.516; Medicare: 2.629. 2005: Social Security: 4.254; Medicaid: 1.457; Medicare: 2.7. 2006: Social Security: 4.28; Medicaid: 1.383; Medicare: 3.072. 2007: Social Security: 4.29; Medicaid: 1.401; Medicare: 3.185. 2008: Social Security: 4.24; Medicaid: 1.449; Medicare: 3.255. 2009: Social Security: 4.26; Medicaid: 1.490; Medicare: 3.333. 2010: Social Security: 4.32; Medicaid: 1.531; Medicare: 3.414. 2011: Social Security: 4.36; Medicaid: 1.578; Medicare: 3.49. 2012: Social Security: 4.44; Medicaid: 1.630; Medicare: 3.588. 2013: Social Security: 4.54; Medicaid: 1.683; Medicare: 3.694. 2014: Social Security: 4.65; Medicaid: 1.739; Medicare: 3.806. 2015: Social Security: 4.76; Medicaid: 1.799; Medicare: 3.918. 2016: Social Security: 4.86; Medicaid: 1.864; Medicare: 4.044. 2017: Social Security: 4.976; Medicaid: 1.930 Medicare: 4.183. 2018: Social Security: 5.08; Medicaid: 2.2; Medicare: 4.331. 2019: Social Security: 5.2; Medicaid: 2.2; Medicare: 4.483. 2020: Social Security: 5.31; Medicaid: 2.3; Medicare: 4.642. 2021: Social Security: 5.41; Medicaid: 2.3; Medicare: 4.809. 2022: Social Security: 5.22; Medicaid: 2.4; Medicare: 4.988. 2023: Social Security: 5.61; Medicaid: 2.4; Medicare: 5.173. 2024: Social Security: 5.71; Medicaid: 2.5; Medicare: 5.359. 2025: Social Security: 5.8; Medicaid: 2.6; Medicare: 5.547. 2026: Social Security: 5.89; Medicaid: 2.6; Medicare: 5.739. 2027: Social Security: 5.97; Medicaid: 2.7; Medicare: 5.935. 2028: Social Security: 6.05; Medicaid: 2.7; Medicare: 6.131. 2029: Social Security: 6.12; Medicaid: 2.8; Medicare: 6.322. 2030: Social Security: 6.17; Medicaid: 2.8; Medicare: 6.505. 2031: Social Security: 6.22; Medicaid: 2.9; Medicare: 6.682. 2032: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 2.9; Medicare: 6.851. 2033: Social Security: 6.3; Medicaid: 3; Medicare: 7.017. 2034: Social Security: 6.32; Medicaid: 3.1; Medicare: 7.279. 2035: Social Security: 6.33; Medicaid: 3.1; Medicare: 7.34. 2036: Social Security: 6.34; Medicaid: 3.2; Medicare: 7.498. 2037: Social Security: 6.34; Medicaid: 3.3; Medicare: 7.643. 2038: Social Security: 6.34; Medicaid: 3.3; Medicare: 7.774. 2039: Social Security: 6.33; Medicaid: 3.4; Medicare: 7.894. 2040: Social Security: 6.31; Medicaid: 3.4; Medicare: 8.01. 2041: Social Security: 6.3; Medicaid: 3.5; Medicare: 8.121. 2042: Social Security: 6.28; Medicaid: 3.6; Medicare: 8.229. 2043: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 3.6; Medicare: 8.334. 2044: Social Security: 6.25; Medicaid: 3.7; Medicare: 8.437. 2045: Social Security: 6.24; Medicaid: 3.7; Medicare: 8.54. 2046: Social Security: 6.23; Medicaid: 3.8; Medicare: 8.64. 2047: Social Security: 6.22; Medicaid: 3.8; Medicare: 8.737. 2048: Social Security: 6.21; Medicaid: 3.9; Medicare: 8.829. 2049: Social Security: 6.2; Medicaid: 3.9; Medicare: 8.916. 2050: Social Security: 6.2; Medicaid: 4; Medicare: 9.002. 2051: Social Security: 6.19; Medicaid: 4.063; Medicare: 9.008. 2052: Social Security: 6.19; Medicaid: 4.127; Medicare: 9.172. 2053: Social Security: 6.19; Medicaid: 4.192; Medicare: 9.256. 2054: Social Security: 6.2; Medicaid: 4.258; Medicare: 9.344. 2055: Social Security: 6.2; Medicaid: 4.325; Medicare: 9.439. 2056: Social Security: 6.21; Medicaid: 4.393; Medicare: 9.538. 2057: Social Security: 6.21; Medicaid: 4.462; Medicare: 9.634. 2058: Social Security: 6.22; Medicaid: 4.533; Medicare: 9.728. 2059: Social Security: 6.23; Medicaid: 4.604; Medicare: 9.82. 2060: Social Security: 6.23; Medicaid: 4.676; Medicare: 9.91. 2061: Social Security: 6.24; Medicaid: 4.75; Medicare: 10. 2062: Social Security: 6.24; Medicaid: 4.825; Medicare: 10.087. 2063: Social Security: 6.24; Medicaid: 4.901; Medicare: 10.175. 2064: Social Security: 6.25; Medicaid: 4.978; Medicare: 10.262. 2065: Social Security: 6.25; Medicaid: 5.056; Medicare: 10.349. 2066: Social Security: 6.25; Medicaid: 5.136; Medicare: 10.429. 2067: Social Security: 6.25; Medicaid: 5.217; Medicare: 10.502. 2068: Social Security: 6.26; Medicaid: 5.299; Medicare: 10.574. 2069: Social Security: 6.26; Medicaid: 5.383; Medicare: 10.648. 2070: Social Security: 6.26; Medicaid: 5.467; Medicare: 10.718. 2071: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 5.553; Medicare: 10.784. 2072: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 5.641; Medicare: 10.845. 2073: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 5.73; Medicare: 10.906. 2074: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 5.82; Medicare: 10.964. 2075: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 5.912; Medicare: 11.022. 2076: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 6.005; Medicare: 11.079. 2077: Social Security: 6.27; Medicaid: 6.099; Medicare: 11.134. 2078: Social Security: 6.28; Medicaid: 6.195; Medicare: 11.187. 2079: Social Security: 6.28; Medicaid: 6.293; Medicare: 11.239. 2080: Social Security: 6.28; Medicaid: 6.392; Medicare: 11.29. Source: GAO analysis based on data from the Office of the Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Congressional Budget Office. Notes: Social Security and Medicare projections based on the intermediate assumptions of the 2007 Trustees' Reports. Medicaid projections based on CBO's August 2007 short-term Medicaid estimates and CBO's December 2005 long-term Medicaid projections under mid-range assumptions. [End of graph] Federal Tax Expenditures Exceeded Discretionary Spending for Half of the Last Decade: [See PDF for image] This is a line graph with three lines (Mandatory spending; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates; and Discretionary spending). The vertical axis represents Dollars in billions (in real 2005 dollars) and the horizontal axis represents fiscal years 1982 through 2005. The following data is depicted: Fiscal year: 1982; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 623.4; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 480; Discretionary Spending: 607. Fiscal year: 1983; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 651.2; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 517.6; Discretionary Spending: 630. Fiscal year: 1984; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 621.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 548.8; Discretionary Spending: 652.5. Fiscal year: 1985; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 668.1; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 589.3; Discretionary Spending: 692.6. Fiscal year: 1986; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 677; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 641.2; Discretionary Spending: 713.8. Fiscal year: 1987; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 668.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 598; Discretionary Spending: 704.7. Fiscal year: 1988; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 689.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 464.3; Discretionary Spending: 714.2. Fiscal year: 1989; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 719.5; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 491.7; Discretionary Spending: 723.7. Fiscal year: 1990; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 811.1; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 497.5; Discretionary Spending: 714.6. Fiscal year: 1991; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 820.8; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 489.1; Discretionary Spending: 733.7. Fiscal year: 1992; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 870.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 505.8; Discretionary Spending: 716.4. Fiscal year: 1993; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 881.1; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 512.8; Discretionary Spending: 707.8. Fiscal year: 1994; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 921.9; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 539; Discretionary Spending: 695.5. Fiscal year: 1995; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 929.7; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 558.3; Discretionary Spending: 685.6. Fiscal year: 1996; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 971.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 561.3; Discretionary Spending: 657.6. Fiscal year: 1997; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 982.9; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 586.2; Discretionary Spending: 663.9. Fiscal year: 1998; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1030.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 663.2; Discretionary Spending: 661.8. Fiscal year: 1999; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1065.3; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 713.6; Discretionary Spending: 676.8. Fiscal year: 2000; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1103.4; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 746.2; Discretionary Spending: 713. Fiscal year: 2001; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1141.8; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 809.2; Discretionary Spending: 735.7. Fiscal year: 2002; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1229.5; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 838.1; Discretionary Spending: 816.4. Fiscal year: 2003; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1287.6; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 803.6; Discretionary Spending: 899.5. Fiscal year: 2004; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1314.4; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 773.5; Discretionary Spending: 951.3. Fiscal year: 2005; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1360.5; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 799.6; Discretionary Spending: 998.4. Fiscal year: 2006; Mandatory spending excluding net interest: 1412.1; Sum of tax expenditure revenue loss estimates: 846.7; Discretionary Spending: 1016.7. Source: GAO analysis of OMB budget reports on tax expenditures, fiscal years 1976-2008. Note: Summing tax expenditure estimates does not take into account interactions between individual provisions. Outlays associated with refundable tax credits are included in mandatory spending. [End of graph] Revenue Loss Estimates for the Largest Tax Expenditures Reported for Fiscal Year 2006: [See PDF for image] This is a bar graph with the vertical axis representing Revenue loss estimates (dollars in billions) and the horizontal axis depicting bars indicating the amount of expenditures in six categories. Revenue loss estimate, Exclusion of employer contributions for medical insurance premiums and medical care: 187.5 (Treasury estimated income tax revenue losses: 125; Approximate payroll tax revenue losses: 62.5[A]; Revenue loss estimate, Net exclusion of pension contributions and earnings: defined benefit plans: 89.8[A]; Revenue loss estimate, Deductability of mortgage interest on owner- occupied homes: 68.3; Revenue loss estimate, Capital gains except agriculture, timber, iron ore, and coal): 48.6; Revenue loss estimate, Deductability of nonbusiness states and local taxes other than on owner-occupied homes: 43.1. Source: GAO analysis of OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008. [A] The value of employer-provided health insurance is excluded from Medicare and Social Security payroll taxes. Some researchers have estimated that payroll tax revenue losses amounted to more than half of the income tax revenue losses in 2004, and we use this estimate for 2006. The research we are aware of dealt only with health care, therefore the 50 percent figure may not apply to other items that are excluded from otherwise applicable income and payroll taxes. [End of graph] State and Local Governments Face Increasing Fiscal Challenges: [See PDF for image] This is a line graph with two lines (Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure and Net-lending/Net-borrowing). The vertical axis represents Percent of GDP from -6 to +2 and the horizontal axis represents fiscal years 1980 through 2050. The following data is depicted: 1980: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.35873454; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.236601541. 1981: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.34624089; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.169415676. 1982: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.363124424; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.387096774. 1983: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.774990811; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.138547233. 1984: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.8152395; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: 0.223736398. 1985: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.810172263; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: 0.035542497. 1986: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.820186878; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.103074303. 1987: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.348462918; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.346028062. 1988: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.415329754; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.289980015. 1989: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.461047699; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.302676683. 1990: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.12076304; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.649652772. 1991: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.002324922; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.823896329. 1992: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.105991132; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.675323856. 1993: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.17518701; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.573797579. 1994: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.15154266; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.429852097. 1995: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.226784; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.446084594. 1996: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.382430375; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.292955008. 1997: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.540310442; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.225184543. 1998: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.711478221; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.113181662. 1999: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.528375987; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.240602477. 2000: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.51757156; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.309666904. 2001: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.213052923; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.800750395. 2002: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.212758845; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.20443952. 2003: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.034231078; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.04098241. 2004: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.03822412; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.899039488. 2005: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.262769152; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.762696896. 2006: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.21944499; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.788126765. 2007: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.412715768; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.638191188. 2008: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.345168264; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.630180116. 2009: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.333020741; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.603351831. 2010: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.302656141; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.605141837. 2011: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.257109542; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.630946404. 2012: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.206218592; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.658720463. 2013: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.16406332; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.681176041. 2014: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.119677687; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.707576964. 2015: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.076206951; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.734940534. 2016: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: 0.026942361; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.769406462. 2017: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.032335263; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.814653671. 2018: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.109446599; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.878965311. 2019: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.19227354; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -0.950160744. 2020: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.28349272; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.030954125. 2021: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.386388384; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.123450085. 2022: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.483216203; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.211277239. 2023: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.557423995; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.275859781. 2024: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.667104614; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.376919803. 2025: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.781500085; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.482014441. 2026: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.866176187; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.558258502. 2027: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -0.971014018; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.654401786. 2028: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.059403133; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.733838263. 2029: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.167739726; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.833479877. 2030: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.259948277; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -1.916759702. 2031: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.372065386; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.020169149. 2032: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.467520327; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.107108096. 2033: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.596865114. Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.227702996. 2034: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.728257684; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.350527637. 2035: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.829728717; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.443203659. 2036: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -1.964429157. Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.569286091. 2037: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.100986709; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.697381312. 2038: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.205225568; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.7928813. 2039: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.325201615; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -2.904115765. 2040: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.430489372; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.00097328. 2041: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.569712106; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.131648373. 2042: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.709424661; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.262966376. 2043: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.818508477; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.363795891. 2044: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -2.947568546; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.484450067. 2045: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -3.058317306; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.58693672. 2046: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -3.188512473; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.709010629. 2047: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -3.300350183; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.812861884. 2048: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -3.432143889; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -3.936539309. 2049: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -3.545556545; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -4.041974237. 2050: Operating Surplus/Deficit Measure: -3.686995315; Net-lending/Net-borrowing: -4.175627129. Sources: Historical data from National Income and Product Accounts. Historical data from 1980–2006, GAO projections from 2007–2050 using many CBO projections and assumptions, particularly for next 10 years. [End of graph] Current Fiscal Policy Is Unsustainable: The "Status Quo"is Not an Option: * We face large and growing structural deficits largely due to known demographic trends and rising health care costs. * GAO's simulations show that balancing the budget in 2040 could require actions as large as: - Cutting total federal spending by 60 percent or; - Raising federal taxes to 2 times today's level. Faster Economic Growth Can Help, but It Cannot Solve the Problem: * Closing the current long-term fiscal gap based on reasonable assumptions would require real average annual economic growth in the double digit range every year for the next 75 years. * During the 1990s, the economy grew at an average 3.2 percent per year. * As a result, we cannot simply grow our way out of this problem. Tough choices will be required. The Way Forward: A Three-Pronged Approach: 1. Improve Financial Reporting, Public Education, and Performance Metrics. 2. Strengthen Budget and Legislative Processes and Controls. 3. Fundamentally Reexamine & Transform for the Twenty-first Century (i.e., entitlement programs, other spending, and tax policy). Solutions Require Active Involvement from both the Executive and Legislative Branches. The Way Forward: Improve Financial Reporting, Public Education, and Performance Metrics: * Improve transparency & completeness of President's budget proposal: - Return to 10-year estimates in budget both for current policies and programs and for policy proposals; - Include in the budget estimates of long-term cost of policy proposals & impact on total fiscal exposures; - Improve transparency of tax expenditures; * Consider requiring President's budget to specify & explain a fiscal goal and a path to that goal within 10-year window—or justify an alternative deadline; * Require annual OMB report on existing fiscal exposures [liabilities, obligations, explicit & implied commitments]; * Require enhanced financial statement presentation to address fiscal sustainability and intergenerational equity issues; * Prepare and distribute a summary annual report that is both useful and used; * Increase information on long-range fiscal sustainability issues in Congressional Budget Resolution & Budget Process; * Develop key national (outcome-based) indicators (e.g. economic, security, social, environmental) to chart the nation's posture, progress, and position relative to the other major industrial countries. The Way Forward: Strengthen Budget and Legislative Processes and Controls: * Restore discretionary spending caps & PAYGO rules on both spending and tax sides of the ledger; * Develop mandatory spending triggers [with specific defaults], and other action-forcing provisions (e.g., sunsets) for both direct spending programs and tax preferences; * Develop, impose & enforce modified rules for selected items (e.g., earmarks, emergency designations, and use of supplementals); * Require long-term cost estimates (e.g. present value) for any legislative debate on all major tax and spending bills, including entitlement programs. Cost estimates should usually assume no sunset; * Extend accrual budgeting to insurance & federal employee pensions; develop techniques for extending to retiree health & environmental liabilities; * Consider biennial budgeting; * Consider expedited line item rescissions from the President that would only require a majority vote to override the proposed rescission(s). The Way Forward: Fundamentally Reexamine & Transform: * Restructure existing entitlement programs; * Reexamine and restructure the base of all other spending; * Review & revise existing tax policy, including tax preferences and enforcement programs; * Expand scrutiny of all proposed new programs, policies, or activities; * Reengineer internal agency structures and processes, including more emphasis on long-term planning, integrating federal activities, and partnering with others both domestically and internationally; * Strengthen and systematize Congressional oversight processes; * Increase transparency associated with government contracts and other selected items; * Consider a capable, credible, bi-partisan budget, entitlement, and tax reform commission. Key National Indicators: * What: A portfolio of economic, social, and environmental outcome- based measures that could be used to help assess the nation's and other governmental jurisdictions' position and progress; * Who: Many countries and several states, regions, and localities have already undertaken related initiatives (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, Oregon, Silicon Valley (California) and Boston); * Why: Development of such a portfolio of indicators could have a number of possible benefits, including; - Serving as a framework for related strategic planning efforts; - Enhancing performance and accountability reporting; - Informing public policy decisions, including much needed baseline reviews of existing government policies, programs, functions, and activities; - Facilitating public education and debate as well as an informed electorate; * Way Forward: Consortium of key players housed by the National Academies domestically and related efforts by the OECD and others internationally. Key National Indicators: Where the United States Ranks: The United States may be the only superpower, but compared to most other OECD countries on selected key economic, social, and environmental indicators, on average, the U.S. ranks 16 out of 28. OECD Categories for Key Indicators (2006 OECD Factbook): * Population/Migration; * Energy; * Environment; * Labor Market; * Education; * Public Finance; * Science & Tech.; * Quality of Life; * Macroeconomic Trends; * Economic Globalization * Prices. Source: 2006 OECD Factbook. Key Dates Highlight Long Term Challenges of the Social Security System: Event: Cash surplus begins to decline; Date: 2009, OASI, OASDI. Event: Annual benefit costs exceed cash revenue from taxes; Date: 2018, OASI; Date: 2005, DI; Date: 2017, OASDI. Event: Trust fund ceases to grow because even taxes plus interest fall short of benefits; Date: 2028, OASI; Date: 2013, DI; Date: 2027, OASADI. Event: Trust fund exhausted; Date: 2042, OASI; Date: 2026: DI; Date: 2041, OASDI. Source: Social Security Administration, The 2007 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds(Washington, DC: April 2007). [End of table] Possible Way Forward on Social Security Reform: Make little or no changes to those who are near retirement or already retired and make a number of adjustments that would affect younger workers: * Phase-in an increase in the normal retirement age and index it to life expectancy; * Consider phasing-in an increase in the early retirement age and index it to life expectancy with a modified disability access provision; * Modify income replacement and/or indexing formulas for middle and upper income earners; * Strengthen the minimum benefit; * Consider a modest adjustment to the COLA formula; * Increase the taxable wage base, if necessary; * Consider supplemental individual accounts and mandatory individual savings on a payroll deduction basis (e.g., a minimum 2 percent payroll contribution and a program designed much like the Federal Thrift Savings Plan with a real trust fund and real investments). Key Dates Highlight Long Term Challenges of the Medicare Program: Date: 2007; Event: Medicare Part A outlays exceed cash income. Date: 2007; Event: Estimated trigger date for "Medicare funding warning." Date: 2013; Event: Projected date that annual "general revenue funding" for Part B will exceed 45 percent of total Medicare outlays. Date: 2019; Part A trust fund exhausted, annual income sufficient to pay about 80% of promised Part A benefits. Source: 2007 Annual Report of The Boards of Trustees of The Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds(Washington, DC, April 2007). [End of table] Issues to Consider in Examining Our Health Care System: The public needs to be educated about the differences between wants, needs, affordability, and sustainability at both the individual and aggregate level. Ideally, health care reform proposals will: * Align Incentives for providers and consumers to make prudent decisions about the use of medical services; * Foster Transparency with respect to the value and costs of care, and; * Ensure Accountability from insurers and providers to meet standards for appropriate use and quality; Ultimately, we need to address four key dimensions: access, cost, quality,and personal responsibility. Selected Potential Health Care Reform Approaches: Reform Approach: Revise the government's payment systems and leverage its purchasing authority to foster value-based purchasing for health care products and services; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Consider additional flexibility for states to serve as models for possible health care reforms; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Consider limiting direct advertising and allowing limited importation of prescription drugs; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Foster more transparency in connection with health care costs and outcomes; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Create incentives that encourage physicians to utilize prescription drugs and other health care products and services economically and efficiently. Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Foster the use of information technology to increase consistency, transparency, and accountability in health care; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Encourage case management approaches for people with chronic and expensive conditions to improve the quality and efficiency of care delivered and avoid inappropriate care. Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [Empty]. Reform Approach: Reexamine the design and operational structure of the nation's health care entitlement programs—Medicare and Medicaid, including exploring more income-related approaches; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Revise certain federal tax preferences for health care to encourage more efficient use of health care products and services; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Foster more preventative care and wellness services and capabilities, including fighting obesity and encouraging better nutrition; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Promote more personal responsibility in connection with health care; Short-term action: [check]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Limit spending growth for government-sponsored health care programs (e.g., percentage of the budget and/or economy); Short-term action: [Empty]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Develop a core set of basic and essential services. Create insurance pools for alternative levels of coverage, as necessary; Short-term action: [Empty]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Develop a set of evidence-based national practice standards to help avoid unnecessary care, improve outcomes, and reduce litigation; Short-term action: [Empty]; Long-term action: [check]. Reform Approach: Pursue multinational approaches to investing in health care R&D; Short-term action: [Empty]; Long-term action: [check]. [End of table] Moving the Debate Forward: The Sooner We Get Started, the Better: * The miracle of compounding is currently working against us; * Less change would be needed, and there would be more time to make adjustments. Our demographic changes will serve to make reform more difficult over time. Need Public Education, Discussion, and Debate: * The role of government in the 21st Century; * Which programs and policies should be changed and how; * How government should be financed. Three Key Illnesses: * Myopia; * Tunnel Vision; * Self-Centeredness. Four National Deficits: * Budget; * Balance of Payments; * Savings; * Leadership. Key Leadership Attributes Needed for These Challenging and Changing Times: * Courage; * Integrity; * Creativity; * Stewardship; * Partnership. Three Key Groups That Need to Increase Their Influence and Involvement: * The Business and Professional Community; * Young Americans; * The Media. These Challenges Go Beyond Numbers and Dollars—It's About Values and People. [End of presentation] On the Web: Web site: [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cghome.htm]: Contact: Chuck Young, Managing Director, Public Affairs: firstname.lastname@example.com: (202) 512-4800: U.S. Government Accountability Office: 441 G Street NW, Room 7149: Washington, D.C. 20548: Copyright: This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.


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My brother let himself in today, and I had forgotten that today is my father, Howard Irving LEWIS' 90th birthday. My brother had just been to see him in Marley Neck, Maryland, which is Anne Arundel Co., MD. I was over there within the past two week, we sure we're worried there during April, when he had a "kidney infection", that THIS, birthday would not have occurred. I already had felt lonesome at the news that he was moved to the area in the nursing home in April for those dying. No matter how old some people may be, depends on you, if they still matter, I think they MAY matter more. So many little stories and so many things that people don't know of and probably don't care about today.
O-this has been said so many times, it's sounds like a "cliche ", as usual I really don't care.
My father son of Margaret Estella LARMAN-LEWIS-LAWLOR b. 01/1900 in Washington DC & Joseph Irvin LEWIS b. 1894 also, in Washington DC.
Margaret's Grandfather was a Henry LARMAN b. Maryland abt 1835, married a Margaret KIRBY, and My father's father son,> of John M. (Meriweather?) LEWIS b. Oct 1872, Washington DC//
Who's name was Joseph Irvin LEWIS who is listed in the Washington Post, Washington DC, death abt., 1955.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY , he married my mother b. Annibrita d'WAINIO, born NYC Feb., 08, 1921, died Dec., 14, in the morning year 2001, in the Marley Neck Health & Rehab.. Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.
They married in the MAYFLOWER HOTEL, Washington DC, Feb., 1947. They had only two children both still living at this time.


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Before Commissioner Roger Goodell decides what to do about the four players whose suspensions were vacated, he'll meet with them.
Albert Breer of NFL Network reports that the meeting will take place next week in New York, with Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, and free-agent defensive end Anthony Hargrove making the trip.
It's not the first time meetings have been scheduled. And so it's possible that the meetings will be scuttled, again.
"We expect that no obstacles will get in the way of this one," Vilma's lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, told Breer. "We're prepared to move ahead."
Still, how will they be moving? The players previously declined to participate because the NFL refused to share evidence of guilt. It's possible, then, that the NFL has decided to put some cards on the table in the hopes of getting the players to do the same.
And while it's easy to say that the players, if the truth is on their side, shouldn't worry about the league's evidence, the reality is that situations like this routinely involve the employer asking subtly loaded questions and taking responses out of context in the hopes of cramming the evidence obtained into the pre-determined narrative. The more the players know about the specific evidence against them, the easier it will be to ensure that the answers are clear and unambiguous.
Of course, nothing about this situation is clear or unambiguous. One of these days, hopefully it will be.This video is no longer available. Click here to watch more NBC Sports videos!


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Find out about the differences between IR and hot-air dryers and discover which features might be most useful to your operation.
Garment screen printers are used to two types of dryers on the production floor: infrared and hot air. Both dryers use a conveyor to transport garments through the curing chamber and use heat to set the inks on the garments (up to 330°F for plastisols). These are the only similarities between these two dryers. The dryers are otherwise very different in design, capacity, versatility, running cost, and level of investment. For starters, infrared dryers work with direct heat radiated from infrared panels to heat up the ink to a specific drying/curing temperature. Hot-air dryers use heated air blown over the garments to transfer the heat. Let's look into the factors that set these two dryer designs apart and discuss the advantages, versatility, and possible limitations of each.
The infrared dryer
The Infrared, or IR, dryer uses electrically heated infrared panels mounted above the conveyor belt in a heat-insulated cover. As the printed garment passes under the IR panels, the radiated heat is absorbed by the ink and heated up to curing temperature. The drying temperature is regulated by the electric power to the element and/or by adjusting the height of the IR panels above the conveyor. The conveyor speed is also adjustable to set the correct drying time. The IR dryer is, by its nature, compact and simple in its design with few moving parts and is consequently a relatively inexpensive investment.
Ink considerations Water-based inks typically do not work well in an IR dryer because the dryer lacks airflow needed to drive out the water from the ink for a proper cure. Some infrared dryers use special IR panels with a small air-circulation fan that creates a moderate airflow to assist in drying. The drying capacity is reduced because water-based inks have a 50-100% longer drying time. The water must be driven out of the garment first before the ink can be heated to the final curing temperature.
Variations in drying temperature Due to the direct heat radiation, the drying temperature can be difficult to control and, therefore, may vary depending of what type of garment is used and the thickness of the print. Always test various dryer settings for best results each time you use any new type of garment or ink for the first time. This will minimize the risk of scorching the garment or under/over curing the ink.
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Find Your Perfect Home.
Milton Real Estate
Milton is located in Wisconsin. Milton, Wisconsin has a population of 5,593. Milton is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 34.89% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 29.26%.
The median household income in Milton, Wisconsin is $54,561. The median household income for the surrounding county is $49,645 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Milton is 36 years.
Milton Weather
The average high temperature in July is 82.6 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 10.5 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 35.7 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
Milton Map
Real Estate Near Milton
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Milton Zip Codes


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Friends and relatives caring for lung cancer patients have a new resource to turn to after the recent launch of a 24-hour online service for caregivers by LUNGevity Foundation, the country's largest lung cancer organization.
The foundation in late November unveiled the Caregiver Resource Center, at lungevity.org/caregiver, which offers emotional support, practical advice and patient advocacy advice, among other services, said Andrea Sterns Ferris, president and chairwoman of the board of LUNGevity.
"A caregiver has to be strong, and they often neglect themselves," Ferris said. "Their world has been thrown into a tizzy. The resource center has gathered information people need in one place."
Jill Feldman, of Deerfield, said caregivers grapple with their own set of stresses.
"In many ways, it's worse being the caregiver for a family member with the disease than being the patient," said Feldman, 42, a nonsmoker who was diagnosed with the disease in 2008. Feldman had her second lung cancer operation in October.
"As a patient, your focus is on getting healthy and feeling better," said Feldman, who lost her father and two grandparents to lung cancer when she was 13. Her mother and an aunt also died of the disease. "But the caregiver has to try and maintain normalcy, going to work, taking care of the kids, while at the same time they're taking care of the person they love with a fear of what will happen to that person."
According to the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society, in 2012, about 9,560 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in Illinois, and an estimated 7,000 people in Illinois will die of the disease.
Cigarette smoking remains the primary cause of lung cancer. The disease is the nation's No. 1 cancer killer, taking more lives annually than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. More than half the people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked or have quit smoking. The overall survival rate for lung cancer is about 15 percent.
"My father quit smoking and 50 years later he got lung cancer when he was 88 years old," said Philip Bonomi, director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Rush Memorial Hospital. "I knew who to call, but for someone new to the disease and without a medical background, a resource center is a huge help."
Unlike other cancers, lung cancer often stigmatizes the patient.
"People think they did it to themselves because they smoke, that they are the victim of a disease they should not have to bear," said Malcolm DeCamp, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "The caregiver feels the stigma too."
The American Cancer Society also offers online support through its Patient Navigation Services.
"One thing we try to do is lead people to others who can help them access the resources necessary to help them through the process," said Adrianne White, vice president of health initiatives and advocacy for the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society. "We can say, 'Let's get you with other people experiencing this,' or 'We can refer you to the appropriate counseling service.'"
The American Lung Association often hears from lung cancer patient caregivers, said Michael Mark, vice president of its HelpLine Services.
"The questions go on and on: What can I do? Who can I ask for? What's out there?" Mark said. "They need a place that's an island in the storm, a place of tranquillity to land and get support."
As Feldman recovered from her second lung cancer surgery, she drew from her experiences as a caregiver when thinking about her husband and four children.
"I've carried that load they're carrying as a caregiver," Feldman said. "I've been in hospital waiting rooms, waiting for someone I love. I said to my son, 'I get it. You don't like being looked at as the kid whose mom has lung cancer. There may come a time you'll want to talk to people who are also in your position.'"


text: Clear discs underway! Posted by Miss Lyndall Phelps on May 27, 2013 • Comments (0) Yes, it's a relief to have the first 20 clear ones done. I'm hoping to complete the multiples of these by the end of the week - fingers crossed! The discs with clear beads and diamantes will form the outer section of the work; there are 80 in total, 4 each of the 20 different designs. The total number of discs in the installation is 385. The first one I made, which was all glass beads, took an afternoon, but I'm getting quicker! It's hard to say exactly how long per disc, as the complexity of each varies, but I'm pretty sure I'll need every hour I can get between now and the beginning of August to finish them!


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Gold has fallen off a cliff in the last year, going from highs of nearly $1,790 in October 2012 to about $1,280 currently — a drop of about 28%.
But judging by recent trends, it's possible that gold has found a floor and that now is a decent time to buy.
Admittedly, there are still some big challenges for the precious metal — especially in the last week or so when prices have been steadily rolling back again. But even if investors are a bit early as they turn to gold, fears of overbought domestic stocks may make even an uncertain bet in gold a preferable alternative to some right now.
There's risk no matter where you put your money right now. So here are some reasons the rewards from a buy into gold may outweigh those risks:


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The Campaign for America's Future released the following statement after joining with several progressive allies for a successful petition drive calling for a rapid military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Campaign for America's Future, MoveOn.Org, CREDO, Brave New Foundation, WinWithoutWar.org, and USACTION sent 250,000 signatures to the White House encouraging a swift drawdown of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
Roger Hickey, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future said, "Osama Bin Laden is dead and the pressure is building from Americans who realize we cannot afford this huge military action in Afghanistan. At $10 billion dollars a month, the price is too high, and the mission is too unclear."
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), a leader in the effort to draw attention to the cost of the ten year effort in Afghanistan said, "Early on, President Obama committed to getting Osama bin Laden and committed to an accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan starting in July. He has lived up to that first commitment. Now, I urge him to follow through on that second commitment. We need to stand with him—give him support so he can stick to that."
Similar petitions were circulated by The Campaign for America's Future, MoveOn.Org, CREDO, Brave New Foundation, WinWithoutWar.org, and USACTION over the past several weeks and the groups joined to deliver a total of 250,000 collected signatures to the White House.
Campaign for America's Future's petition reads:
We the undersigned urge the President and Congress of the United States to end our military involvement in Afghanistan as fast as possible, and use the savings to restore the American economy. After the death of Osama bin Laden, we have fulfilled the objective that took us into Afghanistan. But we have not completed our economic mission at home.
We cannot afford to continue spending over $10 billion a month and sacrificing American lives in an endless quagmire with no remaining clear objective, when we desperately need to create jobs revitalizing our infrastructure, generating clean energy and educating our kids.
We salute the brave efforts of our military forces. It's time to bring them home, and rebuild their home.


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FRIDAYS UPDATE- Muscle memory: Stop thinking, just play
When Richard Green started the Charlottesville Allstars in the 1970s, the name probably seemed tongue-in-cheek– he was young and... well, green. What's more, he was just starting to figure out how to navigate the blues-based roots music the Allstars would eventually become known for.
"Like a lot of people that age," he says, "I came to that music through a circuitous route, first hearing snatches of it in Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton and the whole blues-rock thing going on at the time."
The circumstances at the time weren't particularly cooperative. "There wasn't much of a music scene in Charlottesville at the time," he says. "The Prism was one of the only places to play."
But around the same time as Charlottesville graduated to larger clubs like the Mineshaft and the Mousetrap, the evolving project Green and guitarist Steve Bliley fronted turned into a competent blues-rock outfit, and by the time they had finished up as the understudies of DC-based blues band The Nighthawks, they were opening for bona fide bluesmen like Muddy Waters and BB King.
"I look back at it and I'm amazed that it happened, that we played with guys like that," says Green. "They were the direct blood line to Robert Johnson."
Together, the two bands teamed up into a regional blues powerhouse and hit the road for gigs in Boston, Atlanta, New York, and everywhere in between. "That was the start of the AllStars as a road band," says Green.
But the road took its toll. "A lot of players came and went," says Green. "It got to the point where you couldn't be in the Allstars and be a student or have a real job."
Those who managed to stick around became part of the defining lineup for what would turn out to be one of Charlottesville's most beloved bands, even amid legends like Skip Castro and Johnny Sportcoat– and unlike many of their contemporaries, the AllStars got to make an album on someone else's dime.
"We were the only band out of that crew in Charlottesville to make a commercial album," says Green. Tip Your Waitress came out in 1978, but the band had disbanded by 1981.
Nearly 30 years later, however, interest was rekindled largely due to Live From... The Hook, the 2006 documentary about the Charlottesville music scene in the 1980's, and the AllStars reunited to open for era icons Captain Tunes at a celebratory show at Starr Hill. "That was the first time the five of us had been together in almost 30 years," says Green.
Luckily, he says, the nostalgia is instinctual. "A lot of it you have muscle memory for," he says, "and if you just don't think about it, it'll come out. If you're thinking when you're up there trying to play, you're screwed."
The Charlottesville AllStars perform at Fridays After Five on June 6.


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Capital District Transportation Authority - CDTA
23 hours ago
We loved being a part of the Niskyauna Bike and Pedestrian Safety event this past weekend, to show customers how to easily put their bikes on the front of our buses!🚎+🚲=❤
For those who don't own a bike, we had our @cdphpcycle bikes on site to show folks how easy it is to register and ride! ... See MoreSee Less
Capital District Transportation Authority - CDTA is at Van Antwerp Middle School.
3 days ago
Perfect day to get out and ride! Enjoying the sun and the community at the Niskayuna Bike event! 🚲☀ ... See MoreSee Less
4 days ago
#ILoveNY 🏳🌈❤ ... See MoreSee Less
Perfect weekend for some baseball! Grab your family and support the @dutchmenpgcbl this Sunday! ☀⚾ ... See MoreSee Less
5 days ago
Our community is pet friendly! With walking trails throughout the community and spacious cottage-styled apartments, we are the perfect home for anyone with a 4-legged friend. ... See MoreSee Less
A beautiful day for some lunchtime music at the #FarmersMarket 🎶 ... See MoreSee Less
It's that time of year! So many new options at the #EmpireStatePlaza Farmers Market!
🍅 Farmers Market 10a-2p
🍕 Food Trucks 10a-2p
🎶 Lunchtime at the Plaza featuring Jay Maloney and Ted Hennessey 12-1p ... See MoreSee Less
Sounds and strawberries
7 days ago
We're not kidding when we say our maintenance staff does it all! Here's Cory saving a snapping turtle from the streets of our community. Of course he brought the reptile straight to our community's pond! ... See MoreSee Less
Love you, Cory! <3
Way to Go Cory Smith 👍
That's my boy ❤❤❤
The Spinney at Pond View added 6 new photos.
2 weeks ago
Activities that our residents participated in this year! ... See MoreSee Less
A great party
Great time
3 weeks ago
Today's temperatures make it feel like pool weather... but we're still waiting for the sun to come out! ... See MoreSee Less


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Search our database of handpicked sites
Looking for a great physics site? We've tracked down the very best and checked them for accuracy. Just fill out the fields below and we'll do the rest.
You searched for "space shuttle"
We found 16 results on physics.org and 260 results in our database of sites
(of which 252 are Websites, 8 are Videos, and 0 are Experiments)
Search results on physics.org
A brief history of space
Where does space begin?
Fit for Mars
How does a fridge work?
The Herschel Space Observatory
All about... the International Space Station
What does it take to plan, build, launch and live on the ISS?
What is a gravitational wave?
Was life on Earth started by an asteroid?
A beginners' guide to exoplanets
The physics of Santa
Who is Stephen Hawking?
Is Time Travel Possible?
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Who is... Neil Armstrong
All about... SETI
How Space Shuttles Work
A brief description of how Space Shuttles work. This site is part of Marshall Brain's HowStuffWorks.com. An interesting site for all interested in space missions.
NASA Space Shuttle Launches
This document includes comprehensive information and images of previous Shuttle missions, as well as details of future missions, the history of the Space Shuttle and astronaut biographies.
30 Years of the Space Shuttle
Explorable visualisation of the missions the space shuttle carried out over their 30 year service.
Are We Alone in the Universe?
Information about the Space Shuttle, Mars Global Surveyor. Movie clips of shuttle missions and basic information about the planets.
360 degree views of the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery
Explore views of the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, including the cockpit, toilet, mid-deck and belly.
NASA Kids' Club
Interested in space? Current news on Space Shuttle missions, info on space technology, history, and space related activities for children.
Space Shuttle Launch: Equator vs. Mountains
Why does launching from the equator help with space launches and would launching from a mountain help?
Streetline collects live data from street-based sensors to tell users where empty parking spaces can be found via a smartphone app. An example of the internet of things
History of Space Science and Astronomy
The History of Space Science and Astronomy includes a huge amount of information on: The Millennium - A Space and Astronomy Timeline; Man-in-Space Firsts ; Space Factoids
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
Basic information on this mission to map our planet's surface using radar imaging.


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New Super Luigi U - Wii U Cheats
Super Gamer Dude
New Super Luigi U Wii U unlockables.
Play As Your Mii
First you need to press ZR+ZL together as you start playing a level (or the B button, if you're using
a Wii Remote control), you will be able to play as Nabbit. In the case of the final Star Road level,
though, you'll instead be able to play as your Mii.
Play as Nabbit in Single-player
If you press ZR+ZL together as you start a level (or the B button, if you're using a Wii Remote),
you'll be able to play as Nabbit in the single-player mode. Normally, he's only available when you
are playing with friends.
Five Stars
To obtain all five file stars, you'll need to:-
Beat the last Bowser
Then find every normal and secret flag (there are 94 in all)
Catch Nabbit when he appears in each of the first seven worlds during the game
Then obtain every star coin in the standard 8 worlds
Obtain all star coins in every world and level, including level 9 in Superstar Road,
this will then unlock the five stars.


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We're not sure where Kanye West and Jay-Z's duel of self-mythologizing will end up -- perhaps with a "Yeezus" sequel titled "I Am Cthulhu"? But Jay-Z has escalated matters with his newest promotional gambit.
His new album, "Magna Carta Holy Grail," has received no shortage of notice for its Samsung-centric release strategy, where the album will arrive early to Galaxy users via a dedicated app.
But lest one think the album's artwork is getting short shrift, Jay debuted the record cover alongside a document of comparable historic significance: a copy of the actual Magna Carta.
PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times
If you swing by England's Salisbury Cathedral, you can glimpse the "Magna Carta" cover art right next to one of four existing copies of the document that established western government. The exhibit will run through the end of July.
Personally, we're impressed by the audacity of the move, but can't help but be disappointed that he didn't debut it next to the actual Holy Grail instead. Your move, Kanye.
'Magna Carta' giveaway prompts RIAA change
Jay-Z enlists fans to unveil 'Magna Carta' tracklist
Jay-Z sells 1 million copies of new album before release
PHOTOS: Concerts by the Times
PHOTOS: Unexpected musical collaborations
PHOTOS: Musician feuds: The dirt & details