A MOM'S FYI:
OPPOSITES DETRACT
July 16, 2005
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"We never fully grasp the import of any true statement
until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be."
--William James
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
July, 2005
Economic data out this week showed an economy that continues to strengthen - this is good news for American workers and their families. There was excellent news on deficit reduction with revised budget forecasts showing that the President's
pro-growth policies, by stimulating economic growth, have increased Treasury receipts and therefore decreased the budget deficit.
www.treasury.gov/news/index1.html
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U.S. Debt To the Penny:
Current Amount
07/14/2005 $7,848,324,813,050.85
09/29/2000 $5,674,178,209,886.86
www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpdodt.htm
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"My Clear Skies legislation will cut power-plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens. And my budget provides strong funding for leading- edge technology, from hydrogen-fueled cars to clean coal to renewable sources such as ethanol. Four years of debate is enough. I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy."--President George W. BushState of the Union, February 2, 2005http://www.epa.gov/clearskies/
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Deepwater Drilling: Maximizing Performance in Deepwater Wells
October 25 - 26, 2005 Hotel Derek, Houston, TX
The MMS estimates that the deepwater regions of the *GOM may contain 56 billion barrels of oil equivalent, however developers find that these resources are both challenging and costly. This presentation will highlight this and other current challenges of deepwater development.
(*Gulf of Mexico)
Presenters at the conference will include:
Chevron Corporation
www.chevron.com
Halliburton
www.halliburton.com
Minerals Management Service
www.mms.gov
Statoil
www.statoil.com
Charles Dalton of the University of Houston
www.uh.edu/uhtoday/facultyaward.html
American Bureau of Shipping
www.eagle.org
Triton Energy Services Co.
www.noblecorp.com
Schlumberger
www.slb.com
Geomechanics International
www.geomi.com/index.html
The Craig Group
www.craig-group.com
Kongsberg Maritime Inc.
www.km.kongsberg.com
www.oilandgasiq.com/cgi-bin/templates/genevent.html
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June 22, 2005
President Bush Discusses Economic Security
President:......Over the past two years, America has added more than 3.5 million new jobs. The unemployment rate is down to 5.1 percent. That's lower than the average rate in the 1970s,
the 1980s, and the 1990s.
www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050622.html
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JUNE 2005 UNEMPLOYMENT DATA*
(U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS)
OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT: 5.0%
White......4.3%
African American ......10.3%
Hispanic ........5.8%
Asian**.......... 4.0%
Men 20 years and over.......4.3%
Women 20 years and over.......4.6%
Teen-agers (16-19 years)...... 16.4%
Black teens..... 32.4%
Officially unemployed: 7.5 million
HIDDEN UNEMPLOYMENT:
Working part-time because can't find a full-time job: 4.5 million People who want jobs but are not counted in official statistics because not looking (of which about 1.6 million** searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available for work during the reference week.) 5.2 million Total: 17.2 million (11.1% of the labor force) Source:
www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
In addition, millions more were working full-time, year-round, yet earned lessthan the official poverty level for a family of four.In 2003, the latest year available, that number was 16.3 million, 16.1 percent of full-ime workers (estimated from Bureau of the Census, 2004 (
ferret.bls.census.gov/macro/032004/perinc/new05_001.htm).
In May, 2005, the latest month available, the number of job openings was only 3.5 million, according to the BLS, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Estimates, July 12, 2005.
www.njfac.org/jobnews.html
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The President's Leadership in Combating Corporate Fraud
The Administration continues to pursue an ggressive agenda to fight corporate fraud and abuse:
--Exposing and punishing acts of corruption
--Holding corporate officers and directors accountable
--Protecting small investors, pension holders and workers
--Moving corporate accounting out of the shadows
--Developing a stronger, more independent corporate audit system
--Providing better information to investors.
www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/corporateresponsibility/
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Auditors: Halliburton Overcharged Taxpayers $1 Billion
June 28, 2005
WASHINGTON: A top US army procurement official said today Halliburton’s deals in Iraq were the worst example of contract abuse she had seen as Pentagon auditors flagged over $US1 billion ($NZ1.42 billion) of potential overcharges by the Texas-based firm.
bellaciao.org/en/article.php3
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halliburton_Company
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"According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions"
—Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
CBS News, January 2002
solari.com/learn/articles_missingmoney.htm
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Strengthening Higher Education for a Successful Workforce--Presidential Action
President Bush on January 14, 2005 highlighted the need to do more to prepare our high school students for the future. His education proposals would ensure that every high school student graduates with the skills needed to succeed in college and in a globally competitive workforce.
www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/education/
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No Child Left Behind Act
SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.
(a) POLICY-
(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION-
Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.
www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg112.html
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June 3, 2005
National Child's Day, 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
Children are the future of our country and America's next generation of leaders. All of us -- parents, families, teachers, mentors, and community
members -- have a responsibility to children to honor and pass along the values that sustain a free society. By spending time with a young person, adults can help our Nation's youth to make the right choices. On National Child's Day, we underscore our commitment to supporting children and to helping them realize a bright and hopeful future.....
GEORGE W. BUSH
www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050603-6.html
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A benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals,
pollutants and pesticides in umbilical cord blood
Environmental Working Group, July 14, 2005
In a study spearheaded by the Environmental WorkingGroup (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals.
Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group. The umbilical cord blood of these 10 children, collected by Red Cross after the cord was cut, harbored pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage. Chemicals and pollutants detected in human umbilical cord blood:
Mercury (Hg) - tested for 1, found 1Pollutant from coal-fired power plants,mercury-containing products, and certain industrial processes. Accumulates in seafood. Harms brain development and function.
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - tested for 18, found 9 Pollutants from burning gasoline and garbage. Linked to cancer. Accumulates in food chain.
Polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans(PBDD/F) - tested for 12, found 7. Contaminants in brominated flame retardants. Pollutants and byproducts from plastic production and incineration. Accumulatein food chain. Toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system
Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) - tested for 12, found 9 Active ingredients or breakdown products of Teflon, Scotchgard, fabric and carpet protectors, food wrap coatings. Global contaminants. Accumulate in the environment and the food chain. Linked to cancer, birth defects, and more.
Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBCD/F) - tested for 17, found 11 Pollutants, by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration. Cause cancer in humans. Persist for decades in the environment. Very toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system.
Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) - tested for 28, found 21 DDT, chlordane and other pesticides. Largely banned in the U.S. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and numerous reproductive effects.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) - tested for 46, found 32. Flame retardant in furniture foam, computers, and televisions. Accumulates in the food chain and human tissues. Adversely affects brain development and the thyroid.
Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCNs) - tested for 70, found 50. Wood preservatives, varnishes, machine lubricating oils, waste incineration. Common PCB contaminant. Contaminate the food chain. Cause liver and kidney damage.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - tested for 209, found 147 Industrial insulators and lubricants. Banned in the U.S. in 1976. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain,to man. Cause cancer and nervous system problems.
Source: Chemical analyses of 10 umbilical cord blood samples were conducted by AXYS Analytical Services (Sydney, BC) and Flett Research Ltd. (Winnipeg, MB).
www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php
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"Every child born and unborn ought to be protected." George W. Bush, June, 2000
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Biggest Industry Donators to Bush's 2000 Campaign:
Enron: $1.8 millionExxon: $1.2 million
Koch Industries: $970,000
Southern: $900,000
BP Amoco: $800,000
El Paso Energy: $787,000
Chevron Oil Corp: $780,000
Reliant Energy: $642,000
Texas Utilities: $635,000
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1336960.stm
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*****
George Tenet Streaming Video:
www.toostupidtobepresident.com/shockwave/tenet.htm
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What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.
--Bertrand Russell
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DF
U.S.A.