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A soil scientist talks about the importance of fertile soil to the planet's environmental health and the problems caused by soil mismanagement.

What's a Bank Run? And how do you get on the FDIC's secret problem list? By Jacob Leibenluft Last week, California-based IndyMac became the largest bank to fail in two decades after a bank run depleted its deposits. Now, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.—which took over what's left of IndyMac—says that 90 financial institutions are on its secret list of "problem" banks. How does a bank end up on this secret list? By getting a bad rating, based on its financial situation and visits from inspectors. Every few months, federal regulators issue banks a "CAMELS rating" that goes from one (for the safest banks) to five (for the most suspect). If a bank scores either a four or a five, then it's included on the list the FDIC compiles each quarter. (See Page 4 of this document [PDF] for the most recent disclosure of the size of the list and Page 20 for a brief discussion of the rating system.) The exact data that go into a CAMELS rating are kept secret. (The acronym stands for capital, assets, management, earnings, liquidity, and sensitivity to market risk.) But the evaluation probably makes use of some information that's available to the public, like the size of a bank's "nonperforming assets"—loans and obligations that aren't getting paid back—and whether it has enough capital to deal with unexpected losses. The FDIC won't release its problem list, and a bank isn't allowed to disclose its CAMELS rating, either. One major reason is that if the public knew which banks were in trouble, the likelihood of a "bank run" might go up. A run occurs when a bank doesn't have enough cash in its reserves to pay all those depositors who want their money back. To understand how this happens, start with a basic concept behind our banking system: A financial institution is required to keep only a small fraction of its deposits in reserve. This system allows banks to "multiply" the amount of money in circulation—increasing the amount available for investors to borrow, for example, and consequently stimulating economic activity. But it also means that if every depositor decided to liquidate his or her savings on the same day, the bank wouldn't be able to make the payouts. Under normal circumstances, this almost never happens. But if a bank's customers believe that a bank is at risk of going under, they might rush to move their money elsewhere. This could happen because the bank is genuinely in trouble—say, it made a lot of bad mortgage loans. But even an entirely healthy bank can go under if enough depositors believe it to be unsafe. (For more on that case, read this classic paper [PDF] on the topic.) The FDIC was established during the Great Depression to limit the likelihood of a run: By offering insurance on deposits—up to $100,000 per depositor, in most cases—it makes people feel more secure in leaving their money in the bank. So, while bank failures still happen—at an average of just under five per year over the past decade—runs aren't very common. In IndyMac's case, the bank's problems stemmed from bad mortgage loans, but some regulators also blame the run on a public letter from Sen. Charles Schumer expressing concerns about the bank. Even though you can't see the problem list, there are other ways to check on your bank's health. In addition to the financial filings the banks make with the FDIC, private firms like Bankrate have their own models that rank financial institutions using similar methods. And the mere fact that a bank shows up on the FDIC's trouble list doesn't mean it's likely to fail. According to research by FDIC economists (PDF), only a small percentage of the banks on the list actually go under. Changes in the banking industry may also make it more difficult for regulators to accurately model the risks of bank failure: After all, banks were once considered safer if they owned a lot of mortgages. That may explain why IndyMac wasn't on the FDIC's trouble list as recently as March 31.

With mortgage problems, inflation, a recession and unemployment ascending on the list of American's concerns, health care has lost some of its standing. But in its latest examination of the squeeze on the middle class, the Akron Beacon Journal found health care remains an issue that weaves through many of the others. WKSU's M.L. Schultze reports.

NPR staff are deeply mourning the loss of Gary Smith, whose official title was Services Coordinator for Facilities but, as a staff note suggested, "was perhaps NPR's finest ambassador."

Gary had been battling health problems for the past few months and passed away unexpectedly this week; NPR is holding a private memorial service for him today.

Gary was in charge of the NPR front desk since 2003 and anyone who passed through the 635 Mass Ave lobby for an on-air interview, meeting, public tour or other purpose knew him, enjoyed his huge smile and undoubtedly struck up a conversation with him.

NPR staff has been posting remembrances on the news organization's intranet and we'll share some with you after the jump...

continued...

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media

How To Help a Lost Dolphin Bang on some pipes or just use a pinger instead. By Jacob Leibenluft A group of about 15 bottlenose dolphins that have been swimming in New Jersey's Shrewsbury River since mid-June now appears to be moving farther inland. Local marine officials had originally planned to coax them out of the river, but they have shelved those plans for now. How would you coax a dolphin back into the ocean, anyway? With nets or noise—but both methods can be dangerous. Nets have been used to save dolphins before, usually by deploying divers to ensnare the dolphin, removing the animal from the water with a special stretcher, and quickly transporting it to safety. But capturing the dolphin is not always an easy feat, and there's also the possibility the animal will get entangled in the webbing and drown. An alternative is to create a barrier upstream using boats and then bang pipes or use high-frequency pingers to scare the dolphins in the opposite direction. But this method has downsides, too. Because dolphins are so sensitive to sound, the loud noises can create a highly stressful situation. In extreme cases, the stress can even send a dolphin into shock or cause it to beach itself. Last year, an effort to rescue a group of common dolphins in Long Island's Northwest Creek using this method had mixed results: Eight dolphins were safely corralled into the Atlantic, but 11 could not be saved. Despite these risks, there are times when rescuing a dolphin is worth the danger. Keep a bottlenose dolphin too long in fresh water, and the process of osmosis can start causing serious health problems. (River dolphins do exist, but they are classified in a different family from ocean dolphins and aren't found in the United States.) After about three days in freshwater, a bottlenose dolphin's skin would begin to swell, and its corneas would become cloudy. Soon afterward, the animal might develop skin lesions, eventually leading to infections that can spread throughout its body. (To see a case study of one bottlenose dolphin rescued from a Florida river, click here.) Fortunately for the dolphins in New Jersey, they have been swimming in the Shrewsbury and the neighboring Navesink—two bodies of water that are better described as estuaries rather than rivers. Estuaries contain a brackish mix of freshwater and seawater that is probably salty enough to keep the dolphins in good health: Veterinarians say dolphins can get in trouble when salinity levels drop below 15 parts per thousand; measurements near the bridge the dolphins recently passed under were more than 25 parts per thousand on Thursday. These particular dolphins may also be well-suited to water with a slightly lower salinity content, since they appear to be part of a stock that sticks closer to the land even when they aren't lost. (Marine biologists believe the dolphins may have been attracted inland by schools of menhaden, a fish the animals prey on.) But no matter the salt content, these estuaries could be dangerous come winter: Back in 1993, a group of four dolphins that stayed in the frozen Shrewsbury River until December died after rescuers tried unsuccessfully to free them from the ice.

Most animals at the Sacramento Zoo are not suffering health problems from the thick smoke generated by area wildfires. But, dogs and cats may show signs of not enough oxygen.

MOUNT VERNON, Wash., July 15 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- PreViser Corporation, a leader in oral health risk assessment and management, announced that Dr. Randy R. Nolf, DDS has been appointed as their new Director of Medical Technology. PreViser (www.previser.com) has the only patented, research-validated software that allows all dental professionals to accurately analyze patients' current oral health and future risk of oral diseases or problems. The program creates graphical reports that aid in treatment planning and enable patients to more fully participate in their treatment decisions by making their risk and disease status understandable. The PreViser suite of assessment tools has been translated into 4 languages and is accessed by dentists in over 40 countries.

PreViser is expanding this same risk assessment analysis into numerous fields of medical science, creating technology that provides decision support for medical professionals and education for patients to increase participation and compliance in their own treatments. Risk identification and management of disease in the earliest stage is sound cost saving strategy - increasingly important as patients must accept a larger share of their healthcare expenditures. When asked about PreViser's advance into medicine, Dr. Nolf stated, "We're applying important lessons learned from dentists and in dental disease management to other systemic diseases and other types of practice."

Dr. Nolf was one of the 10 periodontists on the original concept development team leading to PreViser's technology and co-holds the patent. He has maintained a full-time Periodontology practice in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania while playing an advisory role with PreViser. "Dr. Nolf's innovative and continuing contributions to the field of disease management through computerized, objective risk and disease analysis makes it a logical progression to appoint him as the Director of Medical Technology as we expand beyond dentistry into other disease entities," stated Carl Loeb, PreViser CEO.

Nolf graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1979, did his post-doctoral specialty training in the Temple Graduate Periodontology Program 1979-1981, and was a Clinical Surgical Instructor 1990-1999 in the Temple Graduate Perio Program. In his own practice, he shows a strong interest in software and technology, and is an active member of many dental associations.

When asked about the future of his practice Nolf said, "These are exciting times - medicine and dentistry are changing, and the next revolution will be in technology for less costly, interceptive treatments before expensive repair is required. Utilizing the same amount of money to treat a growing population while improving the outcomes for our patients is possible and confirmed by research. It's a great advantage to be in full-time practice while engaged in the development of these new technologies; it brings unique perspective to both my practice and my contribution at PreViser."

Nolf will continue his practice full-time with limited speaking engagements. For more information or an interview, contact Dr. Nolf through his Stroudsburg office 570-420-1500.

More information about PreViser technology: www.previser.com.

Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, oral health risk assessment, PreViser Corporation

Former Vice President Al Gore delivered a major speech Thursday on US energy policy in which he challenged all Americans to confront the crisis head on and wean itself off fossil fuels in the next 10 years.

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger. In such moments, we are called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes. Those who, for whatever reason, refuse to do their part must either be persuaded to join the effort or asked to step aside. This is such a moment.

“Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years. This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Americans – in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.”

Senator Obama responds:

“For decades, Al Gore has challenged the skeptics in Washington on climate change and awakened the conscience of a nation to the urgency of this threat. I strongly agree with Vice President Gore that we cannot drill our way to energy independence, but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power and advanced biofuels, and those are the investments I will make as President. It’s a strategy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced, and one that will leave our children a world that is cleaner and safer.”

Full transcript below the fold:

(h/t Bill W)

Ladies and gentlemen:

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger. In such moments, we are called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes. Those who, for whatever reason, refuse to do their part must either be persuaded to join the effort or asked to step aside. This is such a moment.

The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more – if more should be required – the future of human civilization is at stake. I don’t remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously. Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, gasoline prices are increasing dramatically, and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced. Home mortgages are in trouble. Banks, automobile companies and other institutions we depend upon are under growing pressure. Distinguished senior business leaders are telling us that this is just the beginning unless we find the courage to make some major changes quickly.

The climate crisis, in particular, is getting a lot worse – much more quickly than predicted. Scientists with access to data from Navy submarines traversing underneath the North polar ice cap have warned that there is now a 75 percent chance that within five years the entire ice cap will completely disappear during the summer months. This will further increase the melting pressure on Greenland. According to experts, the Jakobshavn glacier, one of Greenland’s largest, is moving at a faster rate than ever before, losing 20 million tons of ice every day, equivalent to the amount of water used every year by the residents of New York City.

Two major studies from military intelligence experts have warned our leaders about the dangerous national security implications of the climate crisis, including the possibility of hundreds of millions of climate refugees destabilizing nations around the world. Just two days ago, 27 senior statesmen and retired military leaders warned of the national security threat from an “energy tsunami” that would be triggered by a loss of our access to foreign oil. Meanwhile, the war in Iraq continues, and now the war in Afghanistan appears to be getting worse.

And by the way, our weather sure is getting strange, isn’t it? There seem to be more tornadoes than in living memory, longer droughts, bigger downpours and record floods. Unprecedented fires are burning in California and elsewhere in the American West. Higher temperatures lead to drier vegetation that makes kindling for mega-fires of the kind that have been raging in Canada, Greece, Russia, China, South America, Australia and Africa. Scientists in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University tell us that for every one degree increase in temperature, lightning strikes will go up another 10 percent. And it is lightning, after all, that is principally responsible for igniting the conflagration in California today. Like a lot of people, it seems to me that all these problems are bigger than any of the solutions that have thus far been proposed for them, and that’s been worrying me. I’m convinced that one reason we’ve seemed paralyzed in the face of these crises is our tendency to offer old solutions to each crisis separately – without taking the others into
account. And these outdated proposals have not only been ineffective – they almost always make the other crises even worse.

Yet when we look at all three of these seemingly intractable challenges at the same time, we can see the common thread running through them, deeply ironic in its simplicity: our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of all three of these challenges – the economic, environmental and national security crises. We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways
that destroy the planet. Every bit of that’s got to change. But if we grab hold of that common thread and pull it hard, all of these complex problems begin to unravel and we will find that we’re holding the answer to all of them right in our hand.

The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels. In my search for genuinely effective answers to the climate crisis, I have held a series of “solutions summits” with engineers, scientists, and CEOs. In those discussions, one thing has become abundantly clear: when you connect the dots, it turns out that the real
solutions to the climate crisis are the very same measures needed to renew our economy and escape the trap of ever-rising energy prices. Moreover, they are also the very same solutions we need to guarantee our national security without having to go to war in the Persian Gulf.

What if we could use fuels that are not expensive, don’t cause pollution and are abundantly available right here at home? We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world’s energy needs for a full year. Tapping just a small portion of this solar energy could provide all of the electricity America uses. And enough wind power blows through the Midwest corridor every day to also meet 100 percent of US electricity demand. Geothermal energy, similarly, is capable of providing enormous supplies of electricity for America.

The quickest, cheapest and best way to start using all this renewable energy is in the production of electricity. In fact, we can start right now using solar power, wind power and geothermal power to make electricity for our homes and businesses. But to make this exciting potential a reality, and truly solve our nation’s problems, we need a new start.

That’s why I’m proposing today a strategic initiative designed to free us from the crises that are holding us down and to regain control of our own destiny. It’s not the only thing we need to do. But this strategic challenge is the lynchpin of a bold new strategy needed to re-power America.

Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years. This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Americans – in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.

A few years ago, it would not have been possible to issue such a challenge. But here’s what’s changed: the sharp cost reductions now beginning to take place in solar, wind, and geothermal power – coupled with the recent dramatic price increases for oil and coal – have radically changed the economics of energy.

When I first went to Congress 32 years ago, I listened to experts testify that if oil ever got to $35 a barrel, then renewable sources of energy would become competitive. Well, today, the price of oil is over $135 per barrel. And sure enough, billions of dollars of new investment are flowing into the development of concentrated solar thermal, photovoltaics, windmills, geothermal plants, and a variety of ingenious new ways to improve our efficiency and conserve presently wasted energy.

And as the demand for renewable energy grows, the costs will continue to fall. Let me give you one revealing example: the price of the specialized silicon used to make solar cells was recently as high as $300 per kilogram. But the newest contracts have prices as low as $50 a kilogram.

You know, the same thing happened with computer chips – also made out of silicon. The price paid for the same performance came down by 50 percent every 18 months – year after year, and that’s what’s happened for 40 years in a row. To those who argue that we do not yet have the technology to accomplish these results
with renewable energy: I ask them to come with me to meet the entrepreneurs who will drive this revolution. I’ve seen what they are doing and I have no doubt that we can meet this challenge.

To those who say the costs are still too high: I ask them to consider whether the costs of oil and coal will ever stop increasing if we keep relying on quickly depleting energy sources to feed a rapidly growing demand all around the world. When demand for oil and coal increases, their price goes up. When demand for solar cells increases, the price often comes down.

When we send money to foreign countries to buy nearly 70 percent of the oil we use every day, they build new skyscrapers and we lose jobs. When we spend that money building solar arrays and windmills, we build competitive industries and gain jobs here at home.

Of course there are those who will tell us this can’t be done. Some of the voices we hear are the defenders of the status quo – the ones with a vested interest in perpetuating the current system, no matter how high a price the rest of us will have to pay. But even those who reap the profits of the carbon age have to recognize the inevitability of its demise. As one OPEC oil minister observed, “The Stone Age didn’t end because of a shortage of stones.”

To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world’s scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don’t act in 10 years. The leading experts predict that we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution lest we lose our ability to ever recover from this environmental crisis. When the use of oil and coal goes up, pollution goes up. When the use of solar, wind and geothermal increases, pollution comes down.

To those who say the challenge is not politically viable: I suggest they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo. Then bear witness to the people’s appetite for change. I for one do not believe our country can withstand 10 more years of the status quo. Our families cannot stand 10 more years of gas price increases. Our workers cannot stand 10 more years of job losses and outsourcing of factories. Our economy cannot stand 10 more years of sending $2 billion every 24 hours to foreign countries for oil. And our soldiers
and their families cannot take another 10 years of repeated troop deployments to dangerous regions that just happen to have large oil supplies.

What could we do instead for the next 10 years? What should we do during the next 10 years? Some of our greatest accomplishments as a nation have resulted from commitments to reach a goal that fell well beyond the next election: the Marshall Plan, Social Security, the interstate highway system. But a political promise to do something 40 years from now is universally ignored because everyone knows that it’s meaningless.

Ten years is about the maximum time that we as a nation can hold a steady aim and hit our target. When President John F. Kennedy challenged our nation to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely in 10 years, many people doubted we could accomplish that goal. But 8 years and 2 months later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon.

To be sure, reaching the goal of 100 percent renewable and truly clean electricity within 10 years will require us to overcome many obstacles. At present, for example, we do not have a unified national grid that is sufficiently advanced to link the areas where the sun shines and the wind blows to the cities in the East and the West that need the electricity.

Our national electric grid is critical infrastructure, as vital to the health and security of our economy as our highways and telecommunication networks. Today, our grids are antiquated, fragile, and vulnerable to cascading failure. Power outages and defects in the current grid system cost US businesses more than $120 billion dollars a year. It has to be upgraded anyway.

We could further increase the value and efficiency of a Unified National Grid by helping our struggling auto giants switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars. An electric vehicle fleet would sharply reduce the cost of driving a car, reduce pollution, and increase the flexibility of our electricity grid. At the same time, of course, we need to greatly improve our commitment to efficiency and conservation. That’s the best investment we can make.

America’s transition to renewable energy sources must also include adequate provisions to assist those Americans who would unfairly face hardship. For example, we must recognize those who have toiled in dangerous conditions to bring us our present energy supply. We should guarantee good jobs in the fresh air and sunshine for any coal miner displaced by impacts on the coal industry. Every single one of them.

Of course, we could and should speed up this transition by insisting that the price of carbon-based energy include the costs of the environmental damage it causes. I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. This is the single most important policy change we can make.

In order to foster international cooperation, it is also essential that the United States rejoin the global community and lead efforts to secure an international treaty at Copenhagen in December of next year that includes a cap on CO2 emissions and a global partnership that recognizes the necessity of addressing the threats of extreme poverty and disease as part of the world’s agenda for solving the climate crisis.

Of course the greatest obstacle to meeting the challenge of 100 percent renewable electricity in 10 years may be the deep dysfunction of our politics and our self-governing system as it exists today. In recent years, our politics has tended toward incremental proposals made up of small policies designed to avoid offending special interests, alternating with occasional baby steps in the right direction. Our democracy has become
sclerotic at a time when these crises require boldness. It is only a truly dysfunctional system that would buy into the perverse logic that the short-term answer to high gasoline prices is drilling for more oil ten years from now.

Am I the only one who finds it strange that our government so often adopts a so-called solution that has absolutely nothing to do with the problem it is supposed to address? When people rightly complain about higher gasoline prices, we propose to give more money to the oil companies and pretend that they’re going to bring gasoline prices down.

It will do nothing of the sort, and everyone knows it. If we keep going back to the same policies that have never ever worked in the past and have served only to produce the highest gasoline prices in history alongside the greatest oil company profits in history, nobody should be surprised if we get the same result over and over again. But the Congress may be poised to move in that direction anyway because some of them are being stampeded by lobbyists for special interests that know how to make the system work for them instead of the American people.

If you want to know the truth about gasoline prices, here it is: the exploding demand for oil, especially in places like China, is overwhelming the rate of new discoveries by so much that oil prices are almost certain to continue upward over time no matter what the oil companies promise. And politicians cannot bring gasoline prices down in the short term.

However, there actually is one extremely effective way to bring the costs of driving a car way down within a few short years. The way to bring gas prices down is to end our dependence on oil and use the renewable sources that can give us the equivalent of $1 per gallon gasoline.

Many Americans have begun to wonder whether or not we’ve simply lost our appetite for bold policy solutions. And folks who claim to know how our system works these days have told us we might as well forget about our political system doing anything bold, especially if it is contrary to the wishes of special interests. And I’ve got to admit, that sure seems to be the way things have been going. But I’ve begun to hear different voices in this country from people who are not only tired of baby steps and special interest
politics, but are hungry for a new, different and bold approach.

We are on the eve of a presidential election. We are in the midst of an international climate treaty process that will conclude its work before the end of the first year of the new president’s term. It is a great error to say that the United States must wait for others to join us in this matter. In fact, we must move first, because that is the key to getting others to follow; and because moving first is in our own national interest.

So I ask you to join with me to call on every candidate, at every level, to accept this challenge – for America to be running on 100 percent zero-carbon electricity in 10 years. It’s time for us to move beyond empty rhetoric. We need to act now.

This is a generational moment. A moment when we decide our own path and our collective fate. I’m asking you – each of you – to join me and build this future. Please join the WE campaign at wecansolveit.org. We need you. And we need you now. We’re committed to changing not just light bulbs, but laws. And laws will only change with leadership.

On July 16, 1969, the United States of America was finally ready to meet President Kennedy’s challenge of landing Americans on the moon. I will never forget standing beside my father a few miles from the launch site, waiting for the giant Saturn 5 rocket to lift Apollo 11 into the sky. I was a young man, 21 years old, who had graduated from college a month before and was enlisting in the United States Army three weeks later.
I will never forget the inspiration of those minutes. The power and the vibration of the giant rocket’s engines shook my entire body. As I watched the rocket rise, slowly at first and then with great speed, the sound was deafening. We craned our necks to follow its path until we were looking straight up into the air. And then four days later, I watched along with hundreds of millions of others around the world as Neil Armstrong took one
small step to the surface of the moon and changed the history of the human race.

We must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our entire civilization depends upon us now embarking on a new journey of exploration and discovery. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey and to complete it within 10 years. Once again, we have an opportunity to take a giant leap for humankind.

  File this under: If Only Barack Obama Said It. After being asked a question on the “Suck Up Express” yesterday about his position on insurance companies covering Viagra but not birth control, McCain became visibly uncomfortable and was unable to reconcile his past vote against requiring the coverage of birth control with a statement one of his top advisers made just earlier this week.

 Download | Play   Download | Play 

WSJ:

When McCain was asked for his position on the issue, he said—with a nervous laugh–“I certainly do not want to discuss that issue.”

The reporter pressed. “But apparently you’ve voted against—“

“I don’t know what I voted,” McCain said.

The reporter explained that McCain voted against a bill in 2003 that would have required health insurance companies to cover prescription birth control. “Is that still your position?” she persisted.

During the awkward exchange, with several lengthy pauses, McCain said he had no immediate knowledge of the vote. “I’ve cast thousands of votes in the Senate,” McCain said, then continued: “I will respond to—it’s a, it’s a…”

It’s pretty sickening to watch the cast of “Morning Joe” laugh it up and fail to acknowledge that this is a pretty big stumble by McCain. Not only is his campaign sending mixed messages about a rather important issue to millions of Americans, the Senator is so clearly confused and caught in the headlights as he’s called out on a blatant flip-flop.

Imagine if Barack Obama had been stumped like this. It would have been the story of the day, with the blaring headline: Obama Stumbles On Key Women’s Issue; Will He Lose Their Support? Then talking head after talking head would be paraded on television to lecture seriously about Obama’s “women problem” and whether or not this will doom his chances at winning them over.

But instead, McCain said it, and everyone has a laugh and moves on.

UPDATE:  (Nicole) McCain hasn’t spent a lot of time on these issues at all.  In fact, as The Political Base recounts, last year he couldn’t tell reporters if condoms stop STDs or if he supported Bush’s abstinence-only education.

“I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it in the past,” he stammered as he looked to his communications director. “I’m sure I’m opposed to government funding.”

Sensing a vulnerable moment, reporters kept the questions coming. What about sex education in the schools? Should it mention contraceptives? Or only abstinence, like President Bush wants?

“I think I support the president’s present policy,” he said, tentatively.

More questions: Do condoms stop sexually transmitted disease?

A long pause.

A stern look.

“I’ve never gotten into these issues or thought much about them,” he said. 

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We all have networks of some kind. No matter whether you have two computers or 2000 on your network, you’ll need tools to manage it. This is why I love talking to Josh Stephens from SolarWinds. In the recent past, Josh and I got together to discuss Exchange Monitor. Today, we talked specifically about troubleshooting user performance on a network. I wanted to get his take on this, as I know it’s something he deals with on a daily basis.

According to Josh, networks today are more complex than they used to be. We’re using them for far more than we have in the past, and many of the things are bandwidth intensive. When he has to start narrowing down a problem, the first three rules of troubleshooting a network is check the cable, check the cable, check the cable. It sounds silly, but it happens much more often than you would think.

I asked Josh if turning on wireless actually impede the wired connections between computers on the network. Josh indicated that you can use some of the tools from SolarWinds to measure performance of your network both before and after you make any changes. If you’re having trouble with performance and you have wireless… check first to make sure if there’s a firmware update available for your access point. That can make a tremendous difference. There are many little things that could cause you to have issues with a wireless network, so using tools like SolarWinds has available can certainly help diagnose and manage it.

Another question that came up was wondering what Josh believed the greatest threat is to networks in the coming years. Josh tends to think that as far as things like viruses go, the network gear today is very well equipped to handle them. He doesn’t see threats like that as much of an issue. What he does feel that Network Admins should be aware of is the idea of having real-time collaborative conferencing. It’s really just barely starting to take off, and will likely grow very quickly. You need to stay a few steps ahead of the users you are providing support to.

I get a lot of people constantly asking me about tweaks. I wondered if many of the “popular” tweaks are actually valid. Josh stated there truly is a lot of things that can be tweaked in order to enhance your network performance. You definitely want to make sure you know what you’re doing before diving in to make major changes, and always back up everything you can before beginning.

The Engineer’s Toolset Engineer’s Toolset includes 49 powerful network management, monitoring and troubleshooting tools to easily and effectively manage your network. Some of the key features are:

• Monitors and alerts on availability, bandwidth utilization, and health for hundreds of network devices
• Provides robust network diagnostics for troubleshooting and quickly resolving complex network issues
• Offers an array of network discovery tools that facilitate IP address management, port mapping and ping sweeps
• Eases management of Cisco devices with tools for real-time NetFlow analysis, configuration management and router management

Please leave me your network optimization tips, so that everyone can learn. And be sure to check out everything SolarWinds has to offer.

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Take care of yourself first during economic downturns
By Douglas E. Welch

Listen: Take care of yourself first during economic downturns

Whatever indicators you use, it seems clear the US economy is slowing down…some even say, stalling. Whenever the economy slows down it can put tremendous burdens on us all as we are driven to work longer hours with fewer people, along with suffering the stress of on-going layoffs, reduction in hours and more. Looking back on previous downturns, I see that taking care of yourself, physically, emotionally and economically, becomes extremely important. If you don’t, you can find yourself adding personal problems to the economic ones you already face.

Every economic downturn brings a host of layoffs over a wide variety of businesses. Even if you survive a layoff at your company, the added stress of trying to be more productive, with fewer people, can leave everyone feeling a bit shell shocked. Worse still, excessive overtime can leave you feeling physically and emotionally drained. This is an open door for colds, flu and other ailments that sap your productivity just when you need it most.

In order to protect your own health and well-being you must watch your environment carefully and act quickly to prevent becoming just another statistic. If you are asked (perhaps, required) to put in overtime, try to keep it below a certain threshold. You can’t work 80 hours a week, for months on end, and remain productive. If you don’t limit your work hours, your body or your mind will simply do it for you. You will wake up one morning unable to rise from your bed, no matter how pressing your deadlines might be.

If excessive overtime is becoming a regular occurrence, start looking for a new job. Excessive overtime is a sure sign that your company is in trouble. They are trying to survive by cutting costs to the bone without realizing that they are destroying their staff in the process. Riding a sinking ship to the bottom holds no nobility. It only destroys your morale, self-confidence and possibly, your health. In these events, you must do what is best for you. Look and plan carefully. If a new position presents itself, make sure you take the time to investigate it. You might feel too tired or too depressed, but this is exactly the time when you need to look for new opportunities. Don’t allow a bad situation to prevent you from moving on with your career.

Your emotions can take a beating during an economic downturn, too. Most importantly, don’t let anyone make you believe that the company’s problems are your fault. I have seen executives and managers try to shame their employees into higher productivity. The fact is, though, that it is usually these executives and managers who are the most to blame for the company’s troubles. It seems ludicrous to lay the blame on their employees who are already suffering more from economic problems. Emotional abuse, in all its forms, is another red flag that should send you looking for new opportunities.

Finally, protecting yourself economically during a downturn is critical. If you are suffering under mandatory overtime, make sure that that extra money is going into the bank or other investments. While any of us might be tempted to buy that new TV, car or computer with this “extra” money, now is not the time. No one is ever sure how their company will fare during an economic downturn and you need to protect yourself against the possibility that you will be out of job in a week, a month, a year. Build your nest egg now. In a few months, if and when the economic outlook brightens, you will be able to make your purchase outright instead of having to finance it. If the economy continues downward, you will be able to easily survive any troubles that might come your way.

When it comes to your career and the economy, protect yourself as much as possible. Don’t assume that others are looking out for your best interest. Remember, your employer will do what is best for them, even if it happens to be the worst for you. In most cases, they aren’t doing this out of spite, but rather they are doing it out of a desperate attempt to survive. For whatever the reason, though, it is up to you to protect what you have created and what you have earned. Otherwise, a troubled economy might just destroy your career.

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Post from: Career Opportunities by Douglas E. Welch

Take care of yourself first during economic downturns

How unpatriotic is Sean Hannity? He joins in with McCain’s major economic dude, Phil Gramm and believes we are a nation of Whiners.

 Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather)

Hannity: But in all seriously here, we haven’t had a recession—there is an economic slow down. I share your concern. Everybody I talk to is furious at 4.50 a gallon for gasoline, especially when they know we have more resources than the middle east, but I want to know. I want to ask you this. I’ve met people that grew up in tyranny. I knew people that grew up in the former Soviet Union for fear of speaking out against their government. Never had an opportunity to pursue their dreams…In this country, maybe we do, is there some truth to the fact, maybe we do whine too much. Maybe we don’t to appreciate this gift we have of freedom. Maybe we don’t take advantage of, maybe too many of us look to the government to solve every problem we have, Health care etc…

Gingrich: Sean, I have the deepest affection for you..that is the least Ronald Reagan like quote I’ve heard from you in your entire career.

WTF is he talking about? My God, Newt rebukes him in the the worst possible way for a Hannity type robot. Calling him the anti-Reagan. I guess when you make over five million dollars a year like Hannity does, no worries about health care for his family, paying for gas and the high cost of food really isn’t a big deal to him and many rich conservatives. You know the new term is “economic slow down.” We’re not struggling, there’s just a little bump in the road so suck it up people!@

Heather says:

Gingrich tells Hannity that government should listen to citizens when they’re complaining, and admits the truth when he says that “If your customer comes in and complains to you it is not good to say to the customer quit whining because then they get to go to a new store”. That “new store” is the Democratic Party and he knows it. Of course that was qualified later with remarks that small business without the aid of government and the private sector is the answer to all of our problems instead of government holding those people back with I would guess their nasty regulations on business so they don’t kill all of us while making a profit which of course all Republicans hate.

 Download | Play    Download | Play  (h/t Heather)

I don’t think this is what John McCain meant by being on the Straight Talk Express.  California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — who has endorsed John McCain — admits that even though McCain is running on a Bush third term, agreeing with him on Iraq, economic policies, tax cuts, health care and free trade, we shouldn’t take his words seriously…his actions show him to be far more moderate guy, willing to work and compromise with the Democrats in Congress.  He’s just saying what he has to during the campaign, see? He doesn’t really mean it.

Well, let me tell you something. What is being said on those presidential campaigns is one thing, but what people have done in the past is something else. So you judge people on what have they done.

Yeah, let’s look at his record…does this look moderate to you?

Transcripts below the fold

STEPHANOPOULOS: You talk about what’s being done here in California, but the housing legislation in Washington is stuck.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, I mean, I’m not speaking so much for Washington, because remember that we have a big problem in Washington and it’s so polarized. People cannot get together. And I think it has a lot to do with, also, with the way the district lines are drawn.

As you know, the last district lines have been drawn by politicians, and they’ve kind of rigged the districts in such a way that they are kind of locked in and kind of easily win again, and that does not give people a choice.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Doesn’t that pose a particular problem for your presidential candidate, John McCain?

Even if he wins this year, even if he becomes president, he’s almost certain to face a Democratic House, a Democratic Senate. How does he get anything done in that environment?

SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, this is why I love this guy, because he has over and over shown that he can reach across the aisle.

See, that is the important thing. John McCain, every time I talk to him, he’s never stuck on just “I am a Republican and I am going to force Republican ideas.”

He wants to get things done, and I have seen him do it. He doesn’t just talk about it. He does it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator McCain is saying that he wants to extend President Bush’s economic policies, extend his tax cuts, expand his positions on health care, extend free trade. Democrats are in a very different position on those issues.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, let me tell you something. What is being said on those presidential campaigns is one thing, but what people have done in the past is something else. So you judge people on what have they done.

Senator McCain has been in that office for a long enough time that we look at his record, and I think that his record shows that he maybe has his ideas, but he sees, also, the Democrats have their ideas.  And he’s interested in molding his ideas together with the Democratic ideas in order to come up with a compromise.

STEPHANOPOULOS: It sounds like you’re saying, “don’t listen too much to what he says on the campaign trail.”

SCHWARZENEGGER: No. What I’m saying is, in general, you have to judge people more by what they have done in the past. And I always say that well done is better than well said.

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FAP838: Student loans and bank failures

Listen now:

Student Financial Aid News
+ IndyMac Bank failed over the weekend, taken over by the FDIC.
+ NASFAA: “After rushing to enact a law that makes it easier for students to obtain more federal student loans, Congressional leaders and lobbyists for for-profit colleges may now be close to a deal to help those colleges avoid an unintended result of that new law,” The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. “The parties are seeking a measure to keep the colleges from running afoul of the requirement that at least 10 percent of their revenue comes from nonfederal sources. The colleges have been concerned about the requirement, known as the 90-10 rule, ever since Congress this past spring raised the limits on the amounts students may borrow under federal loan programs. One option under discussion would allow the colleges to temporarily treat the $2,000 of newly allowed loan funds as part of their 10 percent.”
+ Bloomberg via NASFAA: “Five months after the collapse of the $330 billion auction-rate securities market, bonds backed by student loans show no signs of recovering,” Bloomberg News reports. “The $85 billion of auction-rate securities sold by state agencies and private lenders to finance student loans are emerging as the most toxic type since Wall Street dealers abandoned the auction-rate market in February amid worries about the financial health of the bond insurers who guaranteed the debt. The collapse of the auction-rate market compounded the financial problems for lenders after Congress last year cut the subsidies it makes to those who sell bonds backed by federally guaranteed loans.”
+ U Ohio: Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today signed an executive order establishing The Ohio GI Promise, which changes Ohio’s residence requirements to allow all veterans of the U.S. Armed Services, their spouses, and dependents who choose to attend Ohio colleges and universities to do so at in-state tuition rates.

Scholarship Update
+ Brickfish Off Road Nation Scholarship
+ Share a photo or video of your off road excursions and be eligible for a $500 scholarship. Deadline is September 04, 2008. No purchase necessary. Open to anyone who is a resident of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Canada (excluding Quebec), and is 13 or older at the time of entry.
+ Details at our free college scholarship search site

Financial Aid 101
+ What happens to your student loans when a bank fails
+ I’m reasonably certain IndyMac isn’t the last
+ Your loan is sold to the new bank operator
+ Servicing typically doesn’t change all that much
+ Make sure you stay in contact with the bank as it makes the transition
+ If the bank loses contact with you, they may just classify your debt as delinquent or in default, and that is a mess to clean up
+ Remember to pull your credit report from time to time

Did you enjoy today’s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don’t have to remember to download it every day.
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Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3

Reminders
+
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook
+ Open an FDIC-insured savings account today!
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid discussion forums
+ Get FAFSA news at the FAFSA blog
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208.

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U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor joined a Barack Obama conference call (audio here)to blast John McCain for supporting private savings accounts as part of his recipe for Social Security reform: "I'm running out of fingers and toes to count the number of times now that John McCain is aligning himself with the policies of George W. Bush...In the state of Florida we are being squeezed; property insurance, health care costs, gas prices, and you're telling me now that John McCain is going to take the safety net out from below Americans and hardworking families and seniors that put so many years into their jobs and their families? It's a real shame."

McCain campaign spokesman Jeff Sadosky: "Kathy Castor’s attacks are exactly what is wrong with the Social Security debate in Washington, and they will not do a thing to calm the worries of Florida’s seniors, who, while living on fixed incomes, are faced with rising food and fuel costs and a home mortgage crisis.  The disgrace is our failure to fix the long-run imbalance in Social Security -- a failure of leadership evidenced by our willingness to kick to problem to the next generation of leaders. John McCain was also describing the looming and increasing demographic pressures confronting the Social Security system and Washington’s utter failure to address it."