Carry On…
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 31st, 2009
Good morning…
I am not an interfering bitch; not all the time anyway. :) And it seems like there is a good conversation going on. I’m going to leave it as it is. Carry on…
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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March 31st, 2009 at 8:59 am
Hafa adai
I hope this will get in. It seems that communication between Guam and the states will get better. The opportunity to hook up more successfully with other parts of the world will also improve. But I’ll let you read it for yourself.
———————————
Bharti inks pact with Australia Japan Cable
Press Trust of India / New Delhi March 31, 2009, 20:24 IST
Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel today said it has entered into an agreement with Australia Japan Cable to interconnect their current and future networks in the Pacific Island of Guam.
he deal would allow both parties to offer services from Singapore and the US West Coast to Australia, Airtel said in a statement.
Bharti Airtel would be utilising its assets on the upcoming Asia America Gateway Cable System and AJC would use its assets on its Australia Japan Cable System. The cable systems would be connected in Guam, it added.
Bharti Airtel would be provisioning services between Guam and major hubs like Singapore, Japan and the US. The joint network is expected to carry commercial traffic by end of Q1FY10.
Asia-America Gateway (AAG), a consortium by 17 companies, is a submarine communications cable system that is planned to connect South-East Asia and the US.
“With the demand for connectivity to and from Australia growing multifold, a partnership with an established carrier like AJC is a natural fit with our endeavour.
“Our partnership with AJC, coupled with our investments in AAG will ensure options for connectivity to Australia from anywhere in the world,” Bharti Airtel President Enterprise Services David Nishball said.
——————————–
Hafa adai
Anna
March 31st, 2009 at 9:24 am
Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I beg to differ with the nay sayers against Obama’s economic recovery plans:
(1) Investing in toxic assests will attract buyers because a majority of American people trust Obama and have the good sense to know that true remedies take time – lots of time. They’re willing to wait it out before proffering harsh judgment.
(2) Banks wrote their own scenario of doom, which reached its crescendo with the Bush II administration being cognizant of the dastardly maneuvers. Now it’s a new game, and the bankers will simply need to follow the rules and regs that were arrogantly swept under the rug, especially during the last eight years, along with a few new ones that are sorely needed.
(3) Yes, the American public will absorb this debt to save the global economy from totally imploding – there are no alternatives on the table, just incoherent mumbling from the self-imposed GOP peanut gallery
Patience is the key. Something the American public seem to have plenty of, along with good will toward men. The pols and MSM could learn an important lesson from us, instead of treating us like fools.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:26 am
Just who are these investor that have ended up with all these subprime loans or whatever is causing congress to believe that some companies are too big too fail. Are they foreign countries. The wealthy. People who give large campaign contributions. Would I as an average american be any worse off than if congress did nothing. Let these big companies fail. Let the shareholders who hired these high risk takers lose their money.
Just how does bailing out AIG or Citi help me or any average American. Yes some would lose money but I think most of us would be better off. Other banks and insurers would step up and hire the midlevel and under people and busines would continue on.
If Citi once again becomes the world largest most trusted bank would that help me or any other average american
March 31st, 2009 at 11:01 am
There is NOT just one solution, since the causes of this crisis are MANY sided just as the effects are MANY sided and the suggestions are Many sided. For God’s sake, let’s be patient and give these people who are working at solving this hurculean crisis some necessary time. Bush & Republicans were allowed to create this almost Depression over a period of eight years , and with the support of people who are doing the squacking now.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:01 am
Anon3
Some companies are “too big to fail” because the repugs killed the regulations that were set up to prevent a company from getting that way. Having said that doesn’t mean that Obama still doesn’t have to deal with the fact that the particular company is “too big to fail.”
A company is usually judged to be “to big to fail” if its failure would take down a substantial number of related and peripheral businesses with it. Most of those businesses played by the rules and do not deserve to lose their livihood because of the offending company. Millions of jobs could be lost when those innocent businesses fail.
Yes, the average american would be “worse off” if congress did nothing. Credit is the life blood of a capitalist system. Businesses need it to meet payrolls. It’s called a credit line. The average person needs it; to make ends meet till payday, to innovate, to send their kids to college, to buy a home, car or any large purchase.
If credit drys up no one will be able to operate as usual. You like most are incapable of understanding how the capital markets work. The repugs count on this to anger and confuse you.
I am not putting you down. I am just saying that if you knew the consequences of letting these huge financial institutions fail thereby taking the credit suppliers with them, you would cringe. How would you function if you did not have access to credit to purchase the big things or to tide you over until you had the funds to meet your needs?
How do you expect some businesses to meet payrolls with the anticipation of their customers paying for services they have already rendered without credit? The clothing, building, Automobile, service, etc,etc industries all operate on the availability of credit to meet their immediate financial needs until their receivables catch up with their liabilities. The difference minus any additional expenses is their profit.
Whether “Citi once again becomes the world largest most trusted bank” is not the issue. The issue is what will happen to our access to credit if banks won’t lend because of the “toxic assets” on their books?
“Toxic Assets” are loans they are holding on things secured by inflated real estate values. They are required by law to hold in reserve a percent of that inflated value. If they are to be able to loan money again they have to reduce that reserve by getting rid of some or all of those “toxic assets.”(TA)
Obama’s plan involves bringing in private investors to partner with the government to help the banks rid themselves of those TAs. The only other two options is to do nothing as you suggested which would be disastrous. Or to buy all the TAs themselves. That would put the government in the position of using tax payer money to purchase those TAs without knowing what to pay for them. That would be way more expensive than the method Obama chose of using private investors as partners.
Using private investors to bid on the TAs with the government as a partner means that the government would get closer to paying what those TAs are worth with the opportunity to make the tax payer’s investment back and a possible profit.
The plan works this way:
The bank has a $100 million of TAs on its books. An investor puts up $5 million the government matches it and puts up $5 million. They are now partners and will share 50% in any profits that result from the venture. The investor can use his business expertise to bid on the banks $100 million TAs at the rate of 6 times the total investment of the partnership, plus the investment {[6x(P+G)]+P}.
The Private investor’s risk (P) is $5million. The Govrnmen’st matching fund (G) is $5million. The government guaranteed leverage (L) is 6X(P+G) = 6x($5 million + $5 million) = 6x($10 Million) = $60 million. The total amount an investor can leverage with his initial investment TI is TI = P+g+L. Or TI = $5 million(P) plus $5 million(G) plus $60 million(L) which equals $70 million.
Hence the maximum leverage an investor can get on his investment is 6 times what he is willing to put up. Simply 2(I)+6[2xI)]. Either formula will result in the investor receiving $70 million to invest on a risk of $5 million.
An even simpler formula for those of you who understand the process and you just want to arrive at the money involved is to say that the government(G) gives the investor 13 times his investment to become a partner but the investor must agree that the government doesn’t have to pay a dime until the investor losses all his investment. That formula would have the taxpayer(G) put up on a $5 million investment by the Investor(I) to share equally on any profits he may make
G= 13I
G= 13($5 million)
G= $65 million
Yes, the govern is guaranteeing $65 million on the investor’s risk of $5 million. But the investor has to lose his entire $5 million before the taxpayer has to pay a dime. Logic should tell you that no one is going to risk his entire investment just to cause the other partner to lose his share.
The Investor can now bid up to $70 million for the $100 million TAs the bank has to offer. The tax payer stands to split up to $30 million if the assets eventually return the $100 million.
The plan allows the government to get the benefit of the financial acumen of those Investors willing to put their money where their mouth is. Unlike the politicians who are decrying the method without risking a dime.
The Investor is not likely to bid more for the TAs than he stands to make as a profit. He does not want to lose his initial investment. The banks will have to eventually sell for the best bid because unless they do those TAs will stay on their books and keep them from making loans which is the business banks are in.
Once those TAs are off the books credit will flow again. The economy is already seeing some benefits via lower mortgage rates.
Give the man a chance. He has only been in office 69 days. Sure I, as a black man, am proud of Obama becoming the President of the United States of America. But unlike some of those bigots out there. I would not support him if I thought what he was doing was not financially good for the country.
It seems to me that there are those who would use any way to sabotage President Obama recovery plan because he is black. I certainly hope for the country sake either I am wrong or that they do not succeed.
Robert
March 31st, 2009 at 11:03 am
The latest iteration of TARP is complex, which means it is corrupt. An honest plan would be simple and direct. This one suggests that A lend to B, who will transact with C, who might then lend to D. It is like the Rube Goldberg machine, where a ball rolls down an incline, drops into a shovel, which tips it into a spiral, where it goes around and around, etc., etc. The analogy breaks down, though, because in Rube Goldberg”s creations, causation was inviolate. They were elaborate but functional. In TARP world, the causation breaks down before it reaches the stated objective of inducing new lending.
We have seen this kind of policy by indirection before. It was not important to catch Osama, who actually did 9/11; he was marginal. Instead, we had to invade Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, because that would cause a change in the region, which would induce a behavior change elsewhere. Likewise with trickle-down:– if we cut taxes on rich people, it will induce them to behaviors that will have the effect of creating jobs. Neither of these cons, we now know, had any merit or honesty. Rube Goldberg would have scoffed at them. But they were vigorously put forward, very forcefully asserted, and America went along. This time we should just say no. The program has nothing to do with stimulating lending.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:05 am
Let’s really stop playing around and face the fact that restoring the unsustainable, high-polluting borrow-and-keep-borrowing lifestyle means disaster–and quite soon. Couldn’t we just let those who’ve borrowed hugely lose their money, and start again? My parents had a fine life without ever borrowing a cent. It can be done and, facing monstrous climate change, we should at least consider whether reduction, not growth of population and pollution, is the right way to go?
March 31st, 2009 at 11:06 am
Wake up America !
The biggest lie ever, ever told is that banks are losing money on mortgages!
Do the math yourself but it is simple! Banks loan at 5% or more and borrow at 1% or less. So as long as over 50% pay there mortgage is does not matter how many millions get foreclosed on. The bank makes a forture.
The math 2 people borrow a million, one pays one goes into foreclosure and burns the house to the ground never paying a dime! The first person pays 50K INTEREST 10k principle total 60k. The bank pays for 2 million 20k interest, 20k principle. Bank gets paid 60K and has to pay 40k for a 20k profit!
The numbers are rounded but you could use a calculator.
So it is all a great big lie!
The banks lost money giving the rich corporations trillions in loans to steal all the jobs and take them to third world countries with the bulk going to India and China . Now these corporations have defaulted on all of these loans!
The answer is jobs!
The answer is domestic content!
The answer is technology and keeping technology in the US!
The answer is not printing more money and letting the idiots who got us in this mess steal more money! The money will soon be worthless!
March 31st, 2009 at 11:10 am
Robert you are very articulate for a black man. What do you do?
March 31st, 2009 at 11:11 am
Anon8
Um, don’t quit your day job, whatever it is…
For example, one more step to your illogical progression: That bank borrowed two million, you said, lent it to two individuals, a million each, one of who paid nary a dime, and one of who paid as required.
You say, the one loan that paid totaled fifty thousand interest and put put in ten thousand in capital, for sixty thousand dollars.
The bank paid twenty thousand interest, and twenty thousand principle, for a forty thousand outlay, you say.
Therefore, the bank made twenty thousand dollars, you say.
Bullocks. The next day, the loan was due, the one guy paid back nine hundred ninety thousand dollars (one million less ten thousand), the other, nada.
The bank has to pay back one million, nine hundred and eighty thousand dollars (two million less twenty thousand).
The bank has lost nine hundred ninety thousand dollars, you ninny!
March 31st, 2009 at 11:15 am
Close but no cigar John, you neglected to add in the derivitives that were sold (and resold and resold…) based on mortgages which were faulty assets to begin with. The asset value in these mortgage loans was under 30% of the home value by the time everyone had dipped into the pie. These “finance” companies don’t have a clue as to what is actually on their balance sheets and have stated that they cannot “unwind” the derivitives based on mortgages.
I would say, send a couple of bank investigators into these institutions, pull these derivitives off the balance sheets, write the losses off to the shareholders and make the depositors whole. Start over with new staff and new rules. Go back to the Glass Steagal Act and require US Banks &&& Financial Institutions to follow the Basel Accord.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:59 am
Hafa adai
Program
Written by From News Release
Wednesday, 25 March 2009 14:23
Guam – Senator Ben Pangelinan has introduced a bill to provide more money for the eradication program against the Rhinoceros Beetle.
Bill 83 would appropriate $500,000 from the unexpended cash of the Tourist Attraction Fund. The aim is to supplement funding sources for the Guam Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Eradication Program.
A release from the Senator’s office states that the funding would greatly assist the eradication team which is relying only on Federal grants in their effort to control the expansion of the invasive and alien pest.
The release quotes Pangelinan as saying that : “We cannot half heartedly support this effort or we will surely lose the battle against the beetle and we cannot have a tropical paradise without coconut trees.”.
Recently, experts have said that Guam’s window of opportunity to eradicate the Rhino Beetle is closing and it is feared that any further in funding the eradication program will diminish the chance to eradicate it.
______________________
Peter
March 31st, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Non-bioidentical hormone unleashes cancer on study group
I’ve always worried about the dangers of non-bioidentical hormones. And after you read this, you’ll be worried too.
Non-bioidentical hormones are often given to women to help manage the symptoms of menopause and prevent osteoporosis, but I’ve found them to be as unpredictable and dangerous as a hungry coyote.
Researchers in Amsterdam recently began a study on tibolone, a hormone not available in the United States but widely used around the world. But we’ll never know what the full results of this study would have been. They had to pull the plug on the research early when they realized just how dangerous it was.
The study, published in The Lancet Oncology, included thousands of women who had survived breast cancer. But for them, the fight wasn’t over yet – thanks to tibolone.
As the study progressed, the researchers began to notice an alarming trend among these women: a higher risk of a breast cancer recurrence. Not a little bit higher, but a whopping 40 percent higher than the placebo group.
It’s not just a significant number — it’s a shocking one. I’ve always said the biggest problems with these things aren’t just what we know they’ll do – but what we still don’t know about them. And this latest research bears me out.
You see, non-bioidentical hormones are not shaped like regular hormones, so they don’t attach properly to your genes. Shape is important because once these types of hormones bind to your genes, the consequent vibration delivers the message. However, hormones that have an altered shaped cannot cause the proper vibration. That changes the messages your genes are sending to the rest of your body. And that can lead to these wild, unpredictable, and frightening results.
What will we learn next about non-bioidentical hormones? Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it won’t come as good news to the millions of women who rely on them. And while tibolone isn’t prescribed in the United States, I believe some of the dangers and unpredictability of this product are shared by other non-bioidentical hormones that are commonly used here.
But there’s no reason to even fool with these, because there’s a readily available alternative. They’re called bioidentical hormones, and even folks like Oprah Winfrey have turned to them for help dealing with menopause. These safer, more effective and more natural hormones are, as the name suggests, identical to the ones already in your body. Not only that, but they can be custom-tailored to meet your body’s specific needs.
Sounds good, right? Not to Big Pharma. See, here’s the dirty secret about hormone therapy: the only reason that synthetic hormones exist is because the drug companies can’t patent the bioidenticals. It’s not allowed, because you can’t patent something that’s identical to what’s already in your body. That would be like trying to patent a nose or a toe.
So they had to make up their own kinds of hormones, different hormones, in order to make more money off them. Once again, their interests lie not in the best solutions – just the most profitable ones.
March 31st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Yeah all the stupid Republicans say oh Obama is not doing his job, his job performance is aweful, or if Obama tries to take a quick break the Republicans jump down his throat. This is like when Obama got so much flack for appearing on The tonight Show with Jay Leno. Give Obama a break. At least Obama can speak clearly, dosen’t stumble on his words and speaks intellegintly. I think Cantor needs to get his butt back to D.C. and take his job serious and quit taking a break. If he was serious about his job he would have listened to Obama’s speech rather than publically talk about the speech which he obvisously has no clue about since he was at a Britney Spears concert. I smell a huge sex scandel comming around for the Republicans lol!!! The Republicans know they are clearly falling apart and they have no clue what else to do then to tear someone else politics apart. The Republicans are history for at the minimum 8 yrs but probably more like 16 yrs. Obama will get this economy turned around and is doing an excellent job!
March 31st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Why even discuss what Eric Cantor does or doesn’t do? He is completely and utterly irrelevant. Any attention placed on him only gives him a chance to squawk the empty rhetoric of the republican’ts. Let us know when he does something relevant like cares more about all of our citizen”s wellbeing more than corporate profits. Otherwise, who gives a?
March 31st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Well, the votes come from Dupedom embracing the whole Country, but centered in the mountain West and in Dixie, where are found the evangelical zealots and the Dupes. Fox loves ‘em all, and does its part to keep them whipped up in a frenzy of hatred against liberals and of devotion to the plutocrats in the name of Jesus.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:01 pm
“Afghanistan is not the only challenge facing NATO, but it is the most important, and how Europeans empirically/objectively/tangibly respond to the Obama Doctrine will have a telling impact on the future of trans-Atlantic relations.”
It is very telling on the quality of the people and their countries
March 31st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Perhaps the Germans and French understand the delicate nature of Pakistan’s government right now, and don’t want to destabilize a country with nukes.
Perhaps Germany is upset that the War Criminals of the Bush admin. are free? It was an American Judge who sentenced many German officials (rightly so) to hang for their Crimes Against Humanity, including torture, and what Judge Jackson called “the ultimate War Crime”: unprovoked, aggressive, pre-emptive war against another sovereign nation. Bush and co. committed both these Crimes.
It also might have to do with the fact that on the FBIs “most wanted list,” Usama bin Laden is charged with terrorist crimes, but not with 9/11, for lack of evidence. Maybe they, like many Americans, want a new, truly indepedent, thorough investigation into 9/11. Maybe they found the fact that not only did the Bush admin. not want an investigation into 9/11, but actually fought against having one, a little suspicious. Maybe they also wonder how and why radar “inserts” got onto FAA monitors as well as the radar screens of Pilots engaged in War Game exercises that were going on, and why they weren’t removed from both sets of monitors the second the FAA told NORAD “we have a real Emergency?” The FAA reported up to 11 possible hi-jackings on that day, because of these fake”inserts.” Maybe they wonder what Sibel Edmonds knows about 9/11 that she’s been gagged by the State Secrets Privilege
March 31st, 2009 at 1:05 pm
You can’t expect Europe to blindly commit military presence to a prospect toward nation building without legitimate evidence to indicate that such an interventionist policy will pay off in the long run, and, for the time being, the fact that Obama has yet to authorize reductions in the use of aerial drones as a means of “targeted assassination” and other recfkless tactics conducive to untold amounts of collateral damage, the skkepticism of the European Union seems all the more defensible.
And cut the garbage about Germany “owing” us with a strong military presence, as once again, your argument rings all too familiar in the wake of Republicans deriding France’s unwillingness to support the Iraqi War as constituting a proverbial “stab in the back” after we supposedly “rescued” them during the Second World War. Even if such circumstances did entail a “debt” of sorts, that should not translate into blind commitments without the benefit of discretion.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Time for America to quit Europe, pull all bases out and let our so-called allies “grow a spine” (and a pair) and finally learn to defend themselves. No more American blood and treasure- we gave the Europeans the lives of 120,000 young Americans in WWI, and about 300,000 in WWII, both conflicts of European making and none of our (US) business. We were fools- never again.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:08 pm
There is one more reason why it will be doubly difficult to convince German citizens to chip in with American military efforts again: America has totally ruined its moral standing in the world. The war based on purposeful lies and deception, breaking international law. The government-induced use of torture. The open scorn for international treaties, ignored whenever the American government felt like it. And the near-dictatorship consistent lawbreaking even WITHIN America (see Habeas Corpus) over the last 6 years before Obama. For European citizens, Bush America was rightly seen as a rogue state, led by war criminals. You don’t associate yourself with that more than absolutely necessary. And while I recognize that Obama has taken first steps to remedy the situation, it will take alot of time to repair this.
You want efforts to improve the situation in the middle east? Great! Let’s talk about what’s necessary. A resolution in the Israel-Palestine question. A peace treaty with Syria. A new approach with Iran. But a new military offensive in the Afghanistan/Pakistan area? Color me skeptical. And good luck trying to convince European citizens (and Germans in particular) to lend a hand to THAT. You’ll have to offer more compelling reasons than the eternal Al-Qaida boogeyman and the “utility” of the NATO for America. Sorry.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Anon 21, Get a grip, will you?
You make your own fundamental mistake and then write paragraphs with faulty reasoning.
It is critical for any foreigner to understand that the Middle East debacle of the last 6 years was not approved or sanctioned by the majority of the American people. We were lied to and manipulated, even worse than you were. We had no say in anything the Bush Administration did and were treated with scorn ans as traitors if we spoke out against this, for years. Excellent outlets like HuffPo did not exist back then, The existing media gave us no voice and ignored us. Many of us also believe that Ms. Merkel is same-same George Bush in her neo-con beliefs.
The election of Barack Obama was OUR rejection of Bush / Cheney middle east madness, torture, economic destruction, disrespect, etc.
Though we still have our problems and worthless big-mouth righties, it’s a new day with a new leader in the USA, and you are behind the times. The civilized world needs to work together, and the Afghan/Pakistan threat is real for ALL of Europe, not just the United States.
President Obama deserves respect and thoughtful attention without the taint of George Bush. He has already done a lot to unwind the shameful past Administration’s sins. It is your Leader, Merkel, I do not trust now.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm
March 27, 2009
Dear Robert,
Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to look to the past and honor the many whose courage and vision have helped build and sustain our nation, as well as looking to the future by recommitting ourselves to expanding opportunities for all. It is the work of this Congress to put women and children first, and we know the greatest way to strengthen our future is to invest in the potential of women and children.
The Recovery Act will create and save 3.5 million jobs, creating hundreds of thousands of new green jobs. It will provide critical relief with key tax cuts for America’s working families. This Congress is making investments to help working parents get the child care they need, and to allow about 65,000 new preschoolers to enroll in Head Start by providing the program with $2.1 billion in the Recovery Act. For our military families, we are ensuring quality-of-life improvements such as housing and child care centers.
On Tuesday, March 24th, I joined Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky, Rosa DeLauro, Gwen Moore, Lois Capps, and Laura Richardson for a productive and energizing women’s roundtable on the economic recovery package. It was invigorating to see the enthusiasm from women representing diverse fields, from construction to academics to nursing who all support the initiatives in the economic recovery package which will stimulate the economy, create good-paying jobs, and support increased opportunities for women to earn, and children to learn.
A resounding message was taken from this roundtable: recovery is about providing funds for health care, education, unemployment assistance, job training, and helping small businesses — including millions of women-owned businesses. It is clear that investing in initiatives for women and children will stimulate the economy, and take our country in a new direction.
For more information on how the recovery package will help women and children and to view the report, ‘Investing in Women and Children: Key Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,’ please click here.
Also this week, the House Budget Committee approved a budget that lowers the deficit and reduces taxes for middle income Americans. It is also a job creator in the areas of health care, education, and clean energy. This budget is an extension of our efforts to remain accountable for the taxpayers’ dollars.
As Democrats in Congress move forward to fix our economy, we will continue to subject every dollar of taxpayer spending to the harshest scrutiny, and root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Next week, we look forward to a full vote on this transformational budget in the House, and commit to maintaining the reflection of the President’s Blueprint for a Better America.
Feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I got a fake $20 on Guam. I was told that it was rare but they did not give me a real twenty to replace the fake. They just took the fake. Here’s some news for you mainlanders about it.
Money counterfeiting tends to go up in tough economic times, but not on Guam at the moment, according to the U.S. Secret Service.
But a little bit of caution never hurts anybody, said William Chan, the resident-agent-in-charge for the U.S. Secret Service on Guam.
According to Chan, $20 notes are the most-often counterfeited currency in the United States. He said merchants tend to closely examine $50 or $100 bills. On the other hand, $20 notes are passed around without much scrutiny.
The best way to avoid falling victim to money counterfeiting, Chan said, is to get yourself familiar with the security features in genuine notes — the watermark, color-shifting ink, security thread and serial numbers.
And when you encounter a note that you suspect might be fake, always compare it with a known genuine note, Chan said.
However, if you have received a fake note, surrender it to the U.S. Secret Service or the Guam Police Department.
“If you remember who passed you the note, report the person immediately. We’ll start our investigation,” Chan said.
Although commonly known for its role of protecting the president, the U.S. Secret Service was originally formed to stop and prevent counterfeit money.
Surge On Saipan
According to Chan, fake bills usually surge during the holidays or an economic crisis.
Although the Secret Service hasn’t seen any recent cases of counterfeiting on Guam in the past few months, an increase in fake bills has been noted on the nearby island of Saipan, Chan said.
“I can’t say for sure that criminals moved to Saipan. The criminals (on Guam) just decided to stop for whatever reason,” Chan said.
Earlier this month, the Guam Police Department issued a news release alerting residents about counterfeit bills. In the release, GPD spokesman Officer Allan Guzman said fake bills “are again surfacing throughout our island.”
The release didn’t provide information on any specific case.
Hafa adai
March 31st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
It seems that this Anonz guy was correct when he declared that Cheney had set up moles in the Obama administration who would be loyal to him. Seymour Hersh of the New York magazine has confirmed that Cheney appointed moles through out the government who are there to report to him and to sabotage Obama’s administration.
If that seems unbelievable consider that Cheney represented the first time a sitting vice President went to another country to undermine the incoming administration. Cheney told Israel that Obama would be pro arab and that he was not ready for the major leagues.
Again a white man has found it necessary to disparage black men who are working side by side with them to help in their cause. This cause would be the peace of the planet for all. During World War II, white American men told the Europeans that black American soldiers had tails and that they presented a danger to European women. Captured germans were given more rights than the black soldiers who captured them.
So why be surprised by white men who would deride the President of their country to other countries if he is black? There is something seriously wrong with white men who feel so threatened by a black man.
Robert
March 31st, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Bush’s appointed head of Afghanistan has enacted Article 132. The article says that under Shia law it is okay for a man to take sex from his wife without her consent.
He has legalized rape. He has also made it easier for a man to get a divorce and made it most advantageous for the man in any divorce. Bush is an evil man.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:09 pm
SMALL DROPS IN BLOOD PRESSURE SAVE TYPE 2 DIABETICS
Type 2 diabetes is now considered a global pandemic, which is alarming since many people who have this disease will eventually be disabled by or even die from complications of it. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease — three common complications, often fatal — by bringing your blood pressure (BP) down, even by just a little. About 73% of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure (defined in this case as greater than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg) or use prescription medications for hypertension. Research demonstrates that treatment with blood pressure drugs can reduce the risk of dying by one-fifth, generally with few side effects.
LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE = BETTER OUTCOMES
People with diabetes are extra-sensitive to changes in blood pressure, explains Anne Peters, MD, director of the University of Southern California (USC) Westside Center for Diabetes in Beverly Hills. The ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease) trial, involving more than 11,000 people with type 2 diabetes from 20 countries, clearly demonstrated that lowering blood pressure significantly improved certain outcomes. It should be noted that the trial was funded by Servier, the manufacturer of Preterax, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
Participants were randomly given the blood pressure drug Preterax — a combination of the ACE inhibitor perindopril and the diuretic indapamide — or a placebo, and were followed for more than four years. Researchers found that treatment with Preterax significantly reduced the risk of serious complications of diabetes. Specifically, those who took Preterax:
Reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 18%.
Cut their risk of kidney-related events by 21%.
Lowered their risk of death from any cause by 14%.
The findings were published on-line in the September 2, 2007, issue of The Lancet.
MORE AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT REQUIRED IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES
Commenting on the study, Dr. Peters said that in her view, the improvements were small and actually less than she would have expected. She told me that physicians treat blood pressure more aggressively in people with diabetes, typically prescribing medications for those whose pressure is above 130/80. Participants in the ADVANCE trial had a far higher mean starting BP of 145/81, and were only treated to an average of 135/75 — an improvement, to be sure, but one that doesn’t go far enough to reach target levels for people with diabetes.
That said, Dr. Peters notes that the study does add to the literature that even small reductions in blood pressure are beneficial. Also, she said, ace inhibitors and diuretics have long track records for safety and effectiveness in people with diabetes, as well as those who don’t have the disease. Generic versions of these blood pressure lowering drugs are also available.
I asked Daily Health News consulting medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, whether these results could be achieved without pharmaceutical drugs. He believes they could and suggests beginning with dietary and lifestyle modifications. “Specifically, calcium and magnesium are important for both hypertension and adult-onset diabetes,” he says, but notes that managing blood pressure to target levels for a person with diabetes is complicated and requires specialized care. “Just as you’d not take heart medications without oversight from a cardiologist, you can’t treat a medical condition with supplements without specialist oversight.”
Source(s):
Anne Peters, MD, director, University of Southern California (USC) Westside Center for Diabetes, Beverly Hills, California.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:46 am
HHS Gives Guam $310,000 In Stimulus Funds
HHS Gives Guam $310,000 In Stimulus Funds
Written by Kevin Kerrigan
Sunday, 29 March 2009 14:44
Guam - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services $310,000 in financial assistance for use in Community Health Centers.
Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo made the announcement saying that the funds ”will allow the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services to make improvements at our Community Health Centers” and “will help working families on Guam to have access to quality health care.”
The Congresswoman also congratulated ”Linda Unpingco-DeNorcey and the Guam Community Health Centers Board for their recent efforts to improve the Northern and Southern Community Health Centers.”
The funds are yet another injection of federal dollars into Guam from the Obama stimulus package. To date, GovGuam has been awarded $43.1 million in stimulus assistance since the Obama plan was signed into law in February.