Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sold at Trader Joes-Federal regulators shut peanut butter plant linked to salmonella outbreak.

Federal regulators shut peanut butter plant linked to salmonella outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration suspended Sunland Inc.’s registration, marking the first time the agency took such action with authority provided by the 2011 Food Safety and Modernization Act. Inspectors found widespread salmonella contamination at the company’s New Mexico processing plant after 41 people in 20 states were sickened by peanut butter made there and sold at the Trader Joe’s grocery chain. The suspension bars Sunland from producing or distributing any food until the FDA deems the company’s manufacturing practices safe and returns its registration. The company had planned to reopen its plant today and hoped to resume sales by Dec. 31. The Associated Press, ABC News

Researchers find that babies exposed to lots of air pollution are more likely to become autistic.

Researchers find that babies exposed to lots of air pollution are more likely to become autistic. The findings, which focused on the impact on babies in the womb and in their first year of life, support previous research linking how close children live to freeways with their risk of autism. The new study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, analyzed 500 California children. Researchers stressed that their study does not definitively prove that pollution is the cause of autism. “Autism is a complex disorder and it’s likely there are many factors contributing,” said the study’s lead author, Heather Volk, of the University of Southern California. U.S. authorities say one in every 88 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum Story from: FairWarning’s site.

Consumer Reports finds widespread bacteria contamination in pork

Consumer Reports finds widespread bacteria contamination in pork. The magazine tested 148 samples of pork chops and 50 samples of ground pork bought at stores in six U.S. cities. It found Yersinia enterocolitica — a pathogen that can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain — in more than two-thirds of the samples, and discovered other bacteria as well. What’s more, many of the strains of bacteria were antibiotic-resistant, likely the result of the widespread practice of routinely feeding farm animals antiobiotics. In addition, about one-fifth of the pork products contained the drug ractopamine, which the U.S. approved in 1999 to promote growth and leanness in pigs but is banned in the European Union, China, and Taiwan.

Unthinkable But Real: Tipping Furniture, TVs Sometimes Deadly to Children

Charlie Horn, 2, choked to death in 2007 when he was pinned beneath a dresser in his bedroom in Kansas City, Mo.
When it comes to dangers that threaten children, one of the most unimaginable is a piece of furniture toppling and injuring, or even killing, a youngster.
 
Yet tens of thousands of children in recent years have wound up in emergency rooms and scores have died from such accidents, according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
That is prompting CPSC officials, consumer advocates, and furniture and electronics industry executives to explore ways to make dressers, storage cabinets, TVs and other heavy household items more stable. They also want to alert parents about these little-known hazards.
“Furniture was designed for the convenience of adults, child injury was never considered,” explained Dr. Gary Smith, president of the nonprofit Child Injury Prevention Alliance and a pediatrician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Parents “simply don’t know that they’ve got this danger lurking.”
Even safety-conscious parents mindful of the potential for tall furniture to tumble can be caught by surprise, with tragic consequences.
For instance, Jenny Horn, a mother and nurse in Kansas City, Mo., secured a tall armoire in her home to keep it from tipping. But she had no inkling that a relatively small item could be a hazard – until 2007, when her 2-year-old son, Charlie, choked to death underneath a 30-inch dresser in his bedroom.
The person taking care of Charlie at the time thought the young child was sleeping, and didn’t hear any loud noise even when the dresser toppled onto him after he apparently climbed on it. “They call it a silent death,” Horn said. Children “are a cushion for the fall of the dresser so you don’t necessarily hear a sound.”
In a similar accident, Kimberly Packard, a physical therapist in Sterling, Mass., lost her 3-year-old daughter, Meghan, in 2004.
“By the time we found her, it was too late,” Packard said, explaining that her husband and Meghan’s twin brother, Ryan, discovered her underneath a dresser.
Like Horn, Packard had taken precautions, securing taller bookcases to a wall, but she also never suspected that smaller pieces of furniture could pose a threat.
“I’m a well-educated woman. I’m well-connected in the world of safety,” said Packard, who teaches CPR and childbirth classes. “And I didn’t know.”
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Meghan Agnes Beck, 3, died in Sterling, Mass., in 2004, after a dresser toppled onto her. Her mother, Kimberly Packard, a physical therapist, launched Meghan’s Hope, a nonprofit that raises awareness of the dangers of unstable furniture.
Katie Elise Lambert, 3, died in 2005 after being crushed by a wardrobe cabinet in Jenkintown, Pa. Her mother, Judy Lambert, a school nurse, launched Katie’s Foundation to help other families.
Shane Siefert, 2, died in March 2011 after being trapped beneath a dresser at his home in Barrington Hills, Ill. His mother, Lisa Siefert, a graphic artist, started Shane’s Foundation, which supplies materials to hospitals and doctors to educate families on safety.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

 

States Grim Statistic -Fatal Traffic Accidents VS Red and Blue States for Political outlook



The nation’s red and blue states often are miles apart in social attitudes and, of course, in political outlook.
It turns out that they also divide into distinct camps when it comes to a grimmer measure -- fatal traffic accidents.

To an extent that mystifies safety experts and other observers, federal statistics show that people in red states are more likely to die in road crashes. The least deadly states – those with the fewest crash deaths per 100,000 people -- overwhelmingly are blue.
In the absence of formal definitions for red or blue states, we labeled as red the states that favored Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and as blue those that supported the re-election of President Barack Obama.
 
The 10 states with the highest fatality rates all were red, while all but one of the 10 lowest-fatality states were blue. What’s more, the place with the nation’s lowest fatality rate, while not a state, was the very blue District of Columbia.
Massachusetts was lowest among the states, with 4.79 road deaths per 100,000 people. By contrast, red Wyoming had a fatality rate of 27.46 per 100,000.
When shown the pattern, author Thomas Frank -- who has examined the nation’s political culture in such books as “What’s the Matter With Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America” – called it “amazing.”
“This is someplace where you would not expect to see a partisan divide,” Frank said.
Even the former federal auto safety researcher who brought the numbers to FairWarning’s attention, Louis V. Lombardo, couldn’t explain them. “It may be something we don’t have a definitive answer for,he said.
Some observers offered the possible explanation that blue states tend to adopt stronger safety laws, while red states opt for looser regulation, presumably leading to more fatalities. For example, red Texas last month opened a toll road with a speed limit of 85 mph, the nation’s highest.
85 mph! Texas to open toll highway with fastest speed limit in nation
But the sweeping generalization doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
For one thing, federal pressure in many cases has prodded states to enforce similar safety rules, such as seat belt requirements. And states don’t always act along predictable liberal-vs.-conservative lines. As FairWarning has reported, blue Michigan in April repealed its requirement that all motorcyclists wear helmets, while some states with the toughest helmet laws are in the Deep South.
Traffic safety experts generally suggest that a mix of factors accounts for the varying rates. Possible variables include access to top-level trauma centers, weather conditions and how much of a state is rural, because rural residents may drive longer distances on narrow, winding roads. Lower income and education levels may also contribute to higher death rates.
"No matter how you look at fatal crash rates, there are some important things that explain why states are different, and they're not political explanations," said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Complicating things further is the possibility that deaths per 100,000 residents isn’t the best yardstick for comparisons. Fatalities per total miles traveled, some experts say, is better.
For his part, Lombardo says he’s less interested in the causes of the state differences than in reducing the toll of U.S. traffic deaths, estimated at 32,885 in 2010.
For instance, he advocates getting crash victims medical treatment more quickly by expanding air ambulance services.
The key question, Lombardo added, is, “How do we move the people, and (have) the people then move their politicians, to do the right thing?”
If he needs evidence that at least some parts of the country can do better, Lombardo can point to the striking red-blue divide in the accompanying chart.
FairWarning is a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Los Angeles that focuses on public health and safety issues.

Big Tobacco thwarts new laws-From NBC News-AKA time to quit smoking!

As countries around the world ramp up their campaigns against smoking with tough restrictions on tobacco advertising, the industry is fighting back by invoking international trade agreements to thwart the most stringent rules.
A key battlefront is Australia, which is trying to repel a legal assault on its groundbreaking law requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packs without distinctive brand logos or colors. Contesting the law, which takes effect Dec. 1, are the top multinational cigarette makers and three countries — Ukraine, Honduras and Dominican Republic — whose legal fees are being paid by the industry.



The dispute underlines broader concerns about trade provisions that enable foreign companies to challenge national health, labor and environmental standards. Once a country ratifies a trade agreement, its terms supersede domestic laws. If a country’s regulations are found to impose unreasonable restrictions on trade, it must amend the rules or compensate the nation or foreign corporation that brought the complaint.

In the case of Australia’s plain packaging law, the tobacco industry and its allies are challenging the measure as a violation of intellectual property rights under trade agreements the nation signed years ago.
Public health advocates fear the legal attack will deter other countries from passing strong measures to combat the public health burdens of smoking. The “cost of defending this case, and the risk of being held liable, would intimidate all but the most wealthy, sophisticated countries into inaction,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in Washington D.C.
The advocates also say countries should be free to decide how best to protect public health, without being second-guessed by unelected trade panels. Moreover, they argue, tobacco products, which kill when used as intended, should not be afforded the same trade protections as other goods and services.
Worldwide, nearly 6 million people a year die of smoking-related causes, according to the World Health Organization, which says the toll could top 8 million by 2030. With fewer people lighting up in wealthy nations, nearly 80 percent of the world’s 1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
Marlboro, the world's top-selling brand, is shown packaged under labeling laws of, clockwise from upper left, the U.S., Egypt, Djibouti, Hungary.
Countries have been emboldened to pass more stringent measures by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. In effect since 2005, the treaty has committed about 175 nations to pursue such measures as higher cigarette taxes, public smoking bans, prohibitions on tobacco advertising, and graphic warning labels with grisly images such as diseased lungs and rotting teeth (The U.S. has signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered graphic warnings for cigarette packs, but an industry court challenge on 1st Amendment grounds has stalled the rule.)
Cigarette makers say they acknowledge the hazards and the need for regulations. “We actually support the vast majority of them,” said Peter Nixon, vice president of communications for Philip Morris International, which has its headquarters in New York, its operations center in Switzerland, and is the biggest multinational cigarette maker with 16 percent of global sales.
Bans on cigarette ads spread
But the industry has watched with growing concern as more than 35 countries have adopted total or near-total bans on cigarette advertising. Its big profits depend on consumer recognition of its brands. Yet in many countries, the once-ubiquitous logos and imagery are receding, leaving the cigarette pack as a last refuge against invisibility.
Now the pack, too, is under attack. Along with plain packaging laws such as Australia’s, countries are weighing retail display bans that keep cigarette packs out of view of consumers, and laws requiring graphic health warnings so large that there is barely any room for trademarks. Tobacco companies contend that countries enforcing such rules are effectively confiscating their intellectual property and must pay damages.
The industry also claims that measures like plain packaging are counterproductive. “We see no evidence — none at all — that this will be effective in reducing smoking,” Nixon of Philip Morris International said in an interview. In fact, he said, generic packaging likely will increase sales of cheap, untaxed counterfeit smokes, thus increasing consumption.
Louis C. Camilleri, chairman and CEO of Philip Morris International, drew a line in the sand in remarks to Wall Street analysts in November, 2010. The company would use “all necessary resources and…where necessary litigation, to actively challenge unreasonable regulatory proposals,’’ Camilleri said, specifically mentioning plain packaging and display bans.
Up to now, tobacco-related trade disputes have mostly involved quotas or tariffs meant to protect domestic producers from foreign competition.
The key issue now, though, isn’t traditional trade barriers, but whether health regulations unduly restrict the movement of goods. In challenging anti-smoking rules, the industry has drawn on global treaties, such as the 1994 pact known as TRIPS (the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects Todd Rosenberg / Philip Morris
Louis Camilleri, chairman and CEO of Philip Morris International.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Women with Driver’s Licenses Now Outnumber Men )

Women have passed men on the nation’s roads. More women than men now have driver’s licenses, a reversal of a longtime gender gap behind the wheel that transportation researchers say is likely to have safety and economic implications.

If current trends continue, the gap will only widen. The share of teens and young adults of both sexes with driver’s licenses is declining, but the decline is greater for young men, according to a study by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. The study looked at gender trends in driver’s licenses between 1995 and 2010.

“The changing gender demographics will have major implications on the extent and nature of vehicle demand, energy consumption, and road safety,” predicted Michael Sivak, co-author of the study. Women are more likely than men to purchase smaller, safer and more fuel-efficient cars; to drive less, and to have a lower fatality rate per distance driven, he said.

Over the 15 years the study covered, the share of men ages 25 to 29 years old with driver’s licenses dropped 10.6 percent. The share of women of the same age with driver’s licenses declined by about half that amount, 4.7 percent.

Male drivers outnumbered women drivers from the moment the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line in 1908, the year the automobile became popular, and through most of the last century. In the 1950s, when only about half of adult women had driver’s licenses, jokes about women drivers were a staple of comedians.

But the gap gradually closed. By 1995, men with driver’s licenses slightly outnumbered women, 89.2 million to 87.4 million. By 2010, 105.7 million women had licenses, compared with 104.3 million men.

Likewise, in 1995 men with driver’s licenses outnumbered women in every age group except those over 70. By 2010, women outnumbered men among drivers ages 45 and older and between ages 25 and 29 years old. The share of older women who are also on hanging onto their driver’s licenses has also increased.

“I want to be in my own car for as long as possible. I want to be independent for as long as I can,” said Diane Spitaliere, 58, a retired government worker in Alexandria, Va.

Male drivers under age 44 are still slightly more numerous than women of the same age, but that’s only because young men outnumber young women in the general population, the study said. There now are 105 boys born each year for every 100 girls in the U.S. Women outnumber men later in life because they live longer an average of 80 years for women, compared with about 75 years for men.

Rising Internet usage may be part of the reason for the decline in the share young drivers, especially young men, Sivak said. A previous study by the transportation institute published earlier this year found that countries that have higher Internet usage also have a lower licensure rate of teens and young adults.

“There is some suggestive evidence that Internet contact is reducing the need for personal contact,” he said.

Other researchers have theorized that digital media and technology may make driving less desirable and public transportation more convenient. Texting while driving is dangerous and illegal in most states, but there’s no risk to texting or working on a laptop while riding a bus or train. Some transit systems have been seeing significant increases in riders.

Another reason for the growing disinterest among young men in driving may be the erosion of the “car-fetish society,” travel behavior analyst Nancy McGuckin said. “Today’s young adults grew up in the back seat of cars stalled in congestion, hearing their folks swear at the endless traffic. Nothing romantic about that!”

It is also “no longer cool, or even possible, to work on your own vehicle. The engines are so complex most people don’t even change their own oil,” she said. “Independence, freedom, being able to customize the car to reflect you these are not part of young people’s association with vehicles.”

There also may be economic reasons for the shift, McGuckin’s research indicates. Employment of 16- to 24-year-olds as a share of all workers has declined. At the same time, the rate of young men ages 18 to 34 years old living at home has been going up and is greater than the rate of young women living at home.

It may be that unemployment and underemployment have made auto insurance unaffordable for young men, said Alan Pisarski, author of the Transportation Research Board’s comprehensive “Commuting in America” reports on U.S. travel trends. “Insurance for males under 25 is just colossally expensive,” he said.

There has also been a sharp decline in vehicle trips and the number of miles traveled by vehicle for 16- to 29-year old males, according to McGuckin’s analysis of massive government travel surveys between 1990 and 2009. The declines for women were not as great.

“The car companies are very worried,” she said.

Gloria Berquist, vice president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the alliance is aware that the share of teens and young adults obtaining driver licenses is dropping, although the association hasn’t seen the research on the gender differences.

“Some research has shown that young adults today connect with their friends through their smartphones, but at some point younger consumers still need to get from here to there, and a car is still a priority where public transportation is unavailable or limited,” she said. “This is especially true for younger adults when they enter the workforce.”

I see a cure as a dynamic process, in which multiple doctors, professionals, artists, scientists and others join as a society -- to converse, support each other, be open to various contributions and shape solutions that merge humanity, technology, technique, philosophy and art. Creativity and "normal life" become part of the process and bring "diseased" people back to life.

Our Future is here and now. Universal Doctors viewing our charts. I pray this idea catches on.
Editor's note: Salvatore Iaconesi is a 39-year-old TED fellow and the artist and technologist behind Art is Open Source. He teaches digital design at La Sapienza University of Rome. His medical records are publicly available at artisopensource.net/cure. Iaconesi spoke in September at TEDx Transmedia, an independently organized event in Rome. TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "Ideas worth spreading" which it makes available through talks posted on its website.
 
(CNN) -- I was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.
This was shocking news. Sitting across from a doctor holding a clinical folder with your name on it, and hearing him say the words "low-grade glioma," "language and comprehension areas of your brain," "surgery" and "chemotherapy" is a very weird experience.
My first idea was to seek other opinions. Maybe this hospital is wrong. Maybe there are other places that wouldn't need to do surgery. Maybe there is a laser, a chemical, an ancient tradition, a shaman, a scientist, a nanorobot.
I felt incomplete about the way that the medical system was handling my situation.
 
Being "diseased" is like a state of suspended life. Can I work? Have fun? Be creative? Not really.
When you are declared "diseased," you become a set of medical records, therapy, dosages, exam dates. It's as if you disappear, replaced by your disease.
I immediately asked for my clinical records in digital format, and left the hospital.
My main objective -- the best thing I felt that I could do -- was to make my digital information available on the Internet, in formats that would allow people of multiple cultures, skills, professions and inclinations to access, use, recombine and redistribute it.

Why would I want them to access this information?
To help me find the best cure for myself, and in the process to produce substantial social change by redefining the word "cure."
But when I went home to publish my medical records, all I could do was send them to specialized professionals, either by duplicating the CDs and mailing them or by copying their closed format and uploading them somewhere.
I had no direct access to my own information, since I use Linux and OSX rather than the files' Windows-based viewer. As a software engineer, I found software and programming tools to hack the files and make them open -- but a nontechnical person would have difficulty making use of their own medical data.
I needed, first of all, something which I could easily share, maybe allowing people to open it from their browsers, or even from their smartphones.
So I opened up my medical records and converted the data into multiple formats: spreadsheets, databases, metadata files in XML and video, image and sound files. And I published them on The Cure.
The responses have been incredible. More than 200,000 people have visited the site and many have provided videos, poems, medical opinions, suggestions of alternative cures or lifestyles, personal stories of success or, sadly, failures -- and simply the statement, "I am here." Among them were more than 90 doctors and researchers who offered information and support.
The geneticist and TED fellow Jimmy Lin has offered to sequence the genome of my tumor after surgery -- in an open-source platform, of course. And the Italian parliament has been debating a motion to make all patients' medical records more open and accessible, which would be amazing progress in my country.
Within one day I also heard from two different doctors, who recommended similar kinds of surgery. The first version is "awake surgery," which monitors the brain in real time as different parts are touched. The second is a variation in which electrodes are placed on the brain during surgery, and then a brain map is produced (with the patient awake) and used during a second surgery (with the patient fully unconscious).
Existing portals and websites that allow patients and ex-patients to exchange stories and opinions already exist. But we're talking about something different.
I see a cure as a dynamic process, in which multiple doctors, professionals, artists, scientists and others join as a society -- to converse, support each other, be open to various contributions and shape solutions that merge humanity, technology, technique, philosophy and art. Creativity and "normal life" become part of the process and bring "diseased" people back to life.
To me, a true cure is complete, is human, and has dignity. And it never ends.
Such a cure is a dialogue in which "experts" maintain their status -- and in fact, an enormous thank you goes out to all the extremely qualified professionals who are constantly responding to my calls -- but the whole process opens up to possibility.
And this is exactly what is happening: We are creating a cure by uniting the contributions of surgeons, homeopaths, oncologists, Chinese doctors, nutritionists and spiritual healers. The active participation of everyone involved -- both experts and ex-patients -- is naturally filtering out any damaging suggestion which might be proposed.
To achieve this kind of cure, we must be open to strategies from different cultures and philosophical orientations. And we must embrace a wider, more profound discourse about the ways in which information circulates digitally.
For now, I'm following a complex strategy developed with the help of a series of doctors and experts who responded to my open-source cure site and have suggested a variety of therapies to deal with the disease.
As of now, my cancer growth has stopped. We are waiting for the next test results to decide when and if to proceed to surgery.
How can you be involved? Tell us about excellent techniques and technologies from around the world that can effectively confront low-grade glioma. We have explored many opinions in Italy and Europe, but fewer outside.
Share your stories and experiences, the solutions you have found, the fraud you have encountered.
Send us videos, poems, images, audio or text that you see as relevant to a scenario in which art and creativity can help form a complete and ongoing cure.
Or tell us, "I am here!" -- alive and connected, ready to support a fellow human being.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

The Small Business man's personal story by Stephanie Giardino


No words will ever have more meaning then the ones said by our cousin Stephanie Giardino. Thank you to her and her Father for such a touching and true story. God Bless all the small business owners who care so much about their employees and customers. As a small business owners ourself this is our life and we wouldn't have it any other way!
Today is Small Business Saturday & I am thinking of my dad and Saran Wrap. The first winter that my dad opened his business they couldn't afford new boots even though theirs had holes in them, so they wrapped their feet in Saran Wrap to keep them dry and warm. 30 years later that box of Saran Wrap hangs framed on their office wall as a symbol of where they came from and the struggles they've overcome to be successful as a small local business in a big business world. When you own a small business and are raising 3 children you NEVER stop working. Nights, weekends, holidays....and even dreaming about it at night. Knowing that some years success means making just enough money to stay in business another year or taking a pay cut to ensure your employees still get a holiday bonus while you teach your own children the value of a dollar and what it means to balance being a good person and a good businessman. Other years success means a family vacation to Disney and a few extra toys at Christmas. But, success never means easy street. It never means putting yourself first or sitting back to watch all the hard work get done by others. As a small business owner you live and breathe your business every minute of every day. You put your blood, sweat, and tears into every success and every failure. I have the sincerest respect for my father and all the small business owners I know. I support you & your hard work. Folks, get out there and support your small local businesses by spreading the word about their products and services AND through the purchase of their goods and materials. I love you dad ♥

Friday, November 23, 2012

The stakes are high for U.S. retailers-Black Friday

NEW YORK, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. shoppers took advantage of retailers offering a Thursday night start to the traditional post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping season, lining up at stores to get deals on electronics and other items or to just see what the fuss was about.

This year, Target Corp joined Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Gap Inc in being open at least part of the day on Thursday and some retailers will be open throughout the day, a trend that began to take hold in 2011.

Wal-Mart's U.S. discount stores, which have been open on Thanksgiving Day since 1988, offered some "Black Friday" deals at 8 p.m. local time and special deals on some electronics at 10 p.m. Target has moved its opening from midnight to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Toys R Us is opening at 8 p.m.

"It's a recognition that retailers need to be more aggressive and want to show their physical stores are important," Moody's senior analyst Charles O'Shea said.

While he didn't see enormous crowds out in Vauxhall, New Jersey, he did see about 15 people lined up already at a Best Buy, which opens at midnight. At a Target in Westbury, only two shoppers were in line for a 9 p.m. opening. Still, for retailers, any crowd could make the effort worth it.

"It's a finite pie; if you can get a bit more by being open, then do it," O'Shea said.

The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, forecast a 4.1 percent increase in retail sales during the November-December holiday period this year, down from the 5.6 percent increase seen in 2011.

Some retailers, like Best Buy Co Inc are keeping Black Friday on Friday, waiting until midnight to open.

At a Best Buy in Orlando, people had camped out in tents for days waiting for the doors to open.

Gabriel Esteves, 33, a self-employed car audio installer, waited in line with a bag of Cheetos and a Coke while his brother and sister went to their homes for Thanksgiving feasts with their families.

"They told me to take a break and go to the house, but today's the worst day to leave the line. People come and cut in line," said Esteves, who got in line Monday to buy some small electronics and a 50-inch television.

Best Buy, which is trying to stem falling sales under new CEO Hubert Joly, is one of the retailers in the spotlight this season.

At some stores, workers were not so happy to have early openings encroach on their Thanksgiving holiday. A petition asking Target to "save Thanksgiving" had 371,606 supporters as of Thursday afternoon.

Still, at a Target on Chicago's northwest Side, the first person waiting in line Thursday night was someone who worked at the store, Elsa Acevedo, 46, who finished her shift at 4:30 a.m. and lined up at about 2:30 p.m. to buy a 50-inch Westinghouse television.

As for the earlier opening, "I just think it takes people away from their families," she said. But she added that a midnight opening also pulled workers away from Thanksgiving celebrations because they had to prepare the stores to open.

Many shoppers lured into stores by earlier openings on Thursday may just be window-shopping.

More than 50 percent of consumers will do some form of "show-rooming" during the Black Friday weekend, said Kevin Sterneckert, vice president of retail research at Gartner Group.

"They will buy things because they looked at it in the store. They will touch and feel what they are interested in and then buy it online on Monday, either from the same retailer or a different online retailer," Sterneckert said.

At a Kmart on 34th Street in Manhattan earlier Thursday, Charles Montague, a 55-year-old mover, was browsing the aisles just to kill time.

"I don't holiday shop," he said emphatically. "I buy stuff all year long, not during some man-made holiday."

Some were not waiting for Monday to buy on the Internet. Online Thanksgiving 2012 sales were already up 17.8 percent over Thanksgiving 2011 for the same period, measured through 9 p.m. EST, according to IBM.


THE RESULTS MATTER

The stakes are high for U.S. retailers, which can earn more than a third of their annual sales in the holiday season.

Consumers heading into the holiday shopping season remain worried about high unemployment and possible tax increases and government spending cuts in 2013. Also, lasting effects of Sandy, the storm that lashed the densely populated East Coast in late October, could cut into how much shoppers can spend on the holidays.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, two-thirds of shoppers said they were planning to spend the same amount as last year or were unsure about spending plans, while 21 percent intend to spend less and 11 percent plan to spend more.

"My family decided not to buy (Chanukah) presents this year - only for the kids. It's too expensive," said graduate student Danielle Slade, 29, from Jericho, Long Island.

Still, the Standard & Poor's retail index is up almost 27 percent this year, compared with a 10.6 percent increase for the broader S&P 500.

In New York's Times Square, a mix of locals and tourists lined up at Toys R Us.

"We just want to see what's happening," said a man who arrived Thursday from Paris. "We want to see what Black Friday is." A Santa hat-wearing expeditor quickly whisked him and his companion away before they could give their names.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Warren Buffett "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes-I vote for Warren on this one!

 
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "Y...
ou just
pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more
than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible
for re-election.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds)
took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple!
The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail,
cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year
or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to
a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask
each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will
have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed
around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they're out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and
participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women.










Saturday, November 17, 2012

Almond Skillet Shortbread from Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds with skins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, stir 1 1/2 cups of the sugar into the melted butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour and salt onto the batter. Add the flavoring and stir well. Pour the batter into the skillet. Top with sliced almonds and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until slightly brown on top, about 35 minutes. Cool the shortbread in the skillet. When cool, use the foil to lift the shortbread from the skillet; remove the foil before serving.

Meggie's Delight aka Pumpkin Dessert

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Dessert called Meggie's Delight

I took a combination of recipes and blended them to have a new dessert at Thanksgiving time
as pumpkins pies are great but we need more choices.

First start with a made from scratch yellow cake mix (From Chef Talk Betty R)

Basic Yellow Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (do not sift the flour)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
Vegetable oil
1 stick butter (not margarine), softened
1-tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°

Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Spray the pans with cooking spray, place the wax paper in the pans and spray the paper.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well.

Measure the 1-1/4 cups of milk in a 2 cup measuring cup….then add enough vegetable oil to bring the liquid up to 1-1/3 cups.

Add the milk/vegetable oil mixture, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Add the eggs and continue beating an additional 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans.Then mix up the topping: (From: Paula Deen)

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  •  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well.   
  • Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Check on them after about 35 minutes so you make sure not to overbake them. The center should be a little gooey

    Let the pan cool completely before you cut the squares. I usually cut them pretty small since they are so rich. Dust them with powdered sugar to make them extra pretty before serving them.


    Friday, November 16, 2012

    Wal-Mart workers plan Black Friday walkout -Last time something like this happened Walmart closed the store

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A group of Wal-Mart workers are planning to stage a walkout next week on Black Friday, arguably the biggest holiday shopping day for the world's largest retail store.
    The walkout builds on an October strike that started at a Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) in Los Angeles and spread to stores in 12 other cities. More than 100 workers joined in the October actions.  

    One of the workers who plans to join next week's walkout is William Fletcher, who works at a Wal-Mart in Duarte, Calif.
    Fletcher, who also participated in the October strikes, claims Wal-Mart cut his hours after he asked to move from the receiving department to another division because of a knee injury. He has since switched departments.
    "I kept asking myself, 'when is the retaliation for speaking our mind and acting on our rights going to stop?' " he said. Wal-Mart did not have an immediate comment in response to Fletcher's claim.
    The union-backed groups OUR Walmart and Making Change at Wal-Mart, and a watchdog group Corporate Action Network, are calling on the nation's largest employer to end what they call retaliation against employees who speak out for better pay, fair schedules and affordable health care.
    Related: Wal-Mart's biggest blunders
    On Black Friday, the organizations expect 1,000 protests, both at stores and online.
    A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the number of workers who are raising concerns is very small and don't represent the views of the vast majority of its workforce of 1.3 million.
    But labor experts say that even a small number of workers could make an impact.
    "Even if there aren't that many people, it could have an effect, because their campaign in front of stores could discourage shoppers," said Ken Margolies, senior associate at the Worker Institute a Cornell University.
    The strike could have an even greater impact if workers from its supply centers participate, according to Margolies. He said it could impede distribution of merchandise on what is usually the busiest day of the year.
    Organizers have planned a social medial blitz, mobilizing workers through Facebook pages, a YouTube video, Twitter and Tumblr. They're also using online platforms to collect donations to sponsor striking workers. So far, the campaign has raised more than $22,200.
    Wal-Mart workers have been battling with management over pay, benefits and their ability to speak up for years, experts say.
    According to Anthony Bianco, author of Wal-Mart: The Bully of Bentonville, butchers at a Wal-Mart supercenter in Jacksonville, Texas, voted to form a union in 2000 -- the first time employees had done so. But soon after that, Wal-Mart eliminated butcher departments in its stores across the country, he said. It has been reported that Wal-Mart said it got rid of its meat department as a cost cutting measure.
    A similar thing happened when workers at a Quebec store attempted to unionize in 2005, Bianco said. Wal-Mart closed that store a few months after that. The company said at the time that its decision was prompted by the union wanting to change how the store operated. To top of page

    Good Bye Hostess I know I am going to miss you but my blood sugar won't!

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Hostess Brands -- the maker of such iconic baked goods as Twinkies, Devil Dogs and Wonder Bread -- announced Friday that it is asking a federal bankruptcy court for permission to close its operations, blaming a strike by bakers protesting a new contract imposed on them.
    The closing will result in Hostess' nearly 18,500 workers losing their jobs as the company shuts 33 bakeries and 565 distribution centers nationwide. The bakers' union represents around 5,000.
    Hostess will move to sell its assets to the highest bidder. That could mean new life for some of its most popular products, which could be scooped up at auction and attached to products from other companies.
    "We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike," said CEO Gregory Rayburn in a statement.
    The company had given a 5 p.m. ET deadline for the bakers to return to work or face a shutdown of the company. The unions at Hostess could not be reached immediately for comment on the decision.
    Hostess filed for bankruptcy in January, its second trip to bankruptcy court since 2004. It previously emerged from restructuring in 2009 after a four-and-a-half year process.
    The company is now controlled by a group of investment firms including hedge funds Silver Point Capital and Monarch Alternative Capital.
    In September, one of its major unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, voted narrowly to accept a new contract with reduced wages and benefits. The bakers' union rejected the deal, however, prompting Hostess management to secure permission from a bankruptcy court to force a new concession contract on workers.
    The new contract cut salaries across the company by 8% in the first year of the five-year agreement. Salaries were then scheduled to bump up 3% in the next three years and 1% in the final year.
    Hostess also reduced its pension obligations and its contribution to the employees' health care plan. In exchange, the company offered concessions, including a 25% equity stake for workers and the inclusion of two union representatives on an eight-member board of directors.
    If we lose one person every 19 minutes then this is worth repeating. This promblem is every where amongst our friends and family. Please take a moment to read this article.
    CNN) -- Pete Jackson attended his brother-in-law's funeral along with his daughter, Emily, six years ago. He never dreamed it would be the last day of his daughter's life.
    "It's so tragic, just not something you would never, ever expect," said Pete Jackson.
    Instead of going home to the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights after the funeral, Emily Jackson, 18, spent the night with her cousins.
    That night, she made a deadly decision. She took an Oxycontin -- a single prescription pill -- that her cousin offered to her while drinking. She went to sleep that night and never woke up. She died of respiratory depression -- she simply stopped breathing.

    Emily Jackson and her mother, Ellen, on her high school graduation day in 2006.Emily Jackson and her mother, Ellen, on her high school graduation day in 2006.
    The victims
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    Accidental prescription overdose: 2 victimsAccidental prescription overdose: 2 victims

    Clinton: U.S. popping too many pills

    Prescription drug overdoses on the rise

    'Prescription pain meds can be risky'
    The Oxycontin that Emily took belonged to her uncle, who had died of cancer.
    While taking one pill and dying is rare, dying accidentally after using painkillers inappropriately is common.
    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one person dies from a drug overdose every 19 minutes. About 37,000 Americans died after accidentally overdosing on legal or illegal drugs in 2009, according to the CDC; about half of those deaths involved prescription painkillers.
    Those numbers are significant enough to make prescription drugs the leading cause of accidental death in this county. It's a statistic that has led some experts to call prescription drug abuse an epidemic.
    "If you asked any guy on the street what the leading cause of accidental death is, they would guess gunshot or car accident," said Tom McLellan, co-founder of the Treatment Research Institute, a nonprofit organization advocating for improvements in substance abuse policies. "They would never imagine it's pharmaceutical opioids (painkillers)."
    John Castellani -- the president and CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents and lobbies on behalf of drug manufacturers -- said America's problem with prescription drugs is unacceptable. But he insisted the drugs are safe when used as recommended.
    "The problem we're dealing with with prescription drug abuse is having to balance those patients (who abuse prescription drugs) and those millions of patients that benefit from these medicines because they have a need that they and their physicians have recognized," Castellani said.
    Emily Jackson was on the road to recovery after a 2002 diagnosis of thyroid cancer and undergoing three surgeries to fight it.
    She and her cousin had done "a bit of drinking" the night she died, Pete Jackson said. But he is sure that had she not taken the Oxycontin, she would still be alive today.
    "I've never tried to make it sound like Emily is innocent," Jackson said. "What I want people to understand about Emily's tragedy is how easily this can happen, how dangerous these drugs are."
    'You play Russian roulette'
    The prescription painkiller Emily Jackson took is a respiratory depressant that slows breathing. That in combination with the alcohol, another respiratory depressant, overwhelmed her brain, which stopped giving her heart and lungs the signal to keep functioning.
    "In many ways, you play Russian roulette," said Kathleen Meyers, a senior researcher for the Treatment Research Institute, who added that adolescents and young adults are particularly at risk because they feel invincible. "You have no idea the (respiratory) consequences of any one group of substances, and then you put all that together and the risks go up exponentially."
    It's not just an issue among teenagers. In fact, rates of accidental overdose among teens, while still a major public health problem, are actually going down. This problem spans many demographics.
    In fact, males in their 40s and 50s who start off with a prescription for back pain and die from an accidental overdose several years later are dying in significant numbers.
    "Could you imagine, a worker that popped their back, and we started to put them on (pain) medication and three years later they were dead?" Dr. Alex Cahana, the chief of pain medicine at the University of Washington, told CNN. "That's devastating."
    The devastation began for Steve Rummler when he got a prescription for nerve pain radiating through his leg and back. It started when he was 28. For the next nine years, the Minneapolis man endured the pain.
    It was not until 2005, when Rummler was 37, that a doctor prescribed hydrocodone to address his pain, along with clonazepam, a benzodiazepine and anti-anxiety medication, to relieve his injury-related anxiety.
    Family members said it was the first time in nearly a decade Rummler felt relief from the life-altering pain he endured.
    But that relief was short-lived. In a journal entry, Rummler said of the drugs, "At first they were a lifeline. Now they are a noose around my neck."
    It is a common sentiment, and a common scenario, according to Meyers, who says Rummler's case is far too common -- a person genuinely needs opioids but becomes addicted to the relief they provide.
    "The person that is on them for legitimate reasons and the kid who experiments with them seem very different, but the outcome is the same," said Meyers. "And they are very difficult to get off of. I think we probably need to do a better job of pain management in this country."
    By 2009, Rummler had sunk into dependence and, eventually, into addiction. At the advice of his family, he enrolled in two addiction treatment programs and seemingly had a handle on his addiction.
    But in July of 2011, just 45 days after completing the final stage of his rehabilitation, Rummler relapsed and died at 43.
    Rummler still had outstanding prescriptions for hydrocodone and clonazepam at the time of his death, and empty prescription bottles were in his house when the police arrived. His official cause of death was mixed drug toxicity caused by opiates and benzodiazepines. A medical investigator said there was no way to tell what Rummler ingested immediately before his death.
    Like Emily Jackson, Rummler stopped breathing in his sleep.
    Experts: Better communication needed
    Accidental prescription drug overdoses is "the only epidemic that I know that has been recognized by the DEA, FDA, CDC and the White House Office of Drug Control," McLellan said.
    Meyers and McLellan believe the key to combating accidental deaths related to prescription drugs is creating a better dialogue among doctors, patients and pharmacies.
    "When someone is given prednisone, a steroid commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases, they are given very specific instructions," said Meyers. "They are very direct about what will happen if the patient misuses it. You don't see that with pain medication.
    "Maybe if we did a better job with how we communicate the effects of prescription medications when you don't take them the way they are prescribed or if you mix other substances with them, maybe we wouldn't have the number of people who are in crisis," she added.
    After co-founding the Treatment Research Institute, McLellan worked as the deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for the Obama administration. One of his main tasks was combating the epidemic of prescription drug abuse.
    McLellan says he believes everyone throughout the supply chain of opioids needs to take greater responsibility.
    This means pharmaceutical companies would carefully monitor and control the supply they produce, he said. Doctors would be more rigorous with patient screening -- including, possibly, urinalysis exams before issuing or extending a prescription.
    Patients would be more careful about the storing and disposal of their medications along with how they take them. And, most importantly, pharmacies would keep a watchful eye on all of the substances each of their customers takes, he said.
    "You don't want to stop the use of opioids, because that would be stupid, but you need better management," he said. "Information exchange is the main thing; pharmacies have to know what everyone is getting prescribed."
    Meanwhile, people such as Pete Jackson are left to deal with the aftermath of prescription drug abuse.
    After his daughter's death, Jackson began researching what he could do to prevent a similar tragedy from striking another household. In 2007, Jackson joined forces with other bereaved families to create Advocates for the Reform of Prescription Opioids, a group dedicated to advancing the dialogue around prescription drugs and the legislation concerning them.
    "It's just so frustrating when you're operating in an arena where there's always a presumption of guilt," Jackson said. "This isn't about (Emily) being guilty or what kind of person she was. It happens that she was the most wonderful person I've ever known. It's really about how we can address this problem."
    For more information on prescription drug abuse, visit MedicineAbuseProject.org
    STORY HIGHLIGHTS
    • Emily Jackson died at 18 after drinking, then taking a prescription pain pill
    • Steve Rummler battled pain for years before become addicted to painkillers
    • After kicking the addiction, Rummler relapsed and died in 2011
    • Experts say a better dialogue among doctors, patients and pharmacies is needed

    Monday, November 12, 2012

    Shocking video: What’s wrong with Diane Sawyer?
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    On election night my husband and I along with so many others watched the returns with Diane Sawyer co hosting. She was slurring and strugling to pronouce her words. Was she drunk or tired? Personally I did not think she was drunk but overly exhausted, and if she was drinking then I would expect ABC to replace her that evening to show respect for us as viewers. It reminded me of a time when another Woman news anchor lady had a problem and her name was Jessica Savitch.  Peoples life are their business and when the are in the public eye they should lead my example. Stay professional and practice what you preach. If it is a moment in your life where you have some issues please take the time off and do what you have to do. We all understand her schedule and how tiring it can be because it happens to all of us. If you can not perform at your top performance then take a break before you are forced to. You have always appear to be a professional woman and hard worker. As a woman and business professional I strive to remain professional and hard working for all my customers.














     

    Sunday, November 11, 2012

    Thank you Dad and My Father in Law for seriving our Country and teaching us the value of the Military! Happy Verterans Day! History of Veterans Day-

    World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
    Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France.
    Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France, wait for the end of hostilities. This photo was taken at 10:58 a.m., on November 11, 1918, two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect
    In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"
    The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.
    The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
    Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
    Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
    Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
    An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
    Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible."
    President Eisenhower signing HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
    President Eisenhower signing HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. From left: Alvin J. King, Wayne Richards, Arthur J. Connell, John T. Nation, Edward Rees, Richard L. Trombla, Howard W. Watts
    On that same day, President Eisenhower sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.
    In 1958, the White House advised VA's General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee's chairman.
    The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.
    The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.
    Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.