Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/156058865?client_source=feed&format=rss
schweddy balls schweddy balls craigslist killer chattanooga joey lawrence joey lawrence iraq war
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Italian president tightens pressure on Berlusconi (Reuters)
ROME (Reuters) ? Italian President Giorgio Napolitano ratcheted up pressure on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday, repeating demands for urgent reforms and indicating that he could consider options for an alternative government.
After a wild day on financial markets, which saw Italian government bonds and bank stocks hammered, Napolitano issued a statement saying reforms promised by Italy to European authorities could not be delayed.
He said Berlusconi had confirmed his intention to press ahead with the measures but added that opposition groups had indicated that they were prepared to "assume the necessary responsibilities."
"In the current critical moment, the country can count on a broad range of political and social forces conscious of the need for a new perspective of broadly shared choices which Europe, international opinion and economic and financial actors urgently expect of Italy," the statement said.
"The Head of State considers it his duty to verify whether the conditions exist to implement such a perspective."
With the political pressure mounting, Italian bonds were hit by a new wave of selling Tuesday as markets reeled from Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's surprise decision to hold a referendum on the latest EU bailout package for his country.
As president, Napolitano has considerable influence over the formation of a new government and if Berlusconi fell, he would decide either to call elections or appoint an alternative administration.
He cannot dismiss a prime minister with a safe majority in parliament, but his highly formal words suggested that he was seriously considering the possibility of a broad-based government including representatives from outside the ruling center-right because of his concerns about the economic situation.
However, it was not clear how this could be engineered if Berlusconi continued to refuse to step down.
Despite an array of scandals, Berlusconi has won repeated votes of confidence in parliament this year. But he has been struggling to contain divisions with his Northern League coalition partners and has faced growing pressure to resign.
Too big to bail out if its borrowing costs get out of control, Italy has a mix of sluggish growth, a divided and ineffective government and a public debt equivalent to 120 percent of gross domestic product that pose a growing threat to the survival of the euro.
Fears that a divisive election campaign could add to uncertainty and aggravate the crisis have fueled speculation about an interim government of national unity, led by a respected outside figure such as former European Commissioner Mario Monti.
The opposition center-left Democratic Party, which earlier repeated calls for Berlusconi to resign, said it welcomed the president's statement.
"We believe that the conditions can emerge rapidly for a new and strong political framework to guide Italy in this dramatic moment," senior party official Enrico Letta said in a statement.
Tuesday, shortly before Napolitano's statement, Italy's main business associations said the prime minister should act immediately or "draw the consequences."
Berlusconi has repeatedly rejected calls to step down but there are growing expectations that the government will fall soon, leading to new elections in the spring, the period when Italians normally go to the polls.
YIELDS SOAR
Yields on Italy's 10-year BTP bonds rose to 6.366 percent on Tuesday, an unsustainable level just short of the point they reached in August when the European Central Bank stepped in to prop up the market by buying Italian debt.
Last week, the Treasury was forced to pay a record yield of 6.06 percent at an auction of its 10-year bonds, a price which would add billions to already heavy interest payments if it did not come down quickly.
The ECB intervened again Tuesday to buy Italian bonds but yields have continued to move closer to 7 percent, a level which many analysts fear could trigger a so-called "buyers' strike" where it becomes difficult to sell government paper.
"If 10-year yields get to 7 percent, it becomes increasingly difficult for a country to sustain its debt," said Pavan Wadhwa, global head of interest rate strategy at JP Morgan in London.
"Italy is now 50 to 75 basis points away from those levels and our view is that the ECB will be forced to pick up the pace of its bond purchases to avoid Italy being shut out of funding markets," he said.
With Athens facing the growing risk of a default which would destabilize the euro zone, Italy, the bloc's third largest economy, is now at the center of the crisis and EU leaders are desperate for it to avoid following Greece.
Berlusconi spoke to both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Napolitano by telephone and repeated that he was determined to press ahead with the reforms promised at last week's European Union summit in Brussels.
He was meeting senior ministers in Rome late Tuesday and said consultations would continue at the meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers in France Thursday.
Berlusconi has promised new reforms, among them easier rules on redundancies, including for civil servants, and an increase in the pension age.
There is already talk that the package, which follows a series of austerity plans over the past three months, will have to be toughened up, with cuts to tax breaks and welfare spending among the options to ensure budget targets are met.
(Additional reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Barry Moody and Tim Pearce)
kim zolciak kim zolciak while you were sleeping while you were sleeping happy halloween happy halloween history of halloween
ELLEN- HALLOWEEN
Ellen DeGeneres hosts a special ?Halloween? episode airing on Monday, October 31st. Ellen reveals her costume as Youtube singing sensation Sophia Grace. Ellen on her costume and her hype girl, Rosie? ?Hello, Happy Halloween? (in a British accent)?I?m not using any H?s or any pants. This is a new thing for me today. I?m Sophie [...]
world trade center memorial world trade center memorial spartacus spartacus forrest gump sunday night football paul simon
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween Safety Tips for Pets | American Humane Association
The door knocks. You walk slowly to the door because on the other side, you hear a strange whining sound. Slowly, you open ? and what a sight ? horror of all horrors, it?s a devil dog. Or should I say, a dog dressed as a devil. Or perhaps it?s a dog with a Lady Gaga-like wig.
Increasingly, dogs are joining with the two-legged kids trick or treating. And often those dogs are dressed up. But is that really a good idea? Who?s asking the dogs?
Here?s the first test. Put a costume on your pup. If your dog stands stiff, tail tucked, ears back, essentially acting humiliated ? your dog might just be exactly that. Worse, may be if the family stands around pointing and laughing. No one likes to be laughed at.
However, what if the dog wiggles with delight dressed up as a postal carrier? It?s true, many dogs absolutely relish the attention, and family members can enhance the experience by offering little treats as the costume goes one, and telling your dog how cute she looks. Some dogs truly have a blast trick or treating.
However, some normally social dogs are frightened by little people dressed as ghouls and goblins. These dogs aren?t the best candidates for trick or treating. Be honest about your dog?s real temperament. It?s unfair to other trick or treaters, and to your dog if your force your dog into joining in on trick or treating.
If ever there?s an appropriate time to remind to microchip pets (for permanent identification), Halloween is a good one. Many dogs and cats bolt through the constantly opening door, and are lost. Shelters who find pets scan them for a microchip (that?s why not forgetting to register with the microchip provider is key ? since you want your contact to appear when the pet is scanned). For both dogs and cats, having a flat buckle collar and an ID is also a good idea, so if a neighbor down the street finds the pet ? the pet might be returned directly to you without a shelter visit.
So much may vary on the temperament of the pet ? some pets actually revel in the commotion and constant doorbell ringing with little spooks on the other side of the door. Others pets bark non stop or become frightened. For pets who are afraid, it?s best to put them off in a room downstairs, upstairs or at the other end of the house or apartment, and close the door. Perhaps, turn on talk radio for some ?white noise? or classical music ? which may be calming. Plug in diffuser pheromone products (such as Dog Appeasing Pheromone or Feliway) just to take the edge off. Or simply disconnect your doorbell.
For dogs, appropriate chew toys (perhaps stuffed with treats) may be a great distraction.
Some cats and dogs are actually happier or at least more secure inside a carrier, though that?s not typically the case. For cats, another idea is to re-locate them into a far away room ? and litter that room with a few empty boxes which they may jump into at their own will if they?re feeling insecure, or jumping inside the box may be an interesting game. For some cats, catnip may provide momentary relief from the Halloween stress.
While it?s always safer to keep cats indoors, there are reports ? substantiated or not ? of cruelty to cats over Halloween, particularly black cats. Odds are this is an urban myth ? but no matter, with increased foot traffic and noise in the neighborhood, and sometimes increased auto traffic ? three?s no doubt cats are safer and perhaps more content inside.
Here are some tips on keeping your pets safe on Halloween:
- Aromas from lit candles can cause respiratory distress and even death in pet birds.
- Cats jumping on tables might knock over a lit candle and cause a house fire.
- Goodie Bags: While a stash of candy may not be the best thing for kids, some of what?s in those Halloween bags may be very hazardous to pets. Even ingesting only a little bit of an artificial sweetener called Xylitol (mostly used in sugarless gum) is dangerous.
- That seemingly innocuous box of raisins may be a healthy treat for children, but raisins can make some dogs very sick.
- Dogs who enjoy candy don?t usually stop munching after a few pieces, and too much candy (not to mention often eating the wrappers and all) can cause an upset tummy. If there?s chocolate involved, the outcome may be worse since chocolate is toxic (particularly dark chocolate). Keep the candy in a secure place, away from Fido ? even if that means opening a safety deposit box at a nearby bank.
Source: http://americanhumaneblog.org/2011/10/halloween-safety-tips-for-pets/
cloverfield take shelter take shelter dressage byu football byu football demi moore and ashton kutcher
Italy under pressure as bond yields climb (Reuters)
ROME (Reuters) ? Italian bond yields rose on Monday nearly to levels seen in August when the ECB intervened to shore up debt markets, indicating new concerns that problems in the euro zone's third largest economy could threaten the entire bloc.
With Italy now firmly at the heart of the euro zone debt crisis, yields on its 10 year, fixed-rate bonds known as BTPs jumped to 6.1 percent from 5.9 last week, piling pressure on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government as it faces fresh criticism over its handling of the economy.
The new bond yield was just shy of the level reached in August when the European Central Bank stepped in to cap Rome's borrowing costs by buying its bonds.
As the premium investors demand to hold Italian bonds rather than benchmark German Bunds climbed to 410 basis points, Italian bank leaders said that tensions on sovereign bond markets risked hitting the wider economy.
Giovanni Bazoli, chairman of Italy's biggest retail bank Intesa San Paolo, told a conference in Rome that risk of a credit crunch was "inevitable" if tensions on the sovereign debt market continued.
Berlusconi, mired in scandal and struggling to contain tensions in his divided center-right coalition, faced a fresh call to resign, when Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, one of Italy's most prominent businessmen, urged him to make way for a government of national unity.
In a letter to the daily La Repubblica, Montezemolo, chairman of sports car maker Ferrari, said that Italy had reached "the point of no return."
"There is not a minute to lose. The savings of Italian people, social cohesion and Italy's membership of the euro are all at risk," he said.
"We do not have time to wait for the natural evolution of the political situation," he said. "The prime minister has to realize that the only way to save the country is through a government of public safety."
Italy's sluggish economy, weighed down by a public debt equivalent to 120 percent of gross domestic product faces a growing risk of recession next year, which could derail the government's target of a balanced budget by 2013.
Data on Monday showed unemployment in September climbing to 8.3 percent, its highest in almost a year, while the main domestic inflation indicator hit its highest level in three years.
Last week, Italy paid a yield of 6.06 percent at an auction of 10 year bonds, the highest since the introduction of the euro more than a decade ago.
SPRING ELECTIONS
Berlusconi, facing four separate trials over prostitution and tax fraud charges, has rejected calls to step down, repeating on Friday that he would serve out his term until 2013.
However there is growing speculation that the government will fall early in 2012, taking the country to the polls in the spring, the period when Italian elections are traditionally held.
Berlusconi has survived numerous confidence votes in parliament this year, but his coalition partners in the Northern League have expressed increasingly open doubts about whether the government can continue.
They have insisted that the only option would be new elections, rejecting the idea of an interim "technical government" led by an independent outsider which would be charged with passing reforms.
If the government did fall after losing a confidence vote in parliament, it would be up to President Giorgio Napolitano to decide whether to call new elections or appoint another prime minister to try to form a new majority.
Senior political figures on both the government and opposition sides say Berlusconi appears to want to keep going until at least the end of the year.
The letter from Montezemolo adds to a growing chorus of criticism of the Berlusconi government from sections of the Italian establishment, ranging from the main employers federation Confindustria to leading daily newspapers and the Catholic church.
Montezemolo, who has no formal party allegiance, said a package of reforms promised to the EU last week, including rules to make it easier for employers to lay off staff and make civil servants redundant, were "manifestly insufficient given the gravity of the situation."
He proposed a five-point reform program to cut the cost of politics, reform labor laws, shift the tax burden from labor costs to assets, overhaul the pension system and open up protected sectors to competition.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby, writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Roger Atwood)
paw paw baltimore orioles rosh hashanah rosh hashanah michael jackson trial amanda palmer listeria monocytogenes
Physicians who play Mozart while performing colonoscopy may improve adenoma detection rate
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vzFd6BVk_XVWDHVvwRfgtB29PckO1egCrtHaNPU2CdSMyggxM8OFlM4ykY-998eb83x_DZ0cDwm7J4hBtJmIdYJKZW7HeuE_V6VabRgcQ=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 31-Oct-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin
mediaonly@acg.gi.org
301-263-9000
American College of Gastroenterology
New study highlights importance of adenoma detection rate as quality indicator for colonoscopy
Washington, DC -- Physicians who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopy may increase their detection rates of precancerous polyps, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.
The study, "The 'Mozart Effect' and Adenoma Detection," by Catherine Noelle O'Shea, DO and David Wolf, MD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, found adenoma detection ratethe proportion of patients undergoing screening colonoscopy in whom an adenomatous polyp is found and an important measure of a high quality endoscopic exam --increased from baseline values with music compared to without for two endoscopists whose baseline adenoma detection rates were calculated over a one-year period prior to the start of the study. The "Mozart Effect" refers to a set of research results that found listening to Mozart's music may result in significant short-term improvement in spatial temporal reasoning. Researchers used this previous theory to determine whether or not listening to Mozart while performing a colonoscopy had any impact on an endoscopist's adenoma detection rate.
In this randomized controlled trial, two endoscopists each with experience completing at least 1000 colonoscopies performed screening colonoscopies randomly assigned to music -- where Mozart was played -- or no music. Each endoscopist was unblinded to music exposure. Adenoma detection rates from this study were than calculated and compared to the baseline rates.
"Both endoscopists had higher adenoma detection rates listening to music when compared with their baseline rates," said lead researcher Dr. O'Shea.
Endoscopist #1, who was blinded to outcome, had an adenoma detection rate of 66.7 percent listening to Mozart and 30.4 percent without the music. Endoscopist #2, who was unblinded to the outcome, had an adenoma detection rate of 36.7 percent with Mozart and 40.5 percent without the music. Baseline detection rates were 21.25 percent (Endoscopist #1) and 27.16 percent (Endoscopist #2).
Adenomas are a type of colon polyp that is considered a precursor for invasive colorectal cancer (CRC), which is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death when both sexes are combined. According to the American Cancer Society, 102,900 new cases of colon cancer (49,470 in men and 53,430 in women) were diagnosed in the United States in 2010.
"Adenoma detection rate is linked to a reduction in colorectal cancer incidence so it is an important quality indicator for colonoscopy," said Dr. O'Shea. "Anything we can do get those rates up has the potential to save lives. While this is a small study, the results highlight how thinking outside the box -- in this case using Mozart -- to improve adenoma detection rates can potentially prove valuable to physicians and patients."
A study published last May in The New England Journal of Medicine found that adenoma detection rate is an independent predictor of the risk of interval colorectal cancer after screening colonoscopy -- data from the study showed that when endoscopists frequently find polyps during their exams, there are fewer interval cancers diagnosed between tests. When that rate falls below 20 percent, the risk of colorectal cancer being diagnosed within the next five years goes up significantly. When the rate was below 11 percent, the risk of an interval cancer was more than 10 times higher than when adenomas were found more than 20 percent of the time.
When detected early, polyps can be removed during a colonoscopy exam, preventing the development of colorectal cancer. This ability to prevent colorectal cancer through polyp removal is the cornerstone of the American College of Gastroenterology's 2009 screening guideline which recommends colonoscopy as a "preferred" colorectal cancer prevention strategy.
A tremendous body of evidence shows that clearing the colon of polyps, including small polyps, significantly reduces colorectal cancer mortality. When detected in its earliest and most treatable stage, the survival rates for colorectal cancer exceed 90 percent.
###
About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 12,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. http://www.acg.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at http://www.acg.gi.org/media/press.asp Follow ACG on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AmCollegeGastro
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 31-Oct-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin
mediaonly@acg.gi.org
301-263-9000
American College of Gastroenterology
New study highlights importance of adenoma detection rate as quality indicator for colonoscopy
Washington, DC -- Physicians who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopy may increase their detection rates of precancerous polyps, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.
The study, "The 'Mozart Effect' and Adenoma Detection," by Catherine Noelle O'Shea, DO and David Wolf, MD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, found adenoma detection ratethe proportion of patients undergoing screening colonoscopy in whom an adenomatous polyp is found and an important measure of a high quality endoscopic exam --increased from baseline values with music compared to without for two endoscopists whose baseline adenoma detection rates were calculated over a one-year period prior to the start of the study. The "Mozart Effect" refers to a set of research results that found listening to Mozart's music may result in significant short-term improvement in spatial temporal reasoning. Researchers used this previous theory to determine whether or not listening to Mozart while performing a colonoscopy had any impact on an endoscopist's adenoma detection rate.
In this randomized controlled trial, two endoscopists each with experience completing at least 1000 colonoscopies performed screening colonoscopies randomly assigned to music -- where Mozart was played -- or no music. Each endoscopist was unblinded to music exposure. Adenoma detection rates from this study were than calculated and compared to the baseline rates.
"Both endoscopists had higher adenoma detection rates listening to music when compared with their baseline rates," said lead researcher Dr. O'Shea.
Endoscopist #1, who was blinded to outcome, had an adenoma detection rate of 66.7 percent listening to Mozart and 30.4 percent without the music. Endoscopist #2, who was unblinded to the outcome, had an adenoma detection rate of 36.7 percent with Mozart and 40.5 percent without the music. Baseline detection rates were 21.25 percent (Endoscopist #1) and 27.16 percent (Endoscopist #2).
Adenomas are a type of colon polyp that is considered a precursor for invasive colorectal cancer (CRC), which is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death when both sexes are combined. According to the American Cancer Society, 102,900 new cases of colon cancer (49,470 in men and 53,430 in women) were diagnosed in the United States in 2010.
"Adenoma detection rate is linked to a reduction in colorectal cancer incidence so it is an important quality indicator for colonoscopy," said Dr. O'Shea. "Anything we can do get those rates up has the potential to save lives. While this is a small study, the results highlight how thinking outside the box -- in this case using Mozart -- to improve adenoma detection rates can potentially prove valuable to physicians and patients."
A study published last May in The New England Journal of Medicine found that adenoma detection rate is an independent predictor of the risk of interval colorectal cancer after screening colonoscopy -- data from the study showed that when endoscopists frequently find polyps during their exams, there are fewer interval cancers diagnosed between tests. When that rate falls below 20 percent, the risk of colorectal cancer being diagnosed within the next five years goes up significantly. When the rate was below 11 percent, the risk of an interval cancer was more than 10 times higher than when adenomas were found more than 20 percent of the time.
When detected early, polyps can be removed during a colonoscopy exam, preventing the development of colorectal cancer. This ability to prevent colorectal cancer through polyp removal is the cornerstone of the American College of Gastroenterology's 2009 screening guideline which recommends colonoscopy as a "preferred" colorectal cancer prevention strategy.
A tremendous body of evidence shows that clearing the colon of polyps, including small polyps, significantly reduces colorectal cancer mortality. When detected in its earliest and most treatable stage, the survival rates for colorectal cancer exceed 90 percent.
###
About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 12,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. http://www.acg.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at http://www.acg.gi.org/media/press.asp Follow ACG on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AmCollegeGastro
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/acog-pwp102711.php
the haunting in connecticut drew brees drew brees ashram ashram 60 minutes merce cunningham
FACT CHECK: GOP lawmakers spin funding tall tales (AP)
WASHINGTON ? It's an outrageous tale: The federal government spends one out of every $10 in transportation aid on wasteful projects such as refurbishing a giant roadside coffee pot and constructing turtle tunnels.
That's what Republican lawmakers have said repeatedly in recent weeks in the Senate, in public appearances and in news releases. They are trying to eliminate a requirement that states use a portion of their highway aid for "transportation enhancements," 12 categories of projects from bike and walking paths to scenic overlooks and landscaping.
But it's not exactly true.
To make their case, lawmakers have exaggerated and misrepresented some projects that have received aid.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., raised the issue last month when he temporarily blocked action on a transportation bill. He said he wanted to allow state transportation departments to use all their federal aid on basic needs such as roads, bridges and tunnels, instead of setting some aside for enhancements.
"We are not pouring asphalt, we are not laying concrete, we are not decreasing congestion, and we are not increasing safety," Coburn complained. He produced a list of 39 projects that he said exemplify extravagance at a time when states don't have enough money to repair structurally deficient bridges.
Coburn picked his examples from the more than 25,000 projects that have received money since Congress established the enhancement set-aside nearly two decades ago.
First on the list: the Lincoln Highway 200-Mile Roadside Museum in south-central Pennsylvania. It was described as receiving $300,000 in 2004 for signs, murals, colorful vintage gas pumps painted by local artists and refurbishing of a former roadside snack stand from 1927 that's shaped like a giant coffee pot.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was apparently working from Coburn's list two weeks ago when he offered an amendment to narrow the types of projects eligible for enhancement funds.
"Pennsylvania ranks first out of all states for deficient bridges. Yet it seems to be more important to furbish large roadside coffee pots," McCain said.
But no transportation aid was spent on the coffee pot's $100,000 restoration, said Olga Herbert, executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. The money was raised entirely from preservation and civic organizations and local supporters.
"We did not use any of this $300,000 award for anything to do with the coffee pot," she said. "It's interesting that nobody from Senator Coburn's office called me about this."
Also on Coburn's list was a lighthouse renovation in the harbor of Toledo, Ohio, that would be partly funded with $500,000 in federal money. Actually, no transportation dollars have been authorized or awarded. The lighthouse renovation is among projects community officials tentatively hope to get around to in 2019.
Coburn's list includes a 1996 grant for preservation of a "factory used to make saddletrees" ? the foundation of a riding saddle ? in Madison, Ind. Not mentioned is that the grant wouldn't qualify for enhancement money under current program rules, according to Transportation Department officials.
The Texas Department of Transportation is described as spending $16.2 million in enhancement money to restore the Battleship Texas, docked in the Houston Ship Channel. If so, they weren't federal transportation dollars. U.S. transportation officials said an application for the money was turned down.
The list cited landscaping to screen a junkyard in Aiken, S.C. After checking with state and local authorities, federal officials said the project was canceled years ago and again, no funds were awarded.
"We picked some of the more interesting and exciting ones to get our colleagues' attention," McCain acknowledged during his effort to pass his amendment.
McCain said he was reluctant to mention a $198,000 grant in 2007 to the National Corvette Museum in Warren County, Ky., to build a simulator theater because he fondly remembers owning a Corvette once. But then he mentioned it anyway.
"Since a National Corvette Museum simulator theater has very little to do with transportation enhancement, I felt compelled to add this," he said.
The simulator theater is really a driver-education classroom for free driving classes for older people and teenagers, not a chance to pretend to be behind the wheel of a Corvette, museum officials said.
But what has provoked the most scorn from enhancement critics are the "turtle tunnels" near Tallahassee, Fla.
"Don't tell the people of Kentucky they need to finance every turtle tunnel and solar panel company on some bureaucrat's wish list in order to get their bridges fixed," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said last month. His comment came in a speech criticizing President Barack Obama's request for $50 billion for highways, bridges and airport runways as part of his jobs plan.
Kentucky's other senator, Republican Rand Paul, protested last week: "Something is seriously wrong with government when we are forcing state governments to spend 10 percent of their transportation money on turtle tunnels, white squirrel parks, and movie theaters."
Florida transportation officials used federal aid to build mile-long barrier walls on either side of U.S. 27, a busy four-lane highway along the shore of Lake Jackson, and three culverts that run underneath the road. The lake is teeming with wildlife, but the critters were getting flattened by cars as they tried to cross to the vegetation on the other side.
While turtle deaths prompted the project, the culverts are being used by many other species, including beavers, otters, alligators and snakes. They make driving safer for motorists who were swerving to avoid turtles and alligators, said Matt Aresco, the former Florida State University Ph.D. student who led a grassroots campaign for the project.
"It's a significant safety issue," he said.
The project used economic stimulus funds rather than regularly budgeted transportation money. Coburn's list, provided to reporters and posted on his Senate website, said Florida plans to spend $3.4 million on the project, but it will require $6 million more to finish "and it was unclear how long it will take to get the project built."
Actually, the project was finished in September 2010 and came in under budget at $3 million, according to the Transportation Department.
GOP members of Congress also have said repeatedly that states are required to spend 10 percent of their transportation aid on enhancements. Actually, the set-aside for enhancements is equal to 10 percent of the aid states receive through one transportation program, not their total federal aid. Enhancement funds amounted to $927 million in the past year, 2 percent of the $46 billion the government spent on highway programs.
___
Online:
National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse http://www.enhancements.org/projectlist.asp
___
Associated Press writers Travis Loller in Nashville, Tenn., Peter Jackson in Harrisburg, Pa., and Michael Schneider in Orlando, Fla., contributed to this report.
___
Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy
50/50 50/50 dreamhouse pan am susan g komen whats your number whats your number
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)