U.S.: Roadside bombs in Afghanistan doubled in 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The number of roadside bombs and kidnappings doubled in Afghanistan in 2008 from the year previous, the U.S. ambassador said Tuesday, grim statistics that underscore the country's deteriorating security situation.
The number of roadside bombs rose from roughly 1,000 in 2007 to 2,000 in 2008, while the number of kidnappings jumped from about 150 to 300, said Ambassador William Wood.
Compiling accurate data for roadside bombs and kidnappings is difficult, he said, and the numbers were approximate.
Speaking at an end-of-the-year news conference, Wood called 2008 a "good year but also a hard year."
Afghanistan, he said, saw progress against opium poppies, the main ingredient in heroin, as land for cultivating them dropped by almost 20% in 2008.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Medicaid applicants grow as recession widens
Medicaid applicants grow as recession widens
WASHINGTON (AP) — That day in July was one that Tammy Morse won't soon forget. Five months earlier, her husband lost his job as a recruiter for the financial services industry. Once the family savings were gone, the mother of two from Stratford, Conn., saw no way to get health insurance coverage for her family other than to apply for Medicaid.
"It was humbling," she said of her visit to the state's Department of Social Services office. "For lack of a better way to put it, that was for other people. It wasn't for me."
Around the country, similar stories are playing out for thousands of families.
Since the recession began a year ago, many states have seen increases in the Medicaid rolls just as tax revenues are falling below projections. Governors have lobbied President-elect Barack Obama and Congress to help them weather the downturn by increasing the federal government's share of Medicaid spending for at least two years.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers
WASHINGTON (AP) — That day in July was one that Tammy Morse won't soon forget. Five months earlier, her husband lost his job as a recruiter for the financial services industry. Once the family savings were gone, the mother of two from Stratford, Conn., saw no way to get health insurance coverage for her family other than to apply for Medicaid.
"It was humbling," she said of her visit to the state's Department of Social Services office. "For lack of a better way to put it, that was for other people. It wasn't for me."
Around the country, similar stories are playing out for thousands of families.
Since the recession began a year ago, many states have seen increases in the Medicaid rolls just as tax revenues are falling below projections. Governors have lobbied President-elect Barack Obama and Congress to help them weather the downturn by increasing the federal government's share of Medicaid spending for at least two years.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers
Denver crash baffles aviation experts
Denver crash baffles aviation experts
The co-pilot of the Continental Airlines jet that veered off a Denver runway Saturday has told investigators that the takeoff acceleration was normal until the plane made "a sudden left turn," investigators said Monday.
The unnamed pilot said that he noticed that the Boeing 737-500 jet began to turn away from the center of the runway as it reached about 100 mph, according to Robert Sumwalt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Sumwalt revealed new data at an evening briefing in Denver that appeared to rule out several possible causes. Evidence at the charred wreckage and from the data recorder shows the engines and brakes were fine, Sumwalt said. The jet was also properly set for takeoff, he said.
The circumstances have so far left aviation safety experts baffled. Jets such as the 737 should be able to roll straight down the runway, even if problems arise during takeoff, said consultant John Cox, a former airline pilot and accident investigator.
"You'd keep the airplane tracking straight with the rudder," Cox said.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers
The co-pilot of the Continental Airlines jet that veered off a Denver runway Saturday has told investigators that the takeoff acceleration was normal until the plane made "a sudden left turn," investigators said Monday.
The unnamed pilot said that he noticed that the Boeing 737-500 jet began to turn away from the center of the runway as it reached about 100 mph, according to Robert Sumwalt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Sumwalt revealed new data at an evening briefing in Denver that appeared to rule out several possible causes. Evidence at the charred wreckage and from the data recorder shows the engines and brakes were fine, Sumwalt said. The jet was also properly set for takeoff, he said.
The circumstances have so far left aviation safety experts baffled. Jets such as the 737 should be able to roll straight down the runway, even if problems arise during takeoff, said consultant John Cox, a former airline pilot and accident investigator.
"You'd keep the airplane tracking straight with the rudder," Cox said.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers
Friday, December 19, 2008
Winter storm pounds Midwest, Northeast
Winter storm pounds Midwest, Northeast
A winter storm packing snow, freezing rain and biting wind cut power to tens of thousands of customers Friday, disrupted travel and gave schoolchildren from Iowa to New England an early start on their holiday break.
"One thing about it, you're going to have a white Christmas this year," said Lee Longdyke, as he shoveled a sidewalk in Pontiac, Mich., for the third time Friday morning.
More than 300 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and more than 600 at three New York City-area airports.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers
A winter storm packing snow, freezing rain and biting wind cut power to tens of thousands of customers Friday, disrupted travel and gave schoolchildren from Iowa to New England an early start on their holiday break.
"One thing about it, you're going to have a white Christmas this year," said Lee Longdyke, as he shoveled a sidewalk in Pontiac, Mich., for the third time Friday morning.
More than 300 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and more than 600 at three New York City-area airports.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers
More low-income families need food aid
More low-income families need food aid
The economic downturn has left many low-income Americans struggling with hunger for the first time, a survey out Thursday by Feeding America shows.
The hunger relief group, formerly known as America's Second Harvest, found that 36% of low-income households say they ate less or skipped meals because they didn't have enough money for food, and 40% say they chose between food or paying for utilities in the past year.
"We've never seen anything like this," says Vicki Escarra, the group's president. "We're seeing more people come (to food banks) who've never come before."
The group surveyed 450 low-income households. The findings are part of a growing body of research that suggest hunger is worsening in the USA:
• The number of people receiving food stamps jumped from 26.9 million in September 2007 to a record 31.6 million in September 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Read Article: USA Today
Psoted by: Phoenix Motorcycle Accident Lawyer,
The economic downturn has left many low-income Americans struggling with hunger for the first time, a survey out Thursday by Feeding America shows.
The hunger relief group, formerly known as America's Second Harvest, found that 36% of low-income households say they ate less or skipped meals because they didn't have enough money for food, and 40% say they chose between food or paying for utilities in the past year.
"We've never seen anything like this," says Vicki Escarra, the group's president. "We're seeing more people come (to food banks) who've never come before."
The group surveyed 450 low-income households. The findings are part of a growing body of research that suggest hunger is worsening in the USA:
• The number of people receiving food stamps jumped from 26.9 million in September 2007 to a record 31.6 million in September 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Read Article: USA Today
Psoted by: Phoenix Motorcycle Accident Lawyer,
Friday, December 12, 2008
U.S.: Allow pirate hunt in Somalia, its air space
U.S.: Allow pirate hunt in Somalia, its air space
UNITED NATIONS - As Somalia's government crumbles, the U.S. is proposing that the United Nations authorize tracking down Somali pirates not only at sea, but on land and in Somali air space.
The U.S. is circulating the draft U.N. Security Council resolution as one of the Bush administration's last major foreign-policy initiatives. The resolution proposes that all nations and regional groups cooperating with Somalia's U.N.-backed government in the fight against piracy "may take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia."
But Somalia's struggling government may need even more propping up.
The council's group that monitors Somalia reported Thursday that more than 15,000 soldiers and police - 80 percent of the government's security capabilities - have deserted the government and fled with their vehicles and weapons.
Piracy is booming, meanwhile, with about 1,500 pirates based in the Puntland region raking in millions of dollars, South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo told the council.
Read Article: AZ Central
Posted by: Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers
UNITED NATIONS - As Somalia's government crumbles, the U.S. is proposing that the United Nations authorize tracking down Somali pirates not only at sea, but on land and in Somali air space.
The U.S. is circulating the draft U.N. Security Council resolution as one of the Bush administration's last major foreign-policy initiatives. The resolution proposes that all nations and regional groups cooperating with Somalia's U.N.-backed government in the fight against piracy "may take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia."
But Somalia's struggling government may need even more propping up.
The council's group that monitors Somalia reported Thursday that more than 15,000 soldiers and police - 80 percent of the government's security capabilities - have deserted the government and fled with their vehicles and weapons.
Piracy is booming, meanwhile, with about 1,500 pirates based in the Puntland region raking in millions of dollars, South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo told the council.
Read Article: AZ Central
Posted by: Phoenix Arizona Personal Injury Attorneys and Lawyers
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Air tests reveal elevated levels of toxics around schools
Air tests reveal elevated levels of toxics around schools
By Brad Heath and Blake Morrison, USA TODAY
MIDLAND, Pa. — In this borough of 2,900 in the westernmost part of the state, the steel industry used to be the primary employer. Today, Midland's schools offer the most jobs — and now are beginning to unravel a mystery that could affect the health of their students.
For five days this fall, USA TODAY monitored the air near Midland Elementary-Middle School, a red-brick building blocks from the riverside steel plants that defined the town for generations. It was one of 95 schools in 30 states where the newspaper teamed with scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to take samples and analyze toxic chemicals in the air.
The highest readings appeared near seven of the schools, including Midland. At those locations, USA TODAY's monitoring showed pollution at levels that could make people sick or significantly increase their risk of cancer if they were exposed to the chemicals for long periods.
Read Artcile: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers
By Brad Heath and Blake Morrison, USA TODAY
MIDLAND, Pa. — In this borough of 2,900 in the westernmost part of the state, the steel industry used to be the primary employer. Today, Midland's schools offer the most jobs — and now are beginning to unravel a mystery that could affect the health of their students.
For five days this fall, USA TODAY monitored the air near Midland Elementary-Middle School, a red-brick building blocks from the riverside steel plants that defined the town for generations. It was one of 95 schools in 30 states where the newspaper teamed with scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to take samples and analyze toxic chemicals in the air.
The highest readings appeared near seven of the schools, including Midland. At those locations, USA TODAY's monitoring showed pollution at levels that could make people sick or significantly increase their risk of cancer if they were exposed to the chemicals for long periods.
Read Artcile: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Oil, gasoline hit 4-year lows as economy sags
Oil, gasoline hit 4-year lows as economy sags
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Oil tumbled below $44 a barrel Thursday and average gasoline prices slipped under $1.80 a gallon, both four-year lows, as unemployment benefit claims hit a 26-year high and major companies announced more job cuts.
The unprecedented decline in energy prices has provided some relief to consumers and businesses.
But fewer people have jobs to drive to. Gasoline futures for January delivery closed below a dollar, with optimism about the nation's economic health in serious decline.
It was the first close below $1 since 2006, when gasoline began trading in the current format. When gasoline included the additive MTBE, it last crossed the $1 barrier in February 2004.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Construction Site Accident Lawyer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Oil tumbled below $44 a barrel Thursday and average gasoline prices slipped under $1.80 a gallon, both four-year lows, as unemployment benefit claims hit a 26-year high and major companies announced more job cuts.
The unprecedented decline in energy prices has provided some relief to consumers and businesses.
But fewer people have jobs to drive to. Gasoline futures for January delivery closed below a dollar, with optimism about the nation's economic health in serious decline.
It was the first close below $1 since 2006, when gasoline began trading in the current format. When gasoline included the additive MTBE, it last crossed the $1 barrier in February 2004.
Read Article: USA Today
Posted by: Phoenix Construction Site Accident Lawyer
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