| Contractor loses La. scholarship account data dating back to 1998
BATON ROUGE, La. -- A Boston-based contractor hired to store and safeguard state scholarship and college savings account data lost most of those records _ including bank account numbers and student and parent Social Security numbers _ during a move, officials say. "We certainly don't want to create any panic. But people should be aware and take the necessary steps," said Melanie Amrhein, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. "This is backup data off of a mainframe that contains sensitive personal information." Special equipment and software and "sophisticated computer skills" would be needed to get the compressed records from the TOPS scholarship program, START Saving Program, and Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a notice posted on the Internet.
Senator Conrad hosts energy roundtable
The new energy bill signed into law last month represents enormous progress in boosting North Dakota's economy because of its strong support for renewable fuels produced in North Dakota and the Midwest, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said. BISMARCK We are in the sweet spot, he told a group of representatives from conventional and renewable energy industries Friday, pointing to a map showing a deep color in this region. Some provisions of Conrad's BOLD (breaking our long-term dependence) energy plan are in the bill, which he called an exciting beginning. He is disappointed that a tax incentive package for the bill was defeated in the Senate by one vote. It needed a 60-vote majority and received 59. It would have extended wind energy tax credits that make building and operating wind farms financially viable, the industry representatives said.
HPV Vaccine Hoax Exposed: FDA Documents Reveal HPV "Not Associated ...
A NewsTarget investigation has revealed that the FDA knew as early as 2003 that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) was not linked to cervical cancer. Despite this knowledge, the FDA, along with key pharmaceutical companies, has continued to push for the use of HPV vaccinations as a defense against cervical cancer, even when its own research showed no link exists.
Today, NewsTarget publishes, "The Great HPV Vaccine Hoax Exposed," a special report that cites from numerous FDA documents and clinical studies to show that HPV vaccines are not only ineffective, they may actually be dangerous! As revealed in the special report, the Gardasil vaccine has been linked to a 44.6% increase in precancerous lesions in some women, raising serious doubts over the sensibility of mandatory vaccination policies.
Getaways to Coddle New Mothers (or Just Inspire Some)
The unscientific survey found Las Vegas was the most popular destination. (So, what happens in Vegas sometimes comes home with you and wants to borrow the car years later.) Dr. David Adamson, president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, said vacations can help couples who are trying to conceive, if the trips help them relieve stress, communicate better and reconnect. "There's no evidence that by going away it somehow intrinsically increases pregnancy rates," Dr. Adamson said. But, he added, "If it increases the frequency of intercourse, then it's probably helpful." As the due date approaches, some couples find the need to get away together while they still can. Since June, three W Hotels in New York City have been offering a "baby me" package for expectant parents.
Credit Crunch
With so much at stake, it is probably not surprising that a few sponsors of money market funds have stepped in to provide capital support if needed... The issue is the funds' exposure to commercial paper issued by structured investment vehicles - which are rapidly losing their raison d'etre. SIVs, it turns out, are exposed to a whole lot more refinancing risk than anyone supposed. And the unravelling of the SIV sector is hard to contain neatly. That is made worse because, since SIVs do not benefit from vast back-up lines of credit, they have to move fast to sell assets if their troubles become too pronounced." November 15 - Bloomberg (Christopher Condon and Rachel Layne): "A short-term bond fund run by General Electric Co.'s GE Asset Management returned money to investors at 96 cents on the dollar after losing about $200 million, mostly on mortgage-backed securities.
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