Jessica Jinkens: August 2010

Sunday, August 29, 2010

School reform could cost you $ 4.35 billion if you win Race to the Top for your school

Race to the Top winners get $ 4.35 billion for school reform

An economic stimulus plan was given by Obama explaining that schools in America will get $ 4.35 billion to improve. There is a reward given to schools within the “Race to the Top” program. If the community wants to “improve schools and close the achievement gap,” they qualify for the program. ”Race to the Top” has nine winners about to share the $ 3.4 billion says the U.S. Department of Education: Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. Grant amounts per state will be announced later. A later round with $ 350 million at stake for states that create new means of student assessment is still to come.

Change comes from more than just ‘Race to the Top’

States needing money have been inspired by the “Race to the Top” grant. States have tried winning “Race to the Top” by making more accountability directives for teachers and no caps on funding for charter schools. Round 2 of this was applied for by 35 states and also the District of Columbia. Of course, there were in July 19 finalists that were selected. So far, 46 states and also the District of Columbia have applied for “Race to the Top.”.

State education leaders and teachers unions against programs

”Race to the Top” can’t please everybody. It hasn’t been approved universally. MSNBC explains that teacher evaluations having a connection to standardized test performance wasn’t something teachers unions wanted while state education officials didn’t want school districts giving the federal government control with “Race to the Top”.

American changes that are needed

The overall outlook has been positive. The nation has strong opinions on “Race to the Top” which Democrats for Education Reform released a public statement about. The statement applauded the bold reform actions undertaken and expressed hope that under the president’s command, all groups involved in reform – from civil rights and child advocacy groups to local companies and other grassroots education reform collectives – would work in harmony with teachers unions to produce results that have been needed in America for numerous years.

Low factory inventory turns into dealers needing more cars

Automotive News shows us that automakers are nevertheless shy about making cars despite the economic c climate of recession and also the taxpayer auto bailout with it. It seems like it is more common practice to have low factory inventory now. You will find more individuals buying cars but dealers do not have the cars they need to sell them. The representation of auto brands was put into a survey that showed there weren’t enough autos to sell at 160 of 244 responding dealers. Less sales were made because of this.

Business goes down with low inventory

Dealerships are losing business through low inventory. Customers leave unsatisfied with what happened. Probably the most popular brands of car to purchase are Chevy, Hyundai, Honda or GMC. Sadly, these are also the ones running out because of unavailability. Automotive News had a dealer tell them that if there were more cars, they’d sell more cars but automakers “have driven supplies too low” for selling. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are trying to get more money with less inventory making cars like the GMC Terain impossible for auto dealers to get a hold of. Dealers don’t like this cut from automakers.

Factories help

Automakers have to help dealers although they’re trying to stay away from losing money with overproduction. Dealers are nervous too. They’d rather sell all the cars than get more cars than they can sell. Right now is a time that we have to move forward from the high incentive and low resale value cars. Automotive News reported this after talking with Tom Henderson. Some adjustments are necessary, of course. For instance, in order to meet recent demand for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain in some areas, General Motors renovated an unused area of an Ingersoll, Ontario, manufacturing plant so that more bodies could be made. There isn’t any room within the plant to finish bodies in there with paint and finish. GM has to send the bodies two hours east to get all this done.

Criminals exercise concludes as John McCluskey and Casslyn Welch captured

The man hunt is over. Casslyn Welch and John McCluskey are back behind bars. Bonnie and Clyde keep getting brought up concerning these two. They escaped from an Arizona State prison about a month ago. They’ve been on the run ever since. The pair were suspected to have been in Yellowstone National Park, and as far south as Arkansas. They were arrested in an Arizona State Park, with the brave assistance of a Park Ranger who alerted authorities.

Spotted by park ranger

An unnamed Park Ranger made the catch. He was on patrol in Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. According to ABC, he saw an unattended fire and a suspiciously parked auto. He called in the license plate. The automobile turned up being stolen. So he called the police. Soon afterward, SWAT showed up to take them into custody. That’s when they found out who they were. After their arrest, which went peacefully, John McCluskey told authorities if he had been able to get to his tent, he would have engaged in a shootout with the police. Casslyn Welch, his fiancé and also his cousin, went peacefully as well.

The hunt is over

McCluskey and Welch broke out of prison with Tracy Province and Daniel Renwick in tow. Province and Renwick were captured soon after, and McCluskey and Welch were spotted in Yellowstone National Park and in Butte, Mon. Renwick and Province were soon captured. McCluskey and Welch were spotted in Butte, Mon., and in Yellowstone Park. McCluskey and Welch are thought to be connected to the murder of Gary and Linda Haas in New Mexico, according to the Associated Press. The Haases were found around Aug. 4, and the automobile McCluskey and Welch possessed had New Mexico plates.

Clyde and Bonnie weren’t really like Clyde and Bonnie either

For some reason, individuals idolize violent criminals. These two have been compared to Bonnie and Clyde. The actual Bonnie and Clyde weren’t romantic at all. Clyde was supposedly gay, and they robbed banks before the FDIC existed, so the same people they were stealing from were the ones rooting for them. They are violent criminals, and it is better they go back to behind bars. The ranger who called police is to be commended.

Discover information

ABC News

acnews.go.com/US/bonnie-clyde-fugitives-john-mccluskey-casslyn-welch-captured/story?id=11442877 and page=1

Google News

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hB0B5qIFEqMDeeaj_JGZgZMr6klQD9HNA4E00

Friday, August 27, 2010

Study suggests giving R-rating to films that depict smoking

Ratings standards for American films have stirred no small amount of controversy. There has been a lot of issues between directors, studios and also the MPAA ratings board which was shown in the 2006 documentary, This Movie is Not Yet Rated, and Times Magazine explains Hollywood has an additional things to report. An “R” rating should be given to any movies that have smoking in them if you ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). This will help protect young teens and kids. Source of article – Study suggests giving R-rating to films that depict smoking by Personal Money Store.

Tobacco industry can’t place product and pay for it

The CDC study indicates that ever since 1998, tobacco companies aren’t allowed to place product in movies. Unfortunately, there is nevertheless a lot of smoking in movies today. Numerous studies cited by the CDC suggest that kids and young teens do respond to smoking seen in films; they’re more likely to try smoking, versus adolescents who see little of it. Health difficulties could get worse which is a common concern for public health officials. A significant number of G, PG and PG-13-rated films contain smoking, which has prompted the rating reclassification suggestion.

Stopping smoking other ways

The CDC also gave as one more R rating suggestion the idea that films have to have anti-smoking ads before the movie as well as within the credits explaining there was no compensation paid for the actors smoking. The World Health Organization has already made these suggestions the CDC seems to be saying no this time around about R rated movies. Smoking scenes are irresponsible in movies. WHO thinks this marketing towards children is inappropriate.

Don’t smoke, children; it’s expensive

Now it seems smoking will always be costly. It always costs more than it did last time. MSN Money explains one more fact to add to anti-smoking. Smoking costs are more than just cigarettes as it also includes the price of higher health insurance and dry cleaning your clothes to get the smell out. This means that in case you are 40 but quit smoking, you can possibly conserve in a 401 (k) over $ 250,000. Choosing black lung over a comfortable retirement is enough to send anyone’s spending budget scrambling for paycheck loans and short term loan to fill the gaps. The R-rated scene might really just be buying into the expense of smoking.

10 cars stolen one of the most

10 most popular cars to steal within the U.S.

It is a good idea to know which cars are probably the most likely to be attractive to thieves as part of your area. There is a list of probably the most popular cars to steal kept by numerous. One of these places is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The most stolen cars for the year was released on a list. This list comes from the IIHS. Thieves wouldn’t be at all astonished at what is on the list.

Escalade is the top car

For some reason, Cadillac Escalades are popular. They are the cars most stolen. The Escalade has been number one on this list in six of the IIHS reports. An Escalade is seven times more likely to be stolen than any other car. Car thieves will just tow away these SUVs that do really have great anti-theft features. The Escalade, vs. other SUVs like the Land Rover, is more glamorous making it a target. You can discover the rest of the report on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety . You need to check it out.

Car thieves compared to raccoons

Bright and shiny things are what raccoons tend to be interested in. There isn’t really any facts to prove that; however, there is proof that car thieves like cars that are fairly shiny. The IIHS report for one of the most stolen vehicles lists luxury SUVs, luxury cars and full-size pickups as probably the most usual targets. Here’s the full list of most stolen autos:

Try out the Cadillac Escalade
Next is the Ford F250 4 Door
The Infiniti G37 2 door is the next car
Dodge Charger HEMI
Next is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Now the Hummer H2
Now is the Nissan Pathfinder Armada
The Chevy Avalanche 1500 is one more car
Now there is the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew
The GMC Yukon is tenth

Performance cars, luxurious SUVs and big pickups are what thieves look for. Usually there are tools in trucks too, which thieves won’t complain about.

This list is similar to an additional list

These cars are on another list too. It will surprise you. The Escalade and Ford F250 are on the list. This list is the Forbes Worst Made Cars on the Road. The bottom line, nevertheless, is this: if you want your risk of theft to be minimal, a flashy show of status is something you might want to stay away from. Unless you have the cash for a new car.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Home mortgage alteration plan failed

The Make Home Affordable mortgage loan modification program, or Home Affordable Modification Program, was one of Obama’s first acts as President. Numerous protested it at the time. The government would work with your house loan company. The rate would get negotiated down or terms extended. The plan is much more likely to not work or even do nothing. More individuals have been dropped than have stayed within the package.

Listen up turn on quit of mortgage mod

There were 96,025 individuals dropped from the actual program for this month, according to CNN Money. The number of individuals that have been dropped so far is 616,389, and the number of successful modifications is 434,717. That’s 60 percent, roughly, rate of failure. That means a person is more likely to not have a successful outcome if they do enroll within the package. That means house loan corporations get an additional guaranteed few pay days. However, it is on the taxpayers’ dime.

Less applying

There is a three month trial phase before you get a permanent modification. According to the Wall Street Journal, there were 24,577 trial modifications given for July, compared to 38,728 trial modifications in June. Successful trial periods resulted in 51,025 permanent modifications in June, but only 38,728 in July. The program either needs more short term money or fewer people can apply or need alteration.

Not really a slam dunk

In July, 12,912 people dropped from their permanent modifications. But 272 had their permanent modification canceled because they paid off their mortgages. That high a pace of failure means something. It is not that the package is a success. That means that your home loan modification through the government is 60 percent likely to end in failure.

Discover additional details about this topic

CNN Money

money.cnn.com/2010/08/20/news/economy/foreclosure_prevention_HAMP/

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703579804575441701960735166.html

Monday, August 23, 2010

Big costs when patient re-admission is needed

Health care reform intended to address the massive costs of American patient care can have a great deal of work ahead. Practicing preventative medicine is vital to the nation's well-being, yet America doesn't appear to be proficient in that regard. According to a 2009 study by the New England Journal of Medicine, one-fifth of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. After 90 days, that percentage climbs to 34 percent. What is maybe most disturbing is that after a year, two-thirds of patients are back in the hospital or dead.

The re-admission of patients is inefficient and costly

The Huffington Post reports that Medicare cost taxpayers $17.4 billion in 2004. That money black hole forced Medicare to begin paying closer attention to which hospitals had the highest bounce-back rate of re-admission. Those with high re-admit rates are financially penalized. A new industry was born amidst the turmoil; private businesses would extend their efficiency expert services to afflicted hospitals. Thinking about that several studies show that three-quarters of all re-admissions are preventable, seems like likely that the efficiency experts have lots of business.

Hospitals and nursing facilities blame each other

Re-admission, according to industry experts, is probably due to communication breakdowns between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Incomplete patient notes and post-care regimen instructions are definite problems. The problem grows significantly for those Medicaid patients who are older and are shuttled between general and intensive care facilities.

Medicare and insurers sometimes lack foresight

The American Geriatric Society found in a recent study that Medicare and insurance corporations prefer to recommend skilled nursing facilities over inpatient rehab for stroke victims, reports the Post. Lower first cost is the reason, but what the insurers fail to see is the significance of a re-admit rate that is seven times higher in the skilled nursing option. Medicare and private insurance corporations must learn to see beyond the low original cost, because it will likely conserve millions, say critics.

Always question your doctor

Patients and those who care about them must ask doctors questions in order to assess the risk of future re-admittance. Ask your doctor about all risks and future care procedures for clarity. For more info on specific questions, see the Huffington Post article listed below.

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Huffington Post

huffingtonpost.com/richard-c-senelick-md/the-bounce-back-effect-ho_b_677575.html