Federal Reserve approves final amendments to rules for reporting price information on higher-priced mortgage loans
News release: "The Federal Reserve Board has approved final amendments to Regulation C that revise the rules for reporting price information on higher-priced mortgage loans. The changes are intended to improve the accuracy and usefulness of data reported under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.
Regulation C currently requires lenders to collect and report the spread between the annual percentage rate (APR) on a mortgage loan and the yield on a Treasury security of comparable maturity if the spread is greater than 3.0 percentage points for a first lien loan or greater than 5.0 percentage points for a subordinate lien loan. This difference is known as a rate spread. Under the final rule, a lender will report the spread between the loan's APR and a survey-based estimate of APRs currently offered on prime mortgages of a comparable type ("average prime offer rate") if the spread is equal to or greater than 1.5 percentage points for a first lien loan or equal to or greater than 3.5 percentage points for a subordinate-lien loan. The Board will publish average prime offer rates based on the Primary Mortgage Market Survey® currently published by Freddie Mac. The Board will conduct its own survey if it becomes appropriate or necessary to do so...The final rule is effective October 1, 2009. The Board's Federal Register notice is here."

Oklahoma, apparently, is one of four states—the others are Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi—to pass a law that mandates ultrasounds for pregnant women prior to getting an abortion. Over at Slate, Emily Bazelon has an essay entitled “Required Viewing: Oklahoma’s gallingly paternalistic ultrasound law.” In Oklahoma, reports Bazelon, the law, which is scheduled to take effect next month, requires that either the doctor performing the abortion or a “certified technician” do the ultrasound, “provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting,” and “display the ultrasound images so that the pregnant woman may view them.” The patient then has to certify in writing that the doctor or technician complied.
WSJ Law Blog October 22, 2008

Rand: Unconventional Fossil-Based Fuels
News release: "Alternative sources of fossil fuels such as oil sands and coal-to-liquids have significant economic promise, but the environmental consequences must also be considered, according to a RAND Corporation study. The study by RAND, a non-profit research organization, provides a review of coal-to-liquids and Canadian oil sands technologies, considers possible impacts on fuel costs from future limitations on carbon dioxide emissions, and compares costs of the alternative fossil fuels to conventional petroleum fuels in 2025. The study was funded by the National Commission on Energy Policy."
Unconventional Fossil-Based Fuels Economic and Environmental Trade-Offs by Michael Toman, Aimee E. Curtright, David S. Ortiz, Joel Darmstadter, Brian Shannon
Related postings on climate change

Google Energy Saving Calculator and Powering a Clean Energy Revolution
Official Google Blog: "We've created a handy energy saving calculator to help you see how simple steps can help you save money for treats -- and ward off scary carbon emissions. We've also put together a webpage full of tricks to help you save energy -- and money."

Recommended by a muse reader
An important book is What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848, v. 5 of 11 in the Oxford History of the United States series by historian Daniel Walker Howe. It illuminates the period from the battle of New Orleans to the end of the Mexican-American War. Covers an often ignored part of our country's history, but probably the most important era in terms of forming our sense of nation and politics.

Two books by John McPhee: The Control of Nature and Uncommon Carriers. Both fascinating and of universal and timely truth.

Timelines of History http://timelines.ws/
Find information by date: October 23 as example
1915 Oct 23, 25,000 women marched in New York City, demanding the right to vote.
Find information by year: 1547 as example
1547 French became the official language of France, displacing Latin.

bidentate DEN-tayt) adjective
Having two teeth or toothlike parts
From Latin bi- (two) + dens (tooth) A.Word.A.Day