Thursday, December 4, 2008

A TANK AWAY continued: Lancaster and Columbus
Merchant, pioneer and soldier Colonel Ebenezer Zane founded New Lancaster on November 10, 1800. The name was suggested by one of the predominately German settlers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The town’s name was shortened to Lancaster in 1805. Lancaster is the seat of Fairfield County, eighth county formed in the Northwest Territory. It was created December 10, 1800 and included present counties Delaware, Knox and Licking plus parts of Franklin, Perry, Pickaway and Hocking. Several museums in Lancaster are within a couple of blocks of each other: Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, Doll and Toy Museum (Mid-Ohio Historical Museum), Georgian Museum, Glass Museum and Sherman House Museum, birthplace and childhood home of William T. Sherman (Civil War general) and John Sherman (lawyer, member of U.S. House and Senate, Secretary of Treasury and State, chief author of the Sherman Antitrust Act.) We stopped briefly in Ohio’s state capital, Columbus, on the way home to visit the Ohio Historical Center (Rockwell’s America, Currier and Ives prints, Milton Caniff exhibits) and Franklin Park Conservatory.

Antitrust Suit Planned by DOJ Terminated Google-Yahoo Ad Agreement
AmLawDaily: "Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. called off their joint advertising agreement just three hours before the Department of Justice planned to file antitrust charges to block the pact, according to the lawyer who would have been lead counsel for the government."
Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1-7

2008 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States
"In a report sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, ITIF [Information Technology and Innovation Foundation] employs 29 indicators to assess the extent to which the 50 state economies are structured according to the tenets of the New Economy. The changing economic landscape requires state economies to be innovative, globally-linked, entrepreneurial and dynamic, with an educated workforce and all sectors embracing the use of information technology. The report, which updates and expands on the State New Economy Index reports from 2002 and 2007, ranks the states accordingly. The five states ranking the highest in 2008 are, in order of rank, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. With these measures as a frame of reference, the report outlines the next generation of innovative state-level public policies needed to meet the challenges of the New Economy, improve state competitiveness and boost incomes of all Americans."
The 2008 State New Economy Index, Benchmarking Economic Transformation In the States, November 2008

FTC Consumer Information - Credit and Loans: "The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has prepared a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports, explaining your rights under the FCRA and how to order a free annual credit report."

With the clock ticking down on his administration it looks likely that President George W. Bush will use his clout to introduce a new rule that will make it easier for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers to refuse to participate in any medical procedure they view as morally "objectionable." If President Bush approves the new rule by Dec. 20, it will be final when the Obama administration takes office at noon Jan. 20 and require a new rule-making procedure to overturn it. Outgoing Health and Human Services Department Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, the former governor of Utah and a prominent conservative Mormon, has reportedly vowed to make sure the controversial rule becomes a final regulation before the Obama administration takes over. Health workers have already been able to refuse to participate in abortions, this new rule might mean they could also refuse to participate in such things as providing birth control for married couples, along with single women, and in assisting with artificial insemination for married couples with fertility problems who want a baby. The rule being contemplated by the Bush administration is very broad and would apply to any medical facility and health care workers that received federal funds. It would allow them to choose not to participate in any procedure that they found in any way objectionable to their personal morality or religious views. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has advised the president that the rule would overturn four decades of civil rights laws in the nation. They also say that current law protects people who have religious objections from performing duties that conflict with their religion.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013243537

No comments: