More on economic stimulus bill
Side-By-Side Chart of Notable Differences Between Senate-Passed and House-Passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Follow up to related postings on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, from the Senate Finance committee, this Side-By-Side Chart of Notable Differences Between the Senate-Passed and the House-Passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Joint Committee on Taxation - Estimated Budget Effects Of The Revenue Provisions Contained In The “American Recovery And Reinvestment Tax Act Of 2009,” As Amended And Passed By The Senate On February 10, 2009
Estimated Budget Effects Of The Revenue Provisions Contained In The Collins-Nelson Amendment (# 570) In The Nature Of A Substitute To The “American Recovery And Reinvestment Tax Act Of 2009,” Under Consideration By The Senate

CFTC Launches New Monthly Online Report
News release: "The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that it has launched, on a six-month trial basis, a new monthly report: This Month in Futures Markets. The report, produced by the Commission’s Office of the Chief Economist, will add transparency to the information the Commission provides the public concerning regulated futures markets by providing graphical and tabular displays on the Commission’s website."
This Month in Futures Markets – January 2009 - posted February 4, 2009 - OCE, Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This report is based on the Commitment of Traders (COT) report released on January 30th, 2009. Up to date COT reports can be accessed here".

When a widely shared photo of one of the world’s most public figures is turned into art by someone else, who owns the image? That question punctuates an unusual copyright spat pitting an international news service against a Los Angeles street artist over a president’s image. Artist Shepard Fairey acknowledges using a 2006 Associated Press photo of then-senator Barack Obama as the basis for his iconic red and blue “Hope” poster, reproduced on buttons and banners through the campaign. When the AP pressed Fairey for credit and compensation, Fairey sued the AP in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. His lawyers said the artist transformed the image that “conveys a radically different message” and thus, falls into fair-use territory. If the AP prevails, would there be a domino legal effect? Could Fairey go after other groups that borrowed his work and tweaked it? One comes to mind: organizers of the annual Big Shoulders Swim race in Lake Michigan handed out t-shirts to participants last September in Chicago. It featured a Fairey-like Obama wearing goggles with the word “SWIM” printed beneath (Click here and scroll down for pictures). WSJ February 10, 2009

Unique flavonoids in hops and beer
Over 4,000 flavonoids have been identified, many of which occur in fruits, vegetables and beverages (tea, coffee, beer, wine and fruit drinks). The flavonoids have aroused considerable interest recently because of their potential beneficial effects on human health--they have been reported to have antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant activities.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w00/flavonoid.html

The reopening of Ford’s Theatre after an 18-month refurbishment coincides with a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln there during a performance of “Our American Cousin” on the evening of April 14, 1865.
The theater unveiled a videotape, to be shown at its museum, in which the four living past-presidents--George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter--recited Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, accompanied by Matthew Brady’s Civil War images. The event was a retrospective of Lincoln’s life, from his humble beginnings described by James Earl Jones’s baritone to Vereen’s impassioned reading of the Emancipation Proclamation without the prompter, which broke mid-show.
The highlight for the audience of about 650 was classical violinist Joshua Bell’s “Variations on Yankee Doodle,” which was by turns playful and mournful.
Broadway singer Cheryl Freeman gave an electrifying rendition of a song from the play “The Civil War,” followed by Audra McDonald, Jessye Norman and Joshua Bell for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which earned a standing ovation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=abNBZFgX8vls&refer=muse

The in vitro fertilization industry has doubled in size in the decade since the C.D.C. started collecting data in 1996. That year, 64,681 procedures were performed in 330 clinics. At last count, the number of procedures was up to 134,260 and there were more than 483 clinics across the country. More than 50,000 children a year are born as a result of in vitro fertilization in the United States. Nationwide, it is a more than $1 billion business. California has more doctors performing in vitro fertilization than any other state, with many concentrated in the Los Angeles area. The competition means that sales pitches are not unusual. The Huntington Reproductive Center offers a refund for some women. No pregnancy? You get 90 percent of your money back.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/health/12ivf.html?ref=health

pied (rhymes with pride) adjective
Having patches of two or more colors; multicolored
From pie (magpie), referring to a magpie's black and white plumage, from Latin pica (jay or magpie). The Pied Piper of legend owes his moniker to his multicolored attire.
"The pair of women came first, one strangely dressed, in pied clothes of three or four eras." Michael Chabon; The Mysteries of Pittsburgh; William Morrow; 1988.
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