Additional $30 Billion Doesn’t Stop AIG From Suing U.S.
If you needed further proof that the times we live in are strange, consider the current situation involving American International Group and the U.S. government. On the one hand, the government has decided to inject the troubled insurer with an extra $30 billion. On Monday, AIG reported a $61.66 billion loss for the fourth quarter, the largest quarterly loss in history. Under the new deal, the Treasury department will take a a 77.9% equity interest in AIG on Wednesday.
On the other hand, AIG is waging battle with the U.S. government. On Friday, the bank sued the U.S. over a disputed $306 million in taxes, interest and penalties. The suit steps up a battle with the Internal Revenue Service largely over AIG's use of a controversial type of “tax arbitrage” transaction that authorities are challenging across the world. In its lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, AIG for the first time has laid out significant details about its role in the so-called “foreign tax generators” in dispute with the IRS. Click here for Monday's WSJ story; here for a WSJ story from last May which mentioned the dispute. WSJ Law Blog March 2, 2009

State and Federal Resources on the Stimulus Package
DOE Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
EPA Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)
National Conference of State Legislatures Summary on Human Services Provisions
Recovery.gov: State Recovery Sites and State Certifications and Agency Recovery Sites - “Many state websites [and different agencies and departments] now have their own recovery web pages that help explain how they are spending funds allocated by the Recovery Act...keep in mind, many more pages will come online – with much more information--in the weeks and months ahead, so check back . . . “

New Rules Would Bar Genetic Discrimination
Workforce Management: "Employers would be prohibited from making hiring, firing and other personnel decisions on the basis of workers’ genetic predisposition to a disease under rules to be proposed this week by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The proposals, which are open for public comment over the next two months, also would bar employers from deliberately acquiring genetic information from employees and job applicants...In addition, employers would be restricted from disclosing genetic information about workers and applicants. Violators would be subject to compensatory and punitive damages under some circumstances."
Meeting of February 25, 2009 - on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Implementation of Title II of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2008, Statement of Christopher J. Kuczynski, J.D., LL.M., Assistant Legal Counsel, ADA Policy Division
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) - H.R.493, Became Public Law No: 110-233 on May 21, 2008

In Xinjiang or Chinese Turkestan, in northwestern China, is the Taklamakan Desert on the northern Silk Road, where Bronze Age Celtic mummies from three thousand years ago were better preserved than in Egypt. They are thought to have spoken the Indo-European language of Tocharian. The best preserved of the mummies on display is a 2000 year-old one known as the "handsome man." He wears a gold foil death mask, and his gold embroidered maroon and red clothing bears scenes of Greek or Roman men fighting. http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/2006/08/28/celtic-mummies-in-china.htm

Entertainment information
Internet Broadway Database: http://www.ibdb.com/index.php
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/

Margaret Caldwell, 1940s pin-up girl and friend of famous film stars, now 102 years old, is the world's oldest newspaper columnist. Margaret writes a weekly column for the Desert Valley Times in Mesquite, Nevada. http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=384822&rel_no=1

Tales of Tuscany
Food: Panzanella (little swamp) is tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, minced onion, vinegar and stale bread soaked in water and squeezed dry. Try oranges with olive oil and salt.
Herbs: Sage flowers, along with lavender, look pretty in wildflower bouquets. You may thread shrimp on rosemary sticks when grilling. Crush basil leaves and smear on insect stings to take away pain. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Drink: Tuscans pronounce Coca-Cola Hoha-Hola. One day a tourist asked for Hoha-Hola, but the waiter didn’t understand. Then he asked for Coca-Cola. The waiter said: “Now, I understand—you want Hoha-Hola. Story from our Italian tour guide