Doing Business in China - 2009 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies, U.S. Department of State. "...China is still a developing country, albeit one with vast potential. Spread over a population of 1.3 billion, China’s colossal economy does not represent a large amount of disposable income for each person. Annual per capita income in China is around USD 1,700. Yet, surprisingly, China stands as the world’s third largest market for luxury goods behind Japan and the United States. The income distribution within the country is highly uneven with urban centers, such as Beijing and Shanghai, enjoying a per capita income of more than double the nation’s average. Some studies estimate that there are now more than 200 million Chinese citizens with a per capita income over USD 8,000. That said China’s per capita income figures are poised to change dramatically. Over the next several years, many economists predict a surge in the number of people achieving middle class status."

Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Official Google Blog: "Do you leave your fridge door open after grabbing what you need? Do you leave your vacuum cleaner running when you aren't cleaning? Of course not. The idea of doing either of these things sounds silly, yet many people don't think to turn off their computers after using them. By using power management tools on your computer and buying more efficient computers, you can save nearly half a ton of CO2 and more than $60 a year in personal energy costs. To do our part, Google co-founded the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) to promote a smarter, greener computing future. The simple changes above can have a HUGE collective impact; our goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 54 million tons per year by 2010—the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off the road."

Recent CRS Reports: Capital Gains Taxation, Medicare Advantage
March 04, 2009 - The Economic Effects of Capital Gains Taxation
March 03, 2009 - Medicare Advantage

Global Finance Lists World’s 50 Safest Banks
News release: "The World’s 50 Safest Banks 2009 were selected through a comparison of the long-term credit ratings and total assets of the 500 largest banks around the world. Ratings from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch were used." [Note: only two U.S. banks on this list: 26. US Bancorp and 47. JPMorgan Chase]

The Ocean Conservancy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, documented nearly 7 million pounds of debris collected from 104 countries on a single pickup day last year The report traces the trash from 104 countries scoured in September to mostly land-based activities, where it blows from a picnic table or road, enters a creek or storm drain and eventually makes its way to the sea. A coastal cleanup will be held around the world on September 19, 2009.
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_11884165

Ocean Conservancy: Start a Sea Change http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home

In 1942, Ruth and Elliot Handler teamed up with another industrial designer, Harold "Matt" Mattson, to launch a business manufacturing picture frames. Using leftover wood and plastic scrap, they later launched a sideline making dollhouse furniture. Within a few years, the company turned profitable and began to specialize in toys. It was called Mattel, a name fashioned from the "Matt" in Mattson and the "El" in Elliot. Early successes were musical toys, such as the Uke-A-Doodle, a child-size ukulele, and a cap gun called the Burp gun, which the Handlers advertised on the new medium of television. It was the first time a toy had been sold on national television year-round. She let the project idle until 1956 when, during a European vacation, she spied a German doll called Lilli in a display case. It had a voluptuous figure, reminiscent of the poster pinups that entertained soldiers during World War II. Handler brought the doll home to Mattel's designers and ordered them to draw up plans and find a manufacturer in Japan who could produce it. Handler's dream made its debut at the 1959 American Toy Fair in New York City. Named for her daughter, "Barbie Teen-Age Fashion Model" had a girl-next-door ponytail, black-and-white striped bathing suit and teeny feet that fit into open-toed heels. Mattel sold more than 350,000 the first year, and orders soon backed up for the doll, which retailed for $3. "The minute that doll hit the counter, she walked right off," Handler said.
By the early 1960s, Mattel had annual sales of $100 million, due largely to Barbie. The company, then based in Hawthorne, annually turned out new versions of Barbie as well as an ever-expanding wardrobe of outfits and accessories befitting the new princess of toydom. Soon enough Barbie sprouted a coterie of friends and family. Ken, named for the Handlers' son, appeared in 1961; Midge in 1963; Skipper in 1965; and African American doll Christie, Barbie's first ethnic friend, in 1969. The first black Barbie came much later, in 1981. Other dolls were named for Handler's grandchildren, including Stacie, Todd and Cheryl. In 1975, Ruth and Elliot Handler were forced out of Mattel, and the following year she founded a new company, Ruthton Corp.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2009/03/barbie-turns-50.html

The Cleveland Metroparks welcome visitors yearly on March 15 to the Buzzard Roost in Hinckley Reservation. With a traditional "Buzzard Spotter" (for many years retired ranger Roger Lutz and now the chief naturalist Robert Hinkle) the first buzzard's time of arrival is clocked. The event is hailed as a sign of spring in the Midwest by all who attend. For information: Hinckley Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 354 Hinckley Ohio 44233 (330) 278-2066 For General Information: info@hinckleytwp.org
http://hiddenamerica.com/otrc/newsletter.shtml
http://www.lkwdpl.org/buckeye/buck03.htm

March 13 is the birthday of Uncle Sam. He made his debut on this day in 1852 as a cartoon in the New York Lantern, drawn by Frank Henry Bellew. The name "Uncle Sam" had been used to refer to the United States since about 1810, but this was the first time that someone thought to make him into a character and draw him in human form.
Today is Friday the 13th. The superstition that Friday is unlucky has been around for hundreds of years. Chaucer mentioned it in his Canterbury Tales, and by the 1800s, there was a whole list of things that were unlucky to do on a Friday, including needleworking, writing letters, beginning a sea voyage, moving, getting married, and going to the doctor. As for 13, its status as an unlucky number probably comes from the Bible—Judas Iscariot was said to be the 13th guest to sit at the table at the Last Supper. By the 1700s, it was a common superstition that if 13 people sat down at a table together, one of them would die. Eventually the number 13 became unlucky in any circumstance. Many hotels still skip the 13th floor, labeling it as 14. At some point, these two superstitions were combined into a fear of Friday the 13th. The Writer’s Almanac