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Bill USA

Bill USA's Journal
Bill USA's Journal
March 3, 2015

Unplanned pregnancies cost taxpayers $21 billion each year - WaPo

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/03/unplanned-pregnancies-cost-taxpayers-21-billion-each-year/?wpisrc=nl_wnkpm&wpmm=1


Unintended pregnancies cost American taxpayers $21 billion each year, according to a new analysis released by the Guttmacher Institute. That averages out to a cost of about $366 per every woman of childbearing age in the U.S. Overall, more than half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended, and roughly 1-in-20 American women of reproductive age have an unplanned pregnancy each year.

Nationally there were 1.5 million unplanned births in 2010. Public insurance programs like Medicaid paid for 68 percent of those births. "On average, a publicly funded birth cost $12,770 in prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care and the first 12 months of infant care; care for months 13–60 cost, on average, another $7,947, for a total cost per birth of $20,716," the study found.

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In some states -- Georgia, Mississippi and Oklahoma -- more than 80 percent of unplanned births were paid for by public dollars. Georgia taxpayers spent nearly $1 billion on unplanned births in 2010, as did taxpayers in Chicago. California spent $1.8 billion, while unplanned births cost the state of Texas nearly $3 billion dollars in 2010.

If these numbers seem high, they could be a lot higher. Current investments in family planning services, like contraception, family visits and STD testing, save taxpayers $15.8 billion and prevent 760,000 abortions each year, according to a 2014 analysis in the Milbank Quarterly. Guttmacher estimates that expanding these services further could cut the cost of unintended pregnancies by an additional $15 billion.
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March 3, 2015

Digital Lumens promises 90% energy savings via networked LED lighting

http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2010/03/digital-lumens-promises-90-energy-savings-via-networked-led-lighting.html

Start-up company will target industrial environments such as warehouses and rely on network control and efficient LED fixtures to achieve savings.

Tom Pincince, Digital Lumens President & CEO, states, "We can provide 100% of the light at 10% of the energy cost." The new entrant into the industrial-lighting segment believes that the combination of LED fixtures, network control of each fixture, and lighting-management software can deliver on the promise.

Digital Lumens will target applications such as high-bay lighting in warehouses. For instance the company uses a cold-storage warehouse as an example. According to Pincine, only about 10% of such a facility is occupied at any given time, and lights in the remainder can be dimmed or even extinguished.

In the cold-storage case study, a trial installation provided a 95% reduction in energy usage. The 268,000-square-feet facility energy costs dropped from $225,000 to $10,000 annually. Pincince claims that a thrid of the enrgy used by tarhet customers is presently used for lighting.
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February 25, 2015

PBS Newshour 'rediscovers' the word "filibuster" after 6 yrs --- now that the Democrats have used it

On its Monday, Feb 23 broadcast, PBS Newshour permitted the word 'filibuster' to be uttered on their show. But only because it was the Democrats doing it.

After six years of record setting filibustering by the GOP, on just about everything President Obama proposed (especially of bills to stimulate the economy) with no mention of the word 'filibuster' * ... On last night's broadcast, guest NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON reported that the Democrats had filibustered the Homeland Security funding bill - four times(!).

This was the first bill the Democrats filibustered since control of the Senate passed to the Republicans. But the Corporate media outlet, PBS Newshour, didn't want to miss reporting on the fact. Interesting how during the previous six years when the Republicans were setting records for the use of the filibuster, this fact was not deemed newsworthy enough to be mentioned on the Corporate media stations.


http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/analyzing-impasse-homeland-security-politics-oscars/



GWEN IFILL: Over the Department of Homeland Security — the White House seems to be and the department seems to be pushing back.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: Yes, they’re pushing back. President Obama is pushing back. Democrats are very much united.

We saw just now that for the fourth time they have filibustered the bill because they don’t want to see this funding stripped out.


Hurrahs for the Corporate media: providing all the news judged acceptable to the GOP!!



* okay, there was one time. They allowed resident Liberal contributor, Mark Sheilds, to mention that the Republicans had filibustered frequently - AFTER the 2014 Elections were over - the Obama administration's LAST Election. Apparently, the PBS Newshour management had determined that mentioning The GOP's proclivity to filibuster would no longer be potentially damaging to the Republican brand and would therefor not get NewsHour in trouble with the GOP.

February 23, 2015

Who knew - Lady Gaga can sing!!! I hope this doesn't ruin her pop music career - being able to sing

happened to walk through the room while my significant other was watching the Oscars and I was floored to hear Lady Gaga singing and she really has a voice. She was singing songs from the Sound of Music. Her singing was, dare I say it: pretty!

Jesus! I hope this doesn't ruin her pop music career!

February 19, 2015

Do you believe we should fight disinformation. if so, how do we best do that.

one place to engage the conservatives is discussionist. I know, it's disgusting. But if you think we should fight disinformation how should we do that?

I just thought it was worth putting this open to discussion.

February 18, 2015

John Boehner doesn't mind your criticism. It gives meaning to his life.

John Boehner recently violated rules of protocol, the constitution and any general concept of respectful behavior (to the President) by inviting the leader of a foreign country to speak before Congress without clearing it with the WH first. Now any sensible, well adjusted adult would realize this was offensive, disrespectful behavior. But for Boehner, being a Tea Party Republican, political vandalism is standard operating procedure.

Tea Party Republicans are all about Punk Talk and Political Vandalism. That is, saying and doing things which are offensive, irresponsible - and hopefully - shocking. This gives those who feel impotent and fearful a sense of being powerful. They have shocked the people involved in legitimate pursuit of constructive actions. This is all compensating behavior, which is identified with adolescence, intended to make up for feelings of inferiority, impotence and fear of being rejected by the peer group. During adolescence, young people have a strong desire to be accepted by others for validation and to shore up meager self esteem. IF they have low self esteem and fear/anticipate rejection by their peers they have to find a way to hide their lack of confidence and fear of rejection. This compensating behavior often involves "Punk talk" which is intended to show what a "tough guy" they are. This behavior is intended to show others that they don't care whether people accept them or not.

An essential characteristic of Punk Talk is the derision of 'the other guy'. In fact, Punk Talk is intended to enable you to 'put them down' before they can put YOU down - "HA!". That Punk Talk is an outgrowth of the fear of rejection by others is apparent in that it almost always involves derision of the person rather than what the person is saying. Think of all the statements of derision TP-GOPers have directed at the President. This is all to 'say': "I'm not impressed by you! You don't intimidate ME!" [div class="excerpt" style="border:1px solid #000000;"]Take a look on the site Discussionist. The Conservative's preferred idiom is that of personal attack. The Conservatives' vernacular is Punk Talk; not only on that site -- but everywhere else - including the U.S. Congress.

Think about it, in your normal daily workplace activities how often do you witness an ADULT saying offensive, denigrating things about someone else. Hardly ever! If you do hear such a thing, what's your first thought?... that there must be something wrong with the guy doing the 'badmouthing'!

The Tea Party lead GOP, being devoid of any ideas - on how to solve any of the problems we face - have replaced constructive ideas and action with Punk Talk and Political Vandalism. But This isn't Junior High. Now that they control both Houses of Congress they have to produce. And - no surprise to anyone - they can't do it. Instead of passing some form of Immigration reform they are up to their usual practice of trying to obstruct action the President took by putting language to reverse the President's executive action to preclude the deportation of children of undocumented immigrants born in the United States - in the bill to fund Homeland Security. The idea is to put Democrats in the position of looking bad if they do not pass the Homeland Security funding bill. The responsible thing would be to act upon an issue that needs a solution - legislation to establish the position of U.S. born children of undocumented immigrants. That appears to be beyond the reach of the Tea Party lead GOP.

So, just expect more Punk Talk and Political Vandalism. THat's all the TP_GOP is 'good' for.

..BTW this same psychology applies to the ISIS psycho-creeps. It's how those who feel impotent make themselves feel powerful by engaging in destructive behavior. The more shocked the 'straight', legitimate people (involved in constructive pursuits) are the more powerful they feel..


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Member since: Wed Mar 3, 2010, 05:25 PM
Number of posts: 6,436

About Bill USA

Quotes I like: "Prediction is very difficult, especially concerning the future." "There are some things so serious that you have to laugh at them.” __ Niels Bohr Given his contribution to the establishment of quantum mechanics, I guess it's not surprising he had such a quirky of sense of humor. ......................."Deliberate misinterpretation and misrepresentation of another's position is a basic technique of (dis)information processing" __ I said that
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