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What is your favourite viral video from 2008 (so far...)?
2007 was a bumper year for viral videos with Dramatic Chipmunk, Leave Britney Alone, Ms Carolina and the Cadbury Gorilla, but what is your favourite viral video from 2008???
I loved the Central Station Freeze, by Improv Everywhere for starters... 2007 was a bumper year for viral videos with Dramatic Chipmunk, Leave Britney Alone, Ms Carolina and the Cadbury Gorilla, but what is ... more -
'Jobs, Baby, Jobs.' - Fact Checker
"I'm proposing to give our businesses a new American jobs tax credit for each new employee they hire here in the United States over the next two years. "
--Barack Obama, October 13, 2008.
Barack Obama "proposed a New American Jobs tax credit. $3,000 tax credit per new job in the United States over the next two years. This is going to be a very expensive proposal that's going to cost about $170 billion had it been in place in 2007." --McCain economics adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin,
October 13, 2008.
Talk about "lies, damn lies, and statistics." The Obama campaign says that a new proposal by the Democratic presidential candidate for a "jobs tax credit" for businesses that create new employment will cost the tax-payer no more than $20 billion a year. The McCain campaign has put a $170 billion annual price tag on the same proposal. So who is telling the truth?
The Facts
This is an excellent example of how the same statistical facts can be spun in entirely different ways by the two presidential campaigns, leading to diametrically opposite conclusions. To listen to the Obama folks, the cost of Obama's new jobs tax credit sounds relatively modest. The McCain campaign depicts the same measure as another example of Obama's big spending habits.
Let's take a look at the McCain numbers first. McCain economics adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin took the number of total US nonfarm hires for 2007 from a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, available here, to reach a figure of nearly 58 million new jobs in 2007. Multiplying that figure by the $3,000 credit, he arrived at a total cost to the U.S. Treasury of $173 billion.
Nonsense, counters the Obama campaign. If you read the fine print of the Illinois senator's proposal, as elaborated in a Fact Sheet, available here, you see that he is not talking about gross new jobs, he is talking about net new jobs. In other words, if a company hires 100 new workers and gets rid of 90 old workers, that is only 10 new jobs. Furthermore the tax credit will only be available to "existing businesses," i.e. not to start-ups.
Obama will provide a new temporary tax credit to companies that add jobs here in the United States. During 2009 and 2010, existing businesses will receive a $3,000 refundable tax credit for each additional full-time employee hired.
The Obama numbers were crunched by Austan Goolsbee, of NAFTA-gate fame. Goolsbee says he looked at quarterly labor statistics in order to exclude temporary hirings and firings that show up in the monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey cited by Holtz-Eakin. Business Employment Dynamics statistics says, there were only 24 million new hirings in 2007, not 58 million as claimed by the McCain campaign.
to compute the number of net new jobs, Goolsbee took a sample of 7,000 companies in the COMPUSTAT database, and reached a figure for net employment growth of 7 percent of the workforce for 2007. He assumes, on the basis of this Bureau of Labor Statistics working paper, that job creation rates will fall by around 15 percent in 2008, to 5.95 percent.
Goolsbee went through his final calculations "5.95 percent of the private workforce of 114 million yields 6.8 million jobs that qualify for the credit. At $3,000 per job, this yields a cost of $20.3 billion per year."
McCain-Palin spokesman Brian Rogers, said "our estimate was based on our understanding of [the Obama plan] at the time. We stand ready to re-estimate."
To be fair to the McCain campaign, Obama's one-sentence reference to his "New American Jobs Tax Credit" in his Ohio speech was not entirely clear. A casual listener could have come away with the impression that he was referring to a credit for all new employees, not net new jobs. In order to understand what he was talking about, you had to read the fine print, in the form of the Fact Sheet, plus various comments by Obama economics advisers. Two Pinocchios for each campaign. "I'm proposing to give our businesses a new American jobs tax credit for each new employee they hire here in the United Stat... more -
Bizarre Angelina Jolie tattoo for her children
Angelina Jolie loves her children – and her tattoos! As these latest photos show, Hollywood’s most famous supermum has had the co-ordinates of where her twins were born tattooed onto her arm.
That means she now sports 'N43°41'21'' E7°14'28' - 43 degrees, 41 minutes and 21 seconds north and 7 degrees, 14 minutes and 28 seconds east. That is the location of the hospital in Nice where Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon were born on July 12.
It sounds slightly complicated, but it’s really just a little bit nautical!
Angelina Jolie (33) has had a tattoo for each of her and Brad Pitt's kids, whether it’s a child of her own, like Shiloh (2) or one of her adopted youngsters. So you can tell that Maddox (7) was born in Phnom Penh, Zahara near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Shiloh in Namibia and son Pax Thien (4) in Vietnam.
Read more and see the pics at www.bild.com Angelina Jolie loves her children – and her tattoos! As these latest photos show, Hollywood’s most famous supermum has had the co-ordi... more -
Minnie Driver shows first baby pics on MySpace
Actress Minnie Driver, 38, has shunned lucrative glossy magazine deals to unveil the first picture of her baby son on MySpace.
Driver posted a photograph of one-month-old son Henry Story Driver on her page on the social networking site. The picture shows the Good Will Hunting and The Riches star holding her sleeping child. Actress Minnie Driver, 38, has shunned lucrative glossy magazine deals to unveil the first picture of her baby son on MySpace. ... more -
Fan use linked to lower risk of sudden baby death
Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday. Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death. Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers rep... more
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Yes, I Admit I have a Pooping Problem
A mom publicly announces her pooping problems.
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Is sterilization the solution to a mentally handicapped mom?
The comment was made repeatedly on animated talk shows across western Canada and in spirited discussions on the Internet in response to Gamble's predicament after it was revealed Saturday in The Vancouver Sun. The comment was made repeatedly on animated talk shows across western Canada and in spirited discussions on the Internet in response t... more
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Jamie Lynn - police pornography investigation – huh!
A picture of Jamie Lynn Spears breastfeeding her baby Maddie has gone missing on the missing list. She’s under 18 and that means, the shot in question is considered pornography. the photo was taken by jamies boyfriend casey on his digital camera, and then took the memory card to the local Wal-Mart supermarket to get the shots printed, which is where the trouble started. Police believe that there has been copies of the photo by an employee, which exposes the 17 year old’s left breast, and then tried to sell them. Buying or selling the picture would be a violation of laws prohibiting pornography, so police are now trying to find the man in question.
who the hell would want to see a photo like that?! A picture of Jamie Lynn Spears breastfeeding her baby Maddie has gone missing on the missing list. She’s under 18 and that means, the ... more -
Drill, Baby, Drill!
The sheer incompetence, block-headedness, and arrogance of this mantra is mind-boggling. At a critical time in history, when the planet and the future of our country is at stake, the GOP has adopted a neanderthalic position on our energy policy.
ENOUGH!
No more gimmicks. No More Lies. No more stupid, backwards plans that are shortsighted, futile and destructive to our land.
We need to look forward to a clean, powerful energy future.
Vote Obama this November! The sheer incompetence, block-headedness, and arrogance of this mantra is mind-boggling. At a critical time in history, when the plane... more -
Coffee creamer label misleads parents
The coffee creamer packaging does state, in English, Lao and Thai, that it is not a substitute for breast milk, and it bears a picture of an infant bottle with a slash across it. The coffee creamer packaging does state, in English, Lao and Thai, that it is not a substitute for breast milk, and it bears a picture... more
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Boppy Pillow Store: Boppy Cotton Slipcover - Uptown Dots
The Boppy Slipcover is just like a pillowcase that fits snugly over your existing Boppy pillow.
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Palin's daughter's hurry-up marriage
For the sake of propriety or for the sake of Sarah Palin's new position as a potential world leader, it looks as if the media is trying to sanitize a sticky situation. For the sake of propriety or for the sake of Sarah Palin's new position as a potential world leader, it looks as if the media is ... more
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Mom gets life in prison for microwaving baby
A woman has been sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for killing her baby daughter in a microwave oven.
China Arnold was convicted for killing her baby by burning her in the microwave.
Twenty-eight-year-old China Arnold chose not to be in the courtroom for Monday's sentencing.
Arnold was convicted of aggravated murder in the 2005 death of month-old daughter Paris Talley.
She was spared the death penalty because jurors could not reach a consensus on the punishment.
It was Arnold's second trial; the first ended in a mistrial when new witnesses surfaced.
Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion has asked for a third trial, saying a former cellmate who said Arnold confessed has now changed her story.
Arnold was accused of killing month-old Paris Talley in 2005. A judge declared a mistrial in February, and the retrial began August 18. The jury found Arnold guilty Friday of aggravated murder.
During the trial, an 8-year-old boy said he saw another boy walk into the kitchen of a nearby apartment with the baby, heard the microwave go on and then later saw the burned baby in the microwave. A woman has been sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for killing her baby daughter in a microwave oven. ... more -
Beyond Limits 2008 Sculptures (photos)
Photos from Chatsworth House in England on September 4, 2008.
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New Baby Zebra Arrives at Edinburgh Zoo (photos)
Photos from the Edinburgh Zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland on Thursday, September 4, 2008.
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Father Rapes His Own 8 Day Old Baby
"Police say a Forrest City, Arkansas man has been charged with raping his 8 day-old baby."
This is one of the most disgusting things I've heard about in years.
The baby was raped during a visit from the father while other people were in the household
To add to it, he fractured the baby's skull, and the mother is only 15. "Police say a Forrest City, Arkansas man has been charged with raping his 8 day-old baby." ... more -
Nappy saves baby's life
An 18-month old toddler's life was saved by a disposable nappy which broke his fall from a third-floor apartment window.
Caua Felipe Massaneiro survived the 10-metre fall because his nappy got caught on a security spike in the concrete wall around his apartment building in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife.
For a moment the boy dangled from the spike, then "the diaper opened and the baby fell to the ground, but at a much slower speed," a police officer said. "The diaper obviously lessened the impact of the fall and saved the baby's life."
Miraculously, the toddler did not suffer any serious injuries although he remained in hospital being treated for minor fractures.
"Police have opened an investigation to determine how the toddler fell out the window and "if parental negligence was one of the causes," said the police officer.
Caua's father, 23-year-old Alexandre Cesar Massaneiro, told a local newspaper that his son had climbed onto a sofa underneath the window he fell from - "something he had never done before."
"It wasn't the diaper that saved him," Mr Massaneiro added. "It was God." An 18-month old toddler's life was saved by a disposable nappy which broke his fall from a third-floor apartment window. ... more -
Baby avoids security lines by popping out in mid-air
DARWIN, Australia (AP) - An Indian woman gave birth to a healthy boy aboard a jet airliner while flying to Australia to reunite with her husband.
Judith Hamel, one of four doctors who helped deliver the 6 pound baby aboard the Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to the southern city of Adelaide, described the delivery as smooth.
"I think we all had fun once we knew it was all safe," Hamel told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Wednesday.
The flight was diverted to the northern city of Darwin where the 29-year-old mother, Paramjit Kaur, from Punjab state in northwest India, and the baby were admitted to the Royal Darwin Hospital within two hours of the birth, a hospital spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity.
The mother was 34 weeks' pregnant when she took the first flight of her life from New Delhi. She and her first born, six weeks premature, were both well.
The child's father, Jagdar Jagdar, an Indian-born Australian citizen who drives taxis in Adelaide, flew the 1,900 miles to join his wife and child at the hospital in the early hours of Thursday morning, the spokeswoman said.
Kaur is an Indian citizen entitled to live in Australia as the spouse of an Australian. Her son also becomes an Indian citizen. DARWIN, Australia (AP) - An Indian woman gave birth to a healthy boy aboard a jet airliner while flying to Australia to reunite with h... more -
Baby shot in the head with air gun
An 18-month-old baby boy is in critical condition after being shot in the head with an airgun.
The unnamed child suffered very serious head injuries after the incident on Sunday evening.
Ambulance crews were called to a house in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham, UK, to reports of a shooting at around 6.40pm.
A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance said: "When crews arrived they found an 18-month old boy who had suffered a very serious head injury. They were told that it had been caused by an air gun."
The boy was taken to the city's Children's hospital where his condition was said to be stable, but critical.
Air guns are legal in the UK, but they cannot be bought by those under the age of 18, or used unsupervised by young people. An 18-month-old baby boy is in critical condition after being shot in the head with an airgun. ... more -
Baby on run worries doctors
Doctors fear time is running out to help a baby whose parents have been on the run since Thursday after refusing to have him vaccinated against hepatitis B.
The parents, from Croydon Park, have been in hiding since doctors and workers from the Department of Community Services took out a Supreme Court order forcing them to have the baby vaccinated after his birth at Royal Prince Alfred hospital last week.
The baby's Chinese-born mother was diagnosed with hepatitis B several years ago, but both parents refused the vaccination on the grounds its aluminum content could cause more damage than contracting the illness.
DOCS is expected to push for an extension to the court order today. But it could be too late to prevent the baby contracting hepatitis B, a professor in pediatric infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and one of the doctors who contacted the department, David Isaacs, said yesterday.
The first stage of the vaccination, a dose of immunoglobulin, will be effective only if it is administered by 4am tomorrow when the baby turns seven days old.
"If we can find this baby by [today] it is still in its best interests to be vaccinated, but I cannot offer a judge enough evidence to say that giving him immunoglobulin after that time would be effective," Dr Isaacs said.
Under NSW Health policy, babies born to hepatitis-B positive mothers are offered immunoglobulin and three doses of the vaccine within six months. The vaccinations are not compulsory, but can cut by up to 92 per cent a baby's chances of getting hepatitis B, which can cause early death from liver cancer and cirrhosis.
Dr Isaacs said doctors were often forced to seek court orders when parents denied their children medical treatment.
"We do the same thing if we have a Jehovah's Witness parent who is refusing to allow their child to have a blood transfusion, or a HIV-positive mother who does not agree to her baby being given HIV drugs … We need to look after the child's rights."
A DOCS spokeswoman said yesterday the case was extraordinary and staff could not recall ever being required to force parents to vaccinate their child. She said DOCS had ruled out publicly naming the family for fear it would drive them further into hiding. Doctors fear time is running out to help a baby whose parents have been on the run since Thursday after refusing to have him vaccinate... more
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