Monday, December 14, 2009

22 million missing Bush White House e-mails found

22 million missing White House e-mails from the administration of President George W. Bush and the Obama administration is searching for dozens more days' worth of potentially lost e-mail from the Bush years, according to two groups that filed suit over the failure by the Bush White House to install an electronic record keeping system.

Two federal laws require the White House to preserve its records

Click on the following for more details:  22 million missing Bush White House e-mails found - Yahoo! News

Boone County Administration finally complies with Item #3 of its Management Letter

Back on October 30 I posted the CPA management letter of July 14, 2009 to Boone County.  [Click on the following for the complete letter: http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2009/10/management-letter-to-boone-county.html]  Well finally four months later, the administration  begins compliance.  See below the monthly financial reports from the Sheriff and County Clerk  submitted to the county board for their oversight as required by Illinois law.

Well one month has been received.  Will the other 11 months for the FY 2009 be submitted, if so when?

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

Management Letter 2

Audit Compliance 3a

Audit Com 3b

audit Comp 3c

Audit com 3 d1

Audit Comp 3 d2audit comp 3d3

Audit Com 3E

H1N1 Flu Pandemic: New Wave in 2010?

Since early November, cases of H1N1 have continued to decline nationwide…Will there be a second wave of cases in the new year?

The answer depends on whom you ask. "We took an informal poll of about a dozen of some of the world's leading experts in influenza,’…. "About half of them said, Yes, we think it's likely that we'll have another surge in cases. About half said, No, we think it's not likely. And one said, Flip a coin."

CDC estimates, released by health officials Thursday, about 10,000 Americans have died from H1N1 and 50 million — or one-sixth of the population …

In other words, the more people who are vaccinated this year, the less likely the H1N1 virus, which will probably still be around next year, will take hold and spread.

Read more go to: H1N1 Flu Pandemic: New Wave in 2010? - TIME

Swine flu's lesson: We're not ready for anything virulent

Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of The National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University in New York will release Tuesday [a report] detailing deficiencies in the response to H1N1 and recommending changes in how future health emergencies are handled. The response to the flu, he said, mirrors government failures to fix glaring deficiencies in responding to the 9-11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

Click on the following for more detailsDaily Herald | Swine flu's lesson: We're not ready for anything virulent

The following is the center’s website, it is anticipated that the report will be posted there on Tuesday:  http://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/

Real world woes: Interviews with 2009 NIU Grads

Make certain you click on this Chronicle article and READ THE COMMENTS. NIU

The job market for any chosen major may have changed dramatically over the past couple of years, Walzer said, so some graduates may need to be more flexible than they had planned. The number one goal, he said, is to get a good job, even if it’s not where they thought they would be.

Education is one of those fields where retirements have slowed…Budget cuts at many school districts have also led to hiring freezes and staff cuts

Click on the following for more details:  Real world woes | Daily Chronicle

Victor Wogen resigns as DeKalb alderman

 

Wogen said his decision is related to a difficult divorce and concerns in his personal life, and not to controversy surrounding city contracts awarded to his now-defunct masonry company.

Click on the following for more details:  Victor Wogen resigns as alderman | Daily Chronicle

Elgin branching out with sustainability program

 

$300,000 from its casino tax money to complete an inventory and forestry management plan for city-owned trees…

the city has qualified for a grant of close to $1.8 million in stimulus package money from the U.S. Forest Service to expand and improve its forestry efforts.

That Elgin already was considering a tree count made it easier for the city to obtain the funding

The count is part of the city's "green" goals.  crew of up to 10 inventory arborists will hit the streets and parks of Elgin -

Elgin branching out with sustainability program :: The Courier News :: Local News

Unpaid service has cost:

school districts and colleges spend anywhere from $3,000 to more than $31,000 to cover board member expenses, including travel, conferences, hotel rooms and banquets

Carpentersville-based Community Unit School District 300, with 32 percent of its population considered low-income…Over the past five years, the district has spent $18,114 on board member travel expenses and conference registration fees

Elgin School District U46, with nearly 50 percent of its population considered low-income…spends "well under" $10,000 each year on board members,

St. Charles-based Community Unit School District 303, with 8 percent of its population considered low-income, its board member budget is more flexible….It spent more than $25,000 on items related to board members,

Elgin Community College spent $31,472 during 2008-09 on conferences and travel for the Board of Trustees. This covers the cost for their attendance at American Community College Trustees and Illinois Community College Trustee Association meetings and annual conferences. Additionally, the cost of tickets purchased by the College of Trustees to attend college-sanctioned events totaled $3,150.

Click on the following for more details:  Unpaid service has cost :: The Courier News :: Local News

Beijing Autos to buy Saab car, engine technology

 Saab Purchased

Beijing Autos, also known as BAIC, said it plans to buy the rights to some powertrain technology for Saab's 9-5 and 9-3 sedans, including engine and gearbox knowhow.

The production equipment used to make the 9-5 will be moved to China to produce BAIC cars, and Saab will help integrate the technology into the Chinese company's vehicles, the two sides said.

Click on the following for more details:  Beijing Autos to buy Saab car, engine technology - Yahoo! Finance

Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor

Very interesting read.  Click at the bottom and read the whole article from England.

Drugs money worth billions of dollars kept the financial system afloat at the height of the global crisis, the United Nations' drugs and crime tsar has told the Observer.

Click on the following:  Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor | World news | The Observer

Blog Count for the last 30 days: 1300 visits; 899 separate visitors.

The major increase was due to the NDK explosion,  There were 173 visits on Monday December 7, 2009, the date of the blast.
Since September 1, 2009:  2325 visits, 1321 separate visitors
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