Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

But, what is even more scary is this:

Applications for jobless benefits rose last week for the first time in three weeks, evidence that companies are reluctant to hire in a slow economy.

The Labor Department says initial claims for unemployment aid rose by 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 462,000. It was only the second rise in two months.

Despite the ups and down, claims have been stuck near 450,000 all year. Few employers see much reason to create many jobs, and some are still laying off workers.

In addition, cash-strapped state and local governments are cutting jobs, adding to the ranks of those out of work.

The four-week average of claims, a less volatile measure, rose by 2,250 to 459,000.

The November election cannot come fast enough and then January when the new Congress can send President Obama and the Democrats a message – Fix Our economy by repealing ObamaCare.

Net32 today reported that it completed a social technographic survey of members of its industry leading dental comparison shopping marketplace, revealing a number of major differences between dentists’ online behavior and that of the US adult online population. For example, dentists identified themselves most frequently as Critics as defined in the social media focused book Groundswell; people who rate and review products and services, contribute to forums, comment on blogs, etc. About 25% of online US adults are classified as Critics while over 40% of dentist respondents identified themselves as such by their interests and activities.

Dentists were also represented strongly as Collectors; people who receive real-time updates from sites that interest them, tag photos, rate websites, and suggest websites. 26% of the dentists identified as Collectors, more than double the 12% US online adult Collectors. In the category of Creators; people who publish blogs, upload video, write articles, etc, dentists identified themselves as this at a 10% level, below the 18% of online US adults who are classified as such.

The fact is that there are not many dentist bloggers and we can us more. There are more each day on Twitter which is a start.

But, dentistry is a demanding profession both physically and mentally. Sometimes with a demanding clinical/patient schedule finding time to write and be creative is just not easy.

Public records show that Sen. Barbara Boxer, chair of the Select Committee on Ethics, needs a training class on conflicts-of-interest.

Deeds of trust compiled by Leslie Merritt and Frank Perry of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service show that the California Democrat and her husband, Stewart, held seven mortgages with Countrywide, the company which gave VIP mortgage discounts to influential customers, including Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-CT, and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-ND.

Senate rules prohibit members from accepting deals not available to other borrowers. The loans and properties associated with them are not listed on her personal financial disclosure forms because she deemed them non-income generating, the type exempted from public airing.

Countrywide was once one of the biggest home lenders before the housing collapse, so it is not surprising for the couple to have financed home purchases through the company. But it should raise red flags that she investigated two colleagues for receiving preferential treatment from Countrywide without first disclosing the full terms of her loans, which greatly outnumbered those of the people whose conduct was scrutinized.

Boxer has said she received no preferential treatment and that she paid off the loans prior to the investigation. But even if she did not receive preferential treatment, she should have recused herself from proceedings to avoid the appearance of self-dealing.

Read the entire piece.

Barbara Boxer should really come clean and disclose all of her dealings (the complete terms of the loans) with Countrywide Home Loans and Angelo Mozilo.

Senator Boxer just voted and she cannot state how she voted on them?

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer voted early today in Riverside, and likely cast her vote for a host of statewide propositions on the November ballot.

But after dropping off her ballot, Boxer did not say how she weighed in on five of those measures — propositions 21, 22, 24, 25 and 26. She already has taken a public stance on propositions 19, 20, 23 and 27.

“Well I have taken a position on the major propositions, but we’ll be working on all of those and will be putting some information out on that,” Boxer said at a news conference.

Prop. 21 would charge car owners an extra $18 a year to help pay for state parks and wildlife programs. Prop. 22 deals with funds for transportation and local government. Among its provisions, Prop. 22 would prohibit the state from borrowing from funds used for transportation, local government and redevelopment agencies.

Prop. 24 would repeal recent changes to state tax law that allows some businesses to pay less in taxes. Prop. 25 would eliminate the two-thirds requirement in the Legislature to approve state budgets.

Prop. 26 also deals with taxes and fees. If approved, the proposition would treat many state and local fees as taxes that require a two-thirds vote by lawmakers to take effect.

Jeeeeeez Babs – just tell us how you voted.

Or, do you need your staff to prepare position papers for you – AFTER YOU ALREADY VOTED.

I mean, how ridiculous can you be – lifelong POL – Sheesh.

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