alocispepraluger102

hearing someone in an official capacity state it, however, is news.

Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned By Jeremy Grant in Washington Published: August 14 2007 00:06 | Last updated: August 14 2007 00:06 The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector has warned. David Walker, comptroller general of the US, issued the unusually downbeat assessment of his country’s future in a report that lays out what he called “chilling long-term simulations”. These include “dramatic” tax rises, slashed government services and the large-scale dumping by foreign governments of holdings of US debt. Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were “striking similarities” between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including “declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government”. “Sound familiar?” Mr Walker said. “In my view, it’s time to learn from history and take steps to ensure the American Republic is the first to stand the test of time.” Mr Walker’s views carry weight because he is a non-partisan figure in charge of the Government Accountability Office, often described as the investigative arm of the US Congress. While most of its studies are commissioned by legislators, about 10 per cent – such as the one containing his latest warnings – are initiated by the comptroller general himself. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Walker said he had mentioned some of the issues before but now wanted to “turn up the volume”. Some of them were too sensitive for others in government to “have their name associated with”. “I’m trying to sound an alarm and issue a wake-up call,” he said. “As comptroller general I’ve got an ability to look longer-range and take on issues that others may be hesitant, and in many cases may not be in a position, to take on. “One of the concerns is obviously we are a great country but we face major sustainability challenges that we are not taking seriously enough,” said Mr Walker, who was appointed during the Clinton administration to the post, which carries a 15-year term. The fiscal imbalance meant the US was “on a path toward an explosion of debt”. “With the looming retirement of baby boomers, spiralling healthcare costs, plummeting savings rates and increasing reliance on foreign lenders, we face unprecedented fiscal risks,” said Mr Walker, a former senior executive at PwC auditing firm. Current US policy on education, energy, the environment, immigration and Iraq also was on an “unsustainable path”. “Our very prosperity is placing greater demands on our physical infrastructure. Billions of dollars will be needed to modernise everything from highways and airports to water and sewage systems. The recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis was a sobering wake-up call.” Mr Walker said he would offer to brief the would-be presidential candidates next spring. “They need to make fiscal responsibility and inter-generational equity one of their top priorities. If they do, I think we have a chance to turn this around but if they don’t, I think the risk of a serious crisis rises considerably”. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007 "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. Privacy policy | Terms © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2007.

thanks berigan

.S. Lags Behind 41 Nations in Life Span By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER 08.11.07, 2:53 PM ET WASHINGTON - Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries. For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles. Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands. "Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. A baby born in the United States in 2004 will live an average of 77.9 years. That life expectancy ranks 42nd, down from 11th two decades earlier, according to international numbers provided by the Census Bureau and domestic numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics. Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, had the longest life expectancy, at 83.5 years, according to the Census Bureau. It was followed by Japan, Maucau, San Marino and Singapore. The shortest life expectancies were clustered in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region that has been hit hard by an epidemic of HIV and AIDS, as well as famine and civil strife. Swaziland has the shortest, at 34.1 years, followed by Zambia, Angola, Liberia and Zimbabwe. Researchers said several factors have contributed to the United States falling behind other industrialized nations. A major one is that 45 million Americans lack health insurance, while Canada and many European countries have universal health care, they say. But "it's not as simple as saying we don't have national health insurance," said Sam Harper, an epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal. "It's not that easy." Among the other factors: _ Adults in the United States have one of the highest obesity rates in the world. Nearly a third of U.S. adults 20 years and older are obese, while about two-thirds are overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. "The U.S. has the resources that allow people to get fat and lazy," said Paul Terry, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta. "We have the luxury of choosing a bad lifestyle as opposed to having one imposed on us by hard times." _ Racial disparities. Black Americans have an average life expectancy of 73.3 years, five years shorter than white Americans. Black American males have a life expectancy of 69.8 years, slightly longer than the averages for Iran and Syria and slightly shorter than in Nicaragua and Morocco. _ A relatively high percentage of babies born in the U.S. die before their first birthday, compared with other industrialized nations. Forty countries, including Cuba, Taiwan and most of Europe had lower infant mortality rates than the U.S. in 2004. The U.S. rate was 6.8 deaths for every 1,000 live births. It was 13.7 for Black Americans, the same as Saudi Arabia. "It really reflects the social conditions in which African American women grow up and have children," said Dr. Marie C. McCormick, professor of maternal and child health at the Harvard School of Public Health. "We haven't done anything to eliminate those disparities." Another reason for the U.S. drop in the ranking is that the Census Bureau now tracks life expectancy for a lot more countries - 222 in 2004 - than it did in the 1980s. However, that does not explain why so many countries entered the rankings with longer life expectancies than the United States. Murray, from the University of Washington, said improved access to health insurance could increase life expectancy. But, he predicted, the U.S. won't move up in the world rankings as long as the health care debate is limited to insurance. Policymakers also should focus on ways to reduce cancer, heart disease and lung disease, said Murray. He advocates stepped-up efforts to reduce tobacco use, control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. "Even if we focused only on those four things, we would go along way toward improving health care in the United States," Murray said. "The starting point is the recognition that the U.S. does not have the best health care system. There are still an awful lot of people who think it does." Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Hi everybody, Here’s an update on shows I have coming up. Check them out if you can! Thanks! Jeff Friday, August 17 with Tatsu Aoki’s Miyumi Project @ The Velvet Lounge 2 sets. Music starts at 9pm 67 E. Cermak, Chicago Cover: not sure… I think it might be $15 Every Monday in August with Yoko Noge and Jazz Me Blues @ Cuatro Restaurant 2030 S. Wabash, Chicago 7-10p No cover charge. This is a very nice restaurant. Stop by for dinner, or just have drinks/appetizers and enjoy the music! http://www.cuatro-chicago.com/ (this website says there’s no music on Monday, but trust me… we’ll be there) Saturday, September 15 The Jeff Chan Trio plus One featuring Jimmy Ellis (saxophone), Tatsu Aoki (bass) and special guest Ed Wilkerson (saxophone and more) @ The Velvet Lounge 2 sets. Music starts at 9pm Cover: still not sure… I still think it might be $15. Save the Dates: the 12th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival takes place throughout October. 2pm, October 6 @ The Claudia Cassidy Theater of the Chicago Cultural Center 1pm, October 13 @ The Hyde Park Art Center 9pm, October 13 @ The Velvet Lounge More AAJF info to come. Stay tuned!

Make that a double! MG actually was gargling the peroxide for a sore throat. Ah, so you have platinum blonde tonsils now. MG beauty is both inside and out. same in music.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=pr...p;categoryid=14

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/11/ap4010790.html what troubles aloc most about this article is facts and commentary mixed in a straight news article. aloc wants just the facts, but that doesnt happen anymore.

after badly injuring his foot the day before. it is remarkable, too, after hearing the laments of pianists who had to follow dave into clubs in the past. dave used to beat pianos to death.

Ah, but it was OFFICIALS who did it. Had it been POLITICIANS who had taken the decision, it would have been subject to all sorts of sabotage by anarchists in black hats in the 1890s. Unlike politicians, officials over here are permanent, so what they do lasts. MG used to listen to lots of bbc newspats and hearing ben live on the hour a couple times a day was sweet music, like at new years and other times. seen this, goldy? http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articl...e_feature.shtml

Make that a double! MG actually was gargling the peroxide for a sore throat.

H2O2(sic)

and big ben's arms are hands.

a concert coming up this fall in san francisco which may be added to this list is satoko fuji and myra melford.

You would probably have to make Sue a High Priestess? and charge admission.

Instrumentalists singing/Humming/grunting along can/should not be called jazz singers. Besides that, I don't mind if they do - Jarrett would be a lot more boring to me if he didn't .... The one singer that always makes me wish someone would have stuffed his mouth with a stocking at the session is Milt Jackson. Simply horrifying. Terrible vibrato. Urghh!!! aloc has a limelight vinyl, 'mjq at the museum of modern art', which may be the worst ever mjq recording for many reasons, including milt's extended 'vocal' version of, 'i saw a flying saucer.' paying a nickle for that recording would be too much, and aloc bought it new at full price.

grady tate should, and did.

aloc begs to politely differ.

what sort of person could like that darjeeling stuff?

thanks for the insight. scores of musicians have fewer qualms than you, it would appear. (as a side comment, one of my friends, the head of jazz studies at youngstown state, refuses to play his virtuoso trumpet wearing lederhosen)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070811/ap_on_...big_ben_s_bongs

george williams, who did all the slick gleason string arrangements?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070811/ap_on_re_us/gay_funeral

time for aloc to listen to 'Dave Frishberg I'm Hip,' and fetch 'song of the thin man' from the library.

the aloc vehemently agrees.