A Medal of Honor will be presented at the White House tomorrow...Enclosed is a 60 Minutes segment on his actions and a brief description of the event(s) that lead to the awarding of this Medal...

The official Medal of Honor Citation will not be known until it is read at the ceremony on Nov 16th, 2010, but here is information contained in a White House press release about his acts of heroism...

Then-Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan on October 25, 2007. When an insurgent force ambush split Specialist Giunta's squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security. His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands.

I have had the distinct honor of holding Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez's Medal of Honor. His son brought it to a program I organized at my childs elementary school many years ago....Below is his official Medal of Honor Citation (from The Congressional Medal of Honor Society).  Please read---you will think this is fiction, but it was all too real...

""Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.""

What do two kids selling cookies in a park have to do with the US status in the world of places to do business? Maybe nothing BUT maybe everything...

I often wonder if America is losing its entrepreneurial edge.  We foster this spirit in kids and hope it carries through to adulthood.  Below is an article on how one town councilman, who I am sure has uttered the phrase "do you know who I am?" more than once, called the police on the young men.  The graph below is from today's WSJ on "The Best Country to Start a Business"...We are number 3.  Is that good enough? I know, this is VERY anectdotal evidence, but is there a trend in the US of hostility towards entrepreneurship?  What do you think?

New Castle councilman calls cops on boys' cupcake sale


""When Andrew DeMarchis and Kevin Graff, two 13-year-olds from Chappaqua's Seven Bridges Middle School, set up shop at Gedney Park on a fall weekend last month, they were expecting a tidy profit. 

Instead, the two wannabe entrepreneurs selling cupcakes, cookies, brownies and Rice Krispie treats baked by them for $1 apiece got a taste of cold, hard bureaucracy .


New Castle Councilman Michael Wolfensohn came upon the sale and called the cops on the kids for operating without a license.

The boys' parents are incensed and can't believe a Town Board member would handle the situation that way.

"I am shocked and sad for the boys. It was such a great idea, and they worked hard at it," said Laura Graff, Kevin's mother. "But then some Town Board member decided to get on his high horse and wreck their dreams."""

Wall Street Journal

Analyze this graph for me. Why have 16 to 19 year olds been dropping out of the labor force so dramtically for the last 10 years? Any ideas?

I am curious about this graph, especially the purple and red lines. The graph shows the Labor Force Participation Rate (for each group, the number employed or are who are looking for a job, divided by the number of people in that age group times 100) for different age groups. The red line is for ages 16 to 19 and the puple line is for ages 55 and over.  They intersect in late 2009. The slope of the line becomes much steeper for the 16 to 19 age group, indicating a rapidly declining participation rate for this age group. Now, go back to when this trend started to appear, approximately January 2001.  At this point, we can see there is a rather dramatic downward trend in the 16-19  participation rate.  Why did this happen?  What changed in our economy/society to create this trend? I have my guess, but will give extra credit for good responses.   

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Political Cartoon in NYTIMES that sums up a couple of blog entries I made this week. Perhaps I am getting too cynical...

For an explanation of the cheese reference, see THIS blog entry...As a kicker and not mentioned in the cartoon, also see THIS entry about the committee to prevent stimulus money abuse meeting at a Ritz-Carlton Resort to discuss, well, abuse of stimulus money...

Fighting terrorism/extremism with Captialism and Markets---Why is this woman not the recipient of a Nobel Prize? Or any prize for that matter...

The world needs more capitalism and market activity, not less. According to this brave women, it is the best way to fight extremism and oppression.  I find it amazing that people like this change the world for the better and get so little recognition.  Just when I feel like I am something significant, I think of REAL life changers like this woman and feel small.  I wish I had this kind of courage...

NYTIMES: Here’s a Woman Fighting Terrorism. With Microloans.

""Roshaneh Zafar is an American- educated banker who fights extremism with microfinance. She has dedicated her life to empowering some of Pakistan’s most impoverished women and giving them the tools to run businesses of their own. The United States should learn from warriors like her.


Bullets and drones may kill terrorists, but Roshaneh creates jobs and educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people — draining the swamps that breed terrorists.

“Charity is limited, but capitalism isn’t,” Roshaneh said. “If you want to change the world, you need market-based solutions.” That’s the point of microfinance — typically, lending very poor people small amounts of money so that they can buy a rickshaw or raw materials and start a tiny business....""

$27 light bulbs charged to "stimulus funds"--is there "too much money chasing too few contractors" in the ARRA? Just askin'...

Ritz-Carlton--Dove Mountain Az.

I wonder if the folks on the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel who are responsible for rooting out "waste, fraud and abuse" in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act AND are meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Resort in Arizona in two weeks will address this issue:

""Contractors billed New Jersey $27 for light bulbs, and ran up tens of thousands of dollars in other “unreasonable costs” on a $119 million weatherization program funded with U.S. stimulus money, the state auditor said....(source HERE)

Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Resort to discuss $27 light bulbs...

Perhaps I protest-eth too much...this particular bill was not paid, but I wonder how much does make it through...Seems like a case with the stimulus money that there is "too much money chasing too few contractors" and too few auditors.  Never saw THAT coming....

5 Myths about the Federal Reserve...The first one is very instructive for Monetary Policy in AP Macroeconomics

Five myths about the Federal Reserve

1. By printing money, the Fed will create runaway inflation.

The Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman issued a famous dictum nearly 50 years ago: "Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon." His belief has become widespread over the years, to the point that even many non-economists assume that when the Fed prints money, higher prices inevitably result. But the link between money and inflation is weaker than people think. 

The Fed's current policy of "quantitative easing" essentially means it is printing money ($600 billion) to buy assets such as government bonds. The Fed isn't literally printing the $20 bills that end up in your wallet - it's doing the electronic equivalent. When it buys a $100 bond from a bank, it deposits $100 into the bank's account at the Fed. This electronic money is called reserves, and the Fed conjures it up out of thin air.


However, this money can lead to inflation only if banks lend it and consumers and businesses spend it. Banks lend when they have strong balance sheets and when credit-worthy customers demand loans. People and businesses spend when their incomes are growing and they're confident about the future. None of this has been true lately.

The Fed is trying to stimulate spending, but not by showering people with newly minted dollars. Rather, when the Fed buys bonds, it pushes their prices up and their yields down. Lower long-term interest rates will tempt some people to borrow. They will also make stocks more attractive. Higher stock prices will make consumers feel wealthier and spend more. If that spending outstrips the economy's productive capacity, inflation could result. But that's years away: The economy today is awash in idle factories and unemployed workers...(Click HERE to read the rest)

Does the early bird get the GPA worm? Study shows morning people have higher GPA's than night owls...What do you think??

Morningness Is A Predictor Of Better Grades In College

""According to the results, college students who are evening types had lower GPAs, while those who are morning types had higher GPAs.
"The finding that college students who are evening types have lower GPAs is a very important finding, sure to make its way into undergraduate psychology texts in the near future, along with the research showing that memory is improved by sleep," said Daniel J. Taylor, PhD, of the University of North Texas, Ms. Clay's faculty mentor, a co-author, and who developed the concept for this study. "Further, these results suggest that it might be possible to improve academic performance by using chronotherapy to help students entrain their biological clock to become more morning types..""

From the Dept of "Well, Duh!"---Research shows people spend half their waking hours daydreaming"--teachers could have told you that without research...

People spend 'half their waking hours daydreaming'

""People spend nearly half of their waking hours not thinking about what they are actually doing, according to a US study conducted via the iPhone....""

Seems ironic that the survey was done by way of the iPhone---the same device that is probably responsible for 99% of the problem---if not on the phone then probably thinking about being on the phone texting, talking, gaming, staring, etc. If you don't believe me, then read the article (about 6 paragraphs down) to see WHEN some of the people in the study responded to random survey questions...Yes, people do think too much with their "phones"...

The US and China currency war as a rap song and video...I am not kidding...

Meeting to cut "waste, fraud and abuse" in the Federal Govt is going to be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Arizona...Do these people REALLY think about what they are doing?

I am assuming the taxpayer is picking up the tab for this...Is public relations a dead art or do they simply not care how this looks to the public I assume they believe they are representing?

Obama panel probes stimulus waste -- at Ritz Carlton

""Members of a key panel created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus bill, have scheduled a meeting on November 22 to consider ways to prevent "fraud, waste, and abuse of Recovery Act funds." The meeting will be held at the super-luxe Ritz Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona....""

Job Interview tips when applying for Info Tech jobs, but this advice is also good for just about every job interview

Top 10 Job Interview Mistakes

1. Late to the interview means late on projects and deadlines


You'd think in this day and age that something as simple as showing up to the right place on time would be a no-brainer, and yet, hiring managers said that candidates arrive tardy all the time.

Brian Gabrielson, national practice director for Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professional services in Mountain View, Calif., said that interviewees sometimes forget that when the competition is tough, it often comes down to the little things like punctuality.

"All things being equal, I'm going to pick the person who showed up on time, looked me in the eye and had manners," said Gabrielson.

Showing up on time is more than the icing on the cake, however. It conveys to potential employers that you will be equally punctual with deadlines, and that you will be organized enough to keep projects in line.

2. Lack of enthusiasm means you don't care about your work

One of the most aggravating interview gaffes noted by IT recruiters was a lack of enthusiasm for the job.

"One of them actually said, 'I don't want to work with people. I just want to be left alone to do my job,'" Gabrielson told eWEEK. "Can you imagine the impression that left?"

This lack of interest in the job also applies to individuals too eager to move up the ladder; even if a company has high hopes for you, they still need you to start with the task at hand.
Heather Galler, CEO of JobKite, a Land O' Lakes, Fla., national job site said: "A client told me about someone interviewing for a help desk position, and when asked what kind of work they wanted to do, he said 'I sure don't want to get stuck answering phones all day!'"

While Galler attributed this comment to the risk that sometimes comes when a more senior person says that they are willing to do simpler work, needless to say, this individual's chance at getting the job was immediately nixed.

I am guessin' there is a problem with people drinking urinal water---Here's your sign...




HT: Coyote Blog



Rules in Chandler restrooms: don't drink from toilets

""Chandler's new City Hall comes with some features that have municipal workers and visitors scratching their heads. Like the restroom signs that tell people not to drink out of the urinals and toilets...A few employees have been cracking jokes and speculating about what it would take to make them slurp from potties when water fountains and sinks are a few feet away...""

Iran NOT granted a seat on the UN Committee for Women...One fox is out of the henhouse, but I am thinking the chickens are not comforted by it...

Meet the new members of the United Nations Women's Committee. They are charged with:

1. To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms
2. To help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
3. To hold the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progressAfrica: Angola, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Lesotho, Libya, Nigeria and Tanzania

Look at the list and think and ask yourself if the most vulnerable women of the world are more safe or less so---The good news is Iran was kept off the committee, although they wanted to be a part of it...gee whiz, anyone else see the insanity here, or is it just me?

Asia: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Timor-Leste

Eastern Europe: Estonia, Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine

Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada and Peru

Western Europe: Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Sweden
Contributing Countries: Mexico, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, United Kingdom and United States

Why do we pick on China so much for making stuff we like to buy? The anger is misdirected--"We have met the enemy, and he is us"

When we import MORE than we export we create a trade deficit.  There is much debate about whether this is "good or bad". Trade with the rest of the world has become a political issue, which is typical in a recession.  Lately much of the criticism is aimed at China. However, perhaps we are looking at the wrong target.  The graph below charts monthly changes (not a yearly aggregation) in the trade deficit over time.  The total monthly trade deficit in ALL goods and services is represented by the blue line. The blue line includes the oil we import from foreign sources.  The red line shows the monthly trade deficit WITHOUT oil included. In other words, the difference between the blue line and the red line is the market value of the oil we import.  The monthly  trade deficit (the very tip of the blue line to the right--September) was -$44 billion and the trade deficit WITHOUT oil (the very tip of the red line to the right) was -$22 billion.  Oil imports represented HALF of our trade deficit.  WHO is the elephant in the room?  Notice the separation of the blue line from the red line from 1998.  Seems we are more dependent on foreign sources of oil as time goes by. Is this "good or bad"?  Extra credit for good responses and perhaps a solution...


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