Top Ten Reasons to Love U.S. Small Business
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the top 10 reasons to love small business, what the SBA's Office of Advocacy calls "the heart of the American economy." U.S. and Mexico Agree on Border Security Initiatives
The United States and Mexico have agreed on significant border safety and security initiatives in bilateral meetings in Mexico City. Announced on Feb. 20 by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and the Mexican Secretary of the Interior Santiago Creel, both nations hope the agreements will preserve the free flow of $630 million in trade crossing the U.S./Mexico border every day while maintaining the integrity of the border. Federal Direct Student Loans
Federal student loans provide capital directly from the Federal government (rather than through private lenders) to vocational, undergraduate, and graduate postsecondary school students and their parents. Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance
Offered by the VA, these direct payment grants provide educational assistance to persons entering the Armed Forces after December 31, 1976, and before July 1, 1985 and assist veterans in obtaining an education they might otherwise not be able to afford. Very Low Income Housing Repair Loans and Grants
These USDA-backed loans and grants are to help very low-income rural homeowners an opportunity to make essential repairs to their homes to make them safe and to remove health hazards to the family or the community. Very Low to Moderate Income Housing Loans
These USDA-backed loans are offered to assist very low, low-income, and moderate-income households to obtain modest, decent, safe, and sanitary housing for use as a permanent residence in rural areas. Teacher Next Door Initiative
The Teacher Next Door Initiative is a housing assistance program designed to strengthen America's communities by encouraging public and private school teachers to live in low and moderate income neighborhoods. Bush Recounts Terror War Successes
After visiting Fort Polk, in Louisiana, President Bush recounted U.S. successes in the war on terror over the last 29 months since the 9/11 attacks in his nationwide radio address of Feb. 21, 2004. USPS Denies Black Heritage Stamp Rumor
Fast spreading Internet rumors that the U.S. Postal Service plans to discontinue its Black Heritage stamp series and destroy all remaining inventories of the stamps are totally untrue, according to Postal Service authorities. Why Third Parties?
While their presidential candidates stand little chance of being elected, members of America's third parties have historically promoted concepts and policies that have been incorporated as important parts of our social and political lives. Antibiotic Use Linked to Breast Cancer Risk: Study
Use of antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a National Cancer Institute (NCI) study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. SCHIP Provides Health Coverage to 5.8 Million Kids
About 5.8 million children who otherwise would not have health coverage were enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at some point during fiscal year 2003 -- a 9 percent increase from the previous year, according to HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. Tips for Longer CD, DVD Life form NIST
You should never use a pen, pencil or hard-tip marker to write on your CDs. That's just one of several recommendations made by computer scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who sliced, diced and baked CDs and DVDs to see how long the digital information would survive. HUD to Sell 4,000 Homes in Online Auction
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will sell up to 4,000 foreclosed homes via a special Internet auction on February 27-28. Bush Calls on UN to Curb WMD Proliferation
Calling surprise attack with weapons of mass destruction "the greatest threat before humanity today," President Bush has urged the United Nations to adopt a resolution requiring all nations to criminalize proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and to enact strict export controls and secure all sensitive materials within their borders. Cellular, Wireless Revenues Up 17 Percent
Revenues of cellular and other wireless telecommunications firms, both employers and nonemployers, increased 17 percent in 2002 — from $78 billion in 2001 to $91 billion, according to the the U.S. Census Bureau. Drunk Drivers Killing Child Passengers
The CDC reports that 68 percent of children killed in alcohol-related crashes in the United States between 1997 and 2002 were riding in the same vehicle as the drinking driver. Sixty-eight percent of the drinking drivers involved in these crashes survived, suggesting that many of the children might also have survived had they been properly restrained. IRS Wants to Give Back Over $2.5 Billion
The IRS has more that $2.5 billion waiting to be reunited with nearly 2 million people who failed to file a 2000 income tax return. In order to collect the money, however, qualified persons must file a return with an IRS office no later than April 15, 2004. Bush Talks Jobs and Training in Radio Address
The economy is on the way up, unemployment is on the way down. But will the American work force be able to learn the new skills needed for all the new jobs? President Bush says it will and explains how his administration plans to help in his weekly radio address of Feb. 7, 2004. How NASA Helped Investigate Carlie Brucia Abduction Case
Two NASA facilities provided technological assistance for law enforcement agencies investigating the murder of Carlie Brucia, an 11-year-old Florida girl whose abduction was captured on a surveillance videotape. FDA Warns of Fake Contraceptive Patches
FDA and Johnson and Johnson Co. of Raritan, NJ are warning the public about an overseas internet site selling counterfeit contraceptive patches that contain no active ingredients. These counterfeit patches provide no protection against pregnancy. Bush Creates Commission on Space Exploration
With the signing of an Executive Order, President Bush has created an official commission dedicated to formulating America's future space exploration activities. National Cyber Alert System Debuts
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just launched the National Cyber Alert System, a Web-based system designed to provide Americans with timely and actionable information to better secure their computer systems. Veterans Administration Gets Record Budget for 2004
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will receive a record budget of $64 billion for the current fiscal year, up $4.2 billion from the previous spending level. Bush Lays Out 2005 Budget Plans
President Bush outlined his spending priorities for the FY 2005 federal budget in his radio address to the nation of Jan. 31, 2004. | 