Pay Cuts Coming For Bailed-Out Executives

clipped from wbztv.com The seven companies that received the most assistance will have to cut the annual salaries of their 25 highest-paid executive by an average of about 90 percent from last year, Kenneth Feinberg, the special master at Treasury appointed by Obama to handle compensation issues at the seven firms getting exceptional assistance from the government's $700 billion financial bailout package, is making the pay decisions. The seven companies are: Bank of America Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial Total compensation for the top executives at the seven firms will decline, on average, by about 50 percent, The pay restrictions for all seven companies will require any executive seeking more than $25,000 in special benefits - things such as country club memberships, private planes and company cars - to get permission for those perks from the government teetering on the brink taxpayers came to their defense

Missing 7 Year Old Girl

clipped from wbztv.com It's been three days since the disappearance of a 7-year-old girl in North Florida and investigators still have no clues. The mother of Somer Thompson went on all three network national morning news shows Wednesday with a tearful appeal for the child's return. "Somer, you're not in trouble - if you're scared, just come home," Dina Thompson said on NBC's "Today" show. "And if somebody has her, please, please bring her back to us. She belongs with her family." "She's got a twin and he's lost without her," Thompson said in a later news conference. "The likelihood she has been taken by someone is high," the sheriff said. The girl vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, near Jacksonville. The second-grader is white, 3-foot-5 and 65 pounds. She had brown hair tied in a pony tail with a red bow and was carrying a purple Hannah Montana backpack and lunch box.

Lady Bug Photos

I have actually seen an all black ladybug. pretty.

clipped from www.geocities.com Fifteen-spotted Lady Beetle Two-spotted Lady Beetle Eye-spotted Lady Beetle Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle Seven-spotted Lady Beetle Nine-spotted Lady Beetle clipped from www.geocities.com Parenthesis Lady Beetle Three-Banded Lady Beetle Thirteen-spotted Lady Beetle Cream spotted Lady Beetle Asian Lady Beetle Transverse Lady Beetle clipped from www.geocities.com Hippodamia Glacialis Spotless Lady Beetle Convergent Lady Beetles Spotted Lady Beetle

Operation Yellow Blitz

clipped from wbztv.com Police in over 100 Massachusetts communities teamed up with the Registry of Motor Vehicles for what's called "Operation Yellow Blitz." Officers and inspectors are patrolling school bus stops on Wednesday and ticketing drivers who do not stop at the flashing red lights. This is the fifth year the RMV has held the day-long operation. "It is a zero tolerance policy," said Rachel Kaprielian, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. "You see those lights, you stop." By noon, 57 tickets had been handed out in half the communities that reported to the RMV. Thirty did not encounter any violators. The RMV says efforts like this one raise awareness about school bus safety. "If you're behind or approaching, you stop for a school bus because the cargo inside is too precious," said Kaprielian. The first violation is a $250 fine. The second ticket will cost drivers $500 and a hearing which could lead to the loss of their license.

LadyBug Invasion

I was one of those getting dive-bombed yesterday. Awesome! They kept playing buzz the tower.

It was great being able to show the kiddos. They thought it was neat when a few landed on us.

I counted about 7 different species on the front of our home. I couldn't couldn't keep count of how many there were total, but there was a lot.

clipped from wbztv.com Have you noticed what seems like an explosion of ladybugs lately? "Where are all the ladybugs coming from? I was "attacked" today while hanging my laundry." "Why am I being invaded by hundreds of ladybugs today?" Well, the answer is pretty simple. An expert told WBZ the bugs may sense that winter is coming. Because it was warm Tuesday, they were looking for a place, such as a home, to spend the winter. WBZ Executive Weather Producer Terry Eliasen said the influx of ladybugs happens any year that there are a bunch of really cold fall days, followed by a warm-up... like two years ago. They may be a nuisance, but the ladybugs are harmless - and can even be good for your garden.

US In Worst Top 3 For Income Inequality

clipped from finance.yahoo.com The U.N. Development Program recently came out with a report looking, among other things, at income inequality worldwide. The UNDP ranked countries and regions based on a number of factors, including their Gini coefficient, named for Italian statistician Corrado Gini. We have listed the world's most advanced economies based on their Gini score, with zero marking absolute equality and 100 absolute inequality. Scandinavian countries, Japan, and the Czech Republic have the least amount of inequality. The U.S. is among the most unequal, but it's not No. 1. No. 1 Hong Kong No. 2 Singapore No. 3 U.S. No. 4 Israel No. 5 Portugal No. 6 New Zealand No. 7 (tie) Italy No. 7 (tie) Britain No. 9 Australia No. 10 (tie) Ireland No. 10 (tie) Greece

Creative Bus Stops

clipped from green.yahoo.com Taking the bus can be a cheaper commute than driving a car. No fluctuating gas prices or expensive vehicle maintenance to deal with. Leave the driving to someone else, and you can read a book, talk on the phone, or listen to your iPod for a more relaxing route to work or school. But waiting for the bus can be a chore ... unless you get to hang out in one of these unusual bus stops around the world. Some communities celebrate their heritage, others places make use of creative materials, and a few towns let artists express themselves with a bus stop as the canvas. Maybe if more transit systems had attractive bus stops like these, more people would enjoy a car-free commute!