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It's that time of the year! - From eater.com
Is Austin's Franklin Barbecue about to get the highest honor in Texan smoked meats? Every five years Texas Monthly releases a list of the 50 best barbecue restaurants in the state, and every five years it causes a Texas-sized sh!%storm of people who agree/disagree with the rankings. The latest update will be released with the magazine's June issue, with the full list available online on Wednesday. Today they released the cover, and lo and behold: there's Aaron Franklin's signature brisket, ribs and sausage.
This is the first time Franklin Barbecue has even been eligible for the list: the original Franklin trailer opened in 2009, a full year after the last Texas Monthly Top 50 list crowned the then little-known Snow's in Lexington, Texas number one. Debuting at the top would be an incredible feat for the restaurant. Of course, there is no guarantee that cover placement means Franklin has the top slot. Stay tuned.
By Paula Forbes -
U.S. Budget Deficit Shrinks Far Faster Than Expected
WASHINGTON — Since the recession ended four years ago, the federal budget deficit has topped $1 trillion every year. But now the government’s annual deficit is shrinking far faster than anyone in Washington expected, and perhaps even faster than many economists think is advisable for the health of the economy.
That is the thrust of a new report released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, estimating that the deficit for this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, will fall to about $642 billion, or 4 percent of the nation’s annual economic output, about $200 billion lower than the agency estimated just three months ago.
The agency forecast that the deficit, which topped 10 percent of gross domestic product in 2009, could shrink to as little as 2.1 percent of gross domestic product by 2015 — a level that most analysts say would be easily sustainable over the long run — before beginning to climb gradually through the rest of the decade.
"Revenues have been strong as the economy has outperformed a bit," said Joel Prakken, a founder of Macroeconomic Advisers, a forecasting firm based in St. Louis.
Over all, the figures demonstrate how the economic recovery has begun to refill the government’s coffers. At the same time, Washington, despite its political paralysis, has proved remarkably successful at slashing the deficit through a variety of tax increases and cuts in domestic and military programs.
Perhaps too successful. Given that the economy continues to perform well below its potential and that unemployment has so far failed to fall below 7.5 percent, many economists are cautioning that the deficit is coming down too fast, too soon.
“It’s good news for the budget deficit and bad news for the jobs deficit,” said Jared Bernstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-of-center research group in Washington. “I’m more worried about the latter.”
More at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/cbo-cuts-2013-deficit-estimate-by-24-percent.html?_r=0 .
Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! Here are some fun facts about Mother's Day that you may not know about, courtesy the U.S. Census Bureau.
How Did Mother's Day Begin?
The driving force behind Mother's Day was Anna Jarvis, who organized observances in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia on May 10, 1908. As the annual celebration became popular around the country, Jarvis asked members of Congress to set aside a day to honor mothers. She finally succeeded in 1914, when Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
How Many Mothers?
85.4 million
Estimated number of mothers in the United States in 2009. Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation, unpublished tabulations
4.1 million
Number of women between the ages of 15 and 50 who gave birth in the past 12 months. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey
53%
Percentage of 15- to 44-year-old women who were mothers in 2010. Source: Fertility of American Women: 2010
81%
Percentage of women who had become mothers by age 40 to 44 as of 2010. In 1976, 90 percent of women in that age group had given birth. Source: Fertility of American Women: 2010
How Many Children
2,449
The total fertility rate or estimated number of total births per 1,000 women in Utah in 2010 (based on current birth rates by age), which led the nation. At the other end of the spectrum is Rhode Island, with a total fertility rate of 1,630.5 births per 1,000 women. Source: National Center for Health Statistics
20%
Percentage of all women age 15 to 44 who have had two children. About 47 percent had no children, 17 percent had one, 10 percent had three and about 5 percent had four or more. Source: Fertility of American Women: 2010, Detailed Tables
Recent Births
3.954 million
Number of births registered in the United States in 2011. Of this number, 329,797 were to teens 15 to 19 and 7,651 to women age 45 to 49. Source: National Center for Health Statistics
25.4
Average age of women in 2010 when they gave birth for the first time, up from 25.2 years in 2009. The increase in the mean age from 2009 to 2010 reflects, in part, the relatively large decline in births to women under age 25. Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Jacob and Sophia
The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively, in 2011. Source: Social Security Administration
68
Number of births in the past year per 1,000 women age 15 to 50 with a graduate or professional degree. The number was 57 per 1,000 for women whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree. Source: 2011 American Community Survey, American FactFinder
Mothers Remembered
16,182
Number of florist establishments nationwide in 2010. The 70,575 employees in floral shops across our nation will be especially busy preparing, selling and delivering floral arrangements for Mother’s Day. Source: County Business Patterns: 2010
The flowers bought for mom have a good chance of having been grown in California. Among the 15 surveyed states, California was the leading provider of cut flowers in 2009, accounting for 75 percent of domestic flower production ($269 million out of $359 million at wholesale value) in those states. (The data pertain only to operations with sales greater than or equal to $100,000.) Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
23,739
Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2010 — the place to purchase necklaces, earrings and other timeless pieces for mom. Source: County Business Patterns: 2010
By Sunde Farquhar
WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting members of the public to submit their names and a personal message online for a DVD to be carried aboard a spacecraft that will study the Martian upper atmosphere.
The DVD will be in NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, which is scheduled for launch in November. The DVD is part of the mission's Going to Mars Campaign coordinated at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP).
The DVD will carry every name submitted. The public also is encouraged to submit a message in the form of a three-line poem, or haiku. However, only three haikus will be selected. The deadline for all submissions is July 1. An online public vote to determine the top three messages to be placed on the DVD will begin July 15.
"The Going to Mars campaign offers people worldwide a way to make a personal connection to space, space exploration, and science in general, and share in our excitement about the MAVEN mission," said Stephanie Renfrow, lead for the MAVEN Education and Public Outreach program at CU/LASP.
Participants who submit their names to the Going to Mars campaign will be able to print a certificate of appreciation to document their involvement with the MAVEN mission.
"This new campaign is a great opportunity to reach the next generation of explorers and excite them about science, technology, engineering and math," said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal investigator from CU/LASP. "I look forward to sharing our science with the worldwide community as MAVEN begins to piece together what happened to the Red Planet's atmosphere."
MAVEN is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. The spacecraft will investigate how the loss of Mars' atmosphere to space determined the history of water on the surface.
"This mission will continue NASA's rich history of inspiring and engaging the public in spaceflight in ongoing Mars exploration," said David Mitchell, MAVEN project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The university will provide science operations, science instruments and lead Education and Public Outreach. Goddard manages the project and provides two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin of Littleton, Colo., built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory provides science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, the Deep Space Network and the Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.
To participate in the Going to Mars campaign, visit
http://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/goingtomars
For more information on MAVEN, visit:
From Metro -
A scaredy-cat burglar was arrested after he became frightened when he heard a strange noise and rang police from under a bed.
Marius Ionescu, 31, mistook the family cat for another burglar in the house in Benesti, Romania, causing him to head for cover and wait for the authorities to come and rescue him.
When the police turned up they did not discover anyone else in the house except for the burglar himself and promptly arrested him.
‘The noise he heard was probably just the family cat,’ said police spokesperson Mihaela Straub.
‘He already has a criminal record for similar break-ins, and given his nervous disposition, he probably should look for another job.
‘He’s likely to have a lot of time inside jail to consider things.’
We’re not sure what other occupations Mr Ionescu could take up but it’s probably a good idea if he avoids anything to do with cats.