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Please Help Earthquake Victims in China!

On the afternoon of May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan Province, a mountainous region in Western China. By the next day, the death toll stood at 12,000, with another 18,000 still missing. Over 15 million people live in the affected area, including almost 4 million in the city of Chengdu. Nearly 2,000 of the dead were students and teachers caught in schools that collapsed.

Since the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which killed over 240,000 people, China has required that new structures withstand major quakes. But the collapse of schools, hospitals and factories in several different areas around Sichuan may raise questions about how rigorously such codes have been enforced during China’s recent, epic building boom. (The New York Times)

Earthquake Safety Checklist
FEMA 526 / August 2005

Are You Prepared for the Next Earthquake?

This booklet is designed to help you and your family plan for and survive a major earthquake. By taking action to be prepared, you can lessen the impact of an earthquake on your family. Set aside some emergency supplies, and teach your family what to do at home during and after a disaster. You could be without help for up to 72 hours, so learn to cope for at least that long.

What is Driving Food Price Inflation?
By Jason Henderson, Assistant Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive

Main Street Economist, Issue 1, 2008. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

What Is Problem Sleepiness?

Everyone feels sleepy at times. However, when sleepiness interferes with daily routines and activities, or reduces the ability to function, it is called "problem sleepiness." A person can be sleepy without realizing it. For example, a person may not feel sleepy during activities such as talking and listening to music at a party, but the same person can fall asleep while driving home afterward.

Robert B. Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State
Remarks to National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, New York City
September 21, 2005

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. Zheng Bijian, Chair of the China Reform Forum, who over some decades has been a counselor to China’s leaders. We have spent many hours in Beijing and Washington discussing China’s course of development and Sino-American relations. It has been my good fortune to get to know such a thoughtful man who has helped influence, through the Central Party School, the outlook of many officials during a time of tremendous change for China.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

November 19, 1863,
On the Battlefield, near Gettysburg, PA

Testimony by Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, The Economic Outlook, before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress. April 2, 2008

Chairman Schumer, Vice Chairman Maloney, Representative Saxton, and other members of the Committee, I am pleased to appear before the Joint Economic Committee. In response to deterioration in the near-term outlook for the economy and intensified strains in financial markets, in recent months the Federal Reserve has eased monetary policy substantially further and taken strong actions to increase market liquidity. In my remarks today, I will first offer my views on conditions in financial markets and the outlook for the U.S. economy, then discuss recent actions taken by the Federal Reserve.

IOC Blogging Guidelines
for Persons Accredited at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008

These Guidelines have been developed for persons accredited (“Accredited Persons”) at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 (the “Games”) who maintain personal blogs, accessible by the general public, that contain any content related to their personal experiences at, and participation in, the Games (“Olympic Content”) upon the occasion of the Games, namely, from 8 days prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Games until 3 days after the Closing Ceremony of the Games. They are also applicable to Accredited Persons who post Olympic Content on the websites of others.

Kansas City Subprime Loan Report

Mark Schweitzer, Vice President, Branch Executive and Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Kelly Edmiston, Senior Economist, Community Affairs, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Daniel Gorin, Senior Community Affairs Analyst, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Federal Reserve Board of Governors