Since the health care debate began over a year ago, Republicans and their conservative allies have relied on distortions, fabrications, and outright lies in their attempt to kill reform. There were the alleged death panels that would "pull the plug on grandma"; the false claim that doctors would leave their profession if reform passed; and, of course, the myth that reform is a socialist "government takeover" of the health care system. As President Obama correctly noted yesterday, the recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act bears resemblance to health reform bills proposed by Republicans in the past, so distortions were necessary to perpetuate the narrative that reform would ruin the health care system and harm the country. Now that health care reform is a reality, the right has moved on to a coordinated repeal campaign, and 14 state attorneys general have filed suit against the Act, falsely claiming it is unconstitutional. New myths have also emerged, distorting what the country will look like after the implementation of the health bill and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) that passed with it. Each of the old myths has been debunked, and these new ones are simply more distortions in attempt to mislead the American people.

IRS AGENTS 'BREATHING DOWN' OUR NECKS: Fox News and Republican lawmakers have been pushing a talking point claiming that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will need to hire more than 16,500 new agents to enforce the universal insurance mandates in the Affordable Care Act, and that the agency will impose harsh punishments on those who don't purchase insurance it deems worthy. At least a dozen Republican lawmakers pushed the meme, with Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) calling it a "dangerous expansion of the IRS's power and reach into the lives of virtually every American." Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) warned Fox News host Sean Hannity that "the IRS will be tasked with breathing down the neck of 300 million Americans every month to determine whether we have purchased governmentally acceptable levels of health insurance." Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and others attributed the 16,500 figure to "the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office," but as PolitiFact noted, the figure does not come from the CBO. It comes from a report prepared by the Republican staff of the House Ways and Means Committee, which used rough estimates from the CBO in order to fabricate the 16,500 figure. During a recent congressional hearing, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman made it clear that these claims are nothing but "misconceptions." When asked whether the IRS would "verify if [Americans] have obtained acceptable health insurance," Shulman flatly said "no," adding that there "are not going to be any discussions about health coverage with an IRS employee." As for claims of draconian enforcement, including jail time, for those who do not buy insurance, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) noted on her web site, "The bill specifically prohibits the IRS from confiscating taxpayer assets, from using liens or levies, or imposing criminal penalties of any kind -- including jail time -- because of a lack of health care coverage."

CORPORATE WRITEDOWNS: For months, Republicans and their allies like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have been claiming that health care reform would create huge new taxes that would hurt businesses. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, AT&T, Caterpillar, John Deere and others have come out with a series of -- seemingly coordinated -- press releases announcing that the new bill will cost them billions of dollars. An association representing 300 large corporations is also urging Congress to change the part of the Act that is responsible for the charge. Republicans and the right-wing media latched onto the news of the writedowns as proof that the bill will lead to the "wholesale destruction of wealth and capital," as a Wall Street Journal editorial put it. This is "the exact opposite of what the president promised if we passed health care," Fox News host Sean Hannity said of the writedowns. But in reality, these writedowns are due to a big cut in corporate welfare. The Medicare Part D legislation -- passed under President Bush -- gives subsidies of about $1,300 per retiree per year to businesses that provide prescription drugs to their retirees. On top of that, it allows companies to deduct the value of the credit from their taxes. The new health care law, however, pays for itself, in part, by eliminating waste in the system and puts an end to this "double dipping." Companies will still receive the tax-free subsidy, but they'll no longer be able to take the tax deduction as well. As the Wall Street Journal notes, these charges are "noncash," and the cost of losing this exemption is relatively small. And the relevant change doesn't kick in until 2013. Moreover, is disingenuous for companies to suddenly complain about the charges, considering the change was a part of the draft bill that passed the Senate Finance Committee last year and several business groups complained about it in September. Finance Committee aides "were in close talks with employer groups" and it ultimately won approval from many, with the chairman of Business Roundtable saying "it's very closely aligned to [our] principles."

A NEW TAX ON STUDENT LOANS: While its inclusion with the health care bill has often been overlooked, legislation to streamline the student loan system has not escaped its share of right-wing fear mongering. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told Radio Iowa that the plan "end[s] up taxing college students" because they'll be forced to pay more borrowing from the government directly than if they could shop around for a loan from private lenders. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) agreed, claiming that students will spend "$1,700 to $1,800 more during the life of their loan because of this surcharge." But both Grassley and Graham are ignoring the fact that it SAFRA does not change interest rates, meaning that students will pay the same amount as they did before. As PolitiFact notes, the interest rates are set by law and were not changed by SAFRA -- "there is no 'surcharge' in the bill." Grassley and industry lobbyists have also claimed that people employed by private loan companies will lose their jobs "at a time when our country can least afford to lose them." But as Campus Progress notes, "There will be no shortage of work for loan companies under the new reforms," as federal loans will still be serviced by private companies. "In fact, student loan giant Sallie Mae has announced it is in the process of bringing back 3,400 jobs from overseas. These jobs are returning to the U.S., at least in part, so that the company can be eligible for Department of Education contracts to service Direct Loans," Campus Progress adds.

- Do you keep the salt shaker on your table, often eat away from home, purchase a lot of packaged foods and buy groceries without checking food labels? If so then you’re an average American who likely consumes about 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day. Three out of four Americans have more salt in their diet than the suggested maximum, and you may be surprised to find that you are one of those people. Did you know taste alone will not reveal whether a food is low or high in sodium?

The American Heart Association and dietary guidelines recommend adults consume no more than a teaspoon of salt -- 2300 milligrams of sodium chloride-- a day. Most Americans would fare better to reduce their sodium intake to less than 1,500 milligrams.

Studies show that people who consume less than 1,000 milligrams a day of sodium do not exhibit age-related heart disease and increased blood pressure. One study showed that eating more fruits and vegetables and less sodium lowered blood pressure.

Processed foods-- packaged on grocery shelves or served in restaurants -- are very high in sodium and are responsible for nearly 80 percent of the sodium in the average diet. Some food manufacturers claim healthier low sodium foods don’t sell well and affect their bottom line in dollars. Looking at it from the manufacturer’s perception, why spend money developing and marketing a product that is perceived as inferior in taste to the ‘original’ product line?

Decreasing sodium in processed food is not a simple process, and although salt should be limited, it has an important role in food. Sodium functions not only to flavor food but also ensures texture for crispy crackers, firmer canned vegetables and smoother pre-packaged sauce mixes. Baking soda leavens baked goods and salt checks the action of yeast used to make bread rise. Salt also is a food preservative. There are no acceptable lower sodium substitutes for salt.

It’s also important to note that, to a degree, salt is salt. Sea salt is not a superior alternative to table salt, although it does have some trace amounts of minerals, but table salt and sea salt contain basically the same amount of sodium chloride. Choose sea salts only if you prefer the flavor and it’s in your budget.

Become your own health advocate and train your taste buds to like less salt. Following some simple steps can help you:

- Eat more whole food. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store for fresh food and minimize your purchases of pre-packaged food typically high in sodium. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium as are fresh fish and meat rather than cured and brined options.

- Eat more meals prepared at home. Restaurant meals and processed food are higher in salt. Use less boxed, processed food containing powdered sauces and seasonings and eat packaged foods with no more than 600 milligrams of sodium in one serving.

- Add flavor instead of salt. Each sprinkle of the salt shaker can add 150 milligrams of sodium. Use herbs, wine, fruit juice and flavored vinegar to enhance taste. Skip adding it to the cooking water for rice, pasta and cooked cereals.

- Use salty foods sparingly to add a burst of flavor. A small amount of finely shredded salty cheese, finely chopped brined olives or a splash of soy sauce can add a lot of flavor to veggies and pasta.

- Choose foods labeled as salt-free or low sodium.

Check the labels of packaged foods for the many forms of sodium salts such as sodium citrate and sodium bicarbonate. Low sodium means a single serving contains no more than 140 mg sodium. Very low-sodium means one serving has no more than 35 milligrams sodium. Sodium-free food means no more than 5 milligrams sodium per serving. Reduced or less sodium may not be a significant reduction. This statement on the label means the product has 25 percent less salt than the company’s regular version. While it may be less, it can still be too high. - Reduce sodium in home-cooked meals by rinsing canned beans and vegetables with water. - If you eat out, check for restaurant nutrition information online -- many chain restaurants post that information.

This afternoon, the House Budget Committee will begin marking-up the health care reconciliation package, signaling the beginning of the end of the Democrats' year-long effort to pass comprehensive health care reform. Congressional leaders have urged members to clear their schedules for the weekend in anticipation of final up or down vote in the House, which could happen as early as Thursday. Under the Democrats' plan, the House would pass the Senate version of the legislation, then take up a narrow package of fixes through the reconciliation process. If the House approves the changes later this week, they would go to the Senate, which would have to muster only 51 votes (or 50 votes plus Vice President Biden) instead of 60. "Congressional aides from both parties suggest Democratic leaders are starting with a little more than 200 firm supporters," and Democrats are expecting "some undecided lawmakers to swing their way once the final details of the bill come out." Still, as of this weekend, lawmakers had not secured the necessary 216 votes in the House but remained optimistic about their prospects. On Sunday, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod predicted that Democrats "will have the votes to pass this," and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declared that "this is the climactic week for health-care reform." "I'm also very confident that we'll get this done," House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) added on NBC's Meet The Press. Throughout the week, Democrats will have their hands full as they try to convince "several of last year's no votes to switch to yes, while retaining at least a dozen yes votes who are wavering."

SETTLING THE ABORTION QUESTION: Last week, Democratic leaders decided to abandon their negotiations with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) over the abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill and take the risk that some small number of pro-life Democrats will vote against the measure. The Democratic leadership believes that fixing the provision through reconciliation would be impossible and passing a separate bill is unlikely, especially after Stupak rejected an offer to take up abortion after reform. "We don't want to go without their votes, but we do want to forge ahead," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said. "As you know, Mr. Stupak has made it very, very clear that he's very strongly in favor of achieving health care reform in this Congress. And I think that a lot of his colleagues feel the same way." Indeed, over the last week, a growing number of conservative pro-life Democrats have signaled that they will break with Stupak and vote for the Senate health care bill. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), "a 'yes' vote on reform who backed the Stupak language," told reporters that "the Senate language will restrict the federal funding of abortions and that he'll probably vote for the final bill" and Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), who also supported the Stupak abortion amendment in the House, said that the Senate bill does not spend federal dollars on abortion and suggested that he is also leaning towards a "yes"vote. "I still haven't seen good evidence that the Senate language, as is, allows a taxpayer funding for abortion. It could be worded better and less awkwardly, but I don't know if there is even an indirect abortion funding in it," Altmire told C-SPAN's Washington Journal on Thursday. Over the weekend, several traditionally pro-life groups also came out in support of the Senate health care bill. A group of 25 "pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders" sent a letter to Congress urging them to look past the misinformation on abortion and pass health care reform. "As Christians committed to a consistent ethic of life, and deeply concerned with the health and well-being of all people, we want to see health care reform enacted," they said. The Catholic Health Association, "the national leadership organization of more than 2,000 Catholic health care sponsors, systems, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and related organizations," sent a separate letter urging lawmakers to pass the Senate health bill. The group writes that while the legislation isn't perfect, it is "'a major first step' toward covering all Americans and would make 'great improvements' for millions of people.'"

LOOKING FOR VOTES: President Obama will travel to Ohio this afternoon to continue making a public case for health care reform and pressure reluctant House Democrats to support the Senate measure. The New York Times reports that Obama is "making daily telephone calls to Democrats who supported the health care bill last year, but have yet to decide how they intend to vote this time. He is also focusing on those who opposed the legislation, including Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, who said the measure did not go far enough. The president's trip to Ohio includes Mr. Kucinich's district, and he invited the congressman to join him aboard Air Force One." MoveOn, which has previously opposed the Senate measure, has sent an email to its members asking them to pledge to support a progressive primary challenger to House Democrats that vote against reform. "So we're asking every MoveOn member: will you pledge to support progressive primary challengers to House Democrats who side with Republicans to kill health care reform? With the big vote happening as early as this Friday, conservative Democrats need to know the stakes if they choose to side with Big Insurance over the voters on health care reform," the letter says. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry has also pledged a $12 million investment for a final advertising push in favor of reform and is "weighing a seven-figure nationwide ad campaign in major newspapers" that could start on March 15. Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack, who is co-sponsoring the campaign," says that the ads are slated to feature the names of hundreds of organizations that endorse the health care legislation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California plans to bring to the floor."

BIG BUSINESS TRYING TO KILL REFORM: On the other side, a group of big business interests is funding "a multimillion-dollar wave of advertising" that "takes aim at about 40 House Democrats whose votes will help determine" the fate of health care reform. The 248-member coalition -- which includes National Association of Manufacturers and the National Retail Federation -- is led by the United States Chamber of Commerce and plans to target its ads towards the "27 Democrats who supported the health care bill last year and 13 who opposed it." "The organizations have already spent $11 million this month focusing on these lawmakers, with more spending to come before an expected vote next weekend." The new campaign "will last about 10 days and cost between $4 million and $10 million," the Seattle Times reports. Separately, "the health-insurance industry lobby America's Health Insurance Plans launched a $1 million-plus ad campaign on national cable TV blaming doctors and hospitals for rising premiums and "Americans for Prosperity, a group financed by David Koch, the oilman, is also jumping into the fray with an advertising campaign of nearly $1 million." "There is definitely more passion from people opposed to the bill," Altmire admitted, noting that his office has received hundreds of calls from angry constituents. "I have to decide between passing this bill or doing nothing at all. I need to do what's best for my district."

A Partner For Peace?

This week, Vice President Biden arrived in the Middle East to attempt to restart peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. On Tuesday, shortly after he assured Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, "Every time progress is made, it's been made when the rest of the world knows there's no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel's security," the Israeli Interior Ministry announced plans "to build 1,600 new housing units for Jews" in an Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem. In response, Biden issued an unusually strong statement: "I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem. The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel." Jerusalem is an especially sensitive area; Israel insists that it will remain its "undivided" capital, but the Palestinians claim Arab East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. A European Union investigation last year found that the Israeli government was "working deliberately to alter the city's demographic balance and sever East Jerusalem from the West Bank." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his position on Wednesday that he would not move forward with proposed peace talks with Israel unless settlements were halted. In an emergency meeting Wednesday, the Arab League "demanded that Israel reverse the East Jerusalem housing decision," but did not revoke its endorsement of proximity talks.

APOLOGY FROM NETANYAHU: As former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk noted on MSNBC yesterday, it's unfortunately a common occurrence for the Israeli government to announce new settlements either just before or after a visit with U.S. officials, which damages American credibility in the region. This happened numerous times under the Bush administration. It also happened the day before Biden arrived in Israel, when the Israeli government announced approval for 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox settlement near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. It is uncommon, however, for Israel to announce new settlements during a visit from a high official like the vice president of the United States, especially when he had come to deliver a message of support. Interior Minister Eli Yishai apologized on Wednesday "for causing domestic and international distress" with the timing of the announcement, and Netanyahu reportedly told Biden, "No one was seeking to embarrass you or undermine your visit -- on the contrary, you are a true friend to Israel." According to the New York Times, aides say Netanyahu "was blindsided by the announcement from Israel's Interior Ministry, led by the leader of right-wing Shas Party. But he didn't disavow the plan." Meir Margalit, a member of Jerusalem's City Council told Israel's Ynet News that the Interior ministry "meant to sabotage the announcement that Netanyahu issued today regarding the renewal of indirect negotiations with the Palestinians. It is also a kind of slap in the face of the American administration."

A DEEPLY INGRAINED SETTLEMENT ENTERPRISE: A New York Times editorial suggested that President Obama "miscalculated... when he insisted that Israel impose a full stop on all new settlement building," noting that "one of the basic rules of diplomacy is that American presidents never publicly insist on something they aren't sure of getting -- at least not without a backup plan." Israel committed to freeze settlements under the "road map for peace" promulgated by the Bush administration in 2002, but has consistently failed to meet that commitment. While agreeing to a partial settlement moratorium last November (which specifically exempted Jerusalem), Netanyahu's own position in favor of settlement expansion is clear. The evening before Biden's arrival, "Netanyahu appeared onstage with Pastor John Hagee in Jerusalem." Hagee is a conservative American preacher who opposes the two-state solution and supports unlimited Israeli settlement expansion with millions of private American dollars. Hagee has said that "[i]f America puts pressure on Israel to divide Jerusalem we are following the blueprint of the Prince of Darkness." Israeli planning officials also told Haaretz that "some 50,000 new housing units in Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the Green Line are in various stages of planning and approval," and that "Jerusalem's construction plans for the next few years, even decades, are expected to focus on East Jerusalem." In a recent article examining how deeply ingrained the settlement enterprise is in the various institutions of the state of Israel, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer writes, "The challenge for the United States is how to pursue the issue in a persistent and intelligent manner. It should do so with the confidence that, ultimately, it will end up aligned not only on the right side of history generally, but even on the right side of the history of Zionism."

HOLDING ALL PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE: The Obama administration has made clear that resolving the conflict between Israel and its neighbors is one of its highest priorities, but the last year has been a frustrating one. None of the parties -- Israelis, Palestinians, or the Arab states -- seem willing to take the necessary bold steps to move the process forward. There is also the continuing humanitarian crisis in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, a major source of resentment among Palestinians and in the broader region. In a Center for American Progress report last July, authors Brian Katulis, Marc Lynch, and Robert Adler stated that "the window of opportunity for achieving a viable two-state solution is rapidly closing -- at a time when Israelis and Palestinians seem incapable and unwilling to achieve a sustainable peace agreement." The report called on the Obama administration "to reassure Israel that it will continue to support its security and work to maintain a close bilateral relationship while also pushing forcefully for a two-state solution which it sees as in the best interests of the region," which is precisely what Biden's trip to Israel was intended to do. Meeting with Abbas on Wednesday, Biden said, "Our administration is fully committed to the Palestinian people and to achieving a Palestinian state that is independent, viable, and contiguous. Everyone should know, everyone should know by now, that there is no viable alternative to a two-state solution, which must be an integral part of any comprehensive peace plan." In a speech earlier today in Tel Aviv, Biden promised that "the US will continue to hold both sides accountable for any statements or any actions that will inflame tension or prejudice the actions of these talks."

UPDATE: 8:45 AM, MARCH 11, 2010 CDOT Maintenance crews began clearing snow in the canyon early this morning and are now beginning work to make the repairs necessary to open a single lane of traffic in each direction today. They are clearing rock debris from all lanes (the blast brought down some dozen larger boulders (4 feet) and many smaller rocks), making repairs to the drainage system and completing roadway patching in numerous places. Crews have already set up traffic control cones/barrels and signage on the Interstate so that when repairs are complete, the highway can open quickly. We will send notice as soon as a re-open time is set today. UPDATE: 8:10 PM, MARCH 10, 2010 Our geologists returned from the rock mitigation site safely and were very satisfied with the work that was accomplished today. With the blasting, there was a clean break of the rock from the slope and all of the rocks we were concerned about were knocked down. As a result, mitigation work will not be required tomorrow. Since the blasting brought down additional rock, crews will have some cleanup work tomorrow along with drainage work and final pavement repair. The good news is that one lane of eastbound and westbound I-70 will reopen by the end of the day tomorrow. We will keep you posted as we get close to a reopening time. UPDATE: 6:30 PM, MARCH 10, 2010 Crews blasted the large rock just before 6 PM. CDOT maintenance crews immediately began work to clear the debris on the highway. They have worked throughout the day making the repairs necessary to open a lane of traffic in each direction when rockfall mitigation is complete. Since we lost daylight, the highway will not open tonight. Crews will hike to the site tomorrow morning to conduct follow-up rock scaling and assess the stability. CDOT will make every effort to get some portion of the Interstate open to traffic tomorrow, March 11. Be assured we will send an update as soon as we begin any procedures to open a lane. UPDATE: 2:50 PM, MARCH 10, 2010 Crews are working through the slow, technical process of drilling the rock and prepping the area for blasting operations—it is estimated that this will take until 4 or 4:30 PM. After this time, we will send notice of blasting results, clean-up work required, and the follow-up process/estimated schedule for getting traffic flowing again. UPDATE: 10:40 AM, MARCH 10, 2010 The helicopter is on scene—ready to drop off drilling equipment and a generator for planned drilling/blasting operations. If all goes well, crews anticipate bringing the boulder down early afternoon. When the boulder is down, the hillside scaled and stabilized, and any resulting highway damage is assessed, we can begin to send information regarding estimated highway re-open times. We will send notice as soon as the boulder is down. UPDATE: 10 PM, MARCH 9, 2010 A team of six hiked up 900 feet on the mountainside today and conducted rock scaling operations (removing loose rock material with pry bars and other equipment) until approximately 5:30 p.m. They were able to safely access the unstable rock needing to be brought down. Losing daylight, crews attempted to pry sections loose and locate areas in which to effectively place and then charge explosives, but were unable to do so. Tomorrow, March 10th, crews will hike up to the location once again and drilling and other equipment will be airlifted by helicopter to the site. Drilling and blasting as well as other mitigation efforts will be used to bring down the rock. Due the challenging nature of the project, it is difficult to estimate when the mitigation work will be complete and when I-70 may reopen. Should the rock be brought down successfully, causing minimum damage to the highway, crews could then begin repairs to the eastbound lanes in preparation of opening one lane in each direction using the eastbound lanes. Please note that the process to reopen the Interstate is dependent upon the completion of the mitigation work. An update will be sent mid-morning on March 10th. UPDATE: 2:00 PM, MARCH 9 Scaling is still underway. We will know much more when work is complete later this afternoon. We will send any information we might have regarding possible re-open times as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued help in getting the word out. UPDATE 8:30 AM, MARCH 9 Crews have begun their hike up the hillside in Glenwood Canyon and will begin rock scaling by around 10:00 A.M. They will start scaling above the unstable rock and work towards it with the goal of prying it loose and/or gaining a better understanding of its stability. The rock is approximately 20 feet in diameter. Please check http://www.coloradodot.info/news/media-room.htmlperiodically for news posts and photos. UPDATE 6:37 PM, MARCH 8 CDOT crews are completing work for the night – conditions are now too dark. I-70 will remain closed overnight. CDOTgeologists have determined that the rock above the highway is too unstable to remain in place. Early tomorrow morning, Tuesday March 9, rock scaling crews will be meeting to determine how best to mitigate the rock. CDOTmaintenance crews made great progress breaking up and clearing away the boulders today. We will send notice as soon as we receive details of the mitigation work. Crews are working fast and making every effort to get traffic safely flowing through the canyon again. UPDATE SENT 3 PM, MARCH 8 CDOTgeologists are on site and are in the process of assessing a rock that appears to be unstable. The assessment requires a two-hour hike up the mountain, inspection and a two-hour hike back down. If the rock is determined to be unstable, CDOT will not reopen any lanes of I-70 until rockfall mitigation can be conducted. Since the assessment will take several hours to complete, mitigation work will not take place until tomorrow as it will be unsafe to conduct the work at night. In the meantime, crews continue to blast the large boulders into smaller pieces for removal (photo attached). So far, crews have blasted three rocks and have several more to blast apart. This work will continue this afternoon. I-70 remains closed in both directions between Glenwood Springs (mm 116) and at Dotsero (mm 133). Motorists can take US 40 to SH 13 as an alternate route. US 50 to the south is now closed over Monarch pass due to adverse conditions.

Rockfall in Glenwood Canyon I-70 closed to all traffic in both directions between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero GLENWOOD CANYON – Just after midnight, on March 8, a large rockfall incident hit I-70 in Glenwood Canyon, near mile marker 125 just west of Hanging Lake Tunnel. (The rockslide on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2004, was in the same general area, though rocks came from a different location on the hillside.) I-70 is closed in both directions to all traffic at Glenwood (mm 116) and at Dotsero (mm 133). While there is no estimate for a re-open time, Colorado Department of Transportation will blast and break up larger boulders today and continue work to assess when a portion of the roadway may be opened for travel. CDOT will implement emergency contracting procedures and meet with contractors over the next couple of days as crews develop repair plans. It is estimated that this slide brought 20 boulders onto the interstate, ranging in size from 3 feet to10 feet in diameter. The largest is estimated to weigh about 66 tons. The rocks have made holes in the elevated sections of roadway—the largest being in the westbound lanes (closest to the hillside) and measuring 20 feet by 10 feet. Another hole in the lower eastbound lanes measures 6 feet by 6 feet. There are a half a dozen other holes and “dips” in the roadway, as well as areas where rocks are embedded. Most of these repair areas appear to be approximately 5 feet by 5 feet. Rocks are scattered over 100 yards of roadway. Also damaged are three sections (about 120 linear feet) of steel guard rail and 100 linear feet of median barrier. The damage is similar to that resulting from the 2004 rockfall incident. ALTERNATE ROUTES: from westbound I-70: exit at US 40/Empire to State Highway 13 and back to I-70; exit in Silverthorne and take State Highway 9 to US 40 and State Highway 13; exit at Wolcott/State Highway 131 to US 40 and State Highway 13. From eastbound I-70: exit at Rifle/State Highway 13 to US 40 and back to I-70. Travelers may also wish to use US highways 160, 285 and 50 if traveling to destinations south. I-70 is not expected to open any time soon. CDOT appreciates the patience of travelers and want everyone to be assurred that crews are doing everything possible to get the roadway safely open to traffic. Video of the rockfall site can be found at www.cotrip.org

Statement by Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to the Plenary Session of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings, Delivered by Acting Assistant Secretary Mark Sobel

On behalf of Secretary Geithner and the U.S. delegation, thank you to the people of Istanbul and our host country Turkey. It is fitting that we meet today in this great country - a land at the crossroads of history and civilization.

During the Great Depression, the global economy faced a crossroads, and it chose the path of unilateralism and inwardness. Over the last year, we faced the deepest challenge since then. Standing at another crossroads, the international community chose the path of unprecedented cooperation and multilateralism. We took decisive action to restore growth, boost employment, and repair financial systems. We mobilized nearly $1 trillion in support for emerging markets, helping to slow a serious capital drain.

The United States is doing and will do its part. We supported U.S. and global growth through our stimulus plan, restored confidence in the U.S. financial system through our stability and regulatory reforms as well as our transparent stress tests, and helped stem the loss of confidence facing emerging markets through President Obama's successful call for rapidly mobilizing $500 billion through a renewed New Arrangements to Borrow at the IMF.

We are now witnessing stabilization of the global economy and the beginnings of recovery. But we cannot be complacent. Conditions remain fragile. The international community must implement its critical agenda to sustain the recovery and help create jobs, to strengthen regulatory frameworks, and to begin preparing cooperative exit strategies. We also need to pursue additional trade liberalization, including an ambitious and balanced conclusion to the Doha Development Round.

Together, we recognize that the world cannot return to a pattern of uneven growth, characterized by an excessive reliance on a single engine of consumption-led growth, while others relied heavily on external demand. First and foremost, the responsibility for tackling these problems rests with sovereign governments, including my own.

But as we build a strong, sustained and balanced global economy, we must advance a forward-looking agenda so that the IMF and World Bank can enhance their legitimacy and update their missions to meet future challenges.

For the IMF, this means that rigorous surveillance must help us shed light on trends that could lead to the next unsustainable boom. Under the new G-20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth, the IMF must provide forward-looking analysis of whether the world's major countries are implementing economic policies, including exchange rate policies, which are collectively consistent with G-20 objectives. The IMF will need to be a truth-teller.

The World Bank will need to focus more on building resilience to crisis and foundations for prosperity. As the world emerges from crisis, the poorest will require strong and sustained support from the multilateral development banks. With concessional financing deploying more quickly, donors must commit to successful and timely replenishments of IDA and the African Development Fund. When considering the MDB capital requests, we must recognize the importance of maintaining the IBRD's financial soundness. As the centerpiece of the multilateral development system, the World Bank is best positioned to address challenges that require globally coordinated action. In particular, the Bank must more actively prioritize work on three emerging global priorities, agriculture and food security, support in the most fragile environments, and facilitating the transition to a green economy.

For the IMF and World Bank to be effective in these tasks, their broad membership must consider them legitimate and representative. We are delighted that the international community is now committed to achieving a 5% shift in IMF quota share toward dynamic underrepresented countries by January 2011 and the call to shift at least 3% of the Bank's voting power to developing and transition countries and the recommitment to reach an agreement by the 2010 Spring Meetings.

The past six months have plainly demonstrated the benefits of stronger Ministerial engagement in setting strategic policies and priorities at the international financial institutions. To sustain this, we must find a way to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of both the IMFC and the Development Committee. Furthermore, we need far more efficient and strategic Executive Boards, which better reflect the realities of the global economy.

In closing, the international community has rarely shared such a sense of common purpose and urgency. All of our countries – developing, emerging, or advanced – want to avoid a repeat of the worst economic crisis in decades. So let us press forward on this path of multilateralism to offer greater hope and prosperity for people in every corner of the world.

Envirofit International and Colorado State University Receive International Design Award FORT COLLINS - The cookstove design and development teams at Envirofit International and the Engines and Energy Conversion Lab at Colorado State University have won a Bronze IDEA for Envirofit’s clean cookstove in the Ecodesign category in the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards. The Bronze International Design Excellence Award is shared with the industrial design groups Red Ingot LLC and Sector 7 Studios, LLC.

The winners of the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition—a celebration of year’s most innovative and exciting product designs and one of the world’s most prestigious and recognizable design competitions—exhibit a focus on sustainability, functionality and, in some cases, breathtaking aesthetics. The Envirofit S-2100 clean cookstove is an example of a recent trend of the IDEA award and its sponsors, BusinessWeek, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Target and Autodesk, toward honoring products designed for underserved or underprivileged markets.

The four co-founders of Envirofit all have ties to Colorado State University: Bryan Willson, director of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory and mechanical engineering professor; Paul Hudnut, professor in the College of Business; and Tim Bauer and Nathan Lorenz, now Envirofit’s Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Engineering, respectively, who used to be graduate students at the engines lab. Willson started the cookstoves program at the university. The Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory serves as a R&D subcontractor to Envirofit which, with global partner the Shell Foundation, aims to design, build and disseminate millions of cookstoves to emerging markets in the coming years.

Envirofit cookstoves are sold to consumers in India and other emerging markets to address the global health and environmental impacts of Indoor Air Pollution. Unlike most groups designing cookstoves for developing world markets, Envirofit and its partners develop stoves that not only dramatically reduce toxic emissions and biomass fuel use, but also take the stoves’ aesthetics and ergonomics into consideration.

“Historically, emerging market consumers have not been viewed as a valued consumer group. But just because a family only makes a few dollars a day doesn’t mean they don’t want and deserve a beautiful, durable product they can be proud of,” said Ron Bills, Chairman and CEO of Envirofit International. “Envirofit and its partners are pleased that the international design community is recognizing the importance of creating high-quality, aesthetic products for emerging market consumers.”

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The Fiat Yamaha Team arrives in the United States this week in stunning form with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo lying first and second in the championship, separated by just five points. Rossi, who clinched his 100th career victory in Assen on Sunday, has three wins to his name so far and Lorenzo has two, while both riders have finished on the podium in six out of seven races this season to leave Fiat Yamaha leading the Teams' standings and Yamaha the Manufacturers'. The Italian and the Spaniard will make a short stopover in Los Angeles for a visit to Yamaha US on Wednesday before heading north to the coastal town of Monterey and the spectacular Laguna Seca track.

Before last year Rossi had just one podium to his name at Laguna since MotoGP returned there in 2005, but he produced one of the performances of his career in 2008 to win an important victory, which went on to prove one of the key turning points of his season. A race-long battle with Casey Stoner threw up some nail-biting moments between the pair but the Italian prevailed to take his first win on American soil. After two wins on the bounce he is heading stateside in flying form and will be hoping to extend his championship lead this weekend with another great result. Thursday sees the now traditional Laguna Seca Superkart race and Rossi this year will make a few display laps in a Superkart before Yamaha legends Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and Kenny Roberts Senior take centre stage for the real thing.

Lorenzo was a Laguna Seca first-timer last year and a promising showing during practice came to nothing when he high-sided on the first lap. The 22-year-old went on to taste American success later in the season with a podium in Indianapolis and he is determined that he will get to grips with the tricky Laguna track this time around. The youngster has had a brilliant season to date and will undoubtedly be in the mix once again this weekend as he seeks to better his team-mate with a return to the top of the podium.

Laguna Seca is an all-American track where the intense dry heat, unpredictable asphalt and anti-clockwise layout reward the loose and aggressive riding style of the US dirt-trackers. The track boasts some of the most dramatic elevation changes on the world championship circuit as well as fast, sweeping corners, the most notorious of which is the world-famous 'Corkscrew'. Machine set-up is relatively straightforward, with throttle connection a much more important factor than top-end power and a well balanced chassis the key to those elevation changes and diverse corners.

Valentino Rossi - "Back to normal!" "The wonderful memory of the 100th win is still fresh, but now we have just a few days to recover before the next race, which is hard for everyone. We have to try to relax as much as possible and recharge the batteries a little, because Laguna is always a tough weekend and often very hot. Last year I had a great battle with Stoner and for me it was for sure one of the turning points of the championship and a very important win; I have some good memories. I think this year it will be hard again because Lorenzo is in brilliant form and I am sure Stoner will also be back to his best. Laguna is a great place to race and an exciting track, I also have a little trip to Los Angeles and Yamaha US first which I am looking forward to. The championship is very open at this point so we need to keep focus, get back to normal after Assen and try to get another good result this weekend."

Jorge Lorenzo - "Looking forward to the challenge" "Last year Laguna wasn't good for me but I don't think about this. It's the only time I've been there but I don't see that as a problem - until 2008 I'd never won in Portugal before and I won my first race there in MotoGP, and then again this year I won in Motegi where I'd never won before, so I don't consider any track 'bad' for me - the past doesn't matter. We are feeling very strong after the last races and everyone is very motivated to continue in the same way so I am looking forward to the challenge and learning more about the track. I will do my best and hopefully that will mean we can run at the front again."

Davide Brivio - "Focus on the championship" "We still have great memories from Laguna Seca in 2008 and we're happy to be arriving there after two wins and leading the championship. It's a great place to race and the American fans are always brilliant so we hope we can give them another good show! Our package is working well everywhere now so hopefully the case will be the same again this weekend. Now that the 100 target has been reached we can focus on the next target - the championship! Now we race for that."

Daniele Romagnoli - "A consistent package" "After the last great race in Assen this is a very short break for everyone but we have to move straight on to the US for the next round! The high motivation in our team continues after another strong performance from Jorge and we are looking forward to having the chance for another good result. This year our package is much more consistent and we know that we can put up another good fight, despite Jorge's inexperience at Laguna. Everyone in the team enjoys going to Laguna - it's a great place - so we're looking forward to another exciting weekend."

Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 30 Lives: Tavullia, Italy Bike: Yamaha GP victories: 100 (79 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 217 (157 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 53 (43 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc) World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information Age: 22 Lives: Barcelona, Spain Bike: Yamaha GP victories: 24 (3 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc) First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc) First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc) GP starts: 118 (24 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc) Pole positions: 33 (7 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc) World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Laguna Seca: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'21.488

Laguna Seca: Best Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'20.700

Grand Prix Results: Laguna Seca 2008 1. V. Rossi (Yamaha) 44'04.311 2. C.Stoner (Ducati) +13.001 3. C.Vermeulen (Suzuki) +26.609

. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) NF

Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61 HS / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 330 2709 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it W. www.yamaha-racing.com

Thursday, May 21, 2009

11 a.m. Gov. Ritter will sign Colorado’s version of “Katie’s Law,” SB 241, regarding the collection of DNA evidence. The bill is named in honor of 22-year-old New Mexico murder victim Katie Sepich. Katie’s mother will attend the signing ceremony. Location: West Foyer, State Capitol.

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