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The article discusses how China will be a probable factor in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections. The U.S.-Chinese relationship receives the most attention among U.S. politicians. Several members of the 110th Congress have made China a top issue. They have centered a great deal of their efforts on pushing China to open up its currency, or at the very least, revalue it to a more equitable rate against the U.S. dollar.

Discusses the efforts of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to build traffic safety information systems. Overview of the international scanning tour on traffic safety information systems; Questions developed by members of the scanning team established by FHWA and AASHTO to help focus the discussions with international safety experts; Comparison of the goal of the U.S. for traffic safety with the goal of other countries.

Narrates the author's experiences when he was an art history student. Highlights of the author's trip to Georgia where he studied; Personal background of the author; Changes on the author's life when he got to Georgia.

Compares the safety of continuous lighted urban freeways with interchange lighting only in the United States. Use of the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS); Previous studies on the subject; Characteristics of the sites studied; Non-interchange night/day accident-rate ratios; Crash costs for lighted sections between interchange areas.

The article discusses several ways considered by the U.S. government to create more jobs. It states that the Senate has approved a proposal which aims to give employers a one-year exemption of the Social Security Tax and offer employees 1,000 dollars of tax credit for a year. It adds that temporary measures are being searched by Congressional leaders to increase hiring and investments. It mentions that minor changes were also done to make additional revenues without increasing tax rate.

The article focuses on the approval by the House Financial Services Committee on a legislation that addresses over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives regulation in the U.S. It mentions that the bill H.R. 3795, Over-the-Counter Derivatives Markets Act of 2009, intends to bring transparency to the market and demands initial capital and margin from companies, dealers, and investors. It notes that the bill is the first financial markets reform measure from the committee.

The article focuses on the significant role of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) in the financial market reforms and proposals in Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. It states that AFP was out-spoken on legislative and regulatory proposals such as credit rating agency that are significant for finance and treasury profession. It also states that AFP works with regulators and legislators on reforming the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets in a way that increases the transparency.

The article reports that the members of Association for Financial Professionals' (AFP's) Government Relations Committee (GRC) visited at the Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2009. The GRC scheduled a meeting with more than 20 members of the U.S. Senate, House, their staff, and regulators from the Securities and Exchange Commission to discuss the issue concerning frozen credit markets and job creation. The GRC members also participated a fundraiser for U.S. Representative Jim Himes.

The article focuses on the concerns of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) regarding the implications for the Derivatives Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of 2009 in the U.S. It discusses the provisions of the bill, which will be regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). It notes on the effort of the AFP in informing the House Agriculture Committee on the potential impact of the bill which will affect the members' ability in managing risks.

The article reports on the U.S. Department of Treasury's "Blueprint for a modernized financial regulatory structure," a document detailing a number of immediate, medium and long-term restructuring recommendations. The main goal of the document is to provide guideline to prepare for a financial markets regulatory overhaul. The report identified several weaknesses in the financial markets, including a lack of discipline on behalf of market participants and lack of preparation for market shocks.

The article reports on the trade relations between the U. S. and China. It describes the problem of creating policies in the trade practices between the two countries and the efforts to involve the World Trade Organization in solving the issues. It also discusses the effects of Chinese products on Americans including the increasing competition brought by imported cheaper products.

The article discusses three bills that have potential impact on the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) members that are likely to garner U.S. congressional attention in 2008. These issues are data security, terrorism insurance and 401(k) fee disclosure, with data security and data breaches legislation being an issue from the beginning of the session.

The article focuses on the research on roadway data practices and knowledge with the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) and the Crash Modification Factors Clearinghouse. It discusses the assessment conducted by U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on the capabilities of states for the collection, management and use of roadway safety data. It mentions the launch of the Roadway Data Improvement Program of FHWA, which aims to develop action plans of the states.

The article discusses on the 90-minute conference call regarding credit card interchange fees held on July 30, 2009. It says that the conference call was attended by Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) members and officials of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). It reveals the reports of AFP members that the increase in interchanges fees affects their businesses. It discusses the importance of credit cards and the difficulties encounter with card and bank companies.

The article offers information on the PL 110-458, the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008 signed by U.S. President George W. Bush. The legislation includes a temporary minimum distribution suspension and allows plan sponsor to use the phase-in level as funding target. In contrast, the Committee on Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA) fought for two key provisions including, changing of asset polishing definition to take into account the unexpected losses or gains.

The article focuses on the role of pension fund investment in the current market turmoil in the U.S. Committee on Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA) chairman William F. Quinn comments that the involvement of pension plans will jeopardize the long-term stability of the U.S. pension system. It mentions that the House Agriculture Committee prohibits pension investments in the commodity futures market. Several bills that were introduced are also discussed.

The article discusses the foreign economic relations views of the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates. Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both give importance to the Sino-American relationship, but criticize China's violation of trade rules. Republican candidate John McCain also believes that China should be made to adhere to trade rules as well as laws governing currency manipulation.

The article discusses the issues faced by credit card companies over their interchange policies. It is stated that credit card companies have been sued for anti-competitive behavior as shown by the lawsuit against MasterCard which involved its initial public offering (IPO). The U.S. Congress has passed the Credit Card Fair Free Act of 2008 which provides limited anti-trust immunity for interchange fees negotiation. The author shares that interchange fees are passed to merchants and to customers.

In this article, the author looks at the move of the U.S. Congress and regulators to treat carbon emissions. The author believes that due to this change, financial professionals will play a major role in determining cost-effective levels of carbon emissions. He also assesses the impact of the imposition of a cap-and-trade regime under the Climate Security Act of 2007. In addition, the author highlights the effort of the Federal Trade Commission to consider creating guidelines concerning the effectiveness of carbon offset credits.

The article discusses the moves by the U.S. Congress and the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to improve the valuation of the yuan against the U.S. dollar. It states that the misaligned yuan puts U.S. manufacturers at a disadvantage. Members of Congress have introduced legislation and held hearings to address the trade deficit and currency issues. The Bush administration, which opposes Congressional action on the matter, is taking a diplomatic approach by persuading the Chinese government to revalue the yuan.

Introduces a series of article on life narratives which were presented during a conference at the University of Virginia in February 2002.