Grace Oct. 26 BBQ to Benefit AIM

Grace Episcopal Church will hold its 16^th annual Bar-B-Que Oct. 26 from 5-8 p.m. at the Anderson County Farmers Market, with proceeds going to Anderson Interfaith Ministries.

Each year Grace choses a local charity to receive all money raised. In the last 16 years, the Grace Bar-B-Que has given over $90,000 to local charities. 

Grace Rector, Father Jack Hardaway, said “With tough economic times, our outreach committee chose AIM because they help families and individual with multiple services including food, emergency assistance, women’s and children’s services and much more.”

“We support AIM’s vision to connect people with support, resources and education so they can empower themselves to be self-sufficient.”

Tickets are $15.00 each and available from most church members or by calling 864-225-8011. 

For more information contact Nita Coleman at 864-933-4479 or John Woodson at 864-933-1551.

Meals on Wheels Asks Community to "Adopt a Route"

The holidays will be here before you know it, and Meals on Wheels is working on a new program for providing a hot meal to recipients on days the office is closed. 

Meals on Wheels usually sends a frozen meal to recipients any day that the office is closed for a holiday. However, the Adopt a Route program will offer the community an opportunity to lend a helping hand during the holidays and serve hot meals to recipients.  

Adopt a Route invites individuals, families, churches, civic groups and more to choose a standard Meals on Wheels food delivery route, prepare a meal to serve to those on the route and deliver it on a day the office is closed. Last year, a team of firemen prepared and delivered meals, as did several church groups.  

To Adopt a Route, one must prepare (or purchase) the food and arrange for delivery. The staff at Meals on Wheels will assist in finding a route that suits the needs of the volunteers based on location and number of people to serve. 

If you are interested in Adopting a Route, contact Jeanie Campbell at the MOW office at 864-225-6800 or jcampbell@acmow.org.

AnMed Walking Trail Could Connect to East-West Parkway

The walking trail on AnMed's North Campus could eventually connect to the new East-WestThis SCDOT map shows possible alternatives to routes connecting the AnMed North track with the East-Weat Parkway. Parkway according to a mass mailing sent out by the South Carolina Department of Transportation and received by the Observer Saturday.

According to the DOT, beginning at the parkway, Alternative #1 would extend the multi-use path across S.C .81, then along Oak Hill Drive to the creek where it would then follow parallel to the creek before connecting with the existing track at AnMed.

Again, beginning at the parkway, Alternative #2 would extend the multi-use path across S.C. 81 to Oak Hill Drive, then follow a portions of Northridge Drive, Belaire Circle and Beechwood Parkway, before following parallel to an existing creek between Clarendon and Oakmont Subdivisions to join the existing AnMed track.

Other options may also be offered, according to DOT, and public input will be sought before any final decision is made.

Once a route is approved, construction would begin in 2015.

For more information, contact Tommy Elrod, SCDOT, at ElrodTJ@scdot.org; Jonathan R. Chasteen at ChasteenJR@scdot.org; or Michael Gay at the City of Anderson at mgay@cityofandersonsc.com

Senate Leaders Scramble for Deal on Standoff

Efforts to reopen the government and avert a default on the nation's debt rested in the hands of the Senate's top leaders after talks between House Republicans and the White House broke down Saturday.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sat down to negotiate for the first time since the 12-day-old government shutdown began, but there were no indications they had made significant progress. Still, Senate leaders made plans for a rare Sunday session in case they reach a deal, while the House adjourned for the weekend after a brief and at times chaotic session.

Early in the day, Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told House Republicans that President Obama had rejected their efforts to enter into more substantive negotiations, according to lawmakers who attended the closed-door session. Obama has insisted he would negotiate over the federal budget with the Republicans only after they first reopened the government and lifted the debt ceiling.

Boehner said it was now up to Senate Republicans to hold firm and extract concessions on the president's healthcare law and federal spending. But Senate Republicans expressed frustration with the apparent indifference of their House counterparts to the political toll that their party has suffered from the shutdown and the threat of a potentially catastrophic default on the nation's debt.

Since McConnell cut a deal last December with Vice President Joe Biden to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, he has largely stayed out of budget talks. With a potentially tough reelection battle that includes a challenge from his right, McConnell has emphasized conservative priorities, such as opposing measures on gun control and immigration reform.

His move to reenter the fray could reflect McConnell's calculation that his ultimate political goal — to lead a Senate with a Republican majority — was imperiled by the hard-line position of Republicans in the House.

House Republicans have seen their leverage erode as Boehner has repeatedly failed to find a plan that could win a majority of his caucus and also be close to one the White House would discuss.

Full Story Here

Anderson Touchdown Club Names Week 7 Winners

Anderson Touchdown Cub Winners for week 7

Coach:      Paul Sutherland, Pendleton High School

Offensive:  T.C. McCullough, Belton-Honea Path High School

Defensive:  Darius Pickens, Pendleton High School

Lineman:    Jordan Watson, Belton-Honea Path High School

President, GOP Discuss Temporary Fix

President Barack Obama and House Republicans began discussions Thursday on a GOP proposal to extend the nation's borrowing authority for six weeks, marking a new opening in the budget stalemate that risks a U.S. debt crisis.

At a White House meeting of the president and top House Republicans, Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) offered the proposal to extend U.S. borrowing authority in exchange for an agreement from Mr. Obama to negotiate on a broad range of budget issues.

The meeting ended inconclusively. But after weeks of stalemate and sniping, as well as a partial government shutdown that entered its 10th day Thursday, the inauguration of talks was a breakthrough that signaled a new openness on both sides.

Mr. Obama "didn't say yes, he didn't say no" to the GOP plan, said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) after the meeting with Mr. Obama. "We put an offer on the table. We had a long, frank conversation about it, and we agreed to continue talking and to continue negotiation. Just the glimpse of a path to avoiding an unprecedented U.S. default sent stocks soaring. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 323.09 points, or 2.2%, to 15126.07. Stocks also jumped higher in Asia Friday morning.

A new poll shows that Republicans are bearing the brunt of public outrage over the budget impasse. The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found 53% of Americans blamed the GOP for the shutdown, compared with 31% who blamed Mr. Obama. The Republican Party's image has slumped to its lowest level in Journal/NBC polling, which dates to 1989, with more than twice as many people holding a negative image of the GOP as a positive one.

Until now, Mr. Obama had refused to negotiate until the government was reopened and the debt ceiling raised. Republicans, in turn, said those steps must be paired with a deficit-reduction plan and changes to the 2010 health care law that they knew Mr. Obama wouldn't accept.

Full Story Here

S.C. Restaurants Face New Food Safety Rules

New rules for restaurants and delis would ban some workers from handling food with their bare hands, require eateries to use nationally certified equipment and take other steps to better protect food from germs that can make diners sick, according to a plan advanced Thursday by the state health department.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control board agreed to seek public comment on whether to overhaul the state’s food regulations. Department staffers said they have the support of many restaurant owners. The rules would need approval from the Legislature.

Despite some questions about possible burdens on small restaurants, agency director Catherine Templeton said the changes are long overdue. The changes modernize South Carolina’s outdated code, agency officials said.

“Ultimately, it’s not about dinging the establishments, it’s about making sure the public is safe,” Templeton told the board, noting that the rules will be “vetted” by the restaurant industry before they would become effective. The rules would be phased in over the next two years, according to plans. A public hearing is planned for Jan. 9.

Major changes include:

• No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. That means many restaurant and deli workers will begin using gloves when preparing or handling food, although they also could use tongs or tissues.

• Lower cold-holding temperatures or higher hot-holding temperatures for food.

• More training for managers of restaurants to make them more knowledgeable about reducing the risks of food-borne illnesses

• Requiring national certification of equipment, such as dishwashers

Restaurant owners and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have collaborated with DHEC on the proposed new food rules, agency officials told the board.

DHEC board member Kenyon Wells said larger chain restaurants tell him they’re more prepared than small restaurants he has spoken with. He and board chairman Allen Amsler questioned whether small businesses might have trouble complying. Even so, Wells said he knows first-hand how improperly prepared food can cause illness. His wife once got sick from an undercooked meal, he said.

“We’ve got to have it, there’s no doubt about it,” Wells said.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/10/10/3030837/tighter-food-safety-rules-on.html#storylink=cpy

Haley, Sheheen Coffers Add $1.5 M Since July

South Carolina’s two candidates for governor in 2014 raised more than $1.5 million from July to September.

Republican Gov. Nikki Haley’s campaign said it brought in more than $950,000 in 2013’s third quarter, leaving her campaign with $3.2 million available to spend, according to a news release.

Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen’s campaign said it had raised $565,507 during the same period, giving his campaign $1 million in cash on hand as of Sept. 30.

Combined, the pair have on hand about half of the $8 million they raised during their 2010 race, which Haley won by 4.5 percentage points.

Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon said Haley is building a large war chest quickly “because this will be a bruising fight.”

“She is doing a really good job of cashing in a lot favors from the presidential race,” Huffmon said, referring to Haley’s early backing of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. “She became a national favorite and has parlayed that recognition into big fundraising numbers.”

Sheheen has done well raising money as well in the quarters since he announced his 2014 candidacy, Huffmon said, adding, “Sheheen needs to capitalize on Democratic anger about the (federal government) shutdown.”

Haley has raised $2,147,167.28 from S.C. donors, or 50.2 percent of her total contributions. The remainder -- $2,126,039.79, or 49.8 percent -- came from donors in 47 other states.The third quarter was Haley’s largest fundraising total of this election cycle, which dates back to April 2011.

But it is not the largest of Haley’s political career. The former Lexington County state representative raised $2.2 million during 2010’s third quarter, just before the November 2010 election.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/10/10/3030891/gov-nikki-haley-raised-950000.html#storylink=cpy

Anderson County Veterans Day Parade is On

Anderson County veterans annual parade is officially a go.

More than 50 veterans and volunteers gathered at the American Legion facility on Greenville Street Thursday night to determine if there was enough time and/or if enough volunteers were available to make this year's parade a reality.

The vote by the veterans to forward with the parade was almost unanimous.

Representatives from the city and county pledged support and volunteers, along with offers of volunteers from the Anderson County GOP, the Anderson Observer and WRIX-FM 103.1's "The Morning Show." Other volunteers from the community will also be given the oppotunity to participate.

The parade will be held Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. in downtown Anderson.

U.S. Among Highest Cell Phone Costs in World

In terms of raw prices, the U.S. ranks among the highest in the world in the cost of phone data plans. According to research by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) the average phone plan with 500MB of data costs $85 in the U.S., compared to $24.10 in China and $8.80 in the U.K., in terms of U.S. dollar Purchasing-power Parity (PPP).

The Economist has created a great interactive map showing off the price disparity across the globe, which illustrates how far behind the U.S. is in terms of the price of mobile data. Again in terms of the raw price of purchasing mobile phone plans with data, the U.S. is in the company of countries like Botswana, Angola and Morocco, where it can cost anywhere from $80 to $110 to have a phone with just 500MB of monthly mobile data.

The cheapest countries around the world to pick up a phone plan with data are India, Indonesia, Germany, Italy, and the U.K., each costing around $10 (again USD at PPP) for that same plan that costs $85 in the U.S. The cheapest data collected by the ITU was in Austria, where $4.70 gets you a phone plan with 500MB of mobile data.

The fixed prices don't tell the whole story though, of course. Although in nominal terms the average U.S. consumer is paying drastically more for a phone plan that even developing nations, the percentage of a person's income that it costs is still very low. That $85 phone plan is just 2.1 percent of the Gross National Income (GNI) in the U.S., whereas in Botswana it is 9 percent. In Morocco, it's 20 percent.

When looking at countries that have mobile data prices under 2.5 percent of GNI, the U.S. is back in familiar company with Canada, Mexico, most all of Europe and Russia. Though these cheaper European plans may be in the range of 0.5 to 1 percent of GNI and therefore still dramatically cheaper than the U.S., those of us in the states may not have it as bad as we might think.

Four Myths Concerning Government Shutdown

With the fights over the current partial government shutdown and raising the nation's debt limit, America's political leaders are bringing the nation to the brink of ... well ... that depends on who you talk to. As the two sides point the blame at each other, though, there has been much misinformation. Here are four myths you may have heard.

Myth #1: It is a Government Shutdown

The government shutdown is not a government shutdown. It can more accurately be described as a partial government shutdown.

All essential services, and even some non-essential ones, continue. Federal workers, for instance, who are responsible for maintaining health and safety will stay on the job. You may have also noticed that your mailbox has continued to receive mail. And, many federal programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are not part of the normal budgeting process and, thus, unaffected.

By a couple of estimates, government spending has remained around 79 to 85 percent of what it was before the shutdown.

Myth #2: The Shutdown Is Not a Big Deal

Some Republicans have tried to downplay the impact of the shutdown. Sarah Palin, for instance, called it a "pin prick." Language like that ignores, though, the many ways the shutdown is hurting people. Those federal employees who remain at work, for instance, are doing so without pay.

Scientific research with government funding has had to stop. Some scientific experiments cannot simply be stopped and restarted. Data must be continually collected. So the shutdown ended these experiments altogether, and wasted the time and investment that was put into them before the shutdown.

Plus, as The Washington Post reported, some cancer patients who were hoping for a National Institutes of Health clinical trial in order to receive a special type of chemo treatment have been put on hold until the shutdown is over.

And lastly, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a program to help poor women with children, ran out of funding on Tuesday. Recipients will be without those benefits until the shutdown ends.

Myth #3: Republicans Have a Strategy

Republicans have no strategy. In fact, they do not even have a goal. Their actions throughout this fight with Obama have been ad-hoc. This is why their tactics change daily as they try to feel their way to some acceptable conclusion to the impasse.

Republicans first said they wanted to defund "Obamacare," then they wanted to delay "Obamacare," then they said they only wanted "fairness" (since the employer mandate is delayed, the individual mandate should be delayed). Now, Speaker of the House John Boehner's latest salvo is that he just wants Obama to sit down and have a conversation with him, but Obama refuses to negotiate.

"All we're asking for is to sit down and have a conversation," Boehner said at a Tuesday press conference. "There's no reason to make it more difficult to bring people to the table. There's no boundaries here, there's nothing on the table, there's nothing off the table. I'm trying to do everything I can to bring people together and have a conversation."

Myth #4: Obama Wants to End It

Since the government shutdown is hurting Republicans more than Democrats, Obama has no incentive to help bring it to an end.

In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, a senior Obama administration official put it this way: "We are winning. ... It doesn't really matter to us [how long the shutdown lasts] because what matters is the end result."

Though his spokesperson later denied that Obama wants the shutdown to continue. In a Tuesday press conference, Obama did admit that making sure the Republicans look bad is one of his tactics.

When asked why he does not support the smaller spending measures passed by the Republican House, such as for the National Park Service and the National Institutes of Health, Obama answered: "Wherever Republicans are feeling political pressure, they put a bill forward, and if there's no political heat, if there's no television story on it, then nothing happens. And, if we do some sort of shotgun approach like that, then you'll have some programs that are highly visible get funded and reopened, like national monuments, but things that don't get a lot of attention, like those [Small Business Administration] loans not being funded [during the shutdown]."

Oct. 26 Walk with the Cops to Support Crimestoppers

A “Walk with the Cops” event to support Crimestoppers will be held Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. beginning at the Anderson Mall main entrance. Signup begins at 9 a.m.

Registration is $10 and includes a free t-shirt. Registration is free for law enforcement officers.

The event includes free kids’ fingerprinting and photo identification.

Anderson Chapter of Federation for Blind Walk Set Saturday

The National Federation of the Blind Anderson Chapter will mark White Cane Safety Day Saturday with a walk beginning at 10 a.m. at Dunkin' Donuts on North Main Street. Registration begins at 9 a.m.
 
T-Shirts are $20 all donations big or small are greatly appreciated. The funds go toward scholarships for the blind and visually impaired to continue their education, Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference Center in Pickens, for children & seniors camp, transportation to and from monthly club meetings. All donations are tax deductible.