Michael Jackson remembered
A nice story written by my co-worker Paul Curtis at The Garden Island newspaper.
Jackson, pictured during a 1984 performance in the Victory tour, wins eight Grammys for "Thriller" in February 1984.
Lihu‘e man remembers meeting Michael Jackson
LIHU‘E — While many members of the media scramble to find some kind of final scandal in the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, Lihu‘e resident Bill Kerbawy prefers to remember the King of Pop the way he was offstage.
“He’s very shy. He’s very humble,” said Kerbawy, who was working as a house detective at the Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York City in 1984 when Jackson visited several times while in town for concerts.
“I enjoyed meeting with him, spending time with him. The energy he radiated as a human being was totally opposite than his stage persona,” Kerbawy said in an interview Monday.
Kerbawy remembered Jackson as someone who felt that people could overcome anything with love. So, Kerbawy feels the best thing for the King of Pop’s children would be for the people who love the children to get together and decide what’s best for them.
Kerbawy was always assigned to Jackson at the hotel where it is a policy to assign a hotel security member to each VIP guest.
Jackson had his own bodyguards, said Kerbawy, who also worked for nearly 18 years as a New York State Supreme Court officer (similar to Hawai‘i sheriffs), which gave him full police powers and statewide jurisdiction.
“Michael when I spoke to him was not concerned by money,” he said. “He was a loving soul, all about the message.”
Kerbawy, who said he is certain everything happens for a reason, never thought he would meet Jackson and never thought he would ever live and work on Kaua‘i.
But after 9/11, an early-retirement offer was presented that doubled his pension, so he sold his house on Long Island and bought a home on Kaua‘i. He worked at Wilcox Memorial Hospital and Lihu‘e Airport in security, but arthritis and other problems forced him to file for and receive disability.
Kerbawy said he was at Lihu‘e Library recently and heard some young people talking about Jackson’s death. He said they were blown away when he whipped out his picture of him with the King of Pop.
“When Michael died, yeah, I prayed,” said Kerbawy, 60. “It is a personal story.”
Jackson was “a lover of people.”
Tribute to Michael Jackson
Michael J. Jackson 1958 - 2009
Michael Jackson was a man sadly torn apart by the public, the media (this kind of media is appalling to me) and even reportedly by members of his own family; it was a shame his life ended so abruptly.
He was an extremely gifted, talented individual and will be missed by many.
Why buy when you can rent?
Why buy? ‘Transumers’ try to rent everything
From bike sharing to Vera Wang outfits more looking for temporary deals
MIAMI - Cassandra Smith spends $800 a month renting designer handbags and leases a luxury condo in downtown Miami. Environmentalist Zoee Turrill helped create a bike-sharing program at the University of Denver.
Though they might seem to come from different ends of the consumption spectrum, they have something in common: They're not buying things.
The rise of rental or borrowing services catering from everyone from fashionistas to environmentalists has even spawned a marketing buzzword: the "transumer."
It almost seems anti-American to rent, rather than buy; a look at the popular reality TV show "Clean House" is a testament to Americans' love of accumulating stuff. But Evers says that in this global recession, people are warming to the idea of renting, and not buying, certain goods — because of cost, ease or space considerations.
"On the one hand, you have consumers who want to collect as many experiences and part-time possessions as possible," Evers said. "And then there are transumers who value non-ownership for environmental reasons: to only use something when you really need it, which involves everything from renting to passing something on to the next person."
From rented Chanel sunglasses to the auto-sharing service Zipcars to fractional ownership of a jet to movies from Netflix, the pickings are good for transumers.
"It's kind of a sister-cousin concept to materialism, which is attachment to possessions. Transumerism, coming from the term transient, it's more 'I don't want to be attached to the possession' more 'I'm attached to the experiences,'" said Alexandra Aguirre Rodriguez, assistant marketing professor at Florida International University.
In recent years, many more companies are renting things at all levels: Wear Today, Gone Tomorrow rents designer clothes (A $495 Vera Wang rents for $49 a week, plus a $10 cleaning charge), Rentobile leases the latest in cell phones and irent2u rents almost anything (think ladders and power tools) in a Craigslist-like setting.
Even the nonprofit DogsAspen in Colorado is unintentionally getting in on the transumer act; the "Rent A Pet" program allows resort visitors who have been forced to leave pets at home "the opportunity to fill the void by spending a day outside the shelter with one of the animals."
There's even a Web site devoted to high-end transumerism. UK-based FractionalLife.com is a portal for those seeking to share Ferraris, art, holiday homes and even racehorses.
"Luxury is perhaps not what you own, but what you do," says Piers Brown, founder of Fractional Life.
Brown says during this downturn, people are reluctant to shoulder the costs of buying and maintaining expensive things — which may be why property and jets are among the most popular items on his Web site.
FIU's Rodriguez says she expects the trend to continue once the economy recovers.
"I don't think this is a trend that will go away, simply because it is about collecting the experiences and the stories," she said.
There's also the "eco-transumer," like Turrill.
The 22-year-old worked with another student to raise $50,000 to start their "bike library." Come fall, some 600 bikes will be placed at 40 kiosks around the city so people can rent the two-wheelers by the hour or day.
"Why does an individual have to hold the responsibility for all the maintenance when a community could hold that responsibility?" she said.
Rentals also reduce the amount of natural resources spent on producing an item, says Eric Ginsberg of Bookswim, a New Jersey-based book rental company.
"There's a tremendous amount of natural resources used to make books, DVDs, you name it," he said. "Sharing an item also saves driving to and from the store. Our books come in the mail. Our books are essentially taking mass transit to get to our customers."
Bookswim would not give out sales figures or the number of their subscribers, but Ginsberg said that in the past year and a half, the company's membership has risen 500 percent.
In Miami, Smith, 29, is more concerned about fashion. Her latest rentals from Avelle (formerly Bag, Borrow or Steal) include a cherry red patent leather clutch by Louis Vuitton.
The medical device saleswoman has several drawers filled with purses she bought in her pre-rental days. Now, she's not sure what to do with them.
"Once I've used a purse for a while, I'm done with it," she says. "I've moved onto another trend."
The Good News is slackin'
Even Kauai is getting hectic with swindlers skipping town, people pulling machetes on each other and individuals harming our precious endangered wildlife. All on a tiny island which is so exquisite and beautiful; one has to wonder, why all the hate?
Nonetheless, I don't want to focus on that right now, though admittedly, it's been difficult trying not to lose sight of keeping positivity alive with The Good News. On the other hand, I have definitely learned that we must face the negative in order to learn how to change our ways.
How come no one ever warned me journalism would be this tough? By the same token, the professions can also be so tremendously rewarding.
Lucky I live Hawaii and lucky to love what I do, even if it does distract me every once in awhile.
Thought of the Day for June 29th, 2009
~Jimi Hendrix
Thought of the Day for June 8th, 2009
~Malcolm X
Stable jobs
7 Stable Jobs
As fashion fads come and go each decade, so do employment trends. Back in the late 1990s and very early 2000s, it seemed that all things Internet would be around forever. Employment for dot-com jobs seemed to be on an upward trajectory with no limit.
Then 2001 came and things changed.
Internet-related jobs weren't the first positions to take a hit, and they won't be the last. But through all of these ups and downs -- and it's fair to say that this economy is down -- some jobs fare better than others.
The idea of a stable job in this economy might sound impossible to you, but it's not. Looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment trends, certain industries are showing job growth or remaining flat, even during these tough times.
We looked at these industries and then drilled down to see what positions have been poised for job growth over recent years. Of course, geography plays a huge role in how available some of these jobs are, so your city might have taken a bigger hit in some industries than other places have. Still, this is a good place to start if you're looking for some jobs that are still gaining momentum.
Here are some of today's stable jobs and their average annual salary:
Civil engineers for the federal government
What they do: Design public goods (such as roads, bridges, airports) and monitor the progress of construction. They are involved from the concept to the execution of these structures.
Education requirements: At least a bachelor's degree in engineering; additional coursework or training a plus.
Earnings: $62,804
Computer software engineers for the federal government
What they do: Create computer software, which can range from the applications you use at work to the games you play at home. Computer software engineers are involved from the creation to the testing stages.
Education requirements: At least a bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering; graduate work in mathematics and system design also beneficial.
Earnings: $75,850
Electrical engineers for the federal government
What they do: Work on and test the electrical equipment that you find in homes, office buildings, cars and airplanes, among other places.
Education requirements: At least a bachelor's degree in engineering; additional course work or training a plus.
Earnings: $76,264
Managers for general merchandise stores
What they do: Oversee the daily operations of stores, which means they write schedules, ensure merchandise arrives and address customers' concerns.
Education requirements: No strict education requirements, but high school diploma and extensive experience are common requisites.
Earnings: $74,010
Marriage and family therapists
What they do: Work with families or married couples where one or more parties are experiencing an emotional or mental disorder.
Education requirements: Requirements differ by state, but a master's degree with relevant course work and a counseling license are standard for many therapists.
Earnings: $40,293
Personal and home care aides
What they do: Assist people who need care with daily tasks in their own home due to illness or disability. They perform housekeeping chores and help patients bathe or move around the house, depending on their needs.
Education requirements: Much training is on-site and there are opportunities for certification, but experience often is the biggest asset.
Earnings: $22,163
Sales associates for general merchandise stores
What they do: Assist customers with purchases and answer questions about products. Sales associates are often the first and only point of contact customers have when shopping at retail stores.
Education requirements: No minimum education requirements, but many employers have experience requirements.
Earnings: $21,923
Industry information based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Salary figures based on data from CBsalary.com, powered by SalaryExpert.com
Legendary horse
PRINCETON – A horse is a horse, of course.
Unless it's a Clydesdale named Remington vying for the Guinness World Record as the tallest living horse.
Remington's owner, Cheryl Davis of Princeton, believes he can beat that height, though she's never gotten him to hold still long enough to be measured. She thinks he measures more than 20 hands, or 6 feet 8 inches.
Rachel Alexandra, the winner of last month's Preakness, stands at 16.2 hands and is considered a big horse.
There are probably taller horses than Remington out there, but most owners don't bother with a title because of all the paperwork and requirements that Guinness demands, Davis says. "If it's not recognized, it's not official," said Bunny Morrissey, Remington's trainer.
Remington will be measured Friday with his shoes on and again Saturday with no shoes at Frisco's Lake Country Animal Hospital. Photos, videos and witness statements will be sent off to Guinness for consideration. And if he wins, the title lasts only until someone submits the paperwork to beat it.
"If it lasts 10 minutes or 10 days, it will just be something happy to show," said Davis, who took an early retirement from Texas Instruments and is now job hunting. "He draws a crowd wherever he goes."
Davis and Morrissey alternate between describing Remington as a feisty teenager and a big, playful dog. He also has plenty of nicknames: Conan the Destroyer, the Stomach on Stilts, the Woolly Mammoth. Often he's just Remi.
Owning the big lug requires some adjustments. Everything has to be custom-made, from his halters to the steel-reinforced trailer that hauls him around.
Derek Allsop, a third-generation farrier in Celeste, said Remington is his largest customer by far with a size 10 shoe, the biggest premade. The shoe must be heated up in a forge the old-fashioned way because of its size so that it can be specially shaped.
About six months ago, Morrissey stopped at a truck weigh station. She weighed the trailer empty and then with Remington in it. He tipped the scales at 2,900 pounds and is probably more than 3,000 by now, she said.
When he walks in the yard after a hard rain, he leaves craters in the lawn.
His head bumps the 9 ½-foot ceiling on the barn, and his back scrapes the top of the trailer door. He responds when the women yell, "Duck," they said.
Raising Remington has been an adventure, the owner and trainer said. The two women recently started a blog to share his latest antics:
Like the time he put his front feet onto the air conditioning unit and knocked it off the house. Or the time he stuck his nose through the horse stall gate and threw it across the yard. Then there was the time he pulled a small tree out of the ground to play with. And when he scratched his neck on a 4x4 post in the barn and splintered it.
"If you build it, he'll break it, and if he can't break it, he'll eat it," said Morrissey.
Eating is practically a full-time job for Remington, who requires two square bales of hay a day, nine quarts of grains twice a day and 40 gallons of water. He also enjoys a healthy supply of peppermint treats.
Davis bought Remington when he was a year old and a mere 17 hands tall to work with an English shire for the Belle Starre Carriages, a private-for-hire business that Morrissey operates. Remington now pulls a carriage carrying eight people by himself.
At that first meeting 11 years ago, Remington stepped on her foot. Davis spent three months in an orthopedic boot but said it was love at first sight.
"I had a gut feeling he was something special, and he turned out to be a big something special," Davis said.
Thought of the Day for June 2nd, 2009
~Author Unknown
Thought of the Day for June 1st, 2009
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
~Leo Tolstoy
Memorial Day, pre BBQ
Memorial Day: Not Just For Barbecue
NPR
Maybe the families started it. Maybe it was those once-removed, who wanted to find a way to show their respect and gratitude for the sacrifice made by the few for the sake of the many. Interesting that this day of commemoration is rooted in a time of such division. Even now there is the inevitable tension and distance between the two meanings of the day: on the one hand, those who just want and need a day to relax, and those who want and need a day to mourn. There's a human need for both – for refreshment and celebration, for pause and remembrance.
But it seems fitting that those who are not carrying the burden of grief should pause to remember those who do.
So, to the men and women who are serving around the world, to the families who support them, we thank you.
A heads up on uploading pics to social-networking sites
No such thing as "deleted" on the Internet
Yahoo!
It's always fun to write about research that you can actually try out for yourself.
Try this: Take a photo and upload it to Facebook, then after a day or so, note what the URL to the picture is (the actual photo, not the page on which the photo resides), and then delete it. Come back a month later and see if the link works. Chances are: It will.
Facebook isn't alone here. Researchers at Cambridge University (so you know this is legit, people!) have found that nearly half of the social networking sites don't immediately delete pictures when a user requests they be removed. In general, photo-centric websites like Flickr were found to be better at quickly removing deleted photos upon request.
Why do "deleted" photos stick around so long? The problem relates to the way data is stored on large websites: While your personal computer only keeps one copy of a file, large-scale services like Facebook rely on what are called content delivery networks to manage data and distribution. It's a complex system wherein data is copied to multiple intermediate devices, usually to speed up access to files when millions of people are trying to access the service simultaneously. (Yahoo! Tech is served by dozens of servers, for example.) But because changes aren't reflected across the CDN immediately, ghost copies of files tend to linger for days or weeks.
In the case of Facebook, the company says data may hang around until the URL in question is reused, which is usually "after a short period of time." Though obviously that time can vary considerably.
Of course, once a photo escapes from the walled garden of a social network like Facebook, the chances of deleting it permanently fall even further. Google's caching system is remarkably efficient at archiving copies of web content, long after it's removed from the web. Anyone who's ever used Google Image Search can likely tell you a story about clicking on a thumbnail image, only to find that the image has been deleted from the website in question -- yet the thumbnail remains on Google for months. And then there are services like the Wayback Machine, which copy entire websites for posterity, archiving data and pictures forever.
The lesson: Those drunken party photos you don't want people to see? Simply don't upload them to the web, ever, because trying to delete them after you sober up is a tough proposition.
Thought of the Day for May 25th, 2009
Sow flowers so your surroundings become a garden
Don¹t sow thorns; for they will prick your feet
If you shoot arrows at others,
Know that the same arrow will come back to hit you.
Don¹t dig a well in another¹s path,
In case you come to the well¹s edge
You look at everyone with hungry eyes
But you will be first to become mere dirt.
Humans are all one body,
Whoever tortures another, wounds himself.
~Rahman Baba
Thought of the Day for May 22nd, 2009
Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.
~Ann Landers
Everyday heroes
Oprah teams up with "People" magazine to celebrate everyday heroes
By, Cindy Tickle
Examiner.com
On her show, Oprah teamed up with People magazine to celebrate everyday heroes. In this uplifting episode aptly titled, “Heroes in Hard Times,” Oprah shared a few of the inspiring stories highlighted in this week’s People magazine. She introduced America to a group of amazing men, women and children who are stepping up and making a difference in their communities during these tough economic times. To Oprah, dedicating an entire show to these selfless people was a no-brainer, “These heroes inspired us to come up with ideas that are right at our fingertips – to see what the need is and to reach out and respond.” In other words, start where you are and do what you can. Here are a few of their stories…
In Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Dr. Dan and Suzie Bell provide free healthcare to the uninsured. They started ECHO (Eureka Christian Health Outreach) clinic staffed by 250 volunteers to provide walk-in patients with private exam rooms, a makeshift pharmacy and free meals.
In Burlington, Vermont, Hal Colston provides low-income families with transportation. He founded Good News Garage where donated cars are repaired and sold at a reduced rate to those in need.
In Dallas, Texas, Marilyn Mock became known as the “foreclosure angel.” While attending a foreclosure auction, Marilyn met Tracy Orr who was saying goodbye to her family home. Tracy got behind on her mortgage payments after she lost her job. Marilyn bought Tracy’s home for $30,000, turned around and gave it right back to her.
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Tim and Nancy Nicolai provide shelter and free meals to hundreds of homeless families. At the Arena Motel, some stay for free while others pay what they can afford.
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The above four stories are just a sample of the nearly one dozen incredible acts of kindness represented on The Oprah Show and in People magazine. These people are not rich or famous, but they are armed with compassion, commitment and a strong sense of community. Hal Colston from the Good News Garage profoundly ended the show,
we must learn how to do with others rather than doing for. It’s not about saving and rescuing people. It’s about helping people accomplish their dreams and goals.”
If you would like to help someone achieve their dreams, visit oprah.com to see how you can support these wonderful charities and organizations. As Mother Teresa once said, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Right Whales making a comeback
Photo from Wikipedia.org
Endangered right whales found where there were none
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Scientists have documented the presence of endangered North Atlantic right whales with the help of underwater hydrophones that can pick up sounds from hundreds of kilometres away.
The discovery is particularly important because it is in an area where these whales were thought to be extinct and one that may be opened to shipping if the melting of polar ice continues, as expected, said researchers.
Scientists from Oregon State University (OSU) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are unsure of exactly how many whales were in the region, which is off the southern tip of Greenland and site of an important 19th-century whaling area called Cape Farewell Ground.
But they recorded more than 2,000 right whale vocalisations in the region from July through December of 2007.
"The technology has enabled us to identify an important unstudied habitat for endangered right whales and raises the possibility that... a remnant of a central or eastern Atlantic stock of right whales still exists and might be viable," said David Mellinger, assistant professor at OSU Hatfield Marine Science Centre in Newport and chief project scientist.
"We don't know how many right whales there were in the area," Mellinger added. "They aren't individually distinctive in their vocalisations. But we did hear right whales at three widely spaced sites on the same day, so the absolute minimum is three. Even that number is significant because the entire population is estimated to be only 300 to 400 whales."
Only two right whales have been sighted in the last 50 years at Cape Farewell Ground, where they had been hunted to near extinction prior to the adoption of protective measures, said an OSU release.
The results were presented this week at the Acoustical Society of America in Portland, Oregon.
Man climbs Everest 19 times
Sherpa scales Everest for record 19th time
Man first climbed peak in 1989 and has done so almost every year since
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KATMANDU, Nepal - A Nepalese Sherpa guide has once again broken his own record, scaling Mount Everest for the 19th time, mountaineering officials said Thursday.
Appa, who like most Sherpas goes by one name, reached the 29,035-foot peak early Thursday, guiding foreign clients and accompanied by several other fellow guides, said Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Tshering said Appa and members of the team are safe and returning to lower camps after spending a few minutes on top of the world.
Appa, 48, first climbed Everest in 1989 and has done so almost every year since. His closest rival is fellow Sherpa guide Chhewang Nima, who has made 15 trips.
Appa now lives in the United States, having settled in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper in 2006.
Scores of climbers are also reported to have scaled Everest on Thursday, Tshering said.
Dozens of climbers have reached the summit in the past three days after weather conditions on the mountain improved. Snow and high winds in the past few weeks had prevented climbers from making their way up the slopes of Everest.
May is considered the best time to climb the mountain. The harsh weather on Everest allows only about two windows — anywhere from a couple of days to a week — in May when conditions are favorable enough for the push to the summit.
Doodle 4 Google winner revealed
From google.com:
What I Wish for the World
Doodle 4 Google is a competition where we invite K-12 students to reinvent Google's homepage logo. Both our country and our world are undergoing significant change and this year we invited students to doodle around the theme "What I Wish for the World". At Google we believe in thinking big, and dreaming big, and we can't think of anything more important than encouraging students to do the same.
National Winner - 2009
-
A New Beginning
My doodle, "A new beginning," expresses my wish that in the current crisis discoveries will be made. That in these discoveries solutions will be found to help the Earth prosper once more. That those solutions will help the world get back on its feet, and create a better place for everyone.
Christin Engelberth
Bernard A. Harris Jr High School
San Antonio, TX
Thought of the Day for May 21st, 2009
There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.
~ Aldous Huxley
Promising changes for credit card holders
This is good news for those who love to charge up their favorite credit cards.
Although, here's a piece of advice that doesn't require the government's involvement: Don't use your card if you can't pay for it!
Big changes in store for US credit cardholders
By, Anne Flaherty
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – Every American with a credit card will see sweeping changes in the market, with limits on sudden hikes in interest rates that drive consumers deeper into debt. Even cardholders who pay off their balance each month may face new annual fees or lose out on lucrative rewards programs.
Congress wrapped up the legislation Wednesday and sent it to President Barack Obama, who plans to sign it on Friday. The bill will revolutionize the market by restricting when and how a card company can raise an individual's interest rate, who can receive a card and how much time people are given to pay their bill.
In general, the new rules — which go into effect in nine months — will protect debt-ridden consumers from many of the surprise charges common in the industry, such as over-the-limit fees and costs for paying a bill by phone.
"This cements a victory for every American consumer who has ever suffered at the hands of the credit card industry," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Banking Committee.
But there will be losers too.
Banks, which oppose the legislation, will need to make up the cost somewhere, and cardholders who pay off their balance in full each month could see new annual fees and lucrative rewards programs canceled. Credit could become harder to come by too.
Some of the changes, including a requirement that cardholders receive 45-days notice before their rates are raised, are already on track to take effect in July 2010 under new regulations by the Federal Reserve. The legislation would put these changes into law and go farther in restricting when and how banks charge people and who could get a card.
For example, the bill would require people under 21 to prove first that they can repay the money or that a parent or guardian is willing to pay off their debt if they default.
The House passed the reform bill by a 361-64 vote on Wednesday. The Senate had voted, 90-5, for the measure on Tuesday.
Consumer advocates say it's up to the banks to decide what happens next.
Nick Bourke, manager of the Safe Credit Cards Project at the Pew Health Group, said companies already offering transparent pricing won't have to drastically change how they do business. Lenders could probably cover costs with small annual fees in the $15-$20 range or increase upfront interest rates, he said.
"Nothing requires pricing to go up and benefits to go down," Bourke said. "The only thing that is required is that the price offered actually reflects the cost of using the card."
Regardless of how banks respond to the bill, it's passage this week reflects both America's addiction to debt and easy credit's contribution to the economic downturn.
Last year, the Nilson Report estimated that more than 700 million credit cards were in circulation in the United States. That's more than two cards for every man, woman and child.
What's more is that many cardholders are carrying hefty balances. According to the Federal Reserve, the nation is some $2.5 trillion in debt, excludig home mortgages.
Lawmakers supporting the bill say legislation is necessary to stop a vicious cycle: A cardholder falls behind on one bill and watches helplessly as the rate spikes on their existing balance. Buried in interest fees and other charges, they spend less, which hurts local businesses.
Under the bill, a customer would have to be more than 60 days behind on a payment before seeing a rate increase on an existing balance. Even then, the lender would be required to restore the previous, lower rate if the cardholder pays the minimum balance on time for six months.
The practice of charging higher rates and fees to cardholders with risky credit was devised as a means to protect lenders against the risk of default while keeping costs low for consumers who paid their bill on time, said Edward Yingling, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, which lobbied against the legislation.
Yingling says the new rules will limit the card companies' ability to price according to risk.
"Less credit will be available generally, which means some consumers and small businesses will not be able to obtain credit cards at all, particularly younger people and start-up small businesses," Yingling said.
Dodd, who championed the bill, said this argument is absurd and "a little like Chicken Little."
Flooded with complaints by constituents who say they are victims of abusive practices by the card companies, the Senate fast-tracked Dodd's bill and only five senators voted against it.
Two of the opposing senators — GOP Sen. John Thune and Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson — were from South Dakota, where thousands of jobs depend on the industry. Thune estimated up to 5,000 workers in the state would lose their jobs as a result of the changes.
Included in the bill is an unrelated measure bySen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., that would allow people to bring loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges.
The House approved that provision separately on Wednesday by a 279-147 vote.