robert king to the program from louisiana state university. he was a junior and he went back to school and entered the school paper and then for a while he thought about getting a master's in business education, but the "washington post" saved him from the fate of personal wealth by recruiting him as a reporter for the post and now she labors under the slave wages of journalism. what's left of journalism. thank goodness the "washington post" owns caplin testing or there might be more problems here in washington, d.c. with journalism. on the model lee am pleased to introduced robert and jon jeter but i am now jealous because i haven't written a book, and i am pleased that he has done so. the only thing i ask is i get to ask the first question after they make their presentations. by the way with a few exceptions i will represent all white people here tonight. [laughter] i know that you're always asked what do black people think about this, so you can ask me what white people think about this. robert, jon. [applause] [laughter] >> good evening. f

eleanor ross taylor for captive voices, new and selected poems 1960-2008 from louisiana state university press. and rachel zucker for museum of accidents from wave books. james marcus will announce the winner.

robert twilley is professor of oceanography and coastal sciences at louisiana state university. he's also a science advisor to the state's office of coastal protection and restoration. mr. twilley, tell us first a little bit more about the gulf coast-- gulf coastline, the terrain and the wildlife that's there, paint the picture for us. >> well, what are you hearing most about right now is off the coast of louisiana which is a delta. it's built by the mississippi river. it's basically a muddy coast. and it's dominated by wetlands. and it's a very fragile environment. as you move towards the east you get into mississippi, you get in the sea grasss, clear water. all along this area are some of the most productive shellfish, the oyster grounds in the u.s. then you move farther east and you get into more sandy environment, this is one of your hot beds of tourism, it's one of the most fabulous places to visit enjoy, and recognize ree ate. and then you move-- recognize reit. then farther into florida, again the same, more of a sandy environment. so you really have a very diverse set of

mason, louisiana bankers association, professor of banking at the louisiana state university. mr.mason?v<Ñ >> thank you, chairman kanjorski and ranking member thank you for allowing me to talk on this popular up to. while monetary and fiscal policies of countries worldwide have been successful in a worst case scenario in the great depression the combination of rising fiscal deficits and continued monetary policy accommodation has raised concerns about the sustainability of public finances and fears of inflation. as a result, the recent uproar about greece's fiscal woes and possible debt default are viewed as many as many as a canary in the coal mine. it's hard to argue that greece is not blamed for its difficulties. as of 2009, greece had the highest fiscal accounting balance as a percent of the gdp in all the euro countries in britain. and it's projected 2009/2010 and 2011 balances were second only to ireland. with a long history of fiscal stress and four previous defaults in modern history, investors are right to be suspicious. as of this time spain, italy are being pressured fo

as a professor of minute -- as a professor of medicine at louisiana state university, he has taught doctors the past 20 years. he is a dedicated conservative and he was a very vocal opponent of the obama health care plan. >> yes, he was. >> he has the experience to back up those criticisms. it is my pleasure to welcome, without further ado, our congressman. ♪ [applause] >> you know, i am a physician -- a gastroenterologist. i tell people that it prepares you very well for washington, d.c. [applause] looks ask me why i ran. -- folks asked me why i ran. i have taught students entreated the uninsured. my life's work has been health care reform to bring insurance to those who could otherwise not afford it. one reason i ran was because i was frustrated with the fact that government, when it came to health care, consistently over-promised and under-funded. that raises expectations. when you under-fund, the only way the government can manage that is to lengthen the line and decrease the quality. as a doctor for 20 years, i cannot understand that when it comes to your health care, if you link the a

we'll also discuss the universal service fund, very important to the chairs state of louisiana into my state of mississippi as well as other rural areas and worse we will get into the discussion of spectrum. we need to make sure we efficiently and effectively use this finite resource. the success of small businesses is essential for economic growth in my state of mississippi small businesses make up a majority of our state's employers, that is their quality and affordable access to the internet to help them compete in the market. i asked that my opening statement be included in its entirety. >> thank you and a senator for being so cooperative in my lap without objection. the reason were having to do is simply as two panels, 10 witnesses this morning and it's really a very full hearing. senator hagan. >> thank you on madam chairman. i want to thank you and the testimony of the witnesses. in north carolina, we do have a lot of rural counties. eighty-five more counties are rural. one of the issues i care over and over again is the lack of high-speed broadband that these farmers can use. t