Diebold Stock Soars After $3 Billion Takeover Bid by Defense Contractor Conglomerate United Technologies.
UTC Chairman Says Irresponsible Republican Voting Machine Company an 'Excellent Fit', in Letter Explaining Hostile Offer, Twice Rejected by Diebold...
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Here's United Technologies Corporation's entry in the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Drug Pitchmen: Actor, Doctor, or Pfizer's Option
Dr. Robert Jarvik is neither a physician nor an actor, and yet he managed to sell medications for two years and, in so doing, deceived us all.
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On Signature Issues, McCain Has Shown Some Inconsistencies
Senator John McCain likes to present himself as the candidate of the “Straight Talk Express” who does not pander to voters or change his positions with the political breeze. But the fine print of his record in the Senate indicates that he has been a lot less consistent on some of his signature issues than he has presented himself to be so far in his presidential campaign.
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Monday, March 3, 2008
Classic Monday Rock: "Working Man" by Rush
Nothing much to say about this one except check out that drum kit...
I get up at seven, yeah
And I go to work at nine
I got no time for living
Yes, I'm working all the time
It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am
I guess thats why they call me
They call me the working man
They call me the working man
I guess that's what I am
I get home at five o'clock
And I take myself out a nice, cold beer
Always seem to be wondering
Why there's nothing going down here
It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am
I guess that's why they call me
They call me the working man
They call me the working man
I guess that's what I am
Well, they call me the working man
I guess that's what I am
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Mukasey refuses probe of Bush aides
Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused Friday to refer the House's contempt citations against two of President Bush's top aides to a federal grand jury. Mukasey said White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers committed no crime. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she has given the Judiciary Committee authority to file a lawsuit against Bolten and Miers in federal court.
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Bush Moves to Shield Telecommunications Firms
President Bush said last week that telecommunications companies that helped government wiretapping efforts need protection from 'class-action plaintiff attorneys' who see a 'financial gravy train' ahead. Democrats and privacy groups responded by accusing the Bush administration of trying to shut down the lawsuits to hide evidence of illegal acts.
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Just ten months and eighteen days left of this corrupt, incompetent administration.
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Just ten months and eighteen days left of this corrupt, incompetent administration.
Teaching Boys and Girls Separately
A New York Times Magazine article: The idea of separate classes for boys and girls is gaining traction in American public schools, in response to the different education crises they have been reported to experience.
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Free Lunch Isn’t Cool, So Some Students Go Hungry
At many schools, separate lines and menus for those who pay and those who get subsidized meals create a stigma, so many students go hungry.
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John Scalzi has written a couple or three posts about this story at Whatever. This one, "Shaming the Poor," is excellent.
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John Scalzi has written a couple or three posts about this story at Whatever. This one, "Shaming the Poor," is excellent.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Jack Endorses Clinton
Jack Nicholson and a few of his many screen personae endorse Hillary Clinton for president...
Bush on $4 Gas: "I Hadn't Heard That"
A normal president would be severely criticized for exhibiting this level of cluelessness about what regular Americans are going through -- just as Bush's father was excoriated toward the end of his term for appearing to be unfamiliar with an optical scanner at a supermarket check-out. But the "liberal media" will let Bush off the hook on this one, just as they always do, because his being out of touch is simply par for the course.
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Sigh. At least we're now one more day closer to January 20, 2009.
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Sigh. At least we're now one more day closer to January 20, 2009.
Bush Condemns Leaders Who 'Have Pictures Taken' with 'Tyrants'
In yesterday’s news conference, President Bush sharply attacked Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) argument that the president “should never fear to negotiate” with America’s enemies. Bush told reporters:
"It will send a discouraging message to those who wonder whether America will continue to work for the freedom of prisoners. It will give great status to those who have suppressed human rights and human dignity. […]
"Sitting down at the table, having your picture taken with a tyrant such as Raul Castro, for example, lends the status of the office and the status of our country to him. He gains a lot from it by saying, look at me, I’m now recognized by the President of the United States."
Perhaps Bush forgot all the times that he sat down and had his picture taken with leaders of questionable human rights credentials...
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"It will send a discouraging message to those who wonder whether America will continue to work for the freedom of prisoners. It will give great status to those who have suppressed human rights and human dignity. […]
"Sitting down at the table, having your picture taken with a tyrant such as Raul Castro, for example, lends the status of the office and the status of our country to him. He gains a lot from it by saying, look at me, I’m now recognized by the President of the United States."
Perhaps Bush forgot all the times that he sat down and had his picture taken with leaders of questionable human rights credentials...
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Sprint Posts $29.45 Billion Loss
Sprint Nextel posted a $29.45 billion quarterly loss as the wireless carrier took a massive charge for its 2005 acquisition of Nextel. Sprint said it would quit paying dividends and warned subscriber losses are accelerating. Oops.
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It was supposed to be a good year for Sprint. They had exorcised the Nextel name from NASCAR. The top series is now the Sprint Cup Series. Then, just before the season got underway, came a big round of layoffs. Now this.
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It was supposed to be a good year for Sprint. They had exorcised the Nextel name from NASCAR. The top series is now the Sprint Cup Series. Then, just before the season got underway, came a big round of layoffs. Now this.
USDA Rejects 'Downer' Cow Ban
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer told Congress yesterday that he would not endorse an outright ban on "downer" cows entering the food supply or back stiffer penalties for regulatory violations by meat-processing plants in the wake of the largest beef recall in the nation's history.
Appearing at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Schafer said the department is investigating why it missed the inhumane treatment of cattle at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, Calif., including workers administering electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays to downer cows -- those too sick or weak to stand without assistance.
The secretary announced interim steps such as more random inspections of slaughterhouses and more frequent unannounced audits of the nearly two dozen plants that process meat for federal school lunch programs.
But he deflected calls from Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), the subcommittee chairman, for the government to ban all downer cows from the food supply, increase penalties for violators and require installation of 24-hour surveillance cameras in processing plants.
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A confirmed case or two of mad cow disease would devastate the beef industry, much more than the recent beef recall. It seems like the industry would welcome tougher regulations and oversight...you know, instead of the alternative. Not that there aren't already tough regulations on the books that aren't being enforced due to a shortage of inspections.
Appearing at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Schafer said the department is investigating why it missed the inhumane treatment of cattle at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, Calif., including workers administering electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays to downer cows -- those too sick or weak to stand without assistance.
The secretary announced interim steps such as more random inspections of slaughterhouses and more frequent unannounced audits of the nearly two dozen plants that process meat for federal school lunch programs.
But he deflected calls from Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), the subcommittee chairman, for the government to ban all downer cows from the food supply, increase penalties for violators and require installation of 24-hour surveillance cameras in processing plants.
read more | digg story
A confirmed case or two of mad cow disease would devastate the beef industry, much more than the recent beef recall. It seems like the industry would welcome tougher regulations and oversight...you know, instead of the alternative. Not that there aren't already tough regulations on the books that aren't being enforced due to a shortage of inspections.
NASCAR Tracks: Las Vegas
Image by rayb777 via FlickrThe facility opened in 1996. NASCAR held a Truck Series race there that year, then added a Nationwide Series race in 1997 and a Sprint Cup series race in 1998.
In 2006, the track was repaved and reconfigured. Pit road was moved closer to the front straightaway and closer to the fans in the stands, and fan-friendly features were added to the infield, particularly the Neon Garage where fans can see live entertainment and get up-close and personal with drivers. Progressive banking -- the track gets steeper the closer you get to the outside wall -- was added, making the track faster and allowing more side-by-side racing.
The track features twenty degree banking near the wall in the wide, sweeping turns and nine degrees of banking on the 2275-feet frontstretch. The flatter (only three degrees) backstretch is 1572 feet long.
SAFER barriers had been installed along the outside wall, but in 2008 Jeff Gordon was involved in a crash in which his car slammed hard into the inside wall. SAFER barriers were soon installed along the inside wall.
Las Vegas native Kurt Busch holds the Sprint Cup qualifying record at LVMS -- 28.614 secs. (188.719 mph), set in February 2010. Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with three wins at LVMS. The wins came in consecutive years from 2005-07. Jack Roush leads all owners with six LVMS wins.
Currently, Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts one Sprint Cup race per year, the Shelby American, in late February or early March. The track also hosts a Nationwide Series race on the same weekend, and a Camping World Truck Series race in September. Owner Bruton Smith has been lobbying NASCAR hard for a second race, but the schedule is already full and NASCAR officials are leery because of their experiences at Fontana.
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