Posts Tagged “economy”
- An economic think tank says retailers who have worked to help fight inflation may be unable to continue in light of price increases coming from a variety of manufacturers covering many products. This may be a bit like being the timid clerk responsible for keeping the day-after-Thanksgiving crowd out of the mall an extra half-hour later…
- The remnants of Hurricane Dolly has flooded New Mexico’s Rio Ruidoso River, causing the evacuation Sunday of 300 people from homes, campgrounds and an RV park. In the case of those RV’s, I wonder how much more expensive it would have been to replace them than to relocate them 100 miles…
- A Southwest Airlines flight leaving Baltimore-Washington Airport made a quick return there when smoke from a faulty cockpit fan was discovered. So here’s the tough question–was the smoke caused by the faulty fan, or was the fan faulty because it wasn’t removing smoke from the cockpit?
- Barack Obama continues to be mum on who his vice-presidential running mate may be, but he did suggest in an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press Sunday that his choice will have more to do than just ceremonial roles, adding, "We’re going to have a lot of problems and a lot of work to do, and I’m not interested in a vice-president who I just send off to go to funerals". I guess this takes Dennis Kucinich off the short list…
- John McCain endorsed an Arizona proposal Sunday that would ban affirmative action programs, an action he has criticized in the past. Not surprisingly, McCain claims his position is consistent with his overall views–those being the views most likely to get him elected…
- A South Carolina woman whose mistrust of banks led her to put $22,000 in savings inside a sock hidden in the closet of a spare bedroom lost it anyway when a thief broke in and stole it. I would imagine anyone hearing her try and blame someone else for this would likely tell her to put a sock in that as well…
Tags: Barack Obama, economy, Hurricane Dolly, inflation, John McCain, Meet The Press, Southwest Airlines, Vice presidential nomination
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- Hurricane Dolly hit the Texas coastline Wednesday, but the levees many worried would collapse managed to hold and kept the heavily-populated Rio Grande Valley from serious flooding. That’s certainly good news–it means it’s likely FEMA won’t have as much to not do in time to do any real good…
- The House easily passed the Housing And Economic Recovery Act of 2008 just hours after President Bush signaled that he would not veto the bill that would help many avoid foreclosure and prevent both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from collapsing. Each side made concessions to pass a bill both sides believed vital to many Americans’ survival–I guess there’s a first time for everything…
- A California woman mauled by a bear not only managed to escape but drive herself to a nearby fire station for help. It’s such great news that she’s survived it all–I just don’t want to see her on America’s Got Talent next season…
- DNA tests indicate that a Guatemalan baby reported stolen from her parents was adopted by a couple in the US, suggesting that their troubled adoption system has been relying on abducted children. This spells heartbreak for everyone involved–except whoever is getting rich from it…
- Radioactive particles from a French nuclear reactor spewed from a pipe Wednesday and slightly contaminated 100 employees. I’m told their risk was very slight–they’ve probably spewed worse from their own mouths about the US…
- A British activist, anxious to get an audience with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, got his wish–by gluing himself to the PM’s sleeve as the two shook hands. I imagine he spent a great deal longer glued to several of their Secret Service agents…
Tags: DNA, economy, Gordon Brown, House, Hurricane Dolly, President Bush, Texas
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- Barack Obama, who spent the weekend in Afghanistan meeting US troops and talking with President Hamid Karzi, said in an interview that, "the situation is precarious and urgent in Afghanistan, and I believe this has to be our central focus…in our battle against terrorism". I guess we know where Jesse Jackson will fit in an Obama administration…
- Speaking Sunday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said that, "it’s going to be months that we’re working our way through this period–clearly months". Considering that he was trying to help Americans feel confident about its banking system, he may want to consider a whole no-news-is-good-news philosophy…
- Tropical storm Cristobal, the first of the Atlantic hurricane season to hit the US, dropped rain and raised seas along the North Carolina shore Sunday before weakening and heading out to sea. Meanwhile, tropical storm Dolly is heading for the Gulf of Mexico and could be a hurricane by Tuesday–is it too late to get Cristobal back?
- A New Jersey woman, Amber Arpaio, has sued the call girl linked to former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, claiming that Ashley Dupre used Arpaio’s driver’s license in order to appear in a Girls Gone Wild video. Considering everything that’s happened to Dupre, maybe Ms Arpaio should be lucky she just lost her identity…
- Activists in Iran are working to overturn court orders to stone to death eight women and one man convicted of adultery. In an unrelated story, Bill Clinton has decided against serving as a goodwill ambassador in Tehran…
- Bejing launched its bold plan Monday to reduce its ever-present smog prior to next month’s Olympics by permitting only half the usual number of cars on its streets, with drivers of odd-numbered license plates required to take public transportation. Additionally, construction has been cut back, factories required to reduce emissions by 30 percent, and outrageous human rights violations reduced to dropping the occasional desenter off a tall building…
Tags: 2008 hurricane season, 2008 Summer Olympics, Ashley Alexandra Dupre, Barack Obama, economy, Eliot Spitzer, Iran
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- A new bird flu vaccine made from lab-grown cells instead of chicken eggs could be a major step forward in prevention of the potentially deadly virus, as it cuts production time nearly in half and allows health officials to better match annual shots to when flu strains are circulating. It also improves the odds of having an omlette that doesn’t kill you…
- Two House members claim that several of their computers have been compromised by people inside China, which follows on the heels of an investigation into whether the contents of a government-owned laptop were copied when Secretary Of Commerce Carlos Guiterrez visited China recently. Maybe they’re just angling to add an event to their Olympics this summer–Power Hacking…
- A bill to extend unemployment benefits to workers whose aid is running out passed the House, but not by enough votes to expedite it as Democrats wished, nor enough to override a possible veto if President Bush does see it. In other words, they came up short–just like the people they were trying to help…
- One of Barack Obama’s vice-presidential selection team has resigned his position amid criticism of personal loans he received from a subprime lender Obama has often attacked. When you have to vet the vetters, it’s time for somebody to take a chill pill…
- John McCain said yesterday that avoiding casualties in Iraq is more important than when they might be coming home. Of course, if they come home that will totally avoid casualties…
- A West Virginia city council has voted to raise its mayor’s pay–only the mayor says he will veto it, since other city workers will be without a pay increase. Unfortunately, this man has no future in politics…
Tags: Barack Obama, China, Democrat, economy, hackers, health care, House, John McCain
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- The slumping economy has slowed down another industry–divorces, which are declining as couples looking to split up find that selling their home is far from easy or profitable. It could spawn a new version of a ’70’s hit–"Equity Will Keep Us Together"…
- The search for Barack Obama’s vice-presidential nominee will reportedly extend to the military as well as current and former elected officials. I wonder if Hillary Clinton is scrambling to get herself an emergency Navy commission…
- Senate Republicans managed to block a bill that would have imposed a windfall profits tax on oil companies, claiming that it would have no effect on gas prices. That may be true, but it certainly would have shrunk a figure or maybe two off some executives’ eight-figure earnings…
- John McCain’s campaign is refuting rumors that they declined to meet with evangelist Billy Graham, with both sides insisting that no invitation had even been extended. I’m wondering when evangelist Pat Robertson will insist McCain would have known if he hadn’t let God’s call go straight to voicemail…
- Weekend storms in Wisonsin that brought torrents of rain flooded a popular lake so badly that it burst its banks and emptied into a nearby river, leaving it nearly empty. On the upside, it’s become a great fishing spot…
- Truckers protesting Spain’s skyrocketing fuel prices by blocking highways there yesterday disrupted shipments of many staples, causing shortages among many food vendors. It’s even affected their traditional "running of the bulls"–it’s really become more of a meander…
Tags: Barack Obama, economy, Gas prices, John McCain, Republican, Senate, Spain, Vice presidential nomination
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