Posts Tagged “Iraq”
- The board of Anhueser-Busch agreed to be sold to Belgian beverage giant InBev, who’s $52 billion all-cash offer was significantly higher than the $46-plus billion bid publicly rejected by the brewer in newspaper ads around the country. I guess this time around, they’re buying the horses too…
- Both the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve announced steps on Sunday to help solidify Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–who hold half of all US mortgages–after massive losses from its holdings have caused its stock to tumble. The move was partly designed to make sure the two lenders’ bond sales this week had buyers–and that they wouldn’t be expecting garage sale prices…
- Cell phone firms are pressing to stop traffikers who buy thousands of their cheap pay-as-you-go phones and then resell them–after tweaking the software so the phone will work on any network. There is actually no law against the practice–another case of technology advancing faster than politicians…
- The battle between Microsoft and Yahoo has gotten nasty as the software giant’s latest offer was rejected by the search engine firm, with its CEO calling the offer "erratic" and "unpredictable". I don’t know if that was about the deal itself or Bill Gates’ haircut…
- The approaching 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela on Friday is cause for world celebration, but for South Africa’s first black president, he says he’s "retired from retirement". I’d say after 27 years as a political prisoner, he deserves a break…
- The first group of female Iraqi security volunteers celebrated their gradudation Sunday before they begin their new jobs–preventing female suicide attacks by searching them, something men are not permitted to do there. That’s real progress for a culture that treats gender roles the way most Americans do Second Amendment rights–absolutely unchangeable…
Tags: Anhueser-Busch, cell phones, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, InBev, Iraq, Microsoft, Nelson Mandela, Treasury Department, Yahoo
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- The FAA and FBI are investigating whether a model rocket whizzed by a Continental flight that had just taken off from Houston. It’s a matter of aircraft safety and security, plus they’re dying to get hold of that fuel…
- Reports say that other than some fatigue, Senator Ted Kennedy is doing well after 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy for brain cancer. It’s really no surprise–Teddy has survived so many political deaths, this one is a piece of cake…
- Barack Obama’s campaign will break with tradition and have him accept the Democratic Party nomination at Denver’s Mile High Stadium in rather than at the original convention site across town. Obama says he wants to open the event to a whole group of people who otherwise could never participate–you know, Republicans…
- Iraq’s prime minister say his nation wants some sort of timetable for the withdrawal of American troops there. I guess they’re not all that comfortable with "whatever Cheney thinks"…
- A new study says that Congress should repeal the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law, finding that the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine its ability to fight and win. Besides, most of these folks have figured out that the closet can cramp more than just your clothes…
- A cruise ship has run aground in an inlet near Alaska’s Glacier Bay, but reports say there were no injuries and the hull was not compromised. On the upside, the number of seasick passengers is way down…
Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, Continental Airlines, FBI, Iraq, Ted Kennedy
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- The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that some children as young as 8 be given cholerterol-fighting drugs to help fight future heart problems. Physicians would make the determination based on family history, current levels of both "good" and "bad" chloresterol, and the child’s daily intake of bacon-and-bacon sandwiches…
- Cooler, more humid air Sunday gave firefighters in California a tiny break in their battle to control another wildfire threatening 2,700 homes in the Santa Barbara area. Maybe it was just the Governator channeling Mr. Freeze from Batman And Robin…
- Congress returns from a week-long holiday break with plans to provide foreclosure relief, stop Medicare cuts and broaden intelligence agencies’ ability to track suspected terrorists–all planned for completion by early August, when members will break for another month and likely begin re-election campaigns in earnest. So they’re cramming a ton of work into just a few weeks’ time–this is gonna turn out just like my last home remodeling project…
- Health experts warn that John McCain’s plan to tax health insurance premiums as income and then give those paying them a tax credit would lead many employers to stop providing it as a benefit, since many of their employees could buy individual polices for less than the tax credit they would receive. This sounds like a great plan–if geometrically increasing the nation’s uninsured is what you had in mind…
- The United Arab Emirates has agreed to cancel $7 billion of Iraq’s debt and has moved to restore diplomatic relations there, a sign of improved security and acceptance of their Shiite government. And as a thanks to US efforts there, the UAE promised that Americans would never pay more than $20 a gallon for gas…
- The latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary features some new additions–"Texas Hold-’Em" and "dirty bomb", as well as the lesser-known "Norovirus", "edamame", and "pescatarian". Just missing this year’s list: "K-Fed", "baby mama", and "Britney-tized"…
Tags: California, Children, Congress, forest fires, health care, Iraq, John McCain
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- Acknowledged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told a military judge at his arraignment yesterday that he welcomes the death penalty as a way to martyrdom. Personally, the only death he deserves is the long, slow, dark and solitary kind you get in a life sentence…
- Barack Obama asserted his new role as Democratic Party standard-bearer yesterday by instituting a new policy of banning all federal lobbyist and PAC contributions. Obama will keep Howard Dean in his role as chairman–mostly because he didn’t want Dean to go off on another rant…
- Defense secretary Robert Gates ousted the Air Force’s top-ranking military and civilian leaders yesterday in the wake of an inquiry into how nuclear missle warhead fuses were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan. Gates has demonstrated the ability to pull the trigger so decisively that he could actually go hunting with Dick Cheney and survive…
- Over a half-dozen tornadoes hit Kansas and three other plains states yesterday after forecasters warned of a potentially historic outbreak–but luckily those that struck caused no injuries or serious damage. In other words, Dorothy and Toto stayed put…
- A long-awaited Senate committee report has concluded that President Bush and Vice President Cheney misused intelligence reports to make unfounded claims about Iraq’s ties to al-Qaeda. Basically, that’s a fancy way of saying they’re a couple of great big fibbers…
- New Orleans wants residents still living in FEMA trailers to vacate them by next month or face fines–all part of an effort to rid the city of the temporary housing by the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. No matter how long it takes the Big Easy to recover, it’s pretty hard with that in your face…
Tags: 9/11, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, FEMA, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq, New Orleans, President Bush, Robert Gates, Senate, tornadoes, Vice President Cheney
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- The Bush administration is asking Congress for $600 million to aid police in Iraq, while pushing for deep cuts in popular crime-fighting programs in the US. I’m guessing their logic is that the criminals over there hate the US way more than criminals here do…
- Police around the country are getting reports of a new kind of auto theft–vehicles whose gas tanks are punctured to siphon out the gasoline inside. I’ve heard that some people want us to be drilling for petroleum here, but this is not what I thought they meant…
- Meteorologists say they are unable to provide an answer as to why the US has suffered so many tornadoes in 2008–already the deadliest year for them in a decade. The problem is that tornadoes themselves are so difficult to predict–you’d have more luck guessing which party Joe Lieberman will be in next year…
- The Supreme Court ruled that employees can sue an employer when they can prove they were subject to retaliation for complaints about discrimination–which given the less literal interpretation of laws required makes it a surprising decision that doesn’t really track with today’s more conservative-leaning court. I wonder how many of tham have tried those "brownies" the new clerk’s been bringing in…
- A new study suggests that childhood obesity may have finally leveled off after 25 years of increases. So–those laxatives in the Happy Meals really are working…
- Toyota announced it will build a third battery-producing plant in Japan for its hugely popular Prius hybrid–just a week after they shared news of a second plant being built. Not surprisingly, there’s a four-month wait for most new orders in the US–after all, it will actually cost more to buy the car than it will to keep gas in it…
Tags: Bush administration, Gas prices, hybrid vehicle, Iraq, obesity, Supreme Court, tornadoes, Toyota
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