Friday, April 11, 2008

Higher state tax on beer? - San Jose Mercury News

Higher state tax on beer? - San Jose Mercury News: "Joe Six-pack will have to pay a lot more to get his buzz on if Assemblyman Jim Beall has his way.
The San Jose Democrat on Thursday proposed raising the beer tax by $1.80 per six-pack, or 30 cents per can or bottle. The current tax is 2 cents per can. That's an increase of about 1,500 percent."

YouTube - 236.com: SwiftKids- The Pantsuit

YouTube - 236.com: SwiftKids- The Pantsuit

Thursday, April 10, 2008

My Way - Sports News

My Way - Sports News: "Self's new deal is likely to make him one of college basketball's highest-paid coaches. Florida coach Billy Donovan is believed to be the highest among coaches at public universities, after he signed a six-year contract worth $3.5 million per year in 2007."

Michigan Girl's Birthday Hope Comes True

Michigan Girl's Birthday Hope Comes True
"At her seventh birthday party, Amber Birdsall thought the huge gift box wrapped in pink paper likely hid a pair of bicycles.
She was wrong. Inside was something she wanted even more - her stepfather, a soldier who had been deployed overseas.
'This is way better than bikes,' Amber said"

Annual balloon festival postponed until 2009

Annual balloon festival postponed until 2009: "JACKSON, Mich. (AP) -- The annual Hot Air Jubilee in Jackson has been canceled this year.
Chairman Dean Anderson tells the Jackson Citizen Patriot that the committee wants to reorganize the event following years of financial problems and poor weather.
It was scheduled for July 18-20. Anderson says the event will return in 2009"

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences - Michigan State University

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences - Michigan State University: "Why doesn't the regular MSU soil test include nitrogen analysis?
Soil nitrate levels are the best indicator of nitrogen availability. Because these levels fluctuate widely depending on rainfall and soil temperature, the best time to take soil nitrate samples in while the crop is growing. within two weeks of supplemental nitrogen applications.
A soil sample taken months ahead of this time will not provide an accurate measure of the nitrogen available to the plants."

U.N. Official Calls for Study Of Neocons' Role in 9/11 | The New York Sun

U.N. Official Calls for Study Of Neocons' Role in 9/11 The New York Sun: "Mr. Falk said, 'It is possibly true that especially the neoconservatives thought there was a situation in the country and in the world where something had to happen to wake up the American people. ......... All we can say is there is a lot of grounds for suspicion, there should be an official investigation of the sort the 9/11 commission did not engage in and that the failure to do these things is cheating the American people and in some sense the people of the world of a greater confidence in what really happened than they presently possess.'"

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Muskegon could fix 'missing link' on Lakeshore Trail - Muskegon Chronicle - MLive.com

Muskegon could fix 'missing link' on Lakeshore Trail - Muskegon Chronicle - MLive.com: "Al-Shatel said the job could be done using less than $100,000 of Major Street funds, and could begin this summer, if the commission approves."

Insiders: Confessions Of A Hedge Fund Manager Redux

Insiders: Confessions Of A Hedge Fund Manager Redux: "So can you tell me what happened with Bear Stearns? What were the steps?"

New FEMA map for Grand Rapids could cost residents big time

New FEMA map for Grand Rapids could cost residents big time: "If FEMA gets its way, roughly 6,000 homes and businesses would be added to the floodplain on both sides of the river.

'A lot of residential properties, a lot of commercial properties in this area both north and south of I-196 and west of 131 would be affected,' said DeLong.

Michael Smith bought his house in Walker years ago. At that time, he made sure his house was not in a floodplain.

'Ten years down the road, they're suddenly changing the ball game on me and it doesn't make me happy at all,” says Michael.

Thousands of homeowners may have to purchase flood insurance.

Angie Rinock of State Farm Insurance says, 'The average cost of flood insurance is about $400 a year, about $35 to $40 extra dollars a month.'

But that's just the average, some estimates put the number between $1000 and $4000 dollars a year."

Michigan State Police Suffering Through Trooper Shortage

Michigan State Police Suffering Through Trooper Shortage: "Scott Wilber is a trooper and a representative for the Trooper's Association. He says the Michigan State Police hasn't trained any new recruits in six years.

As a result, the department is down about 400 people statewide."

Teacher breaks wall of silence at state's Muslim public school

Teacher breaks wall of silence at state's Muslim public school: "Why does the Minnesota Department of Education allow this sort of religious activity at a public school? According to Zaman, the department inspects TIZA regularly -- and has done so 'numerous times' -- to ensure that it is not a religious school."

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

My Way News - NY Union Members Charged With Extortion

My Way News - NY Union Members Charged With Extortion: "A dozen leaders and members of a construction union were arrested Tuesday and charged with a decade of attacks against nonunion workers and their families, and prosecutors said some of the crimes were aided by the local's access to state motor vehicle records"

GAO: Millions Wasted on Gov't Cards

GAO: Millions Wasted on Gov't Cards: "Federal employees charged millions of dollars for Internet dating, tailor-made suits, lingerie, lavish dinners and other questionable expenses to their government credit cards over a 15-month period, congressional auditors say."

Obama Delegate Resigns After Remark

Obama Delegate Resigns After Remark: "'I calmly said the tree is not there for them to be climbing in there like monkeys.'
The mother of one boy called police.
Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne said Tuesday a ticket was issued because the ordinance bans conduct that disturbs or alarms people. One of the boys told police he was scared by her comment and a mother said she was disturbed, he said."

Monday, April 07, 2008

JS Online: Pension twist costs county millions

JS Online: Pension twist costs county millions: "Hundreds of Milwaukee County workers have pumped up their pensions by a total of at least $50 million through an obscure program that skirted county laws and federal tax rules, a Journal Sentinel investigation found."

Chicago Boyz » Blog Archive » Britain and Electricity

Britain and Electricity: "There is a looming electricity crisis that is about to overtake the United States. While our demand for electricity continues to increase due to construction, computers (data centers take up a significant portion of electricity demand), and potentially even electric cars, essentially no new “base load” supply of electrical generation is being added to the market."

Confederate Yankee: MSNBC Games McCain Speech with Irrelevant "Breaking News"

MSNBC Games McCain Speech with Irrelevant "Breaking News": "MSNBC needs to justify this 'breaking news' event by proving that they have broken into other live events on their network to cover minor Green Zone mortar attacks during the campaign season.
Somehow, I doubt they can."

College Isn’t Worth a Million Dollars

College Isn’t Worth a Million Dollars
"the shocking conclusions that American higher education today has gotten too expensive for what it produces; that it has become too costly for the typical student ... that education (a college degree) does not pay!”"

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Cattle feeders feel effects of ethanol's need for corn

Cattle feeders feel effects of ethanol's need for corn
"Ask John Van Pelt his thoughts on ethanol, and he's likely to pull out his adding machine and let the numbers speak for themselves.
Van Pelt, the manager of a cattle feedlot in this town 50 miles south of Amarillo, is now paying $215 a ton for cattle feed — double what he spent just three years ago. With 20,000 cattle in his yard, that works out to about $25,000 per day, just in feed, and what could become several million dollars in added costs this year."