Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores after poor sales during the holidays, the most crucial time of year for retailers.
The closings are the latest and most visible in a long series of moves to try to fix a retailer that has struggled with falling sales and shabby stores.
In an internal memo Tuesday to employees, CEO and President Lou D'Ambrosio said that the retailer had not "generated the results we were seeking during the holiday."
Sears Holdings Corp. said it has yet to determine which stores will close but said it will post on http://www.searsmedia.com when a final list is compiled. Sears would not discuss how many, if any, jobs would be cut.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
BOGOTA COLUMBIA HAS WORLD'S LARGEST OUTDOOR ESCALATOR
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Officials in Colombia's second-largest city on Monday inaugurated a giant, outdoor escalator for residents of one of its poorest neighborhoods.
For generations, the 12,000 residents of Medellin's tough Comuna 13, which clings to the side of a steep hillside, have had to climb hundreds of large steps authorities say is the same as going up a 28-story building.
Now they can ride an escalator Medellin's mayor says is the first massive, outdoor public escalator for use by residents of a poor area.
For generations, the 12,000 residents of Medellin's tough Comuna 13, which clings to the side of a steep hillside, have had to climb hundreds of large steps authorities say is the same as going up a 28-story building.
Now they can ride an escalator Medellin's mayor says is the first massive, outdoor public escalator for use by residents of a poor area.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
LOS ANGELES COUNTY JAIL HAS MANY MISTAKEN INDENTITY CASES
An investigation by the Los Angeles Times reveals that, in recent years, cases of mistaken identity and other errors have resulted in hundreds of people being wrongly detained in L.A. County jails.
The findings by the Times reveal that it’s not uncommon for mistaken identity errors to occur, leading to wrongful incarcerations. This has reportedly happened at least 1,480 times within the past five years, with some mix-ups taking days or weeks to clear up.
The Times reports that some of the mistakes are due to identity theft or many sharing the same names as criminals.
Other errors were the result of authorities utilizing incomplete records, according to the newspaper.
Officials with the sheriff’s department state that the number of mistaken identity cases is small as compared to with county’s volume of inmates and that it’s the department’s policy to investigate whenever an inmate claims to be innocent, the Associated Press reported.
The findings by the Times reveal that it’s not uncommon for mistaken identity errors to occur, leading to wrongful incarcerations. This has reportedly happened at least 1,480 times within the past five years, with some mix-ups taking days or weeks to clear up.
The Times reports that some of the mistakes are due to identity theft or many sharing the same names as criminals.
Other errors were the result of authorities utilizing incomplete records, according to the newspaper.
Officials with the sheriff’s department state that the number of mistaken identity cases is small as compared to with county’s volume of inmates and that it’s the department’s policy to investigate whenever an inmate claims to be innocent, the Associated Press reported.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
WILL NORTH KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA REUNITE ?
THE sudden death of Kim Jong-il is forcing North Korea's prosperous southern neighbour to confront a class divide deep in its midst.
People like Son Jeong-hun, a defector from the north struggling to fit in modern, bustling Seoul, hope the dictator's demise signals a light at the end of the tunnel for their backward homeland. Others like South Korean-born Kim Chi-guk, who sells imported chocolate at an exclusive department store, are afraid a train is barrelling straight for them - maybe bristling with weapons, maybe jammed with millions of unwashed cousins who will cost them a lot of money.
In Seoul, just an hour's drive from the demilitarised zone, no one wants a war with North Korea, or to see its people continue to die of hunger. Still, well-established and prosperous South Koreans are unlikely to wish for dramatic change.
But the 20,000 northern defectors in South Korea and those who share their concerns - particularly Christians eager to convert the North Koreans - are a distinct minority.
Many others instead fret over their personal security and wallets. For years, North Korea has kept an arsenal of weapons aimed at their homes, schools and businesses. And what ruin will befall South Korea's bustling economy, they ask, if the Korean peninsula is reunited and millions of impoverished North Koreans come streaming across the demilitarised zone?
According to an estimate made earlier this year by South Korea's Unification Ministry, stitching the two countries together would cost between $US1 trillion and $2.5 trillion.
People like Son Jeong-hun, a defector from the north struggling to fit in modern, bustling Seoul, hope the dictator's demise signals a light at the end of the tunnel for their backward homeland. Others like South Korean-born Kim Chi-guk, who sells imported chocolate at an exclusive department store, are afraid a train is barrelling straight for them - maybe bristling with weapons, maybe jammed with millions of unwashed cousins who will cost them a lot of money.
In Seoul, just an hour's drive from the demilitarised zone, no one wants a war with North Korea, or to see its people continue to die of hunger. Still, well-established and prosperous South Koreans are unlikely to wish for dramatic change.
But the 20,000 northern defectors in South Korea and those who share their concerns - particularly Christians eager to convert the North Koreans - are a distinct minority.
Many others instead fret over their personal security and wallets. For years, North Korea has kept an arsenal of weapons aimed at their homes, schools and businesses. And what ruin will befall South Korea's bustling economy, they ask, if the Korean peninsula is reunited and millions of impoverished North Koreans come streaming across the demilitarised zone?
According to an estimate made earlier this year by South Korea's Unification Ministry, stitching the two countries together would cost between $US1 trillion and $2.5 trillion.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
FRANCE BANNING KETCHUP FROM SCHOOLS
In an effort to promote healthy eating (and one suspects, French culinary tradition), French school officials have banned the use of ketchup on anything but French fries in cafeterias nationwide. And it's not the only lunchroom staple being told au revoir.
All fried foods, including nuggets and cordon-bleus, are being restricted to one meal per week. And the French lunch ladies will no longer put salt, mayo, vinaigrette (or the evil ketchup) out for kids to use as they please. They'll only be available "according to the dishes."
"France must be the global example for the quality of food, starting with children," French Agriculture and Food Minister Bruno le Maire told a Parisian newspaper.
Le Maire complained that school menus weren't respecting nutritional guidelines, so it was up to the government to draw up rules that forced students to eat healthier meals.
French fries (which, remember, aren't even French), will be limited to once a week.
And, while the good French agriculture minister didn't come out and say it, some are suspecting that a fervent desire to protect kids' waistlines isn't the only thing motivating the ketchup ban. Some are whispering that there's more than a little Gallic pride at play here. Ketchup, after all, is that most American of condiments...
Le Maire complained that school menus weren't respecting nutritional guidelines, so it was up to the government to draw up rules that forced students to eat healthier meals.
French fries (which, remember, aren't even French), will be limited to once a week.
And, while the good French agriculture minister didn't come out and say it, some are suspecting that a fervent desire to protect kids' waistlines isn't the only thing motivating the ketchup ban. Some are whispering that there's more than a little Gallic pride at play here. Ketchup, after all, is that most American of condiments...
Monday, September 19, 2011
ARKANSAS PLANS TO DESEGREGATE SCHOOLS
More than a half-century after federal troops escorted nine black students into an all-white school, efforts to desegregate the classrooms of the southern city of Little Rock, Ark., are at another turning point.
The state wants to end its long-running payments for desegregation programs, which date back to the era when schools were segregated by law in the south. But three school districts that receive the money say they need it to continue key programs. And a federal judge has accused the schools of delaying desegregation so they can keep receiving an annual infusion of $70 million.
A federal appeals court will hear arguments Monday from both sides. The judges are expected to decide eventually whether Arkansas still has to make the payments and whether two of the districts should remain under court supervision.
The schools, which serve about 50,000 students, have come a long way since 1957, when the governor and hundreds of protesters famously tried to stop the nine black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from entering Central High School. But thousands of white and black children still have to be bused to different neighborhoods every day under one of America's largest remaining court-ordered desegregation systems.
The state wants to end its long-running payments for desegregation programs, which date back to the era when schools were segregated by law in the south. But three school districts that receive the money say they need it to continue key programs. And a federal judge has accused the schools of delaying desegregation so they can keep receiving an annual infusion of $70 million.
A federal appeals court will hear arguments Monday from both sides. The judges are expected to decide eventually whether Arkansas still has to make the payments and whether two of the districts should remain under court supervision.
The schools, which serve about 50,000 students, have come a long way since 1957, when the governor and hundreds of protesters famously tried to stop the nine black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from entering Central High School. But thousands of white and black children still have to be bused to different neighborhoods every day under one of America's largest remaining court-ordered desegregation systems.
Monday, September 5, 2011
GADDAFI'S SON BLAMES BROTHER 'S SPEECH FOR TALKS COLLAPSE.
Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi has blamed his high-profile brother for the collapse of talks with Libya's new rulers, CNN television reported late on Sunday.
Saadi Gaddafi told CNN in a telephone interview that an "aggressive" speech broadcast by his brother, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a few days ago had led to the breakdown in negotiations, paving the way for an attack.
Saadi Gaddafi told CNN in a telephone interview that an "aggressive" speech broadcast by his brother, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a few days ago had led to the breakdown in negotiations, paving the way for an attack.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED : STRAUSS-KAHN
FORMER International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn returned home to France yesterday for the first time since a New York hotel maid accused him of attempted rape, unleashing an international scandal that dashed his chances for the French presidency.
Mr Strauss-Kahn and his wife, Anne Sinclair, arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and passed rapidly through the terminal before being whisked away in a waiting car. They were smiling but made no statement to journalists.
Mission accomplished. He has been removed from the IMF and will not seek presidency of France .
Thursday, September 1, 2011
U S TO SUE BANKS OVER MORTGAGES
The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits will argue that banks failed to perform due diligence and missed evidence that borrowers’ incomes were inflated or falsified.
Bank of America Corporation
Citigroup Inc
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
JPMorgan Chase & Company
Deutsche Bank AG
American International Group Inc
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (Freddie Mac)
UBS AG
Federal National Mortgage Association Fannie Mae
The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits, which are expected to be filed in the coming days in federal court, are aimed at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, among others, according to three individuals briefed on the matter.
The suits stem from subpoenas the finance agency issued to banks a year ago. If the case is not filed Friday, they said, it will come Tuesday, shortly before a deadline expires for the housing agency to file claims.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits will argue that banks failed to perform due diligence and missed evidence that borrowers’ incomes were inflated or falsified.
Bank of America Corporation
Citigroup Inc
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
JPMorgan Chase & Company
Deutsche Bank AG
American International Group Inc
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (Freddie Mac)
UBS AG
Federal National Mortgage Association Fannie Mae
The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits, which are expected to be filed in the coming days in federal court, are aimed at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, among others, according to three individuals briefed on the matter.
The suits stem from subpoenas the finance agency issued to banks a year ago. If the case is not filed Friday, they said, it will come Tuesday, shortly before a deadline expires for the housing agency to file claims.
FDA ALERT ON AVASTIN
The latest cases of blindness follow an alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday that repackaged injections of the Avastin, also known as bevacizumab, had caused eye serious eye infections in 12 Miami-area patients.
Avastin is a cancer drug, but is commonly used to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases because it costs only about $50 an injection, compared with some $2,000 for Roche's Lucentis, which is approved for treatment of eye diseases.
The company has argued for years the process of dividing up doses creates the risk of contamination.
The tainted Florida injections were traced to a single pharmacy located in Hollywood, Florida. The pharmacy repackaged the Avastin from sterile injectable 100 mg/4 ml, single-use, preservative-free vials into individual 1 ml single-use syringes.
The pharmacy then distributed the Avastin to multiple eye clinics.
In the Los Angeles cases, no contaminant has yet been identified, the Times reported.
In its alert on Tuesday, the FDA did not tell doctors to avoid using Avastin, only to be careful about contamination.
"Health care professionals should ensure that drug products are obtained from appropriate, reliable sources and properly administered," it said.
Avastin is a cancer drug, but is commonly used to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases because it costs only about $50 an injection, compared with some $2,000 for Roche's Lucentis, which is approved for treatment of eye diseases.
The company has argued for years the process of dividing up doses creates the risk of contamination.
The tainted Florida injections were traced to a single pharmacy located in Hollywood, Florida. The pharmacy repackaged the Avastin from sterile injectable 100 mg/4 ml, single-use, preservative-free vials into individual 1 ml single-use syringes.
The pharmacy then distributed the Avastin to multiple eye clinics.
In the Los Angeles cases, no contaminant has yet been identified, the Times reported.
In its alert on Tuesday, the FDA did not tell doctors to avoid using Avastin, only to be careful about contamination.
"Health care professionals should ensure that drug products are obtained from appropriate, reliable sources and properly administered," it said.
THE WHITE HOUSE IS PLAYING GAMES
Why are they scheduling a speech before congress at the same time as a GOP debate has been scheduled
Monday, August 29, 2011
WHY IS POLITICO SO NASTY ?
Politico has gone to a new low by calling Governor Rick Perry dumb. This country does not need this negativity right now.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
AMAZON REFUSES TO PAY TAXES IN CALIFORNIA
Amazon refuses to pay its share, issues threats
From its base in Seattle, Amazon is threatening the livelihoods of 10,000 California affiliates if legislators proceed with efforts to force Amazon to collect sales taxes from its customers, something it should have been doing for years.
Amazon affiliates place Amazon ads on their websites in exchange for payments when visitors click on the ads. With its threat, Amazon proposes to further damage California by removing a revenue source from this state's businesses.
Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, issued the warning in a letter last week to the California Board of Equalization. The world's largest online retailer has made similar threats in other states that have challenged its refusal to collect sales taxes.
Amazon's business model is based on evading sales taxes in states that charge them, California included. By refusing to collect sales taxes from its customers, Amazon undercuts California retailers, particularly booksellers, who abide by the law and collect sales taxes.
Responsible lawmakers have grown impatient with Amazon's obstinacy, especially now as they face the ugly prospect of erasing a $26.6 billion deficit by slashing funding for services to infirm elderly people, California's public colleges, state parks and much more.
Uncollected sales taxes from online sales in California could exceed $300 million a year.
As Amazon's hometown paper, the Seattle Times, opined last week: "Amazon is a giant. It has helped drive hundreds, and maybe thousands, of bookstores out of business. The Internet retail industry already has a cost-of-real-estate advantage over free-standing stores. It should not have a tax advantage as well. …
"We have said it before and will say it again: Amazon will have to pay. Someone will twist this company's arm. Maybe it will be California, maybe it will be Texas, maybe it will be all the states and maybe it will be the federal government. It will happen, and Amazon will survive it."
Other retail companies such as Sears that have an online presence and meet their obligation to collect sales taxes have been quick to try to lure Amazon's affiliates. Good for them.
Amazon has been a stunning success. It has offered consumers convenience and low prices. Its profits have soared in no small part because of the lucrative California market.
But it is squandering its goodwill. Californians who pay college tuition, have a kid in public schools, use a park, appreciate having cops on the beat, or have a family member with a disability ought to think twice about patronizing a company that is steadfast in its refusal to meet this basic obligation.
From its base in Seattle, Amazon is threatening the livelihoods of 10,000 California affiliates if legislators proceed with efforts to force Amazon to collect sales taxes from its customers, something it should have been doing for years.
Amazon affiliates place Amazon ads on their websites in exchange for payments when visitors click on the ads. With its threat, Amazon proposes to further damage California by removing a revenue source from this state's businesses.
Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, issued the warning in a letter last week to the California Board of Equalization. The world's largest online retailer has made similar threats in other states that have challenged its refusal to collect sales taxes.
Amazon's business model is based on evading sales taxes in states that charge them, California included. By refusing to collect sales taxes from its customers, Amazon undercuts California retailers, particularly booksellers, who abide by the law and collect sales taxes.
Responsible lawmakers have grown impatient with Amazon's obstinacy, especially now as they face the ugly prospect of erasing a $26.6 billion deficit by slashing funding for services to infirm elderly people, California's public colleges, state parks and much more.
Uncollected sales taxes from online sales in California could exceed $300 million a year.
As Amazon's hometown paper, the Seattle Times, opined last week: "Amazon is a giant. It has helped drive hundreds, and maybe thousands, of bookstores out of business. The Internet retail industry already has a cost-of-real-estate advantage over free-standing stores. It should not have a tax advantage as well. …
"We have said it before and will say it again: Amazon will have to pay. Someone will twist this company's arm. Maybe it will be California, maybe it will be Texas, maybe it will be all the states and maybe it will be the federal government. It will happen, and Amazon will survive it."
Other retail companies such as Sears that have an online presence and meet their obligation to collect sales taxes have been quick to try to lure Amazon's affiliates. Good for them.
Amazon has been a stunning success. It has offered consumers convenience and low prices. Its profits have soared in no small part because of the lucrative California market.
But it is squandering its goodwill. Californians who pay college tuition, have a kid in public schools, use a park, appreciate having cops on the beat, or have a family member with a disability ought to think twice about patronizing a company that is steadfast in its refusal to meet this basic obligation.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
MILITARY PRISONS FOR TERROISTS IN US
Reports about what life is like inside the military prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay are not uncommon. But very little is reported about two secretive units for convicted terrorists and other inmates who get 24-hour surveillance, right here in the U.S.
Population Inside The CMUs
Learn more about the prisoners NPR identified, including their cases and release dates.
For the first time, an NPR investigation has identified 86 of the more than 100 men who have lived in the special units that some people are calling "Guantanamo North." The Communications Management Units in Terre Haute, Ind., and Marion, Ill., are mostly filled with Muslims. About two-thirds of the inmates identified by NPR are U.S. citizens.
Civil rights groups have filed lawsuits that accuse the U.S. facilities of some of the same due process complaints raised by people at the island prison.
Population Inside The CMUs
Learn more about the prisoners NPR identified, including their cases and release dates.
For the first time, an NPR investigation has identified 86 of the more than 100 men who have lived in the special units that some people are calling "Guantanamo North." The Communications Management Units in Terre Haute, Ind., and Marion, Ill., are mostly filled with Muslims. About two-thirds of the inmates identified by NPR are U.S. citizens.
Civil rights groups have filed lawsuits that accuse the U.S. facilities of some of the same due process complaints raised by people at the island prison.
MISSING EX-FBI AGENT MAY BE PRISONER IN SW ASIA
If true, steps should be made to secure his release.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
DR. KEITH BLACK : FAMOUS BRAIN SURGEON
People from all over the world has sought him because of excessive cell phone use . Thought to cause tumors or brain cancer
Sunday, February 27, 2011
1,643 CHINESE NATIONALS EVACUATED FROM LIBYA
GRAND HARBOUR, Malta, Feb 27, 2011
The second cruiseship chartered by the Chinese Embassy in Malta to evacuate Chinese nationals from Libya docked at Malta's Grand Harbour in Valletta, early morning on Monday.
A diplomatic source from the Chinese embassy in Malta told Xinhua that the ship carried 1,643 Chinese nationals from the Libyan port city Misurata.
The Chinese ambassador to Malta, Zhang Keyuan, visited some of the evacuees.
The first cruise ship the Chinese embassy in Malta chartered for the evacuation operation arrived in Malta on Saturday with 2,235 Chinese nationals, who are mainly employees of two Chinese construction companies in Libya.
The third ship the embassy chartered is scheduled to reach Malta on Monday afternoon, with nearly 1,000 evacuated Chinese nationals.
A group of 48 Chinese students also arrived in Malta from Tripoli on Monday, with the help of the Chinese embassy in the Libyan capital city.
They said the situation in Tripoli was relatively calm in the week before they were ordered to evacuate on Saturday.
A total of 22 employees of Chinese IT company Huawei were also taken from Libya to Malta on a ship, with assistance offered by an organization which calls itself International SOS.
The second cruiseship chartered by the Chinese Embassy in Malta to evacuate Chinese nationals from Libya docked at Malta's Grand Harbour in Valletta, early morning on Monday.
A diplomatic source from the Chinese embassy in Malta told Xinhua that the ship carried 1,643 Chinese nationals from the Libyan port city Misurata.
The Chinese ambassador to Malta, Zhang Keyuan, visited some of the evacuees.
The first cruise ship the Chinese embassy in Malta chartered for the evacuation operation arrived in Malta on Saturday with 2,235 Chinese nationals, who are mainly employees of two Chinese construction companies in Libya.
The third ship the embassy chartered is scheduled to reach Malta on Monday afternoon, with nearly 1,000 evacuated Chinese nationals.
A group of 48 Chinese students also arrived in Malta from Tripoli on Monday, with the help of the Chinese embassy in the Libyan capital city.
They said the situation in Tripoli was relatively calm in the week before they were ordered to evacuate on Saturday.
A total of 22 employees of Chinese IT company Huawei were also taken from Libya to Malta on a ship, with assistance offered by an organization which calls itself International SOS.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
WIDOW OF JOHN WHEELER SAYS HE WAS "KILLED BY A HITMAN"
FLASHBACK: Murdered Bush Aide Had Highest Security Clearances, Expert In Chemical, Biological & Cyber-Warfare
Daniel Bates
UK Daily Mail
February 20, 2011
Prominent Washington aide John Wheeler was assassinated by a hitman in a targeted killing, his widow has claimed.
Katherine Klyce said the way her late husband’s body was dumped at a landfill site could only have been carried out by a professional.
The 66-year-old suggested his work with the Pentagon over his decades-long career could have made him enemies who wanted rid of him.
The body of Mr Wheeler, 66, a former Army officer who was instrumental in building the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington DC, was discovered on a landfill in Wilmington, Delaware, on New Year’s Eve.
Daniel Bates
UK Daily Mail
February 20, 2011
Prominent Washington aide John Wheeler was assassinated by a hitman in a targeted killing, his widow has claimed.
Katherine Klyce said the way her late husband’s body was dumped at a landfill site could only have been carried out by a professional.
The 66-year-old suggested his work with the Pentagon over his decades-long career could have made him enemies who wanted rid of him.
The body of Mr Wheeler, 66, a former Army officer who was instrumental in building the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington DC, was discovered on a landfill in Wilmington, Delaware, on New Year’s Eve.
CHINA TRIES TO QUASH "JASMINE REVOLUTION " .
Chinese authorities moved quickly and with force to quash a pro-democracy ‘Jasmine Revolution’, believed to have been inspired by the recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.
More police than usual were scrambled to line the streets today, and there were a number of activists detained after online sites had organised staged protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
Citizens were urged to shout: ‘We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness’ – a slogan that highlights common complaints among ordinary Chinese.
Many activists said they didn’t know who was behind the campaign and weren’t sure what to make of the call to protest, which was first posted on U.S.-based, Chinese-language website Boxun.com.
More police than usual were scrambled to line the streets today, and there were a number of activists detained after online sites had organised staged protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
Citizens were urged to shout: ‘We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness’ – a slogan that highlights common complaints among ordinary Chinese.
Many activists said they didn’t know who was behind the campaign and weren’t sure what to make of the call to protest, which was first posted on U.S.-based, Chinese-language website Boxun.com.
Friday, February 18, 2011
DIABETIC'S DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST RESTAURANT
Diabetic's discrimination lawsuit against restaurant is hard to swallow
David Martin was in the mood for raw fish, and he liked the deal offered by a Studio City sushi restaurant: all you can eat for $28.
He took a seat at the counter and started ordering. But it turned out that Martin didn't really want sushi, which includes rice; he wanted all-you-can-eat sashimi, which is just fish. He began picking the seafood off the top and leaving the rice.
Restaurant owner Jay Oh told Martin that if he wanted the all-you-can-eat price, he'd have to eat the rice too and not just fill up on fish. Martin replied that he has diabetes and that he can't eat rice…
David Martin was in the mood for raw fish, and he liked the deal offered by a Studio City sushi restaurant: all you can eat for $28.
He took a seat at the counter and started ordering. But it turned out that Martin didn't really want sushi, which includes rice; he wanted all-you-can-eat sashimi, which is just fish. He began picking the seafood off the top and leaving the rice.
Restaurant owner Jay Oh told Martin that if he wanted the all-you-can-eat price, he'd have to eat the rice too and not just fill up on fish. Martin replied that he has diabetes and that he can't eat rice…
Monday, January 31, 2011
ARISTIDE GIVEN NEW PASSPORT TO HAITI
I would hope that the US is not going to prop him back up to be the leader in Haiti. He was thrown out by the people before.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
90 GIRLS PREGNANT AT A MEMPHIS HIGH SCHOOL
Are these girls trying to get media attention, and want to be on a reality show ? Or are they copy cats of the Gloucester, Mass. school where the girls had a pact ?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
WHY IS THE US KEEPING MUM ON TRADES WITH CHINA ?
There were six trade deals made in Houston with China. Why are the transactions made in secret ?
Monday, January 17, 2011
RICE NOODLES IN FOOD SCARE IN CHINA
Rice noodles made with rotten grain and potentially carcinogenic additives are being sold in south China in the country's latest food safety scare, state media has reported.
Up to 50 factories in south China's Dongguan city near Hong Kong are producing about 500,000 kilograms of tainted rice noodles a day using stale and mouldy grain, the Beijing Youth Daily said.
The cost-conscious producers were bleaching the rotting rice and using additives including sulphur dioxide and other substances that could cause cancer to stretch half a kilogram of grain into 1.3 kilograms of noodles, it said.
In Dongguan, a random inspection of 35 rice noodle factories in early December revealed that only five of them were making products that were up to standard, the report said
Up to 50 factories in south China's Dongguan city near Hong Kong are producing about 500,000 kilograms of tainted rice noodles a day using stale and mouldy grain, the Beijing Youth Daily said.
The cost-conscious producers were bleaching the rotting rice and using additives including sulphur dioxide and other substances that could cause cancer to stretch half a kilogram of grain into 1.3 kilograms of noodles, it said.
In Dongguan, a random inspection of 35 rice noodle factories in early December revealed that only five of them were making products that were up to standard, the report said
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
WILL CHINA REPLACE THE UNITED STATES ?
China does not want to "replace" the United States from its dominant role in the world, and the world should not fear China's rise, the country's top diplomat wrote in an essay.
State Councilor Dai Bingguo said that China would not engage in an arms race, as the country's resources were better spent on development and ensuring its people had enough to eat.
"The notion that China wants to replace the United States and dominate the world is a myth," Dai wrote in the essay carried on the Foreign Ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn) late on Monday.
"Politically, we ... respect the social systems and development path of the different peoples of the world," he added.
"Economically, we wholeheartedly want to continue to develop," Dai wrote. "Militarily, we are not engaged in an arms race."
China's growing military clout and rising defense spending have raised concern in Asia, especially in Japan and Taiwan, as well as in Washington. China says its military expenditure is purely for defensive purposes.
Dai said the world had no reason to fear China.
"The international community should welcome and not fear China's peaceful development, help it and not hinder it, support it and not hold it back," he wrote.
But the world also needed to "understand and respect China's reasonable interests and concerns."
Such issues included China's territorial integrity and foreign arms sales to Taiwan, the self-ruled island China claims as its own, Dai said.
China will also be "actively involved" in global issues relating to the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the Arab-Israeli conflict and Sudan's Darfur, and "a responsible participant in the international system," Dai said.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have pressed China to bring its old ally North Korea to heel following renewed tension on the Korean peninsula, though Beijing has refrained from doing so, calling instead for multilateral talks.
State Councilor Dai Bingguo said that China would not engage in an arms race, as the country's resources were better spent on development and ensuring its people had enough to eat.
"The notion that China wants to replace the United States and dominate the world is a myth," Dai wrote in the essay carried on the Foreign Ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn) late on Monday.
"Politically, we ... respect the social systems and development path of the different peoples of the world," he added.
"Economically, we wholeheartedly want to continue to develop," Dai wrote. "Militarily, we are not engaged in an arms race."
China's growing military clout and rising defense spending have raised concern in Asia, especially in Japan and Taiwan, as well as in Washington. China says its military expenditure is purely for defensive purposes.
Dai said the world had no reason to fear China.
"The international community should welcome and not fear China's peaceful development, help it and not hinder it, support it and not hold it back," he wrote.
But the world also needed to "understand and respect China's reasonable interests and concerns."
Such issues included China's territorial integrity and foreign arms sales to Taiwan, the self-ruled island China claims as its own, Dai said.
China will also be "actively involved" in global issues relating to the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the Arab-Israeli conflict and Sudan's Darfur, and "a responsible participant in the international system," Dai said.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have pressed China to bring its old ally North Korea to heel following renewed tension on the Korean peninsula, though Beijing has refrained from doing so, calling instead for multilateral talks.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
SAVE $1000 THIS YEAR
3 Steps That Will Save You $1000 This Year
Do you have a secret money stash? You need and deserve one — so start now.
I'm pretty sure you have $3 in your wallet — or a jeans pocket, or your glove compartment, or balled up between the couch cushions. Here's what I want you to do with it: Get rid of will-I-wind-up-a-bag-lady anxiety forever. Many women I speak to say they're terrified of not having enough money put aside to take care of themselves when they're old. And they have reason to be worried: Twice as many women as men are poor in old age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and females have 40 percent less saved in retirement accounts than male officemates. Plus, women in the United States live an average of five years longer than men. You're nowhere near old age, but it's time to save some money for you and you alone. With my plan, you won't even miss it.
STEP 1 : Starting January 1, put aside $3 a day (weekends too!) for the entire year. You can slip three bucks into an envelope every night, schedule a weekly automatic transfer of $21 to a savings account, or move one big chunk all at once. But don't stop there — save $5 a day or more if you can, and definitely continue contributing to a 401(k) plan at work if you have one.
STEP 2 : Fast-forward a year. What do you do with the $1,095 you've saved? Invest in the stock market through mutual funds by opening a Roth individual retirement account, or IRA, that allows your money to grow tax-free. I prefer Vanguard's STAR Fund or Schwab's Total Stock Market Index Fund: You can start with $1,000, and both charge low fees. The market will fluctuate, but many experts agree that these funds could give you a higher return rate than a bank savings account over a 20-year period.
STEP 3 : Don't touch! If you're 35 and follow this plan until you hit 70, you'll have $129,342, if you earned an average six-percent annual return. It's not a fortune, but it'll give you a priceless sense of security about your future.
Do you have a secret money stash? You need and deserve one — so start now.
I'm pretty sure you have $3 in your wallet — or a jeans pocket, or your glove compartment, or balled up between the couch cushions. Here's what I want you to do with it: Get rid of will-I-wind-up-a-bag-lady anxiety forever. Many women I speak to say they're terrified of not having enough money put aside to take care of themselves when they're old. And they have reason to be worried: Twice as many women as men are poor in old age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and females have 40 percent less saved in retirement accounts than male officemates. Plus, women in the United States live an average of five years longer than men. You're nowhere near old age, but it's time to save some money for you and you alone. With my plan, you won't even miss it.
STEP 1 : Starting January 1, put aside $3 a day (weekends too!) for the entire year. You can slip three bucks into an envelope every night, schedule a weekly automatic transfer of $21 to a savings account, or move one big chunk all at once. But don't stop there — save $5 a day or more if you can, and definitely continue contributing to a 401(k) plan at work if you have one.
STEP 2 : Fast-forward a year. What do you do with the $1,095 you've saved? Invest in the stock market through mutual funds by opening a Roth individual retirement account, or IRA, that allows your money to grow tax-free. I prefer Vanguard's STAR Fund or Schwab's Total Stock Market Index Fund: You can start with $1,000, and both charge low fees. The market will fluctuate, but many experts agree that these funds could give you a higher return rate than a bank savings account over a 20-year period.
STEP 3 : Don't touch! If you're 35 and follow this plan until you hit 70, you'll have $129,342, if you earned an average six-percent annual return. It's not a fortune, but it'll give you a priceless sense of security about your future.
OPHIUCHUS, THE NEW ZODIAC SIGN
What's your sign? That easy-to-answer pickup line might be a little confusing, since astronomers now say the dates used to delineate zodiac signs need to be adjusted by about a month.
The signs of the zodiac were created by the ancient Babylonians, who believed that whatever constellation the sun was "in" when you were born helped shape who you are. But a "wobble" in the Earth's rotation means that the sun's placement in, say, late December is no longer where it was when the Babylonians created the system.
"When [astrologers] say that the sun is in Pisces, it's really not in Pisces," Parke Kunkle of the Minnesota Planetarium Society told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Even more shocking: Kunkle and his colleagues say there should be a 13th sign, Ophiuchus. That's the constellation the sun is in from Nov. 29 to Dec. 17. Apparently, the Babylonians skipped Ophiuchus because they wanted there to be only 12 signs.
Astronomers have been saying for years that the zodiac signs in wide use don't really reflect the heavens above. But the new announcement has shocked some people who closely identify with their astrological signs -- even if they don't always believe what newspaper horoscopes say.
The signs of the zodiac were created by the ancient Babylonians, who believed that whatever constellation the sun was "in" when you were born helped shape who you are. But a "wobble" in the Earth's rotation means that the sun's placement in, say, late December is no longer where it was when the Babylonians created the system.
"When [astrologers] say that the sun is in Pisces, it's really not in Pisces," Parke Kunkle of the Minnesota Planetarium Society told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Even more shocking: Kunkle and his colleagues say there should be a 13th sign, Ophiuchus. That's the constellation the sun is in from Nov. 29 to Dec. 17. Apparently, the Babylonians skipped Ophiuchus because they wanted there to be only 12 signs.
Astronomers have been saying for years that the zodiac signs in wide use don't really reflect the heavens above. But the new announcement has shocked some people who closely identify with their astrological signs -- even if they don't always believe what newspaper horoscopes say.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
LIBERAL SMEAR MACHINE BACKFIRES
Everyone is trying to guess who this mass murderer is. They are blaming it on the Conservative Tea Partiers.
Friday, January 7, 2011
GRANDPARENTS NOT MUCH NEEDED ANYMORE
Adored or barely tolerated, grandparents were once just a fact of life. You saw them regularly or not, depending on where they lived and how well your parents got on with them, and if you were lucky they were warm repositories of wisdom and unconditional love, and if you were unlucky they were grumpy, distant and boring.
But in recent years a powerful seniors' lobby has won grandparents rights so that now grandparents can go to the Family Court and insist it is in a child's best interest to have regular contact with them, even against the wishes of a parent or parents.
Divorce has created an army of broken-hearted grandparents, estranged from grandchildren for reasons that are not always clear to them. Many grandparents suffer terribly as a result of being sent into exile, often by a daughter-in-law.
But just as there are selfish parents who put their own interests before their children's, so too are there selfish grandparents, emboldened by a sense of entitlement and determined to exercise their rights.
But in recent years a powerful seniors' lobby has won grandparents rights so that now grandparents can go to the Family Court and insist it is in a child's best interest to have regular contact with them, even against the wishes of a parent or parents.
Divorce has created an army of broken-hearted grandparents, estranged from grandchildren for reasons that are not always clear to them. Many grandparents suffer terribly as a result of being sent into exile, often by a daughter-in-law.
But just as there are selfish parents who put their own interests before their children's, so too are there selfish grandparents, emboldened by a sense of entitlement and determined to exercise their rights.
4700 EGG FARMS SHUT DOWN IN GERMANY
.BERLIN: Regional authorities in Germany have ordered the closure of 4709 farms because of a dioxin scare, the Agriculture Ministry says.
The BBC reported that officials said the dioxin levels did not pose a risk to humans and the closures were only a precaution.
However, dioxin, a byproduct of burning rubbish and industrial activities, can cause miscarriages, cancer and other health problems in humans.
Most of the farms involved were pig properties in Lower Saxony, in the country's north-west, the ministry said.
Until the farms had been checked and found clear of contamination, they would not be allowed to make any deliveries.
It was in Lower Saxony that 2500 out of the 3000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids at the centre of the alert were delivered in November and December, where they were used as animal fodder.
The firm Harles und Jentzsch, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, is alleged to have supplied up to 3000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids, meant only for industrial use, to about 25 animal feed makers.
The BBC reported that officials said the dioxin levels did not pose a risk to humans and the closures were only a precaution.
However, dioxin, a byproduct of burning rubbish and industrial activities, can cause miscarriages, cancer and other health problems in humans.
Most of the farms involved were pig properties in Lower Saxony, in the country's north-west, the ministry said.
Until the farms had been checked and found clear of contamination, they would not be allowed to make any deliveries.
It was in Lower Saxony that 2500 out of the 3000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids at the centre of the alert were delivered in November and December, where they were used as animal fodder.
The firm Harles und Jentzsch, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, is alleged to have supplied up to 3000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids, meant only for industrial use, to about 25 animal feed makers.
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