| New blow for Wendy Alexander as key aide quits
He will be the third spin doctor to leave since Ms Alexander became leader less than five months ago, and news of his departure comes as the Electoral Commission prepares to announce whether they are calling in the police over the illegal donation to Ms Alexander's leadership campaign. Mr McElroy, who has been Scottish Labour's head of communications for the past four-and-a-half years, is leaving to take up a public affairs post with the supermarket giant Tesco. His departure follows that of Brian Lironi, who resigned as Labour's chief spin doctor at Holyrood after Ms Alexander became leader last September. Matthew Marr was also forced to resign as Ms Alexander's spokesman in November after shouting an obscenity at First Minister Alex Salmond during The Herald Politician of the Year awards ceremony.
One Word: OIL
Haywood Jablowme from Canada writes: What a country Canada has become... The Russians are laying claim to Canadian soil and all we do is stand by and welcome them. What a joke.
Hold on a sec here ... the North Pole is NOT Canadian territory. That's a misconception fueled by Canada Post's long-running 'Send a letter to Santa Claus' campaign, you know the one where you send a letter to 'Santa Claus, North Pole, HOH OHO' :)
The North Pole is in international waters. Let's remember that.
Also, those of you blaming the Liberals for this, and those of you blaming the Conservatives -- you're both wrong. This is a result of Canadian foreign and military policy since World War II, during which time we had 4 Conservative governments (Diefenbaker, Clark, Mulroney and Harper) and 5 Liberal governments (St.
Review: 'B.C.' silly but great to look at
To see complete movie listings and show times, and to buy tickets for select theaters, go to sfgate.com/movies.) Say what you want about living 10,000 years before the birth of Jesus - the universal health care was pretty great. That assumption is based on the obviously superior dental coverage in "10,000 B.C.," which, despite taking place a full 11,905 years before the invention of novocaine, features entire tribes of men and women with teeth so white and straight they could be selling real estate in Walnut Creek. Yes, that was a cheap shot, but see if you're not taking a few yourself after sitting through "10,000 B.C.," a film that somehow makes the beginning of the Mesolithic period look as dreamy and romantic as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's voyage on the Titanic.
Terrorists launch 21/7 appeal bid
The four, all jailed for life for plotting to detonate ruscksack bombs on the capital's transport network, are seeking leave to appeal against their convictions. Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman were found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to murder at Woolwich Crown Court last year. They were filmed trying to blow up three Underground trains at Shepherd's Bush, Oval station and Warren Street stations and a bus in Hackney Road just two weeks after 52 commuters died in the 7/7 terror attacks. The four claimed the plot was an elaborate hoax to protest against anti-Muslim foreign policy and said their home made chapatti-flour bombs were designed to go off without causing injury. George Carter-Stephenson QC, for Muktar Said Ibrahim, the alleged leader of the conspiracy, said the trial judge should not have let jurors hear what Ibrahim told police in "safety" interviews conducted immediately after he was seized in July 2005.
Rallies could make the difference in a close race
Barack Obama's or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, putting South Texas and the Hispanic vote squarely in the spotlight. The candidates and their high-profile supporters have been criss-crossing the Rio Grande Valley as well. But how well do these whistlestops translate to votes? How much does an undecided voter really learn about the candidates? Corpus Christi resident Annika Gunning, 24, decided she wouldn't learn much, so she didn't go to either candidate's rally (though she watched Obama's on television). "I feel like I need to research what they're all about," said Gunning, who works at the consulting firm Olivarri & Associates. "I don't know how much you learn at a rally except to cheer them on." Charlton McIlwain, a political communication specialist at New York University, agreed that issues aren't the most important part of the campaign stops.
American Idol Buzz
It appears almost every show is sold out or close to sold out. In past years, some venues showed capacity levels of 60 percent or fewer, especially season three. Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | 8/31: Paula giggling on X Factor By Rodney Ho | Wednesday, August 30, 2006, 09:08 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Simon has a show in the UK that is a LOT like "American Idol" or "Pop Idol" called "X Factor." He recently invited Paula Abdul and here she is giggling her way through. Sharon Osborne is a judge, too, here. Permalink | Comments (35) | Post your comment | 8/30: Why didn't Carly get cut? By Rodney Ho | Tuesday, August 29, 2006, 11:42 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Okay.
Why Cisco Is a Buy
Back in November, 2007, the company warned that spending on its networking gear was slowing down and could hurt growth for this market. On Feb. 6, Cisco indicated the situation hadn't improved (BusinessWeek.com, 2/7/08), and lowered its sales outlook for the current quarter ending in April. In turn, the stock has dropped 14% this year, to $23.20. Despite the news, which caused a deep sell-off in many technology stocks, Ari Bensinger at Standard & Poor's Equity Research kept a buy recommendation on Cisco shares. "We believe investors need to look at the larger picture—the long-term growth drivers for the company," he says. Plus, the recent drop makes Cisco's stock attractive, Bensinger says. It's trading at 16 times estimated 2008 earnings—the low end of its historical valuation range.
Open Letter To George W. Bush
Numerous coal companies were finally caught a few years ago faking their coal dust samples to avoid federal regulations designed to diminish coal miners' Pneumoconiosis. Fines for these deliberate violations were, as usual, slaps on the companies' wrists. Since 1900, more coal miners have lost their lives from coal dust and mine collapses than all the Americans lost in World War II. And that is just one industry! So, where is George W. Bush? The man who says his Job One is to protect the safety of Americans. Has he visited any of their disasters caused by corporate wrongdoing, not by natural disasters? Has he ever made a major speech or proposed a decent budget and stronger enforcement and authority for the federal worker safety and health agencies? Has he been maintaining "a culture of life" under an "accountability" framework? Does he believe that he and his top appointees have "been responsible for their actions." Not at all.
DATS outrageous
Questions over safety are being raised after city police charged a DATS driver with sexually assaulting a disabled woman who functions at the level of a 10-year-old. The woman alleges that once in late December and once in late January a Disabled Adult Transit Service driver sexually assaulted her in a DATS minivan. Police have charged a 44-year-old man with two counts each of sexual assault and an indecent act, and one count of sexual exploitation of a person with a disability. Transportation systems can sometimes leave disabled women more vulnerable, says the executive director of the Alberta Committee of Citizens with Disabilities. "We've done research papers here on women with disabilities and the incidents of abuse and one of the things that did come up was the transportation system and how it can increase the vulnerability in some cases," said Beverley Matthiessen.
The Sipping News: Italian wine online
With Wine Country in our backyard, it's easy to get caught up in local news and forget about the wine industry in Italy. Recently, however, Italian journalist and wine critic Franco Ziliani and American writer, blogger and translator Jeremy Parzen launched VinoWire.com, a new Web site that focuses solely on that region. Italian wine lovers will find a live newswire with industry-related events and breaking stories, tasting notes and recommendations. Check out longer editorial pieces and commentary from visiting journalists, and links to other blogs devoted to the Italian wine culture. - Amanda Gold .
the has-been
Someone Just Took Your Dream Job.Notes from the political sidelines.posted Jan. 18, 2008The BenchwarmerGeorge Bush just lost the job he wanted more than this one.Bruce Reedposted Jan. 18, 2008Planes, Trains, and SolicitationsHow to make your holiday travel plans without bumping into Larry Craig. Update: OMG at ORD!Bruce Reedposted Dec. 5, 2007Search for more the has-been articlesSubscribe to the the has-been RSS feedView our complete the has-been archive .
Dialight's New LED Strip Light Alternative to Fluorescent Tubing Set ...
Dialight Corporation has joined forces with two of North America's leading manufacturers in the transit bus and motor coach market, Hadley and New Flyer, to provide the industry's first complete LED-based interior lighting system. Dialight LED modules already hold 80% of the North American bus exterior light market, and the new interior LED strip lights build on Dialight's expertise in this sector to provide a cost-effective and reliable alternative to traditional fluorescent interior lighting. Dialight's new LED strip lights are set to be introduced into the New Flyer fleet for a 500-bus North American transit property within a Hadley housing. Hadley's Transit Group markets a variety of products for the transit bus, motor coach and specialty vehicle industry -- mirrors, air/electric horn systems, 12V and 24V electric compressors, interior systems and luggage racks, along with mechanical and electronic levelling systems.
Experience should help Suns
Asked what makes him so optimistic about this change, Nash didn't hesitate: "We have good players. If our chemistry is good and we have a chance to improve our cohesion, then we can beat anybody." Giricek update Philadelphia waived Gordan Giricek on Friday. That sets up a 48-hour period in which any team can claim him on waivers but only business days count. That means the Suns can't sign him until noon Tuesday. No team is expected to claim Giricek off waivers because his negotiated buyout salary of about $3.7 million would count against that team's cap and any luxury tax hit, even though that team would pay only the pro-rated remainder of his salary. Once Giricek clears waivers, the Suns plan to sign him to a pro-rated veteran's minimum contract for the remainder of the season. The Republic's Suns beat writer Paul Coro contributed to this article.
Carmona eager to prove winning 19 games was no fluke
In baseball, it's always about winning, but I recognized there's a lot more pressure in the playoffs. "This year, everything is new. All the good things of last year, that's over. All the bad things, too." His first outing this spring replicated his past postseason. Monday against Toronto, he gave up two runs and five hits with a walk, a hit batter and a strikeout in only 1 2-3 innings. "I was overthrowing, but I felt fine, no problem," Carmona said. His teammates believe Carmona has what it takes to not only survive but thrive this year, however. "He's got such a good feel for pitching and works so darn hard that I don't see how he can't succeed," said first baseman Ryan Garko, who caught Carmona in the minors. "Who knows if he'll win 19 again because there's so many things he can't control like how many runs we score, things like that," Garko continued.
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