CG report cites multiple failures in diving deaths - Navy News, Navy Times
It seems that everything and everyone that could go wrong went wrong. Very sad story.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Asbestos Fireproofing Might Have Prevented World Trade Center Collapse
Thank you, eco-nuts....Asbestos Fireproofing Might Have Prevented World Trade Center Collapse
"Berlau’s report of the post-Sept. 11 fireproofing testing by NIST underscores the chilling possibility that the Sept. 11 WTC building collapses may have been delayed if not preventable had asbestos fireproofing been used."
"Berlau’s report of the post-Sept. 11 fireproofing testing by NIST underscores the chilling possibility that the Sept. 11 WTC building collapses may have been delayed if not preventable had asbestos fireproofing been used."
"Life Under the Bush Debacle "
The Corner on National Review Online: "Life Under the Bush Debacle "
Jonah – Each of your pro-Kerry correspondents take pains to point out how poorly the country has fared under George W. Bush, and how those who support him (especially you…) are destroying the country. Let’s see, last time I checked,
1) The stock market is at an all-time high, thus
2) Retirement accounts are at last recovering.
3) Unemployment is at a 25-year low,
4) Taxes are at 20-year lows,
5) Federal revenues are at all-time highs,
6) The Federal deficit is down almost 50%,
7) Real estate values have soared,
8) Inflation is at a 20-year low,
9) There have been no successful attacks since 9/11,
10) Al Queda is being taken apart, one body at a time.
11) U.S. and British Intelligence have thwarted a number of attacks.
12) The terrorists are flocking to Iraq to be killed, instead of boarding planes for this country.
If any of your writers were as honest they dare you to be, they would admit that, if the president who had accomplished this in the face of such difficulty had a “D” after his name instead of an “R”, they would be singing his praises to the heavens. But no, the country is falling apart. Only if a Democrat takes the White House will everything instantly be perfect again.
Jonah – Each of your pro-Kerry correspondents take pains to point out how poorly the country has fared under George W. Bush, and how those who support him (especially you…) are destroying the country. Let’s see, last time I checked,
1) The stock market is at an all-time high, thus
2) Retirement accounts are at last recovering.
3) Unemployment is at a 25-year low,
4) Taxes are at 20-year lows,
5) Federal revenues are at all-time highs,
6) The Federal deficit is down almost 50%,
7) Real estate values have soared,
8) Inflation is at a 20-year low,
9) There have been no successful attacks since 9/11,
10) Al Queda is being taken apart, one body at a time.
11) U.S. and British Intelligence have thwarted a number of attacks.
12) The terrorists are flocking to Iraq to be killed, instead of boarding planes for this country.
If any of your writers were as honest they dare you to be, they would admit that, if the president who had accomplished this in the face of such difficulty had a “D” after his name instead of an “R”, they would be singing his praises to the heavens. But no, the country is falling apart. Only if a Democrat takes the White House will everything instantly be perfect again.
American Eagle Flight 4184
What are the odds of getting killed on your first day on the job?
The junior flight attendant was hired by Simmons Airlines on October 6,1994, and successfully completed her initial training in October on the Saab 340,Shorts 360 and the ATR 42/72 airplanes. Flight 4184 was the first line trip for the junior flight attendant.
ABC 33/40 Weather Blog » “The Weather Channel” Mess
ABC 33/40 Weather Blog » “The Weather Channel” Mess: "Well, well. Some “climate expert” on “The Weather Channel” wants to take away AMS certification from those of us who believe the recent “global warming” is a natural process. So much for “tolerance”, huh?"
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Doh!
Inside the Beltway - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "'In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq,' the story began, Mr. Reyes 'said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a 'stepped up effort to dismantle the militias.' ' "
Friday, January 12, 2007
Demo-stink
House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Naked Ivy
STUDENTS at America's prestigious Ivy League universities are rebelling against their colleges' stuffy reputations, casting off society's norms along with their clothes to hold naked parties.
Sounds like the Teamsters of Hoffa's days
Interesting LTE.
MEA salaries should outrage state teachers
According to a form filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, MEA administrators in East Lansing and regional Uniserv directors earned almost $21,000 more in the time period Sept. 1, 2004, to Aug. 31, 2005, than the teachers they supposedly help in union activities.
Moreover, some $26.5 million in wages and salaries were paid to 341 administrators in the MEA labor union for an average salary of $77,750; but the average teacher in Michigan earned about $56,970 during the same period, according to statistics released by the NEA.
Incredibly, Michigan teachers rank fourth-highest in the nation for average pay while MEA Uniserv directors earn an average salary of about $87,000 per year. Lou Battagliera, the past president of the MEA, earned an outrageous salary of $181,902; Charles Anderson, who retired as executive editor, earned $169,521; and Al Short, our lobbyist for the union, earned $147,492 in 2005.
Why should teachers be outraged at the huge salaries paid to worthless administrators? Stressed teachers are frustrated by skyrocketing union dues paid to another layer of useless administrators who sat frozen like frogs on lily pads when our state Legislature passed a tough anti-strike bill in 1994!
Without a doubt, MEA eunuchs have become ineffective drones while they fiddle as Rome burns due to weak representation in grievances, negotiations and privatization scams.
Larry D. Vandermolen
MEA salaries should outrage state teachers
According to a form filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, MEA administrators in East Lansing and regional Uniserv directors earned almost $21,000 more in the time period Sept. 1, 2004, to Aug. 31, 2005, than the teachers they supposedly help in union activities.
Moreover, some $26.5 million in wages and salaries were paid to 341 administrators in the MEA labor union for an average salary of $77,750; but the average teacher in Michigan earned about $56,970 during the same period, according to statistics released by the NEA.
Incredibly, Michigan teachers rank fourth-highest in the nation for average pay while MEA Uniserv directors earn an average salary of about $87,000 per year. Lou Battagliera, the past president of the MEA, earned an outrageous salary of $181,902; Charles Anderson, who retired as executive editor, earned $169,521; and Al Short, our lobbyist for the union, earned $147,492 in 2005.
Why should teachers be outraged at the huge salaries paid to worthless administrators? Stressed teachers are frustrated by skyrocketing union dues paid to another layer of useless administrators who sat frozen like frogs on lily pads when our state Legislature passed a tough anti-strike bill in 1994!
Without a doubt, MEA eunuchs have become ineffective drones while they fiddle as Rome burns due to weak representation in grievances, negotiations and privatization scams.
Larry D. Vandermolen
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Friday, January 05, 2007
Kansas thoughts
The best and worst of Opinion Line 2006
Breasts, fashion statements
As far as I'm concerned, the only thing wrong with breast-feeding in public is that the baby's head obstructs my view.
If a woman breast-feeds her baby while lunching at Hooters, would other patrons be offended? Just curious.
If you have stomach rolls, please stop wearing shorts that show them. Nobody wants to see that. If you have back rolls, please stop wearing halters. Nobody wants to see that, either.
If you are 35 or older, short skirts, low-necked tops and tight jeans are not for you. Face it; your glory days are over. Cover up.
Breasts, fashion statements
As far as I'm concerned, the only thing wrong with breast-feeding in public is that the baby's head obstructs my view.
If a woman breast-feeds her baby while lunching at Hooters, would other patrons be offended? Just curious.
If you have stomach rolls, please stop wearing shorts that show them. Nobody wants to see that. If you have back rolls, please stop wearing halters. Nobody wants to see that, either.
If you are 35 or older, short skirts, low-necked tops and tight jeans are not for you. Face it; your glory days are over. Cover up.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
No big deal?
Health costs create county budget gap
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
The short, happy era of fiscal prosperity is over for Muskegon County government.
After using an unexpected $1.7 million windfall in September to balance their fiscal 2007 budget plan, county leaders have learned that the cost of providing retiree medical benefits has gone through the roof.
That means the county, almost three full months into the new fiscal year, will have to find a way to erase a sudden deficit of approximately $2.3 million, including $750,000 in the general fund and about $1.5 million in all other funds.
County commissioners started the painful process of eliminating that deficit Tuesday by voting to impose a hiring freeze on full-time employees and reducing the "benefit option" for employees that don't enroll in the medical insurance program.
County Administrator James Borushko will also ask all county departments to review their budgets in the coming weeks and recommend spending cuts and/or revenue increases equaling two percent.
An overall budget reduction plan, based on those recommended cuts, will probably come before county commissioners in February or March, according to officials.
"There's always a new challenge the next day," said Borushko, alluding to last summer's unexpected property tax revenue windfall that temporarily provided the county with enough revenue to cover its budget. "We will look for good news to come hopefully in other areas."
The latest "new challenge" is related to the cost of keeping up with future medical costs for county retirees.
Every few years the county has an "actuarial" study done of its pension and insurance programs, to determine how much it must set aside every year to meet its obligation to retirees over three decades.
Last year the county put aside 6.8 percent of its gross payroll, based on a 2000 actuarial study.
This year county officials estimated they would have to put aside 9.28 percent of gross payroll in the new fiscal year, equaling about $4.5 million.
Then a new actuarial study came in, and the results were chilling. County officials learned they would have to set aside slightly more than 14 percent of gross payroll, or about $6.8 million.
That created a $2.3 million hole in their fiscal 2007 budget plan.
The impact of the shortage could potentially be blunted in coming months. A proposed state law would allow local governments to sell bonds to lessen the impact of the additional costs.
But there's no guarantee that option will become available, and the county would be foolish to count on it, according to officials.
In a memo to commissioners, Jack Niemiec, the county's director of finance and management services, described the budgetary impact of the cost increase "huge."
"The next question, of course, is how to deal with this huge hit," Niemiec wrote in the memo. "We cannot ignore it."
Commissioners reacted Tuesday in several ways, based on Niemiec's recommendations to erase the budget shortfall.
* They voted to impose a hiring freeze for all full-time positions that are funded at least 50 percent with general fund money. The hiring freeze will not save money at the outset, but could make a difference as the months pass and positions become vacant, according to officials.
* Commissioners also voted to reduce the amount of money they give employees who opt out of the county's medical coverage. Currently employees with families of more than two people receive $5,450, families of two receive $5,115 and single employees get $2,322.
With the reduction in place, employees with families will get $2,000 per year while single employees will get $1,000. A total of 210 county employees will be affected, including 9 of the 11 county commissioners, according to officials.
The reduction will save the county an estimated $516,220.
* Niemiec said the county will also save money because wage increases for county employees were not as large as they could have been this year. The county was set to increase wages between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent for most employees, based on the consumer price index.
The CPI ended up at 1.7 percent, meaning the county can pay the low end of the wage increase, or 2.5 percent. The county budget had assumed an increase of 3.25 percent for most employees., so the saving will be $332,037.
Savings from the reduction of the benefit option and the lower wage increase will total $848,957. That still leaves a hole of roughly $1.4 million in the budget, which the various departments will be expected to eliminate through their two percent cuts.
"We will expect everybody to show up and meet their obligation," said Borushko, who added that employee layoffs probably aren't a concern, unless the initial budget cuts fail to eliminate the deficit.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
The short, happy era of fiscal prosperity is over for Muskegon County government.
After using an unexpected $1.7 million windfall in September to balance their fiscal 2007 budget plan, county leaders have learned that the cost of providing retiree medical benefits has gone through the roof.
That means the county, almost three full months into the new fiscal year, will have to find a way to erase a sudden deficit of approximately $2.3 million, including $750,000 in the general fund and about $1.5 million in all other funds.
County commissioners started the painful process of eliminating that deficit Tuesday by voting to impose a hiring freeze on full-time employees and reducing the "benefit option" for employees that don't enroll in the medical insurance program.
County Administrator James Borushko will also ask all county departments to review their budgets in the coming weeks and recommend spending cuts and/or revenue increases equaling two percent.
An overall budget reduction plan, based on those recommended cuts, will probably come before county commissioners in February or March, according to officials.
"There's always a new challenge the next day," said Borushko, alluding to last summer's unexpected property tax revenue windfall that temporarily provided the county with enough revenue to cover its budget. "We will look for good news to come hopefully in other areas."
The latest "new challenge" is related to the cost of keeping up with future medical costs for county retirees.
Every few years the county has an "actuarial" study done of its pension and insurance programs, to determine how much it must set aside every year to meet its obligation to retirees over three decades.
Last year the county put aside 6.8 percent of its gross payroll, based on a 2000 actuarial study.
This year county officials estimated they would have to put aside 9.28 percent of gross payroll in the new fiscal year, equaling about $4.5 million.
Then a new actuarial study came in, and the results were chilling. County officials learned they would have to set aside slightly more than 14 percent of gross payroll, or about $6.8 million.
That created a $2.3 million hole in their fiscal 2007 budget plan.
The impact of the shortage could potentially be blunted in coming months. A proposed state law would allow local governments to sell bonds to lessen the impact of the additional costs.
But there's no guarantee that option will become available, and the county would be foolish to count on it, according to officials.
In a memo to commissioners, Jack Niemiec, the county's director of finance and management services, described the budgetary impact of the cost increase "huge."
"The next question, of course, is how to deal with this huge hit," Niemiec wrote in the memo. "We cannot ignore it."
Commissioners reacted Tuesday in several ways, based on Niemiec's recommendations to erase the budget shortfall.
* They voted to impose a hiring freeze for all full-time positions that are funded at least 50 percent with general fund money. The hiring freeze will not save money at the outset, but could make a difference as the months pass and positions become vacant, according to officials.
* Commissioners also voted to reduce the amount of money they give employees who opt out of the county's medical coverage. Currently employees with families of more than two people receive $5,450, families of two receive $5,115 and single employees get $2,322.
With the reduction in place, employees with families will get $2,000 per year while single employees will get $1,000. A total of 210 county employees will be affected, including 9 of the 11 county commissioners, according to officials.
The reduction will save the county an estimated $516,220.
* Niemiec said the county will also save money because wage increases for county employees were not as large as they could have been this year. The county was set to increase wages between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent for most employees, based on the consumer price index.
The CPI ended up at 1.7 percent, meaning the county can pay the low end of the wage increase, or 2.5 percent. The county budget had assumed an increase of 3.25 percent for most employees., so the saving will be $332,037.
Savings from the reduction of the benefit option and the lower wage increase will total $848,957. That still leaves a hole of roughly $1.4 million in the budget, which the various departments will be expected to eliminate through their two percent cuts.
"We will expect everybody to show up and meet their obligation," said Borushko, who added that employee layoffs probably aren't a concern, unless the initial budget cuts fail to eliminate the deficit.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Anti-cheese campaign is seen as 'nannying gone mad'
The new regulations, being introduced this month by the television regulator Ofcom, will ban broadcasters from advertising cheese during children's TV programmes, or shows with a large number of child viewers....
The ban comes in the wake of evidence that television commercials have an indirect influence on what children eat and are contributing to obesity in the young...
The model officially labelled cheese as more unhealthy than sugary cereals, full-fat crisps and cheeseburgers.
The ban comes in the wake of evidence that television commercials have an indirect influence on what children eat and are contributing to obesity in the young...
The model officially labelled cheese as more unhealthy than sugary cereals, full-fat crisps and cheeseburgers.
The successes of President George W Bush
Sometimes we forget the significant wins for W... and the USA.
Pretty long and impressive list!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1759220/replies?c=8
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)