| Selling the nonski slopes
PLYMOUTH, N.H. - On a recent Saturday, Cully Gustafson was racing down a slope on a Hammerhead sled - a new piece of equipment that sports bicycle-like handlebars and a springy mesh seat - on his first trip to Tenney Mountain resort. "I haven't skied in a couple years," said the 46-year-old from Plymouth, Mass. "No time now with kids." With lifestyles so jam-packed and high-priced, fewer people are sinking time and money into skiing or snowboarding. So several New England resorts this season are trying to squeeze more money out of skiers and snowboarders while also luring people who otherwise would not set foot on the slopes by dedicating small sections of their mountains to easier-to-learn, cheaper activities such as sledding, snowshoeing, and winter hiking. After all, a day of skiing or snowboarding can easily cost $90 at popular mountains, while snowshoeing and cross-country skiing can be as little as $30.
Dreams, bullpen stressing me out
Mike Gonzalez is on his way back from Tommy John. The Braves haven't seen the real Gonzalez yet and maybe they will by midseason. Manny Acosta was probably the best of the young arms, which is why he's still here and not Ascanio. And Devine? Gosh, the nicest guy, a Wolfpack (how do you make that singular, NC State grads?), with first-round pick stuff. Personally I think his is one of the most poignant stories to come around for the Braves in a long time. I remember a fellow writer describing him after the playoff game in 2005 in Houston where he gave up the game-winning home run to Chris Burke in the 18th inning. This was after the grand slam debacle earlier in the season. The writer described seeing Devine in the dugout after the game with a tear rolling down his cheek. But I, for one, think the guy could use a fresh start.
DAVID LEASK and DOUGLAS FRASER
Our research scotches five key myths, concluding that Scotland does well in some ways, but does not get special treatment within the UK. Scotland, with pockets of deprivation, one-third of the UK's land-mass and far-flung communities, does indeed receive substantial state spending, but its average of £9631 public money per head is still less than London's at £9748 or Northern Ireland's £10,271. Latest estimates show the tax take from Scotland - buoyed by the financial success of companies such as Royal Bank of Scotland - is higher than anywhere outside London. Arguments rage over North Sea oil and gas, but there is no doubt revenue from the natural resources found in waters off Scotland is being used fill the coffers of the UK exchequer. While cities such as Glasgow have high levels of incapacity benefit, the overall welfare bill at £3086 per head is actually lower in Scotland than in swaths of northern England.
EPA staff backed waiver for Calif. on emissions, files say
The staff report was given to Johnson in a PowerPoint presentation dated late October. The EPA has refused to release unredacted versions of that presentation or other documents in response to congressional demands, citing executive branch confidentiality. But Boxer's aides were allowed to review and transcribe several versions of the 46-page PowerPoint presentation on Tuesday, spending 5 1/2 hours doing so under supervision of EPA staff, Boxer said. EPA officials asked that the information be kept private, but Boxer's staff told the EPA they would not agree to that condition, and they released the excerpts to reporters yesterday. EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said Boxer's decision to release the excerpts was "troubling," though he didn't dispute their accuracy.
White House Press Briefing on President Bush's 2009 Budget Plan
Well, we've learned from experience that in order to get to that destination, you've got to take some bite-sized chunks, and I think the president has done that. And together with the Congress, in a bipartisan way, yes, we've made a determination to drive up the deficit in order to stimulate the economy and get some economic growth through a tax package that they are now considering. But, again, it's a manageable deficit. It isn't the largest in history by any stretch of the imagination. And it's one that can be managed if we get economic growth back on track. QUESTION: You talked about the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and the bipartisan cooperation which spawned it. But what in the world are you thinking when you project that you can get a bipartisan budget agreement in an election year, please? NUSSLE: It is challenging, there's no question about it.
First, fairy cakes – then welding, kids
Since it came to power, the Labour government has introduced 2,685 pieces of legislation every year. And each has been either ill-conceived, draconian, bonkers, bitter, dangerous, counter-productive, childish, wrong, thoughtless, selfish, or designed primarily to make life a bit more miserable for everyone except six people in the BBC, 14 on The Guardian and Al Gore. Still, with such a torrent of new rules and regulations pouring onto the statute books every day, it was statistically inevitable that one day they’d accidentally do something sensible. And last week that day arrived. They decided that everyone who’s capable of reaching the takeaway shop without being shot in the face is eating far too much Trex and that the way to get them eating fair-trade lettuce and organic tofu instead is to make cooking a part of the school curriculum for children aged 11-14.
Security shambles as airport is invaded for third night in row
If you want to see how it is done properly, go and look at Narita Airport in Japan: watchtowers, searchlights, multiple fences, solid walls, sterile areas and lots of barbed wire. Those are only the obvious signs. I'm sure there is much else we can't see. .
Death of a GIANT
Instead, he borrowed some money from a friend and emigrated to Saudi Arabia in search of a better life. There, Hariri started off as a mathematics teacher in Jeddah, then became an auditor for an engineering firm before setting up his own subcontracting company, CICONEST, in 1969. CICONEST made good money during the Saudi construction bubble that accompanied the oil boom of the 1970s, building hospitals, hotels and residential palaces for the Saudi royal family. Hariri was able to build and deliver the Massara Hotel in Taif in a record-breaking six months, which endeared him to the Saudi royals, who granted him citizenship in 1978. In the late 1970s, with an increase in his cashflow, he purchased Oger, the famed French construction company, and went on to become a favorite companion of King Fahd, who had assumed the Saudi throne in 1982.
|
