Cookies & Cowpies

Concrete on Tolivar Road

admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:39:33 +0000

It appears to be quite a project. Folks in these parts have never seen a fella put down 20+ yards by himself before, and finish it to boot;

Megabanks may be slimmed down, told to prepare plans for own demise

admin — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:58:20 +0000

Under the administration’s proposal, companies such as Citi, Goldman Sachs and others in a broad top tier engaged in complex transactions would face stricter scrutiny and have to hold more assets and more cash as cushions against a downturn.

They also would have to anticipate their own demise, drafting detailed descriptions of how they could be dismantled quickly without causing damaging repercussions. Think of it as planning their own funerals — and burials.

Obama’s plan, in short, aims to make it far less appealing to be so big. That was the middle ground the administration sought, a step short of an outright ban on systemically risky companies.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31711461/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

Will Congress Read Bills Before Voting?

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:10:27 +0000

Various grassroots organizations are blasting Congress for not taking the time to properly consider the energy bill or health care reform — two very significant pieces of legislation.

Let Freedom Ring, a non-profit, grassroots organization that supports a conservative agenda, announced an initiative today urging members of Congress to sign a pledge to read and give citizens the opportunity to read any health care reform legislation before voting on it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/24/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5110850.shtml?tag=pop

State Sovereignty Status

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:19:52 +0000

After 19 years, Ulysses solar probe to go dark

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:46:34 +0000

NASA and the European Space Agency are about to pull the plug on a robotic solar probe that just wouldn’t quit. The Ulysses probe was launched from the space shuttle Discovery in 1990. It was supposed to last five years. But it’s now nearing 19 years, 5.8 billion miles and still going.

Sixteen months ago, the two space agencies announced that Ulysses was freezing up and about to die in a matter of weeks. Somehow it kept operating, sending important science information about an extraordinarily quiet year for the sunspots and solar wind.

That will end on Tuesday when the space agencies turn off Ulysses’ transmitter. Officials say issues with power, location and antennas make it no longer useful.

Obama hints at amnesty for illegal immigrants

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:54:14 +0000

President Barack Obama stayed away from hot-button words in remarks Thursday on immigration reform, but hinted that his immigration push will include some kind of “amnesty” or “legal path” for illegal immigrants already in the United States.

He also praised U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was at a White House meeting on the issue and has supported a legal path for undocumented immigrants and a guest worker program.

“What’s also been acknowledged is that the 12 million or so undocumented workers are here — who are not paying taxes in the ways that we’d like them to be paying taxes, who are living in the shadows, that is a group that we have to deal with in a practical, common-sense way,” Obama said after the meeting. “And I think the American people are ready for us to do so. But it’s going to require some heavy lifting, it’s going to require a victory of practicality and common sense and good policy making over short-term politics. That’s what I’m committed to doing as president.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/06/22/daily42.html?ana=from_rss