Sunday, November 30, 2008

For Franken, a math problem

Analyst: Senate may decide Minn. election (click here)
...Under the constitution, the Senate is the final arbiter of its membership, MPR noted.

...To win his case before the state Canvassing Board, Franken must prevail on more than 6 percent of his challenges of Coleman votes even if Coleman fails to succeed on any of his challenges, a Star Tribune analysis shows....

News Graphic: Challenging math: Predicting a Senate winner (click here)
Jim Freitag, Star Tribune
This chart shows what the winning vote margin would be in the U.S. Senate race based on the percentage of the ballot challenges each candidate wins. For example, if each candidate wins 30 percent of their challenges, then Sen. Norm Coleman wins by 209 votes. But if Coleman wins 30 percent of his challenges and Franken wins 50 percent of his challenges, then Franken wins by 339 votes. Most challenged ballots involve one candidate trying to prevent the vote being awarded to the other candidate, or trying to claim that a spoiled ballot is actually a vote for him. However, if a challenge is resolved by switching a vote from one candidate to the other — an extremely rare occurrence — then the numbers in this chart would change slightly in favor of the candidate who wins more of those challenges. That's because a switched vote would result in a net change of two votes (one vote less for one candidate and one vote more for the other candidate); all the other challenges would be a net change of just one vote.you can view the Graphic.

Human Induced Global Warming 'Heat Transfer System' Delays Shuttle Landing

The 'value' of farmland as based in crop production changes with the climate. Economics, across the board is adversely affected by Human Induced Global Warming. Without exception. It has to be included in any economic recovery of the USA. Stop being ostriches! Old world economics WON'T WORK !


The Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture: A Ricardian Analysis
Robert Mendelsohn, William D. Nordhaus and Daigee Shaw
The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 4 (Sep., 1994), pp. 753-771
Published by:
American Economic Association


It ain't all about space shuttle economics either !


November 30, 2008
1730z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite Image


Shuttle Undocking on November 28, 2008 in film loop below. The cost to the USA to land its space shuttle just increased by $1.8 million due to the dense carbon dioxide blanket over the USA. Republicans have an attitude problem and I am not talking 'trajectory' either !






Space shuttle landing detours to California (click here)
By MARCIA DUNN – 1 hour ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Dangerously high wind and a stormy sky prevented space shuttle Endeavour from returning to its home base in Florida on Sunday, and NASA ordered the astronauts to take a detour and land in sunny California.
With a gloomy Florida forecast for Monday as well, Mission Control opted to send Endeavour to Edwards Air Force Base, the backup landing site. Touchdown was scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST.
"It is what it is," shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson radioed. "We'll see you on the ground in California."
Endeavour and its crew are wrapping up a 16-day trip that left the international space station freshly remodeled and capable of housing bigger crews. Returning home is former space station resident Gregory Chamitoff, who's been off the planet since the end of May.
NASA always prefers to land the space shuttles at its home base in Florida. It takes about a week and costs $1.8 million to transport a shuttle from California to Florida, atop a modified jumbo jet.
The astronauts also were rooting for a Florida touchdown; that's where their families were waiting....



Global Warming Melts Tibetan Glaciers (click here)
India, China and Nepal could be severely affected
By Tudor Vieru, Science Editor
28th of November 2008, 10:36 GMT

Since the early 1990s, land- and mountain-based glaciers worldwide have been in a constant process of withdrawal, with devastating consequences to global fresh water supplies, which mostly depend on these sources. Asian glaciers, in particular, pose the highest threat because they fuel several large rivers, that, in turn, provide energy - both hydroelectrical and nuclear - and water to more than 2 billion people....

51 Days until Inauguration - Reduce inventories and insist on 'for profit' prices

Substandard product design. Substandard materials. Substandard testing. No to little or JUST TOO LATE government oversight. Dirt cheap labor = Dirt cheap life = only the wealthy survive ! And that is only 1 - 4 % of the population depending on what measure one uses. Product FAILURE is expensive, negligent, is an example of exceptionally poor Research and Development and leads to company losses as well as lawsuits. Oh, wait. What lawsuits. Bush, Cheney and the Republicans have virtually eliminated product liability, negligence and medical malpractice through TORT REFORM. Tort Reform? Is that what they call it?


Ikea's Parodi vases - the base could break off without warning

How effective are product recalls? (click here)
WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 14:08 GMT
Product recalls have multiplied more than four-fold in seven years, according to research. But how effective are they?
From the inside pages of newspapers, to shop windows - notices for product recalls are part of the daily backdrop of our consumer society.
In the past month alone, product safety recalls have included a promotional child's umbrella, several varieties of supermarket own-brand houmous, a brand of electrical time-delay switches, a Marks and Spencer ready meal and two sorts of Ikea vase.
Few of these make big headlines, although last week's Cadbury Easter egg recall - due to an absence of nut allergy labelling - was something of an exception. So what kind of success rate do product recalls have in reaching consumers?
The average recall recovers 37% of the products sold, according to government research. The figure dates back to a report issued by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2000, which remains the most recent study....


No strangers to product recalls, Cadbury recalled some Easter eggs

Besides higher employment rates because manufacturers can't make money to stay in business, there is the issue of product reliability. This entire mess is ludicrous !


Jobless claims see a much needed drop - down from 16-year high2008-11-28 16:20:41 (GMT) (Caymanmama.com - Business News) (click here)
Government reports jobless claims have dropped from a 16-year high
Cleveland, Ohio (CaymanMama.com) — The government delivered good news on Wednesday reporting that jobless claims have dropped from a 16-year high, falling more than originally anticipated. Still, unemployment rates are still at elevated levels due to a sagging economic state.
The report was one of four released by the government that painted a grim overall picture of the economy.
According to the Associated Press, “The Labor Department reported that initial requests for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 529,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised figure of 543,000. That is lower than analysts’ expectations of 537,000.”
The silver lining to the dark cloud was that the number of those claiming unemployment dropped to 3.96 million, from the previous week’s amount of 4.02 million — the highest level in a quarter century. The labor market has risen by nearly half since 1983.
Economy analysts find that jobless claims are a true sign of how quickly businesses are laying off employees. Those who are fired or quit are then ineligible for unemployment benefits.
“We see nothing to suggest claims are near their peak,” Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a research note. “The trend is still strongly upwards.”
The nation’s financial systems have been hardest hit recently by the housing crash and crumbling economic crisis, leading consumers and companies to cut back on expenses–including workforce.


This is the most STUPID economy that I have ever witnessed in my life. The consumer has marketers 'by the balls' and they literally don't pay a cent until they scream 'ouch.'



...But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon (click here) came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades....

The more abuse of 'self' exists; whether it is in a personal relationship, a society with a wealth of guns on the street, a job market that pays pennies an hour or non-existant medical care; the more and more and more is allowed. Dirt cheap lifestyles aren't a choice in the USA, they are an IMPOSITION/Oppression. When consumer products are well made they are worth SAVING for in anticipation of comfort and peace of mind. Buy one, get one free has GOT TO GO !

The war in Iraq wasn't just illegal, it completely demoralized the infrastructure of the USA !

Enough !