| Airbus makes big splash at Air Show
The airline was quite clear about why it chose Airbus over Boeing, said Nick Cunningham, an analyst with Evolution Securities in London. 'The 787-9 wasn't suitable for their needs, and the 787-10 wasn't available. The only aircraft that was available in that class was the 777, but that plane is too old for Emirates. The A-350 now has the market to itself,' he said. Did huge discounts play a role in Airbus's offer to Emirates? 'We can't really know from the outside what sorts of concessions were made. The price of the order is only one part of it. In reality there are a number of concessions that can be made in such a large transaction,' Cunningham said. Ultimately, it really came down to whether Boeing could offer a competitive plane in the time frame needed, and they couldn't, he said. Does Airbus' success at the Dubai Air Show mean that it has clinched the title as 2007 sales champ? 'Airbus had a great Air Show.
College counselors hurtful, Gunn grads say
Their college counselors were unhelpful and discouraging, two former Gunn High School students told the school board and Superintendent Kevin Skelly Tuesday night. One student said he was told he should join the military. Another said she left the counselor's office in tears. "I was told I shouldn't go to college. I wouldn't make it. The military was the best option for me," 2003-graduate Paul Esber said. Esber ignored the advice and attended Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, completing a triple major and going on to work for the intellectual-property firm Rambus, he said. Esber and 2001 graduate Jenny Blake were the only students who turned out to tell the school board and Skelly what they thought of Gunn at the school district's invitation, delivered via a parents' e-mail news list, Skelly said.
Friday 9th March
Icstis said the priority was to ensure viewers got a "fair deal" from broadcasters, after a slew of allegations about irregularities with premium-rate phone-ins and interactive services. It said it would be writing a letter to broadcasters by the end of Monday asking them "to carry out a review of current and forthcoming participation TV programming to ensure there's no risk of consumer harm". The findings are to be relayed to Icstis within two weeks. Icstis will also set up a monitoring system to inspect participation TV programmes to ensure phone ins and interactive services are being run fairly. A new licensing regime will be put in place for premium-rate service providers within three months, defining responsibility for their operation and Icstis was also considering an industry-wide "trustmark" or "quality standard" in a further bid to build up public trust in participation TV.
Caltrans sees possible conflict of interest by Placentia consultants
In an audit released in January, Caltrans says Placentia could owe the state $36 million. Of that, the agency says $11.8 million must be paid back: $7 million in contracts issued by Becker, $4.3 million in questionable land purchases and more than $400,000 in other "unallowable costs." For the rest, $24 million, the state says it wants documents by June 1 on how the money was spent if the amount is to be cut. The centerpiece project overseen by OnTrac was to place railroad tracks in a trench in the city so trains, cars and trucks didn't cross paths as much. Much of the planned work never materialized because the city did not win sufficient federal funding. The letter says Kreuzer, of KFM Engineering, "could have been involved in the decisions to unnecessarily purchase" Orange County Transportation Authority property by the city in 2002.
Dow industrials up triple digits, reversing earlier triple-digit loss
NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- The Dow industrials rallied triple digits in afternoon trading Wednesday, reversing triple-digit losses seen earlier, as oil's surge to record highs above the $100 mark could no longer dampen enthusiasm over a slight improvement in housing starts and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s (NYSE:HPQ) strong quarterly results and outlook. The Dow industrials was up 108 points at 12,445, with 22 of 30 components trading higher. Earlier in the session, the Dow was down as much as 109.50 points. On Tuesday, the blue chip barometer blew a 157-point intraday gain to close down 11 points as March crude oil futures closed settled above the $100 mark for the first time on the New York Mercantile Exchange. March crude was last up 73 cents at $100.74, paring gains to an earlier high of $101.32.
Ivanhoe waits for Mongolian decision
For Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. and Mongolian Prime Minister Sanjaa Bayar, it is not a question of if, but rather a question of when the Mongolian government will approve an investment agreement for the Vancouver-based mining firm's massive Oyu Tolgoi copper mine. However, that question of when -- and whether parliamentary elections in Mongolia will mean further delays -- prompted analysts at the Canadian branch of investment bank UBS on Tuesday to decrease their valuation of the company. UBS analyst Tony Lesiak still rates Ivanhoe a "buy", but cut his valuation of Ivanhoe to $15.19 a share, and UBS' target price to $15 from $19 because of the possibility approval of the agreement with the Mongolian government may be delayed, pushing the timeline for Ivanhoe to build Oyu Tolgoi and put it into production out to mid-2011 from early 2010.
Boulder: Impeach Bush?
Boulder's elected leaders are expected to decide next week whether to draft and vote on a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. For the past few weeks, activists have been showing up at Boulder City Council meetings, carrying signs, handing out "impeach" pins and asking City Council members to take up such a resolution. Similar measures have passed in cities across the country, including Detroit and Telluride. Liz Robinson, one of the organizers of the effort, said people hoping to see impeachment proceedings have given congressional Democrats — who won a majority in the fall of 2006 — plenty of time to act. But since they haven't, she said, locally elected officials should take up the slack. "Whether or not it's the city's business directly, like potholes, I feel this affects all of us," she said.
Obama's Hispanderama
Cardinal Murphy has word of a poll showing Obama tied in ... California. Yikes. Is the Hispandering working? That would fit with the Skurnik "Two Electorates" theory--most Latino voters, like most other voters, tune in only for the last few days, and what theynow see is Obama talking about giving drivers' licenses to illegals. ... 3:55 P.M. ________________________ The Annotated Pander: Barack Obama presented himself after Iowa as the candidate who "won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know." But that was then. Now, if you're a Latino voter, he'll just tell you what you want to hear. He's in the middle of a desperate Hispandering initiative, which culminated in this exchange last night, which I've annotated: CUMMINGS: This is from Kim Millman (ph) from Burnsville, Minnesota.
Hooters in Missoula
News that restaurant chain coming to Montana raises questions about propriety The Missoulian has fielded a lot of calls and commentary in the days since reporter Lori Grannis first broke the news that a Hooters franchise is coming to town. The letters we've received most of them too prurient to print either welcome or chastise the restaurant, and provide a variety of reasons.Hooters is an international chain restaurant that offers food and drinks and big-screen televisions for sports fans above all, it's known for offering the opportunity to ogle waitresses in skimpy clothing.It's a gimmick that has attracted national contro-versy and several lawsuits. One of the first lawsuits, brought by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, ended without action. But another suit, brought by a group of men who said Hooters discriminated against them by denying them jobs, was settled only after Hooters agreed to start filling some "support" jobs, such as bartending positions, with both men and women.However, it reserved the right to continue filling its most visible jobs with women and only women of a certain physique as well as requiring them to wear the standard Hooters uniform: orange shorts and a low-cut T-shirt.Over the years the restaurant has continued to draw criticism from would-be employees alleging they were turned down for jobs because they weren't buxom enough.
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