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De La Fuente runs for NYC mayoral seat
This is either a hobby for him as Ponzi suggests, or the man is a few bricks short of a load. There is absolutely no possibility that he could be elected mayor of NYC. If he has a "plan" to use these unsuccessful tries to develop name recognition, there might be a germ of method in his madness. But how many such tries would it take to really be recognized?— March 26, 2017 9:09 a.m.
Gas from the past now pumps in Coronado
The Tea Pot dome scandal was ". . .credited as causing the ouster of Warren G. Harding in the 1924 presidential election." Huh? Harding could not stand for reelection in 1924 because he died unexpectedly in office in the summer of 1923. His VP, "Silent Cal" Coolidge succeeded him, completed the term, and won his own term in the 1924 election. Revelations of the Tea Pot Dome occurred after Harding's death. There was definitely corruption in his administration, and he should have been more careful. Some evidence indicates he was, if not complicit, too reliant upon his cabinet. The scandal sullied Harding's reputation, and historians regarded him as a poor president. But some writers are going back and revisiting the record, and coming to different conclusions. If that scandal had been unmasked and if Harding had lived, he might have been limited to a single term, but that is pure speculation.— March 26, 2017 9:03 a.m.
To L.A. for Olango justice
Nothing new here, really. Going back more than forty years, no cop has ever been prosecuted locally for gunning down a suspect, adversary, or just ordinary citizen. Ed Miller never prosecuted, Paulie Pfingst never prosecuted, and Bahnee D has never done one. Does that mean the cops never go too far? LOL. I can recall a few cases where there was no justification for the gunplay. But the cop "get out of jail card" can be played in every case. "I thought I saw him reach for his (usually) waistband and I thought he was going for a gun, so I wasted him" was the essence. No corroboration necessary, no witnesses, and the story didn't always match the evidence recovered. Yeah, I know the cops have a tough job. And, no, I never walked a mile in their shoes. I don't want to. But in this case, there were factors that make it a weaker case than many others. Just in the past two years there were other shootings that had less justification that were ruled OK. Good luck guys.— March 24, 2017 8:38 p.m.
County unemployment rate drops to 4.2 percent
A brief review of economic commentary now reveals the high number of people, but notably males in the prime earning years of life, who are out of the labor force. The figures are just off the scale as compared to even twenty years ago. Sociologists recognize the facts, but there is massive disagreement as to the cause. But know what? Regardless of the cause, there are millions of those who "should" be employed or looking for work and are not. So, this level of unemployment isn't as good as it should be, and doesn't reflect reality. But as to the role of UI in determining these stats, as I understand it, UI filings have just about nothing to do with the measure. Long ago it was determined that they failed to measure reality and were replaced with other measures.— March 24, 2017 7:39 p.m.
It starts with biscuits and ends with gravy
If you're going to use Montana's newer nickname, you capitalize it: Big Sky Country. It's a big state, fourth largest in land area, and holds only about a million people.— March 23, 2017 4:45 p.m.
Fat City is elsewhere
San Francisco has a large Asian population, which may partly explain it. But there's another factor there. The regular street corner food stores are dingy, cramped, wildly overpriced, and unfriendly. Many if not most San Franciscans lack a car, and hence have to hoof it to a decent supermarket, and schlep their purchases home. That'll keep you in shape and keep the pounds off! The groceries there are still costly, wherever you buy them. So, there is a financial incentive to cool it on the chow. The only downside is that you have to live in that city with its ridiculous rents for small spaces and ultra-lib politics.— March 23, 2017 4:41 p.m.
Rat-bite fever? It's a big thing for Petco
Let me start by saying that I've never understood why anyone would want a rodent for a pet. Hamsters, gerbils and most of all white rats never appealed to me as something I'd want to bring into my house. We've had enough hassle and expense keeping rats OUT of the house. Gophers rip up my gardens, and I "do whatever it takes" to eliminate them. But this could be as big a deal as "Blackfish" was for Sea World. It could push the retailer over into BK. I have no sympathy for Petco, in light of the financial shenanigans that have gone on with its trips back and forth from public ownership to private and back again. If Petco knew about this condition/disease, then its first reaction would have been to stop selling rats and let the public know why. Does it take the death of a child to get Petco to see the light? Seems that way, doesn't it? Unless that isn't even enough. Just say NO to Petco.— March 22, 2017 8:22 p.m.
Move over burger place, coffee place coming in
If anyone wanted to keep that design, you would think it would be Jack in the Box. I think they called that design the "elephant's foot." As far as I knew, the first very few Jacks were made that way, and all of them were around San Diego. The design was meant for a drive-through, with a walk-up-window added as an afterthought. Oh yeah, California meant going everywhere on wheels, and doing everything from your car. The design had no seating, other than (maybe) an outdoor table or two. But by the 60's they had gone to the tall design, the one in Ken's comment, and they looked like a kid's jack in the box toy. Those still had no real provision for seating, being intended for drive-through operation only. If you remember back in the day, McDonald's had no drive-through, and no indoor seating. Those stands with the golden arches in their design were for walk-ups only. They may have had a small amount of seating out front and outdoor. Now both of them and just about all the competitors have dining rooms inside. Rally's is one exception to that, and there's Sonic. And all have drive-through lanes. So, where once they started differently, they have converged to a single basic design. That happens very often in the evolution of retail activity.— March 20, 2017 4:45 p.m.
Husband and wife cheated workers' compensation
A couple decades ago, the workers comp rates in California were the highest in the nation, placing in-state employers at a disadvantage with out-of-state competitors. (That was far from the only disadvantage of doing business in this state.) More recently there have been "reforms" made to WC, and now I don't hear or see the intense complaints. But some occupations, such as construction of all kinds, and some aspects of manufacturing have shockingly high rates. Employers in this state have to be savvy about all the costs of employing, where failure to anticipate things like WC and unemployment can be devastating. This is not a time and a place when you can just hire a person or two or three and figure that their gross income is about all you'll be paying. When I was running an accounting department, I remember the auditors from the workers comp carrier being very good at spotting errors. But they based their findings on complete and accurate payroll records. I'd suppose these cheaters actually had managed to run a large payroll that never showed up anywhere around an auditor.— March 18, 2017 9:13 a.m.
Manchester was warned not to build in Austin
"The reality is, everyone wants to come to Austin." Why in the world would "everyone" want to visit Austin? It needs to be remembered that it is still Texas, no matter how much it has promoted its brand. And, if you've never been in the state, well, Texas is Texas, and that says it all. I'm part of everyone, and I don't care if I ever cross into that state again in my lifetime. OK, let's say too many misguided folks want to visit Austin. If they loved the place so much, they would go there, conventions or no. So, maybe, just maybe, it isn't so loved after all. What brings them is meetings/conventions/shows that just aren't held elsewhere. If you want to attend some of them, then you have to go there. But are you going there because you love Austin? Probably not. Is it more pleasant as a destination than Houston or DFW? Yes, it probably is, but that proves nothing. This spiral of convention space, then a shortage of hotels, then a surfeit of hotels and more convention space is a character of capitalism. But capitalism doesn't require the taxpayers to build more convention space, or sports venues, or anything else.— March 17, 2017 10:19 p.m.