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How to make your holiday travel plans without bumping into Larry Craig. Update: OMG at ORD!Bruce Reedposted Dec. 5, 2007Huck ThinCan we afford another president who's afraid of getting fat?Bruce Reedposted Nov. 30, 2007Truman Loses!In its bid for history, the Bush White House gets stuffed.Bruce Reedposted Nov. 20, 2007Search for more the has-been articlesSubscribe to the the has-been RSS feedView our complete the has-been archive .
Carter's Sunday School lessons a big draw
Those other men in black, the ones who arrived in the black Chevrolet Suburban with tinted windows and God knows what kind of electronics and weaponry inside, they were Secret Service agents. They probably never suspected when they signed up that their job description included, "Attend Sunday school and church in a south Georgia town of 700 souls three times a month." That is about how often their charge, former President Jimmy Carter, teaches at his home church in Plains. Carter started teaching Sunday school as a young man and never stopped. Even while he occupied the White House, he taught occasionally. His lifelong commitment as a Baptist and the weight of his public character are reasons as many as 20,000 Baptists are expected in Atlanta this week for a convocation that Carter helped pull together.
Gauging Super Bowl costs
While law-enforcement officials have been putting together a game plan for keeping the public safe, local organizers have been working to make the Super Bowl a memorable one, full of youth football clinics, volunteer events and public parties. Those cost money, too. More than two dozen donors have bought or bartered for a Host Committee sponsorship package, which includes game tickets. More than 80 percent of the cash has come from private contributors. The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation gave $1 million to the cause, while entities like Thunderbirds Charities and Safeway offered a combination of cash and goods or services. Media sponsors, including The Arizona Republic, traded ads and printing. The Arizona Office of Tourism and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality are the only state agencies to contribute funds to the Host Committee.
Ready, Ames, Fire: The Iowa Straw Poll
1999: Unlike earlier examples (see below), this was one case where straw poll expectations were met. Texas Gov. George W. Bush was the front-runner going into the straw poll vote, and he won it, though his margin against wealthy publisher Steve Forbes was narrower than expected. The second-place finish of Forbes, who outspent everyone else at the event, gave his candidacy momentum, as did the third-place showing of former Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole. Conservative activist Gary Bauer finished fourth and TV commentator Pat Buchanan came in fifth. Sixth place was deemed unacceptable by the guy who finished there: former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who had worked the straw poll longer than anyone else. He withdrew from the race two days later. Candidates who performed even worse – Alan Keyes (seventh place), former Vice President Dan Quayle (eighth) and Utah Sen.
Egyptian Government Selects SAP as Strategic IT Provider
CAIRO, Egypt, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that the Egyptian government has selected SAP as its strategic IT provider for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Central to the development of Egypt's growing communication and information technology (CIT) sector, a comprehensive memorandum of understanding binds the two parties to a multi-million dollar five-year agreement beginning 2008, a four-year deal with Egyptian National Postal Organization (ENPO). In addition, both parties intend to establish a partnership for a certified SAP customer support center in Egypt in an effort to boost job creation. "The effective deployment of information technology remains essential to the Egyptian government's national development strategy, as the CIT sector continues to contribute significantly to economic growth and job creation," said H.E.
Ford takes risk going upscale with Volvo
Ford Motor Co., after abandoning plans to sell Volvo Car Corp., now wants to move the brand more upmarket in a bid to boost sales and profits. But it is a risky strategy that is making Volvo executives in Sweden jittery because it could alienate traditional buyers. Last month, the day after Ford said it would keep Volvo -- at least for now -- the chief of Ford's European operations flew to Sweden to deliver a tough-love message to the folks in Gothenberg. Inside the ultramodern Volvohallen, some 300 of Volvo's top managers sat uneasily in blond wooden chairs as Lewis Booth ran through a few slides detailing the company's third-quarter financial results. Once again, Volvo had failed to turn a profit. .
Versatel unveils effiency program, 200 jobs to be cut
German fixed network operator Versatel has concluded the planning phase of the efficiency drive it announced in September 2007 and announced the programme's core elements. It is seeking to improve earnings in the short term and, looking further ahead, to enhance competitiveness. The savings of at least EUR 30 million to be generated by the programme are expected to take full effect in 2009. Versatel anticipates a manpower reduction of about 200 full-time equivalents. Employees in all segments, locations and tiers will be affected and the board initiated talks with the employees' representatives. With a view to improving workflows, Versatel headquarters is to play a more active role in steering the business in future. For this reason, management functions are to be consolidated at headquarters in Duesseldorf and the regional sales and support activities are to be coordinated from the main regional locations.
Maday's return benefits Black Hawks
Waterloo's first pick and second overall pick in the United States Hockey League's 2006 May Entry Draft has been committed to the Irish for more than two years.It was expected Maday, a center, would head to Notre Dame after his rookie season with the Black Hawks.But two factors weighed in on Maday deciding to return to Waterloo for a second season in the USHL. The first was Maday missing 27 games last year with a broken wrist.Secondly, the currently ninth-ranked Irish are a veteran-laden team, meaning playing time would have been limited."It was my choice to come back," Maday said. "They (Notre Dame) left it up to me. I looked at their roster and made a decision based on what would be best for my development. They felt the same way, and recommended I return, but ultimately said it was my decision."Black Hawks head coach P.K.
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