| Luke Burkhart on the mend and raring to go
Factory Suzuki Pro Lite rider Luke Burkhart is making a strong recovery after recent surgery to repair a damaged thumb that saw the super fast Kiwi forced to make an early withdrawal from the Nokia MX Nationals. Since undergoing surgery 4 weeks ago Burkhart has spent time catching up with friends and generally doing things that he is unable to do when fully committed to his job of racing the Pro Lites for the factory backed Suzuki race team. "For the first 3-4 weeks after surgery i had a fair bit of pain so there wasn't a hell of a lot i could do with myself except catch up with people and do some things we don't get time to do when in full swing race season," Burkhart told Fullnoise. "Three weeks ago i started training on stationary cycles and going for decent walks to get my body livened up and ready to start hammering it again.
EMachines Class Action
We are initiating a Class Action law suit against eMachines computers due to the extremely high failure rate of their motherboards on certain models. If you would like to participate, send us the model number and serial number to canyonlands@theriver.com with the approximate date purchased, and location of purchase, along with a way to contact you. Models we are targeting so far: W2686, T-2042, T-2898, T-2682, T-2885, and T-1140. We now have 84 machines on hand as part of this campaign. I have never seen such a massive failure of such an expensive component, for which eMachines wants a $150 plus shipping for replacement with a tattooed motherboard. We are also considering action on Sony VAIO laptops of certain models. This is a non-profit action .
Nigeria: From Power to Prison
After the general emancipation of slaves, there was an exodus of the American Negroes from the Southern farm settlements to the slums mainly of the North Eastern cities. When these movements were described as "From Plantation to Ghetto", we thought that a sufficiently sordid picture of the life of the America Negro had been painted. But what we are seeing today, where people move from the giddy heights of Government House to the solitary level of the prison walls, is yet more pitiable. We saw it coming. Many organs of government, such as the EFCC and ICPC, were originally set up to catch thieves. But they soon found that they were barred from their main catchments areas as the major occupants of such areas enjoyed limitless degrees of immunity while they were in office. .
Easy money too easy for some homebuyers
It is the best of times for homebuyers looking for a loan, but if things go wrong it can be the worst of times. Australians taking advantage of fast easy cash loans are also risking increasing debt and insolvency. Despite low unemployment figures, economic growth and high consumer confidence, personal bankruptcies went up by 17 per cent in the 2006-07 financial year. David Tennant, chairman of the Australian Financial Counselling and Credit Reform Association, said more ordinary Australians were finding it difficult to make ends meet. Over the last six months his Care Financial Counselling Service has recorded a ten per cent rise in people needing assistance. "The debt explosion is not because people are necessarily leading an extravagant lifestyle it is because it has become much harder for ordinary households to make ends meet.
INDYCAR (LEXINGTON) - ANDRETTI GREEN TEAMMATES LEAD FIRST DAY AT MID-OHIO
Andretti Green Racing teammates Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan paced the opening day of preparations for the inaugural Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course. Franchitti, a two-time pole winner on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn circuit as a driver in CART, recorded a fastest lap of 1 minute, 7.3629 seconds, 120.672 mph in the No. 27 Canadian Club Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Kanaan was second fastest with a lap of 1:07.5476, 120.342 mph in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car. Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves, a two-time winner at the track, and Sam Hornish Jr., were third and fourth, respectively. Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon, who is attempting to tie a series record with his third straight victory, was fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Marco Andretti, Vitor Meira, Danica Patrick, Darren Manning and Buddy Rice.
COSTAR's RETAIL NEWS ROUNDUP: July 29 to August 4, 2007
CoStar News has expanded its retail real estate coverage under the direction of Senior Editor Sasha Pardy to bring you a weekly feature covering the gamut of retail acquisitions and mergers, joint ventures, retailer expansion plans, new store openings, new concepts, store closings, new retail developments, sustainable retailing, significant personnel changes, and more. This week in the Roundup, CoStar reports on expansion plans at Luby's; new concepts or prototypes at Benihana, Organic-To-Go and Best Buy; new retail developments in Los Angeles, Boston, the Inland Empire, Orlando and more; Acquisitions at Weingarten; Foot Locker Closing 250 stores and selling out; buyouts at DEB, Lucy Activewear, Freebirds and more; the closing of a historic Sears and Marshall Fields; and more... Did you miss last week's CoStar Advisor retail story discussing the results of second quarter retail property sales? If so, click here to read the full story.
Free-wheelin'
Do you remember the days when your bike took you everywhere your little feet could pedal you to? Do you still remember the feeling of wind blowing in your face and the energy you got from pedaling as fast as you can? Do you remember how gratifying it felt to reach a destination you never thought you could make it to and then you promised to do it again tomorrow?
All those great memories are still alive and may be found driving up and down the boulevard on Long Beach Island. No matter what age you are, there's a bike and a route ready for you on LBI. With several bike-rental shops all along the boulevard, it's easy to find the perfect bike for your time and budget. Here are a few places to check out (keep in mind all bike rentals require valid identification, and sometimes a credit card, for renting): Acme Surf Co./Island Skates (Beach Haven) Samantha Davis, an employee at Acme Surf Co./Island Skates in Beach Haven, said they offer hourly rentals and more than 50 bikes are available on a daily basis for rent.
Mueller Water Products Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2007 Results
- Consolidated net sales for the third quarter were $502.5 million, up 0.5 percent compared to $500.0 million for the same period last year. - Operating income for the quarter was $57.4 million compared to $69.4 million for the third quarter 2006. The prior year quarter included $3.4 million of plant closure and acquisition costs. Operating income margin was 11.4 percent in the third quarter 2007, down from 13.9 percent in the third quarter 2006. - Adjusted EBITDA was $83.2 million in the third quarter 2007 compared to $97.4 million in the third quarter 2006. - Loss per diluted share was $0.01 for the third quarter 2007 and earnings per diluted share for the same period last year were $0.41. Primary drivers of this difference were the comparative effect of income tax rates, losses on early extinguishment of debt and the increase in average diluted shares outstanding.
|
