May 9, 2012

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx NC-5 April Health Care Poll Results

Just received an email from the Charming Representative Virginia Foxx with results from her poll on The President's Health Care Law (as she calls it).

Thought it worth passing along as I have never seen her release results from her email polls.

April 2012 President's Health Care Law Survey Results:
Do you support the President's Health Care Law?
Yes. 72%
No. 28%

May 9, 2012

Impact of Target PFresh Seen as Minimal

The PFresh food sections offered by Target Corp. in two-thirds of its discount stores are having only a minimal impact on traditional supermarkets, industry observers told SN — and they question whether that will change much going forward.

The PFresh assortment of dry groceries, frozen and refrigerated foods and pre-packaged meats, produce and baked goods covers about 17,000 square feet at 875 Target stores, accounting for sales last year of approximately $13.3 billion — about 19% of Target’s total volume.

The company said last week it will add PFresh sections to 90 more discount stores by late June.

“The way Target has set up PFresh allows it to talk about a grocery offering without really competing in fresh,” Neil Stern (left), managing partner with McMillan Doolittle, Chicago, said. “It’s more of a strategic move to give the appearance of being in the food business without actually committing the space and resources to doing it, which is a very deliberate and very clever strategy.”

It’s hard to measure what impact PFresh is having on traditional supermarkets, Stern said, “because we don’t see Target showing up in any substantial way in market-share numbers.” (See the table with up-to-date market shares from Metro Market Studies.)

http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/impact-target-pfresh-seen-minimal

From what I noted at my local recently remodeled Target store, these folks just don't get it. The checkouts are now backed up, the store shelves show significant out of stocks and the impression I am left with is one of just trying to squeeze out more or different sales without having to actually spend anything to generate those sales (like putting product on the shelf).

May 9, 2012

Self-driving car passes road test

They did this after test runs down the bustling Las Vegas Strip and other streets showed Google's test vehicle to be as safe - or safer - than human drivers.

The modified Toyota Prius, steered by sensors, radar and cameras, was issued a special red licence plate with an infinity symbol and the words Autonomous Car to differentiate it from regular vehicles. So far, Google has applied to license three test vehicles.

"They're designed to avoid distracted driving. When you're on the Strip and there's a huge truck with a three scantily clad women on the side, the car only sees a box"

- Bruce Breslow, Nevada official

"When there comes a time that vehicle manufacturers market autonomous vehicles to the public, that infinity symbol will appear on a green license plate," Nevada official Bruce Breslow said.

While some envision the robotic car dropping off its operator at the front of the mall and hunting for a parking spot on its own, Breslow said not so fast.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/05/20125904254905662.html

May 8, 2012

The world's largest chess piece is unveiled in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS • It's 14.5 feet high, weighs 2,280 pounds and is yet another example of the seemingly unlimited financial resources to make St. Louis the country's chess capital.
Now you can add the “World's Largest Chess Piece” to the list of St. Louis monuments.
The king piece sits on a platform, a permanent fixture in the Central West End.
It's the latest effort of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis to promote chess in the city, and was unveiled just after 9 a.m. on Monday.
“This piece serves as a monument to the chess culture we are creating in St. Louis,” said Mike Wilmering, spokesman for the club.


http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/the-world-s-largest-chess-piece-is-unveiled-in-st/article_4e369334-984c-11e1-b123-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=story

May 6, 2012

Egypt's chef leading a 'kitchen uprising'

Heard this while driving to work this AM. Thought it a good story of hope.

When an Egyptian news channel reflecting the aims of the Tahrir Square revolutionaries introduced some light relief to the schedules, it inadvertently created a new star more popular than the news coverage.

Until last January's revolution, her life consisted of little more than cooking and cleaning for her employer and caring for a demanding family back home in Warra'a, one of the city's poorest suburbs.

But then Set Ghalia's life, like Egypt's, was caught up in revolutionary currents. Soon after the downfall of President Mubarak, her employer's brother - the founder of a pro-revolutionary TV station - had an idea.

He wanted a new show - something entertaining - to leaven the diet of news and current affairs, and his mind turned to Ghalia, much loved for her delicious food and her gift of the gab.

The concept was simple. Ghalia could lead a kitchen uprising on television - no more fancy cuisine using unaffordable ingredients and complex recipes but plain fare for plain folk. Tasty and cheap.

A year on and Set Ghalia's cooking show on 25TV is an extraordinary hit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17843985

May 6, 2012

Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster

The 75th anniversary of the May 1937 Hindenburg airship disaster will be marked with a dinner gathering of airship enthusiasts and historians, followed on May 6 with the annual memorial service at the crash site in Lakehurst.

The hydrogen-fueled flash fire and crash of the German lighter-than-air civilian liner ended a dream of trans-Atlantic air travel, until the arrival of jet airliners a generation later.

Hosted by the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society, this year's events will include Dr. Horst Schirmer, whose father helped design features of the airship and is one of the last three people stil alive who flew on the Hindenburg, says Carl Jablonsky, president of the society.




http://www.APP.com/viewart/20120428/NJNEWS/304280024/Ceremony-mark-75th-anniversary

May 5, 2012

It is Free Comic Book Day

For more information and a store locator.

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/992

May 3, 2012

Two Missouri players accompany a girl with cerebral palsy to prom

Sometimes there is a bit of good news about. Full story & some video at the link.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/video-two-missouri-players-accompany-girl-cerebral-palsy-044847270.html

Few good deeds go unnoticed here at Dr. Saturday and today Missouri receiver T.J. Moe and quarterback Corbin Berkstresser are getting their well-deserved dues.
Last Saturday, the two Tigers accompanied Linda Watson to her senior prom at Fayette High School.
Watson, who suffers from cerebral palsy, loves Missouri football, so her teacher, Bridget Hussey, asked a friend in the Missouri football program if Watson's two favorite players — Moe and Berkstresser — would be interested in making Watson's prom special.
Both immediately agreed to be her dates.
"She loves those two guys and she's going to love them even more tonight," Watson's father, Dave, said.
The two players showed up in khakis and their jerseys and were greeted by the entire town of Fayette as they posed for pictures outside of the school. The three also took an official prom picture and did some dancing.