http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/junk/ en-us Mon, 1 Jun 2009 10:22:27 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2261996/posts When United Auto Workers (UAW) union chief Ron Gettelfinger announced the end of GM's two-day strike in the early hours of September 26, 2007, it was the beginning of the end for the world's largest car manufacturer. The agreement to end the first US nationwide automotive strike in 31 years, which saw General Motors' then 73,000-strong US workforce walk out, was the final death knell in the company's 101-year history. The strike had occurred not over the future of those employees however, but rather of the fate of GM's 460,000 retired workers whose continuing eligibility for healthcare benefits had placed... The London Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2261996/posts#comment Mon, 1 Jun 2009 10:22:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259749/posts Is China really a modern country? Can China be a modern country? Paul Midler’s book leaves you wondering. After studying Chinese at college, Midler lived and worked in mainland China through the 1990s before returning to the U.S.A. to take a business degree. In 2001 he went back to China, setting himself up as a consultant to American importers dealing with Chinese manufacturers. This has given him profound insights into the Chinese way of doing business. In Poorly Made in China he shares those insights. After reading his book, you will find yourself thinking carefully before putting Made in China... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259749/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 12:49:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257383/posts The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s latest homemade attack helicopter, the Shahed (Witness) 285, has joined Iran's aerial fleet. press tv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257383/posts#comment Sun, 24 May 2009 16:53:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255561/posts Scientists have called it "junk DNA." They have long been perplexed by these extensive strands of genetic material that dominate the genome but seem to lack specific functions. Why would nature force the genome to carry so much excess baggage? Now researchers from Princeton University and Indiana University who have been studying the genome of a pond organism have found that junk DNA may not be so junky after all. They have discovered that DNA sequences from regions of what had been viewed as the "dispensable genome" are actually performing functions that are central for the organism. They have concluded... http://www.sciencedaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255561/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 16:21:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2240686/posts "Junk DNA" are inactive parts of your genome, switched off long ago in evolutionary history. Now scientists say there's a junk gene that fights HIV. And they've discovered how to turn it back on. What these scientists have done could give us the first foolproof HIV vaccine. They have re-awakened the human genome's latent potential to make us all into HIV-resistant creatures. This evening in PLoS Biology, they've published their ground-breaking research. A group of scientists led by Nitya Venkataraman and Alexander Colewhether wanted to try a new approach to fighting HIV - one that worked with the body's own... io9 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2240686/posts#comment Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:48:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2219901/posts April showers are one thing. But in Madison, the month is also known for a flood of complaints about messy, junk- and debris-filled yards. A review of city inspection records from 2004 through 2008 shows the month of April is a popular time for turning in that neighbor with a few too many broken children’s toys strewn about his lawn or for city inspectors to go trolling for properties where a broken-down vehicle has been sitting so long weeds are beginning to invade the engine block.Over the five years, April saw an average of 175 referrals per month to the... Wisconsin State Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2219901/posts#comment Wed, 1 Apr 2009 16:36:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2213025/posts I would like to buy several ($1000) bags of junk silver coins. I'm concerned about how to securely make the exchange of my paper money for these coins. Does anyone have any experience and/or advice. ML/NJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2213025/posts#comment Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:39:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192447/posts Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today downgraded Janus Capital Group Inc.’s credit rating status to BB+, or junk, from BBB-, reflecting the Denver mutual fund company’s weakened debt-servicing capacity. Shares fell to their lowest level since the company was publicly listed in 2000. Rocky Mountain News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192447/posts#comment Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:53:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2167348/posts Some home builders already struggling in Florida's dismal housing market are facing another headache: The Chinese-made drywall they used is causing unpleasant odors and possibly leading to electric problems in dozens of homes constructed during the housing boom. Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2167348/posts#comment Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:01:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2166284/posts Carol Browner, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency under President Bill Clinton, has been named by Barack Obama to be his Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change. This new and undefined office could give her broad influence over economic policy. That is a frightening prospect, not merely because of her participation in a group with overtly socialist ties, but because of the way hostile foreign powers such as China are manipulating the modern Green movement to serve their own national purposes. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=1051A58C-1F0D-4574-AFF6-C283D4D6FE83 FrontPageMagazine.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2166284/posts#comment Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:34:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154299/posts The TV ads tout a "genuine" U.S. Inaugural Presidential Dollar showing President-elect Barack Obama depicted in "glorious full color" for just $9.95, plus shipping and handling. A coin-collecting expert says the gold-dipped, painted coins are nothing more than a trinket, and the U.S. Mint -- the only official purveyor of U.S. currency -- says buyer beware. "They are worth the face value of the coin. If the coin says 25 cents, it's worth a quarter," says Scott Travers, author of the Coin Collector's Survival Manual and a New York City coin dealer. The U.S. Mint last month issued a warning... Chicago Sun Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154299/posts#comment Fri, 26 Dec 2008 02:44:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146085/posts Obama vows to end global warming 'denial' after Gore talksTue Dec 9, 4:02 pm ET CHICAGO (AFP) – President-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday his administration would brook no further delay in tackling climate change after discussing global warming with former vice president Al Gore. Sitting between Gore and his vice president-elect Joseph Biden following the hour-long meeting, Obama told reporters: "All three of us are in agreement that the time for delay is over. The time for denial is over. "We all believe what the scientists have been telling us for years now, that this is a matter of urgency... Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146085/posts#comment Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:53:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2144626/posts Motorola Debt Downgraded to Junk Status ­Debt ratings agency, Standard and Poors (S&P) has dropped Motorola's long-term corporate credit rating to 'BB+' from 'BBB' - which is basically junk status - on the outlook for its mobile phone division. "The current rating action reflects continual operational challenges in the Mobile Devices unit, which are not likely to be reversed over the intermediate term, leading to depressed profitability and returns, adjusted debt leverage over 4x, and substantially diminished free cash flows." S&P also assigned a recovery rating of '3' to this debt, indicating the expectation for meaningful (50% to 70%) recovery... Cellular-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2144626/posts#comment Sun, 7 Dec 2008 23:35:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2113612/posts The New York Times Co. reported a steep drop in third-quarter profits on Thursday, the latest gloomy earnings report in an industry battered by online competition and falling print advertising revenue. The New York Times Co. said net profit fell by 51.4 percent in the third quarter to 6.5 million dollars, or five cents per share, from 13.4 million dollars, or nine cents per share, in the same period a year ago. The company, which owns About.com, The Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune and 16 other daily newspapers besides the flagship The New York Times, said overall advertising revenue fell... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2113612/posts#comment Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:48:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050595/posts NEW YORK, July 22 (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday said it may cut its ratings on Washington Mutual Inc.'s senior unsecured debt into junk territory, after the largest U.S. savings and loan posted a $3.33 billion second-quarter loss. The net loss equaled $6.58 per share as souring mortgages forced it to set aside more money for loan losses. "WaMu's asset quality issues primarily relate to the company's residential mortgage portfolio, but deterioration is also being experienced in the company's credit card portfolio," Moody's said in a statement. "To establish the necessary provisioning for this asset quality deterioration, Moody's... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050595/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:58:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1948629/posts House members spent $20.3 million on mailings to constituentsFriday, December 28, 2007 By DENNIS CONRAD ~ The Associated Press Pieces of mass mailings from Congressmen were seen Dec. 19 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Gerald Herbert Associated Press WASHINGTON -- U.S. House members spent $20.3 million in tax money last year to send constituents what's often the government equivalent of junk mail -- meeting announcements, tips on car care and job interviews, surveys on public policy and just plain bragging. They sent nearly 116 million pieces of mail in all, many of them glossy productions filled with flattering photos and... seMissourian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1948629/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jan 2008 06:17:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1889184/posts B&F System Inc. Recalls Emergency Tool Kits Due to Fire and Shock Hazards WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Emergency Tool Kits Units: About 43,000 Distributor: B&F System Inc., of Dallas, Texas Hazard: Booster cables in the recalled kits can have undersized wiring and inadequate connections, posing a fire and shock hazard to consumers. Incidents/Injuries: None reported. Description: The recalled emergency tool kits have booster cables in... U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1889184/posts#comment Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:49:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1879737/posts 50 Cent believes his new album will outsell Kanye West's upcoming disc, and he's betting his solo career on it. Both 50 Cent and West have albums due out Sept. 11. 50 Cent, who has sold better than West, has been riled by forecasts that sales of West's "Graduation" could rival those for his "Curtis" CD. "Let's raise the stakes," the 31-year-old rapper told hip-hop Web site SOHH.com in an interview posted Friday. "If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music. I'll write music and work with my other artists, but... AP - Fox http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1879737/posts#comment Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:12:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877329/posts Children find food in McDonald's packaging up to six times more appetising than the identical snacks in plain wrappers, research shows. The study, designed to gauge the power of advertising, revealed that boys and girls as young as three found food tastier when they thought it was made by a big brand. The phenomenon is not just restricted to fast foods, with youngsters finding that milk and carrots tastier when they believed they had been bought at McDonald's. The research, carried at Stanford University in the US, comes amid growing concern about the influence of advertising on children's health. Child... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877329/posts#comment Tue, 7 Aug 2007 00:27:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1867687/posts Huntington, WV businesses told to stop selling junk food to fat people The Asssociated Press HUNTINGTON, WV -- Ten Huntington businesses have been put on notice: Do not sell junk food to 19,000 grossly obese Huntington citizens or you could be fined. Attached to the warning letters mailed earlier this month are photos of the 19,000 fat people targeted by city officials. Assistant City Attorney Lora Mayonaise said the Huntington Police Department identified people who have body fat contents of 30% or more. "These people have rights as well, but it's not OK for them to lounge around the downtown... Zarr Chasm Chronical[sic] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1867687/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:40:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1853292/posts WASHINGTON – In the latest scare involving products imported from China, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled millions of toys believed to contain dangerous amounts of lead paint. The biggest single recall by the CPSC this month was for 1.5 million Thomas and Friends wooden railway toys containing lead paint that poses special hazards to children. The toys are wooden vehicles, buildings and other parts for a train set that bears the logo "Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway" in the top left-hand corner of the package. The toys that could contain poisonous amounts of lead in their surface paint... worldnetdaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1853292/posts#comment Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:43:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1840876/posts ndustrial waste, including dirty carpet fluff, paper and used instant-noodle packaging, was found stuffed inside some toys made by factories in the northern province of Hebei and sold at rock-bottom prices nationwide, the newspaper added. "These fluffy toys with bacteria or even viruses in them could cause children to itch if they touch them for a short time, or even cause disease over the long term," the newspaper said, citing a research report by the quality authorities. reutuers http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1840876/posts#comment Mon, 28 May 2007 13:33:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1812319/posts LONDON - Advertisements for flights, or holidays that include flying, should carry a tobacco-style health warning to remind people of the global warming crisis, a leading British think-tank said on Thursday. Using the traditional Easter holiday getaway to highlight the issue, the Institute for Public Policy Research said such health warnings would make people think twice about the impact their journey would have on the environment. "The evidence that aviation damages the atmosphere is just as clear as the evidence that smoking kills," IPPR climate change chief Simon Retallack said. "We know that smokers notice health warnings on cigarettes, and... Reuters/MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1812319/posts#comment Thu, 5 Apr 2007 08:00:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1799551/posts Has anyone else had this problem? How do you block spam that spoofs your own e-mail address as the sender? Of course, it makes it through every filter and it is an illegal operation to block your own e-mail address. Does anyone know a way around this? Free Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1799551/posts#comment Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:39:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1780069/posts Ford will announce on Wednesday plans to rename its Five Hundred mid-size sedan "Taurus," according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires. The name change will be announced at the Chicago auto show. A month ago, a report in BusinessWeek suggested Ford could revive the Taurus name, but it seemed unlikely at the time. CEO Alan Mulally was quoted as saying Ford should have never dropped the nameplate in the first place. "I havent had time to do the deep dive on why we stopped investing in Taurus, but I'd like to," said Ford CEO Alan Mulally. "The Ford Five... LeftLane News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1780069/posts#comment Tue, 6 Feb 2007 15:34:06 GMT