| Freshman 10 Conference Play Primer: SEC & Pac-10
With the New Year brings clarity. Not only has the excruciating bowl season come to an end, allowing us to focus solely on college hoops, with the occasional Patriots hatefest NFL football game mixed in here or there, but with the start of '08 comes conference play for the BCS leagues. This means no more North Floridas or Sacramento States or Prairie View A & Ms on the schedule. No, this means we will be treated to a bevy of decent matchups on a nightly basis, providing a meaningful way to discern between squads, rather than wild guessing, or even worse, the AP poll. It's also a chance to see freshmen get some real tests. Last year we saw the statistics of most non-Durantian freshmen decline and with the gaudy numbers put up this season, merely treading water will be an impressive feat for most folks.
Pawlenty rips DFL for gas tax increase
Governor Pawlenty ripped DFL lawmakers on Tuesday for over-riding his veto of the transportation package, which comes with a $6.6 billion price tag and a gasoline tax increase of at least five and a half cents.
The Governor predicted the tax increase would be a big November election issue, and that it could lead to Republicans re-taking control of both the state House and Senate.
Pawlenty says he expects a "tax revolt" among "hard working Minnesotans" against the gas tax.
"They had their day yesterday," Pawlenty said. "But now taxpayers will have their day."
He also said the bill will cause further budget problems, when the state issues its budget forecast on Thursday. That forecast was already expected to show a shortfall.
The Minnesota Legislature voted Monday to override Gov.
Is the sunshine state a good bet?
Buying a holiday home in Florida is a popular dream for many British people, but Jan and Ben should bear in mind that there is continued uncertainty in the US housing market; it is impossible to know how much further the property market may fall. So while it is easy to be seduced by low property prices, any purchase must be regarded as a long-term investment. The days of high returns in the short term are over. "On the positive side, interest rates have been cut drastically and compared with other overseas markets, such as Eastern Europe, Florida is well established and has enduring appeal. "If Jan and Ben take out a US-dollar mortgage they need to take into account the exchange rate. Sterling is currently strong compared with the dollar but even over the past year there have been serious fluctuations, which affect any budget and repayment of any currency loan.
Oilsands Producers Get Failing Grade on Environment
A new report card has given a failing grade to nine of 10 Alberta oilsands producers on their environmental performance. The study by the Pembina Institute and the World Wildlife Fund ranked 10 operating and proposed oilsands mines on 20 different environmental indicators, including environmental management, land impacts, air pollution, water use and management of greenhouse gases. The report said seven of the 10 producers participated in the study and only one was given a passing grade. While Albian's Muskeg mine ranked highest with a 56 per cent grade, Syncrude and Syneco ranked last, with only 18 per cent. The average score among all oilsands projects surveyed was only 33 per cent. "We found that oilsands companies are making weak efforts to manage their environmental impacts," Dan Woynillowicz of the Pembina Institute said in a statement.
Anders Meanders
Tips, touts and tidbits from the road. RSS feed If you use an RSS reader, here is feed for Anders Meanders: XML. Learn more about RSS. What's on this page? The entry titled "Change next month for travel to Mexico, Canada." Categories .
Courmayeur: the perfect break
With its freshly fallen snow and fine Italian food, the pretty village of Courmayeur is ideal for a short skiing holiday, says Nick Trend. Latest snow reports Snow and ski homepage Why go now? After a slow start to the season compared with the rest of the Alps, snow has now fallen in abundance on the Italian side. Courmayeur, at the foot of Mont Blanc, has had more than its fair share, including at least a foot of fresh powder at the end of last week. It is also one of the best all-round resorts for a skiing break, with a pretty village, a grand setting and some of the finest mountain restaurants in Italy. .
Highway safety threatened by fake licences
Lax security at Alberta's privatized registries has produced an embarrassing export trade in fraudulent drivers' licences that is threatening highway safety across the country. "Can you imagine one of these guys driving a semi-trailer through the mountains in winter," said one B.C. insurance official, who requested anonymity. "It's an accident waiting to happen." Documents obtained through Freedom of Information legislation show Service Alberta had to notify several other provinces that more than 600 drivers, many with Class 1 semi-truck licences, may have received their licences fraudulently in Alberta. In fact, many of the drivers may not have been trained or tested. .
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SMART INVESTORS ALREADY know that past performance figures won't tell you much about a fund's future but now they won't even tell you that much about a fund's past. Take Seligman Large Cap Value, which has outperformed the S&P 500 index and more than 75% of its peers over the past five years. Not bad, right? But a year ago that very same fund was a dog, one of the worst in its category. Same fund, same manager: What gives? Today its five-year record no longer includes its dismal 2002 performance. "Now we have a record that we can sell," says Neil Eigen, the fund's manager. Eigen's not alone. Plenty of fund managers welcomed 2008 with a sigh of relief. All mutual funds are required to report their performance over one-, three- and five-year periods, and now, for the first time since the 2000-02 bear market, those records will capture a period in which stocks mostly went up.
The nation's mood
Many on the left would simply rather have Obama than more Clinton scandals, more Clinton mess, and another president who governs right of center while offering left of center platitudes. I don't think you've linked to the wonderful Atlantic Monthly article about Obama. So I've linked it at my name. I'm sure you reject the notion that he's worth considering, but I'd be happy with President Obama, even if I disagree with his politics. It wouldn't represent a trip back to the Clintons, and would go a long way towards dispelling the notion that American politics amounts to a revolving monarchy. ARK. BLOG: 1) As I've said before, I like Obama. Though he's lately not been too sure-footed and that's important. And I had to laugh listening to him put on his black accent in Chicago the other day.
Live College Football: In a Players View
Please join where you can interact with me and hundreds of "sim leaguers" as we try to make the first successful college football site get off the ground. There have been a flee of TSN members that make these sim leagues today. It has been a long time now(about a year and a half) since a site has been brought upon TSN. It is time for you to be apart of the next group of TSN sim leaguer. I used to be one. -Kris Johnson- *Once you get there, PM me and I will help you get through the process of creating your player and such. It is really simple and is all done on a forum. Like one that TSN uses. .
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