Gates Bids Farewell to Troops: On the eve of his last day in office, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a farewell message to troops. "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve and to lead you for the past four and a half years," wrote Gates, who is stepping down Thursday after heading the Pentagon since December 2006. He continued: "[Y]our dedication, courage and skill have kept America safe even while bringing the war in Iraq to a successful conclusion and, I believe, at last turning the tide in Afghanistan. Your countrymen owe you their freedom and their security." He closed: "My admiration and affection for you is without limit, and I will think about you and your families and pray for you every day for the rest of my life." The Senate has confirmed CIA Director Leon Panetta to succeed Gates. Panetta is scheduled to assume his new post on Friday. (Gates biography)
So, how hot are Winnipeg Jets tickets for the team’s inaugural season in the reseller’s market? Sizzling hot.Try $3,280 for a lower-deck seat for the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens on the popular ticket reseller site Stubhub.com. And yes, that’s for one seat in the 100-level.
A pair of these puppies for the opening game will run you $6,560. Ouch. The cheapest ticket on StubHub for that game is $844 in the upper decks. Yes, one ticket.
Ticket prices for Jets home games drop off markedly after that.
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Resale tickets in markets like Montreal and Toronto are pretty pricey even without the novelty of having a new team in their town. A top ticket for Montreal’s home opener Oct. 13 against Calgary on the resale market would cost you $500.
In Toronto, their home opener against the Habs is going for a staggering $1,143 on resale.
In Edmonton, a lower-deck ticket on the resale market for the Oilers home opener is $399.
So that gives you some perspective on just how hot this ticket market is.
The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions is a World-Class, market-driven workforce delivery system that prepares New Mexico job seekers to meet current and emerging needs of New Mexico businesses; and ensures that every New Mexico citizen who needs a job will have one; and every business who needs an employee will find one with the necessary skills and work readiness to allow New Mexico businesses to compete in a global economy.
Enhance productivity and competitiveness of New Mexico business and industry by improving the quality and availability of the New Mexico workforce. We will accomplish this through a system that offers universal access to lifelong learning based on relevant local and regional labor market needs, via integrated, customer-focused accountable service partnerships.
There's nothing like the bureaucratic hive mind when it comes to developing and institutionalizing inanity. Speaking of bureaucracy...The chief master sergeant of the Air Force, the director of Air Force Public Affairs, the Air Force director of force management policy, and the commander of Air Force Recruiting Service provided the leadership oversight for the motto team research experts.
In early 2010, the motto team engaged in almost nine months of hands-on research that began with extensive face-to-face meetings with nearly 300 total force Airmen from all job specialties and in every major command. Airmen described to the team what they thought it means to be an Airman, to serve and what is unique about the Air Force.[...]An Air Force-wide survey to validate and quantify input from discussions indicated Airmen have a shared pride in their abilities to adapt to meet any threat, and they feel empowered to bring innovation and excellence to the mission of national defense.
After understanding the shared identity, the motto team began transforming words and concepts into a unifying, enduring and credible motto, said Lt. Col. Clark Groves, Ph.D., the lead scientist for the project.WTF? Doesn't that just REEK of Harvard Bid'niz Review? But leave us not not belabor the obvious. Color me old fashioned, call me a fuddy-duddy, or just assume I'm not fully caffeinated at this hour but taking senior leadership's eyes (if PA and such can be called that) off the operational ball for "nine months of hands-on research," not to mention eating the time... however small it might have been... of "nearly 300 total-force airmen" to develop a frickin' motto tells me the kids ain't all right.
But there is this... I saw my first-ever WWFF guy (in P-Ville, not EVER) as I was leavin' Wally-World this morning. He looked to be about my age (mid-60s) and was standing at the exit of the WW parking lot with his standard-issue cardboard sign and hang-dog look. I smiled and waved at him as I pulled out of the lot but that was it... I don't have any spare change for your bucket, sir. I might be short on compassion or mebbe I've turned into an unfeelin' SOB in my old age but there's this:Monthly unemployment numbers in Curry and Roosevelt counties dipped to rates that haven’t been seen in two years and officials are crediting expanding industries as the reason.
The most current data available from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions shows in April, Curry County’s unemployment dropped to 4.2 percent and Roosevelt County’s to 4.3 percent.
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“It seems like that everybody’s attitude has changed and everybody’s feeling better about the economy,” said Chase Gentry, director of the Clovis Industrial Development Corp. “The spin-off of retail and sales usually drives employment.”I've seen a LOT of "Now Hiring" signs in the general area of late but I suppose it's easier to stand out in the hot sun and beg. You may publish your tut-tuts concerning my lack of sympathy in comments, should you have any.
“I think Bachmann’s chances of landing on Jupiter are higher than her chances of being nominated,” Republican strategist Mike Murphy told me in an April interview for Washingtonpost.com.Well, get ready for an interplanetary expedition. Bachmann is a far more serious candidate for the Republican nomination than her reputation would suggest. She’s a talented fundraiser who raised $13.5 million for her 2010 reelection campaign. She’s a television star who appropriately tailors her message to her audience. Her combativeness will delight conservatives eager to fight Barack Obama. Her movement credentials—she founded the House Tea Party Caucus—put her at the cutting edge of right-wing politics. And in a primary campaign where authenticity counts, no other candidate has Bachmann’s unique history: an Iowa native who put herself through law school, raised her five children and took in 23 foster children, and has never lost an election for state or federal office.
Since 2009, millions of Americans have attended rallies, joined Tea Party groups, and become involved in politics. They’re scared for the future of the country, and they want to stop America’s decline. Many of these activists are parents or grandparents who simply weren’t political before government policies drove them into the arena. Michele Bachmann is uniquely positioned to speak to these voters—because she’s one of them.
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The two women (ed: Mrs. Palin and Mrs. Bachmann) are compared constantly. Both have five children, both are Christians, both were drawn into politics through their children’s education, and both are Republicans whom Democrats love to hate.
But there are also some differences. Whereas Palin makes emotional and cultural appeals to her supporters, Bachmann formulates an argument. She talks like a litigating attorney, and her speeches, op-eds, and interviews are littered with references to books and articles. Not all of her references are conservative. During our recent interview, Bachmann cited Lawrence Wright’s history of al Qaeda, The Looming Tower (“I love that book!”), to illustrate a point about the rise of radical Islam.
