| Earnings roundup: Campbell, Hormel
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) _ The Campbell Soup Co. said Friday its second-quarter profit slipped 3.9 percent as increases in the cost of commodities and energy and higher promotional spending offset a strong sales increase. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Hormel Foods Corp. said strong sales of Spam and a recovery in its turkey business boosted first-quarter earnings by 17 percent. Other stories: DULUTH, Minn. (AP) _ Allete Inc.'s profit slipped 2 percent in the fourth quarter as flagging property values in Florida dragged the value of the power company's real estate, the company said Friday. NEW YORK (AP) _ Greek drybulk shipper Diana Shipping Inc. said Friday its fourth-quarter earnings surged 87 percent on higher charter rates and an expanded fleet, but the results still narrowly missed Wall Street's expectations.
New Jersey man missing in Breckenridge
Search and rescue members called off the search at dark Saturday night with expectations to widen the search at first light on Sunday.
Breckenridge police issued a release saying Barbiere, of Wyckoff, N.J., was highly intoxicated when he left into a blizzard early Friday morning, according to his friends. Barbiere, a white man with brown hair and brown eyes, then headed north on Main Street wearing a black and gray ski jacket, jeans and tan boots.
At 12:22 p.m. on Friday, Barbieres friends and family, who chose not to speak publicly, reported the young man missing. Five hours later when they still had not heard from him, police began the search. Barbieres family and friends quickly joined the effort, distributing flyers with his picture in bars and restaurants across town.
The Ron Paul "Surge"
Does anyone think that other candidates have an e-mail list which they send out to their supporters with information on these votes, urging their supporters to vote? Of course not, because it means nothing. Look at any of the polls: At present, Ron Paul is carrying less than 10 percent of the electorate, and he might grow to 15 % and is not even a key force in the Republican primaries. In other words, his campaign is generating huge amounts of noise on the internet due to his shills, but he is not going to get far enough to become the Republican candidate. The Establishment elite will see to that. It's nice that he has automaton supporters who bristle at every cross word said about their hero (believe me, I'm glad they're occupying themselves on the net), but what they will likely do is split the conservative side of the "independent" vote so that the net effect will be to do for the Republicans what 'Ralph Nader' did in 2000 for the Democrats: put the opposite party candidate over the top and into office.
Burton Tried Bold Move at Daytona
02-20) 14:40 PST Darlington, S.C. (AP) -- With three laps to go, Jeff Burton knew he needed something bold and unconventional to keep his lead at the Daytona 500. So Burton kept low on the last restart, hoping to hold off Kyle Busch's charging Toyota. Instead, Busch went lower to slide by Burton while several cars, led by Busch's teammate, Tony Stewart, blew past the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the high groove. Burton was left in the middle, without drafting help, and his chance at NASCAR's biggest race was all but done. A short time later, Burton crossed the finish line 13th behind winner Ryan Newman. "I tried to do something on the last restart that didn't work very well," Burton said Wednesday at Darlington Raceway.
Millionaires at play in cricket's great sell-out
Using an electronic bidding system developed for stock-market traders, the eight city-based franchises in the Indian Premier League brandished vast sums in their quest to recruit the best players. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (pictured), India's wicketkeeper and one-day captain, raised the highest fee at £770,000, followed by Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds on £695,000. .
February 2008
I continue to be amazed at the evolvement of Huckleberries Online and the local blog community. HBO Blogfest '08 is another example of something happenin' different here. A wonderful mix of personalities and pseudonyms. It didn't start out that way. But I'm delighted that we've gotten to a place where we can set aside ideologies, religious doctrine, politics, disparate backgrounds, etc., to enjoy one another's company. Blogfest '08 was a special time. I'd like to see HBO and the SR sponsor a Dougfest (Doug Clark & Trailer Park Girls) this summer. It might happen. Who knows? HBO works because there's no agenda or much organization. Sorta like the Grateful Dead. If I don't screw things up at HBO Central, we'll get together for another blogfest about this time next year. Now, for your Wild Card ...
Comfortable path to economic hell may be deceiving
I have been reading a lot of late about our nation's growing economic doldrums. We went out to eat Saturday night, and our medium-price restaurant of choice was so crowded people were waiting outside in the cold -- and there were no parking places. Those two somewhat inconsistent messages reminded me of yet another line supposedly delivered by baseball philosopher/economist/gourmet Yogi Berra, who, when asked about a certain nightclub, said, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded." The restaurant we tried is new, just off Interstate 65 in Southern Indiana, where it's handy to tourists. It's on Veterans Parkway -- a new road already so weighted with box stores, restaurants, clothing stores, specialty shops, appliance centers and congestion, it's difficult to remember that one of the rationales for constructing it was to ease traffic flow across the area.
At Last, a Presence
This weekend, the BMF will launch a summit on the international AIDS epidemic with a panel discussion to which they've invited students from over 40 other schools. In the last year, the BMF has co-sponsored events with 20 other campus organizations and has become a strong voice in UC politics.
These days, black men aren't sitting on the steps of their freshman dorm listening to “Suicidal Thoughts" and contemplating dropping out. They're running for UC president, lobbying administrators, commanding Harvard's attention. They've taken charge.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Ashong was the first of them all. A captivating orator who could hypnotize his audience with unceasing hand motions and a spark in his eye, Ashong was all over the campus, in the Black Students' Association (BSA), Kuumba, the Haitian Alliance, and occasionally at Asian American Association meetings—when they had ice cream.
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