“This Miracle Brought To You By Unions”

Ken AshfordDisasters, Economy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

Salon: The fiercest opposition to the loan proposal — and nearly a third of the 35 votes against ending debate on the deal — came from Southern Republicans, and the ringleaders of the opposition all come from states with a major foreign auto presence. Not coincidentally, nearly all of those states — except Kentucky — are also "right-to-work" states, which … Read More

Short Flight

Ken AshfordDisastersLeave a Comment

From Flightaware (an free online service that tracks where flights are): UPDATE:  Not much seen picture of the flight pre-ditching:

Almost Alanis

Ken AshfordIn PassingLeave a Comment

From Ironic: An old man turned ninety-eight. He won the lottery and died the next day. Well, close.  The guy, Donald Peters of Connecticut, was 79, and died the day he bought the tickets: Peters bought two Connecticut Lottery tickets at a local 7-Eleven store on Nov. 1 as part of a 20-year tradition he shared with his wife Charlotte. … Read More

“In Passing” 2008 Roll Call

Ken AshfordIn PassingLeave a Comment

2008 dead celebrities I really felt kinda bad about upon hearing that they had died: Suzanne Pleshette (died Jan 19 at age 70) Roy Scheider (died Feb 10 at age 75) Paul Scofield (died March 20 at age 86) Sydney Pollack (died May 26 at age 73) Harvey Korman (died May 29 at age 81) Cyd Charisse (died June 17 at age … Read More

Winston-Salem: Center Of The Sexual Technorevolution?

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

First I read this: Scientists are developing an electronic "sex chip" that can be implanted into the brain to stimulate pleasure. The chip works by sending tiny shocks from implanted electrodes in the brain. The technology has been used in the United States to treat Parkinson's disease. But in recent months scientists have been focusing on the area of the … Read More

VHS Is Dead

Ken AshfordIn PassingLeave a Comment

There is only one company in American still supplying VHS videos. And they're closing their doors. "It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Burbank businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or … Read More

RIP Majel Barrett Roddenberry

Ken AshfordIn PassingLeave a Comment

Better known as Nurse Chapel in the original Star Trek, the mother of Troi in Star Trek – The Next Generation, the voice of virtually all the computers in all of the Star Trek iterations (including the soon-to-be-released film), and the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. All of which earned her the moniker "The First Lady of Star … Read More

Googleplex-NC Cancelled?

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & Deficit, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Blame the economy. North Carolina gave Google all kinds of money and tax incentives to expand its operations into the Tarheel State, in the hopes that it would provide jobs and spending.  But construction of a huge data center has been halted, and Google is now turning down the grant and incentives. They may still come, but it could be … Read More

REALLY Local Election Results

Ken AshfordElection 2008, Local Interest1 Comment

The $62 million bond package to help Forsyth Technical Community College expand and allow Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to move its administrative offices and to build a new Career Center… passed. Statewide, Democrats won offices of Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Secretary of State, Treasurer and Commissioner of Public Instruction. Cherrie Berry (R) stays on as Secretary of Labor, barely winning out … Read More