Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee Steal No Camera from McCain, Romney at California Debate
January 31, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) Last nights Republican presidential debate in California seemed to showcase two out of four Republican candidates: Arizona Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. The debate aired live on CNN from the Ronald Reagan presidential library, where Ronald Regan’s name was interjected quite often in the discussion. What wasn’t interjected into the discussion much at all, were views from both Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Representative Ron Paul, neither of which were given many questions.
As John McCain and Mitt Romney fought vigorously over issues from flip flopping, to who more supported the surge and an aggressive he-said she-said over time-tables for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Huckabee and Paul practically reached for the camera to acquire a minuet of attention.
After a back and forth quarrel between McCain and Romney over who was more conservative, Mike Huckabee said “I want to make sure that everyone understands that this isn’t a two man race, there’s another guy who would like to speak down hear on the far right of the stage. You want to talk conservative credentials? Let me get in on that” later adding “I’m going to make sure I get a little time here.”
Paul, who was directed less questions than all involved, and who seemed to be just skipped right over when questions were moving from right to left across the stage said “I would like to take one minute, since I didn’t get a chance to answer this discussion on conservative versus liberal”.
Moderator Anderson Cooper promised him he would have an opportunity later in the debate, but that chance never came.
Ron Paul was given only 5 questions, but his answers must strike like lighting or the camera is pulled in another direction. Mitt Romney was given 17 questions, John McCain was given 15 questions and Mike Huckabee was given 11 questions.
Overall Mitt Romney appeared aggressive and efficient at answering almost every question asked of him. He fended off multiple attacks from McCain, most of which gained him no shortage of cheers from those seated in the venue, but a new video of a radio interview with Mark Larsen of 1040 AM WWBA on the morning of 1/29/2008 has been released on YouTube which could have the former Massachusetts Governor cast in somewhat of a different light. The video has already received over 196,281 views.
H2M Honored at Leadership Huntington Event
January 31, 2008
(Melville, NY) – H2M, a multi-disciplined Engineering & Architectural service firm with offices in New York and New Jersey, was honored by Leadership Huntington on Thursday January 24 at the 12th Annual Kick Off for the Class of 2008 Social held at the new Engeman Theater, Northport. Leadership Huntington is a state-of-the-art community leadership program on Long Island that prepares the leaders of today and tomorrow to activate their leadership capacities and help our community thrive.
Started in 1995 by the Huntington Chamber Foundation, Leadership Huntington is well on its way to becoming independent and member driven through the support of its more than 250 graduates and 100+ stakeholders. One of H2M’s staff, Mina Mirzaei, Project Coordinator and resident of Huntington Village, will be participating in the Class of 2008 Leadership Huntington Program.
The mission of Leadership Huntington is to achieve positive change in the community by engaging and inspiring a broad range of citizens to embrace community trusteeship, and to enhance their leadership capacities around current community challenges.
Founded in 1933, H2M has grown to be one of the most respected professional consulting firms in the Northeast, providing full-service engineering, architecture, environmental services, and laboratory analysis. H2M consists of Holzmacher, McLendon & Murrell, P.C., H2M Labs, Inc., H2M Associates, Inc., H2M Architects & Engineers, Inc.; and has offices in Melville, New York and Totowa, New Jersey.
For more information on Leadership Huntington visit www.leadershiphuntington.org, and for further information about H2M call 631-756-8000 or visit www.h2m.com.
Photo: Robert M. Scheiner, AIA, Senior Vice President and John J. Molloy, P.E., President and CEO of H2M at Leadership Huntington Event
Ebay Introduces New Measures to Keep Buyers and Sellers Active
January 31, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) Ebay Inc. the premiere auction site on the Internet launched new features that enhance the current operation of the company to keep buyers active in their site as well as keep sellers busy. The announcement was made in front of the top 200 sellers of the site in Washington this week. These new measures will help the company upturn a fledgling outlook for the year in which they experienced tough competition from other sites that offer the same services such as Amazon.com and ubid.com.
In a move that caused a good deal of static among sellers on Ebay, the company announced that the feedback system which is an important basis for buyers to determine if a seller is of high standing in the community or not, will be changed so that sellers cannot give negative feedback to buyers while consumers can still voice out their frustration if an when a bad experience with a seller occurs. “Most of the sellers are having a gut wrench about the feedback changes. It’s a very abrupt change to something that has always been sacrosanct in the eBay world” said Bill Hamilton a seller from Georgia.
The Feedback system was made to incorporate trust within the Ebay society. It is a way of determining a good seller from a sour one and vice versa for the buyer. With this change, it has the sellers at an obvious disadvantage when entering a transaction. Industry experts meanwhile give credit to Ebay for making such change. Steve Grooseberg, president of Internet Merchants Association said, “When the seller leaves a negative feedback for a buyer, it drives them away from the site”
“As a buyer, I feel trapped into giving a seller a good feedback, even if my experience is less than desirable, because I do not want the seller to then apply a bad feedback on me. As a consumer, I feel this move is a positive change to Ebay, because if this issue goes unaddressed, it could undermine the entire feedback system. I’m really pleased to see Ebay putting a little more burdens on the seller, as they’re the one providing the item after payment has been received.” said an active buyer in the marketplace.
On another front, Ebay announced that it will cut listing fees for sellers in Ebay and will take effect by February 20th. Under the new proposal, seller fees which vary according to the final sale price and the starting price will be cut by as much as 50% of the current rate. Usher Lieberman, a company spokesman said, “A majority of sellers will see their fees go down, we are basing our success on their success and we want to encourage sellers to list more items with us.”
Gas Prices to Hit $4 by Summer
January 31, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) According to experts in the World Oil Market industry, Gasoline and petroleum prices could skyrocket to about $4 per gallon by the end of summer this year. All indications pointed that way as prices per barrel of petroleum products continue to soar in the World Market as it settled at $92.33 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange by the end of trading.
Although there are some reasons for optimism that a rollback in crude oil prices could be experienced after the Federal Reserve cut Interest rates again for the second time in Eight days, experts doubt whether it could sustain that trend in the long haul and even criticized the move made by the Federal Reserves in cutting the interest rates as it was not nearly enough of a cut in their estimation to maintain a positive gain in both the Stock Market and at the New York Mercantile Exchange to stave off a murky economic outlook.
In a recent study conducted by 40MPG.org, they had respondents of over 1000 Americans across the nation answer surveys for their own outlook and opinion on Petroleum products in general and the report intimated that 71% of Americans believe that gas prices could soar to over $4 per gallon corroborating the experts belief. “$4-a-gallon gasoline could be a real tipping point for the public in terms of an even bigger rush for hybrids, clean diesels and other highly fuel-efficient vehicles,” said 40MPG.org spokesperson Ailis Aaron Wolf.
This prompted the Auto manufacturers industry to roll out new models of vehicles that incorporate gas-saving engines and features such as the new Hybrid models which are starting to gain popularity in the industry and among general consumers. Still with these measures on hand, the Auto Industry expects to absorb losses and deep cuts in their earnings and profits this year due to consumers fear of gas increases, the sliding economy and the fear of Recession constantly a threat.
Dowling College Survey Predicts New York’s February 5th Primary Winners
January 30, 2008
(Oakdale, N.Y.) The Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute (LIESP) at Dowling College, in its Roundtable Presidential Primary Preference survey, showed John McCain to be most popular with respondents, who also said health care was of most concern to them.
The survey was taken during LIESP’s January 25, 2008 Roundtable for Long Island’s Future at a scheduled debate among surrogates for the primary candidates in New York State’s February 5th primary. Questioned by Dowling professors, Dr. Don Beahm and Dr. Yanek Mieczkowski were Suffolk County Legislators Jon Cooper and Edward P.
Romaine speaking for Barack Obama and Rudolph Giuliani, respectively, Assemblyman Phil Boyle for John McCain, Counsel to Nassau County Executive William J. Cunningham, III for Hillary Clinton, and Commissioner of Jurors Michael O’Donohoe for Mitt Romney.
As to presidential preferences, LIESP Director Martin R. Cantor reported that 28% favored McCain, 16% to Giuliani, with Democrats evenly divided at 17% between Clinton, Obama and Undecided. “New York State is wide open for a very competitive primary election,” Cantor said, “signaling that Senator Clinton might not win her own state.”
The top seven concerns expressed most frequently in the survey were as follows:
health care 14.7%
quality and cost of education 12.2%
economy 11%
terrorism/national security 9.8%
taxes 7.4%
energy 6.1%
the Iraq War 6.1%
illegal immigration 6.1%
However, Cantor explained, “when the top five concerns are ranked by the level of importance to respondents, the economy and terrorism/national security each tied as most important followed by health care energy, and illegal immigration.”
Cantor concluded, “The closeness of candidate preferences, including Undecided, illustrates that voters are still not happy with the way the candidates are addressing the issues most important to them.”
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education. www.dowling.edu
Talk’s Progress as Second Week Starts to Heat Up
January 30, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) Talks between The Writers Guild of America and TV Studio executives enter the second week of renewed negotiations in the hopes of finally putting to an end a 3-month strike among Guild members against TV producers to grant them certain privileges and stipulations before agreeing to renew their contract. The talks were explored again after the Directors Guild of America struck a fairly good and quick deal with Studio executives earlier this month and bequeath a good deal of pressure for both parties to agree upon key issues to settle the Writers strike which has already cost TV producers and Studios millions of dollars in lost revenues.
After heated negotiations last November which abruptly ended on a walkout by Guild members, optimism soars high this time as both sides have already agreed on a number of issues previously clashed upon. This includes the approval given by TV executives to give payment to writers for Internet distributed work and the Guilds nod in taking proposals to unionize animation and reality TV writers which the executive demanded early on. Some key issues still need to be amicably set before a full agreement can be reached. Such issues include the new media compensation the Guild members are pushing for and the longevity of the new contract to be signed.
Writer Devon Sheperd who’s works includes popular TV series “Weeds” and “Everybody Hates Chris” says “I’m like everyone else. I’m hopeful, we’re all just hoping that with time passing, cooler heads will prevail and people are seeing the bigger picture. The longer we stay out, it’s not only hurting us but hurting the industry”
If the negotiations result in a positive accord among the two sides within the next couple of weeks, it would certainly give a huge boost to the TV industry that has already lost over $1 Billion due to this strike as multiple events occur next month that prove money makers for the industry in past Oscars, Grammy’s, NAACP image awards and the much anticipated Superbowl happening on February 4th.
Jonathan Handel, the former associate counsel for the Writers Guild says, “There’s no day, other than the Super Bowl, that’s bigger for American advertisers and therefore for American networks than the Oscars, both the studios and networks have an enormous amount riding on a successful Oscarcast”
Yahoo Struggles at the Stock Market
January 30, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) In its bid to upturn a sliding outlook for the year 2008, Yahoo Inc.’s announcement two weeks ago of cutting up to 1000 jobs by May didn’t persuade the Stock Market in reversing its fortune. Instead, a slew of negative news reached Wall Street from the company’s headquarters in San Francisco this week as income statements and profits were filed by the company.
Yahoo reported a loss of 23% for its fourth quarterly profit prompting its shares of stocks to dip further by 10 percent in extended trading. In the latter part of 2005 where Yahoo was at its peak, shareholders had $35 Billion in hand. Now three years removed from that big success, the market value of Yahoo Inc. is less than half of that amount at around $17 Billion, a big drop-off that has its shareholders crying for action from CEO and co-founder Jerry Yang.
The lay-off of 1000 employees nationwide by Yahoo will save the company an estimated $100 Million annually in operating costs alone but they will have to take in over $25 Million upfront to pay for severance fees and other benefits that employees who lost their jobs will get. Also, Yahoo announced that some employees who will lose their positions this May might be re-assigned to some other parts of the company’s operations. Further details will be released this coming February outlining the whole process and the figures to match.
In a prepared statement, CEO Jerry Yang said. “This sort of transition takes time, but we have the talent and the strong cash flow it takes to succeed.”
Experts and investors are critical of how Yang has handled the company since he was assigned as the company’s CEO seven months ago. “I’m surprised by how slowly they seem to be moving,” said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Derek Brown. “Yahoo still has quite a bit of work ahead.”
McCain Wins Florida Primary, Giulliani Drops Out
January 30, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) In a close battle for the overall lead in the Republican Party nomination for President, Sen. John McCain edged Mass. Governor Mitt Romney to gain momentum and the overall lead in the Florida Primary. McCain gathered 36 percent of the total votes while Gov. Mitt Romney finished with 31 percent. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giulliani was again, a distant third followed by Mike Huckabee and Congressman Ron Paul.
The win gave Sen. John McCain 57 Republican National Convention delegates in a winner take all contest that upped his advantage to 34 points over Mitt Romney. He has 93 delegates in total so far compared to Romney’s 59. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has 40 followed by 10-term Texas Congressman Ron Paul with 4 and Giulliani having only 1 delegate race points. The number of Republican National Convention delegates a candidate gathers will ultimately be the basis on who wins the nomination for Presidency for the Party.
“It shows one thing: I’m the conservative leader who can unite the party,” Sen. McCain says after his win. “We have a ways to go, but we’re getting close” to the nomination”
With his loss in Florida where he was supposed to make his last stand, Rudy Giulliani has conceded defeat and is expected to officially dropped out of contention sometime today. He is expected to give his support to his closest rival, but 20 year friend Sen. John McCain. “I’m proud that we chose to stay positive and to run a campaign of ideas in an era of personal attacks, negative ads and cynical spin” He says in front of gathering supporters and added. “The responsibility of leadership doesn’t end with a single campaign, it goes on and you continue to fight for it, we ran a campaign that was uplifting.”
Senator McCain also acknowledged former Mayor Rudy Giulliani’s efforts and his impending support for McCain in his speech in Miami after his win. “I want to thank my dear friend Rudy Giuliani, who invested his heart and soul in this primary and who conducted himself with all the qualities of the exceptional American leaders he truly is” McCain said. “Thank you Rudy for all you have added to this race and being an inspiration to me and millions of Americans.”
Rudy Giulliani was first recognized nationally when he was a Federal Prosecutor for Manhattan in 1983. He was a well-respected, no non-sense type of professional that helped deter crimes in New York on his term and lowered the Crime rate dramatically when he was elected as Mayor of New York City in his second attempt for the Office in 1993. He gained national importance when he responded with swift justification and action on the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was vital to the City’s efforts in rebuilding.
Knicks Lose in LA Against Lakers
January 30, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) The New York Knicks found a way to lose an already won ballgame against the Lakers. Ahead by 8 with a 99-91 edge and 5 minutes remaining, Lakers off-guard Sasha Vujacic caught fire and drilled two consecutive three point shots to initiate a come from behind win for the Lakers at home by a final score of 120-109 over the Knicks.
MVP candidate and the second leading scorer in the league Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Vujacic who ignited the rally scored 20 points and was a crucial compliment to Bryant’s well rounded game. Lamar Odom finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds while much maligned Center Kwame Brown notched a double-double in place of injured starter Andrew Bynum who will be out 6-8 weeks with an injured left knee with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Knicks which have played well of late after a disastrous start of the season and who have won 4 of their last 6, came into the game with much optimism. Coach Isiah Thomas who has dodged the Knicks supporters call for his demise acknowledged his teams success “I think we’ve basically been playing with a lot more honest effort,” he said. “Are we so far in the hole that we can’t get out of it? I don’t know. There is a commitment and a willingness in the locker room to play better basketball.”
Two guard Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 22 points and 4 assists. Zach Randolph, acquired in a mega deal last summer provided support with 16 points and 14 rebounds while David Lee came off the bench to notch 21 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Knicks which are in a current Western Conference road trip will play the Utah Jazz Wednesday at Salt Lake City in Utah at 9PM while the Lakers embark on a 9 game road trip that starts on Thursday at the Palace in Auburn Hills against the Pistons and ends on February 13th against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their next home game will be on February 19th as they face the Atlanta Hawks at the Staples Center.
7000 Kids Hospitalized Annually for Taking Cold Medicines
January 30, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) In the U.S. alone, statistics have shown that in the year 2007, over 7,000 kids and infants were hospitalized for taking cold medicines either unsupervised or due to reactions caused when taking cough and cold medicines such as allergies as well as adverse reactions to contents of the syrup or tablets.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to parents two weeks ago in a released statement of the dangers in administering these medications to youngsters especially toddlers and infants. In a study conducted by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, children under the age of 11 are most vulnerable to develop undesirable effects when taking these medicines as their immune system is weaker than that of adults. There were over 7,100 case study objects to work with which sprawled across 63 hospitals all over the U.S. and about 1,600 of these patients where under 2 years of age.
With the results of the study and the report thereafter, CDC and FDA both concur that in totally disseminating the cough and cold medicines to children aging 2 years and below will decrease the number of incidents by 23% a year and new measure will have to be made and tested to treat infants with these symptoms rather than giving them medications.
“The main message is no medication left in the hands of a 3-year-old is safe,” said the CDC’s Dr. Melissa Schaefer.
Pharmaceutical Companies who manufacture and distribute these medicines nationwide refuted the findings of the study and expressed their dismay that these reports could cause damage to their businesses and operations over the course of the year. Linda Suydam who is the President of Consumer Healthcare Products Association said in a prepared statement “These medicines are safe when used as directed, and this government review underscores the importance of educating consumers — especially those with small children — on the safe use and safekeeping of medicine.”
