EW YORK (Fortune) -- As he finishes his first full week as CEO of Ford, Alan Mulally may be wondering what he got himself into. The rumble of bad news never seems to stop.

Consider:

* A leaked internal document says Ford is forecasting a pre-tax loss of nearly $6 billion in its auto operations this year, losing money everywhere except Europe and South America. With restructuring costs, the total loss for 2006 could reach $9 billion.
* The latest Way Forward plan contains more layoffs, more production cuts, and more factory closings. Ford has now offered buyouts to all 75,000 of its UAW workers.
* Two top manufacturing executives quit on Thursday.

Ford (Charts) is heading into the same trough that GM (Charts) entered a year ago, and the possibilities of an upturn seem so distant as to be unachievable. But there are major differences between the condition of the two companies that don't weigh in Ford's favor.

Somewhat over-zealous summation article contrasting the two companies. Written by a GM exec, perhaps?

-janelane, shove your 11 mpg truck where the sun don't shine

Why Ford is in worse shape than GM

A guy from Thailand was in my microeconomics class this morning and told me the real story behind all this coup stuff. Apparently, the PM was a satelite communications mogul who bought them from the gov't and didn't pay any taxes on them. He's the 4th richest person in Thailand, and his approval rating in the city is only about 20%. In the country its much higher, however that's more than likely because he bribes the peasants to vote for him. His main goal in life? To be the 1st richest person in Thailand.

I doubted my classmate until he concluded that his mom lives over there and says there hasn't been an ounce of rioting. Of course there's no rioting when it's what the people want.

Fuck our call to "return to democracy"...these guys seem to be making their own stew just fine.

-janelane, please someone glue Bush's mouth shut

Thailand's king gives blessing to coup

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators on an intelligence panel are seeking to declassify more information from two Senate reports on prewar intelligence on Iraq, saying too much was kept secret.

The bipartisan group on Tuesday asked a government commission to consider whether portions of the reports could be made public without harming national security.

It's the first time lawmakers have appealed to the Public Interest Declassification Board since it was established in 2004 as a place for members of Congress to appeal if they think federal agencies are unnecessarily classifying material in the name of national security.

The two reports, released earlier this month, concluded there was no evidence Saddam Hussein had ties with al-Qaida before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. They also found that Saddam's regime did not have weapons of mass destruction and was not actively seeking to acquire them.

Democrats claim the reports undercut President Bush's justification for invading Iraq. Republicans say the reports contain little new information and accuse Democrats of trying to score political points in an election year.

When the reports were issued, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he was concerned that some information was classified to shield officials from being held accountable, not for national security reasons.

''The American people have the right to know the rest of this story, so that they can decide for themselves whether to hold public officials accountable for the statements that were made and actions that were taken that led us to war,'' Wyden said Tuesday.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said although he disagrees with many of the conclusions reached in the reports, ''I do agree with my colleagues that too much of the report remains classified, and I am a firm believer that whatever need not remain classified, should not remain classified.''

The letter is signed by about half of the Senate Intelligence Committee members: Bond; Wyden; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Mike DeWine, R-Ohio; Russ Feingold, D-Wis.; Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

What?! I agree with Orrin Hatch??!!!

{head explodes}

-janelane, pro-bipartisan committees

Sens. Want More Iraq Report Declassified - New York Times

WASHINGTON – Several national and state water associations, in a September 12 letter to members of the House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees, have expressed their disapproval of two bills and one provision pertaining to chemical facility security currently under deliberation in Congress.

Members of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the American Water Works Association and five other utility associations said in the letter that the proposed legislation "would significantly complicate the goal of protecting public health."

The agencies claim the bills hand over authority for regulation of drinking water treatment to the US Department of Homeland Security, which they said "has no expertise in the treatment technologies and requirements necessary to protect public health."

Regulatory responsibilities should be left to the US Environmental Protection Agency, according to the letter.

Hey, the lobbyist scoundrels who my company supports have done something good and decent for a change! Woo-hoo!

-janelane, working for the wastewater man

News

Still, some Southern women remain stalwart supporters of the president and the Republican Party. At a watermelon festival in Chickamauga, in the mountains of northwest Georgia, substitute teacher Clydeen Tomanio said she remains committed to the party she's called home for 43 years.

"There are some people, and I'm one of them, that believe George Bush was placed where he is by the Lord," Tomanio said. "I don't care how he governs, I will support him. I'm a Republican through and through."

Another looney-tune fundamentalist. Luckily, not all of the interviews are with mountain people. Most southern women are finally starting to question the war in Iraq and the war on gay people.

-janelane, sometimes I hate this state

CNN.com - Southern women breaking up with Bush - Sep 7, 2006

New Oil Field in Gulf May Yield Billions of Barrels

By JOHN HOLUSHA
Published: September 5, 2006

What could be a major discovery of domestic oil in the Gulf of Mexico was announced today by a trio of companies led by Chevron Corporation.

The discovery, in the deepest water yet explored in the Gulf, could be the biggest domestic oil field since the northern Alaska field opened a generation ago. Its location near the coast of the United States makes it particularly attractive, said J. Larry Nichols, the chairman of Devon Energy Corporation of Oklahoma City, which holds a 25 percent interest in the find. The discovery “could not have happened in a better place,” he said in a news conference.

The the prospective yield of the area, called the lower Tertiary, could approach six billion barrels of oil, Devon said. The other owner, with a 25 percent interest, is Statoil of Norway. Chevron owns 50 percent.

This discovery represents less than a year's worth of our domestic consumption of oil. Fire up your SUVs, everyone, because you won't have much longer if this discovery is cause to celebrate.

-janelane, energy nerd

New Oil Field in Gulf May Yield Billions of Barrels - New York Times

This is supposed to be a nice catch-all for solar info, but I can't get the damn thing to open.

Update: Success!

-janelane

Solar Simplified

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans who care about clean air, global warming and children's health are outraged that McDonald's is giving away toy Hummers with Happy Meals. Now they can tell the world - and McDonald's - how they feel.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) and HybridCars.com introduce the Ronald McHummer Sign-O-Matic, an interactive website that lets you write your own slogan or message about the Hummer giveaway, display it on a McDonald's marquee, and send a message to the president of the fast-food chain. (The site, www.RonaldMcHummer.com, is not affiliated with or endorsed by McDonald's or General Motors.)

Many visitors have already used the Sign-O-Matic to suggest new McDonald's slogans in keeping with its partnership with the supersized, smog-spewing, gas-guzzling Hummer:

* I'M BREATHIN' IT
* SUPERSIZE MY ASTHMA ATTACK
* SPECIAL SAUCE, LETTUCE, CHEESE AND FOREIGN OIL DEPENDENCY

-janelane, crazy lobbyists websites + slow work day = posting party

ENN: Environmental News Network [[Network News 1616]]

Objective

The Methane to Markets Partnership is an international initiative that focuses on advancing cost-effective, near-term methane recovery and use as a clean energy source. The Partnership will reduce global methane emissions to enhance economic growth, promote energy security, improve the environment, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other benefits include improving mine safety, reducing waste, and improving local air quality. The goals of the Partnership will be accomplished through collaboration between developed countries, developing countries, and countries with economies in transition - together with strong participation from the private sector. The Methane to Markets Partnership targets four major methane sources: landfills, underground coal mines, natural gas and oil systems, and agriculture (animal waste management).

Background

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, accounts for 16% of all greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities. Because methane is both a powerful greenhouse gas and short-lived compared to carbon dioxide, achieving significant reductions would have a rapid and significant effect on atmospheric warming potential. The Methane to Markets Partnership is a major element of the series of international technology partnerships advanced by the Bush Administration on hydrogen, carbon sequestration, fusion and advanced nuclear power technologies. These initiatives will help develop and deploy the transformational energy technologies that will significantly cut projected emissions and the greenhouse gas intensity of the global economy in the context of sustained economic growth. More information about these energy technologies is available by viewing the International Opportunities for Project Development PDF files.

Okay, so not everything he's done has been to spearhead this country in the wrong direction.

-janelane, Gore would have done more

US EPA - Methane to Markets Partnership - Basic Information

While some businesses grumbled about the challenge of complying with the California’s growing list of tough environmental regulations, Saint-Gobain Corp., the holding company for the U.S.- and Canadian-based businesses of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, instead turned the situation to its advantage. Using the example of one of its California plants, the company has made effective waste management one of its top corporate-wide environmental priorities within the last five years.

A manufacturer of construction products, high-performance materials, packaging and flat glass, the company has 180 plants in the U.S. and Canada. In North America, some of its brand names include BPB, CertainTeed, Norton and Vetrotex. The CertainTeed Chowchilla, Calif., fiberglass insulation plant has led the way as a role model, achieving nearly zero discharge of manufacturing scrap into California’s landfills.

Now *that's* corporate stewardship.

-janelane, stewardess

Company Strives for Zero Discharge