Grab and Keel

The dabbling anon finds the edge of a spiral:

Top Ethanol Producer Files For Bankruptcy

November 7, 2008

[
One of the leading stories of 2008 has been skyrocketing commodity prices and the corresponding surge in land values throughout the Midwest, Great Plains, Southwest, and other mineral-rich areas of the country. Although the bubble has by no means burst, there are definitely signs of a slowdown, particularly given the recent bankruptcy filing by one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers, VeraSun Energy Corp.

VeraSun went public in 2006 just as interest in alternative energies was peaking. But as these stories in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal indicate, since then, it’s been all downhill for the South Dakota-based company, which was trading at 48 cents a share, well of its 52-week-high of $17.75. 

Who says Wall Street is the only place where people are making bad bets?…]

http://www.landreport.com/2008/11/top-ethanol-producer-files-for-bankruptcy/

The last minute rampage continues. Can the pieces be put back together? Is there anyone there to do it?

While you were voting …

Bush administration races ahead with environmental policy changes

NEWS – From the November 10, 2008 issue of High Country News

By Sarah Gilman

[A little groggy after this year’s mosh pit of an election season? Well, while you’ve been distracted by Barack Obama’s crowd-drawing star power, Joe Biden’s clean coal gaffes, John McCain’s relentless robocalling, and Sarah Palin’s $150,000 campaign wardrobe, the Bush administration has been busily ushering through some last-minute changes in environmental and public-lands policy that will be difficult for the next administration to undo…]

http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.20/While-you-were-voting-

Well! Look at this; the Obama Biden team wants YOU! It even says so on their application, at the bottom:

ACLU Commends Obama-Biden Ban on Discrimination Against LGBT Applicants for Jobs in the New Administration

(11/7/2008)

Transition Protects Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in New Administration’s Non-Discrimination Policy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org

[WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union commends the Obama-Biden Transition team for including sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policy as it prepares to assume power in January. Although President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 11478, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, there are no explicit federal protections from gender identity bias in government hiring….]

http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/discrim/37728prs20081107.html?s_src=RSS

Periodically I check back to see what “The City Edition” has to say about the main stream media’s reporting efforts on the election coverage. This reprise is a good reminder of some of the mud we had to wade through this year:

[This year, America’s top broadcast networks, print publications and internet media are conspiring with political groups, polling companies and investment banks to sway the outcome of the election. Before coverage of the primaries began, New Dealer Sen. Hillary Clinton was heavily favored to become the next U.S. president…]

http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Summer08/RoguesGallery.html

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, Just Say No Deal