Thursday, November 12, 2009

"structurally deficient or functionally obsolete".

Here's some bad news for all of us: Over 150,000 bridges in the U.S. have been judged to be "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." And get this, there are less than 598,000 bridges in America. That means 25.7% aren't in very good shape. It turns out that the state with the most structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (SD/FO) bridges is Texas, with 9,564 such bridges. However, Texas is ginormous – almost half the size of Alaska – and therefore has a lot of bridges, but the percentage of Texan SD/FO bridges is 19%. And that's significantly lower than the national average...Link

Pfizer and Kelo's Ghost Town..........

The Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London stands as one of the worst in recent years, handing local governments carte blanche to seize private property in the name of economic development. Now, four years after that decision gave Susette Kelo's land to private developers for a project including a hotel and offices intended to enhance Pfizer Inc.'s nearby corporate facility, the pharmaceutical giant has announced it will close its research and development headquarters in New London, Connecticut...Link
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Man killed by VP's Secret Service vehicles.

Two U.S. Secret Service armored vehicles used to protect Vice President Biden struck and killed a pedestrian in Temple Hills early Wednesday morning, authorities said. The vehicles were traveling together from Andrews Air Force Base at about 2:30 a.m. when the pedestrian was hit at the intersection of Suitland Parkway and Naylor Road in Temple Hills, U.S. Park Police said...Link


Shaking Up the Kentucky Senate Race.....

But now the younger Paul, an ophthalmologist, is making his own bid for office, and he is doing so in the family tradition: Making Republicans uncomfortable. Paul is running in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, his home state since 1993. He is leading in the most recent poll and raising buckets of money. He is outperforming Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who has the support of Kentucky’s most powerful pol, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Like his father who became an Internet phenomenon during his presidential run, Rand Paul also seems to be somewhat of an Internet sensation. But whether he can actually win is an open question...Link