| Talk of the bay
A $4.8-billion bid by General Electric Co. to buy the aerospace division of London-based Smiths Group will mean a name change for a business in the Tampa Bay area. Since 1969, the British company has operated two divisions on Roosevelt Boulevard in Clearwater. One does design and production of avionics systems for both military and commercial customers, including Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed Martin. Customer service for the Americas is also handled out of the Clearwater location. A spokeswoman for Smiths said the sale to GE is not expected to affect the 460 employees in Clearwater. "Our facilities will continue their regular operations," said Jennifer Villarreal. "GE is acquiring a complementary business which will expand both companies' capabilities." Online, sales tax break will be later Free income tax filing started Tuesday on the IRS Web site (www.irs.gov), but you'll have to wait until Feb.
Katie Couric and her skirt
CBS news anchor Katie Couric, invited to a briefing at the White House, complained about being the only journalist in attendance "wearing a skirt." Her colleagues included ABC's Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos; NBC's Brian Williams and Tim Russert; CBS's Bob Schieffer; CNN's Wolf Blitzer; and Fox's Brit Hume. Presumably, Couric's complaint concerned her status as the lone female in that room, rather than the restrictive dress code. Few viewers, I suspect, wish to see Tim Russert in a tutu or Brit Hume sporting a bra. So let's deal with Couric's complaint. Couric, on her CBS "Couric & Co." blog, thought it astonishing that, in the post-1970s women's liberation era, she found herself the only female news anchor in the room. In her blog entry, called, "Katie: A Woman at the Table," she wrote that women "only" comprise 16 percent of Congress but account for 51 percent of the population.
January is Cancer Consciousness Month
San Jose, Antique (23 January) -- "Winning the Challenges through Healthy Lifestyle" is this year's theme in observance of Cancer Consciousness Month this January. Dr. Norman Tanchuan, Provincial Health Officer reported that in the previous years, cancer is the number four leading cause of deaths in the province. The statistics has increased from 166 deaths in 2004 to 243 in 2005. Of the total recorded cases in 2005, 129 were women while most deaths from aged 15-59 recorded 132 cases, three deaths from children aged 3-15 years old and 108 died from 65 years and over. Among the common types of cancers are lung, liver, breast, uterine, colon interabdominal, arteries, prostate, pancreas, gastric, throat, and ovary, said Mildred Quilino, Information Officer, PHO. PHO Tanchuan emphasized that cancer can be preventable with early detection and necessary precautionary measures.
Feds at It Again, Seize Canadian Drugs in Miami
Instead of searching for Osama Bin Laden the Bush administration seems determined to keep Canada Drugs out of the hands of Seniors who cannot afford to pay American prices. 37 packages of medicine from Canada shipped to Florida were seized last week. This comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said they would stop the practice of seizing drugs that would be used for personal use. Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was not pleased when he heard the news. He lashed out at the Bush administration and says senior citizens deserve to buy cheaper medications to save money and preserve their health. FDA-approved drugs such as Lipitor for cholesterol, and Nexium for acid reflux were part of the seizure by the federal agents. It really is disturbing that the powers that be in this country are letting this happen.
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