WASHINGTON - The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress.
They said Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border.
The Bush administration on Thursday announced its plan to have U.S. inspectors oversee Mexican trucking companies that carry cargo across the border.
"This program will make trade with Mexico easier and keep our roads safe at the same time," Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Friday. She announced details of the plan to let 100 Mexican trucking companies travel beyond the border area while she was in El Paso, Texas, at the Bridge of the Americas, which connects to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Said Teamsters President Jim Hoffa: "They are playing a game of Russian roulette on America's highways."
Access to all U.S. highways was promised by 2000 under the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, as was access through Mexico for U.S. carriers.
That aspect of NAFTA was stalled by lawsuits and disagreements between the two countries, though Canadian and U.S. trucks travel freely across the northern border.
The Bush pilot project will let Mexican truck companies travel from Mexico throughout the United States and back. No hazardous material shipments will be permitted.
According to the Transportation Department, U.S. inspectors will inspect every truck and interview drivers to make sure they can read and speak English. They'll examine trucks and check the licenses, insurance and driving records of the Mexican drivers. Inspectors will also verify that the trucking companies are insured by U.S.-licensed firms.
The first Mexican trucks are expected to drive into the United States beyond the border area in about 60 days, the Transportation Department says.
National Transportation Safety Board' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman questioned how the U.S. could spare sending inspectors to Mexico when only a tiny percentage of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. truck companies are inspected every year.
"They lack the inspectors to conduct safety reviews of at-risk domestic carriers," Hersman said. "That situation only gets worse if resources are diverted to the border."
One-fourth of all U.S. trucks are taken off the road after random inspections because they're so unsafe, she said. An even higher percentage of Mexican trucks are taken off the road at Texas border crossings, she said.
Mexican carriers insist their rigs meet U.S. standards. And according to the Transportation Department, 240 federal and 300 state government employees deal with Mexican truck issues.
Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, said inspections will be meaningless because the trucks won't have black boxes that record how long a driver has been behind the wheel.
"They have no way of telling how many hours these truck drivers have been driving before they get to the U.S., let alone when they get here," Claybrook said.
Sen. Patty Murray (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash., chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, announced a March 8 hearing to determine whether the arrangement meets safety requirements.
Rep. Peter DeFazio (news, bio, voting record), D-Ore., chair of the House Highways subcommittee, said Congress will keep a close eye on the program.
Mexico responded to the U.S. announcement by saying it will allow trucks from 100 U.S. companies to travel across the border.
Business groups have wanted the border opened to avoid middleman costs of transferring goods from Mexican to U.S. trucks.
The American Trucking Associations said it supports the program, but wants to make sure that U.S. and Mexican truck companies are held to the same standards.
"We also are waiting to see that when US carriers are allowed to travel into Mexico that the regulatory and permitting process that U.S. carriers undergo is fair and transparent," the ATA said in a statement.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Is Big Brother watching
Looks like one way or another big brother will be able to track us all.
Be Afraid: Powder-Sized RFID Chips
Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:58AM EST
See Comments (195)
Everyone's so paranoid about the RFID chips that are already in place in so many parts of our lives, so here's an item (via Engadget and Pink Tentacle) about Hitachi's new powder-sized RFID chips to make us even more scared of Big Brother (or little-Brother-ID thief). RFID chips are tiny microchips that use radio waves to do everything from conduct credit card transactions (as on those little key-fob-Paypass MasterCard thingies) and pay for tolls (EZ Pass and its ilk) to keeping track of your devices and travel (U.S. passports).
Hitachi plans to start marketing these new chips—seriously no bigger than a speck of dust at 0.05 x 0.05 mm—in two to three years. The company says this super-tiny chip can be used in paper, currency, gift certificates, and the like, but as some sites have pointed out, today's chips are already small enough for those uses. So, as Engadget cracked, does this mean we should be watching what we eat in case of some James-Bond-style pepper-shaker swap?
Maybe, but is the terror around RFID over-hyped? According to most proponents of the technology, and my own experiences paying with PayPass at my local drug store, you really need to physically tap the RFID chip to something for the transaction to go through. And yet, when I go through a toll booth, my RFID-enabled EZ Pass box is only about ten feet away from the sensor. So maybe it is time to watch what you eat, lest Big Brother starts to track you wirelessly (or you spill some RFID powder from which evil ID thieves can extract your vital stats!)
What do you think? Is RFID worth the convenience or is it setting up some dangerous privacy-invasion precedents?
Be Afraid: Powder-Sized RFID Chips
Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:58AM EST
See Comments (195)
Everyone's so paranoid about the RFID chips that are already in place in so many parts of our lives, so here's an item (via Engadget and Pink Tentacle) about Hitachi's new powder-sized RFID chips to make us even more scared of Big Brother (or little-Brother-ID thief). RFID chips are tiny microchips that use radio waves to do everything from conduct credit card transactions (as on those little key-fob-Paypass MasterCard thingies) and pay for tolls (EZ Pass and its ilk) to keeping track of your devices and travel (U.S. passports).
Hitachi plans to start marketing these new chips—seriously no bigger than a speck of dust at 0.05 x 0.05 mm—in two to three years. The company says this super-tiny chip can be used in paper, currency, gift certificates, and the like, but as some sites have pointed out, today's chips are already small enough for those uses. So, as Engadget cracked, does this mean we should be watching what we eat in case of some James-Bond-style pepper-shaker swap?
Maybe, but is the terror around RFID over-hyped? According to most proponents of the technology, and my own experiences paying with PayPass at my local drug store, you really need to physically tap the RFID chip to something for the transaction to go through. And yet, when I go through a toll booth, my RFID-enabled EZ Pass box is only about ten feet away from the sensor. So maybe it is time to watch what you eat, lest Big Brother starts to track you wirelessly (or you spill some RFID powder from which evil ID thieves can extract your vital stats!)
What do you think? Is RFID worth the convenience or is it setting up some dangerous privacy-invasion precedents?
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Translating
Words Women Use
:1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.4.
) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.
8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying F@!K YOU!
9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "what's wrong", for the woman's response refer to # 3.
Tell this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology. Ask other women they can verify it's true. Good luck everyone bye for now.
:1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.4.
) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.
8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying F@!K YOU!
9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "what's wrong", for the woman's response refer to # 3.
Tell this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology. Ask other women they can verify it's true. Good luck everyone bye for now.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Chinese New Year
Hope everyone had a great Chinese New Year and drank like pigs. For those of you fortunate enough to get tomorrow off for Presidents Day go out and enjoy yourselves again. Lots of holidays this week we have Ash Wednesday(christian) and George Washington's Birthday Thursday So have a fun filled week everyone. Later.
Three things to think about
1. COWS 2. THE CONSTITUTION 3. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
COWS - Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.
THECONSTITUTION - They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore.
TEN COMMANDMENTS - The real reason we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse--You cannot post, "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie," in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians--it creates a hostile work environment.
COWS - Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.
THECONSTITUTION - They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore.
TEN COMMANDMENTS - The real reason we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse--You cannot post, "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie," in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians--it creates a hostile work environment.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
New American Slogan
This will be America's new slogan "Come to our country illegally and enjoy all the great benefits that we won't give to legal Americans." Check out what Bank of America is offering to illigals. They need to change their name to Bank for Illigals.
Continuing to court the burgeoning market of Latino immigrants, Bank of America said today it is test-marketing credit cards for Spanish-speaking customers who may not have Social Security numbers.
The cards, which critics say will enable illegal immigrants to put down roots more easily in the United States, carry higher than usual interest rates and allow users to charge only $500.
The cards are designed to be a first step for immigrants trying to build a credit history, bank spokeswoman Alexandra C. Trower said today.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America, the nation's largest retail bank, is test-marketing the card program in Los Angeles County. It plans to introduce it nationwide if all goes well, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the program.
Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Citibank and other big retail institutions are all intent on establishing relations with Latinos, whose growing numbers and economic muscle make them the largest "unbanked" segment of U.S. society.
Money transfer services are now widely available at big banks, allowing Latinos to send billions of dollars a year to relatives in Latin America.
Bank of America's SafeSend program allows customers with checking accounts to wire up to $3,000 a month to Mexico free of charge.
Other banks, including Citibank and Wells Fargo Bank, have experimented with providing mortgages to immigrants who have no Social Security numbers to identify themselves.
The banks instead allow the immigrants to establish accounts by using individual taxpayer identification numbers, or ITINs, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. They also may accept an identification card issued by Mexican consulates, known as the matricula consular.
The Los Angeles department store chain La Curacao offers credit cards to undocumented Latino immigrants with a matricula and has issued nearly 1 million.
Bank of America complies fully with all banking and antiterrorism laws governing customer identification, which permit the use of ITINs, spokeswoman Trower said.
Critics complain that it is easy for illegal immigrants to obtain ITINs, which they then use to gain access to financial services and tax benefits to which they are not entitled.
"At face value the program seems to be problematic," said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. "It seems to be lending itself to possibilities of perpetrating identity theft or creating more risk for money laundering."
Continuing to court the burgeoning market of Latino immigrants, Bank of America said today it is test-marketing credit cards for Spanish-speaking customers who may not have Social Security numbers.
The cards, which critics say will enable illegal immigrants to put down roots more easily in the United States, carry higher than usual interest rates and allow users to charge only $500.
The cards are designed to be a first step for immigrants trying to build a credit history, bank spokeswoman Alexandra C. Trower said today.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America, the nation's largest retail bank, is test-marketing the card program in Los Angeles County. It plans to introduce it nationwide if all goes well, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the program.
Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Citibank and other big retail institutions are all intent on establishing relations with Latinos, whose growing numbers and economic muscle make them the largest "unbanked" segment of U.S. society.
Money transfer services are now widely available at big banks, allowing Latinos to send billions of dollars a year to relatives in Latin America.
Bank of America's SafeSend program allows customers with checking accounts to wire up to $3,000 a month to Mexico free of charge.
Other banks, including Citibank and Wells Fargo Bank, have experimented with providing mortgages to immigrants who have no Social Security numbers to identify themselves.
The banks instead allow the immigrants to establish accounts by using individual taxpayer identification numbers, or ITINs, issued by the Internal Revenue Service. They also may accept an identification card issued by Mexican consulates, known as the matricula consular.
The Los Angeles department store chain La Curacao offers credit cards to undocumented Latino immigrants with a matricula and has issued nearly 1 million.
Bank of America complies fully with all banking and antiterrorism laws governing customer identification, which permit the use of ITINs, spokeswoman Trower said.
Critics complain that it is easy for illegal immigrants to obtain ITINs, which they then use to gain access to financial services and tax benefits to which they are not entitled.
"At face value the program seems to be problematic," said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. "It seems to be lending itself to possibilities of perpetrating identity theft or creating more risk for money laundering."
Friday, February 09, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith dies age 39
Anna Nicole Smith dies and leaves behind a 5 month old baby that is worth a fortune. Unless of course the lawyer has power of attorney over it you know what I mean. What really saddens me is the fact the only reason these people are fighting for custody of this child is for the money. And another question that comes to mind was Anna Nicole ever in right mind long enough to make a current will that is what she wanted. Not what someone's greed may have tricked her into. It's a very sad world when a child is only wanted because he/she is worth a lot of money. But this is just my opinion. Bye all.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The great food drive
A person I have been watching on livevideo made a great video about helping the needy with a food donation. Well I have decided to take it one step further. I am putting a video up on all my video places showing me and my daughter donating and I am spreading the word everywhere I go. I figure anyone who can afford a computer can afford to set aside at least one can of food a week till they fill a bag then donate it. Trust me it will make you feel good. Thanks everyone later.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
bartender question
I a person with multiple personalities gets drunk and you cut them off does this mean when one of their other personalities comes out you have to serve them till they are too drunk? A little humor to ponder.
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