kscarbel2

BC, I myself am still trying to interpret the two videos, and guess who their target audience is.

DUBLIN, Ireland, Oct. 13, 1997 /PRNewswire/ -- [Dublin-based] CRH plc, the international building materials group, announces the purchase by the Oldcastle Materials Group of the assets of New York Trap Rock Corporation for a cash consideration of US$40 million (27.4 million Irish pounds sterling). The consideration is fully asset-backed and no goodwill arises. New York Trap Rock, which was founded in 1897, is a substantial aggregates supplier operating two major quarries in southern New York state with permitted aggregate reserves in excess of 330 million tons. The company services its local markets by truck and also ships aggregates along the Hudson river to the metropolitan New York/New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island areas using an owned fleet of 116 barges. In 1996, New York Trap Rock sold 4.7 million tons of aggregates, and reported trading profit of US$3.6 million (2.5 million pounds) on sales revenues of US$48.2 million (33.0 million pounds). The southern New York region is one of the most heavily traveled areas in the United States and this, in conjunction with severe winters, creates strong demand in the region for highway expenditures. New York Trap Rock is an ideal complement to Tilcon New York, Oldcastle Materials Group's existing operation in this region, which produces approximately 3 million tons of aggregates annually. Following acquisition, New York Trap Rock will be combined with Tilcon's New York division, reporting to Joe Abate, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tilcon, Inc. This combination will yield significant synergies for the enlarged New York division allowing for greater efficiency of production, transportation, selling and administration. Commenting on the acquisition, Tom Hill, President of Oldcastle Materials Group, said: "With its excellently located reserves and its significant barging operations, New York Trap Rock represents an exciting opportunity for the Oldcastle Materials Group to expand its position in crushed stone in the important southern New York region, building on the strong base acquired with Tilcon in 1996. The combination of New York Trap Rock with Tilcon's existing operations in New York will achieve very sizable cost reductions through production and transport efficiencies and allow us to offer enhanced service to a broad customer base, thereby generating trading margins in the order of 10% to 12%. The expanded Oldcastle Materials Group will have an annual output of 45 million tons of aggregates, 15 million tons of asphalt and 2.7 million cubic yards of ready-mixed concrete. Liam O'Mahony, Chief Executive of Oldcastle, Inc., the holding company for CRH's North American operations, adds: "New York Trap Rock is the latest in a range of acquisitions completed in the United States over the last four weeks, representing significant additions to three of the five Oldcastle product groups. Total combined consideration for the eight separate deals announced amounts to almost US$200 million."

Federal V2V mandate meets growing resistance Bloomberg / April 17, 2017 A once-popular idea to equip cars with technology to communicate with one another and avoid collisions is encountering unexpected potholes in Washington. An array of forces, from free-market groups opposed to government mandates to cable providers angling for greater access to high-speed wireless airwaves, have mounted opposition to a proposal that all new cars have vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems. "This technology faces a huge number of hurdles, not the least of which is whether it’s even needed," said Mike Ramsey, an analyst with the technology research firm Gartner Inc. "There are a number of reasons why it may never get off the ground." The Obama administration proposed the rule in December, saying it could eliminate 80 percent of vehicle crashes involving unimpaired drivers. If the rule is finalized, all new light-duty vehicles would be required within four years to be equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems. The technology will work hand-in-hand with new automated safety devices, such as automatic braking, in another step toward making driverless vehicles a reality, the Department of Transportation said at the time. More than 400 people and organizations filed formal opinions with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by last week’s deadline, reflecting a wide range of viewpoints. The proposal enjoys broad support from safety advocates, with the National Safety Council commenting that the technology adds a layer of awareness and redundancy to on-board vehicle sensors "that will be critical as higher levels of automation are deployed." But automakers are split on the virtues of the plan, with some voicing strong support and others pointing out flaws in the government’s approach. The Association of Global Automakers, a trade group that represents foreign-owned automakers including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co., says that more than $1 billion in private and public funds have been spent developing the systems. The group says the mandate is "the best way to ensure nationwide deployment" as soon as possible, according to its filing with NHTSA. Major automotive industry companies, including General Motors, Denso Corp., Delphi Automotive and Toyota, have spent more than a decade developing vehicle-to-vehicle, or"V2V," communications systems. "The safety benefit of V2V is undeniable. It will save lives, and everybody knows that," said Harry Lightsey, executive director of federal affairs for connected cars at GM. "A delay in rolling out V2V will cost lives, and that’s a tragedy." GM, One of the mandate’s loudest cheerleaders, earlier this year launched the first V2V-equipped vehicle, the 2017 Cadillac CTS. NHTSA’s proposed mandate is the best way to quickly advance the technology and to put a dent in the number of car crashes, Lightsey said. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents a dozen automakers, including GM, Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG, said NHTSA’s proposal needed additional clarity on several issues, including how security would be addressed, and asked for more time to implement the mandate than the proposal provides. In its comment, Tesla Inc. said policy guidance and industry cooperation would be a better approach for encouraging V2V, calling NHTSA’s V2V strategy "too antiquated and vague" to protect the privacy of V2V messages. Those messages are sent between cars 10 times per second using "dedicated short range communications" on airwaves reserved by the Federal Communications Commission in 1999. Alternative systems BMW AG says the proposal would require automakers to use those airwaves to comply with the rule, even as alternative systems using cellular networks emerge. In its comment, the automaker urged NHTSA to take a technology-neutral approach, saying "many of the shortcomings of DSRC can be efficiently and cost effectively addressed" using cellular-based systems. One company offering such as system is Israel-based startup Nexar Ltd. It began operating a smartphone app-based V2V network in New York City that now includes about 2,500 vehicles, CEO Eran Shir said. Data collected from the phone’s camera, GPS and internal gyroscope are analyzed in Nexar’s cloud system to warn drivers of impending collisions. Shir says that NHTSA’s mandate would put cellular-based V2V technology like Nexar’s at a disadvantage because companies would prioritize investments to comply with the rule. "I would totally understand if NHTSA said, ‘We’re interested in safety and we want these safety features,’" Shir said. "There are millions of lives at stake. What I think is less reasonable is if NHTSA comes and says we want to regulate the technology. That doesn’t make sense." Old technology The failure to consider alternative technologies is a significant shortcoming of the proposal, says Marc Scribner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who co-authored a letter with four other free-market advocacy groups asking regulators to suspend the proceeding. "You’re betting on something that at its core is 10-year-old technology that isn’t going to have much of a difference on safety for 20 years," Scribner said. "By the time it’s effective it will be out of date by 30 years." The Internet and Television Association, the primary cable industry trade group, criticized the proposal for overstepping NHTSA’s authority by seeking to indirectly influence wireless spectrum policy overseen by the Federal Communications Commission. That agency is studying how vehicles and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices could share airwaves amid a lobbying push by cable and tech companies hungry for additional wireless bandwidth. "NHTSA proposes to race to impose new regulations without developing a full record on alternatives, all in the hopes of narrowing the regulatory options available to the FCC," the cable group said. Whether the proposal advances is now up to the Trump administration, which has erected hurdles to new regulations, including issuing an executive order requiring the cost of new rules be offset by savings from repealing others. The administration also hasn’t nominated a leader for NHTSA, the Transportation Department agency responsible for the rule. Transportation Department spokeswoman Allison Moore said the proposed rule is still under "careful review," adding that "all views will be considered in the decision-making process."

If you love the car and it's in great condition, I would just keep it. If the DPF plugs again, replace it with a pipe from an earlier non-DPF model.

The Economic Times / April 15, 2017 A pair of Chinese brand self-driving trucks have passed a navigation test, heralding a new era of intelligent, automated heavy vehicles. Changchun, China-based FAW Jiefang, a leading Chinese truck manufacturer, debuted self-driving tractor and construction models at the FAW R&D Center’s proving grounds. The trucks, which FAW Jiefang plans to commercialize as early as next year, were able to recognize obstacles, slow down, make a detour and speed up. The autonomous trucks reacted correctly to traffic lights, adaptive cruise control, remote commands and successfully overtook. FAW Jiefang head Mr. Hu Hanjie said the company has built a whole industry chain partnership to develop, manufacture, sell and service self-driving trucks. The truckmaker has signed strategic cooperation agreements with internet giant Baidu, Hengrun Hi-tech, Ericsson, China Mobile, Bosch, ZF and lithium battery maker Optimum Nano. The participation of more firms across the sector will accelerate the technology's use on heavy-duty vehicles, Hu said. .

Volkswagen patriarch Piëch sells stake amid intrigue The Financial Times / April 16, 2017 Grandson of Beetle designer exits after alleged dispute over diesel scandal It is the end of an era at Volkswagen. With former VW patriarch Ferdinand Piëch having recently agreed to sell the bulk of his shares in the German carmaker, two years after he resigned as chairman, most industry observers believe he will never regain influence at the company. Piëch, who turns 80 on Monday, is the grandson of VW Beetle designer Ferdinand Porsche and is the person most responsible for transforming the company into the world’s largest carmaker. Piëch’s genius has been renowned since the 1960s, just as his ruthlessness has been feared. To many industry watchers, from car enthusiasts to analysts, it looks like Piëch was pressured to sell his 14.7 per cent stake in Porsche SE, the family-run holding company that controls VW. Piëch’s agreement this month to dispose of these shares to other members of the Porsche and Piëch families that dominate Porsche SE comes after Piëch told prosecutors early this year that five VW supervisory board members had some knowledge of the company’s diesel emissions scandal six months before it became public. VW’s 20-member board put out a statement in February to “emphatically” repudiate the allegations that directors had any such prior knowledge, and to threaten legal action against Piëch. This is a highly sensitive matter, partly because prosecutors in Braunschweig have launched at least two criminal investigations into the scandal, including into whether former VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn knew of the fraud. The prosecutors are also probing the conduct of several other senior VW managers in relation to the question of should investors have been told sooner about the affair. It has never been adequately explained why Piëch battled with the VW supervisory board in April 2015, leading to his resignation as chairman. But days after the emissions scandal was revealed by US regulators in September of that year, Winterkorn stepped down as chief executive, saying he was not aware of wrongdoing on his part [now proven a lie]. The allegations that Piëch told prosecutors that certain VW board members had early knowledge of the cheating has prompted some people who have worked with him to speculate whether he deliberately masterminded his own demise before the scandal went public — in effect playing the role of a captain who renounces control of the ship, and letting his first mate go down with the sinking vessel. Bob Lutz, former vice-chairman of General Motors and one of the most influential car executives of the last 50 years, says it would “not surprise me if Piëch orchestrated his own departure to leave Winterkorn holding the bag". Piëch’s reputation as an incredibly ambitious, Machiavellian character with a singular drive and a flair for drama began in the 1960s when he led the race competition unit at sports car maker Porsche, which was founded by his grandfather Ferdinand Porsche. Piëch set out to dominate Le Mans, the prestigious 24-hour car race, and he invested massively in a project to create the Porsche 917, culminating in two big wins that transformed the company — but in the process nearly bankrupted it. He moved, in 1972, to Audi, where as head of technical development he launched the Quattro and oversaw a series of innovations that turned a lacklustre brand into a viable competitor for BMW and Mercedes. After rising to serve as Audi’s top manager, in 1993 Piëch became VW chief executive, where he is credited with saving the company from collapse and then launching an empire-building phase that involved acquiring luxury brands including Bentley. He became chairman in 2002, extending his influence further and playing a central role in the acquisition of Porsche. Richard A Johnston, in his 2005 book “Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry”, says Piëch “more than any single individual, promoted and maintained Europe’s technical advantage over the rest of the automotive world in the second half of the 20th century”. But Johnston also describes Piëch as a “world class eccentric” and “an abuser of power”. Piëch gained a reputation for dislodging VW managers he fell out with by publicly using a few choice words against them. The widespread conclusion now, among analysts and industry executives, is that Piëch overplayed his hand in April 2015, when he attempted his tried-and-trusted method of turning a private quarrel public by telling Der Spiegel he was “at a distance” to Winterkorn. With senior VW directors siding with Winterkorn, Piëch resigned. The paranoid chatter among VW employees at the company’s Wolfsburg headquarters immediately after the emissions scandal broke was that Piëch had somehow leaked details of the affair to bring down Winterkorn. No evidence supports this, however. The German media stories stating that Piëch told prosecutors investigating the emissions scandal that five VW supervisory board members had early knowledge of the affair creates two possible scenarios, says a former company employee. First, Piëch went too far by accusing the supervisory board, the claims are without merit and the sale of his shares in Porsche SE signifies his final downfall. Or, second, he is sitting back, allowing the board members to protest their innocence before he releases evidence. It would be completely against Piëch’s nature to give in, adds the former VW employee. “As long as he’s alive, Piëch will try to come back,” says this person. .

IMF warnings of US protectionism ‘rubbish’, says Ross The Financial Times / April 16, 2017 Warnings of US protectionism by Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, and others are “rubbish”, Donald Trump’s top trade official has said in a new attack on the big trade surpluses of China, Europe and Japan. Speaking ahead of the arrival in Washington of global finance officials for this week’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring meetings, commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said those accusing the Trump administration of protectionism were firing at the wrong target. The billionaire investor, who Trump has put in charge of trade policy and tasked with finding ways to reduce the US’s $500 billion trade deficit, said veiled criticism by Lagarde and other defenders of multilateralism about rising protectionism were clearly aimed at the new administration. “It is! It is! And the response is very simple: we are the least protectionist of the major areas. We are far less protectionist than Europe. We are far less protectionist than Japan. We are far less protectionist than China,” Ross told the Financial Times. “We also have trade deficits with all three of those places. So they talk free trade. But in fact what they practise is protectionism. And every time we do anything to defend ourselves, even against the puny obligations that they have, they call that protectionism. It’s rubbish.” His remarks came amid signs that Trump is beginning to adopt a more moderate tone on trade, choosing last week not to label China a currency manipulator despite campaign threats to do so. That has been taken as evidence by some that the internationalists within his White House, such as former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn, are winning hard-fought policy battles against the economic nationalists. But Ross, who straddles the two camps, insisted that, despite any apparent softening, the Trump administration remained intent on pursuing its “America first” agenda while shaking up Washington’s global trading relationships. Ross also made clear it saw the Bretton Woods system as partly responsible for what it considers to be the unfair state of things. He accused Lagarde and other defenders of the current multilateral system of “sloganeering” of trying to preserve a system that had contributed to the ballooning of the US trade deficit since the 1970s. “’We like it that way. So we don’t want you to disrupt it.’ That’s what they are really saying when you strip it away,” he said. “That’s the bottom line. But that’s not going to happen. Our tolerance for continuing to be the deficit that eats the surpluses of the whole rest of the world — the president is not tolerant of that any more.” Lagarde, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and others have stepped up their public defence of multilateralism since Trump’s election. In a speech last week Lagarde called for a defence of the “global economic and financial architecture” while warning that the “sword of protectionism” hung over the world economy. Their calls reflect what is likely to be one of the main themes at this week’s IMF and World Bank meetings in Washington. Trump and his aides have sought to placate allies at meetings such as last month’s gathering of G20 finance ministers in Germany by insisting that the US remains committed to international institutions. But the new US president has nominated conservatives who are skeptical of multilateral institutions for key posts and proposed big cuts to US funding for the United Nations, as well as a $750 million annual cut in contributions to the World Bank and regional development banks. Trump’s administration also has signalled that it plans to take a more skeptical approach to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and particularly its dispute system. The intervention came ahead of a visit to Japan this week by Ross and vice-president Mike Pence for talks aimed partly at convincing Tokyo to open negotiations over a bilateral trade deal following the US withdrawal from the 12-country Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP). Their trip follows the announcement earlier this month of negotiations with Beijing to draft a plan to address the US’s trade deficit with China. It also comes as Ross is preparing to launch a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico. Ross said the “exploratory trip” to Japan was intended to see if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited the US in February, would agree on a “path forward” for a bilateral agreement. “The question will be whether they are ready to consider the concept,” he said. Ross acknowledged that Abe had expended significant political capital on the TPP but he derided efforts to revive the agreement. “It doesn’t make that much sense to do a TPP without the US. We’re the biggest market after all,” he said. “And I think you folks are aware there is no political will in the US for a new TPP.” Any bilateral agreement with Japan would have to see Tokyo add to the concessions it made in the TPP, which he characterized as “minor gains” for the US in agriculture and intellectual property, and he said the US would not accept anything less. “A card laid is a card played. And even though that hand [the TPP] is cancelled, somebody has put something on the table in writing that is an agreed thing,” he said. “It will be our intention to make it very hard for them to go back.” .

This gentleman could have been me coming in off int'l thru Chicago transiting to Louisville for MATS. The man paid for a ticket, received an assigned seat and was buckled in waiting for his aircraft to be pushed back from the gate. When he was asked and then pressured to get off the aircraft, he calmly called United customer service who, to no surprise, couldn't do anything "on the spot". At that point, he said that he would not give up his purchased seat, because he (and his wife) couldn't wait until Monday for the next flight. He had no reason to give up his purchased seat.........and United had no right to make him. As was stated above, United's contract of carriage does NOT allow for removing a law-abiding boarded passenger under Sunday's circumstances. It wasn't a denied boarding situation.

Paul Muschick, The Morning Call (Allentown, PA) / April 15, 2017 From what I can tell, regulators have never seriously considered prohibiting overbooking or involuntary bumping [because they’re in bed with airline lobbyist…..literally]. They've always said airlines deserve flexibility in taking reservations. But some legislators now are calling for changes based on what happened last Sunday on United Flight 3411. The situation didn't occur because United overbooked the flight. It was booked at capacity, then the employees were added. The incident has brought needed attention to overbooking, though, because the result was the same, with a paying passenger bounced in favor of someone else. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie asked the U.S. transportation secretary last week to "consider the immediate suspension" of overbooking until the issue can be reviewed. In his letter, he said New Jersey was "looking into appropriate action to be taken to curtail this abusive practice at NewarkAirport." U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, said she plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit involuntary bumping of passengers from overbooked flights. Airlines would have to negotiate until they got volunteers. "If an airline chooses to oversell a flight, or has to accommodate their crew on a fully booked flight, it is their responsibility to keep raising their offer until a customer chooses to give up their seat," she said. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, said he will introduce legislation prohibiting airlines from making room by forcibly removing passengers already aboard. According to Arthur Wolk, an aviation attorney in Philadelphia, the practice already is prohibited. He said it violates the contract of carriage, which spells out the terms passengers agree to when they fly. United's contract, like those of other airlines, warns passengers they may be denied boarding due to overbooking. It also says United can refuse to transport a passenger or remove a boarded passenger for reasons including being disorderly or drunk, interfering with the flight crew or having a contagious illness. But, it doesn't allow for removing a law-abiding boarded passenger under the circumstances presented Sunday, Wolk said. "There is nothing in that contract that allows them to do this," he told me. "It's not a denied boarding situation." Wolk said it's virtually impossible for an airline to breach its contract because the terms are written so favorably, but United found a way to do it. Last year, 40,629 passengers were involuntarily bumped by U.S. airlines, according to the U.S. Transportation Department. The DOT says its overbooking regulations balance the right of passengers to obtain the services they paid for and the ability of airlines to operate efficiently [their position paid for thru lobbyist like “Airlines for America” by the airlines]. FYI - http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/bill-shuster-admits-personal-relationship-with-lobbyist-117054 With more tickets today being non-refundable, or having $200 or $300 fees to change a reservation, airlines still make money on empty seats. "I think it needs to be revisited," said Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights.org, a nonprofit consumer organization representing airline passengers. "The original justification for it is gone. There aren't many no-shows and when there is a no-show, the airline makes money. So what's the justification for this? It's gone." I wrote last year about Alaska, Southwest, American and United airlines being fined between $35,000 and $45,000 after the DOT alleged agents at boarding gates and ticket counters failed to provide proper copies of notices that spell out the rights of bumped passengers. In 2015, American Airlines was fined $20,000 after the DOT said it failed to compensate 11 passengers who were involuntarily bumped. The DOT also said American directed employees to report involuntarily bumps as voluntary. Those airlines settled the investigations without admitting or denying wrongdoing. Bumping data - Compensation for involuntarily bumping Substitute transportation reaches destination within 1 hour of your original scheduled time: $0 Substitute transportation reaches destination 1-2 hours (1-4 on international flights) late: 200% of your fare, up to $675 Substitute transportation reaches destination more than 2 hours (4 on international flights) late: 400% of your fare, up to $1,350 Original ticket remains valid for a future flight Source: U.S. Department of Transportation

The Washington Post / April 15, 2017 United Airlines has changed its policy to no longer allow crew members to displace passengers who are already seated on a plane. Under the new policy, airline crews are required to check in at least an hour before a flight leaves [as paying domestic flight customers are asked to do]. United spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin said the new policy is meant to ensure that incidents will "never happen again." Previously, crews could be booked up until the time of departure, Schmerin said. According to an internal email, crews who are not checked in within the 60-minute window will have to book the next available flight. No crew member "can displace a customer who has boarded an aircraft," according to the email, which was sent out Friday. United Airlines chief executive Oscar Munoz has also promised to review policies on how United handles overbooked flights, and to have a public report by April 30. In a statement issued Thursday, United said the company will no longer ask law enforcement officers to remove passengers from flights "unless it is a matter of safety and security."

C'mon Bob. "the Jap" ??? That kind of talk is not indicative of the high caliber person you are. (He's Vietnamese anyway) If United Airlines had thugs drag you out of your seat and smash your head against armrests as they pulled you down the aisle resulting in you getting a concussion, broken nose and two of your front teeth knocked out, all because you criminally wanted to remain in your ticketed seat and get back home and to work the next day, the entire BMT membership would be supporting you.

The United States can once more be the home of industry, the envy of the world, if we are the global leader of industry. But only the governmental leadership can set the tone and direction.

United had more pet deaths in 2016 than any other major US airline Business Insider / April 15, 2017 https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/2017FebruaryATCR.pdf .

You have a real talent.

Which brings us back to the topic I've mentioned before. Sadly, this is just a partial listing. I am indescribably disturbed that over half of the heavy trucks on America's highways are produced by foreign truckmakers. At one time, for decades, American truckmakers defined and led the global truck industry. Once upon a time, America led the world in innovation and industrial might. But as a result of government casting a blind eye to the fast declining state of American industry, a significant portion of U.S. industry is now under foreign ownership. In order for a major country like the United States to regain its position as a world leader, we must have a solid economy, which inherently requires a solid industrial foundation. Today, we no longer have that. Much has been allowed to go abroad, while the meager remnants remaining is being sold to foreign companies. - Germany’s Mann + Hummel bought Affinia Group, producer of Wix, Napa and other brand filters - Germany's ZF has acquired TRW - Italy's Fiat owns Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep - China's Wanxiang has acquired over 20 U.S. businesses including U.S. government-funded battery maker A123, Dana’s coupled-products business, Neapco and D&R Technology. - Germany's Daimler acquired Freightliner, Western Star, Detroit Diesel and Thomas Built Buses - Sweden's Volvo acquired White, Autocar, GMC heavy truck and Mack Trucks - Germany’s Knorr-Bremse owns Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems - Sweden’s Haldex acquired Anchorlok and the Neway suspension control valve business - Germany’s SAF acquired Neway air suspensions, and 5th wheel makers Holland and Simplex - Prestolite Electric, which includes the Leece-Neville brand, was acquired by Zhongshan, China-based Broad Ocean Motor Company and Beijing-based Ophoenix Capital. - Nexteer Automotive aka GM Global Steering Holdings LLC (formerly Delphi Steering and GM’s Saginaw Steering Division) was acquired by Chinese government-owned Pacific Century Motors - Germany’s Mahle acquired Delphi’s automotive air conditioning division, Delphi Thermal - Korea's Doosan owns Bobcat - Aircraft and industrial engine maker Teledyne Continental Motors was acquired by Chinese government aircraft maker AVIC - Canada's Bombardier acquired Learjet Corporation - Mexico's KUO Group acquired Borg-Warner and Spicer transmissions - Italy's Fiat thru subsidiary CNH Global owns Case-IH and New Holland - Sweden's Volvo acquired the road construction equipment division of Ingersoll Rand - Japan's Bridgestone owns Firestone and Bandag - France's Michelin owns Uniroyal and BF Goodrich - China’s Beijing West Industries acquired Delphi’s brake and suspension divisions - Netherlands-based Mittal Steel acquired International Steel Group (asset holder of Bethlehem Steel, LTV, Weirton Steel, Georgetown Steel and US Steel) - Mexico's Metalsa S.A. acquired 10 Dana plants that produce structural components for chassis and body structures in light and commercial vehicles - Germany's Siemens acquired Houston-based Dresser-Rand - China's Shuanghui owns Smithfield Foods - Belgium's InBev owns Anheuser-Busch - South African Breweries (SAB) acquired Miller Brewing - Germany's Merck KGaA acquired St. Louis-based Sigma-Aldrich - Switzerland's Nestle owns Gerber baby foods and Purina - Sweden's Electrolux owns the Frigidaire, Kenmore and Tappan appliance brands - South Korea's LG owns Zenith - Netherlands-based Philips acquired Magnavox, Philco and Sylvania - China's Lenovo acquired IBM's personal computing division - Japan's Seven & I Holdings owns 7-Eleven - The UK's InterContinental Hotels Groups owns the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotel chains, and Candlewood Suites - China's Wanda Group owns the AMC cinema chain - The Venezuelan government owns Citgo - Mexico's Bimbo Group acquired Sara Lee's bakery business and the following brands: Arnold, Ball Park, Boboli, Brownberry, Cinnabon Bread, EarthGrains, Entenmann’s, Francisco, Freihofer’s, Marinela, Milton’s Bread, Mrs Bairds, Oroweat, Roman Meal, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, Sun-Maid Bread, Thomas’ and Tia Rosa. - The British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever owns Ben & Jerrys, Vaseline, Hellmann’s, Best Foods, Ponds, Good Humor and Breyers - Germany's Henkel owns Dial soap, Loctite, Orbseal and Bergquist - Germany's Bayer acquired Miles Laboratories and Cutter Laboratories (including Cutter insect repellent, Alka-Seltzer, One-A-Day, Flintstones vitamins and Bactine), and the consumer care business of Merck & Co. which included the brands Claritin (allergy), Coppertone (sun care), MiraLAX (gastrointestinals), Afrin (cold) and Dr. Scholl’s. - Bayer CropScience acquired biological company AgraQuest - Thailand’s Thai Union Frozen Products owns Chicken of the Sea and Orion Seafood International - South Korea’s Dongwon owns StarKist - The UK’s Lion Capital owns Bumble Bee Foods - Jim Beam was acquired by Japan’s Suntory in 2014 - Krispy Kreme has been acquired by Luxembourg-based JAB Holdings - Giant Carlisle (Martin's Food Markets, Ukrops), Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover supermarkets are owned by Dutch retailer Koninklijke Ahold N.V. - Food Lion and Hannaford supermarkets are owned by Belgium-based Delhaize Group - Colombia's Cementos Argos has acquired the cement and ready mix producing assets of Vulcan Materials and LaFarge - UK-based Tarmac PLC acquired the cement and ready mix producing assets of Stamford, Conn.-based Lone Star Industries (for many years the largest U.S. cement maker) - Two-wheeled electric people mover Segway has been acquired by China’s Ninebot - China’s HNA Group acquired Carlson Hotels Inc. (Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inns) The list becomes longer with each passing year.

Certainly not true of me Paul. Here, I was speaking of the DPRK situation, and not WW2 and Vietnam. And anyway, aren't we simply having a healthy discussion? I enjoy hearing differing thoughts. I always walk away with at least one new nugget of thought that influences my judgement from that day forward. We'll never agree on everything, but that's okay........the world (and BMT) would be an awfully dull place if we all thought exactly the same.

Dien Bien Phu

I'm lost here. How were the Chicago airport security officers doing their job? Is removing a passenger who's done nothing wrong their job? The gentleman purchased a ticket and took his seat. He committed no crime. One of United's regional jet contractors, Republic, didn't do their homework well and needed to get a 4-person flight crew on that plane at the last minute. Why should paying customers with assigned seats "already on the aircraft and seated" have to get off? They've certainly committed no crime. United can "offer" compensation to seek volunteers, but their customers have the right to refuse. It's not the customer's duty to suffer in any way due to United's incompetence. I'm not a doctor, but I wouldn't have gotten off. Every flight on United is a unique nightmare, because of the airline.......not me. I bought a ticket to fly from A to B on a certain date because I've places to be and things to do. Weather-related flight issues are an act of God. Those are unavoidable. However 99 percent of the issues I experience when flying United are purely caused by it being a horribly run airline. It's a truck rolling down the road with the wheels ready to fall off.

America’s 'Check Engine Light' is On, Says New Film About Failing Infrastructure Heavy Duty Trucking / April 14, 2017 America’s roads and bridges aren’t far from failing. And when that happens, the country will have about five days of normalcy before the trucks stop rolling and chaos ensues. That’s the alarm being sounded by a new documentary out now on Amazon called “Be Prepared To Stop,” which takes a hard look at the failing U.S. Interstate Highway System and paints a grim picture of a society unable to function if the trend isn’t corrected soon. The result would be a crippling depletion of food, drinking water, medicine, fuel and other daily necessities, according to Jennifer Clymer, co-director and executive producer of the film. Airports would close, trash would pile up, industrial production would stop, public transit would end and the country would come to a standstill. “'Be Prepared to Stop' is a documentary about our absolute dependence on infrastructure, specifically the Interstate Highway System,” Clymer explained. “We rely on those roads and the big rigs rolling down them to supply us with just about everything we use every day. But this round-the-clock lifeline has become so entrenched in our daily routines we don’t even notice it anymore. Now that neglect is reaching a crisis point. Roads and bridges are failing, safety concerns are mounting, skilled drivers are retiring and government action is at a standstill. 'Be Prepared to Stop' raises awareness about the impact of this impending breakdown and how it will obstruct the U.S. economy and adversely affect the daily lives of all Americans." At the core of the film, Clymer said, are several trucking-specific facts that few Americans appreciate today: 32% of America’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition and 25% of bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. $146 billion in capital investment would be needed on an annual basis over the next 20 years to significantly improve conditions. 42% of America’s major urban highways are congested, costing the economy an estimated $101 billion in wasted time and fuel annually. The trucking industry hauls 10.49 billion tons of freight every year, or 70.1% of total U.S. freight tonnage. Rail is next, moving 13.8% of the nation’s freight tonnage. All goods carried by ship, airplane or train reach their destination by truck. More than 80% of U.S. communities depend solely on trucking for delivery of their goods and commodities. One out of every 14 jobs in the United States is created or directly affected by the trucking industry. 54 million tons of freight move across the nation every day. By 2040 that will increase more than 40%. Clymer said her grandfather was a truck driver and taught her to respect the professionals driving the rigs hauling everything we rely upon for our way of life. “I am alarmed about the poor state of our highway system and the lack of understanding about how dependent we are on it. I am hoping this film sheds a light on this problem and is a wake-up call that if action is not taken soon there will be significant consequences.” “Be Prepared to Stop” debuted on Amazon April 6 and will be released on iTunes later in the month. More information and a preview are available at BePreparedToStop.org. .

I have a very bad feeling about this. It won't be like Syria........the DPRK will fight tooth and nail like the Vietnamese did. And they have nukes and are seemingly willing to use them. I fear devastation in South Korea and Japan, and maybe even China if the DPRK decides that Beijing has allied itself with the US. The radioactive fallout would be disastrous. It's noteworthy that Air China has now ceased all flights to Pyongyang.....a message sent. . .