Navistar Announces New 18-Month Plan

The new CEO of struggling Navistar has announced an 18-month plan to bring financial stability to the cash-strapped company. This plan includes reducing the workforce by 700 in order to increase capital. In other words, no new hires at Barton or anywhere else unless essential.

And after 18 months? No one seems to know; Navistar itself is shooting for a period without any new disasters. That may sound glum, but isn't that a good day for most of us?

However, one financial analyst has stated:

The management team at Navistar is beyond incompetent and reaches into the realm of imbecilic. After being delisted from the NYST it apparently still has not mastered basic accounting – as the SEC has launched another probe into its accounting practices. However, it is the lack of coherent strategic thinking and continuing failures in execution that truly illuminate how mediocre the “leadership” team is at Navistar. The board must be equally inept for tolerating such sustained poor performance. During the Great Recession Nav was rescued by the US Military’s desperate need for mine resistant vehicles, however, there won’t be a rescue from Uncle Sam this time. The current engine debacle is not root cause of the company’s problems, just its most visible. The company’s core truck business is imploding and its declining market share and mounting losses are simply a period to a sentence Ustian has been writing since he was elevated to CEO.

*****

We had incorrectly reported that Matthew Fox had been denied youthful offender status in June. It seems his hearing was only postponed; Judge Jackie Hatcher will be making a ruling soon, but we can't see Fox receiving this plum.

*****

A reader commented on our article concerning the Natalie Chanin-Billy Reid organic cotton field:

I am quite sure that Mr. Reid will offset the costs of the free T-shirt and party by raising the price on the already expensive shirts and clothing. There is statistically no difference in this organically grown cotton and the typical harvested cotton. By the time is makes it to the manufacturer it will have been washed and cleansed in numerous chemicals which are probably just as bad as the pesticide. At the price of these items it is really sort of an insult to ask people to freely come and weed their fields.

Shoalanda

Volunteers: Sweetwater v. Chopping Cotton?

 Designer Natalie Chainin

"Chopping cotton" is not a term frequently heard today. Thanks to modern herbicides, farmers no longer have to chop down the weeds in cotton fields, saving time and labor. Yet herbicides are a two-edged sword--they often destroy much more than the intended weeds and cause other environmental problems. That's where organic farming comes in.

Currently there's an organic cotton field in north Alabama, and local designers Natalin Chanin and Billy Reid have requested help in weeding this cotton field. That request resulted in some questions from our readers. Just how did we feel about this? Isn't that similar to the once frequent requests for local volunteers to restore Sweetwater Manison, aka the Weeden Home?

It's not even close. Those who volunteer to help chop cotton for these two designers will be given an exclusive tee-shirt designed by Chanin and an invitation to a season-end party thrown by the two local clothing czars. We consider that pretty good pay for helping with this project, plus we understand several who have already participated have lost weight in the process. 

Those who requested help at Sweetwater were doing so in order to restore a privately owned home, a home that had deteriorated due to neglect from this same owner. There were always questions about those who organized this project and just where the money went. It's our understanding that the committee has now disbanded at the request of the owner, who failed to take in the tremendous sums promised by the committee chairwoman. She also reportedly had concerns over the property being used for private parties. Earlier this year the committee threw a going away party for one of its members; that seems to have been the last straw for owner Susan Leigh Smithson.

On the committee's side, a former member has told us those who paid for needed items out of their own pocket were never reimbursed. That hardly comes as any surprise.

What do we predict for the Weeden Home? Unless Smithson can find a buyer, we see a bleak future for the ante-bellum house that will surely fall into even more disrepair.

*****

DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION WATCH PARTY

Thursday, September 6, 2012

8 p.m.

Shoals Democratic Headquarters

1529 Broadway, Sheffield

(between McDonald's and the Kia Dealership)

Join us in watching President Obama's Acceptance Speech.

Finger foods will be served. The public is invited.

Valuable information and handouts will be available.

Shoalanda

Demos': A Preemptive Strike?

From Peter Demos on the closing of the family's Florence restaurant: (We could’ve given) people more notice, but we didn’t want to do that for...safety issues, because there have been shootings recently, and we didn’t want to take the chance that somebody could do something crazy and hurt someone else.

Why did Peter Demos suspect something of that nature was a possibility in Florence? We may never know, but "almost 60 plus" employees losing their jobs obviously covers a great deal of the socio-cognitive spectrum, at least in a restaurant. Good luck to those who are now looking for work. Kudos to the Demos family for providing two-weeks severance pay to their former employees.

Almost 60 plus? Who wrote the TimesDaily article? Yogi Berra?

*****

SHOALS DEMOCRATIC CLUB Meeting

Monday - September 17, 2012

6:30 p.m. - meeting

6:00 p.m. -- light meal

 

Speaker:  Dr. Alexander Aguado, Associate Professor of Political Science at the UNA

 

Steelworkers' Hall -corner of Wilson Dam Road and Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals

 

Public Invited

 

For additional information, please call 256-412-9966 or email shoalsdemocrats@gmail.com

*****

Pen N Sword was reporting on a new bikini sports bar in Muscle Shoals. The post seems to have evaporated. Now that's some hot news!

The Shoals' one previous attempt at a bikini type bar never materialized, but that was over 10 years ago. Is the Shoals ready for this type "entertainment?" Stay tuned.



Shoalanda

Lauderdale Ambulance Wars--Today!

From Hank Thomas:

Shoals Ambulance

The County Commission under the leadership of Dewey Mitchell, Chairman, has decided to rebid the Ambulance contract for Lauderdale County. Mr. Mitchell stated that the city of Florence representative advised him orally that the city wished to rebid the contract. Mr. Mitchell indicated there is no formal written notification to him or the commission from the city regarding the Ambulance bid. Based on this oral notification the commission decided to allow a rebid of the ambulance contract.

The present ambulance contract is for 3 years and allows for a rebid each year in September without cause. The present Vendor has had a contract with the city and county for 4 years of 2, 3 year contracts without having to rebid in any year. The EMA Director stated that in the 4 years of the contracts the vendor has had only one complaint and the complaint was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties to the contract.

Mr. Mitchell advised the other reason for a rebid of the existing contract was to see if there is possibly an improved contract with a rebid, which he hoped would benefit the citizens of Lauderdale County. Mr. Mitchell was asked what would occur if in fact the bids came back higher and costs the citizens of Lauderdale County more money for the ambulance service. No response has been forthcoming on that question from the Chairman. Two of the commissioners Fay Parker and Rhea Fulmer questioned the need for the rebid and were advised by Mr. Mitchell that with the city wishing to precede with a rebid the city had forced the hand of the county, since the contract was a joint venture of both governments. No vote was taken on this matter and according to Mr. Mitchell a vote was not required to move forward with the rebid. This information was discussed in a work session of the county commission.

The bids were then prepared and were sent to any interested party that met the requirements of the written bid package. The bids were closed on August 2, 2012 and 2 ambulance companies submitted a bid. Both services gave a business address in Colbert County. After the bids were closed and nothing could be changed I requested to see the bids. I was advised that I could not see the bids until after they had been voted on. This did not appear to follow the rules of the Freedom of Information Act and I then contacted the Attorney General’s office in Montgomery and found I was correct and should be allowed to view the bids. I wrote a request with the information from the AG to the county commission and I was then allowed to view the bids.

After reviewing the bids I, found, in my opinion, that all but one of the sections and requirements of the contract were met by both ambulance services. The only exception was in the various charges that each ambulance service proposed in the bid. Below are the bid prices each service submitted.


Service                             Lauderdale EMS           Shoals Ambulance


ALS Non-emergency             $290.00                                 $490.00

ALS Emergency                     $450.00                                 $595.00

BLS Non-emergency              $240.00                                 $400.00

BLS Emergency                      $320.12                                 $425.00


Your commissioners will be discussing the ambulance bids in the next work session which is on September 4th. This is an important decision as it affects all citizens in the city of Florence and the county of Lauderdale. Please contact your commissioner with your thoughts on this matter.

*****

Apologies to Mr. Thomas and our readers for not publishing this earlier. The work session is today, but you can still contact your commissioner during the next two weeks. It's not a given that the bid will be awarded at the next regular meeting, especially since this will be a joint city-county effort, but the earlier you provide your input, the better for your voice to be heard.



Shoalanda

Another Labor Day, Another Beauty Contest

Our previous Labor Day Beauty Contest (Labor Day 2011) proved so popular that again this year we’re presenting a pageant filled with a bevy of local workers at their finest. Here’s the ideal 2012 lineup that you may not see today at Spring Park:

Electra Fide – A longshot at 57, this IBEW member will have to convince judges her hair really isn’t crimped ala 1980s style, but the result of years of repairing bad wiring.

Ray Bann – This forty-something represents the Small Government Workers’ local. Her talent is talking out of both sides of her mouth. Ray’s also a longshot due to her having no support outside her four square-block home district.

Prunella Pastel – At 65, this representative of the Painters’ Union will have to convince judges those age spots are actually flecks of paint she’s been too busy to wash off.

Liveratta Gomez-Potelliata – Representing “undocumented” workers, this 4’ 8” Guatemala native refused to reveal her age on the grounds the question was racist. She may be a no-show if ICE agents catch up to her first.

Troy Oliver – The only candidate the Ex-Mayors’ Union could dredge up is sure to have the Russellville judges' support since they’re so glad he’s finally gone.

Margo Beige – The representative of the Northwest Alabama Bloggers’ Union, Margo is the favorite to win this year, replacing Shoalanda Speaks who at 97.5 years-old couldn’t navigate the steps up to the stage.

Hench Broad – A last minute entry, she’s representing a spin-off union yet to be named. She has the support of RSOL and anti-SOAR groups, but may face a backlash from any judges with an IQ over 12.

 

*****

On this Labor Day 2012, we salute all area workers and their families. We also salute those workers of a previous era who toiled tirelessly in order for their children and grandchildren to enjoy college degrees and positions in local society and government. You’re not forgotten.

Shoalanda

Talking Back to NAHCER

 Evelyn A. Servin - Hispanic Indian Activist

Today's TimesDaily has once again presented its readers with a one-sided view concerning illegal immigration, albeit in an article criticizing a purported similarly lopsided immigration debate, at least according to some Hispanics. Let's look at what two NAHCER (North Alabama Hispanic Coalition for Equal Rights) members had to say. Coalition remarks will be in red; our replies will be in green.

Evelyn A. Servin:

“We’re all part of a bigger coalition, which is the Alabama Coalition of Immigrant Justice. We’re all under that umbrella.”

Uh, Ms. Servin, that word "justice" in your group's name...you do realize that part of the definition of justice is following the law and and using lawful means, don't you?

"Hispanics’ civil rights are violated in multiple ways each day. For example, things that white people would simply be warned about, such as driving with a taillight out or not stopping the full five seconds at a stop sign, are things that could land a Hispanic in jail or result in a heavy fine."

Really, Ms. Servin? Could you give us one example of that? Admittedly running a stop sign or failure to yield is a moving violation. It would be up to the officer's discretion as to how he/she handled it, but going to jail for having a taillight burned out? Please...just one example of that. We'll be happy to publish it. We'll even be happy to do a series of blogs about it if you can prove it really did happen. Or is this reported jail time in the same category as the infamous First Friday Murder Plot?

Also, please remember that Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. There are white and black Hispanics who are offended whenever you misuse the word.

"One of the greatest things the law tries to do is promote fear."

We have it on pretty good authority that if you're not breaking any laws, you don't have anything to fear. If you feel that way about the United States, why do you want to live here?

Richard Hoffman:

“As I’ve spent time with Hispanic people, (I’ve learned) that they have values Americans supposedly treasure, and wants and needs."

Mr. Hoffman, most of the western hemisphere and a great deal of the eastern have similar values to U.S. citizens. Certainly Hispanic (Indians) have wants and needs. That should come as a surprise to no one.

"Some immigrants made mistakes and broke laws by coming into the U.S. illegally. But that horse is out of the barn, and now we need to figure out a way to deal with it."

Just where should this amnesty stop? How about the bank robber who really needed money and has been on the run for 20 years? Or maybe the serial killer who is truly reformed? After all, it's been 40 years; why not let Charles Manson leave prison to spend his twilight years in peace and meditation? Oh, and as for amnesty for those illegal immigrants here now, that plan really worked well 20 years ago, didn't it? You don't think it just might actually encourage more illegal immigration, do you? Nah...

"Another misconception is that people think getting documented is an easy process."

No, Mr. Hoffman, we don't think it's cheap, quick, or easy. Our friends from India and Australia and Ireland who have done it have told us how hard it is, but they did it legally. Think about that.

Related posts:  

Evelyn A. Servin

Hispanic Is Not a Race

Shoalanda

Field Goal Tops Carjacking?

If you're registered with the TimesDaily e-mail alert system, you're notified of breaking news stories as they're published in the TD. We received such an alert last night; it seems Gadsden kicked a field goal and beat Florence in this season's opening football game. While we're disappointed Florence didn't win its opener, we're a little bemused as to why this would be breaking news.

We're especially perplexed since the TD hasn't yet reported on the carjacking that happened in Russellville Wednesday night. For real breaking news, we may just have to depend on Pen N Sword and The Quad-Cities Daily.

Carjacking in Russellville 

*****

The smaller the hometown newspaper, the more humorous the news. We'll attempt to recreate an article from the Lawrenceburg news some 20 years ago:

Last week we reported that the John Smiths arrived home at two-clock Sunday morning to find they'd been robbed. The Smiths would like our readers to know that they actually arrived home at ten o'clock Saturday night. When Mr. Smith woke up at two o'clock the next morning to go to the bathroom, he decided to check on the dog in the back yard and discovered the burglary.

Well, we're certainly glad the Smiths weren't out until all hours...

*****

A reader from Cherokee wrote:

I for one don't  think it should be frowned upon by having a vote verification and/or recount of votes when Ms. Malone was only beaten by 2 votes.  It should be mandatory and/or automatic when it is that close.  If the voters and/or politicians were honest then they have nothing to worry about.

 

Shoalanda