| Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo
One of my lifelong dreams is that, at some point before I die, I will be able to travel off-planet and into the infinite space that surrounds us. So far that dream hasnt had any sort of promise. NASA rules over who gets to go into space with an iron thumb, and rightfully so. However developments in the private sector have been moving forward rapidly in the past few years, and my dream just might become a reality within my liefetime.
This week Virgin Galactic, under the ever-present smile of Sir Richard Branson, revealed their plans for SpaceShipTwo, the first tourist spaceship, designed to take passengers into space, for about $200,000 a ticket. Sadly, that price doesnt put you into an extended orbit of the planet. The craft achieves a low orbit velocity with a few minutes of weightlessness.
Hockey laid out in black and white
The usual onslaught of hockey books has made its way across the transom this holiday season, but two titles stand out for the fan of the game. One deals with the arcane world of hockey scouting while the other examines another complicated universe -- Russian hockey -- as witnessed by a Canadian coach. Speaking of Columbus, author Gare Joyce had the hockey junkie's dream of being embedded with the scouting staff of the Blue Jackets for a year, beginning with the 2006 draft and extending till the 2007 selection process. The result is Future Greats and Heartbreaks (Doubleday, $39.95), a rich lode for students of the hockey business. .
SocGen defends Robert Day's share dealings
Day and his family's trusts and charitable foundations sold Societe Generale shares in December 2007 and up to 18 January 2008, which was a window of time where such trades were permitted under Societe Generale's trading policies for directors. All required disclosures were made," the bank said in a statement. "No inside information was used in any way with respect to these December and January sales," it added. The bank said that Day had no prior knowledge of losses alleged to have been caused by junior SocGen trader Jerome Kerviel. "In particular, before these trades were made, Mr. Day, like the other board members, was not advised of Mr. Kerviel's trading losses," it said. "Neither was he advised, like the other non-executive board members, that additional subprime-related write-downs or reserves would be made.
Kelly aide's wife a fed source
THE ESTRANGED wife of Councilman Jack Kelly's chief of staff, Chris Wright, is providing information to federal authorities investigating his activities, she told the Daily News this week. Marcianne Wright says FBI agents last summer visited her three times at her home and once at the hospital where she works as a registered nurse, to ask questions about her husband. The agents asked about her husband's relationship with Hardeep Chawla, who is a major campaign contributor to Kelly and who runs Sant Properties, one of the largest owners of commercial land in Northeast Philadelphia. The feds also wanted to know whether her husband had received any free tickets to sporting events and concerts. Kelly and members of his staff also have been questioned by FBI agents, sources said.
Florida's midsection key to GOP hopefuls
LAKELAND, FLA. -- Linda Ivell is an ardent supporter of President Bush, leads the state Republican women's club and has met all of the major GOP presidential candidates. Yet the effervescent 53-year-old real estate agent, who lives in this former citrus and phosphate mining hub in central Florida, simply can't make up her mind about whom to vote for Tuesday in Florida's crucial presidential primary.
"I honestly don't know," said Ivell, who is torn by the candidates' appeals as conservatives on economic, national security and social issues.
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