Hot off the Press: Delayed rapture edition

The course of the Green Bay Marathon was inadvertently made 800 extra feet longer: http://www.startribune.com/local/121994624.html. Personally, I have been contemplating a marathon. I'm not sure if I could do it, but if I did it would take me around four and a half hours to complete at a steady pace.

McDonald's is replacing all its European cashiers — those who stand behind the counter and take orders and money — with touchscreen terminals with card swipes so the company can reduce serving times by three or four seconds: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/992516--mcdonald-s-set-to-end-service-with-a-smile-in-europe?bn=1.

Iowa legislators have sent 118 bills to the governor for consideration this year, the lowest since records have been kept since 1989: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110518/NEWS10/105180357/Standoffs-in-Iowa-Legislature-put-tally-of-bills-at-22-year-low-point?. I suppose it's a good thing in one way. I'm not sure the legislature needs to make bills if there is no need for them. Legislation should not be made for the sake of making it.

So far this year, Illinois has pledge $230 million to keep 27 firms from leaving the state: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0518-incentives--20110517,0,4801317.story.

Der Spiegel outlines the "crooked competition," towers vying for the leaning tower title: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,763628,00.html.

A special CRG report reveals that Iowa charities using outside telemarketing companies to collect donations received an average of only 22 cents for every dollar raised; the rest went to the telemarketing company: http://thegazette.com/2011/05/22/fairshare-telemarketers-for-iowa-charities-keep-most-of-the-money-they-raise/.

An overwhelming majority of Iowa charities that contract with telemarketers agreed to accept 20 percent or less of the revenues generated. When Iowans responded to telemarketers who called on behalf of out-of-state organizations, the splits often were more lopsided. Fundraisers sometimes kept 98 or 99 cents of each dollar donated. Because most telemarketers operate outside Iowa, more than 67 percent of the money donated to Iowa charities flowed instead to California, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota, Oregon, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Drake football team made history by playing the first college football game in Africa against an all-star team from Mexico: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110521/SPORTS020402/110520020/Drake-football-in-Africa-Bulldogs-beat-team-from-Mexico-17-7. How many more months before college football official kicks off again? Almost three.

A former Bush administration aide is urging Iowa Republicans to drop their support for a bill that would ban undercover videos from state slaughterhouses and farms: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/05/19/gop-consultant-mary-matalin-opposes-iowa-undercover-farm-video-ban/.

The Illinois House has approved a bill that would allow small craft brewers to self-distribute half of their own beer: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chibrkbus-illinois-house-passes-bill-protecting-craft-brewers-right-to-distribute-20110523,0,260303.story. Unlike Iowa, Illinois apparently does not allow craft brewers to distribute their own beer, putting them at a huge disadvantage when trying to break into the market. The advantage of self-distribution is something I did not have room to include in my LV project.