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...The A380 might have built more momentum if not for production debacles. Around the time of the first test flight in 2005, Airbus realized it had underestimated the complexity of wiring the superjumbo. Managers discovered that French and German designers had used incompatible software. ...More setbacks followed. The engine of an A380 blew up during a passenger flight in 2010. Nobody was hurt, but it drew negative attention to the plane. Wing cracks discovered on many A380s led to costly repairs. Customers, including Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., Air France-KLM SA and Qantas Airways Ltd. , canceled orders. The...

Those who have watched cable news lately have undoubtedly noticed conservative media figures attempting to rewrite history by denigrating the successes of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies. This amounts to an orchestrated effort to derail the economic recovery plans of President Barack Obama. Fox News' Brit Hume recently claimed that "everybody agrees, I think, on both sides of the spectrum now, that the New Deal failed." He's correct, if by "both sides of the spectrum" Hume is referring to the right and far-right over at Fox News. He then called Roosevelt's policies "a jihad against private enterprise." Hume's own jihad...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The fatal Big Dig tunnel collapse in Boston could have been avoided if authorities had considered that the epoxy securing tons of ceiling panels could slowly pull away, federal investigators concluded Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board approved a report saying the likely cause of the accident that killed a woman was ''use of an epoxy anchor adhesive with poor creep resistance'' that could not sustain long-term loads. -- SNIP -- ''Although the epoxy used in the tunnel had acceptable short term strength, it was incapable of supporting much lower loads over an extended period of time,''...

**Exclusive** Alec Baldwin has taped an interview with Rosie O'Donnell for ABC's VIEW, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT. O'Donnell told the studio audience off camera that this will be the actor's only interview. "He is leaving the country," O'Donnell told a stunned audience, says a source. [It was not clear if it was for vacation or an extended period of time.] She said she advised Baldwin against doing the interview. MORE During the session, Baldwin apologized for his tirade against his daughter. He also explained how he wants out of the TV business: "I have been in the business for...

ALEC BALDWIN TAPES INTERVIEW; WANTS OUT OF TV Wed Apr 25 2007 17:04:40 ET **Exclusive** Alec Baldwin has taped an interview with Rosie O'Donnell for ABC's VIEW, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT. O'Donnell told the studio audience off camera that this will be the actor's only interview. "He is leaving the country," O'Donnell told a stunned audience, says a source. [It was not clear if it was for vacation or an extended period of time.] She said she advised Baldwin against doing the interview. MORE During the session, to air Friday, Baldwin apologized for his tirade against his daughter. He...

MIDI - HELLO DOLLY Goodbye, Rosie...big fat pig, Rosie...how do you feel about my combover now I'm feeling swell, Rosie...go to hell, Rosie You do mess with the Donald, you disgusting cow We had a big battle, we heard you prattle You embarrassed yourself each and every day Say goodbye, Rosie...go eat another pie, Rosie Rosie, we're glad you're finally on your way Goodbye, Rosie...don't you cry, Rosie...we will not miss your great big posterior I'm feeling great, Rosie...meet your fate, Rosie You kept shooting off your mouth and lasted just a year We had a big battle, we...

Alec Baldwin leaves CAA The actor's action comes on the heels of the disclosure of his voicemail tirade directed at his daughter. By Gina Piccalo Times Staff Writer April 25, 2007 Alec Baldwin left Creative Artists Agency on Monday. A CAA spokesman confirmed that Baldwin had parted ways with longtime agents Matt DelPiano and Michael Rosenfeld. No reason for the split was provided. Baldwin has been with CAA since 2002. During his time with the agency, he appeared in critically acclaimed roles in feature films "The Cooler," "The Departed" and "The Aviator"; had a recurring role on "Will & Grace";...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - A giant wild hog boasted to be bigger than the near-mythical "Hogzilla" caught in southern Georgia a few years ago has been killed in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood. The hog hung snout down from a tree Friday in William Coursey's front yard, not far from where the avid hunter said he shot the beast. He said he hauled it to a truck weight station, which recorded the hairy hog at 1,100 pounds. The Department of Natural Resources did not know whether the hog was a record for the state. "We don't keep records on hogs," said Melissa...

Emirates and Virgin in new £170m compensation demands as deliveries of A380s are delayed again Emirates, the leading launch customer for the Airbus A380 super jumbo, is demanding £150m in compensation for delays to the crisis-hit programme. Tim Clark, president of Dubai-based airline Emirates, which has ordered 45 A380s, made the claim in talks with Airbus management last week following the announcement of a third postponement of deliveries of the world's largest passenger jet. It is also understood that Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is claiming more than £20m in compensation for delays in its order of six A380s, while...

Under-fire aircraft manufacturer Airbus has been dealt another blow after Qatar Airways confirmed plans to take delivery of a further 20 Boeing 777s. The airline will run 40 Boeings in total, after the announcement last week of a firm order for 20 777s. The airline’s fleet was previously exclusively provided by Airbus. “We placed a firm order for the first 20, but we are planning to buy 40 all together,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker revealed to Arabian Business - scotching concerns that the US$4.9bn deal had been aborted, after Boeing removed a press release for the order from...

Both Big Poppa and Big Daddy Kane will get their props from VH1 this year. The late Notorious B.I.G. — also known as Biggie Smalls, also known as Big Poppa — and old-school rapper Kane will be feted at the second annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors on Sept. 22 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The show will air Sept. 26 on VH1. Other honorees include LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Ice-T, Salt-N-Pepa and the 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood." "Our first Hip Hop Honors proved to be an incredible success not only for...

BOSTON - Gov. Mitt Romney asked the state's highest court Tuesday if he has the power to fire the Massachusetts turnpike chairman after an engineer who led an investigation into leaks at the $14.6 billion Big Dig project says he can no longer vouch for the safety of its tunnels. "With the Big Dig there's been a pattern of cover-up and stonewalling that has left the public with little confidence that the project is being managed well or that the road and tunnel system are safe to travel," Romney said. But he stopped short of calling the tunnels unsafe and...

National Geographic Channel Finds Hogzilla ALAPAHA, Ga. - The legend of Hogzilla, the prodigious porker that was supposedly shot on a nearby plantation, will be featured in a spring episode on the National Geographic (news - web sites) Channel. Since rumors of the hog's existence began spreading in June, newspapers around the world have carried stories on the half-ton beast that supposedly had 9-inch tusks and measured 12 feet long. Two weeks ago, a group of forensic scientists and a National Geographic Channel television crew traveled to Alapaha and unearthed the animal's remains. Although officials are keeping silent on their...

I've done some searching, here and elsewhere, but haven't seen any comments about whether Bernie Ward, KGO's resident Krispy Kreamer, blew like a bag of decomposing-gas Tuesday night. For those who don't know, haven't seen or heard him, Bernie is a vile leftie. Not the goofy, sorta-amiable Alan Colmes type you could probably have a beer with - but the kind of foamer you want to have put in rabies quarantine. He (still, I think) hosts a late-night talk gig at KGO-AM in San Francisco. Spherical, evil, nasty man. Anyway, I haven't heard him in many months and live out...