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For Brooklyn real-estate agent Maria Mackin, the obsession started five years ago, on a trip to Pennsylvania Amish country. She, her husband and three children—now 17, 13 and 11—sat down for brunch at a local bed-and-breakfast, and suddenly the chef realized she’d run out of eggs. “She said, ‘Oh goodness! I’ll have to go out to the garden and get some more’,” Mackin recalls. “She cooked them up and they were delicious.” Mackin and her husband, Declan Walsh, looked at each other, and it didn’t take long for the idea to register: Could we have chickens too? They finished their brunch and convinced the bed-and-breakfast owner, a Mennonite celery farmer, to sell them four chickens. They packed them in a little nest in the back of their Plymouth Voyager minivan and headed back to Brooklyn.

National City Lines, Inc. (NCL), was a company formed in 1920, reorganized in 1936 into a holding company for the express purpose of acquiring local transit systems throughout the country.[1] In 1938, NCL entered into exclusive dealing arrangements and obtained equity funding from companies seeking to increase sales of commercial buses and supplies, including General Motors, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California and Phillips Petroleum, which enabled NCL to buy out more than 100 electric streetcar systems in 45 cities (including New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Tulsa, and Los Angeles). Those systems were ultimately dismantled and replaced with bus systems in what became known as the Great American streetcar scandal.

In 1949, General Motors, Standard Oil of California, Firestone Tire and others were convicted in the Federal District Court of Northern Illinois for conspiring to monopolize the sale of buses and related products to local transit companies controlled by NCL and other companies, but were acquitted of conspiring to monopolize the ownership of these companies. The verdicts were upheld on appeal. [2]

1917 Cartoon - A change of implements due to war.

Speaking in a packed ballroom at the Fairmont’s Hotel Vancouver a little more than two hours after the polls closed, Mr. Robertson said his victory over the Non-Partisan Association’s Peter Ladner was even more exciting than watching the Vancouver Canucks hockey team defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Vision slate captured a majority on council, and Mr. Robertson was careful to thank his party’s left-leaning alliance with the Coalition of Progressive Electors, and the Greens. “We ran a campaign that recognized our shared values,” he said. “The result is the city united on the issues we care about.”

Vision candidates start to party

As the polling booths close and exit polls predict a decisive victory for their candidate, Vision Vancouverites are starting to party. People of all ages, colours and abilities are piling into Hotel Vancouver’s BC Ballroom and forking over $7.75 a beer. It’s remarkable how many kids are here. From ‘tweens drinking Shirley Temples to toddlers in gumboots, Vision’s clearly doing well in the youth/family vote. Coun. Heather Deal is the first candidate to show up… Apparently Gregor Robertson won’t be here until 10 or 11, when it’s clear not just who’s mayor but what his slate looks like. – Catherine Rolfsen Link to this | E-mail this | Digg this | Post to del.icio.us Posted Nov 15 2008, 11:16 PM by Rain02 with no comments

NPA election bash

It’s kind of dead at the NPA election bash. There are more reporters than NPAers, with bets going down on the results at $10 a pop. No one is betting on an NPA win. The only debate is the council split. Will be be close? Some think so. Others think the city’s left coalition is in for a big win. – Kim Bolan Link to this | E-mail this | Digg this | Post to del.icio.us Posted Nov 15 2008, 11:14 PM by Rain02 with no comments

Vision Vancouver’s Gregor Robertson appears headed to a decisive victory tonight over the NPA’s Peter Ladner in the city’s mayoralty race, according to an exclusive Vancouver Sun/Global BC exit poll.

Anyone who is happy with how the last term of Council has been managed by the NPA majority would likely experience more of the same by voting NPA. Anyone who wants a change in the direction of Council should consider what COPE and Vision Vancouver are proposing. Change will only happen if there is a strong statement from the citizens that change in direction is what we want.

(Victoria, BC) The Conservation Voters of BC (CVBC) announced its municipal election endorsements today. CVBC has chosen to endorse only within three selected municipalities: Victoria, Vancouver and Saanich. We have selected 2 mayoral candidates and  11  city council candidates.