But actually it’s a bottom line item among the biggies--a tad under $300,000. Somewhat pricier is the Bugatti. It will do as much as 254 miles per hour, with a sticker price of $700,000 to $900,000.--Los Angeles Times.

On the iffy side--Observes the Los Angeles Times reporter: "Whether or not they [the big-time cars] make money is another question." Adds Susan Jacobs, whose consulting company tracks the luxury car market, "as for making a profit, it depends how much of a boom economy materializes."

P.S.--"Plummeting stock market prices across the world are sounding the death knell for generous [?!] workers’ pension schemes [plans] in Britain, according to research published today."--The Times, London, June 17.

Cure-all--According to the Wall Street Journal, industrial safety posters are being outpaced by allegedly humorous ones intended to boost the sagging morale of office workers. A survey found nearly a third of "lower level" office workers were "somewhat," "quite," or "extremely" angry about their job. The figures were more than double the previous year.

The glorious ‘homeland’--"The punch clocks in West Seneca, New York, are destined for the dump.... The new system matches their hands with a collection of hand images on file.... They make an efficient, paperless way to track employee hours. They also eliminate ‘buddy punching,’ an industry term for workers who clock absent friends in and out."--Arizona Daily Star.

Hearts big as rocks--"Quest Communications, the dominant local phone company in 14 states, said that it will allow some employees to take unpaid time off during July 1 through September to cut costs. Quest is the target of an ongoing Security and Exchange Commission inquiry into accounting practices."--News item.

It ain’t funny--Responding to a state program, some 1,500 people in the state of Idaho have taken sessions on how to spot the symptoms of teen-age depression. Experts guesstimate 38,000 teenagers are hit by the affliction and only a quarter are getting treatment. Meanwhile, in Tempe, Arizona, the city and the university there will launch a program aimed at combating teen suicides. Since 1985, Arizona has been in the top 10 states for teen suicides.

Mind your own business--"Breakdown Seen in Audit Oversight--As reports of bookkeeping irregularities mount, many observers are asking why checks and balances did not work."--News headline.

Security jobs--The Transportation Security Administration, created in response to the 9/11 attacks, has a staff of lawyers--79 percent of them "earning" over $101,000. According to USA Today columnist Walter Shapiro, "this is not an aberration"--51 percent of the agency’s initial hires are in the six-figure wage bracket--excluding baggage screeners.  
 
 
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