| ||||
| ||||
|
Archive for March, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006 To bank or not to bank By Ian Mylchreest Wal-Mart’s application for a bank license so it can process its own credit cards has created an unprecedented national furore for the FDIC, reports the New York Times. So much furore, in fact, that the agency is holding the first public hearing it has ever held.
The issue is the applicant, according to the paper. No [...]
Comments Off
Thursday, March 23, 2006 Ensign announces: Oooh rah! By Steve Sebelius U.S. Sen. John Ensign launched his re-election bid Wednesday at a social club for U.S. Marines. Ensign is not a Marine himself, but the Marines are a very welcoming sort, even to non-Devil Dogs. Plus, we suspect he may have brought them some booze.
Anyway, Ensign’s curious strategy was to marry himself to President George [...]
4 Comments »
Thursday, March 23, 2006 The money or the job By Ian Mylchreest GM is offering a big payout to end union contracts with its workers, reports the Los Angeles Times. All 125,000 workers at the automaker and its former parts maker Delphi, will be offerred packages worth as much as $140,000 to leave the company.
It could all add up to $5 billion but the company sees shrinking [...]
Comments Off
Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Mortgage demand falters By Ian Mylchreest In another sign that the national housing boom is over, the Mortgage Bankers Association said applications for new loans fell last week to the lowest point all year. This happened despite a drop in interest rates, reports Reuters.
Historically low mortgage rates have fueled a five-year housing boom and most analysts see last week’s drop in [...]
1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 21, 2006 Kids on drugs; what a waste By Len Butcher
Did you know that a single tablet of Vicodin is selling for $4 or $5 in junior high and high school? Apparently, the number of kids taking prescription drugs and some over-the-counter medicine is skyrocketing. The reason is that a lot of our young people (very young, by the way) feel that prescription drugs are [...]
Comments Off
Tuesday, March 21, 2006 Fed chief says rates are safe By Ian Mylchreest Recently enthroned Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told the Economic Club of New York that low long-term interest rates do not mean we’re headed for a recession, reports USA Today. Rising short-term rates accompanied by stagnant long-term rates have often gone before other recessions.
Bernanke said that the Fed would keep an eye on long-term bonds as [...]
Comments Off
Tuesday, March 21, 2006 Third time lucky? By Ian Mylchreest Former Credit Suisse First Boston banker Frank Quattrone has been granted a new trial on charges that he obstructed an SEC inquiry during the dot.com boom, reports the New York Times. While generally giving the trial judge high marks, the United States 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that his jury instructions did not make [...]
Comments Off
Monday, March 20, 2006 Greenspun vs. Us: The Reckoning! By Steve Sebelius Well, screw you, Brian Greenspun!
That’s what we at Various Things & Stuff were tempted to say after a friend e-mailed us to report that Las Vegas Sun Editor Brian Greenspun had called us out by name in his Sunday column in the “Sunsert” section of the Review-Journal.
Once again, Greenspun has taken to the [...]
5 Comments »
Monday, March 20, 2006 Monday Quick Hits! By Steve Sebelius • On the very day that a coroner’s inquest jury found that police were justified in killing rapper Amir Crump, 21, in the Feb. 1 shootout that cost a Las Vegas police sergeant his life, the Board of Regents made the rare wise decision to reject member Stavros Anthony’s bid to ban gangster rap from [...]
Comments Off
Monday, March 20, 2006 Four-wallers speak out By Ian Mylchreest The hub of four-walling, where performers rent the theater and bear the risk of the show, is Las Vegas, reports the Los Angeles Times. Comedian George Wallace and Magician Rick Thomas tell the paper that it’s a tough life but that they like the control the arrangement gives them.
On the other hand, Robert Goulet remains [...]
Comments Off
|
|
|
Copyright © valleyblogs.com, Stephens Media | Privacy Statement valleyblogs.com is powered by WordPress Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). |