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Apr30
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The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by another quarter-point today, as the expected move brings interest rates to 2 percent for short-term lending. They also cut the discount rate by a quarter point to 2.25 percent. Consensus is the Fed will now take a breather on rate cuts and hold off for awhile to see how the economy responds. One key element will be how consumers spend their tax rebates; or if they spend them. If they do, it could give a boost to the economy which would give it some time to get back on track. The first wave of rebate checks have already started arriving.
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Apr29
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New York Times one step away from Junk Bond status! The announcement today that the New York Times (NYSE:NYT) corporate credit rating and senior unsecured debt rating had been cut by the Standard & Poor's Rating Services to one level above...
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We've talked over the last couple of posts about mistakes people have been making in remaining true to their brand. A company must also take great care in managing their brands as well.The annual Free Cone Day by Ben and...
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Apr28
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In my opinion, Miley Cyrus and her parents need to get a new management team for her, as whoever is counselling her to take the actions she's now taking are just plain ignorant and wrong. Most brands and companies would...
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The ongoing saga, scandal and drama surrounding Roger Clemens is a good lesson in relationship to the quality of people we hire. There are very few that would deny that as far as talent goes, not many equaled that of...
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Apr27
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The annual pilgrimage to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) is coming next weekend, as they ready themselves for about 30,000 people to descend upon the midwest city of Omaha.Highlighting the event will be the usual, approximate, 5-hour question and answer session with...
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"Unless they [executives] make conscious efforts to perceive the outside, the inside may blind them to the true reality."Peter Drucker was talking about the myriad things that go on inside of an organization which can take the attention of executives...
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Watching the jockeying for position and trades in the fascinating NFL first round of the draft Saturday was entertaining and enlightening to say the least.Two things everyone observing pretty much agreed on were pick decisions were motivated by the need...
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Apr26
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What he learned from his motherHerb Kelleher had a strong bond with his mother, as his father had died in 1943 at a fairly young age. He has reflected on the influence Ruth Kelleher had on his life a number...
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Reward what we value On Thursday, Chicago Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher received the Brian Piccolo Award for the second time. He received the award as a rookie in 2000 as well.Brian Piccolo was a running back for the Bears who died...
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Apr25
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Texas Governor Rick Perry, calling the ethanol mandate by the federal goverment "misguided," has sought approval to get a waiver on the renewable fuel standard; seeking a cut of half the biofuel mandate.Perry said, "The artificial demand for grain-derived ethanol...
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The government had a lot of motivation to get the stimulus package moving, and as a result are going to be a few days ahead of schedule for the first distribution of the checks.Instead of starting on the week of...
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Apr24
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The weakness of the U.S. dollar helped durable goods orders to increase by 1.5 percent, as foreign buyers grab American products at good prices. So far over the last twelve months the U.S. dollar has dropped by 9 percent against...
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Let's see, hiring a stripper for special needs students? I don't think that was the special needs being considered.Another 33 charges against a public school teacher's aide were reported today, as Abbiejane Swogger has had charges added to her of having...
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While sales in North America were weak for Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F), global sales helped make up for it as the company posted a $100 million profit for the quarter, exceeding expectations by a wide margin. Another key factor in...
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Apr23
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What can be said about the quarterly results of Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) is they aren't experiencing any negative effects from the alleged economic slowdown, as their profits exploded by 36 percent to reach $1.05 billion and revenue came in at...
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While the Inchworm shoe invented by American Hank Miller have won many accolades from parents, the major shoemakers weren't initial fans of the new shoes which are able to grow along with children's feet.At first the question was whether children...
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With it being Administrative Assistants Day today (formerly Professional Secretary's Day), it's a good reminder of not only honoring these valuable employees today, but to appreciate them throughout the year.A company finding a good Administrative Assistant, has discovered a gold...
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Apr22
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n upscale Orange County hotel was the location of an attempt to drug former Olympic gold medal-winning ice dancer Pasha Grishuk, as she participated in a business meeting.On April 12 Grishuk began to feel sick at the St. Regis Monarch...
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Apr21
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Robert Cheruiyot pulled away from the pack and easily won the Boston Marathon on Monday, as he finished in a fast time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 46 second. At one point he was on pace to break his own...
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Apr20
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The time Rupert Murdoch has been deliciously waiting for has arrived, as his Wall Street Journal is about to be released in its new format to combat the fading New York Times (NYSE:NYT). On Monday morning readers of The Wall...
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“One’s objective should be to get it right, get it quick, get it out, and get it over - your problem won’t improve with age."This is what Warren Buffett's recipe for dealing with problems related to a business. We must...
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With the exciting news that Danica Patrick became the first woman in history to win an IndyCar event, her comments afterwards were very appropriate to being a leader.Patrick said about her victory, "It's a long time coming. Finally. It was...
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Apr19
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U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman finally acknowledged that using ethanol based on corn has been a huge factor in the outrageous prices of food across the world.His comment that we should begin "moving away gradually" from ethanol that was made...
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The oceanfront mansion built by Sidney Kimmel, founder and chairman of Jones Apparel Group (NYSE:JNY) and a film producer, sold in Palm Beach for the asking price of $81.5 million. Kimmel who is also known for his work as a...
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Apr18
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By assets, Citigroup (NYSE:C) is the largest bank in America, and it continues to take out its scalpel to remain in that position, as it continues to trim the fat from its portfolio of loans, as well as workers.Somehow investors...
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I was woken up about 5:30 EST today (around 4:37 central time) when I heard an unusual noise and it seemed like someone had tried to break into the house. I listened for some time, and after a few minutes...
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Apr17
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Yale has gone down about ten notches in respect and legitimacy, as they are backing a demented female art student you artificially inseminated herself, and then took drugs to induce abortions - over and over again. That's not the worst...
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Apr16
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It seems Jack Welch has taken the failure of General Electric NYSE:GE) CEO Jeffrey Immelt very personal, as Welch said if Immelt misses earnings targets again, "I'd get a gun out and shoot him."“I'd be shocked beyond belief and I'd...
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The democratic debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton didn't do too much to reveal anything new about the two democratic candidates for president.For the first hour, it was mostly an attack by Hillary Clinton on Obama's character, and responses...
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This was the comment of a CEO that talked about the attempt by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) to offer the iPhone and Apple TV at the same time. In the past, especially with the Mac operating system, Jobs and Apple have been...
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Apr15
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In order to provide immediate relief to drivers, John McCain called for a "gas-tax holiday" which would drop the price of gasoline by 18.4 cents and diesel by 24.4. His time frame was from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Another...
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Apr14
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According to Brazil's Haroldo Lima, head of the government's oil and fuel market regulator, the new find of oil in the prolific Santos basin has the potential to yield 33 billion barrels of oil. If that projection holds, it'll be...
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The increasingly irrelevant Europe has been trying to keep itself important on the world stage by its so-called "leading" the way in the battle against their illusory bogeyman: "global warming." That's even after growing evidence its conclusions are based on faulty...
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A newspaper has just been introduced called "My Wall Street Journal," which pokes fun at the growing media empire of Rupert Murdoch. Editor-in-chief of the project is Tony Hendra, who was editor of National Lampoon. Others involved in the satirical...
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Apr12
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"You don't work for a dollar — you work to create and have fun."This should be the attitude of every manager and business leader in the world; if it was, the changes in the workplace and innovation would be far...
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The short-term drop in share price for General Electric (NYSE:GE) really isn't that important, as anyone investing in the company should be looking at long-term performance and value. At the same time, the quarterly drop in profits to $4.36 billion,...
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Apr11
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While those of us that follow the oil industry have been aware of the huge potential oil deposit in the Bakken Shale formation, which spreads all the way from the Canadian border through Montana and the Dakotas, it isn't well...
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Disgraced Navy Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Dickinson testified in court that she had serviced hundreds of clients while "working" for a Madam in the D.C. area. Dickinson was a Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy, and admitted she was paid between $250-$300...
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Apr10
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Consumers do a couple things during hard times: think of family and home, and look for low cost, specific items.That's why Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Costco Wholesale Corp. (Nasdaq:COST) were among the few retailers enjoying sales increases in March. Wal-Mart increased...
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How can a newly graduated MBA student excel and move up the company?Jack Welch was asked this question when talking on how to advance in a company for anyone looking to make a difference.His response was interesting in that he...
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Jim Cramer, who is one of the co-founders of TheStreet.com, signed a three-year contract with the company. Cramer is also the host of the popular CNBC (NYSE:GE) "Mad Money" show.Per the agreement, Cramer won't be allowed to write articles for...
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Apr 9
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An unexpected drop in the U.S. oil inventory was given as the reason for oil futures increasing to new highs again today, as in intraday trading it rose as high as $112.21 for an all-time record, while it also closed...
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Apr 8
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The slowing economy, along with overall slow sales because of increasing competition, has left Starbucks (Nasdaq:SBUX) struggling to find answers to its declining sales.To combat that, they've decided to introduce a new flavor called Pike Place Roast, which they've been...
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Apr 7
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The amazing come back win by the Kansas Jayhawks over the Memphis Tigers was a tremendous lesson in successful management and coaching.With a little over two minutes in the game, Kansas was down by 60 to 51. With the powerhouse...
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The World Gold Council has forged a partnership with the Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) to launch a exchange-traded gold security which will comply with Sharia law.Dubbed "Dubai Gold Shares," the DMCC and World Gold Council are awaiting approval from...
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The demand for more coverage of the Masters golf tournament this year has resulted in an increase of in-depth and cross platform media coverage than ever before.ESPN (NYSE:DIS) has replaced the USA Network as CBS's (NYSE:CBS) broadcast partner, and that...
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Apr 6
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The Center for Knowledge Societies (CKS) markets itself as the only first and only innovation consulting company in India.They just released a study called "The Emerging Economy Report," which takes an in-depth look at seven emerging marketer: India, China, South...
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Apr 5
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Forbes started their global 2000 list in 2004, and in that few short years, tremendous changes have already occurred, mirroring the realities of the international marketplace.One example, is in the first year of the list there were 51 different countries...
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"A closed mind is a trap door to the abyss."It's not that often that you hear a CEO or business leader say things like, "I don't know what to do. What do you think?" As Grove had known, "Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)...
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Apr 4
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The sick, perverted actions of a college teacher who had her students pose with her in photos she had put up on the web, received no consequences for her warped actions.Writing director Sharon Warner is so upset with the outrageous...
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At a time when emerging nations are generating significant income through capitalism and freeing up their markets, Hillary Clinton is calling for more socialistic economic programs for the country. Just recently she was mocking Republican presidential candidate John McCain because...
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After dropping off passengers at the Seychelles, Somalian pirates took control of a French cruise ship with 30 crew members on board. The pirate attack came against the "Le Ponant," which was boarded as it headed toward the Mediterranean sea....
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A lot of people pay money to find out if they are owed money somewhere. Most people don't know that this can for the most part be checked out for free.There's one official Web site that is a national database...
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Apr 3
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Randi Rhodes was suspended from Air America for saying some nasty comments about Hillary Clinton.What's amazing about the suspension of Randi Rhodes, is she has said much more hateful and harmful comments against Republicans and conservatives without a finger being...
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For second time in the last two weeks, an airline shut down its operation, as ATA Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Last week Aloha Airlines closed their business down.ATA Airlines, which is based in Indianapolis, said the reason...
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Apr 2
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The husband of Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, was not not arrested, even though he admitted to police detectives that he had paid a prostitute $150 for oral sex at a motel.He confessed after being pulled over during a traffic...
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It never ceases to amaze me how the cycle on and on concerning those with good intentions ending up being so destructive. Just think of the term "unintended consequences" and you'll get the right idea.That leads to the growing reality...
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For the second month in a row, factory orders declined, as capital spending by businesses may be cutting back.The Commerce Department reported that manufactured goods dropped by 1.3 percent in February, after the 2.3 percent drop in January.Orders for durable...
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Pizza Hut is under fire for suspending one of their drivers for defending himself after delivering a Pizza when a man put a gun to his head and demanded he turn over money to him.Des Moines, Iowa was the setting...
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Apr 1
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U.S. auto sales declined across the board for the large automakers, as the big three and Toyota all had sales decline in the double digits over last year.While sales would have fallen for all of them, it does need to be...
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The media circus surrounding the dragging of oil executives before Congress is just that: a media circus.To me it's not about oil prices or oil company profits, it's about politicians who are being negatively perceived by the public trying to...
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