| Links to other sources of news and commentary
The U.S. military has designated a journalist employed by CTV in Afghanistan as an unlawful enemy combatant. Government Concedes Vaccine-Autism Case in Federal Court - Now What? After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims. Dollar Weakens to $1.50 to the Euro The dollar breached the level of $1.50 to the euro on Wednesday for the first time as fears of weakness in the United States economy mixed with evidence of resilience in Europe. Fed chief signals another rate cut WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress that the nation is in for a period of sluggish business growth and sent a fresh signal Wednesday that interest rates will again be lowered to steady the teetering economy.
KongZhong Corporation Reports Unaudited Fourth Quarter And Fiscal Year ...
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all financial statement amounts used in this press release are based on US GAAP and denominated in US dollars.) Total WVAS revenues for the fourth quarter increased 16% sequentially to $19.47 million. Revenues from 2.5G services accounted for approximately 29% of total WVAS revenues and revenues from 2G services represented the remaining 71%. Revenues from 2.5G services, which include services delivered using wireless application protocol ("WAP"), multimedia messaging service ("MMS"), and JAVA(TM) technologies, increased 2% sequentially to $5.62 million. WAP revenues in the fourth quarter of 2007 were $2.15 million, an increase of 11% sequentially. MMS revenues in the fourth quarter of 2007 were $2.80 million, an increase of 2% sequentially.
As housing bubble deflates, rent stays high
Montana's soaring home prices have spilled over into the rental market, sending monthly rents higher all across the state, said Scott Rickard, an economist at Montana State University-Billings. But while data suggest that housing prices have gone down over the past year, including in the Gallatin Valley, rental prices have stubbornly stayed level or continued to increase, putting an extra strain on those unable to afford home ownership.Rickard, director of the applied economics department, recently studied Montana rental prices and found that a typical two-bedroom apartment in Bozeman cost $700 a month. By comparison, similar apartments in Great Falls cost less than $500 a month.Rents like the ones in Bozeman can price low-income families out of the market, Rickard told the Montana Economic Outlook Seminar in Bozeman on Wednesday.The Human Resource Development Council in Bozeman, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income people, reported slightly different average monthly rents, with a two-bedroom apartment coming in at about $650 a month.
Open house weekend, special events, bazaars and more
This is the weekend to stay in the area and sample all that the local merchants have to offer while you make your merry way shopping throughout the weekend. There are Open Houses, Special Events and Bazaars throughout the area so you can bag your own treasures while your other family members are hunting or preparing for winter.Historic Downtown Rhinelander is hosting all of their traditional Open Houses starting on Friday and running throughout the weekend. Call your favorite store or pick up a complete schedule from participating businesses. Many businesses are collecting food and donations for the food pantry, so put a bag of non-perishables in your car to have ready. Smith Barney and other businesses will be turning on their Christmas lights on Friday at dusk to signal the start of the holiday season so come and check out those downtown decorations! .
Moves Already
Hopefully Smith will sign and the rumors are true and the 49ers are attempting to sign Lance Briggs. They don't have to wait for the draft to get wide recievers, Javon Walker, Jerome Mathis, Jabar Gaffney are solid recievers who would not be a financial risk on the 49ers becuase I don't see any of the recievers signed last year as showing any more promise than from their original teams. Calvin Pace is out thier who had a great season and plays in the 3-4 scheme which would be a good fit next to Willis. The good thing is that they were able to resign the players they needed without killing thier cap space. Deshaun Foster and Thomas were good pickups becuase they will both be backups and they did not cost that much to sign. Hopefully they sign at least two big names during this offseason. They need some football players in the front seven.
Voters to decide on third riverboat casino for Baton Rouge
After a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign and questions about whether something new will destroy something old, East Baton Rouge Parish voters decide Saturday whether to allow a third riverboat casino. In a $250 million plan, Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. wants to bring a boat to Baton Rouge, which, since gambling was legalized in the 1990s, has been a two-casino market. .
Clinton Wins Here But Power Revolt Splits New York
The congresswoman's mother and political adviser, Una Clarke, said, “I would just want to say to him, some of those who stayed on the plantation were much more loyal to the liberation of our people than those who came off and were confused. Some were dragged off the plantation, and when they got off, they didn't know what to do. Then you have those who stayed on the plantation and were more strategic in helping those who got off." Helen Diane Foster, a councilwoman from the Bronx, predicted the Harlem establishment would suffer a reduction in clout in the event of a strong showing by Mr. Obama. “Clearly, it can't carry that much weight when you have the three [Messrs. Rangel, Dinkins and Paterson] doing the endorsement, you have Calvin Butts doing the endorsement, and these are pillars in Harlem," she said.
Employers slash 63,000 jobs in February, most in 5 years, feeding ...
UPDATES with Fed, additional details. Moving on general news and financial services. By JEANNINE AVERSA AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Employers slashed jobs by 63,000 in February, the most in five years, the starkest sign yet the country is heading dangerously toward recession or is in one already. The Labor Department's report, released Friday, also showed that the nation's unemployment rate dipped to 4.8 percent as hundreds of thousands of people -- perhaps discouraged by their prospects -- left the civilian labor force. The jobless rate was 4.9 percent in January. Job losses were widespread, with hefty cuts coming from construction, manufacturing, retailing, financial services and a variety of professional and business services.
'LINK World' to be a key attraction at Cairo ICT
From its expansive and impressive exhibition platform 'LINK World', LINKdotNET's various business units will be present in full force. This is the company's 12th successive appearance at the show where this year it is also an Official Sponsor and the Bandwidth /WiFi Provider. LINKdotNET is one of the region's largest integrated Internet solution providers, serving as a single link between users and the various aspects of the Internet world. It plays a key role in the development of localized online content and the establishment of specialized portals that cater to regional users. Visitors to LINK World will be able to see the company's offerings spanning Internet connectivity, online advertising, web design and hosting and software development. Karim Beshara, CEO of LINKdotNET says conversation is now turning towards user contribution and personalization of the web, with online advertising serving the dual role of entertainment and marketing.
Heat's Riley to leave team to scout lottery picks
The buck stops with me when we won the championship, it stops with me when I have the worst team in the league," he said. Considering Kansas State forward Michael Beasley and Memphis point guard Derrick Rose stand at the top of the lottery board, the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, which runs March 13-16, and the Conference USA tournament in Memphis, March 12-15, figure to be on Riley's wish list. "If I can scoot off and see some of these guys, that's what I'm going to do," he said, declining to name the prospects he would scout because of league rules regarding underclassmen. Guard Dwyane Wade, the team's most recent lottery pick, said he respected the move. "No question," he said. "It's no secret we're going to have a lot of balls in the lottery this summer.
Ghosts of Kosovo
Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian leaders have belatedly tried to extend an olive branch to the province's aggrieved 120,000 Serbs. In addition to allowing Serbs in northern Kosovo to have their own police, schools and hospitals, Kosovo's new Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, did the unthinkable: he delivered part of his inauguration speech in the hated Serbian language. Even in Serbia, whose citizens feel genuine humiliation over losing Kosovo (which Serb nationalists call their "Jerusalem"), the protests should abate. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has threatened to retaliate against Kosovo's becoming independent by suspending talks with the European Union, but Kostunica can't afford to cut ties with the West. The E.U. supplies 49% of Serbia's imports and buys 56% of its exports--a far more valuable trade relationship than Serbia's with Russia.
|