| Saturday Econ Notes: Fighting Recession with Crass Consumerism
Forget Islamo-fascists or secular humanists: the biggest threat to America is cheapskates, regular Americans who don't buy enough stuff. Or so one might think from all the talk from the President and Congress about needing a stimulus package -- that's the modern translation of "bread and circuses" -- to stave off a recession. The U.S. economy grew 3.8% in the second quarter of 2007 and 4.9% in the third quarter, people bought more computers and cars and who knows what else, but apparently that's not enough. President Bush, who wasn't willing to let funding for children's health care increase any more than $5 billion, wants to pour $150 billion out of government coffers to encourage shopping. Now Mrs. Madville Times and I certainly won't burn our $1600 rebate check from Uncle Sam in protest.
Union women top latest NAIA Division I basketball rankings
The Union women's basketball team stayed on top of the latest NAIA Division I basketball rankings, released today. The Lady Bulldogs (19-0, 8-0 TranSouth Athletic Conference) again received all 11 first-place votes, which has been the case the entire season. .
Film listings
The ways in which Briony misinterprets a series of related events over the day's long course lead to a disastrous injustice. As does Ian McEwan's brilliant source novel, the screen Atonement's second half sprawls over subsequent years, then decades to chart how the collateral damage from a child's overactive imagination haunts all of the lives involved. Director Joe Wright's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Knightley proved he can do the literary English costume piece in a faithful but not stuffy, handsome but not coffee-table-tome beautiful, emotionally vivid without straining for a modern sensibility way. He and scenarist Christopher Hampton have a trickier time with this novel, however; those who haven't read the book may appreciate their mostly on-the-mark, sometimes-off effort, being engrossed by narrative turns that readers will already know.
Category: Dell
Between the Lines Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives Dell says so long to kiosks Posted in: General Hardware Infrastructure Dell E-commerce Dell said Wednesday that it will close its 140 kiosks to focus on its direct sales and retail channel efforts. The PC maker launched the kiosks in 2002 as a way for customers to play with Dell's gear before placing an order. Given that Dell products are sprinkled throughout retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy these kiosks have become passe. In a blog post, Dell noted that the kiosks are being shut down "to focus on phone sales, direct orders on Dell.com and selling products through retail outlets." Dell touted its retail strategy and maintained that it was commited to its direct business–the way most customers continue to buy.
Alamogordo election could change everything
It was with interest that I read in the Jan. 9 edition of your paper of the candidacy of former city attorney, Bill Brogan, as a city commissioner. I do not know the man and I know nothing about him, except that he seems to be espousing that Alamogordo emerge from the malaise it has been immersed in during the 16 years I have lived in the area. More power to him. I have long felt that Alamogordo has and is missing opportunities to engage in the vivacity of the times, and the magnificent area in which it lies. Alamogordo has everything going for it except leadership. Will Bill Brogan fill that void? You should hope so. Alamogordo could be the exciting center of southern New Mexico. It sits only 90 miles from an international airport. It is an ideal setting for a convention center to attract seminars, meetings and conventions that could bring people in from all over the country or from the world, for that matter and bring in tourist dollars that are some of the cleanest around.
Victoria’s Secret ads toned down at Gilbert mall
Instead, new, toned-down versions of Victorias Secrets annual national campaign focus from the belly up and on the smiling faces of models. Taken down are signs that displayed models long legs and panties. One photo of two models in their bras remains. But most others focus on faces, and in the place of some images are gray signs that say, Here come the angels. I think it looks a lot better, said Vicki Parry, a Gilbert resident who was among more than a dozen who wrote letters and called town officials and Westcor, which owns the shopping center, asking them to change what they considered soft porn. SanTan Village property manager Sheila Hunter said Limited Brands, the owner of Victorias Secret, used some different images that were taken as part of the same campaign to tone down the advertisements in the mall .
December 2007
He needs to stay out of dangerous situations like this in the future or he could have end up almost losing his freedom like Jason Williams, almost lost his his career like Sebastian Telfair; or worse, his life like Ben Wilson, a one time top ranked prospect from Chicago who was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people in 1986. This latest incident is just another reminder it's getting a lot scarier out there all the time and there is a growing problem in our society with the increased number of hand guns that are finding their way into the hands of wreckless teenagers who have no qualms using them to settle disputes without thinking about the consequences. .
The Chronicle Local News Blog
Henry K. Lee is liveblogging the Hans Reiser murder trial. See all his Chronicle articles on the case here and all his blog entries here. 11:45 a.m. Du Bois was nearing the end of his cross but told Goodman that he wanted a sidebar discussion about a document that Hora had given him. The three went into chambers for a third time. Fong waited on the stand, her eyes downcast. The jurors chatted among themselves, joking and craning their necks at something on the wall above them. Reiser flipped through paperwork. The bailiffs bailiffed. When the three emerged, the judge told jurors, "How does everybody feel about a long lunch?" The attorneys needed more time to "hash all this out," Goodman said. The jurors were led out, but they have a special treat in store -- they're having lunch at Le Cheval, a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Oakland.
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