| Edwards drops out of presidential race
He had hoped for a strong showing in last weekend's South Carolina primary, but finished a disappointing third. Responding to news of Edwards' decision to step aside, Obama lauded his former opponent for his focus on the poor and vulnerable. "John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news," Obama said. "At a time when our politics is too focused on who's up and who's down, he made a nation focus again on who matters -- the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington." Clinton's campaign Web site featured a photo of Edwards and his wife with the headline "We Salute John and Elizabeth Edwards." A statement from Clinton on the site said: "John Edwards ended his campaign today in the same way he started it -- by standing with the people who are too often left behind and nearly always left out of our national debate.
To spend or not to spend?
Would you drive consumers into the shops to spend more to boost the economy? Probably not. Consumers are saving well below their long run average. We probably need a consumer slowdown of some kind, and we need to wean our economy off the growth that depends on consumers constantly increasing their debt to income ratios. But while a slowdown is desirable, an abrupt or dislocating halt to all spending is not. It goes back to John Maynard Keynes and the so-called “paradox of thrift". Saving is good, but if we all try to save too much simultaneously, we all end up in an economic quagmire as spending dries up, incomes contract and the economy shrinks. So the question that arises out of today's retail sales figures is whether the slowdown is now going too far for our own good? Today's figures were far worse for the shops than expected; worse indeed than the survey from the British Retail Consortium earlier in the month implied.
Churches to show a 'can'-do attitude
A group of Southern Baptist churches is getting into the 'canstruction' business. Eight churches from the New River Baptist Association will be sending children to help build a structure out of donated canned goods in their first "Hope for the Hungry" community event. Girls from first through sixth grade are participating in the event and will use the donated cans to build an 8-feet by 6-feet figure of a brown paper sack with a surprise message revealed at the end of the day. Rick Brooks, New River Baptist Association's church development director, said everyone can participate in the event by donating canned food. The donated canned goods will go to the Onslow Community Ministries' soup kitchen and will help provide for people in need in the community. Sandra Wyrick, executive director of Onslow Community Ministries, said she is excited to see the children participating in the community.
First Coast happenings
HAUNTED HALL: Hall of Terror and Hallo-Wee Zone, 7 p.m. today, Sunday and Friday, Oct. 20-21 and 25-31; Adventure Landing, 1944 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, and 4835 Blanding Blvd. Includes a haunted house. Hallo-Wee Zone for younger kids is open 6-8 each night. Tickets: $10. (904) 246-4386, Jacksonville Beach; (904) 771-2803, Blanding Boulevard; or go to www.adventurelanding.com. FINE ARTS SERIES: Soprano Diane Penning and pianist Paul Bisaccia with Unforgettable Broadway, 7:30 p.m., Palms Presbyterian Church, 3410 S. Third St., Jacksonville Beach, (904) 246-6427. STAGE COMEDY: Andrew Bergman's Social Security, 7:30 p.m. today, Wednesday-Friday, Fernandina Little Theatre, 1014 Beech St., Fernandina Beach. Show continues 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20; 2:30 p.m. Oct. 28. Tickets: $14; Wednesday's show $15, includes after-show cast party.
Body search moves indoors at house
The search for bodies at the former home of the man charged with murdering Vicky Hamilton will move inside the house on Sunday after police announced they had completed searching the back garden. Detectives believe a body they uncovered on Friday at the house in Margate, Kent, where Peter Tobin once lived, is that of missing student Dinah McNicol. Miss McNicol, of Tillingham, Essex, was 18 when she vanished in 1991 - the same year as West Lothian schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton, whose remains were found buried at the the three-bedroom council house in Irvine Drive on Monday. Detective Superintendent Tim Wills, leading the Essex Police investigation, said: "It has been a long week of intensive physical work. The team, encouraged by Friday's sad discovery, is determined to continue with this for as long as it takes." Police said concrete floors inside the house would be drilled out and forensic archaeologists would be looking for any "anomalies".
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