Monthly Archives: January 2011
Banks loosen credit standards as consumer spending improves
Credit standards are loosening as banks compete for loans, consumer spending increases and the lending industry starts to return to normal.Elizabeth Warren on credit cards, banks and payday loans
Elizabeth Warren of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told the Associated Press the organization supports the payday lending industry.Florida judge rules entire health care law unconstitutional
A Florida judge has ruled for the plaintiffs in a state versus federal health care case that could ultimately end up before the Supreme Court.Jackson Hewitt sues H&R Block over short term loan ads
Tax preparation giant H&R Block is being sued by Jackson Hewitt, claiming defamation from a series of commercials made by H&R Block.The Ford money machine churns out profits
Ford will announce that 2010 was its most profitable year since 2000, reports Automotive News. CEO Alan Mulally cites quality as the reason.Death penalty drug shortage slows down executions
The company that makes a drug used in lethal injection has been denied a license by Italy, leading to a shortage and search for alternatives.Massive blizzard threatens to bury Chicago and Midwest in snow
A massive blizzard system is moving through the Midwest, which may bring massive snowfall. The Chicago area is expected to be hit hardest.Publix ice cream recall | Mistake in release distracts from risk
The FDA and Publix supermarkets have released a voluntary recall of ice cream -- but the recall announcement contained one big mistake.On Groundhog Day 2011, Punxsutawney Phil at risk for hypothermia
Chances are the celebrated gopher will will not see his shadow on Groundhog Day, and winter in the northeast is likely to continue unabated.Texas rolling unemployment loan to the private market
Several states are responsible for huge interest payments to the federal government. Rather than put budgets at risk, payments are extended.Amid chaos, U.S. citizens urged to evacuate Egypt immediately
As the regime of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak teeters on the edge, the U.S. State Department has urged U.S. citizens to evacuate Egypt immediately.New dietary guidelines published by federal government
The government has just released the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Major recommendations are to eat more veggies while cutting fats.The Earth will not likely have two suns in 2012
There is a rumor that the star Betelgeuse will go supernova in 2012 and cause the earth to have two suns -- or end. Both rumors are bogus.Heavy metal poisoning could come from re-usable shopping bags
A consumer protection group has tested re-usable plastic shopping bags and found that more than 30 percent of them contain too much lead.Fear of Suez Canal closure drives up price of crude oil futures
The Suez Canal is a vital route for shipments of Middle East oil to the Western Hemisphere, and the government worries it will be shut down.Estimates project Social Security will run out of cash by 2037
New estimates by the Congressional Budget Office indicate that Social Security will run deficits until 2037, when it will run out of cash.World food inflation prompts desperate hoarding
Prices for agricultural commodities like wheat, rice and sugar are at record highs. Nations are hoarding food in anticipation of bad times.
Recent Conversations