Written by Michael Harris on November 15, 2011.
The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators rose more than Wall Street analysts had expected Friday. That is a sign that the economy may pick up in coming months.
Stock indexes were also bolstered by easing borrowing costs for Italy and Spain, a signal that bond investors are less fearful of a default by those countries.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 38 points, or 0.3 percent, to 11,808 at 11:45 a.m. Eastern. The S&P 500 rose 2, or 0.1 percent, to 1,218. The Nasdaq composite slid 6, or 0.2 percent, to 2,582.
Written by Michael Harris on November 13, 2011.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black told the AJC that Flight 1442 “experienced a problem with one of its engines shortly after takeoff from Atlanta.” Black said the cause of the explosion had not been determined.
Black said a loud boom heard by passengers was “the damage to the engine’ and that there was smoke in the cabin after the incident. Some passengers told news organizations they saw flames coming from the engine.
Ginger Heath of Monroe, N.C., told The Charlotte Observer that she saw sparks and then a fireball after the “huge explosion.”
The MD-80 “landed without incident around 9:30 p.m. and taxied to the gate,” the spokesman said.
“A new aircraft was used for the flight to Charlotte while Delta’s maintenance team inspected the original aircraft,” Black said.
Written by Jeremy Martin on November 9, 2011.
Facebook’s use of facial recognition software break EU privacy laws because it collects biometric data without user consent, according to the state of Hamburg’s data protection regulator
The site uses facial recognition software to identify people in uploaded photographs and make suggestions for name tags to be associated with those photos.
The office of the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) has argued that this function requires a comprehensive database containing the biometric characteristics for every user. As it operates on an opt-out basis, Facebook does not have explicit consent to collect this data, it said.
“Facebook has introduced this function in Europe without informing users and acquiring the necessary consent. Unambiguous consent from those affected is required by the European as well as the German data protection law,” the regulator said in a statement.
The HmbBfDI said that Facebook has not complied with its demands to bring their automatic face recognition function in line with European and German data protection regulations.
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Written by admin on November 9, 2011.
People who are investing in stock market are familiar with terms like P/E Ratio, or price to earnings ratio. This determines long term returns of a stock investment and is also helpful in determining the beginning withdrawal rates for IRA accounts. When one needs the dividends of their Roth IRA account, decision for choice of withdrawal rate is crucial in determining life of an investment. Withdrawal amounts may be increased during inflation times and when P/E ratios are lower. A withdrawal rate that does not affect the principal amount accrued in Roth IRA account should be chosen after learning about P/E ratios. Extensive details on this aspect, is clearly listed on roth-ira.org.
For P/E ratio for S&P 500 less than 12, this rate for traditional or Roth IRA accounts are recommended to be between 5.7% and 10.6% for studied duration. Read more…
Written by Michael Harris on November 6, 2011.
The small Chevron station, nestled deep in Newton County where highways 212 and 36 intersect and local residents make up most of the traffic, was out front on a small but apparently growing trend in metro Atlanta and Georgia — gas stations that give breaks to those paying with cash.
Their motive: it helps the businesses avoid paying the rising fees banks charge for debit or credit card use.
“It’s just a plain simple fact, if I don’t find a way to keep more of the money I get for the gas I sell, I go out of business,” said Johnny Potts, who has owned the station since 1987 and started offering a discounted cash price three years ago. “It’s what’s happening to a lot of stations. The swipe fees make it hard to make money.”
About one-third of customers pay with cash, Potts said.
“As the expense of credit cards have continued to rise, you’re seeing more of this,” Jim Tudor, president of the Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.
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Written by Jeremy Martin on November 3, 2011.
If you think lack of time is stopping you from launching your own business, think again.
Thanks to modern technology, it is easier than ever to launch your own business while still working full-time. It means you can breathe a little sigh of relief and avoid the terrifying prospect of plunging into an uncertain world without the safety net of a regular salary paid by someone else.
Recent estimates suggest that up to 5 million people are running businesses from home, after returning from their day jobs. This number can only increase as people need to earn more money to make ends meet in an inflation ridden world!
Setting up a business in the evenings is all about getting the balance right. You need to be able to turn the few useful hours you have before bed into profitable work. And whatever business you are in must be able to tick along during the day more or less without you.
The internet, email and mobile phones makes it entirely possible to keep an eye on calls and messages coming in from potential clients while you are on your lunch break, but you’ll never match the service levels offered by people running their business full-time.
That fact should influence what you set out to do in the first place. Y
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Written by Michael Harris on October 30, 2011.
The retail banking arm of JPMorgan Chase & Co. will stop charging $3-per-month fees for using debit cards when its current pilot in Wisconsin and Georgia is completed in November, a source with knowledge of the bank’s plans told The Associated Press. The individual asked not to be identified because the bank has not officially announced the program will not go forward.
Chase, which operates in 23 states, began its test in February.
And it’s not alone in rethinking its actions. Wells Fargo & Co. began a similar pilot in five states on Oct. 14, testing a flat $3 fee for using debit for purchases. On Friday it also announced that it is cancelling its test program.
Other banks already have more widespread fee policies. SunTrust Banks charges $5 a month for debit cards used to make purchases, and Regions Financial Corp. charges $4.
But it was Bank of America Corp.’s plan to start charging $5 per month that lit the issue on fire.
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