Mickey Mouse Goes ‘Cold and Calculated’

Accusation are being made that Walt Disney Company is laying off lots of workers, but in numbers that fall just under the threshold to report such layoffs.

Could Mickey Mouse be so ‘cold and calculating”? Some say, “Yes!”

Read more from Florida news WFTV here: http://www.wftv.com/news/19031584/detail.html

KFC Leaving Its ‘Mark’ on Roads

In a unique effort to gain goodwill and increase its public relations, the fast food chicken chain, KFC, is repairing potholes and stamping “Re-freshed by KFC," with a chalk-like stencil on the repair site.

Read more from Advertising Age here: http://adage.com/article?article_id=135534

Insert bad "Why did the chicken cross the road?" joke here...

UPDATE: Asking Price Going Down

UPDATE:

Back around the first part of February 2009, there was a post about Stoll’s Country Inn being for sale: http://magiccoalcity.blogspot.com/2009/02/stolls-county-inn-for-sale.html Well, the asking price has went from over $1 million then down to $800,000:
http://www.commercialiq.com/jsp/listings/listing_overview.jsp?listingID=1876411

It Happened...

It happened, and it was more quickly than I thought too. The Watering Can Flower Shop moved to their new location on the former Happy Greek property. Or, as the sign reads on their now former door, “across from the fire station”.

As you’ll recall, the purchase was announced in February here: http://magiccoalcity.blogspot.com/2009/02/former-happy-greek-property-sold.html

The actual former Happy Greek restaurant is for sale though. Apparently, that lot is being sold off as part of the larger parcel there. The listing is here: http://hunleygmac.com/listing.php?listing=336

FOR SALE: Linton's DQ

The Dairy Queen in Linton is apparently for sale. Here's the listing:
http://www.loopnet.com/property/16007607/State-Road-54/

Employer Beware: Info Theft

If you’re an employer, you may find this article about employee theft of company records & information a little disturbing:
http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20090223_01

Anderson Mayor: Opps...

I’m glad to see that Anderson reconsidered the appropriations for their business incubator:
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_083222421.html

With Anderson’s 11.1% unemployment, as of January 2009, the 10 small businesses in this center are much more meaningful.

The line that made me chuckle was “tenants taking advantage of inexpensive rent” as one reason to cut funding. And the sky is blue. Perhaps, the whole point was previously missed by those that should understand the concept.

The Death of Newspapers

This recent CNN article sums up the trend with regard to newspapers:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/19/newspaper.decline.layoff/index.html

But Will ‘Cheap’ Work in the USA?

After reading about this new, economical ride from India, I’m left wondering if something like this would really go over in the United States:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090323/ts_afp/indiacompanyautotata_20090323144905

Arguably, with a re-design to meet American standards, it will cost more than the reported Indian version; however, will prestige get in the way of economy in the USA? And will a small automobile, such as the Nano, really be perceived as ‘safe’ here?

Funny How History Repeats Itself

Remember Drexel Burnham Lambert? How about Michael Milken?

DBL was the company driven to bankruptcy by illegal activities, and Michael Milken went to jail.

Well, guess who formed the financial products segment of AIG, the business segment that is reportedly the downfall of AIG today? Would you believe former Drexel Burnham Lambert employees?

http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/09/28/AIGs-Derivatives-Run-Amok?page=1#page=1

Terre Haute Loses, Evansville Wins

The music & movie distributor formerly known as BMG Columbia House announced it will be restructuring its operations by the end of the year. The result will be a layoff in its Terre Haute location of approximately 147 workers. More info can be found in an article at the TribStar:
http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_077135525.html

Meanwhile, 250 new jobs are expected at Berry Plastics in Evansville. For more info, here's the press release:
http://www.berryplastics.com/catalog/content/?url=corporate/news/news%20articles/site%20for%20major%20expansion%20has%20been%20selected

AIG: NY AG's Letter To Frank

You've read the headlines about AIG, now read the letter NY AG has sent to Barney Frank:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03172009/news/aig_pdf.pdf

Recent Unemployment Rates for Area

Some recent unemployment stats for the immediate region, which is from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

What's Wrong With America Today

The horrific truth within this piece just cracks me up: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=220550&title=the-money-honey-bee I think The Daily Show just showed Americans what's wrong with America today: selling their brethren down the river for a buck.

350 New Jobs @ Bear Run Mine in Sullivan County

Peabody Energy (ticker: BTU) states in a recent release that “Bear Run will employ approximately 350 skilled workers and would annually contribute approximately $140 million in regional economic benefits”.

For more info, see link below:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=129849&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1266889&highlight=

Does CAT Have Nine Lives in Lafayette?

AP reported earlier today that CAT has announced layoffs in Lafayette, Indiana:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Caterpillar-laying-off-439-apf-14662994.html

Good News & Bad News (Perhaps)

The ‘good news’ first: your take-home pay probably increased recently. This is due to less withholding tax being taken out, as part of the federal stimulus.

The ‘bad news’ now: withholding tax is like small installments toward your end-of-the-year tax liability. So, if your tax rate doesn’t change, but your withholdings throughout the year go down, then you’ll either owe more at the end of the year (or get less of a refund back) all other things being equal. So, while this is ‘no free lunch’ as they say, if you’re getting a refund in 2008, you may consider just going along with this and not upping your withholdings back to the original amount, as some people are urging. After all, refunds are essentially 0% interest loans to Uncle Sam, so this withholdings change may actually be ‘good news’ for you if you receive big refunds.

See a post from September 2007 on ‘0% loans to Uncle Sam’ here: http://magiccoalcity.blogspot.com/2007/09/are-you-making-0-interest-loans-to.html

Amen!

All I have to say is, "Amen!":

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090316/obama_aig.html

Actually, I have one more to thing to say:

"Legally-binding" obligations is the same B.S. that Citi fed people. If a company is bankrupt, it's bankrupt. You can't get blood from a turnip. Tell the people with bonuses, they shouldn't work for a bankrupt company.

That's just how it is...

A Free Weekend from the Blog

I'm taking some time off blogging this weekend, including Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. So, check back Monday afternoon for the latest & greatest. Have a great weekend everyone!

Appeals Court: Greene County Courthouse Case

This came out just this morning, and I thought this might be of interest to some of you:
http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/03120902.ewn.pdf

Imagine All The People

Imagine if a community would not only produce their own food, but actively encouraged other goods and services to be purchased locally:

http://www.newrules.org/agri/woodbury.html

Greenspan on the Bubble

Thoughts from Alan Greenspan on the housing bubble, the credit crisis, and more:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672965066989281.html

To Laugh Or Cry...

I always enjoy Buffett’s views on things, and even he admits he messed up this past year in the market:
http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2008ltr.pdf

Meanwhile, over at Comedy Central, they make quite a mockery of CNBC: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=220252

It’s so true, I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry.

Headlines in the News

Some headlines in the news:

So the stimulus bickering continues: http://www.indystar.com/article/20090308/NEWS05/903080415/1003/BUSINESS

The Detroit feeding frenzy begins: http://www.freep.com/article/20090308/COL04/903080355/Detroit+s+new+absentee+landlords
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce attacks Second Amendment rights, listing it as one of their 'accomplishments' here: http://www.indianachamber.com/index.php/legislative-roi

And Americans, especially those from Vermont, have no religion: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090309/ap_on_re/rel_religious_america

Old Bank & Co

I tried out the Old Bank the other night, and it was great. I'm glad to see that the resturant is back open -- at least for the weekends. Good food, great service, and everything very timely.

Too Many Applicants, Too Few Jobs

A sign of the times:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090307/ap_on_re_us/janitor_applications

Oregon Trail: The Return Visit

For all of you out there that grew up playing Oregon Trail in school, you're going to love me:
http://www.virtualapple.org/oregontraildisk.html

Crazy, Foolish Americans

The other day, The Irish Times reported that the United States will provide 730 million euros to the Palestinians toward rebuilding Gaza. That amount is equivalent to almost $1 billion.

Read the story here:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0225/breaking45.htm

Given the economy right now in our own country, it seems we could sure use that money here in our own backyard -- within the U.S.A.!

Detroit's New Opportunity

This article in the Chicago Tribune states the median price of a home sold in Detroit in December was $7,500 (no, that’s not a typo):

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-detroit-housingjan29,0,6397784,print.story

I suppose when you think things are bad where you’re at, there’s always something worse out there. In any event, this could spell detroit's single-biggest opportunity to overall itself.

Stay tuned to see how they handle the lemons they've been handed...

200 Jobs @ $21 Per Hour

In Sullivan the other day, 600 people showed up for the 200 coal mining jobs available soon. Pay scale is to be $21 per hour, plus benefits, according to this article in the TribStar: http://www.tribstar.com/business/local_story_062233948.html

Beige Book Today

The new installment of the Beige Book was released earlier this afternoon. Here is the link to our district, the Chicago District: http://www.federalreserve.gov/fomc/beigebook/2009/20090304/7.htm

The Wealth Bucket

The community’s cumulative wealth is like the water in a bucket. If you put more in than you take out, the bucket eventually overflows. Overflow = wealth. If you take out more than you put in, the bucket is soon empty. Empty = poor. Of course, you have upward & downward trends to those extremes, depending on the amount put in and taken out.

Keeping with this bucket analogy, if a community continuously buys products and services from outside the community, you have a drain to this figurative wealth bucket. So, despite people bringing in money from outside the community through employment, business transactions, or government payments, if the drain is larger than the intake, the bucket’s level declines and eventually is empty.

That is a dire situation, which needs resolving, so the trend can change. Every time a new, out-of-area owned franchise or business comes into a community, it drains money out. Large retailers, such as Wal-Mart, drain money out. Internet retailers drain money out. People travelling & spending in other communities drains money out. Each drain money on different levels, while some outside ownership even inflows some investment dollars in the beginning.

(However, in most cases, they have preferred vendors, supplies, and contractors that supply the bulk of what is needed. For example, when Wal-Mart builds a new store, it doesn’t hire the locals to put it up, but has a crew come in that it's typically worked with before.)

This is not to say there needs to be a total stoppage of outflows. In fact, some outside spending is necessary. Taxes must be paid, which sends money outside the community. Certain services and products are unattainable in areas. And I’m sure there are other examples. That’s okay, though, because some of this can be done and have the bucket’s level still rising. It’s having too large or too many drains that assures poverty in the community.

Focus should be placed on the trend and where it’s taking us.

So, where is Greene County with its wealth bucket, and what’s the trend of the level in the bucket?

Annother Example of Mixed Up Priorities

I was watching the Black State of the Union the other night on TV. While several good points were made, one stuck with me that I’ll approximate here:

If GM can sell new cars with 0% financing, what about higher education?

The comment does underscore one of many misplaced priorities we have in the USA. We need more education if we plan to stay ahead of the world, a position among other countries that many may debate we've already fallen from.

A Heads Up

A ‘heads up’ for anyone holding or thinking of buying CertifiChecks through the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce or other chambers, such as shown here at this link: http://www.lintonchamber.org/pages/chamber_checks

The Company (CertifiChecks) is filing bankruptcy, as noted in a TribStar article here: http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_061234506.html

Depression Era Cooking?

This 93-old lady is quickly becoming a cooking sensation with Depression era meals. Reportedly, she working on a DVD with the help of her grandson, dubbed 'Cooking with Clara'.

Has the economy really come to this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8&eurl=http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92321/?fp=1&feature=player_embedded

Paul Harvey Dies

I was sad to see that radio icon Paul Harvey died yesterday. A good piece in the New York Times can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/nyregion/01harvey.html?_r=1

Being a State Senator is a Good Gig

Maybe I should consider running for Indiana State Senator, if you can conduct pie-eating contests & get paid, especially while much more pressing issues are all around us...

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090122/NEWS05/90122057