Continued trouble in the housing market in the form of falling home prices has the federal government considering expanding its mortgage aid programs to include homeowners that are further underwater than is currently acceptable under federal guidelines. Currently, its Making Home Affordable Program serves people who have a loan-to-value ratio of up to 105 percent. […]

read more from this topic.....

Most people believe that happy employees are more productive, treat each other better and give better customer service.  That’s not true.
When human resource departments push employee satisfaction initiatives at work, too often they encourage the most selfish, negative and hostile employees to harass, bully and abuse coworkers and supervisors.
Of course, I’m not encouraging companies to […]

read more from this topic.....

One way to shut down a website is to send repeated requests for information to a site, which overwhelms the computer server.
Often this is due to some big blogger (e.g. Drudge) linking to a site.
But more commonly it is due to a virus that automatically sends out the request over and over again, and although […]

read more from this topic.....

Short Answer: marginally.
Long Answer: There was much sturm und drang over Extended Stay America’s (ESA) Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Monday. Of primary concern to this investor is how the filing may affect Ashford Hospitality Trust’s (AHT) $98 million mezzanine loan that was made to ESA last year.
For investors, it’s important not to panic and […]

read more from this topic.....

As the mother of two adopted boys, I am for adoption, but now we are seeing couples like Sarah JessicaParker andMatthew Broderick “renting” a womb to obtain their newest child.
What’s wrong with this picture? After all, they give money, and a woman is paid a lot of money to carry their (genetically related) baby to […]

read more from this topic.....

Unions had their place and did great things for the American worker, but I think now is the time for the pendulum to swing the other way for a bit.
New York City has about 700 teachers who are sitting on their duffs… not teaching, not doing anything creative for children. They have been accused of […]

read more from this topic.....

Josh Kalven blogs over at ProgressIllinois.com. Any time you see the word “progress”
in a website name, chances are it’s a haven for those uneducated about payday loans, or just plain ideologues who don’t let the facts get in the way of their rigid position.
Klaven rambles on incessantly about the alleged evils of payday loans, so […]

read more from this topic.....

The goal of this series of articles is not to criticize the Hollywood manufacturing process and financial models per se, but to identify the flaws inherent in the system. After analyzing these flaws, the goal is to create a new financial and creative model — one that can achieve maximum ROI in a world where […]

read more from this topic.....

Short Answer: marginally.
Long Answer: There was much sturm und drang over Extended Stay America’s (ESA) Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Monday. Of primary concern to this investor is how the filing may affect Ashford Hospitality Trust’s (AHT) $98 million mezzanine loan that was made to ESA last year.
For investors, it’s important not to panic and […]

read more from this topic.....

Here in the Philippines, there are always demonstrations, usually by the leftists, but if things get bad enough, the opposition always reminds the government about the “People Power” revolution that overthrew Marcos.
At that time, thugs associated with Marcos assassinated exiled politician Ninoy Acquino who had just returned to Manila to run against Marcos in the […]

read more from this topic.....

Written by lawyer and faculty member of eBay University, Cliff Ennico, this book aims to answer “The 350 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Making Big Money On eBay.” Written in a question and answer format through twenty one chapters the book is designed for those who want to move beyond selling as a hobby to […]

read more from this topic.....

What backroom dealings are going on in Ohio government these days? Could it be that the forces opposed to payday lending (PDL) have given the nod and wink to the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions (DFI) to create a chilling effect on lenders? There’s certainly an argument to support that position.
A quick recap of Ohio […]

read more from this topic.....

DirecTV’s (DTV) management downplayed their Q4 results a few months ago, wisely cautioning analysts and investors of the challenging economic environment that confronts us all. However, there is no denying that their numbers were strong – simultaneous with the economic meltdown happening all around them. Their results put them in the catbird seat – and […]

read more from this topic.....

Given the reply to my last article on payday loans (PDLs), which can be found through this link and going to the fourth comment at the bottom, I thought I should reply. It appears I misunderstood Mr. Krishnan in a few places. He also perpetuates more myths about PDLs that need to be corrected.
Mr. Krishnan’s […]

read more from this topic.....

Well they will be in space soon! The business press is abuzz about Intel acquiring software company Wind River Systems. Wind River’s claim to fame is a Unix derivative embedded operating system VxWorks. Although it is widely used in all sorts of terrestrial applications its most famous use is by NASA. VxWorks is what runs […]

read more from this topic.....

Shell’s CEO designate Peter Voser would have to have been terminally naïve to assume that his extraordinary internal Email to staff would not immediately be placed in the public domain - as indeed it was within minutes of its transmission. Assuming that Voser knew exactly what he is doing let’s analyse what this message means […]

read more from this topic.....

A year ago I called for the departure of Sir Peter Job as a non-executive director of Shell.
It has taken a full year for the media at large to realise just how unfit this man is to oversee the remuneration of Shell’s top executives. But whilst the buck undoubtedly stops on Job’s well-padded shoulders the […]

read more from this topic.....

My grandkids are into Facebook, and most people in the US know how the anti war opposition used Facebook and other internet social sites to help catapult Senator Obama to win the US elections last year.
But using Facebook groups for political purposes is not limited to the US.
Here in the Philippines, we have a big […]

read more from this topic.....

Lawyers representing the British-based oil firm Trafigura have taken their first steps toward suing BBC’s current affairs television program, BBC Newsnight, for “libelous statements” in their May 13 investigative report, Dirty tricks and toxic waste in Ivory Coast .
The company’s law firm has yet to specify what statements in the report they […]

read more from this topic.....

Last week, Citron Research issued a report on World Acceptance Corporation (WRLD) that demonstrated a staggering degree of either ignorance or malfeasance. Their tabloid-style reporting seems designed to maximize fear in stockholders. One could reasonably assume it is because Citron is short the stock. They claim there is a disconnect between reality and what World […]

read more from this topic.....

Subtitle: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and Hot to Fight Back
Lou Dobbs has become quite a controversial figure over the past few years. I have been watching his shows since practically the beginning of his Moneyline program back in 1980, but I have always […]

read more from this topic.....

At a recent meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a paper was presented that shows a strong correlation between the rate of Cesarean sections and the problem of lawsuits.
“States classified as having a medical liability crisis or crisis brewing by ACOG [the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] have significantly higher rates […]

read more from this topic.....

Here in the Philippines, there are the rich famiies, and the poor families, and a growing middle class (that’s us) who have to work for a living.
At the same time, globalization has started to perculate into the provinces.
Twenty years ago, they opened a McDonald in our provincial capital city.
Five years ago, Jolibee (the Pinoy equivalent […]

read more from this topic.....

In an article in the New York Times on May 9, 2009, “Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work,” Mickey Meece describes numerous cases of women bullying women at work.
Of course, women abuse, harass and sabotage other woman at work, just like men do to each other.  Sometimes they’re overt and sometimes they’re stealthy, sneaky.  Isn’t […]

read more from this topic.....

Tata Motors has been in news for quite a while for launch of its Nano car touted as world’s cheapest car. Costing at a base price of about $2000 (Two thousand), Nano received unprecedented interest from all over the world. The highest model costs around $3500 and is equipped with features like power window, power […]

read more from this topic.....

During economic ice ages or recessions, when times get hard, hardness tends to run rampant.  Most people are justifiably afraid they’ll lose their jobs and the lives they planned.  Will they get laid off or downsized through no fault of their own?  What will happen to their savings, insurance, college and retirement funds?  Will they […]

read more from this topic.....

Debt burdened Americans already struggling to find ways to make ends meet are forced to contend with further economic woe in the face of an economic decline notable for its unusual severity. On April 29, 2009, the Washington Post reported that “the U.S. economy contracted during the first three months of the year at […]

read more from this topic.....

According to Treehugger, a recent poll reveals that one in three kids think the earth won’t exist when they grow up.
Twenty eight percent are upset that the polar bears and other animals will become extinct, and 59% of urban kids think the world won’t be as good when they grow up.
I’m not surprised, given the […]

read more from this topic.....

The LATimes has an article about outsourcing medical transcription to Manila.
I have no problem with that. Waiting three days for the notes to get on the chart usually means you have to not only dictate everything but write it all out in longhand too, since you need the information right away..
But the part of the […]

read more from this topic.....

P.J. O’Rourke was once asked why conservatives didn’t hold demonstrations like the liberal side of the political spectrum.
His explanation was simple: “Because we have jobs”.
His explanation might be partly true (since students are the main ones that attend political demonstrations).
But now I am reading that the conservatives (or rather, libertarians) are indeed demonstrating, and being […]

read more from this topic.....