Showing posts with label finally some good news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finally some good news. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2012
Monday, December 22, 2008
How the International Bush Disaster is helping one independent entrepreneur
By the way, the first entrepreneur was quite evidently a French Phokk... a little mayonnaise for thought to go with our Freedom Fries...
‘Bush Shoe’ Gives Firm a Footing in the Market
(Footing! Get it? Hah - good one... Ed...)
ISTANBUL — When a pair of black leather oxfords hurled at President Bush in Baghdad produced a gasp heard around the world, a Turkish cobbler had a different reaction: They were his shoes.
“We have been producing that specific style, which I personally designed, for 10 years, so I couldn’t have missed it, no way,” said Ramazan Baydan, a shoemaker in Istanbul. “As a shoemaker, you understand.”
Although his assertion has been impossible to verify — cobblers from Lebanon, China and Iraq have also staked claims to what is quickly becoming some of the most famous footwear in the world — orders for Mr. Baydan’s shoes, formerly known as Ducati Model 271 and since renamed “The Bush Shoe,” have poured in from around the world.
A new run of 15,000 pairs, destined for Iraq, went into production on Thursday, he said. A British distributor has asked to become the Baydan Shoe Company’s European sales representative, with a first order of 95,000 pairs, and an American company (Gitmo-bound? Ed.) has placed an order for 18,000 pairs. Four distributors are competing to represent the company in Iraq, where Baydan sold 19,000 pairs of this model for about $40 each last year. . .
‘Bush Shoe’ Gives Firm a Footing in the Market
(Footing! Get it? Hah - good one... Ed...)
ISTANBUL — When a pair of black leather oxfords hurled at President Bush in Baghdad produced a gasp heard around the world, a Turkish cobbler had a different reaction: They were his shoes.
“We have been producing that specific style, which I personally designed, for 10 years, so I couldn’t have missed it, no way,” said Ramazan Baydan, a shoemaker in Istanbul. “As a shoemaker, you understand.”
Although his assertion has been impossible to verify — cobblers from Lebanon, China and Iraq have also staked claims to what is quickly becoming some of the most famous footwear in the world — orders for Mr. Baydan’s shoes, formerly known as Ducati Model 271 and since renamed “The Bush Shoe,” have poured in from around the world.
A new run of 15,000 pairs, destined for Iraq, went into production on Thursday, he said. A British distributor has asked to become the Baydan Shoe Company’s European sales representative, with a first order of 95,000 pairs, and an American company (Gitmo-bound? Ed.) has placed an order for 18,000 pairs. Four distributors are competing to represent the company in Iraq, where Baydan sold 19,000 pairs of this model for about $40 each last year. . .
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
there is another non-disaster going forward directly behind this one
December 14, 2008: Zell expects housing recovery by spring
(Reuters) — A revival in the U.S. real estate market, key to a recovery in the world economy, should begin by next spring, property mogul Sam Zell told an Israeli business conference on Sunday.
"I believe that in a country that continues to grow and where the population continues to grow, we will see the first signs of equilibrium in the housing market in the spring of 2009 and I will expect by spring 2010 the housing market in the U.S. will look a lot better," Zell said.
Yay! Finally, some good news, and it's coming from someone who knows a thing or two about this stuff...
December 12, 2007: Zell says subprime meltdown is 'manageable'
(Reuters) — Billionaire investor Sam Zell on Wednesday compared the current credit-fueled crisis in U.S. real estate to the savings-and-loan meltdown of the late 1980s but said it was a "manageable" problem that would not drag the wider economy into a recession next year.
Speaking at an event in Chicago hosted by the Executives' Club of Chicago, Zell, who made his fortune in real estate, also predicted the U.S. property market would begin to recover modestly in 2009.
"I don't see any robust change," he said. "I also see no disaster going forward. . ."
"Commercial real-estate has always been (about) supply and demand," he said. "If you own the assets, those assets are going to benefit from the fact that there's little new supply and existing supply will be limited."
Zell said the key to the housing market's health going forward would be the strength of the U.S. job market. He expressed confidence that as long as unemployment stays below 5.5 percent, it was "very, very unlikely" that the subprime contagion would spread.
(Reuters) — A revival in the U.S. real estate market, key to a recovery in the world economy, should begin by next spring, property mogul Sam Zell told an Israeli business conference on Sunday.
"I believe that in a country that continues to grow and where the population continues to grow, we will see the first signs of equilibrium in the housing market in the spring of 2009 and I will expect by spring 2010 the housing market in the U.S. will look a lot better," Zell said.
Yay! Finally, some good news, and it's coming from someone who knows a thing or two about this stuff...
December 12, 2007: Zell says subprime meltdown is 'manageable'
(Reuters) — Billionaire investor Sam Zell on Wednesday compared the current credit-fueled crisis in U.S. real estate to the savings-and-loan meltdown of the late 1980s but said it was a "manageable" problem that would not drag the wider economy into a recession next year.
Speaking at an event in Chicago hosted by the Executives' Club of Chicago, Zell, who made his fortune in real estate, also predicted the U.S. property market would begin to recover modestly in 2009.
"I don't see any robust change," he said. "I also see no disaster going forward. . ."
"Commercial real-estate has always been (about) supply and demand," he said. "If you own the assets, those assets are going to benefit from the fact that there's little new supply and existing supply will be limited."
Zell said the key to the housing market's health going forward would be the strength of the U.S. job market. He expressed confidence that as long as unemployment stays below 5.5 percent, it was "very, very unlikely" that the subprime contagion would spread.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Steve Young: an athlete with a brain in the wilderness
Steve Young, a Mormon, Cancels Out Jeff Kent
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Posted By Tom Ziller 1:50 PM
Thursday's news that Jeff Kent has given $15,000 to the campaign seeking to ban gay marriage in California came as only mild surprise to those who have listened to Kent talk for more than a few seconds. But last night, the San Francisco Chronicle's John Wildermuth offered a sports-gay marriage shocker: former SF QB Steve Young, one of the most famous Mormons in the world, has donated $37,000 to the side seeking to retain gay marriage rights.
Mormons have led the fight to ban gay marriage this election cycle. Early in the summer, the leaders of the Mormon Church distributed a call to action to California members. The church has bankrolled the campaign. You'd expect it could count on such a highly recognizable parishoner, a Bay Area hero, a direct descendant of one of the key figures in the early Mormon church. But the opposite happened, and it's possible the news could rally this weekend's GOTV efforts in Northern California.
Beyond the extra $20,000 Young kicked in, there's a weapon at the QB's disposal Kent can't match: Kent keeps his official residence in Texas, while Young lives in the Bay Area and will actually vote on this proposition. Score one for the "No on 8" side.
Let's hope this doesn't lead to BYU ridding Legacy Hall of all Young paraphenalia, though.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Posted By Tom Ziller 1:50 PM
Thursday's news that Jeff Kent has given $15,000 to the campaign seeking to ban gay marriage in California came as only mild surprise to those who have listened to Kent talk for more than a few seconds. But last night, the San Francisco Chronicle's John Wildermuth offered a sports-gay marriage shocker: former SF QB Steve Young, one of the most famous Mormons in the world, has donated $37,000 to the side seeking to retain gay marriage rights.
Mormons have led the fight to ban gay marriage this election cycle. Early in the summer, the leaders of the Mormon Church distributed a call to action to California members. The church has bankrolled the campaign. You'd expect it could count on such a highly recognizable parishoner, a Bay Area hero, a direct descendant of one of the key figures in the early Mormon church. But the opposite happened, and it's possible the news could rally this weekend's GOTV efforts in Northern California.
Beyond the extra $20,000 Young kicked in, there's a weapon at the QB's disposal Kent can't match: Kent keeps his official residence in Texas, while Young lives in the Bay Area and will actually vote on this proposition. Score one for the "No on 8" side.
Let's hope this doesn't lead to BYU ridding Legacy Hall of all Young paraphenalia, though.
~
Monday, October 6, 2008
Consider this the beginning of the end of the end of capitalism -- America is fighting back!
News item: For the first time in at least five years, Potbelly has launched a new sandwich...
The clubby — with ham, turkey, bacon, provolone cheese and ranch dressing — has 30% more meat than Potbelly’s 11 other sandwiches and a higher price to match: $5.39, compared with $4.19.
The clubby — with ham, turkey, bacon, provolone cheese and ranch dressing — has 30% more meat than Potbelly’s 11 other sandwiches and a higher price to match: $5.39, compared with $4.19.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
just in time for squirrel hunting season
WASHINGTON: The House took up legislation Tuesday to eliminate most of the gun restrictions in the U.S. capital, including a ban on semiautomatic weapons.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I look forward to Hawk and DJ's gloating farewell tribute
Jay Mariotti, the opinionated and polarizing sports "columnist" for the Chicago Sun-Times, has resigned after 17 years with the "paper," he told the Tribune on Tuesday night.
Just back from Beijing, where he "covered" the Olympics, Mariotti said in a phone interview that he decided to quit after it became clear while in China that sports journalism had become "entirely a Web site business. There were not many newspapers there." He added that most of the journalists covering the Games were "there writing for Web sites." (Waaaaaaaaaaah... Ed.)
Mariotti, whose public battles with fellow staffers, team owners, managers, coaches and rival columnists are legendary, didn't disclose any specific plans except to say he will continue doing his regular stint on ESPN's "Around the Horn."
He said he "is talking with a lot of Web sites" and added that the future of his business "sadly is not in newspapers."
Just back from Beijing, where he "covered" the Olympics, Mariotti said in a phone interview that he decided to quit after it became clear while in China that sports journalism had become "entirely a Web site business. There were not many newspapers there." He added that most of the journalists covering the Games were "there writing for Web sites." (Waaaaaaaaaaah... Ed.)
Mariotti, whose public battles with fellow staffers, team owners, managers, coaches and rival columnists are legendary, didn't disclose any specific plans except to say he will continue doing his regular stint on ESPN's "Around the Horn."
He said he "is talking with a lot of Web sites" and added that the future of his business "sadly is not in newspapers."
Friday, August 15, 2008
Finally...
Guys running around in circles... THIS is the Olympics. None of this ping-pong crap.
Seriously, if the Chinese can have their ping-pong and the Brits can have their horsie-jumping, why can't the Americans have bass fishing in the Olympics?
Seriously, if the Chinese can have their ping-pong and the Brits can have their horsie-jumping, why can't the Americans have bass fishing in the Olympics?
Monday, August 4, 2008
Another way that we, a grateful Nation, can help our Noble Plutocrats through this difficult time of cheap caviar and less lavish pieds-à-terre
Companies Tap Pension Plans To Fund Executive Benefits
Little-Known Move Uses Tax Break Meant For Rank and File
Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2008; Page A1
At a time when scores of companies are freezing pensions for their workers, some are quietly converting their pension plans into resources to finance their executives' retirement benefits and pay.
In recent years, companies from Intel Corp. to CenturyTel Inc. collectively have moved hundreds of millions of dollars of obligations for executive benefits into rank-and-file pension plans. This lets companies capture tax breaks intended for pensions of regular workers and use them to pay for executives' supplemental benefits and compensation.
The practice has drawn scant notice. A close examination by The Wall Street Journal shows how it works and reveals that the maneuver, besides being a dubious use of tax law, risks harming regular workers. It can drain assets from pension plans and make them more likely to fail. Now, with the current bear market in stocks weakening many pension plans, this practice could put more in jeopardy...
Little-Known Move Uses Tax Break Meant For Rank and File
Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2008; Page A1
At a time when scores of companies are freezing pensions for their workers, some are quietly converting their pension plans into resources to finance their executives' retirement benefits and pay.
In recent years, companies from Intel Corp. to CenturyTel Inc. collectively have moved hundreds of millions of dollars of obligations for executive benefits into rank-and-file pension plans. This lets companies capture tax breaks intended for pensions of regular workers and use them to pay for executives' supplemental benefits and compensation.
The practice has drawn scant notice. A close examination by The Wall Street Journal shows how it works and reveals that the maneuver, besides being a dubious use of tax law, risks harming regular workers. It can drain assets from pension plans and make them more likely to fail. Now, with the current bear market in stocks weakening many pension plans, this practice could put more in jeopardy...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
for your summer reading list
A former detective stuck on a train hears a terrifying sound. So does a teenager watching TV. And decades ago, Joanna Mason's family encountered something shocking on a country lane. It all ties together in the latest thriller from Atkinson.
if we close our eyes and put our hands over our ears and hum a chipper tune, the bad news will go away
As QT would say, we may be governed someday by grownups again.
WHITE HOUSE REFUSED TO READ E-MAIL WITH EPA'S GREENHOUSE GAS CONCLUSIONS: The New York Times reports today that in December, the White House "refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened." The document thus sat unreleased for six months. In the past five days, "the White House successfully put pressure on the EPA to eliminate large sections of the original analysis that supported regulation," resulting in "a watered-down version of the original proposal that offers no conclusion" that will be released this week. The original EPA analysis "showed that the Clean Air Act can work for certain sectors of the economy, to reduce greenhouse gases." But according to a senior EPA official, "that's not what the administration wants to show. They want to show that the Clean Air Act can't work." The document is part of the EPA's effort to comply with a 2007 Supreme Court ruling requiring it to "determine whether greenhouse gases represent a danger to health or the environment."
WHITE HOUSE REFUSED TO READ E-MAIL WITH EPA'S GREENHOUSE GAS CONCLUSIONS: The New York Times reports today that in December, the White House "refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened." The document thus sat unreleased for six months. In the past five days, "the White House successfully put pressure on the EPA to eliminate large sections of the original analysis that supported regulation," resulting in "a watered-down version of the original proposal that offers no conclusion" that will be released this week. The original EPA analysis "showed that the Clean Air Act can work for certain sectors of the economy, to reduce greenhouse gases." But according to a senior EPA official, "that's not what the administration wants to show. They want to show that the Clean Air Act can't work." The document is part of the EPA's effort to comply with a 2007 Supreme Court ruling requiring it to "determine whether greenhouse gases represent a danger to health or the environment."
Finally, some good news
Slowdown in road travel eclipses 1979 drop: Govt
Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:00pm BST
By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans cut down on the number of miles they drove for the sixth straight month in April, resulting in the biggest six-month decline since the oil shock of the 1979-80 Iranian revolution, new government data shows.
As record gasoline prices push more and more commuters onto public transport and vacationers to trim trips, U.S. highway travel fell 30 billion miles between November and April, down 1.7 percent from the comparable period a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
That was the steepest decline since Americans cut back their driving by about 500 million miles over two years in 1979 and 1980, when there were gasoline shortages and price spikes after the Shah of Iran was overthrown, said department spokesman Doug Hecox.
In fact, the current 30-billion-mile drop in highway travel is likely more than all the previous declines combined during the 66 years that the department has been collecting such information, Hecox said.
"It's a pretty severe decline that we've seen," he said.
During April alone, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles, down 1.8 percent from a year earlier and 400 million miles less than in March.
The high cost of gasoline has cut highway travel almost 20 billion miles, or 2.1 percent, during the first four months of this year, the department said.
Rural areas, where families drive more and spend a larger share of their income on gasoline, have seen the biggest decline in highway travel.
Travel on rural interstates for the January-April period is down 2.9 percent and off 3.1 percent on other rural highways.
A new report on Thursday from an energy advisory group reflected the drop in total highway travel, saying U.S. gasoline demand may have peaked last year and will likely decline in 2008 for the first time in 17 years.
Cambridge Energy Research Associates said long-term shifts in consumer behavior, such as buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, is helping to push gasoline demand lower.
"Americans are now driving less and demanding greater fuel efficiency from their vehicles when they do drive," said Aaron Brady, CERA's global oil director.
Sales of mid-size sport utility vehicles fell 38 percent last month compared to a year earlier. Sales of better-mileage passenger cars, which were less than half of all vehicle purchases last year, jumped to 57 percent in May.
The downside for the government is less money to pay for highway projects and public transportation, which is funded by an 18.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and a 24.4 cents-per-gallon diesel fuel tax.
"As positive as any move toward greater fuel efficiency is, we need to make sure we have the kind of sustainable funding measures in place to support needed highway and transit improvements well into the future," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray.
CERA said gasoline prices still do not cause as much economic hardship as they did during the 1980s, but they are getting close to the "pain point" of just over $4.20 a gallon for an average annual price.
Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:00pm BST
By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans cut down on the number of miles they drove for the sixth straight month in April, resulting in the biggest six-month decline since the oil shock of the 1979-80 Iranian revolution, new government data shows.
As record gasoline prices push more and more commuters onto public transport and vacationers to trim trips, U.S. highway travel fell 30 billion miles between November and April, down 1.7 percent from the comparable period a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
That was the steepest decline since Americans cut back their driving by about 500 million miles over two years in 1979 and 1980, when there were gasoline shortages and price spikes after the Shah of Iran was overthrown, said department spokesman Doug Hecox.
In fact, the current 30-billion-mile drop in highway travel is likely more than all the previous declines combined during the 66 years that the department has been collecting such information, Hecox said.
"It's a pretty severe decline that we've seen," he said.
During April alone, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles, down 1.8 percent from a year earlier and 400 million miles less than in March.
The high cost of gasoline has cut highway travel almost 20 billion miles, or 2.1 percent, during the first four months of this year, the department said.
Rural areas, where families drive more and spend a larger share of their income on gasoline, have seen the biggest decline in highway travel.
Travel on rural interstates for the January-April period is down 2.9 percent and off 3.1 percent on other rural highways.
A new report on Thursday from an energy advisory group reflected the drop in total highway travel, saying U.S. gasoline demand may have peaked last year and will likely decline in 2008 for the first time in 17 years.
Cambridge Energy Research Associates said long-term shifts in consumer behavior, such as buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, is helping to push gasoline demand lower.
"Americans are now driving less and demanding greater fuel efficiency from their vehicles when they do drive," said Aaron Brady, CERA's global oil director.
Sales of mid-size sport utility vehicles fell 38 percent last month compared to a year earlier. Sales of better-mileage passenger cars, which were less than half of all vehicle purchases last year, jumped to 57 percent in May.
The downside for the government is less money to pay for highway projects and public transportation, which is funded by an 18.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and a 24.4 cents-per-gallon diesel fuel tax.
"As positive as any move toward greater fuel efficiency is, we need to make sure we have the kind of sustainable funding measures in place to support needed highway and transit improvements well into the future," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray.
CERA said gasoline prices still do not cause as much economic hardship as they did during the 1980s, but they are getting close to the "pain point" of just over $4.20 a gallon for an average annual price.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
finally, some good news (for Smiff, Fung)
Japan makes robot girlfriend for lonely men
Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:43pm BST
TOKYO (Reuters) - She is big-busted, petite, very friendly, and she runs on batteries.
A Japanese firm has produced a 38 cm (15 inch) tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, to go on sale in September for around $175, with a target market of lonely adult men.
Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named "EMA" puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its "love mode".
"Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive," said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.
"She's very lovable and though she's not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend."
EMA, which stands for Eternal Maiden Actualization, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10,000 in the first year.
Japan, home to almost half the world's 800,000 industrial robots, envisions a $10-billion market for artificial intelligence in a decade.
Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:43pm BST
TOKYO (Reuters) - She is big-busted, petite, very friendly, and she runs on batteries.
A Japanese firm has produced a 38 cm (15 inch) tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, to go on sale in September for around $175, with a target market of lonely adult men.
Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named "EMA" puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its "love mode".
"Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive," said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.
"She's very lovable and though she's not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend."
EMA, which stands for Eternal Maiden Actualization, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10,000 in the first year.
Japan, home to almost half the world's 800,000 industrial robots, envisions a $10-billion market for artificial intelligence in a decade.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
finally, some good news
How the World Will Look in Late January
The Leahy-Kyl Transportation Act passed handily in the Senate this afternoon in a 92-5 bipartisan triumph, with its companion House bill poised for approval tonight. Efforts to improve Amtrak to "Japanese levels of service" are expected to begin as soon...
AZ solar fields a key source of railway energy Arizona Republic
Not your father's Amtrak: New trains quiet, clean, and fast
Amongst udder pfings...
Amtrak Expansion Bill Approved by Senate
New York Times - 2 hours agoThe Leahy-Kyl Transportation Act passed handily in the Senate this afternoon in a 92-5 bipartisan triumph, with its companion House bill poised for approval tonight. Efforts to improve Amtrak to "Japanese levels of service" are expected to begin as soon...
AZ solar fields a key source of railway energy Arizona Republic
Not your father's Amtrak: New trains quiet, clean, and fast
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
finally, some good news
"Climate change is projected to lead to fewer deaths from cold exposure."
-- From that report that was supposed to come out in 2004
-- From that report that was supposed to come out in 2004
Monday, May 19, 2008
a cheery thought to take your mind off all those icky starving people
The rich splurge on bargains
As rates fall, time is right for deals
By Sarah Schweitzer, Globe Staff | May 19, 2008
The recession gripping the country has left a broad swath of Americans agonizing over $60 gas fill-ups, ballooning grocery bills, and homes lost to foreclosure. But for the region's class of superrich, downtimes have made for a bonanza of deals on luxurious pleasures, from sports cars and yachts to pieds-a-terre* and airplanes.
At the Rolls-Royce dealership in Wayland, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead is sold out into next year, and orders are still rolling in. Ferrari Maserati of New England in Foxborough notched more sales in April than in any of the previous 14 months. Boston Yacht Sales of Weymouth last week closed on three boats valued at a total of $1.6 million, helping to push business up by 9 percent over last year. Business has been so brisk at Shoreline Aviation in Marshfield that the wait time to purchase a sleek Cessna Citation jet is two years. Million-dollar condo sales, far from stalling like some other sectors of the real estate market, have continued at a pace about like last year's.
In all of those things, dealers say they see no signs of a slowdown in coming months.
"If I had five Rolls-Royce Phantoms, they'd be gone the next day," Paul Downey, sales manager of Herb Chambers Rolls-Royce Motorcars of New England and Bentley Boston, said of the convertible that retails for $440,000.
For the class of rich who make more than $1 million a year and have several times that in the bank, the time is right for indulgence...
(*what the phokk??? ed.)
As rates fall, time is right for deals
By Sarah Schweitzer, Globe Staff | May 19, 2008
The recession gripping the country has left a broad swath of Americans agonizing over $60 gas fill-ups, ballooning grocery bills, and homes lost to foreclosure. But for the region's class of superrich, downtimes have made for a bonanza of deals on luxurious pleasures, from sports cars and yachts to pieds-a-terre* and airplanes.
At the Rolls-Royce dealership in Wayland, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead is sold out into next year, and orders are still rolling in. Ferrari Maserati of New England in Foxborough notched more sales in April than in any of the previous 14 months. Boston Yacht Sales of Weymouth last week closed on three boats valued at a total of $1.6 million, helping to push business up by 9 percent over last year. Business has been so brisk at Shoreline Aviation in Marshfield that the wait time to purchase a sleek Cessna Citation jet is two years. Million-dollar condo sales, far from stalling like some other sectors of the real estate market, have continued at a pace about like last year's.
In all of those things, dealers say they see no signs of a slowdown in coming months.
"If I had five Rolls-Royce Phantoms, they'd be gone the next day," Paul Downey, sales manager of Herb Chambers Rolls-Royce Motorcars of New England and Bentley Boston, said of the convertible that retails for $440,000.
For the class of rich who make more than $1 million a year and have several times that in the bank, the time is right for indulgence...
(*what the phokk??? ed.)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
finally, some good news
With the help of the Defense Department, the Los Angeles-based company C3 is "developing the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum" and "is being designed by the firm that developed Disneyland." More than that though, the Pentagon is also backing a $5 billion plan to create a "zone of influence" around the new $700 million U.S. embassy that will include luxury hotels, a shopping center, and condos in an effort to "transform" the Green Zone into a "centerpiece for Baghdad's future."
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