The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-to-1 to move forward with a controversial ban on single-use plastic grocery bags. Critics say it’s an example of regulatory overreach. The Los Angeles City Council has voted to move forward with a controversial ban on single-use plastic grocery bags – a move designed to reduce landfill waste and debris in local waterways. Skip to next paragraph The vote was greeted by supporters as a major step for the environment, while critics say it's an example of regulatory overreach that will limit consumer choices and cost jobs.Los Angeles will become the largest city in the United States to impose a plastic-bag ban, with some 7,500 affected stores and nearly 4 million residents. The city council vote, which took place ... Continue reading →
The US Senate race in Massachusetts is among the closest in the battle over Senate control after the November elections. In a new poll, Elizabeth Warren has 47 percent of the vote and Scott Brown 48 percent. A new poll shows the US Senate race in Massachusetts tightening, with challenger Elizabeth Warren running essentially even with incumbent Scott Brown (R), and with relatively few voters undecided. Skip to next paragraph The contest is among the closest – and most closely watched – in the nationwide battle over who will control the Senate following elections in November.Ms. Warren, a financial-law expert known for aligning with populist concerns about Wall Street banks, garnered 47 percent support in the Suffolk University/7News poll, released late Wednesday night. The Democrat's ... Continue reading →
Your summer vacation doesn't have to break the bank. By being flexible in your travel plans, checking multiple sites for deals, and dining out less, you can save a bundle on your getaway. Summer vacations are on the rise again…as long as vacationers are getting a good value. Skip to next paragraph Choice Hotels International surveyed 2,199 people this week. Eighty-seven percent said they planned to take the same number of trips (or more) this summer than they did last year, while 9 out of 10 people said they’re looking for the best value in their hotel stay.Surprisingly, when asked what customers consider to be a good value from a hotel, 75 percent ranked free breakfast as their No. 1 priority.While I love free cinnamon ... Continue reading →
Mitt Romney's plan for education reform challenges President Obama and teacher's unions, including federal money for some low-income and disabled students to attend private schools. Mitt Romney called for an expansion of parental choice in America's school system Wednesday, pivoting to a subject he has discussed little so far in his presidential campaign. Skip to next paragraph The candidate's plan is heavy on parental choice. Mr. Romney spoke in Washington, taking his message on education to a city that is home not only to his electoral rival – President Obama – but also to one of the nation's important experiments with school vouchers.He criticized Mr. Obama for failing to pursue deeper education reforms, saying the president has been "unable to stand up to union bosses, ... Continue reading →
Facebook stock is trading well below its initial offering price. The IPO is being viewed as a debacle for the firm and its investment backers, and the lawsuits have already begun. "Facebook flop." Skip to next paragraph "Facebook fiasco."The stock offering that was supposed to bring exultation on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley is instead being viewed as a debacle for the firm and its investment backers.Investors are suing financial firms tied to Facebook's initial public offering (IPO). Regulators are investigating potential improprieties. The head of the Nasdaq market has apologized for irregularities in transactions as the stock opened. And on Day 4 of its life as a publicly traded company, the social media trailblazer is seeing its shares trade far below their initial ... Continue reading →
If you think microphilanthropy might be for you, here are more than a dozen organizations that can help you get started. They're all nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations classified as public charities by the Internal Revenue Service, and thus contributions to them should generally be tax-deductible. (We haven't included similar sites operated by for-profit companies, such as Crowdrise, launched in 2010 by actor Edward Norton and three partners, and Visa Giving Gateway, an online-giving portal for Visa cardholders.) Each entry includes fees that you might be charged or deductions from your donation that the organization discloses as administrative, processing or "fulfillment" costs. For tips on how to evaluate an organization, read Small Is Beautiful. All-Purpose Sites Each of these sites can connect you to a variety of ... Continue reading →
Mitt Romney is using his record as a job creator at Bain Capital as a selling point, but – even before President Obama's attack ads – the public isn't inclined to buy it, polls suggest. Mitt Romney bills his business background as a major selling point for his presidential candidacy, but a recent attack ad by President Obama exposes a challenge for the Republican: Mr. Romney's background wasn't in any old form of business, but in a type of investment activity that isn't very popular with the American public. Skip to next paragraph The Obama campaign ad features former steel workers saying that Romney's firm bought their company, GST Steel in Kansas City, Mo., loaded it up with debt, and ran it into the ground ... Continue reading →
Facebook stock fell 7 percent in early trading Tuesday, after an 11 percent fall Monday. In challenging market environment, selling IPO of Facebook stock is like 'trying to get a jumbo jet to take off in turbulent weather.' Facebook was supposed to soar. Instead, it plunged. Skip to next paragraph After the social network's stock fizzled on Friday in its long-awaited debut, its stock fell 11 percent on Monday, even as the rest of the stock market rallied.The downward spiral has left some people sitting on big losses, and others scratching their heads. After all, nothing fundamental has changed at Facebook in the days since the much-hyped company came to the stock market — Facebook still has more than 900 million users, its 28-year-old founder ... Continue reading →
WASHINGTON (May 22, 2012) – Existing-home sales rose in April and remain above a year ago, while home prices continued to rise, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The improvements in sales and prices were broad based across all regions. Total existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 3.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.62 million in April from a downwardly revised 4.47 million in March, and are 10.0 percent higher than the 4.20 million-unit level in April 2011. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing recovery is underway. “It is no longer just the investors who are taking advantage of high affordability conditions. A return of normal home buying for occupancy ... Continue reading →
