VOL. 36 | NO. 35 | Friday, August 31, 2012
TERRY McCORMICK
People often have a jaded view of the NFL.
NEWSMAKERS
Windsor Capital Group, which owns and manages 20 hotel properties in 11 states, has named has hired Paul Francisco as its chief operating officer.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
The fridge was empty the other day. No milk, no OJ, no breakfast fixin’s. You were out of bread, cereal, snacky stuff, and lunchmeat. There was barely a crumb for supper, either, so it was off to the grocery store for you.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
Earlier this year, Google rolled out its latest set of changes to the secret algorithm it uses to determine search rankings. While the public isn’t privy to the actual formula, the impact was a clear message to marketers to stop playing tricks to manipulate results and start developing websites that actually appeal to the public.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
Cliff Avoidance 2: Last week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an update to its budget and economic outlook for the ensuing 10 years.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
If you were walking along the street and saw $100 bill on the ground, would you pick it up or would you just walk on by and leave it there? I’m not asking this question to test your ethics. Assume it was dropped on the ground and there is no hope of finding the owner.
I SWEAR
Last week, we got back to our roots.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Unfortunately, the last of the summer vegetables are making their debut (sigh). I hope you have put some up for the coming winter months, so say about January you can pull out the ingredients to make the tasty casserole below! It is not too late to do that if you haven’t yet!
NASHVILLE AREA
FRANKLIN (AP) — The Secret Service said Wednesday it is investigating the reported theft of copies of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's federal tax records during a break-in at an accounting office in Franklin. Someone claiming responsibility demanded $1 million not to make them public.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, has relaunched its online museum store at hermitagestore.com.
AUTO INDUSTRY
MILAN (AP) — Ford Motor Co. on Thursday unveiled 15 new or restyled vehicles for the European market that it will launch over five years to revive slumping sales.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled that the case of a former Nashville FBI agent convicted of wire and bankruptcy fraud deserves further examination after allegations of racial discrimination in the dismissal of two prospective jurors at his trial.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Investors finally got what they wanted from the European Central Bank: a concrete plan to support struggling countries in the region by buying up large amounts of government bonds. That set off a global market rally and sent U.S. indexes to four-year highs.
The price of oil rose above $97 a barrel on Thursday after the European Central Bank delivered new measures to help ease Europe's debt crisis.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages changed little this week and remained slightly above record lows reached earlier this year. The low rates have aided a modest housing recovery.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. service companies grew at a faster pace in August than July and stepped up hiring, further evidence that the economy may be improving.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A private survey shows U.S. businesses stepped up hiring in August, an encouraging sign ahead of Friday's government employment report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, and a private survey showed businesses stepped up hiring in August. The data sketched a brighter outlook for the job market one day before the government reports on August employment.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank unveiled its most ambitious plan yet to halt Europe's financial crisis on Thursday with a pledge to buy unlimited amounts of the government bonds of countries struggling to manage their debts.
NEW YORK (AP) — Insurance giant American International Group Inc. says it's begun the sale of part of its stake in Asian insurer AIA Group Ltd. and will use the funds raised to help pay off loans from the U.S. government.
HELSINKI (AP) — Nokia Corp.'s share price is continuing to fall after the unveiling of the company's first Windows Phone 8 smartphones failed to impress markets and analysts.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Is the U.S. job market dismal as Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says?
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a fact of life in Washington that what one party considers a principled stand, the opposition considers pigheadedness. Compromise? That's the other guy's problem.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
NASHVILLE AREA
NEW YORK (AP) - Discount retailer Dollar General Corp. said Wednesday that its second-quarter earnings jumped 47 percent on a 10 percent increase in revenue and it raised its financial forecast for the year.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Lipscomb University has posted its sixth consecutive year of record enrollment.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Minnehaha County commissioners intend to investigate accusations made by former and current employees of a Sioux Falls detoxification center about conditions at the facility.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling 7,600 new Escapes to fix coolant leaks that can cause engines to overheat or catch fire.
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union says President Bob King is on tap to address the Democratic National Convention.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen is gearing up its marketing campaign for the latest version of its mainstay Golf hatchback — the seventh version of a vehicle that has sold 29 million copies since in 1974.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Mercedes-Benz is reporting record sales of its luxury cars and SUVs in August even though sales slipped in its home market of Germany.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook's stock is up following a disclosure that its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, won't sell stock in the company for at least a year.
LONDON (AP) — The United States' ability to compete on the global stage has fallen for the fourth year running as confidence in the country's politicians continues to decline, an annual survey from the World Economic Forum found Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies got more output from their workers this spring than initially thought. The modest gain in productivity may mean that hiring could stay sluggish this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock prices are closing mixed, held in check by a warning from the huge package delivery company FedEx that its profits would be hurt because of a slowdown in the global economy.
The oil market found little to motivate it Wednesday. That should change in the next two days.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — They may never be confused with "Swan Lake," but an upstate New York strip club says its nude lap dances are every bit as much an art form and should be exempt from state taxes.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Journal Communications Inc. has entered a definitive agreement to purchase Nashville's WTVF-TV.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — After years of sputtering, sales of big pickups kicked into overdrive last month.
FRANKLIN (AP) - Nissan North America Inc. said that U.S. sales in August rose 7.6 percent from the same period a year ago on stronger demand for its cars.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hyundai Motor's labor union has voted to accept a deal for increased wages and the elimination of overnight shifts, ending one of the costliest strikes ever at South Korea's largest car maker.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Inc. on Tuesday invited reporters to a news conference next week in San Francisco with a message that suggests that it will reveal the iPhone 5, as expected.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending fell in July from June by the largest amount in a year, weighed down by a big drop in home improvement projects.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory activity shrank for the third straight month in August as new orders, production and employment all fell. The report adds to other signs that manufacturing is struggling around the globe.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices jumped 3.8 percent in the 12 months ending in July, according to a private real estate data provider. The year-over-year increase was the biggest in six years, further evidence that the housing market is steadily recovering.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks zigged and zagged after reports that the U.S. economy is weakening at a time when China and Europe are also slowing.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil slipped Tuesday after a weak report on U.S. manufacturing suggested demand for oil would fall.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dick Clark Productions, which produces TV programs including "New Year's Rockin' Eve" and the Golden Globe Awards, is being sold to a group including investment firm Guggenheim Partners.
TORONTO (AP) — Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. has agreed to buy dermatology products maker Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. for about $2.6 billion in cash in a deal to strengthen its position in skin treatments and care.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
NASHVILLE AREA
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - Four companies will fall under the management of a Nashville-based consultant as part of a settlement involving business partners.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The county band Little Big Town is teaming up with ConAgra Foods in its campaign against child hunger.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Democratic leaders point to insulting comments made by two Republican lawmakers to the Legislature's black caucus in calling for legislators to undergo diversity and sensitivity training.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
LONDON (AP) — Markets started yet another potentially crucial week on a solid note as investors betted on more central bank action and that China would enact more stimulus measures following a dispiriting manufacturing survey.
LONDON (AP) — Oil prices fell Monday after weaker-than-expected manufacturing data from China intensified concerns about the global economy.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers announced a tentative agreement Sunday on a three-year contract covering more than 16,000 workers at domestic facilities.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Hong Kong-owned company says it has completed the acquisition of bankrupt car maker Saab and will move ahead with its business plan to make electric cars under the Swedish brand.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Four members of the Metro Nashville Council will ask that the city withhold $400,000 for more electronic poll books after a several prominent Democrats were given Republican ballots in the primary.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Sen. Andy Berke wants a review of a for-profit virtual school enrolling about 1,800 students around the state after test results put it in the bottom 11 percent.
COURTS
NASHVILLE (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled a park ranger did not violate the rights of a man who wore camouflage and carried an AK-47-style pistol across his chest with a loaded 30-round clip in a Nashville park.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Country singer LeAnn Rimes is getting professional help for anxiety and stress.
AUTO INDUSTRY
RAYONG, Thailand (AP) — Ford Motor Co. says its Focus small car is on track to become the best-selling car in the world this year, trumping the Toyota Corolla.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. companies rose in July, reflecting a surge in demand for autos and commercial aircraft. But in a troubling sign of manufacturing weakness, a key orders category that tracks business investment plans fell by the largest amount in eight months.
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke sent a clear message Friday that the Federal Reserve will do more to help the still-struggling U.S. economy.
It took a while, but investors eventually decided they liked what they heard from Ben Bernanke, and stock indexes rose enough on Friday to put them into positive territory for August.
The price of crude is up nearly 2 percent on speculation that Chairman Ben Bernanke will provide some hints as to whether the Federal Reserve will take additional steps to revive the U.S. economy.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Carol DeVaughan assumed her suburban St. Louis home was simply settling when cracks appeared in the walls. When she noticed huge gaps between her fireplace and ceiling, and that her family room was starting to tilt, she knew she had bigger problems.
NEW YORK (AP) — American Airlines and US Airways are one step closer to a potential merger.
NEW YORK (AP) — This summer, Americans were walking contradictions: They opened their wallets despite escalating fears about the slow economic recovery and surging gas prices.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans spent at the fastest pace in five months in July after earning a little more. The increase in income and consumer spending could help boost an economy mired in subpar growth.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at a seasonally adjusted 374,000, suggesting slow improvement in the job market.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of bank-owned homes and those already on the foreclosure path fell sharply in the second quarter, reflecting a thinner slate of properties for sale in many cities as banks take a measured approach to placing homes on the market.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney promised he would cut deficits and put America on track to a balanced budget as president, but he left voters to take it on faith that he could deliver. The details behind that pledge, and the painful spending choices involved, are conspicuously lacking in his agenda.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security. Medicare. Iraq. Afghanistan. Illegal immigration.