| Keep Sainsbury in your larder
It's that time of year again. Christmas is over and the streets of Britain are heaving with discarded conifers. After serving their purpose, they have finally lost their allure. Unloved, valueless and slowly rotting, homeowners are desperate to get shot of them. With so many to get rid of, a huge number will just be dumped. A bit like retail shares then. Last week witnessed one of the blackest days the retail sector has ever seen. Marks & Spencer's trading statement sparked a 20 per cent sell-off, dragging the rest of the sector down with it. The consensus view was that if M&S is finding 2008 hard, the rest of the industry must face an even bleaker struggle. .
On the Move
Vaughn is the recipient of the H.L. Culbreath Profile in Leadership Award. Given by Leadership Tampa Alumni, the award recognizes leadership involvement in the civic, cultural, economic, charitable, recreational or educational areas. Vaughn is president of the University of Tampa. Suncoast Center for Community Mental Health Inc., St. Petersburg, announces these appointments to its board:George J. Matz, chairman; Stephan Freeman, vice chairman; and Sara Nicholson, secretary/treasurer. Matz is private investor and lives in Pinellas Park; Freeman is a partner at Freeman & Freeman, St. Petersburg; and Nicholson is a financial adviser at Citigroup Smith Barney, St. Petersburg. WRITE US Job news? Send On The Move submissions to St. Petersburg Times, Business News Department, P.O.
Darts & Laurels
Speaking of the boss, we offer a glad-you're-back-because-this-spring-may-be-your-only-chance-to-graduate DART to Bernie Machen for suggesting that summer school may have to be taken away to make up for the $16 million deficit due to state budget cuts. Surely, there are other ways to make up for the shortage.However, despite our usual reluctance, we can't help but offer a they-want-us-to-return-to-a-safer-campus-with-a-system-that-actually-works LAUREL to University of Florida officials for their plans to test the emergency text-messaging system for the first time Tuesday.With LSU's recent glitch, UF made the right choice to avoid similar problems and make sure all students have up-to-date information in case of an emergency.In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April, college officials can't leave much to chance these days.And since most of us are glued to our cell phones anyway (thanks a lot for that iPhone, Steve Jobs - that didn't help), why not send us a message that we'll actually get?Unfortunately, we have no choice but to give an absolutely-no-cutesy-way-to-say-it DART to the staff of the Hilochee Wildlife Management Area for their dense decision to start a controlled burn near I-4 in Winter Haven this week.Their attempt to clear land for a wildlife habitat in one of the state's driest areas turned into a predictably out-of-control wildfire.The resulting smoke-fog mixture over the interstate led to a 70-car pileup that killed four people and hospitalized 38.We shudder to think what could have happened if they had started the fire when we were making the trek back to Gainesville.Finally, we hand over a get-a-free-set-of-handcuffs-this-semester-if-you-don't-have-a-wristband LAUREL to the Gainesville Police Department for stepping up patrols to combat the common occurrence of underage drinking.While we don't wholeheartedly agree that this will stop the baby boozers, we have high hopes that more arrests will keep more of the amateurs at home.
YOUR MONEY: Charities sometime prey on the elderly, too
My mother-in-law is in her 80s, a "Rockefeller Republican" who is still politically and civically active whenever her health allows it. Recently, however, she spent eight days in the hospital.While she was away, the phone rang almost every night with calls from telemarketers hoping she’d help out some political or charitable cause. While my in-laws are on the national do-not-call registry, political and charitable groups are exempted; a long history of being active donors has made them targets for every group that has a copy of the mooch list.My mother-in-law still picks her causes carefully; she’s socially liberal but fiscally conservative — the definition of a Rockefeller Republican — and wants to continue making a difference.So imagine the surprise when her mail included a letter from Fidelis — a national organization that is the antithesis of her politics — saying that her December donation had failed to go through because the credit-card information was incorrect.The note sparked my curiosity because so many things about it seemed out of place.
Iggle Piggle co-star 'fired over suit complaint'
The trained dancer, from Cardiff, began working on the show in March 2005 and had his contract terminated in July 2006. At the tribunal in Birmingham, Mr Blake said production company Ragdoll Limited ignored his concerns about the faulty camera inside his suit, which allowed him to see out while wearing a mask. On one occasion in November 2005, Mr Blake says he was told to jump up and down on a chair but feared for his safety when the camera cut out. Mr Blake said: "When the camera failed I had no way of seeing where I was going. I was concerned at the difficulty of acting in the suit when I couldn't see anything. .
Homeowners should get help if house is threatened
Perhaps the first thing new homebuyers should know when they sign a mortgage is that their annual expenses, including taxes and insurance, should not exceed 36% of their household income, according to several lending institutions. Lester Wilkins, a loan officer at Flagstar Bank in Fort Gratiot, said in the current housing market people should consider a total housing expense closer to 25%, and people should have cash reserves of about two or three month's wages for security. .
Avalanche near Mont. resort kills at least 2 skiers; 3 snowmobilers ...
We're just distraught over this tragedy," he said. “It's been really hard on all of us." In Wyoming, three men were killed Saturday when they were caught in an avalanche while snowmobiling in the Star Valley south of Jackson. The Star Valley Search and Rescue team found the men's bodies in the Cottonwood Lake area later Saturday. Authorities say Scott Bennett, Alan Jensen and Kim Steed were all from the Afton area. Avalanches have killed at least 21 people across the West since Dec. 2, according to the National Avalanche Center. The national annual average for avalanche deaths is about 25. Thirty-five people were killed nationwide in avalanches in the 2001-2002 season, the most on record, according to the U.S. Forest Service. .
HSBC Survey: Consumers Slow to Seek Free Credit Reports, Despite ...
(CSRwire) PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Ill. - A new survey by HSBC - North America finds that while 82 percent of consumers fear identity theft, only four in 10 have taken advantage of the recent law - the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) - that gives consumers free access annually to their credit reports to check for errors. Checking credit reports regularly can help consumers detect identity theft, which, according to the Federal Trade Commission, has struck 27.3 million Americans in the past five years. It's also an opportunity for consumers to understand their credit status, see how their financial decisions impact their credit standing and assess their progress toward achieving financial goals. "Knowing your credit history represents the first step toward understanding and managing your financial well-being," says Loretta Abrams, vice president of community development and consumer advocacy at HSBC - North America.
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