SALE, SALE, SALE... KB Toys

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/11/news/companies/KB_toys_bankruptcy.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008121117

That a toy retailer filed for ankruptcy just before Christmas shows how bleak things have become, since such stores make up to half of their sales during the holidays. But analysts expect toy sales this holiday season to be flat or down slightly from last year's total of $10.4 billion, according to market research firm NPD Group, because consumers are cutting back amid the recession.

My Response: If KB Toys had discounts sales such as the one they'll be having this holiday, they prbably wouldn't be going ou of business. KB oys is a nown toy store with a lot of influence in the community. However, over the past years, their influence has slowly decrease little by little. They are no longer ppealing to low income familes, and only seem to have sales around the Holidays.

Det Norske Veritas Corrupt

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/trouble-in-europes-carbon-offsets-business/?scp=2&sq=business&st=cse

Under the Kyoto Protocol, European countries, which function under a carbon cap, can choose to offset their carbon emissions by investing in projects in developing countries that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This system is known as the “Clean Development Mechanism” and is supposed to save money because such projects will be cheaper in places like India than they are in Europe.

My Response: Just when companies try to reduce costs, there's always those corrupt individuals that raise more cost for their greed. There seems to has been some false documentation and audits that has been going on with Det Norske Veritas, which will cost them more than they expected.

You Tube Making Big Money

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/business/media/11youtube.html?scp=10&sq=business&st=cse

One year after YouTube, the online video powerhouse, invited members to become “partners” and added advertising to their videos, the most successful users are earning six-figure incomes from the Web site. For some, like Michael Buckley, the self-taught host of a celebrity chatter show, filming funny videos is now a full-time job.

My Response: You Tube is the website everyone uses to watch a variety of videos. Now website is a fulltime job, bringing in a much needed profit. Michael Buckley has a partnership with you tube, and is bringing in a pretty hefty profit. Who would have known that they could start their very on tv show on you tube.

Is it really cheaper to dump than recycle?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/08recycle.html?scp=20&sq=business&st=cse

In West Virginia, an official of Kanawha County, which includes Charleston, the state capital, has called on residents to stockpile their own plastic and metals, which the county mostly stopped taking on Friday. In eastern Pennsylvania, the small town of Frackville recently suspended its recycling program when it became cheaper to dump than to recycle. In Montana, a recycler near Yellowstone National Park no longer takes anything but cardboard.

My Response: Although recycling is more time consuming than just mixing garbage, it pays off for the environment in the long run? What will happen to all of the junk no one recycles? Where do these things go? We believe that just because its no longer in our garbage, its not a problem for us. To the contrary it is our problem!

Meat Plant Back in Business

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/us/05postville.html?_r=1&scp=14&sq=business&st=cse

A bankruptcy trustee reopened a kosher eat plant in Iowa on Wednesday in a move intended to comfort a town that has been economically crippled since 389 illegal immigrants were arrested at the plant in May.

My Response: The Agriprocessors plant in Postville reopened, with many old angry employees. In May the plant was closed down because of all the illegal immigrant workers, but was recently reopened. Old workers believed that their job would be returned to them, but were extremely upset when they didn't receive the return call.

Citi Group Excess Lending 2 The Mets

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/sports/baseball/04sandomir.html?scp=8&sq=business&st=cse

When Citigroup bought the rights to put its name on the Mets’ new ballpark two years ago, the global financial giant and some of its top executives were quite familiar to Fred Wilpon, the principal owner of the Mets and a real estate developer.

The Mets turned to Citi, not Bank of America or JPMorgan Chase, reasoning that as a New York-based company with global scope, it would covet the 20-year, $400-million deal, which could be extended by 15 years, and be able to keep a competitor out.

My Response: Citi Group seems to have a bigger debt grown everyday. Since the posting of the quarterly earning of 5.5 billion, they have realise that their investments with sports team, Mets, were not properly policed, and there was too much excess lending of funds. Citi Group should have known that by continuing this excess of lending, they would lose a lot of money. They probably believed that they would get the money back in return from Mets sales.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/business/03insure.html?scp=10&sq=business&st=cse

Called United Health Continuity, the product is not actual medical insurance, but is aimed at people who may have insurance now but are worried they may lose it — and may not be able to obtain replacement insurance on their own. They may expect to retire early, for example, before they qualify for Medicare. Or they are worried about the possibility of losing their job and their health coverage.

My Response: Although many parents work to make certain their family is well taken care of, when it's time to take care of them, they may have no one. How would you feel if after all the money you spent on health care for you and your family, it was all taken away? United Health Continuity is a company here to insure that your health insurance company keeps their word. They allow families the security of believing that their health insurance will be covered when the need it, and allows them the knowledge of where their health insurance stands.

They Belieed Black Friday could help... Nope!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/business/economy/05shop.html?_r=1&ref=business

“It looks like Black Friday gave a modest boost so instead of sales being miserable they are just terrible,” said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics, a research company. December and beyond will prove a big challenge for retailers, he said, because there is “no near-term catalyst to loosen purse strings.”

My Response: Many retail companies know how many people come out to shop for Black Friday. They believed this year would be no exception. Their knowledge of Black Friday didn't meet the retailers expectation. They believed that by making prices lower than usual, more customers would be tempted to by, little do they know, more people are worried about the recession than they are about a good bargain.

Ivy Legue Schools Aren't Safe Either

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/business/04harvard.html?ref=business

The endowment was worth $36.9 billion as of June 30, the end of its fiscal year. The school has said its American stock portfolio and foreign equity portfolio had taken hard hits recently. ..

...They say the university should plan for a 30 percent drop in endowment value by the end of next June.

My Response: If there is one thing we should be able to count on, education is infinite. Although were are learning something new everyday, what will happen when our main source of education falls? Harvard University, a highly known ivy league college, will suffer a major lose in the value of their establishment. Although these factor are known by the school, they have yet to show their concern by taking action to the situation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/business/03markets.html?_r=1&scp=12&sq=business&st=cse

Wall Street mounted a modest recovery on Tuesday, gaining back nearly half of the enormous collapse that opened the week, as investors picked up bargain-price stocks and pushed Treasury yields to record lows.

My Response: It's going to take a long time before Wall Street hits back to its normal state. At this point it seems as if stockholders and investor are holding on thin string to keep companies abroad. There is an uncertainty of which companies will be around for the long run and which will collapse. If I were and investor, I'd pull my money out before things get worse, but today's investors are on a thrill ride with the current ups and downs in stocks.

Pilgrim's Pride ... Can They Catch Up?

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/01/news/companies/Pilgrims_Pride.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008120112

The Pittsburg, Texas-based company sought the bankruptcy protection in a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas on Monday.

The company has been saddled by debt due to the acquisition of its rival Gold Kist Inc. and has had to extend its temporary credit line three times since September.

My Response: The Pilgrim's Pride has many beliefs in this situation, but one belief that is clearly obvious. They believed that they would one day catch up to their competitor Gold Kist Inc., and continued to dig a deeper debt hole by taking out credit. The company thought that by oversupplying, they would satisfy their costumers needs, but it only backfired on them and left they with expiring products.