. . . AT THE RIGHT TIME, with the right camera (with thanks to Annette):

Stock rally fizzles on bad news

For the week ended January 30, 2009

• Economy shrank, prices fell last quarter
• More companies post losses, cut jobs
• Ongoing unemployment rises
• Home prices decline but home resales rise
• ndex of leading economic indicators edges up

To no one’s surprise, the U.S. economy shrank in the fourth quarter of 2008. But the announced 3.8% drop in gross domestic product (GDP) was actually better than many economists had expected. However, excluding a buildup of inventories, the economy contracted 5.1% in the quarter. The U.S. stock market responded to the Friday morning announcement by declining broadly. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember when?

Thanks to my sister, Linda, for passing this on. She is six years younger than I am, so I wonder if she remembers the time when . . . 

All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?

 It took five minutes for the TV warm up? 

Nearly everyone’s Mom was at home when the kids got home from school? 

Nobody owned a purebred dog? 

When a quarter was a decent allowance?

You’d reach into a muddy gutter for a penny? 

Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces? 

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, THAT was disappointing, wasn’t it?

I am talking, of course, about Jacksonville’s debut on “American Idol.” Not what I was hoping for. I have heard a few local singers and I know there are some out there who can do better than what we saw Tuesday night. 

The best part of the night was at the end with Ann Marie Boskovich’s amazing voice, and she isn’t even from Jacksonville. I didn’t catch where she is from but I think somewhere in Tennessee.

I didn’t hear anyone who said they were from Jacksonville who was any good. Several Read the rest of this entry »

Lamar Thames

Uh, oh!

Was Monday’s announcements of massive nationwide layoffs the flash-flood warning of an economic tsunami heading our way? 

School districts across the state are facing large budget cut that will force them to eliminate jobs. Home Depot, Sprint, Caterpillar and Pfizer are among the latest national companies to announce huge job losses. 

I am hearing talk of layoffs in nearly every walk of life these days, including the elimination of a job that recently hit home. Clear Channel Radio announced on Jan. 20 it was laying off 1,850 employes across the country. One of them was my son, Joe, an advertising sales person in Jacksonville. He lost his job on the day Barack Obama was inaugurated and the same day that both radio talk show personalities David Lamm and Joe Cowart lost theirs. Read the rest of this entry »

Proposals to trim the Clay County, Fla., school budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 could cause wholesale disruption of both the educational and extracurricular programs in the district, including athletics.

Superintendent Ben Wortham presented School Board members and a room full of concerned educators a list of proposed cuts that would reduce expenses by more than $27 million in the coming school year.

Included in those proposals:

• a saving of $11 million by eliminating up to 256 allocations district wide
• 3 percent salary cuts to save $5 million
• eliminate all school supplements at a savings of $3 million Read the rest of this entry »

This giant mastadon skeleton is on display in the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee.

I accompanied my wife on a job-related trip [for her] to Tallahassee last week. She was working with the State Department of Education on some new science standards for public school teachers.

While she worked, I played. Sort of. I got in one round of golf on Thursday after it had warmed up from a low of around 20 degrees and I visited the Museum of Florida History, which I will tell you more about in a few minutes.

The trip was also noteworthy for renewing acquaintances. My wife visited a friend from high school whom she had not seen in more than 40 years and I met a person I used to work with at the Times-Union, Jim Baltzelle, who is now Florida bureau chief for the Associated Press in Miami. Of course, there was a legislative update session in Tallahassee, so it was natural that journalists would be all over the place. My neighbor Mike Marino was also there visiting with the Times-Union’s new Tallahassee reporter. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Garland for sharing this:

Men Are Just Happier People–

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can never be pregnant.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
Read the rest of this entry »

For the week ended January 23, 2009, compiled by MFS:

• Dow suffers its worst Inauguration Day decline
• State Street losses spark banking rout
• Microsoft stuns with report of loss
• U.K. economy officially in recession
• Slowing China growth hits region’s export markets
• Central banks in Brazil and Canada cut rates

Stocks took a dive this week amid disappointing earnings and economic news. Corporate heavyweights, including Microsoft, General Electric, and Advanced Micro Devices, reported lower earnings, and economic data continued to point to a worsening global recession. As Barack Obama took office as the 44th president of the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its worst Inauguration Day performance as worries mounted about the fate of the nation’s financial services sector. The Dow lost 332.13 points, or 4%. The decline was led by a 20% drop in bank shares as concern increased that financial institutions would need to be nationalized. Read the rest of this entry »

KURTIS THE  STOCK BOY AND BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL

(This story appeared on line and is verified by Snopes.com)

 

In a supermarket, Kurtis  the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand, a distant smile caught his eye, The new check-out girl was beautiful.  She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled  softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left.  He looked at her card, BRENDA.  He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.  The next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She said it wasn’t possible. Read the rest of this entry »