Join us again for another free ukulele lesson today at 2pm HST. 4pm PST 7pm EST. FREE Weekly Ukulele Lesson
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Most Topular Stories
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FREE Ukulele Lesson Today! 2pm HST
Ukulele Underground8 Feb 2012 | 12:56 pm -
China’s Economy: Enter the Dragon, Exit the Clarity
China Real Time Report9 Feb 2012 | 6:09 amAgence France-Presse/Getty Images More In Economic Data Economists React: Chinese Inflation 'Jumps' in January In Defense of China's GDP Data China’s GDP: How Bad Was It Really? Economists React: China's GDP Growth Dips Below 9% Introducing: China Real Time's China Econtracker At first sight, it looks like China’s economy went haywire in January. In fact, it was just the Lunar New Year effect. Inflation’s descent was interrupted, with the consumer price index rising to 4.5% year-on-year compared with 4.1% in December. Trade data Friday is expected to show China’s export growth… -
Official: Chevrolet Cruze station wagon unveiled ahead of Geneva
Autoblog9 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amFiled under: Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Chevrolet, Australia This is the new Chevy Cruze station wagon, which will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show and then arrive in European showrooms this summer. At 184 inches, it's longer than both the Cruze sedan and hatchback (by three and seven inches, respectively). Inside, there's 17.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, and up to 52 cubic feet with the seats folded. Drivers will get to choose from a range of gasoline (1.6, 1.8, and 1.4T) and diesel (1.7 and 2.0) powertrains, and the long-roof Cruze arrives with Chevy MyLink… -
London Markets: FTSE 100 moves up on Greek deal reports
MarketWatch.com - Top Stories9 Feb 2012 | 6:31 amBritain’s FTSE 100 index pushes higher on Thursday, driven by banks and oil stocks, after media reports say Greek lawmakers agreed a deal on austerity measures. -
Twitter to Get First Look at Several New York Fashion Week Collections
Mashable!9 Feb 2012 | 6:35 amIt worked for Burberry, so why couldn’t it work for us? So seems to be the thought process of several prominent U.S. fashion labels during New York Fashion Week, all of which are planning their own takes on the “Tweetwalk” Burberry debuted at its womenswear show in September 2011. The London-based fashion house made headlines when it posted photos of every look from its Spring/Summer 2012 collection on Twitter seconds before they appeared on the catwalk. The initiative generated a huge amount of interest on Twitter — so much so that both “#Burberry” and “Christopher…
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Ukulele Underground
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FREE Ukulele Lesson Today! 2pm HST
8 Feb 2012 | 12:56 pmJoin us again for another free ukulele lesson today at 2pm HST. 4pm PST 7pm EST. FREE Weekly Ukulele Lesson -
Uke Lesson 50 – Under The Bridge
4 Feb 2012 | 7:27 pmPlay along with the official UU “Under the Bridge” Play-Along! Hey UUers! While we were busy at the 2012 NAMM Show last month, February snuck up on us with a quickness! But don’t fret, your February episode of Uke Lessons is right here – this month Aldrine shows you how to play “Under The Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers on the ukulele. This one has a finger picking intro that might take awhile to master, but once you do, it’s incredibly fun to play! So take it slow, repeat it in sections to build up that muscle memory, and put it all together for… -
Live Lesson Today 2pm HST (4pm PST 7pm EST)
1 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pmJoin us again for another live ukulele lesson. Bring your song of choice at 2pm HST and maybe you might be able to learn it. 4pm PST 7pm EST. Whoops sorry the link was wrong. fixed now. FREE Ukulele Lessons -
2012 NAMM Show Coverage!
21 Jan 2012 | 12:07 pmIts a new year and that means we’re back in California covering all things ukulele at the 2012 NAMM trade show. For those who are uninitiated, the NAMM show brings music companies from all over the world to demo and showcase their new products to prospective buyers and retailers. It’s an industry only event so we’re giving those who can’t attend a look at all the exciting things coming to the ukulele this year. You can watch all our coverage here: http://ukuleleunderground.com/namm We also have previous years coverage there as well but if you only want to watch the new… -
[UU+] Master Class – Improving Your Ukulele Playing (Part 3) with Kalei Gamiao
14 Jan 2012 | 2:03 amWatch Part 1 Watch Part 2 Note: In the fretboard diagram on the whiteboard behind Kalei, the last note under the E string (5th fret, E string) should be an A (not a G). Sorry about that, guys Hey UUers! Over the past few months we’ve been working really hard on some exciting new stuff here in the Underground – here’s a sneak peek of the “Master Class” series that is being developed to help you become a better ukulele player! In Master Class episodes, exclusive seminars are taught and broken down by working professional ukulele players just for your practicing…
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China Real Time Report
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China’s Economy: Enter the Dragon, Exit the Clarity
9 Feb 2012 | 6:09 amAgence France-Presse/Getty Images More In Economic Data Economists React: Chinese Inflation 'Jumps' in January In Defense of China's GDP Data China’s GDP: How Bad Was It Really? Economists React: China's GDP Growth Dips Below 9% Introducing: China Real Time's China Econtracker At first sight, it looks like China’s economy went haywire in January. In fact, it was just the Lunar New Year effect. Inflation’s descent was interrupted, with the consumer price index rising to 4.5% year-on-year compared with 4.1% in December. Trade data Friday is expected to show China’s export growth… -
Alibaba Seeking $3 Billion Loan to Buy Back Yahoo Stake
9 Feb 2012 | 5:02 amBloomberg News More In Alibaba Top China Stories from WSJ: Property Drop, Food Fight, Defending Taobao Top Stories from the WSJ: Rail System Slammed, French Train China's Nuclear Workers Baidu No Longer 'Notorious' China Watch: Alibaba War Chest, Bank Crisis Fears Top China Stories from WSJ: Derivative Ban, Kung Fu Fighting Chinese Internet giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is in the process of raising a US$3 billion loan from around six banks to buy back the stake that Yahoo Inc. owns in the company, people familiar with the situation said Thursday. Yahoo owns 40% of Alibaba Group. The six… -
Time for China to Say Goodbye to the ‘Chongqing Model’?
9 Feb 2012 | 2:27 amBy Russell Leigh Moses So, did Wang Lijun jump, or was he pushed? In the last few days, the Chinese blogosphere has been alive with rumors about the fate of the former front-man for Chongqing Communist Party chief Bo Xilai’s fight against organized crime. The former police chief of Chongqing, Wang is said to be on sick leave, resting. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has confirmed that Wang visited the American consulate in Chengdu on Monday but left “of his own volition.” Reuters China’s Chongqing Municipality Communist Party Secretary Bo Xilai (front) and former Chongqing police… -
What to Make of China’s January Inflation Increase (Video)
9 Feb 2012 | 1:38 amMore In Inflation Economists React: Chinese Inflation 'Jumps' in January Top China Stories from WSJ: Chongqing Drama, Xi to Visit Pentagon Chinese Put Money in Gold Economists React: China's Inflation Falls Again Top China Stories from WSJ: Geithner Presses on Iran, Google Softens Higher inflation data out of China comes after the government announced an increase in fuel prices. The WSJ’s Deborah Kan talks to Dow Jones Newswires’ deputy bureau chief Aaron Back about whether the government is losing its grip on inflation and what he expects Beijing to do about it. -
Video: Huge Baby Breaks Records in China
8 Feb 2012 | 9:16 pmA 15.5 pounds heavy baby boy was born in central China. State media reports that it may be the heaviest baby on record in China.
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Autoblog
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Official: Chevrolet Cruze station wagon unveiled ahead of Geneva
9 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amFiled under: Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Chevrolet, Australia This is the new Chevy Cruze station wagon, which will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show and then arrive in European showrooms this summer. At 184 inches, it's longer than both the Cruze sedan and hatchback (by three and seven inches, respectively). Inside, there's 17.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, and up to 52 cubic feet with the seats folded. Drivers will get to choose from a range of gasoline (1.6, 1.8, and 1.4T) and diesel (1.7 and 2.0) powertrains, and the long-roof Cruze arrives with Chevy MyLink… -
Rumormill: Infiniti still considering version of Nissan GT-R
9 Feb 2012 | 6:03 amFiled under: Performance, Infiniti, Rumormill The rumor is back: Infiniti is considering a top-dog model based on the Nissan GT-R. The GT-R running gear is impressive with its 500-plus turbocharged horsepower and sophisticated all-wheel drive system, but anyone who's driven Nissan's supercar will tell you that it lacks the finesse you'd expect from an Infiniti. "We have three or four proposals we are looking at right now." Infiniti Advanced Planning chief Francois Bancon told CAR. Of course, automakers create lots of internal proof-of-concept models that never see the light of day, so having… -
Official: Toro Rosso unveils STR7 at season-opening F1 test in Spain
9 Feb 2012 | 5:31 amFiled under: Motorsports, Racing With the first test session of the season now under way in Jerez, Spain, the remaining teams - that is, at least, the ones that have their cars ready - are presenting their new designs for the 2012 Formula One World Championship. The latest among them: Scuderia Toro Rosso. Long known as the Red Bull B-squad, STR positions itself as something of a training squad for new drivers moving into F1 as an extension of the company's young driver training program. And for that reason it axed both of its drivers (Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi) in favor of fresh… -
Save China's Jeep beer for the end of the trail
9 Feb 2012 | 5:01 amFiled under: SUV, China, Marketing/Advertising, Jeep, Off-RoadModern advertising has conditioned us to associate a wide array of strange images with beer in a can. The Rocky Mountains, silver bullets, Clydesdale horses and blue ribbons all do their best to peddle cheap brew, but Chinese drinkers now have a new mascot for their favorite cold one. Hubei Jeep Brewery Corporation has turned out a new light beer featuring everyone's favorite off road machine. The logo even features a Jeep Wrangler silhouette, complete with the brand's iconic/trademarked seven-slat grille. What does Jeep Beer taste… -
Report: House panel blocks sale of E15
9 Feb 2012 | 4:28 amFiled under: Etc., Government/Legal The Science Committee in the House of Representatives has a approved a bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from allowing the use of gasoline with a higher ethanol content without additional study. According to The Detroit News, the bill was sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin and passed 19-7 along party lines after numerous groups spoke out against E15. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Petroleum Institute, the Friends of the Earth, the Milk Producers Council, the American Bakers Association and…
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MarketWatch.com - Top Stories
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London Markets: FTSE 100 moves up on Greek deal reports
9 Feb 2012 | 6:31 amBritain’s FTSE 100 index pushes higher on Thursday, driven by banks and oil stocks, after media reports say Greek lawmakers agreed a deal on austerity measures. -
Bond Report: Treasurys slip as Greece deal seen near
9 Feb 2012 | 6:22 amTreasury prices fall modestly following credible signs that a deal on further austerity measures for Greece will soon be announced. -
Before the Bell: Greece, central banks, jobless claims in focus
9 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amInvestors digest the latest on Greece, U.S. jobless claims and monetary-policy decisions from the European Central Bank and Bank of England. -
Currencies: Euro gains as Greek deal reached
9 Feb 2012 | 6:04 amThe euro jumps after ECB President Mario Draghi confirmed reports that Greece had finally agreed on a package of austerity measures to propose to its creditors in order to avoid defaulting on its debt next month. -
Earnings Watch: Updates, advisories and surprises
9 Feb 2012 | 6:01 amA roundup of the latest corporate earnings reports and what companies are saying about future quarters.
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Mashable!
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Twitter to Get First Look at Several New York Fashion Week Collections
9 Feb 2012 | 6:35 amIt worked for Burberry, so why couldn’t it work for us? So seems to be the thought process of several prominent U.S. fashion labels during New York Fashion Week, all of which are planning their own takes on the “Tweetwalk” Burberry debuted at its womenswear show in September 2011. The London-based fashion house made headlines when it posted photos of every look from its Spring/Summer 2012 collection on Twitter seconds before they appeared on the catwalk. The initiative generated a huge amount of interest on Twitter — so much so that both “#Burberry” and “Christopher… -
DebtEye Changes Name to SpringCoin — An Intuitive Debt Management Tool
9 Feb 2012 | 6:22 amDebtEye announced Wednesday it is now SpringCoin, a learning-focused financial planning website that gets more intuitive as you use it. John Sun, CEO of San Francisco-based SpringCoin, started the business under the name DebtEye in February 2011. It was one of the start-ups at the notable Y Combinator start-up incubator and funding machine founded by Harj Taggar. SpringCoin helps customers meet financial needs and figure out how to pay off their debts by improving their financial literacy and by creating goals. “There’s a mentality that this stuff (finance) is above them and… -
Google Wants a 2.25% Cut of Every iPhone Sale
9 Feb 2012 | 6:06 amLooking to earn back some of the $12.5 billion it’s spending to buy Motorola Mobility, Google sent a letter to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers looking for a maximum 2.25% cut of sales for phones that use Motorola’s technology, including Apple‘s iPhone. The letter, which went out to the IEEE on Wednesday, outlines Google’s position on Motorola patents if and when the proposed takeover is executed. (Reports say it could happen next week.) Most striking was Google’s insistence on continuing to enforce a 2.25% fee on iPhones based on the… -
NASA TV Goes HD … Finally
9 Feb 2012 | 5:48 amNASA Wednesday upgraded the broadcast channels it operates to high-def. The two NASA TV channels, one for the public and the other for media, will switch to HD formats on Feb. 17 — or about five years after HDTV went mainstream in the U.S. The upgrade to NASA TV’s Public Channel (channel 101) affects the most people. The channel is carried by many cable and satellite providers, NASA says, and shows coverage of the agency’s missions and events as well as documentaries and archival programming. The Media Channnel (channel 103) is for local, national and world news… -
Today’s Top Stories: Google’s Cloud Storage, iPad Rumors
9 Feb 2012 | 5:36 amWelcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories. Google to Launch Cloud Storage Service [REPORT] Google plans to launch a cloud storage service similar to Dropbox, according to a report by WSJ. Google’s service will be called Drive, and it will let users store and share photos, videos and other documents in Google’s cloud, say sources familiar with the matter. iPad 3 Might Come With Different Screen and Thicker Case A…
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Fool.com Headlines
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How Fast Is the Cash at General Mills?
9 Feb 2012 | 6:41 amDon't just count the cash, time it. -
News Corp. Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again
9 Feb 2012 | 6:41 amJust the facts, Fool. -
The Gory Details on Elan's Double Miss
9 Feb 2012 | 6:40 amJust the facts, Fool. -
Trimble Navigation Limited Passes This Key Test
9 Feb 2012 | 6:40 amLook here for a clue. -
How Fast Is the Cash at Quantum?
9 Feb 2012 | 6:39 amDon't just count the cash, time it.
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Automobile Magazine Blog
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The death of displacement.
8 Feb 2012 | 4:03 pmIt was a nice try. Those logical German engineers at BMW and Mercedes came up with logical naming strategies that would help those logical German car buyers immediately identify a car’s model and engine displacement just by the badge on the back. Show Chris Cardork a Mercedes C280 and he’ll explain that “C” identifies the car as Benz’s small sedan, and “280” means it has a 2.8-liter engine. Ask Gary Gearhead what a 525i is, and he’ll use the “5” to identify it as BMW’s mid-size sedan, and the “25” to confirm that it’s 2.5 liters of piston displacement under the… -
Super Bowl 2012 Car Ad Watch: Dogs Rule, Adriana Lima Drools?
7 Feb 2012 | 6:06 amIt doesn’t matter if you supported the New York Giants or the New England Patriots Sunday night, because there were a few winners at this year’s Super Bowl who never clutched a pigskin, rushed a passer, or performed at halftime. We’ve rounded up what we think are the winners (and, regrettably, a couple of losers) from Sunday’s crop of, what else, car ads. Winner One: Jerry Seinfeld The comedian managed to take a car that won’t be released for a few years and turn it into comedic gold: Seinfeld’s last-ditch attempts at scoring the top slot on the Acura NSX waiting list racked… -
BMW 328i vs. 335d: Gasoline beats diesel!
31 Jan 2012 | 3:32 pmThe final EPA fuel economy numbers are in for the new 2012 F30-chassis BMW 328i, and they’re mighty impressive: 24 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, when equipped with an automatic transmission. The 240-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder isn’t just a miser, it’s powerful enough to catapult the sport sedan to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. Not bad for the base 3-series! In fact, that’s a full second faster than the old normally aspirated six-cylinder. What’s far more interesting, however, is to look at last year’s diesel-powered 335d sedan. It’s a vehicle we adore, powered by a smooth 3.0-liter in-line… -
2011: The Highs and Lows
30 Dec 2011 | 5:00 amAfter a year of driving lots of different cars, I’ve decided to cobble together a list of highs and lows. Rather than sticking just with new models, which would likely create a roster much like other Best lists, I thought of this instead as a recounting of cars that surprised me—either to the upside or the downside—in the past twelve months. I was aiming for 10 and 10 but ended up with 11 and 9, but that’s the kind of year it’s been. HIGHS Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG coupe – A reminder of just how good the C63 is, the coupe body style seemed to amplify this car’s sportiness. The big… -
Are Low-Cost Winter Tires Worth the Bother?
19 Dec 2011 | 11:11 amWe received our first serious snow dump in Ann Arbor last week, but the Automobile Magazine fleet of Four Seasons test vehicles was ready for the cold, since we had fitted each car with a set of winter tires from various manufacturers well before Thanksgiving with the assistance of the Tire Rack, our official wheel and tire partner. We’ve been big proponents of winter tires at Automobile Magazine for more than two decades, and although I notice more and more vehicles here in Michigan are wearing them in the cold months, those cars are still definitely in the minority. I personally have…
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Car and Driver Blog
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2013 GMC Acadia Raises Saturn Outlook Parts From the Dead [Chicago Auto Show]
8 Feb 2012 | 2:25 pmGM is committed to recycling. Or is it heritage? Maybe both. We bring this up because the 2013 Acadia‘s new look might not be so, well, new. Take a gander at the picture below to see what we mean. 2012 GMC Acadia Yes, that’s the same wraparound rear glass treatment on the now-defunct Saturn Outlook (Saturn’s version of the three-row Lambda-platform SUV bit it along with the rest of the brand in 2010). It’s probably the same glass. The squared-off fenders appear to be identical, at least in the rear—the fronts have slightly different cutouts to accommodate each… -
Nissan Planning Crowd-Sourced 370Z Project Car via Facebook [Chicago Auto Show]
8 Feb 2012 | 1:52 pmTo help kick off the launch of its ever-so-lightly refreshed 370Z sports car, Nissan is launching a social-media campaign by which the public can help design a tricked-out Z. The automaker is imaginatively calling the crowd-sourced Z “Project 370Z,” and will show the final product at this year’s annual ZDayZ gathering. Project 370Z will be built in several stages between now and when it debuts. Nissan will let its Facebook fans vote on different upgrades—with the categories including power, handling and brakes, and interior/exterior styling—and the winning parts will be… -
2013 Nissan NV200 Revealed: Some Competition for the Ford Transit Connect [Chicago Auto Show]
8 Feb 2012 | 11:29 amVans are cool. The A-Team had a van, rock bands drive them, and Shaggy and Scooby rode in the Mystery Machine. So it’s with a smile that we watch the sliding-door offerings in this country expand and improve from Bronze-age chariots of sadness to Euro-bred hyperhaulers. Ford was first to launch a compact van here, with the Transit Connect, which hit the market in early 2010. Now, the competition has arrived in the form of the small Nissan NV200. Keep Reading: 2013 Nissan NV200 – Official Photos and Info -
Name That Shifter, No. 62: 1987 Volvo 480ES
8 Feb 2012 | 10:37 amOn Monday, we presented this week’s shifter and asked you to identify the make and model of the vehicle from whence it came. A few commenters posited guesses that the shifter belonged to a 1980s Volvo 440. Those guesses were close, but the stick is actually from the 1987 Volvo 480ES. Mark M. submitted the first 440 guess, and because the two cars’ consoles look fairly similar, he will receive a Save the Manuals button and sticker as a reward. The 480ES pictured here is from our February 1986 issue. The 480ES was actually produced by Volvo Car BV, a Dutch Volvo subsidiary that was… -
2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible: Most Powerful ‘Stang Droptop Celeberates 20 Years of SVT [Chicago Auto Show]
8 Feb 2012 | 10:29 amFord dropped an automotive bomb when it introduced the 650-hp, 200-mph 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 coupe late last year at the L.A. auto show. Seemingly overnight, the bar by which all muscle machines are measured was reset—tough luck, 580-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1—and no one outside of Ford has even driven the thing yet. The 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 convertible debuting at the Chicago auto show does the same for softtops, but lacks the coupe’s top-speed claim to fame: Because of the non-rigid roof, Ford will continue to limit the GT500 convertible to 155 mph. Keep Reading: 2013 Ford…
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MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice
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5 Situations When Consumers Need to Be Extra Careful
9 Feb 2012 | 5:45 amIf you’re a trusting kind of person, then chances are you’ve been ripped off more than a few times. You’re not alone, my friend. I’ve fallen for so many scams, I’ve almost lost count. But here’s a useful exercise: Do you know who you can trust? A Gallup survey of honesty and ethics finds that nurses, pharmacists and doctors are ranked the most ethical (in that order). Also scoring high: teachers, police officers and members of the clergy. Of more interest to those of us who want to avoid falling for a fraudulent offer is the bottom of the list. Here’s who the survey found the… -
Hot, High-Paying Career Sectors
8 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pmIn today’s labor market, a well-paid, lucrative job may sound like wishful thinking. We have all heard grim stories of unsuccessful job hunting, but the news is not all dire. According to career site PayScale.com, the good news is that certain industries are still offering fast growing jobs in this otherwise slow-growth economy. Not all jobs are “hot,” but those looking to start a new career might be helped by looking specifically at certain jobs that pay well in growing industries. These jobs are largely specialized roles that require dedication and are traditionally… -
A Guide to Raising Financially Fit Children
8 Feb 2012 | 10:27 amTeaching kids about money, like teaching them about anything, isn’t always easy. Raising financially-fit children, however, is one of the key duties of a parent, so any time spent in this area will pay off. Parents must start teaching their children about money when they’re young. The lessons learned in early childhood will last children through their teenage years and into adulthood It’s more difficult to start giving lessons to teenagers. Therefore, the earlier you start, the more likely the lessons will stick. With that in mind, here are a few guidelines for teaching kids… -
How to Be a Frugal Foodie On Valentine’s Day
8 Feb 2012 | 4:46 amA romantic Valentine’s Day meal may be the fastest way to your sweetie’s heart – and an empty wallet. The National Retail Federation expects that the 35.6% of people who say they plan to take their significant other out that night will spend a collective $3.5 billion, second only to jewelry in terms of holiday expense. Houston Asset Management, which creates an annual “Cost of Loving Index” for common gifts, says diners can expect to spend 9% more this year, due largely to higher food prices. Despite these figures, it’s relatively easy to be both frugal and romantic, whether… -
Why You Want to Start an Emergency Fund Today
7 Feb 2012 | 1:54 pmAccording to a 2011 survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 64% of Americans don’t have enough cash on-hand to handle a $1,000 emergency. If you don’t have money put away for emergencies, you’re walking a financial tightrope. Building an emergency fund is one of the most important ways to protect yourself against financial disaster. It’s an account with money set aside strictly for emergencies and when bad things happen. Experts say when people fail to have an adequate emergency fund in place they often turn to debt. Because stuff happens Bad things…
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Paul Krugman
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A Strange Form of Social Collapse
9 Feb 2012 | 5:27 amValues are collapsing. Also crime and teenage pregnancy. -
WWS 594, Economics of the Welfare State, Class #1
8 Feb 2012 | 2:55 pmGetting academic. -
The Power (Law) of Twitter
8 Feb 2012 | 8:24 amNews you can't use. -
Jobs and Values
8 Feb 2012 | 5:43 amIt's the economic prospects, stupid. -
Wages and Values
7 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pmFollow the lack of money.
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Hong Kong News latest RSS headlines - Hong Kong News.Net
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Helicopter mechanical issues probed
9 Feb 2012 | 1:51 amThe Civil Aviation Department believes a mechanical problem may have led to the crash of a helicopter in Shing Mun Reservoir in 2010.Releasing the initial findings of its investigation into the ... -
644 data requests in Q4
9 Feb 2012 | 1:51 amThe Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau said today the Government received 644 requests for information under the Code on Access to Information in the fourth quarter of 2011.The total ... -
11 green transport applications win funding
9 Feb 2012 | 1:51 amEleven new applications for funding support to trial green and innovative transport technologies under the Pilot Green Transport Fund have been approved, involving a total subsidy of almost $12 ... -
Education & Careers Expo Opens with Mainland Spotlight
9 Feb 2012 | 1:36 amOfficiating at the opening ceremony today for the HKTDC Education & Careers Expo are (left to right): Dr KK Lo, Acting Executive Director, Vocational Training Council; Eric Crowley, Commercial ... -
Alibaba.com Trading Halted In Hong Kong; Yahoo Deal Near
9 Feb 2012 | 1:32 amAlibaba.com has asked the Hong Kong stock exchange to halt trading in the company’s shares, apparently over rumors involving parent Alibaba Group and the possibility it will buy back the 40% ...
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Econbrowser
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Value added
8 Feb 2012 | 12:05 pmHow could we boost American employment and GDP? One philosophy is to try to do more of what's already working. Source: WSJ. In January 2012, there were 4.7 million fewer Americans working than in January 2007. But one sector that has bucked the trend is oil and gas production. A story in today's Wall Street Journal notes that if you look at oil and gas extraction and its support activities, oil and gas pipeline construction, and oil drilling and machinery, you'll find 158,500 more people working today compared to 5 years ago, or a 33% increase. The article goes on to point out that employment… -
A Conference on "Analyzing (External) Imbalances"
7 Feb 2012 | 10:22 amLast week I had the opportunity to attend an IMF conference (organized by Olivier Blanchard, Krishna Srinivasan, and Hamid Faruqee) focusing on the critical issue of assessing the sources of the pre-crisis imbalances in systemically key countries. The proceedings also had a forward looking component, highlighting the difficulties of determining when external imbalances are problematic. The conference proceedings are here. To place the topic in perspective, here is the graph of current account imbalances, from the September 2011 World Economic Outlook: Figure 1: Current account balances, as a… -
A Plea for Aspiring Economic Analysts to Read the Footnotes
6 Feb 2012 | 11:29 amActually, not even the footnotes -- just the text accompanying data releases (in this case it's the second paragraph, in a box, of the release). Although, I must admit, this long rant by FoxForum contributing writer Noel Sheppard just made me laugh and laugh and laugh, thus making an otherwise bleak Monday brighter. From "CNN's Crowley Does Two Segments on Jobs Numbers Without Mentioning Plummeting Participation Rate" When I saw CNN's Candy Crowley on Sunday tease an upcoming State of the Union segment saying she'd be discussing Friday's unemployment report after a commercial break, I was… -
Economic conditions improving
5 Feb 2012 | 2:55 pmLast week's data suggest that the U.S. economic recovery is continuing to gain some strength. On Wednesday the Institute for Supply Management announced that its PMI manufacturing composite index rose to 54.1 for January, its highest value since June. A reading above 50 signals that more establishments experienced improvements than saw deterioration in key measures during January, and a value above 52.7 is a weak indicator of above-average real GDP growth. ISM's non-manufacturing index came in with an even stronger reading of 56.8. Manufacturing PMI. Source: Calculated Risk, Auto sales,… -
Messages from the January Employment Release: Accelerating Improvement for Now
3 Feb 2012 | 2:35 pmEmployment growth accelerates along several dimensions: nonfarm payroll, an alternative measure of nonfarm payroll, private employment, hours, and civilian employment (report here). However, JEC vice chairman Brady (JEC-Republicans) states in a press release: "Job Numbers Mask Underlying Job Weakness." Figure 1: Nonfarm payroll employment from January release (blue), and from December release (dark red), and civilian employment adjusted to conform to NFP concept (green), 000’s, seasonally adjusted. NBER defined recession dates shaded gray. Source: BLS via FRED, BLS, and NBER. Not only did…
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Greg Mankiw's Blog
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Should health insurance be required to cover birth control?
9 Feb 2012 | 6:15 amA smart op-ed from U Chicago's John Cochrane. -
Five Books on Public Finance
8 Feb 2012 | 12:51 pmRecommendations from MIT's Jonathan Gruber. -
Transitioning from Communism
5 Feb 2012 | 12:44 pmSeven lessons from my Harvard colleague Andrei Shleifer. -
Do Manufacturers Need Special Treatment?
5 Feb 2012 | 5:57 amNo, says Christy Romer in today's NY Times. I agree. -
Good News (both for job seekers and for one person trying to hold onto his job)
3 Feb 2012 | 7:54 amGood news today about employment. The 243,000 increase in jobs is a very solid number. The graph below shows how the prices at Intrade reacted when the news was released at 8:30 am. President Obama's probability of being reelected rose by about 2 percentage points. Click on the graphic to enlarge.
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SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page
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Analysts' 5 Favorite Stocks With Strong Dividend Growth
9 Feb 2012 | 6:35 amBy Dividend Stocks Online:Dividend investors rely on dividend growth to deliver capital appreciation and income from stocks. Many investors also rely on analyst ratings to identify stocks poised for solid returns. We have combined those two ideas to identify buy rated dividend growth stocks. We were surprised to find that only 3 stocks with dividend growth rates over 10% had buy ratings from analysts.Each of the 5 stocks we found has a dividend yield of 3% or more, has raised the dividend for the last 3 consecutive years and has a 5-year dividend growth rate over 5%. Add to that favorable… -
Retirement Strategy, Part X: Adding A 'Risk Basket'
9 Feb 2012 | 6:33 amBy Regarded Solutions:Now that we have a fairly well defined core portfolio of dividend and growth blue chip large cap stocks to be the foundation of our retirement strategy, we can expand our portfolio into other areas. Our current portfolio consists of Exxon Mobil (XOM), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), AT&T (T), General Electric (GE), Annaly Capital (NLY), Exelon (EXC), Procter & Gamble (PG), Philip Morris (PM), Intel (INTC), Realty Income (O), ConocoPhillips (COP), Pfizer (PFE) Chevron (CVX), E.I. du Pont (DD), Duke Energy (DUK), and PPL Corp. (PPL). There are numerous areas in the… -
Should You Invest Your Netflix Subscription Money?
9 Feb 2012 | 6:29 amBy Rocco Pendola:I have Tweeted over 6,200 times. Follow me, follow you - or whatever Phil Collins said. And I have had people Tweet me back many times, but I've never received a Tweet quite as funny as this one:The "this" - my stock option investing newsletter. The irony - the fact that Luis probably first discovered me because I called key components of Netflix's (NFLX) 2011 collapse before they happened.Luis' Tweet got me thinking in a couple of different, yet related directions.First, it triggered thoughts of the old adage that you should treat investing like a bill. By making it part of… -
Coal Mongolia Conference, Day 1
9 Feb 2012 | 6:19 amBy Jon Springer:The Coal Mongolia conference opened today with speeches from the Russian Ambassador to Mongolia, Victor Smoilenko, the Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, Wang Xiaolong, the Canadian Ambassador to Mongolia, Gregory Goldhawk, and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia, Kathleen Morenski. Peabody (BTU) Ms. Morenski's speech focused on the importance of transparency and stability. She alluded to issues with the government's planned sale of the West Tsankhi deposit of the massive Tavan Tolgoi coal deposit. I previously detailed the problems with this sale. On July… -
2 Giants Eying 2 Takeover Candidates In 2012
9 Feb 2012 | 6:14 amBy Ry Frank:I think investors could see further consolidation in the industrials sector. Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE) are likely acquirers. This article analyzes each company's situation and its likely targets.Caterpillar, Inc. trades around $114 and has a year high of $116.55 and a year low of $67.54. The price-to-earnings ratio is 15:54, the earnings per share is $7.40 the dividend yield is 1.60%. CAT has total cash of $1.83 billion and total debt of $34.59 billion. Debt-to-equity ratio is 258:11. Caterpillar manufactures heavy equipment, diesel & natural gas engines, and industrial…
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Russia Defends Its Diplomacy in Syria Amid New Accounts of Violence
9 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amReports Thursday of a fifth day of assaults on rebellious areas by Syrian government forces came on the heels of Russia’s leaders defending their diplomatic efforts. -
Spanish Judge Guilty of Misusing Authority
9 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amThe Spanish judge celebrated for pursuing international human rights cases was convicted of overstepping his jurisdiction in a domestic corruption probe on Thursday — the culmination of a spectacular fall from grace of one of Spain's most prominent people. -
Libya’s New Government Unable to Control Militias
9 Feb 2012 | 6:14 amThe Arab world’s most sweeping revolution is foundering as the interim Libyan government seems to be paralyzed by its lack of power to control competing militias. -
Breakthrough on Austerity Clears Way for Greek Deal
9 Feb 2012 | 6:14 amAfter days of talks, Greek political leaders reached a deal Thursday to support a package of harsh austerity measures demanded by Greece’s financial backers in return for a bailout. -
States Negotiate $26 Billion Agreement for Homeowners
9 Feb 2012 | 6:10 amNearly two million Americans could benefit from mortgage relief from the nation’s biggest banks, as part of a broad government settlement announced on Thursday.
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CNN.com
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Ousted Maldives president faces arrest
9 Feb 2012 | 6:42 amA tense calm reigned Thursday morning in the streets of Male, the capital of the Maldives, a day after the country's former president and his supporters clashed with the police. -
Deep freeze overloads Ukraine EMS
9 Feb 2012 | 6:26 amSuffering in the grip of a brutal winter where temperatures have not risen above freezing in nearly a month, Ukraine has seen a wave of deaths related to the cold, and the country's ambulance service is inundated with calls for help. -
Opinion: Google knows too much
9 Feb 2012 | 6:21 amFrida Ghitis says online hoarding of our private information is not something we can afford to "dismiss." -
911 response probed in Powell killings
9 Feb 2012 | 4:34 amPolice are investigating how dispatchers handled 911 calls from those seeking help before a Washington state man killed himself and his sons in a fiery explosion. -
700 get food poisoning after Mexico rally
9 Feb 2012 | 4:21 amAuthorities treated more than 700 people for food poisoning after a political rally in southern Mexico this week, officials said.
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Life On My Mobile
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Samsung Galaxy Note Available For Pre-Order
6 Feb 2012 | 11:21 amNearly a month later after getting the chance to play with the Samsung Galaxy Note, it’s now available for pre-order through AT&T. This monster handset comes equipped with Android 2.3 and has some major specs like a 5.3 inch WXGA HD super AMOLED display, 1.4 GHz dual core processor and an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash. Other features include: 4G/ LTE 2 megapixel front facing camera 1080p full HD video recording Bluetooth 3.0 16 GB internal memory (microSD up to 32 GB) 2500 mAh battery Granted the Samsung Galaxy Note is going to be a beast of an Android smartphone, I’m a… -
Samsung Does It Again, iPhone Who – Video
6 Feb 2012 | 9:09 amSamsung continues to attack Apple and their long lines. This time around showing off the Galaxy Note. This commercial first aired during the Super Bowling, If you didn’t get a chance to see it just press play above. -
AirDroid Provides Fast, Free Wireless Phone Management
2 Feb 2012 | 11:49 amThe days of cable-less phone management are now one step closer. AirDroid allows any phone running Android 2.1 or higher to be managed over a wireless network. Everything from photos, music, apps, even your SMS messages, can all be controlled through a simple web interface. The operation really couldn’t be any simpler. You start up AirDroid on your phone, it will give you a local IP address to enter into your browser, enter the 4 digit randomly-generated password, and you are in. AirDroid lays out everything in a desktop setting, so everything is very straightforward. Have some photos… -
"Ring Dimmer" Silences Your Phone So You Don’t Have To
1 Feb 2012 | 11:30 amIt’s happened to all of us. We are in a meeting, or a movie, or class, or some other place where an inopportune phone call or text message would immediately draw everyone’s attention to you, and not in a good way. Ring Dimmer is an app for Android that uses the ambient noise to intelligently adjust your phone’s ringer volume. This works both ways. If it is loud, it will crank up the volume. If it’s quiet, it will turn it down. This is also good for times where you are just by yourself at home, for instance, and full blast ringtones are way too loud. I had the… -
Walmart and T-Mobile add unlimited web to Unlimited Talk and Text plan
1 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amIf you having been shopping around for a low priced 3G data plan then look no further than Walmart’s new Family Mobile plan. The T-mobile powered Family Plan has just added unlimited data to its Unlimited Talk and Text plan. The pricing remains the same at $45 per month for the first line and users are given a monthly postpaid, no contract option with 3G data speeds. Each additional line cost $35 per month and works well for families hoping to pick up multiple smartphones. To attract new customers, those who activate before March 16th will receive 5GB data per month at 3G speeds. The…
