Archive for February, 2011
Home Prices Still Falling, ‘Expect Further Declines This Year’
February 22nd, 2011Via: AP: Home prices in a majority of major U.S. cities tracked by a private trade group have fallen to their lowest levels since the housing bubble burst, and analysts expect further declines this year. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index fell 1 percent in December from November. Prices fell in all but […]
Federal, State and Local Debt Hits Post-WWII Levels
February 22nd, 2011Via: Washington Post: The daunting tower of national, state and local debt in the United States will reach a level this year unmatched just after World War II and already exceeds the size of the entire economy, according to government estimates. But any similarity between 1946 and now ends there. The U.S. debt levels tumbled […]
New Zealand: Christchurch Earthquake
February 22nd, 2011Update: Christchurch Earthquake Likely to be NZ’s Worst Natural Disaster Via: New Zealand Herald: Civil Defence Minister John Carter has confirmed today’s declaration of a National Emergency is the first time the measure has been invoked, and that reflects the likelihood yesterday’s quake may prove to be New Zealand’s worst natural disaster. While the current […]
Italian Stock Market Halted: Technical Difficulties?
February 22nd, 2011Oh sure. Via: Wall Street Journal: The European country considered most exposed to the unrest in Libya is its former colonial ruler, Italy. And investors wanting to do something about that today have limited options: the Italian Bourse is closed due to technical problems. It is expected to reopen at 9:30 ET. On Monday, the […]
Libya: Crimes Against Humanity
February 22nd, 2011Via: Al Jazeera: Protesters say security forces using warplanes and live fire ‘massacred’ them, as UN warns of possible ‘war crimes’. Libyan forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi are waging a bloody operation to keep him in power, with residents reporting gunfire in parts of the capital Tripoli and other cities, while other citizens, including the […]
Two Libyan Air Force Colonels Refuse to Launch Air Strikes on Civilians, Land Jets in Malta
February 22nd, 2011Via: Reuters: Two Libyan Air Force fighter pilots defected on Monday and flew their jets to Malta where they told authorities they had been ordered to bomb protesters, Maltese government officials said. They said the two pilots, both colonels, took off from a base near Tripoli. One of them has requested political asylum. The pilots […]
Detroit to Close Half of Public Schools
February 22nd, 2011Via: The Detroit News: Swift and severe changes are coming to Detroit Public Schools. State education officials have ordered Robert Bobb to immediately implement a financial restructuring plan that balances the district’s books by closing half of its schools, swelling high school class sizes to 60 students and consolidating operations.
Oil Surges 4%
February 21st, 2011Via: CNN: Oil prices surged more than 4% early Monday as antigovernment protests in the Middle East and Africa intensified, raising worries about possible supply disruptions. Crude oil for April delivery gained $3.80, or 3.8%, to $93.51 a barrel after earlier jumping as high as $93.75. U.S. oil prices have been trading in a range […]
Kids Who Skip School Are Tracked by GPS
February 21st, 2011Via: OC Register: Frustrated by students habitually skipping class, police and school officials in Anaheim are turning to GPS tracking to ensure they come to class. The Anaheim Union High School District is the first in California to test Global Positioning System technology as part of a six-week pilot program that began last week, officials […]
Oil Companies Plan Evacuations From Libya
February 21st, 2011Update: Reuters: Gaddafi Fled Libya, on Way to Venezuela [???] Venezuela denies: A senior source in the Venezuelan government denied on Monday reports that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was traveling to the South American oil-producing nation led by his ally President Hugo Chavez. The Caracas government “denies such information,” the source told Reuters. Via: Reuters: […]
