| TheStar.com | columnists | Safe exit strategy from energy deal
After receiving the contract, you have a 10-day cooling off period to change your mind. If you have any doubts about enrolling, do it quickly – and in writing. Once the cooling off period has ended, the retailer will contact you by phone to see if you still want to go ahead. This call will be recorded and used as evidence against you if you change your mind later about signing a fixed-price contract. You don't have to reaffirm by phone if you contacted the retailer asking to be signed up, responded to a direct mail campaign or signed an online agreement. Once you agree (or your spouse agrees) by phone to go ahead, you probably can't get out without paying a fee. The early cancellation charge can be quite onerous – as high as $2,617.91 for one reader who has electric heating.
Details Emerge in French Bank Fraud Case
Head of the Financial Section of the Paris court, Jean-Michel Aldebert, left, walks after he addressed reporters outside the Financial Police headquarters, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008 in Paris. The French trader accused of one of the biggest bank frauds ever surfaced Saturday in the custody of police, who were questioning him about bad bets that cost France's No. 2 bank billions of euros in a season of jittery markets. Financial police in Paris were questioning Jerome Kerviel in a probe into Societe Generale's allegation against the 31-year-old trader, judicial officials said. They were speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. (AP Photo/Michael Sawyer) (Michael Sawyer - AP) .
Mega-trends changing in ag commodities
Mike Krueger, founder of The Money Farm, outlined mega-trends facing grain producers and agriculture in general during the PNW Grains Convention held in Spokane, Wash., November 28-30. He is optimistic that more than biofuels are driving commodity prices higher. Photo by Cindy Snyder. .
and the Chicago riot
Kennedy upset veteran Vice President Richard M. Nixon. One of the key factors in Kennedys victory was his expert handling of television as a campaign tool. Nixon, after suffering another crushing defeat in the California gubernatorial elections bounced back to win the presidency over Hubert H. Humphrey and a key factor in the Republican Party victory was the TV coverage of the Chicago police brutality against demonstrators. The brunt of the accusation was laid on the doorstep of Chicagos political boss, Mayor Richard Daley. Among the victims of police brutality were famous print and TV journalists. A book on media history, The Press and America, by Edwin Emery and Michael Emery reports that news media suffered some 70 injuries at the hands of the police, equally divided between print and electronic media.
Value of Nation’s Mineral Production Rose Again in 2007
The preliminary estimated value of U.S. nonfuel mine production rose last year to $68 billion - a 2.9 percent increase from that of 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced. This was a 5.6 percent increase from the preliminary estimated 2006 value released at this time last year. Higher prices for many minerals resulted in the increased value of production, although the quantity produced decreased for most mineral commodities. Major industries that consume processed mineral materials accounted for more than $2 trillion of the U.S. gross domestic product of $13.8 trillion in 2007. Domestic production decreased for industrial mineral materials associated directly with housing construction and those associated with the manufacture of goods used by the housing industry, according to the annual USGS report "Mineral Commodity Summaries 2008" The report provides detailed information about events, trends, and issues in the domestic and international mineral industries during 2007.
Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo for $44.6B
The company is to present a strategic update for analysts Monday in New York. -By Andrew Edwards, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5973; Andrew.Edwards@dowjones.com (Kevin Kingsbury, George Stahl and Jessica Hodgson contributed to this article.) (END) Dow Jones Newswires 02-01-08 0834ET Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. .
Thomson Financial Europe AM at a glance share guide: Stocks mixed; oil ...
Data on Friday showing a higher-than-expected rise in U.S. wholesalers' inventories provided Wall Street with little new evidence about the economy's health. A motley batch of corporate earnings failed to provide much reassurance to investors. Some companies such as software maker McAfee Inc and jewelry maker Tiffany & Co seem to be faring well despite the economic slowdown, but others, including paper and wood product maker Weyerhaueser Co, are struggling. BONDS: Government bond prices rose. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.65 pct from 3.73 pct late Thursday. FOREX: The dollar slipped slightly against the euro and the pound Friday, maintaining some of the gains that followed a pair of European interest-rate decisions. The euro was worth 1.4506 usd in late New York trading -- up from 1.4459 usd in New York late Thursday, when it lost more than a US cent.
The city is caught in tensions and violence
University College London was the largest recruiter of overseas students, with nearly 6,000 on its books, but the London School of Economics topped the list of universities dominated by overseas undergraduates and postgraduates, with 64 per cent coming from overseas. A spokesman for Universities UK hailed the rising number of students and academics choosing to work and study in Britain. He said: " International students and academics also provide an immeasurable academic, cultural, and social benefit to the UK generally. By contrast, 19,000 people left Britain last year to study overseas, a number that has stayed broadly similar for a decade. .
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