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Prune and Grow Sixteen months ago, Congress passed a stimulus package that will end up costing each average taxpayer $7,798. Economists were divided then about whether this spending was worth it, and they are just as divided now... The president’s economists ran the numbers through their model and predicted that the stimulus package would create or save at least three million jobs. Credit Crisis - The Essentials In the fall of 2008, a credit squeeze ballooned into Wall Street's biggest crisis since the Great Depression. As hundreds of billions in mortgage-related investments went bad, mighty investment banks that once ruled high finance crumbled or reinvented themselves as commercial banks. The nation's largest insurance company and largest savings and loan were seized by the government. Only the passage by Congress of a $700 billion bailout plan in October 2008 and actions by the Federal Reserve to pump money into the system headed off a full-scale meltdown. The World Cup Doesn't Need Us Strong U.S. Ticket Sales and Better Results on the Pitch Don't Impress FIFA America is a finalist to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup - prizes FIFA will bestow this December upon two of the bidder nations... One of the misconceptions Americans tend to make about the World Cup is that its economics are similar to those that guide the Olympics. But there's a big difference: the Olympics like to take in lots of money because they use the funds to support impoverished sports like swimming, which can't support themselves. The World Cup, however, is a showcase for professional athletes who earn decent to fantastic salaries in private leagues around the world. This sport doesn't count on the tournament for its livelihood. Unemployment Weighs on Rise in Consumer Spending - Study Consumer spending in South Africa is likely to pick up this year after a 3,1% contraction last year, but the growth will be modest, largely due to slow growth in job creation, a report released yesterday shows. Real consumer spending, after accounting for inflation, will rise just 2,1% this year, as earners benefit from real wage increases, a strong rand and lower inflation, the Bureau for Economic Research’s note on the medium-term outlook for consumers pending research says. Recession Blamed for Low World Cup Turnout Tourism organisations on Monday blamed the global recession and high airfares for the lower-than-expected turnout of 2010 FIFA World Cup tourists. "We believe that under a different economic climate, demand would have extended to areas outside the host cities and to the wide variety of non-hotel accommodation options available in South Africa," said the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) and the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) in a joint statement.
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..::ENTREPRENEURS’ CORNER::.. Why Pitching Angels May be a Waste of Time Investor groups such as the Pasadena Angels in California may review up to 50 proposals a month before inviting six entrepreneurs to present a preliminary pitch and just one or two for a final pitch. Those aren't very encouraging odds .... Entrepreneur or Unemployed? Last year was a fabulous one for entrepreneurs, at least according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity released last month by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. "Rather than making history for its deep recession and record unemployment," the foundation reported, "2009 might instead be remembered as the year business startups reached their highest level in 14 years." Merchants Push Sales Through Social Media After learning how to market themselves through tweets and status updates, some small companies are taking the next step: selling directly to consumers via social-networking sites. How Coke and Pepsi Are Using Social Media to Build Their 'Trust Banks' Coke and Pepsi are very active in social media, and I think their hard work is helping to build up a bank of trust with their audiences ... Hard Work Sweetens Luck of Food Entrepreneurs Kris Swanberg, a former teacher who lost her job when her Chicago public school closed two years ago, started making ice cream in her spare time. Today, her gourmet Nice Cream sells for $8.99 a pint in 18 local food markets, including two Whole Foods stores in the city… The Anti-Chain Chain Shake Shack didn't set out to become "the anti-chain", but that's exactly how many people first got to know it when The New York Times dubbed it that in December 2009. "We didn’t even set out to be a concept," Garutti says ...
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Pricing, Packaging, and Promotions… What Else is There?
South Africa Food Prices to Start Rising in 2011
World Cup Alternatives: What to See, Eat, and Drink in Cape Town
Savennières, a Demanding Wine Worth the Work
