U.S. sales of organic products continued to grow during 2009 despite the distressed state of the economy, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) revealed in releasing findings from its 2010 Organic Industry Survey. In fact, organic product sales in 2009 grew by 5.3 percent overall, to reach $26.6 billion. Of that figure, $24.8 billion represented organic [...]
A rumor that says Apple is thinking of making a $ 8 billion offer for chip maker ARM has appeared yesterday in England. The idea would make sense for Apple, in a certain way. ARM is a very important chip maker and Apple is buying most of those chips from them. That is because most [...]
Bank of America reported First-Quarter 2010 net income of $3.2 billion compared with a net loss of $194 million in the Fourth Quarter and net income of $4.2 billion a year earlier. After preferred dividends, the company earned $0.28 per diluted share in the First Quarter, up from a loss of $0.60 per share in [...]
New Price Data Help Steel Mills, Miners Value Asia-Bound Coking Coal Platts announced it will launch the world’s first daily metallurgical coal assessments on March 15, 2010. The new daily assessments address miners’ and steel mills’ needs for an independent daily spot assessment in the burgeoning Asian market to better determine pricing for short- and [...]
Early college – leaving high school before the traditional age in order to enroll in higher education – is likely called that because “offering the option of college at the right time for intellectually curious and capable students” lacks pith. But the point is valid: for many students the age of fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen [...]
The labor-force participation rate is increasing for older Americans (those age 55 and older) as older workers are faced with higher health costs and economic losses, according to a study published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). For those ages 55-64 (the “near elderly”), the increase is being driven almost exclusively by the [...]
In 2009, a total of eight new wind farms consisting of 199 offshore wind turbines, with a combined power generating capacity of 577 MW, were connected to the grid in Europe. This represents a growth rate of 54% compared to the 373 MW installed during 2008. For 2010, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) expects [...]
What was the biggest scandal of 2009? Blagojevich trying to sell a Senate seat? Senators, governors, and their mistresses? Allegations that lobbyists were lining up defense earmarks in exchange for straw donations? No, the biggest scandal of 2009 was that the entire pay-to-play system that dominates Washington and occupies Congress’ time and attention sidetracked bold [...]
Investments Have Boosted Economy, Saved and Created Jobs Along with boosting the economy and preserving jobs, seven provisions of the federal economic recovery act are also keeping about 189,000 Pennsylvanians from falling into poverty this year, according to a new study from the Washington, DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The American Recovery and [...]
Austin-Round Rock, Texas Tops All Large Metropolitan Areas In this time of economic uncertainty, a safe and secure environment in which to live, work and raise a family has become an even greater priority to many Americans. According to the sixth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers Insurance Group of Companies®, [...]