| Chiefs fan in Bronco country
Thanks again NFL. Well, my time has come to sign off for the year. I have exhausted my thoughts throughout the year. Many thanks to all the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders fans who supported me. Thanks for all the comments and good conversations this year. I have made some good friends and started some good relationships this year. I will probably be shutting my mouth until some free agent acquisitions and draft time. It has been a pleasure to write again and I look forward to next season. Until then................GO CHIEFS!!!!! Batman out. .
Respite's Over
The respite from Credit crisis came to an abrupt end. For the week, the Dow was hit for 4.1% (up 8.5% y-t-d) and the S&P500 3.9% (up 5.8%). The Transports fell 2.8% (up 5.3%), and the Utilities were clobbered for 4.1% (up 7.4%). The Morgan Stanley Cyclical index was slammed for 4.6% (up 16.3%), and the Morgan Stanley Consumer index dropped 3.4% (up 4.8%). The broader market was weak. The small cap Russell 2000 sank 5% (up 1.4%), and the S&P400 Mid-Cap index dropped 3.7% (up 9.3%). The NASDAQ100 declined 2.2% (up 21.3%), and the Morgan Stanley High Tech index fell 3.4% (up 17.1%). The Semiconductors declined 2.5% (up 1.5%). The Street.com Internet Index dropped 3.7% (up 19.1%), and the NASDAQ Telecommunications index sank 3.8% (up 21.3%). The Biotechs fell 2.7% (up 9.1%). Financial stocks were hammered.
Day of reckoning in the US glasshouse
There is a growing consensus: America is going into a marked slowdown, if not a downright recession. There will be a large gap between potential growth – usually estimated at 3 per cent to 4 per cent – and actual growth, meaning lost output of hundreds of billions of dollars. America actually faces three separate but related problems; a credit crunch, a debt crisis and a macroeconomic problem. A decade ago, America roundly criticised the countries of East Asia for their lack of transparency and inadequate regulation. But, as the old aphorism goes, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Money was lent to hundreds of thousands of Americans beyond their ability to pay. What was called financial innovation meant that borrowers didn’t even have to pay the accrued interest; at the end of the year, they owed more than at the beginning.
Michigan briefcase
Tubby's Sub Shops Inc. is kicking off an ad campaign to tout the distinct taste and variety of its submarine sandwiches. The ads began running this month, and a series of new radio and TV commercials will air throughout Michigan in 2008. The first TV and radio spots have a Christmas theme. Though the ads are humorous twists on kids' Christmas lists to Santa and the snacks they leave for him Christmas Eve, they all focus on the distinct difference of Tubby's subs: "It's the grill." "Unlike other sub shops that toast, microwave or warm their subs under heat lamps, we're the only sub shop that grills our subs. That's why our tag line in all of our marketing materials is 'It's the grill,' and that's what makes us different and better than the competition," said Robert Paganes, president of Tubby's Sub Shops.
I speculated about the sociological reasons coaches are being ...
We can't imagine becoming a movie star because we're not good-looking enough, or becoming a pop star because we know we can't sing. The sports coach, on the other hand, has no special physical abilities or God-given gifts. Coaches can't run a 4.4 or hit a high note. I could be like him, I could run that team is in a lot of fans' minds. We don't imagine ourselves actually becoming Supreme Court justices and heart surgeons because we know professions like these involve many years of intense study and training. Coaching, on the other hand, seems like something almost anyone could learn. In the end, we revere coaches as persons of incredible prowess when really they are not all that different from the typical man or woman. And they would prefer this not be generally understood, thank you. In other news, in the NFC wild-card playoffs on Saturday, why didn't Dallas pull the goalie? Down 21-20 with seven seconds remaining, Seattle punting from its 28, the 'Boys' sole realistic hope was a blocked punt.
Chargers can't put dent in perfection
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ---- One week after defeating Perfect Peyton Manning, the Chargers couldn't put a blemish on the undefeated New England Patriots. "We went out and gave everything we got,'' linebacker Shawn Merriman said. "We put everything on the line and we fell short.''
View A Slide ShowThe Chargers' quest for their second Super Bowl appearance was denied by the Patriots, 21-12, on a cold Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship Game. "We certainly had to do everything, especially in the second half, that we possibly could to hang on and beat them," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. The task of handing the Patriots, now 18-0, their first loss was huge to begin with.But as the game developed, the Chargers lost All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson (knee), while the play of quarterback Philip Rivers (knee) and tight end Antonio Gates (toe) was compromised.Still, they took the Patriots' best shot and nearly duplicated their stunning upset of the Colts on the previous Sunday, when they advanced to their fourth conference title game."It's tough,'' said Michael Turner, who replaced Tomlinson and rushed for a team-high 65 yards.The Chargers (13-6) trudged off into the freezing temperatures downcast because their offense couldn't find the end zone.Three times they reached the Patriots' 9-yard-line and failed to score a touchdown, settling for Nate Kaeding field goals."We were moving the ball pretty well,'' said Tomlinson, the two-time NFL rushing leader who was restricted to two carries for 5 yards and one reception for 1 yard.
Business Capsules
Business Capsules appears in every edition of The Business Ledger. If you have information on a new business or your company expands, relocates or wins an award, send your news to Mark Thomton, news editor, The Business Ledger, 1260 Iroquois Ave., Suite 200, Naperville, Ill. 60563 or e-mail it to mthomton@thebusinessledger.com. Des Plaines Office Equipment honored ELK GROVE VILLAGE—Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE) has received the 2007 Elite Dealer Award from Office Dealer, a national monthly industry publication. DPOE was chosen as one of the 50 top independent office equipment dealers in the United States, from more than 3,000 dealers nominated. Office Dealer selects winners on the basis of dealership growth, marketing innovations, community involvement, and overall marketplace excellence.
797 new area jobs predicted
Roland Mower, CEO of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation; Keith Arnold, president and CEO of the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Gene Guernsey, real estate agent with Remax Metro Properties, met with members of the Corpus Christi Rotary Club on Thursday to discuss their forecasts. "I really think we are setting up 2009, 2010 and other years for a really good housing market," Guernsey said. "I think the housing market will remain a buyer's market, and we will have about an eight-month inventory. It will continue to be strong compared with national figures." Month-supply inventories ranging from six to nine months -- meaning the houses take that long to sell -- are considered balanced markets. Anything less than six months shows a seller's market and anything more than nine months shows a buyer's market.
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