The news about the North American Flu (normally called "Swine Flu" ... but there's apparently some good reasons to believe pigs are not to blame) makes this article from 2008 particularly interesting. There's some wonderful stuff on the rest of the website, too!
The Heroes of SARS
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
The environmental cost of spam
Tree-hugger or not, here's some news from the BBC we can all take an interest in:
Spam produces 17m tons of CO2
Spam produces 17m tons of CO2
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Here we go again ...
MADISON, Wis. (4/15/09)--Credit unions are a "bright spot on the banking front," Arianna Huffington wrote on her blog Monday in The Huffington Post (April 13).
"They're lending, their balance sheets are solid, and their capital levels are near record highs," Huffington added.
She also wrote that credit unions are owned by shareholders, put member service ahead of profits and have avoided the subprime loan fiasco.
Huffington mentioned on her Facebook page and to her followers on Twitter that she was going to write about credit unions, and asked readers to send in their thoughts.
Some reader responses posted on her blog:
"My own experience suggests that if you are looking for a secure financial institution in these turbulent times, think small and think local ... look for banking and credit institutions that have ties to your community," a reader wrote about his positive experience going to a credit union.
"A credit union saved me from Bank of America. Every day BoA had a way to take some amount of money from me--every day a fee ranging from 25 cents to 35 dollars. Once I went credit union, transparency came back into my life. I woke up with the same amount of money I went to bed with ... The robbery was over. I will never trust a large bank again."
"All I can say is that nothing beats the personal attention a credit union offers. It's the 'Cheers' bar where everybody knows your name."
"My 19-year-old daughter, with no previous credit history, was unable to get a car loan even when she was putting 50% down. Our credit union came through for her."
"They're lending, their balance sheets are solid, and their capital levels are near record highs," Huffington added.
She also wrote that credit unions are owned by shareholders, put member service ahead of profits and have avoided the subprime loan fiasco.
Huffington mentioned on her Facebook page and to her followers on Twitter that she was going to write about credit unions, and asked readers to send in their thoughts.
Some reader responses posted on her blog:
"My own experience suggests that if you are looking for a secure financial institution in these turbulent times, think small and think local ... look for banking and credit institutions that have ties to your community," a reader wrote about his positive experience going to a credit union.
"A credit union saved me from Bank of America. Every day BoA had a way to take some amount of money from me--every day a fee ranging from 25 cents to 35 dollars. Once I went credit union, transparency came back into my life. I woke up with the same amount of money I went to bed with ... The robbery was over. I will never trust a large bank again."
"All I can say is that nothing beats the personal attention a credit union offers. It's the 'Cheers' bar where everybody knows your name."
"My 19-year-old daughter, with no previous credit history, was unable to get a car loan even when she was putting 50% down. Our credit union came through for her."
Friday, March 27, 2009
More on Credit Unions ...
Here are national average interest rates from DATATRAC as of March 26, 2009:
Numbers are: Average Credit Union rate, Average Bank Rate.
Savings
Savings: 0.56%; 0.36%
Interest-bearing Checking: 0.39%; 0.29%
1-Year CD: 2.17%; 1.69%
Consumer Loans
Regular Credit Card: 11.65%; 12.72%
48-month new car: 5.38%; 6.69%
48-month used car: 5.64%; 7.24%
36-month unsecured: 10.62%; 12.46%
Mortgage Loans
Home Equity Line of Credit: 4.40%; 4.77%
1-year ARM: 4.81%; 4.98%
30-year Fixed: 5.16%; 5.15%
Easy to see the difference, isn't it? Credit Unions win every category but one, and that one is almost a tie.
Numbers are: Average Credit Union rate, Average Bank Rate.
Savings
Savings: 0.56%; 0.36%
Interest-bearing Checking: 0.39%; 0.29%
1-Year CD: 2.17%; 1.69%
Consumer Loans
Regular Credit Card: 11.65%; 12.72%
48-month new car: 5.38%; 6.69%
48-month used car: 5.64%; 7.24%
36-month unsecured: 10.62%; 12.46%
Mortgage Loans
Home Equity Line of Credit: 4.40%; 4.77%
1-year ARM: 4.81%; 4.98%
30-year Fixed: 5.16%; 5.15%
Easy to see the difference, isn't it? Credit Unions win every category but one, and that one is almost a tie.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Credit Unions and the financial meltdown
At a time when many banks are failing, and the one's that aren't can be blamed for many of the economic problems facing our country, there's one bright spot: Credit Unions.
In testimony yesterday (March 24) before the Senate Banking Committee, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) CEO and President Dan Mica said that Credit Unions stand ready to loan as much as $10 billion to small businesses who have lost their lines of credit due to banks' hunkering down. The problem is that bankers years ago pushed for unrealistically small limits on how much money Credit Unions can loan out to businesses.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) asked bank representatives why the cap on business lending should not be lifted, even temporarily. The bankers were unable to give a reasonable answer. The truth, which could never be stated aloud, is that bankers fear competition from Credit Unions, and will do absolutely anything they can to limit their influence.
You can be a part of the solution! Look around for a local Credit Union and join. You'll meet good people, who make sound investments in people of your community. They have money to loan, and at rates which give bankers bad dreams. If you're depositing, you'll find better rates too. Why? Because unlike banks, Credit Unions are not-for-profit, run by volunteer boards, with dividends paid out to the members. Their costs are lower.
If you "live, work, worship, volunteer or attend school in Riley, Pottawatomie or Geary County" Kansas, an excellent choice would be the K-State Federal Credit Union. Check them out here.
Also, read the whole story of Mr. Mica's testimony here.
In testimony yesterday (March 24) before the Senate Banking Committee, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) CEO and President Dan Mica said that Credit Unions stand ready to loan as much as $10 billion to small businesses who have lost their lines of credit due to banks' hunkering down. The problem is that bankers years ago pushed for unrealistically small limits on how much money Credit Unions can loan out to businesses.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) asked bank representatives why the cap on business lending should not be lifted, even temporarily. The bankers were unable to give a reasonable answer. The truth, which could never be stated aloud, is that bankers fear competition from Credit Unions, and will do absolutely anything they can to limit their influence.
You can be a part of the solution! Look around for a local Credit Union and join. You'll meet good people, who make sound investments in people of your community. They have money to loan, and at rates which give bankers bad dreams. If you're depositing, you'll find better rates too. Why? Because unlike banks, Credit Unions are not-for-profit, run by volunteer boards, with dividends paid out to the members. Their costs are lower.
If you "live, work, worship, volunteer or attend school in Riley, Pottawatomie or Geary County" Kansas, an excellent choice would be the K-State Federal Credit Union. Check them out here.
Also, read the whole story of Mr. Mica's testimony here.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Customer Service, US Airways' Style
US Airways is not known for it's customer service, but Business Week magazine reports in it's March 2 issue (p 31) that the airline's performance after Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River "may become a model for crisis management."
US Airways stages disaster drills at every location it serves three times a year. When their plane went down in the Hudson River, their "Care Team" went into action. A special toll-free number was activated for families to get information. More than 100 employees boarded a plane from corporate HQ to New York to help. The Managing Director for Corporate Finance carried a bag of cash and credit cards to purchase whatever the passengers needed. There were prepaid cellular cards and sweat suits available. Employees escorted passengers to hotel rooms or other flights. They arranged train or bus tickets and rental cars for those who (perhaps understandably) didn't want to fly. Some passengers lost their Driver's Licenses, so US Airways worked with top management at Hertz and Amtrak to make sure people could go on their way without proper ID.
US Airways has sent each passenger three letters updating them on status, and along with one letter was a check for a refund of their ticket price, plus a $5,000 advance to purchase whatever they needed to replace what was lost. Of course, some do-gooders are griping about the small amount of that check. However, US Airways has done something surprising: These checks were given out without the passenger having to waive any of his or her legal rights. This is, as one consultant put it, "an unprecedented exception to the industry norm."
Sounds like they got something right after all.
US Airways stages disaster drills at every location it serves three times a year. When their plane went down in the Hudson River, their "Care Team" went into action. A special toll-free number was activated for families to get information. More than 100 employees boarded a plane from corporate HQ to New York to help. The Managing Director for Corporate Finance carried a bag of cash and credit cards to purchase whatever the passengers needed. There were prepaid cellular cards and sweat suits available. Employees escorted passengers to hotel rooms or other flights. They arranged train or bus tickets and rental cars for those who (perhaps understandably) didn't want to fly. Some passengers lost their Driver's Licenses, so US Airways worked with top management at Hertz and Amtrak to make sure people could go on their way without proper ID.
US Airways has sent each passenger three letters updating them on status, and along with one letter was a check for a refund of their ticket price, plus a $5,000 advance to purchase whatever they needed to replace what was lost. Of course, some do-gooders are griping about the small amount of that check. However, US Airways has done something surprising: These checks were given out without the passenger having to waive any of his or her legal rights. This is, as one consultant put it, "an unprecedented exception to the industry norm."
Sounds like they got something right after all.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ireland's worst driver
The mystery of Ireland's worst driver has finally been solved. Prawo Jazdy had been wanted all across Ireland for racking up speeding tickets and parking fines. Authorities knew he was Polish, and he carried a Polish driver's license. However, every time he was stopped, he managed to elude capture by giving a different address.
Finally, some bright boy in the Garda figured out that "Prawo Jazdy" is Polish for ... "Driver's License".
Turns out there were nearly 50 entries in their database for Mr. Jazdy. A notice has gone out to all officers to examine Polish licenses a little more closely in the future. I suspect that authorities all over Europe are doing a quick (and quiet) scrub of their databases, too.
Read the BBC story here!
PS: I just noticed that my previous post was number 100. Hmmm.
Finally, some bright boy in the Garda figured out that "Prawo Jazdy" is Polish for ... "Driver's License".
Turns out there were nearly 50 entries in their database for Mr. Jazdy. A notice has gone out to all officers to examine Polish licenses a little more closely in the future. I suspect that authorities all over Europe are doing a quick (and quiet) scrub of their databases, too.
Read the BBC story here!
PS: I just noticed that my previous post was number 100. Hmmm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)