| Credit card industry tries to hook young people
All major banking institutions pay big money to colleges and universities for on-campus recruiting rights, offering students low initial interest rates and/or other sweetheart deals if they accept a credit card. The rest of us get solicitations through our phone or the mails.Seductive sales campaigns focus on high school graduates and for all kinds of items that TV, movies or society has told them they want, need, should have because they deserve it and others have, so why don't they? Car dealers offer "one-time sales events" to first-time wage earners, high-end electronic stores give 90-day-same-as-cash deals and guarantee that no one will be turned down, furniture showrooms offer newlyweds "no payments 'til next year," cell phones, Internet providers, cable companies, satellite dish outfits all make it sound as if you can't have a decent life without their help.All this has given birth to an additional parasite - the debt-consolidation, paycheck-cashing, payday-loan, instant-refinancing-of-your-car (and you get to keep your car - 'til they come to take it away) industry.Public schools teach kids how to drive, play sports, fit a condom, take birth control pills, find an abortionist or fill out a job application at McDonald's.
Police pull over tractor in low-speed chase
Police fired several warning shots in the direction of the tractor, hitting a tyre." The driver jumped down and was taken into custody. The 32-year-old man had apparently lived on the farm before moving to Beacon Bay. He is expected to appear in the East London Magistrate's Court on Thursday on a charge of theft. - Sapa .
Chinese fortunes
Immigration is a vital part of Canada and its identity. In the past, the wave of Asian immigration was led by Hong Kong and Taiwan and, later on, China. However, with many having returned to their countries of origin, immigration from those parts of Asia has dwindled and left the Chinese market weak, especially in Vancouver. This signifies the end of the Chinese immigration wave. In 2008, immigration to Canada will be predominantly from India, South Korea, and Eastern Europe. I mentioned in last year's article that we will see a lot of gun violence, traffic accidents, and union strikes. In the Year of the Pig, we saw a large number of gang-related shootings. We were inconvenienced by a garbage-collection strike that lasted well over 90 days. We saw a small airplane crash into a Richmond high-rise.
Credit card use undiminished by credit crunch
Nearly one in eight Britons have at least four credit cards, with 28% of people applying for a new card over the past 12 months, research showed today. Around 13% of people have four or more credit cards, with 3% having five cards and 4% having more than five, according to MoneyExpert.com. However, just over half of people only have one or two credit cards, while 22% do not have one at all. The research also found that 28% of people had applied for more plastic during the past year, with 6% of adults applying for two new cards and 1% applying for three. Sean Gardner, chief executive of MoneyExpert.com, said: "The credit crunch hasn't finished the British love affair with credit cards yet, with millions of us still holding five or more cards.
Bush's failed Presidency
Bush leaves the country with a $9.2 trillion debt, largely because of the war in Iraq, which he defends against all criticism. In an infuriating gesture, he waited until this month -- seven years too late -- to declare war on earmarks, the congressional practice of quietly tucking money away in the budget for special home-state projects. He espoused the philosophy of "compassionate conservatism" but then abandoned it, leaving a few desultory "faith-based initiatives" and a larger gap between rich and poor. Not a thing has been done to help people with no health insurance, but he vetoed a plan to expand children's access to health care. He vows to cut out 151 popular programs to save $18 billion but has spent $609 billion on Iraq and Afghanistan. He demanded that Social Security be privatized, but when the country vigorously protested, he gave up trying to keep entitlements from eventual meltdown.
News Of The Day
More importantly, when all is said and done, I have to wake up in the morning and look myself in the face. I am proud of how hard I worked, the reasons I ran, and the way I conducted myself. In short, I end this campaign with my self-respect and integrity intact. I entered this race not because of my personal ambitions but because of my passion for justice and an overwhelming desire to see this county's system of justice work better than it has. Because of this, I have called Rich to congratulate him in his victory, and want him and everyone else to know that it is my sincere hope that he is able to succeed in bringing much needed changes to our justice system, and in the way the District Attorney's office works. Many people have asked me what I intend to do now.
Celebrity Stumpers: Heeere's Johnny! Jack Nicholson Goes Live For ...
I'm getting terrible static, so if I drift off the point, you'll have to forgive me," Mr. Nicholson can be heard saying in his trademark this-is-just-how-it-is tone. After clarity is restored to the line, he starts to stump. “As far as her positions which she's clearly stated in many occasions that I've watched her speak about Iraq—you know, it's very simple to say what you would or wouldn't have done in this or that situation. She was apparently misinformed by the president about the process and people forget about the timing at these times....As I heard the senator herself say, ‘If had been in [Mr. Bush's] position, this particular question would not have arisen.'" Mr. Nicholson then begins talking, in rather ambiguous terms, about how after Mrs. Clinton is elected she will go over to the Pentagon and demand this and that.
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