According to Ireland's commentary, only Obama has a real plan. He would increase penalties for fraudulent lending, create a foreclosure-prevention fund, create a standardized scoring system for rating borrowers' obligations, and more. (Although Obama does not mention it, I hope he would also earmark funding to prosecute the frauds, who are pretty much going unpunished.)
Ireland says Clinton wants to offer shelter to the mortgage servicers who helped create the problem, while McCain's "proposal" is basically to do nothing.
The Issues: Housing [NYT]
Clinton, Obama, McCain On Foreclosure Crisis [Consumer Rights Watch]
(photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)
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The financial wiseguys at Minyanville have nailed it. They've pinned down, to a tee, the future of air travel fees.
I like the "Arial Font Fee" best. Can I get a discount for Palatino?
It's item 4 of the "Five Things You Need to Know" today. The full "ticket" is here.
I'm just getting over the first wave of ice cream shrinkage (from 1/2 gallon to 1.75 quarts) when I noticed today that Breyer's is upping (or rather shrinking) the ante - they're beginning to roll out 1.5 qt packages!We checked Breyers' website and noticed that they haven't updated from the last time they shrunk their package:Bill
Why have you downsized your Breyers 1/2 gallon cartons?They are, according to Bill's photograph, now down to 48 oz. At this rate, Breyers ice cream boxes are going to be about as full as potato chip bags.Over the last two years or so, a number of our ice cream competitors made the decision to reduce the size of their 1/2 gallon containers. At the current time, the price on all of our ingredients, most of all the fresh cream we use in our products, has gone up dramatically in cost. In order to remain competitive, Breyers has made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our basic pack to 56 oz. We believe this change is a way of mitigating the level of future price increases compared to what otherwise might have been the case. As always, you can expect the same great Breyers quality which has been our standard for over 135 years.
(Photo:Bill)
The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.
"You can't eat this every day. It's too heavy," a health care executive from Palo Alto, Sharad Patel, grumbled as his son loaded two sacks of the Basmati into a shopping cart. "We only need one bag but I'm getting two in case a neighbor or a friend needs it," the elder man said.Rice prices have skyrocketed in the past few months. Marketplace says prices are up 60-70%:The Patels seemed headed for disappointment, as most Costco members were being allowed to buy only one bag. Moments earlier, a clerk dropped two sacks back on the stack after taking them from another customer who tried to exceed the one-bag cap.
"Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history," a sign above the dwindling supply said.
Shoppers said the limits had been in place for a few days, and that rice supplies had been spotty for a few weeks. A store manager referred questions to officials at Costco headquarters near Seattle, who did not return calls or e-mail messages yesterday.
An employee at the Costco store in Queens said there were no restrictions on rice buying, but limits were being imposed on purchases of oil and flour. Internet postings attributed some of the shortage at the retail level to bakery owners who flocked to warehouse stores when the price of flour from commercial suppliers doubled.
International demand is greater than the supply of available rice. That's led several key rice-growing countries to impose export restrictions — resulting in even tighter supplies. Prices are also being driven by some of the same forces boosting all commodities — a weak dollar and high fuel prices.Are the high rice prices hitting your home?
Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World [NY Sun] (Thanks, Ryan!)
(Photo:greenwenvy08)
From the Washington Post:
Wal-Mart has sold BPA-free baby bottles for several years alongside bottles with the chemical. But yesterday was the first time the retailer indicated it would convert its entire U.S. stock.Popular water bottle manufacturer Nalgene told the NYT that it would offer BPA-free alternatives due to market pressure:"We are working hard to expand our BPA-free offerings," Wal-Mart spokesman Nick Agarwal wrote in an e-mail.
"Based on all available scientific evidence, we continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use," a company official said in a statement quoted by the New York Times. "However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives, and we acted in response to those concerns."
Wal-Mart to Pull Bottles Made With Chemical BPA [Washington Post]
Wal-Mart, Nalgene Move Away From Bisphenol A [Wall Street Journal Health Blog]
(Photo:decaf)
