October 10, 2012

Holiday Season Sees Heightened Spending

Sixty-two percent of consumers plan to spend the same or more this holiday season compared to the same time last year, revealing optimism for both consumers and retailers for the year’s end.

According to PriceGrabber’s first winter holiday shopping survey, 50 percent of shoppers plan to spend the same amount compared to last year – up slightly from 48 percent in 2011 – and 12 percent plan to spend more, up 7 percent from last year.

Consumers are positive about the upcoming holiday season

Of those consumers who indicated that they will spend more this year, 42 percent said they would do so because they’re making more money this year, 34 percent attributed their decision to better prices on gifts, 22 percent said they have confidence in the economy, 13 percent said they will spend more due to an increased credit limit, and 8 percent are tired of being frugal.

For those who indicated they plan to spend less money on holiday shopping in 2012, 62 percent attributed their spending decision to an increase in food prices, gas and other necessities. Forty-one percent indicated that they are earning less money this year and 39 percent said they planned to spend less due to an acceptance of giving less expensive gifts. The economy continues to impact consumers’ holiday shopping decisions, as the survey found that 64 percent of shoppers say the economic climate will affect their overall spending.

Shoppers are looking forward to better pricing and discounts this holiday season

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/consumer-insights/id36408/holiday-season-sees-heightened-spending/

October 10, 2012

McCaskill campaign answers questions over $40 million in federal funding

(KMOV.com) -- More sparks are flying in the Missouri Senate race as Senator Claire McCaskill faces questions about her husband receiving tens of millions of dollars in federal subsidies.
News 4 has been looking into the story and reached out to both campaigns.
While Akin’s campaign didn’t seem to want to talk about it, McCaskill’s campaign came back quickly to answer where the $40 million came from and where it went.
‘This is another baseless unfounded attack by congressman akin,” said McCaskill spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki.
But the story actually came from an Associated Press investigation into federal money that went to McCaskill’s husband.
Reportedly he collected $40 million for low income housing developments that he owns—money that supplements rent for poor families.
If actions speak louder than words then Akin’s campaign said it all, by jumping on the report on Akin’s twitter page, and using it against McCaskill.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/McCaskill-campaign-answers-questions-over-40-million-in-federal-funding-173421631.html

October 10, 2012

Spartan Stores Ratifies Logistics Labor Contract

Spartan Stores Inc. has ratified a three-year labor agreement with the warehouse, transportation and maintenance bargaining unit associates at its Grand Rapids, Mich., distribution center.

The local bargaining unit associates were previously working under an approved one-year contract extension of a five-year labor agreement that expired in October 2011.

“We are very pleased to have ratified the labor agreement with our warehouse and transportation associates,” said Dennis Eidson, Spartan’s president and CEO. “This demonstrates our consistent focus on strong labor relations to provide associates with quality compensation and benefit packages.”

Grand Rapids-based Spartan Stores Inc. distributes more than 40,000 private and national brand products to 375 independent grocery locations in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and to 97 corporate-owned stores in Michigan, including Family Fare Supermarkets, Glen’s Markets, D&W Fresh Markets, VG’s Food and Pharmacy, and Valu Land.

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/industry-intelligence/id36419/spartan-stores-ratifies-logistics-labor-contract/

October 10, 2012

Wal-Mart retail strike spreads to 12 cities today

Unrest is continuing to spread at Wal-Mart as employees walked off the job in 12 stores. This follows the first multi-store strike on Thursday, when workers at two stores stopped work for the day.

Last week's action was the first time ever Wal-Mart workers went out on strike.

Huffington Post tells us:
... workers are now walking off the job in Dallas, Seattle, the Bay Area, Miami, the Washington D.C. area, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Chicago and Orlando, in addition to cities in Kentucky, Missouri and Minnesota.
A total of 88 workers from 28 various stores went on strike today...
The workers are protesting company attempts to "silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job," according the (UFCW) press release.

http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/10/wal-mart-retail-strike-spreads-to-12.html

October 10, 2012

St. Louis-area pastors call for an end to speed cameras

FLORISSANT, Mo. (KMOV) – St. Louis-area pastors spoke in Florissant on Tuesday to take a stand against cities that use speed cameras.
The group says there is no evidence to show the cameras make drivers safer or data showing the cameras cut down on crashes.
Instead, they say the cameras are nothing more than a way for cities to make money.
At a press conference Tuesday, pastors said the travesty was that the cameras were placed mostly in poorer areas in St. Louis County and affect residents who can least afford the tickets or contest them.
The ministers sent a letter to the county council to put the cameras up to a vote.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/St-Louis-area-pastors-call-for-an-end-to-speed-cameras-173382161.html

October 9, 2012

October 9, 1812, near Fort Erie, Ohio HMS Caledonia and HMS Detroit captured

There were 5 English warships on Lake Erie and 1 warship on Lake Huron in the fall of 1812. The ships were: HMS Queen Charlotte with 20 32lb. guns, HMS Hunter with 10 12lb. guns, HMS Prevost with 14 9lb. guns, HMS Nancy with 8 6lb. guns, HMS Caledonia with 8 6lb. guns, and HMS Detroit with 14 guns. Against these, the United States had nothing except hopes. The first erosion of British superiority occured on November 9. Lt. Jesse D. Elliot, the American commander on Lake Erie, embarked at 1:00 A.M. from Buffalo with 100 men in 2 boats. They began to row silently across the Niagra River towards Fort Erie. Being undetected, his party boarded the Caledonia and the Detroit at 3:00 A.M. They overpowered the British crews on both ships and cut the ship's cables. When the British crews were secured, the Americans fired a signal volley from onboard. This caused the shore on the American side of Lake Erie to become illuminated. Now, british shore artillery began to fire on them and forced the Detroit to be beached on the Canadian side. There was not anything that the American crews could do except to destroy the ship by burning it. The Caledonia was able to be saved and later became the nucleus of the American flotilla on Lake Erie.

http://www.mywarof1812.com/battles/1812-1815-naval.html#121009

October 8, 2012

Spence To Stations: Cease And Desist Airing Nixon Ad

Republican Missouri gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence issued a cease and desist letter to stations broadcasting one of Governor Jay Nixon's campaign ads. The Spence campaign called the ad false and defamatory, saying further broadcasting could lead to lawsuits.

The ad in dispute claims Spence was a banker for a bank that accepted TARP funds. Jared Craighead, Spence's campaign manager, says Spence was only on the board of the St. Louis bank, and he joined after it had voted to accept TARP funds. Craighead also said Spence owned less than one-half of one percent of the bank.

"By analogy, it would be like us running an ad claiming for the iPhone 5, since Dave (Spence) owns stock in Apple," Craighead said.

But the Nixon campaign is standing by the ad.

"He (Spence) is beginning to panic and resort to desperate measures," Oren Shur, Nixon's campaign manager said. “Instead of threatening television stations with lawsuits, Spence would be better advised to simply explain why, after his bank took a $40 million bailout, he felt there was money for his million-dollar insider loan but not money to repay the taxpayers."

The Spence campaign disputes that assertion. Although Spence did vote to delay paying back taxpayers, Spence claims he did so under the suggestion of federal advisors. Craighead also points out that loans are how banks make money.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/spence-stations-cease-and-desist-airing-nixon-ad

October 8, 2012

Voter registration deadline in Missouri is Wednesday

ST. LOUIS • As the old saying goes, if you don't vote, you can't complain.

To keep your right to complain after the Nov. 6 general election, you have to be registered to vote in Missouri by Wednesday (Oct. 10). Missourians who haven't done it yet, there are a few options, according to the Missouri Secretary of State's office.

Mail-in: The voter registration application can be found at www.GoVoteMissouri.com. The PDF application, under “Register to Vote,” should be printed out and mailed in at the addresses available on the site. The registration must by postmarked by Oct. 10.

In person: Voters can register in person at the office of their local election authority. Those offices can be found at http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/localelectionauthority.aspx

Voters also can register at any Department of Motor Vehicles office or state agency providing a service to the public, such as WIC, or state Social Services.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/voter-registration-deadline-in-missouri-is-wednesday/article_1d073028-0f27-11e2-a43f-001a4bcf6878.html

October 6, 2012

Akin and McCaskill both seek the mantle of Harry Truman

With his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in question, conservative Republican Todd Akin stood before reporters last month and summoned the memory of Missouri's Democratic lion.

"In 1940, Harry Truman was pitched overboard by the Democrat Party in St. Louis and Kansas City, but he decided that he was going to challenge those particular leaders and let the public decide in the state of Missouri," Akin said. "The rest is history. We're going to do it again."

Truman's name is the one constant in Missouri's fast-changing U.S. Senate race. Both candidates — Akin and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill — have been underdogs at various points. And both candidates, once left for dead, have turned to Truman's memory for inspiration.

Truman, once viewed through a decidedly Democratic Party lens, is now a bipartisan icon, a modern-day folk hero of the underdog campaign.

"I would invoke Harry Truman's memory, too," said David McCullough, a historian who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for his book on Truman's life. "If you are behind, he's a marvelous example of how to stay in the fight."

"He often said that he never forgot 'who I was, where I came from, or where I'd go back to,'" McCullough noted.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/69802c2a-84e4-51dd-bbad-3ac90f865cfc.html

One might point out to Mr. Akin that Harry Truman was a DEMOCRAT, but then he missed the whole anatomy thing and he missed the whole 10 years of pension payments thing, that such might be a difficult concept to grasp......

October 5, 2012

A reminder of those "Glorious Reagan Years", Iran-Contra scandal unravels

Oct 5, 1986:

Eugene Hasenfus is captured by troops of the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua after the plane in which he is flying is shot down; two others on the plane die in the crash. Under questioning, Hasenfus confessed that he was shipping military supplies into Nicaragua for use by the Contras, an anti-Sandinista force that had been created and funded by the United States. Most dramatically, he claimed that operation was really run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The news of Hasenfus's revelations caused quite a stir in the United States. Congress, reacting to complaints about corruption and brutality against the Contras, had passed the Boland Amendment in 1984, specifically forbidding the CIA or any other U.S. agency from supporting the Contras. President Ronald Reagan, who saw the Sandinista government in Nicaragua as a puppet of the Soviet Union, had secured U.S. funding for the Contras in 1981 and signed off on the Boland Amendment reluctantly. If Hasenfus's story was true, then the CIA and Reagan administration had broken the law.

Despite denials from the president, Vice President George Bush, and other Reagan officials that the CIA had nothing to do with the flight, persistent investigations by journalists and Congress began to unravel the so-called Iran-Contra scandal. The scandal involved the secret sale of U.S. weapons to Iran (which was supposed to help in the release of U.S. hostages in the Middle East). Some of the proceeds from these sales were used to covertly fund the Contra war in Nicaragua. A Congressional investigation, begun in December 1986, revealed the scheme to the public. Many figures from the Reagan administration were called to testify.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/iran-contra-scandal-unravels