| Monday wild card
Nice day for a ride. Or to take a swim. Me? I'm helping my wife's sister and her husband from Big Sur, Calif., move into their Post Falls home this afternoon. When they pull in around noon tomorrow, they'll make Nos. 16 & 17 members of my extended family who'll be in North Idaho. I'm excited. But enough of me. You can start your own threads with this Wild Card ... .
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And with recession forecasts looming over the US economy, which has many direct effects globally, it is the home-based businesses that look to gain the most in per-firm, and IT spending market share as businesses unload the cost burden of employees who then make great candidates for new home business starts. This coupled with the increasing ease with which a home business can be started and operated, using relatively little startup capital, strengthens the likelihood of a recession-driven home-based business boom. Several vendors have already begun responding to this trend, such as Intuit who started JumpUp.com to help new businesses and business owners get up and running, and connect with other business owners. The site features a community especially for home-based business owners. Intuit is also offering QuickBooks Simple Start free to new business owners.
U.S. government official, Chinese immigrants charged in espionage case
WASHINGTON A Defense Department analyst and a former engineer for Boeing Co. were charged Monday in separate spy cases for allegedly selling military secrets to the Chinese government, the Justice Department said. Additionally, two Chinese immigrants accused of working with the defense analyst were arrested after an FBI raid Monday morning on a New Orleans home where one of them lived. The two cases based in Alexandria, Va., and Los Angeles have no connection, and investigators said it was merely a coincidence that charges would be brought against both on the same day. The cases show "that foreign spying remains a serious threat in the post-Cold War world," Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein said in a prepared statement. The Justice Department was to discuss the charges at an afternoon news conference in Washington.
Poll: RDU better than most airports
Raleigh-Durham International Airport could use a little work, but it's still better than most places to fly. Or at least that was the prevailing theme in Triangle Business Journal's latest online, unscientific poll. From Feb. 27 to March 4, visitors to TBJ's Web site were asked, "How does your experience at RDU stack up?" Of the 358 people who responded, 188, or 53 percent, said "it's better than most." Another 126, or 35 percent, said "it's in the middle of the pack." Some 21 voters, or 6 percent, said it's the best airport they've ever flown out of. Another 18, or 5 percent, said "it's worse than most." Just 5 voters, or 1 percent, said RDU is the worst airport they've ever flown out of. Commenters on the poll had a litany of accolades and complaints for the airport, which plans to open a renovated Terminal C soon; it has also talked about major renovations at its other terminal, Terminal A.
Interview with FARC Commander Raul Reyes
Bush have both intensified their efforts to defeat the FARC as part of the so-called war on terror. However, despite receiving more than $4.5 billion in US aid over the past six years, the Colombian government has yet to achieve a military victory. In June, I travelled to a remote jungle camp to meet with FARC Commander Raúl Reyes. During a two hour interview, Reyes discussed the para-politics scandal, the revolutionary struggle, the dirty war, child soldiers, the FARC's controversial use of home-made mortars and landmines, Plan Colombia, Plan Patriota, neoliberalism and the prospects for peace in Colombia.
Q: What is the significance of the para-politics scandal for democracy in Colombia? Raúl Reyes: The para-politics scandal is the result of many years of the existence of drug trafficking in Colombian politics.
Stocks Hammered By Economic Fears
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 315.79 points, or 2.51%, to 12,266.39 on Friday. The broader S&P 500 dropped 37.05 points, or 2.71%, to 1,330.64. And the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 60.09 points, or 2.58%, to 2,271.48. A rally earlier in the week is "distant memory," said Joe Liro of Stone & McCarthy Research Associates. That rally was "built on optimism that the worst might be over for financial institutions suffering under the weight of credit bets that have gone woefully wrong." Now that worries about the financial sector are back, there is also "nervousness about what impact the recent slide in the dollar and sharp rise in commodities -- including a jump in crude oil prices to $103 a barrel -- will have on the economy," Liro wrote. "The major trend is still firmly bearish, and we still believe there is a possibility that another down leg could take place" in the market, according to S&P chief technical strategist Mark Arbeter.
No death sentence likely in Graham killings
The probable fate of a man accused of killing a young couple in Graham came down to his willingness to admit blame, a grieving family's wish for certainty and a prosecutor's frustration with the death penalty. Pierce County Prosecutor Gerald Horne announced Wednesday that he would not seek execution for Daniel Tavares Jr. if the man, once imprisoned for killing his mother, follows through with his agreement to plead guilty. Tavares, 41, would spend the rest of his life in prison in the deaths of his neighbors, Brian Mauck, 30, and his wife, Beverly, 28, who were each shot three times in the head in November and left in the living room of their new home. The Maucks' relatives said they believed a life sentence -- and having the ordeal end without a trial and years of appeals -- was justice.
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