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To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (275515)	1/28/2004 7:05:27 PM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 436258

More on Sperm Whales Sperm whale explodes in Tainan City Blood and guts of 17-meter long 50-ton mammal splatter sidewalks, automobiles parked nearby < This from Harmy a New Zealander I remember when a similar sized whale beached itself and died close to a beach settlement in NZ. They couldn't drag it out to sea and they couldn't bury it so they called in the Army to blow it up. They did that all right - blood, guts and huge chunks of flesh rained down on peoples back yards, intestines festooned over washing lines and the SMELL after a few days was unbelievable. Relations with the Army since that time have been somewhat cool !! Regards Harmy

To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (275515)	1/28/2004 7:06:51 PM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 436258

the announcement by SEARS today seems to have been overshadowed here by the FED statement. Sears announced today that they were ending their pension program. All employees under 40 will now use 401k plans. Sears is also eliminating stock options (for everyone under VP level). Sears claimed they need to compete with WalMart who has an advantage because WMT offers less benefits

To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (275515)	1/28/2004 7:08:17 PM
From: mishedlo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

KB Toys shuts down 375 stores money.cnn.com Bankrupt toy retailer KB Toys Inc. said Wednesday it is closing at least 375 of its stores and cutting 3,500 jobs as it works to restructure.

To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (275515)	1/28/2004 7:09:28 PM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 436258

Amazing. Hand out more money to the steel and airline industry. Again, they don't make companies actully fund the plans, they just ease the requirements so companies aren't so out of compliance. money.cnn.com Responding to pressure from companies struggling to make contributions to traditional pension plans, the Senate voted 86-9 to ease a key funding formula, giving an $80 billion break over current law for the next two years. This general relief for 31,000 plans covering 44 million workers has already passed the House of Representatives and was accepted by the Bush administration. But the Senate added an estimated $16 billion more help for airlines, steelmakers, other companies with severely ailing pension plans and a railway union.

To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (275515)	1/28/2004 7:11:44 PM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 436258

Here is a date to forget at your peril. Next week marks the tenth anniversary of the bond market crash. In case you can't remember, February 1994 was when the United States finally raised interest rates after a long hiatus. It was a year that saw the dollar crumple, stocks droop and commodity prices soar. It was such an awful time for investment banks that Goldman Sachs partners even had to inject money into the bank after it suffered huge bond losses. This year may turnout different. But the similarities are certainly startling and scary. Then, as now, Alan Greenspan had kept rates unusually low to protect the U.S. economy and the financial system from a deflationary crunch. Then, as now, there was no sign of inflation, although the economy was growing at a 7 percent clip. The United States also had a record current account deficit, which it was relying on foreign money -- especially Asian -- to finance. And then as now U.S. banks were making hay on what they thought was a riskless carry trade, buying long-dated U.S. Treasuries using funds financed with cheap deposits. money.cnn.com