Are you feeling the credit crunch because of the current financial crisis?
The business staff is looking for people who are having trouble getting loans -- home, small business, car, etc. etc. We want to know how you are coping and what you are trying to do to deal with the current credit crunch.
E-mail staff writer Jessica Milcetich at jmilcetich@ydr.com to let us know.
For a while I was pretty removed from all this banking stuff. My bank was struggling but it was surviving, just barely, but still surviving.
But not anymore. The FDIC just announced that Citigroup will acquire the rights to Wachovia.
This is unfortunate for me on two levels. First off, I bank at Wachovia. That is where the large part of my money is stored.
Second, I hold (held?) shares of Wachovia. I know the stock prices were just tumbling, but the stocks were a gift from my grandfather many many years ago and they used to pay an OK dividend. Now I can just say buh-bye to all of that.
So I guess, it's a pretty dull day for me and other Wachovia bankers and shareholders.
Do you bank at Wachovia or own stock? Let me know in the comments.
Well, I think it's safe to say you've been living under a rock this week if you missed all the news surrounding the bailout.
If for some reason you have, here's a quick rundown of what you missed.
People in general are not lovin' the bailout.
Congress is still yakking about the bailout.
WaMu joins the growing list of failing banks.
In more lighthearted news, "The Office" started last night and you can check out a cool story about a York College professor who teaches classes based off the show.
And don't forget to take a few minutes to listen to this week's podcast. The business staff chats about what you need to know to buy a car in our weak economy.
If something seems like an easy fix, it's probably causing a bigger problem. This financial meltdown we're in right now is probably the best big-picture example.
But here's another: Those reusable bags many businesses are touting can be worse for the environment than cheap, reusable plastic. How can that be?
1. Many come from China, and that country's record of environmental health can be as bad as its human health record, including the fact milk from that country is killing babies as we speak.
2. Many of the processes used to make non-plastic bags are water-and energy-intensive.
3. If people take or buy a bunch of those bags but then stop using them, or grab cheap plastics in a pinch when they forget the reusables at home, their overall environmental impact gets bigger than if they just stuck to cheap plastics.
The list goes on from there. And gets even more complicated. Which means I trust it more. Not like I want to hear that a successful initiative getting people to think green can be a bit of a crock.
To check out how your personal favorite retailer stands, check out this link.
Welcome back to another wonderful season of Office recaps that highlight the real life lessons we learn from the show.
Last night's season premiere was a full hour, but I'm going to try to keep this week's lessons brief.
I think the first take away point is company weight loss challenges, while being a good idea at heart, probably should have some guidelines. You'll want to make sure employees actually eat food (and not tape worms) so they don't pass out in the office. That could cause all kinds of liability issues.
Also, Holly showed us it's probably a bad plan to joke about sexual orientation and mental retardation in the office. It could just lead to all sorts of uncomfortable situations.
Lastly, if you ever have reason to grovel at the feet of former employees, don't blame your actions on your inability to fully process Sept. 11.
I'm sure there were a ton more lessons from the episode, so feel free to leave a few things you learned in the comments section!
Washington Mutual is the latest bank in a long list of bank failures this month. It also happens to be the biggest bank failure in U.S. history.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. bought out the bank out, and it will open today as normal with people having full access to their accounts, according to a spokeswoman from the FDIC.
And because the economic news of the week has just been depressing, I've decided to be horribly inappropriate in making light of this situation by giving you this video to enjoy.
If you didn't catch the story in this morning's paper about the professor at York College who teaches ethics classes based on examples from The Office, go check it out now.
And then for fun, take this quiz to find out which character from the show you are most like.
Don't forget to check back tomorrow afternoon for recaps and lessons learned from tonight's season premiere. You can catch up on last season here.
In case you missed it last night, here is President Bush's speech on the bailout.
Does what Bush said last night in anyway change or sway your opinion of the bailout?
The government bailout is the hot news of the moment and everyone seems to have an opinion on whether or not Congress should pass it.
I'd love to hear what some of you have to say about it. Leave me a comment and let me know!
"House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) on Tuesday appeared ready to accept some limits on executive compensation if Treasury agrees. Aides to Mr. Boehner told financial-services lobbyists that he would accept tempered limits, as long as the legislation doesn't include other additions, such as a Democratic proposal to give bankruptcy judges new authority to approve the modifications of terms of mortgages for distressed homeowners. "
That's from the Wall Street Journal today. More info here.
Basically, it means it would limit how much heads of companies would profit from the bailout, and some Republicans are agreeing with it.
Do you think CEOs are entitled to their compensation, whatever companies want to give them, or do you think that because it's taxpayer money, the government should set those limits?
I'm super excited for The Office to come back tomorrow. Here's a quick preview trailer to get you as excited as me.
Don't forget to check back Friday for the return of "Everything I know about work I learned from Jim Halpert." You can check for last season's recaps here.
Last week a Rutter's gas station accidentally priced gas at 35 cents per gallon. If you didn't see the story, you can check it out here.
We asked our readers on the Exchange what they would have done in the same situation.
So you've probably noticed a few things are different around here today.
Most notable is our new look. We switched to a new template to make things easier for you.
If you'll notice in the sidebars, we've added a special one to highlight comments from you, our readers. Check it out if you want to see what people have been saying recently. We encourage you to comment often and let us know what you think about different topics.
Our other big change is our name. You may remember that last month we ran a contest to pick a new name to go with our new look. The new look is here and so is our new name: York Common Cents. We felt the new name better describes the kinds of things we post about on this blog.
We hope you'll spend a few minutes checking out our new design and keep coming back often to share your thoughts and opinions with us!
I'm sure by now most of you have seen the Mac commercials where the old guy and the young guy stand next to each other and one says, "I'm a Mac" and the other says, "I'm a PC."
If you haven't here's one example of one. There's a whole bunch of different versions
Quick take a peek at the bottom of your plate, bowl or mug. Do you see the Pfaltzgraff marking?
Chances are you might. These dishes seem to be everywhere.
At least that's the case for me and a few of my co-workers.
When we heard the news that the company was closing retail outlet stores and the local distribution center, we all started talking about how all of our dishes were made by that company.
I remember eating off Pfaltzgraff dishes as a kid in my parents house. What do you remember about the company? Leave a message in the comments section and let us know!
If you want a change from a traditional grocery store, you might want to check out the new SaveSmart coming to Weigelstown soon. It'll replace the old Nell's Shurfine that closed earlier this month.
Here is what we have so far on it.
Discount is how they are marketing it, and it won't look like a traditional grocery store to keep costs low. So what do you think? Will that make you come check it out?
Another reason to buy American: The same sort of chemical that made its way into pet food shipped to the United States last year from China and killed our pets has made its way into baby formula.
Three babies have died and thousands are sick in China, and evidence of the tainted milk has spread to other countries.
And again, the reason is shady people using chemicals to fool quality inspectors and make more money. This makes me sick.
Almost every child in America plays video games, according to this study. I wanted to cry when I read it. I didn't play video games, and about half my friends didn't.
But I'm willing to bet the kids who played video games in my high school class now make more money than those who didn't.
Why?
We learned the hard way yesterday that you can't do a whole lot of work in the modern office without a working computer network.
It didn't last long (happens to everybody at some point) but it still sparked a flurry of making backup plans, waiting for updates and other behavior akin to hunkering down during a natural disaster.
And me? I dug out that big, yellow book that's more dust-bunny habitat than directory nowadays. People still make phone books, ya know?
Of course, beyond calling a bunch of people and taking notes, I couldn't have done a whole heck of a lot. What does your office usually do when the computer network, or power for that matter, goes down?
My editor sent me the link to this map, which shows the gas price averages throughout the country.
I was surprised to see how low York and Pennsylvania as a whole ranked compared to other portions of the country.
I was really surprised to see that areas that have been hit pretty hard by the hurricanes recently weren't in the red. I was sure they would be.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Before you brave the nasty weather on the way to your car to start your weekend, here's some quick headlines you might have missed this week.
Public places are now smoke free.
Fewer homes sold last month.
The newest iPods were revealed this week.
If you want to hear why Sean isn't a fan of the new iPods or why Jess thinks they sound cool, take a listen to this week's podcast.
I love bowhunting, but I still don't love this statistic I came across this morning while looking up some gas prices facts:
"The number of bowhunters equals the number of Americans using public transportation to commute to work. (USCensus, NSGA)." (Courtesy of Huntersurvey.com.)
I'm happy for my favorite fall sport. But really? That's all the public transportation-takers in America?
Yes, I do live in Stepford. Aside from the gray or tan vinyl siding and manicured lawns, now the trash cans in my neighbordhood look exactly the same. Not similar, the same. On Sunday, the trash company that serves my neighborhood delivered to each house a 96-gallon can that can be used in place of the smaller variety that usually line the curbs of my neighborhood.
See that picture? Students are seeing a whole lot less of that for college in central Pennsylvania.
A private student loan agency in Carlisle is limiting student loans it allocates from here on out, and a newspaper to the north of us is reporting the business isn't taking any new loan applications.
No matter what anyone says about race or gender glass ceilings still lingering in America, the 800-pound gorilla remains having the money for a good education. (Financial disparities are part of the race and gender ceilings, and in the end, money talks.) And like everything else in America, the degrees we buy - like hammers to smash through the glass - are bought on credit.
Credit woes aren't just something confined to people who were snookered on a bad mortgage or who ran up credit card bills at the mall, although sadly, that's part of what's caused the problem. And now kids can't afford college.
The situation with CampusDoor, I'm worried, will get worse. Do you know of anyone who is having problems with student loans this year? Are you worried education will become less available to those groups historically locked into class structures, and locked out of social mobility?
On July 4, the nation celebrated its independence. Well, it seems that some people in my neighborhood believed that the holiday extended to the liberation of lawn ornaments. At some point that night, a thief or thieves walked up to my front yard garden and stole about five gnomes. Go ahead and laugh. Yes, my front yard mulch bed had been filled with the little plastic and ceramic guys with pointed ears who prefer to wear cone-shaped hats. I had motion-sensing gnomes that spoke when you walked by, solar powered gnomes that switched on at dusk and the regular statue variety. And, they could be funny.
Wednesday afternoon I experienced the York Fair for the first time, and I had the challenging task of trying to "do the Fair" on $20.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, I had gotten a bunch of suggestions from people abut what I had to try.
I'm headed over to the York Fair in an hour or so to see if I can really "do the Fair" on $20.
After the admission fee and paying to park, though, it's going to be more like doing the Fair on $10.
I have no idea what to expect. This is my first year in York so many of my friends have been giving me tips on food that I absolutely have to try.
I've been recommended the fried Oreos, the waffle ice cream sandwiches and soft pretzels, but I've also been told they are a bit pricey.
I don't really plan on riding the rides or playing too many games, but that's all stuff to consider.
Does anyone have tips or suggestions on what I absolutely must do while I'm at the Fair? Let me know in the comments section.
Today I did something I've never done before.
I ran my gas tank so low that the little warning light came on. That has never happened to me before.
After a traumatic incident when I was home from college on winter break where I ran out of gas on the side of an extremely busy road because the gas gauge broke and read half a tank when it was really empty, I have been overly cautious to make sure I fill up in time.
My editor just forwarded me an e-mail about an event that I needed to share with all my female readers. (Fellas don't tune me out yet, you may have a wife, sister, daughter who could benefit from this.)
The smoking ban goes into effect Thursday, meaning many local businesses will be snuffing out smoke for the first time.
I've got two-part question for you all.
What do you think about the smoking ban? Excited? Angry? Indifferent?
And if you're a business owner going smoke free for the first time, what kinds of changes do you have to make? And what do you plan to do with all of your ashtrays? Seriously, that's so random, but I'm really curious.
Leave a comment and let me know.
I've had trouble getting into Mad Men, the uber-nominated show from American Movie Classics, a network I've traditionally turned to for my John Wayne fix. My trouble probably has something to do with its rise from cable near obscurity while the new Battlestar Galactica languishes off the Emmy radar screen.
But during a commercial for Mad Men the other week, month, or however long ago, I could have sworn I heard them talk about Utz.
Note: If you've never seen the show, it follows the all-male world of Madison Avenue advertising in the 1960s and how ad execs use all kinds of tactics to get their customers' products sold. And, there are a whole lot of bedroom antics without happily ever afters to follow.
Well, looks like they were talking about Utz after all. So what do you think about such a big show making a storyline out of one of our local companies?
We are always looking for good deals at the York Fair.
First, check out our staffwide blog on the fair. We'll share our experiences, history -- anything York Fair related.
Second, send me a note if you know of any good deals at the fair. What's the best meal for the money? The best entertainment? We'll then share it with our readers. You can post here or send me an email, chirko@ydr.com.
Our short week is about to come to a close, so here's your headlines before you head out.
Obama pays a visit
No, it's not your eyes, those packages are shrinking.
Coupons can save you big bucks.
And make sure you catch this week's podcast, where the biz staff talks about thrifty entertainment options.
From my friends and neighbors, I know that Comcast doesn't have the best reputation for responding to complaints or problems. However, my recent experience with the company did work out.
If you didn't catch it in this morning's paper, check out Nicki Lefever's story in the Living section about a local mother-daughter duo who went into business selling homemade granola.
Has anyone used the Pump First cards at Sheetz since they were introduced locally a few weeks ago?
They are geared toward people who like to pay for their gas in cash. You have to register your name, address and driver's license information in the store to get the card the first time.
After that you swipe the card and pump and pay like you normally would.
Sheetz is hoping to cut down on theft with the introduction of the cards, but I'm really curious what people think of them. I rarely pay for my gas with cash, so I don't have one.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Or at least that's what one couple decided, right in front of the Harley-Davidson Museum. Immediately, my thoughts go to that Tom Arnold-hosted "Redneck Wedding" show on CMT.
Disclaimer: I am not looking down on the show, the couple, rednecks or bikers. I watch the show; the couple scores points for originality; I love squirrel pot pie; and I know better.
Now of course, it wasn't just some random Harley party. It was the official 105th anniversary in Milwaukee. So the couple gets points in the "if you're going to do something, do it right" category.
So where were they from? This is really what got my attention.
This story about Utz Quality Foods on "Mad Men" reminded me of a movie I watched Saturday night with my family, "Alvin and Chipmunks." If you have kids and have checked it out, there are tons of Utz products in the movie. Let us know if you see any local product placements. My personal Utz favorite: The sour cream and onion chips.
The hurricane was bearing down on Louisiana over the weekend, and gas prices around York County went from about $3.39 to $3.45. It's a smart move to spread out the pain of a Category 4 storm smashing into oil rigs and upping oil prices in its wake.
But then the rigs pretty much got missed, and oil prices began to fall. At last count, they were down to about $106 per barrel.
So watch out for gas prices to drop, even below that $3.30 range where prices settled for a bit. If they don't, let us know.
Most people know that sneakers and dress pants don't mix. Unfortunately, I've recently been spotted around the office sporting sneakers instead of my usual, nondescript dress shoes. And it's all because my dog mistook my shoes for chew toy.
Just looking at the AAA fuel gauge report and gas prices are already creeping up in the past few days. Do we thank Gustav?
