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25 Feb 2010 09:29

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Biz: Denny’s Twitter presence is no grand slam, apparently

Menus across the country link to this random Twitter page that has nothing to do with the restaurant. It’s a mistake that they simply haven’t fixed. source

24 Feb 2010 21:29

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Biz: Why is Toyota not called “Toyoda,” like its namesake?

  • ten the number of brush strokes to write “Toyoda” in Japanese
  • eight the number of brush strokes to write “Toyota” in comparison
  • Why does this matter? Well, the number ten in Japanese resembles the plus sign, which apparently was seen as a bad omen due to the fact it also resembles crossroads. Also, “Toyota” sounds better than “Toyoda,” according to the company, which seems reasonable to us, kinda. Akio Toyoda feels shame on his company. ๐Ÿ™ source

24 Feb 2010 11:03

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23 Feb 2010 10:32

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Biz: Consumers not confident about much of anything anymore

  • 46.0 the consumer confidence index, which is at its lowest level since April 2009
  • 63.8 the expectations index, which is also down significantly; who needs hope, anyway?
  • 19.4 the present situation index, which is at its lowest level in 27 years (sob) source

23 Feb 2010 09:37

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Biz: Hey! Some minorly bad news. Home prices went down in December

  • 0.2% decrease in home prices in 20 metro areas source

22 Feb 2010 21:20

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Biz: Vudu: Walmart decides it, too, wants a spot in your living room

  • It bought set-top-box maker Vudu today. Walmart isn’t exactly known as a living room fixture other than the fact that you can buy all the crap for your living room at a Walmart. Well, until now. With the purchase of Vudu, it now has a way of distributing entertainment directly to the consumer outside of the loss-leader format it relies on to sell DVDs. “The real winner here is the customer,” said Walmart vice chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright. Suuure. source

22 Feb 2010 10:07

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Biz: U.S. to Glaxo: Uh, you should pull Avandia from the market

  • The drug has long been linked to heart attacks. The Senate Finance Committee released a report over the weekend containing internal FDA documents recommending it should be pulled from the market. Glaxo, though, is trying its hardest to avoid the pulling of the diabetes drug, and is in the midst of a blind test with another drug, Actos, to show how safe it is. That’s despite the use of a fear-of-God “black box” warning on the drug, and despite a study noting a 43 percent increase in heart trouble for Avendia users. The report suggests Glaxo knew the issues but kept the drug on the market anyway. Yikes. source
 

21 Feb 2010 21:25

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Biz: Toyota saved a lot of money, left a paper trail, shot itself in the foot

  • $100 million reportedly saved by having a smaller recall for their gas pedals, according to a July document
  • four people reportedly died in a crash from floor mat-related problems a month after that internal document source

21 Feb 2010 10:58

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Biz: College students will have a (necessarily) harder time getting credit

  • $1,879 amount of credit card debt the average college student had in the heady days of 1998
  • $3,173 amount of credit card debt the average college student had in 2008, which is a huge increase source
  • ยป So, what changes? A law that takes effect Monday will regulate the credit industry at large, but with the largest effect on adults under 21. They won’t be able to get credit without a parent’s signature and proof of other assets. The new policy will help limit high amounts of debt for college students, but may also hurt them, as many often use the credit to pay for necessities.

21 Feb 2010 10:41

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Biz: The first meal of the day for many unemployed people? Lunch

  • 4% dip in fast-food breakfast traffic as joblessness hit 10% source