Sad, self-absorbed shoppers spend more

If you’re sad and shopping, watch your wallet: A new study shows people’s spending judgment goes out the window when they’re down, especially if they’re a bit self-absorbed.

In Recessions, Doing the Job Is Not Enough

Career coach says no job is safe, and the workplace is no place for modesty.

Love can hurt — your bank account

From the first date until the time you finally head down the aisle, you can easily have spent more than $40,000 on vacations, jewelry, wedding expenses, and meals out, according to BusinessWeek's calculations .

Italy's highest appeals court says "leave it alone"

Touching your own genitals in public is a crime says Italian court.

What the Fed's big rate cut means to you

If you’ve been investing for a while, you’ve lived through the '87 crash and the tech-stock collapse , but that doesn’t make this year’s plunge easy to stomach. So, what’s it mean to you ?

Freddie Mac posts $2.5 billion loss (Reuters)

Reuters - Freddie Mac , the
second-biggest provider of U.S. residential mortgage funding,
on Thursday said its loss widened more than expected to $2.5
billion in the fourth quarter as the housing crises worsened.

Economy - Wednesday (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - Home loan demand dived 19.2% in the week ended Feb. 22 as mortgage rates continued to rebound, the Mortgage Bankers Assoc. said. MBA's applications index fell to 665.1, the lowest so far in '08 and down 39% over 3 weeks. Refi activity plunged 30.4% during the week. Mortgage applications for buying a home edged up 0.2% from the prior week's near-5-year low. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit 6.27%, up from 6.09% a week before and 5.5% in the week ended Jan. 18.

10 Tips: Renting rather than buying?

Given the current state of the housing market in many parts of the country, it might make more financial sense for you to rent for the time being rather than buy a home.

Deep recession feared in U.S.

Economists are no longer talking about a U.S. recession but a deep recession after figures yesterday showed business sentiment continued to plummet in early February.

ACTION: Tell AP Papers to Stop Smearing Obama’s Patriotism

It was pretty much world-record speed with which the smears against Barack Obama's patriotism alley-ooped from the right wing attack machine into the pages of legitimate media, neatly laundered into the AP by Nedra Pickler. It then quickly leapfrogged onto CNN where a poll inquired as to whether Obama had sufficient patriotism ..

Wall St rallies as monolines retain rating (FT.com)

FT.com - US stocks staged their biggest rally this month after rating agency Standard & Poor's reaffirmed the triple-A ratings of troubled bond insurers Ambac and MBIA (NYSE:MBI).

Economic Fears Hit Lowe's

Housing slump undercuts Lowe's profits; company braces for future declines.

Seldom-read home loan docs must change: experts (Reuters)

Reuters - The papers that U.S. borrowers sign
when buying a house are piled so high that few people read them
all, and even fewer absorb the information.

Choosing Between Food and Fuel

With biodiesel sales small but growing, crushers face a tough decision.

HBO Agrees To Air 'Taxi To The Dark Side'

The Discovery Channel dropped plans to air the award-winning documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side" because it was too "controversial." Now HBO has announced plans to air the film in September 2008.

Michael Moore slams Hillary's health care plan

Michael Moore says insurance industry would love Clinton’s healthcare plan. “They’re having nutty debates about who’s going to mandate how many people,” Moore said. “We’re not cars,” he quipped, referring to the argument that health insurance mandates are equivalent to state laws requiring drivers to carry automobile insurance.

California: Legalize Pot In 2008

The well known marijuana legalization activist Jack Herer is leading an initiative to get marijuana legalization on the 2008 November ballot in California.

More people are tapping their 401(k) for cash

Trent Charlton knew the risks when he borrowed $10,000 from his 401(k) and cut his retirement savings in half.

Clinton campaign going after pledged delegates after all

"Myself and a dozen or so other Obama supporters were at the Culinary Union calling our Obama delegates. I probably made about 100 calls and about 95 said Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been calling them "all day" or at least once already... they were encouraged to switch their support from Obama to Hillary."

Americans slow to spend down IRA balances

Americans who have money stored in Individual Retirement Accounts tend to hang on to it for use in the later years of their retirement, according to a study being released Monday.

Answer Desk: Not a win for tax dodgers

Actor Wesley Snipes' recent acquittal on tax fraud charges is being taken as a victory by a band of tax "protesters." But, they are overlooking a key fact: Snipes still faces jail time.

9 minutes and 57 seconds to announce two ideas

A video announcing the "Change Congress" movement, and exploring the idea of Lessig running for Congress in CA12

Bloomberg claims "fraud" in count of Obama votes in New York

Mayor Bloomberg charged yesterday that "fraud" was behind the unofficial results in the New York Democratic presidential primary that produced zero votes for Barack Obama in some districts. Get ready for Texas and Ohio.

Fed Forecasts Slower Economy, Less Jobs

In documents released today, the Fed says it expects slower economic growth.

Fired officer: Woman's black eyes, broken teeth from 'fall'

After Angela Garbarino was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana last November on suspicion of drunk driving, she wound up lying on the police station floor in a pool of her own blood with two black eyes, a broken nose, two broken teeth, and other cuts and bruises. Garbarino says that Officer Wiley Willis beat her up after turning off the police video.

Secrets to Finding Cheap Airfare Deals

Learn the best time to book a ticket and what to do when prices suddenly spike.

Amtrak's New Look: Screeners, Dogs, Guns

Amtrak says new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers.

Another strong Hillary supporter switches: electability

"the only logical explanation I see as to why Obama is performing so much better than Hillary when matched against McCain ... is that he is indeed a lot more popular than she is among independents and other swing voters who will decide this election." and "Electability has always been the top issue for me in whom I support"

Fidel Castro Announces Retirement

Cuba's ailing leader, Fidel Castro has announced he will not return to the presidency in a letter published by official Communist Party paper, Granma.

Dallas Morning News breaks US MSM silence on Sibel Edmonds

The Dallas Morning news published an adapted version of a longer article by former CIA officer Philip Giraldi- commenting on Sibel Edmonds' case and the failure of the US mainstream media to cover the news that FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, "the most gagged person in US history" according to the ACLU, is now risking prison to share her story.

Toshiba to announce HD DVD pullout on Tuesday: report (Reuters)

Reuters - Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T) will
announce plans to cease production and sales of HD DVD players
on Tuesday, the Nikkei business daily said.

MSM Sources: REAL Reasons to Vote for Barack Obama

News sources on Barack Obama's record and why he is the better candidate.

The Campus Emergency Business Boom

The Ill. shooting may aid the already booming emergency notification business.

Wal-Mart drives another nail in HD-DVD coffin (AFP)

AFP - Top US retailer Wal-Mart on Friday drove another nail a coffin for Toshiba's HD DVD video disks by announcing it would shift to exclusively selling Japanese rival Sony's format Blu-ray.

2 White Women Superdelegates Drop Hillary Clinton

Big stories today in both the AP and on the front page of the NY Times had headlines about a "Black" superdelegate who supported Clinton but now shifting to Obama. Buried within each story is the fact that 2 white women superdelegates who supported Clinton are also dropping their support.

Scientists:Bush Censors,Suppresses,Falsifies Scientific Data

And they are asking Congress to make sure the next president doesn't do the same.

'Cloning Firm' Will Copy Fido for $150K

For $150,000, a South Korean company will make a copy of your pet.

KUCINICH: destroy the federal reserve

“Washington needs to understand how we’ve been mired in debt & are staying there with the help of this fractional reserve bank. Questions must be raised about why did we why gave up our control of being able to issue money - why did we give it to the federal reserve?”

Apology to indigenous Australia - transcript of apology

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

Sailing Away From the Economic Slump

Boat manufacturers hope foreign buyers prop up their sales.

Housing's Hot in S.D. and … Nowhere Else

Sales of existing homes fall in 45 states but S. Dakota sales rise.

10 Tips front page

A reader wonders which businesses do well when the economy heads south.? The Answer Desk, by msnbc.com’s John W. Schoen.

Barack Obama Wins Virginia Primary By a Substantial Margin

At 4:00 PM Pacific Time Tuesday CNN projected that Barack Obama won the Virginia primary by a substantial margin. While this contest was expected to go in Obama's favor, it could close the delegate gap between Clinton and Obama.

Coca-Cola profit rises sharply (Reuters)

Reuters - Coca-Cola Co , the world's
largest maker of soft drinks, reported higher-than-expected
quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by higher sales,
acquisitions and foreign exchange rates.

Obama's Average Vote Share is 16% Higher Than Clinton's

Obama has shown an ability to clobber Clinton in state contests, whereas Clinton simply edges Obama in the larger states. Who is a more viable candidate? Amazing that the mainstream media has not covered this analysis.

Oval Office Eats for Just $500

Enjoy dishes created for past presidents; plus recipes to cook them yourself.

BlackBerry Users Experience Black-Out

Research In Motion's BlackBerry smart phones were hit by an outage on Monday.

Who is Maggie Williams?

Hillary Clinton's new Campaign Adviser seems to have a darker past than anyone could have imagined.

17yo Obama Supporter Helps 50,000 Others Vote in MD Primary

A 17 year old Obama supporter in Maryland paved the way for herself and 50,000 other teens to vote in the the upcoming Feb 12th primary.

Yahoo Board to Spurn $44B Microsoft Bid

Yahoo Board Intends to Turn Down Microsoft's Unsolicited $44.6 Billion Takeover Bid

CNN refuses to air interview with governor supporting Obama

Watching this caucus unfold live and candidly is so fascinating. The CNN reporter is on the phone with CNN HQ to ask whether they want to air a live interview with Governor Gregoire when she stops by the caucus site in about 20 minutes. She just said "She's for Obama, that's the only problem."

Kucinich Under Fire

Rep. Dennis Kucinich is back in Cleveland and fighting for his political survival as his longtime corporate opponents finance a Swift-boat-style media onslaught to take over his congressional seat. Here he fires back and makes his case for why Cleveland, and the country, needs his voice in Congress now more than ever.

How much will I get from the stimulus plan?

Now that the dust has settled on the government's plan to spend $100 billion on tax rebates, readers have ?one question in mind: how much do I get??? The Answer Desk, by msnbc.com’s John W. Schoen.

EXPOSED: FBI program preparing businesses for martial law

A public-private partnership program on infrastructure preparedness and protection run by the FBI (InfraGard) allegedly has briefed its corporate members on the possibility of martial law and the use of lethal force, according to an exclusive report in the magazine The Progressive.

How AOL Strangled Time Warner

Why Google might buy AOL, the once-dominant, now dormant name on the Web.

VIDEO: McCain Booed By Conservatives At CPAC

Speaking to a right-wing crowd at CPAC today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was loudly booed when he mentioned his push for comprehensive immigration reform last year. (A position he has since given up.)

ABC News: Cash Strapped Clinton Campaign - Stunt?

Clinton Campaign Staffers Not Going Without Pay

10 Mistakes People Make When Starting a Business

What are the common mistakes that new entrepreneurs make and how can you avoid making them yourself? Here is our top 10 list of mistakes people make when starting a business:

If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal!

truer words were never spoken

In uncertain times, invest in the long-term

While Wall Street debates whether the U.S. is headed for recession, investors don't have to wait for an answer — they can take steps to limit their risks.

World Economies hang by an Internet thread

With a 4th intercontinental Internet sea cable damaged, slowing Internet access throughout areas like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Pakistan, Iran and India it makes one wonder how far it could go. If the efforts were stepped up by a clandestine operation the world's economies could be gamed and shut down.

Rate-cut doubts sink Wall Street (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock indexes dropped for a third
straight session on Wednesday after Federal Reserve officials
cast doubt on the outlook for more interest rate cuts, driving
the Nasdaq into bear market territory.

CIA admits waterboarding inmates

The CIA has for the first time publicly admitted using the controversial method of "waterboarding" on terror suspects. CIA director Michael Hayden told Congress however that it had only been used on three people, and not at all for the past five years.

This pic says it all about our voting system

Poll worker Sabrina Castanon in Union City, N.J.

10 Tips: Beat 'Gotcha Capitalism'

New book provides step-by-step instructions to help ordinary consumers fight back against the fly-by-night companies and the Goliaths that are nickel-and-diming us to death.

John Mellencamp Asks McCain Camp to Stop Using His Music

Representatives of John Mellencamp have contacted the McCain campaign to ask them to stop playing Mellencamp’s music at McCain campaign rallies.

Ka-Ching! $uper Bowl 'Tude Hits Phoenix

Jacked-up prices, star-studded parties, Hollywood bling accompany big game.

Don't Get Fat While Waiting for Your Flight

From "guiltless salmon" to tapas: How to find healthy food at the airport.

Hillary Returns to Mudslinging

Fearing the recent surge Obama has been making in polls, Hillary Clinton today returned to slinging mud against her opponent with false accusations reminiscent of her husband's jibes only a couple of weeks ago.

LA Times Endorses Obama

We urge voters to make the most of this historic moment by choosing the Democrat most focused on steering the nation toward constructive change: We strongly endorse Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton: Every Nation Must Be With Us Or Against Us

Remarks from Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on September 13, 2001. "Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price." Sounds awfully familiar doesn't it.. Do you want this warmonger to be your President?

Europe up on takeovers prospects (FT.com)

FT.com - A new wave of bid activity helped European stock markets defy the gloom in the financial sector this week.

Exxon Posts U.S. Record $40 Billion Profit

Exxon Mobil breaks its own Q4 and annual profit records.

FBI director: mortgage fraud substantial (AP)

AP - FBI Director Robert Mueller said Thursday that the agency is committed to investigating and prosecuting companies involved in mortgage fraud and other violations in connection with home loans made to risky borrowers.