Dec 24 The Business of Greenery Smuggling in Washington State By News Desk It's a familiar sight this time of year; the live Christmas wreath on a door or a bit of holiday-themed greenery on a table. Those products are a big business in the Pacific Northwest, where forests are harvested for greenery,… Continue reading
Dec 24 Friday: Retailers Hope for 'Fantastic Friday' Holiday Sales; Bankers Enter Fray in Ivory Coast Holiday shoppers were reported to be packing stores Friday morning, ending the best holiday shopping season for retailers since 2007, the AP reported. Retailers expect Friday to be a strong shopping day, since Christmas Day falls on a… Continue reading
Dec 24 Watch The Business of Forest Smuggling KCTS in Seattle, Washington looks into the illegal side of the holiday industry of forest greenery. Lesley McClurg has more on how forest smuggling has short term effects on businesses and long term effects on the environment. Continue watching
Dec 23 Watch News Wrap: Greece OKs Budget, Adds More Austerity Measures In other news Thursday, the governing socialists in Greece passed a new budget that reduces health and defense spending while raising consumer taxes. The steep taxes and deep cuts have sparked widespread protests in Athens and elsewhere. Continue watching
Dec 23 The Holiday Economic Divide: Wal-Mart or Saks? Wal-Mart shoppers in Syracuse, N.Y.; Creative Commons photo courtesy flickr.com/number13001/ As the Christmas gift season winds down there are distinct holiday retail stories emerging - one for the wealthiest communities and one for places that are struggling. Luxury… Continue reading
Dec 23 Editor's Note: Technical Difficulties EDITOR'S UPDATE | DEC. 30, 2010 As of Dec. 29, Making Sen$e and the Business Desk are fully functional. Many of you have undoubtedly noticed our absence on these pages in this last week. No, we haven't been away on… Continue reading
Dec 23 Parcel Bombs Reported in Rome; Consumer Spending Up News reports say a package has exploded at Chile's embassy in Rome following a parcel bombing at Switzerland's embassy earlier in the day. Police and embassy officials say the blast at the Swiss Embassy seriously injured a… Continue reading
Dec 22 Cuba Offers Poor Medical Students a Free Ride By Cat Wise On Wednesday's NewsHour, Ray Suarez wraps up his series on Cuba with a look at its medical diplomacy efforts around the world. HAVANA, Cuba | In an old naval academy on Havana's western shore, thousands of low-income students… Continue reading
Dec 21 Patchwork Nation's 5 Political, Economic Stories to Watch for in 2011 DREAM Act supporters file out of the Senate Gallery after watching its defeat on Dec. 18; Photo by Bill Clark/Roll Call This year brought big changes in to the United States. The midterm elections shuffled the balance of power… Continue reading
Dec 20 Cubans Look to Break Down Misconceptions By Cat Wise During The PBS NewsHour's recent trip to Cuba, we asked people what they thought was the biggest misconception Americans have about Cuba. Here are some of the people we met and their responses: Antonio Perez is a 37-year-old security… Continue reading