Detroit Bike City

July 13th, 2011

Bicycles are gaining popularity as a trend, sport and means of transportation across the nation. The spectrum runs from hipsters on fixed gear bikes to commuters looking to save an extra buck on gas to kids looking for a fun way to pass the time in the summer. Cities are recognizing the growing need to accommodate bikers and are responding with bike lanes, bike racks and other niceties that make the bicyclist’s life easier.

This year, I rode my bike to work for the first time. It was an amazing experience. Not only was it a fun way to get to work, but seeing the city on 2 wheels (and at a moderately slow pace) was really awe-inspiring. I was hooked. I Read more…

Tags: Bike, Bike City

No Longer a Theoretical Exercise

July 13th, 2011

FOMC Minutes: June 21-22

No Longer a Theoretical Exercise

The Fed takes a line on agency securities sales, but not Treasury securities sales Today’s release of the minutes revealed a more formalized sequencing of the exit strategy or the normalization of the balance sheet and accommodative stance. The minutes underlined that this discussion of normalization is for “prudential planning” purposes only and should not be construed as an imminent sign of exit. As expected (see Chart 3), the sequencing is as follows: cease reinvestment, modify forward guidance, raise target rate (using the corridor system of interest on excess reserves, overnight rate), and later on conduct sales of agency securities from the System Open Market Account (SOMA) portfolio with ample preannouncement. In pr

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Tags: Exercise, No Longer, Theoretical Exercise

Download a Free Audiobook of “SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to King Lear (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)” from Audible.com

July 13th, 2011

SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to King Lear is available as a digital audiobook from Audible.com. The title, provided by SmartPass and authored by William Shakespeare, Mike Reeves, has also become an American Consumer News favorite..

The digital audiobook SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to King Lear , narrated by Joan Walker, Terrence Hardiman, Lucy Robinson, has received an average rating of 5 stars on Audible.com. The title has a running length of 11 hours and 32 min. The audiobook was first released in February 2008 and a sample is available for download.

Audible.coms description of the audiobook is Here is the multi award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options.

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Tags: Education Study Guide, King Lear, Lear, Study Guide

“Walk Away the Pounds: The Breakthrough 6-Week Program That Helps You Burn Fat and Tone Muscle” Audiobook Now Available from Audible.com

July 13th, 2011

Walk Away the Pounds: The Breakthrough 6-Week Program That Helps You Burn Fat and Tone Muscle is available as a digital audiobook from Audible.com. The title, provided by Hachette Audio and authored by Leslie Sansone, has also become an American Consumer News favorite..

The digital audiobook Walk Away the Pounds: The Breakthrough 6-Week Program That Helps You Burn Fat and Tone Muscle, narrated by Leslie Sansone, has received an average rating of 3.41 stars on Audible.com. The title has a running length of 3 hours and 4 min.

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Tags: Available, Burn Fat

Lack of Sleep Can Cost You Money

July 12th, 2011

We live in a chronically sleep deprived society and many products exist to make things easier and keep us going.

However, nothing is a true substitute for just getting some extra sleep. We all know that a lack of sleep can cost you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can make you grumpy, slow your reactions, and impair your thinking skills. But lack of sleep can also cost you financially. When you’re chronically tired you just don’t have the energy to engage in money saving activities or make good financial decisions. Here are some ways that a lack of sleep can cost you money.

Poor decision making: When you’re tired is not the time to make decisions about things like investments, mortgages, loans, insurance products, and other financial matters. Chanc

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Tags: Sleep, Sleep Cost

ECB meeting: Lending a hand to Portugal

July 11th, 2011

The market reaction was initially limited. Following the suspension of threshold two-year schatz rate rose and ended 6bp higher after the press conference. EUR/USD increased close to a figure on the event and Portuguese sovereign spreads narrowed.

Code words signal more hikes

At the press conference Trichet said “monitor very closely” combined with “accommodative”– and he did not use the wording “appropriate”. Thereby, Trichet signalled that the hiking cycle has not ended. The wording was slightly softer than when the ECB hiked rates in April when Trichet used “very accommodative” to signal that a rate hike was about three months away. Today Trichet see Read more…