| Marker will recognize late Pike County farmer
PITTSFIELD, Ill. The late Earl C. Smith made a promise to his fellow farmers that helped shape agriculture in Illinois and the nation. "To the best of my strength and ability, I will serve what I believe to be the best interests of the farmers," Smith said in 1926. Smith focused on those interests as a charter member and president of Pike County Farm Bureau, as president of the Illinois Agricultural Association, better known as Illinois Farm Bureau, from 1926 to 1945 and as vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation from 1936 to 1945. "Earl Smith was a big part of not just Pike County's heritage, but agriculture's heritage in the United States and in Illinois," Pike County Farm Bureau Manager Blake Roderick said. "He was one of the pioneers of Farm Bureau in Illinois, the foundation for building the organization into what it is today." A historical marker recognizing Smith's contributions to agriculture will be dedicated Friday on his homestead just east of Detroit.
China and the Hedge Fund Dragon - Subprime Mortgage Market ...
This week we look at the possible latest entry into the hedge fund world, The People's Republic of China; review the cockroach principle of subprime mortgages; and investigate the possibility of whether we need more derivatives and not less than the $283 trillion or so we now have. It's a lot to cover, but it should all be interesting. And speaking of China, we all read the stories about the rapid growth of the economy, the increasing percentage of the growth in demand for commodities and energy that comes because of that growth, the increased trade deficit with the US, and the rapid increase in foreign reserves.
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Mergers reshape Iowa businesses
Led by a few powerhouse deals, the dollar amount of merger and acquisition activity in Iowa has climbed faster than the nation as a whole. And at least one expert predicts that even more M&A activity lies ahead in 2007 for the state as investors scout for financial services providers and as ethanol producers join forces.
Iowa M&A activity in 2006 was paced by some large purchases that will make foreign companies owners of two of the bigger businesses in the state. Aviva PLC topped the roster in July when it announced the $2.9 billion purchase (plus assumption of debt) of Des Moines-based AmerUs Group Co. And just as that British insurer was wrapping up its purchase in December, Japanese tire maker Bridgestone Corp. said it will pay about $1 billion to acquire Muscatine-based Bandag Inc., the nation's largest re-treader of tires.
Mandy St. Amand
Depending on how someone views the government, the men and women trying to make laws in Springfield this year are either trying to save us from ourselves or trying to stick their noses in our private business.
Consider the law proposed by a Democrat from East Moline. He wanted to make smoking in a car with a child under 9 years old a petty offense that could be punished with a $25 fine. Moreover, it would be considered a primary offense. That means a cop would be able to stop you for that reason alone.
It doesn't look like that particular bill will make it to the books, but still. Opponents huffed that it was too much of Big Brother sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Even I, a fairly opinionated antismoker, was surprised by the proposal. Cars used to be personal kingdoms.
A Fine of $750000 for What?
There is a greater push for transparency, both in terms of financial reporting and in regard to regulatory actions, but I wonder how successful this push will ultimately be. It is the regulatory bodies that will have to be the driving force, along with institutional investors. A recent action indicated to me that one particular regulatory body seems to have little concern for transparency. .
Uefa launches second probe into fan violence
European football's governing body, Uefa, has launched an investigation into the violence in the stands during Tottenham's Uefa Cup quarter-final clash with Sevilla last night.The new probe is in addition to Uefa's probe into clashes between Manchester United supporters and Italian police when trouble flared up in their Champions League game with Roma on Wednesday.Problems in Seville are believed to have started before the game with both sets of supporters throwing objects at each other while police moved in to separate the supporters while the game progressed on the field.Seville had asked Uefa last week if the game could be moved due to its proximity to Easter festivities in the city but the governing body rejected their request.It is reported that seven Spurs fans and one police officer required hospital treatment for injuries suffered during the incident.Tottenham said in a club statement: "Our initial reports suggest that there was no fan-to-fan fighting at any stage of the proceedings.
Moving closerto universal health insurance
Cover the Uninsured Week is April 23-29. Public health and the medical care provider community are once again teaming up to bring attention to the increasingly desperate situation of those without the ability to afford health care and medications. An estimated 51.2 million Americans are now uninsured. In Michigan there are about 1.2 million of us without coverage. Chances are you are without health insurance or you have a friend, neighbor or relative in this situation. Right now this means almost 12 percent of our community members can't pay for care and it is estimated that will be one-in-four people in another seven years. If you think this is not your problem, you are wrong. Even those with insurance are paying for those without. Plus, there is a good chance that any one of us will be without health insurance in the near future.
Reporters on the Job
• Uninvited to the Movies: Staff writer Dan Murphy's story is about social and cultural loosening up in Saudi Arabia (see story). But it's not a universal change, and certainly not one that everyone wants publicized. Dan tried to attend a screening of three short Saudi films in Riyadh. A friend, an avid movie buff, said the films would be shown at a small cultural center connected to the government, that there would be a mixed audience. and that the directors would be taking questions after. Perfect, said Dan. But when his Saudi friend picked him up, Dan was surprised to see him dressed in an ultraconservative Saudi robe and head scarf. Normally he wore Western casual clothes. "Well, it turns out they're nervous about a foreigner showing up," he told Dan. The change in garb was to help alleviate concerns.
House OKs end to limits on CHIP
AUSTIN -- Thousands more El Paso children could get health insurance under a bill the Texas House tentatively approved Tuesday. "Texas is the state that has the highest percentage of uninsured kids in the country," said state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, author of the bill. "This is a step today that could reverse that." The bill, which passed 126-16, would reduce restrictions on Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment and allow more than 100,000 additional Texas children in the program, according to a legislative analysis. It would undo some changes legislators -- trying to save money because of a nearly $10 billion shortfall -- made to CHIP in 2003. "It doesn't reinstate all the children, but a good portion," said state Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, a bill sponsor.
Reinvention Blues
It's too bad that "There are no second acts in American lives," is probably F. Scott Fitzgerald's most frequently quoted line. It's not his best. Of course, Fitzgerald was dead by the time he was 44, so you could say he didn't know much about the subject. In any case, he was wrong, as has been proven time and again by millions of Americans who've abruptly changed course in life and set forth in new and unlikely directions, sometimes with spectacular results: .
Lawmaker joins fight against condo insurer
BOCA RATON — A state senator joined representatives and lawyers for three dozen condominium associations Thursday in accusing the state's largest private market condo insurer of engaging in an organized plan to deny hurricane claims. ''This is institutionalized bad faith,'' said Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach of the insurer, Australia-based QBE Group and its representatives, Florida Intercoastal Underwriters, a wholly owned subsidiary of insurance agency Brown & Brown Inc. .
Avoiding Travel Company Collapses
Being stranded or losing your vacation airfare when an airline or other travel company collapses financially is not a traveler's worst nightmare, but it's close. If you're wondering how to avoid getting into that situation, I have some tips that might help. Or they might not help at all. It's such a dicey time for the airline industry that I'm not sure when I last flew on an airline that wasn't in bankruptcy, coming out of bankruptcy or contemplating bankruptcy. (Oh, wait. There was that time on Southwest.) To protect yourself, the experts advise you to buy travel insurance. And before you do that, you'll want to look at the lists of travel agencies and tour operators that the travel insurance companies won't cover. In fact, even if you skip the travel insurance, you ought to look at the lists.
A few questions about pre-existing conditions
If I buy a Medigap policy this summer when I become eligible for Medicare, will I have to wait for my pre-existing conditions to be covered? A: If you buy your Medigap policy during your Medigap open enrollment period, which is the six-month period following the eligibility date on your Medicare card, then you may not have a waiting period. It depends on whether you had at least six months of creditable health insurance coverage immediately prior to the open enrollment period month in which you want to buy the Medigap policy. If you had less than six months of creditable coverage, this waiting period will be reduced by the number of months that you did have creditable coverage. Creditable coverage is generally any other health coverage you had immediately prior to applying for a Medigap policy.
On the road with Gov. Blagojevich
I was probably more surprised than anyone when I was invited to tag along on Gov. Rod Blagojevich's road trip last week. The governor toured the state to push his universal health insurance plan and his gross receipts tax on business. I was on the bus with him for three days, and we talked for countless hours. I had a cordial relationship with Blagojevich back when he was in the Illinois House, but that was a long time ago. Over the years, the governor granted interviews to almost every other news bureau in the Statehouse, but I was excluded. He has visited the editorial boards of every major, and quite a few minor, newspapers in the state -- but I was kept away. During one press conference a few years ago, Blagojevich refused to answer any questions from me at all, so I whispered my questions to a couple of willing Chicago TV reporters who relayed them on my behalf, knowing he couldn't ignore them.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut Introduces Tonik ...
NORTH HAVEN, Conn., March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Young adults between the ages of 19 and 34 comprise almost 17 million people in America today. In Connecticut, there are approximately 64,000 people in this age category. Many of our young adults have one major thing in common: they typically choose to go without health insurance. To help reduce the ranks of Connecticut's large population of uninsured, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut has introduced Tonik, a health insurance option tailored to meet the needs of the state's "young invincibles," those who have disposable income but no health insurance coverage. "Tonik is an important new health benefit product that allows this growing demographic to purchase coverage on their own terms," said David R. Fusco, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut.
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