Student loans no more... is this the begining of an educational crisis?

With the news about college loans being more elusive than ever, going to college may become tougher than ever for an average middle-class student. How are parents going to afford sending kids to college? And what will happen 4 years from now when there are fewer professionals joining the workforce? How will we close that gap?

Read the article below:
"Since the unprecedented collapse of the student loan market, financing a college education has become more complicated than ever. For the Ferragutos, it started in April with a letter from the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, the nonprofit lender for thousands of students who attend colleges and universities in Massachusetts. The letter said the authority would no longer offer federal loans, including low-interest Stafford and parent loans. Even worse, the authority said money for private student loans was in doubt."

Full article

Oil prices finally come down!!

NEW YORK—Oil prices shed nearly $4 Wednesday, tumbling below $125 a barrel for the first time since early June on growing fears that high prices and the weak economy are destroying demand.
Light, sweet crude for September delivery dropped $3.98 to settle at $124.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude's lowest finish since June 4. The August contract expired Tuesday at $127.95.
At the gas pump, prices continued to let up. Regular gasoline dropped more than a penny to an average of $4.0402 a gallon nationwide, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. That is down more than 7 cents from last Thursday's all-time high. Diesel slipped 0.6 cent to $4.802.
Full article

Outrageous!!!! Since when is no job better than a pay cut???

At this time of crisis, it is disheartening to see how unions strive to make things more difficult for their "members". I was simply outraged when I read the following article detailing how "The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is protesting an emergency 15% pay cut granted by a bankruptcy court judge and what it sees as unfair labor practices."

When an employer is facing a financial hardship, wouldn't it make more sense to work together to minimize the number of jobs lost? Isn't it better to take a pay cut than to be unemployed? Well, apparently the Teamsters (or their leaders) don't think so. Read on...

Mining center would boost jobs in Canada

I encourage people to read the article that follows. It is about a community that is actually upset at the government for not allowing a mining center in their neck of the woods. These folks, for a change, are hitting center when they realize the economic development that this mining center can bring to their area. Congrats for knowing what's good for them and their families.

Full article

Gas gone mad

According to a Boston Globe article, "High diesel prices cut boat operators' profits, keep many craft moored." Now with the summer season finally here, where are our boating hopes? It seems like Bostonians will not get as much ocean time this year, which is a shame when you think of it. In the past, many used to await the arrival of summer to take out their boats for leisure or to take boat rides to go whalewatching. How many a times did we go whalewatching just because it was a nice day? Well, this year, you'd better check your wallet to make sure you've got enough money to pay for fuel.

Full story

Caterpillar goes to Brazil!

Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest maker of earthmoving machines, agreed to acquire MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios Ltda., a Brazilian manufacturer of components for trains. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
MGE also maintains and rebuilds locomotives and transit cars and its customers include railroads and transportation authorities throughout South America, Peoria-based Caterpillar said in a statement today.
For Full Article, click here

Canada's mining industry leads sustainable development

Kudos to the MINING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA's (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) for their initiative on Sustainable development.

VANCOUVER - A new study by Five Winds/Strandberg Consulting indicates that the MINING ASSOCIATION OF CANADA's (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative has positioned Canada's mining industry as a leader in sustainable development."MAC won a Globe Foundation award in 2005 for its work on TSM," stated Gordon Peeling, president and CEO of MAC. "This new study reaffirms that TSM is effective, credible and enabling our members to demonstrate their commitment to improved sustainable development performance."

For more info click here