DailyFinance.comhttp://www.dailyfinance.comDailyFinance.comhttp://o.aolcdn.com/os/df/2013/img/2-dailyfinance_logo_m.pngDailyFinance.comhttp://www.dailyfinance.comen-usCopyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Cooling Your Home for Less -- Savings Experimenthttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/08/06/savings-experiment-cooling-your-home-for-less/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/08/06/savings-experiment-cooling-your-home-for-less/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/08/06/savings-experiment-cooling-your-home-for-less/#commentsFiled under: , ,

How to Save on Air ConditioningWhen summers get as hot as this one, it's difficult to imagine what people did before air conditioning existed. Swimming holes, hand-held fans and ice cubes down your back will only go so far when sooner or later, you have to return to the confines of some stifling domicile that badly needs frosty air.

And while we may take air conditioning for granted, it wasn't that long ago -- 1881, to be precise -- when a team of naval engineers built a cooling contraption to comfort a dying President James Garfield. While the device -- which blew hot air upwards and employed rags soaked in freezing water -- could lower room temperatures by 20 degrees, it also ate up a quarter-million pounds of ice a month. (Think of all the Pina Coladas they could've made instead.)

Modern air conditioners wouldn't become commonplace until the 1920s, yet one enigma remains: figuring out how to most efficiently cool a room or a home. Window units or central air? Do ceiling fans really help? Are there other novel ways to make sure my living space stays cool, so I can use air conditioners less? One thing's for sure: Savings are always chill, so let's crank up some righteous coolness with this latest installment of the Savings Experiment.

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]]>air conditioningAirConditioningenergy savingsfor the homeheating and coolingsaving moneySavingMoneySavings ExperimentSavingsExperimentLou CarlozoSat, 06 Aug 2011 09:00:00 ESTGroupon contestant Josh Stevens tackles holiday shopping without cashhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/10/groupon-contestant-josh-stevens-tackles-holiday-shopping-witho/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/10/groupon-contestant-josh-stevens-tackles-holiday-shopping-witho/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/10/groupon-contestant-josh-stevens-tackles-holiday-shopping-witho/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Josh Stevens tackles holiday shopping with only Groupon couponsAt first blush, any attempt at copious Black Friday shopping without cash or credit might sound akin to baking a cake without flour ... and eggs ... and an oven.

But for Chicago's Josh Stevens -- the winner of Groupon's contest to survive a year using nothing but the website's discount vouchers as currency -- it's time to cook up some tasty ideas. Good thing that Stevens, 28, is an accountant who is used to juggling numbers to make them work. But a bean counter without any actual beans to count? What's a Black Friday shopper to do?

Accept the challenge, that's what.

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]]>Andrew MasonBlack FridayBlack Friday 2010Black Friday GrouponsChristmasfacebookGroupawnGrouponJosh StevensJosh Stevens and Grouponliving a year without cashLou CarlozoWed, 10 Nov 2010 09:00:00 ESTLife on Groupons: Josh Stevens hits halfway mark in bid to live a year without cashhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/03/life-on-groupons-josh-stevens-hits-halfway-mark-in-bid-to-live/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/03/life-on-groupons-josh-stevens-hits-halfway-mark-in-bid-to-live/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/03/life-on-groupons-josh-stevens-hits-halfway-mark-in-bid-to-live/#commentsFiled under: ,

When Chicago resident, Josh Stevens, launched on an improbable fiscal adventure in May -- to live off nothing but Groupon vouchers for a year -- he had no idea that he'd make it half a year into the experience with wealth that far surpasses his $100,000 grand prize (that is, assuming he makes it a full year without using cash).

The Groupon contest winner has traveled all over the country and made countless new friends via Facebook and the Internet. He's also built a following in the five digits, and achieved a kind of celebrity usually reserved for reality TV stars. If you didn't catch Stevens on WalletPop or on the Today show in May, you can follow this self-proclaimed "Groupawn" and his exploits on his website, liveoffgroupon.com.

WalletPop spoke with Stevens, 28, as he prepared to leave Providence, R.I. for Washington D.C. where he will embark on a new chapter of Groupon-fueled adventures. The accountant spoke of his six months on the road -- he begins his seventh month on Nov. 10 -- and the range of new experiences he's had, from race car driving to flying planes to whale watching.

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]]>GroupawnGrouponJosh StevensLive off GrouponLive Off Groupon for a YearyoutubeLou CarlozoWed, 03 Nov 2010 09:00:00 ESTBlack Friday: Best deals on this season's 10 hottest retro toyshttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/10/25/black-friday-best-deals-on-this-seasons-10-hottest-retro-toys/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/10/25/black-friday-best-deals-on-this-seasons-10-hottest-retro-toys/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/10/25/black-friday-best-deals-on-this-seasons-10-hottest-retro-toys/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Sometimes, the only way to get ahead in this world is to go back -- way back. Just as the Black Friday shopping season has become increasingly frenzied, so have toys become more sophisticated. Electronics and computerized gadgets that didn't exist even a decade ago now rule the roost. Does Santa even read letters from kids who opt for e-mail or text messages over pen and paper?

Yet for all our Information Age bravado, some toys simply can't be improved with a microchip or a semiconductor. What follows is WalletPop's unscientific (but way cool) list of 10 retro toy classics that have withstood the tests of time and fun. One thing we noticed: Nearly every toy on this list was introduced by a mom-and-pop operation, with many of those same companies still making the toys today.

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]]>Black Friday 2010ChristmasDuncan Yo-YoLite-Britemagic 8 ballradio flyerretro toysRock em Sock em Robotsrubiks cubeSlinkyTinkerToystoy pianoLou CarlozoMon, 25 Oct 2010 10:00:00 ESTHow Aimee Mann makes indie music pay with stripped-down tours, Broadway dreamshttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/23/how-aimee-mann-makes-indie-music-pay-with-stripped-down-tours-b/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/23/how-aimee-mann-makes-indie-music-pay-with-stripped-down-tours-b/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/23/how-aimee-mann-makes-indie-music-pay-with-stripped-down-tours-b/#commentsFiled under: ,

Few indie rockers boast the formidable creativity and credibility of Aimee Mann -- yet Mann deserves high marks not only as a literate, whip-smart artist, but also as a businesswoman who's survived the music industry wreckage. Jerked around by major-label power brokers in the '90s, Mann cast out on her own, forming her own SuperEgo Records long before it became fashionable for musicians of her stature to run their own affairs. She also scored success, and accolades for her work on the film Magnolia and her 2005 album The Forgotten Arm -- which she's now fashioning into a musical, bound for New York's Public Theater.

In 2010, big record labels are reeling, while Mann's still at it. But that doesn't mean she's taken the easy path, especially in an age when countless artists compete for attention on MySpace and Facebook. Currently on the road for a string of acoustic dates, Mann spoke to WalletPop about the advantages and vagaries of making a living in the music biz in the 21st Century.

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]]>aimee mannfacebookgeffenindie musicmusic licensingmyspaceLou CarlozoThu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 ESTLabor Day bargains galore: Save at the Gap, Six Flags and spashttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/03/this-week-the-bargain-beau-has-labor-day-bargains-galore/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/03/this-week-the-bargain-beau-has-labor-day-bargains-galore/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/03/this-week-the-bargain-beau-has-labor-day-bargains-galore/#commentsFiled under: ,

Gap storeWhile our esteemed Julia Scott (a.k.a Bargain Babe) loves a bargain, she also loves a break. And so I'm filling in for her this week: We flipped a coin between the names Bargain Beau and Bargain Bum. And Bargain Beau won out. Thank goodness for two-headed coins.

But, hey: There's nothing rigged about these bargains. Here are some sweet deals and Fantastic Freebies worth checking out:

Gap online goodness: If you missed that big half-off deal that Groupon did for Gap stores last month, fear not. A good consolation prize comes by way Daddyodeals.com, which entitles you to Labor Day weekend savings when you shop Gap online. Get 25% off your gap.com purchase Sept. 3 only; 20% off Sept. 4-5; 20% off Sept. 6; and 10% off Sept. 7. Use this code at checkout: GPLABORDAY. Ends Sept. 7. While we can't 1000% vouch this will work, let's put it this way: We're giving it a shot ourselves.

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]]>Bargain BabeDunkin DonutsGapGap onlineOffice DepotSix FlagsSpaFinderLou CarlozoFri, 03 Sep 2010 07:00:00 ESTFrom Lady Gaga to Brad Pitt, celebrities and their jobs before fame came callinghttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/31/from-lady-gaga-to-brad-pitt-celebrities-and-their-jobs-before-f/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/31/from-lady-gaga-to-brad-pitt-celebrities-and-their-jobs-before-f/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/31/from-lady-gaga-to-brad-pitt-celebrities-and-their-jobs-before-f/#commentsFiled under: ,

While it seems celebs hardly work for their money, their pre-fame resumes tell dramatically different stories: rife with tales of cleaning toilets, delivering beer and asking sweetly, "Would you like fries with that?"

Turns out that America's most glamorous hotshots held down all kinds of unglamorous jobs, whether slinging donuts or dancing in chicken costumes, Here, WalletPop surveys the little-known and surprising vocational lowlights of 20 big stars -- uncovering, along the way, some tidbits of job history that speak volumes about where these stars wound up.

Thanks to HardlyFamous.com, which lists many more tidbits about celebrity odd jobs.

Gallery: The jobs celebrities worked before they found fame

Sandra Bullock: BartenderNicholas Cage: Popcorn VendorSteve Carell: Mail SorterKurt Cobain: JanitorTom Cruise: Paperboy

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]]>ashton kutcherBarry Manilowbefore they were famousbrad pittDavid Lettermandennis farinaHarrison Fordhoward sternjerry seinfeldKurt CobainLady GagaMadonnaMick JaggerMickey RourkeNicholas Cagequeen latifahRush LimbaughSandra Bullocksteve carellTom CruiseTom HanksLou CarlozoTue, 31 Aug 2010 08:00:00 ESTBilly Glynn's venture capital plan for reforming American spendinghttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/23/Billy-glynn-venture-capital-plan-for-reforming-american-spending/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/23/Billy-glynn-venture-capital-plan-for-reforming-american-spending/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/23/Billy-glynn-venture-capital-plan-for-reforming-american-spending/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

To say that Billy Glynn expresses controversial, self-styled views for solving America's economic woes is putting it mildly. A self-described "think tank of one," the venture capitalist and entrepreneur is used to raising money by the millions in fields from music technology to molecular science; InformationWeek once ranked him as one of 15 top global innovators.

Now, he's out to raise some ire with his new book, "The United States of Bankruptcy: 20 Great Ways to Save the American Way of Life" (Franklin Green). In it, Glynn maintains that America has gone bankrupt -- socially, spiritually and financially -- and that our nation's politicians have become "nothing more than [objects of] consumer branding led by commercials designed for us to buy a political product." Ouch.

So where does economic recovery begin? As Glynn told WalletPop, Americans need to start acting not merely as citizens, but shareholders with everything at stake: "If we allow our government to do more of the same, we will lose more international confidence in our economy than we have already." he says. "We will be cut off from those nations buying our debt and keeping the U.S. from bankruptcy right now. As bleak as all this sounds, I believe solutions can be brought to the political process."

But those solutions, as Glynn outlines them, would involve some wholesale changes many in power would find hard to swallow. Likewise, Flynn has some harsh words of rebuke for Americans who have spent themselves into all sorts debt.

Continue reading Billy Glynn's venture capital plan for reforming American spending


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]]>Alan GreenspanbankruptcyBilly GlynnconsumersdebtLou CarlozoMon, 23 Aug 2010 08:00:00 ESTFor Chicago's urban chicken entrepreneur, success means laying an egghttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/23/for-chicagos-urban-chicken-entrepreneur-success-means-laying-a/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/23/for-chicagos-urban-chicken-entrepreneur-success-means-laying-a/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/08/23/for-chicagos-urban-chicken-entrepreneur-success-means-laying-a/#commentsFiled under: ,

For Chicago's urban chicken entrepreneur, success means laying an eggThere's an even better chicken joke than the one about a certain fowl crossing the road, and it begins with Jennifer Murtoff of Oak Park, Ill. printing up 150 business cards that identified her as an Urban Chicken Consultant.

True, Murtoff grew up something of a farm girl in south central Pennsylvania, raising chicks with names like Hot Stuff and Baby Jitterbug in her grandpa's barnyard. But Murtoff, 35, had no real intention of turning her lifelong poultry passion into an entrepreneurial pursuit. A fan of Monty Python and practical jokes, she just thought the cards would look funny when she designed them two years ago.

But as these fine feathered tales go, Murtoff soon found that one woman's yuck is another person's yolk. And once the chicken flew the coop, so to speak, there was no stopping it.

"I was just being goofy with the cards," Murtoff recalled. "And then my accountant said, 'I want to get chickens in my back yard.'" That was in March 2009, a time when the French horn player with a master's degree in Hispanic linguistics could've used some spare cash.

Thus a new sideline wasn't so much born as hatched.

Continue reading For Chicago's urban chicken entrepreneur, success means laying an egg


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]]>ChicagochickenschickshensHome to RoostJennifer Murtoffoak parkurban chickensLou CarlozoMon, 23 Aug 2010 07:00:00 ESTCan't wait for your free iPhone 4 bumper? Here's an effective, temporary fixhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/21/cant-wait-for-your-free-iphone-4-bumper-heres-an-effective-t/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/21/cant-wait-for-your-free-iphone-4-bumper-heres-an-effective-t/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/21/cant-wait-for-your-free-iphone-4-bumper-heres-an-effective-t/#commentsFiled under: ,

Can't wait for your free iPhone 4 bumper? Here's an effective, temporary fixThose free iPhone 4 bumpers that solve the problem of allegedly errant antenna reception may not yet be available on the Apple website -- details are coming soon, Apple representatives say -- but if you want to rig up a suitable fix in the meantime, you can do what I did: Use the PixelSkin rubber case manufactured by Speck for the iPhone 3 and 3Gs.

The $24.95 case, which comes in array of smart colors such as spearmint green and sherbet pink, is not a 100% perfect fit for your iPhone 4 -- and it will block the flashlight on your iPhone 4 camera, so take it off for night photography.

But since I've tried this solution, I've noticed no reception problems at all on my iPhone 4. Now in case you think I'm a mindless Mac guy, an iPhone cheerleader or wishfully thinking, keep in mind that I've been a vocal critic of AT&T's wireless service for the iPhone for some time. I've recommended everything from tin cans and string to smoke signal apps as preferable substitutes.

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]]>ATTiPhone 4iPhone 4 antennamophieMophieJuicePackspecksteve jobsLou CarlozoWed, 21 Jul 2010 08:00:00 ESTThe future of journalism careers for gifted kids? Here's hoping for good newshttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/16/the-future-of-journalism-careers-for-gifted-kids-heres-hoping/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/16/the-future-of-journalism-careers-for-gifted-kids-heres-hoping/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/16/the-future-of-journalism-careers-for-gifted-kids-heres-hoping/#commentsFiled under: ,

The future of journalism careers for gifted kids? Here's hoping for good newsThe news is out, and has been for some time, about the imminent death of print media. And yet, I am amazed that everywhere I teach--from my reporting and writing class at Loyola University Chicago to Northwestern University's summer program for gifted students--young men and women have a passion for pursuing journalism as a career. Maybe it has something to do with those glamorous images kids see of reporters in the movies and on TV. Maybe it's the rewards of a career that gives access to rock stars, famous folks and world leaders.

Today is my last day teaching 9-to-12 year olds at Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development for this summer. In a grueling three weeks, we learned plenty about using strong verbs, beating writer's block and reviewing food in the dining hall the way a restaurant critic might. (Oh! The gargantuan grease slick covering those burgers. I think one kid wanted to rename those fatty patties in honor of BP.)

Many of these kids not only know they want to be journalists, but can tell you exactly what niche they want to occupy. Noor B., who's 9, wants to be a travel reporter. James J., 12, wants to work for ESPN or otherwise cover sports. He gave me World Cup updates every hour on the hour, it seemed.

But even with 20-plus years experience as a pro, there's one question I cannot answer for these bright students: Will there be journalism jobs waiting for them when they're ready to turn professional?

Continue reading The future of journalism careers for gifted kids? Here's hoping for good news


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]]>Center for Talent Developmentjournalismnorthwestern universityLou CarlozoFri, 16 Jul 2010 17:00:00 ESTChicago's Lutz Bakery takes the cake after Food Network episodehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/13/chicagos-lutz-bakery-takes-the-cake-after-food-network-episode/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/13/chicagos-lutz-bakery-takes-the-cake-after-food-network-episode/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/13/chicagos-lutz-bakery-takes-the-cake-after-food-network-episode/#commentsFiled under: ,

On a typical day, the family-owned Lutz Cafe and Pastry Shop in Chicago's North Center neighborhood might get 200 visitors to its website--people looking for all manner of confections based on authentic German recipes.

But when the Food Network featured Lutz on its show "Kid in a Candy Store" Monday, the lines started overheating, which seems fitting given that host Adam Gertler spotlighted a unique Lutz creation: the baumkuchen, a three-foot tall confection roasted on a spit like a turkey.

"We're going 100,000 miles an hour after that episode," Lutz owner Howard Gould, 54, said Tuesday morning. "We got several hundred orders for baumkuchen overnight.

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]]>Adam Gertlerfood networkHomer Simpsonkid in a candy storeLou CarlozoTue, 13 Jul 2010 12:20:00 ESTMcDonald's ends 'McFight' with collegiate charity concert promoterhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/12/mcdonalds-ends-mcfight-with-collegiate-charity-concert-promot/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/12/mcdonalds-ends-mcfight-with-collegiate-charity-concert-promot/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/12/mcdonalds-ends-mcfight-with-collegiate-charity-concert-promot/#commentsFiled under: , ,

After months of legal wrangling and thousands of McDonald's customers threatening to boycott in her honor, college-age charity concert promoter Lauren McClusky has reached a settlement with the fast food giant, agreeing to trade in the name of her charity show, "McFest," for $40,000.

WalletPop first reported about McClusky's legal adventures with McDonald's trademark lawyers earlier this year. The saga began in January 2009, according to McClusky (pictured), but no other news outlet had picked up on it by the time we ran our story. On Monday morning, WalletPop was first to learn that McClusky has settled with the fast food chain and her show -- now renamed "Nelarusky" (a moniker she devised by scrambling the letters of her first and last name) -- will go on in cooperation with the Lollapalooza festival. Not only that but McDonald's has agreed to act as the main sponsor for this and next year's charity shows.

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]]>AOLlollapaloozaMcDonaldsMcFestsemester at seaSpecial OlympicsLou CarlozoMon, 12 Jul 2010 08:00:00 ESTEven for gifted kids, higher education equals higher anxietyhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/07/even-for-gifted-kids-higher-education-equals-higher-anxiety/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/07/even-for-gifted-kids-higher-education-equals-higher-anxiety/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/07/07/even-for-gifted-kids-higher-education-equals-higher-anxiety/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As I write this, I'm standing in a classroom at Northwestern University, teaching journalism to 14 exceptionally bright students, ranging in age from 9 to 12. They startle me with how much they know; some of them wield iPads with more skill and flash than adults. Others correct me when I make a spelling error--and they do it as fast as my words hit the chalkboard. They boast imagination, creativity, smarts and great humor; they know more about the LeBron James NBA free agency talks than half the sports writers in the country.

Yet these students--part of Northwestern's esteemed Center for Talent Development program--also have very real concerns about their future, about college, and about how things will change by the time they enroll in a university. (Note: In the interest of protecting my students, I have refrained from using last names.)

"I'm afraid that I might get into a college, and that I won't be able to take classes in the things I want to learn," says Ava Z., 11, who starts 6th grade this fall in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. "When I see movies about college, it makes me think 'What happens if I get shunned?' " She also worries that the aggressive nature of higher ed jockeying will get even more intense as she matures. "The world seems like it's getting more and more competitive."

Continue reading Even for gifted kids, higher education equals higher anxiety


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]]>Center for Talent Developmentgifted kidsharvardnorthwestern universitypresident obamastudentsu.s. news and world reportLou CarlozoWed, 07 Jul 2010 11:45:00 ESTiPhone OS 4 review: Don't be afraidhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/23/iphone-os-4-review-dont-be-afraid/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/23/iphone-os-4-review-dont-be-afraid/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/23/iphone-os-4-review-dont-be-afraid/#commentsFiled under: , ,

While nothing could be as obnoxious as the Microsoft mantra -- you know, "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down" -- I woke this morning to find that quite a few Mac folks had their undies in a bunch over the new iPhone OS 4 software, which marks a quantum leap from the previous iPhone software.

Some would argue, it seems, that the leap is backward. And as our sister site Switched reports today, the change in software has been causing some reactivation problems that last for hours. If you want to avoid such hassles with your iPhone -- which will likely multiply if you are using an iPhone 3G or an out-of-date version of iTunes - -be sure to click on the Switched story here.

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]]>app storeibooksibooks appiphoneiphone osiphone os4iPhone softwareiPhone Software UpdateiTunesitunes 9.2Lou CarlozoWed, 23 Jun 2010 11:35:00 ESTConfessions of a stressed-out dad about balancing work, home lifehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/22/confessions-of-a-stressed-out-dad-about-balancing-work-home-lif/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/22/confessions-of-a-stressed-out-dad-about-balancing-work-home-lif/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/22/confessions-of-a-stressed-out-dad-about-balancing-work-home-lif/#commentsFiled under: ,

This morning I woke to CNN and post-Father's Day words of wisdom from New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope: These days, it seems, breadwinning dads are more stressed out than ever. Here's a bit of what Parker-Pope said in a Times blog that's been lighting up the Internet since she posted it Friday:

"[New] research highlights the unique challenges fathers face in balancing work and family life. Men still are typically a family's primary breadwinner, but they also increasingly report wanting to be more involved with their children. To do so, they must first navigate a workplace that often is not as receptive to fathers taking time from work for family. And a wife at home who may not always recognize his contributions."

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]]>childcareChildCareDecisionsdaddadsfathersfathers daykidsparenthoodparentingparentsThe second shiftworkWorkLifeBalanceworklifeblanceLou CarlozoTue, 22 Jun 2010 16:00:00 ESTDoes 'B' in BP stand for 'Bankrupt?' Not yet - but let's wait and seehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/13/does-b-in-bp-stand-for-bankrupt-not-yet-but-lets-wait-an/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/13/does-b-in-bp-stand-for-bankrupt-not-yet-but-lets-wait-an/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/13/does-b-in-bp-stand-for-bankrupt-not-yet-but-lets-wait-an/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Does the B in BP stand for bankrupt? Not yet...butI'm not one for wacko conspiracy theories. But I think it's entirely possible, for example, that Kenneth Lay of Enron faked his own death. Come on: If you knew that all the lawsuits against you would be thrown out of court the moment you kicked the bucket, how hard would it be to take just a little bit of that stock money you ripped off from investors, then pay off a coroner to find your "corpse" and ... oh, well, never mind.

When you think about how non-feasible that scenario is, I can think of an even better one: Once upon a time, a company named Enron convinced us -- including the half-asleep media watchdogs -- that the rolling power blackouts in California were the result of real electricity shortages. We now know that's not the case. But when it comes to a new major energy story and another power giant, why are we so damn quick to believe the industry line yet again?

This time the company is BP, and the scenario is the biggest oil spill in, oh, the History of Planet Earth. Which ain't even plugged up yet, despite all the petrochemical equivalents of chewing gum and thumbs in the dike to fix it. "There's a hole, there's a hole, there's a hole in the bottom of the sea..."

While you sing along, so sing the so-called "experts" in a chorus of shaking heads. And they're lining up to say, in between bites of caviar and key lime pie with their Wall Street buddies, that the notion of BP possibly going bankrupt over this is preposterous ... ridiculous ... not feasible. They have billions of billions of dollars, you know. Oh, those proles in the working class think so small. And didn't Jon Pack, a BP spokesman in Houston, tell Reuters that the company has not been in discussion with anyone regarding bankruptcy? It's only $1.4 billion in costs so far, and BP has hundreds of billions to play with.

Really? To those reading this who think, "Oh, well, l guess BP will get away with it and live to profit another day," I say this:

Don't believe it. Not. One. Word. Let me explain why.

Continue reading Does 'B' in BP stand for 'Bankrupt?' Not yet - but let's wait and see


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]]>bankruptcyboycottBPFresh AirFreshAirmediaoil explosionOilExplosionThe truth about BPTheTruthAboutBpWhy BP is lying about bankruptcyLou CarlozoSun, 13 Jun 2010 08:00:00 ESTAl Gore divorce spreads to Karenna Gore Schiff's marriagehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/09/blame-the-weather-or-global-warming-another-gore-marriage-on-t/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/09/blame-the-weather-or-global-warming-another-gore-marriage-on-t/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/09/blame-the-weather-or-global-warming-another-gore-marriage-on-t/#commentsFiled under: ,

Karenna Gore marriage also on the rocksTo use the kind of environmental jabber Al Gore likes, perhaps there's some petrochemical of discontent--whatever the hell that means -- leaking into the family drinking water. No sooner have Al and Tipper called it quits than comes news of another possible Gore divorce: After 13 years, Karenna Gore Schiff, the oldest Gore daughter, has separated from her hubby.

Now the Gore family isn't exactly broke. Al and Tipper have a net worth estimated at more than $100 million (see our piece on that breakup here), and Karenna's no slouch, either: A lawyer with degrees from Harvard and Columbia, she married a doctor who comes from a famous philanthropic family.

So what implications can we draw from this split? What matrimonial express might derail next? As a reporter who has interviewed the former vice president, and WalletPop's answer to Dr. Phil, allow me to answer your most pressing questions.

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]]>Andrew Newman SchiffdivorceGoreKarenna GoreKarenna Gore SchiffseparationtipperLou CarlozoWed, 09 Jun 2010 14:12:00 ESTiPhone 4: Cool, but can we get a phone app for that?http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/07/iphone-4-cool-but-can-we-get-a-phone-app-for-that/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/07/iphone-4-cool-but-can-we-get-a-phone-app-for-that/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/06/07/iphone-4-cool-but-can-we-get-a-phone-app-for-that/#commentsFiled under: ,

iPhone 4: Fancy, but still needs a phone appAll "i"s today were on Apple's Steve Jobs, as he made the announcement everyone in Techland pretty much expected for weeks now at WWDC 2010: the new iPhone 4 is coming.

And yes, as an Apple guy, I'm fairly excited by all the new bells and whistles, as reported by our sister site Engadget: a larger battery, a forward-facing camera and Face Time video chat among them.

That said, excuse me if I yawn. Or scream. Not that you'll be able to hear either if you call me on my iPhone 3Gs.

Lest we forget, tech-savvy boys and girls, that the second syllable in smartphone is "phone," And I'm fairly amazed that Jobs did something akin to what absent-minded professors do when they stroll out of the house contemplating world-shaking equations, but remain blissfully unaware that their flies are wide open.

For as long as AT&T remains the telecom carrier for the iPhone 4, you might as well buy the one accessory they don't sell at the Apple Store: a tin can and a string.

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]]>ATTdropped callsiPhoneJailbreakVerizonLou CarlozoMon, 07 Jun 2010 19:00:00 ESTIn teaching excellence and tuition cost, how much do degrees matter?http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/05/18/in-teaching-excellence-and-tuition-cost-how-much-do-degrees-mat/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/05/18/in-teaching-excellence-and-tuition-cost-how-much-do-degrees-mat/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/05/18/in-teaching-excellence-and-tuition-cost-how-much-do-degrees-mat/#commentsFiled under: ,

I began my journalism career in 1989 at the Philadelphia Inquirer during the paper's glory days under editor Gene Roberts, when it was called "The Pulitzer Factory." As a cub reporter, I learned fast under some of the best journalists around: Tim Weiner, David Lee Preston, Steve Lopez and Dave Taylor among them. And yet ...

in that paper's caste system -- sharply divided between privileged staff writers and the less-respected full-time freelancers -- one of the worst-kept secrets was that quite a few freelancers could write rings around some mediocre, lazy staff writers ... even though those staffers made three, four or five times as much.

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]]>adjunctadjunct professorfaculty salariesFacultySalariesloyola universityMoney CollegerutgersRutgers UniversityThe AtlantictuitionuniversityLou CarlozoTue, 18 May 2010 13:00:00 EST