| Traits and habits of low-key millionaires
Some people say, 'I'm not interested in living my life that way,"' Schiff said, noting a major feature in American life is middle-class anxiety over neighbors doing much better. "If you don't want to live that life, that's OK, but don't be confused anymore about the two different paths you are on." Another middle-class millionaire behavior is choosing a house in the best public school district. Regular middle-class people say three things, almost equally, influence where they live - schools, convenience to work, and convenience to shopping. The book also reveals that studying for a post-graduate degree, unless it's an MBA, is unlikely to make you richer. "Once you get your bachelor's degree it is these four qualities, which we describe as Millionaire Intelligence, that have a lot more to do with where you go," he said.
The 2008 Ford Taurus-The Family Car
Ford touts the 2008 Taurus as the "ideal" family car, and also as America's safest family car. The Taurus is a roomy vehicle that seats five in comfort and provides unexpected luxury. The Taurus ranks the highest in five safety crash tests as indicated by the Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Taurus scored a perfect 5-star rating in frontal impact (driver and passenger) side impact (front and rear seats). Taurus has combined all wheel drive (AWD) with Advanced Trac, resulting in a confident ride and handling in all weather conditions and on all road surfaces. This pairing can send a high level of driving torque to a single wheel, and can also deliver up to 100 percent of the available torque to the rear wheels when front-wheel traction is limited. .
St. Charles police on alert after rash of vehicle, home burglaries
A recent spike in burglaries prompted St. Charles police today to put residents on alert. Since Dec. 23, there have been six reported vehicle and home burglaries, which "may be tied together," in the city's northeast and northwest areas, police spokesman Paul McCurtain said. The incidents all took place in the morning or early afternoon, while the victims were away. "In some cases, the offenders have forced entry into the residence," police said in a statement. "In others, the suspect made entry into vehicles parked in the driveway and have taken personal items," including garage door openers to get inside houses. Residents are asked to keep their vehicles locked and personal belongings out of plain view. They also should call 911 immediately if they notice suspicious activity.
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes
Like a plentiful oil well, the European Union (EU) has found, since 2004, that Microsoft is a rich source of funds. The EU allowed Microsoft to continue to operate in the region, but found it in violation of antitrust laws. Its conclusion -- in order to stay Microsoft will have to pay some big fines. The Microsoft fines began in March of 2004 when a European Commission high court found the company guilty of antitrust violations -- in particular, using underhanded tactics to freeze out its competitors in the media player and server software markets. A massive fine of $690M (€497M) was charged against Microsoft. Microsoft refused to comply and was promptly fined an additional $375.4M USD. In the end, Microsoft's decision to fight the law turned out to be a futile one when the European Court of First Instance ruled to uphold European Commission's decision against Microsoft. Microsoft agreed to finally comply with the ruling.
Multinationals: Are They Good for America?
Flush with cash from booming overseas sales, the glass giant is amping up its product development efforts at home. "It's important for the functioning of our innovation machine that we be in one location," says Corning Inc. President Peter F. Volanakis. That's good news for the residents of Steuben County, where Corning is the largest employer. Since 2005 they have watched their unemployment rate drop faster than thatof neighboring counties, in part because of Corning's commitment to the area and its ability to sell around the world. Americans are going to need quite a few more Cornings—global companies willing to invest in the U.S.—to ease the pain of the economic slowdown. The big multinationals are the go-to guys right now: They've got plenty of cash and soaring profits from overseas operations.
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