The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program was created to encourage employers to keep company health plans, until health insurance becomes cheaper in 2014. But Congress only allocated $5 billion to the program, which analysts believe will run out within two years.
Earlier this month, there was a one-day hiring blitz for San Francisco area McDonald's — 1,000 part-time positions were up for grabs. Reporter Peter O'Dowd said a similar situation is in Arizona, and smoothies and frappes may be driving the hiring.
China scaled back its exports of rare earth minerals — all those essential metals that make cell phones and hybrid cars work — and that's making several industries around the world nervous.
Comcast bought NBC Universal, which owns a chunk of online TV site Hulu, earlier this year. The deal has yet to be approved by the FTC, but cable companies are already strategizing how to incorporate online TV into their business plans.
Huge billboards on the sides of buildings and bridges may just be part of living in a market-driven society, but in these uncertain economic times, some cities see super-sized billboards as a way to help fill budget gaps.
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