| Groups work to restore Deer Creek as trout stream
A faded Deer Creek Road sign not so clearly marks a turn off of Route 53 in Morrisdale. Deer Creek Road, State Route 1009, takes one north through farms and woodlots, over the roaring trucks on Interstate 80, and then it descends on a curved, rhododendron-lined path into the quiet West Branch Valley. Besides the peaceful northcentral Pennsylvania countryside, the drive exposes the partially-healed scars left by generations of coal mining. A not-so-vegetated spoil pile, a semi-recontoured strip mine that still looks like the former dragline trench that it was and, of course, the orange rock-lined West Branch of the Susquehanna River all bear witness to the sad legacy of coal. At Frenchville Station, now nothing more than a railroad line and a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission boat launch, Deer Creek Road crosses the West Branch and meets its namesake stream.
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How Gordon's in-tray is stacking up
But Darling is also likely to acknowledge signs of an economic slowdown. And both he and Brown are aware of the continuing fallout from America's mortgage-lending crisis, particularly with fresh housing loan figures due later this month. Prime Minister's Questions. Even the unflappable Brown will be dreading the prospect of David Cameron - and the predictable barracking from the Opposition benches. He'll have to get used to it, however. PMQs will for months ahead present Cameron with endless opportunities to taunt Brown over the snap election that wasn't. The European Union's Intergovernmental Conference in Lisbon. Brown will join other heads of government for a session on the new EU treaty amid pressure from the Tories - and some of his own backbenchers - for a referendum on a document that they insist is just a warmed-up version of the discredited EU constitution.
Vital Signs: Investors Want More Cuts from the Fed
What's next for the Federal Reserve? The surprise move on Jan. 22, when the central bank slashed the federal funds target rate to 3.5% from 4.25%, hasn't quenched the financial markets' thirst for interest rate relief. Instead, most investors still believe Chairman Ben Bernanke and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will end their monetary policy meeting on Jan. 30 by announcing another 50 basis-point cut in rates. Along with the Jan. 22 rate cut, the Fed stated that "incoming information indicates a deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labor markets." Meanwhile, the bank expects inflation to moderate, although it will keep a close eye on the numbers. Along with the timing of the rate cut, this more downbeat assessment raised fears about the health of the economy.
Weathering the economic storm
It is more likely that we are heading to recession," said Scott Sprinkle, a CPA and financial planner with Sprinkle & Associates in Littleton. On Wednesday, preliminary fourth-quarter gross domestic product numbers will come out, detailing whether the economy has slowed. Federal Reserve officials also are meeting that day and are expected to announce additional interest-rate cuts to cushion the economy against a slump. If both point to a slowdown, those who haven't done so may want to review their financial situation and job security. Job losses follow rather than lead recessions, notes Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., the global outplacement consultancy that tracks job cuts. Of the seven recessions since 1960, jobs continued to increase at the start of five of them.
Amazon Re-Kindles Interest in E-books
Users can buy e-books directly on the Kindle and sample the first chapter without charge. The cost for the books varies, depending on the going price, but new releases and New York Times best sellers cost $9.99. No more magnifying glasses needed to read books with small prints. The reader has six adjustable font sizes to choose from. Rising Popularity of E-Books Statistics, published by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), show that e-books are becoming popular among book junkies. In 2002, revenue from e-book wholesale was around $5.7 million. In 2006, the same figure had increased to above $20 million and between January and October of 2007, e-book sales amounted to more than $26 million. "Retail numbers may be as much as double the above figures due to industry wholesale discounts," according to the IDPF Website.
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