| Struggling homeowners give CBA record profit
Asked if CBA could again lift rates outside RBA rate moves, chief executive Ralph Norris said: "I can't promise anything in that regard. It depends on what happens in the markets. "If our costs go up exponentially, then we're obviously going to have to recover those costs,'' he told journalists. Financial markets are factoring in another 25 basis point rise in the official cash rate to 7.25 per cent. Record profit, but below expectationsCBA's net profit for the six months ended December 31 rose to $2.37 billion, up 8 per cent from $2.19 billion in the same period last year. The bank is confident it will deliver earnings growth that meets or exceeds the average of its peers. The bank's cash net profit, the bank's preferred measure of profitability, was $2.39 billion, also a record, up 7 per cent on the second half of fiscal 2007 and was up 4 per cent on the first half.
At Salishan, it’s all about pride
School's out, and a parade of kids swarms across the T-Street Gulch bridge and bursts into Salishan, swinging books, chatting and laughing.Video: A look back at the Salishan that once was It's a healthy, happy-looking bunch, diverse as a Coke commercial. They cross a grassy park and fan out onto the East Side Tacoma neighborhood's quiet streets, heading toward picturesque Craftsman-style homes, each with a big front porch and a manicured lawn. The scene is enough to sway even the most skeptical: Might it really be possible that the revamped Salishan, notorious for poverty and violence in the 1980s, actually will turn out to be the Utopian model its developers say it will be? "This is better, 'cause the old one had rodents running around," said Margarita Crown, a 45-year-old single mother who lived in the old Salishan and now has a corner duplex in the new one.
John SIDNEY McCain was Born in Panama!
And Hillary RODHAM Clinton entered the world in Illinois.None of this may actually matter, mind you, since (surprise) John SHIRLEY McCain's birth occurred on a military base. Being posted there by the U.S. Government, you can't exactly tell McCain's parents their offspring don't qualify as legitimate citizens. Who really knows what the founding fathers really meant anyway: The phrase "natural born" was in early drafts of the Constitution. Scholars say notes of the Constitutional Convention give away little of the intent of the framers. Its origin may be traced to a letter from John Jay to George Washington, with Jay suggesting that to prevent foreigners from becoming commander in chief, the Constitution needed to "declare expressly" that only a natural-born citizen could be president. OK, whatever, so Panama's a non-issue, but still, what about SIDNEY? Surely there's a good playground taunt, or hidden meaning in that somebody can cook up before the election, no? .
PM denies spending will push up rates
Prime Minister John Howard denies his massive $9 billion splurge on election promises will push up inflation and interest rates. Moments before the Coalition's election launch yesterday, the Reserve Bank of Australia sounded an official warning on inflation, which it predicted would not drop below 3 per cent before 2009. The bank said public spending and household consumption were key drivers of inflation that could lead to further interest rate hikes. But Mr Howard today insisted his election splurge was responsible and would not add to inflation. He acknowledged higher inflation put upward pressure on interest rates but said factors such as drought and high oil prices, not government spending on tax cuts, were to blame for inflationary pressures in the economy.
Ramage sentenced to 4 years in fatal crash
Former NHL player Rob Ramage was sentenced Thursday in an Ontario court to four years in prison for his role in the death of ex-Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson. Magnuson died instantly on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage, 48, veered into traffic and struck two vehicles near Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto. A police officer examines the rental car driven by Rob Ramage in 2003. (Saul Porto/Canadian Press) Magnuson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 56. Before his sentencing in Newmarket, Ramage called Magnuson "a dear friend and mentor." The former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman added, "I can only imagine what a loving husband and father he was [and] by the grace of God, I stand here today." Ontario Superior Court Justice Alexander Sosna called the accident "tragic and senseless." While Sosna said Ramage was an "exemplary citizen," he insisted the sentence needed to send a harsh message to the public.
10 Tips: Rent a car without breaking the bank
You stand to get the upgrade anyway for the economy price. 5. Check for restrictions on where you can take the car. Planning to drive across state lines? Make sure that's going to be OK before you lock in your rental deal. Some rental car companies' “unlimited mileage" rates don't include certain states, and you could get walloped with an unexpectedly high bill unless you're aware of the restrictions ahead of time. 6. You rarely need that extra insurance. Rental agencies often urge renters to spend additional money per day on collision damage waivers and other insurance coverage. Review your auto insurance policy and credit-card agreements; you're almost certainly covered already. The one exception you might want to consider is “loss of use" coverage, which covers the time the rental agency may need to spend having the car repaired if you get into an accident.
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