The Dave Ralis Blog at phillyBurbs.comA blog at phillyBurbs.com, a Calkins Media Incorporated company.How much is your life worth- June 30, 2008 Is it your salary Is it the amount of insurance your beneficiaries stand to inherit (unless Clarence the Angel comes to your rescue) Is it how much money you have in the bank and investments, owe in credit cards, and in the equity in your home Is it your weight in gold Ian Usher, ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31730&cat=16 Ex-anthrax suspect now a near $6 million man- June 29, 2008 Former Army scientist Steven Hatfill, who was named as a person of interest in the 2001 anthrax attacks, will receive $5.8 million to settle his lawsuit against the Justice Department. The deal requires the government to pay Hatfill $2.83 million up front and then buy him a $3 million annuity that ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31714&cat=16 Welcome to the real world, kid- June 26, 2008 My neighbor&8217;s kid is working at a factory this summer in Philly until he returns to college for a class next month. Listening to him talk last night, I was reminded how sheltered most Bucks County kids are. He thinks the repetitive tasks he&8217;s being paid to perform with a machine ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31629&cat=16 Tie died- June 26, 2008 What percentage of men say they never wear a tie to work 67 Source: American MagazineGallup Organization surveyhttp://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31607&cat=16 Hard sell for turnpike lease- June 25, 2008 I was a bit stunned to receive an e-mail last night from Pennsylvania Transportation Partners espousing the virtues of leasing the state&8217;s turnpike away to a Spanish company for $12.8 billion. It wasn&8217;t the obviously mass e-mail that surprised. Or who was paying for the campaign, namely CitiBank and Abertis Infrastructures ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31574&cat=16 Sallie Mae shows her pink slip- June 24, 2008 I feel sorry for the 160 workers who will lose their jobs at Sallie Mae, but it doesn&8217;t exactly break my heart that the nation&8217;s largest student loan company is halting its loan collection operation at its Mount Laurel branch. I mean, who really sympathizes with collection agents The Mount Laurel employees ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31525&cat=16 Philly sales of flavored cigar wrappers blunted- June 23, 2008 Head&8217;s up pot smokers, the city fuzz is on to your game. A divided Commonwealth Court has upheld part of Philadelphia&8217;s city ordinance banning the sale of hollowed out and flavored cigars known as &8220;blunts,&8221; ostensibly because they can be used to roll really fat joints. However, the state appeals court struck ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31479&cat=16 Beast of an unbalanced tax burden- June 23, 2008 Philly may be next in line for a city-wide reassessment of properties. A three-part Philadelphia Inquirer series that started Sunday says fewer than 5 percent of the 400,000 homeowners in the city receive property tax bills based on the true value of their real estate and, on average, the rest of ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31449&cat=16 Bear Stearns arrests tip of the economic iceberg- June 22, 2008 How in the face of the arrests of two Bear Stearns hedge fund managers can the Bush Administration justify the unprecedented bailoutsale of that investment bank, but not help homeowners stuck in adjustable rate mortgages In case you missed it, Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin were hauled to jail Thursday accused ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31425&cat=16 GPS should stand for goofy, painful she-devil- June 19, 2008 I have always had a terrible sense of direction, so naturally, my brother gave me a TomTom for my 40th birthday in December. The device is designed for people like me, who couldn&8217;t find their way with a compass, a roadmap and clearly lit street signs. Heck, I still get ...http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php?p=31318&cat=16 |