In uncertain times, invest in the long-term

While Wall Street debates whether the U.S. is headed for recession, investors don't have to wait for an answer — they can take steps to limit their risks.

Obama Could WIn New York City!

A WNBC/Marist poll released last week found that although Mrs. Clinton had a 47% to 31% lead over Mr. Obama among likely New York State voters, he was far closer in New York City, drawing 39% of likely voters versus 43% for Senator Clinton. In recent weeks, Mr. Obama's support has been surging among black voters, a demographic he won 4 to 1 in SC.

Republicans Scared: "Obama is the Democrats' Reagan"

Here is a great article from a conservative Republican commentator on Beliefnet. This echoes what we Obama supporters have been saying for months. He thinks Obama will "win in a landslide" if he wins the Democratic nomination: "If I were a Republican, I'd be very, very afraid. Oh wait, I am a Republican. Dang. Lord have mercy."

Airports to Avoid at All Cost

The top places to avoid, unless you like being trapped on the tarmac.

Americans slow to spend down IRA balances

Americans who have money stored in Individual Retirement Accounts tend to hang on to it for use in the later years of their retirement, according to a study being released Monday.

Rudy Giuliani hints at dropping out

In a meeting in the back of his chartered plane en route to St. Petersburg, Fla., a short while ago, the onetime, longtime GOP front-runner told a small group of reporters, including The Times' Louise Roug: "The winner of Florida will win the nomination."

Chavez Urges Withdrawals From U.S. Banks

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged his Latin American allies on Saturday to begin withdrawing billions of dollars in international reserves from U.S. banks, warning of a looming U.S. economic crisis.

Banter Is Enouraged at Some Workplaces

Small business owners should welcome employee chatter.

Wall Street Fights to Reverse Losses

Stocks are up despite a big drop in new home sales, disappointing earnings.

Economy woes batter global equities (Reuters)

Reuters - Persistent fears about the world economy
battered global stocks again on Monday and drove investors
towards safer assets despite expectations of more interest cuts
from the Federal Reserve to bolster growth.

$3 ATM Fees? Banks Hike Price

Struggling financial instutions looking for more ways to raise profits.

The naked truth about women in Russian politics

Heated debates in Russia's State Duma could be about to get even hotter. Among the brand new deputies to win seats are four female ex athletes who have a history of letting it all hang out - for the cameras. All eyes are now on the Duma, to see whether these beautiful ladies bring a new kind of passion to political discussions.

SocGen trader questioned for second day (Reuters)

Reuters - The junior trader blamed for causing a $7
billion loss at French bank Societe Generale faced a second day
of questioning on Sunday by finance police, who said he was
cooperating with their inquiry.

HILLARY IS TRYING TO STEAL THE ELECTION

Clinton said Friday — just four days before Florida's primary — that she wants the convention delegates from Florida and Michigan reinstated. The National Democratic Party eliminated all the delegates from those states because they broke party rules by holding their primaries before Feb. 5. Democrats agreed not to campaign there.

Will Senate Tinker With Stimulus Bill?

Stimulus bill could be delayed by fight to extend unemployment benefits.

Top TVs for Watching the Super Bowl

Before you shell out big bucks for that new HDTV, read this guide.

Home Sales See Largest Drop in 25 Years

For the first time since '68, median housing prices also declined for the year.

Help! I Can't Sell My McMansion

In these tough times, even the rich find it tough to sell a house.

Where tax savings are: Detailing deductions

With the start of the new tax year, the hunt for tax-lowering deductions and credits is officially on. But new opportunities are scarcer this year.

Do It Yourself! Amateurs Bank on Porn

Web site offers real people chance to make real money by having real sex.

British Media Confirms FBI Nuke Cover-up

The Sunday Times has obtained a document that confirms that a file, which the FBI denied existed, could contain information about American officials stealing nuclear secrets for Turkish and Israeli spies, who would then sell the secrets to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Rich Enough to Own the Universe

Dubai's state development arm pushes forward with yet another luxe coastal plan.

Obama wins Nevada -- for real.

While Clinton did edge out Obama in the popular vote by 6%, she only did so by capturing the populous Las Vegas area. Obama won broader support statewide, especially in the more rural areas that Democrats usually flounder in, and thus earned more state delegates than Clinton. Obama is now two delegates ahead of Clinton, and closest to nomination.

U.S. Recession Fears Sink Global Markets

Asian, stock markets have little faith in Washington's stimulus plan.

Scientology and Me by BBC's Panorama

First of three parts, other two are in the related videos. It's an interesting documentary about Scientology in the UK.

Forget Weather, Airlines Cause Own Delays

Pilot shortages, long refuelings and mechanical breakdowns are root of delays.

Stocks dogged by recession fears (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks in Asia resumed their decline
on Monday, led by banks like Japan's Mizuho, while the dollar
hovered near a 3-year low against the yen after a proposed U.S.
stimulus package did little to soothe fears the world's top
economy will tip into a recession.

Taxpayers getting more privacy with new rule

The final rules issued by the IRS on Thursday require tax preparers to get informed consent before disclosing tax information to third parties or using it for non-return purposes.

Housing Slump? Not in Manhattan

Some New Yorkers still shell out millions for lavish apartments.

Insiders and the Hysteroidal Cycle

If the knowledge remains concentrated in the hands of the few, it has the same consequences as the concentration of money, resources, or business ownership in the hands of a few. It becomes a lever of power and oppression, not freedom and justice

ALL BUSINESS: More misfortune for banks (AP)

AP - Contrarian investors who think now is the time to start buying beaten-down banking stocks could be in for a shock if they don't carefully review those companies' distressed home-equity loan portfolios.

Bush Sees Stimulus Of Up To $150 Bil To Bolster Economy (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - President Bush on Friday called for a $140 billion to $150 billion stimulus package, saying the U.S. needs a "shot in the arm" to keep housing woes from spreading.

Weekly Jobless Claims Drop Again

Claims for unemployment Benefits fall for third consecutive week.

S?C?R?A?B?U?L?O?U?S? S?U?E?D?

Facebook has been asked to remove the Scrabulous game from its website by the makers of Scrabble. Lawyers for toy makers Hasbro and Mattel say Scrabulous infringes their copyright on the board-based word game.

29 year old dies of taser jolt by Minnesota Troopers

Mark Backlund was driving to the airport to pick up his parents when he got in an accident. State troopers stopped and said he became "uncooperative" and tasered him. He was later pronounced dead. Authorities have not described the uncooperative behavior.

Answer Desk: Questions we didn’t get to in 2007

We get all kinds of business and financial questions at the Answer Desk. Here are some we didn’t get to in 2007. The Answer Desk, by msnbc.com’s John W. Schoen.

NV Supreme Court sides with NBC. Kucinich won't debate.

this is the actual order from the court. Hot off the press.

Michigan's Ominous Message for Hillary Clinton

Analysis of Hillary's inability to convincingly win a state where she had no opposition.

Town may pay seniors to work off taxes

A New York town is pushing a program that would let seniors work part-time, for $7 an hour, to help pay off some of their property taxes.

FTSE 100 fails to hold 6,000 (FT.com)

FT.com - London equities failed to sustain a brief afternoon rebound on Wednesday, and after spending a short period back over the 6,000 mark, the FTSE 100 fell back beneath it.

Artificial Intelligence

President George W. Bush hasn't accomplished much on his voyage to the Middle East, but he did take the time to inflict another wound on the entire U.S. intelligence community—and on the credibility of anything he might ever again say about the world.

90% of World Bank Aid Money Consumed By Corruption

Corruption is an endemic problem in bank projects, swallowing unknown but significant chunks from its $30 billion-plus annual portfolio. No less a problem has been the bank staff's ferocious resistance to anything that might stand in the way of its lending ever more money to projects run by the same governments that tolerate this malfeasance.

Market ends down 2 pct on recession worries (Reuters)

Reuters - All three major U.S. stock indexes
ended down more than 2 percent on Tuesday after a record
quarterly loss at top U.S. bank Citigroup Inc. and a
surprise drop in December retail sales fueled recession fears.

We Own The World by Noam Chomsky

Just a little footnote. How many offensive nuclear armed missiles does the United States have? Well, it turns out to be 10,000. China may now have maybe 400, if you believe the hawks. That proves that they are trying to conquer the world.

Audit: 308,000 barrels missing from Petroleum Reserve

How do you not notice when 308,000 barrels of oil go missing? That's the question government auditors were asking after they looked into the Department of Energy's management of oil received for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Iraq/Afghan veterans have killed 121 after coming home

The NY Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war. In many of those cases, combat trauma and the stress of deployment along with alcohol abuse, family discord and other attendant problems — appear to have set the stage for a tragedy

Draft Reinstatement Proposed by Congress in 2007

Romney's call for 100,000 more troops would make any future presentations of such a bill passable!"The Universal National Service Act of 2007 was introduced to the United States House of Representatives on January 10, 2007 by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.). It proposed the requirement that all residents in the United States aged between 18"

How to Get Ahead in the Workplace

Taking on added responsibilities can help you advance in the office.

10 tips on tipping: Who gets how much?

Have you ever felt unsure whether you really should be tipping someone at the end of the calendar year? Here are 10 tips on who should get how much.

Fewer Shoppers Hit Malls This Christmas

While sales for this year's holiday season rose, less people visited malls.

Reagan On Giuliani: "I Think He's Crazy"

From Reagan's memoirs.

HOWTO: Mind Control Customer Service Reps

It boils down to, without raising your voice, asserting control over the conversation from the beginning and then never relinquishing that power. By the time you read the true success story at the end, you'll swear the author has Jedi mind-control over customer service reps...

Are we already in a recession?

Economists debate whether the economy may be headed for recession, but many readers believe we are already in one.? The Answer Desk, by msnbc.com’s John W. Schoen.

Blackwater dropped blinding tear gas on Iraqis, US soldiers

"The copter dropped CS gas, a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders," James Risen writes. "An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers...."

How to hack a Diebold voting machine [image]

uh oh..

Errors Transposing Votes and Diebold Machines Issues

Allegations of vote fraud in New Hampshire’s primary are growing. The data from Diebold electronic voting machines is up to 5% points different than the hand-written ballots that were cast. Sutton Town has now reported an error in transposing votes and an employee of LHS Associates, whom counted 81% of the vote, has a criminal record.

McCain dissed - good one

Not bad for a talking head

IRS may restrict tax-refund loans

The Internal Revenue Service said Thursday it may restrict tax preparers such as H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service from offering refund loans to customers to prevent fraud.

video of Iranian small boats harrasing U.S. Warships

here's to the well trained Sailors who waited for the order to fire. It takes a hell of alot of self control to see a boat coming at your ship at a high rate of speed and not fire on him before he lets loose on you.

David Shuster: 'Bill O'Reilly is a jerk ... a buffoon'

In the middle of a discussion of the Democratic primaries on MSNBC's Morning Joe, correspondent David Shuster burst out, "I don't know if this is the time to talk about Bill O'Reilly, but I've got a lot of things I want to say." When encouraged to "get it out," Shuster stated emphatically, "Bill O'Reilly is a jerk."

Take that New Year’s resolution to the bank

Want to save money or boost your earnings in the coming year? TODAY Financial editor Jean Chatzky shares tips on how to get your finances into shape for 2008.

Countrywide Financial denies bankruptcy rumors (Reuters)

Reuters - Countrywide Financial Corp on
Tuesday denied market speculation it might seek bankruptcy
protection, after shares of the largest U.S. mortgage lender
slid to their lowest level in nearly eight years.

2007: Safest Year to Fly Since 1963

Last year saw the least number of accidents in decades; 965 people died.

GOP Doubts, Fears 'Post-Partisan' Obama

Exploiting a deep well of voter revulsion over partisan gridlock in Washington, Sen. Barack Obama is promising to do something that has not been done in modern U.S. politics: unite a coalition of Democrats, Republicans and independents behind an agenda of sweeping change.

Tax Tactics front page

Although Uncle Sam might not usually be included in your holiday plans, wrapping up a few simple financial tasks before the end of the year can help carry the joy of the season all the way through April 15. ?Financial Editor Jean Chatzky shares practical advice on how to prepare your accounts for the new year.

Ron Paul supporters prepare to protest FOX News debate

Security is tight as Ron Paul supporters prepare to protest FOX News debate

Can Your Investments Help Others?

Getting a return on socially conscious investments isn't just icing on the cake.

Is work too good to give up?

In our workaholic society, many people’s lives revolve around their jobs. So retirees can be unprepared for what life is really like once they punch that final time card.

Booking Online: Who Writes the Reviews?

Some hotel owners post their own reviews or offer customers discounts to do so.

Obama's Iowa Victory Speech

If you missed it on television, here's his historic speech.

More job cuts expected in mortgage banking (Reuters)

Reuters - The pace of job losses in mortgage
lending slowed in December, as some companies shifted workers
to other areas of financial services, but the losses may pick
up again in the new year as the U.S. housing market continues
to weaken and credit remains tight.

Smart ways to trim your year-end tax bill

Although Uncle Sam might not usually be included in your holiday plans, wrapping up a few simple financial tasks before the end of the year can help carry the joy of the season all the way through April 15. ?Financial Editor Jean Chatzky shares practical advice on how to prepare your accounts for the new year.

Saudis Confirm Detention of Blogger

An outspoken Saudi blogger is being held for "purposes of interrogation," the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed tuesday.

Meet the REAL John McCain

Diane Van Renselaar says she still hasn't gotten the truth about her husband from the military and lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain who she claims is 'no friend' of POW families and has backstabbed them every step of the way toward getting at the truth.

Huckabee: Supportive Bloggers Are ‘Doing The Lord's Work'

Calling them his “secret weapon,” former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee urged bloggers to “clog” up the wireless system in Des Moines so that reporters couldn’t file any more “bad” stories about him. He added that by blocking the free press from doing their jobs, bloggers were “doing the Lord’s work."

IRS: You may have to wait for your tax refund

More than 3 million people will have to wait until February to get their tax refunds because of Congress' late fix to the alternative minimum tax, the IRS said Thursday.

Crush Time in the City ... Grapes, That Is

Forget the vineyard vistas -- this new wine country is right down the street.

10 Tips: New Year’s resolutions from readers

Are you wishing you could do a better job financially in 2008? If so, many msnbc.com readers took the time to send all sorts of practical, money-saving ideas.

What happens when greed runs rampant?

Being Christmas time, many readers turn to thoughts of good will.? But what happens if a society is guided by greed??The Answer Desk by msnbc.com's John W. Schoen.

PHH ends proposed merger with GE, Blackstone (Reuters)

Reuters - Mortgage and vehicle fleet company PHH
Corp said on Tuesday it terminated its nearly $2
billion sale to General Electric Co and Blackstone,
after the private equity firm failed to obtain required
financing for the deal.