Frizzled writes “Part of the space shuttle crew’s scheduled mission for this week is to assemble a large robot which will ‘rise like Frankenstein’ from the shuttle’s cargo bay. The robot, named Dextre, has 11-foot arms, a shoulder span of nearly 8 feet, a height of 12 feet, and was built by the Canadian Space Agency. ‘Dextre can pivot at the waist, and has seven joints per arm. Its hands, or grippers, have built-in socket wrenches, cameras and lights. Only one arm is designed to move at a time to keep the robot stable and avoid a two-arm collision. The robot has no face or legs, and with its long arms certainly doesn’t look human.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Filed under: Good news, Management, Interviews, Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW), Housing

Investors will want to read the brief interview with Charles Schwab Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHW) CFO Joseph Martinetto in the March issue of CFO Magazine. Thanks in huge measure to Joseph Martinetto and his predecessor, Schwab has not been battered much by the subprime mortgage mess. Despite being chided in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and other financial newspapers, Schwab passed on investing in subprime products. It is refreshing to read about a CFO who says up front that subprime products don’t meet the risk/return profile Schwab needs in order to act on behalf of their clients, therefore Schwab has no intention of investing regardless of public mockery. Who’s laughing now?

For FY 2007, Schwab stock price is up 32%, income from continuing operations in up 26%, and total client assets under management are up 17% to $1.4 trillion. A measurable chunk of those increases comes from new client business from investors burned by other financial services companies that seem to have forgotten how to price risk appropriately. Martinetto says that Schwab processes about $1 billion in securitites transactions daily, so there is enough operating risk in the business without seeking out additional financial risk. According to Martinetto, the US economy is in for another 4-6 quarters of uncertainty due to the fallout from the housing market slump and credit crunch. Schwab stock currently trades under $19 and might provide a suitable investment for more conservative investors seeking a measure of stability.

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Filed under: Rumors, Products and services, Consumer experience, Internet, Competitive strategy, eBay (EBAY), Marketing and advertising

If nothing else… eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) users are a feisty bunch. After just coming off a multi-week sellers strike, they’re already planning their next revolt, tentatively set to launch May 1.

The most current strike was orchestrated in reaction to current changes made on the site and lasted from the week of Feb. 18 through last night. While eBay is steadfast that the recent site boycott had no effect on its business, not everyone is buying that, and are expecting hitting the site again come May.

Some statistics have shown that eBay witnessed a 13% drop in its on the web listings, but eBay denies any impact. The site claims that the statistics out there are not taking into account a 20-cent listings promotion that it had launched just prior to the boycott that temporarily inflated its auction listings.

We’ve looked a lot at the eBay boycott over the past couple of weeks, and we have repeatedly pointed to a couple key factors that are infuriating eBay users. These include increased final listing fees, removal of seller feedback, and changes that could result in some PayPal payments being held up to 21 days.

While all of the above were enough to ruffle some feathers, I’ve to believe that the ultimate “slap in the face” to sellers was the removal of the option for sellers to leave negative feedback on the site. Rate increases are nothing new to the site, which had to raise its rates as recently as 2005 and 2006. While sellers did not like seeing the rate hike, they ultimately accepted it as a cost of business. The feedback system however, seems to be a little too much for some to bear.

While it is still debatable what effect the most recent boycott had, organizers of this next boycott are hoping to accomplish bigger and superior results from their actions. By taking around six weeks to get mobilized they anticipate a greater effect, and they’re going so far as setting up “state leaders” and looking to form a superior organized approach to this upcoming boycott.

So far, the sellers that are joining up have claimed to be 1,000 strong and looking to attract a much broader base of users.

For all you eBay users out there… did you participate in your the most recent boycott? Will you join the next sellers strike? As for the impact on the site, do you feel the strike had any impact what-so-ever on eBay? And one final topic of interest… which change made the site upsets you the most? Fee increase, feedback change, or PayPal change? Let us hear from you!

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last four years working as an analyst for the on the internet investment advisory service Investor’s Observer.

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Filed under: Major movement, International markets, Good news, Products and services, Consumer experience, McDonald’s (MCD), Recession

There’s a lot of talk swirling around Wall Street about the current economic slowdown, and just how hard it is going to hit businesses in the months ahead. But so for fast food giant McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), 2008 is looking pretty rosy.

After ending 2007 with a disappointing decline in same store sales, McDonald’s has now shown two straight months of sales growth following today’s announcement that it had a pretty impressive 11.7% jump in same-store sales during the month of February.

Its American sales saw an increase of 8.3%, while-same stores sales in Europe really took off, showing a jump of an extraordinary 15.4%. Last month, the company reported that January same-store sales rose by 5.7%.

So what items are burning up the menus? For American consumers the sales increase was a result of high demand in breakfast meals, coffee and value meals. European sales got a boost from high demand for McDonald’s hamburger and chicken meals.

I, for one, wouldn’t be betting against McDonald’s and other fast-food chains out there. As more and more consumers start to fear the current rough economy, I believe we’ll continue to see more people opting to dine in fast food restaurants as opposed to higher priced ones.

If we take a second to look at systemwide sales, McDonald’s growth was even more impressive, with a 20% increase.

The stock is trading up 3.5% on the day to $54.12, up $1.85.

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last four years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor’s Observer.

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Filed under: Products and services, Consumer experience, Ford Motor (F), Marketing and advertising

The story of the guy in Australia arrested for going on a six-day, 1,988-mile test drive of a new Honda Accord brought back many memories of my own car-buying experiences — none of them pleasant.

First was the salesman at a nameless Hyundai dealership who in the middle of a test drive asked my wife and I to halt at a convenience store so he could purchase a pack of cigarettes. Thank goodness, he didn’t smoke the Marlboros while we were driving the SUV he supposedly was trying to sell us, but this idiot soured my family on Hyundais forever. Heck, driving near the Korean-made vehicles makes me nervous.

During a test-drive of a Nissan, my wife and I heard a rattle. The smooth-talking salesman — whose twin brother also sells automobiles — told us not to worry because “we will get you one without the rattle.” My wife and I weren’t impressed and NIssan is now also on my family’s do-not-drive list. Whenever I see a Nissan on the road, I try to change lanes.

Astounding, isn’t it, how one obnoxious salesman can ruin a brand in a customer’s mind forever. I am sure that tons of people love their Hyundais and Nissans. Hyundai, which offers what it calls “America’s Ideal Warranty”, has some pretty sweet deals on some of its vehicles in its “Dollars & Sense” promotion: $3,000 cash back on the 2008 Sonata and $2,000 back on the 2008 Santa Fe. Nissan has plenty of deals for its 50th anniversary sales event.

None of these deals would impress me if I was in the market for a car because I am a happy owner of a 2003 Honda Element. Whenever this car rusts into oblivion, I am going to buy another Honda and another one after that because the automobiles made by Honda Motor Corp. (NYSE: HMC) are that good. My wife is as loyal to Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).

Even so, as an automotive novice, I’ve difficulty understanding how the Honda dealership in Australia was snookered.

First of all, the 30-year-old unnamed perpetrator wanted to test drive a Honda Accord. Anyone who even knows the tiniest bit about automobiles knows that the Accord is as reliable as a faithful dog. Consumer Reports named it as 2008’s “Top Family Sedan.” To be fair, the Hyundai Elantra SE was named “Top Small Sedan” and the Santa Fe was named “Best Midsized Sedan.” No Nissans were given similar accolades. None of these automobiles, though, is in the same league as the Accord, which has been around since 1976.

The automobile should sell itself, which makes me wonder why the Australian dealership let some drive it without a sales representative present. Tracking it down through the desolate outback must have been tough given the large terrain. The Northern Territory alone is twice the size of California. Then, of course, is the Accord itself which has been redesigned for 2008 and gets mileage of about 22 miles in the city and 31 on the highway. No wonder it was tough to find.

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Filed under: Products and services, Industry, Consumer experience, Comcast Cl’A’ (CMCSA)

The FCC has an understanding with the broadband providers in the telecom and cable industries. All consumers and websites will have the same access to bandwidth. A site that takes up very tiny in terms of data transferred from an internet company is treated no superior than YouTube which uses a lot of bandwidth capacity.

The FCC is charging that Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has broker the net neutrality pact. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Comcast stands accused by software companies, public-interest groups and academics of degrading customers’ capability to use file-sharing software, which enables users to send high-quality video files over the Internet.”

While broadband subscribers and websites would all like to be treated as equals, they don’t all use equal internet capacity. Video sites not only use more bandwidth, they can take capacity from other customers on the network. Cable and telecom companies don’t have infinite access to push and pull bits though their systems. To improve that access they would have to spend billions of dollars to upgrade their cooper and fiber lines.

The time may come, and it may be soon, that the democracy of the web goes away. Consumers and web properties who fill the “pipes” with content might well have to pay a higher toll.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24wallst.com.

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Wall Street heads for flat opening
Atlanta Journal Constitution - Investors are hoping that the homebuilder sees some signs that’ll point to a pickup in home sales and in turn, an end to the housing slump. Dow futures were down 1 at 11,890, S&P 500 futures are up 0.50 at 1,293, and Nasdaq 100 futures are up 3.8 at

Real estate transfer tax adds to housing woes
Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago home sellers getting lower prices if they have the ability to unload their properties at all in the stone cold housing market have a new headache: the 40 percent increase in the real estate transfer tax tied to the CTA bail-out. The City Council’s Finance

Surprise development aims at gay retirees
AZCentral.com - Similar to Marigold Creek, it features mixed housing options and assisted living. Roughly 70 percent of residents are from the gay and lesbian community, the rest “allies,” said Jane Steinberg, its national director of marketing and sales.

Madison, Wis., churchgoers’ free parking gets yanked
Chicago Sun-Times - First United Methodist Church in Madison serves as an overflow shelter for the homeless, housing about 20 men per night during the winter. ‘‘As a church, our job is to feed the hungry, give comfort to the people that are out in the cold, that

Outspark Unveils Pi Story as the Premier Launch Title for the New
Raleigh News & Observer - is the first of many partnerships that’ll bring even more great games to our community.” Community features in Pi Story include a celebration and guild system for cooperative gameplay, personal web diaries featuring text and pics and a very special housing

Uplift level of urban poor: Call to set up fund
Central Chronicle - Central housing and urban development minister for say, Kumari Shailja said in Bhopal that all the state governments should ensure 25 per cent reservation to the urban poor in

Lehman cutting 5 pct of workforce: source
Reuters - Many were in its mortgage operations, which have been injured by the nation’s housing slump. Lenders worldwide have suffered well over $160 billion of write-downs as tight credit market conditions caused losses tied to mortgages and other risky debt.

Canadian dollar sent lower after greenback rally
Reuters - Domestic bond prices were lower across the curve given the latest Canadian economic data that showed housing starts rose more than expected in February.

Lehman slicing another 5 per cent of work force
Globe and Mail - Many were in its mortgage operations, which have been hurt by the nation’s housing slump. Lenders worldwide have suffered well over $160-billion (U.S.) of writedowns as tight credit market conditions caused losses tied to mortgages and other risky debt

Shortage Creates Increased Job Prospects in Veterinary Medicine
Forbes - A veterinarian working with massive animals might provide preventive care to maintain the health of food animals; test for and vaccinate against diseases; consult with farm or ranch owners and managers on animal production, feeding, and housing issues

UN chief urges end to Israeli settlements in West Bank
New African - The Secretary General expresses his concern over the Government of Israel’s approval of a resumption of construction of 750 housing units in the West Bank settlement of Givat Zeev,” a UN statement said.

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Ant tips us to a story making the rounds lately, based on reporting a couple of weeks old, that owning a cat could cut your heart attack risk by one third. No such effect was seen from dog ownership, but the researchers say that could be because there weren’t enough dog owners in the study population to provide meaningful statistics. The study: “…analyzed data on 4,435 Americans, aged 30 to 75, who took part in the federal government’s second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, which ran from 1976-1980. According to the data in the survey, 2,435 of the participants either owned a cat or had owned a cat in the past, while the remaining 2,000 had never done so. [The] team then tracked rates of death from all causes, including heart and stroke. Cat owners ‘appeared to have a lower rate of dying from heart attacks’ over 10 years of follow-up compared to feline-free folk…”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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TaeKwonDood writes “Biology post-doc Dr. Michael White takes a look at the ‘2007 Best American Science and Nature Writing’ and doesn’t like what he finds in an article called Bad Science Journalism and the Myth of the Oppressed Underdog. Turns out it’s not just political writers who pick a position they want to advocate and then write stories to confirm it. Science journalism gets a scolding and it’s been a long time coming.”

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Filed under: Housing

MarketWatch has published a story that details the conundrum new first-time home buyers are facing in today’s market. In “First-time home buyers struggle to find down-payment money,” staff writer Amy Hoak tells about a middle-class family that bought a home a couple of years ago without having to put any money down. This same family, admittedly, would have trouble finding a loan today to finance their buy.

Typically, when mortgage lending is restricted, it affects first-time owners the most because they frequently lack the funds for a down payment. According to the MarketWatch article, 45% of first-time home buyers opted for 100% financing between July 2006 and June 2007.

Experts are predicting that lenders are going to require more and more down before they’re willing to lend to home buyers. To counteract stricter lending practices, check out loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). According to MarketWatch, statistics confirm the current popularity of these loans: The FHA backed 17,773 purchase loans in December 2006; that increased to 24,817 purchase loans in December 2007.

Down payments for these types of loans are around 3% and there are even down-payment-assistance programs to help to this end.

With market prices catering, buying a home in certain localities might prove a good move.

Zack Miller is the managing editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund.

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