It'll be on the same site of a Chrysler dealership that was abandoned six years ago

Kind of a Michael Moore version of how the world works. Definitely not for economics majors, but the gist is uncomfortably right on.

Stocks, bonds, commodities, the dollar - they all slumped today to one degree or another.

Turns out that those letter-grade scores it hands out might be nothing more than a pay-to-play scam.

Or as NY magazine posts: "Tabloid covers beg the age-old question: tits or ass?"

Logic would suggest that the longer someone's out of work, the more urgent the job search would be. But that may not be the way it works.

There are lots of senior executives out there who should be counting their lucky stars.

Small rise in consumer confidence, Cooley gets blasted, California prepares big debt sale, and Barnes & Noble starts offering toys and games.

The governor will declare a fiscal emergency and bring in newly sworn state legislators early next month to start dealing with budget issues

Well, at least according to the NY Observer, which reports that the announcement will be made tomorrow morning.

For reasons still unexplained, the Mouse House results came out 30 minutes before the stock market closed - and that's a very big deal.

The political will to raise taxes, eliminate the mortgage deduction, and tinker with Social Security is simply not there.

Alhambra and Cerritos win the top honors in the Economic Development Corp.'s annual competition, otherwise known as the Eddy Awards.

Get ready for an onslaught of stories about what it was like being stuck at sea without power - and for a time, working toilets.

The median price of a home in the L.A.-OC market was $350,000 during the July-September quarter, up $10,000 or so from the previous three months.

State foreclosures drop, Wal-Mart offers free shipping for online purchases, Karatz judge rebukes prosecutors, and "Black Ops" has big opening.

And bedroom slippers, and toaster oven and thousands of other everyday items that will be auctioned off this weekend.

No jail time for the former CEO of KB Home who was convicted in April of lying about the backdating of stock options.

Along with the numbers came more warnings to avoid one-time gimmicks that just delay the day of reckoning.

Latest update from the Secretary of State's office has Cooley leading by only 9,555 votes, with nearly 8 million votes cast. Wowser....

Easy - just raise the retirement age for Social Security, and make deep cuts in defense spending.

Long lines for food, no air conditioning or lights, iffy toilets - that's the picture being described by David Zambrano, one of the passengers on board the fire-damaged ship. Zambrano managed to regain cell phone service and provide an eyewitness account to a Denver TV station where he works . From 9News: "It's nothing like anyone expected, no." Zambrano said. "You stand in line for two hours just to get your food because everybody goes...

Coming out of retirement, the perpetually stylish Segal is working with his daughter Annie on a new boutique and fashion line.

Formerly the home of Dean Martin and Tom Jones, the 11,817-square-foot house has a custom wine cellar, 35-seat home theater, and six bedrooms.

Consumer prices heading higher, cruise ship won't reach land until late Thursday, Karatz to be sentenced today, and big return for Calpers.

New report projects growth to be slower than in the surrounding counties in 2011, but things should start improving by 2012.

Even for a slow news week, the back-and-forth received way more attention than was justified.

My business chat on KPCC looks at whether bank failures have peaked out in Southern California, and why banks still aren't lending much.

All the big chains stayed open late, with GameStop locations offering free pizza and energy drinks (gives you an idea of who was standing in line).

The Lakers star is disputing a 2007 tax bill that doesn't allow him to take deductions for $12,000 in sports fines and $178,000 in fitness training.

Latest update on the AG count has him up by 41,000 votes....

The Carnival Splendor, which left Long Beach on Sunday, lost power during an engine room fire.

Small business owners are more optimistic, new rules for air cargo, plastic bag people lobbied hard, and relief for Qantas passengers.

Not many specifics so far, but it's been reported that the move was triggered by several unsolicited offers.

The Whitman campaign spent roughly $6 for every $1 the Brown campaign invested.

With the airline's A380 fleet grounded for several days because of engine problems, the L.A. experience appears to be getting a little old.

Still too early to call given all the uncounted ballots, but his lead over Harris in the AG race has been steadily building over the past couple of days. *Whoa - Cooley lead is now back down to 19,000, according to Secretary of State's updated count....

CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg picks about $8 million worth of incentive awards, according to an SEC filing.

There's no way the housing market can fully recover until the percentage starts going up.

October home prices dip, Nevada growth streak ends, more details emerge on A380 explosion, and Wal-Mart cuts toy prices.

And yes, it happened way sooner than the June 30, 2011 contract expiration.