November 28 - December 4, 2010

Friday, Dec. 3
She's starting to plug her Oprah Winfrey Network, which will debut on Jan. 1 and be based in L.A.
The $13.75 billion merger agreement, which was supposed to expire today, has been extended to March 3.
So much for the lousy jobs report - after being down slightly for much of the session, stocks rallied late in the day.
An overall disappointment in November, but perhaps not as bad as the headline numbers would indicate.
Turns out that the engine failure of an A380 last month created problems on the aircraft far worse than first indicated.
L.A. paying out more in pensions, higher health coverage in California, most HOWS markets are closing, and airport commission president resigns.
Lots of luck. The national unemployment rate rose in November to 9.8 percent from 9.6 percent, but what really surprised everybody was a paltry gain of 39,000 jobs.
Thursday, Dec. 2
A few sports honchos around town are disappointed, but like other sports extravaganzas it doesn't offer much of an economic boost.
Today was another day of encouraging signals about the economy, with stronger-than-expected retail and home sales.
Unless some bright idea comes out of Congress (I know, I know), these folks are likely to become a permanent underclass,
Almost 1,800 apartment units will be added to the downtown portfolio in 2010, or more than half of all units opened in L.A. County.
This is not a state that's in any threat of collapsing. Anyone who tells you otherwise is clueless.
A federal judge has signed off on the reorganization plan less than a month after the movie company filed for Chapter 11.
The thing is only $260 million over budget and two years behind schedule - and that's just for the first...
Food writer Alan Richman isn't wowed by L.A.'s burger scene, with the notable exception.
Shoppers returning to the stores, higher gas prices are coming, Diller steps down as CEO, and voters question initiative process.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
Chapman University's consumer confidence index is at its highest point since August 2007, before the recession began.
This was the basis of a NYT profile of an online retailer whose verbal abuse of customers created such commotion that he actually moved up the Google rankings
This was a great day for anyone who believes that the recovery is really taking shape.
Turns out that during the worst of the crisis the Federal Reserve had to help out not just the big banks, but GE, McDonald's, Verizon, Caterpillar and other corporations.
It's a noticeable improvement over 2008 and 2009 - and one more sign that the economy is picking up.
Life just ain't fair - here's the superstar appearing in a 45-second ad for the Italian coffee Lavazza. And she doesn't even have any lines.
Companies added jobs last month, Socal economy slowly improving, Magic wants NFL in L.A., and local ski resorts clean up.
Tuesday, Nov. 30
Not only does the guy admit to his bad (and perhaps illegal) behavior, he sees it as a way of moving up the Google rankings.
Here's a quick primer from Real Time Economics on what happens to the millions of out-of-work Americans who will stop receiving a check.
Only 7 percent of car shoppers surveyed by Kelley Blue Book say they're likely to consider an electric vehicle.
This morning's chat looks at the tug-of-war among Congressional Republicans about reducing the deficit versus maintaining defense spending at current levels.
In a 2009 interview with Computer World, Assange mentions that "we are sitting on five gigabytes from Bank of America,
That's less than 48 hours after the company shut down its operations because of a tax dispute.
L.A. home prices fall (but not as much as in other cities), consumer confidence is up, WikiLeaks pursues U.S. bank, and Tribune bankruptcy is a "four-ring circus."
Monday, Nov. 29
It's part of a crackdown on Web operations that were used to distribute counterfeit merchandise and illegal copies of music and software.
Medicare has been doing such a good job that the differential in payment rates between Medicare and private insurance is becoming unsustainable.
The Bev Hills-based social networking site isn't officially on the block, but News Corp. COO Chase Carey says he's open to offers or partnerships.
The Dow finishes down 39 points for the day, but that's a considerable improvement from the first hour of so...
Well, what would you expect to happen when the federal benefits expire tomorrow and millions of Americans are without unemployment help?
New Yorker piece covers very familiar ground, but there are a few tasty morsels scattered throughout the piece.
The show doesn't debut until next fall, but having the major markets in hand should make it easier to cut deals elsewhere.
L.A. billionaire Stewart Resnick has pulled the plug on Fiji Water's only production plant after the tiny Pacific Ocean island nation raised the company's tax rate,
Get ready for Cyber Monday, small biz lending picks up in L.A., Salon on the block, and container heist near the Port of L.A.
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