Blue Links

Kate Middleton's hats for auction

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Indian Cafe Offers Tea Next to Tombs

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Emeli Sande on Alicia Keys, Adele

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:28:00 +0000

Dominic Monaghan Accuses Matthew Fox of "Beating Women"

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Wed, 30 May 2012 22:33:00 +0000

Raw Video: Dog Leads Police to Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Sat, 26 May 2012 23:27:00 +0000

Bobby Brown Talks Whitney's Death on Ellen

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:15:00 +0000

Drake parties at Greystone Manor Supperclub

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Hunt for Warlord Kony Gets US Special Forces Aid

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Secret Service Scandal Widens

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:31:00 +0000

ShowBiz Minute: Oprah, Martin, West

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:10:00 +0000

Court Docs: Missing Mom Blood Found at Utah Home

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:08:00 +0000

Rihanna: Getting Naked Boosts My Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Order a Pizza with One Touch of a Magnet

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:31:00 +0000

George Clooney Arrested For Protesting!

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Dark Shadows Official Trailer #1 - Johnny Depp, Tim Burton Movie (2012) HD

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:51:00 +0000

Mime Demo (Apple & a worm)

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:54:00 +0000

Rebecca Gayheart Visits The Grove

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Ashley Tisdale: 'Get the F*ck Away From Me!'

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Celeb Twitpics of the Week: Jessica Simpson's Bump & More

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:42:00 +0000

ShowBiz Minute: Sheridan, Jones, Royals

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Bruce Willis, Emma Heming, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Flyn double date

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:31:00 +0000

Nick Cannon Has Lupus?

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:25:00 +0000

Mariah's First Post-pregnancy Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:20:00 +0000

Trade deficit widens to $40.6 billion in December

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:09:00 +0000

WASHINGTON – The trade deficit widened in December as rising oil prices pushed the value of imports up faster than U.S. exports.

The deficit increased 5.9 percent in December to $40.6 billion, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

U.S. exports of goods and services rose to $163 billion, a 1.8 percent gain and the best showing since July 2008. Sales of industrial machinery, civilian aircraft and autos and auto parts led U.S. exports

But imports rose even faster. A 2.6 percent gain pushed total U.S. imports to $203.5 billion, the highest level since October 2008. The increase was led by a 16.8 percent rise in imported oil. The average price for a barrel of imported crude oil climbed to $79.78 in December, the highest point since crude imports averaged $91.73 per barrel in October 2008.

For all of 2010, the U.S. trade deficit rose to $497.8 billion, a 32.8 percent surge. It was the biggest annual percentage gain since 2000. In 2009, the deficit had fallen to the lowest point in eight years as demand for imports plunged.

Economists believe the deficit will keep widening in 2011 but that U.S. manufacturers will benefit from a weaker dollar, which makes their goods more competitive in foreign markets.

"Exports remain strong and are a bright spot in the U.S. expansion," said Cary Leahey, an economist at Decision Economics. But economists predicted the overall deficit will widen further in coming months, reflecting rising global oil prices.

President Barack Obama, looking for ways to attack high unemployment, has set a goal of doubling the nation's exports in five years. He recently pledged to move forward this year to win approval of a free trade pact with South Korea.

New trade deals remain a sensitive political issue. Labor unions charge that previous pacts failed to protect American workers from unfair foreign competition and have cost millions of American jobs. Much of the criticism is focused on China, which critics allege is manipulating its currency to gain unfair trade advantages and erecting barriers to keep U.S. products out.

For 2010, the deficit with China rose by 20.4 percent to hit an all-time high of $273.1 billion, the largest imbalance the United States has ever recorded with a single country. The United States has had its biggest trade deficit with China since 2000 when that country surpassed Japan.

The expectation is that trade tensions between the two largest economies will only intensify in coming years.

For 2010, U.S. exports to China climbed to 32.2 percent to an all-time high of $91.9 billion. However, Chinese imports to the United States also rose to a record high of $364.9 billion, an increase of 23.1 percent. The trade deficit is the difference between exports and imports.

Death toll in suicide attack in Iraq raises to 26

noreply@blogger.com (Daryl Lorette) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:50:00 +0000

BAGHDAD – An Iraqi health official says the death toll from a suicide bombing north of Baghdad has risen to 26.

Hussein Jaafar, the director of the hospital in Balad Ruz, said Saturday that five more people have died from injuries sustained in the blast.

The suicide bomber blew himself up inside a popular cafe Friday night, breaking what has been a period of relative calm in Iraq.

The neighborhood where the explosion occurred is home to many Shiites of Kurdish ethnicity.

The attack underscores the delicate nature of Iraq's security gains and comes as the country is approaching its eighth month without a new government following inconclusive elections.