Argentina Offers A Fishy Solution To Inflation

Orthodox recipes for fighting inflation include tight fiscal and monetary policies, but Argentina is trying something different.

The government’s latest attempt to contain rising prices has been to roll out a fleet of mobile fishmongers selling cheap haddock in poor neighbourhoods near Buenos Aires, the capital.

Trucks decorated with blue waves and the slogan “Now There’s Fish for Everyone” are pulling up beside local parks and greeted by thousands of people who stand in long lines to take advantage of steep discounts.

Argentines are the world’s biggest beef consumers and many profess to not liking fish. But with beef prices up 30 percent over the last three months, and the subsidised haddock selling at around half the normal price, this fish is hard to refuse.

Under cloudy skies, hundreds flock towards the trucks as they roll into Ituzaingo on the western edge of Buenos Aires, where many families can no longer afford steak.

Big Surprise – Passengers Don’t Like Extra Airline Charges

Paying for extras has become routine for airline passengers but it doesn’t mean they like it, with a poll showing more than half all travelers hate having to fork out to choose their seat.

The online poll of nearly 2,000 people by website Airfarwatchdog.com, asked respondents which airline fees they despised the most.

Paying for the privilege of picking their seat was the biggest bugbear for 52 percent of respondents, followed by paying to change flights — something which irked a third of passengers.

A minority, or 14 percent, said they didn’t like paying extra for snacks while just 3 percent said they were happy to pay for any extra services.

George Hobica, president of Airfarewatchdog.com, said airlines were annoying passengers by adding to what many people consider the already high cost of air travel.

“There are certain airline services that really do involve added expense,” he said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“These include meals (for obvious reasons), transporting and checking bags (fuel and labor), and even to a certain degree changing your date of travel.”

Obama: ‘I’m Skinny … But Tough’

President Barack Obama has lashed back at critics who fear he lacks the steel to be a successful president, saying “I’m skinny … but I’m tough.”

Obama, who is trying to navigate a climate of sharp political partisanship, said he was spoiling for a fight to enact his ambitious agenda.

“There are people saying mean things about me and folks are worried,” Obama said as he headlined a pair of Florida Democratic Party fundraisers that racked up a total of 1.5 million dollars.

“Just ’cause I’m skinny doesn’t mean I’m not tough. I don’t rattle,” Obama said, tongue in cheek.

“I’m not going to shrink back, because now is the time for us to continue to push and follow through on those things that we know have to be done but haven’t been done for decades.”

Obama reeled off a list of what he billed as the early achievements of his administration, including rescuing the economy from a possible depression.

He also said he was “confident” that he would be able to force a landmark healthcare reform bill through Congress by the end of the year.

A number of commentators have in recent weeks started to question Obama’s fortitude, worrying that his cool demeanor masks a lacking killer instinct.

Executives Move To The Economy Cabin

Good-bye, complimentary Champagne.

For the first time since American Express Business Travel began tracking its business travelers‘ airfare purchases in 1999, more than half were flying the cheap seats overseas.

Those flying economy on international flights soared 13 percentage points to 56 percent in the first three months this year.

The number has historically been in the low 40s, American Express said, and is rising now as companies focus on cutting costs.

Business travelers flying coach on domestic flights remained near 90 percent.

Companies’ airfare costs also came down as the price of travel fell across the board in the first quarter. Domestic ticket prices dropped 9 percent through March, while international ticket prices were down 12 percent. In 2008, they rose 7 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

The average domestic ticket price was $213 in the first quarter.

People were also spending less on lodging.

The average rate for hotel rooms in the U.S. fell to $180 in the first quarter from $203 last year.

“A buyers’ market emerged at the end of last year, and is in full force today,” said Frank Schnur, a vice president at American Express’ business travel division.

The survey is based on American Express’ database of its business travel clients‘ airfare purchases and hotel rooms booked.

Rhode Island Strip Club To Host Job Fair

Here’s a job opportunity you won’t need to buy a new wardrobe for.

Hoping to take advantage of Rhode Island‘s floundering economy, owners of the Foxy Lady strip club in Providence plan to hold a job fair.

They say they’re looking to fill around 30 positions, from strippers and waitresses to disc jockeys and bartenders, at that club and two others in Massachusetts.

“I need more managers, I need more competent staff, and I need more attractive waitresses to go along with the ones I have right now,” said co-owner Tom Tsoumas.

The naked truth is that Rhode Island’s economy is among the worst in the nation, with an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent in January.

The Providence club isn’t immune from the recession but is still drawing customers willing to drink and pay for lap dances, said manager Bob Travisono.

“It’s taken a hit,” he said. “It’s not as bad as restaurants and stuff like that. In times like this, they seem to drink their sorrows away.”

Tsoumas said he hopes some who might shun strip clubs when the economy is good might consider shedding their clothes now — or at least working as a floor host or bartender.