Archive for April, 2008
April 30, 2008 1:23PM
By Cheryl Casone
So, I’ve got Paris on the brain, that is fair, but I also have world hunger on my mind. I interviewed Steve Mufson from The Washington Post this morning. He covers the energy industry, and he also wrote a book called “Energy Wire.” He went down to Iowa to investigate corn production levels, and the effect it is having on food and energy prices.
Ok, so we don’t consume a lot of corn as humans, but we DO consume beef, chicken, and pork, and those animals are fed corn feed and other grains. When Iowans jumped on the bandwagon to throw out their wheat and soybean crops to replace it with corn, the supply went down, and prices went up. So, meat producers pass the price on to you. We keep making ethanol (which hasn’t lowered oil prices) and now countries like Brazil are trying to fill our supply void by cutting down the Amazon rainforest and planting soybeans.
So, I’ve got Paris on the brain, that is fair, but I also have world hunger on my mind. I interviewed Steve Mufson from the Washington Post this morning. He covers the energy industry, and he also wrote a book called “Energy Wire.” He went down to Iowa to investigate corn production levels, and the effect it is having on food and energy prices.
Ok, so we don’t consume a lot of corn as humans, but we DO consume beef, chicken, and pork, and those animals are fed corn feed and other grains. When Iowans jumped on the bandwagon to throw out their wheat and soybean crops to replace it with corn, the supply went down, and prices went up. So, meat producers pass the price on to you. We keep making ethanol (which hasn’t lowered oil prices) and now countries like Brazil are trying to fill our supply void by cutting down the Amazon rainforest and planting soybeans.
So much cause leading to effects. Thoughts?
CC
April 29, 2008 3:02PM
By Cheryl Casone
Did you listen to the president’s news conference today? I have to say, as he gets closer to leaving office, he gets a little looser, a little more animated, and really isn’t afraid to scold those that DARE ask a follow-up question. Oh, to be Martha Raddatz from ABC. We got a laugh out of that on set.
But I have to say, being a business person, I found the remarks to be so important. First, he talked about ANWR, the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. He said the quickest way to lower gas prices was to drill there. He said OPEC wasn’t going to pitch in, and also that we haven’t built a new refinery in 30 years, and it was time we did. Ok, call me crazy, but wouldn’t it take years to get supply from ANWR? Read More
April 28, 2008 9:17PM
By Cheryl Casone
I am starting a campaign, it begins Tuesday on the show, and I need your help. What can be done to prop up the battered down, beaten down, saggy. droopy United States greenback?
We are waiting on Helicopter Ben, who most likely will be cutting the overnight lending rate another 1/4 point. The poor dollar. It was just getting it’s legs back, it was just peaking its little folds above the pool of water it is drowning in. But Wednesday, Mister Ben and the gang will probably dunk the dollar back below the water. Let’s help the dollar breathe!
So let’s think about this. What can be done to save the dollar? Because if it doesn’t show some strength we are going into rough waters as consumers. Food prices are higher, gasoline is at “I can’t even speak about it” levels, and crude just keeps on chugging, all on the back of the Greenback, and all while our purchasing power diminishes.
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April 25, 2008 3:13PM
By Cheryl Casone
Ok, sometimes you say something on television, and then you regret it. That happened today! Tom was interviewing Ryan O’Reilly of 415 Entertainment. He wrote a book called “Snapshot”, about a gen x-er who decided to abandon the family business and hit the road to find himself.
So, I decide to comment on MY family business. My grandfather owned and operated a meatpacking company in Northeast Texas for most of his life. When I was a kid, I had to wear boots when I would walk around the plant, and I told Tom about these knee high boots on the air. Our producer’s sexist jokes aside, I’ll explain the knee high boots after the jump. Only read if you can really handle how meat is processed before it hits your dinner table.
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April 24, 2008 7:17PM
By Cheryl Casone
We are all starting to ask that question, I know I am. I have a lot of little weekend trips planned this summer that involve our esteemed airline industry. Right now if I go home to Dallas or Phoenix, it’s about 300 dollars, give or take 50. Sounds right? I am starting to wonder what those tickets are going to become when more airlines begin to merge or go out of business. And yes, that is coming quickly.
For me, it’s hard to believe that the industry has come to this. For you guys that know me well, you know I worked for SWA right out of college. It was a great experience, but I know from my friends on both sides of the industry, former colleagues and friends in television, everything has gotten worse, and if something doesn’t happen soon, we will go down to 3 airlines. Yes, just 3.
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April 23, 2008 1:00PM
By Cheryl Casone
I had some amazing guests last week when I anchored from Washington. One of my favorites that I can’t find the video for was Congressman Elijah Cummings from Maryland. What a polarizing figure he is in person. I remember his comments to Roger Clemens during the steroids in baseball hearings we covered. He mentioned to me before the interview that he had warned Clemens and his attorney not to testify, that it was a mistake, and he didn’t HAVE to come before the committee. Of course, Clemens and his lawyer were too arrogant, and we all know how that turned out. Clemens looked guilty and lost a lot of his credibility.
Another one of the great interviews I did last week was with Thomas Donohue, the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. One of the things that they have been focused on is Colombia Free Trade. This issue has become so heated, and I asked him if it was a political game that is being played in Washington, and also why it is important for U.S. businesses to embrace free trade. Like most things we talk about at FBN, it’s about money, and how American companies need to make more of it.
Here’s the clip:
April 22, 2008 6:01PM
By Cheryl Casone
I thought you might enjoy some pictures from the event I attended last week. These are all the FBN folks you know and love….we had such a great time! The dinner is huge, and there are people from every network that go. This year because the Pope was in town, President Bush did not attend, but he “sent the funniest guy he knew” Dick Cheney. We saw him in a taped message prior to the dinner starting.
Also, there was a private cocktail reception prior hosted by my boss Roger Ailes and his boss Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of News Corporation. Is it strange that I really enjoy the company of the executives I work for? They have been very good to me, and it was fun to say hello to them and catch up. Since we launched six months ago I feel like I have not caught my breath. It was nice to let loose and socialize with everyone.
Here’s Alexis and I. She brought me to Fox News and Fox Business, and I thank her every day for that
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April 22, 2008 5:17PM
By Cheryl Casone
We had a great segment on the show today with the very talented actor Matthew Modine and Laurence Franklin, the president of TUMI. They teamed up together for Earth Day and much much more.
Click here for the video:
I had no idea that Matthew was so active for the environment, but he really is passionate about the cause. Not only is he working on reforestation projects here in New York, but he’s hoping that Bicycle for a Day will become a worldwide event. I know you are curious, so the answer is yes, he is a very nice guy, and very genuine in person. Of course, Tom had no idea who he was and mispronounced his name. So when Matthew came in to the studio for the segment, I immediately let him loose on Mister Sullivan. Of course, he was gracious about it, and again, just a nice guy.
I was so interested in the environmental projects that Matthew was discussing that we ran out of time, and I didn’t get to finish my discussion with Laurence Franklin. But I will say, TUMI bags are great quality, and I mentioned to him before we went to air, it was the first suitcase I bought for myself out of college. Hey, they last, what can I say?
You might check out these three Web sites for more information about the projects:
Modine’s Bicycle For a Day:
http://www.bicycleforaday.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Tumi Go Green page
http://www.tumi.com/about/index.cfm?fuseaction=about_gogreen
Reforestation program Tumi contributes to:
http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/
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April 21, 2008 8:56AM
By Cheryl Casone
Hey guys, sorry I haven’t posted since early last week. The truth is I was traveling between New York and Washington, and I have not mastered the art of blogging from my Blackberry like Alexis Glick has. I need a new Blackberry that doesn’t have keys so worn down they stick, but that is another story.
What an amazing week! So much to tell you, and if you don’t want to read the personal blog of Cheryl Casone, read no further, there is no opinion or advice from here on out, just an update on what I’ve been up to both professionally and personally.
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April 14, 2008 5:30PM
By Cheryl Casone
I love this time of year as a business journalist. Every year, we do the same stories, the same tips, the same interviews. What should you do as April 15th approaches? What last minute deductions should you tally? Where is the best place to drop off your last minute return? Should you e-file or should you mail in a paper return?
I am not going to answer any of these questions for you, because there is only one thing you should do if you have not filed your tax return and you are reading this: Forget about your taxes and have a doughnut.
Yep, that is my solution. At this point it is the worst idea to rush and file your return. It’s easy to make mistakes, and even easier to make a mistake that would cause your return to get a red flag. An error in math could mean your charitable deductions are $10,000 instead of $1,000. That would flag your return, and you would most likely be audited.
So here’s what am I suggesting. FILE AN EXTENSION! Go to the websites of both the IRS and your local state tax agency, and download the extension forms. They should be one page each and it will cost you the stamp and an envelope.
The money you save in mistakes can buy several doughnuts. Go ahead, treat yourselves.
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