| Bridal Bargains
Soon-to-be brides packed the Friends Center of Southern Ohio Medical Center on Sunday looking for bargains and wedding ideas at the 2008 Bridal Expo.Rhonda Ballengee, of By Design Floral and Bridal in Sciotoville, is chair of the committee that hosts the annual event - along with Tammy Wagner, of Party On Rentals in Wheelersburg, as treasurer. She said it started at the Ramada Inn about 12 years ago, but her committee took over the show about six years ago.During the show, retailers like Ballengee and Wagner can setup displays for interested brides-to-be to browse through. Wagner said it was a great way for local shops to get their names out to the public.Along with Party On Rentals were displays for event planners, caterers, photographers, disc jockeys, videographers, limousine services and much more.
Katie Brings Her Subdued Excitement to Morning Talk Shows
The Cruise family landed in NYC yesterday afternoon and was straight off to FAO Schwarz to blow off some of that cooped-up energy from sitting on the plane. Tom and Katie walked out empty handed, but Suri nabbed herself a big ol' teddy bear to match her furry jacket. There was no night out at the clubs for mom and dad though (ha, as if) because Katie was up bright and early to make the morning talk-show rounds. She stopped by Good Morning America as well as Regis & Kelly to promote Mad Money and, of course, gush about her family. Videos of both her appearances are after the jump, but below are two of my favorite quotes from the interviews. Here's more: On FAO with Tom and Suri: "Now she's talking all the time. So she's saying, 'Who's that? Who's that?' We were at FAO Schwarz last night.
The Economy Is Fine (Really)
Industrial production fell 1.1% during the six months ending February 2007, while new orders for durable goods fell 3.9% at an annual rate during the six months ending in November 2006. Real GDP grew just 0.6% in the first quarter of 2007 and retail sales fell in January and again in April. But the economy came back and roared in the middle of the year -- real GDP expanded 4.4% at an annual rate between April and September. With housing so weak, the recent softness in production and durable goods orders is understandable. But housing is now a small share of GDP (4.5%). And it has fallen so much already that it is highly unlikely to drive the economy into recession all by itself. Exports are 12% of the economy, and are growing at a 13.6% rate. The boom in exports is overwhelming the loss from housing.
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