U.S. Customs To Pilot International Registered Traveler Program

U.S. Customs and Border Protection this summer plans to pilot a voluntary expedited entry process for U.S. travelers willing to pay a $100 application fee, submit to a background check and provide the government with biometric data.

CBP on Friday said it would begin taking applications from U.S. citizens on May 12 and launch the Global Entry program on June 10 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental and Washington Dulles International airports.

CBP said it is working in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, with plans to “to foster close ties among Global Entry and other vetted populations, such as TSA’s Registered Traveler Program, where appropriate.”

Those agencies also are seeking bilateral coordination with other governments to allow for similar expedited passport control when U.S. travelers go abroad or foreign travelers come into the United States.

CBP said the program, which automates passport control, would be available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have clean criminal, customs and immigration records … when arriving from international travel, a Global Entry member would bypass any lines for customs agents and scan the passport into a kiosk, where a photo is taken, declaration questions are fielded and the traveler is asked to submit fingerprints to be matched against those on file .. CBP said the kiosk then prints a receipt, which the traveler must present to a CBP officer upon leaving the inspection area.

The National Business Travel Association today praised the program and encouraged a rapid expansion. CBP did not identify any other airports to which it would expand the program, though it said any expansion would be detailed in the Federal Register.

NBTA executive director and COO Bill Connors stated, “Many other countries have seen the value of international registered traveler programs like Global Entry, and we will work with governments and private sector players around the globe to establish a network of trusted traveler programs to make international travel as secure and efficient as possible.”

Frontier Airlines Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Frontier Airlines today said it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming its primary credit card processor increased the share of customer receipts it would hold.

Frontier said its “principal credit card processor,” which it did not identify, “very recently and unexpectedly informed us that, beginning on April 11, it intended to start withholding significant proceeds received from the sale of Frontier tickets.”

The carrier said it expects to continue normal operations and planned to honor all reservations, maintain its frequent flyer program, continue to compensate employees and “pay suppliers for goods and services received during the reorganization process.”

The carrier in filings said it plans to honor agreements with ARC, bank settlement plans, travel agencies and global distribution systems, expecting no disruption in those systems.

Frontier’s announcement follows bankruptcy filings among several smaller U.S. carriers — Aloha Airlines, ATA Airlines and SkyBus — that also, unlike Frontier, ended operations.

Frontier president and CEO Sean Menke in a statement today said, “To be clear, we filed for very different reasons than those of other recent carriers, and our customers and employees can be confident that we intend to keep on flying and providing outstanding service and products.”

Menke in a statement today said the credit card processor’s “established practices would have represented a material change to our cash forecasts and business plan.

Unchecked, it would have put severe restraints on Frontier’s liquidity and would have made it impossible for us to continue normal operations.

The automatic stay provision of the bankruptcy code prohibits the credit card processor from increasing its holdback, and we are prepared to litigate this issue if necessary.”

AirTran Adopts $10 Second-Bag Fee

AirTran Airways this morning became the latest airline to introduce a fee to check a second bag, though the carrier plans to charge $10 compared with the $25 fee adopted by most legacy airlines.

AirTran said it plans to assess the charge for travel beginning May 15.

AirTran said the fee would not apply to business class passengers or holders of elite status in its frequent flyer program.

“The airline will continue to allow passengers to check additional bags for a $50 fee per additional bag,” the carrier said in a statement. “As with the previous policy, weight and size restrictions apply.”

Continental Airlines earlier this week became the fifth legacy carrier to adopt the $25 charge for a second bag, while American Airlines remained the only holdout among its legacy peers.

Linens ‘n Things files bankruptcy – going out of business

By JEFFREY MCCRACKEN – Wall St. Journal – April 11, 2008

Linens ‘n Things to become Linens ‘n Bankruptcy Protection Things …

Linens ‘n Things Inc., a home-furnishings retailer caught by an increasing debt load and shrinking housing market, is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy-court protection by Tuesday, several people familiar with the matter said.

A Linens ‘n Things filing would mark one of the first major retailers to seek bankruptcy protection in this economic downturn.

The New Jersey retailer, which sells home products like towels, bath rugs and kitchen appliances, has about 590 stores in 46 states and employs 17,000 people.

They lost $62 million on sales of $962 million in the fourth quarter of 2007

Suburban Warfare – are you prepared for it?

Duck and Cover – it’s the new Survivalism for America …

By By ALEX WILLIAMS – NY Times – April 6, 2008

Survivalism hits the suburbs, as yuppies and soccer moms stock up on organic MREs and designer ammo in preparation for the breakdown of society …

The traditional face of survivalism is that of a shaggy loner in camouflage, holed up in a cabin in the wilderness and surrounded by cases of canned goods and ammunition.

It is not that of Barton M. Biggs, the former chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley. Yet in Mr. Biggs’s new book, “Wealth, War and Wisdom,” he says people should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.”

“Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes.

“It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc … think Swiss Family Robinson … even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”

Survivalism, it seems, is not just for survivalists anymore

Great Depression of 2008 – 2009 and how to survive the doom

By Bob Hoffman – Political Gateway – April 4, 2008

[ Admin’s Note … hopefully, everyone will take this seriously … be sure and read what Bob Hoffman say’s about fighting foreclosure on your home; his advice is what I did back in the late 80’s when I lost my new home to foreclosure and it worked, as I stayed in my new home for over a year and didn’t make a single payment until I finally had to move out as ordered by the Court … ]

Deerfield Beach, Florida — In 2004 and 2005 I suggested to people to sell their homes immediately and to rent.

I told them the prices of homes were not true, they were not real … I implored them and even wrote a few articles about the coming land bust.

It was a bit worse than I thought it would be.

No other TV, online writer, or business entity was even in the ballpark back then.

My articles were correct and the bust started in 2006, shortly after the last article … at the time I wrote those pieces, people were standing in line for days to buy a condo.

Learn how to send cease and desist orders to creditors you are going to bankrupt so they leave you alone

Job losses continue to mount – recession looming larger

By Joanne Morrison – Reuters News – April 4, 2008

Economy sheds 80,000 jobs in March … just in time for bikini season …

WASHINGTON — Employers cut payrolls in March for a third straight month and the jobless rate jumped to a 2-1/2-year high, further evidence that a housing downturn and credit crisis may have pushed the economy into recession.

The Labor Department on Friday said nonfarm employment fell by 80,000 jobs in March, more than expected and the biggest drop in five years. Financial markets saw this as reinforcing the need for further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

It was the first time the U.S. economy had shed jobs for three consecutive months since a five-month string in 2003, when the economy was mired in a recovery from the 2001 recession which created few jobs.

The numbers drew calls from Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for aid to families facing foreclosure on their homes, while Republican candidate Senator John McCain said tax cuts and streamlining burdensome regulations were needed to foster growth.

During the first quarter, job losses averaged 77,000 a month

Now that the housing lenders have reamed us raw

By ANDREW TAYLOR – Associated Press – April 2, 2008

The borrowers are asking us to grab our ankles …

WASHINGTON — Senate leaders announced an agreement today on legislation to ease the slumping housing market and help millions of families threatened by foreclosure.

The scaled-back proposal released by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky contains an amalgam of ideas aimed at boosting demand for housing and helping homeowners saddled with subprime mortgages avoid foreclosure.

For instance, the plan contains $4 billion in grants to local governments to buy and refurbish foreclosed homes, new authority for states to issue bonds to be used to refinance subprime mortgages and a $7,000 tax credit for people buying new homes or properties in foreclosure.

“It is a robust package,” Reid said. “This is good news for the American people.”

Yeah, right … Senate leaders agree on bill to ease housing crisis … filling whose pockets?