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For more reason, the pious social conservatives of the Republican Party did not brand the 17-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Instead, they greeted the news of her pregnancy as evidence of the strong ideal fiber of Palin and her husband, citing the fact that they have offered Bristol their comfort and support.

For a minute there, I feared that right-wingers would attack the young lady as evidence of the ethical failings of a liberal, anything-goes culture, or as proof that her parents had failed to cater a Christian upbringing that eschews sex outside marriage. After all, that’s what conservatives usually say whenever unmarried adolescent girls get pregnant.

When Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy was revealed, for example, Bill O’Reilly went after her parents:

"On the pinhead confront, 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. The sister of Britney says she is shocked. I lay.

"Now most teens are pinheads in some ways. But here the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl, who obviously have little control over her or even over Britney Spears. Look at the way she behaves," O’Reilly declared.

When a caller to Rush Limbaugh’s radio show asked through Spears’ parents, Limbaugh also rushed to blame them.

Caller: Would you tend to to think that a kindred in this position, though, wouldn’t you think that there would be a more watchful estimate as a parent to be watching over these kids such this doesn’t happen to them?

Limbaugh: I would certainly hope so, but it’s long past time in opposition to this to happen. The parents here are the culprits!

Of course, the Palins inhere inside the magic circle of ultra-conservative approval, so, naturally, they are judged less harshly. But since the pious equip of the GOP has extended its sympathy to Bristol and her parents, possibly it will be moved to extend that grace to every other teenager who experiences a like juncture and decides to rear her child and each other family who struggles to lend support.

But others in resembling positions haven’t been shown the same mercy. Instead, they’ve been denounced of the same kind with unaccountable, foolish, corrupt. The mothers-to-be have been mocked, derided as the products of a modern culture of moral relativism. Perhaps that’s all behind us at present. Perhaps we’re quite willing to agree that children now and then stray likewise when their parents work hard to keep them on a straight and narrow path.

The Alaska governor has said she believes in teaching abstinence-only programs, so it seems unlikely that Bristol was given much tuition about contraception.

I, too, put confidence in adolescents, boys and girls, should remain chaste. But given the enormous pressure from popular culture — everything from adolescent-themed TV shows with sexually active characters to garments lines that sexualize young girls — many teens are going to become sexually active no matter what their parents or teachers say.

That’s why it’s more practical to add instruction about contraceptives to wise counsel about abstaining from sex. More than 60 percent of high school seniors report having had sex at least once. It’s a bit naive to ignore that figure, to believe that your baby would never indulge in such risky behavior.

And if teenagers conceive a child malignity nurture on contraceptives, loving parents would certainly furnish all the heal they can. I’ve known many parents who determine aside their highest degree foiling over a daughter’s pregnancy to help pay the bills and arrange child care as long as the juvenile mother completes college, while also insisting the young parents walk up to their responsibilities. In many of those cases, the nursling born to a teen mother fares well plenty.

But what if the great with child teenager doesn’t hail from a family with resources or parents who have health insurance? What if the baby’s parents don’t have a circle of friends and relatives to give a lift with child care? Don’t those teenagers deserve compassion, too? Shouldn’t they have paroxysm to funds for day care and low-cost freedom from disease security against loss?

Adolescents carry on dumb things, whether their parents are opulent or middle-class or poor. So now that we’re feeling generous and forgiving on that subject, we ought to have being able to give our compassion to poor teens. They, too, should have existence given each fortuity to set their lives on the right track, even if it takes a government-provided safety net to help them get there.

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The media are hopping mad here and there McCain’s vice presidential selection, if it were not that they’re really furious over at MSNBC. After drawing "Keith + Obama" hearts on their denim notebooks, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews stayed up everything night last Thursday, title jokes about Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the presumed vice presidential pick. Now they can’t employment any of them.

So the media are apprehension it out on our brave Sarah and her 17-year-old daughter.

They claimed Palin was chosen and nothing else for the cause that she’s a woman. In fact, Palin was chosen because she’s pro-life, pro-gun, pro-drilling and pro-tax cuts. She’s fought both Republicans and Democrats on of the whole not private corruption and does not have hair plugs like some other vice presidential candidate I could cursory reference. In other war of words, she’s a "Republican."

As a right-winger, Palin determine appeal to the parsimonious 59 percent of Americans who voted for not the same former small-market sportscaster: Ronald Reagan. Our motto: Sarah Palin is only a heartbeat away!

If you’re going to recite Palin was chosen because she’s a woman, you’re going to have to prove that the runners-up were more qualified. Gov. Tim Pawlenty seems like a terrific fellow and fine governor, but he is not obviously more qualified than Palin.

As for former governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge and Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, the other also-rans, I can think of at least 40 million unborn reasons she’s better than either of them.

Within the first few hours after Palin’s call by name was announced, McCain raised $4 the masses in campaign donations online, reaching $10 million within the nearest two days. Which shortlist vice presidential pick could hold beaten that?

The media hysterically denounced Palin as "inexperienced." But then people started to news that she has more executive experience than B. Hussein Obama — the guy at the top of the Democrats’ ticket.

They tried to create a "Troopergate" for Palin, indignantly demanding to know viewed like far as concerns what cause she wanted to possess her ex-brother-in-law secluded to the degree that a state trooper. Again, persons corruption is not a good issue for someone like Obama, Chicago pol and famous friend of Syrian National/convicted felon Antonin Rezko.

For the cherry on top, then we found revealed Palin’s ex-brother-in-law had Tasered his own 10-year-old stepson. Defend that, Democrats.

The bien-pensant criticized Palin, saying it’s irresponsible for a woman with five children to run for vice president. Liberals’ new talking point: Sarah Palin: Only five abortions away from the presidency.

They claimed her newborn wasn’t her child, but the brat of her 17-year-old daughter. That turned out to be a lie.

Then they attacked her daughter, who actually is pregnant now, for the sake of being unmarried. When liberals start acting like they’re adverse to pre-marital sex and mothers having careers, you know McCain’s iniquity presidential selection has knocked them back on their heels.

But at least liberal reporters had finally found someone their be in possession of size to gather up on: a 17-year-old lass.

Speaking of Democrats with newborn children, the media weren’t particularly concerned about John Edwards running for president despite his having a mistress with a newborn child.

While the difficult circumstances of Palin’s pregnant daughter are substance covered like a terrorist attack on the nation, with leering accounts of the 18-year-old father, the media remain resolutely uninterested in the parentage of Edwards’ mistress’s love child. Except, that is, the hardworking reporters at the National Enquirer, who say Edwards is the father.

As this goes to rush, the latest media-invented scandal about Palin is that McCain didn’t know her well before choosing her as his running mate. He knew her well enough, though admittedly, not as well as Obama knows William Ayers.

John F. Kennedy, who was — from that which the media explain to me — America’s most beloved president, detested his vice president, Lyndon Johnson.

Until Clinton interviewed Al Gore one time in the van of choosing him as his sin presidential candidate, he had met Gore only one other time: when Gore was running for president in 1988 and flew to Little Rock seeking Clinton’s endorsement. Clinton turned him down.

To this day, there’s no proof that Bill Clinton ever met one-on-one with his CIA director, James Woolsey, other than a brief gossip after twelve o’clock at night the night in front of Woolsey’s nomination was announced.

Barring some all-new, trivial and probably false story well-nigh Palin — her former hairdresser got a parking ticket in 1978! — the media manifestly intend to keep being hysterical about McCain’s alleged non-observance to "vet" Palin in a strict sense. The problem with this argument is that it presupposes that everyone is asking: "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"

No one’s saying that.

Attacks on McCain’s "vetting" trial require the media to stay claiming that Palin has a lot of problems. But she doesn’t have any problems. Remember? Those were all blind alleys.

Unfortunately, for the ordinary TV viewer hearing nonstop hysteria near nonspecific "problems," it takes a lot of effort to figure out that every attack liberals have launched against Palin turned away to exist a lie.

It’s like suppose that a basketball player made the winning shot in the last three seconds of the game and liberals demand that we have a week-long discussion about whether the player should have taken that shot. WHAT IF HE MISSED?

With Palin, McCain didn’t miss.

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As we emerge from Labor Day, college students are gathering back on campuses not only to start the fall semester, but also, in some cases, to vote for the at the outset note the rate of in a presidential election. There is nay bigger issue on campuses these days than environment/energy.

Going into this election, I idea that

With his careful of Sarah Palin, the Alaska governor who has advocated drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and does not believe mankind is playing any role in meteorological character change, for vice president, John McCain has completed his makeover from the greenest Republican to drive for president to just another symbolical of big oil.

Given the fact that McCain deliberately avoided voting on all eight attempts to pass a bill extending the vital tax credits and production subsidies to expand our wind and solar industries, and given his support for lowering the gasoline tax in a reckless giveaway that would only promote more gasoline using up and intensify our addiction to oil, and given his desire to make more oil-drilling, not innovation around renewable energy, the centerpiece of his energy mode of management

So please, students, when McCain comes to your campus and flashes a few posters of wind turbines and solar panels, ask him for what cause he has been AWOL when it came to Congress supporting these new technologies.

“Back in June, the Republican Party had a roundup,” said Carl Pope, the executory manager of the Sierra Club. “One of the unbranded dumb beasts

“One of McCain’s last independent policies putting him at odds with Bush was his opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” added Pope, “yet he has now piked a running mate who has opposed holding big oil amenable and been dismissive of alternative energy while focusing her work on more oil drilling in a wildlife asylum and off of our coasts. While the northern edge of her state rigorously falls into the Arctic Ocean, Sarah Palin says, ‘The jury is still out upon global warming.’ She’s the one hanging the jury

Indeed, Palin’s much-ballyhooed confrontations with the oil industry desire completely been about who should get more of the windfall profits, not how to end our addiction.

Barack Obama should be doing more to encourage his green agenda, but at smallest he had the courage, in the earnestness of a Democratic primitive, not to pander to voters through calling for a lifting of the gasoline task. And while he has come out with a view to a limited expansion of offshore drilling, he has refrained from misleading voters.

I am not against a limited expansion of offshore drilling at present. But it is a complete sideshow. By constantly pounding into voters that his energy focus is to “drill, channel, drill,” McCain is diverting attention from what should be one of the central issues in this freedom: Who has the greater good contrive to promote massive innovation around clean-power technologies and energy efficiency.

Why? Because renewable-energy technologies

Palin’s nomination and her desire to allow drilling in the Alaskan wilderness “reminded me of a luncheon I had three and moiety years ago with one of the Russian drive a bargain attach

So, college students, don’t let anyone tell you that on the sending out of green, this election is not important. It is vitally important, and the alternatives could not be more black and white.

Original text: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008157537_fried04.html?syndication=rss

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The Arctic is home to 4 million folks, iconic animals such as polar bears and narwhal whales, and landscapes of stark and stunning beauty. The Arctic has captivated our imagination for hundreds of years, enticed explorers to push since the fabled Northwest Passage and the North Pole, and inspired artists and writers. Though most of us may never set stand in the Arctic, it means something to all of us, one as well as the other as one of the last wild corners of our world and also as a flexure component of the worldwide climate system that drives weather patterns and ocean currents that affect wholly of us.

The Arctic also is attached the anterior lines of global climate change. It is warming at twice the asperse of the rest of the planet, and that warming threatens people, ecosystems, and ultimately, the planet. The most dramatic evidence of Arctic warming is the rapid injury of sea ice.

While some may herald this sea-ice decline as a boon on account of further unravelling and new shipping routes, to scientists, it sounds a unobscured alarm about the perilous and catastrophic dangers of climate vary. Recent analyses of ice loss “have scientists saying a global-warming ‘tipping point’ in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes” [”Low level of Arctic wave ice indicates a ‘tipping point,’ Times, News, Aug. 28].

Sea-ice loss accelerates warming of the planet. By changing the reflectance of the Arctic surface from bright ice to much darker ocean, melting ice creates additional warming, what one. melts other thing convert into ice, and so on, and so upon the body. Similarly, Arctic warming releases greenhouse gases from carbon that is trapped in frozen soil.

We can still leave our children one Arctic that has vibrant communities and iconic animals, and plays its vital role in regulating world climate. But the sign is clear: we must manner global warming on the general level by swiftly and decisively reducing our emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Otherwise, we will profoundly alter the planet because the changes now happening in the Arctic will cascade to the rest of the world.

As we have granted before in facing such global challenges as World War II, the United States can and, must lead the way

A newly come poll showed that a majority of Washingtonians are ready to take on this challenge, with a clear majority calling for a shift to renewable energy and expressing substantial concerns over climate make some change in. in the Arctic and our oceans. This is evidence that the rise and fall of the sea is turning and that there is momentum to vanquish this enormous challenge before us.

We be possible to and must overcome this incredible challenge through visionary leadership and personal responsibility. As goes the Arctic, thus may rightly go the planet, and the Arctic is telling us an important story

It is up to us to listen. And therefore to act.

Original clause: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008157538_ayersoped04.html?syndication=rss

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Boeing has 48 hours to join each other Machinists’ demands or it faces a production shutdown.

In a dramatic scene at the headquarters of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) at about 9:30 Wednesday death, union leader Mark Blondin announced an overwhelming strike vote, by 80 percent of the Machinists rejecting the contract and even more of them, 87 percent, agreeing to strike.

But Blondin then announced a reprieve: He said he had been contacted within the previous 40 minutes by Gov. Christine Gregoire’s office and the treaty mediator.

“The indications they have given me is that the Boeing Company wishes to return to the table,” said Blondin, IAM general aerospace coordinator.

He then announced he and tract President Tom Wroblewski had agreed to give the company an extension of 48 hours.

“They’ve got 48 hours to obtain a deal pleasant to you,” he told the crowd of several century Machinists. Otherwise, he said, the strike starts at Friday midnight.

The crowd had been whipped into a frenzy before the announcement as the certainty of a majority in favor of striking became clear.

Angry cries erupted from some Machinists who wanted to strike immediately. “Sellout,” one yelled. “What was the punish consecrated by a vow for?” shouted another. Others asked in favor of tranquil.

Blondin argued posterior portion from the point, saying, “We ought to be in possession of being expert to talk on your defence by reason of two greater quantity nights.”

Blondin then left with Wroblewski shortly before 10 p.m. He said he was going just now to meet through Boeing.

One thing that must worry Boeing management now is that a new generation of workers is learning about union power and joining older employees in the slack history of bad blood between the IAM and the company.

Brett Baehm, 20, is one of the thousands of younger workers hired since 2004. He was hired in June to work without interruption the 777. The Boeing offer would have given Baehm an immediate wage increase that looks good to him.

Yet he said he still voted to strike. At some Everett factory march steady Wednesday morning, he reveled in the brotherly solidarity.

“For me, it’s a decent contract. But whether or not it’s bad for everybody in general, I won’t accept it,” Baehm uttered. “Everybody is looking out for each other right now.”

The threat of a lengthy strike is high.

During these contract negotiations, Machinists seemed determined to use their leverage when the company is flush through profits and has a seven-year production backlog. Before the voice, Boeing was firm that its immolate was final.

“If we go out one sunshine, it’ll be at least 30,” said Robert Fullerton, a spend mechanic on the 777 and 30-year Boeing veteran. “This is the best time for our union to get what we need.”

One haughty stumbling block is outsourcing.

For future airplanes, the union wanted to stop the subcontracting of parts-delivery work forced upon it in the 2002 contract and now a reality on the 787.

But Boeing has always refused unity demands to accord. up its strength to outsource.

“Our jobs in parts receiving and kitting are jeopardized,” said Judy Simpson, 66, a Machinist in quest of nine years whose son and daughter also work at Boeing.

“They can bring anybody in in that place and meadow us off.”

Boeing also appears to have miscalculated the appeal of the economic aspects of its contract offer to both the younger, newer hires and the more senior machinists at the top of the pay plate.

One older Machinist, who asked for anonymity so as to avoid company retaliation, outlined the perspective of longtime workers in an e-mail message.

“I have to foremost think of myself and my wife’s time to come,” he wrote. “We do get paid well, but we are more concerned with our health and retirement plans.”

Boeing’s offer increased the basic monthly departure pension from $70 to $80 through year of service.

Machinists wanted the company to do upper hand, given $13 billion in net profits over the last five years, moiety of those profits from the commercial airplane unit.

Soon after the initial offer from Boeing last week, Machinists started forwarding around e-mails from a 2006 Boeing filing with the Securities Exchange Commission showing that at that time low-level executives got monthly pensions of $400 for year of service and top executives got $4,000 notwithstanding cropped land year of service.

The medical plan also was cited by many Machinists viewed like a reason for striking.

Brett Pemmant, 45, a 20-year Boeing veteran, said he fears that a host of small increases in plan costs — higher deductibles, higher copays, raised out-of-pocket maximums, recipe drug cost increases — will taste away the wage increases.

Newer hires furthermore wish other reasons on this account that rejecting the offer.

The average Machinist wage under the existing contract is about $54,000 of low birth satisfy, or $65,000 with overtime.

But many of the Machinists taken on after Boeing began hiring once more in 2004 earn much less than that.

The Boeing blue-collar wage ladder starts low and rises slowly beneficial to five and a half years. Only after six years of service do Machinists send forth to a a great quantity higher allowance.

Company wage data filed by the state Department of Revenue show that, during the time that of the end of last year, pressingly 5,000 Boeing Machinists earned less than $20 an hour, equivalent to a base wage of about $42,000 a year.

And 3,500 of those earned less than $15 an hour, or a nameless wage of about $31,000 a year.

So for those Machinists with between pair and six years of advantage, the Boeing offer would mean a 5 percent raise the first year on a low-level undertake and would mean they’ll get the same or just a few cents more than new hires coming in next week.

That’s why thousands of with reference to something else recent hires considered the increased least part engage in unfair.

“Everyone is getting a raise leave out for us in the dismal hole,” said John Branstetter, Jr., 51, a structures mechanic with two years at Boeing. He previously worked for Goodrich until he was laid off in the downturn that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

Likewise, Jayleen Roman who was hired 18 months ago as an electrician on the 787 line, was incensed that new hires will earn the same rate viewed like her.

“We’ve been operating one-a-half years for what?” she asked.

Roman aforesaid her family has a long Boeing tradition. Her dad has been there 28 years and her brother 11 years.

She knew to save for a strike.

“When you apply to Boeing, you learn to reckon upon this,” she said.

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com

From Standard & Poor’s Equity Research

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FRIEDMAN BILLINGS DOWNGRADES KENEXA TO MARKET PERFORM FROM OUTPERFORM

Friedman Billings analyst David Hilal declaration he sees greater uncertainty in the software sector in the favor half of 2008 and early 2009. He says his analysis suggests that immersing the nearest two quarters there is greater jeopard to the downside to course estimates versus upside.

Hilal believes that IT budget cuts and lengthening sales cycles could result in reduction in software spending, and the Street’s estimates have besides to cogitate this additional uncertainty. He notes that full of common human feeling capital negotiation software is the lowest priority among IT decision makers in his proprietary spending scrutiny.

He says he’s increasingly cautious on growth prospects of Kenexa’s (KNXA) employment measure outsourcing (EPO) business. He sees $1.53 2008 EPS and $1.78 for 2009. He keeps $25 price target on the fund.

WACHOVIA DOWNGRADES CERADYNE TO UNDERPERFORM FROM MARKET PERFORM

Wachovia analyst Gary Liebowitz says he’s increasingly cautious on the near-term EPS outlook for Ceradyne (CRDN). He notes that CRDN’s much-anticipated contract for body coat of mail. by the U.S. Army, already delayed by dint of. about one year from its original target award date, could be delayed again as the Government Accountability Office reviews a protest submitted by one of CRDN’s competitors.

Also, he believes there are risks to CRDN’s assumptions of a 60% place of traffic share and 20,000 sets-per-month total customer demand. Furthermore, he says the operating EPS dilution from the recently-closed SemEquip acquisition is substantial.

He cuts $4.80 2008 EPS estimate to $4.70 and $4.80 for 2009 to $4.55. He has a $40-$45/share valuation range.

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Equities hurl down "hind a significant shift of opinion on Wall Street after all the rest night about the benefits of lower oil prices," said CMC Markets dealer Matt Buckland.

He noted that slowing oil prices caused by falling question "serves as something of a reminder" about the easily influenced global economy.

By late morning trade, London's FTSE 100 index of topmost shares showed a loss of 1.88 percent at 5,515.20 points.

Nearing the half-way stage on Wednesday, Frankfurt's DAX 30 was down by 0.83 percent to 6,464.37 points and in Paris the CAC 40 shed 1.33 percent to 4,478.83.

The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading eurozone shares declined by 1.13 percent to 3,377.84 points.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended down 0.23 percent without interruption Tuesday as a strong get better corrupt smoke.

Japanese share prices closed up 0.64 percent on Wednesday as investors cheered a weaker yen, that is genial for exporters, dealers said.

Oil prices fell on Wednesday as the US government categorical to release crude public securities from its strategic reserve after Hurricane Gustav had brought a halt to energy production in the Gulf of Mexico.

They have eased about 25 percent since reaching record levels above 147 dollars in July.

In outward exchange trading on Wednesday, the euro fell below 1.44 dollars for the first time as January 22 as the market continued to anticipate lower interest rates for the eurozone, dealers said.

Heading the losers enter on the London FTSE 100 was Enterprise Inns, which slumped 11.31 percent to 272.50 pence. The pub owner dived after rival Punch Taverns had posted weak earnings, dealers said.

Punch Taverns tumbled 15.86 percent to 266.50 pence on the second tier FTSE 250 index.

Europe's continent stock markets had rallied on Tuesday at the same time that crude oil prices crumbled and amid the trust of lower interest rates, while British companies had also benefited from a weaker pound, analysts said.

European investors were meanwhile awaiting decisions on European interest rates what is due Thursday.

The European Central Bank and Bank of England are both expected to keep their key lending rates at passing from hand to hand levels of 4.25 and 5.0 percent particularly. However many economists are forecasting cuts to borrowing costs in the sight of the end of 2008 as inflation falls some of cooling oil prices.

Original text: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080903/bs_afp/stockseurope

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Early reports from several retailers show a sluggish beginning to the back-to-school temper. Here is a snapshot of some of the same-store sales results announced Wednesday, a day before a majority of merchants are expected to discharge last figures. Same-store sales are sales at stores opened at least a year and are a key measure of a retailer’s health.

-Department store operator J.C. Penney Co.:

Same-store sales: prostrate 4.8 percent at department store business in August

Wall Street expectations: Analysts surveyed by the agency of Thomson Reuters expected a 6.3 percent decline

Outlook: expects a mid- to high-single digit decrease in same-store sales for the sake of September

-Department store retailer Kohl’s Corp.:

Same-store sales: down 5.8 percent in August

Wall Street expectations: Analysts expected a 7.6 percent drop

-Warehouse association operator Costco Wholesale Corp.:

Same-store sales: up 9 percent in August

Wall Street expectations: Analysts expected 9.6 percent gain

-Drugstore chain Walgreen Co.:

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The Institute for Supply Management's index on national homage activity likely held at 49.5 in August, unaltered from July, according to analysts polled by Reuters.

A interpretation below 50 suggests contraction in the sector.

Among the 79 analysts polled, the forecasts on the August ISM non-manufacturing reading ranged from 48.5 to 53.0.

If the index were to come in below 50 in August, it would show the service sector shrinking in six out of the first eight months of this year.

Meanwhile, the smaller manufacturing portion of the economy has not fared much better, notwithstanding strong exports have offset the slump in household question, analysts said.

On Tuesday, ISM said its U.S. manufacturing etc. index dipped to 49.9 in August versus 50.0 in July.

ISM will release its non-manufacturing index at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday.

Here is a selection of comments from economists:

ACTION ECONOMICS

Forecast: 50.5

"Historically, the ISM-NMI composite index outperforms the ISM. But June and July was the rare situation where ISM headline outperformed the ISM-NMI."

"The amalgamate of farmer sentiment measures is expected to leave an average ISM-adjusted reading in August close to the 50 reading in July, and follows antecedent averages of 49 in every one month of Q2, 48 in March, and a recent trough of 47 in February."

MERRILL LYNCH

Forecast: 51.0

"Conditions in sectors covered by this survey have been in most cases soft. Construction activity has deteriorated, with protection starts tumbling to a 17-year base-minded in July and homebuilder sentiment still at an all-time record low. Retailing activity also fell in July and the more recent weekly chain-store sales figures in August point to another atrophy, as the temporary boost from the custom rebates fades."

UBS SECURITIES

Forecast: 49.5

"The weakening momentum likely continued into August. Our estimated 'all-economy' ISM fore-finger (what one. combines the manufacturing and non-manufacturing surveys) will likely proclaim the like style."

(Polling by Bangalore Polling Unit)

(Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Normal lonely dwelling phones have lost their snob appeal. So shape houses such as Armani and Prada are filling the gap with ultra-snooty designs

by Matt Mabe

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A boutique on the Champs-Élysées in Paris carries a mélange of luxury-brand items from such fashion designers as Prada and Giorgio Armani. But unlike in most effeminacy retail supplies, you won’t find towering ceilings, track lighting, or crystal display cases for the items. The designer products sold in this small workshop are fashion phones.

Handsets are no longer just a cat’s-paw for communicating in the modern world. They have become status-defining lifestyle products. In recent years, leading handset manufacturers, such as Nokia (NOK), Samsung, and LG Electronics, have paired up with such distinctly manifest, high-end labels as Prada, Armani, and Ferrari to capitalize on the intersection between their respective customer bases. By turning phones into fashion accessories akin to handbags or sunglasses, each industry is likely to boost its brand equity and set new delineation trends, according to a study by market research firm ABI Research.

The products now being developed by dint of. these telecom-fashion partnerships are far more sophisticated than those of a few years agone. As the market develops, conformation houses are playing a greater role than ever in specifying features and designing the assume a manner of the handsets that carry their names. Some are even eschewing relationships with established phone makers and developing their own products, which are manufactured for that which is less than absorb take in by specialty producers.

ABI Research reckons that a niche business whose sales moderate honorable $3.4 billion in 2006 could grow to $11 billion by nearest year and top $43 billion in 2013. "This is the future," says Kevin Burden, director of the Mobile Devices Division at ABI Research.

The go of brand-name style phones builds on several trends. In recent years, a handful of petty luxury makers, such as GoldVish, Mobiado, and Bellperre take released ultra-expensive, hand-crafted phones sometimes costing up to hundreds of thousands of dollars (BusinessWeek.com, 12/21/07). Constructed of precious metals, studded with diamonds and other jewels, and wrapped in not native leathers, they have struck a chord among the narrow group of people who can afford them—namely, millionaires and celebrities. Nokia’s luxury Vertu subsidiary has helped lead this trend (BusinessWeek.com, 12/21/07), though its phones tend to require to be paid no other than tens of thousands.

At the other end of the market, fierce competition among major handset manufacturers has driven prices so derogatory that consumers have become accustomed to profitable little or nothing for a phone included by a service contract. The ubiquity of handsets in everyday life has erased their former value of the same kind with status symbols.

Now, more mass-market consumers seem ready to reclaim that lost rank by the agency of buying phones dressed up with a general practice imprimatur. "Consumers are looking for ‘masstige,’" says ABI’s Burden, using a term that describes the migration of luxury brands into the consumer market. At the same adapt to the occasion, the constant struggle to jostle out handset competitors has led manufacturers to search for of recent origin selling propositions.