Dec

29

Weekend Media Digest

By Teresa | Filed Under The Podcast | Start a Discussion 

  • Greenspan Denies Responsibility for Housing Bubble
    Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, insists the housing bubble had relatively little to do with him. After guiding the economy for 19 mostly prosperous years he now faces criticism for drastically lowering interest rates. Greenspan discusses economics and his tenure at the Fed with Steve Inskeep for the Morning Edition series, The Long View, a conversation with people of long experience.
  • More Foreign Investment for Wall Street
    Over the past few months, foreign governments have come to the aid of ailing Wall Street investment banks. And this week, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings joined the list when it bought a stake in Merrill Lynch.
  • How Turmoil Melted a Money Fund
    In August, Credit Suisse officials were startled when KKR Financial Holdings LLC, a specialty-finance affiliate of buyout titan Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., delayed repayment on more than $750 million of short-term debt held by the Credit Suisse money-market fund. The debt had been issued to finance the purchase of residential mortgages that offered a higher yield, but whose market value declined this summer in the credit crunch.
  • Quinoa: A Sacred, Super Crop
    What was a sacred crop to the Incas has been classified as a “super crop” by the United Nations because of its high protein content. It is a complete protein, which means it has all nine essential amino acids. It also contains the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair, and is a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorous.
  • Dark Chocolate Not Good for You After All
    Your holiday loot may include an assortment of dark chocolates — perhaps a gift from a thoughtful relative who had heard about its health benefits. Now a leading medical journal says dark chocolate may not be as good for you as you think. According to an editorial in The Lancet, many chocolate makers remove flavenols — the heart-healthy ingredient — due to their bitter taste. The devil in the dark chocolate is the fat, sugar and calories it also contains, according to The Lancet. To gain any health benefit, it says, you must reduce your intake of other foods.
  • Honey May Be Good Cough Remedy After All
    With all the negative news about children’s cough syrup, some parents are wondering how to treat their sick kids. It turns out that honey may be just the thing. New research published in the Ar­chives of Pe­di­at­rics & Ad­o­les­cent Med­i­cine suggests this old remedy is good for coughs.

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