Putin is paying a price: Russian assets dries up after President Vladimir Putin’s military forces took over parts of neighboring Ukraine. The ruble sank 1.8 percent against the dollar today, more than any other currency tracked by Bloomberg, while the benchmark Micex stock index plunged more than 11 percent and benchmark bond yields soared…. The […]
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Posted inNews
How Will Mt.Gox’s Shutdown Affect Bitcoin’s Future?
It seems that every step forward being made by bitcoin, the virtual currency that I wrote about last December for the Mercury, it ends up taking a few stumbles backward. The very day that my story posted late last year, the value of bitcoin fell nearly 60% as some investors panicked following the one-two punch […]
Posted inFashion
A New Date for the PDX Collective Sale
One of the many things the snowpocalypse ruined was the all-important PDX Collective Sale, wherein almost a dozen boutiques (including Tumbleweed, Mabel & Zora, Ecovibe, Parallel, and Radish Underground, to name a few) band together at the end of each season to let go of their remaining merch at the cheapest prices you’ll likely ever […]
Posted inNews
Breaking: Fresh Round of Layoffs Announced in the Oregonian Building
UPDATE: This post has been modified to reflect fresh information. Initially, reports came in that the Oregonian Media Group had announced layoffs today. That’s not the case. A closely affiliated company headquartered in the Oregonian building apparently announced the changes. A close affiliate of the Oregonian Media Group today announced a new round of layoffs, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
The Lego Movie Is “Anti-Business”? Hahaha, Fuck You
Fox News is going after The Lego Movie and RoboCop for being “anti-business,” and… look, I know it’s low-hanging fruit to go after Fox News, but holy shit, watching these dipshits furiously shout about Legos corrupting America’s youth is delightful. The new RoboCop hasn’t screened for critics yet, but if it sticks even a bit […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Coke’s Getting Into the Soda-at-Home Business
Yesterday’s announced partnership between Coca-Cola and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will soon pay off in one dramatic way: As part of the strategic collaboration, [Green Mountain] will be The Coca-Cola Company’s exclusive partner for the production and sale of The Coca-Cola Company-branded single-serve, pod-based cold beverages. I stopped drinking Coke products about six months ago—I […]
Posted inMedia
XRAY.FM Is Killing It
If there’s any question in your mind that Portland is ready for a new progressive community radio station, take a look at XRAY.FM. They’ve blown their Kickstarter fundraiser out of the water—as of this writing they’ve raised over $70,000, with their original goal having only been $40,000, so now they’re going for 80k. They’ve also […]
Posted inFashion
The Grand Finale $100 Free Money Giveaway to Imelda’s & Louie’s!
If you thought it was nice how last week we gave out two $30 gift certificates to Imelda’s & Louie’s, well, check this sucker out: Today (because not enough great things happen on Mondays) we’re doling out a finale GC prize of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. This is a huge giveaway in its own right, but […]
Posted inFashion
Imelda’s & Louie’s Free Money Giveaway, Part 2
Yesterday we unleashed the first in our short series of gift certificate giveaways for Imelda’s & Louie’s shoe stores, and today we’re getting a new one rolling! As a reminder, like virtually every other retailer in the world, Imelda’s is currently having their post-holiday/end-of-season sale, which means you can truly maximize your money savings with […]
Posted inFashion
Win! $30 to Imelda’s & Louie’s!
Hey Blogtown! Over on MOD, we are kicking off a series of giveaways wherein you can win money towards new shoes at Imelda’s and Louie’s! They’re already having a huge sale, so this is practically a free-shoe opportunity, here. For instance, these gold Tretorn boots are sensible (waterproof, with furry lining!), cheerful (gold!), and adorable, […]
Posted in$$$
$20 Billion in Penalties? No Problem.
JPMorgan Chase, ladies and gentlemen: To settle a barrage of government legal actions over the last year, JPMorgan Chase has agreed to penalties that now total $20 billion, a sum that could cover the annual education budget of New York City or finance the Yankees’ payroll for 10 years. It is also a figure that […]
Posted inFashion
Retail Switcheroos with Diesel and Madewell
While the Merc keeps a much tighter focus on what’s going on in Portland’s independent retail world, the larger players’ comings and goings can say a lot about the economic health of the city. So, for those of you who have heard rumblings that the Pearl District Diesel store is closing, fear not; word is […]