Verizon is more than doubling the top download speed of its DSL Internet network in many parts of Snohomish County. The telecommunications company said Thursday that its “ultra-fast” service offers downloads at up to 7 megabits per second in parts of Bothell, Brier, Darrington, Everett, Granite Falls, Sultan and Oak Harbor. Prices for the faster service start at $43 a month. For more information, go to www.verizon.com/superspeed.
Disdain for ties kills association
Many American men stopped wearing neckties years ago. Now, even tie guys are giving up on them. After 60 years, the Men’s Dress Furnishings Association, the trade group that represents American tie makers, shut down Thursday. Association members numbered just 25, down from 120 during the 1980s power-tie era. U.S. tie companies have been consolidating, others have closed because of overseas competition, but mostly, men aren’t wearing ties.
Ford to cut ranks of salaried workers
A top Ford Motor Co. executive is telling North American white-collar workers the company wants to cut its salaried work force costs by 15 percent. President of the Americas Mark Fields said in an e-mail message sent to workers Thursday the cuts will take place by Aug. 1. Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans says the company does not have a target number of employees. The departures will be involuntary, and workers would get standard severance packages.
U.S. automakers more productive
Detroit automakers — and Chrysler in particular — nearly erased the North American productivity gap with their Asian rivals in 2007 thanks to worker buyouts, leaner plants and other improvements, but they still make less money per vehicle because of higher costs, according to the Harbour Report on manufacturing. Toyota Motor Corp. and Chrysler LLC led the industry in productivity, with each averaging 30.37 hours to fully assemble a vehicle.
Romania’s Blue Air buys three 737s
Boeing says the Romanian airline Blue Air has ordered three 737-900ER jetliners, worth $239 million at list prices. Boeing Co. said Thursday the airplanes will be equipped with blended winglets, which improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 4 percent. Blue Air started operations in December 2004 as the first Romanian low-cost carrier.
Rebate checks boost spending
Tax rebate checks gave consumers a little extra money in their pockets during May, but most were still spending conservatively, buying necessities such as food and gas and shying away from splurging on clothing or furniture. The result was some better-than-expected sales for the nation’s retailers, with lower-priced merchants such as discounters and wholesale clubs showing the strongest gains. Accordingly, Costco Wholesale Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. were among the strongest performers, but retailers such as Gap Inc. and American Eagles Outfitters Inc. missed expectations.
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