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Dan Bobkoff

  • JP Morgan Chase reported something unusual today: a loss. The bank has been forced to set aside a huge cash reserve to cover expected fines and related legal costs. In the most recent quarter, the set-aside was so large — $9.1 billion — that it produced a net loss for the bank.
  • L.L. Bean has taken back a live Christmas wreath that had turned brown and a shirt ripped by a rescue crew after a car accident. Is that any way to run a business?
  • Of all the healthy foods you could eat, what inspires some people to wear kale T-shirts and sport kale stickers? Why do some people see kale as a part of their identities?
  • The race to create a viable Internet-based TV service is on, and the contestants include the biggest names in computer technology: Apple, Microsoft, Intel and Google. Sony has apparently reached a deal — as preliminary — with Viacom to carry the company's cable channels on its planned web TV service.
  • Sagging power lines and computer glitches led to a power outage that left 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and part of Canada in darkness on Aug. 14, 2003. New sensors have been installed, and operator training and computer systems have been upgraded. But is that enough to prevent another massive blackout?
  • The Internet has a history of blowing up business models. Now we buy music by the song, and who needs the newspaper for classifieds? But cable television hasn't budged much. You're still forced to buy a bundle of channels, whether you watch them or not.
  • For Time Warner Cable customers in major cities, the battle for the future of television is playing out before their eyes as CBS and the cable giant fight over fees. You might not realize it, but between a third and half of your cable bill goes directly to pay for channels like CBS or ESPN.
  • Former Goldman Sachs trader Fabrice Tourre was found liable on six of seven counts on Thursday. The Securities and Exchange Commission accused Tourre of misleading investors in a mortgage-linked security.
  • Singer-songwriter J.J. Cale died Friday at the age of 74. His music took the edges off honky-tonk and blues, dressed them in a smoking jacket and ascot, and made them smooth. His most recognizable songs, however, were made famous by Eric Clapton. They include, "Cocaine" and "After Midnight."
  • Verizon has taken the first step to replace copper lines with a home cellular connection in coastal areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. But many customers don't like the new phone connection, saying the new technology is inferior to traditional landlines.