Mashup

Obama：
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Saturday pressed lawmakers to send him credit-card reform legislation by Memorial Day, May 25, saying consumers need stricter protections against unfair interest-rate hikes and penalties.
"There is no time for delay," Mr. Obama said in his weekly address. "We need a durable and successful flow of credit in our economy, but we can't tolerate profits that depend upon misleading working families. Those days are over."
On April 30, the House of Representatives passed White House-backed legislation that would limit the ability of card issuers to retroactively increase the interest rate on a consumer's balance. It would also require firms to provide consumers 45 days notice before interest rate changes take effect, and prohibits double-cycle billing and fees that have led to outcries from consumer groups. The Senate is expected to act on its version of the legislation next week.
Mr. Obama will push the cause for reform again at a town hall event in Albuquerque next week. He will be in New Mexico on Thursday, the end of a two-day trip that also includes a commencement address at Arizona State University.
The banking sector has lobbied against the reform legislation, arguing that new rules could cut off the flow of credit to consumers and send rates higher.
But Mr. Obama said Saturday that it is past time for a fair and transparent set of principles to guide the industry. That includes heightened monitoring, enforcement, and penalties for credit-card companies that break the rules.
"Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe. But they also have a right to not get ripped off by the sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties, and hidden fees that have become all too common in our credit card industry," Mr. Obama said.
"You shouldn't have to fear that any new credit card is going to come with strings attached, nor should you need a magnifying glass and a reference book to read a credit card application."
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Mr. Obama would use the Albuquerque town hall event to discuss "the legislation that's moving through Congress and the strong desire to get something done on an issue of tremendous importance to middle-class families."
In the weekly address, Mr. Obama repeated his view that the U.S. economy is beginning to find firmer ground, pointing to good news on consumer spending and home sales.
But with the unemployment rate at a 25-year high, he acknowledged that the economy isn't out of the woods yet.
"We are still in the midst of a deep recession that was years in the making, and it will take time to fully turn this economy around," Mr. Obama said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124186580127503661.html

Prada：
MILAN, April 28 (Reuters Life!) - Italian fashion designer Prada turned in a net profit of 99 million euros ($128.8 million) in 2008, down 22 percent from a year earlier, as it invested around 160 million euros in its retail network. Prada, whose designer Miuccia Prada is regarded as a trailblazer for fashion worldwide, said in a statement on Tuesday that revenues in 2008 were 1.648 billion euros compared with 1.661 billion euros a year ago.
It said it had opened 34 new stores in 2008 -- 18 for its core Prada brand, 9 for its Miu Miu line and 7 for Church's shoes. Investments were up 69 percent on 2007.
"I am convinced that the job of a businessman is to face difficult times with a vision for the medium to long term," Patrizio Bertelli, Prada's chief executive officer and husband of the designer, said in the statement.
Net financial debt was 537.4 million euros, slightly up from 2007's 507.5 million euros.
Prada has had its sights on a public offering but Bertelli told MF newspaper earlier this month that the bourse "does not interest us for now."
It operates in 78 countries through directly owned stores as well as department stores and franchises.
http://www.reuters.com/article/earningsSeason/idUSLS83295120090428


Madonna：
Madonna and her toyboy lover Jesus are planning a “commitment ceremony” in New York.
The queen of pop and Brazilian model Jesus Luz will take part in a service in front of a rabbi at the Kabbalah Centre in Manhattan.
Friends said Madonna, 50, and the 22-year-old model decided they wanted to take a new step in their relationship after her bid to adopt a Malawi orphan failed.
Jesus has already converted from Catholicism to the Kabbalah religion as a mark of his commitment to the singer.
Earlier this year he was spotted joining Madonna at the Kabbalah centre with her daughter Lourdes and David Banda, her adopted son from Malawi.
The Brazilian model has been to a series of classes since the beginning of the year to teach him about the faith, which is based on Judaism
There had been rumours the couple had split before Madonna flew out to Malawi in a bid to adopt three-year-old Mercy James.
But friends said Madonna, who adopted David Banda from the same country three years ago, returned to New York last month and has been seen at restaurants across the city with Jesus.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/05/09/madonna-and-lover-jesus-to-swap-vows-in-kabbalah-service-115875-21346023/


Madonna and her toyboy lover Jesus are planning a “commitment ceremony” in New York. The queen of pop and Brazilian model Jesus Luz will take part in a service in front of a rabbi at the Kabbalah Centre in Manhattan. Madonna is regarded as a trailblazer for fashion worldwide and turned in a net profit of 99 million euros ($128.8 million) in 2008, down 22 percent from a year earlier, as it invested around 160 million euros in its retail network. Her revenues in 2008 were 1.648 billion euros and she paid it immediately.She said:"Americans know that they have a responsibility to live within their means and pay what they owe."