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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – It is not just gays who are cheering New York’s law legalizing gay marriages that passed over the weekend. The state’s tourism industry is also applauding the move, with many advertising gay marriage specials.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is set to launch “NYC I Do,” a campaign selling the city as a premier gay wedding destination. Specials are already spreading across the state. The Le Parker Meridian has a “Love has No Boundaries/Born This Way” wedding package.

A report in May from the New York’s Senate Independent Democratic Conference estimated that 21,309 resident gay and lesbian couples would get married over the next three years, and the state would earn nearly $400 million during that time from gay and lesbian couples getting married in the state. That total included tourism, wedding bookings and state licensing fees.

The law goes into effect on July 24.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The United States economy grew at a slow 1.9 percent pace during the first quarter of the year a slowdown in growth that Federal Reserve policy makers hope will only be a temporary.

In contrast, the economy grew at a more robust 3.1 percent rate in the previous quarter. Still the 1.9 percent figure was better than the 1.8 percent rise in gross domestic product predicted for the first quarter by government officials last month.

Real gross domestic product is the total output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the U.S.

“The increase in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), private inventory investment, exports, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by negative contributions from federal government spending and state and local government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased,” the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis said in a statement.

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Auburn Hills, MI, United States (AHN) – The 2012 Fiat 500 has hit the roads in the United States and has just as quickly garnered the titled Coolest New Car Under $18,000.

This year, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com editors decided to rank their Top 10 choices from 10 to 1, and they rated the 2012 Fiat 500 as the No. 1 pick on their “Cool Cars” list. The fun ride can be customized in more than a half-million ways to stylize and personalize.

Kbb.com said of the Fiat 500, “Regardless of what the Hello Kitty mafia would like to believe, cute isn’t cool. Not usually, anyway. But that’s because cute is rarely backed up by substance, as it is in the 2012 Fiat 500.”

The car is Fiat’s first U.S. offering in 28 years.

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United States (AHN) – Your closet is probably full of myriad sizes and it is not due to fluctuations in your weight. More and more designers are turning to vanity labeling, using smaller sizes and adding inches to traditional sizes, experts say.

Vanity sizing is defined as “when the price increases and the dimensions decrease.” It is especially common among the more expensive and higher-end brands. A once typical size 8 may now be a standard size 4. The trend is to portray a positive attitude for shoppers when perusing, trying on, and eventually purchasing clothes.

“A woman who actually needs a size 12, but fits into a size 8, gets an immediate self-esteem boost,” says Joan Chrisler, a professor of psychology at Connecticut College. Wearing larger sizes can have a direct effect on a woman’s self-esteem and behavior, as can wearing smaller sizes, psychologists say.

Clothes may make the man, but sizing just may make the woman.

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Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – Chicago Boxed Beef Distributors Inc., a Shorewood, Ill., establishment is recalling approximately 3,200 pounds of raw and ready-to-eat sausage products that were not handled in a manner to prevent cross contamination between raw and ready-to-eat products.

In addition, the product label used by the company was not approved by FSIS. The products are considered adulterated because the company could not document that it took the necessary steps to produce safe products and ensure that they were produced under sanitary conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following product is subject to recall:

• 3.6-pound boxes of “SAUSAGE LINKS & COOKED SAUSAGE PATTIES,” with each box containing 2 unlabeled packages.

Each box bears a label with establishment number “EST. 17126″ inside the USDA mark of inspection and can be identified by the item code “9004.” The establishment is recalling all the products listed above which are currently in commerce. The products subject to recall were sold to a distributor for door-to-door sale in Fla., Ill., Ky., S.C., and Texas.

The problem was discovered through a routine inspection conducted by FSIS in-plant inspection personnel. The routine inspection uncovered evidence to show that the establishment produced the products without a food safety plan (HACCP plan) in place for handling ready-to-eat products and therefore FSIS must consider the products to be adulterated.

FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and to ensure that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

Consumers and media with questions about the recall should contact the company’s Vice President, Daniel Barry at (815) 729-4567.

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If your business is struggling under the pressure of debts, then it is time that you opt for business debt consolidation in order to gain financial stability. Such consolidation programs aim at helping your business to avoid bankruptcy and make a repayment plan that will suit the creditors as well as fit within the budget of your business. A business debt consolidation program restructures your business debt with business lenders, suppliers, creditors, vendors, collection agencies, corporate credit cards or your attorneys. Through the restructured plan, such a consolidation program will increase the cash flow of your business while working towards maintaining a good relationship with your suppliers and vendors.

Why will you choose business consolidation loan?

When you own a business and manage it, at times the finances can overwhelm you. As a result you may run into debts. If you ignore your payments or make irregular or late payments you credit score may get affected adversely. This will prevent you from taking any further loans in order to operate your business. In order to avoid such dire consequences you should opt for a business consolidation loan to pay back all your business debts easily.

How will you choose a business consolidation loan?

A business consolidation loan can be used both, if you own a small business or a large one. You can get a business consolidation loan through your current lender. However, before you decide upon a business consolidation loan you should run a proper research on all options available to secure a business consolidation loan. There are some lending institutions that specialize in offering this kind of loans to companies that are facing financial trouble. When you seek professional help from these institutions they will draw out a plan for you that is specialized for your company or the financial crisis that you are facing. There are many such financial lending institutions offering you business debt help and you can search for them online before choosing any particular one.

What are the advantages of business consolidation loan?

There are various advantages of business consolidation loan. These are listed below.

Single monthly payments- When you consolidate your business loans, all your multiple payments gets consolidated into single monthly payments which are easier to make and keep track of.

Lower interest rate- With the help of business loan consolidation, you can take out one loan with a low interest rate to pay off the multiple debts with high interest rates. Thus you save money on interest rate payments in the long run.

Lower monthly payments- The low interest rate on the new loan ensures lower monthly payments which are easier to make.
Thus you can see consolidation of your business debts can help you to get out of your debts and perform well.

Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The International Monetary Fund will interview Mexican Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens ahead of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde in the fund’s search for a new managing director.

Carstens will be interviewed June 21, the second day of the governor’s two-day scheduled trip to Washington. Lagarde, the bet of the European Union, will have her IMF board interview on June 23.

The IMF pared to two the number of candidates to replace former IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned in May after he was charged by a hotel maid with sexual assault. Strauss-Kahn is waiting trial in New York.

The board, which will decide the fate of Carstens and Lagarde, is made up of 24 directors who represent countries or groups of countries which are members of the fund. The IMF has 187 nation-members.

The two candidates are scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with the IMF on their first day and the interview on the second day.

The candidates are expected to present their views on issues facing the IMF and its members and exchange views with the board members.

The IMF said it will publish Carstens’ and Lagarde’s statements on its website after the meetings. The group will announce its choice by June 30 on who will be its next managing director.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – A report based on an analysis of tax returns by three economists pinpoints rising executive compensation as the reason behind the widening income gap in the United States.

According to economists Jon Bakija, Adam Cole and Bradley Heim, excessive executive pay is enjoyed not only by Wall Street bankers, but also company officials even in smaller businesses.

The report said that the top .01 percent of American executive earners make $1.7 million or more, including capital gains, yearly. About 41 percent of them were executives, managers and supervisors at non-financial firms. About half of them source them income from being the owner of the company.

Another 18 percent of the top earners were managers at financial companies or are financial professionals at any kind of firm.

The growing income disparity in the U.S. was particularly felt in the recent global financial crisis as ordinary wage earners lost their jobs, had their properties foreclosed and had to tighten their belts. Amid the hard times, executives continued to receive seven-digit incomes.

In 2008, the top 0.1 percent of earners in the U.S. accounted for over 10 percent of the national income in the U.S., while the top 1 percent got more than 20 percent.

Another study of executive pay among Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index companies by an independent research firm in Baltimore showed that total executive compensation grew by 13.9 percent in 2010 among the 483 companies with available data. Their total pay for 2,491 named executives, before taxes, was $14.3 billion.

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Marlborough, MA, United States (AHN) – The manufacturer of Publix Caesar Salad Dressing, Ken’s Foods, Inc. is recalling a limited number of 16oz Publix Caesar Salad Dressing bottles because it may contain undeclared fish, gluten and soy allergens. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to fish, soy and gluten run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The dressing is 16oz. Publix Caesar Salad Dressing with an expiration date of 31MAR12 A. Bottles labeled correctly will have a UPC#4141500730. The product may have the incorrect ingredient statement for “Buttermilk Ranch” dressing. This dressing was distributed to Publix stores in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered a portion of the run contains an incorrect back panel label. This label does not list the presence of fish, gluten and soy.

As of this date, there have been no adverse reaction complaints reported relating to this recall.

As part of Publix commitment to food safety, they are asking customers to return the product to the place where it was purchased for a full refund or replacement. Consumers with questions may contact Publix at 1-800-242-1227, Monday through Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm EST.

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Montreal, Quebec, Canada (AHN) – The strike of 3,800 Air Canada customer service and call center agents ended Thursday as the air carrier and the Canadian Auto Workers union reached a tentative agreement. The workers were scheduled to be back to their posts on Friday.

The temporary agreement came before the federal government of Canada could issue back-to-work legislation for the striking employees.

CAW President Ken Lewenza, who announced the agreement, said the deal guaranteed current employees that their benefit plans would not be changed, but the two parties would craft a new benefit plan for new hires with the assistance of a mediator.

The new four-year agreement will be presented to union members for ratification in the next four to five days, Lewenza disclosed. He said the union preferred winning their battle with Air Canada on the negotiating table than on the picket lines.

Canadian Labor Minister Lisa Raitt had warned of a complete shutdown of the country’s aviation system by next week if the House of Commons did not mediate the labor row and issue a back-to-work order.

Raitt told legislators that operations of the air carrier were not expected to be disrupted during the first few days of the job walk-off since trained managers took over the duties of the striking workers. However, she said there was little guarantee that the system would work in the long term.

She said both Air Canada and CAW predicted a shutdown of the country’s aviation system would take place sometime between the seventh and ninth day of the industrial action.

Both Raitt and Air Canada Executive Vice President Duncan Dee expressed pleasure at the tentative deal. The agreement will help provide long-term sustainability to Air Canada operations and maintain decent compensation and benefits for the company’s employees.

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