Blog

While its origins are not exactly politically correct - more than 30 couples competed in the North American Wife Carrying Championship in front of cheering crowds.The event sees competitors splash through water, leap over logs and trudge through mud - all while carrying their partner like a sack of potatoes. It is believed to be based on a 19th century Finnish legend involving a man known as "Ronkainen the Robber", whose gang was known to pillage villages and carry away the women. Image: Pic: AP Photo/Robert F Bukaty Traditionally, the Finnish event featured male competitors carrying a woman.On Saturday, competing couples did not have to be married, nor did they have to be a man and a woman. One contestant - the carrier - w...

Packages of Modelo Especial beer are displayed for sale in a grocery store on June 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama | Getty ImagesModelo cans have become part of the fabric of events for Rio Riojas' family and community in Lansing, Michigan.The 35-year-old often finds himself opting for the brand at grocery stores or bars. The beer has become, in his words, "synonymous" with gatherings, ranging from small hangouts to birthday parties."It's definitely the choice of the people," said Riojas, a stand-up comedian. "When you're at a quinceañera and you see everybody you know enjoying a couple beers at the table, it's usually going to be a Modelo." Riojas is part of a base of Hispanic consumers that has become a focal point for Constellation Brands' beer business, which also inclu...

Robert Lighthizer, former US trade representative, speaks during an event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Precision Components Group in York, Pennsylvania, US, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDonald Trump's longtime trade adviser is apparently telling Wall Street money managers that if the Republican presidential nominee is reelected, he could start implementing his sweeping tariff proposals quickly after taking office, according to policy analysts at Piper Sandler."We've heard from a number of clients that Trump's former US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, has been meeting with investor groups and telling them that Trump could announce 60% Chinese tariffs and 10% across-the-board tariffs shortly after taking office," wrote t...

Going looking for ghosts in October isn't a great way to see one, as it turns out. At least so far. The prevailing sense among investors and market handicappers entering the month was to expect choppy, irresolute action full of potential scares. As with most consensus beliefs, this one was plausible. This time of year typically tests nerves, more so when — as now — an election is onrushing and the S & P 500 was already up 20% for the year. Instead, the index has continued its dogged grind to new record highs, 45 of them for 2024, even after investors last week walked the dark hallways and opened closet doors labeled " Warmer CPI, " "Higher jobless claims," "Rising Bond Yields" and "Fewer Fed rate cuts." All without frightening results. The big-picture, keep-it-simple characteristics of...