Deals of the Hour

Trying to find out what's the deal with the world, tracking what's on sale and who's talking about it on Twitter. Update hourly.

Deals of the Hour / July 5, 2010, 10:12 am

Spy arrests offer bit of Cold War nostalgia

W ASHINGTON — The capture of those alleged deep-cover Russian agents has — for a moment of nostalgia — taken Americans back to a day when their enemy was sneaky but familiar, ensconced right there behind the crenelated red-brick Kremlin walls. Through the Cold War, the U.S. had adapted ... (Source: Boston Herald 2010-07-02T23:55:08Z)

Natixis to shed private equity ops to AXA PE for EUR534m

French bank Natixis (EPA:KN) said Monday it has agreed to dispose of part of its private equity business to Axa Private Equity, part of insurer AXA (EPA:CS), for EUR534m (USD669m). The price represents a 7.6% discount to the fair market value of the assets, Natixis added. The sold business includes ... (Source: Insurance News Net 2010-07-05T12:02:54Z)

Clemente agrees to deal with Charlotte

Former Kansas State point guard Denis Clemente has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Charlotte Bobcats. Clemente averaged 16.6 points and 4.4 assists last season in leading the Wildcats to a school-record 29 wins ... (Source: Wichita Eagle 2010-06-29T05:00:31Z)

Pampers offers designer-brand diapers

Monday, July 5, 2010 | 12:35 a.m. The Procter & Gamble Co. is aiming to make disposable diapers fashionable. Popular designer Cynthia Rowley has designed 11 styles of Pampers, including pastels, stripes, madras and ... (Source: Las Vegas Sun 2010-07-05T08:28:09Z)

Draft picks signing at a faster clip this summer

There isn't expected to be much if any business conducted this holiday weekend, but NFL teams and agents have been working with a little more urgency when it comes to getting rookie deals done this year. According to the league-run Web site NFLLabor.com, signed contracts were up 17 percent this ... (Source: YAHOO! 2010-07-01T23:56:19Z)

'Hot in Cleveland' ladies make LeBron an offer

The ladies of TV Land's new hit cable series, "Hot in Cleveland," are stepping up in support of their adopted hometown. A new video just hit the internet in which cast members Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves and Betty White step into character and make a plea for Lebron James to stay ... (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer 2010-07-04T00:58:22Z)

Essay: Spy arrests offer bit of Cold War nostalgia

Associated Press Writer= WASHINGTON (AP) — The capture of those alleged deep-cover Russian agents has — for a moment of nostalgia — taken Americans back to a day when their enemy was sneaky but familiar, ensconced ... (Source: The Guardian 2010-07-05T14:54:42Z)

E. Maine site under review for wind

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Maine land-use regulators this week will consider whether to allow a streamlined application for a wind farm on 695 acres of timberland in eastern Maine. The Bangor Daily News says First Wind LLC plans to file an application with the Land Use Regulation Commission this fall in ... (Source: Boston Globe 2010-07-04T15:31:40Z)

'Hot in Cleveland' preview, Shaker Historical Society and art museum's Summer Solstice in society ...

Shaker Historical Society / Twilight in the Garden The Shaker Historical Society kicked off its annual garden tour with a fundraiser at the site where it all began -- the Van Sweringen Mansion. In 1905, the Van Sweringen ... (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer 2010-06-28T10:23:50Z)

Terri Horman Accused In Plot To Kill Husband - Murder for Hire

A landscaper told Multnomah County detectives that the stepmom of missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman offered him money to kill her husband, a source told FOX 12. Terri Horman made the offer to the landscaper several months ... (Source: Gather.com 2010-07-05T07:30:53Z)

KING SELLING OFF IDAHO RANCH

Singer/songwriter CAROLE KING is feeling the sting of the worldwide credi t crunch - she has slashed the selling price of her sprawling Idaho ranch .. King's 128-acre central Idaho compound, named The Robinson Bar Ranch, h as failed to sell since she first placed a listing in 2006, asking $19 mi ... (Source: PR Inside 2010-07-05T07:23:44Z)

Steve Farrell

There's a maxim everyone's heard, personally mouthed, and undoubtedly believes: "What goes around comes around." Or, "the boomerang effect." Remarkably, however, although we've all heard, mouthed, and believed it, many arrogantly claim a personal exception from this law of God and Nature — even ... (Source: RenewAmerica 2010-07-05T08:28:09Z)

Ohio offers best foreclosure deals

A report says Ohio is offering the nation's best bargains on foreclosed homes. The study released last week by foreclosure tracking firm Realty- Trac says Ohio's average price for a foreclosed home sold during the ... (Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette 2010-07-05T08:28:09Z)

Sources: Terri Horman Accused In Plot To Kill Husband

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A landscaper told Multnomah County detectives that the stepmom of missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman offered him money to kill her husband, sources told FOX 12. Terri Horman made the offer of a "large sum ... (Source: kptv.com 2010-07-05T14:26:04Z)

BRIEF: Police seek witnesses in LaGrange accident

Jul 05, 2010 (Bangor Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- LAGRANGE, Maine -- State police are looking for witnesses to an accident in LaGrange on Sunday that injured a Milo motorcyclist. According to State Trooper Barry Meserve, 71-year-old Robert Curtis of Milo was ... (Source: TMCnet 2010-07-05T12:38:41Z)

Stepmom of Missing Oregon Boy Allegedly Put Hit On Husband

Portland, OR, United States (AHN) - A landscaper who works for Terri Horman, the stepmother of a missing 7-year-old Oregon boy, says she asked him to kill her husband. According to sources, six or seven months ago Horman asked the man to off her husband in exchange for a "large sum of money ... (Source: All Headline News 2010-07-05T15:23:20Z)

Carole King's Idaho Ranch For Sale For $16 Million

STANLEY, Idaho — Songwriter and singer Carole King has put her 128-acre central Idaho ranch back on the market with a reduced asking price of $16 million. The Robinson Bar Ranch compound near Stanley includes a 7,300-square-foot lodge, a private residence, a caretaker's home, a professional ... (Source: Huffingtonpost.com 2010-07-05T02:23:05Z)

Two-month warning hits for NFL-branded credit cards

NEW YORK -- The National Football League's decision to move its branded credit card business from Bank of America to British banker Barclays is forcing customers of the Charlotte, N.C., bank to scramble to spend reward ... (Source: CBS Sports 2010-07-05T16:49:14Z)

Babies go in style in designer diapers

CINCINNATI — The Procter & Gamble Co. is aiming to make disposable diapers fashionable. Popular designer Cynthia Rowley has designed 11 styles of Pampers, including pastels, stripes, madras and ruffles. They'll be ... (Source: Nashville Tennessean 2010-07-05T07:09:25Z)

Cleveland Browns safety Abe Elam: "There will be no hard feelings''

Elam, who started 16 games last season and made a team-high 88 tackles, was hoping for a large, multi-year deal. Instead, he received the second-round tender of $1.759 million. The Browns have also said they might still negotiate long-term deals with some of the former restricted free agents. "I ... (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer 2010-07-05T16:34:55Z)

An island of cash

According to several media reports, the New York Islanders are trying to make a big splash in the free agent pool by pushing hard for free agent forward Ilya Kovalchuk with an offer of $100 million over ten years. The Los Angeles Times reported Friday night that a source who is familiar with the ... (Source: Sportsnet.ca 2010-07-02T23:55:08Z)

Keys to the King-dom

S TANLEY, Idaho - Songwriter and singer Carole King has put her 128-acre central Idaho ranch back on the market with a reduced asking price of $16 million. The Robinson Bar Ranch compound near Stanley includes a 7,300-square-foot lodge, a private residence, a caretaker's home, a professional ... (Source: Boston Herald 2010-07-05T03:56:08Z)

Natixis Reduces Derivatives Exposure

LONDON -- French bank Natixis said Monday that it has disposed of most of the complex credit derivative exposure held in a run-off fund to a banking counterparty. Natixis said the deal will help significantly reduce the risk profile of both the fund and Natixis and limit the volatility of the group ... (Source: FOXBusiness 2010-07-05T07:38:03Z)

Three teams said to be vying for Kovalchuk

Don't look now, but we have a horse race in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. The news that the New York Islanders had entered the fray with a lucrative long-term offer, a reported $10 million per season for 10 years, got the attention of everyone in the hockey world, especially the Kings and Devils ... (Source: NHL.com 2010-07-02T23:55:08Z)

UPDATE 1-Natixis sells derivative book to cut risk position

PARIS, July 5 (Reuters) - French investment bank Natixis ( CNAT.PA ) on Monday said it had sold most of its credit derivative exposure to a banking rival to reduce risks and limit the volatility of its earnings. The sale ... (Source: Reuters 2010-07-05T11:05:38Z)

Denis Clemente joins rival Sherron Collins in Charlotte

Two fierce Sunflower Showdown competitors will now battle for the same roster spot. Former Kansas State point guard Denis Clemente has accepted an offer to play for former Kansas coach Larry Brown 's Charlotte Bobcats ... (Source: Kansas City Star 2010-06-29T04:31:53Z)

Maine cops say more children at drug deals

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Drug police in Maine say they're concerned by what they say is a disturbing trend of more parents bringing children to drug deals. Garry Higgins of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency says that over the past two months the agency has made 10 felony drug arrests and investigators ... (Source: Sun-Journal 2010-07-01T23:56:19Z)

Updated : Betty White Catches Lebron Fever and Shocks With an Offer He May Not Be Able to Refuse

Betty White and the cast of TV Land's runaway hit "Hot in Cleveland" — Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick – have gotten in the bidding war to lure Lebron James to stay put as a Cav. The fabulous quartet – whose show is based where the coveted free agent last played ... (Source: TVbytheNumbers 2010-07-01T23:56:19Z)

L.A. Kings' GM: We won't pursue Ilya Kovalchuk

The Devils' chief competitor for Ilya Kovalchuk's services says it has dropped out. Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that Kovalchuk turned down the team's offer and he won't be making any more attempts to sign the unrestricted free agent ... (Source: NorthJersey.com 2010-07-05T05:57:50Z)

Clemente Joins Collins, DC Signs With Charlotte

Former Kansas State point guard Denis Clemente has accepted an offer to play for former Kansas coach Larry Brown's Charlotte Bobcats. He'll compete with former Kansas guard Sherron Collins for backcourt playing time ... (Source: KAKE TV 2010-06-30T03:40:35Z)

Blog Archive