Business_Finance

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Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on the country's economic outlook at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4, 2011. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/ The Washington Times)

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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett in Pittsburgh on Monday said his plan for the state's natural-gas boom would let counties impose a fee on drilling to help pay to regulate it and fix any environmental damage. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** In this Sept. 17, 2011, photo provided by Time Warner Cable, guests gather outside before a Time Warner Cable and Disney screening of "The Lion King" 3D at The El Capitan Theatre, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Time Warner Cable, Casey Rodgers)

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A ghost light illuminates the stage of the Lincoln Theatre where entertainers have performed for audiences over many decades. A financial shortfall now threatens to close the venue by the end of the year, board members say. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)

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The Lincoln Theatre has been a U Street landmark for decades. Its board members are seeking help from the city to keep the venue financially afloat. (The Washington Times)

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Bank of America plans to start charging customers a $5 monthly fee for debit cards as a way to make up for losses related to the cap on swipe fees that goes into effect Saturday. (Associated Press)

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Gordon H. Smith, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, says an FCC proposal to give broadcasters' spectrum space to wireless and broadband competitors would be "catastrophic" for his industry. (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel casts her vote on the eurozone bailout fund at the Bundestag in Berlin on Thursday. German lawmakers approved new powers for the fund in a major step toward tackling the bloc's sprawling sovereign debt crisis. (Associated Press)

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A customer uses a Bank of America ATM in Charlotte, N.C., in July 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

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** FILE ** Gregory M. Rowe with Livermore Trading Group Inc. works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, File)

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SHOW ME THE MONEY: A cashier counts some of the take at Parx Casino, one of the hot spots that have kept gamblers in Pennsylvania. Since 2006, state gambling taxes and licensing fees have generated billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Darine Son, a cocktail waitress, serves beer to Bob Schank while he plays cards at a blackjack table last week in Parx Casino, near Philadelphia. The gambling house and nine others in Pennsylvania are providing thousands of jobs and raking in billions of dollars in tax revenue for the state. But there is opposition to the gambling on moral grounds. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Two customs officers speak in a Havana, Cuba, car lot. Cuba legalized the sale and purchase of automobiles for all citizens Wednesday. Under the law, buyers and sellers must each pay a 4 percent tax, and buyers must make a sworn declaration that the money used for the purchase was obtained legally. (Associated Press)

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A Kenyan converts money at a currency-exchange bureau in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday. Kenya's currency is in free fall against the dollar, dropping 30 percent in value this year, to an all-time low. That has increased prices of food and fuel across the country. (Associated Press)

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Jeff Bezos, chairman and CEO of Amazon.com, introduces the Kindle Fire at a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in New York. The e-reader and tablet has a 7-inch (17.78 cm) multicolor touchscreen. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

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A protesting taxi driver carries a Greek national flag in front of the transport ministry during a protest in Athens on Sept 28, 2011. About 2,000 striking taxi drivers gathered to protest against government plans to open up their licensed profession to more competition. (Associated Press)

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BITTER PILL: John Castellani, president and CEO of PhRMA, cautions against cutting from 12 years to seven the length of a patent on a company's new drug. (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)

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Logo of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

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All the characters in this photo illustration are just two people: Jonna and Tony Mendez, who were photographed at an International Spy Museum exhibit. After decades working as disguise specialists for the CIA, the Mendezes are masters at their craft. At the request of the agency, they are spending their retirement revealing some of their tricks. (Photo illustration by T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)