Business_Finance

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Boris Bulatovic an employee at Decorium on King Street in Old Town Alexandria, Va, Friday, August 26, 2011, writes a message on a sheet of protective plastic on the storefront. In a city which saw severe flooding during Hurricane Isabel in 2002, business owners and residents are wasting no time preparing for Hurricane Irene. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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People grasp for sand bags from a city maintenance truck at the corner of King and N. Lee Streets in Old Town Alexandria, Va, Friday, August 26, 2011. In a city which saw severe flooding during Hurricane Isabel in 2002, business owners and residents are wasting no time preparing for Hurricane Irene. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Dante Barnes of the Washington Redskins (39) scores a touchdown while being defended against by Tom Zbikowski (28) of the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md, Thursday, August 25, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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DeAngelo Hall of the Washington Redskins (23) celebrates his touchdown from an interception in the first quarter at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md, Thursday, August 25, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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DeAngelo Hall of the Washington Redskins (23) runs back an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md, Thursday, August 25, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Dante Barnes of the Washington Redskins (39) carries the ball for a run in the first quarter at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md, Thursday, August 25, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Evan Royster, left, and Darrel Young of the Washington Redskins tackle Brandon Banks of the Baltimore Ravens in in the first quarter of preseason football at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD, Thursday, August 25, 2011. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on the Mall. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Seawright Homes is building 104 single-family homes on sites of 7,500 to 10,000 square feet at the Orchard at New Market in New Market. The York model, with 2,384 square feet, is priced from $417,690 to $437,030.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs holds the new iPad during a product announcement Jan. 27, 2010, in San Francisco. Apple Inc. on Wednesday announced Mr. Jobs has resigned as CEO. He is expected to be replaced by Tim Cook, who has been the company's chief operating officer. Mr. Jobs has been elected as Apple's chairman.

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BARBARA L. SALISBURY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley says aggressive cuts in the federal budget could double or even triple his state's anticipated $1 billion shortfall next year, increasing the probability of a tax increase.

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associated press Traders work in the gold and silver options pit at the New York Mercantile Exchange in New York on Wednesday, watching as gold prices plunged 5.6 percent. Increasing orders for U.S. durable goods eroded demand for the metal - which closed at $1,757 per ounce - as a haven asset.

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Trading specialists Vincent Folds (left) and WIliam Bott work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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Associated Press photographer Dario Lopez-Mills poses for a photo at the Rixos hotel in Tripoli, Libya, on Aug. 24, 2011. Lopez-Mills is among dozens of journalists that were trapped for days in the luxury hotel, kept there by government enforcers. (Associated Press)

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Former Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican, said open meetings give too much ammunition to single-issue interest groups that "have no interest in the national agenda of fiscal responsibility." (Associated Press)

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Nafissatou Diallo, the hotel housekeeper who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund, of sexually assaulting her, leaves a state office building in New York with her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, after meeting with prosecutors on Monday, Aug. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Traders in New York are busy Monday in the oil-options pit. Successful rebellion in Libya will affect oil prices. (Associated Press)

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (second right) steps down from his armored train upon his arrival at the Bureya railway station in eastern Siberia on Sunday. Mr. Kim crossed into Russia on his armored train Saturday at the invitation of President Dmitry Medvedev. The two leaders are expected to meet later in the week to discuss the restart of nuclear-disarmament talks and the construction of a pipeline that would stream Russian natural gas to North and South Korea. (Associated Press)

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Visitors to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial take pictures behind security fencing on the National Mall in Washington on Aug., 21, 2011. (Associated Press)