Business_Finance

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BLOOMBERG Jerry Brown, governor of California, says he still has time to get a referendum on the ballot in June to extend $9.3 billion in tax increases, the cornerstone of his effort to balance the state's budget.

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Kelley and Ed Postal negotiate with a salesman at a Nissan dealership in Ann Arbor, Mich. Much of the rise in durable goods in February came from the purchases of new cars.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS A truck fuels up a gasoline station in Oakland, Calif., as prices empty wallets a little more. February's increase in consumer spending and income largely went to cover higher gas prices.

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Journalists Carlos Loret de Mola (left) and Sergio Sarmiento speak at Mexico Initiative 2011 in Mexico City last Thursday. Most of Mexico's largest news media outlets agreed to a set of drug-war reporting guidelines, promising not to glorify drug traffickers, publish cartel propaganda messages or reveal information that could endanger police operations.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS A model store for Zippo products is on display at the headquarters of the Zippo Manufacturing Co. in Bradford, Pa. With pressure increasing on folks not to smoke, Zippo Manufacturing Co. is hoping to capitalize on its brand by offering a wider variety of products - from watches to leisure clothing to cologne - through kiosks and Zippo-brand specialty stores.

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Gasoline is delivered to a filling station in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. Higher prices have caused consumer spending to increase. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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Mr. D'Ambrosio (right) has cut the hair of some of the world's most influential and famous people since his business opened in 1965.

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Chris Dietz( below) g ets the personal touch of Mr. D'Ambrosio. The price of a man's haircut has remained constant, at $20, which the hairstylist says keeps his clients coming back.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS British riot police officers in central London clash with demonstrators against the coalition government's spending cuts. They were among tens of thousands of mostly peaceful demonstrators who streamed into central London on Saturday to march against cuts for welfare, health care and education, among other services.

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Police clash with protestors outside the famous Fortnum & Mason store on Piccadilly in London during a march against government spending cuts, in central London Saturday March 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of mostly peaceful demonstrators streamed into central London on Saturday to march against government budget cuts, with a small breakaway group smashing its way into a bank, breaking windows and spray painting logos on the walls. (AP Photo/Dominic Lipinski/PA)

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Demonstrators protest against the coalition government spending cuts as they march in London, Saturday, March 26, 2011. Some tens of thousands of mostly peaceful demonstrators streamed into central London on Saturday to march against government budget cuts, with a small breakaway group of demonstrators smashing its way into a bank, breaking windows and spray painting logos on the walls, as police struggle to contain the situation. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori)

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** FILE ** In this file photo taken March 11, 2011, traders of crude oil and natural gas react during early trading at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil prices moved up closer to $106 a barrel on Friday, March 25, 2011, as political upheaval in the Middle East and signs of strong global demand kept crude near two-year highs. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, file)

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says Xanadu, the unfinished retail and entertainment complex, will get a new exterior as part of the deal to finish developing the troubled facility at the Meadowlands. (Associated Press)

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said he doesn't think Japan's troubles will affect U.S. borrowing costs and interest rates. (Bloomberg)

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Program engineers improved the fuel economy of the outgoing four-cylinder, six-speed 2011 model by 25 percent by implementing a number of improvements.

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In this March 22, 2011 photo, a customer looks at a Research In Motion Blackberry Torch using a AT&T carrier, at a Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif. Research In Motion Ltd. releases quarterly financial results Thursday, March 24, after the market close. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)