Why Students Aren’t Going to College Football Games

With college football ticket prices soaring and expanded conferences leading to less exciting matchups, fans—students in particular—are more likely to watch games from home.

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How College Football Sacked the NBA and MLB

How This Weekend’s College Football Rivals Stack Up as College Values

NFL Preseason Tickets Aren’t Even Worth $10

There’s no denying that college football is a hugely successful business enterprise, arguably the second-biggest, most popular sport in the U.S. right now (after pro football in the NFL). But there’s one glaring crack in the armor that college football conferences and storied college programs have been struggling with for years: Fewer and fewer fans are actually buying tickets and attending games in person.

Scientists: Solar system inside a searing gas bubble

(CNN) -- Ever feel like you live in a bubble?

You do. We all do.

Our whole solar system appears to, say space scientists, who published work last month corroborating its existence.

And, oh, what a bubble it is: About 300 light years long (about 1,764,000,000,000,000 miles), and its walls are made of hot gas. How hot? About a million degrees.

It's called the "Local Bubble" or "local hot bubble" and is shaped a little like a peanut.

Scientists believe it was formed by supernovas, the largest explosions in space, as NASA calls them, that occur when a large star blows up.

One supernova blasts out more energy in less than a second than our sun gives off in a million years, NASA says. A single explosion can outshine an entire galaxy.

Qantas feels the squeeze (*Airlines a Canary in the Coal mine, for the health of the Economy?

Turbulent times for ailing Qantas after record loss

(CNN) -- Australia's ailing flag carrier was sent into a tailspin Thursday, as the airline reported its biggest ever loss.

In its latest report, Qantas revealed an after-tax net loss of $2.6 billion (A$2.8 billion) for the year to June 30, with the cumulative effect of high fuel costs, falling demand, and a massive writedown of its international fleet blamed.

"There is no doubt today's numbers are confronting, but they represent the year that is past," said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who added that he predicted a return to underlying profitability in 2015.

"We have now come through the worst. With our accelerated Qantas Transformation program we are already emerging as a leaner, more focused and more sustainable Qantas Group."

Malaysia Airlines slashes 6,000 jobs in major restructuring

Malaysia Airlines has cut 6,000 jobs as part of a wide-ranging overhaul that follows the loss of two aircraft earlier this year.

State investor Khazanah, which owns nearly 70% of the carrier, revealed the 30% workforce reduction on Friday. Khazanah also announced the creation of a new corporation that will absorb the majority of the carrier's assets.

CNBC.com = fine story worth reading:

Investors Battle Fear, Fear and Fear

France - Italy BAN Short Selling.

Senior government sources tell Class CNBC, CNBC's Italian partner, that a short-selling ban will be imposed in France and Italy after Thursday's market close.

The report conflicts with what CNBC has been told by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). The independent European Union body, which provides a forum to national financial European regulators, told CNBC on Thursday that it is increasing its market surveillance following the rumor-led drop in French banks' shares that took place on Wednesday and then again Thursday.

While he couldn't comment on whether a ban on short-selling was to be carried-out, a spokesperson at the ESMA told CNBC there were talks about such a move but that such a move wouldn't be "today, or tomorrow, or next week."

The ESMA is aware of the speculation problem, he said, and that markets have become jittery about it. "Today it's about France; earlier, it was about Greece," he said.

Being a coordination organ, the ESMA cannot enforce such a ban, but what they can do, the spokesperson said, is offer a table around which European regulators can meet and agree on a coordinated action.

Meanwhile, the UK regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), told CNBC.com on Thursday that it had no plans to ban short selling in Britain.

Riots and more

I have held off making any hasty comments about the latest Market carnage and the very troubling riots in the United Kingdom - until I got the facts.

Facts are: Youth unemployment in Britain is endemic and getting worse. Food and shelter are expensive in the UK, like everywhere else, and a lot of young folks realize they will never have a decent life. No jobs - no future. Bleak would be the word.

The whole world has been watching the gyrations on the Stock Markets and this stems from too many years of fiscal stupidity from Central Governments.

We have a QUADRILLION dollars worth of CDS (*look up Credit default swap) off books around the planet - and no one knows who owns or owes what.

The Credit system came close to seizing in 2007-8.

Once again, we are close.

Nervous times.