The Daily Dish - May 2, 2012

Cedar Point opens up a week from Saturday. And there’s a new wrinkle this year at The Point – the ability to pay more to reduce wait times in lines of the parks most popular rides. Depending on what day you go, and how many you buy, visitors to Cedar Point will be able to purchase Fast Lane Passes, which will cost $30-$55 in addition to the regular price of admission ($45-$52).

I’m totally torn on this. It seems unfair on some level, but man is it frustrating to have all those awesome rides there … and to have to pick 2-3 on the weekends because lines are two hours long. The new feature will also be great for people who come in from out of town to visit the park, and want to experience many of the amazing thrill rides there.

Some other new Cedar Point features this year …

Luminosity, a new nighttime show, will debut Friday, June 8. The show will feature human performers, plus fireworks, special effects, lasers and more. A stage is being erected near the Iron Dragon and will showcase dancers, acrobats, aerialists and others.
Dinosaurs Alive! will feature 50 animatronic dinosaurs scattered throughout Adventure Island near the back of the park. The roaring, moving prehistoric beasts will range in size from 6 feet to more than 30 feet. The attraction will require an extra charge, $5 on top of park admission.
Dragster H2O is a new racing slide at Soak City, Cedar Point’s water park. The six-lane slide pits riders on mats racing to the bottom and should be ready Saturday, May 26, when Soak City opens for the season.

Ewwww-baldo. OUCH! This guy is a MESS right now. No clue where the ball is going when it leaves his hand. And where it ends up is either wildly out of the strike zone … or straight, waist high, and right out over the middle of the plate for opposing hitters to pummel. The Indians immediately need to concoct an injury for this guy and get him on the DL. And then get him in a room with Draper.

Took the poor guy seven tries just to throw his empty Gatorade cup in the dugout garbage can after mercifully getting pulled from the game.

Quote of the Day …

“Fredo, you’re my older brother, and I love you. But don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever.” ~ Michael Corleone, from ‘The Godfather’

Insane Fact of the Day …

The mask worn by Michael Myers in the original “Halloween” was actually a Captain Kirk (from Star Trek) mask painted white.

Market …

Another bad jobs # this morning.

Every month on the Wednesday before the big national jobs report (first Friday of every month), we get the ADP Private Employment Report, which is a measure of national private hiring that provides some clues as to what the Labor Department’s April jobs estimate, which includes information on both private- and public-sector payrolls, will show later this week.

The # was expected to come in at +160,000 for April, and it actually came in at +119,000. Also, last month’s # was revised down from +209,000 to +201,000. The number of jobs added was the fewest ADP has reported in seven months. Stock futures fell after the report was released.

Expectations for Friday’s national employment report are that the national unemployment rate will remain at 8.2% and that the US economy added 160,000 jobs in April. If we get another # that comes in below expectations, it will be close to official: the US labor market has officially stalled after better than expected job growth this winter. And the market will start beating theirs drums more loudly for a third round of quantitative easing.

Yesterday stocks rose off of a manufacturing report that came out stronger than expected. Dow rose 65 points, closing at 13,279 … its highest close since late 2007.

News …

~ ADP: March Private Sector Jobs Rose Just 119k in March, Below Expectations

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/april-private-sector-jobs-rise-119k-adp-2012-05-02-819280?dist=beforebell

~ Mortgage Purchase Applications Rose Last Week

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47259533

~ After April Showers, Will May Stocks Flower?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47258763

~ Bulls Roll the Dice, Hoping for More Good Economic News

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47254498

~ Principal Reduction Conflict Escalates Between Congress, FHFA

http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/05012012_loan_modifications_gses.asp

~ Five Suspects Arrested, Charged with Trying to Blow Up Cleveland Area Bridge

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/05/5_suspects_arrested_charged_wi.html