Some of the more interesting and important items for March 8th :

• Ford CEO Mulally gets $56.5M in stock award – Yahoo! Finance – DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co.'s top two executives received nearly $100 million worth of stock for their performance during 2009 and 2010, years in which the company's profits and stock price surged.
• Japan Machinery Orders Rise Sharply – WSJ.com – TOKYO—Japanese core machinery orders rose a stronger-than-expected 4.2% in January from the previous month, the government said, as orders from manufacturers were strong on the back of fast-rising overseas demand.
• As oil muddies outlook, Fed policy less certain | Reuters – (Reuters) – Surging oil prices are deepening a split inside the Federal Reserve, blurring the likely direction of U.S. monetary policy and making next week's policy meeting all the more contentious.
• Brigitte Gabriel Draws Crowds in U.S. With Anti-Islam Message – NYTimes.com – FORT WORTH — Brigitte Gabriel bounced to the stage at a Tea Party convention last fall. She greeted the crowd with a loud Texas “Yee-HAW,” then launched into the same gripping personal story she has told in hundreds of churches, synagogues and conference rooms across the United States:
• Flirting With a Repeat of an Economic Reversal – NYTimes.com – It’s a strange moment for the economy. Just when it is picking up speed, the risks of another slowdown are also increasing.