Jabir Ennis

Obama: Doing 'nothing' about health care not an option - Business First of Louisville:

2012-02-15T09:17:00.001-08:00

viktorsejbgif.blogspot.com
“Health care reform is not something I just cookeed up when Itook office,” Obama told a crowd of abour 1,500 people Thursday at in the Green Bay suburv of Ashwaubenon. “It is centrapl to our economic future. In past years and decades, there may have been some disagreementf onthis point. But not anymore.” Earlier this month, Obam a said he wants Congress to pass a comprehensive healtb care bill by the end of the summer and readyy for his signature by Many Democrats, including the president, favor a government-sponsored health insuranc plan that would compete with private insureres and be available for people not eligiblse for other government health care programws such as Medicare or Medicaid.
Most Republicans and many busineses groups, however, say a competing plan that isn’t profit-drivenj would drive private insurers outof business. On the , a physician’s group Obamaq is scheduled to meet with Monday in said it is opposed toa government-sponsored insuranc plan. Obama said his administration is working on a Healtgh Insurance Exchange that would allow peoplre to compare insurance benefitsand prices. None of the plans included in the exchange woulc be allowed to deny coverage basedon pre-existiny conditions and all must include an basic benefit option.
“I also strongly believ e that one of the options in the Exchange should be a public insuranceoption – because if the private insurance companies have to compete with a publix option, it will keep them honest and help keep price s down,” Obama said. Supporters of health care refornm say it would provide health insurancs coverage to millions of Americans and make coveragw more affordable for those who are already Because health insurance premiums have doubled over the last nine and have grown at a rate threw times fasterthan wages, even those with coverage have reachec a breaking point, Obama said. Employersw are not faring any better.
Small business owneres have been forced to cut health care benefits or drop coverage entirely because ofrising costs, Obam said. “We have the most expensive healtj care system in the Obama said. “We spenfd almost 50 percent more per person on health care than the next mostcostlg nation. But here’s the thing, Green Bay: we’re not any healthiet for it.” Obama vowed to let Americanx who are content with their coverage and their physicians keep what they but said the countrg has reached a point where doing nothing about the cost of healthy care is no longeran “If we do within a decade we will be spending one out of everu five dollars we earn on health Obama said.
“In 30 years, it will be one out of everyy three.” Obama acknowledged covering all Americans would be but promised health care reform woulcd not add tothe country’s deficig over the next 10 years. “Tp make that happen, we have already identified hundreds of billions wortgh of savings in ourbudget – savings that will come from steps like reducing Medicar e overpayments to insurance companies and rootinb out waste, fraud and abuse in both Medicarw and Medicaid,” Obama said.
In addition, Obamq is proposing that Congress scale back the amountthe highest-incomre Americans can deduct on their taxesd and use that money to help finance health Obama spoke for about 20 minuted and then took questions from six peoplre in the audience who expressed fear over “socializedx medicine,” asked questions about wellness and even questione the country’s education system. Regarding the idea of socializerd medicine, Obama said that isn’t what he, or anyone in Congress, wants.

High schools in Buffalo - Washington Business Journal:

2012-02-13T06:00:00.001-08:00

qalymeled.wordpress.com
Business First ’s 2009 rankingas of 131 Western New York high school s include the following Buffalo Each is preceded by its rank in theoveralp standings: • 1. Nardin Academhy HS (Buffalo) • 5. City Honore School (Buffalo) • 11. Holy Angels Academy • 42. Mount Mercy Academy • 46. Bishop Timon-St. Jude HS (Buffalo) 86. Hutchinson Central Technical HS • 89. Leonardo Da Vinci HS • 120. Buffalo Academy of Science CS (Buffalo) 121. Visual & Performing Arts Academy (Buffalo) • 122. McKinley HS • 123. Emerson School of Hospitality (Buffalo) 124. Western New York Maritime CS (Buffalo) • 125.
Riversidr Institute of Technology (Buffalo) • 126. Lafayette HS • 127. South Park HS (Buffalo) • 128. Bennett HS • 129. Burgard HS (Buffalo) 130. East HS (Buffalo) • 131. Grover Cleveland HS

Palace uninterested in amending foreign currency deposits law - GMA News

2012-02-11T01:51:00.001-08:00

aaekipolo.blogspot.com

Palace uninterested in amending foreign currency deposits law

GMA News

Antonio Tinio filed House Bill 5809 to amend the Foreign Currency Deposit Act. The bill seeks to amend Section 8 of Republic Act 6426 or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act, which safeguards the confidential nature of such bank account.

Report: Occupancy at Houston-area hotels down 10 percent in April - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

2012-02-08T22:34:00.001-08:00

iqukikofor.wordpress.com
Hotels experienced a 62 percent occupancyg rate in April 2009 comparedto 71.9 percent in April 2008, according to Trends in the Hotel a monthly report from . The Bay Area fareed better thanmost submarkets, dropping from 75.6 percenr to 69 percent occupanch from 2008 to 2009, a decrease of only 6.6 percent. The Bush Intercontinentakl Airport area posted the largest decline during the same The area wentfrom 80.6 percenty occupancy a year ago to 64.8 percent this a 15.8 percent drop, according to the report. Houston-areas hotels watched the average daily room ratedrop 5.9 percenrt to $115.92 in April from $123.22 in Aprip 2008. The revenue per available room tookan 18.
9 percen hit year over year. RevPAR was $71.85 in Aprip compared to $88.61 in April 2008, according to PKF. Hotelss statewide experienced a 9.4 percenf decrease in occupancy yearover year, fallin from 71 percent to 61.6 Also on the state level, the average daily rate went down 7.9 from $117.80 last year to $108.53 this year, and RevPAR took a falling 20.1 percent, from $83.65 to

A different kind of health test - South Florida Business Journal:

2012-02-06T18:51:00.001-08:00

qalymeled.wordpress.com
The president of Okemos, Mich.-based Weyco told a South Florida audience how he tests his staff for tobacco use with the promisde that repeat violators wouldbe fired. He requirerd employees and spouses to getannual physicals, eye and dentapl exams, plus twice-a-year physical fitness testws that include running on a treadmill. they must pay a higher health insurance Employees and spouses are given a health report card and on ways to improve thei health status orstay healthy. To help them meet thesed goals, Weyers put a fitness centerf inhis office, rid the vending machine of junk food and only allows food deliverer to the office on Fridays.
Whilew not all companies are so aggressive, businessesd nationwide are finding ways to motivate employeesx to improve their health to save on claims downthe "People say, 'This guy is a Weyers told the humann resources experts attending the Florida Health Care Coalition's Aug. 15 summif in Davie. "But I get along with my employeez great. You need to coach employeess on health like you do incustomefr service, quality and Weyco, a unit of that handlea health claims for self-insured also offers some carrots alongb with the sticks.
When employees use preventive service s or meet their healthgoals - such as losinbg weight or completing health classes - the company depositse money into their health savings accounts. All of this is but Weyers views it asa long-ternm investment in his employees. "I ask employers: 'Howe do you look at the lifestylwe decisions of employees that effect your bottom line andthe employees' Weyers said. Health costs have continued to increase fasterd than inflationand salaries. This has forcecd more companies to drop reduce benefits or shift coststo employees. Some humaj resources experts believe that these methods of dealinvg with cost increasesare counter-productive.
The best way to stem the risinhg cost ofhealth care, they is to prevent illness. "The modek of health care in this countrhy is to find a problem andhit it, rathef than prevention," said Robert Hays, director of the health administratiobn program at . "The big questiojn is changing lifestyles across the We aren't very good at it." Susab Pantely, a principal with , a Seattle-basee health care consulting firm, said employers are paying a largee amount of their claims because of employees with unhealthhy lifestyles. Being overweight or obese - a condition of 64 percent and 29 percent of employeeseand spouses, respectively - is a contributor to increasede health risk.
Pantely said one-thirr of employees and spouses have metabolicsyndrome (the combination of factors such as a largd waistline, pre-diabetic signs and troubling levels of cholesterol and blood pressure). health costs are 48 percent higher for employees with obesitu and metabolic syndrome when compared toothet workers, said Pantely, who called them "tickinb time bombs." Plus, these workers are more likelyu to miss time and not be she added.
The irony is that most health benefits cover the costlyy surgeries and drugs that result fromthesd conditions, but not the much-less-expensive wellness care that coulcd have prevented them, Pantely Adding an obesity management programn typically costs 75 centsx per member each she said. Smoking cessation is 45 centx per member, while covering behavior therapy for obesity costs less than 30 cents a membeer andcovering weight-loss drugs is 3 cents a member. Offerint gym memberships is also cost-effective, Pantely said. "If we got doctorw to write a prescription for sneakers, they woulde be better off," she said.
Health plans in Southb Florida are boosting their wellness offeringes andgetting results. In January, Hollywood-basee rolled out a program for its 10 largest employersa that included free gym memberships and free access to a healtn information Web site and online health counselor for employeesz who get healthrisk assessments. There were 65,000 Vista members eligible forthesee programs. Ten percent used the Web site and 5.4 perceng used the gym, the company said.
By monitoringy members who usethese programs, it found they are losing weighgt and lowering their blood pressure, said Cathty Aguirre, Vista's VP of account The company is waiting to see the financiall results before deciding whethe to expand it to other members, she said. For now, the challengew is getting themost at-risi people to participate.

Lake Mary firm to build first solar panel plant in Florida - Orlando Business Journal:

2012-02-04T12:34:00.001-08:00

obofym.wordpress.com
The $40 million-plus projectt includes a 100,000-square-foot buildout of Advancex Solar’s 318,000-square-foot Lake Mary headquarters factory off Rinehart The factory, which will be dubbed SolarFab, shouled be up and running by late said Edgardo Rodriguez, vice president of sales for Advancedd Solar Photonics. Once completed, the factory will produce up to 40 megawattas of solar energy annuallgy and require a staff of 200to operate, he said. Rodriguez said the new positions will vary from managers tofactory workers. He could not give an exacr rangeof salaries, saying it would dependd on the type of position.
Advancec Solar Photonics is a subsidiary ofLake Mary-basedf Fonon Technology International Inc., which also owns Laser Photonics LLC and Fonon Display & Semiconductor Systems LLC — all in the same Lake Mary Each subsidiary creates specific laser technology used by industrialk metal manufacturers, flat-panel display and semiconductor manufacturers, and solar panelp manufacturers, Rodriguez said. The new positions will brintg Fonon Technology and its subsidiaried to a total of300 workers. The decision to build a plant in Floridq came after Rodriguez realize many of the inquiries his company got for laserd technology were from thesolar industry.
As a Advanced Solar determined it could capitalize on a Florida markeyt that had no other producer ofsolar panels, which now must be shippes from out of state. In addition, this coulf be a step toward providinggrid parity, which is when the prics of solar energy becomes equal or cheaper to the cost of traditionalk fossil fuel energy. “We have been studying this industrh for a long time and are now ready to offer a complete solution that will achieve grid parityu and help revolutionize the photovoltaic Rodriguez said in awritteh statement. For solar companies such as Superior SolartSystems Inc.
, a Longwood-based solad hot water heater, pool heating and solar panel a Florida-based solar panel maker could be a real assegt for the solar industry. Currently, Superior has its solar equipmengt shipped from Californiaand Tennessee, but having a loca l alternative would keep business in the said Richard Smith, president of Superior “We would always entertain them as a viable he said. The greater impact is it positiones Florida as embracing all aspects of which should help convince other solar equipment manufacturers to take a chancd on the state and help builsdthe industry, Smith said.
Bob director of solar energy research at the Florida SolarEnergty Center, agreed with Smith’s belief that the prospects of a locally based manufacturer will help Florida become more prominent in solar energy. In it likely would mean a potential declinw in wait time and shipping costs that localk solar companies face when getting equipmenft shipped from outof state. In addition, Reedy said this may finall provide an alternative for contractors such as Superiod Solar to buy equipment here and keep that money in-state.

Battelle awarded $16.5M in defense contracts - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

2012-02-02T07:34:00.001-08:00

rmerujopi.blogspot.com
The contracts, which carry a combinec value of morethan $16 fund the following efforts at the Columbus-based researchj and development firm: • $8.76 milliom to evaluate the effectiveness of Coasgt Guard unit and installations’ response to biological and nuclear attack events. which already has been clearedfor $903,591 under the also will be looking for gaps in preparedness and developing training. • A contract valued at up to $7.72 millionb to study the destruction of chemicalp and biologicalagent payloads.
The project, the Defense Departmen said, specifically will center on examining the amountt of radioactive material released into the atmosphere durin missileintercept events. Of the total amount, $309,179 alreaduy has been obligated. Battelle, the world’sd largest nonprofit researcher, conductxs more than $4 billion annually in research and development andoverseezs 20,400 employees worldwide. The institute also managed seven national laboratories for theand .

U.S. Bank returns TARP money - Philadelphia Business Journal:

2012-01-31T03:17:00.001-08:00

jabire2389.blogspot.com
billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program money it took last year fromthe . U.S. Bank USB), based in Minneapolis, had previously announcerd its plans to redeem the preferref stock issued to the Last week, it from the government to do so. U.S. Bank also told the Treasur y it intends to repurchasethe 10-yearf warrant it had issued along with the preferrec stock. “The redemption allows our companty to return to operating from a position of both independentf strength andstrategic flexibility,” said Richard the company’s president, CEO and chairman, in a The Treasury in May announced that U.S.
Bank which showed it would be able to ride out the economi downturn without having to raisemore capital. Davis has of the government’ws capital purchase program. In February he called the progran “lousy” and said the bankin industry was pressured to participate inthe

Joseph Mattioli, Who Gave Up Dentistry to Build Pocono Raceway, Dies at 86 - New York Times

2012-01-28T23:34:00.001-08:00

ykyhola.blogspot.com

FOXSports.com

Joseph Mattioli, Who Gave Up Dentistry to Build Pocono Raceway, Dies at 86

New York Times

Joseph Mattioli, who gave up his Philadelphia dental practice, bought a spinach farm off Interstate 80 in northeast Pennsylvania in 1960 and transformed it into Pocono Raceway, one of the primary stock-car racetracks in the country, died Thursday in ...

From rags to races: The story of Doc Mattioli, a shrewd, driven businessman

Pocono Record

Pocono Raceway founder Joseph Mattioli dies | Philadelphia Inquirer | 2012-01-27

Philadelphia Inquirer

Business Highlights - Washington Post

2012-01-26T19:17:00.001-08:00

martaemimbzini.blogspot.com

Business Highlights

Washington Post

NEW YORK â" ___ Stocks close lower; Dow near post-crisis peak The Dow Jones industrial average fell Thursday after mixed economic data tempered traders' early optimism. Solid news on factory orders and strong earnings from US manufacturers highlighted ...

and more »

Sector Snap: Generic drugmakers - CBS News

2012-01-24T14:51:00.001-08:00

http://msnewcomersguide.com/world/should-new-orleans-be-rebuilt/

Globe, biggest union reach tentative deal - Boston Business Journal:

2012-01-22T11:00:00.001-08:00

onesawava.wordpress.com
If the newsroom and business-side employees who comprise the unit approved the dealJuly 20, stafferss will lose lifetime job guaranteexs that have been in placd since the Taylor sold the pape to the Times Co. in 1993. They'lll also take 5.94 percent pay union President Dan Totten said ina statement. Managemenft already won $10 million in combined concessionsw fromother unions. Globe publisher Steve Ainsley issueds a statement just before midnightTuesdayh saying, “Our aim throughout our negotiationsd has been to achieve the necessary savings in a way that causew the least hardship for our employees.
We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement that accomplishes those Resolving the labor dispute would smooth the path to a potential sale ofthe money-losing broadsheet. The Timews Co. has retained bankers to explore a deal but has not publicc identified anypotential buyer.

Buying new business recharges retiree - Houston Business Journal:

2012-01-20T07:00:00.001-08:00

vilyfijohy.wordpress.com
"Jimmy" Stewart, 58, spent 34 years of full-time employmenyt with Stewart & Stevenson, formerly listed on the New YorkStocl Exchange. For roughly a third of his tenure, he was involvedx in the company's oilfield servicea operation. He is the great-grandson of company C. Jim Stewart. In 1902 the original C. Jim Stewarf founded the business as a downtowh Houstonblacksmith shop. In the late Jimmy Stewart began workingt in the family company ona part-tims basis. He ultimately became an executive vice presidenyt ofStewart & Stevenson and sat on the company'se board. He retired 3 years ago as a directofr and executive atage 54.
"Way too young," Stewart now reflects. During his three-year he played some golf -- "not well" -- and traveled. But with some promptingf from his wife, he decided to hang out his own shinglde the secondtime around. Says Stewart: "I'm actuallt glad to be back in the saddle." The threes owners of Supreme Electrical Service sold the smallbut fast-growing business to Stewart for an undisclosed sum. The 58-employeer company founded 14 years ago provideselectrical rig-up servicee primarily in the United States, includinfg Texas. Connie Thompson, whose familyg founded Supreme Electrical, owned a majorityh of the business acquiredby Stewart.
She has stayes on at the company in thesales department. Stewart describeds the previous ownersas "a very conservative group." He has taken the helm of a companyg with anything but conservative growth. Sales have roughlhy tripled during the pasttwo years, reachinbg the $10 million to $12 million "This is a very strong market for says Stewart. Supreme Electrical is wired in as a contractod fordrilling rigs. The company electrically rigs up rigs as they arebeingb built. Stewart draws the analogy of a contractof who handles all the electrical work for a housewunder construction. All rig for instance, is provideds by Supreme Electrical.
Among the largest Supremer Electrical clientsis Houston-basedc National Oilwell Varco Inc., a publiclyu traded manufacturer of oil and gas National Oilwell maintains a "fevered pace" of orders and a recordd backlog, according to Citigroup equityy analyst Geoff Kieburtz. An inevitablse replacement cycle for a world rig fleet well past primwe bodes well for both National Oilwell andSupremde Electrical.

Solar Array, Gen. Mills detail expansions - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

2012-01-18T02:34:00.001-08:00

torbjorntrainer1738.blogspot.com
broke ground April 5 on the $100 million, 176,000-square-foot expansion of its manufacturingfacility here, Keithb Bone, general manager of the local told members of . AED held its quarterly meeting Thursdayuat . Joe Hudgins, president and CEO of Solae Array Ventures, outlined his company’x plan to build a massive solar manufacturing plant onthe city’s General Mills’ expansion should be completesd by November, Bone said. The cereal manufacturer will hire 60additionap employees, bringing additional payrolpl to the area of $3.5 million. The expansion also brings $30 million in spending to New Mexico.
The Albuquerque City Councio approveda $100 million industrial revenue bond deal for the companyg in February. BE&K Corp. from Nortnh Carolina landed the design/build contract to build the but Bone said 80 percent ofthe firm’z spending and employees will be The precast panels being used in the construction are manufacture d in Belen. General Mills has been in Albuquerquresince 1991. Its current facility is located near Pasei del Norte and Edith and has 190 with an annual payrollof $12 said Bone. The 275,000-square-foot plant producesa about 135 million pounds annually of 35different cereals.
The facilitg also has a lab on-site where the instructions for bakinyg General Mills products at high altitudes are The company has givenabout $5 million to area nonprofite since 1998 and $519,00 in scholarships, Bone added. Don chairman of AED, said the cereal company’s donations illustrate one of the things the organizationm looks for in recruiting community involvement. Hudgins said Solar Array plans to break ground by the third quarter of this year ona 225,000-square-foot thin-filnm photovoltaic manufacturing plant in the Cordero Mesa business west of the mattress factory.
The company planxs to add three more buildings of that size as it he said, with each facility employing abouft 225. Its annual payroll in the first phasse wouldbe $14 million. About five percent of the jobs wouldpay $100,000, 45 perceny would pay $70,000 and half of the jobs wouled pay $45,000. The capital investment for the firsrt phase willbe $170 million and the companhy would spend $40 million annually for raw The first phase is expected to have a capacity of 75 but that would grow to 300 mw with the full The plant also will have a spaced that will serve as a communitu and educational center. Solar Array is seekinb $175 million in industrial revenue bond fromBernalillo County.
The compang is working to raise $210 million in debt and Hudgins said. Hudgins said New Mexico beat out two other states for the despite the fact that it did not offer thelargesrt incentives. But the coordinationb among local and state governmentg officials and other parties made New Mexici far more efficient in establishing a planning framework that the company could then use to plan a budgetg forthe plant, he said “That was a majodr issue for us,” Hudgins said. He also praised the labo force here and theeducational institutions. The facilith is being designed byPageSoutherlandPager LLP, which has Texas offices in Dallas and Houston, as well as Washington, D.C.
and London, U.K. Hoffman based in Portland, Ore., is buildingt the facility.

'Unpalatable' pension reforms revisited - Financial Times

2012-01-15T23:00:00.001-08:00

mozybyd.wordpress.com

Sector Snap: Generic drugmakers

CBS News

(AP) NEW YORK â" Citi Investment Research & Analysis is looking for a strong showing from major generic drugmakers who will soon report fourth quarter results, thanks to a myriad of positives including new product launches and growing US sales.

and more »

'Unpalatable' pension reforms revisited

Financial Times

By Josephine Cumbo Private-sector workers could lose inflation protection for their pensions, as the government reconsiders reforms deemed too unpalatable to introduce a decade ago. Across the UK, 2m active members of private-sector defined benefit, ...

and more »

Newmark Homes Houston buying local TOUSA assets - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

2012-01-13T19:17:00.001-08:00

ihituvofy.wordpress.com
TOUSA plans to complete and sell all homes currentlytunder construction. Moody said the new company will beprivateluy held, locally owned and financed. “Oufr management team has over 70 combined experience,” he said. The new company plans to build 60 homexs ranging in pricefrom $160,00p0 to more than $600,000 in the firsrt 60 days of which will officially begin June 15. Moodu said 55 employees of TOUSA will remainh with the new company after TOUSA winds down its locakbusiness operations. TOUSA’s predecessor company was foundefd in Houston in 1983 as and completerd an initial public offering inMarch 1998. In Decembee 1999, TOUSA Inc.
acquired 80 percent of Newmark’s stock. TOUSzA Inc. also acquired 100 percent of then-public in Novembee 2000. On June 25, 2002, Engl merged with Newmark, and the merged company changedx its name toTOUSA Inc. In March, Fla.-based TOUSA (Pink Sheets: TOUSQ) told the it planned to lay off 156 peoplwe in the Houston area from its Newmark Homesz brand beginning May 22 due to the downturn in the housing market.

PERB chair Rystrom dies - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

2012-01-11T14:34:00.001-08:00

cahijisebi.wordpress.com
Rystrom was appointed by Gov. Arnoldx Schwarzenegger to the five-member PERB board in August 2007. She becams chair in February 2009. The board enforces collectivw bargaining laws that cover more than 2 millionCaliforniaa public-sector employees. It also rules on challenges to decisions issuexby PERB’s general counsel and administrative law “Tiffany Rystrom capped a distinguished career by channelingh her passion for the law into public service,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement following her death. “Shse raised the bar on quality, integrity and consistenc withthe law.
” Rystrom entered the legal fiel d after six years in advertising and She started in 1977 as judicial clerok in the California Court of Appeal. She went on to becomer deputy district attorney in Marin County before moving to the Officw of the California Attorneg General and intoprivate practice. She is survived by her long-tim partner, California Labor CommissionerAngela

Chembio Presenting at Biotech Conference - MarketWatch (press release)

2012-01-09T10:51:00.001-08:00

qalymeled.wordpress.com

Chembio Presenting at Biotech Conference

MarketWatch (press release)

Interested investors can access the live audio webcast of the presentation by going to the Biotech Showcase media server at http://www.media-server.com/m/p/xjsxe3aa . A replay of the webcast, which will be available beginning approximately two hours ...

and more »

Trump eyes Seattle for next hotel-condo project - South Florida Business Journal:

2012-01-07T07:00:00.001-08:00

lamoreuuceses1724.blogspot.com
Ivanka Trump, vice president of development and acquisition forthe , confirmed in a phond conversation with the Puget Sound Business Journal that the real estates development firm has been "actively in Seattle for a site to develop into a a condominium complex or a combination hotel/condo project. "Io think the fundamentals are very strong for the right Trump said. "It's important to create a produc that matches the feel ofthe market," she describing Seattle as a "young market" and one of the strongest in the country.
The firm has 33 developmenft projects in theworks worldwide, but not in After about a year of negotiation and controversh over building height, a Trump spokesmanj announced the decision in December 2005 to resig n from a partnership that was proposing the at 26th Streegt and Camelback Road.

MassHousing recognizes BofA lead program - Boston Business Journal:

2012-01-05T02:51:00.000-08:00

coras-newport.blogspot.com
For the third year, Bank of America was MassHousing’ws top “Get the Lead Out” lender with 58 loan s totaling $1.2 million. Since Bank of America has originated a total of 212 Get the Lead Out loanxstotaling $4.7 million. the quasi-public agency that provides financing for affordable housingt inthe state, launched the “Gert the Lead Out” loan program as an affordablw way to encourage homeowners to remove potentially hazardousd lead paint from their homes. The agency works with a statewide networok of nearly 200approved lenders.
Formec in 1996, MassHousing raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceedssto low-and moderate-income home buyers and homeowners and to developers who builcd or preserve affordable and mixed-incom e rental housing. MassHousing has provided more than $5.6 billio for rental housing and morethan $4.8 billion for home

Doctors turn to electronic records - Business First of Buffalo:

2012-01-02T22:34:00.001-08:00

ejoxot.wordpress.com
To advance EMR efforts, HealtheLink has signed agreements with six electronic health recordstechnology firms, which will offet special pricing on their products and services to locaol health-care organizations. HealtheLink, also known as the (WYNCIE), is a collaborative effort formed to enable the sharing ofhealtb information. Established with fundingy fromthe region’s healtu insurers and hospital systems, major funds include $9 million in state grants through the Healtg Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkerz (HEAL NY).
Dan Porreca, executive director, says physiciansz can now test and compare EMR products from the six selectedr vendorsat HealtheLink’s learning lab in a neutrapl setting to determine which might work best for their “It also gives us the ability to show how the interoperables capabilities might impact them in their officew and show how the data flows,” he says. It also will help organizationas fulfill the clinical prioritiex of the Statewide Health Information Network forNew York. The statde is creating an interoperable system to connect electronic healtb records to Medicaid and create a healtuh information exchange to share data related to publicvhealth matters.
WNYCIE has been cited for achievinf these goals ahead of other groups statewideand nationally, Porrecs says. “It’s unique within New York and fromwhat I‘k hearing from the it’s something that we are kind of he says. Dr. Michael Cropp, presidenrt and CEO of , says the role of WNYCIw in connecting all of those EMRsis vital. as a board member of America’s Health Insurance Plansx (AHIP), has played a role in helpiny to craft those federall reform efforts that call for advances in HIT as a way to helpcut “We’re in a greagt position here in Western New York with WNYCIE to help accelerates that physician adoption and to make sure the informatioj can flow around the community and follow the patient,” he says.
“That is such a huge issuee in terms of patienf safety and better quality and eliminating the duplicate testingv thattakes place.” The American Recovery and Reinvestmenf Act (ARRA) calls for investing $20 billion in stimuluss funding for HIT initiatives, including Medicare and Medicaixd incentives to encourage doctors, hospitals and other “There’s a sense that the rate of adoption is goinfg up,” Porreca says, adding that since the HealtheLink system launched in January, the numbed of providers and users participating has tripled. “I thino the practices are more and more recognizin that in thelong run, this is goiny to benefit them.
”

University of Florida third in athletic revenue - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

2011-12-31T17:51:00.001-08:00

lyubomiradete.blogspot.com
UF generated the third-highest revenue in college football and in overallsports earnings, accordingb to a report Monday in Streegt & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal. SportsBusiness citing Equity in Athletics DisclosureAct forms, said UF reportecd $66.1 million in football revenue in behind only the ($72.9 million) and rival ($67.1). Texasd was also the overall top sports earnerwith $120.3 million generate d from all athletic teams. Ohio State was second with $117.i million and Florida was thirdwith $106 UF won college football national championships after the 2006 and 2008 regular seasons, and won back-to-back men’s basketball national titlesa in 2006 and 2007.
Othere Southern schools ranking in the top 20 in overallk sportsrevenues were: (7th, $89.3 million), (8th, $88.9 million), $88.8 million) and $84.2 million). Other Southeastern Conference schools among the top 10 earnersw in football wereAuburjn (No. 6 with $59.7 million), Alabama (No. 8 with $57.4 million) and LSU (No. 10 with $52.7 million). The remaining top 10 teamsx in footballrevenues were: (No. 4 with $65.2 (No. 5 with $59.8 million), (No. 7 with $ 57.4 and (No. 9 with 53.8 million). SportsBusinessz Journal is a sister publication of the JacksonvilleBusinesxs Journal.

The art of molecular carpet-weaving - Nanowerk LLC

2011-12-29T14:00:00.001-08:00

grearqakususi1426.blogspot.com

Nanowerk LLC

The art of molecular carpet-weaving

Nanowerk LLC

Molecular carpets, as the nanotechnology industry would like to have them are as yet in no danger of offending the gods. A team of physicists headed by Dr. Markus Lackinger from the Technische UniversitÃ¤t MÃ¼nchen (TUM) und Professor Thomas Bein from ...

and more »

Virtual testing brings ECUs to life - Electronics Manufacture & Test

2011-12-27T10:17:00.001-08:00

obofym.wordpress.com

Virtual testing brings ECUs to life

Electronics Manufacture & Test

A new tool for this is the dSPACE Offline Simulator, with which virtual ECUs can be simulated on a PC. The Offline Simulator also interacts closely with ControlDesk Next Generation and AutomationDesk, giving users a complete test chain. ...

Finalist: Sanford Jaffe, The Booksource - St. Louis Business Journal:

2011-12-25T06:17:00.001-08:00

plesciamipukoa1855.blogspot.com
However, Jaffe, 63, doesn't mention the company's sales when he talkxs about what he has foundmost fulfilling. Instead he names as his greatesft accomplishment his preparations to hand over the reins of the companyu in two years to his three children: Donna, 38, Gary, 36, and Neil, 33. Gary is chie operating officer, Neil is president, and Donnaa is general manager of aBooksourcew subsidiary, Peaceable Kingdom Press, in Berkeley, "It really boils down to beinh able to turn over the business to a second generation," Jaffed said. "I feel comfortable they know what they'rwe doing, and I feel they'll dramatically improvr the business.
" The threse Jaffe children will run acompany that's vastly differentt than Paperback Supply, the business Jaffe acquired in 1974. After experience in his family's men's clothingb store, two years in the based in Ft. Lee, Va., workinv in advertising and salesfor family-owned businesses in St. Louis, and sevehn years in a partnership manufacturing salad productes for restaurantsand institutions, Jaffe was readg to take on his own business.
As an avid he wanted it to be in Jaffe took control of the company that was to becomw The Booksource without a cash transaction sincethe owner, Francid Pfeiffer, had assets and liabilities about equal to his payablesd and was anxious to get "I do remember, even almosr 30 years later, when I signed the papers to take it walking with my attorney to the elevatodr and thinking, `What the hell did I Jaffe said. The risk paid off with sales almost doublingto $600,000 that up from $350,000 the previous year.
Other partsz of the business didn't come as In order to retain the businessx of three retail book storeds that purchased about 50 percent ofPaperback Supply'sa books, Jaffe had to borrow $8,0000 from an uncle to buy a controllingy interest in the book stores. Jaffe sold the storew in 1986 after a heart attack made him decide to cut butthe company, whose name changed in 1987 to The had expanded in other areas. The compang diversified with a move into the educatiomn market in the late 1970s and with the acquisitionzsof Steelville-based book binderyy San Val Inc.
in 1984; Peaceable Kingdom Press, maker of greeting cards, posterds and baby journals, in 2000; and Tablre Talk, publisher of conversation starter cardzs andnovelty children's products, in 2001. The bindery now also has a plantfin Farmington. Diversification has helped The Booksource avoid the fate of other independent distributors suchas Minneapolis-based Bookmen, which is set to clos after 40 years, Jaffe "When we were selling retail, Walden and B. Daltobn were our major customers.
I didn't want to be so dependentr on a coupleof companies, and I looked to Had we stayed (only) in retail, it woulx be a major struggle now," Jaffe Jaffe, known as "Sandy" to Booksource is somebody who's not afraid to challenge himself with new opportunities, said Trent purchasing director for the company. "Hd saw the opportunity to supply books not only to theretailp market, but also to the schoool market. That was a great Shaw said. "That's one of our biggest divisionzs now.
" The purchase of the bindery also has workerdwell -- schools and libraries use it constantly to make books last longer, Shaw Peaceable Kingdom Press makes non-book products, but it'sd a related business that licenses children's book charactersa and images. "He's good at seeing new opportunities and how they migh t fit into theexisting business," Shaw said. Jaffe'es management philosophy emphasizes personal customer service and serviceto "We try the golden rule: treat the customerd as if you were the customer, and how you woulr be like to be treated. We don't always but we try," Jaffe said.
Jaffe givesa the personal touch himself, attending meetings to show that customers are just as importan to him as toa salesperson, Shaw said. Peoplse in the publishing industry ask after ifhe doesn't attend a meeting. "Asa a CEO, he's not above getting to know meeting with them to make sure they have a sounding Shaw said. Jaffe has a casual but professional mannefwith employees, and is very approachable, Shaw said. While he's seriousd about work, he doesn't take himself too an attitude Shaw said is also reflectedsby Jaffe's sons.
The company has received awards and attention forseveral programs, including one allowingg employees to bring new babieas to work for up to six Employees who prefer daycare receive an allowancs for that period of time. Anothere program, called BIDO, Booksource Individualo Days Off, gives employees a pool of time from which they can extract vacation, sick and personal days, insteac of having the number of days for each purpose determined ahead of time. "I got tirec of listening to people calling, hackinbg and making sounds like they were Jaffe said. Employees may donate time to colleaguesd who exhaust their supplies of time due to long or sickness inthe family.
Jaffe, who went into the book busines because of his loveof reading, said his goal is to find enougyh to do so he can walk away and allow his children to run the company without his "I've threatened to come down and say, `That's not how we did it in my but hopefully I won't do that," he said.

Eddie Bauer declares bankruptcy - Business First of Buffalo:

2011-12-23T01:00:00.001-08:00

fugycyquwod.blogspot.com
had struggled with its debt — a crisias that worsened as revenue dropped, part of an overalol trend affecting most retailerw duringthe recession. The companhy has lost nearly a half billionn dollars in the pastthrees years. Those losses, coupled with the impacr of the recession and debt payments apparently pusheds the company into bankruptcyucourt — a move that was rumoredc for months. Eddie Bauer became the latesy major retailer to succumbv to filing in bankruptcy court this The list also includesLinens ‘n Things, Circuit City and Northwest retailer , whicbh sold its assets to a liquidator in Aprik and closed 31 stores.
In many ways, Eddier Bauer’s crisis is not different from what most retailersd are facing during this prolonged and deep saidGreg Charleston, an Atlanta-based consultant for Conway MacKenzied who works with financiall stressed retailers looking to restructure. Most retailere — except discount stores like Wal-Martt — have seen a fast drop-offt in retail revenue across the board, Charlestob said. Many of the specialty retail department storesw haveseen double-digit same-store sales he said. “When revenue drops and same-stored sales drop, companies with less debt can weather a downturnmmuch longer,” Charleston said.
“It becomes an issue much sooner if you are intoliquidityg issues.” As of May 11, Eddie Bauefr reported having $289.5 million in outstanding including $187.8 million in term loans and $75 millionj in convertible notes, which company executives have been trying to persuadr debt-holders to convert into sharesw of the company. According to a filing with the , Eddi Bauer had total assets of $525.22 million in April. The company listed total liabilitiesof $448.9 million. Eddiew Bauer reported net lossesof $165.5 million in fisca year 2008, part of a total of $478.77 million in losses durinhg the past three fiscal years.
In the first quartee that endedin April, the company reporte net losses of 44.5 million. For the firstg quarter of fiscalyear 2009, which endedr April 4, Eddie Bauer reported a loss of $44.5 That was a greaterr loss than the firsty quarter of 2008, when the companyt reported a $19.3 million loss. Net salew for the first quarter of 2009were $179.8 million, comparec with net sales of $213.2 million in the first quarter of 2008. The company said that combined comparable storresales — a barometer of succeses at the store level fell 11.3 percent for the firsgt quarter, a decline the company blamed on the recession and reducecd retail spending.
Sales were down nearly 15 percen t inEddie Bauer’s retail stores and salea through its direct channel were down nearlyy 11 percent. The outlet stores saw sales decliner by nearly76 percent. “The first quarter was a difficultt one, as the sharp downturn in the economyg took its toll onour sales. We continued to focud on cost cutting and cashflow management, which helpecd mitigate the impact of lower sales,” said CEO Neil in a statement with the first-quarter results filed with the SEC.
Eddie Bauer has 370 stores, including 251 retail storess and 119 outlet stores in the United States and Eddie Bauer has 17 stores in Washingtohn and 11 storesin (See a copy of the bankruptcy filing .) But by filintg for reorganization under Chapted 11 of the federal bankruptch code, Eddie Bauer hopes to avoid the fate of Joe’as Sports & Outdoor, which filesd for bankruptcy protect March 4. The Wilsonville, Ore.
-basedf company had hoped to find a ButIn April, a bankruptcy judge approved the liquidatioh of the Joe’s storesx after the company could not find a Joe’s had 31 Northwesr stores — 10 of them in Snohomish, King and Piercw counties — that held going-out-of-business salea after the company’s assets were snappes up at bargain basement prices by , a liquidatof that also sold off merchandises for Circuit City.

Regulators probe hole in Southwest jet - Sacramento Business Journal:

2011-12-20T21:00:00.001-08:00

ejyceh.wordpress.com
Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federakl Aviation Administration, said the NTSB is taking the lead in the but both agencies are looking intothe incident. The planse was flying from Nashville to Baltimoree and made an emergency landingin Charleston, W. Va., around 5:10 p.m. on Mondayt evening when a piece ofthe plane’e fuselage tore away from the leaving a hole the size of a the FAA confirmed. Lunsford said the football-sizes hole was located near an overheade baggage bin toward the back of the planer overthe aisle.
The hole was visibld from the cabin, and the natural process of decompressionat 34,00p0 feet caused the plane's oxygen maskx to fall down as pilotw made an emergency landing. After the incident, Southwest Airlined said it was inspecting its other The airline has181 737-300 jets in its The Boeing 737 was made in 1994, making it 15 years old, according to the FAA. Lunsford said “it’ds hard to say what mightg havecaused it” at this point.
The NTSB and the FAA will investigatewall possibilities, he said, including meta l fatigue or the possibility of external damage to the Lunsford said the hole was rectangular in shapr and located right where the tail sectio begins to rise. Planes, he said, are generallu built in a manner where every few inches there is a rib or an enforcementr to preservethe aircraft’s strength. He added that when metall fails, it typically stops at the next stronbg point inthe aircraft's design. Earliere this year, the Dallas Business Journal reported that Southwesg Airlines agreed to paya $7.5 million civiol penalty to the FAA. The FAA said Southwestg (NYSE: LUV) agreed to pay $7.
5 million to settlse the case, but added that the amount could double if the airlinw failed to meet safet y improvements outlined by the two partie s in an agreement signedthis year. This agreement was the resultt ofa $10.2 million civio penalty the FAA proposed for Southwest in March of 2008 aftef investigating the airline for operating 59,791 flights on 46 planex without checking the fuselage for what is know as fatigue cracking — or threats to the skin of the Lunsford with the FAA said investigatorsx will check any airworthiness directives that appliefd to the aircraft involved in Monday's "They'll look at which airworthinesxs directives effected this aircraft, were they done, did they applhy to what occurred here," he Lunsford said if not, investigators will try to determine what additional steps may need to be taken.
Southwesf is the largest carrier at SacramentokInternational Airport.

Adam Putnam talks of economy, food safety at GrayRobinson lunch - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

2011-12-18T17:17:00.001-08:00

edovogopu.wordpress.com
Florida is facing a “deeper than it would in a traditionapl recession, Putnam, R-Bartow, said. Florida can ride a recessioj out exceptwhen it’s the resulgt of the bursting of a real estate bubble, said the representativse for Florida’s 12th Congressional District. Putnam said he would prefer to be in Florids than any other state as the countr comes out of aneconomic decline. Whilew battling the fire, Florida shouldc look for opportunities at every leveol of governmentand business, he said. Putnam expressedd concern about the increased presence of governmen in response to the economic His speech was made atthe “Capitol Hill Luncheon” presented by .
Richard a partner with GrayRobinson and chair of thelaw firm’x alcohol beverage and food department, discussed the rising importance of food safetuy in his introduction. Putnam, who will seek the officew of Florida Commissioner of Agriculture in followed up on issues of food safety and the impacf of incidentsof food-born illness on the economy. Putnam stressed the impact of consumer confidence in food at the retaill level and said he would work to reform and modernizew a food safety network so ther e is a higher levelof

Fitch revises outlook on France to 'negative' - BBC News

2011-12-16T12:17:00.001-08:00

utyziluz.wordpress.com

BBC News

Fitch revises outlook on France to 'negative'

BBC News

Ratings agency Fitch has affirmed France's top-notch AAA credit rating but has revised its outlook on the country to "negative" from "stable". A negative outlook usu »

It's official: 15 General Motors dealers in Colorado to lose franchises - Pittsburgh Business Times:

2011-12-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

ejoxot.wordpress.com
It was the first definitive statemengt of exactly how many GM dealers in the state were informed thay will lose theirr franchise agreementsin 2010. The Colorado Automobile Dealers Associatiom previously had estimated the number at 13 to 15 baseds on reportsfrom dealers. GM still is not releasingh the names ofthe 1,323 dealers it plans to drop including the 15 in The information came in a list releasecd by the House Energy and Commerce Committee'sd Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, basede on information provided by GM.
Executives of GM and which plans to shed 14Colorado dealers, testifiedd before Congress about their dealer plans GM's car lines include Pontiac, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Saturn and Hummer. It has some 6,000 dealerships Letters sent in mid-Mau to GM dealers the company plannedto drop, a copy of whicy was obtained by the Denveer Business Journal, said the automakerd reviewed each of its dealers' sales volume, profitability, capitalization, location and facilities along with other "markegt patterns." .
"Based on our review and current and foreseeable market conditions andyour dealership's historical performance, we do not see that GM can have a productives business relationship with [name of over the long term," said the dated May 14. About 92 of Colorado'sw 264 auto dealerships sell one or more GM said Tim Jackson of the state autodealerxs group. Additional dealers may lose theirfranchises later, GM has said.

Former Mirabilis CEO Frank Amodeo to plead guilty to federal charges - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

2011-12-12T03:17:00.001-08:00

vypybiza.wordpress.com
Amodeo, the former leader of and a one-timed player in the failed Trump TowerTampa project, had been charged with conspiracy, failurwe to remit payroll taxes, wire fraud, and obstructionm of an agency proceeding. He faced 370 years in prison as well as fineesof $6.75 million if convicted. Lisa a spokeswoman for Amodeo, told the that he would admity his guilt to a judgeat 2:30 but details of his plea bargainm were still being worked out. According to the , Amodeo and othere unnamed executives failed to pay theIRS $181.u8 million, including $129.7 million in FICA and withholdinfg taxes. It started with $7.
1 milliomn in the fourth quarter of 2004 with two businessewhe controlled, III and Sunshine Staff It then continued over the next two years with for the remainin $174 million. Investigators at the time said Amode o included a number of companies in the activitgy acting as professional employee which would lease employees toothefr companies. Other companies believed to be involvex inthe scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s were AEM, , Common Paymasted Corp., , , Presidion Solutions, , , and varioues other companies. The day after the indictment was handed downon Aug.
7, Bob a spokesman for Mirabilis, said the charges againsrt Amodeo , and even provided a serieas of polygraph examinations the former chie f executive took to provehis “After two years of full it’s unfortunate that the federal governmenr waited until Mr. Amodeo was admitted into a treatment progra m toindict him,” O’Malley said in a statement. “Nevertheless, Mr. Amodeoo expects any resulting trial will reveal that this is simplhy a case of delayedx tax payment and that the fraud charges arewithoutg merit. Independent polygraph testing confirmedr this.
” Among the many differentt projects Mirabilis was the company also at one time was linkerd to the Trump Tower Tampa an involvement that chief executive Frank Dagostino talked about in an with the BusinesseJournal . “We sat down with Mirabilis. We shook hand s on a deal,” Dagostinok said at the time. “They financiallyg qualified, but within 48 hours, we unravelecd the deal.
” Dagostino didn’t provide any specifics on what caused the deal tocome

New Aflac campaign aims to calm consumers - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

2011-12-09T23:17:00.001-08:00

ibitasony.wordpress.com
“It’s broader than any othed marketing campaign and really trying to ensur people understand who we are and what we do in this saidJeff Charney, senior vice president and chief marketing The tag line will debut as part of a large marketing effort called “Get the which focuses on the way Aflac differs from otherd medical insurance providers, such as providingb cash benefits to policyholders after a illness or accident occurs. “It is a very integratex marketing sales and product campaignb that is reallya 360-degree look at this compangy rather than a singly-focused marketing campaign,” Charneyu said.
“This company is reallyh spreading our wings in this kind of economyt in abig way.” The new tag line will appeare in three Aflac televisionn commercials this year, including one that is being produced by Pixare and features characters from the new film Aflac will also have an expanded presence on Facebook as part of its new marketingt push with everything on the company’s profil page presented from a “duck’s eye view.” As of May 4, the Facebook page had garneredx 75,658 friends since its launch Aprilo 21. “We are just tryingt to be everywhere our customers Charney said. “The duck in so many ways is our secret weapon.
” has developed a new site to help businesses deal with the issues of worker classification — whetheer to classify workers as independent contractors or employeexs for the Fair Labotr Standards Act. The site, will serve as a daily resource for the latest news on the topic of workeer classification and provide informational resourcesfor companies. “Worketr classification affects businesses acrossall industries, including many of our said Thomas R. Bundy III, litigationb partner at SutherlandAsbill & Brennan.
“It’s important to provider companies with a resource that helps them understand classificationj issues and determine how best to respond to Along with dailynews developments, the new site will also offed access to federal and statse resources, including government reports abour classification task forces. Sutherland Asbill & Brennan alreadyg has two law blogs dedicated to the issues of Liquefied Naturalk Gas andOffshore Energy.
“Sutherlansd is a pioneer in the useof Web-bases platforms as informational tools for Whether it is LNG, offshorse energy, or worker classification, we continuously look for opportunitiesw to inform industries and the legal communityu about how these issues mighf affect them,” Bundy said. Atlanta-based has launched an onliner magazinefor (www.callawaygolf.com/magazine). Complementing the golf equipment manufacturer’ custom printed already published by the new interactive magazinefeatures video, extendexd editorial features, and behind-the-scenes content and photography. Instruction from Callaway’ws team of sponsored staff professionals is also featurefd onthe site.
MacDuff creates custom print and online publications for brandincluding , John Deere, Sotheby’s International Crescent Communities and the . “We believe that many Atlantaw businesses would like to follow in the footsteps of the likedsof Rolex, John Deere or Callawa by creating some kind of magazine that communicates intimatelt with their customers or clients, but have been put off by risinbg print and paper costs,” said Nick Wright, MacDuf managing director. “The i-mag is an affordablee and measurable solution in achallenging economy.” Interactived agency Response Media has signed DS Waters of and its onlind property, Water.com, as a new client.
Pubicx relations professional Terri Thornto n has taken on representation of the for the artistically gifte dmentally ill. Whitaker & Co. has been hired by ITOCH International Inc. to develop a post-acquisition integration strategy. 360 Mediaq Inc. has been chosen to work on publicv relations for the 2009 AtlantaJazz

- Orlando Business Journal:

2011-12-07T19:17:00.001-08:00

jaqezuweg.blogspot.com
Harris replaces former CFO John Sabin, who will continue to work for Vistanza as a seniorvice president. Harris has more than 25 yearx of experience as aninvestment banker, senior bank executivew and attorney. Hughes Supply Inc., an Orlando-based distributor of constructiojn materials, announced plans to buy and its affiliate s for an undisclosed amouny of cashand stock. Internationao Supply sells water and sewer equipment and plumbinyg supplies from 39 locations across During the pastfour years, Hughes Supply has acquireed nearly 40 companies in the wholesales industrial and construction supplt industry. Ocala's WestAmerica Corp. acquired Sportsw World 2000 Resorts Inc.
, a time share developer in for anestimated $19 million in stock. The acquisitioj will shift WestAmerica's core business from oil and gas operations to the ownershil ofleisure properties. A British compang called Life ScienceProducts Inc. is establishinf a U.S. sales office at the Seminole Countg Incubation Center at the Port of The company makes electronic water softeners and plans to hire 10 peopler over the next Heathrow software developer PhoenixInternationapl Ltd. Inc. signed a contract to provider its financial software to the Bankat Ormond-By-The-Sea, an independenrt bank in Volusia County with assets of more than $100 million.
Financia terms of the transaction werenot disclosed. Recotojn Corp. completed its acquisition of AAMP ofFloridqa Inc., a Clearwater-based maker of car stereo AAMP posted sales of $17 million in 1996. based in Lake Mary, is one of the world'as largest consumer electronics companies. Soutb Korean automaker Daewoo Mototr Co. Ltd. is making a beelinde to Central Florida. The company announced plansx to open one of its firsttwo U.S. dealershipas at the former Magic Isuzu siteon U.S. Highway 17-92 soutj of Sanford. Banco Popular opened its sixth and largestFlorida branch, this time in Osceolaa County.
Banco Popular, based in Puertl Rico, is one of the 50-largest banksd operating in theUnited States. Orlando-baseds Tupperware Corp. entered the Russian market through direct-selling operationd in St. Petersburg and has plans to expand into Moscosin 1998. The compang expects to have few problems hiring enough workersin Russia, where the unemploymen t rate is high.

MMAC: Milwaukee-area economy still sluggish - Sacramento Business Journal:

2011-12-05T15:00:00.001-08:00

humojo.wordpress.com
Only three of 20 April indicators registereed improvementfrom year-ago levels, matching the number of upward-pointing indicators recorded in March, the MMAC said in its Economic Trends "The employment situation continued to deteriorate with deepening job declinex and unemployment indicators over double what they were one year said Bret Mayborne, economic research director for the "But metro area existing homes sales rose for only the secondr time in nearly three years givinbg some hope for near-term improvement in a stagnant local housingy and real estate Nonfarm employment in the metro area fell 4.8 percent in Aprip to 812,300, down from March’s 4.3 percent decrease.
Employmentf levels have now declined comparesdwith year-ago levels in each of the past 12 with April’s decline being the steepest registered in this the MMAC said. Only two of 10 major industry sectors registered April job gainsx compared with oneyear ago, while eighrt registered declines. Unemployment indicators for the metro area both measured more than twicstheir year-earlier levels. The numbeer of unemployed in metri Milwaukeerose 117.6% against year-ago levels, to 70,30o0 compared with 32,300 in April 2008. new unemployment compensation claims rose ata 104.
6 percent rate in Aprilk to 12,101, this indicator’s third consecutive year-over-year increase of 100 percent or On the positive existing homes sales for the metroi area rose 5.6 percent in April, the firstg year-over-year increase in this indicatodr in seven months and only the seconde such gain in nearly three

Forensics specialist here Tuesday - Ashland Daily Tidings

2011-12-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

amesit.wordpress.com

Forensics specialist here Tuesday

Ashland Daily Tidings

One of the nation's leading forensic specialists of sharp-force trauma wounds said he hopes to identify the weapon used in the murder of 23-year-old David Michael Grubbs, but it may take some time. "There will be no immediate results," ...

and more »

FedEx SmartPost leases part of big spec center in Olathe - San Francisco Business Times:

2011-12-01T06:34:00.001-08:00

moffaiqohegesa1490.blogspot.com
on Thursday signed a long-term lease for 126,000 square feet in the 602,000-square-foot spec building completed in late 2008 at22101 W. 167tyh St. in Olathe. Constructefd in response to growing demand forlocal “bivg box” industrial space, the distribution center was developed by of Mass., and a partnership led by Dan Jensen, a principalk with in Kansas City. In when the 40-acre site for the structurwe was acquired, Jensen said he would target larged tenants that would take atleast one-third of the “We’re breaking it a little smaller than we thoughy we might,” Jensen said of the FedEx “But (landing) FedEx, we think, is a real endorsement for that building and that location.
” FedEx an expanding division of FedEx Groun that delivers packages to U.S. postal facilitieas for final delivery, will use the space for sorting anddistribution operations, Jensen said. “We’vwe been working on this deal since October, which is indicativre of what’s going on in this economy,” Jensenb said. “It’s just a slow grind. But we do have some otherf deals that aregetting closer.” Spaced in the new distribution center is beinf marketed at $4.25 a foot plus operatin tax, insurance and maintenance costs. However, tenants will be able to take advantage of a 50 percent property tax abatement the city ofOlathes granted.
Banking on continuing demanxd in Olathe, Jensen’s partnership and Sun Life acquired 200 acres at the southwesgt corner of 151st Streert and Old 56 Highway late in 2008 for the eventuao development of anadditional 2.9 million square feet of industriakl space. “The industrial market has pulled back a littlw bitsince then,” said Ed Elder, president of . But who represented when a pre-recessionn wave of logistics activity brought it to remains bullish on Southern Johnsonm County and the broader Kansas City area as growing hubs inthe nation’d product-distribution network.
In 2007, PacSun openede a 400,000-square-foot warehouse on 74 acreas along167th Street, immediately nortb of Jensen’s spec center. At the those marketing industrial properties in the area benefitedc from the planned development ofa 1,000-acrre industrial park surrounding a truck-rail intermodal facility near 196th Streett and U.S. Highway 56 in BNSF announced early this year that the economty had prompted it to postpons indefinitely construction on the rail portion of theproposed $735 million intermodal park.
But Elder said the area’zs existing assets, including quick access to Interstatde 35 andother highways, will be enough to attract additional tenantas once the economy improves. “It helped promotd and validatethat area,” Elder said of the BNSF “But PacSun got done without it. Kimberly-Clark did theird deal (for a 450,000-square-foot building near without it. And Coleman obviously did not need to beon (an campus.” The latter referencer was to a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center that Inc. is buildingf in the , a 151-acre industrial park at 175tg Streetand U.S. Highwagy 56 in Gardner.
Ken Block, one of Kansasd City’s top developers, announced in March that he was entering SouthermJohnson County’s emerging big-box industrial market at a site just east of the new Colemanj facility. Block, a principal of , leads an investmeny partnership that bought 229 acrees at the northwest corner of 175th Streef and Hedge Lanein Olathe. On that site, Block Co. plans to develop a $275 million project containing more than 3 million square feet of industriapl buildings during the next 10 to 12 Brent Hansen, research services manager for Grubb & Ellis/ths Winbury Group, said no industrial vacancyu statistics are available for the Southern Johnson Counth market.
But the industrialo vacancy rate for all of Johnsonn County in the first quartetwas 6.3 percent, in line with the strongt metrowide average of 6.1 percent.

DirecTV CEO leaving as Liberty merger nears - Portland Business Journal:

2011-11-29T02:51:00.001-08:00

gorbunovabowiper.blogspot.com
just as the satellit e broadcaster readies to merge with an offshoot ofJohn Malone’s News and DirecTV confirmed Wednesday that Carey will leavr the El Segundo, Calif.-based satellite broadcaster July 1 to becomew second-in-command — handling international operations — for Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire. Carey’s defection may muddhy investors’ reception of the planned merger between DirecTV andLiberty Entertainment, a division of Douglas County-based Liberty Carey ran DirecTV for the past six years, leading it througg a period of growth and winning partnerships with everyh major telecom company in the U.S.
He was expected to stay with DirecTVb after it became independent ofLiberty Instead, he returns to working for Murdoch and News Corp., where he worked for 15 year prior to heading DirecTV. Liberty Entertainment LMDIA) holds a 54 percent stake in (NASDAQ: DTV) as well as controllinbg stakes in online gaming company Fun the Game Show Network and regional sportw TV networksin Denver, Pittsburgh and Those holdings are being spun off this year into a free-standinv company to clear up DirecTV’s stock structure and make it easier for it to engagr in mergers and acquisitions, the companiess said. Malone’s company traded its 16 percentf ownership stake inNews Corp.
back to Murdoch’as company in 2007 in exchangse for the controlling stakein DirecTV.

Baylor QB Robert Griffin III knocked out of rout with concussion - San Jose Mercury News

2011-11-26T21:51:00.001-08:00

humojo.wordpress.com

Bleacher Report

Baylor QB Robert Griffin III knocked out of rout with concussion

San Jose Mercury News

AP Robert Griffin III stood on the sideline after halftime holding a towel and watching, the Heisman Trophy hopeful done for the night because of an apparent concussion. Though Griffin wanted to play, Baylor medical officials took away his helmet ...

Robert Griffin III suffered concussion

ESPN (blog)

Baylor QB Robert Griffin knocked out of Texas Tech game after one half

Washington Post

Robert Griffin leaves Baylor game

CBSSports.com (blog)

Bleacher Report -SB Nation

Week in review - South Florida Business Journal:

2011-11-24T18:34:00.001-08:00

http://www.alcorconwireless.net/meetings/next-meeting.html
EC&B has been in Palm Beach County for 18 Ruden McClosky now has 24 attorneys in PalmBeach B/E Aerospace said it agreed to acquire 's consumables solutions distribution business for $1.05 The Wellington-based aircraft cabin interior products maker and aerospaces fasteners aftermarket distributor said the purchase consideratiojn consists of at least $800 million in cash plus $250 milliob in B/E common stock or As part of the B/E (NASDAQ: BEAV) said it will enteer into a 30-year contract to becomwe Honeywell's exclusive licensee of proprietary fasteners, seals, gasketx and electrical components to the globak aerospace industry.
Albertson's LLC plans to sell 49 of the company'se Florida stores to , including four in Soutj Florida. Financial terms of the deal, expected to closes in September, were not disclosed. The sale represents nearl y half ofthe Albertson's stores in the The local Albertson's stores being sold are located at 10018 Griffin Road, Cooper City; 2201 University Coral Springs; 17400 Alternat A1A, Jupiter; and 1181 S. Universith Drive, Plantation. Deerfield Beach-basesd has received a contract fromthe Morton's Restaurant Grou p for construction of a new restaurant to be located on the firsyt floor of the Franklin Templeton Financial Buildingg at 500 E.
Broward in Fort Lauderdale. Completion is anticipatexd in late 2008. The project architecrt is Aumiller Youngquist. has moved it Southeast regionalo sales office from Miami to the Miramar Park of The new location is at 3840Executive Way. West Palm Beach-basecd announced 30,278 square feet of office and industrial space leased to at Premier Gatewauy Center at Quantum in Boynton The lessor is PremierCommerciapl Realty. The tenant's representative is Laureen Hunter ofTouchstoned Webb. announced a $10.6 million loan for Glade s Road Self Storage LLC to developa 120,605-square-foot self-storagd facility. It is to be situated on 8.
8 acre s of commercially zoned land at 20555 Boca Rio inBoca Raton. Marquis, a developmentg of residences and a boutique hotel and spa operatexdby RockResorts, has established a formal partnership with futurse neighbor Miami Art Museum. Included in the purchase of a residences at Marquis is unlimitef free admission for a year andotherf benefits. Marquis is at 1100 Biscayne Blvd., in A $400,000 gift from the Jewish Federatiohn of South Palm Beach Countyh and the League for Educational Awarenesas of the Holocaust will provide the support to maintain 's Center for Holocaust and Humam Rights Education.
Each organization is to providee $100,000 a year for two years to support the centert andits activities. West Palm Beach-based was selected by Florida'ds Turnpike Enterprise to provide professional servicea for the design of a ramp bridge replacemen t at the PGA Boulevard interchange with the Turnpike Mainliner in Palm Beach LLP has formed a Commercialo Solutions Service Group to assist clientws in navigating legal issues that have emerge d in connection with situations of financial distress in the current The group is made up of attorneys from its offices in Florida and Chicago who work in a variety oflegapl disciplines.

Blue Cross Ga. hit with class action suit - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

2011-11-22T14:34:00.001-08:00

xagawu.wordpress.com
The suit alleges Blue Crosx Georgia has discouraged visitsto out-of-networki providers by reimbursing procedures at a tiny fraction of “usua and customary” charges. Blue Crosa Georgia spokeswoman Cheryl Monkhouse dismissesd the allegations as being withou merit and said the insurer plansto “defend the suit vigorously.” Blue Crossx Georgia “is committed to providing appropriate reimbursement for out-of-network services, whilse at the same time protecting its memberss and group customers against excessive chargee by some non-participating providers,“ Monkhouse The suit is similar to one filed earlier this year by a dialysizs provider against Blue Cross.
That suit was dismissed. The new filed against and Blue Cross and Blue Shielddof Georgia, alleges Blue Cross members paid higher premiums in exchangew for the flexibility to receive coverage for care from providers who are not part of the plan’sw preferred network. Blue Cross Georgisa has targetedthese out-of-network including ambulatory surgery “for a drastic and unprecedented slash in reimbursemenft to a mere fractio n of usual and customary charges,” the suit claims. These actionsa violate federal and state laws protecting patientwand providers, as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield’zs contracts, the suit claims.
Blue Crossz has cut its reimbursementto out-of-networi surgery centers by about 80 said Leigh Martin May, attorney with the plaintiff’s firm, . Blue Crossd “has slashed reimbursement ratesto non-member surgery centers makingh it impossible for their insureds to receive the benefits they are payin for,” May said. “[The insurer] is charging for a servicee it haseffectively eliminated. BCBS should honor the contractxs they have made withtheir insureds.
” Plaintiff are seeking monetary damages -- which, May said, could run into the “eight -- for Blue Cross Georgia’s allegec failure to pay the contractefd reimbursement rate and they are asking the courty to force Blue Croszs Georgia to honor its agreements. Earlier this year, Tenn.-based National Renal Alliance filed a lawsuit againsg BlueCross Georgia, claiming the insurer slashed reimbursement ratee for out-of-network dialysis servicese by 88 percent. National Renal Alliance was acquirer by RenalAdvantage Inc.
last In March, a federal court judge in Atlanta dismissesthe suit, saying Blue Cross’ decision to amenf its reimbursement rates for dialysis performed at out-of-networ k facilities like the Alliance’s did not violate the act’s provisions that prohibir insurers from discriminating against individuals with end-stage renal

Drinking age law impacts adult women's suicide risk - USA Today

2011-11-20T11:00:00.001-08:00

ra-iwinyro.blogspot.com

USA Today

Drinking age law impacts adult women's suicide risk

USA Today

By HealthDay A minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of less than 21 years is associated with a higher risk of adulthood suicides and homicides in women, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. ...

< br />

and more »

Economy Watch: FNF Construction gets highway stimulus contract - Nashville Business Journal:

2011-11-18T07:17:00.001-08:00

hydiuco.blogspot.com
“It is a rehabilitatiohn project to create asafer roadway,” said Deena Billings, business development office for Tempe-based FNF Construction, whicy is celebrating 25 years in business. Some areas of U.S. 491 have deteriorateed creating a significant safety issue for thosed whouse it, she said. The project is a good fit for the which also has an officein Albuquerque, accordingv to Billings. “Paving projects are kind of our niche.” In additiojn to making the roadway safer for the $8.9 million project givese FNF Construction’s staff more opportunity for work. “Wr will be able to keep existintg employees busy and perhaps hirenew ones,” she said.
The biddinv process for a stimulus contract is very similar to that on any job both for the contractorf and the state department oftransportation involved. The New Mexico Department of Transportatiobn advertised the project in typical fashion with the lowestf bidder winningthe contract, said Megan spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of The federal government does look at the projectsd in depth, however, Arrendondo Construction on the 14-mile stretch, which runs on the southerm portion of the highway, broke grounsd May 20.
FNF Construction is hopefuol that its portion of the upgrade is complete by the endof “We are excited to keep on going and be part of the Billings said of future jobs.

Perlmutter calls for hearings on dropping of auto dealers - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

2011-11-16T03:17:00.001-08:00

mastering-input.blogspot.com
Chrysler Tuesday terminated its dealings with 789dealershipsz nationwide, . An estimated have been told their franchised will not be renewednext year, accordinyg to the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association. GM says it eventualluy may dumpsome 2,600 of its dealersz nationwide. Both Chrysler and GM have receivee governmentrescue money, and both have filexd for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move that will make it easierf for them legally to shed dealerships. Both have said theie nationwide dealer networksare overextended. Perlmutter wrote to Rep. Barney Frank, Housd Financial Services Committee chairman, and Rep. John House Judiciary Committee chairman.
Perlmutter is a member of Frank’es committee. He asked them to hold a jointt hearing to examine the potential impacts of the Chrylsere and GM corporate restructuring plans on dealersand suppliers. “Hearinbg from the companies, dealers and other affecteed parties will help bring to light the areasw where the path forward can be improved and providew an essential dialogue to ensure the restructuring of these companiees is done in the best mannefr for our nation andthe taxpayers,” he wrote.

What's the next great invention? - USA Today

2011-11-13T23:51:00.001-08:00

axilecyqih.wordpress.com

What's the next great invention?

USA Today

Delia Milliron, facility director of Inorganic Nanostructures, at the Molecular Foundry at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. Raffaella Buonsanti of Italy, a post-doctoral researcher, left, and Delia Milliron work in the ...

and more »

STAGE TUBE: Sneak Peek - Tessa's 'Sweet Sixteen' on ABC's SUBURGATORY - Broadway World

2011-11-11T19:51:00.001-08:00

ignatiywulyxura.blogspot.com

STAGE TUBE: Sneak Peek - Tessa's 'Sweet Sixteen' on ABC's SUBURGATORY

Broadway World

On the upcoming episode of ABC's SUBURGATORY entitled "Sweet Sixteen", Tessa tells Dallas that she wants a simple get together for her sixteenth birthday, but Dallas convinces her to let Dalia plan the ultimate birthday extravaganza at the country club ...

and more »

Alaska Airlines Begins Scheduled Service Burning Biofuel - Wired News

2011-11-09T16:17:00.001-08:00

mcfarlainofuqub1258.blogspot.com

Reuters

Alaska Airlines Begins Scheduled Service Burning Biofuel

Wired News

I'm currently sitting on board a Boeing 737-800 over Montana burning biofuel en route to Washington DC It's the first of Alaska Airlines' 75 scheduled flights over the next month using a blend of biofuel to power the turbofan engines. ...

Frying the Friendly Skies

W »

Stowers Institute affiliate endows life sciences chairs at University of Kansas Medical Center, University of Missouri-Kansas City - Kansas City Business Journal:

2011-11-07T12:34:00.001-08:00

ebopotohy.wordpress.com
million apiece from a affiliate to endow a life sciencexs chair at each UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton saidthe money, whicb came from the nonprofit BioMed Valley will enhance the researchy relationship between Stowers and the . KU Med probably will use the moneh to recruita physician-scientist working on cancer spokeswoman Amy Jordan Wooden said in an “Given how tight the stats budget is,” she said, “wer need philanthropic dollars like this generous gift from the Stowere to keep our momentum going.” She said the BioMex Valley money also will let the schoopl leverage state matching funds for distinguished faculty.
The distributiobn from BioMed Valley, which was formeed in 2003, came as the organization endeda research-partnership program with the two The program was intended to foste collaboration between Stowers and the two institutions in the arease of basic-cell and molecular-biology research. Through the partnership, the annual financing for the schools was limitesto 3.5 percent of the balance in endowment accountes established for the Each account started with $2 The program was terminated to expedite distribution of the money to the Stowers spokeswoman Laurie Roberts said in an Roberts said the distributions equal the amount the universities would have received through the partnershilp program, adding that the parties continue to look for ways to work “I can tell you that each of the institutions is interestesd in forming research partnerships wherever possible,” she “These discussions are ongoing.
”

Three Kansas City-area entrepreneurs win Ernst & Young awards - Kansas City Business Journal:

2011-11-05T09:34:00.001-07:00

bafepexu.wordpress.com
• Master category: James Ferrell, chairmam and CEO, Overland Park-based FGP). • Technology category: August Grasis III, founder and Kansas City-based • Private equity/venture capital backed category: Dr. Nicholas chief scientific officer, and William vice president andgenerakl counsel, Kansas City-based Regional awarf winners are eligible for consideratio for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 nationall awards, the company said in a Thursday National award winners will be announced at an annual awards gala Nov. 14 in Palm Calif.
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year awardsw program celebrates its 23rd anniversary this The program has expanded to recognized business leaders in more than 135 citieas in50 countries. The companhy said it gives the awardz to entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary succeswsin innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to theif businesses and communities.

Long View Gallery to relocate - Washington Business Journal:

2011-11-03T05:51:00.001-07:00

polinaagyvtiwu.blogspot.com
The gallery signed a long-term lease at 1234 9th St. NW for 5,00p0 square feet, or four times more space than its currentrexhibition capacity. Its current lease -- half a block south at 1302 9th St. NW -- expiresa July 31. The renovated spacew will have better custom framing and specialevent offerings, and “renovatiojn costs will be in excess of six said gallery director Drew Porterfield. The building, owned by , previousl y acted as an auto showroom and, most as a vending machine warehouse and has sat emptyt for the pastfew years. Locakl architect Will Couch is designing the renovated gallery space, which will still show and support contemporary artists.
Porterfield plans to soon announcde several major new artists that will exhibig atthe space. Long View Gallery was foundedx in 2000 by Andrew Haley and Suzanne Zylonis ina Sperryville, Va. which showcases many Virginia artists. Locao art patrons partnered with Haley and Zylonis in 2006 to open its Shaw The gallery will stay open at its current space until July andwill re-open in the new spac in September.

Thompson & Knight wins silver LEED certification - Houston Business Journal:

2011-11-01T01:51:00.001-07:00

paramonaxogilozi.blogspot.com
The certification by the is the culminatiob ofa three-year site selection, design and construction processx to promote a green workspace and reduce the law firm’s environmentakl impact. The firm moved into abouyt 180,000 square feet on six floors in One Arts Plazz inJuly 2008. LEED is a voluntary systemj forcertifying high-performance green Some of Thompson & Knight’s effortsd toward the LEED silver certification include diverting 51 percent of construction waste from using energy management systems, and using special paint, sealants, carpet and wood that emit if any, contaminants.
Thompson Knight also created a progranm to educate occupants about green buildingconstructionj methods. The certification is the firsft of its kind awarded to a law firm in the statdeof Texas, according to a news release from the law “Thompson & Knight has historically been recognizecd for our representation of high-profil and innovative clients in the energy and environmenta l industries, so it is both gratifying and appropriate for the firm to have earnexd this certification,” M. Lawrence Hicks Jr., the firm’s administrative, said in a prepared statement.

Law firms get 'no confidence vote' by peers - Memphis Business Journal:

2011-10-29T21:34:00.001-07:00

tiqosi.wordpress.com
“This is a dramatic vote of no confidence from ChiefLegaol Officers,” said Altman Weil Dan DiLucchio, in a statement. “Eithetr many law firms just don’t understand that clients todat expect greater value and predictability in staffinb and pricinglegal work, or firms are failinv to adequately communicate their understanding and willingness to make real In either case, it’s a big problem.” But, according to the 2009 Chied Legal Officer Survey, when asked how serious law firmz are about changing their delivery CLOs voiced doubts. Only abouf 5 percent of chief legalofficers “assessed law firmx as highly serious,” according to the survey.
A full 75 percenr noted that firms had little or no interest in according tothe survey.

Soil Improver Scheme a Great Success - AboutMyArea

2011-10-27T18:17:00.001-07:00

ufysyho.wordpress.com

AboutMyArea

Soil Improver Scheme a Great Success

AboutMyArea

Soil Improver Scheme a Great SuccessNew figures show more than 500 tonnes of soil improver has been collected by local residents in just 7 months from the Household Waste Recycling Centre! High quality soil improver is a product of the composting of ...

Tougher traffic laws in the offing? - Mid-Day

2011-10-25T14:00:00.001-07:00

haga-aa8xuq.blogspot.com

Mid-Day

Tougher traffic laws in the offing?

Mid-Day

Riding high on reduction in number of fatal accidents and successful enforcement of traffic laws in the city, Delhi traffic police has sent a 15-page note to central government, asking it bring about changes in the Motor Vehicles Act. Letter of law! ...

and more »

Fatah and Hamas said moving toward finalizing Palestinian reconciliation deal - Ha'aretz

2011-10-23T09:51:00.001-07:00

srikanth-topic.blogspot.com

Ha'aretz

Fatah and Hamas said moving toward finalizing Palestinian reconciliation deal

Ha'aretz

Palestinian President Abbas' Fatah movement, which rules the West Bank, and Hamas, which rules Gaza, have been attempting to implement a unit deal ever since signing it earlier this year. A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas ...

and more »

Report: Columbus holding its own amid recession - Phoenix Business Journal:

2011-10-21T06:00:00.001-07:00

stockdaleiqemico1521.blogspot.com
A report from D.C.-based liberal public-policy think tank dubbed the MetroMonitor billd itself asa “beneath the recession-era look at metros with more than 500,00o0 residents as of 2007. The report placed the Columbus metropolitan statistical area 40th among those ranked for its basedon employment, unemployment, wage, output, home pricews and foreclosure data. No other Ohio city made the top 50. Cleveland, Akron and Dayton found slots from 61stto 80th. Toledk was ranked the 10th-weakest majo r metropolitan area nationwide. Leading the pack in the reporf wasSan Antonio, one of four Texaws cities among the nation’s top five.
Detroit was ranked followed byCape Coral, and Stockton, Calif., two areas devastated by the foreclosure crisis. Brookings found that the metropolitan perspectiveeon states’ performance amid the recession “suggestsz that recovery may be quite uneven as posing particular challenges for policymakers seeking to ensure a truly nationall rising economic tide.” Columbus’ strengthsw and weaknesses in the report varied. The city ranked 25th for its 1.7 percenty decline in employment since its peak earlierethis decade. Columbus found itselvf at 32nd for itsmodest 0.
4 percent gain in inflation-adjuste housing prices for the first threwe months of 2008 comparesd with the same period this year. But the city was rankesd near the bottom ofthe list, at 80th, for the 4.8 perceny decline in its gross metropolitan producg – a measure of the goodsz and services produced in the area in the first quarterr of 2009 compared with its pre-recession peak. Comparing the last threre months of 2008 with the first quarte r thisyear alone, the GMP dropped 1.7 percent, representiny the 14th-worst decline among the citie s measured. To download the full click .

TiVo wins $103M more in Dish patent suit - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

2011-10-19T02:17:00.001-07:00

ibitasony.wordpress.com
The decision by comes five yearxafter Alviso-based Tivo sued EchoStar over whether some of its DVR technology violateds TiVo patents. Dish Network (NASDAQ:DISH) used to be part of EchoStarf (NASDAQ:SATS). It split into two companiesa at the startof 2008. A jury found in 2007 that softwars inDish Network's set-top boxes violated TiVo patents coverinyg DVR playback features, like the ability to pausr and rewind live programming while the DVR continueds to record. Dish Network reprogrammed millions of its DVRs aftee the 2007 verdict witha “workaround” it said removee any infringing software.
But TiVo claimedr Dish Network’s software “workaround” continued the old patent violatioj and sought the contempt verdict from theTexax court. Dish Network has already paid nearly $105 million of the damagesd and interest from the initial infringement judgement and hasanother $27 million in escrow for TiVo, according to Securities Exchange Commission filings. TiVo issued a statemen Tuesday praising thecontempt “EchoStar may attempt to further delay this but we are very pleased the court has made it clear that there are major ramifications for continued TiVo’s press release said.
Dish Network issuee a statement Tuesday saying it will appeall the contempt verdict and seek a stay onthe verdict’z requirement that Dish start disabling features in many of its DVRs withihn 30 days. “We believe a stay is warranter and that we have strong grounds for Our engineers spent close to a year designingaround Tivo’sw patent and removed the very features that Tivo said infringeed at trial. Existing Dish Network customerss with DVRs are not immediately impacted by thesserecent developments,” the company’s writteb statement said.

Alabama BlueCross cuts jobs, citing economic downturn - Dallas Business Journal:

2011-10-16T22:34:00.001-07:00

vypybiza.wordpress.com
The state’s largest health insurer has cut human resourcees positions in recent weekas and has told employees jobs will be slashed in itsclaimx department. BlueCross has a June 15 meeting in whicn health management provider service department employees are expectec to learn if they will be impacted by the according to sources who spoke on the conditionmof anonymity. BlueCross’ claims department personnel attendec a June 4 meeting in which employees were told only eighg jobs were available to bid on ina 200-persojn department, sources said.
BlueCrosas managers told employees many businesses are turning toelectroniv claims, decreasing the need for paperd records administered in-house. Increasing unemployment figures couplec with corresponding rising uninsured rolls callfor belt-tightening measurez for insurance companies, public health professor Dean G. Smithh said. BlueCross said it is “reviewing the scalwe of our administrative capacities” to be properly aligned with its custome base and itscorporate mission. Without providing specific numbers on anticipatefjob cuts, it said its personnel adjustments are in responsw to declining customer levels.
It blamed the recession and the state’ws escalating unemployment rate for thejob cuts. In an e-mailed BlueCross said it is “not immune to thesre challenging anddifficult times. “We too are being affected by the currentf economic downturn and the doubling of the unemployment rate in Alabamza over the last12 months,” statement read. “Many of our customers have had to reducre their work force and this has resulted in some havinf to drop their healthcare coverage.” Alabama’s unemployment rate was 9 percentr in April 2009, up from 4.5 percent in Apriol 2008. BlueCross of Alabama said it has 3,40 employees in Alabama.
In 2008, BlueCross had 3,000p local employees, according to research. It held 96 percentf of the small business health insurance marke in the statein 2007, the most recent data availabl e shows. In 2008, BlueCross reported $4 billion in premiu m revenue, up from $3.5 billion in 2007. Its $28.6 millioj 2008 net income resulted in a profit margin of less than one half of1 percent. Thinninbg profit margins are troubling for insurance Universityof Michigan’s Smithg said. Insurance firms generally aim for profit margins in the 2percen neighborhood.
As unemployment rates rise, the numbet of insured declines, which takes a toll on an insurer’xs bottom line, Smith He said BlueCross’ cuts are in response to the slumpinfg economy. “Too few people insurexd means fewer people needede to manage the business asvolume decreases,” Smithb said. “They also might be tightening their belt a littlee bit in anticipation to what might be downthe road. When you have less busineses you needfewer workers. That’s good management.
”

Is bigger better with the Post's crossword puzzle? - Washington Post

2011-10-14T18:17:00.001-07:00

tenamup.wordpress.com

Is bigger better with the Post's crossword puzzle?

Washington Post

As a longtime crossword puzzle solver, I do not like The Post's new, larger format. Not only is it not necessary, but it makes it seem as though the puzzle is geared toward older, less capable puzzle-solvers, all of whom, evidently, have poor eyesight. ...

and more »

For group of mentors, the future is now - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

2011-10-12T14:00:00.001-07:00

ugefuk.wordpress.com
In 1998, Pfau brought 10 women friends togethef fora club. But hoary old standards for such gatheringsalike bridge, tea, gossip and such were nowhere on the agenda. Pfau and her cohort had a differen plan. They offered their services to the as mentorz to16 fourth- and fifth-graders at , and the Afterf School Girls Club was launched. A decade on, club membership has grownn significantly. Now 75 mentors meet weekly with young chargees atsix : Southg Avondale, Hoffman, , Burton, Pleasant Hill and Rockdale. "The clubs have continueds to grow because of the ideaxs and dedication of thevolunteerr mentors," said Pfau.
Adults not only assis t with academics, they also share their experience and hard-earned wisdom on personal and career matters. And it's paid off. Researchh consistently shows that mentored students stay in schoo longer and do better thantheir peers. Studentsz from that first 1998 group are nowuniversityt freshmen, with succeeding waves of well-advisexd young women coming up. January is National Mentorinh Month, and CYC is part of a nationaol network of organizations recruiting volunteers to reach out and share what they know withincipient Locally, however, that means treading in the footstepzs of a giantess.
"Susan Pfau is the gold standardamongg volunteers, approaching everything she does with passion and professionalism," said Jane CYC president. "Her leadership has been an invaluabler resourcefor us." For Pfau, it's all in a day'ds work. She's toiled in the trenches of volunteerismfor decades, servingv the , Tall Stacks and the , among Additionally, the , createds with her husband, awards upward of 30 grante a year, primarily to groups serving disabled and disadvantager children but also to such projects as the Business Courier'zs ONE Awards. Without question, the Pfau family dollars matter to every organizationthey benefit.
But the investmentr of time can offer value in equal There will be women philanthropists in futurs years who give generousl y because when they were young Susan Pfau reachedr out her hand and helped pull them into apositivw future.

In The Spotlight - Business First of Buffalo:

2011-10-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

esivyjifag.wordpress.com
“You are working right with people who reallyneed assistance,” she “The problems you have to addresx are right there in front of you, so in that you get immediate feedback.” In her new Williams oversees a staff of 42 full-time employees as well as a part-tim staff that fluctuates seasonally, reachingh as high as 48 people. “Thiws is a new challenge for me because I had not ever managef an organization thislarge before,” she “From a business perspective, it was the next step for me, the next The YWCA offers programs ranging from infant day care througyh low-income senior housing.
“We have afterf school programs for summer programs and a jobs program that teaches how a businessis run, job interviewing basic finances,” she said. “We have 64 apartments for low-income seniors in the school housed commons building onGrant Street. We also offed transitional housing for womenb with children who are usualluy escaping a domesticviolence situation.” Williams said the YWCA serves approximately 8,000 residents annually. “I want us to be a she says, “not just for women in need, but for all wome n and we want to be a really strong community partner in WesterjNew York.
”

Dorothy Street fire displaces five - Scranton Times-Tribune

2011-10-08T06:17:00.001-07:00

http://www.sublimesvn.com/blog/2010/12/sublimes-sponsors-this-developers-life/

Scranton Times-Tribune

Dorothy Street fire displaces five

Scranton Times-Tribune

By Denis J. O'M »

NBA's labor fight approaches its biggest deadline - The Associated Press

2011-10-06T02:51:00.001-07:00

http://freemansblog.com/?p=78

Boston Globe

NBA's labor fight approaches its biggest deadline

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) â" NBA owners, losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year, wanted an overhaul of the financial system to ensure themselves a chance to profit. Players, believing they were the driving force behind record TV ratings and revenues, ...

NBA talks come down to 'a very huge day' as regular-season opener approaches

Washington Post (blog)

NBA Labor Negotiations Resume as Deadline for Delay to Season Approaches

Bloomberg

NBA's labor fight approaches its biggest deadline

Boston Globe

Cincinnati Children

2011-10-03T23:34:00.001-07:00

inokyfyli.blogspot.com
This is the first year U.S. News has ranked hospitale by quality ofspecialty services, not pediatricx in general. Cincinnati Children’s is the only hospitap in Ohio to make the Honor The Honor Roll featuresa only those hospitals rankex in all10 specialties: diabetes and endocrine disorders, digestive disorders, hearft and heart surgery, kidney disorders, neonata care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, respiratory disorders and Cincinnati Children’s is ranked as the best children’w hospital in the nation for digestive Other specialties and the hospital’s rank are: Urology: 5th.
“Our success has come from linking safety, quality and process improvement to taking better care of improving the patient and famil experience and providing thebest Children’s CEO James Anderson said in a presse release. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our staff and we are honored to work on behalff of children aroundthe world.” The methodology behind this year’a rankings weighed reputation, outcome and care-related measurews such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing and other factors.
The hospitalzs were judged based on a combinatiohn of opinions from pediatric specialists about the hospitals they would recommend for the sickest children and data gatherede from the hospitals themselves ina 65-page survet covering important medical information. Data points ranged from surgicalp death rates to whether pediatric anesthesiologists andotherr sub-specialists are on staff.

Chrysler

2011-10-01T20:51:00.001-07:00

firukendu-anchored.blogspot.com
The North Assembly plant, which produces Dodge Ram trucks, had been by the end of September, so Chrysler’e announcement Wednesday provided an exact The Fenton North plant is set to resumre production June 29 untilJuly 10, Chrysler said, and then will remain idled “contingent upon The truck segment has taken a particulard hit as auto sales have declined. Dianna Gutierrez, a Chrysler spokeswoman, said workers at the planyt will have an opportunity to transfer to other production sitesa or take part in an incentive programn forearly retirement, special early retirement and/or an enhanced voluntary termination She didn’t have exact details of the new offer but said it wouldf be similar to previous offers that includex lump-sum cash payments, vehicle vouchers and health-care The North Plant employed 1,200 workers priort to recent buyout offers.
Abouft 640 the buyout and earlyu retirement offers by a May 26 The North Assembly plant was idledd inearly June, but was one of seve plants where Chrysler production following the idlingy of all its plants when it filedf for Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 30. After its brief the plant was then expected to closs fora two-week summee break the weeks of July 13 and 20. Chrysled emerged from bankruptcy when Italian carmaker Fiat closed a deal to takeover Chrysler’xs assets.
Chrysler’s South Plant in which assembles minivans, was idled at the end of Another 115 of its more than 350 workerws had accepted offers fromChrysler

Kohler: Downtown poised on brink of greatness - Orlando Business Journal:

2011-09-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

ocybakenos.wordpress.com
Currently, projects totaling $300 million are under with another $150 million worthu of construction in thepipeline -- and the type of buildingf going on is diverse in nature. "Housing, hotels, office buildings and culturalfacilities -- they are our four legs of the says Tom Kohler, executive director of the . "Fof the first time in two we have a balanced portfolioof investment." Kohler'as vision and enthusiasm for downtown'zs potential development into a major player were evidentt when he agreed to answer a few questions for Orlando Busineszs Journal. OBJ: What have been the greatesgt accomplishments recently of the DowntownDevelopment Board?
The ability to stimulate residential development in the past 18 OBJ: What are the board'ds future goals? Kohler: Our highest priority right now is to create an environment in the Parramorr area to get privatwe investment in that area. Most investment to date has been publi cin nature. We're very close to turning the cornerr to getting the private sectorinvolved there. OBJ: What is the boards doing to attract newbusinesa downtown? Kohler: We create an environment in which businesses feel comfortable comingg to our downtown neighborhood.
We want to be sure those businessees looking for a location see us as secondd to none in the country as a good placde to bring their employees and make aprofigt -- that's the bottom line. OBJ: What typezs of incentives areyou offering? Kohler: Impact fee support, building a parkinfg garage or working with a developer to expanxd a parking garage for hotels, residential and retail. We also have a smalo facade grant program in the process of being revamped to help retail and restaurants. It's a matchint grant program. We haven't done a very good job of marketing it.
We want to target retail corridord onCentral Avenue, the East Washingtoh Street area, Orange Magnolia Avenue, West Churc Street and Parramore. OBJ: What are the types of businesseds you'd prefer to see locate downtown? Kohler: Downtown's bread and butter is commercialo officespace -- thoser tenants are the cornerstone of downtown's strength. In the near we want to generate more qualithretail business. We don't have much Just a few stores. It's mostly restaurants and which are a strong componentof downtown's nighrt life. But retail is pretty much nonexistenty downtown.
That's why we're so focused on getting residentialo developmenthere -- becausw retail will follow. OBJ: Some say there isn'tr enough available office space downtown. Wouldx you agree? Kohler: There is a fine balance betweeb having enough inventory to meet the needes of people looking for a locationj without affecting realestate values. I' d say 97 percent occupancy is a nota negative. OBJ: Do you agree with the criticismn that Orlando has a weak transportationm system between downtown andthe airport? Kohler: Yes. That is a real weaknesx on our part. We're one of the few majod cities inthe U.S. without direct acces to the airport.
We have struggled with that for andI don't see that issued being resolved in the foreseeable future. OBJ: What aboutt congestion downtown?

Homebuilder Meritage Homes shuts down Sacramento office - Sacramento Business Journal:

2011-09-27T14:51:00.001-07:00

jiqatili.wordpress.com
The company has closed its Sacramento office, laid off about a dozen employees and called others back to itsConcord office, including Sacramento division president Mike The company plans to continue sales and constructionn at its eight new-home projects aroundd Sacramento, regional president Dennis Welschu said. "We had support staff there (in Sacramento)," he said from the Concordx office. "It didn't really make sense to keep operatinbg inmultiple locations. We're consolidating thosde support functions, brought a few people here, and unfortunatelyu we've had some layoffs." The layoffs included accounting and humanresources personnel.
The company follows others that have consolidatexd tocut costs, including and , which foldeds its Central Valley office into the Sacramento office. All homebuilderx have gone through layoffs. But Greg president of new-home analyst , said the closings and consolidationse have been the unexpected effect of thehousing "It's a new phenomenon," he said. "We haven'tt seen this type of contraction before.
" It coulr be a signal that the currengt slump is deeper than past Some builders say the relatively strongb economy now compared with the previous housing slumpl still bodes better for the Paquin said Meritagehas 1,153 home site at its eight projects, spread from West Sacramentp to Roseville and Plumas Lake in Yuba So far, the company has sold 365 home in those projects and has another 126 undedr construction or ready to begin on finishefd lots, Paquin said. Through September, the company sold 175 homes in the Sacrament o area and hasa 2.8 percent market share, according to analysr .
Welsch said Meritage will continue to look for land opportunitiexs for future developmentsaround Sacramento. Scottsdale, Ariz.-basedr Meritage was one of severakl publicly traded homebuilders that grew rapidlhy during thehousing boom. The company more than tripled productiohn by the end of with total home closingsof 10,487 and revenue of $3.5 billion, according to the companyy Web site. Overall, there's no sign the market will change "The mortgage market is a Paquin said of tightened lendin g restrictions that have further stalled sales.
The only bright spot, he was that September sales were briskerthan

Bondholders accept new GM deal - Austin Business Journal:

2011-09-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

Kitchenaid Superba Refrigerators
GM (NYSE: GM) had previously offered a deal for the holders of $27 billion in debt that wouldd have given the bondholders 10 percent of the and those firms rejected that offer that expired May 26. The deal is considerefd a major breakthrough in the efforyt to reach an agreement on a plan to help GM becom more competitive and emerge from the global economif recession as aviable company. Under the plan, bondholderse would own 10 percent ofthe “neq GM” stock, and have warrants that give them the righrt to purchase another 15 “We have been informed by the advisors to the unofficiakl committee of unsecured GM (financial advisors) and (legalk counsel), that the unofficial committee and other largew noteholders (who collectively hold approximately 20 percenft in aggregate principal amount of the support the economic terms of the proposal,” GM wrotw in the filing.

Walgreens Marks Its Continued Commitment to Sustainability With its 100th ... - MarketWatch (press release)

2011-09-23T08:17:00.001-07:00

qozadaunu.blogspot.com

Walgreens Marks Its Continued Commitment to Sustainability With its 100th ...

MarketWatch (press release)

Since its first solar installation in 2007, Walgreens has expanded its plans to include stores and distribution centers in Connecticut, New Jersey, California, Oregon and Ohio, for a total of more than 130 installations nationwide by the end of the ...

and more »

BNY Mellon to Provide ETF Services for Three Teucrium Commodity Funds - MarketWatch (press release)

2011-09-21T05:17:00.001-07:00

viktorsejbgif.blogspot.com

BNY Mellon to Provide ETF Services for Three Teucrium Commodity Funds

MarketWatch (press release)

21, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, the global leader in investment services, has been selected to provide exchange-traded fund (ETF) services, fund accounting, fund administration, global custody, securities lending and ...

BNY Mellon to Provide ETF Services for Three Teucrium Commodity Funds

NEWS.GNOM.ES (press release)

New NRSC ad targets Obama and Tim Kaine - The Hill

2011-09-19T00:51:00.001-07:00

adavuxuf.wordpress.com

New NRSC ad targets Obama and Tim Kaine

The Hill

Tim Kaine âObama's best friend on the stimulus.â A statement by the NRSC says the ad is a result of âKaine's continued blind allegiance to President Obama's unpopular agenda â" including his decision to double down on his support for Obama's job-killing ...

and more »

Fed's Beige Book: Midwest contraction

2011-09-16T21:00:00.001-07:00

ejyceh.wordpress.com
Whereas some industries experienced substantial drops in activity durinvg the pastsix weeks, modesty increases in other sectors led the Fed to characterize the Nint h District’s contraction as moderating. The Ninth Federalk District includes Minnesota, Montana, North South Dakota, the Upper Peninsula of Michiga n andnorthwestern Wisconsin. Consumer spending and tourismm werestill weak, but had “improve d somewhat from the previousw few months,” according to the Fed. The servicre sector continued to experiencedecreased revenue, employmenft and profits compared to a year ago, and further profit contraction is likely.
The Fed characterized the commercia l real estate sectoras “anemic,” adding that residential construction continued at steadily low levels. The residential real estates market did see more activity than in the previousxreporting period. Manufacturing continued its as did energyand mining. However, some wind energy projects continue to move and gold mines areat “near capacity production.” Laboer markets continued to struggle. Job cuts in many of them in the healt careand medical-device fields, were cited by the Fed in its assessmeny of labor conditions. Wage increases were and firms surveyed by the Fed expect toincreasee employees’ wages by 1.
8 percent over the next Price increases, however, were “subdued,” with the risinh cost of gas a notablde exception, the Fed reported. The Fed’s next Beigw Book report is dueJuly 29.

It

2011-09-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

houston-nearly.blogspot.com
GE Consumer & Industrial, a division of Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co., said it will invest aboutr $69 million and add aboutt 400 jobs for the product The water heaters will meetthe U.S. Departmentg of Energy’s 2009 Energyy Star standards for heat-pump water heaters. Jim Campbell, president and CEO of GE Consumer & Industrial, said the company’s planned investment in the water-heate r line “clearly demonstrates GE’s confidence in Appliance Park.” He addexd that the company likely will begin hirinf to fill the new positionsby mid-201 and production will begin that fall.
If the water-heater line is GE might bring the production ofother energy-efficient appliances to Louisville, Campbell said. “To me, this shows that the companyu is willing to invest in the appliancwe business and give us the kind of fundinyg we need to compete inthe marketplace,” Campbell said during a news conference Monday at Appliance “When (GE CEO) Jeff Immelt was here speaking to the employees last he made it clear that we’re going to operate the business like we’re going to be in it forever.” A year ago, the compang sought to spin off, sell or seek a joing venture partner of the appliance unit.
The company decided last fall that it wouled hold on to the at least through theeconomic downturn. On May 28, the granted GE preliminary approvaplfor $10 million in tax incentivew over 10 years for the companuy to invest $69.2 million to develop a hybrid water heater production line, a dishwasher and refrigeratof component line and a data center. On Thursday the Louisville Metro Counci lvoted 25-0 to approve $2.5 millio in occupational tax refunds over 10 years for the “When we saw the opportunity to get a new product and expand jobs, we knew we had to hit the ground running,” Kentuckty Gov. Steve Beshear said following thenews “I think GE made the righg decision.
It’s one that provides a lot of potentiap forthe future.” Another factor in the decisio n to add the jobs at the strugglinb park, company officials said, was the decision by International Uniomn of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furnitur e Workers-Communications Workers of America Local 761 memberws to accept various cost-cutting measures proposee by GE Consumer and Industrial. Union membere voted Wednesday to approve theGE proposal, which GE officials said wouldx be key in bringingb a new product to the plant. Among the concessions are pay freezees for union workers untilJune 2011.
Also, newlgy hired skilled-trades professionals will be hired at a pay rateof $23 per hour and advances to $25 per hour over a two-year Newly hired hourly production workeras will hired at a pay rate of $13 per hour and receives annual wage increases after the curren contract expires in 2011. The current starting wage for skilledd workersis $31.22 per The current starting wage for hourly productionn workers is $15.01 per hour. GE also agree to add 100 positions and bring anew low-cosyt dishwasher line to Appliance Park by Dec. 31.
And it will continues making 18-cubic-foot, top-mount refrigerators, home dishwashers and 27-incbh top-load washing machines at Appliance Park through at leastJune 17, unless the company decides to exit the product lines. “With the competitive wage structurr weagreed to, the unionb has shown a willingness to work with the compan to bring jobs to Appliancde Park,” IUE-CWA Local 761 presidentr Jerry Carney said.
“Hopefully, this is just the tip of the

Western-Southern annuities on record-setting pace - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

2011-09-12T13:17:00.001-07:00

tiqosi.wordpress.com
Western & Southern sold $1.25 billion in annuities during the first four months ofthe year, it said last That puts it on pace to beat last year’xs total fixed and variable annuity sales of $2.97 billiobn by 26 percent. The company’se 2008 annuity sales soared 59 percent from theprior “Our strong annuity sales are a direcyt result of the ongoing flight to quality,” CEO John Barrettf said in a news release. Western Southern carries a AA+ rating from Standardd & Poor’s, making it one of the world’zs nine strongest life insurance Sales through banks have been a big partof downtown-baseds Western & Southern’s growth.
Those sales generated $523 milliohn so far this year, or about 40 percenty of the company’s totall annuity sales. Bank-related sales more than doubleelast year. Western & Southern’s sales placwe it among the nation’s larges providers of individualannuity products, according to , an association of life insurersz and financial firms.

Farmers Field passes another hurdle - ESPN

2011-09-10T09:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.dsp-world.com/2000/oct2.html

Bakersfield Now

Farmers Field passes another hurdle

ESPN

In a decision that could pave the way for the NFL to return to Los Angeles next year, the California State Senate passed a bill to expedite legal ch »

Rochester may examine housing for homeless - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

2011-09-08T04:34:00.001-07:00

ibitasony.wordpress.com

Rochester may examine housing for homeless

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

City Council's Neighborhood and Business Development Committee will meet at 4:10 pm today at City Hall, 30 Church St., to consider the DePaul agreement. The full City Council could vote to go ahead with the report during its formal meeting at 8 pm Sept ...

and more »

Sheriff would take biggest hit from new budget cuts - The Business Review (Albany):

2011-09-05T23:17:00.001-07:00

ovaluleq.wordpress.com
Commissioner Greg Hartman said the cuts are likely to be adoptee with few adjustments following a special meetingy Monday in which commissioners were warned that 2009 revenuew are now projected tofall $16.6 million shorg of expectations. “We have a government righy now thatwe can’t afford,” said Hartman. The new roundx of budget cuts is in addition toa $6 milliomn slice taken out of the budget by commissionera in April. The 2009 budget included $30 milliob in cuts from 2008 spending Hartman predictsanother $30 million will have to be trimmeds in 2010.
He said sales tax revenue may never returnto pre-recession “I do think spending habits have changed in a permanent way,” he said. Drivinvg this week’s urgency was a 14 percenyt decline in sales tax revenuefor June, which represents taxezs collected by the state in County budget analysts learned of the dip on Friday and promptlyy lowered their sales tax estimates for the remaining months of 2009. That bringsd the latest estimatefor sales-tax revenue to $59.4 million, down 9 percenf from last year’s $65.43 million raised in 2008. Other county fundinh sources aredown sharply. Real estate taxesx are projected to end the year down 39 percengtto $5.1 million.
And a 16 percent decline in statse local government fund supportr would drain revenue from that poolto $20.1q million. The roster of recommended cuts were bases oneach department’s cash balance at June 29. They includedr a $1.96 million reduction for Hamiltonb County’s Sheriff, or 3.1 percent of his $62.8 million budget. The Hamiltoj County Court of Appeals had the highest percentage reduction onthe list, a $3,50p0 cut that represents 4.7 percenrt of its 2009 budget. Probation department, $302,876 (3.6 Commissioners and county administrator, $90,132 (3.3 percent); Auditor, $90,714 (3.5 percent); $400,726 (3.3 percent); Juvenile Court, $748,943 (2.
9 Clerk of Courts, $325,155 (2.6 percent); Countu facilities, $425,970 (1.5

Stocks Marginally Lower in Mid-Day Trading - Beacon Equity Research

2011-09-03T18:34:00.001-07:00

haga-aa8xuq.blogspot.com

Reuters Africa

Stocks Margin »

Chan Exits Sino-Forest 22 Years After Tiananmen 'Nightmare' - BusinessWeek

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

plesciamipukoa1855.blogspot.com

CTV.ca

Chan Exits Sino-Forest 22 Years After Tiananmen 'Nightmare'

BusinessWeek

30 (Bloomberg) -- »

Business sales plummet as owners hold on - Nashville Business Journal:

2011-08-28T04:00:00.001-07:00

zemlyanikiyri.blogspot.com
Business brokers say their busineses of connecting buyers and sellers is down by as much as 50 percenyt because of a lack of financinvg on the partof would-be and a desire to wait untip valuations are higher on the part of sellers. “Ifr you’re in business right now, you’re focuse d on surviving, not selling,” says Mike Handelsman, generalp manager of BizBuySell.com, an onlinse marketplace for ownersand brokers. “Onm the buy side, there are a lot of potential buyerds who may have lost their jobs and may be lookinv to getinto business.
But they’ved lost a lot of personal savings, so they have less capitao to invest, and there’s a liquidity crisis banks aren’t lending money unless you don’t need it.” Mike Hankins purchaser a WIN Home Inspection franchise througyh a broker about twoyeara ago. Hankins, a 25-year restaurant industry veterah whose last jobwas owner-operator of a Stoney River says he was looking for a businesws that would allow him to be home at

Lenovo to cut 450 jobs in China - Dallas Business Journal:

2011-08-25T22:00:00.001-07:00

awipekyhila.blogspot.com
The cuts amount to aboutr 2 percent of the total work forcwefor Lenovo, the world’s fourth largest computer maker. They come on top of a Januaryu announcement that the companty would aroundthe world. That round of cuts included a net reductiohn of 150 jobsin Morrisville, a move expected to be complets by the end of March. But the currenf cuts are just in Chinza and will not affectthe Triangle, spokesmajn Ray Gorman said Wednesday. The positions beinb cut in China are amongsuppor staff, Gorman says. Lenovo’s newest cost-cutting efforts come as the company strugglez to regain its footing in the global The company has faced slowing growth in the company’s biggest market.
Drastically reduced IT spending in the where Lenovo is still tryingg to grow its consumer footprint and stillk relies mostly onbusiness spending, also is hurting the Earlier this month, Lenovo said it in the quartef ending in December 2008. The company replacerd CEO Bill Amelio with company Chairmahn Yang Yuanqing and brought back company founder Liu Chuanzhias

Nuti: NCR to save millions with Georgia move - Pittsburgh Business Times:

2011-08-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.fantasypixgraphx.com/job-wrapping-service-for-job-boards-spidermount/
was as much about consolidationh and cost saving as it wasabout Georgia’ s $60 million incentive package, its demographics, infrastructuree and skilled workforce. The relocation will save the Fortune 500companyu “tens of millions of over the next NCR chief Bill Nuti told Atlanta Businessd Chronicle on Tuesday. NCR’s decision to locatse in Georgia, will bring more than 2,100 jobs includinb nearly 900 to a manufacturing operation in That facility, will be NCR’sx first manufacturing plant in the United States sincs the 1970s. NCR is consolidatinh corporate jobs from notjust Dayton, but from severalk other U.S. locations, Nuti said, declining to discloses the cities.
NCR will continu to employ less than 50in Dayton, where it will maintain a data centeer and sales and service operations. Atlanta’a academic institutions also helped win the NCR The company views schools like as a potentia labor pool and a partner for joint innovation and The region’s relatively robust economy, its supply chain logisticss infrastructure and corporate base, also helped win NCR “We looked at all of thesd factors and Georgia scored amongst the highes of all states,” Nuti said. Atlanta also got a littlse help from the economicallydepressee Midwest. “Recruitment has been difficult in Nuti said.
NCR’s move to the Southeast was also promptexby consolidation. “At the end of the day we reallty were a company that waswidely dispersed.” Nuti Since NCR’s 1997 spin-off from “the company was everywher and nowhere.” The compangy needed to consolidate into a singlw campus to improve collaboratiohn and productivity, he said. NCR’s executive however, will remain in Nuti confirmed. “That center surrounds our largesty and most major customers in the world in thebankingf industry,” he said. “That’s where we host many of our customers in the financialservices base.
”

Knowledge is Power Program has leaders for two new Phila. schools - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

2011-08-21T12:00:00.001-07:00

ra-iwinyro.blogspot.com
KIPP, which is based in New York and supportec by aSan Francisco-based foundation, said the openingsa will keep it on pace to run 10 schoolds in Philadelphia by 2016. KIPP has operateed KIPP PhiladelphiaCharter School, which served 330 students in grades five through eight, in Nort h Philadelphia since 2003. It plans to open , whic h also will serve students grades fivethrougb eight, with a class of 95 fift h graders in August. The group’s plan to expand in Philadelphiza is funded bya $4.6 million grant from the Broomfield, Colo.-basex , which describes itself as a social venture investment fund.
The educators enterinyg KIPP’s training program are Aaron who plans to open a new high andBen Speicher, who plans to open an elementary Bass has been a teacher at middl and high schools in Atlanta and was the upper schookl dean at KIPP Philadelphia Charter He has a bachelor’sd degree from Franklin & Marshall College and a master’s in education from Floridwa Atlantic University. Speicher most recently was a pre-kindergarten teacher and instructional coach atKIPP DC: LEAP Academt in Washington, D.C., and has taughft sixth grade at KIPP Philadelphia Charter He has a bachelor’as degree from Pomona College.
Bass and Speichedr took part in Teachfor America, a programn run by New York-based nonprofit Teacbh for America Inc. that recruits professionales and recent college graduatea to spend two years teaching in urbah andrural schools. Mike Feinberg and Dave the two teachers who started KIPP in 1994 in also participated in Teach for as did 70 percent of the trainin class that Bass and Speichertwill join. KIPP’s training progran is called the Fisher Fellowship afterGap Inc. co-founders Dorixs and Donald Fisher, who established it in partnershiop with KIPPin 2000.
It consists of five weeks of summerr study at New York University and fall residenciess atKIPP schools, after whichj participants return to their home areas to get theirr schools ready to open at the end of the

Grubb & Ellis promotes Johnson to co-CEO - Kansas City Business Journal:

2011-08-19T06:51:00.001-07:00

hundleyobajoji1908.blogspot.com
Founder and CEO Ted Murray said Tuesdaty that Bryan Johnson has been promoterd from presidentto co-CEO. Ed who was executive vice president, has been promoted to Murray said. “We wanted to try movintg people into positions ofmore leadership,” Murray “and Bryan (Johnson) and I identified Ed (Elder) as the logicapl candidate for president.” Elder, who has been with Grubb Ellis/The Winbury Group since 1995, specializes in industrial brokerage. Johnson, who has been with the companhsince 1984, the year it was is part of the brokerage’s tenant advisoryt group.
“We’ve been together so long that it’se just kind of to have Johnson asa co-CEO, Murray said. The company also has named CFO Mike Connas COO, Murray said. Conn will continue as CFO. Grubnb & Ellis/The Winbury Groupo ranks No. 5 on the Kansas City Business Journaol ’s list of area commercial realestate companies. It employs 105, including 32 brokers. The full-servicr firm was founded as the and became The Winbury Groupin 1989. It became a Grubv & Ellis affiliate in 1997.

First American affiliate buys Attleboro site - South Florida Business Journal:

2011-08-17T01:00:00.001-07:00

onesawava.wordpress.com
million. First American, on behalf of an bought a 5,650-square-foot building calle d Building 5 anda three-story manufacturing facility calles Building 12. The Attleboro Corporate Campus was previously owned and occupiecd by and isa 300-acre mixed-use office and industrial campuss located just off Interstate 95 in Attleboro. Building 12 is leased to as it’s global manufacturing Building 5 is leased to The BOCGroup Inc., a worldwidr distributor of industrial gases and its The Linde Group. Preferred Unlimited Inc. is a 15-year-oldd commercial real estate firm whicyh started as Preferred Real EstateInvestments Inc. The companyg is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pa.
First American Realty Inc. is a privately held investmenrt and management firm basedin Worcester, which acquires industrial and medicaol office properties.

Global recovery requires political courage - Financial Times

2011-08-14T19:34:00.001-07:00

amesit.wordpress.com

Global recovery requires political courage

Financial Times

However, the more serious malaise today is the lack of confidence in efforts by governments to address the structural problems that underpin weak growth, high unemployment and unsustainable fiscal balance sheets. Global co-ordination in the recovery is ...

and more »

EPA rule review likely to affect Hayward power project - San Francisco Business Times:

2011-08-12T14:17:00.001-07:00

http://featheredquill.com/reviews/childrens/anderson.shtml
“I think it’s very likely to affect the RusseloCity project,” said Paul Cort, a staff attorney for in which sued the EPA last year over the Each year of delay could add more than $10 milliohn to the cost of the according to one estimate. , which worked out a power-sale agreemen t with (NYSE: PCG) this month, is 65-percent owned by and 35-percent by a unit of Co. GE). The project which the developers hope will be finishexd in2012 — woulxd put a 600-megawatt power plant near the shore of San Franciscl Bay. After an approval process lastintg almostseven years, the developere got the California Energy Commission’s OK for the plant in late 2007.
Part of that approvakl came afterCalpine (NYSE: CPN), base in San Jose, agreed to buy credit for pollution from the plant by cutting pollutiomn in other parts of the Bay Area. But the Bay Area Qualitg Air District hasn’t yet blessed the powefr plant. Monday’s EPA decision adds another hoopthe project’s developerz will likely have to jump through. The three rulew on how particulate pollution was accountee forin permitting, passed durinhg President George W. Bush’s contained some exemptions that angeredenvironmental groups. The rulex concern so-called “fugitive emissions” — pollutiomn that comes from other placesthan smokestacks.
This new which invites new public follows the Earthjustice suit filedd on behalf of the and othee groupslast summer. Cort said his firm also petitioned the EPA to changde the exemptions to these rules at the same time it filefdit suit. Though an outgoing Bush administratiohn EPA official denied the petition on his last day in Cort said Earthjustice quickly filedx a new petition in February under thenew Monday’s decision by the EPA grantas the petition. The lawsuit is now on hold pendinfgfurther developments, Cort said.
Regulatory delays for powee projects add hugely to theifr costand uncertainty, say industry supporters, who generally favoe simplification of permitting requirements. William Ibbs, an engineering professor at , said cost overrunsw from construction and permit delays are likelyh to be passed on to the customers who ultimateluy pay for power froma “It’s going to come out of the ratepayer’s Ibbs said. Though no pric e for the project hasbeen given, Ibbs estimatedr that for a hypotheticap $100 million project, each year of delay adds $10 million to $15 millionn in costs due to interest payments, attorney fees and rises in labor and material costs.

Outlet malls push further into Chicago area, shoppers' routines - Chicago Tribune

2011-08-10T08:51:00.001-07:00

jabire2389.blogspot.com

Outlet malls push further into Chicago area, shoppers' routines

Chicago Tribune

Instead of planning a once-a-year excursion, consumers are increasingly making outlet malls a part of their shopping routine. The shift in shopping behavior comes as traditional regional shopping malls are struggling. And it is prompting retailers and ...

and more »

Studio helping clients see things clearer - bizjournals:

2011-08-08T03:00:00.001-07:00

http://satuchip.com/Privacy-Policy/
Turney is the lighting designeeat (LBD), a full-service lighting companyh he started with his Vanessa, in September 2007. They operate out of a 5,700-square-foof lighting studio with a showroom that atfirstg glance, looks like an art gallery. “Peoples mistake it for an art which is what we werehopinv for,” Turney says. “We believe the fixturee are a piece of artthat you’rwe hanging in your home. It’s an investment that is like a piecof art.” The Turneys travekl to New York for the industry tradeshow Vanessa adds, and scrub the markets in Dallas and elsewhere lookinh for the new trends and materials that usually find theier way to San Antonio much later.
“One of our customersx said it’s jewelry for the home,” she “We saw a need for professional lightiny in San Antonio that would meet the needaof high-end clientele. From the lates in lighting technology tonew high-enx product, we are constantly in search of what is excitiny so we can truly offer our clientd a wider range of products and LBD specializes in lighting design as well as lightinv control systems by Pennsylvania-based LBD provides distinctive fixtures for residentialp and commercial projects. The staff workxs directly with architects, builders, designer s and their clients to accomplish theifr goal of bringing conceptsz to lifethrough illumination.
Some of the builderw or architects LBD has worked with include Burdic kCustom Homes, Ray Stadler Custok Homes, A-Design by and Catherine Nored Architecture. “When we tell people about the company, we want to illuminat them,” says Sonia Garcia, lighting consultantg at LBD. “We’re all about This all starts with the initial consultation with theproject owner. During this time Turney and his stafff decide the lifestyle of the customed and what lighting needs wouldf best fit around their wayof living. They look for thingsz from general and task lighting to specialty art andindirecty lighting.
Then they manipulate the plans to give the electricalo contractor the documentation that is required to completse the job tothe specifications. Once the job is LBD provides onsite project management to help the contractor overcomre the hurdles that arise onevery job, for from what product to use and where to place that Once the electrical portion is finished, LBD providez the customer with a plan, showingg how the finished product will The customer then meets with LBD’es interior designers to select the perfect fixtures to complement the lighting Once the product is delivered and installed, LBD will do a finaol walk-through to make sure all of the components are in the correct place and properly lamped.
“We are always looking for ways to improvse our process to give the best possiblew experience toour customers,” Turney says. “We want to be the best at takingy care ofthat high-enc client.” Bill Rowsey, owner of real estate developmen company CRCP LLC, believes they have lived up to being the best of takinv care of their clients truly keeping a client’a interest in the project at heart. “Corey is a real competent, creative and really trustworthy,” Rowsey says. “He approachews things with a long-term perspective, not from just makintg the next sale.
I’ve found him to be fair and he’x got a great showroom with a lot ofqualitty brands. People will definitely be getting the best from Withtheir clients, Turney has found that there is a need for what they do becausde lighting is so detail-oriented and LBD wants to change people’xs minds about how they look at lighting. “When you walk in your room you want to feel so we want to help creats a lifestyle they were looking he says. “We want to show the very best of what lightinv hasto offer.” Turney grew up in the lightinfg business, as his parents own a lightiny business here called Turney Lighting.
He woule work there in the summers sweepingthe warehouse, moving boxea around and hanging fixturex on display. By the time he was in high schookl he was runningthe warehouse. His parentw now have a showroom in Boerne as well as an electricall shop off ofLoop 1604. While Turneu and his wife worked athis parents’ business together for a time, they both had a deep desir e to service clients in a different manner. “We saw the market shiftingv and truly desired to put our passiojnto work, even though at the time we weren’t sure how that was goin to happen,” Vanessa says.
“The amount of supporrt from industry professionals who see what we are doingh hasbeen amazing, and our business success is only made possiblde by them.” When LBD consulted with new or potentialo clients they often heard of their desire for more customizeed choices and how important it was to find a lighting company that woul be involved in the design from start to not just simply sell a “The biggest plus is they offer a selection of lighting fixtures that can’t be founc anywhere in San the closest is Dallas,” says Scotgt Kirk, who was one of LBD’s firsg clients. “They offer personalized servic and a unique selectiobn oflight quality.
” “Our clientele was reaching out to Houston and Austinn or Dallas for lighting Vanessa says. “We felt that San Antoniop residents should be able to have accesse to the services they were lookingfor LBD’s revenue in 2008 was $630,000 and they are projected to triplee that revenue this year, providex the economy continues to climb steadily, Turney says. “I wantedf to create something that I could bring out the creativity in peoplr and even out of Turney says. “I didn’ft want to be held back from something that woulde benefitthe customers, myself and this It gives us an opportunit y to do something we couldn’ft do anywhere else.
”

Pepco seeks $254M in stimulus money - Washington Business Journal:

2011-08-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.illinois-home.com/society-and-culture-personal-pages.html
the mid-Atlantic and New Jersey. The grants, if approved, woulfd come from the Department of Energy undefr the American Recovery and Revitalization Act Smart Grid InvestmenyGrant Program. Pepco is seeking the largest funding for smartfgrid technology, $142 million, to help pay for advancef metering, distribution automation and direct load equipmentr in the District and Maryland. Pepco’s Delmarvaz Power, which has customerse in Maryland and isseeking $93 million in smartf grid grants for similar upgrades. Pepco’es Atlantic City Electric, with customerse in Southern New Jersey, will apply for $19 million.
“Everyy dollar we obtain from the federal governmenf offsets the cost customers would otherwise pay to make thesse important improvements tothe system,” said Pepco Regiob president Thomas Graham in a statement. The amountss requested would pay for half of the totak costof upgrades, the maximum possible under the grant program, Pepco said. Pepcp (NYSE: POM) follows Baltimore Gas Electric, which is applying for $200 million in smart grid stimuluws funds. Dominion Power is also seekingt $200 million in stimulus grants to install smarft meters in each ofits territory’ws 2.
3 million homes and businesses by 2012, two years earlier than originallyg planned when the Virginia utilityh first announced its $600 million smart grid plan last year. In a separate electric utility studuy whose results werereleased Thursday, Pepco had the highesg jump of any utility nationwide in customerd satisfaction from last year to this year, going from an 11th placr ranking to fourth place amontg 17 large utilites in the eastern which covers Maryland and D.C.
In that same BG&E ranked as the 15th Though, Pepco scored one pointy shy of the national average in customerreviews -- which througjh online interviews, rated the utilitiesd on power quality, grid reliability, price, billing, corporate citizenship, communicationd and customer service. Still, the local utility scored well abovr the easternregional average. Dominion Virginia Power ranked nintbh this year among 13largse utilites, earning one more point than the nationa l average, but scoring below the high regional averagre in the southern region, which includesw Virginia.

Mind over matter: What recession? - Houston Business Journal:

2011-07-28T00:51:00.001-07:00

http://arkanbopur.wordpress.com/
If only it were that It seems like everh time there is some good news you haveto admit, there’s been more of it latelyy — we get hit with another dose of realityu just a day later. And the realityt is still not good. There are undoubtedlyy some data suggesting that economicconditionsa have, if nothing else, bottomesd out. One economist used this metaphor: If the economy were a perso falling down anelevator shaft, the free-fall has slowedc down a bit. Ouch. But mixef economic reports are creating something of a dizzyingmentall game.
My psyche just can’tt handle the yo-yo trajectory of the news Just when you think it is safe to come from behinsd yourbunker — err, desk some government economic statistics agency has to go and put out a report dashingg our hopes. Government bureaucrats love todo that. Ever invite one to a party ? Course not. They stand in the corner all night sippingg a Tom Collins and tryinv to interest your guests in chitchat abouty Excel spreadsheets andthe like. I was prett y exited earlier this montn when the stock market had posted quite afew gains. Then a reportt on retail sales in April was worsethan expected. The stockk market fell back again.
Don’t even get me startexd on homesales reports. Another day, another report. On our Web site one day in May, we had two conflictingt headlines about the residential realestate market. They were from two differenrt reports measuring twodifferent things, but theirf discrepancies sure didn’t help me understand the markert any better. Who can keep the the Realtors, the existing-home sales or the new-home sales reportsz straight? The same goes for unemployment. In any given month, we get no fewer than three unemploymenr reports. BLS — that’s the Bureau of Labodr Statistics — issues separate figures for Maryland, Virginiw and D.C.
Then it issuesw yet another figure for the Both figures lag behind thenational number, so most peoples end up comparing apples-to-oranges when they try to talk intelligentl y at networking events. If you need somethingg intelligentto say, just repeat that employment is a laggingy indicator. This recovery, at leastf in the beginning, is likely to be a one. In January 2008, our former editor, Mike used this space to lament the dela in officially declaring the recession that we all knewwas “We want our recession and we want it Mills wrote. But even in the face of mounting evidencre ofa downturn, President Bush refused to recognize how poor the economyy was. Why? Psychology.
Both W and his dad took the same Don’t ask, don’t tell. Like any they knew there would be no escaping a downturj once the leader of the free worldacknowledgex it. W didn’t use the R word untill after the National Bureau ofEconomic Research, a nonprofirt economists group in Cambridge, Mass., said in Decemberr that the recession had actually starte d a year earlier. That was nearly a mont after theNovember election. Then there’s President Barack Obama. Notice how positive his tone has been aboutfthe economy, mere months aftee taking office amid the worst economid crisis since the Great Depression?
News came May 26 that one leadingg indicator, consumer confidence, soared in May to its highest poin since September, and we all know what happenedr in the dark days of If that’s not a psychological I don’t know what is. So how do we keep it going ? We want our recovery and we wantit now. All togethetr now: I think we can. I thino we can. It’s worth giving it a try.

BofA under fire from SEIU, consumer groups - New Mexico Business Weekly:

2011-07-25T18:51:00.001-07:00

http://stonegables.net/bedroomsandrates.html
The criticism comes from the , which is trying to organize the bank’s workforce, alonh with the and the . They said that BofA pressuref workers to meet sales quotas thatburdened customers, especially amonfg the working class, with costlgy and unnecessary products. “The SEIU’s claims misrepresengt Bank of America’s relationship with its customerds andits associates,” responded Anne a spokeswoman for N.C.-based BofA (NYSE:BAC).
Some of the practices beingb criticized, such as courting those at embassies to sign up for checking accounts andother products, has long been seen as savvyh move by major banks to reach out to Another area of criticism by the groups Tuesday involvefd debt collection. One former BofA employee said the bank falsely threatenedxlegal action, in violation of federal law. The former employew also said the bank called neighbors of troubled asking them to delivert a message to the BofA customer and hoping to embarrass them. “We will not comment on specificv allegations made byformer associates, but will say that our practicees are fair,” BofA’s Pace said.
“Thre bank is committed to providing products and services to all of our customersa to help them meet theirfinancial

Mikulski seeks $20M for Maryland BRAC transportation needs - Baltimore Business Journal:

2011-07-23T12:34:00.001-07:00

zvonkovaleoqim.blogspot.com
The money, $5 million would pay for transportation upgradew by FortGeorge G. Meadd in Anne Arundel County, Aberdeen Proving Grounsd in Harford County, the National Naval Medical Center inMontgomert County, and Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County. Between them, the siteas are slated to absorbsome 25,00p0 military jobs under the federal Base Realignmentf and Closure plan. But the economy has put a sever e damper onthe state’z ability to fund the $1.3 billion in planned road improvements around those bases.
“My promises made to BRAC-impacted communities are promises kept,” Mikulski, said in a Mikulski is seeking the funds from the federal 2010Senat Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations “It’s my job to put money in the federal checkbooko where there is a federapl responsibility, but not enough funding. BRAC brings great opportunities, but it also bring s great challenges.” The bill must be passed by the Housed and Senate and signed into law by President Barack Obama beforre the money would be made availableeto Maryland.

North Myrtle Beach has its fill of holes - Myrtle Beach Sun News

2011-07-21T06:17:00.001-07:00

elzeyfirekuut1795.blogspot.com

Myrtle Beach Sun News

North Myrtle Beach has its fill of holes

Myrtle Beach Sun News

"The continuing trend toward deeper, wider, longer holes that are left unfilled after people leave the beach creates a new and very real risk scenario that the new "dig a hole, fill a hole" law can work to minimize," according to city spokesman Pat ...

and more »

KHON2 owner files for bankruptcy - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

2011-07-19T00:17:00.001-07:00

lebexab.wordpress.com
Atlanta-based , which owns 14 stationsw acrossthe U.S., filed for Chaptet 11 reorganization in Delaware in an effort to refinance $410 millioh in debt. The company, whose biggest market is Ore., said the bankruptcy is meaning it expects to complet a deal with its lenderxs quickly and that the move will have no impact on KHON or any of itsotherd stations. "Despite the Hawaii advertising marketplacedbeing down, KHON2 is still weatherinv the downturn better than most and has planes in place for major upgrade its news set, on-air graphic and newsgathering facilities," said KHON President and General Manage r Joe McNamara. KHON has 77 employees.
that a group of lenderds who holdabout $270 milliob in debt plan to form a company that will take over NV’sx operations. The lenders have agreed to providee $30 million in new money to cover the cost of the bankruptcy andcontinuing operations. from the Montecito Broadcastr Groupof California. Montecito bought the statiom in 2005.

Clear Channel parent posts 1Q loss on revenue decline - Phoenix Business Journal:

2011-07-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

bacijaxymu.wordpress.com
(OTC BB:CCMO), formed when private equity firmsz Bain Capital andThomas H. Lee Partner s acquired San Antonio-based Clear Channel last said Monday that itlost $418.2 millionb in the first three months of the Clear Channel a year ago earnedd $799.6 million. Revenue in the quarter fell 23 percenytto $1.2 billion from $1.56 billion. The biggestr decline came for Cleatr Channel’s outdoor advertising segment, a separate publicluy traded company, which saw revenue fall by a quarterto $582.2w million. (NYSE:CCO), majority-owned by CC Media, told investorsz that it lost $87.9 million, or 25 cents a during the quarter. That compares with profit of $88.9 or 25 cents a share, a year ago.
CC Medias during the quarter moved to cut costsby $350 milliom annually under a restructuring program that included 1,850 job cuts in Januaruy and a 590-worker cut last month. The company expectsw the cost savings to be in full by April 2010 and has cutnearlyg $34 million in expenses so far. Clear Channel owns 80 radi o stationsin Ohio, seven of which are in with 11 others in areas around Central Ohio.

Bay Area names top stimulus priorities - San Francisco Business Times:

2011-07-14T10:34:00.001-07:00

obesonuqa.wordpress.com
Projects ranked among the highest in the plan coved a wide range of proposalsincluding high-speesd rail construction, extending the BART line to San Jose and borinfg another roadway in the East Bay’sw Caldecott Tunnel. Together, the highest-priority projects are seeking morethan $7 billiom in stimulus money. The priority list also includess a new stem cell research facility at the in Marin energy efficiency and solar retrofits of publicd and other buildings in San San Franciscoand Oakland; energ y conversions to LED streetlights; transit-oriented developmenyt projects and workforce training and placement for laid-off “This plan is designed to maximize our region’w share of federal stimulus funding and other stater support that will benefit the Bay Area in both the near and said Sean Randolph, CEO of the , which was chargedr with compiling the list.
The top 85 projecta were classifiedas “strategic” priorities for the Bay Another 72 projects were consideredd “significant” but given a slightly lowefr ranking because they did not have the scale or regiona l impact of the most highly ranked Those projects include things like a desalination projecgt in the Montara Water and Sanitary building a clean technology demonstration manufacturing cented in San Jose and outfitting Burlingame city buildingsz with solar panels. The plan, whichg can be found onlinee at www.bayareaeconomy.org/recovery, was the culmination of a three-month vetting process. The reporr was sent to the .
That state which requested that other metropolita regions around the state submitfsimilar plans, will now take all those plands and help coordinate with cities and countiesw to lobby the federal government on behalf of certain projects. “This is to get people on the same page to minimizd the food fight where you have parts of the state competes againstone another,” said Dale Bonner, head of the California Busines Transportation and Housing Agency. “What we’re doing is actint as a facilitator to help identifyythe best” projects. The list’s authors said they hoped that rankinvg projects would help the region get morestimulues money.
“The Bay Area is the only region in Californiaa that actually attemptedto prioritize,” Randolph “We think that’s important. We think that will make us more successfull ingetting attention, in gettinf those resources for those very high valuw projects.” Projects on the Economic Institute’sx wish list could be in for a big payoff. About $30 billion in federal stimulus money will be divvied up in Sacramenti before going to various regionszaround California. Another $20 billion is expected to be distributed directlyy in the state by federalo officials on adiscretionary basis.
The chancr to get dollars from the federal stimulus program led to a flurry of proposals. Bay Area authoritiew sifted through almost570 suggestions. To make the cut, projects were supposeds to spurjob growth, have regional impacrt and align with state programs and among other criteria. The Economic Institute callefd upon local experts in specific fields to judge proposalss that fit at least one ofseven transportation, water, energy/climate, workforce training and education, businesz development, science and innovationj or housing. The vast majorityh of projects that made it to theEconomic Institute’s shor t list were from government agencies.
A rangwe of companies sought federal stimulus, too, saying that their service would help boost the broader For example, a Berkeley-base firm called Picture it Sold sought stimulus moneyt to franchise its home-staginvg business. “We’re ready to move ahead with this plan the company wrote inits proposal, “and we’ll help thousandss of families and the whole economy to The company’s idea did not make the Economic Institute’ss highest priority cut.
But an appendix to the Economicd Institute’s wish list includes every proposalit

Treasury limits bonuses at TARP recipients - Portland Business Journal:

2011-07-12T03:34:00.001-07:00

husydow.wordpress.com
The new rules encourage thesr companies to award executives stock that must be held for a long periode of timeand can’t be entirelt converted to cash until the TARP money is repaide to the government. This, the department contends, will align incentives with those of shareholders and Kenneth Feinberg, a mediator who led the September 11th Victim Compensatio n Fund, will review payment and compensation plans at companiesd that have received “exceptional assistance,” including AIG, Bank of America, Chrysler, General GMAC and Chrysler Financial.
TARP recipients also must allo w shareholders to vote on executive compensation They also must disclose any perksx worth morethan $25,000 made to highluy compensated employees and justify the benefit. The rules prohibit companies fromproviding “gross-up” payments to seniore executives to cover taxes due on perks. Treasurgy Secretary Tim Geithner said the Obama administration also supportse legislation that would requirre all public companies to give shareholdersa non-binding vote on executive compensation packages.
Congresxs also should give the Securities and Exchanged Commission the power to make compensation committees more similar to standards in place for audit committees established bythe Sarbanes-Oxlegy Act. Geithner blamed executive compensation practices asa “contributinv factor” for the financial crisis. “Incentive for short-term gains overwhelmed the checks and balancea meant to mitigate against the risk ofexcess leverage,” he said. But, he added, “We are not cappinhg pay. We are not setting forth precisee prescriptions for how companies should set which can oftenbe counterproductive.
we will continue to work to develop standardsa that reward innovation andprudeny risk-taking, without creating misaligned incentives.”

Will and Kate Receive Royal Treatment At Cocktail Reception - Entertainment Tonight News

2011-07-09T20:17:00.001-07:00

http://stonegables.net/bedroomsandrates.html

Entertainment Tonight News

Will and Kate Receive Royal Treatment At Cocktail Reception

Entertainment Tonight News

Prince William and Kate Middleton were officially welcomed to California on Friday at a cocktail reception at the United Kingdom's Consul-General's residence in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles. After being introduced to the ...

and more »

MICA making a strong impression - Baltimore Business Journal:

2011-07-07T12:34:00.001-07:00

kowutoco.wordpress.com
It houses MICA graduate programs andstudiop space, and provides free space to four arts-related nonprofits: Maryland Lawyers for the Arts, the , Arts Everyt Day, and “MICA has been a membed of the board sincw the beginning. They play a critical role by offering us complementary incubatorofficw space,” said David Bielenberg, executive director of Station North Arts & Entertainment Inc.
Thosee close to the source, like Nanch Harrigan, the executive director of the Greater BaltimoreCultural Alliance, credif MICA’s community outreach to the “generositt and ever-evolving vision” of longtime head A new building at MICA housews the tools students need to attain job opportunities in cutting-edgre fields. A 61,410-square-foot, five-storh contemporary structure, the $17 million Brownh Center is MICA’s first newly constructed academicd building in almost100 years. A $6 millionj gift — the largest ever — from Eddise and Sylvia Brown helped fundthe building.
Inside, students in MICA’s Video, Interactive Design, Animation, and Graphic Designn departments hone modern techniques in digital art and From there, they can apply these sought-after skillsz in one of the region’s growing industries: the gaminyg industry. Just ask Greg Foertsch, a 1995 MICA graduate, an adjunctg instructor at MICA and creative team member atFiraxis Games. When he startede working for gaming industry giant Microprosre fifteenyears ago, “iyt was the only show in town.” That’s changed As of 2006, Maryland boastef 12 entertainment software companies valued at $119.9 according to the Entertainment Software Association.
Firaxis launches in 1996 with six artists, four from Within the past the company has grown from 65 employeesto 118. As the gamint industry grows, Foertsch and fellow MICA graduateDavid Inscore, founder and studii art director of Timonium-based Big Huge Games, have been workingg with their alma mater to explorew adding classes in 3-D animation techniques that will give MICA students an edge in the gaminyg and entertainment industries. But they won’t replace MICA’xs roots. “The concept remains the important part getting kids to understand how to be creativproblem solvers, which is what all artists are.
The technologu just makes it easier for them to dotheir work,” Foertscg said.

Target's Q1 profit beats estimates - Triangle Business Journal:

2011-07-05T05:00:00.001-07:00

milicinodijoo1981.blogspot.com
The Minneapolis-based retailer, which has more than a dozen locationx inthe Raleigh-Durham reported net earnings of $522 million, or 69 centse per share, for the quarter endexd May 2. That’s down from $602 or 74 cent per in the comparable quarterlast year. Analysts surveyed by had projectee earnings of 59 centsper share. Target’sd total revenue came in at $14.83 billion for the first up 0.2 percent from $14.8 billion a year ago. Storer sales increased 0.4 percent, to $14.36 billion, as new store growth offset a 3.7 percent decline in same-storee sales. Credit card revenue declineed 5.7 percent, to $472 million.
In a statement, Targegt Chairman, President and CEO Gregg Steinhafel said storse performance improved thanks to strong food and commodity salesx andreduced expenses. The credit card meanwhile, were “stable, profitable and consistent with our he said. “Very importantly, we believer this improved stability and predictability in key aspectes of both our retail and credit card segmentds reflects the resilience of our strategy and underscores our abilithy to generate substantial value for our shareholders over Steinhafel said.
At the end of the first Target (NYSE: TGT) operated 1,698 stores in 49