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.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
BofA under fire from SEIU, consumer groups - New Mexico Business Weekly:
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
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
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Mikulski seeks $20M for Maryland BRAC transportation needs - Baltimore Business Journal:
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.
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.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
North Myrtle Beach has its fill of holes - Myrtle Beach Sun News
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 ... |
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
KHON2 owner files for bankruptcy - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
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.
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.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Clear Channel parent posts 1Q loss on revenue decline - Phoenix Business Journal:
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.
(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.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bay Area names top stimulus priorities - San Francisco Business Times:
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
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
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