axilecyqih.wordpress.com
But getting rid of patients once they’re well enougbh to leave can be the University ends up with a number of patientsd from Kentuckyand Indiana. Sometimes they’re injurex or become ill whilein Cincinnati; other times they’rs referred. The issues arise when such patientss are medically cleared for release from acute care but have no insurancr and need continuing care such as in anursint home. Often, because of Kentucky and University is stuck with officials with thehospital say. “Ir truly is a misuse of Ohio resourcesx by statesthat don’ty seem to be taking care of theirt own,” said Lee Ann Liska, executivse director of University Hospital.
“It’s creating a little bit of ill will betweejnthe states.” The hospital is on track to rack up 300 “avoidable days” involving 50 out-of-statde patients this fiscal year, officials said. Last year, it had 135 days with 37 The true numbers are probablh double ortriple those, Liska said, because doctors are reluctant to give the all-cleadr until they know a patient has a discharge Costs typically run $1,000 to $1,500o a day per patient.
Elizabeth spokeswoman for , said that when Indiana Medicaideis approved, it is retroactivew three months, so that “if Medicaid applicatiojn is made at the time of there should be no issue with payment for “Indiana has never refused to pay a legitimate claimj for a member,” she said. “The hospitall can facilitate this for Indiana patients and can be assuredx they will be reimbursed if the individual isfounx eligible.” In the past, patients hospitalizexd in Ohio for more than 30 days could often sign up for .
But changees starting in July 2008 have made that Kentucky and Indiana do notoffer “pendinb numbers” for Medicaid applicants, Universit y said, and take several months longefr to process applications than Ohio. Kentuck y tightly controls nursing home beds and licenses few forMedicaid patients, making it hard to dischargd there, according to hospitalo officials. “You have an uninsuredc patient occupying an acute bed which they nolonger need, whichy means we can’t get the next Hamilton Countt patient in,” said Liska. One Indianqa patient stayed 115 according toUniversity officials.
Kentucky officiales said its nursing homex accept patients with Medicaixd applicationsin process. “We’re not aware of anythintg that would be a barriee to returning citizens back to Kentucky toa long-term facility,” said Betsy Johnson, commissioneer of . She said she hadn’ty heard from University. “They’re a very important provideer for the KentuckyMedicaid program,” she said. “We’d be more than happyu to talk.” Trauma is the most commoj reason patients find themselvexs in limboat University. Sometimes, however, they arrive througu referrals whenthey can’t get problems resolved in their home state.
Othedr factors: homelessness, alcoholism and psychiatric And, of course, lack of And facilities equipped tohandle high-needse patients, such as those with are few. Sometimes Universituy offloads patients tothe , a fellow hospital that providess medically complex and rehabilitative care. It also triess more creative solutions. Case managers might make 15 to 30 callsdto facilities, but nursing homes are loathe to take assuming they won’t get paid until the patient gets on said Peggy Sogar, director of social work for the hospital. Sometimesw family members provide home Or case managers suggest moving to Ohio to wait outresidenchy requirements.
“We put tremendous pressure on familiez to come up witha solution,” Sogaer said. University officials are hoping fora high-level solutiojn – a meeting of the governors.Until then, they’rwe looking more closely at who gets in. “Idf we have the right level of care, we try to managde them,” Sogar said. “We’re more carefully lookin at access points, including outpatient clinics and transfers.
”
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Freedom From Cords: Tenqa REMXD Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones - Wired News
tatyanagepoji.blogspot.com
Freedom From Cords: Tenqa REMXD Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones Wired News The headphones have an off/on switch, volume switch, play/pause button, phone button (for use with cell phones), and a place for the charging cord. The volume switch also doubles as a skip track switch. The headphones fit snugly on your head and won't ... |
Saturday, April 14, 2012
New state business group forms - Baltimore Business Journal:
authors-morphology.blogspot.com
The council said it intends to work with elected officials and policy makers to developa pro-employment agenda. Council members include, , , , , , , and Madison'ds . “When we talk about how we can sustai n our qualityof life, we’re realluy talking about the need to establish a betteer business climate, one that opens the door to innovation and employment,” said Phil Prange, the council’d president and chief executive officer and owner of consulting firm . “The Wisconsin Businessw Council was established because we believer there are mutually beneficial solutions to the challenges weface today," Prangew said.
"If the currenyt economic downturn has made onething clear, it’s that a flourishingt private sector is critical for family-supporting jobs and a robustg tax base.” Scott VanderSanden, the council’s chairman and presidentf of AT&T Wisconsin, says more must be done to energizr and advance efforts that promote Wisconsijn as a good place to live and do “As the nation’s economy begins to smart businesses will be looking for opportunitiesw to resume growth,” VanderSanden “We need to make sure Wisconsin’z business climate and policieas welcome new investment and encourag e job creation.
We need to send a strong signal that Wisconsij is a place where businesses can grow and prospe r during the next business cyclsand beyond.” Members of the council say the organization’s optimistic outlook and proactivde stance will lead to a constructive dialogue among electe officials, legislative leaders, policy experts and members of the generakl public. Ultimately, however, the council’s private sector supporterz will be looking forreal results.
“Ouer future vitality requires a comprehensivr strategy that recognizes the broad nature of our existing economic base and the unique strengthes of ourwork force,” said Jim Senty, a member of the council’s advisory who also serves as president of Midwest Natural Gas, of La and chairman of Park Bank, of Madison. “At the same we need to be realistic about areas where our performance needs improvement and devise effectivre strategies to achieve new levelseof success.
” Marc Marotta, a member of the Wisconsi n Business Council’s board of directorse and former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of said the state is fortunate because of the diverse naturr of its industries, ranging from manufacturing and agricultures to insurance, health care and retail. However, the state’s work forcw lags the national average in the percentagde of workers with advanced degrees and also fallsx below average in the numbeer of workers employed in whatthe U.S.
Department of Laboer classifiesas high-technology “The Wisconsin Business Council wants to give voicre to these issues, whilre engaging leaders throughout the statw in an aggressive search for solutions,” said “From our solid K–12 schoolsd and higher education system to our technical colleges and apprenticee training programs, we have many of the key buildinhg blocks in place. At the same time, it’s clear more must be done to preserver these assets and establish a more vibrantbusinessa climate.
”
The council said it intends to work with elected officials and policy makers to developa pro-employment agenda. Council members include, , , , , , , and Madison'ds . “When we talk about how we can sustai n our qualityof life, we’re realluy talking about the need to establish a betteer business climate, one that opens the door to innovation and employment,” said Phil Prange, the council’d president and chief executive officer and owner of consulting firm . “The Wisconsin Businessw Council was established because we believer there are mutually beneficial solutions to the challenges weface today," Prangew said.
"If the currenyt economic downturn has made onething clear, it’s that a flourishingt private sector is critical for family-supporting jobs and a robustg tax base.” Scott VanderSanden, the council’s chairman and presidentf of AT&T Wisconsin, says more must be done to energizr and advance efforts that promote Wisconsijn as a good place to live and do “As the nation’s economy begins to smart businesses will be looking for opportunitiesw to resume growth,” VanderSanden “We need to make sure Wisconsin’z business climate and policieas welcome new investment and encourag e job creation.
We need to send a strong signal that Wisconsij is a place where businesses can grow and prospe r during the next business cyclsand beyond.” Members of the council say the organization’s optimistic outlook and proactivde stance will lead to a constructive dialogue among electe officials, legislative leaders, policy experts and members of the generakl public. Ultimately, however, the council’s private sector supporterz will be looking forreal results.
“Ouer future vitality requires a comprehensivr strategy that recognizes the broad nature of our existing economic base and the unique strengthes of ourwork force,” said Jim Senty, a member of the council’s advisory who also serves as president of Midwest Natural Gas, of La and chairman of Park Bank, of Madison. “At the same we need to be realistic about areas where our performance needs improvement and devise effectivre strategies to achieve new levelseof success.
” Marc Marotta, a member of the Wisconsi n Business Council’s board of directorse and former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of said the state is fortunate because of the diverse naturr of its industries, ranging from manufacturing and agricultures to insurance, health care and retail. However, the state’s work forcw lags the national average in the percentagde of workers with advanced degrees and also fallsx below average in the numbeer of workers employed in whatthe U.S.
Department of Laboer classifiesas high-technology “The Wisconsin Business Council wants to give voicre to these issues, whilre engaging leaders throughout the statw in an aggressive search for solutions,” said “From our solid K–12 schoolsd and higher education system to our technical colleges and apprenticee training programs, we have many of the key buildinhg blocks in place. At the same time, it’s clear more must be done to preserver these assets and establish a more vibrantbusinessa climate.
”
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Pakistan reveals soft side to India with trade show - Reuters
ishinlyuboqemija.blogspot.com
Pakistan reveals soft side to India with trade show Reuters By Matthias Williams and Annie Banerji | NEW DELHI (Reuters) - From gourmet chefs to fashion houses showcasing muslin suits on the catwalk, Pakistan will unveil a trade fair in New Delhi on Thursday to reveal a soft side to traditional foe India as ... |
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
To Recline or Not Recline - CNBC.com (blog)
yqyqynesara.blogspot.com
To Recline or Not Recline CNBC.com (blog) If the seat has a button allowing you to recline, isn't it an unspoken right? Personally, I do think of it as a right and as someone who reclines on most of my flights. I do it with conscious consideration of the person sitting behind me. |
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Employee compensation averages $29.39 an hour - Dayton Business Journal:
edovogopu.wordpress.com
Of that, wages and salaries averagef $20.49, accounting for 69.7 percent of costs. which averaged $8.90, accounted for the remaining 30.3 percent of the cost for state and localgovernment workers. The amounty spent on costs for legallyrequirefd benefits, including Social Security, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation, averaged $2.28 an Employer costs for health, and disability insurance benefits averaged $2.52, while paid leavew benefits (vacations, holidays, sick leave and personal averaged $2.08. Retirement and savingss benefitsaveraged $1.31 per hour worked. Amonhg the four regions, costs for health-insurance benefits ranged from $1.7 an hour in the South to $2.
29i in the Northeast. Health-insurance costs were $2.1e3 in the Midwest and $2.05 in the West.
Of that, wages and salaries averagef $20.49, accounting for 69.7 percent of costs. which averaged $8.90, accounted for the remaining 30.3 percent of the cost for state and localgovernment workers. The amounty spent on costs for legallyrequirefd benefits, including Social Security, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation, averaged $2.28 an Employer costs for health, and disability insurance benefits averaged $2.52, while paid leavew benefits (vacations, holidays, sick leave and personal averaged $2.08. Retirement and savingss benefitsaveraged $1.31 per hour worked. Amonhg the four regions, costs for health-insurance benefits ranged from $1.7 an hour in the South to $2.
29i in the Northeast. Health-insurance costs were $2.1e3 in the Midwest and $2.05 in the West.
Friday, April 6, 2012
FESTIVALS: Tips for surviving Coachella, Stagecoach - Press-Enterprise
eragywaqer.wordpress.com
Press-Enterprise | FESTIVALS: Tips for surviving Coachella, Stagecoach Press-Enterprise Concertgoers cool off in the Do LaB during the Coachella V » |
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Rendell proposes personal income tax hike - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:
vykyvimote.wordpress.com
The increase would bring the taxto 3.57 but state law would require it to retur to 3.07 percent after three according to a release from the governor'ds office. Rendell said the temporary increase woulf raiseapproximately $1.5 billion per year in new A temporary tax has been implementer successfully to address a fiscal crisis in Pennsylvanis on three prior the governor's office said. Even with the , the state is more than $1 billion short of balancing its budget by the end of thegovernor said. Raising the incomde tax would be preferable to the Rendell said. “The simple truth is we have no good he said.
“There are no shortcuts out of this crisis, no magi c bullets, no painless path out of this We can do the easy thingy for the moment or the right thingfor Pennsylvania’s future. The fairestg plan is to spread the pain acrosssthe board, and let our economic recovery begin.”
The increase would bring the taxto 3.57 but state law would require it to retur to 3.07 percent after three according to a release from the governor'ds office. Rendell said the temporary increase woulf raiseapproximately $1.5 billion per year in new A temporary tax has been implementer successfully to address a fiscal crisis in Pennsylvanis on three prior the governor's office said. Even with the , the state is more than $1 billion short of balancing its budget by the end of thegovernor said. Raising the incomde tax would be preferable to the Rendell said. “The simple truth is we have no good he said.
“There are no shortcuts out of this crisis, no magi c bullets, no painless path out of this We can do the easy thingy for the moment or the right thingfor Pennsylvania’s future. The fairestg plan is to spread the pain acrosssthe board, and let our economic recovery begin.”
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Exact to raise $8.2M, signs MAYO deal - Boston Business Journal:
mozybyd.wordpress.com
million through a private stock sale and that it inkesd a licensing deal for exclusive rightsto cancer-diagnostidc technologies developed by the for Medicak Education and Research. The company said it had commencede on June 11 the saleof 4.31 million shares of its commoh stock at a purchase price of $1.90 a Meanwhile, Exact (Nasdaq: EXAS), based in Marlborough, Mass., announcer a plan to acquire the worldwide licensing rights to the blood- or stool-based cancee diagnostics and screening technologies developed the MAYO which is based in Under the deals terms, Exact • make upfront paymentxs of $80,000 and a milestone fee of $250,0090 upon the commencement of certain clinical • pay a milestone fee of $500,000 if the approvesd any of the products covered by the agreement.
• pay a minimumk of $10,000 on the deal’s third anniversary • pay a minimumk royalty of $25,000 on the fourth anniversary of theagreemengt • support certain research projects to the tune of $500,000 — at a minimum in the agreement’s first Exact is also obligated to grant MAYO two warrantxs to purchase 1.25 million shares of its common The warrants have six-year terms and are exercisable at a prices of $1.90 per share, according to a regulatory filing.
million through a private stock sale and that it inkesd a licensing deal for exclusive rightsto cancer-diagnostidc technologies developed by the for Medicak Education and Research. The company said it had commencede on June 11 the saleof 4.31 million shares of its commoh stock at a purchase price of $1.90 a Meanwhile, Exact (Nasdaq: EXAS), based in Marlborough, Mass., announcer a plan to acquire the worldwide licensing rights to the blood- or stool-based cancee diagnostics and screening technologies developed the MAYO which is based in Under the deals terms, Exact • make upfront paymentxs of $80,000 and a milestone fee of $250,0090 upon the commencement of certain clinical • pay a milestone fee of $500,000 if the approvesd any of the products covered by the agreement.
• pay a minimumk of $10,000 on the deal’s third anniversary • pay a minimumk royalty of $25,000 on the fourth anniversary of theagreemengt • support certain research projects to the tune of $500,000 — at a minimum in the agreement’s first Exact is also obligated to grant MAYO two warrantxs to purchase 1.25 million shares of its common The warrants have six-year terms and are exercisable at a prices of $1.90 per share, according to a regulatory filing.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Museum puts on polo showcase in McFaddin - Victoria Advocate
igoeosysata1533.blogspot.com
Victoria Advocate | Museum puts on polo showcase in McFaddin Victoria Advocate Marcos Villanueva and Billy Mudra vie for the ball during the Polo at McFaddin benefit for the Nave Museum on Saturday, Mar. 31. TODD KRAININ/TKRAININ@VICAD.COM MCFADDIN - Even though polo is not synonymous with spring in South Texas, but Bob McCan can ... |
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sprint will release Palm Pre on June 6 - Kansas City Business Journal:
aplecheevlgupy.blogspot.com
The touch-screen smartphone, which has generated buzz since early this year despite release details beingkept secret, is viewesd as a crucial device for both Sprint (NYSE: S) and device-maketr Palm Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM), whicnh have struggled in their industries. The phone will cost $199.999 with a two-year service agreement and aftera $100 mail-ihn rebate, and be available in Sprint stores and at , , certai n stores and Sprint’s Web the Overland Park-based carrie said in a Tuesdayy release.
With Palm’s new webOS mobilr platform, the phone can integrate informatioj from multiple places intoone calendar, contactsz list or e-mail view, and support social, entertainment and personal data. “Thw argument that you need one phon for work and another phone for or that you have to make compromisees between business andlifestyle productivity, is Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said in the The phone will be paired with Sprint’s Everythin g Data plans, the release Accessories for the Pre include the Palm Touchstoner charging dock, a magnetic charger that doesn’t need to be plugged into the Sprint ranks No.
1 on the Kansaz City Business Journal ’s list of area publidc companies.
The touch-screen smartphone, which has generated buzz since early this year despite release details beingkept secret, is viewesd as a crucial device for both Sprint (NYSE: S) and device-maketr Palm Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM), whicnh have struggled in their industries. The phone will cost $199.999 with a two-year service agreement and aftera $100 mail-ihn rebate, and be available in Sprint stores and at , , certai n stores and Sprint’s Web the Overland Park-based carrie said in a Tuesdayy release.
With Palm’s new webOS mobilr platform, the phone can integrate informatioj from multiple places intoone calendar, contactsz list or e-mail view, and support social, entertainment and personal data. “Thw argument that you need one phon for work and another phone for or that you have to make compromisees between business andlifestyle productivity, is Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said in the The phone will be paired with Sprint’s Everythin g Data plans, the release Accessories for the Pre include the Palm Touchstoner charging dock, a magnetic charger that doesn’t need to be plugged into the Sprint ranks No.
1 on the Kansaz City Business Journal ’s list of area publidc companies.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
WJFK-FM 106.7 to flip from talk to sports - Washington Business Journal:
yjanebixe.wordpress.com
to a new sports format, dubbed 106.7 The Fan. The statio will serve as the flagship station forthe , and will air all regulaf and pre- and post-season games. It will also be home to NFL pickingup ’s play-by-play coverage. A formaft change of course meanstalenr changes. Staying put will be current morningshow "The Junkies," who will return to theier original moniker of "The Sportz Junkies." Moving into middays will be columnist Mike Wise with play-by-pla commentator Bill Rohland.
Following them in afternooj drive willbe “The Lavar Arrington Show with Chad The station’s Web site will also change to Not included on the new line-up is “The Mike O’Mears Show,” the syndicated spin-off of the long-time “Don Mike” show which originated from the station. “There’s no bettefr way to reach large numbers of male listenerzs than through exclusivesports programming,” CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason says in a statement. “We’rre seeing impressive ratings growth at a numbef of our stations and cliente continue to make big investments insports marketing.
”
to a new sports format, dubbed 106.7 The Fan. The statio will serve as the flagship station forthe , and will air all regulaf and pre- and post-season games. It will also be home to NFL pickingup ’s play-by-play coverage. A formaft change of course meanstalenr changes. Staying put will be current morningshow "The Junkies," who will return to theier original moniker of "The Sportz Junkies." Moving into middays will be columnist Mike Wise with play-by-pla commentator Bill Rohland.
Following them in afternooj drive willbe “The Lavar Arrington Show with Chad The station’s Web site will also change to Not included on the new line-up is “The Mike O’Mears Show,” the syndicated spin-off of the long-time “Don Mike” show which originated from the station. “There’s no bettefr way to reach large numbers of male listenerzs than through exclusivesports programming,” CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason says in a statement. “We’rre seeing impressive ratings growth at a numbef of our stations and cliente continue to make big investments insports marketing.
”
Monday, March 26, 2012
Southeast Symphony hosts trumpet virtuoso - Southeast Missourian
azajir.wordpress.com
Southeast Missourian | Southeast Symphony hosts trumpet virtuoso Southeast Missourian By Shay Alderman ~ Southeast Missourian World renowned trumpet player Allen Vizzutti rehearses with the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra on Sunday night inside the Bedell Performance Hall on the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University. |
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Statistics show French economy on the mend - MarketWatch
doqujamup.wordpress.com
Business Recorder | Statistics show French economy on the mend MarketWatch By William Horobin PARIS -- France's economy is showing signs of recovering from the turbulence of the euro-zone debt crisis, with business confidence jumping in March and revised forecasts from the national statistics bureau leading the government to ... French Finan ce Minister Raises Growth Forecasts |
Thursday, March 22, 2012
With voters' OK, municipalities have work to do on electricity deals - Chicago Tribune
stages-paddocks.blogspot.com
TribLocal | With voters' OK, municipalities have work to do on electricity deals Chicago Tribune Aggregation consultants argue that they can get even better deals by, in effect, buying power in bulk. Last year, 19 communities aggregated electricity and have reported supply rates 15 to 30 percent lower than ComEd's. The watchdog group Citizens ... 10 Things To Know About Electrical Aggregation Electricity referendum wins with healthy majority in River Forest |
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Berkeley
ekaterinaiuvo.blogspot.com
The projects are part of Berkeley’s move toward creating density, said Michael Caplan, Berkeley’ss economic development director. While residents pondedr issues like global climate change and population developers are moving forward to bring more housint near transportation centers and into itsdowntown “I can’t think of a time when we’ve had so much construction going on,” Caplan said. “We’re seeinb a number of genuinelyurban mixed-used projects that can help activatee districts and bring in more residents.
” Among the new Hudson McDonald, a Berkeley-based developer, has crews working on a 148-unirt apartment complex that will include a Tradeer Joe’s on its ground floor. The project, callecd the Old Grove, is at 1885 University Ave., near the core of Berkeley’w downtown area and close to SNK Realty’sd Arpeggio, a 143-unit condominium tower comprisedf of nine stories that is alsounder construction. “We provide a placr to live, but where you really live is inthe neighborhood,” said Chri Hudson, principal of Hudson McDonald, which has buil t more than 900 units in Berkeleyt in the last 25 years.
Also downtown, Freighy and Salvage Coffeehouse, a performancew venue specializing in folk andtraditional music, is building a new 18,000-square-foo t site that will make up part of Berkeley’es burgeoning arts district that also includes the and the . Freighrt and Salvage expects to debu its new homethis August. Besidea downtown, West Berkeley, the industrial part of is beginning to see new activityas well. Palo Alto-based is in the middlwe of constructinga 171-unit apartment building at the corneer of Fourth Street and University Avenuee near Interstate 80.
The site, callex 700 University, is close to an hub and an statiomn as well as one ofthe city’es major retail strips along Fourth “Berkeley is underserved with new (housing) product,” said John executive vice president of Essex. “And we’re buildinf out (our project) when costa are down. The cost to builcd now is significantly lower than if we had builtr it twoyears ago.” In additiohn to those projects, hoteliersw have poured about $40 million into revamping numeroua hotels, including Joie de Vivre’ss Durant, which underwent a $9 millionb makeover, and Hotel Shattuck, a boutique hotek reopening this month after a $15 million upgrade.
Berkeley’s entitlement process remains notoriously tough and generally taking three yearsor more. But the completionm of area plans around the city has opened the door by officiallyu identifying what the city would welcome and wherew it couldtake place. Caplan said the new constructiohn addresses severalcity needs: a growingh population, its goal to decrease global warming, avoidinvg sprawl and providing housing for lower-income workersa who commute into the city. “Are we growing for the sake of growing?? No,” he said. “A lot of peoples who grew up here can’t find places to live. A lot of peoplde who live in the hills want to sell their homex andlive downtown.
... Density can be good if it’sz done right.” Berkeley remains a difficult place to Hudson said, but the market is typically strong and steady. “Yoyu have to have faith in the underlying value of the he said. “You also have to buil projects thatmake sense.”
The projects are part of Berkeley’s move toward creating density, said Michael Caplan, Berkeley’ss economic development director. While residents pondedr issues like global climate change and population developers are moving forward to bring more housint near transportation centers and into itsdowntown “I can’t think of a time when we’ve had so much construction going on,” Caplan said. “We’re seeinb a number of genuinelyurban mixed-used projects that can help activatee districts and bring in more residents.
” Among the new Hudson McDonald, a Berkeley-based developer, has crews working on a 148-unirt apartment complex that will include a Tradeer Joe’s on its ground floor. The project, callecd the Old Grove, is at 1885 University Ave., near the core of Berkeley’w downtown area and close to SNK Realty’sd Arpeggio, a 143-unit condominium tower comprisedf of nine stories that is alsounder construction. “We provide a placr to live, but where you really live is inthe neighborhood,” said Chri Hudson, principal of Hudson McDonald, which has buil t more than 900 units in Berkeleyt in the last 25 years.
Also downtown, Freighy and Salvage Coffeehouse, a performancew venue specializing in folk andtraditional music, is building a new 18,000-square-foo t site that will make up part of Berkeley’es burgeoning arts district that also includes the and the . Freighrt and Salvage expects to debu its new homethis August. Besidea downtown, West Berkeley, the industrial part of is beginning to see new activityas well. Palo Alto-based is in the middlwe of constructinga 171-unit apartment building at the corneer of Fourth Street and University Avenuee near Interstate 80.
The site, callex 700 University, is close to an hub and an statiomn as well as one ofthe city’es major retail strips along Fourth “Berkeley is underserved with new (housing) product,” said John executive vice president of Essex. “And we’re buildinf out (our project) when costa are down. The cost to builcd now is significantly lower than if we had builtr it twoyears ago.” In additiohn to those projects, hoteliersw have poured about $40 million into revamping numeroua hotels, including Joie de Vivre’ss Durant, which underwent a $9 millionb makeover, and Hotel Shattuck, a boutique hotek reopening this month after a $15 million upgrade.
Berkeley’s entitlement process remains notoriously tough and generally taking three yearsor more. But the completionm of area plans around the city has opened the door by officiallyu identifying what the city would welcome and wherew it couldtake place. Caplan said the new constructiohn addresses severalcity needs: a growingh population, its goal to decrease global warming, avoidinvg sprawl and providing housing for lower-income workersa who commute into the city. “Are we growing for the sake of growing?? No,” he said. “A lot of peoples who grew up here can’t find places to live. A lot of peoplde who live in the hills want to sell their homex andlive downtown.
... Density can be good if it’sz done right.” Berkeley remains a difficult place to Hudson said, but the market is typically strong and steady. “Yoyu have to have faith in the underlying value of the he said. “You also have to buil projects thatmake sense.”
Saturday, March 17, 2012
By Design - Wichita Business Journal:
8511ysu.blogspot.com
Of course, Jajo isn’t an It’s a company name — , the advertising, marketing and public relations firm Randa foundec fiveyears ago. But Randa, in a roundaboutg way, describes Jajo as beinvg creative, different and smart. Randa holds the same “I was one of thos e kids that I knew what I wanted to be myentired life,” Randa says. He was awars of his creativity early in drawing and doodling througghis youth. Years later he told his fathed his plans to go to colleg e and make moneybeing creative. His father didn’g discourage him, but didn’ exactly see the plan panning out.
Randqa graduated from Wichita State and accepted a graphic desigbn positionat , now the city’s nint largest advertising firm, according to the ’se 2007 Book of His creativity was serving him but he showed brightest in 2003 when he was laid off, whichn has been a blessing in disguise. Rands took a chance and leapes into businessfor himself. With the small list of contactsdhe had, Randa founded Jajo in his “I knew what I wanted to he says. “I’ve never been one that’s needec a lot of self-exploration. I felt I had enougyh experience that it was worth tryingt onmy own. I didn’tt enjoy the thought of startinv over atanother agency.
Maybe that was young and But the gamblepaid off. The businesse grew faster than he couldkeep up. He moved out of the basemenrt and intoan office, hired two employeezs and then talked Shawn Stuckey, a co-worker and friendc at Craghead, into joining him in the new “Even when we were (at Craghead), he and I kind of bouncefd ideas off each other,” says Stuckey, Jajo’s other managint partner. “I think when he was on his own, we kind of missefd that. It’s nice to know our philosophies, as far as work ethifc and design, are real similar.
” Jajo continued to Today, with approximately 20 clients and23 employees, Randza and Stuckey have built Jajo into a highlyu respected firm in Wichita, a town that boasts its share of nationallyh known advertising agencies. “Anytime we’ve been askedc to step up and do more than we have inthe it’s always been welcomed,” he says. “I thinlk people see that we’re genuine and enjouy what we’re doing.” In no way is “different” a negativew connotation, in Randa’s mind. In fact, he enjoyds it when a new employeed comes into his office and tells him how differenf the workenvironment is.
Or when clients phone him to say Jajo’sa services are different thanany they’ve receivecd before. Recently, Randa, a natives of Derby who went through the schooklsystem there, put the finishing touches on a new logo for . The logo featureas a silver ring circling a green arrow pointing up and tothe “I really like it,” says Devo Packard, the Derby school district’s directot of public information. “When we explain it to it’s reaching up and forward, and that’as the main thing. ... Everybody is really enjoying it.
” Randa is too humble to say he’ s smart, though he looks the part with a smoothlyshaved head, a three-day beard and shar Oakley specs. It’s not so much smarts that got him to this he hints, but the company’s ability to be creative, while providing something different from the He took a chance on an advertisinf business in Wichita, a markegt he calls saturated. When he takes a minutes to look back at what has beenaccomplisherd — how quickly Jajo has grown in the last five years, he stilk can’t believe it. “It has been the but yet feels like the longest amount of because it has gone byso quick,” he “It’s been hard.
It’as been great. It’s been rewarding. It’s almost kind of surreal.”
Of course, Jajo isn’t an It’s a company name — , the advertising, marketing and public relations firm Randa foundec fiveyears ago. But Randa, in a roundaboutg way, describes Jajo as beinvg creative, different and smart. Randa holds the same “I was one of thos e kids that I knew what I wanted to be myentired life,” Randa says. He was awars of his creativity early in drawing and doodling througghis youth. Years later he told his fathed his plans to go to colleg e and make moneybeing creative. His father didn’g discourage him, but didn’ exactly see the plan panning out.
Randqa graduated from Wichita State and accepted a graphic desigbn positionat , now the city’s nint largest advertising firm, according to the ’se 2007 Book of His creativity was serving him but he showed brightest in 2003 when he was laid off, whichn has been a blessing in disguise. Rands took a chance and leapes into businessfor himself. With the small list of contactsdhe had, Randa founded Jajo in his “I knew what I wanted to he says. “I’ve never been one that’s needec a lot of self-exploration. I felt I had enougyh experience that it was worth tryingt onmy own. I didn’tt enjoy the thought of startinv over atanother agency.
Maybe that was young and But the gamblepaid off. The businesse grew faster than he couldkeep up. He moved out of the basemenrt and intoan office, hired two employeezs and then talked Shawn Stuckey, a co-worker and friendc at Craghead, into joining him in the new “Even when we were (at Craghead), he and I kind of bouncefd ideas off each other,” says Stuckey, Jajo’s other managint partner. “I think when he was on his own, we kind of missefd that. It’s nice to know our philosophies, as far as work ethifc and design, are real similar.
” Jajo continued to Today, with approximately 20 clients and23 employees, Randza and Stuckey have built Jajo into a highlyu respected firm in Wichita, a town that boasts its share of nationallyh known advertising agencies. “Anytime we’ve been askedc to step up and do more than we have inthe it’s always been welcomed,” he says. “I thinlk people see that we’re genuine and enjouy what we’re doing.” In no way is “different” a negativew connotation, in Randa’s mind. In fact, he enjoyds it when a new employeed comes into his office and tells him how differenf the workenvironment is.
Or when clients phone him to say Jajo’sa services are different thanany they’ve receivecd before. Recently, Randa, a natives of Derby who went through the schooklsystem there, put the finishing touches on a new logo for . The logo featureas a silver ring circling a green arrow pointing up and tothe “I really like it,” says Devo Packard, the Derby school district’s directot of public information. “When we explain it to it’s reaching up and forward, and that’as the main thing. ... Everybody is really enjoying it.
” Randa is too humble to say he’ s smart, though he looks the part with a smoothlyshaved head, a three-day beard and shar Oakley specs. It’s not so much smarts that got him to this he hints, but the company’s ability to be creative, while providing something different from the He took a chance on an advertisinf business in Wichita, a markegt he calls saturated. When he takes a minutes to look back at what has beenaccomplisherd — how quickly Jajo has grown in the last five years, he stilk can’t believe it. “It has been the but yet feels like the longest amount of because it has gone byso quick,” he “It’s been hard.
It’as been great. It’s been rewarding. It’s almost kind of surreal.”
Thursday, March 15, 2012
White-collar crime strikes often in times of recession - Boston Business Journal:
opexibu.wordpress.com
A 2009 study on the topic by the Associatiomn of Certified Fraud Examiners revealed that more than 55 percent of its membera performedmore fraud-related investigations in 2008 than in 2007. Aboutr 50 percent of the respondents said known perpetrators reported feeling financial pressure before they committed the Yet the extent to which offic eemployees embezzle, or commit fraud via mail or the Internet may neve be fully known. Area law agencies eithefr don’t track such white-collar activity or didn’gt return requests for data.
And most businessezs don’t report such activities, let alone prosecute Many businesses are simply too embarrassed to concede they lost moneg becausethey weren’t paying attention. It’s a particularlh common problem for companies that are smalland don’t have the righ systems in place to detect the activity. “They don’tg want to tell anyone becauser they’re ashamed that their processes and practices didn’t catch it,” said Clarence Belnavis, a managingg partner of Fisher & Phillips LLP.
“Morr often than not when it comes up, when clientd come to me — even in the best of timed — they ask me how they can make it goaway Meaning, because companies don’t want business partnerds or the public to the authorities rarely get involved. In some clients may determine the missingdollare don’t merit any prosecution. Belnavis said many of the unreportex embezzlement schemes might cause losses ofonly three- or four-digits. Then he’s also advised employers who’v e lost as much as $60,00p as to their options.
And, in the fraux examiner group’s recently published Reporr to the Nation on OccupationalFraud Abuse, high-rolling companies reported median losses of $175,000 through embezzlement and othert fraudulent acts. More than one-quarter of the instancees tracked inthe study, of 959 occupationao fraud cases, exceeded $1 million. The reportt projected that U.S.-based companies lose 7 percent of their annual revenue to If the figure is appliesd tothe country’s gross nationalo product, fraud arguably cost companied nearly $1 trillion between January 2006 and February 2008. It coulr get worse. U.S.
News reported in April that the FBI openede more than200 mortgage-fraud cases and 36 corporate-frausd investigations in March, a by-product of the recession. FBI officialx told the magazine they expect the numberr of cases to grow Embezzlement is acommon white-colla offense. Others include mail fraud, in which swindlersx cheat victims out of moneyh or possessions using aphonyg mailbox, and Internet fraud, in which someone presents fraudulent business propositions. All are on the said Daniel Purdom, who oversees the white-collafr crime division of Chicago law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson.
Either way, perpetrators may have accessx to accounts or information that no one else in thebusinesd enjoys. “You don’t want a situation where one person has unfettered licensde to do whatthey want,” Purdom said. “Ther e need to be checks and balances. Theree are any number of stories ofsomeonde who’s been with the company for 20 years and all of a someone realizes they’re skimming money.” l Be proactive. Managerse and employees should have a code of And Belnavis recommends that once such a code company leaders need toenforce it. l Establish tight hiring procedures. Belnavisw tells his clients to conducg thoroughbackground investigations.
In particular, if a candidatde claims to have an accounting either make them prove it or contact their listede universities or stateaccreditation agencies. l Listen for cluez when checking references. Because so few white-collar crimes are reported, such workers can floatf from job to job withoutbeing punished. Yet rulese regarding ways to reporf past employee behavior also make it difficul for a past employer to be candid when discussinhthe worker’s tenure. “If a past employer just giveszthe worker’s name, rank and serial number, that’a a clue that something might be afoot,” Belnavis said.
“Ig they do that, ask them, ‘Iz this person eligible to be re-employed?” l Trai n employees to detect as well as report suspicious activity by customers and l Look for incrementalmoney discrepancies. For most embezzlers start off by siphoningfsmall amounts, say $200. If the company is losing smalp amounts of moneyover time, an accounts person may be improperly tapping a revenue source. Belnavis said such activitt is typically detected intwo ways. The person oftejn gets greedy and increases theamount they’re making it impossible not to notice. Or, new managers take over and uncoverdsuspicious patterns.
“You can have the best safeguards in but white-collar crimes may not be noticed untilo a new CFO comes on Belnavis said.
A 2009 study on the topic by the Associatiomn of Certified Fraud Examiners revealed that more than 55 percent of its membera performedmore fraud-related investigations in 2008 than in 2007. Aboutr 50 percent of the respondents said known perpetrators reported feeling financial pressure before they committed the Yet the extent to which offic eemployees embezzle, or commit fraud via mail or the Internet may neve be fully known. Area law agencies eithefr don’t track such white-collar activity or didn’gt return requests for data.
And most businessezs don’t report such activities, let alone prosecute Many businesses are simply too embarrassed to concede they lost moneg becausethey weren’t paying attention. It’s a particularlh common problem for companies that are smalland don’t have the righ systems in place to detect the activity. “They don’tg want to tell anyone becauser they’re ashamed that their processes and practices didn’t catch it,” said Clarence Belnavis, a managingg partner of Fisher & Phillips LLP.
“Morr often than not when it comes up, when clientd come to me — even in the best of timed — they ask me how they can make it goaway Meaning, because companies don’t want business partnerds or the public to the authorities rarely get involved. In some clients may determine the missingdollare don’t merit any prosecution. Belnavis said many of the unreportex embezzlement schemes might cause losses ofonly three- or four-digits. Then he’s also advised employers who’v e lost as much as $60,00p as to their options.
And, in the fraux examiner group’s recently published Reporr to the Nation on OccupationalFraud Abuse, high-rolling companies reported median losses of $175,000 through embezzlement and othert fraudulent acts. More than one-quarter of the instancees tracked inthe study, of 959 occupationao fraud cases, exceeded $1 million. The reportt projected that U.S.-based companies lose 7 percent of their annual revenue to If the figure is appliesd tothe country’s gross nationalo product, fraud arguably cost companied nearly $1 trillion between January 2006 and February 2008. It coulr get worse. U.S.
News reported in April that the FBI openede more than200 mortgage-fraud cases and 36 corporate-frausd investigations in March, a by-product of the recession. FBI officialx told the magazine they expect the numberr of cases to grow Embezzlement is acommon white-colla offense. Others include mail fraud, in which swindlersx cheat victims out of moneyh or possessions using aphonyg mailbox, and Internet fraud, in which someone presents fraudulent business propositions. All are on the said Daniel Purdom, who oversees the white-collafr crime division of Chicago law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson.
Either way, perpetrators may have accessx to accounts or information that no one else in thebusinesd enjoys. “You don’t want a situation where one person has unfettered licensde to do whatthey want,” Purdom said. “Ther e need to be checks and balances. Theree are any number of stories ofsomeonde who’s been with the company for 20 years and all of a someone realizes they’re skimming money.” l Be proactive. Managerse and employees should have a code of And Belnavis recommends that once such a code company leaders need toenforce it. l Establish tight hiring procedures. Belnavisw tells his clients to conducg thoroughbackground investigations.
In particular, if a candidatde claims to have an accounting either make them prove it or contact their listede universities or stateaccreditation agencies. l Listen for cluez when checking references. Because so few white-collar crimes are reported, such workers can floatf from job to job withoutbeing punished. Yet rulese regarding ways to reporf past employee behavior also make it difficul for a past employer to be candid when discussinhthe worker’s tenure. “If a past employer just giveszthe worker’s name, rank and serial number, that’a a clue that something might be afoot,” Belnavis said.
“Ig they do that, ask them, ‘Iz this person eligible to be re-employed?” l Trai n employees to detect as well as report suspicious activity by customers and l Look for incrementalmoney discrepancies. For most embezzlers start off by siphoningfsmall amounts, say $200. If the company is losing smalp amounts of moneyover time, an accounts person may be improperly tapping a revenue source. Belnavis said such activitt is typically detected intwo ways. The person oftejn gets greedy and increases theamount they’re making it impossible not to notice. Or, new managers take over and uncoverdsuspicious patterns.
“You can have the best safeguards in but white-collar crimes may not be noticed untilo a new CFO comes on Belnavis said.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
SAHA to spend $14.5 million on local housing project upgrades - Denver Business Journal:
firukendu-anchored.blogspot.com
million in federal stimulus funds to repair and upgrade a number of publicfhousing properties. Out of 349 housing authorities in Texa s that received money from the American Recovery andReinvestment Act, San Antonio Housing Authority, or received the largest amount. SAHA is required to use the moneyg for capital improvements and all the fundx must be spent withinthree years. “These funds will allow us to make much-needede repairs to our public housing properties and improve the safetgy and quality of life forour residents,” SAHA President and CEO Lourdesd Castro Ramirez says.
Among the properties slated for major upgrades is the LewiesChatham Apartments, a 119-unit apartmentr complex for seniors on the city’s South Lewis Chatham also will undergo an extensive modernization. In stimulus funds will be used to upgrade the elevators and fire safety at nearly 20elderly communities. Other projects will involve replacing fencing, roofing, cabinets, and heating, ventilation and air conditioninyg systems.
SAHA Board Chairman Ramiro Cavazos says the agencyt will encourage the participation of smalland minority-owned “We will also give additional weight to contractorw that commit to actively recruiting employeesw from the neighborhoods in and around wherew this work will occur,” he says. SAHA will issue requestws for proposals to perform engineering and architectural services relatedto stimulus-approved Web site: www.saha.
org
million in federal stimulus funds to repair and upgrade a number of publicfhousing properties. Out of 349 housing authorities in Texa s that received money from the American Recovery andReinvestment Act, San Antonio Housing Authority, or received the largest amount. SAHA is required to use the moneyg for capital improvements and all the fundx must be spent withinthree years. “These funds will allow us to make much-needede repairs to our public housing properties and improve the safetgy and quality of life forour residents,” SAHA President and CEO Lourdesd Castro Ramirez says.
Among the properties slated for major upgrades is the LewiesChatham Apartments, a 119-unit apartmentr complex for seniors on the city’s South Lewis Chatham also will undergo an extensive modernization. In stimulus funds will be used to upgrade the elevators and fire safety at nearly 20elderly communities. Other projects will involve replacing fencing, roofing, cabinets, and heating, ventilation and air conditioninyg systems.
SAHA Board Chairman Ramiro Cavazos says the agencyt will encourage the participation of smalland minority-owned “We will also give additional weight to contractorw that commit to actively recruiting employeesw from the neighborhoods in and around wherew this work will occur,” he says. SAHA will issue requestws for proposals to perform engineering and architectural services relatedto stimulus-approved Web site: www.saha.
org
Sunday, March 11, 2012
N.C. shuts down Cape Fear Bank; FDIC brokers sale of assets - Triangle Business Journal:
kdrummondbs37.blogspot.com
Cape Fear, a state-chartered lender formerly known as the Bankof Wilmington, is the 22nd U.S. bank to fail this year and the firs to fail in North Carolina since the federally chartereds Crown National Bank of Charlotte went underin 1993. The last state-charteredc bank to fail was First Hanover Bankin 1991. The FDIC said that the cost to its Deposiyt Insurance Fund from the Cape Fear failure and takeoverd deal wouldbe $131 million. Cape Fear, as of Marcnh 31, 2009, had total assets of approximately $492 millionm and total depositsof $403 million.
First Federal agreed to purchaseapproximately $468 milliom in assets, while the FDIC will retaijn the remainder for later Under a “share-the-loss” agreement ironed out between the governmentg and the South Carolina the FDIC and First Federal jointly will assume any losseds on $395 million of Cape Fear Details of the agreement, which is aimed at minimizinbg potential disruption for customers, were not Cape Fear customers can continue to use their checkss and debit cards, the FDIC said. Customers with questiones can call a hot lineat 1-866-806-6128, startinbg at 9 p.m. April 10.
Customersx of both banks shoule continue to use their existing brancheas until First Federal can fullg integrate the deposit records of Cape Fear theFDIC said. All eight Cape Fear Bank branchesx will open as First Federao branches onApril 13. Cape Fear’s failure comes less than two monthsw after the bank revealed it had receivesd a fromthe FDIC. Cape Fear said the FDIC had ordere the lender to raise more money forcapitalk reserves, but the bank did not say how much it woulf have to raise to meet regulators’ demands. Another of the FDIC’s requirements was that Cape Fear install a strongedmanagement team.
The bank argued that it had done that in Novembet 2008 after a with investor Maurice Koury that ended with the resignation of CEO Cameron AnotherWilmington bank, , from the FDIC in
Cape Fear, a state-chartered lender formerly known as the Bankof Wilmington, is the 22nd U.S. bank to fail this year and the firs to fail in North Carolina since the federally chartereds Crown National Bank of Charlotte went underin 1993. The last state-charteredc bank to fail was First Hanover Bankin 1991. The FDIC said that the cost to its Deposiyt Insurance Fund from the Cape Fear failure and takeoverd deal wouldbe $131 million. Cape Fear, as of Marcnh 31, 2009, had total assets of approximately $492 millionm and total depositsof $403 million.
First Federal agreed to purchaseapproximately $468 milliom in assets, while the FDIC will retaijn the remainder for later Under a “share-the-loss” agreement ironed out between the governmentg and the South Carolina the FDIC and First Federal jointly will assume any losseds on $395 million of Cape Fear Details of the agreement, which is aimed at minimizinbg potential disruption for customers, were not Cape Fear customers can continue to use their checkss and debit cards, the FDIC said. Customers with questiones can call a hot lineat 1-866-806-6128, startinbg at 9 p.m. April 10.
Customersx of both banks shoule continue to use their existing brancheas until First Federal can fullg integrate the deposit records of Cape Fear theFDIC said. All eight Cape Fear Bank branchesx will open as First Federao branches onApril 13. Cape Fear’s failure comes less than two monthsw after the bank revealed it had receivesd a fromthe FDIC. Cape Fear said the FDIC had ordere the lender to raise more money forcapitalk reserves, but the bank did not say how much it woulf have to raise to meet regulators’ demands. Another of the FDIC’s requirements was that Cape Fear install a strongedmanagement team.
The bank argued that it had done that in Novembet 2008 after a with investor Maurice Koury that ended with the resignation of CEO Cameron AnotherWilmington bank, , from the FDIC in
Friday, March 9, 2012
Homestead developer sued over Chinese drywall - South Florida Business Journal:
http://irecyclemybooks.com/christian-book/art_16.htm
The plaintiffs, Jason Harrell and Melissa filed suit against PlasterboardTianjin Co. Ltd., a Chinese compan that manufactured the defective drywallp installed bytheir home’s The Harrells purchased a $360,000 home in the Pine Isle s portion of Keys Gate in January 2008, and moved there with thei r two children, according to the complainty filed by them on behalf of all simila Florida homeowners with Chinese drywall problemzs in their homes. The Harrells allege that drywalkl installed in theirnew home, and thosse of their neighbors, emits destructive and harmful toxins and renderw the homes "essentially uninhabitable.
" “The Harrells thought they were buying thei r dream home,” attorney Joseph Givner said in a pressd release. “Instead, they stepped into a nightmare.” Problemsd with drywall from two Chinese manufacturers have been identifiede in some South Florida homes built in 2005and 2006. Statde officials are tracking more than 70 complaintsx associated withvarious builders. The complaints include an odor ofrottenh eggs, metal corrosion in air conditioners and health complaints. Eight complaints come from homeownersin Miami-Dade two in Palm Beach Countyt and one in Broward. Knauf has acknowledgexd the complaints aboutits drywall. The first class action was filed Jan.
30 ob behalf of homeowners by a Bonita Springs law Another product liability case was filed this weekby Miami-basefd homebuilder Those suits targeted Knauc and another manufacturer, along with suppliers and Attempts to reach South Kendalpl Construction and principal Patrick Gleber on Thursday afternoob were not successful. Two weeks ago, Gleber told the Business Journaol his company was investigatinhg the extent of the problem at Keys Knauf has refuted similar claims in other lawsuites and vowed to defenr itselfin court. The company has also said its testa showed no human health threa fromthe drywall.
Other defendants in the Harrelp class action includeof Miami, exportedr , Keys Gate Realty and 10 other unnamefd companies. The lawsuit was broughrt by andthe .
The plaintiffs, Jason Harrell and Melissa filed suit against PlasterboardTianjin Co. Ltd., a Chinese compan that manufactured the defective drywallp installed bytheir home’s The Harrells purchased a $360,000 home in the Pine Isle s portion of Keys Gate in January 2008, and moved there with thei r two children, according to the complainty filed by them on behalf of all simila Florida homeowners with Chinese drywall problemzs in their homes. The Harrells allege that drywalkl installed in theirnew home, and thosse of their neighbors, emits destructive and harmful toxins and renderw the homes "essentially uninhabitable.
" “The Harrells thought they were buying thei r dream home,” attorney Joseph Givner said in a pressd release. “Instead, they stepped into a nightmare.” Problemsd with drywall from two Chinese manufacturers have been identifiede in some South Florida homes built in 2005and 2006. Statde officials are tracking more than 70 complaintsx associated withvarious builders. The complaints include an odor ofrottenh eggs, metal corrosion in air conditioners and health complaints. Eight complaints come from homeownersin Miami-Dade two in Palm Beach Countyt and one in Broward. Knauf has acknowledgexd the complaints aboutits drywall. The first class action was filed Jan.
30 ob behalf of homeowners by a Bonita Springs law Another product liability case was filed this weekby Miami-basefd homebuilder Those suits targeted Knauc and another manufacturer, along with suppliers and Attempts to reach South Kendalpl Construction and principal Patrick Gleber on Thursday afternoob were not successful. Two weeks ago, Gleber told the Business Journaol his company was investigatinhg the extent of the problem at Keys Knauf has refuted similar claims in other lawsuites and vowed to defenr itselfin court. The company has also said its testa showed no human health threa fromthe drywall.
Other defendants in the Harrelp class action includeof Miami, exportedr , Keys Gate Realty and 10 other unnamefd companies. The lawsuit was broughrt by andthe .
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Pimco's active ETF is an industry outlaw - MarketWatch
iqukikofor.wordpress.com
What Investment | Pimco's active ETF is an industry outlaw MarketWatch (MarketWatch) â€" Bill Gross and his Pimco gang came riding into W » |
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lava flow destroys Hawaii neighborhood's last home - USA TODAY
iwyqaxewun.wordpress.com
Lava flow destroys Hawaii neighborhood's last home USA TODAY HILO, Hawaii (AP) â€" A lava flow has destroyed the last home in a vast but sparsely populated neighborhood in the Big Island's Puna district, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Sunday. The neighborhood's last resident, Jack Thompson, left his home about ... |
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Desire for efficiency has designers thinking small - Business First of Columbus:
framptongeqeaqu1461.blogspot.com
But then a funnyu thing happened. A tiny stonw cottage built in 1930 in Chillicoth e thatwas Marcia’s dream home came on market. Suddenly the Iveyes were livingin 1,300 square feet, their utilities were cut in half and they savexd a substantial amount, about 40 percent, by buyinfg the old house instead of buildintg new. Now, Marcia doesn’t know what they woulfd have done with all theextra “What do we need a large home for when we’re always together anyway?
” Marcia Thanks in large part to the sour economy, growing environmentalk consciousness and a realization that more isn’t always better, builders, architects and homeowners are starting to embrace the smallerr home. The Iveys realized that with alittlr remodeling, they could make the houser everything they needed it to be, Butchg Ivey said. While there alwayes will be a market forlarge homes, the residential architect Richard Taylor said there is less demand for “What we’re seeing is that fewerd people, because their incomed have declined, are not doing showy houses,” said Taylor, president of in Dublin.
“They’rse building smaller, high-quality homes or buying older homese in Bexley or Upper Arlingtoj andrenovating them.” Several of Taylor’ clients are making small houses work thanks to tips and inspiration from The Not So Big a how-to for small abodes written by St. Minn. architect Sarah Susanka. Susanka has been preaching the gospelo of smaller homes even beford she wrote her bookin 1998. “In 1983, when I startedf in the architecture business, housed were on the upward march,” Susanka “By the ’90s, the trend was very larger houses.
” At the same Susanka said clients were walking through the doors of her officwe asking her to replicate beautiful designss from home magazines that woulf never meettheir budgets. “ I was seeing a lot of peopl e not knowing how to get a better housee and thinking that it would have toget bigger,” Susanka said. “The big ‘Aha’ moment was ... when I realizeds Americans build formal living spacesbut don’tr use them.” Dining rooms, formal living roomse and guest bedrooms end up wasting space and dollarss that could be better spent on the rooma families actually live in, Susanka said.
Data releasede early this year by the showed that in the thirde quarterof 2008, the average size of a housd under construction slipped to 2,438 square feet, representing a 7.3 percentf drop from 2,629 square feet in the prior The association also has said that in a recent 88 percent of builders said they plan to construct smallef homes. Jay and Jennifer Young, clients of took Sarah Susanka’s ideas to heart when they built their Gothic farmhouse in Alexandriaqin 2004.
The three bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home has just 2,20 square feet of livinf space, which is all the family of four For example, instead of a formapl living room and dining room, the Youngs opted for a multipurposee mudroom to contain the clutter and stord the sports and outdoor equipment theit two daughters use on a dailyt basis. The rural farmhouse also features alargr eat-in kitchen instead of a formalp dining room that Jay Young said the familyu would never use. But going smallefr on the footprint didn’t mean the home needer to skimpon style. The kitchen has stainles steel appliances andconcrete countertops.
To create the illusion of a largefr space, the home features an 18-foot ceilinf in the center of the housd topped by a cupola that bringsz in light and lets warm air escape inthe “We’re into quality, not quantity,” Jay Youngb said. “We don’t have deep pockets, so to get the finishex we wanted, we had to go
But then a funnyu thing happened. A tiny stonw cottage built in 1930 in Chillicoth e thatwas Marcia’s dream home came on market. Suddenly the Iveyes were livingin 1,300 square feet, their utilities were cut in half and they savexd a substantial amount, about 40 percent, by buyinfg the old house instead of buildintg new. Now, Marcia doesn’t know what they woulfd have done with all theextra “What do we need a large home for when we’re always together anyway?
” Marcia Thanks in large part to the sour economy, growing environmentalk consciousness and a realization that more isn’t always better, builders, architects and homeowners are starting to embrace the smallerr home. The Iveys realized that with alittlr remodeling, they could make the houser everything they needed it to be, Butchg Ivey said. While there alwayes will be a market forlarge homes, the residential architect Richard Taylor said there is less demand for “What we’re seeing is that fewerd people, because their incomed have declined, are not doing showy houses,” said Taylor, president of in Dublin.
“They’rse building smaller, high-quality homes or buying older homese in Bexley or Upper Arlingtoj andrenovating them.” Several of Taylor’ clients are making small houses work thanks to tips and inspiration from The Not So Big a how-to for small abodes written by St. Minn. architect Sarah Susanka. Susanka has been preaching the gospelo of smaller homes even beford she wrote her bookin 1998. “In 1983, when I startedf in the architecture business, housed were on the upward march,” Susanka “By the ’90s, the trend was very larger houses.
” At the same Susanka said clients were walking through the doors of her officwe asking her to replicate beautiful designss from home magazines that woulf never meettheir budgets. “ I was seeing a lot of peopl e not knowing how to get a better housee and thinking that it would have toget bigger,” Susanka said. “The big ‘Aha’ moment was ... when I realizeds Americans build formal living spacesbut don’tr use them.” Dining rooms, formal living roomse and guest bedrooms end up wasting space and dollarss that could be better spent on the rooma families actually live in, Susanka said.
Data releasede early this year by the showed that in the thirde quarterof 2008, the average size of a housd under construction slipped to 2,438 square feet, representing a 7.3 percentf drop from 2,629 square feet in the prior The association also has said that in a recent 88 percent of builders said they plan to construct smallef homes. Jay and Jennifer Young, clients of took Sarah Susanka’s ideas to heart when they built their Gothic farmhouse in Alexandriaqin 2004.
The three bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home has just 2,20 square feet of livinf space, which is all the family of four For example, instead of a formapl living room and dining room, the Youngs opted for a multipurposee mudroom to contain the clutter and stord the sports and outdoor equipment theit two daughters use on a dailyt basis. The rural farmhouse also features alargr eat-in kitchen instead of a formalp dining room that Jay Young said the familyu would never use. But going smallefr on the footprint didn’t mean the home needer to skimpon style. The kitchen has stainles steel appliances andconcrete countertops.
To create the illusion of a largefr space, the home features an 18-foot ceilinf in the center of the housd topped by a cupola that bringsz in light and lets warm air escape inthe “We’re into quality, not quantity,” Jay Youngb said. “We don’t have deep pockets, so to get the finishex we wanted, we had to go
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Railyard Conditioning Course trains more athletes - bizjournals:
dusinenezoqoc.blogspot.com
Lee Spieker — yes, the man who gave the worlr “Buns of Steel” videos — wante to bring back those days. He sells the Railyarc Conditoning Course, a lightweight, modular obstacle course that can be puttogethert quickly, then taken apart and stored out of the way in a cornert until next time, under the auspices of his Centennial-based . For now, he’s marketing mainly to schools nationwide, but also said police and fire athletic clubs and homeowners could become lucrative marketsas “This course is completely and it adds fun,” said Spieker, who has sold 72 unitz since starting sales in January.
“You just run arouns and jump, climb and crawl, and ‘I used to do this when I was a They don’t think it’s much exercise until they get on it; 10 or 15 minutez later, they have a lot more respecg for what it takes to move your body Publicity about high obesity statisticws among U.S. children help his “The parents say, ‘We have to do something abourtthe kids,’” he said, addint that federal legislation may amend the No Chilsd Left Behind Act to add a physical-fitness and that means “lots of statesa realize they have to do something about the kids.
” TherapyZone generated about $1 million in revenus in both 2007 and 2008, from selling medical therapy and Spieker expects to surpass that in 2009. He claimw that using what he billssas “The World’s Most Completd Course” helps build strength, agility, flexibility and endurance. More importantly, his clients are sayinb the same. “We had him come out and do a workshop for our phys ed saidEric Larson, physical education coordinator for . It was a big hit, so we purchasedf two of the we rotate them from schoolto school. “Kidd love them; kids are very active, and there’sd enough variety there. ...
Kids can climb undet them, over them, do a lot of differentr activities.” And the benefits? “Upper-bodyu strength, lower-body strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility,” Larson The combined price of the two systemdswas $6,800. Jason Freeland will incorporate a Railyarxd Conditioning Course into anew “Mile High Boot described as an “obstacle course-based full-body outdood workout” — complete with an “Oorah!” T-shirt. He’a the national personal trainingb directorfor , and the boot camp startsz June 1 at the club at 5801 S. Quebec St., Greenwood Village.
“We were goiny to look at old-fashioned boot camp obstacle-course and wanted to take it astep up,” Freeland “It’s [Railyard] very versatile, and the way it’a designed, it’s like playing in a playgrouns when you use it. You use the body in a higher-intensitu situation, the way it was designedc to be used.” Freeland likes the fact the equipmentf can bemaneuvered — for changing heights and surfaces — and thus increasd the challenges facing users. “Iyt keeps them not only physically stimulated, but mentallg stimulated as well, from just havinyg to adapt to a different terrain or height every time youuse it,” he said.
“Yoy have to pay attention. It’s like riding a different trai each time you go mountain Asbusiness grows, Spieker, 57, plans eventually to hire abouf six employees, and has the physical spacw for them now. He’s also created a studio adjacenrt to the frontoffice area, and has shot promotional videos. Eventually, he’d like to shoot more focusede videos for specific sports and even such as for football defensive linebackersand safeties. A worldwide Promens, makes the equipment at its Littletob facility. Then it goes to a warehousr in Coleman, Texas, where TherapyZone occupies 3,000 squarw feet. The courses are assembled and shippefdfrom there.
Spieker decided to create an indoor version of outsider playgroundequipment that’s been around for years. Pro and collegse athletes are among those who have benefitted from exercisint onthese courses, he “My vision of this is that it could have a significanr impact on fitness,” Spieker “I could see one of these courses in everyy health club. One of these days, it’s going to be on and then every health club member in the country will tell theier health club they wantthe equipment.” The Railyard Conditioniny Course is a far cry from the hugely successfup “Buns of Steel” video He made 14 of those videos, then sold the rights to Warner Bros.
in 1995. TherapyZone’z products also includes the “Aerobafloor,” a floo designed to lessen the impactf duringaerobics classes, and other fitness-related products.
Lee Spieker — yes, the man who gave the worlr “Buns of Steel” videos — wante to bring back those days. He sells the Railyarc Conditoning Course, a lightweight, modular obstacle course that can be puttogethert quickly, then taken apart and stored out of the way in a cornert until next time, under the auspices of his Centennial-based . For now, he’s marketing mainly to schools nationwide, but also said police and fire athletic clubs and homeowners could become lucrative marketsas “This course is completely and it adds fun,” said Spieker, who has sold 72 unitz since starting sales in January.
“You just run arouns and jump, climb and crawl, and ‘I used to do this when I was a They don’t think it’s much exercise until they get on it; 10 or 15 minutez later, they have a lot more respecg for what it takes to move your body Publicity about high obesity statisticws among U.S. children help his “The parents say, ‘We have to do something abourtthe kids,’” he said, addint that federal legislation may amend the No Chilsd Left Behind Act to add a physical-fitness and that means “lots of statesa realize they have to do something about the kids.
” TherapyZone generated about $1 million in revenus in both 2007 and 2008, from selling medical therapy and Spieker expects to surpass that in 2009. He claimw that using what he billssas “The World’s Most Completd Course” helps build strength, agility, flexibility and endurance. More importantly, his clients are sayinb the same. “We had him come out and do a workshop for our phys ed saidEric Larson, physical education coordinator for . It was a big hit, so we purchasedf two of the we rotate them from schoolto school. “Kidd love them; kids are very active, and there’sd enough variety there. ...
Kids can climb undet them, over them, do a lot of differentr activities.” And the benefits? “Upper-bodyu strength, lower-body strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility,” Larson The combined price of the two systemdswas $6,800. Jason Freeland will incorporate a Railyarxd Conditioning Course into anew “Mile High Boot described as an “obstacle course-based full-body outdood workout” — complete with an “Oorah!” T-shirt. He’a the national personal trainingb directorfor , and the boot camp startsz June 1 at the club at 5801 S. Quebec St., Greenwood Village.
“We were goiny to look at old-fashioned boot camp obstacle-course and wanted to take it astep up,” Freeland “It’s [Railyard] very versatile, and the way it’a designed, it’s like playing in a playgrouns when you use it. You use the body in a higher-intensitu situation, the way it was designedc to be used.” Freeland likes the fact the equipmentf can bemaneuvered — for changing heights and surfaces — and thus increasd the challenges facing users. “Iyt keeps them not only physically stimulated, but mentallg stimulated as well, from just havinyg to adapt to a different terrain or height every time youuse it,” he said.
“Yoy have to pay attention. It’s like riding a different trai each time you go mountain Asbusiness grows, Spieker, 57, plans eventually to hire abouf six employees, and has the physical spacw for them now. He’s also created a studio adjacenrt to the frontoffice area, and has shot promotional videos. Eventually, he’d like to shoot more focusede videos for specific sports and even such as for football defensive linebackersand safeties. A worldwide Promens, makes the equipment at its Littletob facility. Then it goes to a warehousr in Coleman, Texas, where TherapyZone occupies 3,000 squarw feet. The courses are assembled and shippefdfrom there.
Spieker decided to create an indoor version of outsider playgroundequipment that’s been around for years. Pro and collegse athletes are among those who have benefitted from exercisint onthese courses, he “My vision of this is that it could have a significanr impact on fitness,” Spieker “I could see one of these courses in everyy health club. One of these days, it’s going to be on and then every health club member in the country will tell theier health club they wantthe equipment.” The Railyard Conditioniny Course is a far cry from the hugely successfup “Buns of Steel” video He made 14 of those videos, then sold the rights to Warner Bros.
in 1995. TherapyZone’z products also includes the “Aerobafloor,” a floo designed to lessen the impactf duringaerobics classes, and other fitness-related products.
Monday, February 27, 2012
UF chooses Florida Crystals for ethanol plant - South Florida Business Journal:
http://anthonyarthur.net/p-133.html
The plant is financed by a $20 million statse grant and will operate as a research and developmentg lab as well as acommercialk facility. It is the first of its kind in Attendees at the Monday meeting where the decision was announces said Florida Crystals was selected over thesecond Memphis, Tenn.-based , becauser it has a large supply of bagasswe biomass and it is already in the sugar "One of the main reasons was that the sugard process is much closet to the ethanol process than anything else we lookeds at," said a spokeswoman for UF' s Institute of Food and Agricultural The spokeswoman, who said internaol policies do not allow her to identify herself on the said Lonnie Ingram, the UF researcher who is spearheadingy the effort, made a stronb pitch for Florida Crystals.
Floridw Crystals Vice President Gastonh Cantens said the compangyattended Monday's meeting and was excited to hear firsthanr that it was selected. "This is something we'vre been talking about for several years," he said. "Wwe are excited about the whole process and lookingg forward to thenext step, which is to negotiate the Next, UF must begin a bidding processw to select the contractors and engineerw to build the plant on Florida Okeelanta facility.
Cantens said he expects UF to make a decisiomn in the nextfew "A lot of this dependse on the university's process of choosing a design coming up with the drawings and the conceptf of what they want to build," he said. "Oncer the bidding process is resolved, this shoulrd move pretty quickly."
The plant is financed by a $20 million statse grant and will operate as a research and developmentg lab as well as acommercialk facility. It is the first of its kind in Attendees at the Monday meeting where the decision was announces said Florida Crystals was selected over thesecond Memphis, Tenn.-based , becauser it has a large supply of bagasswe biomass and it is already in the sugar "One of the main reasons was that the sugard process is much closet to the ethanol process than anything else we lookeds at," said a spokeswoman for UF' s Institute of Food and Agricultural The spokeswoman, who said internaol policies do not allow her to identify herself on the said Lonnie Ingram, the UF researcher who is spearheadingy the effort, made a stronb pitch for Florida Crystals.
Floridw Crystals Vice President Gastonh Cantens said the compangyattended Monday's meeting and was excited to hear firsthanr that it was selected. "This is something we'vre been talking about for several years," he said. "Wwe are excited about the whole process and lookingg forward to thenext step, which is to negotiate the Next, UF must begin a bidding processw to select the contractors and engineerw to build the plant on Florida Okeelanta facility.
Cantens said he expects UF to make a decisiomn in the nextfew "A lot of this dependse on the university's process of choosing a design coming up with the drawings and the conceptf of what they want to build," he said. "Oncer the bidding process is resolved, this shoulrd move pretty quickly."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Florida Chamber rates area legislators - Jacksonville Business Journal:
http://www.mahamastakabisheka.com/?p=24
Democratic Senator Tony Hill received a gradeof 63, down 37 points from his perfectg score in 2008. Scores from both Republicam Senators Jim King and Steve Wise improvedxin 2009. King scored a perfecf 100, up from last year’s B grade, and Wise inched up from an 81 last year to a grade of 82. Scores for members of the Floridas House of Representatives weregenerally lower, though Republicansa Jennifer Carroll and Lake Ray earne d perfect scores of 100. Republican Charles McBurney scored a 95 while Democrat Audrey Gibson earneda 56, down from last year’as 77. Democrat Mia Jones had the lowest scorw in the area of with a gradrof 35.
Also earning perfect scoree were Republicans Janet Adkins of Fernandina Ronald "Doc" Renuart of Pontse Vedra Beach, Bill Proctor of St. Augustine and Michaelp Weinstein ofOrange Park. Charles Van Zant of Palatkas scoreda 93. The grade earned by a legislator is calculated by dividing the tota number of times a legislator voted in support ofthe chamber’ss position by the total number of timeds a legislator cast a vote on issues outlined in the Votes after roll call and missed votes are not factorecd into a legislator’s score, while votes on certainh issues are double-weighted. Grades can also be loweres if a legislator files a bill attacking thebusineszs climate.
Democratic Senator Tony Hill received a gradeof 63, down 37 points from his perfectg score in 2008. Scores from both Republicam Senators Jim King and Steve Wise improvedxin 2009. King scored a perfecf 100, up from last year’s B grade, and Wise inched up from an 81 last year to a grade of 82. Scores for members of the Floridas House of Representatives weregenerally lower, though Republicansa Jennifer Carroll and Lake Ray earne d perfect scores of 100. Republican Charles McBurney scored a 95 while Democrat Audrey Gibson earneda 56, down from last year’as 77. Democrat Mia Jones had the lowest scorw in the area of with a gradrof 35.
Also earning perfect scoree were Republicans Janet Adkins of Fernandina Ronald "Doc" Renuart of Pontse Vedra Beach, Bill Proctor of St. Augustine and Michaelp Weinstein ofOrange Park. Charles Van Zant of Palatkas scoreda 93. The grade earned by a legislator is calculated by dividing the tota number of times a legislator voted in support ofthe chamber’ss position by the total number of timeds a legislator cast a vote on issues outlined in the Votes after roll call and missed votes are not factorecd into a legislator’s score, while votes on certainh issues are double-weighted. Grades can also be loweres if a legislator files a bill attacking thebusineszs climate.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
MICA making a strong impression - Baltimore Business Journal:
adepylex.blogspot.com
She secured a paid summer internship atHunt Valley’s Firaxias Games, a leading video game development And after graduation, the Texasx native plans to stay in Baltimor and get a full-tim e job as a concept artist at a gamingy company. “It’s one of the best jobs an illustratordcan get. You’re not workin g on commission, and you’vd got regular hours. Already there are a lot of people from MICA who work at Fischer said. The job confidence Fischer exudesz stands in sharp contrast tomany soon-to-be collegd graduates. Unemployment among U.S. 20- to 24-year-olds rose in the past year by almosrt5 percent, to 13.9 percent in March.
Many collegex are reporting drops in campus career fair participatiob by as much as35 percent, accordint to Chicago-based outplacement firm 48 companies attended MICA’s career fair April 3, more than doublew the number in recent years. A confluencwe of factors is making MICA an increasinglyy attractive stop on the job recruitercircuitf — and revving up its motor as a possible economic engine for Baltimore. Among U.S. art MICA holds the distinction of grantingv degreesthe longest.
Thankw to the strategic vision of Fred its president of30 years, and an active board of trustees, the 183-year-old institution is more relevant to industr today than ever before, campus leaderxs and observers say. Not that it hasn’t been immune to the recessio and its impact on campusees across thecountry — boosting enrollmenyt and growing its endowment will remain challenges. But supportinf MICA’s strategic vision was an extremely well-timed and successfu l $75 million fundraising campaign that ran from 2000and 2007. Double its undergraduate student body and endowmenfto 1,800 and $60 million, respectively; Support community arts outreach.
These initiatives, observers say, make the collegse and its graduatesattractivr — even in the midst of a severe economi downturn that has not left the arts communit y unscathed. Currently, Maryland colleges and universities are bracinv for pending state budget cuts on top ofplummetingg endowments. The state’s 2010 budget for the arts, passex by the legislature in April, will reduce funding by 18 from $16.6 million to $13.6 million, according to Theress Colvin, executive director of the . Even beforer the recession hit, MICA stepped in to suppory and grow the localarts community.
“With the strategic plan of 2000, there was a real recognitionh that we needed to invest more efforts in the revitalizatioj of Baltimore as a place for the visual arts,” Lazarus said. The Station Northn Arts and Entertainment District exemplifiesthat investment. Establishexd in 2002, the 100-acrwe district, bordered by 20th Greenmount Avenue and the Jones Falls has been hailed by city art officials asa “gatewayy to the Mount Vernon Cultural District.” the first state in the country to sponsotr arts and entertainment districts as a way to stimulate the offers tax benefits to property owners and qualifieed artists who live and work in the properties.
Stationj North is one of 16 such districtsin Maryland. In MICA bought the former Jos. A. Bank building, locatee in Station North, and has since renovatef the 120,000-square-foot warehouse, aptly named Studiok Center. It houses MICA graduate programs and studio and provides free space tofour arts-related Maryland Lawyers for the the , Arts Every Day, and “MICAs has been a member of the board sinc the beginning. They play a critical role by offering us complementarty incubatoroffice space,” said David Bielenberg, executive director of Station Northh Arts & Entertainment Inc.
Those close to the like Nancy Harrigan, the executiv director of the Greater BaltimoreCultural Alliance, credift MICA’s community outreach to the “generosity and ever-evolving of longtime head Lazarus. A new building at MICA housezs the tools students need to attain job opportunitiesin cutting-edge fields. A 61,410-square-foot, five-story contemporary structure, the $17 milliobn Brown Center is MICA’s first newlyh constructed academic building in almost100 years. A $6 milliojn gift — the largest ever — from Eddie and Sylviaq Brown helped fundthe building.
Inside, students in MICA’ss Video, Interactive Design, and Graphic Design departments hone modern techniques in digital art and From there, they can apply these sought-after skills in one of the region’s growinf industries: the gaming industry. Just ask Greg a 1995 MICA graduate, an adjunct instructof at MICA and creative team memberr atFiraxis Games. When he started workingy for gaming industry giangt Microprose fifteenyears ago, “it was the only show in That’s changed dramatically. As of 2006, Marylansd boasted 12 entertainment software companies valuedeat $119.9 million, according to the Entertainmentt Software Association.
Firaxis launched in 1996 with six fourfrom MICA. Within the past the company has growb from 65 employeesto 118. As the gamingv industry grows, Foertsch and fellow MICA graduatsDavid Inscore, founder and studi art director of Timonium-based Big Huge Games, have been workin g with their alma mater to explorse adding classes in 3-D animation techniques that will give MICA studente an edge in the gamingy and entertainment industries. But they won’r replace MICA’s roots. “The concept remains the importanfpart — getting kids to understand how to be creativw problem solvers, which is what all artists are.
The technologyh just makes it easier for them to do their Foertsch said.
She secured a paid summer internship atHunt Valley’s Firaxias Games, a leading video game development And after graduation, the Texasx native plans to stay in Baltimor and get a full-tim e job as a concept artist at a gamingy company. “It’s one of the best jobs an illustratordcan get. You’re not workin g on commission, and you’vd got regular hours. Already there are a lot of people from MICA who work at Fischer said. The job confidence Fischer exudesz stands in sharp contrast tomany soon-to-be collegd graduates. Unemployment among U.S. 20- to 24-year-olds rose in the past year by almosrt5 percent, to 13.9 percent in March.
Many collegex are reporting drops in campus career fair participatiob by as much as35 percent, accordint to Chicago-based outplacement firm 48 companies attended MICA’s career fair April 3, more than doublew the number in recent years. A confluencwe of factors is making MICA an increasinglyy attractive stop on the job recruitercircuitf — and revving up its motor as a possible economic engine for Baltimore. Among U.S. art MICA holds the distinction of grantingv degreesthe longest.
Thankw to the strategic vision of Fred its president of30 years, and an active board of trustees, the 183-year-old institution is more relevant to industr today than ever before, campus leaderxs and observers say. Not that it hasn’t been immune to the recessio and its impact on campusees across thecountry — boosting enrollmenyt and growing its endowment will remain challenges. But supportinf MICA’s strategic vision was an extremely well-timed and successfu l $75 million fundraising campaign that ran from 2000and 2007. Double its undergraduate student body and endowmenfto 1,800 and $60 million, respectively; Support community arts outreach.
These initiatives, observers say, make the collegse and its graduatesattractivr — even in the midst of a severe economi downturn that has not left the arts communit y unscathed. Currently, Maryland colleges and universities are bracinv for pending state budget cuts on top ofplummetingg endowments. The state’s 2010 budget for the arts, passex by the legislature in April, will reduce funding by 18 from $16.6 million to $13.6 million, according to Theress Colvin, executive director of the . Even beforer the recession hit, MICA stepped in to suppory and grow the localarts community.
“With the strategic plan of 2000, there was a real recognitionh that we needed to invest more efforts in the revitalizatioj of Baltimore as a place for the visual arts,” Lazarus said. The Station Northn Arts and Entertainment District exemplifiesthat investment. Establishexd in 2002, the 100-acrwe district, bordered by 20th Greenmount Avenue and the Jones Falls has been hailed by city art officials asa “gatewayy to the Mount Vernon Cultural District.” the first state in the country to sponsotr arts and entertainment districts as a way to stimulate the offers tax benefits to property owners and qualifieed artists who live and work in the properties.
Stationj North is one of 16 such districtsin Maryland. In MICA bought the former Jos. A. Bank building, locatee in Station North, and has since renovatef the 120,000-square-foot warehouse, aptly named Studiok Center. It houses MICA graduate programs and studio and provides free space tofour arts-related Maryland Lawyers for the the , Arts Every Day, and “MICAs has been a member of the board sinc the beginning. They play a critical role by offering us complementarty incubatoroffice space,” said David Bielenberg, executive director of Station Northh Arts & Entertainment Inc.
Those close to the like Nancy Harrigan, the executiv director of the Greater BaltimoreCultural Alliance, credift MICA’s community outreach to the “generosity and ever-evolving of longtime head Lazarus. A new building at MICA housezs the tools students need to attain job opportunitiesin cutting-edge fields. A 61,410-square-foot, five-story contemporary structure, the $17 milliobn Brown Center is MICA’s first newlyh constructed academic building in almost100 years. A $6 milliojn gift — the largest ever — from Eddie and Sylviaq Brown helped fundthe building.
Inside, students in MICA’ss Video, Interactive Design, and Graphic Design departments hone modern techniques in digital art and From there, they can apply these sought-after skills in one of the region’s growinf industries: the gaming industry. Just ask Greg a 1995 MICA graduate, an adjunct instructof at MICA and creative team memberr atFiraxis Games. When he started workingy for gaming industry giangt Microprose fifteenyears ago, “it was the only show in That’s changed dramatically. As of 2006, Marylansd boasted 12 entertainment software companies valuedeat $119.9 million, according to the Entertainmentt Software Association.
Firaxis launched in 1996 with six fourfrom MICA. Within the past the company has growb from 65 employeesto 118. As the gamingv industry grows, Foertsch and fellow MICA graduatsDavid Inscore, founder and studi art director of Timonium-based Big Huge Games, have been workin g with their alma mater to explorse adding classes in 3-D animation techniques that will give MICA studente an edge in the gamingy and entertainment industries. But they won’r replace MICA’s roots. “The concept remains the importanfpart — getting kids to understand how to be creativw problem solvers, which is what all artists are.
The technologyh just makes it easier for them to do their Foertsch said.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Lesbians, Gays Lobby Australian PM Over Dinner - ABC News
wanuso.wordpress.com
CTV.ca | Lesbians, Gays Lobby Australian PM Over Dinner ABC News Prime Minister Julia Gillard, an opponent of same-sex marriage, hosted a dinner for two lesbian couples and a pair of gay men Tuesday after an Australian activist group won a charity auction. The couples used the three-course meal at Gillard's official ... In Australia: Guess who' ;s coming to dinner? Same-sex advocates hope dinner date can sway Gillard on marriage |
Sunday, February 19, 2012
GET UPDATES FROM Catherine Meeks, Ph.D. - Huffington Post
1189126qun.blogspot.com
GET UPDATES FROM Catherine Meeks, Ph.D. Huffington Post I have always been fascinated to hear the words tucked away in Mark's gospel regarding Jesus seeking a deserted place to pray. "In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place to pray. |
Friday, February 17, 2012
Bailed-out Portugal's main opposition party urges extension of debt-reduction ... - Washington Post
iwegasely.wordpress.com
Bailed-out Portugal's main opposition party urges extension of debt-reduction ... Washington Post LISBON, Portugal â€" The leader of bailed-out Portugal's main opposition party is pressing the government to ask international lenders for a one-year extension on the country's debt reduction targets. Debt-stressed Portugal is locked into an austerity ... |
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Season ends surprisingly for Panthers - Palatka Daily News
eragywaqer.wordpress.com
First Coast News | Season ends surprisingly for Panthers Palatka Daily News Shaw had seven rebounds and four assists. n The season came to an end for Crescent City at 9-14 after the Raiders fell behind 26-7 at the end of one quarter and ended up on the short end of a 59-25 matchup with host Newberry in the Region 4-1A ... Paxon ends playoff ru n of Nease girls basketb » |
Monday, February 13, 2012
AG settles with Aetna over student health plans - Houston Business Journal:
hihozeima.blogspot.com
The Aetna plans affected appliefd to students enrolledat , , and the . Underr the settlement, about $114,000 will be available to compensatw claims that were inadequately compensated since the AG's office said in a news The settlement stems from a state investigation into Aetna’s handling of its college-sponsored studentr health care plans in Abbott said that Aetna and its affiliate, , did not updat e certain expense-related data that was used to determine the cost of out-of-networo health care. As a result, Aetna didn't coveer its full cost for out-of-network claims. Aetnz will compensate students or their physicians for underpaid the AG's office said.
Aetna will contact all affected studentss or health care providers in Texaz on how toobtain
The Aetna plans affected appliefd to students enrolledat , , and the . Underr the settlement, about $114,000 will be available to compensatw claims that were inadequately compensated since the AG's office said in a news The settlement stems from a state investigation into Aetna’s handling of its college-sponsored studentr health care plans in Abbott said that Aetna and its affiliate, , did not updat e certain expense-related data that was used to determine the cost of out-of-networo health care. As a result, Aetna didn't coveer its full cost for out-of-network claims. Aetnz will compensate students or their physicians for underpaid the AG's office said.
Aetna will contact all affected studentss or health care providers in Texaz on how toobtain
Friday, February 10, 2012
U.S. December International Trade in Goods and Services (Text) - Bloomberg
ovaluleq.wordpress.com
FinFacts Ireland | U.S. December International Trade in Goods and Services (Text) Bloomberg Goods and Services The US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total December exports of $178.8 billion and imports of $227.6 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of ... U S goods and services trade deficit was $558.0bn in 2011 - - up $58bn on 2010 Commerce Department Statement on US International Trade in Goods and Services ... Trade Numbers Show We Need to do More to Increase Exports |
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Raiffeisen Said to Revisit $1.3 Billion Sale on Stock Rise - BusinessWeek
amesit.wordpress.com
Raiffeisen Said to Revisit $1.3 Billion Sale on Stock Rise BusinessWeek 8 (Bloomberg) -- Raiffeisen Bank International AG, eastern Europe's third-biggest lender, is revisiting plans for a rights offering after abandoning preparations for a sale last year, four people with knowledge of the talks said. |
Monday, February 6, 2012
UCF wants to cut 5 programs, 51 jobs - Kansas City Business Journal:
ermolayxitpev.blogspot.com
The move is aimed at saving $6.1 millio n and is in addition to $38 million in cuts the university hasalready imposed. The cuts are a result of less money coming fromthe state. Programs being cut are cardiopulmonary engineering technology, management information systems, radiologic sciencexs and statistics and actuarial If approved by the the cuts will impact about 1,100 students. Those close to graduation will receive assistanc from the university to take the courses needede to completetheir majors.
If the board approvea the job cuts, the faculty and staff wouls have two semesters notice before losing their job and some woul d remain employed through the spring 2011 semester to allow students to completetheir degrees. Studentsa will also witness a 15 percent increase in tuition beginning with the fall2009 “I wish the severity of the budgey cuts did not forcse us to consider these actions, but they are in the best interestw of the entire university. This is a very bitteer pill for the UCF communityto swallow,” said UCF presidentg John C.
Hitt, in a prepared
The move is aimed at saving $6.1 millio n and is in addition to $38 million in cuts the university hasalready imposed. The cuts are a result of less money coming fromthe state. Programs being cut are cardiopulmonary engineering technology, management information systems, radiologic sciencexs and statistics and actuarial If approved by the the cuts will impact about 1,100 students. Those close to graduation will receive assistanc from the university to take the courses needede to completetheir majors.
If the board approvea the job cuts, the faculty and staff wouls have two semesters notice before losing their job and some woul d remain employed through the spring 2011 semester to allow students to completetheir degrees. Studentsa will also witness a 15 percent increase in tuition beginning with the fall2009 “I wish the severity of the budgey cuts did not forcse us to consider these actions, but they are in the best interestw of the entire university. This is a very bitteer pill for the UCF communityto swallow,” said UCF presidentg John C.
Hitt, in a prepared
Saturday, February 4, 2012
UN Says Somalia Famine Has Ended, but Warns That Crisis Isn't Over - New York Times
ogarawo.wordpress.com
New York Times | UN Says Somalia Famine Has Ended, but Warns That Crisis Isn't Over New York Times GENEINA, Sudan â€" The United Nations said on Friday that the famine that has killed tens of thousands of people in Somalia this past year has ended, thanks to a bumper harvest and a surge in emergency food deliveries. But conditions are still ... Somalia famine over, humanitarian crisis persists Rains End Famine in Somalia, but Millions Remain at Risk Famine in Somalia is declared over, but dangers persist |
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Reliant gears up for another hot summer - Houston Business Journal:
humojo.wordpress.com
The funds will be drawn from the Communityy Assistance from Reliant Energy program to help them pay theirfelectricity bills. Among the programs beingt implemented July 1through Sept. 20, is a moratoriumm on disconnecting electricity servicefor low-income critical-care and other low-income residential customers who contacrt Reliant and agree to a payment plan. Now an entitgy under New Jersey-based , the company is providiny somenew “heat relief” summer entertainmentg options, some free of charge, for familiesw impacted by the downturn in the economy, as well as the continuatioh of the fourth year of the Reliangt Energy Beat the Heat Centers and a newly created home energgy audit program with Rebuilding Togethefr Houston.
The partnership with Rebuilding Togethert Houston includes free home energy auditxs forqualified low-income and elderly residential customers in Houston some of who also may qualif for free attic insulation or free energy efficient compact fluoresceny lights.
The funds will be drawn from the Communityy Assistance from Reliant Energy program to help them pay theirfelectricity bills. Among the programs beingt implemented July 1through Sept. 20, is a moratoriumm on disconnecting electricity servicefor low-income critical-care and other low-income residential customers who contacrt Reliant and agree to a payment plan. Now an entitgy under New Jersey-based , the company is providiny somenew “heat relief” summer entertainmentg options, some free of charge, for familiesw impacted by the downturn in the economy, as well as the continuatioh of the fourth year of the Reliangt Energy Beat the Heat Centers and a newly created home energgy audit program with Rebuilding Togethefr Houston.
The partnership with Rebuilding Togethert Houston includes free home energy auditxs forqualified low-income and elderly residential customers in Houston some of who also may qualif for free attic insulation or free energy efficient compact fluoresceny lights.
Monday, January 30, 2012
University of Maryland System's bonds win second highest rating - Washington Business Journal:
ramsdenjerrieas54.blogspot.com
Fitch assigned a AA rating to nearly $145 millioh in bonds that the state’s publicf university will issue June 16 andto $802 million in outstandin g facility and tuition revenue bonds. The ratin is the second highest, after AAA. Fitch’s AA ratin means bond holders should expecyt a low default risk and changes in market conditions are less likel to impact the likelihooed that they getpaid back. The rating is unchangef for theexisting bonds. USM could use the new bondsd to pay for everything from dorm parking garages and new student unioh buildings at its11 universities, said Joe USM’s vice chancellor of administration and finance.
Fitch said it assignes the rating becauseof USM’s souned financial operations and the state’e financial support for it. USM has generated operating surpluses durinbg the past fivefiscal years, the Fitc h report stated. Its operating margin improved to 3.8 percent in fisca 2008, up from 3 percenf in 2007. The statde gave USM $1.06 billion in 2009, a 5.7 percent increase from fiscal 2008. USM also emerged relatively unscathed from the General Assembly cuts this year witha $5.8 million cut for 2010, less than 1 percentt of its operating “It has been in stable and healthy financia condition,” Fitch Director Colin Walsh said of USM.
Fitch assigned a AA rating to nearly $145 millioh in bonds that the state’s publicf university will issue June 16 andto $802 million in outstandin g facility and tuition revenue bonds. The ratin is the second highest, after AAA. Fitch’s AA ratin means bond holders should expecyt a low default risk and changes in market conditions are less likel to impact the likelihooed that they getpaid back. The rating is unchangef for theexisting bonds. USM could use the new bondsd to pay for everything from dorm parking garages and new student unioh buildings at its11 universities, said Joe USM’s vice chancellor of administration and finance.
Fitch said it assignes the rating becauseof USM’s souned financial operations and the state’e financial support for it. USM has generated operating surpluses durinbg the past fivefiscal years, the Fitc h report stated. Its operating margin improved to 3.8 percent in fisca 2008, up from 3 percenf in 2007. The statde gave USM $1.06 billion in 2009, a 5.7 percent increase from fiscal 2008. USM also emerged relatively unscathed from the General Assembly cuts this year witha $5.8 million cut for 2010, less than 1 percentt of its operating “It has been in stable and healthy financia condition,” Fitch Director Colin Walsh said of USM.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Judge: Court won
iwegasely.wordpress.com
Senators have performed no officiao business in the eight days since the surprise uprising that Republicanw led onJune 8. Two Democrats joined all 30 Republicanz tooust Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) as majoritgy leader. The dizzying events since then have shut down the Control of the chambee remains up inthe air; the bipartisan groupl of senators, and remaining Democrats, each say they control the Senate. Whoever gains control will decidd the fate of an array of billsand hot-buttonn political issues. • On June 15, Sen. Hiramn Monserrate (D-Queens) left the coalition and rejoined Democrats. Now, the Senatwe is evenly divided between 31 coalition members and31 Democrats.
Smith is no longer the top Democragt inthe Senate. Sen. John Sampsob (D-Brooklyn) is the party’ss leader, running day-to-day operations while Smit retains the title ofmajority leader, Democrats says. Republicans balked at an initial Democratic proposal fora power-sharing proposal to run the Senate through the end of the legislativee session, scheduled for June 22. After the surprise June 8 the bipartisan groupnamed Sen. Pedro Espadas Jr. (D-Bronx) as the Senate’s temporarg president. Democrats say the vote was illegal because they say that they had gaveled the sessionh to a close before itwas held.
A court ordere issued last week had prevented Espada from assuming the duties oftemporary president, whicn include becoming acting governor if Gov. David Paterson leaves the statr orbecomes incapacitated. On June 16, state Supreme Court Judge Thomas McNamarza dismissed a lawsuit that Smith file d against Espada over control ofthe Senate. He ordered Republicansw and Democrats to resolve the matter ontheid own, writing that it would be an “improvident if the judicial branch imposed a solution upon the legislativw branch. “To have a court do so would be McNamara wrote.
“The question calls for a solution by the membersx of thestate Senate, utilizingh the art of negotiation and compromise. “Thw failure of the Senate to resolve this issue in an appropriatew manner will make them answerable tothe electorate,” McNamar added. Democrats say they will not appeal the Espada and Republicans praisedthe “There is no longer any excuse for 31 Senatd Democrats to boycott session and refuse to come to the Senatd chamber today and do their jobs,” said Sen. Dean Skelosw (R-Rockland County), who is the coalition’s majority “This should bring to an end to Sen.
Smith’s fruitlessa attempts to undo alegal vote,” Espada added. So far, the two parties have not agreedto anything. Democrats initially locked theSenate shut, preventing the coalition from holding an officiapl legislative session. On June 15, Democrats suggested that a six-person committee decide what legislation will bevotedx on. The committee would be made of three Republicans andthree Democrats. those in charge of the chamber woulde alternate each day between the two Democrats wona 32-30 majority in the Novemberr 2008 elections.
Espada remains a but is choosing to vote withthe chamber’s 30 Now, neither side has a so no Senate business can be conductef without both sides present. Under the state the lieutenant governor has the power to brea tie votes inthe Senate. The state has no lieutenan t governorright now; that’xs the position Gov. David Paterson vacated to succeedformer Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resignedf in March 2008. The constitution does not outline any processx for replacing a lieutenant The coalition had scheduled a session for June 16 at3 p.m.
Senators have performed no officiao business in the eight days since the surprise uprising that Republicanw led onJune 8. Two Democrats joined all 30 Republicanz tooust Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) as majoritgy leader. The dizzying events since then have shut down the Control of the chambee remains up inthe air; the bipartisan groupl of senators, and remaining Democrats, each say they control the Senate. Whoever gains control will decidd the fate of an array of billsand hot-buttonn political issues. • On June 15, Sen. Hiramn Monserrate (D-Queens) left the coalition and rejoined Democrats. Now, the Senatwe is evenly divided between 31 coalition members and31 Democrats.
Smith is no longer the top Democragt inthe Senate. Sen. John Sampsob (D-Brooklyn) is the party’ss leader, running day-to-day operations while Smit retains the title ofmajority leader, Democrats says. Republicans balked at an initial Democratic proposal fora power-sharing proposal to run the Senate through the end of the legislativee session, scheduled for June 22. After the surprise June 8 the bipartisan groupnamed Sen. Pedro Espadas Jr. (D-Bronx) as the Senate’s temporarg president. Democrats say the vote was illegal because they say that they had gaveled the sessionh to a close before itwas held.
A court ordere issued last week had prevented Espada from assuming the duties oftemporary president, whicn include becoming acting governor if Gov. David Paterson leaves the statr orbecomes incapacitated. On June 16, state Supreme Court Judge Thomas McNamarza dismissed a lawsuit that Smith file d against Espada over control ofthe Senate. He ordered Republicansw and Democrats to resolve the matter ontheid own, writing that it would be an “improvident if the judicial branch imposed a solution upon the legislativw branch. “To have a court do so would be McNamara wrote.
“The question calls for a solution by the membersx of thestate Senate, utilizingh the art of negotiation and compromise. “Thw failure of the Senate to resolve this issue in an appropriatew manner will make them answerable tothe electorate,” McNamar added. Democrats say they will not appeal the Espada and Republicans praisedthe “There is no longer any excuse for 31 Senatd Democrats to boycott session and refuse to come to the Senatd chamber today and do their jobs,” said Sen. Dean Skelosw (R-Rockland County), who is the coalition’s majority “This should bring to an end to Sen.
Smith’s fruitlessa attempts to undo alegal vote,” Espada added. So far, the two parties have not agreedto anything. Democrats initially locked theSenate shut, preventing the coalition from holding an officiapl legislative session. On June 15, Democrats suggested that a six-person committee decide what legislation will bevotedx on. The committee would be made of three Republicans andthree Democrats. those in charge of the chamber woulde alternate each day between the two Democrats wona 32-30 majority in the Novemberr 2008 elections.
Espada remains a but is choosing to vote withthe chamber’s 30 Now, neither side has a so no Senate business can be conductef without both sides present. Under the state the lieutenant governor has the power to brea tie votes inthe Senate. The state has no lieutenan t governorright now; that’xs the position Gov. David Paterson vacated to succeedformer Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resignedf in March 2008. The constitution does not outline any processx for replacing a lieutenant The coalition had scheduled a session for June 16 at3 p.m.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Roach: Floyd Mayweather is Scared, No November Fight - BoxingScene.com
ulyanaimiiurebor.blogspot.com
Daily Mail | Roach: Floyd Mayweather is Scared, No November Fight BoxingScene.com By Keith Idec PHILADELPHIA â€" Freddie Roach wasn't the least bit surprised when he learned Floyd Mayweather Jr. informed a “SportsCenter†anchor in an e-mail that he wouldn't agree to a 50-50 split for a fight against Manny Pacquiao. Pacqui ao certain of fighting Floyd Jr Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Not Happening Would be Great for Miguel Cotto Floyd and Manny â€" Still an Intriguing Match Up? |
Sunday, January 22, 2012
CB Richard Ellis to raise $550M - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
bentlyoupapa1810.blogspot.com
The company will use the proceeds to reducr itssizable debt. The Los Angeles-basecd broker plans to offer $400 millionn in senior unsubordinated notes in aprivates placement. It also will sell $100 milliomn in new Class A common stoclk to investors that include hedge fundPaulson & Co. Inc. CB Richardx Ellis may raise another $50 million in periodidc publicstock sales. CB Richard Ellis has $2.4 billion in debt, $310 milliohn of which is due next year, accordiny to Bloomberg data. Much of its debt was incurrecd throughits $1.9 billion acquisition of Trammell Crow in 2006.
The move by CB Richardc Ellis (NYSE:CBG) follows a similafr initiative byOn Tuesday, Jones Lang LaSalle said it plannede to raise as much as $200 millionj in a secondary stock offeringh of 5.5 million shares. CB Richarcd Ellis is the world’s largest commercial real estateservicees firm. It has more than 29,0000 employees worldwide. It's the Twin second-largest commercial real estate brokerage firm andthe third-largesg commercial property management firm.
The company will use the proceeds to reducr itssizable debt. The Los Angeles-basecd broker plans to offer $400 millionn in senior unsubordinated notes in aprivates placement. It also will sell $100 milliomn in new Class A common stoclk to investors that include hedge fundPaulson & Co. Inc. CB Richardx Ellis may raise another $50 million in periodidc publicstock sales. CB Richard Ellis has $2.4 billion in debt, $310 milliohn of which is due next year, accordiny to Bloomberg data. Much of its debt was incurrecd throughits $1.9 billion acquisition of Trammell Crow in 2006.
The move by CB Richardc Ellis (NYSE:CBG) follows a similafr initiative byOn Tuesday, Jones Lang LaSalle said it plannede to raise as much as $200 millionj in a secondary stock offeringh of 5.5 million shares. CB Richarcd Ellis is the world’s largest commercial real estateservicees firm. It has more than 29,0000 employees worldwide. It's the Twin second-largest commercial real estate brokerage firm andthe third-largesg commercial property management firm.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Gary Heasley Executive Profile
vykyvimote.wordpress.com
**All Executive profile data provided byDow Jones & Co., Inc.
**All Executive profile data provided byDow Jones & Co., Inc.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Yellowstone hotel bought by Del. North - Business First of Buffalo:
karnergetajequ1416.blogspot.com
Buffalo-based Delaware North has acquireda 123-room Holidayh Inn West Yellowstone, a hotell that is less than one mile from the entrancw to the famed national Delaware North, through its Delaward North Cos. Parks Resorts division, already operates 13 retail outletas in Yellowstone for the NationalParkse Service. Terms were not disclosed. The hotelk was owned by Montana businessmen Clyde Seely andBill Howell. The deal is Delawarre North’s fourth for a hotel or lodgintg propertysince 2001. The 15-year-olx Holiday Inn is one of nearly 40 lodging propertie in and around the WestYellowstones area.
The hotel features a 175-seat restaurant, 125-seat lounge, 10,000-square-feett of meeting and function space plus otheer amenities including anindoor pool, hot tub, dry sauna and fitness center. “We took interest in Holiday Inn West Yellowstonre because of its its position as the West Yellowstone market leadet and its location at the gateway to one of the most belovedfof America’s parks,” said Kevin Delaware North Cos. Parks & Resorts president. “It fits our profile of a speciao place.” Kelly said the hotel will keep the Holidayu Inn brand affiliation for at least another10 years.
The Holidayy Inn West Yellowstone is one of 15 lodging North American lodging properties Delaware Nortyh ownsor operates. Delaware North has eight in YosemiteNational Park, including the historic Ahwahneee Lodge. Kelly said Delawarde North will be making some changee to the hotel while also bringingits “culinary expertise” to the
Buffalo-based Delaware North has acquireda 123-room Holidayh Inn West Yellowstone, a hotell that is less than one mile from the entrancw to the famed national Delaware North, through its Delaward North Cos. Parks Resorts division, already operates 13 retail outletas in Yellowstone for the NationalParkse Service. Terms were not disclosed. The hotelk was owned by Montana businessmen Clyde Seely andBill Howell. The deal is Delawarre North’s fourth for a hotel or lodgintg propertysince 2001. The 15-year-olx Holiday Inn is one of nearly 40 lodging propertie in and around the WestYellowstones area.
The hotel features a 175-seat restaurant, 125-seat lounge, 10,000-square-feett of meeting and function space plus otheer amenities including anindoor pool, hot tub, dry sauna and fitness center. “We took interest in Holiday Inn West Yellowstonre because of its its position as the West Yellowstone market leadet and its location at the gateway to one of the most belovedfof America’s parks,” said Kevin Delaware North Cos. Parks & Resorts president. “It fits our profile of a speciao place.” Kelly said the hotel will keep the Holidayu Inn brand affiliation for at least another10 years.
The Holidayy Inn West Yellowstone is one of 15 lodging North American lodging properties Delaware Nortyh ownsor operates. Delaware North has eight in YosemiteNational Park, including the historic Ahwahneee Lodge. Kelly said Delawarde North will be making some changee to the hotel while also bringingits “culinary expertise” to the
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Times' retirement plan hit by $154M loss - Sacramento Business Journal:
uhetemejih.wordpress.com
Net assets of the plan for the Times, which owns the Globse and T&G, fell to $417.7 The plan was particularly hard hit bysome $171.r million in losses within several mutuap funds. For example, the plan’s largesgt holding, the Vanguard 500 Index Investment suffered a nearly 40 percent lossin value. Anothefr fund in the portfolio, the Vanguard Asset AllocationhInvestment fund, dropped nearly 32 percent year-over-year. Only one of its major fund holdings, the Dodgr & Cox Income Fund, posted a positive return in 2008. Investments in fixed income and insurance assetsgenerated $5.3 milliohn in income. Dividend income of $11.67 million also helped offset losses.
Interest income from the company’ s borrowing from its retirement fundtotaled $594,000. The Timese has traditionally matched a fraction of Globe contributions totheir 401(k) accounts, however a proposal in frongt of leadership would eliminate the
Net assets of the plan for the Times, which owns the Globse and T&G, fell to $417.7 The plan was particularly hard hit bysome $171.r million in losses within several mutuap funds. For example, the plan’s largesgt holding, the Vanguard 500 Index Investment suffered a nearly 40 percent lossin value. Anothefr fund in the portfolio, the Vanguard Asset AllocationhInvestment fund, dropped nearly 32 percent year-over-year. Only one of its major fund holdings, the Dodgr & Cox Income Fund, posted a positive return in 2008. Investments in fixed income and insurance assetsgenerated $5.3 milliohn in income. Dividend income of $11.67 million also helped offset losses.
Interest income from the company’ s borrowing from its retirement fundtotaled $594,000. The Timese has traditionally matched a fraction of Globe contributions totheir 401(k) accounts, however a proposal in frongt of leadership would eliminate the
Friday, January 13, 2012
Premier Power buys Italian solar developer - Sacramento Business Journal:
ejoxot.wordpress.com
The El Dorado Hills company (OTCBB: PPRW) did not disclose terms of the acquisition. The deal was basecd on an exchangeof shares, as opposed to cash, a company spokeswomanm said. Premier Power said it expectss the acquisitionto “significantly improve overall operating margins.” The companyh anticipates that it will begin to see substantial revenue growth in the second half of the year as a result of Italiaj projects. Premier Power said Italy is “arguably the world’s fastesf growing solar power market today.” The markety is expected to growto 3,000 megawattes by 2016, up from 325 megawatts in 2008.
Arco Energh also is a distributor for CanadianSolar CSIQ) and Suntech (NYSE: STP) as well as Solar Max and Power One invertors and othere system components. “Premier Power’s expertise in the engineering and integration of all types ofprojects — from utilith scale solar farms to ground-mount use of thin film, roof-top modules and large single and bi-directional trackers to building integrated roof-top systems — is unlikw any other company in Italy,” said Marco chief executive officer for Arco Energy, in a news “This versatility gives us the ability to seiz e both the immediate opportunity and remain in Italuy as a long-term player.
”
The El Dorado Hills company (OTCBB: PPRW) did not disclose terms of the acquisition. The deal was basecd on an exchangeof shares, as opposed to cash, a company spokeswomanm said. Premier Power said it expectss the acquisitionto “significantly improve overall operating margins.” The companyh anticipates that it will begin to see substantial revenue growth in the second half of the year as a result of Italiaj projects. Premier Power said Italy is “arguably the world’s fastesf growing solar power market today.” The markety is expected to growto 3,000 megawattes by 2016, up from 325 megawatts in 2008.
Arco Energh also is a distributor for CanadianSolar CSIQ) and Suntech (NYSE: STP) as well as Solar Max and Power One invertors and othere system components. “Premier Power’s expertise in the engineering and integration of all types ofprojects — from utilith scale solar farms to ground-mount use of thin film, roof-top modules and large single and bi-directional trackers to building integrated roof-top systems — is unlikw any other company in Italy,” said Marco chief executive officer for Arco Energy, in a news “This versatility gives us the ability to seiz e both the immediate opportunity and remain in Italuy as a long-term player.
”
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Prince Fielder Rumors: Fielder-to-Mariners "Extremely Overblown" - Call to the Pen
gonyzyf.wordpress.com
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) | Prince Fielder Rumors: Fielder-to-Mariners "Extremely Overblown" C » |
Monday, January 9, 2012
Four ownership groups show interest in Coyotes, sale could keep NHL team in Glendale - Philadelphia Business Journal:
ivyhofy.wordpress.com
NHL court filings with the U.S Bankruptcy Courty handling the Coyotes Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection include a list of possible owners that would keep the team in They include: Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, ownerds of the Canadian Football League'a Toronto Argonauts; Chicago White Sox ownerr Jerry Reinsdorf; Coyotes minoritgy owner John Breslow; and an unnamed Phoenix-aresa business executive as possible Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillide already has a $213 million offee on the table for the Coyotes and wouldx move the team to Ontario. The Coyotes have lost $316 million sincs moving to the Phoenix marketfrom Winnipeg, Canada, in 1996.
Balsillie'sd offer is expected to be substantially greater than any offe r to keep the team in RIM makes Blackberry smartphones and Balsillie is a billionairw who has made offersx for other NHL The NHL also got more legal back up Fridayfrom , the and Nationakl Basketball Assocation. The professional sports leagued argue in court filings that they should have controp overfranchises sales, moves and relocationzs in order to maintain the economic viability of their The NHL opposes Balsillie's effort to move the Phoenixd franchise back to Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes also said in June 5 court filingxs that a $100 milion cash infusionb he has put into the team should be treatedx as a debt the hockey team'd reorganization should reimburse him for.
Moyes wants to sell the Coyotes to Balsillid who contends hockey is not financially viablrin Glendale. Moyes' courf filings also downplayeda $750 million lease penalty the city of Glendales could file for if the Coyotesw break their 30-year lease at Jobing.com Moyes and Balsillie want the bankruptcy courft to discharge the lease as part of the team'sz Chapter 11.
NHL court filings with the U.S Bankruptcy Courty handling the Coyotes Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection include a list of possible owners that would keep the team in They include: Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, ownerds of the Canadian Football League'a Toronto Argonauts; Chicago White Sox ownerr Jerry Reinsdorf; Coyotes minoritgy owner John Breslow; and an unnamed Phoenix-aresa business executive as possible Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillide already has a $213 million offee on the table for the Coyotes and wouldx move the team to Ontario. The Coyotes have lost $316 million sincs moving to the Phoenix marketfrom Winnipeg, Canada, in 1996.
Balsillie'sd offer is expected to be substantially greater than any offe r to keep the team in RIM makes Blackberry smartphones and Balsillie is a billionairw who has made offersx for other NHL The NHL also got more legal back up Fridayfrom , the and Nationakl Basketball Assocation. The professional sports leagued argue in court filings that they should have controp overfranchises sales, moves and relocationzs in order to maintain the economic viability of their The NHL opposes Balsillie's effort to move the Phoenixd franchise back to Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes also said in June 5 court filingxs that a $100 milion cash infusionb he has put into the team should be treatedx as a debt the hockey team'd reorganization should reimburse him for.
Moyes wants to sell the Coyotes to Balsillid who contends hockey is not financially viablrin Glendale. Moyes' courf filings also downplayeda $750 million lease penalty the city of Glendales could file for if the Coyotesw break their 30-year lease at Jobing.com Moyes and Balsillie want the bankruptcy courft to discharge the lease as part of the team'sz Chapter 11.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Petro Resources CEO steps down - Houston Business Journal:
grigoriynirim.blogspot.com
Hall, who will remain with the company as vice chairmam ofthe board, was replaced as boards chairman by Gary Evans, effective May 22. Donald Kirkendall, president of Houston-base d Petro Resources (AMEX: PRC) will retain his executives position but has vacated his board Evansfounded , which was sold to in a $2.2 billioh transaction in June 2005, and then formed renewable energ y company Evans still serves as GreenHunter’s chairman and chieft executive. He is also chairman and chiefd executive ofIn addition, Ronald Ormand has joinedr Petro Resources as executive vice president and chief financial officer and will assumre Kirkendall’s spot on the board.
Ormand was most recently CFO of Gruy Petroleum and presidentof , a financial advisory and private investment firm focused on the energu industry. “We are looking forwardx to the new leadershipl from Gary and Ron in our mutual goal of changinb the direction of the company to more of an oil and gas operatoer with access to capital markets,” Hall said. “The company planzs to focus on acquisitions, low risk developmeny drilling, and new projects exhibitinbg repeatablesuccess opportunities.
”
Hall, who will remain with the company as vice chairmam ofthe board, was replaced as boards chairman by Gary Evans, effective May 22. Donald Kirkendall, president of Houston-base d Petro Resources (AMEX: PRC) will retain his executives position but has vacated his board Evansfounded , which was sold to in a $2.2 billioh transaction in June 2005, and then formed renewable energ y company Evans still serves as GreenHunter’s chairman and chieft executive. He is also chairman and chiefd executive ofIn addition, Ronald Ormand has joinedr Petro Resources as executive vice president and chief financial officer and will assumre Kirkendall’s spot on the board.
Ormand was most recently CFO of Gruy Petroleum and presidentof , a financial advisory and private investment firm focused on the energu industry. “We are looking forwardx to the new leadershipl from Gary and Ron in our mutual goal of changinb the direction of the company to more of an oil and gas operatoer with access to capital markets,” Hall said. “The company planzs to focus on acquisitions, low risk developmeny drilling, and new projects exhibitinbg repeatablesuccess opportunities.
”
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
TXCO files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection - San Antonio Business Journal:
tiqosi.wordpress.com
Attorneys for San Antonio-based TXCO (NASDAQ: TXCO) also filed a motion with the Bankruptcyh Court seeking approval foranticipated debtor-in-possession financing with prospectivew lenders. TXCO is currently in negotiationswith Ltd. and potentiallh others for a multiple draw-term loan facility with a totalk aggregate principal amountof $32 million. The debtor-in-possession financing woulfd allow TXCO to conduct businesswithoutg interruption. TXCO is working to minimize the impacft of the bankruptcy filing on its customersand employees. However, the bankruptcy court will have to approvew anyfinancing arrangement. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald B.
King is handling the case at theWestern District’s office in San TXCO officials say the bankruptcy filinfg was precipitated by a series of evente that severely impacted the company’ds liquidity. Particularly, extreme volatility in energy pricees and a crumbling global economy have made it difficulft for TXCO to raise equity capitaloor debt, according to a statement released by the According to the bankruptcy TXCO has assets of $431.9 million and totalo debts of $322.8 million. The compant also has more than 38 million shares of commonbstock outstanding. TXCO’s largest shareholder is , a companyu based in Milwaukee. Heartland owns 9.
1 percent of the company’se total stock, according to TXCO’s bankruptcy The company’s top five largest unsecured the bankruptcypetition shows, are Houston-based ($8 in Uvalde ($5.3 million); Dallas-based ($5.q1 million); in Dallas ($4.2 million); and in Houstonh ($2.9 million). The company also has retaineedAlbert S. Conly of to serves as the chief restructuring officer to assisf TXCO in the Chapter 11 reorganization. LLC has been retained as financial advisersd andinvestment banker. Goldman, Sachs & Co. has been hired as a financialp adviser in connection with any potential sale of asset proposed under thisbankruptcy filing.
TXCO is represented locallyt by bankruptcy attorneysDeborah D. Williamson and Lindseyt D. Graham with TXCO is an independent oil and gas company with interests in theMavericjk Basin, the onshore Gulf Coasy region and the Marfa Basin of Texas and westerjn Oklahoma. www.txco.com
Attorneys for San Antonio-based TXCO (NASDAQ: TXCO) also filed a motion with the Bankruptcyh Court seeking approval foranticipated debtor-in-possession financing with prospectivew lenders. TXCO is currently in negotiationswith Ltd. and potentiallh others for a multiple draw-term loan facility with a totalk aggregate principal amountof $32 million. The debtor-in-possession financing woulfd allow TXCO to conduct businesswithoutg interruption. TXCO is working to minimize the impacft of the bankruptcy filing on its customersand employees. However, the bankruptcy court will have to approvew anyfinancing arrangement. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald B.
King is handling the case at theWestern District’s office in San TXCO officials say the bankruptcy filinfg was precipitated by a series of evente that severely impacted the company’ds liquidity. Particularly, extreme volatility in energy pricees and a crumbling global economy have made it difficulft for TXCO to raise equity capitaloor debt, according to a statement released by the According to the bankruptcy TXCO has assets of $431.9 million and totalo debts of $322.8 million. The compant also has more than 38 million shares of commonbstock outstanding. TXCO’s largest shareholder is , a companyu based in Milwaukee. Heartland owns 9.
1 percent of the company’se total stock, according to TXCO’s bankruptcy The company’s top five largest unsecured the bankruptcypetition shows, are Houston-based ($8 in Uvalde ($5.3 million); Dallas-based ($5.q1 million); in Dallas ($4.2 million); and in Houstonh ($2.9 million). The company also has retaineedAlbert S. Conly of to serves as the chief restructuring officer to assisf TXCO in the Chapter 11 reorganization. LLC has been retained as financial advisersd andinvestment banker. Goldman, Sachs & Co. has been hired as a financialp adviser in connection with any potential sale of asset proposed under thisbankruptcy filing.
TXCO is represented locallyt by bankruptcy attorneysDeborah D. Williamson and Lindseyt D. Graham with TXCO is an independent oil and gas company with interests in theMavericjk Basin, the onshore Gulf Coasy region and the Marfa Basin of Texas and westerjn Oklahoma. www.txco.com
Monday, January 2, 2012
Ryan does
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He’s implemented a system with all its ingredients cominhg togetherto jell, using his common-sensse approach to management that happens to coincidse with the book’s key principles. Among Collins’ preceptsx being executed in Arlingtonthese days, Ryan identifief what Collins calls the “Onde Big Right Thing,” being the one centrall goal that can drivew a company to its highesr level, around which all aspects of the organizationm are built. For the Ryan says, that one thing is: “Having a competitive team on the field, which drivesx everything in our operation.
If we’re competing well in every game, and winning our share becausee of our improved pitching and to go with the great hitting we’ve always had, more fans will attensd our games, more will buy our merchandisre and more will follosw us on television and radio, causing more companiesa to be sponsors.” He’s rigorous in making personnel Using Collins’ metaphor, Ryan’s gotten the right people on the bus, put them in the righy seats and gotten the wrong people off the bus. He says his greatesty accomplishment thus faris “bringing in an outstanding staff of qualitgy baseball people who have a passion for the game.
”
He’s implemented a system with all its ingredients cominhg togetherto jell, using his common-sensse approach to management that happens to coincidse with the book’s key principles. Among Collins’ preceptsx being executed in Arlingtonthese days, Ryan identifief what Collins calls the “Onde Big Right Thing,” being the one centrall goal that can drivew a company to its highesr level, around which all aspects of the organizationm are built. For the Ryan says, that one thing is: “Having a competitive team on the field, which drivesx everything in our operation.
If we’re competing well in every game, and winning our share becausee of our improved pitching and to go with the great hitting we’ve always had, more fans will attensd our games, more will buy our merchandisre and more will follosw us on television and radio, causing more companiesa to be sponsors.” He’s rigorous in making personnel Using Collins’ metaphor, Ryan’s gotten the right people on the bus, put them in the righy seats and gotten the wrong people off the bus. He says his greatesty accomplishment thus faris “bringing in an outstanding staff of qualitgy baseball people who have a passion for the game.
”
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