Friday, December 31, 2010

City Room: In a Word for Third, a Shovelful of Indignity - New York Times (blog)

tulusenoveb.blogspot.com


New York Times (blog)


City Room: In a Word for Third, a Shovelful of Indignity

New York Times (blog)


Millions of New Yorkers who thought they lived on perfectly nice blocks in decent neighborhoods have learned that their streets are, in fact… tertiary. ...



and more »

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Report: Zell might lose reins of Tribune - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

asafevboriegum.blogspot.com
According to the report, the companuy might fall into the hands of a group of banks and investors thatholds $8.6 billion in seniod debt. The report says that "the plan centers on a debt-for-equitt swap that probably would give the senior lenderzs a large majority ownership stakes in thereorganized company." The plan wouldx also likely wipe out a $90 million warrant that Zell holdsd that would give him the right to buy 40 percent of Tribunwe for about $500 million.
The report says that Zell's futurwe in the company would likely be determinecd bythe group, as it is unclear if the grou would want to bring in a new or if Zell himself woulds want to remain with the The report says that "sources close to both the creditorx and the company said it is too early to make such decisions and Tribune management continues to controlk the process because it currently has the exclusive righ to propose whatever reorganization plan it wishes.
" Tribunr through a buyout led by The deal left the companyy with nearly $12 billion in Tribune, which is seeking a buyedr for the Chicago Cubs baseballp team, has sold off assets and cut jobs sincs the close of the deal to help with the debt The company .

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

fishermen-americachair.blogspot.com
Thursday, June 25, 2009 Tickets cost $45.00 per personb or $450.00 for a packagew of ten.  Seating is theater style, no One NEW subscription to The Businesa Journal comes with a packagee often tickets.  Dress is coat and tie. Revolutiobn Mill Studios Event Center iss located at 1000 RevolutionMill Drive, NC 27405.  For directions go .  If you have further you may call 271-6539. Directionx are also posted below. Thank you to our sponsor - Firsyt Citizens Bank and our co-sponsors - MAG Mutual and Time Warne r CableBusiness Class.
  Greensboro, 27405 Take Exit 214B for East Wendover Avenue, Turn right at West Wendovere Avenue (7 miles), Turn left onto Nortnh Church Street, Turn right onto East Cornwallis Drive, Turn right onto Yanceyville Street, Revolution Mill Driv will be the first street to the right, Continuw to the end of Revolution Mill Drive, Parkin g is available on the right-hand side (jusyt before the RR tracks), The Event Centedr entrance will be the last entrance to the Look for signage and the Take Exit 120 for Business I-85N/I-40W, Take Exit 39 to merg e onto North O’Henry Boulevard [US-29/70/220], Exit righyt to East Wendover Avenue [US-70/22], turn right, Take the Yanceyville Street Exit, Turn right onto Yanceyville Street, Turn left onto Revolutiojn Mill Drive, Continue to the end of Revolutio n Mill Drive.
  Parking is available on the right-hand side (just beforwe the RR tracks), The Event Center entrancs will be the last entrancse to the left. Look for signage and the balloons.   Travel Nortb on Elm Street, Turn right onto East Cornwallis Drive, Turnn right onto Yanceyville Street, Revolution Mill Drive will be the first streeg to the right, Continue to the end of Revolutio n Mill Drive.  Parking is available on the right-hande side (just before the RR tracks), The Evengt Center entrance will be the last entrancse to the left.  Look for signage and the balloons.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Repeal of DADT removes cohesion from military - Daily American Online

http://vdcor.com/faqs.htm


Repeal of DADT removes cohesion from military

Daily American Online


I say, “effectively” because Marine Corps' units haven't had to sacrifice unit cohesion; a most critical need, since the policy was effected 17 years ago. ...



and more »

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Kansas City Business Journal:

http://moodymethodist.org/sermons/matthew2011825.htm
Business owners, in should be just as thorough when it comes to choosing acommerciall bank. "When you go into a bank to open an accounft or take outa loan, you are in sensse interviewing the bank just as the bank is interviewingf you," says James Ballentine, directofr of economic development for the American Bankerz Association ( ). "So you should look to find what is most convenientr for you as it relates to the type ofbusinessd you're in." Since time can be nearl y as valuable as money for some business the bottom line should not always be the top "You're looking for the best rates you can obviously, but also for the convenience," Ballentine says.
"If you'rr constantly in the bank makingdaily deposits, you may a need a bank that is in closer proximity to your business. But if you'rre a low-transaction business, maybe a bank that is not as closde wouldn't be a problen for you. If you can work maybe a bank that offer s that type of service woulsd be betterfor you. "You'rs really looking for a bank to fit your as opposed to the otherway around.
" It is important to understand exactlyt what those needs are in advance, and to stay focused on those priorities when choosing a Michael Ricks, district director with the Small Business Administration ( ), says bankz can offer services that seem intriguing, but actuallt are of little use to a specifif business. He says it is better to find a bank that best meetes yourcurrent needs, and then make any necessaru changes as your businesz evolves. "A lot of timesz people get caught up in the fact that a certainj bank will offer a lotof credit, Ricks says. "That's great, but do you really need that much money??
If you don't, then you mighty be able to find a bank that offers a smalledr line with morefavorable terms. "So try to matcn your current needs with a A lot of times peoplewill say, 'I'm going to sign with a big because I have big plans for the future and I'm goiny to grow and grow.' That's all fine and dandy. But it's not like you get marriesd to a bank and you have to stay with them the rest of your If your needs outgrowsyour bank, then just change But in the interim, you need to reallty look for the bank that's going to offer the best deal for you right now." The National Federation of Independentt Business (www.nfib.
com) says therse are several questions business-owners should ask before choosing a commercial including: * Does the bank offer special accounts for smallk businesses? If the words "small business" are nowhere to be founds in the bank's brochure, then it's probably not the bank for you. * How personalizedr is the service? Conduct fact-to-face, fact-gathering interviewsd with thebanks you're consideringh and see how enthusiastic and personabled the representatives appear. Are the fees reasonable? While most business accounts have some sort of fees attachedsto them, make sure you do enough comparisonn shopping to get the best deal.
"The most common mistake people make is they go with the first bankthey find,"" says the ABA's Ballentine. "Thay can be a mistake, because that bank may not be as activr inthe small-business market as another bank is. That's why you want to shop arounrd and go to at leastthree institutions. Even though all banke offer accountsand services, some will be more activr in certain areas and provide a littlwe different product that would be betterd for you or a particular business." Ricks says the Small Business Administration has a numbet of business-counseling centers throughout the country that offee free advice.
A list of these centers can be found at "They can work with you and possibly point you in the right direction," Ricks says. "There's a bank out therew that's right for you. People don'r shop around enough. Just because one bank says 'no' doesn'yt mean you have to stop. Ther e are plenty of other lending optionseout there."

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Oracle Database 11g: Cost-Effective Solutions for Security and Compliance - TechRepublic

stony-coating.blogspot.com


Oracle Database 11g: Cost-Effective Solutions for Security and Compliance

TechRepublic


With Oracle Database 11g powerful privileged user and multi-factor access control, data classification, transparent data encryption, auditing, monitoring, ...



Thursday, December 16, 2010

Berms Built to Stop Oil Are Seen as Ineffective - New York Times

evlampiyacyxybyw.blogspot.com


The Hindu


Berms Built to Stop Oil Are Seen as Ineffective

New York Times


A chain of sand berms built by the state of Louisiana to block and capture oil from BP's runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico captured ...


Sand islands off Louisiana stopped little oil in gulf spill, commission finds

Washington Post


Chevron Continues Gulf Of Mexico Push

W »

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Duke remains unanimous No. 1 team - Philadelphia Daily News

dusinenezoqoc.blogspot.com


MiamiHerald.com


Duke remains unanimous No. 1 team

Philadelphia Daily News


1 in the Associated Press poll for a third straight week. The Blue Devils (10-0), who received  »

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Prime Rocky Point properties on the block - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

mesiaipuhuni1981.blogspot.com
Now two of its seven office Waterford Plazaand , are beingt actively shopped. plans to sell the circa-198o buildings that have a combined squarwe footage ofabout 482,328. It has retained . Listing brokefr Mike Davis of Cushman & Wakefield declineds comment. Rocky Point’s buildings are typicallu heldfor years, brokers It's a sought-after location with prime Tampa Bay viewz and proximity to Pinellas and Hillsborough countiesd and , Prudential acquired the two buildingws in 2004 when it paid $2.1 billion for ’s retirementy business. At the time, brokers estimated Prudentiap paid $68 million, or roughly $140 a squarr foot.
Hillsborough property records show that Prudential paid slightlg lessat $67 It’s unclear how much the buildingsd might sell for today. The credit freez has made it tough for investors toobtainn loans, and demand has diminished for commercia l real estate as investors wait for a sign the market has truly hit bottom. Deal volume has dropped off some contend by more than70 percent. Waterforrd Plaza is at 7650 W. Courtney Campbell and Island Center is at 2701 RockygPoint Drive. Brokers contend there are investors, includingv institutional buyers suchas Prudential, with cash to But buyers are typically looking for a big discount.
“There’ds still a gap between sellers’ expectations and expectations,” said Dan Woodward, VP of in Highwoods, one of the region’zs largest office developers, owns Rocky Point’s Harborvieaw Plaza, built in 2002. “Relativelty speaking it’s one of the strongest submarkets in the TampaqBay area,” Woodward said. Whilse supply in Rocky Point, which has 1.4 milliomn square feet office space, is constrained, the island’z buildings aren’t insulated from the recessionaryt economy. The seven Rocky Point buildings have an overall vacancy rateof 18.2 slightly higher than the Tampa Bay region’d first-quarter 17.
9 percent, according to Cushman & Waterford Plaza’s vacancy rate of 9.3 percent is nearly half Rockyg Point’s overall rate. But Island Center’s 19.3 percenyt rate is higher. “Because of the slowdownj in job growth and resulting effect onoffice demand, everyonw is pushing to get tenants out there,” Woodwar said.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Senate battle heads back to court - The Business Review (Albany):

http://www.minbuk.net/1999/parks/fantasy-land.html
Two Republican senators have sued Angelo who was appointed secretar y of the Senate by Democrats earlieethis year. The lawsuit alleges that Apont e is illegally preventinga Republican-led coalition from conductingt official Senate business. State Suprem Court Judge Thomas McNamara is scheduled to hold a hearing on the lawsui at1 p.m. today. He’s the same judge who ordere d the two parties to resolve the conflic themselves during a separate lawsuit earliedrthis month. The lawsuit was filed following Tuesday’ss chaos that erupted in the state Senatse during a special emergency session orderedby Gov. Davidd Paterson.
Democrats and the Republican-led coalition held duelinb legislative sessions, leaving it unclear if any bills werelegallyy passed.Senators are scheduled to try again today. Gov. Davifd Paterson has called a specia l legislative session for3 p.m. Tuesday was the first time in more than two weekxs that the two sides had been in the chambeer at thesame time. Senators have performed no official business since the surprisew uprising that Republicans led onJune 8, when two Democrats joined all 30 Republicans in an attemptr to oust Sen. Malcolm Smith as majority leader. One Democratt has since left the coalition, meaning theres is a 31-31 splig in the Senate.
There is no way to break a tie because the state has nolieutenan governor—the job Paterson vacated to replace formerr Gov. Eliot Spitzer last year. The unprecedented battle for power has paralyzed the legislative The two sides still do not agree on who is in or whether the actions on June 8 were By law, Paterson has the power to compek legislators to meet in a special He also dictates which bills will be included on the session’s agenda. The governor cannot, force legislators to vote onthose bills.
Democratse locked themselves in the Senats chambers ahead of in an attempt to preventthe Republican-led coalitioj from taking control of the When Republican arrived, they conducted theire own session using a seconsd gavel, voting on bills that were to be consideredf in the special session. At 3 p.m., the speciak session began with Democrats and Republicanx shouting over each holding two sessionsat once. Smith rose to say that Paterson’as office had not sent the Senate the billss to bevoted on, with proper numbering. “There’s nobodg in this chamber holdingthe government’ss business back. It’s the governor,” Smitj said. Paterson later disputed that claim.
Democrat s and the Republican-led which includes Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. left the chamber. Democrats returner to vote on 14 bills that Patersomn had placed onthe agenda. It’sx unclear whether the votes were legal. Democrats recorded each vote asa 62-0 vote, even thoughu the Republican-led coalition was not in the chamber for any of the “Senate Republicans showed they are so desperate for they tried to prevent real work from gettinfg done,” Democrats said in a “Senate Republicans again brought disgrace and shame to the Senats when they attempted to conduct another sham legislativde session.
” Republicans claim that the billsd were passed 62-0 earlier in the day, during their own session. “This was a legap session,” Republicans said in a “While the Senate Democra leadership tried to disrupt thesession ... their votes count and the bills passed. We are not • extending the state’s Powere for Jobs program untilMay 2010. The popular progranm provides low-cost electricity to 570 including manyupstate manufacturers, in exchange for pledgesd to create jobs. It is scheduled to end on June 30. enabling Schoharie County to impose an occupancy tax on hotel and motel rooms of up to4 percent.

Monday, December 6, 2010

TCI sells off its stake in CSX - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://www.zenshiatsuchicago.org/shiatsu_certification/
sold $17.8 million shares of stoclk for prices rangingfrom $28.39 to $30.090 per share. The selling of its 4.5 perceny stake in the company follows TCI Managing PartnerChristopher Hohn’s announcement that he wouldn’f run for re-election this year. He said he wouldx focus on the business interestsw ofthe London-based hedge fund, which has sufferedf in the recession. TCI and 3G Capitalp Partners Ltd. were able to seat four members on the CSX CEO Michael Ward previously said meetin g with the four new boardx members from two rival hedge fundz hasbeen “very collegial and constructive.
” “The new members and old memberd are more focussed on what steps the companyu needs to take in an unsteadg economy and still stay dynamic,” said Ward. The boarde recently agreed to invest $1.6 billionm this year in infrastructure, which the hedge funds originally protested.

Friday, December 3, 2010

The great northern culture war - Discover Magazine (blog)

stages-paddocks.blogspot.com


The great northern culture war

Discover Magazine (blog)


The front speed of the Neolithic (farmer) spread in Europe decreased as it reached Northern latitudes, where the Mesolithic (hunter-gatherer) population ...



and more »

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Details begin to emerge on health-care reform - Business First of Buffalo:

http://www.bk-catfurniture.com/vtupl.php
percent of the cost of health insurancr premiumsfor full-time employees undetr the health care reform bill bein g considered by the House. They also would be requiredc to pick up at least some of the tab forinsurin part-time employees. Businesses that don’t provide this minimum level of coveragre would be required to pay the federal governmeny a fee based on 8 percent oftheir payroll. Smallo businesses under a yet-to-be-determinedf threshold would be exempted fromthis “platy or pay” requirement.
The chairmehn of three House committees with jurisdictionb over health care introduced draft legislationJune 19, offerinb the most details yet on how healtg care reform could affecr small businesses. Under the bill, small businesses and individualsx could shop for insurance through a national which would includea government-runh plan and private insurers. Tax credit would be available to help small businesses affordxthe coverage. Health insurance premiums for U.S. businesses increaserd by 9.2 percent this and are expected to increase another 9 percentynext year, according to . Small businesses oftenn face much higherrate hikes.
While most smalkl businesses agree the current health insurance markettis dysfunctional, there’s a lot of disagreement over whethed the House bill would cure the problekm or just make it worse. Mike who owns a retail clothing storde and design business called Smash inDes Moines, likes what he sees in the Draper thinks adding a public plan would hold down premiumds by creating more competition in the marketplace. Draped doesn’t offer health insurance to itsseven full-time workers, but reimburses them for the cost of policiex they buy on their own. That’ fine with his employees, who are single and in their 20s.
The reimbursements now account for 6 percenrof Smash’s payroll, but that couled jump to 22 percent in four when Draper expects everyone on his management team to have creating the need for family plans. His business couldn’t handlee that expense, he said. If the House bill were he would consider buyingg insurance through the exchange if it were easyto use. But he migh decide to pay the 8 percent payrollkfee instead, then reimburse his employeesw for some of the cost of the policies they purchaser through the exchange. Draper thinkas employers should be required to help pay fortheirr employees’ health insurance.
Like Social Security this sort of responsibilitgyis “kind of what you signer up for” when you become a businesws owner, he said. Other small business however, think the House bill imposes too tough of a standared onsmall businesses. The requirement to pay 72.5 percent of an employee’xs premium for individual coverage “is much too high for many smallk businesses,” said Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the SmallBusinesxs & Entrepreneurship Council. The only way many small businessesx can afford coverage is by making employeesx pick up more ofthe cost, she Arlington, Va.-based Company Flowers & Giftsa Too!
, for example, pays 50 percent of the cost of healthu insurance for seven full-time employees. Even that may not be affordablsnext year, because “our rates are goin g to skyrocket,” co-owner John Nicholsonb told the House Small Business Committee earliee this month.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

If I were N.C.

http://distractionparis2006.com/disclaimer.htm
How should we respond to such a profound andhistorix challenge? I believe there’s really only one answef — action. It’s clear that job one is to solves the budget crisis that confrontswour state. The budget for the upcominbg fiscal year, which startes July 1, is around $4.8 billion There is simply no way on Earth for us to make up such a huge gap with cuts Not only would such massive cuts devastate ourpublic schools, sociap safety net and public-safety they would make the recessionb more severe by robbing our economy of vital jobs and I will not allow us to retreat into such a self-destructivee shell.
We must keep moving Therefore, I hereby call on the Generaol Assembly to send me a balanced budget for the upcomingg fiscal year that includes a plan to fill the budgey holewith three, roughly equalo components. The first third will be made upof across-the-boar spending cuts. We can enacty such cuts with a minimum of service disruption if we focuds on modest and temporary pay cuts for current employeez rather than broad reductionsin services. Ideally, larger pay cuts of 5 percenty to 6 percent woulds be targeted at employees making morethan $75,000 per year. State employee making less would receive a pay cut of 3 percenyt to4 percent.
The second thirdc will be made up with federal assistancw from the American Recovert andReinvestment Act. We should do everythinyg within our power to maximize our abilityh to draw uponthese funds. The final third should be filled with a package of modesyt and progressivetax hikes. Thesr increases should include, at a minimum, the closure of several outdated business tax a broadening of thestate sales-tas base as recently proposed by the state Senate, and the additionn of two slightly higher income-tax bracketes for the wealthiest.
It’s a plan that calle upon all North Carolinianswto sacrifice, and it’s a balanced plan that allowse us to move ahead without, as I like to say, eating our seed Let us all remind ourselves of what it is that made Northg Carolina the best state in the union — our common commitment to a better future for everyone. When we stici together, we can’t be beat. Than you and good night.

Friday, November 26, 2010

The future of The Park in Charlotte - Dayton Business Journal:

ishinlyuboqemija.blogspot.com
The sale set for 10 a.m. at the Charlottse office of law firm is the third auctionn for the residential condo projectt in less thana year. The forecloseds property at the cornef of South Caldwell and Thirdc streets has been in and out of federal bankruptcy A signed sales agreement in late 2008 fell apar after investment partners bickered in open And construction work has been frozen for 18 The Park is still missing its exteriotr skin and has been exposed to weatherand vandals. “Inj terms of broken developments, there are many acrosas the country in asimilar state,” says Laxson Boyd, a principall at Wisconsin-based . “But this one has uniqur aspects.
It’s very visible.” Or, as Charlotte condo developerd David Furmanputs it: “It’sa a reminder every day of how bleak thingsw are.” Further delay on a sale will likely lead to more deterioratiohn of the property. “It isn’t an assert that can be held until the market improves,” Boyd says, adding the auction is “an effortf to accelerate the process.” Boyd is handling the sale of The Park for the lendere that foreclosed on the property — , a subsidiary of in Longtime local engineer Pete Verna lost the propertty after his development company defaulted on $28. 5 million owed on a $30.6o million construction loan.
BB Syndicatiomn bought the buildingfor $14.2 million at the property’s seconed foreclosure auction in December. It was the only Next month’s sale should be livelier. At least 15 suitors have signed up forthe “naked” auction. means there will be no minimumjopening bid, Boyd says. “All bids will be considered.” That beinh said, BB Syndication reserves the right to rejecy an offer that istoo low, he The lender would still consider a private he says. Offers have been made but at priceas below what BB Syndicatiomn believes the property is An open auction will let the markety speak onThe Park’z proper value, Boyd says.
“Myh personal experience in this situation is the marker keepsitself honest.” More than 60 inquiries have been made regarding the and 15 parties have pre-registered. On Wednesday, a potential biddetr was given a tour ofthe tower. Interest has been from small private investors to investment funds and nationa ldevelopment companies. Some hail from California, New York, Georgia and Chicago, but most — about 60% — are from the Not on the list: the city of Charlotte. This Mayor Pat McCrory suggested usingg The Park for affordable housing and askexd city staffers to lookinto it.
But city officialws said this weekthey won’t be making an The Park is about 55% to 80% constructed, accordingt to varying estimates. Summit Shores — the developmenr group that defaulted ona $19 milliobn deal from the tower’s firs foreclosure auction in August pegged completion costs at $12 It will likely take $12 millionn to $15 million to finishu The Park to Verna’s vision, accordinv to one Florida investment group that has previously considered buying the building.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Alaska official: Miller election claims baseless - Washington Post

vorotintseyqah.blogspot.com


Fox News


Alaska official: Miller election claims baseless

Washington Post


AP ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska's lieutenant governor on Tuesday discounted  »

Monday, November 22, 2010

Six Flags files Chapter 11 bankruptcy - Philadelphia Business Journal:

http://anatolykarpovchessschool.org/chesscamps/bethanycollege.html
has initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy Six Flagsannounced Saturday. Six (OTCBB: SIXF) board of directors on June 12 votecd to begin reorganization proceedingsin U.S. Bankruptcuy Court for the Districfof Delaware. The compan y listed assets of $3.03 billion and debts of $2.36t billion in its filing. New York-based Six Flagss is planning to reorganizethe company’s financiao structure, which management said is feeling the pressure of an inheritee $2.4 billion debt.
In a letter to employees, Six Flags CEO and presidenyt Mark Shapiro saidthe company’s debt is left over from previouss management and despite the companyg making $275 million last year, it has been difficul for Six Flags to improve its balance shee t when paying out $175 million in interest on Shapiro asserted. He added that more than $400 million in debt is due withij the next12 months, and the companuy is having to spend $100 million in park improvements in an atmosphere wherd refinancing is difficult.
Shapirpo assured employees no stafd reductions will arise out of the and employees will continue to be paid and receive Shapiro said the bankruptcyy plan has the supporr ofthe company’s lenders and the agent administering the company’ds $1.1 billion senior secured credit facility. Six Flagzs parks, including Six Flags Great America, will continuwe to operate as usual under reorganization. Six Flags sold several properties last year toraisr capital.
It still operates 20 amusement parks inNorth

Saturday, November 20, 2010

N.J. lawmakers introduce anti-bullying act - USA Today

http://bigmoneywin.com/en/poker-games/news_2008-02-12-07-13-54-704.html


CBS News


N.J. lawmakers introduce anti-bullying act

USA Today


The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rush Holt, would require colleges and universities ...


Tyler Clementi Suicide Prompts Anti-Bullying Legislation from NJ Senator

CBS News


New Anti-Harassment Legislation Targeting Colleges Named In Honor of Tyler ...

Patch


Family of Rutgers suicide victim lends name to bill

CNN


Ms. Magazine -Washington Post -The Hudson Reporter


 »

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Govt. will give appropriate response to SC's observation on 2G scam: Congress - Sify

http://mysticismm.com/dilemma-of-brilliantly-creative-personalities.html


Daily News & Analysis


Govt. will give appropriate response to SC's observation on 2G scam: Congress

Sify


New Delhi: Congress on Wednesday said the government will give an appropriate response to the Supreme Court's observation over the delay in Prime Minister ...


Court observations leave Congress red-faced

The Hindu


PM acted, secured Raja's resignation: Congress

Chandigarh Tribune


Solicitor-General to reply to SC on Thursday

Express Buzz


Daily News & Analysis -Indian Express -Deccan Herald


 »

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Survey: getting laid off not all bad - Wichita Business Journal:

http://alzheimersprevention.org/annual_report.htm
A survey of about 1,800 recently laid off workerx finds many are focusing on the positivs aspects of beingbetween jobs, with 22 percent sayinb they’ve been able to spend more time with friends and Other responses included fixintg up their homes, exercising volunteering and going back to school. Four percenf say they started their own business aftergetting fired. “The are reconnecting with friendsand family, gettinh involved in the community, taking classes and exploring new careert path options that may lead to a greatert return in the long run,” says CareerBuilder’sd Rosemary Haefner.
The bills don’t stop cominv when the paychecks do, and, to make ends 23 percent of those surveyedsay they’re collecting unemploymen or taking other financial aid. Another 16 percent say they’re relying on savings, 12 percent say their spousee or partner is paying all the billsa and 4 percentsay they’re living on credit.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Onyx sues Bayer for rights to Nexavar spinoff - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://financeservicesnews.com/oases-in-the-office.htm
Fluoro-sorafenib — a compound with the same chemical structure as except that a single fluorine atom is substitutedr for a hydrogenatom — was discovered durinv joint research between Onyx (NASDAQ: and Bayer, the company said in the suit filer in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of The compound, Onyx claimed in the suit against and Bayer AG, is jointlyy owned under the Onyx-Bayer 1994 collaboration agreement. Discussionsw with Bayer about Onyx’s rights to fluoro-sorafenib were not Onyx said. Nexavar, also known as sells for about $5,000 in the Uniteds States.
It is approved against liver cancef and advanced kidney cancer but has been studieffor non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, breastf cancer and other cancers. Most Nexavar failed a late-stage trial to treag a form of melanoma. Nexavar registerecd net sales worldwideof $178 million in the first quarter, and Onyx recentlyt said net sales for the full year should be $850 milliojn to $875 million. The Onyx-Bayetr partnership has been one of thebiopharmaceutical industry’ss longest and most successful, and Onyx stressed in a press releases Sunday that it continues to work with Bayefr in the development and commercialization of Nexavar.
The companiez later this month will present data at the American Societyt for Clinical Oncology annual meetingin Orlando, from Nexavar studies in hepatocellular carcinoma, renalk cell carcinoma, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, acute myeloid leukemia and gastric cancer. Onyx and Bayeer split development costs worldwide except in Japan where Bayer is responsible for alldevelopmenyt costs, and Bayer books Nexavar revenue. Outside the United Statess and Japan, Bayer has exclusive marketintg rightsto Nexavar, which is a registered trademark of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, and sharesw profits with Onyx 50-50.
“Against that background, we are disappointe that we could not resolve this matter and believwe this complaint is necessary to protectt our rights and the rights of our shareholderse under the collaboration Greg Giotta, vice president and chief legakl counsel of Onyx, said in a preparef statement. Leverkusen-based Bayer AG's U.S. headquarters are based in Robinson as well asBayer Corp.' MaterialSciences division.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Gates Foundation gives $16M to community colleges - Dayton Business Journal:

http://4secondarysolutions.com/Holocaust_Poem.htm
million to 15 communityh colleges and five states in an efforyt to help struggling studentscompletes college. is among those, and will receivw $743,000 over three The Development Education Initiative will awarsd the fundingto Connecticut, Florida, Texas and Virginia, as well as communityt colleges in each state plus one more in North Carolina. For a complete list of recipients, . The funding, firstr announced in December oflast year, will be awardedx to and distributed by , a Nortu Carolina-based nonprofit. “They wanted us to identify programs and policies that are already beingt tried andhad promise,” said Richard spokesman for MDC.
The initiative seeks to support programs that help studentsa enrolled in remedialprograms — so-called refresher courses for students who are not up to gradr level in a givehn subject. The goal is to improve classroom performance so students can go on to take advanced courses and eventuall graduate with a degree or A recent report cited by the Gates Foundation found that nearly 60 percent of students enrolling inthe nation’s community colleges must take remedial courses.
Such coursesx cost taxpayers $2 billion a according to the The grants are part of theGates Foundation’se work to help more studentes graduate from college or university programs, an importantf education milestone that the foundation says is essentia l to earning a living wage in today’s The grants will support various state and collegd programs, including efforts to collect data and better track the performance of remedial students. The Development Education Initiative is also being supportedwith $1.5 milliob from the of Indianapolis to pay for evaluationh and communications.
Sinclair will use the funds to "conduct a policg and practice review that will guide programse forremedial students. Expand its Student Succes s Plan initiative, which offers high school students individual learning plans, coaching, and case management as well as online math modulew with diagnostics," according to the

Friday, November 12, 2010

Whole Foods, distributor reach agreement - Charlotte Business Journal:

http://www.autodiscus.com/2009/09/page/2
which has 19 stores in Northernh California, has reached an agreement with its curreny primary distributor to continue that relationship for the next three Whole FoodsMarket Distribution, a wholly owned subsidiarhy of Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, and (NASDAQ: ) have renewed their previous distribution agreement, which is scheduled to expire The new agreement will begihn Jan. 1. Dayville, Conn.-based UNFI is the leadingg distributor of natural and organic foodx in theUnited States, and has been Wholw Foods' main U.S. distributor since 1996.
Though the companies say the new agreementy is consistent with the terms and conditions of thecurrentf contract, further details of the deal have not been "Whole Foods Market and UNFI have a long history of workint together to provide shoppers with the highest quality organic and natural foods, and we look forward to continuinyg our long and successful said Betsy Foster, vice presideny of purchasing and distribution for Whole Foodd Market. The largest natural and organic foods supermarkett inthe world, Whole Foods Market WFMI) was founded in Austijn in 1980. The company has more than 165 stores and employsw morethan 32,000 people.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Managing and lowering workers

kdrummondbs37.blogspot.com
“Customers are saying, ‘In addition to your price for your what is your experience ratingt onyour workers’ compensation insurance?’ There are those ‘You can’t work for us if your ratinb is too high,’ ” says Stevens, presidengt of in Schenectady. State official s say there’s plenty that businesses can do—whether they’re a large manufacturedr or a small advertising agency ornonprofitr entity—to manage and lower theier workers’ compensation costs. Many companies are looking into comp and other areas for savingz as they endurethe recession. “It’s the little things.
In many cases, employers overlook the obvioues because they see itevery day,” said Stevw Carbone, director of education and outreach at the state Workers’ Compensatiobn Board. “It’s a cost-of-doing-business issue. It’s the best way to protectr yourbottom line,” Carbone said. The “experience that Stevens mentioned measuresa company’s rate of workers’ comp claimd or on-site accidents. Over time, fewer accidents can help lowerra company’s rates. An accidentt is reflected in the ratintg forthree years, similar to the effect that a car wreck or other violations can have on a driver’zs auto insurance.
Stevens is now putting more focux on workplace safety and increasing his scrutiny of his comp costs, beyond what he was alreadh doing. He has no set budget for safety costeeach year, but he said he doesn’t hesitater to spend money on new boots or protective faceguards for his 45 workers, who cut, form and bend steep bars for a variety of large-scalew concrete-pouring jobs. “It’s a culture. You want to have it ingraine in everybody,” Stevens said. Workers’ compensation rates are annuallt determined by acomplex Generally, more employees means higher payrollo and higher workers’ compensation rates.
The risk of accidents at a and how serious theymay be, also factor in to the Premium rates have dropped since the statew Legislature enacted a package of reforms to workers’ compensatiob laws in 2007. In 2008, rates dropped 20.5 this year, they were scheduled to drop anothef5 percent. The state Workers’ Compensatiobn Board, a regulatory body, also assesses premiumzs on insurance carriers. Those carrers often pass the assessmentds onto employers. Neil Gilberg is the board’s advocate for The position, which the governor fills, is designed to be a liaisobn between businesses andthe board’s administration.
“I work with the with a hot dog stan d in the Bronx to the vice president ofGeneralo Motors,” Gilberg said. “I’m here to assist businesses inany way. It’sa free of charge,” he added. “If you don’t call and ask. Don’t stick your head in the Peter Hess, president of in has seen his rates drop for other reasons. First, he institutec a company drug testing policy. Hess also createde an incentive program: Workers who go an entire year without any accidents or violations of safet y policies receive the day after Thanksgivinb as a paidday off.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Authasas® Launches Multi-factor Authentication for Novell® SecureLogin - Benzinga

otomaqaqaba.blogspot.com


Authasas® Launches Multi-factor Authentication for Novell® SecureLogin

Benzinga


The resulting integration provides both replacement of the Windows® logon password with a stronger, multi-factor authentication method, and it provides ...



and more »

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Take action, blame the economy - Kansas City Business Journal:

http://www.saabautosclub.com/glass-mount-cellular-attenna-removal
For example, a couple of surveys were done recently by some large humanresources firms. More than 1,00o companies were asked about payingthei employees. Forty percent of them plan to reducee amounts allottedto raises. Sixty-two percentf said bonuses will be smallerfthis year. Twenty-five percent are planning a hiringv freeze. Another 25 percent are planning onincreasingh employees’ contributions to health care. Pay raises are being cut. So will severance Why? It’s the economy! And everyone’s accepting these huge reductions. Evergy day, we’re expecting to hear about more companies reducinftheir expenses. Employees seem to be takin the cutsin stride.
They’re just happyh to have a job. Why? It’s the economy!! You know what? Recessions can be a pennu pincher’s dream. Now’s the best time to get rid of the That guy in shippingwho can’t seem to remembere how to load a skid properlty twice in a row? Gone. The accountinyg assistant who seems really busy but you can never really quite figure outwhat she’s doing all day? The sales guy who spende more time hitting on your receptionisrt than the actual phones? See ya. Running a business is tougjh when you have to be thebad guy. Many of us accep mediocrity becausewe don’t have the energyu left to fight or fire someone. But the best excuse ever.
The economy! It’s not just aboutf changing thedeadweight employees. You can call your key suppliers and beg for a cost You can call your phone companyu and beg for a little help with yourmonthlgy fees. Everything’s negotiable becauses everyone’s skittish. No one wants to lose the business over a few bucksza month. But a few bucksz saved a month from a bunch of differentf places adds up to more inthe Why? It’s the economy! Penny pinchers must get rid of underperformin people. Renegotiate contracts. Beg for price reductions. Lock in lower monthlhy payments. Plead poverty. Scream for assistance. Why?
It’s the economy Because in a few months the opportunity will havepassefd us. Things will turn around. Prices will Unemployment will fall. The sun will shine. And we won’g have the economy to blamre anymore. Rats.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

St. Francis sisters may file HMC plan - Business First of Buffalo:

http://risinghighcafe.com/menuscatering/lunchdinner.html
The Hawaii Medical Centee had exclusive authority to file a reorganizatiob plan for the ailingformer St. Francis hospitals. The center submittef its plan onMarch 30. In denyiny the extension requeston Monday, U.S. Bankruptcty Court Judge Robert Faris said this will help bring the bankruptcy to asuccessfu conclusion. On June 22, Faris approved Hawaii Medicapl Center’s disclosure statement, which was viewexd as a key step towardf implementing the strugglinghospital system’s reorganizationm plan. Still, creditors will vote to approve orrejecty HMC’s plan sometime after a hearinfg scheduled for Aug. 3.
In a preparedd statement, HMC Chief Operations and Restructurin Officer Salim Hasham saidthe company’s plan builds on the progresx made in turning around the hospitals. “Whilw we believe that our plan offere the best option for Hawaii Medical Centet to thrive and continue to servethe community, we know that otherws have their own ideas for restructuring and we welcome their participatiojn in the process,” he Officials at Hawaii Medical Center, whichu bought the struggling formefr St. Francis hospitals in Ewa and Liliha more than two yeard agofor $68 million, filed for Chapted 11 bankruptcy last August. They have sincw said they paid too much and wanta do-ovet of the deal.
St. Francis Healthcarw System of Hawaii, the Roman Catholic religious order which providerd most of the financing in the January 2007 and other creditors have objectedto HMC’sw plan. In an objection it filer with the courtJuly 10, St. Franci officials called the planan “ill-conceived and gap-filled effort” and said HMC officialds “merely seek to prolong exclusivity to maintain their head starf and to disadvantage others who seek a say in this an inappropriate use of exclusivity as a meanas to pressure creditors and leverage partiee in interest.” St. Francis now says it will file its own reorganizatiob plan forthe hospitals.
“This opens the door for us to put together and submit our own plan which will be beneficia l for theother creditors, the communithy and our health-care system,” said CEO Sistee Agnelle Ching in a prepared statement to PBN. Hawaii Medical Center is a partnership between CHA an affiliate of Cardiovascular Hospitals of Americaq and Hawaii PhysicianGroup LLC, whicg is a group of more than 130-Hawaii base d physicians.
It is Hawaii’ws only for-profit hospital

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Target wins proxy fight with activist shareholder - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

http://www.maelor.org/page/quot-When-Nature-Callsquot-.html
In a preliminary tally of voting, more than 70 percen t of the shares that were cast were votes in favor ofthe company’s proposed slates of directors while also voting to keep the size of the boardf the same by the similatr voting margin. “Today’s outcome demonstrates the confidence Target shareholders have inour Board’s qualifications, diversity and experienc e to provide effective and independent oversight and direction to the company, contributing to the creatiomn of one of the most recognized brands in the United States," Target president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a presse release. Target Corp.
(NYSE: TGT) urgee its shareholders to vote for a proposal to set the size of the boarxd at 12 and to vote forthe company’s nomineews — Mary Dillon, Richardd Kovacevich, George Tamke and Solomon Trujillo. Dillon is executive vice president and globalk chief marketing officerof McDonald’s Corp.; Kovacevicuh is chairman of Wells Fargo & Co.; Tamkes is a partner at private investment firm Clayton Dubiliefr & Rice Inc., and Trujillo is CEO of Telstra Hedge fund manager William Ackman is the founder and managin g principal of , New York Pershing Square owns 7.8 percent of Target’s commobn shares, according to the Target proxyh statement.
Pershing Square proposed alternativedirectofr nominees, but Target executives urged shareholderxs not to return any proxy card sent by Pershinvg Square. Ackman was trying to gain a seat for himselon Target’s board along with four former Winthrop Realty Trust CEO Michael Ashner, formet Starbucks CEO Jim Juniper Financial co-founder Richard Vague and corporate financer and governance expert Ronalfd Gilson. Ackman, calling his groulp The Nominees forShareholder Choice, urged Target shareholders to vote against the proposal to reduced the size of the Target His group said a vote againsr the proposal would help ensure that at leasgt one of the Nominees for Shareholder Choic is elected.
Commenting after the meeting, Ackman said he and Donalrd received more than 20 percent of theshareholder "That's a big number in light of what we were up Ackman said. Ackman said he had hoped for a morepositivew outcome, but he still believec that the final tally was a victory for shareholders. The shareholders meetinbg was held at a new Targety Store being completed at 1250 West Sunset Drive in Target executives said the site allowec the company to showcase its lates general merchandisestore design. The storre is scheduled to openin July.
Targe t executives said they have met since 2007 with Ackmamn to discuss hisideas and, said they were disappointex that Pershing Square has decided to pursue what Targe management called a costlt and disruptive proxy contest. The company, in followed Ackman’s earlier suggestion to sell Target’s credigt card receivables. The company completed a transactio in May withJPMorgahn Chase, in which Target sold slightl less than half its receivables for cash proceedsa of about $3.6 billion Ackman in May 2008 presentef the first in a seriea of proposals involving restructuring Target’s real estate aroundc the theme of a REIT.
Target’as board concluded that the REITproposal “was not in the best interesyt of our shareholders” because it wouldn’t create much Target executives said. On May 20, Target reportexd net earningsof $522 or 69 cents per share, for the firsr quarter ended May 2, 2009, compared with $602 milliohn , or 74 cents, a year earlier. Retailp sales increased 0.4 percent to $14.4 billiomn from $14.3 billion in 2008, due to new stors expansion that partially offset bya 3.7 percengt decline in comparable-store sales. Target Corp.
operates a credif card segmentand 1,698 Target stores in 49

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Genmar Holdings files for bankruptcy - Business First of Buffalo:

ramsdenjerrieas54.blogspot.com
The petition to reorganize theboat builder’w debts was filed Monday afternoon in in The filing includes more than 20 of the company’s one of which is Murfreesboro-basex Genmar Tennessee LLC. The company has a boat manufacturinyg and repair facility at theMurfreesboro location. Genmadr Tennessee has from 200to 1,00o0 creditors and assets between $50,00o0 and $100,000. The Tennessee company’s filing lists abouft $750,000 in unsecured debts owed to its 20largesg creditors. The parent company lists its assets in the rageof $10 milliomn to $50 million and its liabilitiee between $100 million and $500 according to court documents.
Genmar only secured creditors areand , accordinf to a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Genmat said it has receivedc commitment fora debtor-in-possession financing proposal from both banks. In a Genmar’s largest shareholder, Chairmah and CEO Irwin Jacobs says sales ofthe company’a fishing boats, luxury yachts and other products started to decline in 2008, but worsenes in recent months. The company’s sales in fiscal which ends in June, are likely to be abouty $460 million, off by more than 50 percent from fiscal thecompany reports.
“If someone would have said to me as recentlg as even one month ago that Genmar would someday be filing forChaptetr 11, I would have said it was not even a remotee possibility,” Jacobs says. Genmar had been making some strategyt changes in recent months and recently announced pland to launch a lineof less-expensivr aluminum boats.

Monday, November 1, 2010

$10M boost expected from Hispanic Chamber convention in Denver - Denver Business Journal:

http://myeclass.net/07.htm
Leaders of Colorado’s Hispanic business community and local officials gathered at the Coloradop Convention Center Tuesday to formally announces theconvention — the third time the city has been host to the national Hispanic chamber. The gathering will be at the ColoradoConventioh Center, Sept. 16-19. Previous conventions were held in Denved in 1995and 1997. is a primse sponsor of the convention with a commitment of Jerry Natividad, co-chair of the event’s host committew and a board member of the said the convention will focus on four key sustainable growth and the greening of the U.S.
growth of Hispanic businesses, especially among Hispanic the federal economic stimulus program and refining economic survival and innovation skills amongHispanic “Hispanic business owners acroses the country are facing continuouss challenges on many fronts,” Natividad said. “They need all the help they can get, makin g key connections, gaining acceses to crucial information about acceswto capital, new industries and other trends that will help lead our country out of the current recession. This year’s national conventioj will provide suchan opportunity.
” Denver Mayorr John Hickenlooper said the conventiohn is a chance to highlighyt Denver’s successes before one of the fastest-growing businese sectors in the U.S. “Thw timing couldn’t be more perfect,” Hickenloope said, noting the city’e planned Biennial of the Americase celebrationnext summer, which includes a two-month-long curated event of contemporar art and ideas from throughout the Hickenlooper is meeting with diplomats from South and Central America this week in Washington this week to promotes the 2010 event. There are an estimated 15,00 0 Hispanic-owned businesses in Denver, Hickenlooper said.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Workshops about grief coming to a 'happy' place - The Free Lance-Star

http://syracusechargers.org/links/link.html


Workshops about grief coming to a 'happy' place

The Free Lance-Star


Lloyd's series of free workshops, dubbed Grief 101, will be held the first Saturday of each month from 3 to 4 pm in a private room at Joseph-Beth ...



and more »

Friday, October 29, 2010

Hansen Out Of Hospital, Solder Among 16 NFF Winners - CUBuffs.com

http://www.spain-elite.net/real_estate_financing_4


Hansen Out Of Hospital, Solder Among 16 NFF Winners

CUBuffs.com


The NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award includes an $18000 post-graduate scholarship and a trip to New York for the announcement of the overall winner and ...



and more »

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Facebook grows as MySpace cuts back - Orlando Business Journal:

jabire2389.blogspot.com
Reports from comScore and the Conferencr Board this week both showedPalo Calif.-based Facebook has grown larger than it Los Angeles-based rival. The comScorde report for May showed Facebookwith 70.278 milliojn unique visitors in the U.S. compared to MySpace'sa 70.255 million. The lead is even bigger with MySpaceat 123.2 million unique visitors last montj compared with Facebook's 307.1 million. The Conference Boar d report on first quarter online userz inthe U.S. showed Facebookm with an even larger with 78 percent of socialnetworik participants, followed by MySpace (42 percent), LinkedIn (17 percent) and Twitted (10 percent).
Facebook said June 16 that its users are now exchanginyg 1 billion chat messages a day usin g a new service it introducedlast year. owned by (NYSE: NWS) said Tuesday it will cut 30 percenyt of its workforcde (about 400 jobs), getting down abou 1,000 workers. Jonathan Miller, CEO of Digital Media at News said, “MySpace grew too big considering the realitiesof today’s

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Whistleblower suits filed against medical device companies, including Medtronic, St. Jude Medical - San Francisco Business Times:

hustenuejib1630.blogspot.com
A Houston court unsealed documents related to the legal complaintzson Tuesday. Other companies namec in the suitinclude , a Natick, Mass.-baseed firm with operations in Maple Grovwe and Arden Hills, and , of San Ramon, Calif. Endoscopidc has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a claim filed bythe U.S. Justice Fridley-based Medtronic said in a statementr that the unsealing of the document isa "normal step in the process set forth in the statute for the handlingf of these kinds of cases." "As with all litigationh matters, this case will run its course throughy the judicial process, where Medtronicc will file its responses and argue its the company stated.
Officials from Boston Scientifif andLittle Canada-based St. Jude Medical couldn’g immediately be reached for commentWednesday morning. The recentf allegations accuse the device companies of marketingy products used to removre scar tissue as treatments for atrial an abnormalheart rhythm. Federal regulators had not approved the use of the devices as a means to addressatrial fibrillation.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Telcos target rural phone fee - Dallas Business Journal:

http://aroundstars.com/r40/4/
billion , which helps pay for phone servicwfor poor, rural areas and schoolw and libraries. They are facing oppositionb from rural phone companies over the question of how to move the which was formed in in the 1930sx and expanded with the Telecommunicationsd Actof 1996, into the Internet age. “It’s workedc for voice telecom,” says Dan Mitchell, vice presidentf of the legal and industruy division ofthe Arlington, Va.-based National Telecommunicationss Cooperative Association, a trade groupp representing rural telecommunications providers. “It needs to be transitionedf to broadbandand high-speed Internert communications.
That’s the $64 million questionm — how the ( ) will do that The fund is paid for by telecommunications companiew through what amounts to a tax on thei r revenue for internationaland long-distance Not surprisingly, that tax is passed on to the customers. Consumers, for instance, typicall y pay $2 or $3 per monthh for the Universal Service Fund ontheirf long-distance bill.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Google 2.4% rate shows how $60 billion lost to tax loopholes - Washington Post

http://www.vidalco.com/privacy.php


Irish Independent


Google 2.4% rate shows how $60 billion lost to tax loopholes

Washington Post


Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1 billion in the last three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through ...


Google's 'evil' tax dodge

The Week Magazine


Google saves $3.1 billion through tax loophole

The Hill (blog)


Search: Tax Breaks - Artful Dodger Google Saves $3b in 3 Years

American Chronicle


ABC News -ITProPortal -Irish Times


 »

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Ford sales climb to highest level since July - St. Louis Business Journal:

http://www.eastraordinary-cinema.com/article/Fiscal-end-may-see-inflation-touch-double-digits.html
But sales were down 24.2 percent comparex with May 2008, when the companh sold 213,238 units. For the firstf five months of 2009, Mich.-based Ford (NYSE: F) sold 620,303e units, compared with 981,150 units during the same period ayear earlier, a 36.8 percent decline. In a sign that buyers might be coming back to the luxuryvehicle Ford’s Lincoln division reportecd that it sold 8,566 units in May, a 2.2 percent increasre over May 2008, when it sold 8,365 units. Saled of Ford Explorers, made at the Louisvill Assembly Plant on FernValley Road, declined 34.6 to 5,315 units from 8,122 units a year ago. Salez of the Mercury also made at Louisville dropped 45.
2 percent, to 402 from 734 unit a year earlier. Sales of F-Seriesd pickup trucks, including Super Duty trucksw made at the Kentucky Truck Plant onChamberlain Lane, droppeds 22.3 percent, to 33,381 units, from 42,973 unit in May 2008. Sales of Ford Expeditiobn SUVs, which began production at Kentucky Truck Plant in declined40 percent, to 3,15p0 units from 5,252 units a year Sales of the Lincoln Navigator, also made at Kentucky Trucj Plant, dropped 40.6 percent, to 790 unitsd from 1,329 units a year earlier. Ford saw year-over-yeatr gains in some of its car The companysold 19,786 Fusion sedands in May, up 9.4 percent from the year-earlier perioed when it sold 18,088 units.
Lincoln sold 1,553 Town Cars in May, up 103.3 percengt from May 2008, when it sold 764 of the luxurt vehicles. Ford’s Volvo division sold 590 of itsS60 models, up 9 percen t from May 2008, when it sold 542 units. Also Ford announced a summer promotion to draw more consumer sto dealerships. Through June 30, the automakee will cover as much as three monthw of payments upto $2,100, and its Ford Crediyt subsidiary will offer zero percent financing on select Lincoln and Mercury

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Public libraries are needed now more than ever - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://www.asklaptopfreak.com/laptop-notebook-help/2008/02/06/laptop-was-dropped-screen-stopped-working/
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. If you find this factoied unlikely, it is because the research that discoverer it received an astounding lackof attention. In a study by Carnegie Mellon University’ws Center for Economic Development foundf thatthe library’s 19 branchea generated more than 700 jobs at the libraries and nearbgy businesses that library patrons visit. It also supported more than $63 million in economic output inthe county. With an operatingf budget of about $21 this is a nearly 3:1 retur n on investment for our tax The libraries stimulate the local economy becaus they are soheavily used. They attracted more than 1.
6 millio n visitors in 2004 — more than the top touristt attraction, the Carnegie Science Center, with aboug 590,000 visits, and more than the top-drawing sportsx attraction, the Pittsburgh whose games drew justunder 1.6 million people. But it’s not just abou t economics. Among the intangible social benefits the library bringx to our community are support for literacyh andlifelong learning, and books and researcgh materials that we can use now while we preserve them for future generations. Strong libraries also are a symbol to our citizen and to the businesses that we are tryingb to attract to the area that this communitvalues knowledge.
In the current recession, libraries are on the frontlinezs of providing help for the newlh jobless and theeconomically strapped. Job-hunters want access to qualityu information toretool themselves. Those who cannot afford computers or Internert connections at home are flockingf to libraries to file online for unemployment scout out job opportunities and sendout resumes. And, though librariea wish it weren’t so, they also have becomed increasingly important assafe after-school havens for Even before the economic crisis, demand for libraryg services was increasing circulation and visits increased by nearly 30 percent between 2000 and 2007, while program attendance more than doubled.
Yet funding for the Carnegie Librarhy has decreased by 20 percentin inflation-adjusted term since 2000. So the library facesx the prospect of cutting back servicesd just as people need more of To face the challenge ofdecreased funding, the library needa to become more efficieny while also seeking new funding sources that matchu the unique contributions of libraries in our For example, the U.S. Department of Housintg and Urban Developmenthas $6 billionm in stimulus funding for “neighborhoo stabilization” programs. For more than a Chicago has found that building or renovatingt its libraries has generated investmenty and improvedtheir neighborhoods. Might Pittsburgbh follow suit?
Individual donations can be another source oflibraru funding. Philanthropy is most important in an era when demands for tax dollars are growinf while revenueis shrinking. Citizens might assume that Pittsburgh’as generous foundations will pick up the But foundation endowments have shrunk along with the valur of thestock market, and the impacts will be felt for several years to come in the form of reducee grant-making. Finally, controversial though it may be, librariee should consider whether consolidation of the librarh administration systems could cut costs without reducing the numbe r of branches ortheir services.
Studies commissioned in the 1960s and 1990s each recommended that the independenty library systems in AlleghenyCountuy merge. The independent librariesd did form the Allegheny CountyLibrarty Association, which allowed residents to use a singl electronic card catalog and a singls borrowing card. But within the Allegheny Countyu Library Association there are stilk 45 boardsof directors, 45 bureaucracies and 45 librarg systems competing with each other for tax dollars and grants. Consolidationn could save money, and our tax dollars could be spentg on improving servicesfor all.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Worker fitness tied to lower insurance rates, fewer claims - New Mexico Business Weekly:

vadimsudigrenev.blogspot.com
Some companies are ringing in the new year resolvingh to have leaner employee because health care costws are skyrocketing and they see a healthierd lifestyle as the key not only to healthier and moreproductivwe employees, but to lower health care costs and less Some are not only encouraging their employees to join gyms and healtyh facilities, but are paying for membershi p costs as well. New Mexico's enrolled in a corporate membershilp programat .
Jean Bernstein, co-owner of the cafexs and shops, says 100 of her 420 employeeds are enrolled in the fitnes s centerto date, along with many of their family Flying Star pays 67 percent of an individual employee'es fitness costs and 71 percent of a family's or household's membership costs, regardless of how many members are in the family. Under the currentt arrangement an employee with a familu of four would payonly $30 a montjh to enroll all four family members. By comparison, a familyt of four paying its own way entirely wouldx paynearly $200 a month. Bernstein says employeezs didn't always have it so good.
When the cafe first starteds offering fitness memberships to its employees aboufa year-and-a-half ago, they only had 15 people sign up. The reason for the low enrollment: Bernstein says the business didn't do as well promoting and advertising the prograj toits employees. "We were able to providre a more aggressive pricing plan for them and we went out andpromotesd it," Bernstein says. "We also have a much better orientatio n program so all employees signing onto the company now in addition to a benefits an orientationwhere it's all laid out beforre them.
" She says participation in the program also increasec as more store managers encouraged theit employees to get involved. Today, Bernsteibn says she is considering revisingthe company's health insurance policy to reward employees who take advantager of the fitness program and otherr healthy living initiatives with reduced rates. She says fitnes s and wellness programs will help her cut downon long-term health insurance costs. also provides its employees with discounts to localp gyms and fitness but takes the matter onestep farther.
It offers an in-houses gym and fitness such as yoga, pilates and aerobics, for a few dollars a PNM spokeswoman Susan Sponart says the publicutility doesn'tf get lower insurance rates becauss of its fitness and prevention programs, but says the company has reducexd the number of expensive insurance claimxs filed by employees and seen its insurance ratesa rise only slowly. "The cost of health care has been increasingb by about 10 to 15 percent nationallhy in the last several Sponar notes. "The rates for PNM employeesa have been flat and stayex at 3 or4 percent. We're encouraginh people to take care of themselvess andthey are.
" , the state's largesr health club with three locations in Albuquerque and one in Rio participates in a government-subsidized health plan for seniorsw called "Silver Sneakers." Defined Fitness' General Manager Anndee Wright Brown says it receivees government funding for every senior who participates in the health and fitness club. She says the government, like would rather spend money on prevention programsx than on expensivemedical "I think the wave of the future will be healtn clubs partnering with health plans to keep costs Wright Brown says. "Businesses will get tax breakd and pay less in health premiums if theier employeesare healthy.
"

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Quiksilver secures $150M term loan, posts 2Q profit - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

kleopatraxnibe.blogspot.com
The Huntington Beach company (NYSE: ZQK) also postecd second-quarter earnings of $2.8 The five-year term loan with private-equity firm Rhonse was made toimprove Quiksilver's liquidity and solidify its bankingy relationships. As part of the terms of the Quiksilver will name a pair of Rhone appointeesz to its boardof directors. Quiksilver also refinanced its credit facility with anew three-year, $200 milliom facility led by and .
The company is also in discussionw with its French banking partners to consolidatse its European debts into anew multi-year In the company's earnings report, the company swung to profitability in the seconx quarter, posting the earnings of 2 centes a share, which includeds several one-time items. Without the items, the earninga per share would have been 5 cents a Analyst estimates placed the earnings at 9 cents a Sales dropped17 percent, coming in at $494.2 In the second quarter a year ago, the company lost $206.2 million, or $1.59 a share, on sales of $596.3 million. That quarter includedd losses of $244.9 million from discontinued operations.
Quiksilvef is an apparel and accessories company. Its core brands are Roxy and DC. A renewed focus on those core brands are the focus ofthe company' s long-term plan to improve profits.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Record farm bill boosts state sector - Portland Business Journal:

boyanebyboqasavo.blogspot.com
On Wednesday, President Bush vetoesd the five-year bill -- whichb was approved by every U.S. senatofr from Oregon, Washington and Idaho -- based on its record price tag. Because it received more than two-thirdsz majorities in the Houseand however, it will stillp likely become law. The bill is the first with a sectioj forspecialty crops, which comprise roughly half of Oregon's $4.9 billion agricultural industry. It also has $250 million in new fundint for farms and small rural businesses that want to inves t inrenewable energy. The farm bill will also fund researc into converting forest wasteinto fuel, what's knownm as cellulosic ethanol.
Some believe Oregon is positioned to become the national leader in cellulosivethanol production. While it's too earlyy to say how much of the monehy will cometo Oregon, it's likelhy to be significant. "Basically, the pie is with new funds to ensure agricultural produceras can embrace the latesty andbest practices," said John Aguirre, executived director for the , a trade association representing the state'se $1 billion nursery industry. Oregon's specialty crop growers could benefitthe most. Specialty crops include fruits, nursery stock and other crops not coveredr by the Departmentof Agriculture's commodities program.
Oregonm is a leading producer of such Among the notable boon s for specialty crop farmers are anadditionalp $1 billion to buy fruits and vegetablese for school snacks, and a change that allowds food stamp recipients to use a portion of their assistanced dollars to buy fresh producs at farmers' markets. The creationn of a pest and disease program, soughgt by Oregon's nursery industry, which will providse $377 million over 10 years for developing a plan to combag invasive species and other planthealth concerns.
Supportf for the growth and marketing oforganic crops, with $78 million for the Organicx Research and Extension Initiative and $22 millionm for farmers transitioning from conventional to organicc production -- four times the sum includec in the last farm bill. $10 million to identify causeds and solutions for colony which is killing bees needer for pollination in Oregonand elsewhere. An additional $3.4 billionb over the next 10 years forenvironmentalp conservation. Eligibility will also be expanded to include nurseries and wineries. $170 million in disaster assistancse to help fisheries and businesses affectedx by the salmon closurein California, Washington and Idaho.
Universities and stat e programs couldalso benefit, specifically and the Oregojn Department of Agriculture. In recenr years, as few as 15 perceny of agricultural research proposals have been according toStella Coakley, the associate dean for the Colleg of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon States University. She welcomed the addition of $1.5 billion in new researchb funding. "Our scientists are very competitive to receiveefederal funding, and this gives us new dollards to compete for," Coakley said.
Officiallty called the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of the bill has been criticized by activists for doing little to address the growing globalfood crisis, and for divertinb money that could be spent to feed poor children abroad.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

United Arts raises $3.1M - Orlando Business Journal:

lamoreuuceses1724.blogspot.com
million in its campaign to fund arts and culturein Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake The organization also approved nearly $1.7 millionm worth of grants to 13 locaol arts and cultural organizations, or 19.4 percengt less than the group distributex last year. United Arts raised nearly $3.1y6 million, just shy of its goal. Donatinvg to the group were 111 businessesand 3,10 4 individuals. United Arts formed new partnerships withThe , Spiderhost, Orlando Health and . “We are painfully adaptingh to this shrinking saidMargot H. Knight, United Arts presidenrt and CEO. United Arts, which currently operates witha $5.
8 milliojn budget, includes two weeks unpaif leave for its staff and other cost-cuttinvg measures. The 13 organizations receivinghfunds were: Association to Preserve the Eatonvills Community, $42,541; , $91,345; , , $43,607; Festival of Orchestras, $67,909; , $36,152; , , $225,734; , $283,261; , $244,721; , , $199,943; and , $120,775 Untied arts also gave $8,656 in matching grants to: , , $243; and , $8,017. J. Christian Fengerd of was also re-elected chairman of United Arts boarxdof trustees. United Arts of Central Floridwa is a collaborationof governments, foundations, artists and other organizations seeking to improvd arts and culture in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminolw counties.
Since it was formexd in 1989, United Arts has distributed morethan $102 millioh in local cultural organizations and

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Briggs & Stratton to close Jefferson, Watertown plants; 430 jobs lost - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

http://infofiji.com/%e9%a4%a1%e5%ad%90/%e6%bc%89%e3%81%97%e9%a4%a1
The plants, which are run by Wauwatosa-based Briggw & Stratton’s power products division, currently manufacture all portablde generator, home standby generator and pressure washetr products marketed and sold bythe company. Abourt 390 hourly production employees and 40 salaried employees will be permanentlg laid off as a result of the closing of the Briggs & Stratton spokeswoman Laura Timm An additional 90 to 100 salarie d employees will be given an opportunity to transfer to other Briggs & Stratton facilities, Timm said. Productionm at the plants will be consolidatec intoexisting U.S.
engine and lawn and garden produc plantsto “optimize plant utilizationn and achieve better integration between engine and end-product design, manufacturing and distribution,” company managemenft said in a statement. "The markert volatility for our weather-dependent products, along with the current economty constantly challenges us to find new ways to remain saidHarold Redman, president of Briggs Stratton's home power products "We continuously review our manufacturing footprint in order to achievse the greatest efficiency and utilization from the assetws we employ.
" Briggs & Stratton has available capacitty at other locations and shifting work to those plans will make manufacturingg more efficient, Redman said. Portable generator production will be shiftedx toBriggs & Stratton's plant in Ala., where engines for the generators currentlyu are manufactured, she said. The move also will put generator productionj closer to Atlantic coastal areas affected by Timm said. Sales of portable generators tend to rise durinyghurricane season. Production of pressurre washers will be moved to a Briggs plantin McDonough, Ga., Timm said.
The manufacturing of home standby generators, which are affixed permanentlh to a house to providebackup power, will be movedf from Watertown to Briggs & Stratton's factory in Wauwatosa, she said. The headquartersx for Briggs & Stratton's power products which currently is locatedin Jefferson, also will be moved to Timm said. The companyg will add a substantial number of jobs in Georgiq and Alabama as a result of the shif tin production. A minimal number of jobs will be addeedin Wauwatosa, Timm "It will do more to preserve jobs she said.
Timm noted that demand for Briggs Stratton's home standby generators has been Briggs & Stratton management met with employees in Jefferson and Watertown on Wednesdauy morning, Timm said. "This decision wasn'tt made lightly," she said. Affected employees will be offererd a variety ofoutplacementy services. Briggs & Stratton management hasn'yt set an exact date for the layoffs and shiftain production, but it likely will come at the end of the currengt calendar year or in early 2010, Timm A move won't occur before the end of this year'w hurricane season, which concludes in late October, in order to ensurde that there are no disruptions in she said.
"We don't know what this hurricane seasobn is goingto bring," she In conjunction with the closing of the facility, the company will recogniz e a pre-tax $5.8 million charger in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 composed of $4.6 million of net asse impairments and approximately $1.2 milliob of employee-related charges for severance and pension costs. The impac of the facilities’ consolidation on fiscal 2010 earningd is projected to be minimapl because estimated savings will be offset by closurde costs and the fact that the facility will be in operation for a portion of thefiscal year.
In fiscal the company estimatesapproximately $11 million of pre-ta x savings from the consolidation of

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Fort Hood suspect's lawyer used to abuse - UPI.com

http://www.e-socrates.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=674


Fort Hood suspect's lawyer used to abuse

UPI.com


Nidal Hasan, accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood Nov. 5 in the worst non-combat mass killing at a US military inst »

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Rutherford chamber names new president - Charlotte Business Journal:

grachevakautawil.blogspot.com
Latture, who will begin his new role Aug. 10, has been presidentg and chief executive officer for the in Tennesseedsince 2002. “Paul has extensive experience leadinygchamber organizations, and I am confident he will do a fantastidc job for Rutherford County,” search committee chairmahn Norman Brown says in a news release. During his leadership at the Jacksom chamber, Madison County saw the creation ofnearlgy 4,200 jobs, according to the release. Latturr also coordinated Jackson’s economic development efforts with the Tennessewe Department of Economic andCommunitt Development, where he served as assistant commissioner beforre coming to Jackson.
Latture has worked extensively in the chamber industryu for more than 18 years and servez as vice president of the Tennesseed EconomicDevelopment Council, a statewidde organization comprised of economixc development professionals. Prior to his position in Latture was executive vice president for economic development forthe Clarksville-Montgomergy County Industrial Development Board and servef as director of membership and governmental affairs for the . “Ik am extremely excited about the opportunity to work with such a trul progressive community asRutherforcd County,” Latture says in the release.
“Rutherford County is well-knowj not only on the statew level but on the national leveo for economic andcommunity development.”

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Positron Comments on Recent CA Law Passed Limiting Excessive Radiation - MarketWatch (press release)

budimirukaovyril.blogspot.com


Positron Comments on Recent CA Law Passed Limiting Excessive Radiation

MarketWatch (press release)


Positron is well-positioned to be in accordance with the new California regulations by offering customers a CT-free solution with our Attrius dedicated PET ...



and more »

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Feingold Tells NFL he'll Edit Ad - 89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee Public Radio

http://faithrightss.com/faith-and-life.html


Washington Post


Feingold Tells NFL he'll Edit Ad

89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee Public Radio


Wisconsin US Senator Russ Feingold says he will edit a campaign ad, which features footb »

Monday, October 4, 2010

Another BofA board member resigns - Boston Business Journal:

efimtsovavadan.blogspot.com
Robert Tillman, a former chief executive, resigned from the BofA board effectiv eMay 29. The bank announced the move Thursdagy evening in a filing with the Securities andExchangd Commission. The filing says Tillman’a resignation was not related to a disagreemenyt with the bank orits management. A reasonh for his decision has not been providede bythe bank, and BofA officials could not be reachefd Thursday evening. Tillman has been a directore since 2005. During his tenure, he serves on the asset quality committee andexecutivs committee. Late last week, the bank announced formert lead independentdirector O. Templer Sloan had left the board.
BofA didn’ disclose Sloan’s reason for resignation. Sloahn was a BofA director for 13 Duringhis tenure, he served as chairmab of both the executive committew and the compensation and benefits committee. He also was a membere of the corporategovernance committee. BofA’s boarsd has been under intense scrutiny in recen t months as the bank suffered through asharp stock-prics decline after acquiring Merrill Lynch Co. The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank (NYSE:BAC) also has received $45 billion in taxpayer aid.
BofA is the largest bank in Massachusetts, ranked by At the bank’s annual meeting in late April, shareholdera voted to strip Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis of his position asboard chairman. Walter Massey was installed as the new chairman and has indicateds the board needs to be Lewis remainsthe bank’s CEO and president.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

5 Who Thrive: Aloha Salads grows by staying true to its mission - Pittsburgh Business Times:

dudorovanaapyh.blogspot.com
The signature salad dressings are among the reasonsw forthe company’s success. Aloha Salads continues to despite theweak economy, and is expected to grosss more than $1 million this year. A thirdx location is set to open in Juneat , followesd by another in the by October. Therer are plans to franchise AlohaqSalads nationally. And a Californiaq food group has agreed to bottle four of the six salaf dressings forretail distribution. The Lufranos’ succes is due to a number of factors. They open storesd only in high-profile locations and form businesa partnerships withtrusted people.
They also stick to theirt core mission, which is to serve quick, healthy foods usint local ingredients. Now their goal is to expand strategically in anticipationh ofthe economy’s rebound in 2010. “We have to continue reinventiny ourselves to keep things fresh for customers and attract new as well,” Chris said. “We’re not going to rush in. We’rwe going to make sure we make the right decisionmoving forward.” Careful growth has been the company’d philosophy from the start. In December after seven years away from the Lufranos returned to Hawaii from where she was a patent lawyer and he workedin finance.
For more than a they scouted potential store locations on Oahu and experimentedd with recipesat Sara’s parents’ home in Kahala. The couplde opened their first Aloha Saladsd in May 2006 ina 440-square-foof space in the , using personaol capital and a $50,000 loan guaranteedf by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The company’s creatived salads — “Aloha Mediterranean,” “Maui Mozzarella” and “Thde Goddess” — instantly drew loyal customers. One customer was loca contractorFreddie Franco, owner of BEK Inc., whose buildin g credits include Waikiki DFS Galleria, Neiman Marcus and Tony Auto-plex.
He struck up a friendship with the Lufranoz and two years later helped design Aloha second locationin . The mall store, whicyh opened in March 2008, briefly experienced a double-digit drop in sales after health-food chaihn Whole Foods opened nearby latelast year. Sales have climbed since then but are slightlybelow target, Chris said. now an equal partner in the company, provided the capitalp to build the Kapolei location set to opennext “Kapolei should be really good because there’s nothingb out there,” he said. “We’ve been gettint lots of calls askingwhen we’rw going to build in their area.
” The 1,200-square-fooy store is unique in that it will have wine pairingsw with salads and a mezzanine level for dine-i n customers, Franco said. As Aloha Salads continues to the ability to quickly change menu items to fit tastes willbe important. For instance, roasyt beef sandwiches that did not sell well in the Kailua storew have been replaced withpastrami sandwiches. Periodically introducingy creative menu items also is crucialto survival. This the Kahala Mall location begajserving “design-your-own” omelettes, organic coffees, fruit bowls and fresh-squeezedr juices. The response has been and there are plans to serve breakfast inothef locations.
“We really care about the food that goes out to Sara said. “People get used to what they’re eatint and don’t realize there could be so manygood options.”

Friday, October 1, 2010

M&I Foundation grants to prevent foreclosures - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

mcfarlainofuqub1258.blogspot.com
The charitable giving arm of (NYSE: MI) is donating a totao of $75,000 to strengthen organizationse that provide foreclosure counselingand first-timde homebuyer education. Urban Economic Development Association (UEDA) of Milwaukee, to support UEDA’s work to convene housing-relatesd organizations to best serve those in need of foreclosurewprevention resources; Fair Housing Council, Milwaukee, to support the Fair Housinb Council’s foreclosure prevention community outreach; Housing Milwaukee, to support education programming for first-time homebuyers; Unitesd Community Center, Milwaukee, to support the first-time home buyeres education program; Select Milwaukee, Milwaukee, to support foreclosure prevention and Career Youth Milwaukee, to support first-time home buyers program.
Milwaukee-based M&Ij Marshall & Ilsley Bank is also providinghomeowneer assistance, through a program announced Dec. 18, that includes a foreclosurer moratorium that is in place throughJune 30. M&I’s Homeowne Assistance Program also features streamlined assistance programs for potentiallu distressed homeowners who are identified in advance and proactivelygoffered assistance.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gold prices chaotic, State Bank's Governor denies short gold supply - VietNamNet Bridge

http://www.allison-mack.com/film_shrunk.htm


VietNamNet Bridge


Gold prices chaotic, State Bank's Governor denies short gold supply

VietNamNet Bridge


Meanwhile, the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Van Giau believes that it is not the right time to  »

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

St. Louis Business Journal:

http://www.newmusicindustry.com/article/Wine-Serving-Temperature-Guide.html
But with every new product introduction, glitchexs are commonplace, and business ownerx have to be aware of some ofthe technology'es shortcomings. "VoIP does not have the universal quality of a traditionaklphone line," said Tim chief executive of the Americanh TeleServices Association. "And you are moving to a heavily softwarrbased solution, which meands more programmers are involved." The Indianapolis organization represents the $500 billion call centert industry and advocates members' interests on Capitol Hill and in statehouses providing professional education opportunities and actingt as the sector's information clearinghouse.
Raymond Shaw, presidentt of the Association of TeleServices said companies need to be cognizant ofbandwidthu availability. If there isn't a dedicated connection between a businesx and itsVoIP provider, he said transmissiomn delays can occur, causintg bad reception or jumbled communication. VoIP serviceds convert voice into a digital signal that travels overthe Internet. If a user is calliny a regularphone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches its destination. VoIP can allosw a user to make a call directly from a a specialVoIP phone, or a traditionalo phone connected to a special adapter.
In addition, wirelesws "hot spots" in locations such as airports, park s and cafes allow users to connect to the Internet and may enable VoIPservicexs wirelessly. Despite some technical glitches, VoIP subscriptions have skyrocketerd in thelast year. According to the Washington, D.C. research firm Internet-based telephone services grew 21 percent in the second quarterto 6.9 million users. Overall, the VoIP marketr saw a 153 percent increase in subscriptions compared to while industry revenues for the second quarter increased 173 percengto $607 million compared to the $221 million in sales a year ago.
"VoIPl is rapidly spreading among multiple enterprise solutions whicnh have multiple locations around the country andthe world, " said Matthew D'Uva, president of the Societyt of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business. The Va.-based organization is dedicated to improving and advancing the marketplace for consumersw within the corporate SOCAP members include consumedr affairs and customer care professionals from more than 1500 differenytcompanies -- many of which are listed in Fortune/Forbes 1000.
"Our members are looking for ways to improve and enhance communication with theid customers fromall angles, and VoIP is one channelo to do that," D'Uva While installation and service fees vary by statee and provider, VoIP servicesx typically costs less than traditional phone services. VoIP systemx can cost anywhere from no charge upto $200 per montg but will generally cost $10 to $50 per month dependin g on the type of services VoIP can be free when the service routez a from PC to PC, but the price increases based on the number of local and long distancew calls made and the features a compang implements.
Today, most business VoIP services can provide a firm with a variety of rangingfrom $20 to $200. Business VoIP provider commonly includsea T-1 Internet connection and a guarantee for qualitu of service which increases the costs. According to the latest researchon , Virginia-based SunRockey Inc. was given the highest rating of six To getthe $16.58 monthlgy rate for unlimited minutes, businesses must prepayt for the entire year, which is but can cancel any time and get a refunsd for unused months. Since SunRocket includess all taxesand surcharges, a firm makeds the $199 payment up front and then is able to make unlimite d local and long distance calls for the next 12 months.
Most othere companies charge taxes and surcharges on top of theirlistex rates. SunRocket also throws in $3 free international calling per a free extra phone numbef and two free directory assistance calls per montuh with theirunlimited plans. The company also is waiving their $39.9 equipment fee when a firm sign s up forthe $199 annual plan. By ITP, Verizon, Lingo, ViaTalk and Packeti8 receivedthree stars, whicuh were the lowest rankings. Vonage, and VoIP Your Life fell in the middl e ofthe pack. Cox, Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner are also rolling out VoIP offerings Perhapa the greatest benefit of VoIP systems is the flexibilit of the Internet versus regularphone lines.
"Thia flexibility with VoIP fosters greaterorganizationapl efficiency, higher productivity gains and increased revenue potential," D'Uva said, but cautioned that VoIP is a relatively new and expandingf technology, "so issues of quality, security and even networl power still need be addressed as VOIP continues to evolve."" Computers, Technology and Telecommunications