Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Announces Investigation Of Veolia Environnement S.A. TheStreet.com (press release) Veolia reported operating income of 252.2 million euros, compared to 1100.7 million euros in the prior year period, due to “non-recurring write-downs amounting to 686 million euros.†The Company stated that it would exit certain businesses, ... Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Announces Investigation of Veolia Environnement S.A. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims on Behalf of Investors of Veolia ... |
Friday, December 30, 2011
Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Announces Investigation Of Veolia Environnement S.A. - TheStreet.com (press release)
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
County opens 20,000 acres to growth - Business First of Columbus:
humojo.wordpress.com
That acreage is about one-third larger than the city of Rancho But alongside those acres ofnew development, the Generakl Plan 2030 also calls for 21st century-style growth by rerouting some development to infillo sites as well as to decayingy and underutilized commercial corridors. The plan anticipateds the unincorporated portions of the countgy willneed 99,700 new home over the next 20 years, abouft 50,000 more than can be accommodated withim its existing urban area. The proposed general plan was first presented Monday to officiale atSacramento County’s Planning Commission. It ultimately must be approverd by the Boardof Supervisors. The plan has been sevenj years inthe making.
Much has changed during that including the proliferation ofsustainabls design, the region’s blueprint for “smar t growth” and the rise and devastating fall of the housinb bubble. It may be an onerous task for stafrf to mull decades of population and economic growthb at a time when no one is building new shopping centers or But just as landowners have been using the downtimw to plan for a return of the construction market, planners have been anticipating growthu patterns over the long “One thing we’re trying to champion is complete communitie with a mix of development and (to) integrater uses as much as planner David DeFanti said.
“That means a diversity of transportation, retail.” The proposed general plan followsthe region’ws blueprint for smart growth that valuesx infill and eschews leapfrog development. Principal planner Leighann Moffittr said it does not ask officials to expandthe county’es urban services boundary, which is a near-sacrosanc border established in 1993 between urban and rural But it does envision expanding the county’zs urban policy area, a line that markes the existing urban-rural divide and occasionally shifts farther out from the urbanm core.
There are two main new growth areas underfthis plan, both with multiple The first comprises 12,000 acres of industrial and agricultural land along the Jackso Highway corridor between Sacramentk and Rancho Cordova. It includes mining property ownedd by the Teichert group ofcompanies that’s envisioned to be developed into new communities as mining operations wind down. The second area of growthn consistsof 8,000 acres of primarily grazinbg land east of Grant Line Road bordering Rancho Cordova. Prominent land developer controlsabout 2,40p0 acres of that property and was the firsg to propose a new community there.
Last Conwy submitted an application for an expansive set of villagess and other development that includesa full-scalee residential campus for the . “There was an initial concern this isleapfrog development, but we are contiguous to existin g development,” said Michelle a spokeswoman for noting that the projec t borders Rancho Cordova’s Sunrise-Douglas Community Plan. A groundbreaking for the universityg was originally expected next year but that has been pusheto 2011, Smira In accordance with the county’s blueprin t for smart growth, General Plan 2030 directs some growthh to infill sites.
These include parcelzs near the former McClellan Air Baseand under-used sites in the county’sw 14 commercial corridors. Moffitt said the transformation of McClellan into a businesx park has opened up areas of development that previouslyh had been restricted due to noise andsafetyt concerns. The areas being considered near the base are west of Watt Before the realestate downturn, developerw had been proposing projects in that area, she Perhaps the most unconventional aspect of the propose d General Plan is the decision to revitalize commercialk corridors, such as stretches of Watt Avenuw and Folsom Boulevard.
County staff estimated the plan could allow anadditional 19,0000 homes along those corridors. That would eliminate the need to put thosw homes onagricultural land. Smallefr parcels scattered throughout the county could accommodate thousandsmore homes. Planninvg for four of the commerciao corridors alreadyhas started, principal planner Tricia Stevenas said. The idea is to revamp restrictive zoningy and allowmixed uses, including homes and apartments, in areazs that previously were limited to strip centers. The county also planss to make the corridors more attractive by buryin gutility lines, planting vegetation and enhancing the streetscapes.
Althoughj cash is tight at the Stevens said funding will come from grants and redevelopmenyt money generated through taxes inredevelopment zones. The procesxs of writing a general plan has taken so long that one major new growth project originally envisioned as part of the plan is alreadtyunder way. applied to rezond a portion of 6,000 acres it owns for redevelopmentrlast year. The aerospacd company wants todevelop 4,80p0 residential lots as well as commercial and office space on 1,391 acres south of Highway 50 betweemn Rancho Cordova and Folsom in the Easton planninh area. General Plan 2030 is next due beford the county Planning Commission onJune 22. Other workshops coul d follow.
It could be the fall before it is formallty adopted by the Boardof “The purpose of the plan is to set DeFanti said. “The details will follow.”
That acreage is about one-third larger than the city of Rancho But alongside those acres ofnew development, the Generakl Plan 2030 also calls for 21st century-style growth by rerouting some development to infillo sites as well as to decayingy and underutilized commercial corridors. The plan anticipateds the unincorporated portions of the countgy willneed 99,700 new home over the next 20 years, abouft 50,000 more than can be accommodated withim its existing urban area. The proposed general plan was first presented Monday to officiale atSacramento County’s Planning Commission. It ultimately must be approverd by the Boardof Supervisors. The plan has been sevenj years inthe making.
Much has changed during that including the proliferation ofsustainabls design, the region’s blueprint for “smar t growth” and the rise and devastating fall of the housinb bubble. It may be an onerous task for stafrf to mull decades of population and economic growthb at a time when no one is building new shopping centers or But just as landowners have been using the downtimw to plan for a return of the construction market, planners have been anticipating growthu patterns over the long “One thing we’re trying to champion is complete communitie with a mix of development and (to) integrater uses as much as planner David DeFanti said.
“That means a diversity of transportation, retail.” The proposed general plan followsthe region’ws blueprint for smart growth that valuesx infill and eschews leapfrog development. Principal planner Leighann Moffittr said it does not ask officials to expandthe county’es urban services boundary, which is a near-sacrosanc border established in 1993 between urban and rural But it does envision expanding the county’zs urban policy area, a line that markes the existing urban-rural divide and occasionally shifts farther out from the urbanm core.
There are two main new growth areas underfthis plan, both with multiple The first comprises 12,000 acres of industrial and agricultural land along the Jackso Highway corridor between Sacramentk and Rancho Cordova. It includes mining property ownedd by the Teichert group ofcompanies that’s envisioned to be developed into new communities as mining operations wind down. The second area of growthn consistsof 8,000 acres of primarily grazinbg land east of Grant Line Road bordering Rancho Cordova. Prominent land developer controlsabout 2,40p0 acres of that property and was the firsg to propose a new community there.
Last Conwy submitted an application for an expansive set of villagess and other development that includesa full-scalee residential campus for the . “There was an initial concern this isleapfrog development, but we are contiguous to existin g development,” said Michelle a spokeswoman for noting that the projec t borders Rancho Cordova’s Sunrise-Douglas Community Plan. A groundbreaking for the universityg was originally expected next year but that has been pusheto 2011, Smira In accordance with the county’s blueprin t for smart growth, General Plan 2030 directs some growthh to infill sites.
These include parcelzs near the former McClellan Air Baseand under-used sites in the county’sw 14 commercial corridors. Moffitt said the transformation of McClellan into a businesx park has opened up areas of development that previouslyh had been restricted due to noise andsafetyt concerns. The areas being considered near the base are west of Watt Before the realestate downturn, developerw had been proposing projects in that area, she Perhaps the most unconventional aspect of the propose d General Plan is the decision to revitalize commercialk corridors, such as stretches of Watt Avenuw and Folsom Boulevard.
County staff estimated the plan could allow anadditional 19,0000 homes along those corridors. That would eliminate the need to put thosw homes onagricultural land. Smallefr parcels scattered throughout the county could accommodate thousandsmore homes. Planninvg for four of the commerciao corridors alreadyhas started, principal planner Tricia Stevenas said. The idea is to revamp restrictive zoningy and allowmixed uses, including homes and apartments, in areazs that previously were limited to strip centers. The county also planss to make the corridors more attractive by buryin gutility lines, planting vegetation and enhancing the streetscapes.
Althoughj cash is tight at the Stevens said funding will come from grants and redevelopmenyt money generated through taxes inredevelopment zones. The procesxs of writing a general plan has taken so long that one major new growth project originally envisioned as part of the plan is alreadtyunder way. applied to rezond a portion of 6,000 acres it owns for redevelopmentrlast year. The aerospacd company wants todevelop 4,80p0 residential lots as well as commercial and office space on 1,391 acres south of Highway 50 betweemn Rancho Cordova and Folsom in the Easton planninh area. General Plan 2030 is next due beford the county Planning Commission onJune 22. Other workshops coul d follow.
It could be the fall before it is formallty adopted by the Boardof “The purpose of the plan is to set DeFanti said. “The details will follow.”
Monday, December 26, 2011
Duke Ellington's sacred music: a jazz prayer - The Seattle Times
mesiaipuhuni1981.blogspot.com
Duke Ellington's sacred music: a jazz prayer The Seattle Times The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, codirected by Michael Brockman and Clarence Acox and featuring vocalists Nichol Eskridge, Everett Greene, the NW Chamber Chorus and tap dancer Alex Dugdale, performs selections from Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts ... |
Saturday, December 24, 2011
MBA: Mortgage, refinancing applications fall - South Florida Business Journal:
ikefageze.blogspot.com
percent in the week ended June 5, accordinh to the . Refinancing applicationsz fell 11.8 percent from the previous week, while applicationx for new mortgages wereup 1.1 percent. Refinancing made up 59.4 percen t of total applications last downfrom 62.4 percent the previous week. That’ds the lowest the refinance share has beensincer November. The share of adjustable-rate mortgages increasedr to 3.4 percent from 3 percentf of total applications from theprevious week. The average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increase d to 5.57 percent from 5.25 percent, with points increasingt to 1.09 from 1.02. The averagre interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.
1 perceng from 4.8 percent, with points decreasin to 1.04 from 1.1. The average interesy rate for one-year ARMs increasee to 6.75 percent from 6.61 percent, with points decreasinfg to 0.1 from 0.15.
percent in the week ended June 5, accordinh to the . Refinancing applicationsz fell 11.8 percent from the previous week, while applicationx for new mortgages wereup 1.1 percent. Refinancing made up 59.4 percen t of total applications last downfrom 62.4 percent the previous week. That’ds the lowest the refinance share has beensincer November. The share of adjustable-rate mortgages increasedr to 3.4 percent from 3 percentf of total applications from theprevious week. The average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increase d to 5.57 percent from 5.25 percent, with points increasingt to 1.09 from 1.02. The averagre interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.
1 perceng from 4.8 percent, with points decreasin to 1.04 from 1.1. The average interesy rate for one-year ARMs increasee to 6.75 percent from 6.61 percent, with points decreasinfg to 0.1 from 0.15.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Dublin
afukakuja.wordpress.com
A three-judge panel from the Ohio 10th Districgt Court of Appeals in Columbus ruled Marcu 12 that two Dublin building standards that deal with staircasez and basement ceilings are in conflictt with a statewidebuilding code, making them But the court also ruled that city-established coded governing electrical service are permissible. Dublinj has been regulating home building withih its borders since 1980 by instituting codes under what city leadersa thought wasits home-rule Dublin’s building codes are, by design, more restrictivee than standard building practices in the market, said Jeffrey Tyler, the city’ director of building standards.
“We look at our communit y as being unique,” he said. “Our building codes improve the marketabilityt ofhomes ... and the marketability of the While Dublin has anearly three-decade history of regulating housinfg construction, the state does not. The Generakl Assembly didn’t pass its first statewidwe building codeuntil 2005. When it did, lawmakers used an industru standard as a model that in many respectsmatches Dublin’s, but is less stringenf regarding staircases, ceilings and electricity. Dublin’s codes require basement ceilings to be staircases to be less steep and electrical service to include more circuitse dedicatedto kitchens.
Each case has a good reasohn behind it, said Dublinj City Manager Terry Foegler. “There’s a very high percentage of our homeowners that want to convert their basements intolivable space,” he said of the basementy ceiling height requirement, which is a minimukm between 6 feet, 8 inches and 7 feet, 6 Ohio’s minimum is between 6 feet, 4 inches and 6 8 inches. Dublin’s zoning and land use restrictions typicall prevent homeowners from adding on totheid houses, Tyler said, so higher basement ceilings give them the optiob to create extra finished living space.
Shallower staircases make stairsx safer, and the electricapl requirements accommodate contemporary kitchen power demands, he said. Those requirement s translate into houses that are more expensive to saidRichard Taylor, owner of Dublin-baseds . While most Dublin houses aren’t built to minimum standards, Taylor said the city’s staif slope requirement prevents production housee that might be permitted in neighboring for example, from being built in A production home plan generall y uses the steeper statew staircase slope guidelines, and would have to be reworked to add the additionall two feet needed for a Dublin staircase, Taylor said.
“If it meansw you’re adding on square feet to the house, it coulc cost thousands of dollars,” Taylot said. Dublin filed a complaing in April 2007 againstthe , the state agencu that governs building codes, because city officialds felt the statewide building code was a violation of Dublin’z home-rule right to institute more restrictive But the state countered that Dublin’s codes are an exercise of the city’ s police powers, which are not allowed to conflicf with state law. A June 2008 decision from Franklin Count Common Pleas Court JudgdDavid Cain, found in the state’s favor.
A three-judge panel from the Ohio 10th Districgt Court of Appeals in Columbus ruled Marcu 12 that two Dublin building standards that deal with staircasez and basement ceilings are in conflictt with a statewidebuilding code, making them But the court also ruled that city-established coded governing electrical service are permissible. Dublinj has been regulating home building withih its borders since 1980 by instituting codes under what city leadersa thought wasits home-rule Dublin’s building codes are, by design, more restrictivee than standard building practices in the market, said Jeffrey Tyler, the city’ director of building standards.
“We look at our communit y as being unique,” he said. “Our building codes improve the marketabilityt ofhomes ... and the marketability of the While Dublin has anearly three-decade history of regulating housinfg construction, the state does not. The Generakl Assembly didn’t pass its first statewidwe building codeuntil 2005. When it did, lawmakers used an industru standard as a model that in many respectsmatches Dublin’s, but is less stringenf regarding staircases, ceilings and electricity. Dublin’s codes require basement ceilings to be staircases to be less steep and electrical service to include more circuitse dedicatedto kitchens.
Each case has a good reasohn behind it, said Dublinj City Manager Terry Foegler. “There’s a very high percentage of our homeowners that want to convert their basements intolivable space,” he said of the basementy ceiling height requirement, which is a minimukm between 6 feet, 8 inches and 7 feet, 6 Ohio’s minimum is between 6 feet, 4 inches and 6 8 inches. Dublin’s zoning and land use restrictions typicall prevent homeowners from adding on totheid houses, Tyler said, so higher basement ceilings give them the optiob to create extra finished living space.
Shallower staircases make stairsx safer, and the electricapl requirements accommodate contemporary kitchen power demands, he said. Those requirement s translate into houses that are more expensive to saidRichard Taylor, owner of Dublin-baseds . While most Dublin houses aren’t built to minimum standards, Taylor said the city’s staif slope requirement prevents production housee that might be permitted in neighboring for example, from being built in A production home plan generall y uses the steeper statew staircase slope guidelines, and would have to be reworked to add the additionall two feet needed for a Dublin staircase, Taylor said.
“If it meansw you’re adding on square feet to the house, it coulc cost thousands of dollars,” Taylot said. Dublin filed a complaing in April 2007 againstthe , the state agencu that governs building codes, because city officialds felt the statewide building code was a violation of Dublin’z home-rule right to institute more restrictive But the state countered that Dublin’s codes are an exercise of the city’ s police powers, which are not allowed to conflicf with state law. A June 2008 decision from Franklin Count Common Pleas Court JudgdDavid Cain, found in the state’s favor.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Rangers submit highest bid, win negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish - Washington Post
mesiaipuhuni1981.blogspot.com
Globe and Mail | Rangers submit highest bid, win negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish Washington Post Major League Baseb » |
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Michael Jackson's belongings sell for nearly $1M - San Francisco Chronicle
burwellmitubaes1369.blogspot.com
CBC.ca | Michael Jackson's belongings sell for nearly $1M San Francisco Chronicle By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Danny Moloshok / AP Paula Pereira, from San Clemente, Calif., photographs a Michael Jackson-inscribed Victorian revival style armoire with the text "Train, perfection March April Full out May" on the mirror ... Michael Jackson's Belongings Sell For Nearly $1M |
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Charter sets salary, bonus for restructuring chief - St. Louis Business Journal:
ramsburgsyuheo1544.blogspot.com
Doody, 44, will earn a base salaryy of $60,000 a month, or $720,000 a but Charter hopes it emerges from Chapterf 11 bankruptcybefore then. The company hopes it emergr from bankruptcy in six months orby September. Charter also plan to give Doodya $1.5 milliobn “emergence bonus” reduced by the sum of the base salary paid to Dooduy during his term of employment, the amountr of monthly fees paid to consultants and the $75,000 retainerd paid to Dumaine. As part of the Charter CEO Neil Smit may nix the bonud atany time. Doody previously led successful in-court and out-of-courrt restructurings, including at , a San Calif.
-based energy company, and , one of the nation'se largest providers of outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative services. HealthSouth presidengt and CEO Jay Grinney credited Dooduy with helping the company redirect its focus in the wake ofa multibillion-dollatr corporate accounting fraud perpetrated undef prior management. Charter Doody as an adviser and officiallty named him chiefrestructuring officer
Doody, 44, will earn a base salaryy of $60,000 a month, or $720,000 a but Charter hopes it emerges from Chapterf 11 bankruptcybefore then. The company hopes it emergr from bankruptcy in six months orby September. Charter also plan to give Doodya $1.5 milliobn “emergence bonus” reduced by the sum of the base salary paid to Dooduy during his term of employment, the amountr of monthly fees paid to consultants and the $75,000 retainerd paid to Dumaine. As part of the Charter CEO Neil Smit may nix the bonud atany time. Doody previously led successful in-court and out-of-courrt restructurings, including at , a San Calif.
-based energy company, and , one of the nation'se largest providers of outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative services. HealthSouth presidengt and CEO Jay Grinney credited Dooduy with helping the company redirect its focus in the wake ofa multibillion-dollatr corporate accounting fraud perpetrated undef prior management. Charter Doody as an adviser and officiallty named him chiefrestructuring officer
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Would you like a gun with that Hummer? - St. Louis Business Journal:
ernstiryastrov.blogspot.com
million, 34,000-square-foot dealership. Stock and Associates has been tapped as the civil engineer. Lynch owns Adventure with morethan $3 million in annuap sales of Hummer accessories worldwide, and he expects that will double by expanding it to Adventure Accessories and Shootinbg Sports, adding firearms and outdoor equipment. Kent president of , was racking up frequent flierd miles between his officein St. Louis and that toddling town as he executed a complexd deal that led to the acquistion of a Chicagodesign firm. The termds were not announced, but the combined architectural firm would bethe nation’s 11th based on Cannon’s annual revenue of $95.
4 million and OWP/P’sz $52.9 million. ranked as the fifthh best capitalized holding company with assetdsof $1 billion to $100 billion in a stress test conducte d by SNL Financial. It has an estimated $170 million in excessd Tier 1 capital; ranked 13th, with $74 million in Tom Chulick is St. Louiz chairman of UMB, and Tom Collins is St. Louis president of Northern St. Louis’ was amongg the institutions with thelargest shortfalls. Dr.
Shawn Lavigne, a chiropractort in Cedar Hill inJefferson County, has openef two AllergiCare Relief Centers, in Cedar Hill and in Chesterfield The centers diagnose allergy symptoms using radio-wavee technology and treat them with an accupressure laser therapy. Lavigne charge s a flat rate of $1,000 for the treatments, whicy are not covered by insurance. He invested $60,000 to launchy the centers and plans to open a third byyear end. There’sx no scrimping on audio and video technology at the new at the at At 83,000 square the 27 rooms and 220-seat auditorium have six flat-panel 28 Sanyo projectors and 28 Draped projection screens.
The equipment was installed by , whichj completed 22 health-care relaterd projects valued at $4.5 million in its 2008 fisca l year, said Dan Schaeffer, Patsy Duncan, owner of mold testingg firm Fungus-A-Mungus, is launching a secondr environmentalconsulting business. Duncan’s will distribute EZ Breaths homeventilation systems, which retail for about to complement her mold inspections. Last Fungus-A-Mungus sales topped $220,000, and she’s currentluy tracking a 20 percentsales increase. Both startups were Brothers Scott and Ben Scully andtheir mom, Cammie Scully, debutg their new Benton Park art gallery, Abstrakt, from 8 to 11 p.m.
June 6 with free drinka and entertainment and the art of Paco The gallery is in the shadow of the at the corner of Arsenal and next to BentonPark Cafe. Sales of $250,00o are projected in the firsrt year, with a portion of each sale going to The is the beneficiary for the Scott is founder and presidenytof ; Ben is seniod vice president of sales at Emdeon; and theidr mom is the executive directore of the in Waterloo, Ill.
million, 34,000-square-foot dealership. Stock and Associates has been tapped as the civil engineer. Lynch owns Adventure with morethan $3 million in annuap sales of Hummer accessories worldwide, and he expects that will double by expanding it to Adventure Accessories and Shootinbg Sports, adding firearms and outdoor equipment. Kent president of , was racking up frequent flierd miles between his officein St. Louis and that toddling town as he executed a complexd deal that led to the acquistion of a Chicagodesign firm. The termds were not announced, but the combined architectural firm would bethe nation’s 11th based on Cannon’s annual revenue of $95.
4 million and OWP/P’sz $52.9 million. ranked as the fifthh best capitalized holding company with assetdsof $1 billion to $100 billion in a stress test conducte d by SNL Financial. It has an estimated $170 million in excessd Tier 1 capital; ranked 13th, with $74 million in Tom Chulick is St. Louiz chairman of UMB, and Tom Collins is St. Louis president of Northern St. Louis’ was amongg the institutions with thelargest shortfalls. Dr.
Shawn Lavigne, a chiropractort in Cedar Hill inJefferson County, has openef two AllergiCare Relief Centers, in Cedar Hill and in Chesterfield The centers diagnose allergy symptoms using radio-wavee technology and treat them with an accupressure laser therapy. Lavigne charge s a flat rate of $1,000 for the treatments, whicy are not covered by insurance. He invested $60,000 to launchy the centers and plans to open a third byyear end. There’sx no scrimping on audio and video technology at the new at the at At 83,000 square the 27 rooms and 220-seat auditorium have six flat-panel 28 Sanyo projectors and 28 Draped projection screens.
The equipment was installed by , whichj completed 22 health-care relaterd projects valued at $4.5 million in its 2008 fisca l year, said Dan Schaeffer, Patsy Duncan, owner of mold testingg firm Fungus-A-Mungus, is launching a secondr environmentalconsulting business. Duncan’s will distribute EZ Breaths homeventilation systems, which retail for about to complement her mold inspections. Last Fungus-A-Mungus sales topped $220,000, and she’s currentluy tracking a 20 percentsales increase. Both startups were Brothers Scott and Ben Scully andtheir mom, Cammie Scully, debutg their new Benton Park art gallery, Abstrakt, from 8 to 11 p.m.
June 6 with free drinka and entertainment and the art of Paco The gallery is in the shadow of the at the corner of Arsenal and next to BentonPark Cafe. Sales of $250,00o are projected in the firsrt year, with a portion of each sale going to The is the beneficiary for the Scott is founder and presidenytof ; Ben is seniod vice president of sales at Emdeon; and theidr mom is the executive directore of the in Waterloo, Ill.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Fresh hope for kidnapped Australian Warren Richard Rodwell as US teen freed - Herald Sun
amesit.wordpress.com
Fresh hope for kidnapped Australian Warren Richard Rodwell as US teen freed Herald Sun From: AP AN American teenager who was abducted with his mother and cousin by suspected Muslim militants in the southern Philippines has been released from five months of jungle captivity, raising hopes for an Australian man abducted in the same area. ... |
Friday, December 9, 2011
Skybus settles class-action suit - Business First of Columbus:
ihituvofy.wordpress.com
Two former Skybus workers sued the airline last alleging it violated federal employmentf law when it abruptly cut its work force upon filinyg for bankruptcy protectionApril 7. Had the employeew been successfulat trial, Skybuss could have been on the hook for up to $2 The settlement approved in in Delaware last week totales $925,000, though some court procedures remain, including a hearing on objections. Of that $5,000 will be spli between the two workersw who ledthe 342-person class, while more than $300,000 is heade to the lawyers for the plaintiffs. The remaininh more than $613,000 will be splitf with employees, coming out to about $1,80p a person.
The employees accused the carrier of violating the Worket Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act because it did not give least 60 days’ advance notice before cutting workers at its hubs in Columbus and Greensboro, N.C. The act offers protectiona to workers by requiring employers to give at leas 60 days notice in advance of plant closingsand so-calle mass layoffs. The law applies to companies with at leas500 employees, or those that dismiss 50 or more workerw in one action if they make up at least a third of the business’ work force. But the U.S.
Departmenf of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration offers exceptions tothe 60-day rule for cuts made due to natural unforeseeable business circumstances or a “falterinvg company” situation. That provision, which applies in instancesx defined asplant closings, covers companieds seeking additional capital or new businessw in order to stay open and wher e giving the notice woulde ruin those opportunities. Court filings indicate Skybuss had argued it had met some exceptions under theWARN act.
Two former Skybus workers sued the airline last alleging it violated federal employmentf law when it abruptly cut its work force upon filinyg for bankruptcy protectionApril 7. Had the employeew been successfulat trial, Skybuss could have been on the hook for up to $2 The settlement approved in in Delaware last week totales $925,000, though some court procedures remain, including a hearing on objections. Of that $5,000 will be spli between the two workersw who ledthe 342-person class, while more than $300,000 is heade to the lawyers for the plaintiffs. The remaininh more than $613,000 will be splitf with employees, coming out to about $1,80p a person.
The employees accused the carrier of violating the Worket Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act because it did not give least 60 days’ advance notice before cutting workers at its hubs in Columbus and Greensboro, N.C. The act offers protectiona to workers by requiring employers to give at leas 60 days notice in advance of plant closingsand so-calle mass layoffs. The law applies to companies with at leas500 employees, or those that dismiss 50 or more workerw in one action if they make up at least a third of the business’ work force. But the U.S.
Departmenf of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration offers exceptions tothe 60-day rule for cuts made due to natural unforeseeable business circumstances or a “falterinvg company” situation. That provision, which applies in instancesx defined asplant closings, covers companieds seeking additional capital or new businessw in order to stay open and wher e giving the notice woulde ruin those opportunities. Court filings indicate Skybuss had argued it had met some exceptions under theWARN act.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Stimulus funds lag health woes - Portland Business Journal:
qozadaunu.blogspot.com
That’s the view of the eight-member panel of industry and medicakl experts who were invited by the Southj Florida Business Journal to share their viewx of whatthe $787 billion federal stimulus package means to the health care sector. What emerged was a broad discussionm of how stimulus legislation is just one pieced of change needed in an industru that has run financially amok due to an overreliance on specialists, shortfalls in information technologg and patients who are undereducated.
The Congressional Budgett Office has projected that total national spending on health care coulrd hit 48 percent of gross domestic product by 2050 if left To solve this problek will takemore money, in the short term. The Obama administration’s $59 billionb for health care stimulus spendingyincludes $19 billion for electronic health care records. Starting in 2011, doctor s who can show meaningfuk use of electronic medical records will get incentives and thosewho don’t will get declining Medicare payments. But, the old-fashioned general practitioneer may also have abig role.
Linda Quick, president of the , said healthu care reform legislation that coincides with the stimulus callse for individuals to have a home location or a primartycare provider. She said that allows for “ community location close to home and getting more done in a actually high clinicaltechnology setting.” That, in turn, will also translate into a less costlyt location, the panelists said. Rachel Sapoznik, CEO of , “The reason I believe in the last 25 yeards of seeing health care costs rise dramaticalluy is we have moved away from the primarhy care physician knowing the patienyto specialists.
” Patients go from specialist to specialist to get each ailmentf treated, but an overview of their conditiobn and family history is lacking. George Foyo, executive VP and chieft administrative officerat , said: “Piggybacking on primaru care is absolutely right. All these specialtie s are adding thousands and thousands of One problem is that specialists tend to overdo tests because they are so worried about legal liability he said. Dr. Tony Prieto, a family practitionetr and president of the Broward CounttyMedical Association, said reimbursement issues for tests done in his office also frustrate him.
A hospital might get $2,000 for a test from but he can onlyget “I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to work unless we use some common sense,” he Foyo said primary care physicians historicall put an emphasis on healtuh prevention efforts, but the lack of it these days is contributing to an epidemi of diabetes and heart issues. Baptist Health, which is well known for hospitals in Kendalland Homestead, is pushing forwarde with outpatient centers – and even venturinv into Broward County. One reason is emergency roomsaare full, and providing care there is more costlu than at an outpatient center.
“Rathed than have patients cometo us, the hospitalas are going out to them,” Foyo said. Florida’ss 51 nonprofit community health centers aregettinf $28 million in competitive grants undetr the stimulus legislation, which will also keep patients out of expensivs hospital settings for treatment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted that during an April visity to a community health centere in Hollywood that willget $1.
5 million to open a satellitwe health center in West One of the advantagess for these types of centerds is that they are funded with the assumption that their doorsx will be open to all who come, which is importanrt because of the number of uninsured South including undocumented foreigners, Quick Dr. Welby, meet Bill Gates Mark administrative partner at the law firm of in said electronic medicalrecords (EMR) fall under the categor y of “shovel-ready” projects in the world of stimulus meaning the technology exists and can be adopted rapidly to put money in the
That’s the view of the eight-member panel of industry and medicakl experts who were invited by the Southj Florida Business Journal to share their viewx of whatthe $787 billion federal stimulus package means to the health care sector. What emerged was a broad discussionm of how stimulus legislation is just one pieced of change needed in an industru that has run financially amok due to an overreliance on specialists, shortfalls in information technologg and patients who are undereducated.
The Congressional Budgett Office has projected that total national spending on health care coulrd hit 48 percent of gross domestic product by 2050 if left To solve this problek will takemore money, in the short term. The Obama administration’s $59 billionb for health care stimulus spendingyincludes $19 billion for electronic health care records. Starting in 2011, doctor s who can show meaningfuk use of electronic medical records will get incentives and thosewho don’t will get declining Medicare payments. But, the old-fashioned general practitioneer may also have abig role.
Linda Quick, president of the , said healthu care reform legislation that coincides with the stimulus callse for individuals to have a home location or a primartycare provider. She said that allows for “ community location close to home and getting more done in a actually high clinicaltechnology setting.” That, in turn, will also translate into a less costlyt location, the panelists said. Rachel Sapoznik, CEO of , “The reason I believe in the last 25 yeards of seeing health care costs rise dramaticalluy is we have moved away from the primarhy care physician knowing the patienyto specialists.
” Patients go from specialist to specialist to get each ailmentf treated, but an overview of their conditiobn and family history is lacking. George Foyo, executive VP and chieft administrative officerat , said: “Piggybacking on primaru care is absolutely right. All these specialtie s are adding thousands and thousands of One problem is that specialists tend to overdo tests because they are so worried about legal liability he said. Dr. Tony Prieto, a family practitionetr and president of the Broward CounttyMedical Association, said reimbursement issues for tests done in his office also frustrate him.
A hospital might get $2,000 for a test from but he can onlyget “I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to work unless we use some common sense,” he Foyo said primary care physicians historicall put an emphasis on healtuh prevention efforts, but the lack of it these days is contributing to an epidemi of diabetes and heart issues. Baptist Health, which is well known for hospitals in Kendalland Homestead, is pushing forwarde with outpatient centers – and even venturinv into Broward County. One reason is emergency roomsaare full, and providing care there is more costlu than at an outpatient center.
“Rathed than have patients cometo us, the hospitalas are going out to them,” Foyo said. Florida’ss 51 nonprofit community health centers aregettinf $28 million in competitive grants undetr the stimulus legislation, which will also keep patients out of expensivs hospital settings for treatment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted that during an April visity to a community health centere in Hollywood that willget $1.
5 million to open a satellitwe health center in West One of the advantagess for these types of centerds is that they are funded with the assumption that their doorsx will be open to all who come, which is importanrt because of the number of uninsured South including undocumented foreigners, Quick Dr. Welby, meet Bill Gates Mark administrative partner at the law firm of in said electronic medicalrecords (EMR) fall under the categor y of “shovel-ready” projects in the world of stimulus meaning the technology exists and can be adopted rapidly to put money in the
Friday, December 2, 2011
Community Bankers try variable pay confab - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
axilecyqih.wordpress.com
Pay what you can. In a mailing distributedc to association memberslast week, the trades group is asking members to attend its marqued September convention in Palm Beach, Fla. But if they can’ty pay the full $995 registration fee, well, a littlw less will be alright. The new marketing plan for theCommunit Bankers’ Association signature event is both a sign of the industry’sx woes and the association’s efforts to keep pace withougt canceling its marquee event that was once held in far-flung locationas across the country.
The move stands in contrast with theGeorgiaw Bankers’ Association, the state’s other main trade Unlike the Community Bankers’ plan, the Georgia Bankers cut their convention’s length this year, and held it in rather than cut registration The Community Bankers Association— which caters more toward smaller banks outside metro Atlanta — is offering the same program, but at a negotiabld price. “We looked at a variety of approachews forspurring attendance, and we thought this was the best said trade group CEO Carolyn Brown, who noted bankers paying a reduced rate would be doingh so “on the honor system.
” “We’re not going to checlk behind people,” she said. “We expect them to be honestr abouttheir situation.” The economic though, has forced the association to throw out any projectionsx on how many will be at this year’se conference. With three months to go before the conference kicks offon Sept. 16 at The Breakers beach resort, Brown said the organization’s members are holdingt off on committing to be therd forthe four-day event.
“People are waiting closef to the meeting dateto commit,” she The event typically attractas as many as 700 community bankers, spouses and othert attendees from the Community Bankers’ Association’s membershil roster. But is it for real How low is too lowto attend? $200? $10? Brown said the offer is a sincer one. If bankers’ can’t pay anything this for example, and want to put off paying until 2010, that works. “It is real in my said Brown. “If folks can’t pay the full fee, that’sw fine. We’re an association that’s not pursuing profitas with this.
” is delaying its 2009 annual meetingb indefinitely, until the Securities and Exchange Commission finishes its preliminar review ofthe company’s according to a June 15 filing with the regulator agency. The Gray, Ga.-based bank holding company is askingf shareholders to amend its articles of incorporationb to reduce the number of stock shareholderes below 600 by issuingnew shares, and relieve the companyu of public company reporting requirements. Until the SEC completes the however, the annual meeting will not “At this time, however, we are unablw to provide a reliables estimate as to when this may thefiling stated.
The plan, if would reduce the number of common stocik bank shareholders from 710to 255, and new clas A stock shares would be ownecd by 455 shareholders. Class A shareholders would lose any votintg rights by exchanging each sharde of their common stock for thenew shares, but receivr 105 percent of whatever dividend the bank may pay.
Pay what you can. In a mailing distributedc to association memberslast week, the trades group is asking members to attend its marqued September convention in Palm Beach, Fla. But if they can’ty pay the full $995 registration fee, well, a littlw less will be alright. The new marketing plan for theCommunit Bankers’ Association signature event is both a sign of the industry’sx woes and the association’s efforts to keep pace withougt canceling its marquee event that was once held in far-flung locationas across the country.
The move stands in contrast with theGeorgiaw Bankers’ Association, the state’s other main trade Unlike the Community Bankers’ plan, the Georgia Bankers cut their convention’s length this year, and held it in rather than cut registration The Community Bankers Association— which caters more toward smaller banks outside metro Atlanta — is offering the same program, but at a negotiabld price. “We looked at a variety of approachews forspurring attendance, and we thought this was the best said trade group CEO Carolyn Brown, who noted bankers paying a reduced rate would be doingh so “on the honor system.
” “We’re not going to checlk behind people,” she said. “We expect them to be honestr abouttheir situation.” The economic though, has forced the association to throw out any projectionsx on how many will be at this year’se conference. With three months to go before the conference kicks offon Sept. 16 at The Breakers beach resort, Brown said the organization’s members are holdingt off on committing to be therd forthe four-day event.
“People are waiting closef to the meeting dateto commit,” she The event typically attractas as many as 700 community bankers, spouses and othert attendees from the Community Bankers’ Association’s membershil roster. But is it for real How low is too lowto attend? $200? $10? Brown said the offer is a sincer one. If bankers’ can’t pay anything this for example, and want to put off paying until 2010, that works. “It is real in my said Brown. “If folks can’t pay the full fee, that’sw fine. We’re an association that’s not pursuing profitas with this.
” is delaying its 2009 annual meetingb indefinitely, until the Securities and Exchange Commission finishes its preliminar review ofthe company’s according to a June 15 filing with the regulator agency. The Gray, Ga.-based bank holding company is askingf shareholders to amend its articles of incorporationb to reduce the number of stock shareholderes below 600 by issuingnew shares, and relieve the companyu of public company reporting requirements. Until the SEC completes the however, the annual meeting will not “At this time, however, we are unablw to provide a reliables estimate as to when this may thefiling stated.
The plan, if would reduce the number of common stocik bank shareholders from 710to 255, and new clas A stock shares would be ownecd by 455 shareholders. Class A shareholders would lose any votintg rights by exchanging each sharde of their common stock for thenew shares, but receivr 105 percent of whatever dividend the bank may pay.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Realtors index: Pending home sales jump sharply - Phoenix Business Journal:
paramonaxogilozi.blogspot.com
NAR’s latest Pending Home Sales Index jumped sharplyuin April, a strong indication that the U.S. housingb market should continue its slow recoverty throughthe summer. The indesx is a forward-looking indicator base d on contracts signedin April. It rose 6.7 percentg to 90.3 from a reading of 84.6 in March, and is 3.2 percent above April 2008 when itwas 87.5. An indedx of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activit yduring 2001. That was the first year data was as well as the first of five consecutive record yearsfor existing-home sales. Lawrence Yun, NAR chievf economist, said buyers are responding to very favorablemarkett conditions.
“Housing affordability conditions have been athistorivc highs, but now the $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit is beginning to impacgt the market,” he said. “Since first-time buyers must finalize their purchaseby Nov. 30 to get the we expect greater activity in themonthss ahead, and that should spark more sales by repeaty buyers.” While pending home sales gained in the it was to a lesse r extent than other areas of the The index rose 1.8 percent in the West to but is 2.9 percent below April 2008. The indecx in the Northeast shotup 32.6 percent to 78.9 in Aprilo and is 0.8 percenft above a year ago. In the Midwesrt the index rose 9.8 percent to 90.4 and is 11.
1 percenr above April 2008. The indexs in the South slipped 0.2 percent to 93.0 in Aprikl but is 3.5 percent highere than a year ago. According to the NAR, the Pending Home Sales Index is based on a largenationa sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactionzs for existing-home sales.
NAR’s latest Pending Home Sales Index jumped sharplyuin April, a strong indication that the U.S. housingb market should continue its slow recoverty throughthe summer. The indesx is a forward-looking indicator base d on contracts signedin April. It rose 6.7 percentg to 90.3 from a reading of 84.6 in March, and is 3.2 percent above April 2008 when itwas 87.5. An indedx of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activit yduring 2001. That was the first year data was as well as the first of five consecutive record yearsfor existing-home sales. Lawrence Yun, NAR chievf economist, said buyers are responding to very favorablemarkett conditions.
“Housing affordability conditions have been athistorivc highs, but now the $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit is beginning to impacgt the market,” he said. “Since first-time buyers must finalize their purchaseby Nov. 30 to get the we expect greater activity in themonthss ahead, and that should spark more sales by repeaty buyers.” While pending home sales gained in the it was to a lesse r extent than other areas of the The index rose 1.8 percent in the West to but is 2.9 percent below April 2008. The indecx in the Northeast shotup 32.6 percent to 78.9 in Aprilo and is 0.8 percenft above a year ago. In the Midwesrt the index rose 9.8 percent to 90.4 and is 11.
1 percenr above April 2008. The indexs in the South slipped 0.2 percent to 93.0 in Aprikl but is 3.5 percent highere than a year ago. According to the NAR, the Pending Home Sales Index is based on a largenationa sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactionzs for existing-home sales.
Monday, November 28, 2011
EU Comm: Can Improve Econ Governance Under Existing EU Treaty - MNI News
utyziluz.wordpress.com
The Guardian | EU Comm: Can Improve Econ Governance Under Existing EU Treaty MNI News BRUSSELS (MNI) - The European Commission on Monday said it saw plenty of room for tougher economic governance rules based on the EU's existing treaty and institutions, wading into the debate being led by Germany and France over whether the Eurozone ... Talk of stability pact, IMF loan and elite bond issuance shakes the Euro The Future Of The Euro, Gold And European Stocks Week in Review Part I: Europe, Washington and W » |
Saturday, November 26, 2011
UDR offers apartment-search application for iPhone - Charlotte Business Journal:
ivyhofy.wordpress.com
The Highlands Ranch-based apartment owner'zs locator app allows users to searcuh apartmentsby location, price, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. It offersa photos, amenities lists and floor plans oflisted apartments, and pricew are updated daily. The app "knows" wherse the user is located through GPS technologh and can offer maps and directions toselecteed apartments. Users can save the apartmentzs they choose in afavorites folder, and even place a hold on an apartmeny until the user can visit. UDR said the applicationh currently offers apartmentsin Arizona, California, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washingtoh state as well as Washington, D.C.
The app is availablw through Apple's online iStore or for free downloadby . The new iPhoner service "fits perfectly into UDR's mobilre strategy to attract and retainj apartment renters who are becoming more reliant on a mobilre device and less reliant on theirpersonalp computers," said Steve Taraborelli, UDR's VP of sales and in a statement. "Not only are we attractingf apartment prospects within the United but from around theworld now." In addition to the iPhone app, UDR also has WAP- and iPhone-compatibl websites, at and respectively.
UDR is an apartment-investment trusf that owns about 45,000 apartment units and had another 2,000 under development as of March 31.
The Highlands Ranch-based apartment owner'zs locator app allows users to searcuh apartmentsby location, price, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. It offersa photos, amenities lists and floor plans oflisted apartments, and pricew are updated daily. The app "knows" wherse the user is located through GPS technologh and can offer maps and directions toselecteed apartments. Users can save the apartmentzs they choose in afavorites folder, and even place a hold on an apartmeny until the user can visit. UDR said the applicationh currently offers apartmentsin Arizona, California, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washingtoh state as well as Washington, D.C.
The app is availablw through Apple's online iStore or for free downloadby . The new iPhoner service "fits perfectly into UDR's mobilre strategy to attract and retainj apartment renters who are becoming more reliant on a mobilre device and less reliant on theirpersonalp computers," said Steve Taraborelli, UDR's VP of sales and in a statement. "Not only are we attractingf apartment prospects within the United but from around theworld now." In addition to the iPhone app, UDR also has WAP- and iPhone-compatibl websites, at and respectively.
UDR is an apartment-investment trusf that owns about 45,000 apartment units and had another 2,000 under development as of March 31.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
11th Circuit upholds strict Ga. execution standard - The Associated Press
bentlyoupapa1810.blogspot.com
11th Circuit upholds strict Ga. execution standard The Associated Press She said while Georgia became the first state in 1988 to ban executing inmates who have a mental disability, "it is the only one to guarantee precisely the opposite result" by requiring offenders to meet the strict standard. "No state has the power to ... |
Monday, November 21, 2011
City scraps Web site plan; will seek new bids - Austin Business Journal:
jaqezuweg.blogspot.com
City Communications Director Doug Matthews confirmed Thursdayu that the city is scrapping the proposal fromSanta Calif.-based Cignex Technologies Inc. because official decided the original RFP wastoo restrictive. The City Councipl was set to vote in March to approvethe $704,00p site design contract with Cignex. However, City Manager Marc Ott delayedr that vote after a public outcry over the choice of a Californiaa vendor instead of anAustibn one. City officials said at the time that the RFP had been revieweds bymany vendors, including local but that only three companies submitted bids, with Cignex's being the lowest.
In the initiakl RFP, the city specifiesd that it wanted a site builtg onan open-source content management system callef Plone. While that system helps create content-rich sites, it'sw built on a programming language not commonlhy usedin Austin. Matthews said after a collaborative revie of the plan by himself and Chief Informatiomn Officer Gail Roper it was determined that such a system mighty end up being more expensive and difficult to Therefore the city will seek a new roune of bids with a lessrestrictivw RFP. Matthews emphasized that the publivc outcry over the selection of the California firm was not the reasonm forthe city's decision.
But he said officials hope that a more broa RFP will enable a greater number of local vendorzs to submit bids this time Matthews said the new RFP will likely go out in with a decision on a new vendor hopefull sometimethis fall.
City Communications Director Doug Matthews confirmed Thursdayu that the city is scrapping the proposal fromSanta Calif.-based Cignex Technologies Inc. because official decided the original RFP wastoo restrictive. The City Councipl was set to vote in March to approvethe $704,00p site design contract with Cignex. However, City Manager Marc Ott delayedr that vote after a public outcry over the choice of a Californiaa vendor instead of anAustibn one. City officials said at the time that the RFP had been revieweds bymany vendors, including local but that only three companies submitted bids, with Cignex's being the lowest.
In the initiakl RFP, the city specifiesd that it wanted a site builtg onan open-source content management system callef Plone. While that system helps create content-rich sites, it'sw built on a programming language not commonlhy usedin Austin. Matthews said after a collaborative revie of the plan by himself and Chief Informatiomn Officer Gail Roper it was determined that such a system mighty end up being more expensive and difficult to Therefore the city will seek a new roune of bids with a lessrestrictivw RFP. Matthews emphasized that the publivc outcry over the selection of the California firm was not the reasonm forthe city's decision.
But he said officials hope that a more broa RFP will enable a greater number of local vendorzs to submit bids this time Matthews said the new RFP will likely go out in with a decision on a new vendor hopefull sometimethis fall.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
AMA: Polen, Fox Among HoF Inductees - SPEEDtv.com
lehoquvuhu.wordpress.com
AMA: Polen, Fox Among HoF Inductees SPEEDtv.com Zero Motorcycles was the official Motorcycle H » |
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Li Bingbing In Full Ada Wong Garb; Lickers Confirmed For 'Resident Evil ... - Latino Review
ugefuk.wordpress.com
Latino Review | Li Bingbing In Full Ada Wong Garb; Lickers Confirmed For 'Resident Evil ... Latino Review In her new position as a reporter, Jovovich was the one to break the news that actress Li Bingbing would be playing Ada Wong in the new film. She also tweeted the first photo of Bingbing in character. Taking things one step further, ... F resh 'Resident Evil 5' Set Photo and Video Reveal Ada Wong in Full Costume 'Resident Evil 5' Set Photo & Video: Ada Wong in Full Costume Resident Evil: Retribution First Look at Bingbing Li as Ada Wong |
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Builder pushes developer to sell unfinished office project - Houston Business Journal:
gonyzyf.wordpress.com
filed suit against and its lender, , seeking to force the sale of One Greenwat Center to payoff $3 million in constructiob debt against the nearly completed officer building along Carothers Parkway. Charlotte, N.C.-based Crescent is struggling to refinanceea $1.2 billion loan, with paymenty in full due by September 2012. Crescentf said it amended the loan last because it was in violation of theoriginal terms. The company must now make paymentzsof $50 million by the end of this $75 million in 2010 and $100 million in 2011.
In a statement released earlierthis month, Crescent CEO Art Fieldse said the developer, which owns commercialo and multi-family properties arounrd the Southeast, has been hit by a drop in demands because of the recession. “We are evaluating many alternatives with our key one of which includes a potentialbankruptcu filing,” he said. The Bell lawsuit, filer April 24 in Williamson CountyuChancery Court, follows liens filed against the property by Bell and several subcontractors in early Pat Emery, vice president and regional manager of Crescent in declined to comment on the possible bankruptcy, and says the statusd of the Greenway project has not changed.
The 164,000-square-foot buildinbg was set to openin March, but work stopper that same month and has been on hold since, with plywooxd boards covering the doors. Bell President Keitnh Pyle also saysthe project’s status has not and that he couldn’t commengt on the pending lawsuit. which has developed more than 1 million squar e feet of office space in Cool Springw and owns several properties in theNashville area, also stoppedr work on its $58 million Franklin Crest apartmentt complex at McEwen Drive and Carotherx Parkway, which the company had planned to complete in Emery says. “We’ve put everything on hold exceptfour leasing,” he says.
Crescent’s business is built around developing andsellintg projects, rather than holding properties for yearw and generating revenue through The developer has been selling off assetas since last fall. In October, Crescent sold 4,50p0 acres in Berkeley County, S.C., to packaging firm for $40 In December, the company sold a Florida apartmentt projectfor $11.35 million, less than half the $27 millioh it paid for the complex three year earlier. This year, the firm closed on the sale ofa 773-acre tract of land in Oconees County, S.C., for just more than $10 million, and it recently sold 18.4 acres in Fort Mill to a warehousin company for $1.6 million.
The jointly owned by and , has modifiede its strategy to focus on generating cash from its realestate projects. The goal, according to securitiex filingsby Duke, is “to improve liquidityy and reduce debt, in an environment which favors buyers.” In 2008, Crescent reportedx a loss of $420 compared to net income of $76 milliob the year before. Duke has been writing off losseds in valueat Crescent, and earlier this year, to insulatwe itself from further the company wrote off all of its liabilitiesz involving the development company and its
filed suit against and its lender, , seeking to force the sale of One Greenwat Center to payoff $3 million in constructiob debt against the nearly completed officer building along Carothers Parkway. Charlotte, N.C.-based Crescent is struggling to refinanceea $1.2 billion loan, with paymenty in full due by September 2012. Crescentf said it amended the loan last because it was in violation of theoriginal terms. The company must now make paymentzsof $50 million by the end of this $75 million in 2010 and $100 million in 2011.
In a statement released earlierthis month, Crescent CEO Art Fieldse said the developer, which owns commercialo and multi-family properties arounrd the Southeast, has been hit by a drop in demands because of the recession. “We are evaluating many alternatives with our key one of which includes a potentialbankruptcu filing,” he said. The Bell lawsuit, filer April 24 in Williamson CountyuChancery Court, follows liens filed against the property by Bell and several subcontractors in early Pat Emery, vice president and regional manager of Crescent in declined to comment on the possible bankruptcy, and says the statusd of the Greenway project has not changed.
The 164,000-square-foot buildinbg was set to openin March, but work stopper that same month and has been on hold since, with plywooxd boards covering the doors. Bell President Keitnh Pyle also saysthe project’s status has not and that he couldn’t commengt on the pending lawsuit. which has developed more than 1 million squar e feet of office space in Cool Springw and owns several properties in theNashville area, also stoppedr work on its $58 million Franklin Crest apartmentt complex at McEwen Drive and Carotherx Parkway, which the company had planned to complete in Emery says. “We’ve put everything on hold exceptfour leasing,” he says.
Crescent’s business is built around developing andsellintg projects, rather than holding properties for yearw and generating revenue through The developer has been selling off assetas since last fall. In October, Crescent sold 4,50p0 acres in Berkeley County, S.C., to packaging firm for $40 In December, the company sold a Florida apartmentt projectfor $11.35 million, less than half the $27 millioh it paid for the complex three year earlier. This year, the firm closed on the sale ofa 773-acre tract of land in Oconees County, S.C., for just more than $10 million, and it recently sold 18.4 acres in Fort Mill to a warehousin company for $1.6 million.
The jointly owned by and , has modifiede its strategy to focus on generating cash from its realestate projects. The goal, according to securitiex filingsby Duke, is “to improve liquidityy and reduce debt, in an environment which favors buyers.” In 2008, Crescent reportedx a loss of $420 compared to net income of $76 milliob the year before. Duke has been writing off losseds in valueat Crescent, and earlier this year, to insulatwe itself from further the company wrote off all of its liabilitiesz involving the development company and its
Sunday, November 13, 2011
One Teacher Remains Hospitalized From Last Week's Bus Accident - WFPL
mcfarlainofuqub1258.blogspot.com
One Teacher Remains Hospitalized From Last Week's Bus Accident WFPL A bus carrying 4th grade students was involved in a roll over accident on I-65 last Thursday. All 16 students and three adults were admitted to a hospital in Glascow. Students and staff suffered a range of injuries, including broken bones. |
Friday, November 11, 2011
A day in the Dizon Botanic Garden - Philippine Star
xiwyxucupewox.blogspot.com
A day in the Dizon Botanic Garden Philippine Star One of the things I did was walk under trees and smell the flowers and fruits at the PAWB-Dizon Botanic Fruit and Techno-Demo Center at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, in Diliman, Quezon City. The trip invigorated me once more, ... |
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Gregoire names 14-member aerospace council - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
igoeosysata1533.blogspot.com
The governor created the councilin May, in responswe to an upwelling of fear, especially in Snohomish County, that Boeing is likely to locate a next production line outsidw Washington, probably in the Deep South. The 14-membefr council is to provide advice to the governotr and the Legislature on how to retainn Boeing and associated aerospace supply companiesz inthe state. It also is to coordinatee education programs for prospectiveaerospace workers, at communityy colleges and research universities. — Larry legislative and political director for International Associatioh of Machinists andAerospace Workers, District Lodge 751.
Randall Julin, general manager of Absolute Aviation Services. David Schumacher, director of government affairsfor . Stan Sorscher, legislative directodr for the Society of Professional Engineering Employeed inAerospace (SPEEA). — Michael vice president of Aviation TechnicalServicesz Inc. Most of the other members of the council are statwe legislators oreducation leaders, the latter includinhg Mark Emmert, president of the , and Elsojn Floyd, president of . Leaders in the Southb say that the effort to win a Boeing planf is currently eclipsed by the campaignj tosupport Northrop/EADS in winning the Air Force tanker contracy over Boeing.
The Northrop model is to be assembled ina yet-to-bes built facility in Alabama. But once that program is and if Boeing does indicate any interestt in a new facility in theDeep they’ll be ready. “We would welcomse Boeing to Mobile withopen arms, and would love to have them as part of our said Steve Nodine, president of the Mobile Countt Commission, in Mobile, Ala.
The governor created the councilin May, in responswe to an upwelling of fear, especially in Snohomish County, that Boeing is likely to locate a next production line outsidw Washington, probably in the Deep South. The 14-membefr council is to provide advice to the governotr and the Legislature on how to retainn Boeing and associated aerospace supply companiesz inthe state. It also is to coordinatee education programs for prospectiveaerospace workers, at communityy colleges and research universities. — Larry legislative and political director for International Associatioh of Machinists andAerospace Workers, District Lodge 751.
Randall Julin, general manager of Absolute Aviation Services. David Schumacher, director of government affairsfor . Stan Sorscher, legislative directodr for the Society of Professional Engineering Employeed inAerospace (SPEEA). — Michael vice president of Aviation TechnicalServicesz Inc. Most of the other members of the council are statwe legislators oreducation leaders, the latter includinhg Mark Emmert, president of the , and Elsojn Floyd, president of . Leaders in the Southb say that the effort to win a Boeing planf is currently eclipsed by the campaignj tosupport Northrop/EADS in winning the Air Force tanker contracy over Boeing.
The Northrop model is to be assembled ina yet-to-bes built facility in Alabama. But once that program is and if Boeing does indicate any interestt in a new facility in theDeep they’ll be ready. “We would welcomse Boeing to Mobile withopen arms, and would love to have them as part of our said Steve Nodine, president of the Mobile Countt Commission, in Mobile, Ala.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Region
dusinenezoqoc.blogspot.com
Analyst Matthew C. Schultheis of said the first quarter presented sort of a barbell effect in which large and smaller banks generall y performed better than midsize He said smaller banks were better able to isolate creditr problems while big banks were able to offseg their credit problems with an increase inmortgagr activity, among other things. Schultheisd said midsize banks which he defined as havingbetweeb $3 billion to $100 billion in assets — don’t have enougb mortgage volume to offset the effecf deteriorating credit quality has had on theird earnings.
, and all turned fourth-quartetr losses into first-quarter But analysts said some of that was due to recentt acquisitions each made along with being able to take a larger piece of the mortgagerefinancing market-share pie. Wells Fargo’s mortgage banking income of $2.5 billion in the first quarter was more than two timesthe company’s previous recorfd high. But many analysts think the refinance boon will soon run its unmasking the substantial deterioratiom incredit quality. Wells Fargo’s nonperforming loanzs increasedby $3.7 billion, or 55 from the fourth quarter and was spreax throughout its portfolio.
Conversely, large community bankw such as , , Susquehanna Bancshares and Fulton Financial turned indisappointing quarters. Susquehanna’s first-quarter net incomde of $1.9 million was well below the $18 million it postedd in the fourth quartedrand $28 million posted in the firstr quarter of last year. Analystt Collyn Gilbert of Stifel Nicolaus this week maintained her sell ratingg for Susquehanna and lowered its earninge per share estimate for 2009 to a loss of 23 centa from a gain of 39 cents due to higher than expectefd loan loss provision and lower than projecter netinterest income. Susquehanna’s nonperforminbg assets grew by 43 percent during the quarterto 1.
23 percenft of all assets from 0.86 percent in the fourth quarter. Gilbert also lowered her earnings estimatr for Fulton from 29 cents per sharre to a loss of 2 cents per sharse forsimilar reasons. Fulton’s nonperforming assets grew by 23 percentr in the first quarter and nowrepresent 1.63 percenft of all assets versus 1.35 percen in the fourth quarte and 0.90 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Mike a New York-based analyst with said credig deterioration shows no sign of slowintg inthe Northeast. “There’s lots of commerciaol real estate exposure in the and there’s a ways to go before that sorts itself Shafir said.
Gilbert said the largde banks were propelled in the first quarter by an elemen t of desperation to show their best results forthis month’s stressw test of their assets while smallere banks have not seen their real estates lending fall off dramatically. Gilbert said the banks that have strugglecd are those that have had large growth rates in the past five yearss as those new assets have not performed well duringg therecent downturn. CEO Ted Peters said bankas such asNational Penn, Harleysville National and Susquehannas made acquisitions in recenrt years that are now a drag on earningss per share because the acquiresd assets are no longer as valuable as the purchasew price.
Peters also said many largerr communitybanks over-extended investment portfolios with trust-preferrede securities and are heavily involved with struggling home builders. of Pennsylvaniza Chief Financial Officer Jeff Schweitzer said credit issues have begun to hit localo community banks after they were able to avoid the severe probleme that struck their counterparts in othedr parts ofthe country. Univest saw its earningx fall by 43 percent from the comparable quarter ayear ago, but profitas were flat compared to the fourth quarter.
Banks and analysts have begun to value sequential quarterlty performance over comparisons tothe year-prior quartef because of the quick, profound changes created by the economic downturn. Schweitzerr said Univest was hurt by investments in bank stocks and tooka $1.2 millionn impairment charge but otherwise had strong credit quality consideringf the environment. He said bankx in Univest’s peer group of $1 billio n to $3 billion in assets had averagef 76 centsin loan-loss reserve for every dollar of nonperformingh loans during the first He said Univest has $2.25 in loan-losx reserve for every dollar of nonperformin g loans.
Schweitzer said the more homebuilders that file for bankruptch suchas Harleysville’s , the wors e things are going to get on the creditt side for community banks. Peters said his bank is handlinyabout $12 million in mortgage refinance business a week now about six times more than The bank, which has a hirin g freeze in place, has transferred people from slowere departments like wealth management and Peters said the leasing divisiohn is still coping with charge-offs and the wealth management division has seen assets under managemengt shrink significantly — something that will cause problemsd all year.
But more than doublexd its earnings from the fourthh quarter and was only slightly off its pacefrom first-quarte r 2009. Larger community banks were notas
Analyst Matthew C. Schultheis of said the first quarter presented sort of a barbell effect in which large and smaller banks generall y performed better than midsize He said smaller banks were better able to isolate creditr problems while big banks were able to offseg their credit problems with an increase inmortgagr activity, among other things. Schultheisd said midsize banks which he defined as havingbetweeb $3 billion to $100 billion in assets — don’t have enougb mortgage volume to offset the effecf deteriorating credit quality has had on theird earnings.
, and all turned fourth-quartetr losses into first-quarter But analysts said some of that was due to recentt acquisitions each made along with being able to take a larger piece of the mortgagerefinancing market-share pie. Wells Fargo’s mortgage banking income of $2.5 billion in the first quarter was more than two timesthe company’s previous recorfd high. But many analysts think the refinance boon will soon run its unmasking the substantial deterioratiom incredit quality. Wells Fargo’s nonperforming loanzs increasedby $3.7 billion, or 55 from the fourth quarter and was spreax throughout its portfolio.
Conversely, large community bankw such as , , Susquehanna Bancshares and Fulton Financial turned indisappointing quarters. Susquehanna’s first-quarter net incomde of $1.9 million was well below the $18 million it postedd in the fourth quartedrand $28 million posted in the firstr quarter of last year. Analystt Collyn Gilbert of Stifel Nicolaus this week maintained her sell ratingg for Susquehanna and lowered its earninge per share estimate for 2009 to a loss of 23 centa from a gain of 39 cents due to higher than expectefd loan loss provision and lower than projecter netinterest income. Susquehanna’s nonperforminbg assets grew by 43 percent during the quarterto 1.
23 percenft of all assets from 0.86 percent in the fourth quarter. Gilbert also lowered her earnings estimatr for Fulton from 29 cents per sharre to a loss of 2 cents per sharse forsimilar reasons. Fulton’s nonperforming assets grew by 23 percentr in the first quarter and nowrepresent 1.63 percenft of all assets versus 1.35 percen in the fourth quarte and 0.90 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Mike a New York-based analyst with said credig deterioration shows no sign of slowintg inthe Northeast. “There’s lots of commerciaol real estate exposure in the and there’s a ways to go before that sorts itself Shafir said.
Gilbert said the largde banks were propelled in the first quarter by an elemen t of desperation to show their best results forthis month’s stressw test of their assets while smallere banks have not seen their real estates lending fall off dramatically. Gilbert said the banks that have strugglecd are those that have had large growth rates in the past five yearss as those new assets have not performed well duringg therecent downturn. CEO Ted Peters said bankas such asNational Penn, Harleysville National and Susquehannas made acquisitions in recenrt years that are now a drag on earningss per share because the acquiresd assets are no longer as valuable as the purchasew price.
Peters also said many largerr communitybanks over-extended investment portfolios with trust-preferrede securities and are heavily involved with struggling home builders. of Pennsylvaniza Chief Financial Officer Jeff Schweitzer said credit issues have begun to hit localo community banks after they were able to avoid the severe probleme that struck their counterparts in othedr parts ofthe country. Univest saw its earningx fall by 43 percent from the comparable quarter ayear ago, but profitas were flat compared to the fourth quarter.
Banks and analysts have begun to value sequential quarterlty performance over comparisons tothe year-prior quartef because of the quick, profound changes created by the economic downturn. Schweitzerr said Univest was hurt by investments in bank stocks and tooka $1.2 millionn impairment charge but otherwise had strong credit quality consideringf the environment. He said bankx in Univest’s peer group of $1 billio n to $3 billion in assets had averagef 76 centsin loan-loss reserve for every dollar of nonperformingh loans during the first He said Univest has $2.25 in loan-losx reserve for every dollar of nonperformin g loans.
Schweitzer said the more homebuilders that file for bankruptch suchas Harleysville’s , the wors e things are going to get on the creditt side for community banks. Peters said his bank is handlinyabout $12 million in mortgage refinance business a week now about six times more than The bank, which has a hirin g freeze in place, has transferred people from slowere departments like wealth management and Peters said the leasing divisiohn is still coping with charge-offs and the wealth management division has seen assets under managemengt shrink significantly — something that will cause problemsd all year.
But more than doublexd its earnings from the fourthh quarter and was only slightly off its pacefrom first-quarte r 2009. Larger community banks were notas
Friday, November 4, 2011
Veteran civil servant quits over AG pick - CBC.ca
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CBC.ca | Veteran civil servant quits over AG pick CBC.ca The appointment of an auditor general who does not speak French has prompted a veteran public servant to resign in protest. Michel Dorais, a former federal deputy minister who had been serving as one of two independent members of the internal audit ... Senior bureauc rat resigns over hiring of unilingual auditor general Liberals walk out as unilingual Tory appointed Top Bureaucrat Resigns Over AG Who Can't Speak French |
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Yolo County names new agricultural commissioner - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
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Landon expressed confidence in his successor in anews “I have really enjoyed working with the ag the Board of Supervisors, staff and the residentz of Yolo County,” Landon said. “Yolo County is truly unique in its desire to preserve its agriculturalk heritage and it has been very rewardinv to be a part ofthat commitment. I feel confidenr passing the baton to John Young and know he will carrh onYolo County’s rich agriculturalo tradition,” he said. Young has worked for the countyu for the past 18 years and is a graduat e of California State University Sacramento witha bachelor’s degrede in business administration.
“Yolo County is truly a greatt place to workand live,” Young said in a news “Even in these difficult economic timese Yolo County agriculture is a bright spot and I am enthusiastivc about my opportunity to serve the constituents of Yolo County in this new The future will bring us many challenges but by workiny collectively we will be able to secure a vibranty local agricultural economy,” he He will assume his new role upon Landon’w retirement. A date for the transition has not yetbeen set.
Landon expressed confidence in his successor in anews “I have really enjoyed working with the ag the Board of Supervisors, staff and the residentz of Yolo County,” Landon said. “Yolo County is truly unique in its desire to preserve its agriculturalk heritage and it has been very rewardinv to be a part ofthat commitment. I feel confidenr passing the baton to John Young and know he will carrh onYolo County’s rich agriculturalo tradition,” he said. Young has worked for the countyu for the past 18 years and is a graduat e of California State University Sacramento witha bachelor’s degrede in business administration.
“Yolo County is truly a greatt place to workand live,” Young said in a news “Even in these difficult economic timese Yolo County agriculture is a bright spot and I am enthusiastivc about my opportunity to serve the constituents of Yolo County in this new The future will bring us many challenges but by workiny collectively we will be able to secure a vibranty local agricultural economy,” he He will assume his new role upon Landon’w retirement. A date for the transition has not yetbeen set.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Southlands shopping center reopens 2 days after tornado - Business First of Columbus:
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Most Southlands stores reopened at noon although “some retailers and restaurants may still remain closed,” the shoppinyg center said on its website. Cleanup and damage checka have been under way atthe 1.7 million-square-foot retai l complex since Sunday, when a tornado touchex down nearby at 1:49 p.m. The twister caused moderater damageat Southlands, located at E-470 and Smokh Hill Road. Rooftop heating, venting and air-conditioningg units were damaged, windows were broken, and a car was Natural gas leaks alsowere noted, and authoritiews shut down gas service for a Southlands, which opened in 2006, is the Denvee area’s largest shopping center by retailo space.
It consists of several freestanding buildingzs connected by pedestrian corridorsand streets. The comples is owned by Granite Southlandsw Town Center LLC and managed by Forest City CommercialManagemen Inc. Four other tornadoes were spotted north and east of DenverSundayy afternoon, and large hail struco some areas. As many as 3,000 Xcel Energh customers were without power for a time in parts of Aurorwand Centennial.
Most Southlands stores reopened at noon although “some retailers and restaurants may still remain closed,” the shoppinyg center said on its website. Cleanup and damage checka have been under way atthe 1.7 million-square-foot retai l complex since Sunday, when a tornado touchex down nearby at 1:49 p.m. The twister caused moderater damageat Southlands, located at E-470 and Smokh Hill Road. Rooftop heating, venting and air-conditioningg units were damaged, windows were broken, and a car was Natural gas leaks alsowere noted, and authoritiews shut down gas service for a Southlands, which opened in 2006, is the Denvee area’s largest shopping center by retailo space.
It consists of several freestanding buildingzs connected by pedestrian corridorsand streets. The comples is owned by Granite Southlandsw Town Center LLC and managed by Forest City CommercialManagemen Inc. Four other tornadoes were spotted north and east of DenverSundayy afternoon, and large hail struco some areas. As many as 3,000 Xcel Energh customers were without power for a time in parts of Aurorwand Centennial.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Let's Value People as an Asset, and Bring Financial Statements into the 21st ... - Huffington Post (blog)
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Let's Value People as an Asset, and Bring Financial Statements into the 21st ... Huffington Post (blog) Intangible assets -- patents, intellectual property, brands, and research & development -- are » |
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Arena Pharmaceuticals Announces Lorcaserin Data Demonstrating Highly Significant Categorical and Absolute Weight Loss and Improvements in Secondary Endpoints Associated with Cardiovascular Risk
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Previously announced BLOOM data demonstrated that lorcaserin was highly achieving statistical significance on allthrewe co-primary efficacy endpoints, and was very well tolerated. The BLOOnM results also satisfy the efficacy requirement in the most recenft US Food andDrug Administration, or FDA, drafrt guidance for the development of drugs for weightg management. "These data provide reason for new optimism for the millionsx of people who struggle with managing theidr weight and are in needof novel, well tolerates treatments to help improve their overall health," said Steven R. Smithh , M.D.
, Co-Principal Investigator and Professor and Assistant Director for Clinical Research at the Penningtonm BiomedicalResearch Center. "Lorcaserin's positive impact on multipl secondary measures has important implications forimprovinh co-morbidities associated with excess weight and furthere demonstrates the medically significant benefits of 5% or more weigh loss, a mark two-thirds of the lorcaserin patient s who completed the BLOOM trial achieved." "Given the positivre lorcaserin BLOOM results, we are focused on partnering effortsx and realizing lorcaserin's significant commercial potential," stated Jack Lief, Arena's Presidenyt and Chief Executive Officer.
In addition to supporting the previously announcex results on allthree co-primart endpoints on an last observation carried forward basis, the data presenter today demonstrated strong efficacy in patients who completed one year of treatmen according to the trial's protocol. In the per protocol nearly two-thirds (66.4%) of lorcaserin patients lost atleast 5% of theidr weight compared to 32.1% of patients on placebo and over one-third (36.2%) of lorcaserin patientss lost at least 10% of their weight comparexd to 13.6% for placebo (p<0.0001). The averag e weight loss in this populationwas 17.9 pounds in the lorcaserih group, compared to 7.4 pound s in the placebo group.
Patients randomized to remain on lorcaseri for Year 2 maintained a significantly greater amount of weight loss compared to the lorcaserib patients who switched to placeb at Week 52 in boththe ITT-LOCc and per protocol populations. New data demonstrate that treatmentf with lorcaserin over one year was associated with highlg significant improvements compared to placebo in multiple secondary endpoints associated withcardiovascular risk, -- Blood Pressure: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressurs and heart rate -- Lipids: total cholesterol, LDL cholesteropl and triglycerides -- Glycemic fasting glucose, fasting insulin and insulin resistance -- Inflammator Markers of Cardiovascular high-sensitivity CRP and fibrinogen Qualitg of Life, as assessed by the Impact of Weightg Questionnaire - Lite, also improves to a significantly greater extent in the lorcaserin group than the placebo group at Week 52.
"We are please to present the BLOOM data in a scientific Inthis trial, lorcaserin helped patients rapidly lose weight and keep it off in a well-tolerateds manner," said William R. Shanahan , M.D., Arena's Vice President and Chierf Medical Officer. "We believed that lorcaserin's overall safety profile along with the significantt improvements seen in important secondary endpointsx associated with cardiovascular risk will be supportives of the approval We look forward to announcinv our BLOSSOM data in September and completing our NDA submissiom by the end ofthe year.
" Lorcaseri was very well Discontinuation rates for adverse events were similar in the lorcaserihn and placebo groups for Year 1 and Year 2 (7.1 vs. 6.7% and 3.0% vs. 3.0%, respectively). In additiob to the previously announcedtolerability data, today's presentation also reportede that lorcaserin demonstrated no increase in depressionb or suicidal ideation compared to placebo. Depression adverse events were measured using a Standard MedDRA Query for adverse eventt terms related todepression depression, depressed mood, crying, decreased interest, Overall, the rate of depression-relatef events was low and ratew were comparable in patients who took lorcaserin and Suicidal ideation was prospectively evaluated by administration of the Beck Depressionj Inventory-II.
Overall, the rate of suicidak ideation was low and simila numbers of patients on lorcaserin and placeboi reported suicidal thoughts during Year 1 andYear 2. Usinfg an LOCF analysis for each year, the assessment of echocardiogramds performed at baseline and aftert patientscompleted 6, 12, 18 and 24 monthsw of dosing indicated that lorcaserin was not associatexd with valvular insufficiency: during two years of use, rateas of change in individual regurgitang scores and the development of FDA-defined valvulopathh (moderate or greater mitral insufficiency and/or mild or greater aorti insufficiency) were similar between treatment Lorcaserin met the primary safety endpoint of no significant difference in ratesw of valvulopathy at 12 months.
Rates of valvulopathyg at 6, 12, 18 and 24 monthsd for lorcaserin versus placebowere 2.1% vs. 1.9% (p=0.88), 2.7% vs. 2.3% 2.9% vs. 3.1% (p=0.86) and 2.6% vs. 2.7% At 18 and 24 months, rates of valvulopathyh for lorcaserin patients crossing over to placeblwere 3.6% and 1.9%, respectively. In addition, similare numbers of mitral insufficiency shiftw and aortic insufficiency shifts in Year 1 and Year 2 were reportec for patients on lorcaserinand placebo. The FDA previously requested that Arena rule outa 1.5-fold or greaterd risk of valvulopathy with 80% power.
Assuminb similar results in Arena's final pivotal trial, BLOSSOM (Behavioral modification and LOrcaserin Second Study forObesityh Management), the integrated data set from the two trialsa will be more than sufficientlt large to meet this requirement. BLOOM, the first of three lorcaserin Phase3 trials, is a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involvinh 3,182 patients in approximately 100 sites in the US. The triap evaluated 10 mg of lorcaserin dosefd twice daily versus placebo overa two-year treatment periods in obese patients (Body Mass Index, or BMI, 30 to 45) with or without co-morbid conditions and overweight patients (BMI 27 to less than 30) with at leastt one co-morbid condition.
The triall did not include any dose titrationor run-in period. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratiio to lorcaserin or placeboat baseline. At Week 52, 856 patienta taking lorcaserinwere re-randomized in a 2:1 ratio to continus lorcaserin or to switch to placebo, and 697 patients on placebop were continued on placebo. Patients received echocardiogramsat screening, and at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiating dosing in the patients with FDA-defined valvulopathy were excludeds from enrolling in the trial.
The Phased 3 program consists ofthree trials, BLOOM, BLOSSOM and BLOOM-DMM (Behavioral modification and Lorcaserin for Overweight and Obesith Management in Diabetes Mellitus), and is plannerd to enroll a total of approximately 7,800 patients. BLOOM and BLOSSOM comprise the Phase 3 pivotaplregistration program. BLOSSOM has enrolled 4,008 patients and is evaluating 10 mg of lorcaserin dosed once or twicw daily versus placebo overa one-year treatment period in obese patients with or withoutr co-morbid conditions and overweight patients with at least one co-morbid condition at abou 100 sites in the US.
BLOOM-DMM is expected to completwe enrollment around the end of June and is evaluatingv 10 mg of lorcaserin dosedr once or twice daily versuse placebo overa one-year treatment period in obese and overweightr patients with type 2 diabetes at about 60 sites in the US. Approximatelty 600 patients are expected to be enrolled in which is planned as a supplement to thelorcaserin NDA. A standardizecd program of moderate diet and exerciswe guidance is included in the Phase3 program.
The program's hierarchicall y ordered co-primary efficacy endpoints are: the proportion of patient achieving 5% or greater weight loss aftere12 months, the difference in mean weight loss compared to placebo after 12 months, and the proportioh of patients achieving 10% or greater weightg loss after 12 months. Arena is also studyintg several keysecondary endpoints, including changes in seru m lipids, markers of inflammation and insulib resistance, and in the BLOOM-D trial, other indicators of glycemic control. In BLOSSOMk and BLOOM-DM all patients will receive echocardiogramzsat baseline, at month 6, and at the end of the studt to assess heart valve function over time.
In contrastf to the BLOOM trial, however, there are no echocardiographicf exclusion criteria for entry into thes trials and there is no monitoring by anindependent board. Lorcaserin is a noveol single agent that represents the first in a new class of selective serotonin 2Creceptor agonists. The serotonin 2C receptot is located in areas of the brainh involved in the control of appetiteand metabolism, such as the Stimulation of this receptor is strongly associatesd with feeding behavior and satiety.
Lorcaserin is currently being evaluates in a Phase 3 program expected to enrololapproximately 7,800 patients and potentially represents a targeteed treatment option for the millions of patients who need to bettere manage their weight. Arena has patents that cover lorcaserin in the US andothef jurisdictions, which in most cases are capable of continuingf into 2023 without taking into account any patenrt term extensions or other exclusivity Arenq might obtain. The National Institutes of Health reported in 2007 thatabout 65% of US adultxs are overweight or obese.
Medical and related costs of obesity to the USare $123 billion per year accordintg to a 2005 report by the Internationa l Diabetes Federation. Studies have shownm that weight lossof 5% to 10% is medically significanty and results in meaningful improvementw in cardiovascular risk factors and a significant reductionm in the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Diet and exercise should form the basis of healthy weight but pharmaceutical treatment options for obesity are currentlg limited for the many patientw that require additional help in achieving and maintaining medically importantweigh loss.
The FDA draft guidance document for developing products for weighyt management dated February 2007 provides recommendations regarding the development of druges for the indication of weight It contains two alternate efficacy only one of which needs to be metfor approval. The guidancw provides that, in general, a producr can be considered effective for weight management if afterf one year of treatment either of thefollowing occurs: (1) the difference in mean weight loss between the active-product and placebo-treaterd groups is at least 5% and the differenced is statistically significant, or (2) the proportion of subjecte who lose greater than or equal to 5% of baselined body weight in the active-product group is at least 35%, is approximately double the proportiobn in the placebo-treated group, and the difference betweemn groups is statistically significant.
Arena is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusedon discovering, developing and commercializinf oral drugs in four major therapeutic areas: central nervous system, inflammatory and metabolixc diseases. Arena's most advanced drug candidate, lorcaserin, is being investigated in a Phasse 3 clinical trial program forweight Arena's broad pipeline of novel compounda target G protein-coupled receptors, an important class of validated drug and includes compounds being evaluated independently and with including Merck & Co., Inc., and Ortho-McNeil-Janssemn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Arena Pharmaceuticals(R) and Arena(R) are registered service marks ofthe company.
"APD" is an abbreviation for Arena Pharmaceuticals Development. Certaimn statements in this press releaseare forward-looking statements that involver a number of risk s and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements includew statements about theBLOOM results; the advancement, therapeutic indication, tolerability, safety, selectivity and efficact of lorcaserin; the FDA's guidance, process and requirements; the potential of the lorcaserin Phase 3 program and its resultsz to meet the FDA's approval including with regard to assessingt the risk of developing valvulopathy; the approvapl of lorcaserin for marketing; lorcaserin'sz partnering, commercial and other potential; the protocol, scope, enrollment and other aspects of the lorcaserin trials; futurd activities, results and announcements relating to including the BLOSSOM results, the submissiohn of an NDA for lorcaserin and the submission of the BLOOM-DMj results as a supplement to the NDA; the potentiall of lorcaserin in managingf weight, improving health and generating patient the impact of weighgt loss on health, including improvinb co-morbidities and providing other medically significant lorcaserin's patent coverage; and Arena's strategy, internal and partnered programs, and ability to develol compounds and commercialize drugs.
For such statements, Arena claimd the protection of the Privatr Securities Litigation Reform Actof 1995. Actual events or results may differ materiallyfrom Arena's expectations. Factore that could cause actual resulta to differ materially fromthe forward-looking statements but are not limites to, Arena's ability to obtaibn additional funds; the timing, success and cost of Arena'z lorcaserin program and othert of its research and development results of clinical trialws or preclinical studies may not be predictivd of future results; clinica trials and studies may not proceed at the time or in the manne r Arena expects or at all; Arena's abilityg to partner lorcaserin or other of its compoundz or programs; the timing and ability of Arena to receiv e regulatory approval for its drug candidates; Arena's abilit to obtain and defend its and the timing and receipt of payments and if any, from Arena's Additional factors that could causwe actual results to diffe materially from those statedc or implied by Arena's forward-looking statements are disclosed in Arena'sx filings with the Securities and Exchange These forward-looking statements represent Arena's judgmenty as of the time of this release.
Arena disclaimes any intent or obligation to updatethesse forward-looking statements, other than as may be required under applicable law. Jack Lief President and Chietf Executive Officer Cindy McGese Senior Communications AssociateArena Inc. 858.453.7200, ext. 1479 SOURCE Arenas Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Previously announced BLOOM data demonstrated that lorcaserin was highly achieving statistical significance on allthrewe co-primary efficacy endpoints, and was very well tolerated. The BLOOnM results also satisfy the efficacy requirement in the most recenft US Food andDrug Administration, or FDA, drafrt guidance for the development of drugs for weightg management. "These data provide reason for new optimism for the millionsx of people who struggle with managing theidr weight and are in needof novel, well tolerates treatments to help improve their overall health," said Steven R. Smithh , M.D.
, Co-Principal Investigator and Professor and Assistant Director for Clinical Research at the Penningtonm BiomedicalResearch Center. "Lorcaserin's positive impact on multipl secondary measures has important implications forimprovinh co-morbidities associated with excess weight and furthere demonstrates the medically significant benefits of 5% or more weigh loss, a mark two-thirds of the lorcaserin patient s who completed the BLOOM trial achieved." "Given the positivre lorcaserin BLOOM results, we are focused on partnering effortsx and realizing lorcaserin's significant commercial potential," stated Jack Lief, Arena's Presidenyt and Chief Executive Officer.
In addition to supporting the previously announcex results on allthree co-primart endpoints on an last observation carried forward basis, the data presenter today demonstrated strong efficacy in patients who completed one year of treatmen according to the trial's protocol. In the per protocol nearly two-thirds (66.4%) of lorcaserin patients lost atleast 5% of theidr weight compared to 32.1% of patients on placebo and over one-third (36.2%) of lorcaserin patientss lost at least 10% of their weight comparexd to 13.6% for placebo (p<0.0001). The averag e weight loss in this populationwas 17.9 pounds in the lorcaserih group, compared to 7.4 pound s in the placebo group.
Patients randomized to remain on lorcaseri for Year 2 maintained a significantly greater amount of weight loss compared to the lorcaserib patients who switched to placeb at Week 52 in boththe ITT-LOCc and per protocol populations. New data demonstrate that treatmentf with lorcaserin over one year was associated with highlg significant improvements compared to placebo in multiple secondary endpoints associated withcardiovascular risk, -- Blood Pressure: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressurs and heart rate -- Lipids: total cholesterol, LDL cholesteropl and triglycerides -- Glycemic fasting glucose, fasting insulin and insulin resistance -- Inflammator Markers of Cardiovascular high-sensitivity CRP and fibrinogen Qualitg of Life, as assessed by the Impact of Weightg Questionnaire - Lite, also improves to a significantly greater extent in the lorcaserin group than the placebo group at Week 52.
"We are please to present the BLOOM data in a scientific Inthis trial, lorcaserin helped patients rapidly lose weight and keep it off in a well-tolerateds manner," said William R. Shanahan , M.D., Arena's Vice President and Chierf Medical Officer. "We believed that lorcaserin's overall safety profile along with the significantt improvements seen in important secondary endpointsx associated with cardiovascular risk will be supportives of the approval We look forward to announcinv our BLOSSOM data in September and completing our NDA submissiom by the end ofthe year.
" Lorcaseri was very well Discontinuation rates for adverse events were similar in the lorcaserihn and placebo groups for Year 1 and Year 2 (7.1 vs. 6.7% and 3.0% vs. 3.0%, respectively). In additiob to the previously announcedtolerability data, today's presentation also reportede that lorcaserin demonstrated no increase in depressionb or suicidal ideation compared to placebo. Depression adverse events were measured using a Standard MedDRA Query for adverse eventt terms related todepression depression, depressed mood, crying, decreased interest, Overall, the rate of depression-relatef events was low and ratew were comparable in patients who took lorcaserin and Suicidal ideation was prospectively evaluated by administration of the Beck Depressionj Inventory-II.
Overall, the rate of suicidak ideation was low and simila numbers of patients on lorcaserin and placeboi reported suicidal thoughts during Year 1 andYear 2. Usinfg an LOCF analysis for each year, the assessment of echocardiogramds performed at baseline and aftert patientscompleted 6, 12, 18 and 24 monthsw of dosing indicated that lorcaserin was not associatexd with valvular insufficiency: during two years of use, rateas of change in individual regurgitang scores and the development of FDA-defined valvulopathh (moderate or greater mitral insufficiency and/or mild or greater aorti insufficiency) were similar between treatment Lorcaserin met the primary safety endpoint of no significant difference in ratesw of valvulopathy at 12 months.
Rates of valvulopathyg at 6, 12, 18 and 24 monthsd for lorcaserin versus placebowere 2.1% vs. 1.9% (p=0.88), 2.7% vs. 2.3% 2.9% vs. 3.1% (p=0.86) and 2.6% vs. 2.7% At 18 and 24 months, rates of valvulopathyh for lorcaserin patients crossing over to placeblwere 3.6% and 1.9%, respectively. In addition, similare numbers of mitral insufficiency shiftw and aortic insufficiency shifts in Year 1 and Year 2 were reportec for patients on lorcaserinand placebo. The FDA previously requested that Arena rule outa 1.5-fold or greaterd risk of valvulopathy with 80% power.
Assuminb similar results in Arena's final pivotal trial, BLOSSOM (Behavioral modification and LOrcaserin Second Study forObesityh Management), the integrated data set from the two trialsa will be more than sufficientlt large to meet this requirement. BLOOM, the first of three lorcaserin Phase3 trials, is a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involvinh 3,182 patients in approximately 100 sites in the US. The triap evaluated 10 mg of lorcaserin dosefd twice daily versus placebo overa two-year treatment periods in obese patients (Body Mass Index, or BMI, 30 to 45) with or without co-morbid conditions and overweight patients (BMI 27 to less than 30) with at leastt one co-morbid condition.
The triall did not include any dose titrationor run-in period. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratiio to lorcaserin or placeboat baseline. At Week 52, 856 patienta taking lorcaserinwere re-randomized in a 2:1 ratio to continus lorcaserin or to switch to placebo, and 697 patients on placebop were continued on placebo. Patients received echocardiogramsat screening, and at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiating dosing in the patients with FDA-defined valvulopathy were excludeds from enrolling in the trial.
The Phased 3 program consists ofthree trials, BLOOM, BLOSSOM and BLOOM-DMM (Behavioral modification and Lorcaserin for Overweight and Obesith Management in Diabetes Mellitus), and is plannerd to enroll a total of approximately 7,800 patients. BLOOM and BLOSSOM comprise the Phase 3 pivotaplregistration program. BLOSSOM has enrolled 4,008 patients and is evaluating 10 mg of lorcaserin dosed once or twicw daily versus placebo overa one-year treatment period in obese patients with or withoutr co-morbid conditions and overweight patients with at least one co-morbid condition at abou 100 sites in the US.
BLOOM-DMM is expected to completwe enrollment around the end of June and is evaluatingv 10 mg of lorcaserin dosedr once or twice daily versuse placebo overa one-year treatment period in obese and overweightr patients with type 2 diabetes at about 60 sites in the US. Approximatelty 600 patients are expected to be enrolled in which is planned as a supplement to thelorcaserin NDA. A standardizecd program of moderate diet and exerciswe guidance is included in the Phase3 program.
The program's hierarchicall y ordered co-primary efficacy endpoints are: the proportion of patient achieving 5% or greater weight loss aftere12 months, the difference in mean weight loss compared to placebo after 12 months, and the proportioh of patients achieving 10% or greater weightg loss after 12 months. Arena is also studyintg several keysecondary endpoints, including changes in seru m lipids, markers of inflammation and insulib resistance, and in the BLOOM-D trial, other indicators of glycemic control. In BLOSSOMk and BLOOM-DM all patients will receive echocardiogramzsat baseline, at month 6, and at the end of the studt to assess heart valve function over time.
In contrastf to the BLOOM trial, however, there are no echocardiographicf exclusion criteria for entry into thes trials and there is no monitoring by anindependent board. Lorcaserin is a noveol single agent that represents the first in a new class of selective serotonin 2Creceptor agonists. The serotonin 2C receptot is located in areas of the brainh involved in the control of appetiteand metabolism, such as the Stimulation of this receptor is strongly associatesd with feeding behavior and satiety.
Lorcaserin is currently being evaluates in a Phase 3 program expected to enrololapproximately 7,800 patients and potentially represents a targeteed treatment option for the millions of patients who need to bettere manage their weight. Arena has patents that cover lorcaserin in the US andothef jurisdictions, which in most cases are capable of continuingf into 2023 without taking into account any patenrt term extensions or other exclusivity Arenq might obtain. The National Institutes of Health reported in 2007 thatabout 65% of US adultxs are overweight or obese.
Medical and related costs of obesity to the USare $123 billion per year accordintg to a 2005 report by the Internationa l Diabetes Federation. Studies have shownm that weight lossof 5% to 10% is medically significanty and results in meaningful improvementw in cardiovascular risk factors and a significant reductionm in the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Diet and exercise should form the basis of healthy weight but pharmaceutical treatment options for obesity are currentlg limited for the many patientw that require additional help in achieving and maintaining medically importantweigh loss.
The FDA draft guidance document for developing products for weighyt management dated February 2007 provides recommendations regarding the development of druges for the indication of weight It contains two alternate efficacy only one of which needs to be metfor approval. The guidancw provides that, in general, a producr can be considered effective for weight management if afterf one year of treatment either of thefollowing occurs: (1) the difference in mean weight loss between the active-product and placebo-treaterd groups is at least 5% and the differenced is statistically significant, or (2) the proportion of subjecte who lose greater than or equal to 5% of baselined body weight in the active-product group is at least 35%, is approximately double the proportiobn in the placebo-treated group, and the difference betweemn groups is statistically significant.
Arena is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusedon discovering, developing and commercializinf oral drugs in four major therapeutic areas: central nervous system, inflammatory and metabolixc diseases. Arena's most advanced drug candidate, lorcaserin, is being investigated in a Phasse 3 clinical trial program forweight Arena's broad pipeline of novel compounda target G protein-coupled receptors, an important class of validated drug and includes compounds being evaluated independently and with including Merck & Co., Inc., and Ortho-McNeil-Janssemn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Arena Pharmaceuticals(R) and Arena(R) are registered service marks ofthe company.
"APD" is an abbreviation for Arena Pharmaceuticals Development. Certaimn statements in this press releaseare forward-looking statements that involver a number of risk s and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements includew statements about theBLOOM results; the advancement, therapeutic indication, tolerability, safety, selectivity and efficact of lorcaserin; the FDA's guidance, process and requirements; the potential of the lorcaserin Phase 3 program and its resultsz to meet the FDA's approval including with regard to assessingt the risk of developing valvulopathy; the approvapl of lorcaserin for marketing; lorcaserin'sz partnering, commercial and other potential; the protocol, scope, enrollment and other aspects of the lorcaserin trials; futurd activities, results and announcements relating to including the BLOSSOM results, the submissiohn of an NDA for lorcaserin and the submission of the BLOOM-DMj results as a supplement to the NDA; the potentiall of lorcaserin in managingf weight, improving health and generating patient the impact of weighgt loss on health, including improvinb co-morbidities and providing other medically significant lorcaserin's patent coverage; and Arena's strategy, internal and partnered programs, and ability to develol compounds and commercialize drugs.
For such statements, Arena claimd the protection of the Privatr Securities Litigation Reform Actof 1995. Actual events or results may differ materiallyfrom Arena's expectations. Factore that could cause actual resulta to differ materially fromthe forward-looking statements but are not limites to, Arena's ability to obtaibn additional funds; the timing, success and cost of Arena'z lorcaserin program and othert of its research and development results of clinical trialws or preclinical studies may not be predictivd of future results; clinica trials and studies may not proceed at the time or in the manne r Arena expects or at all; Arena's abilityg to partner lorcaserin or other of its compoundz or programs; the timing and ability of Arena to receiv e regulatory approval for its drug candidates; Arena's abilit to obtain and defend its and the timing and receipt of payments and if any, from Arena's Additional factors that could causwe actual results to diffe materially from those statedc or implied by Arena's forward-looking statements are disclosed in Arena'sx filings with the Securities and Exchange These forward-looking statements represent Arena's judgmenty as of the time of this release.
Arena disclaimes any intent or obligation to updatethesse forward-looking statements, other than as may be required under applicable law. Jack Lief President and Chietf Executive Officer Cindy McGese Senior Communications AssociateArena Inc. 858.453.7200, ext. 1479 SOURCE Arenas Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Monday, October 24, 2011
English bulldog held for ransom in Woodland found dead - OregonLive.com
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English bulldog held for ransom in Woodland found dead OregonLive.com By Lynne Terry, The Oregonian Cowlitz County Sheriff's OfficeJagger, an English Bulldog that was reported stolen from a Woodland, Wash., home, has been found dead next to train tracks. A beloved English bulldog that was snatched and held for ransom has ... Woodland dog 'held for ransom' found dead Police: Dead dog found in Kelso, may be one missing from Woodland Stolen dog found dead by railroad tracks |
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Sinclair Broadcast Group
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The rating agency put the Hunt Valley company on anegatived outlook, meaning there are concerns its position coulf worsen. S&P cited sluggish ad spending in a recessioh andnonelection year, plus high debt risk for the The downgrade makes it more expensive for the companyt to borrow money. Sinclair SBGI) operates 58 TV stations acrosx the country but has also invested morethan $180 millio n in other assets, such as real estate, over the past two S&P analysts said. And they were concerned abour debt from those The ratio ofthe company’s debts to its earnings was 6.3 times as of March 31, according to S&P.
It wouldx need to bring that below 6 times to return toa BB- negativew rating. But S&P expects that ratio couldd hit 7 times laterthis year. Sinclair posted an $86 million loss in the first quarter ofthe year, largely on a $130 millionh non-cash charge. Its revenue fell 17 percent that quartere because of declining local and nationalad
The rating agency put the Hunt Valley company on anegatived outlook, meaning there are concerns its position coulf worsen. S&P cited sluggish ad spending in a recessioh andnonelection year, plus high debt risk for the The downgrade makes it more expensive for the companyt to borrow money. Sinclair SBGI) operates 58 TV stations acrosx the country but has also invested morethan $180 millio n in other assets, such as real estate, over the past two S&P analysts said. And they were concerned abour debt from those The ratio ofthe company’s debts to its earnings was 6.3 times as of March 31, according to S&P.
It wouldx need to bring that below 6 times to return toa BB- negativew rating. But S&P expects that ratio couldd hit 7 times laterthis year. Sinclair posted an $86 million loss in the first quarter ofthe year, largely on a $130 millionh non-cash charge. Its revenue fell 17 percent that quartere because of declining local and nationalad
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Downtown Staybridge Suites seeks receivership - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
shelly-polymer.blogspot.com
SJ Properties Suites Buyco EHF, which includes an investor from Reykjavik, Iceland, filed the petitio Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Mel Flanagan scheduled a hearinhg for June 30 on a motionn to appoint Milwaukee attorney Seth Dizard as the Work stopped in Decembe r 2008 onthe high-rise at 1150 N. Waterf Street when the construction managet and developer DOC Milwaukeebecames insolvent, according to the receivershipp petition. The Icelandic investors said that in Novembert 2006 they provided an advanceof $17.4 million for a 120-room extended stay hotel and at leastf 18 luxury condos. The projecrt also received $13.
4 million in financing from a unit of in which in May was placed in receivershipo bythe FDIC. The Milwaukee receivership petitionj said the property on Water Street alreadyhas furniture, floorinvg and fixtures in the Staybridge portion of project. Liens againsyt the project total morethan $3.4 million, accordinb to the receivership petition. The largest lien s were filed by Milwaukee-area contractors and supplierdsUihlein Electric, , and Klein-Dickert. SJ Propertiex recently sued DOC Milwaukee and Economou Partnersin U.S. District Courty in Milwaukee claiming a fraudulent transfer of funds intendeed for the WaterStreet project.
SJ Properties Suites Buyco EHF, which includes an investor from Reykjavik, Iceland, filed the petitio Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Mel Flanagan scheduled a hearinhg for June 30 on a motionn to appoint Milwaukee attorney Seth Dizard as the Work stopped in Decembe r 2008 onthe high-rise at 1150 N. Waterf Street when the construction managet and developer DOC Milwaukeebecames insolvent, according to the receivershipp petition. The Icelandic investors said that in Novembert 2006 they provided an advanceof $17.4 million for a 120-room extended stay hotel and at leastf 18 luxury condos. The projecrt also received $13.
4 million in financing from a unit of in which in May was placed in receivershipo bythe FDIC. The Milwaukee receivership petitionj said the property on Water Street alreadyhas furniture, floorinvg and fixtures in the Staybridge portion of project. Liens againsyt the project total morethan $3.4 million, accordinb to the receivership petition. The largest lien s were filed by Milwaukee-area contractors and supplierdsUihlein Electric, , and Klein-Dickert. SJ Propertiex recently sued DOC Milwaukee and Economou Partnersin U.S. District Courty in Milwaukee claiming a fraudulent transfer of funds intendeed for the WaterStreet project.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Bravo to Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra - The Coloradoan
cahijisebi.wordpress.com
Bravo to Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra The Coloradoan Despite the lagging economy as well as the challenges of having to move out of the Lincoln Center for a year while it was being renovated, the FCSO is holding its own with a sold-out season-opening concert and record ticket sales as they return to ... |
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Developer scraps S.F. Whole Foods project because of city fees - Kansas City Business Journal:
doqujamup.wordpress.com
Project manager Mark Brennan said the family development business would have had to paybetween $5 million and $6 millioh in city fees just to pull permites on the development, which was to includre 62 apartments and a 34,000 squaree foot Whole Foods. The development fees cover everythingf from an affordable housing to San Francisco Unifieed School District to the PublicUtilities Commission. “It’s prohibitive,” said "We just took a look at the market and our own budgey and every time we came up with a the feeswere prohibitive.
” Brennan blamedd the city's rigorous 32-month entitlement process that starte d in February of 2006, when the economuy was roaring, and did not end until Octoberd 2008, when the global financial crisie was in full swing. “This project should have started ayear ago. It’s he said “If this had startexd when it was supposed to stary we would have already turned the shell over toWholw Foods. We would be But the financing will be difficul t toget now.
” Brennan said his famil y is in talks with Whole Foods about possibly buildintg out a smaller specialty grocerhy store in the existing 23,600 square foot but that no deal has been The building was home to Cala Foods until the storre closed in May of 2006.
Project manager Mark Brennan said the family development business would have had to paybetween $5 million and $6 millioh in city fees just to pull permites on the development, which was to includre 62 apartments and a 34,000 squaree foot Whole Foods. The development fees cover everythingf from an affordable housing to San Francisco Unifieed School District to the PublicUtilities Commission. “It’s prohibitive,” said "We just took a look at the market and our own budgey and every time we came up with a the feeswere prohibitive.
” Brennan blamedd the city's rigorous 32-month entitlement process that starte d in February of 2006, when the economuy was roaring, and did not end until Octoberd 2008, when the global financial crisie was in full swing. “This project should have started ayear ago. It’s he said “If this had startexd when it was supposed to stary we would have already turned the shell over toWholw Foods. We would be But the financing will be difficul t toget now.
” Brennan said his famil y is in talks with Whole Foods about possibly buildintg out a smaller specialty grocerhy store in the existing 23,600 square foot but that no deal has been The building was home to Cala Foods until the storre closed in May of 2006.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Study: Charitable giving down in 2008 - New Mexico Business Weekly:
http://oiaweb.com/vp/62472.html
According to an annual report released Wednesdayu bythe , U.S. giving in 2008 totaler $307.65 billion, down about 2 percentr from 2007’s record total of $314.07 billion. When adjustef for inflation, the drop is 5.7 The reduction is the first inthe survey’s 52-yeard history caused by economic A slight decline in 1987 is attributed to changes in tax laws. This year could see a steeper declinse due to a variety of factorss including proposed federal limits on householdd charitabledeductions , increased savings rates and the generaol economy, said Jimmie Alford, founder of the , a nationall nonprofit consultant based in Seattle.
“It would not surprised me at all for givin g to be down on a nominal basisin 2009,” Alfore said. Alford said 2009 could bring a reduction in givingt of between 3 percentf and 5 percent inactual dollars. Individuals accounterd for the majorityof giving, contributing 74.5 percent of all Foundations accounted for 13.4 bequests contributed 7.4 percent and corporationsz contributed the smallest amount worth 4.7 When adjusted for inflation, all major sourcex of giving reduced their contributions. Corporations cut back the lowering their giving by8 percent. About half of all corporate giftssare in-kind donations of productsa like food or software. Individual giving fell 6.
3 percenf when adjusted for inflation. It is the largest drop-oft among individuals in the survey’s history. Foundation giving fell by an inflation-adjusted 0.8 percenr in 2008. However, with the precipitous drop in the stoc k market and the way that foundations calculatde theirdistribution totals, Alford said he expects foundation givinhg to continue to deteriorate this For 20 years foundatiobn giving has risen dramatically, from $11.19 billion in 1988 to $41.22 billion in 2008, on an inflation-adjusted The drop in foundatiobn giving also likely signifies a reduction in the formatioj of new foundations.
“There will be fewer, I growth in family foundations as a reflection in the growth of the Alford said. Among giving recipients, only religious organizations and “public groups saw their donationss increaseduring 2008, according to the But those uses can be misleadin g as both of those segments contribute to other includingy human services. The steepest decline among recipientss was inhuman services, whicuh experienced a 15.9 percent reduction in inflation-adjusted The reduction is unusual, Alford because usually human servicwe agencies see an increase during recessions as donorss steer more money to basiv needs like food and housing.
Othetr steep declines were seen byhealth (10 arts (9.9 percent), education (9 percent) and the environment/animalz (9 percent). Altogether, giving as a portio n of the nation’s gross domestic productr remained steadyat 2.2 percent. The nonprofiy sector accounts for abourt 10 percent ofthe nation’s GDP and employs 18 million, most of whom work in educatio n and health care, accordingg to the Alford
According to an annual report released Wednesdayu bythe , U.S. giving in 2008 totaler $307.65 billion, down about 2 percentr from 2007’s record total of $314.07 billion. When adjustef for inflation, the drop is 5.7 The reduction is the first inthe survey’s 52-yeard history caused by economic A slight decline in 1987 is attributed to changes in tax laws. This year could see a steeper declinse due to a variety of factorss including proposed federal limits on householdd charitabledeductions , increased savings rates and the generaol economy, said Jimmie Alford, founder of the , a nationall nonprofit consultant based in Seattle.
“It would not surprised me at all for givin g to be down on a nominal basisin 2009,” Alfore said. Alford said 2009 could bring a reduction in givingt of between 3 percentf and 5 percent inactual dollars. Individuals accounterd for the majorityof giving, contributing 74.5 percent of all Foundations accounted for 13.4 bequests contributed 7.4 percent and corporationsz contributed the smallest amount worth 4.7 When adjusted for inflation, all major sourcex of giving reduced their contributions. Corporations cut back the lowering their giving by8 percent. About half of all corporate giftssare in-kind donations of productsa like food or software. Individual giving fell 6.
3 percenf when adjusted for inflation. It is the largest drop-oft among individuals in the survey’s history. Foundation giving fell by an inflation-adjusted 0.8 percenr in 2008. However, with the precipitous drop in the stoc k market and the way that foundations calculatde theirdistribution totals, Alford said he expects foundation givinhg to continue to deteriorate this For 20 years foundatiobn giving has risen dramatically, from $11.19 billion in 1988 to $41.22 billion in 2008, on an inflation-adjusted The drop in foundatiobn giving also likely signifies a reduction in the formatioj of new foundations.
“There will be fewer, I growth in family foundations as a reflection in the growth of the Alford said. Among giving recipients, only religious organizations and “public groups saw their donationss increaseduring 2008, according to the But those uses can be misleadin g as both of those segments contribute to other includingy human services. The steepest decline among recipientss was inhuman services, whicuh experienced a 15.9 percent reduction in inflation-adjusted The reduction is unusual, Alford because usually human servicwe agencies see an increase during recessions as donorss steer more money to basiv needs like food and housing.
Othetr steep declines were seen byhealth (10 arts (9.9 percent), education (9 percent) and the environment/animalz (9 percent). Altogether, giving as a portio n of the nation’s gross domestic productr remained steadyat 2.2 percent. The nonprofiy sector accounts for abourt 10 percent ofthe nation’s GDP and employs 18 million, most of whom work in educatio n and health care, accordingg to the Alford
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Startup leverages gadgets to chip away at golf market - Boston Business Journal:
kdrummondbs37.blogspot.com
AccelGolf, a participant in the recently establishef TechStars program for startupsin Cambridge, is developing softward to help golfers advance their games by keeping trac of their progress on the links via iPhones and “We’re providing a service ... to golferzs specifically, which allows them to really drill down into their game to find out wheree they needto improve,” said William Sulinski, co-foundeer of Portland, Maine-based mCaddie Inc., which does business as AccelGolf. Consumerw who own one of Apple Inc.
’s AAPL) iPhones or ’s RIMM) BlackBerry devices can download AccelGolf’sd application for use on the That application enables golfer s to track their games using adigital scorecard, whichj lets players store every game they have ever playefd online and compare themselves against other playerws with similar handicaps. Additionally, the software uses GPS technology to track distances onthe course, enablingy golfers to gauge their distances to the fairway or the pin, for The startup is at work on a revamped product that can track every shot and communicate “what club you should use baser on your hitting patterns,” Sulinskoi said.
Though AccelGolf is from Maine, it is currently one of the nine companies taking part in the localTechStars program, whichg officially launched in May. The prograk provides a select group of startups with upto $16,000 in seed funding and threer months of close guidance with mentors from the high-tec industry. AccelGolf was chosen from a pool of aboug300 applicants, said Shawn executive director of TechStars in Cambridge. “j was really impressed with the quality of what they had alreadyy been able to producsfor super-short money,” he said. John a lecturer at in Wellesley and the former CEOof , said the technologyt and others like it could be a big hit amongf avid golfers.
“It appeals to the self-expressive aspect of the golf game,” he said. To AccelGolf, which is nine months old, has raisesd about $50,000 through various grantws and businesscompetition awards, and its foundersx have invested about $25,000 of their own money, Sulinski said. The startup is currently looking for an angel investmen ofabout $100,000. Currently, AccelGolf’s application is free to But the company plans eventually to charger a quarterly subscription fee ofarounde $35 for golfers who use it ever day. There are about 28.6 million golfers in the United according tothe .
Sulinskk said his company only needsw a fraction of that marketg for his startup to turna profit. But there is plenty of competition. Several devicesd containing GPS technologies are availabld to golfers forbetween $200 and Sulinski, however, said the low-cost model of piggybackinhg on existing gadgets will make AccelGolf’s product more
AccelGolf, a participant in the recently establishef TechStars program for startupsin Cambridge, is developing softward to help golfers advance their games by keeping trac of their progress on the links via iPhones and “We’re providing a service ... to golferzs specifically, which allows them to really drill down into their game to find out wheree they needto improve,” said William Sulinski, co-foundeer of Portland, Maine-based mCaddie Inc., which does business as AccelGolf. Consumerw who own one of Apple Inc.
’s AAPL) iPhones or ’s RIMM) BlackBerry devices can download AccelGolf’sd application for use on the That application enables golfer s to track their games using adigital scorecard, whichj lets players store every game they have ever playefd online and compare themselves against other playerws with similar handicaps. Additionally, the software uses GPS technology to track distances onthe course, enablingy golfers to gauge their distances to the fairway or the pin, for The startup is at work on a revamped product that can track every shot and communicate “what club you should use baser on your hitting patterns,” Sulinskoi said.
Though AccelGolf is from Maine, it is currently one of the nine companies taking part in the localTechStars program, whichg officially launched in May. The prograk provides a select group of startups with upto $16,000 in seed funding and threer months of close guidance with mentors from the high-tec industry. AccelGolf was chosen from a pool of aboug300 applicants, said Shawn executive director of TechStars in Cambridge. “j was really impressed with the quality of what they had alreadyy been able to producsfor super-short money,” he said. John a lecturer at in Wellesley and the former CEOof , said the technologyt and others like it could be a big hit amongf avid golfers.
“It appeals to the self-expressive aspect of the golf game,” he said. To AccelGolf, which is nine months old, has raisesd about $50,000 through various grantws and businesscompetition awards, and its foundersx have invested about $25,000 of their own money, Sulinski said. The startup is currently looking for an angel investmen ofabout $100,000. Currently, AccelGolf’s application is free to But the company plans eventually to charger a quarterly subscription fee ofarounde $35 for golfers who use it ever day. There are about 28.6 million golfers in the United according tothe .
Sulinskk said his company only needsw a fraction of that marketg for his startup to turna profit. But there is plenty of competition. Several devicesd containing GPS technologies are availabld to golfers forbetween $200 and Sulinski, however, said the low-cost model of piggybackinhg on existing gadgets will make AccelGolf’s product more
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Louisville-area stocks among good buys as market claws its way back - Business First of Louisville:
fabyqyku.blogspot.com
In aisle three, for example, , the Louisville-based health-insurancew giant, has a price-earnings ratio of 6.5, meanintg its stock price is 6.5 times the company’s annualk earnings per share. That’s far below the market’s historidc aggregate P-E ratio of 15, or the 40-plu ratios at the height of 1990s bull On Wednesday, Humana was trading just belowa $30 per share, or 40 perceny below its 52-week high of $51 per share. Over in aisls five, there’s with a P-E ratio of trading at about $23 per share, 35 percengt off its 52-week high of $35.45 per shard even after reporting a significant increasein first-quartert net income.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has rebounded abou t 30 percentsince first-quarter lows after precipitous fallzs not seen since the Great “Investors are coming back,” said Russ Ray, professot of finance at the ’s College of “Stocks are incredibly Ray said. “People are seeing that there are some very good companieeswith P-E ratios beaten down.” He added that he wouldn’ty be surprised if the stock market hasn’rt bottomed out “and we claw our way back.
” Ray attributex the rising market to more companied reporting surprisingly good earnings, or at leasty losses that weren’t as severe as Two Louisville-based companies — and , reported first-quarter earnings, Ray noted. On Tuesday, Kindrecd reported that first-quarter net income rose 55 percenr from ayear earlier, to $22.8 million from $14.y7 million. Texas Roadhouse reported that first-quarter net income rose 11 percent fromlast year, to $14.34 million from $12.9 million. Ray addef that, while there are glimmers of aneconomiv turnaround, the financial sector stillo is plagued by troubled assetws that are the residu of the housing bust and the subprimer mortgage fiasco.
National and super-regional bank executives are awaitinf final details ofthe ’s Public-Private Investment Program, which is designeds to value those then sell them to private investors. Results of the federall “stress test” of the nation’s 19 largesf banks were scheduled to be releasefd afterBusiness First’s press The problem is that administrators don’t know how to valuse them because of the complexity of some Ray said.
It will take a long time to sort throughy collateralized debt obligations and the underlying tranchesw of good andbad mortgages, unregulated credit default swaps and other hedging said Ray, who has writtehn extensively about derivatives. Untik those questionable loans and investments are removes frombalance sheets, bank executives don’t want to lend “even those with large (Troubled Assets Relief Program) infusions from Treasury.” A boosyt from an unlikely source? Another complicationb is that the $830 billionn American Recovery and Reinvestmeng Act will take untilp 2010 to be fulluy injected into the he said.
In aisle three, for example, , the Louisville-based health-insurancew giant, has a price-earnings ratio of 6.5, meanintg its stock price is 6.5 times the company’s annualk earnings per share. That’s far below the market’s historidc aggregate P-E ratio of 15, or the 40-plu ratios at the height of 1990s bull On Wednesday, Humana was trading just belowa $30 per share, or 40 perceny below its 52-week high of $51 per share. Over in aisls five, there’s with a P-E ratio of trading at about $23 per share, 35 percengt off its 52-week high of $35.45 per shard even after reporting a significant increasein first-quartert net income.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has rebounded abou t 30 percentsince first-quarter lows after precipitous fallzs not seen since the Great “Investors are coming back,” said Russ Ray, professot of finance at the ’s College of “Stocks are incredibly Ray said. “People are seeing that there are some very good companieeswith P-E ratios beaten down.” He added that he wouldn’ty be surprised if the stock market hasn’rt bottomed out “and we claw our way back.
” Ray attributex the rising market to more companied reporting surprisingly good earnings, or at leasty losses that weren’t as severe as Two Louisville-based companies — and , reported first-quarter earnings, Ray noted. On Tuesday, Kindrecd reported that first-quarter net income rose 55 percenr from ayear earlier, to $22.8 million from $14.y7 million. Texas Roadhouse reported that first-quarter net income rose 11 percent fromlast year, to $14.34 million from $12.9 million. Ray addef that, while there are glimmers of aneconomiv turnaround, the financial sector stillo is plagued by troubled assetws that are the residu of the housing bust and the subprimer mortgage fiasco.
National and super-regional bank executives are awaitinf final details ofthe ’s Public-Private Investment Program, which is designeds to value those then sell them to private investors. Results of the federall “stress test” of the nation’s 19 largesf banks were scheduled to be releasefd afterBusiness First’s press The problem is that administrators don’t know how to valuse them because of the complexity of some Ray said.
It will take a long time to sort throughy collateralized debt obligations and the underlying tranchesw of good andbad mortgages, unregulated credit default swaps and other hedging said Ray, who has writtehn extensively about derivatives. Untik those questionable loans and investments are removes frombalance sheets, bank executives don’t want to lend “even those with large (Troubled Assets Relief Program) infusions from Treasury.” A boosyt from an unlikely source? Another complicationb is that the $830 billionn American Recovery and Reinvestmeng Act will take untilp 2010 to be fulluy injected into the he said.
Friday, October 7, 2011
San Francisco Marriott Fisherman's Wharf Hotel Announces Alcatraz Package - MarketWatch (press release)
framptongeqeaqu1461.blogspot.com
San Francisco Marriott Fisherman's Wharf Hotel Announces Alcatraz Package MarketWatch (press release) The hotel and attraction package comes with deluxe accommodations at the hotel and two adult tickets for the cruise. The cruise on San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz Island will captivate you. Alcatraz is infamous for being the former federal prison for ... |
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Nozzle Nolen Offering IPM Pest Control Services in Florida - AddPR.com (press release)
qalymeled.wordpress.com
Nozzle Nolen Offering IPM Pest Control Services in Florida AddPR.com (press release) Nozzle Nolen, offering pest control services in Florida for six decades, applies Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to controlling bugs and pests. Th West Palm Beach, FL 05 October 2011 : Nozzle Nolen, ... |
Monday, October 3, 2011
General Motors bankruptcy brings big gamble by Obama - Denver Business Journal:
erofeyporgrinin.blogspot.com
But the move alreadg has its skeptics. GM, once the world’s biggest auto maker, setting up a scenarioi under whichthe U.S. government will become GM’s largest shareholder. . “The only thing it makes cleaf is that the government is firmly in the businesds of running companies usingtaxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Houses GOP leader John Boehner. “Does anyone really believee that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington can successfully steef a multinational corporation to economicvitality ? It’s time for the administration to fully explain what the exit strategy is to get the U.S.
governmenf out of the board room once and for The government will own some 60 percentt of arevamped GM. Its ownershi p stake will give government officials more powee to name members of theGM board. But . And no one'd overjoyed at the investment. "We are acting as reluctantt shareholders," Obama said. "What I have no interesrt in doing isrunning GM." Instead of having politician taking an active role, the presideny said, a professional management team would lead GM as it works through bankruptcy and builds a more viable companh for the future.
“The federakl government will refrain from exercising its rightes as a shareholder in all but the most fundamentalkcorporate decisions,” Obama said. “When a difficulrt decision has to be made on matters like whered to open a new plant or what type of new car to thenew GM, not the United Statesx government, will make that decision. “In short, our goal is to get GM back on its takea hands-off and get out quickly,” he said. But that may prove to be quit e a challenge with as much governmentr money asis involved.
Brucew Belzowski, associate director of the Automotive Analysis Division at the Universityt of Michigan TransportationResearch Institute, told bizjournalws in a telephone interview: "If they had a it would be a short period of The longer that it stretches out the more of a political liability it becomes.” And there will be plenty of watchdogs alert for any government interferences in day-to-day GM operations. “We will expose and fighft any counterproductive influenceby government, unions or politicians over decisionw that should be left to management,” said Presidentg and CEO Tom Donohue.
“Andd we will continually insist that government reduce and eliminate its ownershi p stake as soonas possible.” It will take time befores the government is able to extricate itselc from such a large stake in the It could take more than a year beforwe GM emerges once more as a publiclu traded company, and shares in the company will have to rise high enougnh to make selling them profitable. "This is a question of years, not months," said GM CEO Fritz Henderson.
But the move alreadg has its skeptics. GM, once the world’s biggest auto maker, setting up a scenarioi under whichthe U.S. government will become GM’s largest shareholder. . “The only thing it makes cleaf is that the government is firmly in the businesds of running companies usingtaxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Houses GOP leader John Boehner. “Does anyone really believee that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington can successfully steef a multinational corporation to economicvitality ? It’s time for the administration to fully explain what the exit strategy is to get the U.S.
governmenf out of the board room once and for The government will own some 60 percentt of arevamped GM. Its ownershi p stake will give government officials more powee to name members of theGM board. But . And no one'd overjoyed at the investment. "We are acting as reluctantt shareholders," Obama said. "What I have no interesrt in doing isrunning GM." Instead of having politician taking an active role, the presideny said, a professional management team would lead GM as it works through bankruptcy and builds a more viable companh for the future.
“The federakl government will refrain from exercising its rightes as a shareholder in all but the most fundamentalkcorporate decisions,” Obama said. “When a difficulrt decision has to be made on matters like whered to open a new plant or what type of new car to thenew GM, not the United Statesx government, will make that decision. “In short, our goal is to get GM back on its takea hands-off and get out quickly,” he said. But that may prove to be quit e a challenge with as much governmentr money asis involved.
Brucew Belzowski, associate director of the Automotive Analysis Division at the Universityt of Michigan TransportationResearch Institute, told bizjournalws in a telephone interview: "If they had a it would be a short period of The longer that it stretches out the more of a political liability it becomes.” And there will be plenty of watchdogs alert for any government interferences in day-to-day GM operations. “We will expose and fighft any counterproductive influenceby government, unions or politicians over decisionw that should be left to management,” said Presidentg and CEO Tom Donohue.
“Andd we will continually insist that government reduce and eliminate its ownershi p stake as soonas possible.” It will take time befores the government is able to extricate itselc from such a large stake in the It could take more than a year beforwe GM emerges once more as a publiclu traded company, and shares in the company will have to rise high enougnh to make selling them profitable. "This is a question of years, not months," said GM CEO Fritz Henderson.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
High-deductible plans causing issues for health care providers - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:
aryrej.wordpress.com
The plans come with a deductible of anywherdefrom $1,150 to $5,800 that allows employerxs and enrollees to keep theif premiums down. Many of the plans are tied to healthh savingsaccounts (HSAs) that employers or patients can fund with tax-deductible deposits to help pay those out-of-pocket costs. But doctorzs are seeing that, given the troubled patients are paying bills and buying necessitiexs before they fundtheir accounts. It’s creatingt a new class of patient: one who’sd insured but can’t afford up-fronf costs before coverage kicks in.
Fran Sembert, director of managede care for Greensboro-based multispecialty group EaglwePhysicians & Associates, said insurancew companies won’t allow doctors to collecf on high deductibles until the insurer fullgy processes the claim, which can take 30 to 45
The plans come with a deductible of anywherdefrom $1,150 to $5,800 that allows employerxs and enrollees to keep theif premiums down. Many of the plans are tied to healthh savingsaccounts (HSAs) that employers or patients can fund with tax-deductible deposits to help pay those out-of-pocket costs. But doctorzs are seeing that, given the troubled patients are paying bills and buying necessitiexs before they fundtheir accounts. It’s creatingt a new class of patient: one who’sd insured but can’t afford up-fronf costs before coverage kicks in.
Fran Sembert, director of managede care for Greensboro-based multispecialty group EaglwePhysicians & Associates, said insurancew companies won’t allow doctors to collecf on high deductibles until the insurer fullgy processes the claim, which can take 30 to 45
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sisters
bentlyoupapa1810.blogspot.com
Former models turned business owners Sabrin a Mohlman and Tara Espinoza both walked the fashion runways before convertingtheir mother’s shipping store in Seattle’s Queej Anne neighborhood into a trendy boutiquew and mail center. The pair bough the decades-old store in 2006. Now, the boutique located on the site of the grocery store where Mohlman and Espinoza used to buy candy as kids serves as a community gatherinv point foryoung women, mothers and grandmothers on Queen Anne. And with low shipping rates, “thed best little shipper in Seattle” is idea l for one-stop gift shopping.
The Dispatch has kept pricingt steady for itschic children’s gifts, women’s clothing and accessories when theidr suppliers hiked up prices in the And they’ve shipped everything from a mooswe head to an espresso machine. Even with 2008 and 2007 revenueesof $1.1 million, the family-run businesxs was hit hard in the Kevin Mohlman, Sabrina’s husband and co-owner with the sisters, said the businesws lost all of its hard-fought gains and went into double-digift losses in 2008. But they’ves positioned themselves for success in the owing much totheir mother’s advice and theit own innovation.
The sisters startecd implementing their new growth model two yearsago — offering their crew sales incentives, keepingh digital records, sharing profit and revenude numbers with all of their staff and focusing on customee service in a whols new way. And by purchasing Seattle-based brand-namr products like Butter of London, Hanky Panky, Ruggee Idea and Compendium, and by reusinb all of their packing material, the two womehn have kept their business local and But it took time to get wherre theyare today.
After leavingt a modeling careerin Milan, Espinoza joinex a Seattle-based fishing boat and fishedx for 10 years, helping in her mom’s store in the As the only womanb on a boat with 15 men, she was knowm as the “fish-Barbie,” and got a lot of flackm for her work, but she nevef considered quitting. “I just wanted to work,” Espinozas said. “I’m really stubborn. The more I was the more I worked.” With their Jan Paolini, as an examplse of how to be thrifty business Mohlman and Espinoza moved the businesse to a new location with abigger storefront. But it took them abou a year before they felt confident in what becamr a completelynew business.
The biggest challenge for them was developingt the atmosphere of friendlycustome service. In the early years, the sisters cut costs by auditingheverything — they went over their insurance rates, their lease, their electrical costs, the cost of their shippingh materials, even the cost of theire pens and the copy machine. But it wasn’tg always easy to update a well-lovedr business — at one point in 2006, the sisterz were still paying the lease on theirold location. “There were so many timesa I just wanted to lighta match,” Espinoz said.
But a few of their mother’s helpful tips stillp serve them today when they are managing the Mohlman recalled when her mother held up a pen andtold “This pen costs money.” She also told her daughtersw that greeting card profits wouldf literally pay the rent. And the Dispatch’sa profit for greeting cards last April was equall to the rent for its Queen AnneAvenuwe location. Updating The Dispatch has become a labotof love. Having kids stopped theifr usual seven-day-a-week work habits, but the sisters still hope to open another stores in Queen Anne once they have improved theircurreng store. “We’re hoping to give ourselves a raise Espinoza said.
They keep a full staff three full-time employees and two part-time employeexs — and took the slow monty of March to repaint the entirwe store and put their own stampo ontheir mother’s work. “We didn’tg tell mom about that,” Espinoza said. Keeping the store filledd with people makes work and profift come more easily forthe sisters. When Sabrinq Mohlman’s merchandiser stops by to restock the they discuss the new products amongb the customers to getthem involved. Reaching out into the communityh has also been good for the images of theirsmall business.
Former models turned business owners Sabrin a Mohlman and Tara Espinoza both walked the fashion runways before convertingtheir mother’s shipping store in Seattle’s Queej Anne neighborhood into a trendy boutiquew and mail center. The pair bough the decades-old store in 2006. Now, the boutique located on the site of the grocery store where Mohlman and Espinoza used to buy candy as kids serves as a community gatherinv point foryoung women, mothers and grandmothers on Queen Anne. And with low shipping rates, “thed best little shipper in Seattle” is idea l for one-stop gift shopping.
The Dispatch has kept pricingt steady for itschic children’s gifts, women’s clothing and accessories when theidr suppliers hiked up prices in the And they’ve shipped everything from a mooswe head to an espresso machine. Even with 2008 and 2007 revenueesof $1.1 million, the family-run businesxs was hit hard in the Kevin Mohlman, Sabrina’s husband and co-owner with the sisters, said the businesws lost all of its hard-fought gains and went into double-digift losses in 2008. But they’ves positioned themselves for success in the owing much totheir mother’s advice and theit own innovation.
The sisters startecd implementing their new growth model two yearsago — offering their crew sales incentives, keepingh digital records, sharing profit and revenude numbers with all of their staff and focusing on customee service in a whols new way. And by purchasing Seattle-based brand-namr products like Butter of London, Hanky Panky, Ruggee Idea and Compendium, and by reusinb all of their packing material, the two womehn have kept their business local and But it took time to get wherre theyare today.
After leavingt a modeling careerin Milan, Espinoza joinex a Seattle-based fishing boat and fishedx for 10 years, helping in her mom’s store in the As the only womanb on a boat with 15 men, she was knowm as the “fish-Barbie,” and got a lot of flackm for her work, but she nevef considered quitting. “I just wanted to work,” Espinozas said. “I’m really stubborn. The more I was the more I worked.” With their Jan Paolini, as an examplse of how to be thrifty business Mohlman and Espinoza moved the businesse to a new location with abigger storefront. But it took them abou a year before they felt confident in what becamr a completelynew business.
The biggest challenge for them was developingt the atmosphere of friendlycustome service. In the early years, the sisters cut costs by auditingheverything — they went over their insurance rates, their lease, their electrical costs, the cost of their shippingh materials, even the cost of theire pens and the copy machine. But it wasn’tg always easy to update a well-lovedr business — at one point in 2006, the sisterz were still paying the lease on theirold location. “There were so many timesa I just wanted to lighta match,” Espinoz said.
But a few of their mother’s helpful tips stillp serve them today when they are managing the Mohlman recalled when her mother held up a pen andtold “This pen costs money.” She also told her daughtersw that greeting card profits wouldf literally pay the rent. And the Dispatch’sa profit for greeting cards last April was equall to the rent for its Queen AnneAvenuwe location. Updating The Dispatch has become a labotof love. Having kids stopped theifr usual seven-day-a-week work habits, but the sisters still hope to open another stores in Queen Anne once they have improved theircurreng store. “We’re hoping to give ourselves a raise Espinoza said.
They keep a full staff three full-time employees and two part-time employeexs — and took the slow monty of March to repaint the entirwe store and put their own stampo ontheir mother’s work. “We didn’tg tell mom about that,” Espinoza said. Keeping the store filledd with people makes work and profift come more easily forthe sisters. When Sabrinq Mohlman’s merchandiser stops by to restock the they discuss the new products amongb the customers to getthem involved. Reaching out into the communityh has also been good for the images of theirsmall business.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Restaurateurs can breathe sigh of relief - Austin Business Journal:
zutkomi.blogspot.com
Senate Bill 2523, authored by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The quietly cleared the Texas Senate late last month and is pendingt in committee inthe House. Jerryt Lasco wouldn’t mind it dying The owner of Max’s Wine Dive, with locationsa in Austin and Houston, considers the measure an inappropriat e intrusion into his business judgment and a threaf tohis wine-centric business model. “We sell retail as well, so our pricing is based on retail pricing,” Lasco said. “For our business to our prices have to be competitive and we have to do alarg volume” of wine sales.
Lasco sees how inviting patronsw to bring their wine can work for restaurantxs withcertain setups, and he thinks they should be given the option to do so. “Making it mandatory doesn’ft make sense,” he said. Ouisie Jones, owner of Ouisie’s Table in Houston, described the bill as and said it’s just one more hurdl in the already challengingrestaurant business. “Ig makes your heart kind of she said. “It takesw a lot of work to open up a restaurantgevery day, and this is just another issue we don’tr need.
” Under the bill, restaurants wouled be allowed to charge a corkage fee for opening and servingh the wine, but the consumer could take what’se left after the meal. The bill does not include beer or other alcoholic The bill was passed by the Senatwe with some helpfrom Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and the Texaes Restaurant Association, which sourcess said has prompted some members to cancel their memberships in the Glen Garey, general counsel for the Texas Restaurant Association, who draftesd the bill, confirmed that the association supports the Garey said he has received calls from at leas t a dozen restaurant owners concerning the bill for and against it.
“It was based on the growing number of wine connoisseursx who love to dineat high-end restaurants and brinb in their own bottle of wine,” he “These people generally drink their bottled and then buy the rest at the restaurant.” The bill was plannecd to include a limit of two bottles per but that provision did not get addefd before the issue got tabled in committee. Edmond R-Seguin, the sponsor of the suffered a heart attack the day the bill was slatesd for vote inthe House.
Garey said the bill has a slim chance tobe Nevertheless, Garey said he has talked to officials in at leas t 11 states that have passed similart bills who told him that high-endx restaurants in those markets generally don’t have a problem with patronsz bringing their own wine. That’s hardly the case for Jones and “It [selling wine] is a criticalp aspect of our business,” Lasco said.
For her Jones said it takeds a lot of time and money to storeswine bottles, train the staff abourt the offerings and put a collection togetherr that pairs well with the restaurant’s Although she could not estimate what percentage of the restaurant’s revenue wine accounts for, Jones said Ouisie’z wine sales are good and that the staff is constantlgy working to update the wine list.
The wines at Ouisie’s Table range from $20 to $350 per
Senate Bill 2523, authored by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The quietly cleared the Texas Senate late last month and is pendingt in committee inthe House. Jerryt Lasco wouldn’t mind it dying The owner of Max’s Wine Dive, with locationsa in Austin and Houston, considers the measure an inappropriat e intrusion into his business judgment and a threaf tohis wine-centric business model. “We sell retail as well, so our pricing is based on retail pricing,” Lasco said. “For our business to our prices have to be competitive and we have to do alarg volume” of wine sales.
Lasco sees how inviting patronsw to bring their wine can work for restaurantxs withcertain setups, and he thinks they should be given the option to do so. “Making it mandatory doesn’ft make sense,” he said. Ouisie Jones, owner of Ouisie’s Table in Houston, described the bill as and said it’s just one more hurdl in the already challengingrestaurant business. “Ig makes your heart kind of she said. “It takesw a lot of work to open up a restaurantgevery day, and this is just another issue we don’tr need.
” Under the bill, restaurants wouled be allowed to charge a corkage fee for opening and servingh the wine, but the consumer could take what’se left after the meal. The bill does not include beer or other alcoholic The bill was passed by the Senatwe with some helpfrom Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and the Texaes Restaurant Association, which sourcess said has prompted some members to cancel their memberships in the Glen Garey, general counsel for the Texas Restaurant Association, who draftesd the bill, confirmed that the association supports the Garey said he has received calls from at leas t a dozen restaurant owners concerning the bill for and against it.
“It was based on the growing number of wine connoisseursx who love to dineat high-end restaurants and brinb in their own bottle of wine,” he “These people generally drink their bottled and then buy the rest at the restaurant.” The bill was plannecd to include a limit of two bottles per but that provision did not get addefd before the issue got tabled in committee. Edmond R-Seguin, the sponsor of the suffered a heart attack the day the bill was slatesd for vote inthe House.
Garey said the bill has a slim chance tobe Nevertheless, Garey said he has talked to officials in at leas t 11 states that have passed similart bills who told him that high-endx restaurants in those markets generally don’t have a problem with patronsz bringing their own wine. That’s hardly the case for Jones and “It [selling wine] is a criticalp aspect of our business,” Lasco said.
For her Jones said it takeds a lot of time and money to storeswine bottles, train the staff abourt the offerings and put a collection togetherr that pairs well with the restaurant’s Although she could not estimate what percentage of the restaurant’s revenue wine accounts for, Jones said Ouisie’z wine sales are good and that the staff is constantlgy working to update the wine list.
The wines at Ouisie’s Table range from $20 to $350 per
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Black & Veatch completes purchase of world HQ building - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
disqualify-sida.blogspot.com
After considering about 40 alternate area sites duringa two-yeatr real estate analysis, Black & Veatch said March 23 that it wouldc keep its growing headquarterse operation at 11401 Lamar which it has occupied since its original constructionn in 1976. Black & Veatch boughft the building, which was expanded to 600,009 square feet in 1996 and is the largest office buildinhin Kansas, from Chicago-based . A consortiu m of local banks led by financerdthe transaction, which eventually is expected to resultt in more than 1,000 new jobs for Overlanfd Park.
The area’s 12th-largest private-sector Black & Veatch employs 3,800 at five area offices, includinh more than 2,300 at the Lamar Avenue After the buildingis expanded, by roughly 2015, it will accommodat a work force of more than 3,400. “Black & Veatch’ss decision to expand in Kansas is a testament toour state’d strong business climate,” Gov. Mark Parkinsonj said in a Thursday release. “Kansa is known for its safe communities, greaf schools and highly educatedwork force. We’re so glad to have a global leader likeBlack & Veatcg make Kansas the home of its worldd headquarters.
” To retain Black & Veatch, Kansaas offered an impact grant worth $25 million for training and capital investment. The money will come from withholding taxes paid by employees atthe headquarters. Overland Park committed to a 75 percent property taxabatement — the largest percentage abated in city “The combined support of the state of Kansas and the city of Overlancd Park were instrumental in reachinvg this milestone,” Len Rodman, Black & Veatch CEO, said in the “With the completion of this purchase, we can now begih to implement at our worlc headquarters the same type s of innovative and sustainable solutions we providre every day for our The new world headquarters will include a sola courtyard, solar canopy, bio garden and innovation pavilion.
It also will have extensiv e work space, common area, facility and energy-management upgrades; landscapingb enhancements; and rainwater-reuse systemws and stormwater run-off management. When completed, the buildint will be certified via the Leadership in Energuy andEnvironmental Design, or LEED, prograkm of the . “Bringing these innovative and futuristic enhancementes to an older facility tomeet tomorrow’ss design standards presents a largr technical challenge, but is the most sustainabls solution for the area,” Rodman said in the “It’s a challenge our professionalx relish and take tremendous pride The company has piloter many of the potential design concepts at its more than 100 globapl offices and will draw on its LEED-certified experts and architecture, engineerintg and construction talent for the headquarters expansiomn project.
Black & Veatcg ranks No. 1 on the Kansas City Business Journal ’s list of area engineeringb firms. The $3.2 billion company is one of the world’ largest engineering, consulting and construction firms.
After considering about 40 alternate area sites duringa two-yeatr real estate analysis, Black & Veatch said March 23 that it wouldc keep its growing headquarterse operation at 11401 Lamar which it has occupied since its original constructionn in 1976. Black & Veatch boughft the building, which was expanded to 600,009 square feet in 1996 and is the largest office buildinhin Kansas, from Chicago-based . A consortiu m of local banks led by financerdthe transaction, which eventually is expected to resultt in more than 1,000 new jobs for Overlanfd Park.
The area’s 12th-largest private-sector Black & Veatch employs 3,800 at five area offices, includinh more than 2,300 at the Lamar Avenue After the buildingis expanded, by roughly 2015, it will accommodat a work force of more than 3,400. “Black & Veatch’ss decision to expand in Kansas is a testament toour state’d strong business climate,” Gov. Mark Parkinsonj said in a Thursday release. “Kansa is known for its safe communities, greaf schools and highly educatedwork force. We’re so glad to have a global leader likeBlack & Veatcg make Kansas the home of its worldd headquarters.
” To retain Black & Veatch, Kansaas offered an impact grant worth $25 million for training and capital investment. The money will come from withholding taxes paid by employees atthe headquarters. Overland Park committed to a 75 percent property taxabatement — the largest percentage abated in city “The combined support of the state of Kansas and the city of Overlancd Park were instrumental in reachinvg this milestone,” Len Rodman, Black & Veatch CEO, said in the “With the completion of this purchase, we can now begih to implement at our worlc headquarters the same type s of innovative and sustainable solutions we providre every day for our The new world headquarters will include a sola courtyard, solar canopy, bio garden and innovation pavilion.
It also will have extensiv e work space, common area, facility and energy-management upgrades; landscapingb enhancements; and rainwater-reuse systemws and stormwater run-off management. When completed, the buildint will be certified via the Leadership in Energuy andEnvironmental Design, or LEED, prograkm of the . “Bringing these innovative and futuristic enhancementes to an older facility tomeet tomorrow’ss design standards presents a largr technical challenge, but is the most sustainabls solution for the area,” Rodman said in the “It’s a challenge our professionalx relish and take tremendous pride The company has piloter many of the potential design concepts at its more than 100 globapl offices and will draw on its LEED-certified experts and architecture, engineerintg and construction talent for the headquarters expansiomn project.
Black & Veatcg ranks No. 1 on the Kansas City Business Journal ’s list of area engineeringb firms. The $3.2 billion company is one of the world’ largest engineering, consulting and construction firms.
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