Thursday, September 30, 2010

Laid-off workers take control of their careers by becoming franchisees - Business First of Louisville:

http://zefsci.com/qualifications.html
For many people, finding a comparable position elsewhere in corporate Americsa is not theonly answer. Some entrepreneurial-minder professionals like the idea of being theirf own boss and have pursued that goal in the form of There are morethan 900,000 franchised businesses in the United Franchises directly and indirectly provided 21 million jobs and contributed an estimated $2.3 trillionb in economic output in the U.S. private sectore in 2005, according a report released last year bythe . The “Economic Impact of Franchised Businesses,” reviewed data from 2001 to 2005, whichy was the last downturn. In this recession, the D.C.
-based trade group expects to see “modest in the number of new franchiseess because of a lack ofavailablee financing, said Alisa Harrison, vice president of communications and marketinfg for the International Franchis Association. But she expects franchising to remain a popular career alternative fordownsized people, especially those who have severancer pay, savings or 401(k) funds that can be used to cove r startup costs. “You can go into businesds for yourself, but you aren’t by yourself when you go into Harrison said. Last July, Donald DeMuth came back from vacation to find that he was bein g laid off from his IT jobat LLC.
Although he knew layoffds were coming, DeMuth thought his managerial role withinthe company’es four-person IT support department would be safe. he lost his $68,500-per-year salary, and the company kept an employe e hehad trained. Despite his initialo surprise, DeMuth figured his 20 years of experience in the IT industry would give him leverage in the job What he found in the ensuing months was that employers were lookinh for a very specializerdskill set. Unfortunately for DeMuth, he was more a “jack-of-all-trades,” whic h landed him interviews but notjob “I was getting frustrated, feeling as thougy the doors weren’t opening,” he said.
His dissatisfactiojn with technical recruiters prompted him to considerf starting an IT recruiting business DeMuth believed franchising was the best routdfor him, so he researched various IT recruitmentr and support franchises online. He also met with the , which providexd free advice about questions to ask and what stepe to take as a new As part of that exploratory DeMuthdiscovered , a Canadian-based franchise that provides managed IT servicese for small and medium-sized businesses. The Utilit y Co. provides full-service support for anything related toa client’sa network, including switches, servers, PCs, laptops, phone systems and mobile devices.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Detroit

http://www.7iwarforum.org/article/The-Real-Healthy-Chocolate-News.html
The two American auto struggles could create some issuesfor Toyota. The Japanese automaker is concerned that shared parts suppliers couldcease operations, impacting production at Toyota plants in San Antonio and othef U.S. cities. On May 14, Chrysletr LLC filed a motion withthe U.S. Bankruptcy Couryt seeking to reject agreements with nearlhy800 U.S. dealers. “The unprecedented declinse in the industry has had a significantf impact on our sales and forcecd us to reduce production levels to better match the needs of the said Chrysler Vice Chairmanj and President Jim Press in apress “With the downsizing of operationsa after the sale and reduction of plantes and production, similar reductions must be made to the size of the dealerf body,” he added.
On May 15, General Motora (GM) announced a plan to trim its dealerr networkfrom 5,969 stores to 3,60o by the end of 2010. “Iy is obvious that almost all partsof GM, includinhg the dealer body, must get smaller and more efficient,” said GM Vice Presidentg Mark LaNeve, also in a prepares statement. Toyota’s portfolio of assembluy plants includes a Tundra facility in San The company shares some of its suppliers with Detroit automakers Chrysler, GM and Ford. “The stakess are huge for suppliers and the saysMike Goss, manager of external affairas for Indeed, we share about 60 percent of our suppliers with the Detroit companies,” Goss adds.
“Wre must assure that our vehicle production in Nortg America isnot interrupted.” Chrysler reportede on May 1 that the company had sold 323,8900 vehicles in the U.S. during the first four months ofthis year. That’s a 46 percent drop from the same periordin 2008. GM sales were down more than 30 percenft in April comparedto 2008. And the automaker has said that it planas to reduce the total numberof assembly, powere train and stamping plants in the U.S. by 28 percent (down to 34) by the end of 2010. Toyota’s year-to-date sales in the U.S. though April 30, 2009, were down 37.8 percentr compared with the same four-month perior in 2008.
And the automaker has trimmed production at some of its including the Tundra facility inSan Antonio. The decreases in salea and production mean less work and monety forparts suppliers. , for example, supplie electronic climate-control and other interior parts to multiple automakers, including Toyota. Accordiny to Chrysler’s bankruptcy court filing, Visteoj ranks as one of the automaker’s 50 largest unsecured creditorse and isowed $25.6 million. “Our production is linkee to our customers’ production,” Visteon spokesman Jim Fisher explains.
Toyota’s Goss says his company continuee to remain in contact with itssupplier “Most of our suppliersx are stable and will weather this downturn,” Goss “But the coming months are criticalk given the current condition of the auto industry. “Somde companies’ factories will be closing in the near Goss adds. “And we are working hard to understanc the impact onour suppliers.

Monday, September 27, 2010

It wasn

http://www.hotels-in-crete.biz/Heraklion-Villages.html
According to businesses contacted byBusinesss First, Derby 2009 did not have a huge pay off like that resulting from longshot Derby winnerd Mine That Bird’s spectacular come-from-behindd victory. But dollars did flow, and many locak businesses got a financiapl shot in the arm they Business First reporters called a variety of localbusinesses — from upscale clothiers to nightclubs to limousinde services to high-end restaurantd — to see how they faresd during this Derby season. Here are the report s of their winsand losses.
Talkingv with Dean Corbett is like talking to an Most Louisvillians know Corbett asa Louisville-base television chef and restaurateur who makes top-10 lists in Esquirr and in national foodie magazines. But Dean Corbetg the businessman canquote first-time unemploymentt claims data and stocj market movements like othed chefs quote the market price for the catcnh of the day. When the day’s financial news is bad, people even wealthy people — pull Corbett said. And when the markegt is up, diners return in force, he said. “That’xs my business, trying to predict mentality of Corbett said.
So, the question becomes, “Is Derbyy 2009 a predictor of futureeconomic “I’m thinking (the economy) is coming back,” said who owns two upscale restaurante — Equus and Corbett’s, An Americahn Place — and Jack’s a New York-style bar and For Derby weekend, both restaurants and Jack’s, whicn serves food from neighboring Equus, “arguably” had one of the best yearw since he started in the restaurant business 25 years ago. Sales were up 10 percen t fromDerby 2008. One of the most notablse changes from past years was that nearly everg reservationcame through.
“In past years, we were plaguedr with the 30 percentwho don’t call and who don’r show up,” Corbett said. “This they all showed — and in record Both restaurants sold out Fridayt andSaturday nights, with 230 diners packing into each filling added seating. The average 2009 Derbyu check was comparable to last year atabouty $100 at Equus and $150 at Corbett’s, An Americaj Place, he said. “It was I wish I had it every Derby business wasespecially sweet, comingf as it did after some of the worsgt times he’s ever seen.
Aftee sales began weakening last October, “it was a very long, tougbh winter — as bad as I’ve ever Corbett said. Though the Christmas holidays and Valentine’zs Day were good, business didn’t start to show a significantg rebounduntil April, he said. The restaurants were but decreased business meant he hadto “sef his sights lower” for projectes 2009 revenue compared with 2008. At Equus, that meant changing the menu in February, reducing prices and reducing the numbet of wineshe carries. The result: “We’ve tripled business on the dining side.
” Corbett said, he’ll be watching the business trying to plot where the economtyis going. On Monday, he noted, the Dow Jonexs Industrial Average passedthe 8,400-point up 30 percent from its lowest point for 2009. When the news is all glook and doom, “with people losing jobs and bankruptcgafter bankruptcy, people are not going to eat out at my he said. But when the stock marketf goesup dramatically, “you can damn well expecy they’re going to come back.
” Though Corbett predicted “an interesting summer” followed by a so-so fall, “I truly feel the worst of it is

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Hatem pulls out of Raleigh downtown project - Dallas Business Journal:

http://www.propertytravelspain.com/pts-antequera.htm
Hatem told the Raleigh City Council Tuesdayg thathis firm, , is unables to secure financing for the project at this given the economic conditions. City council members immediatelyy voted to sever tieswith Empire. “We shoulf have done this (pull the plug) last year,” Hatemm says. “It was disappointing before, but now I am Empire signed a deal with the city in 2007 aftet the city decided to sell the landfor $1.
43 million (about $70-a-foot) along Salisbury Street, and the developmen company agreed to specific benchmark deadlines to finish the The developer missed a deadlind in 2008, at which time Raleigh City Manager Russelll Allen recommended that the city cut its ties with Empirs without any extension. Under terms of the agreement, Hatem never actually bought the The city now willconsider re-issuing a request for proposalx for the project. “Asking the developee to agree to a schedule that was detachecd from the realities of the economy was at best Hatem told thecity council.
But the nail in the coffin was eliminating the possibilituy of any future Even in a goodeconomic climate, it is virtually impossibls to secure the funding knowing that the agreementr would be canceled at a time certain without discussion. “ The two-phase $50 million project, called , was meant to be a big piecr ofdowntown Raleigh’s revitalization with the hotel an important piec in helping the new $220 million book events. Hatenm has renovated several buildings in downtown Raleigh in recent years and also owns several restaurants in the area including theDuck Dumpling, , The Pit and soon-to-opened Gravy.
Hatejm told the council that Empirwe has created more than 200 jobs in downtownh Raleigh and has invested morethan $80 million in the locapl economy. In all, Empire companiees pay $2 million annually in sales, property, franchise and otherf miscellaneous taxes, Hatem told the “ As I walk, peoplwe form across the world and acroszs town through the streeta of downtown Raleigh these past few one thingwas clear: This ambitious projectg is not possible at this Hatem told the council. Hatem estimatesw he invested $500,000 to do the preliminar work onthe project.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Treasury limits bonuses at TARP recipients - Memphis Business Journal:

http://zgao.nl/index.php?path=De_Open_Hof/Wonen
The new rules encourage those companie s to award executives stock that must be held for a long perioddand can’t be entirely converted to cash until the TARP moneu is repaid to the That, the department contends, will align “executives’ incentives with those of shareholderse and taxpayers.” Kenneth Feinberg, a mediator who led the Septembert 11th Victim Compensation Fund, will reviewe payments and compensation plansw at companies that have received “exceptional assistance.” The grou includes Charlotte-based BofA (NYSE:BAC) as well as , , , Financial Services and .
TARP recipients also must allow shareholders to vote on executive compensation And they must disclose any perks worth morethan $25,000 made to highlgy compensated employees and justify the benefit. The rules prohibigt companies fromproviding “gross-up” paymentws to senior executives to cover taxeds due on perks. Treasurh Secretary Tim Geithner says the Obamaw administration also supports legislation that would require all public companiew to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on executivrecompensation packages.
In addition, he says Congress should give the Securities and Exchange Commissiobn the power to make compensation committeesmore independent, similar to the standardxs in place for audit committee s established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Geithne r blames executive compensation practices asa “contributing factor” for the financiak crisis. “Incentives for short-terj gains overwhelmed the checks and balances meant to mitigate against the risk ofexcessz leverage,” he says. But, he adds, “We are not cappingb pay. We are not setting forth precise prescriptions for how companiee shouldset compensation, whichy can often be counterproductive.
Instead, we will continue to work to developo standards that reward innovationb andprudent risk-taking, without creating misalignedr incentives.”

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Teacher: What my evaluation must include - Washington Post (blog)

http://4uv7.com/en/exercise-and-meditation/page_24.html


The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com (blog)


Teacher: What my evaluation must include

Washington Post (blog)


David B. Cohen has been a teacher for 16 years, and is now in his 13th year of teaching in California public high schools. He earned a Master's degree in ...


For kids' sake, there must be a better way, by Susan Reimer

The Keene Sentinel


Students take the tests; teachers get the grades

The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com (blog)


When is it OK to touch?

Winston-Salem Journal


Vancouver Sun -Town H »

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Mayo study: Alzheimer's symptoms found in mid-50s - Phoenix Business Journal:

stelauguqdinec.blogspot.com
That’s much earlier than previously thought, suggesting that treatment would be more effective if startedin middle-agex people, before onset of the according to researchers in the . The study followed 815 healthyt people ages 21 to 97 with and withoutf the APOEe4 gene, a key risk facto r for Alzheimer’s, for up to 14 Memory and thinking tests were used to compare cognitive About one out in four peoplew have at least one copy of the while 2 percent have two copies, inherited from both parents and increasing risk. Alzheimer’s disease affectsd about 10 percent of people over age 65 and almost halfover 85.
Researcherss from several institutions in theArizonq Alzheimer’s Consortium collaborated on the study, includint Arizona State University, Banner Alzheimer’ss Institute, Barrow Neurological Institute, Sun Healty Research Institute, Translational Genomics Research Institute and University of Arizona. The Nationa l Institute on Aging and the state of Arizonaprovided “This study highlights the idea that Alzheimer’x disease is a progressive disorder that likelg begins well before clinical diagnosis,” said Creightonm Phelps, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Researchh Center program for the Nationalo Institute on Aging.
“Additional research is needede to identify those at high genetic risk and develoop methods to delaydisease progression.” Researchers, do not recommend using brain imaging or cognitive tests to predicyt risk.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Swiftmud, other water management districts continue in Florida - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

vasilisaxavymar.blogspot.com
Crist is asking governing boards and executive directorsa of the districts to continue to includes surface water and consumptive use permitds on all board meeting and otheer publicmeeting agendas, despite a measure in the bill that delegatesz final agency action on such permits solely to the executive directors. Florida is brokeh up into five watermanagement districts. The Southwesf Florida Water Management District, or covers Tampa Bay. Other are the Northwest Florida WaterManagemenf District, Suwannee River Management District, St. Johns River Watert Management District and the Soutb Florida WaterManagement District.
It was the Southb Florida agency, which covers all of the southern Floridas region and into the central part of the statew including parts of Polk andOrange counties, that Crist singled out in a letter to Secretarg of State Kurt S. Browning. “I want to acknowledgre the continued work of the South Floridqa Water Management District in completingthe U.S. Sugar land acquisition whicbh will preserve the Florida Everglades for generationzto come,” Crist said. “II thank the members of the governing board as well as the dedicateed staff of the district in ensuringa long-awaited goal of cleaning and moving water from Lake Okeechobee to Evergladesa National Park.
The Evergladese remain a natural treasur and this administration remainse committed to workingwith local, state and federal partnerws in protecting the River of S.B. 2080 passed the Housee 117-0 on May 1 and passed the Senate 39-0 on April 30.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Study: More than 50% borrow money for college - Business First of Columbus:

vadimsudigrenev.blogspot.com
Drowning in Debt: The Emerging Student Loan Crisisd , released by the education policy thinktank , analyzed 15 yearsa of data through the 2007-08 academic year. The The cost of attending a public university has doublede over the past two Family income and student financialaid haven’t kept up with the increasingf costs, forcing students to borrosw money for their education. More students are finding those funds in the formof risky, private student loans, where they pay the highesf interest rates. “If this excessive borrowing the consequences for studentsw couldbe catastrophic,” authors Erin Dillon and Kevin Carey wrotes in a news release.
“President Obama’s proposedc reforms to the federal studeng loan program are a good startf to solvingthe crisis, but reforming state and institutiona aid policies, as well as creatinbg incentives for colleges to restrain tuition costs are essential, particularlhy in our current economic crisis.” Some of the reasons for the studeng loan crisis, the report said, are “out-of-controlk tuition increases, lack of commitment to need-bases financial aid, and statexs and universities increasingly spending scarce financial aid dollars on wealthy students.
” If thesse trends continue, people will have less accessw to higher education, they’ll have increasinh rates of catastrophic loan defaults and they will have diminishedd life choices, the think tank Borrowing has gone from being the exception for undergraduates in at only 32 percent, to the As of 2008, more than 50 percent of studentx at public four-year universities borrowed for their In for-profit education, the percentag e of borrowers went to 92 percent in 2008 from 53 percentr in 1993.
The averag e annual debt for borrowersat four-year privat e universities increased by 70 percengt over the study period, while the averagse debt for students at for-profit colleges increased by 57 to $9,600 a year. Only 5 percent of undergraduates took out private loansin 2003-04. In four years, the percentag grew to 14 percent.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Indian nanny granted honorary Israeli citizenship - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

jabire2389.blogspot.com


Ha'aretz


Indian nanny granted honorary Israeli citizenship

Jewish Telegraphic Agency


JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The Indian nanny who saved the young son of the Mumbai Chabad emissaries during a terrorist attack was granted honorary Israeli ...


Israel grants Mumbai nanny citizenship for bravery

The Associated Press


26/11: Israel honours Indian nanny with citizenship

Sify


Moshe teaches me Hebrew, says nanny

Daily News & Analysis


Arutz Sheva -The Amherst Daily News


 »

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Downtown digs get a fresh look - Business First of Columbus:

aplecheevlgupy.blogspot.com
But when their children got older andmoveds away, Ashville suddenly lost its small town John works at the Ohio Attorney General’sa Office as a network specialist and Rhondz is a medical secretaryu at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Purcella started looking for a downtown condominium in July 2006 and byMarchy 2007, closed a deal for one in the Carlyle’es Watch project on East Gay Street. Life has changedf dramatically forthe Purcells, both in theier mid-50s, since they abandoned small-town life for a spot in the big They say their social life has improved and gettingh around is a lot easier.
“My dentist, doctor, and eye doctor are all withij a block of my said Purcell. “In Ashville we had to drivw everywhere.” The Purcells aren’t alone in their downtowhn move. According to a January/February Reporgt by Columbus-based nonprofit Community Research Partners, Columbus’ downtowbn population in 2008 was 4,476. That’e a jump of 22 percent from the 3,662 peopls counted in the 2000 Census. The growth has been significangt for those in the same age groupo asthe Purcells. The CRP report showa those from ages 45 to 64representedr 1,060 of downtown’s dwellers, up 37.7 percent from 2000.
But the numbersw might not be too much to get excited abouf when history is takeninto view. Michaek Brown, city of Columbus urban ventures coordinator, said downtowh in the 1950s hadabout 30,00p residents. That number fell belowa 4,000 as of 2004. The trend didn’rt reverse until the city started aggressively pushing for more downtowb housing with its 2003 Downtown Business That led to a construction boom in place s such asRiver South, the Third and Gay street area, and ongoinv projects such as the Design Square Apartments near the Columbus Collegee of Art and Brown said residential projects have been introduced at a varietyg of price points.
The recessionb has taken its toll though and many condos sit empty or have been converted torentap units. But Brown expects another influx of buyeras if the credit and housing marketsw improve and suburban homeowners can unloasdtheir properties. According to the CRP study, thered were 2,703 households downtown as of 2008. The peopl who are interested in downtown these days are empty saidKevin Wood, the co-founder and board membetr of the Downtown Residents’ Association of Columbus. Wood also is co-chairmanm of City Hop, a tour of downtown residencess that used to be popular with youngy people but now is drawing anolder crowd.
“It used to be people who always livefd closeto downtown. Now people in the (suburbs) thinkm it’s viable,” he said. Wood believeds the recession actually is prompting empty interest inmoving downtown. Transportation costs are convincing thosr without children to move closer to amenitiezs and reduce their dependenceon cars. While high-pricede condos used to sell first, that market has becomw saturated, Wood said. He thinks the biggest markert isfor $150,000 condos and $700-per-month rentals.
Cleve executive director of the Capital Crossroads SpecialkImprovement District, a groupp that promotes and provides servicesd for a 38-square-block area of downtown betweeh the Convention Center and said there’s more to be done to make city livinf viable. A lack of some amenities, especially a groceryu store, is a barrier to futuree development, he said. Theree actually isn’t even a convenience store downtown, according to the CRP “You’ll never get Manhattan here,” Ricksecker “We’re not seeing the walkablw services in downtown because peoples are still very tied totheid cars.

Friday, September 10, 2010

UnitedHealth subsidiary launches short-term plans - Denver Business Journal:

http://www.iwant2link.com/index.php?s=D&c=489
Indianapolis-based Golden Rule Insurance Co., part of Minnetonka-based said Tuesday that it is introducing its Short Term Medicao Plus and Short Term Medical Value plans in 19states — Minnesotqa isn’t one of them, as statr law prohibits for-profit insurers. In Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, consumera can choose from one to 12 months of coverage with either ofGolden Rule’ s new short term plans. In Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia, one to six monthsx of coverageis available.
“Especiallyy in today’s economy, there is a need for budget-consciousz health plans for individuals and familiexs who suddenly find themselves without healthy insurance through workor school,” Goldenb Rule CEO Richard A. Collinas said in a news release. Golden Rule also offerds short term health plans in 15other states: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North New Hampshire, New South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Individuakl insurance plans are a growingt market for health insurance companies as the recessioh causes workers to losetheir jobs, and companiesw to scale back on benefits, causing more people to seek the All three of Minnesota’s major insurerws — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Medica, and HealthPartners — have been . One of Medica, even geared toward laid off

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Giddyup! NYC auction to trot out carousel horses - The Associated Press

http://indianawebdirectory.com/authors/author-164.html


Boston Globe


Giddyup! NYC auction to trot out carousel horses

The Associated Press


Among the standouts is a brightly colored 1912 Barnum & Bailey poster (before the merger with Ringing Brothers in 1919) that portrayed the excitement of an ...


Giddyup! NYC auction to trot out carousel horses

The Associated Press



 »

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

InSite Vision delisted by Amex - San Francisco Business Times:

http://www.improvng.info/index.php?s=D&c=489
million since 2004, has been removed from the AmericanStock Exchange. The exchange cited the company’s losses, includingh $5.5 million in the first quarter, and a stoci price that has ranged from 59 cents to 17 centsa over the pastsix months, according to an SEC filing. The filingg comes a week after InSite said won Food and Drug Administration approvalfor Besivance, whichg uses a synthetic polymer developed by InSite now is traded over the countetr as INSV.OB. InSite has one producty on the U.S. markegt — the pink-eye treatmentg AzaSite — and that was approved in Marchuin Canada.
It also has signedd distribution deals inSouth Korea, Turkeyh and China as well as four Soutj American countries. InSite also plans to enter a Phase III trialof ISV-502, a topical antibiotic/corticosteroid producr to treat eyelid infection and inflammatiom in adults. Yet the company said in March that it wouldd fire more than halfits staff, bringing its workforcw to under 20 people. A Texas venture capitall firm, , last summer led a shareholder coup that replaced the boarc of directors and broughtt about the resignationof S. Kumar the company’s chairman and CEO. The American Stoco Exchange initially notified InSite in Decembere that it was not in compliance withexchange rules.
InSite the next month submitter a plan to regain compliance but that was rejecterd in February by the The company appealed and onApril 8, the companyh learned that the exchangse denied the appeal.

Monday, September 6, 2010

At PV America, Rendell says alternative energy will boost economy - Philadelphia Business Journal:

http://homebusinesssecrets.biz/seven-tips-to-working-from-home-successfully-with-a-family/
“I believe that over the next five the development ofthe green-energy economy can drive this nation’s the Democratic governor said at the generakl session of PV America, which is beiny held at the Pennsylvania Convention Centefr in Philadelphia through Wednesday. The conferencr is the first by the to focus solel y on photovoltaicsolar energy, whicuh comes from photovoltaic paneles that convert sunlight into electricity. It’s beingv held in conjunction withthe IEEE’e 34th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference at the Philadelphia Marriotr Downtown, which is adjacent to the convention center, from Sundayt through Friday.
(IEEE used to stand for , but the nonprofit now just refersw to itself by its acronym because it has so many membere from otherengineering fields.) About 3,000 peoples are attending the conferences, the SEIA and IEEE said. Part of Rendell’sz message was similar to the messager delivered by SEIA President and CEO Rhone Rescn later inthe session: When they go the people at the conference should promote solar energy’s virtuea to everyone from theirr neighbors to their municipal, state and federal elected officials.
“Yoj have to roll up your sleevezs andbe advocates,” Rendell Both Rendell and Resch praised President Obama for his effortx on behalf of renewable energhy — “President Obama is becominh the solar president,” Resch said — but they said they’d like the federak government to do more. Rendell said federal legislators should do two Make renewable-energy tax credits permanent, rathetr than reauthorizing them every few years; and create a federal alternative portfolio standard that mandates that a specifie d portion of energy sold in the country be create d from alternative energy sources.
Twenty eight states, including Pennsylvani and New Jersey, and the Districyt of Columbia have alternativ eportfolio standards. Rendell said he’d like the federal standard to have minimumj figures that states could exceed ontheir own. “Ivf we do those things … I thinjk there’s no reason that America can’yt be the dominant nation in solafr energy forthe world,” he said. Rendel said alternativ energy will drivethe U.S. economy for the next 25 yearse just asthe information-technology and life sciencew industries have driven it for the last 25.
Under his leadership, Pennsylvania has moved to capitalize on that In 2004, it establishedf an alternative portfolio standard that requires 18 percent of energy sold in Pennsylvania to come from alternativw sources of energy by 2020. Last summer, Pennsylvania createde a $650 million renewable energy fund. Of that money, $180 millionh is to go to solatr energy, consisting of $100 million for loans, grante and rebates to cover up to 35 percent of the costw incurred by homeand small-businessd owners who install solar energhy systems, and $80 millioh for grants and loans for solare economic-development projects.
More than 300 applications forsolar economic-development projects were received by the deadline last week, Rendell said. Philadelphia also has gotten in onthe renewable-energy act. Mayof Michael Nutter in April by 2015. The city is one of 25 takingf part in the federal Departmentof Energy’s Solar America Cities initiative. As part of that, it’s developing a plan to generate 2.3 megawatts of solaer electricity by 2011and 57.8 megawattw by 2021, which is its sharw of the state of Pennsylvania’s solar installatiojn goal.
To help it meet those goals, Nutter said the city is looking to replace the roof at its fleetr workshop with a roof that produce solar energy and has formulated plans forbuilding large-scal e solar arrays at Philadelphia Water Department

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Asbury Automotive Q1 net income dives - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

http://scottsspotlight.com/2008/08/26/fastandfurioustrailer/
The Duluth, Ga.-based auto dealert (NYSE: ABG) had net incomse of $300,000 and earnings of 1 cent a compared with net incomeof $10.1 million and earningzs of 31 cents a share in the firsty quarter of 2008. Revenue fell 30 percent to $838.3 million. "Ih light of the extraordinary conditions in the automotivrretail market, we are very pleasee and encouraged with our first-quarter results," said Charleas R. Oglesby, Asbury president and CEO, in an earninges statement. "... Over the past twelvr months, we have made the difficult but necessaryu decisions to streamlineour organization.
We are realizinfg the cost saving benefits from our corporate relocation and have announceds the elimination of our regionalmanagement structure, as well as accelerated our efforts to improve the productivityt and profitability in our dealerships.” Oglesby added the new management structure will help the company weather the recessio and come out more efficient and profitablw when vehicle sales rebound.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Comfort Inn a hurricane hostel in NC - The Associated Press

http://int-designs.net


Kansas City Star


Comfort Inn a hurricane hostel in NC

The Associated Press


BUXTON, NC รข€" A two-story Comfort Inn has become a makeshift hurricane hostel on North Carolina's Outer Banks for those who want to stay close to their ...


Comfort Inn a hurricane hostel in NC

One News Page



 »

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

5 Who Thrive: Leather Soul sees Rodeo Drive as the perfect fit - Portland Business Journal:

http://santechik.ru/?page_id=5
Park plans to open his second store later this year inBeverly Hills, just off prestigioua Rodeo Drive. He’s also looking to double his spacer at thethis year, less than two year after moving in. Park’s growth has stemmed from a careful cultivatio n of customers andvendors — he’a the only authorized retailer for several brands — and a savv y use of technology to promotwe a traditional, low-tech product.
Part of Park’s strategy to expand his 5-year-olxd business has been to nurture his, and the store’s, reputationh as an expert in men’s shoes and And he’s undeterred by the recession, even thougg the shoes he sells retail upwards of $500 per pair. “I’m 100 percentg confident I’m going to do well,” he said of the Californias move. He has done his research, and met with his onlinee clients to make sure that the market is Leather Soul had revenuesof $1.3 million last year 35 percent of that from Interneft sales — which exceeded Park’es goal by 30 percent. This year he wants to best that by anothe r30 percent.
He’s financintg the expansion to Beverluy Hills with his own with assistance from Bank of Hawaii and help from somechildhood friends. The brandsw at Leather Soul — the American-made Alden; British brands Edward Green, John Lobb and Gaziano Girling, and the French labelp J.M. Weston — are not available anywhere elsein Hawaii. “The products I sell, they’res all the best quality,” he “Even in a bad economy, peopls still want good quality.
” The decision to go to the Los Angeles area came about after the sales representativrefrom Massachusetts-based Alden approached Park about an opportunity to take over the shoe departmenft of a well-known men’s store in Beverly Hills. The companyh had a dealer in Northern but no presence in the southern part of the Park met with people fromthe store, whichn he declined to name, and thoughft it seemed like a good opportunity. But while driving around the he began to notice a lot of vacantfretail space. “If you think Hawaii is bad, it’sw twice as bad in L.A.
,” he “I just thought there must be some opportunity for a good He returned to Los Angeles a month later, met with real estat brokers and began looking at retaikl spaces. The place he picker was one that hejust “stumbled” upon, a historic building at the cornet of Rodeo Drive and Little Santa Monicaa Boulevard. The ground-floor spaced is also next to a shoe-repaif shop. Park found that landlords are much more willingh to negotiate in this economy than they were just a couplw ofyears ago.
A half-dozen retail spacese on Rodeo Drive, less than a blocki from the one Parkis eyeing, are liste for lease with rent “negotiable,” according to Park has signed a letter of intengt for a 650-square-foot space and is in negotiationas for the lease, aiming for a December opening. “Thr same spot a year-and-a-half ago woulxd have been twiceas expensive,” he He’s also talking with the Festivap Cos., which manages the Royal Hawaiian Center, about movinfg to a space that’s twice the size of his 600-square-footr store on the third level of Building A.