Friday, December 31, 2010
UMKC, Johnson County Community College reach credit-transfer agreement - Sacramento Business Journal:
Curators of the University of on behalf of UMKC and the JCCC Board of will sign an articulation agreement Wednesday at The agreement guarantees that UMKC will accepty and apply designated freshman and sophomorse credits from JCCC associate degreew programs towardUMKC bachelor’s degree programs, consistent with the treatmentg of non-transfer student credits, UMKC said in a Tuesdauy release. “As an urban-serving university, UMKC is dedicated to makingv higher education accessible to all students and forming meaningfulk partnerships with area Mel Tyler, UMKC’s vice chancellor of studeny affairs and enrollment said in the release.
“This articulation agreement with Johnsojn County Community College is just one way we affirnthat commitment.” UMKC also offerw the Metro Rate, a program that allows residentsz of Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandottee counties in Kansas to pay in-state tuition for undergraduate study.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
West African Eats - Epicurious (blog)
West African Eats Epicurious (blog) That was in Chinguetti, Mauritania, a holy Islamic city slowly being swallowed up by the desert sands. In the ancient Mauritanian town of Ouadane, ... |
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Health care reform details begin to emerge - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
percent of the cost of health insurance premiumsfor full-timee employees under the health care reform bill beiny considered by the They also would be requirexd to pick up at least some of the tab for insurin g part-time employees. Businesses that don't provides this minimum level of coveragre would be required to pay the federal governmentr a fee based on 8 percent of their Small businesses undera yet-to-be-determined threshold woulds be exempted from this "playu or pay" requirement.
The chairmem of three House committees with jurisdiction over healtg care introduced their draft legislationJune 19, offering the most detailzs yet on how health care refor m could affect small businesses. Under their small businesses and individuals could shop for insurancs through anational exchange, whichn would include a government-rub plan as well as private insurers. Tax credit would be available to help smallp businesses affordthe coverage. Rep. Henruy Waxman, D-Calif., said the legislation woulrd fixthe "completely dysfunctional insurance for small businesses, which face "unaffordable rate every year. Waxman chairs the House Energy andCommerce Committee.
Health insurance premiums for U.S. businesses increasexd by 9.2 percent this and are expected to increase another 9 percentrnext year, according to Small businesses often face much higher rate While most small businessess agree the current health insurance markety is dysfunctional, there's a lot of disagreemenft over whether the House bill would cure the problemj or just make it Mike Draper, who owns a retai l clothing store and design business called Smash in Des Iowa, likes what he sees in the Draper thinks adding a publicx plan to the insurance mix wouldr hold down premiums by creating more competition in the "I don't have a whole lot of confidencs in the system we have now," Draper said.
Draper'sd company currently doesn't offedr health insurance to itsseve full-time workers, but instead reimburses them for the cost of individuao policies that they buy on their own. That'se fine with his employees, who are single, in theier 20s and don't want their insurance to be tied totheird job. The reimbursements now account for 6 percentof Smash's but that could jump to 22 percent in four when Draper expects everyone on his management team to have creating the need for family His business couldn't handle that expense, he If the House bill were enacted, he woulr consider buying insurance through the exchange if it were easy to use.
But he mighyt decide to pay the 8 percent payrol l fee instead and then reimburse his employees for some of the cost of the policiesd they purchase throughthe exchange. who was scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means CommitteeJune 24, thinks employers shoulrd be required to help pay for their health insurance. Like Social Security this sort of responsibilithyis "kind of what you signed up for" when you becoms a business owner, he Other small business owners, think the House bill imposes too toughy of a standard on small businesses. The requirementy to pay 72.
5 percentr of an employee's premium for individual coveragre "is much too high for many smalp businesses," said Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. The only way many smalkl businesses can afford coverage is by making employees pick up more of the she said. Arlington, Va.-based Company Flowers Gifts Too!, for example, pays 50 percent of the cost of healtgh insurance forseven full-time Even that may not be affordabl e next year, because "our rates are goiny to skyrocket," co-owner John Nicholson told the House Small Business Committee earlier this month.
Smalll businesses with fewer than 200 employeez paid an average of 86 percentof employees' premiums for individuapl coverage in 2008, according to the Kaisere Family Foundation and Health Research Educational Trust. That share dropped to 66 percent for family just above the 65 percent threshold called for in theHousse proposal. Nicholson, who testified on behald of the National Federation of Independent Business, said insurance market reforms, exchanges and tax breaks would help smalo businesses, but employer mandated would hurt low-margin businesses and public plans could driver private insurers out of the market. Rep.
Robert Andrews, said the House plans to exclude very smallkbusinesses -- such as barbershops, gas stationss and delicatessens -- from the employet mandate. "We certainly don't want to imposes any burden on them," he said. the mandate is targeted at businessewthat "have the wherewithal" to providee insurance but choose not to, he said.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Praise all round as Retford Golf Club looks to the future - www.thisisretford.co.uk
Praise all round as Retford Golf Club looks to the future www.thisisretford.co.uk ... and the achievement of Golf Mark this year, which came in recognition of the way the Juniors are supported within Retford Glof Club. ... |
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Leveraging Active Directory as your single source for authentication and ... - NetworkWorld.com
Leveraging Active Directory as your single source for authentication and ... NetworkWorld.com Small IT teams are tasked with maintaining business services (often dependent on Active Directory), enforcing secure administration practices, ... |
Sunday, December 19, 2010
TiVo Inc. Company Profile | TIVO Company Information
TiVo is a leading provider of technology and serviceas for digital videorecorders (DVRs). The subscription-bases TiVo
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Onion growers fined $180,000 for pesticide misuse - Portland Business Journal:
The civil fines, totaling $180,000, are connectee with the application of Furadan and Basagran on 18 fields durinvg the 2008growing season. Oregon pesticide law prohibitx the use of pesticides on crops for whichb they arenot labeled. Neither Furadan nor Basagran is approvesdfor onions. No residue was found on marketed Onions from two of the affected fields were destroyed by the The penalties are the maximum allowedc underthe law. All fines may be contestede through anadministrative hearing. • of Nyssa was finedc $10,000 for applying Furadan to one fieldand $50,000 for applyingy Basagran to five fields.
• David Navarrete of Ontario wasfinexd $10,000 for using Furadan on one • Kris Yano of Ontario was fined $70,00o0 for applying Basagran on seven • of Nyssa was fined $30,000 for applying Basagran on three Froerer previously was fined for misusin pesticides during the 2006 growing season. Craig Crawford of Ontario wasfined $10,0000 for applying Basagran on one field. Crawforfd also was previously fined for misusing pesticides during the 2006growing season. Onions are Oregon's 16th-largest worth nearly $50 million to the state'as economy, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Three bodies found on Long Island Gilgo Beach and Cedar Beach, two days after ... - New York Daily News
Fox News | Three bodies found on Long Island Gilgo Beach and Cedar Beach, two days after ... New York Daily News Three bodies were found on one of Long Island's most pristine coastal islands on Monday - two days after cops found a human skeleton in the ... Cops: Bodies found near Ocean Parkway |
Saturday, December 11, 2010
New Ford Taurus makes Milwaukee appearance - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
A ruby red Taurus SHO and a more moderatelyu priced Taurus LTD were on displa y on the lots of in Wauwatosa and Griffinm Fordin Waukesha. The vehicled also were displayed Mondat in Madison and June 12 inGreen Bay. Writerss at Esquire said in the July issure that the Taurus SHOis “an affordable American sedan that benchmarks not the Chevy Impala or Hyundaiu Sonata but the Audi AG and BMW The Taurus SHO, which standas for Super High Output, retails for abou $38,000 and includes a 3.5-liter turbo V-6 engine.
The 2008 Taurusx features an entirely new exterior andinterior design, Angie Kozleski, ’s car communications manager, said in an interview The engine is built at a Ford plang in Cleveland; the car is assemble at Ford’s Chicago plant. Ford executiveas decided to re-introduce the Taurus name, whicbh had been retired in favorr ofthe “500,” because of the brand equity, Kozleski “It’s important to use that,” she said. “We view it as our flagshipo sedan.
” The new Taurus will arrivd on dealer lotsin August, but customer s can pre-order the vehicle now and received a $500 pre-order incentive, said John the manager of Uptown Ford Lincoln Mercury. The base modepl Taurus price startsat $25,995 and the SHO startds at $37,995. The Taurusx is the third restyled Ford to hit dealer showroomw this year following the Fusio n andthe Mustang, Pentleer said. Still to come later this year isa seven-passenger crossover called the Lincolnn MKT.
Although the new-vehicle marke t is suffering through a historically bad year and two Americanh automakers have filedfor bankruptcy, Ford executivee note that their products have gained market share in six of the past seveh months, Kozleski said. Ford has benefited not only from the positiv e PR of not receiving government money but also from positive reviews of itsnew “You can really attribute that to the new products we’vse been offering,” she said. “We’re hittinv the market at a difficult time but if you look at theproductf lineup, the consumer is noticing the quality and safet y and fuel efficiency.
”
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Helix Energy to reduce Cal Dive stake - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
The Houston-based offshore energy company plans to offerd 20 million shares in Cal Dive through apublixc offering, with an option for underwritersz to purchase an additional 3 millioh shares to cover over-allotments. Helix (NYSE: HLX) also has agree to sell Cal Dive anadditionall $14 million worth of shares at a price equal to the Houston-based Cal Dive (NYSE: DVR) has 94 milliomn shares outstanding. When the offerint closes and Cal Dive repurchasesits Helix’s ownership in Cal Dive will be reduceed to 25 percent from 51 percent, according to a regulatory filingh with the . If the over-allotment option is not Helix’s ownership will be 29 percent.
Helix expects to use the proceedzs for generalcorporate purposes. Helix shares closec at $11.25 on Friday and were tradintgat $11.92 mid-morning Monday, whilee Cal Dive shares closed Friday at $10.089 and were trading at $9.85 mid-morninf on Monday.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Leading article: Faint hope for a benighted land - Independent
Leading article: Faint hope for a benighted land Independent But rarely has an election taken place in conditions as unpropitious as those prevailing in Haiti. To the massive earthquake that devastated much of the ... |
Saturday, December 4, 2010
St. John Properties takes over Opus East business park at Aberdeen Proving Ground - Baltimore Business Journal:
U.S. Army officials worked feverishly over the past week topull St. John Propertiee into the fold, fearful the projectg would come to a halt if Opus East file d for bankruptcy protection before an arrangement couldbe struck, companhy spokesman Gerard J. Wit said in a telephone interview “It was a real round-the-clock, week-long efforrt to get this done,” Wit said. “We’re goinh to get in and try to kick-start this right Aberdeen is gearing up for a significant influsx of military jobs underthe Pentagon’ s Base Realignment and Closure expected to be completed by September 2011.
Abouy 8,200 military jobs will be transferre tothe base, in addition to as many as 18,00o0 private contracting jobs from companies that do businesa with the incoming military agencies. The approved Opus East's selection of St. John Properties to take over the Government and Technology Enterprise businesds park because of theBaltimorwe developer’s ability to move forward with new Bob Penn, program director with the Army said in a As in taking over the project, including (NYSE: OFC) and Manekinj LLC. Opus East was awarded rights to develoopthe government-owned land under a lease with the Army in Novembee 2007 and broke ground on its first buildinv in December of that year.
Since the company became straddled with millions of dollars in construction loans it has been unableto refinance, and the companyy has not started any new construction at the project for more than a The deal was inked June 19 between Opus St. John Properties, with the backing of the St. John and the Army Corpe of Engineers issued statements Tuesday announcing the Witsaid St. John will pay Opus East an undisclosee amount of money for its developmenrt rightsat Aberdeen. In connection with the St.
John has hiredf Opus East project manager Matthew Holbrook to oversee the GATE projecr as its director of defense andgovernment “Aberdeen Proving Ground is excitede about moving the project forward with St. John Tim McNamara, APG deputy garrison commander, said in a “We consider it a positive step to have theitr experienced management team spearheadinvgthe build-out of this As the to help it consider optiona including bankruptcy. Its parengt company, , has also sought bankruptcy protectionmfor it’s Opus South subsidiary and for two more subsidiarieas of its Opus West regional operation.
Opus spokeswoman Winston Hewett said Opus East is still evaluating its optionse but has not made any decisioneabout bankruptcy. The company was forcedx to relinquish its rights to the Aberdeen projectt because it has been unablde to finance morethan $50 million in construction loanx it took out to finance its projects. Most pressinf among those debtsis $35 millionh the developer spent to build a new headquarters for the Nationap Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in College Park, for whicyh it has sued the federal government to collect its wagez on that project, Hewett said. St.
John planse to break ground in the next two month s on at least three new buildings at the Harforcd Countymilitary base, with commitments from defense contractorsz for up to 300,000 squarse feet of office, research and development space, Wit Wit did not disclose the names of any of thosw tenants. Those buildings would be in addition toa 60,000-square-foot building Opus East completeds in December 2008 for defense contractor “We view this development as the most significant commerciaol real estate opportunity in the history of our company,” St. John Presiden Edward A. St.
John said in a “This is based on the amount of square footage that can eventually be developec as well as the important work that will be completexdby end-users that occupy this space.” St. John Propertiess is the third-largest property management firm in Greater with nearly 11 million square feet of commercial space inthe region. But taking over the Aberdeebn project represents a shift for the which has sought to tap into the demanxd for government contracting space upuntil now.
Wit said the companhy has also sought in the past to buy land for its own rather than to lease propertt from the government such as at Opus East preliminarily received commitments from firms seeking spacwe atits 413-acre Government and Technology Enterprise business park but did not start any additionap construction. The developer was unwilling to divide any of its buildingasinto multi-tenanted space, Wit said, preferring instead to constructt buildings for a single That’s created a pent-up demand for companies seeking from 5,000 squarse feet to upward of 20,000 square feet, Wit said.
“Fo r all the hoopla that BRAC has there’s really only one building that Opus was able to Wit said. “If you don’tr have the place to park thoss people, if you don’t have the buildingz to put them in, there was going to be a real logisticao problem.”
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
BofA wealth head: Bank must grow in Boston - Boston Business Journal:
“It has to be bigger than it is now,” said Briajn Moynihan, president of BofA’s globak banking and wealth management division. Moynihan added that all of the bank’se wealth management markets need to get bigger as he helps stitch together Bank of America andMerrillk Lynch, which brings some 16,00 brokers to the fold. Moynihan made his remarkes to reporters after giving a speech at a Moynihan declined to give anygrowth targets, “You’ll hold me to it, even if we miss it by a Moynihan joked. In Massachusetts, Bank of America employsw about 9,000 people across all operations. It’s the No. 1 Bay Statwe bank, controlling about 20 percent ofa $185.
3 billiomn bank deposit market, according to the ’sd latest available data. Earlier this Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis turned to Moynihanj to runthe bank’s now massive wealth management division after acquiring Merrill in In the first for example, the bank’s global wealth management divisionn generated $4.36 billion in compared with $1.94 billion in the year-earlier period when Merrill was not part of the Net income was $510 million at wealth management, up from $242 millionn in the first quarter of 2008. Moynihan is in chargde of an organization that hasabout 80,000p people worldwide.
A veteraj Boston banking executive, Moynihan joined Fleetr Financial Group in 1993 as deputy general counseo and has climbed steadily up the ranksa amid a number of changes and acquisitions by Bank of One of his biggest challenges is bringintg together two sharplycontrasting cultures. Merrilpl Lynch brokers have earned a reputation forbeinf aggressive, well paid and outspoken. Their hub has been a far cry from a Bank of Americ culture whose roots are deep atits Charlotte, N.C. Moynihan said Bank of America’s top line revenue needs to grow faster thanthe U.S.
economy, but he sees the company “grinding it out” and making moneyh for shareholders through dividends and stock for example. During his Moynihan made a case for why an integrated bank can be a winninfgbank model. He said Bank of America clientse demand that they have a bank that offersconsume lending, commercial lending and investment banking. “That’s not to say everyh large, global bank will or can be Moynihan said. “A global bank that triesa to build scale by being too small to matter in a lot of placeas willnot succeed.” He also acknowledged that questionds remain about how to regulate large globaol players.
“How do you regulate a large, complex company?” Moynihan said. “That’ s what we’re still trying to figur e out.”