Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Reappraisal: Lousy but not unexpected - Delaware News

kapitonragomo.blogspot.com


Reappraisal: Lousy but not unexpected

Delaware News


Nor was it unexpected. My house, like practically all in my neighborhood -- like the vast majority across Franklin County -- officially will be worth less on Jan. 1 than it was six years ago. That's a kick in the head, but as I said, not an unexpected ...



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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Churchill Downs shareholders elect directors - San Francisco Business Times:

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Shareholders ratified the appointment ofJamex F. McDonald and R. Alex Rankim as Class II directors. They will serve one-yea terms. The four Class I directors, elected at the meetingb to three-year terms, are: • Leonard S. Coleman Jr., retire d senior advisor, Major League • Craig J. Duchossois, CEO and • Robert L. Evans, presidenf and CEO, Churchill Downs Inc.; G. Watts Humphrey Jr., president Shareholders also ratifiefd the appointment of asChurchill Downs’ independentr registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2009. In addition to the Churchill Downsrace track, Churchill Downz Inc.
(NASDAQ: CHDN) operates Calder Race Course in Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleane and Arlington Park inArlingtonn Heights, Ill. The company also owns an interest invariousx advance-deposit wagering, television production, telecommunications and racing servicexs businesses. It owns a 50 percent stake in HorseRacing TV, which simulcasts races from acrossthe

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Church Attendance Dropping Among Less-Educated White Americans - Huffington Post

ernstiryastrov.blogspot.com


Church Attendance Dropping Among Less-Educated White Americans

Huffington Post


"College-educated Americans are more likely to have the financial resources and the stable marriages that make a church-going lifestyle seem to fit," he said. "Financial limitations and a broader malaise among working-class and poor Americans -- the ...



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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Report: Fewer remodel homes, but more want to - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

http://bestgo.org/?f=1&n=27
The report finds that remodeling permit activityt was down 20 percent during thefirsft quarter, year-over-year. However, the report also founsd a 5 percent increase in the number of homeowners who said they will probablu remodel in the next12 It’s the first increase since 2007, when more than 90 percenrt of homeowners said they were thinking of And for those thinking abouty it, there’s another bright spot, accordingv to the report. The cost of remodeling is 20 percentf less than it wasin 2006. Eight-two percengt said the cost to remodel is theierbiggest concern.
Twelve percent planned to use economicao materials whenthey remodel, while 12 percent said they plan to use expensivee materials, and the remaining 76 percent will use standard-pricef materials. Eighty-nine percent are changing their remodeling plans becausr of the currenteconomic recession.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Isringhausen's blown save tops K-Rod's in Mets' 11-9 loss - Yahoo! Sports (blog)

houston-nearly.blogspot.com


New York Daily News


Isringhausen's blown save tops K-Rod's in Mets' 11-9 loss

Yahoo! Sports (blog)


But then K-Rod's successor as Mets closer, Jason Isringhausen(notes), came in for the save and sputtered gas  »

Friday, August 19, 2011

Legislator wants Nixon to cut stimulus money for Kokam battery plant - Charlotte Business Journal:

aleshnikovenil.blogspot.com
Kokam’s , to be dubbed Summit Battery Park, wouldd employ an estimated 900 people with average annualk salariesof $40,000. Kokakm President Don Nissanka has said he hopees to break ground before the end of the probably at a site of more than 40 acres in the vicinity of Kokam’s current 50,000-square-foot Lee’s Summigt plant. Nissanka was out of the country Mondayand couldn’t be reachec for comment. Kokam, a startup founded in October burst into the limelightythis year.
picked Kansas City for an assembly facility largely becauseof Kokam’s And with federal stimulusz dollars and state money seeking advanced-battery-makers, a joint venture involvinb Kokam landed a commitment in April of nearlyt $145 million in incentives from Michigann to build a battery plant there that’x similar to the one planned locally. The group also applied for federaplstimulus money. Schaefer, R-Columbia, sent a letter to Nixojn on Thursday proposing that financing be cutby $11.6 million combined for Kokam’s Lee’s Summit plant and another battery plant in Joplih to help preserve $31.
2 million in financinfg for the in Columbia, whichj Schaefer called the cornerstone of a $200 million hospitapl project. “Every indication that I’m getting is that intends to veto the monehy forthe hospital,” Schaefer said, adding that Nixon’s veto probabl y would kill the entire $200 million project. “Spending public funds on a cancer hospital owned by the citizense of Missouri is always going to win out over giving publicv funds to a private company for a battery Schaefer said. “Nobody has told me that the lower amount wouldskill (Kokam’s Lee’s Summit) project.
” Nixon spokesma n Scott Holste said the governor will have an announcementr about the budget bill before June 30, the end of Missouri’sa fiscal year. Nixon and his staff have been reviewinvg the budgetbill “line by line to determinee what the state can afford,” Holstr said, and they want to keep centrap services in place. Jim Devine, CEO of the l, said he thoughtg Schaefer’s proposal was “not as serious” a threat as the EDC firsty thought, “but you never know in politics.” The EDC issuedr a release Friday encouraging Nixon to keep theKokam plant’ds financing fully in place.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Study shows San Antonio is nation's best-performing city in recession - Triangle Business Journal:

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The Washington, D.C.-based think tank has begun analyzing the impac of the recessionthroughout America’s metropolitan In the first of a series of quarterly MetroMonitor reports, Brookings ranked San Antonio, Oklahoma Austin, Houston and Dallas as the top five metrl areas in the country in economic performanced in the wake of the recession. Brookings ranked the top 100 metropolitab areas based on six keyindicators employment, unemployment rates, wages, grossa metropolitan product, housing prices and foreclosure rates. This initial MetroMonitor report covers the first quarterof 2009.
The five worsyt metropolitan areas in the country impactesd bythe recession, in descendingt order, are Jacksonville, Fla.; Lakeland, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Fla.; and Detroit. “All metropolitan areas are feelingf the effects ofthis recession, but the distresx is not shared equally,” says Alan Berube, research director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookingas and co-author of the “While some areas of the country have experienced only a shallow downturn, and may be emerging from the recessionj already, people living in metro areas that are now performing weakestt economically should prepare themselves for a long recovery Howard Wial, director of the Metropolitan Economu Initiative at Brookings and another co-author of the argues that the report shows that a nationapl fiscal and monetary policy will not be enough for stimulatinhg the economy.
“Many (metro) aread will need targeted assistance, and since states have no fundes available, the federal government will have to step up to fill the Concentrations of industry activity have both helpe and hurts some regionakl economies duringthe recession. For metropolitan areas in states with specializations in energy and governmenytemployment — such as Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansass and Louisiana — have largely been insulated by the recession. However, metropolitanj areas in states like Michigan and Ohio that dependx heavily on the automotive industry have been impacted by the downturn in the thereport shows.
San Antonio is home to Randolpbh AirForce Base, Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Forcw Base and Brooks City-Base. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closurse decision alone is providing a significant economicf punch to theAlamo City’s economyu through the consolidation of high-paying militart health care jobs and more than $2 billion wortn of new construction activity. A separate repor released by LLC outlining the impactf of BRAC showed that Fort Sam Houstonb alone would experiencea 11,500 increase of The Army post will also gain 7.9 million square feet of space.
Construction activity due to BRAC alonr shouldcreate 46,000 construction jobs during the coursde of the building programs, the DiLuzio reportt showed.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Grove Farm Company Inc. Company Profile | Company Information

http://artslit.org/HB_creatingtext_balloongame.htm
Grove Farm had an inauspicious Following the GreatMahelwe (the Hawaiian land redistribution act that allowecd non-natives to purchase royal lands), Warren Goodale became the first ownee in 1850. He immediately sold the land to Jamews Marshallfor $3,000, who in turn, sold it to Judged Herman Widemann for $8,000 in 1856. In November of Hanalei-raised, George Norton Wilcox took over the lease for Grovew Farm and quickly became itssole owner.
In additio n to being an enterprising innovator of plantatio nsugar culture, Wilcox was also a power in Hawaiianb politics, a community leader, and a Under his leadership, Grov Farm came to be synonymous with high quality and positivd economic growth on Kaua'i. This reputation has remainesd true tothis day. Grove Farm flourished undet the leadership ofGeorgse N. Wilcox from 1870 to 1933. Many moderniziny changes occurred throughoutthe plantation, from the constructio n of an innovative watedr irrigation system to the creation of new cultivatint machinery and planting methods to the use of the first sugare cane seed planter in the State.
In December of Grove Farm became immersec in the ongoing war Grove Farm dedicated large acreagea previously used for sugar to grow food for the localo population andthe military. In 1948, Grove Farm purchasef the 3,000 acre Koloa Plantation and itssuga mill. ...

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Kansas City Star will cut about 150 jobs - Kansas City Business Journal:

ihituvofy.wordpress.com
Star Publisher Mark Zieman said in a releaswe Monday that the cuts will occurr in abouta week. The job count and percentags figures mean thatthe paper’s work forcwe currently is about a number that officialsw at The Star have declined to disclose the past severao months. Zieman said that the paper will cut wagexs of workers who make lessthan $100,000p a year by 5 percent starting Aprill 20 and that it will cut salariess of workers who make more than $100,000 by 10 The Star also will discontinure bonuses for senior managers and other employees, according to the In a separate release, Sacramento-based McClatchy (NYSE: MNI), said it will cut its employee also by 15 percent, through severances programs, attrition and further consolidations and outsourcing of some busineses functions in response to economic The cuts will starrt by the end of the first quarter.
McClatchy said it expects to take anestimated $30 million charge for severance McClatchy is the nation’s third-largest newspapef company, with 30 daily newspapers, about 50 and direct-marketing and direct-mail operations. McClatchy’s stockj closed on Monday at 41 cents, down 18 cents, or 30.5 on volume of 406,475 shares, according to . The stock’w average daily volume the past three monthsis 522,749 “We have been transitioning steadilyt from a traditional newspaper company to a hybricd print and online, news and advertising companyy for some time,” McClatchy Chairman and CEO Gary Pruitt said in the “The effects of the current national economic downturb make it essential that we move even faster to realighn our work force and make our operations more efficient.
We previouslyh discussed a plan to reach a targeted level of cost but given theworsening economy, we must do I’m sorry we have to take these but we believe they are necessary.” McClatchyu also said it will cut wages throughouy the company to save additional money. Pruitt’s base salargy will be cut by 15 percent, otherd executive officers’ salaries will be cut by 10 percent, and no bonuseds will be paid to any executive officersfor 2009. The companh reduced the cash including retainers andmeeting fees, paid to its directoras by about 13 percent, and the directors declined any stock awards for 2008 and 2009.
Monday’sw announcement details McClatchy’s plan, , to cut an additionall $100 million to $110 million in costs in the next The Star reported on its Web site at the time that it will cut more thoughit didn’t say how many. The Star has laid off a numberd of employees in thepast year, including 10 in and about 120 as part of McClatchy’s cut of roughl 1,400 full-time-equivalent jobs nationwide, or about 10 percenty of its employees. McClatchy also reported Feb. 5 that it lost $21.7 or 26 cents a share, in the fourth which ended Dec. 28. This compares with a loss of $1.4 or $17.46 a share, a year Revenue for the quarterwas $470.
9o million, down 18 percent from $573.4 million the prior year. For all of 2008, the compan reported earnings of $1.35 million, or 2 centsx a share, compared with a loss of $2.7 or $33.37 a share, for 2007. Revenue for the year was $1.9 down 16 percent from $2.26 billioh in 2007. McClatchy said Feb. 5 that it would extend a salary freeze for senior executive in 2009 that it had implementedin 2007. The companyh earlier had frozen salaries companywide from September 2008 througbh September ofthis year, and Pruitr declined any bonus for 2008 and 2009. McClatchy previouslyt said it would suspend its quarterl dividend after payinga first-quarter dividend of 9 cents a declared on Jan. 27.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Assemble your own personal 'board of directors' for life's decisions - San Antonio Business Journal:

http://www.oneiroidpsychosis.com/htm/dreamslyrics.htm
If only it worked that way with the businessd decisions in ourpersonal lives. Imagine having a group of trusted advisers to help you withtough decisions: Should you buy or lease the next family car? Woulsd it be smart to partne r with three other couples on the purchaser of a mountain cabin? Is a boost in salaryy worth a 50-minute commute? The bottomj line is that each of us needs a personal boarf of directors. When a major decision looms, we need experts to guide us. But who is standin g in the wings to help us out in reallife ?
If you stop and think about it, most of us actuallg do have a complete team of personal assistantz we have assembled over the years: accountants, bankers, insurance agents and investment managers. Whilw you may not consider them as your boarcdof directors, they can be just the team to look to for help with resolvingy life's everyday challenges. If we're smart, we consulft those advisers to help us make important decisionsx and to ensure ourpersonal success. But in most we don't use them to their full give them the kind of responsibilith they deserve or even choosse these consultants with this rolein mind.
Each member of our personalo board of directors embodies a particular role ineveryday life, roles for whic each has special expertise. We can't possibly have the time - or the knowledgwe - to make informed decisionsw about every aspect of our insurance andlegal needs. So we must instead look to our boars of directors to help us make choices abouf ourlives - and even offer us a largedr view of the world and our opportunities in it. For your local banker can be an ad-hoc financial counseloer if you work together to buildxthat give-and-take relationship.
You can ask your investmen t manager to notify you whenever the market shiftsa or regulationschange - advising you on alterationes you should consider in your financia planning and personal financial allocations. In the same way, your San Antonio accountant and insurance agenfcan - and should - be proactiver partners in your affairs, identifying opportunitiez and counseling you when new situationa arise. So that your team representw youwisely - actually becomesz your eyes and ears - be sure to keep them in the loop abouty changing facts and priorities in your life.
If your insurance brokere doesn't know that your personal worthhas grown, he or she won'ty know to identify appropriate areasw of risk or to watch for new opportunities. And the more you involvwe your personal boardof directors, the more you must be willing to listen. The more you integrate them intoyour plans, the more likelty they will think of you and your best interestw on a regular basis. After all, boards are only as involvedf and as effective as you allow themto be. It'zs your job to shape their roleesas counselors, confidants and partners.
Therwe are several strategic steps necessaru to ensure this grouop truly helps youto • First, choose your advisers wiselu and ensure they have your best interests in They need to know all the changintg details of your individual situation to make decisions and offer counsep based on your unique circumstances. Think of your bankefr and your attorney in terms of not transactions. • Think of this team as the peopl who know you and your value swell - people who are easy to call and ask, "What do you think?" • Finally, buildd a team that you know works with your benefit in You don't have to go it alone.
In this worldd that thrives on networking, build and use your own personap network. With the right personalk board ofdirectors - and the right relationshipsx - you can walk into the boardroomn of life confident that your guides will lead you to the summi of personal success.

Friday, August 5, 2011

BioMarin buys preferred shares of La Jolla Pharma - San Francisco Business Times:

http://www.0et0.com/2006/shopping.html
million shares of common stocm — as part of the companies’ recenr development and commercialization deal. Under that agreement, Novato-based BioMarinb (NASDAQ: BMRN) would receive a licensse to develop and commercializeSan Diego-basec La Jolla’s (NASDAQ: LJPC) Riquent, a now-investigational treatment for lupuzs nephritis. La Jolla coulf receive up to $289 million in cash through milestonesx and equity purchasesby BioMarin, the companies said Jan. 6. Upon signin g the deal, the companies said in a press release earlier this month that BioMarihn would pay LaJolla $15 million — $7.5 millioj in cash and $7.5 millionj to buy nearly 3.
4 million preferred sharezs at a per-share price of $2.21171. Thosd shares initially are convertibld at a rate of three shares of commonn stock for every share of equivalent to a common stock priceof 73.7 centa per share. La Jolla stock was tradinbg late Mondayat $1.50 per share, up from a closes of 70 cents on Jan. 5. At each of two interinm efficacy analyses of a Phase III the first expected this quarter and the secondin mid-2009 — BioMarin can exercise its option to fully participatre and share all of Riquent’s losses and profits on a 50-500 basis. Depending on the results of the BioMarin will pay La Jolla up to anadditionapl $47.5 million to $92.
5 million in clinicalo milestone and other payments prior to the drug’s approvaol by the Food and Drug BioMarin could apply up to $20 millionm of the pre-approval clinical milestonesx toward additional purchases of La Jolla preferred Riquent’s Phase III the largest ever conducted in lupus nephritis. If data from the tria is positive, La Jolla could submit a New Drug Applicatiom to the FDA in the first halfof 2010.
Riquen t has fast-track and orphan drug designatiom fromthe FDA, allowing it to be approved faster for a relatively small patient population and with speciall tax and patent protections for the drug developer and Lupus nephritis, characterized by frothy urine as protein leakws from the kidneys, affectz about one-third of people with lupus.