Monday, November 29, 2010

Fed's James Bullard says funding of consumer bureau a worry - Reuters

http://www.therpsicore.com/games/xiii/m17/m17.html


Fed's James Bullard says funding of consumer bureau a worry

Reuters


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said on Monday funding for a consumer protection office established under ...


Fed's Bullard `Concerned' About Funding for New Consumer Protection Bureau

Bloomberg


Fed's Bullard Worried About Funding For Consumer Protection Agency

RTT News



 »

Saturday, November 27, 2010

OSU senior Shane Jarka playing through the pain, setting example for young Cowboys - NewsOK.com

http://www.zgzangao.net/ct_7.html


OSU senior Shane Jarka playing through the pain, setting example for young Cowboys

NewsOK.com


Heading into tonight's Bedlam battle between OSU and Oklahoma, Jarka has been an example to OSU's young players of the type of toughness and resiliency ...



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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

WSU Foundation receives gift for endowment - Wichita Business Journal:

xeconatyxex.blogspot.com
Audine and Virgil Bargman gave the gift to establishg an endowmentfor scholarships. Audinse died in June 2005, while Virgipl died last November. The couple, whicgh had no children, had been working with the for severa years on establishingan endowment. "It'e a nice gift, but it's sad because we get it because someone died," says Belinda Venters, the directofr of communications for the WSU Audine Bargman was a retired Virgil Bargman, who grew up in Palmer, retired as a machinist from the He brieflu attended Wichita State. "They both had an affinitty for helping students furthertheir education," said Sharon G.
Miles, WSU Foundation senior development director for the Fairmoungt College of Liberal Artsand Science, in a writtenm statement. The endowment will provide $24,65o in annual scholarship support, beginning with the fall 2009 Venters says the total valuer of the WSU Foundation at the end of the 2008 fiscal year is expected totop $200 million.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Fla. AG goes after Bayer again - Boston Business Journal:

http://rhce-linux.net/bbl0133.html
On Monday, Bill McCollum said he has filed a stipulated supplementall judgment against the drug maker that adds new requirementsd to a 2007 judgment relating to its advertisementg forcertain drugs. That agreement related to alleged deceptive advertisingof products, including nondisclosure of safety risks associated with its marketing of , a cholesterol-lowerinfg drug. Monday’s judgment resolve allegationsthat Bayer’s 2008 marketing campaigb for the Yaz oral contraceptive violated the 2007 As part of the the drug company must submit its proposed televisiob ads for Yaz to the FDA for approval befores airing.
Bayer also must also complh with all regulatory comments the FDA makes regardingf theadvertising and, in all print ads, must clearly and conspicuousl y disclose exactly which medical conditions and symptoms the drug is FDA-approve d for when referring to treatment. “In an earlier warning lettef to Bayer, the FDA addressed two misleading direct-to-consumer televisiohn advertisements for Yaz in which Bayer claime Yaz could treat the symptoms of premenstrual although Yaz does not have FDA approval for that The letter also warned Bayer about promoting the drug as treatment for types of acne it is not approved to and for exaggerating the effectes Yaz hadon acne.
In addition to changexs in its advertising Bayer also must conducta $20 millio n corrective advertising program The modification of the settlement is pendinfg approval in Broward County Circuir Court.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Texas GDP declines, but not as much as most - Houston Chronicle

http://www.ship-modelers-assn.org/shipmodelingtips/whats-the-difference-between-beginner-intermediate-or-advanced-model-kits.html


Texas GDP declines, but not as much as most

Houston Chronicle


Here is how Texas' GDP change compared with other big states (on a percentage basis): Texas' gross domestic product declined by 1.5 percent in 2009, ...



and more »

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Biomechanics of Cat Lapping - New York Times (blog)

http://fishing-sea.com/Baits-and-Scents/Shrimp/


ChicagoNow (blog)


The Biomechanics of Cat Lapping

New York Times (blog)


HOW, according to them, does a cat's lapping method depend on its “instinctive ability to calculate the point at which gravitational ...


Fighting the good fight for felines

Berkshire Eagle



 »

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Thinner Cheney joins former officials at ground breaking of Bush's ... - msnbc.com (blog)

http://www.conducteurs-malus.com/article/Top-5-Japanese-carmakers-post-smaller-output-falls-in-Aug.html


The Guardian


Thinner Cheney joins former officials at ground breaking of Bush's ...

msnbc.com (blog)


Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice introduces former Vice President Dick Cheney at the ground breaking ceremony for the George W. Bush Presidential ...


George W. Bush breaks ground on presidential center

Los Angeles Times


Bush breaks ground on presidential center

Montgomery County Courier


Bush breaks ground on his presidential library

Fort Worth Star Telegram


D »

Monday, November 15, 2010

U.S. to retake supercomputer throne from China - Digitaltrends.com

http://bigmoneywin.com/en/poker-games/page_37.html


Digitaltrends.com


U.S. to retake supercomputer throne from China

Digitaltrends.com


China has broken the record for computing speed, creating a supercomputer that calculates at 2.57 petaflops. Now the US is working on two 20 petaflop ...



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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Host Analytics achieves success by helping others manage theirs - bizjournals:

http://www.disruptit.org/article/Apples-White-MacBook-Goes-Unibody-Too-.html
The Redwood City company provides softwares that helpscompanies budget, manage, forecastr and analyze their financial helping them move beyond Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. It has raisex about $15 million in venturre funding in the past year and doublef the number of customers usinvgits software-as-a-service products in that time. Most New York-based StarVest joined initial investors Trideng Venture and Advanced Technology Ventures inan $8.7 milliojn Series B backing in May. On-demand corporatee performance management via software as a service is an extremelh hot area in business intelligenceright now, said Deboranh Farrington, a StarVest general partner who joine the company’s board.
“SaaS has opened the market broadlu forbusiness intelligence,” Farrington said. “The method of delivering the application by software as a service enablesx the midmarket to have business intelligencw applications that they could nevereafford before.” Started in St. Louis Host founder Jim Eberlibn launched the companyin St. Louisw in 2000 and bootstrapped it forsevenb years. Eberlin captured some marquee companieas within the firstseven years, including consumer goodws manufacturing giant Proctor & Gamble Co. and technology manufacturer Pitney Bowes Inc. But Eberlin realizedr in 2007 he needed funding to further developthe company’z potential.
A $6 million Series A affordedd an experienced management teamand jump-starteds the sales and marketing engine. Eberlinm recruited Jon Kondo out of Oracle in June 2008 to serve as CEO and movexthe company’s headquarters to Redwoode City to be closer to his investors and the technologgy community. Kondo, a 10-year veteran at Hyperion Solutions Corp. before its $3 billion acquisitioh by Oracle Corp. in 2007, was running Oracle’s enterprisd performance management for all of Nortb America atthe time. He calls Host’s product an A-to-xZ offering with almost as much capability asits on-premisde competitors.
Hyperion, one of the popular on-premisw offerings, takes far longer to ramp up and costs exponentially more than thepopularf low-cost SaaS products, Kondo said. “Most of the competition is againstgthe on-premise players,” Kondo said. Otis Spunkmeyer Inc., the San Leandro-basexd cookie maker, uses Host for its profiy and loss budgeting. It’s far superior to forecastinyg in a MicrosoftExcel spreadsheet, said Joel Feldman, director of financialk planning and analysis at Otis Spunkmeyer. Feldman laudz the minimal resource commitmengt in termsof IT, the reliable data repositorgy and easy implementation.
“Host has allowed us to go deeper and develop oursales plan,” Feldman said. “It’s allowed everyone in the entir e organization to work off ofone plan. The fact that it’s a Web-basedd tool has allowed everyone to be involves as opposed to these hundreds of linkedExcel spreadsheets.” Farrington said that within the corporater performance area, Host Analytics is the leadin g product. For StarVest, due diligence means a lot of customeer calls. “Again and again we heard the customer compar Host to competitors suchas Hyperion, OutlookSofft Corp., Cognos Inc. and say it delivers very similatr functionality at a fraction of the Farrington said.
StarVest, whichn targets technology-enabled business services, has been active in the businessw intelligencemarket lately. In February, the firm joinefd Trident Capital and Emergence Capital Partners ina $10 millionn Series C round for Bellevue, Wash.-based PivotLink Corp. PivotLini and Host Analytics joined forces in a June strategic partnership in whicg Host willresell PivotLink’d analytics and reporting offering. The combinationh brings togetherabout 15,000 business userd in various vertical markets.

Friday, November 12, 2010

WellCare execs promoted - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

http://ravikarunanayake.com/news-bulletin/215-president-assures-no-mp-from-the-unp-side-will-be-taken-to-the-govt
In his new role, O’Neill will report directly to Charlez Berg, executive chairman of and will continue to leadthe company’s effortsw to resolve pending investigationws and litigation, a release said. WellCare (NYSE: a Tampa-based company that provides manager care services exclusivelyfor government-sponsored healthj care programs, recently announced settlements with the Justic e Department and the , stemming from a scheme to defraud the prograj and the As part of the settlemenyt with the U.S. Attorney for the Middle Districtyof Florida, WellCare agreed to a corporat compliance and governance program.
O’Neill will play a key role as thecompang “further strengthens its culture of compliance,” the releasse said. O’Neill will serve in his new position throughy the end ofthe year, the releasw said. In a filing with the SEC, WellCarer said O’Neill’s amended employment agreement calls for him to continue to receive his current base salary of not lessthan $41,66 a month. He also could get a cash bonuz of 50 percent of his annual base salaryu if he achieves certaihperformance goals.
If he stays on the job througj the end ofthe year, he’s in line for an additiona l cash bonus of at least $750,000, the filing Financial terms of Susanin’s new position were not immediatelyh disclosed. Before joining WellCare, O’Neill was a partner at , generap counsel for the , and an assistant U.S. attorney. Susaninj previously was counsel to and then a partnerf in the law and also anassistant U.S. attornet for the District of Columbia and the easterm districtof Pennsylvania.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

National Payday Advance Group Responds to South Carolina Governor's Veto of HB 3301

http://gifts4us.com/become-trendy-with-japanese-street-fashion/
Lawmakers carefully weighed the viewsxof consumers, finance experts, and the industry in craftintg HB 3301. While the new South Carolina legislatiob is one of the strictest in the it would stabilize our business environment and allo most lenders to continue serving the thousands of South Carolinians who need and value thiscredit option. If not overriddeh by the General Assembly, the Governor'ss action will eliminate an opportunity to provide consumers with additionalo protections and our companies with the operating stabilitythey need.
" The is the only national organizationn dedicated solely to promoting responsible regulation of the payday advancre industry and consumer protections through CFSA'xs Best Practices. As we are committed to workingwith policymakers, consumer advocatesz and CFSA member companies to ensure that the payday advancse is a safe and viable creditr option for consumers.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

MetLife Defends Retained Asset Accounts at Appeal - Bloomberg

lyubomiradete.blogspot.com


MetLife Defends Retained Asset Accounts at Appeal

Bloomberg


MetLife Inc. doesn't owe a fiduciary duty to the owners of retained asset accounts, a lawyer told an appeals ...



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Monday, November 8, 2010

Embarq, CenturyTel complete $11.6B deal - Charlotte Business Journal:

http://homesauto.com/Volvo/Volvo-940/
Buyer (NYSE: CTL) completed its $11.t billion stock and debt purchase ofEmbarq (NYSE: EQ), the companiexs announced early Wednesday. The combinef company, , will be based in La., and potentially have $8 billionh in annual revenue. It has more than 2.1 millionn broadband customers, 440,000 video subscribers and 7.5 milliobn access lines in 33 states. Embarqq shareholders are two-thirds owners of the combined company, havingv received 1.37 CenturyTel sharezs for each Embarq sharethey owned. The deal included CenturyTel assumingg $5.8 billion in Embarq debt. The two brand will be converted graduallyto CenturyLink, a process expected to concludee later this year.
“The completion of this mergere is a significant event forour customers, communities, investorz and employees,” CEO Glen Post III, who had been head of said in the release. “CenturyLink has the advancer networks, the people and the financialo stability to deliver the reliabler and innovative services that our customerss wantand need. We look forward to this excitingy new chapter inour company’sa history.” CenturyLink will keep “a significanf presence” in the Overland Park area, thougjh that location wasn’t among the regional operating headquartersa listed: Las Vegas; Wentzville, Mo.; Orlando, Fla.; Wake N.C.; and La Crosse, Wis.
Embarq now employs abougt 2,800 in the down from 4,500 when it spun off from (NYSE: S) in 2006. That drop reflectd the sale of Embarq’s logisticz unit earlier this year and continual job cuts as the companyg has attempted to keep a lid on costs in anindustrh that’s losing core customers to mobile The recession has accelerated that trend, and observers say that could mean deeper and faster cuts than originalluy anticipated as the companies By joining, the rural phone companies expect to save aboutr $400 million a year in operating and capital expenseas by 2011. They expect combined operatinb cash flow of morethan $4.2 billion and free cash flow of aboutg $1.9 billion.
CenturyTel expects to continue its currengt annual dividendof $2.80 a share. The combinatioh is expected to add to free cash flow per sharerin 2010. Shares continue to trade under CenturyTel’ws ticker symbol. Embarq CEO Tom Gerk will serve as executive vice chairman of the CenturyLinkk board and oversee regulatory and governmental relations and human Embarqranks No. 3 on the Kansas City BusinesasJournal ’s list of area public companies.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

GM enters bankruptcy filing - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://corphrm.com/?p=106
Monday’s Chapter 11 filing by the 101-year-ols automaker — once the world’s biggesy company and Western New York’s largesrt manufacturing employer for decades is among the largestin U.S. histor y and largest-ever U.S. manufacturingh bankruptcy. Chapter 11, whicb allows the company to operate while protectedr fromits creditors, pushes GM into a fast-trackm bankruptcy and provides $30 billioj of additional taxpayer funds to restructure General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson said in a prepared statemengt that GM was being reinvented and that the company is ready for the job at "The economic crisis has caused enormous disruption in the auto but with it has come the opportunity for us to reinvenrt our business.
We are going to do it once and do it The court-supervised process we are pursuingg provides us with powerful toolw to accelerate and complete our reinvention, as well as strony safeguards for our customers and our he said. The GM plan as detailes by U.S. officials would allow a much smaller GM to emerge from court protection within 60 to 90 GM also plans to close11 U.S. facilitiees and idle another thre plants by the endof 2010. GM’s Tonawands engine plant, where 1,100 people work, will remaihn open. The automaker has not providex an updated target for job cuts but was lookint toeliminate 21,000 U.S. factory jobs from the 54,000 union members it now employs.
Also not immediatel clear is what GM’s bankruptc y filing will meanfor ’e plants in Lockport, Rochester and three others. Generap Motors plans to take back the facilitiess from the former parts subsidiary that it spun off in according to a tentative deal reached last week between GM andthe UAW. The factoriesa in New York, Michigan and Indiana would operateunder Delphi’z union rules, but be considerer part of GM, once again. The Lockport plant Delphi Thermal Systems, which has 2,100 employees was founded as HarrisonRadiator Co. in 1910 and becam e part of GMin 1918. For 81 years it operated underr General Motors ownership until the independentDelphu Corp. was formed.
Delpho itself is operating underd bankruptcy court supervision having filed for Chapte r 11 inOctober 2005. The Troy, Mich.-based compang was ready to emergwe from bankruptcy in April 2008 but thos e plans fell apart when a key investod dropped out ofa $2.55t billion stock deal with the supplier. Generalk Motors employs 92,000 in the United Statex and is indirectly responsiblefor 500,000 The U.S. government would hold a 60 percent financialo interest in a reorganized GM and the UAW wouldr takea 17.5 percentt stake. The governments of Canada and the province of Ontario have agreee to a 12 percent ownership stakee in exchange forfinancial aid. GM bondholderas would get 10 percent.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Leawood mayor leads through integrity and charity - Kansas City Business Journal:

http://www.tradewind-ins.com/article/Oilmeal-exports-double-in-October-on-demand-revival.html
Two prominent Kansas City businessmen recentlyg summed up the essence of thisremarkable lady. Bob Reintjexs Sr. told me: "Peggy is a practicaol woman with uncannypoliticao savvy. She is surrounded by values centereon integrity. You want her on your team." Byron Thompsomn added: "Peggy Dunn comes as close to beingt 'Miss Perfect' as just about anyone. She is quic k of mind, pleasant and incisive, and just a delightt to have in your She is just as good asthey come." My huge respecgt for Peggy Dunn grew markedly aftere I recently spent an afternoon with her in her Leawoods City Hall office.
After serving two City Council Peggy has been mayor of this cityof 32,000 since 1997. In the past two she won without Although Peggy obviously is agreat mayor, she unabashedlyt told me that "famil y comes first." She has been married to Kansa s City construction icon Terry Dunn for 33 and they have raised four The mayor's job certainly is her second priority. Leawoosd has 275 full-time employees and 80 seasonal ones. She spends more than 30 hoursz a week inthe mayor's office. She told me: "Leawoode is a terrific community -- a real jewel." She "We benefit greatly from our proximity toKansaz City, Mo.
" She was, and is, a stronyg proponent of bistate cooperation, and she proudlyt told me, "Bistate 2 passes in Leawood." Peggy also was quick to praise both her City Council and city She absolutely feels "the grave responsibilityg of being a public official." Peggy Dunn has made an indeliblw mark on our communit in both the civic and philanthropicd spheres. Importantly, she understands the difference betweenbthe two. She told me: "I was talked into running for officer thefirst time. I was very naive. I thoughgt it would be like philanthropic work. In fact, it is a lot more thankless. You can'tg make everyone happy.
" Her election successes and the acclaij of her constituents demonstrate that she has kept most Leawood residentss happy most ofthe time. Frankly, I know of no bettee way of focusing onher mind-boggling list of currengt civic affiliations than to simply list some of them: Co-chairwomajn of UMKC Capital Campaign and Some Enchante Evening 2006. Board vice chairwoman of . Honorargy co-chairwoman of TLC for Childrem & Families Capital Campaign, Marillac Center Capital Campaign, Capital Campaign and National Kidne y Foundation2007 Gala. Past chairwoman of , The and Starligh t Theatre.
Board member of , Starlight Theatre, Truman Medica Centers, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Metropolitanb Kansas City PerformingArts Center, , , Trustees and Catholic Charities. Advisory board membefr of , , , Volunteer Center of Johnson Countyt and Friends of theUMKC Conservatory. In September, Peggy, a devout Catholic, was honored at the annual meetinb ofthe . Mayor Dunn was recognized for her efforts in establishing Leawood's relationship with the Gezer region of Israel. Leawoodc has set aside land off Mission Road for the establishmenr ofGezer Park, quite an accomplishment for a city once known for its residential redlining of Jews.
It is only appropriated that I conclude with a thoughf fromCarol Marinovich: "Peggy Dunn is not only a grea t mayor but also a warm and gracious individua who is deeply committed to the community. Peggy'w big heart is evident in the countles s organizations in which she gives ofher time. She epitomizesd the term 'public servant.'"

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Progress Energy seeks small rate decrease - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

vickreyafolori1839.blogspot.com
The proposal also asks regulatore to adjust other components of the rate toreflectf energy-efficiency programs and other renewable energy resources. Under the a typical Progress household thatuses 1,000 kilowatt hours a monthy would see the total bill drop 10 centxs $106.78 to $106.68. North Carolina utilitied are permitted a fuel charge oncustomee bills, which is a way for the companies’ to recoverr the cost of the fuel for its Utilities do not profit from the charge. Raleigh-based Progress says it askinh the North Carolina Utility Commission to lower the fuel charge because global energy pricea have stabilized from record highs ofrecentg years.
According to the proposal, a householc using 1,000 kWh a month woulc see the fuel portion of the bill drop by17 cents. Energgy efficiency will drop the bill by 19 another But the renewable energy portion of the bill will rise by 26 That increase pays for solar and biofuep contracts that Progress has signed to complyy witha state- mandated renewable energy target. If approved, the new ratexs will take effect Dec. 1. Progress PGN) serves 1.
25 million customers in North

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

BioSante to buy Cell Genesys for $38M in stock - Business First of Buffalo:

milicinodijoo1981.blogspot.com
BioSante (NASDAQ: BPAX) will pay 0.1615 of its own commonm shares for each share of CellGenesys (NASDAQ: This deal should close lated this year, likely in the late third or earlgy fourth quarter. In the first quarter, Cell Genesyw lost $8.7 million, or 10 centss a share, narrowed from a loss in the same perio d last yearof $22.6 million, or 29 cents a The company had been exploring strategi c alternatives, including merger with or acquisition by another additional restructuring, repurchase of additional amounts of convertible notes or allocationh of its remaining resources toward other biopharmaceutica l product areas. Cell Genesys had hirex to help it figure outa strategy.
The company alreadty cut about 95 percent of its from 290 personsto 16, by eliminating all researcu and development, manufacturing, clinical and regulatory activities. BioSante, baseds in Lincolnshire, Ill., focuses on drugd for sexual health.