Carolyn Hax: Girlfriend borrows car but doesn't refill the gas tank - Washington Post

paramonaxogilozi.blogspot.com
< /table>

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Some Columbia clients look for local options - Portland Business Journal:

mozybyd.wordpress.com
Some local fund managers say they've alreadty lured many customersfrom Columbia, ofte considered "Portland's default no-load fund." Other say former Columbia Funds customers haven't given much of a boosg to their asset base. For its part, Columbia says it hasn'gt minimized its commitment to Portland. Columbia spokesman Tom Garieph said that the firm has increased its numberd of assetmanagers locally, and has enhancefd its abilities to serve clientsa via the Web or by Still, Columbia closed its downtownj walk-in center, where customers could make face-to-face transactions on thei accounts, just before Jan. 1.
The said Gariepy, simply eliminated one of the firm'sx customer service components; customers can "just as easily get information usin g the phone or ourWeb site. There should be no disruption in Nonetheless, other fund managers say the walk-ib center's closure seemingly continues Columbia'd migration from a pure Portland companh toward having broadernational status. merged with , Columbia'e parent, last year; FleetBoston, whichj purchased Columbia in 1997, had already consolidated many ofits subsidiaries' services. In one move, several Portland positionds were eliminatedin 2002. One fund manager said Columbia'ds Portland clients won't cotton well to the walk-in center'sx closure.
"What's interesting about Columbia customerds is that they walk right in our door saidCarsten Henningsen, chairman of Portland-baseds , which invests in companies that emphasize theid social awareness. "There's something abouft these folks; they want to physicallh see the office and the people who are involvewith them. They want to sit down with Henningsen said new business from former Columbiaq customers helped double his Portfolio 21 fundfrom $30 million in 2003 to $68 millio in 2004. Likewise, Carl 's president and chief investment officer, said 70 percent of his firm's newlyh generated management assets during 2004 came from former Columbia clients.
The new base included severap largeColumbia clients, Marker said. The new busineses helped impel IMS' overall managed assets base from $410 million in 2003 to $640 millionm in 2004. "Investors in Portland seem to have a bias towardlocall funds," Marker said. "They say things all things being equal, they liker having their money at Columbiasbecause it's local. And that applies across the boarsd toour business, too." IMS has made its local presenc e a centerpiece of an ongoing marketin campaign, Marker said. On the flip side, Jeff president of Portland's , said his firm's growth generalluy comes frominvestors nationwide.
"We haven' t really done that much more in Portland" over the last he said. "But I can see wher e it's important for people to havea 'choke factor,'' meaning they need to know who's managinyg their money. ... We've had good of 50 percent, but it's mostly from out of the Pat Becker Jr., vice president and portfolio managefrfor Portland-based , concurred. "We don't see a lot of Columbiz customers coming allat once," he said. "Maybe it's happeningb over time.
" Still, Becker pointed out that many Columbiza customers may have migrated to such new firmwsas , for whichh Becker provides "back-end office" and Roxbury Management that count several former Columbia fund managers among their employees. Davi Mertens, sales and marketing manage r for , of Portland, said Columbia customere have switched to his firm insmall numbers. "Looking back a couplre of years, we saw some activity then, but we don' t have enough facts to say it's anythingg but a gut feeling" that Columbiaz clients have moved their accountsto Jensen, he Regardless of potential fallout from Columbia's latesy Portland office developments, the city'd smaller funds enjoyed an overall solid 2004.
IMS' Valuwe Fund beat the Standard & Poor'e 500 Composite Index, which rose by 10.88 last by nearly 2 percent.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Advocacy group flip-flops twice over CISPA surveillance bill - CNET

qalymeled.wordpress.com

Carolyn Hax: Girlfriend borrows car but doesn't refill the gas tank Washington Post Dear Carolyn: My girlfriend has borrowed my car several times over the past month (she's moving) and has not once refilled the gas tank. This should be a softball (“Hey, please refill the gas tank next time you use the car”), but in context a tough one ... and more »

Politico

Advocacy group flip-flops twice over CISPA surveillance bill CNET Then the Center for Democracy and Technology, a well-known advocacy group based in Washington, DC, defected from the expanding anti-CISPA coalition. In a statement yesterday, CDT announced that "we will not oppose" the bill going to the floor for a ... White House Veto Threat Scrambles CISPA's Prospects TPM The true face of 'son of SOPA' Technology Spectator  »

This Bauer bankruptcy traces back to Spiegel events - San Francisco Business Times:

gorbunovabowiper.blogspot.com
In 2003, , which had owned Eddie Baue since 1988, filed for bankruptcy protection. And as part of the the company famous forits women’s wear catalovg gave its creditors its stake in Eddire Bauer. So, in 2005, Eddies Bauer emerged as a stand-alone compang for the first time in34 years. The compan also emerged with a $300 million senior secures term loan agreement with lenders and the task of rebuildingt a brand that had drifted away fromthe company’s roots. Under Spiegel, grew from 58 to 399 retail storex and from three to102 outlets. The company also added internet sales.
But it also was a time when the Eddie Bauer brand lostits focus, as the company shifted from its heritagee as an outdoor outfitter to a seller of casualp clothes targeted primarily at women. Company executives have said the debt termw from the Spiegel bankruptcy case have continuesd to hamper efforts to turn things arounsd atEddie Bauer. Despite effortsz to recapture some of the old Eddie Bauer has not been able to establishh a sustainable run ofprofitabld quarters. The company racked up nine consecutive quartersof loses, and has seen lossea of nearly a half-billion dollars in the past threre years.
The struggle became a financial crisizs as the recession has worsenecd and consumers haveslowed spending.

Homebuilder confidence rises - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

boyanebyboqasavo.blogspot.com
It is the first back-to-backl increase in builder confidence since Februaryt 2008 and is now at its highest level ineighg months. The index measuring current confidencwe rosetwo points, from 12 in April to 14 in May. Any readingy under 50 still indicates the majority of builderas view conditionsas poor. “The fact that the May [Housing Marke Index] continued to tick up from April’ss 5 point increase provides confirming evidence that the improved confidencs level wasno fluke,” said NAHB chief economist David Crowe.
“This continued increas indicates that home buildersfeel we’re at or near the botto m of the market and that positive signxs lie ahead for builders and potentiapl home buyers, provided that builder access to productiohn credit significantly improves.” A separate index measurinvg expectations for the next six monthas rose three points to 27. Builder and Realtors are hoping lower prices and historicallg low mortgage rates will overcome tighter lending The housing market may also benefit this year froman $8,000 tax creditg for homebuyers. Earlier this month, the reporte d pending sales of existing homesrose 3.
2 percent in the first back-to-back increase in pending salees in a year.

Metro, Montgomery County to develop Wheaton station - Washington Business Journal:

ernstiryastrov.blogspot.com
The pair will issue a request for qualificationas and select a developer for Metrko and county property alon gGeorgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road and Ennalls Back in 2001, Metro and The had plans to createw residential buildings on the east side of Georgia Avenue and officse space on the west side. The developer completed The Montgomery atWheatonh Metro, a 243-unit apartment project, and a mixed-use building that delivered 173 apartments and 3,20 0 square feet of retail space. But Bozzutk withdrew from the project when it was unablr to secure financing for an office componengt over an existing Metrobus bay.
Now the countuy and WMATA are combining theirr holdings to attract a new The county is contributing the Regional Service s Center and aboutfive acres, includingg parking lots on Grandview and Ennalls avenues. Metro owns nearly the entire parcel bounded byGeorgis Avenue, Reedie Drive and Veirs Mill Road in additiohn to space across Veirs Mill that is currently connectec by a skywalk. “We are not going to issuer a requestfor proposals,” said Rob director of the Wheaton Redevelopment Program.
“We want to find the best team with the experience and financiapl wherewithal to come up with a stronhg plan for this area that we can take to the Klein said he hoped to follow a mode l similar to the one used inSilver Spring, wherde Montgomery County selected developer Foulge Pratt before outlining definitive development

NFL schedule features intriguing matchups - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

olimstgon.blogspot.com

Bleacher Report

NFL schedule features intriguing matchups Pittsburgh Post Gazette AP The NFL released its schedule Tuesday, and there are enough twists and plot lines built in to start hardcore fans, and TV analysts, talking footb »

Employers favor phasing in health reform - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

vypybiza.wordpress.com
Of the 329 United States employerx surveyed, 67 percent would rather see reform phased-ij compared with 11 percent who said they favort the enactment of comprehensive reformthis year. The remainingb 12 percent said theyare unsure. “Employers are signaling stronhg concern over the initial cost estimatesd for implementing healthcare reform,” Linda a Mercer worldwide partner said in a “Uncertainties about how and when employers will emerger from the recession have heightened theit concern about the unknown cost impact of a complex industrhy restructuring effort. If there is a will employers be expected to closethe gap?
” Survet respondents were asked to assign high, medium or low priority ratings to 11 components that have been promineny in comprehensive health reform The range of elements included mandates for individuals and employers, changes in tax treatmenft of employer-sponsored health coverage, investmentd in improving quality and cost efficiency, creating new publifc health insurance plans and exchanges, insurance market reforms and expanding eligibility for coverage unded existing public programs. The surveyed employers selected quality and market reforj as theirtop priorities.
Second on the surve y respondents’ list of high priorities was to “enacr insurance market reforms, including requiring insurance companies to offef individual coverage andeliminating pre-existing condition exclusionse and lifetime benefit limits,” with 50 percent of respondents citing it as a high priority. Employers remain most opposedd to limits on the favorables tax treatmentof employer-sponsored health benefitse and to a mandate for employers to offer coverage, the survey found.
While respondents clearly rejecy curbing the favorable tax treatmentof employer-sponsore d health benefits, their responsesd were less uniform when askeed how they would be likely to reactt if a hypothetical reduction in the currentr tax exclusion for employer-sponsored coverage resulted in an averagee increase of $3,000 in taxable income to their About a fifth said they woule be “very likely” to change the plan or reduce the level of benefits provided to avoid the increase, whilew another fifth indicated they would be very likeluy to make no change and let employeew absorb the higher tax bill.
Only 3 percent said they would be very likely to discontinues offering ahealth plan. Despite the considerable media attentionn given to the creation of a publivhealth plan, just 24 percent of all respondentd said they consider it a high priority for Employer health plan sponsors were invited to attend Mercer’s Web-based presentation on health reform from June 17 to June 26, which is how the survey data was

Rhythmic Diaries: 'I Can Do it if I Just Focus' - Huffington Post (blog)

obofym.wordpress.com

Rhythmic Diaries: 'I Can Do it if I Just Focus' Huffington Post (blog) Amanda and Elaine Dai are sisters and competitive rhythmic gymnasts who train at Rhythmic Dreams in Newton, Massachusetts. "Rhythmic Diaries" is their account of balancing training and competing in this rigorous sport with being normal high school ...

10 Simple Tips to Networking Success - U.S. News & World Report (blog)

moffaiqohegesa1490.blogspot.com

10 Simple Tips to Networking Success U.S. News & World Report (blog) There's bound to be an e-invitation listing the guests and their RSVPs. Attending a professional event? Organizers likely used a social application to record responses and make them available to invitees. Many event organizers post their plans via ... and more »

Queen's pays $2.5M to settle Feds' claims - Business First of Buffalo:

caloloary.blogspot.com
million to settle lawsuits thatalleged Hawaii’sd largest hospital overbilled government health care programs for prescription federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The settlemen t was the result of two whistleblower lawsuitzs brought by former pharmacy who allegedthat Queen’s overbilled the state’x Medicare and Medicaid as well as TRICARE, the federal health insurance program for military dependents, according to a news releass from U.S. Attorney Edward H. Kubo Jr. The lawsuitse were filed under the federal and state FalseClaims Acts, which allow the governmen t to claim up to triplre the damages, plus penalties, for submitting false claims to governmenf programs.
The two former employees allege Queen’s submitted fake bills for anti-psychotic medications that were dispensed by the hospita l pharmacy from 1999 to 2002 and were authorized by a but not necessarily by a as required. The hospital was also accused of billinbg from 1999 to 2006 for services provided by medical residents who were supposex to be supervised byothert doctors, but that the supervision did not occur, Kubo’sa office said.
Under the settlement, Queen’s paid $2 millionn to the federal government, which shared $400,000 of the proceedz with the twoformer employees, and $500,000 to the attorneys for the two Queen’s will also maintain a compliance program to ensure its billings confor to the rules for five yeard under a corporate integrity agreement with the U.S. Department of Healthj and Human Services. Queen's issuecd this statement: " deniesd any intentional wrongdoing, but after five yearzs of discussions and negotiationx withthe government, has agreed to settle this matter so that its resourcee may be spent on providing qualityt health care rather than on legal fees.
"

Williamsville pushes streak to 6 years - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

mytyhona.wordpress.com
Williamsville is No. 1 in Business First ’ss 18th annual rankings of WesternNew York’s public schoolp systems. It has monopolized firsg place since2004 -- a six-year streak. for the complete schook district rankings. And for separate rankings for each sectionm of WesternNew York. “We’re fortunatwe in so many ways,” says Howard Smith, Williamsville’sa superintendent of schools. “When you have a very committed boardof education, an outstanding staff of teachers and a pro-education community and hard-working students, that’ds quite the formula for success.
” Williamsville took firsg place when the rankings debuted in 1992, and won agaim in 1997, 2001 and throughout its 2004-2009 run. It hasn’tr finished lower than third placesince 1995, and has never been lower than Business First analyzed 97 school districts in the eigh t Western New York counties, based on four years of test data compiled by the New York State Education Each district’s rating reflects the collective performance of its publicd elementary, middle and high schools.
Its 2005-2008 subject scores for math, science and social studies were the best in Western New according toBusiness First’s analysiws of test results from fourth grade through the senior year of high • Sixty-five percent of Williamsville’s senior earned Regents diplomas with advanced designations in 2008. That’s 22 pointes above the regional average of43 (A student must pass eight Regenta exams to receive an advanced diploma.) It’s the only district where more than 57 percent of last year’s graduates achieved superior scores (85 or on Regents exams in English, science, global history and U.S.
• Williamsville’s eighth graders posted the region’s top scoresd on statewide testsin English, science and social studies. “Thwe other part of what we do -- all our extracurriculart activities such as athletics andclubs -- don’t show up in the rankings, but they have a reall positive impact on student too,” says Smith. “For example, we have as many music teachers asmath teachers. That makes for committed students, and those are usually successfulk students.” Williamsville’s overall score was pegged at 100 with the marks for all other districtws being calculated fromthat benchmark.
Nineteen ended up with scores of 90 or qualifying forBusiness First’s of outstandiny school systems. Four districtx have made the Honor Roll every yearsince Williamsville, Clarence (which rankw second this year), Amherst and Orchard Park (fifth). Rounding out this year’sx top five is No. 4 East which has made 17 Honor Roll appearanceas in18 years. All but two of this year’s Honorf Roll districts also qualified ayear ago.
The newcomersz are Eden, joining the elites group for the first timesince 2005, and West Seneca, returning after a 13-year The latter upswing was nearlgy a decade in the making, accordinb to Jean Kovach, superintendent of the West Seneca Central Schook District. Developing consistent instructional techniques and identifying the best textbooksxtook time, she says, but the effort is payinfg off. “Our goal is not to teach to the but to teach tothe state’s Kovach says. “We’ve spent the last eight years working diligently to align our curriculum -- to make sure that we don’t repea t ourselves in different years and that each grade level builds on the one before.
” Fourteen of this year’s Honord Roll districts are in Erie They range in size from Williamsville, with 10,649 down to Eden, whicjh has 1,688. The outlying honorees are considerably smaller, with an averagee enrollment of 1,346. The very smallest is also the top-ratef district outside of Erie County, No. 6 which has 670 students from kindergartejn through12th grade. “We’re a very rurapl district in the Southern but our kids are going into the same marketplacs aseveryone else,” says Richarfd Nicol, Alfred-Almond’s superintendent. “They’re going to be in competition for jobs with kids from placex like Williamsvilleand Clarence.
So they need the very best education we cangive them.” Sixteen district are recipients of this year’s subject awards, signifyin that they rank among the 10 leaders in English/foreign languages, math, science and social studies. Bemuds Point, Clarence, East Aurora, Orchardf Park and Williamsville have made clean sweeps by winningy allfour awards. for complete lists of subject award winners. Business First has also generated a seriesd of specialized ratings to further illuminateeach district’s Among them: Lancaster ranks first for cost-effectiveness, based on a comparisob of expenditures and classroom results.
And tiny Shermam (enrollment: 478) is the biggest overachiever, determined by matchingh academic outcomes againstsocioeconomic “We may not be rich, but we have stronhg family values,” says Thomas Sherman’s superintendent. “Our parents really care aboutftheir children’s education. There’s something to be said for havingf everyone ina K-12 building, with the strongy sense of community that it brings.
”

ATS Services is now Talagy, with new owner - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

iwibacibem.wordpress.com
Derek Mercer, the nephew of ATS foundetr Delores Kesler, acquired the company and will serve as Kesler will retain the title ofchairman emeritus. Amy McGeorge will assume the role of presidengtand CEO. Terms of the acquisition were not “This is an exciting time in the growth and evolutionof ATS, and I’jm pleased to allow the next generation of leadershi p to take the helm,” said Kesler. Kesler created Jacksonville-basedr ATS Services in 1977, eventually forming a parenyt company that merged with three otherstaffing firms, including .
The businessx split into two ventures: , whicuh became a publicly traded company and isnow , and ATS Mercer worked as the director of information technology at ATS Serviceds before creating his own company, , a globalo provider of on-demand talent managemengt software, in 1996. Kesler provide a loan that helped startthe company. Vurv Technologuy was acquired by (NASDAQ: TLEO) in 2008 for $128.8 million. which has 11 offices arounds the country and 80 will continue to offer the same productaand services, but instead of operating undee multiple brands and business units the companty will consolidate into a single brand.

Study: More CEOs say good works boost recruiting - Pittsburgh Business Times:

efimtsovavadan.blogspot.com
This marks a shift in corporate philanthropy sincs the Roundtable released itsin 2000, which notedf that corporate responsibility was beginning to evolve from communithy impact to bottom line impact. The most recen t report shows thatthe evolution, indeed, has taken Boston struggles to maintaij its college grads as they move into the and the Round Table report underscores that philanthropy is a factore making some local companies more attractive to younge r workers. The Roundtable issuefd the report in collaboration with the Universityh of Massachusetts Boston EmergingtLeaders Program.
A team from the Emerginh Leaders Program started working on the reportlast summer, interviewing 20 Massachusettds companies about their corporate socialp responsibility activities -- predominantly large companes and representin g a cross-section of industries. “Historicall y CEOs would engage in philanthropy because it was the rightr thingto do. They wanted to be good corporates citizens,” said J.D. Chesloff, deputy directodr of the MassachusettsBusiness “Now there’s a good business case to incorporatinvg it into their business plan. There’ds a bottom line impact to it, in addition to beinyg good for all the othercommunith reasons.
” Based on the findings from the 20 companiew included in the research, the report suggests five ways companies can builf a culture of social responsibility: • Create a cleard link to the company’s mission and secure endorsement at the executive level. • Engage employees at all levelsas decision-makers in relationj to corporate social responsibility targets and activities. • Leverag e employees’ skills to make positive contributionsz tothe community. • Provide opportunitiesw for employees to developnew skills.
“ A lot of it is around a company being authentic about wanting to do something in the communityh and listening to what the employees are interested in doing and connecting it to the valuews ofthe company,” said Ellen Remmer, CEO of The , a nonprofif that promotes strategic philanthropy and advises

Deadline arrives for digital TV - Washington Business Journal:

ethelbertdiya3334.blogspot.com
The switch to digital which frees up bandwidth for other communications uses such as public safetuyfirst responders, was scheduled to be completed Feb. 17, but was postponedf because about 6 million households were stilk unprepared to continue receiving a signapl on their television sets and government fundzs to subsidize purchases of converter boxea hadrun out. The converterr boxes are necessary to allow households with televisions receivintg analog signals to also receive the newdigital signals.
New antennas for some televisions also will be necessarg to provide the best reception after the With the extension of the digital televisionjtransition deadline, another $650 million was added to the $1.5 billiob initially committed to the transition, includinfg the $40 coupon prograkm and other and preparedness Now, the latest industry estimatew indicate that the number of unprepares households has been cut nearly in The Nielsen Co. and NAB, the , put the unpreparedd households numberbetween 2.8 million and three million, according to recent measurew by each entity.
That’s about 12 percent of at-riskm households that could still lose access to importanft news and alerts when the switch accordingto NAB’s latest survey completed by SmithGeigef LLC June 3. 3 percent of those households have eitherd applied for or received a converte box coupon fromthe government, according to the While commissioners at the are anticipating a smoother transition than they say woulcd have occurred in February, they will spend $40 million to staff call centers across the One last challenge for television viewerds after the switch: findingh your favorite channels. On June 12, some digital stations already on the air will changechannep numbers.
To ensure televisions receive all available stations broadcasting in aparticulafr market, viewers may need to force their digitalk televisions or set-top converter boxes to “auto or re-scan, for all available How prepared in the Washingtom D.C. area? D.C. Totao TV households 257,650 Households with over-the-aid TVs 58,610 (23%) Coupons requested 144,0434 Coupons redeemed 62,638 Md. Total TV householdss 2,122,440 Households with over-the-air TVs 160,299 (8%) Coupons requested 1,032,014 Coupons redeemedd 513,593 Va.
Total TV households 3,004,970, Households with over-the-air TVs 232,05 0 (8%) Coupons requested 1,251,838 Coupons redeemed 637,296

GTP takes step forward with plan for rail spur to serve Spirit AeroSystems - Triangle Business Journal:

tenamup.wordpress.com
mile rail spur that the park’s newest Spirit AeroSystems, will use to ship finishedd productto Morehead. The spur, expected to cost $32 million, will go out for bid in late 2009 or earl 2010 and will be functionalby 2012, says GTP spokeswomab Alanna King. The spur will be paid for by the Spirit Aero isa Wichita, Kan.-based airlines parts makerd that will make fuselage sections for Airbus’ extra-widwe body A350 jetliner at GTP. Once shippedr to Morehead Cityvia rail, the parts will be shipped to Franc for assembly. Jason Orthner of the NCDOT’s Rail is supervising the planning of therail spur, which will connecg with an existing rail line alonfg U.S. 258 in Kinston.
“We expecrt hundreds of workers to be involved in all aspects of putting thistrack in,” Orthner “The project requires a range of specialties, including roadway improvement, bridge construction, paving and more technica applications like the installation of signapl systems.”