Saturday, December 31, 2011

Report: Antitrust scrutiny of carrier deals on iPhone, Pre, Storm - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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The Wall Street Journal reportedd Tuesday that a review by the is in its earluy stages but marks the latest sign that the Obama administration is goingh to be more aggressive onantitrust laws. The most populard smartphones in recent years have commonlyy required owners to buy their service from a predeterminedtelecon provoder. is the exclusive carrier for 'sx iPhone, Verizon for 's BlackBerr Storm in the U.S. and has an exclusivityh deal for 's Pre until early next year. These deals were the subject of Congressional hearings this year in which they were portrayede as an abuse of power by telecomn providers who have growntoo powerful.
The said in June it plansw to investigate them. But carrierw say their exclusive deals encourage them to offer consumerss discount prices on smartphones and supports development of theexpensive devices. They warn that governmeny intervention would impact their ablity toinvesg elsewhere, such as improving telecom networ k capacity.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

BOK Sees Growth Risks After Kim Handover - Bloomberg

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Telegraph.co.uk


BOK Sees Growth Risks After Kim Handover

Bloomberg


South Korea's central bank highlighted potential threats to growth from instability in the North as the neighboring nation held a ceremony in Pyongyang to mourn the death of its leader, Kim Jong Il. “Geopolitical risks” relating to the North have the ...


'Militar y First' for North Korea May See Submarines as Top Risk

San Francisco Chronicle


Succession in North Korea

The Economist



 »

Monday, December 26, 2011

Ritter confronted at bill signing by union grocery workers - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Ritter addressed the workers publiclyaftedr , repeating to them as he had written in his May 19 veto of House Bill 1170 that he felt that the bill wouldd have interrupted ongoing union negotiations with grocery-stor chains , and Albertsons. But after severa minutes of explanation, workers began yelling, "That is a lie!" and why did you lie?" and the governor left the "I have made my Thank you very much," Ritter said as he exiterd the packed west foyer ofthe Capitol. .
Tensions betweej union workers and the Democratic governor that they helped to elect in 2006 have been simmerin since his veto of the bill that would haveallower locked-out workers to collect unemployment insurance benefits. United Food and Commercialo Workers UnionLocal No. 7 President Ernest Duranm said that Ritterhad "betrayed" them and "renegesd on his promises," and some activistas have begun looking for a candidate to oppose Ritte in a primary.
Ritter signed 29 billse Tuesday, culminating with an evening "Help for Working Families at the Capitol in whic h he inked six laws to help unemployeds residents receive more benefits andkeep workers' homes from beingb foreclosed upon, among other Leaders from several construction unions stooed behind him as he signed one of the House Bill 1310, which allows for the easiefr filing of complaints if an employer misqualifiesd a worker as an independent But, even before then, while Rittef was signing a measure that will allosw local governments to sell low- to no-interest bondws for public construction under the American Recoveryt and Reinvestment Act, the harangues began.
Crowsd members clad in black UFCW shirts yelled can you explain why you vetoed HousreBill 1170?" and "We supportr you, governor; you turned your back on as Ritter largely ignored them. Then, as he laterr signed Senate Bill 247, whichb increases the number of Coloradanes who qualify for unemployment insurance and will bring insome $200 milliobn in federal money, someoner yelled: "Where was your support for the grocer workers when you vetoed Housee Bill 1170, governor?" Ritter replied: "I'mj going to sign thes bills, and then we'll talk.
" After he finished, the governor rose to the microphone and firsty told the crowd how many of the new laws will help workera affected by the recession. He then explainedc that signing HB 1170 would have been akin to the government implementing new playinh rules for negotiations between the UFCW and the three grocery chainse that have been underway sincdApril 9. He also said that he woulde be open to reconsidering similad legislation at afuture date.
He noted that a bill he signex Tuesdayregarding electricians' education standards was similar to one he vetoedf in 2008 while telling competing sides on the measurd that they needed to work out a compromiss -- which they did this "I also think that public policy should not be used to interrupy negotiations," Ritter told the crowd, which includer about 25 UFCW workers along with proponents of the billsx being signed. "It is my great hope that you're able to work this Then question-shouting began from the back.
And Ritter'w speech to the group

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Missouri approves KCP&L rate increase - New Mexico Business Weekly:

sunrise-invoices.blogspot.com
million that KCP&L had sought. PSC spokesmaj Gregg Ochoa said that the PSC stafd estimated the increase will raise a typicapresidential customer’s bill about $12.82 a month. A typicao customer is considered to be one that uses 700 kilowatt hourx of electricity a month in winterand 1,200 kWh a monthb in the summer, Ochoa said. “Our customeres depend on us to provide affordable andreliablwe power,” KCP&L CEO Mike Chesseer said in a written statementy responding to the PSC “This rate increase will help us pay for environmentaol investments we have already made to several of our coal-fire power plants.
The installation of such pollution-contropl equipment will improve air quality for our regio and allow us to meet future federa lenvironmental mandates. We recognize that this is a challenging time to ask customer s to pay morefor electricity, and we didn’t make this decisiom lightly.” Kansas City-based (NYSE: GXP), KCP&L’s that KCP&L had reached an agreement in principle with the PSC to settles its pending Missouri rate Great Plains Energy ranks No. 5 on the Kansas City BusinesswJournal ’s list of area publif companies.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Business groups slam proposed tax increases - Charlotte Business Journal:

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The said it opposes changes to the corporateminimumm tax, a new corporatse income tax and a new personal income tax. The alliancw consists of 30 business groups that represent morethan 25,00o0 Oregon businesses and employ 500,00o residents. Raising the taxes could cause the state tolose 6,00o jobs, according to state revenue officd estimates. “These proposals ignore the stark realitiesx of ourcurrent recession,” the group said in a news releasew sent by J.L. a lobbyist with Associated Oregon Industries. “They are counterproductive measures that kill jobs and prolonygour recession.
” The corporate minimum tax and corporat e income tax proposals woulrd collectively harm companies with smalol profit margins as well as businessesa looking to invest more in capital equipment, the group said. The alliance called on lawmakersa to instead focuson private-sector job retention and creation. “We believe strongly that increased taxesw are detrimental to job Wilson said in thenews release. “Amn increased tax burden will hurt the abilityh of our members to create desperately needed It is the wrong approach to balancsethe state’s budget.
” Other groups signing the lette include Associated Oregon Loggers, Independent Community Banks of Oregon, the Northwestt Food Processors Association, Oregon Association of the Oregon Automobile Dealers the Oregon Bankers Association, the Oregon Home Builders the Oregon Restaurant Association and the Oregon Truckingy Association. Oregon’s House and Senate memberzs hope to adjourn byJuly 1. Lawmakers must addressa a $4.2 billion budget shortfall before they adjourn or in a seriea of special sessions throughouy the rest ofthe year.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Survey: 7.5% report data breach - Sacramento Business Journal:

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percent of Americans lost money as a result of financialdata breaches, accordiny to a Gartner survey of 5,000 adults. In the survey, 14 percent and 7 percent of respondents hadtheie credit-card and debit-card data used, respectively; 6 percentg said a new account was openec under their name; 5 percent were the victims of money transfer fraud; and 4 percent had checks forged. The highestf average financial losses camefrom new-accounft fraud ($1,097), credit card fraud and brokerage fraud On the other hand, most victima were able to recover their receiving an average of 100 percenty for brokerage fraud, 86 percent for credit-card fraud and 77 percent for debit-carrd fraud.
Although only 6 percent of the 5,000 people surveyer said they changed banks last year due tosecurith concerns, that number jumped to 28 percentg after they became victims of The results come after high-profile data breaches at groups — such as and were discovered last year. They affected millionz of customers throughoutthe country. Data breachex rose 47 percent in 2008 and affected a total of 78financiall institutions, according to the Identity Theft Resourcer Center. Stamford, Conn.-based (NYSE: IT) is one of leading providerd of research and analysis on the global informatiotechnology industry.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Dow shows 90-point gain - Business First of Columbus:

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at orup 90.99 points and 1.08 percentf higher. NASDAQ rose 5.84 points, or 0.32 to 1,844.06. The S&P 500 climbed 8.33 points, or 0.91 percent, to end at Among Colorado’s most heavily trades stocks, Gasco Energy Inc. (GSX) toppedf advances, rising 28.57 Shares rose 6 cents to 27 cents. American Oil & Gas up 10.11 percent, or 9 to 98 cents. Level 3 Communicationa (LVLT): up 7.14 percent, or 10 cents, to $1.50. Ball Corp up 5.5 percent, or $2.36, to TW Telecom (TWTC): up 4.26 or 42 cents, to $10.29. Amonv the decliners, Ascent Solar Technologied (ASTI) had the worst day, with sharea dropping by 11.07 percent, or 97 cents, to $7.79.
Croczs (CROX): down 9.11 percent, or 35 to $3.49. Delta Petroleum (DPTR): down 7.83 or 17 cents, to $2. Venoco (VQ): down 6.9 or 58 cents, to $7.83. US Gold (UXG): down 5.73 or 15 cents, to $2.47.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Niagara fruit crops holding up - San Francisco Business Times:

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But many more orchards and other areas, includin g residential areas in the Lake OntarioFruity Belt, remain to be tested for plum pox viruse before September. Teams working for the and the state Department of Agriculture and Markets began taking leaf samplesain May. Subsequent laboratory tests did not disclose any new outbreaks of the virus in Niagara Jackie Klahn, director of the USDA’es Lockport field office, said. In early May, as orchard s blossomed, optimism was growing that the spread of the which made its Niagara County debut 2006 mightrbe waning. Between 2006 and plum pox was discovered in severao NiagaraCounty orchards, in Orleans County and Wayne east of Rochester.
Though harmless to humans and animals, the virus poses an economic risk for commercial fruit growers becausew they must destroy all susceptible treedswithin 1.5 miles to 2 miles of an identified hot spot. Plum pox destroys the commercia l value of the fruit that it attack s because it discolors anddisfigures plums, prunes and nectarines. In New York state countie lying alongLake Ontario’s south fruit growing is a multi-million-dollar

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Miss Alabama Courtney Porter turning to cyberspace for finals help - The Birmingham News - al.com (blog)

hustenuejib1630.blogspot.com


The Birmingham News - al.com (blog)


Miss Alabama Courtney Porter turning to cyberspace for finals help

The Birmingham News - al.com (blog)


By Victoria L. Coman, The Birmingham News Miss Alabama 2011 Courtney Porter is seeking the public's help to secure a spot in the Miss America finals through an online vote. (Birmingham News Photo/Jeff Roberts) CLAY, Alabama -- Miss Alabama Courtney ...



and more »

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Cheryl Rogers: Last call for Empty Stocking Fund help - Livingston Daily

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Cheryl Rogers: Last call for Empty Stocking Fund help

Livingston Daily


We will run a thank-you ad in our newspaper during the holidays, so please let us know how you would like your name to appear. Cheryl Rogers is director of administration and planning for the Daily Press & Argus. Contact her at (517) 552-2822 or at ...



and more »

Friday, December 9, 2011

Future is murky for University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute - Washington Business Journal:

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But to get the fish into the handws of seafood companies that can make moneytfrom them, the Center of Marine Biotechnology could use largeer technology transfer offices, more entrepreneurial stafdf and the brainpower of a busines school faculty, Director Yonathan Zohar As the University Systej of Maryland reviews the future of the Universit y of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, some faculty members say combininb Zohar’s marine biotech research and the othedr three UMBI centers with another USM school coulx give the state a better returnn for its investment — a total of $260 millionm over nearly 25 years.
“Ir makes sense to assess the possibility of merging with abig campus,” Zoha r said. Other options before USM leaders include splittingv off the UMBI centersin Baltimore, Rockvillde and College Park. Towson the University of Maryland, Baltimore and other USM schools have submitterd proposals on how they wouldincorporats UMBI’s medical, biotechnology, marine and environmenta science researchers into their schools. This is not the firsty time UMBI has been under Fiveyears ago, USM officials conducted an audit to see whethee it should remain intact. They decided it should but to re-examine that position once its leader That timeis now.
UMBI President Jenniee Hunter-Cevera steps down June 30. Change is almosf a certainty. UMBI is under fire from the stater and USM leaders for not producinh enough spinoff companies or attracting enoughprivated dollars. Few faculty members or state officials expect UMBI to remaina stand-alone But as leaders weigh two other alternatives — carvintg up UMBI and dissolving it or merging it with anotherd university — the latter would be a better some faculty say. It would preserve UMBI’s facultyy and allow collaboration amongthe institute’s four centersa to continue.
The UMBI stafv says the biggest challenge is UMBI has 54 faculty versusnearly 3,000 at University of Maryland, College College Park gets $426 million from the about 21 times that of UMBI. “The key is to transformm UMBI and potentially other institutions so we are joining forcee and becomingmuch stronger,” Zohar “We understand our role is not just our ivory tower but to take our to market.” But UMBI’s researcb can sometimes be so esoteriv that legislators and university officials wonder how that research has supportex Maryland’s economy.
While other USM schoolx land startups that developlifesavingf drugs, UMBI is figurinfg out how to save the Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and harnessz excess energy from electrons to generate fuel cells. Mergingt UMBI with a bigger campus — whilde keeping its faculty and centersintact — would allow UMBI to tap the otheer schools’ administrative and other resources, COMB Associate Director Russelpl Hill said. The UMBI staff is quickl to point outthe institute’s achievements. UMBI has been laudef for its efforts to restore the blue crab populatiom inChesapeake Bay. Last CytImmune Sciences Inc.
in Rockville partnered with UMBI to develoop the cancer drug At a May 7 meeting in front of the Board of Regents ad hoc more than half a dozen UMBI professors toutedtheir research. Chris Geddes, director of UMBI’s Institute of Fluorescence, noted that the institutes had received 42 patents since it was foundefin 2001. UMBI as a whole has received 111 Patents protect intellectual property that can spur new productdsor companies. But USM leaders wondeer if these achievements are The state’s funds are At the same time, the federal stimulus couldx increase the research capacities at the Universityu of Maryland.
That meanzs UMBI’s research labs could be used by another USM institution that gets morefederal money. Facultg say they do not thini USM would do away withUMBI “I don’t think eliminating it is a seriouds option,” said Greg Payne, professor at the institute’sa Center for Biosystems Research. “Biosciences is too importanf tothe state.” But UMBI was absent from Gov. Martinb O’Malley’s 30-page list of ways the statee can pump upits $29 billion life sciencesd industry (see related story). UMBI employs 300 and had a $44 million budgetg last year, down from $63 million in 2007. Fundintg from private money droppedfrom $2.
3 million in 2007 to $1.2 million last year. Federal grant money dropped from $21 million to $14

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dell: W-S work force reduction totals 260 - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

efiosyt.blogspot.com
Monday marked the first time anyone outsidthe company, including officials with the city of Winston-Salem, learnedx the current employment numbers following the job cuts. The city and Forsythh County have combined to offer the computermaker $22 millio n in incentives, provided Dell investsw at least $100 million in its plant and employs 1,709 people by September 2010. But the companyt had remained tight-lipped abou t its employment figures followingthe layoffs, and Mayof Allen Joines called for a meeting with Dell Frank Miller, a vice president with said the recession has caused fewert people to buy computers.
He said that worldwide computee shipments were down 7 percent in thefirst quarter, the firsg year-over-year decline in more than eight years. "Dell is fully accountabl for performance-based agreements," Miller "Not as many computers are being sold, and we must size our staffd accordingly. We do not take reductions lightly." And more customerx are shifting to The Winston-Salem plant manufactures desktop though Miller noted it was built with flexibility in mind and coulc possibly begin making othedr products, such as laptops, though he declinedd to say how likely that might be.
Millerf said the company has already invested morethan $130 million in the Winston-Salenm plant, including a recent $10 million spent on improvementss to a production line, meeting that part of the incentiver requirements. Donna Oldham, a Dell said that the company could not say when or if it woulde employthe 1,700 require to earn all the incentives, sayin that if Dell did not fulfill the requirementt the company would not accept the incentives Dell typically releases its total worldwides employment once a year and only reports its Winston-Salemm employment once a year in an update to city, countyy and state officials.
Companyu spokesman David Frank said competitorse could calculate how many computers an individual plant was able to producd and exploit that advantage if employment figurees were morereadily available. Mille r also said Dell has institutefd arecall program, so that should the economy reboundd and production increase at the laid off workers will be the firstf ones called to fill new jobs. Joines said he is hopefu that Dell officials will make employment figures more readilty available inthe future.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

TRM to enter student loan servicing market - Philadelphia Business Journal:

martaemimbzini.blogspot.com
The Cherry Hill, N.J., companyg said it believes it can cross sell its ATM productas with the new loan processing President and CEO Richard Stern said the company has hiredrKen Buren, the founder and former president of Rutgersd Federal Credit Union, to head the student loan which will offer a platform for credit union and small regional banks to provides private student loans to theier members and customers. It will be offereed through TRM subsidiary Accessto Money-SL Inc. as an outsourcesd solution to thesefinancial institutions.
The system will electronically accepyloan applications, gather financial information, deliver loan documents and certifh loans with university financial aid offices enablin g customers to deliver preliminary approvals of studeny loan applications. TRM (OTCBB:TRMM) is a consumer servicez company that provides convenience ATM servicesin high-traffid consumer environments.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Report: State should spend less on new roads - Business First of Columbus:

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The report focused on how stated are spending their Surface TransportationProgramm (STP) money, which is part of the Americanm Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Colorado is gettinvg about $411.7 million in STP money for road according to the State officials have said Colorado is getting anadditional $103 million in ARRA money for public transportation Unlike other pots of ARRA officials have some flexibility on where STP money should be spent, said Dannu Katz, state director for CoPIRG, a nonpartisan, nonprofiy group. Of the $411.7 the report concluded that abougt $278.7 million, or 68 percent, is being spenrt on road maintenanceor rehabilitation. About $84.
2 or 20 percent, is being spent on new highwag capacity whileabout $31.1 million, or 8 is being spent on public “We’re excited that there was a lot of money spenrt on transit, but none of that money shouled be going to new highways,” Katz “We used our money better than most but we can’t continuee to spend it on new roads.” The reportt cited research that spending on public transportatio n creates 31 percent more jobs compared to new road and bridges construction.
Myung Oak Kim, communications manager for the Governor’s Economidc Recovery Team, said “There is a fundamental problen with the report becauswe it does not take into account the fact that the Recoveryy Act allocates separate funds just fortransig projects. In addition to the surface transportatiomn dollars analyzed inthe report, Colorado will receive more than $100 millioj from the Recovery Act for capitapl transit projects. Among the Recovery Act transirt dollars comingto Colorado, the West Corridor line of FasTrackes is getting $40 million and Summitr County is getting $10 milliomn for a new bus maintenance facility.” The reporty comes a day before U.S.
Transportationh Secretary Ray LaHood will be in Denver to break ground ona $32 ARRA-funded, road and bike path reconstruction project along C-470. LaHood will join with Gov. Bill Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.; and CDOT Executive Directof Russell George on Tuesday mornin atthe C-470 bikepath near the I-70 junction. The projectf will pay to resurface the bike path that spanz 26 milesfrom I-70 to It will also rehabilitate C-470 betweenm Santa Fe Drive and I-25. The ARRA money CDOT is spendintg on the project comes from its own allocatiobn ofstimulus money, not from STP funds, CDOT spokeswomab Stacey Stegman said.
“CDOT selected the bike path to come out of its fundinh because we believed it to be a high she said.