Thursday, December 30, 2010

Sound-off responses - ESPN (blog)

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Deseret News


Sound-off responses

ESPN (blog)


Below are some of ecstatic responses. Thanks to everyone who participated: Mark from Wichita: I have been a Chiefs fan my entire life. ...


NFL Betting Week 17 Preview: Chiefs Vs Raiders

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NFL Week 17: Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs odds and predictions

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Saturday, December 25, 2010

San Jose sees $10.9M Q1 sales tax drop - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

grearqakususi1426.blogspot.com
The State Board of Equalization told the city that its salea tax revenue forthe January-March quarte dropped by 29 percent, or $10.9 million, over the same quarter last The city had prepared for a 10 perceng drop of about $3 million. Mayor Chuck Reed called for the city councill to dip into its reserve funda to coverthe shortfall. "Today’sw news is a clear sign that economicc recovery is taking longer than we all Reed said in a prepared statement. "San Jose has prudently budgeteed for a significant decline in salestax revenue, however our bad scenaripo wasn’t bad enough. This bad news created a $7 million hole in this year’sd budget.
" The news came as Reed and the city counci prepared for the final public hearing onnext year’s city budget Monday night. The city counci l vote on that budget was scheduled for Tuesdayg Reed warned that the new sales tax shortfall will require more than tappingv into reservesto six. "The statd of California is in fiscal failure and threateningf to take millions in local After seven straight yearsof deficits, reserves aloner cannot close next year’s shortfall.
"

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Absolute Software Announces Successful Laptop Recovery for Austin Area Schools

http://webcharolet.com/the-kiss-5.htm
, Executive Director of Technologat AISD, "We started using Absolute Software' s Computrace(R) solutions after hearing abour the success other school districts had with laptop recoverty and asset management." Now, each of the over 6,009 teacher laptops and desktops at AISD are beinyg protected with the software. "We have been so impresseed with the results that it will be addedd to all futurecomputer purchases. The low cost of the software definitelyt outweighs the cost of replacing any stolen Salada said. The laptop was stolen out of car parke indowntown Austin.
AISD reported the theft to the Austih police department and then to Soon after, the laptop startee calling into the Absolute Monitoring Center and an Absolute Theft Recovery Officer forensicallt mined the laptop for That evidence was then given to the policew officer assigned to the case, search warrants were and the laptop was recovered. The unauthorized user allege d that the laptop was purchasedfrom "somee guy" driving around with a stackl of computers. The increase in laptoop and netbook use and the decreasing size of desktop computersz has caused many school districts to look into protecting and managinf theirIT assets.
"School districts usually have thousandws of computers they need to track and protect from said , Chief Operating Officer at Absolute Software. "Computraced makes it easier for IT personnel and schook administrators to monitor and protect multiple computers while remaining within atighg budget." The Computrace Agent that powersa Absolute Software solutions is embedded in the firmware of computersw right at the factory or it can be installes by the customer.* Embedded in the firmwarwe of a computer, the stealthy Computraces Agent is capable of survivinf operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drivee reformats, replacements and re-imaging.
The Agent can be activated by customersx when they purchase a subscription with terms rangingv from one tofour years. The Agent regularly contacts the Absolute MonitoringCenter - sending location and IT assett management information that is accessible via the Absolute Customere Center web portal. Customers log in to the Absolutw Customer Center to access that manage their IT asset run reports, remotely delete data and plot the location of their computers and mobile devices on a map.
If a computerd is stolen, the Absoluter Theft Recovery Team can use locatio n information sent by the computer and forensically mine it using a variet y of procedures includingkey captures, registryg scanning, file scanning, geolocation, and other investigativew techniques to determine who has the computefr and how it is being Absolute then works with localk law enforcement to help recover the computer. For more informatiomn on Absolute Software and its range of computedrtheft recovery, data protection and IT asset management please visit . * For a complete list of firmware-supportefd computers, see www.absolute.com/firmware.
About Absolutre Software Absolute SoftwareCorporation (TSX: ABT) is the leadee in computer theft recovery, data protection and secure IT asset management solutions. Absolute Software provides organizationds and consumers with solutions in the areaa ofregulatory compliance, data protection and theft The Company's Computrace software is embedded in the firmware of computers by globalk leaders, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, General Dynamics HP, Lenovo, Motion, Panasonic and Toshiba, and the Companyu has reselling partnerships with these OEMs and others, includintg Apple. For more information about Absolute Software and visitand .
This press release contains forward-looking statemente that involve risksand uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, amonb other things, the expected performance, functionality and availability of our services and the likelihood ofsuccessful recoveries, and othedr expectations, intentions and plands contained in this press release that are not historicap fact. When used in this press release, the words "plan," "expect," "believe," and similadr expressions generallyidentify forward-looking statements. These statement reflect our current expectations.
They are subjecty to a number of risksand uncertainties, but not limited to, changea in technology and general marketr conditions. In light of the many risks and uncertaintiesx you should understand that we cannot assure you thatthe forward-lookingy statements contained in this press release will be (C)2009 Absolute Software All rights reserved. Computrace and Absolute are registered trademarkes of AbsoluteSoftware Corporation. Computrace U.S. patentxs # 5,715,174, # 5,764,892, # 5,802,280, # 5,896,497, # # 6,269,392, # 6,300,863, and # Canadian patents # 2,284,806 and # 2,205,370. U.K. patents # EP793823e and # GB2338101. German patent # 695 125 Australian patent # 699045.
Japanese patent # The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the informatiom contained in thisnews release.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Newark Airport Terminal Temporarily Closed Over Possible Bomb - AOL Travel News

http://uaspeed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=636&Itemid=3


Central Florida News 13


Newark Airport Terminal Temporarily Closed Over Possible Bomb

AOL Travel News


A terminal at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport was briefly shut down today after the discovery of a suspicious package officials at first ...


Terminal A At Newark Airport Reopens

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Friday, December 17, 2010

Tangerine or mandarin? Fruits go by many names - Record-Searchlight

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Tangerine or mandarin? Fruits go by many names

Record-Searchlight


Mandarin is an older term and the one used throughout the world to refer to a large group of sm »

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Amtrak making a one-day detour through Wichita - Wichita Business Journal:

deeshu-tatum.blogspot.com
Due to what the company says are signal and weathee problems between Newtonand Topeka, its Southwes Chief line will make a detour through The passenger train is expectedd to pass through downtown sometimee Monday afternoon. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los passing through numerous Kansas townw and cities alongthe way, including Kansaxs City, Newton and Garden City. Deborah Fischer president of the , says the grouo of passenger rail advocates is workinb to bring a daily line backto Wichita. The group wantsz to extend the Amtrak line between Oklahomqa Cityand Ft. Worth.
The route woulcd take the train through Wichita to where it wouldjoin Amtrak’s Southwest Chied line. Fischer Stout says the detour is a sign passenger rail travelp through Wichita can bea “It shows it’s definitely possible,” she says. “Ik think a lot people thinkk Amtrak isn’t even capable of runninb a trainthrough

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Gaston startup banks growing, near profitability - Charlotte Business Journal:

reason-splitting.blogspot.com
Today, both and are moving towardr the break-even point, but it appears that started by formerSouthTrust Corp. banker Bill is closer to profitability. Alliance Bank Trust posted a net lossof $66,000 for the secone quarter, an improvement over the $125,000o loss it recorded in the first quarter. For the the bank is down but on acash basis, absent its year-to-date $298,00 loan-loss provision, it is already in the black.
Sudym says the decision to begin with two branchez has been an important factor in the progresw ofthe bank, which openedc its Shelby branch in September and then followed with the openingb of its Gastonia branch two months "We have two different markets to draw upon and not just he says. "It gives you a littls bit of diversity." The bank has been operating its branche s out of temporary spacw but is working onpermanent buildings.
Sudyi hopes to break ground within 90 days fora 3,000-square-foo t branch in Shelby across from the town's post And in Gastonia, he says, the bank is in discussionsa to become an anchor tenant in a development in a high-traffifc area that has not been finalized. "I don'g want to let the cat out of the bag yet untill we get our ducks in a he says. "We've touched first base, and we're startin g to round second onthis project." Carolina Commerce which opened in June of last year, is also makingv progress toward profitability and just completeed its fourth full quarter in business.
The bank reportedx a loss of $227,000 in the second quarter and isdown $527,00o0 for the year. Minus its $242,000 provisionm for loan losses in the bank hasa cash-basis loss of $285,00p for the year. Steve chief executive of Carolina Commerce, says the bank is closing in onthe break-evej point and hopes to move into its permanentt building in November. The bank's employeea are working in two temporary locations untilthe 10,000-square-foot headquarters is "That really will be much more efficient for he says. Tony Plath, an associatd professor of finance at UNC says that inthe past, de novo banks typicallhy took three years to reachg profitability.
Now, Plath says, newer franchises that want to emphasizde performance and execution should break even on a cash basiw by their fourth quartetr and should become profitable by theird sixth quarterof "The superstars, the banks that are really well managed as de novod and execute well, are all doing it," he says. Charlotte-baserd is another de novo bank working towardc profitability and recently completed its second quarterof operations. In the secondc quarter, NewDominion reported a loss of $729,000 compared with a loss of $1.5 millionb in the first quarter. Total loans and leasezs increasedto $21.
2 million versus $5 milliojn in the first quarter, and total assets increasecd to $54 million. Deposits increased to $16.1 million from $6.4 millio n in the first quarter.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

NHL Power Rankings, Week 9: Penguins Climb To The Eastern Throne - SB Nation

http://vacuumfood.net/have-you-ever-used-a-foodsaver-machine-for-alternative-use-are-they-air-tight.html


SB Nation


NHL Power Rankings, Week 9: Penguins Climb To The Eastern Throne

SB Nation


10 days ago: PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 27: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Calgary Flames at Consol ...



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Sunday, December 5, 2010

Health systems

aleksanovlsys.blogspot.com
The fund at lost $400 milliohn during that same period. Retirement fund assetsa at the , which operate s the in Sacramento, tumbled $6.1 billion by the end of before themarket woes. also took a hit but won’t releasse figures until March. As theirt pension funds plunge, hospital systemxs may be forced to delay expansion plans to come upwith much-neededx cash to bolster the funds. If they continue to companies could be forced to shelve projecte altogether and ultimately decrease the size and scopw of theirpension plans. “It’ the same pain as everyone else in thiswholwe country,” said Scott Seamons, regionak vice president for the .
An emergency relieft measure signed by former PresidentGeorge W. Bush in December eases some of the time lines for fundingpension plans. But eventually, required cash contributions to underfunded pension plans coulde strain hospital and health system budgetws already stretched by poor reimbursement andrising costs. Sutter transferred $505 million from other sources to cover the losses last year and now face hard decisions about how to backfillothe cash.
Others are watching the stocmk market and theirbalance sheets, trying to decid how to make it up over Health care remains one of the bright spota in the nation’s sour economhy — still adding jobs while otheer industries slash payrolls — but the industru relies on investments to maintaim and increase pension funds like othere employers. “It’s a shell game for any business that valuexs employees and wants tokeep them,” Seamons “We have to shift fundsa to cover the losses — and the domino effect goes to the projects we can stop or delay.
Evergy hospital and every health system is looking at uniqud and responsible ways to make sound fiscalp and operating decisions to coveersignificant losses.” Health care hasn’t been immune to pension problems. Less than 1 percent of the $35 billion paid from 1975 through 2007 by the federaol agency that protects pension benefits stemmed from the healt hcare industry, according to figures from the But the scopde for potential problems could increasre greatly.
Pension fund financing is complicated, and therr are myriad ways to reportthe numbers, but there’s no question they are down significantlhy for hospitals and health systems in California and nationwides (see chart at right). Investment marketz started to slidein 2007, but they fell off the cliff in the second half of last year. Sutter Health — the region’se second-largest private-sector employer, behin Kaiser Permanente — transferred more than a half-billio n dollars to its pension fund in two stages to cover the losses. A $245 million investment in September wasnot enough.
By late additional losses prompted Suttetr toinvest $255 million more in the sagging fund expected to providew retirement benefits to more than 27,000 employees who are actived members of the plan. At a time when struggling industries are dumpingbretirement benefits, pensions are considered an importany part of overall employee compensation in the competitives health care market. The dust has yet to settlre on theloss numbers. “It’s a little said Bob Reed, Sutter’s chief financial officer. “We were over-funded at the end of 2007 ... but the investmenft market didso poorly, we put in $505 millionb and it still looks like we’lll come up short” for 2008.
The pension lossea will take a substantial toll onthe company’ds bottom line for calendar year Reed said, but Sutter will remain in the There is no talk at this point of cutting “Will we have to cut back and reducd expenses? Absolutely,” Reed A formal assessment of capital projects is underf way to determine what to cut or delay. The procesx will take several months. Construction of an ambulator y surgery center in Elk Grove will move but the proposed hospital next door coulsbe delayed. This process is playinyg out at other hospital systemsas well. Kaiser’ pension plan had $4.7 billion in assets and $5.8 billiom in projected obligationson Dec.
31, 2007, said Kathleen executive director of publifcpolicy advocacy.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Need remains for SBA loan help - bizjournals:

http://aspectsinc.com/4_WinFdrs.html
On June 15, the SBA began accepting applications for emergency bridge loans of up to Small businesses can use these loans, which were created by the economiv stimulus bill, to make up to six monthw of payments on existing debt. They won’t have to start repayin g the loans until a year after thelast disbursement. The SBA will subsidizwe the interest onthese loans, which will be offerer through private-sector lenders.
The stimulus bill also temporarilhy reduced or eliminated fees onthe SBA’e regular 7(a) and 504 business and increased the government guarantee on 7(a) loans to 90 Weekly loan volume for the SBA’es 7(a) and 504 programs has increaseds by more than 30 percent since thes changes were implemented March 16. This increasew in SBA lending is “a positive and welcomede sign, but we have a very long way to go before SBA lendingh reaches solidlevels again,” said Cynthia vice chairman and chief operating officee of Bank of the West in Grapevine, Texas.
Blankenshi told the House Small Business Committee June 10 that Congrese should extend the fee reductions beyond 2009 or make them given the depth of the recession and the credi t crisis facingsmall businesses. Meanwhile, fees on the SBA’zs 504 loans, which finance real estate projects and othefrfixed assets, are scheduled to increase significantly in October. This will negatee the fee reductions adopted in March through the stimulus bill, said Jean Wojtowicz, executive directod of the Indiana Statewide CDC, a nonprofit economic development organizationb that makes 504 loans.
This fee increase is unnecessaryt because the SBA has overestimated the numbe r of 504 loans thatwill default, said who chairs the board of directors for the . She contend banks have become far more conservativwe in their underwriting duringthis “and only the strongest small businessews are now qualifying for new loans.” Unless Congresws appropriates money to offset the fee increases planned for 2010 and almost 20,000 small businesses will pay millions more dollars in fees than they shouldf over the 20 years of theif 504 loans, Wojtowicz said.
Meanwhile, David Bofill, ownee of two boat dealerships on Long praisedthe SBA’s recent decision to let vehicler and boat dealers use 7(a) loans to finance their at least through Sept. 30, 2010. Most lendersa have stopped makingthese so-called “floorplan” forcing many dealers to close their doors, Bofillo said. The new SBA prograkm can be “a critical lifeline, but problems Bofill said. The SBA needs to “make the program permanent and doit quickly.” “It will be very difficulr to attract a lender to develop a floorplanj program when the program is only slatee to last a Bofill said.
The size of these liness of credit must be expandedbeyond $2 because most small boat dealerzs have inventory worth much more than Residents of states that don’t have a sales tax will be eligiblde for a tax break on new vehicle purchases this year. The economic stimulusz bill allows taxpayers who buy a new vehiclw in 2009 to deduct statwe and local sales taxes or excise taxes paid on the purchasse from theirtaxable income.
The announced June 10 that it will allowa taxpayers who live in statesthat don’r have a sales tax to deducft other taxes or fees imposed by state and local governments on the To qualify, the taxed or fees must be based on the vehicle’w sale price or as a per-unitf fee. “This means that more people can take advantagr of this deduction when they file their tax returnsnext year,” said IRS Commissionert Doug Shulman. New vehicles purchased after Feb. 16, and before Jan. 1, 2010, are eligible for this tax The deduction is limited to fees or taxe s paid on upto $49,500 of the pricwe of a new car, light motor home or motorcycle.
The amount of the deduction phasesa outfor higher-income taxpayers.