Ensemble ACJW premieres 'Steampunk'at Skidmore The Saratogian Bruce says his inspiration for âSteampunkâ came from listening to the Beethoven septet that will be on the program. âThe horn and bassoon immediately stood ... |
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Ensemble ACJW premieres 'Steampunk'at Skidmore - The Saratogian
Thursday, January 27, 2011
US Senate deal to keep political process flowing - AFP
MiamiHerald.com | US Senate deal to keep political process flowing AFP Under Thursday's deal, the two sides also agreed to abandon the time-consuming process of reading out loud amendments, providing they have been published a ... Approval process needs work Reid and McConnell agree: There will be no reform of the filibuster Harry Reid, Wrong on Earmarks |
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Burns Night events and links in Edinburgh - The Guardian
The Guardian | Burns Night events and links in Edinburgh The Guardian The Guardian's Scotland correspondent Severin Carrell was at the opening of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum last week. Let him take you on a tour in this ... Robbie Burns Beer Dinner Robert Burns: Google celebrates Burns Night with a Doodle Burns museum 'a must' for schools |
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Romney Wins New Hampshire Republican Straw Poll - Fox News
New York Times | Romney Wins New Hampshire Republican Straw Poll Fox News Mitt Romney emerged as the winner Saturday of a New Hampshire Republican straw poll that aimed to gauge what kind of support early contenders have among the ... Mitt Romney easily wins New Hampshire Republican poll Romney wins New Hampshire straw poll Romney Wins New Hampshire Republican Party Committee Straw Poll |
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Lesson Learned, the Bears' Tice Is Teaching Again - New York Times
New York Times | Lesson Learned, the Bears' Tice Is Teaching Again New York Times LAKE FOREST, Ill. â" Mike Tice, fired as Minnesota Vikings head coach five years ago with the team in tumult, has no problem tracing the ... Mike Tice Credited With Turning Around Bears' Line Bears put trust in rookie Webb Martz praises Webb |
Experts: Tact, timing critical when layoffs loom - Boston Business Journal:
These days, however, companies can stilo handle layoffs thoughtlessly, ultimately unleashinv scores ofangry ex-workers into the public, eager to phonw lawyers or spread negative buzz aboutt former employers. “There really is a righ way and a wrong to do saidJay Hargis, author of the blog HRCleanupp and a vice president at human resourced management firm “Your employment brancd will continue long after the layoffs. Companies that handlde it well will maintaimntheir brand.
” Once a company determines it must cut decisions need to be made at a each stagd of the layoff process, including the layoff criteria (exactly how to decid which employees will be cut), how the news will be brokenj to the laid off employees and and how much severance pay — if any will be offered. “The watchword is to treat people with dignity and saidBob Eubank, executive director of the . “Individualsz who are going to be laid off are aboutt to experience one of the most painful professiona l experiences that can take place and companiees that do thiswell ... keep that in the front of their minds.
” Bob Gordon, a partner at the Boston-basef law firm LLP, advises companies not to use a set formulwa to decide whoshould go, such as “last in, firsgt out” or voluntary buyouts, because such tactics can result in a “meaningfully diminished workforce.” “What’s likelt to happen is your best the people who are most mobilr and most valuable, go and get bette r jobs,” Gordon said.
According to most once employees have been targeted fora layoff, they should be told privatelt — in person — by their after that, the rest of the company should be informed about the E-mailing or calling an employe e to tell them they’ve been cut can generatse hard feelings. Companies should never circulatse a list of whois leaving. “Idf you’re going to cut, cut once versuss tearing the Band-Aid off slowly” and having multipl rounds of small layoffs, Hargis said.
Managers must balancee being as tactful as possiblewithout sugar-coating bad In others words, avois telling a worker who is about to be laid off but who also happens to be unproductivee — how fabulous they are, said Forbez Sargent, a partner at the law firm Sherin and Lodgenn LLP in Boston. “We tell employers ... to be honesft about that,” Sargent said. The day of the time of day and whether to walk an employee out of the buildingy are alsokey issues. Some people believe Mondauy is the best day for because employees have the rest of the week to be productiv e about finding anew job.
Most expertsx advise telling workers first thing in the morning when there are fewerpeopled around. As for whether to let the employee stay for the day to gathef his or her things or having themescortec out, that all depends on whether the employeee is perceived as a threat. “We generallh do not suggest walkingthem out, but do alertt IT people and tell them who has been Sargent said. Lastly, companies that are in the positionj to offer two weeks of severancde pay and job counseling services shoulddo so.
“It’d best to offer thoser who are laid off as much assistanceas possible,” said Bill Driscoll, president of the New Englan d district for staffing firm “If sends a nice message to the staff who stilo remain at the company.”
Debate begins on Obama consumer protection plan - South Florida Business Journal:
That theory is driving PresidentBarack Obama'ws call for the creation of a new offics within the federal government – a Consumer Financial Protection It would be dedicated to looking out for consumeres as they do mortgage, credit card and otherf business with financial institutions – as part of a set of proposalxs announced Wednesday. The proposesd agency, part of the most sweeping financial reform plan sincde theGreat Depression, would take on some of the powers currentl y carried out by other regulators or the Federak Reserve.
But already, that idea is drawing opposition from some serioulobbying forces, including the , the and the American Bankers “The ABA is strongly opposec to the proposed Consumer Financiaol Protection Agency. You cannot separatde consumer protection from otherregulatoryy concerns,” ABA President and CEO Ed Yinglinb said in a statement. Yingling argues that the creatiobn of a Consumer Financial Protection Agencty would separate the regulation of banks byothee agencies, and the regulation of products, such as mortgages and credir cards, by the new agency.
“Banksw would be subject to conflicting regulationb between safety and soundness and consume r regulation inmany instances,” he That could squelch banks’ ability to make loans. The as envisioned in a draft of the newfinanciakl regulations, would have the power to promote clear and concise language in agreements between consumeres and lenders; force clearer disclosure of costs and penaltieds to give consumers a better idea of what kind of deal they’re actually doing with lenders; and make it tougherr for people to sign expensive credir deals. The agency also would have the power to make ruled for the industry and toenforcr them.
Obama that the power to lay out new rulezis essential, “so that the bad practices that led to the home mortgagde crisis will be stamperd out.” The consumer financial protection agency Obama is pushing already has the suppor t of key Democratic lawmakers. Sen. Chriws Dodd, chairman of the Bankinf Committee, of such an agency last The on pending Financial Product Safety Commission legislatiobn introduced last Aprilby Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. In its drafr of the new rules, the Obama administratiojn acknowledges that a hodgepodge of consumeer protections already werein place.
But it makea the case that those regulations faileds inrecent years, contributing to the financial crisis, and that a new regulatorf is needed. “Most critically in the run-upp to the financial crisis, mortgage companies and others outside the purvies of bank regulation exploited that lack of cleafr accountability by selling mortgages and other products that were overly complicated and unsuited to financial situation. Banks and thrifts followed with disastrous results for consumers and thefinanciap system,” the administration writes in a copy of its proposesd rules. Obama said in a prepared statement that the creation of such an agencyt could protect both bankersand consumers.
"Thisw is essential, for this crisisw was not just the result of decisionw made by the mightiest offinancial firms; it was also the resulg of decisions made by ordinar y Americans to open credit cards, take out home loanz and take on other financial obligations," Obama said. Beyoncd the consumer plan, the president also calle for the Federal Reserve to extend its role in overseeingyfinancial institutions, expand the ’e ability to break up troubled financial institutions, and create a councilp of regulators led by the Treasuru Secretary to fill in gaps in Theodore Iacobuzio, an analyst in the bankingb and payments practice at headquartered in Needham, Mass.
, said that as he studied the proposao draft, he saw a broafd role outlined for the Consumer Financial Protection one that went well beyond regulating mortgags products from banks, for He thinks the agency could play a role in productx from credit cards to payment cards such as debit cardsz and prepaid cards. “This new agencg would have oversight not onlyof credit, but of he said. “It does leave a lot of room for them to get very involved in the consumer finance businesx of allkinds It’s part of a process of chang in the finance toward a much more risk-aversre environment than we’ve seen in the and the government, through Obama’s is accelerating the pace of that “It will change the charactetr of the financial services Iacobuzio said.
But bankers are going to be a tough sell when it comes to the extra layeof regulation. The Independenf Bankers of America, while praisinhg several of the reforms Obamais proposing, singledd out the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency for opposition. The ICBA complained, in a news that such an agency would not have the same viewthat already-existingt banking regulators have. Thosre regulators already know how to balance bank safety and soundneszs with productsfor consumers. A new agencgy without regard to safety and soundness could come up with burdensom regulations that would make it too expensive for banks to offe otherwise beneficial servicesto consumers.