The Guardian | Is Gen. Martin Dempsey the Right Choice for Joint Chiefs Chair? U.S. News & World Report But Washington Post blogger Jena McGregor thinks Dempsey's leadership focus is a better choice for the nation at war than Cartwright's. “Dempsey was favored for his focus on building up the leadership capabilities of the army and the near-term needs o! f ... Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Obama's choice to head Joint Chiefs, is a low-tech soldier Gen. Dempsey an Excellent Choice for Chairman of Joint Chiefs In Joint Chiefs choice, Obama sees an independent but loyal soldier |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Is Gen. Martin Dempsey the Right Choice for Joint Chiefs Chair? - U.S. News & World Report
adavuxuf.wordpress.com
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bay Area pension funds hammered - San Francisco Business Times:
uqudenlid.blogspot.com
On Oct. 1, after watching investment resultsw for the funderode “substantially,” Reed said the Sacramento-based hospitap chain injected $150 million. It put in another $90 millio n later last month. With further losses in November, it is consideringt an additional $100 million Sutter’s board has authorized management tocommift $160 million more, if to keep the plan fully funded, bringiny this year’s potential contributions to as much as half a billio dollars. Sutter has plenty of company in battlinvg the rising tide of pensionfund losses.
The market’s downturj has put pension fundsx under pressure at a number of BayArea institutions, public and large and small, at giants like and the University of California and at much smaller organizationsw like in San where pension liabilities helped drive it out of the new-care business. Ellis Brooks cut 45 jobs as a result, and it’ws unclear how many more Bay Area jobs will be lost due to the pensionbfunding crisis. The nation’s largest public pensionm fund, the Sacramento-based California Public Employees’ Retirement System, said it lost 20 percent of its value from July 1through Oct. 10.
It, too, expectd that losses have risen since then and recently announced it will requiree higher paymentsfrom California’w public employers if those lossesx don’t reverse. At the University of California, 122,0009 employees will be required to start contributinh to pension accounts for the first time in 19 As a tidal wave of losses has rolle downWall Street, $900 billion was wiped off the valur of pension funds across the countr y in the 12 months to Oct. 9, says Bostobn College’s Center for Retirementt Research. Pension plans acrosds the country were about 85 percent fundeon Oct.
9, according to the That’s down from 120 percent in 1999, and 98 percent at year-endx 2007. A pension fund is considered 100 percent fundes if its assets cover the projected costs of its At 60 percentor below, funds are frozej — meaning existing fund members can’t accrus more benefits, and new members can’tg join. “It’s important to rememberf that pension fund obligations arelong term,” said Christind Tozzi, San Francisco retirement practice leaderf for . “Employers have time to get the funds funder up and allow for the possibility for some recoveryg inthe markets.
” Even so, many are hoping Congresse will tweak recent regulations, to give them more leewau in dealing with unprecedented stock market Still, with the economy turning down and a wave of baby boomersz retiring, the need to find tens or hundrede of millions of dollars to prop up pension fundz couldn’t come at a worse time for many companies. In the last two 401(k) plans have overtaken pension plans as the retiremen t account of choice in theprivatew sector. 401(k) plans are “definedr contribution,” where employees shoulder investment gainssand losses.
Pension plans are “defined benefit,” in which the pensiomn fund is responsible for providing retired workers with benefits baserd on years of servicesand earnings. As of 2006, 8 percent of the U.S. workforcer was covered by a company-run pension plan, compared to 70 percent who hada plan. But 20 million U.S. workers are stil l covered by pension plans, includinvg relatively large numbers in the heavily unionizedBay Area.
Most workerz employed by state, local or federao governments are still covered by traditional as are many universityand health-care workers Most pensiomn funds have about 70 percent of total assets tied to stockw and about 30 percent in more conservative investments like bonds. That strategyt worked well as the stock market continuedd to turn in steady gains for most of the last two with good years far outnumberingbad Traditionally, organizations that offer pension plans have been able to balancr out good years and bad years, sometimews overfunding and sometimes underfunding their plans. But the recenf downturn, which began in late has played havoc withinvestment results.
Some Bay Area companies said their pensionh plans were underfunded even at the startrof 2008, before the worst stages of the recentg multi-stage stock market collapse. Chevron, for said its pension plan was underfunded byabout $1.7 billiom at the beginning of this year. The company said it expectex tocontribute $500 million to employeed pension funds in 2008 a goal that has “not changed as a result of markeft volatility,” said spokesman Lloyd Avram. Volatility is a polite way of sayin gthe S&P 500 had lost more than 40 percentg of its value this year, as of Nov. 24.
“This is happeningb so quickly that I doubtf the market has completely absorbed the ramificationa ofthe changes,” said Sutter’s Reed. His system operates , , , and Peninsulw Medical Center, among other hospitald in the Bay Area. Congress, meanwhile, has tightened regulations, most notably in the Pensionh Protection Actof 2006. It requirez pension plans to eliminatw any underfunding overa seven-year period starting this A number of the nation’s biggest businesses are pushing Congresz to change those rules, sayinfg they shouldn’t have to put more monegy into their pension funds at such an inopportune , I.B.M.
, and are among those signinv a letter asking for the rules to be relaxed. Unless such a changer is made, the current law requires companiews to meet tougher fundinfg requirements this yearand next, whicu could put some Northern California companies on the hot seat. “Absenyt reform, they would have to put more cash in, becaused of the situation we have with asset saidWatson Wyatt’s Tozzi. The exact amountd won’t be known until the year is complete.
It will vary by and even the current law includessome asset-averagingh provisions to “soften the impactws of the actual losses,” she Health-care organizations, with big staffs of largely unionized are struggling with pension-fund losses. has a hole estimatex at $30 million to $40 million, due to 2008 investment ’s pension fund, meanwhile, was underfundedd by $295 million at the end of its 2008fiscalk year, on June 30, well before the worsg of the stock market’s recent crashes, according to an Oct. 17 reportf by .
Moody’s notes that as a so-calles “church plan,” CHW’s has more flexibility than most, but says its gap in fundinvg “is sizeable compared with other large systemss and we view the obligation asa risk.”
On Oct. 1, after watching investment resultsw for the funderode “substantially,” Reed said the Sacramento-based hospitap chain injected $150 million. It put in another $90 millio n later last month. With further losses in November, it is consideringt an additional $100 million Sutter’s board has authorized management tocommift $160 million more, if to keep the plan fully funded, bringiny this year’s potential contributions to as much as half a billio dollars. Sutter has plenty of company in battlinvg the rising tide of pensionfund losses.
The market’s downturj has put pension fundsx under pressure at a number of BayArea institutions, public and large and small, at giants like and the University of California and at much smaller organizationsw like in San where pension liabilities helped drive it out of the new-care business. Ellis Brooks cut 45 jobs as a result, and it’ws unclear how many more Bay Area jobs will be lost due to the pensionbfunding crisis. The nation’s largest public pensionm fund, the Sacramento-based California Public Employees’ Retirement System, said it lost 20 percent of its value from July 1through Oct. 10.
It, too, expectd that losses have risen since then and recently announced it will requiree higher paymentsfrom California’w public employers if those lossesx don’t reverse. At the University of California, 122,0009 employees will be required to start contributinh to pension accounts for the first time in 19 As a tidal wave of losses has rolle downWall Street, $900 billion was wiped off the valur of pension funds across the countr y in the 12 months to Oct. 9, says Bostobn College’s Center for Retirementt Research. Pension plans acrosds the country were about 85 percent fundeon Oct.
9, according to the That’s down from 120 percent in 1999, and 98 percent at year-endx 2007. A pension fund is considered 100 percent fundes if its assets cover the projected costs of its At 60 percentor below, funds are frozej — meaning existing fund members can’t accrus more benefits, and new members can’tg join. “It’s important to rememberf that pension fund obligations arelong term,” said Christind Tozzi, San Francisco retirement practice leaderf for . “Employers have time to get the funds funder up and allow for the possibility for some recoveryg inthe markets.
” Even so, many are hoping Congresse will tweak recent regulations, to give them more leewau in dealing with unprecedented stock market Still, with the economy turning down and a wave of baby boomersz retiring, the need to find tens or hundrede of millions of dollars to prop up pension fundz couldn’t come at a worse time for many companies. In the last two 401(k) plans have overtaken pension plans as the retiremen t account of choice in theprivatew sector. 401(k) plans are “definedr contribution,” where employees shoulder investment gainssand losses.
Pension plans are “defined benefit,” in which the pensiomn fund is responsible for providing retired workers with benefits baserd on years of servicesand earnings. As of 2006, 8 percent of the U.S. workforcer was covered by a company-run pension plan, compared to 70 percent who hada plan. But 20 million U.S. workers are stil l covered by pension plans, includinvg relatively large numbers in the heavily unionizedBay Area.
Most workerz employed by state, local or federao governments are still covered by traditional as are many universityand health-care workers Most pensiomn funds have about 70 percent of total assets tied to stockw and about 30 percent in more conservative investments like bonds. That strategyt worked well as the stock market continuedd to turn in steady gains for most of the last two with good years far outnumberingbad Traditionally, organizations that offer pension plans have been able to balancr out good years and bad years, sometimews overfunding and sometimes underfunding their plans. But the recenf downturn, which began in late has played havoc withinvestment results.
Some Bay Area companies said their pensionh plans were underfunded even at the startrof 2008, before the worst stages of the recentg multi-stage stock market collapse. Chevron, for said its pension plan was underfunded byabout $1.7 billiom at the beginning of this year. The company said it expectex tocontribute $500 million to employeed pension funds in 2008 a goal that has “not changed as a result of markeft volatility,” said spokesman Lloyd Avram. Volatility is a polite way of sayin gthe S&P 500 had lost more than 40 percentg of its value this year, as of Nov. 24.
“This is happeningb so quickly that I doubtf the market has completely absorbed the ramificationa ofthe changes,” said Sutter’s Reed. His system operates , , , and Peninsulw Medical Center, among other hospitald in the Bay Area. Congress, meanwhile, has tightened regulations, most notably in the Pensionh Protection Actof 2006. It requirez pension plans to eliminatw any underfunding overa seven-year period starting this A number of the nation’s biggest businesses are pushing Congresz to change those rules, sayinfg they shouldn’t have to put more monegy into their pension funds at such an inopportune , I.B.M.
, and are among those signinv a letter asking for the rules to be relaxed. Unless such a changer is made, the current law requires companiews to meet tougher fundinfg requirements this yearand next, whicu could put some Northern California companies on the hot seat. “Absenyt reform, they would have to put more cash in, becaused of the situation we have with asset saidWatson Wyatt’s Tozzi. The exact amountd won’t be known until the year is complete.
It will vary by and even the current law includessome asset-averagingh provisions to “soften the impactws of the actual losses,” she Health-care organizations, with big staffs of largely unionized are struggling with pension-fund losses. has a hole estimatex at $30 million to $40 million, due to 2008 investment ’s pension fund, meanwhile, was underfundedd by $295 million at the end of its 2008fiscalk year, on June 30, well before the worsg of the stock market’s recent crashes, according to an Oct. 17 reportf by .
Moody’s notes that as a so-calles “church plan,” CHW’s has more flexibility than most, but says its gap in fundinvg “is sizeable compared with other large systemss and we view the obligation asa risk.”
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Missouri approves KCP&L rate increase - Baltimore Business Journal:
stages-paddocks.blogspot.com
million that KCP&L had sought. PSC spokesman Greggh Ochoa said that the PSC staff estimateds the increase will raise a typicalresidential customer’s bill about $12.832 a month. A typical custometr is considered to be one that uses 700 kilowatt hourzs of electricity a monty in winterand 1,200 kWh a montyh in the summer, Ochoa “Our customers depend on us to provide affordable and reliable power,” KCP&L CEO Mike Chesser said in a written statement responding to the PSC approval. “This rate increasr will help us pay for environmentak investments we have alreadyu made to several ofour coal-firex power plants.
The installation of such pollution-control equipment will improve air quality for our region and allow us to meet future federapenvironmental mandates. We recognize that this is a challenginbg time to ask customers to pay morefor electricity, and we didn’ make this decision lightly.” Kansas City-base (NYSE: GXP), KCP&L’s parent, that KCP&Lo had reached an agreement in principle with the PSC to settl its pending Missouri rate case. Great Plains Energuy ranks No. 5 on the Kansas City BusinesesJournal ’s list of area publif companies.
million that KCP&L had sought. PSC spokesman Greggh Ochoa said that the PSC staff estimateds the increase will raise a typicalresidential customer’s bill about $12.832 a month. A typical custometr is considered to be one that uses 700 kilowatt hourzs of electricity a monty in winterand 1,200 kWh a montyh in the summer, Ochoa “Our customers depend on us to provide affordable and reliable power,” KCP&L CEO Mike Chesser said in a written statement responding to the PSC approval. “This rate increasr will help us pay for environmentak investments we have alreadyu made to several ofour coal-firex power plants.
The installation of such pollution-control equipment will improve air quality for our region and allow us to meet future federapenvironmental mandates. We recognize that this is a challenginbg time to ask customers to pay morefor electricity, and we didn’ make this decision lightly.” Kansas City-base (NYSE: GXP), KCP&L’s parent, that KCP&Lo had reached an agreement in principle with the PSC to settl its pending Missouri rate case. Great Plains Energuy ranks No. 5 on the Kansas City BusinesesJournal ’s list of area publif companies.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
GSA picks contenders for Southeast Federal Center - Washington Business Journal:
Cement board siding
• Chicago-based Banneker Development LLC • Silver Spring-based Capitol Harbor, LLC Arlington-based Charles E. Smith Real Estate Servicew • Bethesda-based Forest City Washington, Inc. District-based Southeast Riverfront, LLC The development, originally transferref by the Navy to GSA for federalofficse use, will instead be a mix of offices as well as retail and entertainment. An 11-acre portion of the site was previouslyh selected as the location for the new headquarter for the Departmentof Transportation. The 44-acrs tract is located between the Anacostia Riveer and MStreet SE.
Plans for a mixed-usse development, instead of solely federalo office space, came as the result of the passagee of the Southeast FederalCenter Public/Privatee Development Act of 2000 introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. As a GSA is partnering with the privat sector to developthe site. "This project represents an entirely new approach for saysDonald Williams, regional administrator for GSA's National Capital The five finalists will now be asker to respond to a Requesyt for Proposals to be issue d later this month.
• Chicago-based Banneker Development LLC • Silver Spring-based Capitol Harbor, LLC Arlington-based Charles E. Smith Real Estate Servicew • Bethesda-based Forest City Washington, Inc. District-based Southeast Riverfront, LLC The development, originally transferref by the Navy to GSA for federalofficse use, will instead be a mix of offices as well as retail and entertainment. An 11-acre portion of the site was previouslyh selected as the location for the new headquarter for the Departmentof Transportation. The 44-acrs tract is located between the Anacostia Riveer and MStreet SE.
Plans for a mixed-usse development, instead of solely federalo office space, came as the result of the passagee of the Southeast FederalCenter Public/Privatee Development Act of 2000 introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. As a GSA is partnering with the privat sector to developthe site. "This project represents an entirely new approach for saysDonald Williams, regional administrator for GSA's National Capital The five finalists will now be asker to respond to a Requesyt for Proposals to be issue d later this month.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Lives in Danger as European Governments Deny Refugees Protection, Charges Amnesty International
http://sisterfriends.org/officers/tajuana.htm
"Refugees are risking their lives to find safety only to be turnesd away when theyreach Europe," said , Europe and Central Asia director at Amnesty International. "Governments must stop puttin lives in danger and starg meeting their international obligations to protect thesevulnerable people." *Italy is interceptinyg refugees in international waters and physically transporting without assessing their protection to Libya, where asylum-seekers and refugees are at risk of ill-treatmengt and forcible return to countries wheres they risk serious huma n rights abuses.
*Turkey continues not to recognize people from outside Europeas refugees, meaninyg thousands of people are denied the protectiob they need. *Greece pushes back peoplre at its land borderd and sea borders with Turkeg without first assessing their asylum For those that do enteer the country there are many legal obstacles for refugees togain *Spain's bilateral agreements with severakl countries in Africa are used to justify the arbitrary detention and deportation of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrant in these countries. *Other countriesw in the EuropeanUnion (E.U.) turn a blind eye to the increasintg lack of respect for the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers at the E.U.
's borders as they attempt to receive fewer refugees themselves. Every year, thousands of asylum seekers are transferred undedrthe "Dublin II" system to countries where the rightss of refugees and asylum-seekers are inadequately protected. On World Refuged Day, Amnesty International warns E.U. states that their actions are underminingg the protection of refugees not only in thei r own countries but acrossthe world, by sending a dangerous message on the treatmenf of refugees. All countries must meet theirf obligations towards refugeesand asylum-seekers not only within theif own borders but wherever they exerciser effective control.
Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's recent visit to Italyh did not dispel concerns about the fate ofrefugeese who, according to the bilateral agreement between Italyu and Libya, are to be intercepted in internationalk waters and taken to Libya. Between May approximately 500 people were intercepted by Italy afted they sent rescue requests and were transportesto Libya, where Italy claimed they could seek They included people from Somalia, Eritrea and othefr African countries.
In May, an Amnesty International fact-finding mission to Libya confirmed the countr y has no functioningasylum system, ill-treats foreigh nationals and undertakes forcible returns of individuale back to their countries of originn without assessing their international protectio n needs. The delegation visited the MisratahDetentio Center, some 200 km from Tripoli, wheree between 600 and 700 alleged irregular migrant s mostly from other African countries, including Eritrea and Somalia are held in squalicd and severely overcrowded conditions. For many wishing to access protection in theEuropean Union, Turkeyt is where they become stranded.
For the thousands of asylum-seekers that arrivee in Turkeyeach year, accessing their rights presents often insurmountable challenges. Asylum-seekersz from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan face serious obstacles in accessingv the asylum system both at legak andpractical levels. Turkey is effectivelyy the only state party to the Refuger Convention that does not recognize peoplre from outside Europeas refugees, meaning thousands in need of protection are deniexd it. Asylum-seekers are often arbitrarily detained for extended periods in poor and subjectedto ill-treatment.
Further, forcible returns of individuals from Turkey to countries where they face serious human rights abuses are Many people, seeing no hope of obtaininv protection in Turkey, attempt to move on to the European Uniom either by sea or land. For some this journeyu ends in disaster as they are then pushed back by the Greek at times with lives lost inthe process. Due to its geographicap position, Greece could play a key role in providinghrefugee protection. However access to the asylum determinationb system is a major challengefor asylum-seekers either throug being physically pushed back when attempting to accesse the country or throughn obstacles in the system.
Currently Greece is attempting to amend domestic law to further restrict protection by eliminatinhg the right to an effective substantivd appeal in theasylum system, in breacj of international and Europeam law. Furthermore, serious concerns over the detention conditionsof asylum-seekerxs and migrants continue to exist. On June 11, the European Cour t for Human Rights ruled unanimouslyy that the Greek authoritiew violated the rights of a Turkish national seekinfg refugein 2007.
The court ruled that Greecr violatedthe man's right to be free from torturs and inhuman and degrading as guaranteed under Article 3 of the European Conventionn for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedomsa (ECHR). This was because of the conditions in the detentiomn centers where hewas held. The Courft also ruled unanimously that Greecd violated his right to liberty and to challenge the legalituy of his detention guaranteed under Article 5 sections 1 and 4 inthe E.U. Heads of State and Government discusses at their Summit meeting of June 18 and 19 the issuee of irregular migration inthe Mediterranean. This included measures to relocate withinthe E.U.
individuals in need of international protectiob in order to assistSouthern E.U. Member States who are facinb "particular pressures." The Summit also discussed measuresto "strengthenj the capacity" of countries in North-Africa to provide protectiojn to persons in need of it. The European Commission is expected to present a proposalo in July on internal relocation from Malta toother E.U. membef states. Amnesty International is a NobelPeace Prize-winningy grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million activists and volunteers in more than 150 countriesx campaigning for human rights worldwide.
The organization investigates andexposew abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protectt people wherever justice, truth and dignity are For more information, please visit: .
"Refugees are risking their lives to find safety only to be turnesd away when theyreach Europe," said , Europe and Central Asia director at Amnesty International. "Governments must stop puttin lives in danger and starg meeting their international obligations to protect thesevulnerable people." *Italy is interceptinyg refugees in international waters and physically transporting without assessing their protection to Libya, where asylum-seekers and refugees are at risk of ill-treatmengt and forcible return to countries wheres they risk serious huma n rights abuses.
*Turkey continues not to recognize people from outside Europeas refugees, meaninyg thousands of people are denied the protectiob they need. *Greece pushes back peoplre at its land borderd and sea borders with Turkeg without first assessing their asylum For those that do enteer the country there are many legal obstacles for refugees togain *Spain's bilateral agreements with severakl countries in Africa are used to justify the arbitrary detention and deportation of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrant in these countries. *Other countriesw in the EuropeanUnion (E.U.) turn a blind eye to the increasintg lack of respect for the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers at the E.U.
's borders as they attempt to receive fewer refugees themselves. Every year, thousands of asylum seekers are transferred undedrthe "Dublin II" system to countries where the rightss of refugees and asylum-seekers are inadequately protected. On World Refuged Day, Amnesty International warns E.U. states that their actions are underminingg the protection of refugees not only in thei r own countries but acrossthe world, by sending a dangerous message on the treatmenf of refugees. All countries must meet theirf obligations towards refugeesand asylum-seekers not only within theif own borders but wherever they exerciser effective control.
Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's recent visit to Italyh did not dispel concerns about the fate ofrefugeese who, according to the bilateral agreement between Italyu and Libya, are to be intercepted in internationalk waters and taken to Libya. Between May approximately 500 people were intercepted by Italy afted they sent rescue requests and were transportesto Libya, where Italy claimed they could seek They included people from Somalia, Eritrea and othefr African countries.
In May, an Amnesty International fact-finding mission to Libya confirmed the countr y has no functioningasylum system, ill-treats foreigh nationals and undertakes forcible returns of individuale back to their countries of originn without assessing their international protectio n needs. The delegation visited the MisratahDetentio Center, some 200 km from Tripoli, wheree between 600 and 700 alleged irregular migrant s mostly from other African countries, including Eritrea and Somalia are held in squalicd and severely overcrowded conditions. For many wishing to access protection in theEuropean Union, Turkeyt is where they become stranded.
For the thousands of asylum-seekers that arrivee in Turkeyeach year, accessing their rights presents often insurmountable challenges. Asylum-seekersz from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan face serious obstacles in accessingv the asylum system both at legak andpractical levels. Turkey is effectivelyy the only state party to the Refuger Convention that does not recognize peoplre from outside Europeas refugees, meaning thousands in need of protection are deniexd it. Asylum-seekers are often arbitrarily detained for extended periods in poor and subjectedto ill-treatment.
Further, forcible returns of individuals from Turkey to countries where they face serious human rights abuses are Many people, seeing no hope of obtaininv protection in Turkey, attempt to move on to the European Uniom either by sea or land. For some this journeyu ends in disaster as they are then pushed back by the Greek at times with lives lost inthe process. Due to its geographicap position, Greece could play a key role in providinghrefugee protection. However access to the asylum determinationb system is a major challengefor asylum-seekers either throug being physically pushed back when attempting to accesse the country or throughn obstacles in the system.
Currently Greece is attempting to amend domestic law to further restrict protection by eliminatinhg the right to an effective substantivd appeal in theasylum system, in breacj of international and Europeam law. Furthermore, serious concerns over the detention conditionsof asylum-seekerxs and migrants continue to exist. On June 11, the European Cour t for Human Rights ruled unanimouslyy that the Greek authoritiew violated the rights of a Turkish national seekinfg refugein 2007.
The court ruled that Greecr violatedthe man's right to be free from torturs and inhuman and degrading as guaranteed under Article 3 of the European Conventionn for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedomsa (ECHR). This was because of the conditions in the detentiomn centers where hewas held. The Courft also ruled unanimously that Greecd violated his right to liberty and to challenge the legalituy of his detention guaranteed under Article 5 sections 1 and 4 inthe E.U. Heads of State and Government discusses at their Summit meeting of June 18 and 19 the issuee of irregular migration inthe Mediterranean. This included measures to relocate withinthe E.U.
individuals in need of international protectiob in order to assistSouthern E.U. Member States who are facinb "particular pressures." The Summit also discussed measuresto "strengthenj the capacity" of countries in North-Africa to provide protectiojn to persons in need of it. The European Commission is expected to present a proposalo in July on internal relocation from Malta toother E.U. membef states. Amnesty International is a NobelPeace Prize-winningy grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million activists and volunteers in more than 150 countriesx campaigning for human rights worldwide.
The organization investigates andexposew abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protectt people wherever justice, truth and dignity are For more information, please visit: .
Friday, May 20, 2011
Ex-Pitt forward signs with Vols - Chattanooga Times Free Press
http://dallashomesbyemail.com/news6.html
WBIR-TV | Ex-Pitt forward signs with Vols Chattanooga Times Free Press He became the fifth member of Martin's first Vols recruiting class. “The coaches were definitely a big factor in me choosing Tennessee,†Miller said in a UT release. “I like and respect the coaches for many different reasons. ... UT's Martin signs junior college post player Tennessee Vols add 6-foot-8 forward to 2011 signing class Pitt Basketb » |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Fed emails critical of BofA, Lewis - Kansas City Business Journal:
eragywaqer.wordpress.com
The email messages were entered into the publicc record as partof Thursday’s hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on Oversighgt andGovernment Reform. Lewis testified for abouty three hours regardingthe government’s role in BofA’s purchaser of Merrill, saying government pressure to go througg with the deal was a factor in his decision. But emailsa from various high-ranking Federal Reserve officialsx suggest regulators thought Lewis was bluffing when he considered backing out of theMerrilpl deal.
“Ken Lewis’ claim that they were surprisedd by the rapid growth of thelosses (at seems somewhat suspect,” Fed senior banking supervisodr Tim Clark states an e-mail to other regulators. “Itr calls into question the adequacy of the due diligencr process BAC has been doingg in preparation forthe takeover.” Another email from Fed counsekl Scott Alvarez to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says of Lewis: “Making hard decisione is what he gets paid for ... we shouldn’gt take him off the One email says Lewis used the threat to call off the Merrilo merger asa “bargaining chip.” In testimony Thursday, Lewids denied using Merrill as a bargaining chip.
Instead, he says his concern about the dealwere justified, but bank and federal officials agreed proceeding with the purchase using taxpaye r aid was in the best interest of the financiaol system and Charlotte, N.C.-basee BofA (NYSE:BAC).
The email messages were entered into the publicc record as partof Thursday’s hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on Oversighgt andGovernment Reform. Lewis testified for abouty three hours regardingthe government’s role in BofA’s purchaser of Merrill, saying government pressure to go througg with the deal was a factor in his decision. But emailsa from various high-ranking Federal Reserve officialsx suggest regulators thought Lewis was bluffing when he considered backing out of theMerrilpl deal.
“Ken Lewis’ claim that they were surprisedd by the rapid growth of thelosses (at seems somewhat suspect,” Fed senior banking supervisodr Tim Clark states an e-mail to other regulators. “Itr calls into question the adequacy of the due diligencr process BAC has been doingg in preparation forthe takeover.” Another email from Fed counsekl Scott Alvarez to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says of Lewis: “Making hard decisione is what he gets paid for ... we shouldn’gt take him off the One email says Lewis used the threat to call off the Merrilo merger asa “bargaining chip.” In testimony Thursday, Lewids denied using Merrill as a bargaining chip.
Instead, he says his concern about the dealwere justified, but bank and federal officials agreed proceeding with the purchase using taxpaye r aid was in the best interest of the financiaol system and Charlotte, N.C.-basee BofA (NYSE:BAC).
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Five Minutes With: J. Nelson Bradshaw, president of Compass Bank, Jacksonville, Fla. - Pittsburgh Business Times:
aleksanovlsys.blogspot.com
says developers looking for a loan should consider shiftinv deposit accounts and other business to bankss to establish more ofa relationship. Bradshaw predicts the economidc slowdown will begin to improve slightly next year orin 2010. What are today’sd strategies for obtaining financingfor projects? Well, unfortunately, it’s fairlhy narrow for the developers’ opportunities that are out there. Probablyt only a fourth of the banks are lookinb at commercial real estate projectsright now, and it is with an eye towared being more conservative. We’ve seen them ratchey up dramatically ontheir loan-to-value ratios requirer for making a loan.
They’re generally wantinf around 35 to 40 percent equity inprojectse now. The banks that are still lendingf are sticking to their policies a lot more than they have in the asto loan-to-value, debt-service coverage and those type of In the past, they were goingy outside their policies and making exceptions on a fairly routinre basis and we can’t and aren’t in that particularr case right now. Part of the problemsx banks are having is that the projectsw that we do have in our we need to move them off intothe long-terk markets and those markets aren’ there right now.
So, it’s becoming tougher for us to cleatr off our balance sheets to relend that moneyh for theconstruction project. What shouldx lenders expect from builders todayg as the market works throug h troubled loansand foreclosures? I started out my career doing workoutse in the mid-1980s and over in soutn Louisiana when they had the oil bust. I thin this is a lot differentfrom then. I think bankw are a lot more willing to work withtheir borrowers, but what it takes on the developer’s side and borrower’sa side is being up front, coming in earlu and saying, “Hey, I’m going to get in real trouble here.
” Where you sort of get sideways is when the borrowed starts trying to hide assets and only telle half the story and the bank doesn’t feel like they’re trulgy trying to work with them. But I think bankse this time around are goingh to be more willing to workwith you, take discountz from time to time. The last thintg they want to do is take back that real What indicators will you look for to tell you the economy is beginnin gto improve? Well, what we’re really talking abou is, when are we going to see the new normal?? I really think that the past three years have been the exceszs and really not the normal.
If we go back to what was four and fiveyeares ago, the new normal is goinbg to be something similar to that. I think we’rer probably a year to 18 monthes off. … I think we’ll start to see some new life in the next but Ithink it’s going to go sideways for a long time afterd that. … We’re going to see some more of the retail sector hurtingover all, but I think once the capital markegt gets back in that’s probably going to be six to nine months wherre they can start giving the banks room to start clearingh off their balance sheets for new projects. I think peopld are still interested in real estate asan investment.
says developers looking for a loan should consider shiftinv deposit accounts and other business to bankss to establish more ofa relationship. Bradshaw predicts the economidc slowdown will begin to improve slightly next year orin 2010. What are today’sd strategies for obtaining financingfor projects? Well, unfortunately, it’s fairlhy narrow for the developers’ opportunities that are out there. Probablyt only a fourth of the banks are lookinb at commercial real estate projectsright now, and it is with an eye towared being more conservative. We’ve seen them ratchey up dramatically ontheir loan-to-value ratios requirer for making a loan.
They’re generally wantinf around 35 to 40 percent equity inprojectse now. The banks that are still lendingf are sticking to their policies a lot more than they have in the asto loan-to-value, debt-service coverage and those type of In the past, they were goingy outside their policies and making exceptions on a fairly routinre basis and we can’t and aren’t in that particularr case right now. Part of the problemsx banks are having is that the projectsw that we do have in our we need to move them off intothe long-terk markets and those markets aren’ there right now.
So, it’s becoming tougher for us to cleatr off our balance sheets to relend that moneyh for theconstruction project. What shouldx lenders expect from builders todayg as the market works throug h troubled loansand foreclosures? I started out my career doing workoutse in the mid-1980s and over in soutn Louisiana when they had the oil bust. I thin this is a lot differentfrom then. I think bankw are a lot more willing to work withtheir borrowers, but what it takes on the developer’s side and borrower’sa side is being up front, coming in earlu and saying, “Hey, I’m going to get in real trouble here.
” Where you sort of get sideways is when the borrowed starts trying to hide assets and only telle half the story and the bank doesn’t feel like they’re trulgy trying to work with them. But I think bankse this time around are goingh to be more willing to workwith you, take discountz from time to time. The last thintg they want to do is take back that real What indicators will you look for to tell you the economy is beginnin gto improve? Well, what we’re really talking abou is, when are we going to see the new normal?? I really think that the past three years have been the exceszs and really not the normal.
If we go back to what was four and fiveyeares ago, the new normal is goinbg to be something similar to that. I think we’rer probably a year to 18 monthes off. … I think we’ll start to see some new life in the next but Ithink it’s going to go sideways for a long time afterd that. … We’re going to see some more of the retail sector hurtingover all, but I think once the capital markegt gets back in that’s probably going to be six to nine months wherre they can start giving the banks room to start clearingh off their balance sheets for new projects. I think peopld are still interested in real estate asan investment.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Monsanto to cut 900 jobs as profit falls - St. Louis Business Journal:
deeshu-tatum.blogspot.com
The company said separating herbicidesx is expected to enable it to better alighn spending and workingcapital needs. The companh that it had seen a “faster-than-anticipate d decline” in profits from Rounduo glyphosate herbicide, which came off patent nine years ago. Monsantpo cost-cutting actions including a freeze on hiring and and limitations on contractor work and as it sought to cut costa this yearby $400 million to offsegt an expected reduction of $400 milliob in Roundup sales.
The employee cuts announced Wednesday will vary from countrty to country and will be less than 4 percenrt of its globalwork force, Monsanto The company expects to take a one-time restructuring chargew estimated at $350 million to $400 Also on Wednesday, Monsanto reportede that its third-quarter net income fell 14 percent to $694 millioh from $811 million in last year’s quarter. Net sale for the fiscal thirf quarter fell 11 percent tonearly $3.2 billion from $3.5 billion as revenue from Roundup and other herbicides decreased. Roundup saled have fallen with .
“Over the last six Monsanto’s business has undergone a dramatic transition from a companyt historically built on chemical innovation to one focused on delivering enhancex seed offerings that help farmersd get more out of each acre of farmland whilre reducing the footprint of the inputs used onthat land,” Chairmab and CEO Hugh Grant said in a “The actions announced today will allosw our company to better navigate in today’s changing businesas environment and keep the company on a clear path for Grant said, “We believe these step s are in the best interestz of our shareowners, our customers and our This is designed to bring more claritg and predictability to our Roundupp business and greater focua to our growing seeds and traits business.
” He said that Monsanto’s seedzs and traits business alone in fisca l 2009 will see more gross profitf than all of Monsanto did in 2007. Totakl seeds and genomics sales rose nearly 10 percent in the fiscal third quarterto $2.2 billion. Creve Coeur, Mo.-based Monsanto (NYSE: MON) makes seeds and insect- and herbicide-resistant It is one of the larges employersin St. Louis with 4,000 localk employees.
The company said separating herbicidesx is expected to enable it to better alighn spending and workingcapital needs. The companh that it had seen a “faster-than-anticipate d decline” in profits from Rounduo glyphosate herbicide, which came off patent nine years ago. Monsantpo cost-cutting actions including a freeze on hiring and and limitations on contractor work and as it sought to cut costa this yearby $400 million to offsegt an expected reduction of $400 milliob in Roundup sales.
The employee cuts announced Wednesday will vary from countrty to country and will be less than 4 percenrt of its globalwork force, Monsanto The company expects to take a one-time restructuring chargew estimated at $350 million to $400 Also on Wednesday, Monsanto reportede that its third-quarter net income fell 14 percent to $694 millioh from $811 million in last year’s quarter. Net sale for the fiscal thirf quarter fell 11 percent tonearly $3.2 billion from $3.5 billion as revenue from Roundup and other herbicides decreased. Roundup saled have fallen with .
“Over the last six Monsanto’s business has undergone a dramatic transition from a companyt historically built on chemical innovation to one focused on delivering enhancex seed offerings that help farmersd get more out of each acre of farmland whilre reducing the footprint of the inputs used onthat land,” Chairmab and CEO Hugh Grant said in a “The actions announced today will allosw our company to better navigate in today’s changing businesas environment and keep the company on a clear path for Grant said, “We believe these step s are in the best interestz of our shareowners, our customers and our This is designed to bring more claritg and predictability to our Roundupp business and greater focua to our growing seeds and traits business.
” He said that Monsanto’s seedzs and traits business alone in fisca l 2009 will see more gross profitf than all of Monsanto did in 2007. Totakl seeds and genomics sales rose nearly 10 percent in the fiscal third quarterto $2.2 billion. Creve Coeur, Mo.-based Monsanto (NYSE: MON) makes seeds and insect- and herbicide-resistant It is one of the larges employersin St. Louis with 4,000 localk employees.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Pritchard Group, Inc. Company Profile | Company Information
wanuso.wordpress.com
The Pritchard Group, Inc. provides business services in threwmain areas: improving organizations teambuilding, change management, climate surveys), talent development and management (leadership , managemenrt and supervision, executive coaching, conflict, and quality improvement (customer service, problem solving). The Pritcharcd Group, Inc. is well know for its interactive, educational, and just plain fun sessiones for learning. In working with your a consultant with ThePritchard Group, Inc. will discus s you the outcomesyou desire, your organizationa l needs, and the challenges you are facing.
After this confidentiapl discussion, the consultant will presentg a proposal for your reviewand recommendation. This initiap assessment and project definition is usuallyg completed at no cost tothe client. If The Pritchard Group, Inc. can brinf in other experts and specialists to assist with your Consultants affiliated with ThePritcharcd Group, Inc. come from a diverss experiential background andacademic training. Unlike most The Pritchard Group, Inc. works as a partner with theie client to insure that the training or consulting is what the clieng needs rather than a prepackaged generic programor solution.
The outcomes of our relationshi p will be a high quality product deliveredf on time andwithin budget. Dr. Constance Jenkins Pritchard, principal and owner, has more than 20 years of experience in trainingand ...
The Pritchard Group, Inc. provides business services in threwmain areas: improving organizations teambuilding, change management, climate surveys), talent development and management (leadership , managemenrt and supervision, executive coaching, conflict, and quality improvement (customer service, problem solving). The Pritcharcd Group, Inc. is well know for its interactive, educational, and just plain fun sessiones for learning. In working with your a consultant with ThePritchard Group, Inc. will discus s you the outcomesyou desire, your organizationa l needs, and the challenges you are facing.
After this confidentiapl discussion, the consultant will presentg a proposal for your reviewand recommendation. This initiap assessment and project definition is usuallyg completed at no cost tothe client. If The Pritchard Group, Inc. can brinf in other experts and specialists to assist with your Consultants affiliated with ThePritcharcd Group, Inc. come from a diverss experiential background andacademic training. Unlike most The Pritchard Group, Inc. works as a partner with theie client to insure that the training or consulting is what the clieng needs rather than a prepackaged generic programor solution.
The outcomes of our relationshi p will be a high quality product deliveredf on time andwithin budget. Dr. Constance Jenkins Pritchard, principal and owner, has more than 20 years of experience in trainingand ...
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Do You Want Fries With That A** Whooping? - Baristanet
mooth35byh.blogspot.com
Do You Want Fries With That A** Whooping? Baristanet Being a typical 5-year-old, Little Tom was jumping around full of excitement for french fries, when he accidentally stepped on a woman's foot. The woman yelled and turned to my mom and said, “Control your monkey!†That was her first mistake. ... |
Friday, May 6, 2011
Saint Louis Art Museum lays off staff - St. Louis Business Journal:
torbjorntrainer1738.blogspot.com
The affected workers were from across all museum functions and represent less than 10 percent of thetotal full-timse work force, according to Jennifer Stoffel director of externalp affairs for the museum. As of the museum had 179 full-time employees and 107 part-timed employees. The staff reductions come afted two roundsof buyouts. The museum in April to 19 stafc members eligible for full or early Fourhave accepted. Twelve workers acceptedf an early retirement offerrlast fall.
The museum said in that it faces a varietyof challenges, includinvg a decline in revenue from the Metropolitab Zoological Park and Museum District, reducee funding from its endowment, lower levels of annuakl giving, lower income from its shop and and a drop in attendance due to the closurre of Interstate 64 and the Hampton Avenuer overpass. The institution’s endowment dropped to $63.6 million as of Feb. 28, 2009, down from $87 milliojn on Aug. 31, 2008.
The affected workers were from across all museum functions and represent less than 10 percent of thetotal full-timse work force, according to Jennifer Stoffel director of externalp affairs for the museum. As of the museum had 179 full-time employees and 107 part-timed employees. The staff reductions come afted two roundsof buyouts. The museum in April to 19 stafc members eligible for full or early Fourhave accepted. Twelve workers acceptedf an early retirement offerrlast fall.
The museum said in that it faces a varietyof challenges, includinvg a decline in revenue from the Metropolitab Zoological Park and Museum District, reducee funding from its endowment, lower levels of annuakl giving, lower income from its shop and and a drop in attendance due to the closurre of Interstate 64 and the Hampton Avenuer overpass. The institution’s endowment dropped to $63.6 million as of Feb. 28, 2009, down from $87 milliojn on Aug. 31, 2008.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
China's Foxconn plans Broward site - South Florida Business Journal:
ugefuk.wordpress.com
Site selection is still under way to leased morethan 40,000 square feet to housre the new Foxconn staffers, who will focuz on designing next-generation cellular China-based Foxconn may not be a household but it has $10.73 billionj in revenue and has done work for companies such as , and . The goal is to have the facilitty up and designing byearly June, according to Julio Abdala, Foxconn'xs VP of engineers. A majority of the new hiresd were recently laid offfrom 's Plantatiob hub, he said. In Foxconn's South Florida expansion, Abdalas said, is a directf result of its abilityg to hirethose high-skilled workers.
"Foxconn knew there were engineerscoming available, and they made a decisionh to set up a center here," said a former Motorola Motorola's Plantation facility, which employs about 2,500, laid off more than 300 in earlu spring, according to Motorola spokeswoman Lea "They were mostly hardware and software engineere and they were in our WiMAd organization," she said. (WiMAX is an ultra-fast metho of wireless data The move came as Motorolaw announced a plan to split into twopublicly stand-alone entities: one focused on mobil e handsets and related products, and the other on voicr and data communications products and services.
Motorola's Plantationn operation serves asthe company's Latin American headquarters, and holds engineeringh and sales sections for its handseg business. Abdala said he woule oversee Foxconn's new office once a leas is finalized. Foxconn is focusinv its space search within closre proximityto Motorola's Plantation facility, at 8000 W. Sunriser Blvd. The former building, at 1601 S.W. 80th in Plantation, is among the buildings under consideration, but no deal has been according to real estate sources familiar with the The 120,000-square foot building is occupied by , whicbh only needs about half the building.
Wherever it windxs up, the Foxconn facilituy is expected to open with about100 workers, and should be fullt staffed by the end of the year, Abdal said. Fifty percent to 70 percent of Foxconn'es initial new hires will be ex-Motorola, tech-oriented workers earninv between $50,000 and $110,0000 a year, Abdala said. But not all of them are comingfrom Motorola's Broward Abdala said he didn't know exactlu how many former Motorola employees from Plantation would be on Foxconn'x payroll, since some new hires are comingv from Motorola jobs outside South Florida.
Abdala said Foxconnn wants to locate closeto Motorola's Plantation offices "because that'sa the least disruptive to the greatest number of Faso and others said Motorola held a job fair in mid-Aprilo for outgoing employees, and that some top technologyy companies - including Foxconn, and - attended. Faso said numerouws employees were able to gain employment withotherf companies, and many of them will remaihn in South Florida. She did not know how many outgoingh Motorola employees werehired elsewhere. Joe a senior staffing managerat Qualcomm, said the companyt pursued laid-off Motorola employeesa for hiring at its San Diego and Nortuh Carolina facilities.
Ultimately, he said, Qualcomm expects to make offers to 20 to 30 formefrMotorola employees, mostly engineers. "[Motorolz in Plantation] was one area where there were some verytalentedc people," Borer said. Foxconn's new Broward facility coulsd be an economic boost beyondgiving laid-offt workers jobs, according to James P. Tarlton, president of the Browardf Alliance. "If you look at if from a pure economic development any addition of a company like Foxconnb would be a good addition to the companiexs that arealready here." Structure: based in China's Shenzhen City, is a subsidiarty of Ltd., which is headquartered in the Taiwanesew capital of Taipei.
Web Stock: Trades on the Hong Kong Stoc k Exchange under tickersymbol "FIH." The stock price was abourt $1.33 on May 28. Foxconn calls itself the global leader in mobile technologyintegration - from desig and manufacturing to repairs and refurbishing. $10.73 billion in 2007, up 3.4 percent Profits: $725 up 1 percent 123,917
Site selection is still under way to leased morethan 40,000 square feet to housre the new Foxconn staffers, who will focuz on designing next-generation cellular China-based Foxconn may not be a household but it has $10.73 billionj in revenue and has done work for companies such as , and . The goal is to have the facilitty up and designing byearly June, according to Julio Abdala, Foxconn'xs VP of engineers. A majority of the new hiresd were recently laid offfrom 's Plantatiob hub, he said. In Foxconn's South Florida expansion, Abdalas said, is a directf result of its abilityg to hirethose high-skilled workers.
"Foxconn knew there were engineerscoming available, and they made a decisionh to set up a center here," said a former Motorola Motorola's Plantation facility, which employs about 2,500, laid off more than 300 in earlu spring, according to Motorola spokeswoman Lea "They were mostly hardware and software engineere and they were in our WiMAd organization," she said. (WiMAX is an ultra-fast metho of wireless data The move came as Motorolaw announced a plan to split into twopublicly stand-alone entities: one focused on mobil e handsets and related products, and the other on voicr and data communications products and services.
Motorola's Plantationn operation serves asthe company's Latin American headquarters, and holds engineeringh and sales sections for its handseg business. Abdala said he woule oversee Foxconn's new office once a leas is finalized. Foxconn is focusinv its space search within closre proximityto Motorola's Plantation facility, at 8000 W. Sunriser Blvd. The former building, at 1601 S.W. 80th in Plantation, is among the buildings under consideration, but no deal has been according to real estate sources familiar with the The 120,000-square foot building is occupied by , whicbh only needs about half the building.
Wherever it windxs up, the Foxconn facilituy is expected to open with about100 workers, and should be fullt staffed by the end of the year, Abdal said. Fifty percent to 70 percent of Foxconn'es initial new hires will be ex-Motorola, tech-oriented workers earninv between $50,000 and $110,0000 a year, Abdala said. But not all of them are comingfrom Motorola's Broward Abdala said he didn't know exactlu how many former Motorola employees from Plantation would be on Foxconn'x payroll, since some new hires are comingv from Motorola jobs outside South Florida.
Abdala said Foxconnn wants to locate closeto Motorola's Plantation offices "because that'sa the least disruptive to the greatest number of Faso and others said Motorola held a job fair in mid-Aprilo for outgoing employees, and that some top technologyy companies - including Foxconn, and - attended. Faso said numerouws employees were able to gain employment withotherf companies, and many of them will remaihn in South Florida. She did not know how many outgoingh Motorola employees werehired elsewhere. Joe a senior staffing managerat Qualcomm, said the companyt pursued laid-off Motorola employeesa for hiring at its San Diego and Nortuh Carolina facilities.
Ultimately, he said, Qualcomm expects to make offers to 20 to 30 formefrMotorola employees, mostly engineers. "[Motorolz in Plantation] was one area where there were some verytalentedc people," Borer said. Foxconn's new Broward facility coulsd be an economic boost beyondgiving laid-offt workers jobs, according to James P. Tarlton, president of the Browardf Alliance. "If you look at if from a pure economic development any addition of a company like Foxconnb would be a good addition to the companiexs that arealready here." Structure: based in China's Shenzhen City, is a subsidiarty of Ltd., which is headquartered in the Taiwanesew capital of Taipei.
Web Stock: Trades on the Hong Kong Stoc k Exchange under tickersymbol "FIH." The stock price was abourt $1.33 on May 28. Foxconn calls itself the global leader in mobile technologyintegration - from desig and manufacturing to repairs and refurbishing. $10.73 billion in 2007, up 3.4 percent Profits: $725 up 1 percent 123,917
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