http://www.greeningthewssd.com/msgfrompartners.htm
About Bradley P. Dusto Brad Dusto is the Presidentt ofComcast Cable
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
First Poster For Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Featuring Shockwave! - Comic Book Movie
http://bostonprogressivetalk.net/page/Camping-With-or-Without-a-Remote-Control-in-the-Gr.html
First Poster For Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Featuring Shockwave! Comic Book Movie In what appears to be the first poster for the upcoming movie, we have our first look at Shockwave as well as the movies tagline, "Be Afraid Of The Dark". ... |
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sinclair deans request salary freeze - Washington Business Journal:
zemlyanikiyri.blogspot.com
The move will effect five deans and save thecollegr $18,000 in salary and benefits this year, as well as anothefr $200,000 over ten years. The boarrd has since said it would comply withthe request. Salary decisions have not yet been made for the rest of theSinclait workforce. Those decisions are pendiny further clarification on state higher education funding and mandatorhtuition freezes, officials said. Sinclair Presidenrt Steven Johnson said preserving jobs at Sinclair to servre the rapidly growing student enrollment has become an extraordinarilhyhigh priority.
This latest announcemeng comes on the heels of Johnson and top seniot staff at Sinclair Community College choosing to take their own voluntaryg pay freezeMay 22. The freeze is expected to save thecollegw $45,000 in the next year and a tota of $500,000 as the savings add up over the coming 10-year financialp planning cycle. The latest pay freeze of the deans, will bringf the college’s total savings to a total of $700,0009 in the next 10 recently made a similar move in responseto as-of-yet unfinalized statde budget, by announcing it will offer buyouts to 700 employeez at the university.
The move, whicnh is expected to release about130 employees, should save the universityy $3 million initially. Sinclair has 2,377 locall full-time employees and $137 millionh operating budget, according to Dayton Business Journak research.
The move will effect five deans and save thecollegr $18,000 in salary and benefits this year, as well as anothefr $200,000 over ten years. The boarrd has since said it would comply withthe request. Salary decisions have not yet been made for the rest of theSinclait workforce. Those decisions are pendiny further clarification on state higher education funding and mandatorhtuition freezes, officials said. Sinclair Presidenrt Steven Johnson said preserving jobs at Sinclair to servre the rapidly growing student enrollment has become an extraordinarilhyhigh priority.
This latest announcemeng comes on the heels of Johnson and top seniot staff at Sinclair Community College choosing to take their own voluntaryg pay freezeMay 22. The freeze is expected to save thecollegw $45,000 in the next year and a tota of $500,000 as the savings add up over the coming 10-year financialp planning cycle. The latest pay freeze of the deans, will bringf the college’s total savings to a total of $700,0009 in the next 10 recently made a similar move in responseto as-of-yet unfinalized statde budget, by announcing it will offer buyouts to 700 employeez at the university.
The move, whicnh is expected to release about130 employees, should save the universityy $3 million initially. Sinclair has 2,377 locall full-time employees and $137 millionh operating budget, according to Dayton Business Journak research.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Philadelphia Business Journal:
grearqakususi1426.blogspot.com
A survey by America's Health Insurance an industry trade groupin Washington, found small-group coverage in 2006 averaged $312 per monthn for single coverage and $814 per month for familg coverage. Helen Darling, president of the Nationao Business Group on Healthin Washington, D.C., said that when evaluatinh plan options, employers should consider the qualit of care provided to its members and not just the premiu m prices. First on her list is checking to make sure the insuref is accredited by the Nationall Committee forQuality Assurance.
Next would be readin through the plans' HEDIS (Health Plan Employer Data and Informatiobn Set) scores, which the NCQA accumulates to track plans on various performance measures. "You can find out things like what percentagee of their members receivea beta-blocker after suffering a heartf attack," Darling said. "I'd also make sure the physicians in theplan are, with very few board certified. And I'd want to see that the plan hasa 'centerds of excellence' program for certain procedures such as organb transplants and cardiovascular care.
When evaluating premiums, Darling suggested businesses ask for a breakdown of all price to determine whether it might be cheapetr to outsource certain part of the such as prescription pharmacy Among the various typesof employer-sponsorede health insurance plans, managed-care options dominate the landscape. In its nationalk survey of employee-sponsored health plans, the consultin g firm Mercer Human Resource Consultinh found that preferred provide rorganizations (PPOs) were the most popular option in 2006, at 61 followed by health maintenance organizations at 24 percent. Both HMOs and PPOs have contracts with networks of hospitals andother health-care networks.
Members pay less for services providec "in-network," but typically have the optiones of payinghigher "out-of-network" fees to goinf to providers not in the network. HMOs are more restrictives by having members selecta primary-care physiciah who must approve visits to PPOs typically carry slightly higher deductiblew and co-payments, but no restrictions on visitd to specialists - makingv the option generally more favorable to In order to hold down premiums, managed care planas are increasingly offering customers a tie red pricingy plan for pharmaceuticals.
Members pay the leastg for generic drugs, slightlyu more for brand-name products in the plan'xs formulary of approved drugs, and the most for branr names drug not on theformulargy list. Traditional indemnity which accounted for about 50 percenftof employer-sponsored plans in the early 1990s, has steadilyu plunged during the past decade and hit just 3 percenr last year according to the Mercetr survey. The newest option is consumer-directed or consumer-driven healtnh plans, abbreviated as Chaps, which feature high deductiblez along with health savings account or healthreimbursement accounts.
With such employees and employers can makea pre-tax contributioj to a health savings account, whicj is used to pay for routine medical Any funds left in the account at the end of the year can be used in subsequeny years. If the fund is depleted, the employee's coverage convertsz to a high-deductible managed-care plan. Proponents of Chaps say they help peoples becomebetter health-care consumers because theif own money is Critics fear people will put off necessary treatment to avoid emptying their accounts.
"They are not the right choicde for every employer orevery employee, but they can help both employers and employees save money," said Jessicqa Waltman, vice president of policy and state affairas for the National Associationh of Health Underwriters in Arlington, Va. Waltman said some childless employees decide to opt out ofan employer'se plan because they typically don't get sick or even go to a doctor'ws office. "A consumer-directed plan is a way to entice youngeer workers to go into the companyy healthinsurance plan," she said, noting the featur e that allows people to rollovee unused funds for future health-care services.
"Therre really are a wide arrat of health plansout there, but most peoplee (in employer-sponsored plans) end up with a PPO product becausee of pricing," Waltman said. Waltman also said employees are attractex to PPOs because they alloq members the ability to go to any doctord inthe plan's network without a referral. "Employerds will gravitate to whatemployees like, " she said.
A survey by America's Health Insurance an industry trade groupin Washington, found small-group coverage in 2006 averaged $312 per monthn for single coverage and $814 per month for familg coverage. Helen Darling, president of the Nationao Business Group on Healthin Washington, D.C., said that when evaluatinh plan options, employers should consider the qualit of care provided to its members and not just the premiu m prices. First on her list is checking to make sure the insuref is accredited by the Nationall Committee forQuality Assurance.
Next would be readin through the plans' HEDIS (Health Plan Employer Data and Informatiobn Set) scores, which the NCQA accumulates to track plans on various performance measures. "You can find out things like what percentagee of their members receivea beta-blocker after suffering a heartf attack," Darling said. "I'd also make sure the physicians in theplan are, with very few board certified. And I'd want to see that the plan hasa 'centerds of excellence' program for certain procedures such as organb transplants and cardiovascular care.
When evaluating premiums, Darling suggested businesses ask for a breakdown of all price to determine whether it might be cheapetr to outsource certain part of the such as prescription pharmacy Among the various typesof employer-sponsorede health insurance plans, managed-care options dominate the landscape. In its nationalk survey of employee-sponsored health plans, the consultin g firm Mercer Human Resource Consultinh found that preferred provide rorganizations (PPOs) were the most popular option in 2006, at 61 followed by health maintenance organizations at 24 percent. Both HMOs and PPOs have contracts with networks of hospitals andother health-care networks.
Members pay less for services providec "in-network," but typically have the optiones of payinghigher "out-of-network" fees to goinf to providers not in the network. HMOs are more restrictives by having members selecta primary-care physiciah who must approve visits to PPOs typically carry slightly higher deductiblew and co-payments, but no restrictions on visitd to specialists - makingv the option generally more favorable to In order to hold down premiums, managed care planas are increasingly offering customers a tie red pricingy plan for pharmaceuticals.
Members pay the leastg for generic drugs, slightlyu more for brand-name products in the plan'xs formulary of approved drugs, and the most for branr names drug not on theformulargy list. Traditional indemnity which accounted for about 50 percenftof employer-sponsored plans in the early 1990s, has steadilyu plunged during the past decade and hit just 3 percenr last year according to the Mercetr survey. The newest option is consumer-directed or consumer-driven healtnh plans, abbreviated as Chaps, which feature high deductiblez along with health savings account or healthreimbursement accounts.
With such employees and employers can makea pre-tax contributioj to a health savings account, whicj is used to pay for routine medical Any funds left in the account at the end of the year can be used in subsequeny years. If the fund is depleted, the employee's coverage convertsz to a high-deductible managed-care plan. Proponents of Chaps say they help peoples becomebetter health-care consumers because theif own money is Critics fear people will put off necessary treatment to avoid emptying their accounts.
"They are not the right choicde for every employer orevery employee, but they can help both employers and employees save money," said Jessicqa Waltman, vice president of policy and state affairas for the National Associationh of Health Underwriters in Arlington, Va. Waltman said some childless employees decide to opt out ofan employer'se plan because they typically don't get sick or even go to a doctor'ws office. "A consumer-directed plan is a way to entice youngeer workers to go into the companyy healthinsurance plan," she said, noting the featur e that allows people to rollovee unused funds for future health-care services.
"Therre really are a wide arrat of health plansout there, but most peoplee (in employer-sponsored plans) end up with a PPO product becausee of pricing," Waltman said. Waltman also said employees are attractex to PPOs because they alloq members the ability to go to any doctord inthe plan's network without a referral. "Employerds will gravitate to whatemployees like, " she said.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Science credentials big part of Martin
http://seiinc.org/events/
University of North Carolina Board of Governorw last week unanimouslyelected Martin, 57, to succeed currenf Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the positiojn onJune 8. Martin is a well-knowmn quantity at N.C. A&T and in the Triaed and his praises were being sung well before his selectiohwas official. He is a former faculty member and administratorat N.C. and he was chancellor of from 2000to 2006.
For the past threed years, he’s been the universityt system’s senior vice president for academic But Martin brings hefty scientifix credentials to the job as His résumé lists dozens of engineering and science-relatedx publications and grant He has also consulted with organizations and companies ranging from fuel-pumpo manufacturer in Greensboro to the in Rhode Island. He even holdes a patent for a method of detecting and correcting error s betweena computer’s central processor and “He’s uniquely positioned, I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’ws engineering and technical competences to new levels,” said Pat Danahy, CEO of the .
“Onde of the strongest parts of the story we can tell about our Greensboro and Triacd industry clusters is thattechnical capability. With him in that along with his experienceand there’s an exceptional possibility to move that And don’t expect Martin to be shy abou t using that experience, said Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-- Salem Chamber of Commerce, who worked with him on a numbef of technology and economic development initiativesa during his time as chancellor Martin was one of the firsft board members of the Piedmont Triad Research Park, she and pushed his faculty to engage activel y with the chamber’s Technology Council.
“I think he’lol be very active in advancinb science and technologyat N.C. and in making sure that its programs integrate well with plansat (Gateway University Research Park) and with the other economic development efforts of the community,” she said. One challengre for Martin will be finding ways to effectivelty buildon high-profile projects that are alread y well under way. Gateway, for example, is a joinr project with UNC-Greensboro that has alreadg mapped out a development plan tied largel y to the new Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering that is expectingf to welcome its first class in the upcomingfschool year.
But the new chancellor will stilp be important in chartingthe park’s future and promotinfg it as a resource for privatwe industry, said Gateway Executive Director John Merrill. Both UNCG Chancellor Lindaa Brady andoutgoing N.C. A&T Chancellof Battle have been supportive and Merrill said, and Martin will be able to brin g fresh ideas without a long learning “He can really hit the ground and that’s something you can’g really get with somebody coming from the outside,” Merrill Having been in charger of academic and research programs for all of the UNC “he’s already familiar with all the program and projects we’ve got under way and has been very active with the development of the (nanoscience So just being able to come in and help us keep up the pace is Martin’s science background may also amplifuy the amount and quality of researcb happening at N.
C. A&T’s main campus, said Vice Chancello r for Research N. Radhakrishnan. His arrival also comes at a key time for the which scored a recent triumph when it was selected to lead a prestigiouz Engineering Research Center by the NationaplScience Foundation. N.C. A&T is the first historicallyy black institution chosen for such a The new research center holdas the promise of a significan t expansion in sponsored research for the which Radhakrishnan hopes will crossthe $50 millionm mark this year. Outside sponsorshio of researchat N.C. A&T has nearly doublerd in the past six yearsto $48.56 million.
But it will take careful planning to gobeyone that, he said, and Martin’s engineering and sciencse background should help him chartr a course. “It’s time for us to look and see what we have to do to increasew our capacityfor research, because we’re peakinbg on our capacity now,” Radhakrishnan One way Martin can quickly affect that capacitg is by using his scientific backgrounx to recruit a top-levepl dean for the engineering school to replace the retiring Josep h Monroe. Martin held that position himselfd from 1989to 1994.
“We should be able to attractr a great dean simply because ofthe (Engineeriny Research Center), but we can attract a greater dean with a chancellort with that kind of Radhakrishnan said. “If I were applying as dean, that’ss something that would matterto me.” What may ultimately matter most not just to the tech industry but to the broaderr business community and to Aggies themselveas is the promise of stability, said Ralph Shelton, CEO of Southeasf Fuels in Greensboro and a former chai r of N.C. A&T’s board of trustees. Any initiatives undertaken now will face the extraa challenge of the shrinkinfgstate budget.
Shelton said Martin’s popularitty and familiarity shouldenergize fundraising. His Aggie pedigree will also starf him off with a level of trust not automatically conferred onpast chancellors, he added. That shoulxd give him the clout to move quickly to shorer upuniversity finances, improve student performancer and retention and tacklr a long list of other priorities “I’d be very surprised if he turn s out to be a short-term Shelton said. “I think he knows the challenge s he needs to take on will take more than a couplwe of yearsto solve.
”
University of North Carolina Board of Governorw last week unanimouslyelected Martin, 57, to succeed currenf Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the positiojn onJune 8. Martin is a well-knowmn quantity at N.C. A&T and in the Triaed and his praises were being sung well before his selectiohwas official. He is a former faculty member and administratorat N.C. and he was chancellor of from 2000to 2006.
For the past threed years, he’s been the universityt system’s senior vice president for academic But Martin brings hefty scientifix credentials to the job as His résumé lists dozens of engineering and science-relatedx publications and grant He has also consulted with organizations and companies ranging from fuel-pumpo manufacturer in Greensboro to the in Rhode Island. He even holdes a patent for a method of detecting and correcting error s betweena computer’s central processor and “He’s uniquely positioned, I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’ws engineering and technical competences to new levels,” said Pat Danahy, CEO of the .
“Onde of the strongest parts of the story we can tell about our Greensboro and Triacd industry clusters is thattechnical capability. With him in that along with his experienceand there’s an exceptional possibility to move that And don’t expect Martin to be shy abou t using that experience, said Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-- Salem Chamber of Commerce, who worked with him on a numbef of technology and economic development initiativesa during his time as chancellor Martin was one of the firsft board members of the Piedmont Triad Research Park, she and pushed his faculty to engage activel y with the chamber’s Technology Council.
“I think he’lol be very active in advancinb science and technologyat N.C. and in making sure that its programs integrate well with plansat (Gateway University Research Park) and with the other economic development efforts of the community,” she said. One challengre for Martin will be finding ways to effectivelty buildon high-profile projects that are alread y well under way. Gateway, for example, is a joinr project with UNC-Greensboro that has alreadg mapped out a development plan tied largel y to the new Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering that is expectingf to welcome its first class in the upcomingfschool year.
But the new chancellor will stilp be important in chartingthe park’s future and promotinfg it as a resource for privatwe industry, said Gateway Executive Director John Merrill. Both UNCG Chancellor Lindaa Brady andoutgoing N.C. A&T Chancellof Battle have been supportive and Merrill said, and Martin will be able to brin g fresh ideas without a long learning “He can really hit the ground and that’s something you can’g really get with somebody coming from the outside,” Merrill Having been in charger of academic and research programs for all of the UNC “he’s already familiar with all the program and projects we’ve got under way and has been very active with the development of the (nanoscience So just being able to come in and help us keep up the pace is Martin’s science background may also amplifuy the amount and quality of researcb happening at N.
C. A&T’s main campus, said Vice Chancello r for Research N. Radhakrishnan. His arrival also comes at a key time for the which scored a recent triumph when it was selected to lead a prestigiouz Engineering Research Center by the NationaplScience Foundation. N.C. A&T is the first historicallyy black institution chosen for such a The new research center holdas the promise of a significan t expansion in sponsored research for the which Radhakrishnan hopes will crossthe $50 millionm mark this year. Outside sponsorshio of researchat N.C. A&T has nearly doublerd in the past six yearsto $48.56 million.
But it will take careful planning to gobeyone that, he said, and Martin’s engineering and sciencse background should help him chartr a course. “It’s time for us to look and see what we have to do to increasew our capacityfor research, because we’re peakinbg on our capacity now,” Radhakrishnan One way Martin can quickly affect that capacitg is by using his scientific backgrounx to recruit a top-levepl dean for the engineering school to replace the retiring Josep h Monroe. Martin held that position himselfd from 1989to 1994.
“We should be able to attractr a great dean simply because ofthe (Engineeriny Research Center), but we can attract a greater dean with a chancellort with that kind of Radhakrishnan said. “If I were applying as dean, that’ss something that would matterto me.” What may ultimately matter most not just to the tech industry but to the broaderr business community and to Aggies themselveas is the promise of stability, said Ralph Shelton, CEO of Southeasf Fuels in Greensboro and a former chai r of N.C. A&T’s board of trustees. Any initiatives undertaken now will face the extraa challenge of the shrinkinfgstate budget.
Shelton said Martin’s popularitty and familiarity shouldenergize fundraising. His Aggie pedigree will also starf him off with a level of trust not automatically conferred onpast chancellors, he added. That shoulxd give him the clout to move quickly to shorer upuniversity finances, improve student performancer and retention and tacklr a long list of other priorities “I’d be very surprised if he turn s out to be a short-term Shelton said. “I think he knows the challenge s he needs to take on will take more than a couplwe of yearsto solve.
”
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Retail REIT works to refinance debt - The Business Review (Albany):
http://elisabethharvor.com/trevor2.htm
The Dallas office of Hollida y Fenoglio Fowler confirmed Wednesday that it has been working with the real estate trustt since the fourth quarter of 2008 to develop solutions forthe trust’ outstanding debt securities. To HFF has been able to secure or negotiated a totalof $500 millionb in financing for the real estate investmentr trust. At this point, $300 milliohn of debt is in various stages of negotiationh for refinancingand long-term extensions. Thus far this year, the companh has closed on $120 milliobn in loans and secured $75 million more in committeds financing, HFF said in a statement.
The willingnesxs of lenders to engage in the financingg of the trust may be attributed to the valur ofthe properties, HFF indicated. “Thw lenders that are actively engaged appreciate the qualityh ofthe assets, the realistic underwritinf assumptions being used and the opportunithy to make strong fundamental loans to a best-in-class sponsor,” said Kevin MacKenzie, HFF managingg director. Inland Western Retail Real Estatwe Trust has 334 propertiew in isnational portfolio, totaling 51 milliom square feet. Among local retail properties it managezs are The Shops at Park Placein Plano, Southlak Town Squafre Block 22 and Prestonj Trail Village in Dallas.
The Dallas office of Hollida y Fenoglio Fowler confirmed Wednesday that it has been working with the real estate trustt since the fourth quarter of 2008 to develop solutions forthe trust’ outstanding debt securities. To HFF has been able to secure or negotiated a totalof $500 millionb in financing for the real estate investmentr trust. At this point, $300 milliohn of debt is in various stages of negotiationh for refinancingand long-term extensions. Thus far this year, the companh has closed on $120 milliobn in loans and secured $75 million more in committeds financing, HFF said in a statement.
The willingnesxs of lenders to engage in the financingg of the trust may be attributed to the valur ofthe properties, HFF indicated. “Thw lenders that are actively engaged appreciate the qualityh ofthe assets, the realistic underwritinf assumptions being used and the opportunithy to make strong fundamental loans to a best-in-class sponsor,” said Kevin MacKenzie, HFF managingg director. Inland Western Retail Real Estatwe Trust has 334 propertiew in isnational portfolio, totaling 51 milliom square feet. Among local retail properties it managezs are The Shops at Park Placein Plano, Southlak Town Squafre Block 22 and Prestonj Trail Village in Dallas.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Report: Hecker faces 2 more lawsuits - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
http://florencefalk.com/qanda7.html
million, the Star Tribune reports. JPMorgan Chase Bank has filed suit agains Hecker in Hennepin County District seeking the immediate repayment ofa $3 millioh loan he took out last The bank alleges that Hecker defaulted on two conditionz of the loan: Maintaining minimuk liquidity of no less than 1.5 times the outstandingt principal balance of the loan and maintaining his primary bankingb relationship with Chase, according to the Star Tribune. In Chase accelerated repayment ofthe loan, as it was contractually permitted to do, but Hecker failed to pay the amounts due or make monthlyh interest payments, Chase says in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Fiftj Third Bank filed a lawsuit against Hecker earlier this seeking to foreclose on a mortgage Hecker signerd for an apparent condo development inBonita Fla. The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Courrt in Fort Myers, Fla., alleges that Hecke and his partners owe thebank $2.5 plus fees and interest, the Star Tribunre reports.
million, the Star Tribune reports. JPMorgan Chase Bank has filed suit agains Hecker in Hennepin County District seeking the immediate repayment ofa $3 millioh loan he took out last The bank alleges that Hecker defaulted on two conditionz of the loan: Maintaining minimuk liquidity of no less than 1.5 times the outstandingt principal balance of the loan and maintaining his primary bankingb relationship with Chase, according to the Star Tribune. In Chase accelerated repayment ofthe loan, as it was contractually permitted to do, but Hecker failed to pay the amounts due or make monthlyh interest payments, Chase says in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Fiftj Third Bank filed a lawsuit against Hecker earlier this seeking to foreclose on a mortgage Hecker signerd for an apparent condo development inBonita Fla. The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Courrt in Fort Myers, Fla., alleges that Hecke and his partners owe thebank $2.5 plus fees and interest, the Star Tribunre reports.
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