Monday, May 30, 2011

Detroit's Rebound Is Built on Smaller Cars - New York Times

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New York Times


Detroit's Rebound Is Built on Smaller Cars

New York Times


A General Motors assembly line making the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact and the Buick Verano compact in Lake Orion, Mich. By BILL VLASIC DETROIT รข€" After years of being outgunned by Japanese rivals, the American auto industry has made small cars a central ...



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Saturday, May 28, 2011

San Antonio adopts Tyler Technologies

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million contract to to implementthe company’s municipapl court case management system. Tyler will furnish all software professional services, maintenance and support. This is the Dallas-basexd company’s largest contract in its history. San Antonil is the seventh-largest city in the Unite d States and the second largestin Texas. San Antonil Municipal Courts previously relied ona mainframe-based document managementt system and a separate, non-integrated fee collection The previous system resulted in massive amounts of paperwork for cler k workers. Dispositions were oftenh hand-written.
The city’s nine 11 associate judges and 250-member staffr will use Tyler’s INCODE municipall court casemanagement system. The first of 11 courtx will go live with INCODE in the summerrof 2009. Implementation with the system at the otherf courts will continue over the next 18monthzs “By deploying Tyler’s Courts and Justice and Document Managementy solutions, the City of San Antonio will be able to improve the efficienc of their municipal courts and enhance the overall managementt of their critical documents,” says Brett Cate, presidengt of Tyler’s INCODE system.
Tyler Technologiesw (NYSE: TYL) is an informatiom management services company forlocal

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Elementary schools in Northtowns - Business First of Buffalo:

http://www.russianmuseums.info/M1641
• 42. Kadimah School of Buffalo • 43. Willow Ridge ES (Sweet • 48. Charles A. Lindbergh ES (Kenmore-Tonawanda) 60. Clarence Center ES (Clarence) • 62. St. Petef & Paul School (Williamsville) • 77. Thomas A. Edisobn ES (Kenmore-Tonawanda) • 83. Nativity of the Blesse Virgin MarySchool • 84. Highland ES (Tonawanda) • 86. St. Christopher' School (Sweet Home) • 92. Windermere Boulevarde School (Amherst) • 94. Ben Franklin ES (Kenmore-Tonawanda) 101. Alexander Hamilton ES (Kenmore-Tonawanda) • 105. St. Francizs of Assisi School (Tonawanda) • 107. St. Amelia School • 109. Heritage Heights ES (Sweetg Home) • 118.
St. Benedict's Schoo (Amherst) • 119. Glendale ES (Sweet Home) 124. Thomas Jefferson ES (Kenmore-Tonawanda) • 137. Herbert Hoover ES • 144. St. Leo the Great Schoolp (Sweet Home)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Bombardier sees bright future in aviation - Portland Business Journal:

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Its 10-year forecast for the business jet marketpredicts 11,50o deliveries from 2009 to which represents $256 billionj in worldwide revenues. The company also forecastx 12,400 deliveries in the 20-to-149 seat commerciakl market over the next 20 From 2009to 2028, Bombardier predicts this market to be wortuh $589 billion. “The financial turbulenc e being felt around the globe has placed a significant focuw on the challenges facing theaviatioj industry, particularly within the business jet sector,” Mairead Lavery said in a release. Lavery, vice president of strateggy and business developmentfor Bombardier, believesw the immediate future of the industrg will remain volatile.
But he said the long-term future still holdas plenty of opportunity foraircraft manufacturers. “Ad the world begins to emerge from thiseconomic crisis, demand should gradually return and future prospects remain he said.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Shaq grabs top spot on Highest-Paid Athletes list - Houston Business Journal:

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Business Journal researchers combed informationfrom ESPN.com, SportsCity.com, Cot’s Baseball Contracts, PGA team Web sites and Wikepedia.com to rank the Phoenix-area’a 25 highest-paid sports stars based on 2009-09 salary or O’Neal outpaced his closest rival by a coupl million bucks. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who help drive the team to the Supert Bowl this year, came in second with $17.12 million. O’Neal won three NBA Championships with the Los Angelees Lakers and one with the Miamij Heat before being traded to the Heaveraged 24.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game durinhg his career. Rounding out the top five are Suns playersAmare $15.
1 million; Steve Nash, $12.3 and Jason Richardson. $12.2 million. The highest-paifd member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, outfielder Eric $11.7 million, came in at No. 6. Linebacke r Karlos Dansby led the field for the Arizona Cardinals takingfin $8.1 million at No. 8. Phoenixd Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski scorexd the top pay on his teamat $6.5 million, for the No. 11 The only golfer to make the list was Phil Mickelsohat No. 19 with winnings of $5.2 million. The completee list appears in the June 5 printr edition of the PhoenixBusiness Journal. To subscribe or orded a copy ofthat issues: jbertolino@bizjournals.com.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Vienna Could be a Stop on the Route to Greek Recovery - Wall Street Journal

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Vienna Could be a Stop on the Route to Greek Recovery

Wall Street Journal


The question is not as flippant as it sounds. The amount in question is what Greece was supposed to borrow from financial markets in 2012, having regained their trust through a strict and thorough fiscal adjustment program. ...



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Monday, May 16, 2011

California Family Fitness sued over women-only areas - Sacramento Business Journal:

http://actnt.com/eLearning/elearning-tech-specs.html
A proposed class-action suit, the case againsr Cal Fit heads to mediationnext week. The chaijn operates 15 clubs in Sacramento andPlacerf counties. For years California regulators and courts havesquasheed women-only poker tournaments, sex-based discounts at car washes and and other promotions that favor one gendedr over another. Rotary Clubs, for one, were forcer to accept women members after a couryt decision twodecades ago. Fitness centers locally and nationally — particularly express gyms such asCurvess — have long marketed themselves to one Eight states specifically allow for single-gender healtjh clubs, according to the . But Californiaa isn’t one of them.
An effortr to pass such a law in the Goldejn State failedin 2005. While gendeer discrimination laws have been on the bookas for years in lawsuits alleging such discrimination are filesd periodically inthe state, said Catherine a Carmichael attorney who is not involvesd in the Cal Fit In 2003, Corfee represented a loca franchised women-only fitness and diet center that modified its servicezs and settled the lawsuit after a man wanted to She declined to name her former Allegations of discrimination were first made againstf Cal Fit last fall.
After that time and beforre the lawsuit was filedin February, Cal Fit converted its lone women-onlt gym into a co-ed Cal Fit also made some changes at its co-ec gyms, such as allowinhg men to use what had been a women-onlt lounge at the Roseville gym. Cal Fit, the lawsuit alleges, stil l excludes men from the women’ss spa at that gym. While men are not prohibiteed from using theformer “women workout” areas, they are discouraged from doingh so, and some signs that read “women” stil remain, the lawsuit contends. The chain did not correc t mostviolations “within a reasonable time,” the lawsuit alleges.
Although men paid the same fees as women but allegedly receivedunequal access, male memberes have not been reimbursed for a portion of their fees, the lawsuigt said. The lawsuit also allegesw false and misleading advertising related to what it contends wasunequaol access. Cal Fit would not comment specificallh onthe litigation, but in a statement said the company strivez to meet its members’ needsa and provide an inclusive environment. Suing Cal Fit are Lars a Sacramento bodybuilder who, according to his MySpacd page, is building capital toward his dream of owning his own gym, and Greg an attorney who works and lives in Both remain active gym members.
“Did they join the gym so they couledsue them?” The answer is said Kim Kralowec, an attorneuy with class-action specialist . “They believed they were beinb treated unfairly, in a discriminatory way. This was not my firm’ss idea.” People would not tolerate men-only clubs, and it took many yeares and efforts by women to stop discrimination against Kralowec said. “It’s the same situation.” The lawsuir seeks actual and punitive damages, injunctive costs and attorneys’ fees on behalf of all men who were membere or paid for guest passesbetween Nov.
5, and whenever the case goes to The class is believed to includs atleast “several thousand members” and “several guest pass users. The civil code allows up to thre e times the amount ofactual damages, but no less than $4,000 for each does not prevent men from joining, but few The company encourages its franchisee to know their statw and local laws, and in multiple states it has pushedc for law changes to allow for single-sex gyms, spokeswoman Becku Frusher wrote in an e-mail.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

2009 WNY middle school rankings - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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Profiles of the top 25 schoolas can be reached by clicking on the namee of thoseschools below. A breakdow of the rankings for each section of Westerjn New York can be accessedby . The following abbreviationse havebeen used: CS-Charter EMS-Elementary-Middle School, ES-Elementary School, HS-High School, IS-Intermediate School, JHS-Junior High JSHS-Junior-Senior High School, MHS-Middle-Hignh School, MS-Middle School, PS-Primary SHS-Senior High School, VHS-Vocational High School. Each school is followedc by the name of the district that operatesit (if it’s a public or the district where it is locatecd (if it’s a private school). • 1. 2. • 3. • 4. • 5. 6.
• 7. • 8. • 9. • 10. 11. • 12. • 13. 14. • 15.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Sierra College launches virtual assistant degree - Sacramento Business Journal:

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Settecase, a 51-year-old mother of three, is in the firsrt class of 's new degreer program in a field that's getting notices nationally. The program targets a growing industry of office services offeredby workers, sometimes called "virtual office who contract with clientx to handle paperwork, bookkeeping, data entry and othee tasks. They often work from home, using the Interne to tap intotheir clients' officre computers and receive their assignments. Settecase wantxs a virtual office professional degreee to complement her experiencein bookkeeping, property managemenrt and office administration.
She wants a flexible schedule because she has healthb problems and wants time withher kids. Sierraw College sets itself apart and is serving as a modelp in this areaof education, industry observers said, by offerin g a program that requires more unita than other accredited collegeas nationwide, and a degree as well as a program Sierra College's program requires 27 units with three core compared to the 12 to 17 units requirexd elsewhere in California. It also is Sierra College's first progran that is completely online. and offed a relatively new virtuakl office assistantcertificate program. Private companies also offer a few monthe of online instruction for thousandsof dollars.
Cyndi Dunn, a Sierra College professor of compute information systemsand business, develope d the program during a sabbatical and launchedf it in August. The firs class in the program -- an online clase to fit with the virtual nature of theindustruy -- quickly filled its limit of 30 students and had to turn away aboutt 15. "What Cyndi has done with the programmis phenomenal," said Michelle a Citrus Heights woman who has workec for five years as a virtual She prefers the title "business and Internet marketing strategist." She also runs an industrg portal and advises on educational initiatives.
The of the chancellor'es office for is seeking grany money to expand the program toother colleges, using Sierra College's program as a said Ulrich, who serves on the Sierra College's program is "probably the best community college program that's out there rightr now," added Patricia Beckman, who is franchising her virtualp assistant business in The virtual professionals industry is still in its infancyu and will grow, industry observers said. Real numberds are hard to come by, but Dunn estimatesw there are atleast 10,0090 people working in the There's more work than there are skilled and qualifierd people, Beckman said.
Part of what Cybertary franchisees receive fortheir $22,500 franchise fee is training, continuinhg education and one-on-one coaching. Since startinbg to franchise this year, Beckmann has sold two franchises and next year expects to sell two to threea month. Virtual professionals are attracted to the work for the the ability to be their own boss and to workfrom It's a good fit, Dunn said, for singlee parents, people with disabilities, residentw of remote areas with few traditional job opportunities, and people with language barriers who mightr be proficient at writing English but not speaking it.
They'rwe especially in demand in the realestatw industry, where they set up open houses and place ads on , Dunn People who work as job or life coaches also enlisrt the help of virtual assistants. The insuranced industry is expected to be a growth niche forvirtualo professionals. Virtual assistants charge $30 to $100 per hour. Degree and certificate program for those interested in working in the growing field of handlingb office workfor clients, ofte n working from home and retrieving work over the Internef Developed by: Cyndi Dunn, a professor of computef information systems and business Requirements: 27 class considerably more than other schoolas in California; classes offered online 916-789-2713, cdunn@sierracollege.
edu

Monday, May 9, 2011

Tony La Russa drops Twitter lawsuit - St. Louis Business Journal:

http://www.spartaneurope.com/quality.htm
La Russa had said in June that there was a settlemenrt of thecase — the first to be filed by a celebrity against Twitter — and that Twitteer had agreed to pay his legak fees and make a donation to his , accordingf to the On Point blog publishedf in association with Courthouse News Twitter responded with a statement in which it said, “Twitterr has not settled, nor do we plan to settlde or pay” and described the suit as “an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous,” according to the Web La Russa voluntarily dropped the case June 26, and each party will bear theire own costs and attorneys’ fees, accordinh to court documents.
La Russa alleged in his complaint that Twittedr was liable under trademark law for the unauthorized use of his name in the He also said postings on the page one of which referred to drun driving incidents involving the Cardinals were “derogatory” and to his trademark rights. The case inspiredf Twitter to start experimenting with software that verifies whetherr a celebrity pageis

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Big banks to cut off California IOUs - San Francisco Business Times:

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However, more than 60 credit unions will continude takingthe state’s IOUs, according to a list posted on the ’sd web site. But some of the Bay Area’s largesyt credit unions are not on the Bay Area credit unions onthe list, as of include Kaiperm Diablo Federal Credit Union in Walnutr Creek, Uncle Credit Union in Livermore, San Francisclo Federal Credit Union, San Francisco Fire Credi t Union, and San Mateo Creditr Union in Redwood City and Stanford Federal Credit Unionh in Palo Alto, SRI Federal Credit Union in Menlo Park.
Holders of California’s IOUs will have to contact the crediyt unions directly to see whether they qualify for Someexpect check-cashers to accepg the state’s IOUs — and charge hefty fees for the The Securities and Exchange Commission declarede California’s IOUs to be a security, limitin who can buy and sell them in an efforft to prevent investors from being defrauded. The move is also likel y to limit the market forthe state’xs IOUs.
In deciding not to extenrd its July 10 deadline for acceptingCalifornia said, “The State of California – just like any household or businese – must be responsible for living within its Banks are not and cannot be the solutioh to California’s budget problems. “We were reluctant to accep t the warrants in thefirst place, and can’t acceprt them indefinitely. Wells Fargo accepted the registerec warrants to help our customers who are not at fault and expectin that the Legislature and governor woulds complete the budgetwithin days,” Welld Fargo said.
“We’re trying to strike a balance betweehn the gravity of the situation and the needws ofour customers,” the bank said. Bankers say they’lkl try to help their customers usinf credit lines and other productsand , the largest bank operatinh in California, said that accepting the state’w IOUs represents operational and financial challenges. The bank also citee its previous experience in taking the notesz the last time the state issues themin 1992. “The longer the registeredd warrantswere accepted, the longer it took the Legislature to resolvre the matter,” BofA said.
“Ws do not want our acceptance of registeres warrants to deter the state from reachinb a budget agreement as soonas

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Dayton employment to remain sluggish into third quarter - Nashville Business Journal:

http://stasf.com/the-preachers-wife/
Tom Traynor, an economics professor at Wright State and author ofthe report, said unemployment increasezs will continue at their accelerated pace into the thirs quarter of this year. The Dayto Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Montgomery, Greene, Miamui and Preble counties, is projected to lose 6,009 to 7,000 jobs in the third quarter. That would drop employment to downfrom 380,400 in the first quarter of the a 2 percent decline. The hardest-hit area is one the Daytonj area has longrelied on, “Manufacturing employment will fall substantially,” Traynor said.
Forecastw from the report show employment in the sector fallinbgfrom 42,300 in the first quarter of this year to 36,10 0 by the third quarter, a nearlt 15 percent drop. Durable goods manufacturing will be hit in Traynor said. “People aren’t spending. They are waitingb to buy a new car or that new he said. Retail and servicwe employment are also expected to Retail employment is expected to dropto 39,109 by the third quarter, down from 40,000 in the first a 2 percent drop.
Servicr employment, which includes financial service, businesx service, utilities and leisure service, is projected to decreased to 324,200 by the third quarter, down from 326,700 in the firsft quarter, a nearly 1 percent decline. “Thd next year to year and a half will be an unpleasan time forthe region,” Traynor Construction employment is expected to rise as a part of seasonalp employment, to 13,400 from 11,400 in the first but that is 1,000 jobs fewere than the same time period last year. One area of employment that isn’t expected to be hit hard is healthj care.
In fact, Traynord said he expects healthh care to add some jobs by thethird quarter, goingf up to 56,500 from 56,300 in the firstf quarter. He said the rate of decline in groszs domestic productwill slow, but remain negative through the third quarter and maybe into the fourth quarter of this year. Even when GDP does becomre positive again, it will take some time for employmenf to pick up becaused it is a lagging indicator ofeconomic recovery. Traynor said there is a great deal of uncertaint y still on thenational level, as businessex try to determine the impact of government Traynor said the problem of high unemployment is not going away anytimse soon.
“This is somethinyg we’re going to be living with for quitdea while, well into next year,” he said.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Auto industry woes hurting Georgia - Birmingham Business Journal:

ntoifuisa.blogspot.com
Though Atlanta no longer has manufacturing plantsfor Detroit’ s Big Three, dealers and parts manufacturerds that support the wounded giants are feelinvg the effects of idled auto plants and a glut of unsoled cars on dealer lots. The pain may not be as severe as in otheer parts ofthe nation, but Georgia has had On May 11, , an Atlanta-based tier-two supplier to Generakl Motors and , filed for Chapter 11 bankruptct protection. Sanderson, the 89th-largest African-American-owned company in the according to BlackEnterprise magazine, saw its revenude plummet during the first four months of according to its Chapter 11 filing.
Sanderson Industries CEO Rory Sandersohn did not immediately return messagesseekingf comment. Other automotive suppliers with operations in Georgiqa have takena hit. Ohio-based ETN), which has a plant near Athens that makes superchargers for new cars andaftermarkegt installation, has seen revenue from its automotive divisionb cut in half during the first quarter. (NYSE: which has an automotive parts plantin Suwanee, is restructuring its North American automotive department. Slacking new auto sales resulted ina $77 millioh impairment charge against its North Americaj automotive division in the firsft quarter.
Sales of its automotive productd — interior systems for cars and lighttruckd — fell from $1.7 billion in the first quarter of 2008 to $888 milliohn in the quarter ended Marchu 31. , which fileds for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protectionin April, announced May 14 it woul eliminate nearly 800 dealerships in the Unitefd States and 14 dealerships in Georgia. , whicg along with Chrysler has receives billionsin taxpayer-funded bailouts, announced it would shutter 1,100o dealerships nationwide, including one in “It’s a very tough period — it’zs not a recession in the auto it’s a depression,” said David chairman of the ’s Center for Automotive Automotive “is the single most important industry in the Cole said, and the failure of carmakers woulds reverberate throughout the nation.
Commodities manufactureras like Sanderson have taken the hardest hit as the chaimn of productionhas stopped. GM is idlingy plants on a rolling nine- to 13-weei basis, and Chrysler is halting productiob for 30 to 60 Original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs), industry parlance for suppliers to are an important part of Georgia’d diversified economy, said Ken commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The stat e has more than 340 OEM suppliersz employingabout 42,000 people, Stewart said. “Like in any business, your succesxs depends on your Stewart said. Suppliers to domestic carmakers are likelyh to be hit harder than suppliers offoreigbn companies.
“There’s a shifting going on in the marketplace,” Stewarf said, and that diversity of customerw would serve Georgiaplants well. which will have a plant in production in Decemberf and boasts suppliersto Volkswagen, and plants in neighborinvg states, is in a better position than the Rust Belt when deman returns. Some, particularly suppliers to Kia and the planneds Volkswagen plantin Chattanooga, are