Ritz-Carlton Residences developer says construction's a go - Baltimore Business Journal:

lihung-associations.blogspot.com
Jack Cayre, senior vice president of , said Tuesdaty that the City Planning Commission's Oct. 6 approvapl of the final projectr design will allowthe $250 million development to "What this enables us to do is pull our buildinvg permits,'' Cayre said. Construction on the 180 units is expectesd to be completedin 2007. Pricews on those units range from $1 million to $5 Cayre dismissed any questions that pendinfg litigation with former business partner and Baltimore developerEdward V. Giannasca II related to the project woulcdelay construction. "The lawsuit is really irrelevant,'' Cayree said. "All of the allegations in we think, lack merit.
'' In Midtown Equities, which is the parentt of Midtown Baltimore, filed a lawsuit against Giannasca and his companiees for breach of contractand fraud. A montnh later, Giannasca fired back with a counterclaimn against Cayre and Daniel Pfeffed of Midtownfor fraud, breach of invasion of privacy and civil

Cooper proposes domicile move to Ireland - Denver Business Journal:

hegenefipa.blogspot.com
The electrical products maker’ board has approved moving the company’s domicile to Ireland from “The decision to change Cooper’s place of incorporatiob was impacted by the unprecedented global economic conditions that have led to a dramatic reduction in global demand in virtuallty all markets that we serve and was made tomaintaib Cooper’s global competitive position,” Kirk Hachigian, chairman and chief executive officer, said Tuesday in a Cooper (NYSE: CBE) said it had establishedr tax residency in Ireland as of December 2008.
The which has its administrative headquarters in is asking shareholders to approve the If approved, a new Irish entity known as Coope r Industries plc will replace Cooper Industriez Ltd. as the parent Cooper’s move to change its placs of incorporation follows several other Houston companiesincluding , and , though Cooper is the firs t non-energy company to make the Another high-profile local energ company, (NYSE: NBR), remains incorporated in

Spectrum Capital principals join Morgan Keegan - Memphis Business Journal:

ejyceh.wordpress.com
Spectrum is a Rhodew Island-based investment and merchant banking firm. The two principals will maintainh their officesin Bristol, R.I. “Our commitmentf to providing our clients with the highesgt quality investment banking services has led to a numbedr of strategic acquisitions over the past two Chip Grayson, Morgan Keegan’s executivee managing director and director of investment said in a “We’ve had an interest in addinb restructuring expertise to our practice for some and now we have the right people on boared to lead this effort.” Spectrum managing partner Michael Lederman will head Morgab Keegan’s newly formed Special Situations Group.
Spectrum partnedr Joseph Sands will be management director ofthat group. “Iu am delighted to welcome Mike and Joe to our Randy Karchmer, co-head of Morganb Keegan’s mergers, acquisitions and financial sponsors said in a statement. “They will strengthen Morgaj Keegan by complementingour M&A, publicv equity and debt practices across a wide arragy of industries.” Memphis-based Morgan Keegan is the brokeragew and securities arm of Birmingham-basef (NYSE: RF).

AirTran to add routes from Milwaukee - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

gonyzyf.wordpress.com
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of Orlando, Fla.-basedc (NYSE: AAI), will offer one flightg daily from Mitchell to Indianapolis International Airport and PittsburghbInternational Airport, and add a second daily fligh t to Denver International Airport. In addition, AirTrann also announced that seasonal service from Milwaukee to Phoenix and toFort Fla., will return on Nov. 19. “AirTranm Airways is connecting these important business and leisures markets withour low-cost, high-quality, all-Boeiny jet service,” said Kevin Healy, senior vice presidentg of marketing and planning.
“By offering affordabl business class, complimentary XM Satellite Radilo and withina week, in-flight Internet on every flight, we’re raisingf the bar on what passengers should expect from a low-cost airline.” By AirTran will offer 36 flightsw to 19 cities per day from

Ralph de la Vega Executive Profile

ukatekexo.wordpress.com
In October 2007, he returnefd to wireless to serve as presidentand CEO-AT&T Mobility. He had previously served as chief operating officer of Cingular Wirelesds from 2004to 2006, responsible for technology network operations, marketing, sales and customee care. Between those two positions, he servedr as group president-Regional Telecommunications and with responsibility for overall leadershi p inregional wireline, including consumer, regional business sales and network. He was appointeds to that post in January after the close ofthe AT&T-BellSouth merger, which consolidated ownershipp of Cingular.
Before joining Cingular in January 2004, he served as president-BellSouth Latin with overall responsibilityfor BellSouth's operationes in 11 countries: Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Brazil and Guatemala. He also has servex as BellSouth's president of Broadband and Internet Inthis position, he had overall responsibilityy for the deployment, marketing and operationa of broadband services. In addition, he had responsibility for BellSouth Internert Servicesand BellSouth's rapidly growing data support Mr. de la Vega started his career in 1974 withBellSouty (then Southern Bell) as a management assistant.
He has held numerous positionsa of increasing responsibility in Network Consumer Services, Engineering and Operations

California settles with Kmart, sues Target - Memphis Business Journal:

ovaluleq.wordpress.com
The state’s attorney general, Jerry Brown, joineds by district attorneys from manyCaliforniqa counties, including Alameda, Santa Clara and Contra Costa, filedx a suit against Minneapolis-based Target (NYSE: TGT), saying it sent hazardoues waste to various landfills in violatiom of state law. The suit is meangt to stop the practices. In news reports, Targeft said it has been cooperating withthe AG’d office for three years on this matterr and that it is committed to complyingv with all environmental laws. Kmart, owned by (NASDAQ: SHLD), agreede to a settlement that includeszcivil penalties, legal costs and some money to boost protectioj of the environment in the state.
Thomas Robert Kochly, James Fox and Dolores the DAsof Alameda, Contra Costa, San Matei and Santa Clara counties joined Brown in the suit against Target. According to court papers, Target has 180 including storesand warehouses, in California. The suit allege s Target threwout “ignitable aerosol wastes” including propane in a trash compactor in Alameda County on May 14 and May 21, for example.

China Merchants Bank to extend rights-issue period - MarketWatch

sucujovide.wordpress.com

China Merchants Bank to extend rights-issue period MarketWatch By MarketWatch. SHANGHAI--China Merchants Bank Co. said Monday it proposes to extend the validity period of its planned 35 billion yuan ($5.5 billion) worth of rights issue plan by twelve months. The validity period expansion proposal is still subject ... and more »

Fondovi EU-a: Napola puno, napola prazno - bankamagazine

axilecyqih.wordpress.com

Fondovi EU-a: Napola puno, napola prazno bankamagazine GUBITNICI: · DIOK-R-A, -7,53 %. VART-R-1, -5,76 %. PSMR-R-A, -5,00 %. KSST-R-A, -4,52 %. AUHR-R-A, -4,35 %. WEBSHOP. Makroekonomija. Ono Å¡to makroekonomiju čini uzbudljivom jest važnost koju daje svjetskim zbivanjima; od uvoÄ'enja eura u ...

Race Against Time for an Arms Trade Treaty - Huffington Post

ibitasony.wordpress.com

Hindustan Times (blog)

Race Against Time for an Arms Trade Treaty Huffington Post With just a week remaining to secure a vit »

Hey, isn't that...?: Jesse Jackson Sr. - Washington Post (blog)

ysynut.wordpress.com

Hey, isn't that...?: Jesse Jackson Sr. Washington Post (blog) Quoted: Rush Limbaugh on good guys and bad guys in 'Dark Knight Rises' · Hey, isn't that...?: Jesse Jackson Sr. Anthony Weiner puts on a happy face in People magazine; is this a comeback move? Reliable Source live discussion, today at noon: Sonia ... and more »

Famous Footwear launches first national ad campaign - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

axilecyqih.wordpress.com
The campaign includes Famouas Footwear’s first-ever national cable television advertising campaign and radio spots in 47 major Erin Conroy, a spokeswoman for Brown said the company doesn’t release the dollare amounts for its advertising “However, the Make Today Famoud campaign is the largest, most integrateds campaign in Famous Footwear's nearly 50 year history,” she The campaign’s social and digitalo media component includes a online banne r ads, a Facebook page, YouTube channel, ( ) and virao video.
The company’s 30-seconde video “teaser” released on Father’s Day, which shows a dad swaddlinb his newborn son and raising him into the air to give the gigglint child a different view of the garnered 70,000 views in the first 48 More videos are planned, including a soon-to-bse released digital short, and will be available at whichg launches Aug. 3. St. Louis-based Brownj Shoe Co. Inc. owns and markets shoes under the LifeStride, Connie, and other and operates the Famousd Footwear and Naturalizerretail stores. The company operatees a design studio and showroomin Manhattan, N.Y., and global officea in China, Italy and Brazil.
The company has abouy 13,000 employees worldwide.

Feeley back to run VA facilities - Sacramento Business Journal:

jiqatili.wordpress.com
William Feeley takes the post of medical center director for the beginningJune 21, overseeing the hospitals in Buffalo and Batavia and sevenh community-based clinics. Since 2006, he has servef at the federal level as undersecretary for healthj operationsand management. It is in this role that he has faceds criticism over the past year in response to risingt suicide rates among soldiersand veterans. Feelet was singled out in a storyt published June 1 by ThePublic Record, an onliner media source published by the nonprofit Internationalp Humanities Center. The story highlighted a backlog of nearl 1 million unfinished disability claimesfrom veterans.
The story cited the VA’s inabilityg to implement components of its Mental Health Strategic Plan which was designed to provide rapird services for veterans who show signs of suicide or who suffeffrom post-traumatic stress disorder. Feeley was blastefd for failing toprovide oversight, as well as for failing to implemenft elements of the strategic plan, when he ran the Upstate VA He previously was criticized by suicide experts durinv a lawsuit challenging the VA’s mentap health system. A story published in the San Francisco Chronicle in April 2008quoted Feeley, who said in a pretria l deposition that the VA had no systematic national plan for suicide prevention.
who was not available by declinedvia e-mail to comment on the criticism but said he lookede forward to the new challenge: “Io have enjoyed the opportunity to servw VA on a national level for the past three years and welcome the opportunity to return and serve the veterans of Wester New York.” He is not new to the Feeley came to the area as associate directo r in 1994, rising to directorf of the system in 1998. In 2003, he became directof of the , where he oversawa medical centersin Albany, Bath, Batavia, Canandaigua and Syracuse, as well as 28 community-baseed outpatient clinics.

Advanta agrees to refund customers up to $35M in FDIC agreements - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

ogarawo.wordpress.com
That agreement addresses charges that theSpring Pa.-based company violated federal tradde laws through its pricing strategies on business credit cards, and in its marketing of cash-back rewardsz on the cards. Advanta said it did not admit wrongdoint and that it entered theagreements “in the interestg of expediency and to avoid Advanta said it took a $14 million charge to covee refunds tied to the alleged marketing violations in third-quarterd 2008 and will take a second-quarter 2009 chargd to cover refunds over its pricinbg strategies, which it said could total $21 million.
Advantwa also agreed to a $150,000 In a separate agreement withthe Advanta’s ability to use cash and pay dividendw has been restricted. The company must submit a plan toremaim "well-capitalized," and submit a plan to terminatwe its deposit-taking operations and deposit insurance once its depositzs are repaid in full, a processw expected to take a few years. The secondf agreement with the FDIC places restrictionzon Advanta’s use of its cash assets, paymentr of dividends and transactions that would materiallh alter its balance sheet composition and taking of brokerex deposits.
Advanta said the second order does not in any way restrict it from continuint to service itsmanagexd credit-card accounts and receivables. In an effory to limit losses and erosionn of its capital as credit Advanta said in early May that its securitization trust will go into earlytamortization — where the company uses receivables from customersd to accelerate payment to investor While that protects investors from prolonged exposure to a pool of receivable whose credit performance has deteriorated, Advanta woulr have needed an alternative way to fund new purchases on its credit cards. So it had to shut down future use, effectivew May 30.
It has since referred some customersd to AmericanExpress Co. Advanta’w stock closed 2 7 percent lower Wednesdat at42 cents.

In the spotlight: Ray Witkowski - bizjournals:

lihung-associations.blogspot.com
“I felt I could bring my deptuh of experience working with colleges and universitiexs to help withbusiness development,” said Witkowski, who spent the last 20 years focusinb on the education market with , also in Albany. Zone 5 has been actives in the highereducation sector—preparing marketinbg materials for prospective students and their parents—butt its goal is to expand to a and perhaps national, presence. “We have to be able to work with clients very closely in developing strategiex and recommendations that work from a branding andcommunicatione standpoint, but are also fiscally sound,” Witkowskij said.
In his 20 years with Creative Witkowski worked with 50 or 60 collegexs acrossthe country, starting with cold-calling and buildin relationships, then moving into account management. He did everythinbg except the actual creative His new job with Zone 5 is only the seconc inhis career, which started in 1989 aftetr he received a degree in communications from in Witkowski, 42, grew up in Souty Troy and graduated from Catholic Centra l High School. He is active in Catholic education, recently joininhg the diocesan school Witkowski also is a member of the and the localo chapter ofthe . Witkowski and his wife, Lisa, have livex in Albany since 1996. They have a daughter, age 6, and a son, 4.
Witkowski enjoys golf, baseball and New England travel, especiallyh lighthouses.

CPS signs solar power agreement - Philadelphia Business Journal:

eragywaqer.wordpress.com
The 27-megawatt solar project known as Wester Ranch is being developexby Houston-based using the SunCatcher power syste manufactured by its sister company, Stirlingg Energy Systems. This will be the first Texass project forTessera Solar, which currently has 1,500 megawatts of projects in California situated in Imperial Valley and the Mojave Desert. “This marks our firsf purchase of solar-generated energy, and we look for it to be the startr of a successful solat program for many years to says CPS Energy CEOMilton B. Lee.
“Solar will complementr our diversified approach to producing We look forward to working with Tessersa to help satisfyour customers’ electric needs in Greaterr San Antonio.” CPS announced last summer its commitment to pursued up to 100 megawatts of resourcwe capacity from solar The Western Ranch Solar project is expected to breamk ground in summer 2010 with the firstf units expected to come online by the end of 2010. The projectt will be comprisedof 1,080 SunCatcher dishes and will creatwe an estimated 100 construction jobs and up to 20 permanenyt jobs.
CPS Energy of San Antonilo is the nation’s largest municipally owned energyy company providing both natural gas andelectric service.

Building owners face loan crisis - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

xotavaloso.blogspot.com
The owners of about a dozeh Atlanta office buildings and shopping center s have less than a year before theid loanscome due, according to the Trepp/CMSA Database from . The database tracks how loanw backedby office, residential and retail properties are performing. Most owners are workingt with their banks to extenf theirpayment deadlines, or choosing to exercise payment extension clauses in their loan Some are trying to refinance. If owners are unable to come to an agreementg withtheir lenders, they can lose their buildings to as may happen to the Equitablre Building downtown. Atlanta Business Chronicle reported Feb.
20 that the landmark towet would likely become the firsft big casualty of thefinancial crisis. is foreclosing on the owned bySan Diego-based . It’s scheduled to be auctionedx May 5. A wide rangse of Atlanta property owners now face loomingdebt maturities, from publiclyt traded Corp. (NYSE: DDR) to prominent local real estatde investors such asRichard Bowers. All have encountered the same obstaclew — lenders’ unwillingness or inability to refinancs loans and a scarcity of buyers for commercial properties becaus capital markets remain predominantlylockee down.
“Banks are still not letting the capital back into the saidJeff Mixson, of Holder Properties and a recent president of Georgia’s chapter of the . “This is an over-correction,” Mixsonj said. “Well-leased, well-placed, well-owne d buildings are having troublegetting financing, and in some at least to the owners, it doesn’tf seem to make any sense.” In the 1355 Windward Concourse building is nearly 100 percentg leased with as the main tenant anchoring the But, owner Alpha United LLC is having difficultgy refinancing the remaining $11.
5 million balance on its loan with Capmark Financial, said Dennis Mitchell, a broker with who is marketin g the property to potential buyers. Like much of the maturingb debt, the Windward Concourse loan is rolled into a larger pool ofcommerciao mortgage-backed securities — a type of financin g that exploded in popularity in recen t years but that is now essentially shut down. Alphwa United has sought at leastan 18-montg extension on its loan payment, Mitchell said. “Mostg of the lenders would rather grant an he said. “How long they can keep doing that? Well, that’s the million-dollar question.
” Developers Diversifierd Realty, a real estate investment trust that owns 696shoppingv centers, has two centers in Atlanta with loanz that were set to mature this year. Its Heritagre Pavilion in Smyrna is nearly 94 percentf leased with tenants includiny PetSmartand T.J. Maxx. Developerse Diversified is part of a joingt venture on the shopping center with themajority owner. The originated by , has a $21 million balance, accordinhg to the Trepp database. It matures July 1. Developeres Diversified is trying obtaina one-year a spokeswoman said. Abernathy Square on Roswelol Road is 85percent leased, anchoredx by a Publix. The loan, also originater by Bear Stearns, has a $13.
4 milliobn remaining balance, according to the database. Developersw Diversified was granted an extension on the loanunti September, with an option to extenrd it through March 2010. In some cases, owners have guaranteecd extension clauses built into their originalloan agreement. Jim president and CEO of the condominiumdeveloper , said that his TWELV Atlantic Station — whose loan is due in Novembert — has multiple extension rights. Novare will likelyu exercise those options, a spokesman said. Bowers’ downtownb buildings, 270 Peachtree and Five Points have loans scheduled to mature in the next six according tothe database.
The loan backed by the 23-story 270 Peachtrede has a $33 million balance. The loan backerd by Five PointsPlaza — which houses the Atlantqa Department of Housing and Urban Developmenf — has a $12 million When asked about the maturing Bowers would say only, “I’v got it taken care of.” The firsft signs of trouble in Atlanta’s commercial real estate marke came earlier this year when Equastone Real Estatd Investment Advisors could no longer pay tenant improvementr allowances at the Equitable Building.
Equastone purchasedd the buildingfor $57 million in 2007, but was unablee to generate sufficient income on it as vacancyt soared to nearly 30 “Everyone is waiting for the commercial real estate shoe to Mixson said. “And maturing defaults are goinyg to be thebig question. But, the lenderd seem willing to work withthe owners.”

Agents are accused of abusing border crossers - San Antonio Express

sucujovide.wordpress.com

Agents are accused of abusing border crossers San Antonio Express Though she lives and works in Mexico, Vasquez says she was born in the Rio Grande Valley and, until February, was allowed to cross the border with her birth certificate, a Social Security card and a Texas ID â€" all confiscated by federal agents after ... and more »

Dallas Fed: Inflation harder to predict - Nashville Business Journal:

iwyqaxewun.wordpress.com
Researchers Mark Wynne and Patrick Roy comparefd annual economic forecasts going back to 1991with year-over-yead changes in the U.S. Consumer Prics Index. Their goal was to determine whetherglobalizatioj -- the increasing integration of internationalo economies through trade and financial flows -- has made it harder to predict when inflation will occur. ( ). Wynne told the in an intervieew Wednesday that the study found that inflation in the United State has been more difficult to forecast in the 2000sd when compared tothe 1990s. However, the opposites was found to be true in almost every otheer country analyzed inthe Dr.
Ravi Batra, professor of economics at , says measuringg inflation based on domesti c demand is not as importanty as it once wasin America, due to globalizatiojn and foreign competition. He said in the past, when a lot of moneyh was printed, prices went up and the high money supply wouldx cause a higher ConsumedrPrice Index, a measure of inflation. Accurate inflation forecastas are more difficult now due to globaprice competition, he said. CPI-type inflatiobn has not flared up, even with new moneh being printed in the because competition from countries such as Chinz and Japan is keepingprices down. However, he said inflatio was strong inothefr areas, including the oil market.
Going forward, he thinkx other factors will be more accurateinflation indicators. “I think inflation will depend more on oil prices and the valuse of the dollar than on money Batra said. “The Federal Reservew has printed a lotof money. If the dollarr remains stable andoil doesn’ft heat up, inflation will be contained. But if the dollart falls sharply and oilheats up, we will have he said.

American Dream's Alive and Well! - Daily Beast

xotavaloso.blogspot.com

Daily Beast

American Dream's Alive and Well! Daily Beast Contrary to reports of the death of the U.S. as a land of potential and possibility, many still see America as a society that offers paths for individuals to realize their dreams and ambitions.

GM files for bankruptcy protection - Pittsburgh Business Times:

axilecyqih.wordpress.com
Chevrolet-Saturn of Harlem Inc., a New York-basexd affiliate of the Detroit automaker, was the first GM affiliate to seek bankruptcy protection Monday morning througuhthe U.S. Bankrutpcy Court's Southerjn District of New York, according to court records. The restructurinvg will enable GM to emerge as a viable entity under the brand namenew GM. It also will give the federapl government, which plans to make availableabout $30 billion of federalk assistance to support the restructuring, a large ownership stakde in the company.
Two area companies were among the list of creditorsxin GM's filing: New York-based Bank of New York with claims of $176 million, and Downtown-basef US Steel, with claimz of $9.6 million. For a list of creditors, see GM's . Accordinh to a release from the White the company plans to announce today that it will closed 11 facilities and idleanother three. GM had alread announced in May .

Hawaiian Telcom files reorganization plan - Business First of Louisville:

ycoguqi.wordpress.com
The company, which filed for Chapteer 11 bankruptcyin December, said the steering committee representin g those who hold claimsw under the company’s secured credit agreement supports the plan. “The filing of the plan and disclosure statement is an important achievement in ourrestructuring efforts,” said Eric K. Hawaiian Telcom’s president and CEO, in a “The plan provides for a significantly deleverageecapital structure, and the terms of the new debt give us greate financial flexibility to execute our busines plan and invest in new products, better positioning the company for futur success.
” A hearing to consider approval of the disclosure statement has been tentativelyt scheduled for July 23. The plan includezs the conversion ofapproximately $590 million of the company’s senior secured credit facility and swap liabilities into the new equitty of the reorganized company and a new $300 milliob senior secured term loan maturin in five years. Holders of $350 millio in senior notes will get warrants tobuy 12.75 percent of the reorganize d company’s new equity and subscription rights to buy new equitg up to $50 million. The company said it expectz to emerge from Chapter 11with $30 millioj undrawn revolving credit facilitu and at least $45 millio n of cash on hand.
Hawaiian Telcom is owned by , a D.C.-based private equity Carlyle bought the assets of in May 2005for $1.6 and began operating independently with its own systemx in April 2006. The plan and diclosure statementgare .

Mohawk sinks to artificial, veterans' memorial reef - The News Journal

vykyvimote.wordpress.com

Mohawk sinks to artificial, veterans' memorial reef The News Journal By the time you read this, the Mohawk, a hero of the World War II Battle of the Atlantic, should be at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. USS Mohawk prepares for sinking NBC2 News Mohawk headed to final resting place ahead of sinking The News-Press  »