10.31
0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 30, 2009
Utah political leaders are already talking about opting out of any “public option” in a new national health-care reform system.
I must admit, I find this puzzling.
Because when push comes to shove, why deny your citizens any health-care insurance option they may want and need?
(Unless, of course, local health-insurance companies make it worth legislators’ time — and campaign accounts — to do otherwise.)
Do you recall the lamentations by Utah conservatives — both in Congress and in the Legislature — complaining about President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package last winter?
You would have thought the world was coming to an end.
But how fast did Utah GOP legislators spend Utah’s share of that federal stimulus, even as they complained about it?
As fast as they could. For the money saved hundreds of state employee jobs and even deeper cuts in state programs.
In the Utah House GOP open caucuses over this summer, every time lawmakers were briefed about how difficult it will be to make more cuts to the state budget in 2010, a hand would shoot up asking whether there would be any more federal money coming to the state.
Sad looks on lawmakers’ faces when budget staff said, “No,” all the federal money has been spent.
I understand the conservative philosophy behind not wanting a federal government public option in health insurance.
And I understand the congressional fight over providing such an option.
But if there IS such an option, why wouldn’t you want it offered to your own state citizens?
If a low-income Utah family of seven can’t afford private insurance, but makes too much money to qualify for a poor person’s help, like Medicaid or CHIP, why not let them buy the federal option insurance?
Now, if Utah’s own health-care reform efforts work so well that a federal option wasn’t really needed here, OK.
But why make low-income, large families go without, or spend an extra $300 a year for the Utah option, when they could get health insurance cheaper or better through the federal plan?
Conservative political philosophy is all well and good, unless it keeps food out of hungry bellies and health care away from the sick and suffering.
If Utah can’t go it alone on low-income health insurance, poorer Utahns shouldn’t have to suffer just to make a political point.
We aren’t fighting an imperial power to become a free nation.
We’re not fighting to free the slaves.
We’re arguing over how to hold down health-care costs and provide insurance for more Americans — many of them too poor to buy their own insurance today.
It’s best to keep things in proper perspective.
On a different subject, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced an interesting hire this week — former GOP congressional candidate/ legislator John Swallow will become Shurtleff’s chief deputy over civil matters.
Shurtleff says Swallow is a longtime friend, a man he admires for his legal, administrative and political acumen.
But aside from all that, Swallow has experience in defeating fellow Republican Tim Bridgewater. Swallow dispatched Bridgewater illinois auto insurance quotes in the GOP 2nd Congressional District primaries in 2002 and 2004.
And Bridgewater, like Shurtleff, is running for the U.S. Senate seat of Sen. Bob Bennett next year
10.30
Business Wire, Oct 29, 2009
HOUSTON — Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT) today announced operating results for
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009.
Funds from Operations (FFO)
FFO for the third quarter of 2009 totaled $0.70 per diluted share or
$48.1 million, as compared to $0.89 per diluted share or $52.3 million
for the same period in 2008. FFO for the three months ended September
30, 2008 included a $0.04 per diluted share impact from gains related to
early retirement of debt, and a $0.02 per diluted share charge for
oregon auto insurance quotes insurance deductible costs related to hurricane damage.
FFO for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 totaled $2.29 per
diluted share or $146.3 million, as compared to $2.72 per diluted share
or $159.5 million for the same period in 2008. FFO for the nine months
ended September 30, 2009 included a $0.04 per diluted share impact from
losses related to early retirement of debt. FFO for the nine months
ended September 30, 2008 included an $0.08 per diluted share impact from
gains related to early retirement of debt, and a $0.02 per diluted share
charge for insurance deductible costs related to hurricane damage.
Net Income Attributable to Common
Shareholders (EPS)
The Company reported net income attributable to common shareholders
(EPS) of $3.9 million or $0.06 per diluted share for the third quarter
of 2009, as compared to $73.7 million or $1.30 per diluted share for the
same period in 2008. EPS for the three months ended September 30, 2008
included a $1.20 per diluted share impact from gain on sale of
properties including discontinued operations, a $0.04 per diluted share
impact from gains related to early retirement of debt, and a $0.02 per
diluted share charge for insurance deductible costs related to hurricane
damage.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, net income attributable to
common shareholders totaled $28.5 million or $0.46 per diluted share, as
compared to $105.9 million or $1.88 per diluted share for the same
period in 2008. EPS for the nine months ended September 30, 2009
included a $0.27 per diluted share impact from gain on sale of
discontinued operations, and a $0.04 per diluted share impact from
losses related to early retirement of debt. EPS for the nine months
ended September 30, 2008 included a $1.49 per diluted share impact from
gain on sale of properties including discontinued operations, an $0.08
per diluted share impact from gains related to early retirement of debt,
and a $0.02 per diluted share charge for insurance deductible costs
related to hurricane damage.
A reconciliation of net income attributable to common shareholders to
FFO is included in the financial tables accompanying this press release.
Same-Property Results
For the 42,670 apartment homes included in consolidated same-property
results, third quarter 2009 same-property NOI declined 7.0% compared to
the third quarter of 2008, with revenues declining 4.5% and expenses
declining 0.6%. On a sequential basis, third quarter 2009 same-property
NOI declined 3.3% compared to the second quarter of 2009, with revenues
declining 1.3% and expenses increasing 1.7% compared to the prior
quarter. On a year-to-date basis, 2009 same-property NOI declined 6.2%,
with revenues declining 2.4% and expenses increasing 3.8% compared to
the same period in 2008. Same-property physical occupancy levels for the
portfolio averaged 93.7% during the third quarter of 2009, compared to
94.9% in the third quarter of 2008 and 94.2% in the second quarter of
2009.
The Company defines same-property communities as communities owned and
stabilized as of January 1, 2008, excluding properties held for sale and
communities under redevelopment. A reconciliation of net income
attributable to common shareholders to net operating income and
same-property net operating income is included in the financial tables
accompanying this press release.
Development Activity
During the third quarter, the Company completed lease-ups at three
development communities: Camden Whispering Oaks in Houston, TX; Camden
Potomac Yard in Arlington, VA; and Camden Summerfield in Landover, MD
10.30
Flex, Dec, 2009 by Dave Lee
Five. That’s the count for NPC bodybuilders who made it to the pros this season. There’s room for seven more. On November 20-21, the best amateurs in the nation hope to make the list as they head into the last pro qualifier of the year–the NPC National Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships at the Westin Diplomat Resort, near the sandy and sunny beaches of Hollywood, Florida. The new crop of pro bodybuilders–headed by fast-rising stars, such as Mark Alvisi and Daryl Gee, and veteran online banking software warriors, such as Grigori Atoyan–is an exclusive fraternity, and Lee Banks, Tamer El-Guindy, Steve Kuclo, plus a host of others are looking to add their names to the class of ‘09. Keep your eye on the following names (competitor list compiled as of press time), as they put it all on the line in an effort to finish the year as IFBB Pro League bodybuilders.
SUPER HEAVYWEIGHTS
STEVE KUCLO
AGE 24
HEIGHT 6′
WEIGHT 255 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2008 Nationals, super heavyweight, 3rd; 2004-05 Teen Nationals heavyweight winner
HAS
* Great structure, proportion and shape
* Good quad separation
NEEDS
* Chest and back thickness
* Fuller biceps
OUTLOOK
Kuclo has potential written all over his six-foot frame. He has all the bodyparts and, with a solid year off to train since the 2008 Nationals, he should roll into this year’s contest with more size and fullness. He’ll be a super favorite, if he nails his condition.
ROBERT BURNEIKA
AGE 31
HEIGHT 5′9″
WEIGHT 243 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2009 USA, super heavyweight, 3rd; 2008 IFBB North American, super heavyweight, 6th; 2006 East Coast Championships super-heavyweight winner
HAS
* Huge arms
* Good outer quads
NEEDS
* Back detail and side deltoids
* Hamstring thickness
OUTLOOK
Burneika has no shortage of brute size, but he’ll need to work on finetuning his physique to take it to the next level.
TREY BREWER
AGE 23
HEIGHT 5′10″
WEIGHT 260 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2008 Nationals, super heavyweight, 4th; 2008 Junior Nationals, super heavyweight, 5th; 2006 Excalibur super-heavyweight and overall winner
HAS
* Fantastic wheels
* Good arms and delts
NEEDS
* Back width
* Crisp dryness
OUTLOOK
Big things have been expected from Brewer ever since he won the super-heavyweight and overall titles at the 2006 Excalibur Championships. If he makes improvements to his taper and comes in sharp, the could meet those high expectations.
DREW JEMMOTT
AGE 38
HEIGHT 5′11″
WEIGHT 235 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2009 USA, super heavyweight, 7th; 2008 USA, super heavyweight, 5th
HAS
* Wide back
* Tiny waist
NEEDS
* Overall thickness
* Deeper separation
OUTLOOK
With his phenomenal upper-body taper, Jemmott is very impressive from the front, but lack of detail hurts him from the rear. Greater quad
sweep, along with better condition, will move him up the ladder.
ALSO ON THE RADAR
Malcolm Marshall Rudy Richards Kirk DeFrancesco
OUR TAKE
1 Steve Kuclo
2 Trey Brewer
3 Robert Burneika
4 Drew Jemmott
Kuclo has the overall size and finesse, and his head-to-toe balance will wow the judges. Brewer needs to strike the right balance between condition and fullness to challenge for the top spot. Burneika will have the size advantage, but a supersharp Jemmott could pose a threat.
HEAVYWEIGHTS
LEE BANKS
AGE 37
HEIGHT 5′8″
WEIGHT 218 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2009 USA, heavyweight, 2nd; 2008 USA, heavyweight, 3rd; 2008 IFBB North American, heavyweight, 2nd
HAS
* Fully muscle bellies
* Tiny joints
NEEDS
* Leg thickness
* Deeper back separation
OUTLOOK
Banks was in the shape of his life for this year’s USA, with shredded wheels and striations popping out everywhere. If he can bring that same condition with a little bit more fullness, he will be the man to beat.
FRED SMALLS
AGE 34
HEIGHT 5′7″
WEIGHT 217 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2008 USA, heavyweight, 3rd; 2008 Nationals, heavyweight, 5th
HAS
* Imposing upper-body size
* Thick back
NEEDS
* Tightness in hamstrings
* Shredded back
OUTLOOK
Smalls is anything but, with lots of muscle evenly distributed on his frame. More density through his legs and deeper ab separation will give his physique nice polish.
ANTHONEIL CHAMPAGNIE
AGE 28
HEIGHT 5′9″
WEIGHT 215 pounds
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2008 Nationals, heavyweight, 4th; 2008 Eastern USA heavyweight and overall winner
HAS
* Superb taper
* Beautiful shape
NEEDS
* Bigger legs
* Back thickness
OUTLOOK
Champagnie is another athlete with loads of potential
10.30
0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Oct 29, 2009 | by The Journal letters
California’s health care reform
In a recent newspaper article I read, Gov. Schwarzenegger was portrayed as one who tried mightily to bring health care reform to California. My memory differs from that characterization.
Groups of dedicated health administrators, legislators, policy analysts and volunteers had studied, vetted and promoted single- payer health care in California. In 2003 and 2004 it was known as SB 921. Hundreds of organizations had endorsed the legislation.
In 2005 and 2006, it became SB 840 (Sheila Kuehl) and passed both houses of the Legislature. Schwarzenegger refused to sign the bill into law, claiming it was “socialism.” One interpretation of that is, it did not perpetuate insurance companies.
In 2007 and 2008, SB 840 (Kuehl) again passed both houses of the Legislature and again Schwarzenegger refused to sign the bill, crying “socialism.”
Now it is called SB810 (Mark Leno), and we pray for a governor less in alignment with the insurance companies.
Joan Bartulovich
El Cerrito
Generosity will be tested
In almost every election, Albany voters are asked to approve tax measures proposed by the city or schools.
Last year, in the face of an impending recession, we were asked to approve funding for swimming pools. This time around, the Albany School Board is requesting voter approval for two property tax increases, Measures I and J.
The School Board is not completely honest when it says that Measure J is not a tax increase. Measure J combines three existing school taxes and imposes an annual cumulative increase for inflation.
One of the three taxes was approved in 2005, with the condition it would lapse in 2013. What is not on your ballot is that Measure J will make the 2005 tax permanent. Measure J will also increase this new combined tax at a greater rate than was originally approved by the voters when the three taxes were first individually approved, some years ago.
Funds from Measure I, which is supposed to lapse in five years, are to be used in part to reduce classroom size and to aid in teacher recruitment and retention. The School Board has provided no data detailing the existence of a recruitment/retention problem.
They should be asked: How many teachers have left Albany, or refused job offers, due to low pay? In this recession, with what school districts are we competing for teachers? Is Albany one of those high-crime, low-income districts that needs to provide special inducements to teachers?
Albany classes are large because over the years the school district has allowed thousands of students who don’t live here to enroll in our schools. Like many voters, I was called by the school district and asked to support Measures I and J. I asked the caller what percentage of students in Albany schools live outside the district. She told me 15 percent. I know the number has been as high as 20 percent.
We homeowners have spoiled the School Board by approving every tax increase they request because they supposedly speak in the name of education — even when they want $10 million for swimming pools.
best homeowners insurance At some point, whether in this election or the next, the generosity of Albany voters will be tested by tax measures that are hastily conceived, unjustified by data or evidence, and based on deceptive claims.
Stephanie Travis
Albany
A beautiful concept
We are stuck. Our socioeconomic order is stuck in the muck of selfishness. This selfishness gets expressed as self-centeredness and catering to one’s own self-interest.
I cannot see a way of extricating ourselves from the predicaments this “muck” foments unless we pursue a radical reversal of our values and priorities
10.30
Online Product News, Nov 1, 2009
Bridgeline Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:BLSW), Woburn, Mass., a developer of SaaS-based web application management software and award-winning interactive business technology solutions, has announced the release of iAPPS Rapid Site, its new offering to their suite of web solutions. iAPPS Rapid Site enables organizations to quickly and easily deploy powerful, state-of-the-art public websites, intranets, portals, or other web applications – from start to launch in just 5 weeks – with a nominal up-front investment while providing immediate maximum return. Unlike with other quick launch vendor products, Bridgeline’s award winning design and interactive technology strategy teams, along with its Certified Microsoft(r) Gold Developers, work directly with each customer to shape business requirements and apply their branding and messaging to a quality web solution focused on delivering tangible results.
Built on iAPPS Content Manager, with the option of integrated iAPPS Analytics, Rapid Site solutions enable customers to offer compelling, conversion-oriented user experiences by delivering engaging and persuasive content to their site audiences. With an upfront investment of $38,000 for setup, design, development, and deployment, plus a monthly iAPPS SaaS licensing fee, customers will be up and running quickly with a fully functional, custom designed and developed site on industry leading web application management software leveraging Rapid Site’s 5-step, 5-week engagement process.
For business owners, managers, and marketers looking for a powerful, yet affordable web solution that is quick to deploy, easy to customize, showcases their brand, and is developed with a singular purpose – to attain and exceed your web business initiatives – Rapid Site is a compelling option
10.29
Market Wire, October, 2009
FireHost ,
a secure Web hosting
company, is leading the charge for the secure hosting market with strong
growth in Q3 and even stronger projections for Q4. As more small to
mid-size businesses incorporate ecommerce into their online operations and store
valuable data collected from the Web, the need for protection from hackers
and cybercrime is higher than ever. FireHost offers enterprise-level
security to the SMB market with application layer protection, and the secure hosting provider
is gaining significant traction with clients such as Kevin Mitnick, famed
hacker from the ’80s and ’90s, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Pizza
Inn, and Jigsaw Health.
FireHost has successfully protected the popular online community for the National Breast Cancer
Foundation since 2008. Their previous host provided fully managed
hosting with firewall protection, but that wasn’t enough. “It’s been a top
priority for us to partner with a secure hosting provider who can keep our
forum free of spam and protect our members’ information. After form nevada llc switching to
FireHost, we realized cybercriminals accounted for nearly 15 percent of our
Web site traffic,” said Kevin Williams, executive director of marketing of
the National Breast Cancer Foundation. “Our website is meant to be a safe
haven for cancer patients, survivors, and their families. Hackers were
compromising our entire mission, but FireHost was able to stop them when
our previous hosting provider could not.”
FireHost started offering secure hosting services in 2008 and had their
official marketing launch in June 2009
10.29
Journal of Advanced Transportation, Winter, 2009 by D.B. Agusdinata, J.W.G.M. van der Pas, W.E. Walker, V.A.W.J. Marchau
Road safety is a policy priority due to the high casualties and costs associated with road accidents. Since speed is a major cause of road accidents, in-vehicle speed limiters or Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA), seems a promising solution. ISA implementation, however, is hindered by large uncertainties, for example about the impacts of ISA, the way users might respond to ISA, and the relationship between speed and accidents. Traditional Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) has limitations in handling these uncertainties. We present an MCA approach based on exploratory modeling, which uses computational experiments to explore the multiple outcomes of ISA policies (safety, emissions, throughput, and cost) herpes dating across a range of future demand scenarios, functional relationships for performance criteria, and user responses to ISA. As an illustration, by testing the impacts of different ISA penetration levels on two driver groups, we show that when compliance with ISA is expected to be low, a policy aimed only at novice drivers outperforms other ISA policies on safety improvement.
1. Introduction
Transport policymakers around the world are faced with road safety problems and are attempting to improve road safety. Each year an estimated 1.2 million people are killed in road traffic incidents around the world (World Health Organization, 2004). In 2004 there were 1.3 million reported car accidents in the EU, resulting in 1.8 million casualties, of which more than 43,000 people died (Bialas-Motyl, 2007). Improvement of road traffic safety has become one of the major objectives for transport policies. Although various measures are taken, road deaths in the European Union in 2010 are estimated to be still some 32,500, so the EU objective set in 2001 of 25,000 road fatalities in 2010 is unlikely be met (European Commission, 2006).
1.1 Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) as a potential solution
Many studies have established that speed is one of the major causes of road accidents (Hjalmdahl, 2004)
10.29
Business Wire, Oct 28, 2009
SAN ANTONIO — The Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced today a new dynamic brand for
the Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC)
Program. The new brand, Afterschool Centers on Education, referred
to as ACE, communicates the focus of academics through extended
learning with the incorporation of Education in the program name.
ACE provides extended learning opportunities for students and
their families in over 630 Centers across the state that offer
innovative, hands-on activities based on research and best practices. A
main goal of ACE is to provide engaging out-of-school-time
activities to ensure that all students graduate prepared for college and
the work place.
Candace Ferguson, ACE State Coordinator states, The ACE logo is
bright and engaging and clearly distinguishes the ‘Texas’ duchess of malfi audio books program with
the inclusion of our state in the brand image. The tagline, ‘Success
A Texas State of Mind,’ reflects our goal of ensuring that all
Texas students are successful and prepared for the future.
A new website, www.TexasACE21.org
has been launched in conjunction with the new ACE brand.
The ACE website has been designed so that students, parents,
schools and community partners can easily access information about ACE.
Exciting new features include:
-
Sections specifically formatted for users (ACE Grantees & Centers,
Students & Families and Schools & Community Partners) -
ACE Locator designed to assist web visitors in easily locating
an ACE in their community - Detailed information on ACE Activities
- Links to National and State resources
- and more!
ACE is administered by the Texas Education Agency and funded by the
Texas 21st CCLC Program administered by the US Department of
Education
10.28
Airline Industry Information, Oct 21, 2009
AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2009 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
Brazilian airline GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA (NYSE:GOL) (BOVESPA:GOLL4) announced on Wednesday the launch of its new GOL Corporate Card for business customers, making in the first airline in Latin America to issue UATP accounts.
UATP is aimed at lowering the cost of sale through reducing or eliminating credit card transaction fees for airlines. Travel agencies can also benefit from UATP with lower credit card merchant service fees and the ability to automatically reconcile ticket numbers to service fees via UATP’s travel agency merchant programme.
The network provides corporations with a simple, direct payment method, avoiding foreign currency conversion fees, annual fees and per card fees. All UATP subscribers receive transactional data on all air travel purchases.
GOL UATP subscribers will receive state-of-the-art air travel activity reports. GOL will use UATP’s new hosted billing system and corporate portal, UATP Processing Solutions, which enable corporations to assign individual UATP account numbers to specific cost centres.
((Comments merchant bank credit card on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))
10.28
Market Wire, October, 2009
MarketResearch.com has announced the addition
of IDC’s new report, “Assessing the Degree to Which Online Video Threatens
Traditional Pay TV in the United States,” to their collection of IPTV
market reports. For more information, visit
http://www.marketresearch.com/redirect.asp?progid=67618&productid;=2464472
This IDC study presents results from IDC’s 2009 “Consumer Internet Video
Survey.” Included in this study are results pertaining to Internet video’s
potential impact on traditional pay TV services in the United States. In
addition to survey results, this study provides IDC analysis on the pay TV
value proposition, the ways in which pay TV may be vulnerable going
forward, and recommendations on how to guard against those online university degree vulnerabilities.
“IDC survey data shows that few pay TV subscribers in the United States are
actually considering dropping pay TV in light of increased availability of
online video,” says Greg Ireland, research manager for IDC’s Consumer
Markets: Video program. “However, the low near- to midterm risk should not
overshadow pay TV vulnerabilities and discourage steps to enhance pay TV
service offerings.”
Topics covered in the report include... IDC Opinion Methodology Situation Overview Future Outlook Essential Guidance Learn More Related Research Synopsis Table: Plans to Discontinue Pay TV Services Table: Likelihood of Discontinuing Channel Packages Table: Internet Video's Impact on Time Spent Watching TV Table: Time Spent Watching Online Video Table: Time Spent Watching TV
For more information, visit
http://www.marketresearch.com/redirect.asp?progid=67618&productid;=2464472
Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine
Contact:
Gregg Kellett
MarketResearch.com
gkellett@marketresearch.com
240.747.3008