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Thursday, 31 January 2013
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Kenneth Sullivan Named Director of Credit Management for TD ...
Kenneth Sullivan Named Director of Credit Management for TD Equipment Finance in Cherry Hill, N.J.
TD Bank, America?s Most Convenient Bank, has named Kenneth G. Sullivan as Senior Vice President, Director of Credit Management in TD Equipment Finance, Inc. in Cherry Hill, N.J. In this newly created position, he is responsible for managing the credit underwriting and credit administration functions within specialty banking as it pertains to equipment finance activities.
TD Equipment Finance, a subsidiary of TD Bank, N.A., provides an array of equipment financing solutions for a wide range of industries and asset types, from manufacturing, office technology and medical equipment to aircraft and marine vessels.
Sullivan has 33 years of progressive credit management experience. Prior to joining TD Bank, he served as SVP & Chief Credit Officer at Fifth Third Bank Equipment Finance Company in Cincinnati. Sullivan?s banking career also has included a series of high-level positions in New Jersey, including serving as VP of Credit & Operations at Siemens Financial Services, VP of Credit at Bell Atlantic Capital, Credit Officer at First Fidelity Bank Equipment Leasing, and Regional Credit and Operations Manager at Chrysler Capital Corporation.
Sullivan lives in Newtown, Pa., with his wife and four children, having recently re-located to Bucks County from Ohio. He has previously lived in Bridgewater and West Amwell, N.J., during his professional career. Sullivan was born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., where he graduated from Mount Saint Michael Academy in 1976. He graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1980 with degrees in accounting and economics.
Clients of TD Equipment Finance include small businesses, middle market companies and large corporations throughout the TD Bank footprint from Maine to Florida. Products and services include Operating Leases, Capital Leases, Federal and Municipal Leases, TRAC Leases, lease lines of credit and Equipment Loans.
?SOURCE:?http://www.elfaonline.org/News/IndNews/news_report.cfm?id=20776
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Zimbabwe claims its accounts are bare
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? Zimbabwe's finance ministry said it has just $217 left in its accounts after paying the nation's civil servants and government employees earlier this month.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said the monthly salaries cleared out government earnings and tax revenues in January when he made an appeal Tuesday for foreign donors to help raise some $200 million for a constitutional referendum and elections later this year.
But financial experts said Wednesday that Biti, known for his exaggerated rhetoric in the troubled economy, failed to mention quick returns from income tax, social security payments and increased taxable spending in shops and stores.
Those daily revenues immediately replenish the country's battered coffers, experts say. Nationwide highway toll gates also separately bring in thousands of dollars a day.
The government is the nation's biggest employer - with a work force of up to 300,000 - and salaries routinely account for more than 70 percent of its monthly spending.
Many governments routinely pay out more than they receive, technically making their accounts empty, said Harare economist John Robertson. To fill that gap, they rely on domestic and international borrowing to which Zimbabwe has little access after years of political turmoil and economic meltdown, he said.
January is traditionally a lean month for households in Zimbabwe after festive holiday spending and school fees needing to be paid at the start of the school year.
Zimbabwe's world record inflation in 2008 wiped out savings held by ordinary people that were used to make ends meet, pay family expenses and that bolstered the local money market with cash that could be borrowed, Robertson said.
A black empowerment program also scared off foreign investment and capital inflows that could have made a difference to the state's liquidity.
"It is clear tax revenues have been limited this month but I don't think it's anything new. It has been like this before," Robertson said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zimbabwe-claims-accounts-bare-182104834.html
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Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Self on his way to New York to meet with the Henry's: (Press Conference today?) There is a football coach out there that I havent heard anyone talk about...
And his name is Jim Harbaugh from Stanford. Hes already being asked about KU. Now I know we haven't officially fired Mangino yet but I hear we should hear something today or tomorrow from Lew Perkins. My guess is Mangino will take the option to leave KU with a buyout. Jim Harbaugh is a coach that I would certainly take over that of Randy Edsall. I respect the body of work that Harbaugh has done at a predominately academic school. It's tough to get the best athletes to go to Stanford because you have to have good grades to get into the school.
And there are reports of a 4PM press conference set for today (Thursday). The athletic department is denying the reports but we did hear two days ago that we should hear something soon...
As always, discuss what you think...
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IKEA Becomes Florida's Largest Non-Utility Solar Owner
When IKEA plugged in its 4,368-panel, 1,057 kW solar energy system this week at its store in Sunrise, Fla., it became the owner of the largest solar installation in the southern part of the state and also the state's largest non-utility solar owner. Here are the details.
* IKEA reported that the 101,774-square foot PV array at its Sunrise store will produce 1,554,600 kWh of clean electricity each year -- the equivalent of eliminating the emissions of 210 cars or powering 134 homes.
* The Sunrise installation marks the 35th completed solar project for IKEA in the U.S. With four more locations under way, the company stated, there will soon be solar presence at 90 percent of IKEA's U.S. locations.
* "IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings -- as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) -- and globally has allocated $1.8 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015," the company stated.
* The company stated that it has a goal of being energy-independent by 2020, and has installed 250,000 solar panels on its buildings across the world. Additionally, it owns and operates approximately 110 wind turbines in Europe.
* According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, as of August, IKEA was fourth on the list of top 20 companies by solar capacity, with a total installed capacity of 21,495 kW.
* Leading the top 20 list is Walmart Stores, Inc., with 65,000 kW of installed solar capacity as of Aug. Walmart is followed by Costco Wholesale and Kohl's Department Stores.
* As of the Solar Energy Industries Association's August rankings, IKEA was seventh on the list of the top companies by number of solar electricity systems, with 30, meaning it has added five systems since them. Walmart topped that list as well, with 144 systems.
* "The companies ranked here and many more continue to expand their investments in solar energy at a rapid pace," stated the Solar Energy Industries Association. "Companies such as Apple, which has a 20 MW system under construction at a data center in North Carolina, have announced plans for major solar deployment. General Motors has ambitious plans to install 125 MW of renewables by 2020 as well."
* According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, businesses, non-profits, schools and public agencies are expected to add 7,000 MW of additional PV systems over the next five years, enough to replace seven retiring coal power plants.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ikea-becomes-floridas-largest-non-utility-solar-owner-194100168.html
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Immigration divides GOP
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., took his case for an overhaul of the nation?s immigration system straight to one of the most influential voices in Republican politics, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Their friendly exchange notwithstanding, Limbaugh remained opposed. And their exchange underscored a key facet of the coming debate over whether to allow a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now inside the U.S.: Republicans are split on the immigration issue and the schism is not going to be easily healed.
Party leaders are well aware they?ve got to erase what former Secretary of State Colin Powell termed the ?dark veil of intolerance? that colors the party?s image in some circles and broaden their appeal to Hispanics, a crucial and growing voting bloc that went overwhelmingly for President Barack Obama in November.
Republicans are split into two camps. There are those such as Rubio who will consider a path to citizenship along with tighter border security. They?re willing to talk to Democrats over how to deal with illegal immigrants and have strong business community support as well as a willingness by key senators to listen.
Then there?s the hard line, championed by Limbaugh and others, who insist on tougher border enforcement and suggest ?paths to citizenship? are a euphemism for amnesty.
?The word compromise is thrown around, we have to compromise, seek common ground. Where is the common ground (with President Barack Obama)? I don?t see it,? Limbaugh told his large radio audience Tuesday.
Rubio, a guest on the show, had a delicate political line to toe. He answered carefully and appeared to please Limbaugh. Obama, Rubio said, ?can either decide that he wants to be part of a solution, or he can decide he wants to be part of a political issue and try to trigger a bidding war. I?m not going to be part of a bidding war to see who can come up with the most lenient path forward.?
But he is looking for a path forward, in a party that is deeply divided on the issue. Officeholders like Rubio in swing states are caught in the middle.
There?s evidence the hardliners? approach is softening, if only because the 2012 electoral results dramatically illustrated the need to woo Latino voters. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won 27 percent of the Latino vote, and his poor showing helped him lose key states. In Nevada, for instance, where Obama delivered his immigration speech Tuesday, 19 percent of the presidential vote was Latino, and Obama won 71 percent.
Immediately after the election, many Republicans realized what they needed to do. Conservative talk show host Sean Hannity told his radio listeners two days after the voting that he had new thoughts about immigration.
?It?s simple to me to fix it. I think you control the border first. You create a pathway for those people that are here. You don?t say you?ve got to go home. And that is a position that I?ve evolved on,? he said. ?Because, you know what, it?s got to be resolved.?
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said a week later that the party needed to ?hear what he (Obama) has to say? about immigration. Arizona Sen. John McCain, whose 2007 bipartisan effort at immigration legislation fizzled because of conservative opposition, saw new hope.
?There?s a significant portion of the conservative movement at last open to a discussion. That?s a big change,? he said Tuesday.
But that conservative wing is still not entirely convinced, and it still sees political peril in getting too cozy with those who want a path to citizenship.
Daniel Horowitz blogged on the conservative site Redstate.com that Monday?s press conference announcing the bipartisan plan was ?a full-court circus.? Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, charged the plan is ?designed to satisfy the demands of illegal aliens and their advocates, and business interests that want more cheap labor.?
The proposal could be a trap, Limbaugh said. ?So the question is, does he (Obama) really want any kind of a solution to the problem, or is this really attractive to him as an ongoing issue for him to fulfill his dream of just eliminating any viable political opposition in the media, the Republican Party, or whatever, because they?ve admitted that that?s what their objective is. Just wipe you guys out,? he argued.
Rubio gently argued otherwise. By taking the initiative, people will see what ?we have put something that is very common sense and reasonable.?
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/29/3207193/immigration-divides-gop.html
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Does Apple Have a Fancier iPad 4 Up Its Sleeve?
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Video: Democrats eye GOP strongholds
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/50618550/
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Women driving demand for rental apartments
8 hrs.
The housing market is supposedly roaring back. Home prices are seeing their biggest annual gains since 2006.
Renters must be rushing back to buy, right?
Not exactly.
In fact, even as housing and the greater economy improve, a shift in demographic trends will likely favor the rental apartment market for the foreseeable future. It is all about women.
"I rent in an apartment building because it gives me a certain amount of freedom: I'm not positive that I want to stay in D.C. long term, so I could leave at year's end if I wanted to," says 25-year-old Caitlin Huey-Burns, a journalist. "My building has nice, built-in amenities, and it's in the location I want, but where I know I wouldn't be able to afford to buy."
Most of Huey-Burns' single, female friends, some in their thirties, who live in major cities also rent in apartment buildings. Just one owns, and she lives in Canton, Ohio.
"What drives demand for single family homes is, 'Oh honey, I'm pregnant,'?" says Buck Horne, a housing analyst at Raymond James.
Read More:?America's Most Expensive Rentals 2013
But those words are being uttered less and less. Horne claims the shift in female education, marriage and fertility rates will drive rental apartment demand going forward. He points to a growing educational imbalance -- 3.1 million more women enrolled in college than men and 4 million more college-educated women in the workforce than men.
"That creates a structural imbalance in the number of suitable partners. Women leave college with good income prospects and are not finding suitable husbands and fathers," says Horne.
Consequently, the millennial generation is delaying marriage and motherhood, and birth and fertility rates are dropping. The female fertility rate is at its lowest level in recorded U.S. history, according to the Centers for Disease Control/Raymond James research. About?41 percent of children are born out of wedlock. Horne's research finds single mothers prefer living closer in to cities and staying in full-amenity apartment rentals. This all points to more structural, long-term demand for rental housing.
Read More:?Home Builders Turn to Rental Apartments
But, again, shouldn't that rebound in home prices and growing confidence in housing still push more renters to buy, despite the female argument? Investors certainly think so. While stocks of the nation's homebuilders are up over 60 percent from a year ago on the?PHLX Housing Sector Index,?multi-family REIT's actually under-performed and inversely correlated to home builders. Investors were concerned about the single-family home recovery stealing renters. But should they be?
No, according to a recent Raymond James report:
Renter household formation remains at the strongest level in decades. Roughly 1.32 million new renter households were formed in the past year (including owner conversions), while the number of owner-occupied households declined by 175,000. Resident turnover and move-outs to homeownership remain near historic lows for most operators. Incoming leasing traffic is more than offsetting move-outs while paying higher rates.
The home-ownership rate declined yet again in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new report from the U.S. Census. It now stands at 65.4 percent, down from 66 percent a year ago and from a high of 69.2 percent in 2004. If you include the 5.3 million borrowers who are delinquent on their mortgages or in the foreclosure process, per Lender Processing Services, the real home-ownership rate is even lower.
"The fact that the housing recovery is being driven principally by investor demand means that the slight decline in the homeownership rate in the fourth quarter is unlikely to be the last," notes Paul Diggle of Capital Economics.
Read More:?World's Most Expensive City to Rent Is...
There is also a tremendous amount of pent-up demand for the rental market, as nearly 23 million young adults, male and female, under age 35 (31 percent of the cohort) are currently classified as "living at home"?with parents, according to Raymond James' analysis. As job growth improves, they will move to rental apartments; the homeownership rate for this group is only 34 percent.
Investors are also concerned about a 49 percent jump in multi-family construction permits from a year ago, but those permits are still running well below normal levels, and every year about 150,000 units are removed from housing stock for various reasons, like age and damage.
The apartment sector and the multi-family REITs will likely see a surprise to the upside in 2013. Rents will still rise, despite housing affordability and growth in the single-family market.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/women-driving-demand-rental-apartments-1B8166178
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Smog thick enough to cancel flights hits Beijing
A man wears a mask on Tiananmen Square in thick haze in Beijing Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Extremely high pollution levels shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines in Beijing and elsewhere to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A man wears a mask on Tiananmen Square in thick haze in Beijing Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Extremely high pollution levels shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines in Beijing and elsewhere to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Visitors stand on Tiananmen Square across from a portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong in thick haze in Beijing Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Extremely high pollution levels shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines in Beijing and elsewhere to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A couple wearing protective masks poses for a self portrait in thick haze on Tiananmen Square in Beijing Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Extremely high pollution levels shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines in Beijing and elsewhere to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Chinese security personnel march in thick haze near the portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong in Beijing Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Extremely high pollution levels shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines in Beijing and elsewhere to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
BEIJING (AP) ? Thick, off-the-scale smog shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting Beijing to temporarily shut factories and curtail fleets of government cars.
The capital was a colorless scene. Street lamps and the outlines of buildings receded into a white haze as pedestrians donned face masks to guard against the caustic air. The flight cancellations stranded passengers during the first week of the country's peak, six-week period for travel surrounding the Chinese New Year on Feb. 10.
The U.S. Embassy reported an hourly peak level of PM2.5 ? tiny particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs ? at 526 micrograms per cubic meter, or "beyond index," and more than 20 times higher than World Health Organization safety levels over a 24-hour period.
Liu Peng, an employee at a financial institution in Beijing, said he will keep his newborn baby indoors.
"It's really bad for your health, obviously," Liu said. "I bike to work every day and always wear a mask. The pollution in recent years is probably due to the increase in private cars and government cars."
Visibility was less than 100 meters (100 yards) in some areas of eastern China, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. More than 100 flights were canceled in the eastern city of Zhengzhou, 33 in Beijing, 20 in Qingdao and 13 in Jinan.
Every year, China's transport system bursts at the seams as tens of millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year holiday, in the world's largest seasonal migration of people.
Ren Haiqiang, a bank worker in his early 30s, said he had booked tickets to fly out of Beijing on Thursday to visit family in the coastal city of Dalian, but now worried about flight cancellations.
"Traveling over the holiday is already a huge hassle, along with all the gift-giving and family visits. We thought flying would be the best way to avoid the crush, but if the weather continues like this we'll be in real trouble," Ren said as he waited in line at a bakery in downtown Beijing.
Beijing's city government ordered 103 heavily polluting factories to suspend production and told government departments and state-owned enterprises to reduce their use of cars by a third, Xinhua said. The measures last until Thursday.
Beijing's official readings for PM2.5 were lower than the embassy's ? 433 micrograms per cubic meter at one point in the afternoon? but even that level is considered "severe" and prompted the city government to advise residents to stay indoors as much as possible. The government said that because there was no wind, the smog probably would not dissipate quickly.
Patients seeking treatment for respiratory ailments rose by about 30 percent over the past month at the Jiangong Hospital in downtown Beijing, Emergency Department chief Cui Qifeng said.
"People tend to catch colds or suffer from lung infections during the days with heavily polluted air," he said.
Air pollution has long been a problem in Beijing, but the country has been more open about releasing statistics on PM2.5 ? considered a more accurate reflection of air quality than other pollutants ? only since early last year. The city hit its highest readings on Jan. 12, when U.S. Embassy readings of PM2.5 reached as high as 886 micrograms per cubic meter.
Celebrity real estate developer Pan Shiyi, who has previously pushed for cities to publish more detailed air quality data and who is a delegate to Beijing's legislature, called Tuesday morning for a "Clean Air Act." By late afternoon, his online poll had received more than 29,000 votes, with 99 percent in favor.
On Monday, Wang Anshun was elected Beijing's mayor after telling lawmakers the municipal government should make more efforts to fight air pollution, according to Xinhua.
Last week, he announced plans to remove 180,000 older vehicles from the city's roads and promote government cars and heating systems that use clean energy.
___
Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen and researcher Flora Ji contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Serbags Army Courier Vintage Bike Messenger Bag review
From the days of high school, through community college, til the end of college and when ?I got my first real job after graduating college,?I was an avid fan of the backpack. Not too much these days though… At my current job, ?a backpack just doesn’t feel professional enough for me. ?Who am I kidding? [...]
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/01/29/serbags-army-courier-vintage-bike-messenger-bag-review/
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Iran denies explosion at underground uranium facility
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has denied media reports of a major explosion at one of its uranium enrichment sites, describing them as "Western propaganda" designed to influence upcoming nuclear negotiations.
Reuters has been unable to verify reports since Friday of an explosion at the underground Fordow bunker, near the religious city of Qom, that some Israeli and Western media have said caused significant damage.
Tehran has accused Israel and the United States of being behind cyber attacks and the assassination of its nuclear scientists, aiming to sabotage a nuclear program which the West suspects hides an attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
"The false news of an explosion at Fordow is Western propaganda ahead of nuclear negotiations to influence their process and outcome," state news agency IRNA quoted the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Saeed Shamseddin Bar Broudi, as saying late on Sunday.
The IRNA report also quoted the head of parliament's national security and foreign affairs committee, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, strongly denying there had been an explosion.
The plant at Fordow in late 2011 began producing uranium enriched to 20 percent fissile purity, compared with the 3.5 percent level needed for nuclear energy plants, and has been operating 700 centrifuges there since January this year, according to Western diplomats.
Western governments are concerned that high-grade enrichment is a significant step towards developing a nuclear weapons capability.
Iran maintains its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and that it began producing high-enriched uranium that it was no longer able to obtain from abroad for medical use.
The two sides are set to resume negotiations in coming weeks but the talks have been beset by delays and wrangling over dates and location.
(Reporting by Marcus George; editing by Patrick Graham)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-denies-explosion-underground-uranium-facility-071928837.html
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Caterpillar sees uncertain 2013 after tough 4Q
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? Caterpillar said on Monday that its 2013 profit could shrink if the world's economy doesn't pick up in the second half of the year, as mining companies and builders remain cautious about buying new gear.
The cloudy outlook for the year came as Caterpillar reported a fourth-quarter profit less than half as big as a year ago because of a deal in China that went bad and slower growth around most of the world.
Caterpillar Inc. is the largest maker of construction and mining equipment, so its performance rises and falls with the world's economy. It tries to predict where the economy is headed so it knows how many excavators, bulldozers, and mining trucks to build.
If recent economic improvements continue, this could be a record year for Caterpillar, its executives said. But if this year is a replay of the last two, where growth and confidence declined in the second half, "2013 could be a tough year," said Doug Oberhelman, chairman and CEO.
Caterpillar started 2012 expecting the U.S. economy to grow at least 3 percent but economists estimate annual growth was a little more than 2 percent. In April, the company was still forecasting 8.5 percent growth in China, but the world's second-largest economy expanded by 7.8 percent last year, its weakest annual performance since the 1990s.
Caterpillar dialed back production in the second half of 2012, which hurt fourth-quarter revenue and profits. Caterpillar and its dealers have both been trying to sell off inventory. Reduced production will continue at least through the first quarter, the company said.
For this year, Caterpillar expects revenue of $60 billion to $68 billion, with a profit of $7 to $9 per share. Analysts had been expecting a profit of $8.54 per share on revenue of $64.58 billion.
Caterpillar said there's a wide range in its outlook because of the high level of uncertainty in the world. It expects relatively weak growth in the U.S. economy. Growth in China will improve, but not back to the levels seen in 2010 or 2011, Caterpillar said. It expects Europe to continue to struggle.
It said first quarter revenue and profits will be "significantly lower" than the same period last year.
In the quarter ended Dec. 31, Caterpillar earned $697 million, or $1.04 per share, down from a profit of $1.55 billion, or $2.32 per share a year earlier.
The most recent quarter included a non-cash charge of 87 cents per share to write down the purchase of Zhengzhou Siwei.
Not counting the write-down and a $300 million tax benefit, Caterpillar would have earned $1.46 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had been expecting a profit of $1.69 per share.
Revenue fell 7 percent to $16.08 billion as sales fell everywhere except Latin America.
Revenue from construction equipment fell 25 percent. But sales of mining gear ? now Caterpillar's single largest category by revenue ? grew 14 percent on improvements in all regions except North America, where coal mining is in decline.
Caterpillar's $653 million purchase of Siwei in June gave it a new business ? roofing supports for mines ? in China, the world's largest coal producer.
But on Jan. 18, Caterpillar said it had found "deliberate, multi-year, coordinated accounting misconduct" in the accounting at Siwei, and said it will write down its investment in the company by $580 million. It also said it dismissed several senior managers at the company.
Oberhelman said on a conference call that new Caterpillar managers tried to reconcile Siwei's inventory with what was on the books. They found a significant discrepancy, he said, prompting a deeper investigation.
"What we discovered was deliberate, multiyear, coordinated accounting misconduct at Siwei," he said. "It was executed by several senior managers at Siwei for the purpose of inflating sales, understating costs, and over-reporting profit, and it included fabricated documentation designed to cover their tracks."
He said Caterpillar is "considering all options to recover our losses and hold those responsible accountable for their wrongdoing." He said the company wouldn't comment further on "pending or contemplated litigation."
Asked why the physical inventory at Siwei wasn't checked before the deal closed, Caterpillar Chief Financial Officer Brad Halverson said in an interview that such a check wouldn't normally be done as part of the process of evaluating a company. "We did our normal due diligence process," he said.
For all of 2012, the company's profits rose 15 percent to $5.68 billion, or $8.48 per share, up from $4.93 billion, or $7.40 per share, in 2011. Revenue rose 10 percent to $65.88 billion, from $60.14 billion.
Shares of the Peoria, Ill.-based company rose $1.40 to $96.98 in afternoon trading.
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12 Kid-Friendly Vacation Destinations
www.budgettravel.com:
It's a great big world out there, and packing up your little ones for a jaunt?whether it's to a nearby city, neighboring state, or across "the pond"?can be daunting. But when it comes to traveling with kids, all destinations are not created equal. We've covered our share of hot travel spots in the U.S. and Europe and we've found that those cities and landmarks that are best for family travel have a few things in common: Accessibility, a nice mix of indoor and outdoor activities, and a certain ineffable "wow" factor that you'll know when you see it on your children's faces. Here, a dozen of our favorite family-friendly destinations.
Read the whole story at www.budgettravel.com
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Smartphone sales rise 36 percent worldwide
Smartphone sales increase for the fourth quarter is in sharp contrast to the 6 decline in PC shipments. Smartphone sales accounted for 45 percent of mobile phone shipments, a new record.?
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note II is displayed at the showroom of the company's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday. Samsung was tops in smartphone sales in the fourth quarter, shipping nearly 64 million devices for a 29 percent share of the global market. Apple was No. 2 with nearly 48 million shipments.
Ahn Young-joon/AP
EnlargeSmartphone?shipments rose 36 percent worldwide in the fourth quarter as the sleek devices supplanted personal computers and other gadgets on holiday shopping lists, according to a report released Friday.
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The findings from the research firm International Data Corp. are the latest sign of the technology upheaval being wrought by the growing popularity of?smartphones?that can perform a wide variety of tasks, including surfing the Web and taking high-quality photos.
Companies whose fortunes are tied to the PC industry have been particularly hard hit by the shift to?smartphones?and tablet computers.
While some?smartphone?models were in short supply during the holiday season, fourth-quarter PC shipments fell by 6 percent from the previous year, according to another IDC report released earlier this month.
IDC estimates 219 million?smartphones?were shipped during the final three months of last year. That compares with nearly 161 million in the same 2011 period.?Smartphones accounted for about 45 percent of all mobile phone shipments in the fourth quarter, the highest percentage recorded by IDC.
Samsung Electronics Co. retained its bragging rights as the?smartphone sales leader, shipping nearly 64 million devices for a 29 percent share of the global market.
Apple Inc. ranked second with nearly 48 million iPhones shipped during the fourth quarter, translating into a market share of 22 percent.
For all of 2012, IDC estimated nearly 713 million?smartphones?were shipped worldwide, a 44 percent increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, annual PC shipments fell 3 percent from 2011, IDC said. It was the first annual decline since 2001.
Entering 2012, Apple held a slight edge over Samsung in the?smartphone?market. But Samsung sprinted past Apple in smartphone sales during the year as it introduced an array of models, most of which run on Google Inc.'s free Android software. Samsung's top-selling line, the Galaxy, boasts larger display screens than the iPhone and other features.
Apple alleges Samsung's devices illegally ripped off the iPhone's innovations. After a high-profile trial in federal court, a jury in San Jose, Calif. sided with some of the patent infringement claims last August and decided Samsung should pay more than $1 billion in damages. Samsung has been trying to overturn the verdict.
Lower-priced?smartphones?from Samsung and other device makers also have hurt Apple, whose slowing iPhone growth has contributed to a $250 billion decline in its market value since its stock price peaked in late September.
IDC says Huawei Technologies Ltd.'s emphasis on less expensive handsets helped it become the third largest?smartphone?maker with a market share of 5 percent at the end of the fourth quarter.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/cSXawXNoSAI/Smartphone-sales-rise-36-percent-worldwide
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Firefighters: Death toll to 180 in Brazil fire
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) ? Firefighters say that the death toll from a fire that swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil has risen to 180.
Officials say the fire broke out at the Kiss club in the city of Santa Maria while a band was performing. At least 200 people have been injured.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/firefighters-death-toll-180-brazil-fire-122402429.html
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Heat Shock Proteins May Shed New Light on a Variety of Debilitating Diseases
Jan. 28, 2013 ? UCLA researchers, in a finding that runs counter to conventional wisdom, have discovered for the first time that a gene thought to express a protein in all cells that come under stress is instead expressed only in specific cell types.
The group, from the Jules Stein Eye Institute and UCLA Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, focused on ?B-Crystallin, a small heat shock protein. Heat shock proteins are a class of functionally-related proteins involved in the folding and unfolding of other proteins. Their expression is increased when cells are exposed to taxing environmental conditions, such as infection, inflammation, exercise, exposure to toxins and other stressors.
?B-Crystallin may be associated with certain cancers and could be developed into a biomarker to monitor for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, age-related macular degeneration, heart muscle degeneration and clouding of the eye lens. Any discoveries about how this protein is regulated and its molecular biology may reveal potential targets for novel therapies, said study first author Zhe Jing, a research associate in UCLA Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
"If you use a certain cell type, this protein can be induced when the cells are stressed, but that doesn't happen in a different cell type," said Jing. "This novel finding does conflict with what has been thought, that this protein could be induced in any cell type."
The findings of this two-year study are published in the most recent issue of the journal Cell Stress and Chaperones, a peer-reviewed journal in the fields of cell stress response.
The UCLA team did the study using four cell lines -- two epithelial cells lines and two fibroblast cells lines. They found that the protein cannot be induced by stress in epithelial cells, in which 80 percent of cancers arise. It can, however, be induced in the fibroblasts that make up muscle tissue.
The significant finding in this investigation is that, in certain cell types, only one specific heat shock factor controls the expression of ?B-Crystallin. For example, in the epithelial cell lines, it is heat shock factor 4 (HSF4), while a different heat shock factor, (HSF1), plays this role in the fibroblast cells lines.
In the past, the data has indicated that a heat shock factor could control the expression of ?B-Crystallin randomly and equally. However, Jing's discovery overrides this rule. His findings strongly suggest the "preference" of the ?B-Crystallin to heat shock factors in certain cells may be correlated with its versatility to various diseases.
"Considering the multiple roles of ?B-Crystallin in so many diseases, the access of the HSF1 and HSF4 to the ?B-Crystallin gene dictated by the certain cell type may be what is helping to cause certain diseases," Jing said. "If we can uncover the cascade of events that result in disease, we may be able to come up with strategies to block or interrupt that cascade."
Going forward, Jing and the research team will validate what they found in this study by examining single cells, which provides a greater challenge but may lead to further discoveries.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences, via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Zhe Jing, Rajendra K. Gangalum, Josh Z. Lee, Dennis Mock, Suraj P. Bhat. Cell-type-dependent access of HSF1 and HSF4 to ?B-crystallin promoter during heat shock. Cell Stress and Chaperones, 2012; DOI: 10.1007/s12192-012-0386-7
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/hjNlftasC14/130128163338.htm
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Monday, 28 January 2013
Pet Dogs | Coyotes Chasing Pet Dogs Break Door Of House | Puppy ...
Sunday, January 27th, 2013
Four snarling coyotes chased a dog named Snoopy and his two canine companions, and then smashed glass panels on a door as the pets fled for their lives into their suburban home _ another sign of wildlife encroachment around Chicago.
Owner Roger Nelson said the slower-moving Snoopy, a beagle and basset hound mix, made it through the closing door on the heels of a golden retriever named Lexie and a 3-month-old German shepherd, Bella.
?He made it inside barely,? the 23-year-old told the Chicago Sun-Times. ?One more step, and they would have gotten him.?
The attack in Riverside, 10 miles west of downtown Chicago, began around 1 a.m. Friday as Nelson let his dogs out. The coyotes leapt a backyard fence and broke the panels by clawing at the door after Nelson rushed his dogs inside.
Nelson grabbed a high-powered BB gun and fired, apparently striking two of the coyotes, who ran off yelping, Nelson said. None of the dogs was hurt.
Riverside Police Sgt. William Gutschick could not recall a case where coyotes pursued pets so aggressively.
?This is their means of food now,? the 25-year veteran said.
Coyote sightings have become relatively commonplace, including in Chicago proper. A photographer last fall took pictures of two coyotes milling near Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago
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Source: http://dog.petsgo.org/pet-dogs-coyotes-chasing-pet-dogs-break-door-of-house/
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In breast cancer metastasis, researchers identify possible drug target
Jan. 27, 2013 ? The spread of breast cancer to distant organs within the body, an event that often leads to death, appears in many cases to involve the loss of a key protein, according to UC San Francisco researchers, whose new discoveries point to possible targets for therapy.
In the January 27, 2013 online edition of Nature Cell Biology, UCSF scientists describe for the first time how the protein, known as GATA3 -- which is abnormal or absent in many cases of human breast cancer -- normally acts downstream in biochemical pathways to prevent the distant spread of cancer, an event called metastasis.
The discovery points to a biochemical control point that simultaneously holds in check several key events required for tumor cells to successfully spread.
"When GATA3 is present, it turns off many genes that are active in metastasis," said Zena Werb, PhD, a UCSF professor of anatomy who led the research. "We now have identified the molecular mechanisms involved."
The key finding of the new study is that GATA3 acts downstream biochemically to activate a molecule -- obscure until now -- called microRNA29b. MicroRNA29b in turn stops protein production from other genes that play vital roles in metastasis.
The absence or loss of GATA3 can free cancerous cells to break free from their defined roles and tethers within a tumor, to move away from the tumor mass, to induce cancer-promoting inflammation, and to stimulate the development of new blood vessels that can help spreading cancerous cells regrow as tumors in new locations.
"People knew that some of these genes were turned on in some cancers, but they did not know they were turned on because GATA3 and microRNA29b were turned off," Werb said. "If you have 20 genes that are becoming less active all at once due to microRNA29b, it could have a profound effect."
Working with mice, the researchers found that restoring microRNA29b to one of the most deadly types of breast cancer stopped metastasis. But the researchers also found that if they knocked out the microRNA29b, tumors spread even in the presence of GATA3, suggesting that microRNA29b can be the driver of metastasis.
In the mouse models of breast cancer studied by Werb's team, GATA3 normally restrains cancerous cells from breaking away from the main tumor and migrating to other organs.
It might be possible, Werb said, to develop drugs that inhibit breast cancer metastasis by re-activating these controls in cancerous cells that have lost the normal protein.
Many researchers who study early stages of cancer focus on abnormal genes and proteins that cause cells to expand their numbers rapidly, a hallmark of cancer.
However, the ability to spread to distant places and to eventually cause lethal complications requires not only cell division and tumor growth, but also changes in how the cancerous cell negotiates with its surroundings. This relationship must be altered to permit cancer to spread, according to earlier research findings by Werb and others.
"Many of the key processes in cancer that GATA3 suppresses take place outside the cell, in the surrounding environment," she said.
GATA3 is a master control for luminal cells, which line the milk-carrying ducts of the breast. In essence, GATA3 dictates the defining characteristics of a normal breast cell, Werb said.
Luminal breast cancers are the most common form of the disease, and the hormones estrogen and progesterone drive their growth. Loss of the normal GATA3 protein as luminal breast cancers evolve is associated with a greater risk of death, Werb said, and occurs in roughly 10 percent of luminal breast cancer cases.
But, along with many other proteins, GATA3 also is absent in "triple negative," breast cancers, which are more often fatal. Triple negative breast cancers, which disproportionately affect black women and younger women, do not depend on the hormones, nor do they require a third growth factor, called HER2.
Triple negative breast cancers, which account for roughly one-in-five breast cancers, have been more difficult to target successfully with newer treatments.
"The targeting we would like to do is to give back microRNA29b specifically to breast tumor cells to prevent metastasis," Werb said.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - San Francisco, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Jonathan Chou, Jeffrey H. Lin, Audrey Brenot, Jung-whan Kim, Sylvain Provot, Zena Werb. GATA3 suppresses metastasis and modulates the tumour microenvironment by regulating?microRNA-29b expression. Nature Cell Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ncb2672
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/9MKEP8kbDFI/130127134214.htm
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Harry's Afghan downtime: movies, candy trades
LONDON (AP) ? Prince Harry's off-duty time in Afghanistan appeared to be full of war movies, board games and elaborate candy trades.
The 28-year-old helicopter pilot and fellow members of his squad swapped Kit Kats and Rice Krispies Squares for American soldiers' M&Ms, according to a British media pool report released Sunday.
Harry himself outlined one of his less-prestigious duties. The third-in-line to the U.K. throne said anyone who lost at Uckers ? a military game similar to Ludo or Parcheesi ? had to then wait on his comrades like a Buckingham Palace butler, ready with a fresh cup of tea whenever anyone rang their bell.
"Whoever loses ... then you have to make brews for everybody all day," Harry told journalists ahead of his return to Britain this past week.
He also denied rumors that he was far better at PlayStation than at traditional board games.
"I don't know who told you that," he told reporters. "I lost two days ago, and yesterday, so since you guys have been here I've only lost."
Harry returned to Britain on Wednesday after a 20-week deployment in Afghanistan in which he acknowledged that he had targeted Taliban fighters from the cockpit of his Apache attack helicopter.
Asked in an earlier round of interviews whether he had killed anyone, Harry said: "Yeah, so, lots of people have." That admission disturbed some Britons and led to front-page headlines like the one in The Daily Mail that read: "Harry: I Have Killed."
This latest round of interviews, focusing on Harry's daily life at Britain's Camp Bastion military base in Afghanistan, is not likely to draw the same kind of headlines.
The report mainly carried glimpses of the prince's daily routine, including his favorite foods ? chicken and broccoli ? and his favorite movies ? "Full Metal Jacket," ''Apocalypse Now," and "Platoon."
In an interesting twist for an Apache pilot, "Black Hawk Down," the Ridley Scott film about a helicopter raid gone wrong in Somalia, was among the movies spotted in Harry's communal tent.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/harrys-afghan-downtime-movies-candy-trades-090928405.html
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Sunday, 27 January 2013
Global retailers shamed after another garment fire in Bangladesh
Labor groups are calling for global clothing retailers to ensure adequate safety measures for garment workers in Bangladesh?after a blaze killed seven factory workers.
Bangladeshi garment worker Laiju stands inside the damaged Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday. Bangladesh's government has ordered an investigation into allegations that the sole emergency exit at the factory was locked, an official said Sunday.
A.M. Ahad/AP
EnlargeInternational labor rights groups called on Sunday for global clothing retailers to ensure adequate safety measures for garment workers in Bangladesh?after a blaze killed seven employees at a small factory.
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Saturday's fire gutted Smart Exports Garment Ltd, just two months after Bangladesh's?worst ever factory blaze killed 112 workers and injured 150 at Tazreen Fashions Ltd, a multi-story garment workshop in Dhaka's Ashulia suburb.
In a joint statement issued after the latest blaze, three organizations asked retailers and brands to sign a fire safety agreement with Bangladesh.
"After more than two decades of the apparel industry knowing about the risks to these workers, nothing substantial has changed," the executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum, Judy Gearhart, said in the statement.
"Brands still keep their audit results secret. They still walk away when it suits them and trade unions are still marginalized, weakening workers' ability to speak up when they are at risk," she added.
The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) also signed the statement.
Another rights group, the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights (ILGHR), said on its website it had gained access to the gutted factory and found seven women workers had been crushed to death as employees tried to escape the fire.
Firefighters and police said the cause of the latest blaze was not yet known. Survivors said it could have been caused by an electrical short circuit at the factory on the upper floor of a two-story building in the crowded Mohammadpur area.
Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh?Center for Workers Solidarity, told Reuters that two garment factories had subcontracted orders to the factory's owner, Smart Export Garments Ltd.
She said the company was not a member of the Bangladesh?Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association and had no license from fire prevention or labor bodies.
An official report into the Tazreen blaze in November concluded it was the result of both sabotage and negligence.
Bangladesh?has about 4,500 garment factories and is the world's biggest exporter of clothing after China. Clothing makes up 80 percent of its $24 billion annual exports.
* Reporting By Serajul Quadir; Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by Ron Popeski
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Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088, December 2012
Currently, there are 47 Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA on the market, up 28% from November. These Warner Robins foreclosures range in price from $19,900 to $355,000 and square footage from 884 to 3,750.
In?December 19 new Warner Robins Foreclosures hit the market. The details for these new properties is as follows (address, price, heated sq feet, subdivision, year built):
- 112 Wallace, $19,900, 884, Evergreen Park, 1953
- 407 Alabama Avenue, $29,900, 1659, United Estates, 1965
- 110 Shawnee Avenue, $39,900, 1168, Cherokee Hills, 1965
- 107 Dewey Street, $40,000, 1760, Azalea Park, 1955
- 602 Oakview Square, $43,600, 1129, Walker Park, 1955
- 112 Oklahoma Avenue, $47,750, 1056, United Estates, 1969
- 107 Oakdale Drive, $49,500, 2050, Hill & Dale Estates, 1964
- 307 Somerset Drive, $52,900, 1110, Villa at Village Walk, 1988
- 114 Highland Drive, $69,900, 1683, Highland Estates, 1969
- 102 Juniper Road, $74,000, 1404, Laurel Hills, 1964
- 516 Arrowhead Trail, $79,900, 1376, Shirley Hills, 1963
- 122 Wiley Way, $80,500, 1337, Autumn Woods, 1995
- 208 Meriwood Court, $82,900, 1459, Meriwood Square, 1987
- 112 Deer Track Court, $91,500, 1266, Deerfield, 2005
- 403 Heritage Drive, $94,000, 2261, Heritage, 1977
- 604 Hidden Creek Circle, $94,900, 1502,?Harvest Pointe, 2008
- 201 Williamsburg Avenue, $109,000, 2114, Williamsburg, 1988
- 111 Quail Run Road, $176,000, 2323, Quail Run, 1976
- 410 Tharpe Road, $181,700, 2703, Quail Run, 1985
For a complete list of available Warner Robins real estate, visit Homes for Sale in Warner Robins.
Call me at (478) 960-8055 (C) / (478) 953-8595 x227 (O) so we can discuss your Warner Robins real estate needs.
Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088,?December 2012
View Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088, December 2012 in a larger map
Statistics represent ONLY foreclosure single family homes, condos, and townhouses in Warner Robins GA for the month listed. (Source: CGMLS). Information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.
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Source: http://sellingwarnerrobins.com/2013/01/foreclosures-in-warner-robins-ga-31088-december-2012/
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?We Are Supposed To Be Truth Tellers?
A couple of weeks ago CNET was put into an absurd situation – they could not favorably cover a technology product because the company behind that product was in litigation with CNET’s parent company, CBS. I wasn’t all that interested in the story at the time. Reporters and bloggers are constantly pressured to write or not write about things by parent companies and even business executives in their own companies. CBS telling CNET what it could and could not write about wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before. I understand why CBS was trying to control messaging about a company that they were suing, although they certainly weren’t very smart about how they handled it. The Streisand Effect kicked in and not only did the product end up getting tons of extra positive press, but both CBS and CNET looked like idiots. Still, big companies do stupid things all the time. It’s a big part of why small startups are often so successful at disrupting them. What I don’t get is why CNET staffers have stuck around. They’re the ones who are supposed to be journalists and all that entails. They’re the ones I blame right now. I blame them because they’re the only reason CBS is able to get away with this. Every single journalist at CNET should have resigned by now. More than once at TechCrunch we made AOL extremely uncomfortable with things that we wrote. But they never ordered us to write or not write about something because they understood that not only would we not comply, we’d write a post about how the whole thing. Our independence from AOL was so important to me that I negotiated an extremely odd provision in our purchase agreement that allowed me to disclose confidential information about AOL. It was their job never to give me that information. It was not my job to protect it in any way. If AOL had ever ordered me to remove a piece of content from the site for any reason I would have immediately written about it and disclosed the situation to our readers. And if I had ever ordered a writer to remove content I would have expected that writer to have done the same to me. In fact, one of the things I am most proud about at TechCrunch is the culture of independence in its writers. Many times I have beenSource: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5r9PkxQPVpo/
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Real estate interests spending money to pass Los Angeles sales tax ...
Developers and real estate companies are pouring money into a campaign to raise the city's sales tax by a half percent, according to a filing released Friday.
Anschutz Entertainment Group, whose downtown football stadium was approved last year by the city, donated $100,000 to the campaign. Developer J.H. Snyder gave $25,000.
Excel Property Management and the California Association of Realtors Issues Mobilization Political Action Committee also gave money. So did Crewbase Knitware, a retail apparel company.
Lobbyist Harvey Englander, who is running the "Committee to Protect Public Safety, Yes On A, a Coalition of Business and Community Leaders" campaign, said about $400,000 had been raised to date.
Friday's filing reflects about half of that amount, he said.
The contributions come months after the real estate industry successfully killed a proposed real estate tax ballot measure. Instead, they convinced the City Council to put a citywide sales tax increase on the ballot.
If approved by voters in March, the tax would raise L.A.'s sale tax rate a half percent to 9.5 percent.
The concentration of real estate-related businesses funding the campaign isn't unexpected, said David Fleming, an attorney active in Los Angeles business and political groups.
"You get what you pay for at City Hall," Fleming said. "These businesses are ponying up because they didn't want to pay the (real estate) tax."
Backers believe
the sales tax will raise at least $200 million to help with the city's ongoing budget deficit, and help restore police and fire department funding.Englander downplayed the contributions from AEG and the other groups. A wide range of business and labor interests are funding the campaign, he said.
Last year, Council President Herb Wesson and other leaders were weighing a number of taxes to put before voters. The real estate industry, represented by Englander, lobbied against a proposal to increase the tax on real estate sales. They conducted their own polling showing the sales tax was more likely to pass.
Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, said he was convinced the company should donate after talking to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck, whom he called a personal friend. He said Beck asked him to support the tax.
"This has zero to do with political favors ... this is about L.A. City, and without the sales tax, we're going to have cuts to the Police Department and the Fire Department," Leiweke said.
To reach out to potential donors, Wesson told the Daily News he personally calls would-be contributors. Wesson said he believed other industry leaders will also step forward to donate.
"It's not just developers. I sit down, there is a list of front of me, and I call everyone on the list," Wesson said.
Asked to reply to criticisms over special interests' influence at City Hall, Wesson replied: "People always have criticisms, that's life."
Ed Johnson, spokesman for Wesson, declined to release Wesson's phone call list of potential donors. He said it's not public information.
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Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22454074/real-estate-interests-spending-money-pass-los-angeles
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