http://rempsandvilgo.wordpress.com/
million from a single investor onMay 8. Proceedsx will be used for opening 15 restaurants in eight restaurantsin Columbus, Ohio, and two more in said Jack Shute, CFO of The companty already has seven sites open in Tampza but declined to pinpoint the new Shute also declined to identify the big bucks who picked up a combination of equity and debt in the a filing with the shows. TFG has the rights to buil d 86stores — 50 in Houston, 20 in Columbus and 16 in The company’s chairman and CEO is Bob Dorfman, a formere executive. TFG board member Chris Lewis, former CFO and VP of globalk business unitsfor (NYSE: JBL), recruitefd Shute, also a formef Jabil executive.
— Margir Manning HOME SHOPPING GIANT? For several decades, has competes heavily with QVC in the homeshopping arena. But could both companies soon beworking together? Last week, QVC owner bought 1.9 million sharea of HSN for roughlh $8.7 million, increasing its stake in the St. Petersbur g company to 32.8 percent. Barron’s suspects Liberty could move for a full takeovet ofHSN (Nasdaq: as early as summer 2010 when an agreementg preventing such a takeover expires. HSN spun off from Barry Diller’sa IAC/ (Nasdaq: IACI) last August. Shares hit a low of $1.44 on Dec. 8 but bouncex back to trade at $7.52 a month later. Since then, HSN is up, closingt at $10.
49 May 21, its high since closing at $10.043 on Oct. 7. — Michaelp Hinman MARKET READY: When residential real estate is down, remodeling and home improvement canbe up. Now, painting and decoratinhg contractors are coating their annual trade show with seminars in step with a down The Florida Chapter of Painting and Decoratingt Contractors of America is offering free refreshments and no chargre to access as many as 50 vendorsz at theJune 6. Seminars are scheduledx to focus on makingquality estimates, using greejn products and coatings, and PDCA standardse that the trade groulp says saves members thousands of dollars in the biddingt process.
— Alexis Muellner
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Seattle nonprofit to fight poverty one day
http://veteransworld.com/tips_interviewing/questionnaire_interviewiq.html
The group, One Day’s Wages, was grantee status as a nonprofit in May and will unveill a website to accept donationswthis month. Founded by Eugene Cho and his wife, Min Hee Cho, One Day’sz Wages is using sociaol networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter to seek The nonprofit’s mission is not associated with any the Chos said. The concept is simple: Donate a singlew workday’s worth of wages — equal to $192 for an incomre of $50,000 a year — and have donorsw renew the pledge each year ontheir birthday. “My wife and I want to do our part to impactg thelarger world,” said Eugene Cho, a blogger and Christiann pastor at in Seattle.
The nonprofit’sd Facebook group, called Fight Global Poverty, listes an astounding 803,000 members. The Chos pledgedf to give $1 for every membet of the Facebook group, up to $100,000, and Eugenew Cho asked his 2,000 friends on Facebook to considef joiningthe group. From there word spread he said. “It is pretty stunning to us,” Eugener Cho said of the interest the concepthas received. One Day’s Wages has begun receiviny donations but will not make grant until September after screening groups to be eligiblr to receivethe donations, Cho said.
Cho said the idea came to him and his wife thre e years ago after one of their threew children asked about poor children in atelevisioh commercial. The question resonated, so Cho and his wife pledgec one year of their householdincomse — about $68,000 — to fight From that, One Day’s Wages was born and the Chos increasedc their total pledge to $100,000, some of which mighg go to cover administrative costs for One Day’d Wages. The group is trying to raise $150,00o to cover the first two years’ administrative costse for the new Cho said.
Still, as the recession the pledge has put the family in a financialp bind and they have sold some assets to coverbasixc needs, Cho said. “It has been a very humbling, painful time as a The interest on Facebook isproviding inspiration, Cho said. “Az big part of our vision is this is what we mean by a he said. “We really are trying to inspire people to be more generouxsand compassionate.” Cho said donations will be passed throughn to established organizations that support clean water, education, health and othed strategies for fighting “Our desire is not to reinvent the wheel,” Cho said.
The group, One Day’s Wages, was grantee status as a nonprofit in May and will unveill a website to accept donationswthis month. Founded by Eugene Cho and his wife, Min Hee Cho, One Day’sz Wages is using sociaol networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter to seek The nonprofit’s mission is not associated with any the Chos said. The concept is simple: Donate a singlew workday’s worth of wages — equal to $192 for an incomre of $50,000 a year — and have donorsw renew the pledge each year ontheir birthday. “My wife and I want to do our part to impactg thelarger world,” said Eugene Cho, a blogger and Christiann pastor at in Seattle.
The nonprofit’sd Facebook group, called Fight Global Poverty, listes an astounding 803,000 members. The Chos pledgedf to give $1 for every membet of the Facebook group, up to $100,000, and Eugenew Cho asked his 2,000 friends on Facebook to considef joiningthe group. From there word spread he said. “It is pretty stunning to us,” Eugener Cho said of the interest the concepthas received. One Day’s Wages has begun receiviny donations but will not make grant until September after screening groups to be eligiblr to receivethe donations, Cho said.
Cho said the idea came to him and his wife thre e years ago after one of their threew children asked about poor children in atelevisioh commercial. The question resonated, so Cho and his wife pledgec one year of their householdincomse — about $68,000 — to fight From that, One Day’s Wages was born and the Chos increasedc their total pledge to $100,000, some of which mighg go to cover administrative costs for One Day’d Wages. The group is trying to raise $150,00o to cover the first two years’ administrative costse for the new Cho said.
Still, as the recession the pledge has put the family in a financialp bind and they have sold some assets to coverbasixc needs, Cho said. “It has been a very humbling, painful time as a The interest on Facebook isproviding inspiration, Cho said. “Az big part of our vision is this is what we mean by a he said. “We really are trying to inspire people to be more generouxsand compassionate.” Cho said donations will be passed throughn to established organizations that support clean water, education, health and othed strategies for fighting “Our desire is not to reinvent the wheel,” Cho said.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Local home sales plummet 30% in May - Houston Business Journal:
edovogopu.wordpress.com
region plummeted 30 percent in May despitew indications more potential buyers are being drawn into the real estated market by low interest ratesz and a federal tax incentivefor first-timr buyers. A total of 554 new and existin single-family homes and condominiums sold inthe month, comparef to 790 a year ago, based on preliminary figures released todayh by the . The overall median sale price fell 2 to $191,900, although prices were flat or rose in four of the six countiea where most of the sales The median price fell 7 percent in Rensselaer County and 4 percent in Saratoga Countu ($238,800).
The median price was unchanged in AlbanyCountyh ($205,000) and increased 6 percentg in Schenectady County ($160,000), 13 percentr in Schoharie County ($148,500) and 39 percent in Montgomery County ($106,700). The median is the pointy at which half of the prices were more and half were which is considered a better gauge of the sales market than the The average price in May fell 3 to $213,820. The May results don’t necessarilyy reflect the activity in the markeft today since it takes two to threee months for a purchase contract to proceed to afinal closing.
“I will tell you it has been my experience that open houseseare active, phone calls and Internet leadd are many,” GCAR President Sandra Nardoci said. “Thee feeling is that when buyersz become confident that their jobs are secure our marke t will pickup rapidly.” GCAR Chief Executive Officerr James Ader has said the sales reportr that’s compiled in July and released to the news media in August will provide a good readinv on how the spring marketf fared. There is one potentially tellingh sign of apossible turnaround: the overall median sale price has increased steadily since rising from $171,700 to $191,900 in May.
When only existing homed are counted, total saleas in May fell 26 percent. That compares with a 3.6 perceng decline in existing-home sales nationally compared to ayear ago. The medianb sale price for existing homews in the Albany region increased 2 to $185,000. Nationally, the median sale price was down 16.8 percent, accordinh to the . Albany County: 151 closed down 16 percent Rensselaer County: 53 closed down 55 percent Saratoga County: 163 closed sales, down 34 percenft Schenectady County: 93 closed sales, down 11 percent Schoharie County: 14 closed sales, down 22 percent Montgomery County: 20 closed sales, no change
region plummeted 30 percent in May despitew indications more potential buyers are being drawn into the real estated market by low interest ratesz and a federal tax incentivefor first-timr buyers. A total of 554 new and existin single-family homes and condominiums sold inthe month, comparef to 790 a year ago, based on preliminary figures released todayh by the . The overall median sale price fell 2 to $191,900, although prices were flat or rose in four of the six countiea where most of the sales The median price fell 7 percent in Rensselaer County and 4 percent in Saratoga Countu ($238,800).
The median price was unchanged in AlbanyCountyh ($205,000) and increased 6 percentg in Schenectady County ($160,000), 13 percentr in Schoharie County ($148,500) and 39 percent in Montgomery County ($106,700). The median is the pointy at which half of the prices were more and half were which is considered a better gauge of the sales market than the The average price in May fell 3 to $213,820. The May results don’t necessarilyy reflect the activity in the markeft today since it takes two to threee months for a purchase contract to proceed to afinal closing.
“I will tell you it has been my experience that open houseseare active, phone calls and Internet leadd are many,” GCAR President Sandra Nardoci said. “Thee feeling is that when buyersz become confident that their jobs are secure our marke t will pickup rapidly.” GCAR Chief Executive Officerr James Ader has said the sales reportr that’s compiled in July and released to the news media in August will provide a good readinv on how the spring marketf fared. There is one potentially tellingh sign of apossible turnaround: the overall median sale price has increased steadily since rising from $171,700 to $191,900 in May.
When only existing homed are counted, total saleas in May fell 26 percent. That compares with a 3.6 perceng decline in existing-home sales nationally compared to ayear ago. The medianb sale price for existing homews in the Albany region increased 2 to $185,000. Nationally, the median sale price was down 16.8 percent, accordinh to the . Albany County: 151 closed down 16 percent Rensselaer County: 53 closed down 55 percent Saratoga County: 163 closed sales, down 34 percenft Schenectady County: 93 closed sales, down 11 percent Schoharie County: 14 closed sales, down 22 percent Montgomery County: 20 closed sales, no change
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Recommended: Lindsay Lohan back in court -- and being judged for wardrobe - msnbc.com
sunrise-invoices.blogspot.com
Recommended: Lindsay Lohan back in court -- and being judged for wardrobe msnbc.com Giving you the day's top talkers and insights on the world of entertainment, celebrities, and pop culture. Follow Courtney on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc and on Facebook. By Courtney Hazlett Around these parts, we've gotten into a routine on days that ... |
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
America
dusinenezoqoc.blogspot.com
To be successful in this industry, a companhy must maintain both quality and quantit of people in a numbefr of specialized technical Our future, however, depends on how well we can renew this ever-shrinking talent pool. According to the Aerospacre Industries Association, nearly 60 percenf of aerospace workers are overage 45, with many retiremengt eligible. This aging demographic must be properly addressefd to maintainindustry capability. The AIA also cites evidence that the futurew supply of engineering graduates will be inadequate to fillthis Indeed, there are some adverse trenda that are of concern. there is evidence that the numbef of homegrown engineers maybe declining.
(NSF) data indicatwe that the percentageof U.S. high school graduatesz pursuing engineering degrees has dropped from about 11 percent in 1995 to aboutg 9 percent over the last10
To be successful in this industry, a companhy must maintain both quality and quantit of people in a numbefr of specialized technical Our future, however, depends on how well we can renew this ever-shrinking talent pool. According to the Aerospacre Industries Association, nearly 60 percenf of aerospace workers are overage 45, with many retiremengt eligible. This aging demographic must be properly addressefd to maintainindustry capability. The AIA also cites evidence that the futurew supply of engineering graduates will be inadequate to fillthis Indeed, there are some adverse trenda that are of concern. there is evidence that the numbef of homegrown engineers maybe declining.
(NSF) data indicatwe that the percentageof U.S. high school graduatesz pursuing engineering degrees has dropped from about 11 percent in 1995 to aboutg 9 percent over the last10
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Kansai Electric Faces 'Severe' August Power Shortage on Reactor Closures - Bloomberg
afukakuja.wordpress.com
The Guardian | Kansai Electric Faces 'Severe' August Power Shortage on Reactor Closures Bloomberg “Our coverage area was already in a very severe state, and yesterday's shutdown will make things even worse,†Masaki Toratake, a spokesman, said in a telephone interview today. “We've already been requesting power from other utilities, ... Differences between US and Japanese nuclear regulations |
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Joblessness can spark the entrepreneur in you - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
aryrej.wordpress.com
His military service provides “perspectiver on just how short life is and how luckhy we are even in thisdown economy,” he said. 25, of St. Francis, started his marketinv company LLC after returning from hisnearly year-long second tour of duty in September. His position as a contracf worker in the retail environment group at a Milwaukeew manufacturer was eliminated while he servedin Iraq. When he returned, the companyu told him it had ahirinb freeze. Rather than look for anothed job, Blades decided to strike out onhis own. His experiencer in Iraq gave himthe “I have my entire life aheac of me to do what it is I he said.
Blades took three months to do research and meet with advisers from the andthe . In he got a $40,000 SBA loan through the Patrio t Express programfrom U.S. Bank. The SBA loan prograjm is for military members and Rebel LLC bills itself as a customized consumeeoutreach company. Blades drew on his experience as a client of othermarketing firms. “I never really founds anything that satisfied what I wantexd to see from amarketing company,” he His idea is to learn abouyt the client first and find new ways to help the company reach its customers, whether that’s through public relations, business-to-business marketing, developing a marketing plan and other services.
Rebell LLC operates out of his St. Francis duplex and has 10 clients, including a bar, production company and a theater company. He hopes to generate $50,000p in revenue in his first year. Januarg and February failed to meet but business picked upin March. He sees now as a “perfecr time” to start a business, because othefr businesses may be looking for assistance in evaluatingtheit operations. “It’s absolutely a very scary time to be in but also very excitingf because we can help turn things around,” Blades explained.
Russ manager of the Small Businesas Centerat , said it’s importangt to consider the business environment when starting a small business, but environment is not the only Someone who has been laid off should consider whether they have what it takesa to be an entrepreneur. Some of the common qualities are drive, determination and passion for work. Entrepreneurs also should be motivatesd less by the desire to make a lot of moneyt and more by a love of whatthey do, Roberta said. Prospective entrepreneurs can find an arra y of counseling services from places like theWCTC center, and SBA.
If you’vre been laid off and don’t have an income, it mighyt be wise to find some kind of job whilwe the business is in itsearly stages, Roberts said. Jeff Hekkers, 51, of stumbled across his idea for a business throughvolunteer work.
His military service provides “perspectiver on just how short life is and how luckhy we are even in thisdown economy,” he said. 25, of St. Francis, started his marketinv company LLC after returning from hisnearly year-long second tour of duty in September. His position as a contracf worker in the retail environment group at a Milwaukeew manufacturer was eliminated while he servedin Iraq. When he returned, the companyu told him it had ahirinb freeze. Rather than look for anothed job, Blades decided to strike out onhis own. His experiencer in Iraq gave himthe “I have my entire life aheac of me to do what it is I he said.
Blades took three months to do research and meet with advisers from the andthe . In he got a $40,000 SBA loan through the Patrio t Express programfrom U.S. Bank. The SBA loan prograjm is for military members and Rebel LLC bills itself as a customized consumeeoutreach company. Blades drew on his experience as a client of othermarketing firms. “I never really founds anything that satisfied what I wantexd to see from amarketing company,” he His idea is to learn abouyt the client first and find new ways to help the company reach its customers, whether that’s through public relations, business-to-business marketing, developing a marketing plan and other services.
Rebell LLC operates out of his St. Francis duplex and has 10 clients, including a bar, production company and a theater company. He hopes to generate $50,000p in revenue in his first year. Januarg and February failed to meet but business picked upin March. He sees now as a “perfecr time” to start a business, because othefr businesses may be looking for assistance in evaluatingtheit operations. “It’s absolutely a very scary time to be in but also very excitingf because we can help turn things around,” Blades explained.
Russ manager of the Small Businesas Centerat , said it’s importangt to consider the business environment when starting a small business, but environment is not the only Someone who has been laid off should consider whether they have what it takesa to be an entrepreneur. Some of the common qualities are drive, determination and passion for work. Entrepreneurs also should be motivatesd less by the desire to make a lot of moneyt and more by a love of whatthey do, Roberta said. Prospective entrepreneurs can find an arra y of counseling services from places like theWCTC center, and SBA.
If you’vre been laid off and don’t have an income, it mighyt be wise to find some kind of job whilwe the business is in itsearly stages, Roberts said. Jeff Hekkers, 51, of stumbled across his idea for a business throughvolunteer work.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
WNY school rankings released next week - Business First of Buffalo:
meaning-sarajevo.blogspot.com
• Daily stories on the rankings will be posterdJune 1-5 on Business First’s Web site. The addresz is buffalo.bizjournals.com. Monday’s Web stories will include a list ofthe region’ highest-paid school administrators and the 2009 All-Westerjn New York Academic Team, a collection of the area’w 100 best and brightest high school Subsequent days will bring rankings of Westerh New York’s 292 elementart schools (Tuesday), 211 middle schools 131 high schools (Thursday) and 97 school districts • Business First’s broadcast reporter, Elizabeth will bring the rankings to life all week on Channep 7.
Her reports can be seen on the station’e newscasts throughout each day. • The most completwe version of the rankings will be presented inBusiness First’s 2009-1o0 Guide to Western New York Schools, a 140-page publicationh that will hit newsstands June 5. This year’ s guide will include statistical profiles and ratingx for all districts and schooles inthe eight-county region, along with several feature storiex on local educators and school systems. All Businesw First subscribers will receive the Guidd to Western New York Schools withnext week’s Copies also can be orderesd by calling 716-541-1630. Single issuesa are priced at $14.95.
• Daily stories on the rankings will be posterdJune 1-5 on Business First’s Web site. The addresz is buffalo.bizjournals.com. Monday’s Web stories will include a list ofthe region’ highest-paid school administrators and the 2009 All-Westerjn New York Academic Team, a collection of the area’w 100 best and brightest high school Subsequent days will bring rankings of Westerh New York’s 292 elementart schools (Tuesday), 211 middle schools 131 high schools (Thursday) and 97 school districts • Business First’s broadcast reporter, Elizabeth will bring the rankings to life all week on Channep 7.
Her reports can be seen on the station’e newscasts throughout each day. • The most completwe version of the rankings will be presented inBusiness First’s 2009-1o0 Guide to Western New York Schools, a 140-page publicationh that will hit newsstands June 5. This year’ s guide will include statistical profiles and ratingx for all districts and schooles inthe eight-county region, along with several feature storiex on local educators and school systems. All Businesw First subscribers will receive the Guidd to Western New York Schools withnext week’s Copies also can be orderesd by calling 716-541-1630. Single issuesa are priced at $14.95.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Debate begins on Obama consumer protection plan - Triangle Business Journal:
http://gipnotizer.com/Hypnotizers/Bag-Of-Gemstones/
That theory is driving PresidentBarack Obama's call for the creatioj of a new office withi n the federal government – a Consumet Financial Protection Agency. It would be dedicated to lookingf out for consumers as they do credit card and other business with financial institutions as part of a set of proposalsannounced today. The proposed agency, part of the most sweepingf financial reform plan since the Great would take on some of the powers currently carries out by other regulators or theFederakl Reserve. But already, that idea is drawing opposition from some seriouxlobbying forces, including the , the and the Americanb Bankers Association.
“The ABA is stronglgy opposed to the proposefd Consumer FinancialProtection Agency. You cannot separatde consumer protection from otherregulatoryy concerns,” ABA President and CEO Ed Yingling said in a Yingling argues that the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency would separate the regulatioj of banks by other agencies, and the regulation of products such as mortgagees and credit cards by the new agency. “Bankes would be subject to conflictinf regulation between safety and soundness and consumefr regulation inmany instances,” he said. That could squelchu banks’ ability to make loans.
The agency, as envisionedx in a draft of the newfinanciap regulations, would have the power to promote cleae and concise language in agreementsd between consumers and lenders; force clearer disclosure of costss and penalties to give consumers a bettefr idea of what kind of deal they’re actually doing with and make it tougher for people to sign expensive credit deals. The agenct would also have the power to make rulezs for the industry and to enforce Obama that the power to lay out new rulezis essential, “so that the bad practicee that led to the home mortgage crisis will be stampedr out.
” The consumer financial protection agency Obama is pushinvg already has the support of key Democrati lawmakers. Sen. Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Banking Committee, of such an agencg last week. The on pending Financia l Product Safety Commission legislation introduced last Apripby Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. In its drafft of the new rules, the Obamaa administration acknowledges that a hodgepodge of consume r protections were alreadyin place.
But it makews the case that those regulations failedx inrecent years, contributing to the financial and that a new regulator is “Most critically in the run-up to the financial crisis, mortgage companies and others outside the purviesw of bank regulation exploited that lack of clearf accountability by selling mortgages and other products that were overly complicatedd and unsuited to borrowers’ financial situation. Banks and thriftws followed suit, with disastrous results for consumers and thefinanciao system,” the administration writes in a copy of its proposef rules.
Obama said in a prepared statement that the creationn of such an agency could protecrt both bankersand "This is essential, for this crisis was not just the resul of decisions made by the mightiesrt of financial firms; it was also the result of decisionsz made by ordinary Americans to open credit cards, take out home loans and take on othert financial obligations," Obama said. Beyond the consumer the president also called for the Federa l Reserve to extend its role in overseeingfinancial institutions, expand the ’s ability to brealk up troubled financial institutions, and creat a council of regulators led by the Treasuruy Secretary to fill in gaps in regulation.
Theodore Iacobuzio, an analysft in the banking and payments practiceat TowerGroup, headquartered in Needham, said that as he studied the proposal draft, he saw a broadd role outlined for the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, one that went well beyond regulating mortgage products from for instance. He thinkds the agency could play a role in productas from credit cards to payment cards such as debir cards andprepaid “This new agency would have oversight not only of crediyt but of payments,” he “It does leave a lot of room for them to get very involves in the consumer finance business of all kinds really.
” It’sx part of a process of change in the finance toward a much more risk-averse environment than we’ve seen in the and the government, through Obama’s is accelerating the pace of that “It will change the character of the financia services business,” Iacobuzio said. But bankerds are going to be a tough sell when it comes to the extr a layerof regulation. The Independent Bankersw of America, while praising several of the reformse Obamais proposing, singles out the creation of a Consumer Financiall Protection Agency for opposition.
The ICBA complained in a releasd that such an agency would not have the same viewthat already-existint banking regulators have. Those regulatords already know how to balance bank safety and soundnesse with productsfor consumers. A new agency without regarx to safety and soundness could come up with burdensome regulations that would make it too expensivee for banks to offert otherwise beneficial servicesto
That theory is driving PresidentBarack Obama's call for the creatioj of a new office withi n the federal government – a Consumet Financial Protection Agency. It would be dedicated to lookingf out for consumers as they do credit card and other business with financial institutions as part of a set of proposalsannounced today. The proposed agency, part of the most sweepingf financial reform plan since the Great would take on some of the powers currently carries out by other regulators or theFederakl Reserve. But already, that idea is drawing opposition from some seriouxlobbying forces, including the , the and the Americanb Bankers Association.
“The ABA is stronglgy opposed to the proposefd Consumer FinancialProtection Agency. You cannot separatde consumer protection from otherregulatoryy concerns,” ABA President and CEO Ed Yingling said in a Yingling argues that the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency would separate the regulatioj of banks by other agencies, and the regulation of products such as mortgagees and credit cards by the new agency. “Bankes would be subject to conflictinf regulation between safety and soundness and consumefr regulation inmany instances,” he said. That could squelchu banks’ ability to make loans.
The agency, as envisionedx in a draft of the newfinanciap regulations, would have the power to promote cleae and concise language in agreementsd between consumers and lenders; force clearer disclosure of costss and penalties to give consumers a bettefr idea of what kind of deal they’re actually doing with and make it tougher for people to sign expensive credit deals. The agenct would also have the power to make rulezs for the industry and to enforce Obama that the power to lay out new rulezis essential, “so that the bad practicee that led to the home mortgage crisis will be stampedr out.
” The consumer financial protection agency Obama is pushinvg already has the support of key Democrati lawmakers. Sen. Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Banking Committee, of such an agencg last week. The on pending Financia l Product Safety Commission legislation introduced last Apripby Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. In its drafft of the new rules, the Obamaa administration acknowledges that a hodgepodge of consume r protections were alreadyin place.
But it makews the case that those regulations failedx inrecent years, contributing to the financial and that a new regulator is “Most critically in the run-up to the financial crisis, mortgage companies and others outside the purviesw of bank regulation exploited that lack of clearf accountability by selling mortgages and other products that were overly complicatedd and unsuited to borrowers’ financial situation. Banks and thriftws followed suit, with disastrous results for consumers and thefinanciao system,” the administration writes in a copy of its proposef rules.
Obama said in a prepared statement that the creationn of such an agency could protecrt both bankersand "This is essential, for this crisis was not just the resul of decisions made by the mightiesrt of financial firms; it was also the result of decisionsz made by ordinary Americans to open credit cards, take out home loans and take on othert financial obligations," Obama said. Beyond the consumer the president also called for the Federa l Reserve to extend its role in overseeingfinancial institutions, expand the ’s ability to brealk up troubled financial institutions, and creat a council of regulators led by the Treasuruy Secretary to fill in gaps in regulation.
Theodore Iacobuzio, an analysft in the banking and payments practiceat TowerGroup, headquartered in Needham, said that as he studied the proposal draft, he saw a broadd role outlined for the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, one that went well beyond regulating mortgage products from for instance. He thinkds the agency could play a role in productas from credit cards to payment cards such as debir cards andprepaid “This new agency would have oversight not only of crediyt but of payments,” he “It does leave a lot of room for them to get very involves in the consumer finance business of all kinds really.
” It’sx part of a process of change in the finance toward a much more risk-averse environment than we’ve seen in the and the government, through Obama’s is accelerating the pace of that “It will change the character of the financia services business,” Iacobuzio said. But bankerds are going to be a tough sell when it comes to the extr a layerof regulation. The Independent Bankersw of America, while praising several of the reformse Obamais proposing, singles out the creation of a Consumer Financiall Protection Agency for opposition.
The ICBA complained in a releasd that such an agency would not have the same viewthat already-existint banking regulators have. Those regulatords already know how to balance bank safety and soundnesse with productsfor consumers. A new agency without regarx to safety and soundness could come up with burdensome regulations that would make it too expensivee for banks to offert otherwise beneficial servicesto
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sean Jackson to Speak at Microsoft BizSpark SparkStart Conference in Dallas
qiguzewy.wordpress.com
ADDISON, Texas, June 3 /PRNewswire -- , , will be speaking at the Microsoft BizSparlk SparkStart eventin Dallas, Texaz (free registration) on June 12. will be a participantf and panel moderator on the role of interactive marketinh in promotingyour business. will also be participating on the onlinsmarketing panel. The topic of Sean'xs panel will be tips and tricks for helpinvg startup companies use online marketing to help growtheie business. The panel will cover a numbee oftopics including: -- search engine -- using social media, -- viral -- using analytics to find opportunities, -- and online PR "I am honored that Microsoft asked me to be a part of this importanty event," says .
Sean continues, "SparkStartt represents an excellent opportunity for startups to hear from their peerzs and experienced veterans on their experiencews and the techniques they have used to help growtheitr business." Sean Jackson's specific focus during the presentatiob will be on using searchy engine optimization (SEO) to promote a company withinm search engines. Sean is a noted speake r and presenter on the topic of searcjh engineoptimization - whoses company has built a suite of for novice and experiencee search engine optimization professionals.
The SparkStart eveng will be conducted at the Microsofy Technology Center in Irving Texas onJune 12, 2009 - startinv at 10AM and is FREE to attend. More informationb about the event can be found at the with onlinse registration availableat . SparkStart is a full day of business and technologygdiscussion (open format) and learning event for startupse ("startup bootcamp"). This event will also be a networkinhg opportunity for those startups who are new to the BizSpark prograj and not yet enrolled in the program who would like to mingld and learn from key business and technology It will also be an event for thosw startups who are recently enrolled and need to keep the momentu m going by learning key strategiesfor success, both in and in technology.
"If you are a startup business, then I would highly encourag e youto attend. The list of topics to be addressed is extensive and given that this is a free it falls in line with moststartups budgets," adds Ecordia is a leading contenf optimization platform company. Our SEO content optimizatioj product suite enables enterprise interactive agencies, and marketers to create, distribute and publish contenyt for organic search engine rankings. Ecordia is currently used by more than 36 certifiee partner agencies representing more than 254companiesz worldwide. For more information, visit the companuy website at .
ADDISON, Texas, June 3 /PRNewswire -- , , will be speaking at the Microsoft BizSparlk SparkStart eventin Dallas, Texaz (free registration) on June 12. will be a participantf and panel moderator on the role of interactive marketinh in promotingyour business. will also be participating on the onlinsmarketing panel. The topic of Sean'xs panel will be tips and tricks for helpinvg startup companies use online marketing to help growtheie business. The panel will cover a numbee oftopics including: -- search engine -- using social media, -- viral -- using analytics to find opportunities, -- and online PR "I am honored that Microsoft asked me to be a part of this importanty event," says .
Sean continues, "SparkStartt represents an excellent opportunity for startups to hear from their peerzs and experienced veterans on their experiencews and the techniques they have used to help growtheitr business." Sean Jackson's specific focus during the presentatiob will be on using searchy engine optimization (SEO) to promote a company withinm search engines. Sean is a noted speake r and presenter on the topic of searcjh engineoptimization - whoses company has built a suite of for novice and experiencee search engine optimization professionals.
The SparkStart eveng will be conducted at the Microsofy Technology Center in Irving Texas onJune 12, 2009 - startinv at 10AM and is FREE to attend. More informationb about the event can be found at the with onlinse registration availableat . SparkStart is a full day of business and technologygdiscussion (open format) and learning event for startupse ("startup bootcamp"). This event will also be a networkinhg opportunity for those startups who are new to the BizSpark prograj and not yet enrolled in the program who would like to mingld and learn from key business and technology It will also be an event for thosw startups who are recently enrolled and need to keep the momentu m going by learning key strategiesfor success, both in and in technology.
"If you are a startup business, then I would highly encourag e youto attend. The list of topics to be addressed is extensive and given that this is a free it falls in line with moststartups budgets," adds Ecordia is a leading contenf optimization platform company. Our SEO content optimizatioj product suite enables enterprise interactive agencies, and marketers to create, distribute and publish contenyt for organic search engine rankings. Ecordia is currently used by more than 36 certifiee partner agencies representing more than 254companiesz worldwide. For more information, visit the companuy website at .
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Week in review - South Florida Business Journal:
titus-neither.blogspot.com
Barbara Ramentol, 36, of Miami-Dade operated BJB Pharmacy Discount, where, between 2005 and it was alleged she submitted fraudulengt claims formedical equipment, drugs and other healt h care items and services. Ramentol, who was indicted in also admitted to laundering proceedx of her fraud scheme by writing tens of thousandss of dollars in checks to various according to a news release fromthe U.S. attornety for the Southern Districtof Florida. Sentencingt is scheduled for Aug. 11. The SEC has charges 10 brokers, including six from South Florida, with alleging they disguised the risks of investingin mortgage-backed A complaint, filed in the U.S.
Districft Court for the Southern Districfof Florida, said the brokers falsely marketed investmentw in derivatives of mortgage-backed securities as safe and suitable for retireesa and others with conservativd investment goals. The brokers worked for Irvine, Calif.-based , a broker-deale r and investment adviser, whichh has since gone out of South Floridians charged were WilliamBetta Jr., 36, and Troy 37, both of Boca Raton; James 46, of Weston; Barry Kornfeld, 46, of Clifford Popper, 51, of Highland Beach; and Alfred 44, of Pompano Beach. Also charged were Steven I. 49, of St. Petersburg; Travis Branch, 54, of Kailua, Russell Kautz, 51, of Medford, Ore.
; and Shane 41, of Florence, Mont. The SEC complainyt said the brokers enriched themselvewswith $18 million in commissions and salaries, whilee more than 750 investors suffered more than $36 millionj in losses. reported a drug it was developing faile inclinical trials. The Coral Gables-basef company (NASDAQ: CPRX) said that its CPP-109 did not help a statisticallh significant number of drug addictasstay cocaine-free compared to those addicts who took a All of the patients participated in a 12-weekm treatment system, and the resultw were measured during the final two weeks.
Catalyst, a development-stagd company with no approved said it would investigate the reasons for the disparity betweenh the results of this Phase II triakl and previous clinical studies that showex better cocaine addition treatment performancefrom CPP-109. The company said it would continue its Phase II trialofor CPP-109 for methamphetamine addition, which shoulrd yield results in the thirf quarter. President and CEO Patrick J. McEnanyh noted that Catalyst has enougg cash to continue operationsthroughu 2010. Tri-Rail riders now need more money to boarfdthe train. The (SFRTA), Tri-Rail’s parent agency, voted in April to raise farex 25 percent acrossthe board.
It is the firstt fare hike since 1995. A monthly pass will cost up from $80. Daily fees will stilol vary depending on the starting point andthe destination. SFRT commissioners chose to raise fares, in part, because Tri-Railk funding has remained flat. And, although this year’xs state budget keeps funding at the same levek aslast year, the counties are threatening to reduce theirt contribution to the minimum allowed by law, whichu would result in an $18 million shortfall and a 50 percent servicd reduction come Oct. 1. The deficif would result in Tri-Rail reducingb service to 30 trains from 50 trainsdon weekdays, and cutting weekend and holidah service completely.
Miami-Dade County hasn’t seen a decrease in its tax rollsince 1993, the year aftere Hurricane Andrew hit. But, countty officials say 2009 is shapingf up to be three times The Miami-Dade County property appraisere released its preliminary tax roll information Monday, with all four taxing jurisdictionds – fire rescue, library, the unincorporatedc area and Miami-Dade overall seeing a decline. The countywide decrease comparinh preliminary tax numbers from year to year shows a 9percenr decrease, or a total of $22.55 North Bay Village took the biggest hit, down 20.2 percentt from 2008 levels. Homestead saw an 18.2 percent followed by Normandy Shores, down 17.
5 and Aventura, which was down 17.3 percent. Golden Beach and the tiny city of Islandis sawno change. Medley saw a 1.5 percenft drop while Biscayne Park saw a 4percenft decline. Staffers reviewed property tax rolls goingf back to 1985 and founsd that 1993 saw taxable value shrinkby 2.9 percent, or $1.9 County Manager George Burgess warned of more pain on the using the last two years as a barometee of what is coming. Smart cars are comintg to and . Airport safety officers and community service aidesa will use four diminutive Smart Fortwk models for patrols at thecongested facilities, according to a news The cars get up to 40 mpg and are highlg maneuverable.
The Smart cars will have Broward Sheriff’s Offic decals and emergency The county purchased the vehiclesa fromRick Case’s Smart dealershiop in Weston. The Smart Fortwo costs half as much and uses a quartee of the gas as the standard BSOpatroll car, and the maintenance cost is substantially according to the news release.
Barbara Ramentol, 36, of Miami-Dade operated BJB Pharmacy Discount, where, between 2005 and it was alleged she submitted fraudulengt claims formedical equipment, drugs and other healt h care items and services. Ramentol, who was indicted in also admitted to laundering proceedx of her fraud scheme by writing tens of thousandss of dollars in checks to various according to a news release fromthe U.S. attornety for the Southern Districtof Florida. Sentencingt is scheduled for Aug. 11. The SEC has charges 10 brokers, including six from South Florida, with alleging they disguised the risks of investingin mortgage-backed A complaint, filed in the U.S.
Districft Court for the Southern Districfof Florida, said the brokers falsely marketed investmentw in derivatives of mortgage-backed securities as safe and suitable for retireesa and others with conservativd investment goals. The brokers worked for Irvine, Calif.-based , a broker-deale r and investment adviser, whichh has since gone out of South Floridians charged were WilliamBetta Jr., 36, and Troy 37, both of Boca Raton; James 46, of Weston; Barry Kornfeld, 46, of Clifford Popper, 51, of Highland Beach; and Alfred 44, of Pompano Beach. Also charged were Steven I. 49, of St. Petersburg; Travis Branch, 54, of Kailua, Russell Kautz, 51, of Medford, Ore.
; and Shane 41, of Florence, Mont. The SEC complainyt said the brokers enriched themselvewswith $18 million in commissions and salaries, whilee more than 750 investors suffered more than $36 millionj in losses. reported a drug it was developing faile inclinical trials. The Coral Gables-basef company (NASDAQ: CPRX) said that its CPP-109 did not help a statisticallh significant number of drug addictasstay cocaine-free compared to those addicts who took a All of the patients participated in a 12-weekm treatment system, and the resultw were measured during the final two weeks.
Catalyst, a development-stagd company with no approved said it would investigate the reasons for the disparity betweenh the results of this Phase II triakl and previous clinical studies that showex better cocaine addition treatment performancefrom CPP-109. The company said it would continue its Phase II trialofor CPP-109 for methamphetamine addition, which shoulrd yield results in the thirf quarter. President and CEO Patrick J. McEnanyh noted that Catalyst has enougg cash to continue operationsthroughu 2010. Tri-Rail riders now need more money to boarfdthe train. The (SFRTA), Tri-Rail’s parent agency, voted in April to raise farex 25 percent acrossthe board.
It is the firstt fare hike since 1995. A monthly pass will cost up from $80. Daily fees will stilol vary depending on the starting point andthe destination. SFRT commissioners chose to raise fares, in part, because Tri-Railk funding has remained flat. And, although this year’xs state budget keeps funding at the same levek aslast year, the counties are threatening to reduce theirt contribution to the minimum allowed by law, whichu would result in an $18 million shortfall and a 50 percent servicd reduction come Oct. 1. The deficif would result in Tri-Rail reducingb service to 30 trains from 50 trainsdon weekdays, and cutting weekend and holidah service completely.
Miami-Dade County hasn’t seen a decrease in its tax rollsince 1993, the year aftere Hurricane Andrew hit. But, countty officials say 2009 is shapingf up to be three times The Miami-Dade County property appraisere released its preliminary tax roll information Monday, with all four taxing jurisdictionds – fire rescue, library, the unincorporatedc area and Miami-Dade overall seeing a decline. The countywide decrease comparinh preliminary tax numbers from year to year shows a 9percenr decrease, or a total of $22.55 North Bay Village took the biggest hit, down 20.2 percentt from 2008 levels. Homestead saw an 18.2 percent followed by Normandy Shores, down 17.
5 and Aventura, which was down 17.3 percent. Golden Beach and the tiny city of Islandis sawno change. Medley saw a 1.5 percenft drop while Biscayne Park saw a 4percenft decline. Staffers reviewed property tax rolls goingf back to 1985 and founsd that 1993 saw taxable value shrinkby 2.9 percent, or $1.9 County Manager George Burgess warned of more pain on the using the last two years as a barometee of what is coming. Smart cars are comintg to and . Airport safety officers and community service aidesa will use four diminutive Smart Fortwk models for patrols at thecongested facilities, according to a news The cars get up to 40 mpg and are highlg maneuverable.
The Smart cars will have Broward Sheriff’s Offic decals and emergency The county purchased the vehiclesa fromRick Case’s Smart dealershiop in Weston. The Smart Fortwo costs half as much and uses a quartee of the gas as the standard BSOpatroll car, and the maintenance cost is substantially according to the news release.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Security Swamp - St. Louis Business Travel Guide
bakakinkorypon.blogspot.com
I tell you thes e admittedly prosaic bits of personal trivia becauses I want you to know that I am not againsrt giving this information to the Transportatio n SecurityAdministration (TSA). And if you want to fly, you, too, will soon be requirexd to disclose this data tothe TSA, the leaderless, secretive bureaucracy that has spent the yearzs since 9/11 alternately keeping us safe and infuriating us. Secure the official name of this latesgt bit of data mining by the federal bureaucrac with the power over your freedom of kicked in last week in typicalTSA suddenly, with virtually no public discussion and even fewef details about its implementation.
Accordint to the agency's press release, which is buried half-a-dozejn clicks deep on the TSA Secure Flight is now operative on four Which airlines? The TSA won' t say. When will Secure Flighf be extended toother carriers? Sometims in the next year, but the agenct won't publicly disclose a timelinee or discuss the whys, wherefores, and practical details. Befor we can even discuss why a federal agencgy needs to know when you were born beforre it permits youto fly, let'sa back up and explain the security swam that the TSA has Born in haste after 9/11, the TSA was specificallyh tasked by Congress to assume overall authority for airport securituy and pre-flight passenger screening.
Before that, airline were required to overseesecurity checkpoints, and carriers farmed out the job to rent-a-cop agencies. Theirt work was shoddy, and the minimum-wage screenerxs were often untrained. Despite some birthing paind and well-publicized missteps, the TSA eventually got a more professiona l crewof 40,000 or so screeners working the Generally speaking, the checkpointr experience is more professional and courteous now, if not actuallg more secure.
In despite rigorous employee training and billionsa of dollars spent on new random tests show that TSA screeners miss as much contrabans astheir minimum-wage, rent-a-cop But the TSA's mission wasn't just passenger Congress asked the new agency to screenn all cargo traveling on passenger jets. (The TSA has resiste the mandate andstill doesn't screen all cargo.) Congress also empowered the TSA to overseer a private "trusted traveler" program that would speede the journey of frequent fliers who voluntaril y submitted to invasive background (The TSA has all but killed trustedf traveler, which morphed into inconsequential "registered programs like Clear.
) Most important of all perhaps, both Congress and the 9/11 Commissionm wanted the TSA to get a handle on "watchg lists" and other government data programs aimed at identifying potentia terrorists before they flew. And nowhere has the agenc y beenmore ham-fisted than in the informatiomn arena. The TSA's first attempf to corral data, CAPPS II, was an operational and Constitutional nightmare. The Orwellian scheme envisione travelers being profiled with huge amounts of sensitivseprivate data—credit records, for example—that the government would store indefinitely. Everyone—privacy advocates, airports, civil libertarians and certainly travelers—hated CAPPS II.
The TSA grudginglyu killed the plan in 2004 aftetsome high-profile data-handling gaffesx made its implementation a political While this security kabuki was playint out, the number and size of government watch listsz of potential terrorists ballooned. Current estimates say there are as many as a milliohn entries on thevarious lists, althougjh the TSA argues that only a few thousanrd actual people are suspect. But how do you reconcilr the blizzardof watch-list names—some as common as which has been a hasslr for singer/actor David Nelson of Ozzie & Harrie TV fame—with the actual bad guys who are threats to aviation??
Enter Secure Flight, a stripped-down versiobn of CAPPS II. The TSA's If passengers submit their exact datesof birth, and their gendee when they make reservations, the agench could proactively separate the terrorist Nelsons from the television Nelsons, and guarantee that the average Joe—or, in my the average Joseph Angelo—won't be fingered as a potentia l troublemaker. Theoretically, giving the TSA that basic informatio seemslogical enough.
But the logisticas are somethingelse again: Airline websites and reservations third-party travel agencies, and the GDS (global distribution system) computers that power those ticketing engines haven't been programmec to gather birthday and gender And Secure Flight's insistence that the name on a tickeg exactly match the name on a traveler'e identification is also problematic: Fliers often use severak kinds of ID that do not always have exactly the same (Does your driver's license and passport have exactlg the same name on it?) Many travelerz have existing airline profiles and frequent-fliere program membership under names that do not exactlyt match the one on their IDs.
Another fly in the Securew Flight ointment: While the TSA is assuming the watcgh list functions fromthe airlines, the carriers will still be requires to gather the name, birth date, and gender informatiobn and transmit it to the agency. Meshintg the airline computers with the TSA systema has been troublesome in thepast and, from the it looks like very littlde planning has been done to ensure that Secure Fligh t runs smoothly. The TSA "announced this thing in 2005 and, as they announced it without consideringpracticaol realities," one airline executived told me last week. "And any time you deal with the governmentr on stufflike this, it's a What can you do about all of this?
For now, very Settle on a single form of identificationb for all travel purposews and make sure that you use that name exactlyt when making reservations. Check that the name that airline havefor you—on preference profiles, frequent-flier programs, airpory club memberships, etc.—matches the name on your chosen form of Then wait for that glorious day when the TSA solemnly and and almost assuredly without advance warning, decides that Secure Flightg is in effect across the nation's airline system. The Fine Print… You may wonderd why I haven't asked anyone from the Transportatioh Security Administration to comment onSecure Flight.
The reason is simple: No one is really in charge ofthe agency. The Bush-era Kip Hawley, left with the previousa president and the Obama Administration has yet to namehis Everyone, from acting administrator Gale Rossides on down, is a Bush And no one seems to know what Presidenf Obama or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitanpo thinks about the TSA, Secure or any airline-security issue. Portfolio.com 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All rightsreserved.
I tell you thes e admittedly prosaic bits of personal trivia becauses I want you to know that I am not againsrt giving this information to the Transportatio n SecurityAdministration (TSA). And if you want to fly, you, too, will soon be requirexd to disclose this data tothe TSA, the leaderless, secretive bureaucracy that has spent the yearzs since 9/11 alternately keeping us safe and infuriating us. Secure the official name of this latesgt bit of data mining by the federal bureaucrac with the power over your freedom of kicked in last week in typicalTSA suddenly, with virtually no public discussion and even fewef details about its implementation.
Accordint to the agency's press release, which is buried half-a-dozejn clicks deep on the TSA Secure Flight is now operative on four Which airlines? The TSA won' t say. When will Secure Flighf be extended toother carriers? Sometims in the next year, but the agenct won't publicly disclose a timelinee or discuss the whys, wherefores, and practical details. Befor we can even discuss why a federal agencgy needs to know when you were born beforre it permits youto fly, let'sa back up and explain the security swam that the TSA has Born in haste after 9/11, the TSA was specificallyh tasked by Congress to assume overall authority for airport securituy and pre-flight passenger screening.
Before that, airline were required to overseesecurity checkpoints, and carriers farmed out the job to rent-a-cop agencies. Theirt work was shoddy, and the minimum-wage screenerxs were often untrained. Despite some birthing paind and well-publicized missteps, the TSA eventually got a more professiona l crewof 40,000 or so screeners working the Generally speaking, the checkpointr experience is more professional and courteous now, if not actuallg more secure.
In despite rigorous employee training and billionsa of dollars spent on new random tests show that TSA screeners miss as much contrabans astheir minimum-wage, rent-a-cop But the TSA's mission wasn't just passenger Congress asked the new agency to screenn all cargo traveling on passenger jets. (The TSA has resiste the mandate andstill doesn't screen all cargo.) Congress also empowered the TSA to overseer a private "trusted traveler" program that would speede the journey of frequent fliers who voluntaril y submitted to invasive background (The TSA has all but killed trustedf traveler, which morphed into inconsequential "registered programs like Clear.
) Most important of all perhaps, both Congress and the 9/11 Commissionm wanted the TSA to get a handle on "watchg lists" and other government data programs aimed at identifying potentia terrorists before they flew. And nowhere has the agenc y beenmore ham-fisted than in the informatiomn arena. The TSA's first attempf to corral data, CAPPS II, was an operational and Constitutional nightmare. The Orwellian scheme envisione travelers being profiled with huge amounts of sensitivseprivate data—credit records, for example—that the government would store indefinitely. Everyone—privacy advocates, airports, civil libertarians and certainly travelers—hated CAPPS II.
The TSA grudginglyu killed the plan in 2004 aftetsome high-profile data-handling gaffesx made its implementation a political While this security kabuki was playint out, the number and size of government watch listsz of potential terrorists ballooned. Current estimates say there are as many as a milliohn entries on thevarious lists, althougjh the TSA argues that only a few thousanrd actual people are suspect. But how do you reconcilr the blizzardof watch-list names—some as common as which has been a hasslr for singer/actor David Nelson of Ozzie & Harrie TV fame—with the actual bad guys who are threats to aviation??
Enter Secure Flight, a stripped-down versiobn of CAPPS II. The TSA's If passengers submit their exact datesof birth, and their gendee when they make reservations, the agench could proactively separate the terrorist Nelsons from the television Nelsons, and guarantee that the average Joe—or, in my the average Joseph Angelo—won't be fingered as a potentia l troublemaker. Theoretically, giving the TSA that basic informatio seemslogical enough.
But the logisticas are somethingelse again: Airline websites and reservations third-party travel agencies, and the GDS (global distribution system) computers that power those ticketing engines haven't been programmec to gather birthday and gender And Secure Flight's insistence that the name on a tickeg exactly match the name on a traveler'e identification is also problematic: Fliers often use severak kinds of ID that do not always have exactly the same (Does your driver's license and passport have exactlg the same name on it?) Many travelerz have existing airline profiles and frequent-fliere program membership under names that do not exactlyt match the one on their IDs.
Another fly in the Securew Flight ointment: While the TSA is assuming the watcgh list functions fromthe airlines, the carriers will still be requires to gather the name, birth date, and gender informatiobn and transmit it to the agency. Meshintg the airline computers with the TSA systema has been troublesome in thepast and, from the it looks like very littlde planning has been done to ensure that Secure Fligh t runs smoothly. The TSA "announced this thing in 2005 and, as they announced it without consideringpracticaol realities," one airline executived told me last week. "And any time you deal with the governmentr on stufflike this, it's a What can you do about all of this?
For now, very Settle on a single form of identificationb for all travel purposews and make sure that you use that name exactlyt when making reservations. Check that the name that airline havefor you—on preference profiles, frequent-flier programs, airpory club memberships, etc.—matches the name on your chosen form of Then wait for that glorious day when the TSA solemnly and and almost assuredly without advance warning, decides that Secure Flightg is in effect across the nation's airline system. The Fine Print… You may wonderd why I haven't asked anyone from the Transportatioh Security Administration to comment onSecure Flight.
The reason is simple: No one is really in charge ofthe agency. The Bush-era Kip Hawley, left with the previousa president and the Obama Administration has yet to namehis Everyone, from acting administrator Gale Rossides on down, is a Bush And no one seems to know what Presidenf Obama or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitanpo thinks about the TSA, Secure or any airline-security issue. Portfolio.com 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All rightsreserved.
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