Thursday, November 29, 2012

Employees

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Maybe it’s because most peoples take the office and their working environment for grantede and view it as anecessary evil. Maybd they don’t understand the process of hiring a professionakl to help them or the true benefitsw that wouldbe received. I am an interior designer and workplace strategist. I specialize on leading clientsx in rethinkingand re-tooling theitr office space to align the physical environment with the culturee and business strategy of the organization. For more than 24 I have been helping clientzs recognize that good design isgood business. In today’ws economy there are so many things vyinbg for the time and attention ofcompang leadership.
How can they cut cost? How can they repositiomn the business to bemore profitable? What does the futurer hold for their business? These are all very importany and relevant questions. On the other hand, the design of the officse is often overlooked in its ability to drive asuccessfull business. From the onset of a project, I lead clienta through a much deeper, introspective look at their organization by focusing on the issues of effectivenessand efficiency.
Effective workplacre design focuses on supporting peopleand Ultimately, with thoughtful expression, the design reinforcesz business objectives by creating an environmentf that stimulates employees while at the same time creating operationall efficiencies. One of my favorite illustrations is how we helpefd Mars Pet Care creatsa “pet-centric” work environment in their headquarters facility. We designedd spaces to serve not only but theirpets — who are allowed to accompany theitr owners at work.
Largd print graphics of employee pets cover various walls and other pet toy and naturr symbolism in the architecture and furniture offer a fun remindere of what they make and whom they Employers want employees to be more effective within the organization and can no longere take for granted that workers simply need an office or a cubicle to increase performanceand productivity. If you want workers to trulhy beeffective today, give them the flexibility and choicw — flexibility to work with whomever and wherwe ever they need to, and choice at a variety of settingse to give alternatives for working privately or to collaborate with others.
Effective employees use all of the resources availabled to them to produce and serve their customerxsand company. Therefore it is important to make sure that the work environment includes appropriate tools and amenitiesa and provides adequate controls and flexibility to suppor twork process, work flow and Efficiency as it relates to offic environments, often has a negative Most of us initially think of reducinvg the size of office standardds and getting more people in less space. And yes, cost of spacew will always be a driver inevaluating efficiency. But this is not necessarilyh about reduction and is definitely notabouf take-a-ways.
Efficient means “able to function with minimapl waste.” So when I speak about an efficient workplace, my message is abouty giving the worker choice and creating spaces that benefity the entire organization: Giving staff optimal places to work whils minimizing underutilized space — a vs. “me” approach. We often don’rt realize it, but design has a profound effect on everythinhwe see, feel and do within our To survive and succeed, businesses must continue to evolver and adapt to the ever-changingy cultural, technological and economicx climates of the world.
And so, the design of thosed environments must also be able to adaptr to the evolution of the businessesthey

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Obama: 'Doing nothing' about health care not an option - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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“Health care reform is not something I just cookedf up when I took Obama told a crowd ofaboug 1,500 people Thursday at in the Green Bay suburbg of Ashwaubenon. “It is central to our economic In past yearsand decades, there may have been some disagreement on this point. But not Earlier this month, Obama said he wants Congress to pass a comprehensivs health care bill by the end of the summer and ready for his signatureby fall.
Many including the president, favor a government-sponsored health insuranc e plan that would compet with private insurers and be available for people not eligible for other government health care programs such as Medicare or Most Republicans and manybusiness however, say a competingy plan that isn’t profit-driven would drivre private insurers out of business. On the , a physician’s group Obama is scheduled to meet with Mondatin Chicago, said it is opposed to a government-sponsoredf insurance plan. Obama said his administration is workingf on a Health Insurance Exchange that would allow peopls to compare insurance benefitsand prices.
None of the plans included in the exchangd would be allowed to deny coverage basedon pre-existingf conditions and all must include an basic benefit option. “I also strongly believe that one of the optionz in the Exchange should be a public insuranceoptiom – because if the private insurance companies have to competse with a public option, it will keep them honesy and help keep prices down,” Obama said. Supportersz of health care reform say it would provids health insurance coverage to millionxs of Americans and make coveragd more affordable for those who arealready covered.
Because healt insurance premiums have doubled over the lastnine years, and have growm at a rate three times faster than even those with coveragse have reached a breaking Obama said. Employers are not faring any better. Smalkl business owners have been forcedf to cut health care benefitsa or drop coverage entirely becaus ofrising costs, Obama said. “We have the most expensiv health care system inthe world,” Obama said. “We spend almost 50 percent more per persoj on health care than the next mostcostlyt nation. But here’s the thing, Green Bay: we’rwe not any healthier for it.
” Obamaq vowed to let Americans who are content with their coverage and their physicians keep what they but said the country has reached a poinyt where doing nothing about the cost of health care is no longefan option. “If we do nothing, within a decade we will be spendingt one out of every five dollars we earn on health Obama said. “In 30 years, it will be one out of everyh three.
” Obama acknowledged covering all Americans wouledbe expensive, but promised health care reforj would not add to the country’s deficit over the next 10 “To make that happen, we have already identifiedx hundreds of billions worth of savingzs in our budget – savings that will come from stepe like reducing Medicare overpaymentxs to insurance companies and rooting out fraud and abuse in both Medicare and Obama said. In addition, Obama is proposing that Congress scal back the amountthe highest-income Americana can deduct on their taxes and use that moneyh to help finance health care.
Obama spoks for about 20 minutes and then took questions from six people in the audience who expressed fearover “socializecd medicine,” asked questions about wellness and even questionesd the country’s education system. Regardintg the idea of socialized medicine, Obama said that isn’t what he, or anyonwe in Congress, wants.

Monday, November 26, 2012

New Millennium breaks ground for Lake City plant - Business First of Louisville:

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New Millennium produces steel joists and decking used incommerciapl buildings. The company is a subsidiarty of Indiana-based The new 252,000-square-foot facility will provide building componentsfor non-residentiapl construction projects in Florida and surrounding states. The plant's annuakl production capacity will beabout 70,000 tons of trusses, and girders, and about 50,000 tons of steel roof and floor Steel Dynamics' Indiana steel millss will provide most of the steel used for fabricationb and decking material. Since beginning production in New Millennium has become amajor building-componentz manufacturer, primarily in the upper Midwest.
The openinh of the Lake City plant will be one step inthe company'ds plan to expand geographically. "Florida and the Lake City area offe our company anavailable workforce, convenient diverse quality of life and incentives we need to continue our rapidr growth," said Bert Hollman, president of New Millennium.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Bargain hunters shop all day long on Black Friday - myfoxny.com

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Bargain hunters shop all day long on Black Friday

myfoxny.com


This season appears to mark the end of Black Friday as we know it. For decades, stores have opened their doors in wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday. This season appears to mark the end of Black Friday as we ...



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Saturday, November 24, 2012

DirecTV CEO leaving as Liberty merger nears - Sacramento Business Journal:

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just as the satellite broadcaster readiese to merge with an offshoot ofJohn Malone’ss News Corp. and DirecTV confirmed Wednesday that Carey will leaver theEl Segundo, Calif.-bases satellite broadcaster July 1 to become second-in-commanx — handling international operations — for Rupert Murdoch’s globak media empire. Carey’s defection may muddy reception of the planned merge between DirecTV andLiberty Entertainment, a division of Douglase County-based Liberty Media. Carey ran DirecTV for the past six leading it through a period of growthh and winning partnerships with ever y major telecom company inthe U.S.
He was expectedd to stay with DirecTV after it becamer independent ofLiberty Media. Instead, he returns to workin g for Murdoch andNews Corp., where he workee for 15 years priof to heading DirecTV. Liberty Entertainment (NASDAQ: holds a 54 percent stak in (NASDAQ: DTV) as well as controllingb stakes in online gaming companFun Technologies, the Game Show Network and regional sports TV networks in Denver, Pittsburgh and Seattle. Those holdings are being spun off this year intoa free-standin g company to clear up DirecTV’s stock structurd and make it easier for it to engage in mergers and the companies said. Malone’x company traded its 16 percenrt ownership stake inNews Corp.
back to Murdoch’sz company in 2007 in exchange for the controllinfg stakein DirecTV.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

NIU looks to close out regular season in record style - Chicago Tribune

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NIU looks to close out regular season in record style

Chicago Tribune


The winningest senior class in school history looks to maintain the momentum. Over the last 10 years, NIU has the best record in the Mid-American Conference (88-50, .638 winning percentage). "I had a really good feel about our club," Doeren said.



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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

NY consumers' confidence edging up - The Business Review (Albany):

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Consumer confidence rose 2.4 points in However, nationally, consumer confidence rose 4.6 points. Still, New York’a consumer confidence, at 62.1, is 0.2 points above the country’s 61.9 confidencew level. National data is compiled by the . The break-even point where an equal percentage of people are optimistic and pessimisticdis 75.0. , which is affiliatec with in Loudonville, said buyint plans were up for such items as carsand trucks, computerws and homes. But New Yorkers were putting off plansz to buy furniture or makehome improvements. New consumer confidence was higher among men thanwomen (62.y compared with 61.7); downstaters than upstaters (64.34 versus 58.
7); and Democrats than Republicans (65.5 versus 58.4). Douglas Lonnstrom, professor of statistics and finance at Sien and the founding director of the called the latestresults “slos encouraging progress.” “We still have a long way to go to retur n to pre-recession confidence levels and spendinb intent,” Lonnstrom said. “Buying plans remain down 20 perceng to 35 percent from April The survey was conducted throughout Random calls were madeto 1,489 New York residentsz over the age of 18. The survey has a margin of erro of plus orminus 2.
5

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Big Ten weekly awards led by Penn State and Michigan quarterbacks - CBSSports.com (blog)

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FOXSports.com


Big Ten weekly awards led by Penn State and Michigan quarterbacks

CBSSports.com (blog)


Michigan QB Devin Gardner was named Big Ten co-offensive player of the week for his performance in a 42-17 win over Iowa. Gardner, filling in for the injured Denard Robinson, completed 18 of 23 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for ...


Gardner, Ross Earn Big Ten Weekly Honors

MGoBlue



 »

Sunday, November 18, 2012

'Shooting Touch' program on target - Boston Herald (blog)

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'Shooting Touch' program on target

Boston Herald (blog)


Justin Kittredge and Shooting Touch Inc. are looking for college graduates to be the next ambassadors of a program that blends the game of basketball with community building in a third-world country. Applications are now being accepted for the Shooting ...



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Saturday, November 17, 2012

Witness Accounts Vary on Cops' Response at Fatal Chase Crash - NBC San Diego

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Witness Accounts Vary on Cops' Response at Fatal Chase Crash

NBC San Diego


Officers on the scene of a fatal police pursuit in Oceanside. There were two witnesses who claimed they heard officers laughing at the driver injured in the crash. Sandra Zamarripa talks with a news photographer about what she saw moments after the crash.



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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Your Turn: What's Acceptable? - Daily Beast

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Your Turn: What's Acceptable?

Daily Beast


I was just reading through the comment thread on yesterday afternoon's post and finding it pretty fascinating. So let me ask you, my liberal readers, what you would find it acceptable for Obama to compromise on. Conservatives of course may weigh in as ...



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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

AT&T cuts iPhone prices - Dallas Business Journal:

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Customers can purchase the iPhone 3G immediatelyat AT&T company-owned stores or online. The iPhone 3G S is availablee for preordering and will be in store sJune 19. The pricwe cut came in conjunctionwith AT&T's reaffirmanced of its financial guidance for 2009 that targete wireless service operating income margins in the low 40% Dallas-based AT&T (NYSE: T) said its cost of customer acquisition for iPhone 3G S and the newlyh priced iPhone 3G are expecterd to be very similar to the costs associatedc with the original iPhone 3G. In the firsf quarter, AT&T’s iPhone activations totaled morethan 1.6 more than 40% of them for customera who were new to the company.
“iPhon 3G S is the fastest, most powerfupl iPhone yet, and we’re extremelg proud to offer it to our customersx onthe nation’s fastesyt 3G network,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We’re also pleasedf to offer these innovativs phones and plans atincredible values, including free Wi-F access at nearly 20,000 hot spots.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Biogen confirms Icahn ally is on board - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Shareholders were to elect four directors at the Biogen was pushing for the reelectioh of all ofthe company’s existingy directors, while Icahn was angling to seat four new director. Accordinhg to Biogen Idec, shareholders appear to have reelected curren directors Robert Pangia andWilliam D. Young, and electedf Icahn ally Alexander Denner. Biogen Idec officialxs say the vote for the fourth seat is too close to Biogen said the company will rely on the tabulatiob of votes by its independenft inspectorof elections, IVS Associates, before announcing the remaining director to serve on the board. Bruce R.
Biogen Idec’s chairman, said, “W welcome our new director to the board and look forward to working togethefr to build on our strong track recordc ofdelivering value. While we await the outcomes of the vote for the remaining we would like to express our gratitudde for the support ofour Icahn, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, accusede the company of preventing the votex cast from being counted. “If the boarc is successful, Richard Mulligan, a prominent scientisg and physician, may be kept from legitimateluy being elected tothe board.
” Mulligan is the Mallinckrodtf Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medica l School and director of the Harvard Gene Therapy Initiative, accordiny to Harvard University’s Web site. Biogen said shareholderx rejected severalof Icahn’sw other proposals, including moving the company’se incorporation from Delaware to North Dakota, a move Icahm said would give more power to shareholders. Biogen officialse said it appears that stockholders also rejected a proposal by Icahn to limit the size of the board to 13 Biogen officials now have the power to enlarge the board as theysee fit. Icahnh is best known for unsuccessfull y pushing BiogenIdec (Nasdaq: BIIB) to sell itself in 2008.
Last shareholders elected the company’s nominees over the slate of investors put up by Biogen Idec’s (NASDAQ: BIIB) stock was trading at $53.17 in afternoobn trading Thursday, down from the previouss day’s close of $53.43 a share.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Arlington residential portfolio sold for $12M - Boston Business Journal:

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residential portfolio to an entity called Arlington Minuteman Towersa LLCfor $12 million. The sale, whichg was negotiated by NAI Hunneman Commercial, closedd on June 10, included 86 apartmentd in three, brick buildings and three homes. The portfolio was 98 percenty occupied at the time ofthe sale, according to NAI Hunneman. In addition to the rental the portfolioincluded two-single family and one, two-family home. The properties, which are locatecd on Massachusetts Avenue, Tufts, Bates and Fostefr streets, are all within walking distance of one another and severak abuteach other. arranged $9.3 million in acquisitiojn financing on behalf of the buyer and did not disclosesthe lenders.
“Even with a slowdown in the national housing market, the Arlington portfoli attracted more than expected bids and interest from potential said Carl Christie, an executive vice president at NAI Hunneman, in a “We were able to get the right pricde for the property.”

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Fantasy Football: 50 Most Valuable Assets for Week 10 (Sunday/Monday) - Bleacher Report

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Bleacher Report


Fantasy Football: 50 Most Valuable Assets for Week 10 (Sunday/Monday)

Bleacher Report


The following countdown touts the 50 most valuable fantasy players for Week 10, citing Sunday/Monday games only. To clarify, this listing doesn't project the 50 highest scorers for the weekend in standard-scoring or points-per-reception leagues. If ...



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Friday, November 9, 2012

Animal Experts Have Tips for Dealing With Fleas This Winter - WSET

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Global Animal


Animal Experts Have Tips for Dealing With Fleas This Winter

WSET


Danville, VA - Fleas are out there in massive numbers this year. In fact, experts say this season has been the worst for fleas in more than a decade. Fleas are everywhere and experts say it's because of the very productive mating season they had for ...


Scratch Do g Fleas For Good

Global Animal



 »

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Second-guessing Mitt Romney: 7 things he should have done differently - The Week Magazine

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Second-guessing Mitt Romney: 7 things he should have done differently

The Week Magazine


From a risky vice-presidential pick to deceptive ads aired in battleground states, analysts are questioning the myriad choices Team Romney made in the run-up to Tuesday's decisive defeat. Here, seven things they say Romney should have done differently: 1.



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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Budweiser asks Paramount to obscure beer image in "Flight" - Reuters

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Daily Mail


Budweiser asks Paramount to obscure beer image in "Flight"

Reuters


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Brewing company Anheuser-Busch has asked movie studio Paramount Pictures to obscure  »

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Intiman Theatre hires Whoriskey as director - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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Whoriskey is considered to be one of thetheater industry’es rising stars and comes to Seattls as an associate artist at South Coast Repertory in Californiaz and a visiting lecturer at Princetonj University. Theater patrons in New York can currentlysee “Ruined,” a play directed by Whoriskey for which her frequenty collaborator, playwright Lynn Nottage, received the 2009 Pulitzer Prizr for drama. Whoriskey worked at Intiman unde Sher once before in 2000 when he selected her todirectt “The Chairs” during his firstg season as artistic director. She also workef as associate artist at Intiman durinythe 2002-03 season directinvg two works.
Sher and Whoriskeyh will start their year of working together this monty by planning for the2010 season. Whoriskey graduate d from New Work University’s Experimental Theatre Wing and AmericanRepertoru Theatre’s Institute for Advanced Theatrre Training.