mcneil-arcade.blogspot.com
Alaska native Cecelia Angasan hopes her combined retailo and wholesaleseafood market, café, museum and gift shop -- nestledx among well-known local newcomers like Babe's Chicken Dinner House and Fresco's Mexicajn Restaurant -- will fare well. The store also will book toursz ofrural Alaska. The 3,300-square-foot shop is set to open in orpossibly sooner. "When I came here in 1998 to getmy master'sz from UT ( ) and went out to some of the area'ss best restaurants, hardly anyoner carried Alaskan salmon," Angasan "So I pretty much saw it as an open Angasan has spent $350,000 so far gettin her shop off the ground.
Once open, the storde will operate partially as aseafood market, selling several types of salmon, such as king crab and spot and whitefish, such as halibut and cod. Angasan also will carruy smoked andcanned salmon, lox, jerky and other Alaskan Alaskan fishermen process and flash-freezw the company's products on the prior to shipping them to Texas. Producyt prices will vary, based on market conditions. "Unlikw farm salmon, which is very predictable in terms of even the fisherman out fishing inAlaska doesn't know what the markert will bear," Angasan "But prices will be comparable to Wholed Foods and Central Market.
" Prior to starting her own Angasan spent several years on the -- a position to which she was appointed by the governor of The institute's mission is to increase positive awareness of wild Alaskan seafood and promote the state'se seafood products within the food industry. Angasan herselt has adopted a similar mission throug hher business. "Really, beyond the I just want to advocate the healthh benefits ofwild salmon," she said. In 2003, Alaska's fish receivedc a clean bill of following a study by the Alaskqa Department ofEnvironmental Conservation. The study, Angasan said, showed mercury levels were low when comparedto U.S. Food and Drug Administratiohn levelsof concern.
Audiology Associates, a local hearing aide purchased anew 2,300-square-foot medical office at 3122 Matlockk Road in Arlington. Nell Council with SCM Real Estat e Services represented them inthe purchase. , formerly Too has leased an 817-square-foot space at Southlake Town Square for a regionalpsales office. The company operates two specialtyretailinb brands, Limited Too and with brands focusing on pre-teen
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis to build $7 million conference center - Houston Business Journal:
http://www.carwheelsgo.com/pirelli/pirelliscorpionzero/
The project will include 12,000 square feet of new constructiobn space in the elbow of the 6029 and 6027offics buildings, both of which face Walnug Grove. This piece of the project is primarilythe state-of-the-art Garrettf Auditorium with its theater-style seating. The project will also includw 8,500 square feet of renovation to existinhg facilities to make way for five classrooms with movable walls that can make two large Scott Fountain, Baptist’s senio r vice president and chief developmentr officer, says the conference center will be for communitty events, seminars for continuing medicap education, lectures and Baptist events.
The Baptist system has not had such a meetinyg space since it left its Downtown medical centerin 2001. Its former 300-seatr auditorium is now used by the charter school in the20 S. Dudley building. “But we just had to wait and see how thiswoulr fit,” Fountain says. Expansionb projects at the hospital, master plannint directives and the expansion of Walnut Grovse Road put the project on hold until it was knownm what footprint would be available onthe campus. The projecyt was completely funded from external Fountain says, so no operating revenues from the system’ws hospitals were used.
Being “mindfukl of the economy,” funding was planned carefully as the conferencd center is a not a revenue A large portion of the funding was provided by the Garrett family in honoer of pioneering cardiovascular surgeon Edward who performedthe world’s first successful coronary bypass graft 45 year ago. Garrett died in 1996. The workinhg name of the overall project is the BaptisfMemorial Hospital-Memphis Conference Center. Fountain says naming rights for the entirre center are up for grabsby donors, as well as for the separatde classrooms.
The facility will serve as an information hub forthe system’sw 15 hospitals that will be connected to the center via telecommunications. Fountain says it will be a placs for clinicians and physicians to get the latesg health care information withoug havingto travel. Nashville-based , Inc., designed the Harold Petty, the firm’s medical designj director, says its unique look was a requirementfrom Baptist. “Thety wanted it to have an identity from Walnug Grove Road and have a nicevisual impact,” Petty says.
“To do we designed it with the towee and the art which is a different styleof architecture, so it has a unique flair on that part of Bids for construction of the conferencer center will go out June 1 and construction is slated for a one-yeae completion.
The project will include 12,000 square feet of new constructiobn space in the elbow of the 6029 and 6027offics buildings, both of which face Walnug Grove. This piece of the project is primarilythe state-of-the-art Garrettf Auditorium with its theater-style seating. The project will also includw 8,500 square feet of renovation to existinhg facilities to make way for five classrooms with movable walls that can make two large Scott Fountain, Baptist’s senio r vice president and chief developmentr officer, says the conference center will be for communitty events, seminars for continuing medicap education, lectures and Baptist events.
The Baptist system has not had such a meetinyg space since it left its Downtown medical centerin 2001. Its former 300-seatr auditorium is now used by the charter school in the20 S. Dudley building. “But we just had to wait and see how thiswoulr fit,” Fountain says. Expansionb projects at the hospital, master plannint directives and the expansion of Walnut Grovse Road put the project on hold until it was knownm what footprint would be available onthe campus. The projecyt was completely funded from external Fountain says, so no operating revenues from the system’ws hospitals were used.
Being “mindfukl of the economy,” funding was planned carefully as the conferencd center is a not a revenue A large portion of the funding was provided by the Garrett family in honoer of pioneering cardiovascular surgeon Edward who performedthe world’s first successful coronary bypass graft 45 year ago. Garrett died in 1996. The workinhg name of the overall project is the BaptisfMemorial Hospital-Memphis Conference Center. Fountain says naming rights for the entirre center are up for grabsby donors, as well as for the separatde classrooms.
The facility will serve as an information hub forthe system’sw 15 hospitals that will be connected to the center via telecommunications. Fountain says it will be a placs for clinicians and physicians to get the latesg health care information withoug havingto travel. Nashville-based , Inc., designed the Harold Petty, the firm’s medical designj director, says its unique look was a requirementfrom Baptist. “Thety wanted it to have an identity from Walnug Grove Road and have a nicevisual impact,” Petty says.
“To do we designed it with the towee and the art which is a different styleof architecture, so it has a unique flair on that part of Bids for construction of the conferencer center will go out June 1 and construction is slated for a one-yeae completion.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Automation will lend direction to Garmin's international buildup - Kansas City Business Journal:
concrete roof tiles
The Olathe-based navigational device-maker’s march to sell its products worldwidwe has proved to be a challenge to thosew charged with producing technical publicationsfor consumers. Garmin has translatexd information into48 languages, most regularluy into 21 to 27 tongues. Now, the company’s technicall publications group is asking for proposals to furthetr automate the translation such as preserving translated material that can be used inmultipled manuals. “We can lock that down and not alway bechanging it,” said Larry Arnold, Garmin’d manager of consumer technical publications.
“The cost reductiobn that will come from that Ithink won’t be realizerd for a couple years.” Garmih aims to pick a winning proposa in November or Arnold said, and begin rolling out the new concept in the firstr quarter of 2009. He said the company may invest $500,00p0 to $1 million in the with the technical work probably to be outsourcer becauseit isn’t in line with Garmin’sx core business. Whatever proposal Garminh selects will have to work withUnited Kingdom-baseed , which helps manage already translated information and the translatiomn process, Arnold said. The companies have a multiyead contract that began earlylast year.
Garmin’s globalo aims have become increasingly apparenf during thepast year, during which the company has bought distributors in Portugal, Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Garmin, a leading navigationalo device-maker domestically, has been pressing into competing with Dutch company A studyby , commissioned by SDL, found that businessex can gain an extra half percent of marke share annually by having correctly localized informationm — or lose the same amounrt without it. “If it’s a product you’rer bringing into the global market ...
if somethinf is translated poorly, you’re going to find that peopld just aren’t going to buy your product,” said Paul SDL’s director of product marketing. If translated materials aren’tg centralized, companies eventually pay to retranslates thesame information, which also could lead to he said. Garmin began expandin g its consumer technical publications operations in when the company decided to focus on the general consumer market insteas of itstraditional technology-savvy customers. Garmin officials would go back and fortyh with vendors and local trying to rush through the translation processa infour weeks, Arnold said.
Languagd considerations span software engineering, Web sites, marketinh and communications. After Garmin begann its contractwith SDL, which hosts software that enablezs the reuse of already translated content and providesa translators, the three- or four-week job is much more Arnold said. During the firs year of the contract, Garmin ran abouy 5.2 million words through the system, with a localization cost of $720,000. Last year, Garmin reused about 38 percent of its so farthis year, that number has jumped to 45 percent. For Italian, German and Spanish, the average translationm savings is better than 50 Arnold said.
“Part of our next thought is, ‘How much more technologt can we adopt?’” Arnold said.
The Olathe-based navigational device-maker’s march to sell its products worldwidwe has proved to be a challenge to thosew charged with producing technical publicationsfor consumers. Garmin has translatexd information into48 languages, most regularluy into 21 to 27 tongues. Now, the company’s technicall publications group is asking for proposals to furthetr automate the translation such as preserving translated material that can be used inmultipled manuals. “We can lock that down and not alway bechanging it,” said Larry Arnold, Garmin’d manager of consumer technical publications.
“The cost reductiobn that will come from that Ithink won’t be realizerd for a couple years.” Garmih aims to pick a winning proposa in November or Arnold said, and begin rolling out the new concept in the firstr quarter of 2009. He said the company may invest $500,00p0 to $1 million in the with the technical work probably to be outsourcer becauseit isn’t in line with Garmin’sx core business. Whatever proposal Garminh selects will have to work withUnited Kingdom-baseed , which helps manage already translated information and the translatiomn process, Arnold said. The companies have a multiyead contract that began earlylast year.
Garmin’s globalo aims have become increasingly apparenf during thepast year, during which the company has bought distributors in Portugal, Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Garmin, a leading navigationalo device-maker domestically, has been pressing into competing with Dutch company A studyby , commissioned by SDL, found that businessex can gain an extra half percent of marke share annually by having correctly localized informationm — or lose the same amounrt without it. “If it’s a product you’rer bringing into the global market ...
if somethinf is translated poorly, you’re going to find that peopld just aren’t going to buy your product,” said Paul SDL’s director of product marketing. If translated materials aren’tg centralized, companies eventually pay to retranslates thesame information, which also could lead to he said. Garmin began expandin g its consumer technical publications operations in when the company decided to focus on the general consumer market insteas of itstraditional technology-savvy customers. Garmin officials would go back and fortyh with vendors and local trying to rush through the translation processa infour weeks, Arnold said.
Languagd considerations span software engineering, Web sites, marketinh and communications. After Garmin begann its contractwith SDL, which hosts software that enablezs the reuse of already translated content and providesa translators, the three- or four-week job is much more Arnold said. During the firs year of the contract, Garmin ran abouy 5.2 million words through the system, with a localization cost of $720,000. Last year, Garmin reused about 38 percent of its so farthis year, that number has jumped to 45 percent. For Italian, German and Spanish, the average translationm savings is better than 50 Arnold said.
“Part of our next thought is, ‘How much more technologt can we adopt?’” Arnold said.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wachovia Securities fined $1.4M - Charlotte Business Journal:
concrete roofs
million, saying it failed to deliver prospectuses and producgt descriptions to customers who boughtinvestment products. FINRA’s investigationh found the firm failed to delive r the prospectuses to customeres inabout 6,000 of 22,0090 transactions between July 2003 and Decemberf 2004. The market value of the 6,000 transactionsz was $256 million. “Disclosure of product informatiobn to the public is ofparamount importance,” says Susan FINRA’s executive vice president and chief of enforcement. “When a firm failw to provide prospectuses and otherofferinbg documents, it deprives the investing public of information valuable in making informedf investment decisions.
” FINRA says Wachovia Securities also exhibited supervisory failures that causedf a failure to provide the association with timel and accurate information.” In settlingt the matter, Wachovia Securities neither admitted nor denied the chargez but consented to the entryg of FINRA’s findings. At the time of the activith at issue, Wachovia Securitiesd was a subsidiaryof Charlotte-based Wachovia was acquiredf by (NYSE:WFC) of San Francisco at the end of 2008. Wachoviwa Securities has since been renamed WellaFargo Advisors. FINRA is the largest independen regulator for all securities firms doing businesds in theUnited States.
million, saying it failed to deliver prospectuses and producgt descriptions to customers who boughtinvestment products. FINRA’s investigationh found the firm failed to delive r the prospectuses to customeres inabout 6,000 of 22,0090 transactions between July 2003 and Decemberf 2004. The market value of the 6,000 transactionsz was $256 million. “Disclosure of product informatiobn to the public is ofparamount importance,” says Susan FINRA’s executive vice president and chief of enforcement. “When a firm failw to provide prospectuses and otherofferinbg documents, it deprives the investing public of information valuable in making informedf investment decisions.
” FINRA says Wachovia Securities also exhibited supervisory failures that causedf a failure to provide the association with timel and accurate information.” In settlingt the matter, Wachovia Securities neither admitted nor denied the chargez but consented to the entryg of FINRA’s findings. At the time of the activith at issue, Wachovia Securitiesd was a subsidiaryof Charlotte-based Wachovia was acquiredf by (NYSE:WFC) of San Francisco at the end of 2008. Wachoviwa Securities has since been renamed WellaFargo Advisors. FINRA is the largest independen regulator for all securities firms doing businesds in theUnited States.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Second period wrap: Hawks 1, Wild 0 - ESPN (blog)
http://customize.org/Xenona
Second period wrap: Hawks 1, Wild 0 ESPN (blog) They did grab the momentum late in the period. They had eight unanswered minutes of power-play time in the second, including six consecutive, but couldn't get a goal. The Hawks have 28 shots on net to the Wilds' 25. Most of the Hawks 18 second-period ... |
Monday, February 14, 2011
Toll Brothers prepares to enter Houston after several years on sidelines - South Florida Business Journal:
http://justdentist.net/pediatric-dentist/saint-anthony-pediatric-dentist-coverage/
And although the timing may seem curiouds given the housingmarket downturn, Pa.-based says the entrance make perfect sense. “After numerous rounds of marke research, we’ve found that there are better opportunities available now than in the saysChris Myers, Houston divisioh president of Toll Brothers. Myers says the Houstonh market has continued to stand out as one of the most vibrantr markets inthe country. Toll Brothers’ research ranked Houstobn as the second-largest home building markety in the nationin 2008. “It’d time to come right now,” he says.
“Wd feel that the housing market is goinb to make a turnaround soon and that Houstob will be one of the first marketxs to makethat turnaround.” The public company is enterinb the local market with the acquisition of 30 lots in the Villages of Creekside Park in The Woodlands. The homes will rang in price from thehigh $400,000s to more than $600,000 and will span from 3,800 squared feet to 5,800 square feet. Myers says the builder may adjusgt its prices and square footage baser on customer demand inthe area.
Constructiobn on the homes in the Villagd of Creekside Park is scheduled to begin in with work on 19 homesx in the Village of Sterling Ridgee in The Woodlands set to commencde a couple ofweeks later. Toll Brothers is also activelg scoutingsites — mostly within master-planned communities in Sugar Land, Katy, along the growing Interstate 10 corridor and in The Myers expects to be in competitiob with other high-end home builders in Houston includinhg Partners in Building, and Will Holder, president of Trendmaker Homes, says that if the Houstonm housing market has reached its low point, like many local housint experts believe, then Toll Brothers may have perfecft timing for the “ride back up.
” Holder describezs Toll Brothers as a “goof builder,” but says it will not be easy to ented the local housing market. “Theg have no brand recognition, and Houston has, historically, not been too kind to the ” he says. Holder says if Toll Brotherd enters the market by focusinbg onthe high-end production builder the company may have a tough time However, he says the company seems to fit into a currentr gap model with room for new players above typical high-end builders like but below custom builders. “It’s all about whethe r they decide togo head-to-heax or if they look for their own slice of the pie,” he says.
Toll Brothers which is already active in the San Antonio and Dallas areas and has been named Texaxs Builder of the Year by the in each of the past twoyeards — will market its high-end homes to the affluent move-u p buyer as well as people relocatinv to the Houston area, he says. Myers expects many buyerd to be employed bylargd energy, manufacturing, aeronautics and medical-related companies. Toll Brothers currently serves move-up, empty-nester and second-home buyers and is active in 21 states. The company operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title and land developmenty subsidiaries as well as its own lumbeedistribution operations.
After at leas t five years of scouting thelocal market, Toll Brothers is entering Houston as the area reports the 21st consecutive monthly drop in single-family home May sales of single-family homes in Houstom totaled 4,797, down 21.2 percent from May 2008. that volume is the highest so farfor 2009, accordin g to statistics released by the .
And although the timing may seem curiouds given the housingmarket downturn, Pa.-based says the entrance make perfect sense. “After numerous rounds of marke research, we’ve found that there are better opportunities available now than in the saysChris Myers, Houston divisioh president of Toll Brothers. Myers says the Houstonh market has continued to stand out as one of the most vibrantr markets inthe country. Toll Brothers’ research ranked Houstobn as the second-largest home building markety in the nationin 2008. “It’d time to come right now,” he says.
“Wd feel that the housing market is goinb to make a turnaround soon and that Houstob will be one of the first marketxs to makethat turnaround.” The public company is enterinb the local market with the acquisition of 30 lots in the Villages of Creekside Park in The Woodlands. The homes will rang in price from thehigh $400,000s to more than $600,000 and will span from 3,800 squared feet to 5,800 square feet. Myers says the builder may adjusgt its prices and square footage baser on customer demand inthe area.
Constructiobn on the homes in the Villagd of Creekside Park is scheduled to begin in with work on 19 homesx in the Village of Sterling Ridgee in The Woodlands set to commencde a couple ofweeks later. Toll Brothers is also activelg scoutingsites — mostly within master-planned communities in Sugar Land, Katy, along the growing Interstate 10 corridor and in The Myers expects to be in competitiob with other high-end home builders in Houston includinhg Partners in Building, and Will Holder, president of Trendmaker Homes, says that if the Houstonm housing market has reached its low point, like many local housint experts believe, then Toll Brothers may have perfecft timing for the “ride back up.
” Holder describezs Toll Brothers as a “goof builder,” but says it will not be easy to ented the local housing market. “Theg have no brand recognition, and Houston has, historically, not been too kind to the ” he says. Holder says if Toll Brotherd enters the market by focusinbg onthe high-end production builder the company may have a tough time However, he says the company seems to fit into a currentr gap model with room for new players above typical high-end builders like but below custom builders. “It’s all about whethe r they decide togo head-to-heax or if they look for their own slice of the pie,” he says.
Toll Brothers which is already active in the San Antonio and Dallas areas and has been named Texaxs Builder of the Year by the in each of the past twoyeards — will market its high-end homes to the affluent move-u p buyer as well as people relocatinv to the Houston area, he says. Myers expects many buyerd to be employed bylargd energy, manufacturing, aeronautics and medical-related companies. Toll Brothers currently serves move-up, empty-nester and second-home buyers and is active in 21 states. The company operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title and land developmenty subsidiaries as well as its own lumbeedistribution operations.
After at leas t five years of scouting thelocal market, Toll Brothers is entering Houston as the area reports the 21st consecutive monthly drop in single-family home May sales of single-family homes in Houstom totaled 4,797, down 21.2 percent from May 2008. that volume is the highest so farfor 2009, accordin g to statistics released by the .
Friday, February 11, 2011
Chicago runoff? Despite big lead, Rahm Emanuel may come up just short. - Christian Science Monitor
hibleyytogoja1273.blogspot.com
Reuters | Chicago runoff? Despite big lead, Rahm Emanuel may come up just short. Christian Science Monitor The latest poll shows Rahm Emanuel with 49 percent support in the race for Chicago mayor, just shy of the majority he needs. In second place with 19 percent ... Dog-grooming view shows Chico has strayed from roots |
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Rising premiums leave owners on unstable ground - St. Louis Business Journal:
air-o-swiss humidifier
A new state task force is set to examinrethis trend, including the fact that only 53 percenrt of property owners in the regiohn affected by Missouri's New Madrid which includes St. Louis, currently have earthquake That's a nearly 8 percenty drop from 1998, when almost 61 percent of ownerzs heldearthquake policies. State authoritiess say it's mainly because costd for earthquake coverage are onthe rise, especiallhy in areas closest to the fault. Missouro is the third-largest U.S.
market basef on spending for earthquake insurance, according to the the , Financialk Institutions and ProfessionalRegistration (DIFP) in Jefferson The state is surpassed only by California and Washington. Missourians spent nearly $76 millionh on earthquake insurancelast year; $20.4 million of it was writtenj on commercial properties. According to DIFP, average earthquakde insurance premiums are highest in southeasternMissouriu "bootheel" counties such as New Madrid, Mississippi and In those areas, average monthly premiums for $110,000 to $140,000 worth of coverage ranged from $104 to $139 in the most recent figures available.
In countiez farther from the fault line and at lower risk ofearthquakre damage, those premiums were as low as $30 to $40. In St. Louies County, the average was $45 in 2006; in St. Charlees County, it was $38. Doug Ommen, director of the DIFP, said the 2006 premiukm costs reflect an upswing over previous mainly for clients insoutheast Missouri. "There are parts of the stater where we anticipate prices will continue togo up, and that will driv e down takeup levels," he said.
"We expecf that based on those trends, more individual s and commercial owners will drop Certainly we are seeing a concentrationj of that trend inthe Still, just how much premiume will rise is difficult to forecast because of the unpredictability of earthquaker activity, he said. Bill Behr, president of , a soutb St. Louis County-based brokerage, said the propertyy and casualty insurancemarket -- and its premiuk costs -- have been subjecy to periodic "panics" every coupler of years due to natural disasters in various parts of the "There were big panics on earthquakes exposure about 10, six and four years he said.
"In the last couple of years, it has Nevertheless, some major insurance carriers, such as and Farm Bureau, have been spookeed into dropping their earthquake coverage Behr said the main reason is the concern overmajoe losses. "After Hurricane Katrina, carriers didn'rt want to be put in a position to have to take on a huge catastrophic loss in one part of the he said. "That's a major reason companies pull out of earthquakreinsurance markets. The big carriers don't want a catastrophifc loss to affect their bottom line.
" Behr said other largd insurers, such as , and , stilll are offering earthquake policies, but rates are Ommen said the new mostly governor-appointed state task force will help educate Missourki property owners on how to improve their protection agains earthquake losses. The task force consists of state legislators, insurance compant representatives, and construction and seismic St. Louisans on the panel includd Jim Boone of the Associated General Contractorsof St. Chris Krehmayer of Beyond Housing, Randy Noland of the , Theodorew Pruess of Hazelwood-based and Bob Schreiber of the Auto Club FamilytInsurance Company.
"It will evaluate alternatives for state involvement in helpingf preserve the availability and affordability of insurance for commercial propert andhome owners," he The task force had its firstg meeting in December in St. Ommen said Missouri legislatoras heavily involved in the task forcer effortinclude Sen. Maida Coleman (D-St. Sen. Robert Mayer (R-Dexter), and Rep. Terry Swinger Swinger has said that if the state of Missouro experienced another quake the same magnitude as the majort New Madrid activity that occurred in 1811 and losses couldtotal $80 Mike Barry, a vice president with the nonprofit in New York said although several states, includin g Missouri and Illinois, are defined by the as beingb at "high risk" for earthquake damage, typical business insurancew policies do not cover earthquake A property owner must request that coverage Earthquake insurance appears as a "rider" or on a client's policy, and typicall has its own separate deductible aparyt from the client's regular "The average earthquake insurance deductible is abou 10 percent of the value of the not 10 percent of the loss, as many people Behr said.
"For example, if a buildinh is valued at the earthquake deductible will beabougt $50,000. You can opt for a higher or lower deductible, though. Some carriers may make you take 15 The policies generally cover building cracking and collapse caused by as well as fire damage resulting from an and water damage caused by piped rupturing ina tremor. "Thosse are the main perils," Behr said. Earthquake damagse to vehicles is usually covered by the comprehensiver portion of regularauto policies, according to the DIFP Web Behr said some banks do ask that earthquakr insurance be added to a client's policyt before they will approve property loans.
According to the DIFP, therse are several factors that can influence a commercialpropertg owner's earthquake insurance rates. Ratese may be cheaper for woodframew structures, which tend to flex more than brick, stone or masonryt and can better withstand Single-story buildings tend to sustainh less damage in an earthquake, so they may cost less to The same may be true of buildings that have not yet aged and settlef much. DIFP data show that had the largest share of the Missouru commercial earthquake insurance marketin 2006, with 11.2 percenty of the business, and nearly $2.3 million in writteb premiums. It was followed by , with $1.877 million, or 9.2 percent; and Insurancs Co.
of the West, with $1.3 or 6.4 percent.
A new state task force is set to examinrethis trend, including the fact that only 53 percenrt of property owners in the regiohn affected by Missouri's New Madrid which includes St. Louis, currently have earthquake That's a nearly 8 percenty drop from 1998, when almost 61 percent of ownerzs heldearthquake policies. State authoritiess say it's mainly because costd for earthquake coverage are onthe rise, especiallhy in areas closest to the fault. Missouro is the third-largest U.S.
market basef on spending for earthquake insurance, according to the the , Financialk Institutions and ProfessionalRegistration (DIFP) in Jefferson The state is surpassed only by California and Washington. Missourians spent nearly $76 millionh on earthquake insurancelast year; $20.4 million of it was writtenj on commercial properties. According to DIFP, average earthquakde insurance premiums are highest in southeasternMissouriu "bootheel" counties such as New Madrid, Mississippi and In those areas, average monthly premiums for $110,000 to $140,000 worth of coverage ranged from $104 to $139 in the most recent figures available.
In countiez farther from the fault line and at lower risk ofearthquakre damage, those premiums were as low as $30 to $40. In St. Louies County, the average was $45 in 2006; in St. Charlees County, it was $38. Doug Ommen, director of the DIFP, said the 2006 premiukm costs reflect an upswing over previous mainly for clients insoutheast Missouri. "There are parts of the stater where we anticipate prices will continue togo up, and that will driv e down takeup levels," he said.
"We expecf that based on those trends, more individual s and commercial owners will drop Certainly we are seeing a concentrationj of that trend inthe Still, just how much premiume will rise is difficult to forecast because of the unpredictability of earthquaker activity, he said. Bill Behr, president of , a soutb St. Louis County-based brokerage, said the propertyy and casualty insurancemarket -- and its premiuk costs -- have been subjecy to periodic "panics" every coupler of years due to natural disasters in various parts of the "There were big panics on earthquakes exposure about 10, six and four years he said.
"In the last couple of years, it has Nevertheless, some major insurance carriers, such as and Farm Bureau, have been spookeed into dropping their earthquake coverage Behr said the main reason is the concern overmajoe losses. "After Hurricane Katrina, carriers didn'rt want to be put in a position to have to take on a huge catastrophic loss in one part of the he said. "That's a major reason companies pull out of earthquakreinsurance markets. The big carriers don't want a catastrophifc loss to affect their bottom line.
" Behr said other largd insurers, such as , and , stilll are offering earthquake policies, but rates are Ommen said the new mostly governor-appointed state task force will help educate Missourki property owners on how to improve their protection agains earthquake losses. The task force consists of state legislators, insurance compant representatives, and construction and seismic St. Louisans on the panel includd Jim Boone of the Associated General Contractorsof St. Chris Krehmayer of Beyond Housing, Randy Noland of the , Theodorew Pruess of Hazelwood-based and Bob Schreiber of the Auto Club FamilytInsurance Company.
"It will evaluate alternatives for state involvement in helpingf preserve the availability and affordability of insurance for commercial propert andhome owners," he The task force had its firstg meeting in December in St. Ommen said Missouri legislatoras heavily involved in the task forcer effortinclude Sen. Maida Coleman (D-St. Sen. Robert Mayer (R-Dexter), and Rep. Terry Swinger Swinger has said that if the state of Missouro experienced another quake the same magnitude as the majort New Madrid activity that occurred in 1811 and losses couldtotal $80 Mike Barry, a vice president with the nonprofit in New York said although several states, includin g Missouri and Illinois, are defined by the as beingb at "high risk" for earthquake damage, typical business insurancew policies do not cover earthquake A property owner must request that coverage Earthquake insurance appears as a "rider" or on a client's policy, and typicall has its own separate deductible aparyt from the client's regular "The average earthquake insurance deductible is abou 10 percent of the value of the not 10 percent of the loss, as many people Behr said.
"For example, if a buildinh is valued at the earthquake deductible will beabougt $50,000. You can opt for a higher or lower deductible, though. Some carriers may make you take 15 The policies generally cover building cracking and collapse caused by as well as fire damage resulting from an and water damage caused by piped rupturing ina tremor. "Thosse are the main perils," Behr said. Earthquake damagse to vehicles is usually covered by the comprehensiver portion of regularauto policies, according to the DIFP Web Behr said some banks do ask that earthquakr insurance be added to a client's policyt before they will approve property loans.
According to the DIFP, therse are several factors that can influence a commercialpropertg owner's earthquake insurance rates. Ratese may be cheaper for woodframew structures, which tend to flex more than brick, stone or masonryt and can better withstand Single-story buildings tend to sustainh less damage in an earthquake, so they may cost less to The same may be true of buildings that have not yet aged and settlef much. DIFP data show that had the largest share of the Missouru commercial earthquake insurance marketin 2006, with 11.2 percenty of the business, and nearly $2.3 million in writteb premiums. It was followed by , with $1.877 million, or 9.2 percent; and Insurancs Co.
of the West, with $1.3 or 6.4 percent.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Oscar Nominee Trivia File: Jacki Weaver - TV.com
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Oscar Nominee Trivia File: Jacki Weaver TV.com Jacki Weaver is nominated for her outstanding performance as Janine "Smurf" Cody in the crime thriller, "Animal Kingdom." The actress, born Jacqueline Ruth ... Jacki Weaver weaves magic at Oscars party A-list joins Jacki Trailer: Oscar-nominated Aussie drama Animal Kingdom |
Friday, February 4, 2011
Leftovers from the Sanchez interview - ESPN (blog)
pmkathleen-comregional.blogspot.com
New York Daily News | Leftovers from the Sanchez interview ESPN (blog) On how not being able to see the Jets' trainers and use their facility would impact his shoulder: "There are plenty of training centers back home (in ... Jets QB Sanchez will avoid surgery Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez won't need shoulder surgery Jets' Sanchez says he won't have shoulder surgery |
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Facebook leads social networking space as Twitter growth skyrockets - Sacramento Business Journal:
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According to the new report, Facebook users logged 13.9 billionb minutes on the sitein April, makiny it the most popular social networking site on the Web. was the second most popular socia l networking site with aboug 5 billion minutes logged in Twitter logged roughly 300milliobn minutes, and LinkedIn about 202 According to the Nielsen study, total minutes spenyt on social networking sites has increased 83 percent Twitter had far-and-away the fastesr growth over the past year -- with about 37-timeds more minutes spent on the site in Apri 2009, compared to April of last year.
Faceboojk also posted rapid growth, with a seven-fold increase over last “We have seen some major growtg in Facebook during thepast year, and a subsequenft decline in MySpace. Twitter has come on the scene in an explosivw way perhaps changing the outlook for theentird space,” said Jon Gibs, Nielsenm vice president, online media and agenchy insights. “The one thing that is clear abou social networking is that regardless of how fast a site is growingh or how bigit is, it can quickly fall out of favor with consumers.” Whilw Facebook has become the top dog in the sociapl networking space, MySpace is the leader in online video. With 121 million vide o streams, MySpace.
com was the No. 1 social networkingf destination when ranked by streams and tota minutes spentviewing video. MySpace visitors spentr 384 million minutes viewing video onthe site, with an averagwe of 38.8 minutes per In comparison, Facebook visitors spentg only 114 million minutes viewinh video in April, with an average of 11.2 minuted per video viewer. The Nielse n Co. is a global information and mediw company specializing in consumer television and othermedia measurement.
According to the new report, Facebook users logged 13.9 billionb minutes on the sitein April, makiny it the most popular social networking site on the Web. was the second most popular socia l networking site with aboug 5 billion minutes logged in Twitter logged roughly 300milliobn minutes, and LinkedIn about 202 According to the Nielsen study, total minutes spenyt on social networking sites has increased 83 percent Twitter had far-and-away the fastesr growth over the past year -- with about 37-timeds more minutes spent on the site in Apri 2009, compared to April of last year.
Faceboojk also posted rapid growth, with a seven-fold increase over last “We have seen some major growtg in Facebook during thepast year, and a subsequenft decline in MySpace. Twitter has come on the scene in an explosivw way perhaps changing the outlook for theentird space,” said Jon Gibs, Nielsenm vice president, online media and agenchy insights. “The one thing that is clear abou social networking is that regardless of how fast a site is growingh or how bigit is, it can quickly fall out of favor with consumers.” Whilw Facebook has become the top dog in the sociapl networking space, MySpace is the leader in online video. With 121 million vide o streams, MySpace.
com was the No. 1 social networkingf destination when ranked by streams and tota minutes spentviewing video. MySpace visitors spentr 384 million minutes viewing video onthe site, with an averagwe of 38.8 minutes per In comparison, Facebook visitors spentg only 114 million minutes viewinh video in April, with an average of 11.2 minuted per video viewer. The Nielse n Co. is a global information and mediw company specializing in consumer television and othermedia measurement.
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