Diversity is a strategic issue for small businesses - San Francisco Business Times:

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That is because most fail to see diversityh as a business rather than a social experts say. Increased diversithy can bring many benefits to abusiness — variede perspectives and new ideas, the potential to reacgh new clients and a more vibrant and collaborative placr to work. But creating a diversre workplace — in gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, cultural backgrounds and sexual orientation — is often easier said than done. Eric the manager for diversity and inclusiobn with the Society for Humah ResourceManagement (www.shrm.org), said it’s often a “chicken versux the egg” scenario, as companies often need minoritiezs in the workplace to attract more.
“Itf I’m a typical minority job applicant, I know I’ going to be in high demand,” he said. “I will likelyy not choose the businesswhere there’sd no one like me.” Attracting minoritiew will be increasingly important in the coming as they will make up a larger segment of the populatiom at the same time many baby boomers will be retiring. Melani e Harrington, the president of the Americanm Institute for ManagingDiversity (www.aimd.org), said companies shouldd approach diversity strategically, just as they would a new producy line or a new customere market. First, determine where that audiencw is and whatattracts them.
Consider targeting minority job fairs or looking for candidates where yourcompanhy hasn’t searched traditionally. Businesses should also set measurable goalse and hold all people in hirin decisions accountable for meeting those just as top management would hold people accountable for meetinggsales objectives. But once you have achieved a divers eemployee base, it’s also important to integrated them into the experts say, by makinh sure you have benefits and programsd in place to accommodate all types of workers. It’s not enough to have a diverse experts say.
It’s equallhy important to recognize whether the diversity is clusterede within one segment of the workforce or sprea out acrossthe organization, including in “It’s a much more difficult task to reallyg take a hard look at the organization’s cultural issuea that may be presenting these arbitraryh glass ceilings and glass walls,” Harringto n said. Even when the initial hire is sometimes the workplace culture unintentionally may make the newcomeer feel unwelcomeor uncomfortable. For example, many professional firmw recruit women as partnersor managers, but often still have expectations that may not be family-friendly, such as requiring a lot of eveninf meetings.
This could make it harder to keep womehn with children inthese positions. In addition to examining policies that mighthinder diversity, employer s should establish mentoring programs. While many people don’t mind finding their own mentor or askingfor help, some minoritiesx fear it might be seen as a weakness, Petersom said. By organizing formal mentoring programs, businessese can help engage employees, especially new hires. It’ s also important that minorities know theier voices arebeing heard, whether it’s abour concerns in the workplace or abouyt ways to improve the product.
Petersonh cites a car company that was concerne d its handful of femaleengineers didn’t have enough It united them as a desigb team and encouraged them to creat their dream car. The team generated many new ideaes that have since been incorporated intothe manufacturers’ models. Some of the womej said they had expressed theseideas before, but without The final thing, experts stress, is to remember diversit is not a fixed goal. “Diversity management really is a Harrington said. “It’s an ongoing effort that you have to work on and engag e and manageand address.
”

BankUnited Financial Corp. files Chapter 11 - Dayton Business Journal:

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Two additional companies owned by the holdinyg company also filed Chapter11 – and Petee Levitt, of in Miami, represents all three “The bank was seized and Levitt said. “So, the bank is not involved. The parent company has its own assetsand creditors, and that entityu needs to have an orderly process for dealing with its The financial services entity has been involveds in selling insurance and “That’s a separate business, with aboug 20 employees in Coral Gables, and we’rde hoping that can continue,” Levitt said.
“Nothing is certain, but we’re goingt to make a real effort for that to The rest of the bankruptcy is a questioh of maximizing theassets – whicbh are mostly cash and claims.” CRE America owns some real but Levitt said he was not able to say what woulx happen to it yet. Unliker some bank holding companies that haveother subsidiaries, BankUnited Financial (NASDAQ: BKUNA) was totally reliant on its bank to keep $184 million in convertible senior HiMeds unitw (a type of security developeed by $12.5 million in junior subordinatedf debentures, which have a lower claim on assets than senior notes The petition listed one to 49 creditorsw and was signed by Bradley S.
Weisx as chief restructuring officer. Weiss was vice chairmaj of BankUnitedFinancial Corp. The law firmsz of of Los Angeleas andShutts & Bowen will be handling the case. The list of largestg unsecured creditors was ledby , , and for severao series of the trusty preferred securities. In many bankruptcy such institutions are representatives for those who actually hold the Waterford Township General Employees Retirement which has a class actiob case againstBankUnited Financial, also is listed as a creditor for an unknownb amount. Three Miami law firms , and – are listex as creditors for an unknown Trading inBankUnited Financial's stock was halted at 5:28 p.m.
on Thursday to allow dissemination of thetakeovedr news. On Friday, NASDAQ changed the tradinf halt status to say it was requestinh additional information fromthe company. In many cases, shareholderas of bank holding companies have their value wiperd out aftera takeover, which leavez their stock worthless. BankUnited Financial last tradedat 49.2 Shares had been trading heavilhy in the days before the FDIC-organized bidding and the The company's stock markef capitalization was down to $17.55 million when tradinf was halted, according to Yahoko Finance.

Robby Gordon's lawyers gain ground, settle one lawsuit - SunHerald.com

http://bigmoneywin.com/en/poker-games/news_2008-02-28-00-54-08-725.html

SunHerald.com

Robby Gordon's lawyers gain ground, settle one lawsuit SunHerald.com Robby Gordon winks at a crew member at Darlington (SC) Raceway in this file image from May. (Rich Glickstein -rglickstein@thestate.com) Sunherald.com ... Robby Gordon's lawyers gain ground News & Observer  »

The economy

http://deander.com/government.html
For example, a couple of surveys were done recently by some large huma nresources firms. More than 1,000 companie s were polled. Forty percent plan to reducw amounts allottedto Sixty-two percent said bonuses will shrink this year. Twenty-fived percent plan a hirinbg freeze. Another 25% will increase contributions tohealth care. Why? It’s the economy! Anothe survey forecasts spending on technologyt to decrease by almost half from what hadbeen Oh, and by the way — the numbeer of companies doing holiday parties will fall to a 20-yeaer low. And everyone’s accepting these huge Employees seem to be taking the cutsin stride. They’rde just happy to have a job. Why?
It’se the economy! You know what? Recessions can be a pennh pincher’s dream. Now’s the best time to get rid of the That guy in shippingwho can’t seem to rememberd how to load a skid properly twicre in a row? Gone. The sales guy who spends more time hittinyg on your receptionist than theactual phones? See ya. Running a business is tough when you have to be thebad guy. Many of us accepg mediocrity becausewe don’t have the energty left to fight or fire someone. But suddenly, like manna from God has brought upon us the bestexcusw ever. The economy! It’s the perfecf rationale for makingsome long-needed changes.
It’ s not just about changing the deadweight You can call your key suppliers and beg for acost Everything’s negotiable because everyone’s skittish. Penny pinchersd must get rid ofunderperformingg people. Renegotiate contracts. Beg for price reductions. Lock in lowerd monthly payments. Plead poverty. Scream for Why? It’s the economy! Becaus e in a few months the opportunity will havepassed us. Thingsw will turn around. Prices will rise. Unemployment will fall. The sun will And we won’t have the economy to blamre anymore. Rats.

Retiree pays back California, with interest, for jobless aid - Reuters

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Los Angeles Times

Retiree pays back California, with interest, for jobless aid Reuters was announced on Thursday by state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who said the money would go to public schools as required by California law. ... South Carolina Man Repays California Unemployment Benefit And Then Some, 40 ... KTXL Man repays state $10000 for jobless benefits OCRegister South Carolina man repays California for its assistance in 1964 Los Angeles Times Sacramento Bee -San Francisco Chronicle (blog)  »

Barracuda Networks makes $188M buyout offer for Sourcefire Inc. - Baltimore Business Journal:

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Barracuda disclosed its all-cash offer to Sourcefire (NASDAQ: FIRE) late The offer is a 13 percenr premiumover Sourcefire's closing price on May 23, and a 16 percenft premium over Sourcefire's averagwe trading price for the past 60 days, Barracuda Sourcefire has about 25 million outstanding making the deal worth roughly $188 million. Columbia-based Sourcefirse said in a statement Friday mornintg that its board had reviewed the proposecd dealand "has concluded that the proposal is not in the best interestxs of Sourcefire and its Sourcefire CEO Wayne Jackson recentlty stepped down, and the firm has said it is narrowinbg down candidates for a new CEO.
Sourcefire is committerd to maximizing shareholder value by growing the businesds and making a strong transitiomn to anew CEO, its statement Sourcefire officials could not immediately be reached for Asked Friday whether Barracuda would continue to pursu a Sourcefire deal, Barracud a CEO Dean Drako said he couldn'f comment on any specific plans. "We are big fans of Drako said. "We realizw they've stumbled a bit on the businesdexecution side, but not on the technologu side. Together, we couls make a formidable long-term successful player in the worlr ofinformation security. That wouls be a good thing for everybody.
" Privatelh held Barracuda Networks, which provides e-mail and Web security, said in the statementf detailing its proposal that itis "uniquelh positioned to address the challenges that have impactedf [Sourcefire's] performance and stock price." Sourcefirde went public in March 2007, after a deal to sell to Israeli software firm fell apartf amid regulatory concerns. Sourcefire's stoclk price has declined by abourt half since the initialpublivc offering.
California-based Barracuda released a letter it sentto Sourcefire's boarrd May 27, saying the firm expected to be able to pull off the proposede deal without any financing troubles or major regulatory Barracuda also said in its letter that it believes Sourcefire'ds inaction in dealing with the possibility of litigation by a company called has affected Sourcefire's stock price. Barracuda had said in news releasesx earlier this year that Trend Microclaimed Barracuda'ws use of open-source software product ClamAb infringed a Trend Micro Sourcefire owns ClamAV, which helps protecyt computer systems from viruses.
Barracuda filed suit in federa court last year seekinh to invalidateTrend Micro's patent on a gateway antivirus scanninf technology. Trend Micro filesd a claim with the in Novemberf against Barracuda and another firm overthe patent. Sourcefire is well-knownn in the open-source community for Snort, a softwarwe program that ferrets out hacking attempts and othet potentialsecurity breaches. Sourcefire shares closex up 15 percentto $7.
64

Cape Cod Scotties Christmas Card - Cape Cod Today (blog)

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Cape Cod Scotties Christmas Card Cape Cod Today (blog) When logging in or registering for the first time, you will be emailed a link to click that will validate your email and complete your login. ... and more »

Online Store Creation With Integrated Design Module Launched at Ecommerce Techwave - SBWire (press release)

http://www.umsco.com/support.html

Online Store Creation With Integrated Design Module Launched at Ecommerce Techwave SBWire (press release) CMS setting makes the user, work on the content to be displayed on the webpage and define the Page ID, give page name, Page URL, set status as active or ...

Intoxica! Polynesian Pupus & Tiki Cocktails @ Trader Vic's - Gapers Block

http://904divorce.com/2009/05/03/attorney-fees/

Intoxica! Polynesian Pupus & Tiki Cocktails @ Trader Vic's Gapers Block Pick up the latest edition of the Chicago Drink Deck, a bundle of $10 gift certificates to over 50 bars and restaurants, and stay for tiki cocktails and ...

Comedy club owner wants new club at 18th and Vine - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Officials of Stanford & Sons, the venerable Westport comedy said they are considering opening a second locatiomn in the fabledjazz district. Stanforr executive Craig Glazer said he met recently with officials ofthe , the area'as developer, to discuss putting a "Stanford's on on a now-vacant site just a block south of the Jazz and Negrok Leagues Baseball museums. "My thought is that I'x be interested in building Stanford's with the same motifr as our Westport location, but we'd have more Def Comedy, maybe open with Sinbadd or Eddie Griffin," said Glazer, referring to two populare black comics.
Glazer said he met twice recentlyg withAl Fleming, president of the Jazz Distric Redevelopment Corp., and is hopeful talks can be wrapped up early next "It's less than five miles from Westport, but it woulrd have an inner-city, upscale atmosphere, much like the projec t warrants," Glazer said. "We might even get involved in hip-hopl music." Fleming said Glazer had expressed an interest in the vacantt Jones Pool Hall building on 18th and Vine streets as well as an adjoininb structure slated to be built as part of the firs t phase ofa $13 million redevelopment getting under way in June.
"Their primaryu theme is entertainment, and that's also our primary theme as it relates to jazz clubs and restaurants and other thingz that would complementthe area." The $13 milliohn will be used to pay for the rehabilitation of five buildings in the including the Jones building, and the constructioh of four new including two on either side of the Jones Some of the money will also go toward constructio n of an apartment complex at 19th Streetr and Paseo. Plans call for one of the new buildings adjoining the Jones structure to housea Cajun-Creolwe restaurant. Fleming said a local whose name he declinedto disclose, was seeking financing for the start-uo venture.
The Jones Pool Hall building has been emptyy for at leasta decade. The building'zs streetside windows advertise haircuts for 35 cents and a shaved for15 cents, relice of Robert Altman's movie "Kansas City," some of which was shot in the The building is on the National Historic Glazer said he would like to put a restauranr on the ground floor of Stanford'a on Vine and has spoken with well-knownn local restaurateur Bill Nigro about developinyg it. Nigro co-owns Trumpets in Leawoodr and owns The Beaumont Cluband Torre's "Bill and I are close friends and he' s also the president of the Westport Merchantsd Association.
Bill and I have had great succesa turning around Westport and I think he woulx add stability tothe project," Glazer said. "Bill woulf come on board gladly." Nigro said he had severao conceptsin mind, including an Italianm menu, "but it's pretty much just preliminaryt talking right now." "Certainly, we said we'rd be interested in puttinhg in something down there, possibly a combinatiojn comedy club, restaurant and dance club in one building," Nigro

UCSF Med School under fire from Sen. Grassley - Nashville Business Journal:

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The June 17 story, by James Oliphant ( ), said the top Republican on the powerfu SenateFinance Committee, has asked UCSF to supply documents on federalp funding over the last five including details of an external review by the KPMG accountingf firm. “If the financial integrity of UCSFis questionable,” Grassleyt said in a letter to the university, accordingb to the L.A. Times, “Iu am worried that similaf problems regarding taxpayer dollars may also existy at other campuses within theUC system, such as UC UCLA and UC Grassley’s comments come in duringg a continuing feud between UCSF and David former dean of its medical school, who earlier headed the U.S.
Food and Drug Administrationj underPresident Clinton, over allegationz involving the medical school’s financial reporting. The Time s reported that Kessler was fired inlate 2007, “aftedr repeatedly complaining that he had been misled about the school’s finances.” Kesslerr has filed a whistleblower lawsuig against the and is seeking to get his job back, along with lost pay, benefitz and damages, the Times reported. Grassleuy raised his concerns in an Apri letter to UC President Mark according tothe Times.
UCSF was awarded $444 millio last year from the National Institutes of with $383 million going to the medical school, whicjh is also seeking a big chunk of federal stimuluas funding. University officials have said Kesslerd was firedfor performance-related reasons, Oliphant’s article notes, but they’re treating him as a whistleblower. Kessler’s lawsuit has been stayed pendinh the conclusion of anadministrative review, the Timesz report said.
In a comment providec Wednesday afternoon to the San Francisco Business UC reiterated that it has provided informationto Grassley’sw office on the financiak issues in question and that Kessler’s allegations have been exhaustively and repeatedlyt investigated at the University’s expense. Thosse investigations “have found no evidenced whatsoever of any inaccuracy in the book s and records ofthe ,” UC said in its written UC officials also noted that a review released in Marcb 2008 by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General found thatUCSF “haxd complied with all Federal regulations for claiming reimbursement for administrative and clerical connected to the NIH funding.