Thursday, June 30, 2011

Friendster's new CEO expands reach in Asia - San Francisco Business Times:

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The site, with its trademarkl smiley-face logo, had long been writtemn off as a lost cause by theWeb 2.0 But this latest infusion of money is led by new investor IDG Ventures Vietnam, along with longtimd investors and . DAG Ventures and the also gave Friendster is now the largestand fastest-growing social networkl in Asia. It has over 75 million registerefusers worldwide, with 55 million in Asia, includingv Malaysian pop star Karebn Kong, who boasts more than 171,00 friends on the social network.
The firm plansz to open more offices in Asia and make major HR investmentw inengineering staff, product sales and marketinhg teams over the next several "The proof is in the said Richard Kimber, the newlyt appointed CEO of Friendster. "This category is stillk growing, still evolving -- there's stil a long way to go." 's former regional managing director in Southeast replacedKent Lindstrom, who has been with Friendstee since 2002 and CEO since 2006.
Lindstrom remains with Friendsted as senior vice president of corporate Pointing out that only 20 percent of Interneft users are involved in social Kimber is targeting billions of potentiap users inAsia -- from the Philippinesx to Indonesia. A new officew was set up in Singaporelast September. Nine differeny languages -- from Spanishj to Vietnamese -- have been added. A new text alerft service has gained popularity, with nearly 2 billion page viewas after onlytwo months. Friendster had stagnated due to clunkg design and slow uploads while faster rivals suchas Google-ownex Facebook and .'s outmaneuvered them.
In 2003, Friendsterd rejected a $30 million buyout offer from only to askfor $13 million in its firsyt round of major funding in 2006. "For Friendster (or any sociaol network) to be successful, they need to firsgt analyze theirsocial behaviors," analyst Jeremiah Owyang "Each culture responds to different site Last month Comscore called Friendster the "too social networking site in the Asia-Pacific while Quantcast placed Friendster at 38th in its top traffidc rankings. "Now, the one word to describ e us wouldbe 'agile,'" Kimber said.
He said futurde revenue streamsfrom ads, mobile platforms, gamesz and virtual goods are in the Kimber, a native of Sydney, was head of beforde working at Google. Friendster recruited him to increase theid head start inthe Asia-Pacific region. Like over 80 percenrt of the company's employees, "I'll be basex in Asia," said Kimber, who jokingly "mostly at the airline lounge in

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Pig with two snouts vs Grandad Batmobile: Freak Out - Metro

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Metro


Pig with two snouts vs Grandad Batmobile: Freak Out

Metro


Can the pig go out in a blaze of glory, or will she finally experience crushing defeat in this week's Freak Out? Not even last week's dog on a surfboard - which is pretty mad - could topple the piglet with the freak facial figure. Freak Out has decided ...



and more »

Sunday, June 26, 2011

New laws take effect in Colorado - Dallas Business Journal:

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Here are a look at some major billsz that became state statutes asof 12:0 a.m.: • Senate Bill 108, sponsoredc by Sen. Dan Gibbs, increases vehicle-registration fees by an averageeof $41 per year in order to raisee some $265 million annually to repaire state highways and bridges. • House Bill sponsored by Rep. Jim Riesberg, creates hospital patient fees that will be used to put as muchas $600 millionm toward public health insurance, a figurre that will let the state insure about 100,000 new • Senate Bill 228, sponsored by Sen.
John D-Colorado Springs, removes the annual cap on general-funds spending increases, a move proponents say will allow the state to address needs like higher educationmmore easily. • House Bill 1012, sponsored by Joe Rice, D-Littleton, and Amy Stephens, allows health insurance companies to offed incentives for participation in wellness andpreventioh programs. • Senate Bill 247, sponsored by Sen. Lois D-Thornton, expands unemployment insurance benefits to residente relocating because ofa spouse’s new job and increasez benefits to residents participatinvg in job-training programs. • Senate Bill 80, sponsoree by former Sen.
Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, creates a pilot prograjm to allow some developments to collectf rainwater from residence roofs and use it forhouseholr purposes. • House Bill 1091, sponsored by Reps. John D-Thornton, and Lois Court, D-Denver, requires carbonm monoxide detectors to be installed in everu home or apartment that is beingy sold or rented to anew tenant. • Senat Bill 251, sponsored by Sen. Chries Romer, D-Denver, permits optometrists and physicianse to prescribe and sellnew drug-releasing contactf lenses.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Protecting Justin Bieber a dangerous gig - Boston Herald

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NEWS.com.au


Protecting Justin Bieber a dangerous gig

Boston Herald


By Herald Wire Services Justin Bieber may think twice about going shopping next time. People reports the pint-sized performer was shaken after an undercover cop was mistaken for a crazed fan and was tackled by one of the singer's bodyguards at an ...


Chaos Breaks Out At Justin Bieber Autograph Signing

Etidbits.com



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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Judge dismisses challenge to Duke Energy coal plant - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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The decision doesn’t end the legak squabbling overthe coal-fired power But Judge Lacy Thornburgv denied a motion by the environmental groupsx to halt construction of the 825-megawatt unit. He said the stater has undertaken a reviewof Duke’s air-quality permiy as he ordered in December. He also denierd Duke’s motion for summary judgment inits favor. He said the environmentao groups can continue pursue challenges to the permit and the plan instate courts. Thornburg acknowledgea the case may ultimately return to thefederaol courts. But he says there is no point to having statde and federal reviewscontinuing simultaneously.
Jasonn Walls, a spokesman for Charlotte-based Duke, says the utilityy is “very pleased with the ruling today.” He says Thornburg’s decision makes it clear that the state has undertakenn all the required reviews to issue apropef air-quality permit. And he says Duke remainss confident the permit will standf up tocourt review. Walls says the $1.8 billionh Cliffside unit is 40 percent complete and remains on budget and on schedulse to start producing powerin 2012. The unit is beinf built on the border of Cleveland andRutherforr counties. Representatives from the environmental groups could not be reachexd immediatelyfor comment.
Most of the organizations that filed the federal challenge have a separat appeal pending with the state Office of Administrative As Thornburg’s ruling anticipates, that challenge is likelyt to continue. Like many things involving the Cliffside the federal challenge has acomplicatedx history. The state granted Duke an air-qualitu permit for the plant inJanuaryg 2007. But the legalityu of the permit was called into question by a federal appeals court ruling thefollowing month. That rulinhg held that the Environmental Protectiomn Agency had improperlyexempted coal-fired poweer plants from pollution-control reviews required by the federal Clean Air Act.
The , and otherzs contended that without aproper permit, Duke was buildingf the Cliffside unit illegally. A year ago, the groups file d the federal suit seeking tostop construction. Thornburg ruled in December that Cliffsids qualified as apossible “major source” of hazardouas pollutants — mercury in this It was an important victory for the Thornburg said federal law requiredc the state to determin e if Duke had designed the planft with the best available technology for the most effectivse control for mercury emissions. That revie w had not been done, he said.
But Thornburg did not order a haltto Instead, he told Duke to apply immediately for a proper The utility, a unit of did so. The state found Cliffside wasn’t a major source of mercurt pollution. That meant Duke was in compliancre with the federal CleanbAir Act. That is the order the groups have since appealed through anadministrativd hearing. Thornburg says the environmental organizations can appeao to the state court s if they remain unsatisfied after theadministrative hearing. But he says the statew has reviewed Duke’s plans for pollution control ashe ordered. He cite a report from the Division of Air Qualitty outlining the steps it took and a brief fromthe N.C.
attorneyt general saying the division had compliede with the December After exhaustingstate appeals, either side coulds appeal the case again to the federal Thornburg says.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Taylor resigns as chairman of Urigen Pharmaceuticals - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Taylor’s role at Urigemn drew scrutiny in the past severalo months because of SEC filingxs that showed he had been paid for his role on the which would have violated state statute becausKTEC — an agency backed by state moneyu — had . Taylor and the company deniedx that he hadbeen paid, and the KTEC boardx declared Taylor . Taylor . KTEC has not requestes a replacementboard seat, Shmagijn said. Urigen appointed Michael Goldberg to the boards but will leave the chairmanposition open. Goldberg, 50, is a managinhg partner of investment firm and from 1990 to 2007 was chairmann and CEOof .
Urigen has four drugs in clinical development, includint a Phase II treatment of painfupbladder syndrome. The four-year-old company lost nearlyt $1.7 million in the nine months endedMarch 31, comparefd with $4.1 million in the same perio of the previous fiscal year. The 52-wee range for Urigen’s stock has been 19 cents to 2 It closed Friday at7 Taylor, who had served on Urigen’d board since December 2005, became a controversialk figure with KTEC, a state agency charged with promoting technologhy business in Kansas. State budget negotiationw included debateabout Taylor’s compensation for the fiscal year ending June 30, whichj amounted to almost a thirfd of KTEC’s $1.
1 million payroll. KTEC faces a cut from $11.666 million in fiscal 2009 to $7 millionm in fiscal 2010, which beginsx in July.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Key players tackle critical issues - Portland Business Journal:

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Portland will elect a new mayor, who will have to deal with a bickeringgCity Council. The state will begin tackling complicatedtransportation initiatives. Both and state universities will come undertheightened scrutiny. Several private companiews faceserious challenges, including , whichb may not survive a hostile takeovetr attempt. The following 20 people -- whichg includes the as one entity -- will play an importan t role in Oregon's economyh next year. Some are prominent names. Others have kept a low All should make newsin 2008.
Like her predecessor Vicki Phillips, Carole Smith inherited a host of challengess and the probable task of asking Portland Publicd Schools voters to increases theirtax bills. In October, the Portlandr School Board tapped the longtim administrator to leadthe 47,000-studengt district, which has 4,150 employees and an annual operating budget of about $440 million. Smith, whosre background is weightedtoward academics, said her firsty year will focus on the quality of instruction and the conditiob of the district's 85-plus buildings. Last year, the district rolled out its firsg wholesale curriculum overhaul in a decade and that will continue this year.
But Smith can expecr to spend much of her first year focusinfg on theliteral nuts-and-bolts of the district. Only two schoolss have been constructed in the past 20 Most were built in the 1920s and 1950s. In January, the consultant s from Magellan and DeJong will presentt their findings and recommendations in a series of publicf sessions being held in everhy quadrant ofthe city. The schoolo board is set to adopt a finalp facilities planby May. The price tag will easily top $1 Meeting times are on the districtWeb site, . "It'z important for people to show up for Smith said. In addressinv the Oregon Business Plan summit earlierthis month, Gov.
Ted Kulongoski revealed that he'd appointed Gail Achterman as chairwomanj of the OregonTransportation Commission. one attendee sitting at a back table whisperedto another. "He's gettinf serious." Indeed, Kulongoski wants badly to reachseveral big-time transportation goals. Chie f among them is a new Interstate 5 He believes Achterman can find federak funds to make it Her tenure asthe commission'xs leader comes as Kulongoski and other lawmakerws have become more committed to improving the way traffic flowz through Oregon. To succeed, Achterman will rely partlgy on the solid business acumen developed duringh her 20 years as a Stoel RiveLLP attorney.
Achterman also showee a sense of humor that may help her deal with her Atthe summit, she recommended that people drive

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Orinda, Octagon plan loft/retail conversion - Dallas Business Journal:

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Atlanta-based and Charlotteville, Va.-based reported their planws for the property at 222 Mitchell Street, but they did not disclose financial terme of the deal. The 350,000-square-foot structure was built in stages from 1929 to 1979on 2.1 acre and occupies the entire city block boundee by Spring, Forsyth, Mitchell and Nelson Orinda and Octagon will converg the property into a rental buildiny with 205 loft units and more than 70,0090 square feet of commercial space. Occupanc y is expected in January 2011.
“Thde redevelopment of 222 Mitchell Streett into rental lofts and retail space will play a significant role in the rebirt of this part ofdowntown Atlanta,” said Dillon Baynes, president of Orinda, in a statement. “We’re certain that livingb at 222 Mitchell Street will appeal to young professionals who work as well as to college students, especially those who already attend one of the many fine institutionds in the area, such as Georgiqa State University, Spelman, Morehouse, Clarl Atlanta University and Georgia

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Unemployment rate falls in Allegheny, Beaver counties - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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and Industry released seasonally adjusted unemployment figures forthe state’sw counties and metropolitan statistical areas on In Allegheny County, the unemployment rate fell from 6.6 perceng in March to 6.5 percent in Beaver County’s went from 8.2 percent in Marchy to 7.9 percent in The improvements in Allegheny and Beaver however, were not enough to boost the seven-counth Pittsburgh MSA, which saw its seasonally adjustedd unemployment rate increase from 7.2 percen t in March to 7.3 percent in Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate held steady at 7.
8 When making comparisons, the Department of Labor and Industruy uses seasonally adjusted figures in order to accoung for cyclical hiring differences that don’t reflectg changes in the overalp economy. Employment in the seven-county Pittsburgh area continues to be strongeer than manyother areas. In addition to bestinv the state by half apercentage point, unemployment in the Pittsburgu MSA is 1.6 percentage points lower than the Unitedx States as a whole, which has seasonally adjusted unemployment of 8.9 Here is the breakdown across the State College: 5.7 percent 6.7 percent Altoona: 7.2 percent Pittsburgh: 7.3 percent 7.9 percent York-Hanover: 7.
9 percent Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: 8.3 percent 8.4 percent Scranton-Wilkes-Barre: 8.6 percent Johnstown: 8.7 percengt Reading: 8.7 percent Within the Pittsburgh MSA, unemploymenty ranged from 6.5 percent in Allegheny County to 9.8 percentf in Armstrong County. Here is the breakdown by Allegheny: 6.5 percent Butler: 7.3 percent 7.6 percent Beaver: 7.9 percent Westmoreland: 8.1 percent Fayette: 8.9 percentf Armstrong: 9.
8 percent

Friday, June 10, 2011

Wachovia bank branches become Wells Fargo on Saturday - Florida Today

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Tampabay.com


Wachovia bank branches become Wells Fargo on Saturday

Florida Today


Manager Veronica Lepri welcomes customers in the lobby of the Wachovia branch in Suntree. Tonight, Wachovia closes its doors for good and opens on Saturday as Wells Fargo. / Michael R. Brown, FLORIDA TODAY Wells Fargo will have celebrations at two ...


Wells Fargo, TD Bank the new faces in Gainesville banking

Gainesville Sun



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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

'Beginners' director Mike Mills mixes fact, fiction to create portrait of his dad - San Jose Mercury News

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'Beginners' director Mike Mills mixes fact, fiction to create portrait of his dad

San Jose Mercury News


Courtesy of Focus Features Christopher Plummer, left, and Ewan McGregor star in "Beginners," the opening-night film at the 54th Francisco International Film Festival. As a former director for the Oakland Museum of California, ...



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Sunday, June 5, 2011

In Islamic culture, gift-giving is an art - Los Angeles Daily News

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Los Angeles Times


In Islamic culture, gift-giving is an art

Los Angeles Daily News


The Arbadil Carpet is on display in the Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art June 1, 2011. The exhibition, which runs June 5-September 5, 2011, ...


LACMA exhibit 'Gifts of the Sultan' shows the art of gift giving in the ...

Los Angeles Times



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Friday, June 3, 2011

Lifeboat men need help to raise £500k - Daily Echo

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Lifeboat men need help to raise £500k

Daily Echo


Hamble Lifeboat has signed a new 99-year lease on the foreshore land it occupies and has planning permission in place for a state-of-the-art purpose-built station. Now fundraisers need to find hundreds of thousands of pounds to bankroll the scheme. ...



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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

County offers workshop on USDA

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A new round of “Value-Added Producer Grant” fundingg is available, a release said. prograj and are teaming up with the USDA to providr a workshop on June 9 on the grant programk and how to apply forthe funds. The USDA has about $18 million in grant funds to help independent agricultural producerxs enterinto value-added a release said. The Value-Adde d Producer Grants are availabldeto farmers, cooperatives, agricultural producer groupse or producer-based business ventures. Value-added farm products are those that expansd the customer base for the productr or commodity and result in increasinfgfarm revenues.
“Adding value to basic agricultural commoditiexs is one way for farmers to maintainh economic viability in these days of risinhproducer costs,” the release said. The free workshop in Seffnetr June 9 at10 a.m. will offer information about value-added agriculture, and explain the grant program and the benefitsto farmers, eligibility and application More information is available at 272-5909.