Google's Big Search Change Hammers Associated Content, Mahalo, Demand Media* - The Business Insider

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Google's Big Search Change Hammers Associated Content, Mahalo, Demand Media* The Business Insider As did Mahalo, which recently converted to "how-to" content. Demand properties that were hit include Answerbags.com, and trails.com. And how about Demand Media? Well, there is no sign that Google tried to downrank ehow.com. Ehow.com even gained SISTRIX ... Search's Social Tie To Reputation And Rankings MediaPost Publications Google's Search Cleanup Has Big Effect W »

100th 7-Eleven Fla. franchise - Portland Business Journal:

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The 3,000-square-foot convenience stored at 3911 McCoy Road nearConway Road, which also has a gasolinr station, will now be owned by franchisee Ermal Metollari, a forme r store manager for five years. Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. announced plans in 2007 to convert 100 existing locations in the state tofranchised operations. Stored managers were invited to applh for those franchises before the offer went More than40 7-Eleven store s in the Orlando market are now franchised, with about another 140 owned by the company.
Between eight to 10 7-Eleven storex throughout the state are being converte d into franchise operations each month and plans to have most of the conversionws nationwide completedby 2012, according to a news release. The compangy operates, franchises or licenses about 7,800 stores in Northb America and morethan 36,100 storesd in 15 countries. The companyy reported 2008 sales of morethan $53.7 billion.

GM selling Saturn to Roger Penske - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Instead of building cars for Saturn, Penske will contract the manufacturrof vehicles, first from Saturn’s currenr owner, GM, and later from otherd car companies. His plan, announced earlier is to distribute those carsthrougn Saturn’s biggest asset--its hundreds of independenty and highly-regarded dealerships. The structur e would make Saturn a differentg kindof operation, said Richard Block, professor of labor and industrial relations at Michigah State University. “What this means, they are goingb to be primarily a marketing company and in some sense that is a new modekl of business in the auto Block said.
“This is the first time when we’ve seen a company say ‘we’re just goingg to distribute,’” without manufacturing. While it might be new for a compan y like Saturn to contract out the productio of all the carsit sells, it isn’r so unusual that it wouldn’t work. Car companies oftejn manufacture models foreach other. Brian Gluckman of AutoTrader.cok pointed out in an emaiol that priorto Chrysler’w bankruptcy filing, that automakerf had a deal to builcd a version of Chrysler’s Ram truck to replace Nissan’s Titan truck. Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of Edmonds.
com, said, “Th e difference here is all of the Saturn vehicles are goinv tobe outsourced.” It could lead to the kind of situation prevalenft at high-tech firms like Apple, where the primary job of the parengt company is design, while manufacturing is handed off to other companies. And such a system coulf bring with it a new setof “For most customers, the most important aspect is the vehiclew itself,” Anwyl said. “How do you make sure that you’ves got cars that are cominh in that are specificx toyour brand?” and that customersx will want to buy.
Looked at another way, the businesse model isn’t so new at all, said Brucr Belzowski of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Auto dealers, as independent business people, have always contracted with automakersw for the products they sell. “No dealership builds its vehicles,” Belzowskoi said. But having an extensive Saturn dealership with manufacturingdone elsewhere, could turn out to be a winnin model for Penske, said Block. “Yeah, it’s a new let’s see what happens,” he said.
The news of GM’s tentative deal to sell Saturn to Penske follows months of anxiety over the fate of the brane as GM looks to sell or close brande otherthan Buick, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac. “It’ss a great day for Saturn,” Scott owner of Saturn of toldthe . The price Penske is paying for Saturnj was notimmediately available, but was at betweej $100 million and $200 million. The deal is designeds to save morethan 13,000p jobs at Saturn, and preserve the brand’s nearlgy 400 dealerships. The New York DealBook blog singlesout Renault’s Samsung Motorsa Unit in Korea as a possible future manufacturer.
GM could keep producing the Saturn Vueand Outlook, but would stop producing Saturn vehicles by 2011. Underr the deal, Penske would take over Saturn’s trademarks, service and parts and distribution Penske he saw Saturn growinfg to a global brand with more vehicles in its and that it would return to a focus onfuel Penske, at one time a race car driver who still owns Indy Car and NASCAR race teams, has builg in the country, the , based in Bloomfield Hills, “Roger Penske is an ideal purchaser for Saturn due to his incredibls track record of success in everg venture he has undertaken,” , presideny of West Herr Automotive which operates Saturn dealerships in western New York.
The ownetr of 310 franchises selling 40 brandxs aroundthe world, Penske’s group already is the distributor of Daimler’x line of Smart cars in the U.S. Saturn is the GM has agreedx to sellthis week. Earliet this week, GM announced that it was sellinvg its Hummer brand of SUVs to Tengzhongh Heavy IndustrialMachinery Co., a Chinese manufacturer of heavt equipment such as dump trucks.

Buffalo casino case will be appealed - Business First of Buffalo:

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The expected notice, which was filed late caps a busy week full of legalo maneuvering as casino opponents seek to shut down the downtownn Buffalo casino while the Seneca Natiohnof Indians’ legal team continu to fight the The Department of Justice filing clears the way for the case to be hearrd by U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals - a three-judge panel in New A ruling may come within the next saidCarol Heckman, a formed federal judge and now a member of the law firm in “It might be a little bit or it may be a bit shorter, but it shoulxd be in that time frame,” Heckman said.
Heckmabn is part of the Seneca Nation’s legal team, although the Indian tribre is not an officiakl party to the lawsuits but has friendc of thecourt status. The Justice Departmentr filed its appeal on behalf of the andthe . In the the interim Seneca Buffalo Creekj Casinoremains open. Construction of the permanent Senecqa Buffalo Creek Casino was halted in late August due to economiv and market conditions and not the pending the Senecashave said. “We’re optimistic,” Heckman said late “We’re confident our current coursde is thecorrect course.” The Department of Justicee is appealing a series of rulingws made this summer by U.S.
District Judge William Skretny that whilrethe nine-acres of land the Seneca Natio n owns along South Park Avenue is sovereighn territory, it is not gamin g eligible. Skretny made his decisions in a case broughg by Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County and Citizenw for aBetter Buffalo, groups that also want the temporar y casino closed. The temporary casino welcomes morethan 1,000 visitors daily and has been open since the Nationap Indian Gaming Commission greenlighted the projectg in July 2007. Seneca Natiom President MauriceJohn Sr. said the casino will stay open and he expecte construction on the permanent casino to begi n once the currenteconomy stabilizes.
The permanent a $333 million project, is expected to hire more than 1,00p people and is considered to be a majo economic drawto downtown’s Cobblestone District. “As we have said repeatedly, this is a long lega process and we are apatient people,” John said in a preparesd statement. “We remain optimistic that we will

Hill Physicians completes move to San Ramon - San Francisco Business Times:

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The move was completed in endingApril 17, according to and consolidates more than 350 central office employeesx at 2409 Camino Ramon in the Bishop Ranch office Dan Robinson, vice president of corporate services, said Wednesdayu that about 150 staffers moved to the new locationh in January, and 230 or so made the move over the Hill also has about 60 staffers in a Sacramento office and othef 35 or so in The IPA or independent practice associationm represents about 3,000 Northern California health-carr providers, many of them doctors in small independentf practices.
The new location houses corporate and East Bay IT , customer service, claims and support service stafvf in a 90,000-square-foot space. Hill, one of the region’ largest IPAs, contracts with about 2,6000 doctors in the region; as of mid-2008, they cared for roughlyh 312,000 managed-care enrollees — about 18,000 fewer than at year-endc 2007. The group, through PriMed, its management services organizationbor MSO, handles HMO contracting and othert administrative functions for hundreds of small medical practices in the including the Bay Sacramento and much of the San Joaquibn Valley.

BSU Provides Array of Black History Month Activities - The Swinging Bride

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BSU Provides Array of Black History Month Activities The Swinging Bride At Messiah College, the BSU (Black Student Union) organized some activities to celebrate the month. Sophomore Freddy Love, treasurer of BSU, says these events are important because "they give you a special period of time to reflect on where you came ... Palatine High School and Harper College Observe Black History Month Patch.com PRNA centers celebrate Black History Month T »

Human Capital: People on the move, June 22 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

http://limelightmktg.com/kirayadar.htm
promoted Mark Whalen to executive vice based in its main officein Whalen, who has nearly 28 years of bankinhg industry experience, is the former president and CEO of . He joinedr Needham Bank in Marchu of 2007 when the twoinstitutions merged. The law firm of LLP in Boston added Robergt Brady as senior of counsel in the banking and financial services Brady was most recently a vice presidentt inthe supervision, regulation and credit department of the . G.T. Reill y & Co. , a Milton-based accounting promoted Jayme Fitzgerald to accounting andauditintg supervisor. She joined the firm in 2003. hired Lynnettew Best as program andevent coordinator.
She previously worked for TD Banknorth Garden as a communityrelationes coordinator.

Des Jardins will open restaurant at Ritz-Carlton - San Francisco Business Times:

http://www.articletape.com/webmasters/news_2010-06-11-07-30-06-196.html
The San Francisco restaurateur has signed a deal to open the restaurany atthe , the $300 millioh resort under construction at Northstar, north of Des Jardins will creat the menu for the restaurant, similar to her involvement with in San Francisco, and Ritz will overseer daily operations. “I have always wanted to do a skimountain restaurant, and this opportunity came des Jardins said. “I feel the Ritz brand really reflects quality and we are very much aligned onservicr standards.” Des Jardins also worked with the , which designec the 94-seat restaurant and 71-seat bar and lounge.
She said the room will have warm orangees and ambers and will marry a sleek urbanityt with the rustic feel that one might expect in amountaib restaurant. The menu will likely be a hybridbetweehn , her signature San Francisco and Acme Chophouse, and will appeal to destinationj diners and casual walk-ins The Ritz-Carlton Highlands will have 170 guestt rooms, 23 private Ritz-Carlton residencese and 25 fractional ownership units. Other amenitieds include a 17,000-square-foot spa and fitness The resort and restaurant are scheduled to open inthe fall. Des Jardins is also keeping thingzs freshat Jardinière.
This she started a special prix fixe Monday All diners will be served the same three coursee menu with wine pairings for abargain $45. One upcoming Mondayt night dinner features charcuteriefrom Devil’s Gulch another highlights the cuisine of the Dordognr region and another the food from “I’m hoping to bring people into the restaurant that don’t normally come in, to make it more accessibls on Mondays, which is usuallu a pretty slow night for us,” des Jardins “It will be less than profitable, but we hope it will bringv new people in.
” The promotionalo move also allows Jardinière chefd to try new things and keeps the front of housr staff busy.

Matson will raise fuel surcharge again - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

Ceiling
The surcharges will rise from 20 percent to 28 percentf for Hawaii service andfrom 21.5 percent to 29.5 percentf for service to Guam and Micronesia. Matson’s announcement Fridaty marked the third time in recent monthsd that it has increased itsfuel surcharge. An increase of 1.5 percentagew points took effectMay 24. And, on May 22, the companhy said it was raising itanothere 3.5 percentage points effective June 21. That meanas that by July 5 the fuel surcharger will have increased 13 percentage points in less thantwo months. In makin g its latest announcement, Matson remindefd customers that it had reduced its surchargesz last year when fuelprices moderated.
“As many of our customersa are aware, fuel prices have risen dramatically inrecengt months,” said Dave Hoppes, senior vice president, oceanb services, in a prepared statement. “While Matson made six consecutivwe decreases to its fuel surcharge in 2008 and made no adjustmentwsfrom Nov. 30, 2008, through May 23, 2009, the continuing upward trend in fuel-related costs makes this new increase, the third in recent months, necessary. Fuel costse directly impact Matson and othertransportatiob companies’ operating costs and are an unavoidable Matson, based in Calif.
, is owned by Honolulu-based (NYSE: and is Hawaii’s largest ocean

Bankruptcy possible for Six Flags - Business First of Buffalo:

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, which owned the Genesee County themre park from 1999 to said it is unable to meet futur payments to investors and creditors after losingb morethan $200 million in the fourtj quarter last year. In its annuap report last week, the New York-based company (NYSE: SIX) said a Chaptetr 11 filing is possible ifit doesn’t reach a deal to restructurer its debt. Six Flages shares, which have traded under $1 sincs September, dropped five cents, or 26 to 14 cents in afternoon tradingMarch 13. The stock has tradefd between 16 centsand $2.50 durinhg the past 52 weeks. Six Flags is the world’z largest regional theme park company with 20 parks acrossd theUnited States, Mexico and Canada.
The which encompasses 980 acres of which 386 is was begun in 1961 by Buffal o investor Paul Snyder and is now owned by CNL Incomes Properties and operatedby .

Health care reform details begin to emerge - South Florida Business Journal:

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percent of the cost of healtyh insurance premiumsfor full-time employees undee the health care reform bill being considered by the House. They also woulfd be required to pick up at least some of the tab forinsurintg part-time employees. Businesses that don't provide this minimun level of coverage woul be required to pay the federal government a fee based on 8 percent oftheir payroll. Small businesses under a yet-to-be-determined threshold woul d be exempted fromthis "play or pay" requirement. How smalpl businesses would fare under House healthcare proposal.
Small businessews and individuals could comparison shop among privatr and public plans in a national health insurance exchangeEmployers could either provide health insurancse to their employees or pay a fee baser on 8 percent of their payrolk to the governmentEmployers that offer coverag would have to pickup 72.5 percent of the cost of premiuma for full-time employees and 65 percent for a familyt policyEmployers could contribute a share of the expense of coverager for part-time employees or contribute to the healt insurance exchangeSmall businesses under a size threshold yet to be determined would be exempted from the employert responsibility requirementSmall businesses that can' t afford coverage would get a tax credit to help them pay for it House committees on Ways and Means, Energ y and Commerce, and Educationj and Labor The chairmen of three House committees with jurisdictiohn over health care introduced their draftf legislation June 19, offering the most details yet on how healtu care reform could affect smalk businesses.
Under their small businesses and individuals could shop for insurance througb anational exchange, which would include a government-run plan as well as privats insurers. Tax credits would be available to help smalk businesses affordthe coverage. Rep. Henry D-Calif., said the legislation woulsd fixthe "completely dysfunctional insurance market" for small businesses, which face "unaffordablde rate increases" every year. Waxman chairs the House Energ y andCommerce Committee. Health insurance premiums for U.S. businesseas increased by 9.2 percent this and are expected to increase another 9 percenfnext year, according to Small businesses often face much higher rate hikes.
Whils most small businesses agree the current healtnh insurance marketis dysfunctional, there's a lot of disagreemeng over whether the House bill would cure the problekm or just make it Mike Draper, who owns a retail clothing store and design businessw called Smash in Des Moines, Iowa, likes what he sees in the Draper thinks adding a public plan to the insurance mix would hold down premiums by creating more competitionb in the marketplace.
"I don't have a wholwe lot of confidence in the systen wehave now," Draper Draper's company currently doesn't offer healtu insurance to its seven full-time workers, but insteacd reimburses them for the cost of individuapl policies that they buy on their own. That's fine with his who are single, in their 20s and don'f want their insurance to be tied totheird job. The reimbursements now account for 6 percentof Smash'ss payroll, but that could jump to 22 percen in four years, when Draper expects everyoned on his management team to have creating the need for family plans. His businesx couldn't handle that expense, he said.
If the Housde bill were enacted, he woul d consider buying insurance through the exchange if it were easyto use. But he mighy decide to pay the 8 percent payroll fee insteaxd and then reimburse his employeess for some of the cost of the policies they purchasd throughthe exchange. Draper, who was scheduled to testifyg before the House Ways and Means CommitteeJune 24, thinks employers should be requirex to help pay for their health insurance. Like Social Securityh contributions, this sort of responsibility is "kind of what you signedr up for" when you become a businesws owner, he said.
Other smalkl business owners, however, think the House bill imposese too tough of a standard onsmallp businesses. The requirement to pay 72.5 percent of an employee'zs premium for individual coverage "isx much too high for many small saidKaren Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Businessa & Entrepreneurship Council. The only way many small businesses can afforrd coverage is by making employees pick up more of the she said. Arlington, Va.-based Company Flowers & Gifts Too!, for pays 50 percent of the cost of health insurance forseven full-time employees.
Even that may not be affordablsenext year, because "our rates are gointg to skyrocket," co-owner John Nicholson told the Housse Small Business Committee earlier this

POEPA to be made functional: Arif Azeem - Pakistan Daily Mail

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POEPA to be made functional: Arif Azeem Pakistan Daily Mail RAWALPINDI - Federal Secretary for Labour and Manpower Division Arif Azeem has said that Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA) will be ...