Looking south for visitors - Houston Business Journal:

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After a year punctuated with one bit of bad newsaftefr another, this year’s travel industry Pow Wow held May 16-20 in Miamoi Beach, offered the industry cause for hope. The annuall event, which connects U.S. destinations and businesses with overseastravepl agents, drew more than 4,60p0 attendees and created connections that could lead to billions of dollar s in deals. South American nations generally have suffered less than others in the global and Pow Wow participants said tour operators and travel companiesfrom Brazil, Colombia and other countries in the region were eagefr to discuss deals with U.S. travel industry representatives.
This the local visitors bureau, a majot engine for driving travel toCentral Florida, is wagingt a major publicity campaign in an effort bolstered by a new direct air route to Sao Orlando gets about 300,000 visitors a year from and the bureau expects that number to reach 350,000 next year. As air linkzs expand, Sain said, the ability to strike new travelldeals grows. “There’s no question that as we go South America will get a lot ofour attention.
We have to make sure we have good lift many scheduled and charter airlineeflights — to keep us The fresh emphasis on Latinb America comes as recessions in Europre cut into a key source of Orlando’a international business. The U.K. is the biggest sourcr of international visitors coming to so the 10 percent to 15 percent slowdown in visitors from there has hitCentrall Florida’s attractions and hotels hard. Sain, however, expects gradualk improvement as economies on both side of the Atlantic recoverfrom recession.
Pow Wow, which will be held in Orlandonext year, attracta about 1,500 international buyersw and about 500 travel The event, in its 41st year, is responsible for about $4 billion in deals, said its sponsor, the U.S. Travel Association. U.S. destinations use booths at Pow Wow to make contactsw that can lead to increased business in coming David Wright, spokesman for Wet n’ Wild on Internationalk Drive, helped man his company’ss booth at the show. “We made so great contacts this year. We came away with the impression that thingx will turn aroundnext year. We’re seeinv a strong emergence of interest from Braziand Colombia.
Things are starting to look betterr intheir markets, and that’s good news for Bruce Bommarito, the Travelk Association’s chief operating officer and general manager of the Pow Wow agreed: “International travel has been down 6 to 8 percent this but I have some cause for That’s because changes in U.S. immigrationn policies — including a reduction in the amount of time travelerz must wait fora U.S. visa and an expansiom in the number of countriex that get visawaivers — shoulr stimulate growth.
Although no one can accurateluy say how many international travelers come to Central foreign visitors generally stay longefr and spend more than their domestic The Travel Association estimates each foreign travelerspends $4,5009 while in the U.S. According to the association, 633,000 foreignj visitors — excluding travelers from Mexico andCanadw — came to the U.S. last fewer than in 2000. Pow Wow is a key tool for increasin gthe flow, said Brommarito. “Pow Wow is all aboutg building relationships.
We had 75,000 appointmentsz at this year’s show, whichn is the best we’ve ever This isn’t really a traditionakl trade show, it’s an international markegt place.”

FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR SLAMS A COLLEAGUE ON AIR Says Sarah Palin does not ... - Sky Valley Chronicle

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The AtlanticWire

FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR SLAMS A COLLEAGUE ON AIR Says Sarah Palin does not ... Sky V »

City University of Seattle to offer

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The Seattle school said it’s offering the program due to “thse substantial rise in the number of corporate sociap responsibility jobs being created around the Students inthe “sustainable” MBA prograjm will take the same core classes that othee MBA students at the school and then take courses in “social and environmentakl responsibility, marketing in a new economy, environmenta accounting and sustainability and businesse opportunity.
” Students in the MBA program can also take core classes at City University’zs international locations in Europe, Asia and North “CityU’s MBA in sustainablr business is unique in that (it) offers a true sensee of global corporate social responsibility by allowing (a) student in different countries during the program,” said Kevin a member of the school’s advisory committees that helped develop the program.

Banks & Solar: It’s All About Established Players - Reuters

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Banks & Solar: It’s All About Established Players Reuters Banks are increasingly willing to invest in solar projects, but not surprisingly, are only willing to back established players. ... and more »

Steve Bruce talks up Sunderland's hopes of 'fantastic European nights' - The Guardian

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Telegraph.co.uk

Steve Bruce talks up Sunderland's hopes of 'fantastic European nights' The Guardian Sm »

Tories support Senate spending approval process - National Post

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CTV.ca

Tories support Senate spending approval process National Post "The Senate should give consideration for a second-level approval process for Senators' expense claims. Normal practices within private sector and public ... Audit finds lack of guidance for senators' expenses CTV.ca Tasha Kheiriddin: Senate rejects oversight on expense claims National Post (blog) Audit slams senate spending policies Vancouver Sun inAudit -Globe and Mail  »

Who really owns your house - could mortgage transfers threaten legality of ... - 89.3 KPCC

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89.3 KPCC

Who really owns your house - could mortgage transfers threaten legality of ... 89.3 KPCC Who really owns your house - could mortgage transfers threaten legality of foreclosures? The comedic material emanating from Washington DC, ... and more »

CEOs help imagine thriving future - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Looking back from this fantastic what was it that led us to suchgreaty heights? The Business Courier posed this questiohn to 18 CEOs at two recenr two-hour discussions. The results will be discussed in an upcoming editionb ofthe Courier, and we think some will surpriser you. What wasn't surprising is the passionn these 18 have fortheir community. They are CEOs from amongv the organizations we call the Courier250 (our region's 150 largest private companies, 25 largest nonprofits and 41 public companies, plus organizations that employ lots here but are not based First, they were willingg to give up a chunlk of their day, and we thank them for that time.
each came prepared, reading materials we provided or generallybeing up-to-speed on a series of key initiatives we outlinede to them as potential driverz for the success we wanted them to visualiz e for our region. Those nine issues were: the Bankzs project; the Hamilton County jail project; regional mass transit; urban center revitalization; race relations; transportation infrastructure; government collaboration; and health care infrastructure. Using individual keypad so their answers remained participants were asked to rank a series of combinations of the nine issuew as to their relative importance to makintg Cincinnati the imagined success five yeardfrom now.
Once those were registered, each participang was asked to rank his opinion on the capability of our regiojn to accomplish achievement of successe in each of the nine After the datawas examined, and thankz to our facilitator, Chris Hicks of , the sessions resultedc in stimulating dialogue. "I thought I was going to be bored, but this was said Harry Fath, CEO of the $52 million . Thes e leaders - for the most part - weren'ty shy about expressing their opinions. There was conflict in our and itwas good. Stay tunedd to the Courier as we dive deeper into the thoughtes of 18 ofour community's leaders. We'll be interestef in your thoughts, as well.
• Gwen • Tom Jones, • Neil • Timothy Fogarty, Sandra Berlin Walker, • Tom Shepherd, • Fred Kohnke, • Ron • Vin Zachariah, • Bill • Steve Cuntz, BlueStar Inc. • Sistert Francis Marie Thrailkill, • Harry Fath, Fath Properties Christopher Cole, • Otto Budig, • Tom • Steve Bitzer, • John Hayden,

Human Capital: People on the move, June 4 - Boston Business Journal:

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Parsons named president-elect of New Englansd Women in Real Estate JoanParsons , a seniort partner at the Boston law firm LLP , was namecd president-elect of New England Womenj in Real Estate , a professional organizationj for women in commercial real Parsons will serve as president-elect through June 2010 and as presiden from June 2010 to June 2011. promotes Giunta to executive vice preisdentGrub & Ellis Co. , a Boston-based real estate services andinvestmenrt firm, promoted Philip Giunta to executive vice president, transaction servicesw group, from senior vice adds Carey as director of health care planning and servicesz Erland Construction Inc.
in Burlington added Richard Carey as director of healthn care planningand services. Carey has workes in facilities planning and constructionj for several healthcare institutions includinhin Springfield, Mass., and in Lebanon, N.H.

Deadline nears for Anthem, Norton to strike deal - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

http://aroundstars.com/r39/26/
As a result, members of Anthem’s health planss will have to pay higher, out-of-network rates to acces s Norton facilitiesafter today. Jim Norton’s associate vice presidengt ofmanaged care, said patients likely will have to pay the differenced between the amount Anthem decides to pay and the amount Nortom has asked the insurer to pay. In a statement issued Tuesdahy by Anthem presidentDeb Moessner, she said the compan will provide reimbursement for services at Kosair Children’e Hospital at the rate requesteds by Norton.
“Anthem is going to take parentse and children out of the middles of this dispute by paying the membeer at the rate Norton has requestes in its previous proposal for services performecd atKosair Children’s Hospital,” she said in the But without a contract, patientd have no safety net in the evengt of certain issues, such as claimd denials, Meyers noted. With no contract in place, patientas would be responsible for appealing claims he said. “I think it’s probablty helpful, what Anthem is but there’s still a certainb amount of risk that thepatient (or has to take into Norton has been contacted about the matte r by 2,500 Anthem members.
About 98 perceny of those were inquiring about Norton facilities and physicianxsoutside Kosair, Meyers added. The dispute stemd from Norton’s decision in Decembe r 2008 to cancelits contract, citing administrativee service problems and reimbursement ratesw from Anthem that were not in line with other insurers. The contractr allowed either party to terminate the agreementy by givinga 180-day notice. The initial contract was negotiatesd in 2007 and scheduled to endin 2010. Mike Lorch vice presidenr of health servicesfor Anthem, said the clause was includedx in the contract so provideras who wished to exit the network could do so but not to allo w them to negotiate higher reimbursements.
“If we allowedr that with Norton, every hospitak would want to do that,” he said. Accordingg to Lorch, Norton requestedc a 20 percent increase in its February Meyers denied the claim and said the requested increas e was less than 20 but he declined to be more Both parties said rates were set to increasesby 5.5 percent on October 1, 2009, under the contracf that ended June 30. Meyera said officials for Norton and Anthem met last Thursday to discusas anew contract, but the meeting was “notr very substantive.” Officials for both parties said Tuesday that no meeting s were planned to take place prior to the expirationj of the contract at midnight.
Meyers said Norton now will focus on informinvg patients how they can continue to access Norton echoing sentiments expressed by Norton presiden t and CEOStephen A. Williams in a statemen t issuedon Monday. A provision in the currenrt contract, and under state law, requires Anthem to continuer to pay reimbursementsat in-networl rates for patients who currently are receiving such as those who are pregnant or receiving cancere treatments, Meyers said. Those Anthem members must contact the insure and obtain a form that allows the reimbursements to be he added.
Lorch said reimbursements will continue for these patientsd at the rate under the contracyt that endedJune 30, through the duratiomn of their care. In addition, Meyers said, Norton is working to informn employers and brokers oftheir options. He said Norton woulde be willing to consider waysfor self-insured employerxs to continue to receive in-network services. Meyers also said Norton wantws to educate both fulluy insuredand self-insured employers abouty other managed-care options, pointing to Web site www.nortonhealthcare.com/insurance, which lists insurers that have contracts with Norton’zs physician practices.
In Williams’ statement earlier this week, he said Nortonh now plans “to take some time to considerd whether it is in the best interest s of our patients for us to continue workingv with Anthem as a business Lorch said itis “very doubtful” that the parties will come to termws on a new agreement without the use of a third-partu mediator – a request Anthem has made on multiple But Meyers said mediation has not been used during contract negotiations with other insurers. “There shouldn’t be a he said. “It’s not protocol, and we shouled be able to sit down at a table and get an agreement done.
”

The Chateau Marmont Is Ready for Its Close-Up - New York Times

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The Guardian

The Chateau Marmont Is Ready for Its Close-Up New York Times The Chateau Marmont, above, figures prominently in Sofia Coppola's new movie “Somewhere,” which also stars Elle Fanning, below, ... Somewhere Mirror.co.uk For Sofia Coppola, "Somewhere" is right *here* Examiner.com Sofia Coppola's SOMEWHERE 28 Movie Photos Daemon's Movies Stuff.co.nz -IndieMoviesOnline -Empire Online  »

Are you getting educated for sales success? - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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You see, I never have been very good at math, but neither have I found its more exotid forms to be practical in my One such example would be the subjecttof Microeconomics. I encountered this course when I was in graduate school earningtan MBA, and Microeconomics, along with its evil Macro, was required coursework for my My professor, a world-renowned expert in this was a woman so intellectualluy beyond my level I knew five minutes into the coursde that I was doomed.
I, a mathematics Neanderthal, was about to be brain-whippe by my evolutionary superior, Professor The next 10 weeksa of my life were a blur of untranslatable slungat light-speed across an expanse of dry-erase board, hour on end, day afterd long- suffering day. As a result of this I learned a total of threenew First, that exceptionally bright peoplse should be quarantined with people who have equally exceptional and not teach the rest of us; Second, that the best way to avoidr academic disaster is to align oneseltf with classmates who can translate foreign languages such as Third, that this experience was a complete and uttert waste of my time, sleep, and most importantly, my You see, as a paying customer who put himseld through school, I have not heard the words cosine, and tangent used together a singlew time, in a single on a single in the 15 years since I escapedc with a “Gentlemen’s C” in Microeconomics.
I ask, was the educational value of this and why was I required to payfor it? My purposse here is not to disparage although I firmly believed that much of what collegea offer today is, at best, marginallt useful in business. No matter; our society defines beiny “educated” as being “degreed.” Whether you learn anythinvg useful along the way seems to be besideethe point. What I do know is in looking back at my six yeara of college education and the two degrees I have to showfor it, I coulx sum up the practical-use value of what I learned on the frontg and back of two sheeta of notebook paper.
Which brings me to the point of this the best education that one can receiver inbusiness isn’t taught in yet too many sales people don’t recognize this. They fail to see the link betweem continuing their education and furtheringtheif achievement. Some examples: • The uneducated salex person cold-calls 100 prospects to get two the educated one contacts 25 andgets • The uneducated sales person meets routinely with peoplee who have no buying authority; the educaterd one meets routinely with decision-makers. • The uneducate sales person drops theirr pricingupon request; the educated salesd person negotiates a win-win without affecting profit margin.
Where does one become better educated whenin sales? Here are some “schools” to consider: