http://www.good.is/community/luellaruelbngp
, which will be getting a new 37,00o seat, $640 million stadium, ranked 77th out of all 122 professionaol sports teams in The Miami Heat was ranked the was ranked 61st and the was rankefd90th overall. How efficiently the team has converted moneyy from their fans into victories on the courtor ice. How loyal the franchise’s ownershil and management has been to core players and the The priceof tickets, parking and concessions. The quality of the team’ws stadium and promotions. The strength of on-field leadership and The number of championships won or likely to be won durinygthe fan’s lifetime.
How much effort players put in to the game and how likable they are offthe field. And how open the coaches and management are tothe fans. The new stadium may do something to appease fans who ranked the Marlins 120tu when it came to overallstadiumm experience. When it comes to honesty and loyalty to the communitu andits players, the Marlins scored 111 out of 122, followexd by the Panthers with 100, according to the The Heat provided the least bang for the buck rankin g 110.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Internet is running out of IP addresses! - International Business Times
otomaqaqaba.blogspot.com
Telegraph.co.uk | Internet is running out of IP addresses! International Business Times Except, now the version of the IP addresses the world is working on - IP version 4 - is running out. As of January 14, 2011, the IANA Un » |
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
New ASSE Film Captures a Century of Safety - EHS Today
http://bklynbunny.com/about.html
New ASSE Film Captures a Century of Safety EHS Today The American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) newly released film, “American Society of Safety Engineers â€" A Century of Safety,†tells the story of ... American Society of Safety Engineers to Celebrate Centennial Anniversary |
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Nationwide Arena sale under discussion - Charlotte Business Journal:
bertayfybuqutyp.blogspot.com
Preliminary talks have been held betweebn Blue Jackets and FranklinmCounty officials, state legislators and Nationwide Insurance executives over helping the National Hockey Leaguew club solve its economic problems, Columbus Business First has learned. One optioj under discussion calls for the county to buythe 18,000-seatt arena from Nationwide so the team can work toward gettinf a better lease. The issue is likely to come to a head in comingy weeks as lawmakers decide whether to granyt Franklin County the authorit y to impose or seek voter approval for an increasd in alcohol and tobacco excise Such a provision could be added to the state budget bill that the Generakl Assembly must pass byJune 30.
Proceedsw from a higher “sin could provide a revenue stream for the countyh to tap to retirde debt on bonds it woulfd issue to finance anarena purchase, accordinyg to people involved in the discussions. Ohio’s beer and wine tax rates stand at 18 centx and 32 centsa gallon, There is also a $1.25 statse tax on a pack of cigarettes. Better deal for team? Nationwide Arena is owned by a partnership of Nationwidde Insurance and DispatchPrinting Co., with the insurer holdinvg a 90 percent stake. The Blue Jackets leas the nine-year-old arena and operate it, but revenuee from events isn’t covering operating costs, said Blue Jackets Presidenft Mike Priest.
That’s forcinv the club to take money from hockey operationsw to make upthe difference, he The formula worked in the early years of the when the team’s player payroll was lower and game attendancse was higher, Priest said, but it has contributerd to financial losses the Blue Jackets have suffered in receny years. The club has lost a combined $80 milliom over the past seven years. “We have a buildinv financial issue,” Priest said. “That leadss to a team financial issue. If we can fix the buildingf problem, we can fix the team problem.
” Team officials are exploring whethetr county ownership of the arena could resul t in favorable changes to theBlue Jackets’ operatingh terms, Priest said. A county agency – the Convention Facilitieas Authority – owns the land under the arenwa and the nearby Greater ColumbusConvention Center. The countt also owns Huntington Park, the home of the Columbus Clipperss in theArena District. “The county has not agreexd to do anything,” Priest said.
“Nothing has been Commissioners are aware of what the Blue Jackets are proposinbg but have not take n a position on buyingthe arena, said county Administrator Don The county could not afford to buy the building unlesw a revenue stream was guaranteexd to retire bond debt that would go with a purchase, he said. Officials also would need to examinr theBlue Jackets’ finances, leasd terms and revenue from non-hockey events such as The club likely would be asked to sign a long-termn lease to ensure it remains in Brown said. “Without a covenant or guarantee like he said, “I doubt the county woulf be interested.
It would not make business sensr to take on ownership without being assurecd of ananchor tenant.” Public-privat partnerships involving professional sports arenasw and stadiums are common, Priest said. For tax revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales was used in Cuyahoga County to help finance construction of a basketball arena for the Clevelanfd Cavaliers and a baseball stadium for the Indianss inthe 1990s. Columbus went the opposit e route in 1997 after voters defeatedd a tax proposal to fund construction of adowntown arena. Nationwide and Dispatch Printing, ownefr of the Columbus Dispatch and other media stepped in to buildthe $150 million arena when Worthington Industries Inc.
founder John H. McConnell led an investor s group that landed an NHL franchise forthe city. The privatelu owned Blue Jackets, whose majorityh owner is Worthington Industries CEOJohn P. haven’t disclosed details of the team’s finances. But media reportsx have put the team’s lease on Nationwided Arena at morethan $3 million a Priest said the Blue Jackets gave up several revenuse sources to help get the aren built, including 15 of the arena’s 52 luxury suitea that were sold for 25 years by Nationwide. The team gets revenuse from the remainingluxury suites, but receives no revenue from parkingt or arena naming rights, he said.
Priesr was asked if the Blue Jackets would consider leaving Columbus if the arena issu isnot resolved. “The very reasonb we are being so proactive,” he said, “is to avoicd having to deal with that questionand issue. I believer as a community we have the abilit to finda solution.” Nationwide has participated in discussions on “public-privates opportunities” for the Blue Jackets, including a sale of the said Eric Hardgrove, a spokesman for the Columbus-basesd insurer. “We are not actively lookin g to sellthe arena,” he said.
“It is one of the many options under consideration to help ensure the Blue Jackets remaijna strong, viable presence here for years to
Preliminary talks have been held betweebn Blue Jackets and FranklinmCounty officials, state legislators and Nationwide Insurance executives over helping the National Hockey Leaguew club solve its economic problems, Columbus Business First has learned. One optioj under discussion calls for the county to buythe 18,000-seatt arena from Nationwide so the team can work toward gettinf a better lease. The issue is likely to come to a head in comingy weeks as lawmakers decide whether to granyt Franklin County the authorit y to impose or seek voter approval for an increasd in alcohol and tobacco excise Such a provision could be added to the state budget bill that the Generakl Assembly must pass byJune 30.
Proceedsw from a higher “sin could provide a revenue stream for the countyh to tap to retirde debt on bonds it woulfd issue to finance anarena purchase, accordinyg to people involved in the discussions. Ohio’s beer and wine tax rates stand at 18 centx and 32 centsa gallon, There is also a $1.25 statse tax on a pack of cigarettes. Better deal for team? Nationwide Arena is owned by a partnership of Nationwidde Insurance and DispatchPrinting Co., with the insurer holdinvg a 90 percent stake. The Blue Jackets leas the nine-year-old arena and operate it, but revenuee from events isn’t covering operating costs, said Blue Jackets Presidenft Mike Priest.
That’s forcinv the club to take money from hockey operationsw to make upthe difference, he The formula worked in the early years of the when the team’s player payroll was lower and game attendancse was higher, Priest said, but it has contributerd to financial losses the Blue Jackets have suffered in receny years. The club has lost a combined $80 milliom over the past seven years. “We have a buildinv financial issue,” Priest said. “That leadss to a team financial issue. If we can fix the buildingf problem, we can fix the team problem.
” Team officials are exploring whethetr county ownership of the arena could resul t in favorable changes to theBlue Jackets’ operatingh terms, Priest said. A county agency – the Convention Facilitieas Authority – owns the land under the arenwa and the nearby Greater ColumbusConvention Center. The countt also owns Huntington Park, the home of the Columbus Clipperss in theArena District. “The county has not agreexd to do anything,” Priest said.
“Nothing has been Commissioners are aware of what the Blue Jackets are proposinbg but have not take n a position on buyingthe arena, said county Administrator Don The county could not afford to buy the building unlesw a revenue stream was guaranteexd to retire bond debt that would go with a purchase, he said. Officials also would need to examinr theBlue Jackets’ finances, leasd terms and revenue from non-hockey events such as The club likely would be asked to sign a long-termn lease to ensure it remains in Brown said. “Without a covenant or guarantee like he said, “I doubt the county woulf be interested.
It would not make business sensr to take on ownership without being assurecd of ananchor tenant.” Public-privat partnerships involving professional sports arenasw and stadiums are common, Priest said. For tax revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales was used in Cuyahoga County to help finance construction of a basketball arena for the Clevelanfd Cavaliers and a baseball stadium for the Indianss inthe 1990s. Columbus went the opposit e route in 1997 after voters defeatedd a tax proposal to fund construction of adowntown arena. Nationwide and Dispatch Printing, ownefr of the Columbus Dispatch and other media stepped in to buildthe $150 million arena when Worthington Industries Inc.
founder John H. McConnell led an investor s group that landed an NHL franchise forthe city. The privatelu owned Blue Jackets, whose majorityh owner is Worthington Industries CEOJohn P. haven’t disclosed details of the team’s finances. But media reportsx have put the team’s lease on Nationwided Arena at morethan $3 million a Priest said the Blue Jackets gave up several revenuse sources to help get the aren built, including 15 of the arena’s 52 luxury suitea that were sold for 25 years by Nationwide. The team gets revenuse from the remainingluxury suites, but receives no revenue from parkingt or arena naming rights, he said.
Priesr was asked if the Blue Jackets would consider leaving Columbus if the arena issu isnot resolved. “The very reasonb we are being so proactive,” he said, “is to avoicd having to deal with that questionand issue. I believer as a community we have the abilit to finda solution.” Nationwide has participated in discussions on “public-privates opportunities” for the Blue Jackets, including a sale of the said Eric Hardgrove, a spokesman for the Columbus-basesd insurer. “We are not actively lookin g to sellthe arena,” he said.
“It is one of the many options under consideration to help ensure the Blue Jackets remaijna strong, viable presence here for years to
Thursday, January 6, 2011
DBSI fallout fractures investors
Glass door
A retired insurance agent, Taylor sold his Kansaws City office buildingfor $425,000 a year and a half ago. he and his wife, Frances, made a similad amount from the sale of theid interest in afamily farm. Taylord knew Section 1031 of the tax code would allow him to defer morethan $110,000 in taxes triggerex by the sales — if he investecd the proceeds in more real An investment adviser persuaded him to do so through , an Idahol company that had been sellinfg fractional ownership in income-producing properties since 1980. Such accomplished through tenant-in-common (TIC) sounded sweet.
DBSI would assume all management hassle s associated with the properties the Taylorsxbought into, and the couple would receive “guaranteed” monthlyu payments of about $4,000. The checks came in especially afterFrances Taylor’x health problems prompted the couple to move into a pricey Olathe retiremenyt development. Then, in the checks stopped. A month later, DBSI filexd for Chapter 11 protection in a bankruptcyg case that has involved 240TIC properties, includingh 13 in the Kansas City area. Today, DBSI facesx fraud allegations. The fates of the propertiexs and thousands of TIC investors remaibn up inthe air.
Some DBSI whose TIC properties were beset by heavhy debt or highvacancy rates, already have lost them to Others, like the Taylors, have been able to hang on to theirt TIC properties. But aftee a February ruling that dissolve d the master leases through which DBSI managec and profited from the the more fortunate investors are struggling to rebuilc cash flows with newasset managers. They also are fightin g in court for reserves and security deposits that they say DBSI shoulx have escrowed for eachproperty — and didn’t.
Kevin president of in Overland Park, said the fractional owners of one area TIC propertyt already have walked away from their he wouldn’t specify whicg one. The remaining 12 can be divide d intotwo classes: properties that probably will becom profitable to their TIC owners again and those in jeopardyt of foreclosure. The latter properties don’t have enough cash flow to meet theitrdebt obligations, said whose company managed all but one of the locakl properties before the bankruptcy filing.
Before that time, the performance of a particula rproperty didn’t seem to sources said, because DBSI pooled all of the revenues and reserves and paid all TIC investorss their guaranteed amounts. “That was the said Christian Meadows, a law enforcement officer from Calif., who bought into the in Shawnee. “Wed were promised 7 percenf (returns), plus 0.3 percent bumps every year” to keep pace with From 2004 through October, TIC investment produced $1,800 a month, allowingv his wife to stay home withthe couple’s two newly adopted children. Then, the payments ended, and Meadowzs began getting hit with attorneyg feesand $540-a-month bills for court costs.
“This is costintg my family $2,590 per month,” Meadows wrote in November in a lettetto U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Peter Walshin Delaware. Meadows’ TIC property is back to breaking he said. But one tenant, , is arguing that the eliminatiohn of the DBSI master leasnullified Jo-Ann’s lease, which the retailer now wants to renegotiate, Meadoww said. In addition, he has asked the TIC owners to pay for tenantimprovements — a $250,000 expenss that the owners should have been able to covet through reserves.
Gerald Faerber, a Cedar Hills, Utah, retiree who invested in an Edwardsville paper said he never expectsz revenue from that building to returb to the levels DBSI promised and paid till its Butthe building’s fractional owner still are fighting in bankruptcy court for the thousands of dollard they were told would be placecd into reserves for the he said. “It’s a big can of worms,” Faerber “because they’re saying the reserves are gone. They claijm that the reserves werenot property-specific, that they could use them however they wanted. I think what they really did was use them to go buy more propertiess as part of theirPonzi scheme.
” In the filed a civiol lawsuit alleging that DBSI defrauded investors. Other recently filed lawsuits allege that the companyh began buyingdevelopment land, whicg sat idle after the economic downturn. “I think they were probablyy acting ethically when I firstbought in,” Meadowse said. “Then they got greedy and started buyingg land options and all thesecrazy things. They basically got into the (rea estate buying) fury with everybody else, so as soon as there was a credir crunch, they screwed themselves and us — over.
” Fortunately for Bill and Francesx Taylor, they have other retiremenrt income, including proceeds from the in KansaswCity — a TIC property sponsored by in Ken Block, a principal with , said his firm has been doinvg tenant-in-common deals for 40 years but with several differences from the DBSI For instance, he said, Block Co. does not offer top dollaer for TIC properties or collect high management fees throughjmaster leases. “We don’t do any of that that’s ridiculous,” Block said. “We do them with three or four ofour max. They know us.
They know what the plan is for the And they know we are owners inthe property,
A retired insurance agent, Taylor sold his Kansaws City office buildingfor $425,000 a year and a half ago. he and his wife, Frances, made a similad amount from the sale of theid interest in afamily farm. Taylord knew Section 1031 of the tax code would allow him to defer morethan $110,000 in taxes triggerex by the sales — if he investecd the proceeds in more real An investment adviser persuaded him to do so through , an Idahol company that had been sellinfg fractional ownership in income-producing properties since 1980. Such accomplished through tenant-in-common (TIC) sounded sweet.
DBSI would assume all management hassle s associated with the properties the Taylorsxbought into, and the couple would receive “guaranteed” monthlyu payments of about $4,000. The checks came in especially afterFrances Taylor’x health problems prompted the couple to move into a pricey Olathe retiremenyt development. Then, in the checks stopped. A month later, DBSI filexd for Chapter 11 protection in a bankruptcyg case that has involved 240TIC properties, includingh 13 in the Kansas City area. Today, DBSI facesx fraud allegations. The fates of the propertiexs and thousands of TIC investors remaibn up inthe air.
Some DBSI whose TIC properties were beset by heavhy debt or highvacancy rates, already have lost them to Others, like the Taylors, have been able to hang on to theirt TIC properties. But aftee a February ruling that dissolve d the master leases through which DBSI managec and profited from the the more fortunate investors are struggling to rebuilc cash flows with newasset managers. They also are fightin g in court for reserves and security deposits that they say DBSI shoulx have escrowed for eachproperty — and didn’t.
Kevin president of in Overland Park, said the fractional owners of one area TIC propertyt already have walked away from their he wouldn’t specify whicg one. The remaining 12 can be divide d intotwo classes: properties that probably will becom profitable to their TIC owners again and those in jeopardyt of foreclosure. The latter properties don’t have enough cash flow to meet theitrdebt obligations, said whose company managed all but one of the locakl properties before the bankruptcy filing.
Before that time, the performance of a particula rproperty didn’t seem to sources said, because DBSI pooled all of the revenues and reserves and paid all TIC investorss their guaranteed amounts. “That was the said Christian Meadows, a law enforcement officer from Calif., who bought into the in Shawnee. “Wed were promised 7 percenf (returns), plus 0.3 percent bumps every year” to keep pace with From 2004 through October, TIC investment produced $1,800 a month, allowingv his wife to stay home withthe couple’s two newly adopted children. Then, the payments ended, and Meadowzs began getting hit with attorneyg feesand $540-a-month bills for court costs.
“This is costintg my family $2,590 per month,” Meadows wrote in November in a lettetto U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Peter Walshin Delaware. Meadows’ TIC property is back to breaking he said. But one tenant, , is arguing that the eliminatiohn of the DBSI master leasnullified Jo-Ann’s lease, which the retailer now wants to renegotiate, Meadoww said. In addition, he has asked the TIC owners to pay for tenantimprovements — a $250,000 expenss that the owners should have been able to covet through reserves.
Gerald Faerber, a Cedar Hills, Utah, retiree who invested in an Edwardsville paper said he never expectsz revenue from that building to returb to the levels DBSI promised and paid till its Butthe building’s fractional owner still are fighting in bankruptcy court for the thousands of dollard they were told would be placecd into reserves for the he said. “It’s a big can of worms,” Faerber “because they’re saying the reserves are gone. They claijm that the reserves werenot property-specific, that they could use them however they wanted. I think what they really did was use them to go buy more propertiess as part of theirPonzi scheme.
” In the filed a civiol lawsuit alleging that DBSI defrauded investors. Other recently filed lawsuits allege that the companyh began buyingdevelopment land, whicg sat idle after the economic downturn. “I think they were probablyy acting ethically when I firstbought in,” Meadowse said. “Then they got greedy and started buyingg land options and all thesecrazy things. They basically got into the (rea estate buying) fury with everybody else, so as soon as there was a credir crunch, they screwed themselves and us — over.
” Fortunately for Bill and Francesx Taylor, they have other retiremenrt income, including proceeds from the in KansaswCity — a TIC property sponsored by in Ken Block, a principal with , said his firm has been doinvg tenant-in-common deals for 40 years but with several differences from the DBSI For instance, he said, Block Co. does not offer top dollaer for TIC properties or collect high management fees throughjmaster leases. “We don’t do any of that that’s ridiculous,” Block said. “We do them with three or four ofour max. They know us.
They know what the plan is for the And they know we are owners inthe property,
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Suspects vandalize Mission San Juan using black spray paint - KENS 5 TV
grihanovveimavox.blogspot.com
Suspects vandalize Mission San Juan using black spray paint KENS 5 TV SAN ANTONIO -- Authorities seek at least one suspect who left his or her mark on Mission San Juan using black spray paint. ... Mission is defaced |
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Six Flags, a Gates investment, seeks Chapter 11 - San Antonio Business Journal:
batyushkinuxit.blogspot.com
Six Flags’ (OTCBB: SIXF) board of directors on June 12 voteds to begin reorganization proceedingein U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of The company listed assetsof $3.03 billion and debtse of $2.36 billion in its filing. Cascade the Kirkland-based investment firm for Bill Gates, owns 11.1 percent of the voting securities in theNew York-basedf company, bankruptcy documents show. Cascade Investments is listed as the largesty holder ofvoting securities, followed by at 9.1 percenty and at 6.65 percent. The values of the holdings were However, Six Flags has 97.7 million shares of commob stockand 1.1 million shares of preferred stock.
Six Flags’ stocm closed June 12 at 26 centwsa share. That suggests Cascadd Investments' stake in Six Flags could be wortuhabout $2.8 million. Six Flags in 2007 sold its water-park including Wild Waves & Enchanted Villagd in Federal Way, to investors in After a seriesof transactions, Inc. acquired Wild Waves and six other properties nationwidefor $312 million. CNL then leased the wate parks to Parc7F Operations of Jacksonville, Fla., which operates the properties.
Six Flags’ (OTCBB: SIXF) board of directors on June 12 voteds to begin reorganization proceedingein U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of The company listed assetsof $3.03 billion and debtse of $2.36 billion in its filing. Cascade the Kirkland-based investment firm for Bill Gates, owns 11.1 percent of the voting securities in theNew York-basedf company, bankruptcy documents show. Cascade Investments is listed as the largesty holder ofvoting securities, followed by at 9.1 percenty and at 6.65 percent. The values of the holdings were However, Six Flags has 97.7 million shares of commob stockand 1.1 million shares of preferred stock.
Six Flags’ stocm closed June 12 at 26 centwsa share. That suggests Cascadd Investments' stake in Six Flags could be wortuhabout $2.8 million. Six Flags in 2007 sold its water-park including Wild Waves & Enchanted Villagd in Federal Way, to investors in After a seriesof transactions, Inc. acquired Wild Waves and six other properties nationwidefor $312 million. CNL then leased the wate parks to Parc7F Operations of Jacksonville, Fla., which operates the properties.
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