| ALL BUSINESS: Cost cutting nightmare
Last updated January 11, 2008 9:19 a.m. PT ALL BUSINESS: Cost cutting nightmare By RACHEL BECK
AP BUSINESS WRITER NEW YORK -- Corporate leaders who think they can slash expenses without customers noticing might want to give Circuit City Stores Inc.'s top brass a call. The electronics retailer is living the nightmare of cost-cutting gone bad. The Richmond, Va.-based company has been in a downward spiral since it announced last spring that it would lay off thousands of experienced workers it candidly said it could replace with cheaper new hires. Too bad that service matters in that corner of the retail market. Shoppers quickly noticed and fled - leaving Circuit City's sales and profits plunging. Its same-store holiday sales, reported on Monday, fell 11.4 percent.
Getaways to Coddle New Mothers (or Just Inspire Some)
The unscientific survey found Las Vegas was the most popular destination. (So, what happens in Vegas sometimes comes home with you and wants to borrow the car years later.) Dr. David Adamson, president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, said vacations can help couples who are trying to conceive, if the trips help them relieve stress, communicate better and reconnect. "There's no evidence that by going away it somehow intrinsically increases pregnancy rates," Dr. Adamson said. But, he added, "If it increases the frequency of intercourse, then it's probably helpful." As the due date approaches, some couples find the need to get away together while they still can. Since June, three W Hotels in New York City have been offering a "baby me" package for expectant parents.
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Hendricks Sr. told reporters in a conference call.Hendricks shared his vision for the tribe after traveling to Nashville to hand deliver to the Bureau of Indian Affairs the tribe's application to place both the targeted casino site and some acreage in Mashpee into federal trust. Land in trust would be tax-exempt and subject to federal laws. In the application, Hendricks cites high unemployment, incomes below the poverty level, physical and mental health, and housing needs among the serious challenges the tribe faces.Gaming revenues would allow the tribe to provide affordable housing to its 1,500 members and assisted-living facilities for seniors, Hendricks said. Casino profits also would help fund cultural activities, youth training, and more educational opportunities to help "future generations to survive and prosper in the larger society"... Globe. .
Darts & Laurels
Speaking of the boss, we offer a glad-you're-back-because-this-spring-may-be-your-only-chance-to-graduate DART to Bernie Machen for suggesting that summer school may have to be taken away to make up for the $16 million deficit due to state budget cuts. Surely, there are other ways to make up for the shortage.However, despite our usual reluctance, we can't help but offer a they-want-us-to-return-to-a-safer-campus-with-a-system-that-actually-works LAUREL to University of Florida officials for their plans to test the emergency text-messaging system for the first time Tuesday.With LSU's recent glitch, UF made the right choice to avoid similar problems and make sure all students have up-to-date information in case of an emergency.In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April, college officials can't leave much to chance these days.And since most of us are glued to our cell phones anyway (thanks a lot for that iPhone, Steve Jobs - that didn't help), why not send us a message that we'll actually get?Unfortunately, we have no choice but to give an absolutely-no-cutesy-way-to-say-it DART to the staff of the Hilochee Wildlife Management Area for their dense decision to start a controlled burn near I-4 in Winter Haven this week.Their attempt to clear land for a wildlife habitat in one of the state's driest areas turned into a predictably out-of-control wildfire.The resulting smoke-fog mixture over the interstate led to a 70-car pileup that killed four people and hospitalized 38.We shudder to think what could have happened if they had started the fire when we were making the trek back to Gainesville.Finally, we hand over a get-a-free-set-of-handcuffs-this-semester-if-you-don't-have-a-wristband LAUREL to the Gainesville Police Department for stepping up patrols to combat the common occurrence of underage drinking.While we don't wholeheartedly agree that this will stop the baby boozers, we have high hopes that more arrests will keep more of the amateurs at home.
Darts & Laurels
Speaking of the boss, we offer a glad-you're-back-because-this-spring-may-be-your-only-chance-to-graduate DART to Bernie Machen for suggesting that summer school may have to be taken away to make up for the $16 million deficit due to state budget cuts. Surely, there are other ways to make up for the shortage.However, despite our usual reluctance, we can't help but offer a they-want-us-to-return-to-a-safer-campus-with-a-system-that-actually-works LAUREL to University of Florida officials for their plans to test the emergency text-messaging system for the first time Tuesday.With LSU's recent glitch, UF made the right choice to avoid similar problems and make sure all students have up-to-date information in case of an emergency.In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April, college officials can't leave much to chance these days.And since most of us are glued to our cell phones anyway (thanks a lot for that iPhone, Steve Jobs - that didn't help), why not send us a message that we'll actually get?Unfortunately, we have no choice but to give an absolutely-no-cutesy-way-to-say-it DART to the staff of the Hilochee Wildlife Management Area for their dense decision to start a controlled burn near I-4 in Winter Haven this week.Their attempt to clear land for a wildlife habitat in one of the state's driest areas turned into a predictably out-of-control wildfire.The resulting smoke-fog mixture over the interstate led to a 70-car pileup that killed four people and hospitalized 38.We shudder to think what could have happened if they had started the fire when we were making the trek back to Gainesville.Finally, we hand over a get-a-free-set-of-handcuffs-this-semester-if-you-don't-have-a-wristband LAUREL to the Gainesville Police Department for stepping up patrols to combat the common occurrence of underage drinking.While we don't wholeheartedly agree that this will stop the baby boozers, we have high hopes that more arrests will keep more of the amateurs at home.
Beautiful Miss Idaho in LCHS Parade
Below, Family Phil's shot of historic downtown Wallace. BTW, Phil has a Little-Ears-Have-Big-Windows post here. *HBO's still trying to figure out what Stebbijo/Your Choice means by done-r here. *CDADave/Thin Air is trying out a new look as he prepares to return to the HBO blogosphere in a big way on Monday. He's asking folks what they think here. *Amy Crooks/That's Life. Life Goes On sounds as though she's been working hard for her money and not blogging too much here. *Marianne Love/Slight Detour has some fascinating historical info about Bonner County, including how Hoodoo Creek was formed and how Sagle got its name after losing out to Eagle in southern Idaho here. Also: Herb Huseland/Bay Views puts in his 2 cents about the inheritance tax here, Digital Fog has another fine parody here, ErinG/Idaho Native is getting nervous about the birth process here and Cis Gors/From A Simple Mind analyzes an online quiz she took here.
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Hendricks Sr. told reporters in a conference call.Hendricks shared his vision for the tribe after traveling to Nashville to hand deliver to the Bureau of Indian Affairs the tribe's application to place both the targeted casino site and some acreage in Mashpee into federal trust. Land in trust would be tax-exempt and subject to federal laws. In the application, Hendricks cites high unemployment, incomes below the poverty level, physical and mental health, and housing needs among the serious challenges the tribe faces.Gaming revenues would allow the tribe to provide affordable housing to its 1,500 members and assisted-living facilities for seniors, Hendricks said. Casino profits also would help fund cultural activities, youth training, and more educational opportunities to help "future generations to survive and prosper in the larger society"... Globe. .
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