Fifth Street Finance Corp. Releases Its Monthly Newsletter, March 2010 CNNMoney.com (press release) WHITE PLAINS, NY, March 11, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fifth Street Finance Corp. (NYSE:FSC) released its monthly newsletter today. ... and more »

CBS News

Finance Bill to Be Offered Without GOP New York Times Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. By SEWELL CHAN WASHINGTON — The chairman of the ... Finance Reform Bill May Exempt Payday LendersNew York Times (blog) all 469 news articles »

     The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race started on March 6. During the course of the race, teams of dogs and mushers will cover 1,161 miles (1,868 km). To see more photos as they come in try a search for Iditarod sorted by most recent. Photos from pwrplantgirl, Alaskan Dude, uzumewinter, auroraanc, Cold Press Publishing, and akphotograph.com. [...]

Investors have received a $275,000 legal judgment against Redwood Palms Pictures, a one-time darling of the Sacramento area's independent film business.

The judgment stems from a 2008 lawsuit, filed by several investors who contend they were misled by Redwood founders Scott Reid and Michael DiManno.

Among their allegations: Reid and DiManno promised returns that never materialized, improperly commingled funds and claimed to be directly involved in film production when they actually were loaning money to others with more hands-on moviemaking roles.

The court awarded investors Kevin Costa, Corby Robinson, Robert Chilton and Christian Rooney a total of $275,000 – the exact amount they put into Redwood – plus interest.

Rooney, a real estate investor, tells us he's not sure the four will be able to collect on the judgment. But that wasn't their chief goal.

"We mainly wanted to shut them down so they can't continue" to raise money from others, he says.

Reid, who is now running Redwood by himself, says the various charges are "ludicrous." The company was the lead producer on several films, he says, and there were no misrepresentations.

But he says he was unable to put up a defense in the civil case because Redwood couldn't afford legal counsel. Reid's own financial situation is dire as well. He recently filed for personal bankruptcy protection.

Is the Folsom company going under? "I don't think it is," he says.

Redwood has some promising projects in the works, he says, adding that he'll be sharing details about them with investors later this month.

Delaying tactic

Midtown's Cornerstone Restaurant isn't closing just yet.

Operators of the popular breakfast spot lost their lease at the end of February. Now they're battling eviction in an effort to stay open for a month or two longer while they look for another site – preferably nearby.

"We're trying to buy a little more time," says Danny Leung, who's run the eatery at 2330 J St. with business partner Kwang Jang for the past 16 years. The partners are in the midst of a tough stretch. They recently closed Hashi Fusion on L Street and earlier shut down a Cornerstone in Elk Grove.

They still own a Cornerstone in Citrus Heights and Nishiki Sushi on 16th Street.

The eviction action at the midtown Cornerstone was based on several alleged violations of lease terms.

The property owners have declined to comment on the dispute. Word is they're now in talks with other restaurant operators with interest in the site.

Model citizen

It pays to be in the right place at the right time.

So says local marketing guy Thomas Dodson, who recently accompanied buddies to a fashion show at the Mix Downtown.

While there, one of the show's organizers approached him with a question: Had he ever done any modeling?

"Noooo," he replied skeptically. But the woman, from Sacramento's Cast Images, told him he was a natural.

"She said I had an 'aspirational' look – attractive yet approachable," he says. He agreed to have some photos taken and "see where it goes."

Four days later he had a contract for his first gig – a 10-hour day of photo work at the Atlantis Casino in Reno.

He's been told the Atlantis photos could wind up in magazines and on billboards. Other jobs may be ahead.

It's a fun cap to an item we wrote Tuesday about how Dodson was facing possible layoff at Anova Architects before his boss crafted a plan for him to split hours between two companies.

"I was on the verge of being unemployed," he tells us. "Now I'm on the verge of being overemployed."

The Hindu

Yazev: Russia Must Diversify Gas Transit Oil and Gas Industry Latest News Yazev also pointed out that Russia pumps up to 140 billion cubic meters of gas, or 80 percent of the overall volume pumped to Europe, through Ukraine and ... Yanukovych Proposing Rada Appoint Hryschenko As Foreign Affairs MinisterUkrainian News Agency Yanukovych in Moscow - more than balancing his Brussels visitNews.Az Christians Cautiously Hopeful About Ukraine's New PresidentCharisma News Online RTT News -Channel News Asia -BBC News all 437 news articles »

While some chefs are willing to (illegally) serve meals that feature endangered species like whales, chefs like Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York are changing the world for the good with their cooking and their ideas. Dan was...

Jose Reyes of New York Mets told to rest, out at least two weeks: Mets shortstop Jose Reyes has been told to rest... http://bit.ly/bOYhSE

0 comments Source: sports.espn.go.com

Almonds, cloves and roses - Dr. Harris & Co

Triangle Business Journal

CROs shift focus as drug industry adds to demands Triangle Business Journal If you are already a Triangle Business Journal subscriber please create or sign into your bizjournals.com account to link your valid print subscription and ... and more »

Lobbyists lining up against Nutter's soda tax | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/11/2010 Philadelphia Inquirer Industry ads are sprouting on the air and in print extolling the good corporate citizenship of soft-drink companies. The public has weighed in with hundreds ... and more »

As a part of the Tribune Co.'s efforts to reduce costs and direct resources to focus on local coverage, the Daily Press of Newport News, Virginia will outsource page design, formatting and editing pages to the company's flagship paper, the...

Kung Fu Panda Series Part of Nick's 2010-11 Slate Animation World Network Kung Fu Panda: The Series, Nickelodeon's second collaboration with DreamWorks Animation, chronicles the further adventures of Po, the energetic, ... A Pair of Cable Upfront Pitches Suggests a Better Mood on Madison AvenueNew York Times (blog) Nickelodeon Enjoys Price Gains, Debuts New Teen ShowsMediapost.com Nickelodeon Delivers Upfront PresentationWorld Screen News MEDIAWEEK -Anime News Network all 19 news articles »

48h après la version l'américaine originale, Parallels livre une localisation française de de la dernière révision de Parallels Desktop 5 [5.0.9344 - 221 Mo - Mac OS X 10.4.11 - 79,99 €]. Les notes de version ont été traduites dans le même mouvement (PDF). Parmi les changements et nouvea...

The Media Management Center will be teaching the Media Executive Leadership Program from July 19 to 31 on the Northwestern University campus in  Evanston, Illinois. The program was launched last summer to train media executives from all fields in strategy,...

Baltimore Sun (blog)

Disney's Rapunzel and Flynn Rider Dolls ToyXplosion (blog) On November 24th, Walt Disney Animation Studios will release “Tangled”, formerly titled “Rapunzel” in theaters. The name change is an effort to get boys ... The Princess and the Frog Blu-ray & DVD ReviewUltimate Disney The Princess and the FrogWebster Kirkwood Times Disney wrings the pink out of 'Rapunzel'Los Angeles Times (blog) San Francisco Chronicle (blog) -Chip and Co -OntheBox (blog) all 50 news articles »

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

So... yesterday was gorgeous. We walked a LONG walk and then home for school, which is SO hard when the first really nice days start happening.

Later was agility class -- and be warned, I will be talking about yucky bodily functions ahead. Dakota played when we got there, but from the first run, I could tell she wasn't quite herself. I figured she'd just played too hard and was tired.

And then came the last run of the first class. I brought her out to the course, and she laid down in front of the jump instead of sitting. I asked her to jump, and she wouldn't... after a bit of encouragement, she carefully STEPPED over the jump. I knew she wasn't feeling well, thought maybe she had to potty, so I took her outside. She went potty, and it wasn't ... erhm.... solid, and then she threw up.

So, we didn't stay for the second class and came right home. Let her out and she threw up and went potty again. Brought her in where she laid by my feet for about 15 mins and then, without any warning, she threw up again. This pattern was repeated a few times (oh, joy) until, finally about 90 mins after we got home she curled up on the couch instead of at my feet. I figured this meant she felt at least a little better.

Apparently it did. Though she was completely exhausted (completely! I've never seen her so wiped out -- I had to carry her up to bed because she wouldn't wake up enough to walk), there was not more vomiting. I worried all night, though, and kept checking to make sure she was warm and breathing...

I'm a little tired.

But I'm so relieved that she seems to be fine this morning. She wanted to eat (I gave her about 1/2 c of her homemade food... will see if it stays down) and is now happily snoring back on the couch.

At first I was worried about bloat, but the primary symptom was:

Attempts to vomit (usually unsuccessful); may occur every 5-30 minutes

And I thought: Dakota is absolutely NOT unsuccessful! Oy... I had no idea her stomach could HOLD so much.

Other things included restlessness, unwillingness to lie down, etc. So I figured that wasn't the problem.

I still haven't a clue what happened. I'm just glad she's okay.

======================

Today will be our last nice day for a while -- it's going to be overcast and raining pretty much all weekend. My DH is *not* happy about this (this happened last year, where the weekdays were gorgeous and the weekends weren't), but we can't control nature. However, the rain will aid in hurrying along "ice out" on the lakes, so he make actually be able to start fishing on April 1st ... provided we get his boat registration back in time. I hadn't sent it in yet, because it was still so early -- but spring is VERY early this year!

=======================

You Are Flexible

You are broad minded and energetic. You are up for almost anything - all someone needs to do is ask. You have a true appreciation for nature, and you love being outdoors. You also enjoy traveling to exotic places. You crave freedom in your life, and you're not big on commitments or responsibilities. You want to be able to scurry off to the next thing that interests you... whatever that happens to be!

Uh.. no, not really. But I do like frogs...

=====================

New book raises disability awareness Tampa Tribune Kris Schanilec and Rachel Faldet of Decorah, Iowa, have co-edited "From My Perspective: Essays About Disability," a book authored by ... and more »

The Hindu

Government ignoring inflation: Yashwant The Hindu The Hindu The budget speech makes no mention of price rise or inflation as a challenge that the country faces today: Former Finance Minister Yashwanth Sinha. File photo The Opposition parties on Thursday expressed dismay that the UPA government had not ... BJP defence: Budget against aam aadmi, our walkout was historicIndian Express Government not sincere in controlling food prices: BJPSify BJP charges Centre for growing price riseAll India Radio Press Trust of India all 21 news articles »

- Dans un interview au "Figaro Magazine", le chef de l'Etat remet sur la table l'idée d'une TVA sociale mais annonce qu'il prendra le "temps de la concertation" sur la taxe carbone.   -

Saw a good way to handle large or small group snacks today: bucket or basket with random packaged snacks. Affordable, easy to store, can give many options for preferences.

N.Y. Rangers 1 2 0--3.

Carolina 1 2 0 0--3.

The venerated BBC World Service recently commissioned a polled involving more than 27,000 people across 26 countries. The findings are unremarkable: some 87% of Internet users believe that Internet access should be a basic right, and more than 70% of non-users believe that they should have access to it.

Depending on your country, the Internet has been available for ten years or more, and for individuals—at least in the developed world—it has since become ingrained in psyches as an essential commodity, akin to access to fixed-line telephony, electricity and potable water. For a growing number, the Internet is essential for work, for a greater number it is the first port of call for problem solving and information (Wiki and online Yellow pages come to mind) or getting things done (banking, finding out timetables for travel, etc). Most governments, too, now take the Internet as a key component of infrastructure, crucial to a nation's future socio-economic potential.

What governments may do with the Internet is another matter. A decade's experience and use of the service has enabled a growing number of governments to manhandle the potential dangers of hacking, fraud and privacy as a means to tighten the screws on their own control of access, and of their nationals' use of it. This is rightly opposed by the users themselves, over half of whom surveyed for the BBC believing that no government should be empowered to regulate the Internet.

In Europe, the 'three strikes rule' threatens to become more fashionable, following measures first proposed in France: there, the Création et Internet Bill failed in 2009 when France's Conseil Constitutionnel ruled that it leaned too much to 'guilty until proven innocent' and that it threatened major sanctions (Internet disconnection and a national blacklist on access) without judicial oversight. Nevertheless, the government shoehorned the Bill a second time, which this month came before the National Assembly for debate.

The Bill proposes that the scheme be administered by a newly formed group called HADOPI. ISPs notified about alleged file-sharing would be required to send an e-mail to the customer involved, a registered letter at the second alleged offence and, for a third offence, terminate access for up to a year. A database managed by HADOPI could presumably prevent blocked users from switching ISPs.

Italy looks like adopting a similar approach. Having in 2009 sued the Swedish The Pirate Bay site and attempted to force ISPs to block access to its content, the more recent charging of Google executives with criminal charges resulting from YouTube content denotes a government leaning towards authoritarianism regarding the Internet. The Italian three-strikes proposal would be complemented by a requirement that all blogs register with the government.

In the UK, meanwhile, the government is pushing through its controversial Digital Economy Bill, which proposes empowering regulators to disconnect or slow down Internet connections of persistent illegal file-sharers. Amendments to the Bill passed this month at the report stage at the House of Lords before its third and final reading in the House of Commons, could in theory force sites such as YouTube which host copyright-infringing material to be blocked or forced offline. The UK's three-strikes rule is similar in its essentials to those of France and the UK, with disconnection following two warnings.

At the European Union level, the European Parliament was initially critical of the three-strikes schemes, largely due to the absence of judicial review. However, this month the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was put forward for debate between the US, the EC, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Canada and Mexico. Aimed at preventing online counterfeiting, it threatens to punish ISPs for content delivered.

Polls show the sincerity of popular regard for a free Internet, and suggest that to tackle piracy other solutions than blocking ISPs and throwing citizens offline should be considered. Until they are considered, citizens should, as always, be vigilant about what their governments are legislating, lest they find themselves with a thoroughly policed Internet far removed from what they now know it to be.

Written by Paul Budde, Managing Director of Paul Budde Communication

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More under: Access Providers, Censorship, Internet Governance, Policy & Regulation, Privacy

The internet is among a record 237 individuals and organizations nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The number of nominations surpasses last year's record of 205 nominations. The internet's nomination has been championed by the Italian version of Wired magazine for helping advance "dialogue, debate and consensus".

Read full story: BBC

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Nearly 10,000 people oppose proposed Wellywood sign.

CNM News Network

New Chile quakes won't send second tsunami to OC ScienceDude (blog) The horrific magnitude 8.8 earthquake that occurred off Chile on Feb. 27th was followed today by three more large quakes in the same region. ... Chile urges coastal residents to evacuate: reportMarketWatch Chile Earthquake 2010 3 Additional Strong Quakes Shake Latin American CountryCNM News Network Peru: today's earthquake in Chile has not generated any tsunamiLiving in Peru (blog) Washington Post -The Associated Press -Open for Business all 59 news articles »

My new Adweek column is up and it's wholly focused on one of the 3 key hypotheses in "Flip the Funnel," namely that customer service will become not A - but THE - key strategic differentiator for brands in the forseaable - and near - future.

Click here to be whisked away to Adweek-land to read it there.

I had a great experience. How about you? Check out www.ihadagreatexperience.com and its evil twin, www.ihadabadexperience.com. Spread the word. And more importantly, add your own experiences to ihage and ihabe. Additional links: Flip the Funnel's hub Spre

I love Quest Community Church.  It is a role model church for Courageous Church.  It is one of the fastest growing, most creative, vibrant, loving, unselfish communities I know of in the world.  Over 10,000 people have come to follow Jesus in the past 10 years through the work of Quest! The pastor, Pete Hise, is [...]

BP in talks to buy Devon assets for $6bn (FT) UN orders review of climate change report (FT) Tullow names investors for Ugandan assets (FT) Glencore forecasts bumpy year as profits fall (FT) Shell halts supplies to Iran (FT) Eon tones down outlook for 2010 (FT) Putin seeks to bolster links with New Dehli (FT) IHS study backs shale gas '100 years' claims (Reuters) Sinopec to forge 1,660km LNG pipeline (China Daily) India still seeking coal deals in Australia, Indonesia (Bloomberg) Century-low in solar activity may slow warming 'slightly' (Bloomberg) Ghana Jubilee field to reach plateu early (Argus) Gulf Keystone on cash hunt (UpstreamOnline) German subsidy cuts muddy 2010 outlook (Reuters) Czech renewable energy exceeds grid safety limit (Reuters) Senate approves biodiesel credit bill (Bloomberg) Missing energy executive's body found in Mississippi River (AP)

I have been involved in government in Illinois in two capacities- municipal and school board.  Both have been elected offices, but essentially volunteer work.  In both capacities, I have seen amazingly dedicated employees work hard for the benefit of their...

Households and businesses could get unlimited, low-cost broadband with plans for a new undersea fibre-optic cable linking New Zealand to the wider world.

Elements of the Afghan National Security forces, operating independently of ISAF, discovered a large weapons cache in Kabul yesterday. The discovery included more than 1,000 detonators with remote control units, and 700 kilograms (approximately 1,500 lbs) of explosives, sufficient to...

During his visit to NATO Headquarters on 10 March, NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, Ambassador Mark Sedwill, briefed the North Atlantic Council on the progress of the military and civilian phases of Operation Moshtarak which is ongoing in southern...

KABUL, 11 March 2010 (IRIN) - The insurgents in Afghanistan have shown interest in negotiating with the UN and aid agencies on humanitarian access and aid distributions, according to a purported Taliban spokesman. “If aid agencies contact our local Mujahedin...

Trooper Pete Sheppard, from the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, writes from Afghanistan where his patrol have been building bridges and getting some well earned rest. We have spent the last couple of days in a really well equipped main base close...

Next week is designated as Brain Awareness Week. This gives you a chance to learn more, celebrate the week, and to create broader awareness! Through out the week there will be a daily:

• Blog Posting on brain topics
• New Fun Brain Facts
• Giveaways
• Family activity ideas on the braininsights website

Check back on Monday and through out the week to take part in Brain Awareness Week or subscribe here so you don't miss any of Brain Awareness Week!

Indians, Alaska Natives, in poorer health UPI.com Compared with other groups, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults are more likely to have poorer health, unmet medical needs due to cost, ... and more »

Digital Spy

Lysacek 'can't use skating on DWTS' Digital Spy Evan Lysacek has reportedly said that he can't use his skating training while preparing for Dancing With The Stars. ... Evan Lysacek: Dancing a Chance to "Prove Critics Wrong"Seattle Post Intelligencer What's Next for Evan LysacekNBC Los Angeles Celebrating Lysacek's momentAurora Beacon News Naperville Sun -Los Angeles Daily News -WHIO Dayton all 24 news articles »

Sportsnet.ca

Canada's Vaughn Chipeur out of world championships with foot injury The Canadian Press OTTAWA — A torn foot ligament has forced Canada's Vaughn Chipeur to withdraw from the world figure skating championships. The Edmonton skater, second at the ... Canadian skater Chipeur withdraws from worldsUSA Today Foot injury keeps Chipeur from world figure skating championshipsVancouver Sun Figure skater Reynolds fills in for Chipeur at worldsCBC.ca all 37 news articles »

Native Americans Enjoy Autonomy, But Land Use, Sovereignty Questions Persist Voice of America Many Indians, like Robert Holden - a Choctaw-Chicasaw Indian and the deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians - also claim that treaties ... Southern California Tribe donates $250000 to memorialize Native American VeteransHighland Community News (subscription) all 2 news articles »

San Jose Business Journal publishes an article about LensVector plans. LensVector is already in production with 30,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, said CEO Derek Proudian, who co-founded the company with CTO Tigran Galstian, a professor at Laval University in Quebec City. LensVector’s Silicon Valley facilities are designed to scale to 5 million units per month, or 60 million per year. Proudian said the demand could be 10 or 20 times that, and the company is considering a second production line. Expansion in Silicon Valley is one of several options it is considering.

The company hopes to go into mass production in the second half of this year. Though no customer announcements have been made, Samsung is working with LensVector.