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Boston Herald - Boston Herald

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 September 2013 | 16.31

Boston Herald - Boston HeraldMagnificent Jag is a treat for allBay State defense firms get work despite cutsCambridge penthouse could be your castleMIT study: U.S. needs to step up manufacturingColonial Drug departs from Harvard SquarePipe had leak 1 year before Hawaii molasses spillScheme to snag iPhones leads to chaos in Calif.BlackBerry slashes jobs in face of $1B 2Q lossNavy suspends company implicated in schemeAllegiant delays, cancels flights to check MD-80sGOP House: Keep government open, hit 'Obamacare'Stocks drop as investors fret over budget fightSenator concerned about Apple's fingerprint techOil falls as another US budget battle loomsMoody's: Established gambling markets falteringObama moves to limit power-plant carbon pollutionAG: Rides for dead people billed to Medicaid programEmployers cut jobs in 20 US states in AugustMuch-needed Hub condos on the wayPrice-y offices rise in Seaport

http://bostonherald.com/feed/4 en http://bostonherald.com/business/automotive/2013/09/magnificent_jag_is_a_treat_for_all It's the chicken or the egg conundrum: Do you want to be the driver of the sleek 2013 Jaguar XJL or the passenger in the elegant cabin?The long wheelbase of the XJL affords rear passengers a playground of luxurious creature comforts. Start with the reclining soft leather seats, drop-down glass trays and personal remote controls for the headrest-mounted entertainment centers. Add a whisper-quiet ride, a footrest to leisurely stretch out your legs, cooled and heated massaging seats and you arrive at work or the weekend estate in style. Automotive Sat, 21 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Jim Mahoney 1063304386 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/bay_state_defense_firms_get_work_despite_cuts Massachusetts companies that work with the U.S. Defense Department are still getting contracts in spite of federal budget cuts, but the firms say those contracts tend to be smaller.The Defense Department this week announced more than $865 million in contracts, including $9.9 million to Boston Dynamics of Waltham for work on the Legged Squad Support System, or LS3, a legged robot to help service members carry their gear, following them through rugged terrain and interpreting verbal and visual commands. Business & Markets Sat, 21 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Marie Szaniszlo 1063304391 http://bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/2013/09/cambridge_penthouse_could_be_your_castle This four-bedroom duplex penthouse condo, the home of former Channel 4 meteorologist Mish Michaels, features a dramatic sweeping staircase that joins what were two separate units.Part of the 113-unit Bay Square condo complex built in 1989, Michaels and her husband, Wes Atamian, combined two units in 2006 to create a showpiece custom-designed penthouse highlighted by a dramatic two-story vaulted turret with a living area overlooking a great room connected by a curving metal staircase. Real Estate Sat, 21 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Paul Restuccia 1063304401 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/mit_study_us_needs_to_step_up_manufacturing The nation's booming innovation economy is in danger of losing steam and moving overseas unless there is a significant increase in manufacturing in the U.S., according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but Massachusetts is poised to take advantage of such an increase, a state official says. Business & Markets Sat, 21 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Jordan Graham 1063304411 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/colonial_drug_departs_from_harvard_square Another vestige of the much lamented Harvard Square of old will close its doors today.Colonial Drug, known for its stock of more than 1,000 fragrances, is relocating after 66 years on Brattle Street to combine with the Stoddard's cutlery store in Newton at month's end."We did business with (Stoddard's owner David Marks') father, and his grandfather did business with our father," co-owner J.P. Botindari said. "We said someday we should get together, and we are. We complement each other." Business & Markets Sat, 21 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Donna Goodison 1063304531 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/pipe_had_leak_1_year_before_hawaii_molasses_spill HONOLULU — A state inspector saw molasses dripping last year from the same spot where a pipe leaked up to 1,400 tons of the sugary substance into Honolulu Harbor earlier this month, killing more than 26,000 fish and other marine life.Department of Transportation Deputy Director Randy Grune said Friday he sent a letter in July 2012 to Matson Navigation Co. notifying the company of the leak. The letter, provided to reporters Friday, asked Matson to tell the state when the pipeline was repaired. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 22:27:32 -0400 Associated Press 1063303856 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/scheme_to_snag_iphones_leads_to_chaos_in_calif PASADENA, Calif. — An overnight campout for the new iPhone turned chaotic Friday morning when two men were arrested for fighting outside an Apple Store and a man's plan to hire homeless people to wait in line for the coveted devices backfired, authorities said.Dozens of people recruited at a downtown Los Angeles homeless shelter to buy iPhones at a Pasadena store were left unpaid, and they mobbed the man who had hired them, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 21:22:17 -0400 Associated Press 1063302971 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/blackberry_slashes_jobs_in_face_of_1b_2q_loss TORONTO — It was once so addictive it inspired the nickname "CrackBerry." President Barack Obama confessed to being among the millions of devotees who couldn't bear to stop tapping feverishly away on its tiny keyboard. Madonna once said she slept with hers under her pillow.Then came the iPhone.Users newly addicted to Facebook and photo-sharing and Angry Birds started flirting with the opposition. And as more smartphones flooded the market with their supersize Samsung screens and thousands of apps, the BlackBerry failed to keep up with the flash. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 20:06:10 -0400 Associated Press 1063303256 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/navy_suspends_company_implicated_in_scheme WASHINGTON — The Navy suspended a Singapore-based company and its president from contracting with the federal government after the arrests earlier this week in a bribery conspiracy scheme.The president and chief executive officer of Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd., Leonard Francis, and his company and its affiliates are barred from federal contracts and can't receive benefits from federal assistance programs. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:52:00 -0400 Associated Press 1063304181 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/allegiant_delays_cancels_flights_to_check_md_80s LAS VEGAS — Allegiant Air officials said Friday that delays and cancelations could continue for several days as more than half of the airline's MD-80s remain grounded for overhauls of emergency slides like the ones deployed in an evacuation this week.The inflatable chutes worked properly Monday when smoke was reported in the cabin of an Allegiant MD-80 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, company officials said. An incident review, however, found that fleetwide maintenance hadn't complied with the slide manufacturer's recommendations. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:51:00 -0400 Associated Press 1063302331 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/gop_house_keep_government_open_hit_obamacare WASHINGTON — Charting a collision course with the White House, the Republican-controlled House approved legislation Friday to wipe out the 3-year-old health care law that President Barack Obama has vowed to preserve — and simultaneously prevent a partial government shutdown that neither party claims to want. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:35:48 -0400 Associated Press 1063301316 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/stocks_drop_as_investors_fret_over_budget_fight Washington's budget fight jolted investors on Friday, reminding them that the next few weeks could bring a lot of uncertainty. Wall Street hates uncertainty.Stocks fell in an afternoon sell-off that wiped out most of the gains from a rally earlier this week, when the Federal Reserve decided to keep its huge economic stimulus program intact.Major indexes were mixed in morning trading, but turned lower around midday after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defund President Barack Obama's health care law. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:50:51 -0400 Associated Press 1063302201 http://bostonherald.com/business/technology/technology_news/2013/09/senator_concerned_about_apples_fingerprint_tech NEW YORK — Sen. Al Franken is asking Apple for more clarity on privacy and security concerns he has with its use of fingerprint recognition technology in the new iPhone 5S.The iPhone 5S, which went on sale Friday, includes a fingerprint sensor that lets users tap the phone's home button to unlock their phone, rather than enter a four-digit passcode. Technology News Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:39:16 -0400 Associated Press 1063302701 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/oil_falls_as_another_us_budget_battle_looms NEW YORK — Oil fell more than 1 percent Friday as fears of a disruption to Middle East supplies eased while concerns about a shutdown of the U.S. government grew stronger.Benchmark oil for October delivery dropped $1.72, or 1.4 percent, to close at $104.67 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the week, oil dropped $3.54, or 3.3 percent. That's despite a 2.5 percent increase on Wednesday, when the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it would keep its stimulus policy in place. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:14:39 -0400 Associated Press 1063303601 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/moodys_established_gambling_markets_faltering LAS VEGAS — Established gambling towns like Las Vegas and Atlantic City are hurting as more states start welcoming bettors' dollars, Moody's Investors Service warned this week.The credit rating agency issued a report describing a shift in casino tax revenues away from New Jersey, Indiana and Nevada to new markets in places like Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio.The recession crushed gambling revenues across the county, and casino towns have been slow to bounce back. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:13:19 -0400 Associated Press 1063303041 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/obama_moves_to_limit_power_plant_carbon_pollution WASHINGTON — Linking global warming to public health, disease and extreme weather, the Obama administration pressed ahead Friday with tough requirements to limit carbon pollution from new power plants, despite protests from industry and Republicans that it would dim coal's future. Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:02:01 -0400 Associated Press 1063301306 http://bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/2013/09/ag_rides_for_dead_people_billed_to_medicaid_program A medical transportation company billed the government for rides for dead people, according to the attorney general's office, which today indicted the owner of the Webster-based business for allegedly defrauding a Medicaid program of more than $470,000.Cynthia J. Keegan, 50, of Webster and her company, Cross Roads Trolley, were indicted yesterday by a Worcester County grand jury for multiple counts of larceny and Medicaid false claims. Healthcare Fri, 20 Sep 2013 12:21:00 -0400 Ariel Rodriguez 1063302521 http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/09/employers_cut_jobs_in_20_us_states_in_august WASHINGTON — Employers cut jobs in 20 states last month, suggesting modest improvement in the U.S. job market this year is not enough to benefit all areas of the country.The Labor Department said Friday that 29 states added jobs, while Montana showed no net gain or loss in August. Unemployment rates rose in 18 states, fell in 17 and were unchanged in 15."The picture is decidedly mixed," said Jim Diffley, chief US regional economist at IHS Global Insight. "We're still optimistic about the improvement (in hiring), but it's been slow." Business & Markets Fri, 20 Sep 2013 11:59:51 -0400 Associated Press 1063302231 http://bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/2013/09/much_needed_hub_condos_on_the_way For the past year, Bay State homeowners and potential home buyers competed in bidding wars as they targeted a dwindling supply of properties for sale. Massachusetts' housing market rebounded strongly in the first two quarters as the median sale price for single-family homes and condos jumped at double-digit rates and sales reached levels not seen since 2006.But has the market cooled with mortgage rates up by a full percentage point over the past four months? And if so, what will the fall and winter markets look like? Real Estate Fri, 20 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Jennifer Athas 1063300131 http://bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/2013/09/price_y_offices_rise_in_seaport Shovels were ceremoniously lifted yesterday to mark construction already under way on the first office tower in Seaport Square, one of the largest mixed-used, master plan developments in the nation in one of the fastest growing areas of the city. Real Estate Fri, 20 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Donna Goodison 1063300231

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Alaskans eager to hear amount of oil wealth checks

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 18 September 2013 | 16.31

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — While the economy continues to recover, the worst of the recession will be very much felt by Alaskans Wednesday when the amount of their annual check from the state's oil-wealth fund is announced.

The amount of each person's dividend is based on a five-year rolling average of worldwide investment markets that were hard-hit far outside Alaska. This year, the calculation means the checks likely won't amount to much, certainly nowhere near the record payout of $2,069 in 2008.

But hey, it's still free money just for living in the northernmost state.

Whatever the amount, most dividends will go as usual toward new toys, travel, college savings or paying debts. The announcement is an eagerly anticipated event that will take place with much fanfare in Anchorage.

In the Inupiat Eskimo village of Deering, tribal administrator Dolores Iyatunguk said her dividend is going toward credit card bills and student loans. In the tiny village 520 miles northwest of Anchorage, the cost of living can be prohibitive, with diesel fuel currently $6.50 a gallon, for example. Iyatunguk isn't alone in using the money for necessities, although a small gift to herself would be nice.

"I was thinking about getting a winter jacket," she said. "But that can probably wait."

The dividends are distributed annually to residents who have lived in Alaska for at least one calendar year. The amount based on a five-year average of the $47 billion Alaska Permanent Fund's investment earnings, so this year's average includes 2009, a recession year when the fund posted a $2.5 billion net loss in statutory net income.

Alaska wasn't as hurt by the recession, but the Permanent Fund Corp. has a diversified porfolio, and it took a beating when markets plunged in the U.S and worldwide.

State officials have said that as long as 2009 is part of the five-year calculation, the amount will be on the lower end. After this year, 2009 will drop from the equation.

Last year's dividend was $878, the lowest amount since 2005 and the ninth-lowest in the program that began more than three decades ago. The 2011 dividend was $1,174.

The Permanent Fund was established in 1976 after North Slope oil was discovered. The state began distributing money from the fund to residents in 1982.

Alaska has no state income tax, but residents must pay federal taxes on the bounty.

Every year around payout time, many residents are in the market for a new snowmobile, particularly among rural residents looking for a good deal. People have been calling the Polaris and Arctic Cat store in the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River asking what kinds of dividend deals are in the works, said employee Doug Bestry.

For many, the extra money is a way to offset higher prices in Alaska for items such as groceries. For Bestry, the money usually goes toward a splurge, although one year he used his dividend to pay off his pickup truck. Last year, he used it to visit his mother in Arizona, and he'll probably do that again.

"It's just fun money for me," he said.

___

Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro .

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Greek public sector shuts down for 2-day strike

ATHENS, Greece — Greek civil servants walked off their jobs Wednesday at the start of a two-day nationwide strike protesting planned job cuts required as part of the country's international bailout.

The strike affected all public services across Greece. Schools and courts will remain closed, while hospitals will be functioning with reduced staff. Trains were to stop running for four hours, and journalists joined in with a three-hour work stoppage, pulling news broadcasts off the air until noon.

The walkouts are the first widespread strike action after the summer and aim to put pressure on the coalition government to repeal unpopular austerity measures. Officials have vowed not to back down.

Government plans call for the suspension on partial pay of 25,000 civil servants this year in a drive to reduce the size of the public sector and meet conditions to continue receiving rescue loans. Many of those suspended are expected to eventually lose their jobs.

The country has been depending on bailouts from the International Monetary Fund and other European countries since May 2010. In return, it has implemented a series of strict austerity measures to reform its economy.

They have included deep cuts to state salaries and pensions and repeated rounds of tax hikes, measures which many blame for prolonging a deep recession that is now in its sixth year. Unemployment is above 27 percent, the highest in the European Union, while it reaches nearly 60 percent for those under the age of 25.

Debt inspectors from the IMF, European Commission and European Central Bank, jointly known as the "troika," are due back in Athens to review progress on reforms next week.

The country's main private sector union was joining the strike with a four-hour work stoppage in the middle of the day, while two demonstrations were planned for central Athens: one by a Communist Party-backed union in the morning and the other by the main civil servants' union at around midday.

The two-day strike comes during a week of a series of strikes in various sectors. High school teachers have embarked on rolling five-day strikes, while state hospital doctors walked off the job for three days from Tuesday.

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Survey: Mass. primary care docs in short supply

BOSTON — A new report finds that Massachusetts continues to experience a critical shortage of primary care physicians and geographical disparities in the hiring and retention of doctors.

On a more positive note, the annual Physician Workforce Study set for release by the Massachusetts Medical Society on Wednesday also found a growing number of doctors willing to embrace cost-saving techniques such as accountable care organizations.

The survey found critical or severe shortages in family medicine and internal medicine, the two primary care specialties, for an eighth consecutive year in the Bay State.

About three-quarters of physicians surveyed in western Massachusetts cited difficulty in recruiting doctors to join their practices, and about half said they struggled to retain staff that was hired.

By contrast, only 18 percent of respondents in greater Boston said they had trouble filling vacancies.

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State bill eyes easing of fed flood insurance rates

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 September 2013 | 16.30

State lawmakers will hold a hearing today to see if they can bring relief to thousands of Massachusetts homeowners and businesses facing a dramatic rise in flood insurance rates under new federal law and a redrawing of flood lines by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

House Bill 865 would have the state insurance commissioner investigate how rates are set by the National Flood Insurance program and make suggestions to ensure that rates are not excessive.

State Rep. Jim Cantwell introduced the bill because of FEMA's decision to redraw flood lines and because the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 will do away with the grandfathering of properties that used old flood-risk data.

"This is the most significant fiscal threat to coastal communities and inland communities that have water running through them because rates in some instances are quadrupling," said Cantwell (D-Marshfield).

Kerry Bogdan, senior engineer at FEMA, said the agency updated its maps for every coastal community in Massachusetts because "key updates to engineering and modelling approaches were not accounted for in the 1980s maps."

Her explanation comes as little solace to Mitch Haddad of Haddad's Ocean Cafe in Marshfield, who said he and his brother rebuilt their restaurant last year 2 feet above the then-required elevation at a cost of $3.3 million, only to learn six weeks ago that the new required elevation is another 3 feet higher.

"It's just insane," Haddad said. "We tried to be proactive. ... We certainly could have built it another 3 feet higher."

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Patrick seeks SBA help for Mass. fishermen

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has taken a step toward making his state's battered fishing industry eligible for federal disaster assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Earlier this month, Patrick officially certified that Massachusetts fishermen who chase bottom-dwelling groundfish had suffered "substantial economic injury."

He cited the poor health of key fish stocks and this year's devastating cuts in the allowed catch.

Patrick wrote further in a letter to the SBA that the industry has been so economically damaged, that federal subsidized loans are essential.

An industry group, the Northeast Seafood Coalition, initiated the appeal to the SBA. In the meantime, fishermen are also pursuing Congressional assistance.

Tens of millions in disaster aid for New England fishermen has been included in a U.S. Senate appropriations bill, but the House must approve the allocation.

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European auto sales hit new low

FRANKFURT, Germany — European Union car sales are still sagging despite the return of modest economic growth.

For the first eight months of the year, passenger car sales were off 5.2 percent to 7.84 million compared with the same period last year, the European Auto Manufacturers' Association said Tuesday. That's the lowest January-August figure since the group started keeping track in 1990.

New car registrations in August fell 5 percent from a year ago to 653,872, the association said.

The economy in the 28-country EU grew 0.4 percent in the second quarter, ending a recession. But the unemployment rate remains high at 11.0 percent, making many consumers unable or afraid to buy a new car. Countries hit by the eurozone debt crisis, such as Greece and Spain, face even higher jobless rates that have hurt sales of moderately priced vehicles especially hard. Luxury carmakers are doing better.

The August downturn was distributed across Europe's biggest markets. Germany saw a 5.5 percent drop, despite a stronger economy than in other members of the 17-county eurozone. Registrations fell 10.5 percent in France, 18.3 percent in Spain, and 6.6 percent in Italy.

Britain's was the only major market to expand, rising 10.5 percent.

Among the major carmakers, Germany's Volkswagen Group was off 11.2 percent in August while France's PSA Peugeot Citroen slipped 17.3 percent. Renault Group rose 6.0 percent and General Motors was up 0.5 percent — as a large jump in sales of Chevrolet-branded vehicles made up for a 3.4 percent fall in sales of its main European Opel and Vauxhall brands. Ford was off 1.5 percent.

Luxury brands did better. Daimler's Mercedes was up 8.9 percent, excluding its compact Smart city car, and BMW AG rose 9.5 percent, excluding its Mini brand. However, VW's Audi luxury brand, a chief competitor for Mercedes and BMW, was off 5.6 percent.

The biggest market share over the first eight months remained with Volkswagen Group, including the company's other brands such as Audi, Seat and Skoda, with 24.9 percent, up slightly from 24.8 percent.

Global auto executives expressed caution about the future in interviews at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week. They said the European market may have reached the bottom but do not see any significant increase in demand this year.

The European market contrasts with a rebound in the United States, where figures show that sales are on track to reach 16 million vehicles a year — the level from before the recession. European annual sales were 15.6 million in 2007 but are heading for just under 12 million for all of this year.

The auto association also issued figures for July, which showed a 5 percent increase over the previous year. July had one more working day than the previous July, while August had one less. In July, the only major market to shrink was Italy, which was down 1.6 percent. The association releases figures for July and August together.

The figures excluded Croatia, which only joined the EU on July 1.

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Mini-T speakers will do in a pinch

Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 September 2013 | 16.30

These round little orbs are designed to work with computers, televisions and iPhones. At less than 6 inches wide and high, these ultra-compact speakers come in a variety of color options including antique copper and bronze, polished steel and hammered earth.

THE GOOD: There's no denying the craftsmanship of these perfectly round, sleek speakers, compact "subMini" subwoofer and nondescript amplifier. They'll bring style to any shelf, and the overall audio performance was decent to good.

THE BAD: Using a five-year-old pair of Monitor Audio Silver S1 speakers as my reference, the Mini-T speakers failed on some high-range tones. An entire acoustic guitar track was missing when I played my go-to song for audio testing, "Weak and Powerless" by A Perfect Circle.

THE VERDICT: This is a solid audio bundle for small-space living. While unlikely to appeal to steadfast audiophiles, the Mini-T subwoofer and amplifier bundle is a definite upgrade from those speakers that came with your computer, and the price for the bundle is more than reasonable.

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Harvard profs target cure for Lou Gehrigâ€™s

Two Harvard stem-cell scientists are teaming up with a German biotech company to expand the search for a cure for Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Harvard University professors Kevin Eggan and Lee Rubin will conduct amyotrophic lateral sclerosis trials in partnership with Evotec, the university and the company announced.

"We're not a pharmacy company and they're set up for this," said Harvard science spokesman B.D. Colen. "We are doing some of that already, but they're able to do it on a much larger scale."

ALS destroys nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, eventually leading to paralysis and death. There is currently no known cure or treatment that halts or reverses ALS, although several drugs in clinical trials hold promise.

The new amyotrophic lateral sclerosis trials will expand on Eggan and Rubin's brain motor neuron research and is the university's fourth collaboration with Evotec. The company is led by the former student of another Harvard researcher whose hormone treatment of diabetes sparked an earlier Evotec deal, said Colen.

Eggan, the first researcher to link the deterioration of motor neurons with the onset of ALS, is known for his development of a revolutionary use of stem cells in research that spares patients the danger of taking experimental drugs across the spectrum of human disease, Colen said.

"It literally moves the disease out of the patient and into a lab dish so then you can use it to screen for possible drug treatments," Colen said,

The finances for the ALS deal are confidential, Colen said. "But if ... down the road this does prove successful and it becomes a drug, there will be revenue coming back to the discoverers and to the university."

Efforts by former Gov. Paul Cellucci to fight the debilitating disease that claimed his life did not contribute directly to Rubin and Eggan's research, Colen said, "But in terms of making Massachusetts a hospitable environment to do this kind of research, absolutely."

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Tech talk on tap at cop confab

Tech companies are targeting the law-enforcement market as 3-D printing, Google Glass and other advances open new crime-fighting frontiers — innovations to be showcased at a conference in Cambridge this week that is drawing cops from around the country.

"Technology can help in every aspect of policing," said Dan Riviello, spokesman for the Cambridge Police Department and co-director of the two-day Police Innovation Conference at Microsoft New England, where representatives from police departments including Boston, Cambridge, New Mexico and Michigan will work to improve their use of technology and learn how to use new technology.

"As police forces have had to downsize because of the recession, their workload hasn't decreased," said Joe Rozek, executive director of homeland security and counterterrorism for Microsoft, who helps to put together "fusion centers" — police hubs where cameras, sensors and other real-time information can be collected and disbursed to responders.

"(The center) takes the information and raw data and turns it into actionable intelligence," Rozek said.

The conference will touch on social media, but also new and emerging technologies, like drones and 3-D printing.

"There's a lot to learn about and to harness and to understand. It's all moving very fast," said Peter Olson, founder of WiredBlue, makers of an app police departments can sign up for to better connect with the public.

Riviello will be speaking about the CPD's unique use of Twitter, where dispatch calls are automatically tweeted with the reason for the call and rough location.

"We think an informed community is a safer community," he said.

Mutualink, a Westford company that creates a secure method of interagency communication that is private for both parties, will show off its method for giving hands-free context and tactical awareness to first responders using Google Glass.

That would allow police responding to an incident to see vital information — like a map or surveillance camera feed — without using their hands. For example, in a school shooting, the school could provide law enforcement with a map and live feeds of video cameras that show up on Glass so first responders could make better and quicker decisions.

Still, all the information in the world is only as useful as the back-end system to put it together, experts said.

The key, Rozek said, is not looking at one technology as the "end-all solution."

The answer, and the way to use technology, "is one based on logic and reason."

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The Ticker

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 September 2013 | 16.30

Wal-Mart to open more smaller stores

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to increase the number of so-called "Neighborhood Market" stores, its smaller concept store, by nearly 75 percent over the next 18 months.

The world's largest retailer plans to have 500 of the smaller stores open within the next 18 months, up from a current 290.

In an effort to reach more customers in urban settings and geographies that can't support a traditional "Supercenter," the Bentonville, Ark.-based company is focusing on two small-store concepts: its Neighborhood Market and Walmart Express, that are meant to compete directly with grocery stores, discount/dollar stores and drug stores.

Wal-Mart's Neighborhood Market stores are sized on average at 38,000 square feet and the small-concept Walmart Express stores average about 15,000 square feet.

TOMORROW

Federal Reserve releases industrial production for August.

TUESDAY

Labor Department releases Consumer Price Index for August.
National Association of Home Builders releases housing market index for September.
Federal Reserve policymakers begin a two-day meeting to set interest rates.

WEDNESDAY

Commerce Department releases housing starts for August.
Federal Reserve policymakers meet to set interest rates.
FedEx Corp. reports quarterly earnings before the market opens.
Oracle Corp. reports quarterly earnings after the market closes.

THURSDAY

Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.
Commerce Department releases current account trade deficit for the second quarter.
Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.
Conference Board releases leading indicators for August.
National Association of Realtors releases existing home sales for August.

THE SHUFFLE

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New England announced that Lauren Rabb, left, has been appointed sales manager of the company's Newton and Chestnut Hill offices. Rabb will be responsible for the day-to-day sales and operations of 74 sales associates serving Newton, Brookline and the surrounding communities.
Putney Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and sale of generic prescription medicines for pets, has named Ellen Tobias as vice president of technical operations.

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Ponzi schemes proliferate

The Securities and Exchange Commission and law enforcement continue to see a steady stream of Ponzi schemes nearly five years after the Bernard Madoff scandal rocked the securities world.

Since fiscal year 2010 alone, the SEC has brought more than 100 enforcement actions across the nation against nearly 200 people for carrying out Ponzi schemes, prompting the commission to launch a Web page in 2011 for whistle-blowers to report violations of federal securities laws and apply for a financial award.

"Investors should continue to be wary of Ponzi schemes, which we steadily uncover and prosecute in regions throughout the country," said Kevin Callahan, an SEC spokesman. Red flags, such as promises of extraordinarily high returns with little or no risk, can signal that something may be amiss."

Among the recent local cases is that of Steven and Lori Palladino of West Roxbury, who were indicted earlier this year for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Prosecutors allege the couple used their company, Viking Financial Group, to borrow investors' money, which often went into the Palladinos' personal bank accounts to fund their lavish lifestyle. Money from new investors then allegedly was used to repay earlier ones and make monthly payments to all of them. But prosecutors allege it didn't stop there. Earlier this month, Palladino also was charged with one count of usury, or loan-sharking, for allegedly demanding a 40 percent interest rate on a loan his company made to a businesswoman.

"He's continuing to buy time, but inevitably, he needs to answer where our money is," one of their alleged victims, who declined to give his name, said of Steven Palladino. "History tells us we don't always get back what we've lost. But we do want to see justice served."

Prosecutors in the Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston make a point of bringing victims to perpetrators' sentencings so that judges can see firsthand that the impact of the crimes goes beyond dollars.

"People literally find overnight that they're destitute," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Levenson, whose unit has prosecuted 13 Ponzi schemes in the last five years.

Beginning in November, Levenson's office will hold a series of forums to warn the elderly in particular of the dangers of investing with people who promise inordinately high returns.

"It's clear that it is prevalent. It's a form of violence, a form of sociopathology.  And I think it's becoming increasingly defined that way," said Gaytri Kachroo, a lawyer who has represented hundreds of Madoff victims.

People frustrated with low bank and bond rates "make a very appetizing opportunity" for perpetrators, said Secretary of State William Galvin, whose office has taken action against seven schemes in the past five years.

"The problem with Ponzi schemes is finding them," Galvin said. "They strive for secrecy. When we hear about them, all you have to do is follow the money. The problem is you don't hear about them until they default. It's like a game of musical chairs. Ultimately, the music has to stop, and you're going to be one chair short."

Antonio Planas contributed to this report.

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Prep test for MBA goes mobile

It took Elad Shoushan five tries to master the Graduate Management Admission Test. But Shoushan turned his circuitous route to Massachsuetts Institue of Technology's Sloan School of Management to his advantage by developing an app that he claims is cheaper, more convenient and ultimately more effective than any test-prep course on the market.

The 31-year-old Israeli native used his experience as a serial GMAT underachiever and former professional basketball player to figure out what he'd been missing.

"As a basketball player, it was very simple to identify what I needed to improve," he said. "But with the GMAT, it's really hard to focus on one weakness at a time."

So in 2012, he founded LTG Exam Preparation Platform, a mobile learning platform for standardized tests. The company's first product, Prep4GMAT, is available for the iPhone and iPad, and categorizes questions based on what concepts they're testing.

When a user gets a question wrong, the app breaks it down based on keywords. Over time, Shoushan said, the app helps the user focus more quickly on keywords inside questions, associating them with the concepts learned.

"You start to see where your deficiencies are so you can really hone in on those areas," said Tarlin Ray, Shoushan's mentor in the  $1 million startup competition and accelerator MassChallenge, where he is now a finalist.

This approach of dissecting a test through pattern recognition, coupled with the fact that LTG was built "from the ground up" to be a mobile company, distinguishes it from other test-prep companies, said Ray, including Kaplan, where he worked for 3 1⁄2 years.

"It's almost like you have a coach in your pocket," he said.

Alba Medina, 28, needed a 650 on the GMAT to get into a top-10 graduate school. So for help, she turned to three programs — Manhattan Prep, Veritas Prep and Knewton.com — spending between $300 and $800 on each.

"After failing four times, I was desperate," Medina said.

So she tried LTG for $20, she said, and improved her score by 120 points, just enough to get into MIT.

"I didn't have to carry around books with me," Medina said. "The software discovered my weaknesses, so it was easy to concentrate on them."

LTG's other advantages are that it doesn't require users to log into a website that might not be available if they don't have an Internet connection, and, for the next few weeks, it's also free until Shoushan and his team finalize LTG's premium version, which will cost between $30 and $50.

16.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

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