VOL. 37 | NO. 18 | Friday, May 3, 2013
Vol State’s Allied Health program is so popular with students that a new $10 million facility is being built to house five of its fields of study.
REALTY CHECK
One of the terms of any real estate contract is the possession date. For years, it was customary for possession to be given on the DOD, or date of deed.
NEWSMAKERS
Hands On Nashville’s board of directors has elected new officers to its executive committee and several new members to its board.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Some of your clients have been acting goofy these days.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
I’ve never met a sales person worth his weight who feels as though he has free time during the workday. Time is definitely a luxury for motivated sales professionals. After all, there are typically infinitely more prospects to call on than we have hours in the day. That’s why the most successful in sales are masters of their schedule, rather than slaves to it.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
If you read much about stress, you quickly find out that stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The human stress response, or fight-or-flight system, was designed by Mother Nature to be your friend and help you in times of potential trouble. However, if you read on you also learn that, to state it somewhat bluntly, stress can kill you. So there you go; from not being so bad to … it can kill you. That’s not very confusing is it?
I SWEAR
In last week’s column, I told how a guy from another city and state who spends his winters in Belize wound up with a dead ringer for my phone number on a cell phone he bought in that country.
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
The lyrics to the right are from the Cayman Island Anthem. My husband and I, along with some of his other family members, just returned from a trip in the Cayman Islands, where we attended his nephew’s “destination wedding.” What a great destination!
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) - Even though a cowboy hat sighting on Fifth Avenue is still pretty rare, country music has made an important move into New York City.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences awarded to the late James M. Buchanan is coming to Middle Tennessee State University.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The state Department of Education has rolled out a new package of incentives to help bring the best teachers to Tennessee's worst schools.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - A top Republican political consultant and adviser to Pilot Flying J is facing possible civil penalties for failing to register as a lobbyist.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville high school is starting its own music label.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — The Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer Reports magazine's automotive testing.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale businesses stepped up their restocking of supplies in March, but their sales fell sharply.
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans spent briskly during the early spring months in the latest sign that they're encouraged by the economic recovery.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits fell by 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, a five-year low. Layoffs have returned to pre-recession levels, a trend that could lead to more hiring.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fewer U.S. homes entered the foreclosure process or were repossessed by lenders last month, the latest indication that the nation's foreclosure woes are waning.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market pulled back early Thursday after surging to record levels during the past week as investors judged that recent gains already reflect much of the improvement in the economy.
The price of oil fell closer to $96 a barrel on Thursday after reports showed supplies of U.S. crude rose last week and inflation accelerated in China.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fannie Mae said something Thursday that would have been unthinkable a few years ago: It earned a record $58.7 billion profit in the January-March quarter.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Spending on prescription medicines in the U.S. fell for the first time in decades last year, slipping as cash-strapped consumers continued to cut back on use of health care services.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House and Senate Republicans leaders have informed the White House that they will not submit names to serve on an advisory board that is to play a role in holding down Medicare costs under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Offering a more upbeat view of the economy, President Barack Obama resurrected his jobs proposals Thursday, advancing modest initiatives as he pushed for action on more ambitious efforts that face resistance from congressional Republicans. "We're poised for progress," he declared.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-controlled House voted Thursday to put U.S. bondholders and people on Social Security at the front of the line to be paid if the government hits its borrowing limit.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Longtime senator Douglas Henry will not seek re-election in 2014.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - More than 100,000 users have downloaded the Tennessee Department of Transportation's SmartWay app since its launch in December. The app provides up-to-the-minute customized traffic information for Tennessee drivers.
AUTO INDUSTRY
TOKYO (AP) — Subaru said Wednesday it is investing $400 million to expand its Indiana factory and will add 900 workers to build the Impreza small car there in 2016.
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota's quarterly profit more than doubled to 313.9 billion yen ($3.2 billion) as cost cuts and better sales worked with a weakening yen to add momentum to the automaker's comeback.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
HOUSTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors and attorneys for convicted ex-Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling say they have reached an agreement that will reduce the jailed executive's sentence for his role in the energy giant's collapse.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A resurgent housing market, rising home values and steady job gains are helping more U.S. homeowners stay on top of their mortgage payments.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones industrial average held above 15,000 a day after it closed above the landmark level for the first time.
Oil climbed to its highest price in more than a month on Wednesday, after the government reported U.S. crude supplies increased less than analysts expected.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mortgage giant Freddie Mac earned $4.6 billion from January through March, helped by a stronger housing market.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House is poised to approve a bill that would give private sector workers the option of choosing paid time off instead of cash wages for working overtime.
TUESDAY, MAY 7
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - An environmental group has filed a petition to intervene in the Tennessee Valley Authority's request to renew the licenses for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in Soddy-Daisy.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The state Department of Children's Services will appeal a Nashville judge's ruling ordering the agency to release records at 50 cents per page.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Arts Commission has reinstated its popular Arts Build Communities grant program.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A retired Tennessee National Guardsman has taken on a new role to help members of the Guard and their families find jobs and get career counseling.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - If you shopped at a Mapco convenience store recently, your financial information may be at risk.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts says it is not supporting a proposal to partially lift the group's long-standing exclusion of gays.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Nashville-based vacuum maker Oreck Corporation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Just two months after recovering the last of its losses from the financial crisis, the Dow Jones industrial average charged higher Tuesday, closing above 15,000 for the first time.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell Tuesday on expectations of another increase in U.S. oil supplies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans cut back on using their credit cards in March, suggesting many were reluctant to take on high-interest debt to make purchases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in March compared with February and slowed overall hiring, underscoring a weak month of job growth.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A survey shows U.S. home prices rose 10.5 percent in March compared with a year ago, the biggest gain since March 2006.
BOSTON (AP) — Who's better at getting a family to talk about money matters, mom or dad? Taking sides probably won't make for a harmonious Mother's Day celebration on Sunday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft is retooling the latest version of its Windows operating system to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Housewares retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc. has agreed to pay a $987,500 civil penalty to settle charges that it failed to immediately report a defect in Pottery Barn wooden hammock stands.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Labor Department official who took the blame for budgeting mistakes and cost overruns at the federal Job Corps program has resigned.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Traditional retailers and cash-strapped states face a tough sell in the House as they lobby Congress to limit tax-free shopping on the Internet.
MONDAY, MAY 6
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Eric Church, Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert are the lead nominees for this year's CMT Music Awards.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt University is offering K-12 teachers across the country a free professional development course through massive online open course provider Coursera.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Metropolitan Action Commission has begun providing free fans and air conditioners to needy seniors, the disabled and households with young children with a severe medical condition.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The public is invited to the Wild Horse Saloon Tuesday to see final auditions for the Tennessee Titans cheerleading squad. A panel of celebrity judges, including former Titans wide receiver Derrick Mason, Miss Tennessee USA Allison DeMarcus, Fox-17 Morning's Kelly Sutton and country music producer Michael Knox will determine who will be on the squad.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. is recalling 38,197 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal sedans in the U.S. because a defective battery control module could stall the engine or cause a fire.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Major stock market indexes are ending little changed on Wall Street following a record-breaking week.
The price of oil edged higher Monday as tension increased between Syria and Israel.
NEW YORK (AP) — BMC Software Inc. has agreed to be sold to a private investor group for about $6.6 billion in cash.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Men who are bashful about needing help in the bedroom no longer have to go to the drugstore to buy that little blue pill.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett says he doesn't like owning bonds right now, and he doesn't think average investors should either.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett says the Federal Reserve's efforts to keep interest rates low have helped the stock market soar, but the improving economy also plays a role.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is aiming to help traditional retailers and financially strapped state and local governments with a vote Monday that would widely subject online shopping — for years a largely tax-free frontier — to state sales taxes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay.
FRIDAY, MAY 3
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Members of the faith community are expressing their opposition to a bill that would make it a crime to video record animal abuse if it isn't turned over to law enforcement authorities within 48 hours.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) — For a guy who sang so many sad songs, George Jones left behind a lot of laughs.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) — State Rep. Joe Carr on Thursday joined state Sen. Jim Tracy in the race to oust embattled U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais in next year's Republican primary.
NASHVILLE AREA
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Journal Communications Inc. says its earnings rose 30 percent in the most recent quarter, boosted in part by its acquisition of a Nashville television station WTVF.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessean has announced that Laura Hollingsworth has been named its new president and publisher.
HEALTH CARE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Patients in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia are going to have access to more physicians with specialized training through an agreement announced Friday between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Mountain States Health Alliance.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's not a "Star Trek" tricorder, but by hooking a variety of gadgets onto a smartphone you could almost get a complete physical — without the paper gown or even a visit to the doctor's office.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — After weeks of conflicting signals about the strength of the economy, a big gain in the jobs market gave Wall Street reason to celebrate Friday.
The price of crude oil continued to rise Friday, a day after posting its biggest jump this year, as traders awaited the release of a closely watched U.S. employment report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy showed last month why it remains the envy of industrialized nations: In the face of tax increases and federal spending cuts, employers added a solid 165,000 jobs in April — and far more in February and March than anyone thought.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A survey of U.S. service firms says the sector expanded at a slower pace in April than March, as companies reported less business activity and couldn't raise their prices.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories fell in March by the largest amount in seven months but a key category that signals business investment plans managed a small increase.
NEW YORK (AP) — Barnes & Noble is teaming up with Google to vastly increase the number of apps available on its Nook HD tablets.
WASHINGTON (AP) — An overnight fire at the Labor Department's headquarters has shut the building down for most employees.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to seasonally adjusted 324,000, the lowest since January 2008. The drop points to fewer layoffs and possibly more hiring.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett is optimistic about America's economic future because the nation has begun to unleash the potential of women.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The average U.S. rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to a new record low last week, and the rate on the 30-year fixed loan declined. Cheaper mortgages have encouraged more home-buying and refinancing.