VOL. 36 | NO. 23 | Friday, June 8, 2012
NEWSMAKERS
Corizon, a Brentwood-based provider of correctional healthcare solutions, has promoted Joe Pastor, M.D., to chief mental health officer.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
We all know intuitively that a strong search engine ranking can impact traffic to your website, but just how “make or break” is it? A whopping 75 percent of people don’t click past the first page of search results, and the top three results on page one, excluding paid ads, account for 60 percent of the clicks according to Sitepoint.com.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
May came to a merciful end last week, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its biggest monthly decline in two years, retreating by 6 percent. While those returns are discomforting, the real pain was felt outside of our borders.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
It may be just your imagination, but the phone isn’t ringing as much as it used to.
I SWEAR
After reading the 2009 novel that I dissed a bit last week, I read Tina Fey’s 2011 autobiographical Bossy Pants. Superb, stellar, well-written. Educational, insightful, witty and fun! What more could I ask?
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
Every time I visit my hairdresser to get my hair trimmed (and gray covered), she turns her TV to Food Network. She knows I write about, cook and eat a lot of food, and have been cooking since I was able reach the stove by standing on a chair alongside my mom and granny. Well, maybe some of that is a little exaggerated, but some of it is true.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
Business owners who lose touch with reality usually end up going out of business. So let’s chat a bit about reality this week. Among a group of people, the most successful person is usually the one whose viewpoint or image of reality is most closely related to reality. But why would someone’s image of reality deviate from reality in the first place? It’s easy to understand how that can happen if you understand how the brain creates images of reality.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Whirlpool Corp. has agreed to drop its appeal of a $1 million judgment for failing to stop racial and sexual harassment at a Middle Tennessee plant.
NASHVILLE (AP) — First Lady Michelle Obama will give the keynote address to the nation's oldest black religious denomination at the general conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville on June 28.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The nation's largest Protestant denomination continues to see a decline in membership.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's unemployment increased slightly in May, the first increase in two years.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee education officials are considering changes to the state's new teacher evaluation system, and those changes may be similar to those suggested in a recent study requested by the governor, the education commissioner said Thursday.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The board of education in Tennessee state Sen. Stacey Campfield's hometown in upstate New York won't remove the Knoxville Republican from its hall of fame over complaints about his comments about gays and AIDS.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
HOUSTON (AP) — Former jet-setting Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford, whose financial empire once spanned the Americas, was sentenced Thursday to 110 years in prison for bilking investors out of more than $7 billion over 20 years in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history.
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market headed higher Thursday after a tame inflation reading and another weak jobs report raised expectations that the Federal Reserve is closer to offering more support for the U.S. economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average rates on fixed mortgages rose this week, the first increase in seven weeks. But mortgage rates remain near historic lows, boosting prospects for home sales this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of U.S. consumer prices fell in May by the most since December 2008 as gas costs dropped sharply. Outside food and energy, prices rose modestly.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans sought unemployment aid last week, suggesting hiring remains sluggish.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lenders initiated foreclosure proceedings against more U.S. homeowners in May, setting the stage for increases in home repossessions and short sales — scenarios that could further weigh down home values in coming months.
The price of oil is struggling for direction as OPEC ministers debate how much oil to produce while global economic growth is slowing.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Kroger Co. is forecasting a rosier year after the company's customer-loyalty programs helped boost net income in the first quarter.
DETROIT (AP) — Government safety regulators have expanded an investigation into gas tank fires in older-model Jeep Grand Cherokees.
MADRID (AP) — Spain's borrowing rates have hit a high not seen since the country joined the euro in 1999 after a credit ratings agency downgraded the country's ability to pay down its debt.
MILAN, Italy (AP) — Italy's borrowing costs on its three-year bonds skyrocketed Thursday to their highest level since December, as concerns about Spain and the state of Europe's economy continued to pummel the country's financial markets.
HELSINKI (AP) — Nokia Corp. will lay off 10,000 jobs globally and close plants by the end of 2013, the company said Thursday, in a further drive to save costs and streamline operations.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats seem to be living on different planets when it comes to how to meet U.S. energy needs.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Frances Williams Preston, who worked with top songwriters as president of the royalties company Broadcast Music Inc., died Wednesday. She was 83.
NASHVILLE AREA
NEW YORK (AP) — Computer maker Dell Inc. is planning more than $2 billion in cost cuts over the next three years as its looks to transform its business so it can keep pace in the highly competitive technology sector.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Four months ago, two African-American pastors stood in a hallway of the Southern Baptist Convention's Nashville headquarters looking at a row of white faces.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - A Murfreesboro judge has blocked local officials from issuing an occupancy certificate for a new mosque.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - A group that has attacked the construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro is now taking aim at a recent hire by Gov. Bill Haslam based on her religion.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has issued an executive order to make the management of state drug courts the responsibility of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Some Tennessee college students this fall could see an increase in tuition and fees of more than 7 percent that was recommended Tuesday by the finance committee of the state Board of Regents.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has been ranked among the best in economic development by a national publication.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S stocks skidded Wednesday as a looming election in Greece and the broader debt maelstrom in Europe provided an ominous backdrop.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies increased their stockpiles at a faster rate in April, despite modest growth in sales.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans barely increased their spending at retail businesses in April and May, constrained by weak job creation and paltry wage increases.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices fell Wednesday as negative U.S. economic news trumped a report showing a decline in the nation's oil and gasoline supplies.
VIENNA (AP) — OPEC ministers are coming into a meeting deeply divided over how much crude to pump, with Saudi Arabia keen to keep a lid on prices, rival Iran pushing to cut production and Iraq expected to back Iran, its longtime foe under Saddam Hussein.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales declined in April and May, pulled down by a sharp drop in gas prices. But even after excluding volatile gas sales, consumers increased their spending only modestly.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A steep drop in gasoline costs drove down a measure of U.S. wholesale prices in May by the most since July 2009. But outside the food and energy categories, prices increased moderately.
BEIJING (AP) — For the first time, people responding to a global survey are more likely to view China and not the United States as the world's leading economic power.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — An electric carmaking consortium, led by Hong Kong and Japanese investors and chaired by a former Volvo Trucks executive, has penned a deal to buy the better part of bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab, rescuing the ailing brand from insolvency.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — For once, it's not Democrats battling Republicans. The five-year farm and food stamps bill now being debated in the Senate is a regional fight, pitting rice and peanut growers in the South against corn producers and soybean farmers in the Midwest.
WASHINGTON (AP) — JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told Congress on Wednesday that senior bank executives responsible for a $2 billion trading loss will probably have some of their pay taken back by the company.
TUESDAY, JUNE 12
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - Lawyers for World Wrestling Entertainment have told a Nashville judge the company has not and will not use confidential information from rival Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - And now for something a little bit different: Kenny Chesney and Jonathan Demme are working together.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Zac Brown Band is adding some star power to baseball's Home Run Derby at next month's All-Star game festivities.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Rutherford County's Planning Commission has voted to appeal a ruling that voided their approval of a new mosque.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — A grand jury in Nashville has indicted state Rep. Curry Todd, arrested in October on drunken driving and weapons charges.
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Rep. Curry Todd can keep his handgun carry permit despite being indicted on drunken driving and weapons charges, the state Safety Department said Tuesday.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Weather conditions that have dried parts of the Tennessee River valley to drought status are expected to persist across a hotter than usual summer.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee's general fund revenue collections beat expectations by more than $12 million in May, topping $400 million for the budget year so far.
NASHVILLE (AP) — About two-thirds of Tennessee teachers should be allowed to opt for a smaller portion of their evaluations to be based on student testing data, according to a study released Monday.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks staged one of their strongest rallies of the year Tuesday, erasing a big decline from the day before, after a Federal Reserve official said he supported more measures to stimulate the economy.
The price of benchmark U.S. oil rose ahead of a key OPEC meeting that could become a showdown between Saudi Arabia and Iran over how much oil the organization is producing.
BOSTON (AP) — Investors continue to be cautious with their money. May was the third consecutive month that they've withdrawn more cash from U.S. stock mutual funds than they deposited into them. Bond funds attracted new cash for the ninth month in a row.
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors CEO Dan Akerson says he's cautiously optimistic that U.S. political leaders will agree on an economic package to keep the country from tipping into a recession.
NEW YORK (AP) — If Google has its way, people won't need "Google.com" to do searches. They can simply go to ".Google."
NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest cellphone company, is dropping nearly all of its phone plans in favor of pricing schemes that encourage consumers to connect their non-phone devices, like tablets and PCs, to Verizon's network.
With Verizon's new Share Everything plans, subscribers pay for two things: the pool of wireless data they use every month, and the devices they add to the plan.
BEIJING (AP) — A guaranteed aisle seat, special meals, access to the VIP lounge — and tickets to a musical?
MADRID (AP) — Spain's benchmark borrowing rate hit its highest level Tuesday since the country adopted the euro currency, after ratings agency Fitch downgraded 18 banks on Tuesday and investors continued to find more questions than answers in the country's decision to seek help for its ailing bank sector by tapping a €100 billion ($125 billion) eurozone bailout fund.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. states expect to collect higher tax revenue in the coming budget year that combined would top pre-recession levels, according to a survey released Tuesday. The increase could reduce pressure on states to cut budgets and lay off workers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Tuesday there was no timetable for Commerce Secretary John Bryson's return from medical leave, as California officials indicated the Cabinet member may not face criminal charges if a blood test shows no sign of drugs or alcohol.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal election officials say small-dollar donors may use their cell phones' text messaging to contribute to political campaigns.
MONDAY, JUNE 11
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce is replacing its president following two years of spirited legislative debate over business measures ranging from firearms at the workplace to discrimination against gay employees.
MIDSTATE
MURFREESBORO (AP) - Middle Tennessee State University is making efforts to increase its graduation rate, but still just over half its students are completing college within six years.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A court ruling that sets higher standards for a central component of the Tennessee's open meetings law hasn't drawn loud cheers from government transparency advocates.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A $125 billion plan to rescue Spain's banks won't solve Europe's debt crisis or ease the pain of double-digit unemployment across the continent.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks on Wall Street are closing sharply lower. Investors are skeptical that a deal to save Spanish banks will do much to resolve the debt crisis in Europe.
Oil fell Monday on the realization that a short-term fix in Spain won't offer a long-term solution to Europe's debt crisis.
NEW YORK (AP) — An advertising industry group says revenue from Internet advertising in the U.S. hit $8.4 billion in the first three months of the year.
Insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. sees some parts of the health care overhaul as sound medicine and plans to keep them regardless of whether the law survives an upcoming Supreme Court ruling.
GENEVA (AP) — Global investment in renewable energy reached a record of $257 billion last year, with solar attracting more than half the total spending, according to a U.N. report released Monday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple says it's introducing a laptop with a super-high resolution "Retina" display, setting a new standard for screen sharpnessj.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Clare Dickens only wanted to share her story to help others. But in the process, she became a successful independent author — with the help of a local bookstore and its instant publishing machine.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — An overhaul of the nation's tax code should raise additional revenue to reduce massive budget deficits and should help strengthen the economy, the Senate's top tax-writer said Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to saving energy, people in the United States know that driving a fuel-efficient car accomplishes more than turning off the lights at home.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are calling it "Taxmageddon," the big tax increase awaiting nearly every American family at the end of the year, when a long list of tax cuts are scheduled to expire unless Congress acts.
FRIDAY, JUNE 8
NASHVILLE AREA
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bridgestone Americas plans to invest $74 million more through next year to expand its Firestone tire factory in Des Moines.
NASHVILLE (AP) - As the Nashville International Airport celebrates its 75th birthday, it's also celebrating the city's best known product: music.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - For years, people have been approaching Raul Malo with an annoyingly frequent question: When are The Mavericks getting back together?
NASHVILLE (AP) - Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who also had a solo career, died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was 65.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Transportation is working on a free smartphone app using the traffic data it already collects.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has reversed a trial court's decision and ruled in favor of a worker diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam is weighing both an increase in funding for the state's public pre-kindergarten program and creating a school voucher system in Tennessee, though the Republican says he doesn't consider the two proposals linked.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale businesses restocked faster in April, responding to a strong gain in sales. The increase could be a good sign for economic growth in the April-June quarter.
The stock market is wrapping up its best week of the year.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell slightly Friday on the prospect of weak economic growth with no immediate assistance from the U.S Federal Reserve.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit shrunk in April, but only because a big drop in imports offset the first decline in U.S. exports in five months.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Slumping job growth has alarmed some economists who fear the U.S. economy is in trouble.
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's Corp. says strength in the U.S. and Europe drove up a key revenue figure in May, but noted that ongoing economic volatility around the world is pressuring its second-quarter results.
TOKYO (AP) — Former Olympus Corp. Chief Executive Michael Woodford will receive 10 million pounds (1.2 billion yen, $15.4 million) in a settlement over his dismissal from the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker. Olympus also announced it will cut nearly 3,000 jobs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve wants U.S. banks to set aside more money to cushion against unexpected losses, a key step in preventing another financial crisis.
WASHINGTON (AP) — BIGGER RISK CUSHION FOR BANKS: The Federal Reserve wants U.S. banks to set aside more money to cushion against unexpected losses, a key step in preventing another financial crisis.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans cut back sharply on their credit card purchases in April, a sign that some may be worried about the slowdown in hiring.
CHICAGO (AP) — Americans' wealth rose sharply in the January-March quarter, boosted mainly by the best quarterly gain in stock prices since 1998 and partly by the first rise in home values since 2006.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week for the first time in five weeks. But the drop suggests only modest job growth after three months of weak hiring.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-controlled House passed a $46 billion measure Thursday funding the Homeland Security Department, including more than $5 billion in disaster relief spending that complies with a budget agreement last summer opposed by tea party conservatives.