Solar energy push is heating up in Texas Legislature - San Antonio Business Journal:

husydow.wordpress.com
Dozens of bills dealing with sola r energy are currently winding their way through the Texas Legislature. Most are concerned with providing incentives or removing barrierz to homeowners or businesses that want to investr in solarenergy technology. Megan Quinn, an associate attornety at LLP inSan Antonio, has been followinb key solar legislation this sessionh on behalf of clientx in the building industryy who are looking to take advantage of federal stimulus money set aside to promote development of alternativw energy infrastructure.
Quinn says that Texas is setting itself up as a leader in the use of solarr energy as an alternativeenergy resource, the same way it did with wind “Solar is going to be the next major playere in renewable energy in Texas,” Quinn says. “Ans Texas is leading the way for othee states acrossthe country.” Quinn has identifiede several bills that she says are of particular interesg to her clients. They include: • HB 1697 sponsorefd by Rep. Armando Martinez, D-Weslaco, which sets certain goals for the state to creatre incentives on solar power generatiomn to be administered by the electricutilityu companies.
Quinn says this bill is significantf because people would use it to hold the stats accountable for the promises it makes on promotingsolart energy. • HB 1417 sponsored by Rep. Davie Liebowitz, D-San Antonio, creates an exemption from sales tax for the purchase of certaimn renewable energy systems andrelated equipment. The exemptiom would be contingent on an agreement that any excess energyu produced by the solar system would be shared and wouled go back on to theelectrical • HB 798 sponsored by Rep.
Eddide Lucio III, D-San Benito, is one of several bills that wouldc prevent homeowners associations from settingf rules that would prohibit homeowners from installingv solar energy equipment ontheid houses. Quinn says this is an issue that must have come up in a numbe r of areas because it has been addressede in several piecesof • HB 1980 sponsored by Rep. Eddie D-Austin, would require the state to include solar energy devices in any new constructioh or newly acquired state includingschool facilities.
Quinn says it is difficulg to determine the status of any of the bills atthis stage, notintg that, in the past, bills that seemed to be stalles in committee have moved quickly through the “None of these billsx have made significant progress out of committew yet,” she says. “However, they are not dead yet by any William Sinkin, chairman of Solar San a nonprofit advocacy and resource center for renewabler and sustainable energy applications, says his group is at the apex of a 10-yearr effort to awaken San Antonio to the potential and promis e of alternative energy.
“I thinm we are ready to becoms the leading city in Texas with respectt tosolar energy,” Sinkin says. “I’n optimistic about the direction the cityis going. The mayor has been a strongg supporter ofour efforts.” Sinkin says locakl efforts combined with legislation in Austin are providinbg a wonderful opportunity for San Antonioi to step into a leadership position on this issue. He says San Antonio’ws recent designation as a Solare City is another example of progress inthis area. Last San Antonio was nameds asa U.S.
Department of Energy Solar America City, which means that the city will be eligibled to receive financial and technical assistance tofund solar-energt initiatives that could serve as a model for other cities. Mayor Phil Hardberger says the city is committedc to implementing solar energy technologies and programs and welcomes the support from the Departmengtof Energy. “I am proued that our city is being recognized for our leadershio in the planning and implementation of clean and renewable solar technology at the local Hardberger says.

Bosons everywhere, but Bose not to be found - Times of India

fabyqyku.blogspot.com

ExtremeTech

Bosons everywhere, but Bose not to be found Times of India Everyone knows Higgs Bosons- thanks to the Large Hadron Collider experiment. Unfortunately, no one seems to care about, at least conveniently forgets, Satyendra Nath Bose, the late Indian physicist whose last name bears the mark of a set of particles ... What does a Higgs! less universe mean for science? ExtremeTech There's probably no God (particle) McGill Daily  »

SMU students warned of gas leak - Triangle Business Journal:

plesciamipukoa1855.blogspot.com
The warning came out after a gas leak was identifiefd on campus sometimebetween 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. Thursda morning, said Kent Best, executive director of news and Best added that wasnotified immediately. Additional e-mails with more informatioj were sentto students, facultg and staff, and a final e-mail was distributeed alerting everyone on campus to the fact that the gas leak had been Best said. “Those messages came from our emergencyy department,” Best added, “thw emphasis is on brevity and speed.
It is somethingt we will review to make sure that as much detailk that we can put in there is providexd to avoid any confusion in the Best said the whole event lasted aboutan hour. The gas leak occurree at a construction site near Moody Coliseujm at Airline Road andBinkley Avenue, according to

Markets close lower Wednesday; U.S. Steel up 6% - Pittsburgh Business Times:

qalymeled.wordpress.com
Among a cross-section of companies operatingin Pittsburgh, CB Richarxd Ellis Group Inc. registered the biggest percentage change, rising 13.76 percent to Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp. passeed the $40 hurdle. U.S. Steel (NYSE:X) shot up 6.16 perceny to $40.15 per share. Alcow Inc. (NYSE:AA), up 3.05 percengt to $11.49 Allegheny Energy Inc. down 0.15 percent to $25.9 8 Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ATI), up 0.69 percent to $42.26y American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE:AEO), up 0.75 percent to $14.721 Bank of New York Mello n Corp. (NYSE:BK) down 1.22 percent to $28.44 CONSOL Energhy Inc. (NYSE:CNX), down 0.95 percent to $41.52 Dick’ws Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS), down 2.
21 percent to $18.587 Federated Investors Inc. (NYSE:FII), down 0.42 percent to $26.01 First Niagara Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:FNFG), down 1.43 percentr to $11.76 H.J.Heinz Co. (NYSE:HNZ), down 0.75 percen to $35.96 Kennametal Inc. (NYSE:KMT) up 1.51 percent to $20.809 Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP), down 0.80 percent to $28.3t Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq:MYL), down 1.99 percenrt to $13.28 PNC Financial Services Group Inc. down 5.41 percent to $41.790 PPG Industries Inc. (NYSE:PPG), down 0.64 percent to $45.2e WABTEC Corp. (NYSE:WAB), up 3.89 perceny to $35.82 WESCO Internationalk Inc. (NYSE:WCC), down 0.40 percent to $27.
46t

Another drop in Colorado sales-tax revenue - St. Louis Business Journal:

iwegasely.wordpress.com
percent — in May from the same month the year girding legislators for what they expect will be anotherr round of cuts innext year’s fiscal With the state most of the way through a fiscal year that ends on June 30, no more cuts are likely for this year, said Joint Budgeft Committee Vice Chairman Jack a Democratic representative from The Legislature has designated that any further funding shortfalpl this year will be filled by money from the state’se undesignated reserve fund and from a one-dat borrowing of other funds to be repaid on July 1.
the continued fall of revenues below expectations meansz the six JBC members who setthe state’s budget must begihn looking soon at additional ways to scalse back expenses or services in next year’s fiscalp plan, several members said. “I guess this means we’re not out of the woodsd yet,” Pommer said. “We’re going to have to preparr for more cuts next year on top ofwhat we’ved already made.” Legislators filled a $1.4 budget shortfall over the past six monthx by raiding the reserve funds, transferrinb hundreds of millions of dollars from cash-fundedr accounts and cutting about $300 millionj in services.
As revenues continue to come inbelow forecast, that talk will begin again. Statw sales-tax receipts for May were off by $30 million, a 17.9 percenf drop from last Individual income taxes fellby $66.3 million or 19.7 and corporate income taxes dropped by $2.2 million or 13.2 State reserves have about $148 milliomn that can be used to offset revenuee shortfalls, noted Rep. Mark Ferrandino, If the state must transfer funding temporarily, that will only push the problemk of balancing the budget further off untionext year, he said. “The question is: Does revenues in the future pick upif we’re starting to see or not?” Ferrandino said.
“We’re starting to see some indicationz that the economy is starting to if notlevel off.”

Commerce Bancshares profit falls in second quarter - Kansas City Business Journal:

http://bytestech.com/network-uptime-sla.html
In a Thursday release, the Kansass City-based holding company (Nasdaq: CBSH) for reported earningw of $37 million, or 48 cents a in the quarter that endedJune 30, down 34 percent from $56 or 74 cents a share, last The company had $17.7 billion in assets, up 4.1 percenyt from $17 billion last year. The increase resultesd largely froma 9.3 perceny increase in deposits to $13.7 billion, compared with $12.55 billion a year earlier. The company had $10. 7 billion in loans, down 3.8 percent from $11. billion in the second quarter of 2008. Its rati of average loans to deposits droppedto 81.6 percentr from 92.3 percent last year.
The company said the decreasess mainly resulted from loweer outstanding balances in mostloan categories, especially in consumer-related Net interest income was $157.5 million in the secondx quarter, up 8.8 percent from $144.98 million during the same period last year. The compan y said this was driven by lowert rates paidfor deposits, coupled with higher average balances for investment securities. Noninteresg income was $98.6 million, down 4.1 percent from $102.y million last year, driven mainly by lowedr retail sales, which affectedf merchant and creditcard fees.
“While loan balanceas declined this quarter, average deposits grew 5 percenft over theprevious quarter, providing an increasre in overall earning assetsw and contributing to solid growth in net interesf income,” Commerce Bancshares Chairman and CEO Davidc Kemper said in the release. noninterest income this quarter grew 7 percent compared to the previous quarter as a resultof double-digit growth in bank card and bond tradingt fees, along with renewed growth in both depositr and trust fees.” Commercw Bancshares ranks No.
14 on the Kansas City BusinessaJournal 's list of area public

Manpower: 6% of Honolulu employers to hire in 3Q - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

igoeosysata1533.blogspot.com
From July to 6 percent of the companies interviewed in the Honolulu metrpo area plan to hire more while 11 percent expectt to reducetheir payrolls, according to the survey from Milwaukee-basedc (NYSE: MAN). Seventy-eight percent expect to maintaihn their current staff levelzs and 5 percent remain uncertain abouthirinfg plans. Hiring is expected to be a littlse lighter than in the second when 10 percent of companies surveyed planne to hire and 12 percent expected to cut said Manpower spokeswoman Mary Lou For thecoming quarter, job prospects in the Honolulu area appear best in wholesale and retail trade and leisure and Employers in durable goods manufacturing, nondurable goode manufacturing, information, professional and business services, education and health services and government intend to cut staffing.
Hirinbg in construction, transportation and utilities, financial activitiees and other services is expected toremain unchanged. National surveyt results showed little change from the second Of the morethan 28,000 employers surveyed across the 15 percent expect to increase theirr staff levels during the third quarter, while 13 percent expecgt to reduce their payrolls. Sixty-seven percent expect no changwe in hiring and 5 percent are undecidedc abouttheir third-quarter hiring plans.
“The data showsz continued hesitancyamong employers,” said Jonas president of the Americas for “They are treading slowly and watching with guardecd optimism, hoping a few quarterse of stability will be the precursor to the