John Harthorne, CEO of the MassChallenge start-up competition, tells me that this week a group of judges are working to winnow 300 teams of entrepreneurs to 100 finalists; they're hearing some company pitches in person; some via Skype from as far off as California, Spain and Argentina; and Harthorne says a Brazilian team even flew to Boston for some face time. Judges include folks like 170 Systems founder Karl Buttner, Raj Melville of nTag Interactive and BeFree, and Micah Rosenbloom from Brontes/3M.
The goal of the competition is to encourage start-ups to come to Boston — or stay here and grow. The hundred finalist companies (finalists will be announced later this mont...
Reuters - President Barack Obama's Supreme Court
nominee Elena Kagan on Tuesday defended her decision to limit
military recruiting at Harvard and rejected Republican charges she
would be a liberal judicial activist...
Filed under: ETF Investing
Traders who are looking for a more exciting way to play U.S.
Treasuries just got two new toys to play with from Deutsche Bank
and PowerShares.Filed under: Federal Reserve, Financial Crisis
Early Friday morning, Senate and House negotiators reached
an
agreement on what is called the "most sweeping overhaul of
financial regulation" since the Great Depression. According to
numerous articles on the reform package, proposals to create a
consumer financial protectio...
Reuters - Democrats on Tuesday planned to strip out
a controversial tax from their landmark financial reform bill in
ord...
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services began accepting applications for a program that provides much needed financial relief for employers – as well as unions and state and local governments – providing coverage to early retirees.
The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program will provide $5 billion in financial assistance to help maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare - another example of how health care reform is, and will continue to be, good for business.
The Consumerism Commentary
Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen
and subscribe now!
Live Sports: One More Reason to Get Rid of Cable
The Obama administration on Tuesday rolled out an ambitious five-year plan for moving doctors and hospitals to computerized medical records, promising greater safety for patients and lower costs.
An Indiana woman with a history of miscarriages faked a pregnancy for nine months, then stabbed a couple in an attempt to kidnap their newborn son and pass him off as her own, police said Thursday.
An autistic Indianapolis man is suing the state's social services agency, saying it illegally cuts grocery benefits it pays to developmentally disabled people enrolled in a Medicaid program based on how much they receive in food stamps.
Mailbag Day! We decided to make episode thirteen of West Wing Week a chance to respond to some of your letters and emails. This week, find out if the White House composts, learn which direction the eagle on the Presidential seal faces, and examine the process by which the flag flying over the White House is lowered to half-staff.
AP - Cruising toward confirmation, Supreme Court
nominee Elena Kagan completed grueling Senate questi...
Pete Souza and the White House Photo Office have done it again! Have a look at a new batch of behind-the-scenes photos from the month of June below, or view it full size over at Flickr.
Filed under: Economic Data
The
University of Michigan consumer sentiment numbers rolled in this morning, showing both good news
and bad news. Let's first deal with the good news.
AP - Despite pessimism that the war in Afghanistan
is turning out to be a quagmire, Democrats controlling the ...
Filed under: Major Movement, Earnings Reports, Bad News, KB HOME (KBH), Options, Technical Analysis, Housing
Filed under: Consumer Experience, Green Stocks, Recession
We've
all seen those gently worded, politically correct suggestions in
our hotel rooms - "____ gallons of water are used each day cleaning
towels and sheets that have been used just once..." While guests
are invited to re-use sheets or towels in the name of environmental
friendliness, the conser...
Filed under: Earnings Reports, ConAgra Foods (CAG)
ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG)
isn't having a tasty day. The food manufacturer finds its shares
down in afternoon trading with slightly over an hour to go before
the market ceases activities. A quote of $24.34 just went by, which
is representative of a 1.4% decline. Volume isn't too heavy,
though.For better or worse, President Obama's health care reform bill is now law. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act represents the most significant transformation of the American health care system since Medicare and Medicaid.
AP - Three Afghan policemen and a British soldier
were killed by roadside bomb attacks in Afghanistan's volatile
south and east, officials sa...
New Lighting Facts Label from personal finance blog
Bargaineering.com.
Filed under: Market Matters, Mutual Funds, Recession
Despite
this week's equity rally, investors are nervous about the future.
They still
fear a double dip. For that reason they are running to pour
funds into money markets.
EPFR Global, which tracks th...
Early this morning the President signed H.R. 3962, which prevents a 21-percent pay cut for doctors participating in Medicare. Had Congress failed to act, some physicians would have been forced to stop taking Medicare patients. That’s not an outcome that the President can accept.
The pay-cut fix is retroactive to June 1, and it doesn’t just undo the cut: it actually represents the highest update since 2001.
And to make sure that doctors see relief right away, the President also signed a directive to the Department of Health and Human Services instructing them to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and implement these changes immediately.
The bottom line: with...
The state Legislature passed a compromise budget Thursday night that cuts by 4 percent local aid and Chapter 70 education aid -- cuts that most towns anticipated when they passed their budgets earlier this spring.
John Wyma had been a close friend and ally of Rod Blagojevich's for years, serving as his chief of staff when he was in Congress, his political director during his first run for governor, and an adviser and fundraiser once Blagojevich won election.
Authorities say they've charged a 22-year-old Buffalo-area man with using his girlfriend's car to run down two men during a confrontation.
A federal judge in Boston ruled Thursday that a national law barring gay marriage is unconstitutional because it tramples on Massachusetts' right to define marriage and denies same-sex couples access to certain federal benefits afforded to heterosexual couples.
A federal judge on Friday drastically trimmed a $675,000 verdict against a Boston University graduate student who was found liable for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs online, saying the jury damage award against a person who gained no financial benefit from his copyright infringement is "unconstitutionally excessive." Joel Tenenbaum, ...
By GILLIAN FLACCUS and JOHN ANTCZAK, Associated Press Writers 1 hr 45 mins ago LOS ANGELES Old-fashioned undercover work and a slice of pizza delivered the key genetic evidence that helped police nab the man wanted in the decades-long "Grim Sleeper" serial killings case as they put to use a provocative new DNA technique.
Filed under: Boeing Co (BA)
Now that we've taken a look at the performance returns from
investing in the United States compared to those in the United
Kingdom, it's time to move on to the U.S. defense industry.Ed. Note: Yesterday First Lady Michelle Obama joined kids from the Washington, DC area to launch the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and introduce the 2010 Council, including Co-Chairs Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, and guest blogger Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and former U.S. national champion in women’s gymnastics.
In conjunction with the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, this year President Obama has broadened the scope of the Council t...
SF 278 Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure reports for White House officials are now available. Interested parties may request online those reports they would like to review. Through this streamlined distribution process, each report is available in pdf form for transmission via email once the electronic form has been filed. Requested reports will be emailed as quickly as possible. Please call the press office if you have any questions.
The application form to access the SF 278s is available here.
Bob Bauer is Counsel t...
AFP - US aerospace giant Boeing on Friday submitted
its bid for a 40-billion-dollar US Air Force contract, joining
b...
AFP - US President Barack Obama announced on
Saturday the awarding of nearly two billion dollars to two ...
Filed under: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Boeing Co (BA)
Citigroup
upgraded Boeing (BA) Thursday, elevating the company's stock to
buy from hold. The brokerage house holds a positive view on the
aerospace cyc...
Filed under: Major Movement, Industry, Market Matters, Economic Data, Oil
The
stock market is on a tear, fueled higher by better than expected
corporate earnings. So says
Today, the Associated Press takes a look at the first stages of the Affordable Care Act and finds that millions will benefit from the new protections in the new law. The story notes:
“The first stage of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is expected to provide coverage to about 1 million uninsured Americans by next year, according to government estimates… Many others - more than 100 million people - are getting new benefits that improve their existing coverage.”
And, here are a few of the provisions identified by the Associated Press ...
Lindsay Lohan will have to answer more questions about a 2007 car chase that landed her in jail, including inquiries about drug use at the time, a judge ruled Thursday.Lohan's answers will be used in a civil lawsuit filed against the actress by a woman who claims she suffered emotional distress after the incident, which prompted a criminal case ...
Filed under: Private Equity, Best Buy (BBY), RadioShack Corp (RSH)
You may be interested in buying an HDMI cable or a cell
phone from RadioShack (RSH),
but it looks like a few private equity companies and one competitor
may be interested in buying the entire company. According to
dealR...
The
U.S. stock market is closed in observance of Independence day,
which gives us a great opportunity to examine a few stocks with
ties to the 4th of July.The Consumerism Commentary
Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen
and subscribe now!
Independence Weekend Reading: Priceline, Secrets, and
Condoms
Today, I was honored to host an event at the White House with cybersecurity experts and discuss progress made by increased cybersecurity efforts across the administration. President Obama has recognized that the “cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation” and “America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity.”
We were joined by a broad cross section of stakeholders from the Federal government, State and local government, law enforcement and private sector representatives from across multiple sectors of the economy, as well as representatives from aca...
In April, President Obama nominated Dr. Donald Berwick to serve as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Many Republicans in Congress have made it clear in recent weeks that they were going to stall the nomination as long as they could, solely to score political points.
But with the agency facing new responsibilities to protect seniors’ care under the Affordable Care Act, there’s no time to waste with Washington game-playing. That’s why tomorrow the President will use a recess appointment to put Dr. Berwick at the agency’s helm and provide strong le...
Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), Adobe Systems (ADBE), Lowe's Cos (LOW), BP p.l.c. ADS (BP)
The markets tried to stage some stability after the weekly
jobless claims fell more than expected. Unfortunately durable
goods, concerns over retail sales, and that nagging notion of a
double-dip recession keep the market down. The
Finding ways to turn complex problems into simple ones is a valuable skill when taking the GMAT. U-substitution is a technique that can help accomplish this. It will save you time and decrease the likelihood that you will make a mistake. In the following video and example, we examine u-substitution in more detail.

A slew of Lindsay Lohan's recent drug tests were clean, but her fingernails definitely are not.
Filed under: Earnings Reports, McDonald's (MCD), Yum Brands (YUM), Wendy's Intl (WEN), Burger King Hldgs (BKC)
Poor
Yum! Brands (YUM).
The company has some high-profile trademark...
Roundup: Sumo Bean Bag Chairs, Dating Websites and Eating Weeds
from personal
finance blog Bargaineering.com.
Counties across Mississippi are hoping a change in state law will save them thousands of dollars on inmates' medical bills.
The Consumerism Commentary
Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen
and subscribe now!
Turn Off Your Air Conditioner and Save Summer Money
Original Post on The Sun's Financial
Diary
Special bonus offers
AP - Craning their necks and clapping to Appalachian
music, West Virginians bid farewell Friday to Robert C. Byrd, their
beloved senator who rose from childhood poverty in a coa...
This morning the President issued the following statement on the passing of Senator Robert Byrd:
I was saddened to hear this morning that the people of West Virginia have lost a true champion, the United States Senate has lost a venerable institution, and America has lost a voice of principle and reason with the passing of Robert C. Byrd.
Senator Byrd’s story was uniquely American. He was born into wrenching poverty, but educated himself to become an authoritative scholar, respected leader, and unparalleled champion of our Constitution. He scaled the summit of power, but his mind never strayed from the people of his beloved West Virginia. He had the coura...
One of the more intriguing
start-ups I've been hearing about this year is Neuroscouting, currently operating
out of the DogPatch Labs
space in East Cambridge. The company is developing game-like
software for evaluating athletes' brain performance
— like the way their visual and motor
systems respond to an oncoming curve ball
— and also improving i...
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, General Mills (GIS), Economic Data
The
calendar quarter winds down this week, and in the days leading up
to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., Apollo Group Inc.
(
Original Post on The Sun's Financial
Diary
Special bonus offers
The Consumerism Commentary
Podcast is in full swing with new episodes every Sunday. Listen
and subscribe now!
New Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan
AP - A Republican filibuster appears increasingly
likely to kill long-sought legislation extending jobless
bene...
Filed under: Allergan (AGN)
It appears that U.S.-based drug makers and cigarette
companies caught the attention of traders Tuesday -- at least,
that's what they're searching for.
If you want to know what stocks traders are interested in right now at this very second, you need look no further than what's hot in Google.
Here's what's hot Friday: