Boston Financial News – Making it work in a tough Economy.

What companies do in a tough economy. NEW YORK – A burrito company known for super-sized stuffed tortillas goes small. A chocolatier turns to cheaper pick-me-ups rather than expensive indulgences. A furniture retailer expands in the midst of the housing market bust. Three businesses with three different stories, yet one unmistakable conclusion. For all the hand-wringing about the economy, plenty... [Read more]

Boston Celtics Finance – Fork over Green for Playoff Security?

C’s loss cost Boston serious green By Edward Mason  |   Friday, July 16, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com Photo by Kelvin Ma A victory celebration that never happened cost the cash-strapped city nearly $450,000 in police overtime as an army of cops hit the streets to control expected crowds of Boston Celtics [team stats] fans during the NBA Finals. The Celts failed in... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Venture Capital Makes a Comeback

Boston Business Journal – July 17, 2010 /boston/stories/2010/07/12/daily33.html Saturday, July 17, 2010, 12:01am EDT Article Courtesy of:  Boston Business Journal VC showing signs of recovery Boston Business Journal – by Galen Moore Industry tracker Dow Jones Venturesource hailed a return to pre-recession levels in venture capital investing in the second quarter... [Read more]

Financial Penalties for Illegal Downloads: $2,250 per Tune?

Is $2,250 Per Song the New Standard for Online Copyright Infringement? Article Courtesy of:  PC Magazine By David Murphy Fancy a $675,000 penalty for illegally downloading 30 songs off the Internet? That was the kind of music Boston University graduate student Joel Tenenbaum was ready to face following a July 2009 verdict that found him liable for sharing 30 copyright-protected songs on the popular... [Read more]

Finance News – Poof go the Big Brands

10 Brands That May Disappear in 2011 by Douglas A. McIntyre provided by 24/7 Wall St. has created a new list of brands that may disappear, which includes Readers Digest, Kia Motors, Dollar Thrifty (NYSE: DTG – News), Zale (NYSE: ZLC – News), Blockbuster (BLOKA.PK – News), T-Mobile, BP Plc (NYSE: BP – News), RadioShack (NYSE: RSH – News), Merrill Lynch and Moody’s... [Read more]

Financial Red Flag – Bloomberg Alarmed as Municipal Bond Debt Grows

U.S. Banks Risk ‘Untold Problem’ as Muni Debt Swells By Dakin Campbell (Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc., State Street Corp. and U.S. Bancorp are among U.S. banks whose municipal bond holdings have reached a 25-year high just as state budget deficits swell to $140 billion, the most since the start of the recession. Commercial lenders added more than $84 billion to their holdings since 2003,... [Read more]

Boston’s Red Scare: Russian Spies Donald Howard Heathfield & Tracey Lee Ann Foley Nabbed in the Peoples Republic of Cambridge

The Russians next door: A ‘sexy’ spy to ‘great tenants’? ‘Such a nice couple’ AFP – Getty Images used spies next door This drawing dated June 28, 2010 shows five of the 10 arrested Russian spy suspects in a New York courtroom. JavaScript is required to view our full story experience. Please enable JavaScript in your browser preferences. It’s... [Read more]

Boston Ugly Financial News – NBA Finals Scores Big $$$’s for Sports Biz

Lakers’ NBA title caps a lucrative month for sports business It didn’t hurt that the Lakers were up against their rivals, the Celtics, for the NBA title. But it isn’t just ABC and the NBA that are scoring financially. There’s hockey, golf, tennis, and the World Cup, too. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant reacts as time runs out in Game 7 of the NBA basketball finals,... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Automotive – Cars to Watch in 2010

The 15 hot cars to watch in 2010 By Mark Phelan / Detroit Free Press  |  http://www.bostonherald.com If the economy recovers, 2010 could be a very good year for Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., both of which are poised to launch new high-volume, high-mpg vehicles next year. Cars like the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus compacts, with the promise of low prices and stingy fuel consumption,... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Cape Wind Approval

Mass. wind farm wins U.S. approval Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, left, speaks with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, right, after Mr. Salazar announced that the Obama administration has approved what would be the nation’s first offshore wind farm, off Cape Cod, during a press conference at the Statehouse, in Boston, Wednesday, April 28, 2010. The decision clears the way for a 130-turbine... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – SBA Loans

Small business loans get big lift Another sign of a nascent recovery By Robert Gavin, Globe Staff  |  June 12, 2010 Busy Bee Bakery Melrose - Elin Agustsson held up one of her signature cupcakes in her new Busy Bee Bakery in Melrose. A loan from East Boston Savings Bank helped Agustsson open the bakery. - (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff) Massachusetts small businesses, seeing prospects improving, are... [Read more]

Massachusetts Financial News – DeLeo Rolls the Dice – Legalized Gambling in MA?

Casinos get boost as DeLeo signs on Joins Patrick, Murray in push for gaming ‘Given the importance of economic development, … I have expanded my thinking,’ Robert A. DeLeo said. By Matt Viser Globe Staff / September 19, 2009 House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo expressed strong support yesterday for bringing resort-style casinos to Massachusetts, one of the clearest indications yet that... [Read more]

Financial News – Amazon profit up 68 pct

Amazon profit up 68 pct; outlook scares investors By RACHEL METZ, AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz, Ap Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO – Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that its first-quarter profit surged 68 percent, showing that consumers are even more comfortable opening their wallets to the online retailer as the economy slowly improves. But investors were spooked by Amazon’s forecast for... [Read more]

Finance & Sports – Red Sox Opening Day

Yankees-Red Sox rivalry reaches peak Baseball’s most storied rivalry gets even more heated. It had been nine long years since the Yankees did something really objectionable in the minds of New England baseball fans. You know, win the World Series. But now the Yankees are the defending world champions, meaning Red Sox fans are certain to resume their regularly scheduled rancor. And this... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – “The Optimists”

The optimists Taking risks during the downturn starts to pay off for local businesses By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff  |  March 28, 2010 They were last year’s risk takers. They opened doors while others shuttered them. Call them crazy — many did — for expanding during the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Now, a year later, these five bold New England businesses are still standing.... [Read more]

Boston Finance – National Mega Projects Post Big Dig

Financial Impact – Entering the Superproject Void Hulton Archive/Getty Images THINKING BIG The Golden Gate Bridge under construction in 1937, when an era of huge public works projects was under way. By LOUIS UCHITELLE Generation after generation, giant public works projects have altered the American landscape. The Erie Canal and the transcontinental railroad come to mind. So do massive urban... [Read more]

Boston Job Market – Don Pinkerton’s Story & Success!

Aquarium volunteer lands at Revere High By Christine McConville |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets Photo by Angela Rowlings Don Pinkerton started his new job as a teacher at Revere High School about a year after he was laid off from a financial services firm. The 51-year-old Swampscott resident used his time and some well-known local resources to reinvent himself. And... [Read more]

Boston Real Estate News – Michael Carucci Alerts FBI

Alleged threats rattled Realtor Michael Carucci Unnamed figure in extortion case comes forward By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff – Article Courtesy of Boston.com CLICK HERE Boston Realtor Michael Carucci thought he was going to be showing $1 million Back Bay properties to a new client during a meeting that had been arranged by phone but was a little scared when three men he described as thugs... [Read more]

Boston Financial Profiles – Boston Business Alliance

::BFG:: Profiles: The Boston Business Alliance Vision – www.bostonbusinessalliance.com The Alliance is the premier resource for small to mid-sized businesses. Our commitment is to remain true to our mission by providing and promoting access to timely and relevant information, free of commercial implications – bringing together business owners and experts. The Alliance will simplify the process... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Budgeting is BACK!

Budgeting is back in vogue, and these websites make it easier By Kimberly Blanton, Globe Correspondent Buyer’s remorse hit Scott Schulthess minutes after he flipped open his laptop at a Cambridge coffee shop to review his spending habits last year on PearBudget.com. “This makes me feel bad,’’ said the 26-year-old computer programmer, focusing in on his June purchase of an iPhone, displayed... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Sports – Mo Vaughn

Mo Vaughn’s home runs By Amanda Fung Published: February 14, 2010 – 5:59 am Mo Vaughn (right) and Eugene Schneur revitalized a drug-infested five-building complex in Brooklyn, and made it a decent place to live. Photo by Buck Ennis. Six months after Mo Vaughn set up Omni New York in 2004, the fledgling real estate firm struck, snapping up a 286-unit affordable housing complex in the Bronx.... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Online Trends – Local Search

Consumers Head Online for Local Business Information By Gregg Stewart // It’s time for the release of TMP Directional Marketing & comScore’s Annual Local Search Study results. Before we dive into the data, full disclosure: I preside over an interactive division at TMP. ComScore has administered the study each of the last three years with the purpose of identifying media trends... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Super Bowl Advertising

Super Bowl 2010 commercials featured (again) on YouTube AdBlitz // Would marketers be smarter to take the money they’ll spend on Super Bowl 2010 commercials and use it to by YouTube ads instead? Image by SESConferenceSeries via Flickr Last year, the Super Bowl ranked in $213 million in advertising revenue, according to Kantar Media, until recently known as TNS Media Intelligence.And, for many... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Several Hyatt Boston Hotels are Embarrassed by Thoughtless Firings

Hyatt offers 98 cleaners new jobs Hotel firm bows to outcry over firings By Katie Johnston Chase and Megan Woolhouse Globe Staff Article Courtesy of:  The Boston Globe Hyatt Hotels Corp., responding to public outcry, political pressure, and threatened boycotts, yesterday offered the 98 housekeepers it fired last month new jobs at their old wages, a move that was met with mixed... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – The Women Who Control the Cash Flow

The 25 Most Powerful Women In Banking There’s been a lot to mull over this year about gender equality in finance and business. One recent survey by Catalyst, a nonprofit group that promotes women in business, found that 19% of women have lost their jobs in the past two year, compared with 6% of men. Then, there was Jack Welch’s comment a few months ago that women who take time off for their... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Google Does Something New & Exciting AGAIN

Google Unveils Fast Flip and Startups Take a Gamble By Jennifer Martinez | Monday, September 14, 2009 Google today launched a new feature that organizes articles on the web in a way that resembles print magazines, called Google Fast Flip. Marissa Mayer, the search engine giant’s VP of search products and user experience, who unveiled the feature at TechCrunch 50 this afternoon, explained that... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Walmart’s Project Impact – The Juggernaut Rolls on and Over the Competition

Walmart’s Project Impact: A Move to Crush Competition By SEAN GREGORY – View this article on Time.com Walmart loves to shock and awe. City-size stores, absurdly low prices ($8 jeans!) and everything from milk to Matchbox toys on its shelves. And with the recession forcing legions of stores into bankruptcy, the world’s largest retailer now apparently wants to take out the remaining... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Such a Deal… Cheap Office Space Downtown! Smart…

Freelancers bag cheap office space By Christine McConville |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets Photo by Christopher Evans Three or four days a week, Boston-area entrepreneur Hooman Hodjat stops into a second-floor office just across the street from Boston’s South Station. One day, he’ll use the conference room to meet with potential investors. The next day, he may... [Read more]

Boston Financial Politics – Christy Mihos Republican Millions =’s Early Advantage

Christy Mihos aide: ’Financial advantage’ key in 2010 race By Associated Press |   http://www.bostonherald.com |  Local Politics BOSTON — The chief political consultant for Cape Cod businessman Christy Mihos said Tuesday his client lost the 2006 gubernatorial race solely because he ran as an independent. Conservative commentator and author Dick Morris also predicted that Mihos will... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – BioPharma Acquisitions HOT – BioPharma Giants – The Motley Fool Speaks!

Will Biopharma Acquisitions Never Cease? http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2008/08/29/will-biopharma-acquisitions-never-cease.aspx Brian Lawler August 29, 2008 In both the size and quantity of proposed deals, the past 24 months have been busier than ever for biopharma dealmakers. From industry giants like Genentech and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) to tiny players such as Mirus... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Automotive – Americans Kicking the Tires Online

Americans Renew Their Love for Cars — Online By KEVIN HELLIKER Anne Fleming felt deeply confident as a negotiator—except whenever she entered an automotive dealership, where research shows that women pay more for cars than men. So last October the former apparel executive in Pittsburgh launched a Web site called Women-Drivers.com, which offers negotiating tips, as well as reviews of female-friendly... [Read more]

Boston Finance – National Health Care – Less Likely Without Teddy

Kennedy Death Cuts Broad Health Bill Odds, Hatch Says By Nicole Gaouette Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) — Congress is less likely to pass sweeping health-care overhaul legislation following the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, a leading Republican said. “You’re not going to get this big, broad Democrat spending bill — you’re not going to get Republican support,” Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Credit Card Security – Credit Card Networks

U.S. payment-card industry grapples with security By Ross Kerber BOSTON (Reuters) – Fresh details of large-scale cyber attacks against data processor Heartland Payment Systems Inc and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers show the challenges facing the efforts of the U.S. credit-card industry to upgrade security measures. While both companies say their computer networks met the tough new standards... [Read more]

Boston Politics – Succession Debate “Who Replaces Kennedy?”

Kennedy’s Death Opens Up Succession Debate By FRED THYS BOSTON — Under Massachusetts law, voters will choose the successor to Sen. Kennedy in a special election in January. But that’s too long to wait for many Democrats, because Massachusetts would be without what could be a crucial vote as the U.S. Senate debates health insurance reform, Kennedy’s lifelong goal. Gov. Deval Patrick told... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – South Shore Popping Social Media for More Business!

// South Shore merchants use Twitter to spread the word By Steve Adams – The Patriot Ledger MILTON — When the newly-opened Abby Park restaurant in Milton prepared to add lunch service this week, it announced the news on its Twitter page. The restaurant just opened this month and already has 149 people following its “tweets,” the 140-character messages that are the standard... [Read more]

Boston Financial Guide News – Ted Kennedy dead at 77

A torch extinguished: Ted Kennedy dead at 77 By CALVIN WOODWARD and GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writers Calvin Woodward And Glen Johnson, Associated Press Writers Thu Aug 27, 1:41 am ET HYANNIS PORT, Mass. – The greatest heights eluded Ted Kennedy over a lifetime of achievement and pain. No presidency. No universal health care, chief among his causes. Instead, Kennedy... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – National Consumer Confidence Report

Consumer confidence soars Sentiment reading increased to 54.1 in August, well above economists’ expectations. By Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney.com staff writer NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A key measure of consumer confidence jumped much more than predicted in August, as the job market outlook and business expectations improved, said a report released Tuesday. The Conference Board, a New York-based... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Automotive – Final Cash for Clunkers Weekend

Monday, August 24, 2009 Final weekend of clunkers program draws big crowds EMILY FREDRIX / AP Business Writer From Vermont to California, exhausted but appreciative car dealers watched their lots grow empty as crowds rushed to trade in gas guzzlers during the final weekend of the popular Cash for Clunkers program. The hectic pace of the $3 billion rebate program accelerated in the final weekend, after... [Read more]

Boston Financial – MBTA Mega Projects – Dream On Greater Boston… No Way…

On the slow train to financial reality THE MBTA, Turnpike Authority, and other parts of a sprawling transportation bureaucracy are about to be consolidated into a single agency. One job for this new authority must be to rethink which mega-projects the state should pursue aggressively. Some projects, including the long-discussed $8 billion tunnel linking North and South stations, won’t survive... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Boston Based Swiss Bank Snitch Gives up the Rich and Famous Off Shore $Cash$

A Privileged World Begins to Give Up Its Secrets By GRAHAM BOWLEY – Article Courtesy of the New York Times CLICK HERE About 10 years ago, when I was working in Frankfurt, Germany’s banking capital, I was invited to the top floor of the glittering skyscraper headquarters of one of the country’s most venerable banks. There, I was treated to something that, it was made clear to me, few eyes... [Read more]

Saturday’s Boston Financial FUN! – 12 Most Annoying Facebookers

The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers By Brandon Griggs CNN (CNN) — Facebook, for better or worse, is like being at a big party with all your friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers. There are lots of fun, interesting people you’re happy to talk to when they stroll up. Then there are the other people, the ones who make you cringe when you see them coming. This article is about... [Read more]

Boston Advertising News – Ahhhhh The Good Old Days – TV Glut =’s Less Ad $$$’s

Lisa van der Pool – Article Courtesy of the BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL TV’s decline follows heady days of Mad Men One of television’s hottest shows is AMC’s “Mad Men,” featuring ad executives who work (and imbibe) on Madison Avenue during the 1960s, an era many would argue was the heyday of advertising. It was a period when TV commercials ruled over all other advertising... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Bond Portfolios and Retirement

Retirees Ignore Bonds At Their Own Risk Robert Powell – Robert Powell is the editor of Retirement Weekly. Learn more about Retirement Weekly here . BOSTON — When it comes to investing, most retired Americans have it backwards. Instead of investing in bonds — things that provide a return on capital, those seeking retirement-income security tend to invest in things that provide... [Read more]

Boston Financial – JetBlue & Southwest Faceoff

Beantown showdown: JetBlue and Southwest face off By SAMANTHA BOMKAMP (AP) Article Courtesy of:  Associated Press NEW YORK — The cool kids of the airline industry are giving big-city travelers more opportunities to show who they like more. For years, JetBlue and Southwest catered to customers in the same way — with cheap fares and good customer service — but avoided much head-to-head competition... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Investments – Cleantech Forum Boston

Cleantech Forum Boston Visit the Cleantech Boston Website: CLICK HERE and Learn More. The first cleantech investment boom (2001-2008) was driven by rapid growth and experimentation. A second cleantech investment boom is being driven by a new emphasis on capital efficiency, and engaging governments—which, combined, are now the single largest investor in cleantech. Leverage new government... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Top 10 Stimulus Spending – Massachusetts

The Martha’s Vineyard Times Mass in top 10 for stimulus spending By Kyle Cheney Published: August 13, 2009 STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, AUG. 13, 2009…..The state, local governments and private entities in Massachusetts have received $4.44 billion and spent more than $2.02 billion, 45 percent, through the federal stimulus law, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That percentage... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Cash For Clunkers National Impact – Camaro

AutoTrader.com sees big jump from ‘clunkers’ The Chevrolet Camaro claimed the No. 1 spot on AutoTrader.com’s most viewed new vehicles list for the third month in a row, topping off what has become one of the first positive months for new car sales in over a year. Cash-for-Clunkers brought consumers on-line and into showrooms in July to look for cars, reflected in AutoTrader.com... [Read more]

Boston Startups News – Finance Strategies

Innovative finance strategies for startups Lawrence Gennari, partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart, LLP With the stock market entering a modest equilibrium, many emerging growth companies, whether venture-backed or privately funded, are reconsidering financing strategies and looking at their next steps. Yet, bank financing remains elusive, and many venture capitalists, particularly... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Downsizing Big Banks

Downsizing the big banks: A long-term solution James Cullen // The hundreds of billions in rescue funds needed to support banks — and the trillions in implicit subsidies — has brought the question of appropriate institutional size to the forefront of regulatory reform. Not surprisingly, FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke favor measures collectively intended... [Read more]

Global Financial News – International Monetary Fund

Financial News – Can IMF be global banker? THINK AGAIN BY ANDREW SHENG FLYING to Boston for a conference on the global crisis, I went into the famous Harvard Coop bookstore in Cambridge. It was like my favourite candy store, I dashed here and there, picking up books I could not get in Asia and browsed new books that I could not see from Amazon. Sitting in Harvard amongst the teachers of my teachers,... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Latino Accounting & Finance Convention

Boston hosting 1st Latino professional convention By Christine McConville |   Saturday, August 8, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets As the nation’s first Latino Supreme Court justice is set to be sworn in today, Boston will welcome its first-ever convention of Latino professionals. Some 2,000 members of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance... [Read more]

Boston Financial Developement – Rose Kennedy Greenway

Apartments, museum lead race for Greenway site BRA says proposals most consistent with its plans for parcel By Casey Ross Globe Staff / August 7, 2009 A 78-unit apartment building and a museum focused on local history became the front-runners yesterday in a competition to develop a sliver of land that would become the cornerstone of a public market... [Read more]

Food, Finance & Boston Restaurants – Hell’s Kitchen Roasts Boston Chefs

Boston chefs scalded in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ By Donna Goodison / Turning the Tables  |   Friday, July 24, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets It was a rough night for the two Massachusetts chefs competing in “Hell’s Kitchen,” which premiered Tuesday on Fox TV. Fitchburg diner owner David “Louie” Cordio was booted in the middle of dinner service... [Read more]

Boston Globe – Will You Pay for Globe Website?

Globe says readers to pay for Web site By Christine McConville |   Friday, August 7, 2009 http://www.bostonherald.com |  Media & Marketing Photo by boston.com The Boston Globe will soon begin charging for its Web site, publisher P. Steven Ainsley told the paper’s union bosses yesterday as the Globe’s parent New York Times [NYT] Co. confirmed in a regulatory filing that the... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Young investors wary of jumping into market lows

Young investors wary of jumping into market lows By Erin Kutz BOSTON (Reuters) – Young investors may accept the argument that those who begin investing when stocks are cheap end up with more retirement money, but after the turmoil of the past year, some find it hard to put their money in the market. Asset managers and analysts say that those who invest in rock-bottom stocks of a bear market... [Read more]

Boston Financial – National Health & Mob Rule

‘Yes We Can’ vs. ‘Tell Washington No’: Public passions seen rising on health care overhaul Kimberly Hefling Public passions are rising on health care overhaul WASHINGTON — Booed, jeered and occasionally cheered in a raucous session with the public, a Democratic senator said Monday that other lawmakers can expect the same as they face voters on the divisive issue of overhauling health care. “I... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Barney Frank Comments tied to GE Stock Rise

GE stock rises after Barney Frank says it should keep finance unit By: Rachel Layne and Alexis Xydias Bloomberg News July 30, 2009 General Electric Co. rose the most in three months after U.S. Representative Barney Frank said manufacturers that already own finance businesses should be allowed to keep the units under revised banking rules. GE increased 92 cents, or 7.5 percent, to $13.18 at 10:27... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Panjiva Esoteric Investment Data

Financial tech web plays arise from ashes of economy Article Courtesy of:  MASS HIGH TECH Former MIT computer scientist Jim Psota hopes that Panjiva can attract more gatherers of esoteric data to help serve traders. When the world financial markets fell apart last fall, the prognosis was dire for startups bent on selling information technology to financial services firms. But entrepreneurs and investors... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Awesome Foundation

Awesome Foundation attracts small-project entrepreneurs About 50 people turned up at the BetaHouse technology co-working space in Cambridge last night to hear how they could get $1,000 to fund their own “awesome” pet project. Twelve trustees have each agreed to contribute $100 a month to the loosely organized “Awesome Foundation,” which promises $1,000 each month to fund “awesome” projects. “It’s... [Read more]

Boston Clunkers – Fed is a Wreck

White House reviewing ‘cash for clunkers’ program By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON – The White House said Thursday it was reviewing what has turned out to be a wildly popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns the $1 billion budget for rebates for new auto purchases may have been exhausted in... [Read more]

Boston Finance & Fear Mongering – George Regan

Questions raised about George Regan award Hub PR exec denies using ethnic slur By Jessica Heslam / MediaBiz  |   Thursday, July 30, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Media & Marketing An ex-Boston magazine scribe insists Boston PR man George Regan called him an ethnic slur, and now there’s a call to block one of the country’s biggest civil rights organizations from... [Read more]

Finance – Yahoo & Microsoft – Deal Done?

Microsoft, Yahoo agree on long-sought search deal Microsoft Corp. has finally roped Yahoo Inc. into an Internet search partnership, capping a convoluted cat-and-mouse game that dragged on for years. The 10-year deal announced Wednesday gives Microsoft access to the Internet’s second-largest search engine audience, adding a potentially potent weapon to the software maker’s Internet arsenal... [Read more]

Boston Irish News – Sgt. James Crowley

Prez’s mea culpa goes over smooth at Irish pub By Marie Szaniszlo |   Sunday, July 26, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com Photo by Mark Garfinkel President Obama’s call to Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley wasn’t only a turning point in a national firestorm – it was also a big hit among the beer drinkers and eavesdroppers who heard Crowley take the call at Tommy Doyle’s... [Read more]

Financial News – Sales Tax Mass Suicide

Buyers trying to beat hike in state sales tax MAD RUSH? Bob and Sylvia Myhal bought a new Kia Amani yesterday at Wagner Motor Sales Shrewsbury. (T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA) By Priyanka Dayal TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF Retailers of big-ticket items from refrigerators to cars are preparing for shoppers to come in droves this weekend and make purchases before the sales tax jumps... [Read more]

GOOGLE Financial – Microsoft under Pressure

Now Google parks its tanks right outside Microsoft’s gates * John Naughton What’s the toughest question a venture capitalist can ask? Answer: “What will you do if Google enters your market?” The web has been buzzing with speculation that senior Microsoft executives are now asking that question. The truth is that they have been asking it for quite a while. In an intriguing interview... [Read more]

Local Finance – Harvard Endowment Decline

Harvard pres.: School has tough choices in decline By MELISSA TRUJILLO – 18 hours ago Courtesy of: Associated Press Billions of lost endowment dollars later, though, Faust faces a much different reality. “We can’t have chocolate and vanilla and strawberry. We have to decide which one,” she said. It’s a question few at Harvard expected Faust to be forced to answer in the... [Read more]

Boston Financial – CrossHarbor Capital Partners

Montana resort for elite sold for $115 million By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 1 day ago BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana’s ultra-posh Yellowstone Club is in new hands, following a $115 million deal that the new owner hopes will close the door on the resort’s much publicized descent into bankruptcy. Eight months ago, the millionaires-only club was on the verge of liquidation, a victim of its prior... [Read more]

Financial Scandals – Shapiro Family Boston

Uneasy times for the Shapiro family Ties to Madoff could spur effort to recover investment gains Ruth and Carl Shapiro, in an undated photo. (The Nourses) By Beth Healy and Steven Syre Globe Staff / July 6, 2009 Eleven days ago, while Bernard Madoff was in a Manhattan jail cell awaiting his 150-year sentence, his old friend Carl Shapiro was enjoying... [Read more]

Boston Radio – WBCN – GONE!

Rocking no more Its eye on sports, CBS pulls plug on legendary WBCN By James Reed and Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | July 15, 2009 It was more than 40 years ago, on a March night in 1968, when WBCN-FM (104.1) decided to break from its classical music format. Instead of Bach, listeners that evening heard “I Feel Free,’’ by the Eric Clapton-led rock band Cream, and right then Boston’s local music... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Throwing Keys to Fed Risky

MARK T. WILLIAMS Don’t throw the keys to the Fed By Mark T. Williams  |  July 2, 2009 THE OBAMA administration’s plan to close the existing regulatory gap by using the Federal Reserve Bank as the main systemic-risk regulator is theoretically sound but a bad idea under existing Fed structure. The Fed employs thousands of examiners stretching from Boston to San Francisco in an attempt to ensure... [Read more]

Boston Banks – SEC May Sue!

State Street Says SEC May Sue Over Bond Investments (Update4) By Christopher Condon June 29 (Bloomberg) — State Street Corp., the world’s largest asset manager for institutions, may be sued by federal regulators over bond funds that investors said lost money because of bets on risky mortgage-backed securities. The company, based in Boston, said in a regulatory filing that it received a Wells... [Read more]

Boston Startups – Our Stage Inc.

Music network startup OurStage tunes in $3M funding If you had a wager on which startups could put together venture cash right now, you probably wouldn’t pick an online social community for pop bands and their fans. Our Stage In the case of OurStage Inc., you’d lose that bet. The Chelmsford-based startup, launched in 2006, has raised $3 million of a $6 million new round of financing, bringing... [Read more]

Boston Public Relations – PR Does Not Stand for Press Release

PR Does Not Stand for Press Release: Equalizing Spikes and Valleys Courtesy of: Brian Solis Every now and again, a PR meme appears on the Web – almost to the point where you could set your watch by it. This time around, Claire Cain Miller of the New York Times sparked the conversation with an in-depth article, “Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley.” I respect Claire and I believe she... [Read more]

Local Financial – Boston Magazine Slumps

Glossy in search of new sheen Boston magazine hoping change at top will bring lift By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff Boston Magazine - Financial Challenge Larry Platt, the top editor of Boston magazine, is from Philadelphia and it shows. During a breakfast interview last week, his description of an upcoming story about recently indicted former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi hit a pronunciation... [Read more]

Boston Startups – Local Motors Wareham

If you sketch it, they will build: Rally Fighter from Wareham Posted by Clifford Atiyeh (Steve Haines/Globe Staff) Lots of car companies claim to build dream cars. Nearly every luxury and exotic car manufacturer has a department for special orders, and there’s no shortage of tuners that turn these cars inside-out, but aside from Louis Vuitton seats and stainless steel hoods, there’s not... [Read more]

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