Posted by Jeffrey Nelson on Jul 22, 2011
PROVIDENCE – Bruce Sundlun, former governor of Rhode Island, died on Thursday at his home in Jamestown. He was 91 years old.
Sundlun served as governor from 1991 to 1995, guiding the state through its banking and credit union crisis and helping lead the expansion of T.F. Green Airport.
Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee ordered that all Rhode Island flags on public buildings across the state be lowered to half-staff until Sundlun is laid to rest.
“Bruce Sundlun lived an extraordinary life. But even with all of the events and successes of his long life, he will be best remembered as a governor who guided Rhode Island through difficult times with direction, determination and a fundamental belief in the people of our state,” said Chafee in a news release. “His accomplishments as governor were numerous, but Rhode Islanders encounter his most tangible legacies every day: the R.I. Convent
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Tags: Bruce Sundlun, Former Gov, Sundlun
Posted by Nicholas Adams on Jul 21, 2011
The European Central Bank (ECB) said today that it may be necessary to allow Greece to descend into a temporary default in response to the Greek sovereign debt crisis. Sources say that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have agreed in principle that private investors should be forced to absorb part of the cost of a second bailout package for Greece.
European leaders are currently attending a summit where it is hoped that lawmakers can stop the debt contagion already infecting several countries from spreading even wider throughout the region.
Banking Tax Ruled Out
French officials have argued in favor of a bank transaction tax that would raise funds that could then be distributed as needed.
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Tags: Default
Posted by Nicholas Adams on Jul 21, 2011
The Greek economic crisis continues to make headlines as Prime Minister George Papandreou attempts to maneuver the governments contentious “austerity” bill through the Greek parliament. As predicted, protests against the government’s plan to deliver nearly 30 billion euros in spending cuts and tax hikes have grown in intensity and the fear is that the debt crisis will not be contained within Greece’s borders. Portugal’s credit rating has been reduced to “junk” status and Europe’s banking system is dangerously exposed to massive amounts of questionable debt. The very future of the Eurozone hangs in the balance.
A Default by Any Other Name
In late June, European Union officials announced they were close to arriving at a solution that would see in excess of 100 billion euros made available to Greece. The plan includ
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Tags: Crisis, Economic Crisis, Greek Economic, Greek Economic Crisis
Posted by Jeffrey Nelson on Jul 21, 2011
CRANSTON – Proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid federal spending, now under discussion in Congress as part of the deficit reduction plans, could cost hospitals in Rhode Island as much as $550 million over the next 10 years, according to the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.
The proposed reductions would “exacerbate health care workforce shortages, jeopardize access to care by undermining financially fragile hospital and health systems [in Rhode Island],” the HARI Tracking Trends study, released on July 19, reported.
One of the proposals now under consideration, to cut Medicare indirect medical education payments to teaching hospitals by 60 percent, would cost the U.S. eco
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Tags: Hospitals, Ri Hospitals
Posted by Jeffrey Nelson on Jul 20, 2011
Have you ever participated in a chat on Twitter.com? If you have, you know that Twitter chats can be a rewarding way to share ideas — and also make new connections on Twitter. And if haven’t participated in one, this is your opportunity.
On Monday, July 25th, Ramon Ray of SmallBizTechnology.com and I will be answering questions online at Twitter for an hour, between 7 and 8 pm Eastern time (same time zone as New York).
This chat is hosted by BlackBerry, meaning that the BlackBerry team will be moderating and asking questions.
This particular Twitter chat is helping spread the word about the Small Business Influencer awards we are producing, of which BlackBerry is the premiere sponsor. Voting is going on right now with the Influencer awards. As of today, we have surpassed 40,000 votes for 520 nominees (woo-hoo!) with another 20 days still to go.
Twitter has figured heavily in the awards. A lot of social activity to encourage voting is taking place on Twitter. So it seemed like a perfect fit to have a Twitter chat, where we discuss issues of interest to small businesses.
We also hope to have some of the Judges (and nominees!) from the Small Business Influencer awards join us in the chat.
Most of all, we invite YOU to weigh in, too. The best Twitter chats, in my opinion, are the ones where lots of small biz owners and entrepreneurs jump right in sharing their own tips, advice and input. Lots of participation makes the best Twitter chats — so don’t be shy! EVERYBODY is a “speaker” in a Twitter chat.
The @BlackBerry4Biz team (official BlackBerry small business Twitter account) has put together the following details about the chat:
The BlackBerry for Business Small Business Chat will be a unique opportunity to share stories, swap advice, and network with other small business owners. It will focus on the
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Tags: Twitter, Twitter Bbsmbchat
Posted by Jeffrey Nelson on Jul 19, 2011
Although the news for small businesses has been mostly dismal for the past month, things may be looking up, as the Small Business Authority released the SB Authority Index for June, which showed a 1.17 percent spike from the previous month.
The index reached 106.07 points after only a slight increase the previous month, when the Index was 104.89. The SBA said the increase this month was due to SBA loan volumes, the Russell microcap index and retail sales.
SBA President and CEO Barry Sloane said the small business economy is continuing to see mixed results, and reminded people that the index numbers are not final. However, current numbers from eight different economic factors that directly effect small business.
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Tags: June, Small Businesses
Posted by Ryan Rogers on Jul 19, 2011
Hamilton, Bermuda, Ironshore Inc. announced that the company is broadening its relationship with Equinox Global Limited to extend additional underwriting capacity to its trade credit insurance market program. Ironshore will provide increased capacity on a facultative basis for all eligible territories to meet the growing insurance demands of Equinox Global, a Managing General Agent specializing in trade credit. “Ironshore’s expanded relationship with Equinox Global allows us to provide greater access to an on-demand, one-stop resource for capacity in an expeditious manner,” said Daniel L. Sussman, President of Ironshore’s Political Risk Unit. “Our continued participation in this enhanced program signals a mark of confidence in Equinox Global’s ability to provide cover to an even larger global client base.” Equinox Global, exclusively dedicated to the trade credit insurance market, was established in November 2010 to offer coverage with first class security in the credit insurance sector throughout various market cycles. “As our busin Read more…
Tags: Capacity, Equinox Global
