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SILVER CITY – the Silver City Arts and Cultural District, in collaboration with the Southwest new Mexico Green Chamber, has embarked on a new advertising campaign aimed at marketing Silver City to a broader audience.

The campaign is paid for with the $100,000 in Lodger’s Tax funds that the city gave the Arts and Cultural District in August and an additional $40,000 that the new Mexico Tourism Department awarded the District in December.

The new campaign, which centers around the slogan “Find your self in Silver City,” takes its cues from the new Mexico Tourism Department’s 2012 Strategic plan, according to Arts and Cultural District Director and Tourism Director Julie Minicucci.

“We want to expand our reach,” Minicucci said. “We want to not only reach tried-and-true travelers, but introduce Silver City to new markets. We’re really trying to align ourselves with the state’s new vision.”

The state’s objective, according to the Tourism Department’s website, is to accelerate tourism by branding new Mexico as a destination for “venturesome” travelers.

The Arts and Cultural District’s implementation of this strategy involves advertising the city in new markets like LGBT travel and adventure-focused publications, overhauling the Arts and Cultural District’s website, increasing its social media presence, building and maintaining new billboards and, as Minicucci put it, “basically anything tourism.”

“We asked ourselves, ‘What do we have to offer? Who do we want to attract?’” Minicucci said. “We looked at different psychographics and tried to find out who fits that venturesome profile.”

Minicucci and Green Chamber Executive Director Cissy McAndrew each gave presentations that emphasized their respective organizations’ new ambitions Tuesday night to the Silver City Town Council.

McAndrew highlighted changes in and around the Murray Ryan Visitor Center, including the new computer kiosk, free wifi for visitors, the new solar carport educational kiosk, and a fresh new look, that will soon include a mural on the exterior of the building, courtesy of the Mimbres Region Arts Council’s Youth Mural Project. McAndrew also mentioned how the Visitor Center is now tracking visitors by asking them to sign in, write where they’re from, how long they plan on staying in Silver City and how they heard about the town. She noted that 6,378 visitors had signed in since the Green Chamber took over in August, including travelers from as far away as Budapest, Hungary and a busload of tourists from England.

Minicucci went over changes behind the scenes – such as the new ad campaign, a new increased social media presence, and the eventual launch of a roving ambassador’s program.

The new ads, which all include the “Find your Self” slogan, feature shots of events, like the Tour of the Gila and the Red Paint Powwow, and area attractions like the Gila Cliff Dwellings, as well as shots of Silver City’s downtown and downtown gateway arch.

The Council had the opportunity to view the ads earlier.

“I think the ads are very fresh and new for Silver City” Silver City Mayor James Marshall said at the meeting. Marshall added that he liked how the ads touted the town’s Wild West history, like the one that reads “Find your True Grit” in Silver City. “Enjoy the authentic Silver City Experience. Preserving the Spirit of the Old West While Forging a new Frontier.”

To help out with the new campaign, Minicucci hired Sherry Logan and Michelle Geels, office manager and marketing assistant, respectively, as well as webmaster Derek Markham, who is spearheading the website facelift, which is scheduled to go online in early February. Town Manager Alex Brown said that the part-time salaries of the office manager and marketing assistant positions – each less than $10,000 a year – will be drawn from the general fund. Markham is paid from Arts and Cultural District funds.

“I’m really excited,” said Geels, who is also the Tour of the Gila co-director. “I think we’re taking a fresh approach and I just really feel that tourism in general is a hot ticket for Silver City.”

Sun-News reporter Christine Steele contributed to this story.

Aaron West can be reached at (575) 538-5893 ext. 5803

<a href="http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_19823087tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_19823087Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:07:23 GMT”>Advertising campaign launched to market Silver City

Mitt Romney’s tax disclosure on Tuesday should help him in his struggle against Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination. but his 2010 and 2011 tax returns raise major questions about the fairness of the U.S. tax code, and will likely become exhibit ‘A’ if he debates President Obama over tax reform during the general election.

The partial release of his unfiled 2011 taxes will also generate intense interest in the days and weeks ahead because of what they failed to disclose: the make-up of his overseas holdings, which are held in blind trusts; the financial structure of the estimated $100 million held in an individual retirement account, where capital gains mount up tax free; or the contents of his prior tax returns.

In the past two years, Romney earned the largest share of his $42.5 million income from carried interest, dividends and capital gains.  Such non-salary income is taxed at a 15 percent rate. The result was that after deductions for charitable donations to the Mormon Church and other non-profit entities, he paid just $6.2 million in taxes, an effective tax rate of 14.6 percent.

That’s not just a lower rate than his main competitor for the Republican nomination, who paid 31.6 percent of his $3.2 million income in taxes in 2010, or lower than President Obama, who paid 26 percent of his $1.8 million in income, it is a lower rate than Warren Buffett’s secretary, who famously paid a higher rate than her boss.

Romney has repeatedly argued on the campaign trail that he supports tax reform that will broaden the base of taxable income while lowering overall rates. but his plan has been short on details of how he would treat non-wage, non-salary income generated from accumulated wealth, which is how he collects most of his reported income. He did earn about $639,000 from speaking fees in the past two years.

The trustee of the blind trusts where Romney and his wife Anne have deposited most of their wealth stressed during a Tuesday morning briefing that his accountants at PriceWaterhouseCoopers were in full compliance with the tax code. “Gov. Romney has paid 100 percent of what he owes,” said R. Bradford Malt, an attorney at the Boston law firm of Ropes & Gray.

The single biggest component of Romney’s income came from so-called carried interest, which is income earned from managing other people’s money. Portfolio managers at companies like Bain Capital typically take two percent of the money they manage plus a 20 percent cut of any positive returns. Even though they have no capital at risk, their slice is treated like capital gains and taxed at the 15 percent rate. if it were treated like ordinary income, it would be taxed at a 35 percent rate.

Romney earned $13 million in carried interest over the last two years. “It isn’t fair to characterize carried interest as compensation when Gov. Romney hasn’t had any involvement in Bain since 1999,” said Balt. “The carried interest does represent the investments previously made by Gov. Romney in Bain Capital.”

However, the returns do not reveal the structures of the dozens of investment funds in the U.S. and abroad owned by the Romney family’s trusts. The Romney family fortune, depending on the financial disclosure statement, is estimated to be somewhere between $190 million and $250 million.

When pressed on Romney’s tax reform plan, a spokesman said, “The governor has not talked specifically about carried interest. He’s not interested in picking losers and winners like the Obama administration . . . He supports fundamental tax reform . . . a simpler, fairer and flatter tax structure.”

The president has proposed taxing carried interest like ordinary income. However, neither Democratic nor Republican Congresses have gone along after intense opposition by Wall Street lobbyists.

Tax experts say it is one of the most glaring inequities in the tax code. “Carried interest is the return you get from someone else’s capital, from managing someone else’s money,” said Edward Kleinbard, a law professor at the University of Southern California and former chief of staff at the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation. “There’s no plausible justification for getting a 15 percent rate on managing other people’s money.”

While proponents of taxing capital gains at lower rates claim it fosters job creation by encouraging greater investment by the well-to-do, few economists support that theory and tax reformers in previous generations have often taken aim at its preferential treatment. In fact, the tax reform plan backed by President Ronald Reagan and signed into law in 1986 established the same rates for both, which lasted until the early 1990s.

Romney’s advisers repeatedly pointed out that under Gingrich’s tax plan, his tax rate would be even lower. The former House Speaker wants to eliminate all taxes on capital gains and dividends, which would blow another huge hole in the federal budget. With Romney being a huge beneficiary of such a change, that could make Gingrich seem hypocritical in the parts of Florida that are semi-rural, industrial and agricultural, the areas where he polls strongest.

On the other hand, Romney as standard-bearer may be alienating Republican retirees who live in Florida’s well-off coastal enclaves, who’d rather not see their favored treatment in the tax code held up to public scrutiny.

The preceding first appeared in The Fiscal Times.

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<a href="http://gooznews.com/?p=3558tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://gooznews.com/?p=3558Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:55:56 GMT”>Romney’s Questionable Tax Returns

The U.S. Federal Reserve Building is pictured in Washington, March 18, 2008.

Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed/Files

NEW YORK | Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:19am IST

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke lent support on Wednesday to expectations at most leading Wall Street firms that the U.S. central bank will provide new stimulus for the economy in the first half of this year, a Reuters poll showed.

Economists at 12 of 18 primary dealers, the large financial institutions that do business directly with the Fed, said the central bank would do further quantitative easing. the poll was conducted after Bernanke’s news conference.

Bernanke told a news conference after the Fed’s two-day policy meeting that additional purchases of securities is an option if the recovery falters or inflation does not move toward the new target of 2 percent the central bank set.

Eight of the dealers forecast the Fed would undertake a new stimulus program in the first half of 2012, while the remainder of those looking for more stimulus said it would happen later in 2012.

“It is an old call, but we feel much better about it after today’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting,” said Aneta Markowska, economist at Societe Generale in new York. Societe Generale forecasts the Fed will announce a $600 billion program in March.

The Fed has already done two rounds of asset purchases — known as quantitative easing or QE1 and QE2 — under which it has bought $2.3 trillion of mortgage-backed securities and Treasury debt. Lingering economic weakness has fueled expectations of more such stimulus.

The median forecast from 10 dealers pointed to a program of $600 billion of purchases of Treasuries or mortgage-backed securities.

The Fed’s current $400 billion stimulus program, dubbed “Operation Twist,” extends the maturity of the central bank’s Treasury debt holdings in an effort to bring down longer-term rates like those on mortgages. Operation Twist is scheduled to last through June.

In its post-meeting statement on Wednesday, the Fed said it did not expect to raise rates from the current ultra-low level near zero until at least late 2014 in an effort to support a sluggish economic recovery.

Bernanke indicated that the securities purchases so far had had the desired effects.

“In Bernanke’s press conference he seemed to take whatever opportunity he could to emphasize that if the progress toward lower unemployment is too slow and if inflation remains benign, the Fed will be looking for more opportunities to be accommodative or to extend its balance sheet,” said Dana Saporta, economist with Credit Suisse in new York.

Credit Suisse expects the Fed to announce a securities purchase program of about $600 billion in the first half of 2012.

Most economists at primary dealers had already been calling for further Fed stimulus, with 12 of 17 dealers saying the central bank will undertake further quantitative easing in a poll conducted late last week.

The median of forecasts for the size of the program was also $600 billion in the earlier poll, and eight dealers also forecast such a program would be announced in the first half of this year.

There are 21 primary dealers, of which 18 answered the poll on Wednesday.

announce a How large

further round will the

of quantitative program be?

COMPANY easing? when?

BAML yes (Yes) Sept 2012 (Sept 2012) 800 (800)

BMO Capital Possibly (Yes) NA (Q2 2012) NA (400)

Bank of NS yes (Yes) Mid 2012 (Mid 2012) 500 (500)

Barclays No (No) No (No) No (No)

BNP yes (Yes) April (April 2012) 400 (400)

Cantor yes (Yes) April (June 2012) 750 (750)

Citigroup No (No) No (No) No (No)

CSuisse yes (Yes) H1 2012 (2012) 600 (600)

Daiwa No (No) No (No) No (No)

Deutsche No (No) No (No) No (No)

Goldman yes (Yes) Mid 2012 (H1 2012) NA (NA)

HSBC yes (Yes) June (June) NA (NA)

Jefferies yes (Yes) Q2 (Q2 2012) 750 (750)

JP Morgan No (No) No (No) No (No)

Mizuho yes (Yes) Q2 (March) NA (800)

M Stanley NA (NA) NA (NA) NA (NA)

Nomura yes (Yes) Q2 (Q2) 475 (475)

RBC Possibly NA (NA) 500 (500)

RBS yes (NA) Mid 2012 (NA) 600 (NA)

Soc Gen yes (Yes) March (March) 600 (600)

UBS NA (NA) NA (NA) NA (NA)

(Additional reporting by Pam Niimi; Editing by Andrew Hay)

<a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/26/usa-fed-poll-idINDEE80P00L20120126?type=economicNewstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/26/usa-fed-poll-idINDEE80P00L20120126?type=economicNewsThu, 26 Jan 2012 00:53:37 GMT”>POLL: Bernanke keeps Wall St stimulus expectations intact

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<a href="http://www.forexpros.com/news/stock-market-news/euro-stocks-hit-five-month-high-on-greek-debt-progress;-dax-up-0.50–229451tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.forexpros.com/news/stock-market-news/euro-stocks-hit-five-month-high-on-greek-debt-progress;-dax-up-0.50–229451Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:38:42 GMT”>Error 404: Page Not Found

How News Group hid the phone-hacking scandal Judge criticises Murdoch empire as it agrees aggravated damages for 37 victims of News of the World

Phone hacking: News International to pay out to 37 victims News of the World publisher settles with victims including Jude Law, Ashley Cole, Sadie Frost and Lord Prescott

Judge orders search of News of the World computers Laptops and deskop computers alleged to contain evidence that executives deliberately destroyed evidence of phone hacking

Guardian News & Media – Senior Administrator & PA to General Manager National Newspaper Operations Stratford/contract/full time

Groupon UK – PR ManagerLondon/permanent/full time

Zooid Pictures – Commercial Manager/COO South East/permanent/full time

For more jobs, career advice and workplace news visit guardianjobs.co.uk

The Guardian

Lies, evasions, cover-ups – how Murdoch firm hid hacking trail. P130 months on, an “admission of sorts”. P1Phone-hacking: 37 victims settle damages. P4,5Stars and “ordinary people” had privacy violated. P5Phone-hacking: company accused of “massive conspiracy” to deceive – and it could get even worse. P6Analysis: the real reason for the News of the World’s closure is finally revealed. P6Judge orders search for computer material. P6Amazonian clubbers dance to Facebook’s tune. P20China: Communism’s rival to iPad goes on sale. P24Google climbs to a record $10.6bn high. P27Christmas shoppers spend £8bn online. P28Editorial: in praise of stargazing. P32TV review. G2, P33

The Independent

We hacked emails too – News International. P1Wapping’s day of humility. P8,9Joan Smith: I’ve waited for this every since they told me I’d been hacked. P9PCC is damaging genuine journalism, Evgeny Lebedev tells MPs. P18Is Wikipedia winning online copyright war? P34China – rival to iPad that toes party line. P36Obituary: Reginald Collin, TV producer and director of Bafta. P52Apple eyes interactive textbook revolution. P61Endemol gets deal to restructure €2bn debt. P62Pearson reveals profit upgrade. P62The IT Crowd star groomed for stardom. Arts&books, P2

i

News International settles 37 lawsuits for phone hacking. P1,4Former Countryfile presenter Miriam O’Reilly profile. P3Evgeny Lebedev: libel laws damage the press. P5Protests prompt supporters of online privacy bills to back away. P8Apple promises iPad revolution in classroom. P41Endemol secures £1.7bn debt deal. P42Pearson expects profits to rise by 10%. P42Angry Birds firm delays float. P42

Daily Telegraph

News of the World directors accused of hacking cover up. P1Emmerdale producers accused of damaging Yorkshire landmark. P6Victorian railway guide becomes best-seller after featuring in BBC2’s great British Railway Journeys. P9Tabloid executives led cover-up, say phone hacking victims. P10The Times editor and the unanswered questions over reporter’s methods. P10Harold Shipman’s son’s emails intercepted by News of the World. P11FBI inquiry: did Murdoch tabloid break US law? P11Leader: there’s an app for that. P23

The Times

Emails were deleted says phone hacking case judge as celebrities and politicians settle claims. P1,8,9Google market value slumps with dramatic slowdown in profits. P39BBC Magazines on the move. P46Pearson raises profit guidance. P47Obituary: Stuart Hood, former controller of television programmes at the BBC. P56

Financial Times

Murdoch executives drew up plan to delate hacking emails, says judge. P1Google disappoints with latest results. P1Apple moves into digital textbook market. P1,23Jude Law settles hacking claim. P2Blair to face questions over links with Murdoch. P2Apps to reshape the way you read the news. P14Lex column: Endemol, Sony Ericsson. P16Novelist threatens Apple with US lawsuit over China ebook dispute. P17Endemol reaches deal on €2.8bn debt. P23

Wall Street Journal Europe

News Corp settles most phone-hacking lawsuits. P1Google rises 6.3% but revenue disappoints. P17Apple pushes for iPad textbooks. P19Pearson raises its profit view. P19

Daily Mail

Sex and the City prequel planned. P3Phone hacking bill nears £10m. P8Diary: Michael Gove asks ITV’s Laura Kuenssberg to ditch report. P19Jan Moir on Downton Abbey. P29

Daily Express

Phone hacking: Jude Law gets £130,000 but final bill may hit £10m. P4Simon Cowell says he had a “big wake up call”. P9Diary: Michael Portillo’s all over the BBC. P15Celebrity big Brother review. P35

The Sun

Simon Cowell interview: “I got a bit too cocky. We got a big wake-up call.” P1,4,5£130,000 for Jude Law as 37 get hacking payouts. P12BBC’s Test Match Special stays on air with iPad. P13Gary Glitter on Twitter? P15EastEnders killer plot shock. TVBIZ, P1Sex and the City prequel planned. TVBIZ, P1Interview with TV magician Dynamo. TVBIZ, P2

Daily Mirror

BBC Test Match Special broadcast via iPad. P2ITV making own version of Jim’ll Fix it – with Leigh Francis creation Keith Lemon. P3Next Britain’s got Talent winners will go into space. P12,13Phone-hacking payouts. P22Sex scene plays behind TV presenter. P30

Daily Star

Britain’s got Talent winner to go into space. P1Celebrity big Brother latest. P5Phone-hacking payouts. P25Apple targets schools. B1Pearson boost. B3Endemol debt restructure. B3Asos thanks Twitter for sales surge. B5

And finally …

Forget all the speculation about how Sherlock faked his own death on the acclaimed BBC1 drama. What the Daily Telegraph really wants to know is – wardrobe spoiler alert – where did he get his lovely coat? Turns out it’s made by Belstaff who – shock horror – are not producing any more for the foreseeable future and only have one left in store. “Are they insane?” asks the Telegraph’s Lisa Armstrong. “Zillions of men and women would kill for one, especialy now the weather’s finally on the turn.” Elementary stuff. DAILY TELEGRAPH, P26

Channel 5 to launch in-house production arm Broadcaster develops programmes including cookery format fronted by Marco Pierre White and show featuring Jedward

Endemol reaches deal on £2.3bn debt big Brother maker to restructure finances, slashing its debt to about €500m

Sudan police close two newspapers Titles shut down for violating journalistic ethics

Honduras newspaper source murdered Lawyer shot dead after telling of police torture of prisoners

Irish student tries to gag six newspapers Publishers claim man is seeking superinjunction to prevent publication

Kodak falls in the ‘creative destruction of the digital age’ Pioneering company files for bankruptcy protection after decision not to invest in the digital camera – its own invention

Harold Shipman’s son ‘horrified’ at NoW email intercepts Christopher Shipman tells court how tabloid was privy to confidential emails about the death of his serial killer father

Jude Law: phone hacking made me suspect friends and family Inaccurate and distorted News of the World articles had ‘profound effect’ on life of actor, who has accepted £130,000 settlement

Facebook, the club: social networking on the dancefloor in Brazilian Amazon Nightspot in remote region close to Bolivia pays homage to website whose popularity has exploded in South America

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jan/20/1?newsfeed=truetag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jan/20/1?newsfeed=trueFri, 20 Jan 2012 09:09:31 GMT”>Today’s media stories from the papers

HCP Inc (HCP) recently announced the pricing of $450 million of 3.75% senior unsecured notes, scheduled to mature in 2019. the transaction is expected to generate net proceeds of approximately $443.7 million. HCP expects to utilize the proceeds to repay the debt under its revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes. the offering is slated to close on January 23, 2012.

HCP has a conservative approach toward financial management given its active debt-to-equity management, coupled with efficient maintenance of  multiple sources of liquidity like revolving credit facility, access to capital markets and secured debt providers, and divesture of assets. the financial flexibility enables the company to seize potential investment opportunities. At quarter end, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $44.9 million.

HCP reported FFO (funds from operations) of $259.6 million or 63 cents per share in the third quarter of 2011 compared with $96.1 million or 31 cents per share in the year-earlier quarter. Funds from operations, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.

HCP is the leading medical REIT in the US with one of the largest and most diversified portfolios in the healthcare sector with exposure to all types of facilities. the product diversity of the company allows it to capitalize on opportunities in different markets based on individual market dynamics, and provides a hard-to-replicate competitive advantage over its peers.

HCP currently retains a Zacks #3 Rank, which translates into a short-term Hold rating. We are also maintaining our long-term Neutral recommendation on the stock. One of its competitors, Health Care REIT, Inc. (HCN) holds a Zacks #2 Rank, which implies a short-term Buy rating.

Read the full analyst report on HCP

Read the full analyst report on HCN

<a href="http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/68112/HCP+Prices+Unsecured+Notes+tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/68112/HCP Prices Unsecured Notes Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:42:28 GMT”>HCP Prices Unsecured Notes

Link It’s EZ Maintenance(TM) Software for Windows Certified for Use in the Army Enterprise Infrastructure Network

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Feb. 17, 2011 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — Link It Software Corporation today announced that EZ Maintenance for Windows has been awarded the Certificate of Networthiness (CoN) from the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command.

This accreditation ensures EZ Maintenance for Windows meets strict U.S. Army and Department of Defense (DoD) standards for security, compatibility and sustainability. the CoN is required for all enterprise software products in the Army Enterprise Infrastructure Network. the certification also applies to all National Guard, Army Reserve and DoD organizations that use the Army Enterprise Infrastructure Network.

“We are extremely proud that EZ Maintenance for Windows has received this recognition from the U.S. Army and Department of Defense,” said Wayne McFarland, Link It Software CEO. “EZ Maintenance has always been recognized for its scalability and accountability on all maintenance processes, and we believe our CoN certification validates this.”

EZ Maintenance for Windows provides a complete software package for scheduling, tracking and controlling maintenance for any type of equipment and any kind of vehicle. It includes inventory control. EZ Maintenance for Windows is designed to meet the unique needs of maintenance management for a virtually unlimited range of equipment or vehicles. the software is structured as an easy-to-use, cost-effective Windows solution that is network-ready for multiple users and scalable to any size fleet or equipment roster. EZ Maintenance is also available in a web (SaaS) version.

“EZ Maintenance currently has thousands of users in civilian organizations throughout the world including many that work with the military,” McFarland stated. “our Certificate of Networthiness will now allow Link It to provide the features of EZ Maintenance where appropriate and needed directly to the U.S. Army. our Link It team is very pleased and excited about this opportunity.”

About Link It Software Corporation

Link It Software Corporation, begun in 1996, is a leading provider of enterprise software for businesses and high-level business marketing solutions. For more information, visit http://www.linkitsoftware.com.

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Link It Software Corporation

http://www.linkitsoftware.com

<a href="http://news.gnom.es/news/european-stocks-euro-firm-on-economy-hopes-news-gnom-estag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://news.gnom.es/news/european-stocks-euro-firm-on-economy-hopes-news-gnom-esTue, 03 Jan 2012 10:09:26 GMT”>Link It Receives U.S. Army Certificate of Networthiness for EZ Maintenance Software

Wall Street led investors on a wild ride in 2011.

Buffeted by concerns over the European debt crisis, erratic energy pricing and fears that the federal government was doing more harm than good for the U.S. economy, stocks were all over the map.

In the end – despite all of that volatility – Wall Street ended 2011 pretty much where it began. But as we ease further into 2012, there have been some positive signs.

On Thursday, a trio of reports brought good news – weekly unemployment benefit applications have fallen to levels last seen more than three years ago, holiday sales were solid and service companies grew a little faster in December.

Friday delivered more welcome news. Employers added 200,000 jobs in December and the nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, its lowest level in three years.

But an ominous undercurrent is lurking beneath those numbers. November’s job gains have been revised downward, and December’s decline in unemployment was fueled, in part, by the fact that the U.S. labor force shrank by 50,000.

So where does all of this leave investors and businesses for 2012?

“I’m highly uncertain about the results for 2012,” said Jim Hotvet, president of Jim Hotvet Financial Advisors in Pasadena. “It could be a good year, but two things concern me – the political campaign and the situation in Europe. If things go right we could have a nice year where earnings are up 10 percent because companies have good earnings and good balance sheets. And it looks good from a hiring perspective.”

But if economic factors conspire to turn the other way investors could just as easily see their investments decline by 10 percent, Hotvet said.

“If I had to guess, I’d say we’ll have another flat year,” he said. “And I think we’ll have another year of volatility.”

Alan Fluhrer, CEO of Fluhrer & Bridges, an executive search firm in Pasadena that specializes in technology and energy, also figures investors will weather some more erratic ups and downs.

“The thing is that our economy has become so global,” he said.

Few would disagree that Europe’s financial crisis has weighed heavily on investors. And it’s a known fact that the U.S. economy is increasingly global and therefore affected by economic events that happen throughout the world.

European leaders are scrambling again to stem the march of the crisis, which pushed the euro to a 16-month low against the U.S. dollar on Friday, drove Italy’s borrowing rates to unsustainable levels and is threatening France’s prized AAA credit rating.

With the debt jitters regarding core economies, economic indicators show that even powerhouse Germany hasn’t been spared. Economic sentiment and retail sales are falling across the region, according to new data released Friday, while unemployment in the 17-nation eurozone is stuck at 10.3 percent.

Many U.S. companies have taken a beating amid all of this uncertainty. But locally there have been some gains.

STAAR Surgical co., a Monrovia-based maker of implantable lenses for the correction of cataracts and other disorders of the eye, began 2011 with a stock price of $6.30. But it ended the year at $10.49 and has so far remained above $10 in 2012.

Edison International, the Rosemead-based parent of Southern California Edison, also saw its shares rise. Edison’s stock began last year at $37.40 and ended at $41.40.

But other companies, including La Canada Flintridge-based Sport Chalet inc., haven’t fared so well. Over the past 52 weeks the retail chain’s stock has ranged from a high of $4 to a low of $1.87. on Friday shares of Sport Chalet closed at $2.19.

In November, Chairman and CEO Craig Levra announced the company’s fiscal 2012 second quarter results.

Sport Chalet’s net income rose $1.1 million to $600,000 compared with a net loss of $500,000 in the second quarter of fiscal 2012.

“This quarter marked our second profitable quarter in the last three quarters and we continued to experience positive trends in comparable store sales and online sales,” Levra said in a statement. “Our data suggests our online business is helping drive customers into our stores, while establishing a national footprint online.”

Levra has also said that Sport Chalet will continue to “micro-merchandise” in fiscal 2012 using Action Pass data. the Action Pass is a kind of customer loyalty card that allows shoppers to get discounts on merchandise.

On Friday the Dow Jones industrials closed down 55.78 points, or 0.45 percent, to 12,360. the Nasdaq market managed a slight gain of 4 points to end the day at 2,674 and the S&P 500 lost 3.25 points to close at 1,277.

kevin.smith@sgvn.com

626-962-8811, ext. 2701

<a href="http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19695382tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19695382Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:40:33 GMT”>Experts predict more market volatility for 2012

Yahoo has tapped PayPal boss Scott Thompson as its new CEO, effective January 9, the troubled internet giant has announced.

Yahoo fired Carol Bartz, its last chief executive, in September and has been undergoing a strategic review as the business has struggled to compete with Google and Facebook. after Bartz’s controversial ouster, Yahoo said it was looking at a range of strategic options, including the sale of all or part of the company.

Thompson will takeover from interim chief executive Tim Morse, who will resume his role as chief financial officer.

Yahoo’s new boss has served as president of PayPal, eBay’s payment company, since 2008. Under his leadership PayPal grew its user base from 50 million to 104 million active users across 190 countries.

“Scott brings to Yahoo! a proven record of building on a solid foundation of existing assets and resources to reignite innovation and drive growth, precisely the formula we need at Yahoo!,” said Roy Bostock, Yahoo chairman, in a statement today.

Scott Thompson. Photograph: Terrence McCarthy / PAYPAL/EPA

“His deep understanding of online businesses combined with his team building and operational capabilities will restore the energy, focus, and momentum necessary to grow the core business and deliver increased value for our shareholders. the search committee and the entire Board concluded that he is the right leader to return the core business to a path of robust growth and industry-leading innovation.”

Michael Gartenberg, analyst at Gartner, said Yahoo had some strong assets including Yahoo News, Yahoo Messenger and mail and Flickr, its photo-sharing site, but successive managements had failed to bring those assets together.

“There’s room for this company. It’s a survivor,” he told the Guardian. “It still has a large user base and a great brand among consumers. the question is, can the new man step up and put those pieces together?”

The news of Thompson’s appointment was broken by All things Digital, part of the Wall Street Journal, and came as a surprise to many tech watchers. He was not seen as a front-runner for the post and many had expected a sale of the company might come before a chief was appointed.

Two private equity firms, Silver Lake and TPG Capital, have made tentative offers for Yahoo but shareholders are unhappy with the price. Rival tech firms including China’s Alibaba, part owned by Yahoo, are also considering offers. Microsoft, which made an unsuccessful $44.6bn hostile bid for Yahoo in 2008, is also said to be taking another look.

But the price Yahoo would fetch today illustrates how far the tech firm has fallen. Yahoo is now valued at $20bn and its share price has fallen hard as Google and Facebook – which overtook Yahoo as the largest online display advertiser in the US – have emerged as the big forces in online advertising and innovation.

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/04/yahoo-ceo-scott-thompson-paypal?newsfeed=truetag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/04/yahoo-ceo-scott-thompson-paypal?newsfeed=trueWed, 04 Jan 2012 15:37:58 GMT”>Yahoo search for CEO ends with PayPal boss Scott Thompson

Snce Warren Buffett recently acquired the Omaha-World News for the portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) and mutli-billionaire Carlos Slim increased his holdings of The New York Times Corporation (NYSE: NYT), small cap income investors should look at the stock of a. H. Belo Corporation (NYSE: AHC).a.H. Belo Corporation has a high dividend income for its shareholders of 5.21%.  The average dividend yield for a stock on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is under 2%.  Neither The New York Times Corporation (NYT) nor Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) pays a dividend.Many features of the balance sheet of a.H. Belo Corporation are as impressive as its high dividend yield.  The price-to-sales ratio is 0.21.  The price-to-book ratio is 0.54.  The gross magin is over 85%.  there is no debt.  by contrast, The New York Times Corporation (NYT) has a great deal of debt.a.H. Belo Corporation operates four newspapers: The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal, The Press Enterprise and The Denton Record Chronicle.  Like so many others in the newspaper business, The great Recession and the rise of the Internet have not been salutary for the share price of AHC or NYT.  for 2011, it is off more than 40%.but there are bullish signs.  over the past month, the stock is up more than 8%.  Insiders are buying a.H. Belo Corporation on the open market.  Uber investor Peter Lynch stated that there are many reasons for insiders to sell a stock (buy home, pay tuition, etc…).  but there is only one reason for an insider to buy: they believe the price will rise.Institutions are also bullish on a.H. Belo: the ownership level is over 70%.  both institutional and insider ownership at a.H. Belo Corporation is rising, which is a very positive sign.

<a href="http://www.smallcapnetwork.com/Warren-Buffett-likes-Newspapers-and-AH-Bello-has-No-Debt-Strong-Balance-Sheet-NYT-BRK-A-AHC/s/via/3420/article/view/p/mid/1/id/499/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.smallcapnetwork.com/Warren-Buffett-likes-Newspapers-and-AH-Bello-has-No-Debt-Strong-Balance-Sheet-NYT-BRK-A-AHC/s/via/3420/article/view/p/mid/1/id/499/Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:06:51 GMT”>Warren Buffett likes Newspapers and AH Bello has No Debt, Strong Balance Sheet (NYT, BRK-A, AHC)