| Anne Geddes details her triumph over self-doubt and skeptics
Anne Geddes can still remember pinning a handwritten flier for her fledgling portrait business on the community bulletin board at the local supermarket. She can still remember standing in front of the mirror and practicing the sales pitch for her portrait business that she was using at the little display she set up at local malls; she kept repeating her fees as a "way of convincing myself of my own worth." Some time later she first suggested doing baby calendars to a London editor, who told her, "If I can give you some advice, just photographing babies is never going to work for you. You need to broaden your portfolio to include adults and animals." .
BJ's Wholesale profit rises sharply, beats Wall Street forecast
NATICK, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale said its fourth-quarter profit increased fourfold, beating Wall Street expectations, as the warehouse club benefited from a retail environment that's benefiting discount stores. BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. reported today that its net income rose to about $50 million, or 80 cents per share, in the three months ended Feb. 2. That is up from a profit of almost $12 million, or 18 cents per share, in the fourth quarter a year earlier. Sales rose 2 percent to $2.48 billion. The latest quarter's profit beat by 6 cents per share the consensus forecast of 74 cents a share by analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Massachusetts-based BJ's cited strong January sales, favorable profit margins and lower-than-expected expenses. .
Sympathy wanes for German rail strikers
Public sympathy for the union behind Germany's biggest rail strike seemed to be waning on Friday when millions of commuters struggled to get to work in freezing weather. The 62-hour walk-out by the GDL train drivers' union over pay has crippled goods transport and hit the steel and retail sectors, raising fears the strike could have a lasting impact on the economy if a solution is not found soon. More strikes are possible from Tuesday, the GDL said. Shipping containers piled up in Germany's largest port in Hamburg, authorities said. Only half the usual freight traffic was running in the northern city on the strike's third day. .
Picture Information Extractor 3.94
The ultimate tool for digital cameras. Unique photo browser that extracts metadata (EXIF and Makernote) from JPG and RAW files of almost any digital camera. It transfers pictures from memory card, renames them in a flexible way, rotates losslessly. It also contains a very fast picture viewer with slide show feature and a file manager. Version 3.94 improved transfer features. CNET Networks is not responsible for the content of this Publisher's Description. We encourage you to determine whether this product or your intended use is legal. We do not encourage or condone the use of any software in violation of applicable laws. Any questions, complaints or claims related to any specific download should be directed to the relevant vendor. .
PM denies spending will push up rates
Prime Minister John Howard denies his massive $9 billion splurge on election promises will push up inflation and interest rates. Moments before the Coalition's election launch yesterday, the Reserve Bank of Australia sounded an official warning on inflation, which it predicted would not drop below 3 per cent before 2009. The bank said public spending and household consumption were key drivers of inflation that could lead to further interest rate hikes. But Mr Howard today insisted his election splurge was responsible and would not add to inflation. He acknowledged higher inflation put upward pressure on interest rates but said factors such as drought and high oil prices, not government spending on tax cuts, were to blame for inflationary pressures in the economy.
Cheat Sheet: SOA
It stands for service-oriented architecture. Sometimes people talk about SOAs, even pronouncing it as a word. Oh great, another alphabet soup acronym to confuse us all. Give me the 35,000ft view. And why should I care? SOA actually does what it says on the tin. It's an IT architecture based around common platforms, protocols and reusable code. It can be used to support and connect services and business processes across an enterprise. Eh? Come again, in English this time please... SOA is essentially a collection of loosely coupled functions across the IT infrastructure - internal and external - that communicate with each other to provide a particular service or business process. And why's that good? The alternative is to stay with siloed, standalone applications that can't easily talk to each other.
Permira stalks Reed Business
PERMIRA, the British private equity group, has emerged as a potential suitor for Reed Business Information, the trade magazines arm of Reed Elsevier, which could soon be for sale for about pound stg. 1.25 billion ($2.66 billion). Permira joins a line-up of buyout firms including Cinven, Candover, CVC and Providence Equity Partners that are circling the owner of magazine titles such as New Scientist and Computer Weekly in Britain. In Australia, Reed Business titles include B&T, Australian Doctor and Money Management. It is also understood that Apax and Guardian Media Group, which together recently acquired Emap's business-to-business arm for pound stg. 1 billion, have held discussions in the past two weeks about the possibility of jointly bidding for the group's magazines business.
Alliance Data withdraws suit against Blackstone
The company sued Blackstone, claiming the private equity firm appeared to be using issues over regulatory demands as a way to scuttle the deal. Alliance Data (NYSE:ADS) said in a release Friday it withdrew the lawsuit because it feels more confident that Blackstone is pushing ahead to compete the acquisition. "In light of Blackstone's confirmation of its commitment to work to consummate the merger, the company has at this time withdrawn its lawsuit without prejudice," Alliance Data said in a release. Alliance Data employs 1,800 workers at four offices in Central Ohio. Blackstone agreed last May to acquire Alliance Data at $81.75 a share. Since then, markets have been roiled amid an economic slowdown and credit squeeze. Alliance Data's shares closed Friday at $55.02, up $3.56, on the news that it appeared Blackstone and the company would not be locked in a legal fight.
Bus driver suspended after child climbs out back window
After getting out of the bus, the boy ran to his home about four blocks away, Oaks said. "He went directly home and is with his mother," Oaks said this morning. "She was going to take the child to school." Oaks said the bus driver is required to have an aide on the bus to handle the children and a radio to communicate with the bus owner and school officials. "The driver did not stop and pick up an aid," he said. "We're also looking into why they didn't have communications on board. "Both those things are being investigated. And during the investigation, the driver is off the approved driver list." Oaks said the school system and the Knoxville Police Department are conducting the probe. The suspended driver has been on the Ridgedale School route for two weeks.
The Big Island on a small budget
Stroll, shop or eat your way through Kailua-Kona, but have a care where you spend the night.
The waterfront Royal Kona Resort (800-222-5642; www.hawaiianhotelsandresorts.com) has remained open during ongoing renovation. If you get one of the north-facing refurbished rooms like I did, Alii Tower room No. 614, you'll have a fill-it-yourself mini-fridge and a balcony that overlooks town, the entire bay, breaking waves and any cruise ships that might be in port. I stayed two nights at $194/night (all prices include tax and—for hotels—parking) and enjoyed the Old Hawaii feel of the place, although I thought it was overpriced. Royal Kona Resort guests who don't get an updated room may not find their stay so pleasant. Either way, don't eat at the in-house Don the Beachcomber restaurant (repulsive breakfast, $16.62) and maybe everything will be OK.
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