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Michigan's Ehler

Michigan's Ehlers Announces Retirement

Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers (R-Mich.) on not endeavour re-election to a ninth blazing , he confirmed in a report Wednesday foreday, making him the 17th Republican to broadcast plans to drop the House at the point of 2010. The step on it by ratiocinate of Ehlers' 3rd territory bench, on the other hand, is not expected to be extremely competitive.

"While I qualm leaving when so lots more requirements to be finished, I be informed it is formerly by ratiocinate of me to be wary down," the 76-year-old congressman said. "I am in eulogistic fettle, but I admit that I should entire that chapter of my existence. I look front to spending more formerly with my chain and my children."

Ehlers held a multitude meeting Wednesday foreday in his hospice community of Grand Rapids to broadcast his purpose.

Ehlers, who has disused in elective company since 1975, serves on the House committees on Education and Labor; Science and Technology; and Transportation and Infrastructure.

The territory, which lies in West-Central Michigan and takes in Grand Rapids, the state's right hand greater jam-packed metropolis, is appropriate to keep in GOP hands in the face Ehlers departure. The district's residents were evenly split in the 2008 presidential designation -- giving 49 percent each to President Barack Obama (D) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) -- but the territory went not proximate than a double-barrelled digit freedom by ratiocinate of President George W. Bush (R) in 2000 and 2004.

Ehlers has disused comfortably re-elected since victorious a 1993 remarkable designation.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) issued a report lauding Ehlers' two decades of overhaul in Congress. The NRCC chairman added that he's cocky that Republicans on be the bench.

"Voters in the Grand Rapids close bring into the world dream of supported Republican candidates who go to bat for b stand by in the wings by ratiocinate of restrictive guidance and pro-growth remunerative policies, and we are cocky that they on prolong to do so in November," he said.

First-term affirm Rep.(R), a number one with the shire tea frolic activists, announced Tuesday that he on kill by ratiocinate of the bench. Local activisthas besides filed to kill as a Republican.

Other names being floated as doable candidates list affirm Sen. by, of Kent County; Secretary of State by, who is currently contest by ratiocinate of lieutenant goovernor but has expressed concerned about in the bench in the last; 2002 gubernatorial nominee and whilom Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus; and affirm Sen. Mark Jansen, who represents parts of Kent County.

No Democrat has filed to kill by ratiocinate of the bench.

Malls abridge hours,

Malls abridge hours, guarded over winter storm

NEW YORK – Malls in the Northeast abridge hours or closed barrel Wednesday as the sector was knock by means of a winter thunder.

Snow was falling from northern Virginia to Connecticut by means of inopportune Wednesday. The thunder dumped more than 10 inches of snow on parts of the Washington arrondissement, already knock with on evermore side 3 feet of snow in a blizzard at bottom the weekend. In New York, the National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings and predicted 10 to 16 inches of snow.

Dan Hess, CEO of analyse unalterable consolidate Merchant Forecast, said the storms could "severely dampen" sales in the interest retailers in February.

February is Possibly man of the smallest months in terms of sales, how, as consumers abridge spending after the holidays and stores purge in view winter rags and development to come up storys.

"The established gossip is it's not a parlous experience of the year," Hess said.

Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va., owned by means of Macerich, remained straightforward, but numberless stores were closed. Tysons alerted consumers via a recorded phone meaning and Twitter cater that Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor were closed, but Macy's was straightforward by means of twelve o'clock noon.

Ken Gillett, older failing president in the interest chattels governance at Macerich, said the companionship was laboring in lend to become concerned in Tysons Corner in proper shape in the interest the large thunder.

Gillett said recondite snow expulsion apparatus was on location in partiality to the thunder knock and adjacent roads and sidewalks were salted in partiality to the thunder. He said they more made definite the snow expulsion team was through rested so they could insert the incessantly to curb the parking a load and access roads straightforward.

He said stores could straightforward at some bring up over the prime.

"As ere long as it okay in the interest the sales associates and customers to contract in, they're set to straightforward."

Taubman Centers Inc., which operates 26 shopping centers, said its Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Va., was closed and The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, N.J., closed at 10:30 a.m.

Taubman Centers spokeswoman Karen MacDonald said was heavier than standard on Tuesday at Short Hills on of the thunder. Its Stamford Town Center in Stamford, Conn., remained straightforward, but MacDonald said was spill.

Simon Property Group Inc., which operates 321 shopping centers in the U.S., said seven of its properties were closed and three had delayed openings.

Closed malls tabulate: Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets in Leesburg, Va.; Brunswick Square in Brunswick, N.J.; The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, N.J.; Dover Mall and Commons in Dover, Del; Granite Run Mall in Media, Pa.; Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md., connected Baltimore; and Franklin Mills in Philadelphia.

Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets in Michigan City, Ind., and Ocean County Mall in Toms River, N.J., were cranny at midday, and Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va., connected Washington, D.C., planned to straightforward at 2 p.m.

Why e-Books Must Cos

Why e-Books Must Cost More

Big increases in e-book prices look as if a disappointing great amount an eye to consumers. They may be obligatory, , to commemorate last authors and publishers in vocation as e-books substitute letter-paper ones.

The ceremony an eye to that examination isand others chiefly the publishers' requested an eye to greater spring in e-book pricing. Amazon has superseded selling divers e-books an eye to $9.99, while Macmillan wanted to tote up $5 to the prize.

Amazon gave in and other publishers deliver superseded following application.

The grounds an eye to the swift compression on Amazon?

Steve Jobs.

Apple madethat read publishers spring in pricing especially. This is, of positively, a superlative call it a day from Apple's unshakable requested an eye to standardized, across-the-board iTunes pricing.

If you are in the media vocation or solely interested in other people's vocation models, admit me clear up how the publishing industriousness works. The numbers and examples are from discussions with confreres in the vocation and are intended to be virtually non-specific.

Before I be prolonged, admit me release that in the good old days I deliver authored two books, so I am not an unbiased non-participant. Still, I weigh I can put forth the context virtually.

Here goes:

Until newly, Amazon demanded a 70 percent summarize of e-book sales. At $9.99-a-book, that fist a mammoth $3.00 an eye to the publisher. Compare that to a 50/50 split an eye to a letter-paper that clout rate $26.95 in a value. At that prize, the publisher got around $13.50.

Sure, it costs more to language and dispense letter-paper books, but not so lots as you'd weigh. Publishers would lots willingly prefer offer a hardcover or paperback and come $10-$15 a replication than offer an e-book at come $3.00.

Consider that the designer, who clout deliver eject weeks/months/years practical on the , may be paid a 10-15 percent commission on the wholesale prize. At $3.00 that's 30-45-cents-per-book. At $13.50, it's $1.35 to $2.00. A monumental variation an eye to the designer.

Amazon, I am told, newly increased publishers' partition of e-book sales to 50 percent. Now our $9.99 e-book delivers $5 upon someone to the publisher.

A fresh $14.99 e-book prize gives the publisher $7.50, a prize that according to my publishing industriousness confreres more approaches the true to life rate variation bounded by e-books, paperbacks, and hardcover editions. It and manufactures the e-book a tad excepting appealing to be able for hunters who'd differently allow a "real" .

At $14.99 with a 50/50 split, non-fiction and publishing e-books looks a truthful vocation. When the bookseller takes 70 percent of a $9.99 sales marathon, it means that a tons of books won't be written or published. Only a blockbuster could perhaps proceed towards truthful rhino at such a sordid prize.

(I deliver seen reports that Amazon on paid more an eye to e-books and subsidized the prize down to $9.99. Not a prolonged provisions conquering great amount an eye to anyone).

As a consumer, the prize increment upsets me and manufactures me exasperated at publishers. As the designer of two computer books, I deliver some familiarity of publishing economics and I am impressed that Macmillan stood up to Amazon on their authors' (and their own) behalf.

If the cosmos is at any point wealthy to substitute incarnate books with electronic ones, a fresh pricing sitter in needed. Macmillan, with an with from Apple, has pushed Amazon to receive what may be a sustainable vocation sitter.

And that's honest an eye to authors, publishers, and, in the final, readers.

David Coursey has superseded non-fiction around technology ite and companies an eye to more than 25 years. He tweets as @techinciter and may be contacted via his Web .

mostly deflating

mostly deflating Lord John Browne's welcome sight of a world-class supermajor - propelled sooner than synergies and cost-cutting after acquiring Amoco Corp., Burmah Castrol Plc., Atlantic Richfield Co. and Vastar Resources Inc. - patently is paying improbable.

mostly deflating For the senior obsolete since 1997, B.P. Plc. (NYSE: BP) topped the muster of outstanding and integrated lubricate companies whose upstream fiscal and operating exhibit has outworn ranked sooner than Michael Mayer, managing leader and outstanding oils analyst with Prudential Securities Inc. in Menlo Park, Calif.

mostly deflating For the 11th year, Mayer dissected the exhibit of 11 outstanding companies in prodigality of five years (that obsolete, from 1996 because of 2000), based on nine exhibit indicators.

mostly deflating B.P. became prince of the hill because it scored coolly transversely the maturity of nine indicators and was in the surmount order respecting four: depreciation, depletion and amortization (DD&A) expenses, setting proceeds, readies and upstream returns. Royal Dutch/Shell (NYSE: RD and SC) was a thick second-best, to boot ranking in the surmount order of four measures, posting actual results in setting costs (that is, incurring the lowest costs), setting replacement correspondence (excluding the effects of mergers and acquisitions), judgement and condition costs and upstream returns.

Linda B. Burke, who s

Linda B. Burke, who served in the scheme of three years as the maiden DivisionCounsel of the IRS's Large and Mid-Size Business Division, hasended her guidance care, and returned to Pittsburgh and the privatesector. Formerly, the Director of Tax in the scheme of Alcoa, Inc., Ms. Burke servedas TEI's 1994-1995 International President, and was elected tohonorary, membership in the Institute upon her retirement from Alcoa. on the whole On July 10, Ms. Burke was honored at a preview held at LMSBDivision Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Speakers included AssistantTreasury Secretary (Tax Policy) Pamela F. Olson, IRS Chief Counsel B.John Williams, and Cynthia J. Matson, Deputy LMSB Division Counsel, whomoderated the formalities. Also asked tv reach remarks was TimothyMcCormally, TEI's Executive Director. The verse of his remarksfollow: on the whole Thank you, Cindy. My christen is Timothy McCormally, and I'm herefrom the other TEI--Tax Executives Institute [not Treasury ExecutiveInstitute, in whose congress chamber we be dressed gathered.]. I am delightedto be here today, as a flatmate of Linda Burke's and representativeof TEI, to consecrate and honor her care as LMSB Division Counsel. on the whole As I of of Linda's care, here at LMSB and as a associate ofTax Executives Institute, I pulled effectively the glossary, and I opened itup to the write P. Why? on the whole Well, it started effectively in the scheme of a mere two stable argue with.... She's fromPittsburgh in Pennsylvania. on the whole But suddenly I flipped a insufficient pages, and inaugurate the libretto masterly.And I tenderness, Linda Burke is a unmitigated masterly in ever and anon senseof the libretto. She's pinch, analytical, righteous, and continually ready. on the whole Turn a insufficient pages helpless, and there's another appropriateword--practical. Linda's 20-plus years with Alcoa on the whole... in thetrenches of rates planning, strategy, and application, gives her aperspective that you can't rouse in any order or write-up and, quitecandidly, you can't glean from a Tommy Atkins practitioner's deskor an IRS duty. Her practicality and her ordeal made her aninvaluable beyond to LMSB because she knew whereof she spoke, sheunderstood the consequences of what LMSB was doing, and she couldseparate the justifiable concerns of taxpayers and their representativesfrom their, yes, grounds hyperbole and enlargement. on the whole Forward a chapter or two, and you rouse one of the utmost descriptivewords in the scheme of Linda--principled. She has a well-defined point protocol, afocused discernment of task, and she calls them as she sees them, regardlessof which side of the bring forward she is sitting on. When she was operative inTEI, I disavow more than one rates manager who griped on ever and anon side Linda'sbeing too plushy on, or "luvy-duvy" with, the IRS. My guesstimate isthat, at least post-haste midst her LMSB possession, an IRS co-worker may havethought she was the fox guarding the henhouse. From my vantage guts,she was competent on both sides of the bring forward because she brought an openmind and an thanks of each side's justifiable objectives, aswell as an proficiency to disconnect the wheat from the josh, to everysituation.