plus 4, How to Hire Reputable Contractors - Yahoo Finance |
- How to Hire Reputable Contractors - Yahoo Finance
- Between the Lines - ZDNet Blogs
- CEO Interview: Jones Soda Co. - Jonathan Ricci, President And CEO - Yahoo Finance
- Christmas gloom, prayers for peace in Holy Land - YAHOO!
- It's always Christmas as Hawaii congregations give back - Honolulu Advertiser
| How to Hire Reputable Contractors - Yahoo Finance Posted: 24 Dec 2009 08:34 AM PST Homeowners often complain of projects that cost more than estimated, delays, low-quality workmanship, miscommunications, and outright scams, all of which can pack a wallop to your wallet. While due diligence isn't a guarantee that your home repair experience will be stress-free, it's the best way to protect yourself from these nightmares. Perhaps a friend or neighbor recommended a repair person, or maybe you found one via an online forum or in the phone book. Remember that a recommendation is just the first step in securing reputable help. Do be sure that you also keep these important things in mind: 1. Ask the service professional you are considering to provide references. You'll want to contact at least two other sources who can confirm a job well done. 2. Make sure whoever you hire has adequate insurance (both general liability and worker's compensation) to cover any mishaps in your home. Otherwise you may be liable for the coverage if the unthinkable happens. 3. Check to see that your prospective contractor has professional credentials and affiliations. A contractor who is affiliated with organizations in his or her field is more likely to stay abreast of new developments in their area of expertise, as well as having access to the professional resources available to members. Your job is safer in the hands of someone who is in the field as a career, rather than simply trying out a new sideline. Often, you'll see the words "licensed, bonded, and insured" in advertisements for home fix-it professionals. Licensing refers to a professional registration with a governing body (like a state) that typically requires the contractor to adhere to certain standards. If a contractor is bonded, it means he or she has set aside funds in an account that is secured by the state; these funds are made available should a consumer win a claim against a company. And again, insurance is an important safeguard for your protection (as well as the company's) should anything go terribly wrong. 4. Find a home pro who accepts credit cards. Paying by credit card affords you much greater protection than cash or check in case you are dissatisfied with a job. 5. Get it all in writing. Make sure your estimate details each part of the work to be done, what kind/quality of materials will be used, who is responsible for supplying the materials, and a comprehensive cost breakdown so you can see exactly for what services you'll be paying. 6. Reward longevity. Many years in the business mean that many more previous customers you can contact for a recommendation. Of course, no one can guarantee that the home repairs you hire out will be problem-free, but taking these steps is as close as you can get to ensuring quality workmanship. That's peace of mind you can take all the way to the bank. For more Foolishness: Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Between the Lines - ZDNet Blogs Posted: 24 Dec 2009 08:34 AM PST Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives Mint.com beefing up for 2010, including Android appPosted in:
I already use the full-browser version, as well as the iPhone app (on my iPod Touch), so I understand when the folks at Mint talk about how enhancing the service is priority No. 1, not that app development isn't a priority. The iPhone version (pictured here) is top-notch so I'm excited to see what the company will do with Android.
During a brief chat, Aaron Forth, director of Product at Intuit Personal Finance, filled me in on some other cool things to expect for 2010: The company, for example, is working on beefing up the number of financial institutions that allow banking data to be accessed by Mint. Forth said one of the biggest complaints is that customers can't access their specific bank information within the program.
The company is also working on a tool that would allow manual entry of transactions, instead of waiting for the bank to record it, upload it to its site and then allow Mint to pull it in. In this sense, Mint also acts as a checkbook register - a move that gets two thumbs-ups from me. I don't write a lot of checks these days but still have a few bills that have to be paid that way. This would help.
The Mint team is also working on a way to allow users to track and record the cash spent after it was withdrawn from the ATM. That's granular stuff - but that's also where all of my budgeting attempts break down. Sure, my budget accounts for cash withdrawls - but did I drop $20 into the gas tank and $10 on lunch? Those are expenses that should be tracked for budgeting purposes - but aren't.
There's nothing like blowing your Christmas budget to make you realize that you need a better system. We hit that realization in line at Costco on Monday evening. Another yeat, another blown holiday budget.
Next year, I swear we'll do better. posted by Sam Diaz  Last 10 posts:
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| CEO Interview: Jones Soda Co. - Jonathan Ricci, President And CEO - Yahoo Finance Posted: 24 Dec 2009 08:49 AM PST 67 WALL STREET, New York - December 24, 2009 - The Wall Street Transcript has just published its Food, Beverages And Tobacco Report offering a timely review of the sector to serious investors and industry executives. This 32 page feature contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and Money Managers. The full issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online. Topics covered: Enhanced Value Proposition; Consumer Consumption Habits; Changing Bottling Trends; Weak On-Premise Consumption vs. At-Home; Consolidation of Mexican Brewers; Cadbury As Acquisition Target; Increased M&A Activity; Bottled Water Competitive Landscape; Diverse Tobacco Product Offerings Companies include: Brown-Forman (BF-B); Cadbury (CBY); Callaway (ELY); Cheesecake Factory (CAKE); Chipotle (CMG); Coca-Cola (KO); Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE); Coca-Cola FEMSA (KOF); Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH); Constellation Brands (STZ); Eldorado Artesian Springs, Inc. (ELDO.OB); FEMSA (FMX); Hansen Natural (HANS); Hershey (HSY); Jones Soda (JSDA); Kraft (KFT); Modelo's (GPMCF.PK); Nestle (NSRGY.PK); PepsiAmericas (PAS); PepsiCo (PEP); PepsiCo - Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG); Reynolds American (RAI); SAB (SBMRY.PK); SABMiller (SBMYFY.PK); Uplift Nutrition (UPNT.OB). In the following brief excerpt from the 32 page report, Jonathan Ricci discusses the outlook for the soft beverage sector and for investors. JONATHAN RICCI is President and CEO of Jones Soda Co. He was previously the company's COO. Mr. Ricci has streamlined the company's marketing functions and created a distributor advisory board to improve Jones' relationships and accessibility. He has also launched new products, including Jones GABA, Jones Jumble and Hispanic Jones. Previously, he worked at Columbia Distributing Company, where he oversaw operations, human resources and $300 million in sales as the General Manager. He also spent more than nine years with McNeil Consumer Healthcare/Johnson & Johnson in various sales and marketing roles. Mr. Ricci holds a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University. TWST: Please give us a brief historical overview of your company. Mr. Ricci: Jones Soda (JSDA) was technically started in late 1980s by our founder in Canada. We say that the brand as Jones started, and really was started, to be available in the U.S. in 1996. The company headquarters moved from Vancouver, B.C., to Seattle in around 2000, and we've been here ever since. The founder wanted to offer something unique and fun to the consumers because he felt like the soda space and the category had just gotten to be the same old thing, and needed something new and different. So we were always known as the company that has some unique offerings, will come out with a flavor that you didn't expect - like our new one - and always kind of have a little bit of twist on the brand. The other thing is that we have always considered ourselves an open-source brand, and so our connection and interaction with our consumers have been the most important aspect of this brand from day one. Since we started putting photos on the labels, we have received over 1.1 million photos either via the mail and via e-mail or our online submission on our Web site. Just a little over 10,000 of those photos have actually made it on bottles. TWST: Tell us about your strategy to move away from your lower-margin canned soda business to your higher-margin core products. What progress have you made and what has been the impact on the bottom line so far? Mr. Ricci: The can business is very price driven. I think that what happened with the company was that we got very focused on driving the can business and driving the incremental side of that purchase to the consumer. While we have shifted our direction back to our glass business, it's really been about how we maintain a core can business within retailers and markets where it's working. And we're still building the glass business because the glass is the icon of the brand. We have lots of opportunities to build that foundation as well. So far moving our mix has worked very well, as we've seen increasing profitability this year not only in gross profit percentage but also in dollars. TWST: How are each of your product lines performing, and how might you further adjust your strategy in 2010 to respond to changing consumer preferences and demands? Mr. Ricci: Our core product is and will be our glass soda business. That business is well developed in some regions of the country. And then there are other regions of the country where it is not very well developed at all. So what our focus has been is to continue to improve the foundation with improved distribution points, getting that glass business out in more availability to our consumer. Our consumers tell us the number one reason why they don't buy Jones is because they can't find it. So the more that we can do to expand availability, which there is plenty of opportunity out there, we think that's our best place to be from a strategic standpoint. Following that is our can business, which we'll continue to improve distribution and get it into the right retailers. We are moving that business from a 12-pack to an eight-pack. The eight-pack will allow for a better price point on-shelf, and it really kind of meets the needs of the changing consumption patterns on soft drinks. While people are still drinking soft drinks, I think we're finding that the consumption may be down per consumer. And so by having an eight-pack versus a 12-pack, we're still offering a great package at a lower price point. The second thing that we've done is we've launched our new lineup. We have just kicked off our Jones Zilch lineup, and that was in response to the number two reason why people don't drink more Jones. The first one is they can't find it, the second one is the calorie count. So for many of our competitors, I'd say that 40%-plus of their soft drinks sales are now made up of the sugar-free diet or zero-calorie product. Up until recently, right around 3% of our total business has been in the zero-calorie platform. So Jones Zilch was a way for us to announce our entry into that zero-calorie space. And that's also fortified with 30% of your vitamin C, that has three great tasting flavors, the pomegranate, black cherry and vanilla bean. The last piece of two that we've done to meet the changing consumer patterns - recently we launched our Jones Refresco lineup, a way for us to offer Jones to the ever-growing demographic of the Hispanic community in the U.S. And we launched it in the Southwest market with four flavors. All of the packaging is bilingual, and it's all targeted to the second- and third-generation Hispanic consumers. So we use the photos on the label to meet the different targeted heritage components of a Hispanic consumer. We're excited about that; it's doing well in the Southwest, and we've had some good response to that. The Wall Street Transcript is a unique service for investors and industry researchers - providing fresh commentary and insight through verbatim interviews with CEOs and research analysts. This 32 page special issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online . The Wall Street Transcript does not endorse the views of any interviewees nor does it make stock recommendations. For Information on subscribing to The Wall Street Transcript, please call 800/246-7673 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Christmas gloom, prayers for peace in Holy Land - YAHOO! Posted: 24 Dec 2009 08:41 AM PST BETHLEHEM, West Bank – The top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land delivered Christmas wishes Thursday for peace in the Middle East — and prayed for the day when Palestinians would no longer be confined by Israeli barriers. There was more Christmas gloom than cheer elsewhere, too. Thousands of families in the central Philippines were spending Christmas Eve in shelters while the lava-spilling Mayon volcano threatened their homes. And in Pakistan, no decorations brightened the tent camp sheltering Christians left homeless by the worst violence against minorities in the country this year. Sectarian violence was weighing heavily on Iraqi Christians as well. Christmas is bumping into the majority Shiite Muslims' most mournful ceremony this year, forcing Iraqi Christians to keep their celebrations under tighter wraps than usual. On Thursday, explosions killed at least 26 people across Iraq, most of them Shiite pilgrims taking part in a holy mourning ceremony, raising fears of further sectarian attacks at the approach of the Ashoura holiday. Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal began Christmas celebrations with an annual procession from Jerusalem to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace. "The wish that we most want, we most hope for, is not coming. We want peace," Twal said after he passed into Bethlehem. Twal and his convoy of dozens of vehicles entered the Palestinian territory through a massive steel gate in Israel's heavily guarded West Bank separation barrier, escorted by Israeli soldiers and police in jeeps. The barrier and the heavy Israeli security presence was a potent reminder of the frictions and hostilities that have thwarted peace efforts. "We want freedom of movement, we don't want walls," Twal said after passing through the barrier. "We don't want separation fences. We hope that things will become more normal for us." Israel began building the barrier of towering concrete slabs and electronic fences after a wave of deadly Palestinian suicide bombings. But Palestinians see it as a land grab because its route juts into the West Bank, putting that land on the "Israeli" side of the enclosure. In a reminder that the threat of violence is always present, an Israeli man was killed in the West Bank hours later in what appeared to be an attack by Palestinian gunmen. Israel Radio identified the man as a resident of a nearby settlement, and a Palestinian faction took responsibility for the shooting in an e-mail sent to journalists. Thousands of people were milling around Manger Square: tourists from all over the world, locals hawking food and trinkets and Palestinian scouts in kilts and playing bagpipes, as they do each Christmas. Hanna Pioli, 23, and her sister Katherine, 25, were spending the holiday in Bethlehem, far from their hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. The sisters miss celebrating a "white Christmas" at home, Katherine Pioli said, but think Bethlehem is nonetheless the best place for Christians to spend the holiday. "It's interesting to observe people having a beautiful religious moment," Hanna Pioli said. Balloons of all colors gave an added note of cheer to the festivities. But there was no cheer at a tent camp 220 miles southwest of Islamabad, Pakistan, erected to house Christians left homeless by a rampage of looting and arson by Muslims in August. The Christians say they have received cell phone text messages warning them to expect a "special Christmas present." They're terrified their tents will be torched or their church services bombed. "Last year I celebrated Christmas full of joy," said Irfan Masih, cradling his young son among the canvas shelters and open ditches of the camp. But now "the fear that we may again be attacked is in our hearts." In the volcano area in the Philippines, government workers and volunteers tried to keep some 47,000 residents evacuated from their homes entertained with games, movies and concerts. Dinner packs of noodles, apples, oranges and corned beef were distributed at the shelters for Christmas Eve dinner. Children in one evacuation center gleefully lined up for ice cream. But the evacuation was an especially great burden during the Christmas season in the majority Roman Catholic country. Some farmers begged authorities clearing a 5-mile (8-kilometer) area to allow them to stay to guard their livestock. Later Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI was to celebrate Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica two hours earlier than usual to spare the 82-year-old pontiff from such a late night. Benedict was to initiate the evening's services at nightfall, by lighting a candle in a window after Vatican officials unveil the life-sized Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square. On Christmas Day, Benedict will deliver a traditional speech from the basilica's balcony. On Sunday, he plans to share lunch with the homeless at a soup kitchen near the Vatican. In Baghdad, minority Christians were to celebrate midnight Mass in daylight for security reasons, and churches were under heavy guard. A bombing this week targeting a 1,200-year-old church in Mosul killed two passers-by, underscoring Iraqi Christians' concerns. But this year, the Christians feel an extra need for caution and are toning down the Christmas glitz. The plastic Santas aren't selling as well as usual. At least one Catholic archbishop has discouraged Christmas decorations and public merrymaking out of respect for Ashoura, the period of Shiite mourning and self-flagellation. In Thursday's attacks, twin explosions first targeted Shiite Muslim pilgrims gathered near a bus station in the central city of Hillah, killing at least 13 and injuring 74 people. Later, a bomb targeted a funeral procession, killing nine and wounding 33 in Baghdad's Sadr City, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. In a southern Baghdad neighborhood, a separate bomb killed four Shiite pilgrims and wounded 10 others. Ashoura caps a 10-day period of mourning for the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, killed in 680 A.D. during a battle that sealed the split between Shiites and Sunnis. "We used to put the Christmas tree with its bright lights close to the window in the entrance of our home," said Saad Matti, a 51-year-old surgeon and Basra city councilman. "But this year, we put it away from the window as a kind of respect for the feelings of Shiite Muslims in our neighborhood because of Ashoura," he said. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| It's always Christmas as Hawaii congregations give back - Honolulu Advertiser Posted: 24 Dec 2009 08:41 AM PST For some faith-based groups, the glow of generosity and kindness that comes with this season of giving will burn on long after Christmas trees are hauled to recyclers and Santa caps packed away for next year's yule. At Family Promise of Hawai'i, which helps families with children escape homelessness, the holiday spirit imbues an everyday effort. "We're helping people transform their lives to create a better future, which, I think, completely follows with what Jesus was calling people to do," said Kent Anderson, executive director of the nonprofit through which 65 congregations take weeklong turns preparing meals and housing families at their facilities. Pointing out that Family Promise is secular but its congregational lineup interfaith — Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Islamic and Unitarian — Anderson added, "A beautiful part of this is there are many faiths that follow the same call to provide for people's basic needs from a physical and from an emotional level." This week, volunteers at St. Mark Lutheran in Kane'ohe, led by Kristin and Yal Lim, are spending mornings and evenings with families bunking in partitioned areas of the church's gymnasium. Sure, they said, the example of Jesus motivates them to serve others throughout the year. In return, there are blessings — or, at least, delightful moments. Nodding to ponytailed little girls romping around on the gym floor as their parents join other families at tables dressed up for dinner, Kristin Lim said, "We have a ball down here, actually. It's hectic ... but we have a good time." Also, Yal Lim said, "Each time we do this, we're getting more volunteers. It's helping our church to come more together ... people are getting to know one another better." Family Promise, modeled after a national organization, works every day of the year with a total of about 1,500 volunteers across O'ahu to move 80 percent of the families it serves into sustainable housing within three to four months, Anderson said. helping inmatesWith help from a few hundred volunteers, Roy Yamamoto, a pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship O'ahu, leads the church's efforts to reach out to Hawai'i's incarcerated population and their families. "My scripture that I live on is Hebrews 13:1," Yamamoto said. It reads: "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." Yamamoto spent years behind bars before he turned his life around. A decade ago, when facing a 20- to 40-year term in connection with a robbery charge from the mid-1990s, a judge — apparently convinced that Yamamoto had committed his life to helping others reform — sentenced him to five years of probation. These days, that judge helps out with a four-day camp New Hope organizes over the long Labor Day weekend for children with incarcerated parents, Yamamoto said. Another project, which involves church members picking up holiday gifts for the children, is wrapping up this week with the delivery of about 700 "Angel Tree" packages to O'ahu homes. "My daughter was once an 'Angel Tree' kid," Yamamoto said. Throughout the year, the prison ministry invites relatives of Hawai'i inmates housed in Arizona prisons to come to a church facility for big-screen video visitations. "The whole family comes in. So, they get to see each other and visit live" and avoid a hefty phone bill, Yamamoto said. always giving backAt Kaumakapili Church, which serves a low-income neighborhood in the Kalihi area, the only day the building gets a rest is on Mondays. On other days, space is booked for food bank distributions, collection and giveaway of clothing and household items, literacy and adult education programs and church services. Its Web site reads: "While Kaumakapili is not a rich church, its members have found wealth beyond measure in efforts to help those who have great needs." The church's senior pastor, the Rev. Richard Kamanu, said, "We base our mission on Christ's love to all people." He added, "We feed the hungry, clothe the poor, comfort the weak-hearted. That's our drive." Still, Kamanu conceded, frequent dealings with needy neighbors can touch off cases of good will fatigue among volunteers. He encourages them to bear in mind the image of Jesus when dealing with those who may be frazzled or even demanding. An outreach committee at the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew assists families at nearby Kalihi Waena Elementary School. In recent years, the Downtown church has delivered boxes of meats to hundreds of families at Christmastime and a station wagon load of school supplies in July. Elizabeth Conklin, who chairs the committee, said when congregants learned this year that children were missing out on school field trips because families couldn't afford the fees, the church pitched in for that, too. "It's tough because a lot of these families are first-generation" from Micronesia and elsewhere, Conklin said. "They've all come here because they want better lives for their kids. And the kids need the education and the field trips. They need the exposure to things to make their dreams come true." When asked how the example of Jesus motivates her, Conklin said the Bible directs the faithful to "take care of people who need help in whatever form." She added, "Personally, I try to do it in ways that have long-term effects, such as helping the kids in the school." 'just a small part'At Central Union Church of Honolulu, several year-round commitments are tied to sharing meals with those in need. On Thursdays, volunteers gather with the homeless and others in Kaka'ako Waterfront Park for a church service and dinner. On Wednesdays, there's a Bible study and lunch at Old Stadium Park. Carol Alevizos, who helps coordinate logistics for several regular mealtime get-togethers, said, "I'm really deeply touched when I see people who have so much that they're struggling with, but their faith is very deep and they're loving and caring, giving and joyful." She added, "I gain strength from being around their example." Central Union will hold an ecumenical service at 10 a.m. tomorrow followed by a Christmas meal for an estimated 250 homeless people and other members of the church. The event's coordinator, Lili Harris, is now busy with preparations and decorations. "Christmas is just a small part of what we do" because the teachings of Jesus point to lifelong community service, Harris said. "Sometimes it's very enjoyable and sometimes it's hard work and stressful," she said. "And sometimes it's hard to come up with money needed, but we just keep on trucking." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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