Examiners provide unique and original content to enhance life in your local city wherever that may be. Examiners come from all walks of life and contribute original content to entertain, inform, and inspire.

Article source: http://www.examiner.com/personal-finance-in-milwaukee/the-best-free-tax-software-for-tax-year-2011

The Financial Times reports that a 2009 deferred pay award allocated to Royal Bank of Scotland investment banking head John Hourican is likely to be ‘contentious’, as the banker could end up bagging $6.1m as a result of it this year.

So, let’s get this right – the UK government (and regulators) were banging the drum a couple of years back, insistent that senior bankers got the majority of their bonuses in deferred equity (to align their interests with the long-term interests of stockholders), and, in addition, that payment was dependent on performance.

So, here’s an example of just that – and the payout will likely be ‘contentious’! God help us!!

LEAD BUSINESS STORY: Who To Blame For The Great Recession ? So Many Big Names Are In The Frame

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Tags: RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland

Article source: http://hereisthecity.com/2012/01/09/proof-that-banks-will-never-win-out-on-the-bonus-pr-front/

Reuters

Between now and November, middle class Americans are going to hear an enormous amount of bragging about job creation.

Mitt Romney will tout his role in the creation of Staples, The Sports
Authority and Domino’s, three firms that he says created 100,000 jobs.
Barack Obama will say 2.9 million jobs have been created since March 2010, and highlight a surge of 140,000 new private sector jobs in November.

The central question for middle class Americans, however, is: What
quality of job is being created? The November job surge, for example,
occurred primarily in retail, leisure and hospitality, sectors known for
low wages. The other high-growth areas were professional services and
health care, where higher education is a central determinant of income.
Manufacturing and construction, one of the few areas left in the
American economy where members of the middle class without elite
educational pedigrees can find strong wages, were moribund. The
following chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks down the
numbers.

In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, Republicans and Democrats
both recognize the problem. After years of Democratic politicians
complaining about a lack of social mobility for Americans, The New York Times reported this morning that Republican candidates are complaining about the problem as well.

Presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum warned
this fall that movement “up into the middle income is actually greater,
the mobility in Europe, than it is in America,” according to The Times.
Wisconsin Congressman Paul D. Ryan, a leading House conservative,
recently wrote that “mobility from the very bottom up” is “where the
United States lags behind.”

The story reported that at least five large studies in recent years
have found the United States to be less mobile than comparable nations. A
Swedish research project
found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of
incomes stay there as adults. In Denmark, the number was 25 percent. In
Britain, it was 30 percent. At the same time, only 8 percent of American
men at the bottom rose to the top fifth. That compares with 12 percent
of the British and 14 percent of the Danes.

A Canadian study found that just 16 percent of Canadian men raised in
the bottom tenth of incomes stayed there as adults, compared with 22
percent of Americans, The Times reported. Similarly, 26 percent of American men raised at the top tenth stayed there, but just 18 percent of Canadians.

Economists argue that a central tool in reviving the middle class –
and creating social mobility – is the creation of better-paying middle
class jobs. Like so much else, that task is enormously complex. Scholars
say the reduction in pay is the product of worldwide economic trends,
from technological change to globalization, that are difficult to
counter. Harry Holzer, an economist at Georgetown University, tracked
which parts of the economy featured high paying jobs over time. The
percentage of well-paying jobs provided by the manufacturing sector fell
by half – from roughly 27 percent in 1992 to 13.5 percent in 2003.

Holzer notes that the nature of business in the United States changed
over the last several decades. In the past, large, capital-intensive
manufacturing companies faced relatively little competition from
overseas and depended on workers in the United States.

“Big, stable, highly profitable and not very competitive means a
bigger pie,” Holzer said in an interview. “The simplest thing to do is
to cut a bigger slice of the pie for workers.”

That business model has disappeared. Globalization caused American
firms to face fiercer competition from foreign companies. And
technological change allowed American firms to ship manufacturing
overseas but still tightly monitor quality. Overall, companies have
gained the upper hand on workers, who are increasingly easy to replace.

Paul Osterman, an MIT professor, agreed that those dynamics are
irreversible. But he argued that some changes in American business norms
unnecessarily accelerated the elimination of middle class jobs.
Executives once praised for creating jobs are now rewarded for
eliminating them.

“Think about who gets their picture on the cover of Fortune.”
he said. “It used to be the ones that were admired were the ones who
treated their workers as a family. Now it’s all about re-engineering,
downsizing and shareholder value.”

Osterman said research shows that companies have reduced the amount
of training they give their workers. He advocates tax incentives that
would encourage companies to retrain employees.

Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities and a former economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden,
said the U.S. should not repeat the mistake it made after the last two
downturns: building a recovery on a financial bubble.

“A lot of money shuffling at the top, a lot of arbitrage, which has
very little to do with adding productive capacity to your economy,” he
said. “A better way would be to add jobs that produce value,
manufacturing jobs.”

He advocated that the American government adopt a manufacturing
policy similar to the one Germany employs, where public-private
partnerships target areas where German firms could gain global market
share. Such an approach is anathema to many, though not all, business
leaders.

The political debate, meanwhile, remains polarized. Democrats see
government jobs as a tool in strengthening the middle class, arguing
that police, teachers and sanitation workers stabilize the economy.
Republicans see government jobs as relentlessly growing cancer that
stifles the private sector.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that overall government
employment steadily grew from the 1940 to the 1970s, according to
Bernstein. Since then, it has declined slightly.

Chart: Jared Bernstein, Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Hoping for constructive debate in a presidential election year is
naive. And bipartisan commissions are notoriously ineffective. But I
wish the National Academy of Sciences or some other nonpolitical group
could be tasked with creating a Simpson-Bowles-like effort to examine ways to create better paying jobs. GE’s Jeffrey Immelt and other American executives who have doubled-down on American manufacturing could be included. So could retired Democrats and Republicans willing to move beyond party orthodoxy.

Study after study shows that a dearth of high-paying jobs is dividing
our society, politics and middle class. We are falling behind the
Canadians, British, and Europeans, as well as the Chinese and Indians.
An honest debate over what mix of approaches might save us would be a
godsend.

This article first appeared on Reuters.com, a content partner site of TheAtlantic.com.

More From The Atlantic

• Should Washington Force Colleges to Release a Consumer Report Card?
• Is Private Equity Bad For the Economy?
• How Much Does File Sharing Resemble Stealing–And Does it Matter?

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/come-jobs-hows-pay-155636233.html

By Ahamefula Ogbu

President Goodluck Jonathan who flew out of Nigeria Friday to attend African Union’s 12th Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia appears set to emerge Chairman of the AU, a position already zoned to West Africa.

Feelers from Addis Ababa indicate that other members of the Economic Community of West African States where Jonathan is already its head are routing for him to emerge the next Chairman of the union in an election that will form part of the major highlight of the Summit.

Jonathan who left Nigeria Friday morning arrived Addis Ababa around 3.30pm and was received by representatives of the Nigerian community in the country as well as other Nigerian officials before proceeding to the Nigerian embassy with members of his delegation.

Apart from participating in electing the next Chairman of the union, Jonathan is expected to present a paper at the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) before making another presentation on the main theme of the summit, “Boosting Intra-African Trade.”

He is billed to witness the inauguration of the AU conference office complex before attending a banquet to be hosted by Ato Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian Prime Minister. 

Article source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/can-2012-botswana-wants-15-000-a-man-bonus/108036/

Best Western International, a Phoenix-based chain of independently owned hotels, is offering a free night after three stays. The Stay 3, Stay Free promotion runs Feb. 6-April 8. After three separate stays, travelers who are registered for the promotion will receive a voucher for a free night at any Best Western through June 30.

Details: bestwestern.com/spring. Registration begins Feb. 6.

San Diego: Leap-year special at Hilton

The Westin Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego is offering a Leap Year package. Stay three nights in February and the third night is $29. The offer is valid Feb. 2-29. Package rates start at $199 per night for the first two nights. We found availability over the Presidents Day holiday weekend in mid-February.

Details: 866-716-8137, westingaslamp.com. The rate plan is LEAPYEAR.

Anaheim: Disneyland package from Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Vacations is offering a free kids Disneyland Park Hopper pass with the purchase of a flight, hotel and ticket package to the theme park. The perk is worth nearly $200 if you get a three-day pass, which allows unlimited admission to Disneyland and sister park California Adventure. There is a three-night minimum stay, and the hotel must be one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels, the priciest but most convenient accommodations in the area. The free-ticket offer applies to children ages 3-9. The Kids Play Free packages must be booked by Feb. 9 for travel through April 14. Blackout dates apply. Weekend stays are blacked out beginning in March.

Details: 800-243-8372, southwestvacations.com. When booking online, click the “Kids Play Free” ticket offer under “Add-Ons.”

Article source: http://www.azcentral.com/travel/features/articles/2012/01/27/20120127travel-deals-san-diego-best-western-disneyland-southwest.html

L’amende a été imposée quelques heures après que Tortorella se soit excusé pour ses propos. Selon ESPN NewYork et NBC Sports, l’amende est de 30 000 $ US.

«Il n’y pas d’explication valable ou d’excuse pour des commentaires qui remettent en question l’intégrité de la ligue, de ses officiels ou de ses diffuseurs partenaires, a dit Colin Campbell, vice-président des opérations hockey de la LNH. Les gens peuvent être en désaccord avec les décisions des arbitres, mais même les cas les plus frustrants ne justifient pas des propos aussi inappropriés et irresponsables que ceux tenus par M. Tortorella.»

Tortorella a mis en doute plusieurs décisions des officiels Ian Walsh et Dennis LaRue en fin de match, dont le tir de punition accordé aux Flyers avec 19,6 secondes à faire. Henrik Lundqvist a stoppé Daniel Brière, et les Rangers ont gardé le cap pour l’emporter.

Tortorella s’est demandé s’il n’y avait pas collusion entre le diffuseur NBC et la LNH pour tenter de prolonger le match.

«Je me demande si NBC a parlé aux arbitres ou je ne sais pas trop pour envoyer le match en prolongation, a dit Tortorella lundi. Pour deux bons arbitres, je pense que l’arbitrage a été horrible. Je ne suis pas sûr de ce qui s’est passé.

«Peut-être qu’ils voulaient une prolongation. Je ne suis pas certain s’ils se sont réunis pour en parler ou quoi. Je ne veux pas… parce que ce sont de bons gars. Je pense juste qu’en troisième période, c’était dégoûtant.»

Mercredi, Tortorella a fait marche arrière alors que les Rangers s’entraînaient après une journée de congé. Il a dit qu’il avait parlé à Campbell mardi et qu’il s’était excusé auprès du directeur général des Flyers, Paul Holmgren.

Il a ajouté qu’il n’a pas appelé Walsh et LaRue pour s’excuser, disant que ces excuses devraient être présentées en personne.

«Ce n’était pas correct d’utiliser le mot ‘dégoûtant’ concernant le travail de Dennis et Ian, alors j’étais dans l’erreur sur ce point-là, a dit Tortorella. Mes commentaires sur NBC, la ligue et les arbitres n’étaient pas à prendre au sérieux. Le genre de pensées selon quoi ce serait arrangé et qu’ils voulaient envoyer le match en prolongation, ça ne m’a même pas traversé l’esprit. C’était du sarcasme à un moment mal choisi.»

Article source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/tortorella-mis-lamende-pour-ses-propos-apr-la-030202764.html

Saturday’s double header from Bata was kicked off by Equatorial Guinea, sharing the hosting honours with neighbours Gabon, against Libya.

The Group A game was heading for a goalless stalemate until former Real Madrid Javier Balboa broke the deadlock with three minutes on the clock to send the home fans wild.

Balboa, a Real player under Fabio Capello seven years ago but now in Portugal, raced down the middle to clinically finish a superb Daniel Ekedo pass with a shot over the goalkeeper.

Equatorial Guinea, making their debut, not only gave themselves a fantastic chance of making it to the quarter-finals with this 1-0 win but in the process swelled their bank accounts after picking up the $1 million bonus offered by a son of the country’s president.

“We played a good match. We hadn’t trained a lot together but nevertheless we still won,” said Equatorial Guinea’s Brazilian coach Gilson Paulao.

“The team made the most of the tactics. But despite the win, we were still short in some areas and we have to work on that.”

This was a sad start for Libya, who risked their lives travelling from Tripoli to Tunisia to prepare to qualify as civil war raged in the north African country.

Earlier angry Libyan officials had complained after a Moamer Kadhafi-era green flag appeared on the tournament organisers CAF’s website. It was replaced with a black, red and green one representing the ruling National Transitional Council.

Senegal were hot favourites to see off Zambia in the second leg of the Bata double bill.

But Emmanuel Mayuka and Rainford Kalaba gave the Copper Bullets a two-goal lead within 20 minutes and all Senegal had to show for their dominance after half-time was a Dame N’Doye goal which set up a tense climax.

The 2-1 victory was a personal triumph for France-born coach Herve Renard, who has vowed to win the tournament and honour the 1993 Zambian national team whose plane plunged into the sea near Bata killing all 30 on board.

“It’s fantastic to beat Senegal. This is not a surprise, it’s the result of a lot of hard work,” said Renard.

“But there are still two games to play. We have to keep our feet on the ground and not get carried away as when you beat Senegal you think you can beat anybody.”

Senegal coach Amara Traore said: “The first half was a calamity.”

“Zambia caused us a lot of discomfort and did more running. But we still have a chance to get through. Tonight changes nothing.”

Sunday’s fare comes from Malabo, the Equatorial Guinea island capital, with competition favourites Ivory Coast facing Sudan and Burkina Faso taking on Angola.

Article source: http://sports.ndtv.com/football/news/item/184391-african-cup-of-nations-opens-with-$1-million-goal-senegal-upset

By:

PokerListings.com

The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a late-night joyride around the lesser-known poker news neighborhood.

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Daniel Negreanu bristling at an interview misinterpretation, Norman Chad pissing off an LA superior court judge and French rap pioneer Kool Shen crushing the EFOP.

1) Negreanu Bristles at “Twisted” Interview

In January, Poker Player UK magazine ran an exclusive interview with Daniel Negreanu.

Titled “What’s Wrong With You,” Negreanu was characterized as suggesting he “conquered” online poker, thought poker was in “big trouble” and that there’s “something wrong” with young kids in poker.

Only problem, Negreanu says, is he didn’t say any of those things.

Tweeting “Just read my article in Poker Player mag and it set a new record for the number of misquotes. Pretty impressive! They twisted everything,” a back-and-forth with the writer quickly ensued on the 2+2 forums.

The result was a quick reconciliation and a rebuttal from Negreanu posted on pokerplayer.co.uk that clarifies what he really said.

An excerpt:

“I don’t think poker is in “big trouble” as was implied in the article, and I certainly don’t think there is something inherently wrong with the younger generation of player.

“As I was correctly quoted in the article stating that players like DevilFish, Sammy Farha, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Ivey became fan favourites not only because of their skill set, but because of their interesting, and unique backgrounds and storyline.

“My fear is that the current story line for many of the younger generation lacks sexiness.”

Read the rest here.

2) Chad Scolded for Tweet Frenzy During Burglary Trial

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge seems to have less patience for the off-color comedy stylings of Norman Chad than ESPN’s WSOP viewers.

Chad was given a good scolding and a contempt of court warning by judge Laura Foland Priver yesterday for tweeting while serving on the jury for a burglary trial.

“He made a mockery of our system,” Priver said to Chad’s attorney, according to the LA Times

“I’m disturbed by this behavior. Once the information is out there, it’s out there forever. The public who sees these tweets is going to think this behavior is OK.”

Among the poker-themed tweets Chad desparately needed to get out to his 18,000 followers:

“I love my jury seat: Front row, on the far aisle. Great view, with all the aggressive jurors to my left.”

“And, in an extremely unfortunate coincidence for the defendant, he bears a striking resemblance to Phil Hellmuth.”

“I’m sitting right behind the court reporter – I get instant replay on all testimony INSTANTANEOUSLY! It’s better than seeing the hole cards.

“Memo to WSOP: Jury seats in LA courthouse are far more comfortable than chairs in Rio Amazon Room. I’m going to bring you one to show you.”

Not one to miss a set-up, Chad’s ESPN co-host Lon McEachern tweeted, duty-free:

If any of you 18,000 @NormanChad followers feel let down by his recent courtroom actions I will gladly take you in.

If things go REAL bad for @NormanChad with the Los Angeles DA we can always do the WSOP shows during visiting hours.

3) Kool Shen Krushes European Finals Championship

We’ve written about the poker prowess of French rap pioneer Bruno ‘Kool Shen” Lopes before, and he proved it yet again in the recent EFOP in Paris.

Lopes took down the €5k European Finals of Poker Diamond Championship last weekend, beating out 108 runners for a €100,000 ($127,514) first-place prize.

It wasn’t just a field of amateur patsies either as David Benyamine, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Jonathan Duhamel, Ludovic Lacay, and Basil “Basou” Yaiche all bought in.

Lopes boosted his career earnings to over $300,000 with the win, although he says his main field of concern is still hip-hop.

Rightly so, as you can see in the video below (h/t to Booksa-P.com):

Article source: http://www.pokerlistings.com/daily-3-bet-negreanu-rebuts-chad-rebuked-rap-icon-reaps-10274