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Broadcast Schedule, Dec. 29

Happy Holidays. Through the remainder of the week, KBZNZ will be broadcasting on our regular schedule. Many of our shows are encore presentations in order for our host to enjoy time with their families.

Today’s Schedule:

0900/2100 – Winning on Wall Street – Encore
1000/2200 – eWomenNetwork Radio – Encore
1035/2235 – yourBusinessChannel – Facebook help
1100/2300 – Music Business Radio – Encore

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• My Prosper Internal Rate of Return Update (End of Apr 07) = 3.57% for an Increase of 0.24% This is a RateLadder only IRR update.  (An IRR lender “game” update is in the works.) Here is my permanent tracking page: http://rateladder.com/my-prosper-irr/ My Prosper IRR is defined as: Monthly cash flows with one extra month using the current account value minus any loans 1 month or more late. Current......
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Wells Fargo repays government bailout

NEW YORK – Wells Fargo & Co , the fourth-largest U.S. bank by assets, on Wednesday said it repaid the $25 billion government bailout it received during the financial crisis, after last week selling $12.25 billion in stock.

Wells Fargo also paid dividends of $131.9 million to the government as part of the repayment, it said in a statement. The bank has paid $1.44 billion in dividends on the government’s investment since it took the bailout, it said.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo was among the last of the largest banks to repay bailout money received from the government during the crisis in 2008.

Bank of America Corp earlier this month returned $45 billion it took under the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, and Citigroup Inc last week sold $20 billion in stock and bonds to help repay its bailout…..Read full story

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Del. North site LEED certified

Delaware North Cos. Inc. has achieved a first with its Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room.

The $30 million, 53,000-square-foot Daytona Beach venue has been awarded LEED gold certification from the United States Green Building Council. Daytona Beach is the first gaming facility in the country to achieve the LEED gold certification. It is also the first LEED certified project in the City of Daytona Beach and surrounding Volusia County.

“The Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room is setting new standards in regard to environmental construction and responsibility,” said Jim Houser, Delaware North vice president of facilities. “We’re extremely proud of this achievement and believe it proves our environmental capabilities.”

The venue opened last year and was constructed under the guidelines of Delaware North’s GreenPath standards for environmentally-friendly projects. Among the standards: Read full story

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Merry Christmas from KBZNZ Talk Radio

KBZNZ Begins Broadcasting at 0900/2100 today. We hope you enjoy the time with family and friends.

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Our PC webcams are not racist

NEW YORK – Hewlett-Packard Co. denied claims that its webcams are racist after a YouTube video – which showed a black man and a white woman testing out HP’s webcam face-tracking software and get different results – went viral.

The facial-tracking software is supposed to follow users as they move, but it fails to recognize Desi, a black man. However, when his white co-worker, Wanda, steps into the frame, it immediately recognizes her and follows her in the frame.

“As soon as my blackness enters the frame … it stopped,” Desi said. “As soon as white Wanda appears, the camera moves. Black Desi gets in there? Nope, no facial recognition anymore, buddy. I’m going on record and I’m saying it. Hewlett-Packard computers are racist.”

Despite the accusations, Desi is good-natured with his statement and appears to be even amused by the problem.

According to Hewlett-Packard, the software is designed to find faces by measuring the contrast between the eyes and upper cheek and nose. It however, fails to do so if the skin complexion is darker
.
We are working with our partners to learn more,” HP said in a blog. “The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty ’seeing’ contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.”…..Read full story

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U.S. Economy: Spending and Incomes Climb, New-Home Sales Drop

By Timothy R. Homan and Bob Willis

Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) — American consumers’ spending and incomes climbed in November, indicating the biggest part of the economy is poised to strengthen as the labor market recovers.

Purchases rose 0.5 percent as households took advantage of discounts on autos and electronics, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. The gain was smaller than anticipated as unseasonably warm weather depressed utility use. Another report showed new-home sales unexpectedly fell as potential buyers were discouraged by the scheduled expiration of a tax credit. The tax break was later extended.

The biggest income gain in six months helped maintain savings even as purchases improved, showing growing wages are giving consumers the wherewithal to shop at retailers such as Best Buy Co. The looming end of the tax credit and competition from mounting foreclosures may have hurt builders such as Beazer Homes USA Inc…..Read full story

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A Slow Recovery in 2010

By Ben Steverman

What was generally a good year for stocks was a terrible year for dividend-focused investors.

In 2009, dividend payouts from the large-cap Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index are set to fall $52.6 billion, or 21.4%, from 2008, according to Standard & Poor’s projections. In dollars, that is the largest decline ever, and in percentage terms it’s the biggest drop since 1938, when dividends fell 38.6%.

Adding insult to injury for shareholders: Dividend-yielding stocks tended to lag the broader stock market in the past year, reflecting a market bias toward tech stocks and risky companies—which generally weren’t paying dividends to begin with.

“What is typically a defensive strategy in down markets turned out to be the wrong way to go,” says Keith Goddard, co-manager of the Capital Advisors Growth Fund (CIAOX).

Dividend stock strategies are popular among conservative investors seeking consistent income. But the financial crisis robbed these shareholders of billions, as financial firms, particularly banks and real estate investment trusts, slashed payouts…. Read full story

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Biofuel plant to open in Thomaston next year

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday a “demonstration” refinery to produce ethanol from wood products will open in Thomaston within a few months, creating about 30 jobs.

In a news release, the governor’s office said the refinery, a joint-venture between Diamond Alternative Energy, a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp., and Atlanta-based American Process Inc. (API) would open the facility during the first quarter of 2010.

“Georgia is striving to be a world leader in biofuels,” Perdue said. “Our plentiful supply of raw materials to manufacture biofuels enables private industry to develop alternative energy technologies and create jobs. By opening their biorefinery plant, Diamond Alternative Energy and API will further cement Georgia’s leadership position in the alternative energy industry.”

The plant will use API’s biorefinery technology to demonstrate the feasibility of producing celluosic ethanol and chemicals on a wide scale.

“The demonstration plant in Thomaston is an important milestone in the commercialization of cellulosic fuels technologies,” said Theodora Retsina, president of API.

San Antonio, Texas-based Valero operates 15 oil refineries and produces 2.8 million barrels of oil daily. The oil giant also has seven ethanol plants in the Midwest, producing nearly 800 million gallons of ethanol per year.

Valero (NYSE: VLO), one of the nation’s leading energy companies, has invested in other alternative energies, including a 50-megawatt wind farm in Texas, and other companies that are developing energy-producing technologies using algae and animal fat, as well as synthetic gasoline from landfill waste, the company said…..Read full story

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Cleantech is Silicon Valley’s next wave

Cleantech will lead Silicon Valley’s next revival, according to the results of the latest online survey by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.

About a third of those who responded to the Business Pulse survey (34 percent) said that companies focused on harnessing new energy sources and providing environmentally improved products and services are the hope of the future for the region.

Another 21 percent said they believe the next hot sector will be biomedical companies.

Two traditional valley industries that currently are the backbone of the region also got significant number of responses: 15 percent for software and 12 percent for chips and hardware.

About 10 percent said they believe social networking companies such as Palo Alto’s Facebook Inc. will be the next big thing, while 6 percent chose “other.” ….Read full story

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Yahoo imposes unpaid week’s leave during Holidays

Yahoo Inc. is having a mandatory world-wide shutdown of its offices for one week, between Dec. 25th and January 1, in a bid to cut costs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The week will allow employees to “recharge,” a Yahoo spokeswoman told the Journal. U.S. workers will either have to take a paid vacation, if they have it, or take unpaid leave during those days.

Outside the U.S., “time off will be paid consistent with local standards and laws.”

Since the beginning of the year, Yahoo has implemented an aggressive cost-cutting play, laying off nearly 700 employees…Read full story

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