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Loonie wavers against U.S. dollar – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

TORONTO – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports the Canadian dollar moved lower against the U.S. dollar Monday as commodity prices backed off slightly.

The loonie was down 0.09 of a cent at 104.76 cents US as the greenback regained some lost ground against resource weighted currencies like the Canadian and Australian dollars.

Oil prices moved a penny lower to US$112.28 a barrel after trading above US$113 a barrel on the weekend. Gold prices gained $5.30 to US$1,509.10 an ounce, but off a morning high of more than US$1,519, while copper prices slipped 10 cents to US$4.30 a pound.

Strong commodities are partially being supported by news that China will shift some of its foreign exchange reserves into commodities. That has helped to support the Canadian dollar.

However, news reports on Sunday quoted China’s national planning agency as saying inflation will be about five per cent in the second quarter. Inflation is regarded as a chief threat to the global economic recovery and central banks are expected to make moves that could reduce the liquidity that has been supporting commodity prices.

Meanwhile, traders are awaiting Canadian Gross Domestic Product figures set to be released Friday and are also looking to see whether Canada’s Conservatives will gain a majority in the May 2 election.

“Markets do not tend to like political uncertainty, however, for (the loonie) the current election is likely to be net neutral or positive,” said Camilla Sutton, Scotiabank currency strategist.

Investors are also looking ahead to the Fed interest rate announcement on Wednesday. The U.S. central bank is universally expected to leave interest rates near zero for some time yet, one reason why the greenback got beaten up last week, along with Standard & Poor’s downgrade of its outlook for U.S. debt.

The U.S. dollar has steadily depreciated over the past five months, down five per cent against the Canadian dollar, largely on the back of diverging U.S. monetary policy, reassurance from Europe about sovereign debt levels, an ongoing global recovery and a decline in risk aversion.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misstated how much the Canadian dollar fell but had the closing value correct.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Commercial (DLC Clearlease/Clearlease.com) is a fully diversified Lease Finance Mortgage Banking Brokerage Company specializing in Equipment Leasing, Automobile Leasing, Residential, Commercial Lending/Mortgage Financing. DLC Clearlease possesses the capability to accommodate financing needs ranging from a small second Home Mortgage to a Multi-Million Dollar Commercial Projects. No mortgage is too small or too large for this integrated Company.

Headquartered in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We’re expanding in Q2, 2011 to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta! In Q3, 2011 we are expanding in Toronto, Ontario! Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease services clients from Coast to Coast. Our Residential Group has a team of Licensed Mortgage Brokers offering our clients the best terms and rates available in the current market. Our Commercial Funding/Mortgage Group is active across Canada Funding Mortgages in cities such as Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

You may have recently seen a Dominion Lending advertisement on such media outlets as: Global News, CTV News, CBC Television, Rogers Sportsnet or possibly heard the great Don Cherry, a Canadian Sports legend, discuss Dominion Lending Centres.

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Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease
HEAD OFFICE, Bentall Two, Suite 900, 555 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M8, CANADA.
Mr. A. Pidgeon, Editor in Chief
Tel: (604) 696-1221 ext. 177
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TORONTO – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports the Canadian dollar moved lower against the U.S. dollar Monday as commodity prices backed off slightly.

The loonie was down 0.09 of a cent at 104.76 cents US as the greenback regained some lost ground against resource weighted currencies like the Canadian and Australian dollars.

Strong commodities are partially being supported by news that China will shift some of its foreign exchange reserves into commodities. That has helped to support the Canadian dollar.

“Markets do not tend to like political uncertainty, however, for (the loonie) the current election is likely to be net neutral or positive,” said Camilla Sutton, Scotiabank currency strategist.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misstated how much the Canadian dollar fell but had the closing value correct.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

TORONTO – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports the Canadian dollar moved lower against the U.S. dollar Monday as commodity prices backed off slightly.

The loonie was down 0.09 of a cent at 104.76 cents US as the greenback regained some lost ground against resource weighted currencies like the Canadian and Australian dollars.

Strong commodities are partially being supported by news that China will shift some of its foreign exchange reserves into commodities. That has helped to support the Canadian dollar.

“Markets do not tend to like political uncertainty, however, for (the loonie) the current election is likely to be net neutral or positive,” said Camilla Sutton, Scotiabank currency strategist.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misstated how much the Canadian dollar fell but had the closing value correct.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Sunny Street Cafe to begin cooking up breakfast in Canada – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

VANCOUVER – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Breakfast fans in Canada will soon be waking up to a new face in town.

Sunny Street Cafe, formerly Rise & Dine, is expanding into Canada later this year.

The U.S. franchise signed a deal that will allow it to open a minimum of 40 locations across Western Canada over the next 10 years. Edmonton will see the first Sunny Street Cafe in Canada in late summer or early fall.

Canada is no stranger to all-day breakfast proprietors, with franchises in Ontario like Golden Griddle or Sunset Grill and national chains like Montreal-based Cora’s, or Calgary-based Smitty’s.

The country has also seen a few U.S. restaurants make the journey north, such as the 24-hour Denny’s in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

But Sunny Street Cafe thinks it can bring something different to Canada.

“The atmosphere of our restaurants is comfortable, inviting and reflects the surrounding community’s personality,” said Scott Moffitt, president of Sunny Street Cafe, in a press release. He said the restaurants will offer local foods and produce.

Sunny Street Cafe is also keeping positive in the face of competition due to news the foodservice industry is growing faster in Canada than it is in the U.S. The breakfast sector in particular is seeing plenty of growth, as are ‘fast-casual’ restaurants, making now an ideal time for Sunny Street Cafe to attempt international expansion.

Canadians can expect to see typical breakfast offerings like eggs, breakfast wraps, waffles and french toast on the Sunny Street Cafe menu, as well as more specialty offerings like Banana Foster Pancakes.

Sunny Street Cafe currently operates in three U.S. states in 14 locations. The U.S. locations also offer catering services for private events, although there is no word yet whether Canadian locations will offer the service as well.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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VANCOUVER – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Breakfast fans in Canada will soon be waking up to a new face in town.

Sunny Street Cafe, formerly Rise & Dine, is expanding into Canada later this year.

Canada is no stranger to all-day breakfast proprietors, with franchises in Ontario like Golden Griddle or Sunset Grill and national chains like Montreal-based Cora’s, or Calgary-based Smitty’s.

The country has also seen a few U.S. restaurants make the journey north, such as the 24-hour Denny’s in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

But Sunny Street Cafe thinks it can bring something different to Canada.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

VANCOUVER – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Breakfast fans in Canada will soon be waking up to a new face in town.

Sunny Street Cafe, formerly Rise & Dine, is expanding into Canada later this year.

Canada is no stranger to all-day breakfast proprietors, with franchises in Ontario like Golden Griddle or Sunset Grill and national chains like Montreal-based Cora’s, or Calgary-based Smitty’s.

The country has also seen a few U.S. restaurants make the journey north, such as the 24-hour Denny’s in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

But Sunny Street Cafe thinks it can bring something different to Canada.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Why Donald Trump Has Already Won 2012 Presidential Election – Dominion Lending Centres ClearleaseWhy Donald Trump Has Already Won 2012 Presidential Election – Dominion Lending Centres ClearleaseWhy Donald Trump Has Already Won 2012 Presidential Election – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Why Donald Trump Has Already Won 2012 Presidential Election – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

DETROIT – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Running for president may cost nearly $1 billion, but merely mulling a White House run can be awfully profitable.

As the political and business worlds collectively weigh the seriousness of what many see as a publicity stunt, Donald Trump’s larger-than-life brand is only growing larger.

If he opts to drop out of the running to be the GOP standardbearer, Trump will have pulled off a brilliant use of free advertising.

Trump, 64, who Forbes estimates is worth $2.7 billion, is everywhere these days. He’s dropping by for chats with Bill O’Reilly, visiting the ladies of ” The View” and even appearing on the “Today Show.” Each outspoken appearance creates headlines, fuels more buzz about his potential candidacy and reinforces his image.

To be sure, only Trump knows what his true intentions are. He may yet announce he is in fact making a run in the wide-open GOP race to unseat President Obama in 2012. But the smart money says that’s not happening.

“I don’t think there’s any question it’s a publicity stunt,” said Dick Martin, a former AT&T (T: 30.68, +0.55, +1.83%) exec and an expert on public relations and brand management. “Part of his brand is being larger than life and being outrageous. This is perfectly in keeping with that. If anything, it’s going to make his brand stronger.”

Running or not, a glance at cable TV and the Internet these days shows Trump has captured the attention of the media world. He’s made at least 24 appearances on national and cable TV networks since February, according to Politico.

It appears to be paying off, as U.S. Internet searches for “Donald Trump” have surged 332% in the past five weeks and “Donald Trump for president” was the fourth most popular search with his name in it, according to Experian Hitwise. Google (GOOG: 525.10, -0.63, -0.12%) Trends shows Trump is garnering far more search volume than legitimate GOP candidates like Tim Pawlenty.

“Donald Trump is a master at publicity,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. “He has an incredible ability to generate attention and do things that enhance his brand.”

Publicity Could Boost Trump’s Bottom Line

Trump can parlay an enhanced image into more profits at his sprawling business empire, which spans everything from real estate in New York and golf courses in Scotland to Trump-branded natural spring water and chocolate.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/04/22/buzz-swirling-trump-bolsters-brand/#ixzz1KIfmcmjO

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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DETROIT – (April 26, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Running for president may cost nearly $1 billion, but merely mulling a White House run can be awfully profitable.

As the political and business worlds collectively weigh the seriousness of what many see as a publicity stunt, Donald Trump’s larger-than-life brand is only growing larger.

If he opts to drop out of the running to be the GOP standardbearer, Trump will have pulled off a brilliant use of free advertising.

Publicity Could Boost Trump’s Bottom Line

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/04/22/buzz-swirling-trump-bolsters-brand/#ixzz1KIfmcmjO

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

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DETROIT – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Running for president may cost nearly $1 billion, but merely mulling a White House run can be awfully profitable.

As the political and business worlds collectively weigh the seriousness of what many see as a publicity stunt, Donald Trump’s larger-than-life brand is only growing larger.

If he opts to drop out of the running to be the GOP standardbearer, Trump will have pulled off a brilliant use of free advertising.

Publicity Could Boost Trump’s Bottom Line

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/04/22/buzz-swirling-trump-bolsters-brand/#ixzz1KIfmcmjO

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

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Improper maintenance, insufficient staff training and badly designed safety systems may have contributed to last year’s deadly explosion – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

DETROIT – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Improper maintenance, insufficient staff training and badly designed safety systems may have contributed to last year’s deadly explosion on Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a U.S. Coast Guard investigation.

The report, while reprising some earlier findings, is a damning critique of rig owner Transocean, a Swiss company that owns and operates the world’s largest fleet of deepwater drilling vessels. Oil giant BP PLC had a long-term contract with Transocean to drill wells in the Gulf.

Transocean “had serious safety management system failures and a poor safety culture,” the Coast Guard said. The report cites several shortcomings on the rig, which exploded a year ago, killing 11 workers and leaving an uncapped well a mile deep in the Gulf of Mexico that gushed 4.9 million barrels of crude before it was sealed.

A Transocean spokesman said: “We strongly disagree with—and documentary evidence in the Coast Guard’s possession refutes—key findings in this report.”

The focus on Transocean was due in part to the Coast Guard’s area of jurisdiction. Because the Deepwater Horizon was a floating drilling rig, it is considered a ship under U.S. rules. As a result, the Coast Guard oversaw maritime aspects of the rig, including firefighting. Another agency, the Department of Interior, oversees drilling operations.

The Coast Guard found that Transocean did an inadequate job of tracking the maintenance of its electrical equipment, allowing some equipment to be in “poor condition” at the time of the blowout. The report says this equipment may have sparked the explosion after the out-of-control well unleashed a cloud of flammable methane onto the rig.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and its owner, Transocean, had serious safety management system failures and a poor safety culture, according to a new Coast Guard report. Ben Casselman has details.

In addition, the gas-detection system was ineffective, the report found. While the rig had a series of mechanisms to alert the crew when flammable gas was present, the system relied on an operator to manually turn on alarms, shut down the engines and stop the flow of gas-contaminated air into the engine rooms. The report said the bridge crew was not properly trained to perform these tasks.

Explosions in the engine-room area could have been avoided or delayed if the system was designed to automatically take these steps when gas was detected, the report concluded.

Transocean disputes this finding, in particular. “The general alarm configuration on the Deepwater Horizon was intentional and conforms to accepted maritime practices,” said a spokesman. “It was not a safety oversight or done as a matter of convenience.”

The Coast Guard also focused on the safety device called the blowout preventer, a giant set of underwater valves designed to shut off the well in an emergency. The report noted that Transocean failed to perform a thorough recertification inspection of the blowout preventer, as required, every three to five years, and that several parts should have been replaced.

Once the explosion hit, the crew didn’t follow Transocean’s own evacuation procedures, and firefighting systems failed when the rig lost power.

Transocean says the Coast Guard inspected the Deepwater Horizon just seven months before the explosion and certified it as being fully compliant with all applicable safety standards, including those associated with fire and gas detection systems.

The Coast Guard also turned the spotlight on itself, determining that its system of overseeing foreign-flagged rigs was “insufficient” and allowed the Deepwater Horizon to operate for years in the Gulf without detailed scrutiny by the U.S. government. The rig was operated under the flag of the Marshall Islands, a small archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, which contracted with two maritime classification groups to oversee the vessel.

The Marshall Islands, in a statement, said it follows all international conventions and laws and has recently received high marks from international bodies for its inspection regime.

The investigation’s scrutiny was not limited to this one disaster. For instance, the investigators note that the rig’s chief electrician testified that certain problems with the gas-detector system were longstanding and common throughout Transocean’s fleet.

The Coast Guard and Interior Department jointly conducted 25 days of public hearings over the past year, interviewing dozens of people involved in the incident, and some of the findings in Friday’s report had been highlighted in the hearings.

The two agencies had planned to release a joint report. But on Friday, the Coast Guard released its own report, addressing only its areas of jurisdiction. As a result, the report focused on the fire, evacuation and sinking of the rig, but not on what caused the blowout that allowed gas to reach the rig in the first place. The Department of Interior is expected to release its own report in the next few weeks..

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Loblaw named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers 2 years in a row – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

RICHMOND, Va. – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw), one of Canada’s largest private sector employers, has been named one of Canada’s Top Greenest Employers, by Mediacorp Canada Inc, for the second consecutive year. Loblaw achieved this notable recognition for its industry leading green initiatives and its success in integrating environmental values into its corporate culture.

“At Loblaw, we are proud of the way our colleagues, employees and franchise owners have supported our efforts to be more environmentally conscious,” said Bob Chant, vice-president, corporate affairs, Loblaw Companies Limited. “Whether it’s sourcing our products sustainably; encouraging use of reusable bags in place of plastic bags; improving our energy use and fuel efficiency or inspiring our customers to make environmentally friendly purchasing decisions, we have a responsibility as Canada’s leading grocery retailer to reduce the environmental impact of our day-to-day operations.”

Some of Loblaw’s environmental accomplishments in 2010 include:

— Helping protect our oceans: In 2009 Loblaw announced a
commitment to source all seafood sold in its retail locations
from sustainable sources by the end of 2013. Last year’s
achievements include increasing the number of Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood
products available to customers and represents the most of any
Canadian retailer and adopting a policy of selling 100 per cent
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation canned tuna to
facilitate the transition to more MSC-certified
products. Loblaw also launched a public awareness campaign that
included providing a documentary about the state of our oceans,
The End of the Line, to more than 700 Canadian schools across
the country and the launch of a sustainable seafood Facebook
site and website,
www.oceansfortomorrow.com.

— Reducing the use of plastic shopping bags: In 2010, Loblaw
customers used 73 per cent fewer plastic shopping bags, which
means 2.5 billion fewer bags were used by Loblaw customers
since 2007. Loblaw also introduced two new bagless stores where
plastic shopping bags are not available, bringing the total
number of bagless stores across Canada to seven.

— Reduced energy consumption: Through store renovations Loblaw
achieved a 3.2 per cent reduction in electricity use per square
foot relative to 2009. Loblaw continues to investigate
opportunities to reduce energy consumption through technology
advancements. This includes incorporating alternative
refrigeration design systems to help reduce refrigerant leaks;
installing automated energy management systems in select stores
to reduce lighting and energy use; and installing photovoltaic
solar panels on some store rooftops.

— Improved fuel efficiency: In 2010, Loblaw improved fleet fuel
efficiency by 2.3 per cent, which is equivalent to 18 trips
around the world in a Class 8 transport truck. Loblaw continues
to upgrade its fleet with low emission trucks, and was the
first Canadian grocery retailer to test a Class 8 transport
truck run by hybrid technology.

— Increased waste diversion: In 2010 Loblaw saw a reduction of
2.3 million kilograms of packaging contained in Loblaw control
brand products, moving the Company closer to achieving a five
per cent reduction in the packaging used in Loblaw control
brand products by the end of 2014.

— Fostering green advocates: Partial proceeds from the purchase
of the $0.05 plastic shopping bags have been donated by Loblaw
to WWF to support a number of environmental initiatives such as
the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanupâ?¢, National Sweater
Dayâ?¢ and the WWF Green CommUnity Grants program that
awarded grants totaling $600,000 to Canadian schools for
environmental projects.

— Increasing our greener options: In 2010 we introduced 37 new
PCÂR G.R.E.E.NÂR products ranging from hypoallergenic diapers,
lawn and garden, stationery, pet accessories to household
cleaning products to help encourage customers to reduce their
environmental footprints.

“Loblaw continues to be a corporate leader in sustainability,” says Hadley Archer, WWF’s Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships. “Thanks to their dedication, we are seeing responsible changes happening in the global seafood industry. Loblaw doesn’t stop there. The Company also generously supports WWF campaigns that motivate Canadians to make small changes that will have a global environmental impact. Congratulations to everyone at Loblaw on this achievement.”

Next month, Loblaw will be releasing its 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which will provide updated information on the full range of Loblaw’s CSR commitments and achievements. Please visit the responsibility page at loblaw.ca for more information.

Launched in 2007, the Canada’s Greenest Employers competition is organized by the editors of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project. This special designation recognizes the employers that lead the nation in creating a corporate culture of environmental awareness, have developed exceptional earth-friendly initiatives and attracting people to their organizations because of their environmental leadership.

Employers are evaluated based on the following criteria: (1) the unique environmental initiatives and programs they have developed; (2) the extent to which they have been successful in reducing the organization’s own environmental footprint; (3) the degree to which their employees are involved in these programs and whether they contribute any unique skills; and (4) the extent to which these initiatives have become linked to the employer’s public identity and whether they attract new people to the organization.

About Loblaw Companies Limited Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada’s largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ more than 136,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian customers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada’s strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President’s Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh Style® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to customers President’s Choice Financial® services and offers the PC® points loyalty program.

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Some of Loblaw’s environmental accomplishments in 2010 include:

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Some of Loblaw’s environmental accomplishments in 2010 include:

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

NY Times Co.’s 1Q earnings drop 58 per cent as print ad slump outweighs gains on digital side – Dominion Lending Centres ClearleaseNY Times Co.’s 1Q earnings drop 58 per cent as print ad slump outweighs gains on digital side – Dominion Lending Centres ClearleaseNY Times Co.’s 1Q earnings drop 58 per cent as print ad slump outweighs gains on digital side – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

NY Times Co.’s 1Q earnings drop 58 per cent as print ad slump outweighs gains on digital side – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports The New York Times Co.’s first-quarter earnings fell 58 per cent as a decline in print advertising revenue outweighed an increase in digital advertising revenue.

Quarterly declines in print ad revenue at the Times Co. and other publishers narrowed through most of last year. But the Times Co.’s latest results suggest the improvement may be stalling.

The company said Thursday that it earned $5.4 million, or 4 cents per share, during the three months ending March 27. That compared with net income of $12.8 million, or 8 cents per share, a year ago. The latest earnings matched the average estimate of analysts polled by FactSet.

After stripping out one-time items in both quarters, such as severance payments and tax-related adjustments, this year’s performance looked even worse: earnings of 2 cents per share, compared with 11 cents a year ago.

Revenue fell 4 per cent to $567 million, about $7 million below analysts’ projections.

Times Co. shares fell 20 cents, or 2.2 per cent, to close Thursday at $8.92.

The Times Co.’s print ad revenue dropped 7.5 per cent in the first quarter compared with a year ago; the decline was 7 per cent in the fourth quarter.

Print advertising remains the major source of revenue for most newspapers, even as their publishers focus on expanding offerings on the Web and mobile devices to draw digital advertising.

The New York Times newspaper is seeking additional digital revenue by charging readers for full access to its website and mobile services. The new fees, which range from $15 to $35 every four weeks, started in Canada on March 17 and expanded to the rest of the world on March 28, the day after the first quarter ended.

The Times Co. said Thursday that it has attracted more than 100,000 subscribers so far. The company said those numbers exceeded expectations but cautioned it was too early to estimate how many it will retain after their promotional periods expire. Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson said the fees have also attracted more print subscribers because they get online access for free; she didn’t provide specifics during a conference call Thursday.

Ken Doctor, a newspaper industry analyst at Outsell Inc., said the initial response to the Times’ new digital fees is encouraging, even though he believes most people may have been lured by sharp discounts. “Just getting all those people to click on something showing they are willing to pay is meaningful,” he said.

Publishers have experienced strong growth in their digital ad revenue. But the gains haven’t been nearly enough to offset the deterioration of print advertising, where rates generally have been 10 times higher than digital ads.

Publishers are hoping digital ad rates will improve eventually, especially if people keep buying tablet computers such as Apple Inc.’s iPad. Publishers believe readers will spend more time with newspapers on tablets than they do on a desktop computer, giving them the leverage to charge advertisers higher rates on tablets.

For now, the gap between print advertising losses and digital ad gains remains substantial.

Digital ad revenue at the Times Co., for instance, totalled $83.6 million, an increase of 4.5 per cent, or $3.6 million, from last year. But the 7.5 per cent drop in print advertising translated into about $17 million less than last year. That left the Times Co.’s print advertising at $215 million in the first quarter. By contrast, print ad revenue totalled more than $460 million in the same period five years ago.

Executives said the decline worsened in March because advertisers got more worried about consumer spending because of higher gas prices. Japan’s massive earthquake and nuclear plant crisis also contributed to broader economic uncertainty.

Although executives said the trends have been better in April than March, it seems unlikely to lead to higher ad revenue in the current quarter. The Times Co. said ad revenue this month is down about 4 per cent from last year. Ad revenue in March fell 9 per cent.

Like other publishers, the Times Co. has been raising its subscription and newsstand prices in recent years to help offset losses in print advertising. Those price increases have caused the Times Co.’s circulation revenue to surpass its print advertising revenue in some recent quarters, an industry rarity. It happened again in the first quarter. Circulation revenue was $228 million, about 6 per cent more than print ad revenue.

But the higher prices have driven away some readers. The Times Co.’s first-quarter circulation revenue declined 4 per cent because fewer newspapers were sold. Robinson said The New York Times’ weekday circulation averaged 905,000, a 4 per cent drop from last year, while Sunday circulation averaged 1.3 million, a 3 per cent drop.

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Quarterly declines in print ad revenue at the Times Co. and other publishers narrowed through most of last year. But the Times Co.’s latest results suggest the improvement may be stalling.

Revenue fell 4 per cent to $567 million, about $7 million below analysts’ projections.

Times Co. shares fell 20 cents, or 2.2 per cent, to close Thursday at $8.92.

The Times Co.’s print ad revenue dropped 7.5 per cent in the first quarter compared with a year ago; the decline was 7 per cent in the fourth quarter.

Print advertising remains the major source of revenue for most newspapers, even as their publishers focus on expanding offerings on the Web and mobile devices to draw digital advertising.

For now, the gap between print advertising losses and digital ad gains remains substantial.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Quarterly declines in print ad revenue at the Times Co. and other publishers narrowed through most of last year. But the Times Co.’s latest results suggest the improvement may be stalling.

Revenue fell 4 per cent to $567 million, about $7 million below analysts’ projections.

Times Co. shares fell 20 cents, or 2.2 per cent, to close Thursday at $8.92.

The Times Co.’s print ad revenue dropped 7.5 per cent in the first quarter compared with a year ago; the decline was 7 per cent in the fourth quarter.

Print advertising remains the major source of revenue for most newspapers, even as their publishers focus on expanding offerings on the Web and mobile devices to draw digital advertising.

For now, the gap between print advertising losses and digital ad gains remains substantial.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Mining company begins drilling to explore Neb. deposit of rare element used to harden steel – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

NEW YORK, N.Y. – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports ELK CREEK, Neb. – For the first time in more than 25 years, drilling is being conducted in southeast Nebraska to determine how much of a valuable and rare heat-resistant element lies hidden underground.

The drilling that began Thursday night is part of a Canadian mining company’s exploration of the site. Quantum Rare Earth Developments is trying to determine whether to build a mine to retrieve niobium and possibly other rare elements from more than 500 feet (150 metres) underground.

The U.S. currently imports nearly all the niobium that’s used in this country to harden steel and make it more heat-resistant for industrial uses. It hasn’t been produced in America in significant amounts since the 1950s. The U.S. Geologic Survey estimates 8.5 million kilograms (19 million pounds) of niobium worth roughly $330 million was imported into the U.S. in 2010.

The agency also says the underground carbonatite formation near Elk Creek has the potential to become one of the world’s largest sources of niobium and other rare earth elements used in cellphones, wind turbines, hybrid car batteries and other applications.

Earlier this year, Quantum released a new geology report confirming that a large deposit of niobium is present underground near Elk Creek, which is about 70 miles (110 kilometres) southwest of Lincoln.

The core samples Quantum is drilling now will help the company determine the boundaries of the carbonatite formation. Company officials estimate the drilling will continue for at least three months, but it could be longer if Quantum secures money to drill additional samples.

An underground niobium mine could employ as many as 400 to 500 people, but the project would likely cost between $300 million and $400 million to get started. Quantum has mineral-rights leases on about 9,500 acres (3,850 hectares) of rural land near Elk Creek that are good for about four more years.

Quantum is not starting from scratch at the site because Colorado-based Molycorp drilled about 100 samples there during the 1970s and 1980s.

During the 1990s, Molycorp abandoned the Elk Creek site because it didn’t appear that it would be profitable to build a niobium mine there. Niobium prices have since increased enough to prompt Quantum’s interest.

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Quantum is not starting from scratch at the site because Colorado-based Molycorp drilled about 100 samples there during the 1970s and 1980s.

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Quantum is not starting from scratch at the site because Colorado-based Molycorp drilled about 100 samples there during the 1970s and 1980s.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Failure at Amazon (NasdaqGS: AMZN ) data centre takes down sites across Internet millions of Web users affected – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

NEW YORK, N.Y. – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Amazon.com (NasdaqGS: AMZN ) struggled Friday morning to restore computers used by other major websites such as Reddit as an outage stretched beyond 24 hours.

Though better known for selling books, DVDs and other consumer goods, Amazon also rents out space on huge computer servers that run many websites and other online services.

The problems began at an Amazon data centre near Dulles Airport outside Washington early Thursday. On Friday morning, Amazon’s status page said the recovery effort was making progress, but it couldn’t say when all affected computers would be restored.

Most of the sites that were brought down by the outage on Thursday were back up on Friday, but news-sharing site Reddit was still in “emergency read-only mode,” and smaller sites were still reporting trouble.

Location-sharing social network Foursquare and HootSuite, which lets users monitor Twitter and other social networks more easily, appeared to have recovered.

Many other companies that use Amazon Web Services, like Netflix Inc. and Zynga Inc., which runs Facebook games, were unscathed by the outage. Amazon has at least one other major U.S. data centre that stayed up, in California.

It’s not uncommon for Internet services to become inaccessible due to technical problems, sometimes for hours or even days. But the outage is notable because Amazon’s servers are so commonly used, meaning many sites went down at once.

Amazon, which had not responded to requests for comment, has not revealed how many companies use its Web services or how many were affected by the outage.

No one knew for sure how many people were inconvenienced, but the services affected are used by millions.

Amazon Web Services provide “cloud” or utility-style computing in which customers pay only for the computing power and storage they need, on remote computers.

Seattle-based Amazon has big plans for AWS. Although it now makes up just a few per cent of the company’s revenue, CEO Jeff Bezos said last year that it could eventually be as large as Amazon’s retail business. Competitors include Rackspace Hosting Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s Azure platform.

Some people consider cloud computing more reliable than conventional hosting services in which a small company might rent a handful of computers in a data centre.

If one of them malfunctions, the failure can take down a website. But “clouds” like AWS use vast banks of computers. If one fails, the tasks that it performs, such as running a website or a game, can immediately be taken over by others.

When a company needs more capacity, maybe because of a surge in visitors to its website, it only takes minutes to rent more computers from Amazon.

But cloud computing isn’t immune to failure, either.

Lydia Leong, an analyst for the tech research firm Gartner, said that judging by details posted on Amazon’s AWS status page, a network connection failed Thursday morning, triggering an automatic recovery mechanism that then also failed.

Amazon’s computers are divided into groups that are supposed to be independent of each other. If one group fails, others should stay up. And customers are encouraged to spread the computers they rent over several groups to ensure reliable service. But Thursday’s problem took out many groups simultaneously.

Outages with Amazon’s services are rare but not unprecedented. In 2008, several companies lost access to their own files for about two hours when one of Amazon’s data centres failed. The companies included DigitalChalk Inc., which delivers multimedia training over the Web.

In general, Amazon Web Services have been more reliable and, above all, cheaper than many other hosting systems, said Josh Cochrane, vice-president of product development at Palo Alto Software in Eugene, Ore.

But the firm’s websites and Web-based applications that create business plans were all brought down by Thursday’s crash.

“It’s a pretty vulnerable feeling,” he said. “This is a really big message to us that we need to revisit our strategy.”

That might include spreading the applications more widely over Amazon’s network, so that problems at one data centre won’t bring down everything, he said.

Amazon engineers struggled throughout the day to rectify the problem. Leong said the problems are of a type that’s not covered by Amazon’s money-back guarantees.

Amazon shares rose $2.02, or 1.1 per cent, to close Thursday at $185.89.

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Though better known for selling books, DVDs and other consumer goods, Amazon also rents out space on huge computer servers that run many websites and other online services.

Location-sharing social network Foursquare and HootSuite, which lets users monitor Twitter and other social networks more easily, appeared to have recovered.

Amazon, which had not responded to requests for comment, has not revealed how many companies use its Web services or how many were affected by the outage.

No one knew for sure how many people were inconvenienced, but the services affected are used by millions.

Amazon Web Services provide “cloud” or utility-style computing in which customers pay only for the computing power and storage they need, on remote computers.

Some people consider cloud computing more reliable than conventional hosting services in which a small company might rent a handful of computers in a data centre.

When a company needs more capacity, maybe because of a surge in visitors to its website, it only takes minutes to rent more computers from Amazon.

But cloud computing isn’t immune to failure, either.

But the firm’s websites and Web-based applications that create business plans were all brought down by Thursday’s crash.

“It’s a pretty vulnerable feeling,” he said. “This is a really big message to us that we need to revisit our strategy.”

That might include spreading the applications more widely over Amazon’s network, so that problems at one data centre won’t bring down everything, he said.

Amazon engineers struggled throughout the day to rectify the problem. Leong said the problems are of a type that’s not covered by Amazon’s money-back guarantees.

Amazon shares rose $2.02, or 1.1 per cent, to close Thursday at $185.89.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Though better known for selling books, DVDs and other consumer goods, Amazon also rents out space on huge computer servers that run many websites and other online services.

Location-sharing social network Foursquare and HootSuite, which lets users monitor Twitter and other social networks more easily, appeared to have recovered.

Amazon, which had not responded to requests for comment, has not revealed how many companies use its Web services or how many were affected by the outage.

No one knew for sure how many people were inconvenienced, but the services affected are used by millions.

Amazon Web Services provide “cloud” or utility-style computing in which customers pay only for the computing power and storage they need, on remote computers.

Some people consider cloud computing more reliable than conventional hosting services in which a small company might rent a handful of computers in a data centre.

When a company needs more capacity, maybe because of a surge in visitors to its website, it only takes minutes to rent more computers from Amazon.

But cloud computing isn’t immune to failure, either.

But the firm’s websites and Web-based applications that create business plans were all brought down by Thursday’s crash.

“It’s a pretty vulnerable feeling,” he said. “This is a really big message to us that we need to revisit our strategy.”

That might include spreading the applications more widely over Amazon’s network, so that problems at one data centre won’t bring down everything, he said.

Amazon engineers struggled throughout the day to rectify the problem. Leong said the problems are of a type that’s not covered by Amazon’s money-back guarantees.

Amazon shares rose $2.02, or 1.1 per cent, to close Thursday at $185.89.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

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Japan automakers check radiation on car exports amid nuclear crisis – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Japanese automakers have begun checking the level of radiation on cars to be exported from the country on Friday April 22, 2011 in a bid to ease worries among foreign consumers, an industry group said Friday.

The automakers will inspect radiation inside cars and on tires before shipment, said Hirokazu Furukawa, a spokesman for the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. No radiation has been detected so far on cars to be exported from Japan, he said.

“Some foreign consumers voiced concern over radiation. We want to erase their worries by taking this measure,” he said. Furukawa said he has not seen a fall in Japanese car sales abroad due to radiation concerns.

Japan has been struggling to contain radiation leaks since a tsunami on March 11 damaged a coastal nuclear power plant in northern Japan, causing radiation leaks. Furukawa said automakers are currently checking the level of radiation on cars to be shipped from eight ports.

Around 10 cars out every 5,000 are being checked for radiation, he said. The carmakers will continue the radiation check on vehicles until the nuclear crisis subsides.

Toyota Motor Corp. said it has checked the level of radiation on 30 cars to be shipped to the United States. Around 46 per cent of Toyota cars made in Japan last year were shipped for export.

Around 30 per cent of Honda Motor Co.’s cars made in Japan are for export. Over 50 per cent of Nissan Motor Co.’s cars made in Japan are to be shipped abroad.

In the April 13 settlement, Motorola Solutions agreed to pay Huawei an undisclosed fee to transfer its contracts to Nokia Siemens. The deal allows Nokia Siemens to use confidential Huawei information to service networks that Motorola deployed using Huawei’s technologies.
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Around 10 cars out every 5,000 are being checked for radiation, he said. The carmakers will continue the radiation check on vehicles until the nuclear crisis subsides.

Toyota Motor Corp. said it has checked the level of radiation on 30 cars to be shipped to the United States. Around 46 per cent of Toyota cars made in Japan last year were shipped for export.

Around 30 per cent of Honda Motor Co.’s cars made in Japan are for export. Over 50 per cent of Nissan Motor Co.’s cars made in Japan are to be shipped abroad.

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Around 10 cars out every 5,000 are being checked for radiation, he said. The carmakers will continue the radiation check on vehicles until the nuclear crisis subsides.

Toyota Motor Corp. said it has checked the level of radiation on 30 cars to be shipped to the United States. Around 46 per cent of Toyota cars made in Japan last year were shipped for export.

Around 30 per cent of Honda Motor Co.’s cars made in Japan are for export. Over 50 per cent of Nissan Motor Co.’s cars made in Japan are to be shipped abroad.

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Japan proposes $50 billion to start reconstruction, building 100,000 temporary homes – Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – (April 22, 2011) Clearlease.com Reports Japan ‘s government proposed a special $50 billion (4 trillion yen) budget to help finance reconstruction efforts Friday and plans to build 100,000 temporary homes for survivors of last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.

The twin disasters destroyed roads, ports, farms and homes and crippled a nuclear power plant that forced tens of thousands of more people to evacuate their houses for at least several months. The government said the damage could cost $309 billion, making it the world’s most expensive natural disaster.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he was moved by his conversations with victims during a recent tour of shelters.

“I felt with renewed determination that we must do our best to get them back as soon as possible,” he told reporters.

The extra $50 billion (4 trillion yen) the Cabinet approved is expected to be only the first installment of reconstruction funding. About $15 billion (1.2 trillion yen) will go to fixing roads and ports and more than $8.5 billion (700 billion yen) will go to build temporary homes and clearing rubble.

“This is the first step toward rebuilding Japan after the major disasters,” Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said. Parliament is expected to approve the special budget next week.

More than 27,000 people are dead or missing after the earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan on March 11. About 135,000 survivors are living in 2,500 shelters, and many others have moved into temporary housing or are staying with relatives.

As part of the government’s recovery plan, it will build 30,000 temporary homes by the end of May and another 70,000 after that, Kan said.

Japan already was mired in a 20-year economic slowdown, Kan said, and he hoped the disaster recovery effort would help lift Japan economically. He urged Japanese to spend money during the upcoming Golden Week holidays to help spur the economy.

“People are feeling that we all must do something, and that will turn into a big strength,” he said. “And it will work to help the recovery, and we will overcome both crises.”

Recovery efforts have been complicated by the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which lost its power and cooling systems in the earthquake and tsunami, triggering fires, explosions and radiation leaks in the world’s second-worst nuclear accident.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., which said it will take six to nine months to bring the plant under full control, has been heavily criticized for its handling of the crisis.

TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu was received harshly when he toured a shelter of 1,600 people in Koriyama.

“We’re angry, angry, angry,” one man shouted at him, according to television footage.

“How about you spend a month here?” another shouted.

“Take your nuclear energy back to Tokyo with you,” a third said.

Shimizu apologized to the governor of Fukushima prefecture, Yuhei Sato, an outspoken critic of the response by the government and company to the nuclear crisis.

Sato bluntly told Shimizu the era of nuclear power plants in Fukushima had ended.

“No way. The resumption of nuclear power plants … no way,” he said.

Meanwhile, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Kita Ibaraki, a port wrecked by the tsunami about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Tokyo.

The royal couple surveyed the damage along the waterfront, where blocks of concrete were jumbled by the huge waves. When told that a man died there, they showed their respects with a deep bow toward the sea. They also visited an evacuation centre.

An extra 250 police were sent to man roadblocks with flashing “Off Limits” signs Friday to stop some of the 80,000 evacuees from sneaking back to homes inside the now-sealed 12-mile (20-kilometre) evacuation zone around the stricken plant.

Authorities planned to erect fences on side streets, said Fukushima police spokesman Yasunori Okazaki. The order that took effect Friday is meant to limit radiation exposure and theft in the mainly deserted zone.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano appealed for residents of five areas with relatively high levels of radiation outside the sealed zone to prepare for evacuation within a month.

But Norio Kanno, chief of Iitate, a village of 6,200, questioned whether everyone would be able to move in time.

“It is really vexing. Just one nuclear accident is destroying everything,” he said.