Our client is looking to recruit a HR Business Partner for this Limerick operation for a contract of 9-12 months in length.
Duties will include, but will not be limited to the following:
Work with assigned client group across all areas of Human Resources including (but not limited to) employee relations, compensation, benefits, resource and succession planning and career management.
Responsible for the support, development and implementation of HR related programmes within relevant business groups.
Partner with management on multiple initiatives within Human Resources. In particular, provide coaching and support to stakeholders on specific functional areas to facilitate the creation of value through people.
Support and manage the implementation of HR plans and programs related to organizational design, development and change.
Educate clients on the appropriate application of relevant compensation philosophy, initiatives, strategies, the alternatives, and potential impact on the business.
Provide group and one-on-one coaching with managers and employees on a variety of human resource related issues.
Partner with line leaders to grow diverse leadership, talent, and technical capability pipeline
Provide complex consulting services to business partner client groups and coordinate efforts to ensure equity and consistency in the administration of policies and practices.
Stay current and monitors changes with regard to legislation and industry practices
Develop and present various compensation, benefit and other HR management training programs.
Identify, design and develop programs to support cultures that drive innovation and employee engagement to achieve organizational performance/goals; enable implementation at the local level.
Provide coaching and support to stakeholders on specific functional areas to facilitate the creation of value through people.
Key skills/Experience
Essential University degree (or equivalent) in Human Resources or a related discipline.
5+ years experience in a full function HR role managing complexity and demonstrate innovation
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Big business and labor have struck a deal on a new low-skilled worker program, removing the biggest hurdle to completion of sweeping immigration legislation allowing 11 million illegal immigrants eventual U.S. citizenship, labor and Senate officials said Saturday.
The agreement was reached in a phone call late Friday night with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, U.S. Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who's been mediating the dispute.
The deal resolves disagreements over wages for the new workers and which industries would be included. Those disputes had led talks to break down a week ago, throwing into doubt whether Schumer and seven other senators crafting a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill would be able to complete their work as planned.
The deal must still be signed off on by the other senators working with Schumer, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida, but that's expected to happen, according to a person with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity. With the agreement in place, the senators are expected to unveil their legislation the week of April 8. Their measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.
It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the nation's faltering immigration system in more than two decades.
"The strength of the consensus across America for just reform has afforded us the momentum needed to forge an agreement in principle to develop a new type of employer visa system," Trumka said in a statement late Saturday. "We expect that this new program, which benefits not just business, but everyone, will promote long overdue reforms by raising the bar for existing programs."
Schumer said: "This issue has always been the dealbreaker on immigration reform, but not this time."
The AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, longtime antagonists over temporary worker programs, had been fighting over wages for tens of thousands of low-skilled workers who would be brought in under the new program to fill jobs in construction, hotels and resorts, nursing homes and restaurants, and other industries.
Under the agreement, a new "W'' visa program would go into effect beginning April 1, 2015, according to an AFL-CIO fact sheet.
In year one of the program, 20,000 workers would be allowed in; in year two, 35,000; in year three, 55,000; and in year four, 75,000. Ultimately the program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market. One-third of all visas in any year would go to businesses with under 25 workers.
A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap if they can show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the following year's cap.
The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency after a year, and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.
The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.
Business has sought temporary worker programs in a quest for a cheaper workforce, but labor has opposed the programs because of concerns over working conditions and the effect on jobs and wages for U.S. workers. The issue helped sink the last major attempt at immigration overhaul in 2007, which the AFL-CIO opposed partly because of temporary worker provisions, and the flare-up earlier this month sparked concerns that the same thing would happen this time around. Agreement between the two traditional foes is one of many indications that immigration reform has its best chance in years in Congress this year.
After apparent miscommunications earlier this month between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce on the wage issue, the deal resolves it in a way both sides are comfortable with, officials said.
Workers would earn actual wages paid to American workers or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.
There also had been disagreement on how to handle the construction industry, which unions argue is different from other industries in the new program because it can be more seasonal in nature and includes a number of higher-skilled trades. The official said the resolution will cap at 15,000 a year the number of visas that can be sought by the construction industry.
Schumer called White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on Saturday to inform him of the deal, the person with knowledge of the talks said. The three principals in the talks ? Trumka, Donohue and Schumer ? agreed they should meet for dinner soon to celebrate, the person said.
However, in a sign of the delicate and uncertain negotiations still ahead, Rubio sent a letter Saturday to Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., calling for a deliberate hearing process on the new legislation and cautioning against a "rush to legislate." Rubio and a number of other Republicans are striking a tricky balance as they simultaneously court conservative and Hispanic voters on the immigration issue.
Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.
___
Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner
Those of you using Skype in Windows 8 will be happy to know that Microsoft's just bumped the app to version 1.6. It's been a few months since the last update, and this revision brings more features to the table, including contact blocking and a slew of performance tweaks. You're now able to block users, with an option to remove or report the offending party. Speed and reliability have been improved, especially when loading contacts, and a number of bugs have been fixed, including one where the outgoing video was not always displayed after switching cameras. The update's available in Windows Store, so what are you waiting for
I thought that this topic would have been mentioned a few more times than it has been on this website. I'm not an expert in eating disorders however i have suffered for one on and off for a few years now. I am under my Doctor so i have to see her regularly.
Have any of you suffered with an eating disorder, know of someone who has or is or are you suddering with one right now?
How did you cope? Do you have any tips on recovery?
News stories regarding the Obama daughters? purported vacation destinations appear to be disappearing from the Internet at the request of the White House, a repeat of a similar occurrence that happened when Malia Obama took a trip to Mexico last year.
Idaho?s KMVT-TV deleted a story about Sasha and Malia Obama taking a ski trip to Sun Valley, Idaho, during their spring break this week, and Us magazine did the same with a report about first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters going to the Bahamas. Breitbart News reported Monday that the Obama girls were going to the Bahamas and named the resort where they were said to be staying.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from TheBlaze about the deleted stories, but Breitbart posted a statement from Michelle Obama?s communications director affirming that the KMVT report was pulled at the administration?s request.
?From the beginning of the administration, the White House has asked news outlets not to report on or photograph the Obama children when they are not with their parents and there is no vital news interest. We have reminded outlets of this request in order to protect the privacy and security of these girls,? first lady communications director Kristina Schake said, an identical statement to the one given after Malia Obama went to Mexico last year.
Image source: KMVT-TV
Image source: Us magazine
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Wednesday ripped the president for sending his daughters on vacation for spring break after so many dire warnings about budget sequestration.
Speaking on an Iowa radio show, King was responding to a caller who said watching the Obama girls go on vacation was ?hard to stomach.?
?You?re on point and on the mark all the way through,? King said, in remarks flagged by the liberal site ThinkProgress. ?You?re right on the president. I mean, he needs to show some austerity himself?he sent the daughters to spring break in Mexico a year ago. That was at our expense too. And now to the Bahamas at one of the most expensive places there. That is the wrong image to be coming out of the White House.?
It?s custom for the president?s family to pay for their own vacation expenses, while costs for security and White House staff are picked up by taxpayers.
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Saad, who's got wants some of that Mailbox goodness for himself. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"I've seen wonderful applications like Mailbox and Sparrow on iOS, which do the job and aren't too shabby in the looks department. Having used Sparrow on the iPad, I've been looking for an alternative that can be used on my Android phone. Any suggestions? Thanks!"
We can tell you're not a fan of the Gmail app, so what about alternatives? Well, perhaps something like Aqua Mail, MailDroid or K-9 Mail could float your ocean-going vessel. If not those, then maybe it's time to ask what the Engadget faithful use on their daily drivers, so have at it, friends.
President Barack Obama was in attendance at Saturday's regional final of the NCAA tournament in Washington D.C. between Syracuse and Marquette.
He looked relaxed wearing his Under Armour jacket and with his leg up on the wall. He was seated with NCAA president Mark Emmert (far left) and the president's personal aide, Reggie Love (left). The CBS commentators identified the man on the right as? the president's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, head coach of the Oregon State men's basketball team. But it is not clear if that is him ...
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron is alienating Christians by promoting gay marriage, an influential former leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans said on Saturday.
In a strongly worded article, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said Cameron's plan to legalise gay unions hid an "aggressive secularist" approach that threatened the link between church and state.
The comments echoed widespread concern about the policy among some Christians - and also highlighted the challenge facing Cameron whose efforts to modernise his Conservative Party have antagonised some traditional party voters.
"The danger I believe that the government is courting with its approach both to marriage and religious freedom, is the alienation of a large minority of people who only a few years ago would have been considered pillars of society," Carey wrote in the Daily Mail.
Carey's comments come at a bad time for Cameron, who as the economy flounders is attempting to woo right-leaning voters with tough talk on immigration and the European Union.
The former Anglican leader also condemned what he saw as a lack of government support for Christians who choose to wear a cross at work, a practice that has been challenged in the past due to rules on religious expression at the workplace.
He cited a survey by pollster ComRes saying more than two thirds of Christians in Britain felt they were a "persecuted minority" and that more than half who voted Conservative in 2010 would not do so in 2015.
"It was a bit rich to hear that the prime minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularisation' when it seems that his government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of the way," Carey said.
Cameron's Downing Street office rejected Carey's accusations, and praised the church's role in charities and education, but did not address the issue of gay marriage.
"This government strongly backs faith and Christianity in particular, including backing the rights of people wanting to wear crosses at work and hold prayers at council meetings," Downing Street said in a statement.
"The prime minister values the profound contribution that Christianity has made and continues to make to the country, which is why he strongly backs it," the statement continued.
Carey was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002. Current Archbishop Justin Welby this month said some gay relationships were "stunning" in quality, but he is also opposed to gay marriage.
As elsewhere in Europe, the number of regular churchgoers in Britain has been declining in recent decades.
Every week, we share a number of downloads for all platforms to help you get things done. Here were the top downloads from this week.
How to Build Your Own Syncing RSS Reader with Tiny Tiny RSS and Kick Google Reader to the Curb
Yes, Google Reader is going away, and yes, there are great alternatives. However, if you're tired of web services shutting down on you, why not take matters into your own hands? Tiny Tiny RSS is a free, open-source syncing RSS platform with more features than Google Reader ever had, and it can't get shut down. Here's how to install it and set it up. More ?
Mailbird Is Like Sparrow for Windows (and We've Got Invites)
Windows: There are a lot of great desktop email clients available for Windows, but Mailbird promises to bring some elegance, simplicity, and useful new features to your desktop. We've been testing it for a few months now, here's what we think (and how you can try it out too). More ?
Turn Your Raspberry Pi Into a Spotify Server
We've already shown you how to transform your Raspberry Pi into a Pandora streaming jukebox, but if Spotify is your service of choice, you're in luck now too. More ?
Sworkit Pro Randomly Generates Quick but Effective Exercise Routines, Available for Free Today
iOS (and Android): Previous mentioned Sworkit Pro, the exercise app that generates and guides you through random circuit trianing workouts, is available today for free. More ?
oCam Supercharges Screen Capture in Windows
Windows: Windows only lets you take full-screen screenshots out of the box, and its built-in screencasting tool doesn't even output a standard video file. oCam is a free utility that solves both of these problems. More ?
CARROT, the Sadistic To-Do App, Adds Reminders and Recurring Tasks, Is Available for Free Today
iOS: CARROT, the to-do app with the personality of a crazed robot, has added a few new features, including reminders, recurring tasks, and Siri integration. The celebrate the update, CARROT is free today. More ?
Mac Remote Controls Your Mac from the Comfort of Your Android Phone or Tablet
Android: Smartphones have been controlling computers with specialized apps for years now, but Mac Remote does something a little different?it doesn't require you to install any server software to work. Instead, it connects to your Mac over SSH and controls various apps and system functions with remote commands. More ?
Precorder Ensures You Never Miss a Moment with your iPhone's Camera
iPhone: Say you're trying to take a video of your cat doing something hilarious. You could risk missing the moment by waiting until something happens to hit record, or you could use Precorder. More ?
Tasker's New User-Friendly UI Makes Automating Your Android a Breeze
Android (4.0+): Android tweaking and customization tool Tasker picked up a major update today, and now sports a Holo-themed new look that will make building your own custom apps and automating the ins and outs of your device much, much easier. More ?
Textastic Rivals the Amazing Plain Text Code Editor TextMate for a Tiny Fraction of the Price
OS X: Plain text editors tend to cost a lot when they help you write better code, and TextMate (our favorite) is far from an exception. Textastic, on the other hand, offers a very similar feature set and costs a tiny fraction of the price. More ?
A
Wabash Valley animal shelter is on the receiving end of the
community's generosity.
Thursday
was our 7th Annual Terre Haute Humane Society Telethon at Honey Creek
Mall.
We
raised more than $10,000 in just four hours.
There
are more than 175 animals currently at the shelter and it costs the
shelter about $15,000 a week to care for them.
The
president of the humane society board says the community's financial
support is essential. "I think that they're noticing the hard
work that we do and what we're giving back to the community. We have
reduced our euthanasia rates, we have taken in 3,000 animals a year
for the community. I think that [the donations] shows that they
appreciate that," says Debbie Floyd.
Over
the years NBC 2 has helped raise over $70,000 for the Terre Haute
Humane Society thanks to this event.
You
can always donate to the humane society by visiting their website.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is alienating Christians by promoting gay marriage, an influential former leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans said on Saturday.
In a strongly worded article, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said Cameron's plan to legalize gay unions hid an "aggressive secularist" approach that threatened the link between church and state.
The comments echoed widespread concern about the policy among some Christians - and also highlighted the challenge facing Cameron whose efforts to modernize his center-right Conservative Party have antagonized some traditional party voters.
"The danger I believe that the government is courting with its approach both to marriage and religious freedom, is the alienation of a large minority of people who only a few years ago would have been considered pillars of society," Carey wrote in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper.
Carey's comments come at a bad time for Cameron, who as the economy flounders is attempting to woo right-leaning voters with tough talk on immigration and the European Union.
The former Anglican leader also condemned what he saw as a lack of government support for Christians who choose to wear a cross at work, a practice that has been challenged in the past due to rules on religious expression at the workplace.
He cited a survey by pollster ComRes saying more than two thirds of Christians in Britain felt they were a "persecuted minority" and that more than half who voted Conservative in 2010 would not do so in 2015.
"It was a bit rich to hear that the prime minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularization' when it seems that his government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of the way," Carey said.
Cameron's Downing Street office rejected Carey's accusations, and praised the church's role in charities and education, but did not address the issue of gay marriage.
"This government strongly backs faith and Christianity in particular, including backing the rights of people wanting to wear crosses at work and hold prayers at council meetings," Downing Street said in a statement.
"The prime minister values the profound contribution that Christianity has made and continues to make to the country, which is why he strongly backs it," the statement continued.
Carey was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002. Current Archbishop Justin Welby this month said some gay relationships were "stunning" in quality, but he is also opposed to gay marriage.
As elsewhere in Europe, the number of regular churchgoers in Britain has been declining in recent decades.
Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man walks past graffiti in capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A Greek Cypriot soldier walks at the old town of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man with shopping bags and a tourist pass at the old city the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Private security officers stand at a main door of a bank as people wait outside of a cooperative bank in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? The moment word broke that Cypriot lawmakers in Parliament had voted down a bailout deal that would have raided everyone's savings to prop up a collapsing banking sector, a huge cheer rose up from hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside that echoed through the building's corridors.
Many relished it as a kind of David-against-Goliath moment ? a country of barely a million people standing up to the will of Europe's behemoths who wanted it to swallow a very bitter pill to fix its broken-down economy.
"Shame on Europe for trying to snatch people's savings. It's a mistaken decision that will have repercussions on other economies and banking systems," said protester Panayiotis Violettis. "People have stopped trusting the EU which should be our protector."
Fighting back is not a new experience for Cypriots. From the 1950s guerrilla war against British rule to Greek Cypriots' defiant refusal in 2004 to accept a U.N.-backed peace plan to reunite the island, they are used to holding their own against big opponents.
Just as quickly as Cyprus' euro area partners decided that a deposit grab was the only way out, so Cypriots decided their tiny island was ground zero in Europe's new financial scorched earth policy and that it had to be resisted at all costs.
"Better die on your feet than live on your knees," one placard among the throngs of protesters read. Another said: "It starts with us, it ends with you" as a warning to other Europeans that their savings were no longer safe.
Politicians seized on the public mood. "This is another form of colonization," Greens lawmaker Giorgos Perdikis spouted in Parliament. "We won't allow passage of something that essentially subjugates the Cypriot people for many, many generations.
"Unfortunately, instead of support and solidarity, our partners offered blackmail and bitterness," said Parliamentary Speaker Yiannakis Omirou. The indignant leader of the country's Orthodox Christian Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, added: "This isn't the Europe that we believed in when we joined. We believed we would receive some kind of help, some support."
The country's foreign minister, Ioannis Kasoulides, even acknowledged that Cypriot negotiators had contemplated exiting the euro instead of accepting their euro area partners' terms.
In the end, Cyprus accepted a deal that would safeguard small savers but where depositors with more than 100,000 euros in the country's two most troubled banks would lose a big chunk of their money.
Nonetheless, Europe was stunned at the sheer brazenness. How could a pipsqueak country on Europe's fringes thumb its nose to continental juggernauts Germany and France and dare to turn down a deal meant to save it from economic chaos?
It's not the first time the country has pushed back in defiance, even against what many would consider as insurmountable odds. The island's majority Greek Cypriots fought former colonial ruler Britain to a draw in a four-year guerrilla campaign in the 1950s that aimed for union with Greece. That conflict ended in the country's independence in 1960.
Just 14 years later, a Turkish invasion prompted by an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece resulted in the island's division into an internationally recognized, Greek-speaking south and a breakaway, Turkish-speaking north.
The invasion and its fallout remains an existential matter in the minds of Cypriots and it still informs many of the political and economic decisions the country and its people make.
"Greek Cypriots lost nearly everything during the 1974 invasion," said University of Cyprus History Professor Petros Papapolyviou. "So they reason, what else do we have to lose? Why accept another injustice?"
In 2004, Greek Cypriots again defied international expectations when they voted down a United Nations-backed reunification plan they believed was unfairly weighted against them.
A few days later, the island joined the European Union and some EU leaders were left fuming at what they saw as Greek Cypriot deceit for promising to sign up to a peace deal in exchange for EU membership.
Nearly a decade later and European acrimony at the Cypriot "no" hasn't entirely dissipated. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble told the Sunday edition of German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that "Cyprus was admitted to the EU in hopes that the plan of then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to overcome the (island's) divide would be honored."
"I interpret (that) as indicating a sense of vindictiveness rather than rational, result-oriented thinking." said University of Cyprus Associate Professor Yiannis Papadakis.
Were the tough bailout terms some sort of belated punishment? Whether that's true or not, such notions only feed a Cypriot proclivity for conspiracy theories. As in other small, insular societies, threats ? real or imagined ? sharpen a sense of collective victimhood.
Papadakis said Cypriots see their political culture as underpinned by personal relationships. Hence their reference to "friends" instead of "allies," which implies a more pragmatic relationship.
"That's why Greek Cypriots often complain of a 'betrayal from our friends'," he said. But it's wrong for the EU to foist all the blame on Cypriots when things go awry, Papadakis added.
"I believe that the rest of the EU has made a large share of mistakes during this arduous process."
A cash processing room at the Federal Reserve (Discovery)Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the damaged dollar bills floating around the economy? How long does paper money actually last before it disintegrates into torn shreds or a pulpy mass that is indistinguishable from regular old paper? And at what point is paper money just too damaged to be used as legal tender?
On March 30 9 p.m. ET/PT, the Discovery Channel will give viewers an inside look at ?The Secret Life of Money,? which seeks to answer these questions along with offering many other insights into the world of money, including the history of how gold became a standard form of currency around the world.
David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein from NPR?s "Planet Money" contributed to the special and chatted with Yahoo News about some of the stranger things they?ve learned about cash.
?To me, what?s most interesting is that there is a bigger idea at work here: Money is this thing that we take for granted,? Goldstein said. ?When you stop and think about money, it gets really weird, really fast.?
For example, if your money is damaged, you can legally exchange it with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. But only to a point. The bureau says it receives upwards of 300 envelopes per day, containing ?torn, blackened, blood-soaked, shrunken or otherwise maimed money.? However, so long as 51 percent of that blood-soaked bill remains intact, you can get a freshly issued replacement bill.
?It?s not paper the way we normally think of paper. It?s 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen. It?s like a T-shirt,? Kestenbaum says, explaining why money is actually more physically durable than some might think.
Still, that hasn?t stopped thousands of people each year from testing its limits in strange ways.
For example, one Florida man attempted to dry his money after it became wet by putting it in the microwave. But instead of returning to its crisp, clean form, the money was crisped and burst into flames.
These sort of incidents resulted in the bureau exchanging $28 million worth of paper money in 2011 alone.
Of course, Goldstein and Kestenbaum note that similar incidents are on the decline as money moves toward becoming a predominantly electronic transaction between buyer and seller.
?There is no truck full of dollar bills going from my employer?s bank to my bank,? Goldstein says, noting that the very basic idea of money is really more about trust than physical value. ?The U.S. dollar is already basically an electronic currency.?
And with the advent of independent currency providers such as Bitcoin, some people are trying to establish that trust without relying on a government.
Still, Kestenbaum says that for all its shortcomings, paper money is likely to stay with us for years to come. ?I am more bearish on the future of physical money,? he said. ?At some point, we won?t be using cash at all. Not in the next year, but in 50 years? Probably.?
Ironically, one of the reasons Goldstein and Kestenbaum say the U.S. dollar has a future in its physical form is its popularity outside of America. They note that there are currently more $100 bills outside the U.S. than within the borders of the country that printed them.
If you add up all of the cash, "there?s a lot missing because of how much is used overseas,? Kestenbaum said.
Assemblyman Steve Katz (R,C,I-Yorktown) stood with his colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference in an effort to restore $90 million that the governor cut out of the budget for the developmentally disabled.
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??????????? "To balance the budget here on the backs of New York's most vulnerable is one of the biggest mistakes made by the state in quite some time," said Katz.? "These citizens need our help and they have done nothing wrong.? I stood with my colleagues to restore this funding and fight for the developmentally disabled.? I'm proud to stand with my Conference in fighting for this just cause."
Is Michael Bloomberg helping or hurting his cause? When the New York mayor?s organization, Mayor?s Against Illegal Guns, launched its $12 million advertising campaign to pressure lawmakers into supporting gun control legislation, the negative reaction from the NRA was predictable, but a week after the launch, the reaction from potential allies has also been cool. Senators and staffers working on bipartisan legislation say that Bloomberg?s effort to mobilize voters is less effective because it is also energizing gun control opponents. It?s pressuring lawmakers in the wrong way, too. Any legislator targeted by Bloomberg?s campaign who ultimately supports gun control legislation will look like he or she is being bowled over by a nanny-state mayor who wants to tell their constituents how to live their lives.?
In conversations with senators working on bipartisan gun safety legislation, the discussion quickly moves to questions of culture. Democrats need Republican allies from states with a vibrant gun culture. Those Republicans can credibly carry the message that the final bill is not part of some secret plan to seize all the guns. The key point of dispute is what kind of records would be kept as a part of an expanded background check system. Records would help catch criminals, say its proponents. They would give federal gun grabbers a breadcrumb trail to the gun closet for the eventual confiscation, say gun rights advocates.
No Democrat can assure skeptics that the legislation is not the thin edge of the wedge, not even Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who the NRA rates as a friend of gun rights. Manchin has been desperately searching for a Republican partner in this effort. (Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, who supports some gun control measures, doesn't count because he's not seen as an envoy from gun culture).?
Just as Manchin, Arkansas? Sen. Mark Pryor, and other Democrats from conservative states are arguing this legislation won?t become a clandestine attempt to take people?s guns, Michael Bloomberg comes along?the mayor who tried to force portion control on sugary drinks and who banned cigarette smoking from public indoor spaces. A greater boogeyman for the gun culture would be hard to find.
Senators and activists working on legislation argue that when gun control becomes a cultural issue they lose leverage. Voters who would be inclined to part ways with the no-compromise views of the NRA are spooked by what they perceive as a threat to personal liberty.?The assault weapons ban offered a good illustration of this phenomenon. Gun control advocates recognized, even in the early days after the Newtown, Conn., massacre, that too many voters had a cultural aversion to banning weapons to make an assault weapons ban realistic.
Bloomberg's effort risks turning a discussion about guns into a war of competing cultures.?People in North Carolina and Virginia don't want people from out-of-state telling them what to do. They especially don't want a New York City mayor telling them what to do.?That is what Sen. Pryor was getting at when he said, ?I don?t take gun advice from the mayor of New York City. I listen to Arkansans.?
The ads financed by the Bloomberg group neatly encapsulate the problem of whether the message can survive the messenger. In one ad, a man holding a shotgun is wearing plaid flannel and a camouflage cap. He sits on the tailgate of a pickup truck while children play behind him. He says, ?I support comprehensive background checks so criminals and the dangerously mentally ill can?t buy guns.?
The message reflects coordination: frame background checks as a way to protect the public from criminals and the mentally ill, not an attempt to infringe on the rights of innocent law-abiding citizens. But the ?hunter? in the ad is a little too stylized, and the spot has rightly been lampooned by conservative commentators for breaking a few basic gun safety rules. (The man points his gun while children play nearby and he has his finger on the actual trigger). ?It?s like what a person from Manhattan thinks a hunter looks like,? said one Democratic strategist.
When political operatives talk about how vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election in 2014 can survive voting for effective gun control, they say that those senators will be able to rely on their local connections to voters to explain their votes. They claim they'll have the "messaging tools." Explaining why their vote wasn't a capitulation to the New York money of the soda-pinching mayor will require a few more tools.?
These complaints are just the kind of noise lawmakers make when they are being pressured. Lawmakers who want to have it both ways?shake their heads about gun violence but do nothing about it?often try to sidestep the issue by saying they support the goal but not the methods. So these complaints could simply be a dodge. Or, those lawmakers fixated on a bipartisan solution may be deluding themselves about the chances for a deal. In that case, Bloomberg?s campaign and President Obama?s remarks Thursday with victims of gun violence are a necessary push to get squishy lawmakers to fall into line. But can they create enough pressure?
It?s a tough task. Bloomberg inadvertently identified the problem in his interview on Meet the Press last Sunday. As the mayor was explaining the thinking behind his campaign, he said, "when?90 percent of the public want something, and their representatives vote against that, common sense says, they are going to have a price to pay for that. The public is going to eventually wake up and say, ?I want to put in office somebody that will do the things that I think are necessary for this country.? ?
Bloomberg is overstating his case. Because even when 90 percent of the public says they agree about something, such as background checks?which is what Bloomberg was talking about in this instance?it isn?t the same as believing that something is ?necessary for this country.? That's a higher level of commitment to the issue than can be divined from a public opinion poll. Just because you are in favor of something doesn't mean that you'll become a single-issue voter?on that issue?especially if it doesn't touch your life directly. That is the same problem President Obama encounters when he cites the same 90 percent poll number and says, as he did Thursday, that "nothing is more powerful than millions of voices calling for change." The voices have to do more than call; they have to march and become active. The number willing to make that kind of commitment is not 90 percent.?
The?hurdle has always been that the people who want to fight gun control legislation are more likely to make it a voting issue than those who support gun control legislation. That's the reality Republicans and Democrats in?conservative?states feel. Having a New York City mayor threaten that you will be turned out of office if you don?t agree with him doesn?t change that reality one bit. In fact, it just gives you another thing to be against.
UPS agrees to $40 million fine to end US probe into deliveries for illegal online pharmacies. UPS also agrees to block further deliveries from suspect pharmacies. FedEx is still under investigation.
By Paul Elias,?Associated Press / March 29, 2013
A UPS truck arrives for a delivery in Miami Springs, Fla. United Parcel Service has agreed to pay a federal fine of $40 million ? what the US Justice Department says it made from delivering drugs from illegal Internet pharmacies.
Alan Diaz/AP/File
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Shipping company?UPS?agreed Friday to pay $40 million to end a federal criminal probe connected to deliveries it made for illicit online pharmacies.
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Atlanta-based company would also "take steps" to block illicit online drug dealers from using their delivery service.
The DOJ said the fine amount is the money?UPS?collected from suspect online pharmacies.?UPS?won't be charged with any crimes.
"We believe we have an obligation and responsibility to help curb the sale and shipment of drugs sold through illegal Internet pharmacies,"?UPS?spokesman Bill Tanner said. "UPS?will pay a $40 million penalty and has agreed to enhance its compliance policies with respect to Internet pharmacy shippers."
Its biggest rival, FedEx Corp., still remains a target in the federal investigation, according to its March 21 quarterly report filed with the Security and Exchange Commission.
"We believe that our employees have acted in good faith at all times," FedEx stated in its regulatory filing. "We do not believe that we have engaged in any illegal activities and will vigorously defend ourselves in any action that may result from the investigation."
FedEx said it received subpoenas from a federal grand jury in San Francisco in 2008 and 2009. The San Francisco U.S. Attorney's office has played a central role in a nationwide crackdown on online pharmacies. Ten people with ties to online pharmacies have been convicted over the last two years.
"It is unclear what federal laws?UPS?may have violated," FedEx said in statement Friday. "We remain confident that we are in compliance with federal law."
The DOJ said some?UPS?employees knew the company was making deliveries between 2003 and 2010 for pharmacies that filled orders for dangerous drugs without proper prescriptions from doctors.
"Despite being on notice that this activity was occurring,?UPS?did not implement procedures to close the shipping accounts of Internet," the DOJ said in a prepared statement.
FedEx said federal investigators have declined to supply it with a list of suspect pharmacies. The company said it "can immediately shut off shipping services to those pharmacies" if given such a list.
A DOJ spokesman declined to comment about the FedEx investigation.
In a prepared statement announcing the?UPS?settlement, Food and Drug Administration criminal chief John Roth said the "FDA is hopeful that the positive actions taken by?UPS?in this case will send a message to other shipping firms to put public health and safety above profits."
Earlier this week, a federal judge in San Francisco sentenced Chris Napoli to four years in prison and ordered to forfeit $24 million his illicit pharmacy Safescripts Online earned between 2004 and 2006. Two other men were sentenced to prison along with Napoli. Receipts from?UPS?and FedEx were used as evidence in the trio's trial last year.
In 2011, Google Inc. agreed to pay $500 million to settle allegations by the Justice Department that it profited from ads for illegal online pharmacies.
By Simon Evans March 28 (Reuters) - United States forward Landon Donovan, returning to soccer after a three-month break from the game, said on Thursday he hopes to be back with the national team for June's World Cup qualifiers. Donovan announced last December that he needed a break from the game, saying he had lost his passion and enjoyment for the sport, raising the question as to whether he would play at next year's World Cup finals in Brazil should the U.S. qualify. But after returning to training with his Major League Soccer club L.A. ...
Corporate Office Properties Trust, a Columbia-based office real estate investment trust, announced that Jay H. Shidler and Clay W. Hamlin III will step down from their respective positions as chairman and vice chairman of the company?s Board of Trustees, effective at the upcoming shareholders? annual meeting on May 9. They will remain as board members if elected by the shareholders. Shidler has been board chairman of COPT since 1997. He will be succeeded by Thomas F. Brady, a board member since January 2002. Brady was formerly chairman of the board of Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. and executive vice president ? corporate strategy at Constellation Energy Group before it was acquired by Exelon Corp.
Baltimore County seeks public input for bike, pedestrian plans
Baltimore County?s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) is seeking community input as they begin to move forward on implementing a number of projects identified in the recently adopted Eastern and Western Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plans. (The plans are available online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/bikeped as PDF files.) Members of the public are invited to voice their preferences on which projects to fund first at a citizen input meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at 5 p.m. in the Jefferson Building Hearing Room (Room 104), 105 West Chesapeake Avenue, Towson, MD 21204. The PBAC plans to take a closer look to identify initial projects that will provide county citizens with the greatest benefit at the lowest cost, using state, federal, and private grants. For more information, contact Kathy Schlabach, Baltimore County Department of Planning, at kschlabach@baltimorecountymd.gov or call 410-8873521.
Francesca?s opens women?s boutique at Hunt Valley Towne Centre
Francesca?s, a trendy women?s apparel and gift shop, will open a new boutique on Saturday at Hunt Valley Towne Centre. The new, 1,225-square-foot boutique will be located on the retail center?s ground level, next to Claire?s and Pearl Vision, according to landlord Greenberg Gibbons. Francesca?s offers an eclectic, hand-picked collection of upscale clothing, handbags, jewelry, accessories and other one-of-a-kind treasures.
Renovated apartments open at Charlestown retirement community
Erickson Living, the developer and manager of the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville, announced the opening of the Edgewood, an apartment building containing 55 renovated apartments ranging from 756 to 1,365 square feet. The Edgewood has 10 different floor plans in a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartment units. Upgraded standard features include granite countertops, lighting and plumbing fixtures and stainless appliances. Many of the apartments feature screened-in porches overlooking a nature trail or courtyard. Refundable entrance deposits for the building start at $217,000, and monthly service packages start at $1,975. A 360-degree tour of three of the floor plans is available online at www.EricksonLiving.com. For information, call 410-737-8830.
Applications being accepted for Howard County Housing program
Howard County Housing will begin accepting applications for the April enrollment period for the county?s Moderate Income Housing Unit program on Monday. The open enrollment period will end on April 30. The MIHU program is an inclusionary zoning program that requires developers of new housing in certain zoning districts to sell or rent a percentage of the new dwelling units to households of moderate income. The program offers quality new homes at reduced sale prices and rents to income-eligible families. HCH will hold two Buyers and Renters Workshops to explain the program?s eligibility requirements and application process for prospective homebuyers and renters. One workshop will be on April 13 at 10:15 a.m. at Long Reach High School in Columbia, and the second will be on April 24 at 6 p.m. in the Gateway Building in Columbia.
Hot Air Blow Dry Bar opens in Owings Mills
Kate Boyle Taylor, left, and Joy Robinson Singer are the co-owners of the new hair-styling salon.
Valley Village Shoppes in Owings Mills is the setting for an unusual new store: the Hot Air Blow Dry Bar, a new-concept hair boutique that offers premium washing and blow-drying services. Jointly owned by Joy Robinson Singer and Kate Boyle Taylor, the hair salon provides ?quick-fix? hair styling for women, men and children, and is positioned as an alternative for expensive and time-consuming appointments at traditional hair studios. Prices for hair washing and blow-drying are $35 for women and $25 for men and children. Each appointment lasts approximately 45 minutes. Valley Village Shoppes at 9101 Reisterstown Road in northwest Baltimore County is a 48,000-square-foot retail center managed by David S. Brown Enterprises Ltd.
Merritt Properties wins award from ABC?s Baltimore chapter
Merritt Properties LLC?s Schilling Green II office building has won a Green Project of the Year award from the Baltimore Metro chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors. Completed in June 2012, Schilling Green II is a four-story, Class A office building located in Hunt Valley ? the final installment of Merritt?s Schilling Square office park. Merritt is currently pursuing LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the building. The Platinum certification is the highest level of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard conferred by the USGBC.
SECU takes top spot in Md. on list of first-mortgage grantors
SECU, Maryland?s largest state-chartered credit union, has been ranked first in the state and 29th nationally on a list of the Top 300 First Mortgage Granting Credit Unions. The Linthicum-based financial cooperative SECU jumped four places from 2012?s 33rd place ranking on the annual list of mortgage-granting credit unions compiled by the American Credit Union Mortgage Association. According to data compiled by ACUMA, SECU originated $469.5 million in 2,250 fixed and adjustable first mortgages through the third quarter of 2012. SECU also sold $175.7 million in first mortgages over the same period. Outstanding fixed and adjustable first mortgages totaled $969.9 million, while real estate loans sold but serviced by SECU topped $522.6 million. The new ranking came only a few weeks after SECU was named to a list of the 50 largest credit unions in the U.S. compiled by SNL Financial.
Mahan Rykiel wins award for work on Pierce?s Park
Mahan Rykiel Associates, a Baltimore-based landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm, has won an Honor Award from the Maryland and Potomac chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects for its work in designing Pierce?s Park, a waterfront park that occupies a 1-acre site at Baltimore?s Inner Harbor. The park, located between the Columbus Center and Eastern Avenue, is dedicated to the memory of Baltimore contractor and civic leader Pierce J. Flanigan III, and was built with the help of donated services and $2 million raised by Susan Flanigan, wife of Pierce Flanigan, and her team. Pierce?s Park was built as a sustainable space that includes indigenous trees and native plantings, as well as bio-retention facilities that will educate children about the benefits of capturing runoff. There are sculptures by local artist David Hess, and landscape features that promote play and imagination. Mahan Rykiel will receive the award on May 10 at the ASLA Annual Banquet at Historic Savage Mill.
C&W tapped to lease Longview Executive Park
Liberty Property Trust has retained Cushman & Wakefield as the exclusive listing agent for Longview Executive Park?s three office buildings at 307, 309 and 311 International Circle in Hunt Valley. C&W?s Tim Jackson, Courtenay Jenkins, and Matt Melnick will market the property for lease on behalf of the owner and landlord. The three buildings contain 256,961 square feet of office space, of which 45,200 square feet is currently available for lease. 307 International Circle, a six-story office building, was fully renovated in 2005; 309 and 311 International Circle are single-story office buildings. The business park is located near the Hunt Valley light rail station and Park and Ride, and a half-mile from Interstate 83.
Home2 Suites opens hotel at White Marsh
Home2 Suites by Hilton, an all-suite hotel brand designed for business travelers and extended-stay guests, has opened its third property in Maryland, the Home2 Suites by Hilton Baltimore/White Marsh. The four-story, 108-suite hotel is owned by White Marsh Hospitality I LLC and managed by Baywood Hotels Inc. Located at 10465 Philadelphia Road, the Home2 Suites by Hilton Baltimore/White Marsh is positioned close to Interstate 95 in the White Marsh business district. The property is located minutes from the White Marsh Mall, and close to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the National Aquarium and The Avenue at White Marsh. Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, a combined laundry and fitness area, a free continental breakfast, and an outdoor walking trail. Home2 Suites by Hilton currently operates 17 hotels and has nearly 70 properties in its development pipeline.
Federal Home Loan Bank to award grants
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta announced that it will award $21.3 million in grants to its member financial institutions and their community housing partners through its 2013 Affordable Housing Program. Up to $500,000 will be awarded per project through a competitive application process. Grants can be used to help finance the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation and development of affordable rental and ownership housing. Potential applicants should work with an FHLBank Atlanta member financial institution to complete the AHP Competitive program application. To view the list of member financial institutions, go to www.fhlbat1.com. The application deadline is April 8.
REIT to acquire Baltimore?s Wexford
Baltimore-based Wexford Science & Technology LLC, a privately held real estate investment and development company, is being acquired by BioMed Realty Trust Inc., a San Diego-based real estate investment trust, for approximately $640 million. Wexford will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BioMed, according to the announcement of the deal. Wexford owns about 1.6 million square feet of space, and is developing an additional 935,000 square feet, in university-affiliated research parks and health care systems. Among Wexford?s holdings are two research buildings and a parking garage at the University of Maryland, Baltimore?s BioPark in the 800 block of West Baltimore Street. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2013.
Second round of energy grants available
The Maryland Energy Administration announced the second round of funding for its ?Game Changer Competitive Grant Program,? a program created to provide cost-sharing grants for innovative clean energy generation technologies and market strategies in Maryland. This round of funding is focused on geothermal heating and cooling as well as bio-energy projects. Applicants will be evaluated on the merits of their energy production, cost-effectiveness, market potential, project viability, cost share, project performance measurement and verification methodology, and project visibility. Applications are due by April 22. Most grants will range from $25,000 to $250,000. Funding comes from public auctions of carbon credits through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
BDC OKs tax break for Harbor Point
Directors of the Baltimore Development Corp. on Thursday approved a developer?s request for a tax break valued at $107 million to help develop the local headquarters of Exelon Corp. at Harbor Point. The BDC?s board of directors sent the request by Harbor Point developer Michael Beatty for the tax-increment financing, or TIF, on to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the City Council. A BDC spokesperson said details of the TIF were not being made public. Beatty had said earlier he would request $150 million for the TIF. A council committee will hold hearings on the TIF request later this spring.
MacKenzie gets Hunt Valley listings
MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, of Lutherville, has been selected by Liberty Property Trust as the exclusive listing agent for a significant portion of Liberty?s Hunt Valley portfolio. MacKenzie?s Senior Vice President/Principal Wiam W. Whitty Jr., Vice President F. Joseph Bradley III and Vice President Matthew B. Mueller will represent the $6.9 billion real estate investment trust?s Class A office buildings at the North Park Business Community. The team will provide leasing advisory services for three buildings containing 296,370 square feet of space, located adjacent to the Hunt Valley Towne Centre.
PERSONNEL
Marie Gerwig
Marie Gerwig has been promoted to vice president, senior portfolio manager at Manekin LLC. Gerwig joined the Columbia-based, full-service, commercial real estate firm in 1996. She has more than 23 years of commercial real estate management experience, including operations, budgeting, financial reporting, contracting, construction, project management, leasing and tenant relations. Gerwig currently oversees property managers, administrative staff and maintenance staff in managing the physical property, operations and financial management of a portfolio that includes 2.5 million square feet of Class A office, medical office, flex and retail properties located throughout Central Maryland.
LEASES?
Cushman & Wakefield has been selected to lease space in two office buildings in Glen Burnie. C&W?s Karen Cherry and Matt Melnick are the agents in charge of leasing Empire Towers and Crain Towers. Empire Towers, at 7310 Ritchie Highway, is a 10-story, 146,000-square-foot office building with a variety of suite sizes available up to 13,000 square feet for a full floor user. Sawhney Commercial LLC, which purchased the building in December 2012, is planning major renovations, including new lobby, restrooms and common area finishes, as well as exterior improvements. Crain Towers, at 1600 Crain Highway, is a six-story, 74,000-square-foot medical office building whose current tenants include an on-site pharmacy, radiology office, physical therapists, orthopedists and optometrists. Both buildings are managed by Attman Properties Management Co.
Merritt Properties LLC reported the following recently signed leases:
* Mr. Roofer, a plumbing contractor, leased 3,000 square feet of office and warehouse space at the Beltway Business Community, 3701 Commerce Drive, in Arbutus. Mr. Roofer was represented in lease negotiations by Jos? Santana of the Segall Group.
* Mr. Basement LLC, specialists in basement waterproofing and crawl spaces, leased 6,000 square feet of office and warehouse space at 832 Oregon Ave. in Linthicum. Lindsay Summerfield of Colliers International handled lease negotiations on behalf of the tenant.
* J.A. Lee Cos. Inc., a full-service general construction, electrical and telecommunications company, leased 2,550 square feet of space (1,914 s.f. warehouse, 636 s.f. office) at 152 Blades Lane, Suite P, in Glen Burnie.
* Ward Recycling Inc., a used clothing shipping warehouse, leased 12,500 square feet of warehouse space at 821 Oregon Ave. in Linthicum.
In all four deals described above, Merritt Properties LLC was represented by its in-house leasing team consisting of Jamie Campbell, Liz Tarran-Jones, Vince Bagli and Steve Shaw.
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg 
Liberty Property Trust has retained Cushman & Wakefield as the exclusive listing agent for Longview Executive Park?s three office buildings at 307, 309 and 311 International Circle in Hunt Valley. C&W?s Tim Jackson, Courtenay Jenkins, and Matt Melnick will market the property for lease on behalf of the owner and landlord. The three buildings contain 256,961 square feet of office space, of which 45,200 square feet is currently available for lease. 307 International Circle, a six-story office building, was fully renovated in 2005; 309 and 311 International Circle are single-story office buildings. The business park is located near the Hunt Valley light rail station and Park and Ride, and a half-mile from Interstate 83.
Cushman & Wakefield has been selected to lease space in two office buildings in Glen Burnie. C&W?s Karen Cherry and Matt Melnick are the agents in charge of leasing Empire Towers and Crain Towers. Empire Towers, at 7310 Ritchie Highway, is a 10-story, 146,000-square-foot office building with a variety of suite sizes available up to 13,000 square feet for a full floor user. Sawhney Commercial LLC, which purchased the building in December 2012, is planning major renovations, including new lobby, restrooms and common area finishes, as well as exterior improvements. Crain Towers, at 1600 Crain Highway, is a six-story, 74,000-square-foot medical office building whose current tenants include an on-site pharmacy, radiology office, physical therapists, orthopedists and optometrists. Both buildings are managed by Attman Properties Management Co.