Daily Archives: June 14, 2012

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Posted: June 14, 2012 at 4:19 pm

The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will be negotiated in New York in July. In October 2009, the Obama Administration reversed the previous Administrations position and decided to support the negotiation of the Treaty. One reason to be concerned about the Treaty is its potential effect on rights protected in the U.S. under the Second Amendment. Senator Jerry Moran has led the way in expressing these concerns. Last summer, he led 44 of his colleagues in notifying President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton of their intent to oppose the ratification of any ATT that in any way restricts Americans Second Amendment rights. In March, he introduced the Second Amendment Sovereignty Act of 2012, which would bar funding for any ATT that would restrict Second Amendment rights, and, in late May, working with Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), he offered a similar amendment which passed by a voice vote to the FY 2013 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Bill.

Join us as Senator Moran discusses his concerns with the ATT, reviews the Senates determination to protect Second Amendment freedoms and U.S. sovereignty, and offers a look ahead at one of the most important and contentious international negotiations of 2012.

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N.J. Supreme Court: Homeowners group can't order resident to remove political signs

Posted: at 4:19 pm

PARSIPPANY Wasim Khan, a frequent Democratic candidate in Republican Morris County, hasnt won any elections, but Wednesday he scored a big victory in the state Supreme Court.

The court ruled 5-1 that the homeowners association at his Parsippany townhouse complex violated his free-speech rights when it ordered him to remove campaign signs from his window and door during his run for township council in 2005.

"Its a great victory for free speech," Khan said. "Im so proud of our Supreme Court and our state. Its incredible."

"Ideas cannot be fleshed out unless people have fearlessness that what they do will not have any repercussion," said Khan, 56, a physician who works in cancer research as a consultant to pharmaceutical companies.

The Mazdabrook Commons Homeowners Association ordered Khan to remove his signs, telling him the complexs rules allowed only "for sale" signs to be posted, according to court documents.

A judge in Superior Court found that the sign prohibition did not violate Khans free-speech rights, but Khan appealed. An appellate court ruled in his favor and yesterdays ruling upheld the appeals courts decision.

"Balancing the minimal interference with Mazdabrooks private property interest against Khans free-speech right to post political signs on his own property, we conclude that the sign policy in question violates the free-speech clause of the State Constitution," the court ruled.

The court noted the U.S. Supreme Court has called residential signs "a venerable means of communication that is both unique and important" and that has "played an important part in political campaigns."

Frank Askin, director of the Rutgers Law School Constitutional Litigation Clinic, who filed a brief supporting Khan on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, called the decision "a fantastic free-speech victory for the million-plus residents" who live in condominium or townhouse complexes governed by associations.

"Almost all of these associations have regulations banning signs," Askin said, "Its a very important decision."

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Freedom High's Erik Faulkner named among 19 top principals in the state

Posted: at 1:21 am

The prize may be Principal of the Year, but Erik Faulkner is no awards hog.

"I am very honored and humbled," Freedom High's leader said. "This is not a singular award. (I share it with) my co-workers, students, parents and community. I may have a vision or ideas but it takes a whole bunch of dedicated people to help implement and nurture to be successful.

"This award is the culmination of many people who share the passion for student success as I do," he added.

The Oakley administrator was surprised to hear about the nomination, and then by the win itself.

The award represents Contra Costa and Alameda counties and was given to him by the Association of California Administrators during a ceremony at Ruby Hill.

In addition, his Freedom colleagues surprised him with an announcement to the entire staff and added the news to the school's marquee.

"I was very flattered, but (after a couple days), I had it removed ... I was feted enough," Faulkner said.

Nominated by Liberty Union High School District Superintendant Eric Volta, Faulkner is now in elite company as one of 19 top principals in the state.

"He has worked very hard to make this a school the entire community can be proud of," said teacher Fidel Garcia.

Garcia, who's known the principal for a decade, said Faulkner brings "a very strong leadership" to their school. "He has really built a strong community here, and brings a high level of accountability

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Liberty Interactive in Neutral Zone – Analyst Blog

Posted: at 1:21 am

Referenced Stocks: HSNI, LINTA, VVTV

We reiterate our long-term Neutral recommendation on Liberty Interactive Corp. ( LINTA ) following its mixed first-quarter 2012 financial results. We believe the TV home shopping business will continue to flourish in the near future as the global macro-economy is expected to gradually stabilize compared with the massive fluctuations in the last couple of years.

Liberty Interactive's most prestigious division QVC continues to perform well. QVC shopping network has successfully transformed itself into a powerful global brand, which may facilitate the company to boost its revenue in double digits. The strategic move taken by management to offer QVC programs on mobile platforms, such as smartphones and tablets, was a huge success. Furthermore, the company is generating positive free cash flow. We believe Liberty Interactive is currently fairly valued as the company is undergoing a process to create Liberty Ventures tracking stock.

Liberty Interactive's QVC division has become the undisputed market leader in the $8 billion TV home-shopping business. Currently, QVC commands an estimated 69% market share, far ahead of its nearest rivals, HSN Inc. ( HSNI ) and ValueVision Media Inc. ( VVTV ). Furthermore, Liberty Interactive also owns a 32% stake of HSN Inc. TV home-shopping business is characterized as having quite stable customer base, generally women. QVC accounts for over 11 million customers in the U.S., which is expected to grow in the long term.

Currently, QVC's services are distributed to approximately 195 million homes worldwide. Despite facing devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, resulting in severe disruption of QVC TV shows in the country, Liberty Interactive managed to retain its sales momentum in Japan.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

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Vistar to Acquire Liberty Distribution Company, LLC.

Posted: at 1:21 am

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Vistar, a division of Performance Food Group, Inc. (PFG), has announced it will acquire Liberty Distribution Company, LLC (Liberty). The acquisition brings together two distributors of candy, snacks and beverages. Liberty is based in Chandler, Arizona, with additional locations in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and Memphis, Tennessee. Liberty was founded in 1998 by Jim Schweikert and is one of the nations leading distributors of candy and snacks to national and regional retail establishments. The transaction is expected to close by the end of June.

Liberty employs approximately 150 people at its three locations. Vistar is very excited to partner with the Liberty team, to expand products and services, and to leverage the exceptional capabilities of both organizations.

George Holm, president and CEO of Performance Food Group, stated, Liberty is a well-respected organization whose values are aligned closely with Vistar and the entire PFG organization. Serving customers with unique requirements is something Liberty does extremely well and Liberty will be an integral part of Vistars continued success.

Patrick Hagerty, president and CEO of Vistar, added, We have long admired Liberty. They pioneered the availability of candy and snacks to non-perishable retailers. This category is now common place in retail industries where it was virtually unknown just 15 years ago.We are excited to be adding the entrepreneurial spirit of Libertys management team and we are confident that they will be instrumental in helping Vistar meet its long term growth strategy.

James Schweikert, founder and CEO of Liberty, noted, I am pleased and proud that we have been successful in bringing these two great companies together. This transaction ensures that the commitment to integrity, customer service and execution, which have been the hallmarks of Liberty Distribution, will continue into the future with the greater financial strength and market breadth that Vistar provides. Concurrent with this transaction, Jim Schweikert has announced his decision to retire from Liberty; however, he will remain in an advisory capacity as Liberty joins the Vistar team. Liberty will remain a standalone company under the direction of Robert Armstrong, who is currently the Chief Operating Officer and will become President at the close of the transaction.

About Performance Food Group:

Performance Food Group Company is the parent company of the leading family of foodservice distributors Performance Foodservice, Vistar, and PFG Customized Distribution. Through these three segments, it delivers over 94,000 national and proprietary branded food and food-related products to more than 115,000 independent and national chain restaurants, quick-service eateries, pizzerias, theaters, schools, hotels, healthcare facilities, and other institutions via its 64 distribution centers and 12 Merchants Mart locations across the United States. Altogether, Performance Food Group Companys family of distributors offers outstanding service with a wide variety of high quality products that, along with the strength of our industry wide relationships and expertise, helps customers run their businesses successfully. For more information, visit http://www.pfgc.com.

About Liberty Distribution Company:

Founded in 1998, Liberty Distribution Company works with numerous world-class retailers with products in over 50,000 locations. They specialize in the distribution of candy, snacks and other impulse items to retailers who do not traditionally offer food products. Libertys commitment is focusing on delivering outstanding, value added distribution services through their integrity, superior customer service and execution.

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Liberty Interactive in Neutral Zone

Posted: at 1:21 am

We reiterate our long-term Neutral recommendation on Liberty Interactive Corp. (LINTA) following its mixed first-quarter 2012 financial results. We believe the TV home shopping business will continue to flourish in the near future as the global macro-economy is expected to gradually stabilize compared with the massive fluctuations in the last couple of years.

Liberty Interactives most prestigious division QVC continues to perform well. QVC shopping network has successfully transformed itself into a powerful global brand, which may facilitate the company to boost its revenue in double digits. The strategic move taken by management to offer QVC programs on mobile platforms, such as smartphones and tablets, was a huge success. Furthermore, the company is generating positive free cash flow. We believe Liberty Interactive is currently fairly valued as the company is undergoing a process to create Liberty Ventures tracking stock.

Liberty Interactives QVC division has become the undisputed market leader in the $8 billion TV home-shopping business. Currently, QVC commands an estimated 69% market share, far ahead of its nearest rivals, HSN Inc. (HSNI) and ValueVision Media Inc. (VVTV). Furthermore, Liberty Interactive also owns a 32% stake of HSN Inc. TV home-shopping business is characterized as having quite stable customer base, generally women. QVC accounts for over 11 million customers in the U.S., which is expected to grow in the long term.

Currently, QVCs services are distributed to approximately 195 million homes worldwide. Despite facing devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, resulting in severe disruption of QVC TV shows in the country, Liberty Interactive managed to retain its sales momentum in Japan.

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Liberty Mutual Insurance Receives USAA Supplier Award

Posted: at 1:21 am

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Liberty Mutual Insurance has been given the Above and Beyond award from USAA for its work to create a program that allows USAA to better manage employee absences. The award recognizes key suppliers for significant contributions to USAAs operations.

In making the award, USAA a leading financial services provider for members of the military and their families recognized Liberty Mutual Insurance for working with USAA to develop and implement a program to manage planned and unplanned employee absences. This system provides near real-time employee absence data, allowing USAA to serve its members with optimal scheduling and staffing.

We take a holistic, proactive approach to helping our employees come to work and be engaged and productive, notes Jeff Weiss, USAA senior vice president. Beyond tracking planned and unplanned absences, we can inform employees of certain benefit programs that provide support for unplanned absence events, such as child care back-up options. By proactively providing resources to employees, USAA minimizes outside issues and stressors, allowing employees to focus on serving our members.

Jean Scarrow, chief operating officer of Liberty Mutual Insurances Group Benefits business unit, was honored by the award. We strive to help policyholders better manage the significant cost of employee absence. The award which validates the value we bring to USAA and other policyholders is tremendously meaningful coming from a leader in absence management.

About Liberty Mutual

Helping people live safer, more secure lives since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 84th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2011 revenue. As of December 31, 2011, Liberty Mutual Insurance had $117.1 billion in consolidated assets, $99.3 billion in consolidated liabilities, and $34.7 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

Liberty Mutual Insurance offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers compensation, property, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, reinsurance and surety. Liberty Mutual Insurance (www.libertymutualinsurance.com) employs over 45,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

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'Crippled girl' gag: Crime or free speech issue?

Posted: at 1:19 am

Forest Thomer walked up to a small group of people at a May 23 Party in the Park event, pointed to a slight, wheelchair-bound woman next to him and asked, Do you want to laugh at the crippled girl?

The politically incorrect question wasnt intended to demean Ally Bruener and her battle with congenital muscular dystrophy but rather to promote her next gig as a comedian. After Thomer asked the question, Bruener wheeled her chair up to the group, told them a joke and where she next was performing.

Thomers guerrilla marketing, though, erupted into such a to do that he was arrested by Cincinnati police and charged with disorderly conduct, punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Now, Thomer (pronounced Toe-mer) and Bruener insist they are in a free speech fight.

The police are trying to censor us. Theyre trying to tell us how we can or cant promote my comedy, Bruener said from her Alexandria home.

I dont know when it became a bad thing for just saying words, said Thomer, 25, of Cold Spring.

Bruener, 23, wants to break down the stigma the word cripple connotes and engage those who think because her body confines her to a wheelchair shes mentally deficient.

They assume I have no common sense, she said. Theres a lot of harsh stereotypes against people with disabilities.

After graduating from Campbell County High, Bruener received an academic scholarship to the University of Louisville. She dropped out seeking a career in comedy. Shes appeared in several clubs and comedy events in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, making her disability part of her act.

I want to open the door to the conversation, Bruener said. People dont expect the crippled girl to talk about it. When I bring it to light, it makes me more comfortable.

Her self-mocking website is replete with references to and jokes about muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that usually affects voluntary muscles, and her life in a wheelchair.

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