PA in the WSJ

A hodge podge this week.

PA Politicians

Nope. No Penna pols this week.

PA Businesses

“Alcoa Profit Increase Sends Upbeat Signal,” by Paul Glader (4/11) focuses on the Pittsburgh based company.

PNC Financial Services of Pittsburgh is offering summers off to some Cincinnati tellers as part of a work/life program. No mention of expanding that to the home office. Source: New Ideas for Perennial Issues, From Day Care to Job Shares,” by Sue Shellenbarger (4/12)

Suddenly we’re popular, as evidenced by “Nasdaq Woos Philadelphia Market,” by Aaron Lucchetti (4/11). The Philadelphia Stock Exchance is the “nation’s third largest options exchange by contracts traded.” [no idea what this means]

Pennsylvania rates third in the country as a producer of nuclear energy, as noted in “TXU Sheds Coal Plan, Charts Nuclear Path,” by Rebecca Smith (4/10)

In “States’ Health Plans May Aid Small Firms,” by Kelly K. Spors (4/09) we find this sentence, “Pennsylvania’s proposal would levy a 3% of payroll assessment on employers without health coverage,”

Pennsylvania universities and businesses involved in the student loan scandal is noted in a few articles:

“Did Revolving Door Lead to Student Loan Mess?” by John Hechinger and Ann Marie Chaker (4/17)

“Trade Group Saw Possible Conflicts in Student Loans,” by David Armstrong and Daniel Golden (4/11)

“Financial-Aid Directors Face Scrutiny for Receiving Loan Fees,” by John Hechinger (4/10)

Brief mentions:
Philadelphia Stock Exchange in “NASDAQ, Noriq Exchange Holding Talks,” by Alistair MacDonald and Jenny Clevstrom (4/13)

Toll Brothers in “’Junk Worries for Builders?” by Anusha Shrivastava (4/13)

Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings of Chadds Ford in “Who’s News” (4/09)

Other PA

In “To Woo Afghan Locals, U.S. Troops Settle In,” by Michael M. Phillips (4/09) we find this paragraph:

But instead of a hail of bullets, the soldiers got an invitation to dinner. When First Lt. Eric Malmstrom, a fresh-faced University of Pennsylvania graduate, approached the hirsute reception committee, village leader Ghulam Sakhi’s most pressing question, ‘Why didn’t you come sooner?’”

The University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon are mentioned in “Schools, Students Play the Waitlist Game,” by Anjali Athavaley (4/11)

Pennsylvania is among the states requiring that schools send parents information on their children’s body mass index. This was mentioned in “In Obesity Wars, A New Backlash,” by Anne Marie Chaker (4/14). There is also a note that Steward Middle School in Norristown is now limiting the number of snacks students can guy in one day.

R. Douglas Ley, CPA and certified financial planner, of Macungie, is quoted in “Even the Seemingly Well-Off Caught East-Borrowing Virus,” by Herb Greenberg. Mr. Ley is included in the article as a financial expert not as someone who charged a BMW on his Visa.

If you have a spare $3 million you can buy the “House of the Week.” Ben Casselman profiles a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath on 48.4 acres in Solebury Township. (4/13)

David Deratzian of Bethlehem is quoted on human relations in the “Work & Family Mailbox” on 4/12.

Other Interesting Tidbits

There is a very informative article on the Imus firing, “Behind the Fall of Imus, A Digital Brush Fire,” by Brooks Barnes, Wily Steel, and Sarah McBride (4/13) which discusses the role of Media Matters for America had in distributing the information and a video clip of the remarks Imus made that got him in so much trouble. Internal groups and networks within media companies and the advertisers, such as those at MSNBC and Sprint, spoke with corporate management. The National Association of Black Journalists drafted a statement about Imus’s comments. The fact that a former head of the NAACP sits on CBS’s board was another factor. The firing of Don Imus was something that percolated up as opposed to an orchestrated letter writing campaign started by a group with an agenda. Media Matters for America may have started the ball rolling, distributing the video clip, but the actions that followed were more a result of smaller organizations.

Of interest to bloggers is, “Political Candidates Have Invaded the Web and Tamed the Blogs,” by Lee Gomes (4/11). I want you to know that this blogger remains untamed, unbroken, unbought, and possibly not yet housebroken.

Some tips for fellow bloggers in “How Blogging Can Help You Get a New Job,” by Sarah E. Needleman (4/10).