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- Analysis: U.S. remains a hurdle to aligning accounting rules
More than 100 countries use the International Accounting Standards Board's guidelines, but the U.S. remains reluctant to sign on. The IASB's U.S. counterpart, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, has been trying to align its rules with those of the IASB, but the effort continues to run into problems. Group of 20 finance ministers gave the boards until mid-2013 to align their rules. Reuters
(4/26)     
| National News | | |
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- Watchdog: HAMP expansion allows for rental fraud
Government efforts earlier this year to ease borrower access to the Home Affordable Modification Program has opened the door for fraud, a federal watchdog warns. The program now allows investors to modify mortgages for as many as four homes that are to be rented out, but it doesn't require proof that the homes aren't actually vacation homes, says the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Housing Wire
(4/26)
| Legislative Dispatch | | |
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- Sen. Grassley questions Schapiro about whistle-blower protections
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to Mary Schapiro, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, requesting details about how the agency handles whistle-blowers. "Exposing a confidential whistle-blower can lead to employer retribution and chill the environment for future whistle-blowers to come forward," according to the letter. Bloomberg
(4/26)
| Employment Focus | | |
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- EEOC delays decision on disability-bias rules
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has delayed disability-discrimination guidelines that business groups say would make it harder for employers to meet time-off requests. The guidelines could lead to employers being forced to grant more than 12 weeks of family leave to employees, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says. Bloomberg Businessweek
(4/25)
| Supreme Court and Federal Court Watch | | |
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| Professional and Business Development | | |
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- How to connect with the powerful, the famous and the everyman
No matter who you're trying to connect with, seven basic networking strategies can be applied, Scott Dinsmore writes. Be genuine and persistent, but most important always look to offer something of value. "If you spent 100 percent of your waking hours thinking about how you can help absolutely everyone ... [t]he world will suddenly be in your corner," he writes. Forbes
(4/25)
- Are you obnoxiously smart?
Whenever you feel like the brainiest person in the room, remind yourself that you can be smart or effective, Patty Azzarello writes. Know-it-alls only anger people and slow down progress, so learn to consider ideas that aren't yours and appreciate the strengths of others, she writes. Patty Azzarello blog
(4/24)
| PLI News | | |
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Changing the Foreclosure Litigation Landscape with the 49 State AG Mortgage Servicing Settlement
Millions of homeowners have lost their homes and been subjected to unlawful conduct by mortgage-servicing companies in the context of judicial and nonjudicial foreclosure proceedings around the country. This audio briefing, at PLI Online on Monday, will give you the tools to digest the relevant portions of the settlement and to deploy that knowledge to effectively represent your clients.
| Lawyer Life | | |
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- Whiskey: From shot glass to smooth sipper
The Bay Area is quickly becoming the epicenter for American craft whiskey that demands to be sipped, not taken as a shot. As Americans demand more handcrafted, artisanal products, distillers are changing the way they make the amber liquid, creating smoother finishes and using unique ingredients such as microbrewery pilsner. "Like wine, there are so many flavor profiles in whiskey," says sommelier Caterina Mirabelli. "Distillers are making really smooth, more approachable whiskeys that you can sit with and sip for a while." San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration)
(4/25)
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."
--John Steinbeck,
American writer
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