Embarrassed by a surprise $2 billion trading loss last week, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co faced heightened criticism at the bank’s annual meeting on Tuesday. That included 40 percent backing from shareholders for a resolution to strip Dimon of his chairmanship title, up from 34 percent in 2010.

With the spring U.S. annual meeting season at its midpoint, investors have voted 36 percent of their shares on average in favor of measures urging companies to appoint board chairmen who are independent from management, up from 33 percent last year and 28 percent in 2010, according to proxy advisory firm ISS.

More votes are scheduled on similar proposals this month, such as a measure on the ballot at oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp calling for an independent chair after current chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson, 60, leaves. Another calls for splitting those same two jobs at cable operator Comcast Corp now held by Brian Roberts, whose father, Ralph, co-founded the company.

Institutional investors “can see the turning point, when a split role will be the majority, not the oddity among corporations,” said Paul Hodgson, senior research associate at governance company GMI Ratings.

About 45 percent of Fortune 500 companies have divided the chairman and CEO roles between two individuals, GMI data show, up from roughly 35 percent five years ago. Even non-binding shareholder majorities are hard to ignore. Moody’s Corp named an independent chairman in April, citing an advisory vote urging it to do so in 2011.

While support to split the top roles is gaining, shareholder votes in favor of top executive pay are holding steady, even after a few high-profile rejections. Last month, Citigroup Inc shareholders delivered a surprise loss in an advisory vote to Chief Executive Vikram Pandit and his $15 million compensation package.

As of May 15, executive pay resolutions reached the overwhelming 90 percent support level at 74 percent of companies this year, up from 72 percent of companies last year, according to pay consulting firm Semler Brossy. At JPMorgan, 92 percent of votes cast backed the bank’s pay plan, including $23 million for Dimon, up from 73 percent last year.

Splitting the CEO and chairman roles should improve the process for determining pay properly, some large investors say.

Ariel Investments in Chicago voted in favor of measures to separate the chair and chief executive roles at several companies this year, though not at JPMorgan. In many cases an independent chair should help boards provide better oversight of pay and other management issues, Charles Bobrinskoy, research director at Ariel, said.

“We don’t want to have a say on pay,” he said. “We want a good process for a good board to determine compensation properly.”

Splitting the roles may improve internal reviews of executive pay, Timothy Hoyle, director of research for Haverford Investments of Radnor, Pennsylvania, said. The firm voted to cleave the roles at JPMorgan this week.

“An independent chair might instill some reality,” he said.

The lack of pay pressure and the new attention to chairman and CEO roles show investors getting down in the governance weeds rather than rebelling en masse, specialists say.

“It’s evolution versus revolution,” said Todd Sirras, Semler Brossy managing principal.

Shareholder activists and unions like the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have also put a new emphasis on independent chair resolutions this year.

Changing voting patterns at major mutual funds, which used to march in lockstep with management, may be feeding the trend as well. Funds have been required to disclose their votes on proxy measures annually since 2004.

Last year American Funds, the second-largest manager of U.S. stock and bond mutual funds at the end of March, voted to support measures like requiring independent chairmen 67 percent of the time, up from 52 percent in 2010 and 39 percent in 2009, according to research firm Fund Votes Inc in Vancouver. Filings for 2012 are not yet available.

Several other big fund companies showed increasing support for the measures from 2010 to 2011, including BlackRock Inc and Fidelity Investments. All three fund companies declined to comment.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; editing by Aaron Pressman and Prudence Crowther)

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Compared to young people with other disabilities, youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle more as they navigate through work and higher education after high school.

Paul Shattuck, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, said that ?[T]hirty-five percent of the youth with ASDs had no engagement with employment or education in the first six years after high school. Rates of involvement in all employment and education were lower for those with lower income.?

For the study, Shattuck examined data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2), a nine-year study of adolescents who were enrolled in special education. The NLTS2 included groups of young people with ASDs, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities and speech and language problems.

?Compared with youth in the three other disability categories, those with an ASD had significantly lower rates of employment and the highest overall rates of no participation in any work or education whatsoever,? Shattuck said.

?Those with an ASD had a greater than 50 percent chance of being unemployed and disengaged from higher education for the first two years after high school.?

Shattuck added that about 50,000 youth with ASDs will turn 18 this year in the United States.

?Many families with children with autism describe turning 18 as falling off a cliff because of the lack of services for adults with ASDs,? he said. ?The years immediately after high school are key. They are the time when people create an important foundation for the rest of their lives.

?There needs to be further research into services for young adults with ASDs to help them make the transition into adulthood and employment or further education,? Shattuck said.

Shattuck noted that special attention should be paid to interventions that will aid financially disadvantaged youth to help them gain access to services and achieve fuller participation in society.

The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

Source: Washington University in St. Louis?

APA Reference
Pedersen, T. (2012). Many Autistic Youth Struggle Right After High School. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 16, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/05/15/many-autistic-youth-struggle-right-after-high-school/38646.html

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Fresh-hex

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AppStore link to Pedometer ??? Walking, Jogging, Running Coach – Health & Fitness iPhone App

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It’s an intense journey, and Kargman captures it all, down to the dancers’ bloodied and bruised feet.

Yes, it is possible to create a gripping documentary about the ballet world without resorting to “Black Swan” melodramatics.

Because its subjects are so driven and so talented, “First Position,” which is about ballet, is more gripping than the norm.

It’s in the quick audience-reaction shots of the young dancers’ exultant parents and cringing private instructors that the movie finds its most nakedly human moments.

The film shows the grueling work it takes for young dancers like Zamora to look effortless on stage, and First Position shows teachers who range from supportive to borderline abusive.

This is yet another competition doc in the unending legacy of Spellbound, but Kargman is light on her feet, and she has chosen to follow a fascinating group of kids preparing for the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix.

It’s ‘Spartacus’ en pointe.

Inspiring documentary about hardworking young dancers.

Almost loses its sense of good taste entirely in the final act, straining to build suspense and shape heroes. The bias hangs a little ugly in an otherwise passable, somewhat enlightening effort.

The cookie cutter format Kargman uses in presenting her subjects may be unoriginal but a safe way to introduce the filmmaker to her new audience.

Child ballet dancer and former journalist Bess Kargman brings a dancer’s passion and insight to her directorial debut, illuminating the addictive magic and fierce demands of a ballet dancer’s life.

Really, all of the dancers’ evident passion for their art is, well, spellbinding.

These kids are proud of their tights.

Kargman follows the pre-established pattern of documentaries following competitions from crosswords to spelling bees, but the format works and she’s found six kids ranging in age from 9 to 16 who are truly involving.

Magically upbeat and exhilarating in spirit. Particularly noteworthy is the way director Bess Kargman manages to address a few world issues with great hopefulness.

Documentaries don’t have to be technically great to be irresistible, and Bess Kargman’s First Position, which follows six young ballet dancers as they prepare for an elite competition, is a case in point.

Its enjoyment is not limited to dance aficionados.

The doc twists out its six narrative threads with measured compassion and even-handedness.

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Types of doorlocks to secure your homes

While doing a home improvement, do not neglect to check on your doorlocks, as it is the key to give us better security and protection from thieves and unwanted intruders that will jeopardize the family?s safety. If you need a professional to work on your doors, Locksmith Toronto is one of the companies that offer services for your door repairs or replacement. They have trained technicians that could do the job for you whether you change, repair or upgrade the locks of your doors.


There are different types of doorlocks to choose from, selection depends on your personal preference. Some examples are as follows:

Rim lock is a locking device that fastens to the surface of a door.



Keyless Entry system is an electronic lock or a digital doorlock frequently called as the fob entry. They are connected to an access control system where keys can be added or removed without re-keying the lock cylinder. It is specially designed for convenience and advanced home security.



Tubular lock is the most common doorlock in the market, usually used for bedrooms and comfort rooms. It keeps the latch bolt and dead bolt separate and each part of the lock is fitted into a different hole cut into the door.



The latch bolt and dead bolt are all included in a box that is fitted nicely within the door are called Mortise Door Locks. It is installed inside the Wooden or Metal mortise cut-out in the door into which the lock is to be fitted



Fingerprint doorlock ? the biometric technology solved the problem in frequent key lost. Only fingerprints registered in the lock can open the door.



There are lots of different door lock brands of like Abloy, Brainard, Yale, Zimcor and more, whatever brand you choose, installation will come handy availing the services of a trusted and reputable door and lock service company like Toronto Locksmith. Choose the best doorlock that will ultimately protect and safeguard your home, family and personal belongings.


Note: Photos are from the web

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Was there anything worse when you were a kid than visiting someone whose home was completely devoid of toys? An hour of conversation felt like a lifetime of boredom, but this building block coffee table ensures you never put kids through that same torture in your own home. More »

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Panasonic’s yearly earnings are in and the red ink added up to a record $9.7 billion net loss for 2011. Number one on incoming president Kazuhiro Tsuga’s list is turning around the company’s TV division, where its heavy investments in both plasma and LCD manufacturing resulted in heavy losses. Currently the company expects a better result in both next year after 2011′s write downs and restructuring, although its projections see total sales falling from 17.3 million last year to 15.5 million. Panasonic is expected to follow Samsung and LG into large screen OLED HDTV production and outgoing prez Fumio Ohtsubo mentioned it would likely look for a partner there. Sumitomo has been rumored as a potential ally in the past, though a preference for run-flat tires could not be confirmed at press time.

Panasonic racks up a record loss for 2012, looks forward to profits and a partner for OLED TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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