Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalSolving a Civil War murder mystery
Bob Schmidt will have a book-signing for his latest book, “Civil War Mysteries Solved: Murder of William Pickles and Prairie du Rocher Raid.”
In this book, Schmidt, a historian from French Village who has written several books on the area’s Civil War history, tries to straighten out some of the misinformation out there about the murder of William Pickles.
The book signing will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 27 at Bauhaus Kaffee in Farmington. The book is a continuation of Schmidt’s “Civil War Justice in Southeast Missouri” in 2010. This new book was published in June and is available through him for $25. For more information, call him at 573-358-7946.
He said the murder had more than a dozen witnesses but few discussed it and no one wrote of it.
“As a result, misinformation, theory and myth have taken the place of fact,” he said. “It is these facts, all from wartime sources, that are told in the book.”
http://dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/4468c42a-1dc2-11e2-8ad2-001a4bcf887a.html
Museum bosses benefit from skyrocketing pay
ST. LOUIS • The head of the Missouri History Museum, Robert Archibald, had a $90,000 salary in 1990.
By 1997, Archibald’s salary had risen to $185,000. Nine months later, the board of trustees added $20,000 more. The next year, it gave him another $9,000 in January, then $35,000 in October.
In total, Archibald got 11 raises between 1997 and 2008, often worth five figures, sometimes twice in one year. This past summer, the president of the board of trustees, V. Raymond Stranghoener, signed a new contract with Archibald for $375,000 in base pay for 2013.
Archibald also has an annual $33,000 housing allowance, a museum-paid minivan and yearly retirement payments — worth about $89,000 last year alone. He gets six weeks of leave each year for “historical research and writing,” which comes on top of four weeks of vacation. In previous years, he had eight weeks of vacation.
Then, this past July, the History Museum board spelled out the riches of one more perk. It agreed to pay Archibald for 410 unused vacation days, due as a lump sum upon his retirement. If Archibald were to retire at the end of this year, that check would come to $580,000.
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/museum-bosses-benefit-from-skyrocketing-pay/article_576a323f-f83a-53ab-8c05-596d8c0e4b03.html
Data Deluge Creates Privacy Issues
As Bozzuto’s, a wholesaler in Cheshire, Conn., that has five corporate stores, delves into the intricacies of mobile marketing, “the biggest question we are asking internally is ‘What’s the difference between clever and creepy?’” observed Steve Methvin, the company’s vice president of retail technology/e-commerce.
Up until the explosion of mobile and social media, food retailers mainly abetted their marketing efforts with data derived from loyalty card programs that linked itemized purchases to a shopper’s identity. Some privacy advocates objected to retailers using this data, but shoppers usually accept this level of tracking as a reasonable trade-off for more relevant promotions.
Now, however, retailers are entering a realm where they may be privy to not only a shopper’s prior purchases, but their location in or near the store, their social media interactions, their online activity and their physical image — a growing stream of information that goes by the name of “Big Data.” The ground rules for how retailers should use this data have yet to be written, and they are often left debating where the line between value-added personalized offers and discomfiting intrusions of privacy should be drawn.
“Privacy is a massive concern, one that if you don’t do it right can cause a tremendous amount of pain for everybody concerned,” said John Caron, vice president of marketing, Catalina Marketing, which manages Ahold USA’s mobile Scan It! application.
Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/technology/data-deluge-creates-privacy-issues#ixzz2AIl9h8Ee
Hawaiian-based grocer Uwajimaya Recognized for Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Hawaiian-based grocer Uwajimaya last week was recognized for its ongoing efforts to conserve energy through eco-friendly business practices.
EnergySmart Grocer and several utilities gathered at the grocer’s Seattle store on Oct. 9 to present CEO Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno a check signifying the rebates the company has received for the many high-efficiency improvements it has made over the years.
“We believe in sustainability, because we’ve been here for 84 years and we want to be here for another 84 years,” said Moriguchi Matsuno. “We want to do our part as a role model for the district and our Asian counterparts.”
Guest speakers included Margaret Lewis of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), David Landers of Puget Sound Energy, Lori Moen of Seattle City Light, EnergySmart Grocer’s Mike Sandberg, and Moriguchi Matsuno who was happy to accept the honor on behalf of Uwajimaya.
Since 2006, Uwajimaya has worked closely with EnergySmart Grocer to lessen its environmental impact through a series of energy-saving equipment upgrades. With financial and program delivery support from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Seattle City Light and other participating utilities, the EnergySmart Grocer program provides personal guidance and cash rebates to make high-efficiency upgrades easy and affordable.
http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/technology/id36544/uwajimaya-recognized-for-energy-efficiency-initiatives/
USS United States vs. HMS Macedonia October 25, 1812
On October 8, Commordore Rodgers left Boston on his second cruise. The American squadron consisted of the USS President, USS United States, USS Congress, and the USS Argus. After only 4 days, the United States and the Argus separated from Commodore Rogers.
The Argus, commanded by Capt. Sinclair sailed east capturing 6 valuable merchant men and returned to port on January 3. During this cruise, the Argus was pursued for 3 days and 3 nights by a British squadron. The crew of the Argus made the ship lighter so it would sail faster. After getting rid of the ships anchors and boats, the Argus was able to pull away.
The United States was commanded by Capt. Stephen Decatur. Decatur had made a name for himself when he boarded the captured Philadelphia in Tripoli Harbour and burned her. In Adm. Nelson of the Royal Navy's view, it was one of the most daring and bold acts of the times.
The United States sailed southeast towards Madeira. On the morning of October 25, the crew sighted a large sail, this turned out to be the HMS Macedonian.
http://www.mywarof1812.com/battles/121025-unitedstates-macedonia.html
Cerberus working on bid for Supervalu:
(Reuters) - Cerberus Capital Management is working on a takeover bid for troubled supermarket operator Supervalu Inc (SVU.N) and has held talks with lenders to line up financing, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Debtwire earlier reported that the private equity firm was pitching a handful of banks to arrange $4 billion to $5 billion in debt financing to back a bid, sending Supervalu's shares up more than 40 percent on Monday.
JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N) are among the banks considering a syndicate, Debtwire said. Both banks declined to comment. Cerberus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Supervalu, operator of the Jewel-Osco, Save-A-Lot and Albertsons chains, declined to comment beyond what it said last week: It has received several indications of interest and was in "active dialogue" with several parties.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/22/us-supervalu-cerberus-idUSBRE89L1CI20121022
Battle of Westport, October 23, 1864
The Battle of Westport, sometimes referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West," was fought on October 23, 1864, in modern Kansas City, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Union forces under Major General Samuel R. Curtis decisively defeated an outnumbered Confederate force under Major General Sterling Price. This engagement was the turning point of Price's Missouri Expedition, forcing his army to retreat and ending the last significant Confederate operation west of the Mississippi River. This battle was one of the largest to be fought west of the Mississippi River, with over 30,000 men engaged.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Westport
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/mo027.htm
In MO 2nd District, GOP has a 100-fold spending advantage
Republican Ann Wagner and Democrat Glenn Koenen agree that they offer voters in the remapped 2nd U.S. House district a clear philosophical choice on the role of government.
“He believes it should grow and get larger,” Wagner says. “I believe it should be limited.”
Koenen puts it this way: “She thinks government is too big and intrusive. I think government should be there to protect people from the worst of the world.”
But Wagner, because of her lopsided fundraising advantage, has a much better chance to get her message across to voters in the district — which now takes in parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties. The incumbent, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, is running for the Senate.
Wagner has raised about $2.5 million, more than enough to cover a television ad campaign that began recently and will continue until the Nov. 6 election.
Koenen, with a kitty of less than $25,000, hasn’t been able to afford any TV. That’s partly because of a lack of help from national Democratic committees for the traditionally Republican district.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/6c670200-fa11-525f-939f-d0ff44c3b3a2.html
Consumer Spending Surged in September
Growth in retail sales for September offered a promising outlook for the critical holiday months ahead, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).
September sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.4 percent seasonally adjusted from August, and 2.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
“In spite of the uncertainty and unease surrounding our nation’s high unemployment and long-term fiscal challenges, consumers continue to spend and shop,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based NRF. “Robust back-to-school spending combined with a series of new, technology-led product launches certainly helped retailers in September. The American consumer is holding their own in this economic environment but the question remains, for how long?”
September retail sales, released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, showed total retail and food services sales (which include non-general merchandise categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants) increased 1.1 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and 5.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
More detailed breakdown at link
http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/consumer-insights/id36484/consumer-spending-surged-in-september/
USS Wasp vs. HMS Frolic October 18, 1812
On October 13, the American ship-sloop "Wasp" sailed from the Delaware with 137 men aboard and captained by Jacob Jones. On October 16, a storm caused the loss of the "Wasp's" jib-boom and the two men who were on it.
The next day the weather was better and the crew of the "Wasp" sighted several sails in the distance. These sails turned out to be a convoy of 14 merchant-men on their way to England, they were escorted by the British brig-sloop "Frolic". The Frolic had 110 men aboard and was captained by Capt. Thomas Whinyates. During the storm on October 16, the "Frolic" had her main-yard damaged and both her top sails had been torn to pieces. The next day was spent making the repairs.
On October 18, the "Wasp" moved toward the british ship. The "Frolic" hoisted Spanish colours, this gave the convoy time to get away. At 11:30 A.M., the 2 ships were sailing no more than 60 yards apart. The "Wasp" fired her port guns, and the "Frolic" fired her starboard guns. The British ship fired rapidly, delivering 3 broadsides to the American's two. Both crews cheered wildly as the battle became heated. The "Wasp" was landing more shot than the British ship. The ocean was very rough, the crew of the "Frolic" fired their cannon when they were on the crest of the waves. The Americans fired their guns on the lower part of the waves. But in spite of the weather both ships fire was well directed.
At 11:36 A.M. the "Wasp's" maintop-mast was shot away and fell with it's yard. At 11:46 A.M. her mizzentop -gallant mast came down and by 11:52 every brace and most of her rigging had been shot away. The British ship however, had been severely damaged in her hull and lower masts.
http://www.mywarof1812.com/battles/121018-wasp-frolic.html
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