Dell to shut Austin plant, review finance business

Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:55pm EDT

By Philipp Gollner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc said on Monday it would close its Austin, Texas desktop computer plant with 900 workers, as part of a plan to cut expenses by $3 billion annually in 3 years' time.

The world's second-largest maker of personal computers also said it was reviewing "ownership alternatives" for its financing business, which extends credit to customers buying Dell products.

Dell bought out the remaining stake of the financing business in December from CIT Group Inc, which has been hit hard by the turmoil in the credit markets and may be forced to sell itself.

The announcement came ahead of Dell's first analyst meeting in 3 years this week. Wall Street has been calling on Dell, which ranks behind Hewlett-Packard Co in the PC market, to cut costs more aggressively as profit margins have fallen.

"If you think about the computer industry, it is going through a shift to mobility," said Brent Bracelin, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, referring to laptop PCs.

"Most mobility products are being built in Asia, so having excess capacity in the U.S. doesn't make a lot of sense. It's a smart move," said the analyst who has an "outperform" rating on Dell. "They're going to be talking about cost-cutting initiatives" at the analyst meeting.

The plant-related job cuts are part of Dell's previously announced plan to eliminate about 8,800 jobs, or about 10 percent of the work force. Dell's headquarters are in Round Rock, Texas, just north of Austin, the state capital.

The company said it had already eliminated 3,200 of the targeted jobs. The Austin jobs will be eliminated in phases and production will continue through Dell's fiscal fourth quarter, Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn said.

As for Dell Financial Services, Blackburn said the strategic review was unrelated to CIT's problems and that Dell may end up keeping the unit.

The review should be completed by Dell's fiscal third quarter, the company added.

Dell also said it would reduce costs in design, manufacturing and logistics, materials and operating expenses. It declined to give details of the planned cuts in those areas.

Shares of Dell slipped 1.3 percent in extended trading following the announcement, after closing up 1.6 percent at $19.92 on Nasdaq.

(Editing by Leslie Gevirtz, Andre Grenon, Richard Chang)

There is a lot of work going on in and around the historic downtown square so be careful as you may your way thru town...be considerate!

Its almost that time of year again!

Kick it up a notch

here

Just a friendly reminder that Quinten Hope will be hosting the Thursday night live jam @ Cadillac this week, and the Quinten Hope Band will be playing there on Friday night as well!

Also got a cool email from Charm Cameron saying that Alternative Furnishings would be hosting a book signing reception for Ronnie D. Foster presenting his new book "One Day as a Lion". This book features true stories of the Vietnam War Heroes from Collin County. This will take place from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. on April 11th...

From the Shenandoah site:

I remember when the US Dollar allowed me to buy candy for a nickel……

I remember when American cars were completely manufactured in America….

I remember when televisions were made in America….

I remember when Christian holidays were respected and “Spring” was just a season…or winter…or solstices….

I remember when Daylight Savings Time started and it sucked then just as much as it does now…..

I remember when “God” was not an obscene word or concept….

I remember when being an American first was not something you had to hide….

I remember watching television and not worrying about obscene words or behavior….

I remember when “Communism” was considered an evil and the Constitution a blessing….

I remember when politicians were caught in a lie they would actually feel shame….short-lived as it was…

I remember when your local bankster shook your hand and thanked you for your business instead of looking up your credit score to see if he or she wanted to talk to you…..

I remember when owning a home meant creating a neighborhood….

I also remember when “flipping” referred to coins or burgers and not homes…..

I remember when kids actually played outside instead of against each other via online interactive games or the internet….

I remember when getting that first job actually meant something to a sixteen year old….

I remember when credit cards were hard to get….

I remember when radio stations only broadcast in English as their primary language in the United States…

I remember when Civil Defense was a serious issue and homeland security meant preparing for war…..

I remember when illegals were ashamed of being caught….

I remember when being a “typical white person” wasn’t really an issue; we never really looked at color the way people do these days when I grew up….in the Deep South….

I remember when saving money was encouraged and spending foolishly as it is advised now, was frowned upon….

I remember when the price of gold last topped $800….and what happened to our economy….

I remember when lumberjacks were viewed with admiration by little boys as a profession instead of pushed out of business by Marxist environmentalist whackjobs….

I remember when most of our lumber came from the U.S.A. instead of Brazil or China also…..

I remember when a family farmer did not have to answer to faceless bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. about the water quality in their toilets….

I remember when people who got sick from eating foreign produce used to actually get upset and stop buying foreign produce…..

I remember when the Constitution was the word of law and “feelings” were something you worried about with your wife….

I remember when Castro was accurately portrayed as a murdering Communist thug….

I remember when 24 rolls of toilet paper was cheaper than a gallon of gas…..

I remember when a gallon of milk was cheaper than a gallon of gas…..

I remember when gasoline was rationed and inflation was actually feared….

I remember when it was viewed that the government’s business needed to stay out of mine to promote the greater good…

I remember when the idea of “chipping” a pet or livestock was viewed as radical and evil….

I remember when doctors were not scared to treat their patients due to lawsuits….

I remember when lawyers had some degree of honor……

I remember when Newt Gingrich taught a lesson to a class I was in and said that (paraphrasing) History was the most noble of studies…

I remember when the Federal Reserve actually cared about the value of the dollar…..as well as the Treasury….

I remember when our military was allowed to fight to win………..

I remember when “political correctness” was viewed as a joke….alas, no more…..

I remember when Jesus was celebrated in birth, death and rebirth….

Celebrate today.

America needs people to start believing in what founded this nation in it’s principles and moral guidance, not moral hazards.

Happy Easter to All and God Bless!

Happy Easter!

Just a friendly reminder...

Relay for Life is only a month away!

This year it will be held on April 25 & 26, at The Ballfields of Craig Ranch...

Cactus Jack

Guards over the Prison

Always remember...

Things are not always as they seem...

A major casualty of the falling dollar!

'The clock of life is wound but once,
and no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.'

Vatican lists "new sins," including pollution


By Philip Pullella Posted Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:00am PDT


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight.


The guidance came at the weekend when Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, the Vatican's number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and penance, spoke of modern evils.


Asked what he believed were today's "new sins," he told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that the greatest danger zone for the modern soul was the largely uncharted world of bioethics.


"(Within bioethics) there are areas where we absolutely must denounce some violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments and genetic manipulation whose outcome is difficult to predict and control," he said.



The Vatican opposes stem cell research that involves destruction of embryos and has warned against the prospect of human cloning.


Girotti, in an interview headlined "New Forms of Social Sin," also listed "ecological" offences as modern evils.


In recent months, Pope Benedict has made several strong appeals for the protection of the environment, saying issues such as climate change had become gravely important for the entire human race.


Under Benedict and his predecessor John Paul, the Vatican has become progressively "green."


It has installed photovoltaic cells on buildings to produce electricity and hosted a scientific conference to discuss the ramifications of global warming and climate change, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.


Girotti, who is number two in the Vatican "Apostolic Penitentiary," which deals with matter of conscience, also listed drug trafficking and social and economic injustices as modern sins.


But Girotti also bemoaned that fewer and fewer Catholics go to confession at all.


He pointed to a study by Milan's Catholic University that showed that up to 60 percent of Catholic faithful in Italy stopped going to confession.


In the sacrament of Penance, Catholics confess their sins to a priest who absolves them in God's name.


But the same study by the Catholic University showed that 30 percent of Italian Catholics believed that there was no need for a priest to be God's intermediary and 20 percent felt uncomfortable talking about their sins to another person.


(Editing by Keith Weir)

Saturday was one of those rare days...you know...the kind that do not come around to often...

Started off with shooting Erin in the studio with Norm in the afternoon...she is such a joy to photograph!...




Later in the evening we went down into town to attend the opening of Carrie Cameron's new gallery...the Cameron Gallery...a lot of folks made the trip down to support Carrie in this new effort...it was wall to wall people...and will no doubt be a huge success since she brings a unique way of painting and putting together shows to the area...



About 11PM I wondered over to the Cadillac for a beer after hearing a rumor that Jr Clark and Andy Timmons were going to be there...what I got far exceeded that rumor!...when I walked in Jr and Andy were playing, with Johnny Marshall on keyboards - Quinten Hope was already in the house, and soon after that Mike Morgan and Maylee Thomas and her husband George walked in...and we were all treated to a once in a lifetime 3rd set with all of them making their way to the stage at some point...it was "da bomb"!!!!!!!!

It was a little crazy about 1AM~

And for those who may be wonderin...yup...Andy, Quinten and Jr Clark had the jam from hell!

Have spent the majority of today and yesterday revisiting some images from a time long ago...yet filled with memories!

Winter Storm Warning in Effect thru 6AM Friday

Winter Wonderland in North Texas 2Nite!

Most snow I have seen in a good while...

Poor Roxie the wonderdog didn't know what to think! LOL

You are cordially invited to the gala grand opening of
The Cameron Gallery
Dallas' newest addition to the galleries of Dragon Street.
>
Join us for the debut of the latest paintings by Carrie Cameron,
who brings her signature trademarks of spirit and enthusiasm in the visual arts to the Dallas Design, Arts & Antiques district. Specializing in a technique called 3-D oil sculpture, Carrie’s paintings are a study in light, with a strong emphasis on color combined with multidimensional effects.
>
The Cameron Gallery specializes in one-of-a-kind works of art, including
paintings, hand-blown glass, pottery, and jewelry.

Live entertainment by The Maylee Thomas Band
ensures an evening to remember.
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We look forward to experiencing this very special night with you.
>
Hosted by Carrie Cameron and Steve and Kristi Cameron
and generously co-sponsored by The American Bank of Texas .
>
Saturday, March 8, 7PM to 10PM
The Cameron Gallery / 1414 Dragon Street, Dallas

214-747-1414
Complimentary valet parking
Chic Attire
>
>
>
Best regards,
Tamara Paquee
Director, The Cameron Gallery
www.thecamerongallery.com