This is so great--Miami banker gives $60 million of his own to employees:
Lots of bosses say they value their employees. Some even mean it.
And then there's Leonard Abess Jr.
After selling a majority stake in Miami-based City National Bancshares last November, all he did was take $60 million of the proceeds -- $60 million out of his own pocket -- and hand it to his tellers, bookkeepers, clerks, everyone on the payroll. All 399 workers on the staff received bonuses, and he even tracked down 72 former employees so they could share in the windfall.
For longtime employees, the bonus -- based on years of service -- amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, more than $100,000.
FTR, I have friends who love their Fit -- the gas milage is apparently incredible, and I'm pretty sure they've done distance driving in it with two adults, one baby, and two greyhounds. It's not pretty, but it's doable.
I can say my MIL really likes her Honda Fit and another relative really likes her Toyota Yaris Hatchback.
I have friends who bought a Fit, a friend who bought a Yaris hatchback, and a friend who bought a Versa last year and they all love them.
I drove and was a passenger in a Yaris non-hatchback rental in Florida last month and hated it, ftr. But it didn't feel at all like my friend's does when I'm a passenger in her's.
Oh, there's also the Nissan Versa that's really cheap if you are willing to go pretty barebones on features. Don't know anyone who owns one though.
We have a Versa and we are quite happy about it. Very roomy back seat, hatchback. We got a floor model that is tricked out with several awesome features, so I smiled at your barebones comment. We have keyless ignition and entry, a MP3 input, and in car Bluetooth capability, which is great for handsfree cell phone talking. Cruise control, 5 CD player, A/C, floormats. The gas mileage is pretty good- usually averaging 32-35MPG
When we bought, we looked at new and used, and the used cars we looked at were at dealerships that made our skin crawl. The Nissan guy was very nice, low-key, and had a huge sale with great financing.
We got a floor model that is tricked out with several awesome features, so I smiled at your barebones comment.
I'm sure you can load them up with cool stuff, but they have a special no-frills low cost sedan version for just under 10k.
There's also the Kia Soul, which looks kinda interesting, but I don't think it is out yet.
[link]
Need drink coasters? Love your iPhone? Then get these!
iPhone Coasters by Meninos
Not an
Onion
headline: Tom Hanks to Turn On Large Hadron Collider
The CERN Large Hadron Collider had to be taken out of commission last September for retooling after helium leaked out and caused £20 million in damage. Who gets to turn on the button to start it up when repairs are finished? Movie star Tom Hanks!
Hanks was approached about the move while filming his latest film Angels and Demons in which he plays a Harvard University academic investigating a plot to annihilate the Vatican with 0.25 grams of antimatter stolen from Cern.
Steve Myers, Cern’s director of accelerators and technology, told Nature News that he gave the actor a tour of the laboratory on February 13 and asked him if he would return for the switch-on, to which the actor agreed.
Cern’s head of communications, James Gillies, confirmed that the facility would be delighted to have Hanks there to restart the collider, which organisers hope will take place in June.
"...annihilate the Vatican with 0.25 grams of antimatter stolen from Cern"? Is that what MiracleMan has been up to?