Logan runway gets debris detectors

Logan International Airport has installed a first-in-the nation automated runway debris detection system to prevent costly damage to planes and potentially save lives.

"Our No. 1 priority is safety on the airfield and anytime we can enhance that safety with technology that's what we strive for," said Ed Freni, director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

The $1.7 million system uses small censors to scan the runway and automatically detect and alert inspectors of debris that could cause damage to planes, Christa Fornarotto, associate administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA paid for half the cost.

The foreign object debris (FOD) system, or 
FODetect, was developed by Israeli-based Xsight Systems, which has its U.S. headquarters in Boston.

There were 108 reports of debris in the past year at Logan, none resulting in serious accident or injury. Runway checks are manually conducted at least three times a day, and the new technology will enhance that, Freni said.

Logan installed the device on its busiest runway in September, and officials will evaluate its success to decide if they want to expand its use to all runways.

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Milford casino backer's all in

A newly formed spinoff of Penn National Gaming, which hopes to open a slots parlor in Plainville, came to the rescue yesterday of Crossroads Massachusetts and its gaming operator, Foxwoods, by agreeing to supply the financing they were missing in their bid to build a $1 billion resort casino in Milford.

The announcement that Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. had signed a letter of intent to finance the casino came four days before a Milford referendum on the project and only hours after the state Gaming Commission announced that the proposal was suitable to continue with the approval process, with conditions, one of which was that it obtain the equity financing before Dec. 31.

"This is a best case scenario for us, as GLPI is a known entity to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission," Scott Butera, Foxwoods' president and CEO, said in a statement. "Moving forward, we are fully invested in the application process and committed to delivering what we set out to build: a world-class resort casino bringing jobs, revenue, property tax abatement and infrastructure improvements in the best possible location in the state of Massachusetts."

The deal will also include the creation of a $1 million scholarship fund to allow Milford students to pursue college or "other vocational avenues within the gaming industry and elsewhere," Crossroads said in its announcement.

Milford Selectman Dino B. DeBartolomeis said news of the financing and the commission's conditional suitability decision "just eases people's doubts" about the proposed casino, which is expected to generate some 3,000 jobs and at least
$25 million annually in taxes for the town, lowering property taxes for the average single-family home by $1,500.

"Hopefully, people on Tuesday will say, 'Hey, this is a good thing,'" he said.

But Tim Spino, one of the project's most outspoken critics, said he was disappointed with the commission's decision and believed it was motivated by concern that Suffolk Downs — another contender for the sole casino license in Eastern Massachusetts — would not find a gaming partner, leaving only Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn's proposal in Everett.

"They wanted to keep another player in there as an option," said Spino, who has lived in Milford for 31 years. "The bottom line is the financial integrity of this town is stronger than the financial integrity of Foxwoods. You're going to forever change the character of your town for what?"

Meanwhile, a grass-roots effort to ban casinos in Massachusetts is making a final push to gather signatures ahead of a Wednesday deadline for a ballot question. Organizers of Repeal the Casino Deal, including Scott Harshbarger, held a news conference yesterday saying they would be flooding the state this weekend gathering signatures.

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Hyundai shifts gears, turns heads

While I was photographing this car a man approached and asked what kind of car I had. Told a 2014 Hyundai Equus, he let out a whoop, a friendly cuss and exclaimed "A Hyundai!" and left chuckling about how much better the car was than the 1990s rust-buckets.

The cackling has stopped about paying nearly $70,000 for the Equus since its introduction in 2011 because this is one beautifully made luxury automobile.

Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Cadillac certainly aren't laughing anymore. These high-end carmakers are being challenged by the Koreans, with their imported European designers who are now making great looking, well-engineered and elegant machines while muscling in on market share.

This full-sized Ultimate — one of two trim levels available — with rear-wheel drive and a 5-liter V8 mated to an 8-speed transmission, is quiet, powerful and full of tech goodies including sunroof, navigation, a Blue Link integrated infotainment system, wonderfully comfortable leather seats and a rocking sound system. The 429-horsepower engine purrs on the highway and effortlessly accelerates through traffic. High-test gas is recommended but the car will run well on lower octane with only the miles per gallon dropping slightly from the estimated 15 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

This car could easily assimilate into a livery fleet as rear-seat passengers get to enjoy individually controlled DVD screens, personal climate control, reclining seats and, in one model, a refrigerator. The trunk is massive, providing ample storage.

The refreshed interior is well laid out and trimmed with wood, brushed aluminum and leather. The infotainment center is run by a mouse-like controller, similar to that found in a Lexus, but not as intuitive. It was the only part of the car that left me underwhelmed. The newly designed dash has electronic display gauges and the center stack is smartened up, in­cluding a square analog clock.

The Equus may not have true European sport sedan handling but the sedan has three driving settings: normal, sport and snow. Sport was my preferred style, adjusting the car height, suspension and shift points to make cornering and performance just a bit tighter. Maneuvering the big machine is made easier by the fore and aft bird's-eye cameras that play out on the 12-inch video screen.

The exterior lines are simple and elegant. Also reworked for 2014, the simple five-fin horizontal grill is framed by LED headlights and running lights and Hyundai-­added fog lamps.

The catch? It's all included in the luxury budget $68,900 price tag.

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Townhouse condo has roomy charm

A townhouse condo in Cambridge's Inman Square that's priced at nearly $1 million shows just how much has changed in the once-inexpensive neighborhood known for its funky, independently owned shops and eateries, including the iconic S&S Restaurant.

A new three-bedroom attached townhouse at 15 Oak Street, one of three available units carved out of an expansive 1854 house and attached barn, was initially listed last week for a jaw-dropping $999,000, but has just been reduced to $969,000. For that money, you get three floors with 2,550 square feet of living space, oak floors throughout, custom maple cabinetry, Bosch appliances, a huge master bedroom suite and nicely done ceramic tile bathrooms.

The original house and rear barn have been gut renovated, with new clapboard siding, roof and windows and all-new systems added, including gas-fired heat and central air conditioning.

Unit 1, the front townhouse, has a covered front porch and opens into an oak-floored open living/dining area, with a picture window and a light/fan over the dining space. Off to one side is a sunny sitting room, and opposite is a half bathroom with gray ceramic tile. An adjacent formal dining room gets lots of sun but is cut off from the adjacent kitchen by a full wall.

Reachable through the living room, the well-
appointed kitchen features 25 custom maple cabinets and Absolute black granite counters. Appliances are all Bosch stainless-steel, including a side-by-side refrigerator, a dishwasher and a five-burner gas stove. Right off the kitchen is a good-sized pantry closet.

The three bedrooms on the second floor are reachable via a charming winding wood staircase with new custom-designed wrought-iron railings.

The oak-floored master bedroom is huge, with a row of four front-facing windows and recessed lighting. There's a large area suitable for a master closet and a smaller closet as well. The stylish en-suite master bathroom has striated ceramic-tile floors and walls for a glass-doored walk-in shower and an Absolute black 
granite-topped vanity.

There are two other decent-sized oak-floored bedrooms on this floor, along with a second stylish full bathroom with striated ceramic tile floors and walls surrounding a tub and shower. The vanity has a beige granite top. There's a closet in the hallway with a washer/dryer hookup, and the developer will throw in a washer and dryer on closing, says real estate agent Adam Day.

A winding staircase leads to two more finished, oak-floored rooms with windows on the third floor under the eaves. One room would make a great home office, while the other, with low headroom due to the eaves, could work as a playroom.

The townhouse has all-new electrical and plumbing systems, and new gas-fired heating and central air-conditioning systems.

The unit comes with one parking space in the three-unit complex's driveway. But there is no other open yard space.

Broker: Adam Day of Realty Executives at 617-908-5653

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FEMA unveiling new Hub flood zone maps

Suffolk County residents will get a first look today at new flood zone maps that have prompted outcry over rising federal flood insurance costs and a deluge of lawsuits across the nation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency today is unveiling the new maps that Boston officials say are likely to affect about 10,200 residential units and as many as 3,600 businesses.

"As a city, we're committed to accurately identifying the risks from coastal storm flooding and finding ways to support those home and business owners who will be impacted by the remapping of the flood zones," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said.

The city is working on hiring a consultant with the Boston Redevelopment Authority to review the maps to ensure their accuracy and applicability, he said.

The earliest the city of Boston expects to adopt a final flood hazard map is December 2014.

Sticker shock from the new federal mandate has kicked off a rising tide of opposition nationwide.

"These new rates will devastate many families and businesses throughout Massachusetts," said state Attorney General Martha Coakley, who yesterday joined a lawsuit against the new rates in Mississippi federal court. "In setting these new flood insurance rates, FEMA not only failed to evaluate their economic impact, but also failed to gather all the data required to ensure the new rates are accurate."

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Gov offers boo$t to affordable housing

State officials are touting a massive influx of state and federal money for low- and moderate-income housing as a boon to economic development across Massachusetts.

At the Putnam Square Apartments in Cambridge, Gov. Deval Patrick announced more than 
$73 million in state and federal funds and tax credits for housing, and signed a bond bill totaling 
$1.4 billion for further investments over the next five years.

Patrick said "inglamorous" spending on housing and related programs can make an area more attractive for private investment.

"Affordable housing serves as a platform for other opportunities," added Aaron Gornstein, undersecretary for the Department of Housing and Community Development.

The bill is largely comprised of housing investments, but also will underwrite programs such as affordable childcare.

"All of these things combine to make a strong quality of life," Patrick said.

One of the focuses of the investments will be to improve existing affordable housing, he said. At Putnam Square, one of two dozen projects slated to receive the $73 million, the funds will be used for a new boiler, a new elevator and improved windows.

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New condos scarce in midst of Boston boom

Boston is in the middle of a historic residential building boom — but where are the condos?

Tracy Campion, owner of Campion and Company, a Boston luxury residential brokerage, said inventory in the city is dramatically low.

"Many buyers come to town and we don't have enough products for them to buy," she said.

Boston's condo inventory is down to anemic levels with only 617 condominium units on the market for sale, according to MLS PIN. The last time the Hub went below 1,000 available condominiums for sale was in the 1990s.

Any new developments in the city have had a tremendous track record. Millennium Place in downtown Boston just opened for occupancy last month and almost 90 percent of the 256 units have been sold.

The next "big" condo project slated for development is Sepia at Ink Block, where 83 luxury condominiums will be built as part of the South End project. Construction on the condominiums is planned to begin in early 2014 and the building will open for occupancy in mid-2015.

"There is a lack of condos in the city right now. Boston has gone through a huge rent cycle, employment has improved, and a mix of people who are in the city and looking to buy," said Ted Tye, a managing partner at National Development which is developing Ink Block on the former Boston Herald site.

"We are seeing lots of people in the Back Bay and South End now renting and looking to buy, we are also seeing many 'suburban pioneers,' or people who are looking to move back to the city," said Tye.

Sepia's sales center has been open for a short time and it has received tremendous attention, with one-, two- and three-bedroom condos priced between $550,000 and $2 million.

"One of the things that is happening is a neighborhood that is transitioning very quickly, we have three buildings going up now at Ink Block that will be apartments, Sepia building will be the fourth building," said Tye. "Ink Block is a concept, a neighborhood that's changing before our eyes."

Boston's market conditions are also driving many other developers to fill the need for future home buyers to choose from in the next two to three years as new developments pop up.

The Millennium Tower in downtown will include nearly 450 luxury condos, all of which will range from one to four bedrooms.

Carpenter & Co., along with its residential partner the Pritzker Realty Group, received approval to build a 58-story building at the edge of the Christian Science Plaza that will include 170 condos.

Gary Saunders of Saunders Hotel Group and 
40 Trinity Place, has proposed a 33-story glass tower with 115 luxury condos in addition to 227 hotel rooms and three restaurants.

"Boston is going through a changing and exciting time with the new delivery of condominiums expected," said Campion. "These slated developments will continue to make Boston more of a world class city."

Jennifer Athas is a licensed real estate broker. Follow her on Twitter @jenathas.

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Walter Coffey returns to Herald to lead digital sales team

The Boston Herald has bolstered its digital sales operations by bringing back veteran newspaper advertising executive Walter Coffey as its new director of digital sales.

"I'm very excited, having started out here and kind of coming back to finish what I started back in '93," said Coffey, a South Boston native. "This is such a great team. The audience that we have to deliver, the innovation, the effectiveness ... We have a great story to tell as far as helping out advertisers with their needs."

Coffey brings 20 years of experience selling print and online advertising in the Boston market, and returns to the Herald from the Wall Street Journal. His initial five years at the Herald saw him play a key part in the launch of the website Jobfind.com. Coffey lives in Norwell with his wife and three children. He earned his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Suffolk University.

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Foes: Revere casino would nix track

Suffolk Downs says it will have a new gaming partner before the end of the month to build a resort casino on the Revere portion of its property, but casino opponents are claiming that if that happens, East Boston's "No" vote means the racetrack can't continue to operate in Eastie if it is part of a Revere casino complex — potentially threatening hundreds of track jobs.

Matt Cameron, a lawyer volunteering with the group No Eastie Casino, said under state law, a "gaming establishment" includes "any other non-gaming structure related to the gaming area."

"Our interpretation of that definition is that a casino can't so much as plant flowers on the Boston side at this point," he said, adding that the law holds "an applicant for a gaming license who holds a live racing license ... shall maintain an existing racing facility on the premises."

"(Suffolk Downs) therefore cannot apply for a gaming license without also operating a horse track as a condition of the license, and that track can't be in Boston as part of a gaming establishment following East Boston's (no) vote," Cameron said.

"We see no other logical possibility than that they are prepared to destroy the track in order to save it."

But Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs' chief operating officer, countered it's still "our preference and our plan" to preserve racing.

"No, we won't have to move the track," Tuttle insisted, "But there's a strong likelihood we'll have to relocate the barn area, which takes up about 25 acres in Revere that we're now looking at for gaming development. We haven't reached any conclusions about where we'll put it."

If, however, Suffolk Downs' casino plan is shot down, Tuttle said, the track's future — and its 350 jobs — are "very much in jeopardy."

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Obama to meet with health insurance CEOs

Photo by: 

The Associated Press

In this photo taken Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 Carlos Barajas, left, and his wife, Martha, center, look over their health insurance plan options with volunteer Elizabeth Lira, at a health fair in Sacramento, Calif. The lackluster showing for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul could foreshadow trouble for the embattled program. The plan relies on younger, healthier Americans, who are in less need of health care, to sign-up to cover the costs of expanding coverage to those with serious problems.

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Foxwoods’ is the latest proposal to stumble

Official concerns about Foxwoods' proposal for a Milford casino yesterday — on the heels of setbacks with other casino developers — are adding new fuel to questions about whether Massachusetts will end up with any casino at all two years after the state passed an expanded gambling law.

"I can foresee where all three (state casino license regions) end up without one," said Richard McGowan, a Boston College professor who has written extensively about gaming. He said it's "conceivable" that none of the casino applicants is able to meet all of the conditions set by the state.

In a hearing for Foxwoods before the Gaming Commission yesterday, state investigators said they could not make a recommendation about whether the casino operator is suitable for a license, saying the ''glaring issue'' was its failure to identify a 55 percent equity owner for the project less than a week before a Milford referendum.

Karen Wells, director of the commission's Investigations and Enforcement Bureau, said her office "is not in a position to make a recommendation about suitability because we don't have a complete picture of what this applicant is going to look like."

Foxwoods president Scott Butera told the commission he was negotiating with two entities that had made ''very strong offers'' to fill the gap. Butera said two-thirds of the $1 billion project would be funded through either a loan from Deutsche Bank or the sale of real estate assets. The remaining third would be through equity.

"We will do everything we can to get this piece closed in days if not in hours," Butera said.

The uncertainty about Foxwoods follows ballot defeats for both Hard Rock and Mohegan Sun in western Massachusetts. MGM won a referendum in Springfield, but has yet to undergo a suitability hearing. In southeastern Massachusetts, KG New Bedford needs a host community agreement, a suitability finding, and a vote.

Suffolk Downs suffered major setbacks when the commission flagged problems with Caesars Entertainment, and East Boston voted it down.

The track is now trying to cobble together a new plan for Revere, but is seen as facing an uphill battle ahead of the Dec. 31 final application deadline.

In Everett, Wynn Resorts won broad support but has yet to undergo a suitability hearing.

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Stocks boosted as incoming Fed head backs stimulus

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — World stocks mostly rose Thursday after comments by the incoming Federal Reserve chief suggested the U.S. central bank won't cut its economic stimulus until March or later. Gains in Europe, however, were capped by news the recovery there nearly ground to a halt.

Janet Yellen, who is slated to replace Ben Bernanke as Fed chairman at the end of January, will testify before the Senate banking committee later Thursday. Analysts said her published introductory remarks were a boost for stock markets that have been propelled higher since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis by the Fed's super-low interest rate and bond buying policies.

While there was progress in the U.S. recovery, Yellen said the labor market and economy are "performing far short of their potential." She said unemployment was still too high and inflation still below target. She reiterated the world's No. 1 economy must show continued signs of improvement before the Fed starts tapering off its $85 billion of monthly bond purchases.

"That statement alone has changed the landscape of trade today," said Evan Lucas, market strategist with IG in Melbourne, Australia. It suggests the bond buying effort, which has kept commercial interest rates low to encourage borrowing and investment, will be kept in place at current levels until the end of the first quarter of next year, he said.

Analysts had previously thought the Fed would start reducing its stimulus in December or January.

Major European benchmarks rose in early trading, though momentum was dented by figures showing the eurozone economy grew a mere 0.1 percent in the third quarter, just three months after emerging from recession. The figure showed weakness in core economies, such as France and Germany, and only mild improvements in crisis-hit countries like Spain.

Germany's DAX was up 0.6 percent to 9,109.13 while France's CAC-40 rose the same rate to 4,263.61. Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.3 percent to 6,651.38.

U.S. markets lacked momentum on the open, having closed Wednesday at record highs. The Dow was down 0.1 percent at 15,804.20 while the S&P 500 edge up almost 0.1 percent to 1,782.98.

In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 surged 2.1 percent to 14,876.41, also helped by renewed weakness in the yen as it approached 100 to the dollar.

China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.6 percent to 2,100.51 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.8 percent to 22,649.15. Benchmarks in Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore also rose.

In energy markets, benchmark crude for December delivery eased 65 cents to $93.27 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 84 cents on Wednesday.

The euro dropped 0.3 percent $1.3439, while the dollar rose 0.8 percent to 100.03 yen.

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Boeing machinists reject contract proposal

SEATTLE — Boeing machinists in the Northwest rejected a contentious contract proposal Wednesday that would have exchanged concessions for decades of secure jobs.

The International Association of Machinists District 751 announced Wednesday night that the proposal was rejected 67 percent of the votes.

Union members who called for a no vote did so to protest the Boeing Co.'s push to end a traditional pension plan and increase their health care costs. Workers would have received a $10,000 signing bonus if they approved the deal.

"We preserved something sacred by rejecting the Boeing proposal. We've held on to our pensions and that's big. At a time when financial planners are talking about a 'retirement crisis' in America, we have preserved a tool that will help our members retire with more comfort and dignity," said Tom Wroblewski, District 751 president in a statement.

Boeing had proposed the eight-year contract extension, saying it needs the deal to assemble the new 777X in Washington state. With the threat of those jobs going to another state, lawmakers rushed to approve $8.7 billion in tax breaks last week.

"...without the terms of this contract extension, we're left with no choice but to open the process competitively and pursue all options for the 777X," Boeing said in a statement.

In a late night press conference, Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington state could have won the production of the plane without competition.

"This is a tough night for the state of Washington," Inslee said. "We could have had a big win tonight. We could have grabbed the brass ring for this airplane. But I want to say this, what we were unable to finish tonight, means that we are starting a new chapter of competition for this airplane."

Inslee said that Boeing officials assured him that Washington state was still a contender.

Inslee added that the state would still have a strong showing, citing the recent tax incentive package that was quickly passed by the Legislature, a potential transportation package the governor still hopes could be taken up in coming weeks, as well as the "best aerospace workers in the world."

"The fact is this, if you want to build reliably, with the highest quality in the world, on time, the state of Washington is the place to do it," Inslee said.

Throughout Wednesday, the mood was tense at the union hall in Seattle where the votes were tallied.

Dian Lord, a toolmaker at Boeing's facility in Renton who is nearing retirement, said Wednesday morning she believed the company was extorting its workers by pushing a swift contract vote while threatening to place 777X operations elsewhere if machinists don't oblige. Still, Lord said she felt intense pressure to vote for the contract, especially considering that it could impact a variety of other Boeing workers and vendors should the company move elsewhere.

"I'm very conflicted," Lord said.

Political leaders, including many Democrats who are closely aligned with unionized workers, declined in recent days to encourage machinists how to vote but asked them to consider the broader impact on jobs and future generations. IAM leaders issued a similar message, with Wroblewski saying the vote is about 30 years of jobs for the region.

"This is an opportunity we will never see again to secure thousands of good-paying jobs in the State of Washington," Wroblewski wrote in a message to members before the vote.

Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said earlier this week that the company was not bluffing in its message that the 777X line could be placed elsewhere. He said the company prefers to stay in the Puget Sound and that a positive vote by the union makes that decision easy.

Along with extending tax breaks to 2040, lawmakers this past weekend also approved millions of dollars for training programs for aerospace workers. Lawmakers have also said that Boeing supports the development of a large transportation package, and the Legislature is still exploring a plan valued at about $10 billion.

____

Associated Press writers Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Wash., and Manuel Valdes in Seattle contributed to this report.

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US unemployment benefit applications dip to 339K

WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits slipped 2,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the fifth straight decline that shows businesses see little need to cut jobs.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the less volatile four-week average fell 5,750 to 344,000. The average has dropped 11 percent in the past year.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have fallen back near pre-recession levels this month after spiking in early October because of the partial government shutdown and processing backlogs in California. The steady declines are the latest sign that companies are firing fewer workers.

And last week's report on hiring and unemployment in October showed that businesses are also hiring workers at a steady pace.

Employers added 204,000 jobs last month, many more than expected and a sign that companies shrugged off the 16-day shutdown. Private businesses added 212,000 positions, the most since February.

Many economists had thought the unemployment benefit applications would fall even lower. The four-week average remains about 10,000 higher than it was in August.

"While it is disappointing that layoffs have not fallen further, the good news is that the government shutdown appears not to have generated a lasting negative impact on labor markets," Guy Berger, an economist at RBS, said in a research note.

Companies have stepped up hiring as growth has picked up. Employers added an average of 202,000 jobs per month from August through October. That's up sharply from an average of 146,000 in May through July.

The economy expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter, up from a 2.5 percent rate in the previous quarter and just a 1.1 percent rate in the first three months of the year.

Solid job gains should support steady growth in the coming months. Greater hiring, combined with modest increases in pay, could encourage Americans to spend more. Consumer spending drives roughly 70 percent of economic activity.

Still, the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.3 percent last month from 7.2 percent in September. But that was partly because many federal workers were temporarily laid off during the shutdown.

About 3.9 million people received benefits in the week ending Oct. 26, the latest data available. That's about 53,000 fewer than the previous week.

The total unemployment benefit rolls have fallen 22 percent in the past year. Many of those former recipients have likely found jobs. But most have probably used up all their benefits without finding work.

Job growth is a major factor for the Federal Reserve, which is weighing when to reduce its economic stimulus. The Fed has been buying $85 billion-a-month in bonds to keep long-term interest rates low and encourage borrowing and spending.

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Lockheed Martin cutting 4,000 jobs, closing plants

BETHESDA, Md. — Lockheed Martin is cutting 4,000 jobs, about 3.5 percent of its workforce, as the defense contractor continues to look for ways to lower costs amid reduced government spending.

"In the face of government budget cuts and an increasingly complex global security landscape, these actions are necessary for the future of our business," CEO Marilyn Hewson said Thursday in a statement.

Across-the-board spending cuts by the federal government have helped trim U.S. budget deficits. Budget negotiators in Congress are holding talks centered on find ways to cut spending and tax breaks to replace the automatic cuts that started earlier this year that are slamming the Pentagon and domestic agencies.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp., maker of Patriot missile defense system and the F-35 and F-16 fighter planes, will close plants in Goodyear, Ariz.; Akron, Ohio; Newtown, Pa.; and Horizon City, Texas; as well as four buildings at its Sunnyvale, Calif. campus, by mid-2015, eliminating 2,000 jobs.

Another 2,000 positions will be cut in its information systems and global solutions, mission system and training, and space systems units by 2014's end.

Lockheed Martin said it will shift work and some employees to facilities in Denver and Valley Forge, Pa. The company is also reviewing other possible plants to which it could relocate programs, including facilities in Owego, N.Y. and Orlando, Fla.

Lockheed Martin said it has cut its workforce to 116,000 employees from 146,000 since 2008.

Last month the company said that revenue would decline "slightly" next year on likely federal budget cuts.

Shares dipped 5 cents to $137.21 in morning trading. The stock is up 49 percent this year.

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Boeing machinists voting on contract extension

SEATTLE — About 20,000 Boeing machinists in the Puget Sound area are voting Wednesday on an eight-year contract extension the company says it needs to assemble the new 777X in Washington state.

Some members of International Association of Machinists District 751 have called for a no vote, protesting concessions Boeing Co. wants in pension and health benefits. President Tom Wroblewski called it an emotional decision but said union members should consider what's best for their families.

On Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation passed in a special session of the state Legislature giving tax breaks to Boeing as part of the 777X deal. They are valued at $9 billion through 2040.

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UN: 21 nations take up polio 'emergency'

GENEVA — Some 21 nations in the Middle East and nearby regions have jointly made the eradication of polio an emergency priority and recognized that Pakistan is a key part of the problem, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The joint resolution by nations who are part of the U.N. health agency's Eastern Mediterranean region have called on Pakistan to urgently vaccinate all of its children to prevent the virus from spreading internationally.

Pakistan also approved the resolution, which the Geneva-based agency says includes Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The problem is particularly challenging in Pakistan, where a U.N.-backed eradication campaign has suffered from violence and mistrust directed against polio workers and people who want their children vaccinated.

Earlier this week, WHO officials said the polio virus has now been confirmed in 13 of 22 children who became paralyzed in a northern Syrian province. The health agency said the Syria outbreak comes from a strain that originated in Pakistan, where, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, it is endemic — and has been spreading across the Middle East.

It said the virus has been detected in Egypt, and closely related strains of Pakistani origin turned up in sewage samples in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but higher immunization rates in those places have helped keep the virus in check.

A third of the nations in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region are conducting mass polio vaccination programs, the agency said, and more such campaigns are planned for December.

The nations in those regions also said they are trying to improve access for health workers to reach children who have not yet been vaccinated. WHO said its emergency "outbreak response" to polio in Syria and the region is expected to continue at least six to eight months more.

In Syria, WHO and UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency, are trying to work with other humanitarian agencies to reach more of the millions of people affected by the civil war including unvaccinated children.

The two agencies "are coordinating the vaccination campaign with all concerned parties to make sure that all children are vaccinated no what where they are located," said Dr. Jaouad Mahjour, head of communicable diseases prevention and control for WHO's regional office.

Pakistan, which had 198 confirmed polio cases in 2011 — the highest number of any nation in the world that year — cut that number down to 58 in 2012 through an aggressive vaccination program.

But the program has been marred by violence carried out by militants who oppose the U.N. and government-led vaccinations, claiming it is meant to sterilize Muslim children.

In October, in a village outside the provincial capital of Peshawar, a bomb explosion killed a police officer and a member of a volunteer peace committee when it went off next to van carrying Pakistani security guards who were protecting workers carrying out an anti-polio drive in the country's northwest.

In May, Pakistani authorities had to suspend a four-day vaccination program after gunmen shot dead a female polio worker and wounded another.

The militants' suspicions stem from the CIA's use of a Pakistani doctor from an immunization program in the hunt for Osama bin Laden two years ago. The militants also accuse polio workers of spying for the U.S. government, and two Pakistani Taliban militants banned the polio work from two tribal regions due to opposition to U.S. drone strikes.

Those suspicions were reinforced by the disclosure that the CIA also used a Pakistani doctor for a hepatitis vaccination program to try to get blood samples from bin Laden's family before U.S. commandos killed him in May 2011.

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Too much? Lady Gaga saturates market

There's just one way to escape the blitz surrounding Lady Gaga's new album: completely unplug from society.

To kick off the release of her new album, "Artpop," this week, the entertainer, never known for understatement, has been omnipresent.

She began with a huge release party Sunday where she debuted Volantis, billed as the "world's first flying dress." She floated about 6 feet above the floor before performing at the event, streamed live on Vevo.

The next day, she opened pop-up "Artpop" stores in New York and Los Angeles, where Gaga-related merchandise was sold, and she was one of the main honorees at Glamour's Women of the Year ceremony. On Wednesday, she was due to appear at the opening of an H&M store in New York's Times Square.

She's scheduled to tackle hosting and performance duties on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," and she redesigned the Life section logo of USA Today in her image — the first time the newspaper has had a celebrity do so. The newspaper also featured an interview with the superstar. And a concert special with Ryan Seacrest is set to air on the CW Network next week.

Gaga's publicity push leading up to the debut of "Artpop" could be described much like the singer herself — eye-catching, unique, daring and, of course, over the top. It comes amid mixed reviews for the album, the departure of her longtime manager and questions about whether Gaga-mania might be on the wane outside her core Little Monsters. The album's first single, "Applause," remains a top 10 hit, but was considered a bit of an underperformer compared with her previous hits.

Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director, thinks folks wondering if the 27-year-old is approaching her expiration date are missing the point.

"She's presenting an artistic view of pop music that's a lot more challenging than anything else that's even approaching the top of our charts now. She is risking her top success for the sake of art, and I think a lot of people don't get that," Werde said after viewing Sunday's show online.

"You have to really appreciate how conservative most pop fans are in the world. They don't necessarily want their music dipped in art. They don't want to see pop stars come out for a performance wearing a terrifying scarecrow mask," he added.

It's what we've come to expect from Gaga, however. Her career has been as much about performance art as music. After all, this is the woman who has paraded around in a dress made of meat, assumed a male alter-ego for an awards show, arrived at another in an egg and stripped naked onstage in Europe last month.

Some have questioned whether her antics resonate these days, especially when Miley Cyrus draws weeks of headlines by twerking onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards. Gaga's performance at that show barely rated a blip at the water cooler the next morning.

Gaga's supporters, though, warn against viewing her in the short term. They believe she's built something more durable. Kid Kelly, SiriusXM's vice president of music programming, hosted an interview session with Gaga last week that drew an eclectic crowd that ranged from pre-teen to middle age.

"She has a vision for what she does as an artist, but not necessarily like you're on the assembly line of creating formulaic hits," Kelly said. "She's a genius, the way she presents, the way she acts, the way she's thinking constantly about innovating and re-innovating herself, the way she is very, very forward thinking. She understands her audience I think better than most people give her credit for."

"Artpop" is Gaga's fourth full-length album, and comes after a forced hiatus. A hip injury sidelined her and forced her to cancel her tour last year. In a brief interview before her Sunday performance, Gaga said that time off gave her some perspective.

"You know what I realized? That I don't need to reinvent myself. What I realized is that in your lifetime, if you have one really great idea, run with it. And run all the way to outer space if you can," she said. "If you believe in yourself and you work hard, rehearse and have discipline, these ideas could take us to the moon."

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AP Writer John Carucci in New York contributed to this report.

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Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott .

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Online:

http://ladygaga.com

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Swift has a spot on Victoria's Secret sexy catwalk

NEW YORK — Taylor Swift is set to share the catwalk with the Victoria's Secret Angels on Wednesday at the lingerie retailer's annual fashion show.

Swift is the headliner with performances also planned by Fall Out Boy, A Great Big World and Neon Jungle. The show is taped at Manhattan's Lexington Avenue Armory to air Dec. 10 on CBS.

The parade of models in lacy undergarments with elaborate trimmings of feathers, sequins and ribbons has become part of the holiday TV landscape. This year's honor of wearing the most bejeweled bra, valued at $10 million and covered in diamonds, rubies and sapphires, goes to model Candice Swanepoel (swan-e-POOL).

At her fitting earlier this month, Karlie Kloss said that while the outfits are skimpy, they take months to make.

The question is: Will Swift don a pair of Victoria's Secret's signature wings?

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Follow Samantha Critchell and AP fashion coverage on Twitter at @Sam_Critchell and @AP_Fashion

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Motorola unveils budget smartphone, aimed at world

NEW YORK — Motorola is making a cheaper smartphone aimed at emerging markets and budget-conscious consumers in the U.S.

The company, which is owned by Google Inc., says the new Moto G phone runs recent Android software and has processors, screens and other components approaching what's found in many high-end phones. But it's just a third of the price.

The phone starts at $179 without a contract requirement. Contract-free prices for leading phones typically exceed $600. The starting price is for a phone with 8 gigabytes of storage. Most phones have at least 16 gigabytes. Moto G costs $199 for a 16-gigabyte version.

Moto G will have a removable back to allow for customization. Motorola's flagship Moto X also allows customization, but it must be ordered in advance and can't be changed.

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Markets unmoved by Chinese policy promises

LONDON — Markets were largely unmoved Tuesday by a promise from China's political leaders for the free market to play a bigger role in the country's state-dominated economy.

At the end of a four-day meeting aimed at producing a reform blueprint for the coming decade, Communist Party leaders said state ownership will remain a pillar of the economy but endorsed private companies as "important components."

China has become the world's number 2 economy through a growth model that's been based on exports and investment. However, reform advocates say further progress will require smaller and medium sized enterprises having a bigger role over big, politically favored state companies.

Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics, said his initial sense was that the meeting has fallen short of expectations, though conceded it would be "foolish" to make a snap judgment.

"Some disappointment was probably inevitable given the unrealistic belief in some quarters that it would deliver a detailed policy package," he said.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.2 percent at 6,713 while Germany's DAX fell the same rate to 9,090. The CAC-40 in France was 0.4 percent lower at 4,275.

A day after hitting an all-time closing high, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.1 percent at 15,768. The broader S&P 500 index, which is also just shy of its record high, fell 0.2 percent to 1,768.

Whether stock indexes, not just in the U.S., can push on further could rest on what the Federal Reserve does with regard to its monetary stimulus. For weeks, the prevailing view in markets has been that the Fed won't start reducing its $85 billion of monthly asset purchases until March. However, a run of recent economic data have raised expectations that the so-called "tapering" may begin as soon as next month.

In that context, much of the focus in financial markets will be on Janet Yellen's testimony to U.S. lawmakers this Thursday. Yellen has been tapped to replace Ben Bernanke as Fed chairman at the end of January, 2014.

Earlier, Asian stock markets mostly closed higher ahead of the statement from the Chinese authorities. Tokyo's Nikkei jumped 2.2 percent to 14,588.68 as the yen suffered against the dollar, a move that could boost the competitive position of Japan's exporters. The dollar was up 0.6 percent at 99.71 yen.

South Korea's Kospi rose 0.9 percent to 1,995.48 while China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.8 percent to 2,126.77. The PSE Composite in Manila gained 0.9 percent to 6,324.17 after dropping the day before. The Philippines is grappling with the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Thousands are believed dead and shattered communications and transportation links are hampering recovery efforts.

Bucking the trend, Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.2 percent to 22,899.38 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.1 percent to 5,393.10.

Elsewhere, the euro was up 0.2 percent at $1.3431 and the price of benchmark New York crude fell 27 cents to $94.87 a barrel.

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Youkyung Lee in Seoul, South Korea and Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report.

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India's industrial output picks up in September

MUMBAI, India — India's industrial production picked up by 2 percent in September over the previous year. The expansion in output was a welcome sign of life for Asia's third-largest economy, which has been growing at its slowest pace in a decade.

The growth was led by a 12.9 expansion in electricity but showed an anemic manufacturing uptick of just 0.6 percent. The mining sector was up 3.3 percent.

Weak demand has been tamping down industrial output in India as inflation combined with weak growth and a falling rupee make consumers reluctant to spend.

September's Index of Industrial Production numbers were stronger than the previous month's combined expansion of just 0.6 percent.

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Court won't overturn Rasta pictures decision

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from a photographer who said that painter Richard Prince violated his copyrights with paintings and collages based on the photographer's published works.

The high court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal from Patrick Cariou, who said Prince used pictures that were taken by Cariou for his book "Yes, Rasta."

Cariou took the pictures during six years he lived with Rastafarians in Jamaica. Prince altered and incorporated several of the photographs in a series of paintings and collages titled "Canal Zone," exhibited in 2007 and 2008.

But the federal courts said Prince transformed most of the pictures enough so that Prince's art could be considered a "fair use" of Cariou's work. The Supreme Court refused to reconsider that decision.

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Wal-Mart steps up competition for holiday shopping

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Tuesday that it will start offering its holiday deals at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving at its stores — two hours earlier than last year.

The world's largest retailer will stagger holiday deals throughout the night and into "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving that's traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.

The company also said that it will increase its stock of TVs by 65 percent and double the number of tablet computers for sale that weekend. It's also bulking up the list of guaranteed popular items that it will sell in designated sections of its store to 21, from three last year.

Wal-Mart is responding to what's expected to be a fiercely competitive holiday shopping season. Black Friday has traditionally been the official kickoff to the period, but in the last few years, that start has crept into Thanksgiving. This year, stores including Macy's Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp. are opening for the first time on Thanksgiving evening. And other stores, including Best Buy Co., announced earlier on Thanksgiving.

Most of Wal-Mart's 4,000 U.S. namesake stores are already open 24 hours year-round. But the company is concentrating on offering holiday deals on Thanksgiving.

During a media call Monday, Duncan McNaughton, executive vice president and chief merchandising and marketing officer at Wal-Mart's U.S. namesake division, said the discounter carefully studied the competitive landscape when it decided to start the deals earlier at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving.

"Everyone's moved up this year so it will be a new dynamic," McNaughton said.

For online shoppers, Wal-Mart will be offering special deals starting Thanksgiving morning, some of which will be the same as those offered at the sales events at the stores later in the evening.

The stakes are high for retailers since the holiday season accounts for up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, expects an increase of 3.9 percent to $602.1 billion in holiday sales.

There's also more pressure on retailers this year because the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is six days shorter than in 2012.

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GlaxoSmithKline drug fails in late-stage study

GlaxoSmithKline says a potential heart disease treatment it acquired as part of a key 2012 company takeover fell short in the main measurement of a late-stage study.

The British drugmaker says darapladib failed to produce a statistically significant reduction in major cardiovascular events like heart attacks, strokes or death when added to a patient's standard of care. More than 15,000 patients enrolled in the international study of adults with chronic coronary heart disease.

GlaxoSmithKline says the study results are preliminary. It will wait for results from a separate late-stage study before deciding what to do next.

The pharmaceutical company acquired the experimental treatment when it bought drug development partner Human Genome Sciences for more than $3 billion.

U.S.-traded shares of GlaxoSmithKline are down 2 percent in premarket trading.

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Ex-Celtic Pierce selling Boston-area home

LINCOLN, Mass. — Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce is following Kevin Garnett's lead and selling his Boston-area home.

Pierce, who along with Garnett was traded in June to the Brooklyn Nets, has put his Lincoln home on the market for almost $2.65 million.

That's a bargain compared to Garnett's former Concord home, which was put up for sale last month for $5.85 million.

The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/1gD3KkQ) reports that Pierce's 7,300-square-foot house has five bedrooms and bathrooms, custom cabinetry, a gourmet kitchen, and windows overlooking a large private backyard.

The listing says the "gracious, architect-designed contemporary combines sleek design with traditional attention to detail, such as the beautiful use of woods and quality craftsmanship."

The pair helped lead the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com

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Transocean agrees to deal with Icahn

NEW YORK — Oil driller Transocean has agreed to a deal with billionaire investor Carl Icahn after a months-long proxy fight.

The company said Monday that it has agreed to support a dividend of $3 per share and reduce the size of its board. It is also looking to boost margins by $800 million through cost-cutting efforts and other measures. The stock climbed in premarket trading.

Icahn, a minority shareholder in Transocean Ltd., had previously pushed for a $4 per share dividend but Transocean's shareholders rejected it. Icahn, known for shaking up companies in which he invests, had also wanted several board changes.

Transocean Ltd. said it agreed to support the re-election of Samuel Merksamer and election of Vincent Intrieri, both Icahn staffers. Merksamer was elected to Transocean's board at its 2013 annual meeting.

The company also agreed to reduce its board to 11 directors from 14. It previously proposed trimming the board's size at its 2011 annual meeting but it didn't meet the quorum requirements and the proposal wasn't voted on. Transocean said if the quorum requirement isn't met at the 2014 meeting, it plans to leave three board seats vacant.

Transocean said it will also pursue converting the company to a master limited partnership, saying that move could provide more financial flexibility. It anticipates an initial public offering of a master limited partnership being completed around the middle of next year. The offering needs the approval of Transocean's board.

Transocean said that as part of the deal with Icahn, the Icahn Group has agreed to vote in favor of the company's board nominees and certain other proposals it may recommend at the 2014 meeting.

In May Transocean's shareholders voted out Chairman J. Michael Talbert. He had been Transocean's CEO from 1994 to 2002 and served three terms as chairman before his ouster.

Transocean, based in Switzerland, owned the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, triggering a massive offshore oil spill. The company agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with the Justice Department for its role in the disaster.

Transocean's stock added $1.18, or 2.2 percent, to $54.63 in premarket trading about three hours before the market open.

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Markets remain solid despite Fed tapering talk

LONDON — Upbeat U.S. economic figures shored up global markets Monday even though there are growing expectations that the Federal Reserve could begin to reduce its monetary stimulus next month. Shares in the Philippines fell after a devastating typhoon.

Last week, a round of U.S. economic data, including Friday's better-than-expected nonfarm payrolls report, ratcheted up expectations that the Fed will soon start "tapering" its $85 billion worth of asset purchases.

Some analysts think that the positive response in markets may indicate that the fear of the tapering — dominant for much of this year — has reduced and investors are now more willing to view strong economic news as a reason to buy stocks. After all, a growing U.S. economy will help corporate profits.

"Equities are not selling off as they have previously," said Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari. "Maybe the 'good news is bad news' scenario is finally becoming a thing of the past."

Following strong gains in much of Asia outside the typhoon-stricken Philippines, trading in Europe was solid. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.2 percent at 6,722 while Germany's DAX rose the same rate to 9,099. The CAC-40 in France was 0.3 percent higher at 4,275.

Wall Street was set for a solid opening, with Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures 0.1 percent higher. However, trading is expected to be light as much of the country is on holiday for Veteran's Day — bond markets are closed, for example.

Earlier, in Asia, the focus was on the Philippines after a typhoon devastated the eastern Philippines, killing thousands of people. Manila's main exchange, the PSE Composite, dropped 1.4 percent to 6,265.23 as the country grappled with the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Authorities estimated that up to 10,000 people may have died. But the government, stunned by the scale of the disaster, has not given an official death toll yet.

Elsewhere, investors were also waiting to see if China's communist leaders, who started a four-day meeting in Beijing on Saturday, would announce reform plans to bolster the world's No. 2 economy as it comes under pressure from industrial overcapacity, high debt and surging house prices.

China's Shanghai Composite rebounded from earlier losses to gain 0.2 percent at 2,109.47. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.3 percent to 14,269.34 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.4 percent to 23,059.98 However, Seoul's Kospi dropped 0.4 percent to 1,977.30 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3 percent to 5,387.10.

Trading was lackluster in other financial markets. Among currencies, the euro was up 0.3 percent at $1.3395 while the dollar fell 0.1 percent to 99.15 yen.

In commodities, the benchmark New York rate for crude oil was down 30 cents at $94.30 a barrel.

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Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia contributed to this report.

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Stocks open lower following Dow's record last week

NEW YORK — Stocks are retreating from record highs in early trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 15 points to 15,746 in early trading Monday. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell two points to 1,769. The Nasdaq composite fell nine points to 3,910.

Investors this week will look for evidence that Americans are ready to start spending for the holidays. Macy's, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom and Kohl's report quarterly results.

Macy's on Wednesday will be the first major retailer to announce its quarterly results.

Last week, encouraging news about U.S. hiring lifted the Dow to an all-time high.

Bond markets are closed Monday for the Veterans Day holiday.

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Venezuela to toughen price controls, set profits

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is extending price controls and will place limits on profits as he extends attempts to curb the galloping inflation that is eroding support for his rule.

Maduro made the announcement in a late-night television address Sunday in which he also vowed to step up inspections of businesses selling shoes, clothing, automobiles and other goods to make sure they aren't gouging consumers.

"We can't just close the businesses; the owners have to go to jail," Maduro said in an impassioned speech in which he cited Jewish, Muslim and Christian texts to harangue businessmen he accuses of usury. "We can't allow our hard currency to be used to rob people through the sale of these goods."

Huge crowds of government loyalists and opponents formed outside appliance stores over the weekend after Maduro ordered the military to occupy the Daka chain of electronic stores and slash by more than half prices for washing machines, televisions and other white goods.

While soldiers with assault rifles were deployed to keep bargain hunters in check, at least one Daka store, in the country's third largest city of Valencia, was looted by unruly crowds, according to photos and videos posted online.

Maduro Sunday night urged Venezuelans to remain calm, saying that he won't allow the "parasitic bourgeoisie" to overcharge consumers ever again.

To that end, he vowed to place percentage limits on profit margins if congress approves a bill granting him special powers.

Free-market economists say such a move would exacerbate shortages that reached a record in October, according to the central bank. They say that to stabilize the economy, and shore up a currency whose black market value is a ninth of the official rate, the government needs to lift capital controls put in place a decade ago by former President Hugo Chavez and devalue the bolivar.

That's a notion Maduro rejects.

The president argues that Venezuela's inflation, which is running at 54 percent, is the result of hoarding and speculation by his opponents in Venezuela and in the U.S., and that South America's biggest oil producer has more than enough dollars to pay for imports. If not for the "economic war" being waged by his opponents, inflation should be running around 16 to 18 percent, he said Sunday night.

If Maduro does yield, he's unlikely to do so before next month's municipal elections, which the opposition is trying to turn into a referendum on his seven-month administration.

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Housing 100 vets in 100 days

As the country honors its servicemen and servicewomen tomorrow, Navy veteran Tim Pollard will be able to mark the holiday this year in the comfort of his own home.

The 62-year-old is settling into a Boston apartment thanks to a public/private initiative to find homes for 100 of the city's homeless vets in 100 days.

After the death of his brother, for whom he had been an in-home caregiver, Pollard found himself homeless in 2011. He turned to the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, where he had been living until landing his apartment a month ago with rental assistance through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program.

"It's a beautiful apartment — a second-floor walkup, one bedroom," he said. "I can't beat the location. Awesome is the closest word I can describe."

Pollard had bunked dormitory-style for nearly 2 1⁄2 years at the Court Street center, where he now works part-time in security and operations. "I just wanted to get back on my feet, get reoriented again, try to get some kind of steady employment and get housing," he said. "It's been rough, but if it wasn't for (the center), I don't know what I would have done."

The city's Department of Neighborhood Development is leading the "Home of the Brave" initiative to house 100 vets as part of the federal government's goal to end homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015. It's joined by the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, the Pine Street Inn and HomeStart.

The agencies created a registry of homeless vets looking for housing. Twenty-six got housing through VASH vouchers, 28 moved in with family or friends, 19 are renting private apartments, and the rest are in homes through subsidy programs such as Section 8. Each gets support services to ensure they're able to remain housed.

Though the goal is to help 100 homeless vets, the city will sustain the effort, said Elizabeth Doyle, Boston's deputy director for supportive housing. "We've uncovered some places where we can improve," she said. "We can coordinate better. We can make sure the right resources are getting to the right veterans. We're hoping to attract some landlords also."

An annual city census of homeless vets conducted last December documented 457 in Boston.

"One is too many," said Andy McCawley, CEO of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans. "We see veterans in their 20s and veterans in their 80s. We have been serving an increasing number ... from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."

To make vets' transition into housing easier, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance is soliciting funds and items such as furniture, new mattresses and basic household items.

Pollard, meanwhile, is trying to get his apartment furnished before the holidays. "I'm keeping everything minimized because settling in, you do have to watch your pennies," he said.

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Cos. left to their own devices

Venture capital funding for one of the Bay State's key industries — medical device companies — is drying up, forcing startups to adapt and become mature quicker than in the past, according to industry insiders.

"In terms of VC funding, we're really in a lull," said Debbie Paul, CEO Americas of EvaluatePharma USA, which presented a state of the industry report to investors and others last week.

Funding for medical device companies dropped in 2012 for the first time in years, and seems to be on track to finish this year at the same level, Paul said.

Paul said investors are looking for a clear path to return on investment from a company before putting money in, a definite shift in mentality. She said companies now have to have more than just a great idea to get the funding they need.

"It's not just a business plan, it's not just having a thoughtful exit strategy, it's really thinking about who's your key target market," she said. "You have to be a sure bet to get the funding unless you've got really innovative technology."

Paul said another thing startups have to consider now is how their devices will be reimbursable by insurance companies.

Donna Brezinski, founder and CEO of Little Sparrows Technologies, said her focus as she looks for investors is the specifics of her product, a low-cost tent that addresses neo-natal jaundice.

It's "really identifying the market, identifying the customer," she said.

Still, there are options for those who can't find venture capital funding.

"If you're a startup and you can't get VC money, I think you'd know you need to talk to more angel investors," Paul said. "They may be filling a gap traditional venture financing may be opening."

Still, Brezinski is confident about her early-stage company and is optimistic about getting funding.

"Massachusetts in and of itself is an incredibly supportive and rich environment for early start startups," she said. "I don't think it's impossible."

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Here’s a primer on continuously variable transmissions

I read your column with interest each Saturday in a local newspaper and was wondering if you would be willing to comment on the pros and cons of continuously variable transmissions (CVT) and multi-geared transmissions.

Absolutely! So that everyone is on the same page, let's identify what a CVT transmission is. It's important to recognize that the purpose of any automotive transmission is twofold — transmit engine power to the drive wheels and to optimize vehicle performance at any and all speeds by keeping the engine in its most efficient RPM range as much as possible.

Multi-gear transmissions have historically been the transmission of choice for this purpose. Either manually — the driver selects each gear with a lever — or automatically selecting individual gear ratios based on road speed and load, these transmissions do a reasonably efficient job of keeping the engine in its "power band" at varying road speeds.

But, of course, road speed is infinitely variable, and these transmissions have only a fixed number of gear ratios. Remember the original GM Dynaflow and Powerglide transmissions? They had only two forward gears, coupled to a torque converter to multiply engine torque. Today's electronically controlled automatic transmissions feature up to eight forward speeds to help optimize efficiency and performance.

CVTs feature a drive belt riding between variable pulleys. The pulleys change diameter in proportion to speed and load by varying the distance between the inner and outer tapered "sheaves." When starting from a stop or under heavy load, the engine-driven pulley is smaller and the driveline pulley is proportionally larger so that engine RPM is higher, providing more torque to the drive pulley. As vehicle speed rises, the engine pulley gets larger in diameter while the driveline pulley gets proportionally smaller, meaning the engine is turning lower RPM as it drives the vehicle at a higher speed.

The fundamental advantage of CVTs is their ability to keep the engine in a very narrow, highly efficient RPM range to maximize performance, efficiency and fuel mileage.

Snowmobiles, ATVs and some motorcycles have had CVTs for decades, and they have been used in cars since at least the early 1960s. In fact, the very first vehicle I ever drove — in 1960 at age 11 on a long, looping private driveway — was a very small Dutch-built DAF with a belt-driven, variable-ratio CVT.

While engineers and carmakers have known the advantages of CVTs for decades, it wasn't until relatively recently that technology has provided a drive belt for them that could handle the much higher horsepower and torque of today's engines. The belts are no longer fabric and rubber; they are steel and provide the strength and durability necessary for modern automobiles.

Driving a CVT-equipped vehicle is a somewhat peculiar experience. Under acceleration, engine speed rapidly climbs into its optimum RPM range, which tends to create a sense of slippage although none is occurring, and the vehicle speed "catches up" to engine speed. When slowing, engine speed falls until re-accelerating when RPM jumps back up and vehicle speed starts "catching up" again. The engine, under load, is always operating in its most efficient RPM range, maximizing performance and fuel economy.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. We cannot provide personal replies.

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Health law's troubles give GOP a much-needed boost

WASHINGTON — The health care law's seemingly endless problems are giving congressional Republicans a much-needed boost by helping them move past the government shutdown debacle and focus on a theme for the 2014 elections.

Republicans' approval ratings plunged during last month's partial shutdown and worrisome talk of a possible U.S. debt default.

Now the GOP is back on offense.

Republicans pillory administration officials at congressional hearings.

They note that millions of people are losing their medical insurance despite President Barack Obama's promise that it wouldn't happen.

And they point to the program's flawed enrollment process.

Conservative groups are pouring money into ad campaigns reminding voters that many Democrats had promised that Americans could keep their current insurance policies.

These groups are especially targeting Democratic senators facing tough races next year.

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Mass. activists push for domestic worker rights

BOSTON — Employment rights activists are going to the Massachusetts Statehouse to call for stronger protections for domestic workers.

They'll be pressing a legislative committee on Tuesday to pass a bill that would require employers of domestic workers to provide a maximum of 40 hours of earned sick time a year.

Employers also would be barred from monitoring a domestic worker's private communications and could not force workers to pay for food or lodging unless the worker voluntarily and freely chooses to accept.

Activists say domestic workers are often the target of exploitation and are more vulnerable than employees in other workplaces.

A hearing before the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Statehouse.

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