Acceleration

The grocery chain rose on possible acquisition speculation after it changed payout mechanisms for executives in the event of a takeover. The Pleasanton, Calif.,-based company adopted a "double-trigger vesting acceleration" that may require executives to continue working at the company to get their full vested payout if it is bought, according to a March 28 filing.

In the same way that smart young people from all over flock to New England to get smarter, the region is now becoming a destination for first-time founders who come to participate in "accelerator" programs. They come from Philadelphia, Paris, and Tel Aviv for three-month stints, soaking up advice from more experienced entrepreneurs, honing their products or services, and eventually presenting in front of an audience of investors. Incredibly, some accelerators are pickier than Harvard about who gets in. This year, Harvard accepted about 6 percent of applicants.

MIAMI — Toyota shareholders incensed over a sudden drop in the Japanese automaker’s stock price are heading to court with lawsuits claiming company executives deliberately misled investors and the public about the seriousness of accelerator problems in its vehicles. At least three proposed class-action lawsuits filed by investors say the company gave false initial assurances that the sudden acceleration problem was simply floor mats trapping gas pedals, helping to prop up the stock price.

Sir Isaac Newton taught us that mass times acceleration equals force. When a 6-foot-3-inch, 346-pound man (mass) runs a 40-yard dash in 4.98 seconds (acceleration), NFL observers start to think he could be quite a force in the middle of a defensive line. Dontari Poe is that potential force. The Memphis defensive tackle was the talk of Indianapolis during the NFL combine when he posted his 40-yard time, a 29 ½-inch vertical leap, and bench-pressed 225 pounds 44 times.

You're a pretty good skier and on a groomed, blue trail you look like Daron Rahlves. You can get down a black diamond as long as it is not too bumpy and is wide enough to traverse edge to edge. Big bumps, wild tree runs in outback country, ungroomed powder, and cornice shoots -- you'll leave that insane stuff to the high-flying hot dogs on those Warren Miller films, right? Well, if you've ever wanted to break out of that neatly groomed plateau and try gamier stuff, there is a way. Next week at Wildcat Mountain, Dan Egan -- a professional extreme skier who has appeared in many of those Warren Miller...

So here's the hole story. When the folks at Buick were ready to launch their latest attempt to lower the average age of a loyal customer base that is ripening faster than blue cheese in the sun, they decided to look to the past to find the future. The result: It designed the new Lucerne with four holes on each front quarter panel, rimmed in chrome. Back in the day (circa Buick mid-1950s) they were called VentiPorts and were considered a sign of moving on up. But in 2006, let's just call them ports.

Antowain Smith's teammates call him "Big Back. " The New England Patriots are faced with a big decision regarding their 6-foot-2-inch, 232-pound tailback, namely whether or not to bring him back. Sunday Smith grinded out 83 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in the Patriots' 32-29 Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers in his hometown of Houston. Smith did not attend the team's victory parade Tuesday; he stayed behind in Houston. He missed seeing an estimated 1.5 million fans pack the streets of downtown Boston, but, depending on what his employer decides over the next several days, he may have...

Federal safety regulators are investigating sticky accelerators in as many as 1.9 million Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started the probe last week and expanded it on Monday to include cars from the 2001 through 2006 model years. The safety agency has received 14 complaints of Taurus sedans accelerating on their own. So far it has no reports of crashes or injuries because of the problem. A faulty cruise control cable may be the cause.

Sir Isaac Newton taught us that mass times acceleration equals force. When a 6-foot-3-inch, 346-pound man (mass) runs a 40-yard dash in 4.98 seconds (acceleration), NFL observers start to think he could be quite a force in the middle of a defensive line. Dontari Poe is that potential force. The Memphis defensive tackle was the talk of Indianapolis during the NFL combine when he posted his 40-yard time, a 29 1/2-inch vertical leap, and bench-pressed 225 pounds 44 times.

THERE'S THE BANKER who turned her family tragedy into a crusade against violence. The hiker who lost his legs, then built a bionic ankle system that is helping war veterans walk and run. The athlete who banned soda and junk food from an urban school and taught the kids to love their vegetables. These are The Boston Globe's 2012 Most Innovative in Massachusetts- a dozen pioneering individuals who embody the creativity and ambition that distinguish our state. We found them with your help.

The grocery chain rose on possible acquisition speculation after it changed payout mechanisms for executives in the event of a takeover. The Pleasanton, Calif.,-based company adopted a "double-trigger vesting acceleration" that may require executives to continue working at the company to get their full vested payout if it is bought, according to a March 28 filing.

DETROIT - Regulators are investigating sticky accelerators in more than 1.9 million Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans from the 2001 through 2006 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 14 people have complained about the problem. No crashes or injuries have been reported. Drivers have said it was hard to stop the car with the brakes alone. Several said they shut off the engine or shifted into neutral to stop. The agency says the cruise control cable may become detached and hold the throttle open.

Federal safety regulators are investigating sticky accelerators in as many as 1.9 million Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started the probe last week and expanded it on Monday to include cars from the 2001 through 2006 model years. The safety agency has received 14 complaints of Taurus sedans accelerating on their own. So far it has no reports of crashes or injuries because of the problem. A faulty cruise control cable may be the cause.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Carl Crawford has bat in hand, but he's waiting to hear when he can resume normal activities after resting his sore left wrist for a week. Crawford said he's still swinging one-handed and said he "might" start throwing again, but hasn't received the OK. Veteran Aaron Cook thinks he has enough time to make up lost time as a result of being held back so he doesn't overdue with his shoulder, which has been a problem if he does too much too early in camp. Cook pitched two innings yesterday and said he felt fine.

NEW YORK - Oil prices took a breather yesterday, falling slightly as investors booked some profits after a seven-day surge. Retail gasoline prices continued to climb, adding five cents over the weekend for a national average of $3.70 per gallon. The average price for gas in Massachusetts was $3.689 a gallon in the latest weekly survey from AAA, up 8 cents from the previous week, AAA Southern New England said. It is the 10th straight week of increases; the average is now 21 cents a gallon higher than a month ago. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts...

Dunkin' Brands Inc., the parent company of the Dunkin' Donuts and the Baskin-Robbins chains, said it has signed an agreement that makes National DCP LLC the exclusive supply chain provider for all Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the continental United States. According to a press release from Canton-based Dunkin' Brands, the agreement will enable it to accelerate its ambitious US expansion plans. On its website, National DCP says it's a cooperative that is owned and operated by the franchisees of the Dunkin' Brands system. It was established in...

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are routinely given a harsh hormone therapy treatment for four months - it suppresses the production of the male sex hormone testosterone - but little was known about how effective that treatment was at increasing the odds of survival in those with early- and intermediate-stage disease. So researchers decided to test whether giving the drugs along with radiation treatments could prolong a patient's life. The answer, according to a study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, is no and yes: no, the drugs - such as...

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Rick Santorum spent the last Saturday afternoon before the Tuesday presidential nominating caucus hopping between towns in Marion County, making his final pitch to voters who gave Mike Huckabee a huge margin in 2008. "We're doing a little speed-dating here in the last day or two," Santorum told a group of only about 15 voters who turned up at the Sprint Car Hall of Fame, next to a racing oval and grandstand in Knoxville. He spent about half an hour among the antique racing cars and displays of memorabilia, compared to his usual town hall meetings of an hour.