DANVILLE: Revenues rise with sales

Freeman “Sonnie” Shelton knew he would have to do something to maintain his Pizza Hut customer base.

The owner of the Danville location was aware that officials with a restaurant chain like Applebee’s were looking at plots of land where they could locate a business should the city vote to allow limited alcohol sales in restaurants.

When the vote passed, Shelton opted to secure a liquor license for his establishment in 2003.

“It was just something you have to do for survival,” he said. “In the restaurant business, if others are doing it and I don’t, I’m going to lose (customers).”

Although other Pizza Hut locations across the country offer frozen drinks and other alcoholic beverages, Shelton said his is the only one with a full service bar.

It is located in a separate room away from the main dining area, which seats around 121 patrons, according to Shelton.

The owner said his profi! ts have not increased exponentially since he began serving alcohol, but it has “helped maintain our customer base.”

Five years after voting to allow limited alcohol sales in city dining establishments, Danville has brought in four new restaurants; O’ Charley’s, Applebee’s, Woody’s and Beef O’ Brady’s.

Danville’s book of city ordinances has 15 pages dealing with the sale of alcoholic beverages, including a 5 percent license fee on the gross sales of liquor by the drink.

Steve Wolfgang, a member of the opposition movement, proposed that the city adopt an eight percent license fee.

“My deal was, ‘Look, if we’re going to have it, OK,’” Wolfgang said. “This is a democracy. I don’t have the right to impose my personal views on anybody else. I don’t think it’s a good idea, but if the people want it, then let’s generate enough revenue off of! it that we can buy another cruiser or more equipment for the ! police o r put another line for another officer in or whatever.”

Bridgette Milby, alcoholic beverage control coordinator (ABC) for Danville, said the exact percentage of a license fee is not specified in statutes, but is “whatever you feel like reasonably reimburses you for your cost or approximate.”

She added that nine Danville restaurants, a country club and a catering service presently have liquor licenses.

Revenue generated from these licensing fees pay for the ABC coordinator’s salary and helps offset costs for the police department, Milby said.

The passage of the local option also proved beneficial to Danville’s catering businesses.

“When we first had our vote, our caterers in town could not get a license to serve alcohol,” Milby said. “Since we’ve had (the vote), the legislature changed that. Caterers outside of Danville that had licenses in wet territories could come into Danville and ser! ve alcohol, but our caterers who worked here in our town could not.”

In 2002, the year of the local option vote, Danville’s city revenue was $7,578,017, according to information from the Kentucky League of Cities. By 2003, the revenue generated was $8,667,277 while city expenditures were $8,974,857.

Corresponding statistics for 2006 were $9,628,914 in revenue versus $9,500,351 in expenses.

Ben Lowe, owner of Beef O’ Bradys, a family sports pub, said he decided to open a location in Danville in March 2006 because he saw the success Applebee’s and O’ Charley’s were having.

Lowe also operates a restaurant in Lexington, which opened in February 2005.

“I would not put a location anywhere where it’s dry,” Lowe said, adding that the chain has a big NFL following on Sundays.

Since Danville does not have alcohol sales on Sunday, Lowe opted to only be open six days a week, which started ! in January.

“From a standpoint of an overall busi! ness jud gment, it was the right thing to do,” he said. “We just didn’t have the volume.”

Earlier this year, the Danville City Commission voted on an amendment to overturn the prohibition of Sunday sales. It was defeated 3-2.

Lowe said he was disappointed in the outcome.

“I thought they’d see their way clear to change,” he said. “If I’d known that was going to happen, I would not have located there.”

By: Wong Michael

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Wong Michael is an enthusiastic affiliate marketer who loves to see others to be successful online. Just email him at his personal email buddingpro80@gmail.com if you need to share your pro! blem with someone…

Source: http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/local/local_story_304183518.html
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Fed expected to cut rates for 2nd time

With oil prices soaring and the housing market sinking, the Federal Reserve is likely to combat the economic turmoil with more interest rate cuts.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues were wrapping up a two-day meeting Wednesday and many economists believe they will announce that they have decided to follow September's half-point cut in the federal funds rate with a quarter-point cut at this meeting.

"They are going to cut rates," predicted Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "The economy is weakening and financial markets remain unsettled."

Many analysts said this rate reduction probably will not be the last either, as the central bank keeps reducing rates to help the economy overcome a host of problems.

The Fed cut the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other, for the first time in four years at its September meeting, reducing it to 4.75 percent. Responding to that move, commercial bank! s cut their prime lending rate, the benchmark for millions of consumer and business loans, by a half-point as well to 7.75 percent.

The economy's troubles include the worst slump in housing in more than two decades and a credit crunch that roiled financial markets this summer when investors suddenly became concerned about mounting losses from defaults on subprime mortgages.

With lenders tightening mortgage standards, marking it harder for prospective buyers to qualify for loans, and defaults continuing to rise, the slump in housing has deepened.

Financial markets also have a new worry in the latest surge in oil prices. Crude oil prices have hit records above $93 per barrel.

The worry is that the combination of the deep slump in housing, a lingering credit-crunch and rising oil prices will severely dampen consumer spending, the economy's main growth engine, in the months ahead.

"The economy is facing a perfect storm right now of a crisis-re! lated tightening of credit, higher oil prices and lower house ! prices," said David Jones, chief economist at DMJ Advisors, a Denver forecasting firm. "We are going to see a significant slowing in growth."

Jones forecast that the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, will slow to a rate of 1.5 percent for this quarter and will dip even lower to a rate of 1.3 percent in the first three months of next year.

That sluggish pace would make the economy vulnerable to some type of economic shock that could push GDP growth into the negative territory that signals a recession.

"The consumer is getting squeezed right now between falling home prices and rising oil prices," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's in New York. "They have got to slow down. It is just a question of how much and how fast."

In two worrisome developments, the Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell for a third consecutive month in October, dropping to the lowest level in two years, while the S&P/Case-Shiller! Index of home prices, based on 20 cities around the country, dropped by a record 5 percent in August.

Many analysts believe that GDP growth in the just-completed July-September quarter came in at a solid rate of around 3.1 percent, down only slightly from the 3.8 percent growth rate in the spring.

But the ongoing credit and housing problems and the renewed surge of energy prices are expected to exact a toll in upcoming months with the economy not expected to regain its balance until mid-2008. Many analysts believe that in addition to a rate cut Wednesday, the Fed will cut rates at its final meeting of the year in December and possibly at its January meeting as well.

Lyle Gramley, a former Fed board member and now an economist with Stanford Financial Group, put the chances of a recession at around 40 percent, saying the Fed's primary concern right now is what is happening in housing and how much of a spillover that will have on the overall economy.

!

"It is possible that the housing industry will take us over! the edg e into a recession," he said, noting that every housing downturn of the past 60 years with the exception of two have triggered recessions.

By: dgorman2

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Source: http://www.modbee.com/local/pmupdates/story/107190.html
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My - Can You Hear Me Now' presidential campaign

My  “Can You Hear Me Now”  presidential campaign

And if there’s anyone in space.

What they’ll learn about the human race.

Will be listening to us

Talking on our car phone

— Roger McGuinn

In his book, The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman  said he  could run for President on one issue:  Making  American wireless technology as good as it is in the rest of the world.  

 Friedman said that if elected he would promise that  within four years  Americans would have cell phone coverage as good as Ghana.

In  eight years we would equal  Japan,  provided that we made Japan stop improving their technology while we catch up.

 He called  it the “Can You Hear Me Now” campaign.

 I’ve been waiting for Friedman to make his presidential move.  Since he is holding back, I am borrowing  his idea.

 If you want better cell phone coverage, vote for me.

 My campaign will ! be a refreshing break from the other announced candidates. I am not going to wave the flag and brag about America being first. The United States is   getting  its  tail  kicked in the battle  for  better communications  tools.  

 In the technology race,  the United States  looks like a football game where the  the world  draws  players from  the New England Patriots and the United States  get   their squad from a local high school.

 Instead of discussing whether  Barack Obama should  wear a flag on his lapel, we should make  Obama and the other  candidates wear  a miniature cell phone.  That would remind people  that we have some catching up to do.

 Go and visit  Japan.  You won’t have your cell phone conversations cut off in mid sentence and you can find wireless internet wherever you go.  The connections are a lot faster and reliable than anyone in the United States could imagine.

 People in  Japan wouldn’t understand the “ca! n you hear me now” television commercials.  They can hea! r each o ther everywhere.  

 Americans aren’t focused on my issue. Few travel the world and know how far behind weare.

 The United States used to understand the need for technological advancement.   Programs like the Tennessee Valley Authority and the national highway system showed vision.

 We need that kind of  leadership again.  We don’t appreciate the edge that technology can give business people.

 I’ve had a cell phone for over 20 years.  I paid thousands of dollars for my first one.   I carried it  in a bag larger than a suitcase.  It worked in three  Kentucky  cities and no where else.

 It wasn’t a status or a novelty item. It was a valuable communications tool that gave me an edge on my competitors.  

The kind of edge that other countries now have on the United States.

 I used my original cell phone in my car or when I could not find a phone booth.  I did not use it in church, in the middle of public me! etings or while standing in the checkout line at grocery stores.

 There is a  segment of America that wants cell phones to go away.   They probably wind up in the same grocery store lines I wind up in.

 I recently  stood in a line with 10 people.  All of them were talking on cell phones and the clerk was talking on her cell phone, holding it to her ear as she scanned items with her other hand. 

 She didn’t look up or engage anyone in conversation.   Outside of myself, no one was going to turn off their phones and talk to her anyway.

 My presidential  campaign may be overlooked by people tired of idle chatter and stupid ring tones.

 Ring tones might be my ticket to victory.

 When  people find that I can get them the neatest  and coolest  ring tones, it will motivate a new block of voters.

 There are people who spend more time thinking about ring tones than war, famine and the economy.   I understand completely.  I would ! vote for any presidential candidate who would  promise that I ! never ha ve to hear the “Louie Louie” ring tone again.

 Comedian Stephen Cobert is talking about running a campaign for president and only campaigning in his native state of South Carolina.  I might copy his idea and  run in  Kentucky.

 The Kentucky primary is late May, long after the presidential nominees will be decided. The vote will be completely irrelevant.

 Just as irrelevant as the  United States will be if we keep running technologically  behind the rest of the world.

  Don McNay is the Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group in Richmond Kentucky  and the author of Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery.  You can write to him at don@donmcnay.com or read other things he has written at www.donmcnay.com

By: Connie McKenzie

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Connie McKenzie, a proud work at home mom who devotes herself to doing the things she loves to do most. Family, friends, volunteer work, writing articles and affiliate marketing. Is working from home right for you? Watch the free video at => and discover how you too can be successful.

Source: http://www.thetimestribune.com/editorials/local_story_303092711.html?keyword=topstory
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Fire victims navigate recovery process

RAMONA, Calif. — Nichole Booth's hands were stained with ash from picking through the blackened and twisted pieces left of her life after an inferno engulfed everything she owned.

She tried not to cry in front of her four children. But in the few moments she can steal away, the tears spill down her cheeks.

Like so many others, Booth took the first steps toward rebuilding her life Monday, a week after a firestorm destroyed her San Diego County home and business.

"I feel ashamed. I've never had to ask for help. I don't know what to say to people," Booth says, her voice dropping to a whisper.

The wildfires, which destroyed more than 2,000 homes, continued to burn Monday. With more than a dozen blazes fully surrounded, firefighters were trying to gain control of six others that were at least half contained. The flames have killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from the Mexican border to Los Angeles.

In the weeks ahead, the Bo! oths and hundreds of other families who lost their homes will be at the mercy of the federal government for grants, loans and other assistance.

Some help can be offered quickly, but larger decisions about the future will take weeks, and be decided by federal workers shuffling mountains of loan applications in Ft. Worth, Texas, and suburban Maryland.

A week ago, the Booths ran for their lives — carrying only the essentials: a change of clothes for the children, and oxygen tanks, a wheelchair and medication for a daughter paralyzed by brain tumors who survives on life support. The fire swallowed their house before their eyes as they pulled out of the driveway.

The family lived in a modest home that was passed down to her husband, Robert Booth, from his father, and they never put their names on the deed, which could delay tens of thousands of dollars in aid.

In the meantime, the Booths will have to depend on charity. The Red Cross is the only ! agency still providing hotel assistance for fire victims.

!

"For them, I think the wrinkles can be worked out, but it's going to take many agencies, and probably going to take volunteer agencies to step in, too," said FEMA spokesman Michael Raphael.

Typically, only homeowners are eligible for FEMA's maximum $28,200 payout for lost property. But Raphael said the agency may be able to bend the rules if they were paying the mortgage.

FEMA has already received nearly 8,300 applications for aid and visited 641 homes to assess damage in the seven counties declared a major federal disaster area. As of Monday, the agency had paid out $600,000, and was on pace to settle about 75 claims a day.

Fire victims have said FEMA apparently learned lessons from the confusion that arose after Hurricane Katrina about where to turn for federal assistance.

The agency has sent scores of neatly dressed agency representatives to the San Diego area. Large signs and tents bearing the agency's name direct victims to one-stop centers where ! victims can redirect their mail, apply for building permits and register for FEMA disaster assistance.

But the scale of the disaster here is much smaller than in New Orleans, where hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless.

Hector Valazquez, 52, who lost his home in Delzura last Sunday said he's felt reassured by his first interactions with friendly FEMA workers, but the proof of how well the agency deals with the disaster has yet to be seen.

"They are going to show us that what happened in Katrina can be done better here," Valazquez said. "Until we have a home, there's no proof."

By: Vinay Chaubey

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Vinay Choubey
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Source: http://ap.examiner.net/pstories/us/20071029/213285995.shtml
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The Failures and Future of E-Voting in America

On December 7, 2006, seven U.S. attorneys were dismissed without explanation and replaced with interim appointees. This was made legally possible by a provision slipped into the USA PATRIOT reauthorization act in the dead of night by one of Arlen Specter?s assistants. A few short lines in a bill two hundred pages long; virtually impossible to notice, even for someone actively looking for it. Now imagine a programmer working on that BallotStation software. The only other people who will ever see this program are the few dozen other programmers working for the company; once it is shipped out, the software itself is turned from a readable script into the ones and zeroes that computers run on. That program is another secret; it is incredibly difficult to take those ones and zeroes and turn them back into something a human can make sense of, and even if it were possible, doing so is prevented by both contract and copyright law. The USA PATRIOT reauthorization bill was at most eig! ht or ten thousand lines, and someone was able to insert a clause into it without being noticed. Even a moderately-sized computer program can approach a million lines of code, and larger programs can be huge ? Windows XP, for instance, has an estimated forty million lines of code. That?s about million printed pages, or about thirteen hundred bound volumes ? at eight hundred pages a book. Even if it took fifty of those pages to write the code to steal an election (and there?s no reason to believe it would take nearly that much space) no-one goes through the code line by line before it is delivered. If the program works, it goes out to customers. And even if a malicious piece of the program was detected, it would be almost impossible to track the perpetrator down. Unlike the Senate, most software companies use programs which track any changes made, but security is not a primary priority for those applications. In other words, anyone who could make the change in the first plac! e could easily hide their own tracks.

By: Scott Bartlett

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Discover how a lazy surf bum cracked the $35K a week code using the Reverse Funnel System www.reverse-funnel-marketing.com today.

Source: http://iblsjournal.typepad.com/illinois_business_law_soc/2007/10/the-failures-an.html
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Time reporting

This brings up an interesting issue that pervades the thinking of American employers and workers:

What is an employee worth?

To stay with the example currently under discussion, is it better in the long run to pay interiorscape technicians by the hour or by the account? The pros and cons of both are obvious and it really depends on whose perspective you take.

Paying by the hour can either encourage techs to take more time with the detail work and customer care (provided their schedule is not overloaded with unrealistic expectations by management) or it can simply result in having them "walk in circles more", as Mike suggests.

Paying by the account can either encourage techs to work more productively with respect to the amount of time put in on each account, or it can lead to cutting corners and poor quality of workmanship in order to squeeze in more accounts and, hence, generate more income for the tech.

Which is less risky to the! employer? There is no cut and dried answer. It always will depend on the quality of each individual employee and that employee’s motivations, character and abilities. Talented, diligent, honest employees will be better suited to working "by the piece", so to speak...that is, the more accounts they can handle, the more they will earn. This entirely hinges on their ability to maintain a high level of quality in their work while simultaneously handling a high volume of accounts. A high-stress regimen like that can produce burnout after awhile, though, so be careful to avoid techs becoming too dependent on volume for their livelihoods.

More "average" techs probably will perform best on an hourly rate basis, with incentives of some sort added as a way to boost their income. For example, if you’re a small company, maybe your techs can do some "on the job marketing" to the existing clients and/or neighboring companies in the buildi! ng or neighborhood. That could allow you to pay bonuses for ne! w accoun ts or just for leads that pan out for your salespeople to close. However, most working class Americans tend to feel more comfortable with the known quantity of 40 hours of work a week times their hourly rate. The kicker here is that they will have to realize that, at some point, there will be a "glass ceiling" above which their hourly rate can no longer escalate, depending on the business climate within your client roster (i.e., how much you are able to increase their service rates each year). If there aren’t opportunities to earn more in other ways or a chance for promotion within the company, they will hang around for awhile and then leave...something each of us dreads as managers.

There really is no good rule of thumb here. It depends on your individual business structure and philosophy, client base, market, and the prevailing business climate at any given time. Some may say that employee ownership is the only "guaranteed" way to ensure co! ntinual growth and quality of workmanship, since direct financial benefits accrue to good workers in good companies under that setup. And rank-and-file American labor is forever suspicious of the motives and goals of management and ownership as a matter of course...seeing creative compensation ideas as "gimmicks" designed to evade paying employees more per hour worked while getting more work out of their employees. That perception can become a cancer in your company, so be sure that your employees can feel confident in "buying into" your business philosophy by rewarding great work and company growth in the appropriate fashion.

Clem

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Source: http://www.interiorscape.com/?id=scapetalk_view&oripost=13842&cid=20357&hit=20891&reply=46&subject=Re:
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Bugged mobile phone led to Mokbel

A marked police car slipped in behind the courier's vehicle in Box Hill. The courier became nervous when he saw the police car and kept checking his mirror, which is why he did not see the red light he ran on the Maroondah Highway. It gave police the perfect opportunity to pull him over. That was when they found the package of $499,950 in cash. They seized a further $8950 at his home.

One of the team rang Mokbel to inform him the cash was gone. Mokbel, in Athens, told the subordinate not to worry. He would ensure the same amount would be in his hands within six days. Put it down to a business expense, he said.

On May 15, when police identified Mokbel's hideaway as somewhere in the Athens suburb of Glyfada, a Purana detective and a federal agent were sent to work with local police. The search area was further narrowed when Mokbel said on the bugged phone he was heading to a local Starbucks for a coffee.

In early June police narrowly missed the fugitive! . They knew Mokbel and his partner, Danielle McGuire, took their six-month-old daughter to a local pool for swimming lessons. Police arrived at the pool just minutes after the family had left.

Three days later police were tipped off that Mokbel would visit a small seaside restaurant for a financial meeting and would be carrying a folder with paperwork. They arrived at the crowded restaurant but could not spot the balding head of the fugitive.

The local police then carried out what was to appear to be a routine identity check. A well-tanned man with long dark hair opened a folder to produce a passport with the name Stephen Papas. The Purana detective saw it was Mokbel in a wig.

At first the suspect appeared relaxed, believing he would be able to bribe his way out of any minor passport offence. But his face dropped when he saw the Purana detective. He had the good grace to say: "I don't know how you did it, but you've done a brilliant job."

Mokbel,! who jumped bail in March 2006 and was sentenced to a minimum ! of nine years' jail for cocaine trafficking, has been charged with new drug offences and two counts of murder.

Although he is being held in a top-security Athens prison, he has gained access to another mobile phone and has contacted Purana to try to cut a deal where the murder charges would be dropped. "I'm a drug dealer, not a killer, " he told an investigator.

Mokbel, who has been sentenced to 12 months' jail for passport offences, is continuing to fight a Greek court's decision to allow extradition to Australia.

A senior Melbourne police source said informer 3030 was certain to be paid a substantial reward. "He provided the breakthrough and he deserves to be paid for the risks he took and the information he provided."

By: TLKleban

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Source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bugged-mobile-phone-led-to-mokbel/2007/10/28/1193555531558.html
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thoughts on de-commodification

Some random thoughts on "De-Commodification", in no particular order:

2. Being in the $10 wine business, "De-commodification" is a subject dear to my heart. One thing the world is not short of is... vast lakes of unsold wine.

3. When I hit a certain age, I also learned the hard way that the the world was not short of thirty-something journeyman advertising creatives, either. Nothing like feeling a commodity oneself, to pique one's interest in de-commodification. Heh.

4. You know the phenomenon when a company gets too big and too rich, and the next thing you know, the middle-manager politics take over? Starts sucking the life blood out of the company? The start of inevitable and permanent decline? Know what I mean? The more time I spend on this side of the pond, the more I think this company allegory applies to these United States, as well.

5. Last week I was on the phone to an old friend of mine! , a guy in his late forties, who was born and bred in Michigan, and is living there now. He was telling me about his uncle, who, about four decades ago, got his highschool sweetheart pregnant. So instead of going off to college, he found himself with a new wife, a child on the way, and an assembly-line job at General Motors. But even though this situation clipped his wings considerably, he still ended up having a nice life in the end, with a home, a big yard, two cars, a steady paycheck, weekends fishing or hunting deer, and vacations in Hawaii every year or so. "The days where a blue collar guy like my uncle could have a nice life without doing much," my friend said, "those days are gone. Gone forever."

And in the back of my mind, I'm thinking the same is starting to happen to white collar guys more and more, as well. But it's not quite out in the open yet. Society's not quite ready to have that conversation.

7. I wish I could think of a better term than "D! e-Commodification". It's an unwieldy word.

By: Dave Gilliland

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Dave Gilliland is an Internet Marketer who works with a team of successful online entrepreneurs around the world. Dave cares about helping individuals create 6-figure incomes working from home. For more information visit: www.6figureswithdave.com

Source: http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/004285.html
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Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Trib makes it an "observation." Well, Tony Pokora is a lame duck. The Trib could have made it a "LAUREL" and taken my counter to Tony's plan.

By the way, I spoke about this at city hall. I gave the statement to J.B. of the Trib and R.L. of the P-G. And, I talked with Frank G. of KQV about this too. Not that I didn't try.

The stadiums should be sold to the teams. The Stadium Authority should be liquidated. And, in the process, the fields and venues should be absorbed by the new Pgh Park District along with the RAD Tax.

That is the leverage that Michael Lamb can't see. His vision would do nothing.

Tell the teams we are selling the stadiums to the teams. And, until they are sold to the teams, they are going to be the property of the new Pittsburgh Park District. Then the Park District Trustee can use them as they wish for recreational matters and income generation.

Likewise, the RAD board too.

Perry High School could be pl! aying its home football at PNC Park.

Some have called for a re-opener of the Firefighters contract. Be that as it may. I want to re-open the contracts for the public ownership of the facilities. That old lease would be in limbo cause there is new ownership with new attitudes.

By:

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Tina Wells is a wife, mom,entrepreneur, and online business coach. She is the owner of www.clubcandles.com. Tina has a passion-helping others succeed in business both online and off. Her company site is www.tinawells.scent-team.com. Find out how Tina is le! tting her "why" drive her to success!

Source: http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2007/10/pittsburgh-laurels-lances-pittsburgh_27.html
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Green energy blueprint for dales villages

The unique feature of the village will still be the demonstration of all five forms of land based renewable energy available in the UK, wind, solar, hydro-electric, biomass and 'hot rocks' which will heat underground water for a spa similar to the Roman baths in Bath.

It will be a place to work, live and stay with recreation, research and education opportunities on the green energy theme. It could also be a major mountain biking centre.

Finding ways of transporting the 227,000 visitors expected every year remains a challenge for developers.

With 65,000 of these predicted to arrive by train, the new plan has cut car parking spaces on the site.

Other changes include creating a square in front of the railway station, opening a creche in the works' old joiners' shop, building a landscaped link with Eastgate village, replacing a funicular railway with a cable car or another system more suited to carry mountain bikes and moving mountain bike and tobo! ggan tracks into the cover of woodland instead of on open slopes.

Plans for 25 holiday lets and a hostel have been dropped to encourage visitors to stay in farm and holiday cottages and other existing accommodation.

And the floorspace of flexible business units has been cut to 8,300 sq metres.

If planning permission is granted, a not-for-profit organisation will drive the project forward.

Three rounds of pubic consultation have taken place and the fourth starts next week when details are published in Wear Valley District Council's newsletter Wear Valley Matters.

John Topliss, Eastgate project manager for One NorthEast, said: "It will be a location for businesses in the growing green sector, an education resource, a tourist attraction and a source of employment as well as home for people wanting to live in one of the most eco-friendly developments in the country.

"It will be the driving force behind the regeneration of Weardale."

!

By: Wendell O.

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www.outlaw-enterprise-llc.com/site_map.htm

Source: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/display.var.1790514.0.green_energy_blueprint_for_dales_villages.php
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Second Life Becomes First Job for Adventurous Few

American Apparel opened its Second Life store on a private island -- a virtual island that both companies and individuals can buy, with real dollars -- in June 2006, at a time when there were fewer than 200,000 registered users of Second Life, and later pulled out, according to the retailer.

"We tested an idea, played with a concept and hopefully learned a few things about what online shopping might look like in the years to come," said Raz Schionning of American Apparel.

Washington intellectual property boutique Greenberg & Lieberman credits its virtual office in Second Life with making contacts that resulted in about US$20,000 in real-life legal business this past year, according to partner Stevan Lieberman.

"To most larger firms, $20,000 is meaningless, so you're not going to see the big firms going in here right away," said Lieberman, who specializes in computer patents. "To a little guy, a little bit of money makes a! big difference. Any new way I can advertise on the Internet is great."

Lieberman believes the 3-D medium will grow quickly.

"When people meet in Second Life and there's an avatar, it's like meeting a person," he said. "There's a level of trust, and that will translate into more Internet sales."

By:

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John Fortner lives in Oregon and works from his home through his online pursuits. He is the owner of Best-Income Opportunities which offers free information and proven opportunities for creating work at home businesses. To learn more about this topic please visit his website at: www.Bes t-IncomeOpportunities.com To receive free information for starting a home business please go to: www.Best-IncomeOpportunities.com/optin.html

Source: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/hEHHASw1MhetL0/Second-Life-Becomes-First-Job-for-Adventurous-Few.xhtml
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Our View: Thumbs up

This weekend at the Bunche Community Center will be the third annual Kids Day.

The event brings together several different agencies and businesses that offer a myriad of tools for healthy and safe children.

The Glasgow Police Department will provide fingerprinting. Pelham Olden-kamp Chiropractic will offer identification cards to children who attend. The Glasgow Fire Department will teach fire safety. The Barren County Sheriff’s Department will focus on gun safety. Ducks Unlimited will provide hunter safety.

Of course, it’s a day for kids and so, there will be plenty of fun activities mixed into the serious nature of the child safety issues.

We encourage everyone with children to attend, if for no other reason, than to have them fingerprinted. In child abduction cases, of which we have had very few in recent years, any means to help authorities to track and identify the child is an immense help. The quicker the child can be found, the ! more likely it is they will be found alive.

We certainly appreciate the agencies and business that will be contributing to this event and we hope everyone in our community takes advantage of these special service.

We’ll see you there Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the community center on Bunche Avenue.

By: Brian Siggy

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Source: http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/opinion/local_story_298184016.html?keyword=topstory
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Editorial comment October 26 2007

By Sue Newman
Life in the Ashburton District is never dull, there's always a new project, a new development just around the corner, one that is guaranteed to stir the natives to comment.
The future of Ashburton's art gallery - museum has been much discussed.
For a number of years our cultural and historical treasures have been housed in a shared building, one that, while attractive on the outside, is far from suitable for the role.
The Ashburton County Council building began its life as a civic centre and on the amalgamation of the borough and county councils became surplus to requirements.
It remained in council hands, but was leased to arts and historical interests.
Like many buildings that are put to a use other than their original, they fall woefully short of the ideal.
Any town worth its salt has a museum, a place in which it remembers its past, records that past and displays it for the future.
More than any other facility, the needs of a! museum are destined to increase, time takes care of that.
A respectable art gallery also says a lot about a town.
It suggests it has moved from its colonial roots to become a settlement that values things cultural and that it can dream and see beauty in the workings of creative minds.
Old things and paintings are quite different in their appeal, but they share a common need - an environment that can be maintained at the right temperature and humidity and an environment that allows collections to be displayed in an appropriate way.
No matter how much it was altered or added to, the county council building was never going to do that.
The catalyst for change came on two fronts - tenants running out of room and a willing buyer for the existing building.
A perfect situation.
The Ashburton District Council has now released its proposal to give the arts and the past a new, purpose built home.
A high profile site has been chosen, one that will attr! act passing motorists to stop, look and learn something about ! our dist rict.
And the proposal will give new life to the old civic building, this time as a boutique hotel, at the hands of the Ashburton Trust.
A perfect new life for a fine old building.
No doubt the project will have its share of knockers, people who hate to see a rating dollar spent on anything other than streets, roads and services.
That's the way of the past.
The way of the future is for a council to be running its town and its district like a well oiled business, looking to tomorrow's needs and providing its residents with facilities that make them proud to call this place home.

By: mcomo

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Source: http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=10413
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Despite reassurances, homeowners worry about insurance rates

inspecting homes in high-risk areas throughout the West and threatening to cancel coverage if owners don't clear brush or take other precautions.

"Yeah, it's pretty worrisome. They might start not insuring us, that's pretty scary," said Bruce Fowler, a resident of San Diego's Scripps Ranch neighborhood who was evacuated to Qualcomm Stadium this week.

Fowler's home narrowly escaped being destroyed in 2003, the last time fires swept Southern California with such ferocity. More then 3,600 homes were destroyed then, and insured losses surpassed $2 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

So far, at least 1,500 homes have been lost across Southern California due to the fires. The number is expected to rise.

Insurers said they have sufficient reserves to pay claims that will likely surpass $1 billion.

"Insurance companies are in the business of taking these types of risk," state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said.

"The companies are in gr! eat health and have substantial reserves," he said.

Poizner said he has talked to several insurance company chief executives in recent days and been assured they are taking steps to swiftly pay claims.

On Wednesday, he declared an insurance state of emergency, allowing out-of-state claims adjustors not licensed in California to come to the state to handle claims.

Paul Hopkins, chief executive of Farmers Insurance Group Inc., echoed Poizner's outlook.

"We don't set our rates or underwriting guidelines based on a single event," Hopkins said. "We have no desire nor has it been our past policy to start doing mass cancelations."

But the likelihood of companies taking a harder look at underwriting and pricing policies increases with the price tag of the fire, said Donald Light, a senior analyst with Boston-based financial consultant Celent. "The higher the final reckoning, the more likely companies are going to act."

Recent insurance history reinforces the skept! ics' view.

California had to form a special authority to se! ll earth quake coverage after insurers threatened to leave following the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

And after the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, a number of companies, including Allstate and State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., raised rates, canceled or limited homeowners policies.

The companies' finances rebounded. After largely resolving claims from Hurricane Katrina, State Farm saw profits climb 65 percent to $5.32 billion in 2006, while Allstate had 2006 profits of $5 billion, nearly triple its 2005 level.

Full-year figures for 2007 are not yet available but some companies have seen earnings slip.

"I see no way they're not going to increase premiums," said Les Brown, a Los Angeles attorney who has sued insurers on behalf of policyholders.

"They are going to want to make up for the billions of dollars they will lose or more because of this disaster." - Associated Press Writer Scott Lindlaw in San Diego contributed to this report.

By: ! Sean Milea

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Source: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/todaysnews/ci_7269694
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Lucas giddy with Colts on tap

As cornerback Ken Lucas addressed the media Monday in the Panthers locker room, he did so with refreshed mind AND body. It?s been months since both existed at the same time.

?The bye week was definitely needed, and it came right on time from my point of view,? said Lucas. ?It allowed me a week to rest, because I was really hurting. For it to come in the middle of the season, it?s perfect. We had some banged-up guys get the opportunity to heal a little bit. I think it served us well.?

What?s even better is the Panthers 4-2 record coming out of the bye. It?s a record that belies some of the struggles the team has faced, especially with the loss to injury of both the starting quarterback and middle linebacker. But at the end of the day, 4-2 is 4-2.

?It?s good that we are where we are right now, but still, we have an ill feeling inside of us because we know we haven?t really played a complete game yet where the offense, defense and special teams have been! clicking all on all cylinders,? said Lucas. ?We feel we have that game in us, and hopefully this will be a good game to do it in, against the Indianapolis Colts.?

The Colts are 6-0, a record they are used to, having accomplished it three years running now. The defending Super Bowl champions are used to success and bring one of the top quarterbacks in the League, a multitude of offensive weapons, and a revamped defense that has speed to burn, as it showed in Monday night?s 29-7 victory at previously 4-1 Jacksonville. 

?It?ll be a great test for the defense, as well as our offense,? said Lucas. ?So this will be a good measuring stick for us to see where we are as far as the season goes. We have gotten better the last two weeks, but I feel we can get a whole lot better than we have been playing so far.

?I think everybody knows this team is full of talent, but sometimes we don?t get out there and play like we have a lot of talent. That?s where a lot of the fr! ustration comes from the media and the fans. They feel we?re n! ot perfo rming the way we?re capable of performing.?

One of the reasons fans have been restless is that all four of the Panthers wins have come on the road. Most teams don?t even win four road games all season, but they do take care of business at home. Two lackluster performances at Bank of America Stadium are the reason first place in the NFC South has been accepted, but not heralded by the home folk.

?The coaches, the players?everybody has been trying to figure out what does it take in order for us to play with that same intensity and fire that we play with on the road, to play at home,? said Lucas. ?Because it?s embarrassing for us to go out and play the way we do at home and not give the fans something to cheer about. We?ve been trying to come up with answers and figure that out. So we?re just trying to come up with a game plan.

?We need to go out there and figure out a way to go out and perform at a consistent and high level, regardless of who we?re playing, w! hether it?s the teams we?re expected to beat or if we?re the underdogs. That?s the key to winning on this level, because everybody has talent to go out there and win on any given Sunday. We?ve been on a roller coaster. We?ve got a two-game winning streak right now. Hopefully, we can make it three this week.?  

By: Janathan Budd

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Source: http://www.panthers! .com/Common/Article.aspx?id=26324
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Cosatu's 'holiday homes' call ignored

By Leila Samodien

Environment, Planning and Economic Development MEC Tasneem Essop has refused to comment on the call on her by Cosatu's Tony Ehrenreich to allow people on the government's housing waiting list to live in her holiday home.

At the weekend, Ehrenreich called for politicians and business people with holiday houses to accommodate local informal dwellers who are on housing waiting lists awaiting their turn to move.

The aim of the concept was to temporarily provide squatters with basic services such as water and electricity.

Ehrenreich had specifically appealed to Essop because he knew she owned a house in Betty's Bay.

But the MEC's spokesperson Nils Flaatten said she did not want to comment on Ehrenreich's call or express her views on the idea.

"We are not going to comment on this matter," Flaatten said on Monday.

Ehrenreich has slammed Essop for not responding, saying that even if she was not ready to offer her hom! e, she should at least comment on the merits of the idea.

"Politicians should be setting the example when it comes to providing for the poor.

"If anything, she should be leading this call.

"If she doesn't support the concept, she should say so, but she can't just be quiet and hope it goes away - she should rather speak out about it whether she supports it or not.

"I certainly hope she has a change of heart," he said.

He has also now called on Hassan Adams, chairperson of Grand Parade Investments, which owns shares in GrandWest Casino, to offer up his coastal holiday house.

Cosatu unveiled the concept at Ehrenreich's holiday home in Kleinmond on Sunday.

Ehrenreich himself gave up part of his house to a family nine months ago.

He has now turned towards implementing the concept on a broader scale.

But, other politicians and other prominent personalities are yet to respond to his call.

By: Linda Carol Berry

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Source: http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20071023113540902C922720
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Portable SanDisk Player Bridges PC-TV Divide

"Research shows that TV is the ultimate viewing experience for videos, including TV content and movies," said the company. "At the same time, the PC has become the foremost vehicle for searching and downloading digital content. Yet to date, solutions that allow you to download on the one and watch on the other have been thorny and complex."

SanDisk also announced a beta release of Fanfare, a new digital entertainment content distribution platform. The Web service, designed to work with the Sansa TakeTV device, offers TV shows, movies and other video content that can be downloaded to the device.

The service features content from CBS, Jaman.com, Showtime Networks, Smithsonian Networks, The Weather Channel and TV Guide Broadband. Some of the content is ad-supported and free while some is fee-based, said SanDisk.

By: Scott Miller

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Source: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/9stIDUUG53ZAGZ/Portable-SanDisk-Player-Bridges! -PC-TV-Divide.xhtml
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Dorel Selects Cognos to Optimize Performance Management: -...

s largest juvenile products company in its categories and is the leading marketer of bicycles in North America.

Dorel required a solution that would allow its senior management to better access and share financial information critical for timely operations planning and decision-making. The company also wanted to replace its current reporting tools with a unified solution that would streamline planning and forecasting processes and facilitate regulatory compliance.

After an extensive review of competitive offerings, Dorel chose Cognos 8 Business Intelligence, Cognos Planning and Cognos Controller to provide decision-makers with multi-dimensional operational performance management on one integrated platform.

Dorel will use Cognos 8 BI to report against key performance benchmarks, analyze timely information to uncover root causes of issues, and track trends, simplifying decision making. Cognos 8 Controller will be implemented to automate and structure! the financial consolidation process, delivering validated financial information for internal and external reporting and providing a transparent, accurate and timely management view of enterprise-wide corporate performance. It is expected that Cognos 8 Controller will improve efficiencies in financial statement preparation, while also strengthening Dorel

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Source: http://www.prweb.com/relea! ses/cogn os/dorel/prweb563062.htm
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No sound but plenty of fury: how a jiyala speaks with throat injuries

No sound but plenty of fury: how a jiyala speaks with throat injuries

By Urooj Zia

KARACHI: Furious gesturing and an outstretched V-for-victory sign accompany each time PPP diehard Muhammad Fareed from Muzaffarabad tries to express himself in response to questions about Benazir Bhutto. The Ward 17 patient has been advised by doctors to refrain from speaking for the next couple of days because some muscles in his throat were damaged in the bomb blasts.

"Convincing him to stay quiet was very difficult," his brother said with a laugh. "We finally shut him up by telling him that he'd be more useful to Mohtarma if he rested now and recovered completely."

At the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), PPP members and activists have been allotted beds in wards 3, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 21, as well as the Special Ward and the Surgical ICU. On Sunday afternoon, Bhutto visited those admitted at ward 17. Most jiyalay who Daily Times spoke to ! believed that she should take care of her security detail before venturing out into the open this way.

Fareed's family maintains that they stand by whatever decisions Ms Bhutto takes. "If she wants to come out and risk her life, visiting injured party members at hospitals, we're fine with that. If she stays at home to protect herself, we're fine with that too. Bibi would know better," his brother said.

Injuries have not dampened the spirit of diehard jiyalay who were hospitalised after the October 18 explosions. Along with their families, they are still militantly supportive of Benazir Bhutto.

Akbar Hussain from Baltistan was metres away from Bhutto's vehicle when the bombs went off Thursday night. "She should take care of herself. Her security comes first. If anyone tries to harm her, however, they would have to go through us first," he said. "We saved her once, and we'll do it again. We're ready to lay down our lives for her. Even if a thousand of us ! die to protect her, it'll be worth it. Bhutto kay liyey jaaN n! esaar ha i."

District Dadu rabita secretary for the Sindh Peoples Youth Federation, Mohammad Waris Qambrani, was injured when he ran to try to protect Bhutto after the first bomb went off on Thursday. "I was part of her security detail, but had left my post for a moment to drink some water. In the meantime, the first bomb went off. I ran back towards Bibi's vehicle to make sure she was protected, and the second bomb went off when I was very close to her car," Qambrani said. "I wasn't afraid. My first concern was Mohtarma's safety. No one can harm a hair on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter's head while we're alive."

Waliyat Ali came all the way from Siachen to be part of Thursday's rally. He was injured in the blast as well, but is optimistic that he'll be up and about soon enough, and will be able to serve his leader. "The awaam laid down their lives for her. Of course she should visit people at the hospital," Salamat from Zila Nankana, Punjab, said. He was among the PPP ! activists admitted at the JPMC Ward 21.

For Muhammad Taufeeq, father of three, and a resident of Korangi 5 ½, Karachi, business has come to a standstill until he recovers and is out of the hospital. Taufeeq and his business partner run a transport service between Karachi and Rawalpindi. "May God help all those injured recover as soon as possible. As for those who died, all we can do is pray for them," his mother said.

By: Monica Hendrix

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Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\10\22\story_22-10-2007_pg12_9
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Hometown schooling cuts special-ed costs

The additional cost of educating some special-needs students is negligible. But for others, specialized schools can charge as much $50,000 per child per year in tuition, not including transportation.

And the costs are rising.

Ash has been particularly outspoken among superintendents about the consequences of the escalation. With the price tag for all municipal costs rising, and with cutbacks of state aid, he says the amount of money for public schools is dwindling. At the same time, since special-education expenditures are mandated while those for regular education are not, the budget for regular education gets squeezed.

"It means that unless there is a Proposition 2 1/2 override, general-education services will annually be cut," Ash said, referring to the vote - often difficult to secure from cost-conscious residents - to hike local property taxes by more than 2.5 percent above the tax levy limit.

As a result, Ash said, communities are "seeing inc! reased class sizes, reductions in services, and increased fees" in regular education.

In fiscal year 2006, for example, the latest year for which numbers are available, Lexington devoted 21.4 percent of its $72.1 million total school budget to special education. That's an increase from 18.9 percent in fiscal 2004, when the school budget was $63.1 million, according to the state Department of Education.

As they reexamine special education, some local officials are searching for ways to insulate regular education. In Burlington, for example, officials have included special-education out-of-district costs as a separate item on the municipal budget. While not necessarily saving money, the strategy protects regular education from unexpected upward bumps in special-education costs. Last month, Lexington school officials met with those in Burlington to discuss the measure, and subsequently voted unanimously to do the same.

Within the next week or so, Lexington Sc! hool Committee members will be discussing the idea with select! men, who must also agree to it, said Thomas Diaz, the committee chairman.

"I think it's a good idea because it makes those particular expenses more visible and provides more details to the town on why they're rising or falling so rapidly," he said.

Ash said he supports special education and does not want to "blame" it for the dilemma in regular education. But he said he also believes costs for special education can be slashed.

Ash began to grapple with the problem as soon as he took the Lexington job two years ago. Last year, he developed five programs - some new, some expanded - so more students could remain within the system.

One program provides schooling at the Clarke Middle School for eight sixth-graders who have been identified as having some type of autism or similar learning disorders. The students receive practice in social skills, instruction based on individual learning profiles, and counseling. A similar program at the high school includes 13 stud! ents.

By:

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Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/21/hometown_schooling_cuts_special_ed_costs! /?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News
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Three things I can't work without

I HAVE a watering can ....... but it has dust on it. They aren’t much good for filling Planter Tech stuff ...... so it’s tank all the way. And we keep them sharp looking and with logo and all. You get sick of answering "What’s that have in it ?" So we have small lettering at the bottom that says "Plant Water". I only buy the 12 gallon ..... they fit nicely in most any small car or van and they use a 5 gallon bucket with a bucket skirt for everything you need.

As far as real men being from Texas ...... mine fish, hunt, ride dirtbikes AND horses ..... and sometimes hunt right off the horses back ...... nuff said.

As far as what I can’t work without -

#1 - My favorite shoes - Dansko .... you can be on your feet all day and they feel great. I wear Wolverines for installs .... they look like a nice hiking boot/tennis shoe and have steel toes .... and they feel like heaven on your feet and they last forever. Wolverines ! are the best made.

#2 - My am/fm headphones. I love wearing them when zoning and out and doing the few accounts I do personally. I maintain all new accounts for the first year. I used to have an iPod ........ the cord fell and I cut it. End of that.

#3 - Never leave home without it ...... my mini tape recorder. It fits in my bucket skirt, vehicle, pocket .... and if I am driving and on the phone and I need to take something down I will just turn it on and lay it on the seat and repeat what they are saying and write it down later. Or say into it a new building I see going up, or replacements that need to be made, or just stuff that flies into my spinny head that I need to follow up on. It’s my BEST tool. You can also use it to keep track of mileage.

I had typed this all out this morning and then because of all the wind we had the power blipped and it was gone. I hate when that happens.

Have a great weekend.
Debbie

By: cheryl pierce

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Source: http://www.interiorscape.com/?id=scapetalk_view&oripost=13755&cid=19657&hit=26154&reply=45&subject=Re:
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If at first you succeed, it doesn't mean you will again

With my attention diverted by Know-Your-Numbers place mats and spilled apple juice, it is possible that I just lost my edge.

At any rate, as personal issues go, this one was not particularly serious. At worst, it was annoying and sometimes led to aborted dinners, when everyone ate macaroni and cheese instead.

But I managed to get past it without professional help.

A new cookbook and advice from friends made it possible for me to build up a small but reliable repertoire of soup successes: tortilla, split pea, beef with barley, matzo ball.

After a few years of failure, I was back in business.

•

Inevitably, I have grown cocky.

A few weeks ago, I assembled the ingredients for chicken soup, simmering half a chicken in broth and tossing in carrots, parsnip, onions, fresh dill and a diced rutabaga. After an hour or so, I removed the chicken from the bone, threw half of it back in the pot and added a sweet potato for flavor and! thickening.

Later that day, we sat down to steaming, delicious bowls of soup, so packed with flavor that, except for a little bread, the meal needed no other accompaniment.

My husband had two helpings. I had one and a half. My daughter ate one. My son might have finished the pot but he was off at college, busily ignoring the meal plan we had paid for in favor of late-night chicken wings and pizza delivered to the dorm.

Even the rest of the chicken that had steeped in the original broth was so good that it quickly disappeared from its plastic container in the refrigerator.

Clearly, I had emerged from the dark tunnel of bad soup into the bright light of culinary expertise.

And so, last week, I was back at it.

Once again, I simmered half a chicken in broth, tossing in carrots, parsnip, onions, dill and a diced rutabaga. After an hour or so, I removed the chicken from the bone, threw half of it back in the pot and added a sweet p! otato for flavor and thickening. It was d? vu.

That ev! ening, m y husband arrived home from work, lifted the lid and gazed into the pot.

"What happened?" he asked.

"What are you talking about? I made chicken soup again."

"Look at it."

Together, we peered in. A thin watery mess stared back. A sludge of chicken and vegetable bits coated the bottom of the pot. I dipped a spoon in for a taste.

"You want to try it?" I asked my husband.

"Nah. I don't think I'm in the mood for soup tonight."

"I think we have some macaroni," I said.

•

Certain that this debacle was a mere blip in my soup-making career, I tried again last Sunday with another tried and true recipe.

I had planned ahead, laying in a good supply of carrots and potatoes and picking up the split peas on the way home from a Friday meeting. Bright and early on Sunday morning, I rinsed and scraped, diced and measured. As soon as the pot was bubbling on the stove, I left my husband with instructions to skim the ! foam from the top every so often and went off to run some errands.

I checked the soup about noon, right after I returned home.

A solid green block of split peas gazed back at me from the pot.

"Where's the soup part?" my husband asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered. I stuck a large spoon into the mixture and it stood up straight, a flag planted in green concrete. "I guess I didn't add enough broth."

That night, I scraped a few scoops of the split pea concentrate into a smaller pot, added a generous helping of chicken broth and stirred until it made a slow transition from solid to liquid.

My daughter wouldn't come near it, but my husband and I each ate a bowlful with homemade biscuits and pronounced it a success.

After dinner, I divided the rest of the solid soup into four large freezer bags, rolled them into green cylinders and stored them behind the ice cream and the frozen chicken breasts.

"You know, you may be o! n to something here," my husband said as we cleaned up.
"On to what?"

"Homemade canned soup."

By: joe cotroneo

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Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20071019/COLUMN13/710190516/1102
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Unbeaten streak has Fire glowing

In honor of the streak, here are the seven reasons the Fire has been unbeatable in its last seven MLS games:

7 Guppy's risk-taking

John Guppy has been Public Enemy No. 1 among some Fire fans since he replaced the well-liked Peter Wilt as the Fire's general manager, but even his biggest critics should give credit where credit is due. It was Guppy who signed Cuauhtemoc Blanco when others called the Mexican icon washed up. And it was Guppy who fired coach Dave Sarachan in favor of Juan Carlos Osorio, who had been passed over by other MLS teams.

Because Osorio and Blanco have played a large part in the Fire's streak, it's only fair to say Guppy has had a hand in the recent success as well.

6 Bigger home crowds

Guppy probably didn't get the best night of sleep when there were more than 4,000 empty seats for Blanco's Fire debut at Toyota Park, but a lot has changed since then.

Each of the last three Fire home games had announced sellouts o! f more than 20,000, giving the Fire the support it needed in the stands and making it a long day for opposing teams.

5 Team chemistry

When Osorio joined the Fire in July, the players had to adapt to a new game plan. When Blanco came aboard later that month, the players had to adapt to his unpredictability. Add in late-season signings Paulo Wanchope and Wilman Conde, and the Fire might as well pretend this is a whole new season.

Now, old and new players have a few games together and it's beginning to show. Osorio is learning his players' strengths and weaknesses and the players are learning that just because Blanco has his back to them doesn't mean they shouldn't be ready for the pass.

4 The return of Rolfe

Chris Rolfe took a while to get back into form after missing 11 games with an ankle injury, but he's slowly getting his touch back. The third-year forward isn't afraid of shooting from long distance, which is making defenses think twice ! before focusing just on Blanco.

3 Conde and the improve! d defens e

During the seven-game unbeaten streak, the Fire has allowed only six goals. If that doesn't impress you, consider that the Fire allowed 11 goals during its four-game losing streak in May. Gonzalo Segares has been consistent all season while C.J. Brown and Dasan Robinson have stepped up their performances as of late. But the biggest reason for the improved defense is Conde. He's big, he cleans up his teammates' mistakes and his long kicks make him a threat on the offensive side.

2 New coach, new life

The Fire had one win in its last 11 games when Osorio took over. The Colombia native got off to a bumpy start with a 4-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo on July 12. But the Fire bounced back, and Osorio, 5-3-6 as coach, got his players to believe in what he's selling thanks to his dedication, discipline and sense of humor.

1 The Blanco effect

Not only has Blanco delivered in the score column during the seven-game stretch (two goals, two assists), b! ut he also has his teammates believing they can beat anyone. And considering the competition as of late, confidence was a necessity.

Even at 34 years old, Blanco is chasing after balls he has no business going after, but it's this sort of hustle that makes his teammates raise their game as well. Some doubted whether Blanco could live up to his $2.67 million-a-year contract, but it looks like he has exceeded those expectations.

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larroyave@tribune.com

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Source: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/printedition/cs-fire18oct18,1,2137723.story
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AG Nominee Mukasey Spurns Torture

Mukasey's confirmation was all but assured even before he made the statement at the top of proceedings on whether to confirm him as the nation's 81st attorney general. Democrats from Majority Leader Harry Reid and Leahy on down long have predicted easy and quick Senate approval.President Bush urged Leahy's committee to endorse Mukasey's nomination in the next few days and the full Senate to confirm him next week. Senate Democratic aides said that was unlikely, as Mukasey's confirmation hearings could last into Friday.Within minutes of convening the hearings, Leahy elicited specific assurances from the nominee that had been sought by liberal interest groups and senators who had endured months of Gonzales' faulty memory during congressional hearings and highly parsed statements.Under questioning by Leahy, Mukasey promised to bar all but the top Justice employees from taking calls or making calls "to political figures to talk about cases," a problem under Gonzales."Partisan pol! itics plays no part in either the bringing of charges or the timing of charges," Mukasey said.Mukasey, a legal adviser to Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, pledged to recuse himself from matters involving his longtime friend and legal colleague.And under questioning from the panel's senior Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Mukasey said he'd have no problem resigning if the president ignores his legal or ethical reservations about administration policy."I would try to talk him out of it or leave," Mukasey replied.Measuring Mukasey's independence from the White House has long been an ephemeral, but key, factor in securing support from lawmakers of both parties. Gonzales was accused of being a Bush ally unwilling or unable to stop underlings from broaching ethical and legal boundaries.The legal controversies that plagued the department under Gonzales spanned the public policy spectrum. From the administration's interrogation techniques to the presi! dent's controversial eavesdropping program and whether nine fe! deral pr osecutors were purged for political reasons, the scandals and congressional investigations left the Justice Department leaderless and demoralized.Setting the more than 100,000-member law enforcement agency back on its feet would be the first order of business. Since the start of the year and Congress' probe of the prosecutor firings, at least 15 senior Justice Department officials have resigned - including Gonzales, his second- and third-in-command and five assistant attorneys general."This is a job interview for a big job, a big job that has become even bigger," Leahy said as he opened the proceedings. "The next attorney general has to begin to regain the public trust."Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat from Mukasey's home state of New York, said he already had heard the answer he wanted in a private meeting with Mukasey a day earlier. Schumer said he asked the nominee, "Will you have the courage to look squarely into the eyes of the president of the United States and tell hi! m 'no,' if that is your best legal and ethical judgment?"Mukasey, Schumer said, replied: "Absolutely. That is what I am there for."The White House has seldom, if ever, placated prickly Democrats into the kind of support they are exhibiting for Mukasey. But in the troubled twilight of Bush's second term, Mukasey's nomination is a political peace offering.Mukasey was nominated to the federal bench in 1987 by President Reagan and eventually became the chief judge of the high-profile U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He played a key role in the courts' response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, signing material witness warrants to round up Muslim suspects.

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Westpac a step closer to RAMS

Westpac and RAMS Home Loans Group have cleared a hurdle in the former's takeover of RAMS's branches and brand name, with Westpac satisfactorily completing due diligence on the target.

Both Westpac and RAMS said today that Westpac had found "no material adverse impacts" in the due diligence process.

On October 2, Westpac announced that it had reached agreement to acquire the branches and brand name of RAMS Home Loans for $140 million.

A condition of the agreement was that Westpac would find nothing in due diligence with material adverse impact on the assets, liabilities, financial position or the prospects of the RAMS franchise distribution business.

"Westpac completed its due diligence on October 16, and no material adverse impacts were found," Westpac said in a statement to the stock exchange this morning.

RAMS chairman John Kinghorn said the board continued to recommend the sale to Westpac and would seek approv! al by a vote of shareholders next month.

With shareholder approval, Westpac will take the RAMS brand name, its 53 franchises, 92 stores, and all the new business RAMS writes from November 15.

By: Alan Lim

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Source: http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22600511-31037,00.html
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No Yankee pinstripes in Piniella's future

Whenever Yankees manager Joe Torre's job is on the line, Lou Piniella's name invariably pops up in idle conversation as a possible replacement.

Piniella has long been known as a George Steinbrenner favorite, and the two remain good friends. Piniella has a strong managerial track record and a Yankee pedigree dating back to the 1970s.

And there's no doubt Piniella has the personality and know-how to succeed again in New York, which can chew up and spit out players, managers and head coaches who don't provide their owners with instant gratification.

But as the Yankees' hierarchy meets Tuesday in Tampa to address Torre's fate after another first-round playoff exit, Piniella will be minding his own business at his nearby home, secure in the knowledge he'll be back in the Cubs' dugout for the next two seasons.

'He's extraordinarily happy managing the Cubs,' said Alan Nero, Piniella's agent. 'I can't see any circumstance in which Lou is not in a Cubs uniform next yea! r.'

Rumors that Piniella craved the Yankees job began last October when New York was ousted by Detroit in the division series and Piniella was still working as an analyst for Fox.Last February in Mesa, Ariz., after having become the Cubs' manager, Piniella admitted he didn't want to see Steinbrenner at the time, fearing a meeting would feed the rumor mill.

Now talk of Torre's job security has surfaced again, and Piniella's name popped up last week.

'Last year it was the same controversy,' Nero said. 'Lou is not interested in upsetting Joe. He took the Cubs job in good faith, and he's not at all unhappy. There's nothing to it.'

Even if New York was interested in Piniella, and he was interested in replacing Torre, Piniella's contract would bar him from talking to the Yankees without the Cubs' permission.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would have to get the Cubs to release Piniella from his contractual obligations, an unlikely ! scenario considering how much Cubs President John McDonough an! d genera l manager Jim Hendry credit Piniella for their turnaround from a 96-loss season in 2006.

'I'd be involved in that ,' Nero said, adding that he had not been approached by the Yankees or Cubs.

Nero also suggested the Yankees would 'have to make the Cubs an offer they couldn't refuse' to compensate them for the loss of their manager.

If the Cubs decided to let Piniella leave, they'd likely ask for a top pitching prospect like Philip Hughes or Joba Chamberlain in return, just as Seattle asked for, and received, outfielder Randy Winn when Piniella was allowed to get out of his contract with the Mariners and sign with Tampa Bay after the 2002 season.

Copyright © 2007 ChicagoSports.com, All Rights Reserved.

By: Terry Johnston C.F.P.

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Source: http://www.topix.net/content/trb/2007/10/no-yankee-pinstripes-in-piniellas-future
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Another Loss for Wie As Her Agent Quits

"After careful consideration for my future, I have resigned effective immediately," Nared said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. "I'm very grateful to the William Morris Agency for the opportunity to work with world-class athletes. It has been an invaluable experience and I'll forever cherish (it)."

Nared declined to elaborate when contacted before flying home to Oregon. Jill Smoller, to whom Nared reported at William Morris, did not immediately return a call.

"While we are sorry that Greg will no longer be handling the road management of Michelle, we wish to thank him for his work and wish him the best going forward," Jesse Derris, a spokesman for the Wie family, said in a statement. "The core group of agents handling Michelle's business relationships remains intact, as it has from day one of her professional career."

Wie, a Stanford freshman who celebrated her 18th birthday Thursday, played her eighth and final LPGA event at Samsu! ng. She ended her season with a 76.7 scoring average, broke par only twice, failed to record a single round in the 60s and made only three cuts.

Wie turned pro in October 2005 and was managed by Ross Berlin, a former PGA Tour executive hired by the William Morris Agency as Wie's agent.

Berlin had disagreements with Wie's parents on her schedule, particularly in late 2006 when Wie was taken out of her senior year at Punahou School in Honolulu to play a European Tour men's event in Switzerland, then the following week outside Pittsburgh on the PGA Tour at the 84 Lumber Classic. She finished last in both events.

By: mcomo

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Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=3732653
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