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Microsoft's desktop publisher ideal for home businesses.

2008-03-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

The final word: Microsoft Publisher 07 is an affordable "all-in-one" publishing application ideal for home-run businesses. While it fails to match the professional sheen of its market leading rivals, there are more than enough features here to fulfil a variety of purposes.

Microsoft Publisher 07 is an affordable "all-in-one" publishing application ideal for home-run businesses. This latest version offers some significant improvements including automatic conversion of documents, an increased number of professional templates, a new Content Library and Design Checker tool, a revamped user-friendly interface and, for the first time ever, PDF output options.

For as long as anyone can remember, Microsoft has been churning out bi-yearly updates of its Publisher application, alongside the more famous programs in its Office suite. While some of these "upgrades" have been a tad trite and incremental, this latest version truly does offer some significa! nt improvements. These include automatic conversion of documents (from newsletter to webpage, for example), an increased number of professional templates, a new Content Library and Design Checker tool, a revamped user-friendly interface and, for the first time ever, PDF output options. While it won't win over fans of its top-end competitors, it remains an affordable 'branching off' point for beginners and small businesses.

As its name implies, Microsoft Publisher 07 is a desktop publishing application which allows you to professionally design and layout pages, whether they be for the Web, print publications, or both. It caters to all aspects of publishing, allowing you to create everything from business cards to brochures and posters. Traditionally aimed at entry-level users, it attempts to simplify much of the process at the expense of high-end functionality. (In other words, while beginners will be able to tackle the application with considerable success, advanced! users may be hamstrung by the limited tools on offer.) Thankf! ully, Pu blisher 07 attempts to loosen some of these restrictions, though it is still significantly underpowered when compared to the likes of Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress.

If you're new to Microsoft Publisher, this latest addition does an admirable job of holding your hand, presenting you with an intuitive and clutter-free front end. It is surprisingly easy to create unique looking documents by simply playing around with the assorted templates on offer, which naturally can be tweaked and customised to your heart's content. Images can be inserted directly from a scanner or digital camera, with recolouring and cropping options built into the application. The inclusion of a new Tasks icon to the toolbar is also helpful for beginners, offering detailed assistance for a variety of tasks. Simply put, if your business is in need of a recognisable identity - but lacks the budget to hire a professional designer - Publisher 07 supplies enough tools to let you take a stab yourself.

One handy new addition to Publisher 07 is the Content Library, which allows you to store and reuse your items across multiple publications. This is a great time-saver, giving you instant access to frequently used text and graphics with all your customisations in place. Naturally, it also allows you to keep a professional consistency between different types of media; with your Web pages, letterheads and marketing materials all sharing identical templates.

Another neat feature in Publisher 2007 is the improved Design Checker; a wizard application that scans your finished publication for overlooked flaws or anomalies. Unlike previous versions of this application, it can automatically fix any mistakes it discovers for you (as opposed to just alerting you to their existence). Again, this helps you to invest your time more efficiently, though perfectionists can still elect to remove the errors themselves.

A major criticism levelled at previous Publisher rele! ases has been the lack of PDF output; instead sticking to a li! ttle-use d and under-supported file format of its own. Publisher 2007 is the first version to support the PDF format... and yet, it doesn't. For some reason, users are forced to download this PDF feature from the Microsoft Web site; as it does not appear in the boxed product (we're assuming this has something to do with Adobe legal wrangling). While this is a slight hassle, on the plus side, the download is free of charge. In any event, this significantly expands the usability of the product; allowing you to share your print publications online with a minimum of fuss.

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N.C. campus mourning loss of slain leader

2008-03-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) You couldn't escape Eve Carson's presence at the University of North Carolina.

The student body president welcomed all incoming freshman - each and every one - to stop by her office for a chat. She was a member of the school's Board of Trustees and a tournament-winning intramural flag football team.

She had friends in the chancellor's office, friends on the school's top-ranked basketball team and more among the school's 28,000 students.

"She was a bright spot in anybody's day," said Seth Dearmin, a former student body president who met Carson during her freshman year. "She took time to talk to people, to listen to them. She cared about what they were interested in. That's what drove her. She was a completely selfless person."

And for it, North Carolina loved her back.

Twice in the hours after learning the 22-year-old Carson had been shot to death early Wednesday on a city street not far from campus, thousands of students, staff and fault! y gathered to mourn her death. The tears continued to flow Friday, and it's likely the school will hold another memorial service after students return from next week's spring break.

University Chancellor James Moeser plans to attend services this weekend for Carson at her home in Athens, Ga. The Board of Trustees, meanwhile, has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in her death.

"She touched so many lives over the period of four years that she was here," Moeser said. "Kids who didn't even know her felt they were touched by her."

The many memories make the mystery of her death that much harder to accept on the campus of the nation's first public university. Detectives know Carson was killed by a shot from a handgun to her right temple but said Friday they still have no suspects in what they still consider a random act.

"It's just a huge blow. It's a blow against everything we assume about ourselves, about being a peaceful, safe place wher! e kids come," Moeser said. "She was a joyful person. She loved! this pl ace. She loved being here."

For now, police are looking for clues in her car: Officers believe the killer had access to her vehicle, but aren't sure of the circumstances. They are canvassing the neighborhood where Carson's body was found but don't know what she was doing there. Two callers to 911 reported hearing several gun shots, and one heard Carson scream.

"We've been getting a number of leads that we're trying to follow up on," said Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran.

Carson was last seen a few hours before, when she stayed behind at home to study as her roommates went out for the night. There were no signs of forced entry to the home, but Curran said authorities have yet to find her keys and wallet. There are no indications she had been sexually assaulted.

Curran said Friday police had been in contact with authorities in Alabama investigating the killing of a female student at Auburn University, but added that the cases do not appear to be connected.

! As a high school student, teachers at Clarke Central High in Athens said, Carson seemed destined for greatness. She was courted by prestigious universities who admired her both her leadership and interest in everything: science, politics and government, music and art and sports.

"I've been teaching for 26 years and honestly, she's truly one of a kind," said Clarke Central biology teacher Buddy Sims. "I've taught a lot of smart kids - Eve was a lot more than a smart kid. She was just incredibly inquisitive. She always wanted to know more and more and more. She was never satisfied with just a cursory look at anything."

Those qualities made Carson a perfect for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship, an award that packages a full ride to North Carolina with a legion of opportunities on campus and off. While in college, Carson studied abroad in Cuba and spent time working and voluneteering in Ecuador, Egypt and Ghana.

She was involved in campus programs for hunger r! elief, among many other activities, and was featured on the Mo! rehead-C ain Web site that described her experiences working in Ecuador. "One of the most important lessons I learned ... is that poverty is not a pitiable thing," she said. "In Chillanes, I saw a respect for poverty and a respect for a non-material way of life."

Friends said Carson was weighing her next step. A pre-med student who majored in political science and biology, she was thinking lately about whether to instead accept an offer to work in New York for a business consulting firm. Another possiblity: taking a year off after four non-stop years of unquestioned achievement to travel the world.

"I could see Eve balancing a career as a professional, probably in the not for profit sector, but also being a wife and a mother because she was such a loving person," Moeser said. "The whole package. I get choked up thinking about it."

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Elcho eyes plans for spring referendum

2008-03-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

A largely cordial crowd of about two dozen people discussed the details of a planned spring referendum with members of the Elcho board of education Tuesday.

The focus of the public informational meeting was the April 1 vote asking voters to allow the district to spend $500,000 above state-imposed revenue caps annually for the next five years.

The session was chaired by Board President Brian Flannery with input from Administrator Chris Thomalla.

"We've fought off the wolves as long as we can," Flannery said, stressing that "the board has been very accountable to the taxpayers."

Thomalla said the need for the cash infusion is through no fault on the part of the district.

"There is a structural, inherent deficit in the way we fund education," he said, and calls for deep cuts in student programs and extra-curricular activities would only make a bad situation worse.

"Those cuts would be really detrimental to our students educationally and! would lead to more students leaving the district through the open enrollment process," he said, adding that as enrollment drops "then you are asking, do we keep a school in Elcho."

The goal of the referendum isn't to fund new facilities or programs, but to maintain the status quo and eliminate a projected budget deficit. Affected programs include family and consumer education, technical education, art, business and elementary music. Also included is the elementary Reading First program now funded largely by grant dollars.

The spending would increase the mill rate from the current $5.46 per $1,000 of equalized valuation to $6.10, a 64 cent increase. The owner of a $100,000 piece of property would see an increase of $64 annually to cover the cost.

Thomalla stressed that the increase represents a "worse case scenario," not figuring on any increases in property values.

"It is based on property values as they are today," he said.

Elcho current! ly has the 17th lowest tax rate out of 375 K-12 school distric! ts in Wi sconsin. The state's average mill rate is $8.45.

Flannery said that over the last several years, the board has been pushing a variety of programs that has required additional spending. The new 3x5 class schedule, implemented this year, required additional staff, the board hired a Spanish instructor instead of relying on distance learning classes and split one large elementary class into two sections, again requiring more staff.

"They were decisions made, we felt, in the best interest of our kids," he said. "It was to help our children. And that is what we are here for."

Flannery noted the poor condition of the national, state and local economy. But those same reasons are making the vote necessary.

"It is not a good time to ask for this," he admitted. 'But we have had a good record of savings....We don't want to go backwards."

Questions at the session focused largely on individual programs, including child care and home economics, and whethe! r the board has considered sports cutbacks.

Thomalla said that while trimming sports could save dollars, it would also hasten students leaving the district through open enrollment, adding to the detrimental effect.

Prior to the informational session the board met in special session to act on personnel matters.

Members accepted the resignations of special education teacher Betsy Shauger and junior high social studies and science teacher Stephanie Bures. They also accepted the retirement of kindergarten teacher Cindy Rife pending an agreement with the Elcho Teachers Association.
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Telstra seeks indemnity on network

2008-03-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

The former government-owned monopoly advised the Australian stock exchange yesterday that it had received a request from Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to provide "various items of existing network information" that would be shared with potential bidders for the Government's $4.7 billion fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) contract.

"Telstra has responded to the minister's request by proposing to provide a set of existing network information subject to security safeguards and the full indemnification of Telstra by the commonwealth," Telstra acting company secretary Claire Elliott wrote.

Telstra, which has raised security and commercial concerns about releasing the information, which links in to many of Australia's security agencies, also said it would suspend some of its current infrastructure investment plans after the bid process.

"In view of the FTTN process now commencing, we will review current investment plans and it is ! likely that some investments will be put on hold until we know the outcome of the bid process," Ms Elliott wrote.

The move to suspend some investments - understood to include infrastructure that would probably be duplicated by the FTTN - signals Telstra's strong intention to compete against its rivals to win the national broadband contract.

Senator Conroy said through a spokesman: "We are aware of the concerns that have been raised and we remain in constructive discussions with the whole industry."

The Australian revealed on Friday that Senator Conroy had delivered an ultimatum to Telstra and its rivals demanding they voluntarily release details of physical network information or face a new legislative regime to force the disclosure and distribution of the data.

Telstra's rivals, including Singapore government-owned Optus, have the most to gain from the ultimatum and have argued over the past nine months that bidding for the na! tional broadband network would not be genuinely competitive un! less all players had access to Telstra's physical network information.

Opposition communications spokesman Bruce Billson questioned the impact of Senator Conroy's move on Telstra's investment plans.

"What's most disturbing is confirmation that the Government is using taxpayer money to displace private sector investment, as evidenced by Telstra's advice to the stock exchange that it will hold off on future investments until Labor's FTTN muddle is sorted out," Mr Billson said.

Telstra's share price closed down 2c to $4.64 yesterday.

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Dow Plunges 300 Points

2008-02-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks tumbled on Friday as another round of weak economic data added to U.S. recession fears and a record loss at insurer AIG underscored worries about more write-downs in the financial sector.

The major indexes fell more than 2 percent and ended the month in the red for the fourth month in a row. It marks the longest string of monthly losses for the Dow and S&P 500 since 2002.

Anxiety about the economy increased after a report said business conditions in the Midwest were the weakest in more than six years while a separate survey said U.S. consumer sentiment was at its lowest since 1992.

Dismal quarterly results from the American International Group Inc overnight led financial services company shares lower after the world's largest insurer reported a $5.3 billion dollar loss stemming from housing related write-downs.

"AIG set the tone for the day, and then everybody kind of piled on. I definitely think people are more worr! ied about the financial crisis. It's seen as a major leader in the negatives," said Adam Tracy, director of listed trading at Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco.

Late in the session, JPMorgan Chase & Co said first-quarter home equity losses could total about $450 million, and that net charge-offs for bad debt could double from that level by the fourth quarter of 2008.

The Dow Jones industrial average slid 315.79 points, or 2.51 percent, to end at 12,266.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 36.96 points, or 2.70 percent, to 1,330.72 while the Nasdaq Composite Index closed down 60.09 points, or 2.58 percent, to end at 2,271.48.

The faltering municipal bond market added to credit market concerns after distressed sellers dumped several billion dollars of debt on to the market.

For the month, the Dow dropped 3 percent, and the S&P fell 3.5 percent, bringing its losses since markets peaked in October to about 15 percent. The Nasdaq dropped 5 p! ercent for the month.

For the week, the Dow was down 0.! 9 percen t, the S&P was down 1.6 percent and the Nasdaq was down 1.4 percent.

On the day, AIG shares dropped 6.6 percent to $46.86, while JPMorgan Chase shares fell 4.2 percent to $40.65. An index of S&P financial shares dropped 4 percent.

On the Nasdaq, Dell Inc, the world's second-largest personal computer maker, fell 4.7 percent to $19.90 after late Thursday posting a lower-than-expected quarterly profit and cautioning that customers may rein in spending.

Shares of home builders also took a beating, sending the Dow Jones home construction index down 6.8 percent.

Toll Brothers, a luxury home builder, dropped 5.7 percent at $21.21.

Earlier in the day, the National Association of Purchasing Managers-Chicago said U.S. Midwest business activity contracted sharply in February.

In other data, the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers showed that sentiment slumped to a 16-year low in February, hitting levels that usually sound alarm ! bells for recession.

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Stocks Worth Waiting For

2008-02-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

Patient investors got the last laugh. Each of these stocks crushed the 10-year returns of both the S&P and the Nasdaq.

The mustard seed
Smaller companies can be particularly trying to wait for. While the larger companies have legions of analysts following their every move, small companies attract little or no Wall Street coverage, which means that even if the company is growing, the market might be slow to catch on.

For instance, in May 2003, the best stock of the past 10 years, Hansen Natural, traded at approximately the same price it did in June 1998. During this period, the company ran a good business -- it increased net income by 67% and revenue by 97%, and it posted a double-digit return on equity, while it ramped up its profitable energy drink lineup.

But the best was yet to come. When Wall Street eventually reali! zed Hansen's growth potential and its strong brand, the stock went up. Today, it's up more than 8,000% in almost five years -- turning $10,000 into $810,000 today. Patient investors who saw the potential in Hansen's growth strategy have been rewarded, to say the least.

How do I get those returns?!
OK, Hansen might be an extreme example. After all, not many stocks jump 8,000% in five years -- so I'll give you another example.

In July 2004, Fool co-founder Tom Gardner recommended Buffalo Wild Wings to Motley Fool Hidden Gems subscribers. He saw a rapidly growing $200 million restaurant chain with the potential of becoming a category-killer in casual dining. Moreover, the company had $47 million in cash, zero debt, and high insider ownership.

Everything pointed to higher returns, but 10 months later, the pick was only up 7%. Despite the weak return! s, Tom still felt strongly about Buffalo Wild Wings' potential! and re- recommended the stock two more times to Hidden Gems subscribers during this period.

Sticking to his guns paid off -- at one point, the original Buffalo Wild Wings pick more than tripled in value, though recent volatility has reduced that gain to 92%. That hasn't diminished the team's confidence in the stock, and it continues to recommend it to subscribers.

The Foolish bottom line
Exceptional companies will eventually be recognized by the market -- and when they are, the returns can be huge. Sometimes all it takes is a little patience.

Want to find some great stocks with tremendous upside potential? The Hidden Gems team specializes in finding unrecognized small companies with solid balance sheets, dominant positioning in their markets, and shareholder-friendly management teams. Since 2003, their picks have averaged 33% returns versus the market's! 11%.

This article was first published on April 10, 2007. It has been updated.

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Oil prices close at record high as traders stay bullish despite US economic worries

2008-02-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK - Oil futures surged to a new closing record above US$100 Tuesday as traders sought a safe haven against a U.S. dollar that is coming under increasing pressure from a shaky U.S. economy.

The greenback tumbled at one point to its lowest level ever against the euro, helping drive more money into energy futures. Supply concerns and a bullish attitude among stock traders also helped keep oil prices high.

The U.S. currency also fell against the Canadian dollar on Tuesday, as worries intensified about stagflation in the United States.

"You're seeing more of a switch into commodity prices as a hedge against inflation," said Adam Hewison, president of INO.com, a financial website that specializes in futures trading.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery jumped $1.65 to settle at $100.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. At one point in the session, prices surged as high as $101.15.

Crossing the psychologically significant $1! 00 mark once again - oil prices previously crossed that hurdle to set new records last week - in itself may have helped fuel the rally by triggering computer programs set to buy at certain levels and enticing new speculators into the market, said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Ill.

"You see additional buying among people who think they're missing something," he said. "Any time you move above ($100 a barrel), you're going to ignite some fresh buying."

Investors who recently were selling on weak economic data seemed to take a spate of bad news in stride.

The Conference Board, a business-backed research group, reported its Consumer Confidence Index fell to the lowest since February 2003, far below what analysts had been expecting, indicating that consumers might continue to curb their spending in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Labor Department reported that wholesale inflation jumped on! e per cent in January, more than twice what analysts had been ! forecast ing. That report, coupled with the consumer confidence index, pointed to an economy that is slowing even as prices are rising.

And Standard & Poor's added to homeowners' angst when it said its quarterly home price index tumbled 8.9 per cent in the final quarter of 2007 - the indictator's sharpest decline in its 20-year history.

But traders in both the energy market and the stock market, which also advanced sharply, seemed largely unfazed.

"We're seeing a solid tone to the stock market," Ritterbusch said. "I think the oil market is using the stock market as a proxy for future economic activity."

Last week, March oil rallied to a new settlement record of $100.74 and a new trading record of $101.32 before the contract expired.

Hedge funds looking to cover future positions and foreign buyers, who because of the weak dollar can still lock in oil prices at a relative bargain, may have helped accelerate the day's buying, Hewison said.

O! n Tuesday, the 15-nation euro jumped to $1.4982 before trading late in the day at $1.4967, its previous record.

"In euro terms, oil is not that expensive, and it's likely to go even higher," he said.

In Toronto, the loonie closed at 101.79 cents US, up 1.31 cents on the day after zooming as high as 102.2 cents US.

Also supporting prices were concerns about supply disruptions from unrest in Iraq, a major oil exporter, and warnings by Iran against further international sanctions. Turkish ground forces pushed their offensive against Kurdish rebels deeper into the north of Iraq, seizing seven guerrilla camps, officials said.

Oil has risen in recent days amid an increase in speculative buying, with some traders believing that global demand will be high enough to support higher crude prices even if the U.S. economy is slowing. That thesis will be put to the test Wednesday, when analysts expect the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administrat! ion to report that the nation's crude stocks rose for the seve! nth week in a row.

The government inventories report also is expected to show supplies of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel, fell by 1.8 million barrels last week, according to a Dow Jones Newswires poll of analysts. Cold weather across the Midwest and Northeast has also helped push heating oil prices higher.

On Tuesday, heating oil futures gained 2.97 cents to settle at $2.8150 a gallon, after earlier setting a new trading record of $2.8188 a gallon.

Gasoline prices rose 0.8 cents to settle at $2.5505 a gallon. Gas prices at the pump rose to $3.142 from $3.137 Monday, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

The EIA report also is expected to show that crude oil stocks rose last week by 2.4 million barrels, which would be the seventh straight week of gains. Gasoline inventories are expected to rise by 400,000 barrels.

Natural gas futures rose two cents to settle at $9.206 per 1,000 cubic feet. Earlier, Gazprom, Russi! a's natural gas monopoly, again threatened to cut supplies to neighboring Ukraine, according to Russian news agency reports.

In London, Brent crude futures rose $1.78 to settle at $99.47 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

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Panel Says U.S. Will Avoid Recession

2008-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy will likely avoid a recession but growth will slow to a crawl during the first half of this year, a panel of business economists forecast on Monday.

Among the panel of 49 National Association for Business Economics economists surveyed between January 25 and February 13, about 45 percent said they believe a recession will have occurred by the end of this year. But most believe it will be short and shallow.

The remaining 55 percent said a downturn will be relatively muted.

"U.S. economic growth is expected to slow to a crawl in the first half of 2008," said Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, NABE president and chief economist at Ford Motor Company.

While credit availability is generally viewed as a constraint on the overall economy, about 60 percent of the panelists see a moderate tightening of lending to consumers and businesses. But a similar percentage expect credit market liquidity and functioning to be restored to normal by t! he end of this year.

The consensus forecast among those surveyed calls for real economic output -- as measured by Gross Domestic Product -- to grow at a scant 0.4 percent annual rate in the first three months of this year and by 1 percent in the second quarter.

"While a slight majority of our panel of our forecasters expects the economy to avoid a recession in 2008, growth is expected to average just 0.75 percent before accelerating in the second half in response to fiscal and monetary stimulus," said Hughes-Cromwick.

STIMULUS IMPACT

The economists say that the stimulus package, signed into law earlier this month, with tax breaks for businesses and tax rebates worth up to $600 per individual and $1,200 per couple, could boost economic growth in the second half to a 2.8 percent annual rate.

That would bring growth for the year to 1.8 percent, still down significantly from the 2.6 percent growth projected in the prior survey taken in November.

A! bout 40 percent of those surveyed said the fiscal stimulus pac! kage wil l help ward off a recession. Another 30 percent believe it will keep any recession short and mild and the remaining 30 percent polled believe the package will either have a negligible impact, is unnecessary, or is coming too late.

The NABE panel significantly trimmed its estimates for consumer spending and housing and cut the outlook for business inventory accumulation. The housing slump is likely to have a "major negative impact" on consumer spending this year, according to more than 60 percent of the economists polled.

New home starts are expected to total just 1.0 million units in 2008, down from the 1.2 million units projected in November and the 1.5 million units forecast as recently as last May.

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Cerberus' problems deepen amid Chrysler, GMAC woes

2008-02-24T15:43:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cerberus Capital Management LP, the brash private equity firm named for a demonic dog, has been humbled in recent weeks by woes at two of its larger investments, automaker Chrysler LLC and auto and mortgage lender GMAC LLC.

Those companies' problems are merely among the most prominent in a series of bumps affecting one of the giants in private equity. Cerberus is run and founded by the reclusive Stephen Feinberg, and named for the three-headed canine that guarded the gates of the underworld in Greek mythology.

At the height of the private-equity boom, Cerberus made big returns for investors by investing in companies such as Vanguard Car Rental Group Inc, the parent of Alamo and National, which it sold to Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 2007.

Other good bets it has made have been on investments in AerCap Holdings N.V. (AER) based in the Netherlands, and Montreal-based Teleglobe International.

But it has made some contrarian bets s! uch as Chrysler, whose salvation confounded Germany's Daimler AG , causing some to wonder if Cerberus' Midas touch is fading.

The latest hits came on Friday.

GMAC and its Residential Capital LLC mortgage unit suffered large credit downgrades from Standard & Poor's. Cerberus bought a majority stake in GMAC from General Motors Corp , the largest U.S. automaker, in 2006,

Also, Scottish Re Group Ltd , a reinsurer into which Cerberus injected $300 million last May, said it would try to sell some units and cut costs to preserve capital and liquidity. The reason: its business plan does not work.

"Cerberus has among the smartest, most connected people the private equity business has ever seen," said Michael Holland, a money manager who runs Holland & Co, and is a former partner at private equity firm Blackstone Group LP . "But it shows you the enormous challenges facing private equity right now."

A Cerberus spokesman said the firm remains ! "enthusiastic" about Chrysler, which he said is on track to ex! ceed its long-term targets "on all key metrics." He also called GMAC "a resilient business platform with strong long-term growth prospects." The spokesman declined to discuss Scottish Re.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal quoted Cerberus' No. 2 executive, Mark Neporent, as saying the firm never commits more than 5 percent of its $26 billion under management to any one investment. That would limit risk.

INVESTMENTS FACE STRUGGLES

But much of the attention has focused on investments that look unwell, went sour -- or never happened.

Chrysler is a key focus, after Cerberus last August acquired an 80.1 percent stake from Daimler in a $7.4 billion transaction, taking on an estimated $18 billion of pension and health-care liabilities. It installed former Home Depot Inc chief Robert Nardelli to run the automaker.

The Wall Street Journal in December said Nardelli confirmed he told employees in a meeting that month that Chrysler, which is cutting thousand! s of jobs, was "operationally" bankrupt.

In January, Chrysler sales declined 12 percent as demand fell for pickup trucks and SUVs. On Feb 8, Chrysler President Jim Press said the automaker plans to shrink its dealer network and eliminate slow-selling models.

GMAC, which was once a profit center at GM's otherwise troubled operations, is another area of concern. Cerberus led a group that bought 51 percent of the company, which provided auto loans and mortgages.

But the U.S. housing crisis led to a $2.33 billion loss at GMAC in 2007, including a $4.35 billion loss at ResCap.

Standard & Poor's on Friday slashed GMAC's and ResCap's credit ratings to medium "junk" status, to the same levels assigned by Moody's Investors Service. S&P said ResCap might need more capital to avoid tripping its own loan covenants.

Feinberg acknowledged problems in his January 22 letter.

"GMAC is an investment about which we have significant concerns," ! he wrote. "If the credit markets continue to decline and we fi! nd ourse lves in a prolonged environment of capital market shutdown, GMAC could run into substantial difficulty."

Cerberus has stumbled before on mortgages. Last August, its Aegis Mortgage Corp unit went bankrupt, becoming one of dozens of home loan providers to exit the industry since 2006.

ACQUISITIONS FALL THROUGH

Some deals have fallen apart altogether.

Cerberus' $1 billion agreement last year to buy H&R Block Inc's Option One Mortgage Corp subprime unit as demand for risky home loans collapsed.

And in a bigger blowup, Cerberus backed out of a $4 billion agreement to buy equipment renter United Rentals Inc , a decision a Delaware court said it was within its rights to do.

"Walking away from the transaction was very difficult for us because we knew we would get criticized and there would be significant reputational fallout," Feinberg wrote. "We stuck to our guns, and the truth prevailed."

In the last six months, Blackstone, Gol! dman Sachs Group Inc private equity arm, J.C. Flowers & Co. and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co are among private equity firms to also back out of mergers.

As a result, planned buyouts of such companies as student lender Sallie Mae , mortgage and vehicle fleet company PHH Corp and audio equipment maker Harman International Industries Inc never closed.

It's not just shareholders of such companies that get hurt. Investors who bought Blackstone partnership units when the firm went public last June have lost about half their investment.

But it is Cerberus that is now associated with more higher-profile, troubled acquisitions.

"You simply don't see the problems other people face because they're not as big and not as obvious, but it is throughout the industry," Holland said. "But I don't think (Cerberus is) distinguishing itself by bad choices."

(Additional reporting by Megan Davies, Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

By: Corrisa Malone

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Source: http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20080224&id=8234027
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Non-roster invitees to make their cases

2008-02-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Over the past 10 years, only 12 position players invited to Major League training camp have made the Dodgers' Opening Day roster.

Among them were Olmedo Saenz, who turned it into a four-year pinch-hitting gig, and Ramon Martinez, who is one of the 10 candidates in camp this spring. Martinez pulled it off in 2006 and played well enough to earn a guaranteed contract for '07, but he's back this year fighting for a utility job.

Here's a rundown on the non-roster position players invited to this year's Major League camp:

Danny Ardoin, 33, C: He has the Crash Davis resume of spending at least some time at Triple-A in each of the past nine seasons. He's logged 141 big league games behind the plate for Minnesota, Texas, Colorado and Baltimore, and was essentially the Rockies' starter in 2005 until tearing up his knee in a plate collision with Jose Cruz Jr. against the Dodgers. In 2007, he played for three organizations -- Washington, Housto! n and St. Louis.

Angel Chavez, 26, INF: The Panamanian is linked to both general manager Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre, having spent six years in the Giants' system with Colletti and the last two in the Yankees' Minor League system. He played all four infield positions for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, mostly at third base.

A.J. Ellis, 26, C: Andrew James Ellis is on a return trip to big league camp. He's got a big body (6-foot-3, 240 pounds) and is considered a defensive specialist. He started to show some power at the end of last season at Double-A, hitting five of his eight homers in August.

John-Ford Griffin, 28, OF: Anybody who has had Triple-A seasons of 30 and 28 home runs is intriguing, even more so for a 28-year-old former Yankees first-round Draft pick. The left-handed slugger was traded in the Jeff Weaver deal and played in the Blue Jays' organization since 2003. Shoulder problems ruined his 2006 season, but he sa! ys he's healthy now. Last season, he hit .252 with 26 homers a! nd 83 RB Is in 133 games for Triple-A Syracuse.

Gabriel Gutierrez, 24, C: He's smaller than Russell Martin, but he was rated by Baseball America as the best defensive catcher in the Dodgers Minor League organization two years ago. He was signed by Mike Brito out of Mexico, where he played winter ball after spending the entire 2007 season at Class A Inland Empire. On the organizational depth chart, he seems to have been passed by converted third baseman Lucas May.

By: Debra Gould

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Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080223&content_id=2386075&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnered=rss_mlb
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A banner business

2008-02-22T15:41:00.001-08:00

After successful careers separately in retail and manufacturing, Maureen and Dennis Criscuolo are trying out their business acumen together.

In 2005, the Germantown couple kicked off an Internet-based retail operation from their home selling flags with a $12,000 investment.

Then, last year, on a tip from their main supplier -- and with $185,000 of their own money -- they bought an existing flag and banner business at 4550 Summer which gave them a storefront.

The Criscuoloes have invested another $35,000 improving both the retail side of the house as well as equipment for custom work. A small portion of existing space is about to be converted to display the varieties of custom flags and banners Flagcenter.com LLC can produce.

By: Chuck Yockey
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Source: http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/02/25/smallb1.html
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Court says Menard Inc. owes $200,000 less in taxes

2008-02-21T15:42:00.001-08:00

Menard, 68, who started the home improvement retail chain, is considered Wisconsin’s richest person, worth $7.3 billion in 2007, according to Forbes magazine.

The court in Washington, D.C., ruled late Tuesday, modifying a 2005 decision in which it sided with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS claims the company and Menard owe back taxes and penalties because the company paid him too much in 1998.

Judge L. Paige Marvel ruled that of the $20.6 million Menard received that year as the home improvement chain’s chief executive officer, only $7 million qualified as a salary and the rest was a dividend.

She compared Menard’s salary with those of executives running similar companies, such as Lowe’s Cos. and Home Depot Inc.

Marvel also ruled that $1.6 million that Menard Inc. paid to the Team Menard Inc. auto racing organization in 1998 was really a dividend paid to John Menard. Menard Inc. had argued that! the $1.6 million should be a deductible business expense for marketing.

Unlike salaries and other business expenses, dividends are not deductible. For that reason, Menard Inc. owed an additional $5.7 million in back taxes, plus a penalty, Marvel said. Menard himself owed more than $1 million in back taxes and a penalty, the court said.

In later filings, Menard said he and his company should get credit for a 1.45 percent Medicare tax levied on all salaries because it had been paid on the money Marvel had since decreed a dividend.

Marvel agreed Tuesday, writing for the entire Tax Court. But she said the company owes taxes on the deduction it took for paying the Medicare tax. The difference is just under $200,000 in the company’s favor, according to Marvel’s decision. Menard will also get a similar deduction in the amount he owes, the court ruled.

Menard and the IRS are involved in similar disputes for five other tax! years. But those cases are not expected to be settled until t! he 1998 case is.

Tax Court cases can be appealed through the federal court system.

Robert E. Dallman, the Milwaukee lawyer representing Menard and the company, said he had no comment on Thursday.

Menard Inc. has more than 220 stores in 11 Midwestern states.

By: mcomo
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Source: http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2008/02/21/news/752l.txt
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India losing sheen as offshore R and D hub

2008-02-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: India used to be seen as the perfect offshore research and development hub for global firms seeking to tap its low-cost and supposedly vast engineering talent pool to devise products for world markets.
Companies including Microsoft, IBM, Intel, AMD, Google, Motorola, Yahoo!, Cisco and Siemens have opened R and D centres in India, drawn by payroll costs that were once a quarter of those in the US and Europe.
But the cost advantage is fading and engineers trained in basic research are harder to find, reducing India?s appeal, says Zinnov, a consultancy that advises overseas firms on R and D issues.
?Some companies witnessed a 20% rise last year in the cost of running their R and D operations in India,? Zinnov chief executive Pari Natarajan said.
?If this trend continues, the cost advantage of doing R and D in India compared to the US will go away,? he said, predicting a shakeout in the R and D offshoring market.
India is home to 594 R and D facili! ties set up by overseas firms that invested a combined $5.83bn, according to Zinnov.
Rising costs and a shortage of skilled workers have also hurt other industries ?from software to retailing ? in an economy that has expanded at an annual average of 8.6% over the past four years. But the R and D offshoring market has received scant attention.
?Costs are going up all over, and we are also facing a shortage of shop floor workers,? said Anjun Roy, economist at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
?There is a need to improve skill sets in a lot of areas.?
Like software makers, R and D centres whose expenses are incurred mainly in rupees were hurt by a more than 12% rise last year in the value of the Indian unit against the dollar.
Wages jumped about 15% as companies fought to hire and retain hard-to-find engineers skilled in research.
India turns out more than half a million engineers every year, but institutions do not train them ! in basic research, limiting the available talent pool to no mo! re than 100,000 people, said Natarajan.
The shortage may set back the ambitious expansion plans announced by companies such as networking giant Cisco, which said in October that it plans to triple its headcount in India to 10,000 in three years.
?It?s going to be very difficult for companies which have very aggressive hiring targets,? Natarajan said. ?It?s almost impossible to hire unless you compromise on the quality of talent.?
Cisco, which plans to use India to develop products for customers in emerging markets, has opened 170 academies across the country and is training 8,600 students to overcome the talent crunch, human resources executive Leo Scrivener said.
?We are aware that a large pool of technical specialists and business solutions experts can?t be readily hired from the market,? Scrivener said.
Cisco has benefited from its R and D facility in India that has generated 110 US patents, with another 400 pending with the US Patents and Trademark Office. Hundreds of patents have been filed by other research facilities based in the country. Half the work on an Intel wonder chip, a fingernail-sized device unveiled last year that offers supercomputer performance, was done by its India research centre.
Despite the problems facing R and D, Zinnov predicts that investment in existing facilities by large global companies capable of riding out rising costs, and with the infrastructure to train fresh graduates, will drive India as an offshore R and D destination.
That will pump up the R and D market by an annual average of 23% until 2012, even as per-employee cost in India increases by a yearly 13.3%.
Smaller facilities may have to shut shop or sell out while investment in new R and D centres will likely dry up as part of a looming consolidation, said Natarajan.- AFP
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Source: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=202856&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22
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National Guardsman gets 3 years for smuggling illegal immigrants

2008-02-19T15:42:00.001-08:00

A Texas National Guardsman was one of two men sentenced Tuesday to at least three years in federal prison for helping smuggle illegal immigrants through a Border Patrol checkpoint in South Texas.

Clarence Hodge Jr., 36, of Fort Worth, a sergeant in the National Guard, and Jerry Zuniga, 29, of Laredo, pleaded guilty last August to charges of conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants.

Hodge, appearing Tuesday in Laredo before U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen, tearfully apologized, saying his actions embarrassed his family and the military. Kazen then sentenced him to 38 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He also must perform 120 hours of community service. The sentence is final since Hodge waived all appeals. He could have received up to 10 years in prison.

Zuniga, who was arrested along with his wife, Luisa Pacheco, for conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants and harboring illegal immigrants in their Laredo home, received! three years in prison, plus three years of supervised release.

Hodge, Zuniga and two other guardsmen, Jose Rodrigo Torres and Julio Cesar Pacheco, Luisa Pacheco's brother, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens several times between May 2007 and June 7, 2007, when the smuggling operation was discovered with Torres' arrest. The two other guardsmen have not yet been sentenced.

Torres had just driven through a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 35 north of Laredo in a passenger van leased to the Texas Army National Guard. Two dozen undocumented immigrants were inside the van.

At the time of their arrest, the soldiers were working along the border in Laredo as part of President Bush's Operation Jump Start. Court records showed Torres implicated both Pacheco and Hodge and said he expected to be paid about $3,000 for the smuggling trips.

Investigators determined Hodge and Torres were recruited by Pacheco to help move immigrants throu! gh the checkpoint, where all three guardsmen were assisting Bo! rder Pat rol agents. In the scheme, Pacheco told Torres when the illegal immigrants were ready to be picked up from Zuniga's home in Laredo and Torres would get instructions where to take them by text messages to his cell phone.

Torres would make the pickup and Hodge would pretend to conduct National Guard business with Torres whenever Torres approached the service lane of the checkpoint driving the van with undocumented immigrants, easing the van's passage.

Federal prosecutors said Hodge also assisted in acquiring the National Guard-leased van for Torres to use.

Authorities said besides using his home to harbor illegal immigrants, Zuniga drove a counter-surveillance vehicle along I-35 and directed Torres where to make the dropoff of the immigrants north of the checkpoint.

By: Arthor Pens
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Source: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/482496.html
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Unaffordable Family Formation in the Islamic World

2008-02-17T15:41:00.001-08:00

CAIRO ? The concrete steps leading from Ahmed Muhammad Sayyid?s first-floor apartment sag in the middle, worn down over time, like Mr. Sayyid himself. Once, Mr. Sayyid had a decent job and a chance to marry. But his fiancée?s family canceled the engagement because after two years, he could not raise enough money to buy an apartment and furniture.

Mr. Sayyid spun into depression and lost nearly 40 pounds. For months, he sat at home and focused on one thing: reading the Koran. Now, at 28, with a diploma in tourism, he is living with his mother and working as a driver for less than $100 a month. With each of life?s disappointments and indignities, Mr. Sayyid has drawn religion closer.

Here in Egypt and across the Middle East, many young people are being forced to put off marriage, the gateway to independence, sexual activity and societal respect. Stymied by the government?s failure to provide adequate schooling and thwarted by an economy without jobs to matc! h their abilities or aspirations, they are stuck in limbo between youth and adulthood.Dreams Stifled, Egypt?s Young Turn to Islamic Fervor, By Michael Slackman, February 17, 2008]

Egypt has lots of education but few seem to learn any skills worth paying for:

Mr. Sayyid?s path to stalemate began years ago, in school.

Like most Egyptians educated in public schools, his course of study was determined entirely by grades on standardized tests. He was not a serious student, often skipping school, but scored well enough to go on to an academy, something between high school and a university. He was put in a five-year program to study tourism and hotel operations.

Five years “studying” tourism?

His diploma qualified him for little but unemployment. Education experts say that while Egypt has lifted many citizens out of illiteracy, its education system does not prepare young people for work in the modern world. Nor, acco! rding to a recent Population Council report issued in Cairo, d! oes its economy provide enough well-paying jobs to allow many young people to afford marriage.Egypt?s education system was originally devised to produce government workers under a compact with society forged in the heady early days of President Gamal Abdel Nasser?s administration in the late 1950s and ?60s.

Every graduate was guaranteed a government job, and peasant families for the first time were offered the prospect of social mobility through education. Now children of illiterate peasant farmers have degrees in engineering, law or business. The dream of mobility survives, but there are not enough government jobs for the floods of graduates. And many are not qualified for the private sector jobs that do exist, government and business officials said, because of their poor schooling. Business students often never touch a computer, for example.

On average, it takes several years for graduates to find their first job, in part because they would rather remain unemployed t! han work in a blue-collar factory position. It is considered a blow to family honor for a college graduate to take a blue-collar job, leaving large numbers of young people with nothing to do.

It’s not totally clear why all this contributes to increased Islamic fanaticism, other than that’s what they always seem to do over there when they have a problem: get more fanatical.

Marriage also plays on important financial role for families and the community. Often the only savings families acquire over a lifetime is the money for their children to marry, and handing it over amounts to an intergenerational transfer of wealth.

It’s not clear from this what “the money for their children to marry” is for–presumably, some mixture of a home, furnishings, and a fancy wedding ceremony.

But marriage is so expensive now, the system is collapsing in many communities. Diane Singerman, a professor at American Univers! ity, said that a 1999 survey found that marriage in Egypt cost! about $ 6,000, 11 times annual household expenditures per capita. Five years later, a study found the price had jumped 25 percent more. In other words, a groom and his father in the poorest segment of society had to save their total income for eight years to afford a wedding, she reported.

The result is delayed marriages across the region. A generation ago, 63 percent of Middle Eastern men in their mid- to late 20s were married, according to recent study by the Wolfensohn Center for Development at the Brookings Institution and the Dubai School of Government. That figure has dropped to nearly 50 percent across the region, among the lowest rates of marriage in the developing world, the report said. In Iran, for example, 38 percent of the 25- to 29-year-old men are not married, one of the largest pools of unattached males in Iranian histo! ry. In Egypt, the average age at which men now marry is 31.

Egypt’s population is now 80 million and growing 1.7% per year. It’s three times the size of New Mexico, but only 0.5% of the land (i.e., the banks of the Nile) are devoted to permanent crops.

The Egyptian total fertility rate is down to 2.77 babies per woman per lifetime, so Egypt’s population problem, which looks rather like a classic Malthusian trap, is slowly being resolved by the classic Malthusian method of delayed marriage and strict controls against illegitimacy leading to fewer births, just as in England before the Industrial Revolution. Of course, 2008 is after the Industrial Revolution, so you’d think they could come up with something better.

The only good idea the government has come up with is to cut down on the cost of wedding ceremonies by turning them into a mass production ope! ration, like high school graduations:

In Egypt and i! n other countries, like Saudi Arabia, governments help finance mass weddings, because they are concerned about the destabilizing effect of so many men and women who can not afford to marry.

The mass weddings are hugely festive, with couples, many in their late 30s and 40s, allowed to invite dozens of family members and friends. … The couples were ferried to an open-air stadium in 75 cars donated by local people. They were greeted by a standing-room-only, roaring crowd, flashing neon lights, traditional music, the local governor and a television celebrity who served as the master of ceremonies for the event.

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Source: http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2008/02/17/unaffordable-family-formation-in-the-islamic-world/
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Divorce proceedings for former New Jersey governor McGreevey last longer than his marriage did

2008-02-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

The McGreeveys were married in October 2000 and split in November 2004, when they left the governor's mansion in Princeton and began living apart. As of February, they've been separated with the intention of divorcing for three years and three months — nearly as long as the marriage.

After the breakup, he wrote a tell-all book, then went on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and acknowledged having a gay tryst while his wife was in the hospital giving birth to their daughter, Jacqueline. She followed with a tell-all book of her own, and they argued over whose would sell more copies.

On custody, their lawyers — he's on his third, she's kept the same one throughout — have squabbled over all sorts of issues. Matos McGreevey has complained about artwork in her husband's home, demanding that one nude photograph be removed, and arguing that Jacqueline should not be allowed to sleep in her father's bed.

McGreevey, who is! studying to be an Episcopal priest, wants to keep his daughter for overnight visits on a school night and wants to take her to Episcopal services when she's with him.

The couple once rushed to court days before McGreevey was set to throw Jacqueline a birthday bash because his wife argued it wasn't his weekend for visitation. McGreevey has his daughter every other weekend and one night during the week. The child spends the rest of her time with her mother.

"Mr. McGreevey is extremely hopeful that in Jacqueline's best interest her mother will relent in her so far obstinate refusal to consent to true joint custody of this child, which would allow Jacqueline to have the benefits of a deep and bonded relationship with both of her parents," said Stephen P. Haller, McGreevey's lawyer.

McGreevey's request to hire experts was denied by a judge Friday. The McGreeveys already retain a parenting coordinator to help mitigate their squabbles! , and a counselor for their daughter, a kindergartner. They al! so have a temporary parenting plan in place, governing such issues as who gets the girl on holidays, which both parties signed after hours of negotiations.

Their bickering also involves money: Matos McGreevey claims he isn't living up to his earning potential as a licensed attorney. She also insists his live-in boyfriend, Mark O'Donnell, should have to disclose his finances and business dealings.

Matos McGreevey lives in a modest home in Springfield. She is an executive with Columbus Hospital, but likely will lose her job in the spring when the hospital is slated to close. Matos McGreevey and her lawyer, John Post, did not return messages seeking comment.

Like other divorces, it's also been expensive: McGreevey said his legal expenses have topped $400,000 so far and that they easily could double before the divorce is final.

By: Cha! rles Fuchs
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Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/15/america/Gay-Governor-Divorce.php
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Gen X paints town red

2008-02-14T15:41:00.001-08:00

With flower sellers lining up at every nook and corner of the twin cities, bouquets of fresh flowers were seen flying off the shelves as they day wore on. And boy! Did the youngsters have a ball - hanging out at coffee shops, malls, theatres and restaurants, not to mention Tank Bund and the Necklace road.

Most business shops were decorated with stuffed toys and flowers while those selling greeting cards and gifts made a killing as people of all ages bought them. “The day is a reason to party with friends and loved ones. All our friends got together and went out for a lunch,” said Taran Singh, an engineering student.

Candlelight dinners, sparkling wine and a live band added to the romantic ambience in most of the star restaurants in the evening. All the pubs and discs had Valentine’s Day theme party with DJs spinning groovy romantic numbers.

“The day is not only for couples but also for families. Every year we have a famil! y dinner at home, followed by a long drive and ensure that we have a blast,” said Rachana Kaur, a lawyer. Anticipating protests from Left parties and the ‘moral brigade’ in general, policemen were stationed at several locations like the Tank Bund, Lumbini Park and a few malls.

By: mcomo
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Michael Comeau has been owner of many successful businesses over the years including his current online business which can be viewed at www.workfromhome4dollars.com/ArticleTop2008MomsJobs.php You may also find more articles by Michael Comeau at www.workfromho! me4dolla rs.com

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/15/stories/2008021558150200.htm
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Twist of Fate as Canadian Dollar Rallies While Australian and New Zealand Dollars Retrace

2008-02-13T15:42:00.001-08:00

The Australian and New Zealand dollars failed to participate in today’s Japanese carry trade rally.

This was partly due to Kiwi bearish news and the expectations for tonight’s Australian employment numbers. Starting with New Zealand, Finance Minister Cullen warned that the slowdown in the housing market was sharper than expected. Combined with the recent drought, he projects a slowdown in growth. Home sales, food price and manufacturing PMI were all weaker than expected, adding to the Kiwi’s slide. In Australia, employment numbers are due for release in a few hours. The recent decline in business confidence suggests that the Australian labor market will continue weaken. Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar rebounded despite the lack of economic data. The trade balance is due for release tomorrow and we expect the recent slowdown in US growth to hurt Canadian exports.

By: William Winch
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William Winch is a Business Growth Specialist whose mission is helping people expand and explode their home-based businesses without breaking the bank. A former High School and College Business Educator and Counselor, he mentors from his home office in Rochester, NY. If you are interested in learning how to explode and expand your home-based business, you can contact William by visiting his website at www.thefreemlmpowerreport.com or by calling him directly at (585) 234-5283.

Source: http://www.dailyfx.com/story/currency/aud_fundamen! tals/Twi st_of_Fate_as_Canadian_1202942374822.html?engine=rss&keyword=article
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Laski book takes aim at City Hall

2008-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

The 54-year-old Southwest Sider handwrote his book in a West Virginia federal penitentiary. He served 11 months for accepting $48,000 in bribes while city clerk in exchange for steering Hired Truck business to personal and political friends.

"I put friendship before my family and my job, and that was the problem," Laski said.

In My Fall from Grace: City Hall to Prison Walls, Laski listed other Daley administration officials with whom he brokered Hired Truck deals. They include the mayor's then-council floor leader Alderman Patrick Huels, former intergovernmental affairs director Victor Reyes, convicted patronage chief Robert Sorich, and convicted deputy water commissioner Donald Tomczak.

Laski insists there is no way the detail-oriented Daley could not have known about so many Hired Truck deals.

"This is a guy who...prides himself on detail. And he doesn't know certain things? Selective amnesia," said Laski.

But the mayor has ! insisted for the past four years he knew nothing of the scandal, or for that matter who hired Angelo Torres, the Hired Truck program's boss.

"He got the job. I don't know how he got the job," Mayor Daley said in February 2005.

"The fact you can't say I didn't know who hired this person or didn't know about this or that, you can't seep saying that," said Laski.

In the book, Laski writes that as the feds were closing in on him, he was actually approached by the mayor, who Laski speculated seemed to know something was amiss.

"He asked me if I heard anything. And I, 'Heard from who?' And he said, 'The guys down the street.' I assume that he was talking about the US attorney or the Feds," said Laski.

In a published report, the mayor's press secretary Jacqueline Heard questioned Laski's motivation for including the alleged encounter with the mayor. She dismissed the charge, saying she believed the former city clerk is just trying to se! ll books.

The book is not in the stores yet, but it i! s on Ama zon.com.

By: mcomo
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Michael Comeau has been owner of many successful businesses over the years including his current online business which can be viewed at www.workfromhome4dollars.com/ArticleEarnwithGoogle.php You may also find more articles by Michael Comeau at www.workfromhome4dollars.com

Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=5953185!
home based business idea, home based small business

Australian woman murdered in Bali

2008-02-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

A NSW woman has been found stabbed to death in her Bali home, the Department of Foreign Affairs says.

The 34-year-old woman was found with multiple stab wounds to her neck and back in a villa in the suburb of Canggu, north of the major tourist area, Kuta.

The woman has been named in some reports as Heidi Murphy of Sydney.

DFAT officials would not confirm the name, but said consular assistance was being provided to the woman's family.

A police investigation was underway in Bali, DFAT said.

"Indonesian authorities are investigating the woman's death," the spokesman said.

"The Australian consul-general in Bali and the department in Canberra are providing consular assistance to the woman's family."

Ms Murphy, of Sydney, owned a garment and textile business in the neighbouring suburb of Kerobokan, News Ltd said.

She was last seen alive on Saturday evening by a friend, it said.

Police told the paper there were no signs! of a break-in at Ms Murphy's home and no murder weapon had yet been found.

It's believed she fought with her attacker as her hands and ears were also injured, they said.

AAP

By: Katrina Harris
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Katrina Harris is a passionate home based entrepreneur who made a commitment to learn the successful traits of the super wealthy. After tapping into the minds of the Superstars of MLM she has made these learnings available for anyone else keen to crack the code of the super successful. If you would you like to learn more of the MLM training techniques that these superstars have shared with me, go to www.MLM-Lead-Training.com

Source: http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=145&ContentID=57975
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"A mafia is active at Delhi airport"

2008-02-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Parul Sharma

NEW DELHI: An Abu Dhabi-based Indian has claimed that jewellery and diamonds worth Rs.2 lakh were stolen from his family’s luggage at Delhi airport when they were on their way to Abu Dhabi this past month.

Parvez Siddiqui has alleged that two necklaces -- one of diamond and the other golden – apart from four sets of ear-rings, two rings and nose-pins were missing from the luggage when his family reached their Abu Dhabi home.

The theft, the family suspects, took place on January 10 when Mr. Siddiqui’s wife Iffat Jahan, his little daughter Lubna, his brother Arshad and their mother Fakhrun Nisa checked in their luggage at Terminal 2 of Indira Gandhi International Airport here to board an Air India flight to Abu Dhabi.

“I strongly suspect that our baggage was burgled after check-in at the airport. Someone must have detected the presence of jewellery when the luggage was being screened and tipp! ed off the others. When my family reached home, we were shocked to see that only one of the four bags – the one that was carrying the valuables -- was broken,” said Mr. Siddiqui from Abu Dhabi.

“The case carrying the jewellery was also broken and an unidentified cloth had been shoved inside the luggage. It seems to me that a mafia is active at Delhi airport,” he alleged.

A distraught Mr. Siddiqui contacted the Air India office in Abu Dhabi who asked him to get in touch with officials in Delhi.

“I have sent e-mails and faxes to everyone, right from officials in the Union Civil Aviation Ministry in New Delhi to the Airports Authority of India to Delhi International Airport (Private) Limited and Air India. I also wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. A senior DIAL official responded to me asking me to take up the matter with Air India General Manager B. Chaturvedi,” he said. In response to his frantic miss! ives, Mr. Siddiqui received an e-mail from Air India Assistant! General Manager S. T. Norbula on behalf of Mr. Chaturvedi stating that the airline had not been able to trace the alleged missing items. Drawing his attention to the notice of “Baggage liability limitation -- Items unacceptable as baggage”, Mr. Norbula said: “The notice printed on the ticket jacket says ‘The passenger shall not include in checked baggage fragile or perishable items, money, jewellery, precious metals, silverware, negotiable papers, securities or other valuables, business documents, passport and other identification documents or samples. Notwithstanding this, we regret the unfortunate incident.”

When contacted, Mr. Norbula refused to comment.

“I have flown so many times with different international airlines but something like this has never happened before. No one seems to be interested in helping us out,” rued Mr. Siddiqui.

By: Terri Toon
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Terri is a fulltime stay at home mother who writes and mystery shops on the side. She has just finished an eBook called "Mystery Shopping Madness" which is on her website. For more legitimate income opportunities you can visit her website at:www.momsmoneymaker-website.com

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/10/stories/2008021057090100.htm
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Tennessee's Parker uncertain for Rutgers

2008-02-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—As a doctor checked Candace Parker's knee on Friday, the Tennessee star turned to her trainer and mouthed, "Don't count me out for Monday."

A day after Parker bruised her knee in No. 2 Tennessee's 87-69 win over Mississippi State, the 6-foot-4 forward was plotting how she'd prepare for Monday's game against a No. 7 Rutgers team that's rolling off an upset of top-ranked Connecticut.

"I am going to be rehabbing like crazy," she said Friday at practice, where she hobbled around on crutches. "(Tennessee trainer Jenny Moshak) and I are going to be buddies for the next 48 hours and just try to get back."

Coach Pat Summitt is urging caution with the knee that's already undergone two surgeries to repair a torn ligament that Parker suffered in high school and won't decide until Monday if Parker will play.

Parker was one of three Lady Vols to be injured in the scrappy game against the Lady Bulldogs. Freshman guard Angie Bjorklund broke her nose and s! enior forward Alberta Auguste reaggravated a shoulder injury.

Tennessee's schedule doesn't get much easier, with key Southeastern Conference opponents LSU and Vanderbilt up next.

"As big a game as it is to play Rutgers here at home, I'm hopeful that they will be able to play. But if they are not ready, they are not ready, and other people are going to have to step up," Summitt said.

None of the Lady Vols (21-1) are underestimating the stakes of Monday's game, also a rematch of the 2007 national championship game won by Tennessee 59-46. The game will air as part of ESPN2's "Big Monday" broadcast.

"It is a very emotional game for us as well," guard Alexis Hornbuckle said. "They knocked off the number one seed. If we can come in here Monday night and take care of business then we would become the number one seed, so we have a goal in mind as well."

Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer doesn't think Tennessee would be any less dangerous without Parker as other Lady V! ols will jump at a chance to show Summitt they can play just a! s hard a s the star.

But, she also realizes just how important Parker is to women's basketball.

"She is the most versatile player in America, hands down. There has not been a player like her in the past 10 years or 20 years," Stringer said. "She is a game changer, there is no question about it. "

ESPN probably wouldn't mind having the fan favorite and dunking sensation back in the lineup for the broadcast, but said the Tennessee-Rutgers rematch meant more than just one player.

"We are disappointed about Candace Parker's injury, however the rematch of the 2007 national championship game led by two legendary coaches will still be a terrific game for an ESPN2 Big Monday franchise," said Carol Stiff, senior director of programming and acquisition for ESPN.

Doctors will monitor Parker's knee through Monday afternoon as she works with trainers. X-rays showed the ligament didn't sustain any permanent damage and shows no signs of swelling.

"Jenny Moshak is the best in the b! usiness at rehabbing. I told her she is going to earn her money, and she said she would be spending a lot of time with all of them, just trying to get them back and healthy and ready to play," Summitt said.

———

Associated Press Writer Duncan Mansfield in Knoxville and AP Sports Writer Doug Feinberg in Indianapolis contributed to this story.

By: Dan Pine

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Alaska commercial fisherman and entrepreneur Dan Pine works to build a million dollar business in the next three years and wants a few motivated individuals to join the team. Visit www.CreateBuildInnovate.com for a free introdu! ction to a steel-plated business plan.

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_8209102
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Pictorea Pro Range of Digital Photo Frames Launch in UK

2008-02-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Pictorea Pro Range of Digital Photo Frames Launch in UK

This month sees the launch of an industry-leader in harnessing the realm of Digital Photo Frame technology.

Lincolnshire, UK (PRWEB) February 3, 2008 -- This month sees the launch of an industry-leader in harnessing the realm of Digital Photo Frame technology.

Pictorea digital picture frame products combine the best and most reliable technology currently available with an outstanding sense of elegant design and style. Specializing solely in what are emerging as simply the most versatile and colourful display products currently available for the UK's demanding consumer and business display market, Pictorea provides this standard of product at an affordable price without compromising on quality.

Martin Ford, Head of Operations for Pictorea, sees bright things for the company! 's future in expressing its unique selling point. "The most exciting aspect of Pictorea is that we've already turned heads in the industry, way before our full range is even available for purchase! We really feel we've hit on a niche in this competitive technology market in remembering that these types of products will reside in pride of place within people's homes and offices; in other words, they should not resemble the unsightly products of our competitors, but should instead be as much a stylish and elegant piece of art as the images they will display."

Pictorea is a fantastic example of a UK company utilising the latest in digital display technology, this being even more relevant and impressive in the face of what has previously been a U.S. and eastern-led segment of the consumer electronics market.

Background Information on Pictorea

Pictorea is set to be the UK's leading brand of high-end digital photo frame products, ! by effec tively leveraging the management teams 10years experience in the UK and International computer and consumer electronics markets.

Their mission statement is to provide a high-end standard of product at an affordable price without compromising in any way on quality.

Pictorea is geared towards a wide range of applications also. Customers range from bargain-hunters searching for high quality gifts for the home or office, to the most discerning businesses looking for an entirely unique way to visually showcase their products. Current stockists already include leading online retailers; Udiggit.com, Dabs.com & CPC.co.uk.

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Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/Q3Jhcy1NYWduLVByb2YtUGlnZy1aZXRhLVplcm8=

By! : mcomo
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Michael Comeau has been owner of many successful businesses over the years including his current online business which can be viewed at www.workfromhome4dollars.com/ArticleProcessRebates.php You may also find more articles by Michael Comeau at www.workfromhome4dollars.com

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/02/prweb671614.htm
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Trial ordered in Puerto Rico pet deaths

2008-02-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

A judge on Wednesday ordered the owner of an animal control company and two of his employees to stand trial for animal cruelty charges for the October massacre of about 80 seized pets that were hurled off a bridge.

Following several days of hearings, Superior Court Judge Nelson Canabal ruled there was sufficient evidence for Julio Diaz, owner of Animal Control Solutions, and the two employees to stand trial.

The killings of pets seized from housing projects brought revulsion around the world and triggered calls for tourist boycotts of this U.S. Caribbean territory.

"At last we are going to see justice in these killings," said Alma Febus, who investigated the case for the territorial government.

Diaz's attorney, Manuel Reyes, said he would appeal the judge's decision.

After the hearing, Diaz blamed the municipality of Barceloneta for seizing the animals and said he didn't know who threw them from the bridge. Only a half-dozen survived the 50-foot! fall, some with serious injuries.

"I will no longer do any animal-related business in Puerto Rico," he said. "We are the only ones who have been blamed. We are innocent."

Municipal officials in Barceloneta, a town along Puerto Rico's north-central coast, said they hired Animal Control Solutions to remove pets from housing projects, believing that regulations banned them. Barceloneta officials said they understood that the company, which drove off with the animals in vans, would take them to shelters.

Instead, they wound up at the bottom of a bridge along a highway that runs between Barceloneta and San Juan.

During Wednesday's hearing, Angel Rafael Sierra recalled rushing home with his young daughters after learning that people were seizing pets at the complex. They found their beloved dog "Tuti" was gone.

Sierra testified that he got in his car and followed a white van, which stopped at a municipality building in Barceloneta. He said he could ! hear dogs barking but was prevented from seeing if Tuti was in! side.

The next day, he discovered Tuti's body beneath the bridge.

"My daughters saw too," Sierra said. "They started crying."

An investigation by The Associated Press later showed that such brutal methods have been routinely used in the killing of thousands of pets and stray animals on this island.

By: Lubano Lim
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Source: http://www.macon.com/world//story/260121.html
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Dispute with parts supplier could close up to 14 Chrysler plants

2008-02-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

DETROIT (AP) - A dispute between Chrysler LLC and parts supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc. forced Chrysler to shut down or cancel a shift at five factories Monday, and the automaker said it could idle all 14 of its assembly factories.

Plastech supplies Chrysler with about 500 plastic interior, exterior and powertrain components for nearly all of its vehicles, according to a lawsuit Chrysler filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit.

The automaker is seeking the tools used by Plastech, which are owned by Chrysler, to make the components. Without the tools, Chrysler says it eventually will have to cease production of vehicles systemwide. Chrysler terminated its contracts with the Dearborn-based supplier on Friday, before Plastech filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

"It takes us out of their computerized system. We couldn't ship anything," he said. "We're willing to do it if they would work with us, but up to now, they have not."
Plastech's contracts with the automaker were worth about $200 million, Plastech spokesman Kelvin Scott said. Plastech does about $1.3 billion in total business, he said.

"We are continuing to supply parts to our other customers, including Ford and GM," he said.

One industry analyst said the production slowdown may be short because Chrysler should have little trouble finding new companies to replace Plastech.

Faced with stiff competition and a shrinking market, many suppliers are willing to take on work if it means getting contracts, said Craig Fitzgerald, a partner in Plante & Moran's Strategy and Global Services Group.

"Suppliers in the tier one to tier four level are severely challenged," Fitzgerald said Monday. "Production values are declining, there is high debt, weak earnings and cash flow, and difficulty in getting credit."

In its lawsuit filed Friday, Chrysler claimed Plastech no longer can meet its production demands.

Mon! day morning, Chrysler announced plans to temporarily close fou! r assemb ly plants and shut down one shift at another, affecting about 10,500 workers.

Plants to be closed are in Sterling Heights, Mich.; Newark, Del.; Toledo, Ohio; and Belvidere, Ill., while the second shift at Toledo Supplier Park in Toledo will be dismissed, the company said.

Of the vehicles made at the four factories to be shut down, the Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle had the lowest supply in January, at 46 days, according to Wards AutoInfoBank. The largest supply is the Jeep Wrangler, at 117 days.

Although Chrysler has an inventory of vehicles made by the plants, it will not benefit from any plant closures, said Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst for the consulting company Global Insight.

"When a plant is idle, you're not making any money. You've got people standing around, so it's just a cost," he said.

Auto companies want enough inventory to have a buffer and don't want it to become depleted, Bragman said. Chrysler has reduced its! inventory substantially since it became bloated last year, he said.

Even if Chrysler lays off workers, they would still get most of their pay under their contract with the United Auto Workers.

Overall, the company had 413,874 vehicles in its inventory last month, a 75-day supply, according to Ward's.

The shutdowns are having a ripple effect as auto parts maker Dana Corp. canceled Monday night's second-shift at its modules plant in Toledo. About 150 people work at the plant, which supplies drivetrain parts for Chrysler's Toledo Jeep plant.

Employees at the Sterling Heights stamping plant were sent home early Friday night and after four hours of work Monday, union steward Russell Phillips said.

"We have no extra stock," said Phillips, who adds that Chrysler works on a "just-in-time" policy for parts delivery.

"Most of (the workers) are saying 'this is what they get for not wanting to keep stock in the house,"' Phillips said.

C! hrysler employees will be notified of return-to-work schedules! from pl ant officials or through local media, the automaker said.

Plastech has 36 facilities and 7,600 employees in the United States and Canada.

Engine covers, grill panels, moldings, metal stampings, door panels, floor consoles and safety restraint system components are some of the parts Plastech supplies to Chrysler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., according to the company's Web site.

Ford is not planning any plant closures or shutdowns related to Plastech, Ford spokesman Todd Nissen said.

"We are working with Plastech to ensure there is an adequate supply of parts to our facilities," Nissen said.

Chrysler's work shutdown should last no more than a week or two, Fitzgerald said.

"I think they will not have any problems filling the void," he said. "There is a lot of excess capacity. Chrysler would do everything it can to get up and running."
By:
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Source: http://www.komotv.com/news/business/15282956.html
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A game for the ages -- Patriots make history or Giants' upset

2008-02-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Settling into my upper-deck seat at University of Phoenix Stadium, overlooking a corner of the Giants' end zone, I finally get the sense we're all about to watch something truly special.

Frankly, I don't get this sort of excitement as much as I used to. When you've been in the business for 23 years and then some, it's easy to get a bit jaded, to take it all for granted, even when you're covering a major event such as the Super Bowl.

But here we are in the Arizona desert, about to watch New England try to complete a perfect season. NINETEEN STRAIGHT WINS. Until this moment, I don't think I truly realized what a momentous accomplishment that would be, Spygate or no Spygate.

Either way, this is going to be a game for the ages. The Patriots make history, or the Giants pull off one of the most momentous upsets in sports history. That sounds like a win-win for those of us fortunate enough to be in the stadium, certainly a candidate for my pe! rsonal Top 10 events I have witnessed in person.

I was in Greece when Michael Phelps won eight swimming medals at the Olympics. I was in Atlanta when the Tennessee Titans came up 1 yard short on the final play of the Super Bowl. I was in Daytona that tragic day when Dale Earnhardt died on the final turn.

(I also was in St. Louis when Mark McGwire hit home run No. 62 to break Roger Maris' record, but that has lost a little luster amid all of baseball's drug revelations and Big Mac refusing to come clean in retirement).

Anyway, a couple of off-the-cuff observations as we close in on kickoff:

-- Why does the NFL, after going to all the trouble of bringing in big-time entertainment and setting up a stage in the middle of the field, put on a pregame show that's nothing more than a glorified medley? I wouldn't have minded Alicia Keys actually singing a few songs in their entirety.

-- Two colleagues of mine were downstairs when the Patriots arrived. T! hey watched two busloads of players filing into the stadium, a! nd no on e said a word to each other. Yep, these guys mean business.

-- Tom Brady just ran -- yes, ran -- on the field for pregame warmups. He sprinted to the middle of the field, as it trying to show everyone his sprained ankle is doing just fine. We'll see how it holds up when he's got Michael Strahan in his face.

By: Deanna Mascle
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Source: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/03/a_game_for_the_ages____patriots_make_history_or_giants_upset/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
Starting a Home Business

Indonesia: Experience Indonesia with Us

2008-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

There are several commonsense factors you should consider when applying for a post, attending an interview or working abroad.

Do not provide any banking or credit card information when applying for a job.

If you are concerned about divulging your home address in your resume, consider using a post office box or similar forwarding address.

When attending a job interview, if you feel in any way uncomfortable with the situation or the person/s you are dealing with, walk away. Also consider your work location, do you feel it is safe? Would you be happy to work there late at night?

Always let a friend know that you are attending an interview, when and where. acquaint yourself fully with how to get to the interview and how to get back.

An interview should always be arranged in daylight hours.

If the job appears to be "too good to be true", it probably is. Fully research the employer via web forums, search engines and previous emplo! yees. Most reputable employers should be happy to put you in touch with previous/current staff.

As previously stated, no reputable employer will ask you for money (even for a visa, work-permit etc.). If a tefl.com advertiser does ask you for payment, refuse and contact us immediately.

As a TEFL.com member your resume contact details are not in the public domain. Only registered employers can view your resume (contact details removed) via our resume search engine. If an employer wishes to view your contact details they are required to use a "ResumeView". Our system logs all resumes viewed by the employer. You can also check as to which employers have viewed your resume at http://www.tefl.com/career/rv_history.html or by clicking on "Who's viewed my resume" within your account page.

Your safety is paramo! unt. If you feel uneasy with any part of the application proce! dure or interview, walk away!

Going abroad...

Get travel insurance and check that the cover is appropriate.

Check what vaccinations you need at least 6 weeks before you go and consider whether you need to take extra health precautions

Ensure you have a valid passport that is in good condition and the necessary visas.

Make copies of your passport (including any visa pages), insurance policy plus 24-hour emergency number, and ticket details. Leave these copies, your itinerary and contact details with family and friends.

Take enough money for your trip and some back-up funds eg travellers cheques, sterling or US dollars.

Travel advice:
By: vnrozier
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www.vnrozier.net

Source: http://www.tefl.com/jobs/job.html?jo_id=32293&from=rss
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Replicated 'Invasion' can't match originals

2008-01-29T16:10:00.000-08:00

Replicated 'Invasion' can't match originals

But on the bright side, 'Brian' returns

By David Germain
Associated Press

Selected home-video releases:

"The Invasion": Even with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig headlining, this sci-fi update was unable to replicate the commercial success of earlier incarnations of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

Kidman stars as a psychiatrist who teams with colleague Craig to uncover the truth about an alien menace in which humans are taken over and turned into robot-like pod people.

The DVD ($28.98) and Blu-ray high-definition ($35.99) releases come with four features examining how the filmmakers updated a story that has captivated Hollywood since the 1950s original. A combination disc with both standard DVD and HD DVD versions is due out Feb. 19. (Warner Bros.)

"El Cid": The 1961 historical epic stars Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren in the adventure of a Spanish warrior who drives the M! oors from his homeland.

The film comes in a regular two-disc set ($24.95) or a collector's edition ($39.92), both featuring commentary with the son of producer Sam Bronston, radio interviews with the stars, an introduction by Heston and features that include a glimpse of director Anthony Mann. The collector's edition boxed set also has a written introduction by Martin Scorsese, six production stills and reproductions of an "El Cid" comic book and a souvenir program for the film's release. (Genius)

"Monty Python's Life of Brian: The Immaculate Edition": The British comedy troupe's Biblical comedy is resurrected in a new two-disc edition ($24.96) and Blu-ray release ($28.95).

The 1979 film features Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam in the tale of a nice Jewish boy whose outrageous exploits parallel those of Jesus Christ, who was born the same night in a stable just up the street.

Extras i! nclude a new hour-long examination of the story, commentary wi! th Gilli am, Idle, Jones, Cleese and Palin, five deleted scenes and a recording by the troupe of an early version of the screenplay. (Sony)

TV on DVD

"Damages: The Complete First Season": Glenn Close, Ted Danson and Rose Byrne star in the legal drama about a ruthless attorney leading a class-action lawsuit against a corporate executive. DVD set, $49.95; Blu-ray set, $79.95. (Sony)

"Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Sixth Season": Larry David puts his foot in his mouth again (and again) in year six of his improvised comedy series. $39.98. (HBO)

"JAG: The Fifth Season": David James Elliott and Catherine Bell return in the court drama about prosecutors handling cases for the Navy and Marines. $64.99. (Paramount)

"Hannah Montana: One in a Million": Miley Cyrus stars as an average local schoolgirl with an alter-ego as a pop-music superstar. $19.99. (Disney)

"Chancer: Series 2": Clive Owen scored his first big success with this 1990s Britis! h TV role, starring as an unscrupulous con artist who schemes his way through romance and business. $39.99. (Acorn)

Other new releases

"Daddy Day Camp": In the decade since winning an Academy Award for "Jerry Maguire," Cuba Gooding Jr. has had more than his share of career lows, the latest this sequel to Eddie Murphy's family hit "Daddy Day Care." Gooding plays a dad surrounded by annoying kids as he tries to save his old camp. DVD, $28.95; Blu-ray, $38.96. (Sony)

"King of California": Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood team up for this weird little comedy about a former mental patient who enlists his daughter to help find a fortune in lost treasure he believes is buried in the California suburbs. DVD, $28.98; Blu-ray, $34.98. (First Look)

"Feel the Noise": Omarion Grandberry leads the cast in this tale of a New York rapper uprooted to Puerto Rico, where he becomes hooked by the rhythms of Reggaeton music. $26.96. (Sony)

"The Come! backs": This spoof of inspirational sports flicks stars David ! Koechner in the story of a losing coach who takes on a misfit football team. The DVD is available in the PG-13 theatrical release or an unrated edition. $29.99. (20th Century Fox)

"Trade": Kevin Kline stars as a Texas lawman who becomes an unlikely ally for a Mexican youth trying to track down his 13-year-old sister, who has been abducted by sex traffickers. $27.98. (Lionsgate)

"Groundhog Day": Bill Murray's an arrogant weatherman condemned to live the same insufferable day over and over in this romance co-starring Andie MacDowell. A 15th-anniversary DVD has deleted scenes, a segment on groundhogs, and commentary and an interview with director Harold Ramis. $19.94. (Sony)

By:

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Frank ! Iamin also writes other insightful articles on home based internet business ideas. To learn more about this topic Frank recommends you visit: www.moolahman.com

Source: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080129/ENT/708840234
Online Home Based Business

Institutional Investor Magazine Names Toll Brothers' Robert I. Toll...

2008-01-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

Robert I. Toll stated, "Speaking on behalf of all Toll Brothers' associates, we are honored by this recognition of our company by the investment community. Surely and sincerely, this award goes to the most dedicated and loyal team in the home building industry."

According to Institutional Investor, to arrive at their list of Best U.S. CEOs, the magazine surveyed portfolio managers, analysts and other investment professionals. They asked these individuals to name the best U.S. CEOs in the sectors in which they invest. Some 900 people at 425 institutions responded, offering first, second and third place votes in each of the sectors with which they were familiar.

Institutional Investor noted, "Our survey respondents voiced their opinions about CEOs in 59 industry sectors, from Aerospace & Defense Electronics to Tobacco. The results suggest that voters are attuned to the need for strong leaders as the economy and business environment grows more difficul! t."

Toll Brothers, Inc. is the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. The Company began business in 1967 and became a public company in 1986. Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TOL". The Company serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult and second-home home buyers and operates in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Toll Brothers builds luxury single-family detached and attached home communities, master planned luxury residential resort-style golf communities and urban low-, mid- and high-rise communities, principally on land it develops and improves. The Company operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title, land development and land sale, golf course development and manage! ment and landscape subsidiaries. The Company also operates its! own lum ber distribution, and house component assembly and manufacturing operations.

Toll Brothers, a FORTUNE 500 Company, is the only publicly traded national home building company to have won all three of the industry's highest honors: America's Best Builder from the National Association of Home Builders, the National Housing Quality Award, and Builder of the Year. Toll Brothers proudly supports the communities in which it builds; among other philanthropic pursuits, the Company sponsors the Toll Brothers - Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, bringing opera to neighborhoods throughout the world. For more information, visit tollbrothers.com.

Certain information included herein and in other Company reports, SEC filings, statements and presentations is forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements concerning anticipated operating results, financial resources, changes i! n revenues, changes in profitability, interest expense, growth and expansion, anticipated income from joint ventures and the Toll Brothers Realty Trusts Group, the ability to acquire land, the ability to secure governmental approvals and the ability to open new communities, the ability to sell homes and properties, the ability to deliver homes from backlog, the average delivered price of homes, the ability to secure materials and subcontractors, the ability to maintain the liquidity and capital necessary to expand and take advantage of future opportunities, and stock market valuations. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect actual results and cause them to differ materially from expectations expressed herein and in other Company reports, SEC filings, statements and presentations. These risks and uncertainties include local, regional and national economic conditions, the demand for homes, domestic and inter! national political events, uncertainties created by terrorist ! attacks, the effects of governmental regulation, the competitive environment in which the Company operates, fluctuations in interest rates, changes in home prices, the availability and cost of land for future growth, the availability of capital, uncertainties and fluctuations in capital and securities markets, changes in tax laws and their interpretation, legal proceedings, the availability of adequate insurance at reasonable cost, the ability of customers to finance the purchase of homes, the availability and cost of labor and materials, and weather conditions.

CONTACT: Toll Brothers, Inc. Frederick N. Cooper (215) 938-8312 fcooper@tollbrothersinc.com Joseph R. Sicree (215) 938-8045 jsicree@tollbrothersinc.com

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Gazans bulldoze new section of Egypt border fence

2008-01-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

Updated Fri. Jan. 25 2008 11:47 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Palestinians used a bulldozer to demolish a new section of the frontier with Egypt on Friday, allowing thousands of Gaza residents to stream across the border as security forces struggled to close off other holes in the barrier.

Since militants blew up part of the border on Wednesday, previously isolated residents of the Gaza Strip have enjoyed virtually free passage into Egypt.

The Gazans have been taking advantage of the opportunity to purchase goods not available in the Strip and visit rarely seen relatives, said CTV's Mideast Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer.

Earlier Friday, security forces formed a human shield in an attempt to allow traffic to only flow one-way -- permitting Palestinians to return home after visiting Egypt.

But the border became porous again later in the day when the bulldozer was used to knock down another section of the barrier.

Egypt! ian security forces fired into the air in an attempt to stop the flow of Palestinians, but were unable to hold back the crowds.

Mackey Frayer told CTV's Canada AM that Egyptian officials had warned the border freedom wouldn't last amid mounting international pressure to reassert control over the frontier.

"This was a rare and golden opportunity for people and it's no wonder there were hundreds of thousands of people who went across to try and take advantage of it. Not only to stock up on things but as one man told me, just to feel like he was part of the outside world again," Mackey Frayer said on Friday.

"So for the Egyptian officials now to be telling people they have to go back, there's a real frustration, there's a tension, and they're hoping they can do this in an orderly fashion."

Since Wednesday, Palestinians pushed their way through the broken border points with guards funnelling crowds through a number of openings -- competing with a! gauntlet of livestock, truckloads of cement, fertilizer and f! ood to g et into Egypt, The Associated Press reports.

Security forces did nothing on Friday to halt the flow of Egyptian goods streaming across the border.

Mackey Frayer said it was a "very tense situation along that border as Egyptian border guards try to get it under control," with many Palestinians still hoping to get into Egypt.

Hamas was also helping to establish control on the Palestinian side of the border, with dozens of guards dressed in black, checking bags and packages for banned items such as weapons and drugs.

"By all accounts it's going to take a very long time to try and resolve this situation and there's no expectation that people are going to return to Gaza willingly," Mackey Frayer told CTV Newsnet on Friday.

The border breach was seen by many as a victory for the militant group Hamas that controls Gaza, and can claim to have successfully broken through the internationally supported Israeli trade ban.

"Hamas has won th! e strategic battle,'' Abu Ali, a 45-year-old Gazan dressed in a business suit, who was on the Egyptian side to buy materials for his construction company, told AP.

"Ask anyone here how they reached this place and they will tell you it was because of Hamas.''

Others, however, saw it as a temporary reprieve to a situation that isn't likely to change any time soon.

Palestinian militants used explosives to knock down the border wall on Wednesday.

The development prompted Israel's deputy defence minister Matan Vilnai to say Israel wants to begin to hand over control of Gaza to Egypt, since the border divide had been opened.

Egypt quickly dismissed the suggestion.

"The border will go back as normal,'' said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki.

"The current situation is only an exception and for temporary reasons.''

According to United Nations estimated, roughly half a million people have crossed the border! since it was blown open on Wednesday, Mackey Frayer said.

By: TomL

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Leaders Discuss Economy Stimulus Bill

2008-01-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

The rebates are the most costly portion of an emerging $145 billion economic stimulus measure. One option floated by Democrats, said two Democratic congressional aides, includes rebates of $400 for individuals and $800 for couples distributed to a wide spectrum of workers, including those in lower-income brackets.

Bush backs larger rebates of $800-1,600, but his plan would miss 30 million working households who earn paychecks but owe no income tax, according to calculations by the Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said negotiators were near an agreement on including an overhaul of the Federal Housing Administration that would make it easier for thousands of homeowners with ballooning interest rates to refinance into federally insured loans.

Both sides also support taking temporary action to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - government-sponsored companies that are the two biggest U.S. financers an! d guarantors of home loans - to buy loans much larger than the current $417,000 cap. He said that lending cap might reach as high as $700,000 in areas with the highest home prices.

Frank said Democrats were still pressing for expanding unemployment benefits as well as for more money for food stamps, home heating subsidies and aid to states for their Medicaid programs.

Some lawmakers expressed alarm about the stimulus package more than doubling last year's deficit of $163 billion.

"I am concerned that, in our rush to help, we will talk ourselves into a quick, feel-good hit Wednesday that will leave us with a bigger budgetary hangover Thursday," said Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, top Republican on the budget panel.

In the Senate, Democratic and Republican Leaders Harry Reed of Nevada and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have agreed to stand back and let the House take the lead in the talks with the administration.

The aim is to have legislati! on ready for Bush to sign in just a few weeks, lightning speed! for tax and spending measures that can take months or even years to win approval.

--

Associated Press writers Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.
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Dems Feel Urgency to Enact Stimulus Plan

2008-01-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - Congressional Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they feel urgency to enact an economic stimulus plan and are confident they can work with President Bush to craft it quickly. The president also expressed confidence but said any deal must be done right, not just fast.

"The urgency that we feel at home is now even more urgent as we see the impact of our markets on others," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after lawmakers of both parties met with Bush at the White House.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the goal is to get a deal through Congress and on Bush's desk within roughly three to four weeks, before lawmakers break for the Presidents' Day recess.

"I really feel good that we have an opportunity to do something together," Reid said.

Earlier, Bush himself said he was confident that Congress and the administration will be able to approve a stimulus package to jump-start the economy and calm fears of recession that have shake! n financial markets worldwide.

The unusual bipartisan harmony and pledges for fast action underscored how rattled the American public is _ and how leaders of both parties want to be seen as responding to those concerns quickly.

The lawmakers, like Bush, would not discuss the specifics of what a compromise plan would look like. They say that is a matter for private negotiation.

The president has broadly outlined a stimulus plan that would include tax cuts for individuals and businesses. Bush said any plan, to be effective, would need to represent roughly 1 percent of the gross domestic product, or about $140 billion to $150 billion. Democrats have their own ideas.

So far, all sides are stressing cooperation, not potential division about the details.

"This is about one thing in this package: Is it a stimulus?" Pelosi said "So whatever it is that we are considering, it must meet that one criterion: Does it stimulate the economy? Does it put m! oney into the hands of those who will spend it?"

When t! he Democ ratic leaders were asked if they agreed with Bush's statement that the economy is "inherently strong," Pelosi said, "I certainly hope so."

Reid predicted that the House _ led by Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner and working with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson _ would pass a package first and send it to the Senate. He said the size of a deal proposed by Bush was "a good number."

The action came on the same day that the Federal Reserve Board announced that it cut a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point.

Bush invited the bipartisan congressional leadership to discuss an emergency rescue package centered on tax rebates and business tax cuts but also likely to include increases in unemployment benefits and food stamps.

"I've got reasonable expectations about how fast something can happen," Bush said as the session began. "But I'm also optimistic something will happen."

Speaking in a packed Cabinet Room, Bush said both! the administration and Congress want to find a solution quickly, but that he knows the legislative process can prove tedious

"Everybody wants to get something done quickly, but we want to make sure it gets done right," the president said. "And make sure that everybody's realistic about the timetable. Legislative bodies don't move necessarily in an orderly, quick way, and therefore these leaders are committed, and they want to get something done."

Later, as he announced the creation of a council charged with improving the nation's basic understanding of managing money, Bush noted the mortgage crisis. Banks, brokerages and insurers have announced staggering write-downs, largely due to bad subprime mortgage bets.

"I just wonder how many people, when they got subprime mortgages, knew what they were getting into," Bush said. Despite the economy's woes, he said he was confident in the long-term strength of the U.S. economy. He described his meeting with lawm! akers as "very positive."

On Wall Street, stocks plunge! d at the opening of trading Tuesday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials down about 400 points after the Fed's announcement of its rate cut failed to assuage nervous investors. U.S. markets joined stock exchanges around the globe that have fallen precipitously in recent days amid concerns that a downturn might spread around the world.

The slumping of the global economic market since Bush proposed the outline of an economic package added a greater aura of urgency to the talks at the White House. It also raised the question of whether Bush is willing to go for an even more expensive package. White House press secretary Dana Perino did not rule that out, although she said Bush believes he has proposed the correct figure, and no one is pushing for a bigger one at this point.

Paulson, the administration's point man on the stimulus bill, discussed details with top lawmakers in both parties in advance of the meeting between Bush and leading lawmakers.

"I have been ver! y encouraged by the way that both parties have come together, bipartisan support for moving quickly to do something that will make a difference this year in our economy that will be meaningful, that will be temporary and something that we can hopefully get done quickly," Paulson told reporters.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

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North York paralegals suing attorney general, law society

2008-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00
Three paralegals, including two from North York, have filed a lawsuit against Ontario's attorney general and the Law Society of Upper Canada for the way paralegals in the province are regulated.
The lawsuit, filed by Judi Simms, president of the Paralegal Society of Ontario along with North York residents Rivka La Belle and Gerald Grupp, claim that paralegals are not being regulated in the public interest and that the attorney general and the Law Society of Upper Canada have violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"Under the power of regulation given to the Law Society of Upper Canada, paralegals are being deprived of the right to represent individuals in family courts throughout the province," Simms said. "The McGuinty government gave the Law Society of Upper Canada the power not only to regulate paralegals, but to determine areas of permitted practice."
Paralegals welcome regulation, but not by the Law Society of Upper Canada, Simms said.
"They are our compe! titors," she said. "It would be like Home Depot regulating Canadian Tire."
Paralegals are permitted in small claims court, in the Ontario Court of Justice under the Provincial Offences Act, on summary conviction offences in which the maximum penalty does not exceed six months imprisonment, and before administrative tribunals, including the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.
But as of May 1, 2007, paralegals are not permitted to appear in family court, which Simms takes the greatest issue with.
"For many years we have appeared on behalf of clients," said Simms, adding paralegals are also exempt from dealing with wills, uncontested divorces, estate and probate documents. "These are services paralegals have openly advertised for years. Single mothers often don't have the resources to hire a lawyer."
Simms said she wouldn't mind if the Law Society of Upper Canada acts as a guide, but paralegals should be regulated by themselves or by a government agency.
"Then! we can have control over our own destiny," she said, adding p! aralegal fees are often a third of the price of lawyers.
La Belle, a paralegal for 19 years, said for the past 10 years the main focus of her practice has been family related.
"Fifty per cent of my business has been in family court," she said. "I am 100 per cent for regulation but it has to be self-regulated. It's not good for the public not to have a choice. We are being regulated by our opponent and discriminated against."
Simms said a hearing on the lawsuit will be scheduled for the spring.
"I can tell you that we have been served with the notice of an application for judicial review challenging the constitutionality of the Law Society of Upper Canada regulating paralegals under the Law Society Act," said Valerie Hopper, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General. "It is our position that in order to protect the public interest, it is appropriate for the Law Society to regulate paralegals just as they regulate lawyers. As this matter is now before the cour! t, we will not be commenting further at this time."
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Source: http://www.insidetoronto.ca/News/NorthYork/article/39618
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Another internist leaves outpatient practice

2008-01-20T15:41:00.000-08:00
Our medical & political leadership are still not getting it either. They say they want to address primary care?s survival; but I’ve seen no real action in all the years I’ve been practicing. They couch the crisis in primary care with terms like ‘may’ or ‘will be’ as if the crisis were not already upon us and worsening by the day. They offer ‘pie in the sky’ solutions like the ‘medical home’ while oblivious of the up-front costs of these programs and the EMR’s that would be necessary to implement them.

And to the policy wonks that say; ‘oh, universal single payor will fix everything’, let me remind you all that it was the government run, entitlement driven system for all Americans over the age of 65 that has put me out of the business of seeing my patients.

I am apparently supposed to shuffle elderly and/or complex/complicated patients in & out of my office every 10 to ! 15 minutes, or I cannot make a living. Alternatively, I can bring them back every week to address one more of their multitude of problems. Frankly, this is not a solution that I, or these debilitated patients can live with.

Primary care is unraveling around us. Indeed, all of the articles about the inordinate strain & crowding of emergency departments across the U.S., overlook the obvious - the impending failure of primary care is going to completely overwhelm emergency rooms. There is no way to prepare for this other than to save primary care.

And you cannot save primary care unless you address the financial issues.

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Funniest. Sports. Video. Ever.

2008-01-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

"Let's leave the old Dems out of this, they are nothing like modern Dems."

Yeah. Like the guy who

"volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal."

or the one who

"entered active duty and served until 1970, eventually reaching the rank of Lieutenant... was awarded several medals during his second tour of Vietnam, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts."

or the one who

"After graduating from Annapolis... was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a first lieutenant during the Vietnam War he served as a platoon commander with Delta Company, 1st Battalion 5th Marines. He earned a Navy Cross, the sec! ond highest decoration in the Navy and Marine Corps for heroism in Vietnam. also earned the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts."

then

"worked on the staff of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. During this time, he also represented veterans pro-bono. ... served as the nation's first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ... served as Secretary of the Navy, becoming the first Naval Academy graduate to serve in the military before serving as the civilian head of the Navy. "

or the one who

"After working as a professor at West Point, deployed overseas twice, serving in Bosnia (2002) and in Baghdad during the Iraq War (2003?2004). ... earned the Bronze Star Medal for his seven months of service in Iraq."

or the one who

"served division officer tours as damage control assistant, combat information center officer and weapons officer on the guided missile destroyer USS Richard E. Byrd, and then was ! weapons officer on the guided missile destroyer USS Hoel. He t! hen serv ed as aide and flag lieutenant to the admiral in charge of United States Navy surface forces in the Pacific.

In January 1986, became executive officer of the guided missile frigate USS Underwood. He then served in the Politico-Military Assessment Division of the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On August 30, 1991, took command of the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts, which was named the Atlantic Fleet's best surface combatant in the 1993 Battenberg Cup competition.

In July 1993, became the head of the Strategy and Concepts Branch in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. From November 1994 to March 1997, he was the Director for Defense Policy on the National Security Council staff at the White House, where he was responsible for national security and defense strategy, policies, programs, inter-agency and congressional coordination and regional political-military advice. In May 1997, he became the commander of Destroyer Squadron 14.
then directed the CNO's Strategy and Policy Division (N51), and led the Navy's efforts toward the 2000 Quadrennial Defense Review, for which he analyzed the economic value of U.S. defense spending. After September 11th, he became the first director of the Navy Operations Group (Deep Blue), which sought to redefine strategic, operational and budgetary policies in the Global War on Terrorism. He reported directly to chief of naval operations Vern Clark as policy adviser and administrator."

Meanwhile, as we look at the military records of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney...

It seems one of them decided to go into the National Guard to (occasionally) defend the skies over Alabama and the other got multiple deferments with "other priorities" - priorities apparently higher than defending his country from the Communist Menace.

Those filthy Democrats.

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N.O. Cops Out of Trailers, Into New Digs

2008-01-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

NEW ORLEANS— After a trying year of more than 200 murders and a rise in crime, at least police once again have a permanent place to call home. The New Orleans Police Department, which has operated out of trailers in the 2 1/2 years since Hurricane Katrina, dedicated a renovated headquarters Thursday that brings its major components back under one roof.

Crime has become a leading concern for local government and business leaders trying to attract investment, boost tourism and reassure residents that the city is on the mend.

The move to a permanent headquarters coincides with what Mayor Ray Nagin believes is a crucial time in the city's recovery. It "sends the signal that the criminal justice system is back," he said.

Nagin said he thinks having key departments such as investigations and the superintendent's office housed in the same building will help morale and stanch the flow of officers from the force's depleted ranks.

Sin! ce June 2006, police ranks have been bolstered by help from Louisiana National Guard troops, but that help may be available for only a few more months.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he will extend the National Guard mission at the city's request until June, his spokeswoman said.

That should be enough time to graduate two more recruiting classes and get 100 more officers on the streets, Police Superintendent Warren Riley has said.

He also has said changes over the past year, including improved relations with the district attorney's office and a prosecution unit dedicated to violent crimes, have helped stop arrested offenders from being shuttled back onto the streets.

The city also has added about $15.1 million to the police department's 2008 budget for needs such as equipment and recruiting.

The city estimates the renovation project cost at $7.25 million and said it has put up about $6.3 million of that. The Federal Emergency Management Agency! said it has set aside $3.5 million for the work

"Sever! al milli on dollars should be approved or (are) in the pipeline for being approved" after changes to project work orders, FEMA spokesman Ronnie Simpson said. He called the headquarters project "a great example of what FEMA does. Getting this up and running is a great sign of other projects soon to come."
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Source: http://www.telegram.com/arti! cle/20080117/APA/801170873
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CIBC sags in wake of writedowns, share issue

2008-01-15T15:42:00.000-08:00
, the country's largest bank, said the recent string of North American bank recapitalizations, including CIBC's, were positive for the financial system overall.
"Close to home, I think that's a very good thing for the system because, amongst other things, what it shows is there is a lot of capital support out there for the major financial services companies," Royal Bank Chief Executive Gordon Nixon said.
Nixon, who spoke at a CEO conference organized by his bank's capital markets unit, said those banks will be more competitive than they would otherwise have been with weak capital ratios. But he said they will become more cautious in the marketplace as well.
CIBC, Canada's fifth-largest bank, said on Monday it would take a further $2.46 billion in pretax writedowns on its unhedged exposure to subprime mortgage securities and the falling value of counterparty protection from U.S.-based bond insurer ACA Financial Guaranty Corp.
Glenn MacNeill, vice-pr! esident of investments at Sentry Select Capital Corp in Toronto, said he was "a little anxious" about the magnitude of CIBC's share issue, which is expected to close later this month.
"The C$2.75 billion is bigger than expected," MacNeill said. "They've got to stop having these surprises, they're just not fair to shareholders."
But investors should brace for potentially more writedowns at CIBC, some analysts said. The credit ratings of U.S. bond insurers that are CIBC's counterparties in some subprime-related hedges are on watch for possible downgrades.
CIBC acknowledged that more adjustments were "possible" in its fiscal first quarter, which ends January 31.
Still, the stock offering will give the bank a "considerably higher capital cushion" to deal with its subprime exposure, and it should reassure investors that a cut to CIBC's dividend is not on the way, said Jim Bantis, financial services analyst at Credit Suisse.
Earlier on Tuesday, U! .S. bank Citigroup
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Going Green: Cleaning Naturally

2008-01-14T15:42:00.000-08:00
"We've found a vinegar warmed in the microwave is a lot better to use for soap scum." Nationally, the natrual products industry is booming, growing 15% year to year with sales close to $31 billion, according to the market research and consulting firm Spins. $114 million of the billion was spent on natural household cleaners and supplies, which is up 23% from last year.

"There's been a major shift in the last three to five years, I think, in people's acceptance of use of chemicals in their everyday life, whether its in the toys their kids play with, the clothes they buy off the shelf, the cars they drive," said Stephen Lester, Science Director at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

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Wall Street eyes earnings data this week

2008-01-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK — This week's flood of readings on inflation, retail sales and earnings is just what a data-hungry Wall Street has been anxious for.

But it could be a case of the old saying, be careful what you ask for, because you might actually get it. Evidence that consumers and companies are cash-strapped could mean the economy is on a fast track toward recession — or already in the midst of one.

"I think we're going to look back on fourth-quarter earnings and instead of thinking the recession is coming, if there is one, it already started," said JPMorgan equities analyst Thomas J. Lee.

Stocks floundered last week, bouncing higher and lower as investors grasped for direction ahead of the upcoming earnings deluge. Last week brought a pledge from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that he was prepared to lower interest rates if needed, and news that Bank of America Corp. was buying the embattled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp.
But the two pieces of encouraging news gave stocks only a temporary lift, as upcoming economic data and earnings releases hung over investors' heads.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 1.51 percent for the week, the Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 0.75 percent, and the Nasdaq composite index was down 2.58 percent.

This week, investors will pore over fourth-quarter results from a stream of banks — Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo & Co. and Washington Mutual Inc., to name a few — and other big names such as Intel Corp., International Business Machines and General Electric Co.

The fourth-quarter numbers, already expected to be disappointing, will be less important than the outlooks the companies give, as investors try to gauge when earnings will rebound. The financial sector will be under particular scrutiny, being the industry that dragged down the rest of the market in 2007, as will technology,! which was the Wall Street darling last year.

Meanwhile! , the go vernment will release its monthly readings on retail sales, producer prices, consumer prices and home construction; the Federal Reserve comes out with its Beige Book on economic conditions in various parts of the country; and Fed officials will deliver speeches ahead of their Jan. 29-30 meeting on interest rates.

The market believes the week's data, in sum, will point to a weakening economy but also moderating inflation — a formula for more rate cuts, which may not save the country from recession altogether but could help it bounce back more quickly.

Economists surveyed by Thomson Financial last Friday anticipate that the Commerce Department will report Tuesday that December retail sales were close to flat with November, given last week's wretched readings from individual retailers.

The economists also predict the Commerce Department will report Thursday that housing starts and building permits fell in December from the prior month.

The mark! et sees the Labor Department's readings on producer prices and consumer prices rising by a smaller amount in December than they did in November. Higher-than-expected readings could reignite jitters that the Fed, though likely to reduce rates at the end of the month, may choose to limit its rate-lowering campaign.

With the state of the economy in question, Wall Street is likely to remain on edge throughout the next few weeks of earnings. It's possible, though, that the stock market — sometimes seen as a bellwether for the economy and not the other way around — may have already completed the bulk of its sell-off.

Lee pointed out that a survey this week by the American Association of Individual Investors showed that bearish investors outnumbered bullish investors by nearly 30 percent. Over the past 1,100 weeks (about 21 years) a reading above 26 percent has happened 15 times, he said — and each time, the S&P 500 was up in six months and in a yea! r.

The Dow, the S&P and the Nasdaq all tumbled during t! he fourt h quarter and are down several percentage points so far for 2008.

By: Peter HC Lee
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Source: http://ap.cjonline.com/pstories/business/20080113/236345622.shtml
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Time for Taxes

2008-01-11T15:42:00.000-08:00
Today was the first day to electronically file taxes, and according to tax advisors it's a good idea to get it done early. Some of the paperwork shuffle that comes just before April 15th can be avoided if you file your taxes now. You can now electronically file with the IRS, which can help get you your refund quicker. "Some people are getting their money now because they've already been pre-approved to walk out of here with a check, so it just depends," says Master Tax Advisor with H&R Block, Cleta Mills. Kathy Deckard was filing her taxes today, and she said, "The reason why we come now is it comes in handy at this time of year." There are a couple new items to consider this year when you're filing your taxes. One concerns the Alternative Minimum Tax. "They are going to turn loose the clients that have AMT to electronically file by February 11th, is what we were informed," said Mills. The other item is the definition of a child ! has changed. Mills says, "Before, the IRS said if boyfriend and girlfriend lives together, the girlfriend has two children, boyfriend can't claim those children. Now, they can as long as they provided them with a home for the whole entire year." If people don't file their taxes themselves, they need to provide their tax advisor with social security numbers for the whole family, a picture I.D., the date of birth of all their children, and income and expenses if they own a small business. The deadline is still April 15th at midnight. Some employers are allowing their employees to access their W-2 forms online, which makes filing, and potentially receiving a refund, even quicker.
By: Dr. Alfred J. Santoro
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Source: http://fourstateshomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=10404
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San Marino Woman Is Victim of Apparent Follow-Home Robbery

2008-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

A San Marino woman was brutally assaulted by three men in the driveway of her Lorain Rd. home late Monday evening in what Police Chief John Schaefer is calling a strong arm, follow-home robbery.
Upon their arrival, SMPD officers contacted a female resident who reported she had closed and left her place of employment in South Los Angeles at about 10:30 p.m., taking with her the night's receipts. When the victim drove into her driveway, she was confronted by three male suspects who assaulted her and wrestled away from her a bank bag that contained cash and credit card receipts.
Once in possession of the bank bag, the three suspects ran to an older white, four-door sedan that was parked on Lorain Road and fled. The vehicle was last seen turning southbound onto San Gabriel Blvd.
The three suspects are described as male blacks in their early twenties.
"In this crime, the victim believed she was being followed," Schaefer told The Tribune. "In addition to whatev! er safety precautions you might use when transporting money or closing your business, if you suspect you are being followed, please call the police or drive to the police station at 2200 Huntington Drive instead of driving straight home. People need to take due caution. Follow-home robberies are very common. If you own a business, you need to take extra caution."
Schaefer also reported two separate attempted residential burglaries in which a suspect broke a window but failed to enter the residences, according to police reports. The incidents took place in the 500 block of Huntington Drive and the 1800 block of Carlisle. Schaefer did not believe the break-ins were the work of a "hot-prowl" burglar who has hit several homes in the north side of San Marino.
"The modus operandi is different," Schaefer said. "The hot-prowl guy has not hit in San Marino since December 1. I really think it is because people are really paying attention and keeping valuables out of sight. Th! e Neighborhood Watch is really helping. People knowing that th! ey need to pay attention is helping."
Schaefer also said that the Land Rover repair shop at the west end of San Marino on Huntington Drive was also hit Sunday when a burglar broke a window, pried open a register and absconded with an unspecified amount of cash.
By: Deborah Akridge
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Source: http://www.sanmarinotribune.com/tribune/read/publisher_02/2008-01-10.02
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Countrywide Home Loan Delinquencies Rise

2008-01-09T15:43:00.000-08:00
Wednesday, January 09, 2008 - 10:37 PM

By ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES
Countrywide Financial Corp., its stock pummeled this week by rumors of bankruptcy and lackluster housing market forecasts, said Wednesday the percentage of borrowers who missed payments on home loans last month rose, signaling worsening trouble for the nation´s largest mortgage lender and for the entire mortgage sector.

The company also reported that it had funded $23.5 billion in loans in December _ a steep decline from $42.8 billion in the year-ago period.

"Their new business is down roughly 50 percent," said Sean Egan, managing director of independent ratings firm Egan-Jones Ratings Co. in Philadelphia.

"The market is fairly concerned whether the company is going to be able to correct the fundamental problems that it´s faced with," he said.

The new figures drove Countrywide stock down by more! than 15 percent at one point in the day before it recovered to end down 6.4 percent, or 35 cents, at $5.12.

The decline followed a loss of $2.17, or 28.4 percent, on Tuesday after the company denied rumors that a bankruptcy filing was imminent.

Wachovia Capital Markets analyst Jim Shanahan suggested Countrywide stock will remain volatile at least until the company reports its financial results for the fourth quarter later this month.

Countrywide said some 6.96 percent of the loans in its servicing portfolio were delinquent last month, up from 5.02 percent in December 2006.

Loan delinquencies as a percentage of unpaid principal balances jumped to 7.20 percent from 6.52 percent.

About 1.04 percent of the mortgage loans were pending foreclosure, up from 0.65 percent.

Meanwhile, Moody´s Investors Service lowered the credit ratings of some mortgage-backed financing deals issued by Countrywide last year, saying it anticipates highe! r rates of delinquency, foreclosure and bank repossession in t! he home loans used as collateral.

The mortgages are mostly first lien, fixed and adjustable-rate Alt-A loans, a category above subprime but below prime loans offered to borrowers with the best credit.

The spike in loan delinquencies and pending foreclosures suggests many borrowers continue to struggle to make their payments, despite efforts touted by Countrywide to find ways to keep borrowers in homes.

Countrywide was among the major lenders involved in a Bush administration push to help homeowners with subprime loans avoid mortgage defaults by temporarily freezing their interest rates.

Falling or stagnant home prices, weak demand and a credit crunch following the subprime meltdown last summer has battered the mortgage sector and other financial institutions, leading to billions in losses.

"Mortgage quality is fast eroding and will continue to erode despite policy efforts to stem the surge in delinquency and foreclosure," said Mark Zandi,! chief economist at Moody´s Economy.com.

Nearly 2 million adjustable-rate mortgages are expected to reset to sharply higher payments in the next two years. A weakening job market, particularly in the hard-hit Midwest, could also lead to more home loan defaults.

Countrywide said its loan fundings during December rose 1 percent from November, ahead of internal forecasts.

Average daily mortgage applications for December slipped from the year-ago period, however. Countrywide and some analysts attributed the dip to a typical seasonal decline.

"We are a little disappointed to see purchase activity not really reacting to lower home prices, but December is traditionally a weak month for purchase activity," Frederick Cannon, an analyst with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc., wrote in a research note.

Countrywide continued to shift away from risky subprime loans to people with shaky credit histories, with fundings totaling just $6 million! last month, down from $3.73 billion in December 2006.

! Home equ ity loan originations also declined last month to $1.26 billion, down 61.3 percent from $3.27 billion in the year-ago period.

Countrywide´s slate of adjustable rate mortgages fell by 75 percent to $3.68 billion, from $15.22 billion a year earlier.

In all, the lender originated 116,577 home loans in December, down from 212,566 in the year-ago period.

On a brighter note, deposits at Countrywide´s banking subsidiary rose by $2.3 billion in December. That money has become a key source of capital for loan funding since the collapse of the secondary market for mortgage-backed securities.

Management pointed to the bump in loan fundings and rising bank deposits as evidence the company was heading in the right direction.

"Our fourth quarter ended with a number of positive operational trends," David Sambol, Countrywide´s president and chief operating office, said in a statement. "Management is pleased with the progres! s we have made in positioning the company to navigate the current challenging environment."

Countrywide previously reported a $1.2 billion loss for the third quarter of last year, but management forecast a profitable fourth quarter and 2008.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are estimating Countrywide will post a fourth-quarter profit of 12 cents per share on revenue of $1.9 billion.

Egan-Jones warned in a report on Tuesday that the lender is on precarious financial footing, contending it could fail unless it gets an infusion of $4 billion in capital within the next two weeks.

"They´ll be severely pressed, yes, and we stand by that," Egan said Wednesday.

___

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Illness forces mayor to resign

2008-01-08T15:45:00.000-08:00
“I want to spend the last week or week and a half that I have with my family,” he said. “I want to make sure everything is in order at home. I know I am leaving the city in good shape. We have a good city crew and a good council.”

The mayor said he will send resignation letters to Council President Sharon Konopa and to City Manager Wes Hare.

Killin’s daughter, Melissa Brinser, dialed the phone for her father so he could notify the newspaper of his plans.

Killin has kept working on city business from home during much of his illness. Over the past few days, he made appointments to city boards, committees and commissions for the new year.

Konopa said: “Doug is a former teacher from my youth and he and I served 11 years together on the council, so it just won’t seem the same without his smile and chuckle. Doug earned the title of mayor and he deserves to keep it as long as he chooses, but we will respect whate! ver decision he makes. He will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.”

Albany’s charter calls on the council to fill vacancies in elective office until the office’s term runs out. Killin’s term is up on Dec. 31, 2008.

The mayor learned in April 2007 that the intestinal cancer he battled more than 20 years ago had returned.

Last month the council voted unanimously to allow Killin to continue on the job although he had been unable to preside over a meeting in nearly two months.

Killin’s service to the city began with a two-year stint on the Albany Planning Commission. Then he was elected to the council representing Ward I, which includes North Albany and everything north and west of Pacific Boulevard from Waverly Lake south to 37th Avenue.

He was elected mayor in November 2006, succeeding Chuck McLaran.
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Source: http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2008/01/08/news/local/6aaa02_killin.txt
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Circuit City Dec. Sales Fall

2008-01-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Schoonover said the company will pay attention to giving sales associates the "necessary knowledge and tools needed to improve both sales and margin." The company had laid off 3,400 high-paid workers and replaced them with lower-paid new hires in March.

Attention also will be paid to expanding sales of Firedog, the company's PC services and home-installation business, Schoonover said.

The company said comparable domestic sales decreased for televisions, camcorders, DVD hardware and digital imaging products. It saw the most strength in video games and in navigation devices.

Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, is a key indicator of retailer performance since it measures growth at existing stores rather than from newly opened ones.

Shares were unchanged at $4.21 in after-hours trading.

For the month, the company said significant sales decreases in tube and projection televisions more than offset high single-digit! sales growth in flat-screen televisions. Sales of camcorders and DVD hardware fell by double digits.

Revenue from Firedog increased 15 percent, Circuit City said. Sales of extended warranties were $36.1 million, compared with $52 million in the same period last year.

Domestically, Internet and call center sales grew 17 percent in December, the company said.

Last month, Circuit City reported a wider-than-expected loss for the third quarter, driven by lower extended warranty sales and restructuring costs. Circuit City had also said it has received a commitment to more than double its $500 million credit line to $1.3 billion.

For the three months ended Nov. 30, Circuit City's losses ballooned to $207.3 million, or $1.26 per share, from $20.4 million, or 12 cents per share, a year ago. Excluding tax-related accounting items, losses totaled 64 cents per share in the latest period.

Sales slipped 3 percent to $2.96 billion from $3.06 billio! n a year earlier, with sales at stores open at least a year fa! lling 5. 6 percent.

"Our efforts to turn around the business have led to greater disruption than we anticipated, but we continue to believe that we are on the right path to return to sustainable, profitable growth and increasing shareholder value," Schoonover said in Monday's news release.

Circuit City announced last month that it approved millions in cash incentives to retain its top talent following the departure of several key executives over the past year. Executive vice presidents could claim retention awards of $1 million each and senior vice presidents could get $600,000, provided they stay with the company until 2011, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Rival Best Buy Co. is scheduled to release its December sales figures on Friday.

* __

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Source: http://www.dailypress.com/business/sns-ap-circuit-city-sales,0,6632095.story
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New PSP

2008-01-06T15:44:00.000-08:00
TOKYO, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it would introduce Skype(TM) features to the new slim and light PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system (PSP-2000 series). More than 246 million members are registered for the use of this communications software, which enables users to communicate with other Skype users around the world over the Internet. Calls between Skype users are free of charge.
By introducing Skype on PSP, the following features and services will be made available to PSP users (*1) (*2):
-- Free voice calls between Skype users -- Skype contact list management (view existing contacts, add new ones) -- Skype presence (see which friends are online and available to talk) -- SkypeOut(TM) calls to make calls to landlines and mobile phones anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit) -- Optional SkypeIn(TM) number that lets users receive calls on Skype from landlines! and mobiles anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit) -- View and modify Skype settings and account details (including username creation, SkypeOut settings, voicemail settings and call forwarding)
PSP users worldwide will be able to start using Skype features and services through a simple system software update scheduled in late January. After updating the PSP system software, a Skype icon will be added to the Network category in the home menu. PSP users who do not yet have a Skype username can register by clicking the icon and following the instructions. PSP users who already have a Skype username can immediately sign in by clicking the Skype icon and entering their username and password.
SCEI will deploy various measures to meet users' demand and vigorously promote the expansion of the PSP platform as a handheld entertainment system to enjoy a variety of interactive digital entertainment.
* For more information on Skype, please visit www.skype.com (*! 1) To en joy Skype features on PSP, users will need Memory Stick Duo(TM), a wireless Internet connection and a Skype-compatible audio input device. (*2) In order to receive calls, users must be connected to the Internet and signed in through the Skype screen on PSP.
About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, wit! h high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of- the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.
PlayStation and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo is a trademark of Sony Corporation. Skype, SkypeOut and SkypeIn are trademarks of Skype Technologies S.A. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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David Earls is owner of DEMoneyonline.com and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about how to have your home business setup David recommends you visit: www.DEMoneyonline.com

Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080106/clsu019.html?.v=1
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McCain overtakes Romney in NH poll

2008-01-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

"We're going to do well," he said of New Hampshire, then added: "And we're going to be ready to fight another day."

Romney's event in Derry showcased his newly embraced theme — change. One banner read "Washington is broken" while another contained an 11-item "To Do" list beginning with, "Make America Safer," and ending with, "Put people ahead of selfish interest."

Noting that freshman Sen. Barack Obama beat Hillary Rodham Clinton, a second-term senator and former first lady, Romney said Iowans "wanted to see someone who said they would do something new and change Washington." He said Republicans had better take note "or the same thing that happened to Hillary Clinton will happen to our nominee."

"And we cannot afford Barack Obama as our next president. He's a very nice fellow. He's a well-spoken fellow. But he's never done it. It's one thing to say it; it's another thing to do it," Romney said.

In Peterborough, after his 100th New Hampshi! re town hall meeting, McCain said of Romney: "We have significant differences but those differences will be aired in a positive and respectful manner."

————

Associated Press Writers Glen Johnson, Philip Elliott and Holly Ramer contributed to this report.

By: mcomo
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Michael Comeau has been owner of many successful businesses over the years including his current online business which can be viewed at www.workfromhome4dollars.com/ArticleWebBus9.php You may also find more articles by Michael Comeau at www.workfromhome4dollars.com !

Source: http://ap.onlineathens.com/pstories/politics/20080105/231847338.shtml
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Icron and DS2 collaborate on interactive PC to TV application

2008-01-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

Solution extends USB 2.0 and Video functions from PC to TV in home environment over powerline BURNABY, BC, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Icron Technologies Corporation (TSX Venture: IT), the developers of ExtremeUSB, and DS2 a world leader in power line technology announced the signing of a MoU (memorandum of understanding) whereby Icron will be integrating its ExtremeUSB into a platform designed to seamlessly connect the PC to TV and deliver interactive content to the living room via DS2's power line technology. The powerline technology is embedded using a modular solution from Delta Electronics, the world's leading manufacturer of power supplies and powerline communications components and products. The initial platform extends USB 2.0 and PC video to the TV over power line networking technology. In this solution, the PC which is normally situated in a home office is used as the central media server and the TV, which is generally situated in the family room, is the ce! nter of entertainment. Its purpose is to provide an economical, convenient plug and play means for home users to access the Internet and all its interactive content on the TV without having to have another PC by the TV. A joint demonstration of the solution will be shown at the DS2 booth at CES Booth # 20656, South Hall 2. The demonstration will show how easily power line can be integrated into existing networking applications. In this case, Delta Electronics modular solution implementing DS2's Aitana chipset technology was easily integrated into Icron's ExtemeUSB solution, minimizing development resources and resulting in a very cost-effective solution. "These solutions provide the lowest cost plug and play solution for accessing the content from the PC in your home office, and delivering it to the TV in the family room." stated Robert Eisses, President and CEO of Icron Technologies. "It really is the simplest way to access PC content using your TV as the monitor, and all ! the standard USB devices as your input/output devices, without! having to purchase another PC to sit in your family room and deal with the associated networking issues. This represents a significant opportunity for Icron, and is the first of many solutions planned for the home connectivity market." "DS2 powerline technology excels at multimedia applications and we are delighted to work with Icron to deliver the first powerline communication solution to extend USB 2.0 and PC video functions to the TV anywhere in the home and are looking forward to demonstrating this at CES". commented Jorge Blasco, CEO of DS2. "High performance turnkey Powerline technology is the missing puzzle that the market has been looking for!" said Amy Lin, Senior Director of Global Sales and Marketing for Delta Electronics Magnetics and Microwave Business Unit. "Now we can just plug it in and start to enjoy the uncompromising signal quality synchronously. We will continue to co-work with DS2 to offer dynamic and innovative Powerline solutions for all applications in all i! ndustries." Under this agreement Icron and DS2 will cooperate in the product development of this solution expected to be released in 2008 for an initial customer in China. Terms of the agreement, including the name of the partner were not announced for competitive reasons. About Icron Technologies Corp http://www.icron.com Icron Technologies Corporation's patented ExtremeUSB(R) technology extends the range of USB in wired environments and enables wireless USB over any RF technology. ExtremeUSB is the only USB-IF compliant extension solution and is deployed globally in a wide range of applications including: industrial automation, medical device, aerospace, KVM, computer networking or home connectivity. ExtremeUSB technology is available in a variety of formats including technology licenses, OEM modules, developer kits, as well as branded and private-label products. Icron is a publicly traded corporation and trades under the sy! mbol "IT" on the TSX Venture Exchange. For more information on! the com pany and its products, please visit http://www.icron.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Except for statements of historical fact, all statements in this news release - including, without limitation, statements regarding financial estimates and future plans and objectives of Icron - are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. CONTACT: Icron Media Contact: Brigitta Shore, Phone: (604) 729-9479, brigitta.shore@icron.com

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Seniors Protest Proposed Funeral Home

2008-01-03T15:42:00.000-08:00
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - Several older residents of this town are protesting plans to open a funeral home across the street from a senior center, saying it would be a little too close for comfort.

About 100 people have signed a petition calling on the City Council to deny James Asper and Mary Hansen, partners in Aspen Funeral Home LLC, a special use permit giving them the right to lease the building across the street from the Lake City Senior Center as a funeral home, senior center manager Vickie Harrison said. They plan to present the petition at a Feb. 5 hearing on the matter, she said.

"I don't like it at all. It kind of gives you an uncomfortable feeling," said 65-year-old Marg Dunkle, who signed the petition.

The city's planning commission approved a special use permit in December for the business, but a neighbor appealed the decision, citing concerns over traffic and parking.
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Source: http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/01/03/ap/strange/d8tulrlg0.txt
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Abram celebrates 20th season with 'The New Yankee Workshop'

2008-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Abram takes a visitor on a tour of the kitchen, explaining everything in detail. He doesn't just explain how to do it, but why it is being done, the economy behind it, its practicality, and the materials and tools needed to do the job.
"He's a perfectionist and the audience knows they're seeing quality work," said Tom Silva, the general contractor on "This Old House" who has worked with Abram for about 20 years.
The new season also dips into the archives to update one of the show's most popular projects, an Adirondack chair Abram built in the second season. But even this project has a twist. For the first time he invites a woodworking novice -- the show's production coordinator, Sara Ferguson -- to build an Adirondack chair, table and footrest alongside him.
"To see a woman on the show, trying her hand at it, hopefully other women say 'Wow, if she can do it, I can do it too,'" Ferguson said.
Building stuff has been virtually a lifelong pursuit for ! Abram, who was inspired by his father growing up in Milford, a suburb of Boston.
His father was always handy with his tools, and eventually gave up a job as a mechanic in a woolen mill to work as a builder. Abram remembers at age 9 helping his father lay hardwood flooring at a job site one Christmas Eve.
It wasn't long before he was doing his own projects. "I was always playing around with something, I could just get lost for hours in the basement just hacking around with pieces of wood and just using my imagination a little bit," he said.
He worked with his father during summers all through high school and while at the University of Massachusetts, where he took engineering and business classes to complement his craftsman skills.
"My father didn't want me to be in the trades, but I just always had a feeling that I wanted to have a construction business," he said.
If he hadn't, he never would have met Morash.
The two crossed paths while Ab! ram was building a home for a friend of Morash's on Nantucket.! Morash was impressed with his work and hired Abram to build a barn on his property.
That gray barn with blue trim stands today as the front end of the workshop.
At that time in the late 1970s, Morash was just formulating the plans for "This Old House." He needed a woodworker, and Abram was the perfect fit.
"We've been working together ever since," said Morash, who was also the man who brought Julia Child and original "Victory Garden" guru Jim Crockett to television.
The three PBS icons share common traits, including the ability to make what seems baffling appear so simple through a step-by-step process.
"Julia and Norm can both think in the abstract," he said. "Julia could taste something in her mind before even making it. Norm can look at a project and figure out the problems ahead of time. That's what makes him so good."
------

By: D! ennisH
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Dennis has been envoled in the MLM and Network Marketing Business for the past 15+ years.He has been and is still very active in the Commercial Truck Sales Industry where marketing and direct sales plays a very important part in his business. Internet Sales and Marketing are what enjoys the most and his true passion is in the Home Based Business market that heis envolved in and can not stop talking or writing about. He loves his new business and iscontinually spreading the word to all who will listen to try and let them have the same chanceto be as successful as he is and will continue to be.To Your Success, Dennis Hampton Marketing Consultant / ManagerA Business Made Easy, LLCabusinessmadeeasy.com
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Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/01/02/abram_celebrates_20th_season_with_the_new_yankee_workshop/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
Starting a Home Business

PGA Tour: What will happen in 2008?

2008-01-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press

KAPALUA, Hawaii ? To listen to Zach Johnson and Paul Goydos is to be reminded that golf always holds a few surprises.

Johnson was asked to go back one year and rank the majors in order of which he was most likely to win. He would have put the Masters last on his list, and it still seems surreal to have a green jacket in his closet.

Goydos won the Bay Hill Invitational in 1996 and didn?t win another PGA Tour event until the Sony Open last year. He returned to the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship for the first time in 11 years, during which time Tiger Woods turned pro and won 61 times.

?If you would have told me when I won that from ?97 through ?07 that some guy was going to win 60 times, I would say that you?re out of your mind,? Goydos said. ?There?s just no way. That?s not going to happen.?

Predictions can be a dangerous business, especially in golf, and there?s no telling how 2008 is! going to unfold.

The new season begins Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the earliest start on the PGA Tour since 2002, and there?s a chance history could repeat itself. It was in 2002 that Woods won the first two legs of the Grand Slam, and that?s a possibility considering the U.S. Open will be held this year at Torrey Pines, where Woods has won five times.

Or maybe not. That also was the year Ty Tryon was on the PGA Tour, no one conceived of women playing on men?s tours and the Ryder Cup was still closely contested.

Gazing into the crystal ball, here?s one timeline of what might happen in 2008:

Jan. 6 ? Stephen Ames, feeling right at home after buying a time share at Kapalua, wins the Mercedes-Benz Championship for his second straight PGA Tour victory, leaving him nine short of Byron Nelson?s record.

Jan. 15 ? Roger Clemens attends a voluntary meeting at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on the tour?s anti-doping pol! icy and is relieved to learn drug testing doesn?t start until ! July 8 ? and then only for golfers.

Jan. 27 ? For the fourth straight year, Tiger Woods opens his season with a victory in the Buick Invitational. He wins by 15 shots in a tuneup for the U.S. Open.

Jan. 28 ? The PGA Tour runs its first FedEx Cup commercial, sticking with the theme, ?Who will be the first to kiss the cup??

Feb. 28 ? John Daly withdraws from the Honda Classic.

April 6 ? Davis Love III birdies the last two holes to win the Shell Houston Open and qualify for the Masters.

April 13 ? Tiger Woods wins the Masters by one shot over Love.

April 14 ? The PGA Tour runs its second FedEx Cup commercial, noting the cup still hasn?t been kissed.

April 20 ? Ernie Els wins the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head, his first PGA Tour victory on U.S. soil in nearly four years.

May 11 ? Phil Mickelson becomes the first player to win back-to-back years at The Players Championship. H! e calls for a tour vote to make The Players a major, but the vote against is 241-2. Mickelson and Love cast the only votes in favor.

June 12 ? The first round of the U.S. Open is postponed because of fog.

June 13 ? Half the field doesn?t start the first round of the U.S. Open, which again is delayed by fog.

June 14 ? Vijay Singh is disqualified from the U.S. Open after getting stuck in traffic and missing his tee time.

June 18 ? The U.S. Open concludes on Wednesday when Woods beats Steve Stricker by 15 shots in an 18-hole playoff.

July 6 ? Rory Sabbatini wins the AT&T National at Congressional, then announces he is donating the $1.08 million winner?s check to help build the new Tiger Woods Learning Center.

July 8 ? Sabbatini is the first player tested for drugs.

July 19 ? Woods is in the second-to-last group in the third round at Royal Birkdale when a vicious wind off the I! rish Sea turns the British Open upside down. He birdies the la! st hole to break 80.

July 20 ? Woods closes with 62 to win the British Open by one shot over Stricker, setting a major championship scoring record and winning from behind for the first time in a major.

Aug. 3 ? Fifty columnists change travel plans from Beijing to Detroit to cover Woods? bid for the Grand Slam.

Aug. 7 ? Mickelson, who already has won a career-high five times on tour, is disqualified from the PGA Championship when he shows up Thursday on the first tee of the other course at Oakland Hills.

Aug. 10 ? Woods birdies the last four holes, but finishes one shot behind Stricker in the PGA Championship.

Aug. 21 ? The PGA Tour Playoffs begins at The Barclays. Woods decides to take that week off.

Sept. 21 ? Motivated by the Americans having four captain?s picks, Europe wins the Ryder Cup, 181/2-91/2.

Sept. 28 ? Woods wins the FedEx Cup in a final-round duel over Stricker. PGA Tour c! ommissioner Tim Finchem again reminds Woods that the cup has never been kissed. And it still isn?t.

Sept. 29 ? Finchem is tested for drugs.

Oct. 14 ? Stricker wins the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda against three alternates when Woods declines to play.

Nov. 11 ? Fred Couples is named Ryder Cup captain and announces Michael Jordan and Robin Williams as his assistants.

Nov. 30 ? Having missed the last six months with a sore back, Couples recovers and wins the Skins Game.

Dec. 16 ? Stricker finishes the year at No. 2 in the world and is voted comeback player of the year for the third straight time.

By: Barbara Delville
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Barbara Delville, Life Style Mentor a! nd Succe ssful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story. Whether you're looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Barbara can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind. visit : Entrepreneurship

Source: http://www.golfweek.com/protours/pga/story/predictions_feature_010108
Online Home Based Business

Casino mogul eyes Mass. market

2007-12-31T15:50:00.000-08:00
Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson is on a winning streak.
The 74-year-old helped reinvent Las Vegas by emphasizing luxury suites, fine dining and entertainment as chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Three years ago, he became the first outsider to open a casino in Macau, the only part of China where gambling is legal. Last year, his company won a hotly contested license to build Singapore's first casino.
He hopes to keep winning in Massachusetts.
Like other Las Vegas operators, Adelson is closely watching Gov. Deval Patrick's campaign to bring casinos to Massachusetts. The governor's legislation would license three resort-style casinos, which he says would generate $400 million annually in tax revenue and 20,000 jobs.
Adelson, who ranked No. 3 on Forbes' list of richest Americans with a net worth of $28 billion, likes Marlborough as one of the casino sites, believing it could lure gamblers from Connecticut two casinos.
"It's the pi! vot point, the lynchpin of the distance you have to travel," he said of the Boston suburb near Interstates 495 and 90.
Before anything gets built, skeptical lawmakers need to be persuaded to expand gambling in Massachusetts. Adelson says Bay Staters already gamble on lottery tickets, horses and at Connecticut casinos.
Adelson has pledged to build with union workers in Boston, but longtime Las Vegas union activists predict his post-construction workforce would be nonunion.
"He fights us vehemently. To say that he's going to build union is a throwaway line," said D. Taylor, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union local 226 that represents 60,000 workers in Las Vegas.
While The Venetian was under construction, union activists sparred with Adelson. A federal court ruled in 1999 that The Venetian resort violated U.S. labor law by trying to prevent members of the culinary and bartenders unions from rallying on a sidewalk outside the casino. The V! enetian resort is nonunion.
Adelson, whose cab driver fa! ther was a regular at the Suffolk Downs horse track in Boston, envisions a 300,000-square-foot resort with gambling, restaurants and entertainment, such as the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys" -- which will play early next year at his newest Las Vegas casino, The Palazzo.
Under Patrick's bill, bidders who partner with a Massachusetts-based Indian tribe would get preference, but Adelson says he would prefer to bid on his own.
He met with Patrick's top economic advisers in May, and boasts he could build "the largest building in the world in two years." But he says he'd give Massachusetts' government whatever design it wants.
Before building casinos, Adelson, a college dropout, worked as a financial adviser and real estate investor. He created the technology trade show Comdex in 1979, which he sold it to Japan's Softbank Corp. for $860 million in 1995.
He bought the Sands Hotel and Casino, former home to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, in 1989. Seven years later, ! he was inspired by his honeymoon in Venice to destroy it and erect The Venetian, a $1.5 billion casino resort.
The 4,000-suite resort prompted ridicule from gambling executives -- who were focused mostly on gaming revenue -- because it catered to business travelers and profited from hotel rooms. But it proved successful, and others followed suit.
Las Vegas Sands went public in December 2004, elevating Adelson to rarified company. He trails only Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett on Forbes' list of richest Americans.
Adelson, who lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Miriam, and maintains a home in Newton, was on Beacon Hill this month to testify at a hearing on Patrick's proposed casino bill.
He also invited the governor to attend the Aug. 28 opening of Macau casino, offering a free overnight suite, according to a copy of Patrick's invitation o! btained by The Associated Press. Patrick declined.

By: mcomo
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Michael Comeau has been owner of many successful businesses over the years including his current online business which can be viewed at www.workfromhome4dollars.com/ArticleWorkFromHome20.php You may also find more articles by Michael Comeau at www.workfromhome4dollars.com

Source: http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/12/31/casino_mogul! _eyes_mass_market/
Free Business Articles Blog

Piers Akerman: Rudd faces complex 'bucket of poo'

2007-12-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

He promised, however, to come back when he had “the co-ordinates” for the position, whatever that may mean.

But a lack of “co-ordinates” for cricket commentary hasn’t stopped the applause for his handling of the nation’s top job from members of the Canberra press corps.

According to my colleague Steve Lewis, national political correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, “Those who experienced the Howard government’s cold-hearted approach are reporting a new spirit of co-operation in Canberra.”

This observation was based on the appearance of a “diminutive elder of the local Ngunnawal people” who delivered a welcome to a group Lewis described as “Labor’s new royalty” at “their new home, The Lodge”.

The only visible evidence of any new spirit of co-operation around Canberra appeared to be the willingness of the local police to ignore the Commonwealth car ! double-parked while Rudd did some shopping.

Even the most grizzled old Canberrans were impressed by that evidence of a new federalist relationship, truly Jeffersonian in its approach, which Rudd, a self-described Jeffersonian separatist in matters religious, would appreciate.

It may be that the Rudd honeymoon is taking place during the media silly season, or it may be that many regular commentators are on their well-earned breaks, but sweetness and light continues to flow from The Lodge.

For example, there hasn’t been a murmur about Rudd’s reversal on Iraq, the need to stray from the course that he once urged upon that “cold-hearted” Howard government.

Fortunately, Maxine McKew, now the Member for Bennelong, recorded Rudd’s position on Iraq in an interview for The Bulletin magazine in December 2003. In it, Rudd accused the Howard government of “trying to crab-walk away from its responsibilities”.
!
According to McKew’s account, Australia had “j! ust over 800 support personnel left in Iraq, with the overwhelming load of both reconstruction and the fight against a hydra-headed insurgency left to the American and British forces”.

Rudd, she wrote, explained that this meant “the Americans and Brits are privately pissed off with John Howard because he’s been quietly seeking to exit the field”.

Huh? Kevin Rudd said John Howard was quietly seeking to cut and run?

Given Rudd’s flying visit to Iraq to tell the Iraqis that this was his plan for the region, is this yet another example of his “me too” approach to politics?

Rudd wouldn’t tell McKew what he had been told by “senior coalitionists” about Australia’s post-war contribution, or the lack of it.

“I’m not in the business of betraying confidences. But I’m telling you it grates,” he said.

“Because the Brits and the Americans are in there wi! th their leadership intact but, from May 1 (2003), John Howard’s position on Iraq has been based not on a military exit strategy but on a political exit strategy.”

Which is surely news to those who claimed Howard had no exit strategy.

But, to top it all, Rudd - who has told the Americans and British that Australian combat troops will be withdrawn by the middle of next year - had the hide to tell McKew: “I think that’s going doggo.”

And, more strongly: “Frankly, it reflects political cowardice on Howard’s part.”

That’s pretty strong commentary from someone who lacks the “co-ordinates” to describe a Test, but it highlights the great flaw in the Rudd revolution: that the debate is never about principle, it’s about politics.

Four years ago, Rudd believed Australia should stay the course. He said everything in international law said we, as a member of the invading forc! es, had to help Iraqis restore order and rebuild.

Now ! he has a more nuanced policy (Australia has a responsibility for only some bits and pieces of the Iraq mess), while he has given an open-ended commitment to keep Australian troops in Afghanistan - where Australians have already died - for as long as it takes.

The coalition forces in Iraq, under the US, and in agreement with the UN, are winning.

In Afghanistan, the battle isn’t going as smoothly.

Our troops are doing more than their share of the heavy lifting, while some nations are keeping their units well away from the fighting.

When he believed in securing Iraq for the Iraqis, Rudd told McKew: “There’s an easy script on the centre-left of Australian politics to say, ‘Nah, nah, naaah!’

“The harder script is to say: ‘What do we now do about the 23 million Iraqis who find themselves in a comprehensive bucket of poo, and what do we do to help fix that?“‘

It would seem he hasn’t ! opted for the easy answer, or at least the answer that is easiest to sell to his clique of believers.

Hugh White, Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University, says Rudd went to Iraq to sell a “complex” message that Australia would be withdrawing some troops and keeping others there as support for our US allies.

“Complex” is not the word for it. The comprehensive bucket of poo is being cleaned up and Australia is clearing out at a critical time for clearly political purposes, even as the current strategy is bearing fruit.

Not that our US allies will hold it against Rudd; they’re rapidly appreciating his form.

Having successfully won a backdown from the Japanese over the killing of humpback whales in the Southern Ocean without receiving public acknowledgement from the Australian Government, our US friends are watching his honeymoon with great interest.

! By: William Winch
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
William Winch is a Business Growth Specialist whose mission is helping people expand and explode their home-based businesses without breaking the bank. A former High School and College Business Educator and Counselor, he mentors from his home office in Rochester, NY. If you are interested in learning how to explode and expand your home-based business, you can contact William by visiting his website at www.thefreemlmpowerreport.com or by calling him directly at (585) 234-5283.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22989889-5007146,00.html
About Home Based Business

Chuck McKinley

2007-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00
Born: April 1, 1958

Personal: Married/Roseanna

Kids: Jerad and Kelli

Grandkids: Kellis; Vincent And Lucas

Where we live: 20 acres in rural Chandler. I like to call it "a little slice of heaven".

Our Animals On The Farm: Besides ME on pizza night! We have horses and cats. And supposedly a possum. But, I have not seen it. Sorta like the animal version of a UFO.

I would go nuts if: My wife was not with me. In radio you need a special person to put up with this business and sometimes with you. She is just wonderful. Plus, she makes a pork roast to die for.

What's your favorite TV Show?
24! I have all the seasons on tape. And all the serialized paperback books.
However, greys anatomy is close 2nd to those tv shows that make me scream at tv because of the plotlines.
I mean, scream in a good way.

What's favorite Movie?
That’s tough. I am not a real art movie guy. You know, foreign movies that th! e critics love. “It gets 4 stars, it’s the story of a boy and his dog and their travels to Sydney ,Austrailia”.
I love popcorn movies.
Armagedon
Pulp Fiction
Independence Day
Now, when I want FUNNY and need to compress. Ghostbusters please

Where is your hometown?
Blooming Prairie, Minnesota…..It’s a wonderful town, think Lindale, about 40 miles from the Iowa border. 15 miles from Austin, Minnesota. Which is by the way, is the corporate headquarters of Hormels, you know, Spam In the can. My first job, well I worked their twice, KAUS AM/FM in Austin. I can still do the station ID.” 1480 KAUS Austin, A Great Place To Be”. And it was and still is.

What are your hobbies?
I like a good movie or to read. Books, magazines. We have 20 acres in Chandler. I’ll get my dog Trixie and go for a walk. I mean, up and down the driveway. It’s a big driveway. And on cold nights. It reminds of Minne! sota. It’s a way to clear my head, gather my thoughts an! d constr uct ideas better. Which probaley isn’t technically a hobbie, but therapy. I like to cook for my wife Roseanna. I do a mean omelet. Cheese, Tomatoes, Noonday Onions and lately Portabella Mushrooms. And cook and pretty good steak.

What's in your CD player right now?
Well, I burn my own. I like rock and roll. 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s….I kind of like everything. I run a mobile dj service on the side for the past 10 years, so I need to know EVERYTHING. And I try to. However, In no particular order these would be my favorites artist. George. Strait and Jones. KC and the sunshine band(and all the disco stuff, hey I’m 18 again, which at age 48, is ALWAYS appreciated), neal mccoy, rob zombie, james blunt, bread, Allison Krause, Kelly Clarkson(I grudgingly really have come to like her music, in the world of manufactured music, she’s the real deal),….and of course BIG DADDY hank williams sr.
Most Important Person In My Life?
That would be De! bbie Tilley, the East Radio Group Accountant!
Seriously, my wife Roseanna. I’m not going go too deep into this.
Well, she is just the best!
Advice to the person getting into radio:

First, its not glamourous work. Its a job. Now, somedays it is the BEST job in the world. And on other days its a JOB. Also, its alot of bits and pieces. You have to be dedicated to the craft of broadcasting and your going to have to do everything. Whether its write, produce, jock, engineer or sweep the station floor; its all important and you will be doing it. Also, start a business on your own. It will get you around the rough times in radio.

And what is that business? Shameless plug time:

Chuck McKinleys Port-A-Party Mobile DJ Service. Its a party on wheels. School dances, weddings, whatever the occasion and music. Everything from 1940s to today.

Current Radio Home: KKUS 104.1 The Ranch, Afternoon DJ, Music Director, Program Director

Duties:! Outside of on the air. Whatever they need. Write, produce, et! c. The g reat thing about having 25 years in the radio business, is that I have a lot of varied experience in other markets and positions and I can bring this to the table as well.

On-Air Style: As in real life. I have NONE. Seriously, I just talk on the radio. And it gives me a recognizable and distinct sound. And while I do bring humor to the table, its pretty light stuff, nothing blue or nothing real heavy. My feeling is, especially in music based radio, that is what people what. Or as I paraphrase it, "in the steak dinner of life, I am just the baked potato!".

What is gonna be on the afternoon show: Super Easy Trivia and also from 5-6pm The Ranch Request Hour. Plus, top of hour news from FOX NEWS.

Complete weather as it happens. Sports scoreboard and any local happenings that are relevant. So, make Chuck In The Afternoon, Monday thru Friday from 3 to 7, part of your listening experience. Thank you.

By: Karen Cook
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
If you'd like to learn more about homeshoring and view the video clips of Diane Sawyer profiling this work at home opportunity, please drop by virtualagent007.blogspot.comKaren Cook works at a Public Library where she researches work at home jobs.

Source: http://www.theranch1041.com/pages/1387063.php
Home Business Articles Blog

Benazir Bhutto laid to rest

2007-12-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Amid a sea of mourning supporters and her close family, Benazir Bhutto, the slain leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, was laid to rest on Friday next to her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at the family tomb in Garhi Khuda Baksh in Naudero, her ancestral home in Larkana district of Sindh.

As thousands of supporters wept her passing, others expressed their grief and anger through violence. Gangs of men took to the streets in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and other cities of Sindh, torching vehicles and government buildings, looting banks and uprooting train tracks.

Eyewitnesses from the Larkana area said the mobs were even setting fire to ambulances. In some places the rioting also took on an ethnic colour, as shops and establishments belonging to Punjabis and Urdu-speakers were attacked.

The violence left at least 25 people dead in different parts of the country. Thousands of people making their way to the funeral were stranded as roads ! were blocked by tyre-burning mobs.

Rawalpindi also witnessed looting and burning of banks and business establishments.

Islamabad shut down completely in response to a strike call by Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N).

Late in the afternoon, the Sindh government called out the Army, and soldiers were deployed in several parts of Karachi and in the interior areas of Sindh.

The simple wooden coffin in which Ms. Bhutto left the Rawalpindi General Hopsital on Thursday night was buried after afternoon prayers, just before the sun went down. Her husband Asif Zardari had flown in from Dubai late on Thursday with their three children to organise the funeral.

There was much media comment at the quick burial. There was an expectation that her body would lie at her home so that her supporters from all parts of the country could arrive in remote Naudero to pay their final respects to their leader. The diplomatic community too expected tha! t there would be enough time for world leaders to arrive for t! he funer al. Even leaders of other political parties could not make it to the funeral.

But PPP leaders said the family was following the Islamic custom of burying the dead as early as possible.

The grand marble mausoleum which houses her grave and her father’s is also where her two brothers, Shahnawaz and Murtaza, are buried. Like them, Ms. Bhutto too died violently — in a shooting-cum-suicide attack on Thursday as she left Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi after addressing an election rally.The entire top leadership of the PPP was present, as were her estranged sister-in-law Ghinwa, the wife of Murtaza Bhutto, and their daughter Fatima, who in recent weeks launched sharp attacks against her aunt in the media.

By: Steve Beck
Article Directory: http://www.articled! ashboard.com
Stephen Beck teaches families & teens how to www.familyebiz.com/syob-info.php/ "> start home business . For a free CD explaining the steps for a successful internet business, visit Christian Home Based Business right now.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/29/stories/2007122958100100.htm
Starting a Home Business

County at wit's end over road

2007-12-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

Naming of 'glorified driveway' produces neighbor opposition

By ED COX
of The Dalles Chronicle

     Wasco County commissioners are nearing their wit’s end over a myriad of minor, misplaced, mis-platted and/or misnamed roads.
     “They’re all hard to deal with,” County Judge Dan Ericksen told Steven Bleiler at a Dec. 19 hearing on Bleiler’s request to change the name of a 1,600-foot-long glorified driveway from the tentative Fairmont Drive to a permanent Wit’s End Drive.
     That request was a case in point, as a neighbor’s opposition caused the hearing to stretch from an expected 10 minutes to an hour and 10 with still no decision — much less a satisfactory one — forthcoming.
     “I just need an address, your honor,” said Bleiler, who owns one of two parcels accessed off what! he described as a driveway he shares with neighbor Robert Dys.
     Meanwhile, Dys’ problem was the opposite one: He had nothing against the proposed name or the switch except the fact that it would take his longtime Sevenmile Hill Rd. address along with it, thus hurting his home-based business.
Complicating the situation is the fact that, according to Dys, the drive doesn’t go where it’s supposed to — falling a full 40 feet to one side of the public right-of-way, meaning it’s on his property.
     “They named my driveway,” said Dys of the random assignment of the name Fairmont, likely by an official in the county planning department. “They didn’t name the public road, they named my driveway.”
     It’s just one of many roads in the county that don’t match what’s on paper, and this particular conflict illus! trates the difficulties of a one-size-fits-all approach to cor! recting what Ericksen called the “sins of the past.”
     Some of those irregularities were created as far back as the turn of the century, he said, and increasing development pressure in rural areas is causing them to be found more frequently, usually as the result of planning-related requirement written into a county ordinance.
     “You write ordinances to deal with the issues as they should be, and of course they get to us because the issues are never as they should be,” Ericksen mused. “Nothing is clear, so we’re at wit’s end.”
     Over the last year, the court has heard multiple requests for road vacations because of such errors and one case in which a private road was being used for access because topography physically prevented a public, dedicated road from doing the job.
     “They’re all a little bi! t different animal, but they all have sharp teeth and big claws, and they all seem to bite back” Ericksen said, emphasizing the importance of staying in good humor when dealing with these “unsolvable problems.”
     They would be comical, he said, if they weren’t so serious for the people involved.
     In the case of the proposed Wits End Drive, commissioners seemed unsure whether — to borrow a couple of metaphors employed at the hearing — they should affix a band-aid or perform surgery.
     A motion by commissioner Sherry Holliday to rename the road but allow Dys to keep his current address died for lack of a second, and Ericksen and third commissioner Bill Lennox questioned whether it was even proper for the county to name a road not on a public right-of-way.
     In the end, the court arrived at a non-decision Bleiler c! haracterized as “positively Solomon-like”: they re! quested the planning department verify the separation of road and right-of-way and put off deliberations on the case until Jan. 2.

By: Brian Garvin and Jeff West
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
You can read our Unbiased, expert review of Trim International from Brian Garvin and Jeff West at www.MLMreviewKings.com.This article may be used royalty free provided bio & links remain intact. Copyright © Mission Billion, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Source: http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2007/12/news12-27-07-02.shtml
Starting a Home Business

Working the holiday could be a 'waste'

2007-12-24T16:22:00.000-08:00

?I'll be home for Christmas' could be changed to ?I'll be home for Christmas, after I work all day,' as more than 50 percent of Americans have to work Christmas Eve.

But a new survey says opening businesses and working for one day after the weekend, and before the holiday, may be a ?complete waste.'

While most retailers, like Legends and Legacies store in Spearfish, say they get a lot of business from last-minute holiday shoppers, other companies chose to close today, because business would be slow.

"They called us the other day and said you know most of our clients are going to be closed for the holidays and told the staff not to have to worry about coming in today. And so, that was awesome of them to do that," said Ann Brady, who has the day off Monday.

An office services provider says that was probably a smart idea. The Regus Group's 'Holiday Work Habits Survey'! says opening on holidays may be a waste of time, money and energy, because many people will start work late, leave early,and won't get much done.

Regus urges bosses to let staff work flexibly, from home or a business center, instead of going to an near-empty office, which costs companies a lot to heat and light.

Customers at Legend and Legacies say more people should get today off, because holidays are about more than just gifts.

"Just being close, being close with your family and especially in these times it's not very close. People are in different areas and you need to have friends and family around you," said Deborah Hayes, who also has Christmas Eve off.

The report says closing offices for the day has an environmental impact as well. Durham University research says companies could reduce their carbon emissions by 5 percent just by closing for one day a week.

By: Daniel Bell
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Daniel Bell is an Internet Marketer who has been reviewing Home based Jobs opportunities for many years and webmaster of www.manomanju.com/...Learn how I went from $3.50/day to $670/day! www.keyword-elite.manomanju.com

Source: http://www.kotatv.com/global/story.asp?s=7540084
Home Business Articles Blog

Lobbying Begins Against Air France's Alitalia Bid

2007-12-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

Air France-KLM's bid for Italy's state-controlled airline, Alitalia, has triggered a frenzy of lobbying by powerful opponents who want Rome to reject an offer they say harms national interests.

Alitalia's board of directors late on Friday chose Air France-KLM for exclusive talks. The decision must still be ratified by the ailing flag carrier's biggest shareholder, the Italian state.

Ahead of a promised government decision by mid-January, politicians and union leader are telling the state to find a better buyer for Alitalia -- a source of national pride even though it loses 1 million euros (USD$1.44 million) a day.

"It's folly," said Roberto Formigoni, governor of Lombardy region, home to Italy's financial capital Milan.

"Air France (has) a strategic interest in cutting its most significant competitor in half," he told Italian media.

Formigoni and other politicians in Italy's wealthy north predict Alitalia will be swallowed the Franco-Dut! ch airline, the world's biggest by revenues.

They also predict Air France-KLM would treat Alitalia as a more of a regional airline and transfer major routes to Paris to the detriment of Milan's Malpensa Airport, sending businessmen there to make connections when flying abroad.

A member of the northern, separatist party Northern League threatened to block the roads leading to Malpensa in protest.

"If Rome declares our death, we will try at least to die standing," Matteo Salvini told Italian media.

The board at Alitalia said Air France-KLM was a better match for Alitalia than the only other offer it had on the table, from much smaller Italian carrier Air One.

Air France-KLM promises to invest EUR6.5 billion in long-term investments into Italy's flag airline, preserve the Alitalia brand and an extensive network of routes in Italy.

But Air One is urging the government to reconsider. It's offer would keep Alitalia in Italian hands, and s! till make it Europe's fourth largest carrier, officials say.
Th e controversy piles political pressure on Prime Minister Romano Prodi, whose spokesman reiterated the government would make its own decision -- which may or may not back the Alitalia board's recommendation.

"The government must analyze the documents and take a definitive decision. But there are those who are convinced the episode will end a certain way," Silvio Sircana told L'Unita newspaper, warning against "hasty conclusions".

One Air France-KLM sceptic inside the government, Transport Minister Alessandro Bianche, told La Repubblica newspaper he would have backed "a different offer" than Alitalia's board did. But added he had yet to properly review the Air France-KLM deal.

Milan's Mayor Letizia Moratti said she wanted an urgent meeting with Prodi, and said the government had to look beyond just Alitalia's interest to see the sale's impact on the nation. "Eradicating the flag airline from the region where there is the most business certainly does not me! an helping national development," Moratti told La Repubblica.

"I'm not defending Malpensa. I'm defending Italy."

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Report: US Consumers Drowning In Credit Card Debt

2007-12-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate, sending delinquencies and defaults surging by double-digit percentages in the last year and prompting warnings of worse to come.

An Associated Press analysis of financial data from the country's largest card issuers also found that the greatest rise was among accounts more than 90 days in arrears.

Experts say these signs of the deterioration of finances of many households are partly a byproduct of the subprime mortgage crisis and could spell more trouble ahead for an already sputtering economy.

The consumer credit crunch has raised enough red flags that Congress began a probe into lender practices earlier this month.

The value of credit card accounts at least 30 days late jumped 26 percent to $17.3 billion in October from a year earlier at 17 large credit card trusts examined by the AP. That represented ! more than 4 percent of the total outstanding principal balances owed to the trusts on credit cards that were issued by banks such as Bank of America and Capital One and for retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

At the same time, defaults - when lenders essentially give up hope of ever being repaid and write off the debt - rose 18 percent to almost $961 million in October, according to filings made by the trusts with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Serious delinquencies also are up sharply: Some of the nation's biggest lenders - including Advanta, GE Money Bank and HSBC - reported increases of 50 percent or more in the value of accounts that were at least 90 days delinquent when compared with the same period a year ago.

The AP analyzed data representing about 325 million individual accounts held in trusts that were created by credit card issuers in order to! sell the debt to investors - similar to how many banks packag! ed and s old subprime mortgage loans. Together, they represent about 45 percent of the $920 billion the Federal Reserve counts as credit card debt owed by Americans.

Until recently, credit card default rates had been running close to record lows, providing one of the few profit growth areas for the nation's banks, which continue to flood Americans' mailboxes with billions of letters monthly offering easy sign-ups for new plastic.

Even after the recent spike in bad loans, the credit card business is still quite lucrative, thanks to interest rates that can run as high as 36 percent, plus late fees and other penalties.

But what is coming into sharper focus from the detailed monthly SEC filings from the trusts is a snapshot of the worrisome state of Americans' ability to juggle growing and expensive credit card debt.

The trend carried into November. As of Friday, all of the trusts that filed rep! orts for the month show increases in both delinquencies and defaults over November 2006, and many show sequential increases from October.

Discover accounts 30 days or more delinquent jumped 25,716 from November 2006 and had increased 6,000 between October and November this year.

Many economists expect delinquencies and defaults to rise further after the holiday shopping season.

Mark Zandi, chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com Inc., cited mounting mortgage problems that began after this summer's subprime financial shock as one of the culprits, as well as a weakening job market in the Midwest, South and parts of the West, where real-estate markets have been particularly hard hit.

"Credit card quality will continue to erode throughout next year," Zandi said.

Economists also cite America's long-standing attitude that debt - even high-interest credit card debt - is not a big deal.

"The desires of consumers to want,! want, want, spend, spend, spend - it's the fabric of our nati! on," sai d Howard Dvorkin, founder of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which has advised more than 5 million people in debt. "But you always have to pay the piper, and that can be a very painful process."

Filing for bankruptcy is no longer a solution for many Americans because of a 2005 change to federal law that made it harder to walk away from debt. Those with above-average incomes are barred from declaring Chapter 7 - where debts can be wiped out entirely - except under special circumstances and must instead file a repayment plan under the more restrictive Chapter 13.

Personal finance coaches say the problem is most grave for individuals who are months delinquent or already in default - like Kenneth McGuinness, a postal clerk from
Copyright © 2007 KDKA, All Rights Reserved.

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Experts: New law driving out illegals

2007-12-22T16:21:00.000-08:00
Illegal immigrants in Arizona, frustrated with a flagging economy and tough new legislation cracking down on their employers, are returning to their home countries or trying their luck in other states.
For months, immigrants have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the state's new employer-sanctions law, which takes effect Jan. 1. The voter-approved legislation is an attempt to lessen the economic incentive for illegal immigrants in Arizona, the busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border.
And by all appearances, it's starting to work.
"People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors - they're moving back to Mexico," said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. "They don't want to live in fear, in terror."
Martin Herrera, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant and masonry worker who lives in Camp Verde, 70 miles north of Phoenix, said he is planning to return to Mexico as soon ! as he ties up loose ends after living here for four years.
"I don't want to live here because of the new law and the oppressive environment," he said. "I'll be better in my country."
He called the employer-sanctions law "absurd."
"Everybody here, legally or illegally, we are part of a motor that makes this country run," Herrera said. "Once we leave, the motor is going to start to slow down."
There's no way to know how many illegal immigrants are leaving Arizona, especially now with many returning home for normal holidays visits. But economists, immigration lawyers and people who work in the immigrant community agree it's happening.
State Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa, the author of the employer sanctions law, said his intent was to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona.
"I'm hoping they will self-deport," Pearce said. "They broke the law. They're criminals."
Under the employer sanctions law, businesses found to have knowingly hired ! illegal workers will be subject to sanctions from probation to! a 10-da y suspension of their business licenses. A second violation would bring permanent revocation of the license.
Nancy-Jo Merritt, an immigration lawyer who primarily represents employers, said her clients already have started to fire workers who can't prove they are in the country legally.
"Workers are being fired, of course," she said. "Nobody wants to find out later on that they've got somebody working for them who's not here legally."
When immigrants don't have jobs, they don't stick around, said Dawn McLaren, a research economist at Arizona State University who specializes in illegal immigration.
She said the flagging economy, particularly in the construction industry, also is contributing to an immigrant exodus.
"As the jobs dwindle and the environment becomes more unpleasant in more ways than one, you then decide what to do, and perhaps leaving looks like a good idea," she said. "And certainly that creates a problem, because as people leave, ! they take the jobs they created with them."
Pearce disagreed that the Arizona economy will suffer after illegal immigrants leave, saying there will be less crime, lower taxes, less congestion, smaller classroom sizes and shorter lines in emergency rooms.
"We have a free market. It'll adjust," he said. "Americans will be much better off."
He said he's not surprised illegal immigrants are leaving the state and predicts that more will go once the employer-sanctions law takes effect next month.
"It's attrition by enforcement," he said. "As you make this an unfriendly state for lawbreakers, I'm hoping they will pick up and leave."

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Source: http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/374331.html
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Going cool on the Sunshine State

2007-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

The passage says "Without a doubt, if I were to get a serious illness, I would have to go back to the UK because if I paid the insurance it would break me. "When are we, the UK taxpayers, going to put pressure on our Govt to stop this abuse of the NHS?
Graham, Sunderland
I think it's hypocritical that UK migrants settle in the US, enjoy the lifestyle and the low taxes but say they can't afford health insurance and would come back here for free healthcare if they were ill - little better than foreign health tourists
Matt Munro, Bristol, UK
I went to university in Utah. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, but after four years, I was ready to come home again. American movies and TV pump out such a relentless stream of propaganda that people here imagine that life over there cannot be anything less than a dream. In reality, it's a foreign country. Some things are indeed better than in Britain. Others are worse. For the most part, they're just differe! nt.
Andrew, Cardiff, Wales
I emigrated from florida 15 years ago. I was born there. Florida remains a place of incredible intellectual, spiritual and cultural vacuity. How many times can you go to the mall, beach or the same cinema? It`s boring when compared to London/Europe. Visiting Disney leaves me empty.
Dayton Rogers, Dulwich, London
It's good to see that Mr Trace is happy to not pay UK taxes for 15 years, but still take advantage of the UK health system when he needs to. If people leave they should leave and live life how it is lead in the country they go to. If he is unprepared to pay for healthcare, tough. Would he give me a free holiday at his home? I doubt it.
Adrian, Stockport
I will be leaving UK shores for a full-time fix of Florida very soon. The people are very friendly and my accent attracts attention everywhere I go. Things are so cheap here. I have a wardrobe packed with the same grey slacks and it cost me next to no! thing.
Bobby, Formby
I don't see why after years! of not paying UK tax, that they should be able to come back and drain the NHS when they get ill!
Pete, Redhill
I think coming back here for medical treatment is fine, provided those people are still paying taxes in the UK. What is not fine is people enjoying the low taxes in the US - low partly because health care is not state provided - and then running back here to enjoy healthcare paid for by people still working in the UK, and still paying the high rates of tax.
Steve, London
I went to work in miami in 2000 after finishing university. I worked in the tourist industry for a cruise line and it was hell. Low pay, no time off and long days - the weather was lovely but if you are working you may as well be in an office in London. And besides you could not get a good cup of tea anywhere, I now work in London.
luke, southend, essex.
Sounds great. Live abroad in the sun, live the party lifestyle, enjoy the beaches, pay the US government taxes.! When you're too old or ill to stay, come home and be a burden on the NHS whom you have not paid a penny to for years. Thanks.
Jamie Davis, Bristol
Hang on a minute. I don't see why people should get to turn their back on the UK and live abroad only to come back when they need to use the NHS? It's hard enough paying all the Tax in this country as it is - without carrying people who havn't paid anything while living in the sun who then return for a very expensive freebie.
Tim Bartlam, Aberdeen
My family and I have holidayed in Florida for two years on a trot and we fell in love with Orlando when we were married there in 2004. It is an amazing place to take the kids and if I ever won a huge amount on the Lottery it would be top of my list to move there but planned well and not until my children had been through school here. I agree with the comments above about not schooling your children in the U.S as they only learn their own history as opposed to ! that of the world. I can't afford to go this year and I am gut! ted but happy memories and the will to go back one day and do all the parks and eat in fabulaous restaurants as well as returning to the villa to put my aching limbs in the spa and pool is fantastic. I would definately look into the "small print" before I moved there as their way of life is very different to the UK. Sharon Lewis
Sharon Lewis, Neath UK
Great! Good old blighty. Not good enough to live in, but good enough to leach off when it comes to the NHS. Why don't these people think before moving abroad??
Sara Brown, Warwick
I don't know WHAT health insurance companies Michael was getting quotes from, but my health insurance while I was in America was lower than what I pay the NHS here each month - and there were no ques when I called for an appointment.
Mark,
The comments about flying back to England just to abuse the NHS are exactly why the goverment needs to crack down on who actually can use the NHS. If you (or someone you're dependant! on) aren't paying UK taxes then why should you have any right to use what the rest of us back in the UK are paying for?
Ian, Leeds
The big attraction of the US is that the taxes there are low, but that's because there isn't an NHS as we know it. I'm so pleased that the Ex-pats can pocket the difference and then just fly-in and use what our additional taxes have paid for if they so need it...
Dave, Aberdeen
I have family from Florida & some still there, though I'm british. I've lived and worked there. It is still a great place to holiday, but I don't think I would move there permanently. The lack of the NHS is part of it. The other is that we are used to our classes, but there is a lot of communication as well as mobility between them, and they are not solely tied to wealth, but in the US which claims to be classless, the culture is very stratified, and there is little communication between the not classes.
Chloe, Slough
Whilst it is ! true that health insurance is expensive, it is usually include! d with a n average job. That's not to say that millions of americans AREN'T insured (43 million at last count I believe) - but many of these are either self employed single people who choose not to, but a lot of the rest are the poorest group of non-legal immigrants. Nobody mentioned though, that there IS universal healthcare coverage for those over 65 in the form of Medicare. For the 63 year old at the end of the story, if he is a legal immigrant he should be eligible for it, having been present for more than 5 years. Life is much better for the average 65 yr old American than it is for the average 65 year old Brit thanks to the countries extensive (and expensive for taxpayers) social security and Medicare system.
Steve Foley, Boston, USA
"Without a doubt, if I were to get a serious illness, I would have to go back to the UK because if I paid the insurance it would break me." And this is the reason the NHS is in such a state. Michael Trace has not paid National contribu! tions since 1991, 15 years, yet he expects the tax payers of this country to help him if he falls ill in the US.
Steve, cheshire
I lived in the US for 4 years, in that time I got a job which allowed continuous travel and ultimately 45 states. After 9/11 the attitude of Americans changed, I was no longer the funny foreigner but the potential threat.. I was singled for searches not just on planes, but buses, trains, even the supermarket security as I sounded different. Even though I had a platinum accout at my branch, things became more awkward.
John Hyde, London (formerly San Francisco)
I have to say i found Michael Trace's comments annoying if ill fall back onto the British NHS. He and others should look into healthcare etc when they decide to emigrate. A lot of British ex-pats seem to fall into this trap which is another drain on the already overstretched NHS.
Lisa, Fleetwood Lancashire
Very Nice! All these people who say that they! would come 'home' if they were ill because they cannot afford! healthc are in Florida, they think that they can live 'over the pond' for years, not paying British taxes I presume, and then come back to use our NHS services that the rest of us work to support!! They have made their beds they should be made to lie in them.
D, Edinburgh
I feel for these people, but must agree that know before you go, before you come to America. When we were in the UK a few years back most of the Brits we spoke to only knew about two places in America, Disney World and New York City. As for illegals, please do the right thing and register. Don't become a shadow. Sadly, we have more than enough of our own.
Joe, Lexington, South Carolina, USA
I moved to the USA 8 years ago to marry my American fiance. I've not been back since. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't afford it. I'm fortunate in that I've found ways to get roast chicken flavour crisps, the real Cadburys Dairy Milk, and Newcastle Brown Ale. I can even listen to Test Ma! tch Special via the Internet, but I miss being able to walk into town to do my shopping (a mall isn't the same) and silly little things like country lanes and cottages. I'll not even get started on the history. But I'll say this, Americans come across as way more patriotic than the Brits. People aren't afraid to hang the Stars and Stripes outside their homes, and sing the national anthem at any event. Sure, there's an anti-Bush faction, but while the Brits might love their country, the Americans show they do.
Sally, Pittsburgh, PA (formerly Harrogate, England)
having returned from the US after 10 years I can confirm that the fear of being sick and isloation eventually takes its toll. The lack of cooperation from the US in regards to issuing VISAs to the UK and yet issuing to other countries around the world is also a disheartening factor. Y
Andrew Carson, London England
Like many 'Brits' I have holidayed in Floria and found it a great place with ve! ry friendly people. However, as a tourist I found it impossibl! e to sha ke off the 'sunshine paradise' aspect of Florida ... until that is I took a wrong turning and passed examples of "the projects" i.e. trailer parks and low-cost homes where America's poor are hidden away. Legal emmigration to anywhere in the USA (especially if you become a citizen) means taking on board all the pros & cons. Whilst not wishing to sound too carping, ex-pat Brits returning home to use an already over-stretched NHS rankles with me. I accept that they may have "paid their dues" in the past whilst resident in the UK, but try claiming on an insurance policy if you haven't kept up the premiums!. Any past payments count for nothing.
Pete Lawrence, Salisbury
My employeer moved me to the US in 1993 and I have not looked back since. I currently live outside Boston though I have also live in the DC area. In fact I am now a naturalized US citizen, though I can hold me head high and say I did not vote for Bush, and feel that the US is now my home. I make regul! ar trips back to London (about 2-3 visits a year) to see my parents and friends. During these trips I am reminded as to why I have no desire to return. London is so expensive, crowded (the whole country is pack solided these days) and quite frankly dirty - the amount of rubbish lying around and grafetti on a recent trip was saddening and embrassing to see. I have retained my Britishness as I have found this an invaluable business and social asset. I fly the Cross of St. George on the appropritate occassions as well as flying the Union Jack upside down on Independence Day - my neighbours don't get this. On trips to the UK I hit Sainsbury's to get tea, Marmite, HP sauce, Twiglettes and Fruit Pastelles, etc., the essentials for an Englishman abroad. I insist on having tea whether the weather is hot or not - much to confounded amusement of my American wife. So, at heart I am a Brit, but my home is in the US and quite frankly I love it here. I can only speak volumes about how we! lcome I have been made to feel by my American friends, colleag! ues and neighbours.
Christopher Bett, Boston, USA
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Yule school is for elves

2007-12-21T05:49:00.000-08:00
By Agnieszka Flak

Rovaniemi, Finland - Customer service, story-telling, nature studies and wilderness survival are essential skills for any elf worthy of the name.

Anyone who aspires to a job as a Santa's helper can acquire them at a new Elf Academy in Rovaniemi, 2 600km from the North Pole, which Finland claims as home to the "real" Santa Claus.

Christmas 2007 is in full swing as tourists seek Santa in the Arctic Circle but after the school opens next April, the 2 000 or so "elves" will be able to raise their game.

The competencies an elf needs are vast, says Esa Sakkinen, project co-ordinator and teacher at the Lapland Vocational College which will be running the academy.

They do more than pack the gifts that families pick up at the Christmas market outside "Santa's house" or help answer the 750 000 letters that arrive at his local post office each year.

"An elf needs to know how to make a fire in the snow... also the local nature ! and animals, because you never know what the clients or kids are going to ask," he said.

The Santa business is vital to the region where unemployment is nearly double the Finnish average, winter temperatures average minus 15 to minus 10 degrees Celsius, and the snow can be more than a metre deep.

The first planeload of tourists visiting Santa landed in Lapland about 20 years ago and today about 500 000 tourists - mainly from France, Britain and Russia - visit Rovaniemi and Santa's nearby village each year.

The Christmas season contributed about one-third of the region's 2006 tourist income of 540 million euros. Many people arrive on a day-trip to visit Santa, learn to drive huskies, taste local delicacies and - with luck - glimpse the Northern Lights above pine trees fat with snow.

Despite rival Santa Claus theme parks and Christmas markets in the United States, Canada, Japan, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Germany, the region says visitors to Finni! sh Lapland are increasing year by year.
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Survey says December gains are modest in rural economy

2007-12-20T16:23:00.001-08:00

A survey of rural bankers in nine Midwestern and Plains states indicates economic activity held its own or saw modest gains the past month.
The overall economic index for the region advanced to 54.3 in December from 54.1 in November and 52.1 in October. A reading of 50.0 is growth neutral, so December's index indicates positive but subdued growth, Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said.
The farm equipment sales index soared to a record 65.9 from November's healthy 60.1.
December's farmland price index expanded to 77.3 from November's vigorous 68.8 and October's 65.4. Dale Torpey, president of Federation Bank in Washington, Iowa, said several land sales in his area recently have brought in $7,975 per acre.
But John Schmaderer, president of Tri-County Bank in Stuart, Neb., said fuel, fertilizer and rents are increasing and producers will need a sound crop insurance plan to protect their yields.
As a result, bankers sizing up the economy six months out! were not very optimistic with a December confidence index of 44.5, which was the lowest reading of the year and well down from December of last year.
Job growth remains weak, with a December new hiring index of 50.6, up slightly from November's 50.0 and October's 49.3. Results from surveys over the past four months indicate that jobs are being added at a pace well below average, even with record farm income.
Some 55.4 percent of bankers expect 2008 job growth at ethanol plants to be down from 2007 levels. Only 21.4 percent expect any significant degree of mergers or consolidation in the industry.
The home-sales index declined for the sixth straight month to 28.0, the lowest reading of the year and down from November's 29.8 and October's 30.7. Bruce Morgan, CEO of Valley State Bank in Roeland Park, Kan., said real estate values have not dropped as much as in some areas of the country, but inventories of new and resale housing are very high.
"It will likely take ! 12 to 18 months before any substantial turnaround occurs," Mor! gan said .
Retail sales were a weak 45.6, which was well off the 2006 reading for December of 50.0.
Goss said Christmas sales will be lackluster in rural areas.
Bank indicators were solid for December. Loan volume rose to 52.2 from 48.2 in November. Checking deposits increased for a third consecutive month to 65.0 from 59.5 in November and 56.3 in October. Certificates of deposit and other savings instruments declined to 56.7 from 58.9 in November.
Goss and Bill McQuillan, chief executive officer of City National Bank in Greeley, Neb., created the monthly survey of rural bank presidents and chief executives.
___
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Dad, 3 Kids Alive After 3 Days in Snow

2007-12-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

PARADISE, Calif. (AP) - 1219dv-ca-missing-family A father and three children who vanished on a Christmas tree-cutting trip in the Northern California mountains were found alive Wednesday after huddling in a culvert for warmth during three days of heavy snow.
"Our hearts are all full right now," said Cory Stahl, who closed his pest control business so his employees could help look for the father, Frederick Dominguez, their co-worker. "It's a very merry Christmas now."
A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew spotted Dominguez atop a small bridge and landed nearby, sinking into 2 feet of snow, flight officer David White said. The family had taken shelter in a culvert beneath the bridge and stomped "help" in the snow, White said.
White said it was the last opportunity for the helicopter, with snow falling heavily as it descended.
"With another storm coming in, they were just happy to get out of there and get home," he said.
The helicopter ferried ! the family to safety in two trips, the two youngest children brought out of the woods first.
Daughter Alexis, 14, and Joshua, 12, stepped from a rescue helicopter and were immediately enveloped in a cluster of well-wishers carrying heavy blankets while the chopper went to fetch their father and brother.
Dominguez smiled at cheering family and friends as he and 18-year-old Christopher emerged from the helicopter a short time later.
All four were walking, talking and drinking hot chocolate while being checked at Feather River Hospital for dehydration, hypothermia and frostbite, treating physician Kurt Bower said. He expected them to be released later in the day.
Bower said the family had some water but nothing to eat during their ordeal.
"I'm surprised how good they are," he said. "There's a miracle from God in there somewhere."
More than a foot of snow had fallen in the area since the family disappeared, covering any tracks leading from the truck. Dri! fts ranged from 1 to 7 feet deep across the heavily wooded and! canyon- crossed area.
The rescue teams had been racing time and the elements to find the four, as a powerful storm carrying even more snow was headed into the region. The search effort expanded with a break in the weather Wednesday morning, and the helicopter was able to join the search around midday after low-lying clouds lifted.
Frederick Dominguez, 38, and his children have been missing since Sunday in the region about 100 miles north of Sacramento. Dominguez's pickup truck was found Monday night parked along a mountain road some 25 miles northeast of Chico.
The family also appeared better equipped than rescuers initially thought. Earlier reports said the family went into the woods wearing T-shirts and light jackets, but all four were wearing heavy winter coats when they emerged from the helicopters, and some had wool caps.
"We're all extremely thankful and feel like we got a Christmas miracle," said Teresa Kennebeck, a secretary at Paradise High School, where Ale! xis is on the cheerleading squad and the soccer team.
Dominguez's co-workers said he is devoted to his children and takes them to church every Sunday, as he did this weekend before heading out in search of a Christmas tree.
"He lives for his family," said Mairleen Grove, the pest company's office manager. "When he walks in the door, he makes everybody smile."
Dominguez parked his Chevrolet pickup along a road near the mountain hamlet of Inskip on Sunday afternoon, then likely walked downhill into the woods with his children and became lost, Butte County Search and Rescue spokeswoman Madde Watt said.
"You could get turned around very quickly," she said.
It was clear at the time and for hours after the family entered the woods. The first storm wave didn't hit until Monday.
Because Dominguez had custody of his children at the time, his ex-wife did not know they were missing until she discovered that her youngest child failed to show up at school Monday.! Authorities were alerted at 8 p.m. Monday and immediately beg! an a sea rch.
They quickly found the pickup - a bare spot beneath it, indicating little snow when the trek began - but at least 8 inches of snow was covering the ground, hurting efforts to track them.
The search effort expanded significantly Wednesday morning, as snow had stopped falling for the first time since the family went missing.
It intensified as another moisture-laden Pacific storm was heading toward California, expected to blanket most of the northern state with rain and snow by late Wednesday afternoon.
About 2 feet of snow was expected to fall Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the area where the family had been missing, said Jared Leighton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Sacramento.
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Ex-Hypoguard CEO to Lead WaveSense(TM) Sales and Marketing

2007-12-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

SALEM, N.H., Dec 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The makers of the WaveSense(TM) line of blood glucose monitoring (BGM) products for the diabetes market (AgaMatrix) announced today that David Conn has joined the company as its Chief Commercial Officer to lead worldwide sales and marketing activities. Conn has over 25 years of experience in the diabetes market, most notably as President and CEO of Hypoguard until its acquisition by Arkray, Inc. in 2006. Conn grew Hypoguard from $5M to $70M in annual sales and launched five new BGM systems, turning, Hypoguard into a leading BGM company. He also created significant distribution and supply relationships worldwide and captured nearly 40% of the US long term care market. Prior to Hypoguard, Conn was the Vice President of Consumer Sales, Marketing and Customer Service at J&J LifeScan, makers of the OneTouch(R) line of BGM products, where he was responsible for $720M in revenue. Conn has also held various sales and marketing positions with S! chering-Plough HealthCare and Procter & Gamble. "The WaveSense story is truly extraordinary with their explosive growth and remarkable technology platform. This platform has enabled the company to grow very quickly without taking on equity investment from commercial partners. I am very excited to be a part of the opportunity to expand WaveSense commercial efforts to provide more accurate and innovative products to the diabetes community," said Conn. "I am confident that WaveSense will soon be recognized as synonymous with accuracy by the home healthcare industry." Sonny Vu, Co-Founder, Chairman and Executive Vice President will focus on new business development and product strategy. "Dave is one of the top executives in the industry and we're honored that he has joined the WaveSense team. His experience speaks for itself." Leading diabetes educators have been advocating for more accurate BGM's and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has been actively endorsing more stri! ngent accuracy requirements for the last 20 years. In several ! clinical studies, WaveSense-enabled meters have been shown to provide results nearly twice as accurate as the major industry standards. "As a diabetes educator, I'm on the front line of diabetes care and know that meter accuracy is a major problem," said Donna Rice, a leading diabetes educator with over 20 years of experience and President of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "Getting an accurate glucose number is very important to the management of diabetes, especially for those who use insulin since they need a good number to dose accurately. Increased accuracy of new meters represents the next real leap in technology. I'm encouraged that diabetes patients worldwide can choose from a growing line of new meters for tighter control of their diabetes. About WaveSense WaveSense is a line of diabetes products designed to improve the quality of diabetes care. Powered by a suite of patented next-generation biosensor technologies, WaveSense blood glucose monitoring systems a! re able to provide highly accurate results to help users better manage their diabetes. Zero- Click(TM), the WaveSense diabetes data management system, was designed to simplify data download. WaveSense and Zero-Click consist of four FDA-cleared products and are protected by a suite of more than 160 patents worldwide. For more information on or to buy WaveSense products, see http://www.wavesense.info .

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Fight over Michigan drug law intensifies after Vioxx settlement

2007-12-17T05:49:00.001-08:00

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — More than 1,000 Michigan residents could end up getting part of a $4.85 billion national settlement if they or their loved ones took the painkiller Vioxx.

But that hasn't squelched a firestorm over the state's unique 1995 law shielding pharmaceutical makers from product liability lawsuits over drugs such as Vioxx.

Michigan's law is the toughest in the country, allowing legal damages only if plaintiffs prove a company withheld or misrepresented information about a drug that would cause the Food and Drug Administration to not give or to withdraw its approval.

That law seemed to pose an insurmountable barrier for Michigan residents who wanted to file claims that Vioxx had harmed them or a family member. But some took a chance on suing Vioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. in Merck's home state of New Jersey.

A New Jersey judge decided not to toss out the lawsuits, keeping their cases alive and enabling them to join the settlem! ent, assuming certain conditions are met. If the Michigan residents don't like the settlement and want to continue in court, though, they're out of luck.

That's because the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled 5-2 earlier this year that Michigan's drug immunity law applied to a Michigan resident who sued another New Jersey-based drug manufacturer because he said the acne medicine Accutane caused him to become suicidal.

The court decision leaves Michigan residents stuck living under Michigan's law, regardless of what other states are doing.

"Michigan's interest in promoting the availability of affordable prescription medications to its citizens outweighs New Jersey's interest in deterring New Jersey corporations from providing inadequate warnings," the court majority said.

Other state and federal courts have made similar decisions applying Michigan law to Michigan residents who sue drug makers out of state.

That's one reason Democratic lawmakers ! in Michigan are so intent on getting the law changed. The Demo! cratic-m ajority House has passed a measure repealing the law, but the GOP-controlled Senate has not taken it up.

The state law is favored by business groups and Republicans who say companies need protection from greedy trial lawyers who file exorbitant lawsuits. They add that lawsuits discourage companies from creating new drugs for society's benefits.

Those who want the law overturned say legal action gets drug makers' attention and helps to compensate the injured or their families.

Democrats who want to get rid of the law have said Michigan residents will be left out of the Vioxx settlement. Merck officials say that isn't true, as long as the residents had cases pending before the settlement was announced Nov. 9.

"Under the agreement, Michigan consumers have the same rights as those who live in other states," said Merck legal spokesman Ted Mayer. "There is nothing in the Michigan statute that prevents them from participating in the settlement agreed to ! several weeks ago."

Leslie Richter, a leading activist who has sought to reverse the state law, is on a list of state plaintiffs who could receive money. The 64-year-old Lansing woman says her husband, Richard, died in 2003 after using Vioxx, which was pulled from the shelves by Merck after studies showed it increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In 2006, Richter talked about her husband's death in TV ads that helped defeat a Jackson-area state representative.

"I know Merck lied and my husband died," Richter said during a news conference held last week by the group Drug Industry Immunity Must End ? also known as D.I.I.M.E. She helped unveil YouTube testimonials urging the Senate to repeal the law.

But John Truscott, a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry, pounced on the news that Richter and other Michigan residents had sued Merck in New Jersey and stood to benefit from the settlement.

"The fact they were telling the Legisl! ature and public for a couple years now they could not sue, ye! t the ma in spokesperson filed a case in New Jersey, completely shreds their credibility on this and completely takes away their argument," Truscott said.

The only reason Richter and others may qualify for the settlement, supporters say, is because a sympathetic New Jersey judge, Carol Higbee, put their cases on hold because she knew of the legislative debate in Michigan.

Paul Rheingold, a New York attorney, said five or six Michigan residents are among 65 to 68 Vioxx plaintiffs his firm is representing who could participate in the settlement. Michigan lawyers knew Michigan courts would be a roadblock, so they referred clients to Rheingold and other out-of-state lawyers.

After the New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in March, "we didn't have any hopes anymore for Michigan cases except for a settlement," Rheingold said.

Fortunately for Richter and other Michigan residents, Merck decided to settle.

The company wanted a nationwide deal and will pay out no ! more than $4.85 billion regardless of how many people share in the settlement.

That doesn't comfort critics of the Michigan law. In the decade since in took effect, various FDA-approved drugs have gone to market and later been withdrawn: diet drug Fen-Phen, insulin substitute Rezulin and others. Michigan residents who took those drugs or Vioxx were unable to sue or told they couldn't, according to critics.

"Our people have suffered too long," said Sen. John Gleason, D-Flushing, who's pushing a repeal bill in the Senate. "We shouldn't ride on the back of New Jersey or New York. We should be big enough to offer relief and remedies to our citizenry with our own volition."

Richter continues to work to get the law repealed, even if she could eventually share in the settlement.

"There is nothing phony about my commitment or the commitment made by others to get this unfair and unjust law repealed," she said.

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Ousted Dean Leaving Kennesaw State Amid Theft Allegations

2007-12-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) -- Ousted dean Yiping Wan, who returned to Kennesaw State University as a professor after he was charged with stealing thousands from the school, is resigning at the end of the year.

Wan was forced out as the head of the College of Education in February and was asked to step down by President Dan Papp when an internal investigation uncovered irregular business practices with tuition waivers and low morale among faculty members in Wan's department. A review panel found that Wan merged state resources with other financial streams, funneled money through his wife's consulting firm and could not account for certain expenses.

On September 20, a top state auditor concluded that Wan had been "violating multiple state laws" and that his "behavior was a violation of the public trust" and possible grounds for dismissal.

Wan's status as a tenured professor complicated how to handle his employment with Kennesaw State. He ha! s denied any wrongdoing.

Papp asked Wan to resign on August 30, but he refused. On September 18, the university began the process to revoke his tenure and fire Wan. That process ended in November when Wan changed his mind and said he would quit.

A report Saturday said that Wan's resignation will take effect on December 31. Wan is not teaching in the classroom this semester, but instead is working from home, teaching and developing Web-based courses as a tenured professor of educational administration.

Wan turned himself in at the Cobb County Jail on November 27 after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged him with theft. He was released on bond. GBI spokesman John Bankhead says the GBI was asked by the state attorney general's office to investigate the case in January, and the investigation is ongoing.

Kennesaw State began investigating Wan in December 2006 when faculty accused him of discrimination and misconduct.

Wan continues to ea! rn a $100,402 salary from Kennesaw State. The school, which ha! s nearly 20,000 students, is the state's third largest public university.
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The estate agent millionaires

2007-12-15T05:49:00.000-08:00
Despite the property industry taking some knocks this year, estate agents are still raking in the dough, with one property sales company boasting more than 100 millionaires.

While some estate agencies remain coy about their top earners, others openly boasted about their record sellers.

One Cape Town estate agent sold two top-notch properties in two weeks for a total of R55-million, while a Gauteng agent earned a whopping R7m in commission this year alone.

According to RE/MAX, its top 10 agents earned a combined income of more than R44m this year. Agents earn between 6 percent and 7 percent commission on sales, and the more than 2 100 agents in the network earn, on average, R404 000 a year, which is three times the industry standard. There are 124 who earned R1m or more this year.

Jeanne van Jaarsveldt, RE/MAX of Southern Africa marketing and finance director, said three of the top 10 were from Cape Town, four from KwaZulu-Natal and three from Ga! uteng.

One agent had earned more than R7m in commission this year, while quite a few other agents had taken home between R5m and R7m this year.

He said most of the top 100 earners had been in the business for five or more years.

Top earners did not necessarily work in exclusive areas where properties fetched many millions of rands, but earned lucrative incomes doing deals in middle-class suburbs.

They worked hard, with 10 to 12-hour days, weekends and public holidays.

He said the market conditions had tightened this year, and there were a number of interest rate hikes. "But like the weather, there were no blanket predictions. There were pockets around the country that did phenomenally well."

The new entry requirements set by the Estate Agency Affairs Board, according to the National Qualifications Framework, were set to cause a huge decline in the number of operating estate agents in South Africa.

The RE/MAX turnover, sa! id Van Jaarsveldt, was not far off that of the giant in the in! dustry, Pam Golding Properties, which has indicated its turnover was close to R18 billion (R16.5bn for the previous financial year) for the year ending February 2008.

Andrew Golding, chief executive officer, said they had had an exceptional year. They were 20 percent up from last year - despite the backdrop of a difficult market. About 30 percent of their 2 000 agents around the country were in the top bracket and "doing extremely well".

According to reports, the average Pam Golding agent earns about R25 000 a month, a figure based on income for beginners as well as seasoned agents.

The chairman of Seeff Properties, Samuel Seeff, said: "We have a substantial number of very high-earning agents who have been particularly successful across the country. Some of them are on very significant upper-end incomes.

"As is our policy in terms of looking after the confidentiality of our buyers' and sellers' concerns, so, too, do we respect that of our agents, so we! cannot divulge specifics."

Although he was loath to talk about their millionaires, one of their agents who specialised in top properties in Constantia notched up the highest priced sale for any property in the southern suburbs at R29m.

A week later, the agent secured another record price, in the estate of Silverhurst, at R22m.
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Source: http://www.dailynews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20071215102805963C823721
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Businessof theOlympics

2007-12-14T05:49:00.000-08:00

While Olympic athletes get ready to compete for silver and gold at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, local businesses will be competing for their own share of the haul.

RBC Olympic business development senior manager Betty MacLeod was in Prince George last week to speak about business opportunities created by the Games and how businesses across B.C. can profit.

?There are so many ways you, as a company, can be involved,? MacLeod said. ?Identify your opportunities as soon as possible.?

Distance doesn?t have to be a barrier to getting involved, she said.

In 1996, a home-based business in Dawson Creek partnered with the company producing the commemorative books for the Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Dawson Creek company developed the Web site promoting the book, MacLeod said. That high-profile project led to other business opportunities for the small-town entrepreneur.

Local businesses can find opportunities as product licen! sees, Olympic suppliers and sub-contractors at www.2010commercecentre.com.

Some of the procurement opportunities listed as of Dec. 13 included opportunities in business writing, event planning, security, operational support planning, and office and school supplies licensees.

Companies can also register with the 2010 Business Network, MacLeod said.

?It is the Yellow Pages for National Olympic Committees looking for services,? she explained.

The Royal Bank will be bringing a workshop to Prince George next year for companies interested in taking advantage of Olympic opportunities, she added.

?The more a community can help a local business understand the opportunities... that will definitely help the local business,? she said.

City councillor and vice-chair of the Prince George Spirit Committee Don Bassermann said Prince George can benefit from the Games by bringing teams to the city to train or by local businesses reaching out to captu! re some of the business opportunities.

Drawing teams to! the cit y not only brings short-term gains in providing services, but can lead to positive international exposure.

?From my perspective, the opportunities are absolutely huge,? Bassermann said. ?If you get a team that brings a profile, you?ll attract the media attention. We believe we lead the way, or are certainly near the front of the pack, in terms of communities.?

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Source: http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/pgfreepress/news/12482651.html
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New Colors Coming To $5 Bill

2007-12-13T16:21:00.000-08:00
Officials also hope businesses that manufacture and use vending and self-checkout machines will take the next three months to make the needed adjustments so that millions of machines in the country will be able to accept the redesigned bill."Any business that operates machines that accept $5 bills should contact the machines' manufacturers and ensure they get adjusted to accept the new design," said Dawn Haley, chief of the Office of External Relations at the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing. "At the same time, for any business that deals in cash, this is a good time to start training employees on what security features to look for in the new $5 bill, before they start seeing it in their cash registers."Older-design $5 notes will continue to circulate and maintain their full face value. It will not be necessary to trade in old $5 bills for new ones. The next currency to be redesigned is the $100 bill. Additional Resource:

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Source: http://www.foxcarolina.com/money/14850154/detail.html
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China telecoms boom drives equipment sales

2007-12-13T05:50:00.001-08:00

A booming market for fibre optic telecoms products and services in China is driving growth in sales of testing equipment, according to new research. The Chinese market for fibre optic test equipment will more than double in value in the next five years, according to research firm, Frost and Sullivan.

Demand for test hardware in China is coming not only from domestic demand from fibre network installers, but also and from designers and manufacturers of fibre optic devices for export.

Frost and Sullivan estimates the country's market for testing equipment was worth $76.9m last year, and will increase in value to $143.4m in 2012

China's market for fibre optic sensors is already the second largest in the world after the US, and represents more than 39 per cent of an Asia-Pacific market predicted to be worth $190m by 2009, according to the Electronics.ca Research Network.

Urban networks are offering great! ly increased bandwidth by bringing high capacity fibre optic connections closer to the end user via so-called FTTx services such as fibre to the home (FTTH).

"Most end users of fibre optic test equipment are choosing this method of bringing higher bandwidth to their customers, thereby driving the growth of fibre optic test equipment vendors," said Frost and Sullivan research analyst, David Ren in a written briefing.

“Multipurpose test equipment attracts buyers with appealing features such as higher layer testing and reasonable price,” Red added.

“Vendors should develop new products and expand their portfolio to meet the ever-increasing demands of end users, as this can make existing products obsolete and restrain the growth of the secondary market”, he advised.

See also:

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Source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2205698/china-telecoms-boom-drives
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Britain to Rely on Offshore Wind Power By 2020

2007-12-11T16:21:00.000-08:00
LONDON, ENGLAND - Britain unveiled plans Monday to generate enough electricity through offshore wind farms to power every home in the country by 2020, increasing production more than 60-fold and changing the look of its coastlines.

Britain's wind-swept coasts and shallow waters are ideal for offshore turbines, but wind generated power currently accounts for less than 2 percent of its energy generation.

Business secretary John Hutton said the government planned to reach the target through a fourfold increase in the amount of space off Britain's shores allocated for wind farms.

The move would change Britain's coasts, Hutton acknowledged, but said the need for energy self-sufficiency left the country no choice. He said the plans would depend on environmental impact studies.

"But if we could manage to achieve this, by 2020 enough electricity could be generated off our shores to power the equivalent of all of the U.K.'s homes," Hutton said in a stateme! nt.

The British Wind Energy Association, a trade body that represents the country's wind and marine energy industries, welcomed plans for more offshore wind farm sites, but it said it would be difficult to raise Britain's wind power production from half a gigawatt currently to 33 gigawatts by 2020 - the equivalent of the energy now consumed by every British home.

Eight gigawatts' worth of wind generation projects are already planned, but the group said the limited supply of turbines meant the amount of wind energy produced by 2020 would likely be closer to 20 gigawatts.

"We'd really be struggling from a 'Where can we get the turbines?'" point of view, the association's economics director Gordon Edge said.

Environmental campaigners and opposition lawmakers welcomed the plan, but some noted that wind generated power is expensive. Wind power-generated electricity is currently costlier to generate than its coal- or gas-generated counterpart.

M! assive new offshore wind farms, such as the 1 gigawatt London ! project planned for the Thames estuary in the country's southeast, are due to go online by 2014. According to the BWEA, the country is on track to overtake Denmark as the world's largest generator of offshore wind power next year.

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Source: http://www.tristatenews.com/article_7333.stm
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Offshore wind farms to see huge increase

2007-12-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

LONDON (AP) — Britain unveiled plans Monday to generate enough electricity through offshore wind farms to power every home in the country by 2020, increasing production more than 60-fold and changing the look of its coastlines.
Britain’s wind-swept coasts and shallow waters are ideal for offshore turbines, but windgenerated power currently accounts for less than 2 percent of its energy generation.
Business secretary John Hutton said the government planned to reach the target through a fourfold increase in the amount of space off Britain’s shores allocated for wind farms.
The move would change Britain’s coasts, Hutton acknowledged, but said the need for energy self-sufficiency left the country no choice. He said the plans would depend on environmental impact studies.
“But if we could manage to achieve this, by 2020 enough electricity could be generated off our shores to power the equivalent of all of the U.K.’! s homes,” Hutton said.

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Source: http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/international/story/226229.html
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December Linkfest: Week in Preview

2007-12-09T16:25:00.000-08:00
? Fear and loaning: The ?normal? three-month swap rate between the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) and the US Federal Reserve?s discount rate used to be about 12 basis points. Today, with the Fed signalling another 50 basis points at least of cuts to official US rates in the wake of the sub-prime crisis, the swap rate is closer to 70 basis points. The blow-out suggests something ominous.Libor and the Fed funds rate are the rates at which banks lend to each other. With the Fed funds rate at 4.5 per cent (and likely to tumble further) and Libor above 5.2 per cent, there ought to be an easy arbitrage opportunity for the international banks ? borrowing from their US counterparts to on-lend to their UK peers and collecting an easy 70 basis points-plus ?turn? in the process. (Business Spectator)
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Subprime relief rankles the thrifty

2007-12-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

Not all the homeowners who face huge jumps in their subprime mortgage payments appear likely to be helped by the relief plan announced Thursday by President Bush.
Nevertheless, the plan rankles many thrifty people who are saving money to buy a home and being careful not to get in over their heads with hefty mortgages they know they cannot afford.
When Casey Johnson and his wife moved to San Diego three years ago, they couldn’t find a home in their price range. Rather than over-leverage themselves with a risky mortgage, the couple rented an apartment in La Jolla, Calif., and waited for the housing market to drift back to earth, hoping they hadn’t missed their chance to become homeowners.
To them, President Bush’s plan feels like a “slap in the face,” Johnson said.
He and many others in similar circumstances fear that any effort to prevent foreclosures could keep home prices from falling to an affordable level.
“I try to do the right thing, which is to have a down payment and a job and to be fiscally responsible, and it basically looks like it’s not going to pan out if this subprime bailout goes through,” said Johnson, 34.
Proponents of the Bushbacked plan, under which interest rates would be frozen for five years for some adjustable-rate borrowers in danger of losing their homes, say the relief effort would help unsophisticated home buyers who were misled by mortgage salespeople into taking on high-risk loans.
Supporters also say the program is needed to keep the housing crisis from sending the country’s economy into a recession. A majority of the country’s politicians appear to be in favor of the plan, with some saying it doesn’t go far enough.
But the undercurrent of antagonism to the program is strong and is given support by an economic principle that says people tend to act recklessly if they know they’ll be pro! tected from the consequences. By that logic, aiding borrowers ! who are in trouble now will only encourage future borrowers to take on too much risk.
“Should you and I be bailing out people who lied about their incomes, bit off more than they could chew or were too lazy or ignorant to understand what kind of an obligation they were entering into?” asked Michael Darda, chief economist at MKM Partners, a brokerage company in Greenwich, Conn. “I understand there are sleazy people in the mortgage area, but what I don’t hear from politicians is: ‘Does the individual bear any responsibility for this problem?’ ”
Ed Skebe of Manhattan Beach, Calif., would agree that even if some people were duped by shady mortgage brokers or loan officers, many home buyers knew they couldn’t afford the homes they were buying and rolled the dice anyway in hopes that the boom had enough life to shower them with profits.
“They hurt everyone. They drove the prices up,” said Skebe, a 61-year-old! program manager at an air-freight company who said the booming housing market prevented him from trading up to a larger home. “It’s hard for me to believe that someone didn’t realize they couldn’t afford a $600,000 home.”
The worst potential consequence, critics say, is if the government’s actions prop up a home market that easy financing helped inflate. That, they say, would delay the eventual day of reckoning when property values settle at their natural levels, keeping many would-be buyers locked out of the market in the meantime.
“I definitely see where these people are coming from,” said Tracey Seslen, an assistant professor of finance at Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
But she and others say there are no ideal public-policy options in the subprime crisis, and the overriding goal is to head off a sharper housing downturn that drags the economy into recession.
!
e U.S. economy.”
Nearly 2 million adjustablera! te subpr ime mortgages will reset from introductory rates of around 7 percent to 8 percent to much higher rates this year and next. That raises the specter of even more people being forced out of their homes because they cannot keep up with their monthly payments.
Bush promoted the initiative Saturday, using his weekly radio address to call it “an example of the government bringing together members of the private sector to voluntarily address a national challenge — without taxpayer subsidies or government mandates.”
Bush said 1.2 million people could be eligible for relief, either the rate freeze or refinancing into more affordable mortgages.
The rate freeze offer would be available only to people who have not missed any mortgage payments at their introductory interest rate. It also would apply only to loans taken out between 2005 and this past July 31 and scheduled to rise to higher rates in Jan. 1, 2008, and July 31, 2010. To make sure specula! tors don’t get the break, the rate freeze offer applies only to people living in their homes.
The idea is that the five-year freeze will buy time for the housing sales and prices to start rising again. Such a rebound would enable homeowners to refinance their current adjustable rate mortgages into fixedrate loans with more affordable monthly payments.
Of the nearly 3 million subprime adjustable-rate loans surveyed by the Mortgage Bankers Association in the third quarter, a record 18.81 percent of them were past due. A record 4.72 percent of the loans entered into the foreclosure process during that period.
Meanwhile, there still is the possibility that investors, who were counting on bigger returns from the higher rate resets, will balk at extending the duration of the lower rate.
“When the government comes in and says you have contracted to have this arrangement and you can no longer have it, I think it opens the door for lawsuits,&#! 8221; said Milton Ezrati, senior economist and market strategi! st at Lo rd Abbett & Co. in Jersey City, N.J.
“It could end up there’s less confidence in the viability in the bond markets and the mortgage markets going forward and it could lead to higher interest rates and higher mortgage rates for everybody,” said Kenneth Hackel, managing director of fixed-income strategy at RBS Greenwich Capital Markets.
The American Securitization Forum, the New York-based industry group that worked with regulators to forge the deal, said Bush’s plan is designed to work within the existing contracts. As part of a typical bond contract, servicers are required to modify loans only when it would yield more cash to debt holders than a foreclosure. Agreements also state that loans can’t be modified unless a default is “reasonably foreseeable.”
Servicers will be acting in the best interest of bond investors because foreclosures would cause greater losses, the ASF said.
“The initial reaction ! of a lot of people including myself a week ago would have been, ‘Hey this isn’t fair,’ ” said Andrew Harding, chief investment officer for fixed income at Allegiant Asset Management in Cleveland.
“It isn’t fair,” he said, “but it most likely is in the best interest of both those who are making payments and those who can’t make higher payments.”

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E.M.: City Hall for city use only

2007-12-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

I live in Louisiana now but spent many years in the UC. It feels like home to me, although I don't really plan on returning there to live. But I do always enjoy keeping up with things there and visiting of course.

We were just at the church decorating for the Christmas party and I got thinking that my Young Women leaders were so diverse and just great ladies, I learned a lot from each of them. Some of that was domestic related but most of it wasn't. My biggest supporter besides my parents in attending college and applying for scholarships was my YW leader, and she was equally supportive of my sister who was 17 months younger than I and chose to marry at 18. You know, there is a different path for each girl, and all of us need to have a well-rounded experience. While my sister married young, she also finished her degree and takes care of the business end of her husband's successful business. And while I was the "career girl" who work! ed for several years before getting married, I can still cook a meal and clean a house (although it's not my favorite thing). And we both love our children and are good moms, I hope. There are different choices that we make and all should be supported in YW.

Not sure how this topic evolved to this, but it's interesting to reflect on it. I think this is why there are different focus areas in the YW personal progress program - so that the "outdoorsy" girl might learn to enjoy a good symphony, and the "music nerd" will learn how to build a good campfire. At any rate, I remember very very little of my YW years being geared specifically for motherhood.

I also had to laugh at your "Ricks, BYU, " etc. thing Betz because that's exactly what I did, lol! But it just kind of worked out that way, it wasn't exactly as I had planned. But I did graduate from Ricks, then BYU, then went on a mission, then worked a few yea! rs, then got married and had kids, then lived "happily ev! er after "...not that it's a perfect life but it hasn't been half bad.
By: Yukitee
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Source: http://www.harktheherald.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,/topic,67047.msg338885
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No safety harness in window washers' 47-story fall

2007-12-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- Their job was one of routine peril - washing windows on Manhattan skyscrapers.
The danger proved deadly for Edgar Moreno and nearly so for his brother. Their work platform gave way as they stepped onto it Friday from the roof of a 47-story Upper East Side apartment building, sending them on a horrifying plunge to a plaza below.

"They apparently fell all the way from the top," said Fire Department spokesman John Mulligan.

Edgar Moreno, 30, of Linden, N.J., was pronounced dead at the scene. His 37-year-old brother was taken to a hospital in critical condition, officials said. No update on his condition was available early Saturday from firefighters or police.

Authorities were investigating the accident, but a buildings official said the workers apparently were not wearing safety harnesses when they fell.

"That appears not to have happened here," city Buildings Department Deputy Commissioner Robert LiMandri told reporters.
Solow Management Corp., the building's owner, issued a statement Friday extending sympathy to the workers' family and said it was cooperating with the investigation.

Officials said the two worked for City Wide Window Cleaning in Queens. One of the company's phone numbers was out of service, and a person who answered a second number said she was authorized only to answer service calls and would not take a message seeking comment.

A doorman at the building said the window washers had worked there for about three years.

Phil Stellar, who lives on the ninth floor of the modern glass tower on East 66th Street, was packing for a business trip around 10:30 a.m. Friday when he said, "I heard a stunning rumble."

It was the platform falling. Parts of it and Edgar Moreno's body landed in a plaza outside the building.

"It's a horrible, horrible tragedy and a reminder that life is very tentative," Stellar said.

About three hours after the acc! ident, a piece of glass from a window on the top floor, where ! the plat form had been attached, fell to the ground. No one was hurt when the glass fell, but the city Buildings Department ordered the street partially blocked until glass damaged by the falling platform was repaired. The agency also ordered repairs to a nearby home where debris fell through the skylights.

By: Richard Lee
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Source: http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/FRONT01/71208004
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Sylvester Stallone On How 'Rambo' Nearly Cost Him His Life

2007-12-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

“Were you ever scared for your life, afraid for your life?” Tony asked.
“Usually when I was like, at the set or the hotel, you are fine. But I was worried for people traveling back and forth because things could happen,” he said.
Now safely back in the states, Stallone unleashed major star power at the grand opening of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Among those who turned up with Stallone to the Planet Hollywood opening? Barbra Streisand, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Eddie Murphy and fellow action star Bruce Willis.
“You start out with restaurants and now you are ?” Tony asked.
“We just thought that this would be the perfect synergy with Planet Hollywood — maybe even better then the restaurants because this is a really entertainment oriented hotel,” Stallone said.
His next project? Re-visiting his alter ego — Rocky Balboa — with a musical twist.
“I was just reading about ‘Rocky: The Musical.’ Tell me about it,” Tony asked.
“After ‘Rocky Balboa’ succeeded, it gave it a breath of fresh air and now it is all coming together and they are going to make a fantastic musical,” he said. “Isn’t that incredible? ‘Rocky’ on Broadway.”
If you saw Access Hollywood on Friday and want to know what Sylvester Stallone’s advice to young Hollywood is, read on for this Q&A between Tony Potts and the “Rambo” star.
Tony: What advice would you give young Hollywood?
Stallone: Well you know it would be very hard for me to say because it has changed so much. It is like my parents telling me do it the way I did it. ‘Well, you don’t live in my environment!’
I am basically rooting for these people. The main thing is I hope that their careers last long. I know in this environment there is a great ! deal of pressure to perform but also the business is eating pe! ople up quickly. Careers are much more fragile today, much more fragile then they were in my day and I don’t think you get as many opportunities today.
Tony: It is nice for me when I meet a lot of people, to meet a kid like Milo Ventimiglia, right?
Stallone: Now there is a guy with head on right. He understands that this business is fleeting and you have to look ahead. I think that if anyone believes that they are just gonna be a solitary actor for the rest of their life and the money and the fame is gonna pour in they are gonna have a rude awakening.
It does end, it does change and you have to be ready to take those shots on the chin. Every business — even films has its ups and downs and if you can ride out that valley you will.
Tony: Do you think those people who go out and pose all the time are kind of courting ?. So if the paparazzi shows up they should kind of expect it.
Stallone: I think when you are young flirting with danger is kind! of interesting and kind of fun. It is a game.
Tony: So you think the Britneys of the world and the Paris’ are kind of playing? They are dancing on the fine line because they know?
Stallone: Absolutely. Everybody knows what’s right and wrong. You know that if you eat this it is going to hurt you and if you go there and play with fire it is gonna get burned, you know it. But there is something inside of you that says, ‘Look! I am going to live my life, I don’t care. I am willing to take the slings and arrows and I am not going to be intimidated. I am going to do what I want to do,’ so it is kind of a rebellious thing. Plus what are you going to do? It is either that or you stay at home and play parchese with the dog.

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Source: http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah7703.shtml
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Court expects media frenzy for Bonds' first court appearance

2007-12-07T05:50:00.000-08:00
By PAUL ELIAS
The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - The satellite dish-equipped news truck began arriving at the courthouse nearly 20 hours before Barry Bonds was scheduled to be arraigned on perjury and obstruction charges.

When Bonds shows up in courtroom 10 on the 19th floor of the Phillip Burton federal building for his 9 a.m. hearing Friday, it will mark the home run king's first public appearance since he was indicted on Nov. 15 - and an event that's expected to draw hundreds of journalists, protesters of various causes and the just plain curious.

Bonds is expected to plead not guilty in federal court to four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction after being charged with lying to a grand jury about his performance-enhancing drug use. If he's convicted, the five charges could mean more than two years of prison time.

In an attempt to corral the horde, the court has taken the rare step of bringing the judges to Bonds rath! er than requiring him to appear in two courtrooms, as is often the case with routine initial appearances by criminal defendants. Bonds also will be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken. The whole affair is expected to last less than an hour.

"It's going to be a very quick hearing," said Golden Gate University law professor Peter Keane. "He'll have the charges read to him and likely enter a plea."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James will serve as the warm-up act. She will introduce Bonds to the federal court system, discuss bail and then turn over the case to U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston, who will formally accept Bonds' plea to the charges.

Bonds is accused of repeatedly lying when he testified under oath that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. Several of Bonds' former associates are expected to contradict that testimony, and prosecutors claim to have a blood test from November 2000! that shows a "Barry B" testing positive for two typ! es of st eroids.

Bonds' defense team is expected to attack the credibility of the witnesses, who include Bonds' former mistress and a one-time business partner who had a bitter split with the slugger over memorabilia sales. Legal experts say the drug test, seized during a raid of the BALCO steroids lab, also will be subject to fierce scrutiny by Bonds' lawyers.
By: Yasir Wazir
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Source: http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=261328&pub=1&div=Sports
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Missouri family shunned by neighbours after linked to Internet hoax, suicide

2007-12-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Clients have fled from Drew's home-based advertising business, so she had to close it. Neighbours have not seen Drew outside her home in weeks.
Death threats and ugly insults have been hurled at Drew over the Internet, where she has been portrayed as a monster who should go to prison, lose custody of her children, or worse. Her name and address have been posted online, and a website with satellite images of the home said the Drews should "rot in hell."
Some of the threats "really freak me out," Buckles said while standing on his front porch after dark Tuesday night. As he spoke, a car slowed and stopped in front of Drew's home. It sat there idling for a few long minutes, then sped away. Buckles said it is a common occurrence.
"I just really hope that no one comes out here and does something insane," Buckles said. "If they do, I hope they get the right house."
Sheriff's Lt. David Tiefenbrunn said patrols ! have been stepped up around Drew's house. "There could be individuals out there with a vigilante-type attitude that might want to take revenge," he said.
The Drews - Lori, husband Curt and two children - live in a one-storey ranch. An older man at the house who described himself only as a relative said Lori Drew would not comment. He would not say if the family planned to move.
Ron and Tina Meier's home is four houses away from the Drews. The sidewalk is curved, so the neighbours can't see each other from their front doors. The breach between the once-friendly families seems beyond repair.
"I think that what they have done is so despicable, that I think it absolutely disgusts people," Tina Meier said. "I can't take one ounce of energy worrying about who does not like Lori Drew or who hates Lori Drew. I could not care less."
Just a year ago, Waterford Crystal Drive was the kind of quiet suburban street where jogge! rs waved hello while kids played in their front yards. Lately ! the road has been choked with TV news trucks, and neighbours hustle inside to avoid questions.
The row of brick-facade homes, with basketball nets and American flags out front, was carved out of the woods and pastures in the mid-1990s. Between rooftops, residents can see the neon signs of the strip mall restaurants near a highway that carries commuters about 60 kilometres to jobs in downtown St. Louis.
The subdivision and those surrounding it have street names evoking the good life, from Quaint Cottage Drive to Country Squire Circle.
The Drews used to fit in just fine, said John McIntyre, who described Lori Drew as an intensely social woman who never hesitated to stop and talk. She and Curt came over to McIntyre's home to look at his glassed-in porch because they were thinking of adding their own, he said.
McIntyre fondly remembered another guest: Megan. She came across the street to babysit McIntyre's four-year-old daughter Genna and arrived with a clipboard! and notes, determined to do the job right. He said the activity was good for Megan, who suffered from depression for years.
"She was a good kid," McIntyre said.
Megan became friends with the Drews' young daughter and the girls remained close for years, according to a report provided by prosecutors. But the girls had a falling-out in 2006.
A teenage employee of Drew's named Ashley said she created the "Josh" account on MySpace after a brainstorming session with Drew and her daughter, according to a prosecutor's report. Drew said the girls approached her with the idea, and she told them only to send polite messages to Megan.
Ashley sent Megan many of the messages from "Josh," and Lori Drew was aware of them, prosecutors said.
On Oct. 16, 2006, there was a heated online exchange between Megan and Ashley, who was posing as Josh. A few other MySpace users joined in, calling Megan names. It ended when "Josh"! said the world would be better off without Megan.
Tina Me! ier said her daughter went to her room, crying and upset. About 20 minutes later, Megan was found hanging from a belt tied around her neck.
Drew's lawyer Jim Briscoe said on NBC on Tuesday that Drew "absolutely, 100 per cent' ' had nothing to do with the negative comments posted online about Megan and wasn't aware of them until after the girl took her life.
By: William Winch
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Source: http://www.mytelus.com/ncp_news/article.en.do?pn=world&articleID=2834446
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Hillary Asks Wall Street Audience to Share the Burden on the Subprime Crisis

2007-12-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Hillary Clinton just made her fourth speech so far this year at the Nasdaq Exchange, saying that Wall Street was partly responsible for the current home foreclosure crisis that is threatening the stability of the middle class.

"I'm here today to call on Wall Street to do its part," Clinton said in front of a small audience of dark-suited business leaders.

She talked about the interests of Wall Street versus Main Street, a common Democratic theme, peppering her speech with anecdotes of painful cases she has heard from around the campaign trail.

She made a point of refusing to heap all the blame on Wall Street investors.

"We can debate what was technically illegal, we can debate what should be defined as predatory," she said, adding that it was inarguable that the practice has had a negative effect on middle class homeowners.

She said there was "plenty of blame to go around" for the current situation, and placed responsibility at the feet ! of lenders, the administration's inattentive regulators, rating agencies, and borrowers who speculated to make money flipping houses.

"Finally," she said, "responsibility also belongs to Wall Street" which she said has practiced a "see no evil policy" when it came to predatory lending.

Following up on her policy roll-out earlier this week, she argued for a three-step, voluntary response to the crisis that she portrayed "as a comprehensive work out, not a bail out, of our most pressing economic problem."

First, she called for a moratorium on foreclosures of subprime occupied homes for 90 days. Second, she said was to freeze monthly rates on subprime adjustable rate mortgages. "A rate freeze is critical," she said because the rate resets are driving the crisis. And third, she called for the mortgage industry to supply status reports on the number of modified mortgages.

"If we cannot reach a voluntary agreement I will consider legislation," she adde! d.

"Too many American families are not sharing in the g! rowth th at is created and driven by this city.?

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Source: http://www.observer.com/2007/hillary-asks-wall-street-audience-share-burden-subprime-crisis
Starting a Home Business

Cafe 212

2007-12-05T05:49:00.000-08:00
Cafe 212
Owners: Amanda and Jason Hayden of Belden

Where: 212 W. Main St., downtown Tupelo

When: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Info: Call (662) 844-6323

BY GINNA PARSONS
Daily Journal

TUPELO - Amanda Hayden never really saw herself in the restaurant business. After graduating from Tupelo High School and spending a couple of years at Northeast Mississippi Community College, Hayden was leaning toward photography - sort of.

"I was a liberal arts major, but I didn't know what I wanted to do really," she said. "So I got on a plane for Europe. I didn't know what I was going to do or where I was going to live."

After eight months, Hayden came back home to Tupelo and went to work part time for her cousin, Robin Walton, who operated Yummy Yogurt sandwich shop. When Walton decided to open Yummy Too in downtown Tupelo, Hayden became that store's manager.

"I ! love food. I've always loved food. I love eating food," said Hayden. "When I started working for Robin, I found it was actually something I was pretty good at."

Walton eventually decided to give all her attention to her original sandwich shop now located on Industrial Road, which afforded Hayden the opportunity to take over the downtown business, which she renamed Cafe 212, because it's located at 212 W. Main St.

"When I was at Yummy Too, I started experimenting with different sandwiches," Hayden said. "I came up with the recipes myself and tried them out on people, then adjusted them."

All the "Feature Presentation" sandwiches are names after movies, because Hayden is also a movie buff.

"The Italian Job" features roast beef, mayo, spicy mustard, roasted red peppers, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions grilled on rustic bread; and "Casablanca" Club has turkey, ham, bacon, to! mato, mayo, Dijon mustard and Colby cheese grilled on sourdoug! h bread; and "Moonstruck" Mushroom Grill is turkey, portobello mushrooms, pesto mayonnaise, alfalfa sprouts and Mozzarella cheese grilled on sourdough bread.

"People are afraid of alfalfa sprouts, but once they try them, they like them," Hayden said. "I have to stop myself from putting them on everything."

Fresh, fresh, fresh
But Hayden isn't in this business alone. Her husband of three years, Jason, helps in the cafe's coffee shop every morning before heading off to his "real" job as an assistant manager for Radio Shack. He is also in charge of buying produce for the cafe daily.

"The freshness of the salads is a direct reflection on me," Jason Hayden said. "Everything has to be really fresh. I'm extremely picky."

His wife concurred.

"Jason is probably the pickiest customer we have," she said, smiling at her husband.

The cafe serves a garden salad, ch! ef salad, tuna salad and two different chicken salads - one with apples and walnuts and one that's savory.

"We started off with recipes from a friend, and Mom and I tweaked them until we found something we loved," said Hayden, daughter of Charlotte and William Riley of Belden.

The chicken salad can be served in a sandwich or on a bed of greens or you can purchase it by the pint or quart. In fact, you can also purchase three different sizes of Charlotte Riley's chicken casseroles, homemade potato or tomato soup and Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie at the cafe as well.

"Usually by the end of the day all the casseroles are gone," Hayden said.

Coffee bar up, running
The Haydens took over the downtown eatery, which can seat 50, in April 2006, and this past October, they expanded, adding a coffee bar to the set-up, at Jason Hayden's urging. Beverages include mochas, cappuccinos, expressos, macchiatos and lattes! , and such breakfast fare as homemade cream cheese danishes, s! ausage a nd cream cheese croissants, muffins, bagels and breakfast bars.

"The coffee shop has been a little slow going, because people don't know we're here," said Jason Hayden, son of Durick and Debbie Hayden of Tupelo. "But the people who have found us keep coming back."

Right now, the couple has no plans to expand any further.

"When I started owning the place, I was 26," said Hayden, her red pigtails bobbing as she spoke. "I think I might have been the youngest restaurant owner in town. And I have all that I want for right now, all I can handle. I like our small, intimate place. It has a lot of character."
By: redcyc
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Source: http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=260992&pub=1&div=Lifestyles
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