Wednesday, February 29, 2012

QLD:Three wounded in Gold Coast knife attack


AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2011
QLD:Three wounded in Gold Coast knife attack

BRISBANE, Aug 11 AAP - Two women and a man have received knife wounds following an
attack in a home on the Gold Coast.

Police say three victims were assaulted by another woman at an Ashmore residence on
Wednesday night.

During the assault a 20-year-old woman received a stab wound to the chest, a 19-year-old
woman received lacerations to her hands and a 44-year-old man received a stab wound to
the abdomen.

All three were treated at the Gold Coast Hospital.

Police are investigating the incident.

AAP dac/jfm

KEYWORD: ASHMORE

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Mother pleads for mercy for son who murdered wife


AAP General News (Australia)
02-18-2006
Vic: Mother pleads for mercy for son who murdered wife

The mother of a 39-year-old Melbourne man .. who stabbed his wife to death in front
of their eight-year-old daughter .. has pleaded with a judge to show mercy on her son.

PAUL MARGACH killed his wife .. TINA .. by stabbing her 20 times .. in the couple's
suburban Ascot Vale home in October 2004.

After about two days of deliberations .. a Victorian Supreme Court jury of six men
and six women found him guilty of murder on Wednesday.

During the 10-day trial .. the defence argued MARGACH was guilty of manslaughter and
not murder because he didn't intend to kill his wife .. and was provoked by the mistaken
belief she had been unfaithful.

PAUL MARGACH'S mother .. IVY .. took the witness stand yesterday at her son's pre-sentence
hearing .. saying her son didn't mean to murder his wife.

She's described him as a gentle and caring family man.

MARGACH remains in custody for sentencing at a date to be fixed.

AAP RTV mf/dk/jt/de/wz/goc/

KEYWORD: MARGACH (MELBOURNE)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA:Man dies after police pursuit crash


AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-2011
WA:Man dies after police pursuit crash

A 19-year-old man who crashed a stolen car during a police pursuit in Perth early this
morning has died in hospital.

Police say the car crashed through a brick wall at Mirrabooka in the city's inner north
at high speed about four am (WST) .. as it is being pursued by a traffic enforcement car.

The 19-year-old driver had to be cut from the vehicle and was taken to Royal Perth
Hospital with head injuries where he later died.

His 15-year-old male passenger received lesser injuries and is in a stable condition
at the same hospital.

AAP RTV anr/tm

KEYWORD: PURSUIT (PERTH)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

VIC:Elderly man dies in family crash


AAP General News (Australia)
12-26-2010
VIC:Elderly man dies in family crash

An elderly man's been killed after a four wheel drive .. believed to be carrying five
other family members .. rolled in rural Victoria.

The man .. aged in his 80s .. was in a Landcruiser which left the Murray Valley Highway
at Shelley after the driver lost control of the vehicle just after seven o'clock tonight.

Police say the elderly man died at the scene while the driver and front-seat passenger
were taken to Wodonga hospital with serious injuries.

Three others were treated for minor injuries.

It's believed all occupants are from South Australia and are related.

Investigators are now looking into whether the driver was forced to take evasive action
.. with witnesses reporting seeing another vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road
around the time of the accident.

They want to speak to the driver of a white Toyota Prada or Landcruiser that was seen
travelling west on the Murray Valley Highway at the time.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

The death takes the national road toll to 30 so far this Christmas holiday period.

AAP RTV bzs/sw/

KEYWORD: TOLL VIC (MELBOURNE)

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:RBA expecting strong growth in 2012


AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2010
FED:RBA expecting strong growth in 2012

By Stephen Johnson

CANBERRA, Aug 17 AAP - The Reserve Bank is expecting inflation to remain under control
before economic growth surges to above-average levels next year, giving Labor a political
boost on the economy just days before the election.

Releasing the minutes of its August meeting, the central bank said global financial
market volatility made it "appropriate" to leave interest rates on hold.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) also said economic growth would strengthen in 2011
and 2012 to "above-average rates" even though consumers are still cautious.

Like Treasury, the RBA sees an expansion pace of up to 4 per cent by the middle of next year.

In another piece of good news for the government, the RBA is expecting inflation to
remain within the two to three per cent target band "over the next year or so".

The experts saw this as a sign interest rates would remain on hold at 4.5 per cent
in the short term.

"It is clear that the Reserve Bank is unlikely to move on interest rates until more
concrete economic data is available," Commonwealth Securities economist Savanth Sebastian
said.

"No doubt the new era of consumer conservatism and weak trading environment for retailers
would add weight to the argument for interest rates to remain on hold over the next few
months."

While the economy is expected to improve in coming months, the effects of three rates
rises in early 2010 are still hampering some sections of the economy.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (ACCI) small business survey for
the June quarter produced a negative reading, pointing to an uneven economic recovery.

"Small business in Australia is facing very difficult conditions at the moment," ACCI's
economics policy director Greg Evans told reporters in Canberra.

"That's on the basis of successive rate increases, the fact that the stimulus measures
are tailing off and continuing international instability."

ACCI's key small business conditions index fell to 47.4, slipping below the 50-level
separating an expansion from a contraction.

Another private survey from the Melbourne Institute showed a slowdown in wages growth
as a possible sign of a cooling economy.

Research fellow Edda Claus said the wages report for the August quarter suggested workers,
particularly women, were gloomy about their job prospects.

"This is in line with recent indicators that suggest that growth in the Australian
economy is slowing," Dr Claus said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her deputy, Treasurer Wayne Swan, appeared together
in the Queensland mining town of Mackay on Tuesday promoting Labor's economic credentials.

Addressing about 50 workers gathered at a mining equipment firm, Ms Gillard appealed
to them to consider Labor's economic performance when they voted on Saturday.

"That election on Saturday is really about some very important things," she said.

"Mostly, more than anything else, it's about the strength of our national economy."

AAP saj/sb/was/de

KEYWORD: POLL10 ECONOMY WRAP

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Police investigate doctor over Hep C outbreak


AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2010
Vic: Police investigate doctor over Hep C outbreak

MELBOURNE, April 9 AAP - Police are investigating a Melbourne doctor who allegedly
infected 12 of his patients with hepatitis C at a private suburban clinic.

Health department investigators were reportedly alerted to a cluster of hepatitis C
cases among patients, including pregnant women, and tests confirmed the 12 women's hepatitis
C strain was a match to the anaesthetist's own blood.

"We can confirm police are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis C in a suburban healthcare
clinic," a police spokesman told AAP.

The infections allegedly date back to 2009.

A team of police investigators has been established to probe the matter.

A spokeswoman for the state's Medical Practitioner's Board would not confirm the allegations,
but said the board would hold a press conference later on Friday.

Comment was being sought from the Department of Human Services.

AAP ees/ce/goc/mn

KEYWORD: DOCTOR

2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED: Research to centre on MS cause


AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2009
FED: Research to centre on MS cause

ADELAIDE, Aug 26 AAP - Australian researchers will try to discover the proteins that
cause multiple sclerosis (MS) in a national project launched on Wednesday.

The project will get $1 million in funding over four years, the money provided by the
Australian Research Council and MS Research Australia.

Lead investigator Shaun McColl, from the University of Adelaide, said the work would
focus on various stages of the disease where certain genes were activated.

"Those genes express proteins and we believe these could have the effect of switching
the disease on and off," Professor McColl said.

"If we can discover the key proteins and their roles in the development of MS, we could
go a long way towards finding potential treatments or cures for the condition."

More than 2.5 million people worldwide and 20,000 in Australia suffer with MS, the
disease costing the Australian community an estimated $2 billion each year.

It is an auto-immune disease in which the body's own immune cells attack the central
nervous system impacting on the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to
communicate with each other.

AAP tjd/maur

KEYWORD: MS

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Afghan refugees gather in Perth to offer support to injured


AAP General News (Australia)
04-17-2009
Fed: Afghan refugees gather in Perth to offer support to injured

A group of Afghan refugees has gathered outside Royal Perth Hospital to offer support
to the asylum seekers injured in yesterday's explosion.

Three people were killed in the blast off northern Australia .. while a search has
been launched for another two missing.

ALI REZA .. who was in a boat with 160 asylum seekers when it was tipped up by navy
officials in Australian waters in 2001 .. says he knows how it feels to be alone and unable
to communicate in a foreign country.

He says the group are there to offer support and help by translating.

AAP RTV ap/dj/af

KEYWORD: BOAT REFUGEES (PERTH)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

SA: Main stories in today's Adelaide newspapers


AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2008
SA: Main stories in today's Adelaide newspapers

ADELAIDE, Dec 12 AAP - The main stories in today's Adelaide Advertiser:

Page 1: Small business to get tax breaks from the federal government.

Page 2: Driver dies in rollover near Mannum, east of Adelaide.

Page 3: Families to miss out on immediate bonus payments from the federal government
unless they change the way they receive their family tax benefits.

World: The daughter of Thailand's fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra buys
a luxury home in Hong Kong. Second Mumbai terrorist is arrested (Islamabad). President-elect
Barack Obama says its time for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to go over corruption
allegations (Chicago). UN conference fails to make real commitments to carbon emission
reduction targets (Poznan, Poland).

Finance: Westpac chief Gail Kelly says more interest rate cuts are essential. Australian
sharemarket closes one per cent lower. Santos offloads its stake in Indonesian exploration
project linked to mud volcano disaster.

Sport: Adelaide United wins its opening match at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan (Tokyo).

Richmond remains tight-lipped about picking up Ben Cousins. South African bowler Morne
Morkel injured in tour match in Perth.

AAP tjd/ldj

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS SA

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Sho: Factobx on Michael Diamond


AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2008
Sho: Factobx on Michael Diamond

MICHAEL DIAMOND



BORN: Sydney, May 20 1972

HEIGHT: 174cm

WEIGHT: 75kg





OLYMPICS:

1992 Barcelona 11th - Trap

1996 Atlanta Gold - Trap

2000 Sydney Gold - Trap

9th - Double Trap

2004 Athens 8th - Trap



COMMONWEALTH GAMES

1998 Kuala Lumpur Gold - Trap

Silver - Trap Pairs

2002 Manchester Gold - Trap

Gold - Trap Pairs

Silver - Double Trap Pairs

2006 Melbourne Gold - Trap pairs





WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

1998 Barcelona Gold - Double Trap

1999 Tampere Gold - Trap

2000 Nicosia Gold - Trap

2001 Cairo Gold - Trap

2007 Nicosia Gold - Trap





+ Holds world records for Trap (148) and Double Trap (147).



AAP jc/jmt

KEYWORD: OLY08 SHO DIAMOND FACTBOX (REPEAT)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Lights out in Brisbane for Earth Hour


AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2008
Qld: Lights out in Brisbane for Earth Hour

By Roberta Mancuso

BRISBANE, Feb 14 AAP - Brisbane will switch off for an hour on March 29 to cut the
city's greenhouse gas emissions.

Premier Anna Bligh today said her government would support Earth Hour 2008 - a global
initiative of WWF Australia - and turn off all lights in its buildings for an hour from
8pm on Saturday, March 29.

She urged all businesses and residents to follow suit.

"This is a global opportunity to raise awareness about how our behaviour affects the
environment we live in," Ms Bligh said.

Ms Bligh said it would be Brisbane's first participation in Earth Hour, and she also
urged Queenslanders outside the capital to get involved.

WWF spokesman Nick Heath said last year more than two million Sydney residents took
part in Earth Hour, resulting in a 10.2 per cent drop in energy use across the city.

Meanwhile, in another energy initiative, the Queensland government will boost its fleet
of hybrid petrol-electric cars.

Ms Bligh said the government would buy 50 Honda Civic hybrids this year, adding to
the 10 recently purchased.

They will join Q-Fleet's fleet of 177 hybrids.

"We want to reduce emissions for the entire fleet by 15 per cent by the end of 2010
and by 50 per cent by the end of 2017," Ms Bligh said.

"In addition, 50 per cent of the fleet's emissions will be offset by the end of 2010
and 100 per cent by the end of 2020."

Ms Bligh said she was leading by example and driving a new ministerial car - a Chrysler
300C, with a three-litre turbo diesel engine and a "greenhouse rating" of six.

Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten said it was regrettable the new additions to
the government fleet were imports and there was a "strong message" for the Australian
car manufacturing industry.

"I think it's a sad fact of life they simply haven't kept pace with the demands of
climate change," Mr Schwarten said.

AAP rm/pjo/it/de

KEYWORD: CLIMATE QLD

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Wife of missing farmer to face court on murder charge


AAP General News (Australia)
08-28-2007
Vic: Wife of missing farmer to face court on murder charge

MELBOURNE, Aug 28 AAP - The wife of a farmer missing in suspicious circumstances for
almost seven years will today face a Melbourne court charged with his murder.

Cold case detectives last night charged Margaret Uttley, 52, of Tarneit, with the murder
of her husband Stephen Henry Uttley.

Uttley, dressed in a brown pullover and jeans, pursed her lips and briefly fought back
sobs as she faced a bail justice in an out-of-sessions hearing at the Melbourne Custody
Centre last night.

The bail justice remanded her in custody to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court today.

Uttley did not apply for bail.

Mr Uttley, a father of four, lived with his family on the 93ha Oatbank Farm at Tarneit,
near Werribee in Melbourne's west, until he disappeared on October 8, 2000.

Mr Uttley, 45 at the time, was last seen leaving a friend's barbecue in Werribee.

He was described as a quiet family man who enjoyed socialising with his family and friends.

Police believed Mr Uttley's disappearance was out of character and that he may have
met with foul play.

In a dramatic re-opening of the case last week, police conducted an extensive search
of the family farm and located items including bones which were sent for testing by forensic
experts.

AAP jrd/it/de

KEYWORD: UTTLEY DAYLEAD

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Rann denies states will push Rudd's policies at COAG


AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2007
Fed: Rann denies states will push Rudd's policies at COAG

South Australian Premier MIKE RANN has denied state and territory leaders will be pushing
the federal Labor line .. at a federal-states meeting in Canberra today.

Mr RANN says KEVIN RUDD doesn't need a leg-up .. because he's streets ahead.

He's told ABC radio climate change will be one of the most important issues discussed
at the COAG meeting.

The eight Labor premiers and chief ministers are Meeting Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD
in Canberra today.

AAP RTV kc/wf/rt

KEYWORD: COAG RANN (CANBERRA)

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Sydney woman charged with producing child porn


AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2006
NSW: Sydney woman charged with producing child porn

A Sydney woman .. charged with using a child to produce pornography .. has had three
children in her care taken from her by authorities.

Police say the 39-year-old woman was arrested at a Hebersham home in Sydney's west yesterday.

They say a number of items were seized from the home .. including computer equipment
.. and three children were placed in the care of the NSW Department of Community Services.

The Hebersham woman was charged overnight with two counts each of using a child under
14 years for pornographic purpose and producing child pornography .. and one count each
of disseminating and possessing child pornography.

She'll appear in Mt Druitt Local Court today.

AAP RTV pc/klw/jmt

KEYWORD: PORN (SYDNEY)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NT: ANTAR applauds Beazley's indigenous commitment


AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2006
NT: ANTAR applauds Beazley's indigenous commitment

DARWIN, Aug 4 AAP - Opposition Leader Kim Beazley's promise to reverse Australia's
poor record on Aboriginal health has been applauded by Australians for Native Title and
Reconciliation (ANTaR).

Mr Beazley has pledged to reverse third world figures and statistics on Aboriginal
health in his first two terms if Labor wins government.

ANTaR national director Gary Highland urged Prime Minister John Howard to match Mr
Beazley's commitment.

"The lack of an agreed time frame has allowed the national scandal of indigenous health
to fester for far too long," Mr Highland said in a statement.

"Mr Beazley has now placed a deadline for a future Labor government to turn this situation
around.

"However ending Australia's indigenous health crisis should be a commitment shared
by all sides of politics and all sections of Australian society.

"ANTaR would also like to see the prime minister and federal parliament as a whole
commit to a deadline for closing the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous
children."

Indigenous Australians experience some of the worst health rates in the world, including
a significantly lower life expectancy at birth than other Australians.

AAP km/goc/jlw/

KEYWORD: INDIGENOUS ANTAR

) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Three men tied up and bashed in attack


AAP General News (Australia)
02-15-2006
Vic: Three men tied up and bashed in attack

MELBOURNE, Feb 15 AAP - Three men have been tied up and bashed during an armed robbery
in Melbourne's south-east overnight.

A Victoria Police spokesman said an 18-year-old man had gone to the house in Bealiba
Road, Caulfield South, at 10pm (AEDT) yesterday to wait for two brothers who lived there
to return home.

Soon after he arrived at the address, five men wearing balaclavas entered the house
through an unlocked front door.

Police believe the group was armed with a machete, knife and axe.

"They attacked the 18-year-old and he suffered a wound to the hand," Senior Constable
Wayne Wilson said. "He was then tied up with duct tape."

A short time later when the brothers, aged 19 and 24, arrived home they were also attacked.

The 19-year-old man suffered cuts to the head, while his 24-year-old brother suffered
bruising to the face.

They were also tied up by their attackers, who then demanded drugs and money, before
ransacking the house.

"They took the victims' wallets, mobile phone and some jewellery," Snr Const Wayne Wilson said.

"The 19-year-old and the 18-year-old were taken to the Alfred Hospital for treatment,
while the 24-year-old man was treated at the scene."

AAP sam/mon

KEYWORD: ATTACK

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Monday, February 27, 2012

SA: Wife of dead cyclist confronts lawyer in court


AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2005
SA: Wife of dead cyclist confronts lawyer in court

The wife of a dead cyclist has confronted a prominent lawyer charged over his death,
saying she doesn't hate the man but pities him.

Di Gilchrist has told former policeman and criminal lawyer Eugene McGee that he killed
her husband, Ian Humphrey.

The father of two was killed when his bike collided with McGee's four-wheel drive in
South Australia's Barossa Valley in 2003.

McGee admits he didn't stop at the scene.

He's been acquitted of dangerous driving and found guilty of the lesser crime of driving
without due care.

Giving a statement in the South Australian District Court, Ms Gilchrist has told McGee
he killed her husband, but she pities him rather that hating him.

AAP RTV sl/maur/de/bk/rt

KEYWORD: MCGEE (ADELAIDE)

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

SA: FBI supports Hicks' torture allegations, says Mori


AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2005
SA: FBI supports Hicks' torture allegations, says Mori

Allegations that Australian terrorist suspect DAVID HICKS was tortured at Guantanamo
Bay have been supported by a person with links to the FBI.

The unidentified person has detailed visits to the detention facility where inmates
were witnessed chained in a foetal position on the floor, with no food or water.

In a document dated August 2004 and referred to in an overnight US federal court ruling,
the witness says most times detainees had urinated or defecated on themselves, and had
been left there for 18 to 24 hours or more.

The court judgment says the witness was someone apparently affiliated with the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.

In an affidavit signed last August, HICKS said he and other detainees had been forced
to run in leg shackles that regularly ripped the skin off their ankles, and that he'd
been beaten and deprived of sleep.

The Australian government has consistently maintained it has no evidence to support
the abuse claims.

HICKS' US military-appointed lawyer, Major MICHAEL MORI, says the FBI witness's evidence
can't be disputed.

AAP RTV la/jas/jmt

KEYWORD: HICKS ABUSE (ADELAIDE)

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

ultrahigh frequency

ultrahigh frequency (UHF) A radio frequency in the range 3 × 109– 0.3 × 109 Hz; i.e. having a wavelength in the range 10 cm to 1 m.

bank erosion

bank erosion The erosion of material from the side of a river channel, not only by fluvial processes, but also by frost heave, groundwater sapping, surface wash, and slope failure. Rates of erosion vary with bank composition and moisture content, bank vegetation, and speed of flow; rates are highest on the outer bank of meander bends or where bars in the channel have diverted the thalweg. Bank form reflects the nature of materials: fine, cohesive materials tend to fail through slipping, banks of coarse material are steep, and may have talus slopes at the base, and where a cohesive layer overlies coarser material, undercutting may form overhangs, which collapse periodically. In the short term, these collapsed blocks may protect the base of the bank.

AOL High Speed Broadband Service Launches With Time Warner Cable in the Desert Cities Division Serving the Coachella Valley Area.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 2002

Combines Faster Connections and Instant-On Capability of

High-Speed Internet with AOL's Convenience and Ease-of-Use

America Online, the world's leading interactive services company, today announced the launch of its AOL High Speed Broadband service with the Time Warner Cable Desert Cities Division in California which serves the Coachella Valley area. Cities in this area include Cathedral City, Coachella, Indio, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage.

The AOL High Speed Broadband service combines the advantages of a high-speed Internet connection -- including instant-on capability, faster connections, and the ability to make the most of enhanced audio and video content -- with the convenience and ease-of-use that have made AOL the world's most popular online service. With the AOL High Speed Broadband service, members can:

 -- News reports and live coverage from CBS News, CNN, and the Weather Channel;  -- Sports highlights and more from the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR, as well as CNNSI, HBO Sports, CBS Sportsline, and Turner Sports;  -- Music videos, musician interviews, CD listening parties, the Radio@AOL service now available on AOL 7.0, and much more;  -- Movie previews, animated content, short video clips, and entertainment news from HBO, Moviefone, Warner Brothers Online, Cartoon Network and others;  -- Business and technology news from CBS Marketwatch;  -- Interactive features and animated cartoons for Kids from Cartoon Network, Kiddonet and Warner Brothers Online; and  -- Travel destination guides and previews from Travelocity. 

Taking Internet Experience to Next Level

Lisa Hook, President, AOL Broadband, said: "The Internet is entering a new era as a significant number of consumers begin to adopt high-speed Internet connections. Consumers in the Desert Cities can take advantage of even greater online convenience than they've known before, paving the way for them to make the medium even more central to their lives with services like online music, interactive gaming, home networking and more. We are confident that together AOL and Time Warner Cable can help lead the way in the broadband era by combining AOL's understanding of what mass-market consumers want that has helped us grow to more than 34 million members around the world, with Time Warner Cable's unique cable distribution system."

Bob Barlow, President of Time Warner Cable, Desert Cities Division, said: "By offering the AOL High Speed Broadband service with Time Warner Cable systems, we are taking a major step to offer more convenience and value for consumers, especially existing AOL members, in the Coachella Valley. The ability to offer AOL to our customers in the Desert Cities -- a first among the country's cable systems -- is just the latest demonstration of Time Warner Cable's technological leadership."

Enhanced Consumer Convenience

The AOL High Speed Broadband service provides a new level of convenience and ease-of-use that empowers consumers to make the online medium an even more central part of their daily lives.

Regina Lewis, AOL's Online Advisor and author of best-selling book, Wired in a Week, "Consumers are learning that broadband is about more than speed. It's about an even easier and more convenient experience with great benefits like faster downloads, instant-on, no need for a second phone line, and great new content and services. The good news is that AOL members can have all these benefits while keeping their e-mail address, Buddy List, Address Book, world-class customer service and built-in Parental Controls to keep their kids safe by simply taking advantage of the AOL High Speed Broadband service in their area."

Included in the monthly fee are the free use of a cable modem and basic installation, along with access to the entire easy-to-use AOL service, as well as:

   -- News reports and live coverage from CBS News, CNN, and the Weather Channel;  -- Sports highlights and more from the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR, as well as CNNSI, HBO Sports, CBS Sportsline, and Turner Sports;  -- Music videos, musician interviews, CD listening parties, the Radio@AOL service now available on AOL 7.0, and much more;  -- Movie previews, animated content, short video clips, and entertainment news from HBO, Moviefone, Warner Brothers Online, Cartoon Network and others;  -- Business and technology news from CBS Marketwatch;  -- Interactive features and animated cartoons for Kids from Cartoon Network, Kiddonet and Warner Brothers Online; and  -- Travel destination guides and previews from Travelocity. 

In addition, the AOL High Speed Broadband service offers consumers a wide range of high-speed content, which is seamlessly integrated as part of the AOL Welcome Screen and across more than 20 channels and sites. Among the offerings available are:

   -- News reports and live coverage from CBS News, CNN, and the Weather Channel;  -- Sports highlights and more from the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR, as well as CNNSI, HBO Sports, CBS Sportsline, and Turner Sports;  -- Music videos, musician interviews, CD listening parties, the Radio@AOL service now available on AOL 7.0, and much more;  -- Movie previews, animated content, short video clips, and entertainment news from HBO, Moviefone, Warner Brothers Online, Cartoon Network and others;  -- Business and technology news from CBS Marketwatch;  -- Interactive features and animated cartoons for Kids from Cartoon Network, Kiddonet and Warner Brothers Online; and  -- Travel destination guides and previews from Travelocity. 

Multiple pricing plans for the AOL High Speed Broadband service are available to best meet consumers' needs in terms of connectivity and online usage. For a limited time, the AOL High Speed Broadband service is available in the Desert Cities for $54.95 per month and includes one free month of service, unlimited high-speed connectivity, in addition to unlimited access to AOL's U.S. network of dial-up connections. Subscribers can also choose to pay $44.95 per month for unlimited use of their high-speed connection and $2.95 per hour for U.S. dial-up connection use. Telephone and other charges may also apply. There are no activation or cancellation fees.

For more information about the AOL High Speed Broadband service in the Desert Cities, AOL members can visit Keyword: Cable. Other consumers can call 800/574-1779.

About America Online

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

HIMSS to create member subgroups.(Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)(Brief Article)

Healthcare information professionals who belong to the industry's trade group historically have been squeezed into one of only a few categories the group uses to describe the role its members play in technology or management.

That may soon change. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has plans to create subgroups that bring together members with common areas of interest.

In creating the framework for special interest groups, or SIGs, HIMSS planners hope to encourage members to voluntarily propose, join and lead efforts to address timely industry challenges and goals.

"If you are just a society that generically approaches the field, you're going to miss providing the right programs and services," said Steve Lieber, HIMSS' executive director.

Prior to assuming his post at HIMSS, Lieber was vice president of personal membership groups for the American Hospital Association, the former home of HIMSS. The society stepped out from under the AHA umbrella in 1993 when membership growth justified forming an independent group.

Now, with more than 13,000 registered members, HIMSS has become so large that dividing into special interest groups is one way to more effectively serve members, Lieber said.

Prior to the introduction of SIGs, HIMSS members were designated as representatives of one of four industry subcategories: management engineering, telecommunications, information systems and clinical systems.

"The old constituencies were too broad and they weren't really dynamic," said Pamela McNutt, a HIMSS board member and vice president and chief information officer of Methodist Hospital of Dallas. "We think (SIGs) will be a great breeding ground for education sessions and publication material."

Describing SIGs as "very fluid," McNutt said the dynamic nature of topics in healthcare--the Y2K bug and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act are good examples--requires that specialized groups be changed, updated or eliminated to fit into the evolving industry landscape.

Changes made to HIMSS' bylaws to accommodate the SIGs officially go into effect on July 1, by which time HIMSS planners expect the initiative to be well under way.

HIMSS officials said they will give SIGs the tools they need to communicate and stay connected to their missions, including Internet-based communication networks, which would securely connect many outposts of SIG activity through the HIMSS World Wide Web site.

"We are committed to and have plans in place to work with these groups to keep them feeling connected with one another," McNutt said.

The HIMSS membership department will provide services to SIGs and be responsible for evaluating project proposals that require budgetary outlays.

Lieber said one example of a SIG project might be a resource book on emergency department clinical systems. Because many such specialized resources are not currently available to members, SIGs may be the ideal way to develop and distribute them, he said.

As for the time commitment required to lead one of the SIGs, McNutt said it would be substantial but not impossible for many members. Since any SIG must have at least 25 members to be considered for recognition by the HIMSS board, McNutt's hope is that responsibilities would be shared among each group's members.

Although leadership responsibilities may require more of a time commitment, Lieber encourages HIMSS members to join a SIG even if their involvement is based purely on interest and not on active participation.

The annual HIMSS conference and exhibition, which attracted 17,300 people to the Dallas Convention Center last month, may also reap the benefits of the subgroups, HIMSS officials said.

In addition to dedicating meeting space and programming time for face-to-face SIG meetings, members would also participate in the larger conference by facilitating educational sessions in their areas of interest.

Amy Vrabel, a HIMSS member and vice chair of information services at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., believes the SIGs may increase and add value to dialogue that is often cut short by events with limited time frames, such as the annual conference.

Vrabel was unsure she would commit to a SIG if it involved beefing up her travel schedule, but she was enthusiastic about opportunities to exchange ideas and information online.

As new SIGs are established and begin charting their courses, McNutt anticipates that the HIMSS board will regularly evaluate the system to determine how much structure is necessary and to solve other problems as they arise.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

-PROGRESS SOFTWARE: PROGRESS Certifies IBM Network Station Series 1000 for Apptivity

M2 PRESSWIRE-12 June 1998-PROGRESS SOFTWARE: PROGRESS Certifies IBM Network Station Series 1000 for Apptivity (C)1994-98 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:110698 -- Critical business applications now easier to create and access at lower corporate cost Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ:PRGS), a leading supplier of application development tools, database technology and support services for business applications, has announced the IBM Network Station Series 1000 has passed Progress Software's standards for seamless integration with Apptivity 2.1, the latest version of its popular integrated Internet application environment. "The benefit of Progress Software Corporation's Universal Application Architecture is to reduce total cost of ownership while not compromising employee, partner and customer access to enterprise computing resources," said Dennis Moore, vice president, Apptivity product unit marketing for Progress Software Corporation. "To help our many mutual customers achieve this benefit, we're pleased to work closely with IBM to optimize Apptivity with IBM technologies, including the IBM Network Station." "IBM's Network Station customers benefit because, by using Apptivity, they can build enterprise Java applications quickly in a cost-effective manner and deploy them in a highly managed way," said Dr. David McAughtry, worldwide vice president of marketing, IBM's Network Computer Division. Apptivity is the only Java-centric application server and development tool with support for heterogeneous, Web-based, enterprise intranet and extranet applications. Combining new features such as HTTP tunneling and new database drivers including PROGRESS RDBMS, an integrated distributed debugger and CORBA support and easy integration with object request brokers (ORBs), Apptivity continues to lead the Java marketplace in both product capability and deployment speed. The IBM Network Station Series 1000 allows customers to use Java applications, develop new ones, and combine them for seamless operations using a graphical user interface on IBM's network computer, an easy-to-use, easy-to-manage lower-cost desktop device. The Series 1000 is ideal for customers who need access to applications delivered throughout corporate extranets, such as order tracking, package tracking, inventory management, customer services or help desk services, as well as manage documents and perform crucial-business tasks. About Progress Software Progress Software Corporation is a worldwide supplier of application development tools, database technology and support services, with 1100 employees in nearly 50 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Professional developers use Progress Software business solutions, including Apptivity, a Java-based tool; WebSpeed, an HTML-based tool; ProtoSpeed, an Internet debugger; and the PROGRESS Application Development Environment to build, deploy and maintain applications across Internet, client/server and host/terminal computing environments. Progress Software's products are used by application partners and other customers, who in turn generated more than $1.5 billion in applications sales in 1997. PROGRESS is a registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation. Apptivity, ProtoSpeed and WebSpeed are trademarks of Progress Software Corporation. All other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: Salli Roskilly, Saffron Communications Tel: +44 (0)1763 208708 Fax: +44 (0)1763 208813 e-mail: roskilly@netcomuk.co.uk *M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.*

PRIMEDIA's New CEO Tom Rogers Begins October 27, 1999.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1999--

PRIMEDIA Inc. (NYSE:PRM) announced today that Tom Rogers, former President of NBC Cable and Executive Vice President of NBC, has been elected Chairman and Chief Executive of PRIMEDIA and begins in that capacity immediately.

"I am very enthusiastic about getting started," said Mr. Rogers. "My first job is to get to know the management team and formulate a strategy for moving PRIMEDIA ahead as a pre-eminent media company integrating print, video and Internet information. My strategy will focus on four key elements:

- Accelerating growth, including initiatives which position

PRIMEDIA as a pre-eminent player in new media sectors;

- Building an organizational structure to enable that growth;

- Reviewing the portfolio of businesses to determine if certain

ones should be divested, and

- Implementing cost control measures aimed at increasing the

company's productivity.

"I expect to introduce our strategy at some point during the first quarter of 2000," said Mr. Rogers.

PRIMEDIA Inc., with 1998 sales from continuing businesses of $1.5 billion, is a targeted media company focused on consumer and business-to-business audiences. Some key brands include Seventeen, New York, Chicago, Fly Fisherman, Channel One Network, Horticulture, Modern Bride, American Baby, IntelliChoice, Telephony, and American Demographics. The Company owns and operates more than 215 Web sites.

Qualtre Gains $10M in Funding With Demonstration of First Silicon MEMS BAW Gyroscope.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer electronics focused motion sensor supplier, Qualtre Inc., announced that with their successful demonstration of the world's first tri-axial solid-state silicon BAW (bulk-acoustic wave) gyroscope, their investors have injected an additional $10M in capital. The new funding will enable the company's product launch, expansion of sales and supply chain infrastructure, and development of next-generation products based on their proprietary HARPSS(TM) MEMS process. Participating institutional venture capital investors in this round are Matrix Partners and Pilot House Ventures.

"With the tremendous adoption of motion sensing across multiple consumer electronics platforms, the market opportunity is growing exponentially. We are excited to increase our investment in the Qualtre team, enabling them to accelerate the productization of their innovative technology and gain rapid market penetration," said Stan Reiss, a General Partner with Matrix Partners.

MEMS gyroscopes are driving a new boom in the motion sensing market. Yole Developpement recently updated their growth projections forecasting a market expanding to over $1.5 billion for MEMS gyroscopes in consumer electronic applications by 2015. With the adoption in new platforms, like tablets and smart TV remote controls, the applications continue to expand and excite the users with new fun and desirable experiences.

"Since expanding our engineering team and qualifying our partner network, we have made tremendous progress in the commercialization of our motion sensor technology," explained Edgar Masri, CEO of Qualtre. "We are now providing engineering samples to our lead customers and beginning to show the unique performance attributes of our solid-state sensor design."

About Qualtre, Inc.

Founded in 2008, Qualtre is a venture-backed company commercializing the next generation of solid-state silicon MEMS motion sensor solutions for consumer electronics. Qualtre's innovation addresses the real challenges of the consumer electronics market, by combining the performance advantages of the BAW sensor design and the cost and size scalability of the HARPSS(TM) process to deliver the best value in inertial sensors for demanding consumer applications. The company's product development efforts build upon years of research conducted by its founder and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Farrokh Ayazi, at Georgia Tech's renowned Integrated MEMS Laboratory. The company is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts. More information can be found at www.qualtre.com.

About Matrix Partners

Matrix Partners is a premier venture capital firm that has generated outstanding returns for over three decades. The firm has delivered several of the industry's top performing funds of all time. Matrix Partners has offices in Waltham, MA; New York, NY; Palo Alto, CA; Mumbai, India; and Beijing and Shanghai, China. The firm has been fortunate to have invested in game-changing, industry-leading businesses such as Apple Computer, Sandisk, Veritas, Sycamore Networks, Phone.com, Starent Networks, JBoss and Gilt Groupe. www.matrixpartners.com

About Pilot House Ventures

Pilot House Ventures is a Boston, Massachusetts-based venture capital firm that invests in promising early stage technology companies, including enterprise software, network infrastructure, internet, and communications companies. The company looks for outstanding entrepreneurs who are building companies with high growth potential that will be true partners throughout the lifecycle of the company. Pilot House operates with a team approach to help their portfolio companies be successful, with multiple members of the team involved in advising all portfolio companies on strategic decisions to drive growth. The Pilot House Ventures team also taps into its extensive networks to support its portfolio companies with resources for customer acquisition, business development, partnerships, marketing strategy, technology development and management and Board development. www.pilothouseventures.com

SOURCE Qualtre, Inc.

NetDimensions Wins Gold and Silver Brandon Hall Learning Technology Awards.(Company overview)

ROCKY HILL, Conn., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- NetDimensions (London Stock Exchange AIM: NETD), a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems, has won three Brandon Hall awards for technology excellence for its innovative portable LMS, mobile EKP (mEKP):

* Gold Medal - Best Advance in Learning Management Technology for External Training category

* Gold Medal - Best Advance in Performance Support Technology category

* Silver Medal - Best Advance in Learning Management Technology for Global Training category

"We are very honored by this recognition for mEKP," said Ray Ruff, Chief Information Officer at NetDimensions. "We are also tremendously happy and proud for receiving not just one, but three coveted technology awards from Brandon Hall Group that show the impact that our mEKP product innovation has not only in mobile learning, but also in global and external training and performance support."

mEKP is a plug-and-learn portable LMS that runs off a USB flash drive for users with limited or no Internet connection. It is part of NetDimensions' comprehensive mobile learning strategy that aims to cover every need in any environment.

Alexandros Poulos, NetDimensions' Head of Global Marketing, added, "We recognize the importance of providing more than just one solution approach when addressing the challenges of mobile learning. With this in mind, we have expanded our mobile learning solution suite to include not only mEKP, our portable LMS, but also optimized browser-access to EKP (Enterprise Knowledge Platform), our flagship LMS, and specific mobile apps for tablets and smartphones."

NetDimensions will be showcasing mEKP along with its full suite of mobile learning solutions at ASTD 2011 International conference & Exposition later this month in Orlando, FL.

The Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Technology Awards are presented by Brandon Hall Group, a leading research firm in training and development. The Learning Technology Awards program showcases innovations in the products in the marketplace for creating and managing learning, talent, and performance.

"These excellent tools and systems are the cutting edge of learning technology," said Tom Werner, chief research officer and director of the Awards program. "They really change for the better how people learn in the workplace."

For more information about NetDimensions mobile learning offering, please visit http://www.netdimensions.com/mlearning

About Brandon Hall Group

Having worked with more than 5,000 clients globally and after 17 years of delivering world-class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research-driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organizations. Through the recent merger of Brandon Hall Research and AC Growth, Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data, and expertise in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales, Marketing, and Executive Management.

About NetDimensions

Established in 1999, NetDimensions (London Stock Exchange, AIM: NETD) is a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems. The company's key products include the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP), Mobile EKP (mEKP), the Enterprise Assessment Platform (EAP) and the Enterprise Talent Platform (ETP).

NetDimensions products and services help companies deliver and manage corporate training, career development, assessment and certification programs, and help clients around the world address growing regulatory compliance needs.

Recognized as one of the top-rated learning technology suppliers in overall customer satisfaction, NetDimensions has been chosen by multinational organizations worldwide including ING, Cathay Pacific, Metropolitan Housing Partnership, Delphi Automotive, and Travelex.

NetDimensions is ISO 9001 certified and NetDimensions hosted services are ISO 27001 certified.

Enterprise Knowledge Platform and EKP are trademarks of NetDimensions Ltd. For more information, visit www.netdimensions.com

Enquiries

NetDimensions Robert Torio +852-2122-4500 info@netdimensions.com

SOURCE NetDimensions

Saturday, February 25, 2012

XONA MEDIA UNVEILS X-SUITE 5.9 FOR MOVIE KIOSKS.

XONA Media, San Francisco, developer of the world's only movie kiosk capable of both traditional disc retail as well as digital media downloads, has announced the release of X-Suite 5.0. This next generation management platform for movie and game kiosks offers an unparalleled set of comprehensive features to enable new operators to compete in the fast- growing DVD, game and digital movie kiosk markets.

Rapid Growth, New Challenges

Rentals from DVD kiosks have just surpassed Netflix while pushing former leaders Blockbuster and Hollywood Video into bankruptcy. Over 10,000 video stores have shuttered, shifting billions of dollars in movie rentals and tens of millions of customers to DVD kiosks and Netflix.

"The entire industry has been caught off guard by the success of automated DVD rental kiosks," said Pete Popcke, Chief Operating Officer of XONA Media. "In today's economic environment, consumers demand convenience and value -- and are increasingly dissatisfied with the old choices."

Turnkey Management Platform

Without the capabilities of X-Suite 5.0, entrepreneurs and operating companies could not effectively challenge national chains like Redbox and NCR. XONA Media's new X-Suite 5.0 software platform represents the next-generation, enterprise-class, full-featured software suite, providing both large and small operators with the industry-leading management tools to maintain real-time control of a dynamic retail network. Capabilities of XONA X-Suite 5.0:

Advanced, Web-based systems for remote diagnostics and robotics management Internet reservations of kiosk inventory Promo-code campaign management Email marketing and receipts to build customer loyalty

Full white label custom branding Support for advance subscription rental programs Digital media delivery and management Full lifecycle inventory management system and EZ Load tools for on-site disc handling 24/7 remote kiosk monitoring with automated notifications via email or SMS Comprehensive customer service tools and real-time performance reports Major movie trailers automatically downloaded and managed for overhead flat screen displays Advertising-ready digital signage

The release of X-Suite 5.0 complements XONA Media's breakthrough MK3, the world's first "hybrid" Entertainment Kiosk, an integrated solution capable of renting and selling physical disc DVDs, Blu-ray movies and games, as well as offering the fastest downloading of digital movies, TV shows, or other digital media.

About XONA Media

XONA Media is a privately held media technology and services company providing innovative systems to link brick-and-mortar retailers to the Web and bridge physical media and digital delivery formats. With a team of retail and media distribution experts from Hollywood Video, Sonic Solutions, DVD Play, Premier Retail Networks and Zoom Systems, XONA Media leverages consumer insights and future-forward technology to dramatically reduce the costs of retail operations while creating transformative consumer experiences.

For more information, visit http://www.xonamedia.com or call 888/966-9662.

What's in a Name -Or Two? Agencies Vow To Do Some Checking.

Federal regulators plan to keep closer tabs on banks that operate branches under different names.

The four agencies-the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Office of Thrift Supervision-issued a joint statement last week asking banks to disclose "clearly and conspicuously" that a branch is a unit of a particular institution but has a different name.

Otherwise, they said, customers could unwittingly deposit funds in two affiliated branches and potentially exceed the $100,000 limit covered by deposit insurance.

Roughly 50 U.S. banks have branches with different names, according to Bauer Financial Reports Inc. of Coral Gables, Fla. Among them are San Francisco-based Bank of America, which does business as Seafirst Bank in the Seattle area, and Cleveland-based Ohio Savings Bank, which operates its Florida branches as Amtrust Bank.

Though most banks having branches with other names make ownership clear, Marc J. Goldstrom, legal counsel with the FDIC, said the agencies are responding to the wave of mergers in recent years. Some acquirers, he said, are operating purchased banks as branches without changing their names.

"The typical scenario occurs after a merger when a larger bank for marketing reasons wants to keep a community bank's name to retain ties to the community," Mr. Goldstrom said.

Another concern is the Internet.

Detroit's Comerica Bank, for example, operates a virtual bank called AccessOne Bank System. And while only a handful of banks have virtual branches with different names, the agencies want to make sure that banks are up-front about the Internet branch affiliations as electronic banking becomes more popular.

But some customers are confused.

For example, Bauer Financial says customers have called for a rating of Amtrust-a branch of Ohio Savings-only to find out that the bank, technically, does not exist.

"I try to tell them that this is a branch with a totally different name, but you can imagine how hard that is to explain to some people," said Paul Bauer, the rating company's president.

Only a handful of states mandate that banks disclose when they operate branches under another name. One state that has taken action recently is Tennessee, where Tupelo, Miss.-based Bancorp South does business as Volunteer Bank.

Regulations are already in place in Tennessee requiring that branch signs disclose affiliations with a bank or banking company that operates under a different name.

Beginning May 28, those regulations will extend to advertising and documents such as checks and account statements, said Bill C. Houston, commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Financial Institutions. "Sometimes the wording on those signs was so small you couldn't even read it," Mr. Houston said.

The statement from the federal agencies recommends that the legal name of the insured institution also be displayed in signs, advertising, and in documents. The guidelines-which take effect July 1-are not mandatory. Mr. Goldstrom at the FDIC said it would be up to each agency to decide what to do if a bank fails to comply.

Banks, to this point, do not seem to be objecting to the guidelines. James D. McLaughlin, director of regulatory affairs at the American Bankers Association, said it was "reasonable" that the agencies would want to eliminate confusion.

But he said he was surprised by one provision that asks customers to sign waivers each time they open an account at a separately named branch. The guidelines require that customers sign the statements acknowledging that they are aware that the branch and other branches are part of the same institution and that deposits are not separately insured.

"That seems like an overabundance of paperwork," said Mr. McLaughlin. "Customers get a little annoyed when they have to sign their names too many times."

Copyright c 1998 American Banker, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.americanbanker.com

Obama's dubious plans; The false promise of big government.(OPED)

Byline: Armstrong Williams, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Every four years or so, American voters go to the polls to choose political leaders who enact public policies that shape and direct our nation's economy. Yet, the vast majority of Americans lack an analytical framework required to adequately evaluate the true impact that these policy decisions will have. While Americans may understand how much money they will get up front from tax relief or government assistance, the broader impact of the policies comes from the way they influence certain types of economic behavior in the future.

These secondary effects will have a much more fundamental impact on jobs, income and wealth creation than the immediate impact of the policies promised by politicians. To clarify things, perhaps we should look at a few of these proposed policies from the prospective of a student in Economics 101:

* Taxing the rich is a free ride for middle-class taxpayers: Sen. Barack Obama has promised voters that the government can raise money for social programs by increasing taxes on the rich. He defines rich as anyone making over $250,000 per year. While a person earning that amount does make more than 95 percent of other income earners, taxing them disproportionately might not necessarily create a larger government pot. Consider, for example, that most of the people in the top income class own businesses and derive their income from the sale of goods and services at a profit. If the government decides to tax their profits at a higher rate, they will earn less income and there will be less incentive for them to go into business.

Creating disincentives for business means that fewer businesses will hire employees, making jobs scarcer and reducing income among those who are able to find work. Fewer people working means people will spend less money, resulting in a decrease in taxes collected on the consumption of goods and services. Furthermore, people who earn less will save less, meaning less money available to financial institutions to fund middle-class investments like home purchases and business investments in capital used to expand companies and create more jobs.

* Universal health care should be a government responsibility: No matter what kind of health care program we have, universal coverage won't really happen. Universal coverage actually means in practice that the government rations health care. Under this system, those who need it most often can't get enough of it, and those who need it least get too much.

Currently, health care constitutes 15 percent of our GDP, and its' growth outpaces income. Other developed economies with so-called universal health coverage spend far less. Health-care costs amount to about 10 percent of GDP in Canada and Germany and 8 percent in the United Kingdom. What is it that these countries consistently do that we don't? Simply put, they ration health care. They do not call it rationing; but patients experience long waiting times in order to receive certain medical treatments, and some are declared ineligible for certain medical procedures.

That may not sound attractive, but we all face this reality in one way or another. That means your 80-year-old father with a heart condition will not receive life-saving bypass surgery in the U.K. unless he can pay the full cost out of pocket. He would receive it in the United States under most insurance plans currently in place. This begs the question of whether having marginal health insurance for everyone is worth signing over to the government the right to say who lives and who dies. In other words who gets to play God almighty with an individual's life-or-death crisis? Furthermore, and perhaps more compellingly, creating a single-payer system such as a government-administered health-care system may create, in effect, a regulated monopoly, much like, for example, the old AT&T telephone monopoly.

Under the old AT&T system, the government permitted AT&T to maintain its monopoly control over the telephone system. Anyone over 35 can remember a time when it took almost a month to get phone service installed, and long-distance calls cost a fortune. Now that the monopoly system has been dismantled, long-distance phone calls are practically free, and your phone gets turned on the minute you purchase the service. What a difference competition made in terms of fostering innovation and consumer choice. Without competition in the telecommunications industry, we would not have the single greatest driver of global wealth in the world today - the Internet.

These are only examples of the possible results of some of the policies that have been proposed by Mr. Obama viewed through the lens of economics. Of course, you will find economists who disagree with this analysis, and you may even consider the results of these policies as described to be a positive. But just the same, it's important to consider the lasting effects of the choice you're making before checking the ballot box next month.

Armstrong Williams' column for The Washington Times appears on Mondays.

LEGACY AT WORK SALE OF MIFFLIN STREET CO-OP STORE BENEFITS NEW OWNER AND CO-OP.(LOCAL)

Byline: BARRY ADAMS badams@madison.com 608-252-6148

*****

CORRECTION: A story on Page 1 of Friday's Local section should have said that the building that formerly housed the Mifflin Street Co-op and is now home to ABC for Health is at the corner of West Mifflin and North Bassett streets.

(correction published 10-20-07)

*****

The bulk grains, organic vegetables and soy milk have been absent from 32 N. Bassett St. for almost a year.

But the legacy of the Mifflin Street Co-op is helping the new tenant and likely will aid other community organizations in years to come.

The co-op's grocery store, founded in 1968, closed in December after almost 10 years without a profitable quarter and thousands of dollars of debt owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

In June, the co-op sold the two-story building at East Mifflin and North Bassett streets to ABC for Health, a nonprofit, public interest law firm dedicated to linking children and families to health-care benefits and services.

The $475,000 sale has allowed the co-op to pay off its $36,000 tax bill and reorganize. While it's unlikely a grocery will be in its future, the co-op, run by a nine-person board, is now a community investment organization.

"They've reorganized the co-op to shepherd the funds and are working to devise a system to use those funds for community projects," said the co-op's attorney, Scott Herrick, who calls the sale of the building to ABC for Health the co-op's first community project since the store's closing.

"The transaction was satisfying in that the co-op received fair economic value in the transaction, was able to support a good, valuable organization and that organization got a good building and paid an appropriate price," Herrick said.

Since ABC for Health bought the building in June, the 14-year-old statewide organization that had been housed at East Johnson and State streets, has spent about $75,000 to remodel the former grocery and the upstairs apartment into office space.

The former checkout area at the front the building is now a conference room, while the main grocery area was turned into offices. A former storage room in the back is a studio where training sessions streamed over the Internet are recorded and viewed by health-care industry professionals statewide.

The organization employs 18 people, with 12 of them law and undergraduate students, many of them who live in the immediate area.

"We're really pleased with the space and the location," said Bobby Peterson, ABC's founder and executive director. "The building has made the transition nicely from a grocery store to a public interest law firm."

It's not unusual for someone to stop by the office looking for groceries. The front awning still advertises groceries and the 28-foot high, 65-foot long mural showing the politics of food remains on the north side of the building.

Hidden inside the building are several other reminders of the buildings political past, which Peterson wants to preserve.

On a white interior brick wall in the back of the building, "Food for the Revolution" remains painted in red, although part of it was cut away for the installation of a doorway. Upstairs, old posters remain taped to the wall.

One of them pictures former Madison state Rep. David Clarenbach with the Rev. Jessie Jackson. Clarenbach served as the Democratic Assemblyman from the 78th District on Madison's East Side from 1975 to 1993.

The poster, likely from the late 1980s, calls for the boycott of Klein-Dickert's paint division, which went on strike in 1986. Employees of the Madison company later voted to decertify the union but the boycott continued.

"It's a landmark," Peterson said of the building which housed a grocery for more than 100 years. "It works really well for us."

CAPTION(S):

Photos by ANDY MANIS For the State Journal

Diane Vang, an administrative assistant with ABC For Health, a public

interest law firm that connects families with health care, works in the former

Mifflin Street Co-op. ABC for Health purchased the former grocery in June, and

the sale allowed the co-op to pay its tax bills and reorganize into a

community investment organization.

Brynne McBride and Bobby Peterson are attorneys at ABC For Health, which is

run out of the former home of the Mifflin Street Co-op.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Informative Graphics Releases Free MYRIAD 3D Reader.

Free 3D CAD Viewer for STL, 3D DWF, VRML, and Secure 3DF with Visual Rights[R]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Informative Graphics Corporation (IGC), a leader in content visualization, collaboration and secure publishing technology, announced today the release of its free MYRIAD[R] 3D Reader. MYRIAD 3D Reader is both a desktop application and an ActiveX component that can be embedded in other programs or run inside web pages in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Netscape.

IGC has included its Visual Rights[R] persistent security technology in the new MYRIAD product line. MYRIAD 8 Service Release 1 (releasing soon) allows users to publish 3D CAD models with added dimensions, cut away or cross section views and changed part colors, then publish to secure 3DF to control what reviewers can do with the model data. Visual Rights include hard or relative expiration dates, password protection and rights restrictions like measure, inside part viewing, printing and copying. Visual Rights are persistent with the model and utilize US export-approved data encryption.

The MYRIAD 3D Reader also opens 3D DWF models, STL files and static VRML CAD models. It can be used commercially for free; however, additional licensing may be required for bundling the MYRIAD 3D Reader into other fee-based software products/services. MYRIAD 3D Reader replaces our popular ModelPress Reader.

MYRIAD 3D Reader key features:

* Supports secure 3DF models published by MYRIAD 8 SR1 (releasing soon)

* Supports 3D DWF, STL and VRML (CAD-published) files

* Orbit, fly through, find part by name, identify part by selection, explode, cross section

* Full 3D measurements, approximate part volume, mass center and more

* ActiveX interface works with IE and Firefox/Netscape (additional download required)

* Simple interface

MYRIAD 3D Reader is available for immediate download at www.myriadviewer.com.

About Informative Graphics

Informative Graphics Corporation (IGC), founded in 1990, is a leading developer of commercial software products for content visualization, secure publishing and collaboration. IGC products are renowned for their cost-saving value, ease-of-use, features and scalability. Its products are deployed by hundreds of corporations, OEM partners and service providers worldwide. IGC maintains offices in the United States and partners with key distributors worldwide. The company maintains a Web site at www.infograph.com.

Note to Editors: Informative Graphics, Brava!, MYRIAD, Visual Rights and Net-It are registered trademarks of and Redact-It is a trademark of Informative Graphics Corporation. All other names are property of their respective owners.

Analex Starts Trading on American Stock Exchange; New Symbol Is 'NLX'.

Analex Corporation confirmed that its common stock will begin trading on the American Stock Exchange (Amex) today, under the symbol "NLX."

Analex executives, Jon Stout, Chairman, Sterling Phillips, President and CEO, and Ron Alexander, Chief Financial Officer, will attend opening ceremonies at the Amex, where they will ring the opening bell to celebrate the listing of the Company's common stock. Links to view this bell ringing ceremony live will be available starting at 9:20 a.m. (ET) on the Amex website, http://www.amex.com/.

Analex specializes in developing intelligence, systems engineering and biodefense solutions in support of our nation's security. Analex focuses on developing innovative technical solutions for the intelligence community, analyzing and supporting defense systems, designing, developing and testing aerospace systems and developing medical defenses and treatments for infectious agents used in biological warfare and terrorism. The Company's stock formerly traded on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board under the symbol ANLX. The Company can be found on the Internet at www.analex.com. Analex investor relations can be contacted at (703) 329-9400 or via email at amber.gordon@analex.com.

PLEASE NOTE: Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period by use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "expect," "could," "intend," "may" and other words of a similar nature. There are certain important factors and risks that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements contained herein. Such factors and risks include business conditions and growth in the medical research, pharmaceutical and government contracting arenas and in the economy in general. Competitive factors include the pressures toward consolidation of small government contracts into larger contracts awarded to major, multi-national corporations; and the Company's ability to continue to recruit and retain highly skilled scientific, technical, managerial and sales/marketing personnel. Other risks may be detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Analex undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: Amber Gordon and Sterling Phillips, both of Analex Corporation, +1-703-329-9400

Web site: http://www.analex.com/

Charge of the satellite brigade; Sales of satnav systems are soaring - but some could still raise their game.(Column)

Byline: DAVID WILLIAMS

IT WAS spooky. Heading for a rented cottage in a remote part of Exmoor, we had put our faith in the Volvo XC90's talk-youhome satellite navigation system. And, after following the verbal instructions for half an hour, the signs were not encouraging.

Forsaking the cottage owner's printed instructions, we veered off along a network of unmarked lanes zigzagging between fields and craggy moorland in the gathering evening gloom.

With mud covering the road and steep, slippery inclines we were glad to have the reassurance of four-wheeldrive.

Even gladder of the antilock braking and car-like handling when a deer broke cover and dashed across the road - now pitch black - silhouetted by the powerful Xenon headlights.

Consulting the road atlas was hopeless; it didn't even mark the obscure hamlet we were aiming for, nor the road we now found ourselves on.

Then - just as we were considering heading back to civilisation to follow the instructions after all - the blue triangle stopped moving across the illuminated navigation screen on the dashboard.

"In 250 metres you will arrive at your destination."

Oh yeah? There wasn't a building in sight.

We carried on until we were in a narrow lane utterly devoid of features other than two high hedges. The voice announced: "You have arrived at your destination."

And there, illuminated in the headlights, was a marker post at the roadside - bearing the name of the cottage.

It seemed to us at the time miraculous, although it was no easy job programming the address.

As with most satnav systems, you usually tap in the address. But, like many country locations, the cottage was so remote that the road had no name, making that impossible.

You can use the postcode, but as it only takes the first few digits, this narrows the address down to an impossibly wide area.

The next option is pretty neat: you "fly" a gun-sight crosshair across the electronic map with the cursor until it's over your destination, before hitting "enter". But it is difficult to narrow down precise locations and there is always the risk of directing yourself-into a boggy field. The last option is to enter latitude and longitude coordinates - but how do you find those?

The solution was a combination of low and high-tech.

I plotted the Ordnance Survey coordinates on a walking map (it was, after all, a hiking weekend) and entered the six-figure references into a helpful new website that the people in the OS press office told me about.

It transformed them into latitude and longitude, et voilc - the holiday cottage.

I put it to Volvo that it would be helpful if its system was OS-compatible in the first place; they said that in common with other manufacturers this would be no use outside the UK and as the cars are sold worldwide they need uniformity; hence lat and long.

CLEARLY, though, the market for satnav is growing exponentially in the UK; it should surely be big enough to be worth someone's while to develop software that uses co-ordinates we can all find with relative ease.

The Volvo is a fine piece of engineering and was ideal for our muddy, lads' weekend away, proving equally at home in fords and bogs as on the M4, and carrying a mountain of gear as well as a dog.

But even the [pounds sterling]33,085 SE version I was driving doesn't come with access to the internet - and that OS site.

Surely there's a gap in the market for some clever entrepreneur out there who can devise a solution that will tap into this growing market and revolutionise satnav in 2005?

Meantime, if you're fortunate enough to have a navigation system and you're heading out into the wilds, you can find that Ordnance Survey site at http://www.gps.gov.uk/ natgrid/introduction.asp.

Get your motor runnin'-

MIKE Seat's Choppers: Heavy Metal Art, published by Motorbooks, [pounds sterling]24.99, takes over where Raleigh and Easy Rider left off (writes Barney Waylen). Choppers are artistic and mechanical statements in the form of unique motorcycles, powered almost invariably by heavily modified Harley-Davidson engines, although they may never turn a wheel. Why and how they are made are explored.

Michael Lichter's excellent photographs allow you to see the diversity of the exquisite engineering, painting and design of the best, as well as their sheer elegance and beauty. You may love or loathe choppers, but keep an open mind until you've read this book.

Bzzz!

Keep your eyes on the road LOSING concentration? Not if you're in a Saab. The company is developing a safety system that monitors eye and head movements; if you are gazing in the wrong direction for more than two seconds a loud buzzer goes off. Ideal for pavement-life watchers in London.