QLD:Blame game may not be over: AMA

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2011
QLD:Blame game may not be over: AMA

Doctors are not so sure the new funding deal for public hospitals will end the blame game.

The Australian Medical Association has given general support to today's deal, under
which the states and territories agree that Canberra will fund up to 50 per cent of rising
public hospital costs from 2014-2015.

Under the agreement, the states will get $16.4 billion in the first six years.

AMA president Dr STEVE HAMBLETON says while the money is badly needed, the responsibilies
for public hospital funding are still divided, meaning the blame game is not entirely
gone.

AAP RTV mjf/tnf/wz

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS AMA (BRISBANE)

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

NSW:Family won't talk to police about attack

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2011
NSW:Family won't talk to police about attack

Police say they're disappointed that a family .. whose home was peppered with bullets
by two gunmen in Sydney's west .. are refusing to talk about the incident.

Five adults and two children were at the Auburn house when about six shots were fired
at it last night.

Detective Inspector SCOTT WHITE has said a person who lived at the house was involved
in an argument with a number of men out the front of the home just before the shooting.

Police are relying on information given to them by neighbours and .. at this stage
.. only know they're looking for two males .. last seen wearing white hooded shirts.

AAP RTV dmg/tr/nap

KEYWORD: SHOOTING (SYDNEY)

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

FED:War Memorial accepts 66th Aust VC medal

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2010
FED:War Memorial accepts 66th Aust VC medal

The Australian War Memorial has taken delivery of a Victoria Cross medal .. awarded
to Private HARRY DALZIEL for heroism during the battle of Hamel in World War One.

Businessman KERRY STOKES bought the medal at auction and it's now the third VC he's
donated to the memorial .. taking its collection to 66.

It'll now undergo a painstaking conservation process .. to prepare it for display in
the war memorial's renovated Hall of Valour next week.

A total of 97 VCs have been awarded to Australians.

AAP RTV mb/rl/tm

KEYWORD: VC (CANBERRA)

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

TAS:Suspicious package found in Hobart

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2010
TAS:Suspicious package found in Hobart

HOBART, Aug 9 AAP - Police have found a suspicious package in central Hobart, and have
closed off a major street.

The package was found at a bus stop outside a coffee shop on Liverpool Street shortly
before 11am (AEST) on Monday, police said.

They have closed the street to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Nearby businesses are being evacuated, and the bomb squad has been called.

AAP pbc/nl

KEYWORD: PACKAGE

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

Vic: Woman killed by truck, charges unlikely: police

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-2009
Vic: Woman killed by truck, charges unlikely: police

MELBOURNE, Dec 30 AAP - A truck driver who struck and killed a woman in Melbourne's
west is unlikely to be charged, police say.

The woman was hit at the corner of Geelong Road and Barkly Street in Footscray about
7.50am (AEDT) on Wednesday.

Paramedics attempted CPR on the woman, but she died at the scene, an Ambulance Victoria
spokeswoman said.

The truck driver was apparently turning right and had a green light when the woman
was hit, police said.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the driver was unlikely to be charged because he
did not break the law.

The identity of the woman is not yet known as she did not have any identification on her.

The woman's death takes Victoria's holiday road toll to 15. The annual road toll is
294, nine fewer than at the same time last year.



(EDS: National road toll figures are for the period 0001 December 18 to 2359 January
3. Some states and territories have different periods.)

AAP mi/gfr/ldj

KEYWORD: TOLL VIC UPDATE

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

Fed: Five more officers heading to Afghanistan

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2009
Fed: Five more officers heading to Afghanistan

Five federal police officers are heading to Afghanistan to support local police during
this week's national elections.

Home Affairs Minister BRENDAN O'CONNOR has told ABC radio .. it's another element of
Australia's support for Afghanistan.

It's the last day of campaigning before 17 million voters go to the polls on Thursday
to elect a president for only the second time in the country's history.

HAMID KARZAI .. who's ruled Afghanistan since the US-led invasion overthrew the Taliban
regime eight years ago .. is the frontrunner.

AAP RTV rl/jmt

KEYWORD: AFGHAN AUST AFP (CANBERRA)

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

Tas: Man dies in tractor rollover

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2009
Tas: Man dies in tractor rollover

A man's dead after he was crushed by a tractor on a farm in Tasmania's northeast.

Police say the man was slashing grass .. when tractor hit a tree stump on a steep slope
and overturned on a farm east of Bridport.

AAP RTV jrd/wz

KEYWORD: TRACTOR (HOBART)

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

Vic: Man jailed for 17-and-a-half years over cabbie murder

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2008
Vic: Man jailed for 17-and-a-half years over cabbie murder

Eds: Reissuing to correct dateline



MELBOURNE, Dec 3 AAP - A Melbourne man has been sentenced to more than 17 years jail
for the murder of a taxi driver who was crushed to death by his own cab.

Eyyub Bayram Zaim, 23, of Broadmeadows, was found guilty of murdering Rajneesh Joga,
27, as he tried to force him from his taxi on August 8, 2006.

He was charged with murder based on unintentional killing in the course of a crime of violence.

Mr Joga was hanging outside his cab when he was crushed between the car door and a
tree in suburban Donvale, causing him fatal injuries.

The court was told Zaim was high on methamphetamine and the incident was the culmination
of a seven-hour crime spree.

He had hailed down Mr Joga's taxi after the tyres of a car he had stolen blew out during
a police chase in which he ran through two red lights.

In sentencing, Justice David Harper said Zaim was "entirely reckless" for Mr Joga's safety.

"Your violence towards him was a conscious, voluntary and deliberate act," he said.

Mr Harper said taxi drivers deserved protection given they were more exposed to danger
than most people.

Zaim was sentenced to 17-and-half years jail with a minimum of 14 years and six months.

He has already spent more than two years in custody.

AAP mi/gfr/imc/bwl

KEYWORD: ZAIM (REISSUING)

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

SA: Man arrested with LSD taped to his legs

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2008
SA: Man arrested with LSD taped to his legs

ADELAIDE, April 30 AAP - An Adelaide man has been arrested at Darwin airport with thousands
of tabs of the hallucinogenic drug LSD taped to his legs, police say.

A search of the 23-year-old revealed that as well as the 2,000 LSD tabs, he was also
found with 950 ecstasy tablets and almost 52 grams of amphetamine, police allege.

A drug-detecting dog reacted to the man about 2am (CST) today as he tried to depart
Darwin for an undisclosed location, Northern Territory police said.

The man was arrested by police and was expected to be charged later today, said police,
who estimated the total street value of the drugs to be more than $100,000.

AAP sl/jm/sp

KEYWORD: LSD

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

QLD: Moti faces child sex charge today in Brisbane court

AAP General News (Australia)
12-28-2007
QLD: Moti faces child sex charge today in Brisbane court

BRISBANE, Dec 28 AAP - Sacked Solomon Islands attorney-general Julian Moti will face
Brisbane Magistrates Court today charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in Vanuatu in
1997.

Moti, 42, an Australian citizen, was arrested at Brisbane airport last night following
his deportation from Honiara.

He was taken into custody at the Brisbane Watch House where he was charged with engaging
in sexual intercourse with a person who is under 16, an Australian Federal Police (AFP)
statement said.

"(Moti) was remanded in custody to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on December
28," the AFP said.

"The maximum penalty for this offence is 17 years imprisonment."

The Australian lawyer was deported from Honiara yesterday after being sacked as the
Solomons attorney-general on the weekend by new prime minister Derek Sikua.

The Fiji-born lawyer denies the charges, saying they were dismissed in a Vanuatu court
and revived by Australian authorities to prevent him becoming attorney-general.

Moti has been protected in the Solomons by his friend Manasseh Sogavare, who was prime
minister until earlier this month when he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence
vote.

The new Sikua government quickly moved to finalise Moti's deportation and is keen to
improve relations with Canberra, which were severely strained under Sogavare.

Moti escaped extradition from Papua New Guinea to Australia in October last year when
he skipped bail after being arrested while in transit to the Solomons.

He hid in the Solomons High Commission in Port Moresby before being whisked away on
a PNG military flight to the Solomons.

His escape flight soured Canberra's relations with PNG's Prime Minister Michael Somare,
who denied sanctioning the flight, though a PNG Defence Force inquiry found he ordered
it.

Earlier this week, the PNG government banned Moti from returning to PNG, indicating
Somare wanted no more trouble over the fugitive lawyer.

AAP pc/it

KEYWORD: SOLOMONS MOTI DAYLEAD

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

NSW: Two injured in seven-car freeway smash

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2007
NSW: Two injured in seven-car freeway smash

EDS: Clarifies number of vehicles involved on updated police information.

SYDNEY, Aug 20 AAP - Police are investigating a seven-vehicle pile-up on the freeway
between Sydney and Newcastle, in which two people were injured.

About 7.15pm (AEST) yesterday, three vehicles, including a Ford sedan, a Toyota station
wagon and a Holden sedan, crashed about 2 km south of the Mooney Mooney Bridge.

They all pulled over into the breakdown lane but then a Mitsubishi sedan and a semi-trailer
collided, causing the Mitsubishi to careen into the Ford and Toyota.

A Ford station wagon also lost control and crashed into the centre railing.

During this collision the driver of another Ford sedan, a 43-year-old Patonga man who
had stepped out of his car was struck by an unknown vehicle.

He was taken to Gosford Hospital with a fractured femur.

A passenger in the Mitsubishi sedan, a 47-year-old Horseshoe Bend woman, was taken
to Royal North Shore Hospital, where she was treated for bleeding of the spleen and a
small brain hemorrhage.

Two other drivers were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital with minor injuries but
have since been released.

The freeway was closed northbound until after 9pm while police investigated.

Witnesses are urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

AAP sk/rs

KEYWORD: CRASH DAYLEAD

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

Fed: Homebuyers gain reprieve on interest rates

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2007
Fed: Homebuyers gain reprieve on interest rates

CANBERRA, April 4 AAP - Homebuyers and the government can breathe a sigh of relief
after the central bank decided to leave interest rates unchanged after yesterday's monthly
board meeting.

But the reprieve could prove shortlived with financial markets betting on a rise in
May if inflation figures on April 24 show that last year's rate increases have failed
to dampen price pressures.

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Assistant Governor Malcolm Edey said last month that
the outlook for inflation was "higher than ideal" and that "some of the factors pushing
up underlying inflation last year remain in place".

Since then economic data has been strong with demand for credit and retail spending
accelerating, and unemployment remaining around a 30-year low.

As is its practice when leaving interest rates unchanged, the RBA did not release a
formal statement on its rate decision.

An interest rate rise on May 2 would come just a week before federal Treasurer Peter
Costello is due to hand down his 2007/08 budget.

Interest rates have risen four times since the 2004 election, a poll won by the coalition
on the promise of keeping interest rates low.

AAP cb/mfh/evt/de

KEYWORD: RATES

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

NSW: Three teenagers charged over assault of off-duty police

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2006
NSW: Three teenagers charged over assault of off-duty police

SYDNEY, Dec 3 AAP - Three Sydney teenagers have been charged after assaulting a group
of off-duty police in central Sydney, leaving one of them in a coma.

Words were allegedly exchanged between the three officers and a group of six men on
Bathurst Street, near the intersection with George Street, around 1am (AEDT) this morning.

An 18-year-old Forestville man then punched one of the off-duty constables in the face,
knocking him unconscious as he fell heavily to the ground, police said.

A 17-year-old Chatswood boy and an 18-year-old Ryde man also allegedly assaulted the
other two officers.

The 24-year-old constable was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and was in a critical
condition in an induced coma.

Nearby police saw the incident and arrested the Chatswood boy and the Ryde men.

They have been charged with common assault and have been granted conditional bail to
appear at Bidura Children's Court and Downing Centre Local Court on January 11.

The Forestville man was arrested in his home suburb at 1pm (AEDT) today.

He was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm and granted conditional bail to
appear at Downing Centre Local Court on January 10.

AAP sk/wjf/cjh/de

KEYWORD: OFFDUTY

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

SA: Rann vows to push ahead with constitutional reform

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2006
SA: Rann vows to push ahead with constitutional reform

South Australian Premier MIKE RANN has vowed to press ahead with constitutional reform.

He says he'll honour a post-election promise to hold a referendum on the future of
the upper house of parliament at the next state poll in 2010.

Mr RANN says that will give voters the opportunity to call for the abolition of the
Legislative Council or its reform .. reducing the terms of councillors from eight to four
years .. and cutting the number of MPs.

He says that will give South Australians the chance to approve the biggest constitutional
reform in Australia since 1922 .. when Queensland abolished its upper house.

AAP RTV tjd/ibw

KEYWORD: PARLYSA (ADELAIDE)

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

Fed: Honey makes dialysis sweeter for renal failure patients

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2005
Fed: Honey makes dialysis sweeter for renal failure patients

By Janelle Miles, National Medical Correspondent

BRISBANE, Aug 25 AAP - Honey is mentioned in the Bible, the Koran and the Torah as
being used for healing purposes.

Now, Australian researchers have found it's just as effective as an antibiotic cream
to prevent infections when applied to catheter sites in kidney dialysis patients.

Kidney specialist David Johnson said honey also had an advantage over the commonly-used
antibiotic ointment, mupirocin, in that hospital "superbugs" had not developed resistance
to it.

Nephrologists, like Professor Johnson, have been concerned that bugs such as Staphylococcus
aureus, commonly known as Golden staph, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have
developed resistance to mupirocin.

"Honey covers a broader spectrum of bugs. It covers bacteria and fungi as well as many
super-resistant bugs like VRE and Golden staph," said Prof Johnson, of Brisbane's Princess
Alexandra Hospital.

"There are no documented cases of honey-resistant bacteria."

Prof Johnson and colleagues compared a specially-formulated honey, sold as Medihoney,
with mupirocin cream applied to catheter sites in patients with renal failure undergoing
haemodialysis.

They randomly selected 101 patients between February 2002 and July 2004 at the PA Hospital,
where Prof Johnson is director of renal medicine.

Half of the patients were treated with the Medihoney and half were given the standard
treatment with the antibiotic cream.

The treatment was applied three times a week - every time they came to the hospital for dialysis.

Patients on both treatments recorded less than one infection per 1,000 catheter days.

"We found that honey was actually as effective as the mupirocin and was safe and well
tolerated but it didn't induce any microbial resistance whereas mupirocin does," Prof
Johnson said.

The results of the trial, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology,
prompted the hospital's renal unit, after consultation with infectious disease specialists,
to switch to Medihoney.

"Before we changed over to Medihoney we had already started to see a few treatment
failures where we had applied the mupirocin ointment," Prof Johnson said.

"In those cases, we got a bloodstream infection because of bugs that had become resistant
to the antibiotic.

"Our concern would be that if we had kept going with the antibiotic ointment, ultimately
it would end up being ineffective, like most other antibiotics when the bugs become resistant
to them."

Prof Johnson said he'd been told other renal units throughout Australia, the United
States and Europe had also switched to the honey.

He expected the Medihoney would prove equally effective in other people requiring catheters
such as cancer sufferers receiving chemotherapy and patients who require fluids to be
administered intravenously.

"I believe that there are several intensive care units that are looking at this," Prof
Johnson said.

He said catheter-associated bloodstream infections among dialysis patients were extremely
serious.

"Every time someone gets a bloodstream infection, they're in hospital at least a couple
of weeks, costing about $2,000 per episode for hospitalisation and antibiotics," Prof
Johnson said.

"Five per cent of such patients then get serious infections of their heart valves and
about seven and a half per cent get serious infections of the spinal cord."

Prof Johnson said infection rates were much lower in renal failure patients who had
undergone surgery to join an artery and a vein in their arm, giving them permanent dialysis
access and eliminating the need for a catheter.

But he said around 16 per cent of kidney dialysis patients across Australia required
temporary dialysis catheters.

"The reality is, because access surgery is extremely limited these days (because of
long, surgical waiting lists in the public hospital sector), about 70 per cent of new
patients will have a catheter," Prof Johnson said.

He said Medihoney, also used to treat ulcers in diabetic patients to promote wound
healing, cost around $15 a tube, similar in price to mupirocin cream.

One tube lasts several months per patient.

Medihoney, produced by a Brisbane-based company, contains a blend of honeys selected
for their antibacterial activity, such as those derived from flowers of Australia's Leptospermum
tree.

Prof Johnson, from the Renal Medicine Department at the University of Queensland, warned
people against using honey out of the cupboard.

"You can't just take the honey out of the pantry and stick it on a wound," he said.

"Medihoney is specially treated to remove bacterial spores."

Medihoney Pty Ltd is a subsidiary of Capilano Honey Ltd, listed on the Bendigo Stock Exchange.

Prof Johnson plans a multi-centre trial of the honey among renal dialysis patients
in hospitals around Australia and New Zealand.

AAP jhm/jt/de

KEYWORD: KIDNEYS (PIX AVAILABLE) (AAP NEWSFEATURE)

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

NSW: Former minister to be sentenced today

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2004
NSW: Former minister to be sentenced today

A former New South Wales minister is to be sentenced today after he admitted lying
to the state's corruption watchdog.

RICHARD FACE has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Independent Commission
Against Corruption and now faces a maximum penalty of $5,000 or 12 months in jail.

He says he was under severe stress at the time and he panicked.

Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court has been told FACE wrote to the commission denying
allegations he used ministerial staff to help set up the consultancy he began after stepping
down as gaming and racing minister.

But at a commission hearing in November 2003 FACE conceded he did not tell the truth.

He'll be sentenced today by Magistrate PAT O'SHANE.

AAP RTV jb/wjf

KEYWORD: FACE (SYDNEY)

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Get Into Bed With the World's Most Expensive Pillow! $2,300 Eiderdown Pillows Also Make Ideal June Wedding Gifts.

LA CROSSE, Wis., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Is it a pillow -- or is it an investment?

People will be talking about what you do in bed when they learn that you're sleeping with what is believed to be the world's most expensive pillow.

Introducing a brand-new creation from The Company Store, its luxurious $2,300 eiderdown pillow (in king size), made with the coveted and scarce down of the Arctic Circle's eider duck. See http://www.thecompanystore.com.

Eiderdown, the finest down in the world, is "so light and soft -- so sinfully luxurious -- your friends and neighbors will have 'pillow envy,'" says David Pipkorn, pillow pundit and vice president of manufacturing for The Company Store, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, leading manufacturers and marketers of sleep-comfort products, including down comforters, pillows and featherbeds.

These limited edition bedroom masterpieces, the first eiderdown pillows in The Company Store's 88-year history, are hand-crafted by its skilled custom-shop seamstresses using the finest materials available, including an indescribably smooth cover of 100 percent unbleached, 435-thread count silk, woven in Germany.

Eider ducks line their nests with their own down to provide the ultimate in warmth and comfort for their offspring. The down, the finest in the world, is harvested from coastal and island eider duck colonies after the eggs have hatched and the nests have been abandoned.

Iceland, where the eider ducks are a protected species, is the world's largest source of eiderdown. Many of Iceland's coastal farmers also provide eider ducks with nesting boxes and protection from predators.

The Company Store's Pipkorn says eiderdown pillows make thoughtful wedding presents for brides and grooms in June -- and throughout the year.

For those on tighter budgets, he points out that The Company Store offers a queen size eiderdown pillow, priced at $2,000, or a standard size eiderdown pillow, priced at only $1,800.

Pipkorn cautions that there could be "a bit of a 'down'side" to ownership of eiderdown pillows:

-- It is not advisable to use them in pillow fights.

-- If you buy an eiderdown pillow for yourself, you're probably going to

have to buy one for your spouse.

-- Your relatives will think you've come into money, and will expect you

to pick up the tab at fancy restaurants.

If you prefer to spend substantially less for a superb pillow, Pipkorn suggests the king-size European polar white goose down pillow listed in The Company Store catalog for $99, a tidy savings of $2,201 over the eiderdown version.

Either way, he says, "You'll sleep like a millionaire."

The Company Store, located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is a major home furnishings and home fashions company, and manufacturer of quality down products, which it markets, along with related brand-name products, through direct mail catalogs and the Internet, at http://www.thecompanystore.com.

It is a supporter of the non-profit National Sleep Foundation in Washington, DC, and a sponsor of the foundation's National Sleep Awareness Week.

The Company Store is a division of Hanover Direct, Inc., a leading specialty direct marketer of branded merchandise to consumers through a portfolio of catalog and E-commerce platforms.

Getloaded Freight Matching Service Updates Website.

Getloaded launches an enhanced website to help users move freight and keep up with industry demands.

The Company reported that nationwide freight levels are fluctuating and experts are predicting driver shortages, creating more pressure on transportation professionals to connect to available loads and carriers. Not only are freight and available trucks on Getloaded at an all-time high, the new site makes ease of use a top priority and provides the efficiency necessary at every level of operations.

"Transportation professionals rely on Getloaded to help them stay on top in the trucking industry," says Jon Stier, director of sales and marketing at Getloaded. "By quickly and efficiently presenting the information needed, our new site simplifies and streamlines the user experience at every touchpoint."

"As the easiest-to-use Internet load board, we take our role and responsibility seriously and are proud to provide our members the most value for their money," said Stier.

Getloaded serves owner-operators, shippers, freight forwarders and brokers with customizable memberships designed to address their specific business goals.

More Information:

www.GetLoaded.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

-Tampa Marriott Westshore Announces Offers for Meeting Planners.

Travel Business Review-June 28, 2011--Tampa Marriott Westshore Announces Offers for Meeting Planners(C)2011] ENPublishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk

Travel Business Review - 28 June 2011

Tampa Marriott Westshore, a hotel in Tampa, Florida, US, and a property of Marriott International, Inc (NYSE: MAR), has announced an offer for guests who book meetings or events at the hotel.

Guests booking and holding their meetings between July 1, and September 11, 2011, will be offered complimentary AM or PM Break, self parking, complimentary Internet access, and a complimentary room night with bookings of 30 room nights.

[Editorial queries for this story should be sent to tbr@enpublishing.co.uk]

((Distributed via M2 Communications - http://www.m2.com)).END.PUB430>PDJune 28, 2011>JNTRAVEL BUSINESS REVIEW.PRICEDATENOT APPLICABLE.DAY

Market Maker Surveillance Report. XLE, CMCSA, SYMC, USB, CLF, VZ, Bullishly Biased Price Friction For Wednesday, June 8th 2011.

M2 PRESSWIRE-June 9, 2011-BUYINS.NET: Market Maker Surveillance Report. XLE, CMCSA, SYMC, USB, CLF, VZ, Bullishly Biased Price Friction For Wednesday, June 8th 2011(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

RDATE:09062011

BUYINS.NET / www.buyins.net, announced today its proprietary Market Maker Friction Factor Report for Wednesday. Since October 2008 market makers are now required to be on the bid as much as they are on the offer and for like amounts of stock. This Fair Market Making Requirement is designed to prevent market makers from manipulating stock prices. On Wednesday there were 2400 companies with "abnormal" market making, 1300 companies with positive Friction Factors and 3994 companies with negative Friction Factors. Here is a list of the top companies with Abnormal Price Friction (bullish bias) in their stock prices. This means that there was more selling than buying in the stocks and their stock prices rose. ENERGY SELECT SECTOR SPDR (NYSE:XLE), COMCAST CORP-CLASS A (NASDAQ:CMCSA), SYMANTEC CORP (NASDAQ:SYMC), US BANCORP (NYSE:USB), CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES INC (NYSE:CLF), VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC (NYSE:VZ). To access Friction Factor, Naked Short Data and SqueezeTrigger Prices on all stocks please visit http://www.buyins.net .

Market Maker Friction Factor is shown in the chart below:

Symbol Change Percent Buy Volume Buy %% Sell Volume Sell %% Net Volume Friction

XLE $0.140 0.19% 4,919,546 18.88% 7,404,284 28.41% -2,484,738 Abnormal

CMCSA $0.200 0.82% 7,062,634 43.74% 8,873,101 54.96% -1,810,467 Abnormal

SYMC $0.120 0.64% 5,066,270 36.71% 8,733,169 63.28% -3,666,899 Abnormal

USB $0.280 1.17% 2,899,226 22.53% 4,762,543 37.01% -1,863,317 Abnormal

CLF $0.100 0.12% 3,582,872 26.43% 4,559,678 33.63% -976,806 Abnormal

VZ $0.540 1.54% 4,877,860 25.27% 6,119,547 31.70% -1,241,687 Abnormal

Analysis of the Friction Factor chart above shows that each of the six stocks mentioned above had more selling than buying on Wednesday and their stock prices rose. The Friction Factor displays how many more shares of buying than selling are required to move a stock higher by one cent or how many more shares of selling than buying moves a stock lower by 1 cent.

For example, the chart above shows XLE with 2,484,738 greater shares of selling than buying (NetVol) and the stock price was up $0.14000. This means the Market Makers were trading the stock in a way inconsistent with normal supply and demand (Economics 101); more selling than buying should cause prices to drop.

ENERGY SELECT SECTOR SPDR (NYSE:XLE) - ENERGY SELECT SPD

COMCAST CORP-CLASS A (NASDAQ:CMCSA) - Comcast Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides consumer entertainment, information, and communication products and services to the residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Cable and Programming. The Cable segment manages and operates cable systems, including video, high-speed Internet, and phone services, as well as regional sports and news networks. Its video services include analog, digital, on demand, and high-definition television and/or digital video recorders. This segments high-speed Internet service consists of an interactive portal, Comcast.net, which provides multiple email addresses and online storage, as well as various proprietary content, and value-added features and enhancements. Its phone services include voice over Internet protocol digital phone service that provides local and domestic long-distance calling with various features, such as voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting services. The Programming segment operates national programming networks consisting of E!, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, and Style. The company also develops and operates Internet businesses focused on entertainment, information, and communication, including Comcast.net, Fancast, thePlatform, Fandango, Plaxo, and DailyCandy; and owns two professional sports teams and a multipurpose arena, as well as provides facilities management services, including food services, for sporting events, concerts, and other events. As of December 31, 2009, Comcast Corporation served approximately 23.6 million video customers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.6 million phone customers, as well as approximately 50.6 million homes in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1969 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

SYMANTEC CORP (NASDAQ:SYMC) - Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions to secure and manage information. It operates in four segments: Consumer, Security and Compliance, Storage and Server Management, and Services. The Consumer segment provides Internet security and protection solutions, suites, and services to individual users and home offices. The Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for enterprise security, system management, and software-as-a-service. The Storage and Server Management segment focuses on providing storage management, high availability, and backup and recovery solutions in heterogeneous storage and server platforms to enterprise customers. The Services segment offers consulting services, which include advisory, product enablement, and residency services to enable customers to assess, design, transform, and operate their infrastructure; education services, including programs on technical training and security awareness training; and business critical services. It also provides managed security services, managed endpoint protection services, and managed backup services. In addition, the company offers maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support to enterprises; and self-help online services, phone, chat, email support, and fee-based premium support and diagnostic services to consumers. Symantec Corporation markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. It has operations in the Americas, which include the United States, Canada, and Latin America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and the Asia Pacific Japan. Symantec Corporation was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

US BANCORP (NYSE:USB) - U.S. Bancorp, a financial bank holding company, provides various banking and financial services in the United States. It generates various deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market savings, and time certificates of deposit accounts. The company originates a portfolio of loans comprising commercial loans and lease financing; commercial real estate; residential mortgage; and retail loans, including credit card, retail leasing, home equity and second mortgages, and other retail loans. It also offers wholesale lending, equipment finance, small-ticket leasing, depository, treasury management, capital markets, foreign exchange, and international trade services to middle market, large corporate, commercial real estate, and public sector clients. In addition, U.S. Bancorp provides telebanking, online banking, direct mail, and automated teller machine (ATM) services. The company, through other subsidiaries, provides trust, private banking, financial advisory, investment management, retail brokerage services, insurance, and custody and mutual fund services; and payment services, including consumer and business credit cards, stored-value cards, debit cards, corporate and purchasing card services, consumer lines of credit, ATM processing, and merchant processing. U.S. Bancorp primarily serves individuals, estates, foundations, business corporations, and charitable organizations. As of November 12, 2010, it operated 3,013 bank branches and 5,323 ATMs. U.S. Bancorp was formerly known as Firstar Corporation and changed its name on February 28, 2001. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES INC (NYSE:CLF) - Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a mining and natural resources company, produces iron ore pellets, lump and fines iron ore, and metallurgical coal. The company operates six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota, and Eastern Canada; and two coking coal mines in West Virginia and Alabama. It also owns two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia; a coking and thermal coal mine located in Queensland, Australia; and a Brazilian iron ore project in Latin America. The company, formerly known as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc, was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC (NYSE:VZ) - Verizon Communications Inc. provides communication services. The company operates through two segments, Domestic Wireless and Wireline. The Domestic Wireless segment offers wireless voice and data services; and sells equipment in the United States. The Wireline segment provides voice, Internet access, broadband video and data, Internet protocol network, network access, long distance, and other services in the United States and internationally. The company serves consumer, business, and government customers, as well as carriers. As of December 31, 2010, its network covered a population of approximately 292 million and provided service to a customer base of approximately 94.1 million. The company was formerly known as Bell Atlantic Corporation and changed its name to Verizon Communications Inc. in June 2000. Verizon Communications Inc. was founded in 1983 and is based in New York, New York.

About BUYINS.NET

BUYINS.NET, www.buyins.net , monitors trading in all US stocks in real time and maintains massive databases of short sale and naked short sale time and sales data, short squeeze SqueezeTrigger prices, market maker price movements, shareholder data, statistical data on earnings, sector correlation, seasonality, hedge fund trading strategies, comparable valuations. Reports include:

REGULATORY & COMPLIANCE NEWS

Friction Factor -- market maker surveillance system tracking Level II market makers in all stocks to determine Price Friction and compliance with new "Fair Market Making Requirements"

RegSHO Naked Shorts -- tracks EVERY failure to deliver in all US stocks and tracks all Threshold Security Lists daily for which stocks have naked shorts that are not in compliance with Regulation SHO

INVESTMENTS & TRADING

SqueezeTrigger -- 29 billion cell database tracks EVERY short sale (not just total short interest) in all US stocks and calculates volume weighted price that a short squeeze will begin in each stock.

Earnings Edge -- predicts probability, price move and length of move before and after all US stock earnings reports.

Seasonality -- predicts probability, price move and length of move based on exact time of year for all US stocks.

Group Trader -- tracks sector rotation and stock correlation to its sector and predicts future moves in ALL sectors and industry groups.

Pattern Scan -- automates tracking of every technical pattern and predicts time and size of move in all stocks.

GATS (Global Automated Trading System) -- tracks all known trading strategies and qualifies and quantifies which are working best in real time.

DISCLAIMER:

BUYINS.NET is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained in any materials should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. BUYINS.NET has not been compensated by any of the above mentioned companies. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please visit our web site, www.buyins.net , for complete risks and disclosures.

Contact:

BUYINS.NET

Thomas Ronk

800-715-9999

tom@buyins.net

www.buyins.net

((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

IU TO CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARING ON TUITION, FEES.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The following information was released by Indiana University - Bloomington:

The Indiana University Board of Trustees will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, May 31, to hear student and public comment on proposed tuition and fees to be set for all IU campuses for the next two academic years.

The hearing will get under way at 8 a.m. in Room 450A of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Campus Center, 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, Ind., 46202. The public also will be able to view the proceedings live on the Internet at http://broadcast.iu.edu.

IU officials will outline proposed tuition and fee rates for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years and describe how these revenues will be used to maintain and improve academic quality. Members of the public in attendance who wish to ask questions or make comments will be given up to three minutes to address the board.

The public also may address the board via e-mails during the forum. The e-mail address for submitting a question or comment is tuition@indiana.edu.

Following the hearing, trustees will convene at 9 a.m. in the same location to deliberate and consider approval of the proposed tuition and fee rate schedule. A detailed chart showing recommended increases for all graduate and undergraduate programs at all campuses can be viewed at http://www.indiana.edu/~tuition/documents/Indiana University_Proposed Fees_FY12_FY13.pdf.

At the IU Bloomington campus, the recommendation is for a 3.5 percent increase in tuition in each of the next two years for undergraduate students who are Indiana residents.

For in-state undergraduate students at IUPUI and IU's five regional campuses at Gary, Kokomo, New Albany, Richmond and South Bend, the recommendation is for a 2.5 percent increase for each of the next two years.

These recommendations are consistent with the tuition targets set by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

In addition to the tuition increases, IU President Michael A. McRobbie is recommending that IU charge a temporary fee to help cover the cost of necessary repair work and ongoing maintenance costs for IU's 900 buildings and associated infrastructure.

Over the past decade, the state has funded only about 20 percent of what the state's formula provides for maintenance at IU, and this funding shortfall has resulted in a backlog totaling more than $600 million on IU's seven campuses. In the new state budget for the 2011-13 biennium, the General Assembly for the first time included no funding for repair and maintenance needs for public universities.

For that reason, McRobbie said, IU has no choice but to seek a temporary fee to finance critical maintenance needs that can no longer be deferred. He noted that many other colleges and universities already charge such a fee for repair and maintenance of facilities.

"Many of our buildings are very old, some over 100 years old, and we must make significant investments in repair and maintenance projects to ensure their continued use," McRobbie said. "Other buildings the state has invested in at IU also contain expensive and highly complex laboratory and research equipment. We have a responsibility to protect these investments.

"Every homeowner understands that regular repairs and proper maintenance are essential to avoid paying far higher costs later if such repairs are put off. The same is true of the buildings and infrastructure that the state has entrusted to Indiana University. We simply cannot ignore the work that is necessary to keep our buildings safe and in good repair."

At IU Bloomington, McRobbie is recommending a temporary repair and maintenance fee of $180 per full-time student in the 2011-12 academic year and $360 the following year. At IUPUI, the temporary fee would be $160 per full-time student the first year and $320 the second year, while full-time students at the regional campuses would pay $60 the first year and $120 the second year.

The combined increase of tuition plus the repair and maintenance fee at IU Bloomington would be 5.5 percent in 2011-12 and 5.4 percent in 2012-13. At IUPUI, it would be 4.5 percent in 2011-12 and 4.4 percent in 2012-13, and at the regional campuses, 3.5 percent in 2011-12 and 3.4 percent in 2012-13.

Non-resident students at IU Bloomington would see tuition increase by 6 percent in each of the next two years. The combined increase, including the repair and maintenance fee, would bring the increase to a total of 6.7 percent in 2011-12 and 6.6 percent in 2012-13.

All revenue from the new fee will be sequestered and used only for needed repair and maintenance projects. Because the backlog has grown so large, funding for these projects also will be drawn from reserve accounts and from savings achieved from administrative overhead reductions.

McRobbie said that while he attempted to keep the tuition increases as low as possible, they are needed to cover significant increases in operating costs facing the university next year. These include a $10 million increase for employee health care and a $6 million increase in utility costs. At the same time, IU over the past three years has seen its level of state operating support drop by $38 million, or nearly 8 percent.

Over the past two years, IU has cut its base operating costs by $29.3 million, and just this week announced that it will close the School of Continuing Studies, at a savings of up to $4 million, and transfer those students into other schools with similar course offerings.

"We have seen significant reductions in state revenues over the past few years, and we have attempted to absorb them by making our administrative processes leaner and more efficient," McRobbie said. "We have been successful at that. However, we cannot cover all our anticipated needs by continuing to reduce administrative costs. To maintain our academic quality and fully serve the needs of our growing student population, these recommended tuition increases also are needed."

Emeritus Corporation Announces Acquisition of 24 Assisted Living Communities.

SEATTLE -- Emeritus Corporation (NYSE: ESC), (the "Company") a national provider of senior living services, today announced that the Company has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Advisors ("Blackstone") to acquire 24 assisted living communities comprised of approximately 1,867 units.

The 24 communities are currently owned by a joint venture comprised of Emeritus and Blackstone in which the Company owns a 19% interest and Blackstone an 81% interest. The Company has been operating these communities since late 2006 under management agreements for a fee equal to 5% of collected revenues.

"We have operated these communities under a management agreement that incentivized us to improve operations - that incentive represents a significant portion of the equity required to complete this purchase transaction," noted Dan Baty, Emeritus Chairman. "We are pleased that the joint venture with Blackstone has proven to be so successful, and we look forward to delivering similar results on the much larger Sunwest portfolio of 144 communities."

The net purchase price to acquire Blackstone's 81% interest in the joint venture is expected to approximate $99.0 million. This purchase price is based on a total portfolio value of $310.0 million, which is expected to be financed with mortgage debt of approximately $220.0 million, approximately $40.0 million in cash on hand, excluding acquisition and financing costs, and the balance from the Company's final equity interests in the joint venture representing the Company's 19% interest in the joint venture and the promote structure incentive based on the final rate of return to the joint venture members.

Final closing of the transaction is subject to routine closing conditions normal for an acquisition of this nature.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Emeritus Corporation is a national provider of senior living services. Emeritus is one of the largest and most experienced operators of freestanding assisted living communities located throughout the United States. These communities provide a residential housing alternative for senior citizens who need assistance with the activities of daily living, with an emphasis on personal care services, which provides support to the residents in the aging process. Emeritus currently operates 482 communities in 42 states representing capacity for approximately 43,100 units and approximately 50,100 residents. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ESC, and our home page can be found on the Internet at www.emeritus.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: A number of the matters and subject areas discussed in this report that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future circumstances, operations, and prospects. The discussion of such matters and subject areas is qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, and also may materially differ from our actual future experience as a result of such factors as: the effects of competition and economic conditions on the occupancy levels in our communities; our ability under current market conditions to maintain and increase our resident charges in accordance with our rate enhancement programs without adversely affecting occupancy levels; increases in interest costs as a result of refinancings; our ability to control community operation expenses without adversely affecting the level of occupancy and the level of resident charges; our ability to generate cash flow sufficient to service our debt and other fixed payment requirements; our ability to find sources of financing and capital on satisfactory terms to meet our cash requirements to the extent that they are not met by operations, and uncertainties related to professional liability and workers' compensation claims. We have attempted to identify, in context, certain of the factors that we currently believe may cause actual future experience and results to differ from our current expectations regarding the relevant matter or subject area. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information provided herein.

Puck drops tonight for MSPIFF; "Score: A Hockey Musical" is just one of three opening-night movies at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival.(VARIETY)

Byline: COLIN OVERT; STAFF WRITER; ANDREW PENKALSKI

With a bigger-than-ever slate of 190 features, this year's Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival is a cavalcade of Mosts, Largests, New and Improveds. Opening Thursday at the five-screen St. Anthony Main Theatre, the event is longer than ever -- 22 days.

Fittingly, opening night offers not one but three distinctly different kickoff films.

Former Twin Cities journalist David Carr -- now a media columnist for the New York Times -- will be on hand to present "Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times," which premiered to praise at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

For sports fans there's "Score: A Hockey Musical," a skating-singing extravaganza starring Olivia Newton-John as an overprotective hippie mom whose son (played by Noah Reid, who will introduce the film) wants to scrap on ice. And since it wouldn't be a Minnesota festival without Scandinavian titles, at 8 it's "Troll Hunter," a Norwegian horror-action pseudo-documentary that also was a hit at Sundance.

The latter film wasn't available for review, but we did see the first two:

PAGE ONE: A YEAR INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES

four out of four stars out of four stars

Can today's media ecosystem support ambitious, expensive, rigorous journalism? As the Times struggles to reinvent itself in a world of iPads, extremist commentary, newsroom cuts and Wikileaks, its media columnist David Carr eloquently defends the virtues of old-school reporting in the Internet age. A confirmed skeptic and irrepressible wiseguy, Carr is the battered but unbowed champion of an endangered species -- ass-kicking, name-taking mainstream journalists. His scathing coverage of the Chicago Tribune's ethical/financial meltdown in the hands of takeover artist Sam Zell makes a gripping morality tale of the newspaper industry's painful metamorphosis. This candid documentary is a must-see. (7:30 p.m. Thu. & 9:15 p.m. next Wed.)

COLIN COVERT

SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL

two out of four stars out of four stars

Toronto filmmaker Michael McGowan tells the story of a 17-year-old hockey prodigy, a role that actor Noah Reid nails with lovable naivete. Amid Farley Gordon's struggles with fame, his brutish teammates and his intellectual parents, there is singing aplenty. Sadly, the songbook is full of broken verses and bland instrumentals, and Olivia Newton-John, as Gordon's mother, is underutilized, moaning empty lines like, "I'm so sad I can't even cry." Still, this shticky concoction drips with heart and humor. (7:45 p.m. Thu. & 7:30 p.m. Fri.)

ANDREW PENKALSKI

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

When: April 14-May 5.

Where: St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 SE. Main St., Mpls.

Tickets: $9-$11 for most films; $6 for ages 12 and under; discount passes available.

Info: www.mspfilmfest.org.

Party tent: Mingle with visiting filmmakers and cinephiles all weekend at the Festival Central pavilion, across from St. Anthony Main. It opens at noon, with a cash bar beginning at 5 p.m. and no charge for admission until nightly parties at 9. Headlining tonight's gala is jazz and R&B singer Charmin Michelle ($25).

SEE OUR GUIDE

to the festival, with movie trailers and 70-plus reviews, at www.vita.mn/mspiff.

Research and Markets Adds Report: Worldwide Telecommunications and Communications Market Opportunities, Strategies, and Forecasts, 2006 to 2012.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of WinterGreen Research, Inc.'s new report "Worldwide Telecommunications and Communications Market Opportunities, Strategies, and Forecasts, 2006 to 2012" to its offerings.

In a release, Research and Markets noted that report highlights include:

Service provider spending is starting to grow in certain areas. After several years of decline in service provider spending, the global telecommunications networking industry has stabilized. Service providers and telecommunications vendors are emerging from an industry restructuring.

Communications systems are evolving on unprecedented scale. Challenges remain. Service provider customers operate in a fast-changing environment driven by technology, competition and regulatory change. End users are demanding fast, personalized, easy-to-use communications.

They are relying on applications. Applications and services are enabled by technologies. Mobile high-speed data, broadband access, next-generation optical networking, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and multimedia converged services are segments. Strategy and portfolio are focused on identifying and capitalizing on growth opportunities. The ability to meet end-user demand and generate new revenue is being combined simultaneously with managing capital expenditures and reducing operating expenses.

The way networks are used has changed how switches must perform and the capabilities they need to have. The Internet has shifted traffic patterns so that there is more traffic being originated and managed at the edge of the network. More users are mobile. Users are not just at home or within an office building.

People work from across campus, across town, and across the country over wireless and wired connections. Users need to be able to have access to voice, video, and data applications, yet do so securely, from any of those locations. To address these needs, enterprise networks require intelligent workgroup switches that deliver high throughput, are highly available, are easily managed, and provide secure LAN access for mobile users.

The stackable Ethernet switches are designed to meet changing network needs. They are fixed configuration, triple-speed (10/100/1000) switches that deliver advanced features and services required.

Switches have the ability to expand to meet the expanding network needs. The increases network performance, improves application response times, secures the LAN, and enhances user productivity by maximizing mobility, network capacity, and services over existing category 5/5E/6 cabling.

Worldwide telecommunications and communications equipment market forecasts, shipments in dollars analysis indicate strong growth in very large existing markets. Markets at $267.2 billion in 2005 are anticipated to reach $628.2 billion by 2012.

Worldwide telecommunications service provider equipment market forecasts indicate that markets at $20.0 billion in 2005 are anticipated to reach $64.3 billion by 2012. Continued growth of infrastructure plant is anticipated as wireline networks are used to provide Internet protocol signal transport for wireless and Internet networks.

Methodology

This is the two-hundred and thirty-seventh report sin a series of market research reports that provide forecasts in communications, telecommunications, the Internet, computer, software, telephone equipment, health equipment, and energy. The project leaders take direct responsibility for writing and preparing each report. They have significant experience preparing industry studies. Forecasts are based on primary research and proprietary data bases. Forecasts reflect analysis of the market trends in the segment and related segments. Unit and dollar shipments are analyzed through consideration of dollar volume of each market participation in the segment. Installed base analysis and unit analysis is based on interviews and an information search. Market share analysis includes conversations with key customers of products, industry segment leaders, marketing directors, distributors, leading market participants, opinion leaders, and companies seeking to develop measurable market share. Over 200 in depth interviews are conducted for each report with a broad range of key participants and industry leaders in the market segment. We establish accurate market forecasts based on economic and market conditions as a base. Use input/output ratios, flow charts, and other economic methods to quantify data. Use in-house analysts who meet stringent quality standards. Interviewing key industry participants, experts and end-users. Our research includes access to large proprietary databases. Literature search includes analysis of trade publications, government reports, and corporate literature.

Companies Mentioned:

-Nokia

-Motorola

-Siemens

-Avaya

-Ericsson

-Huawei Technologies

-Lucent Technologies

-Nortel

-UT Starcom

-Alcatel

-Cisco Systems

-Fujitsu

-Intel

-NEC

-Samsung

Report information:

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/01c07d/worldwide_telecomm

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

'POWER OF SHAREOWNER RELATIONS' SEMINAR SLATED FOR VAIL AND BOULDER

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Carl Thompson Associates, Inc., will conduct its full-day "Power of Shareowner Relations" Seminar for public companies on Monday, February 26 at The Westin Hotel in Vail, Colorado and Monday, March 18 at the corporate offices of Carl Thompson Associates in Boulder, Colorado.

"The workshop is geared toward CEOs, CFOs and investor relations managers interested in attracting more market makers, greater research coverage and national business media attention, with the goal of supporting a fair, sustained valuation for the stock of their respective public companies," explained Carl Thompson, chief executive officer of Carl Thompson Associates. "The workshop is also valuable for private companies considering going public.

"There are only a handful of investor relations seminars or workshops in the country, so this is a unique opportunity for public companies in Colorado to learn more about how to increase shareowner value," Thompson noted. Topics to be covered include "The Value of IR- Why Spend Time and Money on It?," "IR Audiences," "SEC Disclosure Rules," "Effective IR Tools" and "IR on the Internet."

Registration is $375.00 per person. For more information, contact Carl Thompson at 303-494-5472.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Carl Thompson Associates is one of the nation's leading investor relations firms.

     -0-                        1/5/96 

/NOTE TO EDITORS: Reporters can attend part or all of the work-shop at no charge.

More information on Carl Thompson Associates can be found on the agency's Web site at http://ctaonline.com on the Internet./

/CONTACT: Carl Thompson, CEO of Carl Thompson Associates, Inc., 303-494-5472, or email: cta@ctaonline.com/

CO: Carl Thompson Associates ST: Colorado IN: SU:

JP-SK -- LAF034 -- 1468 01/05/96 13:45 EST

TA Index extends fall by 2.6%.(TA 30 TELECOM STOCK INDEX 16 MAR-14 APR, 05)

The TA Index, after a 0.8% drop last month, ended 2.6% lower at 1,144 points, as Asian stock markets finished mixed amid concerns over rising oil prices and doubts over the strength of US economic recovery. Decliners exceeded gainers 21 to 9.

Markets in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Malaysia all closed lower. Hong Kong and Taiwan closed mixed while the Indonesian market finished higher.

Top gainer Telkom Indonesia added 6.9% as the local stock market rebounded and on expectations of solid earnings. IndoSat also advanced, moving up 3.1% after a 13.5% fall a month earlier.

PCCW rose 5.2% on the back of its strong FY04 figures. The incumbent returned to the black last year with a net profit of HK$1.64 billion ($210 million), thanks to strong growth in Unihub and its broadband business, as well as and steady demand for its NOW broadband TV service.

APT Satellite added another 4.4%. The company, at the request of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, issued an announcement stating it is not aware of any reasons for such increases, except for the successful launch of its APSTAR VI satellite on April, which replaces APSTAR IA.

On the downside, Dacom, the previous month's top gainer with a 28.3% increase, ended down 11.5%. SK Telecom and Korea Telecom extended their declines by 7.2% and 8.3%.

 DOWN         2.6% TA INDEX    1,144 RISING  STOCKS          9 FALLING  STOCKS        21       Company             Country   % change  1    Telkom Indonesia    ID        6.9 2    PCCW                HK        5.2 3    APT Sat             HK        4.4 4    FarEasTone          TW        3.5 5    Hutchison           HK        3.3 6    Indosat             ID        3.1 7    China Telecom       HK        1.8 8    Pacific Internet    US        1.2 9    China Unicom        HK        0 10   Chunghwa Telecom    TW        -0.2 11   China Mobile        HK        -0.6 12   Samart Telecom      TH        -2.2 13   KDDI                JP        -3.2 14   SmarTone            HK        -3.8 15   SingTel Optus       AU        -3.8 16   Taiwan Cellular     TW        -4.2 17   NTT                 JP        -4.4 18   SingTel             SG        -4.5 19   Shinawatra Sat      TH        -4.7 20   Telecom NZ          NZ        -5.2 21   Telekom Malaysia    MY        -5.3 22   PLDT                PH        -5.7 23   AIS                 TH        -5.8 24   NTT DoCoMo          JP        -6.3 25   Globe Telecom       PH        -6.6 26   Telstra             AU        -6.9 27   SK Telecom          KR        -7.2 28   Korea Telecom       KR        -8.3 29   Vodafone            JP        -8.6 30   Dacom               KR        -11.5 

Your Life: Travel: pounds 50k Hols conditions.(Features)

1. Lines close midnight tonight, Saturday, October 8, 2005. BT landline calls/texts cost 50p each (60c each RoI). Mobiles/payphones/ other landline operators may vary. Internet entries cost 50p each. Email entries are free. Only one free email entry per person.

2. Five winners per day selected at random from all correct entries received after lines close.

3. Today's holiday prizes are each for a family of two-four adults (aged 18/over) plus two children OR one adult and up to three children at the 4-star Cypria Bay hotel, Paphos, seven nights all inclusive. Includes buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, unlimited snacks/ locally produced beers, wines and spirits, economy class return flights, resort transfers, standard travel insurance (excludes pre-existing medical conditions), and all taxes paid.

4. All holidays must be taken between November 1, 2005, and March 31, 2006. Travel excluded December 18, 2005, to January 8, 2006, and February 9-19, 2006. Flights available from Luton and Heathrow (daily), Gatwick and Manchester (weekly) and Bristol (Feb to Mar). All dates/airports subject to availability at time of booking. Travel subject to Sky Holidays brochure terms and conditions (ATOL 6260). All travellers must each hold valid EU passport. Travel to/from winner's home to UK departure airport, spending money and any optional extras outside of the holiday prizes described are not included.

5. Prizes/hotels are non-transferable (winner must travel), non-negotiable, cannot be redeemed in conjunction with any other offers, and no whole/part cash alternatives.

6. Should a holiday prize become unavailable, Sky Holidays Ltd reserves the right to substitute a holiday with a similar holiday of equal or higher value.

7. Std MGN Ltd Rules apply, see www.mirror.co.uk/rules

Problem spurs invention in Alaska of shock absorber for small aircraft.

By Melissa Campbell, Alaska Journal of Commerce, Anchorage Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Aug. 29--For years Burl Rogers has been able to look at a problem on an airplane and quickly come up with a part to make it better, lighter and more efficient.

He's got several certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration to show for his innovation.

Then a complaint from a friend put Rogers, owner of Burl's Aircraft Rebuild near Chugiak, on a seven-year road to the conception and design of his "Bouncing Baby." His "baby" is a shock absorber for small aircraft designed to better absorb the impact of landings than the traditional hydrasorbs.

"A friend of ours at a New Year's Eve party was grousing about the fact that he needed new hydrasorbs," Rogers said. "He was in the process of rebuilding his plane and couldn't find any. The company that made them for his plane went out of business and there was nobody else to replace them.

"He went on saying that the things weren't any good anyway -- they leak, wear out," he said. "Then he said, 'I don't know why no one can figure out a better way.' I thought to myself, I can do that."

For about three years after that conversation, Rogers batted the idea around in his head, maybe sketching out a thing or two. But for the last four years, he said, "It's become nearly a daily obsession."

Rogers designed the system, officially named the Alpha Omega Suspension System, to be virtually maintenance free.

"There's nothing to leak out, no oils, no gases, no springs," he said.

"There's very little wear on anything."

The system has been fully approved by the FAA and the first systems should be available by the end of August for several Piper PA models.

The conventional hydrasorb system consists of an absorber wrapped with a thick bungee cord. It has two fittings that slip over either end. One end attaches to a V-shaped rod beneath the plane; the other is attached to a rod that hooks onto the landing gear. A vinyl cover, offering some protection against dirt, water and other elements, goes over the main component.

Hydrasorbs require vigilant maintenance, however. The bungee has to be replaced often, and the cover that protects the system can tear easily, depending on landing conditions.

But one of the more disconcerting aspects of the hydrasorbs is the bounce effect, Rogers said.

"It's very unforgiving," he said. "It's really a series of rubber bands wrapped around that. A hard landing will spread the landing gear out and then catapult the plane back into the air again."

After the landing, it's a continuously bumpy ride, sort of like a washboard effect, down the taxiway. All of that is hard on the plane's frame, not to mention the pilot's spine.

The Alpha Omega system smoothes out that seat-tingling trip down the taxiway and nearly eliminates the bone-jarring slingshot effect from a hard landing.

The system uses a solid polymer as a suspension and shock-absorbing medium.

The housing is steel plated with nickel, zinc and a clear conversion coating to offer protection from the elements. Fittings that connect the system to the plane are welded to one end, and the other is sealed with an epoxy mixture. The tubes that connect the system to the plane and landing gear are made of titanium.

They are adjustable, and the only maintenance is the occasional replacement of an $8 seal. The initial investment is $2,200 for the pair. The bungees on hydrasorbs have to be replaced fairly often -- annually for guides or every couple of years for recreational users -- at a cost of just under $100.

Replacing the shock unit costs about $560, and could last for several years.

One of Rogers' absorbers weighs in at about seven pounds, more than a pound lighter than the hydrasorbs.

"Only two things will destroy these: A direct hit and fire," Rogers said.

In testing, Rogers' system indicated that a plane would bounce only about a half- to three-quarters of an inch off the ground, compared with up to two inches using the hydrasorb system.

"This landed softer, with less impact on the frame of the plane," Rogers said. "It hit the ground and just sat there."

That test, using a drop method from a height of 18 inches, was the 212th test to perfect the system.

"We know 211 ways it doesn't work," he said. "We have configured this in every way you can imagine. Nobody had ever used these materials in this application, so there was no data to start with."

Sales will primarily be through the Internet, Burl's Aircraft Rebuild catalogues and by word of mouth.

Rogers discovered his knack for rebuilding planes in the late 1970s, when he worked at an aircraft maintenance shop in Lake Hood. He got his pilot's license in 1977 and promptly bought an Aeronca Sedan, a favorite aircraft of his father, to rebuild for himself.

He rebuilt five planes before he finished his own, in 1981. But he used his plane to develop several modifications and improvements that he still produces in his Birchwood shop today.

"It became apparent that as long as you followed the rules, you can make about anything your mind can possibly conceive," he said. "I loved rebuilding airplanes. I realized then that this is what I wanted to do."

In February 1982, Rogers opened his own shop, Burl's Aircraft Rebuild, and became a licensed airframe and power plant mechanic in 1982. He received an inspection authorization in 1985.

He's also a manufacturer of airplane parts, from small replacements for rebuilds to the Magnum I tail ski, which he designed for his own plane and began selling in 1982. The Magnum I has never had a failure in the 22 years since its inception.

"The prime objective in everything I've built or designed came from a maintenance standpoint," he said. "Most aircraft I've worked on were not well maintained. But I know I'll have to rebuild, tear them apart, so why not design them so they are as easy to tear apart as they are to use."

In 1999, Rogers purchased the certificate and approvals for the Mitchell 15AC Sedan, perhaps better known as the Aeronca Sedan. This gives him the exclusive right to manufacture the entire aircraft and all its parts, and he has ownership of all technical data for the plane.

Only about 586 Aeroncas were built, between the years 1948 to 1950.

"All the tooling was lost," Rogers said. "So everything we make, the first thing we have to do is make the tool to make the part. That doesn't double our work, it triples it."

Web resources: www.aoss.net.

To see more of the Alaska Journal of Commerce, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.alaskajournal.com.

(c) 2004, Alaska Journal of Commerce, Anchorage. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

IPAB has not sought new audits of banks.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 16, 2003 (El Universal/Corporate Mexico by Internet Securities, Inc. via COMTEX) -- The Bank Savings Protection Institute (IPAB) has not met with the four banks involved in the Capitalization and Portfolio Purchase Program (PCCC) controversy regarding the need to carry out new audits.

"According to Congress' request, it was not possible for the IPAB to call the banks to negotiate," said a source from the institute. The legislators have demanded that Article 5 of the Bank Savings Protection Law be fulfilled.

The Treasury Secretariat, however, is meeting with the banks but has not made any progress, the source added. IPAB, meanwhile, has been relatively uninvolved with the demands from Congress, the Treasury and the Supreme Court for the banks to reach a timely solution to the affair involving the debt buyout.

However, legislators are now asking the Attorney General's Office to request intervention from the Supreme Court to force the IPAB and the banks - Banamex, Bancomer, Bital and Banorte - to negotiate a way to reduce the cost of the bank rescue, which currently reaches a total of 217 billion pesos (US$19.27 billion).

This abstract is provided by Internet Securities, Inc. as a service to its customers. Internet Securities, Inc. makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy or content of the translation.

URL:              www.securities.com 

Copyright 2003 Internet Securities, Inc., all rights reserved. A Euromoney Institutional Investor Company.

News Provided by COMTEX (http://www.comtexnews.com)

Mobile telephony will remain the key enabler in Africa: Etisalat.

Summary: DUBAI -- Etisalat's Group Senior Vice-President Ahmed bin Ali has said that mobile telephony will continue to be the key enabler for both individual customers and businesses in Africa.

DUBAI -- Etisalat's Group Senior Vice-President Ahmed bin Ali has said that mobile telephony will continue to be the key enabler for both individual customers and businesses in Africa.

The continent is currently witnessing tremendous growth and there is potential both to acquire new, first time customers and also to provide value added services and broadband, he said.

He was addressing the 4th COMESA Investment Forum which took place on Wednesday at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. The conference was attended by a number of dignitaries and Ministers from the UAE and across the African continent as well as business leaders and investors from the region.

During the opening keynote panel Ahmed bin Ali presented the case for etisalat's ongoing investment and expansion across the continent which began in 1999.

According to latest research the penetration rate in Africa is approximately 50 per cent and the number of subscriptions is expected to grow from around 500 million at the end of 2010 to nearly 800 million in 2013.

Bin Ali went onto discuss the positive experience etisalat has had in the emerging markets of Africa such as Egypt, Sudan and Tanzania. In Sudan, etisalat has expanded its fiber optic network inside Khartoum and introduced a new internet gateway which has attracted new corporate customers in the oil, banking and education sectors. It is also providing International Services and Wholesale capacity to other operators empowered by its submarine cable landing station at Port Sudan.

Etisalat's Egyptian operations have accrued over 15 million customers in less than four years despite it being the third entrant to the Egyptian market.

Building on these successes etisalat has extended it services in more African countries including Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Gabon, Central Africa and the Ivory Coast. It now employs over 6,000 people who provide services to around 35 million mobile subscribers across 
these markets. --

Copyright 2011 Khaleej Times. All Rights Reserved.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Litle & Co. Wins 2011 Stevie[R] Award for Litle Vault.

Payment Platform-Integrated Card Tokenization Solution Lands New Product & Service Award

Kicks Off "Managing Risk March" Protecting Customers by Securing Their Customers' Card Data

LOWELL, Mass. & MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Litle & Co., the payment processing engine behind leading ecommerce and consumer-direct brands including Overstock.com, Ancestry.com, Gilt Groupe, CSN Stores and Guthy-Renker, received a 2011 Stevie[R] Award in the New Product & Service category IVR or Web Service Solution for Litle Vault, the company's platform-integrated card tokenization service. Litle also received a runner-up nod in the Back Office Customer Service Team of the Year category at the Miami awards dinner last week. These honors build on last year's Stevie Awards showing by the company, where the customer-obsessed Litle & Co. team won the e-Commerce Customer Service Award.

Osman Perksoy, principal product manager for Litle Vault, accepts the Stevie Award for Litle & Co. in Miami. (Photo: Business Wire)

Litle Vault eliminates the need for merchants to store consumer card data in their own databases--instead, the Litle Vault sends consumer card data to Litle's secure data storage and replaces card numbers with Tokens that emulate the numerical sequence found in credit cards. This format-preserving approach also allows Tokens to be used in all everyday transaction-based processes as well as business and consumer intelligence efforts, e.g. CRM applications etc. Litle Vault helps reduce the scope and cost of PCI compliance for businesses, it mitigates card data compromise scenarios for businesses and their customers alike, and protects consumers with no action required on their part. Unlike card data, Tokens in the Litle Vault are useless to anyone other than the merchant registering them.

"Our product vision is simple: Build, develop and implement solutions that help our customers create more secure, more enduring and more profitable relationships with their customers," said Jason Pavona, Executive Vice President, Product Management, Litle & Co.

Osman Perksoy, Principal Product Manager for Litle Vault, who collected the Oscar-like Stevie Award in Miami, said: "In this age of data insecurity, Litle Vault is one tool in the fight to protect consumer data and to empower merchants with better defenses in a constantly shifting security environment."

According to organizers, 2011 Stevie Award nominations grew by 60% over 2010. Roughly one-third of nominations received finalist status from which the winners were selected. Litle & Co. joined companies such as Apple, Zappos.com, Salesforce.com, Overstock.com, L.L. Bean, Marketo, Rosetta Stone, Accenture and Capital One Financial as award winners.

About Litle & Co.

Litle & Co. is the leading, independent authority in card-not-present payments, transaction processing and merchant services. Litle & Co. powers the payment processing engines for leading brands that sell directly to consumers through multichannel and Internet retail, online services, subscription-membership models and direct response marketing. Founded in 2001 Litle & Co.'s growth trajectory has been acknowledged by a No.1 Inc. 500 ranking (2006), a No.8 Entrepreneur Hot 100 ranking (2008) and a No.6 Boston Business Journal Pacesetters ranking (2010). The company's customer-obsessed culture is committed to Voice of the Customer initiatives, including Net Promoter Score (NPS), and won the 2010 Stevie Award for eCommerce Customer Service. To learn more about Litle & Co. visit http://www.litle.com, or call 1-800-548-5326 (1-800-LITLECO) or 978-275-6500.

Twitter: @LitleCo Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/litle-&-co.

Litle Vault Assets:

More information on Tokenization through Litle & Co. http://www.litle.com/themes/site_themes/litle/images/uploads/Vault.pdf

Checklist: is Tokenization right for you? http://www.litle.com/themes/site_themes/litle/images/uploads/Litle_Vault_Value_Checklist_1110.pdf

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6632518&lang=en

PROPOSED CHANGES TO WIRETAPPING LAW WOULD HARM CIVIL LIBERTIES, GROUP SAYS.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):

The American Civil Liberties Union submitted testimony for a hearing today of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security that will examine a troubling proposal by the Obama administration to expand its ability to conduct invasive surveillance online.

The administration has argued that it is simply hoping to update the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which mandated that telephone companies rework their networks to be wiretap-ready. What is being proposed, however, is not just emulating CALEA. Telephones operate through central networks, making wiretapping relatively easy. Conversely, Internet communications are split up and travel in small pieces over thousands of computers, so the Internet would have to be "rewired" in order for the administration's proposal to be implemented, making the entire system vulnerable.

"Though the administration claims this is just a technical fix, its request will actually change the structure of the Internet, providing the government with a master key to our online communications," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "The proposed changes will not only make it easier and cheaper for the government to invade our privacy, but also make the Internet more vulnerable to penetration from other sources."

According to press reports, the administration is proposing to mandate that all online communications services use technologies that would make it easier for the government to collect private communications and decode encrypted messages that Americans send over texting platforms, BlackBerries, social networking sites and other "peer to peer" communications software.

Though the proposed changes to CALEA are being portrayed as an attempt to increase cybersecurity, it will actually leave much of Americans' private data more vulnerable through new access points. The ACLU pointed out in its testimony that this is not a hypothetical concern. A similar technological change allowed unknown parties to spy on high government officials in Greece, including the prime minister.

"Government should be increasing our security, not weakening it," said Chris Calabrese, ACLU Legislative Counsel. "We cannot simply surrender all of our privacy and other fundamental values in the name of national security. We need to draw limits, and what has been described by the administration so far goes way over the line. Congress should challenge the administration to prove these changes are necessary and will not infringe on Americans' privacy."

The ACLU's statement for the record can be found here: www.aclu.org/national-security-technology-and-liberty/aclu-statement-record-proposed-updates-communications-assis

NEC BIGLOBE Launches Android Application Download Marketplace.

NEC BIGLOBE, Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hisao Iizuka; BIGLOBE) announced the USA launch of "andronavi" (http://us.andronavi.com), an Android apps and content download service that also features reviews of COOL JAPAN Android apps and content, including many based on uniquely Japanese themes.

andronavi offers convenient tools, games, manga (Japanese comics) and photo collections. Applications include "SAMURAI--Ryoma Sakamoto," an exclusive app which allows users to change their home screen to a samurai theme, "Missing 2," a realistic break-out game that is popular in Japan and "SUGOI BOOKS," an e-book app that allows users to buy popular Japanese manga. Furthermore, photo collection apps provide access to images of famous Japan sights, such as Mt. Fuji and Kyoto.

In the coming months, BIGLOBE will aggressively expand the range of andronavi's apps and content services, targeting the key concept of COOL JAPAN, including "APPLESEED," a manga publication that is also popular in the USA, and "Annie's Wild Shot," a gun-shooting app set in the Old West. BIGLOBE plans to expand the number of apps and content to 60,000 by the end of FY2012.

Anoverview of the download service is as follows.

--

Principal Lineup

see attached pdf file (Principal Lineup.pdf)

--

Website: andronavi (URL: http://us.andronavi.com/)

--

Payment Methods: PayPal, credit card

--end--

NOTE: Android devices sold by AT&T is not suppored.

-- Other product or service marks mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.

BIGLOBE PressRoom http://www.biglobe.co.jp/en/press/2011/0201.html NEC BIGLOBE, Ltd. http://www.biglobe.co.jp/en NEC BIGLOBE, Ltd. (Established in July, 2006, based in Tokyo) is a member company of NEC group, one of Japan's most powerful IT companies. The company is one of the largest internet service providers in Japan and offers a variety of networking services, contents and applications, and had 22.32 million service users as of the end of December, 2010.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6579328&lang=en

Keywords: Asia, Japan, Ltd., NEC BIGLOBE, NEC BIGLOBE, Ltd.

This article was prepared by China Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, China Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.