VIC:Woman pleads guilty to torching death

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2011
VIC:Woman pleads guilty to torching death

By Daniel Fogarty

WANGARATTA, Vic, Aug 23 AAP - A Victorian woman who doused a man in petrol and set
him alight after he touched her breasts has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Several people saw Gary Stewart, 50, touching the breasts of Kerry Anne McNiven the
day before she set him alight at Wangaratta in November last year, the Victorian Supreme
Court was told on Tuesday.

McNiven, 44, was intoxicated when she was touched and was unaware the incident had
occurred until a friend told her about it later, her barrister Nick Papas SC said.

"Ms McNiven referred to that as being a cause or connected to what she did," he told the court.

McNiven attacked Mr Stewart on the banks of the Ovens River, dousing him in petrol
before setting him alight.

Witnesses described seeing Mr Stewart having fluid poured over him and then becoming
a human fireball.

One man dragged Mr Stewart into the river.

Mr Stewart, who suffered burns to more than 70 per cent of his body, died in a Melbourne
hospital several weeks after the attack.

McNiven admitted the attack, telling police: "This whole thing is because he touched
my boobies last night while I was asleep."

McNiven, of Wangaratta, was expected to go on trial on Tuesday, but Mr Papas indicated
she would plead guilty to manslaughter.

Members of Mr Stewart's family, who travelled to the Wangaratta court from Queensland,
will read out victim impact statements at a pre-sentence hearing for McNiven on Wednesday.

Mr Papas told Justice Lex Lasry he would seek psychological reports about his client,
including reports to determine whether she suffered from a post traumatic stress disorder.

AAP df/mn/jl/hn

KEYWORD: MCNIVEN WRAP

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

Qld: Council pulls pin on $52,000 'wake'

AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2008
Qld: Council pulls pin on $52,000 'wake'

A Queensland council has dumped its plan to spend 52-thousand dollars on a farewell
party .. ahead of its demise at next month's local government elections.

Caboolture Shire Council was planning throw a bash for 900 staff at the Caboolture
Showgrounds on March 12 .. three days before the poll.

It was supposed to mourn the end of the 128-year-old council .. which will merge with
Pine Rivers Shire and Redcliffe under …

AMA Tampa Bay, Bayshore Solutions and the Tampa Bay Business Journal Join Forces to Present Microsoft Bing's Top Search Evangelist

Wireless News
04-21-2011
AMA Tampa Bay, Bayshore Solutions and the Tampa Bay Business Journal Join Forces to Present Microsoft Bing's Top Search Evangelist
Type: News

The Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA Tampa Bay), which provides ongoing professional development and networking in the field of marketing, announced it has partnered with Bayshore Solutions and the Tampa Bay Business Journal to present an evening with Microsoft Bing's Top Search evangelist, Kunal Das, on Tuesday, April 26, at the Wyndham Hotel in Tampa.

A panel format, the event entitled, the group said "Bing It On," will be moderated by Bayshore Solutions' CEO Kevin Hourigan and will also include the insight of top executives from companies such as Carnival Cruise Lines, The Melting Pot Restaurants, and Creative Sign Designs.
"We are so excited to once again partner with Bayshore Solutions to bring what is sure to be another highly-regarded event to our close to 500 AMA Tampa Bay Members and those who are most interested in staying on top of the most important marketing trends," says Tara Michelle Hustedde, AMA Tampa Bay Chapter President. "The continued commitment of Bayshore, the Tampa Bay Business Journal and each of our ongoing supporters and volunteers continues to create incremental success offering new initiatives, exclusive and improved offerings and exciting, one-of-a-kind programming just like 'Bing It On.'"

According to a release, at "Bing It On," executives will share both the highs and lows of their web marketing experiences and explore the many ways that marketers and businesses may successfully integrate their unique content with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and social media. Attendees will learn what Bing can bring to an organization's marketing firepower, how the Bing/Yahoo alliance can bolster marketing results, and what to do as well as what to avoid when implementing web marketing.

"Integrating social media and search engine management with web conten t is a critical element of every organization's marketing strategy," notes Kevin Hourigan, CEO of Bayshore Solutions. "We are pleased to partner with AMA Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay Business Journal to sponsor this interactive event featuring experts from several well-known brands to share their experience and insights."

The Tampa Bay Chapter of the AMA, with almost 400 members, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the professional marketing community.

Tampa Internet marketing company Bayshore Solutions offers capabilities in Web design, Web development and interactive marketing.

The TBBJ is part of the Charlotte, N.C.-based American City Business Journals which offers the best in local business news from coast to coast with 40 other sister newspapers.

More information:

www.amatampabay.org

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

Copyright 2011 Close-Up Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
n/a

QLD:Man charged over fatal wounding

AAP General News (Australia)
02-11-2011
QLD:Man charged over fatal wounding

BRISBANE, Feb 11 AAP - Police have charged a man with murder following investigations
into a death at a home south of Brisbane.

The 38-year-old victim, who had suffered a chest wound, died on the way to the Princess
Alexandra Hospital late on Thursday night, police said in a statement.

A 20-year-old suspect from Crestmead, Logan City, was charged and appeared in Beenleigh
Magistrates Court on Friday.

AAP stg/crh/jl

KEYWORD: WOUNDING UPDATE

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

NSW:Gunman foiled in servo heist

08-28-2010
NSW:Gunman foiled in servo heist

SYDNEY, Aug 28 AAP - A service station attendant in Sydney's west has foiled an armed
robbery attempt by locking himself in a storeroom.

A bandit armed with a handgun entered the service station at Granville and threatened
the employee on Friday night.

But the employee locked himself in a storeroom, and the gunman found he was unable
to open the cash register.

The offender ran empty handed from the petrol station at the intersection of Blaxcell
and William Streets.

He was last seen wearing a green fur-lined hooded jacket, black tracksuit pants and
white joggers and carrying a handgun.

AAP lxs/goc/jl/

KEYWORD: ROBBERY

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

Fed: Barnett says he will reach agreement with commonwealth

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2010
Fed: Barnett says he will reach agreement with commonwealth

West Australian Premier COLIN BARNETT says he's not a spoiler nor is he seeking to
be a hometown hero .. by refusing to hand over a chunk of GST for KEVIN RUDD's health
plan.

WA's the only state or territory not to sign up to the health and hospital reforms
after two days of heavy duty negotations in Canberra.

Today Mr BARNETT's backed away from talk that the intergovernmental agreement will
fall over without him.

And he's told ABC radio he expects he and the prime minister will reach an agreement
on the GST over the coming weeks.

He says he just doesn't want to open the door for the commonwealth to take more GST
money for health or perhaps education.

AAP RTV mb/rl/jmt

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS WA (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Health decision due next year: Rudd

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2009
Fed: Health decision due next year: Rudd

BRISBANE, Dec 7 AAP - Federal and state government leaders will make a decision on
the future of Australia's health care system next year.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) met in Brisbane on Monday.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he and the leaders spoke for a number
of hours on health, going through the national report on health reform "issue by issue".

Mr Rudd told reporters the data on future workforce shortages was "very stark and very sobering".

"Any long term reform ... must get these challenges right," he said.

COAG also discussed child care, planning criteria for capital cities, the FIFA World
Cup bid and climate change.

MORE gd/pjo/mn

KEYWORD: COAG RUDD UPDATE

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

Vic: Eleven people in Victoria sent for swine flu testing

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2009
Vic: Eleven people in Victoria sent for swine flu testing

MELBOURNE, April 29 AAP - Eleven Victorians who recently arrived home off flights from
North America are being tested for swine flu.

A spokesman for Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr John Carnie said samples have been
taken from the 11 who have come down with flu-like symptoms.

Those samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing for influenza A.

Results are expected to be known late on Wednesday.

"If those tests are positive then they will be sent for further testing," the spokesman said.

People coming off planes from infected countries were being monitored, checked for
the disease, and sent for further tests if required, the spokesman said.

The 11 who have been sent for testing were all referred after visiting their general
practitioners or hospital emergency departments.

But three Victorians who shared a flight from Los Angeles with New Zealand students
confirmed to have swine flu have all been cleared.

"They are all okay, we have been in touch with them and none have fallen ill. If they
fall ill they will get in touch."

There have been no confirmed cases of the swine flu in Victoria.

AAP kb/mh/apm

KEYWORD: FLU VIC

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

1600 2UE Headlines

AAP General News (Australia)
12-26-2008
1600 2UE Headlines

- Wild Oats XI leads Sydney-Hobart yacht race

- Fire crews battling fire in Wyalong area

- Calls for crack down on knives

- No recent reports of deaths on Australia's roads

- Young child and man fall off cliff while paragliding, suffering light injuries

- Sydney's department stores running roaring Boxing Day trade

- Victorian charity worker and his wife recovering from bashing

- 4th anniversary of Boxing Day Tsunami commemorate

- Actress Eartha Kitt being commemorated after dying at 81

- Sport

- AAP RTV wz

KEYWORD: 1600 2UE SYDNEY

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

Sai: Aust ready to pick up sailing medals

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2008
Sai: Aust ready to pick up sailing medals

Australia will pick up their first Olympic sailing gold medal .. and possibly a second today.

Triple world champion 470 men's pair NATHAN WILMOT and MALCOLM PAGE are so far ahead
of their nearest rivals on points they just need to show up for today's medal race to
be crowned Olympic champions.

In the women's 470 event .. Australian pocket rockets ELISE RECHICHI and TESSA PARKINSON
can do no worse than silver .. and are looking good for gold ahead of their Dutch rivals.

Australian JESS CRISP is also in the medal hunt in the women's windsurfing event ..

starting the day in third position.

AAP RTV sjm/jmt

KEYWORD: OLY08 SAI AUST (QINGDAO)

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

Fed: Aust company shows how not to get lost in Beijing

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2008
Fed: Aust company shows how not to get lost in Beijing

Eds: Embargoed until 1730 AEST today, April 10



CANBERRA, April 10 AAP - Even a VIP visitor to the Beijing Olympics stands a chance
of getting lost.

The traffic is likely to be ferocious. Street signs won't be in English and even if
they were it wouldn't mean much to visitors.

Also, the vast majority of locals won't speak any English.

To the rescue has come an Australian company - SmartTrans - whose technology called
EventTrack was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Beijing today.

The technology can be used on any late model mobile phone equipped with a global positioning
system (GPS) capability.

It will enable the user to identify, in English, where they are in Beijing.

"English isn't spoken much at all," SmartTrans chief operations officer Bryan Carr
said from Beijing today.

"Taxi drivers don't speak English. Many signs aren't in English and they also don't
have street addresses in the context we have.

"You can't stop someone on the street and say where am I?"

And if you were able to find someone who could speak English, they would tell you that
addresses are referred to in relation to landmarks, he said.

EventTrack will also communicate information to a control centre to assist official
transportation for Games VIPs and officials who need to move speedily between venues.

The GPS map, displayed on the phone's screen, will show the booked car approaching,
along with its description, licence plate number and driver's name.

The same system allows the car driver to see where his passenger is waiting.

"If you walk out of a major venue, you can imagine how many people are going to be
waiting to be picked up and all the cars are going to look the same," Mr Carr said.

The system also can show the locations of friends, family or associates.

Mr Carr said it includes a translation function.

For instance, someone who wants to go to a particular bar or restaurant can get a Chinese
language translation on the phone that can be shown to a taxi driver.

"If all else fails, there's a concierge service. Press the button and you speak to
a multi-language call centre," Mr Carr said.

Phones also use a Chinese SIM card, allowing inexpensive local calls.

Companies and organisations attending the Olympics can take out a subscription for
access to these services.

Mr Carr said the company was proud to have the prime minister's support.

AAP mb/rl/apm/cdh

KEYWORD: RUDD TECHNOLOGY (EMBARGOED)

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

Fed: Haneef investigation unlikely to start this year

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2007
Fed: Haneef investigation unlikely to start this year

CANBERRA, Dec 7 AAP - The inquiry into the bungled Mohamed Haneef case is unlikely
to start this year because the federal government is still consulting officials involved
in the affair.

Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland today was unable to give a start date for
the promised judicial inquiry.

"I'm taking advice from the agencies as to their responses to the incidences," Mr McClelland
told reporters outside a national security conference in Canberra.

Dr Haneef, an Indian-born doctor who was working on the Gold Coast, was arrested by
Australian Federal Police when trying to leave the country from Brisbane Airport.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions later dropped a charge of supporting
terrorism following a series of embarrassing bungles in the investigation.

But Dr Haneef was deported on character grounds and remains in India.

Mr McClelland said he was still being briefed on the investigation.

"When we get all the facts we'll look at what issues may need to be examined."

AAP pv/rl/sp

KEYWORD: HANEEF MCCLELLAND

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

1600 2UE Headlines

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2007
1600 2UE Headlines

-Sydney court hears Patrick Power had hundreds of child porn videos and images on the
disgraced lawyer's computer.

-Woman has been charged with false claims after claiming a man held her and her daughter
up with a screwdriver

-NRMA welcomes cash free Harbour Bridge toll.

-Fall in banana prices to help keep interest rates on hold.

-Two soldiers injured in Iraq described as modern day Anzacs.

-Town Hall up for 60 million dollar facelift.

Sport

-Walker to learn fate at Titans.

-Ryles out of Roosters clash.

-Manly's Travis Burns banned for fortnight.

-Frier back for Waratahs.

-Cricketers ready for NZ clash.



AAP RTV imc/tm

KEYWORD: 1600 2UE

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

Qld: Passenger dies in car crash

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2006
Qld: Passenger dies in car crash

A 29-year-old man has been killed .. when a four-wheel-drive vehicle rolled in far
north Queensland.

Police say the man was the front seat passenger in the vehicle which lost control around
three yesterday afternoon (AEST) on the Peninsula Development Road .. north of Coen.

There were five people in the vehicle including the 19-year-old female driver and another
female passenger who were both injured and flown to Cairns Hospital.

Two other passengers escaped injury.

The death is Queensland's first for the Christmas road toll period.

AAP RTV rl/cp

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD (BRISBANE)

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

Main stories in today's 2GB 1300 News

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2006
Main stories in today's 2GB 1300 News

SYDNEY, Aug 16 AAP - Main stories in today's 2GB 1300 News:

- NSW Premier Morris Iemma refuses to stand down energy minister Joe Tripodi, while
his involvement in a company that sold government land is being investigated.

- NSW Road Transport Authority is told to stop building new roads and start fixing old ones.

- A state and territory scheme to cut greenhouse gases could be put in place despite
a lack of support from the commonwealth.

- A Sydney court hears a man accused of importing cocaine was concerned about publicity
surrounding Schapelle Corby's drugs charges.

- Stem cell research debate is likely to continue, after confirmation from the Prime
Minister that a conscience vote will be allowed.

- Newcastle skipper Andrew Johns will meet with his legal team to organise his defence
ahead of tonight's NRL judiciary hearing.

AAP cj/klw

KEYWORD: MONITOR 2GB 1300 SYDNEY

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

Fed: Howard asked to give statement to Cole inquiry = 3

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2006
Fed: Howard asked to give statement to Cole inquiry = 3

Trade Minister MARK VAILE will take the stand at the inquiry this afternoon .. and
Foreign Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER will appear tomorrow.

The Cole Commission is investigating almost 300 million dollars in kickbacks paid by
wheat exporter AWB to SADDAM HUSSEIN'S regime.

Mr HOWARD says the government .. which set up the inquiry last year .. has cooperated
fully with the commission .. and will continue to do so.

AAP RTV mfh/jmt

KEYWORD: AWB HOWARD 3 CANBERRA

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

Fed: Main stories in the Canberra Times

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2005
Fed: Main stories in the Canberra Times

CANBERRA, Aug 9 AAP - The main stories in today's Canberra Times.

Page 1 - Millions of workers win right to ask for extra parental leave; Canberra venue
Tilley's pulling out of its regular live music nights.

Page 3 - Space shuttle landing delayed; Howard government begins exercising its Senate
majority from today; PM refuses to set timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

World - Three suspects in failed London tube bombings face court; Benjamin Netanyahu
quits as Israeli finance minister over Gaza strip pull-out; Japanese PM calls snap poll.

Sport - AFL Canberra plans to put a team in the Victorian Football League next season.

AAP rp/lb

KEYWORD: FRONTERS ACT

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

standard direct labour cost

standard direct labour cost In standard costing, a standard cost derived from the standard time allowed for the performance of an operation and the standard direct labour rate for the operators specified for that operation.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Announce Historic Affordable Housing Initiative.

Gift Will Be the Foundation's Largest in the Pacific Northwest

WHAT: Announcement by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will be

the largest single philanthropic commitment to transitional or

emergency housing programs in the nation.

Bill Gates Sr., CEO & Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation will make the announcement. Representatives from

agencies benefiting from the grant will join him.

WHEN: July 27, 2000

1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Mayor's Conference Room

Office of the Mayor-City of Seattle

600 Fourth Avenue, 12th Floor

Seattle, WA 98104

NOTE: A mult-box will be provided, but there will be no additional

lighting.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to improving people's lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates, Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based Foundation has an asset base of $21.8 billion. Preventing deadly diseases among poor children by expanding access to vaccines, and developing vaccines against malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis, are central priorities. Other major efforts include extending unprecedented opportunities for learning by bringing computers with Internet access to every eligible library in the U.S. and Canada, and providing scholarships to academically talented minority students in the U.S. with severe financial needs through the Gates Millennium Scholars Program (www.gmsp.org). For complete information and grant guidelines, visit www.gatesfoundation.org.

CONTACT: Trevor Neilson, 206-709-3112, or cell, 206-619-4444, or Joe Cerrell, 206-239-0147, or cell, 206-396-5776, both for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

MANT, LBTYA, ETH, VSEA, LSR, WRC Are Seasonally Ripe To Go Up In the Next Five Weeks.

M2 PRESSWIRE-July 28, 2011-BUYINS.NET: MANT, LBTYA, ETH, VSEA, LSR, WRC Are Seasonally Ripe To Go Up In the Next Five Weeks(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

RDATE:28072011

BUYINS.NET / www.squeezetrigger.com is monitoring the Seasonality of MANTECH INTERNATIONAL CORP-A (NASDAQ:MANT), LIBERTY GLOBAL INC-A (NASDAQ:LBTYA), ETHAN ALLEN INTERIORS INC (NYSE:ETH), VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIP (NASDAQ:VSEA), LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH INC (NYSE:LSR), WARNACO GROUP INC/THE (NYSE:WRC) and each have a high seasonal probability to go Up in the next weeks. By identifying stocks that are poised to go up or down based on seasonal tendencies, traders can increase their odds of making money. SqueezeTrigger.com is able to analyze over 20 years of data in less than 1 second for any stock in the market and determine if the stock has a long or short seasonal bias, how many trading days the move is expected to last, the probability of that move and the percentage move the stock is expected to make based on the seasonal bias. The technology used to generate these predictions is available for a low monthly fee at:

http://www.squeezetrigger.com/services/strat/mh.php

The following stocks are expected to go Up:

Symbol Company Expected Return Odds By The Following Date

MANT MANTECH INTERNATIONAL CORP-A 9.94% 77.78% (7 of 9) Thursday, September 1st 2011

LBTYA LIBERTY GLOBAL INC-A 9.09% 85.71% (6 of 7) Friday, September 9th 2011

ETH ETHAN ALLEN INTERIORS INC 8.18% 77.78% (14 of 18) Thursday, August 18th 2011

VSEA VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIP 8.66% 91.67% (11 of 12) Wednesday, August 24th 2011

LSR LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH INC 8.94% 87.50% (7 of 8) Tuesday, September 6th 2011

WRC WARNACO GROUP INC/THE 10.80% 87.50% (7 of 8) Friday, September 9th 2011

MANTECH INTERNATIONAL CORP-A (NASDAQ:MANT) - ManTech International Corporation provides technologies and solutions for national security programs in the United States and internationally. The companys mission support solutions include cyber security, secure information sharing and collaboration, mission enabling solutions, enterprise systems engineering, service oriented architectures, intelligence operations and analysis support, and secrecy management and program security architecture. It also offers systems engineering services; modeling and simulation, testing, and evaluation; and independent validation and verification services. In addition, the company provides technical services, such as communication systems and infrastructure support, global and domestic mission-critical logistics support, global property management, and global information technology modernization. ManTech International Corporation offers its products and services to U.S. federal government intelligence, military and civilian agencies, state and local governments, and commercial customers. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.

LIBERTY GLOBAL INC-A (NASDAQ:LBTYA) - Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, voice, and broadband Internet services primarily in Europe, Japan, and Chile. The company offers various broadband distribution services over its cable television systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony. It also provides video services through direct-to-home satellite or multi channel multipoint distribution systems; analog video services consisting of basic programming and expanded basic programming; digital video services comprising basic programming and premium services, as well as pay-per-view programming, including video-on-demand and near-video-on-demand, digital video recorders, and high definition television services; and broadband Internet services. In addition, Liberty Global provides telephony services that include circuit switched telephony services and voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) telephony services, as well as offers mobile telephony services using third party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi channel distribution systems owned by the company, as well as owned by third parties. As of December 31, 2008, Liberty Global owned and operated networks that passed approximately 34,782,600 homes; and served approximately 15,190,300 video subscribers and 6,727,600 broadband Internet subscribers, as well as 5,230,100 telephony subscribers. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

ETHAN ALLEN INTERIORS INC (NYSE:ETH) - Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, sale, and distribution of various home furnishings and accessories, as well as related marketing and brand awareness efforts in the United States. The company also markets home furnishings and accessories to consumers through a network of company-owned design centers. Its products include beds, dressers, armoires, tables, chairs, buffets, entertainment units, home office furniture, and wood accents. The company also offers upholstery home furnishing items, such as sleepers, recliners, chairs, sofas, loveseats, cut fabrics, and leather, as well as home accessory and other items, including window treatments, wall decor, lighting, clocks, bedding and bedspreads, decorative accessories, area rugs, and home and garden furnishings. As of June 30, 2009, Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. operated through 293 retail design centers comprising 159 company-owned and operated centers, and 134 independently-owned and operated centers. The company was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut.

VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIP (NASDAQ:VSEA) - Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, and services semiconductor processing equipment used in the fabrication of integrated circuits to the semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. It offers medium current products, including single wafer VIISta 900XP series, as well as VIISta 810XP, VIISta 810XE, and VIISta 900XPT ion implanters; and high current products, such as VIISta HCS series and VIISta Trident High Current Ion Implant tools for logic, memory, and foundry manufacturers. The company also provides high energy products comprising VIISta HE and VIISta 3000 implanters for wafer fabs and memory manufacturers; and ultra high dose products consisting of VIISta PLAD tools. In addition, it manufactures Solion, a solar cell ion implant tool. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH INC (NYSE:LSR) - LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH INC

WARNACO GROUP INC/THE (NYSE:WRC) - The Warnaco Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, markets, licenses, and distributes a range of intimate apparel, sportswear, and swimwear worldwide. It offers a line of sportswear, including jeans wear, knit and woven shirts, tops, and outerwear for men, women, and juniors; intimate apparel, such as bras, panties, sleepwear, loungewear, shape wear, and daywear for women, as well as underwear and sleepwear for men; and swimwear comprising swim accessories and fitness, and active apparel for men, women, juniors, and children. The company offers its products primarily under the Calvin Klein, Speedo, Chaps, Warners, and Olga brand names. The Warnaco Group distributes its products through department and specialty stores, independent retailers, chain stores, membership clubs, mass merchandisers, and the Internet. As of January 2, 2010, it operated 1,097 Calvin Klein retail stores consisting of 131 full price free-standing stores, 109 outlet free-standing stores, 857 shop-in-shop/concession stores; and 3 on-line stores comprising SpeedoUSA.com, Calvinkleinjeans.com, and CKU.com. The company was founded in 1874 and is based in New York, New York.

SqueezeTrigger.com has built a massive database that collects, analyzes and publishes multiple proprietary trading strategies that predict price moves in stocks, commodities and currencies. The data has then been integrated into an automated trading platform which can be used to connect to a live online broker and automate your trading of each of the strategies highlighted. It is extremely powerful with lightening fast execution at a very low price. Both the trading software and SqueezeTrigger data feed are available at http://www.squeezetrigger.com

www.squeezetrigger.com 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

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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 -- 25 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.

About SQUEEZETRIGGER.COM

WWW.SQUEEZETRIGGER.COM is a service designed to help bonafide shareholders of publicly traded US companies fight short selling. SqueezeTrigger.com has built a proprietary database that uses Threshold list feeds and short sale time and sale data from NASDAQ, AMEX and NYSE to generate detailed and useful information to combat the short selling problem. For the first time, actual trade by trade data is available to the public that shows the attempted size, actual size, price and average value of short sales in stocks that have been shorted. This information is valuable in determining the precise point at which short sellers go out-of-the-money and start losing on their short trades.

SQUEEZETRIGGER.COM has built a massive database that collects, analyzes and publishes a proprietary SqueezeTrigger for each stock that has been shorted. The SqueezeTrigger database of nearly 2.5 billion short sale transactions goes back to January 1, 2005 and calculates the exact price at which the Total Short Interest is short in each stock. This data was never before available prior to January 1, 2005 because the Self Regulatory Organizations (primary exchanges) guarded it aggressively. After the SEC passed Regulation SHO, exchanges were forced to allow data processors like SqueezeTrigger.com to access the data.

The SqueezeTrigger database collects individual short trade data on over 7,000 NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ stocks and general short trade data on nearly 8,000 OTCBB and PINKSHEET stocks. Each month the database grows by approximately 50,000,000 short sale transactions and provides investors with the knowledge necessary to time when to buy and sell stocks with outstanding short positions. By tracking the size and price of each montha'a"s short transactions, SQUEEZETRIGGER.COM provides institutions, traders, analysts, journalists and individual investors the exact price point where short sellers start losing money and a short squeeze can begin.

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Product Sales Threatened by Perfect Storm of Trends: New Report from Capgemini and GS1 Standards Organizations.(Report)

* Firms caution brand owners of shortcomings in data accessible via smartphones and Internet; advise companies to engage in data-quality initiatives

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- A new report co-authored by GS1 and Capgemini cautions companies selling consumer products that much of the digital product information accessible via smartphones and the Internet is incomplete or wrong.

The report, titled "Beyond the Label: Providing Digital Information Consumers Can Trust," addresses a "perfect storm" of three converging forces: consumer demand for more information; increased smartphone usage; and a widening variety of data sources, leading to an explosion of data.

Consumers' interest in researching products is illustrated by the finding that more than two-thirds of consumers want nutrition and ingredient information, while more than 30 percent of smartphone users have downloaded a barcode scanning application, with usage of these apps jumping 1,600 percent in 2010.

But the results these consumers get frequently let them down, depending on where their searches take them and the incorrect product information often received.

The report cites recent research by GS1 UK and the Cranfield School of Management in which 91 percent of mobile barcode scans returned incorrect product descriptions and 75 percent returned no data. The report also cites New York-based Scanbuy's finding that 40 percent of requests processed through its ScanLife application cannot be authoritatively connected to a product.

Available free for download, the report was written by Capgemini, a leading provider of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, and several country-based member organizations of not-for-profit standards group GS1, including GS1 US and GS1 UK.

"Brand owners - both retailers and manufacturers - and application providers need to understand the severity of this problem," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US. "We found that 38 percent of consumers will not purchase a product if they don't trust the information they get on a smartphone, and 35 percent may stop using an app if they get the wrong information."

The growth of the Internet and smartphone scanning have spurred sharp growth in new business-to-consumer (B2C) data sources, including third-party or "crowd-sourced" sites, where brand owners have little or no control over the information about their products.

The report explains the scope of the challenge; provides guidance to industry; and issues a call to action for brand owners to participate in several cross-industry initiatives in order to develop best practices that protect their brands and meet consumers' needs.

The authors advise brand owners to begin rigorous data-integrity programs and collaborate with other companies to improve the consumer experience in researching products.

"Improving digital product information for consumers requires that all relevant players understand their responsibility to work together collaboratively and in a consistent manner," said Bob Fassett, vice president, North America Consumer Goods, Retail, and Distribution Leader, Capgemini.

"The right solution can help the industry realize the digital data vision: Brand owners can share relevant product information easily, thus building trust with consumers; application providers can ensure they are delivering authentic data; and consumers can feel confident that the digital product information they access is accurate, no matter how or where they shop," he said.

The report is free and can be downloaded at www.gs1us.org/library?EntryId=3651&Command=Core_Download, or www.capgemini.com/insights-and-resources/by-publication/beyond-the-label/.

About GS1 US

GS1 US, a member of GS1, is a not-for-profit organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 standards. More than 200,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, bar codes, Electronic Product Code-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code[R] (UNSPSC[R]). www.GS1US.org

cleveland.com Celebrates 15 years of Everything Cleveland.(Company overview)

Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) June 09, 2011

This month marks the 15th anniversary of cleveland.com, the online home of The Plain Dealer and Sun News. The site was launched by Advance Internet and was founded with a core mission and vision. cleveland.com was created to connect, inform and empower the people in its communities. That mission and vision have not changed.

Over the course of its 15 years, cleveland.com has grown to be Northeast Ohio's most popular news and information site with 3.8 million unique users per month*. Users can access real-time news and information and can gather to talk and engage about the stories and their communities. cleveland.com gives Northeast Ohioans an active platform to share what is important in their lives. Users can upload photos and video, create and maintain blogs, and comment on news stories.

"I have been at cleveland.com for the past 14 1/2 years and although we look back fondly on how the site looked in June of 1996, it's almost unrecognizable today," said Denise Polverine, editor-in-chief of cleveland.com. "But even through countless design and presentation improvements and astounding advances in technology and content distribution, we remain committed to being the complete online destination and gathering place for people who call Northeast Ohio home. It's quite an honor to watch cleveland.com grow into what I feel has become a vital part of the fabric of our community and to watch how our users engage with the site. I can't wait to see where the next 15 years take us."

"The Plain Dealer celebrates our partnership with cleveland.com and the important role the website has played in delivering news and information to our readers," Plain Dealer editor Debra Adams Simmons said. "The Plain Dealer staff works hard each day to provide the most complete, up-to-date information to the cleveland.com audience in real time. We salute cleveland.com for 15 years of significant service to Northeast Ohio."

From a business perspective, cleveland.com has seen significant growth over its 15 years of existence. While beginning sales models allowed advertisers access to the public via small display ads on the site as well as text links, today's business model has expanded to include jobs, real estate and autos platforms, e-mail products, video, rich media, search engine marketing management and much more, allowing cleveland.com to serve as more of a digital agency for its customers.

"cleveland.com is part of this community. This is where we live and work," says Wayne Snow, General Manager of cleveland.com. "We hear from businesses and organizations time and again about how valuable a platform cleveland.com is for their advertising messages, and how we help them develop their digital strategies. From Fortune 500 companies to local independent businesses, we connect our clients to Northeast Ohio. I'm so proud to be associated with a company that is useful to the people and businesses in Northeast Ohio."

*Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst monthly average, November 2010 -- April 2011

About cleveland.com

cleveland.com, an affiliate of Advance Internet, Inc., is the leading local website for news and information throughout Cleveland featuring the latest Cleveland news, business, sports, travel, weather, traffic, shopping and entertainment information. In addition, cleveland.com has a comprehensive business listings directory, as well as local classified listings for jobs, homes, apartment rentals and autos. cleveland.com is the online home of The Plain Dealer and Sun News.

About The Plain Dealer

The Plain Dealer is Ohio's largest newspaper and among the 20 largest newspapers in the country, reaching nearly 800,000 readers daily and nearly 1 million on Sundays. The Plain Dealer's media market, Greater Cleveland, is ranked No. 1 in the country for Sunday newspaper readership percentage (75 percent of total adults) and is No. 2 in daily newspaper readership percentage (62 percent of total adults), second only to the New York Times. The paper also has an electronic edition, and its content and related material can be found on cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer also operates Politifact Ohio, a website that analyzes political issues relevant to local interests.

About Advance Internet

Advance Internet, Inc., based in Jersey City, NJ, is a leading creator of highly interactive, online community-based news and information websites created in alliance with over 25 newspapers affiliated with Advance Publications, Inc. Advance Internet's websites are the number one local news and information online destinations for the markets they serve. The websites include al.com, cleveland.com, gulflive.com, MLive.com, NJ.com, NOLA.com, OregonLive.com, SILive.com, syracuse.com, MassLive.com, PennLive.com, and lehighvalleylive.com.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8557526.htm

Jumpstart office moral: bring your workplace back to life.(Corporate Wellness)

Mike Collier remembers the moment well. He was sitting at his desk in a Utah County office building when the boss came in. He says the look on his leader's face was priceless--lost, forlorn, helpless. His boss then said, "I don't know what to do."

For Collier (not his real name, as he wishes to remain anonymous), his boss' admission was a relief, a renewal of hope in Collier's mind that perhaps, for the morale in his office, there was indeed life after death.

"It was the beginning of a downturn for the economy," he remembers, "but oddly, an upturn for our staff. I felt we nipped it in the bud, just in time, before things could not be reversed."

Collier was lucky. Unfortunately, many other employers don't see the problem of an unhealthy work environment soon enough. It goes undiagnosed, either due to the ignorance or pride of the leaders, or both. With increasing financial pressure on firms to reduce their workforce size, take away benefits and suspend raises, the morale in the workplace has never been lower for this generation.

So, how can executives stop the bleeding? First, by recognizing it. Then dealing with it by going to the source itself.

Making a Diagnosis

"The biggest thing you see when these situations arise is that productivity goes down," says Pollyanna Pixton of Accelinnova, a consulting firm that helps businesses find ways to unleash the talent and innovation of their employees. "They start to come in late, leave early or go home sick. Their body language is very obvious, and they usually have a hard time looking their supervisors in the eye."

Mary Cosgrove, the founder of Salt Lake-based What's Working Well and professor of human resources at Webster University, agrees.

"The symptoms are frustration and anger, and you can tell when an employee is not engaged," she says.

"There's a disconnect between what they believe should be happening in a company and what is happening. There's a breaking point where people can't do it anymore--when things start to fall apart."

Perhaps those observations are easy to make simply by looking around the office. Dealing with them is another matter.

Pixton and Cosgrove, along with Clark Merkley, president of Utah County-based consulting firm By Monday, say Collier's boss took an important first step--recognizing that leaders often don't have all the answers.

"It really involves two things--and both need feedback from employees," Merkley says. "If the company has a true open-door policy, then feedback is easy to obtain. A supervisor who employees trust can gather a lot of that information in the quickest and easiest way--through direct conversation. Those employees' answers, particularly when a supervisor can look into their eyes and study their body language, can be very valuable. Another option is less direct, but perhaps offers more security to employees--a periodic survey"

Merkley says such surveys, like those that can be created on internet sites like Survey Monkey, needn't be complicated--simply one to three questions that allow for quick responses. They allow employees to offer some feedback while at the same time painting an outline for employers of what their employees are thinking or feeling. They also allow a company to create a second survey geared for longer answers if necessary.

"You can't just sit in your office as the boss with your eyes closed," he says. "You need to look for ways to address the problems or challenges that you're facing with your employees--ways that are creative, potentially inexpensive and that will actually have an effect. As important, things you can do immediately to show your honest intent."

Finding a Cure

Pixton says many cases of low morale centeraround ownership and empowerment.

"Empowerment can only happen if people are trusted, and conversely, when they feel they are trusted," she says. "Leaders have to step back, which can be difficult."

She says people are motivated by three things--collaboration on decisions, choices of what they're doing and challenging work.

"Collaborate with the employee, get his or her feedback and suggestions as you orchestrate a strategy. The more you can let an employee have a choice in what they do and how they do it, the better off you'll be," she says. "Often that can't be done, as business decisions and strategies are market-driven, but you can still ask for their opinions on how to achieve the company's goals:"

Challenging, interesting work is also important, she adds. "Architects always have interesting work, but drafters can also be included in that design process if you'll let them be, for example."

Cosgrove points out that seeing frustration or anger in an employee is sometimes a good thing, "because it means they still care. Too many times, employees are in what I call R.I.P. mode--retired in place. They're there, but their eyes are gone. This is when they pass through to 'acceptance, the place where they feel 'nothing is going to change, I'm just holding on until something else comes along."'

She says talking to employees about what they are feeling has to be done carefully.

"It can change an organization, because if you ask your employees and don't do anything with the information or suggestions they tell you, it's worse than if you'd never asked at all," she says. "You need to set up expectations that what they say can make a difference."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In Merkley's experience, employee dissatisfaction often involves, first, wages. That is followed by flexibility as a close second. "[Flexibility] even exceeds health insurance," he says. "Giving a little more diversity to them in their work creates a bit more satisfaction. I think surveying your employees at least annually is critical to keeping office morale and spirits up."

"Oftentimes, it's not economics," Cosgrove adds. "Ask them to tell you more about what's really on their minds. Ask 'if you were the boss, if you were in charge for the day, what would you do, how would you solve this?'"

Crafting those types of questions can take some time, she says, but asking them is critical to help avoid "workplace drama that's really unnecessary. Good communication with your staff and supervisors is really the key. We tend to make it complicated when it really doesn't need to be."

The consensus solution--talking to employees, asking them what's working and what's not, and how they would suggest solving problems. Pixton says leaders themselves can't usually be involved in that, for many employees are fearful of losing jobs or being punished in some way.

"So you should sometimes have that data collected anonymously or have a non human resource person do it:' she says. "Usually when that happens, the highest priority for them is to get something that they, the employees, don't already have. Remember, employees know better than anyone else what will work. They know the solutions, but are seldom empowered to fix them."

Merkley suggests that one short-term solution is simple appreciation for jobs well done.

"I've used something I call the standing ovation," he says. "Any time one of our clients, partners or coworkers identifies something you did that was extraordinary, we'll give them a standing ovation, spontaneously, in the office. It doesn't take long, doesn't cost a dime, but generates so much good feeling."

When an employee feels important, they take figurative ownership in their job and their company. "They can become indispensable, because they know better than anyone where the profits are and how they can help magnify them:' Merkley says. "Diagnosing is important, but healing is more important. You've got to act in some way to those concerns of your employees, and it starts by expressing appreciation, sincerely."

OSA MEMBERS VISIT LEGISLATORS TO ADVOCATE FOR SUSTAINED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the Optical Society of America:

Today, members of the Optical Society (OSA), along with members from IEEE-USA, APS and OIDA, came together from around the United States for Capitol Hill Day 2011 to speak with their senators and representatives about sustained federal funding for science and technology in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. The Capitol Hill Day event is being held in conjunction with CLEO: 2011 to remind legislators of the critical nature of research and development (RandD) funding and the impact that decreases in funding have on America's ability to make important science and technology (SandT) advances.

The 25 participants will visit more than 70 offices throughout the day, asking for legislators to support level and consistent funding in FY 2012 for U.S. federal science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Members will be sharing the message that research being done at these agencies is vital to the innovation and production of the next generation of advanced technology products and services. Participants will remind legislators that scientific and engineering research is crucial for job creation and the long-term health of the country's economy with the optical industry in particular being a leading source of high-quality manufacturing jobs for the U.S. in the future.

"Now more than ever it is critical for legislators to be reminded of the value and importance of federally funded research," said Greg Quarles, Capitol Hill Day participant and OSA Public Policy committee chair. "By visiting with our legislators, we are able to put a face to the science and explain on a deeper level just how important it is for sustained science funding."

By sharing personal stories of their experiences as professionals in the field of optics and photonics and by pointing out specific optics-related advances that have been discovered and developed as a result of federal funding, the participants hope to show the lawmakers that increased funding is an investment in America's future. Advancements like the Internet, energy efficient lighting and the laser were all made possible by federal research funds.

NFC PHONES RAISE OPPORTUNITIES, PRIVACY AND SECURITY ISSUES.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the Center for Democracy & Technology:

by Harley Geiger

April 11, 2011

Filed under Consumer Privacy, More Issues in Consumer Privacy

Tags:

Near field communication

NFC

Near field communication (NFC) is coming to your phone. How do we know? Because Google, Apple, Microsoft, Sprint and you-name-it say so. When the technology will actually be widely deployed is not entirely certain, but strong signals point to this happening within the next two years. The move will open the doors to a slew of interesting applications and could transform the way we pay for merchandise at the point of sale. Incorporating NFC into smartphones -- especially in the way many companies envision it -- will also have distinct implications for consumer privacy and data security that may not be covered by current regulations.

What is NFC?

NFC is a form of short-range communication that wirelessly exchanges data between a reader (such as a phone or sensor) and a target (such as another reader or a microchip embedded in an object). Targets need not have a power source for readers to scan them. NFC is essentially a subset of radio frequency identification (RFID) but, as the name implies, near field communication has shorter read range -- a maximum of about 20 centimeters, although it is possible to amplify this. The most common application for NFC today is to enable contactless payment with mobile phones.

Like RFID, NFC is a versatile technology and certainly not limited to mobile payments. NFC can be used for advertising, such as to download information or coupons from interactive posters or digital signage. NFC can also provide access to secure areas, such as office buildings with an NFC-activated lock. People with NFC phones could pass electronic messages to each other -- like a fire bucket brigade -- without the need for Internet or cellular service, by touching phones. NFC may facilitate a great variety of innovative apps -- for now, though, phone software and hardware manufacturers appear to be focused on deploying NFC for mobile payments.

Cue Battle For Marketplace Dominance

Newer versions of Google's Android mobile operating system have NFC functionality built in. Google recently confirmed that it partnered with MasterCard and Citigroup to develop a mobile payment system using NFC. ATandT, Verizon, T-Mobile and Barclaycard US announced a mobile payment venture in late 2010 called ISIS. It is widely rumored that the next generation of the iPhone will include NFC. Microsoft, Sprint, Amazon, RIM and others are also reportedly working on incorporating NFC into their products. It seems clear that NFC is going to make waves in the handset market, but how revenues will be shared among the parties involved (carriers, handset makers, merchants, etc.) is still an open question.

Interestingly, a fight seems to be brewing between carriers and handset makers over whether payment data should be stored in the SIM card or on the phone's embedded chip. Google's business model would bypass the SIM card entirely, and RIM reportedly seeks to do the same. Storing financial information on the embedded chip could make the information more easily available to anyone with access to the chip, such as the handset maker, third party developers or merchants. This would also enable consumers to change carriers but retain the data on their phones. Carriers, however, would prefer to store the financial information on the SIM card, which could give carriers greater control over consumers' NFC transactions and may enable carriers to play broker to deals with merchants and service providers. This battle may have a substantial impact on consumers' freedom to use NFC with the merchants and developers of their choice.

Privacy And Security Will Be Major Issues

As with credit cards, the sensitive financial data stored on mobile phones will become targets for thieves and the unscrupulous. The upside, though, is that the security of NFC-enabled phones could be quite good, or at least no worse than a credit card. Since smartphones are miniature computers, strong cryptography and authentication protocol can be built into their systems -- but it is up to device manufacturers and service providers to ensure these protections are in place for NFC transactions. NFC's relatively short read range provides some protection against eavesdropping on transactions, but it may be possible to pick up data from NFC systems at a greater distance using an antenna. Of particular concern for data security are man-in-the-middle attacks in which a party to one transaction drops some form of spyware or malware onto the phone, subsequently infecting other phones that the original interacts with later. Anti-virus software and operating system architecture that controls flow of information between applications will be important safeguards to mitigate such attacks.

Unfortunately, studies indicate that most consumers do not understand current risks and are not diligent about the security of their phones. A recent Ponemon institute survey found that less than half of consumers use passwords or keypad locks, only 29 percent of consumers say they have considered installing anti-virus software, and only 10 percent turn off their Bluetooth "discoverable" status when their phone is not in use. In fact, according to the Ponemon survey, consumers were more concerned about receiving unwanted marketing and promotions on their phones (67 percent) than virus attacks (44 percent). Previous studies convey similar concerns. A 2009 KPMG study showed that 48 percent of consumers who have not tried mobile payments cite security and privacy as the primary reasons, and a 2007 survey from the Helsinki School of Economics found consumers were concerned that mobile payment service providers would track their purchases and personal information for marketing purposes. It turns out that consumers have good reason to anticipate more mobile advertisements.

Google, Sprint and possibly others have already made clear that they do not intend to generate revenue by taking a cut of mobile payment transactions. Instead, they hope to use NFC to provide highly personalized advertisements and coupons at the point of sale. Likewise, retailers, digital signage companies and others are considering ways to leverage NFC to deliver marketing tailored to location and preferences, enabling the "rich brand experience" so many companies believe consumers crave. Deep involvement by Google in mobile payments is uniquely consequential in that Google already gathers colossal quantities of data on consumers' search habits, emails, calendars and locations, although most of services keep their data separate from the rest. With NFC-equipped Android phones, Google will also have access to data on where individuals shop, when, and what they purchase.

Will A Gap In Regulation Reduce Consumer Privacy?

Several laws can affect consumers' privacy when it comes to mobile marketing, but these laws are not all-inclusive. The Gramm--Leach--Bliley Act (GLBA) requires mobile payment service providers, as financial institutions, to allow consumers to opt out of sharing personal information for third party marketing, but not marketing by the financial institution itself. The CAN-SPAM Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) generally prohibit sending unsolicited commercial emails and text messages to wireless devices. However, the prohibition does not apply when a consumer has provided affirmative consent or (under TCPA) has an established business relationship with the sender of the message. Unfortunately, these protections are a poor fit for marketing related to NFC transactions.

GLBA may not apply if it is the consumer or a third party (such as an app developer) and not the financial institution that is technically disclosing personal information during NFC transactions. When a consumer uses NFC to purchase a product from a merchant, that individual presumably establishes a business relationship with the merchant, and TCPA would permit the merchant to send transactional and advertising messages to the consumer's phone via text or email. However, it is somewhat unlikely that text messages and emails -- as defined under CAN-SPAM -- will be the preferred marketing channel associated with NFC.

Instead, it seems more probable that merchants will load ads, coupons or adware directly onto the phone itself during the NFC transaction, bypassing the Internet. Other service providers are more likely to use purchase information to influence the ads that appear while the consumer surfs the Internet. CAN-SPAM, TCPA and GLB do not fully cover these scenarios. It is also quite possible that many consumers will provide consent to receive marketing messages related to NFC transactions, such as through software licensing agreements or notices provided by merchants or marketers at the point of sale.

A New Front In Consumer Protection

In 2006, CDT released our Privacy Best Practices for the Deployment of RFID, which we developed in collaboration with some of the nation's most well-known companies and consumer advocacy groups. While NFC is not an exact fit, many of the protections CDT recommends for RFID are appropriate consumer protections for NFC mobile transactions. Among the most important are ensuring data security, providing consumers with clear notice of what their personal information will be used for, and prohibiting uses of consumers' information that are unnecessary to complete a transaction and are inconsistent with consumers' preferences. As with RFID, consumers should have a choice regarding whether their personal information is used for marketing purposes -- whether by service providers, merchants or others. Consumers should have access to any individual profiles companies create based on consumers' purchasing habits.

The FTC's December 2010 Staff Report recommends a strong framework for consumer privacy that companies using NFC should apply. The Staff Report centers around three main principles: privacy by design, simplified choice and greater transparency. Companies should bake in privacy protections for this emerging technology from the beginning, rather than try to retrofit safeguards onto a widely deployed existing system. Companies need to be obvious and upfront about privacy implications in ways consumers will actually notice, just not in terms and conditions. Companies also should let consumers have simple and real controls over their information, including the option to complete a transaction using an NFC-equipped mobile phone without turning over their personal information for any marketing purpose. The privacy protections companies ultimately apply should cover the full set of fair information practices.

Getting NFC Off To A Positive Start

Industry, regulators, and consumers will have a strong role to play in ensuring NFC becomes a safe and enjoyable addition to consumer electronics. In addition to the FTC Staff Report and the CDT RFID Best Practices, companies should take care to comply with the Mobile Marketing Association's Mobile Couponing Guidelines. As NFC is rolled out in force over the next couple years, regulators should observe the mobile payment ecosystem to assess whether the current mix of law and industry self-regulation adequately protect consumers. Lastly, consumers need to take steps to protect sensitive data on their mobile phones. Equipping mobile phones with NFC is an exciting development with great potential benefits, but it must not come at the expense of consumer choice, privacy and security.

Guidance Consulting Looks to the Future of IT Vulnerability Attacks with a New Vulnerability Management Program.

IT consulting firm Guidance Consulting is announcing its most recent service addition in the form a Vulnerability Management Program. All new Vulnerability Program services will be directed at creating more cost-effective ways to manage information security systems.

Suwanee, GA (Vocus) July 29, 2009 -- According to the experts at specialty IT consulting and network provider company Guidance Consulting, one of the most difficult aspects of infrastructure and network security is the fast pace of vulnerability attacks. Up to 100 new, real-threat viruses are spread each month, and those that are email viruses tend to peak after just eight hours of being released. For companies like Guidance Consulting, these numbers represent challenges that must be addressed on a daily basis.

Not only is it important to create vulnerability protection that prevents attacks from known sources, but protection against the unknown is equally important in today's computer-based business climate. This is a challenge for even the most technologically-advanced companies, since knowing where the damages are going to occur next can be costly, time-intensive, and oftentimes, incorrect.

Fortunately, companies like Guidance Consulting take the guesswork out of these types of problems. In fact, it is their job to keep businesses away from the dangers and prepared for the next wave of attacks.

For the immediate future, vulnerability attacks are expected to be more about multi-wave attack methods. "These types of viruses are the worst kinds," says Ronald Gottilla, senior consultant at Guidance Consulting. "They are built to change after just days or even hours of their initial release." For most companies and computer users, this means that vulnerability protection methods don't have a chance. As soon as a spyware program is updated to catch the newest virus, the virus changes its signature, which gives it a chance to re-infect computer systems and spread throughout the Internet.

"This focus on multi-wave attacks is part of a growing trend," Gottilla adds. "The truth is, viruses alone count for billions of dollars in lost productivity and equipment every year. Most business can't afford to be vulnerable to these types of attacks."

The multi-wave attack trend could change at any time, too. Gottilla and his associates recommend regular updates and a strong IT partner to prevent and prepare for whatever the malicious virus creators have in mind next.

About Guidance Consulting

Guidance Consulting is a technology solutions firm offering a range of services related to technology, infrastructure development, and general information technology consulting.

For over 15 years, Guidance Consulting has been delivering profitable technology results to everything from small, private firms to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to meeting employment and staffing needs, Guidance Consulting implements a wide range of IT solutions that help companies to cut costs, increase productivity, and avoid damages associated with vulnerability issues to get the most out of the current technologies available for businesses of all sizes.

For more information on making Guidance Consulting a part of your company's IT support team, visit their website at http://www.guidance-consulting.com.

Contact for Media Inquiries: Cristina Baptiste Office: (678) 528-2681 Fax: (678) 669-2829

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Intermap and Land Info Announce Distributor Agreement.

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 1997-- Intermap (Alberta Stock Exchange: IPG.A.) Intermap Technologies Ltd. and Land Info International Ltd. are pleased to announce that they have entered into a distributor agreement whereby Land Info will distribute Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) produced by Intermap using data from the RADARSAT satellite. The agreement gives Land Info world wide non-exclusive distribution rights.

Through this agreement, Intermap will benefit from the distribution of its RADARSAT derived DEMs through Land Info's extensive marketing and distribution channels. "This agreement with Land Info is an important step in building distribution channels for Intermap and particularly for the "off-the-shelf data" that Intermap will offer next year through our Global Terrain on-line data store", said Brian Bullock, Intermap president and CEO.

Michael Blakeman, President of Land Info, a leader in world wide manufacturing and distribution of digital map data products, said, "This new DEM product has several important advantages. First, Intermap brings the value of high quality DEMs an all weather satellite system (RADARSAT). This product offers world wide coverage that meets known accuracy standards and complements Land Info's current "off-the-shelf" products. Finally, it provides a measurable value to any project at an affordable price."

With its head office in Calgary, Intermap employs 120 people and has offices in Ottawa, a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary based in Denver and another office in Houston. Intermap is listed on the Alberta Stock Exchange, trades under the symbol IPG.A and can be found on the Internet at www.intermap.ca.

Land Info is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and employs 53 people with an international office in Moscow, Russia. -0-

The Alberta Stock Exchange has neither approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.

CONTACT: Intermap Technologies Ltd.

Brian L. Bullock, 403/266-0900

http://www.intermap.ca

or

Land Info International Ltd.

Michael Blakeman, 303/369-6800

BIOLOGIST INTERESTED IN WAYS OF LOOKING AT CULTURE, SCIENCE.(Santa Fe/El Norte)

Byline: JEFF TOLLEFSON

For biologist and author Evelyn Fox Keller, science is an exercise in perspective, namely one's own.

"I'm interested in what counts as an explanation," she said Tuesday, noting that people with different backgrounds, both cultural and scientific, look at problems in different ways. "All of my work can be thought of as different ways of getting at that question."

She will speak tonight as part of the Santa Fe Institute's 2002 Public Lecture Series. The free event takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf.

Fox Keller is a professor of the history and philosophy of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also the author of several books, including A Feeling for the Organism: The Life and Work of Barbara McClintock, a biography of the late biologist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Medicine in physiology or medicine. The book was published the same year.

Harvard University Press recently published her latest work, Making Sense of Life: Explaining Biological Development with Models, Metaphors and Machines. She plans to discuss themes in the book during her lecture today.

She said the book tracks the scientific view of biological development from its early days through the modern genetics era and now the rise of high-powered computers that allow advanced modeling. The book ends with a look at artificial life and the work of Chris Langton, who has conducted extensive research through the Santa Fe Institute, Fox Keller said.

"The central argument is that there is no definition ... carved in stone as to what makes a scientific explanation," she said. "We're all blind men feeling the elephant. And that's fine. I'm not saying there's a way to bring it all together, but it is interesting to see the different values" people bring to their work.

Fox Keller said she started thinking about these perspectives as a mathematical biologist in the late 1960s, when she saw the rift between her own field in modeling and the experimental biologists who got their hands dirty.

She said biologists need the mathematical/physics perspective but noted that modelers need to pay a little more attention to the real world as well. The good news, she said, is that more truly interdisciplinary work is under way now than ever.

"It's only recently that you begin to find some hybrid efforts taking place in the biology departments," she said. "What I mean by mathematical biology today is very different than what we were talking about 20 years ago."

The Santa Fe Institute's public lectures take place each month.

Elizabeth Jean Wood, a visiting researcher at the institute and associate professor of politics at New York University, will present the next lecture on May 13: "Ending Civil Conflicts: Durable Settlements or Wars." For information about the series, check the Internet site at (www.santafe.edu/sfi/events/publicLectures.html).