QLD:Glitches delay new Qld school computer program

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2011
QLD:Glitches delay new Qld school computer program

The final roll out of a new computer system in Queensland schools will be delayed until
next year because of a number of mix ups with bill payments.

The One School computer system was to be rolled out next month to all state schools
to help with financial accounts.

But ALEX SCOTT from the union representing the public service sector says a trial over
the June/July holidays was a disaster, with 95 per cent of union members who used the
system reporting issues.

And late yesterday the government announced it would delay the roll out to give the
education department time to fix glitches and support administrators.

AAP RTV ka/sw

KEYWORD: SCHOOL (BRISBANE)

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

Qld: Traveston dam not "necessary or desirable": report

AAP General News (Australia)
02-23-2007
Qld: Traveston dam not "necessary or desirable": report

A panel of experts has dismissed the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam near Gympie as
neither necessary nor desirable.

The 100-page Review of Water Supply-Demand Options for South East Queensland .. released
today .. warns the dam won't ease the impact of the drought .. and is unnecessary for
providing future supply.

It also warns the proposal represents a high total cost .. high unit cost .. high risk
.. and high environmental and social impact option.

The report …

Cobridge Communications Offers Home Phone Service in New Roads, Louisiana

Wireless News
04-25-2011
Cobridge Communications Offers Home Phone Service in New Roads, Louisiana
Type: News

Cobridge Communications, a provider of residential and commercial television, internet and telephone services, announced the launch of its residential digital phone service in the New Roads area.

Cobridge Voice, the company's new digital service, offers unlimited local and long distance calling to anywhere in the United States. It includes voicemail, caller ID, call blast and other features, all of which users can manage through a dedicated and secure webpage.
Cobridge purchased the New Roads system from Charter Communications in October 2010, and deploying phone service is just one step in a series of planned upgrades for the area. Cobridge noted it has plans to introduce other services including Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and HDTV to New Roads as well as other markets throughout the remainder of 2011.

"Cobridge is committed to bringing our customers more and better choices for in-home entertainment and communications," said company founder and CEO Scott Widham. "People in the New Roads community want more choices and Cobridge will deliver rich content and services at compelling prices. We're making significant investments to upgrade the systems we acquired from Charter to provide a strong lineup of services such as Cobridge Voice."

Cobridge Communications provides telecommunications services including television, high-speed internet, telephone, and business class services. Cobridge operates primarily in rural and suburban markets across seven states.

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

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

The iPad may rekindle magic of newspapers

Umapagan Ampikaipakan
New Straits Times
02-08-2011
The iPad may rekindle magic of newspapers
Byline: Umapagan Ampikaipakan
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Main Section

EXACTLY one year on and Apple's iPad is the perfect example of revolution by evolution. Of invention by innovation. It's triumph owing to more than just sex appeal, to more than just that sunshine- soaked tangerine Kool-Aid of Apple's marketing machine.

Instead, it was about taking a struggling concept - in this case, tablet computing - and redefining it. Steve Jobs and his merry elves in Cupertino didn't invent the standard, they merely gave it a new identity. As something of an intermediary between your mobile phone and laptop computer. A portable device that, in many ways, served a simple purpose: consumption. Not creation. Not work. One that targeted the consumer and not the techie.
It is the singular secret to its success. It didn't replace your existing devices. Your mobile phone would still be your primary communications tool. Your personal computer would still be where you did most of your work. The iPad, on the other hand, was merely a platform, a blank slate - no pun intended - that was infinitely adaptable. You could listen to your music. You could watch movies. You could play games. You could read books, magazines and newspapers. Its potential was staggering.

Before you knew it, media outlets began releasing their very own custom applications. The Wall Street Journal. Financial Times. New York Times. Vanity Fair. Esquire. Wired. It even inspired Richard Branson to return his magazine publishing roots and create the iPad only magazine, Project.

Suddenly, every major publication had a digital presence. It was cool. It was hip. But the verdict was still out on whether or not it made any difference with regards to actual sales and circulation. It was still uncertain on how the product and the platform best integrated. Because while their efforts were to be applauded, they still felt somewhat lacking. The magazines being mere digitised versions, with some occasional interactivity thrown in for good measure; a video here, an info-graphic there. The newspapers being some sort of amalgamation, some rough approximation, between their print and Web versions.

The print media seemed to be stuck in a rut. Unable to make that leap between analogue and digital. There was an all important middle ground yet to be uncovered. Because there were some things about the traditional form that still worked. The Web was too frenetic. Constantly changing, updating itself. The eternal news cycle meant that priorities kept shifting on a whim.

It catered for a short attention span. Sporadic bursts of information that were more sound bite than anything else. "More to come." "Updating soon."

There is comfort in the newspaper, in the magazine, in the notion of something static that presented a particular viewpoint for a particular period of time. Something well thought out. Actual analysis instead of just some twitch of the mind. Ideological. Permanent. Potentially even considered.

Enter Rupert Murdoch and The Daily. An iPad only newspaper, built from the ground up, backed by Apple and bankrolled by News Corp. It is an attempt to embrace the platform and without reservation. It is emulating Apple's formula of revolution through evolution. It is rethinking how the newspaper should function in the digital age. "New times demand new journalism," Murdoch said. "The iPad demands that we completely re-imagine our craft."

Because it should progress past the idea of just a digital version. It should be custom content, where text and hypertext work seamlessly together. Where sharp writing and multimedia content complement rather than just supplement one another. And what you're left with is "the newspaper of the 21st century". Something that builds upon the foundations of traditional journalism but possesses the sensibilities of a modern day digital magazine.

The economics may still be a challenge. Convincing people to subscribe for content they can otherwise get for free is something that no one has quite figured out. But the way to bridge that gap has always been by providing unique and original content. By finding a niche. By creating a sort of hybrid between the walled garden of traditional print and the open, immediacy of the Internet. By trying to rekindle that "magic of newspapers".

All in the hope that "serendipity and surprise and the deft touch of a good editor" is enough to keep this medium alive.

(Copyright 2011)

QLD:13 hour police stand-off far north Qld

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2010
QLD:13 hour police stand-off far north Qld

BRISBANE, Aug 25 AAP - A man has been arrested after a 13-hour stand-off with police
in far north Queensland.

Police officers were called to a home in Charters Towers, 90 minutes southwest of Townsville,
on Tuesday night at 11.30pm (AEST).

Negotiators had been talking to an 18-year-old man who had barricaded himself inside the home.

The man was arrested before 1pm (AEST) on Wednesday.

Police say no one else was involved in the stand-off and the community was not threatened.

Police won't immediately release any further details.

AAP lpm

KEYWORD: STANDOFF 2NDUPDATE

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

NSW: New ticketing system may experience teething problems

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2010
NSW: New ticketing system may experience teething problems

There could be long queues across Sydney during peak-hour today .. as commuters adjust
to the state government's new MyZone transport ticketing system.

Under the new regime .. the government says nine out of 10 fares will be the same or
cheaper .. although some ferry trips will cost more.

The number of travel zones has been reduced from as many as 20 to just five .. and
those travelling long distances are likely to benefit most from cheaper fares.

Transport Minister DAVID CAMPBELL's conceded there could be long queues during peak-hour
as commuters adjust to the new system .. but extra transport staff will be on hand to
help.

AAP RTV bc/af/psm/

KEYWORD: MYZONE (SYDNEY)

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

FED: Keneally wants to ban developer donations

AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2009
FED: Keneally wants to ban developer donations

CANBERRA, Dec 4 AAP - New NSW Premier Kristina Keneally says she'll follow through
on her predecessor's promise to ban political donations from developers.

Ms Keneally, who took the reins from dumped leader Nathan Rees on Thursday, says she
supports legislation that aims to eliminate the donations.

"I do support, fully, the steps ... taken to depoliticise planning decisions and remove
any suggestion that donations have a role to play in the government," the former planning
minister told ABC Television on Friday.

"What we will (also) work towards is a fully publicly-funded model of election campaigning."

AAP sld/rl/srp

KEYWORD: DONATIONS KENEALLY

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

Fed: MPs $90 allowance boost can't be justified: Greens

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2009
Fed: MPs $90 allowance boost can't be justified: Greens

HOBART, April 27 AAP - A $90 per week increase in federal MPs' allowances can't be
justified, Greens leader Bob Brown says.

The $4,700 electoral allowance increase equals a 17 per cent jump in the allowance
to the new base of $32,000.

It is worth $90 a week to MPs - three times the $30 a week increase pensioners are
fighting for in the budget.

Senator Brown says the recession means now is the wrong time to be expanding the global
income of MPs, despite the remuneration tribunal's recommendation.

"We hear through government sources that the government is struggling to find the money
to give pensioners a $30 per week increase," Senator Brown told ABC radio on Monday.

"And in fact some of that money may be needed to go across to the increasing number
of Australians who have no income because they have lost their jobs and are going onto
employment benefit.

"You can't justify MPs getting an extra $90 a week, even in this form, under these
circumstances."

AAP pc/it

KEYWORD: ALLOWANCE GREENS

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

FED: Rudd must toughen Zimbabwe stance after 'chilling' call: Oppn

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2008
FED: Rudd must toughen Zimbabwe stance after 'chilling' call: Oppn
ZIMBABWE AUST

CANBERRA, Dec 22 AAP - The coalition is calling on the Rudd government to exert maximum
pressure when it comes to Zimbabwe, after the United States suggested President Robert
Mugabe should stand down.

The top US convoy for Africa has said the US could no longer support a proposed power-sharing
deal that would leave Mugabe, "a man who's lost it", as president.

Addressing his ZANU-PF party's annual conference on Friday, Mugabe declared: "I will
never, never, never, never surrender. Zimbabwe is mine".

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Helen Coonan says Mugabe's recent "chilling
statements" meant Australia most now up the ante.

"It is high time Prime Minister Kevin Rudd adopted a more principled approach and joined
in exerting maximum pressure on the Mugabe regime," Senator Coonan said in a statement.

"The government can do this through not only establishing a special envoy on the Zimbabwe
crisis, but also by coordinating representations to (African) states with others opposing
the continuation of the Mugabe regime such as France, the United States, Britain and Canada."

Senator Coonan said a power-sharing arrangement with the Zimbabwean opposition, the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), wouldn't save the African nation from a ruinous
political crisis and a deadly cholera epidemic.

"By seeking a power-sharing arrangement ... the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) is following a path which will not deliver security, health and relief from risk
of famine in Zimbabwe," she said.

Senator Coonan said South Africa and other SADC members would not put sufficient economic
and political pressure on Mugabe to permit fresh elections.

"Australia needs to undertake measured diplomatic efforts to influence SADC to toughen
its stand in mediations."

South Africa says the agreement under which Mugabe would remain president and opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai would take a new prime minister's post is the only way forward.

The MDC says it also remains committed to the stalled talks aimed at forming a power-sharing
government.

Comment was being sought from Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

AAP jcd/kms/maur/cdh

KEYWORD: NBA RESULTS/STANDINGS

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

Ath: Tallent and Adams chasing medals in 20km walk

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2008
Ath: Tallent and Adams chasing medals in 20km walk

Australian walker JARED TALLENT returns to the venue of his most significant international
victory this morning seeking an Olympic medal in the 20-kilometre race.

TALLENT was a surprise winner of the Chinese leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge
in June, a race that doubled as an official test event for the 2008 Olympics.

TALLENT and the consistent LUKE ADAMS are among the best credentialled walkers in the field.

In other action, TAMSYN LEWIS faces a busy day if she follows through on her pledge
to run in the opening round of the 400 metres.

She'll also run the 800 metres semi-finals this evening.

Other Australians in action on day two at the Birds Nest include YOUCEF ABDI in the
3000-metre steeplechase heats, ALANA BOYD in the pole vault, BENN HARRADINE in the discus
and FABRICE LAPIERRE in the long jump.

AAP RTV jds/vm

KEYWORD: OLY08 ATH AUST (BEIJING)

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

Vic: Authorities examine report on surgeon's conduct and billing

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2008
Vic: Authorities examine report on surgeon's conduct and billing

By Kellee Nolan

MELBOURNE, April 7 AAP - A top Victorian hospital and the state government are examining
allegations of improper surgical and billing practices by a leading surgeon.

A report, received by the The Alfred Hospital on March 27 and by the government last
Thursday, investigated the conduct of the hospital's trauma centre head, Professor Thomas
Kossmann.

The Alfred ordered the review late last year after concerns were raised publicly about
whether Prof Kossmann's treatment of patients was excessive, and whether his billing practices
with state authorities such as the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) were appropriate.

The allegations caused the TAC to review its billing processes for public hospitals,
TAC spokeswoman Georgina Lyell said today.

That review is yet to be completed.

The Alfred's review of Prof Kossmann's conduct was led by former head of orthopedics
at the Royal Children's Hospital, Robert Dickens.

While it is yet to be released publicly, a newspaper (EDS: The Australian) today stated
the report's findings on Prof Kossmann were "scathing", including that he performed unnecessary
surgery, and surgery he was incapable of doing.

It also reported findings that Prof Kossmann billed the TAC, WorkCover and Medicare
for operations that were not performed, that he did not carry out and that were unnecessary.

The Alfred spokesman Corey Nassau today told AAP the hospital had received the report
on March 27, but could not comment on the report or the findings that were alleged today.

Mr Nassau said The Alfred was considering the final report on Prof Kossmann's conduct
and had asked him to respond.

Health Minister Daniel Andrews received the report last Thursday and was verbally briefed
on its contents.

He has since passed it to the Department of Human Services and is awaiting advice on
it from the department.

Mr Andrews' spokesman Cameron Scott said the government could not yet comment on the report.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on a process that is incomplete," Mr Scott said.

Prof Kossmann was given the report last Thursday and has until April 17 to respond.

His wife Christina Morganti-Kossmann today told AAP she and her husband were not yet
ready to comment.

However Prof Kossmann has previously vehemently defended his conduct in the face of
the allegations against him.

Despite not seeing the report, Opposition leader Ted Baillieu called for a judicial inquiry.

"Now we have a scathing and damning report which is being kept secret, it should be
released, the people of Victoria deserve to know what's been going on at our number one
hospital," Mr Baillieu told reporters in Melbourne.

He said the incident was at risk of becoming Victoria's equivalent of Queensland's
Dr Jayant Patel scandal.

Patel has been charged with 16 offences, including three counts of manslaughter, related
to alleged botched operations while he was head of surgery at Queensland's Bundaberg Base
Hospital between 2003 and 2005.

"If all of this is swept under the carpet, as the Queensland government did, then that's
the risk, because people will lose confidence in the system and they'll lose confidence
in our trauma centre," Mr Baillieu said.

AAP kn/pmu/af/de

KEYWORD: SURGEON NIGHTLEAD

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

0830 Mix Headlines

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2007
0830 Mix Headlines

- DoCS was not responsible for organising accommodation for a family involved in the
tragic death of a baby in Belmont.

- Australia continues to slide down the world literacy rankings.

- Home owners will be spared a pre-Christmas hike in interest rates today.

- Tributes this morning for asbestos campaigner BERNIE BANTON ahead of his funeral.

- HMAS Anzac arrives in Sydney this morning.

SPORT: ANTHONY MUNDINE has labelled CATHY FREEMAN a sellout.

AAP RTV jec/

KEYWORD: 0830 MIX (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Rudd not claiming media baron's support

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2007
Fed: Rudd not claiming media baron's support

Labor Leader KEVIN RUDD says RUPERT MURDOCH was just being polite .. when he appeared
to endorse his bid to become prime minister.

The media mogul and Mr RUDD had a one-hour private meeting at News Corporation's New
York headquarters yesterday .. and then had dinner together.

When asked by the Seven Network after the meeting if Mr RUDD would make a good prime
minister .. Mr MURDOCH said he's sure he would.

Today .. Mr RUDD's told reporters he appreciates Mr MURDOCH'S polite remarks .. but
it's a long way to election day.

Without revealing exactly what they talked about .. Mr RUDD says they covered general
chit-chat about life .. the world .. American politics .. and the New York Yankees.

AAP RTV jb/jmt

KEYWORD: RUDD MURDOCH (CANBERRA)

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

Qld: Govt won't force Tattersall's hand

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2006
Qld: Govt won't force Tattersall's hand

By Steve Connolly and Laine Clark

BRISBANE, Dec 20 AAP - The Queensland government has rejected calls from the state's
anti-discrimination watchdog to change laws to force one of Australia's oldest men's clubs
to admit female members.

Male bastion Tattersall's Club in Brisbane last night voted against its committee's
recommendation to admit female members for the first time in its 141 year history.

A ballot of 3,260 male members resulted in a victory by 106 votes for those men opposed
to the move.

The same proposal has been rejected twice in the last four years despite support from
the current club president Peter Carroll and Premier Peter Beattie.

Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth said today the government should remove
a legal loophole which enables not-for-profit clubs to discriminate on membership.

Ms Booth said powerful mens' clubs such as Tattersall's should move into the 21st century
and recognise women as important members of the business and professional community.

"The Queensland government must step up to the challenge and get rid of the current
exemption that allows not-for-profit clubs to discriminate on who can or cannot be a member,"

she said.

"It's all very well for the premier to be for it (female members) but it's now up the
government to amend the definition of club."

But Attorney-General Kerry Shine said: "We've got no plan to change the law."

Mr Shine said it was hoped Tattersall's would ultimately admit female members.

"This is a decision for them," he said.

High-profile Brisbane businesswoman Sarina Russo - a Tattersall's associate member
- said she would never give up gaining full membership.

"The thought of not allowing women in a business club in today's world is just unacceptable,"

she said.

The 5,500-strong membership of the club has been open to men aged 21 and over.

Leading politicians, 17 judges, 219 managing directors, 510 solicitors, 481 accountants
and 149 doctors are among the membership, paying joining fees of $1,100 and annual subscriptions
between $400 and $800.

Tattersall's was founded in 1865 by gentlemen prominent in business and the thoroughbred
horse racing industry in Queensland.

Members opposed to women joining Tattersall's point out that organisations such as
Zonta International are exclusive to females.

In 2000, Tattersall's membership agreed to allow women into the Brisbane CBD club's
Long Bar on Friday nights and women are now permitted to patronise the bar weekdays from
2.30pm.

They may also dine in one of the club's two dining rooms and use its gym, 25-metre
heated indoor pool and accommodation suites.

AAP sc/jt/de

KEYWORD: TATTERSALLS NIGHTLEAD

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

Vic:Mother of drowned boys does't believe murdered

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2006
Vic:Mother of drowned boys does't believe murdered

GEELONG, Aug 14 AAP - The mother of three boys who drowned in a Victorian dam on Fathers
Day last year has told a court she does not believe their father murdered them.

Cindy Gambino is giving evidence in a committal hearing for her estranged husband Robert
Farquharson, 36, of Winchelsea in south-west Victoria.

He has been charged with murdering their sons Jai, 10, Tyler, seven, and Bailey, two,
by driving them into a dam near Geelong, south-west of Melbourne.

Ms Gambino told Geelong Magistrates' Court today it was her idea the boys spend Fathers
Day with their dad.

She described Farquharson in her statement to police as a "soft" father who could not
say no to the boys.

"I believe with all my heart that this was just an accident and he would never have
hurt a hair on their heads," she told police.

Asked in court today by Farquharson's lawyer Russell Sarah if she stood by that statement,
Ms Gambino replied: "I don't believe this was murder".

The committal hearing before magistrate Jon Klestadt continues.

AAP kl/szp/gfr/cdh/de

KEYWORD: FARQUHARSON MOTHER

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

Fed: PM says Papua boat asylum decision unsatisfactory

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2006
Fed: PM says Papua boat asylum decision unsatisfactory

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has urged Indonesians to understand the processes .. by
which Australia granted protection visas to a group of Papuan asylum seekers.

And .. speaking on Southern Cross Broadcasting .. he's urged them to show restraint.

All but one of the 43 Papuans who arrived by boat were granted temporary protection
visas last month .. straining relations with Jakarta.

Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Canberra .. and there have been calls for
boycotts of Australian products .. and threats of violence against expat Australians.

Mr HOWARD says the decision wasn't aimed at offending Indonesia .. and Australia still
regards Papua as an Indonesian province.

AAP RTV mb/mfh/sco/rt

KEYWORD: INDON PAPUA HOWARD (CANBERRA)

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

A French call to arms over Google challengeEntr'acte

Alan Riding
International Herald Tribune
03-31-2005
Surrounded by the 13 million books in the French National Library, Jean-Noel Jeanneney has good reason to feel safe from the frequent incursions of American popular culture and technology into contemporary French life. Indeed, for many French, the vast library over which he presides is a reassuring symbol of the durability of French literature and thought.Yet Jeanneney, who has headed the library since 2002, is not one to lower his guard. And he was immediately alarmed in December when he read that Google planned to scan 15 million English-language books and make them available as digital files on the Web. In his view, rather than democratizing knowledge, Google's move would further strengthen American power to set a global cultural agenda.''I am not anti-American far from it,'' the 62-year-old historian said in an interview in his office in the library's new headquarters overlooking the Seine. ''But what I don't want is everything reflected in an American mirror. When it comes to presenting digitized books on the Web, we want to make our choice with our own criteria.''When Google's initial announcement went unnoticed here, then, Jeanneney raised his voice. In a Jan. 23 article in Le Monde titled ''When Google Challenges Europe,'' he warned of ''the risk of a crushing domination by America in the definition of the idea that future generations will have of the world.'' And he urged Europe to ''counterattack'' to preserve its culture and political influence.In subsequent interviews, he said Europe should not only convert its books into digital files, but should also control the crucial page rankings of responses to searches. And gradually his one-man campaign bore fruit. On March 16, with French newspapers, intellectuals and politicians now focusing on the Google challenge, President Jacques Chirac summoned Jeanneney and Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres to the Elysee Palace.After their meeting, a statement said Chirac had asked them to study how French and European library collections could be rapidly made available on the Web. The statement concluded: ''A vast movement of digitizing knowledge is under way across the world. Blessed with exceptional cultural heritage, France and Europe should play a central role in this.''But where there is a will, is there a way?Jeanneney is the first to admit that he has a clearer idea of where he wants to go than how he will get there. On the technology required to manage a European vision of digitized knowledge, for instance, he said Europe had the choice of trying to develop its own search engine or of reaching agreement with Google, the world's most popular Internet search service, or perhaps with other Internet search providers, like Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo. Money, too, is a variable. Newly rich from its stock offering last summer, Google expects to spend between $150 million and $200 million over a decade to digitize 15 million books from the collections of Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, the New York Public Library and Oxford University. For copyrighted books, only excerpts will be available online, but the full texts of books first published more than 70 years ago will be posted.In contrast, Gallica, the French National Library's current scanning program, has an annual budget of only $1.35 million. So far, it has placed on line some 80,000 books and 70,000 drawings and will soon add part of its collection of 19th-century newspapers. But in most cases, it offers only photo images of pages, much like microfilm files, rather than texts which can be searched for words or names.''Given what's at stake, $200 million is very little money,'' Jeanneney said of Google's planned investment.What is most at stake for him, though, is not simply the continued expansion of Anglo-Saxon culture driven by the strength of the English language. It is that Google's version of the universal library will place interpretation of French and other continental European literature, history, philosophy and even politics in American hands. And this, he believes, represents a peril far more radical than, say, American movies, television or popular music.Certainly, in popular culture, France has found ways of defending itself, not least by excluding culture from current free-trade rules. Thus, thanks to direct and indirect subsidies, France's movie industry has prospered when those elsewhere in Europe have faltered. Similarly, in the 1980s, when Jeanneney headed Radio France and Radio France Internationale, he placed quotas on the broadcast of non-European music.But his concerns now run deeper, dwelling on how Google will select information related to France and Europe from among billions of digitized pages. Having organized celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution in 1989, he used the Revolution as an example. ''If we tap in 'Robespierre,' will we only have him as a dictator, or also everything about his promotion of human rights and universal suffrage?'' he asked.Jeanneney also fears that the profit motive payment for page rankings will distort Google's selection and presentation of digitized books. ''Google wants to earn money, although I don't think this is the only factor,'' he said. ''I think it wants to participate in a universal culture in which everyone lives better. But with Google on the stock exchange, it will have to earn money.''In Europe's case, he would prefer to see governments providing the financing. But that raises the question whether governments will also choose the books and define the criteria for ranking available information. ''European ranking should reflect a European vision of history and culture,'' Jeanneney argued. But which Europe? That of the French, German and Spanish languages? That of the 25 members of the European Union? So far, then, all that exists is the idea of a European parallel to Google. And it is evidently too early to know how European libraries and publishers will respond (Google's own contacts with French publishers were met with suspicion). But Jeanneney has at least opened the debate. And if the French are perhaps the most sensitive to new expressions of unilateral American power, the rest of Europe also has ample culture to defend.The next step will be when Chirac proposes a concrete initiative to European culture ministers meeting in Paris in early May. And if the rest of Europe does not echo Chirac's call for a regional answer to Google, it seems likely that France will go it alone. France may no longer be a global power, but culture is one area where it is still unwilling to surrender to American might. Overnight, it seems, Jeanneney has given birth to a new national cause. **E-mail: pagetwo@iht.com***Tomorrow: Richard Bernstein writes about the weird business as usual at the UN Human Rights Commission.

2005 Copyright International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com

NSW: Backpacker dies after stabbing at Avalon

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2004
NSW: Backpacker dies after stabbing at Avalon

SYDNEY, Dec 3 AAP - A man died after being stabbed at a backpacker hostel on Sydney's
northern beaches early today.

Police said they discovered the body of a man with stab wounds at the Hostel on Avalon
Parade, at Avalon, about 3.20am (AEDT).

They arrested a man aged in his 20s at the scene.

He was helping detectives with their inquiries.

Police had not yet established a motive for the attack.

However, a crime scene was established and formal identification procedures were still
being carried out on the dead man.

A second man, aged 44, from Clareville, was treated at the scene for minor cuts.

AAP mk/cmc

KEYWORD: HOSTEL

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

real account

real account A ledger account for some types of property (e.g. land and buildings, plant, investments, stock) as distinct from a nominal account, which would be for revenue or expense items (e.g. sales, motor expenses, discount received, etc.). This distinction is now largely obsolete and both sets of accounts are maintained in the same ledger, usually referred to as the nominal ledger.

CAD Potential Announces Enterprise-Learning Management System.

WESTMINSTER, Colo., May 8 /PRNewswire/ --

CAD Potential announces a major development in MCAD learning, supporting the Unigraphics CAD/CAM and i-man PDM development environments.

"We've been in the MCAD learning industry for the past 12 years," says Kevin Noe, president, CAD Potential. "In that time, we've stayed committed to the customers of UGS because we believe their CAD/CAM and PDM software is the best in the industry. We believe the MCAD best software deserves the best service.

"That's why in the past few years, we've worked closely with some key customers to develop learning strategies that incorporated traditional classroom training along with newer technology, such as eLearning. Integrating technology, content and services is what's required of leading-edge learning organizations. And that integration is key to fully utilizing the capabilities of programs like Unigraphics and i-man. We believe that understanding the right integration mix requires a kind of 'personal trainer' approach to learning. We call that approach Enterprise-Learning Management."

CAD Potential's Enterprise-Learning Management System revolves around a key component called "Learning Paths," which offer a true learning advantage. In the "personal trainer" analogy, they're similar to a fitness path a personal trainer might provide. A learning path is defined for each individual in the organization to provide direction, to set achievable goals and to measure results for true education return on investment. In addition to learning paths, the system will feature multimedia training with virtual instructors and an authoring environment.

"We have learned so much about eLearning's role in small to large enterprises over the last few years," says Dave Fedler, vice president, CAD Potential. "That education along with our relationships with large manufacturers like GM and GE brought together the right tools at the right time. The movement in MCAD education clearly has gone beyond eLearning or online learning into the need for a more comprehensive management solution. Integrating tools like learning paths, multimedia education, custom authoring and secure Intranet deployment deliver real learning advantages in one measurable system."

CAD Potential's eLearning tool, i.get.it, will provide the technological infrastructure for this new system. The Enterprise-Learning Management tools are available across the Internet or through a company's Intranet and are fully customizable to meet each company's unique learning needs.

About CAD Potential

CAD Potential, Inc. ( www.cadpotential.com ) is a privately owned engineering, education and manufacturing consulting company based in Westminster, Colorado, and is the leading independent supplier of Unigraphics and Solid Edge education services/products worldwide. CAD Potential's customers include General Motors, Boeing, General Electric, United Technologies Corp. and 3M.

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Delphi Earns New Wiring Business With Mack Trucks, Inc.

WARREN, Ohio, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. (NYSE: DPH) recently won a contract to provide wiring for Mack Trucks, Inc.'s entire fleet of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks, Delphi announced.

Delphi's Packard Electric Systems division will design and build wiring harnesses for Mack. The heavy truck manufacturer's Class 8 truck production was around 33,000 units in 1998.

"Delphi's innovative power and signal distribution system (PASDS) products are a natural fit for the heavy-duty truck market, and our positive reputation in the truck industry continues to grow," said Nick Cassudakis, manager, international operations, Delphi Packard Electric. "This new business package with Mack increases our commercial truck market share lead for PASDS to 43 percent in North America and 22 percent globally."

The Mack wiring harnesses are assembled at Delphi Packard Electric's Rio Bravo Electricos I facility in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and many of the components that make up the harnesses are manufactured at the Ohio and Mississippi Operations.

Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world leader in automotive component and systems technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics and Propulsion; Safety, Thermal and Electrical Architecture; and Electronics and Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has more than 196,000 employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 51 customer centers and sales offices, and 27 technical centers in 36 countries. Regional headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo. Delphi can be found on the Internet at www.delphiauto.com.

AARP Celebrates National Pride Month with Debut of New Online Home for Older LGBT Americans.

AARP announced the launch of a new online Web portal--www.aarp.org/pride--dedicated to serving older lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The organization's first online home base for the LGBT community reinforces the fact that pride comes in all ages forLGBT members, friends and loved ones. The sitefeatures articles on news, personal finance, relationships, travel and other topics of concern to older gay Americans, and their family and friends, as well as a community forum.

"We are proud to provide diverse, expert voices on topics that are important to all Americans 50+, including members of the LGBT community," said Hugh Delehanty, SVP & Editor In Chief of AARP's media properties. "AARP understands that while all Americans 50+ share the same goals of aging with dignity and peace of mind, each of the communities in our lives offers its own challenges, opportunities and contributions towards helping us get there. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate national Pride month than to launch this portal, which we hope will help members of the LGBT community and their loved ones get access to important information and relevant insights from experts and each other."

The new www.aarp.org/pride portal offers targeted news, trivia quizzes and information on issues that especially matter to the LGBT community in areas including healthcare, retirement planning, caregiving, taxation, employment discrimination and more. Visitors can access AARP's groundbreaking coverage of relevant topics, including an article from the latest issue of AARP The Magazine examining--three decades after the emergence of HIV/AIDS---the new face of AIDS: people over 50. The portal also features AARP's 20-part multimedia package, The Stonewall Riots: 40 Years Later, A Milestone Anniversary, which won accolades from the LGBT community and mainstream media for its comprehensive coverage of an important chapter in the American civil rights movement.

For more information, visit www.aarp.org.

Keywords: AARP.

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

New Electronic Commerce Study Findings Have Been Reported by Researchers at Tamkang University.

"Online auctions have become immensely popular and created massive cash turnover in recent years. The volume of trade on eBay, the largest auction site in the world, reached US$6 billion in 2008," researchers in Taipei, Taiwan report.

"However, for a user intent on purchasing an item from an auction site, selecting an appropriate seller from the numerous choices is not an easy task. Even though most auction sites provide a concise binary reputation management mechanism to model the reputation of a trader through an integer value rating system, such a simple mechanism does not give users enough information about their potential trading partners. It is difficult to infer the right judgment rule correctly from knowledge of summing positive and negative ratings alone. We focus on developing an effective reputation model for online auctions to help users select a suitable seller. To accomplish this, four feature factors strongly related to online auction characteristics are adopted to assess the reputation of a trader. We also propose a multi-attribute reputation management (MARM) support tool to assist users in choosing sellers when using auction sites. In this research, actual transaction data collected from eBay were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method," wrote J.S. Chang and colleagues, Tamkang University.

The researchers concluded: "Our results show that MARM is able to select more suitable sellers than other methods."

Chang and colleagues published their study in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications (Selecting appropriate sellers in online auctions through a multi-attribute reputation calculation method. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 2011;10(2):144-154).

For additional information, contact J.S. Chang, Tamkang University, Dept. of Informat Management, Taipei, TAIWAN.

Publisher contact information for the journal Electronic Commerce Research and Applications is: Elsevier Science BV, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Keywords: City:Taipei, Country:Taiwan, Region:Asia, Electronic Commerce

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

Kount Unveils New Enhancements to Operational Platform.

Boise, Idaho (PRWEB) May 19, 2011

Kount, a leading operational provider of fraud prevention technology, today announced the immediate availability of its Kount Complete Platform 4.4. Delivered as a Software as a Service (SaaS), Kount Complete provides customers and partners with enhanced features across each of its platform's core components, including Strategy Management, Operational Management and Fraud Screening.

Kount Complete is at the forefront of the fraud industry in both innovation and adoption. Kount recently expanded its portfolio of intellectual property by adding an additional 41 claims to bolster the device fingerprinting and proxy piercing technology it patented in 2001. Kount's platform integrates easily with an organization's existing infrastructure to identify, track and respond to fraud within milliseconds.

Kount's latest release addresses multiple areas that benefit its customers and partners, including support of international currency, enhancements to its robust rules engine, and extended capabilities for key partners.

*     International Currency: Kount's support of multiple international currencies and improved processing capabilities (specifically within China) allows Kount's solution to be ideal for companies looking to either expand or introduce fraud solutions without having to worry about its currency interoperability.

*     Dynamic Rules: Kount Complete expands its rules engine to empower customers to better manage their fraud solutions intelligently. Unique to the fraud industry, Kount Complete provides intelligent rules that identify and act upon sophisticated correlations between defined parameters.

*     Extended Partner Capabilities: Kount now provides interfaces for partners to integrate with core systems. Specific interfaces include automated merchant boarding, partner billing enhancements, as well as streamlined certification and test capabilities. These capabilities allow Kount to rapidly integrate with third party platforms such as payment gateways, processors and Internet payment service providers.

"Organizations need a comprehensive fraud solution that accounts for all aspects of a transaction and is linked to operational decisions to manage actions more efficiently once fraud has been detected." said Brad Wiskirchen, CEO of Kount. "The core technologies that make up Kount's new features are changing the market, how companies address fraud, and the impact fraud is having on the bottom line revenue of our ecommerce customers."

About Kount

Kount delivers an all-in-one fraud and risk management solution for companies working in card-not-present environments looking to simplify their fraud/risk operations while dramatically improving bottom line results. Kount provides a single, turnkey fraud solution that is easy-to-implement and easy-to-use. Kount's proprietary technology has reviewed hundreds of millions of transactions and provides maximum protection for some of the world's best-known brands. Kount's solution is feature rich and technology proven. Regardless of the industry, Kount responds with accurate information in milliseconds, thereby enhancing the overall consumer experience. For more information about Kount, please visit http://www.kount.com

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/4/prweb5250564.htm

Studies from B. Fredriksen and Co-Researchers in the Area of Anesthesia Published.

New investigation results, 'Consumer attitudes towards castration of piglets and alternatives to surgical castration,' are detailed in a study published in Research In Veterinary Science. According to a study from Oslo, Norway, "From three in-depth focus group studies and an internet based study concerning consumers attitudes towards surgical castration of piglets and alternatives, it can be concluded that Norwegian consumers are content with the current practice of castration using local anaesthesia. They accept castration as a necessary means to prevent the risk of boar taint in meat and thereby secure meat quality."

"Even though castration using anaesthesia is not a perfect solution, it is considered sufficient, and the consumers do not ask for alternatives. Most consumers were sceptical of immunocastration. The scepticism was mainly based on the fear of residuals in meat and unknown long-term consequences for the consumers. On the other hand the confidence in Norwegian control authorities is considerable, and will probably contribute to the maintenance of purchase habits even if immunocastration is to be introduced in Norwegian pig production," wrote B. Fredriksen and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "Castration without anaesthesia was characterized as completely unacceptable."

Fredriksen and colleagues published their study in Research In Veterinary Science (Consumer attitudes towards castration of piglets and alternatives to surgical castration. Research In Veterinary Science, 2011;90(2):352-7).

For more information, contact B. Fredriksen, Animalia, PO 396, Okern, 0513 Oslo, Norway..

Keywords: City:Oslo, Country:Norway, Anesthesia, Pain Medicine, Veterinary Research.

This article was prepared by Veterinary Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Veterinary Week via VerticalNews.com.

Coming soon, the megafast broadband to change all our lives.(News)

Byline: Sean Poulter Consumer Affairs Editor

A SUPERFAST broadband system that will transform home and working lives was given the green light yesterday.

Download speeds across a new [pounds sterling]1.5billion fibre optic cable network will be more than 25 times faster than the current service most people get.

The delivery of superfast broadband has been described by the telecoms regulator Ofcom as the biggest step forward in communication since Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call in 1876.

In future, a broadband speed of 100megabits per second will allow downloads of songs in just under a second and DVD quality films in less than two minutes.

More people will access TV, films and music via a broadband connection. Home working and high-quality two-way video calls will become commonplace.

However, the cost of installing the new fibre-optic cable - replacing copper wires - will be passed on to consumers through monthly bills.

Construction of the new network, which will take place over the next three years, will involve huge disruption, with roads torn up to lay thousands of miles of cable.

This was not not necessary when broadband began because most services operated on BT's copper wire network.

BT will be in the vanguard of the construction of the new national fibre optic network.

It is beginning trials in North London and South Glamorgan and plans to extend the system to ten million homes - around 40 per cent of the country - by 2012.

Virgin, which has already installed a cable network, is upgrading this to deliver broadband offering 50mbps to millions of homes. It claims its system will eventually offer 200mbps.

Details of the plans were set out yesterday by Ofcom. It made clear that it will allow BT and Virgin to pass on the huge cost of building the hi-tech network to customers. This means the firms can be confident that they will make a profit.

In future companies will pay BT and Virgin for the right to sell a range of internet, film, television and other services across their cables.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: 'Superfast broadband represents one of the most important developments in communications for many decades. It will deliver significant benefits to consumers and businesses.

'Our message today is clear: there are no regulatory barriers in the way of investment in superfast broadband; we want to promote investment but also ensure that there is fair and effective competition for the future.'

While the cable network can be built relatively rapidly to cover cities and large towns, BT and Virgin will not extend it to rural areas. Taxpayers may be asked to fund cables to these areas.

Britain has lagged behind other nations - such as France and the U.S. - in the installation of superfast broadband amid questions over who will pay for it.

Currently, more than 60 per cent of broadband subscribers - 7.6million homes - are signed up to deals promising speeds of 'up to 8mbps' However, the actual average speed delivered is only 3.6mbps, while many get 2mbps.

Someone with 2mbps would take 4hrs 48mins to download a DVD quality film. It would be just under two minutes with 100mbps.

At present, the fastest broadband is offered by Virgin Media, which boasts a connection speed of up to 50mbps.

Customers pay [pounds sterling]35 a month if they also subscribe to a Virgin phone line, which is [pounds sterling]11 extra. It is thought the 100mbps line, when it becomes available, might cost up to double that. The fibreoptic cables will run to cabinets in the street.

The last link to the home will remain over existing copper wires, but this is not expected to slow down the connection significantly.

All the information going to houses in a street will travel much faster over fibre-optic cable than it does over copper wires. Because only a small part of the information is going to each house over a short distance on copper wires, the reduction in transmission speed will be small.

ELECTRONIC REVOLUTION AT THE HEART OF YOUR HOME

Superfast broadband will allow a family to watch TV, surf the web or make video calls at the same time. Currenty, broadband often slows and crashes if being used for a number of tasks

INTERACTIVE GAMING

Users will take part in online gaming battles, challenging others around the globe

MUSIC DOWNLOADS

ALBUM 2009: Two minutes 2012: Ten seconds SINGLES 2009: 20 seconds 2012: One second

REMOTE CONTROL HOME

A mobile phone link to the broadband system will allow people to control the heating or washing machine

ENTERTAINMENT

Families will watch definition TV via The TV will operate as a PC

FILM DOWNLOADS

2009: Two hours

2012: Two minutes

THE CONNECTION

Fibre-optic cables will run to cabinets in the street. The last link to the home will use existing copper wires

HOME OFFICE Parents will communicate with colleagues via highquality two-way video link. Commuting will be reduced because work can be carried out effectively at the home PC

The system will also allow 'face to face' tutoring for children

MindTree to Acquire Majority Equity Interest in Aztecsoft.

Combination will create the market leader in Outsourced Product Development (OPD) and Testing

WARREN, N.J. -- MindTree Ltd., a global IT and R&D Services Company, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with the largest shareholder of Aztecsoft Ltd. to acquire 32.57% at Rs 80 per share, which values the company at an equity valuation of USD 90 Million. MindTree will also announce an open offer to Aztecsoft's public shareholders to purchase up to an additional 20% equity ownership interest. These transactions are subject to customary regulatory filings, clearances and approvals. After the completion of these transactions, MindTree will initiate the process of merging Aztecsoft into itself.

Aztecsoft is a leader in the Outsourced Product Development (OPD) and Testing markets as a 2,100+ people strong software engineering services company. It provides full-lifecycle product engineering, independent testing, sustenance engineering and professional services to application and infrastructure software vendors, as well as to New Media and Internet-based companies. It has successfully completed over 1,600 product releases to date.

"This marks a momentous occasion for us all. Aztecsoft is truly aligned with MindTree's values, culture and high standards of corporate governance. We believe this step will be beneficial for customers, people and shareholders of both the organizations," said MindTree Chairman & Managing Director Ashok Soota.

The product stack of OPD encompasses embedded, platform/infrastructure, middleware, application, and SaaS/cloud-computing software segments. Through its R&D Services business, MindTree is well recognized in the hardware engineering, system platform and embedded software segments of the OPD market. With the addition of Aztecsoft, MindTree will offer customers a complete end-to-end OPD product stack encompassing embedded, platform/infrastructure, middleware, application, and SaaS/cloud-computing software segments. Aztecsoft brings solid presence from platform all the way to the cloud computing segments. The combined entity will, thus, cover the entire product development stack. In addition, Aztecsoft also brings deep expertise in independent testing. Together, MindTree will have a 2,000+ Testing services team, making it one of the strongest in the market.

"Aztecsoft will complement MindTree's expertise in both IT and R&D Services. For our IT Services customers, Aztecsoft's software product knowledge will give us a unique edge in architecting, integrating, deploying and managing the right solutions," said MindTree Chief Executive Officer Krishnakumar Natarajan. "Aztecsoft's expertise in the OPD and Testing markets, coupled with our R&D Services business, makes us a leader serving top global technology companies."

Aztecsoft Chief Executive Officer Samir Bodas said, "We are delighted about the merger with MindTree, and are very excited about the road ahead. For over a decade, Aztecsoft has established itself as a differentiated leader in the OPD and Testing spaces. With MindTree, we will further extend this leadership, and be able to offer our customers newer services and solutions. Together, we will be positioned to become the best Product Engineering and Independent Testing Services Company in India."

About MindTree Ltd.

MindTree Limited is a global IT and R&D Services Company co-headquartered in the U.S. and India. With a passion for customer satisfaction, MindTree partners with its clients to create a transparent, value-based relationship. Our domain experts deliver business-enabling solutions by leveraging a consulting led, framework-based and IP-driven approach. MindTree's IT Services business provides a range of services to CIOs across a variety of industry segments. Our R&D Services business works with Technology companies to help build innovative products by providing Product Realization services.

MindTree was named among the Top 30 offshore service providers by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and Fortune Magazine. Widely known for its focus on human capital development, MindTree has been consistently rated among the most admired employers by several industry surveys, including Hewitt Associates and Mercer/TNS, and is also the winner of the MAKE Award for knowledge management. MindTree has been selected as one of the Top 25 companies for good Corporate Governance practices. MindTree is publicly listed in India. Please visit us at www.mindtree.com

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

American Capital Invests $12.5 Million in Narus.

BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Capital Strategies Ltd. announced today it has invested $12.5 million in convertible preferred equity issued by Narus Inc. Narus is a provider of the only carrier-class, real-time Internet Protocol (IP) traffic analysis system essential to manage, secure and deliver services over IP. Existing Narus investors J.P. Morgan Partners, NeoCarta Ventures Inc., Walden International and Mayfield Fund also participated in the American Capital-led financing, which totaled $20 million. Greg Smitherman, American Capital Managing Director, will be joining Narus' Board of Directors.

"We are delighted to be investing in Narus, an outstanding provider of software that enables carriers to secure their networks from viruses and other intrusions, comply with government regulations and protect and optimize revenue streams," said American Capital Managing Director Gordon O'Brien. "Our investment supports Narus' growth as it continues to develop products for next generation networks adequate to meet future demand for IP services. This is our Technology Group's third investment and it is a significant addition to our growing portfolio of business to business software companies."

"Narus' key product, NarusInsight(TM), stands out in its market because it integrates capabilities to secure traffic flows, ensure compliance with government requirements and provide revenue generating services. This rich and integrated functionality in a top performing product reduces customer capital expenses and operating costs," said American Capital Managing Director Virginia M. Turezyn. "In addition, Narus' software product is highly scalable, making it the solution of choice to meet the ever growing network throughput demands of IP Multimedia Services. Narus' difficult to replicate product and the Company's deep carrier penetration provide a compelling competitive edge."

"Narus' products are highly regarded by the leading network integration firms. The Company has established strong relationships with many of them, including IBM, VeriSign, NEC and Datacraft," said American Capital Managing Director Greg Smitherman. "Narus' CEO Greg Oslan has broad industry experience and has demonstrated excellent leadership and vision, having quickly targeted the larger and faster growing market opportunities in security, traffic classification and government compliance. Narus anticipates continued robust growth supported in part by deepening its relationships with major channel partners and through ongoing development of innovative products and technology."

Narus, founded in 1997, is a leading provider of security, classification and government compliance solutions for carrier-class networks. NarusInsight(TM) provides customers with network protection through detection of anomalous events including worms and viruses; usage and content-based billing for any form of IP data; and analysis of traffic for network planning, marketing or real-time management. NarusInsight(TM) has garnered several awards over the last two years including the Red Herring Top 100, the AlwaysOn AO100 Private Company award, and the 2006 Tomorrow's Technology Today award. The Company's customers include leading landline and wireless carriers such as at&t Inc., KDDI Corporation, Telecom Egypt, Saudi Telecom, Brasil Telecom, US Cellular and T-Mobile. Narus is headquartered in Mountain View, CA and has subsidiaries in India and China. Narus also has sales offices in Washington, DC, China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, the United Kingdom and France.

"American Capital's wide industry expertise and access to a broad base of capital provide invaluable support as we seek to expand our relationships with leading network integration firms and bring innovative new technology to market," said Narus CEO Greg Oslan. "We welcome American Capital's investment and look forward to working together."

ABOUT AMERICAN CAPITAL TECHNOLOGY

Launched in February 2006, the American Capital Technology Group invests in early, middle and late stage technology companies as well as mature companies driven in significant part by a specific technology. With the flexibility to invest senior debt, subordinated debt and equity from $5 million to $500 million, the American Capital Technology Group can leverage its capital base and domain expertise to build category-leading companies.

American Capital has approximately $1.7 billion in technology investments in its existing portfolio. These companies generally are mature, high performing, cash flowing companies with excellent growth rates. They operate across many industry sectors and are driven by a broad range of technologies. The Technology Group extends American Capital's existing technology investment business by investing in earlier stage technology companies.

ABOUT AMERICAN CAPITAL

American Capital is a publicly traded buyout and mezzanine fund with $11.5 billion off capital resources under management. American Capital invests in and sponsors management and employee buyouts, invests in private equity buyouts, provides capital directly to early stage and mature private and small public companies and through its asset management business is a manager of debt and equity investments in private companies. American Capital provides senior debt, mezzanine debt and equity to fund growth, acquisitions, recapitalizations and securitizations. American Capital invests from $5 million to $500 million per company.

As of October 31, 2006, American Capital shareholders have enjoyed a total return of 556% since the Company's IPO -- an annualized return of 23%, assuming reinvestment of dividends. American Capital has paid a total of $1.3 billion in dividends and paid $22.44 dividends per share since its August 1997 IPO at $15 per share.

Companies interested in learning more about American Capital's flexible financing should contact Mark Opel, Senior Vice President, Business Development, at (800) 248-9340, or visit http://www.americancapital.com/.

Performance data quoted above represents past performance of American Capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results and the investment return and principal value of an investment in American Capital will likely fluctuate. Consequently, an investor's shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Additionally, American Capital's current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted above.

This press release contains forward-looking statements. The statements regarding expected results of American Capital Strategies are subject to various factors and uncertainties, including the uncertainties associated with the timing of transaction closings, changes in interest rates, availability of transactions, changes in regional, national or international economic conditions, or changes in the conditions of the industries in which American Capital has made investments.

CONTACT: Virginia M. Turezyn, Managing Director, Technology Group, +1-650-289-4560, Greg Smitherman, Managing Director, Technology Group, +1-650-289-4560, or Brian Maney, Director, Corporate Communications, +1-301-951-6122, all of American Capital Strategies Ltd.

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

Internet catches updated butterfly and moth website.

Why should we care about butterflies and moths? Thanks to butterflies, bees, birds, and other animal pollinators, the world's flowering plants are able to reproduce and bear fruit. That very basic capability is at the root of many of the foods we eat. And, not least, pollination adds to the beauty we see around us.

Yet today, there is evidence of alarming pollinator population declines worldwide. Fortunately, science investigators of this crucial issue can use data collected and organized in the Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) database to monitor the health of our butterfly and moth population.

Backed by more than 287,000 verified sighting records and 3,239 images that describe 4,638 species, BAMONA is committed to collecting and providing access to quality-controlled data about butterflies and moths of North America. Dedicated volunteer coordinators, including national and internationally recognized Lepidoptera experts, verify each record. The goal is to fill the needs of scientists and nature observers by bringing verified occurrence and life history data into one accessible location.

To serve its broad range of users even better, BAMONA recently launched its re-tooled website. The site was developed at Montana State University (MSU) under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Network.

BAMONA's latest innovations are aimed at improving technologies for both data collection and data dissemination. Users can now submit records - which typically include a photograph - via the site's new user submission form, replacing an outdated submission process that required multiple e-mails with spreadsheet attachments. As for data dissemination, verified records are now immediately available on the site's home page. New, interactive Google-based maps enable the display of any verified sighting, including Canadian locations. Visitors can now zoom in or out and click on dots pin-pointing sighting locations on interactive maps, and see the details of each sighting record. All these features were not available previously.

Keywords: Information Technology, Information and Data Architecture, United States Geological Survey.

This article was prepared by NewsRx Health & Science editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, NewsRx Health & Science via VerticalNews.com.

STATES OF THE NATION: WHERE TO WATCH AND WHY.(Online Consumer Protection Act)

Byline: THOMAS PARDEE

While federal policies have sweeping effects for all U.S. marketers, ever-changing and often complex state-level regulations can prove even thornier obstacles--especially as peckish state budgets continue to struggle toward recovery.

Finding new revenue streams remains difficult, and states continue to institute new fees and policies to fill fiscal holes. "A number of states are still facing serious economic problems with unemployment and declining revenues," said Keith Scarborough, senior VP-government relations with the Association of National Advertisers. "Their sales tax numbers haven't picked up, and even though the economy has turned the corner, there's a lag of one to two years until their budgets show signs of improvement."

Meanwhile, a number of pending or proposed regulations could pose unique challenges, or spell out what kind of regulations advertisers will face in the future. A few worth keeping an eye on:

ZIP CODES DEEMED 'PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION'

The once-routine practice among retailers of asking customers for their home ZIP codes became quite the liability in California last month when a state Supreme Court judge ruled in Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc that ZIP code information is personally identifiable information. Now, businesses in California are restricted from requesting and recording a person's ZIP code as part of a credit-card transaction. (Combined with the customer's name, it could be used to locate a customer's address for direct-marketing purposes.)

But the new policy applies retroactively, which means dozens of big marketers (including Target, Walmart, Tiffany & Co., Victoria's Secret, Crate & Barrel and Bed Bath & Beyond) are facing class-action litigation for prior violations.

Linda Woolley, exec-VP of the Direct Marketers Association, said this could set difficult precedent when it comes to collecting and using data. "It greatly expands what is considered [personally identifiable information]," she said. "If it spills into other states, it could have an enormous impact."

MARKETING FAST FOOD TO KIDS

After the San Francisco city council banned fast-food marketers such as McDonald's from including toys in their high-calorie kids' meals, the members of the Nebraska state legislature introduced a bill that took the concept a step further. Not only would fast-food restaurants be restricted from selling high-calorie meals with enticing toys, but they wouldn't even be allowed to advertise them unless they met nutritional standards.

The bill, dubbed the Children's Health and Responsible Corporate Marketing Act, was contested by the ANA and eventually squashed. But Keith Scarborough, senior VP-government regulations at ANA, said that this is only the beginning-the war on childhood obesity will increasingly be fought with proposed ad regulations. "If a bad idea bubbles up in one state, you'll see it in other states."

OUT-OF-STATE TAXATION AND REPORTING

A continuing issue plaguing remote online and catalog marketers (such as Amazon) is the introduction of bills that aim to determine that a state can tax the sales made to its residents by out-of-state companies. These proposed "nexus" bills-often presented in different forms as business activity bills or reporting and notification bills-are creating new concerns for retail marketers and consumers.

The Internet Sales Tax Bill, introduced in the Colorado legislature last year, stated that a company must have a physical presence in Colorado in order for purchases to subject to state sales taxes. Though it didn't define affiliates (for example, Colorado websites that referred consumers to Amazon.com, as opposed to Amazon.com itself) as a "physical presence" like similar laws in New York and North Carolina did, it mandated that retailers either collect sales tax, or inform consumers that sales tax was due to the state and report the names and purchase amounts of sales made to out-of-state retailers to the department of revenue. According to the DMA, which effectively challenged the bill, it wasn't whether the state had the right to tax that was the problem with the bill-they conceded that it did. The problem was the reporting mandate, which the DMA claimed had serious invasion-of-privacy implications for consumers.

Still, Ms. Woolley said the tax was another attempt by lawmakers to find new revenue streams. "It's all driven by the idea if they just taxed out-of-state retailers, there'd be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that would solve all state deficits," she said. "But the numbers don't bear that out."

A federal judged blocked the bill in Colorado earlier this year, but similar nexus and/or notification laws have been proposed in other states including South Dakota, Arizona, Hawaii and Vermont, with more bills expected to crop up in the coming year.

AD SERVICE TAXES

Though no state-level taxes on advertising services currently stand (many have been proposed, and all effectively defeated for decades), each year new efforts to impose them are introduced into state legislatures. (For instance, last year one was pitched by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, but quickly killed.) According to an October 2010 study conducted by the Advertising Coalition, businesses in the U.S. spent almost $280 billion on advertising annually. Still, bills that would tap that flow are usually widely maligned, as they could suffocate the industry and decrease the competitiveness of American marketers.

ONLINE BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING

Even as consumers dump their most personal information onto their Facebook pages (and under increasingly dubious terms), advocates say they are simultaneously more worried about privacy than ever before. It's no surprise that legislative efforts to regulate online privacy on the federal level are ongoing, but even states are going to bat to protect consumers' cookies.

In New York State, the Online Consumer Protection Act was introduced last month to mandate that ad networks post clear and conspicuous privacy policies so that users could make more informed decisions before allowing their activity to be tracked for marketing purposes.

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