Los Angeles.– Xenon Pictures Inc, the leading distributor of Spanish-language DVD content in the U.S., today released ‘Rosalinda’, one of Latin America’s most popular telenovelas (soap operas), starring Latin pop diva Thalia.
The double-disc Televisa Home Entertainment DVD —more than 7 hours in length—includes English subtitles, a photo gallery and other great bonus features. Rosalinda has a suggested retail price of $19.99 and will be available at major retail and online stores in the full-screen format.
Crossover singing star Thalia is Rosalinda, a decent, beautiful young woman who works in a flower shop to pay for her education while aspiring to become a great singer.
She finds love with pianist and composer Fernando Jose Altamirano (Fernando Carrillo—TV’s “Ponderosa”), and though they are soon wed, unforeseen circumstances force them apart. Maybe it’s because Rosalinda has discovered that her birth mother, long believed to be dead, is actually serving a prison sentence—for the murder of Francisco José’s father!
The all-star cast features Mexico’s eternal grande dames Angelica Maria ("La Antorcha Encendida"), and Lupita Ferrer ("Soledad").
Originally televised in 1999, Rosalinda was shot in beautiful, lush Veracruz, Mexico, and broadcast in a record 110 countries around the world, including the United States, Mexico, the Philippines, Israel, Colombia, China, France, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Romania and Greece, among others.
The telenovela’s premiere was the most anticipated television event of the year as it marked the return to acting by Mexico’s sweetheart, Thalia. Ironically, this was also the superstar’s last novela.
www.dominicantoday.com
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
New Sony Multimedia Notebook Brings Big Screen Entertainment to Portable Platformoctubre
Sony is taking entertainment lovers on the ultimate joyride. The new VAIO(R) AX Digital Studio(TM) PC is the pinnacle of mobile multimedia performance, combining the power of a desktop with the convenience of a notebook.
Featuring a stunning 17" WXGA+ widescreen (measured diagonally) display with Sony's original XBRITE(TM) LCD technology, the VAIO AX notebook delivers brilliant clarity and true-to-life color, for beautifully crisp playback of photos, home videos and DVDs. Users can also watch and record high-quality television with a removable TV tuner and Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005. You can even create a digital library for personal viewing at your convenience, using the DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+/-RW drive with Sony's Click to DVD(TM) software.
The VAIO AX notebook includes a unique multi-function bay, so you can add exactly the components you want to use. The simple swapping of powerful peripherals -- a TV-tuner Bay Unit, a DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+/-RW Bay Unit, an optional CD-RW/DVD-ROM Bay Unit, an optional 80GB HDD Bay Unit, and an optional HDD Adapter Bay Unit -- allows you to switch from TV entertainment system to high-capacity storage device in a matter of seconds. The optional docking station with an additional multi-function bay provides even more options.
"Sony knows that entertainment and computing mean different things to different people," said Mike Abary, vice president of VAIO product marketing for Sony Electronics in the U.S. "The AX notebook provides users the swappable components to create their own dream machines and we provide the fixed hardware and design to back them up no matter what they choose to do."
Security and Creativity The VAIO AX notebook also sports an integrated 0.3 mega-pixel camera so you can take advantage of available video chat applications. Keeping in touch has never been easier or more fun. No more memorizing multiple passwords thanks to the built-in fingerprint sensor.
With the swipe of a single digit, you can store your secret passwords to the secure web sites you visit, so authentication and access are virtually painless.
The model also comes with a full suite of Sony multimedia applications, including SonicStage(TM) Mastering Studio software for managing music in a variety of formats and DVgate Plus(TM) software for capturing and editing both standard definition and high-definition (1080i) video. To make data sharing and transfer a breeze, the notebook also comes standard with a multitude of connector interfaces, including an i.LINK(R) (IEEE 1394) and two USB 2.0 ports as well as Memory Stick(R) and Secure Digital media slots.
Sony VAIO AX notebooks will be available next month starting at about $2,000. They can be purchased at national retailers, online at SonyStyle.com or at SonyStyle(R) stores (visit www.sonystyle.com/retail www.sony.com/ax for locations) in select fashion malls around the country. Pre-orders begin online today at .
http://www.techweb.com/
Featuring a stunning 17" WXGA+ widescreen (measured diagonally) display with Sony's original XBRITE(TM) LCD technology, the VAIO AX notebook delivers brilliant clarity and true-to-life color, for beautifully crisp playback of photos, home videos and DVDs. Users can also watch and record high-quality television with a removable TV tuner and Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005. You can even create a digital library for personal viewing at your convenience, using the DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+/-RW drive with Sony's Click to DVD(TM) software.
The VAIO AX notebook includes a unique multi-function bay, so you can add exactly the components you want to use. The simple swapping of powerful peripherals -- a TV-tuner Bay Unit, a DVD+R Double Layer/DVD+/-RW Bay Unit, an optional CD-RW/DVD-ROM Bay Unit, an optional 80GB HDD Bay Unit, and an optional HDD Adapter Bay Unit -- allows you to switch from TV entertainment system to high-capacity storage device in a matter of seconds. The optional docking station with an additional multi-function bay provides even more options.
"Sony knows that entertainment and computing mean different things to different people," said Mike Abary, vice president of VAIO product marketing for Sony Electronics in the U.S. "The AX notebook provides users the swappable components to create their own dream machines and we provide the fixed hardware and design to back them up no matter what they choose to do."
Security and Creativity The VAIO AX notebook also sports an integrated 0.3 mega-pixel camera so you can take advantage of available video chat applications. Keeping in touch has never been easier or more fun. No more memorizing multiple passwords thanks to the built-in fingerprint sensor.
With the swipe of a single digit, you can store your secret passwords to the secure web sites you visit, so authentication and access are virtually painless.
The model also comes with a full suite of Sony multimedia applications, including SonicStage(TM) Mastering Studio software for managing music in a variety of formats and DVgate Plus(TM) software for capturing and editing both standard definition and high-definition (1080i) video. To make data sharing and transfer a breeze, the notebook also comes standard with a multitude of connector interfaces, including an i.LINK(R) (IEEE 1394) and two USB 2.0 ports as well as Memory Stick(R) and Secure Digital media slots.
Sony VAIO AX notebooks will be available next month starting at about $2,000. They can be purchased at national retailers, online at SonyStyle.com or at SonyStyle(R) stores (visit www.sonystyle.com/retail www.sony.com/ax for locations) in select fashion malls around the country. Pre-orders begin online today at .
http://www.techweb.com/
Auto Workers Union Wants Health Deal OK (AP)
The United Auto Workers said Tuesday it is asking a federal court to approve its tentative agreement with General Motors Corp. that would cut health care benefits for 750,000 workers, their families and retirees. GM and the UAW announced the outline of the agreement Monday.
If UAW members ratify the agreement, GM expects to save $3 billion (euro2.5 billion) annually before taxes on health care expenses. The agreement also would cut GM's liability for retiree health care expenses by $15 billion (euro12.6 billion), or 25 percent.
The union must get a court's approval so it can't be sued if retirees' benefits are cut. GM has long maintained it has the legal right to unilaterally cut retirees' benefits without the UAW's approval. The UAW disagrees with that view, but is asking the Detroit court to bind its retirees together so there are no doubts the settlement applies to all of them, GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann said.
GM said it supports the court filing and is working with the UAW to expedite approval of the agreement.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
If UAW members ratify the agreement, GM expects to save $3 billion (euro2.5 billion) annually before taxes on health care expenses. The agreement also would cut GM's liability for retiree health care expenses by $15 billion (euro12.6 billion), or 25 percent.
The union must get a court's approval so it can't be sued if retirees' benefits are cut. GM has long maintained it has the legal right to unilaterally cut retirees' benefits without the UAW's approval. The UAW disagrees with that view, but is asking the Detroit court to bind its retirees together so there are no doubts the settlement applies to all of them, GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann said.
GM said it supports the court filing and is working with the UAW to expedite approval of the agreement.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Jazz Therapy: The Denny Zeitlin Trio
Dubbed by Leonard Feather as "the most versatile young pianist to come to prominence in the early 1960's,” Denny Zeitlin is known today as “the jazz world's most visible Renaissance man” (LA Times). In addition to his part-time career as a jazz performer, composer, and improviser, Zeitlin is a practicing psychiatrist in the San Francisco Bay area. And if one considers music therapeutic, then jazz patrons are in for a significant boost to their mental health when Zeitlin takes the stage with the sublime Buster Williams on bass and high flying Matt Wilson on drums.
Born in Chicago in 1938, Zeitlin’s parents both combined medicine and music. He began playing piano as a toddler, studied classical music initially and discovered jazz in high school as a natural extension of his interests in composition and improvisation. Soon he was playing professionally in the Chicago area, where he had opportunities to sit in with Joe Farrell, Wes Montgomery, and Ira Sullivan.
He formally studied music in college, graduating from the University of Illinois in 1960 and then earning his M.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1964. After several highly acclaimed recordings for Concord, Zeitlin focused his musical efforts on fusing jazz, electronics, classical, and rock through the 1970s, leading to a number of recordings and the symphonic score for “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” in 1978.
Refocusing on acoustic music, Zeitlin turned again to solo piano work and other projects, including composing for Sesame Street; appearing on network TV (the Tonight Show and CBS Sunday Morning); touring throughout the world at colleges, clubs, and major festivals; and performing with such jazz luminaries as Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Tony Williams, Marian McPartland, Charlie Haden, the Kronos Quartet, and Paul Winter.
Meanwhile, Zeitlin also established a private psychiatric practice in San Francisco and Marin County, and teaches at the University of California. Merging his background in music and psychiatry, Zeitlin has developed a lecture-demonstration, "Unlocking the Creative Impulse: The Psychology of Improvisation,” which has been well received in the U.S. and Europe.
Wrote Jules Epstein, “[his] technical skills are abetted by his psychiatrist's understanding of spontaneity as a key to analysis—like the technique of ‘free association,’ Zeitlin approaches melody as a line to be coveted, addressed and focused on, but also as a point of departure. His particular skill is in departing without losing sight of the original thought.” High Fidelity noted, “he can rip the keyboard apart or coax the most delicate nuances from it with a virtuoso's assurance. And it is done not as showmanship, but as a means to a distinctly creative end.”
On his current tour, Zeitlin teams up with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson, with whom he just released his latest trio recording, Slickrock (Maxjazz). Buster Williams needs no introduction to Twin Cities’ jazz fans, having appeared at the Dakota a number of times, most recently in April with his stellar quartet, “Something More.” One of the busiest bassists working today, Williams is admired for what the Penguin Guide describes as his “impeccable harmony” and “rhythmic sense that is unfailing, feeling, and utterly original.” His sets in April were (as always) marked by his elegant and melodic lines, his ability to dazzle without calling attention to the effort.
One of the most in-demand, creative drummers of his generation, Matt Wilson at 39 has a wide range of musical tastes and experiences. He was first attracted to the drums after watching Buddy Rich on “I Love Lucy.” Following his childhood in rural Illinois and college days in Wichita, Wilson landed in Boston, playing with the Either/Orchestra, Charlie Kohlhase, and John Medeski. Moving to New York, he formed his own quartet and joined forces with such talents as Dewey Redman, Janis Siegal, Cecil McBee, Leni Stern, Fred Hersch, Michael Brecker, Ravi Coltrane, Lee Konitz, and Joanne Brackeen, and has appeared on dozens of recordings as leader and sideman.
In his review of Slickrock, Don Williamson notes, “Beyond the exquisite piano playing…it becomes apparent that Williams and Wilson are entirely engaged in the music. Williams’ bass lines are solid with buoyancy that sustains the motion. Wilson spontaneously captures the textures of Zeitlin’s music and heightens them through the sensitive extension of tones with lightly shimmering cymbal work or driving malleting…In other words, the trio plays as a cohesive unit as Zeitlin’s virtuosity spurs Williams and Wilson to a state of intense focus.”
http://www.jazzpolice.com/
Born in Chicago in 1938, Zeitlin’s parents both combined medicine and music. He began playing piano as a toddler, studied classical music initially and discovered jazz in high school as a natural extension of his interests in composition and improvisation. Soon he was playing professionally in the Chicago area, where he had opportunities to sit in with Joe Farrell, Wes Montgomery, and Ira Sullivan.
He formally studied music in college, graduating from the University of Illinois in 1960 and then earning his M.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1964. After several highly acclaimed recordings for Concord, Zeitlin focused his musical efforts on fusing jazz, electronics, classical, and rock through the 1970s, leading to a number of recordings and the symphonic score for “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” in 1978.
Refocusing on acoustic music, Zeitlin turned again to solo piano work and other projects, including composing for Sesame Street; appearing on network TV (the Tonight Show and CBS Sunday Morning); touring throughout the world at colleges, clubs, and major festivals; and performing with such jazz luminaries as Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Tony Williams, Marian McPartland, Charlie Haden, the Kronos Quartet, and Paul Winter.
Meanwhile, Zeitlin also established a private psychiatric practice in San Francisco and Marin County, and teaches at the University of California. Merging his background in music and psychiatry, Zeitlin has developed a lecture-demonstration, "Unlocking the Creative Impulse: The Psychology of Improvisation,” which has been well received in the U.S. and Europe.
Wrote Jules Epstein, “[his] technical skills are abetted by his psychiatrist's understanding of spontaneity as a key to analysis—like the technique of ‘free association,’ Zeitlin approaches melody as a line to be coveted, addressed and focused on, but also as a point of departure. His particular skill is in departing without losing sight of the original thought.” High Fidelity noted, “he can rip the keyboard apart or coax the most delicate nuances from it with a virtuoso's assurance. And it is done not as showmanship, but as a means to a distinctly creative end.”
On his current tour, Zeitlin teams up with Buster Williams and Matt Wilson, with whom he just released his latest trio recording, Slickrock (Maxjazz). Buster Williams needs no introduction to Twin Cities’ jazz fans, having appeared at the Dakota a number of times, most recently in April with his stellar quartet, “Something More.” One of the busiest bassists working today, Williams is admired for what the Penguin Guide describes as his “impeccable harmony” and “rhythmic sense that is unfailing, feeling, and utterly original.” His sets in April were (as always) marked by his elegant and melodic lines, his ability to dazzle without calling attention to the effort.
One of the most in-demand, creative drummers of his generation, Matt Wilson at 39 has a wide range of musical tastes and experiences. He was first attracted to the drums after watching Buddy Rich on “I Love Lucy.” Following his childhood in rural Illinois and college days in Wichita, Wilson landed in Boston, playing with the Either/Orchestra, Charlie Kohlhase, and John Medeski. Moving to New York, he formed his own quartet and joined forces with such talents as Dewey Redman, Janis Siegal, Cecil McBee, Leni Stern, Fred Hersch, Michael Brecker, Ravi Coltrane, Lee Konitz, and Joanne Brackeen, and has appeared on dozens of recordings as leader and sideman.
In his review of Slickrock, Don Williamson notes, “Beyond the exquisite piano playing…it becomes apparent that Williams and Wilson are entirely engaged in the music. Williams’ bass lines are solid with buoyancy that sustains the motion. Wilson spontaneously captures the textures of Zeitlin’s music and heightens them through the sensitive extension of tones with lightly shimmering cymbal work or driving malleting…In other words, the trio plays as a cohesive unit as Zeitlin’s virtuosity spurs Williams and Wilson to a state of intense focus.”
http://www.jazzpolice.com/
NBA defends new dress code for playersBRIAN MAHONEYAssociated Press
David Stern wanted to come up with a dress code that wouldn't restrict his players. So he picked one that wouldn't bother his owners, either.
"What we came up with is a dress code that even Mark Cuban could comply with - if he wanted to," Stern said Tuesday.
The NBA commissioner spoke after addressing the Executive Forum on Sports and Social Responsibility, where he announced the league's "NBA Cares" initiative, which he guaranteed will raise and donate $100 million to charity over the next five years.
But instead of getting questions about how the players were going to clean up the communities, he got more about how he planned to clean up the players.
On Monday, the NBA announced in a memo to teams that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the season. Saying players must dress in "business casual" attire, the league banned items such as sleeveless shirts, shorts, sunglasses while indoors, and headphones during team or league business.
It also requires players on the bench who are not in uniform to wear sports jackets, shoes and socks.
And while Stern knows some players will be critical of the policy, he said there was no reason to be, as even jeans are still allowed.
"As it's properly understood, it will be embraced," he said. "The union's fine with it. It's quite liberal and easygoing."
Stern pointed out that when the topic was brought up during collective bargaining, the teams "preferred that we do it as a group."
Even so, many NBA players are more comfortable dressing like the fans they cater to. And Cuban, the maverick owner of the Dallas Mavericks, often dresses in T-shirts and jerseys.
"We don't really sell to big business," Phoenix guard Raja Bell said. "We sell to kids and people who are into the NBA hip-hop world. They may be marketing to the wrong people with this."
But, as Stern pointed out, the reputation of the league's players had fallen to a point that was "not as good as our players are." That's why he believes - and insists - the players will readily go along with his policy.
"We have a minimum standard that we've set that reflects on the professionals in our sport and you're going to do it," he said. "We're certain that it will be complied with."
www.mercurynews.com
"What we came up with is a dress code that even Mark Cuban could comply with - if he wanted to," Stern said Tuesday.
The NBA commissioner spoke after addressing the Executive Forum on Sports and Social Responsibility, where he announced the league's "NBA Cares" initiative, which he guaranteed will raise and donate $100 million to charity over the next five years.
But instead of getting questions about how the players were going to clean up the communities, he got more about how he planned to clean up the players.
On Monday, the NBA announced in a memo to teams that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the season. Saying players must dress in "business casual" attire, the league banned items such as sleeveless shirts, shorts, sunglasses while indoors, and headphones during team or league business.
It also requires players on the bench who are not in uniform to wear sports jackets, shoes and socks.
And while Stern knows some players will be critical of the policy, he said there was no reason to be, as even jeans are still allowed.
"As it's properly understood, it will be embraced," he said. "The union's fine with it. It's quite liberal and easygoing."
Stern pointed out that when the topic was brought up during collective bargaining, the teams "preferred that we do it as a group."
Even so, many NBA players are more comfortable dressing like the fans they cater to. And Cuban, the maverick owner of the Dallas Mavericks, often dresses in T-shirts and jerseys.
"We don't really sell to big business," Phoenix guard Raja Bell said. "We sell to kids and people who are into the NBA hip-hop world. They may be marketing to the wrong people with this."
But, as Stern pointed out, the reputation of the league's players had fallen to a point that was "not as good as our players are." That's why he believes - and insists - the players will readily go along with his policy.
"We have a minimum standard that we've set that reflects on the professionals in our sport and you're going to do it," he said. "We're certain that it will be complied with."
www.mercurynews.com
Sports Figures Hit Big Business in October Magazines
Golfing sensation Michelle Wie and ESPN President George Bodenheimer grace the covers of two magazines on newsstands in October — and neither of them is Sports Illustrated. Fortune and BusinessWeek decided to examine the business of sports this month with profiles of the 16-year-old phenom and the cable network boss.
In the October 17 issue of Fortune magazine, writer Katrina Brooker profiles a sports star who is “on the verge: of womanhood, of a pro career (against the guys), and of a marketing whirlwind that will change her life,” in the cover story, “(Michelle) Wie Will Rock You.”
As an amateur, Michelle was the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship — at the age of 10. She won the tournament at age 13. This year, she was the first female ever to qualify for the Men's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, which earned her the chance to play in the Masters — a feat no woman has yet achieved. Michelle was eliminated in the quarterfinals, “but for several breathtaking days of golf, she fought for a spot at Augusta.”
Michelle turned 16 this month and launched her professional career. She is “the kind of athlete who promises to transcend her sport,” Brooker writes. “People who don't care about golf or even sports will know her name, in the way they know Joe Montana or Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods.”
She can drive more than 300 yards — better than most of the women and half of the men on the professional tour. “Her aim isn't just to be the greatest female golfer; it's to be the greatest golfer, period. … Her drive to take on the boys has become the biggest story in sports. … Everywhere she plays, people want to watch.”
So does the business world. In fact, the way she drives up ratings for the networks that broadcast the events she plays in, advertisers are sitting up and taking notice. Michelle has landed a $5-million-a-year deal with Nike, with a smaller deal with Sony in the works. She’s also hired an image consultant and the legendary William Morris Agency. But before she can earn even bigger bucks, she’s got to sink those putts. Although she has come close many times, Michelle has won only one tournament.
BusinessWeek magazine features a sports figure already at the top of his game. In the October 17 issue, writer Tom Lowry profiles ESPN boss George Bodenheimer — “perhaps the single most influential person in all things sports.”
“As president of the ESPN Networks and ABC Sports, George W. Bodenheimer runs one of the most successful and envied franchises in entertainment, the jewel of Walt Disney Co., and among the most powerful brands of the last quarter-century,” Lowry writes. “While his round-the-clock networks are all about being brash and in-your-face, Bodenheimer is the rare media mogul who is adamant about staying behind the scenes.”
The strategy has worked out well for ESPN, which has thrived under Bodenheimer’s seven-year tenure. Its units, scattered in Connecticut, New York, and Los Angeles, are given a great deal of entrepreneurial freedom. Under Bodenheimer, the company has branched out beyond the traditional TV, print and Internet outlets into broadband, on-demand video, wireless, high-definition and books. There are the X Games and ESPN Zone restaurants. Video games are on the way. Even an ESPN-branded cell phone is in the works.
But rivals are circling. Comcast, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, is looking to build a competing cable sports network. Teams and leagues are beginning to launch their own channels. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., with 15 regional sports channels, is rumbling about a national sports channel.
www.businessjournalism.org
In the October 17 issue of Fortune magazine, writer Katrina Brooker profiles a sports star who is “on the verge: of womanhood, of a pro career (against the guys), and of a marketing whirlwind that will change her life,” in the cover story, “(Michelle) Wie Will Rock You.”
As an amateur, Michelle was the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship — at the age of 10. She won the tournament at age 13. This year, she was the first female ever to qualify for the Men's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, which earned her the chance to play in the Masters — a feat no woman has yet achieved. Michelle was eliminated in the quarterfinals, “but for several breathtaking days of golf, she fought for a spot at Augusta.”
Michelle turned 16 this month and launched her professional career. She is “the kind of athlete who promises to transcend her sport,” Brooker writes. “People who don't care about golf or even sports will know her name, in the way they know Joe Montana or Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods.”
She can drive more than 300 yards — better than most of the women and half of the men on the professional tour. “Her aim isn't just to be the greatest female golfer; it's to be the greatest golfer, period. … Her drive to take on the boys has become the biggest story in sports. … Everywhere she plays, people want to watch.”
So does the business world. In fact, the way she drives up ratings for the networks that broadcast the events she plays in, advertisers are sitting up and taking notice. Michelle has landed a $5-million-a-year deal with Nike, with a smaller deal with Sony in the works. She’s also hired an image consultant and the legendary William Morris Agency. But before she can earn even bigger bucks, she’s got to sink those putts. Although she has come close many times, Michelle has won only one tournament.
BusinessWeek magazine features a sports figure already at the top of his game. In the October 17 issue, writer Tom Lowry profiles ESPN boss George Bodenheimer — “perhaps the single most influential person in all things sports.”
“As president of the ESPN Networks and ABC Sports, George W. Bodenheimer runs one of the most successful and envied franchises in entertainment, the jewel of Walt Disney Co., and among the most powerful brands of the last quarter-century,” Lowry writes. “While his round-the-clock networks are all about being brash and in-your-face, Bodenheimer is the rare media mogul who is adamant about staying behind the scenes.”
The strategy has worked out well for ESPN, which has thrived under Bodenheimer’s seven-year tenure. Its units, scattered in Connecticut, New York, and Los Angeles, are given a great deal of entrepreneurial freedom. Under Bodenheimer, the company has branched out beyond the traditional TV, print and Internet outlets into broadband, on-demand video, wireless, high-definition and books. There are the X Games and ESPN Zone restaurants. Video games are on the way. Even an ESPN-branded cell phone is in the works.
But rivals are circling. Comcast, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, is looking to build a competing cable sports network. Teams and leagues are beginning to launch their own channels. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., with 15 regional sports channels, is rumbling about a national sports channel.
www.businessjournalism.org
FTC Stops False Claims about Fountain of Youth Oral Sprays
The Federal Trade Commission has won a temporary restraining order against marketers of oral sprays that supposedly contain human growth hormone (HGH) to stop them from making alleged false and deceptive claims and from sending illegal spam. The FTC charged that the sprays, marketed on dozens of Web sites and through spam, do not cause weight loss, reverse the aging process, or prevent or treat diseases as advertised.
The FTC alleged in a complaint that the sprays do not contain HGH or cause the body to produce it.
The complaint also charged that the defendants made false and deceptive product claims, misrepresented the security of their online ordering pages, and sent hundreds of thousands of illegal spam messages advertising the sprays.
The defendants are Pacific Herbal Sciences, Inc. and its president, John A. Brackett, Jr., and Natural Health Product, Inc. and New Star Marketing Group, Inc. and their president, Lei Lu, also known as Lei Li, also doing business as IE Marketing, Inc.
The temporary restraining order also freezes the defendants’ assets.
According to the FTC complaint, the advertisements for “HGH Revolution” and “Natural Rejuvenator HGH-R” made incredible claims such as:
“LOSE WEIGHT WHILE YOU SLEEP without DIETING or EXERCISE”
“Experience up to an 82% IMPROVEMENT in body fat loss while erasing 10 YEARS in 10 WEEKS!”
The marketing pitches for the sprays referred to clinical studies and prestigious publications to give credibility to their claims.
In its complaint, the FTC alleged the defendants made false claims about their products, lacked substantiation for those claims, and falsely stated that scientific studies validate their claims.
Specifically, the defendants’ ads made false or misleading claims that the sprays:
contained HGH or increased the body’s production of HGH; caused users to lose weight, without dieting or exercise; would turn back or slow the aging process, including increasing strength and energy, restoring the size of “bodily organs that shrink with age,” and improving memory; and would prevent, treat, or cure diseases and medical conditions, such as strengthening the immune system, lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, increasing bone density, improving vision, quickening healing from injuries, acting as an antidepressant, and stabilizing mood swings.
The defendants also claimed their Web site ordering pages were secure, saying, “NOTE: To ensure your personal privacy, all of the information that you submit to us after this point will be secured using SSL encryption technology.” The FTC charged that the Web sites were not, in fact, encrypted, and consumer information transmitted was not secure.
The FTC alleged that the defendants drove traffic to their Web sites through spam, sent by marketers they paid. Consumers forwarded more than 200,000 of these e-mails to the FTC in 18 months. The FTC’s complaint contends that much of the defendants’ email violated the CAN-SPAM Act by using falsified headers and deceptive subject headings; leaving out an Internet-based mechanism to opt-out of receiving future e-mails; and omitting required information, including the sender’s physical postal address, identification of the e-mail as an advertisement or solicitation, and an opportunity to decline receiving further e-mails from the sender.
The FTC is seeking a permanent ban on the defendants’ false and misleading claims and illegal spam, as well as money back for consumers.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 4-0. The complaint was filed under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on October 6, with an ex parte temporary restraining order and asset freeze granted on the same day.
NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.
Copies of the complaint are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
www.seniorjournal.com
The FTC alleged in a complaint that the sprays do not contain HGH or cause the body to produce it.
The complaint also charged that the defendants made false and deceptive product claims, misrepresented the security of their online ordering pages, and sent hundreds of thousands of illegal spam messages advertising the sprays.
The defendants are Pacific Herbal Sciences, Inc. and its president, John A. Brackett, Jr., and Natural Health Product, Inc. and New Star Marketing Group, Inc. and their president, Lei Lu, also known as Lei Li, also doing business as IE Marketing, Inc.
The temporary restraining order also freezes the defendants’ assets.
According to the FTC complaint, the advertisements for “HGH Revolution” and “Natural Rejuvenator HGH-R” made incredible claims such as:
“LOSE WEIGHT WHILE YOU SLEEP without DIETING or EXERCISE”
“Experience up to an 82% IMPROVEMENT in body fat loss while erasing 10 YEARS in 10 WEEKS!”
The marketing pitches for the sprays referred to clinical studies and prestigious publications to give credibility to their claims.
In its complaint, the FTC alleged the defendants made false claims about their products, lacked substantiation for those claims, and falsely stated that scientific studies validate their claims.
Specifically, the defendants’ ads made false or misleading claims that the sprays:
contained HGH or increased the body’s production of HGH; caused users to lose weight, without dieting or exercise; would turn back or slow the aging process, including increasing strength and energy, restoring the size of “bodily organs that shrink with age,” and improving memory; and would prevent, treat, or cure diseases and medical conditions, such as strengthening the immune system, lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, increasing bone density, improving vision, quickening healing from injuries, acting as an antidepressant, and stabilizing mood swings.
The defendants also claimed their Web site ordering pages were secure, saying, “NOTE: To ensure your personal privacy, all of the information that you submit to us after this point will be secured using SSL encryption technology.” The FTC charged that the Web sites were not, in fact, encrypted, and consumer information transmitted was not secure.
The FTC alleged that the defendants drove traffic to their Web sites through spam, sent by marketers they paid. Consumers forwarded more than 200,000 of these e-mails to the FTC in 18 months. The FTC’s complaint contends that much of the defendants’ email violated the CAN-SPAM Act by using falsified headers and deceptive subject headings; leaving out an Internet-based mechanism to opt-out of receiving future e-mails; and omitting required information, including the sender’s physical postal address, identification of the e-mail as an advertisement or solicitation, and an opportunity to decline receiving further e-mails from the sender.
The FTC is seeking a permanent ban on the defendants’ false and misleading claims and illegal spam, as well as money back for consumers.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 4-0. The complaint was filed under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on October 6, with an ex parte temporary restraining order and asset freeze granted on the same day.
NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.
Copies of the complaint are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
www.seniorjournal.com
Plan slams state with $12 billion higher tax bill, opponents say
A tax panel's recommendation to scrap state and local tax deductions would wallop New Yorkers with an extra $12 billion tax bill and drive high earners out of state, officials said Tuesday. President Bush's advisory tax panel offering of a drastically simplified income tax system _ one that would no longer allow taxpayers to deduct what they pay in state and local taxes _ was quickly denounced by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
"It is a dagger to the heart of the people on New York," said Schumer, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee and vowed to beat back the "pernicious proposal." Nationally, taxpayers would pay roughly the same amount of tax under the proposed system, and much of the paperwork would be eliminated. But those changes would vary from state to state. New York, which has a relatively high state and local tax burden, could end up paying some $12 billion more a year, Schumer said. Robert Ward of the New York state Business Council said many of New York's big earners would move away if such a change did become law.
"It will drive successful New Yorkers away to lower-cost states, and that would be a bad thing for all New Yorkers," said Ward. "The rest of the country is tired of subsidizing New York's high taxes, and it's only a matter of time until something changes on that," he added. Panel member and former Internal Revenue Service commissioner Charles Rossotti said the proposal makes the tax process simpler for everyone.
"I don't think it's a small move in this direction, I think it's a huge move," said Rossotti. The White House made no commitment to stick to the panel's recommendation when forwarding its tax-simplification proposal to Congress, a move Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said is not expected before next year. "We're going to take into account all the work that they have done and the recommendations that they are making," McClellan said. "We share a common goal of reforming our tax code to make it simpler and fairer." The President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform is charged with making multiple recommendations for different tax methods that make income taxes a fairer, simpler and more economically productive system. Its final report is due Nov. 1.
The panel would shrink the number of income tax rates from six to four and put 75 percent of individuals and families in the bottom 15 percent tax bracket. The proposal abolishes the alternative minimum tax. The levy is designed to prevent the wealthy from evading taxes, but it is increasingly creeping into the middle class. Individuals would not pay tax on roughly three-quarters of the capital gains on corporate stock. Myriad personal and family tax breaks would be replaced with one family credit. Income tests designed to keep most current tax breaks within the middle class would be eliminated, letting wealthier individuals and families benefit.
Benefits and savings accounts for retirement, health and education would be eliminated in favor of three savings accounts, all funded with taxed income that would be allowed to grow and be withdrawn tax free. One account would let workers save for retirement through their employers. Taxpayers also could put $10,000 every year into each of two accounts, one for retirement and the other for health, education and home-buying expenses. Low-income taxpayers could get a savers credit worth up to $500.
www.newsday.com
"It is a dagger to the heart of the people on New York," said Schumer, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee and vowed to beat back the "pernicious proposal." Nationally, taxpayers would pay roughly the same amount of tax under the proposed system, and much of the paperwork would be eliminated. But those changes would vary from state to state. New York, which has a relatively high state and local tax burden, could end up paying some $12 billion more a year, Schumer said. Robert Ward of the New York state Business Council said many of New York's big earners would move away if such a change did become law.
"It will drive successful New Yorkers away to lower-cost states, and that would be a bad thing for all New Yorkers," said Ward. "The rest of the country is tired of subsidizing New York's high taxes, and it's only a matter of time until something changes on that," he added. Panel member and former Internal Revenue Service commissioner Charles Rossotti said the proposal makes the tax process simpler for everyone.
"I don't think it's a small move in this direction, I think it's a huge move," said Rossotti. The White House made no commitment to stick to the panel's recommendation when forwarding its tax-simplification proposal to Congress, a move Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said is not expected before next year. "We're going to take into account all the work that they have done and the recommendations that they are making," McClellan said. "We share a common goal of reforming our tax code to make it simpler and fairer." The President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform is charged with making multiple recommendations for different tax methods that make income taxes a fairer, simpler and more economically productive system. Its final report is due Nov. 1.
The panel would shrink the number of income tax rates from six to four and put 75 percent of individuals and families in the bottom 15 percent tax bracket. The proposal abolishes the alternative minimum tax. The levy is designed to prevent the wealthy from evading taxes, but it is increasingly creeping into the middle class. Individuals would not pay tax on roughly three-quarters of the capital gains on corporate stock. Myriad personal and family tax breaks would be replaced with one family credit. Income tests designed to keep most current tax breaks within the middle class would be eliminated, letting wealthier individuals and families benefit.
Benefits and savings accounts for retirement, health and education would be eliminated in favor of three savings accounts, all funded with taxed income that would be allowed to grow and be withdrawn tax free. One account would let workers save for retirement through their employers. Taxpayers also could put $10,000 every year into each of two accounts, one for retirement and the other for health, education and home-buying expenses. Low-income taxpayers could get a savers credit worth up to $500.
www.newsday.com
Stouffer gets a new job
Debra Stouffer, a well-known figure in the private and government technology worlds, has joined Digital Management, an information technology services company that provides secure transactions for government.
Stouffer was named to lead the company’s business development efforts after a two-year stint at BAE Systems as vice president of business development and marketing.
Prior to joining the private sector, Stouffer held IT positions at a number of government agencies. They included chief technology officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, deputy chief information officer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and program manager of the Office of Management and Budget's federal enterprise architecture.
“The government continues to leverage technology to advance business transformation and demonstrate real mission results,” said Doug Keach, Digital Management’s executive vice president of corporate development.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, “there has been a sense of urgency to improve the government's ability to share information,” he said. “Much of the foundation is built, but the challenge is accelerating progress to obtain real mission oriented results. Stouffer will help steer Digital Management's government services in this area.”
www.fcw.com
Stouffer was named to lead the company’s business development efforts after a two-year stint at BAE Systems as vice president of business development and marketing.
Prior to joining the private sector, Stouffer held IT positions at a number of government agencies. They included chief technology officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, deputy chief information officer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and program manager of the Office of Management and Budget's federal enterprise architecture.
“The government continues to leverage technology to advance business transformation and demonstrate real mission results,” said Doug Keach, Digital Management’s executive vice president of corporate development.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, “there has been a sense of urgency to improve the government's ability to share information,” he said. “Much of the foundation is built, but the challenge is accelerating progress to obtain real mission oriented results. Stouffer will help steer Digital Management's government services in this area.”
www.fcw.com
Patent dispute threatens prepaid wireless service
A patent dispute over prepaid cellular telephones threatens to disrupt service to millions of prepaid wireless customers at several U.S. carriers, including Cingular Wireless.
A federal judge in Boston granted an injunction on Monday against Boston Communications Group Inc., (BCGI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) which sells customer management services for prepaid wireless telephones to a number of companies, including Cingular and Alltel Communications Inc. (AT.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
The court had previously ruled that Boston Communications had infringed on two patents held by Freedom Wireless Inc., and has awarded Freedom Wireless $128 million in damages. Last week, the court added $19.7 million to the award for interest on lost royalties, and said it would explore further damages.
Under the injunction, wireless companies that use the BCGI prepaid wireless services must stop selling them. The companies have 90 days to continue serving current customers, during which they must pay royalties to Freedom Wireless.
BCGI said that the injunction could affect service to 3.1 million prepaid customers, including 400,000 at Cingular, representing 70 percent of its total revenue. It has asked the judge to stay the injunction while it files immediate appeals.
Cingular Wireless spokesman Mark Siegel said the injunction does not apply to the "vast majority" of Cingular's prepaid wireless customers, who use a different type of network technology. He said Cingular would also seek a stay of the injunction while it appealed the case.
"We intend to continue to provide service to all prepaid customers, including those on the BCG platform," Siegel said. He declined to say what steps Cingular might take if the injunction is not lifted.
A spokeswoman for BCGI could not immediately say who the other affected carriers were. The company has sold services in the past to a variety of carriers, including Alltel Corp. (AT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nextel, now a part of Sprint Nextel Corp. (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless, which Cingular bought last year, were co-defendants in the suit against BCGI. Verizon Wireless was also a co-defendant but reached a settlement with Freedom Wireless before the trial began earlier this year.
Cingular is a joint venture of SBC Communications Inc. (SBC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research)
www.today.reuters.com
A federal judge in Boston granted an injunction on Monday against Boston Communications Group Inc., (BCGI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) which sells customer management services for prepaid wireless telephones to a number of companies, including Cingular and Alltel Communications Inc. (AT.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
The court had previously ruled that Boston Communications had infringed on two patents held by Freedom Wireless Inc., and has awarded Freedom Wireless $128 million in damages. Last week, the court added $19.7 million to the award for interest on lost royalties, and said it would explore further damages.
Under the injunction, wireless companies that use the BCGI prepaid wireless services must stop selling them. The companies have 90 days to continue serving current customers, during which they must pay royalties to Freedom Wireless.
BCGI said that the injunction could affect service to 3.1 million prepaid customers, including 400,000 at Cingular, representing 70 percent of its total revenue. It has asked the judge to stay the injunction while it files immediate appeals.
Cingular Wireless spokesman Mark Siegel said the injunction does not apply to the "vast majority" of Cingular's prepaid wireless customers, who use a different type of network technology. He said Cingular would also seek a stay of the injunction while it appealed the case.
"We intend to continue to provide service to all prepaid customers, including those on the BCG platform," Siegel said. He declined to say what steps Cingular might take if the injunction is not lifted.
A spokeswoman for BCGI could not immediately say who the other affected carriers were. The company has sold services in the past to a variety of carriers, including Alltel Corp. (AT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nextel, now a part of Sprint Nextel Corp. (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless, which Cingular bought last year, were co-defendants in the suit against BCGI. Verizon Wireless was also a co-defendant but reached a settlement with Freedom Wireless before the trial began earlier this year.
Cingular is a joint venture of SBC Communications Inc. (SBC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research)
www.today.reuters.com
EU urges global fight against bird flu
LUXEMBOURG - EU foreign ministers urged global cooperation on Tuesday
to tackle the threat of avian flu, as Greece investigated what could
prove the first appearance of the deadly strain in an EU member
country.
Swiss drugmaker Roche, under international pressure to raise output of
antiviral flu drug Tamiflu, said it might allow rival firms and
governments to produce it under licence for emergency pandemic use. A
Dutch company said it was working on a vaccine.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, chairing an emergency meeting of
European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg, said discovery of the
deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in Turkey and Romania was no cause for
panic.
"So far there is no evidence of any transfer of the virus to human
beings. Let us hope that remains the situation," Straw told a news
conference after the meeting.
"But members of the public are bound to be concerned and their
concerns can be allayed if they are shown that every effort is being
made by the European Union and by member states effectively to
coordinate action."
Scientists fear if the H5N1 virus, which has killed more than 60
people in Asia since it first appeared there in 1997, passes from
birds to humans on a large scale it could mutate into a variety that
could spread easily between humans. In a virulent form, they say, this
could kill millions worldwide.
EU health commissioner Markos Kyprianou, coordinating the 25-nation
bloc's response to avian flu, said Brussels did not yet know whether
the virus detected in a bird on the Aegean island of Chios was the
deadly strain. Tests were proceeding.
Greece took precautionary measures, banning exports of living poultry,
meat and other poultry products from the island to EU member states
and third countries.
CHIEF THREAT IN ASIA
The foreign ministers said in a statement the EU could not act
effectively on its own in tackling a threat that could move so quickly
across countries and continents.
"The Council (of ministers) recognised that avian and pandemic
influenza are global threats and called for an international
coordinated response," the statement said.
The global nature of the threat was born out in moves in the
pharmaceutical industry towards covering a shortfall in anti-viral
agents that could help combat the virus.
Roche Holding AG said it would be willing to discuss giving a
production licence for Tamiflu to rival firms including Indian generic
drug maker Cipla. Executive David Reddy said however the firm had not
yet been approached by Cipla, which has said it could make a copy-cat
version to help governments build stocks.
Dutch company Akzo Bobel NV said it was working on a human vaccine and
would begin clinical trials next year.
But scientists say development is difficult before the exact
architecture of a mutated virus is known.
Kyprianou said after briefing EU foreign ministers more than a half of
EU states had placed orders for anti-viral flu drugs.
The World Health Organisation has expressed fears that alarm in Europe
could distract attention from what is the real seat of the danger in
southeast Asia. More than 60 people have died of the disease in Asia
where, by contrast to Europe, people often live close to poultry and
are exposed to a greater threat.
Romania said it had detected new cases of suspected bird flu in the
Danube delta, one of them close to the border with Ukraine. Tests were
being carried out to see whether it was the H5 virus, of which H5N1 is
a deadly sub-strain.
Turkish authorities are examining the remains of some 500 quails found
in a field in the west of the country, the state-run Anatolian news
agency said.
Greece, however, was the focus of attention on Tuesday.
People on the Greek island where the suspect bird was discovered found
themselves the centre of media attention. The farmer who alerted
authorities after seeing turkeys fall ill said he feared for his
island.
"Yes I am concerned, but not just for me but for all the people here,"
Dimitris Komninaris told reporters. "But everyone on the island is
keeping calm."
Besides the human danger, countries visited by bird flu in its various
forms can face grave economic losses. The milder H5N7 strain struck
the Netherlands in 2003, prompting slaughter of 30 million birds and
losses estimated at 500 million euros.
www.today.reuters.co.uk
New owners say tourist train idea viable
The idea of a passenger train between Rapid City and Deadwood remains
alive despite legal and financial problems that have plagued the
proposal for more than a decade, according to the president of a
company that plans to operate the service.
Black Hills Transportation recently acquired the assets of Dunrail
Inc., which had ties to actor Kevin Costner's abandoned Dunbar Resort
proposal. Costner, however, remains a major investor.
The company would operate the passenger train on behalf of the
Northern Hills Railroad Authority, which was created in 1994. The idea
of a passenger train was first proposed in 1992.
Ralph Justen, president of Black Hills Transportation, said plans for
a tourist train have not faded away.
He envisions a $22.5 million project that could offer a tourist train
and passenger service between several cities in the Black Hills.
According to the proposal, riders would be able to board a 1950s
streamliner in Rapid City, Piedmont, Sturgis or Whitewood and travel
Deadwood.
In addition, vintage steam- and diesel-powered trains will carry
tourists between Sturgis, Whitewood and Deadwood, he said.
"This thing has potential to be a real economic juggernaut for the
region," said Justen.
As many as nine round trips a day are planned, and Justen said as many
as 400,000 riders a year could be riding the train line, called the
Deadwood, Black Hills and Western Railroad.
To make the train service work, however, the company needs to lay new
track between Deadwood and Whitewood, a route that Chicago & North
Western Railway Co. operated until the early 1960s. And landowners
along the proposed route are already speaking out.
Charles Brown of rural Whitewood owns the property near a 600-foot
tunnel along the proposed route. He said he waited 11 years for
railroad developers or the railroad authority to make a serious
financial offer to acquire right of way. Finally, he filed suit
against the Northern Hills Rail Authority to force the issue, he said.
"This is a land grab," Brown told reporters after the meeting.
Justen said he and other company officials would meet soon with
landowners to resolve some of the disputes.
Discussion at the meeting also centered on Black Hills
Transportation's long-term plans for running trains on existing track
owned by Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad.
Justen said he has been talking to DM&E about running train-bus tour
packages to destinations such as Hot Springs, Wall and Belle Fourche.
To pay for it, Justen said state and federal funds could be tapped as
well as municipal bonds and private investment from Costner and
others.
www.jacksonholestartrib.com
Beta-Blockers Called Poor Choice for Hypertension
Beta-blockers are no better at preventing heart attacks in patients with hypertension than other agents, and are less effective at preventing strokes, investigators here reported.
A meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 106,000 patients, published online today in The Lancet by Swedish investigators, found that the relative risk of stroke was 16% higher for beta-blockers compared with other drugs.
"In comparison with other antihypertensive drugs, the effect of beta-blockers is less than optimum, with a raised risk of stroke," wrote Lars Hjalmar Lindholm, M.D., and colleagues at Umea University Hospital and University Hospital in Goteborg, "Hence, we believe that beta-blockers should not remain first choice in the treatment of primary hypertension and should not be used as reference drugs in future randomized controlled trials of hypertension."
The findings confirmed results of the massive Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure Lowering Arm (ASCOT-BPLA), which showed that the combination of Norvasc (amlodipine) and Aceon (perindopril) reduced major cardiovascular events by 16% (P<0.001), stroke by 23% (P=0.003), cardiovascular mortality by 24%, and total mortality by 11% (P=0.025) compared with the regimen of the beta-blocker atenolol with or without the diuretic bendroflumethiazide.
ASCOT-BPLA was halted prematurely in December 2004 when the data and safety monitoring board determined that there was a higher event rate in the atenolol arm.
In the current study, Dr. Lindholm and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials comparing treatment of primary hypertension with beta-blockers versus other antihypertensives. The trials involved a total of 105,951 patients. An additional seven studies comparing beta-blockers with placebo or no treatment were also included in the analysis.
The authors determined that the relative risk of stroke was 16% higher for beta-blockers (95% confidence interval, 4%-30%) than for other drugs, and there were no differences for myocardial infarction.
In addition, when the effect of beta-blockers was compared with that of placebo or no treatment, the relative risk of stroke was only about half that seen in previous hypertension trials. It was 19% for all beta-blockers (7% to 29%) in the analysis, versus 45% (15% to 65%) in the STOP Hypertension trial, for example, or 38% in a meta-analysis of beta-blocker trials published by Collins et al in Lancet in 1990, the authors reported.
Beta-blockers also had no effect on myocardial infarction or death compared with placebo or no treatment, they noted.
"More than a quarter of the world's adult population, totaling nearly one billion people, have hypertension, and far too many… are still treated with beta-blockers (mainly for hypertension) even though better and affordable drugs are available," Dr. Lindholm and colleagues wrote.
Because various antihypertensive agents in use today, including thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors, calcium antagonists, angiotensin-receptor blockers, and beta-blockers appear to be equally effective at lowering brachial blood pressure, the least expensive alternative may be appropriate for treatment of patients with primary hypertension, they wrote.
In an accompanying editorial, D. Gareth Beevers, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Birmingham in England, cautioned that abrupt withdrawal of beta-blockers could be harmful to some patients.
"It will be interesting to see how the many guidelines committees respond to the latest information," he wrote. "Their current endorsement of beta-blockers must surely be changed. But in the process they may be in danger of 'throwing out the baby with the bath water.
" Some patients genuinely do need beta-blockers as their first line therapy, and there are also distinct theoretical hazards from their rapid discontinuation, particularly in patients who might be judged to be 'coronary prone.'"
Patients should be gradually weaned off of beta-blockers while other antihypertensive agents are substituted, he wrote.
www.medpagetoday.com
A meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 106,000 patients, published online today in The Lancet by Swedish investigators, found that the relative risk of stroke was 16% higher for beta-blockers compared with other drugs.
"In comparison with other antihypertensive drugs, the effect of beta-blockers is less than optimum, with a raised risk of stroke," wrote Lars Hjalmar Lindholm, M.D., and colleagues at Umea University Hospital and University Hospital in Goteborg, "Hence, we believe that beta-blockers should not remain first choice in the treatment of primary hypertension and should not be used as reference drugs in future randomized controlled trials of hypertension."
The findings confirmed results of the massive Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure Lowering Arm (ASCOT-BPLA), which showed that the combination of Norvasc (amlodipine) and Aceon (perindopril) reduced major cardiovascular events by 16% (P<0.001), stroke by 23% (P=0.003), cardiovascular mortality by 24%, and total mortality by 11% (P=0.025) compared with the regimen of the beta-blocker atenolol with or without the diuretic bendroflumethiazide.
ASCOT-BPLA was halted prematurely in December 2004 when the data and safety monitoring board determined that there was a higher event rate in the atenolol arm.
In the current study, Dr. Lindholm and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials comparing treatment of primary hypertension with beta-blockers versus other antihypertensives. The trials involved a total of 105,951 patients. An additional seven studies comparing beta-blockers with placebo or no treatment were also included in the analysis.
The authors determined that the relative risk of stroke was 16% higher for beta-blockers (95% confidence interval, 4%-30%) than for other drugs, and there were no differences for myocardial infarction.
In addition, when the effect of beta-blockers was compared with that of placebo or no treatment, the relative risk of stroke was only about half that seen in previous hypertension trials. It was 19% for all beta-blockers (7% to 29%) in the analysis, versus 45% (15% to 65%) in the STOP Hypertension trial, for example, or 38% in a meta-analysis of beta-blocker trials published by Collins et al in Lancet in 1990, the authors reported.
Beta-blockers also had no effect on myocardial infarction or death compared with placebo or no treatment, they noted.
"More than a quarter of the world's adult population, totaling nearly one billion people, have hypertension, and far too many… are still treated with beta-blockers (mainly for hypertension) even though better and affordable drugs are available," Dr. Lindholm and colleagues wrote.
Because various antihypertensive agents in use today, including thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors, calcium antagonists, angiotensin-receptor blockers, and beta-blockers appear to be equally effective at lowering brachial blood pressure, the least expensive alternative may be appropriate for treatment of patients with primary hypertension, they wrote.
In an accompanying editorial, D. Gareth Beevers, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Birmingham in England, cautioned that abrupt withdrawal of beta-blockers could be harmful to some patients.
"It will be interesting to see how the many guidelines committees respond to the latest information," he wrote. "Their current endorsement of beta-blockers must surely be changed. But in the process they may be in danger of 'throwing out the baby with the bath water.
" Some patients genuinely do need beta-blockers as their first line therapy, and there are also distinct theoretical hazards from their rapid discontinuation, particularly in patients who might be judged to be 'coronary prone.'"
Patients should be gradually weaned off of beta-blockers while other antihypertensive agents are substituted, he wrote.
www.medpagetoday.com
Is 'Wi-Fi on steroids' really the next big thing?
Computer users in many urban and university areas have come to expect connectivity 24/7. There's a cable modem or DSL at home, a high-speed connection in the office and Wi-Fi for the places in between, from the commute to the coffeehouse.
But many long-frustrated suburban and rural dwellers have no choice but to listen to the sound of a dial-up modem handshake, with accompanying slow connections and downloads. Their homes or businesses are in areas that are too costly for telephone and cable companies to wire.
WiMAX, a wireless broadband technology sometimes known as "Wi-Fi on steroids," could provide relief soon, some experts say, although others see many years ahead before the long-touted technology gains widespread use.
"WiMAX is an interesting kind of compromise between cellular and Wi-Fi coverage," said Scott Shamp, director of the University of Georgia's New Media Institute.
"It gives you high data speeds like Wi-Fi but covers a much bigger geographic area like cellular coverage," said Shamp, who helped create one of the earliest Wi-Fi hot spots, covering parts of the University of Georgia campus and the city of Athens, Georgia.
WiMAX, shorthand for World Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a standard for the technology that can deliver wireless broadband services. Its aim is to combine the speed and security of a broadband connection but with the lower cost and convenience of having no wired infrastructure that's needed for cable modems or DSL connections.
WiMAX technology may make a huge difference in less developed areas of the world -- providing a cheaper alternative to costly and bulky infrastructure for hard-to-reach places.
"Certainly in markets like Indonesia, India, Africa and some parts of Latin America, where wired infrastructure is poor, WiMAX provides a huge opportunity. There already is demand," said Charles Golvin, principal analyst with Forrester Research Inc.
Europe has jumped into the world of wireless broadband with HiperMAN, while South Korea has developed WiBro. Both are designed to be compatible with WiMAX technology.
Standardization is critical so that the many products and applications being developed for WiMAX will work together. The first type of WiMAX system -- for fixed applications such as connecting from a business or home -- was approved last year by the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE soon is expected to approve the next version of the standard, for mobile services.
A WiMAX system -- which can be fixed for homes and businesses or mobile for devices -- has two parts: a tower similar to a cell phone tower and a receiver. The receiver could be in the form of a small box, about the size of a modem, or, as is already being developed, a card that can be built into a laptop the same way a Wi-Fi card is in most computers today.
The consumer possibilities of devices using WiMAX could bring a gleam to any gadget guru's eye: streaming video, even high-definition television on cell phones, or in cars; multiplayer gaming on a handheld device; and of course, other information and entertainment yet to be invented.
The WiMAX timetable
Golvin said that while WiMAX will have a big global impact on consumers, vendors and telecom operators by making high-speed wireless more available, it won't happen until 2010 or later in places that have long had access to broadband connections.
"In developed economies, where cable and DSL infrastructure is reliable, where there are lots of subscribers and it is widely deployed, WiMAX does not have a great advantage," Golvin said.
But some WiMAX developers see other business possibilities occurring sooner, such as setting up wireless broadband for entire communities.
Intel is one of the companies pushing WiMAX technology and has invested heavily in its development.
"What if you want to wire an entire city? Even in a mountainous terrain like Mexico City, you could put up a tower that could reach 50 to 70 miles," said Eliot Weinman, conference chair of WiMAX World Conference & Expo.
Connectivity that covers a whole metropolitan area could help cities woo both residents and businesses, with the promise of being "always connected."
Weinman said there are already nearly 400 companies backing the WiMAX technology, for everything from improved communication for police, fire and other rescue vehicles to improved entertainment and information for mobile devices.
Computer chip maker Intel is playing a big part in pushing WiMAX as the next thing in connectivity, just as it did in driving the Wi-Fi standard. Intel's Centrino laptop processors are expected to be WiMAX-enabled in the next two years.
Amid this activity, that cutting-edge group of tech enthusiasts known as "early adopters" has begun to see portable devices as more than just mobile phones -- in reality small computers.
"More people are getting used to getting their news, sports, weather, music and video on that device, and with that will be more demand for faster networks," Golvin said.
www.edition.cnn.com
But many long-frustrated suburban and rural dwellers have no choice but to listen to the sound of a dial-up modem handshake, with accompanying slow connections and downloads. Their homes or businesses are in areas that are too costly for telephone and cable companies to wire.
WiMAX, a wireless broadband technology sometimes known as "Wi-Fi on steroids," could provide relief soon, some experts say, although others see many years ahead before the long-touted technology gains widespread use.
"WiMAX is an interesting kind of compromise between cellular and Wi-Fi coverage," said Scott Shamp, director of the University of Georgia's New Media Institute.
"It gives you high data speeds like Wi-Fi but covers a much bigger geographic area like cellular coverage," said Shamp, who helped create one of the earliest Wi-Fi hot spots, covering parts of the University of Georgia campus and the city of Athens, Georgia.
WiMAX, shorthand for World Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a standard for the technology that can deliver wireless broadband services. Its aim is to combine the speed and security of a broadband connection but with the lower cost and convenience of having no wired infrastructure that's needed for cable modems or DSL connections.
WiMAX technology may make a huge difference in less developed areas of the world -- providing a cheaper alternative to costly and bulky infrastructure for hard-to-reach places.
"Certainly in markets like Indonesia, India, Africa and some parts of Latin America, where wired infrastructure is poor, WiMAX provides a huge opportunity. There already is demand," said Charles Golvin, principal analyst with Forrester Research Inc.
Europe has jumped into the world of wireless broadband with HiperMAN, while South Korea has developed WiBro. Both are designed to be compatible with WiMAX technology.
Standardization is critical so that the many products and applications being developed for WiMAX will work together. The first type of WiMAX system -- for fixed applications such as connecting from a business or home -- was approved last year by the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE soon is expected to approve the next version of the standard, for mobile services.
A WiMAX system -- which can be fixed for homes and businesses or mobile for devices -- has two parts: a tower similar to a cell phone tower and a receiver. The receiver could be in the form of a small box, about the size of a modem, or, as is already being developed, a card that can be built into a laptop the same way a Wi-Fi card is in most computers today.
The consumer possibilities of devices using WiMAX could bring a gleam to any gadget guru's eye: streaming video, even high-definition television on cell phones, or in cars; multiplayer gaming on a handheld device; and of course, other information and entertainment yet to be invented.
The WiMAX timetable
Golvin said that while WiMAX will have a big global impact on consumers, vendors and telecom operators by making high-speed wireless more available, it won't happen until 2010 or later in places that have long had access to broadband connections.
"In developed economies, where cable and DSL infrastructure is reliable, where there are lots of subscribers and it is widely deployed, WiMAX does not have a great advantage," Golvin said.
But some WiMAX developers see other business possibilities occurring sooner, such as setting up wireless broadband for entire communities.
Intel is one of the companies pushing WiMAX technology and has invested heavily in its development.
"What if you want to wire an entire city? Even in a mountainous terrain like Mexico City, you could put up a tower that could reach 50 to 70 miles," said Eliot Weinman, conference chair of WiMAX World Conference & Expo.
Connectivity that covers a whole metropolitan area could help cities woo both residents and businesses, with the promise of being "always connected."
Weinman said there are already nearly 400 companies backing the WiMAX technology, for everything from improved communication for police, fire and other rescue vehicles to improved entertainment and information for mobile devices.
Computer chip maker Intel is playing a big part in pushing WiMAX as the next thing in connectivity, just as it did in driving the Wi-Fi standard. Intel's Centrino laptop processors are expected to be WiMAX-enabled in the next two years.
Amid this activity, that cutting-edge group of tech enthusiasts known as "early adopters" has begun to see portable devices as more than just mobile phones -- in reality small computers.
"More people are getting used to getting their news, sports, weather, music and video on that device, and with that will be more demand for faster networks," Golvin said.
www.edition.cnn.com
Hurricanes and Term Life Insurance - Tips for Being Prepared
Filing a term life insurance claim can be one of the most difficult things a person has to do – Proper preparation before and after a catastrophe can save you and your loved ones a lot of stress.
(PRWEB) October 6, 2005 -- Survivors of major hurricanes and other catastrophic events like 9/11 know that the process of putting your life back together after a life-changing catastrophe is a long and complicated process. But according to life insurance experts, the process of filing a life insurance claim after the death of a loved one can be eased by simply being prepared.
We spoke with Guy Cardinale, CEO and spokesman of Complete Life Quote, Inc., an online life insurance company representing some of the best companies in the life insurance industry (www.completelifequote.com). He had this to say when asked how to ease the life insurance claim process:
"First of all, proper preparedness begins when you purchase your policy. A common mistake that is often made at the beginning of the process is not buying an adequate amount of insurance. Not providing the proper amount of support to dependents is common, so it's imperative to carefully consider the total amount of financial support your family will need (after burial expenses are paid) at the time you purchase your life insurance policy. Chances are that you won't go back and adjust the policy after you purchase it, even though your standard of living may increase substantially throughout the years."
In addition to making sure you have an adequate amount of coverage, it's a good idea to ensure that your policy is "titled" correctly and that the named beneficiaries are accurate and up-to-date with current address information. Verify that the dates of birth and social security numbers on file with the insurance company are correct, as errors can cause the benefits to pass through probate and delay the transfer of funds to your loved ones.
Additionally, the following preparation tips can help make the claim process less stressful:
- Keep your life insurance policy in a safe place, such as a safe deposit box or fire-proof safe. If your home is destroyed in a fire, hurricane, flood, or other disaster, your policy will be intact and easily accessible.
- Let your loved ones know where to locate the policy, and make sure they have access to it. If you keep it in a safe or safe deposit box, make sure they know how to get it out.
- If you have a Living Trust or Will, include a copy of your life insurance policy with it, or provide a copy to your family attorney.
- Make sure that your family has the name and phone number of your life insurance company or insurance agent. It will save them a lot of time if they cannot locate the policy.
- If the policy can not be located after the insured's death, don't panic. If you know the name of the insurance company, most can verify the policy as long as the claimant(s) can provide them with information on the policy holder.
- Obtain multiple copies of the death certificate as soon as possible. In extraordinary circumstances like Hurricane Katrina, if you are unable to obtain a death certificate, some companies will accept, in lieu of an official death certificate, an affidavit from a funeral home director or surviving family member, hospital records, and in some cases, a statement from a physician.
- Pay your life insurance premiums. The law requires a 30-day grace period in every life insurance policy sold, allowing the insured to pay the policy premium any time during the 30 days following the due date of the premium without incurring a policy lapse. If you let your premium lapse for over 30 days, your coverage may lapse and you may be required to provide proof of good health before reinstating the policy. If you lose a loved one, it's a good idea to call the insurance company right away to make sure all premiums have been paid.
According to Mark Simmons of Trust Term Life Insurance www.trusttermlifeinsurance.com, "These simple steps can help ensure that life insurance proceeds will reach their intended beneficiaries. By following them, those who have lost loved ones can slowly begin the process of putting their lives back together."
Unfortunately, the tips above are worthless to the millions of Americans with no insurance to protect their loved ones. This is often the case in low-income regions, and seems to be the scenario for the majority of Hurricane Katrina's victims. Two major life insurance companies with high exposure in the regions affected by Katrina recently reported that they have only received a handful of life insurance claims in Katrina's wake, yet according to a recent report by CNN, the death toll from this hurricane currently stands at 1034.
Preparing for the unexpected can lessen the stress of a tragedy, and if you are one of the millions of Americans without life insurance, several on-line resources are available to help. Sites like www.completelifequote.com, www.trusttermlifeinsurance.com, and countless others contain information on the different types of life insurance available. They offer fast quotes, easy to complete applications, and most have toll-free phone numbers for personal assistance and answering applicants' questions.
Wireless technology changing work and play
Geoffrey Bowker, executive director of a research institute at Santa Clara University, remembers a time when going to academic conferences meant leaving office concerns behind, hearing provocative lectures and getting to experience a new city. He especially liked visiting art galleries.
Now, wherever Bowker goes, his office goes with him. E-mails, phone calls and office documents float into his hands, demanding his attention at all hours of the day. Through a cell phone and his laptop computer, Bowker is as connected to his office at conferences as when he is there in person. It's made him more productive, but he's not entirely satisfied.
"A huge difference for many is that we find it much more difficult to maintain barriers between work and play," said Bowker, executive director of Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology and Society, which studies technology's impact on culture.
The eroding distinction between work and play is one of the many paradoxes at the heart of our increasingly wireless world.
"This is always the case with new technology. Often the effects are paradoxical," Bowker said. "The overall upside is that we can maintain a rich social and cultural life while dashing from pillar to post. The overall downside is that our spiritual development -- which requires empty time, contemplation -- is suffering enormously."
Wireless use skyrockets
Ten years ago, the level of connectedness of today's world was just a prophecy. Cell phones were big and clunky and owned by few people. BlackBerries were a kind of fruit, not all-purpose remote office devices. And Bluetooth was what kids got after eating blueberry Slurpees, not the latest and greatest standard for short-range wireless technology.
Today, the use of wireless devices is widespread in the United States, and growing.
About 71 percent of America's 108 million households own at least one cell phone, according to Forrester Research Inc. More than 25 million households now own laptop computers, according to Forrester. And 5.3 million households have wireless Internet access.
"That doesn't sound like a big number, but it is up from zero a couple of years ago. That is rapid growth," said Charles Golvin, a principal analyst at Forrester.
More and more everyday devices -- including game consoles, music players, cameras and even cars -- are being designed with wireless connectivity in mind. (Gadgets on the horizon)
"The future of devices that don't have some kind of connectivity built into them is pretty bleak. It's going to be the case that almost anything you can think of is going to connect to other things, most often wirelessly," Golvin said.
As various kinds of wireless devices become more common, the flow of content will increase as well. Movies will be downloaded in a flash and transported to any one of a number of viewers. Music will flow to cell phones. Music videos and news clips will be downloadable anywhere, anytime. These developments create new challenges for the creators and owners of this content.
"What are they going to do from a rights perspective?" Golvin asks. "Are they going to be more and more restrictive? Or are they going to embrace new business models, new ways to use content that is going to allow this stuff to flow?"
Stretching etiquette
The prevalence of wireless gadgets and networks is changing how people interact with one another. Social plans are made later in the day; conversations happen more frequently but with more brevity, and expectations evolve.
As wireless speeds increase, activities such as watching video on you phone will, too.
"Think of the early years of the answering machine on the telephone," said James Hughes, executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and a professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. "You'd call someone, and at first you'd be annoyed that they'd have that annoying box answer the phone. Now, if a phone rings and rings and doesn't go to a message system, you think it is impolite."
Because this technology is designed to follow people wherever they go, it is difficult to come up with one-size-fits-all rules for wireless communication. What is OK at home may not be OK in the office. What is OK on the street may not be OK in church. (Where are your wireless manners?)
"To me the technology is ahead of our culture. The common thing we hear about these days is etiquette. Should we be allowed to talk on airplanes is a current question? The behavioral aspects haven't transformed along with the technology," said Dave Mock, author of "The Qualcomm Equation."
Challenging security
Beyond etiquette and the need for personal space, security issues also loom large in a wireless world. From proprietary financial data to personal photographs, more and more information than ever before is floating through the air, accessible to thieves and vandals.
"It does make people more vulnerable. The wires aren't there to be seen. ... Wireless networks are much less secure," said Sarah Hicks, a vice president at Symantec Corp., a digital security company.
Hicks advises consumers to create passwords for all their devices and networks, install software that can protect against outside attacks and viruses, and open e-mails only from known sources. (Protecting your network)
She said some wireless devices can be particularly dangerous because they constantly scan the area in search of available wireless networks. She recommends changing the settings so they don't mistakenly come across a harmful network.
"Wireless networks are great," Hicks said. "They enable a lot of freedom, but they also come with risks. Consumers need to protect themselves."
www.edition.cnn.com
Now, wherever Bowker goes, his office goes with him. E-mails, phone calls and office documents float into his hands, demanding his attention at all hours of the day. Through a cell phone and his laptop computer, Bowker is as connected to his office at conferences as when he is there in person. It's made him more productive, but he's not entirely satisfied.
"A huge difference for many is that we find it much more difficult to maintain barriers between work and play," said Bowker, executive director of Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology and Society, which studies technology's impact on culture.
The eroding distinction between work and play is one of the many paradoxes at the heart of our increasingly wireless world.
"This is always the case with new technology. Often the effects are paradoxical," Bowker said. "The overall upside is that we can maintain a rich social and cultural life while dashing from pillar to post. The overall downside is that our spiritual development -- which requires empty time, contemplation -- is suffering enormously."
Wireless use skyrockets
Ten years ago, the level of connectedness of today's world was just a prophecy. Cell phones were big and clunky and owned by few people. BlackBerries were a kind of fruit, not all-purpose remote office devices. And Bluetooth was what kids got after eating blueberry Slurpees, not the latest and greatest standard for short-range wireless technology.
Today, the use of wireless devices is widespread in the United States, and growing.
About 71 percent of America's 108 million households own at least one cell phone, according to Forrester Research Inc. More than 25 million households now own laptop computers, according to Forrester. And 5.3 million households have wireless Internet access.
"That doesn't sound like a big number, but it is up from zero a couple of years ago. That is rapid growth," said Charles Golvin, a principal analyst at Forrester.
More and more everyday devices -- including game consoles, music players, cameras and even cars -- are being designed with wireless connectivity in mind. (Gadgets on the horizon)
"The future of devices that don't have some kind of connectivity built into them is pretty bleak. It's going to be the case that almost anything you can think of is going to connect to other things, most often wirelessly," Golvin said.
As various kinds of wireless devices become more common, the flow of content will increase as well. Movies will be downloaded in a flash and transported to any one of a number of viewers. Music will flow to cell phones. Music videos and news clips will be downloadable anywhere, anytime. These developments create new challenges for the creators and owners of this content.
"What are they going to do from a rights perspective?" Golvin asks. "Are they going to be more and more restrictive? Or are they going to embrace new business models, new ways to use content that is going to allow this stuff to flow?"
Stretching etiquette
The prevalence of wireless gadgets and networks is changing how people interact with one another. Social plans are made later in the day; conversations happen more frequently but with more brevity, and expectations evolve.
As wireless speeds increase, activities such as watching video on you phone will, too.
"Think of the early years of the answering machine on the telephone," said James Hughes, executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and a professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. "You'd call someone, and at first you'd be annoyed that they'd have that annoying box answer the phone. Now, if a phone rings and rings and doesn't go to a message system, you think it is impolite."
Because this technology is designed to follow people wherever they go, it is difficult to come up with one-size-fits-all rules for wireless communication. What is OK at home may not be OK in the office. What is OK on the street may not be OK in church. (Where are your wireless manners?)
"To me the technology is ahead of our culture. The common thing we hear about these days is etiquette. Should we be allowed to talk on airplanes is a current question? The behavioral aspects haven't transformed along with the technology," said Dave Mock, author of "The Qualcomm Equation."
Challenging security
Beyond etiquette and the need for personal space, security issues also loom large in a wireless world. From proprietary financial data to personal photographs, more and more information than ever before is floating through the air, accessible to thieves and vandals.
"It does make people more vulnerable. The wires aren't there to be seen. ... Wireless networks are much less secure," said Sarah Hicks, a vice president at Symantec Corp., a digital security company.
Hicks advises consumers to create passwords for all their devices and networks, install software that can protect against outside attacks and viruses, and open e-mails only from known sources. (Protecting your network)
She said some wireless devices can be particularly dangerous because they constantly scan the area in search of available wireless networks. She recommends changing the settings so they don't mistakenly come across a harmful network.
"Wireless networks are great," Hicks said. "They enable a lot of freedom, but they also come with risks. Consumers need to protect themselves."
www.edition.cnn.com
Japan aide calls for business as usual with Korea
TOKYO.- A day after a visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine by Japan's prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, his foreign minister tried to assuage Seoul's anger over the visit. Nobutaka Machimura told the JoongAng Daily and other Korean reporters yesterday that he hoped scheduled visits to Tokyo by President Roh Moo-hyun in December and Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon in November would not be canceled.
"Exchanges between the two governments should not be stopped because of one issue," the minister said. "When there are problems it's important to have in-depth discussions." The Blue House said yesterday it might cancel Mr. Roh's trip to Tokyo and that plans for a meeting of the two leaders in Busan next month at the APEC summit were also on hold.Mr.
Koizumi's fifth visit to the shrine, where executed World War II war criminals are among those honored, triggered still another outburst of anger from Seoul and Beijing and complaints from some southeast Asian nations. Relations between Korea and its former colonial master have never been better than an uneasy peace despite the huge volume of trade and investment between the neighbors.
Other irritants include a territorial dispute over islets in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and Japanese textbooks that seem to Koreans to glorify its imperial past and play down atrocities committed against Koreans.
Mr. Machimura said that efforts to restart talks with North Korea on the establishment of diplomatic relations are making no progress because of a demand by Pyongyang that he refused to discuss. Other reports from here yesterday said a dispute over the location of the next round of talks had stalled them, but that both had now agreed to meet in Beijing at the end of this month.
www.joongangdaily.joins.com
"Exchanges between the two governments should not be stopped because of one issue," the minister said. "When there are problems it's important to have in-depth discussions." The Blue House said yesterday it might cancel Mr. Roh's trip to Tokyo and that plans for a meeting of the two leaders in Busan next month at the APEC summit were also on hold.Mr.
Koizumi's fifth visit to the shrine, where executed World War II war criminals are among those honored, triggered still another outburst of anger from Seoul and Beijing and complaints from some southeast Asian nations. Relations between Korea and its former colonial master have never been better than an uneasy peace despite the huge volume of trade and investment between the neighbors.
Other irritants include a territorial dispute over islets in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and Japanese textbooks that seem to Koreans to glorify its imperial past and play down atrocities committed against Koreans.
Mr. Machimura said that efforts to restart talks with North Korea on the establishment of diplomatic relations are making no progress because of a demand by Pyongyang that he refused to discuss. Other reports from here yesterday said a dispute over the location of the next round of talks had stalled them, but that both had now agreed to meet in Beijing at the end of this month.
www.joongangdaily.joins.com
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, CHP and 21st Century Insurance Host Car Seat Safety Program
Mighty Ducks Goalies and Actor Erik Estrada Will be in Attendance to Help Spread the Word on the Importance of Child Safety Seats Through Special Charity Drive and Event at Arrowhead Pond.
ANAHEIM, Calif.--(HISPANIC PR WIRE - BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2004--On Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in partnership with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and 21st Century Insurance will host a safety fair at the Arrowhead Pond, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., where local residents will receive a free child safety seat inspection and installation. In support of the safety program, Mighty Ducks' goalies J.S. Giguere and Martin Gerber will both be on hand at the event.
At the fair, parents can have specially trained CHP officers inspect and, if necessary, replace and install a new car seat donated by 21st Century and the Mighty Ducks. In this unique, life-saving program, 21st Century will donate $10 toward the purchase of new car seats for every save made by the Ducks' goalies this year. "This is a terrific program that allows us to directly contribute to our local community and most importantly, help save the lives of children," said Mighty Ducks goalie J.S. Giguere.
The hundreds of saves by Ducks' goalies Giguere and Gerber thus far have helped 21st Century purchase and donate car seats for the annual statewide campaign. The insurance company will continue to donate several hundred more safety seats to underserved families at upcoming events during the year.
Actor Erik Estrada will also join fair participants to spread the word on child seat safety. Estrada, best known for his role as CHP Officer Frank Poncherello, stated, "It is a documented fact that child safety seats save lives. As a concerned parent of a young child, I urge every parent to get the right car seats for their children! As well, always make sure child safety seats are installed safely and correctly."
Children must accompany their parent or guardian at the safety fair and inspections are done on a first-come, first-served basis.
ABOUT THE MIGHTY DUCKS
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are the reigning Western Conference Champions in the National Hockey League. The team is coming off the best season in franchise history and returns a core group of players for the 2003-04 campaign. For more information about the Mighty Ducks, visit the team's Web site at http://www.mightyducks.com 21st Century Insurance Founded in 1958, 21st Century Insurance is a pioneer of the direct-to-consumer marketing of personal automobile insurance, serving customers in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
The company provides full service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 1-800-211-SAVE and its company Web site, http://www.21st.com. 21st Century Insurance insures more than 1.2 million vehicles in California, holds an A+ (Superior) financial rating from A.M. Best, the world's oldest independent insurance rating and information service, and an A+ from Standard and Poors. --30--ST/np* CONTACT: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Jesse Tyler, 714-940-2962
ANAHEIM, Calif.--(HISPANIC PR WIRE - BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2004--On Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in partnership with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and 21st Century Insurance will host a safety fair at the Arrowhead Pond, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., where local residents will receive a free child safety seat inspection and installation. In support of the safety program, Mighty Ducks' goalies J.S. Giguere and Martin Gerber will both be on hand at the event.
At the fair, parents can have specially trained CHP officers inspect and, if necessary, replace and install a new car seat donated by 21st Century and the Mighty Ducks. In this unique, life-saving program, 21st Century will donate $10 toward the purchase of new car seats for every save made by the Ducks' goalies this year. "This is a terrific program that allows us to directly contribute to our local community and most importantly, help save the lives of children," said Mighty Ducks goalie J.S. Giguere.
The hundreds of saves by Ducks' goalies Giguere and Gerber thus far have helped 21st Century purchase and donate car seats for the annual statewide campaign. The insurance company will continue to donate several hundred more safety seats to underserved families at upcoming events during the year.
Actor Erik Estrada will also join fair participants to spread the word on child seat safety. Estrada, best known for his role as CHP Officer Frank Poncherello, stated, "It is a documented fact that child safety seats save lives. As a concerned parent of a young child, I urge every parent to get the right car seats for their children! As well, always make sure child safety seats are installed safely and correctly."
Children must accompany their parent or guardian at the safety fair and inspections are done on a first-come, first-served basis.
ABOUT THE MIGHTY DUCKS
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are the reigning Western Conference Champions in the National Hockey League. The team is coming off the best season in franchise history and returns a core group of players for the 2003-04 campaign. For more information about the Mighty Ducks, visit the team's Web site at http://www.mightyducks.com 21st Century Insurance Founded in 1958, 21st Century Insurance is a pioneer of the direct-to-consumer marketing of personal automobile insurance, serving customers in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
The company provides full service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 1-800-211-SAVE and its company Web site, http://www.21st.com. 21st Century Insurance insures more than 1.2 million vehicles in California, holds an A+ (Superior) financial rating from A.M. Best, the world's oldest independent insurance rating and information service, and an A+ from Standard and Poors. --30--ST/np* CONTACT: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Jesse Tyler, 714-940-2962
Securing a home equity credit line has pros, cons
By JEFF BROWN.- After watching an unemployed friend pay bills by drawing on a home equity line of credit, a reader asks if it's wise to set up a credit line for an emergency fund.
It's not a bad idea, so long as you note the hazards.
A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is basically a second mortgage on your home, with a floating interest rate that can go up or down each month. If your home were currently worth $300,000 and you owed $200,000 on your first mortgage, you'd have $100,000 in equity that could serve as collateral on a home equity loan.
Of course, this means that if you stop making payments, the lender can foreclose and sell your home to cover the debt, as with a regular mortgage.
To qualify for an equity loan, you generally must prove that you earn enough to make the payments. So if you're thinking about an emergency fund, you'd be wise to get such a loan while you have a job.
Because equity loans are secured by a property, the lender takes less risk than with unsecured loans such as credit cards. That's why HELOCs usually have fairly low interest rates - currently 6 percent to 7.5 percent, depending on the borrower's credit rating.
With a line of credit, you are authorized a maximum amount to borrow, and you can take any amount up to that limit any time you want. HELOCs typically provide borrowers with checkbooks and debit cards. Your monthly statement will show the current debt and minimum payment required, just as a credit card statement would.
A second type of home equity loan, the installment loan, gives the borrower a lump sum when the loan is approved, and the borrower begins making payments right away.
The interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan, as with a traditional mortgage. Although that's an advantage, installment loans are not as suitable for an emergency fund, because you must begin payments even if you have no immediate use for the money.
With both types of equity loans, interest payments on debts of up to $100,000 are generally deductible on the federal income tax return, which is not the case for credit-card loans. That means the real, after-tax rate on a 7 percent equity loan would be 5.25 percent, assuming a 25 percent tax bracket.
To shop for a HELOC, you can go online - but first, some warnings:
Many HELOCs have low introductory "teaser" rates. Focus instead on the annual percentage rate, or APR, which accounts for fees and the true interest rate after any teaser period ends.
Look for the index that will be used to adjust the interest rate every month after the teaser period.
Know the maximum the loan can charge. I saw one that started with a 3.99 percent teaser but could go as high as 24 percent.
Beware of balloon payments. Some HELOCs offer dirt-cheap minimum payments that cover interest only, so that the whole debt remains due some years down the road.
Understand that even if you don't use it, a big line of credit can hurt your ability to get other loans. Lenders worry that you could go on a spending spree and rack up more debt than you can handle.
Jeff Brown is a syndicated columnist for Knight Ridder News. His column appears every Tuesday in The Record.
It's not a bad idea, so long as you note the hazards.
A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is basically a second mortgage on your home, with a floating interest rate that can go up or down each month. If your home were currently worth $300,000 and you owed $200,000 on your first mortgage, you'd have $100,000 in equity that could serve as collateral on a home equity loan.
Of course, this means that if you stop making payments, the lender can foreclose and sell your home to cover the debt, as with a regular mortgage.
To qualify for an equity loan, you generally must prove that you earn enough to make the payments. So if you're thinking about an emergency fund, you'd be wise to get such a loan while you have a job.
Because equity loans are secured by a property, the lender takes less risk than with unsecured loans such as credit cards. That's why HELOCs usually have fairly low interest rates - currently 6 percent to 7.5 percent, depending on the borrower's credit rating.
With a line of credit, you are authorized a maximum amount to borrow, and you can take any amount up to that limit any time you want. HELOCs typically provide borrowers with checkbooks and debit cards. Your monthly statement will show the current debt and minimum payment required, just as a credit card statement would.
A second type of home equity loan, the installment loan, gives the borrower a lump sum when the loan is approved, and the borrower begins making payments right away.
The interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan, as with a traditional mortgage. Although that's an advantage, installment loans are not as suitable for an emergency fund, because you must begin payments even if you have no immediate use for the money.
With both types of equity loans, interest payments on debts of up to $100,000 are generally deductible on the federal income tax return, which is not the case for credit-card loans. That means the real, after-tax rate on a 7 percent equity loan would be 5.25 percent, assuming a 25 percent tax bracket.
To shop for a HELOC, you can go online - but first, some warnings:
Many HELOCs have low introductory "teaser" rates. Focus instead on the annual percentage rate, or APR, which accounts for fees and the true interest rate after any teaser period ends.
Look for the index that will be used to adjust the interest rate every month after the teaser period.
Know the maximum the loan can charge. I saw one that started with a 3.99 percent teaser but could go as high as 24 percent.
Beware of balloon payments. Some HELOCs offer dirt-cheap minimum payments that cover interest only, so that the whole debt remains due some years down the road.
Understand that even if you don't use it, a big line of credit can hurt your ability to get other loans. Lenders worry that you could go on a spending spree and rack up more debt than you can handle.
Jeff Brown is a syndicated columnist for Knight Ridder News. His column appears every Tuesday in The Record.
SAS is offering special Christmas presents this festive season
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has special Christmas presents for those travelling to Europe this December – and all Travel Agents have the chance to receive a special giveaway too…
SAS offers passengers flying Business Class, Business Combination or Economy Extra Combination a free stopover night at the new Adina Apartment Hotel Copenhagen and a free entrance ticket to the famous Tivoli Gardens Christmas Market. Economy Class passengers will each receive a free ticket to the Tivoli Gardens Christmas Market. These special offers are valid for passengers travelling with SAS this December and must be booked by 1 November.
(Conditions apply)
Travel Agents booking a SAS Special Christmas Stopover offer have the chance to win a special Christmas present – a weekend getaway for two at a Medina Apartment Hotel in Australia ! Each ticket booked automatically enters you into the lucky draw.
Adina Apartment Hotel Copenhagen
The new Adina Apartment Hotel Copenhagen opens on 12 December next to Copenhagen 's new ferry terminal, approximately five minutes walk to the Little Mermaid and 15-20 minutes walk to the central shopping streets and other major sights. The upmarket apartment hotel is owned by Australia 's Toga Hospitality Group, which operates the Medina brand. Adina Copenhagen offers 126 spacious apartments, as well as a restaurant, pool, gym, meeting rooms and parking. The room included with the SAS Offer is a 1-bedroom apartment.
Christmas in Copenhagen
A Christmas stopover in Copenhagen promises something special. Thousands of lights illuminate the cobbled streets and old buildings, each square has its own Christmas tree and every shop window is decorated. There's fantastic Christmas shopping in major international retail stores along the major pedestrian street 'Strøget' or in small and individual neighbourhood shops.
Christmas markets are a city tradition and the most famous is in Tivoli with its beautiful lamp-lit gardens, skating lake, miniature villages cloaked in snow, and small shops full of unique gifts and goodies. The market is open daily from 12-8pm until 31 December 2005.
SAS Special Christmas Fares
The SAS Special Christmas Fares are on sale now and start from: Economy Class: $1999, Economy Extra*: $2450, Business Combination: $3199 and Business all the way: $5150. Fares are Nett to travel agents. Taxes are additional from $250.
*Economy Extra gives you a lot more for a little extra: Fly Economy Class from Australia to Asia, then continue to your final destination in Europe with SAS in Economy Extra – the class in between Business and Economy - which includes a separate cabin of 24 seats, almost a metre of leg room, wider seats with adjustable head, neck and foot rests, personal TV screen, speed lane check-in and upgraded personal in-flight service.
For more information please call SAS on 1300 727 707 or visit www.flysas.com.
SAS offers passengers flying Business Class, Business Combination or Economy Extra Combination a free stopover night at the new Adina Apartment Hotel Copenhagen and a free entrance ticket to the famous Tivoli Gardens Christmas Market. Economy Class passengers will each receive a free ticket to the Tivoli Gardens Christmas Market. These special offers are valid for passengers travelling with SAS this December and must be booked by 1 November.
(Conditions apply)
Travel Agents booking a SAS Special Christmas Stopover offer have the chance to win a special Christmas present – a weekend getaway for two at a Medina Apartment Hotel in Australia ! Each ticket booked automatically enters you into the lucky draw.
Adina Apartment Hotel Copenhagen
The new Adina Apartment Hotel Copenhagen opens on 12 December next to Copenhagen 's new ferry terminal, approximately five minutes walk to the Little Mermaid and 15-20 minutes walk to the central shopping streets and other major sights. The upmarket apartment hotel is owned by Australia 's Toga Hospitality Group, which operates the Medina brand. Adina Copenhagen offers 126 spacious apartments, as well as a restaurant, pool, gym, meeting rooms and parking. The room included with the SAS Offer is a 1-bedroom apartment.
Christmas in Copenhagen
A Christmas stopover in Copenhagen promises something special. Thousands of lights illuminate the cobbled streets and old buildings, each square has its own Christmas tree and every shop window is decorated. There's fantastic Christmas shopping in major international retail stores along the major pedestrian street 'Strøget' or in small and individual neighbourhood shops.
Christmas markets are a city tradition and the most famous is in Tivoli with its beautiful lamp-lit gardens, skating lake, miniature villages cloaked in snow, and small shops full of unique gifts and goodies. The market is open daily from 12-8pm until 31 December 2005.
SAS Special Christmas Fares
The SAS Special Christmas Fares are on sale now and start from: Economy Class: $1999, Economy Extra*: $2450, Business Combination: $3199 and Business all the way: $5150. Fares are Nett to travel agents. Taxes are additional from $250.
*Economy Extra gives you a lot more for a little extra: Fly Economy Class from Australia to Asia, then continue to your final destination in Europe with SAS in Economy Extra – the class in between Business and Economy - which includes a separate cabin of 24 seats, almost a metre of leg room, wider seats with adjustable head, neck and foot rests, personal TV screen, speed lane check-in and upgraded personal in-flight service.
For more information please call SAS on 1300 727 707 or visit www.flysas.com.
Business looking up at IBM despite profit dip
COMPUTER giant IBM has topped Wall Street expectations with its latest figures, on the back of a recovery in its consulting and services business, despite overall profits cooling.
Earlier this year, the firm, dubbed Big Blue, suffered a slowdown in services, which accounts for about 50 per cent of its revenues. But business has picked up after landing a series of lucrative deals.
In May, IBM said it was to cut 13,000 jobs, or about four per cent of its workforce, with lay-offs hitting hardest in Europe, and taking its global workforce down to around 310,000.
Third-quarter net profits at the world's largest computer company dipped to £866 million from some £887m a year earlier.
Sales fell 7.8 per cent to £12.3 billion, reflecting the disposal of IBM's personal-computer division which was sold to China's Lenovo Group.
Lenovo, now the third-biggest PC maker in the world, bought Big Blue's loss-making unit in May in a deal worth around £700m.
Chief executive Sam Palmisano said: "IBM had a good quarter. It showed the strength of our business model across hardware, software and services, and we continued to see the benefit of the strategic transitions that we've implemented in past quarters."
Mr Palmisano added that restructuring actions and streamlined management in Europe were starting to yield results.
"Many of the businesses that are central to our strategy - including middleware, midrange servers, and business performance transformation services, especially in our engineering and technology services - performed well, especially in emerging markets."
And he pointed out that IBM was well positioned in its microelectronics business as the game console industry moves to its next generation of products. "Our clients are leveraging IBM's unique ability to apply innovative, high-value skills and solutions to transform their businesses and industries," he explained.
Analsyst Ed Crotty said: "Overall I think it was a solid quarter. The bookings came through as we expected."
The fall in net profits can be partially blamed on a £300m tax charge that the computer firm had to make as it repatriated £5.14bn in profits earned overseas.
Meanwhile, IBM warned currency translation effects from its global business were likely to cut fourth-quarter revenue by around three per cent at current rates.
Earlier this year, IBM leapt ahead in the market for supercomputers used to solve the world's toughest research problems, according to a survey.
The firm now claims to have just over half of the world's top 500 supercomputers - 259 machines - up 8.8 per cent on November 2004, giving it a 51.8 per cent share of the global market.
IBM shares have slumped 16 per cent this year compared with the 2.5 per cent gain of the American Stock Exchange Computer Hardware Index.
business.scotsman.com
Earlier this year, the firm, dubbed Big Blue, suffered a slowdown in services, which accounts for about 50 per cent of its revenues. But business has picked up after landing a series of lucrative deals.
In May, IBM said it was to cut 13,000 jobs, or about four per cent of its workforce, with lay-offs hitting hardest in Europe, and taking its global workforce down to around 310,000.
Third-quarter net profits at the world's largest computer company dipped to £866 million from some £887m a year earlier.
Sales fell 7.8 per cent to £12.3 billion, reflecting the disposal of IBM's personal-computer division which was sold to China's Lenovo Group.
Lenovo, now the third-biggest PC maker in the world, bought Big Blue's loss-making unit in May in a deal worth around £700m.
Chief executive Sam Palmisano said: "IBM had a good quarter. It showed the strength of our business model across hardware, software and services, and we continued to see the benefit of the strategic transitions that we've implemented in past quarters."
Mr Palmisano added that restructuring actions and streamlined management in Europe were starting to yield results.
"Many of the businesses that are central to our strategy - including middleware, midrange servers, and business performance transformation services, especially in our engineering and technology services - performed well, especially in emerging markets."
And he pointed out that IBM was well positioned in its microelectronics business as the game console industry moves to its next generation of products. "Our clients are leveraging IBM's unique ability to apply innovative, high-value skills and solutions to transform their businesses and industries," he explained.
Analsyst Ed Crotty said: "Overall I think it was a solid quarter. The bookings came through as we expected."
The fall in net profits can be partially blamed on a £300m tax charge that the computer firm had to make as it repatriated £5.14bn in profits earned overseas.
Meanwhile, IBM warned currency translation effects from its global business were likely to cut fourth-quarter revenue by around three per cent at current rates.
Earlier this year, IBM leapt ahead in the market for supercomputers used to solve the world's toughest research problems, according to a survey.
The firm now claims to have just over half of the world's top 500 supercomputers - 259 machines - up 8.8 per cent on November 2004, giving it a 51.8 per cent share of the global market.
IBM shares have slumped 16 per cent this year compared with the 2.5 per cent gain of the American Stock Exchange Computer Hardware Index.
business.scotsman.com
Sometimes the Best Christmas Presents Are the Smallest Ones
BookSurge proudly announces the publication of So, This is Christmas!
UNITED KINGDOM (PRWEB) October 12, 2005 -- Booksurge announces the publication of So, This is Christmas!Each year as the holiday season approaches, and everyone is rushing around shopping for the latest toys, it seems that many have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.
Fredericks has written So, This is Christmas! to remind us of why we are celebrating in the first place. His cleverly narrated stories about three children in very different situations around the world remind us to be thankful for: the kindness of strangers, the importance of having love rather than gifts, and that Christ is always by our side.Fredericks has often found himself noticing how people were “so predominantly focused on the modern commercial trappings” of Christmas.
Sadly, amid all the frantic shopping for the latest trends, there weren’t many things that even referred to Christ. This got him thinking about those youngsters throughout the world who have never even had the chance to participate in this “commercial experience” of the Christmas season. Fredericks says it was interesting to imagine what would prompt those who are less fortunate financially to still have “a true appreciation of Christmas.”
Through his short stories about Manuela (a young girl living in a refugee camp), Simon (a well-to-do boy), James (an orphan), and finally, Santa Claus, Fredericks wants to impart to his readers that sometimes the most “ordinary” of experiences can provide just the right spiritual uplift for someone to truly appreciate the joy and hope that Christ and his birthday should bring to people all over the world.About the Author:Fredericks has lived and worked on three different continents (Europe, Africa and North America) and is a British citizen, although he acquired his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees in the U.S.
As a youth, he was the first and only black boy in an exclusive boarding school in England in the ‘60s, yet states that he never felt out of place and remembers it as a “rugged adventure.” Blessed with a sense of humor, a keen ability to interact with strangers, and adapt to his environment, neither language nor culture has hindered his ability to communicate with others. Frederick affirmed his talent for storytelling while visiting friends in Alsace (the French Alps).
Since there was no electricity (and thus no television!), he spent his evenings entertaining the children with his gripping stories. The interesting part is that the children only spoke French! Yet, each day/night the demand for more stories grew…Fredericks now has four children of his own; he loves to travel and has an insatiable appetite for new experiences.
He hopes that people of all ages, races, cultures and religions will enjoy So, This is Christmas! and receive from it the universal notions of goodwill, love and kindness.For more information, please contact the author at e-mail protected from spam bots or check out his website at www.frederickstheauthor.com. Books are available to order at BookSurge.com, Amazon.com, Alibris.com, and Abebooks.com
UNITED KINGDOM (PRWEB) October 12, 2005 -- Booksurge announces the publication of So, This is Christmas!Each year as the holiday season approaches, and everyone is rushing around shopping for the latest toys, it seems that many have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.
Fredericks has written So, This is Christmas! to remind us of why we are celebrating in the first place. His cleverly narrated stories about three children in very different situations around the world remind us to be thankful for: the kindness of strangers, the importance of having love rather than gifts, and that Christ is always by our side.Fredericks has often found himself noticing how people were “so predominantly focused on the modern commercial trappings” of Christmas.
Sadly, amid all the frantic shopping for the latest trends, there weren’t many things that even referred to Christ. This got him thinking about those youngsters throughout the world who have never even had the chance to participate in this “commercial experience” of the Christmas season. Fredericks says it was interesting to imagine what would prompt those who are less fortunate financially to still have “a true appreciation of Christmas.”
Through his short stories about Manuela (a young girl living in a refugee camp), Simon (a well-to-do boy), James (an orphan), and finally, Santa Claus, Fredericks wants to impart to his readers that sometimes the most “ordinary” of experiences can provide just the right spiritual uplift for someone to truly appreciate the joy and hope that Christ and his birthday should bring to people all over the world.About the Author:Fredericks has lived and worked on three different continents (Europe, Africa and North America) and is a British citizen, although he acquired his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees in the U.S.
As a youth, he was the first and only black boy in an exclusive boarding school in England in the ‘60s, yet states that he never felt out of place and remembers it as a “rugged adventure.” Blessed with a sense of humor, a keen ability to interact with strangers, and adapt to his environment, neither language nor culture has hindered his ability to communicate with others. Frederick affirmed his talent for storytelling while visiting friends in Alsace (the French Alps).
Since there was no electricity (and thus no television!), he spent his evenings entertaining the children with his gripping stories. The interesting part is that the children only spoke French! Yet, each day/night the demand for more stories grew…Fredericks now has four children of his own; he loves to travel and has an insatiable appetite for new experiences.
He hopes that people of all ages, races, cultures and religions will enjoy So, This is Christmas! and receive from it the universal notions of goodwill, love and kindness.For more information, please contact the author at e-mail protected from spam bots or check out his website at www.frederickstheauthor.com. Books are available to order at BookSurge.com, Amazon.com, Alibris.com, and Abebooks.com
Settlement in Marketing of a Drug for AIDS
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 - A Swiss biotechnology company agreed on Monday to pay more than $700 million to settle federal charges that it illegally marketed an AIDS drug by concocting a dubious medical test for those with the disease and offering doctors an all-expenses-paid trip to France to prescribe the drug.
The agreement between the Justice Department and the company, Serono, is the third-largest settlement recovered by the federal government in a health care fraud case, officials said.
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said the company "put its desire to sell more drugs above the interest of patients."
Serono Labs, the company's Massachusetts-based American arm, received a patent in 1996 to market a drug called Serostim, aimed at reversing the effects of AIDS wasting, or profound weight loss. But that same year, federal officials said, the rapid development of AIDS cocktails caused a sharp decline in AIDS wasting - and in the demand for Serostim - which prompted the company to develop a much more aggressive marketing strategy for its product.
As a result, prosecutors said in a criminal filing as part of the settlement, Serono sought to "redefine AIDS wasting" beginning in the late 1990's and developed a computerized medical test that ostensibly would determine "body cell mass."
The test results signaled that patients had lost body cell mass and "were wasting, even if they had lost no weight or had actually gained weight," prosecutors said in the filing. With the test results in hand, doctors would then prescribe Serostim to treat the supposed problem - at a cost of more than $21,000 a treatment.
But Michael J. Sullivan, the United States attorney in Boston whose office handled the investigation, said on Monday that 85 percent of the prescriptions were unnecessary. He told reporters that the medical testing procedure was "almost voodoolike" and that he suspected some patients may have also suffered unnecessary side effects as a result of taking the AIDS drug.
Thomas Gunning, general counsel for the company's American division, disputed that assertion in an interview. "We have no reason to think anyone was harmed," he said. "This product is human growth hormone, and it's a product with a very good safety profile."
Serono agreed to plead guilty to two criminal counts, admitting that it had violated federal law by conspiring to provide fraudulent medical devices without proper approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
"We acknowledge that this device was not approved for the purposes of diagnosing AIDS wasting," Mr. Gunning said, "but it's important to understand that we stopped distributing those testing machines more than three years ago."
The company also admitted that it provided what amounted to illegal remuneration to a group of AIDS doctors by paying for them to attend a medical "conference" in Cannes, France, in 1999 in exchange for the doctors' writing more prescriptions for Serostim.
The conference grew out of a plan, conceived by Serono executives in Massachusetts in 1999 and called the "$6m-6 Day Plan," to increase lagging sales by $6 million in six days.
Prosecutors said select physicians who treated AIDS patients, including several unnamed doctors in New York City, were given all-expenses-paid trips to France, "in return for the physicians' writing additional prescriptions of Serostim for patients." Mr. Sullivan refused to say whether any physicians who attended the conference were targets of the federal inquiry.
Two people who worked on the sales and manufacturing of the company's products have already pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with the scheme, and four other former executives at Serono have also been indicted.
As part of its settlement with the Justice Department, Serono agreed to pay $704 million in penalties, including $136.9 million in criminal fines and $567 million in civil penalties.
State Medicaid agencies that paid for Serostim from 1996 to 2004 will be reimbursed under the terms of the settlement, and the company's lab will also be banned from taking part in federal health care programs for five years, officials said.
But the company stressed that the ban would not prevent patients who currently take Serostim or the company's other drugs from being reimbursed under Medicaid and Medicare programs, and it said all its products would remain available to the public.
The federal investigation, lasting four years, began after a company lab employee in Massachusetts came forward in 2000 to accuse the company of filing false claims. Four other company whistle-blowers in Maryland and Connecticut later brought similar claims; all five now stand to divide $51 million from the settlement under federal whistle-blower or qui tam law.
AIDS treatment advocates applauded the settlement.
"We are extremely pleased by the news that Serono is being held accountable for its conduct and that state and federal governments are being reimbursed for their payments for what has been shown to be an almost completely unnecessary drug," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which brought one whistle-blower suit against Serono last year.
Serono said it could not provide an exact tally on how many people with AIDS had taken Serostim, but it said the number was "in the thousands" since the drug was introduced.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 - A Swiss biotechnology company agreed on Monday to pay more than $700 million to settle federal charges that it illegally marketed an AIDS drug by concocting a dubious medical test for those with the disease and offering doctors an all-expenses-paid trip to France to prescribe the drug.
The agreement between the Justice Department and the company, Serono, is the third-largest settlement recovered by the federal government in a health care fraud case, officials said.
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said the company "put its desire to sell more drugs above the interest of patients."
Serono Labs, the company's Massachusetts-based American arm, received a patent in 1996 to market a drug called Serostim, aimed at reversing the effects of AIDS wasting, or profound weight loss. But that same year, federal officials said, the rapid development of AIDS cocktails caused a sharp decline in AIDS wasting - and in the demand for Serostim - which prompted the company to develop a much more aggressive marketing strategy for its product.
As a result, prosecutors said in a criminal filing as part of the settlement, Serono sought to "redefine AIDS wasting" beginning in the late 1990's and developed a computerized medical test that ostensibly would determine "body cell mass."
The test results signaled that patients had lost body cell mass and "were wasting, even if they had lost no weight or had actually gained weight," prosecutors said in the filing. With the test results in hand, doctors would then prescribe Serostim to treat the supposed problem - at a cost of more than $21,000 a treatment.
But Michael J. Sullivan, the United States attorney in Boston whose office handled the investigation, said on Monday that 85 percent of the prescriptions were unnecessary. He told reporters that the medical testing procedure was "almost voodoolike" and that he suspected some patients may have also suffered unnecessary side effects as a result of taking the AIDS drug.
Thomas Gunning, general counsel for the company's American division, disputed that assertion in an interview. "We have no reason to think anyone was harmed," he said. "This product is human growth hormone, and it's a product with a very good safety profile."
Serono agreed to plead guilty to two criminal counts, admitting that it had violated federal law by conspiring to provide fraudulent medical devices without proper approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
"We acknowledge that this device was not approved for the purposes of diagnosing AIDS wasting," Mr. Gunning said, "but it's important to understand that we stopped distributing those testing machines more than three years ago."
The company also admitted that it provided what amounted to illegal remuneration to a group of AIDS doctors by paying for them to attend a medical "conference" in Cannes, France, in 1999 in exchange for the doctors' writing more prescriptions for Serostim.
The conference grew out of a plan, conceived by Serono executives in Massachusetts in 1999 and called the "$6m-6 Day Plan," to increase lagging sales by $6 million in six days.
Prosecutors said select physicians who treated AIDS patients, including several unnamed doctors in New York City, were given all-expenses-paid trips to France, "in return for the physicians' writing additional prescriptions of Serostim for patients." Mr. Sullivan refused to say whether any physicians who attended the conference were targets of the federal inquiry.
Two people who worked on the sales and manufacturing of the company's products have already pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with the scheme, and four other former executives at Serono have also been indicted.
As part of its settlement with the Justice Department, Serono agreed to pay $704 million in penalties, including $136.9 million in criminal fines and $567 million in civil penalties.
State Medicaid agencies that paid for Serostim from 1996 to 2004 will be reimbursed under the terms of the settlement, and the company's lab will also be banned from taking part in federal health care programs for five years, officials said.
But the company stressed that the ban would not prevent patients who currently take Serostim or the company's other drugs from being reimbursed under Medicaid and Medicare programs, and it said all its products would remain available to the public.
The federal investigation, lasting four years, began after a company lab employee in Massachusetts came forward in 2000 to accuse the company of filing false claims. Four other company whistle-blowers in Maryland and Connecticut later brought similar claims; all five now stand to divide $51 million from the settlement under federal whistle-blower or qui tam law.
AIDS treatment advocates applauded the settlement.
"We are extremely pleased by the news that Serono is being held accountable for its conduct and that state and federal governments are being reimbursed for their payments for what has been shown to be an almost completely unnecessary drug," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which brought one whistle-blower suit against Serono last year.
Serono said it could not provide an exact tally on how many people with AIDS had taken Serostim, but it said the number was "in the thousands" since the drug was introduced.
Les Brown to Keynote Millionaire Marketing Wealth Seminar on
Les Brown, world renowned, motivational speaker and leading expert on personal and professional development, along with a world-class team of marketing experts will share the stage October 20 as they present the Millionaire Marketing Wealth Seminar.
San Ramon, CA (PRWEB) October 18, 2005 -- An evening filled with inspiration, education and implementation is planned at the San Ramon, CA Marriott Hotel for Thursday, October 20. Les Brown, world renowned, motivational speaker and leading expert on personal and professional development, along with a world-class team of marketing experts will share the stage as they present the Millionaire Marketing Wealth Seminar. The event is part of a series of Millionaire Marketing Wealth Seminars which continues to receive favorable reviews from past attendees.
It is designed to capture the entrepreneurial spirit that gives individuals in the marketing and sales disciplines a distinction of their own. "I used to dream of my future, but I wasn't really sure what the next step was," stated Thelma Tilman, an entrepreneur from Chicago, Illinois. "The last time Millionaire Marketing Seminar came to town, I learned proven steps to overcome my personal obstacles. I actually started to making my dreams happen... I thank the incredible and awesome motivational speakers for giving me that jump start I needed," she concluded.
Attendees can expect "door prizes," free gifts and other giveaways. Topics will address dynamic strategies for achieving business and marketing success and include:
"Information Products and Instant Income," and "Profiting With Direct Mail and Trade Shows." The event -- which is expected to be sold out, early -- is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, 2005.
Registration begins promptly at 5:30 P.M.A percentage of the proceeds will go towards the American red Cross Fund for Hurricane Relief and Dynamic Development Consortium for Youth at Risk. Featured Speakers:Kevin Bracey - CEO of LifeChangers International Mitch Carson - Direct Mail Strategist. Impact Products, LLCLakita Long-White - New Beginnings Enterprises, Inc. (NBE) Founder and PresidentJanet Switzer -Professional Speaker, Co-author with Jack Canfield of the Best-Seller, "The Success Principles:
How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be"Date: Thursday, October 20, 2005
Time: 6:15 PM -10:00 PM
Location: San Ramon Marriott Hotel 2600 Bishop DriveSan Ramon, CA USA 94583
Phone: 925.867.9200
Parking: Free
General Admission: $32.50
Space is Limited.
For additional information and accommodations for media representatives who plan to attend, contact Kevin Lynch.Mobile: 1.510.682.4104e-mail: e-mail protected from spam bots web: http://www.prolificseminars.com Host: Prolific Concepts, LLCSource: eMediaCampaigns!http://www.franbriggs.com/emc.html This news release contains forward-looking statements and projections concerning the organizer's plans, strategies, expectations, predictions, operations and future events or conditions. They are "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "will" "plan," "intend," "estimate," "could," and other similar expressions, are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.
San Ramon, CA (PRWEB) October 18, 2005 -- An evening filled with inspiration, education and implementation is planned at the San Ramon, CA Marriott Hotel for Thursday, October 20. Les Brown, world renowned, motivational speaker and leading expert on personal and professional development, along with a world-class team of marketing experts will share the stage as they present the Millionaire Marketing Wealth Seminar. The event is part of a series of Millionaire Marketing Wealth Seminars which continues to receive favorable reviews from past attendees.
It is designed to capture the entrepreneurial spirit that gives individuals in the marketing and sales disciplines a distinction of their own. "I used to dream of my future, but I wasn't really sure what the next step was," stated Thelma Tilman, an entrepreneur from Chicago, Illinois. "The last time Millionaire Marketing Seminar came to town, I learned proven steps to overcome my personal obstacles. I actually started to making my dreams happen... I thank the incredible and awesome motivational speakers for giving me that jump start I needed," she concluded.
Attendees can expect "door prizes," free gifts and other giveaways. Topics will address dynamic strategies for achieving business and marketing success and include:
"Information Products and Instant Income," and "Profiting With Direct Mail and Trade Shows." The event -- which is expected to be sold out, early -- is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, 2005.
Registration begins promptly at 5:30 P.M.A percentage of the proceeds will go towards the American red Cross Fund for Hurricane Relief and Dynamic Development Consortium for Youth at Risk. Featured Speakers:Kevin Bracey - CEO of LifeChangers International Mitch Carson - Direct Mail Strategist. Impact Products, LLCLakita Long-White - New Beginnings Enterprises, Inc. (NBE) Founder and PresidentJanet Switzer -Professional Speaker, Co-author with Jack Canfield of the Best-Seller, "The Success Principles:
How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be"Date: Thursday, October 20, 2005
Time: 6:15 PM -10:00 PM
Location: San Ramon Marriott Hotel 2600 Bishop DriveSan Ramon, CA USA 94583
Phone: 925.867.9200
Parking: Free
General Admission: $32.50
Space is Limited.
For additional information and accommodations for media representatives who plan to attend, contact Kevin Lynch.Mobile: 1.510.682.4104e-mail: e-mail protected from spam bots web: http://www.prolificseminars.com Host: Prolific Concepts, LLCSource: eMediaCampaigns!http://www.franbriggs.com/emc.html This news release contains forward-looking statements and projections concerning the organizer's plans, strategies, expectations, predictions, operations and future events or conditions. They are "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "will" "plan," "intend," "estimate," "could," and other similar expressions, are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.
Construction Industry: Success And Challenges
New Era (Windhoek).- THE role-players in the construction industry in Namibia are the suppliers, the contractors, the consultants and the financiers. The government being the biggest employer in the industry is mainly responsible for creating jobs through public works, for example, buildings, railways and roads.
The suppliers are mainly importing building materials from the Republic of South Africa (RSA) with very limited local manufacturing, for example, cement bricks, paint and precast concrete products.
It is worth mentioning that there are only few suppliers of building material in Namibia. This has led to high prices of goods since there is no competition in many towns and villages. The long established suppliers tend to cede contracts of SMEs while they only give them small credit on material, thus controlling their growth. There are even very few black suppliers of building material.
The contractors are the "pistons" in the "engine" of the construction industry. They get things done. The traditional body representing the contractors in Namibia is known as the Construction Industries Federation (CIF).
This body has been representing the well-established contractors with very low, if any, membership from the historically disadvantaged community. After independence, the government facilitated small historically disadvantaged contractors to participate in the government construction tenders. This was through unbundling of large tenders and by standardizing documentation of a classroom program initiated by the Ministry of Education to address a huge backlog left by the colonial administration. These contractors formed their own association in order to be counted. As an example, the Namibia National Constructors Association (NANCA) was formed with members in the Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Kavango, Caprivi and Khomas regions. Small contractors were also trained in labour-based works in the construction of rural gravel roads.
The government saw it necessary to have one body representing all the stakeholders in the construction industry. The first meeting was therefore convened in Windhoek in 1993. Apart from the Construction Industries Federation (CIF), the majority of such contractors were from the historically advantaged backgrounds. A national committee was elected and it sent a delegation to several SADC initiative meetings on the construction industry.
Also, after independence, our government introduced an open market economy which brought international construction firms to Namibia. This brought tough competition in the construction industry. The introduction of black firms and international companies helped to stabilize the escalation of the capital costs for the past ten years - the profit margin was reduced to 10%-15%. Thus, our government was able to buy more with less. This was achieved by empowering the historically disadvantaged Namibians while promoting free trade at the same time.
The consultants in the construction industry are mainly architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and project managers. Most of them are white male and females with an exception of five black Namibian registered professionals who are running their own consulting firms. Two architects and three engineers. This skewed image has resulted in many communication problems between the white consultants and the black contractors with heavy racial overtones. Most of the project specifications are written in a way which exclude most black contractors. The few who qualify to be evaluated are out-motivated for the reason that they are not known to consultants. This is against the government policy and regulations. There is therefore a need to train government officials in scrutinizing the project specifications not only to be inclusive but also to be user-friendly. There is also a need to have a clear policy which encourages designers to specify local building materials. I strongly believe that the ultimate solution in empowering our small builders is in training our own young people here in Namibia to become professional staff and consultants. They will be responsible for our building environment. This will help to fulfill the goals of our Vision 2030.
The financiers have an important role to play in the industry. They are expected to issue letters of intent as well as bank ratings to their clients who are tendering on construction jobs. The historically disadvantaged individuals in the high-risk industry like construction find it difficult to be creditworthy at their banks. The small black companies are still struggling to get performance guarantees from their banks to start and finish small government building projects within a stipulated time frame of four months. Staying longer on site means losing their profits.
In order to redress the historical imbalance, our government introduced some legal "tools" and "vehicles" which include:
-The Policy on Equity
- The Tender Board Act of 1996
- The Affirmative Action Policy
-The Nation Wide Improvement of Physical Facilities Programme
-The White Paper on Labour Based Works
-The Recruitment of Ex-Combatants
-The Social Security Commission
-The Employment Equity Commission, and
- The Rural Electrification Programme.
The Nation Wide Improvement of Physical Facilities Programme was introduced 14 years ago by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication to tackle the backlog of school buildings especially in the rural areas that were affected by the war. The programme was based on the concept of unbundling to allow small contractors to tender even for one school, which meant even one small building, according to their financial, managerial and technical capacity. The performance guarantee was reduced from 10% to 5%. At the moment more than 150 small contractors are participating in this programme countrywide.
The Labour Based Roads Construction Programme was also started by the Department of Transport 12 years ago with pilot projects. More than 10 small black contractors were trained. This training programme needs to be continued. The Ministry of Mines and Energy have also started engaging small contractors in rural electrification projects by unbundling large tenders. Many more programmes could be implemented to ensure job access for SMEs throughout the year.
The Success Story
The empowerment success story should be measured by the maximum participation of the target groups in empowerment schemes and having tangible results on the ground.
At least 90% of the budget of the National Wide Improvement of Physical Facilities Programme is directly spent by the black businesses in the construction industry. This includes women owned businesses. The rest of the government construction tenders are also partly benefiting the historically disadvantaged target group through joint ventures and sub-contracting.
It is also important to mention that small contractors are joining hands by meeting at marketing level in order to gain strength and recognition. This free association has guaranteed the government that:
- When one member contractor fails to deliver, other members will complete the project within budget, time and of good quality while they discipline the other member.
- Member contractors are sharing skills and knowledge.
- Material suppliers will be encouraged to do business with a large group.
- Workers employed by the contractors of the same associations will earn uniform wages which promote health labour negotiations.
- Training is easy to do through one office which represents its members.
- Follow-up on latent defects is possible through the association's office.
The government manages to spend the budget while empowering the SMEs. More people, including ex-combatants, are employed in the construction industry and the risk of losing their jobs is spread thin by the number of SMEs.
Challenges
- There are challenges which need to be addressed in order to speed up the empowerment process and widen the scope thereof.
- As there is no uniformity in the way different levels of government procure, the policy on policy works which will eventually lead to the Public Works Act is needed to bring harmony the way we procure with public funds.
- There is a limited scope in empowerment programmes and projects. The few which are running are only seasonal. It is therefore essential to widen the scope to include other sectors and stagger them throughout the financial year. This will ensure job availability to our SMEs at all times.
- Target groups do not have a guarantee to remain in business due to the unfair competition from bigger businesses and international companies. It is therefore necessary to categorize construction tenders and professional appointments. It is also better to guarantee SMEs an incubation period of at least three years.
- The banks are still reluctant to issue performance guarantees to SMEs which win government tenders. It will be good to create a package which will automatically guarantee SMEs all necessary support especially in financial and management issues.
The manufacturing of local building material like granite, marble, flat stones and lime needs to be promoted. This will help to develop our buildings and infrastructure with local content. It will create jobs to more Namibians. The continuous research and documentation of our building material is long overdue.
The education and training in Namibia does not adequately address the needs of the construction industry. This is why we still have more than 75% of the professionals (engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and project managers) above the age of 50 years. This is also why more than 90% of the SME contractors cannot fill out traditional tender documents. A sustainable training budget is therefore needed. We need to legislate a Training Levy concept to address this problem.
The construction industry gives direct benefit to the economy through capital projects and maintenance contracts. The impact is normally felt instantly on the ground as the buying power is brought to the people in all corners of Namibia. It is therefore important that empowerment tools and vehicles be redefined and streamlined in order to benefit the target groups. Most of all there is a need for a collaborative effort by all players - especially the political commitment cannot be substituted by any other effort. The number of employees in the construction industry could be tripled if co-ordination is done with dedication and these proposals are implemented without delay.
The suppliers are mainly importing building materials from the Republic of South Africa (RSA) with very limited local manufacturing, for example, cement bricks, paint and precast concrete products.
It is worth mentioning that there are only few suppliers of building material in Namibia. This has led to high prices of goods since there is no competition in many towns and villages. The long established suppliers tend to cede contracts of SMEs while they only give them small credit on material, thus controlling their growth. There are even very few black suppliers of building material.
The contractors are the "pistons" in the "engine" of the construction industry. They get things done. The traditional body representing the contractors in Namibia is known as the Construction Industries Federation (CIF).
This body has been representing the well-established contractors with very low, if any, membership from the historically disadvantaged community. After independence, the government facilitated small historically disadvantaged contractors to participate in the government construction tenders. This was through unbundling of large tenders and by standardizing documentation of a classroom program initiated by the Ministry of Education to address a huge backlog left by the colonial administration. These contractors formed their own association in order to be counted. As an example, the Namibia National Constructors Association (NANCA) was formed with members in the Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Kavango, Caprivi and Khomas regions. Small contractors were also trained in labour-based works in the construction of rural gravel roads.
The government saw it necessary to have one body representing all the stakeholders in the construction industry. The first meeting was therefore convened in Windhoek in 1993. Apart from the Construction Industries Federation (CIF), the majority of such contractors were from the historically advantaged backgrounds. A national committee was elected and it sent a delegation to several SADC initiative meetings on the construction industry.
Also, after independence, our government introduced an open market economy which brought international construction firms to Namibia. This brought tough competition in the construction industry. The introduction of black firms and international companies helped to stabilize the escalation of the capital costs for the past ten years - the profit margin was reduced to 10%-15%. Thus, our government was able to buy more with less. This was achieved by empowering the historically disadvantaged Namibians while promoting free trade at the same time.
The consultants in the construction industry are mainly architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and project managers. Most of them are white male and females with an exception of five black Namibian registered professionals who are running their own consulting firms. Two architects and three engineers. This skewed image has resulted in many communication problems between the white consultants and the black contractors with heavy racial overtones. Most of the project specifications are written in a way which exclude most black contractors. The few who qualify to be evaluated are out-motivated for the reason that they are not known to consultants. This is against the government policy and regulations. There is therefore a need to train government officials in scrutinizing the project specifications not only to be inclusive but also to be user-friendly. There is also a need to have a clear policy which encourages designers to specify local building materials. I strongly believe that the ultimate solution in empowering our small builders is in training our own young people here in Namibia to become professional staff and consultants. They will be responsible for our building environment. This will help to fulfill the goals of our Vision 2030.
The financiers have an important role to play in the industry. They are expected to issue letters of intent as well as bank ratings to their clients who are tendering on construction jobs. The historically disadvantaged individuals in the high-risk industry like construction find it difficult to be creditworthy at their banks. The small black companies are still struggling to get performance guarantees from their banks to start and finish small government building projects within a stipulated time frame of four months. Staying longer on site means losing their profits.
In order to redress the historical imbalance, our government introduced some legal "tools" and "vehicles" which include:
-The Policy on Equity
- The Tender Board Act of 1996
- The Affirmative Action Policy
-The Nation Wide Improvement of Physical Facilities Programme
-The White Paper on Labour Based Works
-The Recruitment of Ex-Combatants
-The Social Security Commission
-The Employment Equity Commission, and
- The Rural Electrification Programme.
The Nation Wide Improvement of Physical Facilities Programme was introduced 14 years ago by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication to tackle the backlog of school buildings especially in the rural areas that were affected by the war. The programme was based on the concept of unbundling to allow small contractors to tender even for one school, which meant even one small building, according to their financial, managerial and technical capacity. The performance guarantee was reduced from 10% to 5%. At the moment more than 150 small contractors are participating in this programme countrywide.
The Labour Based Roads Construction Programme was also started by the Department of Transport 12 years ago with pilot projects. More than 10 small black contractors were trained. This training programme needs to be continued. The Ministry of Mines and Energy have also started engaging small contractors in rural electrification projects by unbundling large tenders. Many more programmes could be implemented to ensure job access for SMEs throughout the year.
The Success Story
The empowerment success story should be measured by the maximum participation of the target groups in empowerment schemes and having tangible results on the ground.
At least 90% of the budget of the National Wide Improvement of Physical Facilities Programme is directly spent by the black businesses in the construction industry. This includes women owned businesses. The rest of the government construction tenders are also partly benefiting the historically disadvantaged target group through joint ventures and sub-contracting.
It is also important to mention that small contractors are joining hands by meeting at marketing level in order to gain strength and recognition. This free association has guaranteed the government that:
- When one member contractor fails to deliver, other members will complete the project within budget, time and of good quality while they discipline the other member.
- Member contractors are sharing skills and knowledge.
- Material suppliers will be encouraged to do business with a large group.
- Workers employed by the contractors of the same associations will earn uniform wages which promote health labour negotiations.
- Training is easy to do through one office which represents its members.
- Follow-up on latent defects is possible through the association's office.
The government manages to spend the budget while empowering the SMEs. More people, including ex-combatants, are employed in the construction industry and the risk of losing their jobs is spread thin by the number of SMEs.
Challenges
- There are challenges which need to be addressed in order to speed up the empowerment process and widen the scope thereof.
- As there is no uniformity in the way different levels of government procure, the policy on policy works which will eventually lead to the Public Works Act is needed to bring harmony the way we procure with public funds.
- There is a limited scope in empowerment programmes and projects. The few which are running are only seasonal. It is therefore essential to widen the scope to include other sectors and stagger them throughout the financial year. This will ensure job availability to our SMEs at all times.
- Target groups do not have a guarantee to remain in business due to the unfair competition from bigger businesses and international companies. It is therefore necessary to categorize construction tenders and professional appointments. It is also better to guarantee SMEs an incubation period of at least three years.
- The banks are still reluctant to issue performance guarantees to SMEs which win government tenders. It will be good to create a package which will automatically guarantee SMEs all necessary support especially in financial and management issues.
The manufacturing of local building material like granite, marble, flat stones and lime needs to be promoted. This will help to develop our buildings and infrastructure with local content. It will create jobs to more Namibians. The continuous research and documentation of our building material is long overdue.
The education and training in Namibia does not adequately address the needs of the construction industry. This is why we still have more than 75% of the professionals (engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and project managers) above the age of 50 years. This is also why more than 90% of the SME contractors cannot fill out traditional tender documents. A sustainable training budget is therefore needed. We need to legislate a Training Levy concept to address this problem.
The construction industry gives direct benefit to the economy through capital projects and maintenance contracts. The impact is normally felt instantly on the ground as the buying power is brought to the people in all corners of Namibia. It is therefore important that empowerment tools and vehicles be redefined and streamlined in order to benefit the target groups. Most of all there is a need for a collaborative effort by all players - especially the political commitment cannot be substituted by any other effort. The number of employees in the construction industry could be tripled if co-ordination is done with dedication and these proposals are implemented without delay.
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