The World Health Organisation has stopped employing smokers as part of its drive to curb tobacco use. All vacancy notices now state the UN health agency does not promote tobacco use or recruit smokers, a spokesman said.
Job applicants will be asked if they smoke or use other tobacco products. If they reply "yes", they will be shown the door.
There will be no penalties for existing staff who smoke. Asked whether WHO would soon stop hiring obese people or those drinking alcohol, spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said the agency needs to align its employment practices with its principles.
www.guardian.co.uk
Saturday, December 03, 2005
'Medicare for All' would cure health care crisis
Where were we? Oh, yes. I was saying last week that it's about time we joined the rest of the civilized and industrialized world in providing publicly financed, universal health care for the American people and their families. But I didn't say why or how.After all, the United States has some of the finest, most modern medical facilities in the world. I ought to know; Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Medical Center saved my life.
Nearby, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, outside Washington, D.C., set the standards for American research. And patients come from abroad seeking help from many U.S. hospitals.
If you don't have a life-threatening illness, you won't have to wait weeks, as you might in Canada or Britain, for elective surgery on those cataracts or to repair a hernia - if you have the right insurance.Ah, there's the rub for nearly 46 million Americans (including 9 million children) who have no insurance. For a hacking cough bordering on pneumonia, they wait in crowded clinics or go without care. Caring for a child burning up with fever can be frightening enough, with insurance; being uninsured can end up killing that child.
A Florida study found that children who enter a hospital without insurance are more than twice as likely to die as children with insurance. Another study reported that 18,000 Americans die each year because they are uninsured.Millions more Americans are underinsured or find that their insurance doesn't cover what they thought. In the United States, administrative costs amount to 25 percent of health care spending, or $300 billion a year, says economics columnist Paul Krugman, partly because the huge bureaucracy is engaged in denying care to those who most need it.
The rest of those costs are profits.According to The New York Times, many of the non-Medicare insured go broke trying to keep up with co-pays for chronic illness or the bills from hospitals, for the room, surgeons, labs, anesthetists, drugs and any other white coat that drops in. A third of American patients spend more than $1,000 a year out of pocket, and 68 percent of those who declared bankruptcy because of medical bills had insurance.
The Washington Post reported weeks ago that the Blue Shield HMO in California, to save money for the company and patients, is sending members from the San Diego area to Mexico for nonemergency care because services are less expensive than in the United States.A doctor, who performs laser eye surgery on both sides of the border, told the Post he charges in Mexico a third of what he charges in San Diego. A hysterectomy that averages $2,025 in the United States costs $810 in Mexico. Blue Shield said the services on both sides of the border are comparable.
And in Mexico the doctors' parking lots are filled with California cars.The United States spends more than any nation on health: $5,600 for every American, or 14.6 percent of national income, compared with Germany, 10.9 percent; Canada, 9.6 percent; New Zealand, 8.5 percent; and Britain, 7.7 percent.
Yet a recent study for the private, nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund, which surveyed 7,000 of the sickest patients in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Britain and the United States, found that American medicine has the highest error rates, the most fragmented and disorganized care and highest costs.Are we getting our money's worth?Infant mortality - the number of deaths of children under one year, probably the best measure of the level of health of any country - actually increased from 6.6 to 7 per thousand live U.S. births.
That's higher than 41 nations, including Italy (6.07), Canada (4.82), Germany (4.2) and Japan, which has the lowest rate in the world at 3.28. The percentage of live births classified as low birth weight, an indication of the mother's health and prenatal care, is 7.8 percent for the United States, behind Canada (5.6), the Netherlands (4.7), Australia (6.2) and all of Europe.
The United States boasts a life expectancy for men of 77.3 years, but we're behind 34 other nations, including New Zealand (79), Germany (79), Britain (79), Canada (80), Australia (81) and Japan (82). Need I add that all these countries provide universal health care - the ability to walk into a doctor's office without worrying about cost? What are we waiting for?Polls indicate most Americans (75 percent) would support universal health care.
And leading newspapers, commentators, economists, lawmakers, 13,000 doctors, former surgeons general, businessmen and a few conservatives have come to the same, obvious conclusion: If we were to pay in taxes just a fraction of what health care now costs us, we could afford it.But universal health care is much easier said than done.
How to deal with the entrenched insurance-medical-hospital complex? How to make the transition relatively painless for medical professionals and patients?The answer is also obvious: Medicare for every American, or what I proposed years ago, "Medicare for All."
A distinguished panel of health care experts, Democrats, Republicans, financiers, insurance executives and academics concluded in an open letter to the journal Health Affairs, that Medicare must be empowered as the vehicle "to make pay-for-performance a national strategy for better quality."
Lawmakers, medical journals, a couple of former surgeons general and 13,000 doctors have proposed phasing in "Medicare for All."And if this administration doesn't trash the rest of Medicare before it leaves the scene, it remains the most obvious, affordable and doable way to providing universal coverage.
www.newsday.com
Nearby, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, outside Washington, D.C., set the standards for American research. And patients come from abroad seeking help from many U.S. hospitals.
If you don't have a life-threatening illness, you won't have to wait weeks, as you might in Canada or Britain, for elective surgery on those cataracts or to repair a hernia - if you have the right insurance.Ah, there's the rub for nearly 46 million Americans (including 9 million children) who have no insurance. For a hacking cough bordering on pneumonia, they wait in crowded clinics or go without care. Caring for a child burning up with fever can be frightening enough, with insurance; being uninsured can end up killing that child.
A Florida study found that children who enter a hospital without insurance are more than twice as likely to die as children with insurance. Another study reported that 18,000 Americans die each year because they are uninsured.Millions more Americans are underinsured or find that their insurance doesn't cover what they thought. In the United States, administrative costs amount to 25 percent of health care spending, or $300 billion a year, says economics columnist Paul Krugman, partly because the huge bureaucracy is engaged in denying care to those who most need it.
The rest of those costs are profits.According to The New York Times, many of the non-Medicare insured go broke trying to keep up with co-pays for chronic illness or the bills from hospitals, for the room, surgeons, labs, anesthetists, drugs and any other white coat that drops in. A third of American patients spend more than $1,000 a year out of pocket, and 68 percent of those who declared bankruptcy because of medical bills had insurance.
The Washington Post reported weeks ago that the Blue Shield HMO in California, to save money for the company and patients, is sending members from the San Diego area to Mexico for nonemergency care because services are less expensive than in the United States.A doctor, who performs laser eye surgery on both sides of the border, told the Post he charges in Mexico a third of what he charges in San Diego. A hysterectomy that averages $2,025 in the United States costs $810 in Mexico. Blue Shield said the services on both sides of the border are comparable.
And in Mexico the doctors' parking lots are filled with California cars.The United States spends more than any nation on health: $5,600 for every American, or 14.6 percent of national income, compared with Germany, 10.9 percent; Canada, 9.6 percent; New Zealand, 8.5 percent; and Britain, 7.7 percent.
Yet a recent study for the private, nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund, which surveyed 7,000 of the sickest patients in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Britain and the United States, found that American medicine has the highest error rates, the most fragmented and disorganized care and highest costs.Are we getting our money's worth?Infant mortality - the number of deaths of children under one year, probably the best measure of the level of health of any country - actually increased from 6.6 to 7 per thousand live U.S. births.
That's higher than 41 nations, including Italy (6.07), Canada (4.82), Germany (4.2) and Japan, which has the lowest rate in the world at 3.28. The percentage of live births classified as low birth weight, an indication of the mother's health and prenatal care, is 7.8 percent for the United States, behind Canada (5.6), the Netherlands (4.7), Australia (6.2) and all of Europe.
The United States boasts a life expectancy for men of 77.3 years, but we're behind 34 other nations, including New Zealand (79), Germany (79), Britain (79), Canada (80), Australia (81) and Japan (82). Need I add that all these countries provide universal health care - the ability to walk into a doctor's office without worrying about cost? What are we waiting for?Polls indicate most Americans (75 percent) would support universal health care.
And leading newspapers, commentators, economists, lawmakers, 13,000 doctors, former surgeons general, businessmen and a few conservatives have come to the same, obvious conclusion: If we were to pay in taxes just a fraction of what health care now costs us, we could afford it.But universal health care is much easier said than done.
How to deal with the entrenched insurance-medical-hospital complex? How to make the transition relatively painless for medical professionals and patients?The answer is also obvious: Medicare for every American, or what I proposed years ago, "Medicare for All."
A distinguished panel of health care experts, Democrats, Republicans, financiers, insurance executives and academics concluded in an open letter to the journal Health Affairs, that Medicare must be empowered as the vehicle "to make pay-for-performance a national strategy for better quality."
Lawmakers, medical journals, a couple of former surgeons general and 13,000 doctors have proposed phasing in "Medicare for All."And if this administration doesn't trash the rest of Medicare before it leaves the scene, it remains the most obvious, affordable and doable way to providing universal coverage.
www.newsday.com
Newly released records question business links of late lottery chief
The first director of the Minnesota State Lottery enthusiastically supported a bass fishing tournament, giving it additional state money and other assistance even though lottery staff members doubted its promotional value, according to court papers released Friday.
George Andersen's unusual role as lottery director and booster of the now-defunct Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour is described by a state investigator in papers filed to obtain search warrants. Andersen committed suicide in 2004 after state auditors criticized lottery promotional deals.
The search warrants, issued in June 2004, have remained sealed until now while the state Public Safety Department's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division investigated Andersen's business relationship with a St. Paul company that owned the bass tour.
Doug Forsman, the lead agent on the investigation, said Friday the case has been turned over to the Ramsey County attorney's office for consideration of possible criminal charges.
The bass tour, last held in 2003, was a summer-long series of fishing contests in which anglers competed on several lakes to catch bass for prize money and merchandise.
As one of the sponsors, the lottery's name appeared on signs, on television and on promotional materials.
Andersen, an avid fisherman, participated in the contests, but his interest in the event went deeper, though he had no financial stake in it, according to a search warrant affidavit written by Forsman.
It said there was probable cause to believe that Andersen used his lottery position to "influence and conspire" with two principals of a St. Paul public relations company to gain control of the event.
Michael Lange, a lottery marketing manager, told investigators that he and other lottery employees were directly involved in soliciting lottery partners to sponsor the bass tour, including the Star Tribune, Treasure Island Casino, Anheuser-Busch and four professional sports teams.
Lottery workers also helped stage the bass tour because its owners "did not have the expertise to run the event," Lange told investigators.
Andersen subverted the lottery's normal approval process by directing $27,300 in "supplemental cash sponsorships" to the event in 2002 and again in 2003, Lange told investigators.
Lottery staff members concluded the tour's cost exceeded its promotional value, the court papers said. Dale McDonnell, in-house legal counsel for the lottery, told investigators that he told Andersen that the lottery should not be involved in running a bass tournament, "but Andersen did not want to be told what to do."
Instead, Andersen progressively increased the lottery's sponsorship of the fishing tournament because it was losing money, Lange told investigators.
The bass tour was owned by a company closely linked to Media Rare, a St. Paul public relations firm that had several lucrative promotional contracts with the lottery. Neither company still operates.
Jeff Denney, the last owner of Media Rare, said Friday that the supplemental payments to the bass tour in 2002 and 2003 were for work ordered by the lottery.
He described the county attorney's review for possible criminal charges as a "formality." Asked if he fears being charged with a crime, he said, "No, absolutely not."
Denney folded the bass tour when audit questions led to the lottery's withdrawal as a sponsor, the affidavit said.
Andersen was 53 when he was found dead outside his Hugo home on Jan. 27, 2004. The previous day he had met with state auditors who criticized the lottery's backing of the bass tour and no-compete contracts with Media Rare worth more than $1 million a year.
The investigation by the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division started soon after Andersen's death. Using the search warrants, investigators seized records of Media Rare, related companies and its former owner.
Michael Priesnitz, who founded Media Rare and became a fishing buddy of Andersen, attempted suicide one week after Andersen, the affidavit said. In April 2005, Priesnitz died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in International Falls.
A 2004 report by the legislative auditor's office said that the bass tour wasn't well known among fisherman but that the lottery had clung to its sponsorship even while withdrawing as sponsor of major sports and other events.
One lottery employee, promotions director John Mellein, told investigators that Media Rare and the bass tour were considered "untouchable" interests of Andersen.
"Mellein stated there was no one in the lottery that felt they could challenge George Andersen," the affidavit said.
Andersen's enthusiasm for the tournament was evident in a memo found by investigators after his death. According to the investigator's affidavit, the lottery director twice tried to persuade the Ontario Lottery Commission to jointly sponsor an international bass tournament with Minnesota.
In correspondence with Ontario officials in 2001, Andersen wrote that they should sponsor a fishing tournament that allowed amateurs so that he could fish in it, the affidavit said.
"We have all the equipment, expertise and experience needed to put on the entire event," according to an excerpt from Andersen's correspondence. "So, what do you think? Should we work on it? Do you have lots of cash to spend? Let's discuss. It will be an enormous amount of fun."
http://www.startribune.com/
George Andersen's unusual role as lottery director and booster of the now-defunct Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour is described by a state investigator in papers filed to obtain search warrants. Andersen committed suicide in 2004 after state auditors criticized lottery promotional deals.
The search warrants, issued in June 2004, have remained sealed until now while the state Public Safety Department's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division investigated Andersen's business relationship with a St. Paul company that owned the bass tour.
Doug Forsman, the lead agent on the investigation, said Friday the case has been turned over to the Ramsey County attorney's office for consideration of possible criminal charges.
The bass tour, last held in 2003, was a summer-long series of fishing contests in which anglers competed on several lakes to catch bass for prize money and merchandise.
As one of the sponsors, the lottery's name appeared on signs, on television and on promotional materials.
Andersen, an avid fisherman, participated in the contests, but his interest in the event went deeper, though he had no financial stake in it, according to a search warrant affidavit written by Forsman.
It said there was probable cause to believe that Andersen used his lottery position to "influence and conspire" with two principals of a St. Paul public relations company to gain control of the event.
Michael Lange, a lottery marketing manager, told investigators that he and other lottery employees were directly involved in soliciting lottery partners to sponsor the bass tour, including the Star Tribune, Treasure Island Casino, Anheuser-Busch and four professional sports teams.
Lottery workers also helped stage the bass tour because its owners "did not have the expertise to run the event," Lange told investigators.
Andersen subverted the lottery's normal approval process by directing $27,300 in "supplemental cash sponsorships" to the event in 2002 and again in 2003, Lange told investigators.
Lottery staff members concluded the tour's cost exceeded its promotional value, the court papers said. Dale McDonnell, in-house legal counsel for the lottery, told investigators that he told Andersen that the lottery should not be involved in running a bass tournament, "but Andersen did not want to be told what to do."
Instead, Andersen progressively increased the lottery's sponsorship of the fishing tournament because it was losing money, Lange told investigators.
The bass tour was owned by a company closely linked to Media Rare, a St. Paul public relations firm that had several lucrative promotional contracts with the lottery. Neither company still operates.
Jeff Denney, the last owner of Media Rare, said Friday that the supplemental payments to the bass tour in 2002 and 2003 were for work ordered by the lottery.
He described the county attorney's review for possible criminal charges as a "formality." Asked if he fears being charged with a crime, he said, "No, absolutely not."
Denney folded the bass tour when audit questions led to the lottery's withdrawal as a sponsor, the affidavit said.
Andersen was 53 when he was found dead outside his Hugo home on Jan. 27, 2004. The previous day he had met with state auditors who criticized the lottery's backing of the bass tour and no-compete contracts with Media Rare worth more than $1 million a year.
The investigation by the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division started soon after Andersen's death. Using the search warrants, investigators seized records of Media Rare, related companies and its former owner.
Michael Priesnitz, who founded Media Rare and became a fishing buddy of Andersen, attempted suicide one week after Andersen, the affidavit said. In April 2005, Priesnitz died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in International Falls.
A 2004 report by the legislative auditor's office said that the bass tour wasn't well known among fisherman but that the lottery had clung to its sponsorship even while withdrawing as sponsor of major sports and other events.
One lottery employee, promotions director John Mellein, told investigators that Media Rare and the bass tour were considered "untouchable" interests of Andersen.
"Mellein stated there was no one in the lottery that felt they could challenge George Andersen," the affidavit said.
Andersen's enthusiasm for the tournament was evident in a memo found by investigators after his death. According to the investigator's affidavit, the lottery director twice tried to persuade the Ontario Lottery Commission to jointly sponsor an international bass tournament with Minnesota.
In correspondence with Ontario officials in 2001, Andersen wrote that they should sponsor a fishing tournament that allowed amateurs so that he could fish in it, the affidavit said.
"We have all the equipment, expertise and experience needed to put on the entire event," according to an excerpt from Andersen's correspondence. "So, what do you think? Should we work on it? Do you have lots of cash to spend? Let's discuss. It will be an enormous amount of fun."
http://www.startribune.com/
Nokia 9300i: Smartphone for Business Users
Nokia’s 9xxx series has been one of the best smartphone product lines in the market. It’s truly a smartphone and not just one of the regular Java based phones with an IQ lower than their battery life. Even though it might be a tad bulky, the functionality is more or less adequate.
With the 9300i, Nokia has just made the smartphone smarter, or so they say.
The phone features a wide (640x200) 65k color screen, various e-mail solutions (BlackBerry Connect, Nokia Business Center, IBM WebSphere, Oracle Collaboration Suite, Seven Always-On Mail and Visto Mobile) and an attachment viewer. Blackberry is a useful addition as it negates the necessity to carry a separate blackberry enabled/compatible device.
The most interesting thing about this phone, however, is that it’s now Wi-Fi (802.11g) capable, but there’s nothing new about the feature, since earlier O2 phones such as the XDA IIs have had it for quite some time now. This feature means, that for most of your tasks, you will not need to use your notebook, which could prove to be useful in certain scenarios. We also suspect that synching would be comparatively simpler by making a straightforward adhoc connection.
Apart from WLAN, the phone supports EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth and IrDA communication protocols. The Nokia 9300i will come with 80MB of onboard memory, but you will be able to upgrade this to a maximum of 2GB via the MMC route.
The 9300i will come in a single Triband version, which will be most suited for GSM networks in Asia and Europe. And it will obviously be compatible with GSM networks in North America.
The phone is expected to be available sometime in Q1 ’06.
Initial Thoughts: To be honest, the features listed here are nothing spectacular and other phones have had them for ages. But if nothing else, Nokia’s 9300i has class that just might come in handy for Nokia in the market.
www.cooltechzone.com
With the 9300i, Nokia has just made the smartphone smarter, or so they say.
The phone features a wide (640x200) 65k color screen, various e-mail solutions (BlackBerry Connect, Nokia Business Center, IBM WebSphere, Oracle Collaboration Suite, Seven Always-On Mail and Visto Mobile) and an attachment viewer. Blackberry is a useful addition as it negates the necessity to carry a separate blackberry enabled/compatible device.
The most interesting thing about this phone, however, is that it’s now Wi-Fi (802.11g) capable, but there’s nothing new about the feature, since earlier O2 phones such as the XDA IIs have had it for quite some time now. This feature means, that for most of your tasks, you will not need to use your notebook, which could prove to be useful in certain scenarios. We also suspect that synching would be comparatively simpler by making a straightforward adhoc connection.
Apart from WLAN, the phone supports EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth and IrDA communication protocols. The Nokia 9300i will come with 80MB of onboard memory, but you will be able to upgrade this to a maximum of 2GB via the MMC route.
The 9300i will come in a single Triband version, which will be most suited for GSM networks in Asia and Europe. And it will obviously be compatible with GSM networks in North America.
The phone is expected to be available sometime in Q1 ’06.
Initial Thoughts: To be honest, the features listed here are nothing spectacular and other phones have had them for ages. But if nothing else, Nokia’s 9300i has class that just might come in handy for Nokia in the market.
www.cooltechzone.com
Invest Northern Ireland opens business office in Shanghai
Enterprise Minister Angela Smith has officially opened Invest Northern Ireland's new investment and trade office in Shanghai.
The office which was launched Wednesday will promote and facilitate technology, investment and trade exchanges between Northern Ireland and China, the world's fastest growing economy.
The Minister is currently traveling with an Invest NI delegation to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing that includes representatives from 35 Northern Ireland companies and the University of Ulster.
Speaking at a reception for Chinese business leaders in Shanghai, the minister said: "Opening this office in Shanghai will increase awareness in China of what Northern Ireland has to offer in terms of technology, quality products, expert services and the substantial benefits of Northern Ireland a location in which to dobusiness within Europe."
"There are immense opportunities for Northern Ireland from a closer engagement with a nation that has been experiencing annual growth rates of around 9 percent over the past decade. As well as a developing demand for products and services across a broad rangeof business sectors, Chinese companies are increasingly seeking an effective base from which to explore opportunities in the European marketplace," she said.
"Our aim is to position Northern Ireland as the very best solution for Chinese industrial investors seeking a location that offers them easy access to Europe in terms of advanced telecommunications and transport and the skilled people to help them in achieving their business objectives," Smith said.
The Shanghai office is part of a global network of Invest NI technology, investment and trade centers. It will market Northern Ireland to Chinese businesses and provide advice and information to local companies and organizations, such as the universities, seeking to develop opportunities in China.
Earlier this year, Invest NI opened an office in New York. The organisation currently has technology, trade and investment offices in London, Boston, Denver, San Jose, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.
www.news.xinhuanet.com
The office which was launched Wednesday will promote and facilitate technology, investment and trade exchanges between Northern Ireland and China, the world's fastest growing economy.
The Minister is currently traveling with an Invest NI delegation to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing that includes representatives from 35 Northern Ireland companies and the University of Ulster.
Speaking at a reception for Chinese business leaders in Shanghai, the minister said: "Opening this office in Shanghai will increase awareness in China of what Northern Ireland has to offer in terms of technology, quality products, expert services and the substantial benefits of Northern Ireland a location in which to dobusiness within Europe."
"There are immense opportunities for Northern Ireland from a closer engagement with a nation that has been experiencing annual growth rates of around 9 percent over the past decade. As well as a developing demand for products and services across a broad rangeof business sectors, Chinese companies are increasingly seeking an effective base from which to explore opportunities in the European marketplace," she said.
"Our aim is to position Northern Ireland as the very best solution for Chinese industrial investors seeking a location that offers them easy access to Europe in terms of advanced telecommunications and transport and the skilled people to help them in achieving their business objectives," Smith said.
The Shanghai office is part of a global network of Invest NI technology, investment and trade centers. It will market Northern Ireland to Chinese businesses and provide advice and information to local companies and organizations, such as the universities, seeking to develop opportunities in China.
Earlier this year, Invest NI opened an office in New York. The organisation currently has technology, trade and investment offices in London, Boston, Denver, San Jose, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.
www.news.xinhuanet.com
AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY: Car-parts supplier Bosch commits to the state
The building will allow Bosch to consolidate workers from several rented locations to a company-owned technical center and provide room for further expansion.
A Single Business Tax credit valued at $20.8 million over 17 years helped convince Bosch to build in Michigan.
Bosch's commitment is the latest in a growing cadre of automotive-related technology companies that are locating to or expanding in Michigan. They come here to be close to the state's auto manufacturers and to tap into an abundance of skilled professionals produced by the state's engineering schools and employed at automakers and suppliers.
"Michigan continues to provide an ideal location for Bosch's operations, offering a close proximity to customers and an atmosphere that fosters growth for the future," Kurt Liedtke, chairman, president and CEO of Robert Bosch Corp., said at the groundbreaking.
"R&D is the sweet spot of what we're trying to grow, attract and retain in Michigan," said James Epolito, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., which recruits companies to Michigan and retains and supports the ones that are here. "We have to work from our strengths, and automotive clearly is one of our strengths."
Among the technologies that are expected to be engineered at the tech center:
Occupancy sensors for air bags.
Adaptive cruise control.
Predictive safety systems such as lane-departure sensors.
Other driver-assistance technologies.
Stuttgart, Germany-based Bosch has had a presence in Michigan since 1918. Its North American automotive headquarters in Farmington Hills was established in 1983 and employs about 1,500 people.
Between the Farmington Hills facilities and the new tech center, Bosch said it could accommodate as many as 3,400 employees.
www.freep.com
A Single Business Tax credit valued at $20.8 million over 17 years helped convince Bosch to build in Michigan.
Bosch's commitment is the latest in a growing cadre of automotive-related technology companies that are locating to or expanding in Michigan. They come here to be close to the state's auto manufacturers and to tap into an abundance of skilled professionals produced by the state's engineering schools and employed at automakers and suppliers.
"Michigan continues to provide an ideal location for Bosch's operations, offering a close proximity to customers and an atmosphere that fosters growth for the future," Kurt Liedtke, chairman, president and CEO of Robert Bosch Corp., said at the groundbreaking.
"R&D is the sweet spot of what we're trying to grow, attract and retain in Michigan," said James Epolito, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., which recruits companies to Michigan and retains and supports the ones that are here. "We have to work from our strengths, and automotive clearly is one of our strengths."
Among the technologies that are expected to be engineered at the tech center:
Occupancy sensors for air bags.
Adaptive cruise control.
Predictive safety systems such as lane-departure sensors.
Other driver-assistance technologies.
Stuttgart, Germany-based Bosch has had a presence in Michigan since 1918. Its North American automotive headquarters in Farmington Hills was established in 1983 and employs about 1,500 people.
Between the Farmington Hills facilities and the new tech center, Bosch said it could accommodate as many as 3,400 employees.
www.freep.com
Using IT Asset Management Technology to Ease the Transition to IPv6
IPv6 is the next generation of network addressing and will replace the current IPv4 standard, creating a need for a full transition from one technology to the next. It is designed to operate on both high performance and low bandwidth networks and provides a platform for new internet functionality.
The IPv6 transition anticipates that user host systems can be upgraded to IPv6, and that network operators can deploy IPv6 in routers, with nominal coordination between the two. However, one critical task that must be addressed in either case is accurately discovering, identifying and inventorying all the devices across the network that will need to be upgraded or replaced as a result of the IPv6 implementation.
An automated system that can provide critical configuration information, along with the address of each device on the network, will be an essential tool to effect a successful transition. Eracent’s Network Probe can provide management and technical personnel with the critical information they will need to budget and implement a seamless transition from IPv4 to IPv6. Network Probe as a Transition Tool The need for a smooth transition was recognized very early in the planning stages of the IPv6 protocol.
Clearly, one critical aspect of implementing a successful transition is discovering and inventorying all of the various network components that would be impacted by changing IP protocols. Eracent’s Network Probe discovers and interrogates networked devices using a multi-variant approach that yields extremely accurate inventory results.
Each device on a network has identifiable characteristics, although not necessarily the same characteristics, that the Network Probe uses to perform its inventory and discovery functions. By utilizing a variety of data sets captured from the devices the Eracent technology can provide the IT manager with detailed information on previously unknown or partially identifiable devices.
Using the Identification Management Technology, Eracent’s Network Probe can precisely identify unique devices built into a network infrastructure more accurately than systems that rely exclusively on MIB and/or OID data. Network Probe, using Eracent’s agentless technology, collects complete configuration information for each discovered device.
Hardware is inventoried at the component level and software down at the hot fix level. Using an interactive reporting system, users can select those characteristics of devices that would need to be replaced or upgraded to support IPv6. Using that information, report network and IT managers can easily develop a transition budget and schedule. Devices that require new software or operating systems, devices that can be upgraded to be IPv6 compliant and those that need to be replaced can be specifically identified.
Budgets can be built, and expenses minimized, through use of this key information. Moreover, the entire process can be accomplished in a matter of days from a central location, making the entire process more efficient. The move to IPv6 is inevitable, but tools are available to network and IT professionals that will help speed the process and support a successful implementation. Eracent’s Network Probe, along with its other IT asset management solutions, can provide the information that can make the difference between an efficient and cumbersome transition.
www.it.moldova.org
The IPv6 transition anticipates that user host systems can be upgraded to IPv6, and that network operators can deploy IPv6 in routers, with nominal coordination between the two. However, one critical task that must be addressed in either case is accurately discovering, identifying and inventorying all the devices across the network that will need to be upgraded or replaced as a result of the IPv6 implementation.
An automated system that can provide critical configuration information, along with the address of each device on the network, will be an essential tool to effect a successful transition. Eracent’s Network Probe can provide management and technical personnel with the critical information they will need to budget and implement a seamless transition from IPv4 to IPv6. Network Probe as a Transition Tool The need for a smooth transition was recognized very early in the planning stages of the IPv6 protocol.
Clearly, one critical aspect of implementing a successful transition is discovering and inventorying all of the various network components that would be impacted by changing IP protocols. Eracent’s Network Probe discovers and interrogates networked devices using a multi-variant approach that yields extremely accurate inventory results.
Each device on a network has identifiable characteristics, although not necessarily the same characteristics, that the Network Probe uses to perform its inventory and discovery functions. By utilizing a variety of data sets captured from the devices the Eracent technology can provide the IT manager with detailed information on previously unknown or partially identifiable devices.
Using the Identification Management Technology, Eracent’s Network Probe can precisely identify unique devices built into a network infrastructure more accurately than systems that rely exclusively on MIB and/or OID data. Network Probe, using Eracent’s agentless technology, collects complete configuration information for each discovered device.
Hardware is inventoried at the component level and software down at the hot fix level. Using an interactive reporting system, users can select those characteristics of devices that would need to be replaced or upgraded to support IPv6. Using that information, report network and IT managers can easily develop a transition budget and schedule. Devices that require new software or operating systems, devices that can be upgraded to be IPv6 compliant and those that need to be replaced can be specifically identified.
Budgets can be built, and expenses minimized, through use of this key information. Moreover, the entire process can be accomplished in a matter of days from a central location, making the entire process more efficient. The move to IPv6 is inevitable, but tools are available to network and IT professionals that will help speed the process and support a successful implementation. Eracent’s Network Probe, along with its other IT asset management solutions, can provide the information that can make the difference between an efficient and cumbersome transition.
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