FED:John Bean 'a delight to be around'

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2011
FED:John Bean 'a delight to be around'

Colleagues and friends of ABC cameraman JOHN BEAN says his first love was his wife,
but his second was telling the stories of fellow Australians.

The cameraman was with reporter PAUL LOCKYER and pilot GARY TICEHURST in a helicopter
that went down while shooting a documentary on Lake Eyre in South Australia last night.

BEAN's wife, Landline reporter PIP COURTNEY, says in a statement that he was the most
wonderful husband a girl could wish for, and it was a privilege to watch him work.

Queensland Premier ANNA BLIGH says she knew BEAN, both behind and in front of the lens,
and her thoughts are with his first love PIP and their family and colleagues.

ABC managing director MARK SCOTT says JOHN was the one all the journalists wanted to
work with, and he was a great partner and a very talented craftsman.

The cameraman once joked that his last name came in handy connecting with people in
his work ... "I just tell them I'm Mr Bean and they want to know if I drive a yellow Mini."

AAP RTV lcf/wjf/jmt

KEYWORD: HELICOPTER BEAN (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: Seven people charged following anti-Cheney protest

AAP General News (Australia)
02-23-2007
NSW: Seven people charged following anti-Cheney protest

Seven people have been charged by police following a violent scuffle with officers
at a rally opposing the Sydney visit of US Vice President DICK CHENEY.

NSW police say six males and a female .. aged between 16 and 53 .. have been charged
with a range of offences including assaulting police .. obstructing traffic .. malicious
damage .. and inciting crowd violence.

A 34-year-old man was released without charge.

The eight people were arrested as they attempted to break through a police line …

FED:Easter weekend road toll stands at six

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2011
FED:Easter weekend road toll stands at six

The Easter holiday long weekend road toll remains at six .. with no fatalities recorded
on Good Friday.

New South Wales roads have claimed two lives so far .. and there's been one death each
in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT remain fatality-free.



(EDS: AAP's long weekend road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 21 to 2359
April 26. The official police Easter road toll ends at 2359 Monday April 25 and does not
include the extra public holiday on Tuesday for Anzac Day.)





AAP RTV RTV ht/tm

KEYWORD: TOLL NATIONAL (SYDNEY)

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

FED:Mental illness can bring a massive paycut

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2011
FED:Mental illness can bring a massive paycut

By Danny Rose, AAP Medical Writer

SYDNEY, Feb 1 AAP - Mental illness can represent a massive pay cut, according to Australian
research which has calculated its cost in forcing people to leave the workforce early.

The study found people who experienced depression or other mental health problems were
up to $250,000 worse off, or they had around half the accumulated wealth, compared to
their healthy peers around retirement age.

Professor Deborah Schofield said it showed how mental health problems had not only
a major impact on a person's wellbeing and family life but also on their career earnings
- and so their level of independence in old age.

"We expected to see a gap but not such a big gap," said Prof Schofield, from the University
of Sydney and who led the joint research effort with the University of Canberra.

"What it shows us is that if you do have mental illnesses your chances of being in
the labour force are much, much lower and so, as a result, you have much less capacity
to save."

The research analysed a nationally representative sample of more than 8000 Australians
aged between 45 and 64 years.

They accessed each participant's employment, income, and accumulated wealth in savings,
property and other financial investments.

There were 99 participants who were found to have retired early due to debilitating
mental health problems.

Those with depression were found to have a mean value of $236,000 in wealth while those
with other conditions - such as schizophrenia or an anxiety disorder - had just $148,000.

This was compared to $398,000 accumulated by a worker who had no mental health or other
chronic health problems.

People with mental health problems were also seen to have less complex and profitable
financial arrangements - as they were more likely to be holding their wealth as cash and
less likely to have it in superannuation, shares, an investment property or home ownership.

Prof Schofield said the figures showed how intervening to help people with mental health
problems was "cost-effective" for governments, as it would help these people to remain
in the workforce longer making them more able to pay their own way in retirement.

"There are treatments that can improve people's chances of being in the labour workforce,"

Prof Schofield said.

"It is also about ensuring the treatment is given as early as possible, so people don't
become disengaged from the labour workforce due to their mental illness and so get stuck
in a downward spiral."

The research is published in the February issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

AAP dr/vg

KEYWORD: DEPRESSION

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

QLD:Bevis still hopeful of retaining seat

08-25-2010
QLD:Bevis still hopeful of retaining seat

The incumbent Labor MP for Brisbane says there's still some hope he'll retain the seat.

Counting is continuing in the undecided electorate .. with Liberal National Party candidate
TERESA GAMBARO ahead of incumbent ARCH BEVIS by 657 votes on a two-party preferred basis.

Mr BEVIS says there are still 16 thousand votes to be counted .. and he won't give
up hope of retaining the seat he's held for 20 years.

AAP RTV tnf/ajw/

KEYWORD: POLL10 BRISBANE (BRISBANE)

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

QLD: Teenager trapped by reversing car

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2010
QLD: Teenager trapped by reversing car

A teenage girl is lucky she didn't lose her legs when she was pinned between two cars
in a South Brisbane car park for an hour last night.

Police say the 17-year-old was standing behind the open rear door of a four wheel drive
when a 67-year-old woman in a hatchback reversed into her instead of accelerating forward.

Police initially feared the girl could lose one or both legs .. but it appears she
escaped with severe bruising and shock .. and the hospital says she'll be home soon.

Investigations are continuing.

AAP RTV dac/jmt

KEYWORD: REVERSE (BRISBANE)

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

HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Dec 3

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2009
HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Dec 3

SYDNEY - NSW Premier Nathan Rees is set to face a formal leadership challenge on Thursday
after a group of his own MPs succeeded in bringing on a special caucus meeting. (Labor
NSW 2nd Update with pix and factbox)(See also Labor NSW MPs, Labor NSW Gillard, Labor
NSW Rudd)

Updates, sidebars, factboxes, timelines; profile on possible new premier and wrap to
come after leadership vote expected after 1800 caucus meeting.)

CANBERRA - Eminent scientist Clive Spash has resigned from the CSIRO and called for
a Senate inquiry into the science body following the censorship of his controversial report
into emissions trading. (Climate Spash)(See also Climate Stern exLondon, Climate Brown,
Climate Bishop, Liberals Turnbull, Turnbull Bishop, Workplace Bishop, Workplace Rudd)

Liberals Wrap taking in Climate and Workplace.

SYDNEY - It was supposed to be a cake walk for Paul Fletcher, but the former Optus
executive as MP for Bradfield has become less certain in recent days. (Bradfield Preview
with factbox to come.)

MELBOURNE - Greens Leader bob Brown supporting candidate Clive Hamilton ahead of Higgins
by-election. (Higgins Preview to come)

BRISBANE - The family of a 23-year-old Sydney man handed a 20-year prison sentence
for murder in Bulgaria will appeal the "ridiculous" ruling, his brother has confirmed.

(Palfreeman Appeal)(See also Palfreeman Danes)

Palfreeman Wrap to come.

BRISBANE - Firepower boss Tim Johnston has so far avoided spending time behind bars
despite a warrant being issued for his arrest on Wednesday. (Firepower)

Firepower Wrap to come

CANBERRA - Consumers appear to have been undeterred by an October interest rate rise,
spending $19.8 billion at the shops that month. (Retail Update)(See also Rates Coonan)

Economy Wrap to come.

MELBOURNE - She didn't try to stop it. She encouraged it, she filmed it, and she doesn't
regret any of it. (Assault Wrap)

LOS ANGELES - An Australian boat captain accused of possessing high-powered rifles
and 2,000 rounds of ammunition was arrested in Trinidad and Tobago just days before Australian
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Queen Elizabeth II and leaders from 50 countries arrived in
the Caribbean nation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). (US Norman
to come)

BRISBANE - More than 6,500 young people are living in aged care facilities throughout
Australia with no alternatives, according to figures released on International Day of
People with Disability (IDPwD). (Disability)

JAKARTA - Indonesia's top censor says Balibo is a great film but it had to be banned
because its political content could have sparked trouble. (Balibo to come).

MELBOURNE - They're hoping for a girl, but like any nervous parent, the staff at Melbourne
Zoo will be happy with a healthy baby as they await the imminent birth of their first
elephant calf. (Elephant)

CANBERRA - Centrelink will shut down a service that allowed convicted pedophile Dennis
Ferguson to be reunited with an accomplice. (ferguson to come)

MELBOURNE - Agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm Ltd says $13 a share is a fair price
for its business as it continues takeover talks with China state owned SinoChemicals Corp,
after forecasting a fall in first half profit. (Nufarm to come)



SYDNEY - Queenslander Scott Hend is the early clubhouse leader of the $1.5 million
Australian Open after a superb opening round at the NSW Golf Club. (Gold Aust)

Golf Aust Wrap to come.



MORE bwl

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL

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

Fed: Rudd govt too slow in response to pig-flu pandemic=2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2009
Fed: Rudd govt too slow in response to pig-flu pandemic=2

Airports were not officially on alert but were aware of the situation, a spokeswoman
for the health department said.

Senator Brown said the airports should be on alert for people coming into Australia
from the Americas.

"The public needs to be assured that there is a very high alert at all ports for people
coming into Australia, particularly from the Americas," he said.

More than 1,300 people in Mexico, Texas, California, Kansas and New York are infected
and it's feared a flight attendant may have taken the flu to britain.

A British Airways cabin crew staff member is being treated in a London hospital with
"flu-like symptoms" after arriving on a flight from Mexico City, British health officials
say.

Senator Brown said it was inevitable swine flu would hit Australia.

"The only way of not having that would be to close Australia to flights," he said.

"We should also be looking to see how we can help neighbouring countries if it does
become a pandemic."

Hong Kong was considering putting travellers through heat sensors to check for raised
temperatures, Senator Brown said.

Australia had stockpiles of two drugs - oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza)
- which may be sensitive to swine flu, he said.

AAP mj/ss/bwl/cdh

KEYWORD: MED FLU AUST UPDATE 2 CANBERRA

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

NSW: Rees says minister's television payment to be investigated

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2008
NSW: Rees says minister's television payment to be investigated

New South Wales Premier NATHAN REES says claims one of his ministers used taxpayer
funds to buy a television will be investigated.

The Daily Telegraph says Primary Industries Minister IAN MACDONALD bought an LCD television
for his home in 2005 and charged the 13-hundred dollar cost to taxpayers.

A spokeswoman for Mr MACDONALD has told the paper the TV was for official use and is
no longer in the minister's home but has been moved to his office .. although she won't
say when the move happened.

Opposition leader BARRY O'FARRELL says every member of parliament uses televisions
at home for work-related purposes .. without slugging taxpayers.

Mr REES says a probe is underway.

AAP RTV kd/wz

KEYWORD: MACDONALD (SYDNEY)

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

Qld: We're a good water citizen, says Queensland

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2008
Qld: We're a good water citizen, says Queensland

By Steve Gray

BRISBANE, Aug 15 AAP - The Queensland government rejects accusations of a breach of
a moratorium on harvesting water from the Paroo, the Murray-Darling system's last free-flowing
river.

University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers yesterday said satellite images showed
new storages along the Paroo in Queensland's far south west, contravene a moratorium imposed
by the state government in 2001.

The researchers stood by their claims that water harvesting had increased.

In an agreement signed with the NSW government, Queensland accepted that only existing
works approved before the June 2001 signing were permitted.

UNSW scientists Richard Kingsford and Adam Roff claim that since then, six storages
have been constructed, in breach of that agreement.

However, the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW) today denied
the claims, saying the approvals for the works were granted before June 2001.

Department spokesman Ross Krebs said natural flows had been maintained "including an
end of system flow objective of 99 per cent of predevelopment flows".

Mr Krebs said a water resource plan introduced in 2003 prohibits any increase in the
take of overland flow.

"However, the plan does not place restrictions on how the water is used once it has
been taken," he said.

"Works can also be reconfigured subject to there being no increase in overall take.

"Had Prof Kingsford discussed these issues with NRW officers, he may have reached completely
different conclusions to those contained in his report."

Prof Kingsford said today he stood by the report.

He said new development allowed the capture of more water which can legally be put
into other storages and diverted for irrigation.

"I would argue that you're actually increasing the take of overland flow because as
you do that you draw down on the swamp - they're calling it a dam - because you're diverting
water into storage and then putting it on a crop," Prof Kingsford said.

"From an ecological point-of-view that water would have sat there, servicing an ecological
function, so essentially they're still taking water from the Paroo for irrigation."

He denied claims they had not consulted NRW, and said downstream irrigators had held
"detailed dialogue" with the department.

NRW claims that Queensland has the best water management processes in the Murray-Darling Basin.

"This was proven recently in the landmark Murray-Darling Basin Commission report on
the health of the basin's river system," Mr Krebs said.

After rains in February this year, Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Water
Craig Wallace said 960 billion litres had flowed down the Paroo into NSW.

At the time Mr Wallace said this demonstrated that Queensland was being "a good water
citizen by managing water flows through to NSW".

AAP stg/pjo/it/bwl

KEYWORD: MURRAY QLD

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

Main stories in today's 0745 ABC news

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2008
Main stories in today's 0745 ABC news

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - Main stories in today's 0745 ABC news:

- The London leg of the Olympic torch relay has concluded after a day filled with protests.

- On the eve of a meeting with the Queen, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he is committed
to an Australian republic.

- The Hilton Hotel in Sydney has been evacuated because of a nearby fire.

- The state government says a surge in juvenile crime is the reason that inmates are
sharing cells.

- Education minister John Della Bosca has defended the maintenance of the state's public schools.

- Zimbabwe's opposition is hoping that a High Court ruling will force the electoral
commission to release the presidential elections.

- US President George W Bush has had his final meeting with Russian leader Vladmir Putin.

- Heavy fighting has returned to the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

- The federal government has revealed the second round of cuts by its razor gang.

- Federal opposition leader Brendan Nelson has urged former government ministers Alexander
Downer and Peter Costello to stay in Parliament.

- Manly coach Des Hasler has criticised the way yesterday's game was refereed.

AAP pbc/

KEYWORD: MONITOR 0745 ABC SYDNEY

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

NSW: Banks, mobile phone carriers - and Shrek - singled out Shonkys

AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2007
NSW: Banks, mobile phone carriers - and Shrek - singled out Shonkys

By Ilya Gridneff

SYDNEY, Dec 4 AAP - Movie ogre Shrek has joined Australia's banks and mobile phone
carriers among the winners of the annual CHOICE Shonky awards for poor consumer standards.

The awards - for dubious, dodgy or dangerous products - singled out Westpac as "Worstpac"

for its high service fees, but criticised all Australia's banks for a raft of unfair charges.

CHOICE spokesman Christopher Zinn said the consumer advocate's pressure on the banks
was showing dividends, with at least one minor victory for consumers.

"We've been having a go at the banks about the penalty fees that they charge and our
campaign singles one, Westpac," Mr Zinn said.

"It's been some months on the penalty fees but on Friday the Australian Bankers' Association
said Westpac would be reducing some of their penalty fees for their no-frills accounts."

He said CHOICE was still waiting to claim "a true victory", as the bank was still to
make a public announcement on the fee reductions.

"It's a small scalp, there is a long way to go," Mr Zinn said.

Mobile phone carriers received their Shonky for deliberately muddying the waters when
it comes to the best deals for customers.

Mr Zinn said the telcos' "absolutely indecipherable" mobile phone plans were a "confuseology"

that made it difficult to decide what were the best mobile phone deals.

Amid the food products, chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella received an award for high
sugar and fat content, while many products received special mention for using the cartoon
movie character Shrek to promote them.

CHOICE gave a Shonky to the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau for failing to
regulate the use of the animated ogre to endorse the sugar-packed products.

It said one of these products - lime green fruit loops - contain 41.5 per cent sugar.

Mr Zinn said the bureau had dismissed every complaint about Shrek-related food marketing
campaigns.

"We believe there should be a national product safety agency instead of the patchwork
of state legislation and agencies that look after product safety," he said.

The consumer advocate also found many expensive health foods did not deliver what they promised.

Among them were trendy "super-juices" like Goji, Noni, Acai and mangosteen, which made
misleading claims of miraculous health benefits but in reality would be no more nutritious
than eating three apples a day.

The awards ceremony, held at NSW Art Gallery in Sydney today, was hosted by actor comedian
Jean Kitson.

Whitegood producer LG won a Shonky for an inefficient washer-dryer and Rank Arena for
a high-energy wine fridge.

Other award winners included the maker of a dangerous retractable dog leash that blinded
one dog walker in Queensland.

A popular playful flying ring also received an award for "spoiling the fun" with warning
labels that said: "Do not launch or throw in the direction of other people".

AAP ig/sg/was/bwl

KEYWORD: SHONKY

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

Qld:Gold Coast Hospital doctor diagnosed with TB

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2007
Qld:Gold Coast Hospital doctor diagnosed with TB

Authorities have begun contacting hundreds of patients and staff after a doctor working
at the Gold Coast Hospital was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Queensland Health has confirmed a health worker at the hospital had contracted the
virus .. but declines to confirm whether the employee was a doctor or not.

But a reliable source has confirmed the health worker behind the scare was a doctor.

Authorities have begun notifying about 500 staff and patients who may have come in
contact with the doctor .. with letters to be sent in coming days.

A TB control team has been established to deal with the case and a screening centre
set up at the hospital.





Warning signals include a persistent cough .. blood-streaked sputum .. recurring chest
pains and increased temperature.

Anyone concerned they may have contracted the disease is urged to contact the TB Control
Centre Hotline during working hours on (07) 3896 3955.

AAP RTV nt/wz

KEYWORD: TUBERCULOSIS (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Nelson won't offer advice to US on Iraq troops policy

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2006
Fed: Nelson won't offer advice to US on Iraq troops policy

CANBERRA, Dec 20 AAP - Defence Minister Brendan Nelson today declined to say whether
an increase in United States troop numbers in Baghdad would work in tackling sectarian
violence.

Dr Nelson, in the United Kingdom for talks following the Australia-US ministerial meeting
in Washington, said it was up to the US to decide whether the tactic would be successful.

"It is entirely a case for the military command of the United States to make a judgment
and give advice to its political leadership as to whether a surge of troops is likely
to work," he told ABC radio.

Asked if he believed it would work, Dr Nelson replied: "I am certainly not going to
give gratuitous advice to the Americans through the media.

"We have had quite intensive dialogue. We have had discussions with the American secretary
of state and also assistant secretary for defence. We discussed a whole range of options
in relation to Iraq."

Dr Nelson said Baghdad was quite different to the rest of Iraq.

"The Americans have primary responsibility for it and I don't think it is our place
to provide them with gratuitous advice as to whether surging their numbers in Baghdad
is or is not the right thing to do," he said.

Dr Nelson also held talks with UK Defence Minister Des Browne and foreign secretary
Margaret Beckett on Iraq.

Mrs Beckett earlier raised the prospect of Britain handing security responsibility
for some southern Iraq provinces back to Iraqi authorities by mid-2007, potentially allowing
Britain and Australia to withdraw some troops.

Dr Nelson said Australia worked closely with British forces in that area southern and
Australian troops remained under British tactical command.

He rejected a suggestion that Australia might need to contribute more troops above
the 500 now in southern Iraq.

"We have made it very clear that we will continue with out battlegroup operations,
working from Talil for the foreseeable future," he said.

"But the tasks we are doing today are different from what we were doing six months
ago which are different from what we were doing 18 months ago.

"You would expect that over the course of the next year our role is likely to change
again. And if it does change, it will be to further increase the amount of training we
are already doing with Iraqi security forces."

AAP mb/sb/maur/de

KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST

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

Fed: Immigration laws appear to have hit hurdle =2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2006
Fed: Immigration laws appear to have hit hurdle =2

Senator Vanstone said through a spokesman that Senator Joyce had not raised any amendments
with her.

AAP so/apm

KEYWORD: MIGRATION N/L 2 CANBERRA (REOPENS)

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

RU: Gregan appeal to build hospital playground

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2006
RU: Gregan appeal to build hospital playground

CANBERRA, April 6 AAP - Wallabies veteran George Gregan was today to launch an appeal
to help build a new children's playground at Canberra Hospital.

The fundraiser was to be launched late this afternoon by the George Gregan Foundation,
which aims to provide cash-strapped hospitals with purpose-built recreation areas.

Gregan and his wife Erica started the foundation in 2004 after their son Max was diagnosed
with epilepsy.

The foundation has already successfully raised funds for hospital playgrounds in Brisbane
and Sydney.

Special collectors' cards of Brumbies rugby union team players have been made for the
campaign, and will be distributed in a Canberra letter-boxing campaign.

Gregan said the playground, like the others his foundation has created, would be architect-designed.

"We are looking to build a playground with a jungle theme in Canberra that will be
interactive, with noises," he told ABC radio.

"This will be a fantastic project for the community to get behind."

The playground would give families the opportunity to spend some quality time together
when a child was in hospital, he said.

"Some families are in these hospitals for long periods of time, and it gives them an
opportunity to do all the things which you take for granted when you're not in hospital,
like going out and playing with your children in the playground," he said.

AAP ms/mfh/jas/sp

KEYWORD: GREGAN

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

WA: Beached whale saved

AAP General News (Australia)
02-16-2005
WA: Beached whale saved

PERTH, Feb 16 AAP - A beaked whale stranded on a beach south of Perth has been returned
to open water.

A rescue team from WA's Conservation and Land Management Authority had been working
to save the 4.6 metre adolescent whale since it became stranded on a Busselton beach yesterday.

Their efforts were rewarded today when the whale was shifted into deep water and swam away.

"I am delighted that the whale has been released and congratulate everyone involved
in this phenomenal rescue effort," federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell said today.

"The Australian government is already funding the establishment of a national whale
strandings database and now we are working towards the development of a marine mammal
strandings network."

Senator Campbell said the government was also developing a national standard for the
collection of scientific samples to assist in research into the causes of marine mammal
strandings.

"It is not known why they sometimes run aground on the seashore, for it is asserted
that this happens rather frequently when the fancy takes them and without any apparent
reason."

The saved whale has been identified as a Cuvier's beaked whale, which can grow to around
7.6 metres and weigh up to three tonnes.

The species usually lives in small groups of two to seven but it is not uncommon for
them to be seen alone.

Authorities are still waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination on another
beaked whale that stranded itself on Rottnest Island, 20km off the coast of Perth, less
than a month ago.

That was the 20th stranding of the species in WA over the past two decades, Senator
Campbell said.

AAP hn/cjh/de

KEYWORD: WHALES NIGHTLEAD

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

proposal solicitation

proposal solicitation The stage in the business buying process (see business buyer behaviour) in which the buyer invites qualified suppliers to submit proposals.

CFE hopes for new tax regimen.

MEXICO CITY, Aug 26, 2002

The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) is expecting that a new fiscal regimen put forth as part of the electricity reform will change the current tax scheme for one based on the company's profits, says company Director Alfredo Elias Ayub. Currently, the State-owned company pays a tax that is equivalent to 9% of the company's assets. Elias says this reaches some 40 billion pesos (US$4.08 billion) per year."We, at the CFE would ask not to pay this tax, which is a large chunk of money. In exchange, we would pay a tax based on profits, an earnings tax or something to that effect," he said. "This is a very capital-intense industry. Assets are very high and the 9% tax rate is extremely expensive."Elias also said that the government should assume the responsibility subsidies. He suggested the Treasury decide the subsidy level and the recipients, to pay that amount to the CFE.

URL: www.securities.com

Copyright 2002 Internet Securities, Inc., all rights reserved. A Euromoney Institutional Investor Company.

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

PPG Co-Sponsors Conference On Repair Technician Retention.

Business Editors & Automotive Writers

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio--(AutomotiveWire)--May 1, 2001

Losing a skilled technician can cost a collision repair center $10,000 in lost productivity and the time and expense associated with searching for a new employee.

To address this critical issue, PPG Industries has teamed with the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) and the Automotive Service Excellence Association (ASE) to offer a one-day seminar designed to help collision centers and their distributors recruit, train, and retain good employees. The conference will be held June 2 at the Sheraton College Park hotel in College Park, Md.

The seminar will address such important employee-related topics as current staffing conditions and trends, on-line recruiting strategies, apprenticeship programs, compensation and benefits planning, and employee satisfaction and retention strategies.

Speakers will include Ron Ray, executive director, I-CAR Education Foundation; Steve Brown, AutoJobs.com chief executive; John Waller, human resources consultant and trainer; Joseph Hinkens, collision center owner and industry consultant; and Dennis Pappas, chief operating officer of Three-C Body Shop Inc., recognized as having one of the most established and successful apprenticeship programs in the nation.

"As an industry, we must be very concerned about a 20 percent technician turnover rate that cost the collision repair industry an estimated $300 million last year," said Russ Boston, Strongsville-based PPG Automotive Refinish director of training. "This seminar will deal head-on with the employee turnover issue and provide a wealth of information for collision center managers seeking to improve their expertise in recruiting, training and motivating employees."

The fee for the one-day conference is $395. More information is available by phoning 877-550-7652 or e-mail to HRConference@pinetreeconsulting.com.

Internet: www.ppgrefinish.com

Gatess monopoly move faces court rebuff.

THE ball bounces back into the governments court this week in the Windows anti-trust match, when Washington offers its response on Wednesday to the concessions that Microsoft offered the court last week.

But the justice department has already publicly dismissed Microsofts proposed remedies as ineffectual and full of loopholes and its announcement on Wednesday will likely be little more than posturing ahead of a court date with judge Thomas Jackson on 24 May.

That hearing, the last stage in a trial that began in October 1998, will consider the governments proposal to split Microsoft into two companies and impose tough conduct restrictions in the interim. Microsoft last week denounced the plan as unprecedented and dangerous for the US economy.

It asked Jackson to throw out the DoJs plan or, failing that, to grant it more time to prepare its case against a break-up, delaying the hearing until 4 December. An American company deserves more than 12 days to respond to a government proposal to tear apart a $400bn company, said Microsofts chief counsel, William Neukom.

Microsofts proposed remedy for the behaviour cited by Jackson in his finding of fact on 3 April includes some important concessions. Instead of breaking up Microsoft, the company says the court should order it not to discriminate among PC manufacturers, allow other browsers equal access to the Windows desktop and publish more advance information about how programs will work with new versions of the operating system.

But sceptics noted last week that Microsofts concessions are the same measures the industry and the government sought from it five years ago, and thought they had secured in 1994 in a settlement of an earlier complaint. That was before Microsoft was tried and found by Jackson to have acted like a predatory monopolist.

But Microsoft, defiantly insisting it will never be broken up, says separating Windows from the rest of its business will halt innovation in computer software. The symbiotic nature of operating systems and applications programs has improved personal computing for millions, says chairman Bill Gates.

Gates says that if the proposed plan to dismantle Microsoft had been implemented 10 years ago, it could not have created either Windows or the Office suite of applications.

But rivals such as Sun Microsystems chief executive Scott McNealy dismiss this as a classic Microsoft argument.

On the one hand, they insist Windows is an open platform with equal access for all, while on they other they insist the two parts of the company have to stay together or theyll lose business.

Microsoft has already announced plans to appeal against Jacksons 3 April ruling, and so its request for a six-month delay prompted suggestions that it is just the first of a long string of delaying tactics.

Microsoft benefits from every day this case continues, analysts say, giving it more time to implement a new Net-centred business model. In a year or so, it will be far better placed to settle the case by accepting an end to its dominance of the PC market, having already moved to more promising territory.

The pace of change in the market is quicker than the pace at which the government can bring this case, says Washington-based attorney Phillip Proger.

Last week at a Las Vegas conference, Gates touted Next Generation Windows Services, the e-commerce Web server software at the heart of Micro-softs new internet strategy. It was evidence of the companys plans to weave its new Windows 2000 into most of the worlds e-commerce server software that encouraged anti-trust regulators to ask for the stiff remedies.

But anti-trust experts say Microsoft may change its mind about slowing the proceedings if Jackson agrees this summer to impose the interim conduct restrictions the government is seeking, which would make it illegal for the company to tie future use of Windows to other Microsoft products.

Industry sources say that could threaten Microsofts strategy to employ component applications that will only work with servers using its operating system.

Things could accelerate dramatically if Gates concludes that the conduct measures will damage Microsoft sooner, and arguably more profoundly, than splitting off his PC software business will do, says one internet company executive.

Dynamite dynamism.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)

A few weeks ago, "Gearhead" discussed JavaScript and followed that with a discussion of HTML, JavaScript and bookmarklets.

From your letters I get the impression it went well, so this week I thought "Gearhead" would discuss a question posed by a reader after the JavaScript column: "Where does Dynamic HTML fit in?"

While JavaScript can create content in an HTML document, it can also interact with document contents. Combine that ability with content formatting control and you can make Web documents with amazingly sophisticated behavior, what Dynamic HTML is all about.

For example, you can make toolbars on Web pages that stay at the top of a window so the toolbars are always visible even when the page is scrolled down. See the section on drifting toolbars on Netscape's DevEdge Online at http://developer.netscape.com/tech/dynhtml/index.html for an example that works with Version 4.0+ of Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

At the heart of Dynamic HTML is something called the Document Object Model (DOM) - as if we needed yet another acronym identical to those for Distributed Object Manager, Data Output Message and Document Object Management.

The DOM is (and here's a string of $5 words) "a hierarchical structuring of the contents of an HTML document." What this means is that the HTML elements that comprise a document (links, anchors, images and plug-ins) are arranged in a tree and referred to generically as "objects."

The DOM tree starts from the window in which the document is displayed and includes its location, frames, events that occur and even the history of the window (the URLs that have been displayed in that window). Events in the model include loading and unloading the document, and when the mouse interacts with an object by moving across or away from it, or clicking on it. And to make life even easier, under the 4.0+ browsers, objects can also be named.

The importance of this structure is that it gives a consistent way of referring to objects within a document. Want to access the third form in a document? Under the DOM, that object would be referred to as document. form(2) (the numbering of objects of a specific type starts at zero).

But there's more to it than just scripting. Dynamic HTML is three technologies combined: HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting. Web documents are written in HTML, while CSS defines the style and positioning of objects.

Of course, the key players in the browser market, Microsoft and Netscape, have never agreed on what Dynamic HTML consists of. Microsoft always referred to the acronym as "DHTML"; Netscape presented it as "dHTML." After that, it got complicated.

The champion of Web standards, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), has a role in all this. In December 1998, the DOM Level 1 Specification became a W3C Recommendation. CSS, Level 2, became a W3C Recommendation in May 1998.

At the risk of starting a religious war, let me say the differences between the vendors' views of Dynamic HTML will become irrelevant in short order; Netscape is in limbo while Sun absorbs the carcass that was spat out by America Online. Worse still, Netscape will probably stay in that state long enough for its market share to erode beyond recovery.

In effect and by default, Microsoft has won the browser battle and Microsoft's view of Dynamic HTML is going to have the greatest impact on market direction, the U.S. Department of Justice not withstanding.

So what does this mean to you? Well, Dynamic HTML is still very new and relatively rare on the public Web. Writing Dynamic HTML content that works cross-browser is still hard work. But that hard work can have a big payoff, and even the dullest content can acquire an air of dynamism.

Dynamic responses to gearhead@ gibbs.com.

MightyMeeting Extends Leadership in Mobile Web Conferencing, Announces the First to Market Web Conferencing Application for HP TouchPad.

MightyMeeting Inc., a mobile collaboration and social publishing company, announced general availability of MightyMeeting for HP TouchPad, a native application for HP's first webOS tablet that enables mobile professionals to connect with their customers and partners and deliver compelling multimedia presentations, locally and remotely, directly from their tablet (1).

Unlike other web conferencing solutions, MightyMeeting infrastructure and applications are designed from the ground up to work with mobile networks and mobile devices.

MightyMeeting for HP TouchPad is the first application in the MightyMeeting family to include integrated audio conferencing. The solution works over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi wireless networks (1). The application takes full advantage of the unique capabilities of the webOS platform, such as next-level multitasking and HP Synergy, which automatically syncs users' information from sources like Facebook, Google, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo!, Skype, and LinkedIn.

"The TouchPad is an amazing platform that signals arrival of the post-laptop phase in mobile business computing," said Dmitri Tcherevik, the founder and CEO of MightyMeeting Inc. "We are excited to build on this platform and deliver a market leading mobile business app and a proof that one does not have to be chained to a desk or carrying pounds of hardware to be fully productive."

"MightyMeeting offers mobile professionals an excellent cloud-based service that takes advantage of webOS capabilities," said Richard Kerris, vice president of webOS Worldwide Developer Relations, HP. "MightyMeeting integrates with the webOS contact and email applications, and with webOS multitasking, users can host a web conference while checking their calendars, sending IM messages or looking up a contact."

MightyMeeting is designed for people who travel and must present on the road, often at a moment's notice. It is popular with entrepreneurs, executives, sales pros, doctors, researchers, and teachers in every part of the world.

Every MightyMeeting user gets a private virtual meeting room. The room can be used to store presentations and demo videos. It can also be used to host online meetings with any number of participants. Meetings can be attended from a broad range of mobile devices running webOS, iOS, or Android. MightyMeeting also offers a Web-based application that requires no browser plug-ins.

"At our company we believe in delivering the best service to our customers," said Jay Patel, a business development manager at Springer Healthcare, a leading publisher of the medical educational products for the healthcare community. "We are a global company, and if a customer calls at 9 pm on a holiday, I take the call. With MightyMeeting, I can use this call to answer my customer's questions and deliver a professional presentation, wherever I am. I am looking forward to trying the new features."

MightyMeeting for HP TouchPad is available immediately in the webOS App Catalog on TouchPad. The application is free and can be used to attend online meetings or manage a library of presentations at no cost. Hosting a meeting requires an in-app purchase. Additional Resources MightyMeeting for HP TouchPad Presentation MightyMeeting for HP TouchPad Web Page Application Screenshots: Screenshot 1, Screenshot 2 Demo Video: Sharing Content On-The-Go White Paper: What is Mobile Web Conferencing? About HP TouchPad HP TouchPad is part of a growing family of webOS devices designed to keep people better connected (1). With webOS, HP TouchPad users have a next-level multitasking experience, integrated access to their information with HP Synergy, the ability to find information on the device or the web using the Just Type feature, and unobtrusive notifications (2). TouchPad is a productivity powerhouse that also offers access to the cloud and entertainment, including movies, TV shows, games, photos, books, magazines and premium audio playback with stereo speakers and Beats Audio (tm) technology (3). More information about HP TouchPad is available at www.hp.com/touchpad. About MightyMeeting MightyMeeting is an industry innovator and the provider of a popular solution for mobile meetings and presentations. The solution is used by people around the world to share ideas and connect in real-time and anytime. For more information, please visit www.mightymeeting.com.

(1) Internet access within wireless coverage area only. Wi-Fi within range of 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi network. Some Wi-Fi hotspots may require fee for usage. Not all web content may be available. Email and related information required for setup and activation.

(2) Within wireless coverage area only. Microsoft Exchange email, contacts, and calendars available for ActiveSync only; requires Microsoft Outlook using Exchange Server 2003 with SP2, Exchange Server 2007, or Exchange Server 2010.

(3) Third-party software available separately. Within wireless coverage area only. Requires data services at additional cost. Not all apps available on all devices.

Keywords: Wireless Technology.

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

PBS LearningMedia Launches with World-Class Content from Public Media and Its Partners.

Free Innovative Classroom-Ready Media Available to Every Teacher and Student Across the Country

PHILADELPHIA -- To foster classroom innovation and engagement, PBS and WGBH, and their producing partners WNET and KET, along with 31 other PBS member stations, today launched PBS LearningMedia (pbslearningmedia.org), a free service for all teachers, students and families nationwide. In addition to a rich public media library, PBS LearningMedia has content contributed from other publicly funded organizations, including the National Archives, the Library of Congress and NPR, as well as content funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Education, to deliver thousands of resources for use in the classroom and with home-schoolers.

"As America's largest classroom, PBS and our local stations are helping to re-imagine classroom learning and are partnering with our producers and teachers to engage students to accelerate academic achievement," said Paula Kerger, PBS President and CEO. "PBS LearningMedia is a key part of the solution to one of the nation's biggest challenges - improving student progress to build our future workforce."

Delivering unprecedented access to a robust digital library aligned to Common Core State Standards and available to all preK-16 classrooms, PBS LearningMedia is the next generation in digital media platforms with high-quality content drawn from more than 1,500 public media producers, 350 local stations, such as WGBH's NOVA science series among many others, and a growing list of other contributors.

Beginning today, teachers and students have immediate access for their lessons and homework to more than 14,000 research-based instructional resources - including videos, interactives, images, audio files, mobile apps, lesson plans, and worksheets. Combining dynamic and engaging instructional content with professional development support, PBS LearningMedia empowers educators to create media-rich curriculum lessons that meet the needs of 21st century learners. Through PBS LearningMedia, teachers can:

* quickly and easily find relevant resources, localized to their needs, to differentiate instruction for a diverse range of learners;

* personalize the site by tagging resources and share ideas, recommendations and comments on how they've used media assets in their teaching with their professional learning networks via email or social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter; and

* develop "class pages" -- curated content lists -- for student viewing, feedback and instruction on interactive white boards and school-based intranets and other networking tools.

Currently, PBS LearningMedia is co-branding with 34 local PBS stations, including Alabama Public Television, Blue Ridge PBS, Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation, Idaho Public Television, Illinois Public Media, Iowa Public Television, KACV-TV, KAET - Phoenix, KCTS Television, KET (Kentucky Educational Television), KLRN, KNME-TV, KNPB, KSPS-TV, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, New Hampshire Public Television, PBS SoCal, Rhode Island PBS, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, WNET New York Public Media, UNC-TV, Vegas PBS, WGBH Educational Foundation, WGCU Public Media, WGVU, WHRO, Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, WJCT, Inc., WOSU Public Media, WPSU/Penn State Public Broadcasting, WQED Multimedia, WSIU Public Broadcasting, WTCI, and WVPT.

This fall, PBS LearningMedia will also be available as a custom solution, developed and distributed in partnership with state education departments or local school districts. The platform offers a flexible infrastructure designed for customization and seamless media integration into existing services. Texas PBS is the first to offer a custom integration service, bringing the full collection of PBS LearningMedia through the "Project Share" service, a collaboration with the New York Times and Epsilen, to all Texas educators this summer.

ABOUT PBS

PBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans -- from every walk of life -- the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches 124 million people through television and 20 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBSPressroom on Twitter.

About WGBH

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcaster, producing such award-winning PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children's series. WGBH's television channels include WGBH 2, WGBH 44, and digital channels World and Create. Local WGBH TV productions that focus on the region's diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One. WGBH Radio serves listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire with 89.7 WGBH, Boston's NPR[R] Station for News and Culture; 99.5 All Classical; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR[R] Station. WGBH also produces the national radio news program The World. WGBH is a leading producer of online content and a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for people with disabilities. Find more information at www.wgbh.org

Verizon Wireless Provides Resources in Western Massachusetts to Assist in Recovery Efforts.

To assist recovery efforts across Western Massachusetts in the wake of tornadoes and severe weather, Verizon Wireless deployed additional resources to augment wireless communication, network capacity and coverage in and around Springfield, MA.

According to a release, the company reached out to first responders - including local, state and federal agencies - to offer emergency assistance. In response to requests, the Verizon Wireless Crisis Response Team has:

- Delivered six mobile power generators for use by local police and fire departments, as well as FEMA

- Distributed 45 mobile handsets to local police and fire departments

- Added call handling capacity to several exiting cell sites in the areas most affected

- Recharged resident's cell phones inside local Communications Stores

At the request of City of Springfield officials, the company deployed an 18-wheeled 'Emergency Response Vehicle' (ERV) to the Emergency Management Command Center at the Basketball Hall of Fame. The ERV will enable public safety personnel to charge 50 plus wireless devices at the same time, access the Internet and connect with other public safety personnel.

In addition, Verizon Wireless pledged $20,000 to the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross to immediately assist people affected by the June 1 devastation.

The Verizon Wireless Crisis Response Team works closely with emergency management officials to support recovery efforts.

More company information:

www.verizonwireless.com

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

FULL-SERVICE BUSINESS INCUBATOR LAUNCHED IN AUBURN RESEARCH PARK.

AUBURN, Ala. -- The following information was released by Auburn University:

The Auburn Research and Technology Foundation, through its operating agreement with Auburn University, has established the Auburn Business Incubator. The full-service, mixed-use business incubator is designed to help with commercialization of university- and community-derived technologies and services through new business ventures.

The Auburn Research and Technology Foundation is a university-affiliated, nonprofit corporation formed to support the mission of the university, particularly in the areas of research and economic development, and is developing and operating the Auburn Research Park.

"This new incubator fills a void in the local economic development infrastructure for supporting the transition from concept to business development and commercialization," said John Weete, executive director of the foundation and research park. "Formation of the incubator reflects the collaborative initiatives between Auburn University, the City of Auburn and the State of Alabama. Key in making this happen are John Mason, Auburn University vice president for research and Mike Hubbard of Auburn, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives."

"As someone who started a business and built it from the ground up, I know how challenging it is to step out and take that risk," said Hubbard. "We are constantly looking for ways to help businesses not only survive, but also thrive in this state. I'm proud of what we've been able to put together at the Auburn Research Park because I know it is going to make a real difference. That next big idea that changes the world just might be hatched in the Auburn Business Incubator."

A key development for the incubator and new startup companies that require early stage investment is the Auburn Angel Network.

"We believe that the establishment of the Auburn Business Incubator is major step forward in creating a dynamic entrepreneurial environment for the entire East Alabama region," said Jim Corman, founder of the Auburn Angel Network. "We look forward to locating the Auburn Angel Network office in the incubator and are excited about the possibility of providing equity funding and advice to many of the early stage companies that will be based out of the incubator."

The goal of the incubator, as it grows and matures over time, is to provide a network of support services tailored to the needs of start-up and early stage companies. Services may include, but are not limited to, cost-effective space and flexible leases, networking opportunities, shared business services and equipment, assistance in accessing investment and grant funds, management assistance, connectivity to resources at Auburn University and generating an integrated network of entrepreneurs in the Auburn/Opelika and regional communities. The incubator will work closely with the local angel network and other investors to assist incubator clients to obtain investments.

"I'm really pleased to see the incubator coming online," said Mason. "It is a critical component of our efforts to leverage research expertise in order to facilitate technology transfer, develop industry partnerships, form and nurture new business ventures and attract knowledge-based companies to the Auburn Research Park."

The incubator will work closely with the economic development department of the City of Auburn. Phillip Dunlap, the department's director, describes the Auburn Business Incubator as "an asset that will enable us, in partnership with the Auburn Research Technology Foundation and Auburn University, to place an emphasis on the recruitment of knowledge-based projects to our community."

The first phase of the incubator is located in Building 570 in the Auburn Research Park with subsequent phases to follow as the demand grows and resources become available. The incubator has closed offices and open cubicles, receptionist, kitchenette, high speed copier/printer/fax machine, individual telephones and both wired and wireless internet connectivity. In addition, shared use conference rooms with teleconferencing and audiovisual capabilities are available.

For more information and online application to the incubator, go to www.auburnbusinessincubator.com; contact John Weete at (334) 844-7480 or weetejd@auburn.edu; or contact assistant director Phil Dunlap at tpdunlap@auburn.edu or (334) 844-7462.

Contact: John Weete, (334) 844-7480 (weetejd@auburn.edu), or

Mike Clardy, (334) 844-9999 (clardch@auburn.edu)

Mobile Commerce 2011 - Analysis of Technologies, Solutions, Opportunities and Challenges.

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c85137/mobile_commerce_20) has announced the addition of the "Mobile Commerce 2011" report to their offering.

Mobile commerce is about the explosion of applications and services that will become accessible from Internet-enabled mobile devices. It involves new technologies, services, and business models. It is quite different from traditional e-commerce. Mobile phones, tablet commuters, PDAs (etc.) impose very different constraints than desktop computers. The ecosystem and value chain for mobile commerce is unique and evolving in a different manner than e-commerce as a whole.

This mobile commerce research goes beyond a simple state of the industry. Mobile Commerce 2011 provides analysis of technologies, solutions, opportunities and challenges facing the industry. We also evaluate the regional and country prospects for mobile commerce as well as emerging applications and supporting technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communications (NFC). We also provide a view into the future of mobile commerce with critical analysis of the emerging economic environment including scenario analysis.

Keywords: Radio Frequency Identification, Research and Markets.

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

Cabot Oil & Gas Announces First Quarter 2011 Earnings Release Date and Conference Call.

HOUSTON, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG) will release its first quarter 2011 financial and operating results on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

A conference call with investors, analysts and other interested parties is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. CDT, 7:30 a.m. MDT, 6:30 a.m. PDT) on Thursday, April 28, 2011 to discuss first quarter 2011 operating results. You are invited to listen to the call which will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.cabotog.com.

A replay will be available from Thursday, April 28, 2011 through Saturday, April 30, 2011. You may access this replay at (800) 642-1687, (U.S./Canada) or (706) 645-9291 (International), passcode 59961803.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas is a leading independent natural gas producer, with its entire resource base located in the continental United States. For additional information, visit the Company's Internet homepage at www.cabotog.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Scott Schroeder (281) 589-4993

SOURCE Cabot Oil & Gas

Stuart Goldfarb Elected to Atrinsic Board of Directors.

Atrinsic, an internet marketing company, has announced that Stuart Goldfarb has been appointed to its Board of Directors.

In a release, the Company noted that Stuart Goldfarb brings over two decades of direct marketing, strategic and management experience to the Atrinsic Board of Directors. From 2001 to 2009, Goldfarb was President and CEO of Direct Brands, Inc. Under his leadership, the company grew to be the world's largest direct marketer of music, DVD's, and books, with household brands such as Columbia House, BMG Music, Doubleday Book Club, Book-of-the-Month-Club, cdnow.com and many more. Prior to that, Goldfarb was President and CEO of bol.com, Bertelsmann's online retailer of books and music, doing business in 18 European and Asian countries. Before joining Bertelsmann, he was Vice Chairman of Value Vision International, a cable TV home shopping and e-commerce company. He was formerly Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Development at NBC, where he held various executive level positions.

Jerome Chazen, chairman of Atrinsic, noted "We are pleased to be adding somebody of Stuart's experience to our board and look forward to his contribution." Goldfarb noted, "Atrinsic has many important assets, including its talented executive team, and I am pleased to be assisting them in building a great company."

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

SO FAHEY SO GOOD FOR NEW FAN FAVE; EXCLUSIVE.(Sport)

Byline: BY ANDY WALKER

IRISH ace Keith Fahey admits that he's stunned with how quickly Blues fans have turned him into a St Andrew's star.

Despite having only played a handful of games for his new club, Fahey already seems to be held in high regard by Bluenoses.

Little over two months ago, the Dubliner was unknown to even the most ardent of Blues fans, yet internet groups in his honour have already sprouted up - including one that takes a swipe at local rivals Villa called: 'Keith Fahey is better than Gareth Barry'.

His first goal in English football, described as 'Messi-like' by Blues boss Alex McLeish and 'a fluke' by Fahey himself, last weekend further heightened his reputation in the blue half of the Second City. And having grown used to the lessintense surroundings of the League of Ireland, the modest midfielder admits to being taken aback by the early attention.

"I am a bit surprised, I've done alright," said 26-year-old Fahey. "In the games I've come on, I've made an impact, I've done OK in the games I've played and the fluke goal did me favours.

"The fans haven't seen a lot of me, they've only seen me play in a few nearfull games and a few substitute appearances so it's nice. They're probably just looking out for someone new.

"I think you are closer to the fans in Ireland than you are over here, you see them closer up and they talk to you. They wouldn't really ask you for autographs.

"Over here, fans are in awe of you. It does feel a bit weird but that's what I'm going to have to get used to."

Having attended his first autograph signing session as a Blues player at St Andrew's last Tuesday alongside the club's other new recruits, Fahey now knows that requests to sign shirts, books and bits of paper will start to become commonplace.

"You can see people pointing and stopping me for autographs already. Back in Dublin, people would occasionally come up in the street and ask howthings were going when I was out doing a bit shopping.

I'm bracing myself for it to be a lot worse over here."

Despite his humble words, Fahey gained a popular following during his time in the Emerald Isle with St Patrick's Athletic, who are now managed by the ex-Blues duo of Jeff Kenna and Paul Peschisolido.

A 60-strong group of St Pats fans attended Blues' recent home fixture with Burnley and witnessed their departed hero play 16 minutes of the 1-1 draw. The lively red-andwhite clad bunch hung around after the final whistle to pose for pictures with Fahey, the reigning PFAI Premier Division player of the year.

"It's good that they are still following me," added Fahey of his fan club. "I left St Pats with good feelings because I didn't leave on a bad note. They respect me for that and they knowI'm here to further my career. They are happy with how well I've got on.

"At the end of last season, they told me that when I signed for Birmingham, there would be a good fewof them coming over but I didn't think they'll be 60 of them. I found out a week or two before the game that they were coming. They are a mad bunch, they are here just to have the craic, it was good to go over and see them. I said to them 'sorry I didn't get on for longer', "It's a pity they didn't come over the weekend after that, when I scored. I know a couple of them personally, not very well, but from going to games. I left them with good feelings and I have good feelings about St Pats; hopefully I'll have as good a relationship with the fans at Blues."

This is not the first time Fahey has lived in the West Midlands following his illfated spell with Villa which was cut short by his homesickness. Birmingham's city centre has developed significantly since Fahey returned to Ireland in 2002 but the ex-Arsenal trainee admits he finds himself going back to the same haunts.

"I used to pop into town to do a bit of shopping and I still go back to the same shops. I used to live near Sutton Coldfield, the Villa side of the city, so now I'm getting to know the other side," he said.

andy.walker@sundaymercury.net

Comedy, Indie Rock, Brought Together Without the Tape of Love on Conchords' New Album.

Over the past two years, the parodists from New Zealand, Flight of the Conchords, have scored with a hit HBO show (in which they play a hapless struggling band whose mundane adventures are punctuated by song) and won a Grammy award with their debut U.S. E.P. (seriously, a Grammy, and seriously, for an E.P., which must have made all those losers who wrote full albums feel like suckers). One half of the group even had a moderately successful indie film, Eagle vs. Shark. While Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement may not be household names, they are getting there.

Another step in that direction is the release today of Flight of the Conchords' self-titled full-length album. The group had self-released some recordings in New Zealand, recorded a BBC radio series, and even had that award-winning E.P. last year, but this is its first proper studio album and their first major U.S. release.

Of course, it's a soundtrack, a selection of songs performed on the band's HBO series. And like most soundtracks it's by no means a comprehensive catalog of the show's songs: at 15 tracks it would have been hard to include more. Yet it's missing some of the band's best tunes, like the flawlessly funny and well-written "Tape of Love." The song exemplifies the central conundrum of the band. The mix of overwrought earnestness that begins the song is straight out of Mike + the Mechanics' iconic "The Living Years," pondering "Love is like a roll of tape/ It's real good for making two things one/ But just like that roll of tape/ Love sometimes breaks off before you're done" before the triumphal, "Bittersweet Symphony"-like chorus kicks in with "Brown paper, white paper/Stick it together with the tape, the tape of love."

The thing is that the song, in addition to being hilarious, is also nearly as catchy as those smash hit referents and that makes Flight of the Conchords stand out in the crowded genre of musical comedy: These dudes don't just spoof songs, they can write songs. Somewhere between Weird Al's groan-worthy punning and Randy Newman's wry autership, these guys force the ultimate identity crisis: am I singing along to these songs and repeating the lyrics because they're catchy, great tunes--because it's music--or am I just another moron endlessly repeating lines from Chappelle's Show?

It's a thin line, to be sure.

Adding to this vague sense that Flight of the Conchords may actually be "good" is the company they keep on their label and a resurgence of audio-focused comedy. This isn't some HBO afterthought of a soundtrack album, but a release in conjunction with Sub Pop records, onetime breakers of Nirvana and Mudhoney and latter-day fablers of indie reconstruction, thanks in part to, yes, comedy albums. Alongside recent label successes like the Shins and the Postal Service have been releases from David Cross, Patton Oswalt, and Eugene Mirman--and falling aesthetically somewhere in the middle of all that you get Flight of the Conchords.

Sub Pop's Steve Manning said, "The comedy records were really inspirational to us here; they have sold quite well and helped redefine the label at a time when we were really struggling. David Cross came out near the Shins and Postal Service and really helped turn the label around."

Other labels are following suit, like Matador with its upcoming release of Earles & Jensen's "Just Farr a Laugh." So given the push toward reviving the comedy album market (not a little influenced by Internet sensations like Tom Scharpling's "The Best Show" on WFMU), it makes sense to capitalize on bands blending humor with an indie-rock sensibility and the musical ability to send up more genres than just indie rock. For other examples, look at the phenomenal success of SNL short "Lazy Sunday," helped plenty by the song's beat being pretty well done, or the music-comedy work of hipster comics Zach Galifialakis, Demetri Martin and others. Even Will Oldham and Cat Power have experimented with comedy (with varying degrees of success).

To sweeten the deal, these comedy releases are getting the star packaging treatment, from detailed booklets to, in the Conchords case, a poster-sized illustration of the band, and some frogs, and maybe a space shuttle. It's a move to appeal to the age-old function of the comedy album: lifestyle accessory.

What distinguishes the band further from the history of cheesy spoof songs is its attention to genre. McKenzie and Clement are pop chameleons. They employ falsetto, they get dolled up in ridiculous accents (and acknowledge that their natural accents are pretty ridiculous too), and they even don robot voices on "Robots," singing "The humans are dead/We used poisonous gasses/And we poisoned their asses." They ape French lounge ("Foux du Fafa"), dancehall ("Boom"), hip-hop ("Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenocerous"), and offer plenty of their seemingly signature blend of soft rock and smooth jams ("A Kiss is Not a Contract," "Prince of Parties," "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)," "Business Time"). There's an homage to David Bowie, called "Bowie," that traverses from Major Tom to Let's Dance, with queries like "Hey Bowie, do you have one really funky sequined space suit? / Or do you have several ch-changes? / Do you smoke grass out in space, Bowie?/ Or do they smoke Astroturf?/ Ooh!" Then there's also the amazing interpretation of the Pet Shop Boys--its utter nerdiness betraying a love of source material absent in, say, "Like a Surgeon"--using the gothic synthy dance-pop of "West End Girls" to inspire "Inner City Pressure," "Neon signs, hidden messages/ Questions, answers, fetishes/ You know you're not in high finance/ Considering second hand underpants/ Check your mind, how'd it get so bad?/ What happened to those other underpants you had?"

And such adoration of the various incarnations and personalities of pop is what led inexorably to a proper studio album. One wonders if, having worked with a real producer, Mickey Petralia, (Beck, Ladytron) and packaged their music just like any other album, the boys will want to keep going back to the small screen.

HBO will be sticking with the Conchords' program, now working on its second season. It's interesting to note that HBO was also the channel of Tenacious D, a musical comedy duo featuring Jack Black that fared far worse. Yet Conchords probably have more in common with Ricky Gervais' Extras (and not just for having songs in the show centered around David Bowie), which speaks to the intellectual depth of the humor and the project. "Maybe it's okay to hum these tunes after all!"]]>

Speak with other shareholders about: (OTCBB: RMNE), (OTCBB: CNES), (OTCBB: PLRS), (OTCBB: USXP).

M2 PRESSWIRE-18 October 2006-Stockwire.com: Speak with other shareholders about: (OTCBB: RMNE), (OTCBB: CNES), (OTCBB: PLRS), (OTCBB: USXP)(C)1994-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:18102006

AUSTIN - A very interesting indicator to look for is where the money is flowing into. We have a filter that we watch every morning that shows us "Dollar Volume". Here are a few of these stocks: (OTCBB: RMNE), (OTCBB: CNES), (OTCBB: PLRS), (OTCBB: USXP)

Have you ever watched a STOCKUMENTARY? Visit the following link to see one first hand: http://www.stockwire.com/cdrom/streaming_flash_page.htm .

(OTCBB: RMNE) Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc. is a fully reporting public company based in Longwood, Florida trading under the stock symbol rvmo.OB. Raven Moon is involved with the production of family entertainment programs for television, VHS tapes, DVDs, music CDs, and related toys.

Talk to other RMNE shareholders by clicking the following link: http://www.stockwire.com/talkback?RMNE .

(OTCBB: CNES) Conectisys Corporation, a development stage company, engages in the development of automatic meter reading technologies and products for remote reading of electronic energy meters located in residential structures. The company's principal product is H-Net, a wireless meter reading technology designed for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The H-Net system consists of three primary components: H-Net-equipped meters, an electronic meter put into service at a residence that is equipped with a circuit board that contains a memory module, microprocessor, and a two-way radio transmission and receiver device that operates in the ISM 900 MHz radio frequency band; a base station that collects the meter data; and a network operating center that archives and displays energy consumption reports four times an hour through the Internet. ConectiSys was incorporated in 1986 under the name Coastal Financial Corp. and changed its name to BDR Industries, Inc. in 1994. Further, the company changed its name to ConectiSys Corporation 1995. The company is based in Valencia, California.

Talk to other CNES shareholders by clicking the following link: http://www.stockwire.com/talkback?CNES .

(OTCBB: PLRS) For the fiscal year ended 30 June 2006, Pluristem Life Systems, Inc. reported no revenues. Net loss rose 16% to $2.4M. Revenues reflect the Company being in the development stage. Higher loss reflects an increase in general & administrative expenses. Pluristem Life Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development of artificial software and the research & development of expansion of cord blood hematopoietic cells.

Talk to other PLRS shareholders by clicking the following link: http://www.stockwire.com/talkback?PLRS .

(OTCBB: USXP) For the nine months ended 31 March 2006, Universal Express, Inc.'s revenues fell 13% to $808K. Net loss totaled $12.9M, up from $6.3M. Revenues reflect an increase in revenues from the Logistics & International shipping segment. Higher loss reflects increased stock based compensation expenses, higher amortization of deferred compensation and increased selling, general & administrative expenses.

Talk to other USXP shareholders by clicking the following link: http://www.stockwire.com/talkback?USXP .

As a trader, a very intelligent place to put your money, is where the money is flowing into. These are the kind of trades that you want to get into.

As the saying goes...follow the money!

To see the complete Movers & Shakers Blog go to: http://www.stockwire.com .

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