The trouble with Television Installers

Source: Indianapolis Star ()

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — The head-on collision of holiday festivities and high-stakes politics has created a hectic, compressed campaign season unlike any other.

In past election cycles, political activity was muted in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. But the race to be the first to vote in 2008 pushed Iowa’s caucuses to Jan. 3. New Hampshire’s primary is five days later.

“It’s a different calendar than any of us are used to,” said Ann Lewis, an adviser to Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. “The single biggest question for our camp, and probably every other camp, is how do you campaign as intensely as you can — every minute that you can — and respect people’s sense of what they want to do for the holiday?”

On Sunday, the candidates seemed to temper their messages, mindful of alienating voters with harsh attacks on their rivals, before breaking for two campaign-free days.

By Monday afternoon, Iowa temporarily became a political dead zone as campaigns closed their offices and halted their TV ads. Most candidates, volunteers and aides will be with family and friends today.

But business as usual will resume Wednesday and continue through New Year’s to caucus night, when neighbors assemble at community meetings to cast their public votes.

“There’s no choice,” said David Axelrod, strategist for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. “We’ve got a week to close the deal with people, and we’re in a tight, competitive situation here.”

That goes for everyone trying to emerge with momentum heading into the New Hampshire contest.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are vying for first place on the GOP side in Iowa, and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee is aiming for a breakthrough showing.

Democrats Obama, Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards of Carolina are in a three-way battle to win Iowa. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Joe …

Source: Boston Globe ()

State to launch $68m solar panel program

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By
Peter J. Howe

Globe Staff
/
December 14, 2007

Governor Deval Patrick’s administration is launching a $68 million program today to increase the number of solar electric panels on Massachusetts homes, businesses, and schools by 600 percent over the next four years.Patrick’s plan, which does not involve new taxes or fees, seeks to greatly simplify the process for people and businesses to get funding for promoting green power, including solar.The plan includes special incentives for buying Massachusetts-made solar panels and extra aid targeted at lower-income homeowners.Instead of the system that now requires filling out complicated grant applications and getting an approval that can take months or years, homeowners and businesses following new state rules will be able to get the equivalent of mail-in rebates covering as much as half to two-thirds of what they spent installing solar panels.Patrick’s plan, which is backed by Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, relies substantially on a roughly 25-cent-a-month tax levied on Bay State homeowners’ electric bills for the last decade.A typical home solar system producing 2,500 watts of electricity, about one-third to one-half the electricity an average homeowner would otherwise buy from a utility, costs around $20,000 to $25,000 installed. With the state rebates, homeowners and businesses could save enough on their electric bills to pay off the net cost of solar panels within five to eight years, then reap thousands of dollars in savings after that.Patrick also wants to create a stronger local market for solar-energy companies that he is pushing to expand in Massachusetts, including Evergreen Solar Inc. of Marlborough.After getting pledges of state aid from Patrick, Evergreen agreed earlier this to build a 400-job factory here instead of in Germany, where it gets many of its …

Source: Independent ()

When it comes to equipping students with specialist skills to meet employer demands, colleges have long been catering to the needs of their local communities, be it brewing the perfect espresso or mastering the finer points of dog grooming.

“People often forget that a college is a business – as well as being a place of study – therefore it is in our interest from a commercial perspective to talk with local businesses and the community to find out what training needs they have,” says Carolyn Leggett of Otley College, which offers courses in dog grooming, dog massaging, tree surgery, construction courses specifically for women, garden design and beekeeping. “Yes, we have taught courses that may digress from the norm. However, nine and a half times out of 10, the reason that we do this is because we are responding to the needs and requests of the community that we live in.”

Other colleges are doing the same. Swansea College is, for instance, tapping into the growing popularity of Pilates, a strengthening and conditioning exercise programme developed in the early 20th century, to offer a 15-week course for budding Pilates instructors. Once the preserve of dancers and gymnasts seeking to strengthen their bodies and rehabilitate injured muscles, Pilates today is a fashionable part of the celebrity exercise regime, endorsed by the likes of Madonna, Uma Thurman and Swansea favourite Catherine Zeta-Jones. For the college, however, this isn’t a fitness fad but a response to a shortage of trained instructors in Wales.

“We felt the need to offer this course because there are people out there teaching Pilates who haven’t been trained properly and don’t have a recognised qualification,” says Swansea College lecturer Carolyn Evan-Watkins. “Pilates is a very intense exercise and works very deep muscles so the instructor have a good understanding of anatomy and physiology.”

The course has attracted a strong following among physiotherapists …

Source: Charlotte Observer ()

On a chilly Tuesday at noon, three female prostitutes stand in the middle of East Lane Street flagging down cars that circle their corner. It’s a slow day by neighborhood standards.

A heavy-set woman in a ski cap waves from a bus stop and occasionally picks through the trash can. A second woman in tight jeans and high heels dances in the street. No takers. A third, haggard-looking woman joins her, then moves up the street to a block with more traffic.

Much of Raleigh’s street prostitution can be traced to this corner of Southeast Raleigh, just six blocks from the governor’s mansion. Of Raleigh’s 966 police reports for prostitution from 2001 to this past summer, 815 can be traced to a handful of streets nearby.

Street prostitution has long plagued the city’s poorest neighborhoods near main thoroughfares, but residents are dismayed by how openly it thrives.

“There’s women getting into cars at the same corners as kids waiting for the bus,” said Joyce Kelly, who lives a few houses off East Lane. “They ride through at lunchtime, guys getting off work. They’re not from here. You know they wouldn’t let this happen in North Raleigh.”

The scene embarrasses residents.

“My niece was here the other day and wanted to know what was that lady doing half-naked,” said Robert Johnson, a retired police officer from New York who lives on East Lane. “I had to tell her she was a bad lady.”

Police Chief Harry Dolan said he shares the neighbors’ frustration. Officers know 60 regular prostitutes who work the streets in Southeast Raleigh, he said. Stopping them takes more than arrests. Roughly 90 percent of the women have suffered mental or physical abuse, he said, and nearly all are addicted to cocaine — readily available in nearby crack houses.

Police point to a drop in prostitution arrests and to a new emphasis on finding for chronic prostitutes who suffer from mental illness and addiction. Most have a casual attitude toward …

Source: Earthtimes ()

CHICAGO, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ — Top portrait and architecture photographer Jill Paider and Omarica Home Builders have each hired Chicago public relations firm Empower Public Relations to lead their local and national public relations and communications campaigns.
Empower Public Relations CEO Sam Chapman says, "Jill Paider is an artist with a dynamic vision. Her photographs are unmatched and she captures life and structure in every photograph she takes."
Omarica is a leading interior remodeling, real estate development, and home renovation business in partnership with over 100 Home Depots across the Midwest. They have also recently been hired to revamp downtown Chicago’s Radisson. Of Omarica Chapman says, "Omarica is contracted to renovate one of the busiest and most popular hotels in downtown Chicago and I am excited to be a part of the ever-changing and improving face of Chicago."
ABOUT JILL PAIDER:
Jill Paider focuses on the unique character of people, food and architecture. Her passion for travel has taken her to South America, Europe and Asia, allowing her to work on projects of special interest. Paider is an accredited member of the Royal Photographic Society, The Chicago Architecture Foundation, and a Professional Affiliate of the American Institute of Architects. She contributes to Designs for Dignity and was recently named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation. For more information, please visit http://www.jillpaider.com/.
ABOUT OMARICA HOME BUILDERS:
Omarica Home Builders, Inc — Turning dreams into reality one renovation at a time, Omarica Home Builders is the place to go for upscale home renovation or building needs. From kitchen/bathroom installation to complete renovations of upscale hotels, no project is too big or too small for Omarica. CEO and founder, Ahmed Abdelaziz, is self-made entrepreneur. His keen sense of design, architecture and elegance has led him to become a …

Source: Sun.Star ()

Web

www.sunstar.com.ph

Local News

Man kills mom; hubby, his wife

Raid on pirated discs turn out as no-surprise operation

New wage rate took effect last Nov. 11 yet; Philexport seeks exemption

9 of 10 teens in Cebu take part in SK polls

Widow sues hospital for P155T

Governor’s police escort nabs snatcher after chase

Mary Ann confident with Rama’s backing

2 allies of Mayor Cortes vie for Mandaue ABC top post

CH to apply loan for aircon system

Truck driver of bry. dad charged

4 men accused of mauling MD

2 members of fisher group say they got death threats

Saturday, November 24, 2007

A TEAM from the Optical Media Board (OMB) is in Cebu to conduct weeklong operations against all forms of piracy.

But their campaign got off to a slow start.

The assembly time was set at 9 a.m. yesterday at a restaurant in uptown Cebu City, but the team had to wait for some members to arrive from their hotel.

They had breakfast at Starbucks. About two hours after the schedule, the OMB team held a briefing.

This might have given stall owners of pirated discs time to close shop and keep their merchandise.

The OMB team checked three business establishments at the Cebu Business Park and seized displayed pirated DVDs from several stalls in Lapu-Lapu City.

Executive Director Resty Meneses said the OMB is authorized to “conduct unannounced inspections and take preventive custody of offending materials,” provided they have inspection orders from the chairman or executive director of the bureau.

Meneses briefed his personnel before the inspections began.

The team inspected three business establishments inside the Ayala FGU Center and learned that all three had licenses for their

The OMB agents said all computers using Microsoft software needed a certificate of authenticity, software …

Source: CNNMoney.com ()

ALVISO, Calif., Nov. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TiVo Inc. , the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today reported financial results for the third quarter ended October 31, 2007.

“This was another solid quarter for TiVo as we continued to improve our financial profile by posting substantially better than guided Adjusted EBITDA of $0.3 million and net loss of ($8.2) million,” said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. “In terms of the newer elements of our business driving long-term growth: in mass distribution, Comcast is now available in some non-employee subscriber homes in the greater Boston area with full marketing of TiVo service to begin shortly; we are moving forward on the international front with a launch of TiVo in Canada at retail; in our advertising business, we announced a multi- year partnership with NBC to provide their advertisers with both interactive advertising solutions and audience research and measurement tools; and we made progress on our litigation with EchoStar, which is moving closer to resolution.

“On the standalone side of the business, this quarter was about making clear that this part of the business can be developed without undermining the ability of the emerging businesses to grow. For example, the more popularly priced TiVo HD is now fully available to consumers and is offered at new retail outlets such as Costco and Sears. Additionally, we made substantial progress in solidifying our relationships with the cable industry, ensuring easier installation of our CableCARD products and underscoring the cable industry’s recognition of TiVo’s importance to their subscribers. Finally, we have added even more differentiated features that are all coming together to prove that TiVo is not only a Digital Video Recorder, but a Digital Video Receiver, highlighted by this quarter’s with Rhapsody, which delivers over four million songs to the home.”

For the third quarter, service …

Source: AllAfrica.com ()

If you are a Nigerian business traveller to South Africa, you have to tread, or rather, fly with caution. You may lose all you have to a specialised robbery syndicate in Johannesburg as soon as you arrive.

THISDAY checks revealed that in the last two weeks, no fewer than seven Nigerians have been victims of this syndicate that has attacked over 50 Nigerian business travellers in the last few months.

Dozens of Nigerians are also said to be daily harassed and subtly threatened by immigration officers in South Africa whenever they arrive aboard a Nigerian airline.

The syndicate is believed to include a strong network of immigration officials who allegedly leak the information provided by Nigerians on their landing cards to the robbers.

The information usually contains the addresses the Nigerian visitors would stay on their trip. The cash declaration form also provides sensitive information with which the syndicate works.

Sources say the attacks on Nigerians are not unconnected to the fact that Nigeria travellers carry huge sums of money on their trips, and they are easily identified by the airline on which they arrive the country.

It was also gathered that the robbery is hatched during the immigration check of these travellers, and by the time the traveller is through with declaring all currencies and valuables, he/she leaves the airport only to be attacked by armed men who dispossess them of their valuables.

Folake Mumuni, a British Airways staff in Johannesburg, is one of the latest casualties, while Kaliko Olowole, Managing Director of ZK Advertising, Nigeria; Yinka Folami, Group Account Director, Insight/Grey Advertising, Nigeria; Kehinde Tejumola Idowu, a model; Deji Longe, electronic installer and consultant with Multichoice Nigeria on DStv; are a few of the casualties who recounted their experiences to THISDAY.

Most victims would want to remain anonymous for security reasons.

THISDAY also gathered …

Source: Sydney Morning Herald ()

ON THE face of it, a 12 per cent increase in fees to help underpin one of your main revenue drivers would normally come as good news for investors in Macquarie Infrastructure Group.

But when that asset happens to be a toll road where traffic growth has recently stalled, then there’s no actual guarantee that the extra cash will flow through as planned.

Such is the case with the M6 user-pays motorway around Birmingham in Britain, which is 100 per cent owned by MIG.

The tolls for cars and trucks are due to rise on January 1, but given that Goldman Sachs JB Were has just reduced its traffic growth forecasts to minus 5 per cent for the current financial year (after a weak last quarter when the numbers were down by 10 per cent on the corresponding period in 2006-07), MIG is unlikely to see much short-term benefit in terms of additional revenue.

Still, MIG needed to do something to put a floor under its lagging share price, which has been seriously underperforming the ASX 200 in recent months and trailed by 11 per cent its discounted cash flow valuation.

The stock has picked up in the last couple of trading days, in part because of the M6 fee announcement but more likely as a result of additional buying over the past fortnight by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board.

The Canadians have just increased their stake in MIG to 11.7 per cent, up from 10.7 per cent from their last notification to the ASX in mid-November.

That’s significantly more than the holding of the mother ship, Macquarie Group, which is sitting on 7.54 per cent, and just a touch higher than that of another recent active purchaser, Lazard Asset Management, with its 7.25 per cent interest.

It all makes for an interesting power play if nothing else. MIG’s shares closed 3c up yesterday at $3.25.

Out of the cheap bin
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank greeted the start of first full week as a new trading entity by losing its status as a cheap stock …

Source: Akron Beacon Journal ()

When Steve Fry went home to his alma mater a few years ago to give the commencement address, he didn’t talk much about his own successes. An old school friend, Tom Davis — now the superintendent and girls high school basketball coach in the district they both attended — remembers Fry’s speech as a challenge to the graduating seniors at East Canton High School to work hard and take advantage of opportunities. The magnitude of Fry’s business success didn’t hit Davis until last spring, when Fry offered him tickets to sit in the Time Warner-ESPN loge for the NCAA women’s basketball finals in Cleveland. A loge? With Time Warner and ESPN? ‘’He just said it matter-of-factly. I kind of realized he was up there in the stratosphere a little bit,'’ Davis said recently. Fry hails from a humble beginning: Son of a school janitor, who thought cable television was a fad. Fry himself climbed the ladder, quite literally, skipping a college education to join the local company as a cable installer. Today, he is president of Time Warner Cable of Northeast Ohio, the third-largest cable unit controlled by the huge media company that also includes CNN, America Online, HBO, Warner Brothers Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting. Only the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan cable operations are larger than the Northeast Ohio division. Fry’s division, headquartered in the former B.F. Goodrich complex on South Main Street in Akron, employs 2,400 and works with 800 to 1,000 independent contractors. And during the 37 years that Fry has been with the company, it has become more than a cable television operation. Time Warner Northeast Ohio extends from Huron County west of Cleveland into western Pennsylvania and south of Please see Cable, A12

New Philadelphia, providing television signals to 1 million subscribers, in addition to nearly 400,000 connections, e-mail delivery, digital phone service to more than 70,000 and now cellular phone service.

Cable …