VIC: New phone line for rebuilding homes after fires

AAP General News (Australia)
02-18-2009
VIC: New phone line for rebuilding homes after fires

MELBOURNE, Feb 18 AAP - A telephone advice service has been launched to help victims
of Victoria's bushfires re-build their homes.

The Building and Plumbing Industry Commission launched a telephone advisory service
on Wednesday to assist people whose homes were lost or damaged in the bushfires.

Building and Plumbing Commissioner Tony Arnel said the phone line was a starting point
for people who wanted to begin re-building.

"The line will seek to respond to inquiries across all matters relating to rebuilding
- from what people need to do to return safely to their properties, what temporary onsite
accommodation is acceptable during rebuilding, and the building permits required for the
work," Mr Arnel said in a statement.

He warned people returning to their land to be aware of site contamination.

The Bushfire Building Advice line will operate from 8am to 8pm (AEDT) Monday to Friday
on 1300 360 320.

AAP ees/gfr/ss

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC BUILD

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

Molex to Report June Earnings

Wireless News
07-12-2011
Molex to Report June Earnings
Type: News

Molex, an electronic components company, will report June Quarter earnings on Aug. 3. at 6:30 a.m. central.

According to a release, a conference call will be held at 7:30 a.m. The call can be accessed through Internet or telephone.
-Internet access - live and in replay at molex.com

-Telephone access - domestic dial-in number (888) 713-4216 / international dial-in number (617) 213-4868 / Passcode 67985835

-Telephone replay - available starting at approximately 10:30am central on Aug. 3, for 48-hours / domestic dial-in number (888) 286- 8010 / international dial-in number (617) 801-6888 / Passcode 20610238

-Pre-registration - you may pre-register at molex.com

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

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

QLD:Retired judge gives $1 million to JCU

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2011
QLD:Retired judge gives $1 million to JCU

Former Queensland Supreme Court Justice KERRY CULLINANE has donated $1 million to James
Cook University.

The money will be used for scholarships and bursaries for students, particularly for
disadvantaged and Indigenous students.

Prof CULLINANE, who retired from practice this year, is a former member of the university's
council and continues to lecture there.

AAP RTV tnf/ar

KEYWORD: JCU (BRISBANE)

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

FED:No NW rail link for NSW, Albanese

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2011
FED:No NW rail link for NSW, Albanese

Federal Labor is sticking to its guns about which New South Wales rail links will go
ahead despite pressure from the state's new premier.

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD promised to prioritise the $2.1 billion Epping-to-Parramatta
rail link at last year's federal election .. but the new Premier BARRY O'FARRELL wants
the project deferred and instead wants funds to go to the north-west rail link.

Federal Transport Minister ANTHONY ALBANESE says the commonwealth can not set infrastructure
outcomes on the back of every state government's campaign promises .. adding the Gillard
government is committed to the Parramatta-Epping rail project.

AAP RTV ah/ar

KEYWORD: NSW RAIL ALBANESE (CANBERRA)

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

NSW:Oprah strike 'a last resort': unions

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2010
NSW:Oprah strike 'a last resort': unions

Filming of the Oprah Winfrey Show in Sydney this week could be disrupted .. if maritime
workers decide to strike over wages.

Unions will meet at 10 o'clock this morning (AEDT) to discuss whether they'll stop
work for 24 hours .. after wage negotiations with NSW Maritime broke down.

If the action goes ahead .. workers won't deploy the buoys .. ensuring the exclusion
zone at the Opera House remains in place during tomorrow's filming of OPRAH's talk show.

Workers are seeking a 15 per cent wage increase over three years and an improvement
in work conditions.

AAP RTV ih/sw/jen/psm/

KEYWORD: OPRAH STRIKE (SYDNEY)

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

FED:Miners boost trade to record surplus

AAP Sports News (Australia)
08-05-2010
CRIK:Take a tip from Morgan Pakistan urged

By Julian Guyer

BIRMINGHAM, England, Aug 5 AFP - Mohammad Asif has urged Pakistan's batsmen to follow
the example of England's Eoin Morgan as the tourists look for a series-levelling win in
the second Test at Edgbaston.

Pakistan suffered a 354-run thrashing in last week's first of four Tests at Trent Bridge,
in a match where no top four batsman on either side made a fifty in any of the four innings.

But former Ireland left-hander Morgan, batting at No 6, defied the swing-friendly conditions
that saw England fast bowler James Anderson take a career-best 11-71, with a maiden Test
century of 130 in the first innings.

Morgan's stand of 219, an England fifth-wicket record against Pakistan, with Paul Collingwood,
who made 82, was the decisive partnership of the match.

Pakistan fast bowler Asif, who took 5-77 in England's first innings 354, told reporters
at Edgbaston here on Wednesday: "He (Morgan) played excellently on the first day.

"He came in under pressure at 4-118 and he just left it (the ball) for one hour. Collingwood
took his time too and our batsmen needed to take their time and see off the good bowlers."

Just hours after that match - which ended with Pakistan dismissed for 80, their lowest
total against England - the tourists ended Mohammad Yousuf's international exile following
an indefinite ban imposed after he led the team on their winless tour of Australia earlier
this year.

They also dropped leg-spinner Danish Kaneria from their squad following poor match
figures of one for 171.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt, speaking before the decision to recall Yousuf had been
announced, insisted his side ought to stick with the likes of young batsmen Azhar Ali
and Umar Amin, who both made their debuts in last month's first Test against Australia
at Lord's and featured in the subsequent three-wicket win over Ricky Ponting's men at
Headingley.

"How many wins have Pakistan had with the people who were previously playing? Had we
been winning with them in the team in the past two years then it could have been a mistake
(to omit them)," Butt said.

A further complicating factor is that the 35-year-old Yousuf, who averages more than
53 in Tests, is not expected to arrive in England until Thursday -- just a day before
the second Test is due to start here on Friday.

Even for a batsman with Yousuf's record, to come into a Test 'cold' is asking a lot.

It was at Edgbaston, roared on by fans from the local Asian community, where Pakistan
beat Australia in two Twenty20 internationals last month.

Asif said Twenty20 was a format that came easily to Pakistan, in contrast to Test cricket.

"This is what we play in the street so this is one of our natural strengths. We were
playing this when we were young -- 10, eight-over matches.

"But we need to learn how to handle the pressure over five days. We can win Tests if
we win each session -- Twenty20 is just one session."

England have concerns regarding star batsman Kevin Pietersen, who has now gone 22 innings
without a Test century.

But England coach Andy Flower didn't mind seeing batsmen work for their runs in Nottingham,
in contrast to the recent second Test in Colombo where Sri Lanka made 642 for four declared
only for India to reply with 707.

Conditions at Edgbaston could well be similar to those at Trent Bridge but Flower said:
"Those types of pitches and the swinging ball make it a fascinating battle between bat
and ball. I enjoyed watching it myself and the spectators must have loved it."

Once more Pakistan find themselves playing a Test against the backdrop of a national
tragedy, after roughly 1,500 people were killed by floods in northwest and central parts
of the country.

The first Test took place after 152 people died in an airplane crash near Islamabad,
Pakistan's capital city.

Asif said victory at Edgbaston would help raise morale amongst fans in a country which
has a passion for cricket few others can match.

"We disappointed in the last match and we need a fightback for them."

England (probable): Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen,
Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson,
Steven Finn

Pakistan (from): Imran Farhat, Salman Butt (capt), Azhar Ali, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar
Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad
Asif, Umar Amin

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Marais Erasmus (RSA)

TV umpire: Tony Hill (NZL)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

AFP nh

KEYWORD: CRICKET PAKISTAN WRAP

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

NSW: Woman's death takes holiday road toll to 11

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2009
NSW: Woman's death takes holiday road toll to 11

A woman's been killed in a highway crash in southern NSW .. taking the state's holiday
road toll to 11.

The 28-year-old .. Filipino national .. was a front seat passenger in a Toyota last
night .. which crossed two lanes of traffic and crashed into a tree while travelling along
the Hume Highway near Yarra.

The passenger side of the vehicle took the full impact of the collision .. killing
the young woman.

The driver wasn't injured .. but was taken to Goulburn Base Hospital suffering shock.





(EDS: National road toll figures are for the period 0001 December 18 to 2359 January
3. Some states and territories have different periods.)

AAP RTV ad/af

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Green groups at odds over decision to reject ETS

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2009
Fed: Green groups at odds over decision to reject ETS

Green groups are at odds over the Senate's decision to vote down the federal government's
planned emissions trading scheme.

The Climate Institute .. a supporter of Labor's carbon pollution reduction scheme ..

describes the vote as a tragic postponement.

But Friends of the Earth says parliamentary approval of the scheme would have locked
us into a high-polluting economy.

The World Wildlife Fund says parliament's inability to deliver an emissions trading
scheme threatens a global agreement on climate action .. while opinion polls show most
Australians want leadership on climate change.

And Dr FRANK JOTZO .. from the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National
University .. says while the government's scheme has flaws .. he's hoping it'll be improved
rather than watered down before the Senate votes again.

The government has to wait three months before it can reintroduce the legislation to parliament.

MORE RTV rl/rt

KEYWORD: CLIMATE GREEN (CANBERRA)

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

Qld: Four Rebels members face extortion charges

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2009
Qld: Four Rebels members face extortion charges

Four members of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang have been charged over an alleged
extortion racket in southern Queensland.

Police say detectives from Task Force Hydra .. set up to investigate bikie gangs ..

arrested the four men over the alleged offences in Maryborough and Hervey Bay.

The gang's operation also allegedly involved the arson of a body piercing shop in Maryborough
in February.

The four will appear in the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court today.

AAP RTV pjo/af

KEYWORD: REBELS (BRISBANE)

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

FED: Another Qantas plane grounded

AAP General News (Australia)
08-31-2008
FED: Another Qantas plane grounded

By Jamie Duncan

MELBOURNE, Aug 31 AAP - A Qantas flight has landed without incident in the German city
of Frankfurt after its crew shut down an engine because of a vibration.

Qantas Flight 31 from Singapore to London diverted to Frankfurt Airport for repairs
to the engine, landing about 3.15pm (AEST) today, a Qantas spokeswoman confirmed.

The Boeing 747-400 aircraft diverted "due to the captain being alerted to a vibration
in one of the engines," a Qantas spokeswoman said.

"As is standard procedure the engine was shut down," she said.

"There was no safety issue at any time and the aircraft continued to Frankfurt, where
it landed without incident."

Qantas engineers are investigating the cause of the engine problem.

Passengers were diverted to other carriers, either flying direct to London or to other
European destinations "with what we expect will be a minimum of delay", the spokeswoman
said.

Frankfurt Airport duty manager Tino Ross told AAP the landing was "not an emergency".

"It was a technical landing," he said.

"There was a problem with engine four and the pilot decided to come into Frankfurt
to repair the engine.

"There was no incident on landing."

The incident is the latest in a spate of mechanical problems affecting the Qantas fleet.

On July 25, a faulty oxygen bottle blew a hole in the fuselage of a Qantas Boeing 747-400
flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne.

The blast caused the aircraft, with 365 people on board, to depressurize and it rapidly
descended several thousand feet before making an emergency landing in Manila.

On July 29, a Adelaide-Melbourne flight returned to Adelaide when a wheel bay door
failed to close, while a hydraulic fluid leak forced a Boeing 767 to return to Sydney.

Hydraulics caused a flight to be delayed almost three hours in Sydney on August 4.

Three days later, a noisy air-conditioning fault forced the grounding of a jet that
had recently returned from routine maintenance in Malaysia with 95 defects.

Then on August 12, Qantas announced it would temporarily pull six Boeing 737-400s from
service after discovering an irregularity in maintenance paperwork.

On August 13, a Qantas Boeing 747-300 from Melbourne was grounded in New Zealand after
an engine shut down on approach to Auckland.

On the same day, Qantas flight QF31 to London - the same flight affected by today's
incident - was delayed because a crucial screw needed urgent maintenance, while a Boeing
767 jet had a hydraulic failure that affected the plane's steering as it landed at Sydney
on a flight from Melbourne.

The plane left a trail of hydraulic fluid as it touched down, forcing the runway to
close for 40 minutes as the spill was mopped up.

Two days later, on August 15, a technical problem delayed a Brisbane to Melbourne flight
for more than 30 minutes, while a small body panel fell from a Qantas jumbo en route to
Singapore from Melbourne.

On August 17, a rudder problem delayed the departure of a Sydney-bound plane at London's
Heathrow Airport by more than 16 hours.

Three days later, two flights were cancelled between Perth and Sydney and Perth and
Melbourne because of technical problems.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has established a team to examine issues including
maintenance and safety systems at Qantas.

AAP jrd/srp/cdh

KEYWORD: QANTAS DIVERT NIGHTLEAD

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

NSW: Rates, food and petrol creating white collar battlers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2008
NSW: Rates, food and petrol creating white collar battlers

Welfare groups say expensive food and petrol and rising interest rates are creating
a new class of white collar battlers.

The Salvation Army has told News Limited newspapers there's been an almost 60 per cent
rise in people needing help .. and many of them don't fit the usual profile of those in
need.

The Salvos Major PHIL MAXWELL says the numbers of people in need has grown so sharply
the charity is having to turn some people away.

And the New South Wales Council of Social Service says financial pressures are pushing
some white collar workers with full-time jobs to the brink.

AAP RTV ab/wz/jec/

KEYWORD: POOR (SYDNEY)

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

Qld: South-west town in for another lashing

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2007
Qld: South-west town in for another lashing

BRISBANE, Dec 21 AAP - A south-west Queensland town battered by torrential rain last
night is in the path of a second menacing storm system expected to strike tomorrow.

Residents of St George, 400km west of Toowoomba, mopped up today after up to 108mm
of rain fell in a 40-minute period last night just after 5.30pm (AEST).

Trees were torn down and roads to the town were cut by floodwaters, which rapidly subsided today.

Balonne Shire mayor Robert Buchan, a local since 1948, said it was the worst storm in 25 years.

"It came down so quickly it was coming down sideways, so we don't know exactly what
(amount of rain) we did get," he told AAP.

"There's been some damage to buildings, some damage to motor cars, but no personal
injuries that I've heard of."

Meteorologist for weatherzone.com.au, Matt Pearce, said the town should brace itself
for another deluge.

He said another major event began to unfold earlier today when storms and widespread
rain developed across South Australia.

Caused by an unseasonably strong cold front linking up with existing warm, humid air
over South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, the intense low pressure
system is due to hit south-west Queensland tomorrow.

"There's likely to be severe storms out of this system," Mr Pearce told AAP.

"There's definitely potential for that kind of activity to be repeated again."

Mr Buchan said the town would cope with the second storm as best it could.

"We had a really good response from our SES and council," he said.

"Let's hope the one that comes tomorrow is nowhere near as bad as the one we had last night."

AAP gd/lc/it/mn

KEYWORD: STORMS QLD

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

Online travel booking is hip

Prasanna Raman; Siti Syameen Md Khalili
New Straits Times
08-16-2007
Online travel booking is hip
Byline: Prasanna Raman; Siti Syameen Md Khalili
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Tech & U

PLANNING for a holiday no longer means scouring the newspapers or travel magazines and hoping to find some holiday package on offer. In today's internet age, many people are turning to the Web, which lists Web sites and online travel agencies that offer not only tour packages but also airline tickets, land transport and accommodation to suit the discerning needs of the modern-day consumer.

Phone calls to make reservations and queues at counters to buy airline tickets and holiday packages are gradually being replaced by simple clicks of the mouse to do the same. no doubt, online booking for travel is here to stay.
According to Malaysian association of tour and travel agents (Matta)'s president Ngiam Foon, online travel booking has seen good growth in recent years. Although Matta is unable to quantify the growth rate, he says it is on the uptrend because going for holidays and booking those holidays online is part of the modern lifestyle of the younger group of working adults.

And while this group makes up the general profile of customers who do online travel bookings, ngiam points out that the profile does vary depending on the product or service offered online.

"If it is for air tickets to domestic and Asean routes, for example, customers would actually be just about anyone who has access to a PC with an internet connection to make online bookings. Other than that, the travel bookings are usually done by young working adults and those ages up to their 40s."

Online accomodation booking services provider HolidayCity.com agrees that its Web site records a turn to page 4 higher usage by those in the young professional bracket. But its chief executive officer lee lai Huat says the online travel industry in the country is still in the early stages of growth and that more competitors, new technologies and improved capabilities will eventually come into play.

He points out that the increase in popularity of online room bookings among consumers is evident from the rise in the number of hotels and other types of accommodation that consumers seek.

Quoting figures from Holiday-City's business growth, lee says from just a small number of hotels, the Web site today offers consumers over 14,000 hotel choices in over 800 destinations worldwide.

"There was a 77 per cent increase in the total number of bookings made by Malaysian customers from January to June of this year, compared to the same period last year. this translates into a total booking value of approximately RM2.1 million, or a 79 per cent increase from last year's figures."

Also, asian travellers are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of making online bookings.

"They are certainly conscious of the value savings that the internet provides, although most have yet to be converted to bookers from lookers. Many people still use the internet to search for destination information," Lee says.

"The increased popularity and cheaper access to more regional destinations offered by low-cost carriers also creates a ripple effect in the online travel industry."

Reiterating that the online booking industry is still in its infancy, he says the industry is looking at enhancing customers' online experience and helping them solve their concerns as well. Although the main issues include concerns about security, exchange of personal information in cyberspace and scepticism that the reservations made may not be processed correctly online, plus the perception that the offline booking method is still easier, almost all of these concerns have been addressed by industry players.

"Many online travel agencies, including HolidayCity, have resolved these main concerns through the implementation of simple elements on their Web sites such as a well-versed and visibly posted site security information and privacy policy, by introducing lowest- price-guarantees, improving the booking engine functionality, providing the actual descriptions that lead towards the reservation process in order to alleviate the fears of misplaced reservations or difficulties to change reservations, as well as making available customer service personnel 24x7 to look into their needs," Lee elaborates.

Credit card security fears, he adds, have declined over the years, unlike privacy issues that continue to bother customers.

HolidayCity, Lee highlights, has successfully addresssed the issue of online credit card transaction through its distinct business model whereby it does not accept payments online as customers are expected to pay directly to the hotels upon check-in or checkout.

"We are also working continuously to enhance our customers' experience online by upgrading our Web site to make it more attractive and comfortable to use as well as addressing all concerns with improved functionalities," Lee explains.

(Copyright 2007)

Qld: Kids to learn how to cope with emergencies

AAP General News (Australia)
02-16-2007
Qld: Kids to learn how to cope with emergencies

Queensland primary school children will learn vital skills for coping with emergencies
.. in a new program launched today.

Police Minister JUDY SPENCE says it'll teach school children in grades five .. six
and seven valuable skills to help them respond appropriately to unsafe or emergency situations.

The program covers topics including basic CPR and first aid .. crime prevention ..

fire safety .. emergency and disaster preparedness and personal protective behaviours.

It was successfully trialled in four primary schools last year.

AAP RTV rad/pjo/cp/bart

KEYWORD: SKILLS QLD (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Hardcore Islamists invited to Muslim leaders conference

AAP General News (Australia)
08-31-2006
Fed: Hardcore Islamists invited to Muslim leaders conference

SYDNEY, Aug 31 AAP - Several hardcore Islamists have been invited to a taxpayer-funded
Muslim leaders conference run by the Howard government.

The Prime Minister's Muslim advisory board chairman, Ameer Ali, says invitations to
the Conference of Australian Muslim Religious Leaders next month were sent to extremist
clerics including the ultra-radical Sheik Abdul Salam Mohammed Zoud, The Australian newspaper
reported today.

Sheik Zoud heads the Sydney arm of the fundamentalist Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jammaah association.

Dr Ali said the aim was to help bring the clerics into the mainstream.

"Once you marginalise these people, keep them outside the fold, then they will continue
with their opposition and with their radical ideas," Dr Ali told the newspaper.

"Once they come into the fold and realise that the vast majority, mainstream imams
are against those views and they are minority views, there's a good chance of them turning
to ... new views (on) life."

The hardliners who have been invited to the conference, believed to cost taxpayers
around $300,000, practise Wahabbism, a fundamentalist teaching of Islam that is preached
by Osama bin Laden, and inspired by the fanatical Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

AAP acb/

KEYWORD: MUSLIM

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

Fed: Howard offers condolences to soldier's family

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2006
Fed: Howard offers condolences to soldier's family

JOHN HOWARD has offered his condolences to the family of a young Australian soldier
.. accidentally killed with his own gun in Iraq.

The body of 25-year-old Private JAKE KOVCO .. the first Australian soldier to die in
Iraq .. is being flown home today.

He died after shooting himself in the head on Friday .. while cleaning a pistol.

The Prime Minister says his thoughts are with Private KOVCO's grieving family .. his
widow .. two young children and his parents.







The highly trained sniper .. was a member of the 110-strong Baghdad-based security
detachment .. protecting Australian officials.

An inquiry is under way into his death.

AAp RTV str/tam/rt/bart

KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST SOLDIER HOWARD (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Costello and SA home owners get tax victory

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2005
Fed: Costello and SA home owners get tax victory

By Shane Wright, Economics Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 16 AAP - Treasurer Peter Costello and South Australian home owners
have had their first major victory in the battle between Canberra and the states over
indirect taxes.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann agreed to Mr Costello's demands for state tax reform
by revealing stamp duty on mortgages would go from next year, with other duties to be
phased out over the coming three years.

It follows a concerted campaign by Mr Costello to force the states and territories
to dump a raft of indirect taxes in return for GST revenue.

Mr Rann denied caving in and said the move would save South Australian taxpayers more
than $70 million a year once fully implemented.

"This is actually in advance of what Peter Costello asked for," he told ABC radio.

"We have decided as a government to back business.

"We've decided as a government to give relief to home buyers and most of all this is
about giving economic growth, continuing to grow, and it's about taking the brakes, taking
the leash out of our economy."

Mr Costello had trouble containing his happiness at the decision, saying all other
states that had failed to dump stamp duty should now follow suit.

"This of course is one of the taxes that was slated for abolition as part of the introduction
of the GST," he told reporters.

"The states are clearly in the financial position now where they can abolish those
nine taxes and they include stamp duties on mortgages."

The treasurer said the pressure was now on the other states, including those such as
NSW which are holding out, to follow South Australia's lead and ditch their taxes.

Mr Costello also signalled support for simplification of tax laws, although the timing
of such simplification is still unclear.

But instead of hacking into new laws, Mr Costello said ditching the 1936 Income Act
- which stil sits aside the 1997 Act - would be one way of dramatically slicing red tape.

"A whole part, maybe half of the 1936 Act is never used, it is totally inoperative,
it does not apply to anybody," he said.

"And if it is never used, it is totally inoperative, it does not apply to anybody,
we can repeal it."

Mr Costello said up to 30 per cent of tax laws could go just by removing cross references
between the 1997 and 1936 acts, and then ditching the older legislation.

AAP sw/sd

KEYWORD: TAX NIGHTLEAD

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

In Brief

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The ageless Minnie Minoso added another line to his resume.Minoso, 77, became the first player to play professional baseball in seven decades Wednesday night when he took the field for the St. Paul Saints against Gary in the independent Northern League.He was in the lineup as St. Paul's designated hitter, as part of the team's annual Negro League tribute, and walked in the first inning.

Minoso became the first to play in six decades when he batted for the Saints in a game in 1993. He spent several years in the Negro Leagues before breaking into mainstream baseball in 1948 with Class A San Diego. He hit .298 in a 16-year major league career that ended in 1964 with the White Sox.

Minoso, who currently works in the Sox's community relations department, came back with the White Sox in 1976 for 8 at-bats (he got 1 hit) and 2 more in 1980.

[] The slumping Minnesota Twins are looking for a spark to jump start the second half of the season. They hope outfielder Shannon Stewart can provide it.

The Twins acquired Stewart and a player to be named from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday for outfielder Bobby Kielty.

The Blue Jays will pick up the remainder of Stewart's $6.2 million salary, and the Twins will play the rest of Kielty's $325,000 contract.

Stewart was hitting .294 with 47 runs, 7 homers and 35 RBIs as Toronto's leadoff hitter and left fielder. He missed almost a month earlier this season with a strained hamstring.

The right-handed hitting Stewart will play right field, a position split between Kielty, Dustan Mohr and others since the beginning of 2002. He'll also likely bat leadoff -- allowing the Twins to move left fielder Jacque Jones down to an RBI spot and take turns as the designated hitter. Jones is on the disabled list with a strained groin.

Kielty, a switch-hitter who turns 27 in August, has a .252 average with 9 homers and 32 RBIs in 238 at-bats. His .370 on-base percentage is attractive, though, especially to Toronto, and he can play all three outfield positions.

[] Armando Benitez was sent across town Wednesday when the New York Yankees acquired him from the Mets for three prospects.

The Mets get right-handed pitchers Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa.

Benitez is 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 45 games this season, blowing 7 of his 28 save chances.

Anderson, 24, is 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA in 22 relief appearances for the Yankees this year. Garcia, 22, is 3-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts and five relief appearances for Class-A Battle Creek. Bicondoa, 24, is 3-2 with a 3.54 ERA in five starts and 10 relief appearances for Class-A Tampa.

Awards

Williams, Bonds, Woods win ESPY Awards

Serena Williams was honored as female athlete of the year and female tennis player at the 11th annual ESPY Awards on Wednesday night, a year after she accepted the same trophies on behalf of older sister Venus.

Tiger Woods repeated as male golfer for the fourth consecutive year, giving him a career-best total of 15. He didn't attend the show hosted by comedian Jamie Foxx at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. He is in England for the British Open, which begins today.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong was chosen male athlete of the year over Barry Bonds, Tim Duncan and Woods, who had won the last three years. Armstrong is trying to win his record fifth Tour de France this month. Three years ago, he was chosen comeback athlete after beating testicular cancer.

Serena Williams recently defeated Venus to win her second straight Wimbledon title. She's 40-1 at major tournaments dating to the 2001 French Open. She defeated Venus for the female tennis player award, one of 17 categories decided for the first time by fan votes on the Internet.

Williams was the only double winner. She beat out Lisa Leslie, Annika Sorenstam and Connecticut basketball player Diana Taurasi for the female athlete award, which pits athletes from different sports against each other.

Bonds was chosen major league baseball player for the second straight year. Leslie, hobbled by a knee injury, repeated as WNBA player. Sorenstam won her second consecutive award for female golfer.

Gail Devers ended Marion Jones' five-year domination of the female track and field athlete award. Jones' boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, won the men's track award.

The World Series champion Anaheim Angels were chosen best team. Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks became the second goaltender to win NHL player, joining 2-time winner Dominik Hasek.

Jon Gruden was named coach of the year for guiding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl title. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons won NFL player honors. Quarterback Tommy Maddox of the Pittsburgh Steelers was chosen comeback athlete.

Duncan, who helped the San Antonio Spurs win a championship, was named NBA player. Carmelo Anthony, who helped Syracuse win the NCAA championship before leaving for the NBA, was named male college athlete. The female award went to Taurasi.

The best game award went to the Fiesta Bowl, in which Ohio State beat Miami in double overtime.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award was shared by brothers Pat and Kevin Tillman, who gave up professional sports careers to enlist in the Army. Their younger brother, Richard, accepted on their behalf.

NFL

Texans' Boselli to retire

Tony Boselli is expected to retire this week because of injuries, ending the career of a player who was once the league's best offensive lineman, a source within the NFL told The Associated Press. Boselli, a former Jacksonville Jaguars star and the first player the Houston Texans selected in the 2002 expansion draft, sat out almost all of the last two years because of three operations on his left shoulder.

[] The Seattle Seahawks signed sixth-round draft choice Rashard Moore to a multiyear contract. Moore, a defensive tackle from Tennessee, was the 183rd player taken in this year's draft.

The FREEDOM Group Licenses Claims Workstation Software to Solience Systems.

Business Editors

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 2000

The FREEDOM Group, a unit of Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV), today announced that Solience Systems of Plantation, Florida, has licensed the FREEDOM(R) Claims Workstation.

Solience Systems is an information technology solutions provider. Formerly known as Business Risk Technology, Inc., Solience Systems has specialized since 1995 in applying the latest technology to meet the processing and data management needs of the property and casualty industry.

"The decision to go with Claims Workstation was based partially on The FREEDOM Group's reputation in the industry," said James Allen, Supervisor of Application Software at Solience Systems. "We were also pleased with how useful Claims Workstation is right out of the box and with its short implementation schedule, in relation to other systems. We found the system to be practical because core functionality is immediately available, and we can tailor the system to meet the unique needs of our clients through configurable settings."

Claims Workstation is an enterprise-caliber claims management system that facilitates claims adjusting and communications. The system supports a variety of relational databases and is based on an n-tier architectural design. Claims Workstation's electronic claim files can contain non-structured information, such as scanned mail, faxes, correspondence, spreadsheets, photos and more. Required letters and forms can be automatically merged with data in the database and filed within the electronic claim file. Business rules are customer-defined, allowing the system to be tailored to fit unique requirements.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to offer Solience Systems the functionality and flexibility they want in a claims management system," said Jeff West, Senior Vice President of the Insurance Division of the FREEDOM Group. "Claims are significant contact points between insurer and claimant. Handling claims well is important in this era of competition for customers."

The FREEDOM Group is a leading provider of software and services to the property-casualty industry. Founded in 1986, the company offers systems handling personal and commercial lines, billing, claims, and premium accounting and reporting. Outsourcing and consulting services are also available. FREEDOM is also the largest provider of financial products to both property-casualty and life companies, with a client base in excess of 2,000 insurance companies. More information is on the FREEDOM Web site at www.freedomgroup.com.

Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV) is an independent, full-service provider of integrated data processing and information management systems to the financial industry. As a leading technology resource, Fiserv serves more than 10,000 financial services providers worldwide, including banks, broker-dealers, credit unions, financial planners/investment advisers, insurance companies, mortgage banks and savings institutions. Headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Fiserv also can be found on the Internet at www.fiserv.com.

The Solience Systems Web site is at www.soliencesystems.com.

Fast America Online Service Is on Its Way to California.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Mar. 12 -- The cannons in the war over high-speed Internet access have lobbed more shells into the opposing camps.

The latest volley would allow America Online Inc. subscribers in California to gain access to a fast technology called DSL for connecting to the Internet over standard telephone lines. AOL will market the DSL service to its online customers through a deal with Pacific Bell's Texas-based parent, SBC Communications Inc. The deal teams up the nation's No. 2 telephone company with the No. 1 Internet service provider.

This alliance comes two days after AT&T completed its merger with TCI, a union that gives the telecommunications giant part-ownership of @Home Network, a company that provides a high-speed Internet service via cable television modems.

Providers of cable modem and DSL connections to the Net lately have begun to compete more aggressively on price and availability. In the Bay Area, @Home's cable-modem service costs about $40 a month, and Pacific Bell is charging about $49 for DSL. Cable modems, however, provide a much faster connection to the Net than DSL.

Pac Bell and SBC are gambling that the deal with AOL will provide DSL with a much wider audience of potential subscribers.

"It's kind of a marriage of the things that AOL customers like best about their Internet service provider, combined with high-speed Internet access at a reasonable price," said Steve Dimmitt, Pacific Bell's vice president for consumer marketing.

AOL customers might pay around $42 for a DSL-class connection. AOL subscribers now pay about $22 a month for an Internet connection at standard speeds, and AOL executives estimated that they would charge an additional $20 a month for a DSL link. Those fees are similar to the rates AOL charges for DSL service provided by Bell Atlantic.

"With our growing membership base, we are in the best position to transform broadband technologies to mass market realities," said Bob Pittman, AOL's president.

AOL has become alarmed recently that it could suffer an erosion of subscribers because it has been unable to provide millions of them with a high-speed connection to the Net. The deals with SBC and Bell Atlantic, though, give AOL that connection potential in 21 states.

The deal, however, won't erase the technological hurdles that impede a universal deployment of DSL by Pac Bell and the other regional phone companies.

Although circumstances vary in each city, Pac Bell customers can be no more than three miles away from a central phone office with DSL equipment if they want to receive the service. That means millions of Pacific Bell consumers can't get access to the new service.

What's more, cable modem services are being deployed much more rapidly than DSL so far, according to Patti Reali, analyst with Dataquest, a market researcher.

"Cable modems have a significant lead," Reali said.

About 600,000 cable modems are being used in homes in the United States and Canada. About 62,000 DSL modems have been shipped in the U.S. market, Reali estimated.

"It all depends on who gets there first," Reali said. "And at this point, cable is there first."

Visit HotCoco, the World Wide Web site of the Contra Costa Times, at http://www.hotcoco.com/

WGL Holdings, Inc. to Webcast Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2011 Earnings Conference Call.

WASHINGTON -- WGL Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: WGL) today announced that it will hold a live Internet webcast of its third quarter fiscal year 2011 earnings conference call at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time Aug. 4, 2011. Terry D. McCallister, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Adrian P. Chapman, President and Chief Operating Officer; and Vincent L. Ammann, Jr., Vice President and Chief Financial Officer will discuss the company's third quarter financial results for fiscal year 2011 and its financial outlook.

WGL Holdings will issue a press release disclosing the company's third quarter results after the market closes Aug. 3, 2011. To access this earnings statement, click on "Press Releases" on the WGL Holdings website, wglholdings.com.

The webcast will be available to the public via a link on the WGL Holdings website. To hear the broadcast, click on "Live Webcast" on the home page of the referenced site. Slides providing details of the company's results of operations will also be posted to the website prior to the start of the webcast. The webcast and related slides will be archived on the WGL Holdings website through Sept. 3, 2011.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., WGL Holdings, Inc. has three operating segments: (i) the regulated utility segment, which primarily consists of Washington Gas, a natural gas utility that serves over one million customers throughout metropolitan Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region; (ii) the retail energy marketing segment which consists of Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc., a third-party marketer that competitively sells natural gas and electricity and (iii) the design-build energy systems segment, which consists of Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc., a provider of design-build energy efficiency solutions to government and commercial clients.

Additional information about WGL Holdings, Inc. is available on its website, wglholdings.com. Go to washingtongas.com for more information about Washington Gas Light Company.

Casey Anthony trial's new twist: mother says she searched for 'chloroform'.(USA)

Byline: Warren Richey

In a surprising development, Casey Anthony's mother testified on Thursday that she conducted Internet searches using the word "chloroform" on the days and times prosecutors allege that Casey Anthony searched for that word as part of a premeditated plot to murder her two-year-old daughter, Caylee.

"I started looking up chlorophyll and that prompted me to look up cholorform," Cindy Anthony, Casey's mother, told a stunned courtroom.

In testimony filled with unexpected twists and turns, the mother also told defense attorney Jose Baez that the stain in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car was present when the vehicle was purchased in 2000 - eight years before prosecutors allege the stain was caused by leaking fluid from Caylee's decomposing body.

The riveting testimony prompted immediate speculation that Mrs. Anthony may have altered earlier statements she made to detectives and prosecutors in an effort to help create reasonable doubt in her daughter's first-degree murder trial. A family lawyer later said her testimony is consistent with all her prior statements in the case.

Her statements, on the seventh day of the defense case and the 26th day of the trial, represent a serious setback to the prosecution's case. Her comments are an assault on two pillars of the state's theory of Ms. Anthony's guilt: that she used chloroform and that she kept Caylee's decomposing body in the trunk of the car.

Prosecutors have presented a circumstantial case based on the theory that Ms. Anthony drugged her daughter with chloroform and smothered her by pressing duct tape over her mouth and nose. She then allegedly placed the girl in the trunk of her car for several days before dumping the body in a wooded area not far from the Anthony family home.

The state has offered no direct physical evidence linking Ms. Anthony to Caylee's death.

Mrs. Anthony's testimony is important for a second reason: Among all the players in the wider drama surrounding the trial and alleged crime, Mrs. Anthony is by far the most sympathetic figure.

There is no doubt that she adored her granddaughter, was crushed by her death, and is still grieving. In earlier testimony during the state's case, the judge had to call a special recess to allow her to try to compose herself after she began sobbing on the witness stand. During her last trip to the stand she supposedly turned toward Ms. Anthony and mouthed the words, "I love you."

On cross-examination, Assistant State Attorney Linda Burdick attempted to undercut Mrs. Anthony's testimony, suggesting that her employment records indicate that she had been at work - not at home on the family's desktop computer - on the days the Internet "chloroform" searches were conducted.

"Were you at home March 17, 2008 between 1:43 and 1:55 p.m.," Ms. Burdick asked forcefully.

"If those computer entries were made, then I was home," Mrs. Anthony replied, her voice rising to meet the force of Burdick's question. "That week was Casey's birthday and our anniversary and I went home early a couple days."

She added: "My hours were whatever I made them."

"So you are testifying that it is possible you were home that day? Even though your work records establish that you were working March 21, 2008 from 2:16 to 2:28 p.m.," Burdick asked.

"It is possible."

Burdick's voice rose again: "Were you or weren't you?"

"The only thing that triggers these days for me is the computer entries," she said. "If I had access to my work computer I could tell you when I left that day."

Mrs. Anthony said she had not been back to work since July 15, 2008, the day she first learned that Caylee, her granddaughter, was missing.

Mrs. Anthony said she first searched the word chlorophyll because she was worried that her dogs might get sick from eating bamboo leaves. That search took her to chloroform, she said.

She also said she searched the words acetone, rubbing alcohol, alcohol, inhalation, peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide. She denied searching how to make weapons out of household products. And she denied specifically typing into the Google search engine the words "how to make chloraform" with the word chloroform misspelled.

A computer analysis showed those precise words were typed into the computer.

"Were you on druglibrary.org," Burdick asked.

"Oh - all the time," she said.

Burdick asked if she had conducted 84 searches on the effects of chlorophyll on animals.

"I didn't do 84 searches on anything," she replied.

Mrs. Anthony said that the computer was usually kept on all the time and that members of the family, and even Ms. Anthony's friends, used it.

"All this stuff about chlorophyll and chloroform, you told the investigators about this back in 2009? Is this testimony anything new," defense attorney Mr. Baez asked.

"I did tell the investigators and the state attorney's office about the search and they knew I had searched for chlorophyll as well," she said.

Later in the day, Baez called for the testimony of police computer forensics analyst Kevin Stenger.

Mr. Stenger was asked about significant differences in the results obtained from two different computer forensic software programs. One shows the progression of Internet search history including 84 visits to MySpace.com.

It is well known that Ms. Anthony was active on that website. What is less clear is the suggestion in earlier testimony that someone used the Anthony's family computer to visit a chloroform website 84 times.

Baez asked Stenger to read the results of a report produced by a program called Netanalysis. He asked: "What is the total amount of time anyone spent looking at 'chloroform' before moving on" to a different topic?

Stenger replied: "Approximately three minutes."

The prosecution's Burdick then asked whether it was possible for someone to open computer screen tabs or quickly print information off the screen?

"That's correct," the computer forensic analyst said.

Baez responded with his own question. "This report, does it give you an indication about tab stuff?"

"No sir," Stenger said.

"You don't know what happened," Baez said, about whether someone had opened a computer tab or printed something.

"I do not know if that happened."

USITC WILL CONDUCT FULL FIVE-YEAR (SUNSET) REVIEWS CONCERNING BRASS SHEET AND STRIP FROM FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY, AND JAPAN.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the U.S. International Trade Commission:

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC or Commission) has voted to conduct full five- year ("sunset") reviews concerning the antidumping duty orders on brass sheet and strip from France, Germany, Italy, and Japan (Inv. Nos. 731-TA-313, 314, 317, and 379 (Third Review)).

As a result of these votes, the Commission will conduct full reviews to determine whether revocation of these orders would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Commission's notice of institution in five-year reviews requests that interested parties file with the Commission responses that discuss the likely effects of revoking the order under review and provide other pertinent information. Generally within 95 days from institution, the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC's notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.

With regard to France, Italy, and Japan, all six Commissioners found that the domestic group responses were adequate and the respondent group responses were inadequate, but that circumstances warranted full reviews.

With regard to Germany, all six Commissioners found that the both the domestic group response and the respondent group responses were adequate and voted for a full review.

A record of the Commission's votes on these matters is available from the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by telephone by calling 202-205-1802.

The record of the Commission's votes is also posted on the USITC's Internet site at http://info.usitc.gov/oinv/sunset.NSF (under "Brass Sheet and Strip - France," "Brass Sheet and Strip - Germany," "Brass Sheet and Strip - Italy," and "Brass Sheet and Strip - Japan").

The Federal Register notice will indicate whether any further information or statements will be available. The Commission will issue a report after it completes its reviews.

The Roommate Now Available on Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand.

NEW YORK -- Time Warner Cable Digital subscribers now have instant access to The Roommate on Movies On Demand the same day as its DVD release. Starring Minka Kelly and Leighton Meester, college student Sara (Kelly) finds her safety jeopardized after she's assigned to a dorm room with a new roommate, Rebecca (Meester). Don't miss this thriller on Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand.

Digital subscribers can order this movie with the click of their remote control by visiting the All New category located on the Movies On Demand channel. For more information on Time Warner Cable content On Demand, please visit www.twondemand.com.

About Time Warner Cable

Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., with technologically advanced, well-clustered systems located mainly in five geographic areas -- New York State (including New York City), the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California (including Los Angeles) and Texas. Time Warner Cable serves more than 14 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers a suite of phone, Internet, Ethernet and cable television services to businesses of all sizes. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions that are targeted and affordable. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmedia.com.

Kingsoft Completes Reorganization of Westhouse.

Motivating Employees to Enhance Operational Efficiency

Hong Kong, Apr 11, 2011 - (ACN Newswire) - Kingsoft Corporation Limited ("Kingsoft" or the "Company"; SEHK: 03888), a leading developer, distributor and service provider of application and entertainment software in China, announced the completion of the business reorganisation of Westhouse Holdings Limited ("Westhouse"), the largest game studio under the Company. WestGame Holdings Limited ("WestGame"), a company owned by its founding employees has completed a subscription for 160 million Westhouse shares and is now holding 20% interest in Westhouse.

According to the announcement dated 24 January 2011 regarding the reorganisation of certain subsidiaries and businesses of Kingsoft, Westhouse would hold the businesses under Chengdu Xishanju Interactive Entertainment Technology Co.,Ltd. and Zhuhai Kingsoft Online Game Technology Co., Ltd. As part of the internal reorganisation, WestGame has subscribed for 160 million Westhouse Shares at a price of HK$1.1834 per share for an aggregate consideration of approximately HK$189 million. Meanwhile, Kingsoft Entertainment Software Holdings Limited ("Kingsoft Entertainment"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is to provide a loan amounting to approximately HK$151 million to WestGame to facilitate the share subscription.

The management of the Company believes that the reorganisation enables founding employees to directly own shares of Westhouse, an incentive for them to contribute to the long-term development of the Company, and thereby enhance the value of Westhouse.

Mr Pak Kwan Kau, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kingsoft, said, "We always regard human resources as our most valuable asset. The reorganisation enables the founding employees to own the shares of Westhouse, which is part of our incentive policies for employees. Looking ahead, we will be proactively optimising our business structure through a series of reorganisations, in order to further enhance the operational efficiency and maximise the returns to shareholders in a win-win way."

About Kingsoft Corporation Limited

Kingsoft is a leading developer, distributor and service provider of applications and entertainment software in China. Following the commercial launch of its first office applications software WPS 1.0 in 1989 and through over 20 years of innovative endeavor, Kingsoft has been widely recognized as a household renowned software brand in China. We have rejuvenated and successfully transited ourselves from the legacy of "the King of package software" to be an internet application based model of Software as a service (SAAS).

Kingsoft's main business lines are on-line games, internet security and application software. We have built an extensive sales and distribution network through our online and offline distribution channels. We provide numerous well-known software products such as WPS Office, Kingsoft PowerWord, Kingsoft Internet Security and online games including the JX Series and the First Myth series to retail customers, corporate clients and government bodies in China. Kingsoft is building a converged user platform for its diversified product portfolio and providing a variety of value-add-services.

The mission of Kingsoft is being committed to improving the quality of people's digital lives. With its headquarter located in Beijing, Kingsoft has built a number of R&D centers in Zhuhai, Beijing, Chengdu and Dalian. While leveraging our R&D strength, we have introduced groups of top software and game operation talent to our management team with the aim to better user engagement and improve operational efficiency. Kingsoft will carry on developing new products and expanding its market share in China, while making strong entrance into other overseas markets. For more information, please visit www.kingsoft.com.

Source: Kingsoft Corporation Limited

Contact:

Kingsoft Corporation LimitedMs. Michelle Feng HarnettTel: +86 10 82325515Email: ir@kingsoft.comMs. Claire LeeTel: +86 10 82334488 - 5850Email: limiao@kingsoft.com

Copyright 2011 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved.

Schecter Guitars: parlaying quality, value, and a sense for trends into rapid sales growth.(GLOBAL PROFILES)(Company overview)

From parts supplier to custom guitar builder to major manufacturer, Schecter Guitar Research has held a central place in the guitar world for more than 30 years. Now in its tenth straight year of double-digit growth, it's a global brand with 180 unique instruments represented in more than 50 countries.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Founded in Van Nuys, California in 1976, Schecter started out producing high-end replacement parts and exotic wood bodies for the emerging "DIY" market. By the early '80s, the company had shifted its focus to manufacturing high-quality, affordable instruments that won early endorsements from Pete Townshend (The Who), Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), and Andy Taylor (Duran Duran/Power Station). Today Schecter's acoustic and electric guitars and basses are sold by Guitar Center, Best Buy, Amazon, Musician's Friend, American Musical Supply, and more than 700 independent dealers.

"Schecter's innovation, quality and components--built at an affordable price--separate us from our competitors," says Schecter President and CEO Michael Ciravolo, who assumed leadership of the company in 1996. "We feel we have set the new industry standard in the price-versus-quality equation. Every one of Schecter's employees is a musician, which provides an incredibly diverse arsenal of knowledge to draw from in design, construction, advertising, marketing, and strategy."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Ciravolo himself was a founding member of the gothic rock band Human Drama and has appeared on a number of recordings and tours with the popular Welsh goth-pop band Gene Loves Jezebel. Before joining Schecter he was general manager of the world famous Sunset Custom Guitars on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, where he honed his knowledge of the m.i. world while establishing relationships with industry veterans and a who's who list of musicians--most notably Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. Colleagues credit Ciravolo's avid knowledge of guitars and their construction, components, and sonic possibilities with keeping Schecter tuned to the pulse of the guitar market.

"Trends come and go in this business," says Ciravolo. "Our ability to sense upcoming market trends and our ability to react to these trends, including knowing when a fad is fading, are key elements to our success." All Schecter instruments were built in the United States until 1998, when the company reacted to skyrocketing costs by introducing its Diamond Series, an import line of guitars and basses. "Building USA Custom Shop guitars is part of Schecter's long heritage," says Ciravolo. "But adjusting to change in a global market causes companies to find solutions they wouldn't ordinarily focus on." While Schecter's flagship instruments are still built by hand in its Burbank, California custom shop, the Diamond Series has become a mainstay of the company's growth over the past decade.

During the course of 2009, Schecter has intensified its efforts in the international market, where sales have grown 45% in the past year. Ryan Martin, newly appointed director of international sales, now directs the distribution of Schecter products to 58 countries. Seizing on the internet as a global sales and marketing tool, Schecter has made it a priority to build and maintain online merchant relationships while tapping into social media outlets and branded microsites. "The power of the internet cannot be underestimated as a means for marketing channels and revenue streams," says Ciravolo. "Consumer capture tools and traffic utilization and metrics are necessary functions for growth in a low-cost entry and worldwide product exposure environment. Schecter's profit has enjoyed year-after-year growth through intensive marketing strategies designed specifically for the web."

With revenues topping $20 million for the most recent fiscal year, Schecter has maintained its growth through more than a year of global recession--though not, says Ciravolo, without difficulty. "There's not a single business domestically or internationally that hasn't been affected by the recession," he says. "Inventory management becomes your primary concern when you are faced with a sudden downturn in sales. Allocating, prioritizing and appropriating our product line across retail distribution channels are the most effective ways for us to remain viable without succumbing to the inherent pitfalls many companies face when dealing with struggling economies.

"Our goals are simple," he concludes. "Don't lose sight of what it takes for Schecter to maintain its place in a highly competitive market; never forget what we mean to the consumer on the other side of the counter; and continue to evolve our products by staying one step ahead."

www.schecterguitars.com

In tight times people turn to the web for money savings.

Alex Burmaster Communications director UK & EMEA, Nielsen Online

The downturn in the economy has effectively rebooted the growth of the internet in terms of the time people spend online and the number of sites they visit. Over the first nine months of the year, people weren't spending more time online than they did in the corresponding nine months the previous year. The average year-on-year growth each month, in terms of average time online per person, was just 1%.

Between March and June 2008, people actually averaged less time online than they did in the same period in 2007. However, during the last quarter of 2008 they spent 22% more time online than in Q4 2007.

The degree to which people are increasingly turning to the internet as a financial first-aid kit is shown by the fact that the two fastest growing sectors in 2008 were Free Merchandise and Coupons/Rewards. The latter sector was visited by 9.8m Britons - more than one in every four people online, compared to around one in every seven people a year ago. The tenth-fastest growing online sector was Loans, which grew by 55%, again far outstripping the overall internet growth rate of 11%.

In the first half of 2008 people visited 8% fewer sites than they did a year before. Yet in the second half they visited 7% more sites. The plateauing of behaviour consequently meant growth could only be achieved at the expense of someone else. The economic environment, perversely, seems to have changed this. For example, consumers in the Coupons/Rewards sector now visit 2.3 sites on average, compared to 1.7 a year ago - a small increase but relatively significant (38%). The two most popular sites in the sector, Nectar.com and MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, shared a very small audience. In December 2007, only 5% of people who visited Nectar also visited MyVoucherCodes; in December 2008 this figure had almost quadrupled to 19%.

Opportunities for growth in the current economic climate can be discovered by looking at which age groups are exhibiting large changes. For example, the biggest increases to the Coupons/Reward sector were among 12-17-year-old girls (an 184% increase in their numbers), men aged 18-24 (166% increase) and 55-64-year-old women (155%). What this shows is the economic situation is affecting people's activity online across the board and the opportunity is there for everyone online to profit, particularly if they promote the web's money-saving capabilities.

Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NOW Technology Group Partners with Comtech LLC to Deliver Web to Print Solutions for Federal Government Agencies; Baltimore-Based Web to Print Software Provider to Market to Government Agencies via Comtech's GSA Schedule 70 - GS-35F-0431K.

BALTIMORE -- NOW Technology Group (www.nowtg.com), a leading provider of web to print solutions, announced today that it will market and sell to the Federal Government Agencies via Comtech LLC's GSA Schedule 70. Comtech LLC, a Vienna, VA-based IT Solution Service Provider, has added NOW Technology Group to their GSA Schedule GS-35F-0431K to provide web to print marketing solutions to Federal Government Agencies.

"Comtech has managed to thrive over the past few years by constantly focusing on delivering quality, value and new ideas to its customers," noted Richard Osborne, President of NOW Technology Group (www.nowtg.com). "The addition of NTG's web to print solution via an ASP hosted option or an installed server-based option will provide Federal Government Agencies with the flexibility to create, manage and deliver time-sensitive marketing material at an affordable price. NOW Technology Group is a perfect compliment to Comtech's leading edge solutions and services."

"Comtech is excited about having an additional business solution that fits within our philosophy of providing quality services that deliver real, tangible value to our customers," said Scott Armstrong, Vice President of Comtech LLC. "The addition of NOW Technology Group (www.nowtg.com) provides our customers with a well-designed, web to print solution which will help streamline and manage their print and marketing workflow initiatives."

According to Armstrong, NOW Technology Group (www.nowtg.com) was chosen for its GSA Schedule based on its ease of use, logical workflow process and positive value it provides Federal Government Agencies. "NTG's web to print solution is intuitive and extremely user friendly. Combined with NTG's leading edge technical implementation, post sale service and support, we are now able to provide this exciting business solution to the Federal Government."

About Comtech LLC

Comtech, LLC (www.comtechllc.com) is a full-service information systems engineering and services provider located in Vienna, Virginia. Since 1998, Comtech has been delivering end-to-end solutions for business and government enterprise using state-of-the-art, leading-edge products and best practices. In 2005, Washington Technology Magazine recognized Comtech, LLC as a FAST 50 growing small business in the government IT market, for the 2nd consecutive year. In 2006, Comtech will sustain its 50% compounded growth rate for the eighth consecutive year. Comtech, LLC is certified as a woman-owned small business. Comtech can be reached at 866-858-3775 or email at sales@comtechllc.com.

About NOW Technology Group

NOW Technology Group (www.nowtg.com) is the developer and marketer of workflow solutions for direct mail production and on-demand printing. The company began as a team of direct mail production professionals, assembled to explore potential business advantages in advancing Internet technology. Based in Baltimore, MD, the company has set the standard for web based production communications for direct mail and on-demand printing. In addition to printing companies and direct mail service bureaus, the company provides solutions to many Fortune 500 clients. NOW Technology Group can be reached at 800-429-8703 or email at sales@nowtg.com.

Axcelis Announces Timing of Second Quarter Conference Call and Live Webcast.

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACLS) today announced that the company will be hosting a conference call on Wednesday, July 27, 2005, beginning at 5:00 pm ET. The purpose of the call is to discuss second quarter results for 2005 and to provide guidance for the third quarter of 2005.

The call will be available to interested listeners via an audio webcast that can be accessed through Axcelis' home page at www.axcelis.com, or by dialing 1-800-475-3716 (1-719-457-2728 outside North America). Participants calling into the conference call will be requested to provide the company name: Axcelis Technologies, the conference leader: James Kawski, and pass code: #1164852. A telephone replay will be available from 8:00 pm ET on July 27, 2005 until 11:59 pm ET on August 3, 2005. Dial 1-888-203-1112 (1-719-457-0820 outside North America), and enter conference ID code #1164852. A webcast replay will be available from 8:00 pm ET on July 27, 2005 until 5:00 pm ET August 27, 2005.

About Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts, provides innovative, high-productivity solutions for the semiconductor industry. Axcelis is dedicated to developing enabling process applications through the design, manufacture and complete life cycle support of ion implantation, rapid thermal processing, and cleaning and curing systems. Axcelis Technologies has key product development centers in Beverly, Massachusetts, as well as in Toyo, Japan through its joint venture, SEN. The company's Internet address is: www.axcelis.com.

Muhudin claims edge in budding rivalry.(Sports)(The Denver runner hangs on to win the 1,500 to conclude a series of exciting races)

Byline: Jeff Smith The Register-Guard

Using every ounce of energy he had left, Musa Ahmed leaned over the finish line to try to edge his weeklong rival, Roblet Muhudin.

Ahmed then glanced up at the scoreboard, saw that victory in the 1,500 meters had eluded him by a mere four-hundredths of a second and fell to his knees, head down.

No more than five seconds later, Muhudin walked over to Ahmed, pulled him to his feet, and the two walked off the track with their arms around each other.

Such was the respect the two 12-year-old distance runners have forged for each other as they highlighted the Midget Boys (11-12) age group at this week's USA National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Their showdown began Friday, when Ahmed, of Portland, beat Muhudin in the 3,000 meters. Muhudin then got him back with a narrow victory in Saturday's 800, which set the stage for Sunday's thrilling 1,500 that Muhudin ran in 4 minutes, 30.37 seconds to beat Ahmed's 4:30.41.

"We tried to put on a show, and that's what we did," said Ahmed, a native of Ethiopia who runs for Pride Sports Academy in Portland. "People always talk about the 400, 200 and 100. I just want people to say, `Hey, it's the 1,500. Let's go watch it.' Show them that not just the sprints excite them. The distances can, too."

For those fans lucky enough to witness all three of Ahmed and Muhudin's duels, they saw the beginning of what should be an outstanding rivalry.

Before this week, the two had never raced, and Ahmed had only heard of Muhudin from the Internet.

It didn't take long for the two to become acquainted after Ahmed won the 3,000 by just more than a second against Muhudin, who said Sunday that he was "tricked" by Ahmed in that race. In the 1,500, Muhudin sprinted out to a wide lead to set the tone.

"I start hard and finish hard," said Muhudin, a native of Somalia who runs for Blazers Track Club in Denver.

As Muhudin took off, Ahmed was content to stay in the middle of the pack before making his move with two laps to go.

"It's all about patience when you run," Ahmed said. "I knew he wasn't going to keep that pace."

Sure enough, Ahmed reached Muhudin with 200 meters left, took a slight lead with 100 to go, and then the two sprinted side-by-side as the crowd rose to its feet to watch Muhudin use his longer legs and body to reach the line first.

"I was expecting him at the end," Muhudin said. "He's always going to come at me. I think he's a great runner."

The two will now go their separate ways but expect to see plenty of each other in meets to come.

"We've become close friends," Ahmed said. "We have a lot in common. We both work hard and we're friends ... until we come on that track."

In the Young Men's (17-18) 1,500, Oakridge senior-to-be Andrew Perri had the lead to begin the bell lap and thought he would be able to live up to his status as the event's No. 1 seed.

But Perri was caught with 100 meters left, and passed on the straightaway, finishing fourth in 4:03.13. He was tripped by third-place finisher Qayyim Wiley as he crossed the finish line, a symbolic end to what he hoped to be a memorable day.

"I was getting tripped and shoved a whole bunch out there during the race," said Perri, who runs for Too Much Bear Runners. "Today wasn't my day. I'm really disappointed. I was extremely nervous. I was way too worked up. I may have psyched myself out."

The loss may sting for awhile, but it'll also add fuel to his fire for his senior season of cross country and track.

"Next year is going to be a great year," Perri said. "I promise I'll come back with a vengeance."

Also finishing fourth - and being extremely pleased about that - was South Eugene senior-to-be Erin Gray in the Young Women's 1,500.

"This whole week has been really amazing," said Gray, who competed for Track City Track Club.

Gray, who won the 2,000-meter steeplechase Tuesday, was fourth in 4:51.93. Rolanda Bell, of Awesome Power, took first in 4:38.22 while setting a pace that Gray knew she couldn't keep up with.

"When I realized how fast they were, I realized I was going to have to abandon that if I wanted to get a medal," Gray said. "I ran as hard as I could on that last lap."

Nicole Cochran, a Spanaway, Wash., native competing for South Hill Striders, won the Intermediate Girls 1,500 (4:33.54).

In the Youth Boys 1,500, Blake Shaw, of the Northwest Flyers, won in 4:16.57.

CAPTION(S):

Roblet Muhudin of Denver (right) races to the finish line for a time of 4:30.37 in the Midget Boys 1,500 meters, edging Musa Ahmed of Portland by a mere four-hundredths of a second. Muhudin also won the 800, while Ahmed claimed the 3,000.

PA Corrections Department Steps Up Recruiting Efforts With Mobile Unit.

CAMP HILL, Pa., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Corrections Secretary Jeffrey A. Beard, Ph.D., today unveiled the department's first Mobile Recruitment Unit (MRU), part of an initiative to step up its recruitment efforts - particularly those aimed at attracting minority and female applicants.

"It is critical for our department's workforce to reflect the diverse nature of the corrections environment," Beard said. "Female and minority recruitment has always been a major initiative of the Department of Corrections because more than 64 percent of our inmate population is minority, and it is sound correctional practice to employ staff with minority backgrounds. We know that diversity is a strength and a key to the success of our department."

The Mobile Recruitment Unit will allow recruiters to direct their activities in various minority and ethnic neighborhoods and every area of the state. The van, which is equipped with workstations and computers, will allow the DOC to eliminate the need to rent space for recruitment activities at various job fairs and venues. In addition, it will allow people to file applications through the Internet to shorten the application process.

"The MRU will allow us to go into the community and make direct contact with the people, where we can better educate everyone about what we do and about how a career in corrections is not only a good job, but it can be a rewarding job with many avenues for success and promotion," Beard said.

The MRU was customized by Pennsylvania Correctional Industries, a bureau of the Corrections Department, using inmate labor at State Correctional Institutions Albion and Coal Township.

Minorities represent 10.2 percent of the DOC workforce; women represent about 23 percent. Beard said the department has increased both the minority and female numbers in its workforce and that both groups are better represented in the management and administration ranks than they had been in the past.

   CONTACT:  Susan McNaughton             Acting Press Secretary             (717) 975-4862  

CONTACT: Susan McNaughton, Acting Press Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, +1-717-975-4862

Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/