QLD:Intruder photographed sex abuse of toddler

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2011
QLD:Intruder photographed sex abuse of toddler

EDS NOTE: Language in pars 13 and 14.



By Larine Statham

BRISBANE, Aug 24 AAP - A man convicted of sexually abusing a three-year-old girl after
breaking into her parents' home has sacked his lawyers just hours before he was due to
be sentenced.

Craig Anthony Ellis, 31, appeared in the District Court in Brisbane on Wednesday afternoon
after last year pleading guilty to burglary and two counts of indecent treatment of a
child under 12.

Ellis had denied the charges but changed his plea midway through his trial last September.

During the trial, the court was told the toddler's parents were alerted to an intruder
in their Aspley home, in Brisbane's north, after being woken by muffled crying about 2.30am
(AEST) on January 21, 2009.

The girl's father told the court he crash tackled the naked intruder and held him until
police arrived.

He said Ellis put his pants back on and became submissive after he was able to press
buttons on his digital camera.

The mother said her daughter's pants were off and she was crying.

When police arrived to question Ellis, he said he'd been taking a night walk to photograph
the moon.

The court heard Ellis claimed he was investigating a noise inside the home, only to
be bashed by the occupants.

However, police said they retrieved 18 explicit images of the couple's daughter, taken
between 2.01am (AEST) and 2.31am, from the camera's partially-damaged digital memory chip.

On Wednesday, Ellis told the court he wanted to walk free because he'd been bashed
by police and forced under duress to change his plea.

He said he wanted new lawyers to represent him but crown prosecutor Vicki Loury said
sentencing should proceed.

Ellis called Ms Loury a "lying bitch" before threatening to kill the victim's mother,
who sat quietly with family at the back of the court.

"You raped your own child, you f***ing whore," he yelled.

Judge Michael Rackemann evicted Ellis from the court.

Judge Rackemann said he was mindful that it was in the public interest to have the
matter resolved as quickly as possible, acknowledging that it wasn't the first time legal
representation had been terminated in the Ellis case.

"It is genuinely regrettable that sentencing won't be done today and you won't have
closure," he told the family.

"But it's important things are done properly."

Judge Rackemann said he would adjourn the case one final time to ensure Ellis had legal
representation.

Ellis is scheduled to appear before the court on September 5 for sentencing.

AAP lcs/ht/dep/hn/

KEYWORD: ELLIS

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

Fed: Immigration spent $289m to run offshore detention centres

AAP General News (Australia)
02-22-2008
Fed: Immigration spent $289m to run offshore detention centres

Taxpayers have forked out almost 300 million dollars .. to keep asylum seekers detained
on remote Pacific islands.

Labor says that's a cost of two thousand 500 thousand dollars a week per person.

The Immigration Department has revealed the figure to a Senate estimates hearing this week.

Immigration official DERMOT …

NSW:Helicopter joins hunt for missing walkers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2011
NSW:Helicopter joins hunt for missing walkers

A search and rescue helicopter is joining the hunt for two bushwalkers missing in rugged
bushland in northern New South Wales.

The two men .. aged 25 and 41 .. set off on a walk through Bellinger River National
Park from Ebor to Thora on Saturday morning.

They were due to arrive at their destination by nightfall on Monday.

It's believed they have some food .. a tent .. sleeping bags and fishing rods .. but no GPS.

AAP RTV mdg/klm/jmt

KEYWORD: BUSHWALKERS (SYDNEY)

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

NEW PHOTOS, VIRTUAL TOUR HELP BRING QUICKER SALE

The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
02-13-2011
NEW PHOTOS, VIRTUAL TOUR HELP BRING QUICKER SALE
Section: REAL ESTATE
Type: News

The listing: Three-bedroom colonial

Location: River Edge
Listed by: Cynthia Abbott of Friedberg Properties and Associates in Alpine

On the market: Three months

Asking price: $519,000, reduced to $499,000

The game plan: Abbott took over the listing from a fellow agent who left Friedberg after the home was on the market for two months. She listed the home in the multiple listing service and advertised it on the Internet. She also took new photos of the home, added a virtual tour and held an open house.

Abbott said the photos and virtual tour were key to selling the house, which was in good shape. The location in River Edge, which offers good schools and easy access to New York City, also helped.

The home was on the market in the late fall. Since many home sellers wait till after the holidays to put their homes on the market, this one had less competition for buyers' attention, Abbott said.

The result: Another agent brought in the buyer, and the house sold for $479,000.

Sellers and real estate agents: Have a recently closed transaction you'd like to tell us about? Please e-mail Kathleen Lynn at lynn@northjersey.com

2011
R.2

NSW:Human remains found at Belango

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2010
NSW:Human remains found at Belango

By Belinda Cranston

SYDNEY, Aug 30 AAP - Human remains have been found in a previously unsearched area
of Belango State Forest, 18 years after the first of seven murdered backpackers was discovered
there.

It's too early for police to know how long the bones, discovered by a bike rider on
Sunday, have been lying by a dusty fire trail 100km southwest of Sydney.

Acting Superintendent Evan Quarmby on Monday confirmed the remains were human, but
he was reluctant to draw any links between the grisly discovery and convicted serial killer
Ivan Milat.

The former road worker is serving seven life terms for the murders of seven young backpackers,
whose bodies were found dumped in shallow graves in the forest in the early 1990s.

"We are not drawing any conclusions in relation to any missing persons or other past
or current investigations," Supt Quarmby told reporters at Bowral in the NSW southern
highlands.

"We are just going to gather what we can and make some judgments."

It's long been suspected that Milat may have been involved in more killings, but Supt
Quarmby refused to say whether he would be questioned.

"It is early days, and we are in the process of gathering all of the possible evidence
that we can," he said.

He conceded the remains had been found at a previously unsearched area of the forest,
known as Dalys Waterhole.

"This part of the forest was not searched in the past for human remains," he said.

"The Belango Forest is a huge area, not all of the forest could be searched ...

"In the past, searches were made based on the best information that was available at
the time, and this area wasn't searched during those previous investigations."

Former NSW police assistant commissioner Clive Small, a lead detective in the investigation
of the backpacker murders, was also sceptical about linking Milat to the remains.

He said the serial killer typically buried victims away from fire trails.

"In this case, (it looks like) the remains were right beside the (fire) trail," he
told Fairfax Radio on Monday.

"That would be inconsistent with the pattern that Milat has used."

Supt Quarmby said it wasn't uncommon for bones to be found in Belango State Forest,
although most of the time they belonged to animals.

Two hikers in 1992 came across a rotting corpse in the dense Belango forest which turned
out to be the remains of 22-year-old British tourist Joanne Walters.

In the course of a year, six more bodies were found in the forest.

Five of Milat's victims were European: Ms Walters from Wales, her friend Caroline Clarke,
22, from England, and three Germans - Simone Schmidl, 20, Gabor Neugebauer, 21, and Anja
Habschied, 20.

The other two, James Gibson and his girlfriend Deborah Everist, both 19, were from Melbourne.

After an 18-month investigation, police raided a home at Eagle Vale on the outskirts
of Sydney on May 22, 1994. They seized evidence and charged 51-year-old roadworker Milat,
one of 14 children of Yugoslav-Australian parents.

AAP bc/tr/jl/cdh

KEYWORD: BONES WRAP (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

Fed: 10 years on, Aust troops find East Timor on the mend

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2010
Fed: 10 years on, Aust troops find East Timor on the mend

By Max Blenkin, Defence Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 22 AAP - Just over a decade ago, Australian troops arrived in the East
Timor capital of Dili finding a devastated city still smouldering from the militia rampage.

Much of the population had scattered and those remaining huddled destitute in makeshift camps.

This Sunday their replacements will commemorate a 10th Anzac Day in East Timor and
their commander, Colonel Simon Stuart, is cautiously optimistic the young nation has turned
a corner - to a point where all Australian forces could withdraw by 2012.

Australia's ongoing mission in East Timor, overshadowed by Afghanistan and border protection,
has gone right off the national radar.

Australian and other troops haven't been called to assist East Timor's security forces
since the attempted assassination of President Jose Ramos Horta in February 2008.

The security situation was sufficiently benign for troop numbers to be reduced from
600 to 400 between December-February.

The International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in East Timor, commanded by Colonel Stuart,
now numbers 550, including 150 New Zealanders.

On the face of a much diminished threat, Australia withdrew its armoured personnel
carriers last year and troops now occasionally undertake patrols by bicycle.

Colonel Stuart does not want to paint the situation as completely rosy but said there
were encouraging signs of progress in a nation that remains one of the world's poorest.

"There is a real sense of national pride here," he told AAP from East Timor.

"A very resilient people are getting on with the business of improving their lives
after a pretty hard-won independence.

"The good thing is their capacity and resilience - every time there is something to
deal with, it increases."

The time taken to recover from those sorts of things was reducing and their capacity
to address the base issues and then move on was also increasing.

"But we need to be quite realistic. There's a way to go and there will be challenges
along the way."

Australia's contribution to the ISF is mostly drawn from Brisbane-based 8/9 battalion
(8/9RAR), only re-raised in 2008 and now undertaking its first operational deployments.

Other members of 8/9 are in Afghanistan while some are assisting with border protection duties.

Colonel Stuart said East Timor's police, supported by UN police, were now primarily
responsible for national security with the ISF only called to assist in case of emergency.

"So our role has shifted from one of purely a security focus to now standing alongside
our colleagues in the East Timorese defence force and doing some training and capacity
building with them," he said.

However, the ISF remains ready and willing to respond if necessary.

"We are very capable and have a significant force still here but we haven't been required
for two years now and the longer that situation goes on the better for everyone," he said.

One manifestation of East Timor's high unemployment, particularly among young people,
is the rise of so-called martial arts groups, variously linked to criminal gangs and to
various political factions as on-call muscle.

But Colonel Stuart doesn't view them as posing a clear and present danger.

A key challenge for East Timor was creating work for a growing population of under 25s, he said.

"A lot of the martial arts groups are exactly that, a focus for young people who can
go along and do some kind of community activity or some kind of martial arts," he said.

"There is no doubt that previously some of them have been involved in politically motivated
activities normally ending up in violence.

"But I think it's more a case of them being an easy target to manipulate rather than
being a problem in themselves."

So when might Australia end a military involvement which started in September 1999
and peaked at more than 5000 troops?

Troop numbers have been reduced progressively, but in 2006 and 2008 civil unrest prompted
rapid reinforcement.

Colonel Stuart said the future of the ISF was really a matter for the government of
East Timor in consultation with Australia and New Zealand.

"But I think most people are looking at the 2012 elections as perhaps a natural point
where those decisions might be considered," he said.

AAP mb/rl/maur/mn

KEYWORD: TIMOR AUST (AAP BACKGROUNDER) (REQUESTED RPT)

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

NSW: Firefighters get brief reprieve as they fight Bathurst fire

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2009
NSW: Firefighters get brief reprieve as they fight Bathurst fire

Cooler weather has provided some relief for firefighters trying to contain a blaze
near Bathurst in central western New South Wales.

Two farmers suffered serious burns and were flown to a Sydney hospital as other residents
were evacuated when the bushfire flared up in the town of Vittoria yesterday afternoon.

It's now burnt out more than 12 hundred hectares.

Rural Fire Services spokesman BEN SHEPHERD says conditions eased overnight when a cool
change came through and winds dropped .. but it's set to warm up again and severe conditions
are expected.

About 100 fires are burning across the state .. and a total fire ban is in force in
the central ranges .. northern slopes .. northwestern and upper central west plains.

AAP RTV ab/wjf/jmt

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES NSW (SYDNEY)

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

Perak Umno members fast for peace, stability

New Straits Times
05-29-2009
Perak Umno members fast for peace, stability
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Main Section

IPOH: Several thousand Umno members in Perak fasted yesterday with the hope that peace and stability will be restored in the Silver State.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said this was done quietly, unlike the 72-hour hunger strike organised by Pakatan Rakyat.
"We don't go around telling the whole world that thousands (of Umno members) throughout Perak are fasting.

"We pray that peace and stability will be maintained in the state," he said after launching the KPerak Walter Rhodes Global SSO centre here yesterday.

A breaking of fast function, to be attended by some 1,000 guests, will be held at the official residence of the menteri besar.

Zambry, who also fasted, declined to comment on the possibility of Pakatan Rakyat carrying out another hunger strike. "I don't want to be dragged into this or get deviated from my main task of developing the state."

Pakatan Rakyat, led by former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and ousted speaker V. Sivakumar, started the hunger strike on Tuesday. It ended at 8pm yesterday.

Zambry urged all parties to stop harping on political issues and focus on developing the state.

"It's business as usual. Please don't believe what you read on the Internet. Come to Perak and see it (peace and stability) with your own eyes."

(Copyright 2009)

FED: Gillard pledges $2.3 billion for indigenous education

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2008
FED: Gillard pledges $2.3 billion for indigenous education

Acting Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD has pledged to pump 2.3 billion dollars into improving
indigenous education .. saying she's determined to close the gap between indigenous and
non-indigenous students.

Saying she's hit in the guts by the extent of illiteracy among remote students .. Ms
GILLARD promised yesterday to slash red tape .. and allow educators more flexibility to
pursue policies that work .. instead of endless pilot programs that never end up making
a system-wide change.

Ms GILLARD .. who's also Education Minister .. says addressing disadvantage is a higher
priority for the Rudd government than an indigenous bill of rights .. as proposed by Aboriginal
leader PAT DODSON.

She's told The Australian newspaper the government's total education spending under
Council of Australian Governments reforms .. the recent schools assistance legislation
.. and other indigenous measures .. will top 2.3 billion dollars over the next four years.

AAP RTV ao/psm/

KEYWORD: INDIGENOUS GILLARD (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: Man jailed for posing as police and menacing elderly woman

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2008
NSW: Man jailed for posing as police and menacing elderly woman

A Sydney private eye who posed as a federal police agent .. and sent a 77-year-old
woman a menacing letter .. has been jailed for 12 months.

Magistrate PAT O'SHANE has ruled that BRETT SUTCLIFFE will be eligible for release
after nine months .. and must then enter into a 12-month .. five thousand dollar .. good
behaviour bond.

The magistrate also imposed a five thousand dollar fine on SUTCLIFFE .. a former director
of private investigation firm Spousebusters.

He pleaded guilty to impersonating a Commonwealth public official and using the postal
service to menace the elderly woman .. who challenged him for parking in a disabled parking
zone near her North Bondi home last July.

SUTCLIFFE sent the woman a letter .. purportedly on Federal Police letterhead .. warning
she had wrongly interfered with an AFP investigation.

Ms O'SHANE says the letter involved significant intimidation of an elderly woman.

AAP RTV mss/ad/hn/crh/ibw

KEYWORD: SUTCLIFFE (SYDNEY)

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

FED: 2020 participant should stand aside: Greens

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2008
FED: 2020 participant should stand aside: Greens

EDS: Takes in story key KONS



CANBERRA, April 12 AAP - The Australian Greens have called on Linda Hornsey to step
down from her role in the 2020 summit after allegations she may have helped thwart the
appointment of a Tasmanian magistrate.

The Greens allege Ms Hornsey, as Tasmanian Premier John Lennon's department chief,
may have interfered to block Simon Cooper's appointment as a magistrate last year because
he criticised timber company Gunns Ltd.

The accusations come after a shredded document that recommended the appointment of
Mr Cooper - the former Resource Planning and Development Commissioner - became public
last week.

The letter was initially found in a rubbish bin outside former deputy premier Steve
Kons' office last year.

Mr Kons resigned after the letter showed he misled parliament when he previously denied
he had recommended the appointment.

Greens leader Bob Brown said the matter was serious and it was not appropriate for
Ms Hornsey to preside as secretariat of the 2020 process while the matter was being investigated.

"I think that she should stand aside so the obvious goodwill and good process that's
required for 2020 to succeed is completely separated from these events occurring in Tasmania,"

Senator Brown said.

AAP sld/jec/cdh

KEYWORD: HORNSEY (TAKES IN KONS)

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

Vic: Four dead in fiery freeway crash = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2007
Vic: Four dead in fiery freeway crash = 2

Earlier this afternoon, two men died in separate accidents within less than 30 minutes
on country Victorian roads.

A man, 41, was crushed when a branch fell on his car while he was driving on Watt Road,
Mooroopna, near Shepparton, 180km north of Melbourne, at around 5pm (AEDT) today.

"A large tree branch fell on the front of the car, on the windscreen and roof area,
and he was crushed inside," Senior Constable Stone said.

An off-duty ambulance officer, who had been driving behind the man when the incident
occurred, treated him at the scene before an ambulance crew arrived, she said.

The victim died at the scene.

Meanwhile, a motorcyclist died after he failed to negotiate a bend on Westernport Road
at Lang Lang, 85km south-east of Melbourne, at around 4.30pm (AEDT) today, Senior Constable
Stone said.

The victim, a Lang Lang man in his 30s, died at the scene, she said.

AAP jrd/sjk/mn

KEYWORD: TOLL VIC WESTGATE LEAD 2 MELBOURNE

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

Fed: Hockey says Labor IR plan hands power to unions

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2007
Fed: Hockey says Labor IR plan hands power to unions

Workplace relations Minister JOE HOCKEY .. says Labor's workplace relations plan will
hand union bosses unprecedented power.

He says KEVIN RUDD's sold out employees .. employers and the national economic interest
.. in order to buy peace with the unions .. in the leadup to Labor's national conference
this weekend.

Mr RUDD pledged last night a future Labor government would create a giant new one-stop
industrial relations shop .. dropping its support for the Australian Industrial Relations
Commission.

Mr HOCKEY says Fair Work Australia is a nice name .. but its creation means 100 million
dollars worth of political payback .. that gives the union bosses exactly what they want.

AAP RTV mb/af/rt

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE HOCKEY (CANBERRA)

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

NSW: Woman found dead in car crash on M5

AAP General News (Australia)
12-26-2006
NSW: Woman found dead in car crash on M5

A fatal accident on the M5 in Sydney's south-west this morning has claimed the life
of a woman and closed southbound traffic.

A police spokesman says they were called to the scene .. at Moorebank .. about one
kilometre south of the M5 toll booths .. around 3.15am (AEDT) by another motorist .. who
discovered a badly damaged sedan across two lanes of the motorway.

They discovered a woman suffering head injuries a short distance away .. but ambulance
officers were unable to resuscitate her.

Her death brings the state's holiday road toll to eight and the national toll to 23.

Police are appealing for witnesses .. or anyone who was travelling along the M5 between
2.45 and 3.15 this morning .. to contact Crime Stoppers.

A crime scene has been established and inquiries into the incident are underway by
officers from the Liverpool Local Area Command and the Metropolitan Crash Investigation
Unit.

The spokesman says all lanes are blocked southbound on the M5 between Henry Lawson
Drive and Heathcote Road while inquiries are carried out.

Diversions are in place and motorists are urged to avoid the area.

AAP RTV psm/

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Macfarlane faces rate questions at last committee hearing

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2006
Fed: Macfarlane faces rate questions at last committee hearing

The recent interest rate rises will be high on the agenda when outgoing Reserve Bank
governor IAN MACFARLANE faces his last parliamentary grilling today.

The governor will retire next month after a decade in the top position with his deputy
.. GLENN STEVENS .. replacing him.

It's the first time Mr MACFARLANE has faced the committee .. since rates rose to six per cent.

AAP RTV sw/sb/es/wf/psm/

KEYWORD: RBA (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Reformer wants commonwealth to take over health funding

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2006
Fed: Reformer wants commonwealth to take over health funding

By Paul Osborne

CANBERRA, April 11 AAP - A key government adviser has reignited debate over a commonwealth
takeover of health funding from the states.

Former head of the federal health department Andrew Podger, who was chosen by Prime
Minister John Howard after the 2004 election to examine options for reform, told a forum
today he remained convinced the system would be better under a single funding system.

Mr Podger said such a move would take up to five years and would be risky and costly
initially, but the benefits outweighed those factors.

"Just doing it isn't going to give certainty that the whole system is going to be a
lot better," Mr Podger told a Melbourne Institute function in Canberra today.

"To be a lot better, you are going to have to do a number of things associated with
the commonwealth being a single funder.

"In particular, we are going to need to do better in primary care, we are going to
have to do something about the relationship between aged care and hospital care.

"We are going to have to set up system of regional budgeting, which is a key area for
trying to get better financial incentives and better purchasing arrangements at that level
and better information systems to support it.

"But I still think, very firmly, that that system could achieve a lot more in terms
of gains than any other way of proceeding."

Health Minister Tony Abbott canvassed the idea of a commonwealth takeover of hospitals
before the last federal election but eventually cooled on the idea.

Mr Podger said one of the key obstacles to changing the system was the need to renegotiate
the GST agreement with the states, which provides $35 billion a year for services such
as hospitals.

About one-third of the funding would need to be returned to the commonwealth.

Under the Podger plan, the commonwealth would provide the funds, set policy and purchase
health services through up to 30 regional bodies nationwide.

Mr Podger said it appeared the federal government was interested in reform, but in
an incremental way, like the mental health package released last week.

Professor Tony Scott, who has studied health-care reforms in Britain, told the forum
a single funder was crucial to reform.

"It helps to coordinate and to generally take the steps necessary to have an efficient
health-care system," he said.

"In terms of implementation in the UK of the reforms that are happening now ... (a
single funder) has really been a crucial factor."

AAP pjo/so/jm/de

KEYWORD: PODGER

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

Main stories in today's 1700 ABC News

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2005
Main stories in today's 1700 ABC News

SYDNEY, Dec 13 AAP - Main stories in today's 1700 ABC news:

- NSW parliament to be recalled on Thursday to pass tough new powers to crack down
on the violence that has hit parts of Sydney's south.

- Four hundred and fifty police to be stationed in Sydney's south tonight in an attempt
to prevent a third night of violence, with police admitting they are facing a new style
of rioting.

- Concerns the riots in Sydney are damaging Australia's reputation overseas.

- Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says there are no implications for Australia
if Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks is granted British citizenship.

- A Sydney court hears that lawyers for James Packer sent a letter to the administrators
of One.Tel seeking to dissuade them from examining the PBL executive chairman.

- Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting says he doesn't see any problem with on-field
banter between players ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Perth on Friday.

AAP dmc/nf

KEYWORD: MONITOR ABC 1700 SYDNEY

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

Fed: New government procurement guidelines

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2004
Fed: New government procurement guidelines

CANBERRA, Dec 7 AAP - The federal government has overhauled its purchasing guidelines
for contract work worth $17 billion a year.

They include the production of annual procurement plans and more open tendering.

The rules have also been changed to meet conditions under Australia's free trade agreement
with the United States, which comes into effect on January 1.

"The (agreement) removes statutory trade barriers allowing Australian suppliers to
bid for the first time for a share of the $200 billion US federal government procurement
market," parliamentary finance secretary Sharman Stone said.

"The guidelines launched today will play a pivotal role in achieving an even more efficient
Australian government procurement market.

"We aim for best value for buyers and suppliers in an efficient and ethical market."

Dr Stone said the new guidelines maintain the government's commitment to small and
medium sized businesses, sourcing at least 10 per cent of purchases from such firms.

They also provided increased open competition for government business opportunities.

"The revised guidelines ... are the key to the door for huge opportunities for suppliers
of everything from computers to cleaning services, from pens to planes," Dr Stone said.

AAP rp/sb/cjh/jlw

KEYWORD: PROCUREMENT

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Treasury

Treasury The UK government department responsible for the country's financial policies and management of the economy. The First Lord of the Treasury is the Prime Minister, but the Treasury is run by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

HFTP Investments and its Investment Manager, Promethean Attempts to Assert Rights in Series A Convertible Stock.

Business/Technology Editors

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 2001

Log On America, Inc. (Nasdaq: LOAX) today announced that one of its preferred shareholders, HFTP Investment, LLC, ("HFTP") has filed an action seeking to compel Log On America, Inc. to redeem its shares of Series A Convertible preferred stock.

Log On America previously sued HFTP and other holders of the company's preferred stock on August 22, 2000 in the Southern District of New York, for violations of Federal securities laws. That action is still pending. HFTP filed its action on June 12, 2001 in the Chancery Court of Delaware. The suit, filed nearly 10 months after the action commenced by Log On America, seeks to enforce HFTP's redemption demand for its preferred shares and payment of $5,852,775.

Log On America strenuously disputes HFTP's claims and will continue to prosecute its New York action against HFTP and will vigorously defend the suit filed in Delaware on the grounds that the claims asserted in the Delaware action are already the subject of the New York court proceedings.

About Log On America

Log On America is a solutions-centric Integrated Network Services Provider (INSP), offering digital IP transport and integrated network solutions to businesses throughout New England. Log On America's core products include IT/Telecom/PBX managed services, high-speed Internet access, web and data hosting, security management application services, any distance dial-tone and call management features utilizing a wide range of system integration, broadband access, ASP technologies and partnerships.

Forward-looking Statements

Statements made in this news release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the business and products of the company. Actual results may differ materially depending on a number of risk factors including, but not limited to, the following: general economic and business conditions, development, shipment, market acceptance, and additional competition from existing and new competitors, changes in technology, and various other factors beyond our control. Other risks inherent in the business of the company are described in Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the company's most recently filed forms 10KSB and 10QSB. The company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C. Files Securities Fraud Class Action Against Harmonic, Inc.

SEATTLE, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ --

The law firm of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C., has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of its client and all persons who purchased the common stock of Harmonic Inc. ("Harmonic") (Nasdaq: HLIT) during the period between March 27, 2000 and June 26, 2000 (the "Class Period").

The complaint charges Harmonic and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Harmonic designs, manufactures and markets digital and fiber optic systems for delivering video, voice and data services over cable, satellite, telephone and wireless networks. The company's solutions enable cable television and other network operators to provide a range of broadcast and interactive broadband services that include high-speed Internet access, telephony and video on demand. The complaint alleges that defendants' false and misleading statements concerning the revenues to be derived from Harmonic's largest customer, AT&T, and from its newly acquired C-Cube division (DiviCom), which would result in 2000 EPS of $1.19+, artificially inflated the price of Harmonic stock to a Class Period high of $102. This upsurge in Harmonic's stock caused by defendants' false and misleading statements enabled Harmonic to complete the $1.7 billion acquisition of the C-Cube's DiviCom business. After the acquisition was completed, on 6/26/00, Harmonic revealed that it was in fact suffering a huge drop in revenues and exposed the problems Harmonic had been experiencing during the Class Period in attempting to grow its business. This announcement caused its stock price to drop to as low as $22-11/16 on record volume of 21.9 million shares on 6/27/00 causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to members of the Class.

Persons who are members of the Class described above have sixty days from June 28, 2000 to move the court if they desire to serve as lead plaintiffs in the case. In order to serve as a lead plaintiff, you must meet certain legal requirements.

Counsel for the plaintiff is the law firm of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C. (www.cmht.com). Cohen, Milstein has significant experience in prosecuting investor class actions and actions involving financial fraud, and has offices in Seattle, Washington, and Washington D.C. The firm's reputation for excellence has been recognized on repeated occasions by courts which have appointed the firm to lead positions in complex multi-district or consolidated litigation, including numerous important cases on behalf of defrauded investors.

If you have questions concerning serving as a lead plaintiff, the case or your rights, you should contact any of the following: Steven J. Toll (stoll@cmht.com), or Clarence D. Williams (cwilliams@cmht.com) of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C., 999 Third Avenue, Suite 3600, Seattle, Washington 98104. Telephone, 888-240-1238 or 206-521-0080.

GlobalMedia's Managing Director Selected as a Winner of Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year Award.

Joel E. Barthelemy, Managing Director and Founder of GlobalMedia Group, has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of the Year 2011 in the Mountain Desert region that includes Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

According to a release, Barthelemy is now a finalist for the National Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Venture Capital Award of Excellence that will be announced at a November 12th event hosted by Jay Leno in Palm Springs. The overall national winner competes for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2012. The Mountain Desert regional honor includes lifetime membership in the Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame.

Ernst & Young reported that the awards are presented to entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Barthelemy started GlobalMedia as an Internet video camera company. Feedback from physicians led to the design of video products for telemedicine, including the TotalExam Examination Camera, the i8500 Series Mobile Video Cart, and CapSure Image Automation Software. Barthelemy credits listening and responding to customer need for the company's success.

More Information:

www.globalmedia.com

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

QlikTech CEO Lars Bjork Invited to Speak at e-G8 Forum.

QlikTech (Nasdaq: QLIK) a leader in Business Discovery - user-driven Business Intelligence, announced its CEO Lars Bjork will be a speaker at the e-G8 Forum, launched by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, this week in Paris. The e-G8 forum organizes multiple conferences and discussions, so that for the first time, voices of companies, thinkers and major players who build the Internet will be heard at the highest levels of world politics. The e-G8 Forum is a platform of expression, in which all the major actors of the Internet will be able to debate, thereby enriching the discussions of the Heads of State and Government who will subsequently meet in Deauville to examine these issues. It aims to enlighten and to nourish the discussions of the Heads of State and Government of G8 nations with the vision of the web actors regarding the Internet's importance and impact on society and the economy.

Prominent Internet leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg, Eric Schmidt and Jeffrey Bezos, will attend the Forum, taking place in Paris on May 24 and 25, 2011. Topics discussed include the mobile web revolution, the future of e-commerce, and the paradigm-shifting technologies that will create the Internet of tomorrow. Numerous workshop sessions will concentrate on start-ups; the Internet's impact on the press; sharing value; e-governance; and mobility. For its reputation as a disrupter in the technology category of Business Intelligence (BI) Bjork was invited to speak on this moderated panel: The Internet: Accelerating Economic GrowthSession: The DisruptersExtreme InnovationTime: Wednesday May 25 from 15h to 16h (3pm)Room: Workshop Tent #1Moderator: Loic Le Meur/Founder, Seesmic and Le Web About QlikTech QlikTech (NASDAQ: QLIK) is a leader in Business Discovery -- user-driven Business Intelligence (BI). QlikTech's powerful, accessible Business Discovery solution bridges the gap between traditional business intelligence solutions and standalone office productivity applications. Its QlikView Business Discovery platform enables intuitive user-driven analysis that can be implemented in days or weeks rather than months, years, or not at all. The in-memory associative search technology it pioneered allows users to explore information freely rather than being confined to a predefined path of questions. QlikView Business Discovery works with existing BI applications and adds new capabilities: insight for everyone, zero-wait analysis, mobility, an app-like model, remixability and reassembly, and a social and collaborative experience. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, QlikTech has offices around the world serving more than 19,000 customers in over 100 countries.

QlikTech and QlikView are trademarks or registered trademarks of QlikTech International AB. Other company names, product names and company logos mentioned herein are the trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Keywords: Economic Growth, Economics, Government, Politics, QlikTech, Technology.

This article was prepared by Economics Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Economics Week via VerticalNews.com.

Giant leap for internet comes with a fair price.

A world of one-minute film downloads and ``virtual'' trips to the hospital came a step closer yesterday after the builder of New Zealand's ultra-fast broadband network was announced.

Technology experts say the giant leap in internet services will not cost the public any more than current rates.

Telecom won the tender to build the bulk of the fibre-optic system, the opportunities of which are vast according to Science Media Centre manager Peter Griffin.

Ultra-fast broadband promises to bring internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second _ about 20 times faster than those currently available _ to 75 per cent of New Zealanders by 2019. Work on the project will begin immediately and the Government said it would reach 90 per cent of businesses, schools and hospitals by 2015.

Wholesale rates of $37.50 a month for 30 megabits per second and $55 for 100 megabits per second were unveiled yesterday. Households will not be charged connection fees.

Mr Griffin said the amount broadband retailers charged for data would be added onto the wholesale rates.

``Each internet provider will decide what they want to charge but I don't expect it to be very different to what a broadband and phone package costs now,'' he said.

``I don't think the driver of this [scheme] is cheaper broadband _ it's better-quality broadband.''

Scott Bartlett, chief executive of internet service provider Orcon, said in March that users of the new network should expect to pay around $100 a month for faster broadband or $70 for entry level access at 30 megabits per second. Slingshot has said it plans to offer basic phone services and internet access at 30 megabits per second for around $70 a month.

Mr Griffin said other opportunities ultra-fast broadband could provide included remote learning in schools and cloud storage _ a service allowing internet users to store digital content outside their home and have it delivered via the fibre network.

Internet access at 100 megabits per second could download gigabytes of information in minutes.

But IDC telecommunications analyst Rosalie Nelson said the biggest question hanging over the scheme was how great public demand for the network would actually be. The investment was being made ahead of demand, she said, as most New Zealanders did not require such fast internet.

And she said the supercharged network would be of little use in homes if existing technology such as computers and wiring was out of date.

A Telecom survey of 200 Christchurch homes last year found 70 per cent of homeowners could improve their broadband speeds by addressing issues such as wiring.

SEE ALSO Analysts give the thumbs up _ B1

Research Results from Drexel University Update Knowledge of Information Technology.

"The Internet Public Library (IPL), now known as ipl2, was created in 1995 with the mission of serving the public by providing librarian-recommended Internet resources and reference help," investigators in Philadelphia, United States report.

"We present an exploratory case study on public perceptions of an ''Internet public library,'' based on qualitative analysis of interviews with ten college student participants: some current users and others unfamiliar with the IPL. The exploratory interviews revealed some confusion around the IPL's name and the types of resources and services that would be offered," wrote M. Maceli and colleagues, Drexel University.

The researchers concluded: "Made many positive comments about the IPL's resource quality, credibility, and personal help."

Maceli and colleagues published their study in Information Technology and Libraries (The Internet Public Library (IPL): An Exploratory Case Study on User Perceptions. Information Technology and Libraries, 2011;30(1):16-23).

For additional information, contact M. Maceli, Drexel University, College Informat Science & Technology, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.

The publisher of the journal Information Technology and Libraries can be contacted at: American Library Association, 50 E Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

Keywords: City:Philadelphia, State:Pennsylvania, Country:United States, Region:North and Central America, Information Technology.

This article was prepared by Information Technology Newsweekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Information Technology Newsweekly via VerticalNews.com.

HEROES AND MONSTERS GET MODERN MAKEOVERS.(Stars)(Column)

Byline: JEFF KAPALKA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It's official: The Fantastic Four is no more. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, gave his life protecting his friends and family from creatures from the Negative Zone. (No spoilers here: the news has been on the Internet for at least two months.

"FF No. 1,"Marvel Comics; $3.99

And, not to be cynical, we never saw the body. I suspect the Matchstick Kid will return from the Zone, probably within the year.)

Now, the surviving members of the team are figuring out what to do next.

First off, the Torch's position on the team is given to Spider-Man. (That makes two teams that Peter Parker's alter ego is a part of now: The new FF and the Avengers. He used to be such a loner.)

In the new "FF No. 1," replacing "The Fantastic Four" on the schedule, the initials now stand for the Future Foundation, the public face of an organization dedicated to build a better world. (And just wait and see who they recruit for another member at the end of the issue.)

Writer Jonathan Hickman does a fantastic job balancing how the various members of the FF deal with their loss with enough all-out action to satisfy any superhero fan. The artwork of Steve Epting, Rick Maygar and Paul Mounts perfectly captures the emotional and explosive sides of the narrative.

If you have the self control, you can wait for the inevitable hardcover collections. I can't wait to see what happens next.

"Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters,"IDW Publishing; $3.99.

He's back again, for the first time ever.

That sentence needs a bit of explanation.

IDW Publishing has acquired the license to produce new Godzilla comics. What's more, they're the first western company to be allowed to use other kaiju (giant monsters) from the Toho Studios stable (i.e.: Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidora, etc.) To this end, they're rebooting the character for the 21st century.

In "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" No. 1, when the Big G shows up (on Page 3 -- no wasting time here) to begin rampaging through Japan, he is a new force of nature, never before seen by mortal man.

In fact, Godzilla isn't even named in this first issue.

Writers Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh do a great job in delivering a script that reads like a screenplay for an unproduced Godzilla movie. The artwork by Phil Hester and Bruce McCorkindale properly present everyone's favorite radioactive reptile in all of his destructive glory.

If there is any misstep in the project, it's the timing. With Japan currently contending with a real-life nuclear nightmare, it may seem a bit insensitive to portray panic and destruction in a fantasy setting. It should be pointed out that the current series was announced months ago.

But just as the original 1954 "Godzilla" was a symbolic manifestation of fear of the atomic bomb, "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" could be looked at as a metaphor of nuclear power out of control. In the comic, the problem should be at least contained, if not controlled. Hopefully that'll be the case in real life as well.

Jeff Kapalka, of Utica, reviews video games and comics for Stars. Write to him at features@syracuse.com or c/o Stars, P.O. Box 4915, Syracuse, NY 13221.

Automotive Dealers Learn How to Set up for Strong Gross Profits Without 'Racing to the Bottom' on Price.

FirstLook Executives to lead workshop sessions and serve as key panelists at Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando

CHICAGO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- With 88% of consumers going to the internet before buying a car and 54% using the internet to pick a dealership, a dealership's success in pre-owned is won and lost online. Executives at FirstLook, the pioneer in automotive retail performance solutions, will be on hand at the Digital Dealer Conference and Expo in Orlando, Fla., to illustrate how Consumer Optimization Techniques can be the key to success for automotive dealers in their online vehicle advertising. Presentations will include:

* Wednesday, April 21, 9:00 a.m., General Session: Pat Ryan Jr., FirstLook's founder and CEO, will serve as a panelist during the General Session titled: "The Price is Right: Strategies and tools to align your pricing with the market." Moderated by Jack Simmons of cars.com, the panel will examine how pricing strategy drives the visibility of dealer inventory and can help dealers win more than their fair share of the deals.

* Wednesday, April 21, 2:30 p.m., workshop #217: Pat Ryan will lead a workshop titled "If they don't buy your ad, they won't buy your car," which will the reveal to dealers how the secrets of Google's success can enable dealers to accelerate their online advertising, driving up click through and traffic from the internet without having to give away the potential for profit.

* Tuesday, April 20, 2:00 p.m., workshop #104: David Nelson, senior vice president and general manager for FirstLook's Elite Operations Division, will present "Don't Let Price-based Selling Turn your Cars into Commodities: Drive volume with strong profit through value-based selling." This workshop will show dealers how replacing price-based selling with value-based selling can enable your dealership to drive strong volumes with strong profits.

More than 60 exhibitors and 600 attendees are expected for this year's Digital Dealer Conference to be held April 20-22 in Orlando, Florida.

For more information contact FirstLook at 800-730-5665.

About FirstLook

FirstLook, by INCISENT Technologies, is the pioneer in Automotive Retail Performance Solutions providing world class Inventory Management, Inventory Marketing and Inventory Sales Solutions to the automotive industry. FirstLook's leading-edge software solutions and consulting services have enabled more than 2000 franchises to become better operators and retailers by helping them stock more of the right cars, drive more traffic from the internet, close more appraisals and sell more cars - more profitably.

Digital Dealer Booth #745

Media Contact:

Amy Smolensky

(312) 485-0053

Press@FirstLook.biz

SOURCE INCISENT Technologies

TELECOMMUNICATIONS : EU TO COORDINATE USE OF DIGITAL DIVIDEND'.

The European Commission and the 27 national radio frequency regulators in the EU, meeting in the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG), are moving forward together on the development of a European digital dividend' policy. The goal is to use the frequencies freed up by the switchover from analogue to digital TV, in principle from 2012 throughout the EU, for other technologies, in particular mobile high-speed internet.

"We will propose a recommendation next autumn with common guidelines on how the switchover has to take place by 2012 in the 27 member states," said Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding, on 7 April in Brussels.

The freeing-up of these broadcasting frequencies sought by the Commission has already sparked an outcry by TV broadcasters (especially public) in the context of the revision under way on EU telecoms rules (telecoms package). The broadcasters want to keep them to develop high-definition services, which require a lot of frequencies. Some member states, eg Italy, are reluctant to engage in a European debate on the digital dividend. However, the telecoms package, expected to be concluded in 2010, will push it into the European realm with the collaboration of the European Parliament.

If the states fail to coordinate on use of the dividend, there is a danger of creating interference. "The spectrum knows no borders. Imagine the disaster if in one country the digital dividend is set aside for a given use, while in another it is reserved for a different use and a third country declares that it has no digital dividend. This would result in fragmentation and chaos," warned the commissioner.

The Commission promises "an economic potential of 150 to 200 billion". "This is not about finding a common solution for all, but about the member states going in the same direction and this taking place in a coordinated way," concluded the commissioner.

The RSPG must issue a unanimous opinion, on 13 May. "We are in the process of identifying the band that could potentially be freed up for other uses. It will probably be the highest part of the band, 790-862 MHz," explained Daniel Pataki, current chairman of the RSPG. In this procedure, the principles of technological neutrality (no given technology) and service neutrality (all services) should be maintained, he added.

The Commission will submit a draft recommendation for public consultation in July.

The international association of mobile operators (GSMA) has requested 100 megahertz for services other than television, notably wireless high-speed internet. The national regulators are expected to aim a bit lower for the EU, around 72 megahertz.

2008 Asia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in Indonesia and Timor Leste Provides a Comprehensive Overview of the Trends and Developments in These Markets.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5047cd/2008_asia_teleco) has announced the addition of the "2008 Asia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in Indonesia and Timor Leste" report to their offering.

This 14th edition provides a comprehensive overview of the trends and developments in the telecommunications markets in Indonesia and Timor Leste.

Subjects covered include:

- Key Statistics;

- Market and Industry Overviews;

- Regulatory Environment;

- Major Players (fixed and mobile);

- Infrastructure;

- Mobile Voice and Data Markets;

- Internet, including VoIP;

- Broadband (DSL, cable modem, wireless).

Executive Summary:

Indonesia:

Indonesia continues to see its telecommunications sector grow, despite the occasional setback. The country of around 250 million people is obviously a huge potential market; however, it has some particularly big challenges to confront in building the necessary telecommunications infrastructure to cover a uniquely complex geography. At the same time, the nation has had to deal with a range of social, political and economic issues that have been proving problematic.

The government has been gradually reshaping the telecom industry, a process that took on a new impetus following the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s. In more recent times, Indonesia has been experiencing healthy sustained growth in subscriber numbers and revenues. While fixed-line teledensity remains disconcertingly low (just over 8% in early 2008), the advent of fixed wireless services has boosted the growth rate in the last few years and provided much-needed basic telephone services to previously unserved communities. The roll-out of fixed wireless infrastructure has been well supported by the operators with Bakrie Telecom and PT Telkom leading the way. Although the statistics were somewhat imprecise, by end-2007 fixed wireless services made up about half the total fixed-line subscriber base.

In the meantime, Indonesia's mobile market continues to grow, expanding at an annual rate of close to 50%. By early 2008 the total mobile subscriber base had passed 90 million, up from 12 million just six years earlier. While the country's mobile penetration was suddenly approaching 40%, the industry view was that there was still considerable potential for further growth in the market. It was expected that the milestone of 120 million mobile subscribers would be reached by end-2008. At the same time market interest started to focus on the 3G services already being offered by five operators. Telkomsel was indeed making its presence felt in the market, claiming about 80% of the five million 3G subscribers at end-2007.

Timor Leste (formerly East Timor):

The political instability and outbreaks of civil unrest that erupted in Timor Leste in April/May 2006 continued into the first half of 2007. Despite the election of a new government led by Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos Horta in May/June 2007 opposition to the administration caused further outbreaks of violence and looting. To the outside observer, the country appeared to have started reasonably well in rebuilding its entire infrastructure following the turbulence that ensued after the referendum of 1999. However, the events of 2006/07 caused major concerns about the direction of the Timor Leste; it remained difficult to assess the long term impact of these events on the country's fragile economy and the process of infrastructure building.

Then, in February 2008 President Ramos Horta was shot and severely wounded in an attack led by rebel Alfredo Reinado (who was allegedly involved in the unrest of April/May 2006). A short time later a convoy including Prime Minister Gusmao was fired upon. The Prime Minister was uninjured. Responding to the attacks, the government declared a state of emergency. President Ramos-Horta returned in April 2008, after receiving medical treatment in Australia. The state of emergency ended in May 2008, following the surrender of most of the rebels.

Note: Coverage provided of Timor Leste's telecoms market is relatively limited due to its early development stage.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Indonesia

2. Timor Leste

3. Glossary of Abbreviations

List of Tables

List of Exhibits

Companies Mentioned:

- PT Telkom Indonesia

- PT Indonesian Satellite Corporation (Indosat)

- PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia (SATELINDO)

- PT Bakrie Telecom

- First Media

- TelkomNet

- United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)

- Autoridade Reguladora das Comunica[?]oes (ARCOM)

- Telstra

- Timor Telecom

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5047cd/2008_asia_teleco

Option, Intel collaborating on device [Option NV].

Byline: Option NV

Edited Press Release

Belgian wireless technology company Option NV (OPTI.BT) Thursday said it's collaborating with chip-maker Intel Corp.(INTC) to improve mobile Internet devices.

Mobile Internet devices are a new category of truly mobile consumer devices that deliver full Internet experience on the go. These products rely on ubiquitous wireless connectivity and anytime internet access to deliver range of uses around communication, entertainment and information.

Option will deliver WWAN modules that meet the power, size and performance characteristics needed for mobile Internet devices in 2008. Two modules are currently in development and will be optimized for these devices based on Intel's low-power processors and chipsets.

The GTM 201 EDGE module, which will be attractive to major growth markets such as China, Latin America and Southern Africa, and the HSPA module, GTM501 are planned for the first half of 2008. Delivered in an LGA package measuring just 25 x 30 x 2.5 mm, the devices are respectively the world's smallest EDGE and HSPA WWAN modules.

Company Web site: www.option.com

REPORT ON COUNTY BUDGET MAY BE MOUSE CLICK AWAY.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON Staff writer

County Democrats and Republicans are jointly sponsoring a move to post a report on the proposed 2001 Rensselaer County budget on the Legislature's Web site.

Chairman of the Legislature Neil J. Kelleher, R-Lansingburgh, and Bill Dedrick, D-North Greenbush, said last week they're working together on the measure to help better inform residents about how the county spending plan is put together.

The report, compiled annually by the county auditor's office to assist legislators in reviewing the proposed plan, will go online in early November as soon as it is completed.

It will contain information and analyses on the proposed county budget, along with comparative figures, they said.

``Our aim is to keep residents informed and involved in the development of the 2001 county budget,'' Kelleher said. ``They can now review the budget from the comfort of their own home and office.

``This is a great way to use new technology to inform the public about how their tax dollars are being spent,'' added Dedrick, who has long advocated for budget information to be posted on the Internet.

Residents are also being encouraged to e-mail or write to legislators with their comments.

``Rensselaer County residents will have more opportunities and more avenues to review and comment on the proposed county budget,'' Kelleher said. ``We encourage them to let their feelings be known. The more comment, the better.''

Rensselaer County Executive Henry Zwack also said last week he will post the tentative 2001 budget on the county's Web site as soon as it is completed.

Zwack's budget is due Oct. 20.

Two subsequent public hearings are set for Thursday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 5:30 p.m. in the Legislative Chamber, located in the County Office Building at 1600 Seventh Avenue in downtown Troy.

The Legislature will also hold a special meeting Monday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. to adopt the budget and on Dec. 20, also at 6 p.m., legislators will discuss changes to the current 2000 budget as well as for the 2001 plan.

The auditor's report will be posted this week on http://www.rensselaercounty.org. The county's Web site is located at http://www.rensco.com.

Fincentric's Wealthview Banking System live at Terrace & District Credit Union.

M2 PRESSWIRE-30 September 2004-Fincentric Corporation: Fincentric's Wealthview Banking System live at Terrace & District Credit Union(C)1994-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:09292004

Vancouver, BC - Fincentric Corporation, a leading global provider of core retail banking software to financial institutions, announced that Terrace & District Credit Union has successfully converted and is running live on its new system, Wealthview Banking(tm).

Fincentric's member-centric banking system provides Terrace & District Credit Union with enhanced depth of functionality for its competitive deposits, lending, insurance and investment products, financial planning, business banking, and online banking.

Prior to converting to Wealthview Banking, Terrace & District Credit Union was running a data processing system that was cumbersome to use and difficult to retrieve customer data. "Wealthview Banking is a world of difference compared with the previous system we had in place. It not only gives us the unprecedented ability to view each member's complete financial picture on a single screen for enhanced front-line services but we're also seeing improvements in reporting on the back-end and reduced data processing costs," said Valerie Gauvin, General Manager of Terrace & District Credit Union.

Terrace & District Credit Union, located in Terrace, British Columbia, is at the geographic centre of Northwest B.C., which includes the communities of Kitimat, Prince Rupert and Stewart. Founded in 1945, the credit union today manages $60M in assets and has over 4,500 members. "We are a community-based financial co-operative, committed to meeting the needs of our members by providing the highest quality financial services," added Gauvin. "With Wealthview Banking, we can maintain our quality of service while operating efficiently."

Wealthview Banking is a complete core retail banking system for credit unions. It offers comprehensive applications for deposits, payments, and consumer lending with real-time transaction processing and integration across multiple delivery channels, including branch, ATM, telephone, and Internet banking. With Wealthview Banking, credit unions can analyze the value of each member and deliver service levels aimed to increase member retention.

Terrace & District Credit Union selected Fincentric by working through CU Technical and Administrative Services Corp. (CUTASC), a facilities manager and IT systems integrator, owned by Evergreen Savings Credit Union and Northern Savings Credit Union. "CUTASC's objective is to provide credit unions with timely access to technology best practices and tools," said Wilf Rimmer, CUTASC's CEO. "We selected Fincentric because they are a forward-thinking company; they understand the direction of domestic and global financial services and have a track record of successful software innovation."

Alice Laberge, Fincentric's president and chief executive officer commented, "Having been selected by CUTASC and Terrace & District Credit Union confirms our credentials in the credit union marketplace. We're proud to be engaged with CUTASC and look forward to a long, strategic relationship. With 20 years of technology expertise, we continue to realize our vision of providing software solutions that help credit unions grow the value of their members."

About Fincentric

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Fincentric is a leading provider of core retail banking and customer value management software to the global financial services industry. Fincentric's WealthviewTM family of integrated, customizable solutions provides a single consolidated view of the customer-enabling financial institutions to leverage customer knowledge to deliver personalized service and product offers, and develop profitable customer relationships. Fincentric has strategic alliances with Microsoft, Intel, HP, and other international partners and supports financial institutions in over 25 countries. For more information, call 604.278.6470 or visit www.fincentric.com

CONTACT: Shella EvangelistaTel: +1 604 214 5710e-mail: sevangelista@fincentric.com

((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data prepared by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

Loan can cut card bill costs.

Byline: LIZ PHILLIPS

AFTER the temptations of the January sales and the jingling of tills over Christmas, the reality of having run up huge debts is hitting home.

We are expected to have spent [pounds sterling]90 billion on credit cards in December alone.

Debt advice charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) said there was a 25pc surge in the number of calls for advice in the first fortnight of 2004 compared with the same period last year.

One way to handle debt is to move expensive loans to a lowrate personal loan. The interest rate is fixed at the outset and, unlike credit cards, you have to pay a set amount each month to clear the debt in full over the time of the loan.

Frances Walker of CCCS says: 'Consolidating debts on to a personal loan can be a good way to handle them - you have the discipline of clearing the debt in full, provided you avoid running up more debt on your cards.' But she warns against using consolidation loan companies, which turn an unsecured loan into a loan secured on your home.

'Often these companies are not concerned about your ability to repay. All they care about is the amount of equity you have in your property and lend close to that amount,' she says.

Unsecured personal loans, which won't put your home at risk, are available from all major banks and building societies, with interest rates from around 6pc for [pounds sterling]5,000. But four out of five lenders charge penalties for repaying the loan early.

Since 70 pc of borrowers clear loans early, this amounts to [pounds sterling]332 million paid in penalties in 2002, according to internet bank Egg. Barclays, Egg, Goldfish and Virgin are among those that don't charge redemption penalties and calculate the interest daily.

Early repayment penalties are typically two months' interest.

But the Department of Trade and Industry is putting a stop to this practice when it amends the Consumer Credit Act.

Redemption penalties will be capped at one month. However, lenders can still get around this by putting off your settlement date by 28 days, thus still charging you two months' interest.

An arcane method of charging interest called Rule of 78 will be abolished retrospectively. Rule of 78 means you pay off most of the interest first before you start repaying the loan.

If you have a good credit rating, cahoot, Goldfish and Leeds & Holbeck are among the cheapest, according to data compiler Moneyfacts, with loans costing 5.9 pc and 6.2 pc respectively.

But cahoot levies penalties. Its loan costs [pounds sterling]151.88 a month for [pounds sterling]5,000 borrowed over three years.

The total interest charge is [pounds sterling]468.

Other penalty free lenders are Goldfish and Leeds & Holbeck at 6.2 pc, costing [pounds sterling]152.56 a month ([pounds sterling]492 interest), Northern Rock charges 6.3 pc, costing [pounds sterling]152.79 ([pounds sterling]500 interest) and Nationwide's rate is 6.7 pc, costing [pounds sterling]153.70 ([pounds sterling]533 interest).

l.phillips@dailymail.co.uk

FILM producer Sacha Van Spall, 34 (pictured with friend Suzanne Bettley), has taken out one loan to pay off all his debts on two credit cards and two other loans.

He's borrowed [pounds sterling]15,000 over five years at an interest rate of 7.9 pc from Virgin Loans. It costs him [pounds sterling]300 a month.

Previously his two personal loans - one from the Co-operative Bank and the other also from Virgin - cost him [pounds sterling]375.

Sacha, from north London, says: 'If you include the credit card repayments, I'm saving myself even more. I probably spent about [pounds sterling]1,000 over Christmas.

Now I'm being more careful and cutting back until I've got my debts down a bit.

'And if I can repay the loan early, I won't have to pay any penalties.'

McCain and Palin castigate the earmarks she seeks

Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, equated lawmakers' requests for funding for special projects with corruption on Wednesday even though Palin herself has requested nearly $200 million in so-called "earmarks" this year.

Campaigning in Virginia, McCain suggested earmarks are particularly shameful at a time when families are struggling with rising food, gas and home mortgage costs. He vowed again to veto any bill that contains such funding.

"I got an old ink pen, my friends, and the first pork barrel-laden earmark, big-spending bill that comes across my desk, I will veto it. You will know their names. I will make them famous and we'll stop this corruption," McCain said during a rally at a park in suburban Washington, D.C.

Palin has sought $197 million worth of earmarks for 2009, down about 25 percent from the $256 million she sought in the 2008 budget year. As mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska, she hired a lobbyist to seek federal money for special projects. Wasilla obtained 14 earmarks, totaling $27 million, between 2000-2003, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year. The Illinois senator sought $311 million in such funding last year. McCain, an Arizona senator, doesn't seek earmarks for his state.

Undaunted by his running mate's ties to earmarks, McCain said: "I've fought corruption, and it didn't matter if it was Democrats or Republican, and so has Sarah Palin."

Palin said she has "championed earmark reform" as governor and "reformed the abuses of earmarks in our state." Now, she said, she is ready to join McCain in Washington "so we can end the corrupt practice of abusive earmarks after all."

The practice of earmarking _ lawmakers inserting special requests for money for home-state projects in spending bills _ is a longtime anti-Washington bugaboo for politicians running for office. Many find that, once in office, requests from constituents for help on a particular project is too tough to resist and support bringing that kind of money home to their states and districts.

"John McCain's idea of changing Washington is a vice-presidential candidate who, as governor, requested more pork per person than any other state in the country," said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Still, McCain and Palin's attack on earmarks in the face of those she has requested joins other statements by the vice presidential nominee that have been widely debunked:

_Palin routinely claims to have put an end to Alaska's infamous "bridge to nowhere," even though she supported the project during her gubernatorial campaign and turned against it only when it became a national embarrassment and Congress threatened to cut its funding.

_Palin has claimed that she put the governor's jet on the Internet auction site eBay, and McCain has said it was sold at a profit. However, the jet was never sold via eBay.

_Palin says she eliminated the governor's chef from the state budget, yet she gave the person another job in state government.

McCain aides said Thursday's event attracted the biggest non-convention crowd of his campaign, with local officials reporting an estimated 23,000 at the event. People filled the grass and hillsides to make a sea of red, as the state GOP exhorted everyone coming to wear the hue in a sign of support for the party, and they often drowned out the candidates' words with chanting.

Judging by shouts from the crowd, the enthusiasm seemed driven primarily by the presence of Palin. She has electrified both McCain's campaign and the party since he announced her as his running mate almost two weeks ago.

The reaction was significantly different in Philadelphia.

McCain made a solo trip for a roundtable discussion with half a dozen female business leaders at the Down Home Diner. The appearance, inside a bustling indoor downtown marketplace, formed a sharp contrast with the earlier joint show, as the arrival of both McCain's bus outside and him inside was greeted by loud Obama crowds.

The Republican could barely be heard over the Obama cheers by the women he met, or by reporters when McCain made a statement after.

"Pennsylvania is a battleground state, as we can tell," he said with a small smile.

___

On the Net:

McCain campaign: http://www.johnmccain.com/

Obama campaign: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

SUITORS FROM OTB SWEETEN POT TO LURE SUPPORT; ONONDAGA COUNTY REMAINS A HOLDOUT, BUT A PROMISE OF $1 MILLION IN REVENUES, PLUS CASH FOR SYRACUSE, COULD EVENTUALLY SWAY OPINIONS.(News)

Byline: Rick Moriarty Staff writer

Supporters of off-track betting are marshaling their forces and lobbying Onondaga County lawmakers, desperate for new sources of revenue, to reconsider their long-held opposition to gambling parlors.

Schenectady-based Capital District Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. and Pomona-based Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. were calling on county legislators last week.

Both organizations say Onondaga County government could count on receiving at least $1 million in annual revenue as its share of the money dropped by gamblers if off-track horse racing parlors are allowed in the county.

With property taxes rising, state and federal aid shrinking and the county likely to face a budget deficit of about $40 million next year, OTB might come up for a vote - possibly as early as today.

"I think it has a chance to pass," said John Signor, president and CEO of Capital OTB. "What we offer is the right thing - revenues for the county."

Onondaga County lawmakers have rejected proposals for off-track betting several times, going back more than 20 years. The last time was in June, when they voted 13-5 against asking the state Legislature to allow Capital OTB to operate here.

Onondaga is one of 13 counties in the state without a horse-betting parlor.

Legislature Chairman James Rhinehart, who favors allowing off-track betting, said no vote is on the agenda for today's 2:30 p.m. Legislature meeting. But he said discussions are taking place, and it's possible the issue will find its way onto the agenda - today or at another meeting.

Rhinehart, R-Skaneateles, thought he had the necessary 10 votes in the 19-member Legislature to approve Capital OTB's proposal in June. But pressure from gambling opponents caused some lawmakers to pull away at the last minute, he said.

"We were close," he said. "If it comes to me again and the votes are there, I'm going to put it on."

Rhinehart said he believes seven Republicans would vote for it. That means the proposal would need the votes of three of the seven Democrats to pass.

Proponents had hoped that Legislator William Kinne, D-Syracuse, would call for a new vote and support OTB. Kinne was absent at the June meeting because of illness.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner was among those asking Kinne to support OTB. But on Monday, Kinne said he will oppose it if there is a vote.

Kinne said an informal survey he conducted last week drew about 75 responses from city residents. Most favored OTB but were not enthusiastic about it, and only one person liked the idea of a downtown betting parlor, he said. Many people were uncomfortable with the idea of "making money off people who can least afford it," he said.

If approved by the Legislature, Capital OTB plans to open an upscale "teletheater" in Syracuse, possibly downtown, Signor said. It would come with a restaurant and flat-screen televisions for watching horse races. In addition, the corporation would open one or two smaller betting parlors elsewhere in the county, he said.

In hopes of winning more support from lawmakers from the city, Capital OTB officials have been playing up the host fee Syracuse would receive if a betting parlor is located within its borders. Signor said the fee would be about $250,000, or 1 percent of the estimated $25 million a year that gamblers could be expected to drop at a parlor in Syracuse.

As a sweetener, the corporation has offered to donate $125,000 annually for at least three years to Syracuse's Say Yes to Education, a college tuition assistance program for city high school graduates.

Miner said she suggested the organization offer the donation. After it agreed in writing to do so, she started contacting fellow Democrats in the Legislature to seek their support for Capital's offer.

Miner said she is not a fan of gambling but believes the city should benefit from it since Onondaga County residents gamble at OTB parlors in surrounding counties.

"If people are going to use them, which they clearly are, I think the city should get its share of the dollars," she said.

After news of Capital OTB's efforts leaked out, Catskill OTB launched its own campaign, with former state Sen. Tarky Lombardi Jr. lobbying lawmakers.

Lombardi said Monday that county budget challenges and changes in the gambling industry could improve the odds of getting off-track betting into Onondaga County.

"The whole dynamics of gaming have changed," he said. "You've got lotteries, casinos, racinos. Originally, OTB was kept out because people didn't want to encourage gambling. Right now, you can sit in your living room and bet on horse racing through the Internet. OTB would just bring some of that money into Onondaga County."

Catskill OTB President Donald Groth said the organization has been trying for more than 20 years to get into Onondaga County. He said $1 million a year is a reasonable estimate of the money county government could get.

He, too, thinks the budget problems facing the county could make the difference if the Legislature votes again.

"There's only one motivation that will lead them to off-track betting -- and that's money," he said.

However, Upstate counties are getting less money from OTB these days.

The amount wagered with three OTB corporations that operate in Upstate counties has declined every year since 2005, when $504 million was bet, according to the state Racing & Wagering Board. In 2009, a total of $406 million in OTB bets were placed with Capital, Western Regional and Catskill OTBs.

OTB officials say competition from casinos and Internet gambling sites has cut into their business. When fewer OTB wages are placed, the payments to host counties drop.

Still, gambling opponents fear budget woes could prompt Onondaga County to welcome OTB.

"I'm concerned it could get through this time because of the dire straits of the economy right now," said Colby Sutter, who counsels people with gambling addictions as a program coordinator for the Prevention Network in Syracuse.

He said he plans to attend today's Legislature meeting, just in case the OTB proposal comes up for another vote.

Contact Rick Moriarty at rmoriarty@syracuse.com or 470-3148.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Michelle Gabel/The Post-Standard

DANIEL O'GRADY, of Syracuse, spends time at the off-track betting parlor in Bridgeport in Madison County. The Onondaga County Legislature has been asked to reconsider allowing off-track betting.

Dick Blume/The Post-Standard

"I THINKit has a chance to pass," Capital OTB CEO John Signor said about off-track betting's future in Onondaga County. "What we offer is the right thing - revenues for the county."

MAP: Counties off-track betting revenue. The Post-Standard

GRAPHIC: Upstate bets are off The Post-Standard.

The amount of money wagered at the three OTB corporations that operate in Upstate counties has declined in recent years:

IN MILLIONS

2005 $504

2006 493

2007 473

2008 446

2009 406

Source: New York State Racing and Wagering Board

Online Data Pioneer Dr. Usama Fayyad Joins Martini Media Board of Directors.

Data analytics scientist, serial entrepreneur, investor, and architect of Yahoo! Big Data and targeting systems, Fayyad will help Martini Media develop a next-generation targeting technology to deliver effective branded response for advertisers.

NEW YORK -- Usama Fayyad, Ph.D. has joined the Martini Media Board of Directors to spearhead the development of proprietary targeting technology aimed at branded response, the marketing ideal that has been beyond reach for digital marketers. As co-founder of Audience Science Inc., creator of Yahoo!'s ad targeting and Big Data systems, and founder of Yahoo! Research Labs, Fayyad joins a growing list of digital media pioneers who have helped Martini Media grow by more than 500% in the past year.

Data pioneer and investor Usama Fayyad has joined the Board of Martini Media to build a data platform that introduces response standards to brand marketing online. (Photo: Business Wire)

Fayyad will work to cement the gaps between audience targeting methodologies--contextual, demographic, behavioral, psychographic, and social graph targeting--and help the Company develop a closed-loop system that creates a direct pipeline to the most affluent audience online. Called mInstinct, the new targeting platform will allow marketers to insert relevant brand ads and content into Martini's premium online publications and the extended social media conversations they fuel.

"We're unlocking the most important audience with the most sophisticated yet most direct targeting technology," said Skip Brand, CEO of Martini Media. "We are already beginning to do this on a custom basis. Usama is taking this capability to systemization at scale. It will be nearly impossible for our ads not to work, because we're getting personal with the biggest spenders online.

"This is the next frontier for online advertising performance," Brand added. "If it works with the hardest-to-find and hardest-to-engage audience, imagine how it will work with the mass audiences that are most accessible."

Fayyad ranks as one of the true authorities in online data and Big Data processing. He built several award-winning data mining and predictive analytics systems for NASA JPL that changed the way NASA's Big Data sets were used for scientific analysis. He also led the development of data mining products for Microsoft's Server Division, co-founded and led Audience Science Inc (then digiMine Inc.), co-founded and led the DMX Group, which re-engineered predictive applications from Big Data for the automotive, financial services, telecommunications, and technology industries before being acquired by Yahoo! in 2004--and grew Yahoo! Research Labs into the premier research institution in digital media. At Yahoo! Fayyad built the largest data processing and ad targeting systems, processing more than 25 terabytes of data per day; the systems enabled Yahoo! to increase revenues from behavioral targeting by more than 25 times from 2004 to 2008.

"Targeting a specific, high-value audience with focus and relevance is the future of online marketing," said Fayyad. "Martini Media represents an excellent leading example of what is to come with the power of focused audiences. With this new platform, we will deliver new levels of performance not only for direct marketers seeking the affluent online, but for all forms of brand marketing, from display ads to video to custom content."

Fayyad is the second Internet business luminary to join the Martini Media Board of Directors, which has enabled significant gains for Martini over the past year--a 40% uptick in audience and 12 month growth of 500% in revenues. Other advisors include Greg Coleman, who built the sales organizations for The Huffington Post and Yahoo!, Kevin Brown, a Reed Elsevier Ventures principal who spearheaded the acquisitions of iPhrase and AllBusiness, Chris McKay, a managing director at Granite Ventures who has led multiple software investments to market, and Brian Asher, a VenRock partner, who has led several successful investments in ad technology such as Adify's acquisition by Cox Communications.

About Martini Media

Martini Media is the digital media platform for reaching American consumers with household incomes over $100,000: 25% of the Internet population with 70% of the spending power. Martini operates a publisher network of 1,000 lifestyle and business sites where this audience is most engaged. For publishers, Martini provides revenue support across banner, video, mobile, email, social, local, and data solutions. For more than 300 premium, luxury, and B2B advertisers, Martini leverages proprietary audience data and provides a variety of custom programs and rich media solutions to meet both direct response and branding needs. Martini was founded in late 2008 and is funded by Venrock, Reed Elsevier Ventures and Granite Ventures, along with a number of prominent angel investors. For more information, visit www.martinimediainc.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6661570&lang=en