Byline: Compiled by Editorial Assistant Julie M. King.
Mark DiVietro of Silbert Optical recently answered questions about the business he owns and operates with his father, Joseph DiVietro.
Name of business: Silbert Optical.
Hours and days open: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday and Saturday; evenings by appointment.
In a few words, describe what your business is: "We are independent dispensing opticians that fill prescriptions for contact lenses and glasses. We have a state of the art finishing lab, to assure quality and better service for patients. We have an optometrist, who does complete eye exams."
Address: 97 Genesee St., Auburn
Phone: 253-7032
Fax: 252-6377
Are you on the Internet? No
Name of owners: Joseph E. DiVietro, optician (father); Mark A. DiVietro, optician (son).
Number of employees: Three full-time and two part-time.
How long have you owned it? "Joe DiVietro purchased this business in 1968. I have been involved for over eight years."
How long has the business existed? "Silbert Optical was established in 1946, which makes it the oldest optical business in downtown Auburn and Cayuga County. I share my parents' belief that downtown is the hub of our community and a great place to have a business."
Were you involved in the business before owning it? "It has been a family local business since 1946. Dad bought it in 1968, and I joined him in 1994 after graduating from college and receiving my license."
Describe a typical day for you: "It is a mix of sitting down with patients, taking care of their needs, and making sure everything is ordered and checked for accuracy. Spending time in lab, assembling glasses and fitting people to contact lenses."
In a few words, what is your business best known for? "Consistent personal service and quality and meeting the needs of everyone's lifestyles."
What's your favorite part of running this business? "Meeting people from all corners of the county and fulfilling their needs 100 percent."
What's the most challenging part? "I enjoy the challenge of making our customers 100 percent satisfied by keeping ahead of all the new contact lens designs and products, the ever-changing frame styles, and new eyeglass lens technologies."
What led you to do this? "I always enjoyed working after school in my parents' store during high school."
What are some of the current trends in eyeglass fashions? "Seventies sunwear and pastel tints are creeping back. Two of today's trends are drilled rimless or invisible look; or trendy, small plastic "statement" looks."
How have those trends changed over the years? "Eyewear is constantly changing with trends, similar to clothing. Smaller styles are very popular."
Why is it important to have your eyes checked regularly? "To correct your vision as best as possible with contact lenses or glasses. Many eye disorders or diseases won't necessarily affect your vision during early stages, but are best treated with early detection."
How do you feel about the contact lenses currently popular among youth featuring various designs? "They are a good product if they are properly fit to patients and the patient takes care of them properly and maintains them."
What's the greatest compliment you've received from a customer? "I think most of the compliments we receive are not necessarily verbally, but the fact that most of our patients and family happily come back to us year after year very satisfied."
How would you describe the business climate in Cayuga County? "There is competition in Cayuga County, but I think like any business if you work hard and earn a good reputation and trust, produce a good product at a fair price, we will always be able to capture our share of the market. We find Cayuga County a great place to live and to work."
Is there a person in business you admire? "I have always enjoyed working along side my father in our family business. It makes for a relaxed work atmosphere."
What advice would you give someone starting out in a business like yours? "Keep personal service and quality No. 1 and prepare for hard work and knowing and understanding the new technologies and overwhelming changes in the insurance industry."
If someone else took over running the business for a day, how would you spend your time? "I enjoy the change in seasons, so either being on the lake in the summer or snowmobiling and hunting in the winter."
In five years, what do you hope to be doing? Any changes you'd like to see for your business? "To be the sole proprietor, with my dad semi-retired, and carrying on the business name as it has always been known."
CAPTION(S):
PHOTO
David Lassman/Staff photographer
MARK DiVIETRO owns and operates Silbert Optical with his father, Joseph. Color.
M2 PRESSWIRE-11 July 2001-MACROMEDIA: Macromedia announces Macromedia Flash support for Intel XScale microarchitecture for mobile devices; Collaboration enables users of Intel powered devices to have compelling Macromedia Flash experience (C)1994-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
RDATE:11072001
* Macromedia working with Intel to optimise Macromedia Flash Player forIntel XScale microarchitecture
* Devices with Intel processors will provide compelling Macromedia Flash experience
* Optimised player will be available later this year
Flashforward 2001 New York, New York City -- Macromedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: MACR) today announced that it is working with Intel Corporation to optimise the Macromedia Flash Player for the Intel XScale microarchitecture utilising the Intel Integrated Performance Primitives (IPP). As a result of this collaboration, users will be able to experience high quality MP3 audio when playing Macromedia Flash content on devices built using Intel applications processors. The optimized code will be available to device manufacturers for use with the Macromedia Flash Player Software Development Kit (SDK) later this year.
"Device manufacturers and developers see Macromedia Flash as the best way to deliver engaging content in a small, compact file that downloads quickly," said Peter Goldie, general manager, Macromedia. "The optimised Intel IPP allows us to improve upon this experience with highly compressed MP3 audio, not only improving the sound quality of Macromedia Flash content on devices but making the files as small as possible."
"Leading companies like Macromedia demonstrate the commitment of the industry to the Intel Personal Internet Client Architecture (Intel PCA) as an optimal framework for developing wireless Internet clients," said Mike Iannitti, director of marketing, Intels Handheld Computing Division. "With this collaboration, device manufacturers supporting the Intel XScale microarchitecture and Intel StrongARM processor will benefit from the large community of Macromedia Flash developers authoring compelling multimedia content for their handheld products."
The Intel IPP includes optimised assembly language code that will increase the audio and video performance of Macromedia Flash content to provide a compelling Macromedia Flash experience for mobile device users. More information about the Macromedia Flash Player SDK is available at http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashplayer/licensing/sourcecode.
Macromedia Flash 5 is the standard for producing high impact Web experiences. Leading companies like Disney, Coca Cola, and General Motors use Macromedia Flash to deliver effective Web user interfaces and engaging, branded online experiences. The broad penetration of the Macromedia Flash Player ensures developers can author content that can be immediately viewed by nearly everyone online. Macromedia Flash Player, the most distributed software in the history of the Web, reaches more than 96 percent of Web desktops. Macromedia Flash is also bringing unique user experiences to a wide variety of platforms and devices.
ABOUT MACROMEDIA
Macromedia is passionate about what the Web can be. Its award winning products empower designers and developers to efficiently create and deliver the most engaging experiences on the Web, and enable innovative Internet business applications. Headquartered in San Francisco, Macromedia (NASDAQ: MACR) has more than 1,600 employees worldwide and is available on the internet at www.macromedia.com.
CONTACT: Sarah Mowatt, Macromedia Tel: +44 (0)1344 458633 e-mail: smowatt@macromedia.com WWW: http://www.macromedia.com Claire Woolley, C.I.T. Public Relations Tel: +44 (0)1908 542777 e-mail: claire.woolley@citpr.com WWW: http://www.citpr.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)).
Business Editors and High-Tech Writers
COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2000
Inventors of "The Great American Toy Hunt" Choose SubmitOrder For
Speed to Market and Superior IT Integration Capabilities
With its second annual "Great American Toy Hunt" fast approaching, Haystack Toys has chosen SubmitOrder.com, Inc. to provide a full array of business-critical e-commerce services. Haystack Toys chose SubmitOrder, a leading e-commerce solution provider, because of its ability to move quickly while providing comprehensive back-end services.
SubmitOrder has established a highly automated and seamlessly integrated back-end solution including a robust information technology system, branding support, customer response services and fulfillment. The systems will enable Haystack Toys to build its brand online while selling both B2C and B2B - direct to consumers and to retailers across the country.
Speedy implementation was especially critical given the need to launch the upgraded systems in time for the mid-September kick-off of the "Great American Toy Hunt," a nationwide event that gives both experienced and first-time toy inventors a chance to submit their toys for review by panels of judges. The toys are then marketed by Haystack for the following year's e-holiday shopping season.
"Working with SubmitOrder, we were able to accomplish in weeks what would take other companies months," said Dan Lauer, co-founder of Haystack Toys. "By outsourcing to the experts at SubmitOrder, we can ensure that our e-commerce systems deliver an excellent online experience for our customers - both retailers and general consumers."
SubmitOrder's intense focus on IT integration and a complete package of back-end services ensures a unique solution that matches the needs of individual clients, according to Dennis Spina, CEO of SubmitOrder.
"We're excited to be involved in helping build an innovative online brand like Haystack Toys. Our depth of experience with both online and `click and mortar' retailers enables us to move quickly and efficiently to meet the needs of forward-thinking companies like Haystack," said Spina. "Because of our unique approach, we are positioned to grow with our clients and provide them with the flexible infrastructure needed to support their e-commerce strategies."
About Haystack
Haystack Toys Inc. is a new toy company taking a revolutionary approach to the discovery, sales and marketing of unique, innovative toys for children ages 3 to 6. Founded in 1999, the St. Louis-based company is an e-centered, e-structured business, conducting the majority of sales, marketing, service and communications via the Internet. In addition to serving as an online store for the toys, www.haystacktoys.com is an online community for toy inventors as well as a valuable resource for parents seeking information about quality play.
For more information about "The Great American Toy Hunt" and Haystack Toys, visit www.haystacktoys.com.
About SubmitOrder
SubmitOrder provides a complete e-commerce outsourcing solution to e-commerce companies, including retailers and manufacturers. The company's services include IT consulting and integration services, fulfillment and distribution, customer response services, e-commerce support, client-specific data mining and purchase analytics, all of which are designed to support brand management and customer care. SubmitOrder's clients include, among other market leaders, BlueLight.com, MuseumCompany.com and ZanyBrainy.com. Investors in SubmitOrder include Silver Lake Partners and The Barksdale Group, both of Menlo Park, California. Established in 1999 in Columbus, Ohio, SubmitOrder is on the Web at SubmitOrder.com.
Internet-savvy consumers post, blog and tweet about everything - including the products and services they buy. It's an information goldmine - if you know how to listen. By Sean Hargrave
Social media is now firmly established as a channel through which brands can win 'friends' and see if people 'like' what they are doing as well as discover if their conversations are worthy of a 'follow' and a 'retweet'.
While such metrics can be flattering, brands are now discovering that if they are a part of this conversation on social media channels, the real advance can be gaining a better insight into their customers and their peer groups. By listening in to, and being active in, social media conversations, brands are realising that there is a lot more to market research than standing in a shopping mall with a clipboard or emailing recent purchasers a list of questions about their likelihood to return online.
Kate Whittaker, strategy manager at Debenhams, is typical of marketers at the cusp of using social media, and is building on the GoRecommend service the retailer is currently using to secure positive Facebook posts.
"We do a lot of online market research with our customers to find out where we have done well and where they think there may be room for improvement," she says.
"We've started allowing those who enjoyed their last visit to the store the option, at the end of the online questionnaire, to automatically post a message about their good experience on their Facebook page. It gets us around 650 posts a month that have the potential to be seen by, we estimate, around 100,000 people.
"What we now want to do is go a bit deeper and look at the conversations people are having about Debenhams unprompted by conventional market research."
The work will bring the retailer in line with many leading-edge brands and organisations that are discovering that by moving away from questionnaires and participating in more natural conversations they can reveal aspects of their services and products they might not have otherwise discovered.
Visit Wales is a case in point. Visitors to the newly redeveloped Welsh Assembly tourism site will find a special section on dog-friendly holidays. Visit Wales' social media agency, iCrossing, discovered people were interested in taking pet-friendly breaks but the site did not have appropriate content, as Jon Munro, digital marketing manager at Visit Wales reveals.
"We used our Facebook and Twitter following to ask people what they wanted out of holidays in Wales," he says. "We knew we were popular for niche activities such as walking, but the really big feedback was that pet-friendly holidays were popular. So we tested through search campaigns to see if it would provide traffic that would convert. This all worked well and now it's a section of the Visit Wales site."
Listening to online conversations and getting feedback from its team of social media customer services experts has proved successful for Dell, too. The computer manufacturer uses lessons learned from customer feedback as well as suggestions offered through social media and its own website to refine products and decide what new lines should be launched. Maribel Sierra, director of global social media and communities at Dell, points out this has led to many product and customer service improvements.
"We had a recent issue where we were able to listen in to social media buzz about a laptop that was getting hot," she says. "So our engineers managed to find out it was because of a hinge that was turning off a fan, and we fixed the problem and put out guidance for our users within a couple of hours.
"We've also picked up on social media suggestions on Facebook, Twitter and the Idea Storm section of our website to launch our Product Red line of computers."
The Product Red range comprises a laptop and a printer that include a donation from Dell to the Product Red campaign to eradicate HIV/Aids in newborn babies in Africa by 2015.
"We've also improved connectivity on some of our machines and started pre-installing Linux," Sierra says. "By listening to what people have been telling us, we can improve our range."
For leading tea brand Tetley, social media has been a new means for marketers to check that their assumptions about the core brand are correct, and even led to the company amending the timing of its communications with key followers. Anand Gandesha, Tetley marketing manager, reveals that the brand wanted to work with its agency, MediaVest, in social media to ensure that its recent decision to bring back the Tea Folk in television adverts was correct.
"We've reached out and engaged with Tetley's target audience of housewives aged 25-55 and Tea Folk has attracted 115,000 Facebook fans, of whom 75% are active users participating on the page in the last month," he says.
"We've been asking for ideas around content, merchandising and PR, and it's great to have them so willing to participate. This showed us we were right to bring back the Tea Folk and we've even seen people picking their own favourite characters and defending them from criticism in chats.
"We've also learned through our social media work that the nature of tea breaks has changed. They tend to be taken online now, so we've been planning updates of Tea Folk's media content around tea break times of 3-4pm in the afternoon and 10-11am in the morning."
This idea of listening in to social media buzz has gone a step further at Rentokil. The pest-control firm is not only offering advice on how to deal with pests mentioned in conversations, but is utilising reports to literally map out bug infestations. These conversations, which are picked up by listening and tracking services from Sentiment Metrics, are not only bringing the brand closer to its customers, but are also encouraging enquiries for pest control services, according to Alicia Holbrook, social media manager at Rentokil. "We don't ever push our services through social media, we offer a lot of advice but we never give an overt sales message," she says.
"We can use tracking of social media sites, forums and blogs to get a really good idea of what people are discussing and where pests are becoming a problem - there's a really big problem with bed bugs at the moment, particularly in New York.
"One of our really popular pieces of social media work has been Ukwaspwatch.co.uk, where people can add locations of nests so we, and users, can build up a picture of where infestations are at their worst. Although we're not pushing our service it actually led to a 146% rise in enquiries to deal with nuisance nests."
The conversations that social media marketing can lead to, then, are not just about improving brand engagement. If done correctly, those most active in social media are reporting an impact on the bottom line as web users, understandably wary of their personal wall or Twitter feed becoming too commercial, identify a leading voice in a field and seek out its products.
Dell already claims to have sold more than $6.5m (#4m) worth of computers through Twitter in the past two years. Considering this social media channel has also ensured its latest ranges took on board customer feedback, there appears to be a virtuous circle developing, of which other brands should take note.
Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors
Abu Dhabi fund hit by Madoff scam An Abu Dhabi government-owned fund may have fallen victim to the massive US pyramid fraud that conned investors around the world, reports claimed yesterday. The New York Times said the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) - the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund with assets estimated at up to $875 billion - had indirectly put $400 million into Bernard Madoff's scheme in 2005. "The investment authority had invested approximately $400 million with Mr Madoff, by way of the Fairfield Sentry Fund, according to a profile of the firm that it prepared for a prospective buyer in 2007," the newspaper wrote. "Fairfield Sentry had more than $7 billion invested with Mr Madoff and was his largest investor; now, it says, it is his largest victim." The New York Times said ADIA was one of Fairfield Sentry's biggest investors, and even though it took "two significant redemptions" from the fund in April 2005 and 2006, its $132 million stake the following year still made up two per cent of the fund's assets under management. The level of ADIA's exposure to Madoff's Ponzi scheme at the time of its collapse was not clear, and the authority could not be reached for comment. But Abu Dhabi yesterday set up a new financial watchdog - named as the Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority - to ensure state "resources and funds are managed, collected and expended efficiently", the WAM news agency reported. The UAE is one of the top ten countries looking for information on Madoff, who is now under 24-hour house arrest in New York, according to analysis by DubaiBeat.com on Google search trends.
2007 Al Sidra Media LLC
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
The Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County announced that it is partnering with local IBM (NYSE: IBM) employees as part of IBM's Celebration of Service, a program designed for employees, retirees and business partners, to donate their time and expertise during the company's Centennial year. Hundreds of thousands of IBMers around the world are volunteering in their local communities, helping with civic challenges and societal needs.
The economic, social and healthcare costs associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are rising rapidly. Today, there are approximately 500,000 Canadians with Alzheimer's or related dementias. It costs Canadians $15 billion per year for dementia care and Canadians currently provide 259 million hours of informal care. Within a generation these numbers are expected to swell dramatically. Over one million Canadians are expected to be living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias at a cost of $153 billion a year. In the span of a generation, Canadians are expected to be providing more than 756 million hours of informal care, more than triple today's amount.
To prepare for the road ahead, a team of 100 volunteers (including 55 IBMers) are delivering a variety of professional activities to help the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County connect and modernize essential services. The project launches June 15, 2011 and runs until October 15, 2011.
As part of its centennial celebration, IBM is delivering hundreds of new service grants, valued at more than $12 million, which support employee-driven volunteer activities. The service grants include cash and equipment awards. These new technology and cash grants expand IBM's commitment to communities by 140 percent over the last year. The Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County is one of three Canadian recipients, and amongst a prestigious group of 100 worldwide, who will receive a $10,000 service grant from IBM.
The local team's activities include:
o Developing an E-learning Framework: Volunteers will help build an e-learning framework for two core educational courses.o Internet Education: Teams of IBM volunteers will attend support group meetings with Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County staff and volunteers to teach caregivers (spouses and families) how to use the Internet effectively and how to find dementia resources specific to their cognitive and practical daily needs.o Project Management Workshops: IBMers will work with ASORC to offer project management workshops to the health care workers, volunteers and support staff. These workshops will be offered across the National Capital Region and Ottawa Valley.
"Our goal is to provide information, support and education to individuals and families living with Alzheimer's disease in our community. But with limited funding sources, our volunteers play an important role in the programs we offer to support them throughout the continuum of the disease," said Kathy Wright, Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County. "These IBM volunteers know they are part of that community too, and we are extremely pleased for the contribution to help us keep moving forward with their expertise and support."
"In the spirit of societal responsibility first envisioned by IBM founder, Thomas Watson, and to commemorate our 100 year anniversary as a corporation, IBMers are giving back to the communities where we work and live," said Andrea Pavia of IBM Corporate Citizenship. "By partnering with the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, we are able to help make a real difference in the lives of Ottawans and their families as they manage through a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias."
In recognition of 100 years in business, the 2011 IBM Celebration of Service spans more than 120 countries where IBMers live and conduct business.
Keywords: Alzheimer Disease, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Dementia, E-learning, Education, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tauopathies, Technology.
This article was prepared by Education Letter editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Education Letter via VerticalNews.com.
The Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Springer are launching a new journal Natural Products and Bioprospecting (NPAB). As a fully sponsored open access journal, it will be included in the SpringerOpen portfolio, available on www.springerlink.com. The journal is part of Springer's Chinese Library of Science (CLoS), a collection comprising more than 90 English-language research journals from China.
Natural Products and Bioprospecting aims to serve as the international forum for essential research on all branches of natural products, including plant biochemistry, bioorganic and medicinal chemistry, biosynthesis and microbiological transformation, fermentation and plant tissue cultures and bioprospecting of natural products. The international editorial board, made up of renowned experts and scholars, guarantees the high academic standards of the articles and supports an expeditious manuscript-review process. The SpringerOpen model allows the journal's contents to be fully and immediately open access, available to anyone with an Internet connection.
Ji-Kai Liu, Chief Editor of NPAB, said, "We believe that natural products have great potential as a significant source for new drugs and new agrochemicals or lead compounds, and as tools for pathway screening and target identification. We will distribute high-quality research papers to the widest audience globally. With this challenge in mind, we launched Natural Products and Bioprospecting as an open access journal."
Lu Ye, Editorial Director China at Springer, said, "We are happy to further strengthen our long-time cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences by publishing this new SpringerOpen journal. With the commitment of both the editorial board and Springer, I am confident that NPAB will become one of the most important journals in its field in the years to come."
Keywords: Asia, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemicals, China, Ecology, Environment, Medicinal Chemistry, Springer.
This article was prepared by China Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, China Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.
Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED), one of America's leading home health and hospice companies, announced that Dale Redman, chief financial officer and Thomas Dolan, senior vice president of finance, will present at the 36th Annual Deutsche Bank Health Care Conference in Boston, Massachusetts on May 3, 2011 (see also Amedisys, Inc.).
The presentation will begin at 4:50 p.m. Eastern time. A live webcast will be available through a link on our investor relations subpage at the following web address: http://www.amedisys.com/investors. About Amedisys, Inc. Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) is a leading health care company focused on bringing home the continuum of care. Amedisys delivers personalized health care services to patients and their families, in the comfort of patients' homes, with approximately 10 million patient care and education encounters per year. Amedisys has two divisions, home health care and hospice. The Company's state-of-the-art advanced chronic care management programs and leading-edge technology enables it to deliver quality care based upon the latest evidence-based best practices. Amedisys is a recognized innovator, being one of the first in the industry to equip its clinicians with point-of-care laptop technology and referring physicians with an internet portal that enables real-time coordination of patient care seamlessly. Amedisys also has the industry's first-ever nationwide Care Transitions program. Amedisys Care Transitions is designed to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions through patient and caregiver health coaching and care coordination, which starts in the hospital and continues throughout completion of the patient's home health plan of care. For more information about the Company, please visit: www.amedisys.com.
Our company website address is www.amedisys.com. We use our website as a channel of distribution for important company information. Important information, including press releases, analyst presentations and financial information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible on the "Investor Relations" subpage of our website, which is accessible by clicking on the tab labeled "Investors" on our website home page. We will also use our website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the Company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") disclosing the same information. In addition, we make available on the Investor Relations subpage of our website (under the link "SEC filings") free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5 and any amendments to those reports as soon as practicable after we electronically file such reports with the SEC. Further, copies of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, our Code of Ethical Business Conduct and the charters for the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees of our Board are also available on the Investor Relations subpage of our website (under the link "Corporate Governance").
Keywords: Amedisys, Amedisys Inc., Finance, Financial, Hospital, Internet Portals, Investing, Investment, Technology, World Wide Web.
This article was prepared by Managed Care Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Managed Care Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.
Byline: Philip Dine, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
In February, I discussed in this space the role of Egyptian workers and labor unions in setting the groundwork for their nation's political explosion, a role largely overlooked by the American media - as is virtually anything having to do with labor. The very next day, worker challenges to the regime leaped into the public consciousness, their impact becoming too pronounced for journalists to ignore. Since then, we've seen one regime after another topple in the Middle East.
With Yogi Berra's caveat in mind - predictions are difficult, especially about the future - let's turn our attention to another place where labor unrest is both fairly common and overlooked, and where it truly could shake the world.
China has for years experienced worker protests, strikes and occasional violence. Last summer's auto strikes were particularly dramatic, but few economic sectors have been left unscathed. Recently, Chinese workers returning from Libya staged an airport sit-in over pay demands.
While these developments likely don't pose a threat in the near future to what has proven to be a supple regime - particularly because they don't involve coordinated union activities but rather spontaneous job actions by workers fed up with central mandates and local management practices - at some point they may make things dicey for those who run the world's most populous nation.
After all, any claim to legitimacy by communist rulers rests on the notion that their dictatorship is on behalf of the proletariat. The official trade union movement is an institutional key to that, transmitting central planning targets and discipline to those very workers. Hence, any challenge to the official labor movement would threaten the regime itself.
China's government faces two looming challenges - environmental and labor. Satisfying the desires of workers for a voice on the job may be the toughest, given the inherent contradiction facing unions that purport to serve worker interests while demanding their subservience. The longer this voice is denied, the more likely it is that pent-up frustrations will explode.
In early 1989, Al Shanker, leader of the American Federation of Teachers, noted cold warrior and head of the AFL-CIO's International Affairs Committee, told me of the incipient independent unions bubbling up in Eastern Europe, including Liga in Hungary and Podkrepa in Bulgaria. Though small and mostly overlooked in the West, these worker actions had the potential to threaten the survival of the Soviet-backed regimes in ways that protests by students, intellectuals, artists or consumers couldn't, Mr. Shanker told me.
The AFL-CIO was assisting these fledgling movements - quietly, given the risks involved. I wrote about the issue, but my newspaper editors at the time downplayed it. The Warsaw Pact seemed sturdy. By the fall of 1989, those same editors dispatched me to Budapest to cover what would turn into the dissolution of Eastern Europe's communist regimes. I interviewed in person some of the union leaders - who Mr. Shanker had put me in touch with by phone - about the role of ordinary workers and their fledgling movements in the historic events that were unfolding.
Clearly, China differs in profound ways from the Soviet Union, including the fact that the former has held a tight political rein while allowing some economic freedom, while the latter relaxed political control while maintaining a socialist economy. Moreover, American journalists are emphasizing other potential challenges to China's established order, including those related to the Internet and social media, even as experts contend that worker unrest poses no real threat to regime survival. But journalists and experts were caught off guard in 1989, and again in 2011, and having seen firsthand the potential impact of worker uprisings, I'm not so sure.
* Philip Dine, author of State of the Unions: How Labor Can Strengthen the Middle Class, Improve Our Economy, and Regain Political Influence, is a Washington-based journalist and a frequent speaker on labor issues.
MICROSOFT'S HealthVault has announced a collaboration deal with communications giant AT&T and computer platform service provider Covisint that will allow patients to share medical information with participating doctors via the Internet.
Through the initiative first announced in June, AT&T will provide broadband access and a dashboard for physicians to access the health care information, while Covisint will provide the underlying software that vets the patient info. Microsoft's HealthVault acts as the online storage system for the patient data.
A release from the companies did not indicate how many doctors would initially participate.
The new computer exchange platform will also offer insights on constructing national, state and local health-information exchanges, officials for the companies said, and will provide services such as e-prescribing, clinical messaging and sharing of images such as X-rays and MRIs.
Earlier in June, Microsoft announced plans to collaborate with nonprofit HMO Kaiser Permanente in a pilot project open to Kaiser's 156,000 employees.
If the pilot proves successful, a product linking Kaiser patient information with Microsoft's Health Vault would be offered to Kaiser's members.
Both Microsoft and Google have previously announced collaborative projects with health providers.
The Conference of the Universities of Western Switzerland (CUSO) has awarded VTLS Inc. the contract to migrate RERO, the current union catalog of its libraries, to the VTLS system. The current catalog comprises 2 million bibliographic records and serves libraries in Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel, Ticino, and Valais. In addition two district library systems not previously automated, Valais and Ticino, have also signed contracts for the installation of VTLS to serve local functions.
Supported for 20 years by the custom-designed system SIBIL, RERO will be migrated to VTLS over a two-year period. Local functions, which are also to be moved to VTLS, are currently supported by a variety of systems, including DataTrek, Dobis/Libis, GEAC, and local versions of SIBIL.
"The decision to migrate was imposed on us by economic reasons," said Bernard C. Levrat, vice-rector at the University of Geneva. "We decided to test VTLS because the Swiss National Library had chosen it. Our migration process from a sophisticated non-USMARC proprietary system raises a number of difficulties, but we are confident that ... our users will be fully satisfied."
Currently, a test VTLS database is installed at the University of Gejieva where solutions are being sought to the many complicated problems posed by converting customized records to USMARC. Librarians there are also familiarizing themselves with the use of VTLS via the Internet. The VTLS system is running on an IBM RS/6000 Model 250 computer and is connected to a wide area network supporting 3000 terminals. More than 100 PCs are reserved for patrons to access the online catalogs. The University of Geneva, founded in 1559 by Jean Callin, has 13,000 students.
The five universities that constitute the Conference of Universities of Western Switzerland have a combined total of 4000 instructors and approximately 35,000 students. RERO, the "Reseau Romand," currently supports their combined 100 libraries, which serve a public of 100,000 people and boast a total annual circulation of 700,000. Accessible via the Internet, RERO is the largest online library catalog in French, representing 3 million books and periodicals.
At present, RERO is linked to some 600 dedicated terminals, while many more users can access the OPAC via the Internet. Ultimately, any workstation should be able to access the library system.
VTLS Inc. is an international software company with headquarters offices in Blacksburg, Virginia, and branch offices in Heisinki and Barcelona. The company specializes in library automation and information management and provides an integrated solution to all aspects of library operations for more than 300 users worldwide.
M2 PRESSWIRE-30 January 2007-BUYINS.NET: ACY, EAG, BIDU, CXTI, NIHK, CGWVF Have Been Removed From Naked Short List Today(C)1994-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
RDATE:30012007
BUYINS.NET, www.buyins.net, announced today that these select companies have been removed from the NASDAQ, AMEX and NYSE naked short threshold list: AeroCentury Corp. (AMEX: ACY), Eagle Broadband Inc (AMEX: EAG), Baidu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU), China Expert Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: CXTI), Nighthawk Systems (OTCBB: NIHK), Consolidated Gold Win Ventures (OTC: CGWVF). For a complete list of companies on the naked short list please visit our web site. To find the SqueezeTrigger Price before a short squeeze starts in any stock, go to www.buyins.net.
AeroCentury Corp. (AMEX: ACY) invests in used regional aircraft equipment leased to foreign and domestic regional air carriers in the United States. It leases turboprop aircraft and engines, which are used by customers pursuant to triple net operating leasesAs of December 31, 2005, the company owned 11 deHavilland DHC-8s, 3 deHavilland DHC-6s, 1 Shorts SD 3-60, 14 Fokker 50s, 2 Saab 340As, 3 Saab 340B, and 1 turboprop engine. JetFleet Management Corp. manages the business of the company. AeroCentury Corp. was founded in 1989 and is based in Burlingame, California. With 1.54 million shares outstanding and 4,130 shares declared short as of December 2006, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of ACY.
Eagle Broadband Inc (AMEX: EAG) provides broadband, Internet Protocol (IP), and communications technology and services to government, military, and enterprise customers in the United States. Its products include IPTVComplete, which provides digital television and music content via IP to various market sectors, such as multi-dwelling unit operators, triple-play operators, and telephone companies; MediaPro IP Set-Top Boxes, which delivers computing and video functionality that enables a range of IP-based applications, including high-speed Internet access, streaming IP video, digital audio/music, video-on-demand, 3D gaming, and video conferencing; and SatMAX, a satellite communications system, which provides satellite-based voice and data communications from any location on earth to civilian government, military, homeland security, and corporate customers. The company also provides various information technology (IT) services, including voice and data circuits, network infrastructure design and installation, remote network management, IT integration, on-site hardware and software support services, and national IT project management services. It offers its products and services through direct sales and reseller/channel partners. The company was incorporated in 1993 as Wager-Data, Inc.; and changed its name to Eagle Telecom International, Inc. in 1996. Further, it changed its name to Eagle Wireless International, Inc. in 1997; and to Eagle Broadband, Inc. in 2002. The company is headquartered in League City, Texas. With 18.09 million shares outstanding and 11,508 shares declared short as of December 2006, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of EAG.
Baidu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) provides Chinese language Internet search solutions. The company offers Internet search solutions and online marketing solutions. It also develops and markets Web application software; and provides related services. The company provides various online information, including Chinese language Web pages, news, images, and multimedia files through its Website links. In addition to serving individual Internet search users, it also provides a platform for businesses to reach customers online. The company's online marketing services include auction-based P4P services that enable its customers to bid for priority placement of their links in keyword search results. It provides users with access to an index of approximately 1.2 billion Web pages and 1 million images. In addition, the company offers a query-based online community, Baidu Post Bar. It sells its online marketing services directly and through distributors. The company was founded by Robin Yanhong Li and Eric Yong Xu in 2000. The company is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. With 33.64 million shares outstanding and 2.38 million shares declared short as of December 2006, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of BIDU.
China Expert Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: CXTI) is a company listed on the OTC Bulletin Board in the USA (Trading Symbol: CXTI), with its subsidiaries (collectively the "Group") situated in Hong Kong and China. The group is specialized in providing large-scale network infrastructure construction (mainly e-government projects) for communities and municipal governments in China. The Group also utilizes its network with experts from various universities in China to deploy business and IT consultancy services to corporations in Hong Kong and China. The Group's existing major clients include municipal governments, government authorities and other technology firms in China. Its income is derived mainly from four areas, e-government, technology achievement appraisal, expert consultation and project database. With 29.08 million shares outstanding and 140,595 shares declared short as of December 2006, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of CXTI.
Nighthawk Systems (OTCBB: NIHK) engages in the design and manufacture of remote power control products. Its products include CEO700 for remote power connect/disconnect of customers by electric utilities; PT1-LC, designed for load control programs; FAS8 used in firehouse automation; and EA1, which is used for in-building alerts. In addition, the company offers AL100 for remote public alerting; NH100 for rebooting or on/off applications to a single device; and NH8 for rebooting or on/off applications for up to eight electrical devices from a single unit. It serves electric utilities, traffic control, computer systems, commercial lighting, and irrigation markets primarily in the United States. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is based in San Antonio, Texas. With 77.07 million shares outstanding and 434 shares declared short as of December 2006, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of NIHK.
Consolidated Gold Win Ventures (OTC: CGWVF) is a progressive and rapidly advancing junior exploration company with interests in Nevada - South Dolly Varden Copper Gold claims, British Columbia - Yeti Gold claims, North West Territories - Drybones Diamond properties, Quebec - Raglan Platinum Group Metal claims. With 93.47 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of CGWVF.
About BUYINS.NET
WWW.BUYINS.NET is a service designed to help bonafide shareholders of publicly traded US companies fight naked short selling. Naked short selling is the illegal act of short selling a stock when no affirmative determination has been made to locate shares of the stock to hypothecate in connection with the short sale. Buyins.net has built a proprietary database that uses Threshold list feeds from NASDAQ, AMEX and NYSE to generate detailed and useful information to combat the naked short selling problem. For the first time, actual trade by trade data is available to the public that shows the attempted size, actual size, price and average value of short sales in stocks that have been shorted and naked shorted. This information is valuable in determining the precise point at which short sellers go out-of-the-money and start losing on their short and naked short trades.
BUYINS.NET has built a massive database that collects, analyzes and publishes a proprietary SqueezeTrigger for each stock that has been shorted, www.buyins.net/squeezetrigger.pdf. The SqueezeTrigger database of nearly 1,150,000,000 short sale transactions goes back to January 1, 2005, and calculates the exact price at which the Total Short Interest is short in each stock. This data was never before available prior to January 1, 2005, because the Self Regulatory Organizations (primary exchanges) guarded it aggressively. After the SEC passed Regulation SHO, exchanges were forced to allow data processors like Buyins.net to access the data.
The SqueezeTrigger database collects individual short trade data on over 7,000 NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ stocks and general short trade data on nearly 8,000 OTCBB and PINKSHEET stocks. Each month the database grows by approximately 50,000,000 short sale transactions and provides investors with the knowledge necessary to time when to buy and sell stocks with outstanding short positions. By tracking the size and price of each month's short transactions, BUYINS.NET provides institutions, traders, analysts, journalists and individual investors the exact price point where short sellers start losing money.
All material herein was prepared by BUYINS.NET, based upon information believed to be reliable. The information contained herein is not guaranteed by BUYINS.NET to be accurate, and should not be considered to be all-inclusive. The companies that are discussed in this opinion have not approved the statements made in this opinion. This opinion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. This material is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities. BUYINS.NET is not a licensed broker, broker dealer, market maker, investment banker, investment advisor, analyst or underwriter. Please consult a broker before purchasing or selling any securities viewed on or mentioned herein. BUYINS.NET may receive compensation in cash or shares from independent third parties or from the companies mentioned.
BUYINS.NET affiliates, officers, directors and employees may also have bought or may buy the shares discussed in this opinion and may profit in the event those shares rise in value. Market commentary provided by Thomas Ronk.
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You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and BUYINS.NET undertakes no obligation to update such statements.
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SOUTH JORDAN, Utah -- Headwaters Incorporated (NYSE: HW) will announce financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2005 before the market opens on Tuesday, January 24, 2006. Following the release, Headwaters will host a conference call with a simultaneous web cast at 11:00 a.m. Eastern/9:00 a.m. Mountain to discuss the Company's financial results and business outlook. The conference call will feature Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kirk A. Benson, and Chief Financial Officer, Scott K. Sorensen. The call will be available live via the Internet by accessing the Company's web site at www.headwaters.com and clicking on the Investor Relations section. To listen to the live broadcast, please go to the web site at least fifteen minutes early to register, download, and install any necessary audio software.
For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, an online replay will be available for 90 days on www.headwaters.com, or a phone replay will be available through January 31, 2006 by dialing 800-642-1687 or 706-645-9291 and entering the passcode 4338077.
About Headwaters Incorporated
Headwaters Incorporated is a world leader in creating value through innovative advancements in the utilization of natural resources. Headwaters is a diversified growth company providing products, technologies and services to the energy, construction and home improvement industries. Through its alternative energy, coal combustion products, and building materials businesses, the company earns a growing revenue stream that provides the capital needed to expand and acquire synergistic new business opportunities.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this report are forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and Headwaters intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby.
Forward-looking statements include Headwaters' expectations as to the managing and marketing of coal combustion products, the production and marketing of building materials and products, the licensing of technology and chemical sales to alternative fuel facilities, the receipt of product sales, license fees and royalty revenues, the development, commercialization, and financing of new technologies and other strategic business opportunities and acquisitions, and other information about Headwaters. Such statements that are not purely historical by nature, including those statements regarding Headwaters' future business plans, the operation of facilities, the availability of tax credits, the availability of feedstocks, and the marketability of the coal combustion products, building products, and synthetic fuel, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding future events and our future results that are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Actual results may vary materially from such expectations. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth and trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances, are forward-looking.
In addition to matters affecting the coal combustion product, alternative fuel, and building products industries or the economy generally, factors which could cause actual results to differ from expectations stated in forward-looking statements include, among others, the factors described in the captions entitled "Forward-looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in Item 7 in Headwaters' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2005, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other periodic filings and prospectuses.
Although Headwaters believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, there can be no assurance that our results of operations will not be adversely affected by such factors. Unless legally required, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report.
Our Internet address is www.headwaters.com. There we make available, free of charge, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Our reports can be accessed through the investor relations section of our Web site.
