Aug 07, 2008
Website of the week: Dublin Airport Authority's Travel Value Airport Shopping – 31/07/08
Posted by : ueb555
Website of the week: Dublin Airport Authority's Travel Value Airport Shopping – 31/07/08Travel Value Airport Shopping is the online portal for the Travel Value and Duty Free shops managed by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) at the Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports in Ireland.
DAA is an airport management company in charge of the management, operation and development of the three airports in Ireland, domestic and international airport retail management as well as airport investment.
The company’s vision is ‘to deliver a quality airport travel experience to the best international standards’. On exploration, the website assures us of DAA’s commitment to their vision. Let us take a look at what Dublin Airport* has to offer.
As the websites for Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports are similar, we will only look at Dublin Airport.
Style
The webpage has a simple style and a neat layout. There is no particular reference to an Irish Sense of Place but the colour theme of the site is consistent with the Travel Value brand logo; a nice contrast of red and blue against a white backdrop. (Through the Travel Value Association the theme is repeated in airport retail branding across many European airports.)
There are a lot of links and icons displayed on the front page of the site, but the effect does not overwhelm due to the clean design and clear presentation.
The top right of the page displays links to Airport Choice, Home, Latest News, Contact Us, DAA and Advanced Search with the Travel Value Airport Shopping logo and a promotional banner below it.
The remaining components of the front page consists of a horizontal navigation panel, a welcome message by DAA, a product search tool, a link to the airport shopping map and a neat grid of image-accompanied links to Featured Products for nine categories.
DAA is an airport management company in charge of the management, operation and development of the three airports in Ireland, domestic and international airport retail management as well as airport investment.
The company’s vision is ‘to deliver a quality airport travel experience to the best international standards’. On exploration, the website assures us of DAA’s commitment to their vision. Let us take a look at what Dublin Airport* has to offer.
As the websites for Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports are similar, we will only look at Dublin Airport.
Style
The webpage has a simple style and a neat layout. There is no particular reference to an Irish Sense of Place but the colour theme of the site is consistent with the Travel Value brand logo; a nice contrast of red and blue against a white backdrop. (Through the Travel Value Association the theme is repeated in airport retail branding across many European airports.)
There are a lot of links and icons displayed on the front page of the site, but the effect does not overwhelm due to the clean design and clear presentation.
The top right of the page displays links to Airport Choice, Home, Latest News, Contact Us, DAA and Advanced Search with the Travel Value Airport Shopping logo and a promotional banner below it.
The remaining components of the front page consists of a horizontal navigation panel, a welcome message by DAA, a product search tool, a link to the airport shopping map and a neat grid of image-accompanied links to Featured Products for nine categories.
Ryanair responds to the DAA monopoly’s claims
Posted by : ueb555
Ryanair responds to the DAA monopoly’s claims Ryanair responded to the DAA monopoly’s claims as follows: DAA’s charge of EUR15.00 per departing passenger is the same as EUR7.40 x 2 . This is more than the EUR10 one way fare paid by 40% of Ryanair’s winter traffic. 2. The DAA monopoly is Ryanair’s second most expensive base and far more expensive than other main airports such as Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan and Marseilles.
3. The DAA monopoly’s EUR15.00 charge is not avoidable. Ryanair’s baggage fee, credit card fee, check-in desk fee are all avoidable. Airport charges at the DAA monopoly are paid by Ryanair not passengers. When Ryanair sells 1 million EUR1 seats, Ryanair still pays the DAA monopoly EUR15.00 per departing passenger, not the passenger.
4. Airport charges at Ryanair’s 25 other cheaper bases than Dublin Airport, cover those airports operational costs: 24 hour fire brigade, passenger security employees, etc. The airport charges also pay for those airport’s investment programmes.
5. The DAA’s check-in rentals have been confirmed by the Useless Regulator as a double charge on the airlines, because the airlines already pay for the terminal building and the check-in desks through the DAA’s expensive passenger charges
3. The DAA monopoly’s EUR15.00 charge is not avoidable. Ryanair’s baggage fee, credit card fee, check-in desk fee are all avoidable. Airport charges at the DAA monopoly are paid by Ryanair not passengers. When Ryanair sells 1 million EUR1 seats, Ryanair still pays the DAA monopoly EUR15.00 per departing passenger, not the passenger.
4. Airport charges at Ryanair’s 25 other cheaper bases than Dublin Airport, cover those airports operational costs: 24 hour fire brigade, passenger security employees, etc. The airport charges also pay for those airport’s investment programmes.
5. The DAA’s check-in rentals have been confirmed by the Useless Regulator as a double charge on the airlines, because the airlines already pay for the terminal building and the check-in desks through the DAA’s expensive passenger charges
DAA to request changes to runway planning conditions
Posted by : ueb555
DAA to request changes to runway planning conditionsOUTRAGED Northside residents have slammed the Dublin Airport Authority’s (DAA) moves to have planning conditions on the controversial new runway changed.
An Bord Pleanála granted permission for the development last year subject to 31 strict conditions.
However, the DAA now plans to apply for a change to two of the conditions which restrict the number of flights using the runway between the hours of 11pm and 7am.
The DAA says the conditions would cause delays and inconvenience for airlines and passengers between 6-7am, which is the busiest hour for departures, and from 11pm-midnight, one of the busiest arrival hours.
But according to Adrienne McDonnell of the St Margaret’s Concerned Residents’ Group, the appeal is an insult to locals and to the planning process.
“Those regulations were set down to give us some noise-free hours in which to sleep,” she told Northside People.
“We know that the An Bord Pleanála conditions put a major spanner in the works for the DAA but it should respect the ruling.”
Ms McDonnell questioned how the DAA could appeal the planning board’s decisions.
“There is a reason why those conditions were set down,” she continued.
“It would be absolutely detrimental for us if these conditions were scrapped.
“We would be extremely angry and disappointed if An Bord Pleanála entertained this appeal which goes against the transparency of the planning process.”
According to the DAA conditions three and five would “significantly reduce its operational capacity at peak travel periods and cause delays and inconvenience for airlines and passengers.”
Condition five stipulates that the average number of overall night-time landings and take offs at the airport should not exceed 65.
However, the current number of night-time flights from the airport is 72. The DAA argues that An Bord Pleanála’s condition would affect the airport’s current schedules and future capacity for the new runway.
“The number of departing aircraft during 6am and 7am has doubled since 2003, consequently this busy hour is already over-subscribed in terms of slot allocation,” a DAA spokesperson said.
“Since our initial planning application in 2003 the two biggest airlines at Dublin Airport have collectively added more than 110 new routes and services including 70 new routes and services since 2006.
“Not only would these planning conditions restrict flights at the airport below current levels, it also has the potential consequence that existing slots could be withdrawn from many operators.”
Robert Hilliard, director of Dublin Airport, clarified the DAA position even further.
“The delivery of a new parallel runway is of national importance to the economy of the island of Ireland,” he stated.
“While the DAA is conscious of the concerns of some of Dublin Airport's neighbouring communities, it also needs to ensure that it maintains an appropriate balance in meeting the operating requirements of our airlines and passengers.
“Once an Environmental Impact Statement has been compiled the DAA will arrange for copies to be made available to interested parties.”
It is understood that An Bord Pleanála will now assess the DAA's pre-application submission under the Strategic Infrastructure Act to establish how the request for changing the conditions should be handled.
The Chambers Ireland Transport Users’ Council also argued that the planning conditions imposed on the DAA would directly affect business travellers.
“Ireland’s time zone is one hour behind that of mainland Europe, so any provision which has the potential to impede the departure time of business flights to Europe will directly shorten the working day of Irish executives and aviation transport users seeking to build business opportunities on the continent,” a spokesperson said.
“Accordingly, we support the application by the DAA for a modification.”
An Bord Pleanála granted permission for the development last year subject to 31 strict conditions.
However, the DAA now plans to apply for a change to two of the conditions which restrict the number of flights using the runway between the hours of 11pm and 7am.
The DAA says the conditions would cause delays and inconvenience for airlines and passengers between 6-7am, which is the busiest hour for departures, and from 11pm-midnight, one of the busiest arrival hours.
But according to Adrienne McDonnell of the St Margaret’s Concerned Residents’ Group, the appeal is an insult to locals and to the planning process.
“Those regulations were set down to give us some noise-free hours in which to sleep,” she told Northside People.
“We know that the An Bord Pleanála conditions put a major spanner in the works for the DAA but it should respect the ruling.”
Ms McDonnell questioned how the DAA could appeal the planning board’s decisions.
“There is a reason why those conditions were set down,” she continued.
“It would be absolutely detrimental for us if these conditions were scrapped.
“We would be extremely angry and disappointed if An Bord Pleanála entertained this appeal which goes against the transparency of the planning process.”
According to the DAA conditions three and five would “significantly reduce its operational capacity at peak travel periods and cause delays and inconvenience for airlines and passengers.”
Condition five stipulates that the average number of overall night-time landings and take offs at the airport should not exceed 65.
However, the current number of night-time flights from the airport is 72. The DAA argues that An Bord Pleanála’s condition would affect the airport’s current schedules and future capacity for the new runway.
“The number of departing aircraft during 6am and 7am has doubled since 2003, consequently this busy hour is already over-subscribed in terms of slot allocation,” a DAA spokesperson said.
“Since our initial planning application in 2003 the two biggest airlines at Dublin Airport have collectively added more than 110 new routes and services including 70 new routes and services since 2006.
“Not only would these planning conditions restrict flights at the airport below current levels, it also has the potential consequence that existing slots could be withdrawn from many operators.”
Robert Hilliard, director of Dublin Airport, clarified the DAA position even further.
“The delivery of a new parallel runway is of national importance to the economy of the island of Ireland,” he stated.
“While the DAA is conscious of the concerns of some of Dublin Airport's neighbouring communities, it also needs to ensure that it maintains an appropriate balance in meeting the operating requirements of our airlines and passengers.
“Once an Environmental Impact Statement has been compiled the DAA will arrange for copies to be made available to interested parties.”
It is understood that An Bord Pleanála will now assess the DAA's pre-application submission under the Strategic Infrastructure Act to establish how the request for changing the conditions should be handled.
The Chambers Ireland Transport Users’ Council also argued that the planning conditions imposed on the DAA would directly affect business travellers.
“Ireland’s time zone is one hour behind that of mainland Europe, so any provision which has the potential to impede the departure time of business flights to Europe will directly shorten the working day of Irish executives and aviation transport users seeking to build business opportunities on the continent,” a spokesperson said.
“Accordingly, we support the application by the DAA for a modification.”
Out of Dog House and into the Bed
Posted by : ueb555
Out of Dog House and into the BedA few years ago one of those polling groups that ask if you'd rather have sex with your spouse or go out to eat in a restaurant and what kind of mouthwash you'd take to the moon made some startling discoveries about dog owners: A surprising number called their answering machines during the work day to talk to their dog. SEARCH NZ JOBS Search Businesses FindA For all your PROPERTY needs An even larger number slept with their dog--unapologetically. All but two percent celebrated their dogs’ birthdays with gifts and parties. No poll was required to know that a lot also kiss their dogs on the mouth. (see: mouthwash; choices) In the last year dog books like Merle’s Door, Marley & Me, Good Dog. Stay and Rescuing Sprite have been the rage. But humorists have been riffing dogs for years. Columnist Erma Bombeck used to say dogs were the last of the optimists. They rush the door when the bell rings but it's never for them. And they can't wait to go for a car ride but they never go anywhere but the vet. (Isn’t doing the same thing and expecting different results also the definition of insanity?) US comic Gary Shandling observed that the only thing a dog likes more than getting in the car is getting out and if we opened both doors they'd pass through all day long, happily. Of course dogs' simplified triage system--if you can't eat it or mate with it pee on it--has provoked many X rated jokes. But so has their tendency to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Comedian Buddy Hackett used to recount hearing the dog yawning at the edge of the bed while he and his wife were getting busy. "Am I boring you," he asked the dog in jest. "A little," replied his wife. And of course Woody Allen recalls asking his mother where babies came from and she replied, thinking he'd said rabies, "dogs." While Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Old Yeller, White Fang and even Benji were brave and heroic figures, Snoopy from the cartoon Peanuts introduced the era of the sage and sardonic dog who was actually a philosopher. Suddenly names like Rover and Fido were passé--not to mention terms like "master" and "command"--and the dog moved from the dog house to the foot of the bed. Or better. He wasn't a pet or companion; he was a bona fide member of the family. You weren't his master or owner; you were his Caretaker and it was a privilege to be so. This marked the era of mixed breed dogs named Fred with bandanas around their neck and their own web site. They ate food we would eat ourselves, received acupuncture and went to day care even if they belonged to average people, not Leona Helmsley. But there's another reason for Americans' rising love affair with dogs: their falling love affair with the institutions of marriage and family. Not only are people marrying later in life if at all--the Searching Twenties turning into the Searching Thirties and sometimes Searching Forties--when they do take the plunge, the marriages don’t last because they’ve become so set in their ways. (See: what was I THINKING) Marriages often don't even last as long as a dog's life anymore which explains the bitter custody suits over Jake or Max. Plus even at their best, new spouses can't inspire a grown man or woman to get down on hands and knees in a business suit after work and beseech wildly "come to Daa-Daa." Since it’s been a whole hour since they called the answering machine.
Warning for airport travellers
Posted by : ueb555
Warning for airport travellersBank Holiday travellers passing through Dublin Airport are warned to give themselves extra time when checking in.More than 350,000 passengers are expected to travel through the capital's airport over the next four days, a 3% rise on last year. Over 2,400 flights will arrive and depart between Friday and Monday, including 240 charter flights, which have been added to the normal schedule.Passengers should arrive at their check-in desk at least 90 minutes before their flight departure time and allow a further 30 minutes if they are using one of the long-term car parks. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) also reminded customers that the departures road is a passenger drop-off area only, with clamping and tow-away procedures in place.
Dublin flights cancelled over radar fault
Posted by : ueb555
Dublin flights cancelled over radar faultDAA A fault in the air traffic control radar system at Dublin Airport is continuing to cause major flight disruption and delay thousands of passengers.The Irish Aviation Authority says the airport is operating at around 65% capacity.Airlines including Aer Lingus and Ryanair have cancelled dozens of flights.AdvertisementThe IAA said this evening that a glitch in the hardware of the radar system has been identified.It is waiting on an engineering report to assess if this fault is the main cause of disruptions to the radar system. It emerged today the system has been faulty for as long as four weeks.The Authority has apologised for widespread disruption and cancellation of flights to and from at Dublin Airport due to a safety-based decision to ground flights earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Ryanair have called for a Government investigation into the failure of the radar system.Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said Ireland is effectively closed for business because of the failure of the system and the lack of a back up system or contingency plan.He said 74 Ryanair flights had been cancelled and 13,000 passengers have been affected by the systems failure.Mr O'Leary said it is impossible to know if there will be a knock on effect to tomorrow's schedule as a result of today's disruption.Earlier, all flights in and out of the airport were grounded for a time because of safety reasons.Ten flights were diverted to Shannon, Belfast and Cork. A bus service has been provided for those passengers to get them to Dublin.A spokesperson for Aer Lingus says it is too early to say whether today's disruption will have a knock-on effect to flights tomorrow but she said the airline hopes to restore a full schedule tomorrow morning.Affected Aer Lingus passengers can rebook their flights free of charge, via the website, www.aerlingus.com, or by calling reservations on 0818 365 044. Passengers that choose not to travel may avail of a refund.At around 11.45am this morning, a problem occurred with the air traffic management system. Due to a technical fault, air traffic controllers were unable to identify aircraft.This problem lasted for ten minutes before the system returned to normal. In that time, all departures were held on the ground and some aircraft in the air were asked to remain where they were.A spokeswoman for the IAA said the cap on flights was put in place as a result of this incident and in the interests of safety.Passengers are advised to check with their airlines.
What a mess, DAA
Posted by : ueb555
What a mess, DAAAfter a very pleasant flight with Aer Lingus from Gatwick to Dublin at the weekend -- no delays, a quiet flight etc -- it was disappointing to arrive at Dublin Airport to discover chaos in the passport control area. It appeared that about five flights had landed at once and about 200 people (or maybe more) had all converged on the one area. There was no-one there to deal with the situation and it really was a bit of a free-for-all. Bad show, Dublin Airport Authority. DAA
Modem draws ultralow power from USB port
Posted by : ueb555
Modem draws ultralow power from USB portRadicom Research Inc. has introduced a compact USB dongle modem dubbed V92HU-E2 that processes data using its own hardware and does not utilize any processing power of the host computer. Because it is a hardware modem, the V92HU-E2 dongle modem can be easily adopted in non-x86 CPU and non-Windows OS-based systems. The modem will operate with any system that has a USB CDC (Communication Device Class) driver. The V92HU-E2 dongle modem measures just 0.55-inch x 0.75-inch x 2.50-inch, weighing less than 1oz, it can be easily tucked away in the smallest of notebook cases and enables consumers to easily connect their notebooks and desktops to the Internet over standard telephone lines. The USB dongle modem contains a hardware controller, a data pump and an International DAA (Data Access Arrangement). The International DAA in these modems does not draw power from the telephone line, but only draws low power from the USB port. They operate reliably when line current is low due to long lines or poor line conditions. The modem provides 300bit/s to 56Kbit/s data rates, 14.4Kbit/s fax, on line voice playback and recording, and a hot swappable USB interface. Other features include caller ID, modem-on-hold, caller waiting detection, data/fax/voice call discrimination, quick connect, and extension pickup detection. Modem customization is available through patch code that can be stored in modems on board memory. The V92HU-E2 is designed to meet global Safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) standards, including IEC60950-1 and CE marking. It meets RoHS compliance directives, and conforms to telecom standards required for immediate shipping to the U.S., Canada, Europe and other major industrial countries around the world. Pricing begins at $49 each. Devices are available now.
Aug 06, 2008
Raising the Roof at MCG
Posted by : ueb555
Raising the Roof at MCGIN 2007 the Paarden Eiland-based Metal Closures Group (MCG), foundthat their finished goods warehouse could not hold sufficientstock. The warehouse was 9 metres to the rafters and had fixedracking for 569 pallets. Production capacity also needed to be increased, and the warehousewas the only area available for expansion. The problem of increasing storage capacity while at the same timereducing the storage volume was given to site engineer AndrewCousins and logistics manager Alfie Danster. Their solution was to raise the roof on one portion of the buildingand create a storage area. A mezzanine floor was installed overpart of the existing warehouse and the ground floor was used toaccommodate the new machinery. Storax Mobile Racking, supplied by local company Barpro Storage,was installed in the remainder of the warehouse volume. The storagecapacity of the mobiles is 855 pallets compared to the 569 palletsthat could be stored previously. This represents a 50% increase ina warehouse where the volume had been reduced by just under 40%. Capacity could have been further increased if the roof of theexisting warehouse had been raised. However, it was agreed thatthis additional capacity was not required. Raising the roof was not a simple matter, and the poor winterweather didn’t help. Keeping the storage and productionprocesses operating while the building work was taking placerequired a huge amount of patience and managementskill. The project was completed in February this year. Warehouse foreman Ivan Fredericks is delighted with the results.“I am over the moon with the mobile racking. It is easy touse, I have sufficient additional capacity and can access anypallet quickly by moving the mobiles. Stock control has greatlyimproved,” he says. “I have labelled the pallet slots and all stock must be putaway as nothing can be left in the open aisle. I have also beenable to consolidate all my stock in one place. Previously I wasusing three offsite warehouses,” he says.
TDG extends LPR pallet facilities
Posted by : ueb555
TDG extends LPR pallet facilities As part of its contract with pallet pooling operator LPR, TDG hasinvested in two pallet maintenance facilities to meet increasingdemand. LPR currently makes 4.7 million pallet movements in the UK eachyear. Since 2003, TDG has handled all contracts in the area,including delivery, collection, sorting, repairing andreconditioning. The purpose-built pallet sorting facility in Stretton nearWarrington has a throughput of around 26,000 pallets a week formoderate repair and conditioning, as well as measuring the moisturecontent of each pallet to ensure it meets specific contractualcustomer requirements. The company uses an automated system using rollers and vacu-liftsbefore re-introducing the pallets into the supply chain. Any additional repairs are carried out at the newly extendedrecycling facility at Carnforth in Lancashire, where surplus woodis turned into compost for domestic use or used as fuel at theLockerbie power station. Alex Clarke, TDG contract manager for LPR, said: SLPR"s pool ismanufactured from sustainable sources, and we work hard to ensurethey stay in first class order. Pallets are returned to our sortingfacility after every trip, so we can carry out maintenance at anearly stage, constantly extending the life of each pallet andensuring they meet the specification required for the FMCG supplychain.
Independent Study Confirms iGPS' All-Plastic Pallet Is ...
Posted by : ueb555
Independent Study Confirms iGPS' All-Plastic Pallet Is ...Independent Study Confirms iGPS' All-Plastic Pallet IsEnvironmentally Superior To Multi-Use Wood PalletsCopyright 2008 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved 2008-08-04 ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive, independentstudy comparing the environmental impacts of iGPS' all-plasticpallet and the typical pooled multi-use wood pallet hasunequivocally documented that iGPS' pallet is far superior. Inevery measured dimension -- including global warming, ozone layerdepletion and acidification -- iGPS' plastic pallet was shown tohave a significantly lower environmental impact. "This independent life cycle analysis confirms withoutqualification that we have developed the environmentally superiorproduct we set out to create," said iGPS Chief Executive OfficerBob Moore. "Not only is our 100% recyclable plastic pallet lighter,stronger and safer than the typical pooled multi-use wood pallet,but even using the most conservative assumptions, it's also fargreener. The facts speak for themselves." The analysis, conducted by Environmental Resources Management(ERM), a global leader in environmental consulting services, is thefirst study to measure the total life cycle impact of both iGPS'plastic pallet and the typical multi-use wood pallet. The study, utilizing internationally recognized methodology,measured environmental impacts, taking into account palletdurability and useful life, material composition, trip distancesand weight. The ranges of environmental impact differences betweeniGPS' pallet and the typical multi-use wood pallet, usingconservative and more realistic assumptions for the impactcategories studied, were -- -- Abiotic depletion: iGPS' pallet had 25% - 35% less impact --Global warming: iGPS' pallet had 65% - 70% less impact -- OzoneLayer Depletion: iGPS' pallet had 91% - 92% less impact --Photochemical oxidation: iGPS' pallet had 60% - 65% less impact --Acidification: iGPS' pallet had 60% - 65% less impact --Eutrophication: iGPS' pallet had 75% - 80% less impact -- Aquaticecotoxicity: iGPS' pallet had 50% to 55% less impact -- Terrestrialecotoxicity: iGPS' pallet had 90% to 92% less impact "This study sets the record straight with respect to the claim thatthe pooled multi-use wood pallet is the most environmentallyfriendly pallet solution," Moore said. "The dramatically smallerenvironmental footprint of the iGPS pallet establishes it as thetrue benchmark of sustainability for pallet systems. We are proudto offer the world's supply chain a lighter, stronger, safer andgreener platform, and we look forward to the day when our forestswill no longer be sacrificed unnecessarily for wood pallets." A summary report of the ERM life cycle analysis can be viewed at ,where visitors can also calculate the greenhouse gas emission reductions and fuel savings made possible by converting to iGPS'lighter, plastic pallets. About iGPS iGPS is the world's first company to provide manufacturers andretailers with an all-plastic pallet pool with embedded RFID-tags.iGPS's state-of-the- art pallets are 30% lighter than wood, whichsaves on transport costs, are easier to handle and eliminateprotruding nails and splinters that cause workplace injuries anddamaged equipment. In addition, embedded RFID tags enable shippersand receivers to track and trace shipments in real time. Launchedin March 2006, the company is led by pallet and supply chainveterans with decades of experience. iGPS () is headquartered inOrlando, FL., with offices in Dallas, New York and Bentonville,Arkansas. Pegasus Capital Advisors, a private equity fund manager withoffices in New York and Cos Cob, CT, retains a majority interest iniGPS. Founded in 1995, Pegasus provides capital to middle marketcompanies across a wide range of industries, with particular focuson businesses that make a meaningful contribution to society bypositively affecting the environment, contributing tosustainability and enabling healthy living.Glossary of life cycle analysismeasures: Abiotic depletion is related to the extraction of scarce mineralsand fossil fuels and is arrived at by comparing amounts extractedto remaining reserves. Acidification is the reaction of acidic gases such as sulphurdioxide that react with water in the atmosphere to form "acid rain"which can cause ecosystem impairment. Aquatic ecotoxicity is the impact of manmade and natural materialsand activities on aquatic organisms, from the subcellular, throughindividual organisms, to communities and ecosystems. Eutrophication is the increase in chemical nutrients -- typicallycompounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus -- in an ecosystem. Itmay occur on land or in water. The impact may include excessiveplant growth and decay, resulting in a lack of oxygen, impairedwater quality and increased stress on fish and other animalpopulations. Global warming potential (GWP) is the ratio of heat trapped by oneunit mass of the greenhouse gas to that of one unit mass of CO2over a specified time period. This trapping of heat has beenimplicated in climate change. Ozone depletion potential (ODP) is the relative value thatindicates the potential of a substance to destroy ozone gas ascompared with the potential of chlorofluorocarbon-11 (CFC-11) andhas been connected with the destruction of stratospheric ozone,increasing the amount of harmful UV light hitting the earth'ssurface. Photochemical ozone creation (summer smog) is due to nitrogenoxides and volatile organic compounds combining in the presence ofsunlight to form low- level ozone. At low level, it is implicatedin impacts such as crop damage and increased incidence of asthma. Terrestrial ecotoxicity is the impact of manmade and naturalmaterials and activities on terrestrial organisms, from thesubcellular, through individual organisms, to communities andecosystems.
Lost in Translation
Posted by : ueb555
Lost in Translation By Rick LeBlanc Date Posted: 8/4/2008 Whether it is in the pre-dawn squalor of a wet and crowded produceterminal loading dock or the polished black walnut of theboardroom, the wondrous importance of the pallet rarely benefitsfrom an adequate translation. Just like the late RodneyDangerfield, the pallet never seems to command much respect. I wasreminded of this in a couple of ways over the last few weeks. First off, there was a new Italian pallet study on 3rd PartyLogistics providers released in mid-June. It is written inItalian, but with the power of Google Translate, it was revealed tome in that charming, semi-coherent manner that free translationsoftware offers. Case in point is the description of EPAL palletexchange:In Italy the most common management pallet is the exchange at parpallets EPAL: interchange provides for the refund instant a numberof pallets equivalent quantity and quality to pallets received. In other words, the most common pallet management approach in Italyis a one-for-one exchange of like quality EPAL pallets at the timeof delivery. The study itself is the second Pallet study in as many years by theCentre for Research Carlo Cattaneo, sponsored by Assologistica, anational logistics association in Italy. The subject is the impactof the EPAL pallet exchange system for mainstream 3PL providers,including the likes of DHL, Kuenne and Nagel, and others. The results are predictable to a North American audience. The 3PLproviders dont like exchange very much. At many locations, theyhave trouble getting pallets back. This is true for a number ofreasons, including black market activity as well as the lack ofstorage capacity at many smaller outlets (and Italian groceryretailing is still quite fragmented and predominates to smallerformats in comparison to the U.S. market.) In some circumstances, exchange works quite well, particularlywhere exchange is deferred until full load quantities of sortedpallets are picked up at a distribution center to return to theproduct manufacturer. But non-recovered pallet rates are quite high as much as 10% forone of the seven cases presented. The study determined a cost pertrip for 3PL providers ranging from $1.19US to $1.86US per trip. (This is in addition to pallet costs felt by other supply chainparticipants such as product manufacturer, carrier, anddistributor.) Keeping in mind that typically a 3PL provider isgoing to receive a pallet under load and then ship it out, thepallet cost comes predominantly from fulfilling pallet returnobligations to its client, the product manufacturer. The study says that the 3PL providers do not have a very privilegedposition in the supply chain, which makes them vulnerable to theinefficiencies of the pallet exchange system. It caught my eye thatof the data presented from seven 3PL operations, the one with thelowest cost per trip was the one that spent the most money onpallet administration. Over half of $1.19 spent per trip ($0.64)was attributable to administrative efforts. This operator more thanmade up for the expenditure by accumulating extra pallets to sellinstead of having to purchase pallets to cover shortfalls inretrieval. Here is my point - why is it still so counter-intuitiveto pallet users that investment in pallet management will pay foritself? The second story I want to tell quickly has to do with a C-storedelivery program in the United States. The distributor noted thatit didnt seem to be getting its pallets and assorted reusablecontainers back from the various outside trucking firms it wasusing to make the deliveries. This negative trend prompted thedistributor to launch a tracking program to ensure it would get theassets back. The new system provided notice to the drivers on the dock. Thesales group that ran the program was assigned to forward theinformation to the C-store customers and the management at thetrucking companies to make sure everybody knew about the assetmovements. Pallet tracking software was introduced. At the end of the firstmonth, reports were run, and the result was downright scary. Veryfew of the pallets were coming back. It was projected that thepallet and container loss for the modest program would reach wellinto six figures per year. The ledgers were faxed or emailed to the carriers by the DC palletcontroller. Carriers were encouraged to make the returns so as toavoid deductions from their checks. The controllers phone startedringing as every carrier account manager phoned to say that no onehad told them, but now they were aware of the problem. Carrierscommitted to try to comply as best they could, as long as theC-stores could safeguard the assets for return. Apparently none ofthe C-stores knew about the problem either. The sales group, predictably seemed distracted by all this talk,and began to calculate if they could tweak up the margin enough tonot bother with this tracking nonsense at all. No respect, like Isay. Or as my friend Mr. Google translates in Italian, &nonrispetto.
Pallets finish season undefeated
Posted by : ueb555
Pallets finish season undefeatedlocal roundupAugust 4 Pallets finish season undefeated The Times Leader staffThe Wyoming Valley Pallets completed a perfect season by beathingSweet Valley 12-6 in the 14-16-year-old division championship.Dave Drahus led the Pallets with a double, two singles and threeruns scored. Kevin Bott had three hits. Chris Murphy and Ken Sorickeach had a double and a single.Murphy picked up the win in relief of Drahus, striking out six infour innings of work.Sweet Valley was lefy by Adam Paulauskas, Justin Cornell and JoshEverett who each collected two hits.Kyle Levalley, Dylan Wasylyk and Tom Smith each had hits for SweetValley.
Grocer Users & Pallet Leaders Unite,Industry Leaders Launch Block ...
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Grocer Users & Pallet Leaders Unite,Industry Leaders Launch Block ... Grocer Users & Pallet Leaders Unite,Industry Leaders Launch BlockPool Initiative By Chaille Brindley Date Posted: 8/4/2008 Pallet management has been the next big thing for wood pallets forthe last ten plus years. But it has yet to materialize in theUnited States in a big way due to the fragmentation of the whitewood pallet industry. That may all be about to change. The Board of Directors of the National Wooden Pallet and ContainerAssociation (NWPCA) assigned a blue-ribbon task group to explorethe concept of an industry-wide pallet management system uniquelytailored to the needs of the U.S. grocery market. This group hasworked closely with representatives of the U.S. grocery industry togauge customer interest and to iron out a few specifics. A lot ofdetails are still in the draft stage. Here is what we do know. The effort will be coordinated by anot-for-profit organization that is governed by both palletcompanies and pallet users. The pool will utilize a block palletthat is tracked using secure software on an individual palletbasis. Similar to the EPAL and CPC pools, the pallets will be madeand repaired to a specific quality standard. The NWPCA stated thatpallet quality will be guaranteed through rigorous and continuousthird-party inspections by qualified inspection agencies. The NWPCA intends to operate the tracking system in cooperationwith pallet suppliers and owners. According to the NWPCAannouncement, the program will be ISPM-15 compliant. Modern Materials Handlings Web site recently carried a news article on the program. BruceScholnick, president of the NWPCA, told Modern This will be a guaranteed buyback system, so once its up andrunning it will be a nominal cost program funded by itsparticipants. Well repair the pallets and the pallets will belongto the system. The participants will own a fraction of the system. A buyback system is unique compared to the CPC and EPAL systemsalthough some EPAL producers offer their own buyback programs forcustomers. Much of the particulars about how the system is going towork have yet to be decided. Currently, the task force behind theinitiative is looking for input and participation from both palletcompanies and users. Contact the NWPCA directly at 703/519-6104 ore-mail bscholnick@palletcentral.comto share your thoughts. A presentation and discussions on theconcept will occur at the upcoming NWPCA Recycling and PackagingConference & Exposition, held September 10-12, 2008 inMinneapolis, Minn. One thing that makes this initiative different is that the groceryindustry appears open to the idea. Concerns over pallet quality aswell as rising demand in some sectors for block pallets could beforming the perfect situation for an industry cooperative programto work. MaterialsHandling.Net will have more analysis and information onthe new pallet management initiative as plans develop in the nearfuture.
Get Trucking: Is Plastic the Future After All?
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Get Trucking: Is Plastic the Future After All? Thats the pitch from iGPS, an Orlando, Fla.-based company thatsays plastic shipping pallets could do for the trucking industry what Congress so far hasnt:provide relief from high gas prices. Its the latest sign that highgas prices have even plastics companies jumping on the greenbandwagon. The logic is straightforward. Most tractor trailers carry lots ofheavy, wooden pallets, whether fully-loaded or not. That addsweight to every trip, lowers fuel economy, and means extraemissions of greenhouse gases. Replacing the wooden pallets withlonger-lasting plastic shipping pallets could bring savings acrossthe board, iGPS says. High prices for gasoline have paled beside even higher prices fordiesel, which truckers use. That has sparked a revival of the ot fuel movementconsumer revolts against super-heated fuel at gas stations thatshortchanges customers, especially high-volume truckers. Morebroadly, high fuel prices have disrupted global trade throwing a wrench in the wheels of globalization. Now, the battlefield is heading inside the semis. Plastic palletshave several advantages over their wooden cousins, according to an independent studycarried out by Environmental Resource Management. They lastlonger, they weigh less, and they dont need paint or chemicaltreatments. Since a plastic pallet can easily handle 100trips versus two trips for a single-use wooden pallet thedifference in greenhouse-gas emissions is stark: 45,000 kilogramsof carbon dioxide for the plastic pallets, compared with 300,000kilograms for the wooden pallets. The iGPS website has a calculator which lets shipping companies tally how much fuel theyd save byswitching from wood to plastic. Most importantly, says iGPS, you dont have to chop down trees toget plastic pallets: A Virginia Tech study found that 40% of the U.S. hardwood harvestgoes to wooden pallet production. But plastic pallets are a petrochemical creationall plastic. Thetop-of-the-line pallets use virgin plastic, which isnt the mostenvironmentally-friendly. The bulk of the emissions from theplastic pallets comes during production, rather than daily use. Toget around that, pallet makers have launched a couple of greenerblends, from 15% recycled to 100% recycled plastic. Everybody from T. Boone Pickens to Al Gore is pitching ambitiousplans to change Americas energy mix. Maybe the lowest-hangingfruit, even if its plastic, can be the juiciest.
Pallet Lessons from the USPS
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Pallet Lessons from the USPS By Rick LeBlanc Date Posted: 8/4/2008 The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has long been the single largestpurchaser of plastic pallets in the country, possibly even theworld. Over the past year, leakage and budget concerns have led theUSPS to re-evaluate its purchasing practices. The USPS has begunpurchasing wood pallets, INCA presswood pallets and some low-pricedplastic pallets. Peter Grau, a contractor to the USPS, said, The action to purchasewood pallets over plastic pallets is due to budget constraints andasset management issues with plastic pallets. From an operationaland engineering perspective, the twin sheet thermoformed plasticpallet is still the pallet of preference. The bottom line is that the USPS has leaked out plastic palletsabout as fast as they had been buying them. Peter Grau said, Whilewe prefer plastic pallets for their performance, they are leakingout of our system almost one for one. With the higher cost ofpetroleum and plastic products, cash flow was being squeezed as theUSPS faces budget shortfalls due to lower mail volume. The USPS shifted to plastic pallets in the mid-90s, and the fullconversion began in earnest in the following years. The change wassupported by an exhaustive study that compared the performance andendurance of the INCA presswood pallet, the previous platform ofchoice, with wood pallets and a variety of plastic models. A twinsheet thermoform plastic pallet proved to be the winner, and theconversion swung heavy to plastic. The study found the twin sheet pallets were light, durable andsuperior in other aspects of distribution. The study was widelyused by twin sheet marketers working downstream markets, includinggrocery decision makers. According to Jeremy Albright of WitPostal,a postal logistics service provider, a generation of mailprocessing automation has developed around the use of the plasticpallet. There has been one recurring problem. The distinctive orange andblack postal pallets were popping up everywhere, even as props onthe Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios in California. The USPSsent a memo to trading partners in 2006 urging that postal palletsonly be used for intended purposes. This memo threatened legalaction against anyone involved in stealing USPS pallets. The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association becameinvolved, and wood pallets were offered as a possible solution.Several sources suggested that the USPS develop a pallet trackingsystem. It never developed and pallet losses continued. A postal communication from October 2007 announced that USPS hadordered 250,000 INCA pallets, as a cheaper alternative. Plasticpallets had been leaking out of the USPS system to the tune of twomillion pallets per year. Pallet leakage cost the USPS more than$100 million over the previous five years. Major plastic palletsuppliers have been working to design lighter plastic pallets forUSPS that would be more competitively priced, according to oneindustry source. WitPostal confirmed that printing companies were being shipped woodpallets amounting to almost 50% of postal pallets ordered in somecases. Jeremy indicated that his clients are reporting damagedpallets all over their facilities. He noted that many facilitieshave automated sorting equipment and other machinery that issensitive to wood debris. Jim Hardie, manager of mail transport equipment for USPS, said thatbuying wood and presswood pallets is a short term solutionnecessitated by plastic pallet shortfalls. He offered no long termprediction about what the USPS would do other than attempt toimprove its pallet management practices. Hartson Poland of PDQ Plastics, which has supplied pallets to theprinting industry, sees pros and cons with the USPS and its palletprogram. He applauded the USPS for launching the making of thisplatform change in the slower part of the year, before the busyfall mailing season begins. However, he was less flattering aboutits approach to pallet management. Hartson said, The USPS picked the right pallet. They did a goodjob of deciding who gets the pallets and who did not. What theyhave not done well is create the basic structure to get theirpallets back. They have never created a closed loop. It seems the USPS got into its present dilemma by failing to createan adequate pallet control system. Now it seems the USPS may beembarking to another equally precipitous course of action. It ismoving to a wood pallet program without specifications and otherquality control measures in place to ensure a consistently goodquality pallet every trip. Just a little background on the USPS program, bulk mailers areissued pallets by USPS. The approved mailer, such as a printingcompany, calls to order pallets, and the USPS delivers them forfree. The pallets are only supposed to be used for shipments toUSPS. Jeremy of WitPostal indicated that in addition to the issues withautomated equipment, there are concerns about weight and storagerequirements. Wood pallets take up more space and weigh more thannestable plastic pallets. Space is a major concern for manyprinters. Extra pallet weight results in increased overall shippingcosts. Jeremy noted that printers often use wood pallets from othersources. In some cases, wood pallets are shipped back to USPS inaddition to postal pallets. This could mean that the USPS mayactually start accumulating rather than losing pallets in the nearfuture. The success of the USPS pallet program depends on how it isadministered and the level of compliance by mailers. There are afew things that any pallet user can do to ensure that its transportpackaging assets are secure. The sidebar on page 49 discusses thetop few steps that must be taken to establish a closed loop. It iseasy to talk about but hard to do in practice because successdepends largely on people who view protecting pallet assets as anafterthought.Top Steps for Developing a Managed Pallet Program 1.) Hire an asset recovery team that oversees the pallet programand works with all parties involved to safeguard pallet assets.This includes marketing, policing and management functions. 2.) Develop clear communication with all participants in the supplychain. This involves properly marking the pallet, sending lettersto supply chain partners and providing educational materials forpeople handling pallets at warehouses and other facilities. 3.) Establish a patchwork of legal authority and custodyagreements. Pallet rental companies do this with their customers.Users agree to terms specified by the pallet owners. This includesreturning assets and reimbursing for stray pallets. 4.) Electronically track pallet movements to monitor pallet flows.Use regular reports to inform problem areas of leakage issues. Thisshould be brought to the attention of upper management on afacility by facility basis. You could use batch or individualpallet tracking, depending on your level of sophistication. 5.) Charge a fee for excessive use or capturing of a pooledpallet. 6.) Dialogue with pallet recyclers through a letter campaign thatinforms them of the proprietary nature of postal pallets. Set up a1-800 phone number for pallet recyclers to call if they have straypallets. Develop procedures to adequately compensate recyclers fortheir costs while protecting the ownership interest of your assetand identifying sources of major pallet leakage. 7.) Quickly return phone calls and work to reclaim stray assets.The last thing you want is a reputation for poor response tolegitimate reports of stray pallets. Remember that it will take alocal focus to curtail leakage. Communicate with anyone who mightcome in contact with stray assets, and let them know what theyshould do. 8.) Conduct quarterly analysis to gauge the effectiveness of newpallet management initiatives.
Aug 05, 2008
Accord de principe entre médecins et "Sécu" sur les honoraires
Posted by : ueb555Accord de principe entre médecins et "Sécu" sur les honorairesciss Les syndicats de praticiens libéraux et l'Union nationale des caisses d'assurance-maladie (Uncam) ont signé, vendredi 25 juillet, "un point d'étape" de négociations, préalable à une révision des conditions d'exercice de la médecine en France.Les partenaires sociaux ont trouvé un accord de principe sur la création d'un nouveau système censé encadrer les dépassements d'honoraires : le "secteur optionnel". Ils ont aussi discuté des moyens d'aboutir à une meilleure répartition des médecins sur le territoire. Le document devrait servir de base à la signature, début septembre, "d'un ou plusieurs avenants" à la convention qui lie les médecins et la "Sécu".L'idée de mettre sur pied un secteur optionnel, réclamé depuis quatre ans par les syndicats de médecins, a franchi une étape décisive. Il s'agit de créer un troisième système tarifaire, qui viendrait s'insérer entre le secteur 1 (les médecins pratiquant les tarifs de la Sécurité sociale) et le secteur 2 (ceux à honoraires libres) s.PROBLÈMES D'ACCÈS AUX SOINSAujourd'hui, la plupart des médecins choisissent d'exercer en secteur 2, tandis que ceux restés en secteur 1 multiplient les dépassements d'honoraires illégaux pour atteindre des rémunérations plus élevées. Une situation qui pose "de réels problèmes d'accès aux soins" pour les assurés sociaux, note le document d'étape.Le secteur optionnel serait accessible aux médecins de secteur 2, afin de les inciter à pratiquer des tarifs moins prohibitifs. Les praticiens s'engageraient à réaliser 30 % de leurs actes aux tarifs de la Sécurité sociale, notamment en cas d'urgence ou pour les patients en situation de précarité. Le reste de leurs honoraires ne pourraient être supérieurs à 50 % des tarifs de l'assurance-maladie, et seraient pris en charge par les mutuelles. S'ils adhèrent au dispositif, les médecins se verront offrir "certains avantages sociaux" par l'assurance-maladie, sans plus de précision à ce stade. Ils pourraient à tout moment décider de revenir à leur secteur d'origine.Le secteur optionnel concernera d'abord les chirurgiens, les anesthésistes et les gynéco-obstétriciens, mais pourrait s'ouvrir, à terme, à l'ensemble des spécialités. La Confédération syndicale des médecins libéraux (CSMF) y voit le moyen "d'encadrer les dépassements d'honoraires qui seront pris en charge par les mutuelles". Pour le Collectif interassociatif sur la santé (CISS), qui représente les patients, le secteur optionnel ouvre, au contraire, la voie à la "généralisation des dépassements d'honoraires". "Nous n'en voulons pas !" clame le CISS.Syndicats et Uncam ont aussi pris date sur la question de la répartition géographique des médecins. Un "contrat de santé solidarité" serait proposé aux praticiens installés dans des zones médicalement surdotées, afin qu'ils exercent une part de leur activité en zones sous-dotées.Une rémunération annuelle au forfait serait proposée aux médecins généralistes qui s'engagent à respecter des objectifs de santé publique dans le suivi de leur patient (dépistage, vaccination, prescription modérée de médicaments...). Le montant de cette rémunération, qui pourrait s'élever à plusieurs milliers d'euros par an, n'a pas été discuté.Le gouvernement doit présenter, mardi 29 juillet, un plan d'économie pour l'assurance-maladie de 4 milliards d'euros. Les partenaires conventionnels, prudents, ont choisi de ne pas aborder la question financière. La date d'entrée en vigueur du passage de la consultation des médecins généralistes de 22 à 23 euros a ainsi été renvoyée à la reprise des négociations, en septembre.
Les tarifs des médecins en consultation libre sur Internet
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Les tarifs des médecins en consultation libre sur Internetciss Promesse tenue pour l'Assurance maladie. Comme elle l'avait annoncé, la Cnam (Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie) vient de mettre en ligne sur le site Ameli.fr un service de consultation des tarifs des professionnels de santé. L'assuré peut obtenir des repères sur le tarif des consultations ou sur ceux les plus fréquemment pratiqués par les médecins conventionnés en secteur 2 dont les honoraires sont libres. Le service propose également un annuaire avec les coordonnées des médecins, infirmier(e)s, chirurgiens, dentistes, kinésithérapeutes... les plus proches de chez soi. Une recherche par nom est aussi disponible. Une fiche descriptive indique les coordonnées de chaque médecin, ses spécialités éventuelles et s'il accepte ou non la carte Vitale. Un clic supplémentaire donne accès à ses tarifs. Pour le CISS (Collectif interassociatif sur la santé), une structure qui regroupe 32 associations de malades, de consommateurs et de personnes handicapées, l'initiative de l'Assurance maladie va dans le bon sens et devrait apporter plus de transparence pour les patients. En France, les tarifs des praticiens varient considérablement selon leur convention. Les honoraires de santé sont en effet répartis en deux secteurs. Le secteur 1 où les praticiens facturent le tarif de consultation défini par la Sécurité sociale, en contrepartie duquel une très grande partie de leur charges sociales sont financées par l'Assurance maladie, et le secteur 2 où les honoraires sont libres mais où les professionnels de santé doivent assurer le paiement de la très grande majorité de leurs charges sociales. Des tarifs qui varient d'un facteur 4 ou 5« Le vrai problème, explique Magali Léo, chargé de mission au CISS sur l'Assurance maladie. C'est celui de l'obligation légale d'affichage qui n'est souvent pas respectée du tout par les praticiens. C'est la question du contrôle et de la régulation de ces honoraires qui doit être normalement le fait de l'Assurance maladie, et qui dans la réalité est souvent négligée. Résultat sur Paris, on se retrouve parfois avec des consultations de spécialistes dont le tarif atteint 4 ou 5 fois le tarif Sécu. » Sur Ameli.fr, les tarifs des actes dentaires sont également affichés. La Cnam indique les tarifs des soins dentaires les plus courants (carie, dévitalisation...) dont les prix sont fixes. Mais aussi ceux des actes avec dépassement les plus fréquents : couronne, orthodontie... L'internaute disposant à chaque fois d'une fourchette des tarifs pratiqués par chaque chirurgien dentiste. Mais pour la CNSD (Confédération nationale des syndicats dentaires) la mise en ligne de ces tarifs par la Cnam « n'est qu'un leurre (...) car elle n'améliore en rien le remboursement et la prise en charge des soins dentaires ». L'organisation affirme avoir saisi la Cnil (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés) « sur la nature et la conformité des informations diffusées ». Dans un communiqué cité par l'AFP, elle précise qu'elle demandera à ses 15 500 adhérents de saisir individuellement la Cnil pour s'assurer de la conformité des données les concernant. Les équipes de l'Assurance maladie sont donc prévenues : gare aux fautes de frappe et aux 0 en trop !
Vehicle smugglers move operations from Cebu to other ports
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Vehicle smugglers move operations from Cebu to other portsciss MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs may have curbed the smuggling of imported vehicles in Cebu province, but syndicates only moved their operations to other ports.
A Bureau of Customs (BOC) official made this revelation on Monday in an interview. The official, however, refused to be named.
According to the official, the smuggling of vehicles will continue unless the Land Transportation Office (LTO) go after its corrupt workers who arrange for the registration of the illegal vehicles.
"This is according to reports that car smuggling syndicates in connivance with unscrupulous LTO personnel in Lapu-Lapu City and the cities of Toledo, Cebu, and Mandaue are responsible for the issuance of registration certificates and official receipts of smuggled vehicles which is a major requirement in vehicle registration," the official said.
According to the official, the Intelligence and Enforcement Group (IEG) and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CISS) have greatly reduced the smuggling of imported vehicles in Cebu, prompting smuggling syndicates to move operations to other ports.
"The BOC upon orders from the President has intensified its anti-smuggling campaign in Cebu late last year after reports came out that hundreds of luxury vehicles and SUVs were being smuggled through the Port of Cebu," the official said.
The reports has been submitted to Customs Deputy Commissioner and IEG head Celso Templo.
"Since the intensified anti-smuggling campaign in Cebu was launched, not a single unit of high-end luxury vehicles as well as second-hand cars arrived at the Port of Cebu," the report said.
The smuggling syndicates have reportedly shifted operations to other ports in General Santos City, Cagayan Valley, Davao City, San Fernando (La Union), Cagayan de Oro, the Clark Freeport, the Manila International Container Port (MICP)in Subic, and even in Manila itself.
Syndicates manage to continue their illegal activities because they have connections inside the LTO.
"The license plates of smuggled vehicles which were registered in Mandaue, Toledo and Cebu cities were later issued in different LTO agencies in Metro Manila to avoid detection," he official said.
The government is losing up to P60 billion pesos in taxes and duties due to rampant smuggling, not only imported vehicles but also other commodities including oil products.
In 2007, former LTO chief Reynaldo Berroya ordered the revamp of six district heads in Cebu as part of the agency's effort to fight smuggling of vehicles in the Central Visayas which at that time was known to be the prime destination of smuggled automobiles.
A Bureau of Customs (BOC) official made this revelation on Monday in an interview. The official, however, refused to be named.
According to the official, the smuggling of vehicles will continue unless the Land Transportation Office (LTO) go after its corrupt workers who arrange for the registration of the illegal vehicles.
"This is according to reports that car smuggling syndicates in connivance with unscrupulous LTO personnel in Lapu-Lapu City and the cities of Toledo, Cebu, and Mandaue are responsible for the issuance of registration certificates and official receipts of smuggled vehicles which is a major requirement in vehicle registration," the official said.
According to the official, the Intelligence and Enforcement Group (IEG) and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CISS) have greatly reduced the smuggling of imported vehicles in Cebu, prompting smuggling syndicates to move operations to other ports.
"The BOC upon orders from the President has intensified its anti-smuggling campaign in Cebu late last year after reports came out that hundreds of luxury vehicles and SUVs were being smuggled through the Port of Cebu," the official said.
The reports has been submitted to Customs Deputy Commissioner and IEG head Celso Templo.
"Since the intensified anti-smuggling campaign in Cebu was launched, not a single unit of high-end luxury vehicles as well as second-hand cars arrived at the Port of Cebu," the report said.
The smuggling syndicates have reportedly shifted operations to other ports in General Santos City, Cagayan Valley, Davao City, San Fernando (La Union), Cagayan de Oro, the Clark Freeport, the Manila International Container Port (MICP)in Subic, and even in Manila itself.
Syndicates manage to continue their illegal activities because they have connections inside the LTO.
"The license plates of smuggled vehicles which were registered in Mandaue, Toledo and Cebu cities were later issued in different LTO agencies in Metro Manila to avoid detection," he official said.
The government is losing up to P60 billion pesos in taxes and duties due to rampant smuggling, not only imported vehicles but also other commodities including oil products.
In 2007, former LTO chief Reynaldo Berroya ordered the revamp of six district heads in Cebu as part of the agency's effort to fight smuggling of vehicles in the Central Visayas which at that time was known to be the prime destination of smuggled automobiles.
NASS approves N35.4bn for NCS
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NASS approves N35.4bn for NCSciss The National Assembly yesterday approved N35.4 billion as the 2008 budget for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
A breakdown of the figure showed that N18.4 billion was earmarked for personnel cost while N3.8 billion was allocated for overhead cost.
Also, N13.1 billion was earmarked for the Customs as its capital expenditure for the year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appropriation to the Customs represented a harmonised figure by both committees of the national assembly on finance.
Sources of the fund for the 2008 Customs statutory budget includes seven per cent cost of collection for the year which was put at N22.9 billion.
Others are fund from the ongoing projects amounting to N5.1 billion; refund from the sale of NCS houses of N2 billion and fund from CISS account with the CBN amounting to N1.9 billion.
Also, the N3.3 billion from seven per cent cost of collection on Non-Federation Account Items was included.
However, Sen. Ahmad Makarfi, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, urged the Customs to ensure strict implementation of the budgetary allocation.
Makarfi stressed the need for proper and adequate funding of the Customs to boost its revenue generation.
Mr Hamman Ahmad, Comptroller General of Customs, told NAN that the senate deserved to be commended for the speedy consideration of
the budget.
Ahmed described the statutory allocation as a positive development that would enhance professionalism and boost staff morale.
He also commended the senate and the committees in particular, for ensuring that the statutory entitlement of the service was approved.
“Our budget for this year will really improve the lots of officers and the operational empowerment of the service.
“This development will also enable us to forward our review proposals to the salaries and wages commission for enhanced welfare package for officers
A breakdown of the figure showed that N18.4 billion was earmarked for personnel cost while N3.8 billion was allocated for overhead cost.
Also, N13.1 billion was earmarked for the Customs as its capital expenditure for the year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appropriation to the Customs represented a harmonised figure by both committees of the national assembly on finance.
Sources of the fund for the 2008 Customs statutory budget includes seven per cent cost of collection for the year which was put at N22.9 billion.
Others are fund from the ongoing projects amounting to N5.1 billion; refund from the sale of NCS houses of N2 billion and fund from CISS account with the CBN amounting to N1.9 billion.
Also, the N3.3 billion from seven per cent cost of collection on Non-Federation Account Items was included.
However, Sen. Ahmad Makarfi, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, urged the Customs to ensure strict implementation of the budgetary allocation.
Makarfi stressed the need for proper and adequate funding of the Customs to boost its revenue generation.
Mr Hamman Ahmad, Comptroller General of Customs, told NAN that the senate deserved to be commended for the speedy consideration of
the budget.
Ahmed described the statutory allocation as a positive development that would enhance professionalism and boost staff morale.
He also commended the senate and the committees in particular, for ensuring that the statutory entitlement of the service was approved.
“Our budget for this year will really improve the lots of officers and the operational empowerment of the service.
“This development will also enable us to forward our review proposals to the salaries and wages commission for enhanced welfare package for officers
Making ends meet is a tough ask
Posted by : ueb555
Making ends meet is a tough ask“TO make ends meet” has a special meaning for Leanne Petrides and her team of passionate volunteers at the Cranbourne Information and Support Service (CISS).
For 30 years, the community information and support service has assisted residents with emergency food relief, no-interest loans, financial assistance and counselling, to name just a few of the endless list of support services on offer. Ms Petrides in her 10 years as manager of the Sladen Street facility has seen the meaning of ‘to make ends meet’ evolve from families being unable to afford luxuries such as instant coffee and chocolate to going without essentials to stay on top of increasing mortgage repayments and higher rental payments.
The proof is in the figures, and the alarming increase in the number of people walking through the doors of CISS every year.
In 2006-07, CISS assisted 3500 households requesting emergency aid. By the end of the 2007-08 financial year, that figure sky-rocketed by 500 to more than 4000. Emergency assistance can come in the form of food vouchers and parcels, petrol vouchers, Metlink tickets and discounts on utility bills.
Ms Petrides, a qualified psychologist, said in the climate of rising interest rates and increased prices at both the petrol bowser and the supermarket checkout, CISS routinely exhausted its allocation of emergency assistance vouchers by noon.
“We then offer food parcels, which contain no-name essentials such as cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, long-life milk and juice,” she said.
“Every year more and more people walk through our door, the problem of poverty is snowballing.
“The population is increasing, yet the average wages in and around Cranbourne have decreased in the last few years.
“People will hold on to their mortgages at any cost, and renters will go without food and other essentials just to stay on top of their bills.”
To put the plight of local poverty in perspective, on Monday 23 June CISS attended to the following requests for assistance:
- 17 families requiring assistance with food, three needing nappies and baby formula;
- Three single men needing assistance with food;
- Three single women needing assistance with food;
- One single father needing assistance with his children’s school costs;
- Two people with chronic illnesses requiring help with pharmacy costs; and
- Two homeless people seeking assistance with housing.
On that day, CISS had run out of food relief vouchers by just after noon and seven of the visitors who requested emergency food relief had come to CISS for the first time – a trend that was escalating, according to Ms Petrides.
In total, CISS helped 23 clients with counselling, four with financial counselling and another seven requesting general information.
“To walk through our doors and acknowledge that you’re struggling is a massive step for some people,” Ms Petrides said.
“We acknowledge that by offering non-judgmental assistance in a relaxing, respectful environment.”
CISS also operates a no-interest loan program, which allows struggling families to purchase whitegoods and other big-ticket household essentials without worrying about interest payments and a deposit.
Families then pay back an agreed amount every week, and Ms Petrides proudly boasts a default rate of less than two per cent.
“CISS has a better payment and loan completion rate than the banks,” she said.
“We loan up to $800 for appliances like fridges and washing machines, and repayments are made every week. It gives people a sense of satisfaction and achievement when they see the loan right through.”
Every one of the 25 active volunteers at CISS completed a nationally accredited training program and a lengthy probation period before sitting down to assist someone in need.
“The volunteers deal with challenging situations on a daily basis,” Ms Petrides said. “Aggressive clients and juggling emotions are hard tasks. Imagine going home to bed after telling a homeless person the safest places to sleep on the streets of Cranbourne.
“They deserve all the recognition they get.”
CISS is at 156A Sladen Street and can be contacted on 5996 3333.
For 30 years, the community information and support service has assisted residents with emergency food relief, no-interest loans, financial assistance and counselling, to name just a few of the endless list of support services on offer. Ms Petrides in her 10 years as manager of the Sladen Street facility has seen the meaning of ‘to make ends meet’ evolve from families being unable to afford luxuries such as instant coffee and chocolate to going without essentials to stay on top of increasing mortgage repayments and higher rental payments.
The proof is in the figures, and the alarming increase in the number of people walking through the doors of CISS every year.
In 2006-07, CISS assisted 3500 households requesting emergency aid. By the end of the 2007-08 financial year, that figure sky-rocketed by 500 to more than 4000. Emergency assistance can come in the form of food vouchers and parcels, petrol vouchers, Metlink tickets and discounts on utility bills.
Ms Petrides, a qualified psychologist, said in the climate of rising interest rates and increased prices at both the petrol bowser and the supermarket checkout, CISS routinely exhausted its allocation of emergency assistance vouchers by noon.
“We then offer food parcels, which contain no-name essentials such as cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, long-life milk and juice,” she said.
“Every year more and more people walk through our door, the problem of poverty is snowballing.
“The population is increasing, yet the average wages in and around Cranbourne have decreased in the last few years.
“People will hold on to their mortgages at any cost, and renters will go without food and other essentials just to stay on top of their bills.”
To put the plight of local poverty in perspective, on Monday 23 June CISS attended to the following requests for assistance:
- 17 families requiring assistance with food, three needing nappies and baby formula;
- Three single men needing assistance with food;
- Three single women needing assistance with food;
- One single father needing assistance with his children’s school costs;
- Two people with chronic illnesses requiring help with pharmacy costs; and
- Two homeless people seeking assistance with housing.
On that day, CISS had run out of food relief vouchers by just after noon and seven of the visitors who requested emergency food relief had come to CISS for the first time – a trend that was escalating, according to Ms Petrides.
In total, CISS helped 23 clients with counselling, four with financial counselling and another seven requesting general information.
“To walk through our doors and acknowledge that you’re struggling is a massive step for some people,” Ms Petrides said.
“We acknowledge that by offering non-judgmental assistance in a relaxing, respectful environment.”
CISS also operates a no-interest loan program, which allows struggling families to purchase whitegoods and other big-ticket household essentials without worrying about interest payments and a deposit.
Families then pay back an agreed amount every week, and Ms Petrides proudly boasts a default rate of less than two per cent.
“CISS has a better payment and loan completion rate than the banks,” she said.
“We loan up to $800 for appliances like fridges and washing machines, and repayments are made every week. It gives people a sense of satisfaction and achievement when they see the loan right through.”
Every one of the 25 active volunteers at CISS completed a nationally accredited training program and a lengthy probation period before sitting down to assist someone in need.
“The volunteers deal with challenging situations on a daily basis,” Ms Petrides said. “Aggressive clients and juggling emotions are hard tasks. Imagine going home to bed after telling a homeless person the safest places to sleep on the streets of Cranbourne.
“They deserve all the recognition they get.”
CISS is at 156A Sladen Street and can be contacted on 5996 3333.
Dance, Dance Cultural Revolution
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Dance, Dance Cultural Revolutionciss Welles Park, in the city's Lincoln Square community, will be transformed into a Mecca of music and dance from global cultures this Saturday and Sunday at The Old Town School of Folk Music’s Chicago Folk & Roots Festival. A dance tent will offer visitors dance lessons from a variety of cultures, such as Aztec rituals. The dance lessons, free with the price of admission, are an excellent entry-way into a culture foreign from your own according to Senior Lecture of Theater at Northwestern University, Joel Valentin-Martinez. "It's a quick and most of all enjoyable way of learning about another culture's perspective," he said.Idy Ciss, an immigrant from Senegal and dance instructor at the Old Town School, is teaching a West African dance workshop at 1:15 p.m. Sunday. "West African dance is what I know because I am from West Africa," Ciss said. "This is what I know. This is my life."His workshop will be accompanied by the thundering sounds of live drumming. Ciss advises newcomers not to be intimidated. "I tell people to have the courage to at least try," Ciss said.The dance tent has been a big attraction since the festival started 11 years ago, at times drawing crowds as large as those at the main stage, according to Sarah Dandelles, program manager of dance and movement education at The Old Town School. "It's about having fun and enjoying the music," Dandelles said.Misia Jaminski of the Wesoly Lud Polish Folk Dance Ensemble will give Chicago-style Polka lessons at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. The Chicago-style Polka is "more of a hop than the German style which is more of a slide," Jaminski said.Newcomers to Chicago-style Polka might be surprised to find out how fast-paced the dance is. "Some of the routines are from the Swing Era. It was the Polish way of keeping tradition alive," Jaminski said.Although, she adds, that no one should expect to fully learn everything about a single form of dance in one of these brief lessons. The lessons "just give people a taste of anything because obviously you don't have time to make people qualified for 'Dancing with the Stars'."
Senate to ensure implementation
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Senate to ensure implementationciss The Chairman Senate Committee on Finance, Sen. Ahmad Muhammad Makarfi, yesterday said that the Assembly would ensure full implementation of statutory allocations to government agencies.
``We will ensure that all agencies of government get their rights on a permanent basis,'' Makarfi said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He made the statement following complaints by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) that it could not access some revenue due it.
Makarfi said the Senate would enforce the seven per cent charges policy on all collections by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was implemented.
``The law says seven per cent of all the collections by the customs with the exception of VAT.
``The Senate and the committee, in particular, must support the implementation of the law to ensure efficiency in revenue collection,'' he said.
Makarfi said there was a need for the service to capture the policy for those sources of revenue in its annual budgetary estimate.
He, however, advised NCS to always liaise with the ministry of finance, Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for such estimate.
Makarfi explained that the customs' entitlement of seven per cent of revenue it collected was aimed at enhancing its operations.
``If an agency of government that collects revenue cannot pay its staff salaries, then something is wrong,'' the former Kaduna state governor said.
The NCS had alleged that the service was not accessing the one per cent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) as part of its entitlement with the CBN.
The scheme was introduced in 1979 following the enactment of Decree 36 of 1978 and at present the scheme is administered under Decree No. 11
of 1996.
The decree provides for pre-shipment inspection of goods destined for the Nigerian market by appointed inspection agents.
Section 5(1) of the Act provides for the administration of the scheme by a technical committee chaired by CBN.
NAN recalls that the CBN governor, Prof. Charles Soludo in a meeting with the Senate committee on Finance disclosed that N16.1billion was in the CISS account.
``As at today, N16.1billion is in the CISS account and if there is anything outstanding to the Customs, the CBN will pay,'' Soludo had said.
``We will ensure that all agencies of government get their rights on a permanent basis,'' Makarfi said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He made the statement following complaints by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) that it could not access some revenue due it.
Makarfi said the Senate would enforce the seven per cent charges policy on all collections by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was implemented.
``The law says seven per cent of all the collections by the customs with the exception of VAT.
``The Senate and the committee, in particular, must support the implementation of the law to ensure efficiency in revenue collection,'' he said.
Makarfi said there was a need for the service to capture the policy for those sources of revenue in its annual budgetary estimate.
He, however, advised NCS to always liaise with the ministry of finance, Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for such estimate.
Makarfi explained that the customs' entitlement of seven per cent of revenue it collected was aimed at enhancing its operations.
``If an agency of government that collects revenue cannot pay its staff salaries, then something is wrong,'' the former Kaduna state governor said.
The NCS had alleged that the service was not accessing the one per cent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) as part of its entitlement with the CBN.
The scheme was introduced in 1979 following the enactment of Decree 36 of 1978 and at present the scheme is administered under Decree No. 11
of 1996.
The decree provides for pre-shipment inspection of goods destined for the Nigerian market by appointed inspection agents.
Section 5(1) of the Act provides for the administration of the scheme by a technical committee chaired by CBN.
NAN recalls that the CBN governor, Prof. Charles Soludo in a meeting with the Senate committee on Finance disclosed that N16.1billion was in the CISS account.
``As at today, N16.1billion is in the CISS account and if there is anything outstanding to the Customs, the CBN will pay,'' Soludo had said.
Publication d'un Livre blanc des usagers de la santé par un collectif
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Publication d'un Livre blanc des usagers de la santé par un collectifciss PARIS (AFP) — Le Collectif interassociatif sur la santé (CISS) a publié jeudi un Livre blanc pour "faire entendre la voix des usagers" sur l'avenir du système de soins, avant le projet de loi "Santé, Patients, Territoires" (SPT) prévu à l'automne, a-t-il annoncé vendredi.Construit autour de 40 propositions réparties en sept chapitres (financement, organisation, garantie de la qualité des soins, démocratie sanitaire, droits individuels des patients, etc.), ce Livre blanc "pour une refondation de notre pacte de santé" résulte d'un "long travail de concertation au sein des 32 associations membres du CISS", selon son communiqué.Il a été mené de façon à "garantir au mieux que l'objectif prioritaire des réformes en cours reste l'accès durable à des soins de qualité pour tous", dans le cadre du projet de loi SPT et de la préparation du projet de loi de financement de la Sécurité sociale (PLFSS) pour 2009."Aucune réforme en profondeur de notre système de santé ne pourra aujourd'hui être menée et acceptée sans que soient associés, en première ligne, les usagers et leurs représentants", estime le CISS.Parmi ses principales propositions, le Collectif d'usagers demande le maintien d'"un financement solidaire", "l'accès de tous à une couverture complémentaire santé de qualité", et l'instauration d'un "plafond de dépassements d'honoraires" médicaux "et de "sanctions contre les excès" en la matière.Il souhaite aussi voir améliorés "la sécurité des soins" et l'accès à la santé aux personnes âgées et handicapées.Le CISS demande enfin la création d'une "commission nationale du débat en santé publique", une instance qui serait notamment "garante dans le temps de la stabilité des orientations" et "capable d'aider à la décision en santé publique".
Aug 04, 2008
Baby drowns after climbing into tub as mom sleeps
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Baby drowns after climbing into tub as mom sleepsA northwest Harris County mother discovered her 15-month-old sonunresponsive in a bathtub at their home Saturday morning.The toddler was taken to Cy-Fair Hospital, where he was pronounceddead about 11 a.m."The mom put the child in the bed about 8:30 p.m. (Friday) and wentto bed herself. She woke up, couldn't find him and then found himin the tub," said Lt. John Legg, spokesman for the Harris CountySheriff's Office.Legg described the bathtub as "semi-sunken" with a lever-typefaucet that a toddler could operate."This appears to be one of those tragic accidents," Legg said. "Heprobably wanted to take a bath." It is unknown how long the boy wasin the water.
He is the 25th child to drown in Houston this year.
Party all night at swank Ivy Hotel
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Party all night at swank Ivy Hotel bathtub SAN DIEGO — I'd heard about the Star Suite before I'd everbeen to the Ivy Hotel. Details such as the two king-size bunk bedsdecked out with chains on both sides, the shower meant for six andthe elevated stripper pole in the living room.A suite such as this gives you a pretty good idea of what the Ivyis all about: a place that's decidedly about play, not slumber.I like a good party hotel, even better when it's well designed andnot a W knockoff. What I don't admire is the less-than-keen serviceone often gets from such places. You're lucky to get a wakeup callthe next morning so you can make the hung-over flight back home.The 179-room Ivy is in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, a swankhistoric hotel that was one of the first in town to have bathroomsin all its rooms. After a stint as a transient hotel, Ivy returnedin the spring of 2007, complete with a $98 million renovation.When my two friends and I are shown to our respective rooms, thefloor's butler, Joseph, introduces himself. Butler? After all, theprice for a premium room such as mine is reasonable at $349.The room itself is provocative. The sleeping area and bathroom areseparated by a clear glass cube — the bathtub/shower. Thebathtub is almost 3 feet tall — bad hip? This one's not foryou.
The room is dominated by the wide king bed, with a headboard thatextends along the wall and cantilevers over the ceiling. It'salmost stagelike, a
Nanaimo hosts bathtub race
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Nanaimo hosts bathtub race bathtub
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Simply Bathtubs Announces the Release of New Walk in Bathtubs
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Simply Bathtubs Announces the Release of New Walk in Bathtubs San Diego, CA (PRWEB) July 30, 2008 -- Simply Bathtubs is pleasedto meet the special needs of handicapped and elderly persons withthe release of specialized walk in bathtubs (http://www.simplybathtubs.com/walk-in-bathtubs/). Although these tubs have been designed to meet special needs,anyone can use them. When approaching the search for the perfecttub for a bathroom remodel, it's good to think ahead because thisis not a purchase made everyday or even every few years for mostpeople. Even if you don't need a walk in bathtub today, chances arethat you will in several years. It's beneficial to our finances andour peace of mind to plan for the future and install a walk inbathtub as opposed to the traditional bathtub.If you don't want to replace your old tub with a new walk inbathtub, you can also consider taking on a bathtub refinishingproject (http://www.simplybathtubs.com/bathtubs/) to spruce up your old wash basin. In that case, you will need todo your homework, because when you put this much time andbackbreaking labor into a home improvement project, you want toknow what to expect. Bathtub refinishing can be a lengthy processwith the sanding, dipping, glossing, etc. Another option fortackling your bathtub refinishing project is to buy an acrylicliner for your tub, which is not recommended. These liners simplymask or cover up the problems you had in the first place.Aside from getting a bathtub liner to cover up the problem tub, youcan choose to do yourself. Because bathtub refinishing (http://www.simplybathtubs.com/bathtubs/) can be such a long process, requires backbreaking work, and atthe end of it so many find that if their bathtub needs a bigrefinishing job it's probably time to replace it anyway, SimplyBathtubs is happy to bring new bathtubs to the masses at low pricesduring these tough economic times.Simplybathtubs.com. has a wide collection of classic bathtubs, clawfoot tubs, whirlpool tubs, and walk in bathtubs. As the demand forpractical and versatile bathtubs increases, the selection availableby bathtub specialists should meet the needs of those who need anew traditional or walk in bathtub today and tomorrow.About Simply Bathtubs:Simply Bathtubs is the leading online source for everythingbathtubs! They offer quality traditional bathtubs, walk inbathtubs, whirlpool bathtubs, and claw foot tubs for your bathroomremodel (
http://www.simplybathtubs.com/). Their bathtubs come in several different styles and sizes sothat customers can find just the right bathtub for their space andunique interior design. If floor space is limited in a bathroom,then a corner bathtub or modern bathtub is a great solution, but ifthere is a lot of floor space and the bathtub is to be thecenterpiece, then a claw foot bathtub or cast iron bathtub may workbetter. Simply Bathtubs offers quality bathtubs at low prices, withfree shipping in the continental U.S., and a great customer serviceexperience.
Cooler kitchen best for baker
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Cooler kitchen best for baker bathtub Dear Martha: Why does baking often seem more difficult in summertime?Answer:When it's hot outside, chances are, it's hot in your kitchen, too.This spike in the mercury can wreak all sorts of havoc on baking.Ingredients such as butter and chocolate chips can melt prematurelyand combine poorly with other ingredients. Softened dough spreadsout on baking sheets, resulting in flat, ill-formed cookies.Piecrusts are more difficult to shape and often turn out lessflaky. The best solution is to cook in an air-conditioned kitchen, or toreserve your baking for cool and arid days. If this is notpossible, be sure to keep ingredients chilled before baking. Cookiedough and pastry dough can be prepared ahead of time, wrapped inplastic and stored in the freezer for up to three months.Q:My husband and I have a secondhand suede sofa. It's beautiful andin good shape except for a few small stains. Can they be removed?A:You should be able to rejuvenate this piece of furniture and enjoyits new life. Whenever you need to clean suede, start by going overthe material with a nylon-bristle brush, which you can find athardware stores and shoe shops. Suede is fairly delicate, so applylight pressure.If stains persist after brushing, you often can remove them with arubber eraser designed for the fabric; they're sometimes referredto as suede stones. You might even have luck with a clean pencileraser.Another alternative is to dab the stain with a soft white cloth anda solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Test thesolution in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won't discolorthe fabric. Again, do not apply a lot of pressure.Once the sofa is clean, spray it with a professional suedeprotector that does not contain silicone.Q:My bathtub has seen better days. What are the options for makingit look new again?A:You could just replace the bathtub, but this is a costly (not tomention messy) option better left for a total bathroom renovation.There are two neater, more affordable solutions to consider. Thefirst is to have the tub relined. To do so, a professional from arelining company must take precise measurements of the bathtub andhave an acrylic liner fabricated.About six weeks later, an installer will bond the new liner to theold tub.The second option is to have the tub refinished. This technique issimilar to auto-body repair, except that it happens right there inyour bathroom. A technician will clean the tub, fill any scratches,buff the surface and spray on a few coats of enamel.
The process is intrusive, but it will preserve any intricatedetails in the surface more precisely than a liner, plus you won'thave to wait a month and a half for your new tub.Address questions to Living, in care of the New York TimesSyndication Sales Corp., 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168.Include your name and daytime telephone number. Unpublished letterscannot be answered individually.
The process is intrusive, but it will preserve any intricatedetails in the surface more precisely than a liner, plus you won'thave to wait a month and a half for your new tub.Address questions to Living, in care of the New York TimesSyndication Sales Corp., 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168.Include your name and daytime telephone number. Unpublished letterscannot be answered individually.
Infant dies in accidental bathtub drowning
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Infant dies in accidental bathtub drowning bathtub LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A freak accident has claimed the life of aLouisville baby. It happened around 12:45 p.m. Thursday at anapartment in the 13400 block of Vendetta, off LaGrange Road innortheastern Louisville Metro. Louisville Metro Police tell WAVE 3 that a mother was bathing her9-month-old son in a bathtub with a small amount of water.According to police, the mother walked away for just a minute. Whenshe came back, the baby had accidentally drowned.The infant, Ameer Abdeljaber, was taken to Kosair Children'sHospital where he was pronounced dead.
No other details are currently being released.
A few simple solutions to repair your leaky bathtub drain
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A few simple solutions to repair your leaky bathtub drainbathtub After a long day's work, settling into a nice, hot bath doesn'tsound too bad. But what if you fill up the tub up and the waterwon't stay inside? The drain leaks, and you wanted to soak for morethan five minutes. Well, here are some things you can do to keepthe water inside the tub.There are a variety of bathtub drains out there, so you will needto figure out what makes yours tick. In other words, does thestopper just stuff into the hole? Does it twist and settle downinto the hole? Is it actuated by a lever on the side of the tub?Before working in your tub, cover the area with towels so you don'tdrop a wrench and damage the tub surface. Next, take everyprecaution not to drop any small pieces down the drain.If your drain stopper just pushes down into the drainpipe, then itmight be simple enough to buy a replacement. Sometimes thesestoppers wear out and just don't seal well anymore.If yours is the type that turns and settles down into the drain,then it might be a washer on the stopper that is worn or missing.Some of these stoppers twist out, while others have a small, setscrew holding the top part in place. Once you get it up and out ofthe way, you can see what's wrong and replace the part or justreplace the whole stopper.If you have the kind that has a lever on the side of the tub, it'sgoing to be a little trickier. First you need to remove the coverplate over the lever. Once the cover is off, you should be able towork the linkage back and forth and work it out through thisopening in the tub. Soak it in vinegar and then take a look at it.If any parts have come loose, you can just reattach them. Tightenany that are loose. You should replace this while you have it out.You will notice a turnbuckle, and this can be adjusted to bring thestopper in tighter or loosen it if it is too tight to engage now.You may have to take it apart and put it back together to test ituntil you get it adjusted just right.If all else fails, you can replace the whole mechanism. Or you canjust buy a standard rubber stopper until you are ready to makerepairs!Screwdriver does the trickIf you are hanging a plant on your patio or installing a hook for ascreen door, there's a little tip that can really make thingssimpler and get you onto bigger and better chores. Once you get thehook started, then you can insert a screwdriver into the hook andturn it in much faster and easier by just turning the screwdriver.It's much easier on your fingers too. You might even break theworld record for getting the job done super fast!Trash bag protectorsPainting is a quick and inexpensive way to give your home a newlook. Painting a ceiling can be tough work, but once you get thebasic prep work done, the rest is fairly easy. Dealing with a lightfixture or fan doesn't have to be difficult. Just remove what youcan, and tie a trash bag around the rest to protect it from thepaint. You can remove the blades from most ceiling fans and theglass globe from most ceiling fixtures. Chandeliers are morechallenging, because there is little that can be removed. You'llneed an extra-large trash bag for one of these babies, but you cando it. Once the paint has dried, remove the bag and you're back inbusiness.Super hintsIf you can't find a stud or your stud finder, try using acompass. The same magnetic pointer that is used to find true northwill also show you where a nail might be when tried on differentplaces on a wall.A heavy-duty water-supply line for your washing machine is aheck of a lot less expensive than a new floor or ceiling if theless-expensive ones burst. Consider replacing yours before thathappens.I always save sawdust when I am working on a project. It hasso many uses. One thing that it is great for is bedding for yourpets. Put some in the doghouse on the floor. It makes for a softersurface and absorbs moisture to keep your dogs drier on rainy days.Don't use sawdust from pressure-treated or laminated wood becauseof the chemicals. Wood that smells good can even help your dogsmell nicer, too.Q.Our windows are pretty secure, but we would like to find a way tolock them in a partially open position so we can have some freshair in the house on cool days and nights. Is there any fairly easyway to do this and still be safe?A.There are some small, inexpensive locks that sit along the track,which you lock on with a thumbscrew. If the window isn't raisedenough for someone to get in or stick their arm through, thesewould be a good option. No hardware is required to install them,and they work quite well. Check with your hardware dealer to see ifhe has these in stock and see if they might work for your purposes.Q.We live on a golf course and have a metal fence in our backyard.Two years ago, I had my fence sanded and painted. Now the rust iscoming back, and I have to have it done again. What can I do toprevent this from happening so often?A.If you have rust again, it's possible that the rust wasn't fullyremoved two years ago. You should have the metal fencing strippedof rust completely, then primed and painted. If you don't get allof the rust removed, then it will come back every time. There aresome great attachments for power drills, or you could have thefence sandblasted.Q.We are going to be getting a dog soon and are putting up achain-link fence. Where should the posts be placed?A.A standard fence would require a span of no more than 8 to 10feet, but that depends upon the height of the fence and your localbuilding codes. Check on the codes first, then use that as aminimum standard for your project. It's also a good idea to sinkthe posts in concrete so they are less likely to move over time.Done right, a chain-link fence is a very strong and secure fence toinstall, and it definitely can be a good investment.Reader tipsI found a mouse in my kitchen and decided to put a mousetrapbehind the refrigerator. I caught a mouse quickly but couldn't getthe trap back out. It took a while to do it, so I came up with abetter idea. I attached the mousetrap to a yardstick and pushed itback behind the fridge. The yardstick doesn't stick out, but I cangrab it easily to get rid of anything that I catch.My wife and I just put in a small outdoor kitchen. We builta small concrete slab for the base. We built the forms but couldn'tfind any rebar to use as reinforcement for it. We saved some moneyby using some scraps of chain-link fencing instead of rebar toreinforce the slab. We installed a grill also, and a small tableand chairs. It's been great all summer.I make jewelry for a living. I love it because I enjoy thework and still have time for my family. I created a great way todisplay my jewelry in picture frames. I covered the back pieceswith velvet and then placed them back in the frames. Then I usepins to place the jewelry pieces on the velvet, and hang the frameson a large display board. Some frames sit on the table with theirbuilt-in easels. It's easy to remove a piece to let someone try iton, and to replace it with something else if they purchase it. Theyare easy to pack up and move around, too, because they stacktogether easily in a box.We made a very clever feeder for our dogs. Our dogs arelarge, and we looked at some stands that hold the bowls up higherfor the dogs to reach more easily. They were all pretty expensiveand didn't look very sturdy, so we made our own. We bought anunfinished stool and cut out two holes from the top of it so wecould set the dogs' metal bowls down into them. The bowls fit well,and the stool is very sturdy and does exactly what it's supposed todo.We live in and own a duplex and rent out the other side. Iwas tired of hearing the tenants every time they opened and closedthe cabinets and drawers, so I bought a jumbo package of feltbumpers and installed them on all of the cabinet doors and drawers.Then I put some in my own home, and it has really quieted thingsdown for all of us. It was well worth the $10 I paid, and sincethey were the peel-and-stick kind, they were easy to install injust a few minutes.Shop talkIf you suffer from night sweats, need to save money on yourair conditioning or just want to be more cool and comfortable whileyou sleep, there is a super new gadget called the Bedfan that canhelp. It's small, easy to install and designed to send a coolbreeze up under your top sheet. You can't even see it on most beds,and there is a remote control used to operate it. You need to seeit to get the full picture, so go to the company's Web site andcheck it out at www.bedfan.com or call them at (800) 738-0477 tolearn more."Joey Green's Fix-It Magic" is a super book with more than1,971 quick and easy household solutions using brand-name products.You will learn how to spackle holes in your walls with S.O.S pads,remove water rings with Miracle Whip and fix a broken dishwasherwith Kool-Aid. Everyone should have this book, and it would make awonderful gift, too. Check it out at your local bookstore or onlineat www.wackyuses.com.Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald,P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrell'sWeb site at
www.thesuperhandyman.com.© 2008, Cowles Syndicate Inc.
Police appeal over 2002 bathtub death
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Police appeal over 2002 bathtub death An anonymous caller may hold information vital to solving the deathof a Sydney woman found in a partially filled bathtub six yearsago, police believe.Patricia Sagban, 36, was found dead in the bathroom of her DulwichHill apartment on July 16, 2002.She had injuries to her head and neck and the landline phone in herunit was disabled.Police were called to the apartment and found the body after herex-husband could not contact her.Detectives from Strike Force Zuba, established to investigate thesuspicious death, want to speak to an anonymous caller ahead of aninquest set down for August 11.Detective Sergeant Simon Gillard said the caller had contactedCrimeStoppers twice in 2004 and again in May 2005 with specificinformation about Ms Sagban's death."They had information that would definitely assist police," he toldreporters in Sydney on Tuesday.Det Sgt Gillard said Ms Sagban was recently divorced and livingalone at the unit on The Boulevard at the time of her death.He couldn't comment on the circumstances of her death or whetherthere was any forced entry to the unit."For operational reasons, I can't divulge that," he said.Ms Sagban's brother, Eddie Pacheco, said his sister had moved toAustralia from Ecuador about 20 years ago.He said her death had come as a shock and urged the caller to comeforward to police.Mr Pacheco said his sister had been unhappy in the weeks leading upto her death."It's really hard for us ... we don't have any answers," he said.He said the family had not lost hope of finding out what happenedMs Sagban, who worked in the health care industry."She was really nice," Mr Pacheco said."Really intelligent, she was a caring person."Det Sgt Gillard said it was frustrating to still be seeking answerssix years later."We are hoping we can get somewhere with it," he said."We need to find out what exactly happened to Patricia.""The family need closure, they need to be able to move on withtheir lives."© 2008 AAPBrought to you by When you see news happening:
SMS/MMS: 0406 THE AGE (0406 843 243), or us. More
Jul 30, 2008
RFM Supports Approval of Satellite Radio Merger
Posted by : ueb555RFM Supports Approval of Satellite Radio MergerDALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RF Monolithics, Inc. (NASDAQ:RFMI)(“RFM” or “the Company”)supports the Federal Communication Commission’s approval of the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. and XMSatellite Radio Holdings, Inc. RFM has provided custom intermediatefrequency (IF) filters based on surface acoustic wave technology toboth companies since their inception.We are pleased with the FCC’s approval of this proposed merger. RFM has been a long-timesupporter of the satellite radio business and a primary provider ofcustom filters for their radios. Combined, RFM has shipped morethan 70 million filters for satellite radios, stated David M. Kirk, President and CEO of RFM. “We will continue to work closely with the merged service providerson radio designs and provide high quality products that meetstringent specifications.”About RFMRFM, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a provider ofsolutions-driven, technology-enabled wireless connectivity for abroad range of wireless applications – from individual standard and custom components to modules forcomprehensive industrial wireless sensor networks andmachine-to-machine (M2M) technology. For more information on RFM,please visit the Company’s website at www.RFM.com.Forward-Looking Statements:This news release contains forward-looking statements, madepursuant to the Safe Harbor Provision of the Private SecuritiesLitigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks anduncertainties.Statements of the strategies, plans, objectives, expectations andintentions of RFM and/or its wholly-owned subsidiaries(collectively, the Company
Report gives tick to filtered Internet
Posted by : ueb555
Report gives tick to filtered Internet The government's clean feed Internet schemehas been buoyed by glowing results from tests into theeffectiveness of Internet Service Provider (ISP) content filters.The Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) Internetcontent filtering report, the latest of a series that was firstcommissioned in 1993, claims the technology has undergone massiveimprovements since 2005 when that year's trial returned abysmalresults.ISP content filteringis part of the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber Safetywhich will split funds between law enforcement, technology andeducation to reduce the proliferation of child porn andinappropriate content.Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the government willsoon trial blocking prohibited and "additional" material in a livepilot with ISPs using the filters."The next step is to test filter technologies in a real worldenvironment with a number of ISPs and internet users," Conroy said."Filtering specifically against a black-list of illegal content aswell as the ability to filter additional material will be one partof the upcoming pilot trial."This will enable the implementation of ISP filtering in Australiato be undertaken in an informed and effective way."The ACMA test of six Internet content filters showed the worstperformer allowed through 12 percent of a set list of bannedmaterial, while the best blocked more than 94 percent.Fewer than one percent returned false positives, and five of thesix consumed less than one percent of network resources whenattached but not filtering.When actively filtering, one product chewed up to 75 percent ofnetwork resources, three used between 22 to 30 percent and one toolused less than one percent.None of the products could identify banned material viaPeer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing networks, although one product wasable to identify blocked material in "media streaming"."Despite the general nature of advances in ISP level filteringtechnology between current trial and the previous trial, mostfilters are not presently able to identify illegal content, andcontent that may be regarded as inappropriate that is carried viathe majority of non-Web protocols," the report stated.Results for the 2005 test were so bad that the search for ISP-levelfilters was abandoned and replaced with enterprise-level solutions.The average network resource consumption returned in the test werebetween 75 to 98 percent.The ACMA test was conducted on an isolated analogous Tier 3 ISPnetwork in Telstra's broadband e-Lab by vendor Enex TestLab. Onlysix from an initial 26 solutions passed the three phases ofcriteria, although the names of the products were keptconfidential.
Freudenberg raises prices for its nonwoven products
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Freudenberg raises prices for its nonwoven productsFreudenberg raises prices for its nonwoven productsJuly 29, 2008 (Global)Freudenberg Nonwovens, the world's leading nonwovens manufacturer(Weinheim/Germany), will raise sales prices for its nonwovenproducts with immediate effect.The steep rise in raw materials and energy costs is the reason forthe price increase. The average raw material and input costs haverisen in excess of 25% since the beginning of the year.~Over the past months we have made substantial productivityimprovements and implemented major investments. This has allowed usto absorb some of the increased input costs earlier in the year,but given the accelerating escalation of raw material prices,especially for petrochemical, transportation and energy, we nowhave no choice but to raise our sales prices aggressively as well",said Bruce Olson, CEO and President Freudenberg Nonwovens.The cost of PET raw materials as one of the key components ofnonwoven products has continued its unabated rise to unprecedentedlevels. Industry experts are unfortunately anticipating further rawmaterial price increases as the summer progresses.Sales prices of interlinings, spunlaid and industrial nonwovenproducts as well as filters, especially micronAir cabin airfilters, will increase by up to a double-digit percentage dependingon the composition of the product.Freudenberg Nonwovens is the world's leading nonwoven manufacturerwith 23 production sites in 13 countries. The company develops andproduces interlinings for apparel, filters, nonwovens forautomotive, building and construction, shoes, textile andupholstery, hygiene and medical as well as other industrialapplications.Freudenberg Nonwovens is part of the Freudenberg Group, a familycompany which reports sales of 5.5 billion Euro and employs over33.000 associates in its four business areas of Nonwovens, Sealsand Vibration Control Technology, Household Products and ChemicalSpecialities.
Frequently Asked Photo Questions for July
Posted by : ueb555
Frequently Asked Photo Questions for July Have a question about digital photography? Send it to me. I reply to as many e-mails as I can--though given the quantitythat I get, I can't promise a personal reply to each one. I roundup the most interesting questions about once a month here in thisnewsletter.For more frequently asked questions, read my April, May, and June issues of Digital Focus.Fixing a Jaundiced Sky>I just returned from a trip to the American Southwest, where Ivisited such scenic vistas as the Grand Canyon, Brice, and Zionnational parks. I downloaded the 1600-odd pictures I took into mycomputer. I realize that that many pictures would invariably havesome faults, but in many canyon shots, the sky is a pale yellow.What did I do, and can I correct it in editing software?--Michael McCurdy, Lansdowne, OntarioIt sounds like the white balance is a little off, Michael. Thisisn't too surprising; no matter what camera you use, the automaticwhite balance will be wrong about half the time.Most photo editing programs have a white balance correctionfeature. If you shoot in RAW and use Adobe Photoshop Elements, for example, use the Temperature slider in Adobe'sCamera Raw converter that pops up when you open your image file. Ifyou shoot in JPEG, you can use a similar Temperature slider in theQuick Fix pane.For more ideas, check out "Make a Dramatically Blue Sky."Tips for Good Action PhotosI recently purchased a Canon EOS 40D as a step up from the 20D Ihad been using, mainly because I had trouble capturing actionphotos at soccer games. Now I'm trying to determine if I should usethe Sports mode, or use Aperture priority and Al-Servo mode--whichsupposedly predicts motion changes for the best image. I've had toomany shots in the past where the central image is not the focuspoint.The main reason I got the 40D was because of its better, morepredictive high-speed focus, and it hasn't paid off yet. Do youhave any suggestions?Mark Borys, Ann Arbor, MichiganI can give you some general advice, Mark, but after that it's a lotlike getting to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.For starters, the Sports mode is a good choice if you want to getyour feet wet in action photography and you don't want to getbogged down in learning about camera settings. By automatingeverything, it makes your 40D behave like a point-and-shoot camera.But it also locks you into a focus zone that's in the center of theframe, and you can't easily tweak your exposure to deal withunusual situations.For sports photography, I prefer using either Aperture or Shutterpriority mode, so I can directly dial in the shutter speed oraperture that will work best. This gives you the freedom to set thefocus zone anywhere in the frame that you prefer.While the 40D's AI-Servo (predictive focus) feature is excellent,you'll still need to practice your panning technique to keep thearea of interest in the focusing zone. Read "Panning for Action Gold" and "Making the Most of Shutter-Priority Mode" for more on this.Broken Clone Tool?In "Clone Away Your Problems" you discussed using the clone tool in Photoshop Elements. I agree that this is a great tool, but I haveencountered an inexplicable error message: "Could not use the clonestamp tool because of a program error." Maybe you could talk toAdobe and help them to come up with an answer. After all, it's onlya great tool if you can get it to work.Paul Beauvais, New YorkThere's no need for me to chat with Adobe, Paul. I think whatyou're experiencing is a conflict with a misbehaving plug-in. Inparticular, I suspect that you have Alien Skin's Snap Artinstalled. Remove it, and your clone tool should work like a charm.Poor Photo PrintingMy brother e-mailed a bunch of photos. I have been unable to printthem because no matter what program I send them to, they appear toosmall to print. When I try to enlarge the photos, they become verydistorted. I suspect they were somehow compressed, but I don't knowhow to uncompress them to print clearly.--Connie Seglund, Wichita, KansasYour problem, Connie, is that our brother reduced the size of thephotos before sending them to you. People often shrink photos fore-mail because full-size images can bog down e-mail programs. Thedownside of this practice is that, as you have seen firsthand,shrunk photos print poorly.Think of it this way: printer tend to print at 200 or 300 pixelsper inch. If you get a photo that's 3000 pixels wide, it'll print10 inches across, which is about the size of a sheet of paper. Butresized to 300 pixels, that same photo will print at a minuscule 1inch across. If you try to enlarge it, it'll just get blocky.The solution is to ask your brother to resend the pictures to youat their original size, suitable for printing. However, your e-mailprogram might not be able to handle that much data--in which casehe might need to send the files to you on a CD.Using Filters With Digital SLRsI have a number of filters that I was accustomed to using with my35mm film camera. Can I use them with my digital camera?--Marcie Vogel, Monrovia, CaliforniaSure thing, Marcie. If you have a digital SLR, you can screw anyfilter onto the front of your lens: warming filters, polarizers,neutral density, you name it. If you have a point-and-shoot camera,it might be possible to mount filters with an adapter.Of course, many effects that you used to need lens filters for cannow be accomplished digitally in a photo editing program likePhotoshop. One exception: I've found that the distinctive effect ofa polarizing filter is impossible to duplicate digitally, so it pays to carry such afilter in your camera bag.Hot Pic of the WeekGet published, get famous! Each week, we select our favoritereader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, andtechnique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prizevalued at between $15 and $50.Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediatelydisqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reducethe file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include thetitle of your photo along with a short description and how youphotographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address,and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.
Critics warn Govt's porn filtering trial set for failure
Posted by : ueb555
Critics warn Govt's porn filtering trial set for failure "We view this test as anything but successful. These filters willwrongly block access to about 3 percent of the Internet if they areforced on Australians, and while the Minister may regard this as anacceptable level of collateral damage but we do not," Clappertonsaid."The government needs to provide more information on what they wantto block access to because it ranges from child porn to'inappropriate material'."The [upcoming] trials are targeting a lot more than childpornography and illegal content."Clapperton said the government needs to provide more information onwhat content will be blocked, and expressed concern that the blacklists in the trials were set to ban all material rated from R18+ to a"strong" M.He said part of the criteria, which tested the ability of thefilters to block illegal content, could be seen as an attempt to"overstate the accuracy" of the filters because the manufacturersdesign the technology with the blacklist built in."The filters couldn't even block 100 percent of content that theyare designated to block by the manufacturers," he said.Author of NetAlarmed.com,a parody Web site of the Internet filtering scheme, and Webproduction manager Michael Meloni said the lab trial was too smallto indicate whether the filters will work at an ISP level."With [the 1 to 8 percent false positive rate], Australians aregoing to come up against quite a few blocked sites each day thatshould not be blocked. I don't think they will tolerate it," Melonisaid."The Internet contains hundreds of thousands of Web sites notappropriate for children by our classification standards and wecan't block them all."The results are further tainted by the 3930 sample URLs used in thetrial, according to Meloni, because the filters will have to blockaccess to millions of Web sites.He said the problem is exacerbated by the inability of thesolutions to filter file sharing networks."The Internet contains hundreds of thousands of Web sites notappropriate for children by our classification standards and wecan't block them all."
Filters set to fly in new commercial
Posted by : ueb555
Filters set to fly in new commercial Having experienced difficulty with previous filters selected thatwere unable to pass the EMC testing, TPS approached Oxley with a view to finding a solution to theproblems encountered with meeting the specifications.This precise requirement for the fuel management system led Oxleyto develop a high-voltage filter specifically for the new aircraft.The filtered connector produced was a custom design that included ahigh performance ceramic planar capacitor array and custom designed compliant interconnects.In order to ensure that the filters were fully tested, Oxleyinvested in new equipment for their in-house testing laboratory,which would duplicate the process of TPS and enable Oxley to extendprototype verification testing to in-line production testing.The combination of Oxley's expertise in EMC filtering and theability to design, manufacture and test in-house resulted in aneffective, custom built, high voltage filtered connector that wenton to successfully pass TPS aircraft acceptance testing.With hundreds of the new aircraft on pre-order and demand growing,it is expected that the requirement for this specialised, highperformance filtered connector will increase considerably,generating substantial business for Oxley and reinforce theirposition as a world leader with a reputation for quality andreliability.Oxley Developments: contact details and other newsEmail this article to a colleagueRegister for the free Electronicstalk email newsletterElectronicstalk Home PageSearch the Pro-Talk network of sites
Spam masks itself as news to evade filters
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Spam masks itself as news to evade filtersSpam masks itself as news to evade filters:e-mail asks you to download a viewer to see the news," he said.Robert Ashworth, a senior solutions architect with Peak UpTime,said the new spams likely aren't having a major impact on largerbusinesses because of security measures most of them have."More and more companies are instituting firewalls andspam-blocking software, so often these mails are blocked beforepeople can even see them," he said.But Manes said that smaller businesses and individuals who don'thave basic security could be at risk if they aren't using a basicspam filter and malicious software removal tool such as Lavasoft'sAdAware or Microsoft's free Malicious Software Removal Tool.Microsoft Corp. says its tool has helped dismantle several botnets,a series of infected computers that most often pump out spamwithout their users' knowledge. Manes, however, pointed out thatusers still have to choose to install and use the tool."The tool doesn't automatically come to you; you have to get thetool and manually use it," he said.Ashworth said the telltale signs of spam are still hidden in thenews e-mails: a plea to forward it, an unknown sender, and links tounfamiliar sites."Don't click on links in e-mail unless you know it's from a validsource," he said.Manes said that if recipients of questionable e-mail are curious tosee whether the bold headlines are true, they can visit regularnews sites or urban myth-busting sites such as www.snopes.com or hoax-slayer.comStill, news spam is just the latest flavor of the electronic pest,and Manes said he expects it to keep adopting new techniques.>"I got one today that used Google's ad words that appear alongsidemy search results to put together something I really cared about,and I almost clicked on it," he said.Robert Evatt 581-8447robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com
ODA to insist on use of particulate filters
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ODA to insist on use of particulate filters The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has confirmed it willimplement the London Best Practice Guidance on its sites inStratford, including fitting diesel particulate filters (DPFs) toplant over 37kW.Its spokesperson told CJ: "We will be implementing the BestPractice Guidance and are working with the Greater London Authority(GLA) and other stakeholders to ensure that contractors are awareof the accreditation scheme."We will be reducing the number of vehicles on site by using railand water where possible to transport construction materials, andwill also be using ultra-low sulphur diesel for site vehicles."The confirmation is a victory for the Environmental IndustriesCommission (the lobbying and trade body for particulatemanufacturers), which had prompted 29 MPs to sign an Early DayMotion calling on the ODA "to fulfil its pledge to tackle harmfulemissions from equipment used on site".
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