National Newslist for Thursday, February 19, 2009

AAP General News (Australia)
02-19-2009
National Newslist for Thursday, February 19, 2009
AAP's National Newslist for today (not for publication). This is a guide only and stories
are subject to change. AAP's news editors Joanne Williamson and Nalita Ferraz can be contacted
on 02 93228611/8610.

NATIONAL

BUSHFIRES VIC
- Firefighters continue battle to contain large blaze in inaccessible country in Wilsons
Promontory National Park; one of five blazes firefighters are still trying to get on top
of ahead of warmer and windy conditions forecast for Monday
- Vic Premier John Brumby to announce sports club bushfire recovery fund
- NSW police arrive to relieve exhausted Vic police
- Canadian fire experts arrive in Melbourne
- Daily emergency services presser
- Princess Anne to travel to Australia to attend Sunday's national day of mourning
- Qld to hold service in Brisbane as part of day of mourning

FLOODS
NSW
- Mopping up begins in flood-ravaged parts of northern NSW, with a forecast reduction
in rain for the first time in a week
QLD
- Flood damage in Qld has had a far greater impact on the agriculture industry than fires
in Victoria, federal govt says
- Residents in isolated town of Karumba get more supplies but some say the response is
"too little too late". More to come, with pix and video of Karumba and Normanton
WA
- Monitoring floods situation in Pilbara region

OTHERS
- Conference on the future of Australia-Indonesia relationship begins in Sydney; joint
media conference with foreign ministers 1230; trade ministers presser 1615; Kevin Rudd
to speak at dinner tonight opening the Aust-Indon conference (time and venue TBA)
- Joel Fitzgibbon says Australian troops likely to remain in Afghanistan for years
- Chasing reports Harmer review has recommended $35 a week increase to single aged pension
- Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull at jobs community forum in Melbourne
- Simon Crean says Australia's steel exports should not be affected by "Buy America" campaign
- Brendan Nelson warns fellow Liberals against dumping their federal president
- Coalition says govt looking for alternatives to its emissions trading scheme; not so, says Wong
- Govt says job losses in local automotive sector will be relatively minor
- Wayne Swan and Joe Hockey face off on ABC TV's Q&A
- Senate committee holds final public hearing on Fair Work Bill.

INTERNATIONAL
LONDON - Two men accused of raping and attempting to murder an Australian woman during
a seven-hour ordeal in Scotland face court
BEVERLY HILLS - If Heath Ledger wins an Oscar his three-year-old daughter will become
the owner of the Oscar statuette, but it won't really be hers until her 18th birthday
- and even then, only if she signs a contract
LOS ANGELES - Oscars preview focused on Hugh Jackman
BUENOS AIRES - More than 70 passengers and crew from Australia, the US, Britain, Canada
and several other countries being rescued from a cruise ship that ran aground off Antarctica

MEDICAL
- New Australian study looks at rising rates of peanut allergy in children

ENTERTAINMENT
- Embargoed story on the nominees for the 2009 MTV Australia Awards, with pics to come
- Embargoed story on the winner of the BigPond Animation Award - Great Moments in History
competition

COURTS
BALLINA, NSW
- Man to face court on six counts of manslaughter over fatal boat crash on Sydney Harbour last year
SYDNEY
- Inquiry into Phuong Ngo's conviction for murder of MP John Newman continues
- Daniela Beltrame clingwrap murder trial continues
- Judgments in cases of Betfair versus Racing NSW and Sportsbet versus State of NSW (re
fees for access to race fields and ban on advertising)
MELBOURNE
- Committal continues for a 60-year-old Leigh Robinson accused of shooting dead a young
Melbourne mother in her street
- Pre-sentence hearing for five men accused of a fire attack on an elderly defenceless man
BRISBANE
- Jayant Patel committal hearing continues
- Milmerran doctor Clem Bonney to face child porn charges
- Court mention for driver accused over death of Chinese tourist (Gold Coast)
PERTH
- Lloyd Rayney in District Court on two charges of tapping his murdered wife's phone.

(EDS: details suppressed until further order by court)

CANBERRA
- PETA protest outside Canadian High Commission

SYDNEY
- NSW ambulance officers ordered to drop planned industrial action considering their next step
- Premier Nathan Rees and Planning Minister Kristina Keneally to make announcement about
Carlton United Breweries site in Sydney (1130)
- NSW opposition criticises minister John Robertson's costly parliamentary office renovation,
but spokesman taken to task about his own office revamp more than a decade ago
- Body of a teenager found in Armidale house, man charged with manslaughter

MELBOURNE
- Former prime minister John Howard delivers inaugural John Howard lecture - "Australian
Liberalism in the 21st century" (1800)
- Melbourne Zoo to parade pregnant elephant - second-only pregnant pacaderm in zoo's history
- Man beaten up outside a Melbourne supermarket is fighting for his life
- Police in Melbourne advise Indian students not to talk loudly in their own language
or display expensive items like MP3 players, in the hope of curbing robberies in the city's
west

BRISBANE
- Qld Labor party names candidates for state parliament seats to be vacated by senior politicians
- Qld farmers say they've obeyed a ban on broadscale tree clearing and warn further restrictions
will hamper efforts to produce food
- More on controversy over Brisbane parish priest

ADELAIDE
- SA government expected to announce the group to build Adelaide's new desalination plant

PERTH
- Man aged in 80s shoots intruder at his rural property

DARWIN
- Commemorations of WWII air raids on Darwin

FINANCE
ECONOMICS NEWS:
Sydney - RBA monthly bulletin released
Sydney - ABS new motor vehicles sales data for January
Sydney - National Australia Bank Ltd small and medium enterprise survey for December quarter

EQUITIES NEWS:
Sydney - AMP Ltd has posted a 41 per cent fall in annual net profit, cut its dividend
and is continuing to manage its costs amid ongoing volatility in financial markets.

Melbourne - Santos Ltd, Australia's third biggest oil and gas producer, has delivered
a significant increase in profit and says the company is well placed amid the global economic
crisis.

Sydney - Brewer Lion Nathan Ltd has reaffirmed its guidance for fiscal 2009 and said the
performance from its core beer business was "very encouraging" in the first quarter.

Melbourne - Iluka Resources Ltd, the world's biggest zircon producer, has delivered a
significant increase in full year profit but will not pay a dividend to conserve cash
for growth projects.

Sydney - Private hospitals operator Healthscope Ltd has delivered a 145 per cent rise
in first half profit, and says it expects its "strong" performance to continue for the
full year.

Sydney - Cement supplier Adelaide Brighton Ltd has posted a 6.1 per cent rise in net profit
for calendar 2008, but predicts weakening demand in 2009.

Sydney - Lihir Gold Ltd has reported an annual profit and expects a further improvement
in 2009, when it will see a full year's contribution from mines acquired under its takeover
of Equigold NL.

Sydney - Cabcharge Australia Ltd has lifted its first half profit by 7.2 per cent amid
difficult market conditions and says it's cautiously optimistic about the rest of the
year.

Sydney - Sims Metal Management Ltd first half results
Melbourne - PaperLinx Ltd first half result
Melbourne - Country Road Ltd half year results

See also: Stocks, Dollar, Credit, Finance Week, Finance Month

SPORT
CRICKET
POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa - Australian team news and preview opening three-day tour
match starting Friday
POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa - Australia coach Tim Nielsen has strongly defended his side
against accusations they are no longer "cocksure" and merely "timid".

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa - Michael Clarke's latest back injury has left the Australia
vice-captain in doubt for Friday's opening tour match but he's expected to be fit for
next week's first Test, says coach Tim Nielsen.

ST JOHN'S, Antigua - England were eyeing a series-levelling victory after setting West
Indies 503 to win the third Test and at stumps on day four needing seven wickets to secure
the win.

GOLF
PERTH - Greg Norman, Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim and a host of European tour stars tee
off in Johnnie Walker Classic, The Vines, 1st round

AFL
MELBOURNE - Preview NAB Cup Carlton v North Melbourne; media conference with North coach
Dean Laidley, 1100, Arden St
MELBOURNE - Teams named for Hawthorn-Melbourne and Geelong-Port Adelaide NAB Cup matches

LEAGUE
SYDNEY/BRISBANE - NRL news ahead of first weekend of official trial matches

RUGBY
Super 14
WELLINGTON - The Brumbies' task against Super 14 rugby champions the Crusaders on Saturday
has become less daunting with key All Blacks Richie McCaw, Brad Thorn and Leon MacDonald
ruled out.

PERTH - Preview Western Force v Cheetahs match on Friday
SYDNEY - Preview NSW Waratahs v Chiefs match on Friday
SYDNEY/BRISBANE - Match by match Super 14 preview panel.

SOCCER
MELBOURNE - Media conference with Victory coach Ernie Merrick, 1115, Gosch's Paddock
LONDON - Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer had a night to forget in Fulham's 3-0 loss
to Premier league leaders Manchester United.

BRUSSELS - UEFA chief Michel Platini has called for world football to add two more referees
to reduce officiating mistakes rather than backing the use of video replays.

JOHANNESBURG - Applications for three million FIFA 2010 World Cup tickets will open on
Friday with 120,000 reserved for locals at a reduced price to attend the world's top soccer
event, the organising body said.

TENNIS
MEMPHIS - Lleyton Hewitt plays James Blake in first round match at ATP Tour event in Memphis.

BASKETBALL
AUCKLAND - NBL q-final: NZ Breakers v Adelaide 36ers, 1730AEST

RACING
MELBOURNE - Looking at Saturday's Group One Blue Diamond Stakes and Group One Oakleigh
Plate at Caulfield.

SYDNEY - Looking ahead to Apollo Stakes day at Rosehill on Saturday.

BRISBANE - Preview Saturday's Doomben races.

AAP mn

KEYWORD: NATIONAL NEWSLIST

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

CHINA UNICON TO FOCUS ON 3G SMART PHONE MORE THAN IPHONE

AsiaInfo Services
07-19-2011
China Unicon to Focus on 3G Smart Phone More than iPhone

BEIJING, Jul 19, 2011 (SinoCast Daily Business Beat via COMTEX) -- China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. (NYSE: CHU, SEHK: 0762, and SHSE: 600050) has ordered about 108 types of mobile phones which are based upon WCDMA technology. With the assurance that development of iPhone business exceeded expectation, China Unicom took 3G business as new hope, and would enhance the construction of social distribution channel, said board chairman of China Unicom on July 18.

By now, 3G users of China Unicom have exceeded 24 million ones, and in terms of WCDMA, 10 million ones added during the first half of 2011. In China, about 81.89 million 3G mobile phones were sold by May 2011, and terminals based upon WCDMA technology took up 45% of the total figure.

The rapid development of 3G business of China Unicom benefits from the comprehensive usage of WCDMA 3G Internet and mobile terminals, especially iPhone. However, it seams not easy for China Unicom to make profit from iPhone.

China Unicom will focus on the comprehensive business and reinforce the cooperation with social channels. It now has attracted 5000 social channels and the sales revenue in e-commerce channel may exceed CNY 1 billion in 2011.

Source: www.yicai.com (July 19, 2011)

KEYWORD: BEIJING INDUSTRY KEYWORD: Computers & Electronics SUBJECT CODE: Electronics
Electronic Consumer Goods
SinoCast China Business Daily news
mobile phone
smart phone
development
WCDMA
3G
social channel

Copyright 2011 AsiaInfo Services (via Comtex). All rights reserved

FED:Australian gored to death by elephant

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2011
FED:Australian gored to death by elephant

SYDNEY, Dec 8 AAP - A 25-year-old Australian woman has died after being mauled by a
pygmy elephant in a remote wildlife park on Borneo island in Malaysia.

The woman, who has been identified as Sydney-based veterinarian Jenna O'Grady Donley
by Malaysian newspaper The Star, was trekking with a friend and a local guide in the Tabin
Wildlife Reserve in Sabah state when the group were attacked by the rare pygmy elephant
on Wednesday.

While the guide and the other woman managed to get away, the elephant's tusk pierced
Ms Donley's body and she died instantly, the state wildlife department director Laurentius
Ambu told AFP.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed that a 25-year-old from
NSW had died in Malaysia and that her death was believed to be the result of an elephant
attack.

"We are providing consular assistance to her family in Australia," DFAT said in a statement
on Wednesday.

"The family has requested that their privacy be respected."

The bull may have been startled when the two tourists tried to take its photo and charged
at them, Ambu told AFP.

Ambu said the women had trekked to a mud volcano but were disappointed that they didn't
see much wildlife so the guide took them back another way and not on the main path.

Police are questioning the guide. Ambu said fatal attacks were rare though single elephant
bulls are known to be aggressive.

Pygmy elephants, which are about two-and-a-half metres tall compared to about three
metres for mainland Asian elephants, are unique to Borneo.

AAP ct/apm

KEYWORD: MALAYSIA ELEPHANT

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

NSW:Missing Sydney teenager found

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2011
NSW:Missing Sydney teenager found

An intellectually-disabled teenager reported missing in western Sydney last night has been found.

17-year-old KEITH LONSDALE disappeared while walking his dog near his St Marys home
about 5pm (AEST) yesterday.

Police say he was found safe and well about 5am today.

AAP RTV ih/psm/jmt

KEYWORD: LONSDALE (SYDNEY)

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

FED:Elderly man heckles bank executives

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2010
FED:Elderly man heckles bank executives

CANBERRA, Dec 13 AAP - An elderly man with a walking stick has heckled National Australia
Bank executives at a Senate hearing in Sydney.

The man entered the hearing, held at NSW Parliament House, just minutes earlier, shouting
that variable interest rates were illegal and fraudulent.

"It's stealing," he said.

"You cannot have variable interest rates ... it is the biggest fraud and these people
are thieves."

The man was escorted from the room by staff.

South Australian independent senator Nick Xenophon had been quizzing NAB chief executive
Cameron Clyne about small business loans just before the interjection.

AAP saj/sb/nb

KEYWORD: BANKING HECKLER

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

VIC:Coroner slams boat salesman

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2010
VIC:Coroner slams boat salesman

By Jeff Turnbull

MELBOURNE, Aug 5 AAP - A Victorian coroner has criticised a boat salesman who he found
had withheld vital information about the seaworthiness of a 55-year-old wooden cruiser
which later exploded, killing two people.

Alex Elliot, 84, and his wife Jennifer, 82, died at Pier 35 at Port Melbourne on May
3, 2008, when the boat, newly purchased by their son Anthony, exploded after it was refuelled.

Fuel vapours had built up in the bilge during the refuelling, and when Anthony Elliott
switched on the port engine the boat blew up, killing his parents and badly injuring his
then partner Marija Groen.

Coroner Peter White described Scott O'Hare, a director of Aussie Boat Sales (ABS),
as an unreliable witness whose evidence he could not believe.

In his findings he found Mr O'Hare had lied to Mr Elliot in telling him the petrol
tanks on the Leda II had been inspected and cleaned and would not need to be removed for
cleaning or replaced.

"At the time, I am satisfied that Mr O'Hare was driven by a concern that any such work
would be costly and was impractical, and may become an impediment to the sale," Mr White
said.

Mr O'Hare had also discouraged Mr Elliot in the lead-up to the sale from arranging
a survey of the boat, saying it was not worth the expense.

Mr White said ABS had told the previous owner the Halvorsen cruiser was sold for $18,000
when, in fact, they had sold it to Mr Elliot for $28,000.

The inquest had heard that a more experienced yachtsman, Graham Dobson, had inspected
the Leda II at the Williamstown Anchorage Marina on April 20 and concluded that the starboard
and port engines would need replacing at a cost of around $30,000 each.

He also thought that the general condition of the fuel lines, wiring and bilge blowers
were such that they probably needed replacing.

Mr White said that Mr O'Hare, and another ABS salesman Phillip Grundy, had "falsely
described both its intrinsic quality and its level of seaworthiness" in the Leda II's
advertising material.

"It is also relevant that no mention was made in this material, or in any other communication
with Mr Elliot, as to the existence of a fuel vapour detector."

He said that the two ABS salesmen and marine mechanic Paul Collins, who had worked
on the boat's engines, understood that the contamination of the fuel lines was likely
to affect the safety of the vessel.

On a sea trial on April 26 with Mr Elliot aboard, the boat's engines backfired, giving
off a lot of smoke before finally cutting out.

Mr White said Mr O'Hare was aware of the inexperience of Mr Elliot and that his actions
effectively denied him the opportunity to make informed decisions about the use of the
Leda 11.

"This denial of opportunity contributed to the tragedy which then occurred," Mr White said.

Mr White recommended that all boats 15 years and older should have to be surveyed before
they are sold, and Victoria Police should be given more resources to increase policing
on the water.

He also called for the state government to introduce legislation to establish general
design standards that include minimum requirements.

Outside the court, Ms Groen, who now walks with the aid of a cane, said she hoped the
recommendations would be acted upon "so all this is not in vain".

AAP jxt/jl/was

KEYWORD: ELLIOT WRAP

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

VIC: Police review arrests after two deaths in two days = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2009
VIC: Police review arrests after two deaths in two days = 2

Late on Wednesday, the dead man's wife, known only as Lisa, made a brief statement,
naming him as Stephen.

"Last night, my family were devastated by the loss of our dear Stephen. Stephen was
a wonderful father, husband and friend who will be missed," she said in the statement,
issued on her behalf by Victoria Police.

"Stephen had dedicated his life to helping others in both his personal and professional life.

"My family requests that our privacy be respected at this time of our loss and do not
wish to comment further at this stage."

AAP jrd/cdh

KEYWORD: CUSTODY WRAP 2 MELB (REOPENS)

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

NSW: Sydney priest arrested with internet grooming

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2009
NSW: Sydney priest arrested with internet grooming

A 54-year-old Sydney priest has been charged with trying to lure a 13-year-old girl
into sex .. in reality police allege .. he was sending a series of sexually explicit chat
room messages to detectives.

Police arrested the the Liverpool man yesterday and seized laptop computers .. documents
.. photographs and a mobile phone from a presbytery in Liverpool.

The priest's been refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court today.

AAP RTV ab/rt

KEYWORD: GROOMING (SYDNEY)

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

What Australian newspapers say on Saturday, April 4, 2009

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2009
What Australian newspapers say on Saturday, April 4, 2009

SYDNEY, April 4 AAP - The G20 summit has delivered a boost of confidence, with reforms
designed to help capitalism work better, The Weekend Australian says in its editorial
today.

The meeting is an encouraging step towards the shared goal of solving the financial
crisis, with the nations pledging to improve monitoring and regulation at global and
national levels, with systems to be more disciplined, consistent and transparent.

Some of the most important goals will need arduous negotiation. And the problem of
removing toxic sub-prime loans from bank balance sheets will need attention, the newspaper
says.

"The G20, prudently, affirmed its faith in free markets, with some long-overdue fine-tuning.

Like economist Frederik Hayek, the summit understood that for competition to work beneficially,
a careful legal framework, subject to updating and change, is required."

The Sydney Morning Herald says other than achieving consensus, the G20 summit did not
live up to its sponsors' hopes.

There are no promises from governments to join in a big new stimulus package. In its
place, there will be a tripling of funds for the International Monetary Fund, plus a handout
of special drawing rights to IMF member states, multilateral lending to low-income countries,
and trade finance through the World Bank.

The summit also promised not to give in to protectionist pressures, yet member nations
promised the same thing in November and 17 states implemented 47 new trade barriers.

The G20 did manage to set up the Financial Stability Board to advise national regulators
when a country's banks and financial institutions are taking excessive risks, but it will
have no power to sanction and must rely on prestige or negative publicity to achieve anything.

"To compensate for the lack of substance, there was plenty of window-dressing, of which
the crackdown on bankers' pay is the outstanding example.

"But when markets stabilise and start to rise once more, financial institutions will
find ways around the G20's new rules."

Melbourne's The Age says the G20 London meeting has laid the groundwork for a new kind
of international politics.

The one-day meeting managed to exceed expectations of what it might do to end the global
financial crisis.

The meeting's willingness to shore up the world's most vulnerable nations is a praiseworthy
achievement because in the past the weak had been left to fend for themselves.

"The summit demonstrated both that some differences between nation states remain intractable
and that nations cannot pursue their own self-interest with impunity.

"It may be doubted whether this summit marks the beginning of a global recovery from
recession; it is clear, however, that the G20 has established itself as the forum world
leaders are most likely to choose to deal with global crises."

Melbourne's Herald Sun says Therese Rein, the wife of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, was
looking poised at the G20 in London after her "pirate puffy shirt" episode in New York.

Ms Rein looked the "sophisticated first lady, poised and polished in midnight blue,"

in her meeting with Michelle Obama.

"Michelle Obama and Therese Rein are professional women who find they have a great
deal in common.

"Their husbands are highly visible world leaders and Ms Rein and Ms Obama add to the
way the world sees them men to whom they are married."

It said the two women are successful in their own right and will take increasing roles
in the way the US and Australia are perceived.

Sydney's The Daily Telegraph says much of the past decade has been wasted in terms
of placing bikie gangs on a more appropriate level of attention.

Indeed, they've managed to grow and thrive while eluding large-scale legal difficulties.

Not only must legislative means be enabled that will limit the ability of gang members
to gather but ongoing investigations must continue into businesses owned and run by bikie
gangs, the newspaper says.

"Many of these businesses, legitimate within themselves, provide vital capital to fund
gangs' other, less legal activities.

"The extent of these business interests is alarming, and identifies again the extent
to which the gang problem has grown without notice."

Brisbane's The Courier-Mail asks, now that it has publicised the growing problem of
so-called party drugs, how the newspaper and community can respond to the crisis.

It presents five relatively straightforward recommendations, which combined would represent
a substantial move forward in the war against drugs.

They are not the answer, but they are practical steps that could be introduced quickly
and, in some cases, with minimal public spending, such as introducing ecstasy drug education
programs in schools, or changing importation laws to ban the pill presses used to make
illicit drugs, the newspaper says.

"We need much more than knee-jerk reactions from our politicians in response to this
growing problem of party drugs. We need thoughtful, practical and imaginative responses,
such as those we have spelled out in today's newspaper.

"There are no easy answers, but answers there are ... and there is enormous desire
within the community to find solutions."

AAP jxt/rs

KEYWORD: EDITORIALS

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

Reportlinker.com Adds Report: Future of Mobile Internet: Service Challenges and Operator Positioning

Wireless News
11-20-2008
Reportlinker.com Adds Report: Future of Mobile Internet: Service Challenges and Operator Positioning

WIRELESS NEWS-November 20, 2008-Reportlinker.com Adds Report: Future of Mobile Internet: Service Challenges and Operator Positioning (C)2008 10Meters - http://www.10meters.com

Reportlinker.com announced that a new market research report related to the Wireless industry is available in its catalogue, "Future of Mobile Internet: Service Challenges and Operator Positioning."
In a release, Reportlinker.com noted that report highlights include:

Mobile Internet usage is improving with the arrival of flat-rate data tariffs, phones better equipped to support browsing and rich content, and operators adopting a more open market model.

These are all positive developments but the issue going forward is how the mobile Internet business model will evolve. Will it go the way of the fixed Internet and be dominated by advertising and free services, with operators reduced to providers of commoditised access?

In this report we provide a guide on how to get the service and advertising revenue balance right and a view of how operator positioning will evolve as a consequence.

Report information: http://www.reportlinker.com/p097747/The- future-of- mobile-Internet-service-challenges-and-operator- positioning.html

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

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. 2008)

Fed: Abbott says complaints about pay cut were joke

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2008
Fed: Abbott says complaints about pay cut were joke

CANBERRA, April 27 AAP - No one should go into politics for the money, former Howard
minister Tony Abbott says.

Mr Abbott tried to laugh off his complaints about the $90,000 pay cut he took when
the Howard government was tossed out of office last year.

The comments, coupled with his criticism of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's pay freeze
for federal politicians, earned Mr Abbott a party room rebuke earlier this year.

But today, he said he had been joking.

"I was asked a question, and I gave a jovial answer to the effect that one of the groups
suffering mortgage stress thanks to the Rudd government were former Howard government
ministers," Mr Abbott said, laughing.

"It was a light-hearted answer."

Politics was not about earning a big salary, he said.

"No one should go into politics for the money," he told the Ten Network.

"And one of the reasons why politics is a genuine vocation, not always recognised by
the public in those terms, but why it is in fact a genuine vocation - a noble calling
- is because no one would do it for the money."

The base salary for backbenchers is $127,000 a year.

AAP mfh/jt/cdh

KEYWORD: ABBOTT

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

Vic: Racist fans face MCG life ban

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2007
Vic: Racist fans face MCG life ban

Fans heading to the Boxing day cricket test at the MCG will have to be careful what
they say .. or they could face a life ban.

The unprecedented crackdown on racist remarks involves undercover surveillance officers
watching the crowd at the Australia-India match and is part of the zero-tolerance approach
from Cricket Australia and the MCC.

People uttering offensive taunts .. towards either side .. will be evicted from the
famous stadium .. and serious offences will result in lifetime bans from the MCG.

Police and stadium staff will be checking for racist slogans on placards and banners
.. people will be asked to dob in racist fans via a text service or stadium staff .. and
there'll be a 24-hour hotline for Indian players to call if they suffer racial abuse.

Umpires have also been instructed to report any racist behaviour by players.

Cricket Australia anti-racism officer PETER YOUNG says racism is defined by cricket
chiefs as anything that insults .. offends .. humiliates .. intimidates .. threatens ..

discourages or vilifies on the basis of race .. religion .. colour .. nationality or ethnicity.

A crowd of 75 thousand is tipped for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG .. with perfect
weather forecast for the day.

AAP RTV jat/crh

KEYWORD: CRICKET RACISM (MELBOURNE)

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

Qld: Fish face extinction if dam goes ahead: report

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2007
Qld: Fish face extinction if dam goes ahead: report

The Queensland government has been urged to consider alternatives to its controversial
Traveston Crossing Dam project.

It comes after a report found it could lead to the extinction of unique fauna .. and
would be riddled with problems such as leaks.

The Senate's rural and regional affairs committee today released its report into the
dam .. in the state's south-east .. blasting the project as a political response to a
serious problem .. while raising concerns about key social and environmental issues.

The bipartisan Senate committee has urged Environment Minister MALCOLM TURNBULL ..

to broaden a study on the potential environmental impact of the proposed 1.7 billion dollar
dam .. near Gympie north of Brisbane.





The committee made just two recommendations and stopped short of calling for the dam
to be stopped.

AAP RTV rm/pjo/maur/af

KEYWORD: DAM (BRISBANE)

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

Playground for political will

Chandra Devi
New Straits Times
03-22-2007
Playground for political will
Byline: Chandra Devi
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Tech & U; Update

MOVE over, TV! The Internet - aka personalised Web sites, social networking sites, blogs, chatrooms and online forums - is beginning to become a playground for political leaders to reach out to voters.

The use of YouTube's free video hosting by the American presidential candidates is the latest effort that will undoubtedly be emulated increasingly by politicians in other countries.
Why? Simply because the world over the Internet has become a powerful means of disseminating the latest news, and many are also turning to this medium to get juicy political news. Just look at the growth in popularity of political blogs and discussion forums.

For politicians, the Internet has become a platform to access public views and reach out to voters whom they might not have reached through traditional means.

And as for YouTube, there is no denying about how popular this free video-sharing Web site has become in a short period of time and the kind of influence it has on people.

People have come to like the idea of having access to free Internet video clips anytime they want it, plus the fact that you can share them with others instantly through e-mail.

There are no restrictions on the number of times you can view a video or limitations on what you can view or censor. Watch and hear it as it is - that's the alluring aspect of Internet video clips that has got the crowd in.

For politicians, it only makes sense to leverage on something that has critical mass. It is the apparent platform to reach out and make an impression on the younger generation, the 20- and 30- somethings who make up the bigger part of the Internet community.

For political leaders, it also means the ability to get around traditional media channels, with their stringent rules on what can be said and not. Well, a cutting-edge technology that does not cut (censor) does open up great potential for leaders to launch their political aspirations.

Free Internet video sites such as YouTube are set to become powerful instruments of politics because of the openness they offer to communicate and send out messages.

Just as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Sam Brownback, some of the candidates for the next US presidential election, have announced their run for the White House on YouTube, it will be interesting to see how Malaysian politicians take to YouTube, if at all they do, to communicate their political agendas.

Political leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties now have a level playing ground, so to speak, to "meet" voters, unless some restrictions are set.

So far, Malaysian politics has not been revolutionised by the presence of the Internet, given that many people still do not have access to the Internet, or that we do not have many Web-savvy politicians. And it will be long before the Internet becomes the mainstream for gathering political support in the Malaysian political scene.

While all looks sensible to leverage on this new political leaning, there's something else for politicians besides political advocacy to consider when going on YouTube and the like, and that is an opportunity for others to make fun of them. Parody, spoof and satire of the political kind are bound to make an increasing debut on YouTube.

In other words, politicians must be just as prepared to see their moments of weakness caught on video, ending up on YouTube or other sites with video streaming features.

For politicians, this is indeed a double-edged sword - it cuts both ways.

(Copyright 2007)

Qld: Labor launches state election campaign

AAP General News (Australia)
08-31-2006
Qld: Labor launches state election campaign

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE has officially launched Labor's bid for a fourth consecutive
term in office.

More than 800 Labor supporters have gathered at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex
in Brisbane .. for the official launch of the party's campaign for the September 9 election.

Among the guests are federal ALP leader KIM BEAZLEY .. former leader BILL HAYDEN ..

and former state premier WAYNE GOSS.

Opera singer MAGGIE NOONAN has opened the event singing the national anthem .. as well
as the song You'll Never Walk Alone.

MORE RTV pjo/sc/tm

KEYWORD: POLL QLD LABOR (BRISBANE)

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

Fed: Iraq war not a disaster: Howard

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2006
Fed: Iraq war not a disaster: Howard

By Max Blenkin, Defence Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 24 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard has denied the Iraq war has been
a disaster despite a weekend of carnage and no signs of peace soon in the war-torn nation.

Another 27 civilians died at the weekend across Iraq in terror-related incidents, while
three American servicemen were also killed.

In the United States, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is facing increasing calls
from former generals to be sacked because of his handling of the war.

But Mr Howard said it took Australia years to embrace democracy and Australians could
not expect Iraq to do the same in just a few hundred days.

"I think we impose unreasonable standards," Mr Howard told ABC radio.

"I don't believe the verdict on Iraq is by any means in, and I don't accept that it's
been a disaster."

Mr Howard said the release of a new tape from the al-Qaeda chief served as a reminder
of the evils of terrorism.

"Well, I'd like to see him either in captivity or deceased of course," Mr Howard told
reporters in Nowra, on the NSW South Coast.

"But he's been around now for quite a number of years since the attack in September
of 2001 and I think the important thing is to maintain the fight against terrorism, not
to give up, not to in any way be intimidated by something like that."

Mr Howard said the fact some groups bin Laden referred to had distanced themselves
from him showed he did not represent the decent mainstream of Islam.

"He is a terrorist and an enemy of freedom-loving people, whether they are Christian,
Islamic or some other belief," he said.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he expected the United States to draw down its
troop numbers in Iraq by year's end.

But he said Australia's troop commitments would depend on the training of Iraq's army
and whether it will be in a position to manage its own affairs.

"What you are likely to see from the Americans, subject to something else happening
unexpectedly, is that their troop numbers during the course of this year, I think by the
end of the year ... there'll be fewer American troops in Iraq than there are now," Mr
Downer told ABC radio.

"(But) I wouldn't want to overstate that. There'll still be a large number there.

"That is, the more that the Iraqis can handle the security situation, the less they'll
need our support."

Mr Downer said the Iraqi insurgency would not stop the rise of democracy in the country.

"The terrorists will continue to try to destroy the democracy which has been embraced
by a massively overwhelming majority of Iraqis," he said.

"They want to destroy democracy in Iraq and they want to destroy freedom in Iraq and
they will continue to fight some time yet in order to achieve that."

AAP mb/sw/pe/sd

KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST NIGHTLEAD

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

SA: Overseas students up 63 per cent in three years

AAP General News (Australia)
12-27-2005
SA: Overseas students up 63 per cent in three years

ADELAIDE, Dec 27 AAP - The numbers of overseas students in South Australia has risen
63 per cent in three years, the state government says.

More than 17,900 people from overseas studied in Adelaide in the initial 11 months
of this year, according to figures from the Australian Education International.

Further Education Minister Steph Key said the corresponding figure in 2002 was 10,998.

AAP sl/evt

KEYWORD: STUDENTS SA

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

What gets cut? Cable's new digital service could be victims of recession. (Special report).

Can an economic downturn derail cable's plan to cash in by selling new digital services?

That's a billion-dollar question for operators racing to introduce broadband products such as high-speed data, video-on-demand and telephony. They've been running tests to determine consumer demand and price sensitivity.

But a rocky economy could dash operators' best-laid plans and create new problems if they can't generate the revenue they've been promising Wall Street.

"Anyone who says they know what's going to happen is kidding themselves." says one MSO executive. "This is a brave, new world for us. Analog services have performed brilliantly during economic downturns in the past. But clearly, the argument could be made that the new services we are offering customers have more of a discretionary element to them."

Operators insist some digital offerings will be more affected if consumers begin pinching pennies and that some strategies can keep customers online even if a recession comes to pass.

Cox Communications, the only MSO not just to test but sell bundled new services to its customers, is bullish on its prospects during a bearish economy. Cox VP-marketing Joe Rooney points to the low churn rate the MSO has experienced in advanced services subscribers.

"Bundles are sticky, meaning they are recession-proof." Rooney says. "We are golden from a retention point of view."

As a follow-up to its 1997 introduction of high-speed Internet. telephony and digital television to residential customers, late last year Cox studied the retention of its bundled and non-bundled subscribers. It found that the longer the customer subscribes to a bundle (defined by Cox as subscribing to two of the company's three offerings), the lower the churn rate.

After three months. Cox found 95% of its analog-video customers were still customers compared with 99% of bundled customers.

After six months, both rates slipped -- 83.7% and 91.4%, respectively, but more bundled customers stayed with the company.

Cox also sees another reason its telephony business would be solid: It offers a 30% discount over its local competitors.

That may not be enough to get people to switch, no matter how squeezed consumers are financially. Ladenburg Thalman analyst Robert Routh says most customers will stay with their existing phone providers simply because it's easy. They know what they're getting, and it's a proven product. The only way operators are going to be really successful at luring new local phone customers, he says, is if it's bundled with other services.

Operators are offering varying speeds of high-speed data services at different monthly rates, which could offset massive downgrades. Massillon Cable has been doing that from the beginning with great success. Cox plans to begin trials later this year, experimenting with different speeds and price points.

There is disagreement about whether digital video will be as recession-proof as analog video has been in the past. Dropping some extra channels may be seen as a simple way for a subscriber to cut his monthly bill.

"I don't think customers will give up their digital services, but even if they do, we can't afford not to offer it," says Bob Gessner, VP at Massillon Cable in Massillon, Ohio. "We could weather a long storm with little digital penetration, but it probably wouldn't be very fun."

Gessner says multiplex pay services and other premiums could be hurt more than digital.

"What a recession will do is put more pressure on the premium side of the business to do better content," says AT&T Broadband's SVP-marketing . Dough Seserman. "Digital is all about value relative to satellite. People may actually gravitate to or stay with digital rather than go out and buy a dish they don't need. But overall, if I had to rank the resiliency of the services, I'd say phone was the most recession-resistant, followed by analog video, high-speed data and digital/premium. You could flip-flop those last two depending on where you are."

Some pundits point out that digital tiers may be one of the more attractive services for consumers looking to put their discretionary dollars to work. For instance, consumers can spend $4 on a video-on-demand movie from their local cable company, or they can spend up to $9.50 per person going to the movie theater.

If VOD is going to be a bang-up business in a recession, the DBS firms may do very well. Both DirecTV and EchoStar Communications offer a deep slate of VOD and pay-per-view product -- something few operators today can duplicate. Both DBS firms have offered customers "giveaway" deals on dishes, receivers and installations, making the DBS route easier and more economically attractive.

DBS growth isn't likely to stall, but the acceleration the sector has enjoyed for the last four years is likely to diminish this year, predicts Jimmy Schaeffler, CEO of The Carmel Group.

"Clearly, growth will depend on a number of factors: the company, the offering and the region of the United States," Schaeffler says. "But, in general, I think you'll see a downturn in growth for the cable, DBS and DSL sectors."

Since 1997, DBS services have added customers at exponential rates, culminating with an additional 3.5 million new subscribers last year for a total 14.6 million customers. Schaeffler insists that growth will remain steady in 2001.

"It's not like growth will stop altogether," he says. "But you probably won't say, `Wow, DBS added 4 million customers in 2001.'"

Perhaps more problematic for DBS providers is the downgrade scenario, Schaeffler says. Rather than take a package of services that costs $50 or $60 a month, some consumers may opt for a more modest monthly outlay of around $30 or $40.

That's a concern shared by cable operators, particularly as the industry's highest paying customer group has already been eroded by DBS.

Many customers kept their $10 to $15 a month service to continue having access to broadcast channels. Many also opted to downgrade their pricier services. Since the best margins lie with those services, operators have been heavily marketing new ancillary services such as digital and HSD.

So far, the strategy has worked.

"We've become dependent on high-speed Internet access," says Ladenburg's Routh. "In fact, we're so dependent on it, that I would say it's not viewed so much as an entertainment service, but more like a utility. In a slowed economy, people will still be incented to be productive, and high-speed data does that for them."

Worldgate Communications CEO Hal Krisbergh agrees, "If you're staying home and using the TV and Internet as entertainment ... people will want to spend more on those kinds of services, and high-speed data is included in that category."

As George W. Bush enters the White House, indicators for a market downturn in 2001 are everywhere. Even as the nation's economy becomes increasingly rocky, MSOs continue to publicly forecast strong growth numbers for services such as digital video, high-speed data, telephony and interactive services.

A downturn would cut into rosy predictions about cash flow, which is crucial to an industry that has spent more than $41 billion in plant upgrades since 1996.

Remember the `90s?

Clearly, the recession of 1991-92 played little havoc with basic growth. Some of the industry's most glorious growth numbers came during that general downturn in the economy. The customer growth even outstripped the increase in new construction and expansion of plant, according to data from Paul Kagan Associates.

It wasn't until competition from the DBS providers that growth for the cable operators started to slow significantly.

"We believe the cable companies are well positioned to weather a downturn in the economy," says UBS Securities analyst Tom Eagan. "Growth of new services may or may not slow down, but the stock prices of those firms have, in the past, [and] should, in the future, perform well."

Privately, some operators are beginning to express concern that a recession could hurt new service sales.

How much? It's too soon to tell.

"The `nice to have' upgrades will probably be more sensitive," says Scott Cleland, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based research firm Precursor Group. "A recession could lessen the demand for these services, but it probably won't result in a lot of cost cutting -- at least yet. The economy is going to have to get a lot worse than it is today to begin worrying about that. In six months, [when] unemployment jumps a point or two, people should be concerned about the health of the economy."

Most operators and experts say interactive products could be one of the most affected. The viability of interactive television services has been hotly debated -- regardless of outside economic pressures, such as a recession.

"If they were more widely deployed, ITV would probably be the most vulnerable to the economy," says Routh. "[A recession] probably won't kill the services altogether, but it will likely delay the availability of them."

MSOs such as Time Warner Cable, which is rolling out Wink Interactive in the New York market, are getting their feet wet with interactive. The one operator banking most heavily on enhanced services is Charter Communications.

At a recent Salomon Smith Barney conference, Charter CEO Jerry Kent told analysts that Wink's interactive services are now available to 225,000 of its customers, 56% of whom use the service an average 5.1 times a month. Those early interactive deployments have generated more than $1 million in incremental cash flow.

Other MSOs aren't convinced ITV is the best option. At the same conference, Cox CEO Jim Robbins and CFO Jimmy Hayes told analysts and investors the MSO doesn't plan to begin rolling out interactive services until at least the end of this year.

Worldgate's Krisbergh says even slowed growth will positively affect operators' bottom lines.

"When you're starting from zero, it doesn't take much growth to be significant," he says. "These services don't require a lot of upfront costs, so any additional revenue [operators] get from the infrastructure they've already got in place is good news.

Packaged goods

That's why cable operators have to keep their bundles simple, Seserman says. Bundling services can provide the glue operators need to sell services and keep customers in any economic climate.

"Packaging is the most underrated marketing strategy in the business," he says. "And it's the most healthy way to sell services. Studies show that 60% of the population is interested in bundling, and half of those people are really interested in bundling. It's all a matter of value. You're either giving them volume discounts for taking more services, or you're giving them more at the same price. That works in any kind of economy."

Operators need to offer new services because they continue to deploy expensive digital boxes, and anything they can do to offset those costs helps them, Krisbergh says.

"There's little cost involved in adding services, and if people take them, great," he says. "Even if the number of people who take them [in a slowed economy] isn't as many as in a robust period. But I'm not convinced that we're even headed into a recession."

Recession or not, most MSOs and analysts claim cable/broadband companies are safe from serious financial straits. The stock prices of most MSOs have increased year-to-date, as have share prices at key vendors such as Motorola, Scientific-Atlanta and Worldgate.

When it comes to another Bush in the White House, this time around MSOs are confident.

Having weathered a stormy economy under the father, the industry is making sure that it's in good shape for whatever type of weather is looming under the son.

How Cable Has Fared Since the Last Recession                  '89     '90     '91     '92     '93     '94  U.S. TVHH     91.94    91.1    92.1   93.06      94   94.63    % Growth             .59    1.10    1.04    1.01     .99  Cable HP      82.82   86.01    88.4    89.7    90.6    91.6    % Growth            3.85    2.78    1.47       1     1.1  Basic Subs    43.41   51.74    53.4    55.2    57.2    59.7    % Growth            4.93    3.21    3.37    3.62    4.37                  '95     '96     '97     '98     '99  U.S. TVHH     95.94      97      98    99.4   100.8    % Growth    1.38     1.1    1.03    1.43    1.41  Cable HP       92.7    93.7    94.6      96    97.4    % Growth     1.2    1.08     .96    1.48    1.46  Basic Subs     62.1    63.5    64.8    66.1    67.3    % Growth    4.02    2.25    2.05    2.01    1.82  SOURCE: Paul Kagan Associates MSO Debt: High and Getting Higher  Here's a rundown some of the latest debt issues:  Adelphia Communications:                     $1.5 billion Comcast                                      $1.5 billion Charter Communications:                     $1.75 billion Mediacom Communications:                     $500 million Insight Communications:     $1.75 billion credit facility  SOURCE: Cable World DBS: New Subscriber Growth  1997      1.9M 1998      2.4M 1999        3M 2000      3.5M 2000E     3.5M  SOURCE: The Carmel Group Cox Communications Retention Rates                            3 months     6 months  Video-Only Homes               95%        83.7% Bundled Service Homes          99%        91.4%  SOURCE: Cox Communications

Tim Harrington, WhereNet Vice President Product Strategy, to Present At Fall Comdex 2000 E-mobility Conference.

Business/Technology Editors

COMDEX Fall 2000

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2000

Media are invited to hear Tim Harrington, vice president product strategy for WhereNet(TM) Corporation, speak at the E-Mobility Conference, part of COMDEX/Fall 2000. The E-Mobility Conference is scheduled for November 14-16 in Las Vegas, Nev. The conference focuses on service providers, IT managers, line-of-business managers, channel resellers, VARs, system integrators, and distributors. The conference explores the world of wireless and mobile communications, from local-area to global, and from technologies to applications. The three-day forum will bring together industry leaders in the wireless arena and will address the evolution of wireless technology. The COMDEX/Fall 2000 technology conference will feature top industry experts in over 100 sessions, focusing on evaluating technology investments, building network infrastructure, implementing an effective Internet/Intranet strategy and other critical business and IT topics.

WhereNet is the leading developer and manufacturer of Real-Time Locating Systems, (RTLS). Harrington will participate in a panel discussion titled, "In-Building Location and Tracking Systems." Instrumental in WhereNet's leadership within the wireless tracking arena, Harrington joins Chair Dennis Gaughan, senior analyst, Enterprise Technology Strategies, AMR Research, and speakers Paul Sereiko, vice president of marketing for Pinpoint Corp., and Ned Hill, president of Secure Technologies. The panel discussion is slated for Wed., Nov. 15 from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m., in the Las Vegas Hilton.

When and Where

Media are invited to hear Harrington share his insight as he participates in a panel discussion titled, "In-Building Location and Tracking Systems." This panel discussion will be held Wed., Nov. 15 from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Las Vegas Hilton. For more information about the E-Mobility Conference, part of COMDEX/Fall 2000, you can visit their web site at: http://www.key3media.com/comdex/fall2000/.

Biography for Tim Harrington, WhereNet Vice President Product Strategy

Tim Harrington joined WhereNet after a 16-year career at Symbol Technologies, Inc., the world leader in bar code-based transaction-processing systems. At Symbol, Harrington directed product management and held a number of other positions including senior director of RF OEM systems and senior director of network systems marketing. While at Symbol, he shared in many "firsts" including being part of the team that developed the first solid state, HandHeld Laser Scanner, the LS 8000 and the first spread spectrum wireless LAN, Spectrum One. A patent holder, Harrington has written many articles concerning bar code scanning and Radio Frequency technologies for publications such as ID Systems and Auto ID News. In addition he has been a frequent presenter at conferences such as Scan Tech, ID EXPO, and Networld.

About WhereNet

WhereNet is the first company to design, build, and market wireless Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) solutions for locating, tracking, and managing supply chain resources, critical to success in today's competitive global business environment. WhereNet systems seamlessly connect a company's resources to its information systems, in real time. WhereNet's real-time location and tracking technology utilize patented advances in spread-spectrum wireless technology to provide the ability to locate any tagged object with an accuracy within 10 feet (3 meters). The result is constant, on-demand information about valuable assets in the supply chain, their physical location, and status. Driven by wireless tags, fixed position antennas and Web-enabled software, WhereNet SCV solutions offer lower operating costs, improved return-on-assets, and higher levels of customer service for some of the world's leading companies such as Ford Motor Company, Coca Cola, and FMC. WhereNet is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with sales offices throughout the United States. Information is available on the WhereNet Web site at www.wherenet.com or by calling 408-845-8500.

Note to Editors: WhereNet and WhereCall are trademarks of WhereNet, Inc. All other brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their respective owners.

Unwired Planet Files Registration Statement for Initial Public Offering.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 1999--Unwired Planet(TM) announced today that it has filed a Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of its common stock.

Unwired Planet is a leading provider of software that enables the delivery of Internet-based services to mass-market wireless telephones. Using our software, wireless subscribers have access to Internet- and corporate intranet-based services, including email, news, stocks, weather, travel and sports. In addition, subscribers have access via their wireless telephones to network operators' intranet-based telephony services, which may include over-the-air activation, call management, billing history information, pricing plan subscription and voice message management. Unwired Planet is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California and has regional offices in London and Tokyo.

The shares are expected to be offered to the public in June 1999 through an underwriting group managed by Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation and co-managed by Hambrecht & Quist LLC, BancBoston Robertson Stephens, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.

The offering will be made only by means of a Prospectus. A preliminary Prospectus relating to these securities is expected to be available in late-May 1999 from any of the managers at the following addresses: Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation, Prospectus Department, 11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010, (212)325/2000; Hambrecht & Quist LLC, Prospectus Department, 1 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94104, 415/439-3000; BancBoston Robertson Stephens, Inc., Prospectus Department, 555 California Street, 28th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94101, 800/288-7726; or U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc., Syndicate Department, 222 S. Ninth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 800/981-1203.

A Registration Statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the Registration Statement becomes effective. This notice shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

The Unwired Planet name and the family of terms carrying the "UP." prefix are trademarks and the Unwired Planet logo and uplanet.com are registered trademarks of Unwired Planet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Charter Launches HBO GO and MAX GO, Latest Online and Mobile Offerings From HBO.

More Than 1,400 Titles on HBO GO and Over 400 Titles on MAX GO Available to Charter's HBO and Cinemax Customers

ST. LOUIS, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) today announced that it has launched HBO's new authenticated online video destinations - HBO GO and MAX GO - with free unlimited online access available to its customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax. Access is available to customers on any computer in the U.S. with a high-speed connection as well as on the iPhone, iPad and select Android(TM) devices with a minimum 3G connection.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110526/AQ10195LOGO)

"Charter is taking another step to bring quality video content to our customers when they want it and where they want it," said Marti Moore, Vice President Web Technology, Customer Experience. "If you're not home for the latest episode of a favorite series or an anticipated new release, you can now watch while you're on the go. The convenience of DVRs and on demand capabilities were just the beginning. With GO, our customers can enjoy great HBO and Cinemax programming from just about anywhere."

With HBO GO, Charter customers with Charter TV who subscribe to HBO have free, unlimited access to more than 1,400 titles online, including every episode of every season of the best HBO shows, HBO Films, HBO Miniseries, documentaries, HBO Sports and blockbuster movies at any time and from any location in the U.S. with a broadband connection. MAX GO adds more than 400 titles of Cinemax programming online, allowing customers to instantly watch the biggest Hollywood blockbusters, indies, cult favorites and MAX After Dark series while on the go. Both services offer most programming in HD.

HBO GO and MAX GO offer Charter TV customers most new titles simultaneously with their premiere on HBO and Cinemax. Customers can browse the HBO GO website for movies, documentaries, and original series as well as exclusive bonus material, soundtrack and cast information. Customers can also create a "Watchlist" that keeps track of bookmarked content for later viewing. In addition, HBO GO and MAX GO can be personalized through a "Series Pass" capability, which automatically sends new episodes of favorite original series when they arrive on the service.

Charter's robust high-speed Internet service provides a superior online experience enabling consumers to enjoy streaming content, including this robust library from HBO GO and MAX GO, and all the Internet has to offer.

To view online, Charter's HBO and Cinemax viewers can go to hbogo.com and maxgo.com or simply go to charter.net/hbo and charter.net/cinemax. Once there, customers sign in with their Charter user ID and password, make their selections and view.

About Charter

Charter is a leading broadband communications company and the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full range of advanced broadband services, including advanced Charter TV video entertainment programming, Charter Internet access, and Charter Phone. Charter Business similarly provides scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to business organizations, such as business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment services, and wireless backhaul. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media brand. More information about Charter can be found at charter.com.

HBO GO is only accessible in the U.S. where a high-speed broadband connection is available. Minimum connection of 3 Mbps required for HD viewing. Select titles not available in HD. (c)2011 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.

iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc.

Android(TM) is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions.

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.

Blinds.com Launches Procrastination Salvation Photo Contest.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) June 25, 2011

As the Summer sun beats down, so do looming home repair and home decorating projects that just don't seem to get done. In an effort to help procrastinators get themselves off the couch, Blinds.com launched the Procrastination Salvation Contest. Entrants upload a photo of a project in their homes that they've been meaning to get to in between episodes of Law and Order: SVU. A panel of judges will choose the top photos as finalists. Blinds.com will launch more photo contests throughout the year.

Photos will be judged on creativity of photo as well as the caption that goes with it. Facebook users will vote on their favorite, and the photo with the most votes will win a $500 shopping spree to Blinds.com.

"I think everyone can relate to having a couple of projects that they just can't get done. We're telling people to be proud of those projects. They're not alone. Now they can actually win a prize for having the home that needs the most work!" said Blinds.com graphic designer Claudia Vasquez.

The photos can range anywhere from blinds that have lost a few fights against the family cat, to a garage filled with so much stuff that cars no longer fit inside of it. The most creative photo with the best caption will win the contest.

Simply log on to Facebook and find Blinds.com and enter in a few easy clicks. Get your home into tip top shape before those projects really start to pile up. Blinds.com knows it's hard to make time for home repairs when there are so many great things to watch on television (did somebody say "Housewives?"), so they've made it easier than ever to check "get new blinds" off your list.

Enter now, go directly to the contest on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/contests/129401

About Blinds.com -- Blinds.com is America's leader for custom blinds, shades, shutters and draperies. They offer huge savings on high-quality, custom window coverings including window blinds, shades, plantation shutters and draperies. Blinds.com Design Consultants are experts and have an average of twelve years experience helping people with blinds. Blinds.com is committed to their customers and offers a complete Satisfaction Guarantee. Go online to http://www.blinds.com to shop or call 1-800-505-1905 for Internet prices.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8597846.htm

Sony says 25 million more users at risk in second data hack.

Summary: Sony's Internet security crisis deepened on Monday with the company revealing hackers had stolen data of another 25 million users of its PC games system in a second massive breach for the consumer electronics giant.

Sony's latest revelation comes just a day after Sony No. 2 Kazuo Hirai announced measures had been put in place to avert another cyberattack like that which hit its PlayStation Network, hoping to repair its tarnished image and reassure customers who might be pondering a shift to Microsoft's Xbox. The attack that Sony disclosed on Monday took place a day before a massive break-in of a separate video game network that led to the theft of 77 million users accounts. Sony revealed the initial attack last week. The Japanese electronics company said it discovered the break-in of its Sony Online Entertainment PC games network on May 2. The breach also led to the theft of 10,700 direct debit records from customers in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain and 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers, it said. The PlayStation network lets video game console owners download games and play against friends. The Sony Online Entertainment network, the victim of the latest break-in, hosts games played over the Internet on PCs. Sony said late on Monday that the names, addresses, emails, birth dates phone numbers and other information from 24.6 million PC games customers was stolen from its servers as well as an "outdated database" from 2007. A spokesman for the online games unit based in San Diego said the service was taken down at 1:30 am Pacific time on Monday. Sony spokeswoman Sue Tanaka, asked about the risk other data could be at risk, listed the precautions that the company has taken such as firewalls, "They are hackers. We don't know where they're going to attack next," Tokyo-based Tanaka said. The PlayStation Network incident has sparked legal action and investigations by authorities in North America and Europe, home to almost 90 percent of the users of the network, which enables gamers to download software and compete with other members. On Monday, Sony declined to testify in person in front of a U.S. congressional hearing, but agreed to respond to questions on how consumer private data is protected by businesses in a letter on Tuesday, said a spokesman for Rep. Mary Bono Mack, a Republican Congresswoman from California, who is leading the hearing. SONY FACEBOOK GAMES DOWN The incident that Sony disclosed on Monday also forced it to suspend its Sony Online Entertainment games on Facebook. Sony posted a message on Facebook saying it had to take down the games during the night. A Sony spokesman said the Facebook games make money from microtransactions and the sale of virtual goods like costumes and weapons. It was not immediately clear if the data theft included data from players of Sony games including "PoxNora," "Dungeon Overlord," "Wildlife Refuge" on Facebook. Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment. Sony Online Entertainment is a division of Sony Corp, the global electronics company that operates online games such as "EverQuest" and is separate from the PlayStation video game console division. The servers for both the Online Entertainment unit and the PlayStation Network are based in San Diego but are completely separate, said Sony's Tanaka. Sony denied on its official PlayStation blog on Monday that hackers had tried to sell it a list of millions of credit card numbers. The news comes less than a week after Sony alerted customers that a hacker broke into Sony's PlayStation video game network and stole names, addresses, passwords and possibly credit card numbers of its 77 million customers. Sony alerted customers a week after discovering the break-in. Sony executives apologized on Sunday and said it would gradually restart the PlayStation Network with increased security and would offer some free content to users.

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AT&T Enhances Campus Communications With New Messaging Platform.

Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T Simplifies Communications for Colleges and Universities

DALLAS, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* today announced the availability of Rave Campus Messenger, a web-based notification system designed to foster efficient communications within colleges and universities. Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T enables faculty, students, staff and other members of campus communities to send messages to and from a variety of different devices in a simple and cost-effective manner.

With Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T, users can select their preferred communication method, distributing time-sensitive information such as lecture cancellations and payment reminders via text message, email or recorded voice message. The application is ideal for both large and small institutions and supports high messaging volumes.

"Colleges and universities today are highly mobile, with students toting laptops, smartphones, tablets and other devices around campus," said Chris Hill, Vice President, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. "Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T helps schools to embrace the mobile campus. Through a simple, web-based interface, users can send notifications that reach people where and when they want to be reached -- on their favorite devices, right away."

The fully hosted, Software as a Service technology that powers Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T is extremely versatile, allowing it to be used for any number of messaging purposes within higher education, but simple enough to be activated with a few clicks of the mouse. Schools that deploy this solution can be up and running within one day with minimal configuration.

Colleges and universities that choose Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T can take advantage of a variety of features beyond basic messaging. Polling, reporting, and response features allow users to monitor the status of notifications and engage community members in interactive, digital dialogues. The application also integrates seamlessly with e-Learning tools, allowing students and faculty to receive emails or text messages when new content is posted to course pages.

"Rave and AT&T have a history of collaborating to provide mobility solutions for higher education institutions," said Tom Axbey, Chief Executive Officer Rave Mobile Safety. "In 2009, we introduced Rave Guardian from AT&T -- a location-based safety service for students -- and now we're extending that relationship by offering Rave Campus Messenger from AT&T as well."

AT&T is dedicated to supporting higher education with products and services that help colleges and universities improve productivity both in and out of the classroom. Among other components, AT&T offers the University Advantage Program, which provides tailored contracts and discounts for colleges and universities. AT&T also delivers a full portfolio of enterprise mobility solutions to businesses, government organizations and education institutions.

To learn more about AT&T's mobility solutions for education visit http://www.corp.att.com/edu/edu_mobility.html.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse and AT&T |DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

About Rave Mobile Safety

Rave Mobile Safety (http://ravemobilesafety.com) is a leading provider of mobile software solutions for individuals, groups and communities. Rave designs, sells and supports an award-winning suite of applications including the Rave Alert multimodal notification system; Rave Guardian, a GPS-enabled personal safety tool; and Smart911, a software solution for more effective 9-1-1 responses. Hundreds of organizations and millions of individuals nationwide rely on Rave Mobile Safety technologies for improved communications in communities, at schools, in the home, and at work. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. Investors include Bain Capital Ventures, Sigma Partners, and RRE Ventures.

(c) 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

RUPPERSBERGER BRINGS HOME BACON: SECURES $45 MILLION FOR MARYLAND AND NATION.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the office of Maryland Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger:

Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) is thrilled to announce more than $45 million in federal funding to help make Maryland a safer, greener and stronger state that is better prepared to meet challenges ahead. The funds were included in a $446.8 billion collective spending bill known as the omnibus that passed the House of Representatives today. The targeted spending will benefit the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, local schools, law enforcement, roads, mass transit, the environment, homeland security and critical community organizations.

A member of the House Appropriations Committee and House Intelligence Committee, Ruppersberger successfully fought to include the requests in the "Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill."

"I am pleased to be in a position to provide Maryland the resources it needs to thrive," Congressman Ruppersberger said. "I am held accountable by my constituents, who expect me to fight for vital programs that are helping our families and communities through these difficult economic times. This funding reflects my commitment to know and do what's best for my district."

Congressman Ruppersberger's district includes BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport, the National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), the Port of Baltimore and the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay. It also includes neighborhoods in Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, and Baltimore City.

The District is also home to two of the state's largest economic engines, BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Port of Baltimore. In addition, 60,000 high-paying jobs are heading to the area through BRAC.

The conference bill must pass the Senate and be signed into law by the President. The omnibus serves as the funding vehicle for six different bills: Transportation-HUD; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services; Labor-Health-Education; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs; and State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills.

$8.075 Million for Fighting Crime

$1.1 Million for Baltimore City Gun Violence Reduction Initiative

The funding will help develop methods to reduce violent crime, eradicate the gang stronghold on distressed communities, and disrupt the pipeline that leads illegal firearms into Baltimore City.

$200,000 for Baltimore City Juvenile Screening and Diversion Program

The federal funding will develop juvenile screenings and diversion programs to help prevent juvenile crime, reduce gang involvement, decrease youth violence, and improve school attendance.

$1 Million for Gang Elimination Taskforce

The funding will enhance the Gang Elimination Taskforce based at the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC) in Baltimore, Maryland. It will serve as a comprehensive information clearinghouse for gang-related law enforcement intelligence along the East Coast. The taskforce will work with local communities to help identify gang members, curb gang recruitment, and assist prosecutors and law enforcement officials to locate high-value targets. The funds will pay for additional investigators to focus solely on gang prosecutions. The taskforce will also have access to national real-time databases that track critical information about gang members across the country.

$500,000 for Violence Prevention Initiative

The funding will support a Maryland state program to improve public safety by containing potentially violent offenders, keeping juvenile offenders from becoming more violent, and requiring youth to be supervised in the community.

$1.35 Million for Girl Scouts Beyond Bars

The funding will allow a Girl Scouts of America program to continue to provide services for girls whose parents are incarcerated. The program helps keep incarcerated moms connected to their daughters and focus on rehabilitation and life outside the facility.

$300,000 for Hotline Services for Victims of Sexual Violence and Rape Prevention

The funding will support public education and outreach programs and a special hotline put together by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

$1.5 Million for 911 Communications Center

The funding will help purchase equipment to upgrade the 9-1-1 Communications Center in Baltimore County.

$250,000 for Maryland Internet Safety 101 Program

The funding will support an Internet safety program that protects children from online predators, increases parental awareness of child pornography, and engages communities in proactive Internet education.

$1.175 Million for National Advocacy Center

The federal funding will help the National Advocacy Center train and equip our nation's state and local prosecutors to effectively represent their communities and constituents in the courtroom.

$200,000 for Sheriff's Office Local Law Enforcement Enhancement

The funding will help purchase and expand technology infrastructure at the Baltimore County Sheriff's Office.

$500,000 for Workforce Development for Ex-Offenders

The funding increases the capacity of an on-going program that helps ex-offenders acquire employment skills, secure a position, and keep the job. This project contributes to Baltimore's economy, makes communities safer, and reduces recidivism.

$6.15 Million for the Environment

$300,000 for Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System

The funding will expand a program to install interactive buoys marking the John Smith National Water Trail on the Chesapeake Bay, also known as the Chesapeake Bay Interactive Buoy System (CBIBS). CBIBS combines on-the-water sensor buoys and educational materials to interpret portions of the trail with the use of cell phone and Internet technology. In the long-term, the system contributes significantly to the restoration of the Bay habitat.

$3 Million for Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration

The funding will help ongoing efforts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help restore the natural oyster population of the Chesapeake Bay. The development of native oyster aquaculture is critical to a viable commercial oyster industry in the Bay.

$150,000 for Earth System Information Delivery and Assessment

The federal funding will establish a study at the University of Maryland to help with the collection of data to provide policy makers, urban development planners, natural resource managers, and citizens with the latest scientific information on climate change.

$100,000 for Metagenomic Analysis of the Chesapeake Bay

The funding will pay for a comprehensive scientific study of the Chesapeake Bay's eco-system with an emphasis on how bacteria affect the Bay. The study will be used to improve the Bay's health and create more productive fisheries that currently support over 28 million jobs in the fishing, seafood, aquaculture, tourism and recreation sectors.

$2.4 Million for Susquehanna Flood Forecast and Warning System

The funding will pay for the Flood Forecast and Warning System on the Susquehanna River in northern Maryland, which uses sophisticated radar techniques, a network of stream and rain gauges, and automatic data transmission to provide the National Weather Service with information for river forecasts. The system provides accurate and advanced warnings of floods to residents and communities throughout the basin to significantly reduce the loss of life and property damage.

$16.456 Million for Military Construction

$15.5 Million for Advanced Chemistry Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground

The funding will pay for construction of the Analytical Chemistry Wing, completing the final phase of the new Advanced Chemistry Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The existing chemistry lab is very old and requires more than $1 million in annual energy costs. This will allow the old lab to close.

$956,000 for Info Processing Node at Aberdeen Proving Ground

The funding will consolidate employees and contractors with the Directorate of Information Management (DOIM) into one campus at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision will bring 8,000 new customers to DOIM requiring additional manpower. DOIM staff was moved out of their former facilities and is currently operating out of several, different offices. This funding will renovate the first of three existing Ordnance schoolhouses that will serve as administrative and specialized space for DOIM.

$650,000 for Health

$650,000 for Maryland Community Health Centers

This funding will improve the quality, speed, and delivery of healthcare and reduce costs in nine federally qualified community health centers representing 53 clinics throughout Maryland. The Electronic Patient Record System (EPRS) system and Health Trax will empower health centers to monitor and manage high-risk conditions of chronically ill patients on an out patient basis.

$1.292 Million for Community Programs

$492,200 for Maryland Food Bank

The funding will help renovate the Maryland Food Bank facility and improve the delivery of services in response to growing demand during this economic downturn.

$800,000 United Way of Central Maryland - 2-1-1 Maryland Taskforce

The funding will pay for infrastructure improvements, staff training, and general operations of 2-1-1 Maryland. The program is a 24-hour information and referral service that allows people a convenient way to access human service programs - everything from child care to insurance to emergency services. 2-1-1 systems have proven invaluable, particularly during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Gulf Coast hurricanes and California wildfires.

$250,000 for Job Training

$250,000 for HARBEL Employment Training Program

The funding will help an important initiative put together by this non-profit organization to connect job-seekers with businesses. HARBEL will develop training programs for the unemployed, underemployed, recovering substance abusers, first-time workers, displaced workers, ex-offenders, seniors, vets, and the disabled so they can acquire productive, self-sustaining employment.

$1.9 Million for Education

$1 Million for Baltimore Excellence in Science Teaching Partnership

The funding will expand collaborative programs to train teachers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields through a training program involving Towson University, Coppin State University and the Maryland BioLab.

$100,000 Million for Minority Science Initiative

The federal will expand the efforts of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund to recruit and encourage more minority students to pursue degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. The effort hopes to eventually expand the number of minority scientists within NASA, the national science labs, and the aerospace industry.

$350,000 for Baltimore City Public School System Allied Health Careers Programs and Career Technology Education

The funding will expand the successful Allied Health Careers Program at Baltimore City Public Schools, which helps students identify and explore health occupations and pursue healthy living. The money will enable the program to include an Allied Health Job Fair, a mentoring program, a Career Technology Education orientation program for eighth grade students, and internship opportunities.

$100,000 for University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore City

The funding will support continued growth of a workforce training center at the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore City. This supports the revitalization of economically distressed neighborhoods in West Baltimore. The money will be used to teach workers specialized skills to prepare them for high paying jobs in the technology field and make infrastructure improvements at the BioPark. The UMB Research Park Corp, a 501(c)3, will provide a full match for the infrastructure portion of the requested funding.

$350,000 for Anne Arundel Community College STEM

The funding will enhance workforce training programs at Anne Arundel Community College to meet the needs of local businesses as well as prepare potential workers for the thousands of high-tech jobs that will be relocated to Fort Meade through the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision. The programs will focus on high-demand areas like Engineering and Computer Science as part of a STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, initiative.

$6.03 Million for BRAC

$400,000 for Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Employment Development

This funding will expand the City of Baltimore's efforts to build a continuous pool of qualified and skilled workers to help fill the thousands of high tech jobs that will moving to Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground through the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision.

$2.75 Million for BRAC-Related Improvements in Anne Arundel County

The funding will assist the Maryland State Highway Administration in making road, highway, and intersection improvements adjacent to Fort Meade in response to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) expansion.

$2.88 Million for BRAC-Related Improvements in Harford County

The funding will assist the Maryland State Highway Administration in making road, highway, and intersection improvements adjacent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in response to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) expansion.

$4.2 Million For Transportation

$3 Million for Baltimore Red Line

The funding will help further develop Baltimore's Red Line.

$200,000 for College Park Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC)

The funding will create a new multi-state cooperative initiative at the University of Maryland to expand on regional efforts to improve traffic and transportation systems in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

$1 Million for Baltimore-Washington Parkway Study

The funding will pay for a feasibility study to determine whether there is sufficient traffic volume to between the Washington and Baltimore Beltways to merit road widening.

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