Invasive Pest Coalition Calls on Governor to Sign Huffman/Laird Bills ASAP
July 29th, 2010Business Wire, Sept 22, 2008
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With the final passage of the state budget, California’s agricultural industry is urging the Governor to sign two bills important to the effective control of invasive pests and providing additional measures to protect public health.
“Signing these bills into law will be an important step in the state’s ability to continue to effectively and rapidly control damaging invasive pest species in this state while protecting the public and keeping them informed,” says Ted Batkin, co-chairman of the Invasive Pest Coalition, a broad-based group of agricultural organizations formed to address the issue of invasive pests.
Batkin, who not only is chairman of the IPC but is also president of the California Citrus Research Board, is currently battling a particularly damaging insect known as Asian citrus psyllid which was recently detected in San Diego County and is threatening the state’s important citrus crop.
According to the IPC, today’s global society is facing new and serious challenges from invasive pests and diseases that affect our health, our environment and our economy. In 2004, Cornell University researchers estimated that invasive pests cost the United States economy almost $250 billion per year. The United States Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Food and Agriculture are working diligently to control the current onslaught of invasive pests in this state which threaten our health, crops, native plant species and waterways, like the citrus psyllid, zebra and quagga mussels, West Nile virus, oriental fruit fly and light brown apple moth. However, the public has reasonable concerns about the transparency of the government’s control and eradication strategies which must be addressed.
Satisfactorily addressing these public concerns and increasing the transparency of control and eradication strategies is why the IPC strongly supports AB 2765 by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D – 6th District) and AB 2763 by Assemblyman John Laird (D – 27th District).
The Huffman bill provides public input and disclosure of ingredients used to control or eradicate invasive pests while protecting the rapid response needed when an invasive pest has been introduced which threatens crops and the state’s natural resources. Huffman’s bill would also mandate the government conduct a public hearing to consider all alternatives if aerial applications are being considered as an eradication strategy as well as seek an evaluation of the public health and environmental impacts from health and environmental protection agencies. The bill also would require public notice to list the active ingredient and inert material in the pest control formulation to the extent the disclosure is permitted by law or voluntarily provided by the chemical’s manufacturer.
Assemblyman Laird’s bill establishes a public process for advance planning and preparation of invasive pest responses
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Achievers Under 40 profile: Michelle Witt, vice president for
July 29th, 2010Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), May 19, 2010
Three quarters of the way through her undergraduate degree, Michelle Witt realized that she loved engineering, but did not want to be a traditional 9-5 engineer. With that in mind, she added business expertise to her resume, a combination of skills that have led to her rapid rise in a typically male-dominated field.
Now vice president for business development with Tulsa’s Impact Earth LLC and director of business development for its parent company, Impact Technologies LLC, Witt is instrumental in finding grant funds and raising investment dollars for the company’s leading- edge geothermal oil drilling technologies.
Impact Earth designs and builds specialized rigs for installing next-generation geothermal drilling systems.
“One of Impact Earth’s rigs is estimated to do the work of up to eight current rigs for 15 times the annual profit,” Witt said. “My role is to develop the business strategy, find and present the idea to investors to obtain the required funding, along with other activities related to commercializing our products.
“Our technology is very rewarding,” she added, “because it deals with using geothermal energy as a sustainable resource to improve our environment and get our country one step closer to energy independence.”
Witt received her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and her master’s degree in engineering management, both from the Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. She earned her master’s in business administration from the University of Tulsa.
Her promise showed itself early. As a graduate student at TU, Witt led her team throughout the Governor’s Cup competition, winning second place. Today she mentors other would-be participants, and has served as one of its judges.
“Michelle’s combination of technical and business degrees is a powerful mix that provides an understanding of all sides of business,” said Kenneth Oglesby, Impact Technologies president. “In her first year with Impact she has been instrumental in raising $3 million in grant monies from the Department of Energy, and is on track to raise another $5 million for Impact’s other green technologies.”
Her skills haven’t gone unnoticed. Among other accolades, Witt was nominated for Tulsa’s 2008 Tulsey Entrepreneurship Award
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Wiki-wasters rewriting history on company time
July 29th, 2010Wiki-wasters rewriting history on company time
0 Comments | Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh, Scotland), August 26, 2007
Byline: Murdo MacLeod
THEY’RE doing it at Clarence House, British Airways, South Lanarkshire Council and countless offices the length and breadth of the UK.
The “it” is anonymous sabotage of articles on Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopaedia. But today Scotland on Sunday can unmask some of the key culprits who are spreading gossip and causing confusion with their acts of sabotage.
Our investigation has traced thousands of anonymous edits to the networks owned by the BBC, the Ministry of Defence, the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.
'Destined to be on X Factor'
July 29th, 2010‘Destined to be on X Factor’
0 Comments | South Wales Evening Post, May 26, 2010 | by LAURA DAVIES
A GROUP of musical psychics are hoping X Factor success is written in the stars.
Heaven Scent, a group of four professional and trainee mediums and clairvoyants, are chanelling their spiritual powers to see if the hit reality show will pick them to sing in front of the judges in July.
They’ve already been successful in a number of auditions in front of show producers and now the quartet — made up of Emma Crowley, 25, and her mum Jane, of Alexandra Road, Loughor, along with Sue Lake, 55, of Rosewood Avenue, Baglan, Port Talbot, and Austin Charles, 28, of Falcon Drive, Cimla, Neath — are hoping for success.
Emma, who is learning to read tarot cards, said the friends only registered online for the competition within five minutes of closing.
She said: “Sue and Austin are fans of X Factor and we were all together when an alert on Facebook came up to say there was only five minutes to audition.
“We decided to form our own group called Heaven Scent.
“We had a reply saying our place had been secured and we thought if we were going to do it we had to have a reason — so we decided to audition for charity.” The group decided to support the William Aldridge Foundation — a charity set up in tribute to the soldier who was one of the youngest to be killed in Afghanistan last July.
They also decided to support charity Troops Relief and hope their X Factor experience would raise the profile of both charities.
And the group certainly made an impact when they hit the auditions at Cardiff.
The former Bishop Vaughan pupil said: “We wore khaki outfits with the charities’ logos on and took up a collection bucket.
“We got through three rounds and are now waiting to find out if we will get to the live audition and sing in front of Simon Cowell and the rest of the judges.”
The group managed to raise Pounds 60 at their audition and are now hoping they will get to the next stage on July 2. And professional medium Austin is already getting signs that they are through.
Emma said: “Austin keeps seeing images of us singing in front of Simon Cowell and he is smirking but likes us.
“He can see us going through to boot camp.
“We were destined to enter the competition and it has been a brilliant experience so far.”
A charity evening will be held at the Four Winds in Port Talbot on Tuesday at 7.30pm.
The evening of clairvoyants with Austin Charles will raise money for the William Aldridge Foundation.
It costs Pounds 7 including chicken and chips.
Emma added: “If people are lucky they may even get to see us sing our X Factor song in the interval.” .Tickets are available from the Four Winds, ATC and Psychic Beauty in West Street or by calling 07891 027 390.
. laura.davies@swwmedia.co.uk
If you own a
July 29th, 2010If you own a property and are ready to pledge it as security, then go for a secured
personal loan. Here, you get the advantage of getting approval for a larger loan amount, lower interest rate and flexible terms and conditions. This lessens the burden of the debt. However, there is always the risk of losing your property in case you fail to repay the loan amount on time.
If you do not own a property or do not want to risk your property, then unsecured personal loan is the ideal choice. You get the loan without pledging anything. However, you have to settle for a higher interest rate and strict terms and conditions.
Many people opt for a personal loan to consolidate their debts. It is quite cumbersome to manage multiple debts. Moreover, one tends to miss a few payments as it becomes virtually impossible to keep a track of so many debt repayments. This in turn has a negative effect on the credit rating.
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Market Leader to Provide Keller Williams' Sales Professionals With $1,000 in Google AdWords(TM) Advertising
July 29th, 2010Market Wire, February, 2009
Market Leader (NASDAQ: LEDR), an innovator in
online marketing and technology solutions for real estate professionals,
announced today that it is offering Keller Williams’ sales professionals a
one-time opportunity to try its products at the Keller Williams Family
Reunion this weekend in Orlando, Fla.
Market Leader is making available to Keller Williams’ agents and agent
teams a free trial of the company’s Vision contact management system. In
addition, Market Leader will spend up to $1,000 to advertise any
participating agent on Google during their free trial.
Earlier today Market Leader announced a strategic agreement with Google to
become an authorized reseller of Google AdWords advertising program, and as
a result, is able to help real estate professionals attract new customers
more efficiently than ever before.
This one-time promotional offer commemorates Market Leader entering into a
marketing agreement with Keller Williams Realty Inc.
As an approved vendor, the agreement enables Market Leader to offer its
marketing solutions and client management tools to Keller Williams’ agents
and agent teams from throughout the United States.
“We are proud of all of the success that Keller Williams agents have been
having with our services over the past decade and very glad to be taking
our relationship with them to the next level,” said Market Leader CEO Ian
Morris. “So many Keller Williams agents are seeing success with Growth
Leader, Team Leader, and the Vision contact management system, that we are
excited to offer their entire network this unique opportunity to try the
products for themselves.”
With more than 1,000 real estate teams in its network of more than 70,000
Keller Williams’ sales professionals throughout the United States and
Canada, Team Leader is well suited to help agents propel their business to
the next level. Team Leader is the first real estate marketing solution
designed to address the specific needs of real estate agent teams and
enables them to generate a steady stream of prospects, and convert those
prospects into clients. Additionally, it provides teams with the tools to
recruit and retain agents and manage their efforts.
Additionally, Growth Leader, which is designed for real estate agents
focused on growing their business, will be offered to Keller Williams’
agents, enabling them to cost-effectively generate a steady stream of
prospects to their personal web site.
Keller Williams’ sales professionals not attending the Family Reunion can
call 1-877-732-8505 to learn more.
About Market Leader Inc.
Market Leader (NASDAQ: LEDR) provides real estate professionals with
innovative marketing and technology solutions that enable them to grow and
manage their business.
Founded in 1999 by a second-generation real estate agent, Market Leader
provides real estate agents, agent teams, and brokerage companies with
subscription software and advertising products that enable them to generate
a steady stream of prospects, as well as the tools and training they need
to convert these prospects into clients.
With a long history of innovation, Market Leader pioneered online lead
generation for real estate professionals a decade ago and today is the
leading marketing partner to the real estate industry.
The company also provides consumers with free access to the information and
tools they need throughout the home buying and selling process through its
national consumer real estate sites. These websites enable Market Leader to
provide its customers with access to millions of future home buyers and
sellers while providing these consumers with free access to the information
they seek throughout the home buying and selling process.
For more information on Market Leader visit http://www.MarketLeader.com .
Google and AdWords are trademarks of Google Inc.
LEDR: CORPORATE
Investor Contact:
Mark Lamb
Director of Investor Relations
Market Leader Inc.
425.952.5801
markl@marketleader.com
Press Contact:
Hugh Siler
Siler & Company for Market Leader Inc
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Central Air Conditioners Guide
July 29th, 2010in Self Help / Advice (submitted 2008-05-24)
On a hot, sweltering summer day most people are more concerned with what an air conditioner can do as opposed to understanding the concept behind its operation. Central air conditioning is a modern day solution to controlling heat and humidity. Operating via a system of ducts that dispense cool and dehumidified air to many areas of a home or office, contemporary air conditioners are capable of climate control in both summer and winter.
What type of Air Conditioning Unit is best for me?
Depending on one’s budget and the size of area to be cooled/heated there is an air conditioning unit that can fulfill your needs. The most popular is referred to as a split system air conditioner
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Such sets of
July 29th, 2010Such sets of storms is reminiscent of the North Eastern United States with back to back storms in the late part of September thru October and then catching the tail end of the marriage between Hurricane Alpha and Super Storm Wilma. Survivor is a very popular reality television show, but one would have to say that watching humans swim for their lives in these freak weather events is much better than the reality television serious of ?You?re Fired? as in this case you either sink or swim and if you fail, you are not just fired; you are out of here big time.
What is causing these freak weather storms and is this a foreshadowing of what?s to come in 2006? Some Global Warming Climate Change doom and gloomers say this is only the beginning and we will have many more unsuspecting Real Reality Survivors swimming for their lives, dodging falling buildings and being blown away in 2006. So, why bother watching ?Survivor? when you can watch California Flood Victims swimming for their lives? Why I bet some are even taking odds on these events in Las Vegas, I am sure they are they will bet money on just about anything.
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Safari park closes for day
July 28th, 2010Safari park closes for day
0 Comments | Milton Keynes Citizen (Milton Keynes, England), August 6, 2007
Woburn Safari Park closed on Saturday – traditionally one of its busiest days of the year – due to the Foot and Mouth Disease scare, losing an estimated [pounds sterling]50,000 in takings.
The park’s chief executive Chris Webster called a meeting among senior staff and vets at 9am on Saturday in response to the news that FMD had been discovered in a herd of cattle at a farm in Surrey.
Management decided to close the park unti further notice.
Mr Webster said: “This was not a light decision because we are a seasonal business and a weekend day in August is one of the busiest of the year with between 3,500 and 4,000 visitors coming to the park.
“We have lost between [pounds sterling]40,000 and [pounds sterling]50,000, money would be used to underwrite the costs taken during the winter.
“We got the news out as soon as we could, although we had a lot of people turn up and we can only apologise for their wasted journey.”
The park re-opened on Sunday, with all visitors screened: those who came from the infected area in Surrey were turned away as were anyone who worked with lifestock.
Mr Webster said the situation was under constant review adding: “We feel our understanding of the situation is solidifying all the time.”
Police join search for missing man
July 28th, 2010Police join search for missing man
0 Comments | Northern Echo, Mar 23, 2007
POLICE were last night searching for a vulnerable man who walked out of a nursing home.Edward Bailey, 57, from Walker, Newcastle, was staying at the Parklands home, in Station Road, Seaham, east Durham.At about 11.30am yesterday, he left the building.Police, including the force helicopter, searched the area.
Mr Bailey, known as Ted, normally lives with his wife Margaret.He has not taken his medication and has limited communication skills.Mr Bailey is 5ft 3in, has what police described as a large stomach and wears glasses.He was wearing dark blue jogging bottoms, black and white trainers and a royal blue shirt and a sheepskin jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call 0845-60-60-365.