By Bryon Okada, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Mar. 12--More than 20,000 items, ranging from guns and explosives to box cutters and fireworks, have been confiscated at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport security checkpoints since July 1.
Nationally, the Transportation Security Administration reports it has seized 4.8 million prohibited items at airports -- including 1,101 firearms -- since February 2002.
"The number of items that we've intercepted isn't important. What's important is, none of these items got onto an airplane," TSA spokesman Ed Martelle said.
The TSA and the aviation industry have made a concerted effort to educate the public about items banned from flights after 9-11, but statistics show that passengers still routinely attempt to bring such items through security checkpoints at the nation's 429 commercial airports.
Aside from firearms, the TSA has found 1.4 million knives, 2.4 million other sharp objects including scissors, 39,842 box cutters, 125,273 incendiary or flammable objects, and 15,666 clubs.
"Although intercepting most of those items resulted from inadvertent violations by passengers, keeping dangerous items off flights is a top priority, and we must err on the side of caution," TSA chief James Loy said.
The TSA assumed responsibility for airport security on Feb. 17, 2002. After a slow start, the first TSA screeners began working by the end of April, and screening was fully federalized by the Nov.19, 2002, deadline set by Congress.
Previously, most airlines had contracted screening work to private companies, and security was often considered shoddy. While the quality of screening is still criticized in some circles, and the more cumbersome process irks passengers, the TSA has steadily worked to improve customer service in the past six months.
When banned items are intercepted, passengers have several options.
They can take the items back to their vehicles, give them to someone they know who is not traveling, mail them home, store them in checked baggage or abandon them at the checkpoint, Martelle said.
"You tell us what you want to do with it," he said.
To take advantage of an established method of disposing of seized items, the TSA follows General Service Administration regulations, TSA spokesman Brian Turmail said.
In most cases, metal items are sent to a scrap facility, Turmail said. But some airports have arrangements with state governments to dispose of the items in other ways. Some Bay Area airports in California have sold items through a state agency via the Internet.
ONLINE: www.tsatraveltips.us Bryon Okada, (817) 685-3853 okada@star-telegram.com
To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com
(c) 2003, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
VideoShare's Technology Enables Users to Create and Send Videos
With Excite Bluemountain.com Electronic Cards
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ --
Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM), the leader in broadband, today announced the expansion of its video broadband applications with a new content area called, My Videos (http://videoshare.bluemountain.com). My Videos gives users of Excite Bluemountain.com (www.bluemountain.com) can now quickly and easily create, store and send personal electronic video greeting cards. In addition, Excite Inbox (http://inbox.excite.com) users will be able to use the My Videos service to send their own personalized video message. The introduction of My Videos is part of Excite@Home's continuing commitment to provide users with innovative broadband tools while opening up various possibilities for communication on the Internet.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990528/SFF034 )
Excite@Home has teamed up with VideoShare to empower users with the tools to easily create and send electronic video greeting cards or video email to family, friends and business associates. Available via Excite Bluemountain.com or from a link in Excite Inbox, users can download the Video Producer, a free program that will enable them to import video from a webcam, camcorder or other existing digital files and store them in easy-to-use online folder kept in a personalized "My Videos" page. In just a few minutes, a family can record their baby's first steps and send it to grandparents. Users that don't have the ability to create their own video and want to try out the feature can simply select from a variety of stock video cards and send them as a video electronic card or message.
"Continuing our commitment to provide users with innovative broadband tools, Excite@Home is providing our users with a video tool that will open new doors to communicating on the Internet," said Mark Rinella, general manager and vice president of Excite's Bluemountain.com. "We are always looking for new products that will provide our users with a unique experience that will help them maintain personal relationships from adding voice messages to a comprehensive print center and now this new feature of sending personal video electronic greetings only enhances that further."
MY VIDEOS
The new Excite Bluemountain.com My Videos area will have a simple interface that will allow users to create, store and send personal videos quickly and easily. After completing the creation of personal videos, users will be able to store their videos in their personal My Videos area as well as send them as an Excite Bluemountian.com video electronic card. Recipients simply click on a link to have the personal video streamed onto their desktop. Excite Inbox users will have access to My Videos through a strategic link that is placed within the Inbox property.
My Videos is powered by VideoShare, a leading provider of the first fully integrated system for easily producing, hosting and viewing video on the Web. VideoShare enables businesses and consumers to create and add video to all of their web-based communication tools.
"VideoShare's technology is designed to give any site the ability to offer a variety of personal streaming video options to its users," said Gad Liwerant, president and CEO of VideoShare. "This partnership with Excite@Home further strengthens our leadership position in providing a large community of Internet users with the necessary tools to create, host and send streaming video. By offering its members an easy and effective way to create personal videos, Excite@Home will help build an online community of richer communications, through interactive video and audio communication that is enhanced through its broadband capabilities."
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Excite@Home users will be able to create personal video emails or electronic greeting cards at http://inbox.excite.com or www.bluemountain.com. Users have 10MB of free storage in their personalized My Videos area. My Videos provides robust support for all major video input devices and file formats to create exciting, multi-dimensional personal videos.
ABOUT EXCITE@HOME
Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM) is the leader in broadband, offering residential and commercial broadband services, with a global footprint of 105(1) million homes under long-term cable and DSL contract. Excite@Home offers consumers broadband services over cable-modem, DSL and other 'last-mile' connections and businesses high-speed commercial services. Excite@Home has over 30(1) million cable franchise homes under contract outside of North America and localized versions of the Excite service in 10 leading international markets.
(1) Effective upon the closing of Excite Chello.
Excite@Home, @Home, Excite and the "@" stylized logo are trademarks of At Home Corporation and may be registered in certain jurisdictions.
ABOUT VIDEOSHARE, INC.
VideoShare, Inc. is a leading end-to-end application service provider (ASP) enabling end-users to create and add video to all their Web-based communications. By offering a complete set of patent-pending tools, technologies, back-end infrastructure, and applications for easily producing, storing and viewing video on the Web, the company allows users to share video messages as quickly as they send email today. For the first time, individual users can easily create and send video messages to friends and family, and business can rapidly and cost-effectively communicate with their customers. The company is privately held and based in Watertown, Mass. For more information, visit www.videoshare.com.
We don't put boilerplates in releases that are not joint announcements...
Organisers of last month's Bride Show Abu Dhabi have declared the event a success saying "thousands" of brides-to-be visited the exhibition, suggesting the multi-million dollar UAE wedding industry remains resilient in the face of the global downturn. A survey conducted by IIR Middle East showed that more than a third of visitors to the Abu Dhabi show (34 per cent) would be spending between dhs100,000 and dhs250,000 on their big day. The company is expecting its sister show, April's Bride Show Dubai to be even more popular. It's the largest wedding and fashion event in the UAE and last year attracted 30,000 visitors. IIR said precise figures from January's Abu Dhabi show were not available.
2009 Al Sidra Media LLC
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
BOSTON and MALAYSIA -- Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), the information management company, and RegistryASP, a leading domain name registry back-end provider, have entered into a co-referral agreement to better provide for applicants participating in the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program piloted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). This agreement is being announced at the ICANN 41 meeting held in Singapore this week. Under the terms of this agreement, Iron Mountain will refer prospective gTLD Registry Operators to RegistryASP for registry services, and RegistryASP will refer prospective Registry Operators to Iron Mountain for data escrow services.
ICANN is the organization responsible for coordinating the Internet's unique identifiers, including the domain name system (DNS). Introducing new gTLDs will help ICANN to promote competition in the domain name market while ensuring Internet security and stability. A gTLD is an Internet extension such as .COM, .ORG, or .INFO. It is part of the structure of the Internet's domain name system.
There are roughly two dozen gTLDs now, but ICANN is expecting hundreds of applications to be submitted from companies, organizations and individuals once the New gTLD Program is officially launched. This co-referral agreement between RegistryASP and Iron Mountain leverages the operational synergies of the two companies in anticipation of the launch of the New gTLD Program in 2011 by ICANN.
"This is an exciting time for the domain name industry as companies, organizations and even individuals get to create their own unique identifier or extension on the Internet as opposed to .COM," said TK Tan, CEO of RegistryASP. "It is extremely complex to launch a new gTLD and to run registry operations. Registry ASP has experienced consultants who have been through the processes and can confidently assist our customers with their new gTLD application, setting up a registry team and eventually running operations. We are delighted to partner with Iron Mountain - the preferred provider in the industry - to provide our clients with reliable and secure Registry Data Escrow services."
Data escrow services are a requirement for setting up a new gTLD registry. A Registry Data Escrow agreement is put in place to ensure business continuity of the registry in the event of hardship faced by the existing owners of the registry. Iron Mountain was the first company ever selected to protect domain name registry data via escrow agreements, and has been doing so since 2001.
"As we countdown to the launch of the New gTLD Program, Iron Mountain and RegistryASP are confident that this relationship will provide value and benefits to our customers, essentially delivering a one-stop shop for consultation, registry back-end and data escrow services," said John Boruvka, vice president of intellectual property management at Iron Mountain. "We are pleased that RegistryASP recognizes Iron Mountain's expertise and market leadership in providing new gTLD applicants with registry data escrow services."
About RegistryASP
RegistryASP is a leading registry backend provider that has a proven track record of operational performance and excellent customer support. RegistryASP provides registry services for Congo (.CD), Columbia (.CO), Hong Kong (.HK) and Singapore (.SG). In addition, RegistryASP provides customized registry components for Malaysia (.MY) and policy consultation services to Oman (.OM). For more information about RegistryASP, please visit www.registryasp.com.
About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information management services that help organizations lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. The Company's solutions enable customers to protect and better use their information--regardless of its format, location or lifecycle stage--so they can optimize their business and ensure proper recovery, compliance and discovery. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of information assets, including business records, electronic files, medical data, emails and more for organizations around the world. Visit www.ironmountain.com or follow the company on Twitter @IronMountain for more information.
Byline: KEVAN CHRISTIE
EXCLUSIVE by KEVAN CHRISTIE THE family and friends of the man charged with assaulting Celtic boss Neil Lennon last night told of their disgust at his behaviour.
And the former lover of jobless ex-binman John Wilson branded him "a clown" and "a total waster".
Wilson, 26, was charged yesterday with assault and breach of the peace, both allegedly aggravated by religious prejudice.
And as he sat in a cell after being remanded in custody, his disgusted ex-partner Erica Ketchion said: "He told me he'd broken his ribs and couldn't see our bairn.
"Next thing, he's trying to lamp Neil Lennon. I can't believe he's been so stupid. He's an absolute clown who doesn't give a s***e about his daughter."
Wilson's horrified dad David, 58, said: "I'm bloody ashamed of him."
And his cousin added: "He's that stupid he's probably not aware of what he's done."
Hearts fan Wilson, a father of three, jumped from the stand at Tynecastle, ran at Lennon and swung a punch at him after Celtic went 2-0 up in Wednesday night's match.
Celts coach Alan Thompson grabbed Wilson as stewards rushed to help before police handcuffed Wilson and led him away.
Erica, 26, vowed to change their daughter Winter's surname from Wilson to her own because she was sick of her ex's behaviour.
She claimed Wilson had fathered three kids by three different women. And she accused him of spending his cash on watching Hearts while failing to support his child.
Erica said: "A friend phoned and told me John had run along the pitch and hit Neil Lennon.
"I can't believe he's been so stupid. He's put us at risk - my address has been posted on the internet and I'm really worried for the safety of my kids.
"John and I split up seven months ago after going out for a year and I want everyone to know I want nothing to do with the a******e. He always managed to find money to go to the football but not for me or his daughter." Erica also slammed Wilson on Facebook after a pal branded him a coward for attacking Lennon from behind.
She wrote: "He's a wimp - known fact."
Wilson's family are struggling to come to terms with his crazed actions. Dad David, 58, of Edinburgh, told the Record: "I can't believe John's done this. I'm in complete shock.
"How do I feel about this? I'm bloody ashamed of him."
Wilson's cousin Douglas, 29, of Penicuik, Midlothian, said: "He's a bit of a gullible fool and he's never grown up. He's a bit of a muppet, a bit of a loose wire.
"He's certainly not a loyalist or anything like that. If anything, he is probably a bit naive to all of it."
One of Wilson's pals said: "I was shocked when I saw the guy run along the touchline to attack Lennon. Then I realised it was John and I felt sick.
"I feel dirty that a guy I thought was my mate could stoop to this. John's not the brightest but nothing excuses his behaviour - no one wants anything to do with him."
Lennon was shaken but unhurt after Wilson's attack - the latest in a long line of assaults and threats he has suffered while at Celtic.
He wrote on Twitter: "Don't let what happened to me take the shine off a wonderful team performance. I don't walk alone."
Wilson, of Edinburgh, appeared in private at the city's sheriff court.
He made no plea and the case was continued.
Hearts have banned Wilson from Tynecastle for life.
Furious Celtic fans clashed with police and stewards after the attack on Lennon. But there was only one other arrest.
CAPTION(S):
CHARGED J Lesley Martin's family have slammed his behaviour
Internet Leader Makes a Difference Sponsoring JDRF Walk
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Go Daddy is putting its best foot forward for a fourth consecutive year as the title sponsor of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes. This Saturday, for the first time, the walk will take place in two locations - Tempe Town Lake and ASU West in Glendale - providing an opportunity to double the number of walkers.
Go Daddy, the world's largest Web hosting provider and top domain name registrar, is proud to sponsor what JDRF calls the largest family-friendly charity event in Arizona. More than 20,000 walkers come out to raise money and awareness of Type 1 diabetes. The money raised goes directly toward research and finding a cure for the disease.
According to JDRF, diabetes is one of the costliest and most common chronic diseases among children. The organization estimates more than 15,000 children a year are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, creating an urgent need to raise aid and awareness.
"When you hear 40 kids a day are diagnosed with diabetes, you realize how important it is to help fight this disease," said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. "Go Daddy employees are absolutely passionate about making a difference in the search for a cure, that's why we've stepped up each year to support JDRF and families impacted by Type 1 diabetes."
In 2009, more than 800 Go Daddy employees, family and friends walked for the company's Corporate Team, breaking the chapter's all-time record for largest single corporate team. Go Daddy hopes to be 1,000 strong this year. In addition to walking and volunteering, Go Daddy and its employees have raised more than $575,000 for the cause during its four-year sponsorship.
"JDRF couldn't be more thrilled to have Go Daddy as our title sponsor for the fourth year in a row," said Executive Director of JDRF Desert Southwest Chapter Becky Jackson. "Go Daddy employees are dedicated to helping find a cure and they always amaze us with their big numbers for the walk."
During a time when many companies are scaling back, Go Daddy is increasing its philanthropic work, donating more than $2.7 million to charitable organizations so far in 2010. 'Go Daddy Cares' supports a wide variety of charitable and community causes dedicated to health and medical research, women, children, the military and animals, among others.
To learn more about JDRF, visit www.JDRF.org.
To see what other charities Go Daddy supports, visit www.GoDaddyCares.com.
To learn how to build an online presence easily and affordably, visit www.GoDaddy.com.
Follow & Friend Go Daddy on Twitter & Facebook .
About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
Go Daddy is a leading provider of services that enable individuals and businesses to establish, maintain and evolve an online presence. Go Daddy provides a variety of domain name registration plans and website design and hosting packages, as well as a broad array of on-demand services. These include products such as SSL Certificates, Domains by Proxy private registration, ecommerce website hosting, blog templates and blog software, podcast packages and online photo hosting. The Go Daddy Group has more than 43 million domain names under management. Go Daddy registers, renews or transfers a domain name every second. GoDaddy.com is the world's largest Web hosting provider and is the world's No. 1 domain name registrar according to Name Intelligence, Inc. During the first half of 2010, The Go Daddy Group registered more than one-third of all new domain names created in the top six generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, including .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz and .mobi.
- The Go Daddy Group -
Copyright [c] 2010 GoDaddy.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
M2 PRESSWIRE-30 September 2009-PicksThatMove: www.PicksThatMove.com: "Picks that move" Alerts, September 30, 2009: JRN, S, CMA, EMC, LMT and RTN(C)1994-2009 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:30092009
Picksthatmove.com Alerts include Journal Communications, Inc. (NYSE:JRN); Sprint (NYSE:S); Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA); EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC); Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN)
-- September 30, 2009 Journal Communications, Inc. (NYSE:JRN) at $3.71 on a volume of 158,420 shares
In a press release on September 30, Journal Communications' Doug Kiel Announces Retirement
MILWAUKEE, Sep 30, 2009 Journal Communications, Inc. (NYSE:JRN) today announced that Doug Kiel, President of Journal Communications and CEO of Journal Broadcast Group, will retire on December 27, 2009, the end of the company's fiscal year.
About Journal Communications
Journal Communications, Inc., headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was founded in 1882. We are a diversified media company with operations in publishing, radio and television broadcasting, interactive media and printing services. We publish the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which serves as the only major daily newspaper for the Milwaukee metropolitan area, and more than 50 community newspapers and shoppers in Wisconsin and Florida. We own and operate 33 radio stations and 13 television stations in 12 states and operate an additional television station under a local marketing agreement. Our interactive media assets include about 120 online enterprises that are associated with our daily and community newspapers and television and radio stations. We also provide a wide range of commercial printing services -- including printing of publications, professional journals and documentation material -- and operate a direct marketing services business.
-- September 30, 2009 Sprint (NYSE:S) trading at $3.95 on a volume of 11.63M shares
In a press release on September 30, Sprint SIP Trunking Provides Immediate Cost Savings and ROI for Businesses
Now Available for All Businesses; Eliminates Need for Costly Local Business Lines or Trunks
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Sep 30, 2009 In an environment where cutting costs and streamlining communications tools are critical for businesses to rapidly gain productivity and increased return on investment (ROI), SIP Trunking is an ideal solution for businesses of any size. Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced the general availability for all business customers of SIP Trunking, which leverages Sprint Global MPLS by using a single IP connection to facilitate the convergence of voice, data and video communication. This convergence reduces local, long-distance and calling feature expenses.
ABOUT SPRINT NEXTEL
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving almost 49 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company's customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
-- September 30, 2009 Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) trading at $30.10 on a volume of 862,529 shares.
In a press release out on September 30, Comerica Bank's New Product Helps Healthcare Industry Reduce Costs and Go Electronic
Comerica Healthcare Receivables Automation Solution Provides Expense Controls, Expedites Payment Processing
DALLAS, Sept 30, 2009 Comerica Bank today announced the launch of a web-based product aimed at reducing healthcare industry costs and facilitating the electronic delivery of payment information. The Comerica Healthcare Receivables Automation Solution is designed to expedite payment processing for healthcare providers, helping create a more efficient healthcare system.
Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Business Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth & Institutional Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $63.6 billion at June 30, 2009. To receive e-mail alerts of breaking Comerica news, go to http://www.comerica.com/newsalerts.
-- September 30, 2009 EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) last at $17.00 on a volume of 4.72M shares
In a press release out on September 30, Luminex Slims Down Infrastructure With EMC and VMware
Saves Nearly $100,000 in Disk and Tape Costs in Six Months; Consolidated Server and Storage Environment Postpones Costly Datacenter Expansion
HOPKINTON, Mass., Sept 30, 2009 EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC), the world leader in information infrastructure solutions, today announced that Luminex Corporation, a leading developer of biological testing for the life sciences industry, has implemented EMC and VMware solutions to reduce information infrastructure costs and improve business continuity.
EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world's leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.
-- September 30, 2009 Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) last at $78.08 on a volume of 1.07M shares
In a press release out on September 30, U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin $8 Million Contract to Advance Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Technology
MANASSAS, Va., Sept 30, 2009 The U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) recently awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) an $8.12 million contract to further develop Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technology, which leverages the temperature difference between warmer water at the ocean's surface and colder water below to produce renewable and reliable power.
Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
For additional information about Lockheed Martin, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com
-- September 30, 2009 Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) trading at $47.78 on a volume of 849,754 shares
In a press release out on September 30, 2009 Raytheon Delivers Advanced SUV-based Radiation Detection System to Florida
TEWKSBURY, Mass., Sept 30, 2009 Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered its Mobile Nuclear Radiation Detection System (MNRDS) to Florida's Department of Transportation.
Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.
www.picksthatmove.com team of excellence strives to find undervalued, good momentum stock plays. We provide financial and investor relations services for small to mid-cap stocks with weekly and special newsletters to keep you informed of the latest movers. Unlike other sites, we explore, research, and understand all aspects of a company. We only recommend companies we feel has the potential for future higher valuations. Our seasoned research team is always looking for the next Xtreme Pick to send to you.
www.picksthatmove.com is a leading stock website that provides free daily alerts on stocks that are moving up. www.picksthatmove.com also tracks small cap stocks that are on the brink of exploding. We also feature companies on our website with research report, analysis, and newsletters. To feature a company on our web site please contact us at Info@picksthatmove.com
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Winning Song Delivered by YANGAROO'S DMDS to 650 U.S. Radio Stations
TORONTO -- YANGAROO Inc. (TSX-V: YOO, OTCBB: YOOIF), the industry's leading secure digital media distribution company, has collaborated with Castle Brands, an emerging developer and international marketer of premium branded spirits, to deliver the song "Devotion" by The Loveblisters, the winner of Boru Vodka's second annual "Defend The Bar Band" competition, to radio throughout the U.S. The song was delivered by a DMDS eNote to 650 radio stations in five major formats and the eNote can be viewed by clicking this link: http://www.dmds.com/enote/usa/boru/defend_the_bar_band/winner/?regurl=http://www.dmds.com/dmds/dotnet/Views/Tracks.aspx.
YANGAROO's eNotes are a multimedia promotional tool that can be emailed to selected recipients. eNotes can include animated images or video clips along with a stream of the song that can be reviewed prior to downloading a broadcast quality track via YANGAROO'S Digital Media Distribution System (DMDS).
As winner of the competition, The Loveblisters will receive a professionally produced shot and edited live performance video and $10,000 worth of new musical equipment in addition to the song being delivered to radio via DMDS.
"DMDS has provided us with an exciting new way of promoting the winner of our competition," said Roseann Sessa, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for Boru Vodka maker Castle Brands. "Now, hundreds of radio stations will be able to share this year's winner with their listeners and highlight their part in this Boru-branded competition."
Since September 15, independent music fans have been registering to listen and download the music of the competition's fourteen semifinalists, as well as vote for their favorite artist. The semifinalists were chosen by a panel of judges from more than 800 applicants representing 47 states and a wide variety of musical styles. The 650 radio stations in five major formats were also made aware of the semifinalists through an earlier eNote delivered by YANGAROO. The online competition was held at www.boruband.com, a mini-site offshoot of www.boru.com.
"Being able to use our eNote technology to help promote the emerging artist contestants and choose the winner of Boru Vodka's 'Defend The Bar Band' competition has been very rewarding," said John Heaven, President and CEO of YANGAROO Inc. "DMDS not only offers major and independent record labels alike a secure and immediate method of distributing their music to radio, but our eNotes can also be used as an innovative part of music-related marketing campaigns."
About Boru Vodka:
Boru Vodka is made in Ireland from the best grain and most pristine water. The five times distillation process produces a clean vodka of unusual clarity and exceptional smoothness. It is named for the legendary king responsible for uniting Ireland, Brian Boru. Boru Vodka is also available in Citrus, Orange and Crazzberry flavors. Boru Vodka is available nationwide in the United States and Ireland and in a growing number of other international markets. www.boru.com. For more information, contact rsessa@castlebrandsinc.com.
About Castle Brands Inc.:
Castle Brands is an emerging developer and international marketer of premium branded spirits within four growing categories of the spirits industry: vodka, rum, whiskey and liqueurs. Castle Brands' portfolio includes Boru[R] Vodka, Gosling's Rum[R], Sea Wynde[R] Rum, Knappogue Castle Whiskey[R], Clontarf[R] Irish Whiskey, Jefferson's[TM] and Jefferson's Reserve[R] Bourbon, Sam Houston[R] Bourbon, Tierras Tequila, Celtic Crossing[R] Liqueur, Pallini[R] Limoncello[TM], Raspicello[TM] and Peachcello[TM], and Brady's[R] Irish Cream. For more information, contact rsessa@castlebrandsinc.com or visit www.castlebrandsinc.com.
About YANGAROO:
YANGAROO's patented Digital Media Distribution System (DMDS) is a leading secure B2B digital delivery solution for the music and advertising industries. DMDS is a web-based delivery system that pioneers secure digital file distribution by incorporating biometrics, high-value encryption and watermarking. DMDS replaces the physical distribution of musical recordings and advertising to radio, media, retailers and other authorized recipients with more accountable, effective, and far less costly digital delivery of broadcast quality media via the Internet.
YANGAROO's DMDS has made over five million deliveries of over 11,000 songs from more than 600 record labels to destinations which include radio stations representing over 35 US broadcast chains.
DMDS is the only system that can digitally deliver music across the U.S., Canada and the UK. YANGAROO has offices in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and London, UK. YANGAROO trades on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol YOO and in the U.S. under OTCBB:YOOIF. For further information, please contact John Heaven at 905-763-3553 or visit www.yangaroo.com.
The statements contained in this release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause such statements to differ materially from actual future events or results. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
- Combination to Significantly Expand DG FastChannel's Revenue and National Client Base -
- DG FastChannel to Realize Substantial Operational Synergies -
DALLAS -- DG FastChannel, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGIT), a leading provider of digital media services to the advertising and broadcast industries announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT) to acquire the Vyvx advertising services business including its distribution, post-production and related operations. Pursuant to the terms of an asset purchase agreement, DG FastChannel will pay Level 3 Communications $129 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments, for the Vyvx advertising services business.
Commenting on the transaction, Scott K. Ginsburg, Chairman and CEO of DG FastChannel said, "This transaction benefits both our customers and our shareholders. Vyvx's blue chip customer base will gain access to DG FastChannel's omnipresent, state-of-the-art electronic network. The scope and scale of the combined company will better position it for further prudent investments in our next-generation digital media platform which will allow us to deliver additional significant technical and service enhancements to our customers. The 'digital convergence' and integrated marketing solutions being introduced by media giants such as Google and Microsoft together with innovative technologies from many other companies have created new competitive challenges for providers of advertising services. The business combination we are announcing today will expand our opportunities to establish unified digital marketing solutions for multiple video platforms being developed for broadcast, cable, Internet and mobile advertising."
"The Vyvx advertising services business fits extremely well with the DG FastChannel enterprise," Mr. Ginsburg added. "During the next fourteen months, U.S. television and cable operators are converting to a digital broadcast and an HD environment. As they do, DG FastChannel will have the resources necessary to deploy an 'HD Extreme' network and fulfill the demands of transmitting HD advertising content to broadcast-based media outlets. At the same time, we will identify and take advantage of significant opportunities for operational synergies. With our proven ability to combine businesses, we expect to drive superior returns for our shareholders."
DG FastChannel has obtained a financing commitment from BMO Capital Markets for a six-year, $145 million senior credit facility and a two-year, $65 million senior unsecured bridge loan to fund the Vyvx advertising services business transaction and to refinance the Company's existing $85 million senior credit facility. At September 30, 2007, the Company reported net debt of $36 million. DG FastChannel will have pro forma net debt immediately following the close of the Vyvx advertising services business of approximate $170 million.
The acquisition of the Vyvx advertising services business will expand DG FastChannel's revenues, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) and roster of the nation's most esteemed and best-known brands. DG FastChannel issued a separate news announcement today in which it increased its guidance for pro forma 2007 and 2008 financial results (before the benefit of the Vyvx operations).
Under the management of Level 3 Communications, Inc., the Vyvx advertising services operation is expected to generate approximately $36 million of revenue and $11 million of EBITDA for the year ending December 31, 2007. DG FastChannel expects to act on approximately $7 million to $9 million of identified operational synergies within one year of the closing of the transaction. The synergies include integrating the Vyvx advertising distribution management, operations, products and facilities with DG FastChannel's and the elimination of duplicative offices, telecom lines, equipment and resources.
DG FastChannel will assume regional operating offices in New York, Chicago, Delaware, Memphis, and Los Angeles while gaining a stand-alone network operations center in Tulsa, which will provide another fully redundant backup facility to the DG FastChannel network. There are approximately 120 full time employees who are dedicated solely to the Vyvx advertising services business.
Mr. Ginsburg commented, "We are thrilled to become associated with some of the most talented customer service and sales representatives as well as technical staff working in the media services industry, and it is our intention to align the two workforces as soon as practical."
DG FastChannel anticipates that the acquisition of Vyvx's advertising services operations will be completed during the first quarter of 2008. The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal advisor and ThinkEquity Partners LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of London based Panmure Gordon & Co., acted as the financial advisor to DG FastChannel in the transaction.
About DG FastChannel, Inc.
DG FastChannel delivers the standard in digital media services to the advertising, broadcast and publishing industries. DG FastChannel's innovative technology solutions help advertisers and agencies work faster, smarter and more competitively. Offering both the ubiquitous reach of multicast satellite transmissions and the targeted capabilities of Internet technologies, DG FastChannel has deployed a suite of business intelligence and asset management tools and creative and production resources designed specifically for the advertising community. DG FastChannel's next generation distribution platform includes high definition electronic video distribution capabilities that streamline the advertising process from point of ingest via digital distribution to its edge-servers located at TV, cable and network broadcasters. More than 5,000 advertisers and agencies rely upon DG FastChannel's online media distribution network and suite of products and services, and over 21,000 online radio, television, cable, network and print publishing destinations. For more information visit www.dgfastchannel.com.
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this Press Release may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to DG FastChannel and its expectations for the proposed acquisition of the Vyvx advertising distribution operations. All statements included in this Press Release concerning activities, events or developments that DG FastChannel expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, including the following: the risk that the operations will not be integrated successfully; and the risk that the expected cost savings and other synergies from the proposed transaction may not be fully realized, realized at all or take longer to realize than anticipated. Additional information on these and other risks, uncertainties and factors is included in DG FastChannel's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed with the SEC.
Telecom New Zealand is planning to commence ADSL2+ from June 2006 to provide Next-Generation Broadband (NGB) services. The NGB services comprise high-speed broadband services capable of providing download speeds of 24Mbps.
Matt Crockett, general manager of Telecom, said that the company's network transformation is worth $1.4 billion. He said that the company has formed a partnership with Alcatel to improve consumer and business broadband services by establishing its new telecom infrastructure foundation. The new infrastructure would facilitate provision of homebased video calling services on handsets and broadband Internet Protocol (IP) television.
Crompton Corporation announces the following Webcast:
What: Q2 2004 Crompton Corporation Earnings Release When: July 23rd, 2004 @ 8:00 AM ET Where: http://www.firstcallevents.com/service/ajwz408912347gf12.html How: Live over the Internet -- Simply log on to the web at the address above. Contact: Lori Kim, Corporate Communications Specialist, +1-203-573-2163 kimlo@cromptoncorp.com
If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the call will be archived at http://www.firstcallevents.com/service/ajwz408912347gf12.html
Crompton Corporation, with annual sales of $2.2 billion, is a producer and marketer of specialty chemicals and polymer products and equipment providing the solutions, service and value our customers need to succeed. It has approximately 5,500 employees and key manufacturing facilities worldwide.
Available in 120 countries, the company products include: polymers, polymer additives and polymer processing equipment; organofunctional silanes and specialty silicones; crop protection chemicals, petroleum additives, and refined products.
Crompton's 113 million outstanding common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CK.
CONTACT: Lori Kim, Corporate Communications Specialist of Crompton Corporation, +1-203-573-2163, kimlo@cromptoncorp.com
JOAN RIVERS MAY E!XIT E!
E! Entertainment TV may be on the verge of losing two of its most recognizable surgically altered faces. According to media reports, Joan Rivers and doting daughter Melissa may be on the verge of ditching E! in favor of a vastly more lucrative deal with the TV Guide Channel.
Rivers has reportedly been offered between $6 million and $8 million in a three-year deal that would easily exceed the value of her current E! pact. Rivers' departure would forever alter E!'s handling of awards show coverage and put a damper on Rivers' trademark programs like "Fashion Police."
Long a respected comic and "Tonight Show" guest host, the 71-year-old Rivers has become best known for her catty and disturbingly candid comments about even the most marginal celebrities on every red carpet imaginable. Rivers has even been kind enough to invite her daughter along for the ride.
This year, more than 3.54 million viewers watched E!'s pre-show coverage of the Oscars in large part to see Rivers' reactions to the celebrity attire as well as to catch her myriad factual errors. The cable network's various Rivers-centric programs are among its most successful offerings.
The Rivers Duo would instantly become the highest profile on-air talent for the TV Guide Channel, which has a circulation of 75 million homes, short of the 84 million cable and satellite homes that receive E!
As of Wednesday, negotiations between TV Guide Channel and Rivers were close, but the move is yet to be made official.
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ALLEGED `SURVIVOR' SEX TAPE HITS INTERNET
Veteran fans of CBS' "Survivor" know that Jenna Lewis likes attention. The "Borneo" and "All-Stars" veteran has milked every opportunity to extend her allotted 15 minutes of fame. It's unclear if Lewis has invited her latest bout of notoriety. The 26-year-old single mother is joining the likes of Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Gena Lee Nolin as semi-celebrities elevated to new status by having their sexcapades distributed on the Internet.
A website dubbed Reality Tail (a cheeky URL) is offering 42 minutes of supposedly hardcore sex featuring supposed celebrity Jenna. The entire movie is available for download for $39.99, but shorter parts featuring various sex acts can be purchased on their own for lower costs.
Lewis' co-star in the tape is believed to be 21-year-old model Travis Wolfe. The pair was married during the first weekend in May after only six weeks of dating. "Survivor: All-Stars" viewers will recall that "Survivor" host Jeff Probst introduced the topic of the nuptials during the show's live finale, which came just days later.
How the tape came to transfer possession from the happy couple to Internet pornographers is subject to debate and innuendo.
While the operating budget at Zap2it.com doesn't allow for first-hand investigations into the veracity of the footage, several independent operators on the Internet have done the necessary research and seem willing to vouch for the material. Fans on "Survivor" message boards are already saying that they know for sure that the woman in the tape is Jenna because she never stops talking throughout.
According to the June 28 issue of US Weekly, the couple doesn't discuss their involvement in filming of the tape, but they insist they had nothing to do with its distribution.
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TAYLOR HAS `AMERICAN DREAMS'
Singer-Songwriter Ben Taylor, already gifted with good musical genes, is set to make his acting debut with a multi-episode arc on NBC's "American Dreams" starting next fall.
Taylor will play Cal, a struggling singer-songwriter who finds work in the Lair. He's set to step in as a new love interest for Beth Mason (Rachel Boston).
"I am really looking forward to being on `American Dreams,' Taylor says. "It will be a good way for me to get my feet wet in acting as the character I am playing is very much like myself. In the meantime I am trying to finish my band's new album and really trying not to think about the fact that I have never acted."
The new album from The Ben Taylor Band is tentatively titled "Another Run Around the Sun" and it is expected to get a heavy promotional pitch from the NBC drama. The album's release is expected to coincide with the season premiere and the premiere will feature music from the album.
The son of popular musicians Carly Simon and James Taylor, Ben Taylor's first album with his band has sold more than 50,000 copies.
In its second season, "American Dreams" averaged 8.75 million viewers per week, down by nearly 2 million viewers a week over its first year. The series has been a favorite of family groups as well as NBC's head honcho Jeff Zucker.
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Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 2003
The OSGi(TM) Alliance, an open forum focusing on the network delivery and management of services to all types of networked devices in home, vehicle, mobile, and other environments, has announced special presentations in Asia, where there has been considerable interest in the OSGi Service Platform.
Presenting August 26, 2003 at the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) seminar in Singapore will be Dr. John Barr, Director, Standards Realization, Motorola, Inc., and President of the OSGi Alliance; Peter Kriens, CEO, aQute, and OSGi Director of Technology; Lawrence Chan, Vice President Asia Pacific, Echelon Corporation and Regional VP for Asia Pacific for the OSGi Alliance; and Kai Hackbarth, Product Manager, ProSyst Software AG and Requirements Chair for the OSGi Alliance. The next day will feature an OSGi Developer's Tutorial by Kriens. The group will then move on to Tokyo, Japan on August 28 for more informational sessions there. Details of the meetings may be found at http://www.osgi.org/news/osgi_events/.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to better inform the world about the successful OSGi technology story," said Dr. Barr. "We're really looking forward to meeting with Asian companies, and we hope to raise more awareness in Asia, attract new members and work closer with Asian companies."
"Today 21% of OSGi members are from companies in Asia," said Mr. Chan. "We see the number of OSGi members from Asia growing faster than the other regions due to the increase in companies in Asia that are building products and services targeting telematics and the Home Networking market. Asian companies are more sensitive to adopting new technology and industry standards. The open system business model attracts more Asian companies to build competitive products for the global market."
Mr. Raymond Lee, Deputy Director of the Technology Direction Division at IDA, added, "We are delighted to hear first-hand experiences from experts at the OSGi Alliance, who have chosen Singapore as their first stop in Asia to speak on this new emerging technology. The approach of using a common service delivery platform was identified as one of the emerging technology trends in IDA's Infocomm Technology Roadmap. The OSGi specification is a promising candidate for this new approach of managed service delivery. In line with our 'Connected Singapore' corporate strategies, early adoption of emerging technologies is essential to give Singapore a competitive edge in business and economic opportunities. The IDA seminar will update Singapore companies on the latest developments in OSGi technology, and give them hands-on experience in developing applications for a residential service gateway."
The Tokyo meeting will contain a mix of OSGi member companies and non-member companies interested in how the OSGi technology can improve opportunities for revenue growth via the OSGi Service Platform. Non-member companies will have an opportunity to interact with OSGi member companies to learn how the OSGi Alliance is working together to enable these markets.
About the OSGi Alliance
The OSGi Alliance and its members specify, create, advance, and promote an open service delivery and management platform and foster its wide industry adoption. The OSGi Alliance serves as the focal point for a collaborative ecosystem of service provider, technology, industrial, consumer and automotive electronics communities. As an independent non-profit corporation, the OSGi Alliance also provides for the fair and uniform creation and distribution of relevant intellectual property -- including specifications, reference implementations, and test suites -- to all its members.
The OSGi Service Platform is an extensible integration platform used to remotely and dynamically deploy, provision, maintain, and manage applications and services to devices in networked environments, such as homes, vehicles, mobile handhelds, and industrial settings.
Membership is open to any interested party, including Internet service providers, network operators, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, end users, academic institutions, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. The consortium's Web site address is http://www.osgi.org.
The 2003 OSGi World Congress will be held in Dusseldorf Germany October 21-24. For details go to http://www.osgiworldcongress.com/.
About the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) develops, promotes and regulates info-communications in Singapore, with the aim of establishing Singapore as one of the world's premier infocomm capitals. To nurture an internationally competitive infocomm industry, IDA offers a comprehensive range of programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.
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