NSW:Sydney 'bomb' woman now safe from device

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2011
NSW:Sydney 'bomb' woman now safe from device

Eds: Adds advisory about pix available

SYDNEY, Aug 4 AAP - Sydney police having safely removed an 18-year-old woman who was
collared to what they thought was a bomb are now working to fathom the bizarre event and
arrest the person or persons behind it.

After the incident on Sydney's lower north shore entered its 10th hour on Wednesday
night, Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said the woman had been released from the device
and reunited safely with her parents.

The device is still intact and was being examined by the bomb squad.

Police were called to the girl's Mosman home about 2.30pm (AEST) on Wednesday.

She was attached to the "elaborate, sophisticated" device by a person who entered her home.

There was some interaction between the girl and that person before they left the house.

Mr Murdoch declined to detail any demands made by the person who has so far evaded police.

He said it was too early to say whether the device had been placed in the teenager's
home as part of an extortion attempt.

"Certainly the family are at a loss to explain this, but you wouldn't expect someone
would go to this much trouble if there wasn't a motive behind it," he said.

"What this motive is, we are still not aware.

"The family have endured something no one needs to endure ... but they have held up
remarkably well."

Mr Murdoch said police kept a tight lid on public information throughout the ordeal
so as not to agitate those responsible, who may have been following the news.

The teenager was now doing well and was with her parents, he said.

"She's good - she's been kept in a very uncomfortable position," Murdoch said.

"She has been and will be uncomfortable for a little while to come."

Mr Murdoch said it was too early to say what kind of device it was, except that it
was "very elaborate, sophisticated".

"It's taken us 10 hours to get to grips with it," he said.

"We still don't know if it was explosive.

"It is a testament to the skills of our NSW bomb technicians who have worked tirelessly
to secure the young lady's released."

Mr Murdoch said there was still no evidence as to a motive and that police had had
no contact with whoever put the device in place.

But he said the girl had had some interaction with her attacker and had given "a lot
of information" to police.

AAP pc/ih/goc/

KEYWORD: BOMB UPDATE (PIX AVAILABLE) REISSUE

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

Former Toon chief slams outcast Ashley.

Provided by 7DAYS.ae

FORMER Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has waded into the man who he sold the club to, telling Mike Ashley to stop being a "cry-baby".And Shepherd believes the club's fans could still get their wish and see their hero Kevin Keegan back managing the Magpies - for a third time.Shepherd has hit out at Ashley after the billionaire sports retailer announced late on Sunday night he was looking for a buyer. Ashley has become a hate figure amongst Newcastle fans following the resignation of Keegan just two weeks ago.

After initially ingratiating himself with the fans by sitting in the stands wearing a Newcastle shirt, Ashley has recently become an outlaw at the club he bought for $239million. Newcastle fans are angry at the treatment of Keegan, who resigned earlier this month in protest at not being given complete authority over transfers.Following a weekend of protests, Ashley announced he was looking to sell the club. The Toon owner insists fans are being unrealistic by demanding he spend huge sums of money in a bid to keep pace with rich kids Chelsea and Manchester City.However, Shepherd said:"What he paid for the club would not have bought half the stadium. He got a great deal. As far as the money is concerned, he should take the advice he is giving - and stop being a cry-baby. He seems to be whingeing."

Shepherd added that he had already been approached by two consortiums thinking of buying the club from Ashley, and is refusing to rule out a return to St James' Park - along with Keegan. "There are people who would buy the club, no doubt about that," he said. "I've been approached by two consortiums."I will take a bet that we have not heard the last of Kevin Keegan."I would definitely bring Kevin back. He is the guy for the job, the right guy to run the business."Meanwhile, Newcastle insist Alan Shearer has not been sacked as a club ambassador but confirmed the former striker's contract ended last season.Shearer has criticised the club over Keegan's departure. But the club said: "Any suggestion that Alan was stripped of this role because of recent events is completely inaccurate."

2007 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

--Amadeus boosts offering to 10.1% of its capital

Internet Business News
04-08-2011
--Amadeus boosts offering to 10.1% of its capital

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

8 April 2011 - Spanish travel reservations and ticketing systems provider Amadeus (MCE:AMS) has increased the size of its accelerated book-building offer to 10.1% of its share capital from 6.7% announced yesterday.
The company will now offer 45m shares, up by 15m shares compared with the offering announced yesterday.

The company added that the transaction will be completed in less than a day and will be handled by Goldman Sachs International and Morgan Stanley.

The national stock market regulator CNMV decided to suspend trading in Amadeus' shares. The company's shares rose in the previous session by 2.14% and closed the day at EUR13.845.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications, 2011)

WA:Detainees riot at Christmas Island

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2010
WA:Detainees riot at Christmas Island

PERTH, Dec 17 AAP - A riot has broken out at the Christmas Island detention centre
after some detainees were told they were being taken to identify bodies from the boat
crash on Wednesday, reports say.

Fairfax Radio and the Nine Network also reported that eight Afghan detainees had escaped
the custody of immigration officers on the island.

A boat carrying up to 100 asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq and Iran, crashed against
limestone rocks at Christmas Island on Wednesday at about 6am local time (1000 AEDT).

Forty-two people, including some children, were saved but dozens were killed when a
suspected engine failure combined with severe weather and sea swells caused the boat to
capsize after hitting the island's cliffs.

The West Australian reported that about 120 detainees at the centre were involved in
the Friday protest, including about a dozen children.

Police officers entered the compound to try to talk down the leaders of the riot as
the detainees gathered in the corner of the centre.

The Department of Immigration is yet to confirm any protest action at the centre.

Fairfax Radio said the riot appeared to have been triggered when people were taken
to the centre for processing and eight Afghan detainees had escaped at approximately 1.30pm
local time (1730 AEDT).

AAP anr/was

KEYWORD: BOAT CAPSIZE RIOT

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

NSW:Motor racing commentator loses licence

AAP General News (Australia)
08-10-2010
NSW:Motor racing commentator loses licence

Motor racing commentator DARYL BEATTIE has been disqualified from driving for a year
and fined 500-dollars for failing to give a breath test in Sydney.

The 39-year-old Narrabeen man was stopped for a random breath test almost two weeks
ago while driving in Neutral Bay.

Following a positive result .. he was taken to North Sydney police station .. where
he refused a subsequent direction for a second test to confirm his blood-alcohol level.

AAP RTV ev/klm/ajw/

KEYWORD: BEATTIE (SYDNEY)

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

Tas: Tasmanian Labor torn over promise to give up power

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2010
Tas: Tasmanian Labor torn over promise to give up power

Tasmanian Labor will decide at a caucus meeting of its 10 newly elected MPs today whether
to honour Premier DAVID BARTLETT's promise to give away power to the Liberals .. or to
honour those who voted for the party to stay in government.

Tasmanian Liberal leader WILL HODGMAN has cocked a trigger to shoot down Labor should
Labor renege on the BARTLETT promise to hand over power in the event of an evenly split
hung parliament.

He's set his sights on a no-confidence motion if Mr BARTLETT goes back on his pledge
to yield power in the event of a tie in the March 20 election.

The make-up of the next Tasmanian assembly will be a 10-10-five split of Liberal ..

Labor .. and Greens .. respectively.

AAP RTV pc/klw

KEYWORD: POLLTAS (HOBART)

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

NSW: TWU congratulates Qantas on posting profit

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2009
NSW: TWU congratulates Qantas on posting profit

The Transport Workers Union has congratulated Qantas on posting a 117 million dollar
profit .. after agreeing to mediation with the airline on legal action over a snap strike
in March.

The union praised the Qantas hierarchy and workers for turning a profit in a difficult
year .. but wants the company to talk to workers about its proposed cuts of 1.5 billion
dollars.

TWU national secretary TONY SHELDON says while they take some comfort from Qantas saying
it won't make more job cuts across the airline .. they're still concerned over the way
the company could be looking to save money.

Mr SHELDON says lower costs will put more pressure on safety and security.

AAP RTV krc/evt/crh

KEYWORD: QANTAS UNION (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: Police release image of alleged car yard robber

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2009
NSW: Police release image of alleged car yard robber

SYDNEY, April 9 AAP - Police have released an image of one of 13 men who stormed into
a Sydney car yard and allegedly assaulted three workers before stealing 12 cars worth
half a million dollars.

The men walked through the gates of the Shepherd Street car dealership at Liverpool
in southwest Sydney about 6am (AEDT) on February 14, police say.

"The group allegedly assaulted three male employees, before locking one of them in
the boot of a car and the other two in a separate vehicle," police said in a statement.

"The men then allegedly stole keys from the premises before driving off with 12 cars.

Police will allege the estimated total value of stolen vehicles is $500,000."

The three staff members suffered minor injuries.

Seven of the vehicles have since been recovered - a grey Holden Barina, a black VW
Passat, a black Holden Commodore SV6, a white VW R32 Golf, a blue VW Golf, a black Mitsubishi
Lancer, and a white Mitsubishi Triton dual-cab utility.

Five vehicles remain missing - a white Mazda 3, a black Subaru Impreza WRX, a green
Holden Commodore SV6, a black VW Golf, and a grey VW Golf.

Detectives on Thursday released an image of a man they believe may be able to assist
their inquiries.

The image shows a man dressed in dark trousers and jacket, wearing joggers and a red
baseball cap. He has dark hair and is unshaven.

Anyone with information about the man's identity, the February 14 incident, or the
whereabouts of any of the stolen cars is asked to contact police.

AAP ad/wjf/ht/cdh

KEYWORD: CARS (PIX AVAILABLE)

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

NSW: Police divers and cadaver dog search for remains of woman

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2008
NSW: Police divers and cadaver dog search for remains of woman

SYDNEY, Dec 5 AAP - Police divers and a cadaver dog will search a creek in Sydney's
west for the remains of a 57-year-old woman who went missing five years ago.

Police said Maureen Matterson was last seen alive at a bowling club in Station Road,
Toongabbie, on December 6, 2003.

Her handbag was found in Toongabbie Creek by police divers six weeks later.

Police divers, the public order and riot squad, a cadaver dog and handler and SES volunteers
will begin a search of Toongabbie Creek for Ms Matterson's body on Friday at 9am (AEDT).

Before her disappearance, Ms Matterson had befriended a New Zealand man, known only
as Tony, and had told friends she planned to travel to the Newcastle area.

AAP krc/it

KEYWORD: CREEK

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

Vic: Nine defends Newman after latest Footy Show comments

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2008
Vic: Nine defends Newman after latest Footy Show comments

MELBOURNE, Aug 1 AAP - Embattled television co-host Sam Newman today moved to head
off another potential firestorm, telephoning a female politician to clarify comments he
made about her on The Footy Show.

After a clip was aired of Tasmanian MP Paula Wriedt commenting on a major sponsorship
deal backing a new Tasmanian AFL team, the controversial Newman quipped: "We couldn't
get her on, could we?"

The remark sparked a raucous reaction from the audience and panel, before Newman continued:
"Worthy of coming on, her."

But his risque comments on last night's show immediately drew the ire of co-host James
Brayshaw, who berated Newman telling him: "Sam you cannot say that."

This morning, the Nine Network released a statement defending its star, who has only
been back on the network for a month after he was ordered to take leave indefinitely in
May.

Nine's executive producer of entertainment Tim Cleary said Newman had phoned Ms Wriedt
to clarify his comments.

"There was never any intention to insult Paula Wriedt, and any suggestion to the contrary
is grossly unfair," Mr Cleary said in a statement.

"Sam Newman was simply suggesting Ms Wriedt should be a guest on the program given
the news of Tasmania's backing.

"Sam qualified this moments later when he realised he'd been taken out of context.

"Sam is horrified at suggestions he made a lewd remark about Ms Wriedt, and phoned
her to clarify his comment."

The incident also drew support from AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, who said
he had watched the show and believed Newman had made an honest slip.

"I think it was a slip, I understood what he said, I didn't take the double meaning
in it, I understand why people might," he told Fairfax Radio Network today.

"I know James Brayshaw did and he took it up with Sam.

"I'm starting to really in some ways sort of question if everything Sam said is going
to be scrutinised and analysed, I think we are going to start becoming terribly unfair.

"He went out of his way to say that he didn't say that and I think you've got to take
him on face value."

Newman was urged to seek counselling in May after almost two months of controversy
as he recovered from surgery to remove a cancerous prostate.

The former VFL star sparked outrage in March when he manhandled a lingerie-clad mannequin
on which he had stapled a picture of Melbourne newspaper The Age's chief football writer,
Caroline Wilson.

Newman, who played 300 games for Geelong before his retirement in 1980, refused to
apologise immediately after the mannequin stunt, instead choosing to attack the role of
women in senior AFL positions.

As the controversy rolled on, the Nine Network faced a rebuke from advertisers including
the ANZ Bank and mobile phone retailer Crazy John's as viewers - particularly women -
turned away from the program.

When Nine's Melbourne managing director Jeff Browne announced Newman's break, he said
the star had not been given long enough off following his brush with cancer and subsequent
surgery.

Comment was today being sought from Ms Wriedt.

AAP md/sjm/it/mn

KEYWORD: NEWMAN

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

NSW: NSW holiday road toll rises to six

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-2007
NSW: NSW holiday road toll rises to six

The NSW holiday road toll has risen to six .. with the death of a man in a four-car
collision on the state's north coast.

Police say the 27-year-old man from Guyra was driving a sedan north in the south-bound
lane of the Pacific Highway at Chinderah .. at about 10 o'clock (AEDT) last night.

He then collided with a Mitsubishi being driven south.

Another car then ran into the Mitsubishi .. and a Volkswagon received minor damage
when it hit debris.

The driver of the sedan died at the scene .. while his 29 year old passenger was trapped
for a short time before being freed and taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A 20-year-old man from Queensland .. driving the first Mitsubishi .. was also trapped
and is now in a serious condition in hospital.

The national holiday road toll now stands at 30.



(EDS: AAP's Xmas/New Year road toll figures are for the period 0001 December 21 to
2359 January 4. Some state and territory police forces may use different road toll periods.)



AAP RTV ao/jec/

KEYWORD: TOLL NSW (SYDNEY)

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

Vic: Motorist dies three days after car crash

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2007
Vic: Motorist dies three days after car crash

A motorist has died in hospital three days his car was hit by a semi-trailer in Melbourne's
south-east.

The 55-year-old Hallam man was alone in his Mitsubishi Pajero when he collided with
a Kenworth truck at the corner of Princes Highway and Harmer Road .. Hallam .. on Friday
morning.

A 34-year-old Traralgon man has been questioned over the incident but released pending
further enquiries.

AAP RTV sjm/gfr/imc/bart

KEYWORD: TOLL VIC (MELBOURNE)

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

TAS: Martin stays in ALP after rebel pulp mill vote

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2007
TAS: Martin stays in ALP after rebel pulp mill vote

By Glenn Cordingley

HOBART, April 5 AAP - Rebel Labor MP Terry Martin will not be kicked out of the ALP
for crossing the floor and voting against a proposed $2 billion pulp mill in Tasmania.

The member for Elwick said he was given official notification of the decision by ALP
state secretary Julie Collins at his office in parliament yesterday.

Ms Collins also formally told him that he had been expelled from the Parliamentary
Labor Party (PLP) for breaking caucus solidarity by voting against legislation to fast
track the assessment through parliament.

Mr Martin today said he was not bitter.

"I am glad to remain a rank and file member of the ALP," he said.

"I will carry on as an independent and represent the people of Elwick to the best of my ability.

"I have had a lot of support for my actions in the upper house last week, but I don't
bear any grudges against anyone."

Mr Martin last week said the public perceived that something "shonky" was going on
with the rushed process and that he had a problem with Premier Paul Lennon's leadership.

The legislation introduced by Mr Lennon to bypass planning laws has passed the upper
house with amendments and will return to Tasmania's House of Assembly on April 17, when
it is expected to become law.

The Gunns Ltd pulp mill proposal for the Tamar Valley, in the state's north, has now
been submitted to the federal government for environmental assessment.

Mr Lennon has given state parliament a decision deadline on the pulp mill by early August.

The process has taken the mill's assessment away from the Resource Planning and Development
Commission and will replace it with a government appointed consultant.

Applications for potential consultants closed at 5pm yesterday and all submissions
are currently being assessed, a state government spokesman said.

The Tasmanian Greens today said that selecting a consultant to assess the environmental
standards should not be made until the amended bill has been considered by the lower house.

Greens spokesman Kim Booth also said that the timeline requiring the consultant to
submit a draft report by May 11 is "woefully inadequate".

"The amended bill has not even gone to the lower house for debate, has not received
the royal assent by the governor, and yet this arrogant government blatantly treats the
parliament as a rubber stamp by presuming to proceed before the process is finalised,"

Mr Booth said.

AAP grc/jm/mn

KEYWORD: PULP MARTIN

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

NSW: Two dollar shops inspected in christmas goods blitz

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2006
NSW: Two dollar shops inspected in christmas goods blitz

More than two and a half thousand children's table lamps have been recalled .. and
dozens of two dollar shops inspected .. as part of the Department of Fair Trading's Christmas
blitz on electrical goods.

The Chinese-imported Night Light Cartoons lamps .. are shaped in the form of colourful
animal cartoon characters .. including mice .. cats and elephants.

But Fair Trading Minister DIANE BEAMER says they carry the real danger of electrical shock.

Ms BEAMER says inspectors have visited more than 145 stores .. 250 retail outlets and
about 900 market stores .. to check electrical articles and gas appliances on sale before
the busy pre-Christmas shopping period.

AAP RTV krc/klw/rt/bart

KEYWORD: LAMP (SYDNEY)

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

Canada's Rogers Business Solutions and Sprint Link for 'Cross- Border' Services

Wireless News
04-28-2006
Canada's Rogers Business Solutions and Sprint Link for 'Cross- Border' Services

WIRELESS NEWS-April 28, 2006-Canada's Rogers Business Solutions and Sprint Link for 'Cross-Border' Services (C)2006 10Meters - http:/ /www.10meters.com

Canada's Rogers Business Solutions has signed an agreement with Sprint that allows business customers with locations in Canada and the U.S. to operate on an IP-based network through a new MPLS (multi- protocol label switching) network-to-network interface (NNI).
The companies said the relationship allows the Rogers network to connect to Sprint's network to deliver service level agreements and in-country support on both sides of the border.

"With such a large number of businesses having sites in Canada and the U.S., we know there is a significant market that can benefit from this service on both sides of the border," said Randy Reynolds, president, Rogers Business Solutions. "Rogers is committed to investing in IP-based data technology to support and expand its growing share of the business market."

Rogers Business Solutions brings together the services of Rogers Wireless, Telecom, Cable and Media into one sales and service channel dedicated to meeting the voice, data networking, Internet connectivity and wireless needs of small, medium and large businesses, government agencies and multi-national organizations. Rogers' MPLS solutions operate on its national IP network, which contains Cisco Systems' multi-service VPN certification. The designation certifies that Rogers possesses the network infrastructure to provide and support the most bandwidth-intensive VPN applications, such as voice, video/multimedia, and data transmission in three specific areas of performance: network delay, jitter, and packet or data loss, the company noted.

"Partner MPLS capabilities become an extension of Sprint's network and businesses experience the same high-quality performance and service they have come to expect from Sprint," said Dan Dooley, vice president of international business, Sprint. "Our agreement with Rogers is the first of many international NNI partnerships that Sprint plans to complete this year."

Rogers Business Solutions is part of Rogers Communications, a diversified Canadian communications and media company.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@10meters.com))

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

(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. 28, 2006)

Tas: Man airlifted to hospital from remote Tas bush track

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2005
Tas: Man airlifted to hospital from remote Tas bush track

HOBART, Dec 31 AAP - A man has been airlifted from a remote track in Tasmania's central
highlands after becoming ill on a hiking trip.

Emergency authorities received a call from a member of the man's party on a satellite
phone about 5.20pm (AEDT) today requesting medical help, a Tasmania Police spokesman said
today.

The party was at the Pelion Hut on the overland track near Cradle Mountain, north-west of Hobart.

Police said the man had aggravated an existing medical condition and required urgent treatment.

The man was picked up by a rescue helicopter and taken to Launceston Airport, from
where he was transferred to Launceston General Hospital in a stable condition.

AAP jrd/cdh

KEYWORD: HIKER

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

Fed: Defence doesn't know what it owns, watchdog finds

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-2005
Fed: Defence doesn't know what it owns, watchdog finds

Sloppy Defence Department accounting has left the taxpayer watchdog unable to vouch
for more than four billion dollars.

Auditor-General IAN MCPHEE'S opinion that Defence essentially doesn't know what it
owns .. is among a raft of adverse findings in his latest assessment of government statements
and accounting practices.







The tax office has also been criticised .. with the report finding the ATO has to correct
close to seven billion dollars worth of mistakes in its financial statements for 2004
to 2005.

In total .. the Auditor-General's found 18 breaches of the constitution by government
departments and agencies.

They mainly relate to ineffective agreements to retain and spend revenue from independent
sources.

The report also questions the government's repeated claim the GST is a state tax ..

saying the failure to recognise it as a federal tax has resulted in the government understating
its revenue by close to 36 billion dollars.

But Mr MCPHEE's found the accounting practices of the giant Defence Department to be
in the biggest state of disarray.

AAP RTV rp/goc/bart

KEYWORD: ACCOUNTS (CANBERRA)

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

Unrest in peace: United they stand

"Democracy is an inherently messy business."

So said that former community organizer from Chicago in an interview aired a few months ago on "60 Minutes" — you know, the one who's living in the White House now.

He should know.

If the statement doesn't ring true, maybe you just haven't been paying very close attention. Already we're squabbling, as we are free to do, over who gets to decide how the electoral districts will look once the DuPage County Board remapping task is finished this summer. Some people on both sides of the aisle think such decisions in a bipartisan political system should be made by both parties. That's not really how it's being done here in DuPage, where the redistricting committee has no Democrats or people of color.

"We can all see that the boom times of the last 30 years are pretty much over," County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said this week, relating how the county has a new landscape with fresh census figures showing the minority head count has climbed 50 percent since the last tally. Cronin, who heads the county Republican organization, is among those who have criticized the remap group's makeup.

It turns out the voice of the people has been making itself heard in quite a few places lately. Tunisia. Cairo. Bahrain. Tripoli. Madison. Messy indeed.

It's been pretty exhilarating to watch this all unfold. Exciting and disconcerting and inspiring and certainly at some moments horrifying.

Democracy really doesn't need defending in a conversational context, but these developments certainly affirm the power of the people. The uprising of the electorate — and even more so the oppressed, in places were elections don't get to happen — validates the premise that we all have the right to be heard, and we care about a thing enough to make some noise about it. Isn't that a big part of what makes this the land of the free?

So say what you will about unions. Their fan base has eroded in recent years, as their numbers in the private sector have steadily dwindled. But there is validity to the fundamental assertion that organized labor has had the effect of giving voice to the little guy, and hence the middle class. Entities that stand up for workers and give them the ability to bargain have helped enable them to buy houses and cars, and send their kids to college. That's the stuff that makes the economy hum and positions us to return to the small circle of intellectual global superpowers.

Removing the workers' napkin and silverware from the bargaining table's settings does more than just tick people off. It can further widen the gap that has grown to a yawning chasm since 1979, when the top 1 percent of U.S. income earners (non-union folks) took in just less than 9 percent of what was made all year. In 2007 that same upper sliver took in 23.5 percent of the year's income. Census data shows that over that same period, incomes of the richest 5 percent of American families grew by 73.5 percent, while the 20 percent of us who earn the least watched our real income shrink more than 4 percent. Everybody in between made do without a raise, or at least one that was much help. Given the slim chance that we'll run into those uber-wealthy sorts at Target or the corner grocery store, this redistribution of wealth probably can't be counted on to kick-start the economic vitality of Main Street or put many folks back to work.

Sometimes when a gross injustice is seen, it can have the effect of holding up a magnifying glass on utter wrong. People notice. They reawaken and they act. Those people facing a steep tea tax those 237-plus years ago did it in Boston Harbor, and the rest is you-know-what. One is wise never to underestimate the might of the wronged.

Chinese leaders aim to avoid the pesky business that rides in on the coattails of Western-style freedom. President Hu Jintao spoke to the Politburo last weekend of the urgent need to "establish a system of public opinion guidance on the Internet," published reports said. It's hard to fathom that happening right out in the open here.

Freedom, like democracy, is messy. And we know it's not free.

I dare say we've not heard the last of the little guy's discontent. Public indignation is heady stuff. The oligarchy has hit on some tough times, and here in the land of the free the cherished First Amendment is alive and well — from rallies demanding smaller government, to demonstrations clamoring for preservation of that place for workers at the bargaining table, to hometown meetings where constituents can speak their piece about fairness in the local expression of one-person, one-vote.

So do show up, and speak up, at one or all four of those local redistricting meetings that will begin next Monday (a full rundown can be found at napersun.com).

Let's let freedom ring, even if it hits the occasional sour note. It's messy.

The American Automobile Association Selects the Viva Intelligence Portal for its Competitive Intelligence System Needs.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

TORONTO, Canada & HELSINKI, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2002

Mc3 Intel (www.mc3intel.com), an innovator in the application of Competitive Intelligence (CI) solutions and CI systems, is pleased to announce that the American Automobile Association (AAA) has selected the Viva Intelligence Portal in support of its ongoing Competitive Intelligence program.

The Viva Intelligence Portal is a user-friendly, web-based, enterprise-wide solution that provides "one window" to all relevant Competitive Intelligence information. Information in the portal can be structured and classified according to corporate and/or users specific needs.

The portal is a product of Viva Business Intelligence (www.vivaintelligence.com), the leading Competitive Intelligence solutions and service provider in Finland.

"The Viva Intelligence Portal is a state of the art complement to our existing Competitive Intelligence systems. After extensive evaluation of the top CI software solutions available, we believe that this product not only matches our workflow process, but the software is very capable of meeting our growing CI requirements," said Bob O'Keefe, AAA Managing Director of Strategy Planning & Research.

Pekka Korpi, Director of Technology at Viva Business Intelligence says: "This is an important occasion for Viva Business Intelligence. With this launch we are able to grow our install base, support our North American operations and confirm our leadership position in the CI software market. Our product is a powerful tool for all those organisations that understand the importance of monitoring their business environment and the competitive advantage gained from it."

Mc3 Intel is the North American Value Added Reseller (VAR) for the Viva Intelligence Portal.

"The Viva Intelligence Portal is an application that typically integrates with the Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) or Intranet, supporting a role based portal strategy. We are very excited to be working with AAA on implementation of this best-in-class CI software solution, which will continue to accrue significant competitive advantages for its business," said Richard MacRae, President of Mc3 Intel.

  For more information, contact:  Steve Atkinson Information Specialist 416-231-1267 S_Atkinson@mc3intel.com 

About Mc3 Intel

Founded in 1998 in Toronto, Canada, Mc3 Intel is a professional CI firm dedicated to providing business organizations with a means of forecasting the actions of competitors. Using intelligence principles and methods, as well as leading edge technology, Mc3 Intel offers its clients a competitive advantage in any industry.

About Viva Business Intelligence

Viva Business Intelligence is a leading European provider of Business Intelligence services and products. Its mission is to make its customers' business more intelligent by offering comprehensive solutions for their business information content and management needs. In business information management, the company provides services in the areas of process development consulting, technology solutions and training. In business information content, Viva serves its customers with information gathering and analysis services with the focus on business environment. Viva Business Intelligence was established in 1995 and it serves its international customers from Helsinki, Finland. Additional information: http://www.vivaintelligence.com

About AAA

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its nearly 45 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since it's founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.aaa.com.

Child porn man jailed.

Byline: Sophie Blakemore

AN information technology manager from Birmingham was jailed for four months after downloading pornographic photographs of children from the Internet.

Gordon Willcocks (46) of Grovesnor Court, Grovesnor Road, Handsworth, pleaded guilty to 12 charged of making indecent photographs of children at Birmingham Magistrates Court.

Chairman of the bench Richard Lea told him: 'This was a serious exploitation of children. We are all parents on this bench and are totally sickened by it.'

Julia Morgan, prosecuting, told the court that Willcocks, who was employed by the Insolvency Service, had downloaded the pictures of children aged 6 and above over a two-and-a-half year period from January 1997.

Distasteful

In September this year a warrant was obtained by police to search his home and 12 A4 colour photographs were recovered.

Miss Morgan said Willcocks had access to material from the Internet via his home computer.

She said he had immediately made a 'full and frank' admission to police and had said he was stimulated by them.

Brian Pugh defending said: 'These matters are most distasteful to deal with.

'This is a case where we have a man, a victim of his own sexuality, who for his own private purposes downloaded materials that should not be there.'

Mr Pugh said that Willcocks was a single man who had a led an isolated existence who needed 'support and guidance' and not 'punishment or scorn.'

Willcocks was sentenced to four months for each of the 12 charges to run concurrently.

Dustin Hoffman.

PHOLLYWOOD is getting ready to make a wacky movie of the world's first "e-mail marriage".

Dustin Hoffman is set to star in the big screen version of David Weinleck's Internet love match.

David, aged 28, caught Hollywood's attention for setting June 13 this year as his wedding day - before he even had a girlfriend. Then came his e-mail "bride contest", and David met Bessie Runze just 30 minutes before tying the knot.

Now the couple, both students at the University of Minnesota, are living happily ever after.

Bessie, also 28, says: "Some people thought I was crazy. But I knew that David was the right man for me."

Pacific Edge Software, Inc. Secures $6 Million in Venture Financing; Northwest Venture Associates Leads First Round of Funding.

KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 1999--

Pacific Edge Software, Inc., (www.projectoffice.com), the developer of knowledge management solutions for companies that manage by projects, announced today the completion of its first round of venture financing, totaling $6 million.

Institutional investors are Northwest Venture Associates (NVA), Fluke Venture Partners (FVP), and Matthew G. Norton, Company (MGN). Funding will support Pacific Edge's efforts to further develop, market and deploy its successful enterprise project management software. Joining the company's board is Tom Simpson, Managing Director of NVA.

Pacific Edge's flagship product Project Office(TM) brings planning to the front office by providing a dashboard view of all of the projects in the organization, with the ability to develop budgets and plan resource usage at any stage of the project's lifecycle. The scheduling component of the project plan is provided through a direct connection to Microsoft(R) Project 98. Project Office organizes everything in a Microsoft SQL server database. Web-based timesheets in Project Office Express make it fast and easy for project team members to collaborate on and update plans in both Project Office and Microsoft Project.

Northwest Investors Take the Lead

"We had a number of investors from across the country to choose from and selected those we felt added significant value." Said Lisa Hjorten, CEO of Pacific Edge. "Our new partners bring insight into the needs of high-velocity companies and a strong belief in our products and business strategy." This is the largest investment for Spokane, Washington-based, NVA. "We were impressed with how quickly Pacific Edge established profitability and has maintained its pace," said Tom Simpson. FVP is based in Bellevue, WA and MGN is located in Seattle, WA.

Creating Simplicity

Pacific Edge co-founders Lisa Hjorten and Scott Fuller have each worked in the project management field for over 18 years, serving companies such as Boeing, NASA, Starbucks and Microsoft. As industry experts, they found common problems emerge during the implementation of project management programs. They've used that knowledge to create products that are easy to install and use. This ease expedites a company's return on investment and allows them to get on with their business. The success of their flagship product, Project Office is spreading to companies with as few as five employees and as large as Fortune 50 enterprises.

About Pacific Edge Software, Inc.

Established in January 1998, Pacific Edge Software, Inc. provides Knowledge Management solutions for companies that manage by projects. Project Office(TM) is a leading enterprise business-planning tool. The program's scheduling information is provided through a direct connection to Microsoft Project 98(TM). Web-based timesheets in Project Office Express allow project team members to collaborate on and update plans in both Project Office and Microsoft Project. Information is stored in Microsoft SQL Server(TM) and the applications utilize Microsoft IIS(TM), Microsoft Internet Explorer(TM), and Microsoft Exchange Server(TM). Pacific Edge's customers include Microsoft, Bank of America, BellSouth and Fine.com. Pacific Edge is a Microsoft Solutions Provider. More information on the Kirkland, Washington based company can be found at: www.pacific-edge.com.

About Northwest Venture Associates

NVA is a leading venture capital firm, investing exclusively in rapidly growing Northwest companies. NVA looks for emerging businesses managed by experienced entrepreneurs, have developed proprietary products or services and can become the leader in their markets. In addition to providing capital, the firm assists its portfolio companies in refining their strategies, recruiting employees, arranging additional financing and creating strategic partnerships. NVA is managed by Tom Simpson. Mr. Simpson has more than 12 years experience as an investment banker and venture capitalist to Northwest companies. He serves on the Boards of AdRelevance, Netpodium, Confirma, Sur La Table and the Washington Venture Capital Association. More information on NVA can be found at their Website at www.nwva.com or by calling 509/747-0728.

About Fluke Venture Partners

Fluke Venture Partners, LP, a leading venture capital firm, has invested in early and later stage high growth companies in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years. FVP recently received a new commitment of $50 million for new investments. With a primary focus on technology, FVP also has a strong interest in specialty retail and innovative service businesses and has assisted its portfolio management teams in all stages of company growth from start-up through initial public offerings. Representative investments include Aldus, Coinstar, Eagle Hardware & Garden, Edmark, ELF Technologies, Innova, Interlinq Software, Luxar Corporation, Media Passage, Panlabs International, Pet's Choice, Starbucks, Sur La Table and Tegic Communications. Additional information about Fluke Venture Partners can be found at www.flukecapital.com or by contacting Dennis Weston, Managing Director, at 425/453-4590 or weston@flukecapital.com.

About Matthew G. Norton Co.

Matthew G. Norton Co. (MGN) is a private investment company based in Seattle, WA. Focused on investments in high-growth, private companies and venture capital funds, MGN also manages a portfolio of U.S. equities and international investments. Through its subsidiary Northwest Building LLC, MGN manages and develops a significant portfolio of real estate properties. For more information call Greg M. Stevenson, Senior Vice President at 206/652-8737.

The devil is in the deal structure.(Mergers, IPOs, and Venture Finance: Equities)

When high-priced acquisitions hit the news, the transaction value gets most of the attention. But dig a little deeper and you'll see that the deal structure--how the price ultimately gets turned into cash--often matters more than the reported valuation.

* "Form of the transaction": "Transaction Form" describes what the buyer is paying for--sale of stock, sale of assets, a recapitalization, a merger, exclusive licenses, etc. Form is critical because it can have a major impact on the after-tax receipts to shareholders. For example, the sale of stock in a C corporation can net shareholders twice the after-tax cash than an equivalent transaction structured as a sale of assets.

* "Form of payment": It's easy to know the value of a cash payment, but what's the true value when the transaction consideration is paid in stock, options, earnouts, and the like? Is payment in the stock of a public company or a private one? If the stock is immediately tradable, is there enough volume and strength behind the stock price, or will the price take a nosedive? If payment is in the form of debt, what's the strength of the entity behind the debt? And if part of the price is in the form of an earnout, how much control over performance will the sellers have?

* Allocation: Sometimes, an acquiring company will allocate portions of the price it pays to various assets--for instance, patents, non-compete agreements, consulting agreements to key employees or shareholders, or technology licenses. Again, these allocations can have significant tax consequences to the seller.

* Timing: Finally, there's always the question of when the sellers receive their money--which may not be on the day of the closing. Some money may be tied up in escrow, or the seller may be required to achieve certain milestones to get fu^ll payment. Often, money is held back as a way to ensure that key people stay with the company after the deal closes, which may stretch out final payment for several years.

Mark Reed, senior vice president, Corum Group, 10500 NE Eighth St., Bellevue, Wash. 98004; 425/4558281. E-mail: markr@corumgroup.com.

 Company/      Acquired by      Price/Terms     Revenues    Multiple Description  Wise          Altiris          $43,000,000   $19,700,000      2.18 Solutions     (ATRS)             Terms: $31.4MM in cash, rest in stock    * enterprise application managment solutions  CDC           Information      $33.300,000   $12,000,000      2.78 Solutions     Holdings (IHI)     Terms: 19.3MM in cash, rest in earout    * software for life sciences industry  PointBase     DataMirror       $3,500,000    $1,500,000       2.33               Corp. (DMCX)       Terms: Cash    * database management software  Ki            TietoEnator      $87,000,000   $107,300,000     0.81 Consulting    Corp. (TIE1V)      Terms: Cash Solutions AB    * IT services firm focused on telecom industry  Amicas        VitalWorks       $60,000,000   $6,000,000      10.00               (VWKS)             Terms: $30MM cash, $25MM earnout,                                  $5MM in employment contracts    * medical imaging software (PACS)