FED:Swan "disturbed" manufacturers shut-out

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2011
FED:Swan "disturbed" manufacturers shut-out

Federal Treasurer WAYNE SWAN says he'll investigate claims that Australian steelmakers
are being shut out of big infrastructure contracts that are going to cheap Chinese suppliers.

He says he's disturbed by complaints from unions and manufacturers about the mining
companies doing deals with the Chinese, while local suppliers aren't even getting a look-in.

But he's ruled out any government intervention to curb the strength of the Australian
dollar, which was a key factor in BlueScope Steel's decision to end its export business
and axe a thousand jobs.

JULIA GILLARD's told ABC radio she's an optimist and she believes manufacturing still
has a future, but times are changing and we need to keep strengthening and modernising
our economy.

The prime miniser's refused to be drawn on predictions by US bank Merrill Lynch analysts
that 100,000 more job losses are in the pipeline.

AAP RTV cb/rl/jmt

KEYWORD: ECONOMY (CANBERRA)

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

FED: Toshiba blames HD DVD failure on studios, internet

AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2008
FED: Toshiba blames HD DVD failure on studios, internet

By Darren Osborne, Technology Writer

SYDNEY, Feb 20 AAP - Digital downloads, deserting movie studios and poor sales are
being blamed by Toshiba for the failure of HD DVD.

The Japanese electronics company has announced it will discontinue the manufacture of HD DVD.

The high definition format suffered several setbacks in the past few months, including
the decision by film studio Warner Bros to exclusively support the competing high definition
DVD disc format - Blu-ray.

The decision resulted in plummeting HD DVD sales, which saw …

VIC:Perth woman dies in Vic crash

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2011
VIC:Perth woman dies in Vic crash

MELBOURNE, April 26 AAP - A Perth woman has died in a crash between a truck and a car
in Victoria's southeast, becoming the fourth fatality on the state's roads during the
public holiday long weekend.

The vehicles crashed on the Princes Highway at Drouin about 6.55pm (AEST) on Tuesday,
an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said.

Police said the woman, aged in her 70s, had been travelling in the back seat of a Ford
station wagon driven by a 17-year-old female learner driver.

The driver and two other passengers, a 45-year-old woman and a 72-year-old woman, have
been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The 50-year-old Drouin man driving the B-Double truck was not hurt.

The crash is being investigated by police and a report will be prepared for the coroner.



(EDS: AAP's long weekend road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 21 to 2359
April 26. The official police Easter road toll ends at 2359 Monday April 25 and does not
include the extra public holiday on Tuesday for Anzac Day).

AAP bm/cdh

KEYWORD: TOLL VIC

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

NT:Six detainees hospitalised, 11 arrested= 3

AAP General News (Australia)
02-11-2011
NT:Six detainees hospitalised, 11 arrested= 3

The 11 asylum seekers who were transferred to the Darwin watchhouse have been charged
under section 197B of the Migration Act in relation to the possession of a weapon as a
detainee.

The 11 males, more than half of whom are Indonesian, will appear in the Darwin Magistrates
Court on Friday afternoon.

They are: Ali Changazy Mohammedi, 17, Khan Mohammadi, 14, Bahram Masaserest, 30, Amir
Sensarzabeh, 22, Mohammad Sensarzaded, 23, Farhad Khalase, 26, Sayed Nawib Balkh, 14,
Sayed Hayatullah Masmosavi, 16, Hakim Zadeh Mohammed, 17, Sabiri Ameer, 16, and Razaei
Amanulla, 17.

AAP lcs/was/jl

KEYWORD: RIOTS 3 DARWIN

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

VIC:Dumping of fire levy welcomed

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2010
VIC:Dumping of fire levy welcomed

By Melissa Jenkins

MELBOURNE, Aug 27 AAP - Victorian home owners will pay a new tax from July 2012 to
fund most of the state's firefighting effort, in a move that has won widespread community
support.

At present a fire service levy is charged on insurance premiums, raising almost $600
million a year - about three-quarters of the budgets of the Country Fire Authority and
Metropolitan Fire Brigade.

Premier John Brumby announced on Friday the levy would be replaced with a property-based
tax, as recommended by the Bushfires Royal Commission, with a 50 per cent discount for
pensioners.

"The reality is we've got a section of our community that doesn't insure, and that
means for the 90 per cent or thereabouts that does insure, they're paying for the 10 per
cent who don't," he told reporters as he released the government's response to the commission's
final report.

About one-third of the houses destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires were uninsured.

Treasurer John Lenders promised that taxpayers would not be hit more under the new arrangement.

"The average person will pay the same, or in fact less, because the burden is being
spread among the non-insured," he said.

"It is the same amount being raised for the same purpose. It is ... a fairer way that
means there are no freeloaders."

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said the opposition had been calling for the scrapping
of the levy since last year, while Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Rob
Whelan said it was an unfair and inefficient tax.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Andrew Broad said farmers were celebrating after
a long campaign to dump the levy.

Real Estate Institute of Victoria chief executive Enzo Raimondo said the move would
end the "tax on tax" situation whereby GST is charged on the levy.

AAP mj/pmu/jhp

KEYWORD: TEAGUE TAX

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

Fed: ASPI warns defence could face tight budget

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2010
Fed: ASPI warns defence could face tight budget

A new study by the Strategic Policy Institute warns defence might have to tighten its
belt yet again .. as the federal government moves to return the budget to surplus.

The Institute's MARK THOMSON says their analysis of the defence white paper reveals
it's entirely conceivable that defence will be told to tighten its belt yet again .. come
the May federal Budget.

The defence budget for 2009-10 stands at 24 billion dollars .. with the white paper
promising 12 years of 2.2 per cent real growth.

Dr THOMSON says on past experience the rapid defence growth planned for 2012-17 is
likely to be unachievable.

AAP RTV mb/rl/ar/af

KEYWORD: ASPI (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Australians encouraged to pitch in and clean up coast

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2009
Fed: Australians encouraged to pitch in and clean up coast

SYDNEY, Dec 7 AAP - Australians are being urged to help clean up the coast while they're
at the beach this summer.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett on Monday launched Coastcare Week at Collaroy Beach
in northern Sydney, acknowledging the hard work of Coastcare's 60,000 volunteers.

"And I want to say to other Aussies, if you see people out on the coast this summer,
if you see them on the beaches, if you see them when you're out there on holidays, give
them a hand, see what they're doing," Mr Garrett told reporters.

"They might be cleaning up along the beach, they might be getting a bit of rubbish
and litter out of stormwaters, they might be doing some native replanting on sand dunes.

"They might be looking at the estuary health ... in different parts of the coastline.

Give them a hand because the work that they do is fantastic."

Coastcare groups around Australia undertake a range of environmental work, including
restoring dunes, cleaning up beaches, protecting coastal plant species and monitoring
water quality.

Mr Garrett said protecting the coast benefited all Australians.

"What's important for Australians and the coast is ... this is where many of us live,
this is where many of us spend our leisure time.

"And this is a place which is of enormous importance to Australia's health and Australia's
wealth.

"And having strong and decisive action on climate change is absolutely critical."

Coastcare Week runs from Monday to Sunday, with a focus on acknowledging the work of volunteers.

AAP sg/wjf/cjb

KEYWORD: COASTCARE (VIDEO AVAILABLE)

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

NSW: Lebanese restaurant latest business attacked in Brighton

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2009
NSW: Lebanese restaurant latest business attacked in Brighton

Police are denying bikies are linked to a restaurant fire in Sydney's south overnight.

A white Mitsubishi Pajero four-wheel drive was driven through the front of Al Aseel
in Brighton-Le-Sands about 11 last night with a fire breaking out a short time later.

Since October last year nearby businesses .. including a tattoo parlour and a bakery
have been damaged in other attacks.

Superintendent HELEN BEGG says there is no evidence from the latest incident to suggest
links with bikie gang activity.

AAP RTV ad/wjf/ka

KEYWORD: RESTAURANT (SYDNEY)

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

NSW: Nanotechnology commitee will be appointed, NSW governement

AAP General News (Australia)
12-26-2008
NSW: Nanotechnology commitee will be appointed, NSW governement

SYDNEY, Dec 26 AAP - A nanotechnology advisory committee will be appointed to consider
recommendations of a recent parliamentary inquiry, the NSW government says.

NSW Chief Scientist Professor Mary O'Kane has been asked to set up the committee, which
will explore a number of the 18 recommendations coming from the inquiry, science minister
Jodi McKay said.

"This was the first parliamentary inquiry into nanotechnology in Australia and one
that looked specifically at both the benefits and potential risks of nano materials,"

Ms McKay said in a statement on Friday.

"It is important we capitalise on this inquiry, and fully explore the viability of
nanotechnology in NSW."

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at an atomic or molecular scale,
between 1 to 100 nanometres or the size of 1/100,000th the diameter of a human hair.

"It can be applied to many areas including medicine, chemistry, the environment, energy
efficiency, aerospace, textiles, cosmetics and foods," Prof O'Kane said.

"At this extremely small scale, material properties such as colour, magnetism and electricity
conduction may change, leading to the development of new technologies."

NSW will work with a range of groups to ensure safe working and living environments
are maintained while researching the technology, Ms McKay said.

"It is important that we ensure the regulations and policies that are in place to manage
manufactured materials and products also relate to nano-sized particles," she said.

The Government's response to the inquiry and its recommendations is due at the end of April 2009.

The parliamentary inquiry into nanotechnology was conducted by the legislative council
standing committee on state development.

AAP eb/ss

KEYWORD: NANOTECH

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

Fed: Qantas makes unexpected toilet stop in Adelaide overnight

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2008
Fed: Qantas makes unexpected toilet stop in Adelaide overnight

There's no end in sight to the woes affecting Qantas .. with reports a flight from
Sydney to Perth has had to make an unscheduled stop in Adelaide overnight .. to clean
its toilets.

Fairfax websites report the flight staff have told passengers on board the fully laden
737-300 .. the toilets hadn't been emptied after its last trip from Honolulu.

Qantas says with four of the seven toilets out of action after just one hour into the
flight .. the decision was made to divert to Adelaide so they could be serviced.

It comes just hours after Qantas had to delay a flight from London to Sydney for more
than 12 hours due to a rudder problem.

The airline has been dealing with several maintenance problems .. beginning with an
explosion that tore a hole in the side of a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne on July
25.

AAP RTV tm

KEYWORD: QANTAS TOILET

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

Qld: Baby boomer tourists could solve skills shortage: Qld govt

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2008
Qld: Baby boomer tourists could solve skills shortage: Qld govt

By Jessica Marszalek and Crystal Ja

BRISBANE, April 10 AAP - The tourism industry has welcomed calls from the Queensland
government to lift holiday visa restrictions to allow baby boomers from across the globe
to work in Australia.

Tourism Minister Desley Boyle today said the move would help solve the state's skills
crisis and she had written to federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans seeking his support.

Under current provisions, 12-month holiday visas are available to 18- to 30-year-old workers.

But Ms Boyle said the overseas worker aged 30-plus was Australia's great untapped resource
- especially in Queensland where a low unemployment rate of 3.6 per cent was restricting
business growth.

"Business and industry in Queensland is constrained in terms of its growth by a lack
of skilled labour," she told reporters on the Gold Coast.

"Why should we allow working holiday visas for 18- to 30-year-olds only?

"It may be some of us who are older - baby boomers - may well like that opportunity."

Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) managing director Matt Hingerty called the
government's suggestion "good lateral thinking".

"We, obviously, have a well-known labour crisis (and) our key (tourism) markets ...

they're all ageing demographically, so it would make sense for our visa regime to move
with those changes," Mr Hingerty told AAP.

He said the benefits would be twofold - in bringing more tourists to Australia and
addressing the skills crisis in several industries, including the tourism industry.

Mr Hingerty said changing the visa conditions would probably lure travellers Down Under
who would otherwise not come.

"It would give them another option, an option to stay longer, the option to work, which
is what we desperately need, and we would welcome older people with more worldly experience
to help our industry out," he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Boyle said she would wait for responses to the proposal from the business
industry before taking the matter further and discussing it with other states and territories.

AAP jmm/pjo/ldj/cdh

KEYWORD: TOURISM BOOMERS NIGHTLEAD

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

Qld: Govt rated 1 out of 5 for social policies

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2007
Qld: Govt rated 1 out of 5 for social policies

The Queensland government has been given a score of one out of five .. for its efforts
in addressing issues including poverty and homelessness.

The Queensland Council of Social Service will today release its rating of the government's
social policies .. in conjunction with its annual state budget submission.

QCOSS director JILL LANG has congratulated the government on several social programs
announced this year .. but says more money needs to be spent on preventions rather than
cures.

Ms LANG says more needs to be done to tackle key issues like poverty .. homelessness
.. child abuse .. and prison demographics.

And she says more funding's needed to improve the low rating for the social bottom line.

AAP RTV dmc/sw/jec/

KEYWORD: SOCIAL QLD (BRISBANE)

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

NT: Darwin looks forward to Anzac celebration without Monica

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2007
NT: Darwin looks forward to Anzac celebration without Monica

The Northern Territory's determined to celebrate Anzac Day in style after missing out
last year .. as Cyclone Monica forced communities indoors.

Winds of up to 350 kilometres an hour hit Maningrida .. in the far north of the Top
End .. but Darwin was spared a repeat of Cyclone Tracy which devastated the city in 1974.

A small group .. who braved the weather at the Darwin Cenotaph at dawn last year ..

will gather again tomorrow to see the sun rise .. although this time they'll be joined
by hundreds more under clear skies.

Brigadier CRAIG ORME says Anzac Day is an opportunity for Territorians to get together
and reflect on the sacrifices made by Australian soldiers.

AAP RTV tr/imc/bart

KEYWORD: ANZAC DARWIN (DARWIN)

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

Qld: Islanders want police officer sung to death

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2006
Qld: Islanders want police officer sung to death

Aboriginal people on Palm Island are calling for the police officer .. implicated in
the death in the custody of MULRUNJI DOOMADGEE .. to be "sung" to death.

The Aboriginal custom is where powerful tribal medicine men are believed to call on
spirits in secret rituals to curse individuals guilty of a crime.

Palm Island spokesman BRAD FOSTER has told The Australian .. many indigenous people
are furious at the decision not to prosecute Senior Sergeant CHRIS HURLEY over the 2004
death.

He says while he's been approached about meting out Aboriginal justice .. the decision
whether to go ahead with the ritual is up to the family.







Mr DOOMADGEE died in a police cell on the island .. after his arrest for public drunkenness
in November 2004.

In September Deputy Coroner CHRISTINE CLEMENTS found Mr DOOMADGEE's fatal injuries
had been caused by Senior Sergeant HURLEY.

But last week Director of Public Prosecutions LEANNE CLARE found there was insufficient
evidence to charge the officier with any criminal offences.

She instead found the death was the result of an accident.

AAP RTV sk/els/

KEYWORD: MULRUNJI (BRISBANE)

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

FED: Major Aust tragedy on university degrees - Beazley

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2006
FED: Major Aust tragedy on university degrees - Beazley

KIM BEAZLEY says it's a tragedy students are paying more than 200 thousand dollars
for a full-fee degree at some Australian universities.

The latest edition of the Good Universities Guide shows full-fee degrees in medicine
.. medicine/law .. and medicine/arts cost up to 237 thousand dollars at the University
of NSW.

The average new mortgage in Australia is 222 thousand dollars.

Mr BEAZLEY has vowed to scrap full fee degrees .. despite the 90 million dollars a
year it would cost.

AAP RTV dcr/sb/jmm/bart

KEYWORD: UNIVERSITIES BEAZLEY (CANBERRA)

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

Fed: Sydney formally accepted as host of 2008 World Youth meet

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2006
Fed: Sydney formally accepted as host of 2008 World Youth meet

Sydney has formally accepted its role as the next host of World Youth Day at a ceremony in Rome.

Six young Australians have received the World Youth Day Cross and Icon at the ceremony
.. held on Palm Sunday and overseen by Pope BENEDICT.

The New South Wales and federal governments have announced they'll contribute a total
of 40 million dollars .. to help Sydney stage the next gathering of the world's young
Catholics.

The week-long festival in July 2008 is expected to attract up to 500 thousand visitors
.. and is scheduled to be Pope BENEDICT'S first Papal mass in Australia.

AAP RTV dcr/wf/psm/

KEYWORD: YOUTH (SYDNEY)

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

Special Commissioners

Special Commissioners A body of civil servants who are specialized tax lawyers appointed by the Lord Chancellor to hear appeals against assessments to income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax. Hearings are informal and appellants may present their own case or be represented. See also General Commissioners.

McKesson Corporation Fiscal 2003 Second Quarter Conference Call Scheduled for October 22, 2002.

Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2002

McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) will release financial results for the second fiscal 2003 quarter ended September 30, on Tuesday, October 22, 2002. The company has scheduled a conference call for 12:00 PM Eastern Time (9:00 AM Pacific Time) during which John Hammergren, chairman and chief executive officer and Bill Graber, senior vice president and chief financial officer will review these results.

The toll-free dial-in number for individuals wishing to participate in the call is 800/779-3576. Those calling from outside the United States should call 712/257-2274. Larry Kurtz, vice president, investor relations, is the leader of the call, and the password to join the call is "McKesson."

A playback of the call will be available through October 25, 2002 by calling 800/925-0264. The dial-in number to the playback for international callers is 402/998-1633. The conference call will also be broadcast live over the Internet and can be accessed by all interested parties at www.mckesson.com.

McKesson Corporation is the leading provider of supply, information and care management products and services designed to reduce costs and improve quality across healthcare. McKesson solutions empower healthcare professionals with the tools they need to deliver care more effectively and efficiently. Founded in 1833, with annual revenues of more than US$50 billion, McKesson ranks as the 31st largest industrial company in the United States.

REMINDER/Delegation of Spanish Technology Companies To Attend Spain-Florida Strategic Partners Forum.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

REMINDER...for June 4-6 (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday)

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 2001

32 Spanish Companies Arriving On June 3rd Seeking Local

Presence and Strategic Partnerships in Miami

A delegation of 32 Spanish technology companies, led by The Trade Commission of Spain in Miami & ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade), will be arriving in the Miami area to attend the Spain-Florida Strategic Partners Forum, where US companies will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one and conduct business with the delegation. Decision makers representing leading Spanish technology companies, covering a wide range of products and services including; ASP, software, wireless technology, e-commerce, telephony, information systems, and research & development - will be seeking joint ventures, alliances/partnerships, technology solutions and venture capital to conduct business based in South Florida.

The event is being held on June 4, 5 & 6 at The Omni Colonnade Hotel and is being organized by the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami and ICEX. The seminar has also helped to pool the efforts of the various technology groups seeking to brand South Florida as a technology center towards a common goal - to help establish South Florida as the technology gateway to the Americas. The local groups who have collectively worked on this project include: Miami Internet Alliance, InternetCoast, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Association of Internet Professionals, First Tuesday, the Beacon Council, the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, eFiltro and many others.

The delegation is a continuation of the efforts of the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami and ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade), who together with the help of the Miami Internet Alliance organized the "Florida: Strategic Center in the Americas for Spain's Internet & I.T. companies" which took place in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain on March 6th and 7th of this year. The seminar, which attracted over 200 attendees, resulted in 50 Internet & IT related Spanish companies signing up to participate at the "Spain-Florida: Internet & I.T. Strategic Partners Forum." Of those companies who signed up, 32 were strategically qualified to join the upcoming program in Florida on June 4-6.

According to the Trade Commission of Spain latest report, Florida already has one of the largest concentrations of Spanish companies doing business in the United States, and technology, telecommunication and Internet related services have their largest representation of the Spanish business community in Florida. "Florida, and more specifically Miami are perceived by Spanish companies as the optimal location to develop their strategies toward Latin American markets, and to target the Hispanic segment of the US population," said Begona Cristeto, Trade Commissioner of Spain in Miami. Manny Gonzalez, Managing Director with the Miami Internet Alliance added further: "Miami is ranked number five as a telecommunications hub, and offers one of the most inexpensive and efficient telecommunications facilities than any country in Latin America. It's well-educated multilingual work force makes it a perfect place for I.T. Internet and Telecommunications."

About Spain-Florida I.T. Strategic Partners Forum

The Spain-Florida Strategic Partners Forum, is being held on June 4, 5 & 6 at the Omni Colonnade Hotel in Miami and is organized by the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami and ICEX. The Forum gives US companies the opportunity to meet one-on-one and conduct business with decision makers representing Spanish technology companies. These Spanish technology companies, which cover a wide range of products and services including; ASP, software, wireless technology, e-commerce, telephony, information systems, and research & development - will be seeking joint ventures, alliances/partnerships, technology solutions and venture capital to conduct business based in South Florida.

The profiles & specifications of the 32 Spanish companies that will be attending the Spain-Florida I.T. Strategic Partners Forum, are now available on the InternetCoast Website at www.internetcoast.com/spain, where prospective registrants can register free of charge for the program. Registrants will also have access to the full event program, and RSVP for the Spain-Florida I.T. Networking reception that will be held on June 5th from 6PM to 9PM at Miami-Dade Community College Wolfson Campus Conference Center, where the 32 Spanish companies participating in the Florida-Spain Strategic Partners Forum will showcase/exhibit in front of the local decision-makers.

About ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade) and the Trade Commission of Spain

The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) is an agency of the Spanish Ministry of Economy serving Spanish companies in order to promote their exports and facilitate their international expansion. The Institute acts mainly in the areas of: training in foreign trade, information on foreign markets, publications & databases, business opportunity dissemination, specialized advisory services, promotional resources on foreign markets (such as Trade Fairs & Trade Missions), international projects & bidding, foreign investment and business cooperation. To effectively meet its objectives, the ICEX is assisted by the Network of Spanish Commercial Offices abroad. It also coordinates its programs with those of the Autonomous Regions, Chambers of Commerce, Associations, Confederation of Employers Organizations (CEOE) and other institutions related to international commerce. (http://www.icex.es)

Parker Drilling Invites You to Join Its Second Quarter Conference Call on The Web.

TULSA, Okla., July 26 /PRNewswire/ --

In conjunction with Parker Drilling's (NYSE: PKD) second quarter earnings release, you are invited to listen to its conference call that will be broadcast live over the Internet at 10 a.m. CDT on July 27, 2000, with Robert L. Parker Jr., president and chief executive officer; Jim Linn, executive vice president and chief operating officer; Jim Davis, senior vice president and chief financial officer; and Chuck Sullivan, investor and public relations director of Parker Drilling.

What: Parker Drilling's Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call

When: 10 a.m. CDT on July 27, 2000

Where: http://videonewswire.com/PARKER/072700/

How: Live over the Internet -- Simply log on to the web at the

address above

Contact: Chuck Sullivan, Director - Investor and Public Relations of

Parker Drilling Company, 918-631-1238

Parker Drilling Company is a Tulsa-based energy company specializing in barge and offshore drilling and workover services, international land drilling and specialized oil tool rentals. The company employs more than 3,300 people worldwide and trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol PKD.

If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the call will be archived on the website www.parkerdrilling.com. To access the replay, click on "Investor Relations Tab" and the "Conference Call." The call will also be archived at www.prnewswire.com.

(Minimum requirements to listen to broadcast: The RealPlayer software, downloadable free from www.real.com/products/player/index.html, and at least a 14.4Kbps connection to the Internet. If you experience problems listening to the broadcast, send e-mail to webmaster@vdat.com.)

ALLTEL Announces Merger Agreement With Liberty Cellular in Kansas.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- ALLTEL (NYSE: AT) today announced a definitive merger agreement with Liberty Cellular, Inc., a privately held communications company that offers wireless, paging, long- distance and Internet services in Kansas.

Under terms of the agreement, the stock of Liberty, which operates under the name Kansas Cellular, and its affiliate, KINI L.C., will be exchanged for a total of 7,000,000 shares of ALLTEL common stock, which represents a transaction value of about $600 million. The transaction will be accounted for as a pooling-of-interests.

"The merger of ALLTEL and Liberty Cellular is a natural extension of ALLTEL's geographic communications footprint," said Joe T. Ford, ALLTEL chairman and chief executive officer.

The merger will connect ALLTEL's Missouri properties and the soon-to-be- acquired Aliant Communications properties in Nebraska. The transaction includes 100 percent of the 15 cellular rural service areas in Kansas and all or part of 100 of the state's 105 counties.

"The merger," Ford said, "joins two companies which share a history of excellent customer service and a commitment to the values and financial vitality of rural America. Quality customer care and technologically advanced communications services are key ingredients to success for both companies."

Clarke Garnett, Liberty president and chief executive officer, said the merger is a "win-win-win situation for the customers, the communities Liberty now serves and both companies. ALLTEL has a history of providing quality communications services and recognizes the importance of being a good corporate citizen in all of its markets."

Ford said, "This merger is indicative of ALLTEL's strategy of delivering a variety of communications services across its own facilities in geographically focused areas." ALLTEL has been involved in more than 260 mergers and acquisitions in the past three decades.

Liberty's communications operations consist of the following:

-- 150,000 customers;

-- A state-of-the-art wireless digital network with more than 1,350 miles

of fiber optic cable;

-- Dedicated long-distance and Internet access services;

-- 10 company-operated sales locations;

-- 136 cellular sites; and

-- 90 paging transmission sites.

From a standpoint of size, the merged company will have:

-- $6 billion in annual revenues;

-- More than $9 billion in assets

-- 6.6 million communications customers in 25 states*;

-- More than 24,000* employees worldwide; and

-- More than 825 company-operated sales locations.

* Statistics include the Aliant Communications merger

Ford cited Liberty management as "forward-thinking" and praised the company's "level of customer service and retention of customers throughout Kansas. The excellent reputation of Liberty in all of its local communities has resulted in a loyal customer base."

The merger is subject to state and federal regulatory and appropriate shareholder approval and should be completed this fall.

Following a transition period, the merged company will market its products under the ALLTEL brand.

Kansas Cellular, with headquarters in Salina, operates the state's largest cellular telephone system. With 35 percent more coverage than all other competitors combined, the company is the total communications source for the state, offering paging, digital PCS (personal communications service), Internet and long-distance services.

ALLTEL is a customer-focused, information technology company that provides wireline and wireless communications and information services.

Corporate Profile for Guardian International Inc., dated Feb. 25, 2000.

Business Editors

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

The following Corporate Profile is available for inclusion in your files. News releases for this client are distributed by Business Wire and also become part of the leading databases and online services, including all of the leading Internet-based services. -0-

   Published Date:   Feb. 25, 2000  Company Name:     Guardian International, Inc.  Address:          3880 North 28 Terrace                   Hollywood, FL  33020  Main Telephone  Number:          954-926-5200  Internet Home  Page Address   (URL)           www.GuardianInternational.com  Chief Executive  Officer:         Richard Ginsburg  Chief Financial  Officer:         Darius G. Nevin  Investor Relations  Contact:         Darius G. Nevin  Business number: 954-926-5200  Public Relations  Contact:         Richard Ginsburg  Business number: 954-926-5200  Industry:         Monitored security systems and security monitoring  Trading Symbol/  Exchange:        GIIS / NASD OTC Bulletin Board  Market Makers: (if public) Sharpe Capital; Herzog, Heine, Geduld,                   Inc.; Knight Securities; Fleet Securities, Inc.;                   Hill, Thompson, Magid & Co., Inc.; Mayer &                   Schweitzer, Inc.; Wien Securities Corp.; Paragon                   Capital Corporation; Wm. V. Frankel & Co.,                   Incorporated; GVR Company; Comprehensive Capital                   Corp. 

Company Description: Guardian provides burglar and fire monitoring services as well as design, installation and service of quality security and fire alarm systems. The Company has subscribers throughout the state of Florida and is a leading independent supplier of commercial electronic security systems and services in metropolitan New York City. Based on total 1998 revenues, Guardian was ranked 23rd in the listing of the top 100 United States security companies, as compiled by Security and Distributing and Marketing (SDM) Magazine, a leading trade publication. Based on Monthly Recurring Revenues in 1998, Guardian was ranked 17th largest security company in the United States. Total consolidated revenues in 1998 were $15,165,755. Total revenues for the quarter ended September, 1999 were $4,607,559.

My Meeting Professional launches to offer an education and resource hub for meetings industry.(Conference news)

M2 PRESSWIRE-July 28, 2011-: My Meeting Professional launches to offer an education and resource hub for meetings industry(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

RDATE:28072011

London -- My Meeting Professional, (http://www.mymeetingprofessional.com/) the new social hub for the meetings, events and conferences sector, today announces its launch.

My Meeting Professional is a community-led hub for event and meetings organisers, developed to share knowledge, expertise and resources.

The platform has been developed by iBAHN (www.ibahn.com) and pulls together useful content from a wide range of sources including content partners such as BigHospitality and Symon Dacon (http://www.mymeetingprofessional.com/about/content-partners/).

My Meeting Professional provides fresh content, insights and practical solutions to the challenges facing people working across the events sector. Furthermore, it is an online space where questions can be posed, advice offered and contacts made to help in the development of useful relationships.

My Meeting Professional's main focus is on the need for fresh answers to technology and connectivity challenges that conference and meetings organisers face on a daily basis, but this is only the foundation of the platform. It is quickly evolving into a broad communal resource, which will develop in the way that most benefits the My Meeting Professional Community.

The platform has been divided into three key sections of resources, trends and conversations to help the industry, all of which will feature regularly updated content in the form of blog posts, videos, statistics from around the industry and conversation.

Graeme Powell, managing director iBAHN EMEA, comments: "My Meeting Professional is a unique resource developed by members of the events industry, for members of the events industry. The platform's focus is to deliver useful content, develop educational resources and offer a hub where knowledge can be easily shared. My Meetings Professional is open to all and if you would like to become a content partner please get in touch with the team via the website."

Elaine Marshall, executive director, BigHospitality, adds: "My Meeting Professional allows people in the events sector to connect from afar and share thoughts and insight to help them run and grow their business. As a content partner, BigHospitality's editorial team will also be keeping members updated with all the latest news and developments in the sector."

Website: http://www.mymeetingprofessional.com/

Email: hello@mymeetingprofessional.com

Twitter: @my_meeting_pro Hashtag: #mmptips

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Meeting-Professional/217535544936261

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/2239353?trk=tyah

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mymeetingpro

About My Meeting Professional

My Meeting Professional (http://www.mymeetingprofessional.com/) is the gateway to business information to help ensure that your conference or meeting is a success. More than that, it is a social hub for new ideas, shared knowledge and insight in the event planning space.

We aim to share the latest views and news in the events/conferences/meetings sector but most importantly enable every professional in these areas to learn, share and develop their skills.

About iBAHN

The company is the only global provider of digital information/entertainment and Internet solutions for the hospitality and meeting industries. Monthly, more than 1.8 million travellers and meeting attendees rely on iBAHN to increase productivity with secure high-speed Internet access options in nearly 3,000 hotels, conference centres and meeting spaces in 43 countries worldwide. iBAHN's digital entertainment and information services feature leading programming in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. Operating one of the largest MPLS networks in the industry, the company provides technology solutions to more than 50,000 events annually, ranging from small group meetings to major industry conferences, while serving more than 40% of Fortune 100 corporations. For more information, please visit www.ibahn.com.

Press contacts:

Lloyd Gofton - 07919 353484 / lloyd@liberatemedia.com

Tim Greenhalgh - 07798 927795 / tim@liberatemedia.com

((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

BATTLING BACK AT BULLYING; Training programs for students, teachers key to loss prevention.

Byline: RUSS BANHAM

As a boy, Eric Seaborg was shy, introverted and had bright red hair.

These traits, and particularly the red hair, brought taunts from other schoolchildren that sting to this day.

"I learned that the way to avoid being made fun of was to blend in," said Mr. Seaborg, now an expert on bullying as the senior risk management consultant at United Educators Insurance, a Chevy Chase, Md.-based risk retention group providing liability insurance for educational institutions.

Bullying and its electronic cousin, cyber bullying, have emerged as major areas of liability for educational institutions.

Many bullying lawsuits allege "deliberate indifference" as the factor in a school's liability. The legal standard, laid down in 1999 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Aurelia Davis et al. vs. Monroe County Board of Education et al., holds that a school is liable for damages if it fails to respond to known acts of harassment by one student against another student--creating an environment in which the victim is denied equal access to an education.

In effect, a school can be held liable if it is informed about the harassment and recklessly disregards the alleged perpetrator's acts.

The problem with the legal standard for many educational institutions is separating bullying from protected free speech. Additionally, some cases have been filed in which a school responded to the harassment, but did not go far enough to curtail the bullying in the view of the plaintiff.

Mr. Seaborg cited another crack in the system: "There are instances where a student reported the abuse to a lunchroom monitor or a janitor, but not to a teacher or administrator. Does this constitute a viable report of the incident for liability purposes?"

As U.S. courts handle suits that allege cyber bullying, educational institutions are emphasizing loss prevention via student and parent training, policies and incident reporting procedures while also taking punitive responses that range from talks with parents to expulsion of student bullies.

Student ambassadors

But Lee Gaby, executive director of Public School Risk Institute, an Athens, Ga.-based public school risk management organization, said more schools need to invest in comprehensive programs in which bystanders to a bullying incident are empowered to take action against the perpetrators.

"If someone witnesses a bully in action, the key is to not encourage the event by laughing or egging on the perpetrator, but to intervene verbally in a nonthreatening manner," Mr. Gaby said. "You train students who might otherwise be hesitant to act into goodwill ambassadors."

Despite these tactics, school liability for bullying is expected to increase in coming years, largely because of the media attention on several troubling incidents. Among them was the suicide last year of a gay Rutgers University student, whose encounter with another male was secretly videotaped by a roommate and posted on the Internet. Two students have been accused of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, and Tyler Clementi's parents have sued Rutgers for failing to implement or enforce school policies aimed at preventing cyber bullying on campus.

Reducing in-person and electronic bullying at schools requires identifying and assessing the organization's exposure to loss, instituting measures to reduce the risks, and buying liability insurance with appropriate terms, conditions and limits to absorb related exposures.

Clients of Chicago-based broker Aon Corp. have their bullying risks plotted on a matrix to assess the breadth of their exposure.

"On the horizontal axis, we list the various types of potential torts like slander, defamation and invasion of privacy; and on the vertical, we list the various insurance policies, such as general liability, employment practices liability and educators legal liability that the institution has to address these exposures," said Kevin Kalinich, national managing director of cyber liability in Aon's Chicago office. "Quite often, we find that the policies fail to adequately address potential cyber liability exposures brought about through the use of social media like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook."

He said some general liability policies explicitly exclude electronic communications as a covered liability, often unbeknownst to the educational institution. Others have insufficient limits, a concern given the rise in cyber bullying and cyber stalking incidents.

Balancing act

"Policing electronic communications is problematical," said Mr. Kalinich. "On the one hand, you don't want to permit cyber bullying, but on the other you don't want to suppress someone's free speech rights. While a company can control and monitor what employees say and do online, an educational institution seeks to facilitate open, free exchange of ideas. Managing risk in this environment is intricate."

Jean Demchak, global education leader at New York-based Marsh Inc., also noted the dotted line between free speech and abusive behavior, saying it is the difference between being the class clown and being the cruel class clown.

"While you don't want to curb someone's imagination, I see no gray areas when it comes to a normal student code of conduct," Ms. Demchak said. "If a school has established policies that identify bullying, these policies are violated, appropriate administrators are informed, and the school takes the prescribed actions to stop the bullying, the school should be protected."

With regard to cyber bullying, Ms. Demchak said legal precedents are beginning to be established that will indicate if schools should have separate policies addressing cyber bullying vs. traditional physical bullying risks.

Nonetheless, Aon's Mr. Kalinich said he advises schools to create a social media policy that articulates the types of behaviors that are not permitted online and the actions that the institution will take if these rules are violated.

Similar policies are recommended for high schools and even grade schools.

"You want to establish a curriculum for bullying prevention," Mr. Gaby said. "It starts with written rules and policies for a nonviolent school setting, but should further include training of students regarding what bullying is, how to know when it is occurring and what to do if it is witnessed."

With respect to the latter, he reaffirmed that encouraging bystanders to a bullying incident to come forward and talk to perpetrators can temper the situation. "Bystanders often do nothing but observe, yet teachers can educate students about the statements they can make in these instances to influence the perpetrator to curtail the abusive behavior," Mr. Gaby said.

Mr. Seaborg said many schools insured by United Educators confront bullying risks by inviting parents, community members and law enforcement to join teachers and administrators in bullying prevention seminars. He further advocates that schools adopt a zero-tolerance policy for offenses with clear-cut, strict punishment for violators.

"It's advisable to point out cases in which bullied students that cannot take the abuse anymore react violently to the perpetrators," he said. "The behavior can cut both ways."

"Above all, you want to make clear to students that everyone is different, and these differences are not to be maligned," Mr. Seaborg said.

Even children with red hair.

Copyright 2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.

S.KOREA SET TO UNVEIL STEPS TO INDUCE TELECOM RATE CUTS.

SEOUL, May 23 Asia Pulse - South Korea will soon unveil a set of measures for inducing cuts in mobile phone charges in an effort to ease people's financial burdens and help curb high inflationary pressure, a senior government official said Monday.

The announcement will be made within this week at the earliest, Vice Finance Minister Yim Jong-yong said at a weekly anti-inflation meeting with other key policymakers. The final decision will be made after coordinating with the nation's telecom regulator, the Korea Communications Commission, he added.

"We have drawn up a measure aimed at inducing price cuts by offering more choices for consumers for rate systems based on how much they use voice calling, texting and data services," Yim said.

Others are expected to focus on tackling monopolies in the market dominated by a few giant mobile carriers and other structural problems such as excessive marketing spending fueled by overheated competition.

Those measures are based on a months-long investigation into the industrial structure of the nation's mobile communications industry where three telecom giants -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- compete for customers.

The probe was led by a government task force launched in February to look into the nation's telecommunication industry, frequently blamed for its high service prices.

Mobile service bills recently spiked further as many consumers have opted for smartphones equipped with high-speed Internet connectivity. Smartphones usually charge consumers much more than conventional voice call-oriented phones.

South Korea's mobile carriers have been under growing pressure to lower phone bills as consumer groups and the government criticize them for excessively profiting from their services.

But the operators have argued they need cash to upgrade their communications capacity to survive in the highly saturated market, saying that price cuts could dent their business leeway.

As of the end of March, SK Telecom controlled 50.6 per cent of South Korea's wireless market, which has 51 million mobile phone users, followed by KT with a 31.7 per cent market share and LG Uplus' 17.7 per cent, according to the latest government data.

Yim noted that the government also plans to foster competition by allowing new service providers to enter the market, which he expects would lead to lower service prices for customers.

(Yonhap) nt 23-05 1820

Calendar.(Calendar)

 calendar  2011  Education Conference  June 23-25   Las Vegas     Mandalay Bay Resort & & Exposition                                     Convention Center  Apartment Revenue     Sept. 12-14  TBA           TBA Management Conference  Assembly of           Nov. 3-5     Atlanta       Intercontinental Delegates                                        Buckhead  Apartment Supplier    Dec. 7-9     Santa Clara,  Hyatt Regency Internet Marketing                 Calif. Conference  Future NAA Education Conference & Exposition Dates 2012: Boston (June 28-30); 2013: San Diego (June 20-22); 2014: Denver (June 19-21) 

CRE Secure Simplifies PCI Compliance for Magento Shopping Cart Online Merchants.

CRE Secure now enables merchants using Magento Ecommerce Software an Easy Path to PCI compliance eliminating the need for expensive hosting and security upgrades

(PRWEB) January 11, 2010 -- CRE Secure, the first cloud-based payment acceptance security platform that is fully compliant with new credit card security rules, announces the release and general availability of a drop-in module for Magento Ecommerce community edition shopping carts, a leading open source ecommerce solution. The new Magento Ecommerce module further expands the list of leading online shopping cart integrations that CRE Secure has developed to allow online retailers and web-based applications easy connection to CRE Secure's online payment acceptance and security services. CRE Secure using its patent pending HTML Clone(TM) technology isolates sensitive cardholder data from any online store or application, and greatly reduces the complexity and associated costs of achieving compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) requirements.

"I heartily endorse the CRE Secure payment module for online shop owners who want to open a Magento store without spending thousands on your own PCI secure dedicated server," says Kerry Watson, author of the user-friendly osCommerce Manuals Series including the ShowMe Guide Manual for Magento. "Following the PCI Compliance rules, I found using CRE Secure made it much easier to install and automatically looks just like my online store".

"CRE Secure is the only payment system that automatically protects both cardholder privacy and the ecommerce merchant from potential attacks by combining a 100% outsourced payment solution with a patent pending process that mirrors any retailer's website design and uniquely serves up a PCI compliant hosted payment page to the end user," says Greg McGraw, CEO and President of CRE Secure Payments. "When a Magento online store is powered by CRE Secure's HTML Clone(TM) technology, shoppers never know they left the site when they're ready to pay, even though their payment transactions are hosted in one of the most secure PCI-compliant data centers in the country."

CRE Secure takes the worry out of the daunting PCI-compliance process. The service--which is available for a free 30 day trial and thereafter for a nominal fee per month--integrates with retailers' existing online shopping cart programs or custom developed ecommerce applications and connects those programs to popular payment gateways like Authorize.net, PayPal Payflow Pro, PayPal Website Payments Pro and Chase Orbital. CRE Secure continues to roll out new secure connections to all major payment gateways and online shopping carts to meet the increased demand for payment acceptance security.

"The Magento module and the CRE Secure service are clearly filling a gap that is needed in the security arena; accessible PCI compliance for the average independent e-retailer," says Jeremy Dost, founder and owner of Sharpdot, a certified Magento community developer. "With its easy setup, configuration and offered as a PCI certified hosted solution, CRE Secure opens up a high security option to many more businesses running Magento community shopping carts. By providing the Magento template functionality, CRE Secure is allowing designers the freedom that they expect," added Dost.

CRE Secure's payment modules for leading shopping carts and the custom API toolkits for enterprise merchants or unique online applications are available for download from http://www.cresecure.com.

About CRE Secure

Data breaches. Identity theft. Payment Card Industry (PCI) security compliance.

CRE Secure Payments is a cloud-based internet payment security company and a wholly owned subsidiary of a venture backed leading open source eCommerce software company. CRE Secure Payments is a Level 1 certified PCI DSS service provider enabling many leading ecommerce shopping carts distributed worldwide for secure PCI compliant hosted, payment processing solutions using patent pending technology and through its partnerships with top global payment gateways and merchant acquiring banks. For more info, visit www.cresecure.com or call (800) 609-2141.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3430024.htm.

Meritech Selects Excelis to Service $2.2 Billion B&C Loans

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- First American Real Estate Information Services, Inc., a subsidiary of The First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), announced today that Meritech Mortgage Services, Ft. Worth, has selected First American's Excelis Loan Servicing System for its 20,000 subprime loan portfolio. The conversion is expected to be completed by first quarter 1998.

Meritech is an investor and servicer in non-conforming and subprime loans, primarily B&C quality.

Commenting on the decision, Dennis G. Stowe, Meritech's president said: "The work flow technology within Excelis MLS is the best in the market. It will enhance our existing level of automation and improve overall efficiency. Excelis provides tools not available in our present system without the need to purchase `add-on' products.

"The system's rules-based technology can be calibrated to allow for aggressive servicing of B&C loans, improving our ability to monitor borrower behavior as well as vendor performance. Timeline management is particularly critical to the loss mitigation process. Excelis' event-driven, `tickler' system will alert us to problems and help us choose the right vendor to deal with them."

Mark Brisebois from First American said: "The flexibility of our system makes it particularly well suited for today's specialty lenders and companies that are doing business in more than one segment of the market. We are pleased that a leading B&C lender, like Meritech, has recognized these advantages and selected us."

Excelis, which was acquired by First American a year ago, has since been selected by a number of leading lenders. By early 1998, Excelis will have added more than a million loans to its loan servicing system.

The First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF) is the nation's leading provider of real estate-related financial and information services. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, First American Real Estate Information Services, Inc., it provides a variety of services to leading financial institutions nationwide, including credit reporting, flood compliance, appraisal services, real estate tax reporting and certification, outsourcing, document preparation services, property reporting and valuation, mortgage satisfactions, mortgage loan servicing systems and default management solutions. The Information Services group has its headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. Through other subsidiaries, First American Financial, founded in 1889 and based in Santa Ana, California, has more than 10,000 employees in over 400 branch offices in the United States and abroad. Information about the company's subsidiaries and an archive of its press releases can be found at http://www.firstam.com on the Internet.

SOURCE First American Real Estate Information Services, Inc.

     -0-                             09/11/97 

/First American Real Estate Information Services, Inc. press releases available through Company News On-Call by fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 312375, or at http://www.prnewswire.com/

/CONTACT: Inger Padilla of First American, 800-449-8732; or Todd Dillard, Excelis, Inc., 800-717-5554/

(FAF)

CO: First American Real Estate Information Services Inc.; Meritech Mortgage

Services ST: Florida, Texas IN: RLT SU: CON

LA-SS -- LATH042 -- 6107 09/11/97 09:03 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

The right baby sitter.(Personal Life)

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Baby-sitting is no longer a simple matter of calling the first gum-snapping teenage girl you can find. Many parents are now seeking sitters who can offer rsums and references. They want sit-down interviews and proof that their sitter has been certified by the Red Cross.

"Things are so different than they were. It (used to be) a lot more laid back," says Gina Moore, 33, a Eugene mother of two whose daughter, Ariah, is in training to become a baby sitter.

"It's really kind of a business for these kids. They have rsums, they have all these tools and things we didn't necessarily (have)."

Moore, a former baby sitter herself, says it's good that teenagers are being held to a higher standard, even if it's a standard she didn't have to meet.

"Today, kids are learning working skills they're going to use their whole lives," she says. "I was 10 when I started baby-sitting, which I think was a little illegal, but it worked out OK."

Oregon law is a bit vague on when it's OK to begin baby-sitting, says Marianne Ansart, health and safety director for the Oregon Pacific Chapter of the Red Cross.

In general, baby sitters looking out for children outside their own family should be at least 11 years old. More important, she says, is that parents hire someone they can trust.

"The main thing to take into account is, `Are they mature and responsible enough at 11 to be baby-sitting?'?" she explained. "You may find a 15-year-old who's not (ready) to be baby-sitting."

Ansart oversees the Red Cross' popular baby-sitting class. She says parents in search of a sitter can start by asking potential candidates whether they have taken the one-day course, which is offered at community centers throughout the area several times a month.

"You want to look for a sitter (who) would get along with children and enjoy children," she says. "Someone who has shown that they are responsible and would know what to do in an emergency."

Ansart says it's not a bad idea for parents to present a potential baby sitter with a "what-if" scenario. You can ask a sitter how he or she would respond if the house caught fire or if the baby started choking.

As one safety specialist puts it: Don't ask yourself whether this person is responsible under normal circumstances. Ask yourself how they will respond to a life or death situation.

When interviewing a baby sitter, experts recommend keeping it informal and asking open-ended questions. You can inquire about other baby-sitting jobs a sitter has had and ask about interests, hobbies, family and school.

If you include your own children in the interview process, you'll have a better idea of how the baby sitter will interact with them.

Another good place to start is to invite a baby-sitting candidate over for a trial run. You can ask a sitter to come over for a couple of hours of work while you're still home. Use the time to do some chores around the house.

In these cautious times, the best way to find a sitter is often through word of mouth.

There are also several Web sites, such as BabySitters.com and SitterCity.com, which offer profiles of sitters (often for a monthly charge).

For safety reasons, students who go through the Red Cross baby-sitting class are advised against putting up fliers or advertising on the Internet.

Ansart says networking is a better option, and the best advertising a baby sitter can do is to provide great service.

"If you're a great sitter," she says, "usually everybody finds that out."

Moore, the mother of two, suggests parents seeking a baby sitter should not take the decision lightly. She recommends trusting your gut and choosing someone who puts your mind at ease. "My kids are my prized possessions," she says. "I always looked for somebody that I knew very well and trusted."

Once parents have found the perfect baby sitter, there are some things they can do to hang onto him or her.

Ansart says good communication is key to a lasting relationship. Make it clear what you expect of your sitters, and don't assume they will do something if you don't ask.

Do you expect your sitter to cook? Will he or she be bathing your children?

Safety experts advise against either, but if you want your sitter to provide a service, explain to them exactly how you want it done.

Also, Ansart says, be nice to your sitter. "They're teens, and it's always great if there are some snacks."

Experts recommend that parents create a comprehensive baby-sitting checklist that includes everything from the name and contact information of a friendly neighbor to the full names and ages of children. You can find a sample checklist at: www.babysitters?.com/newsitterchecklist.aspx.

If a new sitter has never visited your home, it's a good idea to ask them to arrive 15 minutes early to give them a tour. You can point out phones, first aid kits and alternate exits.

Experts say baby sitters should be advised, when answering the phone, to avoid revealing that they are home alone. Instead, they should inform callers that the person in question "is not available" and offer to take a message.

If you haven't done a trial run, it's a good idea to check in with a new sitter during their first job. Call an hour or so after you've left the house to put your mind at ease and answer any questions.

Compensation for baby sitters varies widely and can range anywhere from $3 to $15 per hour, depending on how many kids are involved, what's expected, the age and experience of the sitter and what part of town you're in.

A survey of 11-year-old girls at a Eugene Red Cross baby-sitting class showed $5 an hour to be the going rate. Some sitters ask for a flat rate. Others charge by the child. To avoid uncomfortable situations, experts say, work out the details ahead of time.

If you're wondering what goes on when you're not at home, or if you suspect a baby sitter may not be doing what they say they're doing, it's fair to come home a little early to check on them.

Students in the Red Cross's baby-sitting class are taught to keep a log or journal of what happened during their shift to help better inform the parents.

And you know you've found the right sitter, Ansart says, if your children are asking, "When can the baby sitter come back?"

'Inconvenient' reveals insights on Al Gore, the man.

Byline: Louis R. Carlozo

Dec. 12--Those who recall the 2000 presidential election might well remember Al Gore the caricature. You know: the guy who invented the Internet (though he never actually said that, folks); the debate robot in Day-Glo orange makeup; the policy wonk given to odd phrases such as "lock box" while George W. Bush cranked out zingers about "fuzzy math." Thus, one of the biggest surprises of the DVD documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" (Paramount Home Video, $29.99) comes not through its convincing message about global warming -- vital as that is -- but the portrait it presents of Gore the man. Here we see a father who nearly lost his young son; a person whose environmental passions date to his college days; a gifted orator with a Merlot-dry sense of humor befitting Garrison Keillor more than an android. So what happened, Mr. Vice President? Why didn't voters see that side of you back in 2000? Asked those questions, Gore acknowledged his team didn't do a great job of communicating his humanity during the bitter election battle. "I think that people see candidates through a different lens, and that's part of the difference here," Gore said. "But there's also a grain of truth to the old cliche that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and maybe I've gained a little strength in six years."

In an interview ranging from global warming to his prospects for another White House bid, Gore reflected the same laid-back but concerned demeanor he shows in the Davis Guggenheim film. The evidence Gore cites is overwhelming, the footage of snows vanishing from Mt. Kilimanjaro and polar bears drowning in once-icy seas enough to melt the hardest of hearts. Q. So Mr. Vice President, are you running for president in 2008? A. I'm not planning to be a candidate again. I am planning to be involved in a different kind of campaign to help change people's minds, and hopefully that will result in influencing candidates on all sides. That's my principal focus. Q. So is it fair to say that you think global warming is the most important issue of all -- ahead of, say, the war on terror? A. That is certainly the way I think about it, and that is the way the scientists [who study climate change] think about it. It is certainly a challenge to the moral imagination because it is so big and so threatening. It is the issue. If we choose not to act, the consequences would be unthinkable. We need to awaken people to how high the stakes are. We have everything we need to solve the issue except the will to act -- but that, too, as the movie points out, is a renewable resource. Q. Speaking of the will to act -- you talk in the movie about how Congress has refused to take global warming seriously in the past. With the dramatic turnaround in the November elections, do you expect the Democratic-controlled House and Senate to take action? A. I do have extra hope in the wake of this election simply because the new committee chairs have a very different approach compared to the old chairs in the Senate and the House. The Senate Environmental Committee was chaired by James Inhofe of Oklahoma -- who was one of the largest skeptics and backed by the big industry polluters. He's now replaced by Barbara Boxer of California, who is a supporter of bold action to solve the crisis. Q. Can we expect to see you stumping on Capitol Hill for global warming legislation, or to chat up legislators? A. I've already gotten some calls from congressmen and senators who wanted advice in putting together legislation, and in January I will be talking to quite a number of them to help inform them on this issue. Still, most of my attention will be focused on trying to change minds at the grassroots, at the public level. What we need is a critical mass of people involved. Q. You've been tireless taking your global warming slide show on the road. Do you feel there's been a change on that grassroots level -- that people are finally starting to embrace this as a crisis that needs attention? A. I've seen the beginnings of that sea change, not only in this country but around the world -- but only the beginnings. If we continue to spread the word, we will pass a tipping point where people will demand action. But we are in a race with the crisis -- which can also pass a tipping point, and we need to act before it does. Q. The film sheds light on how Philip Cooney, President Bush's chief of staff of the Council on Environmental Quality, was a former oil industry lobbyist who doctored government reports on global warming. When the news broke in 2005, he resigned and accepted a job at ExxonMobil. What was your reaction to that story? A. I found it to be shocking, quite frankly. It's one of the things that puzzles me, that there's not more outrage about it. Allowing someone who is a shill for polluters and has no scientific training -- allowing such a person to censor the scientists, who are trying to warn people of what their findings show -- that's outrageous, in my opinion. Bringing it to light is just a small part of the movie, but is part of why the truth about the climate crisis is not being disseminated to the people. Some of the polluters are spending millions of dollars to crank out pseudo studies to continue to confuse people.

Q. When all is said and done, do you think the current Bush administration will be remembered as the worst regarding environmental issues and global warming? A. Yes. But I must warn you that I've been warned that I'm beginning to lose my objectivity on President Bush. [Laughs] So with that caveat, enthusiastically, yes. Got a DVD question or quandary? Write to Louis R. Carlozo at lcarlozo@tribune.com. Include your name and hometown, and your question could wind up in a future On the Small Screen column.

Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune

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     ISSUER   ST   DESCRIPTION   AMOUNT ($000s)   TIME OF SALE     FINANCIAL ADVISER   LEGAL OPINION   MATURING   INSURER     MDY'S   S&P   FITCH   BANK-QUAL.   LATEST DETAILS      Monday, October 24 

Bloomington IL GO *9,900 10 am C J.P. Morgan Secs Evans Froehlich 07-25 --- Aa2 AA --- BQ Oct 13

Lockport Twp Pk Dt IL GO Park *3,740 10:30 am C Speer Financial Chapman & Cutler 11-16 --- --- A --- BQ Oct 14

Moline SD #40 IL GO Sch 4,500 10 am C Speer Financial Chapman & Cutler 07-09 --- A1 --- --- BQ Oct 12

Merriam KS GO *5,900 2 pm C Piper Jaffray Kutak Rock 09-23 --- A1 --- --- BQ Oct 11

Shawnee KS Imp *7,460 12 pm C Springsted Kutak Rock 06-20 --- Aa3 --- --- BQ Oct 11

Brooklyn Park MN GO St-Aid Street 2,710 11 am C Springsted Kennedy & Graven 07-21 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 4

Brooklyn Park MN GO Imp 3,345 11 am C Springsted Kennedy & Graven 07-21 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 4

Chanhassen MN GO Park Ref *2,630 12 pm C Ehlers & Associates Briggs & Morgan 07-10 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 13

Chanhassen MN GO Wtr Rev *5,520 12 pm C Ehlers & Associates Briggs & Morgan 07-21 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 13

Farmington ISD #192 MN GO Sch Bldg Ref *4,490 1 pm C Ehlers & Associates Knutson Flynn 07-12 --- Baa1 --- --- --- Oct 12

Forest Lake MN GO Equip Certs *1,510 11 am C Northland Securities Briggs & Morgan 07-15 --- A1 --- --- BQ Oct 18

Forest Lake MN GO Wtr Rev *3,515 11 am C Northland Securities Briggs & Morgan 06-20 --- A1 --- --- BQ Oct 18

Montrose MN GO Imp *1,140 10 am C Ehlers & Associates Briggs & Morgan 07-21 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 7

Sartell MN GO Imp Ref *1,935 10 am C Ehlers & Associates Briggs & Morgan 07-10 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 13

Sartell MN GO *8,985 10 am C Ehlers & Associates Briggs & Morgan 07-11 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 13

St Cloud MN Ref Certs of Part *3,555 10 am C Springsted Dorsey & Whitney 06-17 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 4

St Cloud MN GO 12,125 10 am C Springsted Dorsey & Whitney 07-17 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 4

Tuesday, October 25

Magnet Cove SD #8 AR Construction *3,550 10 am C Stephens Friday Eldredge 07-37 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

F P Woodland Jt USD CA GO Ref *15,960 9:30 am P Kelling Northcross Quint & Thimmig 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Southington (Town) CT GO 12,175 11:30 am E People's Bank Day Berry 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 13

Tampa Sports Auth FL Sales Tax Ref *26,975 11 am E Public Resources Bryant Miller 07-27 --- --- --- AA --- Today

Tampa Sports Auth FL Loc Option Sales *115,815 10 am E Public Fin Mgmt Bryant Miller 07-27 --- --- --- AA --- Today

North Liberty IA GO Urban Renewal 3,500 11 am C Public Fin Mgmt Dorsey & Whitney 06-15 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Lombard SD #44 IL GO Sch Ref *7,630 11 am C Ehlers & Associates Chapman & Cutler 07-18 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

Prospect Hghts Pk Dt IL GO Ref Park *8,890 10 am C Speer Financial Chapman & Cutler 06-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 12

Topeka KS GO (Tax) *5,070 12 pm Columbia Cap Mgmt Nichols & Wolfe 06-15 XLCA Aa3 --- --- --- Oct 19

Topeka KS GO *9,115 10 am Columbia Cap Mgmt Nichols & Wolfe 09-25 XLCA Aa3 --- --- --- Oct 19

Blackstone (Town) MA GO 7,388 11 am E UniBank Fiscal Adv Ropes & Gray 06-24 --- --- A- --- BQ Oct 14

Newbury (Town) MA GO Muni Purp Loan 3,375 11 am E First Southwest Palmer & Dodge 07-22 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 14

F Allen Pk MI Limited Tax 4,000 2 pm E Stauder Barch Miller Canfield 07-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

Baxter MN GO Wtr Rev 3,805 1 pm C Public Fin Mgmt Briggs & Morgan 07-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

Baxter MN GO Imp 4,390 1 pm C Public Fin Mgmt Briggs & Morgan 07-18 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

Edina ISD #273 MN GO Ref *19,130 11 am C Public Fin Mgmt Dorsey & Whitney 07-13 --- Aa1 --- AA+ --- Oct 18

White Bear Lake MN Tax Increment Ref *2,090 12 pm C Public Fin Mgmt Kennedy & Graven 09-15 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Mount Holly NC GO Pub Imp 3,600 11 am E Local Govt Comm Parker Poe 08-26 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Santa Fe County NM GO 20,000 11 am M RBC Dain Rauscher Modrall Sperling 06-25 --- Aa2 --- --- --- Oct 19

Beacon NY Pub Imp *14,523 11 am E Public Finance Assoc Willkie Farr 06-24 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

F Patchogue-Medford UFSD NY Sch Dist *48,743 11 am E Capital Markets Adv Hawkins Delafield 06-26 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

F Ramapo Ctrl SD NY Sch Dist *18,000 11 am E NYMAC Hawkins Delafield 07-20 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

F Sea Cliff Vlg NY Var Purp *1,845 11 am E Liberty Capital Svcs Willkie Farr 06-25 --- A1 --- --- BQ Oct 12

Cherokee Co ISD #6 OK Bldg 500 12 pm C Stephen H. McDonald L.O. at purch. exp. 08-11 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

Millersville (Borough) PA GO *2,715 12:15 pm E Public Fin Mgmt Kegel Kelin 06-31 --- --- --- --- BQ Today

Upper Moreland Twp SD PA GO *10,000 11:15 am E Public Fin Mgmt Kegel Kelin 07-20 --- --- --- --- BQ Today

Collierville (Town) TN GO *17,065 9 am C Public Fin Mgmt Adams & Reese/Stokes 06-25 --- Aa1 --- --- --- Oct 19

Oakmont Pub Util Dt TX Unltd Tax 1,840 11 am C RBC Dain Rauscher Coats Rose 09-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 12

Washington County WI GO 1,500 10 am C Robert W. Baird Quarles & Brady 06-25 --- Aa1 --- --- BQ Oct 7

Wednesday, October 26

Batesville SD #1 AR Ref & Construction *9,000 11 am C Beardsley Pub Fin Friday Eldredge 08-28 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

F P Chico Redev Agy CA Tax Alloc *70,000 9:30 am P Harrell & Company Jones Hall 07-32 Ambac --- A A --- Oct 17

F P Easton (Town) CT GO 9,600 11:30 am E Webster Bank Levy & Droney 06-25 --- Aa1 --- --- --- Oct 17

Des Moines IA GO Ref *29,730 10 am C Public Fin Mgmt Ahlers & Cooney 08-20 --- Aa2 --- --- --- Oct 19

North Pk Pub Wtr IL Wtr Rev 4,900 12 pm C Ehlers & Associates Chapman & Cutler 15-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Sterling CUSD #5 IL GO Ref *7,210 11 am C Ehlers & Associates Ungaretti & Harris 07-11 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Laporte Fire Station Bldg Corp IN First Mtg 3,265 11 am E Umbaugh Ice Miller 07-26 --- --- --- --- BQ Today

Lewis Co Pub Prop KY First Mtg *5,505 11 am E Ross Sinclaire Reed & Johnson 06-26 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Attleboro MA GO Muni Purp Loan 19,008 11 am E UniBank Fiscal Adv Palmer & Dodge 06-15 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 14

Walpole (Town) MA GO Muni Purp Loan 4,952 11 am E First Southwest Palmer & Dodge 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

Cass Lake ISD #115 MN GO Sch Bldg *3,410 10 am C Ehlers & Associates Knutson Flynn 12-20 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 14

Grand Marais MN GO Imp *895 10 am C Ehlers & Associates Briggs & Morgan 08-27 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 12

Minneapolis MN GO Var Purp *29,620 10 am C Springsted Kennedy & Graven 09-21 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 19

F Clark Co SD NV GO Bldg 500,000 8 am P Nevada St Bk Pub Fin --- 08-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 17

F P Batavia NY Pub Imp 1,795 11 am E Munistat Services Hodgson Russ 06-20 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 13

F Blind Brook-Rye UFSD NY Sch Dist *17,335 11 am E NYMAC Hawkins Delafield 07-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Virginia Hsg Dev Auth VA Mtg (AMT) *14,800 11 am E Municipal Official Hunton & Williams 06 --- --- --- --- --- Today

Virginia Hsg Dev Auth VA Mtg *61,000 11 am E Municipal Official Hunton & Williams 06 --- --- --- --- --- Today

Virginia Hsg Dev Auth VA Mtg (AMT) *64,200 11 am E Municipal Official Hunton & Williams 06 --- --- --- --- --- Today

Virginia Hsg Dev Auth VA Mtg (AMT) *110,000 11 am E Municipal Official Hunton & Williams 06 --- --- --- --- --- Today

Virginia Hsg Dev Auth VA Mtg (AMT) *120,000 11 am E Municipal Official Hunton & Williams 06 --- --- --- --- --- Today

Thursday, October 27

F Milford CT GO 7,710 11 am E People's Bank Robinson & Cole 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 19

Glenview Pk Dt IL GO Park Ref *1,285 10 am C Ehlers & Associates Chapman & Cutler 06 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 18

Johnson Co Pub Bldg KS Lease Rev *28,260 10 am C Springsted Kutak Rock 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Johnson County KS Imp *46,180 10 am C Springsted Kutak Rock 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Dover Sherborn Reg SD MA GO 15,500 11 am E UniBank Fiscal Adv Palmer & Dodge 07-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Townsend MT Pooled Imp Dist 2,705 12 pm M D.A. Davidson Dorsey & Whitney 08-26 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 13

F Geneva NY Pub Imp 1,014 11:30 am E Allardice & Assoc Harris Beach 06-17 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 14

F Hilton Ctrl SD NY Sch Dist *1,542 11 am E Bernard P. Donegan Timothy R. McGill 06-10 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

F P Suffolk County NY Pub Imp *80,725 11 am E Capital Markets Adv Hawkins Delafield 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

F Syracuse NY Pub Imp (Tax) *3,862 11 am E Public Finance Assoc Trespasz & Marquardt 06-15 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

F Syracuse NY Pub Imp *7,662 11 am E Public Finance Assoc Trespasz & Marquardt 07-26 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

Friday, October 28

Lansing Ctrl SD NY Bond Antic 245 11 am E Bernard P. Donegan Timothy R. McGill 07-10 --- --- --- --- BQ Today

Monday, October 31

Aitkin County MN GO Jail Ref *3,130 1 pm C Springsted Dorsey & Whitney 07-15 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 11

Harris Co MUD #397 TX Unltd Tax 4,325 11:30 am C First Southwest --- 07-31 --- --- --- --- BQ Today

Tuesday, November 1

Manhattan KS GO 1,010 2 pm C Springsted --- 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Manhattan KS GO Ref 6,180 2 pm C Springsted --- 06-19 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Dennis-Yarmouth Reg SD MA GO 9,000 11 am E UniBank Fiscal Adv Palmer & Dodge 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

Detroit Lakes MN GO Imp *4,300 10:30 am C Springsted --- 07-26 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Eagan MN GO Imp Ref *1,550 12 pm C Springsted Faegre & Benson 07-15 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 11

Eagan MN GO Wtr Ref Rev *3,840 12 pm C Springsted Faegre & Benson 06-10 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 11

Eagan MN GO Imp 5,155 12 pm C Springsted Faegre & Benson 07-21 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 11

F Mount Laurel Twp NJ GO 5,770 11 am E --- Blank Rome 06-21 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

F Sussex Borough NJ GO *1,490 10:45 am E Ferraioli Wielkotz McManimon & Scotland 06-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Tenafly Borough NJ Gen Imp 6,562 11:30 am E Municipal Official John L. Kraft 06-17 --- --- --- --- BQ Today

Tualatin OR Wtr Rev *7,305 10 am P Regional Financial Preston Gates 06-25 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 13

Parkway Util Dt TX Wtrwks & Swr Sys 2,610 3 pm C SAMCO Cap Mkts Johnson Radcliffe 09-31 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Wednesday, November 2

F Santa Cruz CA Wstwtr Rev Ref 5,000 9 am P Northcross, Hill --- 06-23 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 17

F Santa Cruz Co Redev Agy CA Tax Alloc (Tax) *21,000 10 am P Harrell & Company Rutan & Tucker 06-35 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

F Santa Cruz Co Redev Agy CA Tax Alloc *49,000 9:30 am P Harrell & Company Rutan & Tucker 25-35 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

Parkway SD #C-2 MO GO 30,000 10 am C Banc of America Gilmore & Bell 07-23 --- --- --- --- --- Today

Bergen County NJ GO 45,000 12 pm E Municipal Official Carella Byrne Bain 06-19 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 13

F Howell Twp NJ GO *30,000 11:15 am E Public Fin Mgmt --- 06-35 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

Travis Co MUD #2 TX Unltd Tax 2,495 11 am C Southwest Securities Armburst & Brown --- --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Thursday, November 3

Westborough (Town) MA GO 2,665 11 am E UniBank Fiscal Adv Palmer & Dodge 06-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Monday, November 7

Hastings MN GO Muni Bldg Ref *3,740 12 pm C Springsted --- 07-14 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Hastings MN GO Imp Ref *4,895 12 pm C Springsted --- 07-19 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Marshall MN GO Var Purp 3,330 11 am C Springsted --- 07-16 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Minot ND GO Hwy 2,355 10 am C Public Fin Mgmt Dorsey & Whitney 06-15 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Tuesday, November 8

F Elk Grove USD CFD #1 CA Special Tax *46,000 9:30 am P Stone & Youngberg --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Oct 20

Iowa Great Lakes San Dt IA GO 5,000 1 pm C Piper Jaffray Ahlers & Cooney 07-16 --- A1 --- --- BQ Oct 12

Thursday, November 10

Derby KS GO *1,500 11 am C Froggatte Gilmore & Bell 07-21 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Monday, November 14

Dakota County MN GO Prom 16,800 1 pm C Springsted --- 07-20 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Wednesday, November 16

Harris Co MUD #5 TX Unltd Tax 3,730 7 pm C Rathmann & Assoc David M. Marks 25-27 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 5

Tuesday, November 22

Park City KS GO *2,065 2 pm C Froggatte Gilmore & Bell 07-26 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 20

Penn Yan Vlg NY Pub Imp 1,997 11:30 am E Allardice & Assoc Harris Beach 06-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Penn Yan Vlg NY Pub Imp 3,000 11:30 am E Allardice & Assoc Harris Beach 06-25 --- --- --- --- BQ Oct 19

Wausau WI GO Prom (Tax) 2,000 12 pm C Springsted --- 06-15 --- --- --- --- --- Oct 11

Day to Day

Florida BOE FL Hsg Rev Ref *45,000 --- Division of Bd Fin --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Oct 5

Florida BOE FL Cap Outlay *185,000 --- Division of Bd Fin --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Aug 31

Florida BOE FL Cap Outlay *366,010 --- Division of Bd Fin Squire Sanders 06-35 --- --- AAA AA+ --- Aug 19

Florida Dept of Env Prot FL Rev *150,000 --- Division of Bd Fin --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Oct 18

Mississippi St Univ Ed Bldg Corp MS Rev *54,140 --- First Southwest Butler Snow 06-35 MBIA --- --- --- --- Oct 19

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