PR-inside.com Press Releases Free Services http://www.pr-inside.com/ Copyright 09 pr-inside.com pr-inside.com Entertainment (PR-inside.com) Cult rockers PHISH have confirmed plans to reunite and tour by listing a group of summer dates. The band will play pre-tour shows in Virginia in March (09) before hitting the road in June (09). The dates mark the group's first since they split in 2004. Phish, who began rehearsing this week (beg05Jan09), are also hotly tipped to headline the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee in June (09), although that has yet to be confirmed. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/phish-reform-for-summer-tour-r994896.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/phish-reform-for-summer-tour-r994896.htm Entertainment (PR-inside.com) RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and NIGHTWATCHMEN star TOM MORELLO has been declared a soldier for peace by a group of Iraq War veterans. The rocker has been presented with one soldier's medals for fighting for an end to war back home in America. Proud Morello tells Spin magazine, 'A member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War gave me his medals after I played a Nightwatchmen show at the Winter Soldier conference. 'He gave a moving speech, saying, 'The real battle for freedom and democracy is not overseas; it's here. And you're a soldier in it.'' .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/morello-honoured-by-iraq-war-veteran-r994895.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/morello-honoured-by-iraq-war-veteran-r994895.htm Entertainment (PR-inside.com) Plans for JIMMY PAGE and JOHN PAUL JONES to hit the road as LED ZEPPELIN in 2009 have been scrapped - because the rockers can't find a singer to replace ROBERT PLANT. Just a day after Peter Mensch, a spokesman for Page's management firm, defended the rock duo's plans to tour without their famous frontman, he is now attempting to end the speculation about a semi-reunion by telling Music Radar Led Zeppelin is 'completely over'. Mensch says, 'Led Zeppelin are over! If you didn't see them in 2007, you missed them. It's done. I can't be any clearer than that... There are .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/page-manager-led-zeppelin-are-over-r994894.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/page-manager-led-zeppelin-are-over-r994894.htm World News (PR-inside.com) SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - A strong earthquake shook Costa Rica on Thursday, shattering windows, cracking walls and sending frightened residents running into the streets of the capital. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude temblor was centered 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of the capital of San Jose in the early afternoon, near the Poas Volcano national park. The quake's depth was measured at 28 miles (35 kilometers). Local TV station Teletica showed broken windows, fallen ceiling panels and cracked walls .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/strong-earthquake-rocks-costa-rica-r994893.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/strong-earthquake-rocks-costa-rica-r994893.htm World News (PR-inside.com) ROME (AP) - Italian politicians reacted with outrage Thursday to a proposal by a small union calling for a boycott of Jewish-owned shops in Rome to protest Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. The FLAICA-CUB union, which claims to represent thousands of workers in shops and malls, said in a statement it would promote a boycott of businesses «tied to the Roman Jewish Community. The union suggested shoppers should focus the protest on clothing stores, many of which are traditionally owned by members of the capital's small community. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno «firmly condemned» .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/outrage-in-italy-at-call-to-r994892.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/outrage-in-italy-at-call-to-r994892.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Spectranetics Corporation (Nasdaq:SPNC) today reported preliminary revenue for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2008. Preliminary revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $26.6 million, up 11% compared with revenue of $23.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2007. Fourth quarter results in 2008 included a negative impact of $300,000 from foreign currency fluctuations following the issuance of our guidance in October 2008. Disposable product revenue rose 12% to $22.0 million, laser revenue increased 8% to $2.3 million, and service and other revenue increased 8% to $2.3 million, all compared with the fourth quarter of 2007. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/spectranetics-reports-preliminary-revenue-r994891.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/spectranetics-reports-preliminary-revenue-r994891.htm World News (PR-inside.com) A joint mission composed of local and international experts arrived in Pangasinan on Thursday to undertake a detailed scientific study into the ebola reston virus strain (ERV) that reportedly afflicted some hogs in a pig farm in Manaoag in the central part of the province. The foreign experts were tapped from the Food and Animal Organization (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO) who will work closely with technical teams from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Health (DoH). The foreign experts were invited by the Philippine government to know more about the virus strain since .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ebola-reston-virus-investigators-travel-r994890.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ebola-reston-virus-investigators-travel-r994890.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Concho Resources Inc. (NYSE: CXO) ('Concho' or the 'Company') today announced that it has recently elected to reduce its first quarter activity level due to the drop in oil and natural gas prices and has entered into certain additional derivative contracts. Curtailed Activities In its November 11, 2008 press release, the Company outlined a 2009 capital budget of up to $500 million predicated on oil and natural gas prices averaging $65 per barrel and $6 per Mcf for the year. Current prices are below $65 and $6, therefore the Company has elected to take the following .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/concho-resources-inc-announces-r994888.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/concho-resources-inc-announces-r994888.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Fiskars Americas announced today that five 2008 new products have been recognized by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum for Architecture and Design as winners in the GOOD DESIGN competition. The winning products include: Gingher Rotary Cutter, Fiskars Garden Multi-Snip, Fiskars Rear Pivot Bypass Pruner, Fiskars Carabiner Bypass Pruner, and the Fiskars Rear Pivot Grass Shears. 'The GOOD DESIGN Award recognizes superiority in innovation, construction, function and utility. We are honored that the Chicago Athenaeum has recognized our sewing and garden tool designs as some of the best in the world,' said Paul Tonnesen, President of Fiskars Americas. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/fiskars-products-win-good-design-award-r994889.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/fiskars-products-win-good-design-award-r994889.htm Business (PR-inside.com) CardioNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAT), a leading wireless medical technology company with an initial focus on the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias, today announced the publication of two studies and the presentation of two abstracts that further support the broader use of the CardioNet System for the detection of atrial fibrillation (AF). The studies demonstrate the CardioNet System's ability to detect clinically significant AF events in patients following ischemic stroke or surgical AF ablation procedures. Arie Cohen, President and CEO, commented: 'The clinically proven effectiveness of the CardioNet System provides physicians the opportunity to detect any patients that relapse .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/new-clinical-studies-support-broader-use-r994886.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/new-clinical-studies-support-broader-use-r994886.htm Business (PR-inside.com) ABRA Auto Body and Glass, a national damaged vehicle repair company, announced that the annual ABRA Invitational Tournament will be held January 1-3 at the Minnesota Made Rink located at 7300 Bush Lake Road in Edina. This tournament will feature eight of the premier Girls' High School Varsity Hockey teams in the state. The teams and tournament schedule are as follows: Game #1 - Hopkins vs. Stillwater - Jan. 1, 12:00 PM Game #2 - Blaine vs. Grand Rapids - Jan 1, 2:30 PM Game #3 - Duluth vs. Hill Murray - .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/abra-auto-body-amp-glass-announces-r994887.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/abra-auto-body-amp-glass-announces-r994887.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Ryland Group, Inc. (NYSE:RYL), will release its fourth quarter earnings on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, after the market closes. The conference call will be held on Thursday, January 29, at 9:00 a.m. PST (noon EST). A live audio webcast of the call will be available on Ryland's Web site at www.ryland.com. To access the webcast, go to the Investors section and click on the 'Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference Call' link under the 'Events and Presentations' heading. A replay of the webcast will be archived on Ryland's site. For participants who wish to call in, the .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ryland-announces-fourth-quarter-earnings-r994883.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ryland-announces-fourth-quarter-earnings-r994883.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Harman International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE: HAR) announced today that Lakshminarayan will join the Company on January 15, 2009 as President and Country Manager of India operations. He will be based in Bangalore and report directly to the Chairman and CEO of Harman International. 'This appointment is the next step in our group strategy to unlock Harman's real potential in India,' said Dinesh C. Paliwal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 'This has been a rapidly developing market and, given its demographic profile, will emerge as an important growth area for us in the medium and long term. It will .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/harman-international-names-lakshminarayan-as-r994884.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/harman-international-names-lakshminarayan-as-r994884.htm Business (PR-inside.com) IDGLOBAL (Pink Sheets: IDGC) IDGLOBAL is pleased to announce to its shareholders that G2 Petroleum's Working Interest Partner in the Diamond Springs Prospect, Force Energy has reiterated their commitment to developing the Diamond Springs Prospect by engaging Continental Production Company, LLC. They began the permitting process on the Diamond Springs Prospect as stated in Force's Press Release dated 11/12/2008. As previously stated in an earlier release, IDGLOBAL Corp has acquired a 10% working interest in the Diamond Springs Prospect located in the prolific Wind River Basin. Mr. Marc Hamilton, of IDGLOBAL states, 'The relationship with Force Energy as .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/idglobal-s-g2-petroleum-working-partner-r994885.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/idglobal-s-g2-petroleum-working-partner-r994885.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Rohm and Haas says it has cleared one more hurdle in its pending $15.3 billion buyout by Dow Chemical. The European Commission determined that the pending acquisition does not violate antitrust regulations in Europe. The deal is still on schedule to close early this year, pending approval by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission The buyout of Philadelphia-based Rohm and Haas has come into question after a $17.4 billion joint venture between Dow and a Kuwaiti state-owned chemical company collapsed. Dow planned on using some of that money to fund the Rohm and .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/dow-purchase-of-rohm-and-haas-r994881.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/dow-purchase-of-rohm-and-haas-r994881.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) NEW YORK (AP) - Signaling a look inward that echoes critiques of the media's performance in the months before the Iraq War, some of the top U.S. financial journalists believe reporters dropped the ball as the nation's economy tumbled toward crisis mode. Sixty-two of 100 journalists surveyed by Abrams Research, a firm started by former MSNBC chief Dan Abrams, criticized the media's work, suggesting there was an over-exuberance about the economy and a failure to connect the dots as troubles began. «That's a very telling and interesting number,» Abrams said Thursday. «Some .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/survey-reporters-dropped-ball-covering-meltdown-r994882.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/survey-reporters-dropped-ball-covering-meltdown-r994882.htm Computer & Technology (PR-inside.com) VANCOUVER - Online threats to business operations are likely to grow in 2009, but some companies are getting the information they need to prepare for the coming storm. This month, Vancouver Board of Trade Managers' Toolbox presents 'Online Protection: How to secure your business and build consumer trust', where Pacific Coast Information Systems Ltd. President Vaclav Vincalek will provide essential tips and practical steps businesses can take to protect their operations and customers. 'Hackers and cyber criminals are increasingly employing multi-faceted tactics that businesses must prevent if they want to survive, much less compete,' Vincalek says. 'A successful attack on a company's .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/businesses-learn-to-stop-cyber-criminals-r994880.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/businesses-learn-to-stop-cyber-criminals-r994880.htm World News (PR-inside.com) The VACC is an organization of victims advocating for victims' rights and uprightness in the justice system. Verano is the private legal counsel of drug suspects Richard Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson, who were arrested in a buy-bust operation on September 20, 2008. The suspects are locked up at the detention cell of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for involvement in a drug case, a non-bailable offense. Verano admitted before the public hearing of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs on Wednesday that he personally prepared the draft release order for signature by Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez Sr. In a one-page .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/disbarment-proceedings-start-against-alabang-r994879.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/disbarment-proceedings-start-against-alabang-r994879.htm Business (PR-inside.com) InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) today announced that its patent licensing subsidiaries have signed a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing patent license agreement with Singapore-based iWOW Connections Pte Ltd (iWOW). The agreement covers the sale of wireless terminal units and infrastructure, including wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, built to cellular Second Generation (2G and 2.5G) standards and Third Generation (3G) standards and to non-cellular wireless IEEE 802-based standards, through 2015. iWOW designs, manufactures, and markets an extensive wireless connectivity product line for the machine-to-machine market using GSM, GPRS, and 3G technologies. The company's highly scalable embedded modules and ready-to-use modems address a .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/interdigital-signs-iwow-to-worldwide-2g-r994877.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/interdigital-signs-iwow-to-worldwide-2g-r994877.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Cabinet NG (CNG), the preeminent automated document management and workflow solution for small enterprises, today announced that it has been selected as a 'Best Channel Vendor 2009' in the ECM and Data Capture Software categories by Business Solutions Magazine. The award is the result of an online survey of Business Solutions' Value Added Resellers (VARs) subscribers conducted during September and October 2008. Survey questions were divided into seven categories of Service/Support, Channel Friendly, Channel Program, Product Features, Product Reliability, Product Innovation, and Adequate VAR Margins. Cabinet NG received high marks in each category. Notably, the company garnered top .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/cabinet-ng-recognized-as-a-best-r994876.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/cabinet-ng-recognized-as-a-best-r994876.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Ecuador says inflation more than doubled in 2008 to a six-year high of 8.8 percent. The country's Statistics and Census Institute says inflation on the year was up from 3.3 percent in 2007, in part due to high international food and oil prices and crop losses from flooding. It is the highest inflation rate since 2002, when consumer prices rose 9.4 percent. The Finance Ministry had targeted 5 percent inflation in early 2008. But annualized inflation hit double digits in August, prompting the government to cap prices for some basic foods, .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ecuador-inflation-hits-8-8-percent-in-r994875.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ecuador-inflation-hits-8-8-percent-in-r994875.htm Sport (PR-inside.com) ARLINGTON, Virginia (AP) - After Alex Ovechkin became the Washington Capitals' only player headed to the NHL All-Star game, teammates Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom said all the right things on Thursday about not being chosen. Their coach and some other members of the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference were a tad less diplomatic. «We know on merit that Nick and Mike and maybe Alex Semin should all be on that, but that's not how the scenario goes and it's not because they don't deserve to be on that,» Capitals coach Bruce .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ovechkin-only-capitals-all-star-selection-r994873.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ovechkin-only-capitals-all-star-selection-r994873.htm World News (PR-inside.com) TORONTO (AP) - The case against two Canadian Broadway producers accused of bilking investors and banks out of some $500 million Canadian dollars ($422 million) is based on the testimony of perjurers and peppered with glaring omissions, defense lawyers maintained Thursday during closing arguments. Garth Drabinsky, 59, and Myron Gottlieb, 65, who co-founded Livent, a major Broadway theater company that in the 1990s produced hit shows such as «Ragtime» and «Showboat,» are on trial charged with two counts of fraud and one count of forgery. Both have pleaded not guilty. Authorities allege that .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/final-arguments-in-broadway-fraud-trial-r994874.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/final-arguments-in-broadway-fraud-trial-r994874.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Christopher and Banks Corporation (NYSE: CBK) today announced that the Company will be presenting at the 11th Annual ICR XChange Conference held at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa in Dana Point, California on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time. Lorna Nagler, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Monica Dahl, SVP, Planning and Allocation, and E-Commerce will host the presentation. The audio portion of the presentation will be webcast live. To access the presentation, log onto http://investor.shareholder.com/icr/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=63849. The webcast can be found in the investor relations section of the company website. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/christopher-amp-banks-corporation-announces-r994872.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/christopher-amp-banks-corporation-announces-r994872.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced that Expression Analysis, an Illumina certified service provider (CSPro) and leading supplier of genotyping, gene expression, and resequencing services for genetic research, purchased its first Genome Analyzer. With this purchase, Expression Analysis becomes the only CSPro that owns all four of Illumina's genomic research platforms: Genome Analyzer, iScan, BeadStation, and BeadXpress. This means that customers can perform truly integrated genetic analysis studies, from whole-genome to targeted screening. 'We continue to invest in Illumina's technology because of the significant client demand for their genomic research platforms,' said Steve McPhail, President and CEO of Expression Analysis. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/expression-analysis-ea-purchases-its-r994871.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/expression-analysis-ea-purchases-its-r994871.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Profile America ' Wednesday, December 31st. On this New Year's Eve, more than 305 million Americans of all ages are ready to greet the year 2009. Fifty years ago, the U.S. population was more than 174 million ' a century ago, it was just under 90 million. To show how fast the nation is growing, by this time tomorrow, there will be some 8,000 new babies on hand to welcome the new year. Not only is the population growing, it is moving to new locations. For several years, the fastest growing states have been in the West, and experts predict .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/census-bureau-daily-feature-for-wednesday-r994869.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/census-bureau-daily-feature-for-wednesday-r994869.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Affymetrix Inc. (NASDAQ:AFFX) today announced that Kevin M. King, president and chief executive officer, will provide a company overview at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on January 15th in San Francisco, CA. A live webcast of the presentation will take place at 10:00 a.m. PT. To access both the live and archived webcasts, please go to www.affymetrix.com and click on the 'Investors' link under the 'Resources for' dropdown. An archived webcast of the presentation will be available for 30 days. About Affymetrix Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray technology is the industry-standard tool for analyzing complex genetic information. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/affymetrix-to-webcast-presentation-at-r994867.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/affymetrix-to-webcast-presentation-at-r994867.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Books-A-Million, Inc. (NASDAQ:BAMM) today announced that sales for the nine-week period ended January 3, 2009, totaled $127.5 million compared with $130.8 million during the same period of fiscal 2008, a decrease of 2.5%. Comparable store sales for the period decreased 5.6% compared with the same period of fiscal 2008. For the first 11 months of fiscal 2009, sales decreased 4.2% to $476.8 million from $497.6 million in the year-earlier period. Comparable store sales for the first 11 months of fiscal 2009 decreased 7.4% compared with the same period of fiscal 2008. Commenting on the results, Sandra B. Cochran, President .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/books-a-million-inc-reports-holiday-sales-r994868.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/books-a-million-inc-reports-holiday-sales-r994868.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Heartland Payment Systems' (NYSE:HPY), a leading provider of credit/debit/prepaid card processing, payroll, check management and payments services, and transmodus today announced the successful launch of their check management systems utilizing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). transmodus is a technology leader in network-enabled remote deposit and check management automation. SOA integrates high-volume-oriented electronic payment services into vertical business applications and point-of-sale (POS) software packages - unifying front- and back-office functionalities into one platform. It enables providers of business management software - including vertical application providers, integrators, VARs and software providers with high processing volumes - to easily include check management .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/heartland-payment-systems-and-transmodus-launch-r994866.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/heartland-payment-systems-and-transmodus-launch-r994866.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Oxford Industries, Inc. (NYSE: OXM) today announced the Company will be presenting at the 11th Annual ICR XChange Conference being held at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA. The Company's presentation is scheduled for Thursday, January 15, 2009, at 11:35 a.m. Pacific Time (2:35 p.m. Eastern Time). The presentation will be broadcast on the Internet and can be accessed via the Oxford website at http://www.oxfordinc.com. About Oxford: Oxford Industries, Inc. is a producer and marketer of branded and private label apparel for men, women and children. Oxford provides .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/oxford-industries-announces-participation-in-r994865.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/oxford-industries-announces-participation-in-r994865.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Regulatory News: Skanska (STO:SKAB) has been awarded Phase 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park project in New York City. The contract amounts to USD 48 M, about SEK 310 M, which is included in order bookings for the fourth quarter of 2008. The customer is Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC). The first phase of the park, comprising 38,000 square meters at Pier 1, will include 400 meters of promenade along the East River, 10,000 square meters of lawn and 700 new trees. Skanska has begun preliminary work at the site. Skanska USA Building .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/skanska-awarded-brooklyn-bridge-park-r994864.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/skanska-awarded-brooklyn-bridge-park-r994864.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) today announced its decision regarding Portland General Electric's (PGE) (NYSE:POR) 2009 general rate case, ending a 10-month public review process. The OPUC approved an overall price increase of approximately 7.6 percent, which will be allocated across all PGE customer classes. Because of other price adjustments, including a reduction to reflect less-than-anticipated power costs in 2007, customers will actually see an overall increase of about 5.6 percent in their electric bills. The price increase will take effect January 1, 2009. 'We constantly evaluate our operating expenses to ensure that we are running our .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/opuc-decision-on-pge-2009-general-r994863.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/opuc-decision-on-pge-2009-general-r994863.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Jeff Carlin has been named Senior Vice President and National Sales Manager at IndexIQ (www.indexiq.com), a pioneer in the development of hedge fund replication and other innovative alternative investment strategies for the advisor market, it was announced today. Carlin joins the firm from the Charles Schwab Corporation, the leading provider of investment products and custody services to independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), where he was National Sales Manager. 'Jeff brings a broad understanding of the investment needs of registered investment advisors and their clients to his role here at IndexIQ,' said Tony Davidow, Executive Vice President and Head .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/jeff-carlin-former-national-sales-manager-r994858.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/jeff-carlin-former-national-sales-manager-r994858.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Aerius International, Inc. (Pink Sheets: AERS) is excited to release the results reported from independent lab testing by CETECOM, a CTIA authorized independent test Lab. CETECOM tested several areas of cell phone performance with Aerius' antenna technology retrofitted to existing phones compared to the same phones with their standard antennas. CETECOM engineers estimated Aerius technology would increase cell phone battery life an average 66%. 'We are extremely pleased that the independent lab reports matched our engineer's forecasts for Aerius performance,' said Bill Luxon, Aerius CEO. 'These results are another step in our company making a profound .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/aerius-international-releases-independent-lab-r994857.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/aerius-international-releases-independent-lab-r994857.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Petro Star Incorporated (PSI), a subsidiary of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), reported that a fire was extinguished at its Valdez refinery during the midnight hours of Monday, December 29, 2008. There were no injuries to employees or responders. At approximately 10:43 p.m. on December 28, 2008, an employee of PSI's Valdez refinery made a 911 emergency call to the Valdez Police Department reporting that there was a fire at the refinery's facility. The Valdez Fire Department along with the Alyeska and Petro Star fire brigades extinguished the blaze within two hours. The fire damaged portions of .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/petro-star-extinguishes-fire-at-valdez-r994856.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/petro-star-extinguishes-fire-at-valdez-r994856.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Katz Media Group (KMG) today launched a national marketing unit that will create innovative, custom solutions for advertisers and their agencies that exploit the full power and reach of modern, multi-platform radio. Known as Katz Marketing Solutions, the new unit will be led by distinguished marketing and sales executive Bob McCurdy and will include national marketing experts previously part of the company's Katz Advantage and Marketing Solutions groups. 'The radio industry has built an unparalleled digital offer over the past five years that now spans broadcast, online streaming, on-demand, mobile, real-time data, live events and of course viral .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/katz-media-group-launches-national-marketing-r994855.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/katz-media-group-launches-national-marketing-r994855.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic lawmakers have reached a deal with Citigroup Inc. on a plan to let bankruptcy judges alter home loans in an effort to prevent foreclosures and said they expected other lenders to follow. The lawmakers said Thursday they aim to attach the plan to President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus legislation. The compromise between New York-based Citigroup and Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, would be limited to loans made before the bill is signed. Obama has said he backs the concept. Schumer said he received .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/citi-reaches-deal-with-lawmakers-on-r994854.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/citi-reaches-deal-with-lawmakers-on-r994854.htm Sport (PR-inside.com) NYON, Switzerland (AP) - UEFA rejected Real Madrid's request to play new signings Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra in the Champions League. UEFA's disciplinary committee met in special session on Thursday and rejected the request. Real Madrid can take its case to UEFA's appeals body, which could meet next week. The Spanish champion wanted the pair to be allowed to play in the second round against Liverpool starting on Feb. 25. The club challenged UEFA to reconsider Article 17.18 of its Champions League regulations that prevents both players being fielded. The rule says clubs can register .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/uefa-rejects-real-madrid-s-player-request-r994852.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/uefa-rejects-real-madrid-s-player-request-r994852.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The world's first commercial aviation test flight powered by a sustainable second-generation biofuel took-off at 11:30am (NZ time) from Auckland International Airport. The approximately two-hour test flight is utilising a biofuel blend of 50:50 jatropha and Jet A1 fuel to power one of the Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400's Rolls-Royce RB211 engines. The test flight is a joint initiative between Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell's UOP, as part of commercial aviation's drive for more sustainable air travel for future generations. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe says the flight is .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/air-new-zealand-biofuel-test-flight-r994851.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/air-new-zealand-biofuel-test-flight-r994851.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) was named recently to Security magazine's 'Security 500: The Biggest and Best Security Organizations.' The publication cites U.S.-based companies in 16 sectors. Emergent BioSolutions was measured in the industrial and manufacturing sector. It is the first year Emergent has been recognized. 'It's a tremendous honor and extremely important to our business to be recognized in this way,' Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent CEO, said. 'Our customers place a premium on our ability to demonstrate secure conditions for manufacturing our products.' Jeff Hauk, Chief of Protective Services for Emergent BioSolutions, was also recently named .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/emergent-biosolutions-recognized-by-r994850.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/emergent-biosolutions-recognized-by-r994850.htm Business (PR-inside.com) A Times Square-like 'Ball Drop' in downtown Sacramento's Theatre District - a first for the West Coast - is all set according to the producers of the event, local businesses edaddywarbucks and Paragary's Restaurant Group. Former NBA star and newly-elected Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, will handle master of ceremonies duties for the event. Entertainment will include performances by the cast of California Musical Theatre's 'Forever Plaid' on a stage at 10th and K Streets, leading up to the ball drop from atop a former bank building at 930 K Street. 'It is fitting as the capital .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/first-new-year-s-eve-ball-drop-r994848.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/first-new-year-s-eve-ball-drop-r994848.htm Business (PR-inside.com) According to a new study from Competing on Analytics author and consultant Tom Davenport, leading retail executives believe they can achieve true competitive advantage with retail analytics technology by using a bold, enterprise-wide approach that involves crossing product, customer and functional boundaries. Davenport, a professor of IT and management at Babson College (Wellesley, Mass.), will offer a preview of his latest research during a special session on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, the opening day of the National Retail Federation's (NRF) annual convention in New York City. The session begins at 10:15 a.m. (Eastern). Davenport's research highlights .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/retailers-recognize-analytics-as-key-r994849.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/retailers-recognize-analytics-as-key-r994849.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRT) today announced that it has opened its automotive sales web site to the public, allowing them to see the company's patented VB2 technology. Up until recently, the site - www.copart.com - was password protected, allowing only registered buyers and sellers to view this innovative technology. Now everyone can see how VB2 works by replaying previous sales. VB2 is a unique online technology that allows buyers from all over the world to bid against each other on vehicles over the Internet, breaking down geographical barriers because they no longer have to travel to a .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/copart-opens-web-site-to-the-r994847.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/copart-opens-web-site-to-the-r994847.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE:GVA) today announced that it has sold its remaining shares in TIC Holdings, Inc. (TICH). TICH, a Colorado-based heavy industrial contractor in which Granite initially invested in December of 1996, was acquired today by Kiewit Corporation (Kiewit) and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kiewit. Granite has been reducing its interest in TICH over the last eight years. As a result of the sale, Granite will record a pre-tax gain of approximately $14.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2008 and, contingent on certain factors, may also record an additional pre-tax gain of $2.9 million in the second .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/granite-construction-incorporated-sells-r994845.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/granite-construction-incorporated-sells-r994845.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEK) today announced the planned dates for its first quarter 2009 results and conference call. On Wednesday, January 28, 2009, after market close, Tetra Tech intends to announce its first quarter 2009 results. On Thursday, January 29, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Tetra Tech plans to host a conference call to further present and discuss the Company's financial results and forward outlook. Investors and other interested parties can access a live audio-visual webcast through a link posted on the Company's web site at www.tetratech.com. The webcast will be available for replay through April 29, .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/tetra-tech-announces-planned-dates-for-r994844.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/tetra-tech-announces-planned-dates-for-r994844.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) PITTSBURGH (AP) - Hurt by a late-year strike and shrinking airline demand, Boeing Co.'s passenger jet deliveries fell 15 percent in 2008, ensuring that archrival Airbus retained its rank as the world's top plane maker. Orders for Boeing planes, meanwhile, plunged by more than half during the year, a grim reminder that carriers have been scaling back spending since the summer to cope with fewer air travelers as the world economy weakens. Boeing, the world's second-largest plane manufacturer after Airbus, has blamed an eight-week strike by machinists and other production glitches for delaying .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/boeing-plane-orders-deliveries-fall-r994842.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/boeing-plane-orders-deliveries-fall-r994842.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Logitech International (SIX:LOGN) (Nasdaq:LOGI) today announced that it will release quarterly financial results on Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 at 04:00 Central European Time. There will be a teleconference to discuss these results on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and 14:30 Central European Time. A live webcast of the call, along with presentation slides, will be available on the Logitech corporate Web site at http://ir.logitech.com. About Logitech Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/logitech-sets-third-quarter-fiscal-r994843.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/logitech-sets-third-quarter-fiscal-r994843.htm Media & Entertainment (PR-inside.com) Don't miss Arturo Duran, CEO of ImpreMedia Digital, former executive for AOL's international divisions and former President of Canwest Mediaworks as he reveals how his latest venture relies on a newly created digital supply chain. As CEO for the Hispanic powerhouse ImpreMedia, Duran launched 14 sites in 6 months - two of which were acquisitions made just three weeks before the launch. Listen in as he joins online media specialist Diane Burley to talk about his vision for this new company, how he set up the technology to remove the barriers with the newsrooms, and how the right infrastructure allows .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/siia-information-industry-summit-pre-event-january-r994841.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/siia-information-industry-summit-pre-event-january-r994841.htm Business (PR-inside.com) SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE:SNX), a leading business process services company, will announce fourth quarter and year-end results for the fiscal period ended November 30, 2008, after market close on Thursday, January 8, 2009. A conference call will be held to discuss the results at 2:00 p.m. PT and will be hosted by Kevin Murai, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Polk, Chief Operating Officer, and Thomas Alsborg, Chief Financial Officer. A live webcast of the call will be available at http://ir.synnex.com. The conference call will also be available via telephone by dialing (866) 364-4389 in North America or (706) .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/synnex-corporation-to-announce-fiscal-fourth-r994840.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/synnex-corporation-to-announce-fiscal-fourth-r994840.htm Computer & Technology (PR-inside.com) WAYNE, Pa., January 8, 2009 - SunGard today announced that Ron Lang has been appointed chief executive officer of SunGard Higher Education. Mr. Lang joined SunGard in 1998 with the acquisition of Infinity Financial Technology. Most recently he was chief executive officer of SunGard's Enterprise Solutions Group in which he was responsible for SunGard's global delivery, global account management, consulting services and software-as-a-service initiatives. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Lang was group chief executive officer of SunGard Trading Systems and also was responsible for SunGard Brokerage Systems and SunGard Financial Networks. Mr. Lang has many years of experience in Silicon .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ron-lang-appointed-chief-executive-officer-r994839.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ron-lang-appointed-chief-executive-officer-r994839.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, has distinguished Kimball Office with a 2008 GOOD DESIGN' Award for the Company's Hum. Minds At Work.® desk system. The award reflects Kimball's growing reputation as a leader in problem-solving design and workplace efficiency. Kimball was previously honored with GOOD DESIGN awards for its Scenario' table line in 2008 and its Adagiato guest seating line in 2007. The GOOD DESIGN' program honors products, designers and industry leaders for excellent, innovative and visionary design. Criteria for award selection is .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/kimball-office-receives-prestigious-good-r994837.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/kimball-office-receives-prestigious-good-r994837.htm Sport (PR-inside.com) NEW YORK (AP) - Brett Favre is going to take his time before deciding whether to return with the New York Jets next season. The 39-year-old quarterback told ESPN on Thursday that he's following the advice of Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum by not making a hasty decision on his future. «He said he's not going to bother me for three or four weeks,» Favre said. «He told me he'd give me a call in a month. Maybe I will tell him my answer that day. Favre said he plans to make a quiet decision without .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/report-favre-taking-month-before-deciding-r994838.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/report-favre-taking-month-before-deciding-r994838.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Longacre Company recently completed work that was part of a major renovation at The Hill School in Pottstown, an historic boarding school founded in 1851. The focus of the renovation was The Hunt Upper School Dormitory, an all-boys' hall located in the heart of the School's campus. Originally constructed in 1910, it is the oldest and most majestic residence hall on campus. The Longacre Company worked in conjunction with a general contractor to renovate the fourth floor of the hall. Although floors one through three had been inhabited since the building was constructed, the fourth floor had .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/the-longacre-company-contributes-to-r994836.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/the-longacre-company-contributes-to-r994836.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Ubiquitous Entertainment will showcase their signature application ZeptoPad at Macworld Expo (booth #4311) and will jointly host a special media reception with 12 leading Japan iPhone App Developers. ZeptoPad 2.0 enables you to project drawings on your iPhone screen wirelessly with real time updates to your Mac/PC. Other applications on show will be iShodo (calligraphy), Shuriken (ninja), iPong and ZeptoLiner. The private media reception will be held on January 7 from 6:30pm, close to the Moscone center. Details and registration at http://www.mobileinjapan.com/page/macworld-expo-japan-iphone Ubiquitous Entertainment Inc. Ryo Shimizu, CEO +81-3-5840-8823 info@uei.co.jp http://global.uei.co.jp/ .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ubiquitous-entertainment-inc-to-exhibit-r994834.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ubiquitous-entertainment-inc-to-exhibit-r994834.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Positron Corporation (OTCBB:POSC) announced today that they will market its complete turnkey offering of radiopharmaceuticals, camera service and imaging for a total solution to customers under the name PosiRx'. Positron's PosiRx' will offer financing and partnership flexibility by providing imaging providers the choice of radiopharmaceuticals, radiopharmaceutical dispensing systems, molecular imaging devices, and equipment service directly from Positron. Customers can choose all services as a complete package or individual parts that suit their needs. Positron is able to offer innovative distribution and dose dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals directly to imaging providers as a result of their cutting edge 'virtual pharmacy' device named .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/positron-announces-posirx-program-for-r994835.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/positron-announces-posirx-program-for-r994835.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Aker Philadelphia Shipyard (Oslo:AKPS), a leading U.S. commercial shipyard, today announced the addition of Robin H. Booth, the shipyard's new Director of Sales and Marketing. In this role, Booth will be responsible for the identification of new opportunities to further expand the shipyard's order book and also for growing Aker Philadelphia Shipyard's presence in the U.S. maritime community. Prior to joining Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Booth worked for General Dynamics, American Overseas Marine in Quincy, Massachusetts, as Director of Safety, Quality and New Business Development. While there he prepared and presented proposals, negotiated contracts, spearheaded key business development initiatives, .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/aker-philadelphia-shipyard-names-robin-r994831.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/aker-philadelphia-shipyard-names-robin-r994831.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Fitch Ratings has placed the following ratings for Cardinal Health (CAH) on Rating Watch Negative. --Issuer default rating (IDR) 'BBB+'; --Senior unsecured credit facility 'BBB+'; --Senior unsecured debt 'BBB+'; --Short-term IDR 'F2'; --Commercial paper 'F2'. The ratings action reflects the company's intention to spin off its Clinical and Medical Products division by mid-2009. CAH's remaining business will focus primarily on drug and medical-surgical distribution, reducing the diversification of its existing business model. The distribution business operates on lower margins, which limit the flexibility within the 'BBB+'. Fitch expects .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-places-cardinal-health-s-on-r994832.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-places-cardinal-health-s-on-r994832.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Fairchild Corporation (NYSE:FA) announced today that, due to personal reasons, Warren Persavich, its President, Aerospace Group, has resigned. Additionally, Rich Nyren, the Company's Controller, has accepted a position with another company. No replacements are expected to be made. About The Fairchild Corporation The business of Fairchild consists of three segments: PoloExpress, Hein Gericke and Aerospace. Fairchild's PoloExpress and Hein Gericke businesses design and sell motorcycle protective apparel, helmets and a large selection of technical accessories for motorcyclists. Together, Hein Gericke and PoloExpress operate 234 retail shops in Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/the-fairchild-corporation-announces-management-r994833.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/the-fairchild-corporation-announces-management-r994833.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Dayton Superior Corporation (NASDAQ: DSUP), the leading North American provider of specialized products for the nonresidential concrete construction market, has extended the exchange expiration date for its previously announced private exchange offer with respect to its 13% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 and concurrent consent solicitation. The exchange expiration date has been extended until 11:59 p.m. EST, on February 13, 2009. The exchange expiration date had been scheduled for 11:59 p.m. EST, on January 9, 2009. The withdrawal expiration date expired at 11:59 p.m. EST, December 1, 2008 and has not been extended. The early consent deadline expired at 5:00 .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/dayton-superior-announces-extension-of-r994830.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/dayton-superior-announces-extension-of-r994830.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The American Lung Association of Oregon (ALAO) has launched a multi-state e-mail campaign asking Craigslist to add a smokefree search box to the rental housing search options within its free online classified listings. Joined by the American Lung Associations of California and Illinois, the regional non-profit affiliates are asking renters and non-renters to join them in asking Craigslist to help make smokefree housing easy to find. 'There is no effective way to contain tobacco smoke within a multi-unit housing environment, and any exposure to secondhand smoke increases a person's risk of developing lung and cardiovascular disease,' said Colleen .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/american-lung-association-of-oregon-asks-r994829.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/american-lung-association-of-oregon-asks-r994829.htm Business (PR-inside.com) First Northern Community Bancorp (FNRN), holding company for First Northern Bank, today announced that it has received preliminary approval to participate in the U.S. Department of Treasury ('U.S. Treasury') Capital Purchase Program ('CPP'). The Company applied for and was approved for up to a $17.5 million capital investment. The U.S. Treasury announced the voluntary Capital Purchase Program on October 14, 2008 to encourage U.S. financial institutions to build capital to increase the flow of financing to U.S. businesses and consumers and to support the U.S. economy. The U.S. Treasury intends to accomplish this by purchasing preferred shares in .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/first-northern-community-bancorp-receives-r994828.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/first-northern-community-bancorp-receives-r994828.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG)(NASDAQ:WAG) today announced it has priced an offering of $1 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.25% notes due 2019. Banc of America Securities LLC, Goldman, Sachs and Co., J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley and Co. Incorporated are acting as joint book-running managers of the offering, and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Loop Capital Markets, LLC are acting as co-managers of the offering. Net proceeds from the offering will be used by Walgreen Co. for repayment of short-term debt incurred under its commercial paper program and general corporate purposes. The offering .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/walgreens-prices-1-billion-10-year-bond-r994827.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/walgreens-prices-1-billion-10-year-bond-r994827.htm World News (PR-inside.com) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A wife of Dubai's ruler condemned Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip and called on Thursday for urgent humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Palestinian area. Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein pleaded with the international community to halt the fighting and allow humanitarian workers in to deliver medicine and food. A wife of Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and a daughter of Jordan's late King Hussein, Haya is a vocal advocate of humanitarian causes. She called the almost two week long Israeli offensive to rout out .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/dubai-s-1st-lady-blasts-gaza-attack-r994825.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/dubai-s-1st-lady-blasts-gaza-attack-r994825.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Spartan Stores, Inc., (Nasdaq: SPTN) today announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of 17 retail supermarkets and 15 pharmacies from VG's Food Center, Inc. and VG's Pharmacy, Inc., a privately held Fenton, Michigan-based retail grocery operator and the Company's largest independent distribution customer. The transaction is expected to increase annual retail segment sales by approximately $300 million, with annual consolidated sales increasing approximately $150 million, as VG's is an existing distribution customer. The acquisition is expected to be slightly dilutive to net earnings in the fiscal 2009 fourth quarter, but accretive during fiscal year 2010. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/spartan-stores-completes-the-acquisition-of-r994826.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/spartan-stores-completes-the-acquisition-of-r994826.htm Sport (PR-inside.com) ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) - Salchows instead of slapshots, skirts instead of sticks. A Swiss ice hockey club playing for the European championship has been bumped out of its home rink by a figure skating show. The Zurich Lions are supposed to host defending champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the second leg of the Champions Hockey League final on Jan. 28 at their Hallenstadion home, but venue management have told them they need the arena to prepare for the Art on Ice show. «It's a business for them,» an understanding Lions chief executive Peter Zahner .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/hockey-team-loses-home-ice-to-r994824.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/hockey-team-loses-home-ice-to-r994824.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) NEW YORK (AP) - The Wall Street meltdown and its fallout have caused city budget analysts to predict for the first time that revenue from business taxes will decline for three years in a row in New York City. In a report released Thursday, the Independent Budget Office blamed the grim forecast on the demise of New York City's major investment banks. Last year, the city had five, and now there are none _ forced out of business, sold off or converted to commercial banks. The IBO predicted that business tax receipts, after .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/forecast-nyc-biz-taxes-on-historic-r994822.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/forecast-nyc-biz-taxes-on-historic-r994822.htm World News (PR-inside.com) UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Arab nations decided Thursday to put aside their draft resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and negotiate on a rival text put forward by Britain and backed by the United States and France, U.N. diplomats said. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told reporters after several rounds of talks on the Western-backed text that Arab nations don't want to waste any more time and the Security Council will be asked to vote on a resolution later Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters «we're still at .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/progress-reported-on-un-gaza-resolution-r994823.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/progress-reported-on-un-gaza-resolution-r994823.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Five Foundations - The Fieldstone Foundation, Pacific Life Foundation, Samueli Foundation, Ueberroth Family Foundation, and an anonymous foundation - are challenging the community of donors with grants totaling $125,000. The campaign is for a 2 to 1 match (each $100 will be worth $150), with the hope to raise a total of $250,000 in needed funds for Human Options: Alternatives for Abused Women and their Children. In times of economic distress the need for domestic violence programs goes up and donations go down. Crisis calls to Human Options' 24-hour hotline are already up 20 per cent. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/five-foundations-create-a-challenge-grant-r994821.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/five-foundations-create-a-challenge-grant-r994821.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Leading industrial design/styling software company solidThinking, Inc. (www.solidthinking.com) announced today that it will provide a free personal-use version of its solidThinking 7.6 software - the only industrial design software available to run on both Mac OS and Windows - to industrial design, architecture and fine arts students who visit solidThinking's booth 3320 at the Macworld Conference and Expo 2009 in San Francisco, January 5-9. Those enrolled in certified programs at colleges and universities can obtain a certificate at the Macworld solidThinking booth. Valid proof of student status must be presented. The validated certificate can then be used to .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/solidthinking-to-offer-free-student-software-r994820.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/solidthinking-to-offer-free-student-software-r994820.htm Business (PR-inside.com) UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture of Constellation Energy (NYSE:CEG) and EDF Group, today announced that the initial acceptance review phase is now complete for the first wave of UniStar's proposed fleet of advanced nuclear power plants in the United States. The milestone was achieved with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) recent announcement that it has accepted and docketed PPL's combined license (COL) application for a U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (U.S. EPR) at PPL's proposed Bell Bend site near Berwick, Pa. PPL, a UniStar partner, submitted its application to the NRC on Oct. 10, 2008. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/first-wave-of-new-reactor-license-r994818.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/first-wave-of-new-reactor-license-r994818.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Officials at Pacific Legal Foundation announced today that nationally renowned business attorney Wade L. Hopping, a former justice of the Florida Supreme Court and a past president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, has been elected as Chair of the Foundation's Board of Trustees. 'I am looking forward to helping PLF build on its 35-year record as America's leading litigator for property rights, individual liberty, and a balanced approach to environmental protection,' said Hopping. 'Especially at this time, when pressure is growing to vastly expand the public sector at the expense of the private sector, PLF's mission to .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/wade-l-hopping-elected-chair-of-r994819.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/wade-l-hopping-elected-chair-of-r994819.htm Business (PR-inside.com) As part of its routine surveillance, Fitch affirms its 'A-' rating on the City of Boerne, TX's (the city) $13 million in outstanding utility system improvement revenue bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The rating reflects the net revenues pledge of the combined utility system of the city. Pledged revenues consist of the electric utility (65% of operating revenues in fiscal 2007), the water utility (14%), and the wastewater utility (10%). Remaining revenues of the combined utility consist of the natural gas and garbage systems, neither of which are pledged. However, in practice, the gas system supports the .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-affirms-boerne-texas-utility-system-r994816.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-affirms-boerne-texas-utility-system-r994816.htm World News (PR-inside.com) JERUSALEM (AP) - The United Nations suspended missions in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after an Israeli tank killed two Palestinians in a truck flying the blue U.N. flag, depriving hundreds of thousands of increasingly desperate residents of a main source of food and humanitarian aid. Militants in Lebanon fired several Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, including one that tore through the roof of a nursing home and injured two people, raising Israeli concerns it may have to fight a two-front conflict. Israel swiftly retaliated with artillery at the suspected source .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/un-stops-gaza-aid-after-israeli-r994815.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/un-stops-gaza-aid-after-israeli-r994815.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Jewish Federation today expressed support for Israel's efforts to end Hamas rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. 'Israel has no choice but to defend its citizens after years of relentless attacks from Gaza,' said John Fishel, president of The Jewish Federation. 'Israel cannot continue to tolerate the danger to hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens living in cities and towns in Gaza rocket range. We pray that these hostilities will come to an end quickly.' Since September 2005 when Israel voluntarily withdrew from Gaza, Gaza-based terrorists have launched more than 6,000 rockets and mortars into .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/jewish-federation-of-greater-los-angeles-r994811.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/jewish-federation-of-greater-los-angeles-r994811.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Rohm and Haas Company (NYSE:ROH) reported today that the European Commission has determined that the pending acquisition of Rohm and Haas by The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) does not contravene EC competition law. With this decision, the transaction has obtained all necessary approvals in Europe. The sole remaining regulatory clearance necessary for the transaction to close is that of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Rohm and Haas Company continues to work diligently towards completing the proposed transaction with Dow in early 2009. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/rohm-and-haas-updates-status-of-r994812.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/rohm-and-haas-updates-status-of-r994812.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Allis-Chalmers Energy Inc. (NYSE:ALY) today announced the execution of a share purchase agreement to acquire all of BrazAlta Resources Corp's remaining equity interest in BCH Ltd. for $5 million. The closing of the transaction is anticipated by December 31, 2008 and will result in Allis-Chalmers owning all of the outstanding capital stock of BCH. BCH is a Canadian oilfield services company engaged in contract drilling operations exclusively in Brazil. BCH operates seven drilling rigs and one workover rig, and is currently one of the largest inland drilling contractors in Brazil. All of BCH's fleet of drilling rigs are .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/allis-chalmers-announces-agreement-to-r994813.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/allis-chalmers-announces-agreement-to-r994813.htm Business (PR-inside.com) 2009 International CES, Las Vegas, Sands Expo and Convention Center, Booth # 72832 - GammaTech Computer Corporation, a worldwide leading manufacturer of notebook computers, today debuted two new versatile, fully rugged personal computing devices for mobile professionals who work under adverse conditions. GammaTech's DURABOOK brand has gained notoriety with its semi-rugged notebook line and is releasing its first fully-rugged PCs at CES. The DURABOOK R13S includes an Intel® Core? 2 Duo Processor and can withstand drops, spills, vibrations and dust, while the DURABOOK RT7V features touch-screen functionality with similar durable functionality. GammaTech will showcase the fully rugged models .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/gammatech-debuts-two-new-fully-rugged-r994810.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/gammatech-debuts-two-new-fully-rugged-r994810.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Impulse Accelerated Technologies was invited by Xilinx, Inc. to showcase fast prototyping and development of real-time HD video processing applications. In an FPGA-enabled video processing demonstration, HD video is processed in real-time to identify and track a specific object. In this case, an inexpensive, low-power Xilinx FPGA is used to track and highlight 'Nemo' as he moves through the scenes of Pixar's Finding Nemo. This same technology extends to other applications in entertainment, home security and automotive. For example, a specific football player can be instantly identified and highlighted during a game. In an automotive application, highway signs could be .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/impulse-c-tools-accelerate-hd-video-r994809.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/impulse-c-tools-accelerate-hd-video-r994809.htm Business (PR-inside.com) PHASE 2 International (www.phase2.com), a premier Software as a Service provider based in Hawaii, reported today that the Oahu island-wide power outage that occurred on December 27th did not affect any of its operations or customers. The widespread power issues lasted for over 14 hours and severed commercial power to every home and business, leaving over 900,000 people in the dark. This included President-elect Barack Obama and his family who are visiting the island for vacation prior to his official inauguration on January 20th. 'It is times like these that our significant investment in facilities and infrastructure really .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/phase-2-unaffected-by-island-wide-power-r994807.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/phase-2-unaffected-by-island-wide-power-r994807.htm Business (PR-inside.com) iPerform3D ( www.iperform3D.com ), the 3D online learning company, today announced a completely new and different guitar instruction program, using motion-capture and 3D animation technology. This marks the first time that sophisticated motion-capture technology'previously limited to big-budget film and video game companies like Sony and Electronic Arts'is available beyond rarified videogame and entertainment circles via a patented application of the technology for online learning. Unlike DVDs or online video lessons, this system gives guitarists complete control, allowing them to rotate and zoom the 'virtual' camera to any angle, even 'behind' and 'through' the instructor's guitar neck. iPerform3D technology also allows .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/iperform3d-debuts-world-s-first-patented-r994808.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/iperform3d-debuts-world-s-first-patented-r994808.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Portland General Electric (PGE) (NYSE:POR) announced today that Maria M. Pope will become the company's senior vice president of finance, chief financial officer and treasurer. Pope has served as a member of PGE's board of directors since January 2006. She will fill the position left by Jim Piro as he becomes CEO and president on Jan. 1, 2009. 'Maria understands the financial challenges and opportunities that are facing PGE, and I know she'll provide the financial expertise, business acumen, leadership, and integrity that will allow her to succeed as PGE's chief financial officer,' Jim Piro said. 'I'm looking forward to .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/pge-announces-new-chief-financial-officer-r994806.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/pge-announces-new-chief-financial-officer-r994806.htm Finance (PR-inside.com) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Securities and Exchange Commission has reopened its investigation of possible insider trading involving a major hedge fund, a case closed two years ago that prompted scrutiny by Congress and the agency's internal watchdog. The SEC is examining whether the hedge fund, Pequot Capital Management, traded Microsoft Corp. shares on confidential information provided by a former employee of the technology company that it hired, a person familiar with the inquiry said Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the SEC has not publicly acknowledged reopening the probe. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/sec-reopens-insider-trading-probe-of-r994805.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/sec-reopens-insider-trading-probe-of-r994805.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) today announced that it will deliver a presentation at the 27th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at approximately 4:30 p.m. PST at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA. The presentation will be webcast live and can be accessed through the Chemed website at www.chemed.com (Investor Relations). The webcast replay will be available approximately three hours after the live presentation and will be accessible for 90 days. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Chemed Corporation (www.chemed.com) operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/chemed-corporation-to-present-at-the-r994803.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/chemed-corporation-to-present-at-the-r994803.htm Business (PR-inside.com) IXYS Corporation (NASDAQ:IXYS) announced today that it will participate in the 11th Annual Needham and Company, LLC Growth Conference to be held in New York City on January 6-8, 2009. Dr. Nathan Zommer, President and Chief Executive Officer of IXYS, will give the presentation on January 8, 2009 from 2:30 to 3:00 PM, Eastern Time. An audio presentation can be accessed live, and for 7 days thereafter, by going to: http://www.wsw.com/webcast/needham27/ixys/ IXYS develops and markets primarily high performance power and RF semiconductors and control ICs that are used in controlling and converting .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/ixys-to-participate-in-11th-annual-r994804.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/ixys-to-participate-in-11th-annual-r994804.htm Business (PR-inside.com) StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. ('StanCorp') (NYSE:SFG) announced today it will release fourth quarter 2008 financial results on January 27, 2009, following the close of market. The press release will be available shortly thereafter on the Company's Web site at www.stancorpfinancial.com. StanCorp management will also hold an investor and analyst conference call to review StanCorp's fourth quarter 2008 results on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at noon Eastern time (9:00 a.m. Pacific time). To listen to the live webcast of this conference call, logon to www.stancorpfinancial.com and select Investor Relations. Windows Media Player' will be required .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/stancorp-financial-group-inc-to-announce-r994802.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/stancorp-financial-group-inc-to-announce-r994802.htm World News (PR-inside.com) BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Two suspects have been arrested in a double murder of the principal and a teacher at a Budapest school, police officials said Thursday. The main suspect is a 52-year-old school security guard at the school, in the Hungarian capital's Csepel neighborhood, police said. Budapest Police Deputy Chief Zsolt Bodnar said the security guard shot the two men Wednesday evening, hours after he and an accomplice, a 36-year-old former administrator at the school, were fired by the principal on suspicion of embezzling up to 4 million forints ($20,000, €14,600). The .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/police-detain-2-men-in-hungary-r994801.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/police-detain-2-men-in-hungary-r994801.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Westaff, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSTF), a leading provider of staffing services, announced today that it has received a proposal from Koosharem Corporation (as Select Staffing) under which Select Staffing would acquire all of the outstanding shares of Westaff common stock not owned by DelStaff, LLC for $1.25 per share in cash and all of the shares owned by DelStaff, LLC (which shares represent approximately 49.3% of the outstanding shares of Westaff common stock) for first lien debt issued by Select Staffing having a value roughly equivalent to $1.25 per share. Select Staffing's proposal is subject to significant conditions, including the completion of due .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/westaff-receives-proposal-from-select-staffing-r994800.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/westaff-receives-proposal-from-select-staffing-r994800.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), a leading motion picture exhibitor, today announced that the Company will be presenting at the Eleventh Annual ICR XChange Conference on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa in Dana Point, CA. The presentation will begin at 12:00 PM Pacific time (3:00 PM Eastern time). Investors and interested parties may listen to a webcast of the presentation by visiting the Company's website at www.cinemark.com under the investor relations section. About Cinemark Holdings, Inc. Headquartered in Plano, TX, Cinemark is a leader in the .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/cinemark-to-present-at-the-eleventh-r994799.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/cinemark-to-present-at-the-eleventh-r994799.htm World News (PR-inside.com) SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - A strong earthquake shook the Costa Rican capital of San Jose Thursday afternoon, sending frightened residents running into streets. There were no reports of injuries in the minutes following the earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude temblor struck 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of San Jose, at a depth of 28 miles (35 kilometers). Canal 7 television showed images of broken windows, fallen ceiling panels and cracked walls. It said the quake was felt strongly throughout the small Central American country. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/strong-earthquake-shakes-costa-rica-r994798.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/strong-earthquake-shakes-costa-rica-r994798.htm Business (PR-inside.com) TranSwitch Corporation (NASDAQ: TXCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions for the converging voice, data and video network, today announced that on December 24, 2008 it purchased $15 million principal amount of its 5.45% Convertible Notes for $9.9 million, plus accrued interest. Prior to this transaction TranSwitch had approximately $25 million principal amount of outstanding 5.45% Convertible Notes that were issued in July 2007 and due September 30, 2010. 'TranSwitch was very active in the fourth quarter as we completed the acquisition of Centillium Communications and we took steps to lower the combined company's operating expense levels to .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/transwitch-corporation-repurchases-r994796.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/transwitch-corporation-repurchases-r994796.htm Business (PR-inside.com) The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs today accused Iran of facilitating Hamas rocket attacks on Israel. 'The role of Iran in the training and buildup of the Hamas arsenal has been regrettably overlooked by the world's media and many of its political leaders,' said Tom Neumann, executive director of the Institute. 'Hamas's rocket attacks have become longer range and more lethal as a result of Iranian assistance and training,' he said. No country can remain on the sidelines while its towns and villages are subject to daily barrages of rockets, Neumann said. 'Israel's .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/jinsa-accuses-iran-of-facilitating-rocket-r994794.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/jinsa-accuses-iran-of-facilitating-rocket-r994794.htm Business (PR-inside.com) First Montauk Financial Corp. (OTCBB: FMFK) announced today that it has completed the previously announced sale of certain assets of its primary subsidiary, First Montauk Securities Corp., a registered Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisor ('FMSC') to First Allied Securities, Inc., an Advanced Equities Financial Corp. company. Upon the closing under the definitive asset purchase agreement, many of First Montauk's independent registered representatives joined First Allied, and First Allied acquired the right to service the customer accounts of those representatives that join First Allied. As previously disclosed in its proxy statement to shareholders, dated September 23, 2008, upon completion of the sale .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/first-montauk-completes-asset-sale-transaction-r994795.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/first-montauk-completes-asset-sale-transaction-r994795.htm Business (PR-inside.com) While there may be 'some things money can't buy,' MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) options aren't in that category. In fact, options players proved that point yesterday, with both bullish and bearish bettors flocking to the credit card king. As reported in this morning's Opening View, MA saw about 15,600 calls cross the tape, more than doubling its average daily volume of fewer than 7,000 contracts. However, it was the security's puts that garnered the most attention, with almost 30,000 contracts changing hands - more than 4.5 times the average daily volume of fewer than 6,500 contracts. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/schaeffer-s-sentiment-snapshot-mastercard-r994792.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/schaeffer-s-sentiment-snapshot-mastercard-r994792.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Liberty Tax Service (www.libertytax.com) has climbed to #3 on the latest Entrepreneur 'Franchise 500.' Throughout this decade, Liberty Tax Service has demonstrated solid gains in revenue and system growth against its competitors H and R Block (NYSE:HRB) and Jackson Hewitt (NYSE:JTX). Liberty Tax Service continues to flourish during the current economic downturn by offering business ownership opportunities, long-term security, and new jobs in contrast to downsizing and closures by many companies. The Company plans to expand its chain of franchised offices by adding 400 offices for a total of over 3,000 locations in the United States and Canada by mid-January .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/entrepreneur-magazine-ranks-liberty-tax-r994791.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/entrepreneur-magazine-ranks-liberty-tax-r994791.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Heath Construction (www.heathconstruction.com) is building Fort Collins' third branch library - a 17,500-square-foot facility that will be the city's first LEED-certified library. Library officials estimate the final cost for Council Tree Library, including materials, furnishings and cost of the building core, will be $6.6 million. Heath's construction costs total $1.6 million. The new library branch, scheduled for completion in early 2009, is designed to meet or exceed the city's goal for a LEED Gold Certified library facility. Working with the City of Fort Collins, the Heath team is building the high-performance Council Tree Library .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/heath-construction-building-city-s-green-r994789.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/heath-construction-building-city-s-green-r994789.htm World News (PR-inside.com) Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Raul Gonzales (pictured speaking at the hearing) on Wednesday vowed to finish the review of the resolution recommending the release of the three drug suspects dubbed as the 'Alabang Boys' within 10 days. Gonzales, who voluntarily attended Wednesday's hearing being conducted by the committee on dangerous drugs of the House of Representatives, said he will examine all the pieces of evidence available, adding that he could not say if he would agree with the resolution because he has yet to read the documents completely. 'I cannot say I agree with the resolution because I have not really .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/alabang-boys-gonzales-to-deal-r994788.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/alabang-boys-gonzales-to-deal-r994788.htm Business (PR-inside.com) AMERICREDIT CORP. (NYSE: ACF) will release its second quarter 2009 operating results on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009, after market close. A conference call to discuss the results will begin at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. The conference call will be broadcast live for all interested parties via the Company's Web site at www.americredit.com. It is necessary to go to the Company's Web site to register, download and install any required audio software prior to the call. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available shortly after the call has concluded. .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/americredit-to-webcast-conference-call-r994786.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/americredit-to-webcast-conference-call-r994786.htm Business (PR-inside.com) Aetna (NYSE: AET) is introducing a health insurance plan with the goal of helping small businesses in under-served communities offer health insurance to their employees for the first time ever. Called the Aetna Illinois Community PlanSM, it is designed for Chicago-area small businesses with 2 to 50 eligible employees and is approximately 25 percent less expensive than other Aetna small group insurance plans with similar benefits. Aetna's Illinois Community Plan is available through insurance brokers to members and member affiliates of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is open to anyone. 'We're very .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/aetna-introduces-new-chicagoland-plan-r994787.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/aetna-introduces-new-chicagoland-plan-r994787.htm Business (PR-inside.com) MFS Investment Management® (MFS) today announced the availability of information on the results of the weekly auctions for the week ending December 26, 2008, that determine the dividend rate payable on the auction rate preferred shares issued by the closed-end funds identified below. The data is posted online at www.mfs.com and can be accessed by clicking on 'News and Commentary,' then 'News Room,' then 'Closed-End Funds Press Releases.' The information pertains to the following MFS closed-end funds: MFS California Insured Municipal Fund (AMEX: CCA) MFS High Income Municipal Trust (NYSE: CXE) MFS High Yield .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/updated-information-regarding-auction-preferred-r994785.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/updated-information-regarding-auction-preferred-r994785.htm Business (PR-inside.com) In less than a week, the 38th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction will take center stage in Scottsdale, Ariz. From Jan. 11-18, 2009, the all No Reserve auction will feature everything from muscle cars and classics to a historic vintage airplane, providing collectors with one of the most eclectic dockets in auction history. SPEED will broadcast nearly 40 hours of live, high-definition coverage of all six auction days. 'We're just days away from another spectacular Scottsdale auction,' said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. 'The successful sale in Las Vegas last October has given us tremendous momentum, leading to an .. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 http://www.pr-inside.com/barrett-jackson-gears-up-for-spectacular-r994784.htm http://www.pr-inside.com/barrett-jackson-gears-up-for-spectacular-r994784.htm