14:21:44

The 85th annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

The 85th annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is something of an American institution in the same way that the Daytona and Indianapolis events are part of USA racing folklore. BMW Motorrad is returning to this years race which takes place on Saturday 21July with two missions: to win the event outright and to break the outright speed record for the climb up the famous hill. And in order to achieve this, BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be fielding a team of four American riders and will also be showcasing the new HP2 Megamoto machine in this historic and arduous race.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the second oldest motorsport event in the United States. The hill climb itself started in 1916 and is run on a 12.4-mile course that begins at 9,197 feet and rises to 14,100 feet up a tight twisty Colorado Rockies mountain road with numerous tight hairpins.

21:43:36

Ace Combat 6 confirmed for Xbox 360

Only announced for North America so far where it's due to release later in the year, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - to give the game its full title - features Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Co-op online multiplayer modes to accompany its single-player action. Additional details released to date focus on Ace Combat 6's Dynamic Operation System - a fancy name for a feature allowing a maximum of six battles to ensue simultaneously on a single battleground - and the Allied Support System. Via this system, players can grab support from the likes of tanks, ships and other aircraft. You can check out the first screenshots from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation on this here page. .

21:52:02

Classic Japanese Arcade Game Reborn on Windows Mobile Pocket PC

United Kingdom (PRWEB) February 26 2007 -- Europe's leading Direct To Consumer portal for Windows Mobile games, clickgamer.com , is exclusively promoting the worldwide release of one of the greatest Japanese arcade games on the Windows Mobile Pocket PC - XIIZeal. This release is a conversion of the Japanese arcade game XIIStag by Triangle Service Corp. XIIZeal is published and developed, in collaboration with the original developers, by Eurosoft-Games - game development division of Eurosoft International, Inc.who has secured the rights of the game for Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform. The game is currently available for all versions of Windows Mobile Pocket PCs.

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12:24:18

The whole world in their hands: Annual CAPE event celebrates its ...

MUSCATINE, Iowa 鈥?"A Whole New World" is awaiting Muscatine High School juniors and seniors following this year’s prom.Organizers of the 16th annual Carnival After Prom Extrava-ganza, set for Sunday morning, May 6, say this year’s party has an Arabian theme, and have titled it "A Whole New World" after the theme song from the Walt Disney movie, "Aladdin."But they will need the community’s help to make it real.

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10:49:48

Big day for PlayStation fans

AVID computer game fans stayed up until the early hours to pick up the hotly anticipated Playstation 3 console.

Keen gamers who had pre-ordered the 拢425 machine waited anxiously at computer shops including Gamestation, Great Bolton Street, Blackburn, to get their hands on it first.

At Gamestation they were allowed into the store at 11.30pm to get out from the cold but had to wait until midnight when the Sony-produced machine officially went on sale.

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real estate investing

RE/MAX promotes Abu Dhabi Projects through 120000 Real Estate ...

RE/MAX Silver Start Property Management Company, duly registered in the UAE Ministry of Economy, and the authorized local agent for RE/MAX International, announced it is seeking to open new horizons in the real estate industry in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is not only planning to attract local and foreign investors, but also to use its global network of 120,000 agents in 7000 real estate agencies and offices in over 68 countries, to market Abu Dhabi projects globally. The network will also identify attractive real estate opportunities worldwide for its clients within the UAE.

The company has signed contracts with real estate giants like Tameer, DAMAC, Hydra and High Rise, whereby it can sell or lease residential and commercial properties for these companies in Abu Dhabi, and to market such properties inside and outside the UAE, a company press release said lately.

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ING plans to add 130 jobs at DM offices

ING plans to hire 130 people in Des Moines to fill vacancies and staff a securities management business that it is moving here from California.

The Dutch-based insurance and financial services company is moving most of the brokerage operations of ING Advisors Network from El Segundo, Calif., to Des Moines. That will create 70 jobs at ING's downtown Des Moines headquarters.

Most of the management jobs will pay up to $65,000, and other jobs will pay $25,000 to $35,000.

Chris Welp, manager of the Des Moines operations of ING, said the company is focusing on the city because it has a work force available that is trained in insurance and financial services. ING also has in place in Des Moines technology that will be used to support the relocated California operations.

investing strategy

Venture capitalists seek regional opportunities

The Ohio-Midwest Fund has invested $40 million in Ohio companies that has impacted 1,375 jobs in the state through venture capital investments.

However, none of that capital was invested in Toledo, but the Ohio-Midwest Fund is currently exploring opportunities in Toledo, said Mel Carter, in-state investment specialist for Credit Suisse's Customized Fund Investment Group, which manages the Ohio-Midwest Fund.

We want to bring this capital to Toledo and the university, said Steven Weathers, president and CEO of the Regional Growth Partnership.

The Ohio-Midwest Fund is the $51 million regional investment program of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. The fund is invested in eight private equity funds, all of which have strong ties to Ohio, but none directly to Toledo.

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P'ville board demands law firm name sources for report

PLEASANTVILLE 鈥?The Board of Education will pay a law firm for an internal investigation into insurance contracts, despite voting not to, the board president said Monday. But first, the firm must name its informants.

鈥淭hey will not be paid until those persons are identified," said President James Pressley, who is portrayed negatively in the report.

The board passed a resolution in March agreeing to pay DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Wisler no more than $50,000 for the investigation. An initial report dated April 4 alleged multiple violations of state law involving board members and district contractors. It also said two people claimed they were threatened with violence if they told investigators what they know.

But at the reorganization meeting April 24, the newly sworn in board opted not to pay the $28,704.10 bill.

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Red ink hits Pod's shares

Pod's shares have dropped 27.5 per cent, or 11c, to 29, after the firm announced it had fallen into the red.

The listed fashion and garment firm said yesterday it had incurred a $1.173 million interim net loss, after being stung by poor hedging positions. It reported a net trading profit of $507,000 in the same 2005 December half.

No interim dividend will be paid.

Pod's chairman and cornerstone investor, George Gould, said bottom line profitability would return in the June 2008 year.

Fashionable merino garments have recently been Pod's key focus, but the high kiwi dollar has hit export returns for those products, causing foreign exchange losses of $1.035m.

Gould said the strategy would now be to accelerate overseas merino-product manufacturing in Sri Lanka and China to remain competitive.

investments advisers

Fidelity unveils systems for RIAs

Fidelity Investments, in cooperation with Oracle Corp. and Emerging Information Systems Inc., has created two web-based customer relationship management and financial planning systems for registered investment advisers, the Boston-based firm announced today.

Through a customized version of Oracles Siebel CRM On Demand, Fidelity offers advisers with automatic data management.

The new software will be integrated with Advisor CHANNEL, Fidelitys brokerage platform.

Client data within Advisor CHANNEL can now be imported into the CRM program, showing account valuations and contact information on one screen.

Fidelitys NaviPlan financial planning software, coming from EISIs NaviPlan Central program, also works with Advisor CHANNEL, allowing advisers access to Fidelitys brokerage account demographic.

private real estate investors

Medicare | Prices for 10 Top Brand-Name Drugs Under Private ...

Prices under Medicare prescription drug plans for 10 of the most prescribed brand-name medications have increased 6.8% since December 2006, while wholesale prices for the same drugs have increased 3%, according to a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee report, the Washington Post reports. Previously, Medicare actuaries had projected that drug prices would increase by 7% over the entire year.

According to the report, insurance companies that offer Medicare drug plans likely will negotiate rebates from pharmaceutical companies that amount to 4.6% of total drug costs this year, compared with 5.2% last year. Medicare actuaries previously had estimated insurers in 2007 would obtain rebates of 6%. According to the Post, a reduction in discounts from 6% to 4.6% over 10 years would result in about $17 billion in unanticipated prescription drugs costs for beneficiaries and taxpayers, with all of the additional money going to drug companies.

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IL Cochran Caronia

CHICAGO, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Cochran Caronia Waller recently issued a research report titled "Broker Deals: Potential Buyout Premiums". Our findings and investment conclusions are summarized below. The Insurance Broker segment should continue to see a high level of buyout activity. The main driver will likely be increased interest from the private equity community. To date, current shareholders have reaped huge gains (40% plus) from the recent buyouts (Hub and USI). The major question is can future buyouts provide similar levels of return to the shareholders? This report contains a simplified LBO analysis that demonstrates potential premiums from current share prices for all of the public insurance brokers and resulting returns for financial buyers. Our conclusion is that premiums are still possible, but at lower levels compared to the previous deals.

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Bear Stearns to Take Write-Off on Specialist Unit (Update4)

May 14 (Bloomberg) -- Bear Stearns Cos. slashed the value of its New York Stock Exchange specialist unit and will take a $225 million charge as the shift to automated trading eliminates the need for brokers on the floor of the Big Board.

Bear Stearns also bought the 40 percent of the Bear Wagner unit it didn't already own from Hunter Partners LLC to ``give us more flexibility in managing the business in this changing environment,'' Chief Executive Officer James Cayne said in a statement today. Terms of the transaction weren't disclosed.

The NYSE's new automated trading system has eliminated work for floor traders who now handle about 18 percent of the 1.6 billion shares traded daily on the Big Board, down from 86 percent at the start of 2006, according to the exchange's Web site.

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Sequenom Reports First Quarter 2007 Financial Results

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2007 - Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) today reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2007. Revenues for the first quarter of 2007 rose 43.1% to $9.9 million, compared with revenues of $6.9 million for the first quarter of 2006. The increase in revenues for the quarter was primarily due to an increase in the number of placements of MassARRAY(R) systems, related product sales and growth in the Contract Research Services group. The net loss for the first quarter of 2007 of $3.7 million, or $0.11 per share, was primarily unchanged from the same period last year of $3.7 million, or $0.28 per share.

Cost of product and service revenue for the first quarter of 2007 was $4.4 million, compared with $2.7 million for the first quarter of 2006, with the increase primarily associated with higher sales volumes.

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MPS Group Announces First Quarter 2007 Results

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MPS Group, Inc. , a leading provider of specialty staffing, consulting, and business solutions, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2007. Revenue was above the range of guidance previously provided by management, and diluted net income per common share was within the range of guidance previously provided by management.

First Quarter Summary * Revenue was $510 million, up 16% versus the first quarter of 2006; * Excluding the effect of foreign currency exchange rates and acquisitions, revenue increased 7% versus the first quarter of 2006; * Gross profit was $140 million, up 19% versus the first quarter of 2006; * Diluted net income per common share was $0.17, up 13% from the first quarter of 2006; and * The Company used $11 million during the first quarter to repurchase Company stock.

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Forex - Dollar mixed in rangebound trade Sydney morning

SYDNEY (XFN-ASIA) - The dollar was up against the yen but softer against the euro in rangebound trade here ahead of today's Bank of Japan interest rate decision and US housing market data for February due later tonight, dealers said.

At 10.17 am here (2317 GMT Monday), the dollar was at 117.55 yen, up from 117.50 in late New York trading, while the euro was at 1.3309 usd, up from 1.3295 in New York.

Dealers said currency pairs moved in fairly narrow ranges overnight due to a lack of key data, while renewed risk appetite encouraged the rebuilding of carry trade positions, which saw dollar/yen hit a high of 117.80.

NAB Capital strategists said expectations that the BoJ will issue a relatively dovish statement after its policy decision later today also helped underpin dollar/yen, with hedge funds, leverage-type accounts and Japanese importers seen as buyers of the greenback.

futures brokerage

Apollo a Recommended Buy - Broker

The online stock broking firm India Infoline has indicated that Apollo Tyres is a prudent share purchase, and has placed a recommended buy rating on the stock with a target of Rs 397 (4.74). India Infoline describes Apollo as the leading commercial vehicle tyre player in India and adds that the company is expanding at a rapid pace, both organically and inorganically. The brokerage firm expects Apollos topline and bottom line to grow by 14.3 per cent and 26.2 per cent respectively between the 2006 and 2009 financial years.

Apollo is expanding passenger car tyre capacity by 1,100,000 units and light commercial tyre capacity by 100,000 units by the end of the 2007 financial year, increasing total production to 410 tonnes per day. To add to the tyremakers sharemarket desirability, Apollo have also recently commenced production of its Dura Tyre range of retreads, scheduled for initial launch in northern India in May 2007.

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Stocking the Wild Rainbow

McKenzie River: About 7,000 adipose fin-clipped rainbow trout will be scattered by boat between Blue River and the head of Leaburg Lake.

Leaburg Lake: The still waters behind Leaburg Dam will be stocked with 3,000 hatchery trout.

Clear Lake: To be planted with 4,500 trout. Resort restaurant won't be open, but rowboat rental will be available.

Carmen Reservoir: To be stocked with 3,500 trout.

Blue River: Stream above the reservoir will get 1,500 trout. .

stock options trading

Easy Uploads from Flickr to Stock Photo Library 123RF

Royalty-free stock photo library 123RF is bringing stock photography to another level with the introduction of its Flickr API (Application Programming Interface) integration. Flickr is an online photo management and sharing community that lets users store, organize, share and create personalized premiums to family and friends. Flickr members can now upload their personal portfolio for sale at 123RF.com. With this new feature, Flickr members have the opportunity to convert their images into royalty-free stock photos and earn instant cash. Instead of just having their personal collection stored online, Flickr members now have the opportunity to see their masterpieces used in a commercial capacity. When Flickr users license their images on 123RF.com, customers can purchase the right to use these images on billboards, press advertisements, publications and other marketing campaigns.