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Watercooler - News Archive - 2006

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Current Issue - July 2006 - "Billion Dollar Marketplace" Subscribe here
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Watercooler for Friday, July 28, 2006


June 2006
COM DEV Awarded US $5.2 Million Authorization to Proceed for European Military Satellite Contract

Company Continues to Make Inroads into Defense Segment

CAMBRIDGE - COM DEV International Ltd. on July 27 announced it has been awarded an Authorization to Proceed (ATP) valued at US $5.2 million (approximately CDN $5.9 million) to commence the design and manufacture of equipment for a European military communications satellite program. COM DEV expects the ATP to lead to a full contract valued at US $18.0 million (approximately CDN $20.5 million), with work carried out over the next 17 months at the Company's facilities in Cambridge, Ontario, and Aylesbury, UK.
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May 2006
March April 2006
January February 2006
November December 2005
October 2005
September 2005
July August 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March April 2005
January February 2005
Sun Life Financial increases quarterly dividend on Common Shares and declares dividend on Preferred Shares

Six-month earnings exceed $1 billion for first time

Sun Life Financial Inc. on July 27, announced record earnings of $512 million or $0.88 per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2006. Earnings per share (EPS) were up 8.6% (14.8% in constant currency) over the second quarter of 2005. Return on equity (ROE) grew to 13.6% for the quarter, up from 13.0% in the second quarter of 2005. "We achieved strong growth in sales and value of new business domestically and internationally as we continued to execute on our strategy to enhance our global distribution capabilities," said Donald A. Stewart, Chief Executive Officer.
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DALSA Reports Second Quarter 2006 Financial Results

Waterloo, Ontario, July 27, 2006 - DALSA Corporation , an international high performance semiconductor and electronics company, today reported revenue of $49.0 million in the second quarter of 2006 and net income of $4.0 million or $0.21 per share, diluted. The following table summarizes the key results for the second quarter of 2006 and compares them to the second quarter of 2005:
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Restaurants, caterers and taverns May 2006

Total estimated sales of the restaurants, caterers and taverns industry reached $3.4 billion in May, a 5.2% increase over May 2005 on a year-over-year basis. (Data are neither seasonally adjusted, nor adjusted for inflation).
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NCR and Microsoft Deliver POS Application for the Independent Retailer

NCR RealPOS™ hardware certified with Microsoft Retail Management System software provides a comprehensive POS solution

ATLANTA, GA – NCR Corporation has announced the release of a point-of-sale (POS) solution combining Microsoft Retail Management System software and the full line of NCR RealPOS POS hardware.
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Indosat, RIM and Sony Ericsson Announce Availability of BlackBerry Connect for the M600i Mobile Phone in Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia and Waterloo, ON - Indosat, Sony Ericsson and Research In Motion (RIM) on July 27 announced the availability of BlackBerry® Connect™ on Sony Ericsson’s latest M600i mobile phone in Indonesia.
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WORLD RECORD LARGEST SMOOTHIE GETS BROKEN AND PROCEEDS DONATED TO CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY

Kitchener, Ontario — after 7 blenders, 3.5 hours of blending and over 25 000 ounces of smoothie (740 litres), one of the Booster Juice stores in Kitchener broke the current record for the World’s Largest Smoothie. To break this record Booster Juice had to surpass the previous record of 333 litres!
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Industrial product and raw materials price indexes June 2006

Raw materials prices declined sharply in June due to lower prices for non-ferrous metals and crude oil. Prices for manufactured goods at the factory gate were down in June following three months of increases. Prices charged by manufacturers, as measured by the Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI), were down 0.4% from May to June. Lower prices for primary metal products and lumber products were the major contributors to this monthly decrease.The 12-month change in the IPPI was up 2.2%, down slightly from May's year-over-year increase of 2.5%. Upward pressure came mainly from higher prices for petroleum products and primary metal products.
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Grafton-Fraser Pays $1.2 Million to Settle Misleading Advertising Case with Competition Bureau

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - The Competition Bureau announced on July 27 stated that it has reached a settlement with one of Canada's largest retailers of men's apparel, Grafton-Fraser Inc., resolving the Bureau's concerns over the company's pricing practices. Grafton-Fraser operates over 180 corporate stores under the banners of George Richards Big & Tall, Grafton & Co. (Stonehouse), Mr. Big & Tall, The Suit Exchange, Timberland and Tip Top Tailors. The settlement comes in the form of a Consent Agreement which was registered today with the Competition Tribunal.
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Premiers must engage the federal government to restore funding cuts to post-secondary education

Billions owed to provinces in cash transfer payments

St. John's, NL, - Canada's premiers must collaborate with the federal government to develop a national vision for post-secondary education that includes massive re-investment in core transfers to the provinces. Little progress has been made on the post-secondary education commitments made last year by the Council of the Federation; students are calling on the premiers to use the opportunity of this meeting to reaffirm the importance of affordable education.
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Comtek Files Second Patent on Advanced Composite Manufacturing Process

PHOENIX, AZ- As a continuation of its global intellectual property strategy, Comtek Advanced Structures, ("Comtek") on July 27, announced the recent filing of a second patent application related to its low cost composites manufacturing initiative. This new resin heating and curing system, code-named "SmartCure" has been developed in conjunction with the Institute for Aerospace Research, a division of the Canadian National Research Council.
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Comtek Establishes Scientific Advisory Board

PHOENIX, AZ - Comtek Advanced Structures ("Comtek") on July 27, announced the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board to provide strategic oversight and direction for the company's extensive R&D and technology development efforts. The Scientific Advisory Board is chaired by Mr. Alistair Davie, Comtek's Chief Technology Officer and a member of the board of directors. The other members of Comtek's Scientific Advisory Board are:
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Toxic releases by industry down in North America

MONTREAL - New data presented in the latest Taking Stock report from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) show that industrial chemical releases fell by 20 percent in North America between 1998 and 2003, including a reduction in releases to air of 21 percent.
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Report Urges Reform Of Business In Brazil

“Bewildering bureaucracy, endless paperwork and one of the world’s most onerous tax systems mean that thousands of Brazilian businesses can only survive by operating illegally, according to a report published on Wednesday,” reports The Financial Times (UK).
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Biofuels cost, benefits examined

With rising costs and depleting supplies of fuel, as well as the negative environmental consequences associated with the use of fossil fuels, scientists are studying the viability of biofuels, which are sourced from agricultural products.
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RDM Corporation announces 50% revenue growth in third quarter of 2006

- Digital Imaging business more than doubles over prior year

WATERLOO - RDM Corporation , a leading developer of specialized software and hardware products for electronic payment processing, today reported its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2006.
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Indonesia Needs SMEs To Solve Jobless Woes - World Bank

“Indonesia needs to help small businesses by cutting red tape and improving their access to capital in order to tackle the country's high jobless rate, a senior economist at the World Bank said on Wednesday,” reports Reuters.
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Toronto lands three major U.S.-based conventions

Expected to generate $25.8 million in spending in Toronto area; U.S. convention business growing, defying trend in leisure market

TORONTO - Tourism Toronto and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) announced today that Toronto has won bids to host three new U.S. meeting groups. Barbershop Harmony Society, Federal Express Corporation, and Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology will host their meetings in Toronto.
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Bruce Power sets new production mark in first half of 2006

Unit 6 leads the way with 98 per cent capacity factor

TIVERTON - Bruce Power generated more electricity during the first half of 2006 than any time in its five-year history, increasing production by nearly 15 per cent compared to the first six months of 2005.
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World Bank Finds Corruption Declining In Eastern Europe, Central Asia

“Several former socialist countries in Europe and Central Asia have fewer incidences of corruption than they did three years ago, continuing a trend that started in the 1990s…., the World Bank said Wednesday,” reports The Associated Press.
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Ontario Government Plans Ahead By Investing In Infrastructure Garden City Skyway Bridge Repairs Improve Economic And Tourism Corridor

ST. CATHARINES - The Ontario government is repairing nine piers as part of a long-term plan to keep the Garden City Skyway Bridge in good condition, Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield announced July 27. "The Garden City Skyway Bridge was built in 1963 and is the second longest bridge in Ontario," said Cansfield. "This bridge is an important economic and tourism corridor. Last year, more than $130 billion worth of goods, four million trucks and 23 million cars travelled on the QEW across the Garden City Skyway Bridge."
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Thursday July 27, 2006
Business Conditions Survey: Manufacturing industries July 2006

Manufacturers remained resilient in their outlook for the third quarter — despite the Canadian dollar reaching levels not seen in almost three decades and increasing oil prices. A modest improvement in the level of new orders and declining finished product inventories, saw manufacturers slightly more positive about production and employment prospects for the third quarter.
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WATERLOO HIRES 41 NEW POLICE OFFICERS WITH McGUINTY GOVERNMENT FUNDING

New Officers Hired Through Safer Communities – 1,000 Officers Partnership Program

WATERLOO REGION — John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre was pleased to welcome Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter to Waterloo Region on July 26. The Minister came to our community to highlight that the Waterloo Regional Police Service will soon have hired 41 new police as a result of the McGuinty government’s Safer Communities – 1,000 Officers Partnership program.
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Traveller accommodation services price indexes Second quarter 2006

Monthly traveller accommodation services price indexes for the second quarter of 2006 are now available. These indexes, which measure price movements of accommodation services, reflect changes in room rates, excluding all indirect taxes, for overnight or short stays, with no meals or other services provided.
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Bell Globemedia and CHUM Limited Announce Mailing of Offer and Take-over Bid Circular Together with Directors' Circular

TORONTO - Bell Globemedia Inc. ("BGM") and CHUM Limited ("CHUM") jointly announce that Bell Globemedia Acquisition Corporation has mailed to shareholders of CHUM its Offer and Take-over Bid Circular
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Monthly Survey of Manufacturing May 2006

A big boost in the production of aerospace products overshadowed an otherwise weak May for manufacturers.



Shipments advanced 0.3% to $50.9 billion in May, on the heels of widespread gains in the aerospace industry. The production of aerospace products and parts soared 79.8% to $1.6 billion in May, following a 36.6% drop in April.

Aerospace manufacturers work through orders

Global demand for domestic and military-related aircraft and parts has been fuelling the strength in aerospace manufacturing since early 2005. Loaded with orders, aerospace production has been quite volatile in recent months, and has contributed to investment in plants and the hiring of additional staff in the once beleaguered industry.
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Waterloo Region Welcomes over $763, 800 in Ontario Trillium Foundation Grants

Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy welcomed $763, 800 in Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) funding on July 26 for ten local organizations impacting Waterloo Region.
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2005 a Challenging Year for Global Forest and Paper Products Industry:

VANCOUVER - 2005 was a challenging year for the global forest and paper industry, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) ninth annual Global Forest, Paper and Packaging Industry Survey, released today. Return on capital employed (ROCE), a key measure of performance in this capital-intensive industry, fell to an average of 4.5% in 2005 from 5.3% in 2004. This is far from the target of 10 to 12%.
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Maplesoft's DynaFlexPro/Tire Module Enhances Modeling and Simulation of Mechanical Multibody Systems; Mechatronic Tool for High-Fidelity Pneumatic Tire Modeling

WATERLOO - Maplesoft(TM), the leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science and mathematics, announced today the availability of the DynaFlexPro(TM)/Tire module. DynaFlexPro is a Maple(TM)-based tool for modeling and simulating the dynamics of complex mechanical multibody systems such as mechanisms, robots and machinery.
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Reuters News Alert July 26, 2006
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Township attracts new ethanol plant to the community

ODESSA, ON - Loyalist Township today approved an agreement to sell approximately 150 acres of industrial zoned land in the Taylor Kidd Industrial Park to Upper Canada Ethanol Inc. ("UCE"). UCE is intending to construct a $200 million fuel ethanol plant. The plant will produce 400 million litres of ethanol annually and will be one of the largest ethanol production facilities in Canada.
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TACKLING MALARIA MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE

Geneva, Switzerland – Fighting malaria is good for business, governments and the community, highlights a report launched today entitled Business and Malaria: A Neglected Threat by the Global Health Initiative (GHI) of the World Economic Forum. The report, the largest, most comprehensive ever on the impact of malaria on business, states that Sub-Saharan African businesses are highly likely to be affected by malaria, with a staggering 72% reporting a current effect from malaria, and 39% reporting serious impacts to their business.
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Sears Canada Reports Second Quarter Earnings

TORONTO - Sears Canada Inc. on June 27 announced its unaudited second quarter results. Total revenues for the 13-week period ended July 1, 2006 were $1.428 billion compared to $1.522 billion for the 13 weeks ended July 2, 2005, a decrease of 6.2%. The decrease in revenues was primarily due to the sale of the Credit and Financial Services operations in the fourth quarter of 2005. Same store sales decreased 3.0%.
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Allstates WorldCargo Joins Descartes' Global Logistics Network

WATERLOO -- Logistics software and services specialist The Descartes Systems Group Inc. has added freight forwarder and logistics services provider Allstates WorldCargo Inc. to its multimodal electronic messaging network, called the Global Logistics Network or GLN. Allstates said this is the first time the company has used an electronic network to share information and collaborate with its trading partners. Allstates transports freight for thousands of companies using domestic and global partnerships with air, ocean and over-the-road carriers.
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IPA SBRB Study: Small Business Confidence Continues to Slide

IPA SBCI declines nearly 20% since April; Energy/fuel costs a growing concern

Buffalo Grove, IL  Confidence among small businesses in the United States has decreased sharply as the economic cycle moves past the half-way mark for 2006, according to a new study from the International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board (IPA SBRB). The businesses surveyed indicated that expectations for revenue have lessened and fuel/energy costs are becoming a more critical issue.
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Donors Pledge $750 Million Aid To Haiti

“International donors have pledged $750 million in aid to the Caribbean nation of Haiti in an effort to help economic recovery over the next year,” reports The BBC (UK).
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Hume Media Launches New Investment Advisory Newsletter

TORONTO - Hume Media is celebrating the launch of The Hume Report, a new investment advisory newsletter featuring emerging public companies. The newsletter will give an opportunity for companies to showcase their stories to Canada's investment community. The Hume Report is yet another initiative by Ron Hume, a leading North American publisher famous for several respected and popular publications such as The Money Letter, The Mutual Fund Letter and The Tax Letter.
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Wednesday, July 26, 2006
JOHN MILLOY, MPP FOR KITCHENER CENTRE, ANNOUNCES GOVERNMENT APPROVAL FOR A NEW FACULTY OF EDUCATION AT WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

New Faculty Will Enhance Waterloo Region’s Reputation as a Centre for Learning

WATERLOO REGION - John Milloy, MPP Kitchener Centre, on behalf of Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, was joined by Robert Rosehart, President of Wilfrid Laurier University, to announce the Ministry’s approval for Wilfrid Laurier to apply to operate a Faculty of Education.
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Rogers Publishing Limited acquires minority interest in Sweetspot.ca

TORONTO - The country's leading magazine publisher and producer of related digital media, and the country's first online trendspotting newsletter of its kind, today announced a new relationship. Rogers Publishing has acquired a minority interest in the rapidly growing Sweetspot.ca.
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City of Waterloo wins Community Sustainability Award

WATERLOO, ON – The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has recognized the City of Waterloo as a recipient of its Community Sustainability Award. “I am very proud of the work that City Staff have done in bringing our environmental initiatives together in a way that warranted this Community Sustainability Award from ICMA,” said Waterloo Mayor Herb Epp. “This award reflects our success in developing a strategy that looks not only at the current day needs, but at our long-term environmental requirements and in developing plans with tangible outcomes to address those needs effectively.”
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Performing Arts Survey - 2004

Public support for Canada's performing arts remained strong in 2004, both at the box office and in the form of grants, subsidies and donations from various government and private sector sources.
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Employment Insurance May 2006

The estimated number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in May was 483,480, down 1.6% from April (seasonally adjusted). The decrease was the fourth consecutive decline and the eighth in the last nine months.
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Zarlink Releases First Quarter Fiscal 2007 Results

OTTAWA - On July 25 Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. released results for the Fiscal 2007 first quarter ended June 30, 2006, prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
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2005 Canadian Internet Advertising Grows by 54 Percent Over 2004 Canadian Internet Advertising Revenue To Top $801 Million in 2006

TORONTO - The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada today announced that 2005 Canadian Internet Advertising Revenues reached a new high of $562 million dollars for the year. The 2005 actuals represent an 8% increase over the $519 million originally estimated by the IAB for 2005; and a 54% increase over the 2004 figure of $364 million. Of the $562 million received by Canadian Online publisher sites in 2005, approximately $124 million or 22 percent of ad dollars were allocated to the French Canadian market.
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Open letter to Canada's premiers from Ontario's nurses: address fiscal, social and environmental gaps between all Canadians

TORONTO - As Canada's premiers enter the Council of the Federation's annual meeting this week, the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), asks them to address three types of imbalances: fiscal; social and environmental.
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Business Retention And Expansion Initiative Good For Brantford Economy McGuinty Government Invests In Brantford And Area

BRANTFORD - The McGuinty government is helping the City of Brantford advance local tourism opportunities, Dave Levac, MPP for Brant, announced today on behalf of Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
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CGA-Canada's Independence Standard Responds to the Need for Increased Transparency

VANCOUVER - The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada) welcomes the Canadian Public Accountability Board's (CPAB) decision to accept the CGA Independence Standard, giving effect to the required rule change as of June 20, 2006.
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Miller Thomson LLP Continues Its Expansion in Southwestern Ontario

TORONTO - Miller Thomson LLP, Canada's tenth largest law firm, has announced that eight lawyers have joined the firm to form a London, Ontario office, effective August 1, 2006. The four partners in the office, F. Glenn Jones, A. Duncan Grace, Anthony G. J. Van Klink and John Downing, are all well known members of the London legal and business community.
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Few High School Students Take PE, Play Sports, Study Finds

Less than half of Ontario’s high school students take physical education classes after Grade 9, and only a fraction are involved in school sports and recreation programs, a new study by a University of Guelph professor reveals.
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VIA offers travelers new monthly commuter pass, entitling frequent users to a tax credit

MONTREAL - VIA Rail Canada on July 25 announced it is offering a new monthly commuter pass to VIA frequent travelers. Travelers who purchase the new monthly pass will be entitled to a federal income tax credit of 15.25% on the value of their passes.
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The Overwhelmed Office: Six Fixes for the Stressed-Out, Productivity-Challenged Workplace

Lately, you feel a palpable sense of stress when you walk into your office. People are tense and not smiling. Nerves are stretched to the breaking point. Everyone operates in marathon mode, getting into the office early, working through lunch, and putting in one late night after another. And yet, despite the jackrabbit pace, important tasks aren't getting done. That's not surprising. There is a strong link between stress and lack of productivity--and the problem is more widespread than you might think.
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RPOST'S REGISTERED E-MAIL(R) AND WORKSHARE JOIN TO SOLVE THE MOST COMMON E-MAIL RISKS

KARLSRUHE, GERMANY - RPost and Workshare have joined to tackle the most common e-mail risks, by combining RPost's Registered E- mail(R) services with Workshare Protect(TM). When users send e- mail, they will now have the option to set policies to automate, cleanse hidden data from documents, convert to protected formats and send messages as a Registered E-mail(R).
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DIGIPOS'S INNOVATIVE RETAIL POINT OF SERVICE SYSTEMS FEATURED ON MSNBC'S TERRY BRADSHAW'S "WINNERS CIRCLE"

BURLINGTON - DigiPoS Systems Inc., the designer and manufacturer of innovative retail Point of Service systems was showcased by MSNBC's Winners Circle program, hosted by Terry Bradshaw. The segment appeared multi- nationally on MSNBC on Monday, July 24, 2006.
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Tuesday July 25, 2006
The Amazing Race for Heartwood Place

Are You Ready For Adventure?

Waterloo - HEARTWOOD PLACE will hold The Amazing Race for Heartwood Place on Saturday, September 16, 2006. This event, similar to The Amazing Race reality TV show, will take place across the Waterloo Region. Through the creation of two routes—one for families and one for teams of four adults—we will create an enjoyable event for our participants, while raising money for a very good cause.
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Safety-Kleen Readying to Help Customers Meet New US National Hazardous Waste Manifest Requirements

PLANO, Texas-- As the deadline for compliance with new, national hazardous waste manifesting requirements nears, Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., is moving forward to make the transition seamless and transparent for customers of all sizes."This significant change in the requirements will, ultimately, make manifesting easier for everyone, but there are still some wrinkles customers need to be aware of," said Safety-Kleen's Lin Longshore, executive vice president for Environmental Health and Safety. "We stand ready to help customers understand the overall program, as well as any added requirements that their individual state may have adopted, in order to ensure full compliance with the new program."
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China to harvest super space-enhanced fruit

BEIJING - China intends to launch a satellite aimed at developing super space-enhanced fruit, vegetables and other crops, as it seeks ways to expand the nation's food production, state press said Monday. The Shijian-8, a recoverable satellite, will be launched aboard a Long March 2C rocket in early September, for a two-week mission that will expose 2 000 seeds to cosmic radiation and micro-gravity, the China Daily reported.
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Canadian students help design experiment for Canadian Space Agency

Results could influence energy conservation, pollution reduction initiatives

WATERLOO - Students from 12 Shad Valley summer programs across Canada recently delivered results of an important light pollution beta-test initiative to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). A shuttle launch planned for the end of August will see Canadian astronaut Steve McLean performing the same experiment on behalf of the CSA and NASA from beyond earth's atmosphere. Called the Canada/US Air Quality and Light Pollution Project, it will engage youth across North America before the next shuttle launch, scheduled for late August.
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M1 launches Singapore's first UMTS-enabled BlackBerry handset

Singapore and Waterloo, ON - M1 and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) have launched Singapore’s first UMTS-enabled BlackBerry®handset - the BlackBerry 8707vTM.
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Rogers Wireless Celebrates 5 Years on GSM

Rogers' 6.2 million wireless customers among more than 2 billion GSM subscribers worldwide

TORONTO - Rogers Wireless today announced that this month marks the five year anniversary of the launch of its GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network in Canada. Since Rogers launched the service in July 2001, the global GSM subscriber base has quadrupled from approximately 500 million to more than two billion subscribers, while the Rogers Wireless subscriber base has increased from 2.7 million to more than 6.2 million wireless voice and data customers.
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Aircraft movement statistics June 2006

Aircraft take-offs and landings increased in June, surpassing the level recorded the same month a year earlier by 4.1%. The 42 Canadian airports with NAV CANADA air traffic control towers reported 406,811 aircraft take-offs and landings in June, up from 390,620 movements in June 2005.
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Natural gas sales for May 2006

Natural gas sales totalled 4 529 million cubic metres in May, down 6.9% from May 2005. Warmer weather conditions throughout most regions of Canada resulted in reduced sales to the residential sector (-11.2%) and the commercial sector (-11.7%). The industrial sector (including direct sales) showed a lesser decrease in sales of 4.9%.
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College and University Campuses Are Going Trans-Fat Free without Compromising Taste or Performance

TORONTO - Studies conducted among college students show a new generation of trans-fat free, "high oleic" canola oils can ease the transition away from partially hydrogenated oils. When college students return to campuses this fall, they won't just be cracking open new books, they'll be cracking open new cafeteria menus, too...menus that are trans-fat free.
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Canadian Retail trade May 2006

Retail sales fell in May after two months of strong gains, pulled down by lower sales in the automotive and food and beverage stores sectors. Total retail sales declined by 0.6% from April to $32.6 billion. Retail sales have generally been rising at a rapid clip following a slowdown in 2003, and May's decline was only the second in eight months.
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Laurier appoints new faculty associate for educational development

On July 24 WLU announced Dr. Ruth Cruikshank, a professor from Laurier’s school of business and economics (SBE), has been appointed faculty associate for educational development. During her three-year appointment, Cruikshank will provide teaching-related support to all departments, faculty and teaching assistants. Her range of responsibilities will augment existing educational development programming by assisting the office of teaching support services in responding to the needs of faculty and students across the university.
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The Amazing Race for Heartwood Place

Are You Ready For Adventure?

Waterloo - HEARTWOOD PLACE will hold The Amazing Race for Heartwood Place on Saturday, September 16, 2006. This event, similar to The Amazing Race reality TV show, will take place across the Waterloo Region. Through the creation of two routes—one for families and one for teams of four adults—we will create an enjoyable event for our participants, while raising money for a very good cause.

WTO Talks Slip Deeper Into Crisis, No Breakthrough

“Last ditch talks to keep hopes alive of a global free deal faced a deepening crisis on Monday after trading powers failed to achieve a breakthrough at a marathon first session, diplomats said,” reports Reuters (07/24).
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World Bank President Praises Liberia's Economic Progress, But Says Much Left To Do

“World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz pledged continued support to help rebuild war-shattered Liberia, but said the West African country must do more to wipe out bureaucratic obstacles, including graft, to attract badly needed investment,” reports The Associated Press (07/22).
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Will Global Competition Destroy the American Middle Class?

“The World Isn’t Flat, It’s Tilted,” Claims New Book

Across the country, a growing number of Americans fear that they could be replaced by someone from a developing country. Recent polls indicate that millions of Americans are preoccupied with the outsourcing of American jobs and the threat of global economic competition. From board rooms to class rooms to kitchen tables and water coolers, globalization has become a hot topic of discussion and debate everywhere.
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July 24, 2005
Communitech applauds Ontario government investment in technology commercialization

WATERLOO REGION - Communitech: Waterloo Region Technology Association welcomes today's announcement from the Ontario government outlining investments in technology commercialization. Ontario's new Ideas to Market strategy will help companies and researchers transform innovations into products and drive economic growth across the province.
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Tax Memo: New Dividend Tax Regime Print-friendly version

Draft legislation released by the Department of Finance on June 29, 2006 implements the 2006 federal budget proposal that reduces personal taxes on “eligible dividends” paid after 2005. The proposal was initially released by the previous government in an announcement made on November 23, 2005.
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Clicker technology finds its way into Laurier classrooms

Laurier has adopted a new student response system called i>clicker that will be implemented in classrooms for the coming fall semester. Student response systems – commonly known as “clicker technology” – represent an evolving in-class student polling technology which will allow faculty to poll their students with multiple-choice questions to keep the students engaged in the material or determine whether students understand concepts during lectures.
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Laurier Learning Management System update

Laurier will be moving to a new version of WebCT, Campus Edition 6.0 (CE6), on September 1, 2006. With this move, Laurier will enter into an additional three-year commitment to use WebCT as the university’s supported learning management system (LMS).
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Biotech tipping point
By Dean Kleckner

China is no newcomer to the biotech-crop club--only four countries plant more acres of GM crops than the world’s most populous nation. Yet government leaders in Beijing are on the verge of a decision that historians eventually may interpret as a tipping point in the global debate over genetically modified food. A “tipping point” is the dramatic moment when something unique or rare becomes utterly common. The term has academic origins, but it gained enormous popular attention a few years ago, upon the publication of Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
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Certicom Launches New Product for Fabless Semiconductor Designers to Prevent Gray Market Chip Theft

Certicom Security for Silicon Design Protection combines multi-stage authentication and key generation to protect IP and secure offshore manufacturing process

MISSISSAUGA - On July 24, Certicom Corp. launched Certicom(R) Security for Silicon Design Protection(TM) to help fabless semiconductor designers protect proprietary chip designs and reduce the growing problem of illicit surplus chip manufacturing for the gray market.
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US Spam Decline Stalled in Q1 According to Sophos 'Dirty Dozen' Report

The United States Continues its Reign as Top Spam-Relaying Country Even as Zombie Computers Gain European Momentum

LYNNFIELD, Mass. -- Sophos, a world leader in integrated threat management solutions, has published its latest "Dirty Dozen" report on the top twelve spam-relaying countries during the second quarter of 2006. Based on analysis of all spam messages received in the company's global network of spam traps, experts at SophosLabs noted that for the first time in more than two years, the United States has failed to further decrease its spam-relaying problem. The United States remains at the top of the chart, accounting for 23.2 percent of the world's spam, while its closest rivals China and South Korea both managed to notably reduce their statistics since Q1 2006.
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