12.31
PR Newswire, Dec 2, 2009
MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ — Leader Ventures, an investment firm offering blended debt and equity financing, announced today that it has provided a $4 million term loan to DriveCam, the leading provider of driver risk management solutions, which reduces claims costs and saves lives by improving the way people drive.
DriveCam offers a behavior-based risk mitigation solution that predicts and prevents risky driving behaviors likely to result in collisions. Through its experience, DriveCam has developed deep industry expertise across a variety of fleets, including transit, utilities and energy, trucking and distribution, solid waste, concrete and construction, telecom, residential and commercial services, and government and municipalities.
“DriveCam has developed an innovative solution to help drivers improve their driving, which ultimately makes our roads safer,” said Patrick Gordan, managing director at Leader Ventures. “The combination of proprietary technology, which continuously monitors and identifies risky driving – along with driver analysis and coaching – has reduced the cost of claims in hundreds of thousands of cases. We look forward to DriveCam continuing to make an even bigger impact on our roads in the future.”
“We enthusiastically welcome the support from Leader Ventures so DriveCam can continue to grow and help our clients realize a 50% or greater reduction in costs associated with risky driving and ensure road safety everywhere,” said Brandon Nixon, CEO of DriveCam.
About DriveCam:
DriveCam is a global Driver Risk Management company that helps clients dramatically reduce claims costs and saves lives by improving the way people drive. By combining sight and sound, expert analysis and driver coaching, DriveCam has reduced vehicle damages, workers’ compensation and personal injury costs by more than 50 percent in over 120,000 commercial and government vehicles. DriveCam has the world’s largest database of more than 15 million actual risky driving behaviors, which the company uses to optimize its proprietary analytics and scoring
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12.29
Business Wire, Dec 03, 2009
WAYLAND, Mass. — The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Korea Forum and the Korea Research
Institute for Human Settlements (KHRIS) co-hosted an OGC
Interoperability Day event on 18 November at the KHRIS facility in
Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
The day-long program included talks by business, government and academic
leaders on topics related to geospatial standardization and
interoperability in the context of ubiquitous information services. A
key talk was by Dr. Hyong-Bok Kim of the Korea Land & Housing
Corporation
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12.28
Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Dec 1, 2009
Imagine (10.35pm) Alan Yentob sheds light on the Own Art scheme, which helps people buy works of art. Yentob meets some of the people who have joined, including a pig farmer and a factory worker, who explain how the project has helped them.
Delia’s Classic Christmas (9.00pm) Delia Smith presents a festive cooking special, using her own archive of recipes to encourage would-be cooks to relish the opportunity to prepare yuletide feasts for the family.
Emmerdale (7.00pm) Will’s fall puts things in perspective for Mark, who realises he needs to make a decision about his future. Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) starts to feel better, much to Sally’s annoyance, and Eli is still angry with Priya for reprimanding him at work.
Country House Rescue (8.00pm) In the last programme of the series, Ruth Watson revisits Black Clauchrie, a house in Galloway that was driving a wedge between its owners as they worried about maintenance problems.
Sea Patrol UK (8.00pm) A fishing boat in Dover nets what appears to be a rusty aircraft bomb from World War Two, and two climbers are reported missing at a group of rocky islands near Boscastle, Cornwall.
12.23
Risk & Insurance, Dec, 2009 by Jack Roberts
summary
* Allied World purchased Darwin Professional Underwriters but is also pursuing organic growth in the U.S. market.
* Its third-quarter net premiums nearly tripled.
* Big changes at the federal government level have created opportunities in healthcare and construction.
**********
Gordon Knight was only four months into his new job as president of U.S. operations for Allied Word Assurance Co. when the acquisition by Allied World of Darwin Professional Underwriters was announced in June 2008. For someone who was brought in to grow the Bermuda-based insurer’s U.S. business, it made him and Allied World a significant player almost overnight.
Now, after what will be two years of Knight’s leadership come January, Allied World has become one of the fastest growing property/casualty specialty insurers in the United States.
Not bad for a guy who decided on the insurance business as a career because “at 22 years old, just out of college, with a corporate credit card, a company ear and a chance to prove myself, well, what more could you ask for back then?”
Knight joined AIG, spent 25 years there, ran divisions across 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region and built a specialty lines organization.
“I left AIG in January 2008 to join Allied World,” Knight said, adding that his departure was “before the government intervention.”
With the first-year anniversary of the closing of the Darwin acquisition coming up in December, the results of Knight and his new organization are impressive: Allied World’s total U.S. revenue for the third quarter more than tripled to $112 million, compared with the year-ago period. For the nine months ending on Sept. 30, 2009, total U.S. revenue also scored big, jumping to $329 million, more than triple the $94 million figure for the nine-month period in 2008.
The bulk of this year’s increase came from the Darwin acquisition, but at the same time Knight has overseen an aggressive U.S. expansion program beyond Darwin.
“I came to Allied for a number of reasons. One was the opportunity to work for (Allied World CEO) Scott Carmilani, a former colleague from AIG,” said Knight. “And another was to be in on the ground floor of building an organization, particularly around the specialty lines business. The startup nature of Allied World U.S. offered me the chance to be entrepreneurial again.”
There is an irony with the number of former AIG executives working at Allied. AIG was one of the founding investors in the company, which was part of the so-called Class of 2001, those new Bermuda companies formed in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001. AIG bought back its investment in Allied World two years ago.
THE U.S. INSURANCE BATTLEGROUND
Allied World isn’t alone in its efforts to increase its penetration of the U.S. market. At least two other Bermuda companies, Endurance Specialty and Argo Group, have also posted significant U.S.-based growth, both using a combination of acquisitions and organic growth.
Meanwhile, Ironshore, another Bermuda-based company, has equally ambitious U.S. expansion plans. Ironshore’s effort is managed by a score of big-name former AIG executives, helped along with some significant capital investments.
Nor is AIG standing still. The AIG property/ casualty operations, now called Chartis, faces the task of rebuilding and growing its U.S. business as it battles an opportunistic group of new and old competitors. Analysts point out that, although Chartis continues to see declining premium revenue, the bulk of the top management changes and departures at Chartis appear to be in the past.
Bermuda-based XL Capital, which also saw its U.S. property/casualty business dramatically decline in the wake of the financial crisis, is now on something of a comeback as well.
European insurers Munich Re, with the acquisition of Hartford Steam Boiler from AIG earlier this year, and Swiss Re with its acquisition three years ago of GE Insurance Solutions, also look to the U.S. market for future growth.
Meanwhile, the property/casualty insurance markets remain challenging, with rates generally stable or declining. The recession further complicates the marketplace with lower employment levels and less economic activity, resulting in significantly declining exposures. Success for any of the players in the United States, therefore, is risky.
“CHAOS CREATES OPPORTUNITIES”
Into this world stepped Knight. His marching orders were then, as they are now, to grow the U.S. market while maintaining underwriting discipline.
“This chaos creates opportunities. I think in some respects, being a new player in the U.S. market gives us the chance to take advantage of those opportunities. But, we have to be thoughtful and careful about how we build. You have to watch how you maneuver through this kind of environment and pick your spots carefully,” Knight explained.
Jack Sennott, who was executive vice president and chief financial officer at Darwin and is now Allied World’s chief corporate strategy officer, said that Darwin was considering various suitors last year
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12.19
Like it or not, every workplace is a political environment. But operating effectively within it doesnt have to mean sucking up, lying, or slinging dirt. In its purest form, office politics is simply about getting from here to there: securing a promotion, seeing an idea come to fruition, or gaining support to make an organizational change. Playing the game well is about defending your position, earning respect, exchanging favors, and keeping your sanity amid the chaos
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12.18
0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Dec 1, 2009 | by Sean Maher
The first holiday season after a loved one’s death can be among the hardest experiences for his or her survivors — burdensome and isolating while others celebrate in good cheer.
But to remain quiet during grieving can lead to more problems, and community memorial events planned for this week aim to bring the bereaved out of their silence and into the support of families who may share their experience. The annual Celebration of Light, to be held tonight in Oakland and Saturday in San Mateo, is an event open to the public and aimed at celebrating the memories of those who died this year, organizer Chris Taich of Pathways Home Health & Hospice said.
“To have a tradition that focuses on the light of their loved ones that died is important to bring forward in this season,” Taich said. “It really is more common that people are afraid to talk about them, their passed loved ones, and spoil the mood.”
“In the first year — not that grief is over after that — but the first year is a really intense year of everything being the first: first birthday, first holidays, first everything,” Taiche said. “We want to be able to walk that journey with them.”
The ceremonies are relatively simple and aimed to appeal to those of all faith traditions, Taich said. Attendees during the ceremony’s most important sequence walk to the front of the room, light a candle and speak aloud the name of their loved one.
“That’s one of the most difficult experiences for the bereaved: They feel like their loved one will be forgotten,” Taich said. “So in fear they avoid bringing up their names. But I think that compounds the grief, makes it more difficult for them to cope.”
Kari Totah, 42, attended the ceremony in San Mateo last year after her father’s death.
“It was a wonderful experience,” Totah said. “They had a gentleman there with a very powerful poem. … It was really intense, a husband who had lost his wife. He went through all the stages that they went through during her dying process. It pinpointed so many things I think all of us had gone through: hearing someone we love had not much longer to live, the hospital experience, with ‘do not resuscitate,’ dealing with different medical providers. It was very, very powerful and it evoked a lot of emotion from everyone in the room.”
Allowing strong emotions to flow is a crucial part of the grieving process, Taich said.
“Unfortunately, grief is one of those things that if you don’t let it in, it seeps in anyway and harms your life in other ways,” Taich said. “Closing off one emotion bottles up a lot of emotions. If you shut down your capacity to grieve, you may also be shutting down your ability to really love, and really care.
“We just don’t like those bad feelings,” she added. “We have an illusion that somehow we’re supposed to be happy all the time. And I don’t know anybody who is. Especially in grief and loss, we should allow ourselves to feel grief and sadness.”
The event is cathartic and healing not just for grieving families, but also for the hospice staff that hosts the event, said the Rev. Diana Brady, Pathways spiritual care director.
“Being caregivers doesn’t mean we are without the need for comfort ourselves in the midst of loss, and remembering people is a part of that,” Brady said.
“One thing I also love is that the ceremony is about light, a symbol you see within almost every faith tradition in the world,” she added. “In the Christian faith, of course, there is the light of God: ‘Let there be light,’ and the light of Christ. In Judaism, it’s more representative light, like Hanukkah, more a symbol of God’s faithfulness than associated with a particular person.”
“Within Buddhism, light isn’t connected with a person, but light represents the light of Buddha’s teachings
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12.17
0 Comments | USA TODAY, December, 2009 | by Roger Yu
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta will open its new rental car center on Tuesday, a facility that will consolidate all car agencies under one roof.
It has two four-story parking decks, about 8,700 parking spaces and a 137,000-square-foot customer service center.
The airport’s also inaugurating ATL SkyTrain, an elevated train that will replace shuttle buses and connect the passenger terminal to the rental center in about five minutes. More than 2 million people rent cars at Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport, each year.
*Puerto Rico has applied with the Federal Aviation Administration to privatize San Juan Luis Muooz Marin International.
The FAA’s pilot airport-privatization program allows up to five airports — with one slot for a large hub airport –…
12.16
Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Dec 2, 2009
LAST Saturday night I was lucky enough to attend the Mamma Mia night at Marsden Mechanics – a fundraising event sponsored by Ridley Hall Solicitors in a aid of Huddersfield Support Group for Autism.
Although Abba is not my favourite style of music, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening due to the excellent hospitality provided by the venue and the fantastic performance by Phil Turner (or should I say Benny) and his fellow musicians.
They gave 100% for approximately two and a half hours with only a short break for the raffle and fancy dress judging and had the dancefloor packed for most of that time.
This was no mean feat, as any band will agree, I’m sure!
To learn so many songs and practise to such a degree of excellence must have taken many hours of hard work.
I believe the event raised over pounds 1,000 so it was well worth the hard work and will be remembered by all who attended for a long time!
There is to be another fundraising event in February at St Patrick’s Centre so I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys goodmusic and likes to support a very deserving cause.
SHIRLEY WADDINGTON Kirkburton
12.16
Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Dec 10, 2009
Byline: NEIL ATKINSON
THESE are busy times for Huddersfield actress Jodie Whittaker. Last night she was at the glittering premiere of St Trinians 2, The Legend of Fritton’s Gold, in London’s Leicester Square, in which she stars.
And she will be on our TV screens in a two-part Christmas special of the hit drama Cranford, starring Dame Judi Dench.
And it’s only months away from yet another premiere of a Whittaker film, with Perrier’s Bounty due out in the spring.
The former Shelley High School student is also pencilled in for a starring role in the gritty drama The Kid, based on harrowing tales of abuse in London’s estates.
“I feel so lucky to be busy,” said the 27-year-old actress, who was brought up in Skelmanthorpe.
“It’s fantastic to be in this industry and to be working so much”.
Jodie is due back in her home town at the end of this week to spend an early Christmas with her parents, Adrian and Yvonne, and friends, before going on holiday.
She lives in North London, which has been her base for the past seven years, but is a regular visitor to Huddersfield.
“My parents, other relatives and friends are there and we are close.
“It’s only a couple of hours between London and the north so I do get back quite a bit, and the family have a great excuse to come down to the capital.
“I still keep in touch with a lot of the friends I had at Shelley and it’s always good to see them. And there are also quite a few people from Huddersfield living and working down in London and we have some good nights out”.
The launch of the new Trinians movies meant a Leicester Square reunion for many of the cast – including Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, David Tennant, Celia Imrie, Tamsin Egerton and Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding.
Jodie reprised her role of scatty receptionist Beverley and loved every minute of the filming, even though it coincided with the demanding schedule for the Cranford return.
“Beverley is far different to many of the characters I have played. She is very colourful and very loud, and to get to play that role was tremendous. A lot of the script left me to my own devices with the character and there’s a good bit of me in there.
“The filming was great fun. Obviously 90% of the cast were female so we had some great girly times together and a great laugh.
“There’s a lot of downtime in filming a big production like this and the whole cast would get together to spend time.
“It was much the same working on Cranford, which sounds surprising. Trinians is mayhem whereas Cranford is corsets and serious faces, but off screen we again bonded well.
“Again, many of the cast are female and “Again, many of the cast are female and people like Judi Dench, Celia Imrie and Barbara Flynn were so down to earth and so welcoming.
“It was a real giggly set with a lot of fun behind the scenes. Many of the actors have worked with each other so many times and it was great to see there were no egos at all.”
Jodie also enjoyed her work on Perrier’s Bounty, opposite Jim Broadbent, which she describes as an Irish gangster farce.
The film comes out in the spring and the filming was done in Dublin – a city that Jodie loved.
“We had a fabulous time filming there and I grew to love Dublin.
“I’ve also been working with director Nick Moran (of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame) on The Kid
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12.15
Market Wire, December, 2009
Antec, Inc., the global leader in
high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC
upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, today announced that the company has
been voted “Best Chassis Manufacturer 2009″ by the readership of the
leading UK PC enthusiast magazine, Custom PC and the leading independent
hardware review and PC modification site in the UK, bit-tech.net.
“We are very pleased to receive this award for the ‘Best Chassis
Manufacturer’ category,” said Scott Richards, senior vice president of
Antec. “It’s gratifying knowing our long-standing commitment of delivering
innovative enclosures is recognized by consumers. Earning this influential
award reinforces our enthusiasm for providing the finest products and
excellent value to our users.”
“Nearly 5,000 readers of the UK’s number one PC hardware magazine and
website voted in the Custom PC and bit-tech.net awards this year and after
voted Antec as 2009′s ‘Best Chassis Manufacturer,’” said Alex Watson, Group
Editor, Custom PC and bit-tech.net. “Our readers are highly knowledgeable
PC enthusiasts who are constantly looking for the best products for their
computers, so Antec’s victory is a terrific achievement and a vote of
confidence in its designs. Congratulations to Antec, the awards were well
deserved.”
About Custom PC and bit-tech.net
Covering the fields of hardware, technology, modding and gaming, Custom PC
and bit-tech.net are recognized as pioneering and influential titles by
both readership and industry. bit-tech.net is the leading destination for
Computer Enthusiasts and Early Adopters. With more than 1 million unique
visitors per month, bit-tech.net is a market leading online publication for
computer enthusiasts, hardcore gamers and early adopters. It is a popular
destination for visitors seeking up-to-date reviews, news and discussion.
To provide the ultimate magazine for PC enthusiasts with a passion for
performance hardware and customization, delivered with wit, style and
authority, Custom PC is the ultimate magazine for PC enthusiasts who want
to read about the latest developments in PC technology, modding and
overclocking.
About Antec, Inc.
Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components
and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets.
Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has
maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international
provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products
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