Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
I agree, I think it is, too. Any idea from this map how close it is to Blk 2?
Thanks, Spec. eom
This doesn't sound like ONGC is heading towards Block 2 before their contract is up (from December).
"All hopes now ride on the well, UD-1, being drilled by Bedford Dolphin, whose contract ends in February 2007. The drillship costs ONGC about $150,000 per day. ONGC director technical and field services UN Bose said...
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Energy/Oil__Gas/ONGC_pins_hopes_on_UD-1_we...
This is from August.
Diamond Offshore's Ocean Monarch, upon completion of an upgrade in 2008, will be used in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and Noble's Homer Ferrington will be used for Anadarko's 2008 West Africa deepwater drilling program. In total, Anadarko currently has 10 rigs under contract with maximum water-depth capabilities ranging from 5,500 feet to 10,000 feet.
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=35730
Edit: Spec, just found the pdf. It's the Addax presentation from November.
http://www.addaxpetroleum.com/_media/Analysts_Day_Nov_Part3.pdf
Wow! Great find, Spec. However, please help interpret this info for me....
This is a presentation made by Addax, correct? So, am I reading it correctly that Addax isn't planning on drilling until 2008? (well selection 4th quarter and then drilling in 2008?). And, no consortium. So, our hope for drilling in 2007 is Anadarko?
This is the story I was thinking of but for some reason I thought his disappearance was a mystery. I thought they assumed it was the bears but had no evidence of it.
Timothy Treadwell spent thirteen summers in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Over time, he believed he was trusted by the bears, who would allow him to approach them, and sometimes even touch them. Treadwell was repeatedly warned by park officials that his interaction with the bears was unsafe to both him and to the bears. "At best he's misguided," Deb Liggett, superintendent at Katmai and Lake Clark national parks, told the Anchorage Daily News in 2001. "At worst, he's dangerous. If Timothy models unsafe behavior, that ultimately puts bears and other visitors at risk." Treadwell filmed his exploits, and used the films to raise public awareness of the problems faced by bears in North America. In 2003, at the end of his thirteenth visit, he and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were attacked, killed and eaten by a bear.
For Grizzly Man, Herzog used sequences extracted from over 100 hours of video footage shot by Treadwell during the last five years of his life, and conducted interviews with Treadwell's family and friends, as well as experts and authority figures. Herzog also narrates, and offers his own interpretations of the events. In his narration, he depicts Treadwell as a disturbed man who may have had a deathwish toward the end of his life, but also refuses to condemn him for this.
Grizzly Man premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It was released in theaters on August 12, 2005, and was released on DVD in the United States on December 26, 2005. The Discovery Channel aired Grizzly Man on television on February 3, 2006; its 3-hour presentation of the film included a 30-minute companion special that delved deeper into Treadwell's relationship with the bears and addressed controversies surrounding the film. The DVD release of the film is missing an interview with Treadwell by David Letterman that was shown in the original theatrical release where Letterman jokes that Treadwell will eventually be eaten by a bear; however, the version televised on the Discovery Channel retains this scene.
The film refers to an audio recording of the fatal attack, captured by Treadwell's video camera, but although Herzog is shown listening to it on earphones, it is not played in the film. In fact, Herzog advises the owner of the tape, a friend of Treadwell who held onto the tape but refused to ever listen to it, to destroy it immediately.
No, I haven't. Is he the guy that mysteriously disappeared?
Haven't had a chance to listen to this yet.
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B0C122407%2D86E4%2D496F%2DB014%2DEADF04C9C8F...
Welllll, it's sort of random when she decides to run through or not. She'll be great a couple of days and stay in the yard, then we'll let her out and she'll run full speed through it. But, hey, we'll take the couple of days it works and keep hoping those "escape days" become fewer and fewer. Have a great day!
Good morning, Deann! It was so beautiful here yesterday, wasn't it? We were outside all day and Cocoa stayed in the yard with the electric fence! It was a wonderful day!
Found this on another board this morning and thought it was a good one:
The Good Husband
Jack wakes up with a huge hangover after attending his company's
Christmas Party. Jack is not normally a drinker, but the drinks didn't
taste like alcohol at all.
He didn't even remember how he got home from the party.
As bad as he was feeling, he wondered if he did something wrong.
Jack had to force himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is
a couple of aspirins next to a glass of water on the side table.
And, next to them, a single red rose!! Jack sits up and sees his clothing
in front of him, all clean and pressed.
He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly
clean. So is the rest of the house.
He takes the aspirins, cringes when he sees a huge black eye staring back
at him in the bathroom mirror.
Then he notices a note hanging on the corner of the m irror written in red
with little hearts on it and a kiss mark from his wife in lipstick:
"Honey, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to get groceries to make
you your favorite dinner tonight.
I love you, darling!
Love, Jillian"
He stumbles to the kitchen and sure enough, there is hot breakfast,
steaming hot coffee and the morning newspaper.
His 16 year old son is also at the table, eating. Jack asks, "Son... what
happened last night?"
"Well, you came home after 3 A.M., drunk and out of your mind You fell
over the coffee table and broke it, and then you puked in the hallway, and
got that black eye when you ran into the door.
Confused, he asked his son, "So, why is everything in such perfect order
and so clean?
I have a rose, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me??"
His son replies, "Oh THAT... Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she
tried to take your pants off, you screamed, "Leave me alone, I'm
married!!"
B roken Coffee Table $239.99
Hot Breakfast $4.20
Two Aspirins $.38
Saying the right thing, at the right time. . PRICELESS
I saw that on PBS a few months ago, very interesting!
Hey, I was just asking what "BRB" meant...I don't need convincing.
Btw, got the info in a pm. Anyone else clueless on that acronym "Be right back".
BRB?
Advanced Cell Technology CEO Interviewed on CNBC’s ''Power Lunch''
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.’s (OTCBB: ACTC) William M. Caldwell, IV, Chief Executive Officer, was interviewed on CNBC Television’s “Power Lunch” yesterday to comment on a recent discovery by scientists at Wake Forest University describing a method of deriving stem cells from human amniotic fluid and a bill Congress is expected to take up today to widen the scope of funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Mr. Caldwell commented, “The key for any successful company is focus and we are very driven towards taking therapies, specifically for retinal, blood and cardiac disease into the clinic and ultimately patients. We are excited for Wake Forest and Doctor Atala…[t]hose breakthroughs are exciting and we are going to see more breakthroughs. It’s important to remember that the key master cell is the embryonic stem cell and that’s the one we are focused on.”
Mr. Caldwell continued, “The industry has been starved for many years for lack of capital and we began seeing activity back in 2004 with the voters of California. Now with Congress revisiting the veto that occurred last summer we are going to see a lot more activity in the sector, and we are very excited about it.”
The interview can be viewed at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=162856951&play=1
About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying embryonic stem cell technology in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. The company operates facilities in Alameda, California and Worcester, Massachusetts. For more information about the company, please visit http://www.advancedcell.com.
The stock was just at .54 on 12/27 - anyone buying then have now doubled their money (if they sold).
Wow, just printed 1.08!
EDIT: Sorry, this is "old" news here. I should've checked the board before posting.
Hemi plans Woodson County quad
By Upstream staff
Hemi Energy Group, based in Graham, Texas, is seeking permits to drill four new wells on its Woodson County property in Kansas.
Hemi said it expects to have all four wells sunk by early spring, beating seasonal demand for rigs.
The company said it had already put a water-flooding system in place in the area and had commissioned a new geological report on its five contiguous leases.
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article125925.ece
OT: Bklynboy56, sorry to jump in here, but if you are saying that moderators and asst. moderators are paid for their services, that is incorrect. The time and energy is volunteered.
Manti, you can ignore all posts that are a direct reply to the poster. It doesn't help with all the posts that don't specifically "reply" to the original post, though.
If you want to try: Go to "Tools", then "My Ignores", then "Replies to Ignored People" should say "Hidden".
OT: Walldog, there's discussion on another board about the problems with AMTD today. One guy said he called in and got free trades. :)
Perfect solution! LOL!
How to Prevent Litigation in OPL Conversion
01.08.2007
NIYI AYOOLA-DANIELS ESQ examines critically, legal issues involved in OPL conversion to OML, with particular reference to the South Atlantic Petroleum case
This article examines the legal frame work for Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) conversion to Oil Mining Lease (OML) in Nigeria and in particular the Oil Prospecting Licences (Conversion to Oil Mining Lease, etc.) Regulations 2004. For a better understanding of the legal issues involved in this conversion, the writer briefly explores the legal meaning and nature of OPL and OML in Nigeria. And being the first judicial pronouncement on OPL conversion to OML in Nigeria, the writer highlights relevant legal issues in the recent Federal High Court decision in SOUTH ATLANTIC PETROLEUM LIMITED v MINISTER OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES. The writer concludes by drawing lessons from the Turkish Petroleum Code on OPL conversion to OML with a view to filling any gap or lacuna if any, in the controversial Regulations 2004.
Legal nature of OPL
An OPL is a licence given by the Minister of Petroleum Resources which gives the holder of the licence the exclusive right to explore and prospect for petroleum within the area of his licence.
Exclusivity here means that the grant of an OPL precludes the grant of another form of licence or lease for petroleum exploration, prospecting or mining, within the same licensed area. The term of an OPL is at the discretion of the Minister of Petroleum Resources but shall not exceed five years including any periods of renewal, but in the case of a Deep Offshore, the duration is for a minimum period of 5 years and an aggregate period of 10 years. This means that the holder of OPL has a very limited period during which he may produce and dispose of petroleum from his licensed area. The area comprised in the grant of an OPL shall be a compact unit not exceeding 1,000 square miles (2,590 square kilometers).Rights granted under OPL. Subject to the statutory obligation to pay rents, petroleum profits taxes and royalties under the Petroleum Profits Tax Act (PPTA) and the Petroleum (Drilling and Production) Regulations and other obligations imposed under the Petroleum Act 1969, the holder of an OPL “may carry away and dispose of petroleum won during prospecting operations”. This is by virtue of Paragraph 7, First Schedule to the Petroleum Act).
What is Oil Mining “Lease” (OML)?
Though there has not yet been any decided case in Nigeria on the juridical nature of an Oil Mining Lease (OML) granted under the Petroleum Act, but a close look the wording of the Act and the granting clause of the lease shows the intention of the grantor of the lease. To this extent therefore, I submit that the right granted to a holder of an OML is not a “lease” in the common law sense of a lease but rather it is a license to explore for, produce, carry away or export petroleum discovered within the lease area. The right granted does not convey an interest in land; (the subject matter of the OML) whether corporeal or incorporeal (profit a pre endre). A profit a prendre is an incorporeal interest in land authorizing entry upon a tract of land and severance and removal of a part of the corpus of the land. At common law a lessee acquires “exclusive possessory right” over the leased area to the exclusion of any other person including the grantor -lessor. The holder of an OML has no exclusive possession of the leased area to the exclusion of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Apart from this, the Land Use Act imposes an obligation on the holder of an OPL or OML to obtain the consent of any person lawfully occupying the licensed or leased area (the subject of the grant) or the holder of the right of occupancy before entering upon the land to commence exploration and production activities. The holder of an OML is also liable to pay fair and adequate compensation for the disturbance of surface or other rights to any persons who owns or is in lawful occupation of the leased area.
In RADIACH v SMITH, (1950 101 CLR page 209) the Australian High Court held that “if there is any decision which states positively that a person legally entitled to exclusive possession for a term is a licensee and not a tenant, it should be disregarded for it is self contradictory and meaningless”.
The term “Oil Mining Lease” as used in the Petroleum Act, found its way into Nigeria’s oil and gas jurisprudence as a carry- over from the America petroleum legislation which legislation has had a long history of substantial litigation involving the juridical nature of the lessee’s interest in petroleum. In LOMIS v GULF OIL CORPORATION, the Court of Appeal of Texas held the lessee’s interest to be an interest in land of a corporeal nature. In the Canadian case of BERKHEISER v BERKHEISER (1957 SCR 387) the Court held the lessee’s interest to be an exclusive profit a prendre right to explore for and produce petroleum. On the issue of revocation, the position of common law is that a lease once granted cannot be revoked but a licensor can validly revoke a licence upon giving reasonable notice or upon compliance with the terms or contract governing the licence. In F.G.N. v ZEBRA ENERGY LTD., (2002 18 NWLR Part 798 at page 162) the Supreme Court of Nigeria held that a petroleum licence (OPL) can be revoked once the procedure stipulated under the Petroleum Act has been compiled with.
From the above, it becomes obvious that an OML is actually a licence and the holder only enjoys an exclusive permit or licence to conduct petroleum exploration and prospecting operations within the leased area (not exceeding 500 square miles) and to carry away petroleum discovered in or under the leased area. At best, the grant of an OML creates a statutory licence. For the avoidance of doubt, Paragraph 11, First Schedule to the Petroleum Act provides that “Subject to this Act and any special terms or conditions imposed under paragraph 34 of this Schedule, the lessee of an Oil Mining Lease shall have the exclusive right within the leased area to conduct exploration and prospecting operations and to win, get, work, store, carry away, transport, export or otherwise treat petroleum discovered in or under the leased area”.
It must be also stated clearly here that under the Petroleum Act the Minister of Petroleum Resources reserves the right (as a sovereign act of Government) to unilaterally alter the terms and conditions of the lease including its juridical nature during the continuance of the lease. Form D of the Schedule to Petroleum (Drilling and Production) Regulations states expressly that “..the lease is granted subject to the Petroleum Act and the regulations thereunder now in force or which may come into force during the continuance of this lease”
Duration and Renewal of OML
The term of an OML shall not exceed twenty years, but may be renewed in accordance with the Petroleum Act. This longer duration of the term of an OML is one of the distinctive features of an OML. The modality for renewal of an OML is also a major attractive characteristic of the lease under the Petroleum Act. And for a renewal to be obtained, “the lessee of an OML shall be entitled to apply in writing to the Minister not less than 12 months before the expiration of the lease either in respect of the whole of the leased area or any particular part thereof, and the renewal shall be granted if the lessee has paid all rent and royalties due and has otherwise performed all his obligations under the lease”. With the word “shall” used in paragraph 13, First Schedule Petroleum Act, it seems to me that the Minister of Petroleum Resources has no discretion on the matter and must grant the renewal once the lessee has paid all the rents and royalties due and has performed all the other duties and obligations under the Act. This view is predicated on the interpretation given by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on principle governing use of “shall” in a statute. The Court in AMOKEODO v I.G.P (1999 6 N.W.L.R part 607 at page 362) held that “shall” in a legislative sentence is generally imperative or mandatory and that it is a word of command which is normally given a compulsory meaning because it is intended to denote obligation.
Conversion of OPL to OML
The two major distinctive features of OML stated above (duration and renewal) make conversion from OPL necessary. By virtue of Paragraph 8 First Schedule to Petroleum Act, an OML may be granted only to the holder of an OPL who has :(a)satisfied all the conditions imposed in the licence or otherwise imposed on him by the Petroleum Act, including payment of rents, taxes and royalties. (b) discovered oil in commercial quantities. Oil shall be deemed to have been discovered in commercial quantities by the holder of an OPL if the Minister, upon evidence adduced by the licensee is satisfied that the licensee is capable of producing at least 10,000 barrels per day of crude oil from the licensed area. Modalities for conversion. By virtue of Oil Prospecting Licence (Conversion to Oil Mining Lease, etc) Regulations 2004, the holder of an OPL shall pursuant to Paragraph 8 Schedule 1 of the Petroleum Act be eligible, upon conversion, to no more than one OML after satisfying the conditions stipulated in the Petroleum (Drilling and Production) Regulations. However, the holder of an OPL which is eligible for conversion to an OML may apply for the grant of and may be granted an additional OML from the same contract area.
The SOUTH ATLANTIC PETROLEUM LIMITED (SAPETRO) v MINISTER OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES case provided a unique opportunity for the Federal High Court to consider Nigeria’s law on OPL conversion to OML and in particular the provisions of Regulations 2004. Questions that the court had to provide answers to in that case include: (i) Is the power of the Minister to grant or not to grant an additional OML to the holder of an OPL susceptible to Judicial Review? (ii) Can two OML co-exist on the same OPL in the same hand and on the same acreage? (iii) Is OPL 246 put up for bidding by the Minister of Petroleum Resources the same as OPL 246 previously granted to SAPETRO? (iv) Does the grant of OML make an OPL disappear or is there any Regulation for automatic relinquishment of OPL under Nigeria law? (v) Would the grant of SAPETRO application put the Federal Government of Nigeria Oil and Gas Policy and Administration into turmoil and open a floodgate of potential claims from previous OPL holders who might be tempted to ask for a return to them of the unconverted portion of their previous OPLs?
In answering the question on Judicial Review of Minister’s power, Justice Abdullahi Mustapha while disagreeing with the submission of the leading counsel to the Petroleum Minister, Prof. Fidelis Odita Q.C. SAN held that: “Regulation 2 (1) of the Regulations 2004 confers powers on the Minister to grant an additional Oil Mining Lease to the holder of an Oil Prospecting Licence if in his opinion the terms and conditions in the said paragraph have been satisfied. Therefore, where the Minister formed an opinion that the holder of an Oil Prospecting Licence who applied for the grant of an additional Oil Mining Lease should not be granted, that power is derived from the Regulations 2004 and he was exercising public law function and his decision is susceptible to Judicial Review. The Applicant’s Right to be granted an additional Oil Mining Lease stemmed from Regulations 2 (1) of Regulations 2004 and not from any private contract between him and the Minister and so it is a public law right. The use of the words “if in his opinion” in the Regulations does not take the decision of the Minister out of the ambit of the Judicial Review”.
On whether OML can co-exist on the same OPL in the same hand, the court also rejected the submission of counsel to the Minister of Petroleum Resources and held that: “... the holder of an OPL which is eligible for conversion to an OML, may apply for the grant and may be granted an additional Oil Mining Lease from the same contract area. A combined reading of Regulations 1 and 2 shows that two OML can indeed exist on the same OPL. One of the conditions for the grant of the OPL 246 as contained in a letter dated February 23, 1998 issued by a Director of Petroleum Resources is that the block would be operated on a “Sole Risk Basis” but that the Government reserves the right to participate at any time in the life of any subsequent Oil Mining Lease. That subsequent Oil Mining Lease can in my view be mining lease out of the original OPL or out of the Residue thereof. I reject the argument that an OML and OPL cannot co-exist at the same time in the same hands in the same acreage”.
On whether or not the OPL 246 put up for bidding by the Minister was the same OPL 246 previously granted SAPETRO, the court recognized the fact that SAPETRO applied to the Minister for the conversion of OPL 246 to an OML. According to the court, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) reviewed the application and advised that part of the OML derivable from OPL 246 fell within the Special Regime Area (SRA) which was included in the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) between Nigeria and Sao-Tome and Principe. The court therefore held that “while the Applicant has a right to exploit OML 130 it has no continuing right to explore or exploit what was previously OPL 246.
The OPL 246 put up for bidding by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, it is averred, is not the same OPL 246 previously granted to the Applicant. The original OPL 246 which was for 1000 square miles is said to have ceased to exist once the DPR conveyed the Minister’s decision to convert 500 square miles of that OPL into OML 130 in 2005. While the new OPL 246 is for 500 square miles, the Applicant was never granted an OPL 246 for 500 square miles… The residue of OPL 246 has retained its identification No 246 in accordance with international petroleum industry practice for reasons of convenience because of the petroleum information and data already associated with that number and is not an acknowledgement that the original OPL 246 granted to the Applicant continues to exist”.
On the question of Public Policy and whether the grant of the SAPETRO application will put the FGN Oil and Gas Policy and Administration into turmoil, the attention of the court was drawn to ORDER 47 RULE 1 (2) which requires the court to have regard to all the circumstances of the case including the chaos and difficulty which will arise from the court’s decision. The court therefore held that “in an action of the Judicial Review even where the action challenged is found unlawful, the court usually considers the practical consequences of granting such an application. This is usually classified into two categories to wit, where there is no longer a live issue requiring a practical solution and those where granting a remedy would be detrimental to good administration”.
On whether upon the grant of OML, the OPL disappears, the court held that there is nothing unlawful in the Government Policy that the residue of OPL 246 is automatically relinquished and reverted to the Federal Government in the grant of an Oil Mining Lease No 130 to the Applicant. I also hold that there is nothing unlawful in the letters dated March 1,2006 and March 21, 2006 wherein the Minister communicated to the Applicant the decision of the Government not to grant to the Applicant an additional Oil Mining Lease from the unconverted portion of Oil Prospecting Licence 246”.
Having regard to all circumstances of the case and the evidence before Honourable Justice Mustapha Abdullahi, I submit in my humble view that this decision is correct and sound in law and in fact. However, I will propose an urgent amendment to the provision of Oil Prospecting Licences (Conversion to Oil Mining Leases, etc.) Regulations 2004 with a view to making the Regulations clearer, easily predictable and ascertainable than it is presently. This will avoid unnecessary assumptions, speculations and litigation. In this regard, I hereby propose a new Regulation 2 to the 2004 Regulations which should read “upon the grant of the oil mining lease, the oil prospecting licence shall expire”. This new provision should, in my opinion truly put this controversial legal issue to rest.
Lessons from Turkish Petroleum Code
Under the Turkish Petroleum Code 1954, nothing is assumed or taken for granted. Unlike Regulations 2004, Turkish Petroleum Code clarifies and directly addresses the question on residue of OPL upon its conversion to OML. The Code also makes clear express provision for open competitive bidding (with some variation to suit their national interests) as a mode of granting oil prospecting licence or oil mining lease.
Article 63 of Turkish Petroleum Code provides:
(i) A licencee who has made a discovery in his licence area, and who while his licence is in effect applies for a lease in accordance with the Regulations, shall be granted a lease on terms prevailing at the time the related licence was granted, for any area or areas chosen by him from the licence, not exceeding one half thereof, subject to the limitations of Articles 61 and 62. The licensee shall attach to his application a receipt showing payment of the lease fee.
(ii) Upon the grant of the lease the licence shall expire. However, in the event the right holder re-applies for licence for the remaining part of the licence area, such application may be evaluated by the General Directorate outside the scope of Sub-Article 4 of Article 53 of the Law.
With regard to the mode of acquiring oil block (OPL or OML) in Turkey, Article 64 (2) of the Code provides that “No licence or lease may be granted except by competitive bidding on an area previously declared subject to lease by competitive bidding without revocation of such declaration”. The Code further provides that “all or part of an area previously declared subject to lease by competitive bidding may be declared no longer subject to such bidding and that an offer of an area for competitive bidding shall not involve obligation to accept the highest or any bid”.
In conclusion, I salute the courage and judicial wisdom of Justice Mustapha Abdullahi in SAPETRO case. And for the purpose of making the law on OPL conversion to OML in Nigeria clearer and easily predictable, the amendment proposed above should as a matter of urgency be looked into to avoid unnecessary future litigation against the Minister of Petroleum Resources on this critical legal issue.
• Mr Ayoola-Daniels, an Abuja based lawyer is the principal partner of Niyi Ayoola-Daniels & Co. and member, Nigerian Gas Association
Impart Media Group (OTCBB:IMMG)
Current Price: $0.47
Market Capitalization (at $0.47): $10.58 Million
Shares Outstanding: 22,512,863
Public Float: 5,580,692 shares
Fourth Quarter, 2006 Revenue Forecast: $2.1 Million
2007 Revenue Forecast: $18-$21 Million
Impart Media Group, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is a rapidly expanding digital signage leader in the emerging out-of-home media sector. The company is growing through a consolidation strategy that includes developing the most advanced solutions to create a broad, integrated one-stop communications media company focused on digital signage and networked advertising offerings for leading brands and environments in industries such as retail, grocery, banking, restaurants, hospitality, government, airports, and public transit spaces, among others. The company's digital media solutions enable the simultaneous delivery of video, stills, text, web, and animation content to a variety of remote audiences in real time, allowing for immediate customization of messages through a centralized network operations center or secure web portals. Corporate Website: www.impartmedia.com
IQ Box Overview
Impart has taken what the company has learned over the years and combined these solutions into an all-inclusive digital signage management and delivery product. Called the Impart IQ Box™ digital media player - it is a revolutionary, intelligent digital signage solution designed to dramatically simplify the deployment of digital signage networks.
Advantages of Impart IQ Box™:
Infinite Scalability: Securely build a digital signage network of any size! The Impart IQ Box™ digital media player enables clients to expand their network, free of charge, using the clients' existing network.
Simplicity: No need to download software! The Impart IQ Box™ digital media player offers standard and reliable interface tools already on the web, empowering clients to manage their network from anywhere in the world.
Intuitive and Flexible Management: 24/7 system support. The Impart IQ Box™ digital media player's built in management dashboard allows clients to monitor the operation and performance of each of the Impart IQ Box™ digital media players on heir network, on their time schdule, while providing content synchronization. A single change to one Impart IQ Box™ digital media player will replicate to all of the Impart IQ Box™ digital media players... automatically.
Screen Customization: Alter the look and feel of your digital signage network to fit clients' desired image. Change themes and colors; integrate news and sports information; add advertising, weather forecasts, stock reports and artwork with streaming content... at any time, any day.
Free Software and Upgrades: Scheduling and delivery software are all included, along with free software upgrades. The Impart IQ™ digital media solution stands behind clients' digital signage network, offering free replacements with any non-functioning Impart IQ Box™ digital media player, making the Impart IQ™ digital media player the only smart media solution on the market to be fully backed by a lifetime warranty.
Impart IQ Streams™ library includes:
Weather (today, 5-10 day forecasts, forcast symbols, tiding, weather maps)
News (sports, science, world and U.S. News, technology, business, politics, entertainment, etc.)
Weather videos (National, local, or six city packages, with segments narrated by newscasters and updated 4 times a day.)
Music videos (videos by genre: alternative, rock, R&B, country, Christian, classical, etc.)
Sports videos (extreme skiing, skating, general)
Ticker based news, weather and stocks
Coming soon: News video- world, U.S., and local
Impart streaming works like this: No content plays until it is fully downloaded to the player. Period. This way, the Impart IQ Box™ digital media player streams out content without any the typical hiccups ordinary devices experience periodically. Videos are locally stored into clients' machines so content lag is prevented. Assigned chronological downloads of segments are performed automatically. At any time a client company can insert messages in between video stream segments or reformat the text displayed streams with its own design and content.
Reference link: http://www.impartmedia.com/products/digital/iqbox/
Impart IQ Streams™ library includes:
Weather (today, 5-10 day forecasts, forcast symbols, tiding, weather maps)
News (sports, science, world and U.S. News, technology, business, politics, entertainment, etc.)
Weather videos (National, local, or six city packages, with segments narrated by newscasters and updated 4 times a day.)
Music videos (videos by genre: alternative, rock, R&B, country, Christian, classical, etc.)
Sports videos (extreme skiing, skating, general)
Ticker based news, weather and stocks
Coming soon: News video- world, U.S., and local
Impart streaming works like this: No content plays until it is fully downloaded to the player. Period. This way, the Impart IQ Box™ digital media player streams out content without any the typical hiccups ordinary devices have. Videos are locally stored into your machines so content lag is prevented. Assigned chronological downloads of segments are performed automatically. At any time you can insert messages in between video stream segments or reformat the text displayed streams with your own design and content.
Investor Presentations
Accessible at: http://www.impartmedia.com/about/investor/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Lutz
LC Group
Investor Relations for IMMG
LCGroup@mindspring.com
404-261-1196
Very sweet! What his/her name?
The only thing that stopped me from launching into full details is that they said she was fully grown and she was maybe 15-18 lbs. with very short legs. She looked a lot like a Border, though, just very little. I'm hopeful for them that with those short little legs it'll be easier to wear her out. :)
OT: Ace, check some other otcbb tickers, apparently YHOO has just added these boards.
My guess $5.97
I was at PetSmart on Saturday for the obedience training. An older couple had a small Border Collie mix dog with them and stopped us to talk because we had Cocoa. They had decided to adopt the dog and wanted to ask questions. I tried to be as honest as I could be about Cocoa's energy without making them turn around and decide not to adopt the dog.
I'll be glad for the "settling" stage. She has soooo much energy, it's tough. Every day she gets a 20 - 30 minute walk, plus a 10 - 15 minute walk from my daughter. Most days she also gets to run off leash somewhere for at least 20 minutes and this is still not enough. She comes in the house from a nice walk and grabs her rope.
She's still afraid of the cat and I don't know what to do about that. She hides whenever the cat is inside. The cat makes a point of intimidating her whenever he sees her (prompting her hiding) and I don't know what to do about that either. I wish there was a Cesar Milan for how to deal with cats!
My husband was out of town earlier in the week, though, and she was very depressed. Hardly left her bed at all.
Otherwise, she's a great addition to our family.
No, I didn't mean it that way, I didn't feel slighted. It's just interesting that you thought of this piece of history and it's coming back to haunt Africa, that's all. I only posted it because of the Offor connection with Anambra and Igbo.
Take care. :)
Red, I was unfamiliar with this part of history but it's in the news right now. I just posted a link about it yesterday:
Posted by: rocky822
In reply to: None Date:1/6/2007 7:05:13 PM
Post #of 87660
Semi-Ot: Trouble in Anambra and Igbo tribe.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/06/ap/world/mainD8MFT1F00.shtml
We usually have mild winters here but the last couple of days have been unseasonably warm. Not record highs like some parts of the Northeast but still yesterday the kids were out without jackets or sweaters. Today it's very, very rainy. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon nap. :)
Jan. 7, 2007, 12:08PM
Amniotic fluid yields stem cells
By PAUL ELIAS AP Biotechnology Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press
TOOLS
Email Get section feed
Print Subscribe NOW
— Scientists reported Sunday they had found a plentiful source of stem cells in the fluid that cushions babies in the womb and produced a variety of tissue types from these cells _ sidestepping the controversy over destroying embryos for research.
Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University reported the stem cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much the same promise as embryonic stem cells. They reported they were able to extract the stem cells without harm to mother or fetus and turn their discovery into several different tissue cell types, including brain, liver and bone.
"Our hope is that these cells will provide a valuable resource for tissue repair and for engineered organs as well," said Dr. Anthony Atala, head of Wake Forest's regenerative medicine institute and senior researcher on the project.
It took Atala's team some seven years of research to determine the cells they found were truly stem cells that "can be used to produce a broad range of cells that may be valuable for therapy."
However, the scientists noted they still don't know exactly how many different cell types can be made from the stem cells found in amniotic fluid. They also said that even preliminary tests in patients are years away.
Still, Atala said the research reported in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology expands far beyond similar work discussed at a heart research conference in November. There, Swiss researcher Simon Hoerstrup said he managed to turn amniotic fluid stem cells into heart cells that could be grown into replacement valves. Hoerstrup has yet to publish his work in a scientific journal.
Atala said the new research has found even more promising stem cells with the potential to turn into many more medically useful replacement parts.
"We have other cell lines cooking," Atala said.
The hallmark of human embryonic stem cells, which are created in the first days after conception, is the ability to turn into any of the more than 220 cell types that make up the human body. Researchers are hopeful they can train these primordial cells to repair damaged organs in need of healthy cells.
However, many people, including President Bush, oppose the destruction of embryos for any reason. The Bush administration has severely restricted federal funding for the embryo work since 2001, leading many scientists to search for alternative stem cell sources.
The cells from amniotic fluid "can clearly generate a broad range of important cell types, but they may not do as many tricks as embryonic stem cells," said Dr. Robert Lanza, chief scientist at the stem cell company Advanced Cell Technology. "Either way, I think this work represents a giant step forward for stem cell research."
It's the latest advance in the so-called regenerative medicine field that has sprung from Atala's lab in Winston-Salem, N.C. In April, Atala and his colleagues rebuilt bladders for seven young patients using live tissue grown in the lab.
In the latest work, Atala's team extracted a small number of stem cells swimming among the many other cell types in the amniotic fluid. One of the more promising aspects of the research is that some of the DNA of the amnio stem cells contained Y chromosomes, which means the cells came from the babies rather than the pregnant moms.
Dr. George Daley, a Harvard University stem cell researcher, said that finding raises the possibility that someday expectant parents can freeze amnio stem cells for future tissue replacement in a sick child without fear of immune rejection.
Nonetheless, Daley said the discovery shouldn't be used as a replacement for human embryonic stem cell research.
"While they are fascinating subjects of study in their own right, they are not a substitute for human embryonic stem cells, which allow scientists to address a host of other interesting questions in early human development," said Daley, who began work last year to clone human embryos to produce stem cells.
___
Very cute, Deann. How old is he?
22-foot snowman abominable to some
Gawkers clog street in Alaska as 'Snowzilla' returns for second year
The Associated Press
Updated: 12:20 p.m. ET Jan 6, 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Snowzilla may be a smash hit with shutterbugs, but the towering snowman has detractors closer to home.
Some neighbors of the two-story-high snowman say they’re fed up with the hordes of gawkers clogging their street.
“When you get 20 people out there in their cars, now the whole street comes to a stop and nobody can get through,” said Anthony Bahler, who can see Snowzilla from his front window. “They just stand out there, in the middle of road, talking about a snowman.”
Bahler’s neighbor, Billy Powers, supervised construction of the original Snowzilla last year. Through the Internet, it became a media sensation, drawing crowds of visitors and TV crews from Japan and Russia before it melted in the spring.
This year, Powers resurrected the snowman and its giant hat made from tomato cages, corncob pipe and beer-bottle eyes. At 22 feet, the new Snowzilla is 6 feet taller than its predecessor.
Once again, traffic is streaming through the neighborhood.
“Everybody likes it,” Powers said. “That’s the reason I do it, really, I like the smiling faces.”
Mike Schmitz, whose family lives next door to Bahler, would prefer if Snowzilla were somewhere else.
“If it’s such a public thing, you’d think the community could get together and find a place to do it,” he said.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16498949/
Semi-Ot: Trouble in Anambra and Igbo tribe.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/06/ap/world/mainD8MFT1F00.shtml
Nice find, Oilman. eom.
Advanced Cell Technology’s William Caldwell Interviewed By Bloomberg Television
CEO Comments on the Effect the New Congress Will Have On Stem Cell Funding in its First ‘100 Hours’
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.’s (OTCBB: ACTC) William M. Caldwell, IV, Chief Executive Officer, was interviewed by Bloomberg Television yesterday to comment on the effect the new Congress will have on stem cell funding in its first “100 Hours.” As part of an 8-point plan during this time period, Congress has promised to push legislation through that would increase government funding for stem cell research.
Mr. Caldwell spoke of his optimism: “Right now there are bills in front of Congress to expand the lines for stem cell research, but I'm hopeful that this Congress will be cognizant of the fact that this research needs funding. The most important segment of this funding needs to be the translation from the basic science into the development of therapies and products. This void needs to be addressed not only by the government but also by private industry, foundations and consumer groups.”
Advanced Cell’s commitment to driving therapies to the clinic was recently highlighted in the scientific journal Nature, in a study describing the use of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from the Company’s embryonic stem cells, in which vision function was rescued in blind rats. The Company expects to file an investigational new drug application (IND) with the FDA this year for its RPE program. The company expects, further to file INDs for its hemangioblast cell lines for blood and cardiac disorder, and for its dermal cell lines for skin and wound repair, next year.
“We're encouraged with what's happened over the last couple years, not only in California but just recently nationwide with the changes in Congress,” said Mr. Caldwell. “Funding stem cell research is a national issue, that should be funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other branches of the government because they have the standards and the policies in place.”