SEOUL, Oct 17 Asia Pulse - A new remote health care service "Medivill" will be available to KT Freetel and KT M.com Co. mobile phone subscribers whose numbers start with 016 and 018 next month. The mobile phone providers teamed up with Korea Information and Communications Inc. to provide the service, KIC said Monday.
Communication systems, such as broadband lines, cable TV networks and telephone lines, relay information collected by biosignal detection terminals to the Medivill Center, which will analyze the data to determine if medical care is necessary. Test results are sent to users' phones via short message service.
The terminal automatically runs an electrocardiogram and checks blood pressure and heart rate. The user can input manually body temperature, weight, waist size and blood sugar level. Some 70 readings can be input.
The three partners will conduct trial runs for two weeks and plan to expand the service area to the Internet using apartments, silver towns, pharmaceuticals and hospitals.
KT Freetel and KT M.com said the service will cost about 30,000 won (US$26.65) per month.
(Yonhap) e
One technology to watch in 1998 is Adobe's PostScript 3 page-description language. PostScript has long been as essential as oxygen for Apple Macintosh printers and for commercial printing and high-end publishing shops, but it has generally been perceived as pricey and unnecessarily complex for the everyday printing needs of individual PC users. But PostScript 3 introduces some enhancements that business users in complex or distributed-printing environments will appreciate.
First, PostScript 3 incorporates support for Adobe Acrobat portable document format (PDF) files. This provides extensive control over the formatting and appearance of documents across multiple platforms. PDF files are becoming increasingly popular for the documentation and distribution of information over the Internet and intranets; PostScript 3 can print PDF files directly, ensuring the highest possible degree of fidelity with the original document.
For years, PostScript has been prized for its resolution independence--the ability to print the same file on a 600-dpi desktop printer or on a 2,400-dpi imagesetter and take advantage of the top resolution of each. PostScript 3 improves on this capability by automatically recognizing graphics, text, gray scale, color photos, and gradient fills, then optimizing the processing for each of these components.
PostScript 3 also boasts an expanded font set. Its 136 built-in fonts include those packaged with Windows 3.1, 95, and NT as well as the Mac OS and Microsoft Office, which reduces the need for the time-consuming process of downloading fonts for these commonly used operating systems and applications.
Finally, like the Adobe PrintGear devices described below, PostScript 3 printers are Web-ready and offer features such as "pull" printing, in which a Web address or URL is sent to the printer so the device can access that site to print the pages it finds there.
A FORMER Coldstream woman has been convicted of helping a man cover up the murder of his wife.</p><p>Appearing at Edinburgh High Court, Rita Heyster was also charged helping Harry Jarvis to murder his wife Carol in their Bathgate home in 2009 but Judge Lord Brailsford, presiding, ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict her.</p><p>However, on on Wednesday she was found guilty of helping Jarvis hide his wifeas body and sent into custody to await sentence.</p><p>Heyster arrived in Coldstream in the 1950s, after being adopted by Jus-Rol founder Tommy Forsyth and his wife. Growing up in the town she lived with the family near the townas police station and went to school at Coldstream Primary.</p><p>Following her adopted fatheras death she inherited his fortune but was thought to have left the town in her mid-teens.</p><p>Now 57, she was rumoured to be having an affair with Jarvis before his wifeas death but this is something the convicted murderer denied in court and Heyster lodged a special defence blaming her rumoured lover for any wrong doing.</p><p>This corresponds with Jarvisa own version of events. He was sentenced to life imprisonment earlier this year but when called as a defence witness by Heysteras lawyers said he had never told her that his wife was dead or that he had hidden her body in the cellar.</p><p>He told the trial that when his wife died on September 12, 2009 he was alone in the house in Balbardie Crescent, Bathgate.</p><p>He claimed he sent Heyster, who is rumoured to have lived in the Jarvisas garden shed for a period of time, out on a false errand to a nearby shop while he hid his wifeas body and then made up an elaborate story about her having to leave the family home for respite care.</p><p>He said Carol Jarvis died after his attempt to administer drugs to stop the 49 year old fitting failed but this differed from the account of events he gave to police when he was first arrested which suggested shead lost her life after aa sex game had gone wrong.</p><p>The court heard how Harry Jarvis and Rita Heyster first struck up contact in 2008 over the internet and later, he stayed at her Peebles home because he was working in the area as an electronics engineer and moonlighting as a delivery man for an Indian take-away.</p><p>The following year Ms Heyster moved to the Bathgate area, living in bed and breakfast accommodation and, for about a month before his wifeas death, staying the occasional night in the garden shed.</p><p>Jarvis said Heyster was going to be his wifeas carer so that he could go back to work. But they did not want their four grown-up children to know about this until plans were finalised.</p><p>Jarvis said that was why Heyster kept out of sight in the shed, or on occasion, in the cellar where Mrs Jarvisas body was found on September 16,2009.</p><p>However, on Tuesday, Gary Allan QC, branded the 61 year old a apathological liar who was lying to get Heyster off the hook.</p><p>And speaking after the trial Det Insp Phil Gachagan, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: aHarry Jarvis is a cold and calculating killer, who preyed on his wifeas loyalty and vulnerability.</p><p>aIt is clear he thought very little of killing his wife of 27 years.</p><p>aThe attempts made by Harry and Rita to conceal what they had done further demonstrated their complete lack of remorse for their wicked actions.<p/>
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and legendary Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture today announced that Shadows of the Damned [TM] is now available at retail stores across North America. Created by renowned developers Suda51 (director of No More Heroes), Shinji Mikami (director of Resident Evil) and music composer Akira Yamaoka (sound director of Silent Hill), Shadows of the Damned combines visceral, grindhouse-style action with a psychologically twisted setting to provide a truly one-of-a-kind vision of hell, and is already receiving worldwide critical acclaim, with Game Informer giving it 9.25 out and 10, stating "Shadows of the Damned is a road trip to Hell well worth taking." GamesMaster UK also says that the game is "a kitsch, punk rock and roll assault on the senses," scoring it 90% out of 100%.
Heavily influenced by grindhouse-style projects, Shadows of the Damned takes gamers on a demented journey through a tortured underworld where death and destruction are around every corner. Playing as professional demon hunter Garcia Hotspur, gamers must harness the power of the light to save Paula - the love of his life - from the Lord of Demons. Manipulating this balance of light versus dark gameplay in different settings and scenarios, gamers can discover new ways to defeat vicious enemies and solve mind-boggling puzzles. Along this hellish adventure, players will be aided by Johnson, a former demon with the ability to transform into an arsenal of upgradeable, supernatural weapons, giving Garcia the power to rip apart the forces of the damned and ultimately protect what he loves most.
Developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, Shadows of the Damned is now available in North America and will be available on June 24 in Europe for the Xbox 360[R] videogame and entertainment system and PlayStation[R]3 computer entertainment system. For more information on Shadows of the Damned, please visit: http://www.ea.com/shadows-of-the-damned.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims[TM], Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed[TM], Battlefield, and Mass Effect[TM]. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
Shadows of the Damned is a trademarks of GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC. EA, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox 360 is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
JACKSON, MS -- The following information was released by the office of the Mississippi Attorney General:
June is National Internet Safety Month and a great time for parents to review their children's Internet safety practices, notes Attorney General Jim Hood today.
"The Internet is both a blessing and a curse," said Attorney General Hood. "When used correctly, it can be a great source of entertainment and information. When used incorrectly, it can present some serious risks."
The Attorney General warns of those potential risks, which include:
- Websites may contain inappropriate content for children such as adult images, violent or false information.
- The Internet can allow potential exploiters access to your children.
- You cannot "take back" images or content once posted.
Attorney General Hood offers some tips to limit potential risks:
INTERNET BROWSING
- Open up the lines of communication with your kids about Internet use. Talk to your children about their activities online and on their cell phones.
- Establish ground rules. Set clear boundaries for what is and is not allowed.
- Place the family computer in common areas, such as the living room.
- Consider instituting a "media curfew" for phones and computers, or limiting the amount of time that these may be used.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
- Make your child give you his/her password so that you can check the private messages.
- Use a strong password. A good password should have at least eight characters and include letters, numbers and symbols.
- Do not include your full birth date in your profile. Choose to show no birthday or only your month and day.
- Do not permit your children to use a social networking site unsupervised. Use your email address as the contact for their account so that you receive notifications. Do become one of their online friends.
- Set your privacy settings high. On Facebook, for example, you can go to the search setting of Facebook's privacy controls and select "Only Friends" for Facebook search results. Limit access of your profile, photos and other information to only friends.
- Be careful what you post. Never mention or suggest that you'll be away from home.
CELL PHONES
- Review your cell phone records for unfamiliar numbers and late night calls and texts.
- Remind your child that anything shared in a text can be easily forwarded and shared.
- Learn texting acronyms such as "POS" (Parent Over Shoulder) so that you can identify troublesome messages.
- Explain to your children that sending a sexually explicit image of someone under the age of 18 may be considered distribution of child pornography and receiving it may be considered possession of child pornography.
- Familiarize yourself with your cell phone's security settings and use them.
- Check with your cellular service provider on getting GPS on your child's phone to keep up with your child.
VIDEO GAMES
- Take an active interest in the games your child is interested in. Play with them.
- Research game ratings and content at http://www.esrb.org, especially prior to purchasing. The website is maintained by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
- Keep gaming consoles in open locations where they can easily be monitored.
- Warn your child not to give out personal information while gaming and never agree to meet anyone outside of the game.
"In order to best protect your child, parents have to take the bull by the horns," said Attorney General Hood. "Open communication, clear guidelines and consistent monitoring are collectively a parent's best plan."
The Attorney General offers more tips through a variety of brochures on the topics of Cyberbullying, Sexting and Illegal Downloads. These brochures can be found online at http://www.agjimhood.com. Another valuable resource recommended by the Attorney General is http://www.netsmartz.org, an educational resource of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The Netsmartz website has information for Parents, Educators, Law Enforcement, Teens, Tweens and Kids on issues such as blogging, cell phones, sexting, cyberbullying, gaming and social networking.
FLASH SYTLE PALESTINE ACTION -- The following information was released by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC):
SAT 14TH MAY AT 9.45AM - THE ACTION WILL FINISH BY 12PM SO WE CAN WALK TO AL NAKBA DOWNING STREET DEMO TOGETHER.
This is a fun and easy going action for Palestine taking place on 14th May 2011. We're meeting at 9.45am at Cafe Nero on the corner, Holborn opposite Lincoln Inn Fields. We will then be singing/speaking in a couple of outdoor locations to raise awareness of the plight of Palestine (apartheid and BDS) using music and song. We want to represent the full demographic, all age groups; everyone can take part so please bring children too. You don't need to be able to sing or dance, this is a message from the heart and we want people to be represented as individuals with one message - A FREE PALESTINE. There is no dress code, just wear what you usually do. PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT THIS EVENT, WE NEED GOOD NUMBERS. This will be filmed to go out on the internet.
The song you need to know is called 'Envisage' and the melody is similar to the Beatles song 'Imagine'. I attach a link below to the Beatles song and the words to the song 'Envisage' so that you can have a practice sing/speak along. Please try to learn these words.
http://youtu.be/OoC86l3SQL4
'Envisage' song words
Think no occ-u-pation,
Pal-es-tine is free
No sew-age and rubb-le
No Is-rael-i war
En-vis-age all Pal-es-tine
Nour-ished and be-ing free
*
Boy-cott Is-ray-el
*
Think no apart-heid wall
And no Gaa-za siege
Med-i-cine flows soo free-ly
Child-ren play and learn
En-vis-age all pal-es-tine
Liv-ing with clean wa-ter
*
boy-cott Is-ra-el
*
Do you think its all over?
BDS helps Pal-est-ine
I under-stand you supp-ort us
So boy-cott Is-ra-el PLEASE NOTE - We are having a practice session on Thursday 12th May at 6.30pm - meeting outside the steps of SOAS university, Russel Square. If you can't make it to the practice session it does not matter as we will practice again on the day.
If you have any questions or can play a musical/percussion instrument pls email me - happyskyfree@gmail.com.
Mada Communications, Jordan's internet guru, has sponsored the FIE Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships (WFC) event which was held at the lowest point on Earth from March 29-April 6, with the participation of the best young fencers from 100 countries.
"We are always keen to support youngsters through providing them with high speed Internet access and unprecedented connectivity through supreme performance and benefits, enabling them to connect effectively and efficiently," said
Mada's CCO Khalid Saqri, who presented gifts to the winners.
Mada constructed a service booth in the event's site to provide participants and visitors with the latest in the internet and telecom industry
2011 Jordan Press & publishing Co. All rights reserved.
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
NORWALK, Conn. -- Priceline.com (Nasdaq:PCLN) said today that it will be recognized on October 22nd by the Connecticut Technology Council and UHY LLP as a UHY LLP Tech Top 40 company for 2009. The list of 40 tech companies celebrates the fastest-growing technology companies in the state. Priceline.com was recognized in the category reserved for New Media/Internet/Telecom companies. The recognition event will be held this Thursday evening in Wallingford.
The Connecticut Technology Council and UHY LLP compile the winners list based on revenue growth over the last four years. In priceline.com's case, the company has grown its revenues from $962.7 million in 2005 to $1.9 billion in 2008.
"More than 10 years ago, priceline.com chose Connecticut as its base from which to launch a new business venture that would simultaneously provide travel suppliers with an effective sales channel for their products and give consumers a new way to find and book the best travel deals available anywhere," said priceline.com President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery H. Boyd. "In that decade, we have expanded beyond these shores to make priceline.com the 2nd largest online hotel reservation service globally. Our success is in large part due to the high caliber of talent and resources resident in Connecticut. We are deeply honored to be recognized among this year's UHY LLP Tech Top 40."
About Priceline.com([R]) Incorporated
Priceline.com Incorporated (Nasdaq:PCLN) www.priceline.com provides online travel services in 29 languages in over 78 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Included in the priceline.com family of companies is Booking.com, a leading international online hotel reservation service, priceline.com, a leading U.S. online travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers, and Agoda.com, an Asian online hotel reservation service. Priceline.com believes that Booking.com is Europe's largest and fastest growing hotel reservation service, with a network of affiliated Web sites. Booking.com operates in over 70 countries in 24 languages and offers its customers access to over 71,000 participating hotels worldwide.
In the U.S., priceline.com gives customers more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises than any other Internet travel service. In addition to getting great published prices, leisure travelers can narrow their searches using priceline.com's TripFilter advanced search technology, customize their search activity through priceline.com's Inside Track features, create packages to save even more money, and take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price[R] service, which can deliver the best deals available.
Priceline.com also operates the following travel websites: Travelweb.com, Lowestfare.com, RentalCars.com and BreezeNet.com. Priceline.com also licenses its business model to certain independent and international licensees.
About The Connecticut Technology Council
The Connecticut Technology Council is a statewide association of technology oriented companies and institutions, providing leadership in areas of policy advocacy, community building and assistance for growing companies. Speaking for over 2,000 companies that employ some 200,000 residents, the Connecticut Technology Council seeks to provide a strong and urgent voice in support of the creation of a culture of innovation. This includes working to position Connecticut as a leader in idea creation, workforce preparation, entrepreneurial aptitude, early stage risk capital availability and providing ongoing support and mentoring to high potential firms.
About UHY LLP
UHY LLP is a licensed independent CPA firm that performs audit and attest services in an alternative practice structure with UHY Advisors, Inc. UHY LLP and UHY Advisors, Inc. are independent U.S. members of UHY International Limited. UHY LLP has distinguished itself as a market leader among accounting firms for public companies, middle-market, and privately owned businesses for the past 30 years. The firm is supported by highly motivated partners and staff focused on serving audit and reporting needs with the utmost integrity.
Byline: Rocky staff and wire reports
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic foundation, expects to slow the growth of its grant making in 2009 in response to the troubled economy.
The foundation said payouts will rise by about 10 percent next year, less than previously planned.
Started by the Microsoft Corp. co-founder and his wife in 1994, the foundation's international goals include overcoming hunger, poverty and disease. In this country, its focus is on education.
The foundation had an endowment valued at $35.1 billion as of Oct. 1, down $800 million from June, according to The Seattle Times.
AD FORECAST DOWN A marketing research firm is dimming its Internet advertising outlook for the next four years, the latest sign of the more austere times looming for the high-tech sector.
In revisions made Tuesday, eMarketer estimates U.S. advertisers will spend $25.7 billion on the Internet next year - about $2.7 billion, or 10 percent, less than a forecast from just three months ago.
The more sobering projections extend through 2012, when eMarketer envisions $37 billion being spent on U.S. online ads. That figure represents a drop of $13 billion, or 26 percent, from the 2012 estimates that eMarketer drew up in August.
VIDEO DOWNLOADS Blockbuster Inc. will start renting movies and television shows through a new gadget that may give consumers another reason to bypass the struggling video chain's 7,500 stores.
The new system announced Tuesday relies on a small box that connects to television sets and stores video after it has been downloaded over high-speed Internet connections.
The player, made by San Jose-based 2Wire Inc., is built on the same concept as storage devices made by Apple Inc. and Vudu Inc.
BEEF IS BACK U.S. beef is returning to supermarket shelves in South Korea, major discount department stores said Tuesday.
South Koreans protested in the streets for weeks when the government decided in June to lift a 2003 ban on imports of U.S. beef. For months, supermarkets and many restaurants shied away from offering U.S. beef because of strong public opposition to the government decision.
But on Tuesday, the Korea Chainstores Association said major discount stores such as E-mart, Home Plus and Lotte Mart will begin selling U.S. beef because customers have asked for cheaper meat.
LOCAL
Market losses leave El Paso pension plan short of funds
Retirement plan officials say a pension fund for El Paso County employees needs $4.7 million to stay operational.
Officials told county commissioners on Monday the fund lost $88 million, or 29 percent of its value, since October 2007 as more money was paid out than was contributed into the retirement plan. The fund also posted a one-year loss of 16.2 percent in its investments.
The retirement plan covers 3,680 employees, beneficiaries and retirees in the county. More than $3 million is expected to be paid out this year. Retirees are guaranteed a certain amount regardless of market performance.
ENERGY INITIATIVE Broomfield-based engineering company MWH has joined the University of Colorado's Energy Initiative Leadership Council.
Formed in 2006, the energy initiative is composed of corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, policymakers and academics. Its goal is to help solve global energy challenges through research, education and technology commercialization.
QWEST PRICE CUTS Qwest Communications has slashed some of its prices as part of a holiday promotion running until Dec. 31.
Internet service up to 1.5 megabits a second, for example, is $14.99 vs. $29.99 a month for a year, as long as consumers also subscribe to a home phone package.
INFOBOX
THIS JUST IN
* Colorado State University System Board of Governors appointed Michael D. Nosler general counsel for the CSU system.
* Frontier Airlines named Cameron Kenyon interim president of its regional airline subsidiary Lynx Aviation.
* Denise A. Battles, dean of the University of Northern Colorado's College of Natural and Health Sciences, was elected president of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences.
* Gary Prager, partner at Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, was named the 2009 president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of CEFPI.
* Warren Washington and Gerald Meehl, senior scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, won the American Meteorological Society 2009 Jule G. Charney Award.
* CH2M HILL received a Prime Contractor Subcontracting Award from the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs.
* Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck added Lawrence "Larry" W. Treece to its Denver office as a shareholder.
* The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials gave the Lakewood Housing Authority its 2008 Award of Excellence in the project design category for the Residences at Creekside.
* The American Institute of Architects gave Boulder-based Michael Folwell Architecture its 2008 Honor Design Award and its 2008 Citation Design Award.
* Theresa M. Solano and Anita Roberts, students at the Women's College of the University of Denver, were awarded Public Service Credit Union Annual Scholarships.
* The Group Inc. added Mike Boyles and Carol Story as broker associates/partners and Dennis Naibauer as a broker associate.
* Source Four Inc. was named Industry Partner of the Year by the American Society of Interior Designers Colorado chapter.
* David Zeitlin joined Barotz Dental as a dentist.
* The Colorado Hospital Association appointed Tiffany Radel vice president of communications.
* Robyn Burson joined the DTC Market Center of Keller Williams Realty as a Realtor.
* Damon Bell joined the Omni Interlocken Resort & Spa as director of group sales.
* Weise Communications received five 2008 Colorado Healthcare Communicators awards: Colorado Hospital Project of the Year Award, Gold Leaf Awards for Advertising, Gold Leaf Award for Media Relations Silver Leaf Award for Annual Report Over $10,000 and Bronze Leaf Award for Advertising.
* M. Richard Smith joined the board of directors of Evergreen Energy Inc.
* Inhibiton Therapeutics Inc. appointed Aaron A. Grunfeld to its board of directors as an independent director.
* Heidi Flammang, CEO of Camp Bow Wow, won a Stevie Awards for Women in Business for best entrepreneur.
A MYSTERIOUS research laboratory perched on the lush green hillside of a remote Mediterranean island; a group of scientists, several of them Russian, working feverishly to bride the gap between electronics and biology by building biochips. It may have the look of a James Bond film, but it is a serious endeavour. It could turn the tiny island of Elba, previously famous only for Napoleon's brief exile, into a hotbed of bio-electronics.
The laboratory, extravagantly named Technobiochip, is the brainchild of Claudio Nicolini, a biophysicist at the University of Genoa. In 1989 Dr Nicolini convinced five companies to invest together in a laboratory that would do research in the fledgling field of bio-electronics. Carefully, he chose firms that were not direct competitors, such as SGS Thomson, a microelectronics company and Raggio Italgene, an Italian biotechnology company.
Dr Nicolini, who happened also to be campaigning for a senatorship in the region at the time, took advantage of a political loophole which placed the island in southern Italy for investment purposes, even though it is a good deal north of Rome. This enabled him to obtain generous government funds to match those from industry. Such largesse has given Technobiochip a budget of about 10 billion lire ($6m) a year for some 20 researchers since it opened on 1991. The result is an extremely well-equipped laboratory that would be the envy of any Italian university. Scientists initially reluctant to be exiled on Elba are now eager to stay, partly due to the excellent research conditions, partly because of the idyllic site.
But Technobiochip is not just pretty pork. Although much of the research carried out there is very long-term stuff, the industrial involvement puts pressure on the researchers to develop devices that are useful here and now. One example is a biosensor that can detect the minute amounts of recombinant DNA which are used to make drugs. Though not terribly glamorous, such applications have commercial value. Perhaps the best sign of Technobiochip's success is that, when government support petered out this spring due to Italy's budget problems, industry kept on funding the laboratory.
The original venture has now split into two. Technobiochip Manufacturing will further develop the most marketable ideas. To complement Technobiochip's activities, the "National Bioelectronics Pole" has been opened just up the street in the otherwise sleepy town of Marciana. Among its research preoccupations are neural networks: silicon structures which are built to learn, and which are another facet of the marriage between electronics and biology.
There are plans to convert a 14th-century fortress into the Elba Foundation, dedicated to more fundamental research in bio- electronics and supported by the Italian and Russian governments as well as several American foundations. The Russian connection has already proved fruitful for Technobiochip, supplying the lab with well-trained scientists, hired on short-term consultancies to keep overheads to a minimum. Together, the various institutes will form the Elba Science and Technology Park, one of 13 such parks being built throughout Italy.
The splendid isolation Technobiochip and its siblings share is in some ways a disadvantage. The nearest major library is several hours away by car and ferry and equipment delivery times are long. Until an optical-fibre connection is made with the island, even surfing the Internet is slow. But on the whole the researchers are delighted to be left to their own devices, with generous equipment budgets and far from meddling middle managers. They are visited just once a month by mainland professors who keep track of their progress. If that proves too intrusive for some, there is always Saint Helena.
Byline: Jamie Reid
Jul. 9--After accidentally shooting herself in the heart with a nailgun two years ago, Joy Wiggins said she took a 15-minute trip to a heavenly place where music seemed to welcome her to the promised land. The devout Wiggins, 55, of Spurger, struggled for months to remember the song she heard there. Two months ago, while thinking of her ailing 94-year-old mother, Wiggins sat at her piano and stared at decorative wooden angels on top. And, perhaps in whispers from seraphim, she remembered. The song "was given to me to help her," Wiggins said of her mother, Bonnie Ree Cummings Puckett, who passed away June 19.
Wiggins, a coding supervisor at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital, initially recorded the song without lyrics three days later and took it to her mother's bedside. The elderly woman, who suffered with pneumonia and renal failure, described the gentle tune as "beautiful," said Wiggins. The mother and daughter, plus Wiggins' 51-year-old sister Latrelle Lindon, listened to the recording over and over and discussed lyrics. God, they said, inspired them to give words to the song. Lindon heard "joyous homecoming." Wiggins heard "child of mine." "It was like the music spoke to us," Lindon said. "God was giving us all a little piece of the vision." Lindon pieced the words together, and by morning, with the help of God and her family, had created "Crossing Over," a ballad about the joy of entering heaven.
It goes in part: There's a knowing in the Spirit, of a place of perfect rest Where the soul in peace rejoices, and the heart's completely blessed. Wiggins believes heaven is full of music. Many of the beautiful songs on Earth come from beyond the pearly gates -- whispers from angels, she said."I don't see how there can be such beautiful words to songs without some divine intervention," she said. This family of nine siblings -- plus about 40 grandchildren, about 40 great-grandchildren and a handful of great-great-grandchildren -- are all musical, said Lindon, an elementary school secretary in Huntsville. "It's a big, old choir," she said. "We are as comfortable singing as talking."
The song was sung at the matriarch's funeral -- also the annual St. Elizabeth talent show and some local churches. Wiggins, who said she felt at peace while her heart stopped beating on Oct. 11, 2003, has shared it with many friends who are afraid of death. There is no need to be scared, she sings to them: When my life on Earth is ended, a new life will then begin And a crown I have awaiting, an inheritance with Him. The song was copyrighted in June, set to orchestra music and put on CDs, which the sisters plan to send to Christians radio stations. The song is not yet for sale. The Internet radio station "The Gospel Hiway" (http://www.thegospelhiway.org) has four of Lindon's songs on rotation right now, she said. She wants "Crossing Over" to get airplay next. It can help so many people accept death, the sisters said. "It's a message from someone who has already been there," Lindon said. "It's not a sadness, but a rejoicing. You are going to meet the Lord. That's a pretty big message": What a joyous homecoming to approach the Heavenly throne. And be met with arms wide open, child of mine you're welcome home. jreid@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 880-0787
Copyright (c) 2006, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business
News.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
