BBC Correspondent Alan Johnston was released on Wednesday after 114 days in captivity because the Hamas authorities in Gaza made his kidnappers an offer they couldn't refuse: either they freed the Briton or they would be hunted down and killed, a senior Hamas militant told TIME. To Johnston's captors, the Army of Islam, an offshoot of a powerful criminal clan in Gaza known as the Dogmush, there was no doubting Hamas' resolve. In the 48 hours prior to the journalist's release, Hamas gunmen took up positions on rooftops around the Dogmush compound in Gaza City, cut off water and electricity, and arrested several clan members, including a leader of the Army of Islam. The first sign that the kidnappers were cracking under the pressure came on Tuesday with the release of nine pro-Hamas students that the Army of Islam had grabbed earlier.
Earlier, Hamas officials said they could have raided the Dogmush compound and freed the captive journalist in "15 minutes," but that they were afraid that Johnston might have been harmed. (Johnston was moved to four different hideouts during his kidnapping but always kept in a windowless room.) Soon after these remarks were made public, a video of Johnston was released of him wearing an explosive belt and saying his captors would blow him up if Hamas tried to rescue him. Questioned about the video after his release, Johnston said: "If Hamas had stormed the hideout, there was a 50-50 chance I would've been used as a human shield."
Hamas' efforts to free the journalist weren't necessarily altruistic. Democratically elected to power in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza in January 2006, Hamas is locked in a fierce struggle with the Fatah movement loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is backed by the West. This rivalry culminated in Hamas ousting Fatah's armed forces from Gaza after six days of gun battles last month. Abbas retaliated by firing Hamas Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh and his cabinet, but Haniyeh has refused to step down. The Islamic militants of Hamas are anxious to show Palestinians in Gaza — and the rest of the world — that they can carry out their vow to impose order in Gaza. The photo op of a smiling BBC man is a huge publicity coup, allowing Hamas to say, with some legitimacy, that they are bringing back stability to Gaza.
Johnston says the only time he was mistreated was shortly before his release, when his captors apparently could not contain their angry frustration over Hamas' terms. He described how they "smashed me in the face" before they shoved him in the vehicle that delivered him to freedom before dawn on Wednesday. As Johnston later remarked, "If it wasn't for Hamas' pressure, I'd be in that room a lot longer." His surly captors drove Johnston to Haniyeh's modest residence. Fed only on cheese, potatoes and bread during his months of solitary confinement, Johnston was obviously grateful for the huge breakfast laid out for him by Haniyeh, and the gaunt Scot was shown on TV wolfing down food as he answered questions about his abduction. He described his kidnappers as "dangerous and unpredictable."
A senior Hamas militant told TIME that under the terms of Johnston's handover, the Army of Islam would be allowed to keep its weapons "for resistance against Israel" but vowed that the group would "no longer kidnap journalists and would obey the Hamas government."
The Army of Islam, Johnston said, was "a small jihadi group that wasn't so interested in the Israeli-Palestinian issue as much as getting a knife into Britain." The group, numbering several hundred, claim to be inspired by al-Qaeda's anti-Western agenda, but Hamas leaders refer to them as kidnappers and guns-for-hire patronized by Fatah security forces loyal to Palestinian President Abbas. It was only after Hamas defeated Fatah militia in Gaza last month, said Johnston, that his abductors became edgy and nervous.
Securing the release of Johnston is a timely boon for Hamas' leaders who, despite their election victory, are boycotted by the West for refusing to renounce violence against Israel. Britain, which along with the U.S. has steadfastly refused to deal with Hamas, found itself negotiating directly with Haniyeh. Sacked by Abbas after the Gaza clashes, Haniyeh continues to run a Hamas phantom government in Gaza. In contrast to Abbas, whose own authority in the West Bank is shaky, Hamas can now rightly say that it is fully in control of Gaza. Freeing Johnston will help Hamas achieve a measure of international respectability, and, according to Palestinian analysts, the move may pave the way toward the release of another Gaza hostage, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped a year ago by several militants, including members of the Army of Islam. Hamas claims it is also trying to persuade smaller militant outfits in Gaza to cease firing rockets into Israel.
As for Johnston, after his breakfast with Hamas officials he was rushed by British diplomats to Jerusalem. He still seemed stunned by his long-awaited freedom: "It's hard to believe I'm not going to wake up in that room again."
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Hamas Freed a BBC Reporter
Young Indonesia's Guitar Warrior
Rabbis are an uncommon sight in Indonesia, much less at a performance by the country's top rock star. Yet there they were, tapping along as Ahmad Dhani (also known as Dhani Dewa) sang his Warriors of Love at a recent conference in Bali on religious tolerance. Afterward, the rabbis—along with Islamic, Hindu and Catholic clerics—jostled for photos with the rock star.
The 35-year-old Muslim may have a way to go before reaching the musician-statesman stature of Bono, but he is talking the talk. "Warriors of Love is a song about love and tolerance for people of different faiths," he explains. "We reject the teachings of hate and the extremists who preach it." Some of his backers hope to widen the song's appeal by assembling a multilingual Muslim star cast to render it as a kind of We Are the World anthem of global Islamic moderation.
Dhani first has to win over his homeland, however. He grew up in Surabaya, listening to Queen and Japanese jazz-fusion outfit Casiopea. After notching up seven platinum albums in Indonesia with his own band, Dewa 19, he announced his intention to wean millions of his countrymen away from extremist Islamic views. "What happens depends on how we deal with the radicals and teach people about Islam," explains Dhani, who says he quit a religious school as a child because he was put off by its conservative Wahhabi teachings. "It's time to come together, even if we have to do it one song at a time."
While international music fans have yet to take notice, the U.S. security establishment already has. Last October, Dhani spoke at a Defense Department-sponsored conference at NORAD in Colorado Springs, explaining to military and government officials why he rejected the path of his father, a former member of the hard-line body Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia, as well as that of his grandfather, a member of the outlawed Darul Islam, which once fought for an Islamic state in the archipelago. In so doing, the rock star "has chosen to help us annihilate the crisis of misunderstanding of the Muslim world," says C. Holland Taylor, an American who founded the LibForAll Foundation to promote moderate Islam, and who accompanied Dhani to NORAD. (It is Taylor's foundation that plans to gather other Muslim pop stars for the multilingual version of Warriors of Love.)
But promoting greater understanding of Islam may be a tall order for a star whose private life and secular peccadilloes, often fodder for sensational stories in Indonesian newspapers, seem at odds with his message of spirituality and tolerance. He is estranged from his wife and has told newspaper reporters that women should be free to do as they please "as long as they don't refuse," and that the place of a wife "is one level below the man." He has also been photographed posing in Jacuzzis with young starlets. Although these were publicity shots staged with performers that Dhani was trying to promote as a music producer, they made conservative Indonesians uncomfortable. "I doubt people will take him seriously as someone who can speak about religion given his personal problems," says Jakarta college student Mega Kharismawati, voicing a view common among her peers.
Then there is Dhani's self-professed interest in Sufism. The Sufis make up a mystical branch of Islam that conservative Muslims dismiss as unconventional at best, and deviant at worst. "The fact that he is a Sufi is already going to be controversial with most Indonesian Muslims," says Hamid Basyaib, director of the Liberal Islam Network, a Jakarta-based organization promoting a moderate version of Islam. So will Dhani's admission that he does not pray five times a day—one of the religion's cardinal commands. Says Shofwan Chairul of the University of Indonesia's Islamic Students Association: "People respect him for his music, not his religious views."
Critics say Dhani's newfound spiritual interest masks the falling sales of Dewa 19's albums (the latest shifted 400,000 copies, in contrast to the two previous ones, which sold over a million each). But residual love for his music remains sky high. "Most Indonesians have had a Dewa 19 moment," says Rian Pelor, a music writer for Trax magazine. Certainly, there is no musician like Dhani in the country—he is Indonesia's Cobain or Lennon. And while his new musical tack has been greeted with suspicion in some quarters, what if it does articulate a concern of Indonesia's silent majority? Channeling their feelings is something that Dhani has never failed to do in the past. "Music can reach the masses in a way that Muslim teachers cannot," he declares. "We hope to touch the kids in a way that will make them think about their faith." For now though, whether or not Warriors of Love can drown out the warriors of militant Islam is anyone's guess.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Volunteer discovers her mission: Helping families of wounded troops
Peggy Baker said she never gave much thought to the military before her son enlisted in the Army shortly after September 11, 2001.
"We were a family that walked around and had no idea of the sacrifices that were being made every day and throughout history," she said. "All of a sudden, I was put into a position that my child was going to defend our country, and it opened my eyes."
So, Baker said she looked for a way to support U.S. troops. Initially, she connected with other military mothers on the Internet to compile and send care packages to deployed troops.
But when a fellow mother's son was wounded, Baker joined her at Walter Reed Medical Center, in Washington, to visit him. There, as she looked around at the parents tending to their wounded children, Baker said she found her mission.
"[I] realized that there are a lot of things that we as American citizens can do to lighten the load of some families of the wounded," Baker said. "And so, from there it started."
"It" is Baker's nonprofit organization, Operation First Response. In the nearly three years of its existence, it has grown from just Baker and a few others bringing supplies to the families at Walter Reed to supporting U.S. military hospitals across several states; in Landstuhl, Germany; and in some combat hospitals in Iraq as well.
Operation First Response helps military families in several ways, Baker said. Through its "OFR backpack" program, it provide backpacks filled with clothing and hygiene items to military hospitals for families. The organization also collects donated frequent flier miles to help transport military families to be with their loved ones, and it continues to offer food, hygiene items, books and money to families at Walter Reed.
Techies dismantle iPhones
While most iPhone owners couldn't wait to try out their pricey new gadgets, a few raced to break them apart.The dismantled -- and in some cases, permanently busted -- iPhones revealed one of Apple Inc.'s closely guarded secrets: The names of the companies that supplied the chips and other electronic components for the highly anticipated device.
The findings sent all but a few of the component makers' stocks higher Monday, the first day of trading since the iPhone -- a combination cell phone, music player and wireless Web browsing device -- went on sale in the U.S. Friday evening for as much as $600 a pop.
The parts makers stand to profit handsomely if the iPhone proves popular over time. Apple itself has set a target of selling 10 million units worldwide by 2008, gaining roughly a 1 percent share of the cell phone market.
The phone was sold out in most Apple and AT&T stores by Monday afternoon, said AT&T spokesman Michael Coe. He declined to release specific sales figures
Coe added that most of the activation problems that surfaced over the weekend had been resolved.
Some iPhone buyers had trouble switching over to AT&T from their previous wireless carrier, delays that AT&T blamed on overloaded servers, a problem with the company's credit authorization system, and problems transferring customers' business accounts to consumer accounts
The issue is essentially behind us now," he said.
But as that problem passed, another glitch emerged. Some iPhone users in Western and Midwestern states were unable to get onto the Internet for several hours Monday because of outages on AT&T's EDGE network that were eventually fixed, Coe said. AT&T said it had not determined what caused the outages but was certain it wasn't due to an influx of iPhone users.
Despite the problems, investors flocked to the iPhone's newly unmasked parts makers.
Among the beneficiaries of Apple's business and the tear-down buzz were semiconductor heavyweights Intel Corp., Broadcom Corp., Texas Instruments Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG as well as lesser-known companies such as Skyworks Solutions Inc. and Linear Technology Corp.
Some researchers said Apple's secrecy surrounding the iPhone's component suppliers is yet another example of the Cupertino-based company's vaunted ability to keep their partners tightlipped even when facing a media frenzy and rampant speculation.
"They're very good at it -- and I think they make a point of holding their suppliers to a standard of secrecy, or you could lose the next round if you slip up," said Howard Curtis, vice president of global services for Portelligent, a research company.
The secrecy continued Monday. Most of the component makers either didn't return phone calls or declined to comment.
Much like the examinations of other much-hyped gadgets, the deconstruction of the iPhone was a mad dash to be the first to post online, with minute-by-minute updates on Web sites and the occasional howls of researchers who wound up destroying their iPhones.
Those that released detailed descriptions of the iPhone's innards included sites such as ThinkSecret.com and iFixit.com as well as research companies Portelligent and Semiconductor Insights. Several analysts also published the results of their own tear-downs.
Based on the results, one of the biggest winners is South Korean chip maker Samsung Electronics Co., which is making the main microprocessor used to run the phone's operating system and various applications. Samsung, the world's largest memory chip manufacturer, is also making a type of memory called NAND flash for the iPhone.
Santa Clara-based Intel, the world's largest semiconductor company, is supplying another form of memory, called NOR flash, according to various research firms.
Intel is in the process of unloading its troubled unit that makes the memory, which is primarily used in cell phones, amid fears about its long-term viability with the rise of NAND flash, a cheaper alternative that's commonly found in digital cameras and music players.
Intel's stock rose 53 cents, or more than 2 percent, to $24.27 in Monday trading.
Other chip makers whose stock rose on their involvement with the iPhone included Irvine-based Broadcom Corp., which is making a controller chip believed to be used for managing the touch-screen display. Broadcom's stock price rose 52 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $29.77.
Texas Instruments is supplying a power-management chip. Shares of TI gained 43 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $38.06.
German chip maker Infineon Technologies, which makes parts that handle cellular communications for the iPhone, saw its American Depositary Shares rise 50 cents, or 3 percent, to $17.03.
But it wasn't just the heavyweights who benefited.
Woburn, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions Inc. was revealed as the supplier of a power amplifier used in the iPhone. Skyworks' shares jumped 26 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $7.61.
Shares of Milpitas-based Linear Technology Corp. rose 50 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $36.68 after the company was identified as the maker of the iPhone's battery charger chip.
Another company profiting from the iPhone is Cambridge Silicon Radio Ltd. out of England. Researchers said the company is responsible for making chips that allow Bluetooth wireless connectivity for the iPhone.
But the iPhone halo didn't touch everyone Monday.
Apple, for one, fell 78 cents, or less than a percentage point, to $121.26.
Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, attributed the slight drop to profit-taking after a prosperous run over the past year, during which Apple's stock price has more than doubled. On Monday his firm raised its price target for Apple to $165 per share.
Marvell Technology Group Ltd., the Santa Clara-based provider of chips that allow the iPhone to connect over Wi-Fi networks, dropped 13 cents, or less than a percentage point, to $18.08. And Santa Clara-based National Semiconductor Corp., which is apparently making a display chip for the iPhone, fell a penny to $28.26.
Sport : Argentina, Paraguay qualify for Copa America quarters
Caracas, July 3: Argentina beat Colombia 4-2 and Paraguay defeated the US by 3-1 to qualify for the quarterfinal stage of the Copa America football tournament.
With the wins Monday both the winners joined Mexico in the quarterfinals of the tournament, all of them with a game in hand.
Like last week against the US, Argentina saw its rival hit first, and Colombia's Edixon Perea heeled the ball home in the 10th minute.
Ten minutes later Hernan Crespo converted a penalty on Lionel Messi. The goal, Crespo's third in the Copa, was also the last of the striker's contribution to the game, as he had to leave the pitch with a muscle injury.
A Juan Roman Riquelme header left the score 2-1 in the 34th minute, and the talented Riquelme made it 3-1 with a free kick seconds into extra time.
The first half was entertaining and Argentina - billed as the top favourite to win the Copa America - played some good football. The second half, however, was slow and had little to offer.
A Jaime Castrillon header added some excitement leaving the score 3-2 in the 73rd minute, but Diego Milito - who had replaced Crespo -put the definitive 4-2 two minutes into extra time.
Argentine players unanimously praised the spirit of the team to get back into the match with an adverse score.
Earlier Monday in Barinas, Paraguay beat the US by 3-1.
Edgar Barreto put the score 1-0 in the 29th minute, after an assist from Oscar Cardozo. Ricardo Clark equalized five minutes before half-time, but the striker Cardozo made it 2-1 after 55 minutes of play.
With the match almost over, two minutes into extra time, substitute Salvador Cabanas scored his third goal in the Copa, with an excellent free kick.
Paraguay was simply much more efficient than the team fielded by US coach Bob Bradley. The US had the ball and enjoyed many chances, but only managed to net the ball once.
Paraguay now leads Group C with six points, the same as Argentina but with a better goal difference. Both the US and Colombia are yet to obtain their first point in the tournament.
In the final matches of the first round in Group C, Argentina will play Paraguay and the US will face Colombia.
World’s biggest postcard sent in Russia
Moscow, July 3: The world's biggest postcard, more than 400 square metres in size, has been delivered in Novosibirsk,in Russia’s west Siberia, a local post office said today.
Organisers told RIA Novosti news agency that they would apply to the Russian and Guinness book of records with the postcard which measured 250.3 (820 feet) by 1.6 metres (5 feet) and weighed 119.8 kilograms (264 pounds).
The postcard was made to mark the 114th anniversary of Novosibirsk.
On June 24, it was placed in Novosibirsk's central square so that anyone could leave greetings for the city. It was then stamped and sent to the addressee - the Siberian Postal Museum.
In June 2005, a similar project was carried out in St Petersburg where a 10 by 15 metre love letter was made.
Physicists successfully control nanomachines with ultraviolet light
Washington, July 3 : Physicists at the University of California at Berkeley have been able to use light to control and move nanomachines.
During experiments they found that by shining ultraviolet light on tiny molecules of azobenzene adhered on a layer of gold, they could force the molecules to change shape at will.
Previous experiments with shape-shifting azobenzene had shown that the molecules only responded properly when suspended in liquids or incorporated into plastics, neither of which made a very good foundation for complex nanomachines.
This time round, the team added legs built of carbon and hydrogen atoms to hold the molecules slightly away from the metal.
Although the legs anchoring the molecules to the surface only provided a fraction of a nanometer of clearance (less than a billionth of a meter), it was enough to allow the molecules to move in response to the UV illumination.
A series of scanning tunnelling microscope images also confirmed that they could switch the molecules' shapes from one configuration and back again.
Researchers say the molecules could be incorporated into nanomachines in the form of remotely controlled switches, pistons or other movable components.
The findings appear in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Officials discuss health, climate change
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Officials from more than a dozen Asian countries met Tuesday in Malaysia to outline health problems their populations are facing in relation to a rise in global temperatures.
Officials discussed ways to work together to limit the fallout in a region expected to be hit hard by flooding, drought, heat waves, mosquito-borne diseases and waterborne illnesses.
The World Health Organization estimates climate change has already directly or indirectly killed more than 1 million people globally since 2000. More than half of those deaths have occurred in the Asia-Pacific area, the world's most populous region. Those figures do not include deaths linked to urban air pollution, which kills about 800,000 worldwide each year, according to WHO.
"We're not going to have a magic bullet to fix climate change in the next 50 years. We need to motivate an awful lot of people to change their behavior in a lot of different ways," said Kristie Ebi, of the WHO's Global Environmental Change unit, a lead author on the health chapter in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists.
Ebi said health officials are about a decade behind other sectors, such as water and agriculture, in taking a look at what climate change could mean and how to deal with it. She said countries seeing the effects firsthand are now starting to realize that any problems with air, water or food will directly affect people's health. The poorest countries in Asia and Africa are expected to suffer the most.
Scientists have predicted droughts will lower crop yields and raise malnutrition in some areas, dust storms and wildfires will boost respiratory illnesses, and flooding from severe storms will increase drowning, injury and disease such as diarrhea. Increasing temperatures could also lead to the growth of more harmful algae that can sicken people who eat shellfish and reef fish. People living in low-lying coastal areas will also face more storms, flooding and saltwater intrusion into fresh groundwater that is vital for drinking.
Singapore saw mean annual temperatures increase 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit between 1978 and 1998, while the number of dengue fever cases jumped 10-fold during the same period.
Malaria has recently reached Bhutan and new areas in Papua New Guinea for the first time. In the past, mosquitoes that spread the disease were unable to breed in the cooler climates there, but warmer temperatures have helped vector-borne diseases to flourish.
Melting of glaciers in the Himalayas have created about 20 lakes in Nepal that are in danger of overflowing their banks, which could create a torrent of water and debris capable of wiping out villages and farms below.
The four-day workshop in Malaysia lays the groundwork for a ministerial-level meeting on the topic next month in Bangkok, Thailand.
USAID Planning for Disaster Responses in Indonesia
In April 2006, the Mount Merapi volcano on the Indonesian island of Java -- known by locals as the "Mountain of Fire" -- awoke from a four-year slumber, spewing gas and lava down its slopes.
One month later, as volcanic activity continued and local residents braced for the possibility of a large, explosive eruption, a devastating earthquake struck just 45 kilometers south of Mount Merapi.
With more than 1 million people affected by the earthquake and another 70,000 residents facing the potential of a major eruption, addressing the vulnerabilities and meeting the humanitarian needs of local communities was no small feat. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) successfully confronted the dual challenges by drawing on its robust preparedness and response capacities.
USAID helped the Indonesian Red Cross stock evacuation centers with shelter materials, blankets and water containers to meet the immediate needs of thousands of evacuees. Anticipating and preparing to address these needs proved essential to evacuating thousands of residents to the centers.
To assist local scientists at the Mount Merapi Observatory in monitoring continuing fluctuations in volcanic activity, USAID deployed a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists.
The USGS team noted that the volcano was unusually unpredictable, posing challenges to local officials and the humanitarian community anticipating an eruption. The team developed a "probability tree" to better understand the risks to different communities and provided enhanced instrumentation for monitoring the volcano.
The team incorporated planning for a major eruption into its earthquake response activities. It made earthquake response grants flexible so partners could quickly respond if a major volcanic eruption occurred. USAID also supported the development of emergency radio broadcasts designed to warn residents of an impending volcanic eruption and to communicate other key messages.
In early June, Mount Merapi was at the highest level of alert when an avalanche of volcanic material and gas flowed seven kilometers down the southeastern side of the volcano. As a result of ongoing early warning and preparedness, local communities had become adept at evacuating on short notice. With USAID assistance, evacuation centers were poised to meet the humanitarian needs of evacuees. The avalanche did reach a nearby village but all residents already were sheltered safely in evacuation centers.
Threats posed by the Mount Merapi volcano and earthquakes are unlikely to diminish in the near future. However, with a proven arsenal of preparedness and response measures, USAID is well-positioned to identify and respond to multiple disasters in the same location.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The progress of green movement in Thailand
After our first green political conference in 1995, there has been remarkable progress in our movement:
February 1995, Mr. Sulak Sivaraksa used his Alternative Nobel prize to set up an alternative college called SEM (Spirit in Education Movement) to promote holistic ideas and one of the main courses of SEM is Green Politics.
July 1996, Face the Environment, a weekly TV program presented series on green politics 4 weeks continuously. The first was on the green movement worldwide, the second and third were lessons from the Greens in Germany and the last was about a development strategy for such a party in Thailand. This serie was produced with many help of Greens in Germany, USA, Canada and New Zealand. Now I'm distributing 70 copies of it to the NGO's and grassroots organisations throughout the country.
The latest event was the SEM green course held between 12-13 April 1997. The lecturer was Ilana Eldridge, founder of the Northern Territory Green Party under the heading "Green politics in practice: learning from the Australian Greens".
The course content included what's the green party and why it's important, how the Australian greens work, consensus decision, media strategy and should Thailand have a Green party.
The last topic was widely discussed. It looked like everyone agreed that having a Green party should benefit the social and environmental movement because trying to solve many social and environmental problems separately only in local level will never achive, so there should be a movement to work toward changes in social, economic and political structure. This movement should base on a new philosophy, culture and life-style also, and the Green party would be one of the most important arms of this new movement.
The next and largest discuss question was "Are we ready for setting up a Green party right now?". Some said "NO" to this question for the reason that "the grassroots movement was not strong enough yet" and if there was a party it would suppress development of grassroots movement because most of resources, energy and attention might focus at the party.
Another interesting argument was that the green philosophy was not widely understood enough, although our Buddhist philosophy was so close to the green (in my opinion, many points were more obvious and more appropriate for Thai people, but to mix them to the new one should be our hard work).
The support reason was having such party should spark up the whole progressive movement and drew most attention to more structural issue, the new direction of social-economic policy should be discussed and spread throughout the society.
Anyway, this issue didn't reach any conclusion yet.
If we agree to started up a Green party then "How" was the next question. There were 2 ways proposed, one was proposed by the acting chairman of the old Buddhist based "PhalangDham Party" who was also in the seminar, he proposed to reform his own party into green but some thought this was inappropriate because this party was built up from the other philosophy-ideology and almost all the member wasn't held on the green idea yet.
Many want the Green party to be set up from the NGO's not the politician but it seemed we couldn't find NGO's who want to play the politician role.
One obvious point was we all agree that if there would be a Green party in Thailand in the future it should be a good mixture of western green ideas and our own Buddhist culture so it could act appropriately in our social context.
Any comment is welcome,
Deprogramming IT E-Learning
People solving IT problems need more than a cookbook approach to learning. Enter the constructivist model.
Many e-learning providers are using Internet technology to implement basic educational techniques that are derived from programmed learning models. For example, work through an e-learning course and, most likely, you'll see an introduction page followed by a series of informational pages followed by a multiple-choice quiz. But that technique is insufficient for IT workers learning subjective skills, such as programming and and application design.
People solving IT problems need more than a cookbook approach to learning. Enter the constructivist model.
Many e-learning providers are using Internet technology to implement basic educational techniques that are derived from programmed learning models. For example, work through an e-learning course and, most likely, you'll see an introduction page followed by a series of informational pages followed by a multiple-choice quiz. But that technique is insufficient for IT workers learning subjective skills, such as programming and and application design.
This type of programmed instruction, which is an outgrowth of Skinner's studies on behaviorism, was a big idea fifty years ago. It has a solid foundation in learning and performance objectives, uses a concrete instrument to deliver instruction, and provides a degree of interactivity in environments that lack instructors. Whether online or paper-based, it's effective for self-study of definitions, basic concepts, and such technical material as application structure. Training that's designed using a programmed learning model guides learners through linear or branching lessons that are followed by a test question. An incorrect answer directs learners to specific feedback or the original content material for remediation. IT workers that perform programming or design work need the opportunity to exercise their creative powers.
That type of learning isn't about problem solving; it's an assessment of memory. If the learner answers eight out of ten questions correctly, he or she can move to the next module. If the learner's constructed responses are slightly different, it may be hard to get the feedback he or she needs to retain the correct information. Indeed, one could argue that programmed learning is the antithesis of the dynamic, problem-based learning that IT workers need. In addition to learning basic skills, IT workers that perform programming or design work need the opportunity to exercise their creative powers. Rather than drill and quiz techniques, creative problem solving requires an environment where the learner performs within a specific context and receives feedback from an expert or mentor.
To accomplish that, instructional design moved beyond programmed learning to cognitive learning theory, which views learning as an active, creative endeavor. Learning theory progressed even further toward a constructivist model, which holds that active learning occurs best when it addresses real-life complexity in a natural context. Some basic constructivist model principles include
posing problems for learners to explore
seeking and valuing multiple perspectives
encouraging reflection of the learning process
embedding learning in realistic and relevant contexts
recognizing the social dimension of learning.
If e-learning is to compete with established corporate and university education, the technology to support the constructivist model must be developed. The e-learning environment needs to incorporate the following features:
Expert support. The learning environment must let mentors and experts collaborate to create learning projects and assess learner performance.
Context. Learners need convenient access to resources and learning experiences that are integrated with their work. Learning and working are related activities, but they're often thought of as conflicting.
Social interaction. Teams must be built into the learning environment. Team leaders should assign members, monitor progress, and assess individual contribution.
Collaboration. Learning environments should create situations where work and products are developed in a collaborative manner.
Appreciation for multiple perspectives. The environment must support joint courses, allowing collaborative relationships between teams in different, but related, classes. Learning becomes less isolated and the multidisciplinary context affords learners a richer experience.
Self-awareness and opportunities to try new approaches. Nurturing the creativity of IT workers is vital to building an environment that supports and enables innovative work. Learners need support for exploring knowledge, integrating their own experience, and synthesizing new knowledge.
Instructors must incorporate those principles to raise online learning of IT skills to a higher level. Learners need support for exploring knowledge, integrating their own experience, and synthesizing new knowledge. For example, imagine a learning experience that links learners to a team of people already using similar skills. The learner and support group are assigned to a simulated project where they must explore a partially completed application. Their objective is to evaluate the work of others, improve the design and code, and plan and execute original work that completes the application. Using a Web-based collaborative environment, team members can post critiques and suggestions, and concurrently edit the application design. An instructor monitors progress and provides guidance for resolving conflicting ideas. When the instructor approves the design, the team starts the next course activity.
Learning ideas
Here are several creative approaches to making learning information technology skills more interesting and challenging.
Combine a software project management class with a language development class. Have the two classes evaluate one another's efforts using parameters set by the instructor. Did the project managers develop clear requirements? Did the developers follow directions creatively or slavishly?
Have a software project management class role-play all of the tasks in a large project simulation. Such role-play can help reduce the myopia that develops when learners only interact with people in their own field.
Charge a Web development class with creating a marketing Website for a large company. Give them plenty of content to work with, and devise clear expectations for the required structure, navigation, and interactivity.
Challenge a new developer with a small-scale software design project that requires data gathering, analysis, and electronic sharing on a project Website that lets users and experienced programmers offer suggestions. Throughout the project, the developer incorporates or rejects the recommendations, and refers questions to an expert who has final sign-off of project completion.
Demonstrating learning
In constructivist model learning, actually performing the work assesses whether learning has occurred. Though evaluating constructivist learning is partially subjective, instructional designers can determine project-based criteria.
Where online quizzes must be used, try a less restricted approach. For example, rather than asking, "Which menu option do you choose to create X?" pose the question, "In the course of creating X, what result do you find at location Z?" Feedback for an incorrect answer to the first question would simply take the learner back to a menu option, but feedback to the second question would describe the creation process.
Recent developments in learning technology are impressive, but their application toward learning remains weak. Organizing material originally published in a textbook for online viewing might make the material flashier but does little to enhance the learning process. Before users and managers conclude that learning technology is merely an expensive fad, we must build support features that lead to higher forms of learning.
Monday, July 2, 2007
How to run the family firm
Running any firm has its challenges, but keeping a family company on track often requires a careful balance of business strategy and personal relationship skills. Corporate issues such as share ownership and board structure become far more complex and potentially business threatening when it is family members who disagree.
A simple solution, yet one that many firms overlook, is to draw up an agreement to head off potential shareholder problems and serves as a blueprint for the structure, management and future of the business.
Paul Johnson, a partner at Yorkshire law firm Keeble Hawson, says: 'The law confers only basic protection to a limited company or partnership, which is how the vast majority of family firms operate. What it doesn't deal with are issues such as succession planning, non-performance of family members and the transfer of shares.
'These need to be addressed, agreed and documented, so if conflicts arise there is a process in place for dealing with them.'
Without a written agreement, disputes can leave a business in deadlock.
'Take a hypothetical case of a business owned jointly by two brothers,' says Johnson. 'If one dies and his shares go to his widow, depending on what she decided to do with them, the business could be in trouble.'
A shareholder agreement would cover such an eventuality, in most cases by giving existing shareholders the first option to buy the shares.
Johnson says: 'People can be superstitious. They think that by raising these difficult issues, problems are more likely to happen. But the priority must always be to protect the business' future.'
Sisters Linnhe, Bryony and Cadi Cadlow set up their short film production studio 3 Bear Animations nine years ago near Kendal, Cumbria.
Though the three are close and rarely row, they decided it would be sensible to have a shareholder agreement.
Linnhe, 29, says: 'Though we all have long-term plans for the company, we know that if we go our separate ways, everything will be split equally.'
Assigning the key roles was just as straightforward. Linnhe, who manages the marketing and website operations, says: 'When we started out, we were all trying to do a bit of everything, which wasn't terribly productive, so we identified our individual strengths and skills and decided on our individual roles.'
Her twin sister Cadi heads the creative side, while Bryony, 25, handles finance and accounting.
Grant Gordon, director-general of the Institute for Family Business, says appointing family members to decision-making roles is an area where there can be no compromise.
He says. 'In the gene lottery there is no guarantee that a family will produce good leaders every generation, so the role of managing director or chief executive must be assigned according to skills, experience and qualifications.'
Melanie Wood, 33, and her sister Vicky Gibb, 34, along with brother Gordon Gibb, 31, had business ownership thrust on them when their father, Robert, died in a road accident 12 years ago.
He was the founder of the Pleasure Island Family Theme Park in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, and Flamingo Island and Zoo near Pickering, North Yorkshire.
Melanie says: 'Though we all had summer jobs working at the parks, we hadn't really planned to make a career of it. But given the situation we found ourselves in, we immediately committed to taking on the business.'
Chief executive Gordon and Vicky and Melanie, both directors, each own 30% of the shares, with the remainder held by their mother.
But there are no immediate plans to bring any other family members into the business, which employs 450 and has a turnover of £23m.
Melanie says: 'Our current board structure works very well and we don't see any reason to change that.'
However, with corporate governance a top priority for business, Grant says a key element in any well-run family business should be an independent voice at board level.
He says: 'The role of the non-executive director is to bring an unbiased view to the business decisions, with no vested interest. As the company grows, he or she can provide an increasingly valuable steering factor.'
Though the majority of family businesses remain in private ownership, a number have approached the public markets to raise capital and have been successful.
A study by Manchester Business School found that between 1999 and 2005, family-run plcs outperformed their FTSE All-Share peers by 40%.
Paul Crutchley, partner at Birmingham law firm Shakespeares, agrees that as part of the growth strategy, flotation can be a sound move for a family business.
He says: 'They have access to a larger pool of capital and there is greater scope for shareholders to sell their stakes. But it is a major step that should be taken only when the business is ready.'
The future in black and white
A family constitution or family charter outlines the company's values, purposes and principles and addresses a broad set of business issues. Less rigid than a shareholder agreement, a family charter can be revised and adapted as the business grows.
The key issues the charter should address include:
• Leadership, management and board structure.
• Share ownership, valuation and transfer, and dividend payment.
• Business strategy, objectives and values.
• Succession planning and management.
• The obligations of family members involved in the business.
• The appointment and involvement of non-executive directors.
• Dispute resolution procedures.
Credit Boosting Websites May Be Running Out of Time
With the recent tightening of regulations for bad credit mortgages, a "less than transparent" industry has thrived. It's the credit boosting industry and the salad days for this dubious business model may be numbered.
Credit boosting works like this: Folks with low FICO (credit) scores, such as a number in the low 500s, have a hard time qualifying for a mortgage with today's guidelines. However, federal regulations allow for people with good credit to have authorized users on credit cards and other loans. So credit boosting companies will search for people with very high credit scores that are willing to sign up authorized users with bad credit to their credit histories.
The person with bad credit is instantly linked to the history of the person with good credit, although they have no access to the actual credit cards or loans. This can almost instantly inflate a credit score 200 points or more. Suddenly a person with a score of 540 has a score of 780 and voila, they can qualify for the best mortgages at the best rates. This is very bad for mortgage companies and banks because it results in what amounts to fraudulent loans being written.
For as much as this hurts lenders, investors and the economy overall, this really hurts borrowers as well. If a borrower uses a credit boosting service to get a mortgage that they really can’t afford, there's a good chance they’ll default and end up in a foreclosure and ruin their credit. Even if they think they can afford the mortgage and are using this to game the system for a better rate, they need to know that the industry is working to shut down this process quickly.
In an effort to stop the practice of credit boosting, Fair Isaac, the company that manages FICO scores, has implemented changes to its FICO scoring policy to discourage and discount such practices. Fair Isaac has issued the following statement on its website, www.fairisaac.com:
"We will do whatever it takes to protect the reliability and accuracy of FICO credit scores for lenders, and to ensure lenders can continue to use FICO scores with confidence when making their most important customer decisions," said Dr. Mark Greene, CEO of Fair Isaac. "We will continue working with lenders, regulators and others in the credit reporting industry to end deceptive practices that fraudulently misrepresent consumer credit histories for profit."
The changes will go into effect starting September 2007. The bottom line is that if credit boosting continues, the whole FICO system is at risk of being replaced with a new system that will sniff out credit boosters. Either way, the end is near for this practice. This will help keep our economy healthy, and will keep borrowers with less than perfect credit from going down a slippery slope to ruined credit.
Where quality goes before profit
Quality, innovation and continually raising standards of care count for more with Andrew Allan than growth for growth's sake. And it is this approach that has got Active Assistance, his family-run specialist live-in care provider, to the final of the Coutts Prize for Family Business.
Now in their second year, the bank's awards, backed by Financial Mail, recognise the best-run family businesses in England and Wales.
There are three award categories based on turnovers of £1m to £5m; £5m to £25m; and more than £25m.
Finalists in each category will be drawn from all sectors of industry in three regions - northern England; southern England and Wales; and London and Greater London.
Active Assistance, from Sevenoaks, Kent, is the southern England and Wales finalist, providing specialist care for people with serious spinal cord injuries. The company employs 164 people, including 150 personal assistants, and has a turnover of £4m.
Managing director Andrew Allan, 42, took over a decade after the business was founded by his father, Bill, in 1992. But he insists that it is a united family approach - his father is chairman, while his wife, Nicola, is company secretary - that has helped it to flourish.
He says: 'There are so many pitfalls that can affect family firms. In defining and agreeing our family business plan, we have clear leadership and a shared vision for the company that has allowed us to develop it.'
Andrew says well-run family businesses can have added value in the eyes of the consumer. 'As a family business, you have a profile in the community,' he says.
'Our clients know that they can have direct contact with the family and that they can talk to me. It is about putting quality and service ahead of profit and growth. If you focus on quality, you will get growth.'
Demonstrable achievements such as setting new standards in the provision of live-in services for adults and children, and the decision to support one charity involved in lobbying and another involved in rehabilitation for people with spinal injuries, further impressed the evaluation panel.
Perry Littleboy, director of marketing and business development at Coutts, says: 'Having worked with family businesses for more than 300 years, Coutts understands the enormous contribution they make to the economy and to society and the specific challenges they face.
'In selecting the finalists, we looked for a clear demonstration of a combination of high standards of family governance and corporate governance, a competitive market position and consistent financial growth and a record of charitable giving or involvement in the local community.'
Active Assistance will compete against northern England finalist Swann Systems, a provider of automotive-components, and London and Greater London finalist Visioncare Eye Clinic in the £1m to £5m turnover category at the national finals in London on June 6.
Finalists in the £5m to £25m category include funeral director AW Lynn, (northern England), corporate finance firm BCMS (southern England and Wales) and The Goring Hotel (London and Greater London).
In the more than £25 million category, the finalists are motor retailer Meteor Group (northern England), construction and property development firm Wates Group (southern England and Wales) and WTA International Freight Management (London and Greater London).
A special prize category of heritage and innovation has been awarded to estate management company Clinton Devon Estates, which has been managing land in the county for more than 500 years.
Buyer's Market: Tips for Sellers
Home prices have gone up, mortgage rates have risen, and the rate of home appreciation has slowed. Houses are sitting on the market longer and investors are shying away because it's harder for them to sell their properties, let alone make a profit these days.
Even home builders are becoming more competitive to get homes sold. According to the National Association of Home Builders, 40 percent of builders were offering non-price incentives in December--anything from free home upgrades to free landscaping to free flat-screen TVs.
It has become a buyer's market. So what's a seller to do?
Change Your ExpectationsThe bubble hasn't burst, but the market has certainly slowed. Expect that you won't be able to sell your home right away. You also might not be able to make as much of a profit off the sale as you would have six months ago. So be prepared to drop your asking price more than you expected or price your home slightly below what comparable homes in your area have sold for recently.
Consider Paying the Buyer's Discount PointsInstead of lowering your asking price, you might also think about paying the buyer's discount points. If you're flexible enough to help the buyer with his interest rate and tax bill, that could go a long way to getting your home sold faster.
One discount point will lower the buyer's mortgage rate one-quarter percent. The buyer gets a lower monthly payment while being able to deduct the discount points from their income taxes; the selling agent and the buying agent get bigger commissions; you get your asking price and everybody wins.
Dis-ARM YourselfIf, after much consideration, you decide not to sell your home, consider refinancing. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage that's going to adjust soon, it will probably adjust to a rate that's higher than you could get on a fixed-rate mortgage. So why not "dis-ARM" yourself and refinance to a fixed rate? You'll be saving yourself from the headache of higher monthly mortgage payments.
As a seller, it's possible you may not make as large a profit off the sale of your home as you would have a year ago. And your home might not sell as fast as you'd like. But you can get around dropping your asking price in favor of paying the buyer's discount points, a tactic that should make all parties happy.
Where to turn for safe investing
The stock market has finally bared its teeth in the past few months.
After spectacular rises over the past four years, savers have recently been bluntly reminded that shares can also fall - and fast.
Rebecca Mackay knows this to her cost. Rebecca, 46, confronts fictional dangers every day.
Her job as an examiner for the British Board of Film Classification means she watches countless hours of thriller and horror films every year.
She loves her job, but she does not want the shocks and danger in real life - particularly when it threatens to wipe out her savings.
Single mum Rebecca, whose son Luke is 14, invested in equity Peps in the Nineties. 'The markets fell one year and I lost several thousand pounds,' she recalls.
'I know I should have been able to leave the money there to recover, but I suddenly needed it to move house.
'The experience gave me cold feet about risky investments.'
Now, Rebecca, who lives in Balham, south London, saves into a mix of cash Isas, high-interest deposit accounts and Premium Bonds. But she gives herself the opportunity to gain from stock market rises by also holding guaranteed equity bonds.
Gebs operate over a fixed term and protect the investor's original capital while offering returns linked to the performance of a stock market - usually the FTSE All-Share or FTSE 100 index.
Rebecca has taken out a number of Gebs with National Savings and so far she is pleased. 'I don't understand stock markets,' she says. 'This feels right for me. I'm not going to lose out.' Rebecca has opted for just one of many routes investors can take if they want equity-style returns with less of the risk.
The upsides and pitfalls of Gebs and their alternatives are covered below. We also give our verdict on these 'timid' schemes:
Guaranteed equity bonds
Investors commit minimum lump sums ranging from £500 to £5,000, depending on the provider, for a fixed period. Most are for three or five years and many are available as Isas. At maturity, investors get back their money plus a percentage of the growth of a stock market index, usually the FTSE 100, but sometimes another foreign index or a mix of indices.
Many of these bonds are highly complex, calculating their payouts based on index averages over certain periods within the term, or capping their payouts if the stock market grows rapidly.
Some carry guaranteed minimum returns, such as the deal from Coventry Building Society. Available until June 14, this four-year Geb requires a minimum £3,000 investment and promises to return the capital plus a guaranteed 14.25%.
That rises if growth of the FTSE 100 exceeds 28 per cent over the same period. The National Savings Geb (Issue 12), is available until April 24 for minimum £1,000 investments. It pays 120% of the FTSE 100's growth over five years with guaranteed return of capital. If the Footsie falls, you get back only the capital.
Other Gebs are being promoted by banks Abbey and Barclays, and by Britannia, Chelsea, Leeds and Newcastle building societies.
They make their money by keeping the dividend income earned by the investments. But Justin Modray of London adviser Bestinvest warns: 'These investments have a role, but they are complex. The downside, is that investors lose the dividend stream, which is about 3.5 to 4% a year.
'If markets rise over the term, you are unlikely to do better with these than you would with a tracker investment fund. But on the other hand, you have protection if markets fall.'
Protected funds Like Gebs, these complex investments have built-in protection to shield savers' money, but again, investors lose some market gains. Protected funds include Escalator 95 and Escalator 100 funds from Close Investment and Gartmore's Safeguard. Not all offer complete protection, meaning investors risk losses in exceptional market declines.
The opportunity to profit is also limited. The three funds mentioned above have returned 4%, 4.2% and 6.1% respectively over the 12 months to April 13, compared with 10% from an average UK investment fund.
Verdict: Avoid
Little and often is the way to save
Regular saving by monthly payment reduces risk because contributions made after falls in the value of an investment buy more of that investment. This counteracts some of the short-term volatility.
Some brokers and Isa providers allow 'phased' investment, where lump sums are automatically trickled into the market. Internet fund service Fundsnetwork (fidelity.co.uk), for example, allows investors wanting to use their £7,000 annual Isa allowance, a six-month phasing option. This splits their money into six portions and invests it in customers' chosen funds in monthly intervals.
Absolute return funds
These are like other unit or investment trusts bar one major difference - they try to profit even when markets are falling. They do this by taking advantage of rules that since April 2004 have permitted fund managers to 'go short'.
'Long-only' funds are the norm, rising in value only when underlying shares also rise. By ' shorting', managers use financial instruments to generate gains when share prices drop. Only three significant absolute return funds are available - Merrill Lynch UK Absolute Alpha, SWIP Absolute Return UK Equity and Saracin Equisar IIID.
All were launched last year, since when, markets have risen. Most advisers say that until these funds are tested by a period of sustained falls in the market, the jury must stay out. Verdict: Not yet proven
With-profits funds
Though reviled and deeply unfashionable, especially among the millions who have been left facing mortgage shortfalls, with-profits can still have a place in risk-averse investors' portfolios. This is because they have a spread between shares, property and other asset classes. Strong funds, which include Prudential, LV (formerly Liverpool Victoria) and Wesleyan, are still open to new investors.
Verdict: Few funds are worth looking at and capital could be lost
Multi-asset funds
Relatively new and currently fashionable, multi-asset funds try to reduce risk by spreading investors' cash across a broad range of assets within a single fund.
David Jane, below, fund manager at investment house M&G and the overall manager of M&G's Cautious Multi-Asset Fund, which was launched last month, says: 'Everyone wants high-return assets to protect investors against inflation.
Equities are best for that, but they also carry the extra risk of volatility. 'The multi-asset approach means you can reduce the risks by carrying other assets that don't go up or down with equities.
'Property, for instance, has similar characteristics as equities, but doesn't rise or fall in value in line with them. So when they are held together, the overall risk is reduced.' His new fund is currently 52% invested in equities and 23%t in property, with the rest in cash and Gilts. 'This fund is for me, my sister, my grandmother, the everyday Joe on the street,' he says. 'It's for people who would have bought with-profits or managed funds.'
Justin Modray of adviser Bestinvest applauds the multi-asset concept, but warns investors against the cost.
Like fund of funds, those that invest in other funds, Multi-asset Funds can sometimes carry layers of costs. Modray's top pick is the £294m Midas Balanced Growth fund, launched in 2002. It has returned 60% over the past three years. Cautious managed funds can achieve similar risk-reducing effects, but there are stricter rules governing how freely fund managers can switch between different assets.
Stock market wobbles: Should you sell?
Markets have yet to see the earthquake feared by some, but tremors are becoming more frequent.
Three separate wobbles in China have been absorbed without any calamity. But London shares fell steadily this week, after Morgan Stanley warned that conditions were ripe for a 1,000 point tumble.
The Footsie has doubled since its low point in March 2003 and had been closing in on its all-time peak of 6,930.2 in December 1999.
Optimists say company earnings have since grown sharply, so that even if they regain their old peak, shares will be less expensive this time. After a four-year bull market, a correction is surely nothing to worry about.
• Brian O'Connor is one of Fleet Street's most respected financial journalists. One of his tips from last year soared from 18p to 113p. Read: Investment Extra share tips
For it to become a crash, you would need further shocks - interest rates going through the roof, which is unlikely, a huge worsening in global political tensions - possible - or another big terrorist incident.
A share fall does not spell real trouble unless it pushes a bank or hedge fund over the edge, which would spark a wider credit crunch.
Bond markets are nervous. We must hope that the world's central banks have been alert enough to prevent trouble, but who can say after years of easy money?
We have urged investors to be cautious and to sell more speculative stocks - oil and mining minnows, with no income and depending wholly on hope value, and anything which needs to raise more money soon to keep going.
If you hold index tracking funds, it might be wise to lock in profits after four good years.
Market Tips:Allergy and Speedy Hire
Allergy Therapeutics yesterday passed a significant landmark in recruiting 1,000 hayfever sufferers to late stage trials of its Pollinex Quattro jab. With summer looming it had only a few weeks to set up the study. Failure could have put the project back a year.
Tests will be carried out on people allergic to grass pollen, though it is also developing a vaccine against ragweed spores, responsible for the vast majority of hayfever cases in the US. Pollinex is now on course for launch in 2009.
AT reckons it has the edge over existing treatments. Recently launched Grazax requires patients to take a pill a day for three years at a total cost of £2,500. The alternative is a course of 50 injections.
Pollinex, although administered by hypodermic, requires only four jabs.
The market for hayfever cures and potions is an astonishing £6bn in the US alone. Brokers value the shares at up to 260p. They closed up 6p at 120½p.
1-yr share performance: +21% Verdict: Not to be sneezed at
Speedy Hire is a steady bet
For any company to launch its biggest acquisition coupled with a £54m fundraising and see its shares rise is a tribute to its stock market credibility.
Speedy Hire plans to pay £115m cash for Hewden Tools, part of the Hewden Stuart plant hire group now owned by Finning of Canada.
Half the cost will be raised by placing shares at 1250p. Issuing more paper normally depresses the price, but Speedy rose 35p to 1275p.
It forms a group with 100,000 customers and more than 540 outlets, but still less than 10% of the UK market.
Broker Altium reckons Speedy is paying 4.9 times operating profits, well below the eight times paid for HSS this week.
It expects earnings per share of 79p this year, putting the shares at 16 times.
One-year share price performance: +46% Verdict: Could go higher, but it may not be speedy.
Internet 'best' for green news
The internet is the best place to go for news of the environment, according to an online poll.
Most respondents said the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in South Africa had been valuable.
Twice as many people were worried about the environment as the numbers concerned about terrorism.
The poll, conducted for the Andreas Papandreou Foundation of Greece, involved more than 25,000 respondents in 175 countries.
It was the brainchild of the Greek Foreign Minister, George Papandreou, and a US friend, Phil Noble, founder of the PoliticsOnline website.
E-democracy experiment
Mr Papandreou told journalists at the WSSD, where the poll was launched: "This poll gives citizens across the world the chance to express their views.
"I think the democratic challenge in this globalising world will be one of the most important for humanity in the decades ahead, if not the most important of all."
The poll's findings include:
71% of respondents were unhappy with the state of the world, with 28% happy
the two biggest problem areas mentioned were economic (poverty, jobs and living standards) (33%), and the environment (28%)
terrorism was "a distant third" at 13%
Europeans were the most pessimistic, with 82% of them giving negative responses
most respondents said water pollution was their main global concern, and air pollution their local environmental worry
"people's behaviour" was judged much likelier to improve things than taxes
68% would give up at least 1% of their income for real environmental improvements, and 23% would give more than 5%
38% said the internet was the best source of environmental news, with newspapers and TV each chosen by 17%
60% said the WSSD had been valuable, with 36% disagreeing.
Online polls
Mr Papandreou said: "This experiment in e-democracy created a unique opportunity for ordinary people to participate in a global debate about the critical issues that affect their daily lives.
"The inspiration for this global poll draws on the forms of direct democracy first developed in Greece 2,500 years ago.
"In public assemblies, people could express their concerns before their leaders and fellow citizens simply by jumping onto a rock," he said.
"As long as they shouted loud enough and had something valuable to contribute to the debate, their voice would be heard.
"In keeping with the spirit and the democratic tradition of Greece, as of January, online polls, debates and referenda will be a vital component of the Hellenic presidency of the EU Council in 2003."
Still thinking?
The poll asked respondents to answer more than 30 questions, some about themselves but most about their opinions on the environment in their own country and worldwide.
Asked to list the biggest problem in the world, they were offered a choice between economic concerns, crime, education, environment, health care, terrorism, peace, and several others.
The BBC and two other media organisations, AOL/Time Warner and Microsoft, promoted the poll on their websites.
The organisers sent the questionnaire to President Bush, who did not attend the summit. They are still waiting for an answer from the White House.
Clean Green Energy
The Green Party wants to make sure that we meet all our energy needs without storing up problems for our children and grandchildren.
Real Progress means investing in sources of energy like offshore wind farms, wave and solar power that don't cause global warming.
Real Progress means being more energy efficient so that we don't generate power just to waste it. It means ensuring Britain is part of one of the fastest growing employment sectors in Europe. There are more than 200,000 jobs just waiting to be created in clean energy, energy efficiency, organic faming, recycling and public transport.
Around 30,000 people- mainly older people and the very young- die in this country every year because poverty prevents them from properly heating their homes. The cost to the NHS alone has been estimated at £1 billion each year. Real Progress would be directing fuel grants and payments to the people that need them.
Real Progress means stopping a nuclear industry that can't even stand on its own feet. Nuclear power gets nearly two million pounds of our money in subsidies every day - enough to employ fifteen thousand extra teachers.
Real Progress means choosing clean, honest, reliable energy we can trust - not clinging to a failed nuclear dream.
Gina Dowding, one the 7 Green councillors in Lancaster, blew the whistle on Lancaster City Council allowing the local nuclear plant to get away with putting off paying its business rates at a cost to local taxpayers of £18000. Green MEP Caroline Lucas dug further and sparked a European Commission legal investigation that uncovered a vast web of subsidies paid by the Labour government to dinosaur nuclear companies that costs the British people 100s of millions of pounds every year.
