| Westmoreland taxes could soar RISING NUMBERS
Other than real-estate taxes, the county has few options to increase revenues. Raising county license fees for vehicles to the maximum allowed by state law would yield less than $200,000 in new income, Risavi said. The Board of Supervisors could also decline to spend about $900,000 in matching funds for school programs such as early reading intervention, reducing elementary class sizes, algebra readiness and school technology. But Fogliani and Risavi both said those programs are vital to maintaining student achievement. School enrollment has dropped along with a decline in the county's population of school-age children. "Not that long ago that we had school enrollments between 3,200 and 3,300. Next year, it looks like there will be about 1,700 students in the schools," Risavi said Tuesday night.
Motorola Unveils New Additions to ROKR Family
Las Vegas, NV . Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today expanded its ROKR family of music products with the introduction of the ROKR E8 mobile device, the EQ5 and EQ7 wireless speaker systems and new stereo headsets at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (Booth #8545, Central Hall). This new generation of ROKR products offers consumers a complete music ecosystem that can help them enjoy their favorite tunes while on the go. ROKR E8 is a no compromises device its both an MP3 player that makes great phone calls and a mobile phone with tremendous audio capabilities. With our unique ModeShift technology, were dispelling the myth that mobile phones with music features are inferior to stand-alone audio devices, stated Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices.
Surf's up: With a lesson, you can have fun from the start
There's no reason to laze on a Hawaiian beach like a sunning monk seal, watching wild, bronzed athletic types surf up a storm. Wouldn't it be great to come back from Hawaii and brag that you, too, caught a couple of gnarly waves? Even at a beginner's level, surfing in Hawaii is a thrill. The warm air, lush green coastline, clear water and the sensory rush of gliding atop a wave make surfing a terrific adventure. But trust me: First get a lesson. With an instructor, you'll have fun the first time out. You will learn essential safety, where to stand on the board, where to look, how to negotiate a wave and how to stay out of riptides and reefs. You'll even learn how to fall so you don't crack open your noggin. For my surfing adventure, I took a lesson on Oahu's North Shore at Turtle Bay Resort from Hans Hedemann, an instructor who competed on the world surfing tour for 17 years.
More Business Digest
Boeing Co. reported yesterday a 4 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit. Boeing's net income for the last three months of 2007 was $1.03 billion, or $1.36 per share, up from $989 million, or $1.29 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2006. Revenue was $17.5 billion, flat with a year earlier. .
DIDDY TO HOST CRISTAL BALL
Diddy block party," said Jeff O'Neil, general manager of Axis/Radius. VIPs at the event will be able to buy Diddy's stash of Cristal at $800 a popped cork. Diddy did not personally purchase any bottles, according to a spokeswoman. She says party organizers took it upon themselves to provide the premium bubbly. Diddy will perform at the $175-a-ticket block party, which will be held right outside the club. VIP tickets are being sold for $1,100. Meanwhile, with 100,000 Super Bowl fanatics flooding into town, the area's strip clubs have stocked up their bars and hired hundreds of extra girls from all over the country. "They are coming in from everywhere and everyone is excited about all the hoopla," said Christie's manager Richard Middleton. The massive skin palace has hired an extra 100 dancers to pacify the crowds which are expected to swell over the next couple of days, he said.
Thinking of spring training, Francoeur’s future
Closer Rafael Soriano (he lives in the Dominican Republic), Tyler Yates (Hawaii), Yunel Escobar and Mike Hampton are among the few current players not on the list. The Braves also plan to have coaches and some former Braves in attendance, but haven't announced those names yet. The next question those planning to attend might have, is one for which I don't have an answer: When will this or that particular player be signing? The Braves don't plan to release a specific schedule of times for individual players. I'm gonna take a wild guess and speculate it's because the Braves want max fan attendance throughout the two-day event, rather than big crowds showing up only for autographs by a handful of players. But that's me speculating. Speaking of Frenchy
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A sub-$4,000 supercomputer? It's no game
Supercomputing in education is a brand-new game thanks to a cluster of Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) consoles and some creative thinking. In 2005, when University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth physics professor Guarav Khanna first learned of Sony's plans to release a new open-platform PlayStation device with a high-power microprocessor, or a "Cell Broadband Engine," he had a feeling the new video-game console would hold great promise beyond gaming. Now, Khanna's suspicions have paid off, as he conducts high-level scientific research on a supercomputer he built with his colleague Glen Volkema late last year, using a cluster of eight PS3 consoles running Linux. Because of the unique features and easy accessibility of the PS3, Khanna believes the console has huge potential for use in settings other than research institutions--such as in classrooms and school computer labs.
Southern edges FLC, gets closer to playoff spot
But I made up for it in the end." A 6-foot-7 sophomore who loves to patrol the perimeter, Hanner was called upon to play a different role. Needing a rebounder, Southern coach George Anderson called a time-out with 24 seconds remaining. After glancing down the bench, he nodded for Hanner to check into the game. "He followed instructions for a change," Anderson said. "What we want him to do is stay near that basket." In doing just that, Hanner made the biggest play in a game full of excitement. Down by one point, Southern missed two close-range shot attempts with less than 10 seconds to play. The second miss bounced off the rim and onto Hanner's fingertips. He tapped it in for the win. "We knew if that ball was near the rim, he would get it and put the ball in the net," said Anderson, whose Rams improved to 15-5 overall and 10-2 in the league.
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