Friday, August 28, 2009
Franchising and the Internet
The Great Leveler
Perhaps more than any single factor, the internet has helped level the playing field for the new franchisor. Never before has someone been able to get the message of a new franchise to a broad market this fast.
Two decades ago, if you wanted to compete with "the big boys," you would need to advertise to get franchise sales leads. Back in the Dark Ages of franchising, about the only way to get any real exposure would be to run full-page ads in Entrepreneur magazine and two-column-by-three-inch ads in the Wall Street Journal. That kind of advertising commitment was simply not economically feasible for most startup franchisors.
Today, while the new franchisor has the same operational and legal costs to get into the marketplace, a college kid with a lemonade stand and a credit card can create a first-rate franchise website over a weekend, run pay-per-click ads on the front page of Google and be talking to prospects by Monday. And while he may not be able to afford the top position for long, his website could be just as impressive as the website used by McDonald's. Likewise, production and mailing costs for marketing materials and UFOCs have been significantly reduced (and, for some franchisors, eliminated) as streaming videos and PDFs replace their traditional hard-copy ancestors. Especially in markets where there is not yet a well-established brand, new franchisors can dominate a new niche very quickly.
Of course, this can be good news or bad news, depending on whose ox is being gored. If you are a startup franchisor, the internet can allow for significantly faster expansion and better exposure than you might otherwise have achieved.
More Leads: Boon or Bust?
From the franchise buyer's perspective, the internet has also made shopping for a franchise significantly easier. During the Dark Ages, a buyer had one or two opportunities a year at trade shows to get a large amount of information on multiple franchises at one time. In those days, even many of the print directories that exist today were not available—and those that were certainly did not index the entire universe of franchise opportunities. So most buyers resorted to reading magazines, making calls and waiting to hear from the franchisor.
Today, gratification is instantaneous and easy—perhaps too easy, at least from the franchisor's perspective. There are over 70 web portals that advertise franchise opportunities, all of which provide some degree of information about the franchisors they advertise. Most can be sorted based on categories like investment size, geography or industry. And in virtually every case, obtaining more information is as simple as a few keystrokes. Prospective franchisees can jump to a franchisor's site and download a PDF of their brochure and maybe a streaming video to boot. A couple more clicks, and they can download a UFOC online. And those ubiquitous information request forms—franchise shoppers may figure "Why not fill them out and see what gets e-mailed, or sent, as part of the package?"
The net result: More and more franchise buyers are relying almost exclusively on the internet for their information gathering. And, in the process, the average number of franchises they will examine has gone up significantly. At the same time, the average number of leads generated over the internet is going up, while close rates on those same leads are going down.
Of course, savvy franchisors have found new ways to deal with—and capitalize upon—these trends.
Website optimization is (at least in internet time) the grandfather of these techniques, although effective optimization tactics change almost daily. Video is increasingly being used as a means of increasing click-through rates and capture rates (the number of site visitors who provide information to the franchisor), while lowering marketing costs. Internet auto-responder matrixes are increasingly replacing traditional autoresponders as a means of providing a targeted "first touch" and sorting through the plethora of new leads generated by the online media. Salespeople are instantly notified when a lead is received—some franchise sales organizations boast targeted first-call response times of 15 minutes!
More than Just Sales
In addition to lowering the barriers to entry for new franchisors on the sales and marketing side, the internet offers some significant advantages to all franchisors when it comes to communications, training and reporting.
Intranets have long (again, in internet time) been a staple of the franchise community. They allow franchisors to simultaneously create a community and an educational venue. In addition to housing operations manuals, more sophisticated intranets will also house training materials, videos and tests that will allow franchisees to better replicate the franchisor's system. If it's done right, the net result can be better quality control and brand maintenance at a lower overall cost.
This methodology offers additional value that traditional training does not: It is both instantaneous and easy to sort. If franchisees have a problem installing a widget, with a few keystrokes and the right password, they can be watching a video on the subject over their PDA without missing a beat.
Moreover, because streaming video is such an inexpensive tool to use in the training process, brand maintenance can extend to lower levels of the organization than ever before. In the Dark Ages, companies had no choice when it came to low-paid, high turnover positions. Your only option was to "train the trainer." But today, video supplemented by online testing can elevate quality control throughout the organization. Some franchisors are training crew level staff via podcasts and other remote media devices. And given the ease of digital editing, creating videos in multiple languages is only slightly more expensive.
The use of video and online testing has some legal benefits as well. By documenting that franchisees or your employees were trained and understood various elements of the system, you may be in a better position to enforce quality control provisions of your contract or avoid vicarious liability issues.
Don't Ask the Internet to Do a Man's (or Woman's) Job
For all its benefits, it is important to also remember what the internet is not.
An e-mail or an autoresponder is never a substitute for a needed phone call or a face-to-face meeting. And the written word, because it lacks tone and feedback, can be much more easily misinterpreted.
The internet cannot sell. It cannot build relationships. It cannot measure quality at the unit level. And it cannot build trust between the franchisor and its franchisees.
The best franchisors in this Modern Age of franchising will be those who not only recognize how to leverage the internet, but also understand when they shouldn't even try.
Perhaps more than any single factor, the internet has helped level the playing field for the new franchisor. Never before has someone been able to get the message of a new franchise to a broad market this fast.
Two decades ago, if you wanted to compete with "the big boys," you would need to advertise to get franchise sales leads. Back in the Dark Ages of franchising, about the only way to get any real exposure would be to run full-page ads in Entrepreneur magazine and two-column-by-three-inch ads in the Wall Street Journal. That kind of advertising commitment was simply not economically feasible for most startup franchisors.
Today, while the new franchisor has the same operational and legal costs to get into the marketplace, a college kid with a lemonade stand and a credit card can create a first-rate franchise website over a weekend, run pay-per-click ads on the front page of Google and be talking to prospects by Monday. And while he may not be able to afford the top position for long, his website could be just as impressive as the website used by McDonald's. Likewise, production and mailing costs for marketing materials and UFOCs have been significantly reduced (and, for some franchisors, eliminated) as streaming videos and PDFs replace their traditional hard-copy ancestors. Especially in markets where there is not yet a well-established brand, new franchisors can dominate a new niche very quickly.
Of course, this can be good news or bad news, depending on whose ox is being gored. If you are a startup franchisor, the internet can allow for significantly faster expansion and better exposure than you might otherwise have achieved.
More Leads: Boon or Bust?
From the franchise buyer's perspective, the internet has also made shopping for a franchise significantly easier. During the Dark Ages, a buyer had one or two opportunities a year at trade shows to get a large amount of information on multiple franchises at one time. In those days, even many of the print directories that exist today were not available—and those that were certainly did not index the entire universe of franchise opportunities. So most buyers resorted to reading magazines, making calls and waiting to hear from the franchisor.
Today, gratification is instantaneous and easy—perhaps too easy, at least from the franchisor's perspective. There are over 70 web portals that advertise franchise opportunities, all of which provide some degree of information about the franchisors they advertise. Most can be sorted based on categories like investment size, geography or industry. And in virtually every case, obtaining more information is as simple as a few keystrokes. Prospective franchisees can jump to a franchisor's site and download a PDF of their brochure and maybe a streaming video to boot. A couple more clicks, and they can download a UFOC online. And those ubiquitous information request forms—franchise shoppers may figure "Why not fill them out and see what gets e-mailed, or sent, as part of the package?"
The net result: More and more franchise buyers are relying almost exclusively on the internet for their information gathering. And, in the process, the average number of franchises they will examine has gone up significantly. At the same time, the average number of leads generated over the internet is going up, while close rates on those same leads are going down.
Of course, savvy franchisors have found new ways to deal with—and capitalize upon—these trends.
Website optimization is (at least in internet time) the grandfather of these techniques, although effective optimization tactics change almost daily. Video is increasingly being used as a means of increasing click-through rates and capture rates (the number of site visitors who provide information to the franchisor), while lowering marketing costs. Internet auto-responder matrixes are increasingly replacing traditional autoresponders as a means of providing a targeted "first touch" and sorting through the plethora of new leads generated by the online media. Salespeople are instantly notified when a lead is received—some franchise sales organizations boast targeted first-call response times of 15 minutes!
More than Just Sales
In addition to lowering the barriers to entry for new franchisors on the sales and marketing side, the internet offers some significant advantages to all franchisors when it comes to communications, training and reporting.
Intranets have long (again, in internet time) been a staple of the franchise community. They allow franchisors to simultaneously create a community and an educational venue. In addition to housing operations manuals, more sophisticated intranets will also house training materials, videos and tests that will allow franchisees to better replicate the franchisor's system. If it's done right, the net result can be better quality control and brand maintenance at a lower overall cost.
This methodology offers additional value that traditional training does not: It is both instantaneous and easy to sort. If franchisees have a problem installing a widget, with a few keystrokes and the right password, they can be watching a video on the subject over their PDA without missing a beat.
Moreover, because streaming video is such an inexpensive tool to use in the training process, brand maintenance can extend to lower levels of the organization than ever before. In the Dark Ages, companies had no choice when it came to low-paid, high turnover positions. Your only option was to "train the trainer." But today, video supplemented by online testing can elevate quality control throughout the organization. Some franchisors are training crew level staff via podcasts and other remote media devices. And given the ease of digital editing, creating videos in multiple languages is only slightly more expensive.
The use of video and online testing has some legal benefits as well. By documenting that franchisees or your employees were trained and understood various elements of the system, you may be in a better position to enforce quality control provisions of your contract or avoid vicarious liability issues.
Don't Ask the Internet to Do a Man's (or Woman's) Job
For all its benefits, it is important to also remember what the internet is not.
An e-mail or an autoresponder is never a substitute for a needed phone call or a face-to-face meeting. And the written word, because it lacks tone and feedback, can be much more easily misinterpreted.
The internet cannot sell. It cannot build relationships. It cannot measure quality at the unit level. And it cannot build trust between the franchisor and its franchisees.
The best franchisors in this Modern Age of franchising will be those who not only recognize how to leverage the internet, but also understand when they shouldn't even try.
Al Qaeda video calls for support of militants
(CNN) -- Al Qaeda's second-in-command called on Pakistanis to back Islamic militants in the country's tribal areas against what he called an ongoing assault by American "crusaders" and the Pakistani army.
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a video released on September 2, 2006.
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a video released on September 2, 2006.
Punishment from God was promised for Muslims who did not follow the words of Ayman al-Zawahiri in a video that appeared on radical Islamist Web sites Thursday.
"The war in the tribal areas and Swat [Valley] is an inseparable part of the crusaders' assault on the Muslims the length and breadth of the Islamic world," al-Zawahiri said in the video, titled "Path of Doom."
"This is the battle, briefly and plainly; and this is why anyone who supports the Americans and Pakistan army -- under any pretext, ploy or lie -- is in fact standing with, backing and supporting the crusaders against Islam and Muslims."
Don't Miss
* Inside al Qaeda underground torture bunkers
* Pakistani Taliban leader is dead, Taliban aide says
* 21 dead as suicide bomber strikes in Pakistan
* Girls victimized by Taliban find safe haven to learn
The Pakistani military is fighting Taliban militants in the country's north, and missile attacks from suspected U.S. drones have targeted militant leaders -- one of them killing Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
Reports from the region suggest government troops have dislodged the Taliban from many areas of the North West Frontier Province, but militant attacks continue daily
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a video released on September 2, 2006.
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri appears in a video released on September 2, 2006.
Punishment from God was promised for Muslims who did not follow the words of Ayman al-Zawahiri in a video that appeared on radical Islamist Web sites Thursday.
"The war in the tribal areas and Swat [Valley] is an inseparable part of the crusaders' assault on the Muslims the length and breadth of the Islamic world," al-Zawahiri said in the video, titled "Path of Doom."
"This is the battle, briefly and plainly; and this is why anyone who supports the Americans and Pakistan army -- under any pretext, ploy or lie -- is in fact standing with, backing and supporting the crusaders against Islam and Muslims."
Don't Miss
* Inside al Qaeda underground torture bunkers
* Pakistani Taliban leader is dead, Taliban aide says
* 21 dead as suicide bomber strikes in Pakistan
* Girls victimized by Taliban find safe haven to learn
The Pakistani military is fighting Taliban militants in the country's north, and missile attacks from suspected U.S. drones have targeted militant leaders -- one of them killing Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
Reports from the region suggest government troops have dislodged the Taliban from many areas of the North West Frontier Province, but militant attacks continue daily
Germany warns Iran of sanctions
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Iran has limited time to return to international talks on its nuclear program before it faces stiffer sanctions, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Berlin on Thursday
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Berlin on Thursday
She said international efforts to coax the Islamic republic back to the table face a "decisive point" in September.
"Our offer for talks with Iran for them to stop their nuclear program have been on the table for a long time," she said on Thursday. "But I say again that the time is limited, and we hope to have a positive answer from Iran soon, or we will have to talk about stronger measures.
"That means sanctions in the area of energy and other sensitive areas, such as the financial area," she added. "And we will not just have to think about these, we will have to speak about how we put them in place."
Her comments came after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Iran a "menace" to world peace. Though Western analysts believe Israel has its own, undeclared nuclear arsenal, Netanyahu said Iran "happens to threaten the existence of my country, and we're not threatening the existence of anyone."
"Israel expects all responsible members of the international community to address this threat, and I was pleased to hear from Chancellor Merkel that Germany is committed to responsibly addressing this threat," he said.
Netanyahu said he believed "real economic pressure" could be placed on Tehran "if the major powers of the world unite."
Germany has played a leading role in trying to break the diplomatic impasse over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is aimed at generating civilian power but Western nations suspect is to develop nuclear weapons.
The U.N. Security Council has asked Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has asked Iran to clear up questions about the nature of its work.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Berlin on Thursday
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Berlin on Thursday
She said international efforts to coax the Islamic republic back to the table face a "decisive point" in September.
"Our offer for talks with Iran for them to stop their nuclear program have been on the table for a long time," she said on Thursday. "But I say again that the time is limited, and we hope to have a positive answer from Iran soon, or we will have to talk about stronger measures.
"That means sanctions in the area of energy and other sensitive areas, such as the financial area," she added. "And we will not just have to think about these, we will have to speak about how we put them in place."
Her comments came after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Iran a "menace" to world peace. Though Western analysts believe Israel has its own, undeclared nuclear arsenal, Netanyahu said Iran "happens to threaten the existence of my country, and we're not threatening the existence of anyone."
"Israel expects all responsible members of the international community to address this threat, and I was pleased to hear from Chancellor Merkel that Germany is committed to responsibly addressing this threat," he said.
Netanyahu said he believed "real economic pressure" could be placed on Tehran "if the major powers of the world unite."
Germany has played a leading role in trying to break the diplomatic impasse over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is aimed at generating civilian power but Western nations suspect is to develop nuclear weapons.
The U.N. Security Council has asked Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has asked Iran to clear up questions about the nature of its work.
Sales Manager for Techical Sales / Final Production
About the Job
Repet Inc., a reclaimer and recycler of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles specializes in the collecting, sorting, and processing of bottles made out of PET in order to reuse the material out of which they are made.
Repet Inc. specializes in the treatment of post-consumer PET bottles by regrinding/shredding the material into small fragments. These fragments are still contaminated with the residue from their original contents, shredded paper labels, and plastic caps. The residue is removed by different processes with our own specialized recycling technology, resulting in pure PET fragments, or “PET flakes.”
Repet Inc. is part of a group of companies specializing in PET recycling, final production, and machinery companies with many years established history in Germany. With an outstanding background in PET recycling and production, the group of Repet Inc. yield an equivalent turnover of 50 million USD per annum. Repet Inc. will be opening in the US market with the strong support, background knowledge, and experience from its German background
Repet Inc., a reclaimer and recycler of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles specializes in the collecting, sorting, and processing of bottles made out of PET in order to reuse the material out of which they are made.
Repet Inc. specializes in the treatment of post-consumer PET bottles by regrinding/shredding the material into small fragments. These fragments are still contaminated with the residue from their original contents, shredded paper labels, and plastic caps. The residue is removed by different processes with our own specialized recycling technology, resulting in pure PET fragments, or “PET flakes.”
Repet Inc. is part of a group of companies specializing in PET recycling, final production, and machinery companies with many years established history in Germany. With an outstanding background in PET recycling and production, the group of Repet Inc. yield an equivalent turnover of 50 million USD per annum. Repet Inc. will be opening in the US market with the strong support, background knowledge, and experience from its German background
Dalai Lama to arrive in Taiwan on Sunday
(CNN) -- The Dalai Lama will arrive in Taiwan on Sunday for a trip that will include praying for victims of Typhoon Morakot, his spokesman told CNN.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan could anger China, which accuses him of advocating independence for Tibet.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan could anger China, which accuses him of advocating independence for Tibet.
more photos »
While in Taiwan, the Tibetan spiritual leader is also expected to give a public talk on compassion and religious harmony, spokesman Tenzin Taklha said Friday.
The Dalai Lama, who will return to India on September 4, will also comfort and offer prayers for typhoon victims, Taklha said.
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said earlier Thursday that he had approved a visit by the Dalai Lama to pray for the victims of the typhoon-battered island.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan seems certain to anger mainland China, which accuses the spiritual leader and the island nation of separatism.
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of advocating for Tibetan independence from China, and considers Taiwan to be a renegade province.
Taiwan's relations with China have improved under Ma, who has taken a more conciliatory approach than his predecessor.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan could anger China, which accuses him of advocating independence for Tibet.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan could anger China, which accuses him of advocating independence for Tibet.
more photos »
While in Taiwan, the Tibetan spiritual leader is also expected to give a public talk on compassion and religious harmony, spokesman Tenzin Taklha said Friday.
The Dalai Lama, who will return to India on September 4, will also comfort and offer prayers for typhoon victims, Taklha said.
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said earlier Thursday that he had approved a visit by the Dalai Lama to pray for the victims of the typhoon-battered island.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan seems certain to anger mainland China, which accuses the spiritual leader and the island nation of separatism.
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of advocating for Tibetan independence from China, and considers Taiwan to be a renegade province.
Taiwan's relations with China have improved under Ma, who has taken a more conciliatory approach than his predecessor.
Facebook makes privacy changes
(CNN) -- Facebook has announced it is to overhaul its privacy settings to make it clearer for users to know who has access to their personal data.
Facebook has agreed to update its privacy settings after a Canadian Privacy Commission report.
Facebook has agreed to update its privacy settings after a Canadian Privacy Commission report.
The news follows an investigation into the privacy policy of the social networking site by Canada's Privacy Commissioner.
The social networking site has agreed to make changes that it believes will provide its users with greater transparency and control over their personal information and how it is used.
"These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected," said Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart in a press statement.
In July Stoddart issued an initial report on an investigation into Facebook that followed a complaint from a privacy advocacy group, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa.
The main concerns highlighted by the report were the lack of clarity over privacy settings and how much personal information is shared with third-party developers of applications such as games and quizzes.
Don't Miss
* ACLU chapter flags Facebook app privacy
* Portraits replacing photos on social networking sites
In response to the investigation Facebook has agreed to make "significant enhancements" over the next 12 months, WHO says. This would include clarifying its privacy policy so that users can clearly understand why personal information like date of birth is requested, the difference between deactivating and deleting an account, and how its advertising works.
Another key amendment is that Facebook will retrofit its application platform in order to prevent developers from accessing users' personal information -- unless users provide explicit consent.
"Application developers have had virtually unrestricted access to Facebook users' personal information. The changes Facebook plans to introduce will allow users to control the types of personal information that applications can access," Stoddart said in her statement.
Work on the planned changes will begin immediately, although Facebook has said some changes will take some time before they are visible. Updates to Facebook's privacy policy will require a notice and comment period for users.
It has also said the changes to how users share information with third-party applications will require time and resources, both for the updating and testing of the new Facebook application platform and for third-party application developers to reprogram and test their applications.
"We will be communicating regularly with developers about the changes and we're going to take our time to make sure the outcome is something users understand and that developers have ample time and notice to adapt," Ethan Beard, Director of Platform Product Marketing at Facebook, said in a statement.
Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Policy at Facebook, added in a prepared statement that the changes would "provide even greater transparency and control for Facebook users.
"We believe that these changes are not only great for our users and address all of the Commissioners' outstanding concerns, but they also set a new standard for the industry."
Facebook has agreed to update its privacy settings after a Canadian Privacy Commission report.
Facebook has agreed to update its privacy settings after a Canadian Privacy Commission report.
The news follows an investigation into the privacy policy of the social networking site by Canada's Privacy Commissioner.
The social networking site has agreed to make changes that it believes will provide its users with greater transparency and control over their personal information and how it is used.
"These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected," said Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart in a press statement.
In July Stoddart issued an initial report on an investigation into Facebook that followed a complaint from a privacy advocacy group, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa.
The main concerns highlighted by the report were the lack of clarity over privacy settings and how much personal information is shared with third-party developers of applications such as games and quizzes.
Don't Miss
* ACLU chapter flags Facebook app privacy
* Portraits replacing photos on social networking sites
In response to the investigation Facebook has agreed to make "significant enhancements" over the next 12 months, WHO says. This would include clarifying its privacy policy so that users can clearly understand why personal information like date of birth is requested, the difference between deactivating and deleting an account, and how its advertising works.
Another key amendment is that Facebook will retrofit its application platform in order to prevent developers from accessing users' personal information -- unless users provide explicit consent.
"Application developers have had virtually unrestricted access to Facebook users' personal information. The changes Facebook plans to introduce will allow users to control the types of personal information that applications can access," Stoddart said in her statement.
Work on the planned changes will begin immediately, although Facebook has said some changes will take some time before they are visible. Updates to Facebook's privacy policy will require a notice and comment period for users.
It has also said the changes to how users share information with third-party applications will require time and resources, both for the updating and testing of the new Facebook application platform and for third-party application developers to reprogram and test their applications.
"We will be communicating regularly with developers about the changes and we're going to take our time to make sure the outcome is something users understand and that developers have ample time and notice to adapt," Ethan Beard, Director of Platform Product Marketing at Facebook, said in a statement.
Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Policy at Facebook, added in a prepared statement that the changes would "provide even greater transparency and control for Facebook users.
"We believe that these changes are not only great for our users and address all of the Commissioners' outstanding concerns, but they also set a new standard for the industry."
Naked man hijacks bus carrying students
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An angry, naked man commandeered a school bus full of teenage students Thursday in Atlanta, police said.
The man drove the bus for less than a mile before a student confronted him and the bus crashed into a wall off the road, according to police.
The incident started Thursday afternoon when the bus stopped to let students out, said Atlanta police officer James Polite.
Arris Pitmon, 23, darted toward the bus and hoisted himself in through an open window, Polite said.
Pitmon took control of the bus as the frightened driver ran to the back of it, the officer said. While the bus was moving, the man abandoned the steering wheel and walked toward the back of the bus, Polite added.
A student then ran toward the steering wheel, prompting the man to fight the student. The unmanned bus continued until it left the roadway and crashed.
Students fled the bus, many using the back door emergency exit, and onlookers subdued the man until police arrived.
Some students were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't available Thursday night.
Chiquita Rogers told CNN affiliate WXIA that the man had tried to hit some of the students, including her 16-year-old, Donte.
"He pushed my son, and that's when my son hit him. I guess everybody started swinging, and everybody just started out the back door, jumping. I'm just grateful that my son is still alive, because it could have been worse."
Onlooker Corey Turner told WXIA, "Children were jumping out the emergency door ... jumping off the bus. ... They were saying, 'Help, help, help! ... Somebody hijacked the bus.'"
The man drove the bus for less than a mile before a student confronted him and the bus crashed into a wall off the road, according to police.
The incident started Thursday afternoon when the bus stopped to let students out, said Atlanta police officer James Polite.
Arris Pitmon, 23, darted toward the bus and hoisted himself in through an open window, Polite said.
Pitmon took control of the bus as the frightened driver ran to the back of it, the officer said. While the bus was moving, the man abandoned the steering wheel and walked toward the back of the bus, Polite added.
A student then ran toward the steering wheel, prompting the man to fight the student. The unmanned bus continued until it left the roadway and crashed.
Students fled the bus, many using the back door emergency exit, and onlookers subdued the man until police arrived.
Some students were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't available Thursday night.
Chiquita Rogers told CNN affiliate WXIA that the man had tried to hit some of the students, including her 16-year-old, Donte.
"He pushed my son, and that's when my son hit him. I guess everybody started swinging, and everybody just started out the back door, jumping. I'm just grateful that my son is still alive, because it could have been worse."
Onlooker Corey Turner told WXIA, "Children were jumping out the emergency door ... jumping off the bus. ... They were saying, 'Help, help, help! ... Somebody hijacked the bus.'"
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tickets to Michael Jackson movie go on sale September 27
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The film about Michael Jackson's final three months, which uses video of rehearsals for his concert comeback, will run in theaters worldwide for two weeks only beginning October 28, according to Sony Pictures.
Footage from Michael Jackson's rehearsals for 50 London shows will be used in "This Is It."
Footage from Michael Jackson's rehearsals for 50 London shows will be used in "This Is It."
Tickets for "Michael Jackson: This Is it" go on sale Sunday, September 27, Sony said in a news release Thursday.
"Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, and genius as he creates and perfects his final show," Sony said.
Kenny Ortega, who was working with Jackson to create the "This Is It" concert, is also directing the documentary.
"As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture, we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique and very special," Ortega said. "It's a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius' world."
Ortega said "This Is It" "may go down as the greatest concert that no one got a chance to see," since the pop singer died three weeks before it was to debut in the O2 Arena in London, England. "But with this film, we get a rare portrait of Michael as he prepares for his final curtain call and what I believe was going to be his master work."
Sony began editing the film last week after concert promoter AEG Live handed over about 100 hours of video it shot during April, May and June 2009.
Don't Miss
* L.A. coroner returns to office of dermatologist
* Dr. Conrad Murray: 'I told the truth'
* Jackson to be buried on his 51st birthday
* Jackson kids now have lawyer
The initial release date was set for October 30, but Sony said it decided the "special, limited, two-week engagement worldwide" would be moved up two days.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the deal last week to allow the special administrators of Jackson's estate to sign a contract with Sony and AEG Live to allow the production.
The judge has yet to decide on a deal that would allow AEG Live to conduct a three-city tour of a Michael Jackson memorabilia exhibition to coincide with the film's release.
Footage from Michael Jackson's rehearsals for 50 London shows will be used in "This Is It."
Footage from Michael Jackson's rehearsals for 50 London shows will be used in "This Is It."
Tickets for "Michael Jackson: This Is it" go on sale Sunday, September 27, Sony said in a news release Thursday.
"Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, and genius as he creates and perfects his final show," Sony said.
Kenny Ortega, who was working with Jackson to create the "This Is It" concert, is also directing the documentary.
"As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture, we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique and very special," Ortega said. "It's a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius' world."
Ortega said "This Is It" "may go down as the greatest concert that no one got a chance to see," since the pop singer died three weeks before it was to debut in the O2 Arena in London, England. "But with this film, we get a rare portrait of Michael as he prepares for his final curtain call and what I believe was going to be his master work."
Sony began editing the film last week after concert promoter AEG Live handed over about 100 hours of video it shot during April, May and June 2009.
Don't Miss
* L.A. coroner returns to office of dermatologist
* Dr. Conrad Murray: 'I told the truth'
* Jackson to be buried on his 51st birthday
* Jackson kids now have lawyer
The initial release date was set for October 30, but Sony said it decided the "special, limited, two-week engagement worldwide" would be moved up two days.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the deal last week to allow the special administrators of Jackson's estate to sign a contract with Sony and AEG Live to allow the production.
The judge has yet to decide on a deal that would allow AEG Live to conduct a three-city tour of a Michael Jackson memorabilia exhibition to coincide with the film's release.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Stocks: The latest Fed bubble
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- The Federal Reserve has spent the past year cleaning up after a housing bubble it helped create. But along the way it may have pumped up another bubble, this time in stocks.
To head off the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the central bank has slashed interest rates while funneling money to banks.
The Fed has mostly won praise for its efforts. The pace of job losses has slowed, and there has been a modest recovery in output.
At the same time, stocks have bounced back with startling speed. Since global markets hit their bottom in March, the S&P 500 has jumped 51% -- even as the outlook for economic recovery remains dim.
"This is the most speculative momentum-driven equity market since the early 1930s," Gluskin Sheff economist David Rosenberg wrote in a note to clients Monday.
Of course, stocks have rallied in part because investors perceive the worst-case scenario -- a 1930s-style Depression -- is off the table. And while the gains have been remarkable, they come after an even bigger decline. The S&P is still down 16% since Lehman Brothers collapsed in September.
But while most people take the rise in stocks as a hopeful sign for the economy, some see evidence that the Fed has been financing a speculative mania that could end in another damaging rout.
Recent weeks have brought huge rallies in some of the lowest-quality stocks -- including firms such as AIG (AIG, Fortune 500), Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500) that are being propped up by the government and are unlikely to return to health any time soon.
What's more, this year has brought an 80% surge in emerging market stocks, while the dollar has posted a 10% decline since March. A declining dollar and surging emerging markets were the hallmarks of the credit-fueled bull run earlier this decade.
"We have put the band back together on a lot of this," said Howard Simons, a strategist at Bianco Research in Chicago. "That couldn't have happened without liquidity."
Though liquidity is admittedly a nebulous concept, there's no question that central bankers around the globe have poured huge amounts of money into the markets to ease the financial crisis. Given free money, investors' appetite for risk shoots higher and they gobble up stocks.
That's good, except when the outlook for economic growth doesn't seem to support the higher stock values.
"Many observers are wondering whether the strong stock market rebound since mid-March is already a forerunner of the next recovery or simply driven by a reflux of liquidity into riskier asset markets," Deutsche Bank Research analyst Sebastian Becker wrote in a report last month.
Rosenberg, who notes that consumer credit has dropped an unprecedented five straight months, said it's far from clear the recession is over. He says the risk of a market relapse later this year is high.
Simons said another factor that could work against recovery is that short-term interest rates could soon head higher, judging by action in futures markets. That could raise companies' borrowing costs at a time when policymakers have committed to holding rates near zero to restore economic growth.
0:00 /1:22Greenspan: New rules required
Fed officials have stressed that they will start to unwind their financial support programs at the earliest sign of inflation. Given the cost of cleaning up after the last bubble, Becker writes that "this time, policymakers are unlikely to remain inactive should they suspect the formation of another asset price bubble."
But it's clear that bankers are loath to pull back on their support for the financial system before it's clear the economy has staged a stronger recovery. And the Fed has a long and painful history of ignoring asset price inflation.
"The central bankers have this textbook belief that the only inflation is the kind that appears in consumer price indexes," said Simons. "They don't believe what they're doing could cause an asset price bubble."
For now, Fed chief Ben Bernanke and other central bankers can console themselves for now with stable consumer price inflation readings in major economies.
But comparing the bankers with a driver pulled over for speeding for the umpteenth time, Simons said, "At some point, you have to say maybe your speedometer's broken."
money.cnn.com
To head off the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the central bank has slashed interest rates while funneling money to banks.
The Fed has mostly won praise for its efforts. The pace of job losses has slowed, and there has been a modest recovery in output.
At the same time, stocks have bounced back with startling speed. Since global markets hit their bottom in March, the S&P 500 has jumped 51% -- even as the outlook for economic recovery remains dim.
"This is the most speculative momentum-driven equity market since the early 1930s," Gluskin Sheff economist David Rosenberg wrote in a note to clients Monday.
Of course, stocks have rallied in part because investors perceive the worst-case scenario -- a 1930s-style Depression -- is off the table. And while the gains have been remarkable, they come after an even bigger decline. The S&P is still down 16% since Lehman Brothers collapsed in September.
But while most people take the rise in stocks as a hopeful sign for the economy, some see evidence that the Fed has been financing a speculative mania that could end in another damaging rout.
Recent weeks have brought huge rallies in some of the lowest-quality stocks -- including firms such as AIG (AIG, Fortune 500), Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500) that are being propped up by the government and are unlikely to return to health any time soon.
What's more, this year has brought an 80% surge in emerging market stocks, while the dollar has posted a 10% decline since March. A declining dollar and surging emerging markets were the hallmarks of the credit-fueled bull run earlier this decade.
"We have put the band back together on a lot of this," said Howard Simons, a strategist at Bianco Research in Chicago. "That couldn't have happened without liquidity."
Though liquidity is admittedly a nebulous concept, there's no question that central bankers around the globe have poured huge amounts of money into the markets to ease the financial crisis. Given free money, investors' appetite for risk shoots higher and they gobble up stocks.
That's good, except when the outlook for economic growth doesn't seem to support the higher stock values.
"Many observers are wondering whether the strong stock market rebound since mid-March is already a forerunner of the next recovery or simply driven by a reflux of liquidity into riskier asset markets," Deutsche Bank Research analyst Sebastian Becker wrote in a report last month.
Rosenberg, who notes that consumer credit has dropped an unprecedented five straight months, said it's far from clear the recession is over. He says the risk of a market relapse later this year is high.
Simons said another factor that could work against recovery is that short-term interest rates could soon head higher, judging by action in futures markets. That could raise companies' borrowing costs at a time when policymakers have committed to holding rates near zero to restore economic growth.
0:00 /1:22Greenspan: New rules required
Fed officials have stressed that they will start to unwind their financial support programs at the earliest sign of inflation. Given the cost of cleaning up after the last bubble, Becker writes that "this time, policymakers are unlikely to remain inactive should they suspect the formation of another asset price bubble."
But it's clear that bankers are loath to pull back on their support for the financial system before it's clear the economy has staged a stronger recovery. And the Fed has a long and painful history of ignoring asset price inflation.
"The central bankers have this textbook belief that the only inflation is the kind that appears in consumer price indexes," said Simons. "They don't believe what they're doing could cause an asset price bubble."
For now, Fed chief Ben Bernanke and other central bankers can console themselves for now with stable consumer price inflation readings in major economies.
But comparing the bankers with a driver pulled over for speeding for the umpteenth time, Simons said, "At some point, you have to say maybe your speedometer's broken."
money.cnn.com
Guide to Sample Business Plans
Need to create a great business plan, fast? Hey, why reinvent the wheel! Unless your business plan is something never before conceived of, there's probably a free sample business plan for precisely what you need that you can adapt as your very own. You won't have to worry about what components to include in your business plan, or how long to make it. Just fill in the blanks (well, maybe not quite that simple, but you get the idea).
According to Tim Berry, a business plan guru and founder and CEO of Palo Alto Software, every successful launch starts with a good business plan. Using business plan software to help you is a good idea, too. And starting with a good business plan sample will help you write a business plan in record time. Some of Berry's keys to business plan success include these:
1. Is the business plan simple? Is it easy to understand and to act on? Does your small business plan communicate its contents easily and practically?
2. Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets?
3. Is the business plan realistic? Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic? Nothing stifles implementation like a business plan with unrealistic goals.
4. Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements? Have you tapped the right business plan resources, including free sample business plans and business plan software? Requirements of a business plan vary, depending on the context. There is no guarantee, however, that the plan will work if it doesn't cover the main bases.
Business.com's "What Works for Business" blog is a great way to keep up with the latest solutions, trends and strategies for small and medium business -- including business plan competitions and startup resources.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Locate sample business plans specific to your business or industry
Many free sample business plans are available online, along with expert help to write a business plan.
I recommend: Bplans.com is a terrifically useful site that offers free sample business plans for 60 different types of businesses, from artificial flower importing, to wedding consultants. If you purchase their best-selling business plan software Business Plan Pro, it comes with over 500 plans that you can make your own.
See real-life sample plans in a business plan archive
View actual business plans of past and present businesses online.
I recommend: I recommend: Business Plan Archive is an online repository for real business plans. Webmergers.com and the University of Maryland's School of Business built the site to collect business plans for posterity. BusinessPlans.com has samples to view. Or download free business plan templates for a startup or established business from SCORE.
Get a ready-made business plan software template
Not quite a sample business plan, but a track-tested business plan template that has been used by many startup entrepreneurs can also be a big help.
I recommend: Business Plan Success is business plan software that delivers a professionally written business plan template that you can use to quickly write a business plan that succeeds.
Go short for your sample business plan
Get a sample short-form business plan for a quick company overview or presentation
I recommend: AllBusiness has a sample short form plan you can purchase and download for $15.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
* The most standard type of business plan is a startup plan, which lays out the steps for a new business. It describes the company, product or service, market, forecasts, strategy, implementation milestones, management team, projected sales, profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and more.
* The plan always starts with an executive summary and ends with appendices showing monthly projections for the first year.
* Internal plans are not intended for outside investors, banks, or other third parties. They might not include detailed description of company or management team. They may or may not include detailed financial projections that become forecasts and budgets. They may cover main points as bullet points in slides (such as PowerPoint slides) rather than detailed texts.
By Daniel Kehrer, Editor, Business.com & Work.com, Business.com & Work.com
According to Tim Berry, a business plan guru and founder and CEO of Palo Alto Software, every successful launch starts with a good business plan. Using business plan software to help you is a good idea, too. And starting with a good business plan sample will help you write a business plan in record time. Some of Berry's keys to business plan success include these:
1. Is the business plan simple? Is it easy to understand and to act on? Does your small business plan communicate its contents easily and practically?
2. Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets?
3. Is the business plan realistic? Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic? Nothing stifles implementation like a business plan with unrealistic goals.
4. Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements? Have you tapped the right business plan resources, including free sample business plans and business plan software? Requirements of a business plan vary, depending on the context. There is no guarantee, however, that the plan will work if it doesn't cover the main bases.
Business.com's "What Works for Business" blog is a great way to keep up with the latest solutions, trends and strategies for small and medium business -- including business plan competitions and startup resources.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Locate sample business plans specific to your business or industry
Many free sample business plans are available online, along with expert help to write a business plan.
I recommend: Bplans.com is a terrifically useful site that offers free sample business plans for 60 different types of businesses, from artificial flower importing, to wedding consultants. If you purchase their best-selling business plan software Business Plan Pro, it comes with over 500 plans that you can make your own.
See real-life sample plans in a business plan archive
View actual business plans of past and present businesses online.
I recommend: I recommend: Business Plan Archive is an online repository for real business plans. Webmergers.com and the University of Maryland's School of Business built the site to collect business plans for posterity. BusinessPlans.com has samples to view. Or download free business plan templates for a startup or established business from SCORE.
Get a ready-made business plan software template
Not quite a sample business plan, but a track-tested business plan template that has been used by many startup entrepreneurs can also be a big help.
I recommend: Business Plan Success is business plan software that delivers a professionally written business plan template that you can use to quickly write a business plan that succeeds.
Go short for your sample business plan
Get a sample short-form business plan for a quick company overview or presentation
I recommend: AllBusiness has a sample short form plan you can purchase and download for $15.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
* The most standard type of business plan is a startup plan, which lays out the steps for a new business. It describes the company, product or service, market, forecasts, strategy, implementation milestones, management team, projected sales, profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and more.
* The plan always starts with an executive summary and ends with appendices showing monthly projections for the first year.
* Internal plans are not intended for outside investors, banks, or other third parties. They might not include detailed description of company or management team. They may or may not include detailed financial projections that become forecasts and budgets. They may cover main points as bullet points in slides (such as PowerPoint slides) rather than detailed texts.
By Daniel Kehrer, Editor, Business.com & Work.com, Business.com & Work.com
Hundreds missing in Taiwan after typhoon hits
Hundreds of people remained unaccounted for Tuesday in Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot ravaged the island, triggering mudslides, damaging homes and killing at least 62 people.
Rescuers carry an elderly survivor of flooding Tuesday in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot struck.
Rescuers carry an elderly survivor of flooding Tuesday in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot struck.
Click to view previous image
1 of 3
Click to view next image
The number of missing remained elusive Tuesday night because of the breadth of destruction in Taiwan, officials said.
Morakot dumped 83 inches of rain on parts of the island over the weekend, unleashing the worst flooding there in half a century, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Buildings collapsed in the floodwater, and mudslides buried everything in their paths.
After hitting Taiwan Sunday, the storm roared on to mainland China and sowed chaos there, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
Yet the death toll was much higher in Taiwan. And there were fears that it could rise amid reports that several hundred people may have been buried in mudslides that struck two villages in Kaohsiung County on the southern part of the island. Video Watch as raging waters topple a hotel »
In the city of Chiahsien, hundreds were feared buried alive by mudslides in an area inaccessible to rescue workers, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. Helicopters rescued about 150 people and took them to a neighboring village, the center said.
Another mudslide wiped out the isolated village of Siaolin, population 1,313, said Wang Ke Jang, spokesman for the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission.
Rescue crews were trying to determine how many people were in the village at the time of the mudslide and what became of them.
One witness reported there was a roar of thunder about 6:15 a.m., and within five seconds the village and its residents had disappeared.
About 150 people had been discovered alive in the village by late Monday, but they couldn't be taken out because the rescue helicopters couldn't fly after dark, Wang said. Sixty were rescued Tuesday.
Authorities expressed their "deepest sorrow" about what happened in Siaolin and hoped for a "positive result," the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said in a statement.
The Central Emergency Operation Center said the storm had killed at least 62 people and injured 35. The official number of missing stood at 58 on Tuesday.
The United States is "very concerned" about the situation but has not received a request for aid from the Taiwanese government, Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley told reporters Tuesday in Washington.
"We are a formidable asset to the region. ... As you have seen going back to the [2004] tsunami, we respond in a timely way to these tragedies," he said.
Authorities had found shelter for 8,900 of 10,576 people whom the storm left homeless, Wang said, but disaster struck even as efforts continued to help victims.
A rescue helicopter crashed Tuesday in the mountains in southern Taiwan's Pingtung County, tumbled into a river and was washed away. Crews recovered the bodies of all three people who were aboard, Wang said.
The typhoon destroyed bridges and turned roads into muddy swamps, making them inaccessible to search-and-rescue teams.
Helicopters were dropping food, medicine and water to help keep people alive as they awaited rescue. Wang said reservoirs were overflowing, and people were piling sandbags wherever they could. iReport.com: Volunteers mobilize to help typhoon victims
Prices of meat and vegetables increased about 20 percent in response to the limited supply, and officials said the government was releasing stockpiled food to force prices down.
A report from the center described dozens of deaths and missing-persons reports. Among the missing were three groups of people who had been fishing along the Tsengwen River.
A sudden rush of water "flushed away" a factory in Taitung County, and a worker was missing, authorities said.
"The most pressing needs now are providing shelter, food and clean water for those who have had to evacuate their homes," said Hank Du, executive director for the humanitarian group World Vision Taiwan. "We also want to make sure the children are secure and have a safe place where they are cared for."
The group had started to distribute food, cleaning supplies, raincoats, flashlights and other items to those displaced in Taiwanese communities.
The Taiwan Power Co. reported that power had been restored by Tuesday night to most of the 2 million households without electricity, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.
The storm caused $89 million in damage to the country's aquaculture industry, its worst loss in 18 years as a result of a typhoon, the news agency said, citing a report from the Taiwan Council of Agriculture.
advertisement
The storm made landfall Sunday in China on the coast of Fujian province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Morakot's winds were clocked there at 73 mph (118 kph) in its eye, according to the province's meteorological bureau.
CNN
Rescuers carry an elderly survivor of flooding Tuesday in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot struck.
Rescuers carry an elderly survivor of flooding Tuesday in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot struck.
Click to view previous image
1 of 3
Click to view next image
The number of missing remained elusive Tuesday night because of the breadth of destruction in Taiwan, officials said.
Morakot dumped 83 inches of rain on parts of the island over the weekend, unleashing the worst flooding there in half a century, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Buildings collapsed in the floodwater, and mudslides buried everything in their paths.
After hitting Taiwan Sunday, the storm roared on to mainland China and sowed chaos there, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
Yet the death toll was much higher in Taiwan. And there were fears that it could rise amid reports that several hundred people may have been buried in mudslides that struck two villages in Kaohsiung County on the southern part of the island. Video Watch as raging waters topple a hotel »
In the city of Chiahsien, hundreds were feared buried alive by mudslides in an area inaccessible to rescue workers, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. Helicopters rescued about 150 people and took them to a neighboring village, the center said.
Another mudslide wiped out the isolated village of Siaolin, population 1,313, said Wang Ke Jang, spokesman for the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission.
Rescue crews were trying to determine how many people were in the village at the time of the mudslide and what became of them.
One witness reported there was a roar of thunder about 6:15 a.m., and within five seconds the village and its residents had disappeared.
About 150 people had been discovered alive in the village by late Monday, but they couldn't be taken out because the rescue helicopters couldn't fly after dark, Wang said. Sixty were rescued Tuesday.
Authorities expressed their "deepest sorrow" about what happened in Siaolin and hoped for a "positive result," the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said in a statement.
The Central Emergency Operation Center said the storm had killed at least 62 people and injured 35. The official number of missing stood at 58 on Tuesday.
The United States is "very concerned" about the situation but has not received a request for aid from the Taiwanese government, Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley told reporters Tuesday in Washington.
"We are a formidable asset to the region. ... As you have seen going back to the [2004] tsunami, we respond in a timely way to these tragedies," he said.
Authorities had found shelter for 8,900 of 10,576 people whom the storm left homeless, Wang said, but disaster struck even as efforts continued to help victims.
A rescue helicopter crashed Tuesday in the mountains in southern Taiwan's Pingtung County, tumbled into a river and was washed away. Crews recovered the bodies of all three people who were aboard, Wang said.
The typhoon destroyed bridges and turned roads into muddy swamps, making them inaccessible to search-and-rescue teams.
Helicopters were dropping food, medicine and water to help keep people alive as they awaited rescue. Wang said reservoirs were overflowing, and people were piling sandbags wherever they could. iReport.com: Volunteers mobilize to help typhoon victims
Prices of meat and vegetables increased about 20 percent in response to the limited supply, and officials said the government was releasing stockpiled food to force prices down.
A report from the center described dozens of deaths and missing-persons reports. Among the missing were three groups of people who had been fishing along the Tsengwen River.
A sudden rush of water "flushed away" a factory in Taitung County, and a worker was missing, authorities said.
"The most pressing needs now are providing shelter, food and clean water for those who have had to evacuate their homes," said Hank Du, executive director for the humanitarian group World Vision Taiwan. "We also want to make sure the children are secure and have a safe place where they are cared for."
The group had started to distribute food, cleaning supplies, raincoats, flashlights and other items to those displaced in Taiwanese communities.
The Taiwan Power Co. reported that power had been restored by Tuesday night to most of the 2 million households without electricity, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.
The storm caused $89 million in damage to the country's aquaculture industry, its worst loss in 18 years as a result of a typhoon, the news agency said, citing a report from the Taiwan Council of Agriculture.
advertisement
The storm made landfall Sunday in China on the coast of Fujian province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Morakot's winds were clocked there at 73 mph (118 kph) in its eye, according to the province's meteorological bureau.
CNN
Monday, August 10, 2009
Targeted Twitter user blames Russia
The Georgian blogger whose Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts were targeted in denial-of-service attacks on Thursday, says he thinks Russia's federal security service is behind it.
"This hackers was from Russian KGB," the blogger, who uses "Cyxymu" on his accounts, wrote in a tweet early on Friday, adding later: "My twitter is online! Thank you all for support after ciber attack from Russia!"
Because of the difficulty in tracing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks back to the source, unless someone takes credit for the attack or brags about it to online associates, it's nearly impossible to determine exactly who was responsible.
Cyxymu is identified as a 34-year-old economics lecturer named Georgy from Tblisi, Georgia, by The Guardian. His blog postings are critical of Russia's dealings with the Caucasus region and his screen name is a Latinized version of the spelling of Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian republic.
"Maybe it was carried out by ordinary hackers but I'm certain the order came from the Russian government," he is quoted as saying. His LiveJournal account was attacked last year, as well, according to the report.
The DDoS attacks came on the eve of the one-year anniversary of a significant military clash between Russia and Georgia, which have had an ongoing conflict. In the 2008 South Ossetia war that began on August 7, 2008, Georgia attempted to retake control of South Ossetia and Russia launched air strikes against Georgia.
"When the war started in South Ossetia last year I couldn't avoid being drawn into politics," the blogger said.
The Georgian government is investigating potential links between its citizen and the attacks, and there are suspicions that the attack came from Russia, Shota Utiashvili, head of the Department of Information and Analysis at the Ministry of the Interior, told CNN.
Twitter was down for hours on Thursday during the attack, and LiveJournal suffered an outage. Facebook, and Google--whose Blogger, Google Sites, and YouTube were also affected--were able to fend it off.
Whoever was behind the attack may also be responsible for a spam e-mail campaign launched before the DDoS attack and targeting the blogger's accounts. In that attack e-mails were sent out that looked like they came from the blogger and included hyperlinks to his accounts on the targeted sites. A Facebook spokesman and others said that a spam attack would not have been effective enough to cause a DoS outage.
On his Blogger account the Georgian posted a copy of a Russian language news article in which he himself says the spam attack did not cause the DDoS attacks.
The Cyxymu accounts were back up on Friday on Twitter and Facebook (where he's a fan of John McCain), but his LiveJournal account appeared to still be inaccessible though a cached version was available on Google. His YouTube account, meanwhile, never went down.
http://news.cnet.com
"This hackers was from Russian KGB," the blogger, who uses "Cyxymu" on his accounts, wrote in a tweet early on Friday, adding later: "My twitter is online! Thank you all for support after ciber attack from Russia!"
Because of the difficulty in tracing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks back to the source, unless someone takes credit for the attack or brags about it to online associates, it's nearly impossible to determine exactly who was responsible.
Cyxymu is identified as a 34-year-old economics lecturer named Georgy from Tblisi, Georgia, by The Guardian. His blog postings are critical of Russia's dealings with the Caucasus region and his screen name is a Latinized version of the spelling of Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian republic.
"Maybe it was carried out by ordinary hackers but I'm certain the order came from the Russian government," he is quoted as saying. His LiveJournal account was attacked last year, as well, according to the report.
The DDoS attacks came on the eve of the one-year anniversary of a significant military clash between Russia and Georgia, which have had an ongoing conflict. In the 2008 South Ossetia war that began on August 7, 2008, Georgia attempted to retake control of South Ossetia and Russia launched air strikes against Georgia.
"When the war started in South Ossetia last year I couldn't avoid being drawn into politics," the blogger said.
The Georgian government is investigating potential links between its citizen and the attacks, and there are suspicions that the attack came from Russia, Shota Utiashvili, head of the Department of Information and Analysis at the Ministry of the Interior, told CNN.
Twitter was down for hours on Thursday during the attack, and LiveJournal suffered an outage. Facebook, and Google--whose Blogger, Google Sites, and YouTube were also affected--were able to fend it off.
Whoever was behind the attack may also be responsible for a spam e-mail campaign launched before the DDoS attack and targeting the blogger's accounts. In that attack e-mails were sent out that looked like they came from the blogger and included hyperlinks to his accounts on the targeted sites. A Facebook spokesman and others said that a spam attack would not have been effective enough to cause a DoS outage.
On his Blogger account the Georgian posted a copy of a Russian language news article in which he himself says the spam attack did not cause the DDoS attacks.
The Cyxymu accounts were back up on Friday on Twitter and Facebook (where he's a fan of John McCain), but his LiveJournal account appeared to still be inaccessible though a cached version was available on Google. His YouTube account, meanwhile, never went down.
http://news.cnet.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)