Datebook for Oct. 29-Nov. 4
0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Oct 29, 2009 | by Anonymous
Ongoing
— Clutch Busters Square Dance Club — Lessons 7:30-8:45 p.m. Thursdays. Mt. Diablo Women’s Club, 1700 Farm Bureau Road, Concord. First night free, $20 for eight-week session. 925-754-8117.
— Aquatic Exercise — Weekdays. Heated pool. Spine and Sports Medicine, 2525 Stanwell Drive, Suite 200, Concord. $45-$110. 925- 686-5400, www.spineandsportsmedicine.com.
EVENTS
Ongoing
— Concord Historical Society — Walking tours of historic downtown Concord Monday-Saturday by appointment. For groups of five or more. Reservations: 925-827-3380.
LECTURES
Upcoming
— “Could It Be Dyslexia?” — 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 3. Speaker: April McMurtrey. Mt. Diablo Elementary School, Multi Use Room, 5880 Mt. Zion Dr., Clayton. Free. 925-685.7340 ext. 2771, jonesd@mdusd.k12.ca.us.
POLITICAL NOTES
Ongoing
— Organizing for America — 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. Supports President Obama’s initiatives to reform health insurance and health care, holds discussion and action meetings. 2737 Clayton Road, Concord. 925-595-5324.
MEETINGS
Ongoing
— Circle of Friends — 7-9 p.m. second Mondays monthly. Women’s group builds relationships and ties through educational presentations and social events. Walnut Country Clubhouse, 4498 Lawson Ct., Concord. 925-998-8844, lori@lorihagge.com.
— Clayton Valley Woman’s Club — 9:30 a.m., second and fourth Tuesdays monthly. Nonprofit, nondenominational service organization. Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord. 925-672- 3850.
— Concord Art Association — 1 p.m. second Tuesdays monthly. A group of artists working together in a nonprofit association. Anyone interested in art can join. Concord Library, 2900 Salvio St. ConcordArtAssociation@yahoo.com.
— Contra Costa Blue Star Moms — General business meeting 6 p.m. fourth Mondays monthly. Concord Police Department, 1350 Galindo St. 925-286-1728, www.ccbluestarmoms.org.
— Contra Costa Genealogical Society — 7 p.m. second Thursdays monthly. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3700 Concord Blvd., Concord. rootsweb.com/.~cacccgs/.
— Contra Costa Mineral and Gem Society — 7:30 p.m., second Mondays monthly. Open to all with interests in rockhounding, geology and the lapidary arts. Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road. 925-674- 7055, www.ccmgs.org.
— Creekside Artists Guild — 7-8:30 p.m. second Wednesdays monthly. All levels and all art forms welcome. Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. 925-673-9777, nielsenjanc@aol.com, www.creeksideartists.org.
— Diablo Numismatic Society– 7 p.m. third Thursdays monthly. Coin club. Veterans Memorial Building, 2290 Willow Pass Road, Concord. 925-825-0649.
— Diablo Valley Corvettes — 5:30 p.m. first Sundays monthly. Fuddruckers, 1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord. www.dvcorvettes.com.
— Ellen’s Guild — 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. second Tuesdays monthly. Make new friends and share ideas for fund-raisers for abused children. Supports programs of the Family Stress Center. Guests welcome. 2086 Commerce Ave., Concord. Karen, 925-820-2371; www.familystresscenter.org.
— Kiwanis Club of Greater Concord — Noon Wednesdays. Works to develop future generations of leaders. The Old Spaghetti Factory, 1955 Mt. Diablo St., Concord. $12 includes lunch. 925-676-1937.
— Knitting group — 2-4 p.m. first Sundays monthly. Instruction and practice yarn provided, bring your own needles. Concord Library, 2900 Salvio St. Free. 925-646-5455.
— Mt. Diablo Metal Detecting Club — 7:30 p.m. second Tuesdays monthly. For individuals who would like to meet people with an interest in metal detecting for coins, jewelry and relics. Contra Costa Water Building, 1331 Concord Ave, Concord. Free. 925-933- 8549.
— Sons In Retirement, Branch 19 — 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. first Thursdays monthly. Dedicated to promoting the independence signs of rheumatoid arthritis and dignity of retired men. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton. 925-429-3777.
SENIORS
Upcoming
— Elder Financial Protection Network — “Fighting Back! How to Avoid Frauds and Scams,” 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 19. Crowne Plaza, 45 John Glenn Drive, Concord. $10. 415-956-5556, cococase@gmail.com, www.bewiseonline.org.
Ongoing
— Ananda Yoga — 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesdays. A beginner’s class in gentle yoga
HGTV’s FrontDoor.com Identifies Home Foreclosure Tricks and Treats
Business Wire, Oct 29, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — FrontDoor.com gets into the Halloween spirit this week to help consumers
save time and money navigating the foreclosure market. Foreclosure
treats like Halloween candy are readily available, but homeowners
and buyers should also be wary of hazardous foreclosure tricks. HGTVs
FrontDoor.com offers a guide for avoiding the tricks and taking
advantage of the treats in todays burgeoning market.
(http://www.frontdoor.com/buy/HGTV-FrontDoors-Foreclosure-Tricks-and-Treats/55310)
Foreclosure Tricks to Avoid
san diego real estate
1. Every foreclosure is a bargain Just because a house has a
cheap price tag, doesnt mean that it will be a good investment. The
true cost of the home should include any needed improvements and repairs.
2. Buying a foreclosure property is like buying any other
property Foreclosure deals usually involve multiple parties and
specific laws. Dont trust just any real estate agent; seek out a
foreclosure expert.
3. Going into foreclosure is better than paying a mortgage you cant
afford Foreclosure has major legal, tax and credit consequences
and should be a last resort. Act quickly to contact the mortgage lender
and attempt to work out an action plan if financial constraints are on
the horizon.
Foreclosure Treats to Enjoy
1. Homeownership is affordable There really are well
maintained foreclosure properties out there, some for as little as 50%
below their market value. The flood of foreclosures is making
homeownership an increasingly viable option.
2. Banks are motivated to get rid of their inventory Banks
want to get non-income-producing properties off their books as quickly
as possible which translates to competitive pricing for consumers.
Building relationships with a lenders REO (real estate owned)
department can help when the time comes to make a deal.
3. The right foreclosure can be a good investment Whether
a foreclosure purchase is destined for renting or flipping, the right
property can be profitable. Its important, however, to do all the
necessary research just as if it were a traditional property.
About FrontDoor.com
FrontDoor.com (http://www.frontdoor.com)
is an online real estate information service powered by HGTV, the No.1
source for home-related media content. The site currently offers more
than 4 million listings of homes for sale. In addition to providing
users with the latest real estate listings, FrontDoor.com houses expert
HGTV advice and videos along with original Web series and a
comprehensive library of features, tools, guides and information. Users
can also interact with FrontDoor through Facebook and Twitter.
FrontDoor.com is run by Scripps Networks Digital, a diversified
multi-platform programmer that delights millions daily with
award-winning content in the home, food and living categories. Scripps
Networks Digitals Web sites — HGTV.com,
FoodNetwork.com, DIYnetwork.com, FineLiving.com, GACTV.com,
Recipezaar.com, HGTVPro.com, FrontDoor.com;
and the newest Food2.com — are powered by engaging content, interactive
tools and social spaces that take fans of Scripps Networks cable brands
further into the story and offer online users information and
inspiration to fuel their passions
Cincinnati Financial Corporation to Present at RBC Capital Markets Financial Institutions Conference
PR Newswire, Sept 16, 2009
CINCINNATI, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Cincinnati Financial Corporation announced today that the company will participate in the Insurance illinois auto insurance quotes Industry Update panel at the RBC Capital Markets Financial Institutions Conference on September 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Steven J. Johnston, FCAS, MAAA, CFA, chief financial officer will represent the company.
The presentation will be carried live over the Internet at http://www.cinfin.com/investors
The long nose of science
Muscle & Fitness, Nov, 2009
Scientists have long known that mice can discern molecules produced by bacteria, viruses and inflammatory factors in the urine of sick animals. Following that lead, researchers at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) identified five receptors located in an organ in the nasal cavity of mice that are activated by the aforementioned molecules. They’re hopeful that their research will lead to the photography art development of an artificial nose that can similarly detect illness in humans.
[NATURE 459(7,246):574-577,2009]
In a recent interview with the Washington Post (part of their ominously tided "Vioces of Power" series).(While We’re At It)(Brief article)
First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, November, 2009
In a recent interview with the Washington Post (part of their ominously tided “Vioces of Power” series), Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius discussed Archbishop Joseph Naumann’s request that she not present herself for communion because of her public support for legalized abortion: “Well, it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life, and I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state, and I feel that my actions as a parishioner are different than my actions as a public official and that the people who f80 treadmill elected me in Kansas had a right to expect me to uphold their fights and their beliefs even if they did not have the same religious beliefs that I had. And that’s what I did: I took an oath of office and I have…
ABRA Acquires Colorado Repair Center
Business Wire, Sept 29, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS — ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minneapolis-based damaged vehicle repair
company, announced today the acquisition of a repair center in Pueblo
West, CO. This facility, formerly known as Advanced Paint & Body, is
located at 455 East Enterprise Drive, and brings the total number of
ABRA repair centers to ninety-seven in eleven states.
ABRA has been operating in Colorado since late 1997 when we started
with two acquired repair centers, stated Rollie Benjamin, ABRAs
President and CEO. Throughout this time we have developed close
relationships with our insurance partners and their insureds, and have
made a commitment to add centers that will allow us to continue offering
our best-in-class service.
ABRA-Pueblo West, which had been owned and operated by Jerry and Dawn
McCarthy since it was opened in 1987, consists of 27,800 square feet.
Along with this acquisition, ABRA also announced the appointment of
Keith ODaniel as General Manager. In this position, ODaniel will be
responsible for leading the repair center and implementing ABRAs proven
operating system. He brings to ABRA-Pueblo West forty years of collision
industry experience, including five years as a General Manager for ABRA
in Minnesota.
With the addition of Pueblo West ABRA now operates eighteen repair
centers in Colorado.
ABRA Auto Body & Glass is a national damaged vehicle repair company
specializing in collision repair, paintless dent removal, and auto glass
new jersey auto insurance quotes repair and replacement
Message to Pennsylvania Motorists: Don’t Hope So, Know So
PR Newswire, Oct 1, 2009
Allstate Survey: Many Drivers in Pennsylvania are Unsure about What Their Auto Insurance Covers
minnesota auto insurance quotes MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Does your auto policy cover you if your laptop is stolen out of your car? How about if you leave your car running while you run into a store and it gets stolen? Or you hit a pothole and it causes the frame of your car to bend?
Of drivers surveyed in Pennsylvania 61 percent believed their auto policy covers them if personal items are stolen from their car, when in fact that is covered under a homeowners or renters policy. Only 32 percent of respondents thought they were covered if they left their car running and their car was stolen. And, while 53 percent of drivers knew they would be covered if a pothole causes the frame of their car to bend, 33 percent thought it would be covered under comprehensive, when in fact, it would be a collision claim.
A new survey commissioned by Allstate Insurance Company entitled, “Don’t Hope So, Know So,” asked drivers a series of questions about which coverages they currently have, and if those coverages would protect them in various accident scenarios. The survey found that many consumers in Pennsylvania were confused about the coverage they had, the type of insurance they carried, and how high their deductibles were. In fact, 91 percent of drivers who initially felt confident in their auto coverage had their confidence drop by 24 points after taking the survey.
“These survey results underscore the need for Pennsylvania consumers to be better educated about their policies and what they mean,” said Meredith Joseph, Senior Communication Consultant for Allstate. “We hope these results will get people thinking about just how protected they are if the unforeseen occurs.”
Of the drivers polled, 92 percent were confident they read through their auto policy, yet only 19 percent were very confident they know their deductible limits. In the meantime, 66 percent of the respondents said they had filed a claim in the past.
To help gain a better understanding of what an auto insurance policy covers, Allstate offers the following tips for consumers:
-- Read through your policy. For starters, ready your policy and
highlight what you don't understand. Contact your agent or insurance
company to review those items, ensure your understanding of your
policy coverages, and to help you determine if you are adequately
covered should you have an accident. Visit
http://www.allstate.com/auto-insurance/bumper-to-bumper.aspx to review
Allstate's Bumper-to-Bumper Basics to learn about various types of
coverages and how they can work to protect you.
-- Comprehensive vs. Collision. You may have both coverages on your
policy, but do you know what they mean? Comprehensive helps protect
your car in situations that don't necessarily involve a collision.
Collision helps protect you if you're involved in a collision with
another object, such as another car, tree or building
Oklahomans on the Move: October 29, 2009
Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Oct 29, 2009
Executive Women International
The Oklahoma City Chapter of Executive Women International elected the following officers: Nealene Montgomery, president; Tracy Crook, vice president/president-elect; Helen Scott, secretary; Angela Nemecek, treasurer; Kelley Hamilton-Coyer, sergeant at arms; Tammy Epps, membership; Debbie Harrigan colorado auto insurance quotes and Melody Marcum, program co-chairs; Suzy Cason, publication director; Niki Millager, ways and means chairperson; and Lisa Riggs, director at large.
Legacy Bank
Andrea Mangus, store manager with Legacy Bank, received the Oklahoma Licensed Insurance Agent designation.
Magnir Group
Magnir Group, a provider of information assurance services, named Rhonda Hazelrigg auditor.
Tom Hoch Design
Rhiannon Winkelman was named marketing coordinator with Tom Hoch Design, which designs and builds interior spaces for hotels, restaurants and golf and club facilities.
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Jackie Shipp was named director of community-based services with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Attunity Unveils Operational Data Replication
Worldwide Databases, Nov 1, 2009
Attunity Ltd. (OTC BB: ATTUF.OB), Burlington, Mass., a leading provider of real-time data integration and event capture software, has introduced a set of solutions based on a new concept coined ‘Operational Data Replication’ (ODR), which is designed to enable the large market of Oracle customers to replicate data in real-time to and from Oracle databases, at an affordable price point. The solutions, which are designed to enhance business intelligence (BI), improve business operations and reduce total costs.
Today more than ever, using real-time information in business intelligence and operations is believed to be crucial in order to compete effectively and set organizations apart in their ability to serve customers, optimize operations, and as a result – improve margins. In many cases, doing so requires replicating operational data, and making up-to-the-minute information accessible for employees, customers, and partners.
According to Gartner, “Business analysts and architects should study business processes to determine where monitoring and near-real-time reporting of key performance indicators would provide a meaningful business benefit. They should proactively offer to implement the relevant operation-intelligence facilities as a part of the application development process.” (1)
To date, customers looking for replication software had two key choices: invest heavily in homegrown solutions or purchase enterprise data replication (EDR) software packages that are very expensive and address needs that may exceed those required for operational BI. Alternatively, ODR (Operational Data Replication) focuses on delivering operational data to support operational/real-time BI requirements at a price point that can be considerably lower, enabling significant cost savings in hardware, software licenses, and implementation services.
data storage software Attunity is a leading independent provider of low-impact change data capture (CDC) technology that enables capturing and processing only the changes made to heterogeneous enterprise data sources, relational and non-relational, on platforms ranging from Windows to the Mainframe. Building on its proven line of CDC products, Attunity is now offering several ODR solutions that Oracle customers can leverage including:
1. Stand alone, end-to-end ODR application for replicating data across heterogeneous data sources
2. ODR solution that is integrated with existing DBMS investments, specifically with SQL Server
3. Event-driven ODR based on capturing database change events leveraging Event Data Capture (EDC) technology and existing Application Integration or Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) middleware
All these solutions support Oracle as a source of operational data or as a target hosting data for business intelligence. With the options Attunity provides, customers can design cost-effective solutions that enable initiatives such as operational business intelligence, efficient/real-time data warehousing, or propagate changes to ensure consistency across heterogeneous applications.
“The need for real-time information is growing and with it the costs of making it available for business users to support decisions and operations,” stated Shimon Alon, Attunity’s chief executive officer. “As a strategic Oracle partner, we are focused on bringing our ODR offering to the large Oracle community, helping customers to capitalize on their information assets, provide high return on investment and become more competitive, while benefiting from the cost-savings that our technology offers.”
Oracle Open World 2009 attendees are encouraged to learn more about Attunity’s solutions by visiting us in booth #3618, in the Moscone Convention Center’s West Hall. Additional information about the Attunity solutions can be found at http://www.attunity.com.
(1) Gartner, Inc
Optibase Announces Acquisition of Commercial Building in Rümlang, Switzerland
Business Wire, Oct 30, 2009
HERZLIYA, Israel — Optibase Ltd. (Nasdaq:OBAS), today announced that it had acquired a
commercial building located at Riedmattstrasse 9, Rmlang from the Swiss
property company Zublin Immobilien AG.
The five-storey building includes 12,500 square meters (approximately
134,500 square feet) of rentable space with office, laboratory and
retail uses. More than half of the leasable space in the property is
occupied by Polymed Medical Center and DHL Logistics.
The closing of the transaction occurred on October 29, 2009 and title to
the property was acquired by an Optibase subsidiary. The purchase price
for the transaction was approximately CHF 23,500,000 of which CHF
18,800,000 was financed by a local Swiss bank.
Tom Wyler, Chief Executive colon cancer surgery Officer of the Company commented, “we are
excited about this transaction which offers us the opportunity to enter
into the fixed-income real estate sector in Switzerland.”
About Optibase
Optibase provides video over IP solutions, specializing in video
encoding, decoding and streaming for federal and state government
agencies, Telco operators, enterprise organizations and the world’s
leading broadcast service providers. With a collection of open,
standards-based products, Optibase enables its customers to take full
advantage of video distribution over their IP network, ensuring superb
video quality in a scale of bit-rates for simple and effective video
streaming to desktops, STBs and VOD applications. Optibase has recently
resolved to diversify its operations by entering into the fixed-income
real-estate sector. For further information, please visit www.optibase.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our
marketing and operations plans. All statements other than
statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed
forward-looking statements