Listening First™ Stereo Headphones from Califone Chosen as Teacher’s Pick by Scholastic’s Instructor Magazine

Child-Sized Headphones Ensure Safety and Audibility for Young Learners

San Fernando, CA (November 2007) — Scholastic’s Instructor magazine has chosen the Listening First Stereo Headphones from Califone International, Inc., as a 2007 Teacher’s Pick. Each product chosen as a Teacher’s Pick was carefully evaluated by the magazine’s teacher-testers throughout the year.
Instructor magazine leads the way with “teacher-leaders” — educators who hold positions on purchasing committees, research and make product recommendations and are often in charge of allocating school funds. As one of the leading and most trusted teaching magazine in the field, Instructor magazine reaches more than 900,000 educators each issue.
Ideal for primary grades and special needs students, the Listening First Stereo Headphones offer developmentally appropriate equipment in vibrant, engaging colors and themes. The headphones are made with rugged ABS plastic in three color choices — blue, red and yellow. In addition, the Listening First Stereo Headphones also are available in animal themes — bear, panda or tiger. Providing clear sound at levels safe for a child’s eardrums, the headphones are high-quality additions to any classroom learning center, children’s library reading corner or language lab.
Through the successful Our America: Tuned In Today… But Tuned Out Tomorrow? campaign (www.listentoyourbuds.org), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommends three guidelines to help students use audio technology responsibly: lower the volume, limit listening time and upgrade to ambient-noise-reducing headphones. “With an increasing number of younger students listening to personal media players in schools,” shared Califone Vice President, Marketing, Tim Ridgway, “It is important to educate them at an early age about appropriate listening levels.” Supporting ASHA and its campaign, Califone designed the Listening First Stereo Headphones to have appropriately sized, ambient-noise-reducing earcups to help ensure safe use as students acquire listening, literacy and language skills.
The Listening First Stereo Headphones come with the unique 1-year Califone warranty, which includes coverage for school, library and government use, typically not available for products purchased from consumer electronics stores.

Califone is one of our partners. Help support them!

Barracuda Networks Reports Thanksgiving Day Phishing Surge as Scammers Rush to Cash In On ‘Black Friday’

Thousands of New Phishing Web Sites Appear in 24-hour Period as Scammers Work Overtime to Take Advantage of Four-Day U.S. Holiday Weekend

Campbell, Calif., Nov. 23, 2007 – Barracuda Networks, Inc., the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances, reported a more than 10x surge in the number of phishing Web sites created and three times the number of phishing emails sent out in the last 24 hours. This increase in activity indicates that scammers and their criminal networks are working feverishly to cash in on ‘Black Friday,’ traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, and the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Barracuda Central, a 24/7 security operations center at Barracuda Networks that continuously monitors the latest spam, virus and other Internet threats including phishing Web sites, observed a tremendous increase in the number of fake Web sites targeting popular shopping sites including eBay, Amazon, PayPal and other e-commerce sites, pop up on Thanksgiving Day. Typically phishing Web sites are set up via compromised PCs of innocent businesses and are quickly shut down once the business has been notified. However, by exploiting the four-day Thanksgiving weekend in which most U.S. business activity shuts down on Thursday and Friday, scammers are banking on the idea that the sites will go uninterrupted because no one is available to take them offline.

Scammers always operate with the "get in, get out" mentality.

“Consumers need to be extra vigilant when shopping online this weekend,” said Dean Drako, president and CEO of Barracuda Networks. “Anyone planning to do holiday shopping online this weekend should go directly to the sites that they plan to purchase from, rather than click on URLs that arrive via emails.”
The Thanksgiving surge in phishing Web sites has also created an increase in emails directing unsuspecting users to the sites directly by offering ‘great deals’ or ‘sales’ as well as emails that attempt to lure the recipient into verifying account information via a link to the fake sites.
“We typically see an increase in phishing activity before a regular two-day weekend, but the volume of phishing sites and corresponding email in just this past 24 hours is quite astounding,” said Drako. “We expect this blitz to continue over the next few days.”
Barracuda Networks is working around the clock this weekend to ensure that its more than 50,000 customers worldwide are protected from this phishing attack. For more information on this weekend’s phishing activity, please visit Barracuda Central at www.barracudacentral.com.

Barracuda is one of our partners:

About Barracuda Networks, Inc.Barracuda Networks, Inc. is the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances. Barracuda Networks also provides world-class IM protection, application server load balancing and message archiving appliances. More than 50,000 companies, including Coca-Cola, FedEx, Harvard University, IBM, L’Oreal, NASA and Europcar, are protecting their networks with Barracuda Networks solutions. Barracuda Networks’ success is due to its ability to deliver easy to use, comprehensive solutions that solve the most serious issues facing customer networks without unnecessary add-ons, maintenance, lengthy installations or per user license fees. Barracuda Networks is privately held with its headquarters in Campbell, Calif. Barracuda Networks has offices in eight international locations and distributors in more than 80 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.barracuda.com.


Well, scammers will always take advantage of vulnerabilities like holidays. Just remember - always be vigilant! You should never give away vital information, or click on a link in an email that asks you to sign in to an account.

AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey Reveals Popularity of Mobile Instant Messaging

Many Look to Cell Phones and Social Profiles to Instant Message with Buddies
Teens Look to Instant Messaging for Embarrassing Conversations, Asking Out Dates

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the second annual AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey, many IM users are spending time instant messaging from their cell phones. The survey, which examined instant messaging trends and usage habits among 1,246 IM users, revealed that 25 percent of respondents send IMs from their cell phones, including one in three (32 percent) teens.
The proliferation of cell phones with full keyboards has made it easier to send mobile instant messages. All of the major instant messaging services also let users have their instant messages forwarded directly to their cell phones when they’re on-the-go. In addition, IM users are instant messaging from within their social networking profiles.
Instant messaging is not only popular at home and on-the-go, but workplace use is becoming commonplace. More than one in four (27 percent) users say they use instant messaging at work. Further, half of at-work IM users say that instant messaging makes them more productive at work, a 25 percent increase over last year.
“Instant messaging has made its way into so many areas of our lives and we can now take our buddies with us wherever we go. Whether on our mobile phones, our social profiles or on the desktop at work, our friends, family and co-workers are right there letting us know when they’re free for a question or just to chat,” said David Liu, Senior Vice President, AOL. “This survey also found that instant messaging is truly helping people become more productive and better manage their relationships wherever they may be.”
Top-line survey findings among users of instant messaging include:
* More than half (55 percent) of teen IM users have used instant messaging to get help with their homework. This is a 17 percent increase over last year. Meanwhile, 22 percent of teens say they have sent an IM to ask for or accept a date.
* Forty-three percent of teen IM users say they have used instant messaging to say something they would not say to someone in person. Teenage girls are more likely than boys to do so. Nearly half of teenage girls surveyed have used instant messaging to say something they would not say in person, compared with just over a third of teenage boys.
* Teens today are more likely to upload photos (42 percent in 2007 vs. 34 percent in 2006) while instant messaging. They are less likely to conduct online research for school (57 percent vs. 63 percent) or update their blog or social profile (33 percent vs. 42 percent) while sending IMs.
* Nearly three in four teens (70 percent) and one in four adults (24 percent) send more instant messages than emails.
* Multi-tasking remains very popular, as IM users tend to engage in multiple online activities while sending instant messages. Checking email is the most popular activity among eight in ten adult and teen IM users. After email, adult IM users most often conduct online searches (49 percent), while teens say they like to research homework assignments online (57 percent).
* Nearly four in five (79 percent) at-work IM users say they have used instant messaging in the office to take care of personal matters. One in five (19 percent) IM users say they send more instant messages than emails to their co-workers and colleagues.
**Note to Broadcast Media: B-Roll is available and can be previewed by logging onto http://www.thenewsmarket.com/AOL.
Survey Methodology
Interviewing for the AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey was conducted online by Knowledge Networks among a national sample of 1,246 instant messaging users, including 836 adults aged 19 and older and 410 teens aged 13-18. Interviews were conducted October 25 through November 4, 2007. Users of any instant messaging service were eligible to complete the survey. Members of the Knowledge Networks internet panel were recruited by telephone polling methods, and panelists who were not online were provided with Internet access. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points for adults and 6 percentage points for teens.
About the Associated Press
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.
About AOL
AOL® is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.

Something exciting from one of our partners...

Barracuda Networks Acquires Netcontinuum

Barracuda Networks to Expand Application Delivery Controller Market Following Strategic Acquisition of Market-Leading Solution Provider

Campbell, Calif., Sept. 17, 2007 – Barracuda Networks, Inc., the worldwide leader in email and Web security appliances, today announced it has completed the acquisition of NetContinuum, the leading provider of Web Application Firewalls. The addition of NetContinuum’s award-winning products to Barracuda Networks’ product portfolio puts the company in a strong position to expand customer adoption of Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). NetContinuum, whose customer roster includes many Fortune 100 companies, develops solutions that combine Web application security, traffic management and SSL acceleration making it an easy to use solution for protecting Web sites of all sizes.
“NetContinuum is a recognized leader in the ADC market and this acquisition will enable Barracuda Networks to offer easy-to-use appliances that secure Web sites,” said Dean Drako, president and CEO of Barracuda Networks. “By combining Barracuda Networks’ strengths and sales channel reach with very mature and highly acclaimed NetContinuum products, we are confident that we will deliver industry-leading capabilities to a set of customers who had previously been unable to deploy Web site security solutions.”
With more than 50,000 customers worldwide, Barracuda Networks is the global volume leader in integrated network solutions for comprehensive email, Internet, Web and IM protection as well as application server load balancing. Utilizing its established worldwide sales channel, spanning 80 countries, Barracuda Networks will introduce the NetContinuum product line to a broader market.

Barracuda Networks continues to impress us with great strides forward. When we partnered with them in early 2006, we really weren't sure whether it would be an advantageous partnership (although we were pretty sure, we usually are). Because of the ridiculous amount of spam that hit the street earlier this year, we've sold a LOT of Barracuda devices to a lot of organizations that needed to get it under control.

We'll be launching a radio campaign for Wheat Systems and Barracuda products in November - lister for us!

Dominion Acquires 50 Percent Interest in West Virginia Wind-Power Facility

RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D),one of the nation's largest energy producers, announced Monday that it will acquire a 50 percent interest in a wind-turbine facility being developed by a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc in Grant County, West Virginia. Under terms of the agreement, Dominion will enter a joint venture agreement with Shell WindEnergy Inc. to develop the first phase of a wind facility near Dominion's Mt. Storm Power Station that will produce 164 megawatts of electricity. All regulatory and environmental permits required to begin construction are in place. Also completed is the transmission interconnection application and approval process with the PJM wholesale power market. Tom Farrell, president and chief executive officer, said: "This is a great opportunity for Dominion to increase its renewable energy portfolioas the industry looks for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our venture into the wind-energy market is another step we are taking to improve the region's environment. Emission-free generation produced by these wind turbines is a good fit with our other renewable and traditional generation sources. We are also pleased that this will contribute to the tax base of Grant County." The project will consist of 82 wind turbines producing 2 megawatts each. The turbines will be constructed on the Allegheny Front, which has an average elevation of 3,100 feet at the project site. The region around Dominion's Mt. Storm Power Station has been identified as one of the best wind turbine locations on the East Coast. Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of about 28,000 megawatts of generation, about 6.6 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves and 7,800 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline. Dominion also operates one of the nation's largest underground natural gas storage systems with about 950 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com/.

Since everybody's "going green," it's good to see some of our local Richmond businesses moving in the same direction. And it's not like there's no profit in it - Dominion is deciding to diversify to ensure a competitive edge in the national market, and making moves like this can ensure that some of our most successful interests will stay successful for decades in the future. There are even ways that small businesses can "go green" in very conspicuous ways (and therefore appeal to environmentally conscious customers) - you can convert to a paperless office, send invoices by email only, begin a recycling program, or get involved with a environmentally conscious non-profit organization. If you're considering the paperless office idea, we can help - get in touch at www.wheatsystems.com and we can explain what's involved. If you get involved with a third party organization, make sure that you invite your clients to take part with you, side by side.

Richmond man chosen as Maytag repairman the man nobody needs
BY JEFFREY KELLEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Apr 3, 2007


Richmonder Clay Jackson is a former stage and commercial actor who, up until this week, was a Realtor.
Ol' Lonely isn't so ol' anymore.
Richmond resident Clay Jackson was named the new Maytag repairman yesterday, and at age 33 is a young'un compared to his three predecessors.
The avid tennis player and North Carolina-style pork barbecue lover was chosen after a nationwide audition that drew more than 1,500 folks vying to wear the iconic uniform.
Since 1967, that role has been played by an older gent who is always on call to fix broken Maytag appliances. But his services are never needed because of the brand's professed reliability, so he waits around by himself in a job that earned him the nickname Ol' Lonely.
Jackson -- a former stage and commercial actor who until this week was a Realtor -- will don a blue repairman uniform to go with his affable attitude.
"It's just an amazing opportunity. This doesn't happen every day," Jackson said in a phone interview yesterday from Caroline's comedy nightclub in New York, where he had just finished a news conference.
Jackson, who lives in Westover Hills, wouldn't disclose what a Maytag repairman can expect to make these days.
"I was actually surprised they were going to pay me," he said, but noted wages are plenty to support his wife and soon-to-be two children. "We definitely took the job. . . . It's a dream come true."
Unlike the Maytag repairman, it appears Jackson will certainly have something to do with his days.
As the face and spokesman for Maytag, Jackson will appear in TV, print, Web and radio commercials in a campaign that will begin next month.
The Trinity Episcopal School graduate is also expected to make more than 100 appearances a year as the Maytag man across the country. Such events could include stops at company plants to speak to employees, visiting appliance retailers such as Home Depot or being the honorary guest at trade shows.
"I'll be getting to know the Richmond airport very well," he said, but "the best thing [about the job] is I still get to live in Richmond."
Jackson said he's fit to reprise the repairman role because Maytag was searching for someone who was honest and well-grounded in family values, yet had the ability to relate to customers, which was something he learned in the real-estate business.
"We're proud of him and realizing it's a change in his life, but we think it's a good opportunity," said proud pop Earl Jackson, who this week gained a celebrity son but lost an employee. The younger Jackson joined his father's real estate firm, Prudential Slater James River, in 2004 as a mortgage lender before moving to sales.
Jackson heard about the auditions while vacationing in New York a few weeks ago.
He tried out and was one of 80 to be called back in early March. Those finalists narrowed to six in the last round of interviews during the week of March 12.
Jeff Davidoff, vice president of brand marketing and communications at Maytag, said in a company statement that Jackson was chosen because he was young-at-heart and energetic.
Officials at Maytag, a brand owned by manufacturer Whirlpool Corp., were looking for someone with acting talent but who had the ability to personify the company's tradition of advertising that it makes high-quality products.
Maytag has work to do to revive a brand that has been off of consumers' radar for years, said Kelly O'Keefe, executive education director at Virginia Commonwealth University's Adcenter.
"It's an interesting move on their part to . . . repack something that has worked in their past," he said. Sometimes such campaigns are successful, other times they are not.
But the repairman has been a familiar icon to previous generations, and consumers enjoy familiarity in their brands, O'Keefe said.
Maytag has "a pretty good chance of being able to bring [the repairman] back to life in a way that is both consistent with the past and also a fresher approach that's more relevant today. I think it's probably a very good move on their part."

Although I'm not sure that having a Richmond native as the new Maytag repairman will necessarily drive any business to Richmond, it is a friendly nod to Richmond's image on the national stage. It seems that between Elliot Yamin and Clay Jackson, we've at least presented to the world at large an image that has very little to do with the South, and a lot to do with a sense of warmth, friendliness, and down-to-earth people. That in itself makes Richmond seem a lot more welcoming to all the northern transplants considering a new place to live - as well as businesses who may be considering relocation. In addition to the Commonwealth's many tax breaks, legal tendencies to favor the employer, relatively sparse traffic, and lower cost of living, portraying an image of everyday friendly people is just another boon to bringing in large corporations like MeadWestVaCo and Northrup Grummond. For those considering Richmond, Wheat Systems has a full team of wiring and networking professionals who can help any size business in setting up a new location. Check us out if you are investigating Richmond for your business: http://www.wheatsystems.com