WineCraft Cabinets

Ascot Resources Ltd. (AOT.V) is temporarily shelving its drill
program at the Mt. Margaret property in the St. Helens Mining
District of Washington state while the US Forest Service again
reviews the companys 2011 operating plan, part of a self-initiated
examination of the agencys approval process.

Ascot has drilled 11 holes at Mt. Margaret over the past year,
generating strengthening copper and gold mineralization at depths
and at widths beyond historic drill results on the property. It
said it expects the review to be completed within a few weeks,
likely causing only a short delay to the start of the 2011 drill
program. Ascot also said it already is working to assemble an
Environmental Assessment as part of its broader prospecting
permit.

By

Sue-Ann Levy

,Toronto Sun

First posted:

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 7:31:32 EDT PM

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Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has introduced independent service reviews to its ecommerce site, enabling customers to rate the firms service performance as well as the products they purchase.

If youre like most people, you give yourself high ratings when it comes to figuring out when someones trying to con you. Problem is, most people arent actually good at it–at least as far as detecting fake positive consumer reviews.

Fortunately, technology is poised to make up for this all-too-human failing. Cornell University researchers have developed software that they say can detect fake reviews (PDF). The researchers tested the system with reviews of Chicago hotels. They pooled 400 truthful reviews with 400 deceptive reviews produced for the study, then trained their software to spot the difference.

The software got it right about 90 percent of the time. This is a big improvement over the average person, who can detect fake reviews only about 50 percent of the time, according to the researchers.

They say people fall into two camps. One type accepts too much at face value and doesnt reject enough fake reviews. The second type is overly skeptical and rejects too many real McCoys. Despite their very different approaches, each camp is right about half the time.

The Cornell system is similar to software that sniffs out plagiarism. While the plagiarism software learns to spot the type of language a specific author uses, the Cornell software learns to spot the type of language people use when theyre being deceptive in writing a review, said Myle Ott, a Cornell computer science graduate student on the research team.

The software showed that fake reviews are more like fiction than the real reviews theyre designed to emulate, according to the researchers. In part, deceptive writers used more verbs than real review writers did, while the real writers used more punctuation than the deceptive writers. The deceptive writers also focused more on family and activities while the real writers focused more on the hotels themselves.

The research teams next steps are to use the technique with other types of service reviews, like restaurant reviews, and eventually try it with product reviews. The idea is to make it harder for unscrupulous sellers to spam review sites with fictitious happy customers.

Of course, just about any technology can be used for good or evil. The Cornell fake review spotter could just as easily be used to train people to avoid the cues to deception that we learned, Ott said.

This could lead to an arms race between fake review producers and fake review spotters. Ott and his colleagues are gearing up for it. Were considering… seeing if we can learn a new set of deception cues, based on fake reviews written by people trained to beat our original system, he said.

Answer: the one on the right is fake.

PRLog (Press Release)
Mar 30, 2011 As part of a £6 million refurbishment at St Catherine’s School, Twickenham which involved the construction of a new sixth form block and teaching rooms, Link Lockers worked alongside the school’s architects to ensure its hard-wearing storage solutions were not just a functional after-thought.

The Independent Catholic Girls’ School has always provided personal storage facilities for its pupils who are aged 3-18 years, and traditionally they have been sited out of public view in locker and changing rooms. This time, as part of the refurbishment programme the architect’s recommended to the school positioning the lockers along the corridors and public walkways so as to make a striking design feature out of them.

To achieve the desired effect, St Catherine’s chose Solid Grade Laminate 2-door lockers finished in a contrasting three-way colour scheme comprising aqua blue, aqua marine and powder blue.

Joeri Decae, Sales Director at Link Lockers, explained that the lockers formed a central part of the interior design concept, and this required providing cleverly designed bespoke units for the space.

“The design challenge came in trying to fit all the 168 required compartments into the space. To overcome this we had to manufacture a bespoke half unit for two areas so as to avoid windows and fit into alcoves,” explained Joeri. “Where the new building joined the old, we also had to deal with an exceptional slope, which required using extra long adjustable feet on the lockers. We also used support frames to overcome skirting and pipes.”

The high specification and quality of the Solid Grade Laminate lockers – as well as the range and choice – was a crucial factor for the St Catherine’s project. Schools need robust and secure storage because of constant high use and the doors specified have a very hard wearing surface that is difficult to scratch or vandalise.

As the UK’s largest manufacturer of lockers, Link Lockers also offers the most comprehensive selection of sizes, finishes and door configurations. Joeri said: “This was an important factor for St Catherine’s. Given the design constraints, a standard off-the-shelf locker system was not an option.”

“The installation at St Catherine’s School is the perfect demonstration of how the correct product selection, combined with effective design, can provide customers with a tailor-made solution to storage,” added Joeri.

Headmistress Sister Paula Thomas said: “We are delighted that the refurbishment has enabled us to have such stylish lockers along the corridors, where they are much more easily accessible for the girls and not tucked away.

Link Lockers provided us with a wealth of ideas to ensure the brief was fulfilled to our satisfaction and we are more than pleased with the outcome.”

Link Lockers is the UK’s largest manufacturer of lockers, locker accessories and cupboards. Established over 30 years ago, the Link Lockers brand is now recognised as a sign of quality products and dedicated service across all market sectors.

For further information visit www.linklockers.co.uk or call the free helpline on 08000 733 300.

About Link Lockers

Link Lockers provides a comprehensive range of personal storage solutions to all environments, for projects large or small and has a full and diverse customer portfolio in Education, Healthcare, Emergency Services, Retail, Public Sector, Industrial and Leisure. This is backed by an all encompassing support package, from survey and installation to finance and annual service reviews.

Based at Telford in Shropshire, the company prides itself on its experience and expertise, its products and service, and the proven ability to provide storage solutions to meet all requirements, including manually and mechanically handled racking and shelving systems, through sister company Link 51.

For all press enquiries, please contact:

Samantha Stewart

Imagine Communications

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Austin, TX (Vocus/PRWEB) March 19, 2011

Providing transparent product service reviews to site visitors is a core goal of leading fax comparison website, FaxCompare.com. Building on the companys current practices, the review portal has been revised to ensure consumers understand that the published rates of reviewed services are available only though the portal and in designated countries.

Many times, business owners will want to try out fax services for the organization before committing funds to recurring subscriptions on products. Fax Compare reviews several companies that offer free faxing for limited page counts on the primary comparison grid of the website. Many of these companies will provide the free service independent of an organization subscribing to product resulting in minimizing the risk encountered with lesser free trial offers found online.

In an effort to continue to educate site visitors to aid in making big business decisions while choosing a service to send and receive faxes for the respective business or individual, FaxCompare.com publishes a Frequently Asked Questions information portal that is continually updated. The latest tips, Market Standards, and buying tips are incorporated to ensure consumers have information regarding the latest trends in the industry before making acquisition decisions.

Koby Wong, manager of the FaxCompare.com website writes, From reading inquiries and feedback, Ive recognized that some people will use our site, but then type in an online fax services URL directly. As a result, they get confused when the pricing on our site looks like its incorrect. To help eliminate confusion, weve decided to add a descriptive statement about the pricing and plans on our site.”

The FaxCompare staff management is committed to minimizing any site visitor confusion while answering all service questions. The most recent web site update demonstrates managements dedication to customer satisfaction and ensuring the shopper gets the best price for the desired fax service possible.

About FaxCompare.com:

The FaxCompare website was established in 2009 and now compares more than 20 online fax services based on features such as the monthly fee, free trial period, free incoming and outgoing pages, and customer support. The company also maintains a searchable research database in order to provide in-depth reviews of online fax services to its visitors for offers not featured on the primary search portal.

Contact:

FaxCompare.com

401 Congress Ave Suite 1540

Austin, TX 78701, USA

Phone No. 512-448-9031

Email: lindsey(at)choosewhat(dot)com

Website: http://www.faxcompare.com/

# # #

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/3/prweb8215119.htm

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So it begins a search for the really, really juicy gravy in the citys $9.38-billion operating budget.

Next Monday, members of the citys executive committee will consider a report calling for core service reviews of all city departments and agencies as well as efficiency studies of 12 key departments and agencies which have the biggest impact on the yearly operating budget.

If approved by committee and council, the core service reviews and the efficiency studies will commence in April with the help of third party experts and the recommendations from all reviews will be finalized for approval at Septembers council meeting.

The plan is for city financial staff to conduct a similar review of the 1,000 individual user fees administered by the city including rec fees, rents, library and permit fees this spring as well.

Were going to move heaven and earth to get this done on time, CFO Cam Weldon said Wednesday. Its an ambitious and challenging program.

The aim is try to find as much gravy as possible to make up the perennial $500-million-plus funding gap in the citys operating budget.

The actual expenditure pressure is $784 million (before taxes and other offsets), if one includes the potential $10 million in foregone revenue now that the Billboard Tax has been successfully challenged in court.

Theres no choice … were $784 million (in the hole) … we have to have balanced budgets, said budget chief Mike Del Grande.

He said theres been no deal struck with the efficiency experts as of yet.

Although $3 million has been set aside in this years budget to pay for these consultants, he added it hasnt yet be determined whether theyll get their money upfront or be paid based on the savings found.

The core service reviews will essentially look at what each department and agency does and compile an inventory of services, said Weldon.

The difficult part will be determining whether there are services they dont need to provide anymore or can be provided at a decreased level, he said.

The 12 divisions and agencies that will be subject to efficiency studies at the same time as the core service reviews include the highly inefficient (in my view) Shelter, Housing and Support (homeless) department, as well as the very costly TTC and Toronto Police Services.

The efficiency studies will try to find areas where costs could be contained by using technology and automation, sharing services (like IT and accounting) across more than one city agency, by innovating services and through the outsourcing of services (like the cleaning of all police stations).

Were looking for efficiencies in terms of how things are done … whos doing them, how many (people) are doing them, Del Grande said. Its the first time were looking at the meat on the bone.

Weldon said the findings will be provided to the citys committees and then to Executive Committee, both of which will weigh in on what services the city should be delivering from this point forward.

The ultimate decisions … when it comes to service levels … will be made by council, he said.

It is most refreshing to see the word efficiency used in the way it is intended in a city report and more than once as opposed to the so-called efficiencies former mayor David Miller deluded the public into thinking he was putting in place even as he spent his way out of the recession, turned City Hall into an employment agency and caused the long-term debt to balloon like there was no tomorrow.

But judging from what I observed from the response of the left and some of fence-sitters on council to the Toronto Community Housing Corporation scandal in recent weeks, I suspect well be in for days and weeks of moaning, handwringing and filibustering if there is the remotest hint any of their precious pet programs might be streamlined.

Del Grande said some members of council get it, some think they do and others simply cant imagine that the worlds changed. Not to mention those members of council who dont get that they helped create the mess.

Theyve very efficiently forgotten that fact.

sue-ann.levy@sunmedia.ca

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Bury Councils services could be run by either private firms or voluntary groups after councillors passed its transformation strategy.

The minority Conservative councils measure was passed by a slim majority after the Liberal Democrats abstained and Labour voted against it.

Chief executive Mike Kelly said the council needed to cut spending by 30%.

But the union Unison is claimed that it could lead to lower standards and higher charges.

Transforming Bury is based on the idea that delivering services directly is not the only option for the council.

Cheaper services

In future, councillors will judge whether services should be provided in-house, by private contracts, with the voluntary sector or in partnership with other local authorities.

They will also have the option to decide if services the council is not required to provide by law should be dropped.

Mr Kelly said the council would decide whether to outsource services based on residents needs, value for money, the quality of the service and our ability to sustain that service.

He added: We have got around £100m of controllable expenditure and we are losing 30% of that.

Just like any household youve got to look at your priorities, what is important to you and what you must have.

Council leader Bob Bibby said: We are a very successful council, very, very lean and efficient and as a result of recent cuts it has been very difficult to reduce spending without affecting front line services.

Wholesale privatisation

Mr Bibby said Transforming Bury was not about privatisation but looking at the best way of providing different services.

But Councillor Mike Connolly, leader of the Labour group, said: This is about wholesale privatisation no matter how many words are used to dress it up.

He added: We are very concerned about the effect this will have on the quality of services.

Steve Morton, secretary of Bury Unison, added: It might appear cheaper at the front but once you get into it gets dearer and dearer.

Where there is a profit to be made out of public service, where is that profit going to come from – it is going to come out of quality or higher fees for doing the job.

Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Tim Pickstone said the policy would not lead to the wholesale privatisation of council services, but the authority needed far more scrutiny and consultation when service reviews take place.

Mr Pickstone, who accused Labour of scaremongering, added: We have two choices – either big cuts, or re-designed services that are delivered more efficiently.

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