New ADA guidelines correlate with IBC.

Description WITH MANY BABY BOOMERS ENTERING THEIR 60s and encountering more health and mobility-related problems, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is certain to take on more importance than ever. As some join the 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in America, businesses will see an increase in the number of people who choose to spend their money at places that accommodate their mobility needs. Those businesses that provide a positive customer experience will be in a better position to capture the millions of dollars spent by this growing market.
More than 15 years after the ADA was passed, many facilities remain inaccessible to those with disabilities. Often, a business owner only becomes aware of noncompliance following an accident or a complaint. As a result, business owners devote unnecessary time and money to defending themselves and their businesses, while the building's openings remain noncompliant.
One area that has caused some confusion has been the differences in terminology and organization between ADA guidelines, model building codes and ANSI standards. In an effort to reconcile differences from the model building codes, including the International Building Code (IBC), the United States Access Board has updated the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).

Greenpeace Kicks Off Global Warming Campaign in Salem!

Over 50 locals turn out for global warming event.
Aerial shot of the Salem/Keizer Oregon area by Tim King Salem-News.com

Greenpeace says awareness needs to grow about Global Warming and other environmental threats facing Oregonians. Aerial shot of the Salem/Keizer Oregon area

(SALEM, Ore.) - On Saturday local Greenpeace staff announced the start of a campaign to work with community members who are concerned about the threat global warming poses to Oregon’s environment and way-of-life by registering volunteers at a community event.

Senior energy analyst Christopher Dymond of Oregon Department of Energy talked about the local benefits of renewable energy and Greenpeace organizer Sofia Gidlund spoke of the goals of the campaign.

Local writer Geronimo Tagatac read a short story by local student Deirdre McAteer about the world overcoming global warming. Over 50 local community members attended the event at Salem Public Library.

“The people of northwestern Oregon understand that global warming cannot be ignored any longer and we are joining together to make sure our candidates for Congress listen to us and develop a good plan for how to tackle this issue,” said Andy Rieder, a local volunteer with Greenpeace.

At the event attendees generated over 50 letters and photos to the congressional candidates and picked up yard-signs to place around Salem. The grassroots effort coincides with the congressional race between Democrat Kurt Schrader and Republican Mike Erickson, which is anticipated to be one of the most hotly contested congressional races in the country.

“The people of Oregon are rising to the challenge presented by global warming—they are driving less, changing their light bulbs, and buying more efficient appliances,” said Greenpeace organizer Sofia Gidlund.

“The question we’ll be asking the candidates for Congress from now until the election is: ‘What will you do if you get to Washington?’”

Greenpeace is calling on Congress to end global warming by:

- Increasing our energy efficiency;

- Putting a limit on global warming pollution;

- Investing in clean, renewable energy like wind and solar instead of coal and nuclear

Source: Greenpeace

David Byrnes Up the Webbys!

More than a few talking heads figure David Byrne should be recognized for his pioneering efforts.

The new-wave rocker will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Annual Webby Awards next month for his ongoing work to bring multimedia culture to the masses, including via his own Internet radio station and blog and his celebrated PowerPoint art, which can be viewed in the book-DVD set Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information.

Also receiving an award for a career well done will be Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, particularly for his unprecedented success with digital shorts such as YouTube faves "Lazy Sunday" and the Emmy-winning "Dick in a Box."

"David and Lorne both turned popular culture on its head in the late 1970s and each of them have continued to push the envelope for more than three decades," said Webby Awards executive director David-Michel Davies. "It's an honor to salute these two visionaries for careers that consistently challenge, surprise, and inspire audiences around the world."

The duo will be honored twice, first June 9 at the Webby Film and Video Awards, to be hosted by 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander at New York's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and again the following day at the actual Webby Awards. Seth Meyers will emcee the ceremony at the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

This year's Special Achievement honorees include Person of the Year Stephen Colbert (which should take the sting out of being shafted by Time in favor of Korean popster Rain), Film and Video Person of the Year Michel Gondry, Artist of the Year will.i.am, and Best Actors Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (from Adult Swim's awesomely titled Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!).

The Webbys, which have been called the Internet's highest honor, are handed out by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

Verizon in talks to buy Alltel: Vodafone!!

Britain's Vodafone confirmed on Thursday that US-based Verizon Wireless, in which it has a 45 percent stake, is in advanced talks about buying US rural mobile service provider Alltel Corp.

Verizon Wireless is close to buying Alltel for around $27 billion, including around $23 billion of its debts, a source familiar with the talks told Reuters on Wednesday. See

The deal would mean Verizon Wireless -- which is 55 percent owned by Verizon Communications -- would overtake AT&T as the top US wireless service.

Vodafone and Verizon Comms proportional ownership of Verizon Wireless will not change under an Alltel deal, the source said.

A Verizon deal would value Alltel at eight times its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, compared with its November sale to private equity firms for about nine times EBITDA, the source said.

Some analysts said Verizon could be in a good position to refinance Alltel's debt at a lower interest rate; others said that a deal could also help Verizon create savings from a network and handset perspective.

Verizon's move was a surprise to many analysts as it came only seven months after Alltel was taken private by TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs' GS Capital Partners.

The leveraged buyout saddled Alltel with the debt.

That $27.5 billion deal in November 2007 was the largest ever private equity investment in the US wireless industry, but it closed amid a mounting credit crisis that has curtailed the leveraged buyout boom.

SBI employees call for nationwide strike on June 6!

State Bank officers on Tuesday said they would hold a day-long nationwide strike on June 6, protesting against SBI management's policies on different issues.

Their demands include a review of the existing State Bank pension scheme, recruitment of adequate staff, termination of the contract system and regulated working hours for officers.

"The strike would be observed nationwide. The Government and the Indian Banks Association (IBA), despite having signed an agreement on various issues, have not taken any significant steps to resolve our issues," All India State Bank Officers' Federation's General Secretary, G D Nadaf, told reporters in Mumbai.

Nadaf said SBI management, with its decision to go ahead with the merger proposal of State Bank of Saurashtra, was not taking into account the feelings of employees on the matter.

"Such a merger between State Bank and its associates will lead to a plethora of issues, including termination of jobs in different categories. Any such move (of merger) will definitely be met by nationwide protests from the unions," Nadaf said.

Bank unions had struck work early in 2008 to voice their protests on various critical issues including the merger of state-owned banks and one more option for employees to join in the pension scheme.

Later, bank unions and the Indian Banks' Association had signed an agreement following intervention by the Union Finance Minister, leading to deferral of the two-day nationwide strike called for, just prior to the Budget in February end.

Nadaf charged the IBA with not taking any steps so far to resolve the outstanding issues.

Communist and opposition parties in India are holding nationwide protests against a 10% rise in fuel prices!

The Communist-governed states of West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala are badly hit by a strike called by the parties who say the rise will fuel inflation.

The government says it had no choice because of surging global oil prices.

India imports nearly 75% of its crude oil requirements but subsidises the cost of domestic fuel products to help contain inflation and protect the poor.

India's Congress party-led government faces key state polls this year ahead of general elections due in 2009.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says the party is now worried about the political fallout from its latest move.

Total shutdown

Communist parties, which support the government in Delhi, say more expensive fuel will push prices up across the board. Business leaders take a similar view.

In the states of West Bengal and Tripura, where the Communists are in power, there was a total shutdown, the BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says.

The Communists as well as the main opposition BJP are also holding protest marches in the capital, Delhi, and other cities across the country.

Calcutta saw shops, markets, schools and colleges closed. All flights to and from Calcutta airport have been rescheduled.

Vehicles, including buses and trams, largely stayed off the roads and many staff at government offices did not go to work.

Many people had trouble getting to their destinations.

"I have to stand in a queue here in pouring rain after having walked two kilometres from my hotel," said visa seeker Sumitra Hazarika Gogoi outside the US consulate.

A protest against the rise in gas prices in Delhi on 4 June 2008
Many people are angry about the price rises

Another strike, called by West Bengal's opposition Trinamul Congress, has been called for Friday.

In Tripura too, schools, colleges, shops and markets were closed and there was little traffic on the streets.

The US consul general in Calcutta, Henry Jardine, said the back-to-back strikes "reflects poorly on Calcutta".

"Your state seeks investments but investors get a wrong message if you have strikes so frequently," Mr Jardine told a business chamber meeting late on Thursday after the strikes were announced.

The business chambers have also criticised Bengal's "strike culture".

'No money'

After debating for almost two weeks, the Indian cabinet finally announced increases in the price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas on Wednesday.

It said the move was necessary because state-owned oil companies were losing millions of dollars every day because of the increase in global oil prices.

The increase - the second this year - comes at a time when inflation is already at its highest level in four years.

"It must be appreciated what has been done is the bare minimum," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in an address to the nation on Wednesday night.

"There are limits to keep consumer prices unaffected. This way we will have no money to import oil," Mr Singh said in defence of the price rise.

Malaysia and India Increase Price of Subsidized Fuel

India and Malaysia risked the wrath of voters by raising the price of subsidized fuel, measures that could further weaken the governments of both countries, already made fragile by recent electoral setbacks.

In India, the increase was quickly condemned by political parties from all sides, two of which promised demonstrations. A Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman called the move the equivalent of “economic terrorism.”

Economists and policy makers described the increase as painful but necessary. Fuel subsidies in Malaysia alone would have totaled $17 billion this year.

Consumers in Malaysia, like the woman above, will see gasoline prices go up by 40 percent, and more increases are planned, said Shahrir Abdul Samad, Malaysia’s domestic trade and consumer affairs minister. Gas prices vary across India, but the announcement amounted to an increase of around 10 percent.