Mediaboss Marketing

Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:57 pm | Updated: 10:55 pm, Tue Feb 21, 2012.

NEW SEWICKLEY TWP. — To help prevent a rise in property taxes, every employee of the Freedom Area School District has agreed to a wage freeze for the 2012-2013 school year.

The salary concessions, along with benefit and retirement agreements, will help the district save as much as $1.6 million over the next five years, according to Superintendent Ron Sofo.

“I think at the local level, Freedom is meeting the challenge of operating in a fiscally responsible manner while providing a quality education that the community can afford,” Soho said.

The Freedom Area Education Association, which covers 117 teachers, agreed to a three-year contract with a one-year wage freeze that will create $220,000 in savings in the new school year’s budget.

The Educational Support Professional Association, which covers 46 custodial, maintenance and cafeateria workers, agreed to a five-year contract that begins with a two-year wage freeze. The wage freeze will save the district $45,000 over two years.

Administrators, clerical staff and instructional support paraprofessionals — none of whom belong to bargaining units — have had their salaries frozen by the school board.

“The budget cuts facing Pennsylvania school districts led the (teachers) to help our district and help our community ... . We believe this contract represents a positive response by both parties to the weak economy,” said Ed Shepherd, president of the education association.

Members of both associations agreed to several cost sharing or controlling mechanisms, including paying 100 percent of any annual health care premium increase over 8 percent.

Freedom Area has passed a preliminary budget that calls for no property tax increase. The district’s 44-mill tax raise was among the lowest in Beaver County in the 2011-2012 school year. Western Beaver was the lowest at 43.3 mills.

“I think this is notable and significant, particularly at a time when the governor and state Legislature are disinvesting in public school education and shifting responsibility to local taxpayers to pay for quality education for all students,” Sofo said.

Posted in Local news, Freedom area on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:57 pm. Updated: 10:55 pm.

Read the rest here:
Freedom Area employees accept wage freeze

Canandaigua, N.Y. - Matt Wyckoff suffered a stroke when he was just three months old. His adoptive parents, Denny and Sue, almost lost him again months later.

But Matt is a fighter. He suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, but has beaten all of the odds.

Doctors once told his parents he would never walk. He did. They also said he wouldn't make it past fourth grade. He has an Associates Degree from Finger Lakes Community College.

And for the first time, the 21-year-old man is living on his own. He is one of eight young adults with brain injuries who are now living in the Happiness House Transitional Home in Canandaigua.

Here they will learn skills they need to transition into really living on their own.

They will grocery shop, share cooking, do chores, learn how to budget and balance a checkbook, and have the freedom to come and go.

There is also a safety net--staff is available 24 hours a day, if they need hep.

They also get a call, if they don't get home when they are expected.  Just like Mom and Dad would do.

But for Matt, it's the first taste of freedom and he is loving it.  His parents bought him brand new furniture for his apartment.

Wegmans also gave each of the residents a $200 gift card to stock their kitchen cupboards.

This transitional home is unique, one of the only one of its kind in New York State.

Matt says he looked at group homes, but they were too structured. Here, he says he can have more independence.

His parents, Denny and Sue, say they were thrilled when Matt was accepted into the home. They call it a blessing.

Terrie Meyn, Associate Executive Director of Happiness House, says this home offers residents the best of both worlds: freedom in a safe and secure place.

She says most will live here anywhere from one to three years and once they leave, will have the skills they need to live on their own.

Not only did the community in Canandaigua welcome their new neighbors, their support and donations helped build the house.

Wegmans, The Golisano Foundation and others raised more than $660,000.

For Matt, it's a chance to spread his wings. He works 30 hours at Wegmans and hopes to return to college to earn a Bachelor's Degree.

He'd like someday, to work in radio.

Matt, by the way, also has a second degree Black Belt in Karate!

He's now 21 and realizes he has come a long way. He also looks forward to his future when he can really live on his own.

See the rest here:
New Home Offers Freedom For Young Adults With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the Bangladeshis living abroad to mobilise public opinion in favour of making Bangla as one of the official languages at the United Nations.
She made the call while inaugurating a three-day programme marking Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day 2012 held at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka.
Sheikh Hasina said the government was trying its best to make Bangla as one of the official languages at the United Nations and she herself had already placed a proposal to this end before the UN General Assembly.
She said International Mother Language Day “calls us all to become world citizens being respectful to all. By bearing this spirit, all countries and people of all languages will benefit. And this will lead to unity in diversity.”
“Whenever the Awami League government came to power, the Bangali nation received honour internationally, as it achieved success in every field, including economy, agriculture, education, and in poverty-alleviation.”
She said Bangladesh first placed formal proposal to Unesco in September 1999 to name February 21 as ‘International Mother Language Day’. Unesco then recognised February 21 as ‘International Mother Language Day’ on November 17, 1999 and through this February 21 has become the day for protecting the rights of languages of different ethnic people of the world.
The prime minister also said that the government has taken steps to turn the language institute into an international organisation where researches would be carried out as well as languages of different ethnic people of the world would be preserved.

Originally posted here:
PM urges expats abroad to push for Bengali as UN language

Expats get wide range of services Last Updated(Beijing Time):2012-02-22 09:30

A service center catering for foreign residents has officially opened in the city's Pudong New Area following a two-month trial period.

The Foreign Affairs Service Station, set up by Pudong district police and Lianyang community at No 3 Building, 2797 Yaogao Middle Road, provides temporary residence permits and guidance on daily life and work. Eight staff workers offer assistance in English, Japanese and Korean.

"The station is equipped with personal data systems, so expats can complete temporary residence registration here in a short time, rather than having to go to the local police department and wait a long time," said Sun Qianyi, a Pudong district police officer.

The station also offers assistance to expats on more day-to-day aspects of life.

Staff workers answer inquiries from an expat in the Foreign Affairs Service Station in Pudong, Shanghai, on Monday. [Provided to China Daily]

Go here to read the rest:
Expats get wide range of services

By Sally Bakewell - Tue Feb 21 12:28:02 GMT 2012

Bank of London and The Middle East Plc, the London-based Islamic bank, signed a 14 million-pound ($22 million) deal to help Global Marine Systems Ltd. buy a vessel to install subsea power cables at offshore wind farms.

The leasing transaction with the Essex, England-based marine technology and engineering company is the Shariah- compliant bank’s first in the renewable energy industry, according to a statement from the bank.

The deal “allows us to contribute indirectly to the U.K.’s attempts to diversify its sources of energy,” Jervis Rhodes, head of corporate banking at BLME, said in the statement sent by e-mail yesterday.

Nations from the U.K. to Germany are installing wind turbines offshore to curb fossil-fuel emissions and meet targets for renewable power. The U.K. plans to reach 18 gigawatts of capacity from offshore wind parks by 2020 while Germany is targeting 10 gigawatts by then. Parks will be built further from shore in deeper waters as developers seek to industrialize the technology to bring down costs.

The barge, called Cable Enterprise, will install subsea power links that help transport power generated by the turbines for use by consumers. As an Islamic bank, the transactions and contracts BLME undertakes are Shariah compliant, or follow principles of Islamic law.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sally Bakewell in London at sbakewell1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net

View post:
BLME Signs Islamic Banking Deal With Global Marine for Wind