'The UK Market Is Now Experimenting With Many ``Travel 2.0'' Applications Involving User-Generated Content' reveals the report 'Online Travel Worldwide'.(Industry overview)

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c40414) has announced the addition of emarketer's Online Travel Worldwide: A Mosaic of Separate Markets to their offering.

Online travel markets are at various stages of development. In the US, the world's largest market, growth is strong, but slowing. Europe, less than half the size of the US market, still has upside potential. But in the Asia-Pacific region, China and India are on the way to becoming market powerhouses.

Attention: Marketers, Advertising Agencies, Educators, Retailers and Researchers.

The Online Travel Worldwide report analyzes the similarities - and differences - between online travel markets in order for marketers to create straight-line routes to success.

Markets at different stages of development can be valuable laboratories for learning. For example, the UK market is now experimenting with many "Travel 2.0" applications involving user-generated content, mapping and RSS feeds that have been used in the US travel market. US firms, by the same token, can follow the progress of Asian companies developing travel applications for mobile phones.

Of course, technologies and marketing programs used in one country cannot always be applied with the same results in other regions - but development times can often be shortened and many mistakes can be avoided altogether.

Key questions the "Online Travel Worldwide" report answers:

--How do the online travel markets in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific compare in size and growth potential?

--What are some of the key features that distinguish regional travel markets?

--What are some of the common threads across regional travel markets?

--How do traditional travel agents, online travel agents and direct suppliers compete in major travel markets?

--And many more...

Sources:

Abacus Accenture ACNielsen AGOF Analysys International Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) Association pour le commerce et les services en ligne (ACSEL) Canadian Internet Project Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) Centre for Regional and Tourism Research - Denmark China Internet Network Information Center EmailLabs eMarketer Euromonitor Federation des Enterprises de Vente Distance (FEVAD) Forrester Research Internet Sources: Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) Internet Sources: Online Association of India (IOAI) KPMG Mintel MORI - Market Sources: Opinion Research International Nielsen//NetRatings PhoCusWright Inc. Raffour Interactif TNS Infratest World Travel Sources: Tourism Council Yahoo! ZUJI

 Contents Include:  Impetus Online Leisure/Unmanaged Business Travel Sales in the US, Europe and  the Asia-Pacific Region, 2005 (billions and % increase vs. prior  year)  Issues & Questions The eMarketer View Key eMarketer Numbers: Worldwide Online Travel A Global View of Travel Total Travel Total Personal and Business Travel Spending In Major Economies  Worldwide, 2004-2010 (billions and % increase vs. prior year)  Personal and Business Travel Spending in Major Economies Worldwide,  2006 (billions, CAGR and market share) Online Travel Product Categories Included in the Last Three Online Purchases of  Internet Users Worldwide, April-May 2005 (% of respondents) Top 10 Countries Where Internet Users Purchased Airline Tickets in One  of Their Last Three Online Purchases, April-May 2005 (% of  respondents) Airline Tickets Purchased Online according to Airlines Worldwide, 2005  & 2006 (% of total)  Payment Methods Used by Online Buyers in Select Countries Worldwide,  April-May 2005 (% of respondents) Channel Used Most Often by Business Travelers Worldwide to Book  Business Trips, April 2006 (% of respondents) Experience of Business Travelers Worldwide Booking Travel, Offline vs.  Online, April 2006 (% of respondents) Business Travelers Worldwide Who Prefer Doing Their Own Travel Booking  vs. Having an Assistant or Travel Agent Do It, April 2006 (% of  respondents) Cheapest Distribution Channel for Hotel Room Bookings Used by Business  Travelers in Select Countries Worldwide, February 2005 (% of  respondents)  Business Travelers in Select Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region Who  Book More Than 40% of Their Business Travel Online, October-November  2005 (% of respondents)  North America  Canada  Europe  The UK  France  Germany  The Asia-Pacific Region  China  India  Contact Report Contributors About eMarketer eMarketer's Core Expertise Dedicated Team A Trusted Resource 

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c40414

Thomas to decide on possible return to White Sox.

Byline: Teddy Greenstein

CHICAGO _ Frank Thomas has a decision to make on Thursday, but it doesn't figure to be a difficult one.

Thomas will decide whether to return to the Chicago White Sox for 2004 and beyond.

Even if Thomas wanted a fresh start, sentiment invariably takes a back seat to common sense when millions of dollars are involved.

If Thomas returns to the Sox, he would be guaranteed $6 million in 2004, at least $8 million in 2005 and a $3.5 million buyout after the 2005 season.

That's $17.5 million guaranteed for the next two years.

Think any other team wants Thomas badly enough to exceed that?

Sure, Thomas hit 42 homers last season, one shy of his career high. But he will turn 36 in May, and National League teams could be reluctant to make him a full-time first baseman.

Plus there's a perception, fair or not, that Thomas isn't much of a team player.

A year ago, Thomas tested free agency after the Sox invoked the famous "diminished skills" clause in his old contract.

Although agent Arn Tellem claimed that at least five teams _ one in the National League and four in the American _ showed interest in Thomas, the two-time MVP returned to the Sox with a four-year deal that included three mutual option years.

Because Thomas remains Sox property, Tellem, who hasn't returned phone calls all week, technically is forbidden from asking other teams what they might bid for Thomas.

But with several teams promising to slash their payrolls, it's clear this year's market could prove even bleaker for free agents than last year's.

Texas plans to cut its budget from $104 million to $70-$75 million. San Francisco reportedly will trim $8 million off its $85 million payroll. The New York Mets will go from $117 million to $90-95 million. Atlanta will trim from $102 to about $95 million and Arizona reportedly will lop off about $14 million from the $94 million it spent last year.

Keeping that in mind, here are Thomas' possible suitors, ranked in order of probability.

Anaheim: First baseman Scott Spiezio ($4.25 million in '03) has filed for free agency, and the team is pledging to boost its payroll $10 million. But Tim Salmon is becoming a full-time DH and Darin Erstad might be moved to first.

Los Angeles: Dan Evans might want to reunite with Thomas, but because a sale of the team is pending approval, Evans might not be the general manager a month from now. The Los Angeles Dodgers are desperate for offense after averaging 3.54 runs per game last season_that's fewer than the Detroit Tigers_and have no first baseman in the picture. But important personnel decisions are weeks, if not months, away.

Atlanta: Julio Franco is a free agent and North Side villain Robert Fick might not be tendered a contract so the Atlanta Braves do have a need at first. But they're cutting payroll and have a decent prospect (Adam LaRoche) in the minors. Thomas is a native of Columbus, Ga., so signing with the perennial National League East champs could have tremendous appeal.

Baltimore: After lopping Albert Belle and Scott Erickson from the payroll, the Baltimore Orioles will have as much as $25 million in disposable funds. But the Orioles already have first baseman/DH David Segui at $7 million next season and could move Jay Gibbons to DH if they sign an outfielder. Baltimore is said to covet big-name free agents such as Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, Ivan Rodriguez, Kevin Millwood and Bartolo Colon. A more likely first base target is Rafael Palmeiro.

Boston: First basemen Kevin Millar and David Ortiz (a bargain last year at $1.25 million) are under contract. As is Manny Ramirez, at a comical $20.2 million.

The Yankees: First baseman Nick Johnson is affordable, left-handed and patient at the plate. DH Jason Giambi isn't going anywhere after an off year and offseason arthroscopic knee surgery.

Seattle: Will pay first baseman John Olerud $7.7 million next year and is expected to bring back DH Edgar Martinez. The Seattle Mariners have little money to spend on free agents.

___

(c) 2003, Chicago Tribune.

Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

SnapStream Media Garners Wide Support from Industry with Latest Updates to Personal Video Station.

HOUSTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- SnapStream Media Inc. (http://www.snapstream.com/), a leading developer of digital entertainment software, announced today the release of version 3.3 of its award-winning Personal Video Station personal video recording (PVR) software, highlighting a series of new features and backed by industry leaders such as Roxio, DivXNetworks and Hauppauge.

SnapStream's Personal Video Station software allows consumers to record and watch television on their PCs and via their home networks. New features in Personal Video Station 3.3 include the ability to recompress TV recordings into the popular DivX(R) video format, providing users with an efficient option for media storage. Other added features include support for a broad-range of hardware encoder cards, like the Hauppauge WinTV PVR250, and support for third-party decoders, such as nVidia nvDVD. In addition, a free 21-day trial version of SnapStream's award-winning Personal Video Station is now available for download. The trial version allows users to test out all the functions of Personal Video Station 3.3 and provides unlimited access to SnapStream.Net, a free electronic programming guide, for 21 days. Personal Video Station PVR software competes with products like Windows XP Media Center Edition and TiVo.

"SnapStream Media is thrilled to launch Personal Video Station 3.3 with wide support from industry leaders such as Roxio, DivX and Hauppauge. As we move into the future with our digital video recording software, we hope to further incorporate technologies from our partners. Partnerships are the essential component for taking the ultimate PC-based home entertainment centers from the drawing board to the living room," said Rakesh Agrawal, CEO of SnapStream Media.

Here's what industry leaders are saying about Personal Video Station:

"Intel believes that personal video recording demonstrates an exciting usage model for today's high-performance PCs," said Kevin Corbett, director of marketing and strategic planning for Intel's Desktop Platforms Group. "By utilizing the power of the Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology(1) and SnapStream's software, consumers can turn their PC into a powerful home entertainment system. Make this available on a wireless home network and consumers can record shows and view them when and where they want in their digital home."

"The inclusion of DivX compression technology in Personal Video Station will unlock an array of possibilities for SnapStream users, enabling them to manage and enjoy their favorite television shows with the highest level of visual quality," said Jordan Greenhall, co-founder and CEO of DivXNetworks, Inc. "The combination of Personal Video Station and DivX video will create an entirely new level of digital viewing experience."

"Personal Video Station's full range of powerful digital recording and playback capabilities is a great enhancement to the television viewing experience and is an excellent choice for home theater PCs," said Ken Plotkin, CEO of Hauppauge Digital, Inc. "Hauppauge is dedicated to providing quality TV receiver products for the PC, together with Hauppauge TV tuner cards, SnapStream Personal Video Station creates a unique television experience for all types of viewers."

ABOUT SNAPSTREAM PERSONAL VIDEO STATION

Personal Video Station 3 is the most powerful and cost-effective PVR/DVR on the market -- it allows PC users to watch, record and playback television broadcasts on a variety of devices. A free program guide (no monthly/yearly/lifetime subscription fees!) also lets users schedule recordings, even when they are away from home. The recorded shows can then be viewed on any PC via the home network, downloaded onto handheld Pocket PCs or streamed through the Internet.

ABOUT SNAPSTREAM MEDIA

SnapStream Media, a leading developer of digital entertainment products, was founded in 1999 by Richard Kuo and Rakesh Agrawal. Houston-based and privately held, SnapStream Media's mission is to lead the market for consumer PC-based TV recording software. The company's software was called "dazzlingly cool" by the Los Angeles Times and referred to as "an idea whose time has come" by the Associated Press. Interested parties can find more information about SnapStream Media and its products at http://www.snapstream.com/.

    (1) Hyper-Threading technology requires a computer system with an        Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 processor with HT Technology, a chipset and        BIOS that utilize this technology, and an operating system that        includes optimizations for this technology.  Performance will vary        depending on the specific hardware and software you use. See        http://www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading for information.   

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Christina Lee of SnapStream Media, +1-713-644-6240, ext. 28, Fax, 713-644-3215, pr@snapstream.com

Web site: http://www.snapstream.com/

ANALYSIS - AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY NOT GROWING RAPIDLY, DATA SAYS.

SYDNEY, March 7 Asia Pulse - The Australian economy is not doing too badly, but it is hardly breaking any speed records.

Two sets of economic data released on Monday supported the impression given by last Wednesday's national accounts, which showed the economy expanded at a slower pace than the long-run average in both the December quarter and through 2010.

One of the data sets was the venerable ANZ jobs ads series.

It showed total ads counted on the internet and in capital city daily newspapers was growing, but at a slower pace of 1.4 per cent per month on a trend basis.

A year ago, the upward trajectory was 4.3 per cent per month.

For newspapers alone, the trend measure recorded its thirteenth consecutive decline. The seasonally adjusted figure popped up 4.4 per cent in February - not enough to make up for flood-affected falls in December and January.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed employment - the number of people with jobs - grew by 330,000, or 3.0 per cent over the year to January.

Nearly two thirds of that, 193,000, was racked up in the latest six months.

The ANZ figures suggest that within the coming six months the pace will slow, with as few as 100,000 to be added to the employment total over the next half-year.

That would imply monthly employment increases of as little as half the 36,000 per month average of the latest six months.

There would be nothing incongruous about such a slowdown.

It would come in the wake of a significant tightening of both monetary and fiscal policy, after both were loosened in the wake of the global financial crisis.

And it would be happening in the context of an exchange rate so high that every trade-exposed sector of the economy outside of the mining industry is feeling the pinch.

The other data release of note on Monday was the Australian Industry Group's survey of the construction sector.

The survey showed activity in the industry contracted for the tenth consecutive month in February.

Activity did contract at a slower pace than in January, most likely thanks to a bounce back from the impact of floods, but this is a fairly standard pattern.

Since the decline started in May last year, the rate of decline has slowed every second month only to accelerate again the month after.

There is no real sign of improvement either, with the same survey showing new orders declining for nine months in a row.

This is not to say the economy is in a tailspin.

Far from it.

From the perspective of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the main risk is that too-fast growth will spark inflation as the mining investment boom gathers pace, rather than that too-slow growth will push unemployment up.

But the message from these figures, just like the recent run of data from both official and private sector sources, is that the risk of inflation is still distant enough to allow the respite from interest rate rises to continue for a few months yet.

(AAP) ry 07-03 1706

JOKER JIM IS A STAND-UP GUY.

WELLS, Wells, Wells. Who would have thought that Jim Wells is a joker in the DUP's pack.

And if the Assembly ever falls, the boul Jim could carve out a new career for himself as a stand-up comedian. The South Down MLA certainly had me and scores of other guests at Stormont in stitches last week.

A short distance away in the real world of stormy Stormont, the Assembly members may have been squabbling about their budgets.

But the Long Gallery wasn't short of harmony at the all-party party organised by Rostrevor musician Tommy Sands to mark the completion of the Assembly's four year mandate.

While Danny Kennedy sang and Dominic Bradley was on the fiddle, Sinn Fein's Caitriona Ruane and Barry McElduff recited poems before Jim Wells told tales out of school.

He remembered how Sammy Wilson once wrote a speech for an un-named DUP backbencher who baffled everyone by saying that the closure of a school in Coleraine was "a fat accomplice" not realising that the words in front of him were actually "a fait accompli".

Jim also said that when the late politician Raymond McCullough asked the Speaker of an old Assembly if it was in order for a colleague (Willie McCrea) to act the eejit he was told, "He's not acting!"

But as well as tears of laughter, there were also tears of sorrow at Tommy's special night especially when he and his children, Moya and Fionan, sang several songs from his new album, Arising from the Troubles.

The first was about the murder of three policemen near Aughnacloy. The second was a tribute to "an absent friend" at Stormont - John Hume.

Several people who were there were associated with paramilitary groups.

UDA leader Jackie McDonald didn't perform but the new head of the PUP, Brian Ervine, showed he's got one helluva voice as he belted out his own song Leaving Dalriada which was a favourite with his late brother David.

Paul Marshall and Roy Arbuckle from the group Different Drums battered the bejazzus out of a Lambeg and a bodhran.

And Southern-based musicians Steve Cooney (Sinead O'Connor's husband) and John Sheahan, who's still going strong with the Dubliners, were also in fine form.

One of the most uplifting contributions came from Catholic and Protestant young people from the Ambassadors for Peace group from north and east Belfast who told us how they're working towards getting the so-called peace walls removed from Belfast by 2019, the 50th anniversary of the monstrosities going up.

Another highlight came from a comic genius who may be getting on in years but who hasn't lost his touch ... Crawford Howard, the man behind the hilarious Diagonal Steam Trap album.

Crawford's Fenian Record Player is a must-hear which has been the subject of much Internet chat down the years.

I remember reading a query from a German fan of the piece who wanted to know why the wee Prod in the poem had smashed a window on the Falls Road to "annoy the cobal row".

It was pointed out to him that what Crawford was really saying was to "annoy the Pope in Rome".

CAPTION: THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT: (clockwise from top) Moya Sands; Jim Wells and Catriona Ruane all did a turn at the all-party party

FO summons Libyan envoy.

The Libyan ambassador to London was being summoned

to the Foreign Office (FO) Monday to be told "in the strongest terms our

absolute condemnation of the use of lethal force against demonstrators",

Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

He said that Britain was calling an "immediate immediate end to the

violence and the killing of protesters, and for all parties to act in a

restrained and humane manner".

There should be a full investigation into the events in Benghazi and

eastern Libya with a commitment that those responsible will be held

accountable,

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Hague also called for a

commitment to genuine dialogue and political and economic reform, access for

international human rights monitors, the lifting of restrictions on the

internet and media, and an end to the intimidation and detention of

journalists.

He said that the Libyan government should also offer full protection to

foreign nationals in Libya and to provide assistance to those who wanted to

leave.

"The world is watching Libya, with mounting concern. The Libyan government

should be in no doubt that it will be held accountable by the international

community for its actions,"

Hague said: "The Libyan government's refusal to recognise the extent of

their people's concerns and disregard for their safety undermines their

credibility. The Libyan government must take responsibility for the safety of

its people."

All KUNA right are reserved 2011.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Amazon should stop dodging state sales taxes.(Opinion)

AMAZON.COM is a neighbor of ours -- it is right across the street from The Seattle Times -- and is one of our state's most successful creators of wealth and jobs. We wish Amazon and its people well, but we cannot support the company's campaign to dodge the payment of state sales tax all across America.

The last time we commented on this was on Amazon's bizarre contest with North Carolina. Amazon said it was refusing to comply with North Carolina tax authorities in order to prevent them from knowing what books and DVDs Amazon's customers bought.

Amazon said it was an argument about privacy and freedom; North Carolina said it was about the money.

We said it was about the money, and that Amazon ought to pay up. Amazon took North Carolina to federal court here in Seattle, and Judge Marsha Pechman ruled that Amazon did not have to tell North Carolina what books and DVDs its citizens had ordered, and that North Carolina was free to go after the money. It was a good ruling.

Now comes Texas -- a state, like Washington, with no income tax but with a sales tax. It says Amazon owes it $269 million in sales taxes on purchases by Texas residents.

Texas can make Amazon pay if the company has a "physical presence" there. Which it does. It has a distribution center near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. So Amazon said Feb. 10 it was closing the center April 12 and skedaddling from the state of Texas. It will sell over the Internet to customers there, but it will not have buildings or employees there.

That would have been a slick strategy for the 1990s, or maybe even today for a company nobody ever heard of. But Amazon, which ambitiously named itself for the biggest river on Earth, has become what its name implies. It is the Internet's widest and deepest source of products, which makes it too big to be excused from its obligations.

Amazon is going to lose this fight. It knows this. It is trying to drag its feet as long as it can because it is profitable to do so.

Settle now and get it over with.

Copyright (c) 2011 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.