“Maria and I were devastated to learn of the death of Petty Officer 2nd Class McNeley, a brave sailor who made an incredible sacrifice to defend the U.S. His selfless act and legacy of honor and devotion to this country will be remembered forever. On behalf of all Californians, we extend our deepest sympathies to Justin’s family, friends and fellow sailors as they mourn this deeply tragic loss.”

McNeley, 30, died from wounds sustained from a July 23 incident in Logar province, Afghanistan. Coalition Forces recovered his body July 25 after an extensive search. He was assigned to Assault Craft Unit One (ACU-1), U.S. Navy, San Diego, CA.

In honor of Petty Officer 2nd Class McNeley, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.

“Governor Guinn was a true public servant, always putting the needs of the people above politics and special interests. He came from a family of hard-working Californians and knew the value of education, business and serving the people of his state. On behalf of all Californians, Maria and I extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones as they reflect on a life well-lived and lay this admirable man to rest today.”

“It comes as no surprise that Sacramento special interests are trying to overturn the government reforms Californians overwhelmingly support. I will fight these special interests at every turn to protect these reforms that will break through Sacramento’s dysfunction.”

“I applaud the CPUC for making this important decision that takes another step towards making California one of the most attractive places in the world for green technology. It will now be easier than ever for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to be built throughout the state, meaning more electric vehicles on the road. Today’s decision will also mean less pollution, decreased reliance on costly oil, job creation and better options for consumers in California.”

Governor Schwarzenegger has been a strong supporter of alternative fuel and zero emission vehicles and has taken significant action to support their use in California. Some of his most significant actions include:
•Sales Tax Exemption for Zero Emission Vehicle Equipment: Last year, the Governor and Treasurer Bill Lockyer created a program to exempt manufacturing equipment for zero emission vehicle manufacturers from sales tax. This exemption is administered through the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority.
•Alternative and Renewable Fuels Vehicle Technology Program: In 2007, The Governor signed AB 118 to establish the Alternative and Renewable Fuels Vehicle Technology Program. The legislation authorized the California Energy Commission to provide approximately $120 million annually over seven years to develop new fuels and technologies.
•Automobile Emissions Standards: Due to Governor Schwarzenegger, California’s attempt to receive a federal waiver to reduce emissions from passenger vehicles was granted. The Governor’s efforts also produced a national standard for cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles that will improve our environment and protect our economy.
•Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS): California’s LCFS requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in the state, dramatically expanding the market for alternative fuels. To start, the LCFS will reduce carbon content in all passenger vehicle fuels sold in California by at least 10 percent by 2020 and more thereafter.
•Promoting Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel: In 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger launched an initiative to coordinate the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure to match the emerging California market for zero-emission hydrogen vehicles and buses. Since then, California has become home to the largest number of hydrogen stations in the world with a network of 16 stations in the greater Los Angeles area and another 10 throughout the rest of the state. Seven more stations are planned by 2010 for the Los Angeles region which will more than double the amount of hydrogen available to the public.

“Californians are demanding strong standards for reducing the use of toxic chemicals in consumer products” said Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara), the Chair of the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. “This meeting will allow us to hear from experts from academia, young people finding safer alternatives, state agencies, and businesses concerned about the widespread use of toxic chemicals in everyday consumer products”

“Because of the lack of government policy around the toxic chemicals in all aspects of our lives, we founded Teens Turning Green to take action to eliminate these exposures,” said California student Mari Vial-Golden, “TTG will launch a powerful initiative this fall called Project Green Clean working toward safer products, practices, and guidelines for households and schools. Efforts like this, as well as community action on important government programs like the Green Chemistry Initiative, are necessary to protect consumers.”

What: Oversight Hearing on Toxic Chemicals in Consumer Products – Is California Meeting its Obligation to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals From our Homes?

Who:
Assemblymember Pedro Nava, Chairman, Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials
Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro, Chairman Assembly Natural Resources Committee
Assemblymember William Monning, Chairman, Assembly Health Committee
Assemblymember Jared Huffman

Witnesses Include:
Maziar Movassaghi, Director, California Department of Toxic Substances Control
Michael Wilson, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Teens Turning Green – Marin-based high school student group devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools, and communities

Where: State Capitol, Room 4202
Sacramento, CA

When: Tuesday, August 3, 2010
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM .

The jury concluded that Facebook literally infringes all of the asserted claims of Leader’s patent, and that the published prior art cited by Facebook did not anticipate or make obvious Leader’s invention. Facebook had alleged numerous technologies that predated Leader’s invention, but these were rejected by the decision.

The jury found for Facebook when they agreed with Facebook’s claim that the patent was invalid due to commercial activity by Leader prior to the patent’s issuance.

Company founder and CEO Mike McKibben said: “We are very pleased with the jury’s findings that Facebook infringes our patent. We were disappointed with the invalidity finding, and will ask that it be set aside. We believe that Facebook presented no ‘clear and convincing’ evidence that would invalidate our patent.”

Attorney Paul Andre from King & Spalding, the firm that represented Leader, said that if the invalidity finding regarding commercial activity is set aide, the jury’s decision that Facebook infringes Leader’s patent will stand.

Both Facebook and Leader will present briefs to the court beginning on Monday, and the case will remain in litigation for some time.

About Leader:

Leader Technologies Incorporated is located in Columbus, Ohio and offers other communications and alerting products and may be reached thru Jim Sobwick at 614-890-1986 or online at www.leader.com .

This story was issued by Send2Press® Newswire (Send2Press.com) on behalf of the news source and is Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Story References: Leader Technologies Incorporated, patent infringement trial,CEO Mike McKibben, Attorney Paul Andre from King and Spalding, published prior art, Facebook, invalidity finding, court, lawsuit, law, decision.

“I believe I am the most qualified person on the ballot to represent the people of New York State in the U.S. Senate, and I am willing to prove that point,” Goode said. “It is time for Ms. Gillibrand to step out of the shadows and introduce herself to the people of New York State. It is time for her to explain who she really is, and what she really believes. She has been the ‘Unknown Senator’ for far too long.”

Goode will appear on the Democratic primary ballot, as the 45,000 petition signatures she filed on July 14 have not been challenged. Goode filed three times the required number of signatures, representing 24 of 29 Congressional districts in New York State.

Goode challenged Gillibrand to a series of six debates – one a week until the primary – in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Saratoga, Poughkeepsie and Brooklyn.

“Let’s bring this discussion to the people and let them determine whose values best reflect New York State,” Goode said. “Free and open debate is the only appropriate way help people choose a senator. We’ve seen what happens when decisions are made in back rooms – the people of New York State lose.”

Goode, who has served for 24 years as trial attorney for various New York City agencies, said she is undeterred by Gillibrand’s campaign war chest.

“I’m very used to battling private, well-funded attorneys,” Goode said. “But I’ve never given up and I will not give up in this fight. If Ms. Gillibrand really does want to represent New York, then she should do what all real New Yorkers do: Step up and show she’s willing to work for what she wants.”

Gail Goode for United States Senate: www.GailGoode.com .

This story was issued by Send2Press® Newswire (Send2Press.com) on behalf of the news source and is Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Story References: democractic US Senate Candidate Gail Goode, debate, New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, democrat, primary, election, capaign, run, elect, candidate, politics senator, senatorial.

In the 1980s, Japanese cutters developed the hearts and arrows design. When examined through reflecting viewers, these diamonds display a pattern of eight “hearts” in the pavilion, and eight “arrows” in the table-up position. Beginning in 1997, Brian and his father, Benjamin Gavin, refined the parameters of the hearts and arrows design. Their refinements involved exacting each angle of the diamond’s facets creating an ideal balance between optimum brilliance (return of light to the eye) and the scattering of light (the prismatic effect that separates white light into its spectral colors). In 2000, he launched his first online “e-tail” Web site, marketing the much sought after precision-cut diamonds to consumers.

In 2004, Gavin was invited to present his system for grading hearts and arrows diamonds at the first International Diamond Cut Conference (IDCC), in Moscow, Russia. Since then his system has become a recognized standard, used by credentialed diamond appraisers and consumer-protection laboratories as well as emulated by other diamond cutters worldwide. This new standard for the hearts and arrows cut earned him the nickname and reputation, “Brian the Cutter.”

“Relationship and trust are crucial factors for success in online buying,” Gavin points out. “Customers are spending a considerable amount of money without seeing their purchase in person.” To address this concern, Gavin and his staff are readily available to consult with customers via phone or email to guide and assist them through the purchase process.

More information: www.briangavindiamonds.com/ .

About Brian Gavin Diamonds:

Gavin’s Web site, BrianGavinDiamonds.com was launched in 2009, with offices based in Houston, Texas. Brian Gavin is a fifth-generation diamond cutter originally from South Africa. He has served as a consultant to one of the world’s major diamond grading labs and to several diamond factories recognized for precision-cut diamonds. In 1997, he introduced his signature line, “A Cut Above” and more recently launched his new Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows Diamonds, cut to even more exacting standards than previously.

This story was issued by Send2Press® Newswire (Send2Press.com) on behalf of the news source and is Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Story References: Brian Gavin Diamonds, diamond cutter, hearts and arrows super ideal cut brand, ASA International Conference Gems and Jewelry Program.

Building upon a successful European collaboration, B&D and QlikTech have agreed to expand the partnership to cover North America. B&D’s market focus is one of delivering solutions to complex business intelligence problems by harnessing its deep industry knowledge and by leveraging market leading technologies. QlikTech’s flagship business intelligence offering QlikView provides groundbreaking capabilities that will allow B&D to continue delivering best in class solutions to its customers.

Steve Palmer, Business & Decision’s SVP of BI for North America, comments, “B&D has an unmatched track record of delivering high value BI solutions to the market place. By leveraging industry-leading products such as QlikView, we are able to deliver those business solutions in a fast, efficient and intuitive manner. We believe it is essential to embrace the fundamental notion that the value of business intelligence is best achieved when business people can interact with information spontaneously. This belief is perfectly aligned with the innovative and business centric focus of QlikView.”

About Business & Decision:

Business & Decision is an international Consulting and Systems Integration (CSI) company. It is a leader in Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and a major player in e-Business, Enterprise Information Management (EIM), Enterprise Solutions as well as Management Consulting. Business & Decision contributes to the success of customer projects by driving maximum business performance. The company has a reputation for functional and technological expertise and has forged partnerships with all of the key technology vendors. Located in 18 countries, Business & Decision currently employs 2500 people worldwide.

Additional information is available at www.businessdecision.us .

About QlikTech:

QlikTech’s powerful, accessible business intelligence solution enables organizations to make better and faster decisions. Its QlikView product delivers enterprise-class analytics and search with the simplicity and ease of use of office productivity software. The in-memory associative search technology it pioneered makes calculations in real-time enabling business professionals to gain insight through intuitive data exploration. Unlike traditional business intelligence products, QlikView can deliver value in days or weeks rather than months, years, or not at all. It can be deployed on premise, in the cloud, or on a laptop or mobile device-from a single user to large global enterprises. QlikTech is headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, with offices around the world and a network of over 1,100 partners to serve more than 14,000 customers in over 100 countries worldwide.

For more information please visit www.qlikview.com .

This story was issued by Send2Press® Newswire (Send2Press.com) on behalf of the news source and is Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Story References: QlikTech software, Business Intelligence Solutions, Business and Decision Inc, Consulting and Systems Integration, Customer Relationship Management, enterprise-class analytics, Enterprise Information Management, EIM, CSI, CRM, Steve Palmer.

“Without a budget in place that addresses our $19 billion budget deficit, every day of delay brings California closer to a fiscal meltdown,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “The State Controller has indicated he could be forced to issue IOUs starting in August in order to avert a cash crisis. Our cash situation leaves me no choice but to once again furlough state workers until the legislature produces a budget I can sign.”

The Governor’s furlough order continues to exempt CAL FIRE and California Highway Patrol from furloughs. In addition, the Governor’s new order is more narrowly drafted to exempt revenue generating agencies and quasi-public entities with non-general fund resources.

The full EO is below:

EXECUTIVE ORDER S-12-10

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

WHEREAS, due to continuing weak performance in the California economy and other factors, there is an approximately $19 billion General Fund deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year; and

WHEREAS the State has already taken extraordinary measures to conserve cash, such as implementing payment deferrals to schools and other local governments; and

WHEREAS there is no state budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year and a lengthy budget delay is likely; and

WHEREAS the longer it takes to adopt state budget measures to implement needed savings, the more the value of those savings erode, meaning that additional savings will be needed to make up for that lost time and money; and

WHEREAS without a budget in place, the latest cash projections show that California’s cash will go into the negative no later than October 2010; and

WHEREAS to ensure that the State meets its payment obligations protected by the California Constitution and federal law, the State Controller has stated that he could be forced to begin issuing registered warrants (IOUs) as early as August 2010; and

WHEREAS the State must start preserving cash beginning in August 2010 to improve the State’s ability to meet its obligations to pay for debt services and critical and essential services to protect public health and safety and to make payments protected by the California Constitution and federal law; and

WHEREAS furloughs are necessary to immediately begin saving cash until a budget is in place that includes solutions that will ensure there is sufficient cash for the State to meet its obligations to pay for debt service and critical and essential services to protect public health and safety and make payments protected by the California Constitution and federal law; and

WHEREAS as part of the solutions to close the $19 billion General Fund deficit, the Governor’s May Revise budget proposal included a 15 percent reduction in employee compensation costs for fiscal year 2010-11; and

WHEREAS in order to preserve sufficient cash in the 2010-11 fiscal year without a budget in place, three furlough days per month are necessary to achieve savings in employee compensation for the 2010-11 fiscal year; and

WHEREAS immediate action to reduce current spending must be taken to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the essential services of the State are not jeopardized and the public health and safety is preserved; and

WHEREAS a furlough will reduce current spending and immediately improve the State’s ability to meet its obligations to pay for essential services and make payments protected by the California Constitution and federal law in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of California, do hereby determine that an emergency pursuant to Government Code section 3516.5 exists and issue this Order to become effective immediately:

IT IS ORDERED that effective August 1, 2010, the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) shall adopt a plan to implement a furlough of represented state employees and supervisors for three days per month consistent with the terms of this Order.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that effective August 1, 2010, the DPA shall adopt a plan to implement an equivalent furlough or salary reduction for all non-represented state employees, including supervisors, managers, and exempt state employees, consistent with the terms of this Order.

IT IS ORDERED that the following state agencies and departments are exempt from this furlough executive order:

California Highway Patrol
California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection (CalFIRE)
Franchise Tax Board
Board of Equalization
Employment Development Department
State Compensation Insurance Fund
California Housing Finance Authority
California Earthquake Authority

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the represented employees in Bargaining Units 12, 16, 18 and 19 are exempt from this furlough executive order based on the expectation that the tentative Memoranda of Understanding reached with these Bargaining Units will be ratified by the Bargaining Unit membership and the State Legislature by early August 2010, whereby the employee compensation savings in these agreements will result in immediate cash savings beginning in the August 2010 pay period.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that DPA shall adopt a furlough plan that will result in the closing of general government operations on the second, third and fourth Fridays of each month, beginning in August 2010.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that effective August 1, 2010, and for the duration of the furlough period, all state agencies and departments subject to furloughs shall take all necessary action to require their employees to take three furlough days within the month.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the furlough period shall end when a 2010-11 fiscal year budget is in place and the Director of the Department of Finance determines that there is sufficient cash to allow the State to meet its obligations to pay for critical and essential services to protect public health and safety and to meet its payment obligations protected by the California Constitution and federal law.

IT IS REQUESTED that other entities of State government, including the California Public Utilities Commission, the University of California, Hastings College of Law, the California State University, California Community Colleges, the Bureau of State Audits, the legislative branch (including the Legislative Counsel Bureau), and judicial branch, implement similar or other mitigation measures to achieve budget and cash savings for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

This Order is not intended to create, and does not create, any rights or benefits, whether substantive or procedural, or enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California or its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.

I FURTHER ORDER that, as soon as hereafter possible, this Order shall be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this Order.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 28th day of July, 2010.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California

ATTEST:

DEBRA BOWEN
Secretary of State