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Speculation over the future of the UK arm of internet service provider AOL has continued. with recent reports suggesting that UK satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting Group and former UK incumbent BT Group are leading the charge to acquire the UK operation.
However. both are thought to have reservations concerning the GBP600 million ($1.1 billion) asking price. according to an article in the Sunday Times newspaper. which did not cite sources.
The newspaper also reported that Time Warner. had appointed Citigroup to review strategic options for the UK business. and potential bidders had until Monday June 12. 2006 to indicate their interest.It is thought this strategic review is similar to the review carried out last year for the US operation of AOL. That review led to the announcement in December by search engine Google that it would pay Time Warner $1 billion for a 5% stake in America Online. The review was prompted by Time Warner's then strategy to appease shareholders concerned with what they saw as an AOL drag factor on the overall Time Warner business.It is unclear whether a review of the UK operation would lead to a complete sell-off. or a partnership with another company. An AOL UK spokesperson told Computer Business Review that the story was "rumor and speculation. and as such AOL UK had no comment."AOL is the UK's third-largest ISP with 2.2 million customers. of which 1.3 million are broadband customers and the rest dialup. The unit has previously been linked to other buyers such as Vodafone Group. and The Carphone Warehouse.However. Vodafone has already declared its intention to go "infrastructure light" to provide fixed-line services. which means it will probably resell someone else's wholesale product. O2 was recently acquired by Telefonica. and the Spanish carrier has recently committed to not to making any large acquisitions before the end of next year. despite recent comments to the contrary by O2's chief executive Peter Erskine.The Carphone Warehouse is currently being swamped by huge demand for its 'free' broadband service. and has already stated it is not interested in AOL.This leaves BT and BSkyB. BT is currently the largest ISP in the UK. with 2.6 million customers. and it is already the wholesale provider for most of AOL's 1.3 million broadband users. Strategically. the two would be a good fit because BT's customers are not wholly price conscious. but are more interested in quality of service and security. just like AOL's client base.BSkyB on the other hand is soon to launch its own broadband service in the summer thanks to its GBP211 million ($373 million) acquisition of UK broadband service provider Easynet Group last year. The UK satellite broadcaster currently has 259 unbundled exchanges and is unbundling on average 12 exchanges per week. It aims to have 379 exchanges unbundled by the end of June. which would give it roughly 7.5 million (30%) of UK homes connected to a Sky-unbundled exchange. It hopes to reach 70% of the UK population by the end of 2007.AOL. on the other hand. said in January that it was investing GBP120 million ($221 million) on local loop unbundling (LLU) in the UK. It is on target to have 300 exchanges unbundled by the end of June. and aims to have unbundled 1.000 exchanges by August next year. which will give it access to 50% of the UK population.Either BT or BSkyB stand to benefit from a purchase of AOL UK. BT would use the purchase to solidify its position as the largest ISP in the UK. while BSkyB would use the deal as a springboard to recoup its fixed-line investments. plus acquiring a substantial customer base from which it could take on its ISP rivals.Some media reports have also suggested that AOL's operations in Germany and France could also be up for sale. AOL has 5.9 million customers in Europe. including the 2.2 million in the UK. which is by far its largest European market. There is also a small operation in Spain. The mainland European operations however are moving away from an ISP model to a portal-based business.
Wholesale
Steve and Diane Brunia look over some of the inventory in stock at Electric Wholesale Co.. All Iowa Home Center in Ankeny. The store operates by appointment only and offers high-quality. high-end lighting fixtures ranging from traditional to the latest design trends.
FIND IT AT: 700 S.E. Oralabor Road. AnkenyHOURS: By appointment only; call (515) 232-1513ON THE WEB: ewciWHAT THEY OFFER: Quality lighting and home products to central Iowa since 1956. with a showroom staff with more than 20 years combined experience in lighting sales and consulting.OF NOTE: The company's main retail site is at 314 S. 17th St. in Ames. where the electrical sales counter is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the lighting showroom opens at 8 a.m.
Lighting Ankeny homes is a family affair for Karen Brunia and others in her family. who operate by appointment only as Electric Wholesale Co.. All Iowa Home Center. The company has a retail shop in Ames and the Ankeny business is a satellite.Brunia. whose family has 50 years of experience in the lighting business. recently talked about how the business operates.Q. How did the company get started? Nathan Brunia moved to Ames from his family business in Des Moines. He saw that Ames needed a wholesale house.Q. When did the satellite store in Ankeny open?A. We opened the Ankeny location in April. With increased business from Ankeny and the Des Moines area. our additional location will accommodate the needs of our customers in these areas.Q. What do customers say they like best about the business?A. Having over 50 companies to choose from.Q. Why should businesses and residents call you? What makes the experience special?A. Attention to detail and meeting the customers' needs.Q. How much do your products cost?A. Light fixtures vary in price. We can furnish a new home for less than $400 and.A. We specialize in working with builders and their customers.Q. Do you have plans for expansion or new products?A. We plan on expanding our building in Ames by 50 feet.Q. Why would you recommend your service to potential customers?A. Because of the services we offer: High-quality. high-end lighting fixtures ranging from traditional to the latest design trends. competitive pricing on staff design consultants. dozens of product lines from which to select. product availability. fast and timely delivery. personalized customer service. latest in design and technology. in-house training and education. and strong warranties.Q. What is the most popular product you have? Is there a particular brand or style that customers really like? Tech and many others. We also carry in-wall ironing centers. medicine cabinets. floor and table lamps. Eureka and Nutone central vacuum systems.
Wholesale
NBC25 Polls Contests/Free Stuff Pet of the Week Ask Karen Calling All Collectors Programming Guide Your Comments Meet the NBC25 Team About NBC25 Directions EEO Reports
NBC25NEWS- A new kind of gasoline went on sale on Tuesday in the Eastern Panhandle. It's a biodiesel mixture and to make it you need soybeans.'The farmer will harvest his soy beans and the byproduct from that is what they actually produce to feed. which is the by-product of oil. They then take that oil and make bio-diesel.' said Darren Swartz. Wholesale Holtzman Oil Corp.'It acts as a detergent. It keeps the fuel system clean. so even though we still change the fuel filters at a regular interval we're not seeing as much dirt in them. It helps the farm economy because you're using their soy bean product. a family farmer.The West Virginia Department of Agriculture said this new alternative to fuel does more than just save diesel drivers money. it's also better for the environment.'There's less emission from the engine because of the detergent qualities which cause the engine to burn cleaner and run cleaner. thereby meaning less emissions.' said Steve Miller. WV Department of Agriculture.One jug can cost $3.89. which officials said is a better investment for the future.'This means if you have a 20 gallon tank you can put four gallons of bio-diesel in and you're getting the detergent qualities of the fuel as well as helping us become less dependent on foreign oil.' said Miller.Agriculture officials also want to warn you about making your own version of this biodiesel mixture. They said it could be very dangerous. since it's not certified by officials.Reported by Marie Coronel
Wholesale
the leading provider of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) compliance and information management services. today announced the availability of two expanded Emergency Response (ER) offerings: 3E ER Hotline for Workplace and 3E ER Hotline for Products. 3E ER Hotline for Workplace is available for incidents and events that occur within a customer's workplace. supporting employee safety management. while 3E ER Hotline for Products is available for incidents involving specific products that are being transported. handled or used outside of the customer's workplace and allows the customer to utilize 3E's emergency hotline number on their MSDS and/or shipping documents. Both services offer instant access to professional assistance in the event of a chemical spill. poisoning or exposure.
Customers of both Emergency Response services have 24-7-365 access to 3E Company's unique HazMat Mission Control Center. which is staffed around-the-clock by trained and experienced Emergency Response specialists as well as a Hazardous Materials Response Team. 3E Company's Hazardous Materials Response Team fields thousands of emergency calls per month concerning releases of hazardous materials as well as inquiries regarding hazard assessment. labeling and reporting requirements.
Prior to an incident occurring. the Hazardous Materials Response Team analyzes a customer's products and related MSDS. along with facility response capabilities and protocol to determine perceived risks. The Team then uses that information to conduct trial scenario demonstrations with the customer to help ensure timely and effective call processing. When an incident actually occurs. both ER Hotline for Workplace and ER Hotline for Products customers benefit from immediate access to a Hazardous Materials Response Specialists. 3E Specialists can advise either a trained employee or the customer's hired emergency responder on incident isolation. immediate mitigation actions. tactical response. and disposal protocol for the spilled material. all in accordance with customer-supplied guidelines.
In the event of a chemical or product exposure. inhalation or ingestion. the Hazardous Materials Response Specialist can access Poison Control experts to provide immediate first aid and exposure treatment for any impacted personnel. To promote compliance with environmental regulations relating to a chemical release. the Hazardous Materials Response Team thoroughly analyzes each situation and provides verbal notification for qualifying events to appropriate US State and/or Federal authorities. as well as designated customer contacts.
3E Emergency Response customers also have access to an extensive material safety data sheet (MSDS) database containing millions of MSDSs. In the event of chemical or product exposure (or upon request). the Hazardous Material Response Team can quickly locate and forward the MSDS for each material involved directly to the customer. medical provider or any other emergency responder. Live translation and language identification assistance is also available to support multi-lingual incidents in the United States.
-- Emergency Response Network. At the customer's request. the Hazardous Materials Response Team can dispatch a pre-qualified emergency response contractor to the scene of the spill or emergency to manage the clean-up process and track the progress of the response effort. The Hazardous Materials Response Team will monitor the emergency responder and provide the customer with reports on the progress of the emergency response and the subsequent clean-up and disposal of the spilled materials. as well as review the project documentation and invoices received from the emergency responder for accuracy. -- Incident Notification. An enhanced incident notification service is available for customers who require detailed. multi-step or decision-tree notifications. The service augments the basic notification included in standard Emergency Response services.
"3E's Emergency Response services would be an integral part of any corporation's risk management or contingency planning program. During these situations. seconds count and timely access to detailed. accurate information is invaluable. 3E Company is ideally suited to respond to these situations by ensuring immediate access to trained and experienced emergency response professionals should an chemical or product exposure or release occur." said Isaac Powell. 3E Company. "In addition to helping mitigate the impact of a chemical release or exposure. 3E Company is able to dramatically simplify the Emergency Response process and reduce risk for our customers by offering them a single source for environmental. health and safety information. backed by a team of emergency response professionals with over 200 years of combined experience in responding to hazardous materials incidents."
3E Company is the first company to provide a comprehensive suite of services for environmental. health and safety (EH&S) related chemical and hazardous materials information and compliance management that addresses the entire chemical lifecycle. This suite of services includes regulatory research; MSDS authoring. distribution and management; transportation; emergency response; training; regulatory reporting; and hazardous waste management. 3E has the industry leading combination of a 24-7-365 hazmat mission control call center. with an online platform for hazmat compliance information management. all built on a foundation of the world's premier hazardous substance database of global regulatory and compliance information. Its international. multi-lingual professional staff is composed of regulatory specialists. experienced product stewards. industrial hygienists. chemists and chemical engineers. MSDS experts and EH&S systems consultants.
3E's services offer a cost effective program for global regulatory compliance management by alleviating the pain. increasing the efficiency and enhancing staff productivity and enabling EH&S professionals to focus on more strategic functions. Today more than 7.000 customers have partnered with 3E including Costco Wholesale Corporation. Menasha and PacifiCorp. 3E was founded in 1988 and is the recipient of the 2002. 2003 and 2005 Commitment to Worker Safety Awards in Online and MSDS Services from Compliance Magazine. which also recognized 3E Online-MSDS in 2005 with an Award of Excellence for its Best of the Web Awards. The privately held company is headquartered in Carlsbad. CA with additional operations in Bethesda. Denmark. For more information on 3E Company.
Wholesale
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Prague. June 13 (CTK) - Czech fixed-line operator Cesky Telecom said today it would cut all items on its wholesale price list for other operators by CZK 22. feeding hopes that the price of fast Internet connection through ADSL may drop.
The price of the cheapest ADSL connection at 512 kbit/s will drop to CZK 282 from CZK 304 a month. Petr Matejovsky. product manager for the Internet. said the final prices would not drop.
Stanislava Beyerova. spokeswoman for rival operator Volny. said the change was only cosmetic. "We plan to use the drop in wholesale prices to improve the main parameters of the current ADSL services in the future." she added.
Since the beginning of the year. the number of localities in Telecom's network with Internet access through ADSL has increased by 20 percent to 1. which represents more than 90 percent of Czech fixed lines.
Telecom plans massive investment to cover 700 new localities and upgrade the current equipment in the summer and autumn. This year. the company will invest hundreds of millions of crowns in ADSL.
CSA to focus on passenger transport. likely to sell other units [CTK]? CSA to reopen talks on Travel Service takeover within month [CTK]
Wholesale
President of Virtual Media Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: VMHIF). is pleased to announce that our soon to be launched website VMHsales. an innovative buyer/seller marketplace portal offering millions of new and used items for sale. will soon be carrying new and used Video Game and Music media products supplied by Newtown Video Inc. This product offering will include used as well as new Video Game titles for popular Video game platforms such as Microsoft's Xbox 360. Sony's Play Station 2. and Nintendo's Game Cube. Newtown Video Inc. will also offer a large selection of new and used Compact Disc titles at wholesale price points.
According to Steve Gaspar. President of Virtual Media Holdings Inc.. "As we expand our product offering to include some 7 million unique items for sale in our database. it is important we maintain our competitive edge by making sure we get the customer the best possible service at the best possible price point. The Newtown Video Inc. product line definitely fits the criteria. Adding Newtown Video's value oriented Video Game as well as Music Media products will definitely add to the overall competitiveness of VMHsales."
Phil Forman. President of Newtown Video Inc.. "Newtown Video has been very successful selling our DVD product offerings on the DVDmarketplace. We intend to replicate this success selling our Video Game and Music product lines on VMHsales."
Newtown Video Distributors has been one of the leading and most respected new and used film distributors in the industry for over 15 years. Located outside Philadelphia. newtownvideo has a library of over 50.000 movies for sale. Our inventory includes new. discontinued and hard-to-find and moratorium video movies and DVDs. Newtown Video also specializes in the sale of new and used Video Game and Music Media products.
Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements. other than statements of fact included in this release. without limitation. statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company. are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications that may arise could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including. but not limited to those set forth in the company's Form 10-KSB filing and other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (available at sec.gov). The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release. whether as a result of new information. future events or otherwise.
Wholesale
June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Network Multifamily Security Corporation. a wholly owned subsidiary of Protection One. a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE - News) have announced an agreement under which GE will provide its Allegro Collector(TM) wireless security systems and property management software to Network on an exclusive basis in the residential security industry. The nation's No. 1 provider of multifamily-specific alarm systems and services. Network is offering the product as the Multifamily 360(TM).
"GE's wireless solution is a revolutionary approach to monitored alarm systems. addressing the communications trends of the future and allowing us to meet the growing security needs and challenges of today's multifamily property owners." said Mandy Vallowe. Vice President of Sales for Network. "With the Multifamily 360. owners and developers whose residents use only cell phones and other newer communication technologies no longer face obstacles to more complete security. Additionally. although it is a comprehensive and powerful alarm system. it's easy to install and is ideal for monitoring individual apartment units. including unoccupied units."
Richard Ginsburg. President and CEO of Protection One. "We are very pleased to have worked with GE on this product and. through this exclusive agreement. to make it available to our Network clients and prospects across the country. This agreement supports the efforts by Protection One's family of companies to continue expanding the products and services we offer. At the same time. we are maintaining our dedication to the highest quality service to our many specific security markets and end users. including multifamily. commercial and wholesale."
"GE Security's strength is the ability to create new technologies. incorporate them into security solutions. and determine the best methods to bring them to market." said GE Security President of Networked Solutions Greg Burge. "We're committed to partners who are also dedicated to growth and industry leadership. We look forward to forming a strategic partnership with Network Multifamily Security Corporation that creates long-term value for our partners."
The wireless Multifamily 360 is backed by Network's award-winning service. Since 1992. Network has served the country's multifamily industry with state-of-the-art security systems and services. which include a UL-listed central control station that monitors every alarm with callback verification. Clients report Network's alarm programs can increase occupancy. help attain faster lease-up. generate higher rents. reduce turnover and provide a competitive edge for their multifamily properties. The company currently serves more than 315.000 apartment homes nationwide. For more information about Network Multifamily. visit its Web site at wwwworkmultifamily .
About GE's Security Business: GE's Security business is a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE - News) focused on communication and information technologies for security. safety and lifestyle enhancements. Security has operations in more than 30 countries and is represented by some of the best-known brand names for intrusion and fire detection. access and building control. video surveillance. explosive and drug detection. key management and structured wiring. GE Security was recently named Frost & Sullivan's 2006 Company of the Year for Homeland Security. For more information about GE Security and our product offerings. please visit gesecurity .
Banking JobseFinancialCareers is a great career management and job destination in the securities.
Wholesale
SUTTON' It's on the shelf at Price Chopper. Stop & Shop and Shaw's Supermarkets among boxes of Saran Premium. Reynolds Plastic Wrap and Glad Press 'n Seal. A plastic food wrap manufactured in Sutton. Stretch-Tite not only keeps food fresh. according to the company. it protects wool from moths and keeps paintbrushes from drying out. Last year. Stretch-Tite won a Best Manufactured Product award from Start Magazine. a manufacturing trade publication. and another magazine. Cook's Illustrated. called it 'the stickiest of all the wraps tested.' Founded in 1966 by John W. Baldwin. John J. Connor and his brother. the late Thomas Connor. a producer of liquid vinyl resins for commercial customers. Polyvinyl Films Inc. first produced an institutional plastic film used behind supermarket counters to wrap red meat. It was also used by commercial laundries to protect clean clothes. towels and uniforms.
Later. when the plastic wrap was launched for consumer use. Polyvinyl Films sold it to Spag's Supply Inc.. in Shrewsbury. Spag's ordered a couple cases of Stretch-Tite at a time. and customers got hooked. From there. Stretch-Tite grew largely through word-of-mouth advertising. and the product now can be found at more than a dozen chain stores in New England. from Ocean State Job Lot in Rhode Island to Stew Leonard's in Connecticut. including Fry's on the West Coast. It is carried in Demoulas Super Markets 'all 59 stores'and all seven Dave's Marketplace stores in Rhode Island. 'Stretch-Tite is one of the better' plastic wraps based on sales. said Dave's Marketplace Grocery Manager Steve Alfaia. A leader in the plastics manufacturing industry. Polyvinyl Films sells millions of rolls and cutter boxes annually of Stretch-Tite plastic food wrap and Freeze-Tite freezer wrap. The family owned company does not disclose sales. John E. Baldwin. Polyvinyl Films vice president. stands in a small wooden-walled room wearing a blue-striped shirt and khakis. his appearance as neatly packaged as the crisp. bright yellow and blue boxes of Stretch-Tite displayed on the table beside him. Mr. Baldwin is not bothered by the churning sounds of production in the next room. He demonstrates the product by filling a tall glass a quarter full of water. covering the top with a piece of Stretch-Tite and turning it over completely without spilling any water in the process. Mr. Baldwin. who has worked at Polyvinyl Films for eight years. is the grandson of co-founder John W. Baldwin. who is president of Polyvinyl Films. A chemical and plastics engineer. Mr. Baldwin's grandfather largely came up with the technologies used by the company after realizing 'the need for an institutional-quality plastic food wrap available to consumers everywhere.' said his grandson. also works for the company. By the early 1980s. the company's institutional plastic wrap was developed into a consumer product. that people could use to wrap and cover food in the refrigerator and freezer. Polyvinyl Films has 70 full-time employees. including sons and daughters of the founders. who keep the plant running 24 hours a day in three shifts. Some employees have been with the company since its inception. Mr. Baldwin said. Having the right people makes the difference in a company's success. he said. 'Without good employees and team members. you can't do anything.' he said. Among costs the company faces'from overhead to labor to rising transportation and energy costs over the last two years'Polyvinyl Film's biggest expense is the rising cost of raw materials. such as resins and packaging. The company is not really affected by global outsourcing. Mr. Baldwin said. 'We're committed to manufacturing. 'we can do it more efficiently and effectively.' he said. The company operates in a lean environment. Mr. Baldwin said. 'You have to. to be a successful U.S. manufacturer these days. You must always look to improve. streamline and make better.' he said. While the product has changed its packaging from plain white to a yellow and blue container. it's the same formula. Mr. Baldwin said. 'The quality of film has always been premium.' he said. The company is 'always testing and trying to improve.' Polyvinyl Films is able to compete with larger wrap producers. because 'all we do is concentrate on manufacturing premium-quality food wraps. both institutional and retail. We have developed some proprietary technology in manufacturing that gives it better performance characteristics.' The company is also proud of its sturdy corrugated packaging ' the strongest in the industry. according to Mr. Baldwin ' and the value of its product. 'we are not a big company with vast marketing and merchandizing capabilities.' Polyvinyl sells through grocery stores. discount retailers. mass merchandisers. wholesale clubs and on the company's Web site. with the latter channel opened about a year ago. he said. Competition in the supermarket industry is more intense than in many others. said Susan Fournier. associate professor of marketing at Boston University's School of Management. Because of limited shelf space. there are 'only so many products you can put out there.' she said. Aside from coupons and temporary price reductions given by supermarkets. Polyvinyl Films does not advertise. The company relies on 'good old-fashioned customer service.' Mr. Baldwin said. And customers respond. Mr. Baldwin holds up a stamped letter that Rosemary Kaesemeryer from Santa Maria. handwrote to the company. Pulling it out gently so as to preserve the document. as if touched by the words: 'I put four rolls in my basket. got to the checkout stand. I ran back and bought two more rolls.' Ms. Kaesemeryer wrote. Ron Shuster. and his wife Lynn Shuster. a suburb of Milwaukee. said they had been using Stretch-Tite for a year and shared their love of the product with their daughter.' the Shusters said. They said they looked for a brand that had 'a regular. old-fashioned cutter ' not the new style slide cutter.' That's when Mrs. Shuster noticed the box of Stretch-Tite on a shelf at Sendiks. an upscale grocery store where she likes to shop. In an e-mail to the company last Christmas Eve. the Shusters wrote. 'I very seldom take the time to write someone. but 'we're going to tell everyone else we know to find it. and if they can't find it. we're going to help them get it.'
Wholesale
GROSSE POINTE PARK -- Michele Rastelli became a vegetarian at 14 and decided she wanted to run a restaurant when she was 18. Now her lifestyle and occupation choices have turned into a rapidly growing business as a supplier of prepared organic dishes.
Rastelli. is the owner and chef of Moo Moo's Organic Bistro. a restaurant that has attracted a loyal clientele mostly by word of mouth to a small storefront near the Detroit border. Roasted cashew stir-fry with whole wheat linguine and roasted sweet potato wild rice balls are the most popular items on a full menu with prices under $8.
Unlike most restaurants. Moo Moo's generates 85 percent of sales from wholesale deliveries to almost two dozen food stores in Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor.
Ken Kobylas. executive chef for Nino Salvaggio's in St. Clair Shores. said his store sells five times as many Moo Moo's products as it did a year ago.
"People love them." Kobylas said. "They're fresh. they look good and they're good for you. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that."
Rastelli is tapping into a powerful national trend. According to SPINS. a market research and consulting firm for the natural products industry. sales of organic items are up 29 percent from last year to $178 million.
Nino Salvaggio's shoppers are showing more interest in organic products. from fresh produce to finished products like chips. "People are more conscious of what they're eating. That's part of Moo Moo's success." Kobylas said.
"I wanted to bring the option here to Michigan. If I'm into it. probably a lot of other people are too." she said. "I saw a real lack of something and I wanted to jump in before somebody else did."
She experimented with her own recipes while taking courses in nutrition. fine arts and business at Wayne State University. Because she wasn't sure there was enough support for an organic restaurant. she rented a kitchen and started selling directly to stores in August 2004. She moved to her current storefront a few months later and then opened a small restaurant with a few tables after people asked about takeout orders.
Wholesale
Clarendon - There are bags of coal on the grassy front yard of 56-year-old Ventura Walker. a housewife living in this deep rural community. She always has her ears tuned to passing vehicles which stop to find out the price of the fuel.
"It's $300 for each bag or $250 wholesale." she says. "My father used to burn coal from I was a child. Now I sell coal for people. Some days there is no sale but some days are very good." said Walker.She and other residents in the community who burn coal for a living are seeing more of the good days since there seems to be an increased demand for coal both locally and for export.
The best times for coal vendors. is the rainy season. "In the dry time it's hard. but when weather time. them run you down." said another vendor.
Vendors find a market not only from local people but from supermarkets. market vendors and also a growing export market. Data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) showed that in 2004. was exported to the United States. In the same year.774 was imported from the North American country.
The coal burners in Mocho are glad about the growing demand. "When the truck passing." says former mason. a resident. "I can buy my shoes. everything. It (coal) can buy more things and you work for yourself. When I was working as a mason. they find money to buy the material and then they can pay you. Now. you sell your coal and pay yourself." said Bryan.
Locals in Mocho say that during the recent shortage of charcoal in the United States. "an occurrence related to a mining explosion". there was a surge in local demand for charcoal to be exported.The Reuters news agency. in a May 8 article written by Nick Carey and entitled 'Coal is the new black'. said that after decades of relying heavily on natural gas. electric utilities were raising coal inventories as fast as they could.
"Now that natural gas is no longer cheap the companies want as much coal as possible." the report said.Officials from the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) said they have noted no indication of an increase in use of charcoal for energy use in Jamaica. Usage. has remained primarily for residential purposes as no commercial applications were known.
In many Jamaican urban communities. persons who jerk chicken for a living rely on the rural supply of coal for their cooking fuel. Besides use as fuel for cooking. charcoal is used in certain metallurgical "purifying" treatments and as a filter to remove organic compounds such as chlorine. and other toxic chemicals from water and air. Activated charcoal. which has a super absorptive surface is used in purifying and refining metals.
NutraSweet (tm) uses activated charcoal to transform the product into a powder. Activated charcoal is used as an antidote for many types of poisons and is touted as an effective anti-flatulent. But burning coal. Mocho residents said. was not an easy option for those looking for quick cash.
"Burning coal is not for lazy man. They say only woman and coal take so much work." chuckled Bryan. He admitted that he cried many tears when he just began burning coal as the cutting and packing was so hard that he did not think he could carry on.
He cried. he said because in those early days he had invested his last dollars into the new venture and the possibility of failure was daunting. The tedious preparation process is now routine for him. The wood is first cut. covered with dirt. lit and left to burn. The burning wood requires frequent inspections. involving journeys to the 'still' (kiln) at 3:00 am and other odd hours. The wood can burn for as long as one week before it is ready for bagging and the market.
Sometimes the result is as much as 20 bags and these have to be carried by shoulder or donkey to the home. Carlene Wesley. 33-year-old mother of four children claimed. "Coal is my source." She has been using the proceeds to care for her children. her brothers and sister.
"Carlene is not the only woman who burns coal for a living." said Livingston. "You have other woman bad with the cutlass. Them have children to go to high school. Everybody here involve in coal. Is either do that or thief. a 58-year-old Clarendonian. said: "You just burn coal because you want to live a honest life. Coal is dangerous work. life or death business. If rain fall you can die.
Added Livingston Bryan: "I am a diabetic and the doctors says that the heat is not good. I can black out and fall in the still (kiln)."You have to know when to rest and how to drink water until your body temperature falls." Williams said. Meanwhile. Arlene Wesley admitted that one of her children. fell ill in the bush and had to be taken to the doctor for treatment. "But we have nothing else to live off."
Other hazards involved in the coal-burning business include the loss of investment from fires which burn out of control. Coal burning an environmental hazard? the hills are red at night in the dry season. The glow. is not from the setting summer sun but from bush fires set by those who burn charcoal. Some hills are piebald. mute testimony to summertime burnings. There are grassy hillsides on slopes which were once covered by trees.
"You come out at night and you cannot breathe. I can't stand the smell. Sometimes. you look and see a light on every hill." said Odette Eccles. farmer from the district. She is concerned about the effect of the coal burning on the environment. "Its destroying the environment." said Eccles. "We are having less rain."
But coal is big business in Mocho and where the alternative is to see their children starve. farmers prefer to burn trees as fuel. But to persons like Carlene Wesley. environmental concerns pale in comparison to the need for survival.
"We need help. I have children. There is no bauxite here. What will they give us to do when they stop us?" she asks. "They are importing it too. If it should stop burning. my children would just die or thief."
Keith Porter. senior director in the Forestry Department. said coal burning was a recognised livelihood activity. The legal issue is whether areas protected under the Forestry Act were being plundered for raw material. When done on private land. coal burning is not a legal offence. Protected areas include the Blue and John Crow Mountains. the Cockpit Country and Big Head in Clarendon. The areas in Mocho would be considered private property.
In many cases. private properties were left untended and so trees may be taken without the owners' knowledge. In other cases it is an issue of connived trespassing. as owners deliberately turn a blind eye to use of wood on their property for coal burning. If the landowner permits the activity. there is no problem.
The forestry official said that it is a problem if the wood is taken from mangrove areas. but he added that in terms of environmental impact rain falls regardless of the vegetative cover. "Lack of cover might affect the percolation into streams. But production of fuel from wood is a reality we cannot get around. Denudation does not equal degradation." he said.
Porter said that National Forest Management Plan has looked at the issue of wood for fuel production. as a sustainable approach is needed to the use of wood for fuel. The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica has also studied the production of fuel wood at Font Hill. Many projects have been considered but none have been activated. He also said that coal burning as a source of respiratory problems is unlikely in rural areas where smoke dissipates. The activity. should not be carried out near dwellings.
Research has also been done. on more efficient ways in which the charcoal can be prepared as currently the ratio of wood to charcoal in common kilns is five to one. Reduction of this ratio would mean the use of less wood.
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