| PSC bid to undo rip-off is too late
BGE customers had to pay Constellation almost $1 billion to take ownership of valuable plants they had financed. These days Constellation charges BGE customers way more for power than what a regulated system would have allowed, and makes a lot more money, too.
But a deal is a deal. It's hard to see how Public Service Commission Chairman Steven B. Larsen's attempt to revisit what happened nine years ago will make much difference.
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CUA axes variable loan sales by brokers
AUSTRALIA'S largest credit union is the latest credit crunch victim, suspending sales of all its variable home loans through brokers. Credit Union Australia has told brokers the sales would stop from today, although it would continue to sell the loans through its branch network. "As a result of recent events in financial markets and following a review of CUA's broker distribution model, CUA will temporarily withdraw its variable interest rate product range from this Friday," the credit union said in a note to brokers. CUA is also by far Australia's largest mutual society, with 388,000 members and $6.6 billion in assets. CUA merged last year with the Australian National Credit Union to form the new entity. It was named credit union of the year this year by Money magazine.
Software Call of Duty 4 Developer Laments PC Game Piracy
Besides targeting the mass market, there are other reasons for many PC game developers to shift focus to consoles. Call of Duty, a franchise that started on the PC, is now a bona fide hit on current-generation consoles Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Listed as one of GameStop's top five selling games throughout the holiday season, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was also amongst the most often played online. Microsoft's Larry Hryb detailed in his blog that Call of Duty 4 was the third most played game on Xbox Live, behind only Halo 3 and Gears of War. Even with the success of the console versions of Call of Duty 4, the developers of the game continue to put effort into extending the life of its work for the PC audience. Coming soon are mod tools for hobbyists to create new game modes, as well as a map editor to make new environments.
R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:
Hitchhiking should be avoided at all times, and women should not travel alone after dark.
Demonstrations and public protests, which may turn violent, should be avoided.
Attacks on backpackers have occurred. Travellers, especially backpackers, should ensure that their personal belongings are secure, particularly in crowded places. Robberies of safe-deposit facilities are common at inexpensive hotels and hostels.
Travellers should be particularly cautious at bars or clubs. Never accept food or drinks from strangers and do not leave food or drinks unattended. Cases of drugging followed by robbery and assault have occurred. The emergency number for police, ambulance, and fire services is 000.
Many regions in the interior of Australia are remote, with small populations and few services.
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