SEN. FRANKEN IN HEARING: IT'S TIME TO REPEAL FEDERAL LAW BARRING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SEN. CALLS SO-CALLED DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT "IMMORAL AND DISCRIMINATORY;" SAYS LAW DENIES LGBT FAMILIES BASIC BENEFITS LIKE HEALTH CARE.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by Minnesota Senator Al Franken:

Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said in a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing that he will work to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law that prevents federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states to refuse to acknowledge a same-sex marriage from another state. Sen. Franken is an original cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal DOMA and allow the federal government to give same-sex married couples the same benefits that other married couples receive.

"DOMA is an injustice," said Sen. Franken in his opening statement. "It is an immoral and discriminatory law. Our nation was founded on the premise that all people are created equal, and that all persons should receive equal treatment under the law. .... And that's why I think the day we repeal DOMA will be a great day for this nation."

Sen. Franken has been a longtime advocate for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. He is the sponsor of the Student Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would help protect LGBT students from bullying in schools. He was a cosponsor of the legislation that repealed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that prevented LGBT men and women from serving openly in the military and is an original cosponsor of the Respect of Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal DOMA and extend federal benefits to same-sex married couples. Sen. Franken has also twice taped videos for the "It Gets Better" project, an Internet campaign to reach out to LGBT youth to let them know that there are people who are fighting for them and that life gets better after high school. You can watch the video Sen. Franken filmed with 12 of his Senate colleagues here and one he filmed solo here.

IT FIRM KASPERSKY LAUNCHES NEW ANTIVIRUS PRODUCTS IN BANGLADESH.

DHAKA, June 24 Asia Pulse - IT firm Kaspersky Lab has introduced its latest 2012 editions of antivirus and internet security software in the Bangladesh market.

The launch is highly notable as this was the first official launch of the 2012 editions in the Asia-Pacific region for Kaspersky Lab. It is also the first time that a globally reputed software company makes its new version regional debut launch in Bangladesh.

The launch ceremony was organized by a large number of Channel Partner IT companies of the country at the Bangabandhu International Convention Centre on June 21.

Altaf Halde, managing director, South Asia and Jagannath Patnaik, director-South Asia, were present as Kaspersky Lab representative to the event.

The event was marked by awards to top channel partners and introduction of corporate sub-distributor in Bhutan & Musa Ibrahim- the first Bangladeshi conquering the Mount Everest, as the profile representative for Kaspersky Lab in Bangladesh.

Halde emphasized on Kaspersky Labs continuous support to Bangladesh in moving forward to a safe digital Bangladesh while Patnaik focused on the development of channel business systems in the local market.

Kaspersky believes in a very strong and transparent local channel business module, Prabeer Sarkar, CEO, office tracts-the exclusive distributor of Kaspersky Lab in Bangladesh & Bhutan said.

He also pointed out to a better, stronger and faster new product line.

The new Kaspersky 2012 version incorporates the cloud computing technology that makes the product line much more effective and fast.

(UNB) ry

24-06 1452

Hackers boast about latest Sony security breach; Basic flaws exposed; Well-known method of attack used to extract data, security experts say.(Business)

Byline: Raphael G. Satter; The Associated Press

LONDON -- Another massive data breach at Sony has left hackers exulting, customers steaming and security experts questioning why basic fixes haven't been made to the company's stricken cybersecurity program.

Hackers say they managed to steal a massive trove of personal information from Sony Pictures' website using a basic technique, which they claim shows how poorly the company guards its users' secrets. Security experts agreed Friday, saying that the company's security was bypassed by a well-known attack method by which rogue commands are used to extract sensitive data from poorly constructed websites.

"Any website worth its salt these days should be built to withstand such attacks," said Graham Cluley, of Web security firm Sophos. Coming on the heels of a massive security breach that compromised more than 100 million user accounts associated with Sony's PlayStation, Cluley said the latest attack suggested that hackers were lining up to give the company a kicking.

"They are becoming the whipping boy of the computer underground," he said.

Sony Pictures has so far declined to comment beyond saying that it is looking into the attack -- which saw many users' names, home addresses, phone numbers, emails and passwords posted on the Web.

It wasn't clear how many people were affected. The hackers -- who call themselves Lulz Security -- boasted of compromising more than 1 million users' personal information -- although it said that a lack of resources meant it could only leak a selection on the Web. Their claim could not be independently verified, but several people whose details were posted online confirmed their identities to The Associated Press.

Lulz Security ridiculed Sony for the ease with which it stole the data, saying that the company stored peoples' passwords in a simple text file -- something it called "disgraceful and insecure."

Lulz Security expressed no remorse in a tweet on Twitter.

"Hey innocent people whose data we leaked: blame Sony," it said.

Sony's customers -- many of whom had given the company their information for sweepstakes draws -- appeared to agree.

Tim Rillahan, a computer instructor in Ohio, said he was extremely upset to find his email address and password posted online for "the whole world to see."

"I have since been changing my passwords on every site that uses a login," he said in an email Friday. "Sony stored our passwords in plain text instead of encrypting the information. It shows little respect to us, their customers."

He and others complained that they had yet to hear from the company about the breach, news of which is nearly a day old.

John Bumgarner, the chief technology officer for the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit -- a research group devoted to monitoring Internet threats -- was emphatic when asked whether users' passwords could be left unencrypted.

"Never, never, never," he said. "Passwords should always be hashed. Some kind of encryption should be used."

Bumgarner, who's been critical of Sony's security in the past, said the company needed to take a hard look at how it safeguards its data.

"It's time for Sony to press the reset button on their cybersecurity program before another incident occurs," he said.

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

The Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno Enhances Guest Experience With Fast, Secure Wireless & High-Definition Video on Demand Systems.

A fast Internet connection and HD Video experience is no longer a gamble

RENO, Nev., May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Eldorado Hotel Casino has gone "all-in" on a new High-speed Wireless Internet System, High-Definition Video on Demand system and HD LCD TVs.

The Eldorado Hotel Casino features timeless luxury and friendly, personal service in the heart of Downtown Reno. Named "Best Rooms and Suites" by Casino Player Magazine, every detail has been considered in order to provide guests with the stay of a lifetime. Now with fast, reliable and secure Internet access, HD TVs and Movies for each guest, personal entertainment, browsing the web, and staying connected to family and work just got easier.

"We saw that there was a change in our guests' priorities when they choose a hotel. Guests are becoming more and more technology focused these days. High-speed wireless is now the most requested item on their list for access to the Internet while using their laptops, smartphones, iPads, and other mobile devices," said Cindy Carano, Hotel Director, of the Eldorado Hotel Casino. "Our guests can now enjoy our Internet access to stay connected with friends, family and work. Next on our guests list was HD TVs and movies. Many of our guests already have HD TVs at home and have come to enjoy a high-definition movie experience. And now they expect the same when traveling. We are proud to now provide new HD TVs and movies for our guests."

The Eldorado teamed with Hotel Internet Services (HIS) to deploy a state-of-the-art property-wide 802.11N Wireless network as well as a new HD Video on Demand Movie system. Gary Patrick, president of HIS, commented on the importance of providing guests these amenities: "By survey, Wi-Fi is the number one requested amenity now. The Eldorado Casino Hotel wanted to provide a wireless system that would provide their guests the ability to stay connected on a fast, reliable and secure network. Additionally, the Eldorado wanted to upgrade their movie system and TVs so that their guests would be able to enjoy HD movies and cable programming just like they have been accustomed to receiving at home. The new HD Movie System has a large selection of Hollywood Blockbuster HD movies, and allows the Eldorado to provide other valuable services though the TV such as Express Checkout, Weather, Ordering Meals, Shopping, Promotional Channels, E-concierge Services, Guest Surveys, Guest Messaging, and much more." "The Eldorado has made a significant investment in these technologies for their guests which will certainly set their hotel apart!"

For more info on HIS, visit www.hotelwifi.com or contact Michael McKenna with Hotel Internet Services at 866-265-7575 Ext. 720 or michael@hotelwifi.com. Information on the Eldorado Hotel Casino can also be found at www.eldoradoreno.com or by calling 775-786-5700. Check the Eldorado's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites as well as the interactive Eldorado iPhone and Android Apps for the latest entertainment, dining and gaming updates.

SOURCE Hotel Internet Services

LDRA Implements Homeland Security's Secure Programming Guidelines.

CWE Compatibility confirms LDRA tool suite accurately identifies program vulnerabilities

SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- LDRA, the leading provider of automated software verification, source code analysis, and test tools, has achieved Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Compatibility for the LDRA tool suite. The CWE project aims to better understand flaws in software and to create automated tools that can be used to identify, fix and prevent those flaws. CWE Compatibility confirms that the LDRA tool suite can identify common programming errors contributing to software containing potentially exploitable vulnerabilities.

The CWE project is an international community-developed formal list of common software weaknesses. CWE is a software assurance strategic initiative co-sponsored by the National Cyber Security Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The CWE effort aims to help shape and mature the code security assessment industry and to dramatically accelerate the use and utility of software assurance capabilities for organizations in reviewing the software systems they acquire or develop.

According to research directed by the National Institute of Security Technology, 64% of software vulnerabilities stem from programming errors. To help identify core weaknesses contributing to software vulnerabilities, MITRE Corporation, a public interest not-for-profit organization, created the CWE list. MITRE manages several federally funded research and development centers, including one for the Department of Homeland Security which is mandated with developing the CWE project. CWE was created to address the concerns of organizations that want assurance that the software products they acquire and develop are free from known types of programming errors.

CWE Compatibility recognizes the ability of LDRA's static and dynamic analysis tools, LDRA Testbed and TBvision, to assist companies in finding security flaws and weaknesses in code, aiding the development of secure software applications. LDRA achieved CWE Compatibility by accurately mapping the LDRA tool suite to the coding rules of CWE so that the LDRA tool suite can identify reference and document weaknesses within the code.

"In today's world, the infrastructure of our everyday life hinges on software that is Internet-connected," acknowledged Ian Hennell, LDRA's Operations Director. "In such a world, the importance of securing software from any vulnerabilities and weaknesses ensures the safety of our basic infrastructure, whether communications, power distribution grids, medical information and services, traffic management system, airport traffic control, or financial information. LDRA is committed to identifying the typical programming errors that make software applications vulnerable to external attack and exploitation."

CWE establishes a list of software weaknesses that provides effective discussion, description, selection of the weaknesses as well as the use of software security tools and services that can find these weaknesses in source code and operational systems. CWE also seeks to better understand and manage software weaknesses at the architecture and design levels. LDRA has integrated the coding competencies that contribute to secure programming into the LDRA tool suite.

About LDRA

For more than 35 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security- and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA is headquartered in the UK with subsidiaries in the United States and an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit: www.ldra.com.

Please send reader enquiries to:

Mark James Email: mark.james@ldra.com

Graphics and Word copy of release:

The release available in several languages, graphics and background information can be downloaded from the LDRA press room on www.hughescom.net.

Caption for graphic 1: Selection of the CWE standard from with TBvision

Caption for graphic 2: TBvision CWE Compliance Summary Report

Healthways Receives 2011 Booker T. Washington Award from the National Minority Quality Forum.

Recognized for its Outstanding Contributions to the Promotion of Well-Being in Minority Communities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY), the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive solutions to help millions of people maintain or improve their health and well-being, today announced it was awarded with the National Minority Quality Forum's Booker T. Washington Award during the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Spring Health Braintrust and National Minority Quality Forum Eighth Annual Health Disparities Leadership Summit.

The Booker T. Washington Award recognizes Healthways for its dedication to the promotion of well-being in minority communities and its commitment to better understanding health disparities through the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index([R]).

"We are honored to accept the Booker T. Washington Award," said Tom Cox, Chief Operating Officer, Healthways. "Through our work with the National Minority Quality Forum, we are able to better understand the needs of various populations to create effective, personalized programs empowering people to make the best health choices - bringing us one step closer to improving the well-being of the world one person at a time."

The Booker T. Washington Award is bestowed on one individual or organization each year. Past honorees include: Community House Calls, Harborview Medical Center, Medtronic and Cambridge Health Alliance.

"Healthways is a perfect example of a company dedicated to understanding the individual needs of diverse populations to improve overall well-being," said Dr. Gary Puckrein, Chief Executive Officer, National Minority Quality Forum. "We are honored to provide this year's award to Healthways. We look forward to collaborating on new, innovative endeavors to better serve minority populations with programs that support their individual needs."

About Healthways

Healthways is the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive solutions to help millions of people maintain or improve their health and well-being and, as a result, reduce overall costs. Healthways' solutions are designed to keep healthy people healthy, reduce health-related risks and optimize care for those with chronic illness. Our proven, evidence-based programs provide highly specific and personalized interventions for each individual in a population, irrespective of age or health status, and are delivered to consumers by phone, mail, internet and face-to-face interactions, both domestically and internationally. Healthways also provides a national, fully accredited complementary and alternative Health Provider Network and a national Fitness Center Network, offering convenient access to individuals who seek health services outside of, and in conjunction with, the traditional healthcare system. For more information, please visit www.healthways.com.For more information about the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, please visit www.well-beingindex.com.

About the National Minority Quality Forum

The Forum is a research and educational organization dedicated to ensuring that high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communities receive optimal health care. This nonprofit, nonpartisan organization integrates data and expertise in support of initiatives to eliminate health disparities. The Forum aims to assist health care providers, professionals, administrators, researchers, policy makers, and community and faith-based organizations in delivering appropriate health care to minority communities. This assistance must be based on science, research, and analysis that lead to the effective organization and management of system resources to improve the quality and safety of health care for the entire U.S. population, including minorities.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6680128&lang=en

Verizon Wireless Increases Call-Handling Capacity in Newport News, VA and Surrounding Communities.

- Voice Network Now Accommodates More Traffic - Data Capacity Increased to Enable Faster Uploads and Downloads - $153 Million Invested on Regional Network Upgrades in First Half 2009 - Network Investment Continues Through Year-End

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for local residents in Newport News and surrounding communities, Verizon Wireless has completed work that increases the number of calls its wireless network can handle for customers. Coverage and capacity have been increased across a wide area, including Menchville, York, Lee Hall, Denbigh and West Denbigh, Grafton, Oyster Point, Maple Grove, Fort Eustis and in the area of Coleman Bridge.

The increased coverage is part of the company's aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless' voice and data services. In 2008, the company spent $264 million on regional network improvements and $153 million during the first half of 2009, with continued improvements planned through year-end, bringing total network investment in the region since 2000 to more than $2 billion.

"We've always believed even the most advanced device is only as good as the network it runs on," said Mike Maiorana, regional president, Verizon Wireless. "We continue to aggressively invest in our network throughout Virginia to increase both coverage and capacity for our customers and to add new services."

Verizon Wireless has the nation's largest and most reliable 3G broadband network with five times the coverage of other networks which makes advanced services like turn-by-turn navigation, over-the-air downloads of the latest applications, text/picture messaging, video and music downloads, web browsing and 3D gaming possible. Customer demand for these advanced services continues to grow. During the Third Quarter 2009, Verizon Wireless customers exchanged more than 153 billion text messages, 7.2 billion more than during the Second Quarter 2009; sent more than 2.8 billion picture/video messages, 1 billion more than the previous year; and downloaded more than 38 million songs and videos from V CAST.

The company's "nation's most reliable wireless network" reputation is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women throughout the country. These engineers drive nearly 100 specially equipped vehicles more than 1 million miles annually on Interstate, U.S. and state highways, as well as major roads and surface streets. Test vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 3 million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless' network and the networks of other carriers. In Virginia, Verizon Wireless employs five, full-time real-life test men and women, who each cover a different geographic area of the Commonwealth and who collectively drive more than 25.000 miles each month.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com/.

  Additional Information  Mobile Broadband Internet Access

Verizon Wireless' 3G high-speed wireless broadband network keeps customers connected. With Mobile Broadband from Verizon Wireless, notebook computer users can access email, download files and browse the Internet at broadband speed (average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps). A one megabyte email attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint[R] presentation or a large PDF file -- can be downloaded in about eight seconds and uploaded in less than 13 seconds.

V CAST: Video and Music

Powered by the company's 3G high-speed network, V CAST multimedia services offer customers the ability to download full song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to their phones. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.

V CAST Music with Rhapsody

The company's wireless broadband network also powers its V CAST Music with Rhapsody service, which combines Verizon Wireless' world-class, over-the-air mobile music service with Rhapsody's leading desktop solution. V CAST Music with Rhapsody delivers unlimited access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players, and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. With V CAST Music with Rhapsody, customers who purchase music over-the-air can download the master copy of the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (Nasdaq and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

CONTACT: Melanie Ortel of Verizon Wireless, +1-240-568-1429, Melanie.Ortel@VerizonWireless.com; or Sherri Cunningham for Verizon Wireless, +1-202-364-5856, Twitter: @VZWPRDC

Web Site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/

California-Based Radius Struggles To Recover From Four-Year Downhill Slide.(Originated from San Jose Mercury News, Calif.)

Apr. 14--Radius Inc., once a fast-growing maker of graphics boards and upscale monitors for Macintosh computers, garnered a dubious distinction last year. It tumbled 75 spots in the Silicon Valley 150, from No. 64 to No. 139 -- by far the biggest drop of any company.

Blame it on fierce new competition in monitors, which pushed it out of that business; the mounting decline of Apple Computer Inc.; and restructurings that led to the sale of most of three divisions.

The lesson? If a company doesn't offer particularly inexpensive products, which Sunnyvale-based Radius did not, it should make a point of staying at the leading edge of new product development. Radius didn't do that, either. As a result, it has joined the ranks of decaying Silicon Valley companies that Mike Murphy, editor of the California Technology Stock Letter, calls "the living dead."

Radius has been sliding downhill since fiscal year 1993. Revenues peaked that year at $337.4 million. In subsequent years, they tumbled to $325 million and $308 million, then plunged to $90.3 million in fiscal 1996.

At least there is hope for Radius. The asset sales have improved a limp balance sheet. Today, Radius specializes in digital video and color enhancement add-on boards for the Mac. It also makes high-end graphics boards, serving one of Apple's few remaining areas of strength. And CEO Chuck Berger says the company will offer comparable products for the PC world by September.

"Radius might do OK at long last," says Lee Schugar, a Dataquest analyst. "Moving into the PC space will introduce them to a tremendous installed base of new customers."

-----

ON THE INTERNET:

Visit Mercury Center, the World Wide Web site of the San Jose Mercury News, at http://www.sjmercury.com

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(c) 1997, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News.

RDUS,

CITY TAKES STEP TOWARD WIRELESS ACCESS.(Local News)

Byline: HENRY M. LOPEZ

Committee, councilors approve studies over group's objections over potential health risks

Access: Library hopes to improve service

The city could be moving closer to installing wireless Internet access into city libraries and other facilities after the Public Works Committee voted Monday to develop a plan to do just that.

City Councilors Ronald Trujillo, Chris Calvert and Carmichael Dominguez approved a proposal to study wireless Internet access over the objections of a group of people concerned about health issues that wireless technology might pose.

The Finance Committee will discuss the proposal Monday, but Councilor Karen Heldmeyer, who chairs the committee, does not plan a public hearing on the proposal.

Arthur Firstenburg said he's been living out of his car despite having the funds to buy a home because he is unable to find a home where his health is unaffected by wireless technology. Firstenburg said he suffers from a condition often referred to as electromagnetic sensitivity.

The condition manifests itself through a variety of symptoms, including insomnia, nausea and headaches, he said. Sufferers attribute their symptoms to electromagnetic fields generated by wireless devices like cellular telephones and wireless Internet, he said.

"This is a matter of life and death," said Firstenburg, among a half-dozen opponents who attended the meeting.

Scientific research on electromagnetic sensitivity has been mixed with some studies claiming sufferers of the condition are no more sensitive to electromagnetic fields than the general public. Firstenburg, who has published a book and articles on the issue, says the large corporations are hiding the health risks of wireless technology.

Thomas Williams, the city's technology director, said the city would use equipment available at retail stores to furnish access at the city's libraries if a program to install the technology were funded.

City library services director Pat Hodapp said local residents and tourists visit library branches and are shocked to find a lack of wireless Internet access. Library staffers give patrons lists of free wireless Internet access points in Santa Fe.

But, she said, the main goal of installing the new technology was to provide better service to residents. Adding wireless access, she said, would allow people with their own laptops to use the Internet without occupying the limited number of desktop machines.

"It's about providing better service," Hodapp said.

Contact Henry M. Lopez at 995-3815 or hlopez@sfnewmexican.com.

Fiasco has his MC act together.

Byline: Marian Liu

Sep. 16--He has been hailed as hip-hop's next great MC. Lupe Fiasco won't admit it about himself, but the Chicago rapper, 24, has worked extensively with Kanye West and has received quite a bit of buzz.

His album "Food & Liquor" was leaked online before it was completed, causing its release to be pushed back. It drops next week, and his "Kick, Push" single, blending his love of hip-hop and skateboarding, has been a hit. In person, Fiasco, known for his clever lyrics, is humble and contemplative. He gave this interview earlier this summer at the Moses Music store in Oakland, before Fiasco's Blockyard concert date near the store. How did you get the name Lupe Fiasco? My real name is Wasalu (Wasalu Muhammad Jaco), so I always rapped under "lu" or "lu-lu," or "Lyrical Underdog," or something about "lu." When I was in high school, I had a homie named Lupe, and I said, "Yo, I'm going to take your name." He said, "All right, give it some flair," so I said, "OK," so I became Lupe. Fiasco came from Nas (who) had an album called "The Firm," and a song called "Firm Fiasco." And I liked the way it looked, so I became Lupe Fiasco. Do you agree with the label you've been given as a hip-hop pioneer? Nah, I don't agree with that. How would you describe yourself then? I do too much to be described as one thing. I guess I'm an observer, a storyteller. I just tell what's there. I'm not reinventing the wheel or doing anything spectacular outside of the box. Do you have a process when you create? Yeah. Normally, I'll just have a concept, or it'll be as simple as just a word, like "champagne" -- so how can I create that into a character, or make that into a story, or make that into something else, or create a metaphor? Then it starts happening. The Rain Man starts taking over. Why the name "Food & Liquor" for your album?

In Chicago, a lot of the corner stores are called Food & Liquor -- Mike's Food & Liquor, Mose's Food & Liquor -- and so I've only seen that in Chicago, and I've traveled to a lot of places. . . . And on the other side, I don't drink or smoke. So drinking always had a bad connotation with me. So liquor represents the bad, and food represents the good. So: Lupe Fiasco, bad and good. Is that hard, the not drinking? Nah, because I'm Muslim, so it's been in me ever since I was a baby. It's been easy. I have no motivation to drink at all.

What part of your faith do you put in your music? It's more subtle. It's more just (that) I try not to talk about anything negative . . . like I don't put down women. I don't talk about drugs. . . . I don't try to blow a rhyme about nonsense. It stems from that morality.

What about hip-hop drew you in? I grew up, and I got around my friends who liked that kind of music, so it was like, you like that kind of music, all right, I like that music, too. Not really a peer pressure thing, but being around your homies; that's what your homies listen to, so you by nature, that's what you listen to, too. But then as I came up, I discovered other kinds of hip-hop. Then it was like, OK, it's not all shoot-them-up-bang-bang. How did you meet Kanye?

I've been knowing Kanye for years. I knew Kanye before he was rapping, like when he did "The Truth" for Beanie Sigel. (The) relationship is a complicated one. I helped him out with some certain things behind the scenes, and he helped me out, with "Touch the Sky" as well. Your album got leaked on the Internet. How did that happen? I don't know how it happened. People say I did it. People say my company did it, but we didn't. Like the song titles are not even right. It's a situation where somebody had a hold of a group of songs . . . not the final version of the album. And out of those -- I think it was 18 songs, or 16 songs -- it was only like seven songs off (those) that were going to make the final album. How has it been bouncing from different labels? I've been on Epic, I was on Arista, and now it's 1st and 15th/Atlantic. It's been cool, just a learning experience, nothing too major. What did you learn from all that? The importance of creative control, the importance of decision making . . . You can't dangle anything in front of me. I'm not star-struck. I'm not taking a humongous check to sell my soul. . . . Like, you don't want to be in this magazine? Like, no, because they exploit women. So I can rest on my morals a little bit more, because I know what the music business has to offer, and I know how to circumvent and get what I need out of it without playing myself. Contact Marian Liu at mliu@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-2740. Fax (408) 271-3786. Read her music blog at www.mercextra. com/aei.

Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business

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TOMO, MIVT, PIVX Have Also Been Added To Naked Short Lists Today.

M2 PRESSWIRE-15 July 2005-BUYINS.NET: TOMO, MIVT, PIVX Have Also Been Added To Naked Short Lists Today(C)1994-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:15072005

www.buyins.net, announced today that these select companies have been added to the NASDAQ, AMEX and NYSE naked short threshold lists. TOM Online, Inc. (NASDAQ: TOMO), MIV Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC: MIVT), PivX Solutions, Inc. (OTC: PIVX). For a complete list of companies on the naked short lists please visit our web site.

TOM Online, Inc. (NASDAQ: TOMO) provides multimedia products and services. It delivers its products and services from its Internet portal to the users through their mobile phones and through the company's Web sites. TOM Online's primary business activities include wireless Internet services and online advertising. The company's wireless Internet services comprise wireless Internet data services and wireless Internet voice services. Its wireless data services include short messaging services, multimedia messaging services, and wireless application protocol services. Through these services, the company provides download, information, and community-oriented products, such as news headlines, sports, games, ring tones, ring back tones, dating, and wallpapers. TOM Online's wireless Internet voice services consist of wireless interactive voice response services (IVRs) and ring-back tone services. Through its IVRs, it offers music and celebrity voice greetings; sports-related products, such as score updates for English Premier League soccer games; community oriented products, such as chat and dating services; and information products, such as weather information. The company's online advertising services provide various free online services, including free email, Internet navigation and search capabilities, content channels, online directory listings, chat room, and online bulletin boards. In addition, it offer fee-based online directory listing services. The company's commercial enterprise solutions provide technical consulting services for Internet-related computer hardware and software needs of its clients. As of December 31, 2004, it had approximately 137 million cumulative registered users of its wireless data services. TOM Online is based in Beijing, China. TOM Online, Inc. is a subsidiary of TOM Group Limited. With 13.19 million shares in its float and 779,910 shares declared short as of June 10th, there is a failure to deliver in shares of TOMO.

MIV Therapeutics Inc. (OTC: MIVT) is developing a next generation line of advanced biocompatible coatings for passive and drug-eluting application on cardiovascular stents and other implantable medical devices. The Company's ultra-thin coating formulation is designed primarily to protect surrounding tissue from the chemical interaction with metal stents. The Company's unique ultra-thin coating has been derived from a biocompatible material called hydroxyapatite (HAp) that during in-vivo animal trials demonstrated excellent safety and superior healing properties pursued by the science in the field of advanced implantable drug delivery systems. Hydroxyapatite is a bioactive porous material that makes up the bone mineral and matrix of teeth. It is widely used as a bone substitute material and for coating implantable fixation devices in orthopedic, dental and other applications. The Company's novel drug eluting technology provides an alternative solution to polymer-based drug eluting coatings currently in the stent market. The Company's drug eluting coating is designed to suit a broad range of implantable medical devices which may benefit from a highly customizable drug release profile. MIVT reached a Collaborative Research Agreement (CRA) with the University of British Columbia and supported a research and development grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in 2002 for the development of Hydroxyapatite as a drug eluting coating. In December 2004 MIVT received a Government grant for the research program titled "Development of Novel Drug Eluting Composite Coatings for Cardiovascular Stents" under the National Research Council -- Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Under this sponsorship the Company will progress to the development stage, which is expected to finalize the drug-eluting research and development Program. With 46.54 million shares in its float and an undisclosed short position, there is a failure to deliver in shares of MIVT.

PivX Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: PIVX) operates as a network security software solutions company. It provides security software and consulting services to a variety of businesses and governmental agencies. The company has developed a security software solution called Qwik-Fix. Qwik-Fix is designed to prevent against exploits that result from vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer from being exploited by malicious hackers, virus writers, and worm writers. PivX Solutions offers consulting and advisory services to meet the individual needs of its customers, as well as classroom seminars for coding engineers and managers focused on developing secure software. The company has principal offices in Newport Beach, California. With 21.58 million shares in its float and an undisclosed short position, there is a failure to deliver in shares of PIVX.

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