| Tomkins FY pretax 262.6 mln stg, up 7.3 pct; sees challenging year ...
(adds reaction, amends spelling of CEO James Nicol's name) LONDON, Feb. 21, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Engineering group Tomkins reported a 7.3 pct rise in pretax profits of 262.6 mln stg for the year to Dec 29, after new products and a focus on emerging markets helped offset economic weakness in US car and construction markets. Sales from continuing operations were 2.94 bln stg, down from 3.13 bln in 2006, it said, and the adjusted operating margin was 9.0 pct against 9.4 pct the year before. Adjusted operating profits, which exclude disposals, fell 11 pct to 264.7 mln. Net debt was 296.8 mln stg, against 403.0 mln in 2006, and the company said it is considering a share buyback of 5-10 pct. CEO James Nicol said the group, which makes components for cars and air conditioning systems and building products such as baths and windows, delivered a good performance after taking a number of 'self-help' measures to counter headwinds in its US automotive and construction end-markets.
Does Your Car's A/C Have You Hot Under the Collar?
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- MS -- When summer comes and it's time to switch on your car's A/C, it might not blow as cold as you'd like it to. In fact, it could even be blowing hot air. Some estimate that older vehicles can lose as much as 15 percent of their air conditioning refrigerant every year, leakage generally caused when the system is not used during the winter months. During these months, the system's small O-ring seals dry out resulting in refrigerant loss and deterioration in system performance. The good news is, bringing back the cool to your car's A/C and enjoying a sweat-free ride to work doesn't have to mean an expensive stop at the corner garage. Automotive air conditioning technology has produced a new generation of easy-to-use, do-it-yourself products that makes bringing the cool back to your car simple, easy and a lot less costly than that trip to the mechanic's.
Burglar makes off with two pairs of panties
A Fort Walton Beach burglar recently lifted unmentionables from a mobile home during a break-in. The resident of a Heritage Road mobile home told a deputy she noticed the rear door to her trailer "slightly open," according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office offense report. She also said someone had removed the window unit air conditioner and opened the window. Among the items missing from the home were her son’s Sony Playstation and a controller ($200), about 20 games ($15 each), about 10 DVDs ($15 each) and two pairs of girl’s panties. .
IT U.S. Antitrust Court Slams Microsoft With Two More Years of ...
Despite the circus-like atmosphere punctuated with laugh-inducing testimony, United States v. Microsoft, which went to trial in 1998, remains one of the landmark federal court decisions of the 90's. It paved the way for other government bodies worldwide, such as the European Union, to successfully pursue antitrust cases against Microsoft and other electronics giants like Intel. Microsoft and the government reached a settlement in which Microsoft agreed to grant third-party developers access to its application-programming-interface and additionally give a court appointed panel of three people full access to it's systems, records, and source code for five years in order to ensure compliance. The oversight was supposed to expire November 12, 2007, but the court was not entirely satisfied with Microsoft's progress, so it decided to meet again to evaluate a possible extension to oversight if Microsoft was found not to be fully complying.
A blog about technology from BBC News
They see themselves as passive conduits, like a road network or the postal system. The global record industry has been quick to back the government's proposal. "It is simply not acceptable for ISPs to turn a blind eye to the piracy on their networks which is at such a rate that there are 20 illegal music downloads for every legal track sold," said John Kennedy of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries. Digital rights activist will be outraged by this move, I'm sure. Monitoring our internet traffic will have huge privacy issues. No-one can deny that the scale of copyright theft is mammoth. A cursory glance at a website like The Pirate Bay revels thousands of films, TV programmes, albums, software programs etc being shared across the net.
Chew This Over: Munchable Ice Sells Like Hot Cakes
When Kyle Burkhalter gets up in the morning, he goes into the kitchen and fixes himself a nice cup of ice. The 24-year-old director of research for a Web site chews the ice in the car on his way to work in Atlanta. He downs two or three more cups before lunch. He orders ice from drive-thru windows and dips into the office ice machine. Sometimes, his tongue gets so numb he can barely talk to clients. Still, he munches on. "It's something that you want to do and you think about doing on a constant basis," he says. Ice isn't just for chilling drinks anymore, or for packing fish and treating sprains. It's a hot snack. Some Sonic Drive-In franchises sell it in cups and in bags to go. Ice-machine makers are competing to make the best chewable ice, with names like Chewblet, Nugget Ice and Pearl Ice.
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