The Alternative Broadcasting Online News Station

This article shows you some of the most common reporting parameters to use in Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.

When you go to the http://reportserver/reportserver/foldername/reportname

The last command in the url is &rs:Command=Render

You can add some other commands as follows:

&rc:Parameters=Collapsed

&rc:Parameters=true

&rc:Parameters=false

&rc:toolbar=false

&rc:format=PDF

&rs:Format=EXCEL&rc:OmitFormulas=true

rs:ClearSession=true

* This is a very important parameter to know as more often than not, the report data doesn’t update immediately unless parameters are changed, and your report may show cached data if this is not set.

&rc:StyleSheet=MyCustomStyle

ReportServer Parameters:
If you add ?/FolderName/ReportName after the http://servername/reportserver you can run the report.
The same applies if you want to list the reports, then just type ?/FolderName after the http://servername/reportserver.
This is commonly used when the user only has permissions at the folder level, not the root level.
Attachments:

Disclaimer: This information is provided as is. It is intended as a guide only and should not be relied on in production unless extensive testing has been done.

Tom Bizannes (B.Business, MCP)
Microsoft Certified Professional
http://www.smartbiz.com.au
Specialising in:
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Microsoft SQL Server Programming
Microsoft Access Databases
ASP.Net applications

Jute Rugs - Meant For Your House

Today jute is being used for jute rugs and carpet, after years
of being used as rug backing. These rugs can match any décor.
Jute is as appropriate in stylish, modern rooms as in a proper,
conventional environment, and the rugs are as prudent in the
workplace as they are in the home. The conservationist and
fashionable properties of jute have been recognized by the world
as it looks for natural alternatives to save the environment.

Jute is one of the softest and finest of natural fiber area
rugs. The fiber in a jute rug is 3 to 15 feet long and off-white
to brown. This amazing fiber is made up of cellulose, lignin,
and pectin. Jute can be cleaned with soap and water or with rug
shampoo, or if you have an upmarket jute area rug, you can have
it commercially cleaned with dry processes. You can now find
these natural area rugs very inexpensively.

Looking Up From The Jute Area Rug

Manufacturers are coming up with a number of different
treatments to make jute more functional. The fiber tends to lose
its shape and curl, so some makers are adding a thin latex
backing to hold the jute in place. Jute can also be difficult to
clean, so rug makers are pre-treating the fiber with Vectra, a
new treatment that helps keep any printing from fading, and that
also helps stains to come out more easily. Please note that this
fiber is not recommended for areas with high moisture levels.

Jute is both sturdy and stylish, and rugs made of this natural
fiber date back to the earliest days of rug making. The rugs are
made from the fiber derived from the stalks of the jute plant
and woven into either a herringbone or a boucle pattern.

Looking for some tech stocks to add to your portfolio? Here are three technology stocks that are well positioned for the remainder of FY2006.

TKO: AMEX

Telkonet, Inc. (TKO) is a small cap company that develops and sells proprietary equipment that enables the transmission of voice, video, and data communications over existing electric utility lines within a building at a very cost-effective price, often even less than a typical wireless setup. TKO offers the Telkonet iWire System product suite, a technology that enables the delivery of commercial high-speed broadband access from an Internet protocol platform.

Last year, TKO’s technology was awarded the “Best of FOSE” at the Federal Office Systems Expo (FOSE) in Washington D.C. In February 2006, TKO acquired a 90% share in Microwave Satellite Technologies, Inc. which allows them to provide wi-fi solutions as well as voice, video, and data solutions to residential, commercial, and institutional clients. So why have you never heard of them? Because as of April 16, 2006, their market cap is under $200M, their average daily volume over the past three months is only about 350,000 shares, and their stock is trading at roughly $4 a share, all parameters too small for the big investment houses to ever consider.

CSCO (NASDAQ)

Cisco(CSCO) demonstrated many of the solutions used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at FOSE (federal Office Systems Expo) 2006 and these demonstrations generated quite a bit of excitement among government employees that attended the conference. The Cisco network provided a central platform that allowed FDA employees throughout their campus buildings to access the same data and share information quickly and easily. Using the Cisco Internet Protocol (IP) phone system and integrated messaging features, employees had the capability to access, store, and forward voice and e-mail messages from any PC.

CSCO’s IP phone system also facilitates the establishment of communications systems for corporations undergoing reorganization, as is common in large agencies such as the FDA. As opposed to the CSCO system, during reorganization, traditional phones systems would require employees to place an order with the local carrier for each move, which can take four to six weeks. Furthermore, each move would bear a cost of about $50 to implement. With the Cisco VoIP phone system, employees do not need to place an order with a local carrier. Instead, they can simply take their phone and its associated extension number with them and plug it into the new location with no additional hassle. “Cost savings are a fundamental benefit of Cisco IP Communications solutions, but even more important is how this technology helps users work more efficiently and do an even better job in this dynamic, information-sharing environment,” said Patrick Lugenbeel, Cisco account manager.

Cisco should be a solid stock as a long term holding.

CSR.L (London Stock Exchange)

CSR plc is a leading British company in global bluetooth technology. Bluetooth was the buzz a couple of years ago and these stocks, for the most part, went nowhere. Finally, this industry is starting to reap the benefits of the buzz from a couple years back although no one seems to be paying attention now. With its 2005 fourth quarter revenue up 105% year over year, its fifth generation launch of its BlueCore suite, and its widespread manufacture of its fourth generation BlueCore devices, CSR has positioned itself nicely for the remainder of 2006. BlueCore technology is featured in over 50 per cent of all Bluetooth devices shipped and over 60 per cent of all qualified Bluetooth enabled products and modules listed on the Bluetooth website. Furthermore, industry leaders including Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Motorola, IBM, Apple, LG, NEC, Toshiba, RIM and Sony all implement BlueCore devices in their range of Bluetooth products. The Bluetooth market is estimated to more than have doubled in unit terms during the past year. Growth in this market does not seem to be slowing down. And CRS.L is the global leader.

Afterthought: Though TKO and CSR.L may not be tracked by any of the big investment firms, the point is that in order to achieve superior gains, you must do your own research. For example, I saw a buy recommendation initiated on April 16, 2005 on Chinese advertising company Focus Media from an investment house at a price of $61 a share. I bought into this position more than six months ago at $31 a share when many of the big U.S. investment firms had not yet started to grant this company any serious attention or complex analysis.

Ok, that’s it. Three technology stocks to consider.

Disclaimer: Readers should be aware that the above analyses were written on April 16, 2006 and that price movements of the above three stocks or new material news since the writing of this article may make the above stocks more attractive or less attractive. The above does not constitute a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any of the discussed stocks. All investment decisions should be made under the consultation of a professional, with explicit entry and exit strategies in place when investing in riskier stocks.

© 2006 Global Market Opportunities

About the author:

This article may be freely reprinted on another website as long as it is not modified, changed, or altered and as long as the below author byline is included along with the active hyperlink exactly as is.

J. Shin Kim is the founder of Global Market Opportunities. He has over thirteen years of experience in finance and private wealth management with two Fortune 500 companies. To learn more about how to identify small and micro cap stocks that consistently and significantly beat the market indices, click the following link, Learn to Invest Money and Achieve Financial Freedom

Because of the prevalence of door-to-door solicitation in some communities, criminals seeking to “case your place” for some future action and investigators hoping for a quick look inside often use the guise of a solicitor.

Furthermore, even “legitimate” solicitors may be difficult to get rid of until you agree to purchase whatever they are hawking or support the group they are advocating.

To keep unwanted company from knocking on your front door, it is necessary to place a barrier between thepublic street and your front door. This barrier does not need to be a 12-foot-tall electric fence, but rather anything that keeps people from easily approaching your home from the public street.

A decorative fence around your yard combined with a locking gate will keep solicitors at bay.

Not everyone however has a yard around which to erect a fence. A gate blocking the steps onto your front porch can prove just as effective, as can a locked door at the main entrence of an apartment building. The idea is to make the approaching your front door more effort than it is worth for the solicitor, salesman, or snoop.

That said, the effectiveness of a dog in deterring solicitors, trespassers, and other door-to-door nuisances cannot be overlooked (altough a dog does not have the same effect as a physical barrier). Of course, the effectiveness of a dog in discouraging people from approaching your door depends a great deal on the disposition of the dog.

Almost any dog will bark at the approach of a stranger; however, a barking dog may not prevent someone from approaching your door unless it is clearly of a mind to do so. Many door-to-door solicitors are used to dealing with dogs and many simply ignore the dog’s bark unless the dog appears ready to back the bark up with some bite.

This does not mean that your dog must be Cujo on steroids to deter solicitors, but it must give enough of an aggressive appearance that solicitors won’t be willing to tempt fate and the dog’s temperament for the sake of a sale.

Even if you dog happens to be Cerberus who guard the gates of hell, there should be still be a locked gate for him to guard.

I strongly believe that dogs provide an excellent addition to your personal and home security, and their acute senses detect trespassers where people may not, but a dog is not a replacement for a physical barrier. Rather, he is an addition to it!

For any type of surveillance and security needs, Max Penn’s “Spy Equipment Buying Guide” is here to help. To find more check out spy gear.

Motivated sellers? My wife and I were trying to keep the renters happy, the rent coming in and the house repaired - while living 2100 miles away. You bet I was motivated. We just sold our house last month, and even got a good price, but I’ll tell you a secret. We would have sold the place for… well I don’t want to stress out the buyer if he reads this. Let’s just say we would have sold it for much less.

There’s your first clue on finding a motivated seller. If his property isn’t where he is, he’s probably ready to deal. How do you get this information? By asking. Talk to the real estate agent, the neighbors, and anyone else who might know something useful. Here are some other things to watch for that may indicate a motivated seller.

1. Relocation. If you hear that the seller is relocating for work, ask when he will be moving. He may already be worrying about those double payments.

2. Divorce. Divorce or relationship problems create many motivated sellers. Often a house payment needed both parties, and will have to be sold quickly.

3. Financial problems. A failing business, too much debt or other financial problems often force a sale. Find out if the owner is behind on payments.

4. Tenant problems. It is easy to get tired of being a landlord. It is also common to want to get out at any reasonable price.

5. Probate. If the house is in probate, and the heirs are all waiting to get their inheritance, they may be more interested in a quick sale than a great price.

6. Up-sizing or down-sizing. Owners moving into a larger or a smaller home may already have one in mind and need to sell quickly.

More Clues For Finding A Motivated Seller

Another way to find motivated sellers is to pay attention to the wording of ads in the classifieds. Statements like, “Need to sell,” “Must sell,” and “Will look at all offers,” are good indicators. “Must have a good job,” in a rental ad may indicate a landlord that is tired of tenants and ready to sell. Some other methods:

1. Find neglected properties. If they aren’t maintaining the property, they may be short on cash, tired of it, or out of town - all good motivators.

2. Use property tax rolls. Go to the county records, which are open to the public in most places. What you are looking for is properties that list an owner with an address far away. You could have found us this way, and bought our place for less than we got.

3. Use timing. Just before school starts, people are motivated to get their house sold so they can get their kids enrolled in the new school where they are moving. If an apartment building has been sitting there for sale for the whole winter, the owner may be tired of the bills and ready to get it sold fast.

The bottom line is to use your eyes and ears and look for the clues. Talking to people helps a lot. However you find your motivated sellers, the next step is to motivate them even more, by giving them what they want. Start by negotiating for a fast, easy closing for them - and a good price for you. That, however, is a topic for another article.

Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. See a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500 on his home page, or go straight to the section on Investing In Real Estate: http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Despite successful careers, loads of money, fantastic looks or physique, the truth is even the most seemingly “perfect” single people will tell you that they would be happiest if they had someone to love. It is said that there is someone for everyone, it is just a matter of finding that someone. Ay, and to quote Shakespeare, there’s the rub.

If you talk to a scientist, you’ll hear that meeting someone is just a matter of numbers. If you can raise your exposure to a greater number of potential candidates, then you raise the likelihood of cupid’s arrow hitting the mark. Well, most single people I know are surrounded by thousands of people everyday at the grocery store, at the office, in airports, at the gym, etc., etc., but they haven’t met the person that pulls their heartstrings.

Maybe you have tried singles mixers, speed dating at the local sports pub, or even resorted to having your friends set you up with eligible singles. And what if all that turns up zero? Then maybe it’s time to see if your house, your office, or your business could be undermining your efforts to gain a suitable partner in love. So, what exactly are the key elements for singles to look for when determining if the energy of their space is killing their romantic prospects? You are about to find out. Now, get ready to make a serious assessment of your space to open your life to a new love!

1. Is a “man” or a “woman” missing in your life?
You could be without a special someone because you are missing a NW or SW corner! Every space must have a NW and a SW corner. These are the cornerstones of a space, and in feng shui thought, the two most important sectors. The NW corresponds to a man and the SW corresponds to a woman. So, if you are a single woman, you need to activate your NW sector, or a single man, the SW sector. By the same token, both single men and women need to activate the SW sector because it is also the sector of marriage, romance, and relationships.

If your NW or SW corners are missing, or afflicted by a toilet, kitchen, storeroom, etc., then you begin to see what the problem is. How do you correct this? If you are extremely serious about finding someone, then moving might be an option. However, less drastic measures are also available. Use these tips to guide you.

•If the NW or SW corner is missing: Place a mirror on the wall where the NW corner should be so that it visually expands. Outside, where the missing corner is, try to delineate this space with a light pole, a heavy rock or object, or create a fenced area or garden to put back this missing area.

•If the NW/SW corner has a toilet: Make sure this room has a mirror in it. Keep the door closed. You can also try the following remedies of placing a heavy rock in the NW toilet, and candles and red objects in the SW toilet. DO NOT make the mistake of putting candles or red objects in the NW or a stone in the SW because this will make things much, much worse!

•If the NW/SW has a kitchen:
In the NW, this is a very bad placement. Kitchens in the NW are not good. You can try to add stones here, such as geodes, or whatever strikes your fancy. You can also paint this room a beige color. This will help strengthen the NW energy with the earth element of the beige color. Avoid water or fire elements in the NW kitchen as these hurt the precious NW energy.

In the SW, add pairs of objects here, such as setting a place for two at the table, even if there is only one dining! You can also had a stone object here or paint the kitchen beige to add more “earth” energy.

2.Tap your personal marriage and romance direction.
Orient the bed or sleep with your head pointing in your marriage and family direction based on your kua number. Move your desk to face this direction (although, you should make sure you do not ever have your back to the door). Eat facing this direction, and enter doors from this direction.

Here are the orientations for both men and women:

NumberOrientation
1South
2Northwest
3Southeast
4East
5Northwest (male)
West (female)
6Southwest
7Northeastearth/fire
8West
9North

Besides using the doors according to your kua number, sitting, eating, and sleeping, you will also want to energize the corresponding areas in your living room.

3. Fake it until you make it.
Make your bedroom appear as if a couple lived in it. So be sure to decorate it in a gender-neutral manner (no fussy flowers and pastels or severely masculine rooms). Make sure there are pairs of lamps (one on either side of the bed), and pairs of objects in the bedroom.

Put lots of romantic images in here! Display pictures or figurines that say romance to you. Pictures of couples kissing, holding hands, anything to “inspire” your loving feelings. Some people intentionally remove any pictures of romance because they don’t want to be reminded that they are lonely. Wrong. You need to be reminded and inspired because it will work to activate you more to seek out a new partner.

4. Activate the “man” and “woman” in your space.
You should activate your home, your bedroom, your garden, your desk, and your office, and any other space you occupy to increase the influence of the NW and SW energies.

FOR WOMEN ONLY:
To activate the “MAN” area (NW) in your space:

Desk: Put a phone or fax here, add a radio, or put the computer on this corner of your desk, place a picture of a handsome man here, or add a moving metal sculpture; (metal pendulum clocks are great).

Home/Living Room: Put your television or stereo in the NW sector (unless it is the bedroom). Or, you can put manly objects in this area if it is your bedroom. Objects such as books a man might read (or your ideal man would read!), the sports page, or a picture of a handsome man (or men? Chippendale’s calendar, maybe?) in this location is good.

Bedroom: A CD player with romantic music that you listen to nightly would be wonderful in a NW corner of the bedroom.

Yard: Place a shepherd’s hook here and hang a windchime on it. Anything metal would be excellent here.

Office: Gold windchime with a fan gently blowing to make it tinkle softly. This is also a good idea in the living room.

FOR WOMEN AND MEN:
Remember, both women and men want to activate the SW corner of their homes, bedrooms, living rooms, offices, and desks! That’s because the SW corresponds to romance, marriage, and women.

To activate the “WOMAN” and “ROMANCE” area (SW) in your space try these ideas:
Desk: Place a beautiful stone (such as rose quartz) or a beautiful vase in the SW corner of your desk. You can make a copy of the double happiness symbol and place it on this corner; it’s believed to make married men out of confirmed bachelors. Add red items in this location, crystal objects (a crystal pendulum clock would be wonderful here!), or red crystal paperweight is also a perfect addition. You will also want to place a copy of the “Double Happiness” symbol here.

Home/Living Room: Make sure the SW sectors of your home and living room have love objects appropriate to the SW corner. This can be a terracotta or porcelain vase, candles, picture of a mountain, such as Ayers Rock, would be especially auspicious.

Bedroom: A CD player with romantic music that you listen to nightly would be wonderful in a SW corner of the bedroom. Place a lamp in this corner and make sure it stays on at least 3 hours a day. Better still, keep it on the entire day while you are out!

Yard: Place a large boulder or group of boulders here. Or, place a cement bench in this location. You may also wish to put a statue of a couple in this location, or plant some red or pink flowers here.

Office: Add a picture here of a mountain (provided it is not directly in front of you), or some other romantic scene that is tasteful. A lamp in this location is also a good idea.

5. Eliminate the old to bring in the new.
If you have pictures of old boyfriends and girlfriends hanging around, then they’re still there! Get rid of the pictures and mementos. Make sure that you have new sheets, too, to sleep on. Old energy can linger in the bed as well.

One single woman (she was divorced) had pictures of her ex everywhere and wondered why her love life was poor. What man wants to compete with a former boyfriend – or worse, an ex-husband.

6. Employ some “magic.”
Some feng shui stems from Chinese folklore and superstition. But if it helps you draw Mr. or Ms. Right, who cares, right?

•Rainbows for love.
Hang a crystal in the SW windows. Then, let the sun’s rays shine on the crystal to create rainbows in the SW sector of your house for extra romantic energy in your space.

•Use a magic box.
This is said to draw a spouse to you. Purchase a silver box, either round or square shaped. Write your deepest desires for a spouse on a piece of paper. Place this box in the SW or NW corner of the house, in a cupboard or out of sight. A square box should be placed in the SW and a round box in the NW.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of The Red Lotus Letter a FREE weekly feng shui ezine. Log on to www.redlotusletter.com for your free subscription. Copyright 2003 Kathryn Weber. Reprints with permission, attribution, and website link.

An extremely common practice in the USA is for an American citizen (or legal permanent resident) to have a spouse who is a foreign national. When this happens, the citizen most often desires that their spouse shares in the same opportunities and privileges they have as an American citizen. The process of securing a green card for the spouse is a long and complicated process, and can take anywhere from a couple months to several years. When seeking a green card for a spouse there are two options that one can take.

Because spouses of U.S. citizens are considered an “immediate relative,’ they can apply for a green card without the traditional waiting period. It takes around ten months for the application to be reviewed but while they are waiting, the spouse can usually obtain a work permit in about a month’s time.

A spouse of a legal permanent resident of the U.S. can apply for a green card, but the waiting period is much longer and in addition, the spouse is subject to annual quotas. One of the primary sources of investigation is the nation of origin.

If your application for citizenship takes longer than expected don’t worry. Immigration is a very time consuming process and many times you are treated as a number and not an individual. By consulting an experienced immigration lawyer you can make your case stand out. Contact an experienced immigration lawyer today!

For more information on immigration law and citizenship please visit http://www.immigration-law-usa.com

This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks.

When confronted with the reality of having bad credit, people’s first reactions are something along the lines of “I’m doomed” or “This is it” and that’s it. But there’s no need to be so depressed and pessimistic just yet.

Haven’t you heard about the wonders of credit repair? Yes, I know, the critics are still going on and on about the need for consumers to be wary of professional credit repair companies and the kind of services they’re offering but whether you do it yourself or hire the services of a professional credit repair company.

If you’re interested to learn about the things you can do to fix bad credit – yours in particular – read on!

Bad Credit Can Still Be Erased – That’s the first thing you have to convince yourself of. The path to credit repair is not a short and easy one so if you don’t have the patience and perseverance for it, I can already tell you now that you’ll be quitting even when you’re not halfway to the finish line. Because you’re doing it alone, the task is doubly harder so you truly need buckets of patience if you want to see this through.

Prepare Yourself For Changes – Don’t fool yourself into thinking that when all this is over and you’ve accomplished what you intended – and that’s to repair your credit – you can immediately revert to your old form and once again not care about payment deadlines, overextending your loans, using up the remaining balance of your credit cards and so on.

If you want the effects of your credit repair achievements to last, then you must promise to yourself not to go back to your old bad habits. Besides, that’s also like throwing away everything you’ve earned!

Deciphering Credit Reports – When you’re about to fix bad credit you can ask anyone in the world with the minimum amount of intelligence regarding financial matters and they’ll tell you that the first thing you’ll always have to do is obtain a copy of your credit report and find out about your FICO scores.

If you have a FICO score that’s above 680, it’s time to set your heart at ease because for now, there’s nothing to worry about. But if you have a score lower than 550, you better wish that your credit report contains a number of errors or you’re in for a longer fight.

Mr. Peter Garant is a long time contributer of financial articles, Most of his work is faxless payday loan and credit repair Articles.

Why are there faint areas or gaps in my print out?

* Unlikely, but your paper may need changing due to its deterioration due to its age.

* Check that the type of paper you are using in your printer matches (’Media Type’) the setting in the printer software ‘Main Menu’ or ‘Print’ dialog box.

* You may need to clean the print head nozzles. These can be cleaned by employing the ‘Head Cleaning’ utility from within the printer software interface you get when you want to print or by going via the ‘Control Panel’ (found via ‘My Computer’) and selecting the printers section. After the cleaning operations are carried out by the printer, a check pattern will be printed to show that the ink cartridge nozzles are clean. If there are still poor quality areas, repeat the operation.

I have white horizontal lines appearing?

* You may need to clean the print head nozzles - see above

* If your printer has a light flashing indicating low ink levels for a cartridge, then change it.

* Check that the type of paper you are using in your printer (’Media Type’) matches the setting in the printer software ‘Main Menu’ or ‘Print’ dialog box. The colors are not what I thought they’d be?

* Clean your print head nozzles - see above

* You’ve not chosen the color option in your printer software interface. This has happened to me many times. By default, my printer software had black selected for all printing.

* Specific types of paper have one side only that can be printed on. Ensure that it is loaded correctly in your printer.

* Check that the type of paper you are using in your printer (’Media Type’) matches the setting in the printer software ‘Main Menu’ or ‘Print’ dialog box.

* What you see on your monitor will never be identical to what you get on your print out. It shouldn’t be that far out, but if it is, then you you may have a color calibration issue between your monitor and software package that you are using.

Finally;

Never buy brand name inkjet cartridges. Get what are called compatible ink cartridges. They are much cheaper and produce the same quality results. www.ink-cartridge-store.com shows you the range of such products available nowadays.

In my experience, if you use your ink cartridges infrequently, then you will find yourself having to use the cleaning utilities practically every time you do use them. So I suggest printing out a b/w and color text page (say, 200 words with black, red, blue and yellow colors) on a regular basis (once a week?) even if you are not using the printer. You will save ink in the long run as the cleaning utility will use a lot more than your weekly maintenance pages.

This article may be reproduced in its entirety provided the resource paragraph below is included and all urls kept active.

(c) Paul Curran, CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at Ink Cartridge Store, providing discount bulk buys and also best laser toner supplies.

Maud Fontenay

As my exploits in the field may be viewed as inertia personified, I always greet tales of extraordinary physical endurance with a mixture of awe and wonder. The awe is simple enough – and in the case of the youthful Maud, quite understandable – but the wonder is how bonkers some people are. There are innumerable cases of individuals fulfilling long held ambitions by testing their limits and Maud Fontenay demonstrates this point in spades.

Maud Fontenay is a slight, slender woman of 27 who sought to show that size and strength alone mean little without mental toughness and resourcefulness. Her achievement? Rowing 7,000 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean on her own in 73 days while variously contending with a broken seawater filtration system and diving into shark infested waters to fix her boat. Spending the first fifteen years of her life at sea was certainly a helpful start but, nonetheless, it’s a pretty staggering feat. As for my feet, you can be assured they remain rooted to the spot.

Jeff Porter

Thank God, I have never borne personal witness to a terrorist outrage or other catastrophe. Yet, if I was and I was also compus mentus, what would I do? Run for the proverbial exits? Sit in shock? Or, indeed, take some responsibility? That all assumes, of course, that I only had myself to worry about and not the scenario that confronted Jeff Porter.

Porter is a driver on the London Underground who saw a train on an adjacent track blown up as part of the orchestrated campaign last July by supporters of al Qaeda. His presence of mind as he approached Edgware Road station ensured the death toll was minimised. He decamped from his train, in the wake of this ferocious explosion, and groped his way through the dust, smoke and trapped bodies to raise the alarm in the main body of the station. He subsequently assisted in the orderly evacuation of around 1,000 passengers from his train in small groups. We often marvel at the heroic achievements of trained emergency services so Jeff Porter, a modest, self effacing train driver, deserves our great admiration all the more.

Lars G. Josefsson

I attended a seminar recently which, among other things, showed the result of a vox pop that asked members of the public whether they were both environmentally friendly and aware. The bemusement, embarrassment and mild irritation that unfolded on screen was highly instructive and was almost a mirror image of the attitude and stance of business leaders and politicians. Climate change is the most serious long term threat to the planet, far more than the threat of race wars or mutant viruses, and Lars G. Josefsson is among the most serious champions of this issue.

His influence reflects his position as CEO of Vattenfall, the Swedish state controlled electricity company, and he has used it to exert pressure on G8, the United Nations and the international business community to impose a worldwide system to limit carbon dioxide emissions over the next century. This will permit a market in which quotas may be traded and indicates that energy providers are starting to regulate their industry before governments demand it. The brand of enlightened radicalism displayed by Josefsson has been an infrequent guest in boardrooms hitherto but is, I suspect, something we’ll be seeing rather more of in the future.

Howard Lewis,
Chairman, Invaluable group of companies.
http://www.invaluable.com

Only Invaluable gives you unrivalled access to pre-sale and post-sale information for auction houses and salerooms across the globe.

Find art, antiques and collectables. Try our Keyword search, register at http://www.invaluable.com for a free 14 day trial.