means test

means test Any assessment of the income and capital of a person or family to determine their eligibility for benefits provided by the state or a charity.

homes4u embarks on aggressive affiliates programme; Carphone Warehouse, Heal's, Waterstone's and Amazon join first wave of partners.

M2 PRESSWIRE-26 March 2001-homes4u: homes4u embarks on aggressive affiliates programme; Carphone Warehouse, Heal's, Waterstone's and Amazon join first wave of partners (C)1994-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:26032001

homes4u plc - www.homes4u.co.uk - the Manchester-based ISR (Internet Services Retailer) has to date signed up over 70 affiliates on its website with leading brands Carphone Warehouse, Heal's, Waterstone's and Amazon among the first group of household names to join its service. Homes4u aims to have more than 150 affiliates on site by Easter 2001.

Having launched its initial online presence in February 2001, homes4u has developed a new multi channel approach to the domestic property market, with customers able to access a one-stop shop covering a wide and diverse range of property and lifestyle related products and services via the internet, retail property lifestyle cafes and a phone-based call centre.

Wayne A Mellor, CEO of homes4u, commented: " homes4u is committed to providing its customers with an ever-increasing and ever-improving portfolio of valued merchant services. To this end we are aggressively seeking new and appropriate affiliate partners to augment and complement our online and offline offerings."

Affiliate-based services available via homes4u include lifestyle items like home entertainment, food, drink and music; advice on home improvement; personal finance products pertaining to the home; and all the services related to buying/selling a home.

Homes4u's web site is live and the company plans to open its first internet-enabled property lifestyle cafe in Manchester this summer.

About homes4u

-- homes4u is an independent multi channel property lifestyle business. It combines the Internet with retail lifestyle cafes and a call centre to provide information in a comprehensive and relaxed manner.

-- homes4u plc was born out of the successful estate agency, Mellor Andrews Residential, based in Manchester. Its CEO and Founder is Wayne A Mellor who, prior to forming Mellor Andrews, was a highly respected professional in the retail, banking and credit industry. Key figures in the homes4u plc team include retail professional Carolyn Mellor, Mike Mattocks, who previously controlled over 30 branches for a corporate estate agency/building society group before joining homes4u plc, and Peter Flaherty a financial services business development specialist formerly with NatWest plc.

-- homes4u currently has over 70 online affiliates. These include: Money Supermarket, ihavemoved.com, Improveline, HomePro.com, Pricerunner.com, Virgin Mobile, tool-tribe, Norwich Union Direct, e-moves, LifePoliciesDirect, Greenfingers, AOL Anywhere, BTinternet, Genie, clara.net, Littlewoods, ShopSmart, Appliance-Direct, Home Electrical Direct, euroffice, WHSmith, B&Q, WineSmart.com, drinkstuff.com, Space 2, ChocExpress, Music Books Online, Beyond HiFi, CD WOW, Musicroom.com, gameswire.com, SoftJam, Earth Tones, workthing.com, Sport4cast.

CONTACT: Stewart Ross, GTH Media Relations Tel: +44 (0)20 7467 0607 e-mail: stewartr@gth.co.uk Peter Flaherty, homes4u Tel: +44 (0)7880 700 222 e-mail: peter@homes4u.co.uk

((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data prepared by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

Massachusetts-Based Optical-Networking Firm to Buy Connecticut Company.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)

Jun. 7--Following the playbook of larger rivals including Lucent Technologies and Cisco Systems, Chelmsford-based optical networking start-up Sycamore Networks Inc. moved yesterday to use some of its richly appreciated stock to take over a smaller company to bolster its product lines and engineering talent.

Sycamore announced plans to buy Sirocco Systems Inc. of Wallingford, Conn., for Sycamore stock valued at $2.86 billion. Sixteen-month-old Sirocco is developing devices that bring high-capacity fiber-optic connections to cities and neighborhoods, but has yet to record a sale.

While an eye-popping sum - measured one way it values each of Sirocco's 90 engineers at nearly $32 million a head - many industry analysts now look at deals like this according to how much of its market capitalization the acquiring company is spending, given the huge run-up in telecom stocks.

By that standard, Sycamore is giving away about one-ninth of its $24.9 billion market value to add some valuable products to its arsenal, which is now aimed more at long-haul optical networking and systems to manage big networks than in bringing vast optical capacity close to customers.

Bolstered by the soaring value Wall Street has attached to their stocks, telecom giants such as Lucent, Cisco, Nortel Networks Inc., Redback Networks Inc., and Ciena Corp. have spent more than $18 billion in the last 18 months grabbing start-ups, almost always in stock swaps.

"In this day and age, money is relatively easy to get access to, but intellectual capital is not," said Sycamore president and chief executive Dan Smith.

Sycamore's stock value has increased eightfold since it went public last fall, giving it a huge war chest for stock-swap acquisitions. After announcing the deal, Sycamore stock dropped only 93.75 cents to $102 in Nasdaq trading.

Sirocco's devices and human talent will add to "Sycamore's product line and vision and help us develop the most formidable offerings in the business for metropolitan access," Smith said.

With Sirocco products in its line, Sycamore can offer "an economical, high-performance `on ramp"' to the optical core network, Smith said, with features allowing telecom carriers to offer profitable services to customers.

Analysts applauded the deal. "You have a very smart management team at Sycamore buying one of the best start-ups," said Paul Johnson, an analyst at Robertson Stephens & Co. "It's a very smart combination."

Brian Blair, an analyst with Credit Suisse First Boston, called the deal a good move for Sycamore because "it expands Sycamore's offering is complementary to Sycamore's product family."

In the last year, Greater Boston has emerged as a hotbed for companies working to vastly increase the carrying capacity of fiber-optic networks to handle explosively growing Internet traffic and to help businesses - and someday homeowners - tap directly into the "fat pipes" of optical networks.

Many of the area's optical start-ups, such as Astral Point in Chelmsford, Equipe Communications and Tenor Networks in Acton, and Quantum Bridge Communications in North Andover, have been seen as ripe for a takeover by larger players.

Already, Nortel has spent $1.3 billion snapping up Coretek in Wilmington, and Corning Inc. has emerged as a major Massachusetts optical player with its acquisitions of NetOptix in Natick and Oak Industries/Lasertron in Waltham and Bedford.

Smith would not comment on whether Sycamore has its eyes on any local companies. But he said it is interested in broadening its optical product line to serve wireless carriers and upgraded cable franchises as well as submarine fiber lines and Internet protocol switching and routing.

Pioneer Consulting LLC of Cambridge has estimated that sales of optical devices for the so-called metropolitan market, the focus of Sirocco as well as Astral Point, Equipe, and Tenor, will grow from $1.5 billion this year to $17.3 billion in 2004.

Sycamore will account for the acquisition as a pooling of interests. It said it will dilute earnings in 2001 but increase profits in 2002. Sycamore will acquire all outstanding Sirocco stock and options with 28 million shares of its stock, with no "collar" setting a floor or ceiling on the deal's value.

Sycamore said it is confident it can easily integrate Sirocco because its cofounders, Smith and Gururaj (Desh) Deshpande, have already bought a company from Sirocco president Jonathan Reeves.

Cascade Communications Corp., then led by Smith and Deshpande, bought Reeves's Sahara Networks Inc. for $216.5 million in 1997. Cascade is now part of Lucent. After the deal's expected close this summer, Reeves will become vice president and general manager of Sycamore's new optical access division.

Sirocco will begin testing its products with potential customers this summer and expects to record sales by Christmas.

Material from Globe wire services was used in this report.

To see more of The Boston Globe, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.boston.com/globe

(c) 2000, The Boston Globe. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Digital Lightwave Names Gerry Chastelet, Telecommunications Industry Veteran, President and CEO.

CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Lightwave(TM), Inc. (Nasdaq: DIGL), a provider of optical network test and management products, today announced the appointment of Gerry Chastelet as president and chief executive officer. Chastelet is a 30-year telecommunications industry veteran with extensive senior management experience, most recently as president and chief executive officer of Wandel & Goltermann Technologies, Inc., a $60-million global supplier of communications test and measurement equipment. Chastelet will report to Digital Lightwave founder Dr. Bryan J. Zwan, who continues as chairman of the board.

"I am pleased to bring a senior executive of Gerry's caliber on board to guide Digital Lightwave through the next phase of its growth in the burgeoning worldwide optical communications industry," said Zwan. "His proven operating experience, with direct responsibility for R&D and manufacturing, plus his background in growing sales organizations and building international sales channels, will be key to our success going forward. In addition, Gerry's industry experience at Wandel & Goltermann with major customers such as AT&T, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, GTE, IBM, MCI, NCR, Nortel, QUALCOMM, and Telecom Italia will help us form lasting industry partnerships as we expand our global business in the coming years."

During his tenure at Wandel & Goltermann, Chastelet executed a turnaround that resulted in significantly improved revenue and profitability. Wandel & Goltermann Technologies was acquired and privatized by Wandel & Goltermann Holdings GmbH in September 1998.

Chastelet has held senior management positions with Paradyne Corporation and Gandalf Systems Corporation. Before joining Wandel & Goltermann, Chastelet was vice president of sales and service of Network Systems Corporation, a $175-million supplier to Fortune 500 companies of channel-attached communications solutions for large mainframe computers.

Chastelet began his career as an electrical engineer at IBM Corporation, where he spent over 15 years in various sales, service, marketing and management positions. He has served on the board of directors of ATE Systems and Mercury Technology Services, Inc. and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Executive MBA Program.

About Digital Lightwave

Digital Lightwave serves the growing optical communications market -- high-speed telecommunications networks based on fiber optic technology. The company's products include portable Network Information Computers, which provide flexible, easy-to-use installation and maintenance testing solutions for fiber-optic-based networks and transmission equipment, and Network Access Agents(TM), which are unattended, software-controlled performance monitoring and diagnostic equipment installed within optical networks for management from a centralized location. Digital Lightwave customers include leading telecommunications service providers and equipment manufacturers. The company is headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., and can be located on the Internet at http://www.lightwave.com

Except for the historical statements made herein, this news release contains certain forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include: market acceptance of the company's products; delays in product development and delivery schedules; interoperability of the company's products; continued market growth; rapid technological changes; competitive factors; general business conditions; and other factors described in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Annual Report on Form 10-K dated April 15, 1998. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The company assumes no obligation to update information contained in this release.

NOTE: Digital Lightwave, Network Information Computer and Remote Access Agent are trademarks of Digital Lightwave, Inc., for which application has been made.

Preferred Voice Signs Fifth ILEC Agreement.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1999--

Citizens Telephone Company of Kecksburg, Pa., to Offer

Subscribers Newest Speech-Recognition Technology

Preferred Voice Inc. (OTCBB:PFVI) announces a 10-year revenue sharing voice program (R.S.V.P) to install their Voice Integrated Platform System (VIPS) at the Citizens Telephone Company of Kecksburg based in Mammoth, Pa.

Citizens is an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) which provides quality digital telecommunications service to more than 5,500 access lines.

Richard Cutrell, President of Citizens Telephone Company of Kecksburg, said, "The installation of our digital switch enabled us to offer our subscribers a growing list of exciting new services such as Internet access, voice mail, caller ID, etc. We feel that the addition of voice-activated enhanced services from Preferred Voice strategically fits into our commitment to our subscribers of providing the highest-quality services."

Rick Stone, VP of Sales and Marketing of Preferred Voice Inc., stated, "In our 10-year revenue-sharing agreement Preferred Voice provides the hardware and software and Citizens provides the central office switch and marketing to its customer base. It's a win-win situation for everyone including the end users."

The following list of services will be made immediately available to Citizens customers. Additional services will be introduced, as they become available:

  --   Emma the Perfect Receptionist(sm). This service enables a      business to have their phone answered full- or part-time. The      caller is asked to speak the name of the person they're calling      and the caller will be connected to that person wherever they are      located.  --   The Smart Line(sm). Small or home businesses can convert their      existing business line to a Smart Line. With The Smart Line      locate feature, clients and loved ones can find the subscriber at      any time, anywhere in the USA. When call screening is turned on,      the subscriber will be told the name of the caller and has the      option to take the call or send it to voice mail.  --   SecureCard(sm). From any phone in the USA, a caller dials their      800 number and then simply speaks a name from their voice-dialing      directory (or a number) and the long distance call will be      placed.  --   (star) (star) TALK(sm). By simply pressing (star) (star) the      subscriber will be connected to their own personal voice      directory. They just speak the name (or a number) of the person      they're calling and the call is placed.  --   My One Special Number(sm). Children today have to remember a list      of multiple area codes and phone numbers in order to contact      their parents. With 1SN, children -- or their schools -- simply      call one number to quickly reach parents any time, anywhere. 

About Citizens Telephone Company of Kecksburg, Pa.

One of the original telephone companies in Pa., Citizens of Kecksburg was founded in 1906 by the farmers and merchants of Kecksburg. During this time the Bell Telephone companies were not providing services in rural areas. The company started with one telephone located in the general store; the citizens of the area traveled to the store to make and receive calls. Today the company has grown to over 5,581 access lines which are serviced by the newest state-of-the-art digital switch technology.

About Preferred Voice

Preferred Voice Inc. has developed its Voice Integrated Platform System on an industrial-grade, fault-tolerant, Windows NT-based server, which combines the company's proprietary software with the natural dialogue speech recognition technology of Philips Speech Processing, a division of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG) -- one of the global market leaders in speech recognition.

The Company has recently signed 10-year revenue-sharing agreements with four additional carriers, including Rural Cellular Corporation, Midwest Wireless Communications, Southwest Texas Telephone and both the wireline and wireless subsidiaries of Kaplan Telephone Company. In addition, the Company has signed test agreements with two carriers, Sleepy Eye Telephone and the North-Eastern Pennsylvania Telephone Company. Collectively, carriers have a total of 2.9 million POPS and thirty-six thousand access lines.

In addition to the RSVP agreements that are mentioned above, the Company also recently announced a comprehensive, long-term host-royalty agreement with KMC Telecom Holdings Inc., a privately held Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC).

For more information, please visit our Web site: www.preferredvoice.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: In the product name "(star) (star) TALK(sm)," the word "star" replaces a star symbol. It was replaced for transmission purposes only.

Sold over the counter in UK.. illegal 'miracle' tanning spray that could stop your heart and damage your brain; A INVESTIGATION.(News)

Byline: GARY ANDERSON; ELISSA CORRIGAN

A TANNING spray that is SNORTED up the nose contains a chemical with potentially dangerous side-effects

Thousands of Brits have been snapping up bottles of Ubertan - a product that promises an even, golden tan with just a few sniffs.

But a Sunday Mirror investigation has revealed that side-effects include a risk of low blood pressure and an elevated heart rate - conditions which in extreme circumstances can lead to heart failure and permanent brain damage.

The "miracle" product - of which Ubertan boast they have sold more than 250,000 units - has not undergone tests or been licensed in the UK.

It is therefore illegal to sell it for profit or promote it - although it is lawful to buy it for your own use.

The spray, which costs pounds 40 a bottle, can be bought over the internet and is also stocked in tanning shops, beauty salons and gyms.

The Sunday Mirror commissioned a report into its contents by Dr Dominic Williams, of the Medical Research Council's Centre for Drug Safety Science, after learning that girls as young as 15 were using it.

Dr Williams warned: "If my daughter came home with a bottle of this I would tell her not to take it.

"It doesn't match up to UK regulations so you simply don't know what it is - it's not worth the risk."

After putting the spray through extensive tests, he identified the possible sideeffects, due to one of the chemical ingredients - forskolin, which is derived from the coleus plant.

Forskolin can have some medical benefits, according to experts, but only if properly tested and regulated.

But Dr Williams said: "Taking forskolin-containing products may elevate the normal heart rate.

"When the heart rate increases significantly, this will lead to lightheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitation, rapid pulse or loss of consciousness.

"Dangerous complications associated with tachycardia include heart failure, blood clots, frequent fainting or sudden death."

Ubertan claim its only downsides are suppressed hunger and an enhanced libido.

We bought Ubertan from a tanning shop in Lancashire. A shop assistant told us: "It's all amino acids and leaf extracts and things, so it's safe."

A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said they had launched an investigation.

He said: "We are preparing a report and a decision will be taken on enforcement action." Ubertan's internet domain name is registered to a Caribbean lawyer. He did not reply to messages left by the Sunday Mirror.

UBERTAN'S CLAIMS

UBERTAN bills itself as a "revolutionary new nasal spray tanning product" on its website.

It claims it "stimulates an increase in natural melanin production". Melanin is a natural substance which determines skin colour.

The website adds: "The unique ingredients in our product work by entering the body's system safely through the nasal cavities and in turn heighten the natural melanin in your skin."

CAPTION(S):

"It's safe"... what assistant in Lancs shop said Big seller... the popular Ubertan is taken up the nose

Poynt and WiLAN Report Licensing Partnership.

Wi-LAN Inc. announced that Poynt Corp. and WiLAN have entered into a partnership that will see WiLAN assist Poynt in the licensing of Poynt's portfolio of patents related to Internet advertising.

"With over 250 companies licensed and signed agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars, all in just five years, WiLAN's licensing capabilities are second to none," said Andrew Osis, President and CEO, Poynt. "WiLAN's proven track record and strong financial position made WiLAN the licensing partner of choice for Poynt."

"Like WiLAN, Poynt developed technologies that have helped make multi-billion dollar markets a reality," said Jim Skippen, Chairman & CEO, WiLAN. "We are very excited to have the opportunity to do for Poynt's shareholders what we have done for WiLAN's - generate a significant return on their past investment in research and development."

Skippen said, "More companies are looking to monetize their patents but lack the resources and expertise to be truly successful. Seeing the strength of the programs that we have built, many companies are looking to leverage WiLAN's expertise through licensing partnerships."

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, WiLAN's subsidiary Gladios IP will have day-to-day responsibility for developing programs aimed at licensing Poynt's patent portfolio.

Poynt Corp. is a provider of mobile local advertising space.

More Information:

www.wilan.com

www.poynt.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))