"Passez-moi les pomme de terres": using the web to learn language. (Internet Express).

Reference Librarian/System Manager San Marino Public Library

The United States is a land of immigrants. Almost all of our citizens (saving Native Americans and the descendants of slaves) came because they wanted to be here or had ancestors who did. We are a "self-selected" people. Optimistic humans from around the planet continue to come to our country to build a better future.

The implications for information professionals are twofold. One, we have a compelling reason to learn at least snatches of languages other than English to serve our patrons better. Secondly, we have a delightful panoply of ethnic cuisines available when we go to lunch.

Wouldn't you know it -- the Web fairly vibrates with language resources, with everything from dictionaries to translators to linguistics resources. As our computers and connections become more multimedia-capable, it's a snap for us to actually hear proper pronunciation as it streams to us over the Internet and even watch video clips of dialogues. Use the Web to immerse your senses in the language and culture of other lands, all in the name of customer service.

Can one really become fluent in another language using only Web resources? If you have passed puberty the answer is probably no. Studies show that the human brain hardens to learning language after childhood. Yet, all is not lost. Even if a foreign language will always remain foreign to your cortex, patrons from other lands would still welcome a helpful word or two in their native tongue. Also, Web sites are great study aids if you seriously intend to master another language.

Language Directories

Where to start? Browse these general resources, most augmented with audio files, to see if they either fit, or point you to, resources that fit your needs.

iLoveLanguages.com

http://www.ilovelanguages.com/

This site used to be The Human-Languages Page and the Languages catalog of the WWW Virtual Library. It is designed to list, categorize, and promote Internet resources related to language learning, education, and use. "We want to make sure that people who are interested in learning a language can find information, products, and services they can use to help. We also want to promote language education by giving everyone the opportunity to delve into a language other than their own." This is a fabulous, comprehensive directory of language resources on the Web.

Say Hello to the World

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/hello/

The Internet Public Library's Kidspace hosts this resource created by Lorri Mon, a graduate student at the University of Michigan's School of Information. "The goal of this project," writes Mon, "is to bring together language resources on the Internet into one convenient place for beginners who would like to learn more about languages from all over the world." Although the site does not offer its audio greetings recorded by native-language speakers, this still constitutes an excellent portal to explore a new language.

Transparent.corn Language and Culture Pages

http://www.transparent.com/languagepages/languages.htm

Transparent Language hosts an online store of products for language learning, reference, and translation. In addition, it offers free resources in almost 20 languages. Click on a language to hear "survival phrases," that is, basic greetings and dialogues that teach you to say things like, "Good morning. Do you speak English?" Also, read their language overviews, take their proficiency tests, and play language games, all for free.

Fodor's Languages for Travelers

http://www.fodors.com/traveltips/languagelindex.htm

See and hear more than 600 essential phrases for travelers in French, Spanish, German to Italian. Learn how to say, "I've lost my glasses" en francais, Only worry? That you won't have your computer with you when you enter the optometrist's office in Paris.

Traulang: Foreign Language for Travelers

http://travlang.com/languages/

First, use the pull-down menu to choose your native tongue. Then select among more than 80 languages to read and hear useful words and phrases.

Categories include basic words and numbers as well as phrases used in shopping and eating, reserving a hotel room, and finding the potty. Beware: Lots of pop-up ads here.

Yamada Language Center Language Guides and Fonts

http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/guides.html

Here is an excellent portal to the free resources for learning languages on the Web from the University of Oregon. Scroll down this page to get links to resources for 140 languages. The site also links to language-related newsgroups and mailing lists.

Jennifer's Language Page

http://www.elite.net/-runner/jennifers/

Jennifer Runner wants to teach us all how to say several words and phrases in hundreds of different languages. "My goal is to include every language, so that people will be able to say at least a few words to anyone they meet, anywhere in the world." One drawback: No audio files.

Specific Languages

General-language resources are fine, but patrons usually have specific language needs. Here are directories and resources that help with specific languages.

Yahoo! Directory: Specific Languages

http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Linguistics_and_Human_Languages/L anguages/Specific_Languages/

Visit this "classic" Yahoo! directory page to browse resources specific to over 100 languages.

Word2Word

http://www.word2word.com/course.html

Bennett (Bigben) Blaustein has been collecting links to free online language courses and dictionaries since 1995. He has done this "in the hope of all people developing a better understanding of others through the use of language." Because these resources are offered gratis, "the courses vary in quality and the quantity of material presented." Still, this site serves as a doorway to free language treasures.

Chinese Resources

"Teaching Chinese on the Internet, create new shining magnificence again."

-Li Daoyu, deputy to the National People's Congress of China

In San Marino California, where I work, over 40 percent of the population consists of recent immigrants from China: Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the People's Republic. All are avid readers.

We native English-speaking librarians have a heck of a time collecting resources for this constituency. We have an even harder time cataloging Chinese language materials. A bilingual patron came in this week asking for that book that she knows we have about Chiang Kai-shek -- in Chinese. Could I find it? No way. Without Chinese language skills, we simply cannot add subject headings in our Chinese language bibliographic records. Our collection is browseable by accession number only.

Not only that, but written Chinese has no relationship to the spoken word. There are several distinct Chinese dialects. On the mainland and in Taiwan, one mostly hears Mandarin. Those from Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou speak Cantonese. Yet, although the spoken languages are often unintelligible between dialects, all who can read the written language understand the meaning of the symbols. Written Chinese means the same thing today to all, as it did thousands of years ago.

It is all Greek to me, unfortunately. I can manage "How are you?" and "Thank you" in Mandarin, but even after 5 years on the San Marino reference desk, no other Chinese has stuck with me. Can these Web resources help me to bridge my gulf in understanding? Well, they can't hurt.

Learning Chinese Online

http://www.csulb.edu/-txie/online.htm

Dr. Tianwei Xie of the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at the California State University at Long Beach has compiled this complete listing to quality Chinese language resources on the Web. See his links to an introduction to Chinese and guides to pronunciation, conversation, characters, and grammar.

Cartoon University: Learn Chinese Characters Series

http://www.sonicnovel.com/kanji.html

Characters

Here is a beautiful animated and audio guide to Chinese characters and how they evolved to look that way.

http://www.usc.edu/dept/ealc/chinese/newweb/character_ page.html

The Chinese Language Program at the University of Southern California offers this set of animations about how to draw Chinese characters. Click on the pronunciation graphic to hear how each character is spoken.

Learn Chinese Online with HwaQwan Pinin

http://www.hqpin.com/eindex.html

Jonathan Lin of the HwaQwan Pinin Book Society in Taipei offers basic Chinese lessons in several dialects along with audio enhancements.

English Top Page

http://www3.justnet.ne.jp/~LXM/english.htm

Li, a computer programmer from mainland China, says, "I have recorded my voice to every word, please hear it and imitate it. I am putting some new words on it because I am glad to be useful for you." Listen to Li and learn how to say, "Thanks for your trouble," and "Can we be friends?" She also has recorded three Chinese poems. Xie xie, Li!

Learning Cantonese

http://members.tripod.com/~Dorothy Ma/index2.html

Listen to Dorothy Ma of Hong Kong teach you to say useful phrases in Cantonese including telephone greetings and "Happy New Year!" Your patrons from Hong Kong will love you for it.

Spanish

In Southern California, immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries and their descendants now form the majority of the population. It's time for me to mix a bit of the old Espanol into my vocabulary.

Business Spanish Lessons

http://www.businessspanish.com/index.htm

Businessspanish.com offers two free, concise online lessons every weekday. Read, listen, and test yourself on practical Spanish phrases appropriate for business and travel. !Estupendo!

Learn Spanish:

A Free Online Tutorial

http://www.studyspanish.com/index.htm

In return for free registration, see and hear lessons in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary; along with verb drills, a "travel helper," and some cultural notes. !Muy simpatico!

Other Languages

There are so many wonderful languages swirling about our communities that even a whole book about specific language links would not cover all of them. Still, here is a small sample of unusual sites of high quality.

Native American Languages

http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language/langlinks.htm

This unique resource links to Web sites about the languages of indigenous people of NorthAmerica Many of these pages are enhanced with sound files as well as articles about the languages and their histories.

A Basic Dictionary of ASL Terms

http://www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html

This online dictionary of American Sign Language features animated and text definitions. The text definitions also have letter or number sign images to aid in visualizing the sign. This allows users to read how to sign a word then click-through to view the animated sign.

TESL/TEFL/TESOL/ESL/EFL/ESOL Links:

Links of Interest to Students & Teachers of English as a Second Language

http://iteslj.org/links/

Got non-English-speaking patrons who want to learn more? Set them up with this site, a no-frills, well-maintained set of links to tools to help anyone learn more English over the Web, courtesy of the Internet TESL Journal.

Dictionaries and Translators

Perhaps you don't want to learn a whole new language. Maybe you just need to get the meaning of something right now!

Systran

http://www.bconnex.net/~randys/

Systran is the pioneer of machine translation on the Web. Its engine drives AltaVista's Babel Fish translation service [http://babelflsh.altavista.com/], among others. It has added several languages to its bidirectional translation menu, including Russian, Greek, and Chinese. Coming soon: Arabic!

WorldLingo Text and Web Translator http://www.worldlingo.com/products_ services/worldlingo_translator.html

Machine-translate text and Web pages between 12 languages, including Greek and Traditional Chinese.

LOGOS -- Multilingual E-Translation Portal

http://www.logos.it/lang/transl_en.html

LOGOS is an international translation service based in Modena, Italy. Use its free online dictionary to translate between over 200 languages. It will conjugate your verbs for you, too. It will even read children's stories to you out loud, in several languages. LOGOS is non solo parole: "more than just words"!

PROMT-Reverso Free Translation Online

http://translation2.paralink.com/

Designed to facilitate understanding of international instant messaging, this site will machine-translate phrases and entire Web pages (in URL mode) between several major European languages, particularly English and Russian.

yourDictionary.com

http://www.yourdictionary.com/

If a dictionary exists online, your-Dictionary links to it. Here are English and multilingual dictionaries that cover many different subjects including sports, telecommunications, and hydrology. Thorough and well organized, this directory of dictionaries is the site of choice for word lovers the world over.

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

http://www.bartleby.com/61/

Bartleby.com hosts this fourth edition of the Dictionary, published in 2000. Word entries include not only definitions, but etymology and sound clips demonstrating proper pronunciation.

WordNet

http://www.cogsci.princeron.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

It's a dictionary. It's a thesaurus. You're both right -- and wrong. WordNet, developed by the Cognitive Science Laboratory at Princeton University, is an online lexical reference system using a design inspired by current psycholinguistic theories of human lexical memory. English nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are organized into synonym sets, each representing one underlying lexical concept. Got that? So let's say you type in a word like "beam." WordNet will give you all the meanings for it, then ask if you want synonyms based on the different meanings. It's an artificial intelligence kind of thing. Hmm. Might help searchers building search strategies or even catalogers building databases, too.

C'est Fini

According to yourDictionary.com, "There are 6,800 known languages spoken in the 191 countries of the world; 2,261 have writing systems (the others are only spoken), and about 260 are represented by online dictionaries." In this space, of course, I could only bring you a fraction of them. Still, I hope that some of these links will help in fostering understanding not only between us librarians and our patrons, but among all the people on our tiny planet. Peace.

These links worked fine in March 2003.

RELATED ARTICLE: Commercial online language resources

If you really want to learn another language online the easiest way is just to break down and pay for lessons. Commercial services offer the most complete lessons to both written and spoken languages. Here are some commercial vendors of online language classes.

Parlo

http://www.parlo.com/

Learn Spanish, French, Italian, or English online. A single payment of $39 to $69 U.S. dollars provides you 3 months of access to course resources. Take their assessment tests to see what courses would suit you best.

The Rosetta Stone

http://www.rosettastone.com/home

Buy their $200 CD-ROM products to learn one of 24 languages, including Arabic, Welsh, and Swahili. Or, pay less than $25 per month for access to their lessons online.

WorldLanguage.com

http://www.worldlanguage.com/

Here is an extensive catalog of commercial language products. These are not Web-based materials, but rather books, tapes, and software. This company also sells other language-related accessories such as keyboards and videos.

Sacramento Extended Stay Hotel Courts Business Travelers.

Boasting a new top-floor meeting room designed with productivity and inspiration in mind, the TownePlace Suites Sacramento Cal Expo hotel said it is a perfect choice for extended-stay travelers whether traveling for business or pleasure.

"The TownePlace team is very excited about our new meeting room and what it has to offer," expressed General Manager Terry Park. "With the multiple selections of hotels in this area, it helps us to offer a more complete solution for anyone's stay. We're excited to offer such a unique and productivity-inspiring space."

In a release, the company noted:

-Located on the top floor of one of the most distinctive business hotels in Sacramento, this new 800 square-foot meeting room seats 50 theater-style; 45 in a classroom setting and 40 for banquets.

-Ideal for planning a business meeting in Sacramento, this Cal Expo hotel venue is fully equipped with a 52" LCD TV/monitor, floor outlets and wireless/Ethernet Internet access. A complete line of audio-visual equipment is also available along with catering services for breakfast and lunch gatherings.

As a premier extended stay hotel in Sacramento, the TownePlace Suites also provides guests with convenient access to major destinations in the Sacramento area, including the California State Capital, Old Town Sacramento and Sacramento State University. Located on Business I-80, guests will also find it easy to access nearby communities such as Roseville, Rancho Cordova, Cherry Island, Folsom and West Sacramento.

-Recognizing the varied needs of travelers, the TownePlace Suites Sacramento Cal Expo hotel offers four different floor plans ranging from simple studios to two-bedroom suites, each outfitted with luxury bedding, king or queen sized beds and sound proof windows to ensure every opportunity for a good night's rest. All suites feature a full kitchen, complimentary Internet access, cable/satellite tv, premium movie channels and pay-per-view movie options. Suites also include a separate sitting area, well-lit work desk, access to personalized voice mail and complimentary high-speed Internet access.

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

PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OCEAN CITY SEX OFFENDER PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.

BALTIMORE, MD. -- The following information was released by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland:

Lawrence Franklin King III, age 41, a previously convicted sex offender living in Ocean City, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Anne Arundel County Police Chief James Teare, Sr.; Colonel Terrence Sheridan, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Worcester County Sheriff Reggie T. Mason, Sr.; and Worcester County State's Attorney Beau Oglesby.

"Encouraging strong partnerships between federal and local prosecutors ensures that offenders like Mr. King are held wholly accountable for their actions, safeguarding our local neighborhoods," said Beau Oglesby, State's Attorney For Worcester County.

According to King's plea agreement, in 2002, King was convicted in Baltimore of sexual abuse of a child and sentenced to 10 years in prison, all suspended. In the summer of 2010, law enforcement received a complaint regarding child pornography involving King. During a search of King's residence on October 1, 2010, law enforcement recovered over 600 videos and images documenting the sexual abuse of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images including prepubescent children, as well as depictions of sadistic and masochistic activity. King admitted to downloading thousands of images of child pornography from the internet, which he stored on his computer. King admitted that he had to move child pornography from his laptop to CDs and DVDs to free up space on his laptop.

King faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson has scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2011, at 11:30 a.m.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland's program are available at www.justice.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Anne Arundel County Police Department, Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff's Office and Worcester County State's Attorney's Office for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson Mihok, who is prosecuting the case.

Federal Communications Commission Approves CenturyLink-Qwest Merger.

Companies Expect to Complete the Transaction and Combine Operations on April 1

MONROE, La. and DENVER, March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today approved the pending merger between CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) and Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090602/DA26511LOGO)

During the review process by the FCC, the companies made several voluntary commitments that will significantly advance the commission's goals of promoting infrastructure investment and expanding broadband availability, while protecting consumers and fostering competition. CenturyLink committed to increase broadband service availability, encourage the adoption of broadband service in the combined service territory, preserve certain competitive rates, and transition wholesale operations systems in a timely and orderly manner.

"We are pleased to receive the Commission's approval and appreciate their hard work during the review of our proposed transaction," said Glen F. Post, III, chief executive officer and president of CenturyLink. "The merger of CenturyLink and Qwest will bring greater broadband availability to customers and serves the public interest by allowing us to offer a wider variety of services than either company could offer alone."

"The FCC's approval solidifies our plan to complete the transaction on April 1," said Edward A. Mueller, chairman and chief executive officer of Qwest. "The combination of CenturyLink and Qwest will create a new force in the telecommunications industry that will provide its customers with innovative solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow."

The companies expect to close the merger and combine operations on April 1, 2011, subject to receipt of the remaining necessary regulatory approval. As previously announced, the combined company will use the name CenturyLink and its stock will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under CenturyLink's current symbol, CTL. Qwest shares outstanding at the end of the business day immediately prior to the close date will convert to CenturyLink shares on the close date at an exchange rate of 0.1664 share of CenturyLink for each share of Qwest.

MERGER UPDATE

* The merger has been approved by 20 states and the District of Columbia.

* CenturyLink and Qwest already have reached agreements with Integra Telecom, Cox Communications and other competitive local exchange carriers, and the U.S. Department of Defense in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Washington.

* In October, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) agreed that the merger is in the public interest.

* Shareholders from both companies approved the merger in August.

* The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission cleared the transaction in July after determining there were no antitrust concerns.

* As of Dec. 31, 2010, CenturyLink served approximately 2.4 million broadband customers, 6.5 million access lines and almost 628,000 satellite video subscribers. On the same date, Qwest served 2.9 million broadband customers, 8.9 million access lines, more than 1 million video subscribers and more than 1 million wireless customers. The combination will create a robust 180,000-route-mile national fiber network, which will increase the combined company's scale and enable the delivery of a diverse mix of service and product offerings.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

* Merger website: centurylinkqwestmerger.com.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink is a leading provider of high-quality broadband, entertainment and voice services over its advanced communications networks to consumers and businesses in 33 states. CenturyLink, headquartered in Monroe, La., is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations. For more information on CenturyLink, visit www.centurylink.com.

About Qwest

Customers coast to coast turn to Qwest's industry-leading national fiber-optic network and world-class customer service to meet their communications and entertainment needs. For residential customers, Qwest offers a new generation of fiber-optic-fast Internet service, high-speed internet solutions, as well as home phone, Verizon Wireless, and DIRECTV services. Fortune 500 companies and other large businesses and wholesale customers, as well as small businesses and governmental agencies, choose Qwest to deliver a full suite of network, data and voice services. Additionally, Qwest participates in Networx, the largest communications services contract in the world and is recognized as a leader in the network services market by leading technology industry analyst firms.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this communication, including statements regarding the expected timing and benefits of the acquisition such as efficiencies, cost savings, enhanced revenues, growth potential, market profile and financial strength, and the competitive ability and position of the combined company, and other statements identified by words such as "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the ability of the parties to timely and successfully receive the required approvals of regulatory agencies and their respective shareholders; the possibility that the anticipated benefits from the acquisition cannot be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the possibility that costs or difficulties related to the integration of Qwest's operations into CenturyLink will be greater than expected; the ability of the combined company to retain and hire key personnel; the timing, success and overall effects of competition from a wide variety of competitive providers; the risks inherent in rapid technological change; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry; the ability of the combined company to effectively adjust to changes in the communications industry and to successfully introduce new product or service offerings on a timely and cost-effective basis; any adverse developments in commercial disputes or legal proceedings; the ability of the combined company to utilize net operating losses in amounts projected; changes in our future cash requirements; and other risk factors and cautionary statements as detailed from time to time in each of CenturyLink's and Qwest's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). There can be no assurance that the proposed acquisition will in fact be consummated. You should be aware that new factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to identify all such factors nor can we predict the impact of each such factor on the acquisition or the combined company. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this communication. Unless legally required, CenturyLink and Qwest undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE CenturyLink

-Travelzoo Gains Popularity in Europe.

Travel Business Review-March 8, 2011--Travelzoo Gains Popularity in Europe(C)2011] ENPublishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk

Travel Business Review - 08 March 2011

Travelzoo Inc (NASDAQ: TZOO), a US-based internet travel company, has announced an update on its popularity in Europe.

The company is currently offering its services to around five million subscribers to its publications in Europe. During first eight weeks of 2011, the company has announced addition of 414,671 net new subscribers in Europe.

Chris Loughlin, the company chief executive officer, said 'It's extremely fulfilling for all of us at Travelzoo to surpass this milestone of 5 million subscribers in Europe. Travelzoo was founded on the fundamental belief that honest recommendations about outstanding deals at top-notch businesses will attract a large and high-quality subscriber base. Surpassing the 5 million mark emboldens us and reinforces our belief that in the long run, quality leadership is key to our success.'

[Editorial queries for this story should be sent to tbr@enpublishing.co.uk]

((Distributed via M2 Communications - http://www.m2.com)).END.PUB430>PDMarch 8, 2011>JNTRAVEL BUSINESS REVIEW.PRICEDATENOT APPLICABLE.DAY

At Deadline.(At Deadline)

Byline: Editorial Staff

FINRA Slaps Lincoln Fin'l For Major Security Lapse

Lincoln Financial Group says it took swift action to safeguard private consumer information and beef up its security policies, after it discovered vulnerabilities in a Web-based system that stored consumer account records for two of its business units.

Those weaknesses came to full light after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority imposed fines totaling $600,000 on Lincoln Financial Securities and Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. because of the previous security lapses. Both are broker dealers under Lincoln Financial Group, based in Radnor, Pa.

The regulator said the companies had failed to adequately safeguard non-public customer information. It also said that Lincoln Financial Services did not require brokers working remotely to install security application software on their own personal computers to protect the firm's securities business.

Lincoln Financial Securities took the heavier hit, with $450,000 in fines, leaving Lincoln Financial Advisors with a $150,000 punishment. FINRA said that LFS and LFA, for seven and two years, respectively, allowed current and former employees to access customer account records through any Internet browser. This access was through shared user names and passwords. Worse, according to FINRA, neither firm had policies dictating which employees had the login information. They were, therefore, not able to track which employees-or how many, for that matter-had gained access to the site during the seven-and two-year periods.

Also, the Web-based system that the firms used combined non-public customer account information from various sources and allowed employees to view the customer account information within a single site. They could access the system from two wide-open points: a link on the firm's website and any Internet browser.

52% of Wealthy Plan to Buy Stocks in the Coming Year

Fifty-two percent of the wealthiest Americans, those with a net worth between $5 million and $25 million, not including their primary residence, plan to buy individual stocks or stock funds in the coming 12 months, according to a new report from Spectrem Group. This makes equities the most popular choice for these ultra-high-net-worth investors, followed by the intention of 35% to invest in cash or cash equivalents, 33% to invest in international securities and 31% to put money in fixed income products. These investors currently have 10% of their total investable assets in such cash products as money market funds, checking and savings accounts, Treasury bills and CDs, with an average account balance of $659,000 at the end of 2010.

Fidelity 401(k) Accounts Hit 10-Year Average High

Fidelity reported that the average 401(k) account balance held with it hit a 10-year high of $71,500 at the end of 2010. For participants who continuously contributed to their 401(k) the average balance increased to $183,100 from $59,100 a decade ago. The average contribution rate remained at 8.2% for the eighth straight quarter.

Quote of the Week

"The broader news flow on the economy has been better, even if the housing market is in a slow bleed."

-Ethan Harris

Economist

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Studies Conducted at R. Shor et al on Gemology Recently Published.

"The diamond, colored stone, and pearl businesses have witnessed unprecedented change since the turn of the 21st century. Not only have new markets for gems emerged around the world, but channels of distribution have also changed dramatically as a result of economic forces and political pressures," scientists in the United States report.

"De Beers abandoned its single-channel seller role, which created for the first time in over a century a competitive rough diamond market. Political problems in Madagascar and a ban on gem exports from Myanmar disrupted supply channels for sapphire and ruby. And the proliferation of new sales avenues, through the Internet and TV, has given consumers much more information about gems and forever changed the way they buy them. The use of gems to subsidize bloody conflicts and repressive regimes has moved the trades to become more accountable, as concerns over terrorism and illicit trading have created a new legal environment," wrote R. Shor and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "At the same time, a new class of consumers who value ethically, socially, and environmentally friendly products are making their demands known in the gemstone business."

Shor and colleagues published their study in Gems & Gemology (An Era Of Sweeping Change In Diamond And Colored Stone Production And Markets. Gems & Gemology, 2010;46(3 Sp. Iss.):166-187).

For additional information, contact R. Shor, GIA, Carlsbad, CA, USA.

The publisher's contact information for the journal Gems & Gemology is: Gemological Institute American, 5345 Armada Dr., Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA.

Keywords: City:Carlsbad, State:CA, Country:United States, Gemology

This article was prepared by Mining & Minerals editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Mining & Minerals via VerticalNews.com.