| Stalingrad, a bloody story
Strolling through the avenues and tree-lined squares of Volgograd, it is easy to forget that this is a city drenched in blood. The former Stalingrad, however, is filled with reminders of the battle that marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Just the name Stalingrad evokes the horror of a clash that cost almost two million lives in the Russian winter of 1942-43. On the flat steppe beyond the city, Russians are still burying the dead almost 65 years later. The Second World War is better known here as the Great Patriotic War. After a year of humiliating defeats by the Nazi invaders, Stalingrad was the turning point that led to the Soviet Union’s victory, which was won at the price of 26 million dead. In the year since I moved to Moscow, I have come to realise how heavily this sacrifice weighs on the psyche of Russians, who are sensitive to any perceived threats to their homeland.
Area business owner wants crime prevention guidelines
A small business owner in Montgomery whose car repair shop was burglarized recently is tired of being a victim. Shorty's Car Care on South Perry Street was broken into Nov. 12 by thieves who tore a hole through a fence and stole more than $2,500 worth of electronics, car batteries and personal items out of custom�ers' cars, said store owner Bra�dy Hamm. The business has been plagued by crime for years and Hamm said he's finally fed up. The automotive repairman wants to guard his business by using attack dogs, electric fences and razor wire, but is concerned no one in city govern�ment seems to be able to advise him on how much protection is legal. "All I want to do is protect my business from crooks, but I don't want to break the law," Hamm said.
Brown launches plea to judge him on delivering ‘long-term stability’
Gordon Brown sought to regain the political initiative yesterday with an impassioned plea to the electorate to judge him on his ability to deliver long-term economic stability. Mr Brown, speaking to journalists accompanying him to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Uganda, acknowledged the recent torrid headlines but blamed them on events beyond the government's control. He argued the economic policies put in place would give Britain the strength to withstand turbulence around the world. He said: "We have events to deal with sometimes. These are decisions you have to make where you have to react to events in other parts of the world or events over which you have no control yourself. The question at the end of the day is, people should take a long-term view about what we are trying to achieve.
Local businesspeople honored in Somerset Co.
One is a leader in the insurance industry. Another is an innovator in "green" design. One has helped a local company grow while tending to her own family's needs, and a fourth has shown what a high school junior can accomplish in the small-business world.
These people are among the best local businesspeople and businesses being honored next month by the Somerset County Business Partnership. The recipients of the Outstanding Business Person and Economic Vitality awards for 2007 will be feted at the Annual Meeting of the organization Dec. 4 at the Bridgewater Marriott. Here is a look at this year's individual winners: Patrick A. Cozza Cozza is one of the SCBP's winners for having a single vision in developing a multichannel distribution network as president and chief executive officer of HSBC Insurance.
Software watchdog zeroes in on "little guys"
Michael Gaertner worried he could lose his company. A group called the Business Software Alliance was claiming that his 10-person architectural firm was using unlicensed software. The alliance demanded $67,000 — most of one year's profit — or else it would seek more in court. "It just scared the hell out of me," Gaertner said. An analysis by The Associated Press reveals that targeting small businesses is lucrative for the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the main copyright-enforcement watchdog for such companies as Microsoft, Adobe Systems and Symantec. Of the $13 million that the BSA reaped in software-violation settlements with North American companies last year, almost 90 percent came from small businesses, The AP found.
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