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A sparse community of microbes can persist for eons in the clay beneath the deep blue sea. When scientists drilled into the Pacific Ocean bottom and pulled up a long core of clay, they also pulled up microbes living on so little that it was hard for the scientists to tell if they were alive in the first place.

The microbes are still being precisely identified but they are not like the other deep-sea extremophiles that scientists have found everywhere from hydrothermal vents to more than a kilometer beneath some parts of the ocean floor. These microbes, like those closer to the surface, rely on oxygen to live?unlike other denizens of the deep sea muck that find the reactive element inimical to their lifestyle and were driven to the dark, secret places of the planet when photosynthetic organisms like plankton began to fill the atmosphere with oxygen more than 2 billion years ago.

The site where these microbes were found is beneath the North Pacific Gyre, a massive whirl of current north of Hawaii. Since there is hardly any land nearby, precious little dead plankton and other nutritious detritus falls to the seafloor?only 0.2 millimeters accumulates every thousand years?and what does mostly gets consumed by quicker-living microbes on the surface of the seafloor. But when scientists drilled a core during a cruise of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution?s Knorr research vessel, they found roughly 1,000 cells of these bacteria and archaea living in extreme slow-motion in a cubic centimeter?s worth of mud core from 20 meters below the bottom of the ocean.

That depth suggests these microbes have persisted for 86 million years and haven?t seen fresh food since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. To cope, these newly-found microbes use oxygen to respire?or convert food into energy and release the waste byproducts?10,000 times slower than microbes on the surface of the seafloor, leading the scientists who conducted the research, and published it in Science on May 18, to write that ?these microbial communities may be living at the minimum energy flux needed for prokaryotic cells to subsist.?

That also suggests that these microbes might be thousands of years old?or even older?thanks to an extreme lifestyle of eating, breathing and building new cells only every few hundred years or more. In other words, live slow to die old.

Image: Photo by Bo Barker J?rgensen ? Science / AAAS

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In today?s society, technology is increasingly becoming one of the key industries changing the way we operate our daily lives. Each day, new innovative advances in technology are being created and mass-produced to the public.

In turn this has created a high-tech world lead by technology as the key source of knowledge and power. One of the main benefits of technology is its ability to help individuals and businesses, and the reason why Uri Maimon decided to design his very own accounting software for micro-sized businesses.

Uri Maimon is the founder of Nominal Accounting Software. A self-proclaimed technophile, Uri has been programming since he was 10 years old, and still retains a passion for software and computing. Nominal Accounting is a specifically designed product designed to help micro and small sized businesses (sole traders, consultants, businesses with 5 or less staff) with required accounting needs in a simple and straightforward product.

Nominal Accounting enables business owners to create invoices, purchases, expenses, reports, even submit BAS and integrate into PayPal accounts.

Born and raised in Israel, Uri has since been living and working in Australia for over ten years. Starting out in the IT industry as a customer support technician, he worked his way up to project management before starting out with his own IT consultancy business. As his business grew, Uri was shocked to learn of the limited number of accounting software packages available for small and micro business owners.

?The existing products all seemed to be over complicated, expensive and used ancient technology?,? says Maimon.

After exploring the options available, Uri decided to create his own software package. He based his design and features on the simple question ?Will it be simple enough for an Australian micro business owner to operate and provide full functionality and business insights in an easy-to-use format?? and from there, Nominal Accounting was born.

One of the biggest challenges he has faced through his journey is creating a new category. ???I wanted a micro business management software that broke away from existing software products dominated by the likes of MYOB and QuickBooks.?? ? The key driver behind Nominal Accounting was to create something innovative, easy, simple and effective that was not already on the market.

A key challenge Uri has faced on his journey has been learning the ins and outs marketing a product like Nominal Accounting.?Positioning and branding is not about what you say or do but about what space you occupy in the mind of the prospect?,Maimon states.

?As a small company, finding your place in an incredibly competitive market is often a difficult task. Nominal Accounting has distinguished itself by targeting a niche market and emphasising the micro business aspect of the audience. We have created a new category and seek to be the leader in this category through understanding our audience and going over and above their needs?

Nominal Accounting seeks to achieve an effective and simple solution for all micro business owners in Australia, using current technology and integrating with other systems used by small business, such as online payments.

?We provide simple accounting software that allows Australian micro businesses do their bookkeeping by themselves. Often micro business owners don?t know much about bookkeeping and don?t have time to invest in training, they also don?t need complicated features but still need to do things like submit their BAS, create payslips and keep GST records. Nominal provides a simple solution that makes it easy to get started and still includes all the features necessary for a micro business owner?,? Maimon says.

Since developing Nominal Accounting, Uri has successfully expanded the business and now faces his own challenges as it continues to grow. For those aspiring business owners, or anyone currently involved in running their own business Uri believes that reading is the best tip to help up skill and learn new areas quickly.

?I have found that reading books in all departments of business helps you see and identify patterns that can often transfer to your own business situations. My initial naive thinking was that if a product A cost X and is of a certain feature and quality, and product B cost less and has better features and quality, than it should be easy to sell at least some product of B.

The error of my ways soon hit me: No one is going to care about a product which is a little bit better and/or a little bit cheaper unless we find something they really care about?

Awareness is a huge part of the marketing and growth strategy for Uri and something that he is largely focused on at this stage of the business?s growth.

?We have a very big awareness gap which we?re looking for innovative and cost effective ways to close. Our website has X visitors/month, out of which 10% download the trial version, out of which 50% try the software, out of which Y% actually but the software. Our main challenge is to increase both the X value and the Y value of this vital statistics of our business. Google Analytics has been an invaluable tool in growing Nominal to where it is today?

?

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Cell phones have come a long way since the early days of the 1980s when they were the size of a brick and weighed almost as much. Today, cellular phones come with built-in cameras, polyphonic ringtones, and high-tech games. New 3G mobile phones are also capable of downloading full motion video and full spectrum music. Whereas there were only a few manufacturers of cell phones in the 1980s, today there are many. In addition to original manufacturers such as Motorola and Siemens, today phones are manufactured by Sony-Ericsson, LG, Toshiba, Samsung, Hitachi, Danger, Palm, HP and others.

As wireless cell phone use increases around the globe, the old CDMA and TDMA standards are being replaced with GSM, the global standard outside of North America. Relatively new mobile phone companies such as Vodafone and T-Mobile in Germany and NTT DoCoMo in Japan have taken advantage of increased cell phone use by expanding their mobile phone offerings and plans world-wide. Also, traditional computer companies are moving or have moved into the cell phone industry?PalmOne manufactures the Treo 650, HP is coming out with its own smartphone PDA and Microsoft powers the operating systems of many of the newest cell phones on the market.

In addition to being used as a method of wireless voice communication, cell phones have within the last decade morphed into mobile computing platforms. These new cell phones are powerful enough to power many applications that only a few years ago required one to be stationed at a desktop computer.

Concurrent with technological innovation and increased adoption worldwide, prices for both hardware and service plans have dropped steadily over the last decade. Whereas only a few years ago most cell phone service providers required 3 year contracts with heavy penalties for early cancellation, now one can get a free state-of-the-art phone with only a one year contract.

Beyond the cell phone hardware, whole new industries have sprung up catering to the needs of cell phone users who demand accessories such as cell phone covers, screen-savers, and ring tones. As well, SMS (simple messenging system) and MMS (multimedia messenging system) lingo is slowly entering the cell phone society vernacular. Use of shorthand abbreviations such as LOL (laughing out loud), SWAK (sealed with a kiss) and G2G (got to go) has become second nature to teenagers who are the main users of phone messenging globally.

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It is usually stated that one of the biggest pressure relievers would be to have is really a animal, especially a pet dog. Puppies are usually brought to therapeutic services to ease individuals and carry them joy. Obviously, in case you have ever endured a new dog dog at home, you no doubt know that it will deliver just as much stress since it does smiles. The perfect time to get started on instruction your pet dog begins after it is nonetheless a pup. Nonetheless, whatever the age, instilling efficient learning your pet dog is very valuable now and in the long run. They are some methods that exist the most entertainment from the pet via dog training.

Does your pet dog draw around the leash? This is probably the most common complaints managers have about their canines, and it?s also unbelievably an easy task to solution. Head over to your local pet offer retail store and grab a funnel just for a few money ? harnesses dramatically lessen tugging, to make walks satisfying yet again!

If you are training your doggy good friend, use what is known primary support. Main encouragement uses something which is natural for your pet to really like being a compensate forever habits. Principal reinforcements consist of employing meals as treats and rubbing your dog?s stomach. This will likely teach your puppy ways to get something he already desires.

Enabling your dog to socialize is a vital component of education. Some adverse animal behaviors come about when dogs have not been unveiled in new folks (which include children), other wildlife, or various adjustments. Helping your dog turn out to be comfortable with new activities reduces the chance that your puppy will concern or work assertively inside a new condition.

Training your pet dog can actually provide numerous challenges in addition to rewards. Adhering to these tips and tricks for coaching your dog persistently can lead to a much better-behaved canine. Time put in now to put into practice these methods implies you will see more hours to take pleasure from the business of man?s closest friend.

I recommend you visit my site in Spanish on how to educate http://comoeducaraunperro.com/. Find more useful information, especially tips for raising a dog, clic here.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Authorities in California took the unusual step of jailing and charging a tuberculosis patient who they say refused to take medication to keep his disease from becoming contagious.

Health officials said Armando Rodriguez, 34, of Stockton, has active pulmonary tuberculosis, which can include coughing up blood or phlegm and can spread through the air.

Rodriguez has been noncompliant with his treatment and could become contagious as a result, Ginger Wick, nursing director for San Joaquin County, said in a letter requesting a warrant for Rodriguez‘s arrest.

After failing one time to give himself the drugs, Rodriguez told a nurse he had gone on an alcohol binge and taken methamphetamine and didn’t want to hurt his liver, Wick said in her letter.

Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday and is expected to be arraigned Thursday on two misdemeanor counts of refusing to comply with a tuberculosis order to be at home at certain times and make appointments to take his medication.

He will likely be appointed a public defender.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that usually attacks the lungs. Many people have a latent form, and the active form usually only affects adults whose immune systems are compromised, which can happen from drug use.

Public health experts are divided on the issue of mandatory treatment and criminal charges for patients who don’t comply with treatment orders.

Many of those who do support criminal prosecution in the rarest of cases when public health is in jeopardy oppose the jailing of patients.

“I think it’s an error to confine someone in the criminal justice system for a public health crime,” said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University public health law professor who drafted a model law adopted by several states struggling with the issue. “The whole intention is to protect the public’s health. It’s not to lay blame on someone.”

Implementing mandatory treatment should be a last resort, and prosecuting someone for disobeying a public health order is unhelpful and sends the wrong message if protecting public health is the intent, Gostin said.

Instead, the afflicted should be given incentives such as transportation to and from treatments rather than punishment as an incentive to take their medicine, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said laws to control the spread of tuberculosis have been in use for more than a century, though regulations differ in each state.

As many as 12,000 new cases of tuberculosis are reported in the country each year, the CDC reported. California recorded 2,317 new cases in 2011, a low since records have been kept.

Nonetheless, officials throughout the nation continue to struggle to stop the spread of tuberculosis, with several drug-resistant strains emerging in recent years.

Federal and state officials don’t keep records of the number of people prosecuted for refusing to take their medicines. But some say it’s exceedingly rare to file criminal charges in such cases.

San Joaquin County has had more than 30 tuberculosis prosecutions since 1984, prosecutor Stephen Taylor said, noting the county is more aggressive than other jurisdictions in prosecuting patients to get them to take their medication.

“The criminal cases we’re dealing with generally involve drug users who are harder to treat and manage because the TB medicines conflict with street drugs,” he said. “We have to throw these people in jail and treat them as in-patients. They don’t cooperate as out-patients.”

Karen Furst, San Joaquin County public health officer, said the county arranges transportation and other services to help patients stick to their drug regimen and turns to the legal system only as a last resort.

“I have to make sure that if I’m aware that somebody is in a position that could possibly be spreading a disease to another person, that I take steps that are necessary to prevent that from happening,” she said.

Rodriguez was discharged in March from San Joaquin General Hospital with four medications for active tuberculosis and agreed to take the drugs under observation by a county health official on weekdays and on his own on weekends, authorities said.

He allegedly refused to take the drugs on another day and then was not at home on three occasions and missed an appointment.

Each charge against Rodriguez carries a maximum penalty of a year behind bars. In her letter, Wick said Rodriguez would need nine months of treatment.

___

Associated Press writer Paul Elias in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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The private spaceflight company SpaceX is poised to launch a robotic capsule toward the International Space Station Saturday (May 19) on a test flight that, if successful, could be a watershed moment for the commercial space industry. But while SpaceX has a NASA contract to provide cargo deliveries to the space station, the company and other private spaceship developers are looking to a future beyond NASA funding.

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX is one of several aerospace firms who are competing for NASA funding under the third and final phase of NASA’s commercial crew development program. Proposals for this stage of the competition, called Commercial Crew integrated Capability(CCiCap), require companies to present a complete launch system ? rocket and vehicle ? for consideration.

SpaceX intends to use a version of its current cargo ship, the robotic Dragon capsule,to fly up to seven passengers to the International Space Station and other destinations in low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft will launch atop the company’s own Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Private spaceships of tomorrow

SpaceX isn’t alone in the private spaceship game. The company is facing some stiff competition from other aerospace firms, including Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp. ?NASA is expected to announce at least two recipients for CCiCap funding awards in August.

Some of the contenders have said they intend to forge ahead with the development of their spacecraft regardless of whether they receive NASA funding or not.

“At SpaceX, we definitely hope to go forward in partnership with NASA, not only for financial reasons, but just also it’s been a very effective partnership during our cargo efforts as far as being able to tap into the great experience base in technology and know-how that NASA has,” said Garrett Reisman, SpaceX’s senior engineer for astronaut safety and mission assurance. [Gallery: Dragon, SpaceX's Private Spacecraft]

Reisman, Keith Reiley, deputy program manager of Boeing’s commercial crew development, and Mark Sirangelo, chairman and vice president of Sierra Nevada, participated in a panel discussion about the future of human spaceflight at the inaugural Spacecraft Technology Expo, which was held May 8-10 in Los Angeles.

But even if SpaceX is not selected for the final round of NASA funding, a crewed version of the Dragoncapsule will not be mothballed, Reisman said.

“[I]f we are not selected in this next phase, would we continue to work on human spaceflight? Absolutely,” he said. “We might proceed in different directions, we might proceed at a different pace with less resources available to us, but, oh yeah, we’re going to keep going.”

Other companies are not quite so sure.

U.S. space taxi evolution

Boeing is developing a gumdrop-shape capsule, called the CST-100, that could be ready to fly astronauts to the space station as early as 2015 or 2016, company officials have said. The spacecraft, which measures 14.8 feet (4.5 meters) across at its widest point, will be able to ferry up to seven astronauts to low-Earth orbit. [Photos: Boeing's CST-100 Capsule]

To date, NASA has provided Boeing with about $120 million for its commercial crew transportation work. Without further agency funding, Boeing officials are undecided about the future of the CST-100 capsule.

“It’s a tough question,” Reiley said. “I frankly don’t know. We’ve thought about it, but there’s not anything official that we’ve done. Obviously NASA would be providing a significant amount of money. Would the Boeing Company be willing to continue that at that level? I doubt it ? maybe at some lower level, but I really don’t know.”

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) announced its bid for CCiCap funding at the Spacecraft Technology Expo, presenting the Liberty rocket and capsule. Kent Rominger, ATK’s vice president and program manager for Liberty, told SPACE.com that the company will not stop developing the launch system if they are not selected by NASA.

The goal of executing the first crewed test flights of the Liberty system by 2015, however, would become much less realistic without CCiCap funding, he added.

A space market beyond NASA

Still, NASA is not the only client being considered by commercial spaceflight companies, which may mean other markets could be suitable for these vehicles, Sirangelo said.

At Sierra Nevada, Sirangelo and his team are developing a space plane, called Dream Chaser, to fly up to seven astronauts or other paying passengers to low-Earth orbit.

“We look at it from two perspectives: one is that NASA is certainly providing a lot of funding, but the destination of the ISS also adds a lot of complexity, and that complexity, if it weren’t there, there could be other destinations, other activities that are going on,” he explained.

Sirangelo pointed to Boeing’s X-37B spacecraft as an example of an unmanned, winged lifting body that could be used for other purposes.

“We think there are other markets that we can explore and look at, but clearly it’s like having an anchor tenant in a mall, and you can continue to have stores, but whether or not that mall gets built as quickly is, I think, the issue here.”

You can follow SPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcomand on Facebook.

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Bioscience Business In Asia Pacific (APAC): 10?Challenges

Posted by Rahul Dev on May 17, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

Bioscience Business In Asia Pacific (APAC): 10 Challenges

Article source: http://techcorplegal.com/Startup_Business/Blog/bio_business_asia_pacific.html

Full Article: http://techcorplegal.com/Articles/bio_business_asia.pdf

HTML Version: http://www.biospectrumasia.com/biospectrum/analysis/1260/challenges-businesses-apac/page/1

Recently, expert opinion of Advocate Rahul Dev, Bioscience Business Lawyer & Patent Attorney, was published in cover story of BioSpectrum Asia.

Life sciences companies face a number of challenges while operating in the Asia Pacific region. BioSpectrum takes a look at 10 such challenges. Opportunities in the Asia Pacific region come with a set of challenges, some of which are unique to the region. It is characterized by diverse therapeutic segments, different and complex regulatory laws and a fragmented market, and the global economic crisis has added a new layer of complexity to the already challenging environment. BioSpectrum identifies 10 challenges that are common to the region and are going to prove to be hurdles before the industry.

To read full article, click here.

Send?Advocate Rahul Dev?an email at?rahul [dot] d [at] techcorplegal [dot] com.

We regularly update our?Facebook page?and share similar stories on?Twitter. Do have a look at our fresh tweets, news items and articles, and join in our discussions about technology and business in today?s world.?

You can also check out our premium service offerings for?Mobile Applications, Social Media & Cyber Laws?and?Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Food & Healthcare?

To know more about us, get connected with the author on?LinkedIn?or mail us at?info [at] techcorplegal [dot] com.

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Filed under Business News, Patent VC funding, Patent Expert, Corporate Company, Business in India, Start New Business in India, Entrepreneur, incorporate legal entity ? Tagged with Patents, biotechnology, intellectual property, doing business in India, BioSpectrum Asia, Pharmaceuticals, Bioscience Business, Business Asia Pacific (APAC), 10 Challenges, Patent expert opinion, Bioscience Business Lawyer, Patent expert Attorney, Bio Corp Legal, cleantech, food tech, healthcare, human resources, Legal, regulatory affairs, Startup, Tech

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The best place to look for a really cheap airplane ticket is online. Travel agencies can?t compete with discount ticket sites. Search online, for finding a cheap airline ticket, do a Google search (?cheap airfare to?.) or try any of the well-known travel sites. The internet is a great place to search for and compare airline rates.Include travel date and return date in your query so that you can get a specific quotation for your trip.

Because you are looking to get really cheap airline fares and possible discounts, you will have to know the ins and outs of how airlines work. Here are some tips to help you on your way to finding cheap airline tickets so that you can travel in luxury on a budget:

The earlier you book a flight, the cheaper the airfare will be. Ahead of time booking can save you a lot of cash. If you are flexible as far as time is concerned, then make sure you make preparations way ahead of time. Most airlines offer special discounts for advanced booking. For a booking made late more will be charged. If you try to book a flight the day before you want to leave, the airlines will charge you the highest price imaginable.

On the other hand: Tickets at the last minute.

Last minute travel deals are the solution to a low-budget vacation that you may be looking for. One of the expensive parts of a quality vacation are the airline tickets to get to your destination. Looking for cheap airline travel, tickets can be very hard to find if you?re not looking in the right places and you never know from day to day which sites will find the cheapest flights.. Prices for airline tickets can fluctuate wildly. Check at least three places.

Seasonality.

The more the demand, the more expensive the airline tickets will be. If demand for a travel destination is high, then you are bound to spend more money. Flying to a destination during peak seasons is a sure way to spend two to three times as much as during the other seasons.

Flexibility.

The more flexible you are, the better your chance of getting a really cheap plane ticket. Different departure and return dates. Try all options that are offered. Options like Courier flights, for example, can be a great deal.

Tony Morrison was a hard-working travel agent for 16 years at a major airline corporation..I am about to share with you my extensive insider knowledge to show you can exploit the travel system right now and begin flying on demand around the world with any airline at a miniscule fraction of the regular costs you?re used to cough up!.

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1. Charter Air Plane For Travel
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4. Airline Travel Deals For Dream Vacation
5. Cheap Flight For Vacations

Tags: Agent, Airline, Cheap, Plane, Really, Reveals, Tickets, travel

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 at 1:13 pm and is filed under Airline Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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Back in 2005, when today’s Grade 1 pupils were newborns, Canada’s childcare industry was braced for a hostile takeover by an ambitious Australian businessman named Eddy Groves and his hugely successful ABC Learning empire.

Then a high-profile, Ferrari-driving, Brisbane-based mega-millionaire ? still a Canadian citizen from his own childhood years in B.C. ? the 38-year-old Groves was one of Australia’s richest men and the owner of a vast international network of childcare centres spanning Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the U.S.

Seven years on, his company in ruins and his Canadian passport at the centre of a legal drama that reached Australia’s Court of Appeal last week, a 45-year-old Groves has finally won the right to new bail conditions ? despite facing criminal charges related to ABC’s $1.6-billion collapse, and despite prosecutors’ objections that he’s a serious flight risk ? that will allow him to travel to this country to settle some business affairs before returning to face justice Down Under.

Groves, who reportedly owns properties in Nevada and Whistler, B.C., told media assembled outside a Brisbane courtroom on Friday that he intended to spend a “maximum of three weeks” in North America “to take care of a few things and then I’ll be back.”

But it was a hard-won victory for the fallen childcare king, who had surrendered his passport more than three years earlier. A judgment in his favour earlier this month at a state Supreme Court was appealed by Crown attorneys who are prosecuting Groves along with another former ABC Learning executive, Martin Kemp, for alleged illicit actions when the company began unraveling in 2008.

Prosecutor Michael Copley had stated there were no “compelling reasons” for Groves to go to North America, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“He faces a serious charge with the possibility of jail time,” Copley had argued. “He is a Canadian citizen. He has assets in Canada and the United States, and he has a bank account available to him in the state of Nevada . . . He’s not your average Australian citizen.”

But Groves’ defence lawyer Peter Davis had countered that his client had “been kept here for three years,” had a “genuine” need to travel to Canada and the U.S., and that there was no chance Groves would remain abroad to avoid his upcoming trial in Australia.

“He’s been here since he was four years of age,” Davis told the Herald. “All of his family is here and he’s engaged in litigation here . . .It was always going to boil down to a contest between the right to travel and the risk of flight.”

Groves, born in South Africa to Canadian parents, lived briefly in Victoria, B.C., as a youngster before his family moved to Australia.

In the 1980s, Groves and his wife started running a childcare business. Then, powered by subsidies introduced by the Australian government, Groves began acquiring and rebranding other daycares in Australia as part of his fast-growing ABC Learning Centres network.

International acquisitions followed, and by 2005 Groves owned a professional basketball team ? the Brisbane Bullets ? had acquired the media moniker “Fast Eddy” and had emerged as one of Australia’s best-known businessmen.

That’s when Groves seemed poised ? amid much fear and loathing among independent childcare providers and some social-service experts in Canada ? to launch an aggressive expansion of ABC’s childcare chain in his former home country.

“It sounds like a great opportunity,” he told a Toronto Star interviewer at the time. “What a great excuse to go back to that beautiful country that I love so much . . . There’s something about Canada that Australia doesn’t have. It would be great. A great opportunity.”

Two years later, there were still rumblings of an imminent Canadian invasion by ABC Learning. Childcare operators in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, Calgary and elsewhere began receiving letters in the fall of 2007 from ABC-backed scouts making acquisition inquiries.

But by early 2008, the Aussie firm was teetering under a heavy debt load and lurching toward bankruptcy ? a spectacular fall that led, eventually, to a two-year criminal probe and ABC’s breakup and sale by 2010.

? Copyright (c) Postmedia News

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