The Mississippi Business Journal articles from September 2005

The Mississippi Business Journal archives from September 2005

From the publisher.
September 5, 2005... The Mississippi Business Journal, a small business like so many others in the state, has been challenged by the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Katrina August 29th. Thankfully, we have been spared significant damage and loss at the MBJ,...

The day Mississippi disappeared: short- and long-term impact assessment of damage underway.
September 5, 2005... To the world outside the Magnolia State, Mississippi disappeared during the waning dog days of August. For days after Hurricane Katrina smashed into the Gulf Coast August 29, arguably the most destructive and costly hurricane in the...

Disaster recovery advice for small business owners.
September 5, 2005... Make emergency repairs to prevent further damage. Keep all receipts. Create a list of damaged contents. Take photos, if possible. And most importantly, contact only licensed vendors for repair estimates. "A lot of people are out there...

Six degrees of separation; two in the Magnolia State.
September 5, 2005... In the hour of need, the business community text-messaged, Blackberry-ed notes, and found other ways to try to link loved ones. "We've had calls from people across the country trying to locate people," said Mississippi Insurance...

Linda McCarthy readies for TelCom Center opening: first booking: World Assemblies Restoration Conference.(Focus Meetings & Conferences)(Mississippi Telecommunications and Conference Center )(Interview)
September 5, 2005... JACKSON -- These days, Linda McCarthy is constantly on the run. As manager of the Mississippi Telecommunications and Conference Center being built in downtown Jackson, she is overseeing the completion of construction, booking events, hiring a...

Conventions--2005/2006.(Calendar)
September 5, 2005... Conventions--2005/2006 Name of Association Address Phone Number Mississippi Association 555 Park Dr., Flowood, MS (601) 932-9325 of Realtors...

Illegal catering remains thorny issue for companies: businesses must consider liability possibilities.(Focus Meetings & Conferences)
September 5, 2005... Illegal catering remains a chief concern among professional restaurateurs and caterers statewide, who say the powers-that-be are stymieing efforts to thwart major events being staged by illegal operators. "It has always been a critical...

Hotels.
September 5, 2005... Hotels Name Address Phone Beau Rivage * 875 Beach Blvd. (228) 386-7171 Biloxi, MS 39530 Grand Casino Tunica 13615 Old Hwy. 61 N. (662)...

Magnolia State holds court at World Expo in Japan: Mississippi delegation focuses on tourism development.(Focus)
September 5, 2005... Of the handful of states that participated in the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, Mississippi was the only one that focused solely on tourism. On Thursday, August 4, Gov. Haley Barbour led a delegation charged with expanding Mississippi's...

Metro-area coffeehouses cater to wide range of clientele.(Focus Restaurants, Art & Entertainment)
September 5, 2005... According to the National Coffee Association, 49% of Americans age 18 or older drink some type of coffee beverage daily. The care segment of the specialty coffee market, including cafes, drive-thrus, roasters and sidewalk carts, generated more...

Museums.
September 5, 2005... Museums Names, Year Founded Operating Hours Admission Price Address Phone/FAX No. of Yearly Visitors Beauvior, The ...

Performing arts organizations offering full seasons.(Focus Restaurants, Art & Entertainment)
September 5, 2005... JACKSON -- From the Mississippi Symphony kicking off its Bravo! Series with work by composer Samuel Jones to New Stage Theatre's admittedly self-referential season, from the Mississippi Opera's first collaboration with the University of...

Legend of Doe's Eat Place spreads via franchising.(Focus Restaurants, Art & Entertainment)
September 5, 2005... GREENVILLE -- During the 1950s, word about the steaks and hot tamales at a dilapidated restaurant in a decidedly downscale section of this Delta city spread all over the Mississippi Delta and was beginning to reach people beyond that. Doe's Eat...

Art meets economic development in college town.(Focus Restaurants, Art & Entertainment)
September 5, 2005... OXFORD -- On a muggy July night in this North Mississippi college town, scores of people gathered at the Southside Gallery on the square for the opening reception of an exhibition by two painters, while a few doors away, the closing reception...

Heidel takes city's top economic development post.(Focus Restaurants, Art & Entertainment)(Jimmy Heidel)
September 5, 2005... JACKSON -- On August 24, Jimmy Heidel's world upside down again. But this time, he was happy to the topsy-turvy situation. Jackson Mayor Frank Melton appointed the former economic development chief as the Capital City's lead economic...

Mississippi Economic Development Council.(People to Watch)
September 5, 2005... The Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC) recently honored several outstanding individuals selected for the Volunteers of the Year awards. Van Evans is a founding member and president of the Swedish Kellum American Chamber of...

Prudential Financial.(People to Watch)
September 5, 2005... Julian Watson of Prudential Financial in Jackson, earned the honor of attending the 2005 Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) annual meeting in New Orleans this summer. Watson, a local business leader and 27-year MDRT member, was among...

First State Bank.(People to Watch)
September 5, 2005... Linda Cran has been promoted to vice president and auditor of First State Bank in Waynesboro. Cran has been employed with First State Bank for 27 years. She graduated from Jones County Junior College and is certified by the Independent...

Mississippi Department of Employment Security.(appointed Jim Nelson Jr. )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... MDES named Jim Nelson Jr. of Jackson as the state Workforce Investment Act (WIA) equal opportunity officer and Section 504 coordinator. Nelson has served as chief of the equal opportunity department four years and has worked for MDES for 22...

American Medical Response.(promoted Joe Pol)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... American Medical Response (AMR) announced that Joe Pol has been promoted to the position of primary field supervisor for the company's South Mississippi operations. Pol, a longtime resident of Gulfport and a tenured EMS professional, has worked...

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C.(being awarded as best lawyers)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Eleven attorneys with the Jackson office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C., are named in the prominent listing of "The Best Lawyers in America's 2006" directory, including managing shareholder James Dossett. Designates to...

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.(People to Watch)
September 5, 2005... Scott Woods of Jackson has been appointed by the Department of Defense as the chair of the Mississippi Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) committee. He was among 12 new volunteer chairs recently appointed by David Janes, national...

The CPI Group Inc.(People to Watch)
September 5, 2005... Terry Barnes was recently awarded The CPI Group's Employee Quarterly Safety Award. Recipients are chosen based on their tenure and length on assignment with CPI while maintaining an accident-free work record. Barnes is a CPI employee working at...

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).(People to Watch)
September 5, 2005... Dr. Edwin A. Theriot, director of the Environmental Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, has been reassigned to chief of the Interagency and International Services Division, Directorate of...

Jaquith Nursing Home.(appointed Bruce McFarland )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Bruce McFarland of Madison has been promoted to nursing home administrator of Jaquith Inn at Jaquith Nursing Home (JNH) on Mississippi State Hospital's Whitfield campus. McFarland, who's been employed by MSH for 12 years, earned his bachelor's...

Coast struggles to cope with loss of thousands of businesses, jobs.
September 12, 2005... MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST -- As many as a third of the homes in Ocean Springs have been destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. And Ocean Springs got off lightly compared to Waveland and Bay St. Louis on the western part of the...

Realistic assessment of risk critical to recovery.(As I See It)
September 12, 2005... Hurricane Katrina has shocked us senseless. We were warned that it would be bad but we didn't realize how bad it actually would be. Our friends and family members on the Gulf Coast have been dealt a devastating blow, as have our neighbors in...

Together despite overwhelming loss.(Hurricane Katrina)(Column)
September 12, 2005... OCEAN SPRINGS -- Like many Coast residents, I stayed home for Hurricane Katrina. And, like almost all of them, I started questioning the wisdom of that decision when the Gulf of Mexico decided to come into my living room. The first...

Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC).(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... The Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC) recently honored several outstanding individuals selected for the Volunteers of the Year awards. Bruce Nourse, director of public affairs of the Beau Rivage Resort, currently serves on the...

Guild Hardy Architects, P.A.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Joseph Echols has joined Guild Hardy Architects, P.A., as one of the firm's intern architects. A native of Holly Springs, Echols has two years' experience working as an intern architect. He received a bachelor of architecture in 2003 from...

Harrah's Entertainment.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Jerry Boone has been appointed regional vice president, human resources, for Harrah's Entertainment. Boone worked in Las Vegas as senior vice president of human resources for Harrah's Entertainment. He has excelled in the field of law in...

The CPI Group Inc.(Meghan Culver joined)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Meghan Culver recently joined the staff of The CPI Group Inc. as a recruiter for the firm's Golden Triangle market. She has several years of human resources and recruitment experience from a global manufacturer and marketer of brand name...

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Memorial Hospital at Gulfport announced that Dr. Henry H. Stonnington will be recognized by Brain Injury research journal of the International Brain Injury Association, with annual awards given in his name. Stonnington, medical director,...

Calvert Spradling Engineers.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Stanley J. Spradling, P.E., of Calvert Spradling Engineers Inc. of West Point, was recently elected as "Fellow" of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) by his peers, the highest honor bestowed in ACEC. Spradling has been active...

Smith Engineers.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Smith Engineers, a division of Picketing, is proud to announce that Steve Mosher, P.E., will relocate from the Pickering headquarters office in Memphis to the Southaven location. Mosher will serve as project manager for the firm's North...

Trinity Hospice of Mississippi.(Dee Irby Necaise named South Mississippi Nurse of the Year)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Dee Irby Necaise, LPN, a hospice nurse with Trinity Hospice of Mississippi, was named South Mississippi Nurse of the Year in the first annual competition sponsored by WLOX-TV (ABC) and Imperial Palace Casino and Hotel. Necaise, who was born...

GCO Flooring Outlet.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Matt Carroll of Pascagoula has joined the sales team of GCO Flooring Outlet in Gautier. Carroll comes to GCO with 11 years of sales/customer service experience. He has successfully completed GCO Flooring's national sales training program.

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton received a $50,000 check from Kroger for cleanup efforts caused by hurricane storm damage.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CAPTION: Jackson Mayor Frank Melton received a $50,000 check from Kroger for cleanup efforts caused by hurricane storm damage. Tracey Head, Carlton Evans, Chuck Head and Ronnie Barr, who are each Kroger store...

McCumber Inclan.(Robert G. "Bob" Anderson joined)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... McCumber Inclan, a Florida-based law firm, announced that Robert G. "Bob" Anderson has joined the firm as managing attorney for the firm's Mississippi office in Ridgeland. Anderson, a summa cum laude graduate of Millsaps College and a law...

South Mississippi Primary Care.(John Kliesch joined)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... John Kliesch, M.D., a board certified family practice physician, will begin seeing patients in his new office building on Main Street in Petal. Kliesch is a physician with South Mississippi Primary Care, a healthcare facility of Wesley Medical...

Dean and Dean/Associates Architects.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has named Gary W. LaRose, CSI, CCS, as a Fellow in the organization. LaRose is the technical services administrator at Dean and Dean/Associates Architects of Jackson. Of the 17,000-member...

Humana.(Rhonda R. Bagby joined)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Rhonda R. Bagby, CPA, has been named CFO for Humana's Southeast region overseeing financial management of the company's commercial health plans in nine states including Mississippi. Bagby previously worked for UnitedHealthcare and was an...

Miskelly Furniture.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Gentry Prestwood has been named store manager for Miskelly Furniture. Prestwood is re-locating his family back to Rankin County from Nashville. He received his business degree from Belhaven College in Jackson.

Hattiesburg Clinic.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Brian Rifkin, M.D., joined Hattiesburg Clinic in the practice of nephrology. Rifkin received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. He fulfilled his internship requirements at Milton S. Hershey...

Marketing Alliance Inc.(Mark Kitchens joined)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Mark Kitchens has joined Marketing Alliance Inc. in Brandon as senior art director. Prior to joining Marketing Alliance, Kitchens was partner in Blackwire Media, which specialized in Web development, 3d modeling, virtual reality and...

Balch & Bingham, LLP.(Ben H. Stone, H. Rodger Wilder and Terese T. Wyly selected for "The Best Lawyers in America ")(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Several Mississippi Balch & Bingham, LLP, attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2006 edition of "The Best Lawyers in America." Gulfport attorneys are: Ben H. Stone, energy law, gaming law; H. Rodger Wilder, energy law; and Terese T....

Pine Grove.(Lynwood Wheeler affirmed as Fellow by the American Academy of Counseling Psychology)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Lynwood Wheeler, Ph.D., psychologist at Pine Grove, Forrest General Hospital's Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, was recently affirmed as Fellow by the American Academy of Counseling Psychology (AACoP). Wheeler, who is board certified in...

Regions Bank.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Regions Bank officials have announced the promotion of Ben Broome of Ridgeland to assistant vice president and branch sales manager of the company's Leavell Woods office in Jackson. Broome has more than four years' experience in banking and...

CFA Society of Mississippi.(People to Watch)
September 12, 2005... Tony Edwards, CFA, CPA, was recently elected president of the CFA Society of Mississippi for 2005-2006. Edwards is senior vice president and portfolio manager in the Wealth Management Group at BankPlus in Ridgeland.

Hurricane Katrina hits Mississippi judicial system hard.(Focus)
September 12, 2005... Hurricane Katrina greatly disrupted many Mississippi attorneys' legal practices, temporarily halting progress through the pipeline of the judicial system. "Hurricane Katrina has crippled Mississippi's justice system," said Jackson attorney...

Paul Calhoun takes (presidential) reins at MSCPA; accounting society's 2,575 members celebrate 85 years in 2005.(A Mississippi Business Journal Q&A)(Interview)
September 12, 2005... A Mississippi Business Journal Q&A This year, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) celebrates its 85th anniversary, with Jackson CPA Paul Calhoun at the helm. Since June, Calhoun has led the 2,575-member...

MSCPA hosting not-for-profit conference September 16.(Law & Accounting)
September 12, 2005... For the second consecutive year, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) will host a conference for non-profit CPAs, covering diverse topics like meaningful reporting, how to manage a non-profit like a business and...

Watkins Ludlam looks to next century of service.(Focus)
September 12, 2005... One hundred years ago, the finishing touches had just been placed on Mississippi's New Capitol. James Vardaman was governor. William Faulkner was eight years old. Except for a smattering of cobblestone streets in downtown Jackson, dirt roads...

Legal profession bands together for disaster assistance; Web site, relief fund established within days.
September 12, 2005... Within four days after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast on its path through Mississippi, the American Bar Association (ABA) had established a Web site to help attorneys provide disaster assistance to storm victims. The Web site,...

CPA firms.(certified public accounting firms)(Illustration)
September 12, 2005... CPA FIRMS Number of Number of Name, Telephone Number Total Staff CPAs Year Number of Address Fax Founded Partners HORNE LLP (601) 948-0940 ...

Law firms.(Illustration)
September 12, 2005... Law Firms Year Founded/ Firm/Phone/Address/ Attorneys/ Associates/ Number of Top...

Jones leading Young Lawyer Division for The Mississippi Bar.(Law & Accounting)(Interview)
September 12, 2005... Amanda Jones never expected to pull double duty as president of The Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division (YLD). But after Hurricane Katrina ravaged Mississippi on August 29, she was firing on all cylinders despite having no electricity at her...

Legal fights expected over insurance claims from Katrina.(Focus)
September 12, 2005... One thing became clear almost before the last drop of storm surge flowed back into the Mississippi Sound following Hurricane Katrina: There is going to-be a huge legal fight over insurance. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale...

All businesses are the same, but some are different.(At Issue)
September 12, 2005... Nissan at Canton. Grumman at Pascagoula. Rolls Royce at Stennis. Large, international companies, we read about them and are thankful for their being part of the Mississippi economy. This is what we hear about and we tend to think they are...

Changes to corporate bankruptcy laws take effect October 17.(Focus)
September 12, 2005... Just as the roles for personal bankruptcies are changing, corporate bankruptcies will have new regulations effective October 17. On the national scene, it is felt that these changes may prompt ailing companies to rush to the courthouse in...

Pro bono rule change reporting period began August 1.(Law & Accounting)(Pro bono legal services)
September 12, 2005... Recently, the Mississippi Supreme Court amended the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct to require attorneys to report their annual hours of pro bono legal services to low-income people. The first reporting period began August 1 and...

Far from storm's landfall, metro businesses still see impact; wide range of businesses have been directly, indirectly affected by Katrina.
September 12, 2005... JACKSON -- John Evans, owner of Lemuria Bookstore in Banner Hall, said that hurricane weather had been pretty good for business in the past few years. Evacuees from the Coast came up to spend a few days in a hotel, see some sights and do some...

Hurricane Katrina leaves damaged crops, fuel frustrations.(Mississippi Crop Report)
September 12, 2005... STARKVILLE -- Mississippi's agricultural industry may have survived the initial impact of Hurricane Katrina only to become the victim of exorbitant fuel prices if farmers can find supplies at all. Reports from each of Mississippi's...

Will Hurricane Katrina be an economic disaster for state? Business leaders foresee economic boom rising from the ruins of Katrina.
September 12, 2005... Where do you even start when discussing the economic impacts of Hurricane Katrina? Sources quoted by the Associated Press said as many as a million people have been put out of work by Hurricane Katrina. On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, up to...

Casinos anticipate rebuilding--if concerns addressed; industry making case for land-based operations.
September 12, 2005... While the destruction to dockside gaming facilities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was devastating, Mississippi Gaming Commission executive director Larry Gregory said the major casino companies are willing to rebuild--if they can get the...

Former Biloxi mayor: Marshall Plan needed for Gulf states.
September 12, 2005... Former Biloxi Mayor Gerald Blessey says there is an over-arching question transcending all of the specific legal issues about insurance, employment contracts, delayed debt payments and reconstruction contracts related to Hurricane Katrina. ...

Coast ferry service may fill gaps.
September 12, 2005... With the Mississippi Gulf Coast waterfront in tatters from Pascagoula to Waveland, a huge rebuilding effort is going to be needed. One of the most significant obstacles to that is the loss of the major east-west artery, U.S. 90, and especially...

Belk's distribution center deal a $20-million investment.(Strictly Business)
September 12, 2005... HINDS COUNTY -- Belk Inc. has acquired a 174,000-square-foot distribution center facility in the Capital City from ProVisions, LLC, a Bingham Farms, Mich.-based real estate firm, that will serve approximately 110 Belk, Proffitt's and McRae's...

WLOX, WLBT part of merger.(Strictly Business)
September 12, 2005... BILOXI and JACKSON -- Liberty, Corporation and Raycom Media Inc. have entered into a definitive agreement for Raycom to merge with Liberty for a cash purchase price of $47.35 per share, with enterprise value totaling $987 million. Liberty...

Court warns of new scam.(Strictly Business)
September 12, 2005... OXFORD -- In a new scam to obtain personal information that can be used for identity theft and credit card fraud, telephone callers are targeting citizens, threatening them with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service summonses in...

Earnings down at TVA.(Tennessee Valley Authority)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... NORTH MISSISSIPPI -- During the first nine months of the 2005 fiscal year, the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) operating revenues totaled more than $5.5 billion, an increase of $41 million over the same period last year, reflecting a 1.5%...

Chamber adds Synchronist.(Strictly Business)
September 12, 2005... AMORY -- The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce are partnering with local power companies in the area to provide the e-Synchronist Business Information System software. Synchronist is an economic...

DSU offering new program.(Strictly Business)
September 12, 2005... CLEVELAND -- Delta State University is now offering a new course of study this semester. Housed in the College of Business under the Division of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, the Hospitality Services Management program will...

Old Capitol Inn offers Southern charm and atmosphere.
September 12, 2005... JACKSON -- Want to spend a night with Elvis or Faulkner or Walter Anderson? Those are just three of the Mississippi greats whose names lend atmosphere to the guest suites of the Old Capitol Inn. You'd never know the inn on State Street was for...

J.M. Digital lands grant.(J.M. Digital Corporation)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... NATCHEZ -- J.M. Digital Corporation has received a $2,500 Entergy Mississippi Matching Grant. Stephen A. Caruthers, customer service manager for Entergy Natchez, recently presented the check at J.M. Digital's new location in this Southwest...

Utility Trailer opens in Monroe.(Strictly Business)(Utility Trailer Sales Co.)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... RICHLAND -- Utility Trailer Sales of Mississippi has opened the doors to its new Monroe, La., location. The new dealership provides service, parts and sales to the customer base in Central Louisiana and South Arkansas. The facility...

MUW ranked, enrollment up.(Mississippi University for Women)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... COLUMBUS -- For the second consecutive year, the Mississippi University for Women (MUW) is ranked as one of the top universities in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. MUW ranked 10th among Southern public master's universities in the...

Danbury splitting stock.(Strictly Business)
September 12, 2005... DALLAS -- The board of directors of Denbury Resources Inc. has approved a two-for-one stock split of its common stock. The stock split is subject to stockholder approval of an amendment to Denbury's certificate of incorporation to split the...

Hurricane puts football on the sidelines, but ...(annual revenue increases because of football competitions)
September 12, 2005... When Eli Manning quarterbacked the Ole Miss Rebels, the population of the Oxford community swelled from 20,000 to 70,000 on home football game weekends. Even though Manning has moved on to the New York Giants, crowds continue to flood The...

Book on Peavey and his company set to hit shelves.
September 12, 2005... MERIDIAN -- Many Mississippians, as well as those who use the company's products, are familiar with the inspiring story of Hartley Peavey and Peavey Electronics. But many others may not know how Hartley Peavey took his company from the most...

Mississippians getting back on their feet progress for many at home and on the job.(disaster relief and recovery)
September 19, 2005... Despite some snafus, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been helping Mississippians gel back on their feet at home and at work following the debilitating aftermath created by Hurricane Katrina. On September 9. FEMA director...

Storm thrusts Barbour onto national stage again.(disaster relief and recovery)
September 19, 2005... Not long ago, Gov. Haley Barbour surfaced as the surprise winner of an informal poll that placed him as the leading Republican presidential nominee for 2008. In the wake of arguably the nation's worst natural disaster, while New Orleans...

Heer reflects on busy first year at helm of NMHS.(John Heer, North Mississippi Health Services)
September 19, 2005... TUPELO -- When John Heer arrived last summer to take the top job at North Mississippi Health Services, some openly wondered why he would ever leave his previous assignment. Prior to his NMHS appointment, Heer (pronounced "Her") had...

Power's on, gas lines are gone, but now it's ... sewage?(inconvenience caused by Hurricane Katrina)
September 19, 2005... The catastrophic damage to lives and property caused by Hurricane Katrina is on everyone's mind and will be for years to come. I have been humbled and impressed with the outpouring of aid coming from throughout the U.S. and the world to help...