EMP offers a state-of-the-art call centre which provides all inbound and outbound call handling services to corporations, an integrated direct mail marketing service platform from creating concepts to providing list rentals and arranging for all direct marketing fulfillment for direct mail or interactive communications. EMP manages UAE's most successful retail consumer promotion, 'The Post Card Millionaire' and has plans to expand this regionally. 'Today, direct marketing strategies via mail, telephone, Internet and direct response are an essential tool for companies to approach, inform and retain customers, as well as providing customer relationship services', said Ahmad Tahlak, CEO, EMP International while announcing EMP's membership to FEDMA. The development of sophisticated databases, telemarketing and e-marketing has made direct marketing increasingly popular as a marketing strategy and has encouraged strong investment.

LG stops sales of laptop over battery

LG Electronics Inc. halted sales of one of its laptop computer models after a report of a battery meltdown, the company said Friday.

LG affiliate LG Chem Ltd., the manufacturer of the battery, was investigating what happened, said Jik Soo Kim, a spokesman for LG Electronics. Kim said the batteries are designed to dissolve as a safety feature to avoid a potential explosion.

The laptop is no longer produced and was sold only in South Korea, he said.

Kim said a graduate student was using the computer Thursday when the battery melted.

In January another battery produced by LG Chem and used in an LG Electronics laptop exploded. Earlier this month, LG Electronics said an independent investigation into that explosion showed the incident was caused by "an external shock under an extremely high temperature."

The investigation, which was conducted by the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, suggested that the explosion would not have been possible during normal usage.

Every Year Brings Us Closer to 1984

And eventually, the FBI built a massive database of fingerprints.

Maybe you missed it in the run-up to Super Duper Tuesday, but CNN and the Associated Press reported last week that the FBI will soon award a $1 billion, 10-year contract for construction of an electronic file that would store not just fingerprints and DNA, but a vast compendium of other physical characteristics. We're talking eye scans, facial shape, palm prints, scars, tattoos and other biometrics, all for the purpose of identifying and capturing bad guys.

CCC helping students seek financial aid this weekend

PAGE � When the word �college� is mentioned, the two things parents think about is how much it will cost, and how they will pay for it all. For those who feel the financial burdens weighing on their shoulders, Coconino Community College�s Page-Lake Powell campus will be lifting those weights on Feb. 10.

The campus will be hosting its second annual College Goal Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The program will help parents and students fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms, which is the paperwork that helps students gain access to scholarships and financial aid.

CCC academic support services coordinator Lenore Webber said this is a complex form, and both the student and the parent have to fill it out if the student wants access to financial aid because all financial aid goes through the FAFSA form.

Gadget check: Backing up with style

Snapshot: Don't be dowdy. Your stylish new notebook computer is espresso or ruby red or midnight blue, so you can't possibly be thinking of connecting that plain old silver portable hard drive to it. That's the word from Iomega, the computer storage company that's trying to bring some style into our geeky lives.

Techno-stress factor: Low. USB or Firewire interfaces for Windows or Mac users.