Prison-issue toilet paper may not be Charmin-soft, but Iowa corrections officials believe that processing it behind bars can provide jobs for convicts and save taxpayers money.

Inmates at state prisons in Anamosa and Mitchellville are testing tissue processed at the Cross Roads Correctional Center at Cameron, Mo., part of Missouri's prison system.

Iowa's wardens haven't conducted any squeeze tests, but so far there have been no complaints about the single-ply Missouri product, said Iowa Prison Industries Director Roger Baysden.

He said Iowa inmates could begin processing their own toilet paper next year at the Fort Dodge prison, assuming the Legislature supports the idea when it is presented in January

Read more at the source Desmoines Register

NEW YORK, Dec 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ABM Industries Incorporated /quotes/comstock/13*!abm/quotes/nls/abm (ABM 23.32, +0.29, +1.26%) announced today that it has acquired The Linc Group, LLC ("TLG") for $300 million in cash. The transaction closed earlier today.

ABM, which operates through its subsidiaries, is a leading United States provider of facility services. Irvine, California-based TLG is a premier provider of end-to-end integrated facilities services that improve operating efficiencies, reduce energy consumption and lower overall operational costs of critical facilities, installations and buildings in the government, commercial and residential markets. TLG's 2009 revenues totaled $579.2 million.

"This is a game changer for ABM's business," said Henrik Slipsager, president and chief executive officer, ABM Industries Incorporated. "Acquiring a firm of TLG's quality transforms our engineering and energy business overnight and completely differentiates us from our competitors. This strengthens ABM's position in a higher growth segment and cements our leadership role in the facilities services industry. By combining ABM's existing Engineering Division with TLG, we are bringing two entities together with proven track records of double-digit growth both in sales and earnings. The combined engineering operations will be close to $1 billion in revenues."

Source and Read More At Market Watch

Dyson is a relatively new brand in the U.S. market. With a very effective advertising campaign featuring its namesake owner and designer, Dyson entered the U.S. with a bang, quickly garnering a competitive share of sales. Ranging in price from $300 to $600, Dyson vacuums single-handedly increased the average price paid for uprights and created a new top-pricing tier in the mass market. Dyson focuses on innovation, technology, and design, and has connected with status-seeking consumers, making it the “It” brand of vacuums. Originally producing only uprights, Dyson has recently introduced a canister and a hand vacuum. The brand is available nationwide through major mass merchants such as Target, Best Buy, and Sears.

See Reviews At Consumer Reports

A hotel’s image goes a long way with guests. In fact, in today’s age of user-generated reviews and pictures, image can mean the difference between a placed and lost reservation. For example, TripAdvisor, one of the largest travel websites with user-generated content, attracts nearly 30 million monthly visitors. It is estimated that as many as 88 percent of these visitors are influenced by content they read. Oftentimes, these reviews will include pictures guests have taken of rooms, common areas and the surrounding grounds. And according to the latest Market Metrix Hospitality Index results, one in five hotel customers read a review about a property before booking that hotel.

Source Hotelinteractive.com

Maintenance and cleaning services firm Spotless Group Ltd has bought a United Kingdom based catering company.

Spotless said it had acquired privately-owed Event Management Catering Ltd (EMC) as part of its international services strategy.

The total price of EMC is expected to not exceed STG3.0 million ($A4.85 million).

"With the addition of EMC, Spotless is now well positioned to provide a unique integrated facility services offering to UK clients," Spotless said.

EMC's revenues in fiscal 2010 were about $15 million

Source Tradingroom.com

Hangover Helpers to the rescue!

Newsfeed remembers those days when we peeled our eyes open the morning after a raucous party and grimaced at the sheer disorder and calamity that remained. Half drunk beer bottles and red plastic cups cover every available surface. The make-shift iPod deejay still spinning some Britney. Several of our closest friends undefined and strangers undefined passed out in various corners and hallways.

In other words: Everything you don't want to deal with while nursing the hangover from hell.

Luckily, for residents of Boulder, Colorado, they no longer have to. They can pay the Hangover Helpers, a pair of entrepreneurial University of Colorado graduates who really know their audience

Dear Action Line: Have you heard anything about chimney cleaners or chimney repair firms going door to door offering to inspect chimneys for storm damages? - L.T., Tulsa.

We've not heard of this recently, but every home repair service that can be offered also comes in the scam variety. It's usually hard economic times that brings them out, but they're always in the neighborhood offering discounts for you-name-it.

In October 2009, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued a consumer warning titled "Don't get swept up in a chimney sweep scam."

"If your home has a chimney, you could be the target of a scam," the warning says. "Each year homeowners receive unsolicited offers - a knock at the door or a flyer in the mail - for a $30 to $50 chimney cleaning. During the 'cleaning' they discover cracked mortar, etc., that will cost several thousand dollars to repair and, of course, half must be paid up front."

Chimney sweeping is not heavily regulated, McDaniel warns. Homeowners should be wary of any services advertised as being "for a limited time only" or people at the door claiming to be "running a special" as they are "working in the neighborhood," etc

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Home is where the heart is -- not to mention the dirt, dust, bacteria and mold. "People typically only realize how filthy their house is when they move out," says Richard Symes of Clenz Philly, an eco-friendly home and commercial cleaning service in New Jersey and Philadelphia. "Most people clean what they can see, but there's a lot more to cleaning a home than just wiping down your bureau."

Here are the top neglected spots, the most powerful cleaning tools (that you're probably not using) and how often you need to scrub up. The payoff is better air quality, fewer allergy symptoms, a house you can show off to the neighbors, and best of all, peace of mind.

5 Places to Look

1.  Up, down and underneath
Look high -- in ceiling corners, on top of shades, blinds and picture frames, and on the blades of ceiling fans -- to find neglected dust. Look low -- under baseboards, under furniture and in the corners of kitchens and bathrooms -- to find colonies of dust bunnies and layers of dirt and grime.

2.  Bedding
Millions of organisms live in your mattress. Their dead cells and feces are the No. 1 cause of allergies in a home, says Symes. Get your bed and pillows steam-cleaned once a year to sterilize your sleeping environment.

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NEW YORK, Nov 29, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- President and Chief Executive Officer Henrik Slipsager of ABM Industries Incorporated /quotes/comstock/13*!abm/quotes/nls/abm (ABM 23.47, +0.10, +0.43%) , a leading United States provider of facility services, will be featured on an episode of the hit television series "Undercover Boss," Sunday, Dec. 5 (9:00-10)(9:ET/PT)(8:00-9)(8:CT) on the CBS Television Network

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