Not Necessarily News

Here, Kitty, Kitty

Forest guards in the state of Gujarat in western India used cell phones with animal sound ringtones to lure wandering leopards out of human settlements, Reuters reported. As substitution for live bait, such as a goat tied to a tree, the ringtones of cows mooing, goats bleating and roosters crowing proved to be a safe and successful method to attract the leopards and lessen the likelihood of an attack on the townspeople.

Reuters said forest guards have downloaded more than a dozen animal ringtones to their mobile phones, which they affix behind a cage and wait for the leopard to seek its meal. At the time of the report, five of the wild cats had been captured from villages using this method, and were released back into forest areas.

For a Good Cause

The CEO of McGraw Communications raised nearly a quarter million dollars to help cancer patients at a recent fundraiser. Frank Ahearn hosted the Third Annual Francis X. Ahearn Sr. Foundation cocktail party and silent auction in June, raising more than $230,000 for the foundation, which helps support patients and their families undergoing cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Ahearn created the charity in 2003 in memory of his father, Francis X. Ahearn Sr., who lost a yearlong battle with lung cancer. The younger Ahearn established a fund with MSKCC after successfully battling testicular cancer. One hundred percent of all donations are used to help families; administrative costs are absorbed by the Ahearn family or through the donation of peoples time. www.fxasr.org

OVERHEARD…

The consumer buying decision begins and ends with wireless. If you do not have a robust, versatile wireless offering, you wont even be able to knock on the door. And if by chance you do get in, you will not stay in the house very long if you do not offer true mobility.
Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO, on the importance of wireless, mobility and broadband technologies in the drive to meet consumer demand during his first major industry address at NXTcomm, two weeks after taking the reins at AT&T.