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China's Diplomatic Offensive: Consequences for Regional RelationsPolitics
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China's Diplomatic Offensive Blocks ASEAN Statement
From July 9 to 13, 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held a meeting of its foreign ministers and a series of related gatherings in Phnom Penh. But for the first time since the association's formation in 1967, the foreign ministers' meeting did not produce a joint communiqué. This was because the ministers were unable to agree on wording with respect to the increasingly sharp territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where the claims of some ASEAN members, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, overlap those of China. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa subsequently held consultations on this matter with other parties, including the foreign ministers of Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and on July 20 ASEAN managed to present a united front with the release of a statement setting forth six basic principles for the resolution of such disputes, including the prompt formulation of a code of conduct for the South China Sea and respect for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. But for countries like the Philippines and Vietnam that are involved in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, the utility of ASEAN as a tool for leverage in support of their positions has definitely been severely impaired.
Over the months preceding the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and related gatherings in Phnom Penh this July, China lobbied Cambodia, this year's holder of the association's rotating chairmanship, very aggressively to keep the discussions of the South China Sea issues from turning caustic against it. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Cambodia just before the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh this April and offered a package of grants and concessional loans totaling 450 million yuan (about $70 million). The following month, National Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, visiting on the occasion of the ASEAN defense ministers' meeting, signed a document on the provision of 120 million yuan (about $19 million) in grants and other assistance to Cambodia. And in June, He Guoqiang, the eighth-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, met with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh and signed papers for $420 million in lending and the grant of two aircraft. The July meeting's inability to agree on a joint communiqué can be attributed directly to this Chinese campaign. On July 10, the day after the ASEAN foreign ministers met, China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi thanked Cambodia for respecting China's "core interests." He was presumably satisfied with the results of his government's efforts.
The Regional Significance of China's Maneuvering
What significance does this Chinese diplomatic offensive have for international relations in East Asia?
In the short term the outcome is clearly a success for China. Ever since the July 2010 ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi, this and other "ASEAN+" forums have served as convenient sources of leverage for countries like the Philippines and Vietnam in their South China Sea disputes with China. It was because of this that China agreed at the November 2011 ASEAN-China summit to commence talks aimed at drawing up a legally binding code of conduct regarding the South China Sea issues. At the ASEAN-China foreign ministers' meeting this July these talks were put off. In other words, as a result of China's campaign, ASEAN has ceased to work as a source of leverage for those disputing China's territorial claims.
It is hardly likely, however, that this development will cause the Philippines and Vietnam to accept China's position that the territorial disputes should be resolved bilaterally, without the involvement of third parties. And it is inconceivable that they will acquiesce in the face of China's power and yield to that country's territorial claims in the South China Sea, along with its assertions regarding exclusive economic zones and its continental shelf. If ASEAN cannot provide the leverage they seek against China, they will look for other sources of support.
Since last year the United States has been participating in the East Asia Summit. Also, the US government has made the strengthening of its capabilities in the Asia-Pacific a key plank of its new defense strategy. Speaking in June 2012 at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a conference organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta revealed that the United States intended to boost its military presence in the region by reposturing its naval forces, currently split roughly 50/50 between the Pacific and the Atlantic, to a split of about 60/40 weighted toward the Pacific by 2020. The forces in the region are to include six aircraft carriers and littoral combat ships with antisubmarine capabilities.
The heightening of the US military presence in the region is highly welcome to countries like the Philippines and Vietnam that are at loggerheads with China in the South China Sea. And it is only natural that the Philippine government has started to consult with the United States on specific measures to beef up the two countries' alliance, including use by US forces of bases within the Philippines and the stationing of US naval vessels. Defense Secretary Panetta also visited Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay this June and declared that the United States would help Vietnam enhance its defense capabilities.
Japan, meanwhile, is considering the provision of patrol boats and other support in order to strengthen the coast guard capabilities of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Defense cooperation between ASEAN member countries is also progressing. For example, the Philippine and Vietnamese navies have agreed to conduct joint exercises in the South China Sea. And Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are considering coordinated naval patrols to counter poaching in the waters around Indonesia's Natuna Islands.
Shifting to an Asia-Pacific Framework for Regional Security Cooperation
In this light, it seems reasonable to offer the following assessment: China had a resounding success with its campaign to put an end to the use of ASEAN as a source of leverage against its territorial claims in the South China Sea, as seen in the outcome of the July foreign ministers' meeting. So if ASEAN hopes to remain in the driver's seat of regional cooperation in East Asia, it will need to reinvent itself. If it cannot make headway in the field of security cooperation, it will have to achieve greater results in the field of economic cooperation. In other words, the move to establish an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015 will become all the more important.
Meanwhile, if ASEAN cannot provide the leverage they seek, not only the Philippines and Vietnam but also countries like Indonesia can be expected to seek it elsewhere, turning to the United States, Japan, Australia, and India for balance against China. As is only natural, to the extent that China turns into a threat, the Asia-Pacific framework for regional cooperation will become more useful for risk hedging than an East Asian framework. For most of the 1990s Asia-Pacific cooperation was the watchword, with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum providing the framework. But partly because of Washington's unsympathetic response to the 1997–98 Asian economic crisis, the decade of the 2000s brought a shift to East Asia as the principle focus of regional cooperation. This brought the ASEAN+ meetings into the forefront. I am not saying that this East Asian cooperation will end. The Chiengmai initiative, for instance, will remain important for currency cooperation. But I do think that China's recent maneuvering will cause the Asia-Pacific framework to come to the fore in the area of regional security cooperation.
So, even if China's maneuvering was successful over the short-term at the July ASEAN foreign minister's meeting, it was an extremely shortsighted ploy. Since 2000 the Chinese have skillfully used the ASEAN+ framework to increase their heft in the region while excluding the United States. But now China has become the biggest threat to other countries in the region. Its handling of this matter clearly showed that its avowed policy of "building friendship and partnership with neighboring countries" is readily cast aside when it conflicts with the pursuit of its "sovereign" interests. The impact on international relations in East Asia will surely be far from negligible.(Originally written in Japanese on August 7, 2012.)
diplomacy Japan United States Shiraishi Takashi China Australia India East Asia APEC ASEAN Asia-Pacific America Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Association of Southeast Asian Nations South China Sea Philippines Cambodia Vietnam international relations Indonesia Singapore Malaysia Brunei regional cooperation Southeast Asia


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Molly Fitzgerald
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subset: commoncrawl


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Only Health Care Professionals can make a referral to this service.
Our Befriending Service offers support and friendship to those affected by life-limiting illnesses and who are socially isolated.
Befriending is a service provided by St Clare's Hospice which offers support and friendship to those affected by a life-limiting illness, who are socially isolated and who are over the age of 18.
You will initially be referred to the Befriending service by a Health Professional who is involved in your care. Your particular interests and needs will be taken into account and then you will be matched to a suitable volunteer who will be your personal Befriender.
Your Befriender will initially meet you at your home for your first meeting. Suitable arrangements can then be made for future visits should you prefer to go to local outings, events or be accompanied to hospital appointments.
You and your Befriender will agree meeting times which are convenient for you both. The duration of the meetings will depend on your individual circumstances, but would normally last between 1 – 2 hours once a week.
The Befriending service is staffed by a team of Befriending volunteers who have also undergone training and an Enhanced Check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Any clinical service within the Hospice, GP's, Specialist Nurses, District Nurses or from any health professional involved with the patient.


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Explodes all groups and components in model
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Why do so many people directly link master data management with customer data? Maybe because we have been dealing with customer data so long, that when a new buzz word appears, we immediately try to link what we are doing to the "latest craze" to ensure our mindshare among the stakeholders.
However, the more I think about MDM and product data, the more intrigued I am. I have said this in a number of metings: product names are curious because they often describe what they are. For example, a PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER 6-3/4" is a phillips screwdriver that is 6 and 3/4 inches long. What is more, product descriptions carry a lot of information that can be relatively easily parsed out using standard text analysis and text mining techniques. So I would very much be interested in hearing more about some product information MDM projects - email me or post your success stories!
Posted January 29, 2008 7:46 AM
Permalink | 1 Comment |


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David enjoyed some water play today after our bike ride across town to play at the park. He loves playing with water!
We're about T-minus 3 weeks from moving day! We have buyers line up for our house here in Arizona and we've picked out a house to buy in Colorado Springs. We are VERY VERY VERY excited to be together as a family again! In fact, this will be the very first time we will be together as a family of 3, since Brian started commuting when I was still pregnant with David.
The house we will be moving to will have 4 bedrooms, so I actually get my very own loom room! I'm so excited! I haven't done much weaving or much of anything crafty because all my energy has been used up with packing and Brian's commute. I'm looking forward to having creative energy again!


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If there's nothing I love more in the A/W months, it's wrapping myself up in a bundle of faux fur and co-ordinating my outfit to the Autumnal surroundings. I rediscovered this cape which I had bought a few years ago and think it works just as well now as it did then - it's just one of those timeless pieces.
Teamed with two favourites of the season - OTK boots and a suedette A-line mini, I wanted to inject a little fun into the ensemble with this leopard high neck top; layering a simple polo neck underneath to ensure toastiness at all times. Finishing touches with some of my favourite jewellery pieces at the moment; these dainty rose gold stackable rings and cuff from Tempest Designs.
What I'm Wearing:
Cape - eBay
*Blouse - c/o Next
Polo neck - ASOS
Skirt - Primark
Boots - Public Desire
*Bag - c/o Dorothy Perkins
*Jewellery - c/o Tempest Designs


text: Corporal HicksDec 16, 2007, 05:05:54 PM Reply #30 on: Dec 16, 2007, 05:05:54 PM Quote from: War Wager on Dec 05, 2007, 09:51:45 PMThose are just young Queens xenomorph horse. Who knows. They're definitely molting Aliens 'cause of the Queen style head. I mean, it's got a massively longer tail and what looks like dreadlocks. It could be a PredAlien.


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Undercard [Merge, 2010]
Twelve songs in 34 minutes by John Darnielle on "vocals, instruments" and Franklin Bruno on "instruments, vocals," and as someone who's long felt Darnielle was trying too hard, I'm so glad he's cut himself some breathing room. Ofttime Mountain Goats keyboardist Bruno deserves very nearly half the credit, less for his three-and-a-half songs (which Darnielle sings, so where are Bruno's "vocals"?) than for the keyboards enveloping "Programmed Cell Death," the piano undergirding the Randy Newman cover, and for all I know the guitar splattering "How I Left the Ministry." If the verse-chorus-verse of these gorgeously understated, quiet but hardly grooveless artsongs makes your teeth hurt, Grizzly Bear will give you something to suck on any year now. A-


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Or call us at +55 21 35014300
Data Privacy Concerns? See our Privacy Policy.


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Do you skip your stretches? Think cardio is more important than flexibility? Health journalist and author Helen Foster tells us why we need to make stretching part of our workouts
Rigorous exercises such as HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions and boxing are on the rise, meaning we often forgo stretching and recovery. But with new research proving the benefits of dedicated stretch classes and making deep stretching part of your workout, being limber is now considered as important as getting out of breath. Here's why…
Why do we need to stretch?
"When we stretch a muscle, the fibres lengthen and elongate – which counteracts what happens to many of us when we sit all day, and our muscles shorten and tighten," says physiotherapist Tim Allardyce from Surrey Physio. "Tight muscles can restrict the movement of joints, affecting how well you exercise – or cause stiffness and potentially pain or injury."
What do we mean by stretching?
When many of us think of stretching, we think of holding the muscle in a position where you feel a pull upon it for a while – that's called static stretching. While it's brilliant for stress release and flexibility, it's actually more effective after our workouts than before, according to the experts at the University of Limerick.
For your warm-up, experts recommend a technique called dynamic stretching, where you do moving exercises that elongate the muscle like squats, lunges, side bends or arm circles. A third type of stretching is fascia release, which uses foam rollers to stretch not just the muscles but also the tissue in between them. "If this muscle is tight, so is your muscle," says Tim. A mix of these three types of stretches before, during and after your workout is key to getting all the benefits.
What are the benefits of stretching?
1. It makes your workout feel easier
Runners who used a foam roller before their workout found a hard session of squats, jumps and running drills easier than when they did the same workout without rolling first. The study's author, Dr Disa Hatfield from the University of Rhode Island, believed the stretching didn't just warm up the muscles, it also caused the release of endorphins that blocked feelings of fatigue. For best results, you need to 'roll' an area, such as your quads, for a full 90 seconds.
2. It makes you stronger
You might not want to swap one of your workout sessions for stretching, but one study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found simply holding a calf muscle stretch for 30 seconds four times a day caused that muscle to increase in strength by 29% – and, interestingly, the other leg also got 10% stronger even though it wasn't actively used. "The body likes to maintain symmetry," says the study's author Dr Arnold Nelson from Louisiana State University.
3. It improves your posture
"Stretching tight shoulder or chest muscles that cause rounded shoulders will improve posture," says Tim Allardyce. And the straighter you stand, the more you naturally pull in your core, which helps to stabilise the rest of the body.
4. It helps to prevent injury
"Short, tight muscles don't lengthen very easily. If you then explosively use that muscle through exercise, it could tear," says Tim Allardyce. Focusing on your flexibility means you'll have a wider range of motion. "The aim of flexibility work is to be able to freely move your body. It reduces wear and tear on active muscle tissue and connective tissue around the joints, reducing the risk of injury," says Luke Worthington, personal trainer and sports scientist at Third Space, London.
5. It increases your power
If you're hitting the CrossFit box, playing netball, doing kung fu class – or anything else where explosive power counts – then doing some dynamic stretching beforehand will increase the power in your kick, punch or jump by up to 9%, found by Dr Taichi Yamaguchi at Japan's Hokkaido University. Doing 10-15 reps of each stretching move will give the best results.
6. It makes us feel calmer
When experts at Australia's Edith Cowan University looked at what happened in the body when people stretched, they found it switched on the body's calming nervous system, causing a drop in blood pressure and heart rate. "Focusing on feeling the muscle as it stretches also helps turn down the volume and frequency of thoughts and distractions," says yoga teacher Karen Kirkness, who works with the University of Edinburgh.
7. It can help your heart health
Japanese research has linked greater flexibility in the body to less stiffening in the arteries – a major cause of heart disease. It's suspected that the fall in blood pressure that stretching causes may decrease the damage to the arteries that encourages deposits to build up on the artery walls. That means stretching your body could also extend your life. Sounds good to us.
Stretch your fitness
Want to make stretching and flexibility part of your workout? Try these classes:
1. Body Balance at Virgin Active or Nuffield Health gyms
A slightly more active class, mixing yoga with tai chi and pilates to improve flexibility and build strength.
2. Reformer Pilates at Virgin Active
A power-up Pilates class where moves are done on an apparatus that adds resistance and boosts stretching and toning.
3. Pure Stretch
An all-out stretch class designed for all abilities, they also do online home packages and send you the kit.
Inspired to try something new? Check out our 10 outdoor workouts to mix up your routine.


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CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA — New York Times bestselling author Eric Blehm's recently released book, "Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown," recounts the often tumultuous life and tragic death of Navy SEAL Adam Brown. Blehm's previous book, "The Only Thing Worth Dying For" also landed on the New York Times best seller's list.
Adding to a cannon of combat literature, "Fearless" features not only rare glimpses into the lives of elite military but also one man's life path that prepared him for who he eventually became.
"The book really brought Adam to life," Blehm said in an interview just after the Memorial Day release of "Fearless."
"It's a story of a hero who rose up from rock bottom. I think those are the most inspirational. His story is unique."
Indeed, Brown's rise from the depths of drug addiction to become a Navy Seal Team Six Operator, the same unit that brought down Osama bin Laden shows the tenacity, humility and courage required to earn the badge of a modern day warrior. "Adam's story shows you can rise above your darkest hour. There is a way out of that dark hole," Blehm said.
"We were worried," Brown's father, Larry said. "When you see how far down people can go with an addiction-under bridges, destitute-I say there but for the grace of God is Adam."
Touted as "the intimate story of a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior described by all who knew him as fearless," the book appeals to a wide audience.
According to Larry, the story has touched the lives of many. "We are pleased we can see where Adam has impacted people," he said. "People have told me that after reading the book, they want to be a better father, a better son." Larry choked up as he recalled a close friend who revealed that he husband was transformed after reading "Fearless." "It's gratifying in a way to know that he's still helping people."
Blehm said the obstacles Brown had to overcome would have been insurmountable for most people. "He shows amazing character throughout every challenge," he said.
His determination was legendary, as many friends and family members recount in the book Brown's dogged attitude to succeed.
"Adam hated to disappoint people," he said. "Much of his desire to achieve came from wanting to make us proud," Larry said.
During Brown's darkest hours, his parents turned to the church for inspiration. "I was raised in a Christian home," Larry said. "But I knew I had not been faithful, I had not been the spiritual leader of my family." He and his wife, Janice, became members of a local church and began a journey of faith that has carried them through the tragedy of their son's death.
Knowing that his son was also a believer gives Larry strength and hope. "Adam came to a realization when he was in jail (prior to joining the military) and he accepted Christ," Larry said. "I know that we will all be together again one day," he said. "That faith helps sustain us."
"He was very concerned with knowing where God was going to lead him. He wanted to fulfill his purpose in life and to do what God wanted him to do," Larry recalled.
"That was what our last conversation was about," Larry said.
One week before his final deployment, Brown told his father it would be his last. "He said he wanted to pray with me about it. He wanted God to show him what he should do next."
"Adam told me he knew this was where God wanted him to be, even after so many disappointments, he knew there was a purpose," Larry said.
On March 17, 2010, Brown died during a gunfight with insurgents in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. He left behind his wife, Kelly, and their two young children, who refer to the day of his passing as "St. Daddy's Day."
For more information visit fearlessnavyseal.com.


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If you haven't yet discovered "Very Mary-Kate," a parody video series created by comedian Elaine Carroll, your workday productivity is about to take a little dip. The Richmond native launched this fan-fiction take on Mary-Kate Olsen's life in 2010, and today she was online over at The Washington Post, taking questions and discussing the series. According to Carroll, she's not sure if MK has seen the series or not, but she's prepped for backlash: "I walk around the city wondering when I'm gonna get my cease and desist in the form of a diamond-encrusted brick thrown out of a blimp."
We certainly hope that doesn't happen, because the vids are a perfect late-afternoon time-waster. Read the full transcript here and watch the series on Carroll's site. (The Washington Post)
Photo and Video: Courtesy of Very Mary-Kate


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If I looked or sounded the least bit like Johnny Cash, I would walk the line directly to Billy Bob's Texas tonight.
The world's largest honktyonk (along with partner Casa Manana) is hosting a Johnny Cash Sound-A-Like contest to promote the upcoming musical, Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash.
Entrants are challenged to perform, act, look, and sound like the legendary artist to win the chance to perform at Casa Manana before a showtime in June.
Billy Bob's Texas says the winner will also receive money, prizes, and a "lifetime of memories." I'm not sure pretending to be a dead singer in a bar will provide eternal recollections, but it sounds like a fun way to kill an evening.
If you've got a deep, rough voice and can half-talk and half-sing with conviction, you got it made.
The contest begins at 7:30 p.m.
This video proves that Cash retained his greatness to the end:


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Nylon Fabric Information
While silk, cotton, wool, and linen are all derived from plants or animals, nylon is an entirely synthetic fabric. Originally intended to be a man-made replacement for silk, nylon has extended its reach into a vast array of applications, from stockings to carpets to guitar strings. The term "nylon" is a generic descriptor for the family of synthetic polymers known as polyamides. First developed in 1938 by DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers, the invention of nylon was a direct result of World War II, during which the United States could no longer import silk and cotton from Asia. Before the war, silk was the sole fabric used in parachutes, and upon the onset of hostilities, American manufacturers began scrambling for a substitute. The DuPont Company, acting on the advice of the government to use plastic instead of metal whenever possible, began experimenting with plastic fibers. By 1938, nylon was being used commercially in hairbrushes and by 1940, women were wearing nylon stockings. However, though American women were quick to fall in love with the new nylon hosiery which was much cheaper than silk and resisted tears and holes, by 1941 America had relegated all nylon fabric to the war effort and the price of nylon stockings went from $1.25 a pair to $10 a pair on the black market. After the war, nylon was once again allowed to be used in hosiery production. Thousands of women flocked to New York department stores to buy what they now called "nylons". When washing machines began to gain acceptance among the general public, nylon and nylon blends were touted for their amazing "wash and wear" qualities, meaning they could be washed and worn without ironing. Nylon fabric has a low absorbency rate, which makes it ideal for swimwear and sportswear. Nylon is often combined with other fibers, such as spandex and PVC, and can be woven into any pattern. It is often used in bridal wear and, unlike polyester and acetate, can be easily dyed. Nylon's uses are incredibly vast: it can be found in flags, toothbrush bristles, racket strings, machine parts and even sutures. Characteristics that have made nylon and nylon fabric in particular so popular include:
- Rugged durability
- Stretch and elasticity
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- Melts instead of catching fire
Due to the fact that nylon is a synthetic fiber derived from widely available ingredients, it is one of the most cost effective fabrics, making it ideal for beginning sewers or anyone who wishes to explore thriftier clothing options. And, because nylon fabrics come in all degrees of stretch and are great at wicking away moisture, they are perfect for leotards, jerseys, shorts, and any other situation requiring the freedom of movement. Nylon fabric is cool, durable, and extremely low-maintenance, which has lead to its meteoric rise in popularity over the past 70 years.


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The world was introduced to Rochester, N.Y.'s electronic dance music duo, Nights Like This, with the release of their debut remix of Jesus Culture artist Kristene DiMarco's, "Be Still." In just 5 months they've seen nearly 100,000 soundcloud plays after their release of "Back To You," which we've featured below!
Support Nights Like This // Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
Nights Like This – Back To You (feat. Nate Cronk)
[show_hide title="Download Now!"]Official Download[/show_hide]


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Consistent rights at La Mairie, then a good set of spots heading west from the harbour. First is the popular Coquilles where a big jetty eases access to the line-up, then both sides of the Prévost canal: rights on the left side, lefts on the right side. Otherwise Maguelone has some hollow shorebreak and easy camping.
Often crowded and needs 2 days of onshores to start working.


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Lucía joined the Global Talent Team in October 2016 as a Change Manager. Previously, she worked in the academic and social sectors in Europe and Latin America, focusing on social innovation education, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. She's passionate about supporting others to flourish and realize their personal and professional dreams. Lucía holds a Master's degree in International Management from King's College London (UK), and a Bachelor's degree in Business from Vesalius College (Belgium).
Ashoka Staff


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The idea of reading books written about the World Wars actually came to me before I even had a blog.
It was nearly a year ago (almost to the day) when the Harry Potter cast were attending the premiere for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
I was reading through the fashion blogs, trying to see what dress Emma Watson was wearing, when I read a comment that really surprised me. As it was a year ago and I can't remember the site, I don't know the exact quote but it was along the lines of: "I love the dress, but the poppy ruins it. Why are they all wearing poppies?"
I guess it surprised me so much because come the end of October until the end of November, poppies are an accessory that I don't leave the house without.
(If you want to learn more about the Poppy Appeal you can read about it here.)
This year is the Royal British Legion's 90th anniversary and I wanted to do my bit by dedicating the first two weeks of November to only reading books written against the backdrop of the two World Wars.
I have tried to find books that I have either never read before or ones that don't necessarily come to mind when you think of war literature.
The books I will be reading are:
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. (My Review)
Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence. (My Review)
Journey's End by R. C Sherriff (of course, this is actually a play. But I've never read it :) ) (My Review)
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian| | I've read this before but I couldn't resist reading it again. One of my all time favourites. (My Review)
The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett. (My Review)
Cross of Iron by Willi Heinrich || (Not YA but a book I've wanted to read for a while so I thought I'd include it) (My Review)
I will also be posting about other books that I have read about the war, that aren't necessarily YA but could and should be read by everyone. (Not NecessarilYA #1// Not NecessarilYA #2: MAUS edition)
In addition to this, I will be reviewing three of my most loved films/TV programmes set in this period (You can probably guess one of them… because you're all as cunning as fox who's just been appointed Professor Cunning at Oxford University.)
(WW1 On Screen.)
I wanted to start off this fortnight with a bit of a personal introduction on the wars. Don't worry, I won't be giving you a history lesson because I'm guessing if you wanted to know about it you'd have already researched it on your own and if you don't want to know about how it all started… well, my rambling won't persuade you otherwise.
I just wanted to explain the reason why I am doing this feature on my blog and why I am supporting, and will continue to support, The Royal British Legion.
I'm going to begin with a tour of my home town.
I live in Stalybridge, a relatively small town at the foot of the Pennines, around 10 miles east of Manchester city centre.
Like every town in England, it has a war memorial to commemorate the men of Stalybridge who have died in wars over seas.
This is Victoria Bridge and crosses the River Tame (not to be confused with the River Thames, which is the one in London. I spent far too long adamant that if I walked down the banks of it I would reach our fair capital).
The memorial seen here was unveiled on November 6th, 1921 and virtually every member of the town's population (24,000) attended the ceremony. The plaques from the First World War contain the names of 628 men.
This is where, on Remembrance Sunday, wreaths of poppies will be laid and a minute silence will take place.
Before we move on, I just want to share another interesting fact about Stalybridge.
It was here that the well-known song 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' was written by Jack Judge.
It's a long way to Tipperary,It's a long way to go.It's a long way to TipperaryTo the sweetest girl I know!Goodbye, Piccadilly,Farewell, Leicester Square!It's a long long way to Tipperary,But my heart's right there.
I've been lucky enough visit the war memorials scattered across the fields of France and Belgium numerous times. Every year my family used to stay in a campsite quite near to the battlefields of the Somme and I always found them so fascinating. Luckily, my dad shared this passion for history and didn't mind tramping round Northern France with me as I brandished a notepad and chatted to Australian visitors.
(L-R. Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge || British Memorial at Thiepval (Where my great great granddad's name is engraved). || Villers- Bretonneux, Australian Memorial (sorry for the quality of the picture!))
(L-R Tyne Cot British and Commonwealth Memorial at Ypres|| Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium || The Memorial Site at the Forest of Compiegne where the Armistice Treaty was signed on the 11th November, 1918. )
The Commonwealth War Grave Commision does an absolutely breath-taking job at taking care of these sites. They make sure the headstones haven't fallen into a state of disrepair, ensuring the gardens are neat and tidy and maintaining a peaceful place where visitors can remember their loved ones.
A couple of years ago, we managed to take my granddad to visit my great great granddad's grave. Private John Vernon was part of the Manchester Regiment. He died on 29th September 1916 and is buried in the London Cemetery in Longueval.
Here is a picture of his Death Plaque, a bronze memorial plaque that were commissioned by the War Council and given to family of every man who died in World War 1.
Jumping on a few years and switching over to the other side of my family, here's a picture of my Granddad Williams (Top row, on the right). He was in the RAF and was based in Singapore in WW2, and he was in charge of maintaining the aircrafts.
I have visited the WW2 memorials in Normandy but unfortunately I don't have any photos. You can find more about them and other battles that were fought in this war here.
So, there you go… apologies if this page takes a year to load but I couldn't not include those pictures.
Each year the British Legion helps every generation of people in the Armed Forces, whether it is people who fought in the world wars or who are currently deployed overseas.
This is me doing my bit to not only raise awareness for the books I'll be reading but the organisation itself.
My old coat will always have a poppy on this time of the year.
[Updated: Please read this to find out how much you helped me raise on my completion of this challenge]


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What Is Content Marketing?
Content Marketing is a marketing strategy that revolves around the creation, publication, and distribution of digital content to a targeted audience with the intention of driving new traffic to your business.
What Makes Content Marketing Difficult?
The key to a successful Content Marketing strategy is a clear, actionable message, a defined audience, and the quality, quantity, and consistency of your content. For most, that's a lot to handle. Execution requires planning, scheduling, automation, and measuring.
Build Brand Trust
When consumers discover a business or retailer they want to use, but know little about, they often look them up on social media. Your website shows that your brand exists, but an active social media account proves that your brand is active. Likewise, the number of fans and their level of interaction shows how popular your brand is. Facebook reviews are great for reassuring buyers that other consumers like and trust your brand.
Build Brand Awareness
Whether your business is new, or if your are struggling to gain visibility in the marketplace, Content Marketing can scientifically help to increase traffic to your site and generate consistent traffic and capture quality leads. For example, your business may create a weekly series of 1-minute videos showcasing the very best of your product or services. Your target audience gets to see you and your product and learn about your business. The more they know and like your brand, the more likely they are to do business with you.
Increasing Website Traffic
By creating quality content that's helpful and valuable to your users, you'll find that your content gets shared more frequently across social platforms. With an increased amount of quality content being indexed by search engines, your website will have the opportunity to rank higher in search engines.
Generate Leads
Generating leads and converting visitors into customers is the reason Content Marketing exists. Content Marketing introduces visitors to your business through your content, often times before they are even ready to make a decision. A healthy sales funnel is dependent on a feed of leads.


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I have a customer that is printing from indesign, and he created the grean color in cmyk, mixture cyan and yellow.
But when he prints the job the color dont match any good, and when he look in a loupe on the paper he can see magenta color added too, but he has only mixture cyan and yellow.
What settings in indesign and fiery can he set to get the best result only with the mixture of cyan/yellow.
Customer using a Xerox Colour 560 with integrated fiery rip, no extra.
Best Regards Mattias
New Xerox Analyst


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Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base provides access to information about the environmental effects of marine and wind energy, supporting OES-Environmental and WREN initiatives. Relevant documents and OES-Environmental metadata forms are compiled into a user-friendly table with advanced filtering. Filters may be selected on the right, or keywords entered in the Search Text box. Content may also be sorted alphabetically by clicking on column headers.
As an alternative to the Knowledge Base, check out the Map Viewer to access geotagged content in a spatial view.
|Type of Content
|Technology Types
|The influence of wind turbine visibility on the health of local residents: a systematic review
|Freiberg, A., et al.
|January 2019
|Journal Article
|Wind Energy general
|Lighting, Noise
|Socio-economics, Aesthetics


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Hey! This thing is still a Work in Progress. Files, instructions, and other stuff might change!
Fan Prusa i3 + Asusby UMH Mar 9, 2015
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IN an economic climate in which buying a handbag with a four- or five-digit price tag is starting to seem gauche, the free-spending style hounds formerly known as "fashionistas" are rebranding themselves.
Consider the $1,235 patent-leather satchel with golden hardware designed by Anya Hindmarch.
Mary Hall, a marketing manager at I.B.M. in Redondo Beach, Calif., heard its siren call. Then she went to Target to purchase a similarly shiny purse, made out of polyvinyl chloride, by the same designer. Price: $49.99.
"In the current economy, I thought I would reform," Ms. Hall said.
Welcome to "recession chic" and its personification, the "recessionista," the new name for the style maven on a budget. That the word represents the times could explain why Sarah Palin's new wardrobe ($75,000 at Neiman Marcus and nearly $50,000 at Saks) struck some as distasteful.
Ms. Hall, who first read the term in newspapers and on Web sites like Jezebel.com, even started a blog to chronicle her cheap and chic choices: therecessionista.blogspot.com.
In part, the word reflects the efforts of fashion and beauty publicists to spin the economic downturn as an attractive retail trend. For instance, Bourjois, a moderately priced makeup line from France, sent a recent press release by e-mail to reporters promoting the brand's cheapest mascara and lip glosses as "the Recessionista Collection," an antidote to gloom. An e-mail message sent last week on behalf of Salon Eliut Rivera in Manhattan promoted "Recessionista Beauty," offering discounts on haircuts and eyebrow shaping.Continue reading the main story
The use of the word recessionista is "making light of a situation that isn't so favorable for the consumer-driven industries of our nation, spinning it ... and delivering a luring message to the masses — PR 101 ladies and gentlemen," wrote Heather Viggiani on the blog of a public relations firm where she works part-time, www.piercemattiepublicrelations.com.
Ms. Viggiani, who is also an undergraduate student in advertising and marketing at Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, went on to describe a "recession chic" movement in retail. "A host of discount brands kneel graciously at the feet of recession and position their products and services not only as the smart thing to do, but the posh one."
Grant Barrett, a lexicographer who specializes in new words and slang, said the word is being used to give Americans an excuse to buy more stuff.
"It's kind of permitting consumers to have justification for their spending habits," he said. Mr. Barrett included "recessionista" as an up-and-coming catchphrase earlier this month on his Web site, DoubleTongued.org. "The idea is, because they are spending less or getting more value, it is still O.K. to shop," he said in a recent phone interview. "It's a very self-serving message."
"Recession chic" is yet another in a long line of terms created by fashion writers who have an affinity for the suffix "chic": hippie chic, Seventies chic, tribal chic, military chic, geek chic, Camilla chic, rehab chic, eco chic.
Back in February, the headline "Recession Chic" topped an article in The Times of London by Lisa Armstrong, the newspaper's fashion critic, who noted a return to tailored dressing among businesswomen. In April, the same headline accompanied a piece by Kate Betts in Time magazine that described the new somber collections of fashion designers.
"Come fall, fashion will follow the downward spiral of home values and investment portfolios, as designers embrace restraint with a dark palette and severe silhouette," Ms. Betts wrote.
For recession chic to become a trend, however, the stigma of profligacy associated with shopping for clothing in an uncertain economy would have to be played down.
Style.com, the Web site of Vogue magazine, has declared passé the free-spending fashionista of the type lionized in "Sex and the City." In her stead, the Web site fashioned a new icon for the new austerity, a plucky heroine able to fixate on designer logos even at a time when her house might face foreclosure.
Derek Blasberg wrote this summer on style.com: "You should know that while the fashionista may have locked herself in the vault with her tiaras, her younger, hipper sister — recessionista — is at the mall finding designer threads (or diffusion designer threads) at discount prices. Look for her at Target, Uniqlo, Payless or Kohl's, all of whom have inked deals with designers recently. That's because recessionistas aren't letting a little thing like falling stock prices and rising gas bills get in the way of their wardrobe."
The nomenclature may be new. The idea of moving merchandise in a tough climate is not.
A Sears catalog from 1930 at the beginning of the Great Depression offered "coats of the new mode in the spirit of smart economy" priced to sell at $9.75 to $25. Phrases like "be smart and thrifty" and "look at the chic economy" promoted dresses that cost $4.98 to $8.98.
In the wake of the stock market crash of 1987, designers began to offer less-expensive second lines. In 1989, for example, Donna Karan introduced DKNY.
Certainly, the word "recessionista" has its roots in economic hardship. Finance executives first used the term to connote a person predicting a recession or a person who believes a recession would benefit the long-term health of the economy, according to lexicographers.
But, over the last six months, publicists, retailers and even a few consumers have refashioned the word that rhymes with fashionista.
"It's a sound-alike word," said Paul McFedries, the proprietor of an on-line dictionary of catch-phrases called wordspy.com, which added "recessionista" to its lexicon in July. While it may seem inane to make use of a weighty word like "recession" to form a playful neologism that embraces shopping, people are using it because it is fun to pronounce, he said. "If you are a grammar pedant, you are going to lose a lot of the joy of the language."
Ms. Hall of therecessionista.blogspot.com said her friends like the word so much they have nicknamed her Recessionista. "It is more lighthearted to say 'I am the Recessionista, and I don't really go for that,' instead of saying 'I can't afford that or I don't want to spend the money,' " Ms. Hall said. "The 'ista' on the end there, it gives it a little touch of the bling, I think."
Indeed, "recessionista" carries an upbeat tone that recalls an earlier credit crisis neologism: "staycation," a euphemism for spending one's vacation at home. Similar terminology — "frugal chic," "recession-proof dressing," going on a "spending fast" — with more negative connotations has not caught on among consumers or the fashion world.
Mr. McFedries said the word is a more encouraging term than phrases like "conspicuous austerity" or "inconspicuous consumption."
Publicists "want to come up with a word or phrase that makes things seem not as bad as they are," Mr. McFedries said.
He added: "You've got to put a positive spin on it because you have to get people to spend money when they don't want to on an optional purchase."
But recessionista may not be the final incarnation of a style hound on the scent of designer discounts.
In the event that the economy worsens, make way for the depressionista.Continue reading the main story


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Families could be broken up and mothers deported after years of living in Britain if they fail a new mandatory English language test, David Cameron has confirmed.
The British Prime Minister today outlined plans to language-test all spouses who immigrate join their partner living in Britain two and a half years after they arrive here.
Failing the language test could lead to the new arrival's right to stay in the UK being revoked and them being sent back to their country of origin, he said, reportedly.


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Dikes and Dams, Thick with PoliticsAuthor(s): Wiebe E. BijkerSource: Isis, Vol. 98, No. 1 (March 2007), pp. 109-123
ABSTRACT: Things are thick with politics. This essay illustrates the point by focusing on a variety of technologies that help to manage water: anicuts and tanks in India, dikes and a storm surge barrier in the Netherlands, and levees in New Orleans. Technologies are not only shaped by political forces; they also exert political force themselves: on social stratification in Indian villages or on government stability in the Netherlands. We should recognize, then, that the functioning of technologies and the functioning of societies are intricately linked. The essay traces this interlinking by using the concept of "technological culture." It argues that the different styles of coastal engineering in the United States and in the Netherlands can be explained by differences in their technological cultures, particularly the different styles of risk handling. This conclusion is then applied to the Indian case and to issues of development, democracy, and innovation.
Key concepts: technological culture; technological frame
Main points:
Different technological cultures are reflective of, for example, different ways of handling risks (as in the case of the Netherlands vs. the USA in dealing with dikes/levees).
Infrastructure and culture: "People with a high degree of inclusion in a technological frame will find it difficult to imagine other ways of dealing with the world, of using these things radically differently or even not using them at all."
"a focus on the 'things' of water management can help us to understand the cultural and democratic makeup of societies and at the same time is important for addressing questions about the further sociotechnical development of those societies."


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RadioApp, a Radioplayer for Australia
By James Cridland for media.info
Posted 3 June 2015, 6.41am edt
The UK Radioplayer has been very successful in the UK, offering all of the big UK radio stations in one place. The tablet app, in particular, has been great at helping listeners discover new stations and shows.
While the UK Radioplayer has now been adopted in many countries, including Ireland, Norway, Belgium, Germany and Austria, some other countries have gone their own way: preferring not to benefit from Radioplayer's ecosystem.
So, Australia's Southern Cross Austereo has launched a brand new radio app today, called RadioApp. It contains all the SCA stations, as well as stations from the ABC and Fairfax. They promise other broadcasters shortly: particularly, the app is missing stations from Nova Entertainment and ARN, as well as smaller groups and community stations.
The UI appears to have borrowed some design cues from dating service Tinder - you simply swipe through different radio stations to find a perfect match for your mood (aka change channel).
This comes at a time when Commercial Radio Australia are battling the music industry who want to charge more for stations that stream online. Many stations have pulled their streams offline as a result.
The app differs from Radioplayer in that RadioApp is wholly owned by one broadcaster, and contains no way for broadcasters to customise their station appearance or monetise their presence on the app.
iHeart Radio is also present in Australia: launched by ARN who were once part-owned by Clear Channel. That app contains over 1,500 live stations, including a selection of Australian stations from ARN and Fairfax.
I understand that work started on the RadioApp during Clive Dickens's tenure as SCA's Director of Digital and Innovation. His replacement, Vijay Solanki, started last month.
The app is available on Apple iOS and on Android at launch. The apps are, however, geolocked.
Press release
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), one of Australia's largest broadcast media businesses, has launched a new, free mobile app RadioApp that makes listening to live radio easier than ever before. RadioApp is aimed at providing Australians with the best in connected, live radio – giving listeners a single destination and an overall easier and enhanced experience that paves the way for the future of radio.
RadioApp delivers a smoother and more intuitive interface, designed specifically for 'connected listening', enabling users to discover their favourite stations more easily than ever before with the app's unique '1-swipe' experience. Users can find their most loved stations and listen to seamless, live streams of their favourite show, as easily as tuning an FM radio.
RadioApp offers choice, with a broad range of stations including SCA's broadcast radio brands from around Australia including Melbourne's #1FM station Triple M, Perth's #1 Station overall mix94.5 plus SCA's digital radio brands including: Triple M Classic Rock, Triple M Modern Rock, Buddha, MORE Digital, The Range and Stardust. All national stations from leading radio broadcasters ABC and Fairfax Radio Network are also available at launch, with others planned shortly.
RadioApp's BETA version is available now, allowing consumers to touch, play, listen and comment, with more functionality and features planned.
SCA, Director of Digital and Innovation, Vijay Solanki said, "At SCA we believe in taking an agile and lean approach to our digital product development. We're pleased to announce our BETA launch of RadioApp. It's a mobile service intended to provide the best radio choice to Australian music listeners. It's a seamless experience to select your station and the rest is music pleasure. We will measure early adopter behaviour and listen to feedback as we evolve the service for a full launch. We are building a neutral platform and welcome other stations and services to join us."
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Discovered: July 13, 2010
Updated: September 26, 2017 12:07:03 PM
Also Known As: Troj/Stuxnet-A [Sophos], W32/Stuxnet-B [Sophos], W32.Temphid [Symantec], WORM_STUXNET.A [Trend], Win32/Stuxnet.B [Computer Associates], Trojan-Dropper:W32/Stuxnet [F-Secure], Stuxnet [McAfee], W32/Stuxnet.A [Norman], Rootkit.Win32.Stuxnet.b [Kaspersky], Rootkit.Win32.Stuxnet.a [Kaspersky]
Type: Worm
Infection Length: Varies
Systems Affected: Windows
CVE References: CVE-2010-2568
W32.Stuxnet was first categorized in July of 2010. Originally Symantec named the detection W32.Temphid based upon the information originally received but later renamed it Stuxnet to bring our naming convention in line with other vendors, and therefore virus definitions dated July 19, 2010 or earlier may detect this threat as W32.Temphid.
It targets industrial control systems in order to take control of industrial facilities, such as power plants. While the attacker's exact motives for doing so are unclear, it has been speculated that it could be for any number of reasons with the most probable intent being industrial espionage. The identities of the attackers are also unknown but there seems little doubt that regardless of their identities, they are skilled and well resourced; this wasn't something that was put together in a short period of time.
Incredibly, Stuxnet exploits four zero-day vulnerabilities, which is unprecedented.
October, 2011 - W32.Duqu, a new beginning?
Symantec received reports of a new threat (W32.Duqu ) that was created from the same code base as Stuxnet. Whilst the code base was near identical, and the methods around the attacks are similar, the purpose of the new threat appears to be completely different from Stuxnet. Stuxnet was primarily designed to sabotage industrial machinery whereas Duqu appears to be designed for information theft, particularly information related to industrial systems and other secrets. This activity could be carried out with a goal to use the stolen information to plan and mount future attacks of a similar nature to those made by Stuxnet.
Symantec have analyzed this threat in detail and have made our analysis available in a report.
W32.Duqu: The precursor to the next Stuxnet
Stuxnet was the first piece of malware to exploit the Microsoft Windows Shortcut 'LNK/PIF' Files Automatic File Execution Vulnerability (BID 41732) in order to spread. The worm drops a copy of itself as well as a link to that copy on a removable drive. When a removable drive is attached to a system and browsed with an application that can display icons, such as Windows Explorer, the link file runs the copy of the worm. Due to a design flaw in Windows, applications that can display icons can also inadvertently run code, and in Stuxnet's case, code in the .lnk file points to a copy of the worm on the same removable drive.
Furthermore, Stuxnet also exploits the Microsoft Windows Server Service RPC Handling Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (BID 31874), which was notably used incredibly successfully by W32.Downadup (a.k.a Conficker), as well as the Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Service Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (BID 43073).
The worm also attempts to spread by copying itself to network shares protected by weak passwords.
The primary purpose of the Stuxnet worm is to take control of industrial facilities. Interestingly, one would expect the malware authors to design malware that would target only computers running the software that controls these facilities. However, like any other garden variety worm, it spreads indiscriminately using the vulnerability mentioned above.
Historic data from the early days of the Stuxnet worm attack showed that Iran, Indonesia and India accounted for the bulk of the countries where computers were targeted.
To achieve this goal, it firstly uses two different and most importantly legitimate certificates signed by well-known companies to avoid detection by antivirus applications. Once it finds its way onto a computer and exploits the .lnk vulnerability to run, it then installs a rootkit in order to hide itself on the system.
Stuxnet searches for industrial control systems, often generically (but incorrectly) known as SCADA systems, and if it finds these systems on the compromised computer, it attempts to steal code and design projects. It may also take advantage of the programming software interface to also upload its own code to the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), which are 'mini-computers', in an industrial control system that is typically monitored by SCADA systems. Stuxnet then hides this code, so when a programmer using a compromised computer tries to view all of the code on a PLC, they will not see the code injected by Stuxnet.
Thus, Stuxnet isn't just a rootkit that hides itself on Windows, but is the first publicly known rootkit that is able to hide injected code located on a PLC.
Symantec Endpoint Protection – Application and Device Control
Symantec Security Response has developed an Application and Device Control (ADC) policy for Symantec Endpoint Protection to protect against the activities associated with this threat. ADC policies are useful for reducing the risk of a threat infecting a computer, preventing the unintentional removal of data, and restricting the programs that are run on a computer.
This particular ADC policy can be used to help combat an outbreak of this threat by slowing down or eliminating its ability to spread from one computer to another. If you are experiencing an outbreak of this threat in your network, please download the policy .
Please visit our support site for more information on ADC policies and how to manage and deploy them throughout your organization.
Note: The ADC policies developed by Security Response are recommended for use in outbreak situations. While useful in such situations, due to their restrictive nature they may cause disruptions to normal business activities.
Symantec has observed the following geographic distribution of this threat.
Symantec has observed the following infection levels of this threat worldwide.
The following content is provided by Symantec to protect against this threat family.
Antivirus signatures
Antivirus (heuristic/generic)
Intrusion Prevention System
Antivirus Protection Dates
- Initial Rapid Release version July 13, 2010 revision 038
- Latest Rapid Release version November 12, 2019 revision 009
- Initial Daily Certified version July 13, 2010 revision 040
- Latest Daily Certified version November 04, 2019 revision 065
- Initial Weekly Certified release date July 14, 2010
Click here for a more detailed description of Rapid Release and Daily Certified virus definitions.
Technical Description
1. Prevention and avoidance
1.1 User behavior and precautions
1.2 Patch operating system and software
1.3 Address blocking
1.4 Network Shares and Removable Drives
2. Infection method
2.1 Remotely exploitable vulnerabilities
2.2 Network Shares
3. Functionality
3.1 System modifications
3.2 Network activity
3.3 Targetting SCADA software
3.4 Rootkit functionality
3.5 Additional functionality
4. Additional information
The following actions can be taken to avoid or minimize the risk from this threat.
1.1 User behavior and precautions
As Stuxnet spreads through removable drives, users are advised to take caution when connecting a removable drive to their computer. While this threat does not use the AutoRun feature in Windows to spread, it is a good security practice to disable this feature so that removable devices do not execute when they are inserted into a computer. It should be noted that the AutoRun feature is disabled by default for non-optical removable drives in recent versions of Windows and on systems with certain updates applied.
Removable drives should also be disconnected when not required and if write access is not required, enable the read-only mode if the option is available on the drive.
1.2 Patch operating system and software
Users are advised to ensure that their operating systems and any installed software are fully patched, and that antivirus and firewall software is up to date and operational. Users should turn on automatic updates if available, so that their computers can receive the latest patches and updates when they are made available.
This threat is known to be spread by exploiting certain vulnerabilities. Installation of the following patches will reduce the risk to your computer.
- Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-046
- Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067
- Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-061
1.3 Address blocking
Block access to the following addresses using a firewall, router, or add entries to the local hosts file to redirect the following addresses to 127.0.0.1:
- www.mypremierfutbol.com
- www.todaysfutbol.com
1.4 Network Shares and Removable Drives
This threat is also known to spread by copying itself to removable drives and inside large network by using shares, the following steps can help protect your computer against this threat.
- Users are advised to ensure that all network shares are only opened when they are necessary for use.
- Use a strong password to guard any shared folders or accounts. A strong password is a password that is of sufficient length of 8 or more characters. The password should also use a combination of numeric, capital, lowercase characters and symbols. Commonly used words from everyday language should not be used as they may easily be defeated by a dictionary attack. This blog provides some ideas on how to construct a strong yet memorable password.
- Its worth noting that while disabling the AutoRun feature will not prevent the threat from running in this case, it is good security practice to prevent dropped files from running automatically when a network drive is opened.
- Other mitigation strategies such as enabling read only or not leaving unused USB keys plugged in.
2.1 Remotely exploitable vulnerabilities
Stuxnet was the first worm to exploit the Microsoft Windows Shortcut 'LNK/PIF' Files Automatic File Execution Vulnerability (BID 41732) in order to spread; in fact when Stuxnet was first discovered, this vulnerability was an unknown, or zero-day, vulnerability and it wasn't until Stuxnet was analyzed that we discovered this vulnerability. Normally when one thinks of a vulnerability in software, one would think of a coding error that an attacker discovers and then exploits. However, while this does indeed fit the definition of a vulnerability, specifically it is a design flaw as Windows is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
The worm copies itself to removable drives as the following files:
- %DriveLetter%\~WTR4132.tmp
- %DriveLetter%\~WTR4141.tmp
Note: Both file names are hardcoded and they are actually .dll files.
It also copies the following files to the above drives:
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Copy of Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
When the drive is accessed by an application that can display icons, such as Windows Explorer, instead of displaying the icon for the .lnk files, it runs code that executes the file %DriveLetter%\~WTR4132.tmp. This file's main purpose is to execute the other file that is copied to the removable drive, DriveLetter%\~WTR4141.tmp, which is then loaded into memory. Its worth noting that this file has a valid signature issued to and signed by well-known companies.
It also uses a remote procedure call (RPC) exploit to spread. This exploit is only effective against computers that have not applied the patch for the Microsoft Windows Server Service RPC Handling Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (BID 31874).
Furthermore, it exploits the Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Service Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (BID 43073) to copy itself from one compromised computer to another. The vulnerability allows for a file to be written to the %System% directory of a vulnerable computer. Stuxnet first uses this vulnerability to plant a copy of itself on a vulnerable machine and later it uses a feature of WBEM to achieve execution of that file on the remote computer.
2.2 Network Shares
Stuxnet also attempts to spread via network shares by copying itself to network shares as the following file:
%DriveLetter%\ "DEFRAG[RANDOM NUMBER].tmp
Note: This file is in fact a .dll file.
It then attempts to create a job to run the .dll file.
3.1 System modifications
File creation
The following file(s) may be seen on the compromised computer.
- %System%\drivers\mrxcls.sys
- %System%\drivers\mrxnet.sys
- %DriveLetter%\~WTR4132.tmp
- %DriveLetter%\~WTR4141.tmp
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Copy of Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %DriveLetter%\Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Shortcut to.lnk
- %Windir%\inf\oem6C.PNF
- %Windir%\inf\oem7A.PNF
- %Windir%\inf\mdmcpq3.PNF
- %Windir%\inf\mdmeric3.PNF
File deletion
File modification
Registry entries created
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MRxCls\"ImagePath" = "%System%\drivers\mrxcls.sys"
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MRxNet\"ImagePath" = "%System%\drivers\mrxnet.sys"
Registry subkeys/entries deleted
Registry subkeys/entries modified (final values given)
- iexplorer.exe (injection)
- lsass.exe (injection)
Once an infected removable drive is attached to a clean computer, the worm copies itself to the clean computer as the following files:
Next, the worm registers the file mrxcls.sys as a service with the following characteristics:
Display Name: MRXCLS
Startup Type: Automatic
Image Path: %System%\drivers\mrxcls.sys
The worm creates the following registry entry for the above service:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MRxCls\"ImagePath" = "%System%\drivers\mrxcls.sys"
It also registers the file mrxnet.sys as a service with the following characteristics:
Display Name: MRXNET
Startup Type: Automatic
Image Path: %System%\drivers\mrxnet.sys
The worm creates the following registry entry for the above service:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MRxNet\"ImagePath" = "%System%\drivers\mrxnet.sys"
It also creates the following files, which are encrypted copies of the worm:
- %Windir%\inf\oem6C.PNF
- %Windir%\inf\oem7A.PNF
- %Windir%\inf\mdmcpq3.PNF
- %Windir%\inf\mdmeric3.PNF
The file %System%\drivers\mrxcls.sys decrypts these files to reinfect the compromised computer if attempts are made to remove the worm.
3.2 Network activity
The threat may perform the following network activities.
The worm is able to download a payload executable on to the compromised computer from the C&C server and execute it.
The worm sends an HTTP request to the server containing information about the compromised computer. This information is sent by making a request to the following URL:
http://[C&C SERVER ADDRESS]/index.php?data=[DATA]
Note: DATA represents the system information that has been gathered.
Other network activity
The worm contacts the following URLs through port 80, which are the worm's C&C servers, to test Internet connectivity:
- www.mypremierfutbol.com
- www.todaysfutbol.com
The data is not sent in plain text though; instead it is encrypted with XOR using a 31-byte key. The data section also contains several fields describing the data. The response received back from the C&C server is also encrypted using XOR but using a different 31-byte key. Both of these keys are contained in the malicious .dll file on the compromised computer and can be used to decipher network traffic to and from the C&C server.
The data sent from the compromised computer to the C&C server contains the following information:
- The Windows version information
- The computer name
- The network group name
- Flag for whether SCADA software was installed or not
- IP addresses of all network interfaces
When the C&C receives this information it can reply with 2 types of responses. The first type of response instructs the threat to execute one of the procedures already existing within the threats code. In fact the data from this type of response is forwarded to various RPC routines within the main .dll file. The second type of response delivers an additional .dll file to the client in the response and instructs the client to load that .dll file and call an ordinal one from within the downloaded .dll file.
The first type of response acts as a wrapper for RPCs that will be forwarded to the local machine. The RPC calls implemented on the client side can perform the following actions:
- Read a file
- Write to a file
- Delete a file
- Create a process
- Inject a .dll into lsass.exe
- Load an additional .dll file and executed export 1
- Extract resource 210 from the main .dll file (this resource is used to inject into other processes)
- Update the configuration data for the threat
The parameters for these RPC calls are passed to the client via response type 1. For example, the .dll file to be injected into lsass.exe is passed to the client from the server inside response type 1.
3.3 Targetting SCADA software
Stuxnet is specifically targeting systems with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software installed. The threat performs many database queries on the database used by the Siemens Step 7 software and interacts with the .dll files belonging to that product. It tries to extract specific data from the database. For example, it tries to access files with the following characteristics, created by the Step 7 software:
- GracS\cc_tag.sav
- GracS\cc_alg.sav
- GracS\db_log.sav
- GracS\cc_tlg7.sav
By accessing these files, Stuxnet steals code and design projects.
Industrial control systems consist of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), which can be thought of as mini-computers that can be programmed from a Windows system. These PLCs contain special code that controls the automation of industrial processes. Programmers use software (e.g., on a Windows PC) to create code and then upload their code to the PLCs.
Stuxnet has the ability to take advantage of the programming software to also upload its own code to the PLC in an industrial control system that is typically monitored by SCADA systems. In addition, Stuxnet then hides these code blocks, so when a programmer using an infected machine tries to view all of the code blocks on a PLC, they will not see the code injected by Stuxnet. Thus, Stuxnet isn't just a rootkit that hides itself on Windows, but is the first publicly known rootkit that is able to hide injected code located on a PLC.
In particular, Stuxnet hooks the programming software, which means that when someone uses the software to view code blocks on the PLC, the injected blocks are nowhere to be found. This is done by hooking enumeration, read, and write functions so that you can't accidentally overwrite the hidden blocks as well. Thus Stuxnet introduces the first known rootkit for industrial control systems.
By writing code to the PLC, Stuxnet can potentially control or alter how the system operates. To date, no industrial facility has been knowingly compromised. What any attacker hopes to achieve by compromising an industrial facility is not known, but one thing is for sure: nothing good can come from a facility being compromised.
3.4 Rootkit functionality
In an attempt to avoid detection the file %DriveLetter%\~WTR4132.tmp hides threat related files by hooking the following APIs from kernel32.dll and Ntdll.dll:
From Kernel32.dll
- FindFirstFileW
- FindNextFileW
- FindFirstFileExW
From Ntdll.dll
- NtQueryDirectoryFile
- ZwQueryDirectoryFile
It replaces the original code for these functions with code that checks for files with the following properties:
- File names ending with ".lnk"
- File names beginning with "~WTR" and ending in ".tmp" (which explains why the file names on the removable drive are hardcoded and cannot change significantly)
If a request is made to list a file with the above properties, the response from these APIs is altered to state that the file does not exist, thereby hiding all files with those properties.
After the kernel32.dll APIs are hooked, the file %DriveLetter%\~WTR4132.tmp loads the other .dll file, %DriveLetter%\~WTR4141.tmp. However, to achieve this Stuxnet uses a different approach from what one would normally expect. Rather than calling the "LoadLibrary" API to load a .dll file into memory, which is what one would normally expect, Stuxnet hooks certain Ntdll.dll functions, then calls the "LoadLibrary" with a specially crafted file name. The file requested to be loaded does not exist on disk, therefore normally LoadLibrary would fail. However, W32.Stuxnet has hooked Ntdll.dll to monitor for requests to load specially crafted file names. If a specially crafted file name is encountered, the hooked ntdll.dll functions know to load a .dll file from another location instead; a location specified by Stuxnet and that location is generally an area in memory where a .dll file has been decrypted and stored by the threat previously.
The functions hooked for this purpose in Ntdll.dll are:
- ZwMapViewOfSection
- ZwCreateSection
- ZwOpenFile
- ZwCloseFile
- ZwQueryAttributesFile
- ZwQuerySection
Once a .dll file has been loaded, GetProcAddress is used to find the address of a specific export from the .dll file and that export is called, handing control to that new .dll file.
3.5 Additional functionality
Lowering security settings
It injects its code into iexplorer.exe in order to bypass firewalls.
Next, it ends the following security-related processes:
- vp.exe
- Mcshield.exe
- avguard.exe
- bdagent.exe
- UmxCfg.exe
- fsdfwd.exe,
- rtvscan.exe
- ccSvcHst.exe
- ekrn.exe
- tmpproxy.exe
For more information relating to this threat family, please see the following resource:
Blog entries on W32.Stuxnet
W32.Stuxnet Dossier (White paper - September, 2010)
W32.Stuxnet Timeline (Infographic - June, 2011)
Stuxnet 0.5 – The Missing Link (Video - February, 2013)
Stuxnet 0.5: The Missing Link (White paper - February, 2013)
Symantec Security Response encourages all users and administrators to adhere to the following basic security "best practices":
- Use a firewall to block all incoming connections from the Internet to services that should not be publicly available. By default, you should deny all incoming connections and only allow services you explicitly want to offer to the outside world.
- Enforce a password policy. Complex passwords make it difficult to crack password files on compromised computers. This helps to prevent or limit damage when a computer is compromised.
- Ensure that programs and users of the computer use the lowest level of privileges necessary to complete a task. When prompted for a root or UAC password, ensure that the program asking for administration-level access is a legitimate application.
- Disable AutoPlay to prevent the automatic launching of executable files on network and removable drives, and disconnect the drives when not required. If write access is not required, enable read-only mode if the option is available.
- Turn off file sharing if not needed. If file sharing is required, use ACLs and password protection to limit access. Disable anonymous access to shared folders. Grant access only to user accounts with strong passwords to folders that must be shared.
- Turn off and remove unnecessary services. By default, many operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical. These services are avenues of attack. If they are removed, threats have less avenues of attack.
- If a threat exploits one or more network services, disable, or block access to, those services until a patch is applied.
- Always keep your patch levels up-to-date, especially on computers that host public services and are accessible through the firewall, such as HTTP, FTP, mail, and DNS services.
- Configure your email server to block or remove email that contains file attachments that are commonly used to spread threats, such as .vbs, .bat, .exe, .pif and .scr files.
- Isolate compromised computers quickly to prevent threats from spreading further. Perform a forensic analysis and restore the computers using trusted media.
- Train employees not to open attachments unless they are expecting them. Also, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses. Simply visiting a compromised Web site can cause infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched.
- If Bluetooth is not required for mobile devices, it should be turned off. If you require its use, ensure that the device's visibility is set to "Hidden" so that it cannot be scanned by other Bluetooth devices. If device pairing must be used, ensure that all devices are set to "Unauthorized", requiring authorization for each connection request. Do not accept applications that are unsigned or sent from unknown sources.
- For further information on the terms used in this document, please refer to the Security Response glossary.
You may have arrived at this page either because you have been alerted by your Symantec product about this risk, or you are concerned that your computer has been affected by this risk.
Before proceeding further we recommend that you run a full system scan . If that does not resolve the problem you can try one of the options available below.
If you are a Norton product user, we recommend you try the following resources to remove this risk.
Removal Tool
If you have an infected Windows system file, you may need to replace them using from the Windows installation CD .
How to reduce the risk of infection
The following resources provide further information and best practices to help reduce the risk of infection.
- Operating system updates to fix vulnerabilities
- File sharing protection
- Disable Autorun (CD/USB)
- Best practices for instant messaging
- Best practices for browsing the Web
- Best practices for email
If you are a Symantec business product user, we recommend you try the following resources to remove this risk.
Identifying and submitting suspect files
Submitting suspicious files to Symantec allows us to ensure that our protection capabilities keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape. Submitted files are analyzed by Symantec Security Response and, where necessary, updated definitions are immediately distributed through LiveUpdate™ to all Symantec end points. This ensures that other computers nearby are protected from attack. The following resources may help in identifying suspicious files for submission to Symantec.
Removal Tool
- Run Symantec Power Eraser in Symantec Help (SymHelp)
- About Symantec Power Eraser
- Symantec Power Eraser User Guide
If you have an infected Windows system file, you may need to replace them using from the Windows installation CD .
How to reduce the risk of infection
The following resource provides further information and best practices to help reduce the risk of infection.
Protecting your business network
Use SEP's Application and Device Control (ADC) feature to block Stuxnet infections
SEP's ADC can help to prevent the spread of Stuxnet. A policy file is available which will block actions carried out by the threat.
Specifically, the policy will monitor for access to .lnk files by all processes in the following locations:
- Removable drives
- CD/DVD drive
- Network drives
- RAM drives
The following process is permitted to read .lnk files:
- rtvscan.exe
See 'Vulnerability in Windows Shell Could Allow Remote Code Execution' (see Microsoft Security Advisory 2286198 for further information).
The following instructions pertain to all current Symantec antivirus products.
1. Performing a full system scan
How to run a full system scan using your Symantec product
2. Restoring settings in the registry
Many risks make modifications to the registry, which could impact the functionality or performance of the compromised computer. While many of these modifications can be restored through various Windows components, it may be necessary to edit the registry. See in the Technical Details of this writeup for information about which registry keys were created or modified. Delete registry subkeys and entries created by the risk and return all modified registry entries to their previous values.
Writeup By: Jarrad Shearer


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text:
First of all I couldnt believe someone made a movie about lil wayne but when I heard it won the jury prize at this years Sundance Film Festival I had to fuckin see it. This film shows you a side of lil wayne youve never seen, an amazing side full of loneliness, endless liquid codeine, blunts, and retarded recording sessions.This dude is fucked up ALL DAY! He literally does whatever he wants, doesnt give a fuck and people seem to love it! I dont enjoy his music but I fuckin loved this documentary it was really funny.So enjoy this film in its entirety @ BluntGutsNation
Look out for the part when he says some shit about Topenga's lips from boy meets world, classic.


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With the holidays approaching, gift giving is on everyone's mind. Beauty Info Zone turns to Mont Bleu as a great online resource for beautiful gifts, including glass nail files decorated with beautiful crystals, Swarovski decorated hair brushes, beautiful bracelets, necklaces, and hair pins, and so much more. Every piece comes with a certificate of authenticity. We have been impressed with the fantastic quality of Mont Bleu items for years now, as well as their incredibly fast shipping.
Today we have two amazing gift options to show you, and you can win one of them to gift to someone…although we recommend keeping it for yourself!
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There are many different designs with the compact mirrors but all have the same wonderful craftsmanship. The compacts come with mirrors on both sides, a standard mirror and a magnifying side. They are 70mm in diameter so they are just the right size to check on your lips and eyes plus fit nicely in your bag. I often have trouble opening palettes but the compacts by Mont Bleu that are made with SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS have an easy to open button.
Here's the compact I had sent to me and what you can win in this giveaway provided by Mont Bleu.
I'm so happy with this colorful yet lightweight compact that I find excuses to touch up my makeup when I'm out. Mirrors like these are very affordable and make wonderful gifts for all occasions. You can see the beautiful designs on Mont Bleu's website. This particular mirror would be 12 euros/$12.92 US. Prices range from $12.92 US to $38.69 US for most of these mirrors while the fabulous glass nail files range from $5.40 to $10.77. There's something for everyone on your list!
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*products sent for consideration, giveaway will be the responsibility of Mont Bleu and not Beauty Info Zone


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05 juin 2011
A fine conch pearl and diamond necklace & A fine pair of conch pearl and diamond earrings
A fine conch pearl and diamond necklace. Photo Bonhams The chain set with seventeen pink conch pearls alternating with briolette-cut diamonds, to a brilliant-cut diamond-set clasp, mounted in platinum,the conch pearls estimated to weigh approximately 34.84 carats in total, the diamonds estimated to weigh approximately 8.55 carats in total, length 44.0cm. Sold for HKD384,000 Accompanied by a certificate from GIA, stating that the seventeen saltwater strong pink conch pearls are natural and show no indication of... [Lire la suite]
23 mai 2011
Bonhams Hong Kong 2011 Spring Auctions: Fancy Diamonds and Exquisite Gemstones – Fine Jewellery and Jadeite Auction
A rare natural conch pearl and diamond necklace. Photo: Bonhams Major shifts and changes took place in the jewellery industry worldwide at the beginning of the year, with high prices and a limited supply of fine jewellery deeply impacting the industry. The prices of large Fancy Vivid Blue and Fancy Vivid Pink diamonds that are popular amongst Asian and European buyers have strengthened significantly over the past few years. Among other exquisite gems, exceptional pieces of fine old jadeite, rare conch and natural pearls are... [Lire la suite]
11 avril 2011
Natural pearl, conch pearl and cultured pearl
Very fine natural pearl and diamond ring. Photo Sotheby's The ring centring on a natural pearl measuring approximately 13.45 x 13.65mm, surrounded by old European-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 7.00 carats; accompanied by an extra diamond-set ring fitting, pearl detachable; mounted in platinum. (2). Estimate 1,500,000—1,700,000 HKD. Lot Sold 1,940,000 HKD Ring size: 5¾ Accompanied by SSEF report numbered 55288, dated 18 January 2010, stating that the pearl is natural saltwater pearl, with no indications of... [Lire la suite]
01 janvier 2011
Chrysoberyl, Tourmaline, Demantoid garnet, Conch pearl, yellow sapphires, amethyst & blue topaz @ Sotheby's
Chrysoberyl brooch , probably Portuguese, second ahalf of the 18th century. photo Sotheby's Designed as a floral and foliate spray tied with a ribbon, set with foil backed cushion-, pear-shaped, oval and mixed-cut chrysoberyl, later brooch fitting, accompanied by original shaped tooled leather case. Est. 5,500—6,500 GBP. Lot Sold 20,000 GBP Tourmaline, enamel and diamond brooch, J.E.Caldwell & CO., 1920s. photo Sotheby's Of annular open work design, centring on a stylised violet the petals of cabochon... [Lire la suite]
05 décembre 2010
Conch pearl jewelry @ Bonhams Hong Kong
A conch pearl, natural pearl and diamond tiara. photo Bonhams Designed as a series of stylised loop ribbon and foliate motifs, set with brilliant and single-cut diamonds, surmounted by four natural pearls of various sizes, set at the centre with a pink conch pearl, mounted in white gold, tiara dimensions 4.5 x 8.4cm. - Sold for HK$81,600 Accompanied by five certificates from a gemmological lab, stating that the saltwater pearls are natural and the conch pearl is a calcareous concreation. Report number US 53111512P, US... [Lire la suite]
20 juin 2010
A pearl and diamond necklace, circa 1860 & A pair of conch pearl and diamond earrings
A pearl and diamond necklace, circa 1860. photo Bonhams The front set with series of quatrefoil diamond plaques and buckle-shaped links, set throughout with old brilliant and rose-cut diamonds, accented throughout by pearls of gray, pink, orange, purple and yellow hue, to a diamond-set back chain, mounted in silver-topped gold, diamonds approximately 26.00 carats total, pearls untested for natural origin, with fitted case, necklace length 38.1cm. Sold for HK$456,000 A pair of conch pearl and diamond earrings. photo... [Lire la suite]
19 juin 2010
Conch Pearl, Natural Pearl & Tahitian Pearl jewelry @ M.S. Rau Antiques
Conch Pearl & Diamond Necklace. This glorious necklace glows with approximately 21.50 carats of diamonds and seven extremely rare and desireable conch pearls ranging in size from 3mm to 34mm. Price: $150,000 Conch pearls are produced by the Queen Conch mollusk primarily found in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Unlike traditional pearls, conch pearls cannot be cultured, thus they are all natural and unique. Because only one in 10,000 conchs produce a pearl, with only 10 percent of those being gem quality, these... [Lire la suite]
10 mai 2009
Conch pearl, natural pearl and diamond brooch
Conch pearl, natural pearl and diamond brooch Set with a conch pearl and two pearl drops, suspended from a stylised leaf motif set with baguette, single-, circular- and brilliant-cut diamonds, mounted in platinum. Accompanied by SSEF report no. 53464 stating that the conch pearl and the two pearls are natural. Est. 12,000—18,000 CHF Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels And A Celebration of Taste and , Magnificent Jewels from a Private Collection. 12 May 09. Geneva www.sothebys.com photo courtesy Sotheby's.