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Official Portal
Malaysian Rubber Board
Lembaga Getah Malaysia
About Us
About Us
MRB Diary
Vision & Mission
Clients Charter
MRB Clients Charter
Clients Charter Achievement
Bill Process Report
Director General's Message
Board Members
Organisation Chart
Senior Officers
Senior Management
Milestone of Malaysian NR
Telephone Directory
Location Maps
Core Activities
Research & Innovation
Crop Management
Crop Improvement and Protection
Processing & Pollution Research
Engineering & Product Design
Advanced Rubber Technology
Latex Science & Technology
Chemistry & Materials Exploratory
Transfer of Technology
Getah Untuk PeriBumi (GUP)
GUP Perak
GUP Negeri Sembilan
GUP Melaka
GUP Johor
GUP Pahang
GUP Negeri kelantan
GUP Sabah
GUP Sarawak
A5 Programme
Akademi Hevea Malaysia
Global Testing & Consultancy for Rubber (G-TACR)
SMR Scheme
Product Certification
Rubber & Rubber Products
News Clips
Rubber News
MRB Application System
System uses a Single Sign-On using Active Directory Account
*Online Depository System for RnD
This system serves as a central repository for all research related information. It also helped the process of monitoring for all R& D projects.
*Online Depository System for Services
This system is for the use of MRB officer to record all daily tasks and services projects by year.
EClaim System
Electronic system that enable the users i.e staff to make local & overseas travelling claim, advances and overtime claim. It integrates with MRB Payroll system and Accounting system.
Human Resource Portal
Provide all the information regarding Human Resource such as guideline, PTK, training schedule and downloadable forms.
Licensing Information System
A licencing system for processing new application of licences, renewal, termination and changes in particular licences.
Automatic Bank Reconciliation for CESS Collection
This system assist the Account Unit to manage the cess collection and it will automatically reconcile the cess account.
Rubber Export Permit Information System
To ensure all the information on the Rubber Export Permit can be accessible quickly and to help the trading partners to get information about import and export rubber in Malaysia.
Rubber Price Determination System
This system helps the Malaysian Rubber Exchange Unit to calculate the rubber prices based on quotation by Price Advisory Panel. All the latest rubber prices will be automatically update into MRB's Official Portal.
Tender & Quotation System
This system helps the Admin Unit to publish the latest tender & quotation into MRB's Official Portal. This system will automatically display the active tender & quotation based on the closing date.
e-Rubber Manufacturer System
This system was developed to store consumption of rubber data. It allows the rubber manufacturer to declare their purchase and usage of rubber and rubber product wastes online. The system also allows MRB to monitor and supervise via on-line the manufacturers and rubber traders to comply to the MRB regulations.
ICT Complaint Management System
This system helps the IT Unit to manage all the ICT complaint in MRB.
This system helps the Economic Unit to upload the latest MRB's Digest into MRB's Official Portal.
Lab Information Management System for Dry Rubber Content (DRC-eLiMS)
This system simplifies and hastens the issuance of DRC test results as well as minimizes human error through the use of an automated work process.
This system was developed to store the survey data of the smallholders and their smallholdings involved with the LITS3 scheme. e-LITS3 is also capable to generate the reports that can help the researchers and the Steering committee to make quick decisions.
e-WorksOrder System
This system helps Support Service & Engineering Unit to manage all the work orders that need to be done by that unit.
Asset Management System (SPPA)
The system is tailor made for a total management of MRB's assets and inventories as required by Pekeliling Perbendaharaan Bil 5/2007. It covers aspects of asset/inventories management such as receipt, registration, usage, safe-keep, verification, maintenance, lost and write-off.
eMRE Ordinary Membership System
This system can expedite the application process to be a member of the MRE and the approval process of an application.
An internet based system/program developed by MRB to analyze Proficiency Testing Program (Cross check) data. The novelty feature of the system is the ability to treat the outlier data.
eMaklum System
This system was develop to expedite the process of informing the status of bill payments to suppliers via fax and email .
e-Quality Management System
The e-Quality Management System was develop to support quality document management in MRB's implementation of MS ISO 9001:2008.
Malaysian Rubber Exchange (MRE)
Natural Rubber Statistics
Acts & Guidelines
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
MRE Ordinary Membership
MRE Associate Membership
MRB Application System
Statistics for Online Services
Enforcement & Inspectorate
Standard Malaysian Rubber
Standard Malaysian Gloves (SMG)
MRB Company Registration Form
Certificate in Rubber Technology
Standards Development
Rubber Entrepreneurs Course
Privacy & Security Policy
RSS Feed
Copyright ©2011 MALAYSIAN RUBBER BOARD
The Government and Malaysian Rubber Board shall not be liable for any loss or damage caused by the usage of any information obtained from this site.
Best viewed using Google Chrome with the resolution of 1280 X 1024.
Contact us at: firstname.lastname@example.com / firstname.lastname@example.com


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Horticulture expert Toby Bost offers his gardening tips for early summer. Whether growing fruits and vegetables or maintaining your current landscape, there is plenty to do in your yard this month.
1. Fertilize warm-season turfgrass varieties, like Bermuda grass, St. Augustine and zoysia, are monthly during the summer months, or as needed based on a soil test. For more information on lawn management, request or download a copy of the Lawn Maintenance Calendar from Cooperative Extension for your turfgrass type.
2. Remove no more than one-third of the height of the grass during mowing. This ensures the root system is not stressed. Clippings can be left on tall fescue/bluegrass lawns to recycle nutrients and add organic matter back into the soil. Raising the cutting height on cool season lawns as hot weather approaches also helps reduce weed infestations.
3. Prevent fungus diseases in your lawn by reseeding or sodding affected areas in late summer. The diseases appear in home lawns this time of year as moisture and night temperatures increase. Systemic fungicides may give relief when applied at the onset of disease development, however reseeding and sodding is the most environmentally sound practice.
4. Note that powdery mildew disease is common on ornamental plants in early summer. A white film develops on a few susceptible plants, such as phlox, roses and crape myrtles, just to name a few. Treatment includes pruning off infected leaves, using approved fungicides, and disposing of fallen leaves in winter. For sustainable plantings, select mildew resistant varieties for the garden.
5. Be aware of tiny insects called thrips, which commonly spoil white-to-pastel-colored flowers during the bud stage. A problem with thrips can occur quickly. A trademark symptom is the browning of the edges of petals, especially roses and peonies. To test, shake an infested flower over a white piece of paper and you will see the slender, tan-colored insects. Thrips are difficult control since they are mobile and elusive. Systemic insecticides may work in some cases. Blighted flowers should be removed and discarded into sealed trash bags.
6. Deadhead spent flowers before they set seeds. A plant expends unnecessary energy forming seeds that can be put to better use building roots or forming new flower stalks and foliage. Deadheading is common in perennial and bulb gardening, as well as in the edible garden. Iris and peonies benefit from this treatment.
7. Manage ants by disturbing the soil surface and by using ant-bait stations. They generally do no damage to plants as they seek out nectar from blossoms or honeydew from aphid infestations. Control fire ants with baits used on mounds. More information on fire ants can be found here.
8. Irrigate vegetable gardens with the equivalent of an inch of water per week. Water-stressed plants are less flavorful and productive. Experiment with drip irrigation and other low volume systems to conserve water. Rain barrels that receive storm water from your gutters are a good and environmentally friendly way to supply moisture to thirsty gardens.
9. Continue planting crops that thrive in summer gardens – okra, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, field peas, pumpkins, tomatoes, and lima bean.
10. Fertilize bedding plants and vegetables routinely as signs of nutrient deficiencies are observed. Slow-release and organic fertilizers can simplify this important chore.
11. Beneficial insect populations generally buildup to significant numbers by early summer and are the gardener's best helper for natural control of plant pests. Praying mantis, ladybugs and parasitic wasps are important predators in the biological war for saving your harvest. Increase their numbers by planting cover crops, such as buckwheat and clovers, in vacant space in the vegetable garden. Many blooming plants with small flowers are attractive to beneficial insects. Read more about organic gardening and pest control.
12. Mulching is an important practice for successful gardening.
13. Rain barrels and other containers that collect storm water should be capped to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Screen wire is a fine material to cap these containers. You can also control these insects using Mosquito Dunks.
14. Thin strawberry plants to 12 inches after harvest. Remove runners, and fertilize and weed plantings. Strawberry beds may need to be replaced after three years of production.
15. Extend the vegetable harvest with successive plantings during the summer months.
16. Squash vine borers are a threat to squash, pumpkins, and other gourd family members. Use the least toxic method to stop this pest. Routinely check for signs of borers in June and August.
17. Vegetable and herb plantings will yield more when they are harvested regularly and picked when at their peak maturity time. Remember to ask family or friends to pick your vegetables when you are away on vacation. The garden will benefit and your friends will appreciate your generosity.
18. Tomato plants are disease prone and the lower leaves are the first often affected. In small spaces, fungicides are beneficial where tomatoes are planted yearly. Explore your options between both synthetic and biological fungicides.
19. Thin fruit on fruit trees. Fruit trees are notorious for overbearing, which can reduce the number of fruit the next year. Hand thinning also increases the size of individual fruits remaining on trees.
20. Protect honeybee populations by applying chemical insecticides late in the day, and using the least toxic method to control leaf feeding beetles. Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil spray applications are helpful in eradicating damaging aphid populations. Consult your county extension agent for advice on the safe use of pesticides or for alternatives to chemical insecticides.
21. Tomatoes are an important vegetable for most city gardeners. Select a large container at least five gallons in size. If you choose a bucket don't forget to drill drainage holes on the lower sides. A commercial potting soil that has moisture polymers for water retention will be helpful as summer approaches. Tomatoes flourish in full sun and need plenty of fertilizer and water. It is best to hold back on fertilizing until the first tomatoes form. Too much nitrogen will leave you with big green plants and no tomatoes.
*** County Cooperative Extension offices offer a very helpful Vegetable Gardener's Guide free to all residents. It features recommended varieties and seed quantities needed for planting. Two other useful publications for edible gardens is the North Carolina Vegetable Garden Guide (Cool Springs Press) and Rodale's Organic Gardener Handbook.

subset: commoncrawl


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First Time User? Sign Up Now
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Home > Wellness > Classes & Events > Event Search Results Detail
Registration is closed.
Considering or preparing for a total joint (shoulder, hip or knee) replacement?
Join us for our free Total Joint Class where you will learn:
Melissa McCullen, BSN, RN, ONC, CNOR, RNFA, Orthopedic Nurse Navigator at 919-587-4141 or send an email
At this location Wayne UNC Health Care - Auditorium Ground Floor Beginning on December 17, 2019
Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter to receive news about Wayne UNC health services and wellness events by email.
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Wayne UNC Health Care
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Goldsboro, NC 27534
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Teammate Email
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An nvc file extension is related to the Nero Vision Express video editing tool. An nvc file contains video project.
There are 2 other file types using
the NVC file extension!
.nvc - Nikon Vignette correction file
.nvc - Net Vampire job script
Software that open nvc file
NVC file extension - Nero Video project
What is nvc file? How to open nvc files?
File type specification:
The nvc file extension is used for video projects saved by Nero Vision Express (now known as Nero Video) video-editing software.
May also be a slideshow created by Nero Video that can be exported as video file, can be burned to a DVD when completed.
Updated: June 24, 2019
The default software associated to open nvc file:
Nero Video (Nero Vision Express)
Company or developer:
Nero AG
Nero Video (Nero Vision Express) is video capture software import photos and videos from almost any device; edit with the aid of cutting, text, image, and sound effects; create DVDs, AVCHDs, and Blu-ray Discs; and play back and stream images.
List of software applications associated to the .nvc file extension
Recommended software programs are sorted by OS platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android etc.)
and possible program actions that can be done with the file: like open nvc file, edit nvc file, convert nvc file, view nvc file, play nvc file etc. (if exist software for corresponding action in File-Extensions.org's database).
Click on the tab below to simply browse between the application actions, to quickly get a list of recommended software, which is able to perform the specified software action, such as opening, editing or converting nvc files.
Software that open nvc file - Nero Video project
Programs supporting the exension nvc on the main platforms Windows, Mac, Linux or mobile. Click on the link to get more information about Nero Video (Nero Vision Express) for open nvc file action.


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Whitsunday Adventurer
Departure Times
Pricing Options
Whitsunday Adventurer offers the ultimate adventure with sailing, snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboards and more!
- Take advantage of all the action-packed activities on board Whitsunday Adventure
- Sail, snorkel, kayak, use the stand-up paddleboards or go for a bush walk - there is something for everyone!
- Spend time on the spacious decks hanging out and relaxing as you sail around
- Maximum of 12 passengers for an intimate and relaxed experience that is still fun and full of adventure
- A great option for young couples, families, groups of friends and single travellers alike
Onboard Whitsunday Adventurer there is always a way to have fun! Snorkel through the beautiful fringing reefs or simply relax on the beautiful Whitehaven Beach; enjoy your nights relaxing in the luxury spa, or socialising on board with other guests - Whitsunday Adventurer has it all. You can relax and enjoy the world's best scenery in comfort and style as your crew take care of everything and allow you to enjoy your time exploring the Whitsundays. Favourites on board are the kayaks and paddleboards, which are ideal for viewing the coral from above for a unique and immersive experience. Whitsunday Adventurer is an ideal escape for all types of travellers, including families, solo travellers, couples and groups of friends.
Highlights & Features:
- Heated foredeck spa bath
- Stand-up paddleboards
- Double passenger kayaks
- A comfortable spacious sailing catamaran
- Only 12 passengers on board a spacious vessel
- Quality snorkelling gear and wetsuit hire included for your convenience
- Aft underwater blue lights, which are great for attracting marine life
- Sumptuous meals freshly made using locally sourced produce
- Quality linen and bath towels included for each guest
- Morning and afternoon snacks, tea and coffee
- BYO alcohol
Whitsunday Adventurer is also available for Private Charter.
Sample Itinerary
The Whitsunday Islands offer an abundance of sensational snorkel destinations perfect for all levels of experience. Expect to see a variety of fish species, soft and hard corals, anemone fish, keeping your eyes peeled for turtles, stingrays, moray eels, sharks and the huge Maori Wrasse! This is an adventure you don't want to miss out on! All your snorkel gear is provided and wet suits are distributed to all passengers. If this is your first time, or you are a weak/non-swimmer, have no worries as our experienced crew members will provide supervision, guidance and assistance where needed!
Heated Spa
The ever-popular heated spa located at the foredeck is perfect to warm you up after your water activities and is in the prime location to enjoy a cold beverage or stargaze. Not only is the spa heated but it has soothing jets as well!
Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUP)
Experience all the beauty and wonder of the Great Barrier Reef on board one of our kayaks or stand-up paddleboards! Always popular, the inflatable double kayaks and paddleboards are great fun to cruise around the colourful reefs. From your kayak, you can gaze in wonder at the amazing coral gardens that live below as well as the many curious fish that will come close to investigate you! Adventurer's paddleboards also allow for a great view of the surrounding area as well as another fun way to explore the reef and coastline, and gives you a workout at the same time! Both are great for spotting turtles and other marine life all while having fun and enjoying the sunshine!
Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet Lookout
Be sure to have your cameras ready because you won't want to miss the opportunity to capture the most incredible view of the swirling sands of Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach! Your tour guide will take you for a scenic bushwalk up to the lookout to you and snap some photos and absorb the view. Then after some time at the top, its time to hit up the beach! You will have plenty of time to soak up the sun, go for a refreshing swim, even wade amongst baby sharks and stingrays.
Underwater Blue Lights
When the day comes to an end, its the start of some underwater blue light entertainment. Embedded in the aft hulls, Whitsunday Adventurer features two blue lights that attract a variety of marine activity... Giant trevallies, small bait fish, squid and even dolphins! This is a feature you will not find on most Whitsunday vessels!
Tap the hotspots on the floor plan below to view the boat.
- Shared accom - single beds in shared area
- Private double cabin - one double bed in a private cabin for two people to share
- Private triple cabin - one double bed and a single bunk bed above in a private cabin for three people to share
Whitsunday Adventurer boasts ample deck space and an open concept interior. There is plenty of room to lounge inside or outside the vessel, regardless of the weather! Taking out a maximum of 12 passengers, this boat never feels crowded and creates a relaxed and intimate atmosphere.
Adventurer also features an exciting collection of books which you are welcome to read in the downtime of your trip. The variety of reading includes Australian stories, Aussie facts, history books, and a few interesting tales in between.
More Information
What To Bring
Please bring only a small soft bag containing no zippers with: Change of clothes, hat, swim-wear, beach towel, sunscreen 30+, warm pullover for the evenings (seasonal). You will also need to bring your own alcoholic beverages, available for purchase in town. No glass bottles, please.
Excess luggage can be stored at several places in town including most boat check-in offices, most hostels, at your accommodation, or at Airlie Beach Bag Storage. Most charge between $5-15pp for the duration of your trip.
What's Included
- Skipper
- Host
- Drinking water
- Meals
- Linen
- Bath towels
- Wetsuit hire and snorkelling equipment
- Marine Park fees
What's Extra
- $23 EMC Fee (as of 01 April 2020) - payable direct at check in.
- BYO alcohol and soft drinks - no glass bottles, unless wine.
Holiday Surcharges for 2019:
- A $20 per night (per person) Public Holiday Surcharge is applicable to tours departing on the 24th, 25th and 26th of December 2019. New Years surcharges may also apply, please enquire at the time of booking.
Holiday Surcharges for 2020 onwards:
- Tours at sea between the 24th of December to the 2nd of January will incur a local payment once-off fee of $20 per person per night, payable direct at check in.
- Tours departing on Easter Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday will incur a once-off fee of $20 per person per night, payable direct at check in.
Terms and Conditions
Holiday surcharges may apply, please enquire at the time of booking.
All departures and itineraries are subject to weather. Tours may be changed or cancelled for any reason at the discretion of the Tour Operator. It should be noted that adventure travel involves risk. Whilst we make every effort to safeguard clients, we cannot be responsible for personal injury or loss due to the actions of our clients which are beyond our control. We recommend that all clients have travel insurance covering illness, injury, loss or damage to personal belongings and not being able to travel on the confirmed date of departure.
Please note that in the unlikely event of your trip being cancelled or stood down, all guest communication is required to go through our Online Store via telephone or email. While there is a Sailing Whitsundays retail outlet located Airlie Beach, please be aware that they operate as a separate entity and are unable to access reservations made by the Mr Travel online department.
Please be aware operators pass on credit card merchant fees so there is a non-refundable 1.5% surcharge for VISA and MASTERCARD card purchases.
This is a water-based activity, for safety reasons ALL passengers must be able to swim and speak fluent English. Please advise us before booking if any passengers are under 18 years old to ensure this is the appropriate trip.
Also, please note that you need to allow time prior to the boats' departure to check in, please ask us for more details.
All cancellations made result in the 25% cancellation fee of the recommended retail price (RRP), not discounted or sale prices. Any cancellations made 60-30 days prior to travel will result in a 50% cancellation fee and any cancellations made inside of 30 days to departure will result in forfeit of full trip fees. If the sailing company has to cancel the trip (prior to the boat's departure) and we cannot offer a suitable alternative, then a refund will be given minus card fees. We strongly recommend that you have travel insurance, especially during the wet season.
Please note it is the responsibility of ALL passengers travelling to advise both your travel agent at the time of booking and vessel check-in agent before boarding of ANY medical conditions including food allergies you may suffer from.
Thank you for booking with Mr Travel/Sailing Whitsundays. If you would like any advice or assistance in arranging accommodation, transfers or additional tours, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Food - 4/5 Al good but missing juice for breakfast
Boat - 4/5
Highlight - Landscapes, nature."
Food - 5/5 Delicious, especially the chicken curry
Boat - 5/5 Very nice. Impressed with the shower for a boat of this size."
Food - 5/5 lovely home cooked meals - gutted I missed the lasagne as im glutton free. It looked delicious.
Boat - 5/5 boat was beautiful - felt and looked like new. Comfy beds and really well looked after. HIGHTLIGHT - Whitehaven Beach ad the hot tub and sunset."
Food - 5/5 Everything was very fine
Boat - 5/5 It was a super trip, Fantastic. "
Food - 5/5 Everything was fine!
Boat - 5/5 I never had such a nice trip before!"
Food - 3/5 Fresh seafood would be awesome loved the salads and snacks!
Boat - 3/5 Beds could be softer."
Food - 5/5 Just amazing!
Boat - 5/5 Good boat "
Food - 5/5 it was good to have veggie options
Boat - 5/5 "
Food - Very good, I was always full, tasty and lots of variety
Boat - Cabin very good, spa is awesome, all of the stuff for snorkelling et is perfect. "
FOOD - 5/5 Lovely food - very understanding of food restrictions!
BOAT - 5/5 Loads of space
HIGHLIGHT - Finding the turtles and paddle boarding. "
FOOD - 5/5 Cooking on a boat for 12 people is no easy fear. Impressive!
BOAT - 5/5 Loads of Fun
HIGHLIGHT - sunset sailing from Whitehaven, and moonlit Jaccuzi"
FOOD - 5/5 Food was awesome and I was surprised how much food there was. Really good!
BOAT - 5/5 Boat was good enough space and a nice deck to sunbake and chill on. Also nice and clean
HIGHLIGHT - Snorkelling with a turtle"
FOOD - 5/5 Plenty of food and available at the right times!
HIGHLIGHT - Snorkelling and Whitehaven Beach "
FOOD - 5/5 Food was to a high standard and plenty of it!
BOAT - 5/5 Was clean and well maintained
HIGHLIGHT - Whitehaven Beach "
FOOD - 5/5 Fed regularly, great food!
BOAT - 5/5 Very clean and functions well
HIGHLIGHT - Snorkelling"
FOOD - 5/5 A lot of awesome food!
BOAT - 5/5 Such a beautiful boat
HIGHLIGHT - Snorkelling "


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The Met Office this week have launched the Get Ready for Winter campaign. Here are a few tips on keeping yourself and your home warm and safe.
Why can cold weather be bad for your health?
The cold thickens blood and increases blood pressure, and breathing in cold air can increase the risk of chest infections. So it's all the more important to ensure your home and the homes of people you look out for are the right temperature.
What temperature should rooms be in winter?
You should heat your home to the temperature of at least 18 °C. This is particularly important if you have reduced mobility, are 65 or over, or have a health condition, such as heart or lung disease. Having room temperatures slightly over 18 °C could be good for your health. Age UK recommends that your living room temperature should be 21 °C (70 °F).
If you are under the age of 65, active and wearing appropriate clothing, you may wish to keep your home at a comfortable temperature even if it is slightly lower than 18°C.
Overnight, people who are 65 and over or who have pre-existing health conditions may find bedroom temperatures of at least 18 °C are good for their health; this may be less important if you are a healthy adult under 65 and have appropriate clothing and bedding.
It is important to keep your bedroom window closed at night when the weather is cold.
Heating and insulating your home
Keeping the heat in
- Insulating your home not only keeps you warm but will also help to keep your energy costs down.
- Fit draught proofing to seal any gaps around windows and doors.
- Make sure that your loft has at least 10-11 inches (270 mm) of insulation. Any home with 4 inches (100 mm) or less should have it topped up.
- If you have wall cavities, make sure that they are insulated too.
- Insulate your hot water cylinder and pipes.
- Draw your curtains at dusk to help keep the heat generated inside your rooms.
- Make sure that your radiators are not obstructed by curtains or furniture.
Carbon monoxide kills
When burning fuel, carbon monoxide poisoning can be a health risk. Carbon monoxide is produced when fuel does not burn properly, and every year around 30 people die following accidental exposure to high levels of the gas, which is difficult to detect because you can't see, smell or taste it.
To minimize risks, a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, which meets European Standards EN 5029, should be fitted in any room that contains a gas fuel burning appliance, like a boiler and gas fire, and a solid fuel burning appliance, and tested regularly to ensure that it is working, as effectively as possible. The rooms should be adequately ventilated.
More information can be found at the Logical Heating & Plumbing solutions, a boiler repair croydon company.


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Should You Buy the Apple Watch Series 3 with Cellular?
By Sarah Kingsbury
Early reviews of the cellular Apple Watch Series 3 uncover issues connecting to LTE when in range of Wi-Fi networks. In the 68th episode, the iPhone Life team weighs in on the significance of this problem. Sarah, David, and Donna also discuss who should buy which of the three smartwatches Apple now offers.
Everything You Need to Know about the New Apple Watch Series 3 & watchOS 4
By Becca Ludlum
The Apple Watch Series 3 might have been pushed aside a bit because of the huge iPhone announcements, but the news about the Watch is just as exciting—I promise! Here's everything you need to know about the new cellular Apple Watch and watchOS 4, including the price of the new Apple Watch, the watchOS 4 and Apple Watch 3 release dates, and more.
Apple's watchOS 4 Workout & Activity Updates Are Awesome. Here's Why They Don't Matter.
By Sarah Kingsbury
Apple Watch fans have much to look forward to in the fall release of watchOS 4. The Siri watch face has the potential to transform the Apple Watch into a truly useful digital assistant with its ability to show users what they need to know based on time of day and location. The Music app will finally support multiple playlists and some of those playlists will be automatically synced to the Apple Watch. But the most exciting updates are to the Apple Watch's fitness and health monitoring, from more workout tracking options and gym equipment connectivity, to smart coaching notifications and better Music and Workout app integration. I use my Apple Watch almost exclusively as a fitness tracker; here are the new watchOS 4 features I'm most excited about and the one upgrade I'd trade all of them for.


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Augusta Haydock, BA
Retired Sr. VP, Senior Relationship Manager for Philanthropic Solutions, U.S. Trust, Bank of America
Ilana Lescohier, PhD
Vice President for Programs
Consultant and Public Health Professional
Louis Zicht, Esq
Vice President for Income Development
Retired Counsel, Gilman, McLaughlin & Hanrahan, LLP Boston
Carmen L. Durso, Esq
Vice President for Director Nominations
Law Office of Carmen Durso, Esq
Laura Siracusa, BA
Human Resource Manager, Cabot Corporation
Board Members
Farah Andre, RN
Massachusetts General Hospital
Rachael Cooper, LICSW, MSW
Harbor Health Services
Michael Galvin, CFP
Congress Wealth Management
Laura B. Gold, Esq.
Gold Advocacy
Kristin Knuuttila, Esq.
Knuuttila Law, LLC
Beth McArdle, Esq.
Associate, Carney, Sandoe & Associates
Barry Pollack, Esq.
Pollack Solomon Duff, LLP
Frank J. Riccio, Esq., DMD, PC
Law Offices of Frank J. Riccio, P.C.
Kathryn Robb, Esq.
Private Attorney, Bar Exam Instructor for the Kaplan Bar Review
Karla Valentin


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The Brandy-Mug Farm is located just outside the city of Windhelm and east of the Windhelm Stables. It is owned and run by Bolfrida Brandy-Mug.
Notable itemsEdit
- Daughter of the Niben – Alteration skill book – Atop the fireplace inside.
- Wheat that can be sold to Bolfrida.
- There are two nests for harvesting chicken eggs.
- There is a grindstone in the field next to the house.
- Snowberries can be harvested at the end of the field.
- Wood chopping block in the fence where the wheat grows.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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The Village of Palm Springs is a municipality with a small town atmosphere located in the heart of Palm Beach County. Palm Springs is made up of 2.5 square miles and has a population of approximately 14,000. Most of its residents live in single family homes. There are also several large shopping centers in Palm Springs along with three public schools and one private school. There are many parks within the Village as well as a Leisure Services Department which offers athletic programs, classes, pavilion rentals, out of school programs for children and a travel club. Call Jeff Tricoli today if you are looking to sell or buy real estate in Palm Springs, FL.Palm Springs Real Estate Quick Links
Palm Springs Homes For Sale
View morel Palm Springs Real Estate


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Multipurpose themes are extremely basic among standard WordPress users. This one of a kind themes accompany lots of valuable components and the likelihood to make any site you need. Because of their huge popularity, there is no lack of such themes in different commercial centers. The normal for a nice multipurpose theme is available day, adaptable styling combined with a strong module package.
In today's post, we have a theme that hopes to offer all that you require, look at the up-coming MOKAR. Take a couple of minutes to experience the theme.
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Booking Through Thursday: Who Taught You To Read?
Today, Booking Through Thursday asks:
Who taught you to read?
I've been thinking it over, and I don't actually remember. I remember recognizing words when my parents read me stories and poems. Specifically, I remember recognizing the word "soup," in the Random House collection of children's poems illustrated by Jack Prelutsky. Learning to read wasn't a big event. My parents and family and everyone I knew read to me, and sprawled to read their own books. I grew up going to libraries and bookstores.
My mother doesn't remember when or how I learned to read, either. Whenever my parents and I went somewhere and they wanted to keep me busy, she took along a massive bag stuffed with picture books and paper and crayons. She gradually noticed that I wasn't flipping through the pages of my picture books or Highlights magazines (remember those?) as fast as I used to. And then she asked me what a story was about, and I told her.
I may have learned to read by osmosis.
June 28, 2012 9:43 am
Great answer!
June 28, 2012 11:16 am
I was somewhat self-taught, always loving books.


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Look We Have Coming to Dover! (Unabridged)
- $11.99
- $11.99
Publisher Description
An astonishing, energetic reading by Daljit Nagra of his own hugely acclaimed poetry. Winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Costa Poetry Award. Shortilsted for the Guardian First Book Award and winner of the South Bank Show, Arts Council Decibel Award 2008.
Look We Have Coming to Dover! is the most acclaimed debut collection of poetry published in recent years as well as one of the most relevant and accessible.
Nagra, whose parents came to England from the Punjab in the 1950s, draws on both English and Indian English traditions to tell stories of alienation, assimilation, aspiration and love, from a stowaway's first footprint on Dover Beach to the disenchantment of subsequent generations. In startlingly newly minted language, with crackling vigour and wicked humour, this collection explores the experience of a second-generation British Punjabi.
The contradictory feelings of dislocation, assimilation and alienation in this "flighty mix-up country" are emphasised by the shifts of language from Punjabi English - "She effing at my mum / in all di colours of Punjabi" - to regional and formal English. Nagra's licence with language is invigorating - how could you better describe the first flush of married life than "darling is so pirouetty with us / for whirlwind married month"?
Daljit Nagra was born and raised in West London then Sheffield and currently lives in Willesden, where he works in a secondary school. Look We Have Coming to Dover! won the Forward Prize for Best Individual Poem 2004.


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São Paulo's diverse demographic means that it is relatively easy for an estrangeiro (foreigner) to go about their day without anyone noticing their non-Brazilianness (until they open their mouths that is). In fact, I'd say it would almost be impossible for anyone to stand on Avenida Paulista and consistently be able to spot gringos or other estrangeiros without being very quickly mistaken.
Perhaps, to my eyes at least, the only distinguishable 'outsiders' are those from the city's growing Bolivian community, whom are recognisable by their distinctive indigenous features. Maybe this is because I became familiar (not in that way) with Bolivia's largely indigenous (55%) and mestiço (30%) population when I travelled there in 2007, although for the unknowing I'm guessing you could probably mistake them for belonging to Brazil's own indigenous population.
Nevertheless, as a relatively unremarkable looking guy in the UK (pasty white, short, weedy, etc), the novelty of being 'found out' in Brazil still retains its charm – even after almost a year of living here.
One of my favourite things is when I speak English in public, especially when I'm in a crowded place or answering the phone. However, it's not the speaking bit I enjoy (especially on the phone, which as a very self-conscious Brit I actually despise), but the reaction of people around me when I do.
The inquisitive countenances I encounter in the centre of town, where foreigners are more common, typically become those of shock and concern when I'm in and around my local bairro (neighbourhood). Shock because, located north of the Rio Tietê, I'm pretty certain that no gringo lives within a mile or so radius of us – and probably never has. Concern, because most people are probably a little worried that this gringo has got himself very lost.
And this, I think, shows that the presence of migrants is a pretty unfamiliar experience for many Brazilians.
Such a statement, of course, probably sounds absurd given that Brazil's diversity is itself entirely a result of the inward flow of people in the centuries following its colonialisation. However, the large numbers of people that came to Brazil (voluntarily and forcibly*) between the 16th and early 20th centuries slowed quite dramatically towards the latter part of the last century. As a result the Brazilian population, demographically at least, stabilised.
Brazilian unfamiliarity with estrangeiros can, I think, be highlighted in another way – actually it's my wife's theory, but I liked it so much we're all going to pretend that it's mine. Ok?
My wife's theory evolved after hearing a number of gringos express difficulties in making themselves understood when speaking Portuguese. The obvious retort to this is that it's probably because their Portuguese is shit. However, another explanation might be that Brazilians are unused to hearing anyone but themselves speaking Portuguese.
Obviously, there are many different accents in Brazil and I often hear Brazilians say that they sometimes struggle to understand people from different parts of the country (just like I had no idea what my housemate from Manchester was saying when I first went to university). In a similar way I think Brazilians are so unused to hearing non-Brazilians (especially gringos) speak Portuguese that even a slight mispronunciations can deem an entire sentence or interaction undecipherable.
My own example of this was when I recently visited Rio. Staying in Botafogo my friend and I decided to go to Ipanema and so I popped into a café to ask where the Metro station was:
Me: "Oi, bom dia" (Hi, good morning).
Waiter: "Bom dia" (Morning).
Me: "Senhor, onde fica o metro Botafogo?" (Sir, where is Botafogo Metro?).
Waiter: "O que?" (The what?).
Me: "Onde fica o metro Botafogo" (Where is Botafogo Metro?).
Waiter: "Desculpe, não entendi" (Sorry, I didn't understand).
Me: "O metro, é perto daqui?" (The Metro, is it close to here?)
Waiter: "O que?" (The what?).
Me: "O metro" (The Metro).
Waiter: "O que?" (The what?)
Me: "O me-tro? Meeh-tro…? Me-tro?" (Turns to non-Portuguese speaking mate, shrugs shoulders). "Senhor, o trem…O meh-tro" (The train…The Metro).
Waiter: (Looks at my mate, laughs) "Ahhhh, o Meh-tro! É a primeira a esquerda." (Ah, the Metro. It's the first left).
Me: Obrigado ((Thanks) Turns to mate who can barely contain himself with laughter).
Looking back I should probably just have asked where the station was, but even so, I couldn't believe that a slight nuance in pronouncing a word could make what I was saying so completely unintelligible.
Anyway, from what I've experienced, Brazilian attitudes towards immigrants, especially gringos, seem to consist of curiosity, a little confusion and lots of warmness (thanks Brazilians!) – something that seems to be supported by fairly recent polling. For example, a 2011 Ipsos MORI poll showed that 49% of Brazilians believed that immigrants make their country a more interesting place to live whilst 47% thought that immigration is good for its economy (the highest figure recorded for any country and in comparison to 33% and 27% in the UK).
However, I wonder if those attitudes will change if the levels of immigration continue to increase, as they have done inevitably, following the contrasting divergences of its economy with those in Europe in recent years. Can the differences in attitudes be explained by numbers?
For example, the 2011 UK census showed that 7.5 million or 13% of people in England and Wales (of a total population of 56 million) were foreign born. In Brazil, the government reports that there are 1.5 million regular foreign born residents as well as an estimated 600,000 illegal immigrants (2.1 million of Brazil's 190 million(ish) population – or about 1%).
Personally, I'm pretty confident that Brazilians, given their history of immigration, will continue to be far more positive about the impact of immigrants than in Europe. However, whilst residents like myself might continue to be seen as a curiosity, given our origin, wealth and relatively few numbers, it will be interesting to see how the increasing number of low-skilled workers will be viewed if a perception develops that they are having an impact on the availability of jobs, housing and public services.
Undoubtedly though, you Brazilians might have to get a bit more used to us foreigners speaking dodgy Portuguese.
*The origin of Brazilian people can be traced back to its indigenous peoples and, following this, the arrival of the Portuguese – first as colonialists and subsequently as immigrants. Later other Europeans followed, including Germans, Italians, Russians, Polish, Spanish and even some Brits. Other diasporas in Brazil, like the the Japanese and Lebanese, are the largest outside their countries of origin, whilst an estimated 3-4 millions slaves were forcibly brought to Brazil between the 16th and 19th centuries.


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Those who've been waiting for the Palm Pre to become a meaningful competitor to the iPhone are one step closer on Tuesday, as Palm announced that it's beginning to take submissions for its App Catalog's e-commerce beta program.e "
Previously, the App Catalog had been restricted to a few hand-picked programs from those who'd submitted to Palm's early access program. As with the App Store, developers can submit both paid and free applications to Palm's App Catalog--and that's not where the similarities end. Palm is allowing only a one-time fee for the download of an application, with developers receiving 70 percent of the program's revenues (out of which comes any applicable sales tax).
However, Palm's approval process for the beta program appears to be more selective than the App Store criteria, with a heavy emphasis on subjective criteria. According to the post on Palm's Developer Network Blog, applications must be "useful and engaing to users," feature an "appealing design," take advantage of the "webOS platform and device capabilities," and demonstrate "acceptable performance and response time."
While none of these are unreasonable, they definitely demonstrate a more selective--and more specific--approval process than Apple's own. With the App Catalog still in beta, it seems that Palm is taking a more gradual rollout process. That may not be a bad thing, as it's been suggested that many of the wrinkles in the App Store have been the result of the iPhone's rapid rise to prominence and the App Store's failure to scale appropriately. Then again, given the Pre's current state, it seems unlikely that it'll be the victim of quite the same level of success.
Still, a viable third-party application scene is crucial to the Pre's success, if it wants to have any chance at contesting the iPhone phenomenon. If its approval process turns out to be painless and, more to the point, not fraught with the kind of issues that Apple has encountered, that could be a mark in its column for many developers.
This story, "Palm Opens up Third-party WebOS Apps Beta Program" was originally published by Macworld.


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News from Bartlett's Farm
Open Every Day 8-6
Saturday's Farm Talk
Frances Karttunen
Be the first to hear about the latest book from Nantucket's own Frances Ruley Karttunen Good Things From Nantucket's North Shore: A Culinary Memoir
and as a special treat, she'll also demonstrate how to make delicious Mexican tamales. Books will be available and Frances will stay to sign them.
Saturday May 14 10 AM
Without leaving your chair.
Blooming Creations
Bring in your empty pots and let our Blooming Creations team of designers plant them with your favorite long-blooming annuals, unusual perennials, a themed herb garden-in-a-pot, or even some vegetables. Our Blooming Creations department will plant Perfect Pots...painlessly! And that goes for window boxes, too!
Happy Herbs and Vigorous Vegetables
All our vegetable and herbs starts for your garden are grown on the farm and are
certified organic by Baystate Organic Certifiers.
As of today, it's still too early to plant tomatoes, but there are plenty of edibles that are ready!
It's the perfect weekend to plant your kitchen garden!
Herbs and spices bring out the flavor of just about any meal you make.
Italian and flat leaf parsley
four sages
tons of thymes
summer squash
red peppers
green peppers
(hot peppers coming soon)
(12 varieties of tomatoes coming soon)
Plenty of people ask about a plant they see here...it's called Curry Plant.
Curry used in cooking is made up of many spices that vary depending on what part of the world that particular curry comes from.
The Curry Plant is an aromatic, ornamental plant that smells like curry. It is not a culinary plant, however its silver branching foliage is beautiful, and it smells great.
Get a bagel toasted (add cream cheese or salmon, too) at the lunch counter, or have a breakfast sandwich, freshly made with eggs and your choice of bacon, ham and cheeses!
May 21: Farm Talk: Heather Poire of Proven Winners 10am
May 28: Farm Talk: Liliana Dugan, Nantucket Pasta Goddess 10amJune 21: Spring Celebration Vendor Day
June 28: 11AM: C.L. Fornari in the Garden Center
TBD: Book Release Party. Harvesting Nantucket: The Taste of Bartlett's Ocean View Farm
You can sign up for stormy day alerts, garden guru updates, produce alerts or the daily lunch email.
Yup! We send all of them, but only if you want them!
And we NEVER NEVER NEVER share your email address with anyone.


text: If you're a sporting individual, or someone who spends time at the gym, or maybe you just like to be relaxed and comfortable while lounging around the house, then the tracksuit bottom becomes a wardrobe essential. Providing maximum comfort, while displaying that chilled, casual look. For everyday use, you can't go wrong with tracksuit bottoms. We cover this area through brands such as Hugo Boss and Paul and Shark.


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New Ad System - Banner Top
August 2013
Walk the Walk
Delivering Smiles and Sales
Create, Celebrate, Decorate
Turn Pennies Into Profits
Balloon Recipe
We're happy to provide a sampling of the articles in this issue. To receive full issues of Party & Paper, please subscribe.
New Ad System - Banner Middle
All Articles
Party Line: An Uplifting ExperienceFrustrating customers can be just that — frustrating. It's a slippery slope to navigate, as even though it's easy to let complaints or annoying behavior take up some of your energy, what you're actually doing is wasting the energy that could be spent doing anything else. That's not to say you shouldn't address issues. Raving complaints should be handled immediately, and any destructive behavior shut down — both in the most professional manner, of course. What I'm talking about it trying to teach them a lesson and hoping they'll change. You have to pick your battles, as the people who most need to learn a lesson often have no plan to learn or change their behavior. But when you resolve a situation without drama and the need always to be right, you free up time that can be spent focus on the good customers, new » Read more
Shop Talk: Paper PlusSpotlight On: Berkeley, Calif. Proving independent stores can not only survive, but thrive In a world increasing being taken over not only by big box stores, but also the electronic word, Paper Plus in Berkeley, Calif., has managed to not only survive, but thrive and remains the only party store left in Berkeley. What started as "Papyrus 1st Class Seconds," a 300-square-foot outlet store selling discounted Papyrus inventory in 1985, quickly expanded and took over the entire building. As the store grew, owner Michele Schurman and her husband, Philip, were unable to get their merchandise, so they changed the name to "Paper Plus" in 1994. "We started receiving lots of closeouts from many sources and for awhile we were mostly discount stationery, wrapping paper and cards," Schurman said. "We were known for our large selection of half-priced cards, which is something we still offer." » Read more
A Bright FutureSuccess is up in the air When it comes to the outlook for balloons in 2014, the future is up in the air and looking quite bright — literally. The helium situation that has plagued the industry for the past couple of years seems to be leveling out, but more importantly, it spurred a flurry of creative and innovate air-filled options from manufacturers and retailers alike. With those creative air-filled options comes bright and bold colors that draw customers in, and a variety of on-trend patterns, themes and designs will find their way into bouquets, décor and hopefully out your store door. PPR: What is your forecast for 2014? Lisa Bennett Pioneer Balloon Co. It's looking to be a strong year for innovative selling solutions and using different balloon techniques to build business. The helium supply concerns have been a challenge for everyone » Read more
Bright. Bold. Luau.A party theme that is here to stay Most things come and go, like bell-bottom jeans and denim jackets. In fact, people expect fashion and party trends to go through a cyclical motion. It's almost inevitable — unless we're talking about Luau, that is. Customers are never afraid to celebrate in Luau style. And Luau isn't just popular for college parties and backyard barbecues. Childhood birthday parties and high school graduation open houses offer prime Luau opportunities. Look for bright colors and tiki bars lining the room; every guest wearing a lei. Year after year, Luau acts as a go-to for party throwers everywhere. Why has the theme survived? Perhaps it's a good way to escape the cold winter months. Maybe it's popular because everyone dreams of an island getaway. Either way, Luau theme parties are here to stay — for customers young and » Read more
Pioneer Balloon Co.Spreading smiles for more than 95 years There aren't many industry icons that can be identified by only their first names, but when someone in the balloon industry refers to "Ted and Betty," you know right away they're talking about Ted A. and Betty Vlamis of Pioneer Balloon Co. Refusing to take all the credit for the sustaining success of a company that has been around for more than 95 years, Ted and Betty instead give accolades "to the people, all the people that are part of Pioneer — the employees, the customers, the distributors, the vendors. With that philosophy that "it's all about building meaningful and lasting relationships with those whom you enjoy doing business," in mind, Pioneer has grown from 85 employees in Willard, Ohio, and four employees in Wichita in 1979 into a worldwide operation with more than 950 employees — » Read more
The Store Room: What are your vendor frustrations?Our monthly column is devoted to what works and what doesn't — for our readers, from our readers "What are the common frustrations experienced when dealing with vendors and how do you think things could be improved?" Lori Blake, Owner Celebrated Occasions Springfield, Mo. It frustrates me when a vendor wholesales to us and then turns around and also has a retail site online and cuts the price and offers more products that we do not have access to. I think they should choose if they are in the wholesale business or retail business. It's also frustrating when the corporate vendor offers massive discounts to big box/chain stores and then charges the independent retailer more for the same product. The independent retailer works harder for the vendor and has more product knowledge than most people that are employed for a short period of time » Read more
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A convenient mode of travel while commuting from Jaora to Kareda is by taking a bus. The time taken to complete the bus journey is dependent on traffic, roads and climatic conditions.The bus companies adopt safety measures while running their buses from Jaora and Kareda. The smooth availability of bus service creates travel convenience for many people travelling from Jaora to Kareda.
If you are also looking for return checkout, please ensure to check Kareda to Jaora Bus.


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College is a time of change that can be very exciting as well as stressful and challenging. Stress, depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, loneliness, or other personal issues can affect students' well-being. SMSU Counseling & Testing Services is staffed by mental health professionals who provide confidential, short-term counseling services to enrolled students. Students do not have to be in crisis to access counseling services! Call the office at 507-537-7150 or stop by the office in BA 156 to make an appointment.
Counseling & Testing Services offers a variety of assessments and test proctoring services. Please contact the office for more information.
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In a staunch defence of the calculation of Rs. 1.76-lakh crore presumptive loss to the exchequer on account of the award of 2G spectrum in 2008 at the prices of 2001, the Comptroller and Auditor-General on Tuesday argued that a strong case for revision of prices was made by the Union Finance Ministry and concurred with by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
In a PowerPoint presentation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which is examining the telecom policy from 1998 to 2009, CAG Vinod Rai dwelt at length on the criteria adopted by his office in calculating the presumptive loss. He pointed out that the Finance Ministry and the PMO, in their separate communications in 2007, recommended revision of the methodology adopted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The nearly six-hour presentation, followed by a question and answer session, came a day after the then Director-General (Post &Telegraph) in the CAG, R.P. Singh, explained the basis on which he had pegged the 'actual loss' at Rs. 2,645 crore.
Mr. Rai said Mr. Singh, in the same note in which he calculated the loss at Rs. 2645 crore, also gave some estimations of loss for further consideration such as Rs.10,2000 crore and Rs.65,000 crore. In his May 31, 2010 letter addressed to the CAG, Mr. Singh suggested that further audit be carried out if required.
The presumptive loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore, in the final report in 2010, has been a subject of intense debate for several months with senior leaders of the ruling UPA contending that the CAG has overstepped its mandate by getting into a policy matter while its role is restricted to audit.
Quoting from the noting in the Finance Ministry files, Mr. Rai told the JPC that if spectrum were to be priced, the option before the DoT was auction or charging a market-determined price. "While the MoF [Ministry of Finance] gave two parameters for calculating the value of spectrum, neither was conclusively suggested. If so, how can the government itself thereafter orchestrate a "no loss" hypothesis?"
Communications Minister Kapil Sibal asserted, days after he took charge of the Ministry following the resignation of A. Raja, that there was 'zero loss' to the exchequer. In one of the notings in 2007, the Finance Ministry had maintained that economically there would be a case for increasing the entry fee for technology crossover and said the entry fee could be calculated on the base of the 2001 auction price weighed with the improvement in technology, and demand in terms of subscribers as well as per subscriber traffic.
Three-stage audit
Mr. Rai told the committee that different loss figures were projected in the three-stage audit process of the CAG. The Field Audit Report carried figures of Rs.48,000 crore and Rs.26,000 crore.
It was redrafted by the office of DG (P&T) and figures of Rs. 2,645 crore, Rs. 2,651crore and Rs.36,000 crore were incorporated in the report. The office also mentioned figures of Rs.1,02,000 crore and Rs. 65,000 crore.
In stage III of the audit done by the CAG headquarters after examination of 'records not available earlier', a range of figures from Rs. 58,000 crore to Rs.1, 76,000 crore emerged.
Elaborating on the term 'presumptive,' Mr. Rai said it was a term which was part of the Direct Tax Code, and the Income Tax Code recognised and used the terms 'presumptive income' and 'presumptive tax'. Further, it was the normal practice of the office of the CAG to cite figures on the basis of presumptive losses.
On the criticism that the CAG had overstepped its mandate in preparation of the 2G spectrum report, Mr. Rai said the report only sought to examine implementation of the policy. "The entire implementation process does not withstand the test of scrutiny, and hence, the widely held belief that it has benefited a few operators and has not been able to maximise generation of revenue from allocation of such a scarce resource."
The CAG said an adversarial role between Audit and the Executive was inherent in the structure of polity. There was a difference in the oaths of a Cabinet Minister and the CAG: A Cabinet Minister takes the oath to conscientiously discharge his duties as Minster for the Union and to do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law. The CAG takes the oath that he will, duly and faithfully and to the best of his ability, knowledge and judgment, perform the duties of his office and uphold the Constitution and the laws.


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By: Kaitlyn
There are moments in life where you have the luxury of sitting back, breathing and realizing that you can't stop smiling and that when you take your next breath, the whole world will be lifted from your shoulders. You look and see incomprehensible beauty all around you and think that it would be impossible for yourself to feel even a pang of sadness ever again, because isn't life perfect?
This is pure joy. This is happiness.
I was thinking about the happiest moments of my life and they all had one thing in common: to anyone else, these moments would have been small and almost meaningless. But to me they brought immense joy.
I know it doesn't seem like a deep statement, but it led me to also realize something else. I think that a lot of us, me included, go on this crazy search for happiness and that's our major goal in life: to find happiness. And through this valiant search, we try to create happiness through achievements and titles. And yet, no matter what we do or accomplish, we still aren't happy.
Here's the thing: happiness doesn't need to be something that is achieved or earned. It is already in us. And oftentimes, that is the last place we look for it.
It is when we aren't looking for happiness that we can truly find it. When we get rid of distractions and expectations we are able to live in moments of peace and joy. And those moments become us. They are us.
Here are some moments where I felt incandescently happy (stealing a little something from Elizabeth Bennet):
A Night in Athens
I was on a study abroad trip in Greece a few years ago and it was the second night. The streets were lit by city lights and a full moon peeking out from behind purple clouds. The air drifted its way through the buildings leaving a warm whisper on your skin. And I was sitting with my new travel buddy I had met the day before at a restaurant after walking around The Plaka for an hour trying to find somewhere to eat. We finally decided to just go to the next restaurant we found and ended up in an empty outdoor patio with cheesy checkered tablecloths and smiling waiters. We were splitting our first bottle of Greek wine and the waiter had just brought out a giant bowl of homemade pasta. My friend and I looked at each other with huge grins on our faces and said at the same time, "I am so happy." It was one of the best nights of my life. I felt invincible.
Going up on a Chairlift
This story is going to gain me some serious nerd status. When I was a junior in high school, I decided to do an extra credit paper in my English class because I wanted to analyze literature for fun. Because what high school girl doesn't dream of that? I chose to study Longfellow's poem, "The Cross of Snow" inspired by death and a mountain called Mount of the Holy Cross. I loved this poem.
That summer, I went with my family on vacation to Colorado. On the first day there, we went on a chairlift ride to the top of the mountain. As we came up over the last hill to get to the top, a mountain appeared in front of me: it was the Mount of the Holy Cross. I had no idea of where this mountain was located in the world, and here is was in front of me. I cried. I felt as if all the signs in life were saying that I was exactly where I needed to be.
Hanging Out with My Dad
I know this is so cheesy, but it's true. My dad's a lot like me in the fact that we have the same exact sense of goony humor. To most people it's probably annoying and ridiculous, but I think that my dad is the funniest person in the world. My dad can make me laugh for hours straight and it's the greatest feeling.
What are some of the happiest moments of your life? I want to hear all of them!


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Over the years I've worked with a lot of frustrated clients that want an answer to that short but loaded deliverability question: "WHY?!" The short answer: "It depends." It depends on the email practices you follow regarding your list acquisition and maintenance, content, delivery plan, technical infrastructure, subscriber engagement, etc. It depends on how you navigate through this complex maze of email deliverability that determines whether or not you reach the coveted inbox versus being caught in the spam folder.
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Reserve your seat today and get clarity behind the "it depends" for your email program including:
Sign up today and let us help you conquer the deliverability maze and reach the inbox! We'll see you in Vegas!


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I love custom classroom valentines—my kids hand them out every year. Usually, I like to attach a special treat or prize to the card, which is why this year, I designed my "School of Fish" valentine with exactly this in mind. It pairs perfectly with a handful goldfish crackers or Swedish fish. Or, if your classroom doesn't allow edibles, your kiddos can pass out dolphin temporary tattoos or fish-shaped pencils, instead. —Jill Means
I also fell in love with the "King of the Jungle" classroom valentines by Bob Daly. My nephew Blake loves animals so they're perfect—he's going to pass his valentines out with a small animal toy, but you could also package them with animal crackers.
• Classroom valentines (I used my "School of Fish" valentine and "King of the Jungle" by Bob Daly)
• Treats and prizes (we used Swedish fish, goldfish crackers, dolphin tattoos for "School of Fish;" animal crackers and toys for "King of the Jungle")
• Small hole punch
• Baker's twine
• Cellophane treat bags
Fill each bag halfway with corresponding treats/toys. Punch a hole at the top of each valentine; take a length of baker's twine and thread it through the hole and tie the bag closed. You could also use Minted's glassine favor bags and seal them with a coordinating sticker or washi tape.
Jill Means is a designer at Minted and sometimes blogs at CrashCourseCreative.com.
More Valentine's Day DIYs:
• Easy Valentine's Day Heart Pillow
• No-Sew Valentine Treat Bags
• Valentine's Day Party Glasses
• No-Sew Valentine Mail Bag
• Valentine Present Toppers
• Fill-in-the-Blank Valentine's Day Card (free printable!)


text:
Business development is a critical aspect of any business. Without market expansion, and increasing revenue, a business cannot survive. The objective of any business development activity is to move your company from an unknown position to a trusted (or favoured) position in the minds of your target investors, clients, partners, government officials or even stakeholder communities. A trusted position means you have established offerings, established services and an established client base.
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- client satisfaction levels,
- bids won, and so on.
Metrics depend on what sort of marketing is being done. Planning for metrics on any business development or marketing initiative means that you will be able to see where your expenditure went, whether it is effective and what the quantifiable benefits are.
The most obvious way to prove a return on investment is by comparing the sunk costs of proposal development to the revenue gained by a successful proposal. Red Pennant has more than five years' experience developing a significant database of proposal proof point materials specifically for Canadian Mining, but we also know the global industry well and can produce accurate contents quickly.
Similarly, due to our high production rate and short turnaround times, our cost of producing proposals compared to the value of the proposal, is only 0.163% on average, whereas if a senior company manager were to produce the same quantity of information, their fees would be an estimated 5.21% of the value of the proposal in sunk costs.
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- Products
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More on 2009 Topps HeritageMarch 12, 2009 at 2:23 am | Posted in My Cards, Topps | 14 Comments
As promised, here's my follow-up post on my two 2009 Topps Heritage hobby boxes. You can check out the videos here if you missed them. First, here's the breakdown of what I got in each box:
Box 1:
- 171 base cards (1 – 425)
- 8 short prints – Carlos Gomez (433), Elijah Dukes (440), Frank Thomas (454), Pirates Coaches (467), Austin Kearns (473), Troy Tulowitzki (478), Chipper Jones All Star (486), Kosuke Fukudome All Star (492)
- 5 chrome cards – Nick Markakis, Aramis Ramirez, Mat Gamel, Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Bruce
- 1 refractor – Travis Snider
- 1 New Age Performers – Tim Lincecum
- 1 Then & Now – Bob Friend & Cliff Lee
- 2 Baseball Flashbacks – Mickey Mantle, Luis Aparicio
- 2 News Flashbacks – USS Seadragon Surfaces at North Pole, First Televised Presidential Debate
- 1 "Real One" certified autograph – Taylor Phillips (ROA-TP)
- 1 1960 Buyback – Ruben Gomez (82)
- 1 Advertising Panel – Cole Hamels, Juan Pierre, Yunel Escobar
Not counting the box toppers, I got 192 total cards in my 24 packs.
Box 2:
- 169 base cards (1 – 425)
- 8 short prints – Zach Duke (437), Kevin Millar (448), Rays Coaches (462), Brad Ausmus (471), Josh Willingham (474), Lance Berkman All Star (482), Dustin Pedroia All Star (483), Matt Holliday (494)
- 4 chrome cards – Derek Jeter, James Loney, Adrian Gonzalez, Travis Snider
- 1 refractor – Nick Markakis
- 2 New Age Performers – David Wright, Cole Hamels
- 1 Then & Now – Mickey Mantle & Adam Dunn
- 2 Baseball Flashbacks – Juan Marichal, Frank Robinson
- 2 News Flashbacks – 50-star U.S. flag, JFK elected as 35th President
- 1 Clubhouse Collection relic – Kevin Millwood (CC-KM)
- 1 Advertising Panel – Corey Patterson, Pat Burrell, Brian Bannister
I got 190 cards in this box, two less than the first box due to the thickness of the jersey card.
The amazing thing is that I did not get ANY doubles in my two boxes! I was happily surprised by this. So I already have 340 of the 425 non-short print base cards. In addition to not receiving any doubles, the lack of black back parallels makes 2009 Heritage a much easier set to build than the 2008 version. Because of this, I don't plan to buy any more hobby boxes or packs. I'll just buy the 85 cards that I still need on eBay or Sportlots. Of course, the hobby boxes are ridiculously overpriced right now anyway. They're currently selling for $80 or more, which is way too much to pay for a product like this. I was fortunate enough to snag my hobby boxes for $62.50 each (with free shipping) during the pre-sell period.
I really like the cards, at least as much as I liked 2008 Heritage. 1960 Topps was a very nice, colorful design, and the cards have a lot of character. The chrome and refractor parallels are great as usual, and the same standard Heritage inserts are included. Unlike 2008, it's easy to determine which cards are short prints, since they're all grouped between number 426 and 500, and their backs are darker. The "hits" are worthless, but that's pretty much expected with Heritage.
By now, everyone knows what the base cards look like, and if you don't, you can see every one of them in my videos. Here are some scans of the inserts that I pulled:
I had never heard of Taylor Phillips before I pulled this card, and for good reason. He had a very lousy career as evidenced by his statistics. I really wonder why Topps bothered to put autographs of such a worthless player in the product.
Speaking of players who had lousy careers, here's my buyback card of Ruben Gomez. It turns out that he actually had a few decent seasons with the Giants early in his career, but this card is definitely nothing to be excited about. You can check out his career stats here.
By now, I'm sure that you understand why the "hits" in Heritage are worthless. Millwood is completely washed up; his last decent season was in 2005. In 2008, I actually pulled some jersey cards of really good players in Heritage. Millwood is not a good player (but he used to be).
Here's a Then & New insert of Mickey Mantle and Adam Dunn. I know that Dunn is a very good power hitter, but is he even remotely comparable to Mantle? I don't think so…
New Age Performer insert of Tim Lincecum. You can bet that this card will wind up in a mailbox in La Jolla, California very soon! I have insane luck in pulling Lincecum cards…
One of the greatest things about 1960 is that one of the greatest Presidents of all-time was elected that year, as you can see in this Flashback card.
Here's a refractor of one of the most talented hitters in the A.L. East and one of my favorite non-Rays in MLB.
And my other refractor is of a player who soon will be one of the top hitters in the A.L. East.
It's very likely that Topps Heritage will be the only set that I collect in 2009. I'm only planning to collect the Rays cards from other products. That's a testament to how uninspired I am by all of the other products that have been announced so far. I guess I should start getting ready for Heritage High Numbers this fall…
2009 Topps Heritage Video Box BreaksMarch 7, 2009 at 12:03 am | Posted in My Cards, Topps, Video | 12 Comments
Whew. It took almost an entire day's worth of effort, but I finally got all four of the videos from my breaks of two boxes of 2009 Topps Heritage uploaded to YouTube. Here's some advice for you – if you ever try uploading a video to YouTube, and the upload just hangs for hours at a time, or if you get "Upload Failed: An unknown error occurred" error messages, just use the bulk uploader. I'm not sure what the problem was; I've never had any trouble uploading to YouTube before. Anyway, after struggling all afternoon, I finally tried the bulk uploader and it worked like a charm.
So check it out, here are my box breaks. The first box encompasses the first two videos, plus the first minute or so of the third one. Then I picked up the pace a little, and finished the second box in the rest of the third video and the fourth video. I pulled an autograph at the end of the second video and a jersey card at the end of the fourth. Be forewarned though – neither of them are any good. But I had a blast with these boxes. I think I might like 2009 Heritage even better than 2008. I'll be back with more commentary on the product, and probably some scans, either later tonight or tomorrow.
Video 1:
Video 2:
Video 3:
Video 4:
My 2008 Topps Heritage set is finally completedMarch 6, 2009 at 3:15 pm | Posted in My Cards, Topps, Video | 10 Comments
I have some good news – my two hobby boxes of 2009 Topps Heritage finally arrived last night. But I was exhausted and had a headache, so I went to bed early, and woke up early this morning to bust my boxes on video. The videos are currently uploading to YouTube, and I'll share them with you on the blog as soon as they finish.
In the mean time, here's another video that I filmed this morning. I received the very last card that I needed from 2008 Topps Heritage (from Sportlots) and put it into my binder. You can check out my 2008 Topps Heritage collection in this video:
And here is the last card that I needed, #315, Jacque Jones:
By the way, I'm still working on completing my set of 2008 Heritage refractors (I have 45 of the 100 from Heritage and 51 of the 100 from Topps Chrome). I'm also still working on 2008 Heritage High Numbers – I still need 31 green backs, 3 black backs, and a bunch of inserts. You can see the cards that I still need in my Trade Corner.
Amazing amount of hobby love for the RaysMarch 1, 2009 at 1:27 am | Posted in Rays, Topps, Upper Deck | 6 Comments
So check out what the 2009 Bowman hobby boxes are going to look like:
Yep, that's David Price pictured on the box and on the packs. This is just one example of the incredible amount of attention that the Rays have been getting from Topps and Upper Deck recently. Every product preview that I've read on Wax Heaven lately seems to feature Evan Longoria, David Price, or both. For a sampling, check out this image that Mario posted showing images of five different 2009 Upper Deck products; all but one of them is of a Rays player:
Somebody even told me that Longoria is pictured on the cover of the current Beckett magazine. It's crazy. One of the things that drew me back into the hobby about a year ago was how cheap all of the Rays autograph cards were. I was able to load up on autographs of Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and many others for about $5 – $10 each. Many of the same cards are selling for twice as much money today, even though the poor economy has led to a decline in the value of most cards. I also remember being frustrated by how the card companies seemed to intentionally minimize the number of Rays in each card set. The vast majority of 2007 and 2008 card sets included cards of Crawford, Upton, Kazmir, and no other Rays. It's incredible how much the amazing 2008 season can change things…
Suddenly I live in a world where Evan Longoria and David Price are the hottest names in the entire card hobby, and extra Rays cards are being included in every set due to their appearance in the 2008 World Series. The Rays have gone from being hobby pariahs to hobby messiahs! Despite how horrible most upcoming 2009 baseball card products look, it should be a fun year to load up on all of the great Rays cards being produced.
All of the attention on the Rays certainly is strange. There have even been a few people on the internet who have accused me of being a band wagon jumper. Little do they know that one of my biggest reasons for becoming a Rays fan in the early part of this decade was that they had absolutely no band wagon to jump on. I loved being a fan of a new team that had never had a decent season so that I could follow their minor leaguers and watch them try to grow into a winning team someday.
Well, "someday" arrived quite suddenly last year. It is a much different experience to be a Rays fan now. And even though I am about the furthest thing imaginable from a band wagon jumper, I do hope that many people, especially in Florida, jump on the band wagon this year. The Rays definitely need to see an increase in attendance at Tropicana Field and an increase in TV ratings to help build a case for getting a new stadium built. And they're also going to need an increase in revenue to be able to afford to keep all of their good young players around for many years. The thought of seeing B.J. Upton or Matt Garza in Yankees uniforms in 2013 makes me want to vomit…
2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Hobby Box BreakFebruary 21, 2009 at 12:45 am | Posted in My Cards, Topps, Video | 4 Comments
So one of my best talents is procrastination. I bought a hobby box of 2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects at a card show before Christmas. I finally opened it on January 29 and posted my break to YouTube that same day. Since then, I've been putting off writing this post. I'm finally writing it because I filmed a few new breaks today, including one that was incredibly awesome, and I want to get this posted before I post my new breaks. Here we go…
The hobby box contained 24 packs of 7 cards each, and it took me long enough to open that I needed to divide it into two videos for YouTube. Here's Part 1 (the first 13 packs):
And here's Part 2 (the final 11 packs):
So why did I delay posting this for so long? To be honest, it wasn't a very exciting break, and I figured that it would be even less exciting for people to watch than it was for me to actually experience the box break first hand. If you can only watch one video box break this weekend, I'd definitely recommend watching my next one instead of this.
So why wasn't it exciting? There are a few reasons. First, as most people know, Topps was not able to print cards of most of the top 2008 draft picks because they had signed exclusive contracts with Razor. So the chance to get a highly valuable rookie card is significantly diminished from previous years. Despite that, there's no question that the quality of the actual cards is much higher than Razor's Signature Series draft product. But even with a good card design and a lot of good prospects who were not 2008 draftees, Topps made this set overly complicated. There are basically two checklists: one for rookies and one for prospects who have not reached the majors yet. On top of that, there are base and chrome versions of each of the cards. So there are really four different sets in this one product. Topps also loads the box with tons of meaningless gold parallels of the regular Bowman cards (I got 24 of them). This is unfortunate because one of my favorite things about Bowman brands is the refractors. This year's Bowman Chrome refractors look spectacular. But I only received two regular refractors and one Xfractor in the whole box.
Here's the breakdown of what I got:
- 47 base Bowman rookie cards (out of 55 in the set). This includes Evan Longoria, but it's really the same rookies that we've seen in almost every other 2008 product.
- 15 Bowman Chrome rookie cards (out of 55 in the set)
- 48 Bowman prospect cards (out of 110 in the set)
- 29 Bowman Chrome prospect cards (out of 110 in the set)
- 8 Bowman Gold rookie parallel cards
- 16 Bowman Gold prospect parallel cards
- 1 Bowman Blue parallel card (Fernando Martinez #382/399)
- 2 Bowman Chrome Refractors (Micah Hoffpauir and Charlie Morton)
- 1 Bowman Chrome Xfractor (Mat Gamel #174/199)
- 1 Bowman Chrome Autograph (Anthony Hewitt)
I was happy with the Blue parallel of F-Mart, who is a very highly touted Mets outfield prospect. A refractor would have been nicer than a regular blue parallel though. The Mat Gamel Xfractor is definitely awesome. If you haven't heard of Gamel, you will soon. He's a third baseman for Milwaukee, and he's one of the leading contenders for the N.L. Rookie of the Year award. I predict that he'll have a big impact this year. The autograph was Anthony Hewitt, who was the Phillies first round pick in 2008. He drafted out of high school as a shortstop. So I got just as many first round pick autographs out of this box as I did from my Razor box, which contained a total of 10 autographs. Hewitt had an absolutely horrendous season in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League though. Just check out his stats to see what I mean. Maybe Phillies fans can tell me if there's any reason to be optimistic about him.
Here are the scans of the best cards from the box:
You can pick up a box of Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects for $62.95 on eBay, but I wouldn't recommend it. I remember paying less than that, but I can't recall the exact amount. I don't think that this product is worth buying until the price drops below $50. The product has potential, but it really suffers from the lack of big-name draft picks. I'm hoping that Razor goes out of business before the end of 2009 so that Topps can once again make a great draft pick set. I'd also like to see a simpler set configuration in the future. Do we really need regular Bowman cards? Why not just make all of the cards chrome? And of course, I'd like to see many more refractors than what I received in my box.
9 more days…February 14, 2009 at 2:24 am | Posted in Topps | 6 Comments
Only 9 more days until the most anticipated (by me) baseball card product of the year is released – 2009 Topps Heritage!
I ordered two hobby boxes from Captain Collect on eBay today, and hopefully I'll have them in my hands as soon as possible after the release date. I am psyched! I will open the boxes on video, and post the video to YouTube and the blog on the day that I receive them.
Here's Topps' preview video to get you ready for what's to come:
You can also check out the checklist here. I am excited that both Evan Longoria and Scott Kazmir will be featured on New Age Performers inserts!
It'll be like Christmas in February – or all eight nights of Hannukah in February!
A couple of awesome Evan Longoria cardsFebruary 8, 2009 at 7:32 pm | Posted in My Cards, Topps, Upper Deck | 6 Comments
My Evan Longoria collection has now reached 92 different cards, surpassing the number of Tim Lincecum cards that Bailey from The Nennth Inning has. Here are a couple of recent acquisitions that I wanted to share on my blog…
First, here is Longoria's exclusive mini from 2008 Allen & Ginter:
This is a pretty cool card to own. It's one of the cards that could be pulled from a rip card. It's called an "exclusive mini" because it's only available as a mini; there is no full-size version of the card. This is definitely one of the more limited 2008 Evan Longoria rookie cards. I really like the picture on the card, and I wish that Topps had chosen to use it for Longoria's regular Allen & Ginter card. Instead they used a picture that makes it look like he's asleep:
The second card that I wanted to show off is the card that I think will go down as the best Evan Longoria rookie card from 2008, the autograph card from Upper Deck Ultimate with the autograph on a jumbo swatch of a game-used jersey. My card is #42/99:
You might recall that this is the same card that I posted about a few weeks ago when someone was selling a purported "1/1" copy of the card on eBay and asking for $2,999.99 with "Buy it Now". It wasn't really a 1/1, but the serial number was 3, which is Longoria's jersey number. The seller didn't sell it with the ridiculous "Buy it Now" price, but then he relisted it and sold it for $255. I am proud to say that my card is also a "1/1" because its serial number is 42, which is the number of runs that Longoria scored for Long Beach State in 2006. It cost me $132.50. Yes, that's a lot, but it's not much more than a hobby box of Ultimate would cost me, and I got the card that I wanted. And like I said, this is the best 2008 Longoria rookie out there, in my opinion, and it's limited to only 99 copies.
An awesome addition to my collectionFebruary 7, 2009 at 1:31 pm | Posted in My Cards, Topps | 4 Comments
Continuing with the theme of buying cards that I really want instead of spending a lot of money on boxes of cards that I'll be disappointed with, check out a card that I recently bought on eBay and received earlier this week:
That's an autograph of one of my heroes, Keith Olbermann, #71/100, from 2009 Topps American Heritage. I think he has a great looking signature. American Heritage is an interesting product. I have a strong interest in American history, but I'm waiting for the price of boxes to come down a little bit more before I start collecting it. But as soon as I found out about this card, I knew that I wanted to own it. So I headed to eBay, and I was able to obtain it for just a little over $30.
Keith Olbermann is someone who people either love or hate, depending on their political ideology. Since I just called Olbermann a hero, you can tell which side of the fence I'm on. I've been a fan of his since the early 1990s when he formed the most entertaining partnership of Sports Center anchors of all-time with Dan Patrick. After he left ESPN in 1997, Olbermann bounced around between several different networks until he found a home on MSNBC as the host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann in 2003. The show wasn't very successful when it first started, but then a few years ago, Olbermann started his "Special Comments", in which he delivers strongly worded criticism of political figures who have led the country and the world down the wrong path. The most frequent recipient of his Special Comments is former President George W. Bush. After that, the show's popularity began to skyrocket, as Olbermann began to fill a much-needed role as a left-leaning political talk show host, to counterbalance prominent right-leaning hosts like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity on other networks. Olbermann is also one of the co-hosts of NBC's Sunday night football pregame show.
I watch Countdown at least a few times a week, and what makes me admire Keith Olbermann even more is his involvement in the baseball card hobby. He's been collecting since his childhood, and he began publishing articles in various collecting publications as a teenager in the 1970s. According to his Wikipedia entry, Olbermann now makes $7.5 million per year, so he has a huge amount of discretionary income to spend on cards. This became well known in 2006 when he began buying up a huge number of the short-printed Alex Gordon Topps rookie cards. He also has a large collection of T-206 tobacco cards, and he's a consultant for Topps.
Olbermann had an autographed Bowman Heritage card a few years ago, and a rare tie relic card in Allen & Ginter. Both cards sell for a lot of money when they appear on eBay, so I think this American Heritage autograph card is a pretty good investment, especially since there are only 100 copies. Olbermann and I have a lot in common. We're both huge sports fans, baseball card collectors, and Democrats, all of which makes this card an awesome addition to my collection!
The awesomest rookie card ever!January 31, 2009 at 2:24 am | Posted in Baseball, My Cards, Topps | 4 Comments
I've never been a Jason Giambi fan. I didn't like him during his original stint with the A's, I liked him even less when he signed with the Yankees, and I absolutely despised him when I found out that he was a steroid user. But when I read about his rookie card in this post on Bad Wax recently, I immediately wanted to own the card. I went straight to eBay and I was able to buy a PSA 10 graded copy of the card for only $8. So, you might be asking yourself, why would I want to own Jason Giambi's rookie card so badly? In this case, the picture speaks louder than any words possibly could:
Yes, folks, that is what Jason Giambi looked like in 1991! Before he became a disgusting steroid monster, he was the scrawny 20-year old kid that you see on this card. If you look closely enough, you can see the remnants of teenage acne on his face. He looks like someone whose ass even I would be able to kick! Heck, Steve Urkel might be able to take him in a fight. I can't stop myself from laughing when I look at this card and think about what Giambi turned himself into…
The back of the card reveals that Giambi was 6'2″ and weighed 195 pounds. According to ESPN, he's now 6'3″ and 240 pounds. It's amazing what a steady diet of steroids and HGH can do for a body. It's also interesting that he was a third baseman for Long Beach State at the time, which was the same position that Evan Longoria would occupy 15 years later. Giambi was in his sophomore year in 1991, and while he hit .407 that year, he only hit 3 home runs with 54 RBI. One year later, he was the second round pick of the A's and the rest is history…
To crack open the slab or not, that is the questionJanuary 29, 2009 at 8:43 pm | Posted in My Cards, Topps | 19 Comments
I'm no stranger to PSA graded cards. I own a bunch of them, and the vast majority of them are vintage cards made before 1980, along with some major rookie cards from the 1980s and early 1990s. I've acquired a few graded Don Mattingly cards in the past, but only because I couldn't find ungraded copies of those cards. I broke them out of their slabs so that I could store them with my other Don Mattingly cards (which you can see here). The only exception so far was a PSA 9 copy of Don Mattingly's 1993 Topps Finest refractor. I kept that one in the PSA slab because it is the most valuable Don Mattingly card from his playing days, and it's even more valuable when it's graded.
Anyway, I recently won an eBay auction for one of the 9 Mattingly cards from his playing career that I needed. It was the "Members Only" parallel of the "Virtual Reality" parallel from 1995 Topps Stadium Club. Yes, a parallel of a parallel. But anyway, it is a PSA graded card. Specifically, it's a "Gem Mint" PSA 10 card. Here it is:
Now, under normal circumstances, it would be any easy decision for me to crack open the slab and remove the card, so that I could put it in a penny sleeve and top loader just like all of my other Don Mattingly cards. But this is different for me because it's a PSA 10 – a perfect specimen. I own very few PSA 10 cards. On the other hand, it's a rare card, and having a graded copy doesn't increase its value much. I'm really on the fence about what to do. What do you think – should I set this one free from the slab or not?
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