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Please contact us if you have any question:
Paul email@example.com
tado° Feeds Heating Systems With Data
Hannover, 10 March 2014 - The Munich-based company tado° is presenting a new version of its heating app at CeBIT in Hanover demonstrating how data and the intelligence of the Internet can be harnessed to improve everyday products.
"Datability at CeBIT is all about the ability to use large volumes of data sustainably and responsibly, "says Oliver Frese, the new head of CeBIT at Deutsche Messe AG. This is precisely what the start-up tado° is doing with its intelligent heating app.
In 2012 the company from Munich launched its intelligent heating control system to market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. One year later sales began in the UK and other European countries.
tado° helps households to save on the necessity that uses the most energy: in an average UK household, heating the building accounts for over 66 percent of energy use. This is where tado° steps in - the heating app makes use of modern, smart technology to automatically prevent energy from being unnecessarily wasted.
At CeBIT 2014 tado° is presenting the latest version of its web app, which makes it even easier for users to see how the app controls their heating system based on real-time data and to influence its operation themselves.
The Internet Makes it Possible
Once the tado° Hardware Kit has been installed, the user downloads the app onto their smartphone and chooses a few basic settings such as their desired sleeping temperature. From that point onwards tado° automatically takes care of heating the home, like a personal assistant. There is no need to programme periods of presence or absence, as the intelligent tado° algorithms automatically ensure that the heating is adjusted to the exact requirements of the users. But how is that possible? Through the proper use and combination of various pieces of information and data.
Thanks to the smartphone location services, the tado° app knows when the last resident has left the house and automatically turns down the temperature, with no user action required. As soon as a resident starts making their way home, tado° will begin heating in time for the house to warm up by the time they get home. With just one glance at the app the user can see how far the other residents are away from home and how the heating system is currently operating. This view is now also available on the browser-based web app. But how does tado° know when to lower the temperature, by how much, and when exactly to start heating again?
As well as the distance of the user from home and the speed they are moving, the tado° control takes into account the properties of the individual building. The system gets to know these properties over the first few days of use. How quickly does the home cool down and how long does it take to warm it back up to the desired temperature? What influence does the sun have on the inside temperature? Sunshine will heat up homes with large windows more rapidly than homes with small window surfaces.
In order to know when the sun is shining or how warm it currently is outside, tado° also includes weather forecasts from the Internet. Always in view: the new app displays the current weather in the background. The weather forecast allows tado° to act in plenty of time. Particularly with heating systems that take some time to react, such as underfloor heating, the system can be turned down in advance when the weather forecast promises higher outdoor temperatures or sunshine. Not only does this save energy, it prevents the home from becoming overheated, as otherwise both the heating and the sun would be warming up the home at the same time.
All customer data is transferred and stored using the latest security technology, equivalent to the current online banking standard. "Ensuring that our customer data is secure and protected is our highest priority," explains Christian Deilmann, CEO and founder of tado° GmbH. User security and privacy are part of the core product strategy at tado°.
tado° uses these real-time data, combining presence and absence, weather forecasts and learned building characteristics, to optimise energy use and the indoor climate while also making the users' lives far more efficient and convenient.
High-resolution images are available here: https://www.tado.com/au/press
About tado°
Headquartered in Munich, tado°, the European market leader in intelligent home climate control solutions, was founded in 2011. tado° revolutionises the way energy is consumed at home. Through the use of a geo-aware app, tado° automatically adjusts the temperature based on the residents' locations, enabling households to significantly save on energy costs while reaching a higher level of comfort.
Press Contact
tado GmbH
Paul Hughes
Sapporobogen 6-8
80637 Munich
+44 20 3893 2059


text: What's In My Cart? The currency has been converted from GBP to EURO. This is a special service for Great Britain: For your better information you can see the product-prices in GBP (£), please change the currency from EURO to GBP by pushing the dropdown menue leftside. The order process and payment is only avalaible in EURO (€), If you go to your shopping card to order the wooden blocks, the currency will change for the order-process automaticly back to EURO (€) Your Shopping Cart is empty!

subset: commoncrawl


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There are no products matching the selection.
Maternity overalls are like a second skin that will keep you cosy and stylish throughout your pregnancy. Jumpsuits are unique and ingenious pieces that are so easy to wear and which can be combined with any of your pregnancy clothes to suit any shape and style.


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eBay will announce its Q1 earnings this afternoon.
Here's what analysts are expecting:EPS: $0.70 (analysts expected $0.67) Revenue: $4.26 billion (analysts expected $4.23 billion)
Click here for the latest.
It's been an interesting quarter for eBay, as the company dealt with a very public back-and-forth with activist investor Carl Icahn, who accused several board members, including Marc Andreessen, of not having eBay's best interests in mind, and urging PayPal to spin off as a separate company.
The fight ended when eBay agreed to Icahn's suggestion to appoint David Dorman to its board.
See Also:Payment Apps Are Quickly Changing How We Transfer Money To Each Other, And Around The WorldMobile Payment Adoptions Slows, But Loyalty Programs May Offer A Way ForwardE-COMMERCE AND THE FUTURE OF RETAIL: 2014 [SLIDE DECK]


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Oooohhh! The desktop! Mine's been driving me NUTS for weeks now. I'm one of those visual types who needs to see things in order to remember they're there. I loved having a Mac years ago because whenever I hit "download" it downloaded directly to my desktop and I never had to hunt for this PDF or that JPEG. When I inherited a PC laptop from my hubby (then boyfriend), I intentionally moved important downloads and documents to my desktop so I could keep track of them, just like I was used to on my work Mac computer. Well, despite my usual vigilance to keep things "pretty," I let things slide and here is what my desktop looked like last night:
Woah! Stuff everywhere. It was hard on the eyes, hard to find anything important, and not very inspirational.
So, just as a quick clean-up, here's what I did:
- I deleted any shortcut icon for a program I rarely used. When you install these little programs they make themselves a shortcut for you. How convenient. Except I'm okay with clicking on the Start Menu, thank-you-very-much. If I need you, I'll find you.
- I dragged any shortcut icons of programs I use on a regular basis down to the start menu task bar on the bottom of the screen. I rearranged them by type (iTunes and Spotify are both music programs, for instance,) and voila! Instant order! YES. Love it.
- I created a SORT! folder and dragged all icons of files that I wasn't quite sure what to do with them into that file. Yes, it is delaying the inevitable, but the goal was to clean up the visual mess. I'll get to the real digital organizing at a later date.
- I created a To Read folder for all the PDF downloads from great blogs I've visited. There are several downloads about growing your creative business that I really wanted to read, but just couldn't see in all that mess. Now I know where to go for my reading material.
- I kept the folders for our different businesses and this blog, so I had easy access to those files.
- I went to WallBase.cc (at Daniel's recommendation) to find a good background to download. The one I chose really spoke to me and my purpose for cleaning up my desktop.
- I rearranged the folder icons and moved my Recycle Bin a bit to be visually-pleasing and in places that made sense.
- Done!
It's a great feeling to have simplified my desktop. In fact, now I'm inspired to write more and read more of the many downloads I have stored away for future inspiration. I'm pleased with the result, and hope it will inspire you, as well!
Additional Posts in this Series:
p.s. This is it! This is the last day to enter my book giveaway of the book Organize Now! plus an At-a-Glance daily planner. It closes at 9pm CST today. Don't miss out!
You can enter by commenting on this post. And if you're new to my blog and would like to read more, start here, or subscribe via RSS! Thanks!


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Starting today, the front page and main news sections of The New York Times are receiving a gentle typographical face-lift.
In place of a miscellany of headline typefaces that have accumulated in its columns over the last century, the newspaper is settling on a single family, Cheltenham, in roman and italic versions and various light and bold weights. A narrow variation will be used for The Times's signature one-column headline, which often appears at the top right of Page A1 on the main article of the day. (Before-and-after examples are shown on this page.)
Tom Bodkin, assistant managing editor and design director of The Times, oversaw the changes. ''Our goals were to enhance legibility and bring a more orderly look to the pages while preserving the ability to convey a clear hierarchy of news values,'' he said. ''We wanted to appear traditional but less old-fashioned. And we felt a need for a more robust, less spindly headline on what is often the biggest story of the day.''
The new styles were chosen from numerous options commissioned by Joseph Lelyveld, executive editor, before his retirement in 2001. Final approval was given by the current executive editor, Bill Keller. Only a single headline typeface, Cheltenham Bold Italic, survives from the previous repertory. (It is visible today in the Page A1 headline ''Sniper Suspect/Is Own Lawyer/As Trial Opens.'') All of the other faces were created for The Times -- and named for it -- by the noted type designer Matthew Carter, who based them on traditional letterforms.
Cheltenham type originated in 1896 designs by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and Ingalls Kimball for the Cheltenham Press, a private publisher in New York City.
In the early 1900's the face was refined by Morris Fuller Benton of the American Type Founders Company. It is characterized by lines that are almost uniform in thickness and by serifs, or finishing strokes, that are small and blunt. One of the first uses of Cheltenham in The Times occurred in 1906, in front-page headlines about the great San Francisco earthquake.
Before today's change, at least six headline typefaces commonly appeared on the front page. That kind of variety was customary for newspapers in the early 20th century, possibly because metal type was too costly and scarce for printers to stock full ranges of size within a family.
Victorian-era headlines typically comprised many layers, or ''decks,'' in differing fonts. The Times's one-column signature headline -- the ''A'' head, in newsroom jargon -- is an abbreviated holdover of that style, which has otherwise disappeared from the paper.
The compressed type in the top part of the ''A'' head, before today, was Latin Extra Condensed, a face that originated with many foundries in the 1880's and became a front-page staple at The Times around 1907. For the sake of tradition, it will remain in The Times's design vocabulary in the form of subject labels in a few sections, including sports.
Two other principal headline typefaces in the news pages are being replaced:
*Century Bold Italic, used for banner headlines on major news at the top of Page A1, will be replaced by Times Cheltenham Extrabold Italic.
*Bookman, a lighter-weight family, will be replaced by Times Cheltenham Book. Bookman remains the headline type for The Times's feature sections except the magazine, but the Cheltenham will replace it in the coming months.
The Times's text typeface, for news and editorials, remains Imperial, designed in the 1950's by Edwin W. Shaar and adopted by the newspaper in 1967.
All of The Times's faces, except the new ones, were originally designed for metal type, whether composed by hand, one letter at a time, or on keyboard-operated machines that cast lines of molten metal.
In the middle 1970's, when the newspaper converted to computer typesetting, digital versions were created by scanning proofs of the traditional designs.


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James Sprayregen
Lecturer in Law
James H.M. Sprayregen is a Restructuring partner in the Chicago and New York offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and serves on Kirkland's worldwide management committee. Mr. Sprayregen is recognized as one of the outstanding restructuring lawyers in the United States and around the world and has led some of the most complex Chapter 11 filings in recent history. Mr. Sprayregen has extensive experience representing major U.S. and international companies in and out of court as well as buyers and sellers of assets in distressed situations. He has handled matters for clients in industries as varied as manufacturing, technology, transportation, energy, media, and real estate. He has extensive experience advising boards of directors, and generally representing domestic and international debtors and creditors in complex workout, insolvency, restructuring, and bankruptcy planning matters.
Chambers & Partners has described Mr. Sprayregen as a "great clients' lawyer, admired for his 'unflustered ways.'" Chambers said that clients it spoke to noted that he is "probably the best restructuring lawyer in the world." In March 2010, Mr. Sprayregen was selected by The National Law Journal as one of "The Decade's Most Influential Lawyers." In 2013, Mr. Sprayregen was named "Global Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer of the Year" by Who's Who Legal Awards, receiving more votes from clients and peers than any other individual worldwide. In October 2013, Mr. Sprayregen will be inducted into the TMA Turnaround, Restructuring, and Distressed Investing Industry Hall of Fame. The American Lawyer also profiled Mr. Sprayregen's distinguished career in several articles including "Dealmakers of the Year, Building the Brand," and "45 Under Forty-Five: The Rising Stars of the Private Bar." Mr. Sprayregen was also profiled in the articles, "Credit Control," by The Lawyer, "Willing to Run Through a Brick Wall," by The Daily Deal, "Lawyer 'Spray' Tops Bankruptcy Fray," by Crain's Chicago Businessand "A 24-Hour Kind of Player," by the Chicago Sun-Times.


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please disregard shipping charges shown during checkout. we will email you with exact shipping charges. Or call us to place an order
2-Hole Bantam/Pigeon Nest
This nest is specifically designed for bantam and pigeon size birds. Two tier construction allows this nest to fit in nearly any breeder pen or brooder house. Wall mounts allow you to safely secure this nest in nearly any location.
Unit is constrcuted out of heavy duty plastic and galvanized metal material to not only provide a non-corrosive nest, but also to allow it to be fully sanitizable as well. Built in perches can be folded up when not in use.
Packed: 1


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FTM2014 - How I handle Emails
The link above is a short video on how I handle Emails. What I failed to do, was to get into details of the Data Entry for a properly (I hope) formatted Citation. The appropriate format is described in Evidence Explained 1 in QuickCheck Model on page 113 Personal Files & Knowledge, 3.42 E-mail and instant messages.
Sometimes it takes a couple of minutes to "fill in the blanks" in the Template to get the Reference Note in the correct format.
To get here, as I showed in the Video, I typed EMA for the keyword search for Personal Email.
Here are the fields and the information I put in them.
In order for the Reference Note to have the right format, I added the information in red in the Researcher location field.Source Template: Personal E-mailCollection [ First and Last Name of the Email, adding "Collection"Researcher surname: WorthingtonResearcher forename(s): RussResearcher e-mail address:Researcher address:Researcher location: [(E-Address) & Street Address for private use,] Hackettstown, NJWriter surname: [ sender ]Writer forename(s): [ sender, full name ]Writer address:Writer location:Writer contact: [ email ]Recipient surname: WorthingtonRecipient forename(s): RussSource Comments:(Citation detail:) [(e-address for private use) ]; dd month yyyy; " subject "(Citation text:) date and time of email
The Source Comments information is my reminder of what to put in the Citation detail and Citation text fields. I then can copy and paste that information into the Citation details field on the next screen.
The Text of the Email, as shown in the video, will be pasted into the Citation Notes.
I don't have the email with the subject at the moment, but will add the Subject line of the email in this Citation.
Here is what that Reference Note looks like:
David Reed, Washington, D.C. to Russ Worthington, e-mail, [(e-address for private use) ]; 06 January 1999; " subject ", David Reed Collection; privately held by Russ Worthington, [(E-Address) & Street Address for private use,] Hackettstown, NJ.I should also note that the Zip Code is not included in the Template screen, as it is not called for in the Reference note. If you compare this against Evidence Explained, I think it is pretty sure. Will probably post this into the User Form on the Evidence Explained website.
1 Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub., 2007. Print._______________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2014 by H R Worthington


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SQL Server Device CAL Discounted (Includes Software Assurance)
A SQL Server device client access license (CAL) authorizes one computer to access SQL Server when the server is deployed using the Server/CAL model. Any number of users can use the device (for example, on a shared workstation).
This offer provides one device CAL.
Additional Information
For a summary of the available editions of SQL Server and licensing alternatives, see the Guide to SQL Server Editions and Licensing.
License Only
This license does not require media, license keys, or setup codes.
CALs, ECLs, and management licenses (MLs) offered through Charity Digital Exchange are always for the currently offered version of the server software. However, these licenses can also be used with earlier versions of the server software.
Software Assurance
Under the Software Assurance program, you have the right to install any new release of products covered in the agreement during the term of your coverage.
System Requirements
- None
Rules, Eligibility & Restrictions
This programme is currently available only to eligible UK Registered Charities
Products will be distributed to eligible organisations only, not to individuals, and within the Microsoft Discounted Guidelines.
Organisations which provide the following types of services MAY be eligible to receive Microsoft discounts through this programme:
- Relief to the poor
- Advancement of education
- Advancement of social and community welfare
- Advancement of culture
- Advancement of the natural environment
- Other purposes beneficial to the community
Additional types of organisations MAY be eligible to receive Microsoft discounts through this programme, including:
- Public libraries for public access purposes
- Public Museums
- Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief organisations
- Community Health Clinics
- Behavioural healthcare nonprofits that provide mental health, chemical dependency and other psychosocial services to the community
- Women's health centres
- Blood banks
- Trade associations with registered charity status that have charitable aims and activities
- Organisations that engage in discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination, and/or retirement based on race, colour, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political affiliation, union membership, or veteran status, other than as allowed by law, are not eligible to participate in this programme. Organisations must be willing and able to attest that they do not discriminate on any of these grounds in order to receive discounts.
The following types of organisations are NOT eligible to receive Microsoft discounts through this programme:
- Governmental organisations or agencies including international governmental organisations and United Nations Entities
- Educational Institutions – organisations eligible through Microsoft academic volume licensing programs are not eligible for software discounts, including nonprofit private schools
- Healthcare Organisations and Networks – healthcare organisations and networks including hospitals, specialty networks, ambulatory healthcare services, home healthcare and assisted living healthcare organisations are not eligible .
- Healthcare Research Organisations and Research Laboratories – Includes organisations pursuing systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to general knowledge
- Commerce and Trade Associations without charitable aims or activities
- Sponsorships of events, tables, exhibitions, or performances
- Fundraising events such as luncheons, dinners, walks, runs, or sports tournaments
- Political, Labour and Fraternal organisations
- Refurbishers that will be installing the donated software on refurbished computers to be distributed or donated to nonprofits or schools
- Organisations that advocate, support, or practice discrimination based on age, ethnicity, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background. Organisations must be willing and able to attest that they do not discriminate on any of these grounds in order to receive discounts
- Terms of service: Organisations that request Microsoft products must agree to any applicable terms of service.
Amendments: Microsoft reserves the right to supplement or amend these eligibility guidelines at any time without notice.
Anti-discrimination policy: To be eligible to participate in this programme, organisations must attest to the following statement, which certifies compliance with the Microsoft corporate citizenship nonprofit giving antidiscrimination policy:
My organisation does not have a policy or mission of discriminating in hiring, compensation, access to training or services, promotion, termination, or retirement based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political affiliation, union membership, or veteran status.
My organisation is a religious organisation, and any discriminatory practices of my organisation are exempt from laws that otherwise prohibit such discrimination.
Product distribution:
Products will be distributed under this programme to qualifying organisations and libraries only, not to individuals.
Recipient organisations may not transfer or resell Microsoft products.
Microsoft products may not be installed on computers that will be given to or sold to other organisations or individuals, even as part of a charitable programme.
Provided an organisation meets the Eligibility Criteria for the Microsoft Software Discounted Programme, donation requests can be made in line with the following entitlement guidelines:
- Budget: Organisations with annual operating budgets of any size are eligible for products in this program.
- Quanty: Organizations can request an unlimited number of discounted Microsoft products.
Please see Microsoft Software Discounted Programme FAQs for further information.


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Earlier today, Meghan Klingenberg and Whitney Engen were named to the U.S. Women's National Team squad for their May 8 friendly against Canada in Winnipeg. The match can be seen at 7pm local time on ESPN3 and espnW.com.
Full squad:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit), Jill Loyden (Sky Blue FC), Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)
DEFENDERS (9): Stephanie Cox (Seattle Reign FC), Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Whitney Engen (Tyresö), Meghan Klingenberg (Tyresö), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Nikki Marshall (Portland Thorns FC), Kelley O'Hara (Sky Blue FC), Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian (Virginia), Lauren Holiday (FC Kansas City), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Carli Lloyd (WNY Flash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Heather O'Reilly (Boston Breakers)
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux (Seattle Reign FC), Christen Press (Tyresö), Amy Rodriguez (FC Kansas City), Abby Wambach (WNY Flash)


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Treat or retreat: Tackling termites every year
What's wrong with this joke? A termite walks into a bar in Alaska, sits down next to another termite, and says, "Is the bar tender here?" "The other termite replies, "I don't know– I haven't tried it yet."
Answer: There are no termites in Alaska (I suppose because it's too cold). But there were definitely termites in a wooden structure attached to Howard Goodman's house. Orkin treated the house for termites 14 years ago, and he's been paying an annual fee ever since to maintain the protection.
When Goodman discovered the termites early this June, he called Orkin and asked for an inspection. "The inspector who came out," he claims, "didn't find any termite activity until I pointed it out." The employee's response was that only the affected area– and not the whole house– would be treated.
Goodman claims that nothing happened until he called the office a week later. The area was finally treated on July 13, but Goodman was not happy.
"I pay Orkin to protect my house and have for 14 years," he says. "They will not re-treat my house unless there is an obvious sign of termite activity. What kind of protection is that?"
The Orkin inspector, Goodman says, told him that federal and state law prohibit re-treatment without proof that termites are at work. But, as Goodman points out, by then "the damage will have been done"– damage, he adds, that "they don't pay for."
Orkin's website states that "Termite treatments break down over time... In five to six years, treatments may have to be re-applied." That seems to be at odds with what Goodman says he was told– i.e., that Orkin was prohibited, by law, from re-treating areas that didn't have active termites.
I asked Martha Craft, Orkin's director of public relations, about the discrepancy. "Orkin uses EPA-approved termiticides," she explained in an email. "The instructions on most termiticides prohibit reapplication of the product unless there has been evidence of termite activity, or the treatment barrier has been broken (for example, the treated ground has been disturbed)."
Craft confirmed that Goodman had originally been told that "his home was not legally eligible for re-treatment. Ultimately, this proved to be an honest error on the part of the local Orkin branch." Further examination of the situation, she continued, had confirmed that "the location of the structure where termite activity was found is close enough to the home to warrant re-treatment of the entire home."
Craft claims that the "outbuilding" (which Goodman claims is attached to the main house) "was not included in the original treatment 14 years ago, so it was not technically part of the treatment agreement." In any case, Orkin will treat the structure at no extra cost.
Another joke?
"How many Lethal trucks does it take to change a flat tire?" That's the question Donna DeGroat asked on July 13, after her Honda had a flat tire on Route 29 and she called AAA for assistance. Lethal Wrecker (as the primary AAA contractor for Charlottesville) was called, and the first truck arrived.
Unfortunately, the driver brought the jack that, DeGroat theorizes, "is reserved for the soapbox derby." In any case, it was too small for her Honda.
So a second truck was summoned, and this time the driver brought... the identical jack. But wait! He also had a 2 x 4, and the two drivers wedged it under the jack. It was still too short, however, so Driver #2 produced "yet another piece of greasy wood" and started wedging. That's when Driver #3, their alleged supervisor, arrived, and DeGroat posed her question to him.
I tried to put the same question to Lethal owner George Morris, but he was unavailable for comment.
Do you have a consumer problem or question? Email the Fearless Consumer or write her at Box 4553, Charlottesville 22905.


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Support our nonpartisan, nonprofit research and insights which help leaders address societal challenges.Donate
Executive Annual Incentive Plans
- Authors:
Publication Date:
April 1996
Part of the Conference Board's ongoing series on executive incentive plans, this report covers all plan components. With this report, you have the most accurate and relevant information at hand when devising your own plans. Detailed discussions and illustrations show you how best to structure and use these programs and give you information on incentive payments by industry sector and position level to help you conduct a complete competitive analysis.
Support Our Work


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I'm trying to use this plungin which is supposed to dumb textures, but it doesn't work. I can get into perfect dark, besides it looking funny it doesn't work at all. And sorta makes no sense. Where are some readmes to this.
P.s sorry about that post titled "tr64 does" or something like that, hit enter on accident.


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Tool Guitarist Adam Jones Offers Album Update, Talks Lawsuit Frustrations
Tool guitarist Adam Jones recently made headlines, revealing that the band has been involved in a lawsuit over several years that has taken its toll on their creative process and turning a new album around. In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Jones goes a little more in depth on the suit and offers a new album update.
Speaking about the suit, Jones states, "Basically a long time ago, the band paid my best friend to do some artwork for shirts, albums and advertising -- we've hired many, many artists over the years. And then he decided to sue us for one fifth of the money we've ever made. It was just ridiculous!"
But Jones added that just as much of a hassle was the problems with their insurance company, who have tried to back out from covering the band and are also engaged in a legal dust-up with Tool. Jones states, "I honestly think it's like if you buy auto insurance and you're in an accident, then you go to the insurance company and they say, 'Well, you drive an SUV and we don't really consider that an auto, so we're not covering you.' Then you try to argue with them and then they go, 'Well, we're suing you.'"
The guitarist says the frustrations have taken their toll as the guys have been dealing with these legal issues over the seven years since their last album. And what of their long awaited next disc? Jones says, "This lawsuit has really gotten in the way. All we want to do is get it behind us so we can focus on what we do best. I don't want to just get it out and worry about the next record and then look back and go, 'Why did I do that? It's a piece of crap.' I want to sleep well at night. It's my legacy, you know? Some day I'm gonna croak and I wanna look back on what I did and go, 'I worked really hard, took the time and had integrity.'"
The guitarist adds that the band has been working on material with a 7/4 time signature, giving them the opportunity to explore and develop both light and heavy material. He concludes, "I know our fans are frustrated and obviously want to hear new music. You gotta look at that in a good way and think, 'Wow, they really like us and they want more!' To be honest, you can't beat that feeling at all."
Watch Tool's Maynard James Keenan Body Slam a Fan in Top 10 Hard Rock Smackdowns


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Tony originally got involved with Zappos as an advisor and investor in 1999, about 2 months after the company was founded. Over time, Tony ended up spending more and more time with the company because it was both the most fun and the most promising out of all the companies that he was involved with. He eventually joined Zappos full time in 2000. Under his leadership, Zappos has grown gross merchandise sales from $1.6M in 2000 to $840M in 2007 by focusing relentlessly on customer service.
Tony focuses on continuing to grow the business at a rapid pace while maintaining the culture and feel of a small company. Prior to joining Zappos, Tony co-founded Venture Frogs with Alfred Lin. Venture Frogs is an incubator and investment firm that invested in Internet startups, including Ask Jeeves, Tellme Networks, and of course, Zappos.com. Prior to Venture Frogs, Tony co-founded LinkExchange, an advertising network that was successfully sold to Microsoft for $265M in 1998.
Tony met Alfred Lin (COO/CFO) in college, when Tony was running a pizza business and Alfred was his #1 customer.
Reach business leaders and technology influencers at the Web 2.0 Summit. Call Rob Koziura at (415) 947-6111 or email email@example.com
View a complete list of Web 2.0 Summit contacts.


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urbanerpilot7 wrote:Oh thank you soo much. I never even thought about that join button. Thank you very much. I do have a few questions to ask about port forwarding though if you dont mind. I live with my folks, so will port forwarding affect anyone else's connection the household in any negative ways, and are there any security risks to port forwarding? Thank you for your time. Very much appreciated.
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As you might imagine my Food for Thought co-conspirator Seattle Times Food writer Nancy Leson collects lots of stuff to do with food. Menus, old recipe cards, handwritten notes, the works.
When she mentioned to me that she had recipes from "King's Queen Bea" I admit I had no idea who that was. But I should have.
Long before Martha Stewart, even before Julia Child, TV cooking pioneer "Queen" Bea Donovan hosted a live show on KING-TV. Nancy can now gloat over her collection of Donovan's recipes on official Queen Bea stationary.
All I have to brag about is my ancient loose-leaf of household hints I found in a thrift store years ago. Who wrote all this stuff up I have no idea but if you want to know how to keep flies off of gilt picture frames I'm the man to see.*
So what have you got in the way of interesting or better yet, bizarre, cooking memorabilia?
"Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving."
– Auntie Mame
*rub with onion juice.


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Parentmedic Baby + Child First Aid Private Class By Parentmedic Ambassador Dr Tanya HashmiOrganiser: Tegan Kerr & friends, KambahDate/Time: Saturday 23rd February 2019 @ 2:00pm----------------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to The Parentmedic Movement. Parentmedic Baby & Child First Aid sessions are provided in your home or location by a Parentmedic Ambassador. You will learn information in children's health, first aid and safety in a warm and friendly environment. The session aims to help you feel more confident and prepared in handling common childhood health issues and knowing what to do in an emergency. All Parentmedic Ambassadors have completed specialised education with The Parentmedic Movement to ensure they are up to date with current recommendations and first aid regulations. You will learn:-Baby + Child CPR-Safe Eating + 1st Aid for Choking-Head injuries-Allergies + Anaphylaxis-Fevers + Temperature Management-...and more!
Hello! I'm Tanya, your local Parentmedic Ambassador for the Canberra region & surrounds. I am mummy to a beautiful 2 month old baby girl, and I am also a paediatric doctor at The Canberra Hospital, and previously at The Children's Hospital At Westmead. I am passionate about empowering parents and carers with the knowledge and skills they need to save their little ones in an emergency, and I am proud to be a part of the Parentmedic Movement which aims to bring accessible and affordable baby & child first aid education to all families. Parentmedic Ambassador Licence no. 387001. Mobile: 0422 997 822. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Farmingdale State – 8, Maritime College - 0
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State women's soccer team improved to 8-7 overall and a perfect 4-0 in conference action after today's 8-0 shutout victory over Maritime. The Privateers fell to 9-7 on the year and 2-4 in the Skyline Conference.
Freshman midfielder Amanda Khare (Deer Park, N.Y.) put the Rams ahead 1-0 with an unassisted goal in the 32nd minute. Only 1:33 later, freshman midfielder Gabrielle Kasulke (Seaford, N.Y.) scored to increase Farmingdale State's lead to 2-0, before freshman midfielder Maria Raimondi (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) scored the final goal of the half to give the Rams a 3-0 advantage at the break. Farmingdale State did not allow Maritime to attempt a shot in the first half.
In the second, sophomore forward Ashlee Thompson (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) made it 4-0 on a breakaway in the 56th minute. Khare made it 5-0 with a header on a cross from Kasulke at 70:39 for her second goal of the game. Thompson scored her second off a pass from sophomore midfielder Deborah Gilwit (New Rochelle, N.Y.) with a shot from 10 yards out. Sophomore midfielder Katlyn Merino (Corona, N.Y.) knocked in a short pass from freshman forward Mikayla Saborowski (Bellerose, N.Y.) and the last goal of the day was from freshman forward Alena Gannon (North Babylon, N.Y.).
Sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Hoar (Buffalo, N.Y.) tallied 20 saves for the Privateers.
The Rams next will face NYU-Poly in a conference game on Monday, October 14th at 2:00 p.m. The game will be played at Old Boy's H.S. in Brooklyn, N.Y.


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I will be adding pictures of the Magical Kingdom parade from our holiday in Florida
that we took last January.
I love the way this layout turned out, so I took lots of pictures! LOL!
Just so you could see all the great cuts.
I left the tops of the picture frames open, so I could just slide a picture in later.
Isn't Bullseye Cute?
I'm not to sure about how Woody turned out, but I guess he will just have to do.
( You must be a Follower of my blog for a chance to win the CANDY.)
Thanks for stopping by my Blog
and have a great weekend


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"In Fujitsu we have a partner that has provided us with an EDI platform that centrally manages, converts and monitors all our international data flows."
Hinrich Kastern, Head of Information Management, Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG
The family-owned enterprise, with its two Bahlsen and Leibniz brands, is the market leader for baked confectionary in Germany, and one of the foremost manufacturers in this market segment in Europe. Country- specific brands Kornland (Austria), Krakuski (Poland) and Brandt (Germany) round off the product portfolio, manufactured at five sites in Europe and exported to over 80 countries.
The number of partners with whom Bahlsen exchanges data has increased sharply in recent years. In selecting Fujitsu for the task of integrating individual European subsidiaries into the EDI system, the company has opted for a service provider that can also implement country-specific requirements, for instance, various EDI standard formats.
Providing a central platform which enables Bahlsen to model and manage all processes for orders, delivery notes and invoices.
Read the full Bahlsen - EDI case study (365 KB/A4, 2 pages)
Dela med andra


text: Splayed out on an operating table with its innards on full display, Nexus Q loses all of it pop-art panache. But who can resist cracking open the ball to see what makes it tick? Surely the destruction of one specimen was worth the sacrifice, right? We think so, and we thank Google for providing this exploded view as part of Wired's exclusive access to the Nexus Q project, which was announced Wednesday at Google I/O. Like the exterior of the streaming media orb, the interior was engineered and crafted with exacting attention to detail. So follow along, slide by slide, as we describe exactly what's powering Google's bid to bring audio back into the living room, and resurrect the lost art of real-time music sharing. All images courtesy of Google.Nexus Q Base Like most of Nexus Q's non-silicon parts, the die-cast zinc base was made in America -- by a company in Wisconsin, in fact. Here we see it after it's been painted and silk-screened.LED Board If not for the 32 LEDs mounted on this circuit board, Nexus Q wouldn't be able to display its dance of lights. Each diode can shine in full RGB, allowing the hardware to project any color of the rainbow. The LEDs are "top-firing," but the unit's light guide (see next slide) steers the light by 90 degrees, ensuring the lighting effect shines around the equator of the sphere.The cutouts on the board allow for the mounting of mechanical parts.Light Pipe If you read the previous slide, you may be wondering how 32 discrete LEDs can create the seamless lighting effect that crackles around Nexus Q's equator. It's all optical sleight of hand. This "light pipe" teases the individual LEDs into a single ring of light. As Google tells us, "Its geometry and a layer of white paint reflect the light 90 degrees so it goes straight out around the equator. The textured visible surface helps to diffuse the light so that it appears evenly blended."Bearing Ring The upper dome of Nexus Q is a volume controller -- and an earlier version of this essential design element was just a bit too easy to turn. It didn't have enough inertial mass, and felt too flighty to the touch. So Google ditched plastic bearings for the stainless steel ones shown here in the final product. Google adds,"To achieve the best feel, a special damping grease is also loaded into the bearing."Main PCB This is the core of the system -- the part that makes Nexus Q functionally very similar to a Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Hidden on the flipside of this PCB, you would find the CPU, SDRAM and flash memory, a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, and an Ethernet controller. "This is where the magic happens," Google says. And, yes, Nexus Q uses the same processor as the Galaxy Nexus -- a TI OMAP 4460 (dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and SGX540 GPU).Mezzanine PCB Attached to the inner dome of Nexus Q, Google calls this piece the "Mezzanine PCB." Among other hosting duties, this board includes the hardware's NFC controller. Yes, NFC, or near-field communication. Google uses NFC during initial device set-up -- hold your phone up to the Q's dome, and your two Android devices will find each other quickly. The mezzanine board also includes a micro-controller for the unit's capacitive touch sensor, which is used for volume muting.Power Supply This is the Nexus Q's power source -- an integrated, 35-watt switching power supply. There's an automatic shutdown for the audio amp when the system isn't being used.Audio Amplifier This is the PCB for Nexus Q's 25-watt amp. This board takes digital audio from the main PCB, and converts it into speaker-level outputs on the four wires that connect on the upper right.Basement Board This PCB hosts the Ethernet and Optical Digital Audio Out connectors. Google says, "These are taller than the USB and micro-HDMI connectors, so they need to be mounted lower. To achieve this, they're on a board that sits slightly lower than the main board." Thus it's called the "basement board." Makes perfect sense.Rubber Base "This part is an injection-molded thermoplastic elastomer that displays branding and agency approvals," says Google. "On production devices, the serial number is laser-engraved into the part just below the certification marks."Voilà, and She's Done Nexus Q's LEDs can be set to five different color themes. Here we see the ball fully assembled, and shining in Android blue.


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#1 Deposed San Joaquin (CA) COE diocese bishop tried to transferl church ownership title
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
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Episcopal church: Deposed San Joaquin (CA) diocese bishop tried to transfer/steal church ownership titles
"This COE deposed bishop wanted to transfer ownership title of his church to another conservative Diocese and they want all of the collection plate money !"
FRESNO, Calif. The Episcopal Church has expanded its lawsuit against a deposed bishop who led a secession movement prompted by the church's ordination of women and gays.
Church officials say in court documents that John-David Schofield attempted to transfer titles to at least three parishes worth several million dollars to an outside holding company he formed in April. A spokeswoman for the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin had erroneously reported late Tuesday that Schofield had transferred church money to outside accounts.
National church leaders removed Schofield as the head of the Fresno-based diocese in March, after he led parishioners to align themselves with the conservative Province of the Southern Cone, an Argentina-based member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
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Dj Unk & Magic 101.3 Showing WSHH Love! (Dj Unk Speaks On His Album)
DJ Unk's album "2nd Season" in stores Novemeber 4th, 2008. Shout out to Alexandra & Chris
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SAN CLEMENTE — The Border Patrol says its agents have found more than nine tons of marijuana worth an estimated $14.7 million when they inspected a truck at the San Clemente checkpoint.
Officials say a 43-year-old American driving a tractor-trailer was directed to a secondary inspection area Thursday at the Interstate 5 checkpoint.
A drug-sniffing dog alerted agents to the trailer, which was loaded with pallets of pot packed in 218 cardboard boxes.
The marijuana weighed nearly 18,500 pounds.
The driver's name was not immediately released. He and the truck, along with the marijuana, were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.


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Server for hosting XPilot NG games
DescriptionXPilot is a multi-player tactical manoeuvring game for X. Each player controls their own fighter equipped with a variety of weapons and power-ups. Players compete as teams or as individuals; the object of the game is to score points by blasting the opposition, stealing their treasure or by racing round a circuit. WARNING: This game is very addictive. This package contains the server daemon you need in order to host your own game of XPilot.
Upload more screenshots Please help extend the collection of screenshots. Just make a screenshot and upload it here. You don't need to register or anything.
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California's investment in UC's research mission attracts federal funds, launches companies, and trains the next generation of scientists and scholars. UCR's increasing research funding stimulates every facet of the campus mission to educate, discover new knowledge, and disseminate findings to benefit the public.
The Office of Research and Economic Development works with the faculty, departments and schools on the following goals:
UCR research, traditionally known for advances in agriculture, has expanded discovery and scholarship throughout the disciplines, including: Research on sleep for improved productivity; biomemetic materials; drug discovery including kidney disease and brain cancer; new strategies for education, special education, and undergraduate STEM retention; cultivating creative writers; contributing new ideas for public policy; improving air quality; and understanding and prevention of disease.
Still a leader in agricultural science, UCR is devising methods to increase food quantity and quality, including breeding new crops such as the Tango citrus, drought tolerant legumes, and submergent tolerant rice.
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With an All-American on each side, South Carolina's sack-happy defense faces Michigan's formidable offensive front in the Outback Bowl.
The 11th-ranked Gamecocks (10-2) topped the SEC with 40 sacks this year, including a school-record 13 by All-American defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
"We have a chemistry out there," Clowney said. "Everybody watches each other out there. We all get to the ball. Everybody just wants the same goal ... we all want to win."
The 19th-ranked Wolverines (8-4) allowed a Big Ten-low 15 sacks, due in part to an experienced line anchored by All-American left tackle Taylor Lewan.
Lewan could be playing in his last collegiate game on New Year's Day. He plans to announce after the Outback Bowl if he will enter the 2013 NFL draft.
"At the end of the day, it's not about me, it's not about Jadeveon Clowney, it's about the University of Michigan and USC," Lewan said. "He's a great player. I have tremendous respect for him, but at the same time I'm an offensive lineman. I'm supposed to block. It's my job to block people."
Lewan could be playing in his last collegiate game next week. He plans to announce after the Outback Bowl if he will enter the 2013 NFL draft.
"I have an idea of what I'm doing," Lewan said. "I'm almost positive I know what I'm doing. I'll play football on Tuesday, January 1st, and then I'll make my decision. I'll talk to the coaches about it, and we'll go from there."
Lewan, right guard Patrick Omameh and left guard Michael Schofield have made a combined 97 starts for Michigan.
"I trust my offensive line," Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson said. "I know they'll lay it (all out) for me, so I've got to do the same for them."
Robinson has been throwing the ball at practice. Nerve damage in his right elbow knocked him off the field Oct. 27 at Nebraska, keeping him out for the next two games and limiting his ability to throw in the final two games of the regular season.
Clowney won the Hendricks Award this year as the best defensive end in college football. The sophomore generated a buzz the past few weeks after saying a defensive player can win the Heisman Trophy next year and that it could be him.
"I'm going to play like I've been playing, and if it comes out that I win the Heisman, then I win the Heisman," Clowney said. "But if I don't, I just don't."
Clowney has been surprised by the interest generated by his Heisman comments.
"Somebody brought it up to me, and I was just like 'it's out there for me.' All the awards out there are for pretty much for anybody who wants them," Clowney said. "I didn't even bring the Heisman up. So, I just laughed. It's just something to get everybody talking about."
Clowney finished sixth in this year's Heisman voting, which was won by Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
"He's a free-spirited young man," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "He's definitely as good a pass rusher, I think, as I've coached. He pretty much does what we ask him to do all the time as far as being a good teammate and all of that.
We'll worry about that (the Heisman) when then they start voting next year."
Clowney also establish a South Carolina mark with 21 1/2 tackles for loss this season.
"He's a freak of nature," Gamecocks linebacker Damario Jeffery said. "One of those guys that comes around every hundred years.
South Carolina sackers face formidable Michigan front
With an All-American on each side, South Carolina's sack-happy defense faces Michigan's formidable offensive front in the Outback Bowl.


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This week we begin reading the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar), named after the many demographic statistics found within it. The text opens with God's command to take a count of the Israelites. We read that only those over the age of 20 were included in the census, as this was the age of eligibility for military service (Numbers 1:3). This may explains why there was a need for a census to begin with. After all, we see in other places in Scripture, and in Jewish law, that taking a count of Jewish people is highly frowned upon. If so, why take a census? By telling us that God instructed to number only those eligible for military service, the Torah suggests this was a necessity for the purposes of military organization and planning. The Israelites had to reconquer their Holy Land, and as we go on to read throughout the Tanakh, face off against many foes. Therefore, as with any army to this day, it would have been absolutely vital to know exactly how many soldiers there were.
The bigger question here is why are only men over the age of 20 eligible for military service? In a related note, Rashi explains (on Numbers 16:27, based on Sanhedrin 89b) that a person is only judged in Heaven for sins committed after the age of 20. It is only at this point that a person is considered a full-fledged adult, and entirely responsible for their actions. The Heavens are well aware of those hormonal, experimental, rebellious teenage years, and do not hold a person responsible for their actions until they are 20. The Zohar (I, 118b) suggests that the young person will, of course, suffer the consequences of their own poor choices in this world, but will not be judged for it eternally.
The Mishnah (Avot 5:22) further confirms that 20 is the age of adulthood, saying that this is the age "to pursue" a livelihood. This Mishnah states that until 20, a young person should be wholly focused on Torah study and mitzvot: at 5, to start learning Scripture; at 10 to start learning Mishnah, and all the laws that this entails; at 13 to start observing the commandments; at 15 to start learning Gemara, and delving further into Judaism; at 18, to get married. At 20, they are ready to enter the real world. The Midrash (Beresheet Rabbah 14:7) wonderfully ties it all together by stating that God created Adam and Eve as 20 year olds. Based on this, it may be reasoned that in the World of Resurrection—like in Eden—people will inhabit their 20 year old bodies, at the peak of their beauty and vitality.
The Arizal provides a deeper, mystical perspective (see, for instance, the introduction to Sha'ar HaGilgulim). While we often think of the soul as a singular entity, it is actually composed of several parts. The lowest is called nefesh, the basic life force, common to all living things (at least those with blood, as the Torah states in Leviticus 17:11). The next level is ruach, "spirit", which encompasses one's good and evil inclinations, along with their drives and desires. The third and, for most people, highest level of soul is neshamah. This is associated with the mind.
A newborn baby is imbued with nefesh, and little else. As it grows, it attains more and more of its ruach, and hopefully has achieved it in full by bar or bat mitzvah age. By this point, a child has learned right from wrong, and understands their good and evil inclinations. It is only at age 20 that a person can access their full neshamah. This is when their mental faculties have developed, and when they can truly overcome their evil inclination. This is why 20 is the minimum age of judgement in Heaven. It is also why 20 is the age of adulthood, and the age at which priests (and soldiers) can begin their service.
The Arizal often notes how, unfortunately, most people never really access their entire neshamah. Many are trapped at the level of ruach for much of their lives—constantly dominated by their evil inclination, with their mental faculties never properly developed. These people have never truly delved into their soul, and might end their life never having realized its purpose. Some are not even at this level, and spend their whole life in the realm of nefesh alone, no different than animals (and newborn babies)—entirely selfish, and mostly just instinctual. Such a person has extremely limited mental-spiritual abilities, regardless of their apparent knowledge or how many PhDs they may have defended. This is called mochin d'katnut, which is all a person has until age 13. From then on, they can develop their higher mental faculties, mochin d'gadlut. Only at age 20 can a person access all levels of their intellect (see Sha'ar HaKavanot, Inyan shel Pesach, derush 2).
Those who have delved into their neshamah and have attained these higher states of mind are capable of going even further. The fourth level of soul opens up to them, called chayah, sometimes associated with the aura. The fifth and highest level is the yechidah, a sort of divine umbilicus that connects a person directly to God and the Heavens. Indeed, the name "Israel" (ישראל) can be split into yashar-El (ישר-אל), "straight to God". Every Jew has the potential to tap into their inner yechidah, together with the untold spiritual powers it brings along. A person on this level has access to Heavenly secrets, can receive Ruach haKodesh, a "Holy Spirit" or "divine inspiration", or even attain true prophecy.
Sefirot of Life
In most years (like this year), parashat Bamidbar is read right around the holiday of Shavuot. This holiday commemorates the divine revelation at Mt. Sinai, an event traditionally compared to a "wedding" between God and Israel. The Torah does not specify a date for this holiday, instead saying that one should count 50 days from Passover. In fact, the Sages call Shavuot "Atzeret", as if it is the conclusion of Passover, just as the holiday of Shemini Atzeret is the conclusion of Sukkot (yet still a standalone holiday in its own right).
While Shavuot is likened to a marriage, Passover is described as a new birth. The Sages see the Israelites emerging out of the split Red Sea like a newborn baby coming out of the waters of the womb. There are exactly seven weeks between the first day of Passover and Shavuot, and each week corresponds to one of the seven middot, the seven "lower" sefirot of the mystical Tree of Life. By putting these ideas together, we can conclude that the transition from the first sefirah to the seventh—from Passover to Shavuot—represents the development from birth to marriage. Fittingly, one can draw a very close parallel between the qualities of these sefirot and the major stages of life.
The first sefirah is Chessed, kindness, and is always associated with water. Chessed represents the time in the life-giving waters of the mother's womb. This is a stage of life that is entirely chessed, requiring no effort on the part of the person at all. They are completely sustained by their mother. Just as the Israelites emerged out of the Red Sea at the end of Passover—at the end of the Chessed week—the embryonic phase ends with birth.
This thrusts the person into Gevurah: severity, restraint, difficulty, the very opposite of Chessed. The newborn phase is the most difficult. The baby is unable to express itself, and has no power to do anything on its own. It spends much of its time in pain and discomfort, crying and misunderstood. Every little ache is literally the worst pain it ever felt in its short life. But that phase soon ends and opens the door to a much better world.
Early childhood is the easiest time of life. A child has all of its needs taken care of, and spends most of his or her time in play. There is no need to work, study, or struggle. A child is showered with constant affection and attention. They are full of energy, curiosity, and innocence. The third sefirah, Tiferet, is also associated with this kind of youthful innocence. (The forefather Jacob, who embodied Tiferet, is described in the Torah as tam, "innocent".) Tiferet is "beauty" and it is also known as Emet, "truth", apt descriptions for childhood.
Then comes Netzach: persistence, competitiveness, ambition. This sefirah corresponds neatly to the pre-teen and early teen years, the first half of puberty. The negative quality of Netzach is, naturally, laziness and a lack of motivation—especially common in this age group. But there is also a great deal of competitiveness and a need to win (having not yet learned to lose gracefully). Most of all, there is a sense of immortality (netzach literally means "eternity"), and the carelessness and poor choices that come with that attitude.
The second half of the teen years, up until age 20, is when the young person finally starts to mature. The worst part of puberty is behind them, and the beauty and splendour of youth emerges. This is Hod, "majesty" or "splendour", the fifth sefirah. Hod is associated with humility and gratitude (lehodot is "to thank"). In these years, the youth start to develop some inner modesty, and begin to understand a little bit about how the world works. Because of that, they are full of ideas, and full of idealism. Being social is very important, and the first real feelings of love for others is here. Fittingly, the fifth sefirah is embodied by Aaron, whom the Mishnah describes above all as a most loving person (Avot 1:12).
At 20, one enters adulthood. This is the sefirah of Yesod, "foundation". It contains the most difficult qualities to rectify, namely sexuality. Yesod is where most fail, and the Sages describe the final (and most difficult) era before Mashiach's coming as the one where Yesod is a particular problem, as we see all around us today. There is heavy judgement in this sefirah, too, just as one begins to be judged in Heaven at age 20. Yesod is the last step before the concluding sefirah of Malkhut, "Kingdom", where everything comes together. Yesod is therefore quite literally the last and greatest test. Most of us spend much of our lives struggling in Yesod more than in any other sefirah. Our entire generation is struggling with this sefirah in particular more than any other. Only with the proper rectification of Yesod—in a holy, wholesome, unified marriage; a true reunion of soulmates—can one enter the Kingdom.
And it is only following all of this that one can ascend ever higher in the sefirot, for they do not end with these lower seven. There are three more "higher" sefirot: the mochin. First comes the pair of Binah, also called Ima, "mother", and Chokhmah, also called Aba, "father". On the simplest of levels, being parents is essential to achieving these rectifications. In fact, the Arizal teaches that Aba has an even deeper face (and phase) called Israel Saba, the "grandfather". At the very end, we reach Keter, the "crown", the highest sefirah. It corresponds to the highest soul, yechidah, and to the highest universe, Atzilut. This is the face that Daniel described as Atik Yomin, "Ancient of Days". A holy, ancient human being whose hair is like "pure wool" (Daniel 7:9). This is a completely rectified person, a transcendent being. Such a person is like a projection of pure Godliness in this world. This is the stage of life we should all yearn to one day experience.
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FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank cut interest rates to record lows on Thursday, launched a series of measures to pump money into the sluggish euro zone economy, and pledged to do more if needed to fight off the risk of Japan-like deflation.
For the first time, the ECB will charge banks for parking funds at the central bank overnight in an attempt to force them to lend to small- and medium-sized businesses.
The measures were also aimed at easing pressure on the strong euro, which is threatening economic recovery and importing disinflation.
Euro zone inflation has been stuck in what Draghi has called "the danger zone" below 1% since October, mainly because of weaker commodity and food prices, but also because of wage and other adjustments in euro zone crisis countries.
The bank stopped short of full-fledged quantitative easing (QE) – printing money to buy assets – but ECB President Mario Draghi said more action would come it necessary.
Asked why the ECB had not gone ahead with QE, he told a news conference: "We think (what we've done is) a significant package. Are we finished? The answer is no. We aren't finished here. If need be, within our mandate, we aren't finished here."
RBS economist Richard Barwell said this comment would fuel market expectations for more action.
"We doubt the knee-jerk response to further bad news will be 'give the June package more time'; expectations of a broad-based asset purchase programme will rapidly start to build," he said.
Draghi outlined a four-year €400bil (US$544.86bil) scheme giving banks that have been holding back credit due to looming stress tests an incentive to increase lending to businesses in the euro zone.
"Now we are in a completely different world," Draghi said, citing "low inflation, a weak recovery and weak monetary and credit dynamics".
The package, adopted unanimously, was aimed at increasing lending to the "real economy", he said.
Other steps included extending the duration of unlimited cheap liquidity for euro zone banks, injecting about €170bil by stopping tenders that withdrew funds spent on past government bond purchases, and preparing for possible future purchases of asset-backed securities to support small business.
Projections published by the ECB showed inflation would be just 0.7% this year, 1.1% next year and 1.4% in 2016, a downward revision and far below the ECB's target of below-but-close-to 2%.
"If required, we will act swiftly with further monetary policy easing," he said, adding that the policy-setting Governing Council was unanimous in its commitment to use unconventional instruments if needed "to further address risks of too prolonged a period of low inflation".
Most of the measures had been widely anticipated. The euro initially fell to a four-month low of US$1.3505 after Draghi's statement before recovering to trade above US$1.3600, slightly up on the day.
European shares rose and yields on the government bonds of stressed euro zone countries fell.
French President Francois Hollande, who has been calling for months for ECB action to weaken the euro's exchange rate, which Paris argues is holding back economic recovery, welcomed the central bank's decision.
The International Monetary Fund, which has also pressed the ECB to take robust action, welcomed Thursday's announcements a "very proactive stance".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel declined comment, noting that the ECB took its decisions independently of governments. Her finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, said low interest rates were not a long-term solution.
Low rates are unpopular in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, because they are seen as penalising savers.
Conservative German economist Hans-Werner Sinn of the Ifo institute said the ECB's moves smacked of desperation and would not work.
"This is a desperate attempt, with ever cheaper money and penalty rates on deposits, to shift capital flows to southern Europe in order to stimulate growth there," he said.
Draghi said interest rates would stay low for a prolonged period but after Thursday's cut, he omitted a previous regular line that they could go lower. He added that "for all practical purposes" interest rates had reached the bottom.
Asked how long it would take for the measures to work their way though into the economy, he said: "Most likely we will see immediate effects in the money markets and we will see delayed effects in the real economy attributable to this programme... It will probably take three or four quarters."
The ECB lowered the deposit rate to -0.1%. It cut its main refinancing rate to 0.15%, and the marginal lending rate – or emergency borrowing rate – to 0.4%.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a bigger cut in the refinancing rate to 0.1% from 0.25%. – Reuters
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be dragging (one's) feet
be dragging (one's) feet
To be moving slowly and reluctantly because one does not want to do something. I get the feeling she's dragging her feet because she's scared to go to the dentist.
be dragging your feetor
be dragging your heels
COMMON If someone is dragging their feet or dragging their heels, they are being very slow to do something. But there's been criticism of the United States for dragging its feet on measures to protect the environment. A spokesman strongly denied that the Government was dragging its heels on the issue.


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The Earth – Land Scape and Sea Scape High Seas: open Ocean several miles or more from shore. Ocean: Any of vast, connected bodies of salt water that cover almost three-fourths of the earth's surface. Oceanfront: Land directly along seashore. Offshore: Designating Area Sea laying a short way from beach. Pelagic: Of or on the …
Tag Archive: pelagic
Coastal land, Islands, and the sea.
Tags: and the sea, archipelago, bay, Coastal land, estuary, floe, gulf, high seas, Islands, marine, Ocean, ocean front, offshore, pelagic, reef, ria, riviera, sea, sea cliff, sea coast, sea strand, seaboard, seascape, seashore, seaway, shore, shoreline
Aero planes Amazing facts Animal Animal Life animal life poem artificial satellites details about tsunami digestion Digestive system engligh facts gall bladder height of tsunami History importantce of english large intestine liver moon music name-fame natural satellites Nethraa poem on success Poornimababu Power of words Project manager real animal rushalli Satellites satellites in each planet Ship Ships small intestine Star fish Story success success poem Time Management Trains Transport Tsunami type of satellites unbelievable facts uses of artificial satellites words


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Middle Georgia State College Comes Into Existence | Schools
Tuesday, officials voted unanimously to turn two midstate schools into one consolidated institution, Middle Georgia State College.
That's according to a MGSC news release.
In January 2012, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents recommended to consolidate the campuses and faculties of Macon State College and Middle Georgia College.
PHOTOS | View the five campuses
RELATED | Students React to College Merger Plan
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RELATED | Merchandise Hits Bookstore with New MGSC Logo
Since that recommendation, subcommittees worked to iron out kinks and questions:
- How would two different academic structures be combined?
- What about accreditation?
- How would differences in tuition rates be resolved?
- What about athletics, given that only one college (Middle Georgia) offered intercollegiate sports?
- How would student information systems be merged and other technology issues addressed?
- What about differences in faculty matters, such as governance, promotion and tenure?
Interim President Dr. John B. Black says, "The phrase, 'building the plane while flying it' applies here."
The school is projected to transform into a university in the next few years.


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On August 12,2010, the Federal Flood Commission of Pakistan gave the following figures of the damage and destruction caused by the floods in Pakistan:
At least 1,294 persons confirmed dead and 1,366 injured.
A total of 415,862 houses destroyed or partially damaged ----- 172,110 houses in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa (KP), 122,798 in Sindh, 90,618 in Punjab, 19,619 in Balochistan, 6,357 in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), 2,336 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and 1,432 in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). ( My comment: There is a slight discrepancy in the figures. The total of these break-up figures comes to only 415,270)
Total area of land affected 2,698,041 acres of which 2,250,409 had standing crops
Total number of villages affected 4,885-----2,584 in Balochistan, 1,527 in Punjab, 581 in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa and 193 in Gilgit-Baltistan. He did not give the figures for Sindh, the POK and the FATA.
2. From the point of view of fatalities, the worst affected were as follows:
Khyber Pakhtoonkwa About 1000
Balochistan 60
Punjab 51
POK & Gilgit Baltistan 15
Sindh 11
My comment: According to the federal figures, the fatalities were 1294 and according to the provincial figures 1241
3.Mr.Shakil Qadir, Director-General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkwa, gave on August 11 the following figures of damages suffered by the province:
Total damage: Rs. 185 billion (US $2.2 billion).
Damage to houses : Rs. 78 billion (US $922m). About 200,000 houses were destroyed
Total fatalities: About 1,000.Ten districts – Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Nowshera, Peshawar, Shangla, Swat, Tank and Kohistan have been declared "severely affected"; Bannu, Battagram, Chital, Karak, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Malakand, Mansehra and Swabi have been declared "medium affected"; Buner, Hangu, Mardan and Abbottabad "least affected."
Civil unrest is a concern if the flood victims do not receive immediate financial assistance to repair their houses,Mr. Qadir said. He added: "These people may come onto the streets and start agitation … that is why we have recommended to the government to inject Rs. 6 billion (US $69.6m) to rebuild damaged homes to help these people restart life. We need to immediately pay each affected person Rs. 25,000 (US $290) so he can rebuild his life."
Khyber Pakhtunkwa usually gets 962mm of rain annually, but from July 28 to August 3 it received 3,462mm of rain. The average annual rainfall in Peshawar is 400mm, but in the six same days 333mm of rain lashed the city.
He estimated other damages as follows:
• the livelihood sector Rs. 35.8 billion (US $420m)
• agriculture, livestock and irrigation Rs. 23 billion (US $270m)
• education and health sectors Rs. 3.25 billion (US 38.2m)
He added that the Government expected to pay Rs. 373m (US$4.388m) to compensate heirs of those killed by the floods.
4.Torrential rains and resulting floods have caused damage worth over Rs2.656 billion.
As many as 64 persons were killed and 59 others injured in the floods. The floods washed away 11 bridges, 12 high tension electricity poles, and damaged about 320km of roads.
Out of the total 64 dead, 23 belonged to North Waziristan, 10 were from Khyber and Bajaur each, five from Mohmand and South Waziristan each, eight from D.I.Khan, two from Orakzai and one from Lakki Marwat.
In all, 1,432 houses were damaged. As many as 376 houses were damaged in Bajaur, 368 in Mohmand and 122 in Lakki Marwat.
The floods also washed away standing crops on 6,500 acres of land and 900 feet of agricultural protection bunds/walls in different parts of the FATA.
In terms of monetary losses to government departments, communication toped the list to the tune of Rs2.539 billion, Public Health Rs79.74 million, education Rs26.35 million, agriculture/livestock Rs7.3 million, housing Rs2.1 million and health Rs1.32 million.
Thousands of people were rendered homeless in Barkhan, Kohlu and Sibi and aid and rescue work was affected because of long distances and damaged roads.
Train services from Balochistan to other parts of the country remained suspended as the flood damaged the railway track at five points in Sibi district's Bakhtiarabad area.
Over five dozen villages were also submerged in Nasirabad district and Bakhtiarabad.
A large number of people were rendered homeless after their homes were washed away by the torrential rains which hit most parts of Balochistan, including Sibi, Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Barkhan.
6.The provincial government needs Rs37 billion immediately for relief work out of which Rs25 billion have been received from the Federal Government. According to an estimate, Muzzafargarh needs Rs16 billion for rehabilitation, while D.G. Khan Rs10 billion, Rajanpur Rs11 billion, Mianwali Rs10 billion, Bhakkar Rs 5 billion, Laqyyah Rs3.5 billion, and Rahim Yar Khan Rs10 billion for rehabilitation. These funds are required for the construction of houses, restoration of infrastructure, and for the restoration the of the irrigation system. The floods have destroyed 3,132 villages, 5.2 million acre irrigated land, 8.2 million people are displaced and 51 people lost their lives.
7. At least 15 people lost their lives.
Torrential rains damaged the Karakoram Highway at three points between Gilgit and Hunza-Nagar and the Gilgit-Skardu road at two places.
Boat service in the Hunza lake was suspended, adding to the hardship of the people of Hunza-Gojal.
The area was without electricity for seven days.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority has not yet been able to assess the damage because of disruption of the communications system.
8.Fatalities --- 11
Number of people affected ---3.7 million
Total damage Rs. 40 billion
10.The United Nations aid agencies and their partners on August 11 asked for about 460 million U.S. dollars. According to Mr.John Holmes, UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator at the UN Headquarters: "The death toll has so far been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters, but the numbers of affected are extraordinarily high ( 20 million). If we don't act fast enough, many more people could die of diseases and food shortages." .
11.According to the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one hundred per cent crop losses have been recorded in many areas and tens of thousands of animals have died. Wheat, gram, lentil, tobacco, rapeseed, barley, cotton and mustard crops have been washed away in thousands of acres in the country.
12.The basic infrastructure including roads, railway lines, bridges, electricity and communication system and health centers have been completely damaged in the flooded areas.
13.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that the floods will cause "major harm to the economy" of Pakistan. An IMF spokesman said on August 10 that the floods "are very likely to cause major harm to the economy in terms of loss of output and budgetary consequences."
14.The US $ 71 million.
The European Union $ 39 million
Canada $ 32 million
China $ 10 million
India $ 5 million ( not yet accepted by the Pakistan Government)
Other countries Not available
15.At a press conference at Washington on August 12 jointly addressed by Mr. Dan Feldman, the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Mr. Mark Ward, acting Director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, the following details were given:.
* Mr.Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary, has authorized the deployment of 19 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps helicopters consisting of 12 Sea Knight helicopters, four Super Stallion helicopters, and three Dragon helicopters. These will replace the six US Government helicopters that are currently in Pakistan on loan from the U.S. Senator John Kerry, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be visiting Pakistan to make an on-the-spot study of the US aid effort.
* From the questions posed at the press conference, it was evident that the public response to the appeal made by the State Department to US citizens and corporate houses to contribute to the aid effort has been very poor as compared to the public response at the time of the Haiti quake. Whereas in the case of Haiti, the public contributions touched US $ one million a day, in the case of Pakistan the public contribution has been around a few thousand dollars a day. This disappointment over the inadequate response was evident from the following question posed by Mr.Anwar Iqbal, the Washington correspondent of the "Dawn" of Karachi: "Nineteen helicopters, ten boats, for more than 14, 15 million people, probably now almost 20 million people. This seemed very inadequate. I'm not trying to blame or belittle the U.S. contribution, but somehow the right response is not coming from the international community. Even the Pakistanis living in America or Britain are not coming forward. They're very, very reluctant. What is preventing them? I mean, one reason that comes to mind is the lack of trust in the present Pakistani Government. People say, openly when you go to them, they will steal our money and run away, particularly with this President ( Mr.Zardari). They seem very upset. I've spoken to my American friends, they say that they feel that we will give them money and the credit will go to the Taliban. So how do you overcome this and what do you do? How to actually get the people involved and why are not they involved so far?" The two US officials could not give a satisfactory reply. They attributed the poor public response in the US to the fact that the fatalities in Haiti ran into thousands and that Haiti is a next-door neighbour.
16.An article dated August 9 in the Time magazine stated as follows on the public fury against President Asif Ali Zardari: ""Popular fury has settled on President Asif Ali Zardari, who has been criticized for abandoning his people to tour Europe. As television channels carried images of waters washing away buildings and homes, Zardari was seen racing off on a private plane, sporting blue jeans and his trademark high-voltage smile. As flood victims anxiously awaited the arrival of a rescue helicopter from the Pakistan military's limited fleet or the half-dozen Chinooks supplied by the U.S. military, Zardari was seen floating across northern France in a private helicopter to visit his family's château in Normandy. And when he made a nationally televised speech, while addressing a gathering of party supporters in the British city of Birmingham, there was only a glancing reference made to the tragedy unfolding at home. During the Birmingham speech, a protester who had managed to sneak into the hall hurled his two shoes at Zardari, missing by some distance. Zardari's supporters insist that his visit was necessary to secure aid for disaster relief. Opponents counter that such aid could have been appealed for from home and that even the $150 million that has been received, $35 million of which was donated by the U.S., is barely a fraction of the amount needed. One of Zardari's ministers was less fortunate. In a sign of the rage that has built up in recent days, crowds pelted the junior economic-affairs minister Hina Rabbani Khar's convoy with stones as it arrived in southern Punjab on Sunday, Aug. 8. It was the first time, enraged constituents said, that she had ventured there since the floods had hit."
17. The same article contrasted the Army's role with that of Mr.Zardari in the following words: "Although its response has been limited, the Pakistan army at least has been visible. Television images prominently showed soldiers plunging into high waters to rescue the stranded, though critics said the footage was courtesy of camera crews dispatched there on helicopters that could have been used for further rescues. Some 30,000 soldiers are currently at work in the affected areas. In the country's major towns and cities, men in fatigues have set up makeshift tents to gather donations. In sharp contrast to Zardari's summer sojourn, Army General Ashfaq Kayani was the first of Pakistan's prominent leaders to hasten to see flood victims. He announced that every soldier in his force would donate a day's pay to flood relief — a gesture that shamed lawmakers who refused to do the same."
18.The "Daily Telegraph" of London attributed the poor response to the fact that more than 300 million pounds of aid to help rebuild parts of Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake was diverted to other projects. Citing unnamed senior Pakistani officials, it said there were fears this diversion of funds would put off foreign donors from giving money to help 20 million people affected by the floods. "There's reluctance, even people in this country are not giving generously into this flood fund because they're not too sure the money will be spent honestly," opposition leader Nawaz Sharif told the newspaper.
19. While the Pakistani public has been reluctant to contribute to official flood relief funds, it has been contributing readily to funds set up by the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) and the Jamaat-e-Islami both of which have been very active in flood relief as they were in quake relief in 2005. As a result, the prestige of these organizations has shot up. People have been comparing their selfless service with the indifferent attitude of Mr.Zardari and his colleagues.
20. The same article of Time stated as follows in this regard: "Also standing to benefit from the disaster are Pakistan's hard-line Islamist groups, pushed to the sidelines by elections and weakened by military offensives. Unlike the civilian government and the army, which took days to marshal aid, Islamist groups boasted of efficient networks of volunteers. This is especially true in the volatile northwest, where the bulk of the devastation is taking place. The Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a charity with alleged links to the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) — which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai massacre — has for days been feeding tens of thousands of affected people. Drawing on a similar popularity achieved during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, members of the group say they receive donations from the urban middle class of Punjab, who are turning increasingly to religious conservatism. Such aid will make it difficult for the government to crack down on the do-gooders, no matter how malevolent Islamabad alleges their motives to be."
21.The magazine quoted Farzana Sheikh at London's Royal Institute of International Affairs as saying as follows: "The Government now finds itself in an awkward position. If there is any pressure for it to move against these groups, it's going to find itself in much the same position as Gen. Musharraf, who during the Kashmir earthquake said, 'We need all the help we can get from whatever source.' Given the circumstances, for it to now act against groups who are seen to be doing a sterling job in terms of helping people will be absolutely suicidal." The article added: "Working alongside the LeT-affiliated charities are the social-welfare wings of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the hard-line Islamist political party. It and other Islamist parties have lately been polling poorly in elections, perceived as having been too close to former dictator Pervez Musharraf and too indulgent of the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest when they controlled the provincial government there. But observers warn that with the failures of the current civilian government, the Islamists could seize the opportunity to rebuild local support. More worrying, the devastation wrought by the disaster might give armed militants — chastened by a Pakistani army offensive last year — an opportunity to stage a comeback, seizing advantage of a government in crisis, an army overstretched and a local population enraged."
22.There has been speculation in Pakistan that the US has been inducting a large number of its Marines into the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtoonkwa and the FATA ostensibly for implementing its flood relief projects and that some of them could actually be used for ground operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban and for catching or killing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, both of whom are believed to be in North Waziristan. These misgivings were reflected in the questions posed to Brigadier General Michael Nagata, deputy commander of the Office of the US Defence Representative, Pakistan, who briefed the Pakistani media on the US aid effort at Islamabad on August 13.
23.He said, inter alia, in his replies: " The first Marine element landed here at Ghazi Air Base yesterday ( August 12 ). We've been receiving additional aviation assets and personnel throughout the day. As a matter of fact, a couple of additional helicopters just landed within the last hour. But it's going to take us a few days to get the entire complement in here. Meanwhile, the army element that has been here now for almost two weeks continues to operate. And our goal is to make this transition from army aviation to Marine aviation as seamless and as transparent as possible to the Pakistani military partners that we are – have been working with ever since this effort began. In terms of operational focus, I anticipate right now that the focus of the Marine aviation effort, once the army element leaves, will be the same as what we have been doing already, which is focused on the Swat valley, where we have been delivering hundreds of thousands of pounds of relief supplies and recovering thousands of stranded personnel from this very large river valley, because of infrastructure damage, bridge destruction, road erosion, etc, many, many people are in need. ..... First of all, as is pretty obvious, our focus is purely humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Secondly, while there is, obviously, a militant threat in this region, not just in Pakistan, there are some security challenges here, but the Pakistani military, ever since we stood up this task force, have done simply an incredibly energetic and totally committed job at providing multiple layers of security around our activities both in the air and on the ground. I think the best transparency I can provide is to simply tell you what we have here. We do have Marines here in Pakistan. We have Marine security guards at our US embassy, as we do in every embassy around the world. I just talked about the Marines that are coming in with the aviation element, coming here to help Pakistani citizens in need, and partner with Pakistani military forces. You started your first question or you started the question earlier talking about how some people talk about thousands of Marines or thousands of US military personnel that are in Pakistan. It is not true. It is – it wasn't true then. It isn't true now. Everything we do here, every single US service member we bring to Pakistan is based on one thing and one thing only: the request for support and partnership that we receive from the Pakistan military and appropriate government authorities. That is as literally as transparent as I can be."
24.In spite of this, there is persistent speculation in Pakistan that the Pakistan Government, which is in desperate need of US assistance, has agreed to the Marines coming for flood relief mounting a hunt for bin Laden and al-Zawahiri.
25.There have been allegations of discrimination in the distribution of flood relief materials against the people of Balochistan, the POK and Gilgit-Baltistan. The "Dawn" of Karachi wrote on August 15 as follows: "The National Disaster Management Authority has so far not covered itself with glory in the delivery of relief goods in flood-hit areas. According to NDMA's own statistics, it does not appear to have reached the millions in need of shelter, food and medicine. The authority has so far sent only 59 emergency medicine kits — 17 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 24 to Punjab and 18 to Sindh. Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgilt Baltistan have not received any medicine kit. And this was the authority's own admission on Friday (August 13), two weeks after the calamity struck the country. The large-scale displacement in hot, humid weather, where camps are makeshift and amenities minimal has increased the chances of outbreak of diseases such as cholera. The NDMA has distributed 149 cholera kits — all in Punjab. The other provinces got nothing. The authority has distributed 3,500 mosquito nets among the affected people — 600 in Balochistan, 750 each in KP and Punjab and 1,500 in Sindh. But whether or not the distribution has been driven by some empirical evidence of more mosquitoes in Sindh remains unknown. For general health and welfare of the flood victims, the NDMA has sent 59 emergency medicine kits of which the lion's share of 24 went to Punjab and 17 to KP.Clean drinking water is a major issue. According to NDMA data, it has provided 41 water purification plants — 13 to KP, 15 to Punjab, 13 to Sindh. Balochistan, AJK and GB have received nothing. The authority has so far distributed 1,272 water bottles — 300 each in KP and Sindh and 672 in Punjab. With the millions affected, it does appear to be the proverbial drop in the ocean, but then the authority has provided 80 more water tanks — 35 in Balochistan, 13 in KP, 19 in Punjab and 13 in Sindh. But where the flood victims are desperate for basic things such as clothes, the NDMA has generously distributed over 2,000 towels, but strategically so — only Sindh and Punjab got this amenity; perhaps the people in KP, AJK and Balochistan did not need any. A similar logic was followed for soap which too only went to the two bigger provinces and not to other regions. All the buckets, however, went to KP as did the 24 foam beds, a luxury that the other areas did not get. Punjab got all 15 tons of dates distributed by NDMA. When it came to provision of other food items, the NDMA said it had so far distributed 2300 bags — 650 each in KP and Sindh and 1,000 in Punjab. However, all 437 food bags and their unknown contents were sent to KP, perhaps in exchange for all dates that were sent to Punjab." (15-8-2010)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com )
Sunday, August 15, 2010
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(Pocket-lint) - We've already had a hands-on with the Canon EOS 650D in Warsaw, Poland, at this year's UEFA Euro 2012 Championships. We've got a good idea how the camera performs, but many current D-series owners will want to know about image quality: is it any better than its predecessor?
The 650D has an 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor that is, at least at its core, the same as that found in its 600D predecessor. So far, so similar.
But the addition of Canon's DIGIC 5 processor means images are handled differently.
In the gallery below are images in their original compositional form and also at 1000-pixel crops at 100 per cent to offer a true representation of what the JPEG files are like straight from the camera.
Our first thoughts are that images aren't distinctly different from their 600D counterparts, at least upon first inspection, but higher up the ISO scale the noise-reduction processing has an edge over the previous model.
Images are rather impressive. Look at the fine detail and rich blacks at ISO 100 and even shots higher up the ISO range hold plenty of detail.
We'll be testing the EOS 650D to exhaustion over the coming week in order to bring you our full and final review. For now, glance through our gallery and see what you think for yourself.
Will you be buying or upgrading? Or are you disappointed that Canon hasn't followed in Nikon and Sony's footsteps and produced a super-high resolution sensor for its consumers? Comment in the box below...


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My friend Genny at My Cup 2 Yours is talking about favorite vacation destinations today.
May I present mine? For like the 4th time?
And for the powers that be at The Royal, feel free to comp me a vacation to your resort anytime. I'll even write about it. Again. For free. :)